Bridge piercing straight or curved barbell
[Get] Marisa Murgatroyd – The Experience Product Masterclass 2023
2023.04.01 06:15 AutoModerator [Get] Marisa Murgatroyd – The Experience Product Masterclass 2023
![[Get] Marisa Murgatroyd – The Experience Product Masterclass 2023](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/1LLj-0G4NUrevHL3IsFEixdNLpIMQVjpWFc6BVS9fug.jpg "[Get] Marisa Murgatroyd – The Experience Product Masterclass 2023") | Download course here: https://www.genkicourses.com/product/marisa-murgatroyd-the-experience-product-masterclass-2023/ submitted by AutoModerator to MarketingBestOf [link] [comments] [Get] Marisa Murgatroyd – The Experience Product Masterclass 2023 https://preview.redd.it/yz3etu5sf6ra1.jpg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b415b81f690e2b83b9d42699bc5986f4cd9d183 What You Get:MODULE 1YOUR PROFITABLE PRODUCT IDEADesigning a Blockbuster Hit Starts HereThe best products start with the best and most profitable ideas — which don’t happen by chance nor by waiting for lightning to strike. It takes a proven process to zero in on the idea with the potential to fly off the shelves. In this module, you’ll discover my Profitable Product Idea. You will:
Whether you don’t have any ideas, or you have too many ideas, or you’re not sure whether your idea will work, your Blockbuster Hit Product starts here. MODULE 2 YOUR IDEA TO MARKET BLUEPRINTTurning Your Idea Into an Irresistible OfferIn this module, you’ll take your profitable idea and transform it into the kind of thing folks will line up to buy. We call it your “Offer”, and it’s the scaffolding around your idea that makes it real. Elements such as:
By the end of this module, you’ll have the deep confidence that comes from knowing that everything you’re creating is exactly what your audience wants to buy. Now you’ll be ready for Module 3, where we’ll start building! MODULE 3 YOUR MVP LAUNCHCreating Your Minimal Viable Product & Getting to Market FastBy the end of this module, you’ll create just enough of your new program or course to be able to start making real, actual sales to real actual customers. So many programs stop short of this critical step, and leave you stranded, wondering how to bridge the gap between theory and practice. That’s a huge mistake, because it’s critical to test the real world response to your offer before you create your whole course or product, while you still have time to make easy changes and pivots. Some folks hit it out of the park on the first try, while others need to refine and adjust for a few cycles before they land on just the right thing. Either way, this process ensures you never waste months and thousands of dollars creating the wrong thing. In this Module you’ll:
SUPERCHARGE YOUR MARKETINGReach Even More People & Make Even More SalesNow that you’ve proven your offer by making some sales, our optional Module 4 is where you can take your marketing even further by stacking 2-3 campaigns together to create a supercharged, multiplier effect. Whether you stack simple campaigns, requiring little-to-no technology, or more robust campaigns — this is how you realize Goal X. A whole lot more. Whatever that looks like to you. In this Module, get ready to turn a handful of sales into an avalanche:
MODULE 5 EXPERIENCE ESCALATIONSupercharge Your ResultsNow that you’ve proven your product with real sales and you have a plan for reaching even more people and making even more money, this is where we pour fuel on the fire by “experiencifying” your course. “Experiencification” is the process of stacking the 10 Core Experiences of The Experience Formula™ into every element of your Experience Product, to increase the effectiveness of your product by 10-30 times. In this Module you’ll:
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2023.04.01 06:07 thotpatrolofficerr Best Advice a Senior Could Give (based on mistakes and regrets)
(not ranked; each piece of advice is just as important)
submitted by thotpatrolofficerr to highschool [link] [comments]
- Get your class requirements done NOW so you can do the fun classes later. I did two elections back in freshman year and now I have to do Spanish class as a senior with a bunch of freshmen, and sophomores. Not fun. Most of my friends are now in "advanced Photography" where you can basically just chill and have time to do other classes' homework. Check your school's or district's requirements to graduate and get those required classes done ASAP.
- DO NOT disregard your freshman year as it is your most IMPORTANT year. A lot of people say junior or senior year is your most important year. That's bullshit. Freshman year is. It's when you're in your most immature and neglectful self. If your freshman self is not careful, it WILL fuck up your GPA, unless you have straight A's the rest of your high school years. Please, just do your homework, stay off your phone, and talk to your teacher. That's all you have to do.
- Make friends NOW. It really isn't hard. I'm sure you have enough classes to make enough friends. Find a group. Trust me. It may even help your GPA.
- Be a FRIEND to your teacher. Either be a friend or don't be an enemy. Being an enemy of your teacher is not worth it. If you don't like them, keep your status as a normal student to them. Otherwise, be their friend as it will help your grade. Listen to them and respect their rules. They deal with shitheads every day, make their day easier.
- Do ALL of your homework. No missing assignments. If there are, do the missing assignments first, or make it one of your first priorities. This is so important as doing literally all of your homework (with effort) will guarantee you a passing grade. If you struggle, talk to your teacher ASAP.
- Choose the classes that INTEREST you. In earlier years of high school, I understand you will have limited options but if there are more options, research the class and choose whichever most interests you. If I had a choice between biology and chemistry, I'd personally choose chemistry because I like Breaking Bad lol. Finding something you're already interested in and finding a subject that's related to it is a good way to choose your class. PLEASE CHECK if it fills your graduation requirements. Do not take a class that you will waste your time in. Also, don't mistake this advice for electives like taking a "piano" class in your freshman year. If your school does require some sort of "Fine Arts" elective, save it for your senior year. Take the boring classes now.
- Cheat if you HAVE to but don't do it in certain circumstances. This piece of advice may get hate but let's be honest, most kids today have access to technology and Google, so don't say "I've barely cheated" or "how are you gonna tell kids to cheat?". There are certain situations where cheating is valid and it isn't. IMPORTANT: Exams or tests where you can't cheat (lockdown browser or you're sitting in front of the class), then don't cheat on your homework because you NEED to learn about it. Tests when you can cheat (google forms, carefree teacher), go ahead and cheat on your homework if you absolutely DON'T have time for homework (examples: sports practice, doctor's appointment, etc.) Again, I'm not exactly suggesting cheating but only do so when you need to. Don't waste your time doing work that can easily be done in a matter of minutes.
- DO NOT be afraid/embarrassed to get help. My high ego cost me some of my GPA. Message your teacher, talk to your parents, or maybe even post to Reddit. Get a tutor if you need to. Having constant stress or a consistent F at the beginning of the semester are both big signs you need help.
- Staying on your phone on TikTok/YouTube/Instagram for more than 30 minutes at home/school is a TOTAL time-waster. This can also lead to procrastination. Your time is better spent getting homework done, studying, or practicing hobbies/sports. I like to use my YouTube time when eating dinner. I sound like a parent but it's true. Your phone time is better spent worry-free from homework.
- Getting on social media/video games first thing in the morning is the absolute WORST thing you could do to yourself. Please don't do it.
- If your school has community service required, knock them out ASAP. Get them all done your freshman year or sophomore year or whatever just get them done NOW. Get your friends to do some with you or whatever it takes to motivate you to get them done. You most likely won't have time to do them in your junior or senior year as more difficult classes, sports, and your job will take up your time.
- If you have the opportunity or the specific community service interests you, do as many hours as possible for a possible Volunteer award. Which helps your transcript/resume.
- CHOOSE a sport by gut and practice it ALOT. Do not search for "best sports" or "most attractive sports". Choose one that most interests you by watching the sport's icons (Messi, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, etc.) or just by playing it. Maybe your favorite video game is related to it. Sure, no one is gonna care that you won the MVP award back in high school but you're going to be glad that you had memories there. It'll also help your transcript/resume. Joining a team is an opportunity to make friends as well.
- You CAN do sports and have a job at the same time. Prioritize your schedule. Have an 8-hour or 6-hour shift only on Saturdays. Wait until the end of the season to extend your hours. It's possible.
- ALWAYS take the Honors version of the class. IMO, it is not worth it to take the regular version of a class as the Honors are just as difficult but a little more work. If you think the Honors class was easy and got you interested in the subject, take the AP version. If you weren't really interested in the subject, that's fine as you got more credit for basically the same work. Next year, do a different Honors subject.
- You don't HAVE to do AP classes. Please don't force yourself to do an AP class because your friends are doing it or you think it's a subject you're interested in or you have to raise your GPA. Do it because you did the Honors class (or the class that gets you prepared) beforehand or if you are REALLY interested in the subject or if it seems easier for you than the regular class. I took AP Lang because I was more interested in writing than reading, which was the regular 12th-grade English course.
- Begin to research colleges and your educational future at the end of your SOPHOMORE year. Meaning see which colleges interest you. What careers interest you. This is so you will know what future classes to take and as well as which requirements to fill. Niche has a checklist of the things you should do to prepare for college.
- Prepare and take the SAT in your junior AND senior year. This increases your chances of getting into better colleges. It doesn't matter what your goals are as it will significantly help your transcript/resume. Fit 'Khan Academy SAT Practice' into your schedule but don't make it stressful.
- APPLY to a lot of scholarships. As many as you can, and as early as you can. This is usually during the end of junior year or the beginning of senior year.
- APPLY for FAFSA asap. Find out when it's available for you during your juniosenior year. Free money. Don't waste it.
- Depending on your goals, get a part-time job ASAP. As soon as you turn 14-16, find a part-time job near you that most interests you and has minimum wage or above minimum wage. If you can't find a job around 3 months after your birthday, you, unfortunately, have to work at McDonald's or something similar. Although, this 'part-time job' advice may be void if you already have career goals that require professional athletic training or AP classes. Get money while you're young and have no taxes/bills to pay.
- It is said that education is more important than money at this age but this is more true for students that are on a higher level of education. The more they focus on education, the more likely they are to get into a college that has a high employment rate for high-salary jobs. If you're a student that has done mostly regular classes, get a job. But if your classes' difficulty takes almost all of your time all week, don't get a job.
- If you do get a job, save literally ALL of your money. Maybe put aside $50 each paycheck for clothing or fast food here and there but your future self is going to want to invest it, buy a car soon, or save for college/business.
- If you do get money, please stay FRUGAL. Join the subreddit. Do whatever it takes so you don't waste your money on stupid shit that you don't need or won't last you long. Eat at home as much as possible.
- Please get SLEEP. Most students don't. Be one of the few that does and get the benefit of better focus, mood, and productivity. This is so important, do NOT neglect your sleep for phone time or homework. This is why you should get your homework done earlier.
- Poor sleep has done so many bad things to me that you couldn't imagine. I can't stress this enough, make it a priority.
- Video games are WORTHLESS to invest your time in now. Please for the love of god do not have a "Rocket League 2-hour practice routine" or "Valorant Aim training practice" in your daily routine. It is a complete waste of time and is rather best put into homework, studying, sports, or useful hobbies. I'm not saying to completely stop playing video games, I'm saying to not make it a priority. Do play video games with your close friends as these may be your last few years with them. Again, this may be void if you somehow make money out of this, but that is rare.
- Whatever your current hobbies are (that aren't video games or TikTok), learn and practice them NOW. Guitar, cooking, painting, reading, learning a new language, skating, or whatever; make it one of your priorities aside from homework because trust me, you wish you would've started sooner.
- A girlfriend/boyfriend is NOT worth the time unless they don't show any red flags AT ALL. This means no signs of toxicity, treats you and your family like family, and you did not force yourself to like this person just because you wanted a partner. It all has to be natural, otherwise, do not get one now. Even if it is natural and you eventually break up, it's a valuable life lesson.
- If you like someone naturally, talk to them NOW. This is when friends come in. Get your most close friend or the friend that talks to girls and talk to them about what you should say. You really can't mess up (unless you say something aggressive like anti-Semitic or racist) because if they like you then they won't care if you're nervous or didn't say the "right thing". If you get rejected, you are only a stronger being now. Do NOT blame yourself for getting rejected. I met my first girlfriend with no 'rizz' and we bonded for a year.
- Yes, you will see ugly guys have pretty women in their contacts and you may think it's their rizz but it's just the girls' type. Your future girlfriend's type will be you and your type will be her.
- They rejected you or broke up with you? DO NOT CONTACT THEM FIRST EVER AGAIN. Not worth your time. The 'person who REJECTED you' advice may be void if they end up being good friends in which you could talk to friends of friends and maybe find another person to talk to. Again, who REJECTED, not BROKE UP. If you are still deeply in love with the person who rejected you, you can't be friends. Sorry.
- DON'T feel pressured to go to a party/function. Go if your friends are going or if you're extraverted. Almost all parties I've been to are just for getting high and drunk. If you choose that route, make it occasional, and don't make it a habit. Having vaping or juuling as a habit is NOT worth it, especially now while your lungs are healthy. If there's music, it's Mike Sherm, not Pitbull like you see in the movies.
- Having a conflict with another person now is CORNY. Who gives a fuck if they cheated on you or if they called you a bitch or they don't "fuck" with you. It's HIGH SCHOOL. Learn, make friends, and have fun. If you're already part of a conflict, it's not worth it. Be a "man" or "woman" and not give a fuck. You are not a bitch if they call you one for not standing up for yourself. You're a bitch by giving a fuck for something not worth your time.
- Obviously, fight back if they physically hurt you. Learn a 'bitch' move (poke the eye, hit in the balls, punch in the gut) and leave. Jiu-jitsu or wrestling is also fun to learn if you have the time.
- Start off with the BASICS and find your style. Basics mean plain shirts, regular-fit jeans, white sneakers, etc. Then find your style from there with celebrity inspirations or Pinterest albums. Wear what you like but please do not get caught wearing a skirt with fishnets, a shawl-collar cardigan, or a peacoat. People will tell you "dress however you want" but not here dude, not here. Wear appropriate things you'd wear to a sports game or the grocery store.
- If you have the chance to become fit, start NOW. Chubby? Lose weight. Skinny? Gain muscle. There are subreddits for these. If your parents cook at home most of the time, ask for more whole meals that suit your diet and HELP cook them. Start slow when you're changing your diet. Do not go from fast food to straight-up whole meals. You will most likely get de-motivated within a few days. Again, you wish would've started sooner. Start now if you have access to weights and a balanced diet. My school had a weights training class with barbells, so I started there and eventually changed my diet.
- PLEASE DO NOT LIFT WITHOUT A GOOD DIET. Fitness is 80% diet, 20% exercise. Please do not be that person that lifts, then goes to eat a 40-count nugget at McDonald's. Exercising without a good diet is a TOTAL waste of time.
- CLEAN your room. Messy room, messy mind. This is also in case you ever have someone unexpected over.
- (BONUS) Learn chess and become at least an intermediate player. Depending on your school, there may be a chess tournament that includes a prize. Most likely money. This is also a nice hobby to improve memory, problem-solving, reading skills, and concentration.
2023.04.01 05:49 CreeDorofl Logical Increments 'Great'-tier build... some small screwups, but it works.
I used to build PC's regularly, but my last system was meant to be sorta 'future-proof'. The parts were good for the time, and it lasted me 9 years, so I feel like that was a success.
I wanted to build during lockdown but GPU prices sucked. My old GPU was $300, and and when I shopped around, I was shocked to see it was selling for more than I paid for it. Now it can be had used for like $70.
I want this PC to last a while. I gradually turned into one of those guys who mostly replays the same old favorites (FO, skyrim, etc)... but now that I can run good AAA titles, I will try some modern games. Maybe see what emulation is possible.
It took some troubleshooting, mostly dumb errors from being VERY rusty in PC building. Details below. Also, obligatory pics with cat tax included: https://imgur.com/a/WAadEsM
PCPartPicker Part List
. . So in terms of purchasing, I dunno if I was optimal. I basically trust Logical Increments to do the homework. Their builds always work, take advantage of specials where possible, and fine tune carefully for each budget. For example, out of the 16 'tiers', this build used an AMD CPU, but most of their builds use 12th/13th gen Intel (including the tier above and below mine). I guess the R5 7600 hits some sweet spot.
It was supposed to cost $1200. But I fucked up and overbought RAM. I thought my apps used mode than they do. I do some video editing, 3D rendering, lots of photo editing, and generally just run a lot of stuff at the same time, with many chrome tabs. But I can't seem to even get to 25% RAM usage. Probably 32 GB woulda been fine (even overkill). The extra $100 should have gone to a nicer GPU.
$1400 is more than I ever spent in the past, but we're in a time of inflation and when you factor that this might last another 7-10 years, it's OK. GPU prices are finally back in line.
Boring build story: I always do a breadboard. Well, it's a bit more than the bare minimum to boot. but I try to get it boot with just CPU, 1 stick of ram, and in this case GPU. The motherboard has integrated graphics but I'm not using them.
When I flipped the switch on my PSU, I got nothing, no post, and wondered if I missed a step.
Didn't panic. Reseated everything. Then I remembered you could run a wire between two pins of the CPU's main power connector, to see if it's functional. I got irritated when I realized I had no paper clips in the entire house, but biting off the ends of a twist tie works. Watch this guy with the coke nails explain the trick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfYwKPtDiw4&t=242s (4:03)
So the PSU was fine. What I finally figured out is... I needed to actually turn on the computer. I know that sounds retardedly obvious, but when I flipped on that PSU, I truly expected to see SOMEthing, a light or a "good morning" fan spin. This rig doesn't do any of that. Maybe I misremember seeing that in the past.
Anyway after using a screwdriver to bridge the motherboard's power pins, it booted right up. Got windows installed. I was a little worried that the PSU didn't include a secondary 6-pin connector for the socket next to the CPU's main 8-pin connector. But I guess that's for a beefier CPU than mine, the 6-pin connector is fine by itself.
Side rant: I hate how power connectors are WAAAAY too snug and the CPU clamp is WAAAAAY too tight. I know the CPU can't move at all or instant BSOD/shutdown/whatever. But it weighs as much as a tennis ball and sits still on a desk. It doesn't need a clamp that can hold a canoe to a roof rack. And reseating the main power connector is a huge pain in the balls. I had to break off the plastic latch/ckip and wedge a knife blade into the seam to gradually work it back out of the socket. Mountain climbers could use it instead of caribiner clips. In fact, from now on I'm breaking off that pointless plastic clip, I've never seen a main connector or molex that wasn't absurdly tight.
I got errors running an old installer for a game (one that worked fine on the old PC), which I found alarming. Googling suggested installer used a ton of ram. One smart poster said it might be sensitive not just to ram amount, but timings. I installed premiere and edited some video... BSOD. A really weird, annoying kind of BSOD: the crash screen and text appeared on top of premiere as semi-transparent, and the text was white sitting on a white background. So I couldn't read it. I got it again but this time could make out the word "memory". I was concerned I had a defective RAM stick.
I remembered a previous build problem where a PC would only boot when paired with older RAM. I theorized that was because when it detected the old ram, both sticks were forced to run at lower speed. So I went into BIOS to see what the RAM clock speed and timings looked like. It was set to "Auto" so I manually set it to the speed it's rated for, 5200, and that surprisingly worked. Every since changing that single setting, the game that failed to install like 5 times, installed fine. Premiere has never crashed since (several weeks now). So I'm pleased to have figured that out and not wasted money buying different RAM when this batch is fine. . . Parts sorta-review: At first I was at first disappointed at how the video card didn't seem to be that great. First I tried one of my simple 3D renders and it was weirdly slow. But then I found out blender not only has the option of using CPU or GPU, it has options for different API's to talk to your video card. I set it to CUDA (which is specific to Nvidia cards) and it was over 10x faster. Fallout 4 load screens sucked, but that's because load screens are tied to frame rate, which is locked at 60 fps. This mod unlocks framerates during any load screen and now it's done in seconds.
The only part I don't 100% love is the case. It's made to look as simple and minimal as possible. So they hide the power and USB connector on top instead of in front. And they only put 2 USB in front. So it's less convenient to reach and a couple of items I usually plug into the front, now go in back. It also weighs a ton, and has rubber feet, so it won't move easily when you're trying to scoot it around on the desk during the building process. There's a big flat metal strip for hiding/organizing cables but it's just in the way. Also the hard drive cage can be removed, but you gotta get underneath the case and undo two screws. My old build, simple plastic clips held the HDD's and you can just slide them into place and they'd lock. I had to remove the cage to screw them in place.
Other than that, no complaints, running smoothly, only slight concern is GPU idles at 47°C doing nothing but browsing. That seems to be a hair above the high end of normal. I never messed with fan curves or overclocking it, so I'm gonna run DDU and update to the newest driver, see if it helps. The fans apparently don't kick on until 50° but it still seems like something isn't optimal. Maybe bad case airflow.
submitted by CreeDorofl to buildapc [link] [comments]
I wanted to build during lockdown but GPU prices sucked. My old GPU was $300, and and when I shopped around, I was shocked to see it was selling for more than I paid for it. Now it can be had used for like $70.
I want this PC to last a while. I gradually turned into one of those guys who mostly replays the same old favorites (FO, skyrim, etc)... but now that I can run good AAA titles, I will try some modern games. Maybe see what emulation is possible.
It took some troubleshooting, mostly dumb errors from being VERY rusty in PC building. Details below. Also, obligatory pics with cat tax included: https://imgur.com/a/WAadEsM
PCPartPicker Part List
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor | $229.00 @ Amazon |
| CPU Cooler | be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black CPU Cooler | $44.90 @ Amazon |
| Motherboard | ASRock B650 PG LIGHTNING ATX AM5 Motherboard | $199.99 @ Amazon |
| Memory | G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-5600 CL36 Memory | $219.99 @ Newegg |
| Storage | Western Digital Blue SN570 500 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive | $32.99 @ Amazon |
| Storage | Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive | $47.00 @ Amazon |
| Video Card | Zotac GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB Video Card | $409.99 @ Newegg |
| Case | NZXT H510i ATX Mid Tower Case | $106.99 @ Amazon |
| Power Supply | EVGA 650 GQ 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | $102.08 @ Amazon |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $1392.93 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-03-31 21:41 EDT-0400 |
It was supposed to cost $1200. But I fucked up and overbought RAM. I thought my apps used mode than they do. I do some video editing, 3D rendering, lots of photo editing, and generally just run a lot of stuff at the same time, with many chrome tabs. But I can't seem to even get to 25% RAM usage. Probably 32 GB woulda been fine (even overkill). The extra $100 should have gone to a nicer GPU.
$1400 is more than I ever spent in the past, but we're in a time of inflation and when you factor that this might last another 7-10 years, it's OK. GPU prices are finally back in line.
When I flipped the switch on my PSU, I got nothing, no post, and wondered if I missed a step.
Didn't panic. Reseated everything. Then I remembered you could run a wire between two pins of the CPU's main power connector, to see if it's functional. I got irritated when I realized I had no paper clips in the entire house, but biting off the ends of a twist tie works. Watch this guy with the coke nails explain the trick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfYwKPtDiw4&t=242s (4:03)
So the PSU was fine. What I finally figured out is... I needed to actually turn on the computer. I know that sounds retardedly obvious, but when I flipped on that PSU, I truly expected to see SOMEthing, a light or a "good morning" fan spin. This rig doesn't do any of that. Maybe I misremember seeing that in the past.
Anyway after using a screwdriver to bridge the motherboard's power pins, it booted right up. Got windows installed. I was a little worried that the PSU didn't include a secondary 6-pin connector for the socket next to the CPU's main 8-pin connector. But I guess that's for a beefier CPU than mine, the 6-pin connector is fine by itself.
I remembered a previous build problem where a PC would only boot when paired with older RAM. I theorized that was because when it detected the old ram, both sticks were forced to run at lower speed. So I went into BIOS to see what the RAM clock speed and timings looked like. It was set to "Auto" so I manually set it to the speed it's rated for, 5200, and that surprisingly worked. Every since changing that single setting, the game that failed to install like 5 times, installed fine. Premiere has never crashed since (several weeks now). So I'm pleased to have figured that out and not wasted money buying different RAM when this batch is fine. . . Parts sorta-review: At first I was at first disappointed at how the video card didn't seem to be that great. First I tried one of my simple 3D renders and it was weirdly slow. But then I found out blender not only has the option of using CPU or GPU, it has options for different API's to talk to your video card. I set it to CUDA (which is specific to Nvidia cards) and it was over 10x faster. Fallout 4 load screens sucked, but that's because load screens are tied to frame rate, which is locked at 60 fps. This mod unlocks framerates during any load screen and now it's done in seconds.
The only part I don't 100% love is the case. It's made to look as simple and minimal as possible. So they hide the power and USB connector on top instead of in front. And they only put 2 USB in front. So it's less convenient to reach and a couple of items I usually plug into the front, now go in back. It also weighs a ton, and has rubber feet, so it won't move easily when you're trying to scoot it around on the desk during the building process. There's a big flat metal strip for hiding/organizing cables but it's just in the way. Also the hard drive cage can be removed, but you gotta get underneath the case and undo two screws. My old build, simple plastic clips held the HDD's and you can just slide them into place and they'd lock. I had to remove the cage to screw them in place.
Other than that, no complaints, running smoothly, only slight concern is GPU idles at 47°C doing nothing but browsing. That seems to be a hair above the high end of normal. I never messed with fan curves or overclocking it, so I'm gonna run DDU and update to the newest driver, see if it helps. The fans apparently don't kick on until 50° but it still seems like something isn't optimal. Maybe bad case airflow.
2023.04.01 05:33 pnkflyd99 Sleepless in Seattle was funny…for all the wrong reasons
I just watched this movie for the first time, and I’m quite surprised it’s rated so highly. I like all the actors involved, and think they did a fine job portraying these characters, but holy shit what a hot mess! Meg Ryan’s character (Annie) is engaged to a handsome, fairly boring, “nice guy” (Bill Pullman as “Walter”).
Sam (Tom Hanks) lost his wife and moved with his son Jonah to Seattle, where the kid calls into some radio show and Sam spills his guts about how amazing his dead wife was. Women swoon and send him “fuck me!” letters. He’s ambivalent and starts dating this woman Victoria who’s into him but laughs weird. Jonah hates her when he reads this letter from Annie, who fucking STALKS Sam by hiring a private investigator to follow Sam.
It’s comical how ridiculously delusional these characters are- especially Jonah, who is I think EIGHT years old and just lost his mother less than 2 years ago. He practically wants to force his dad to marry this stalker woman who neither of them have ever met.
Meanwhile, Annie is sneaking around behind the back of her fiancé having wet fucky-fuck dreams of Sam, and her friend (Rosie O’Donnell) enables this batshit behavior by downplaying how crazy Annie is acting. If the roles were reversed and Sam was stalking Annie, this would be a straight-up horror flick. I guess either horror or romantic films both can make you want to vomit, but just for different reasons.
There were a few good intentional chuckles in it, but probably my favorite is when the movie gets so close to becoming self-aware when Annie states that she’s been watching too many movies, which is what compelled her. The kids were unreal and the computers/technology gave me a smile, though.
They mentioned how everything was a “sign”, which made me actually LOL. Annie says she doesn’t believe in signs (despite all the evidence to the contrary), which got me picturing Sam and Annie driving a car off a bridge that’s out because she “doesn’t believe in signs.”
I’d give this one a 2 out of 5. It’s watchable and has good acting, but otherwise it’s nuttier than a vat of chunky Jiff.
submitted by pnkflyd99 to movies [link] [comments]
Sam (Tom Hanks) lost his wife and moved with his son Jonah to Seattle, where the kid calls into some radio show and Sam spills his guts about how amazing his dead wife was. Women swoon and send him “fuck me!” letters. He’s ambivalent and starts dating this woman Victoria who’s into him but laughs weird. Jonah hates her when he reads this letter from Annie, who fucking STALKS Sam by hiring a private investigator to follow Sam.
It’s comical how ridiculously delusional these characters are- especially Jonah, who is I think EIGHT years old and just lost his mother less than 2 years ago. He practically wants to force his dad to marry this stalker woman who neither of them have ever met.
Meanwhile, Annie is sneaking around behind the back of her fiancé having wet fucky-fuck dreams of Sam, and her friend (Rosie O’Donnell) enables this batshit behavior by downplaying how crazy Annie is acting. If the roles were reversed and Sam was stalking Annie, this would be a straight-up horror flick. I guess either horror or romantic films both can make you want to vomit, but just for different reasons.
There were a few good intentional chuckles in it, but probably my favorite is when the movie gets so close to becoming self-aware when Annie states that she’s been watching too many movies, which is what compelled her. The kids were unreal and the computers/technology gave me a smile, though.
They mentioned how everything was a “sign”, which made me actually LOL. Annie says she doesn’t believe in signs (despite all the evidence to the contrary), which got me picturing Sam and Annie driving a car off a bridge that’s out because she “doesn’t believe in signs.”
I’d give this one a 2 out of 5. It’s watchable and has good acting, but otherwise it’s nuttier than a vat of chunky Jiff.
2023.04.01 05:15 AutoModerator [Get] Marisa Murgatroyd – The Experience Product Masterclass 2023
| | Download course here: https://www.genkicourses.com/product/marisa-murgatroyd-the-experience-product-masterclass-2023/ submitted by AutoModerator to MarketingBestOf [link] [comments] [Get] Marisa Murgatroyd – The Experience Product Masterclass 2023 https://preview.redd.it/yz3etu5sf6ra1.jpg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b415b81f690e2b83b9d42699bc5986f4cd9d183 What You Get:MODULE 1YOUR PROFITABLE PRODUCT IDEADesigning a Blockbuster Hit Starts HereThe best products start with the best and most profitable ideas — which don’t happen by chance nor by waiting for lightning to strike. It takes a proven process to zero in on the idea with the potential to fly off the shelves. In this module, you’ll discover my Profitable Product Idea. You will:
Whether you don’t have any ideas, or you have too many ideas, or you’re not sure whether your idea will work, your Blockbuster Hit Product starts here. MODULE 2 YOUR IDEA TO MARKET BLUEPRINTTurning Your Idea Into an Irresistible OfferIn this module, you’ll take your profitable idea and transform it into the kind of thing folks will line up to buy. We call it your “Offer”, and it’s the scaffolding around your idea that makes it real. Elements such as:
By the end of this module, you’ll have the deep confidence that comes from knowing that everything you’re creating is exactly what your audience wants to buy. Now you’ll be ready for Module 3, where we’ll start building! MODULE 3 YOUR MVP LAUNCHCreating Your Minimal Viable Product & Getting to Market FastBy the end of this module, you’ll create just enough of your new program or course to be able to start making real, actual sales to real actual customers. So many programs stop short of this critical step, and leave you stranded, wondering how to bridge the gap between theory and practice. That’s a huge mistake, because it’s critical to test the real world response to your offer before you create your whole course or product, while you still have time to make easy changes and pivots. Some folks hit it out of the park on the first try, while others need to refine and adjust for a few cycles before they land on just the right thing. Either way, this process ensures you never waste months and thousands of dollars creating the wrong thing. In this Module you’ll:
SUPERCHARGE YOUR MARKETINGReach Even More People & Make Even More SalesNow that you’ve proven your offer by making some sales, our optional Module 4 is where you can take your marketing even further by stacking 2-3 campaigns together to create a supercharged, multiplier effect. Whether you stack simple campaigns, requiring little-to-no technology, or more robust campaigns — this is how you realize Goal X. A whole lot more. Whatever that looks like to you. In this Module, get ready to turn a handful of sales into an avalanche:
MODULE 5 EXPERIENCE ESCALATIONSupercharge Your ResultsNow that you’ve proven your product with real sales and you have a plan for reaching even more people and making even more money, this is where we pour fuel on the fire by “experiencifying” your course. “Experiencification” is the process of stacking the 10 Core Experiences of The Experience Formula™ into every element of your Experience Product, to increase the effectiveness of your product by 10-30 times. In this Module you’ll:
|
2023.04.01 05:13 FillTheHoleInMyLife Looking for setup advice! Can’t decide what to do about my eyebrows + maybe a bridge??
 | For context, I HAD my right nostril pierced so my setup was symmetrical and satisfying. Unfortunately I couldn’t get it to heal so I took it out (maybe 6mos ago). I’m really annoyed with the lack of balance now. submitted by FillTheHoleInMyLife to piercing [link] [comments] I can’t decide if I want to re-pierce the right nostril so it’s symmetrical again, OR take out the opposite side (left) eyebrow so that its a little more balanced. My heart wants to repierce the nostril but they’re such a pain in the ass to heal. I’m also concerned my left eyebrow is slowly on its way to rejection anyway so this might be for the best? What do y’all think? Also would really love a bridge piercing. Would that go with this setup or is it too much? |
2023.04.01 05:07 Far_Inspector109 Meet Thunder, 2 out of 4 of my titans based on the Vanguard chassis
THUNDER
Blow your enemies away by utilizing Thunder's turbines, creating devastating wind effects.
Parent Chassis: Vanguard
Primary Color: Dark Gray (think storm clouds)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Primary Weapon: Hurricane Rifle
Description: 30-round magazine, burst firing six bullets at a time, pushing back enemy titans (If enemy titans are pushed into walls, then they will take medium damage, and if they continue to stay pushed into the wall, they will take major damage. This effect is applied to all abilities.).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABILITIES
Offensive: Tornado Turbine
Description: Fire out a propeller disc that creates a mini tornado, damaging enemy titans and pushing them away from that position.
Defensive: Wind Wall
Description: Deploy a 2nd propeller disc, this one creating a wall of wind that deflects incoming projectiles and pushes enemies back.
Utility: Jet Dash
Description: Dash forward farther than a normal dash while also keeping you going for a short time. During this time, you can change direction only in a slight curve, but you can utilize it to travel corners quickly or get farther from an enemy titan.
Core: Hurricane
Description: Create a shockwave of wind in all directions, pushing enemies and dealing major damage to their health.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KITS
TERMINATIONS
Default: Entry Speed
Description: Jet Dash straight into the enemy titan, jamming your rifle into the cockpit. You then fire a burst, launching the titan backward.
Prime: Launch to Orbit
Description: Jam your hand into the enemy cockpit before lifting it off the ground. You then throw your main giant turbine under the titan. From there, you activate the turbine, launching the titan into the air while pulling the pilot out and crushing them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you managed to read all the way to the end, thank you. Feel free to critique in the comments. Otherwise, have a great rest of your day.
submitted by Far_Inspector109 to titanfall [link] [comments]
Blow your enemies away by utilizing Thunder's turbines, creating devastating wind effects.
Parent Chassis: Vanguard
Primary Color: Dark Gray (think storm clouds)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Primary Weapon: Hurricane Rifle
Description: 30-round magazine, burst firing six bullets at a time, pushing back enemy titans (If enemy titans are pushed into walls, then they will take medium damage, and if they continue to stay pushed into the wall, they will take major damage. This effect is applied to all abilities.).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABILITIES
Offensive: Tornado Turbine
Description: Fire out a propeller disc that creates a mini tornado, damaging enemy titans and pushing them away from that position.
Defensive: Wind Wall
Description: Deploy a 2nd propeller disc, this one creating a wall of wind that deflects incoming projectiles and pushes enemies back.
Utility: Jet Dash
Description: Dash forward farther than a normal dash while also keeping you going for a short time. During this time, you can change direction only in a slight curve, but you can utilize it to travel corners quickly or get farther from an enemy titan.
Core: Hurricane
Description: Create a shockwave of wind in all directions, pushing enemies and dealing major damage to their health.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KITS
- Updraft Unit: Jet Dash now allows you to travel slightly into the air, but only in the direction you are facing (this can allow you to quickly go over an enemy titan to get behind them)
- Twister Wave: Tornado Turbine travels forward and can change direction by bouncing off solid objects
- Tactical Cirrus: Jet Dash has two charges
- Typhoon Persistence: Hurricane core last longer but only affects the direction directly in front of you
- Eye of the Storm: Standing within your wind wall negates all damage from enemy titan's primary weapons, and the wind wall is now thicker (while this can be done already without the kit, the wall is only isn't thicker than your chassis, but with the kit, it allows you to stand almost completely within the wall)
TERMINATIONS
Default: Entry Speed
Description: Jet Dash straight into the enemy titan, jamming your rifle into the cockpit. You then fire a burst, launching the titan backward.
Prime: Launch to Orbit
Description: Jam your hand into the enemy cockpit before lifting it off the ground. You then throw your main giant turbine under the titan. From there, you activate the turbine, launching the titan into the air while pulling the pilot out and crushing them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you managed to read all the way to the end, thank you. Feel free to critique in the comments. Otherwise, have a great rest of your day.
2023.04.01 04:27 endersgame69 Our Wandering Time C4
They say you never know what to expect when you’re in a new place. Meeting dogpeople, catpeople, racoonpeople in lab coats and suits were all unexpected things. Finding myself plus one pair of boobs was another. But you know something?
In a way, those are all pretty small. Thanks to my genre savviness, the idea of magic and interworld travel wasn’t too shocking. I mean, I’m not saying I expected it or anything. But if you’re at least familiar with the concept, then it’s not hard to deal with.
But what really shocked me was my first step outside. I touched the panel and watched the segments of the door rise up, then stepped outside. Overhead I heard a wild scream and nigh jumped out of my skin. All of my tails bristled and my head snapped straight up. A wyvern with scales painted in a bright yellow pattern. I have to assume that since I was able to read the word ‘Airferry’ and I hadn’t had an issue with the letters or numbers from before, that the transition process gave me the necessary access to communication in this world.
But it sure didn’t give me the means to cope with the shock! The wyvern was ridden by a little yellow skinned norm wearing leather clothing and a pair of goggles secured to a leather cap on his head and strapped under his chin. From the wyvern’s body hung what might best be described as a long rowboat, but beneath the boat…or maybe barge? Was affixed a set of thick springs. It swayed a little, and the air picked up and carried their scarves and hair to trail behind them. But they too wore goggles on their faces to compensate for the speed of the air.
Far above I saw an airship. Literally. A god damn ship. Right down to the keel and rudder, secured by what I hope were metal cables that were secured to a net which bulged as it was pressed by a massive balloon longer than the ship itself.
The street was fairly ordinary, simple cobblestone, but I did not expect to see a pegasus and an eight legged sleipnir hitched outside of a round domed building. In the street, elves and humans mingled freely with each other, seemingly not even noticing their differences. In the stories I knew, hostility was the norm, but this place seemed rather cosmopolitan about everything.
A dwarf cobbler in what I can only describe as ‘old timey’ heavy boots and overalls made of canvas and wearing goggles with multiple lenses that were raised out of position, was looking up at a wolfman in a suit with a puffy snow white kerchief beneath his jaw bristled and growled, enduring the thunderous dwarven shout, “I don’t care what yew offerah me! Ah cannae finish when yew wawnt! Greatness takes time yah damn furry fool!”
People holding swords and wearing bits and pieces of armor were as common as scales on a fish, their shouting and noise wasn’t the only thing. A woman with long high elven ears was leaning out of the upper floor of a shop and hawking wares, “Fresh batch’a potions! Heal’n or skin peel’n, if you’ve got the gold, our potions will hold!”
‘At least jingles and slogans are the same in every world.’ I thought while my eyes bugged out of my head. The buildings were not the usual blocky boring brick squares I was used to. The buildings were of a spiral shape with rail lines that wove and curved around them left and right, and on the rails were glowing ‘miniature trains’. No. Trains is the wrong word. They were more like roller coaster cars, simple open cars in which people were riding to get from one place to another.
Bridges that crossed from one floor of a building to another were not metal, but rather they were vines that grew down from pointy green roofs, and they did not raise, they unrolled from one another and lowered or rose out of the way of the little chugging cars before binding together again, including little green armrests for safety or comfort. Strangely, there was no smoke from the engine car, and even stranger, it was pushing rather than pulling.
The buildings themselves were arranged in various designs from spiral shapes with winding staircases and doors every dozen paces or so going up, to ‘stacks’ of irregular blocks where each cube had a bridge between itself and its neighbor, with zigzag pattern steps going up from one floor to the next.
All those on the ground jostled together, though they made a clear path for those on horseback, or flowed seamlessly out of the way of landing air ferries, and I never saw any indication that the wyverns landed close to people. With their ferocious looking claws and oversized mouths with sharp teeth, I expected it could eat a child whole and a grown child… a grown up, in two or three bites.
‘Thank you internet, for you have blessed me with weebness that has translated into genre savviness, that I may live and not die of goddamn shock in the face of my long dreamt of transition to a new world full of adventure.’ I uttered a weebs prayer that I recalled from an anime group, and it felt good.
I took a deep breath, inhaling the air. It wasn’t as crisp as I hoped it might be. There was a definite odor of smoke, but it was more like burning wood than foul coal, and it was touched with the scent of pastries and fresh baked goods.
Sweets are a bit of a weakness of mine, so I scrapped my first plan to go join the adventurer’s guild and placed my hand on my slate, then I said, “Show me the way to a bakery.” I watched as a streetmap faded into view like a person stepping out of a thick fog, gradually becoming clear.
I was staring down at the map indicator, which was really nothing more than building shapes and a road, nothing intricate, when I decided to try an experiment. I was represented by a little green dot, but there was no color elsewhere. Just little black lines. “Increase realism by one hundred percent.” I instructed it, and the top down view of the city grew exponentially more complicated. I could see the rooftops and the many people passing by, at least the tops of their heads. I still had a black line pulsing on the screen as my guide, but… “Damn. If things worked this well back home then people could just never look up from their devices.” I mumbled and said, “Remove people.”
For a moment I panicked, ‘What if that killed everybody?!’ My head snapped up to look at the street. Everybody was alive. I gave a heavy sigh of relief and looked down, the realistic street and rooftops were there, but the ‘people’ and their mounts, thankfully, were gone.
You know, if I had to pick the seminal moment of this whole… whatever this is, it wouldn’t be showing up when and where I did. It wouldn’t be getting my slate or leaving the doctor behind. It wouldn’t even be stepping out the door of the building.
It would be this. The world was ‘real’ now, you know? I was about to actually move among the general population, all the dangers and experiences I wanted, were starting with ‘this’ one step more than any other.
It might seem strange to think of my life in genre specific terms, like a video game or an anime, manga, or light novel series. And I admit, it probably wasn’t my best idea. What made me realize it wasn’t the wisest thing was my epic trip to the bakery which, according to the map, was one block away.
What danger did I face?
What plot hook caught my eye?
Was it a mugging by a stranger?
Did I see a pair of pretty girls being mugged in an alley in need of some sexy rescuing?
Did a stranger grab me and whisper in a hushed and raspy voice, “I have been told by the gods that you would come, follow me, they’re looking for you…”
Or perhaps a military or bandit raid on the city that gave me a chance to be a heroine?
Hell no.
Nothing freaking happened.
Nobody stared at me with wonder and awe, I wasn’t totally unique, I saw two other kitsunes in just that short distance. I just tried not to bump into too many people, though I seemed to be the only one in the crowd like that. Pedestrians bumped shoulders a lot, without so much as an apology.
I quickly realized that it was so impossible not to, that there was no reason to apologize for doing it.
So I got over that fairly quickly, but I was mildly annoyed of the unfortunate reminder that I’d actually have to put in the work to have an adventure. There was no call to it for me, not that I really saw. ‘Summoned as a Janitor’ was the worst title I could possibly think of, and if I ever wrote this down, I’d be damned if I’d give my life story that title.
Anyway, the bakery… I really didn’t need directions for it after a little while as the sweet and savory scents tickled my nose before I was halfway there. I just leaned forward, following the tantalizing smell and soon found myself staring into the window of a shop. A line of baked goods, breads sprinkled with sugar, little green cakes with what I had to conclude was some kind of dark honey, and some little round crispy things with what was definitely melted chocolate, all caught my eye.
The door to the shop was open and I hastened within, a portly orc was wearing a giant oversized chef’s hat with a bronze clock face on it. One look and I knew it wasn’t decoration.
Whatever it was counting down for, it reached it before I reached the counter. It made a quick, ‘ding!’ noise and he said, “S’cuze me.” And disappeared into the back. He was a pretty standard orc, with thick muscled arms, greenish body and tusks for teeth below a porcine nose. His one distinguishing feature was that he was quite fat.
‘That’s how I know I can trust him. He’s eating his own work.’ I concluded and looked around. While what I saw of the city could be described as at least somewhat ‘dirty’ the shop itself was surprisingly clean. The racks were wood, except for two on the far wall which were of silver with even fancier items than on the wood, and I realized that probably represented a higher cost. The deeper you went inside, the more you paid.
“Fresh baked rumbldumplins!” He all but shouted, holding out the hot tray with his bare hands. Orcs were notoriously thick skinned, it was no surprise that his hands weren’t burning, but it was still weird to see one as a baker. He tilted it so I could see, and a little round pastry with an unfamiliar flower shaped ‘fruit’ I think? Sat in the center dripping with liquid sugar from what passed for leaves, landing on the flakey crust and drizzling down to the pan.
“You buy fresh, I give you discount on buying the old.” He said and his deepset amber eyes gave me a conspiratorial wink. “You my first customer of the day, so what you say eh?” He boomed at me.
I noticed the clock on his hat was ticking down again, and wondered what else was there.
“Yes. I say yes!” The rumbledumplins smelled great and looked even better.
“You make a good deal, I give you half off, eh? On any of the old but the sanziberry pie. We short of sanziberries.” He said and grabbed a newspaper from behind his counter.
“Why is that?” I asked. ‘Is this a plot hook? A quest beginning? Alright it’s a fetch quest, but still, it’d be my first!’ I could feel the excitement building and my heart starting to race.
“Oh, contract dispute. The bastards want triple the creds for the same thing. So I’m getting a new supplier and it takes time to get started. Fool too! Big fool. Sanziberries last a long time. Pie stays fresh. Do something like that with rumbleberries and I might have to pay first. Big fool.” He repeated with a shake of his big round head. “How many you want?”
The transaction was completed in a heartbeat, just like the doctor said. I paid ten creds and walked out with six rumbledumplings and a dozen chocolate crisps all wrapped up in old newspapers. I munched on one when I stood outside the shop.
“So much for a plot hook.” I mumbled while my eyes popped at the rich flavor melting on my tongue. When I realized at that moment, at the completion of my first ‘journey’ that literally not a goddamn thing had happened, or would happen, or could happen in the way it did in games and books and visual media, I snapped back to reality.
“I’m not getting a call to adventure. So… I’m going to have to pay it a visit instead.” I said, then swallowed my first purchase, and stowed the remainder under my arm for a moment. I touched my slate and said, “Show me to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
submitted by endersgame69 to TheWorldMaker [link] [comments]
In a way, those are all pretty small. Thanks to my genre savviness, the idea of magic and interworld travel wasn’t too shocking. I mean, I’m not saying I expected it or anything. But if you’re at least familiar with the concept, then it’s not hard to deal with.
But what really shocked me was my first step outside. I touched the panel and watched the segments of the door rise up, then stepped outside. Overhead I heard a wild scream and nigh jumped out of my skin. All of my tails bristled and my head snapped straight up. A wyvern with scales painted in a bright yellow pattern. I have to assume that since I was able to read the word ‘Airferry’ and I hadn’t had an issue with the letters or numbers from before, that the transition process gave me the necessary access to communication in this world.
But it sure didn’t give me the means to cope with the shock! The wyvern was ridden by a little yellow skinned norm wearing leather clothing and a pair of goggles secured to a leather cap on his head and strapped under his chin. From the wyvern’s body hung what might best be described as a long rowboat, but beneath the boat…or maybe barge? Was affixed a set of thick springs. It swayed a little, and the air picked up and carried their scarves and hair to trail behind them. But they too wore goggles on their faces to compensate for the speed of the air.
Far above I saw an airship. Literally. A god damn ship. Right down to the keel and rudder, secured by what I hope were metal cables that were secured to a net which bulged as it was pressed by a massive balloon longer than the ship itself.
The street was fairly ordinary, simple cobblestone, but I did not expect to see a pegasus and an eight legged sleipnir hitched outside of a round domed building. In the street, elves and humans mingled freely with each other, seemingly not even noticing their differences. In the stories I knew, hostility was the norm, but this place seemed rather cosmopolitan about everything.
A dwarf cobbler in what I can only describe as ‘old timey’ heavy boots and overalls made of canvas and wearing goggles with multiple lenses that were raised out of position, was looking up at a wolfman in a suit with a puffy snow white kerchief beneath his jaw bristled and growled, enduring the thunderous dwarven shout, “I don’t care what yew offerah me! Ah cannae finish when yew wawnt! Greatness takes time yah damn furry fool!”
People holding swords and wearing bits and pieces of armor were as common as scales on a fish, their shouting and noise wasn’t the only thing. A woman with long high elven ears was leaning out of the upper floor of a shop and hawking wares, “Fresh batch’a potions! Heal’n or skin peel’n, if you’ve got the gold, our potions will hold!”
‘At least jingles and slogans are the same in every world.’ I thought while my eyes bugged out of my head. The buildings were not the usual blocky boring brick squares I was used to. The buildings were of a spiral shape with rail lines that wove and curved around them left and right, and on the rails were glowing ‘miniature trains’. No. Trains is the wrong word. They were more like roller coaster cars, simple open cars in which people were riding to get from one place to another.
Bridges that crossed from one floor of a building to another were not metal, but rather they were vines that grew down from pointy green roofs, and they did not raise, they unrolled from one another and lowered or rose out of the way of the little chugging cars before binding together again, including little green armrests for safety or comfort. Strangely, there was no smoke from the engine car, and even stranger, it was pushing rather than pulling.
The buildings themselves were arranged in various designs from spiral shapes with winding staircases and doors every dozen paces or so going up, to ‘stacks’ of irregular blocks where each cube had a bridge between itself and its neighbor, with zigzag pattern steps going up from one floor to the next.
All those on the ground jostled together, though they made a clear path for those on horseback, or flowed seamlessly out of the way of landing air ferries, and I never saw any indication that the wyverns landed close to people. With their ferocious looking claws and oversized mouths with sharp teeth, I expected it could eat a child whole and a grown child… a grown up, in two or three bites.
‘Thank you internet, for you have blessed me with weebness that has translated into genre savviness, that I may live and not die of goddamn shock in the face of my long dreamt of transition to a new world full of adventure.’ I uttered a weebs prayer that I recalled from an anime group, and it felt good.
I took a deep breath, inhaling the air. It wasn’t as crisp as I hoped it might be. There was a definite odor of smoke, but it was more like burning wood than foul coal, and it was touched with the scent of pastries and fresh baked goods.
Sweets are a bit of a weakness of mine, so I scrapped my first plan to go join the adventurer’s guild and placed my hand on my slate, then I said, “Show me the way to a bakery.” I watched as a streetmap faded into view like a person stepping out of a thick fog, gradually becoming clear.
I was staring down at the map indicator, which was really nothing more than building shapes and a road, nothing intricate, when I decided to try an experiment. I was represented by a little green dot, but there was no color elsewhere. Just little black lines. “Increase realism by one hundred percent.” I instructed it, and the top down view of the city grew exponentially more complicated. I could see the rooftops and the many people passing by, at least the tops of their heads. I still had a black line pulsing on the screen as my guide, but… “Damn. If things worked this well back home then people could just never look up from their devices.” I mumbled and said, “Remove people.”
For a moment I panicked, ‘What if that killed everybody?!’ My head snapped up to look at the street. Everybody was alive. I gave a heavy sigh of relief and looked down, the realistic street and rooftops were there, but the ‘people’ and their mounts, thankfully, were gone.
You know, if I had to pick the seminal moment of this whole… whatever this is, it wouldn’t be showing up when and where I did. It wouldn’t be getting my slate or leaving the doctor behind. It wouldn’t even be stepping out the door of the building.
It would be this. The world was ‘real’ now, you know? I was about to actually move among the general population, all the dangers and experiences I wanted, were starting with ‘this’ one step more than any other.
It might seem strange to think of my life in genre specific terms, like a video game or an anime, manga, or light novel series. And I admit, it probably wasn’t my best idea. What made me realize it wasn’t the wisest thing was my epic trip to the bakery which, according to the map, was one block away.
What danger did I face?
What plot hook caught my eye?
Was it a mugging by a stranger?
Did I see a pair of pretty girls being mugged in an alley in need of some sexy rescuing?
Did a stranger grab me and whisper in a hushed and raspy voice, “I have been told by the gods that you would come, follow me, they’re looking for you…”
Or perhaps a military or bandit raid on the city that gave me a chance to be a heroine?
Hell no.
Nothing freaking happened.
Nobody stared at me with wonder and awe, I wasn’t totally unique, I saw two other kitsunes in just that short distance. I just tried not to bump into too many people, though I seemed to be the only one in the crowd like that. Pedestrians bumped shoulders a lot, without so much as an apology.
I quickly realized that it was so impossible not to, that there was no reason to apologize for doing it.
So I got over that fairly quickly, but I was mildly annoyed of the unfortunate reminder that I’d actually have to put in the work to have an adventure. There was no call to it for me, not that I really saw. ‘Summoned as a Janitor’ was the worst title I could possibly think of, and if I ever wrote this down, I’d be damned if I’d give my life story that title.
Anyway, the bakery… I really didn’t need directions for it after a little while as the sweet and savory scents tickled my nose before I was halfway there. I just leaned forward, following the tantalizing smell and soon found myself staring into the window of a shop. A line of baked goods, breads sprinkled with sugar, little green cakes with what I had to conclude was some kind of dark honey, and some little round crispy things with what was definitely melted chocolate, all caught my eye.
The door to the shop was open and I hastened within, a portly orc was wearing a giant oversized chef’s hat with a bronze clock face on it. One look and I knew it wasn’t decoration.
Whatever it was counting down for, it reached it before I reached the counter. It made a quick, ‘ding!’ noise and he said, “S’cuze me.” And disappeared into the back. He was a pretty standard orc, with thick muscled arms, greenish body and tusks for teeth below a porcine nose. His one distinguishing feature was that he was quite fat.
‘That’s how I know I can trust him. He’s eating his own work.’ I concluded and looked around. While what I saw of the city could be described as at least somewhat ‘dirty’ the shop itself was surprisingly clean. The racks were wood, except for two on the far wall which were of silver with even fancier items than on the wood, and I realized that probably represented a higher cost. The deeper you went inside, the more you paid.
“Fresh baked rumbldumplins!” He all but shouted, holding out the hot tray with his bare hands. Orcs were notoriously thick skinned, it was no surprise that his hands weren’t burning, but it was still weird to see one as a baker. He tilted it so I could see, and a little round pastry with an unfamiliar flower shaped ‘fruit’ I think? Sat in the center dripping with liquid sugar from what passed for leaves, landing on the flakey crust and drizzling down to the pan.
“You buy fresh, I give you discount on buying the old.” He said and his deepset amber eyes gave me a conspiratorial wink. “You my first customer of the day, so what you say eh?” He boomed at me.
I noticed the clock on his hat was ticking down again, and wondered what else was there.
“Yes. I say yes!” The rumbledumplins smelled great and looked even better.
“You make a good deal, I give you half off, eh? On any of the old but the sanziberry pie. We short of sanziberries.” He said and grabbed a newspaper from behind his counter.
“Why is that?” I asked. ‘Is this a plot hook? A quest beginning? Alright it’s a fetch quest, but still, it’d be my first!’ I could feel the excitement building and my heart starting to race.
“Oh, contract dispute. The bastards want triple the creds for the same thing. So I’m getting a new supplier and it takes time to get started. Fool too! Big fool. Sanziberries last a long time. Pie stays fresh. Do something like that with rumbleberries and I might have to pay first. Big fool.” He repeated with a shake of his big round head. “How many you want?”
The transaction was completed in a heartbeat, just like the doctor said. I paid ten creds and walked out with six rumbledumplings and a dozen chocolate crisps all wrapped up in old newspapers. I munched on one when I stood outside the shop.
“So much for a plot hook.” I mumbled while my eyes popped at the rich flavor melting on my tongue. When I realized at that moment, at the completion of my first ‘journey’ that literally not a goddamn thing had happened, or would happen, or could happen in the way it did in games and books and visual media, I snapped back to reality.
“I’m not getting a call to adventure. So… I’m going to have to pay it a visit instead.” I said, then swallowed my first purchase, and stowed the remainder under my arm for a moment. I touched my slate and said, “Show me to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
2023.04.01 04:15 AutoModerator [Get] Marisa Murgatroyd – The Experience Product Masterclass 2023
| | Download course here: https://www.genkicourses.com/product/marisa-murgatroyd-the-experience-product-masterclass-2023/ submitted by AutoModerator to MarketingBestOf [link] [comments] [Get] Marisa Murgatroyd – The Experience Product Masterclass 2023 https://preview.redd.it/yz3etu5sf6ra1.jpg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b415b81f690e2b83b9d42699bc5986f4cd9d183 What You Get:MODULE 1YOUR PROFITABLE PRODUCT IDEADesigning a Blockbuster Hit Starts HereThe best products start with the best and most profitable ideas — which don’t happen by chance nor by waiting for lightning to strike. It takes a proven process to zero in on the idea with the potential to fly off the shelves. In this module, you’ll discover my Profitable Product Idea. You will:
Whether you don’t have any ideas, or you have too many ideas, or you’re not sure whether your idea will work, your Blockbuster Hit Product starts here. MODULE 2 YOUR IDEA TO MARKET BLUEPRINTTurning Your Idea Into an Irresistible OfferIn this module, you’ll take your profitable idea and transform it into the kind of thing folks will line up to buy. We call it your “Offer”, and it’s the scaffolding around your idea that makes it real. Elements such as:
By the end of this module, you’ll have the deep confidence that comes from knowing that everything you’re creating is exactly what your audience wants to buy. Now you’ll be ready for Module 3, where we’ll start building! MODULE 3 YOUR MVP LAUNCHCreating Your Minimal Viable Product & Getting to Market FastBy the end of this module, you’ll create just enough of your new program or course to be able to start making real, actual sales to real actual customers. So many programs stop short of this critical step, and leave you stranded, wondering how to bridge the gap between theory and practice. That’s a huge mistake, because it’s critical to test the real world response to your offer before you create your whole course or product, while you still have time to make easy changes and pivots. Some folks hit it out of the park on the first try, while others need to refine and adjust for a few cycles before they land on just the right thing. Either way, this process ensures you never waste months and thousands of dollars creating the wrong thing. In this Module you’ll:
SUPERCHARGE YOUR MARKETINGReach Even More People & Make Even More SalesNow that you’ve proven your offer by making some sales, our optional Module 4 is where you can take your marketing even further by stacking 2-3 campaigns together to create a supercharged, multiplier effect. Whether you stack simple campaigns, requiring little-to-no technology, or more robust campaigns — this is how you realize Goal X. A whole lot more. Whatever that looks like to you. In this Module, get ready to turn a handful of sales into an avalanche:
MODULE 5 EXPERIENCE ESCALATIONSupercharge Your ResultsNow that you’ve proven your product with real sales and you have a plan for reaching even more people and making even more money, this is where we pour fuel on the fire by “experiencifying” your course. “Experiencification” is the process of stacking the 10 Core Experiences of The Experience Formula™ into every element of your Experience Product, to increase the effectiveness of your product by 10-30 times. In this Module you’ll:
|
2023.04.01 04:12 MGK_2 Sad Turns To Glad
Let's Celebrate the 1 year birthday of the Clinical Hold!!!
Looks like the Clinical Hold's Birthday won't also be its death day.
So we begin the year 2.0 of the Clinical Hold.
With the lifting of the Clinical Hold, we will have the Rebranding / Rebirthing of Leronlimab. Leronlimab 2.0 begins.
The data is before the FDA's scrutinizing eyes. They look with piercing eyes to indict, but nothing is found. They can't even find misdemeanors. They see a molecule that is damn near safe as water. The FDA declares Leronlimab a safe molecule.
And not just the FDA. The FDA's work shows all of Big Pharma that Leronlimab is safe. The FDA places a stamp of Safety upon its name, as if it had just gone through the rigorous examination process of a BLA for Leronlimab, but it had not. Rather, it finished review of the 6 documents. The FDA examines the aggregated data with such scrutiny, that if CytoDyn comes out alive from all of this, Leronlimab will be considered as safe, once and for all. The FDA makes this determination based on the (4) time vetted & validated data and 5-6 documentation they have received. Immediately following the FDA results, Big Pharm hears the FDA verdict and they rapidly act on what they hear.
The FDA is almost done. They probably just have a few days left. Cause their resultant output is just about due. And little did they know, they didn't even realize that they would be doing CytoDyn a huge favor by the execution of this Clinical Hold. CytoDyn got the data examined by the US FDA even though they did not submit the BLA for HIV MDR. And with that examination comes a result delivered to CytoDyn, directly by the US FDA. And that result speaks volumes to Big Pharma.
When the FDA states that Leronlimab is safe, effectively, they are creating partnerships for CytoDyn. Once BP hears that Leronlimab is safe as stated by US FDA, they come to partner with this extremely versatile and effective molecule.
I guess you didn't count on any of that Amarex, now did you? You didn't realize that your corruption and your collusion would lead to this determinant outcome, did you? You thought you had our BLA botched didn't you, and you thought that would forever hide Leronlimab's safety data from the US FDA, didn't you? You thought, we would have given up by now, didn't you Amarex? Well, you thought wrong.
What you did do Amarex, was deliver many a partnership directly into CytoDyn's hands. If it weren't for you Amarex, we never would have gotten Cyrus. We never would have gotten this company cleaned up. We never would have gotten our Safety Data Audited by the FDA, had it not have been for your malicious deed, Amarex.
The result of the US FDA becomes the breakthrough that Leronlimab's requires which brings it to Leronlimab 2.0. Leronlimab now carries a seal of safety across its forehead.
Leronlimab, the CCR5 blocking, monoclonal antibody, literally safe as water, was shut down for 1 year because its safety was in question. Literally, all CytoDyn's trials were shut down for a year because of the deceitful doings of a CRO, poised like an angel of light, but in fact emerged straight out from the pits of hell.
Thank you Amarex, for hurling your poison darts, for doing your absolute darndest to shut down Leronlimab and CytoDyn. You did pretty well, but you didn't finish the job off right. You failed to complete the job, exactly what you are good at, FAILURE. You didn't realize that the company had heart, and that it still had a pulse. You didn't count on everything which has happened over the past year, did you Amarex? You didn't count on Cyrus coming along, or the (4) External Auditors did you Amarex? You didn't count on David Welch, did you?
What you did Amarex, was nothing but a disgrace to your industry, to any industry. Surely, you don't expect that the FDA will state that Leronlimab is safe, now do you Amarex? Surely, you are aware, that with this statement from the FDA, you will utterly implode. I hope you realize that Amarex. With fingers on the triggers, the guns are aimed and loaded. With the word from the FDA, the guns are fired and all point directly at Amarex. That is what is about to happen.
The aggregated data was validated by ex-FDA regulators; the 5 documents submitted produced only 1 question. That question was answered with a 6th document which so far has not generated any more questions and therefore no more documents. 22 trials in total, is where the data came from and that data was aggregated together in order to come up with a safety rating. Cyrus' plan in execution gets accolades from the FDA and from BP. They thank him for getting this molecule through the ringer. Now, all excuses of why not to partner are eradicated. Cyrus has made it possible for them to prolong their patents and expand their indications. They come forward to express their thanks to him.
And I say thanks to Amarex for doing such a horrible deed of mischief. Because of what you did, Leronlimab is found to be safe. Without you Amarex, we shareholders would not have the disciplined and compliant company we have today. CytoDyn is focused and has their eye on the prize. CytoDyn looks square in your eyes Amarex and knows your every move. Everything you touch Amarex, falls apart. But, this time Amarex, it is your turn to be arrested. The evil you planned was turned for our good. Leronlimab 2.0 begins now.
submitted by MGK_2 to LeronLimab_Times [link] [comments]
Looks like the Clinical Hold's Birthday won't also be its death day.
So we begin the year 2.0 of the Clinical Hold.
With the lifting of the Clinical Hold, we will have the Rebranding / Rebirthing of Leronlimab. Leronlimab 2.0 begins.
The data is before the FDA's scrutinizing eyes. They look with piercing eyes to indict, but nothing is found. They can't even find misdemeanors. They see a molecule that is damn near safe as water. The FDA declares Leronlimab a safe molecule.
And not just the FDA. The FDA's work shows all of Big Pharma that Leronlimab is safe. The FDA places a stamp of Safety upon its name, as if it had just gone through the rigorous examination process of a BLA for Leronlimab, but it had not. Rather, it finished review of the 6 documents. The FDA examines the aggregated data with such scrutiny, that if CytoDyn comes out alive from all of this, Leronlimab will be considered as safe, once and for all. The FDA makes this determination based on the (4) time vetted & validated data and 5-6 documentation they have received. Immediately following the FDA results, Big Pharm hears the FDA verdict and they rapidly act on what they hear.
The FDA is almost done. They probably just have a few days left. Cause their resultant output is just about due. And little did they know, they didn't even realize that they would be doing CytoDyn a huge favor by the execution of this Clinical Hold. CytoDyn got the data examined by the US FDA even though they did not submit the BLA for HIV MDR. And with that examination comes a result delivered to CytoDyn, directly by the US FDA. And that result speaks volumes to Big Pharma.
When the FDA states that Leronlimab is safe, effectively, they are creating partnerships for CytoDyn. Once BP hears that Leronlimab is safe as stated by US FDA, they come to partner with this extremely versatile and effective molecule.
I guess you didn't count on any of that Amarex, now did you? You didn't realize that your corruption and your collusion would lead to this determinant outcome, did you? You thought you had our BLA botched didn't you, and you thought that would forever hide Leronlimab's safety data from the US FDA, didn't you? You thought, we would have given up by now, didn't you Amarex? Well, you thought wrong.
What you did do Amarex, was deliver many a partnership directly into CytoDyn's hands. If it weren't for you Amarex, we never would have gotten Cyrus. We never would have gotten this company cleaned up. We never would have gotten our Safety Data Audited by the FDA, had it not have been for your malicious deed, Amarex.
The result of the US FDA becomes the breakthrough that Leronlimab's requires which brings it to Leronlimab 2.0. Leronlimab now carries a seal of safety across its forehead.
Leronlimab, the CCR5 blocking, monoclonal antibody, literally safe as water, was shut down for 1 year because its safety was in question. Literally, all CytoDyn's trials were shut down for a year because of the deceitful doings of a CRO, poised like an angel of light, but in fact emerged straight out from the pits of hell.
Thank you Amarex, for hurling your poison darts, for doing your absolute darndest to shut down Leronlimab and CytoDyn. You did pretty well, but you didn't finish the job off right. You failed to complete the job, exactly what you are good at, FAILURE. You didn't realize that the company had heart, and that it still had a pulse. You didn't count on everything which has happened over the past year, did you Amarex? You didn't count on Cyrus coming along, or the (4) External Auditors did you Amarex? You didn't count on David Welch, did you?
What you did Amarex, was nothing but a disgrace to your industry, to any industry. Surely, you don't expect that the FDA will state that Leronlimab is safe, now do you Amarex? Surely, you are aware, that with this statement from the FDA, you will utterly implode. I hope you realize that Amarex. With fingers on the triggers, the guns are aimed and loaded. With the word from the FDA, the guns are fired and all point directly at Amarex. That is what is about to happen.
The aggregated data was validated by ex-FDA regulators; the 5 documents submitted produced only 1 question. That question was answered with a 6th document which so far has not generated any more questions and therefore no more documents. 22 trials in total, is where the data came from and that data was aggregated together in order to come up with a safety rating. Cyrus' plan in execution gets accolades from the FDA and from BP. They thank him for getting this molecule through the ringer. Now, all excuses of why not to partner are eradicated. Cyrus has made it possible for them to prolong their patents and expand their indications. They come forward to express their thanks to him.
And I say thanks to Amarex for doing such a horrible deed of mischief. Because of what you did, Leronlimab is found to be safe. Without you Amarex, we shareholders would not have the disciplined and compliant company we have today. CytoDyn is focused and has their eye on the prize. CytoDyn looks square in your eyes Amarex and knows your every move. Everything you touch Amarex, falls apart. But, this time Amarex, it is your turn to be arrested. The evil you planned was turned for our good. Leronlimab 2.0 begins now.
2023.04.01 03:44 AtticsSalt The Strange Tale of the Fouke Monster
1971 was an exciting year for the townspeople of Fouke, Miller County, Arkansas. It was almost 52 years ago that they discovered they had their very own monster. Named by a local reporter, Jim Powell of the Texarkana Gazette and Daily News, the press had a hey-day and the newly named Fouke Monster even had a series of movies made about it. The monster inspired a yearly festival called the Fouke Monster Festival meant to bring up discussion and talk about lore regarding the local monster as well as other cryptids. All for a good cause of course, the money goes directly to the local school district. That being said, let’s take a little dive into the history and tale of the Fouke, AR monster.
A very small town, located 15 miles southeast of Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR, Fouke is still considered to be a part of the metropolitan area. It lies along Hwy. 71 and isn’t very far from the Red River. Originally inhabited by the Caddo Native Americans, like so many places time changes everything. However, this isn’t a tale about the history of Fouke, it is a tale of something or someone who scared some locals enough to simply leave the area and the legend is still told to this day. Let’s take a step back in time and re-visit this story…or is it just a story?
Believe it or not, per the Memphis Enquirer, a large, furry creature had been seen in the vicinity in 1851, and the Caddo Gazette reported on it in 1856. So the monster may not be as new to the area as previously thought. The next reports came in at the much later date of 1946 and some locals in Fouke claimed to have seen it in 1964 although it was not reported. These reports called it the Jonesville Monster as these sightings were closer to Jonesville (near Fouke). There was an alleged sighting by a young teenage boy in 1955 who described it as having reddish-brown hair, sniffing the air, and not reacting to birdshot when fired upon. Joe Nickell, an investigator, was of the opinion that it was a misidentified brown bear - which could be a definite possibility.
There have been several different reports on what it actually looked like but they do bear some similarities. Such as being large, bipedal, and with long dark hair. Over the years it has been described as anywhere from 7’-10’ tall, weighing 250-300 pounds or on the higher end up to 800 pounds. Many described it as having a galloping gait, and swinging its arms like an ape. Aside from the disturbing description it was also described as stinking like a combination of a skunk and a wet dog. I simply do not want to imagine the smell, lol. To top it off it was also described as having bright red, half-dollar size eyes.
What really brought it to the public attention was an attack on the home of Bobby and Elizabeth Ford on May 2, 1971. At the time of the attack Dave Hall was the news director of KTFS in Texarkana and Jim Powell was a reporter for the Texarkana Gazette and Daily News. Powell received a call from Hall about something strange going on down in Fouke and they decided to make the trip there. An ongoing story that in time became a legend. What more could a reporter ask for?
According to Powell, when they arrived the Fords were moving out after having only lived there a week. Packing their things into a waiting U-Haul, they were, excuse the bad pun, hauling ass outta there. From what the Fords reported to the police, Bobby and his brother Don had been doing a little hunting out back of the house when they heard a woman scream. They immediately took off for the house and were completely horrified. While they had been out doing their thing, Elizabeth was lying on the couch and the creature, which she assumed was a bear, reached in through a screen window and was chased away by her husband and brother-in-law. The Ford brothers fired seven shots and thought they hit it although no traces of blood were found. But, three-toed footprints were found around the house, scratch marks on the porch, and damage to a window and some siding were located.
Powell and Hall talked to someone at the hospital who told them that, “This guy is in shock.” I believe they were referring to Bobby Ford. Ford said he saw a 7’ tall creature that was 3’ across the chest. He also said he felt a hairy arm around his neck and he was so scared he ran, busting through a glass and wood front door.
The brothers said they shot it seven times and were pretty sure they had wounded it. All of their ammo had been used, but still - no blood. Powell said he dubbed it the Fouke Monster because of Elizabeth Ford’s description of the monster. When Powell got to the house the morning after the attack, he went behind the house, saw unusual footprints, and small saplings broken off headed into a wooded area. Some people thought it was a joke, others were of the opinion that when a traveling circus had come through the town years before, some of the animals had escaped and that was what was seen. Local officials were overwhelmed by the sheer number of monster hunters, calls, and tips. Miller County Sheriff, Leslie Greer, invoked a “no guns” policy in order to protect people from being accidentally hurt or killed.
A month after the Ford sighting, archaeologist Frank Schambach stated that in his opinion there was a 99% chance that the tracks were man made. He said that the tracks couldn’t be from an ape because all primates (including hominids) have five toes, there was no history of primates in the area, and apes are all diurnal, not nocturnal as the Fouke Monster appeared to be.
In May, 1971, D. C. Woods, Jr., Wilma Woods, and Mrs. R. H. Sedgass, reported something that resembled an ape crossing Hwy. 71, with more reports popping up from others. This included giant footprints showing up in Willie E. Smith’s soybean field located behind a local gas station. What was odd was that they were in a straight line, avoiding plants. According to one local, it was pure chaos. Non-locals were popping out of the woodwork. Little Rock, AR KAAY offered a bounty of $1,090.00 and a local man chipped in $200.00. A local woman who was sitting on her front porch said she saw the monster in a field across from her home. However, three jokers got caught when they claimed they were attacked by the monster when in fact they had likely just gotten into a fight fueled by alcohol and were fined $59.00 apiece for filing a false report.
By 1974, interest had dropped but started up again when tracks were allegedly found by two brothers in Russellville, AR, in March of 1978. Sightings were noted in Center Ridge, AR, and in July of 1978, there was another sighting in Crossett, AR. This time there were missing livestock and dog attacks. In 1991, it was supposed to have been seen jumping from a bridge. There were around 40 sightings in 1997, and in 1998 it was reported to have been sighted while crossing a dry creek bed about 5 miles away from Fouke.
Greer was Sheriff from 1967-1974 and said that he recalled hearing about the monster as far back as 1946. In his words, “"I was campaigning for tax assessor and stopped to talk to a lady sitting on her front porch," he said. "She lived about halfway between Fouke and the Below Bridge. She told me that she saw some kind of animal go down in the field in a low, bushy place. She said it looked kind of like a man, and walked like a man, but she didn't think it was a man." Of course, he never gave it much thought until 1971 when the Ford family was attacked. Most reports were hoaxes but there was serious concern that an innocent person would be harmed by the horde of monster hunters in town. There ended up being a lot of hurt feelings over trespassing on private property.
By 1986, most officials were of the opinion that the tracks were man-made. Greer’s colleague at the time, Chief Deputy H.L. Phillips said he hadn’t taken a call in years about it but he refused to argue with people who say they did see it because they were respectable, responsible people. He did state he didn’t believe in it but there were those who did and still do. Keep in mind, as Skeptoid states, all the evidence is anecdotal with not a thing that is able to be tested. It makes for a great story though!
So, what do you think? There are things we don’t know about or are just discovering. Could the Fouke Monster be the real thing or is it only a folk-tale? I would love to hear your thoughts and thanks for reading!
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fouke_Monster
https://web.archive.org/web/20030803215531/http://texarkanagazette.com/articles/2001/06/24/export15709.txt
https://skeptoid.com/
submitted by AtticsSalt to UnresolvedMysteries [link] [comments]
A very small town, located 15 miles southeast of Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR, Fouke is still considered to be a part of the metropolitan area. It lies along Hwy. 71 and isn’t very far from the Red River. Originally inhabited by the Caddo Native Americans, like so many places time changes everything. However, this isn’t a tale about the history of Fouke, it is a tale of something or someone who scared some locals enough to simply leave the area and the legend is still told to this day. Let’s take a step back in time and re-visit this story…or is it just a story?
Believe it or not, per the Memphis Enquirer, a large, furry creature had been seen in the vicinity in 1851, and the Caddo Gazette reported on it in 1856. So the monster may not be as new to the area as previously thought. The next reports came in at the much later date of 1946 and some locals in Fouke claimed to have seen it in 1964 although it was not reported. These reports called it the Jonesville Monster as these sightings were closer to Jonesville (near Fouke). There was an alleged sighting by a young teenage boy in 1955 who described it as having reddish-brown hair, sniffing the air, and not reacting to birdshot when fired upon. Joe Nickell, an investigator, was of the opinion that it was a misidentified brown bear - which could be a definite possibility.
There have been several different reports on what it actually looked like but they do bear some similarities. Such as being large, bipedal, and with long dark hair. Over the years it has been described as anywhere from 7’-10’ tall, weighing 250-300 pounds or on the higher end up to 800 pounds. Many described it as having a galloping gait, and swinging its arms like an ape. Aside from the disturbing description it was also described as stinking like a combination of a skunk and a wet dog. I simply do not want to imagine the smell, lol. To top it off it was also described as having bright red, half-dollar size eyes.
What really brought it to the public attention was an attack on the home of Bobby and Elizabeth Ford on May 2, 1971. At the time of the attack Dave Hall was the news director of KTFS in Texarkana and Jim Powell was a reporter for the Texarkana Gazette and Daily News. Powell received a call from Hall about something strange going on down in Fouke and they decided to make the trip there. An ongoing story that in time became a legend. What more could a reporter ask for?
According to Powell, when they arrived the Fords were moving out after having only lived there a week. Packing their things into a waiting U-Haul, they were, excuse the bad pun, hauling ass outta there. From what the Fords reported to the police, Bobby and his brother Don had been doing a little hunting out back of the house when they heard a woman scream. They immediately took off for the house and were completely horrified. While they had been out doing their thing, Elizabeth was lying on the couch and the creature, which she assumed was a bear, reached in through a screen window and was chased away by her husband and brother-in-law. The Ford brothers fired seven shots and thought they hit it although no traces of blood were found. But, three-toed footprints were found around the house, scratch marks on the porch, and damage to a window and some siding were located.
Powell and Hall talked to someone at the hospital who told them that, “This guy is in shock.” I believe they were referring to Bobby Ford. Ford said he saw a 7’ tall creature that was 3’ across the chest. He also said he felt a hairy arm around his neck and he was so scared he ran, busting through a glass and wood front door.
The brothers said they shot it seven times and were pretty sure they had wounded it. All of their ammo had been used, but still - no blood. Powell said he dubbed it the Fouke Monster because of Elizabeth Ford’s description of the monster. When Powell got to the house the morning after the attack, he went behind the house, saw unusual footprints, and small saplings broken off headed into a wooded area. Some people thought it was a joke, others were of the opinion that when a traveling circus had come through the town years before, some of the animals had escaped and that was what was seen. Local officials were overwhelmed by the sheer number of monster hunters, calls, and tips. Miller County Sheriff, Leslie Greer, invoked a “no guns” policy in order to protect people from being accidentally hurt or killed.
A month after the Ford sighting, archaeologist Frank Schambach stated that in his opinion there was a 99% chance that the tracks were man made. He said that the tracks couldn’t be from an ape because all primates (including hominids) have five toes, there was no history of primates in the area, and apes are all diurnal, not nocturnal as the Fouke Monster appeared to be.
In May, 1971, D. C. Woods, Jr., Wilma Woods, and Mrs. R. H. Sedgass, reported something that resembled an ape crossing Hwy. 71, with more reports popping up from others. This included giant footprints showing up in Willie E. Smith’s soybean field located behind a local gas station. What was odd was that they were in a straight line, avoiding plants. According to one local, it was pure chaos. Non-locals were popping out of the woodwork. Little Rock, AR KAAY offered a bounty of $1,090.00 and a local man chipped in $200.00. A local woman who was sitting on her front porch said she saw the monster in a field across from her home. However, three jokers got caught when they claimed they were attacked by the monster when in fact they had likely just gotten into a fight fueled by alcohol and were fined $59.00 apiece for filing a false report.
By 1974, interest had dropped but started up again when tracks were allegedly found by two brothers in Russellville, AR, in March of 1978. Sightings were noted in Center Ridge, AR, and in July of 1978, there was another sighting in Crossett, AR. This time there were missing livestock and dog attacks. In 1991, it was supposed to have been seen jumping from a bridge. There were around 40 sightings in 1997, and in 1998 it was reported to have been sighted while crossing a dry creek bed about 5 miles away from Fouke.
Greer was Sheriff from 1967-1974 and said that he recalled hearing about the monster as far back as 1946. In his words, “"I was campaigning for tax assessor and stopped to talk to a lady sitting on her front porch," he said. "She lived about halfway between Fouke and the Below Bridge. She told me that she saw some kind of animal go down in the field in a low, bushy place. She said it looked kind of like a man, and walked like a man, but she didn't think it was a man." Of course, he never gave it much thought until 1971 when the Ford family was attacked. Most reports were hoaxes but there was serious concern that an innocent person would be harmed by the horde of monster hunters in town. There ended up being a lot of hurt feelings over trespassing on private property.
By 1986, most officials were of the opinion that the tracks were man-made. Greer’s colleague at the time, Chief Deputy H.L. Phillips said he hadn’t taken a call in years about it but he refused to argue with people who say they did see it because they were respectable, responsible people. He did state he didn’t believe in it but there were those who did and still do. Keep in mind, as Skeptoid states, all the evidence is anecdotal with not a thing that is able to be tested. It makes for a great story though!
So, what do you think? There are things we don’t know about or are just discovering. Could the Fouke Monster be the real thing or is it only a folk-tale? I would love to hear your thoughts and thanks for reading!
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fouke_Monster
https://web.archive.org/web/20030803215531/http://texarkanagazette.com/articles/2001/06/24/export15709.txt
https://skeptoid.com/
2023.04.01 03:40 Inorai [Menagerie of Dreams] Chapter 4.5: The Game Is Afoot
![[Menagerie of Dreams] Chapter 4.5: The Game Is Afoot](https://external-preview.redd.it/UQMyLDWWh1CV2e5Yfo538DCKAhiIuyC_j_yKunKoX1c.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=bc261c037ddeb2d9f3cf50a30c7fa6c4367de89c "[Menagerie of Dreams] Chapter 4.5: The Game Is Afoot") | https://preview.redd.it/86vaue6fg6ra1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a16c68b8a32739246ae36150cb23a0d8be02b4e1 submitted by Inorai to redditserials [link] [comments] Cover Art Cover Art (Alternate) First Chapter Patreon Playlist The Story: When a seemingly-powerless human walks straight through the wards shielding her bestiary, Aloe finds herself with a mystery on her shop floor - and with her merciless kin eager to get their hands on him, they've got a deadline on solving it. --------------------------------- Together they strode back through Windscour’s compound, leaving the offices behind. The receptionist rose as they passed, raising a hand, but Kyran waved her off. “She does not look pleased,” he said, shooting a look at Aloe. “You tampered with her, didn’t you?” Color crept up her cheeks. “I needed to see you,” she mumbled. “If she’d warned you, you’d have locked everything down before I could get a word out. Wouldn’t you?” “You can’t go around enspelling whoever you please,” Kyran said, though, his expression darkening. “I do feel a bit bad for the encounter,” she mumbled, teasing a loose strand of blonde hair between two fingers. Her eyes rose, her expression sharpening again. “But I did what I had to, and I don’t regret that.” She raised an eyebrow. “Will you file a claim of your own?” She held her tongue after that, watching as the words settled in. It wasn’t as simple as that, and both of them knew it. If Kyran wanted, he could march straight back to Jaian, have an investigation brought against her. But doing that would also open an investigation into everything else that went on in Windscour, including his theft of Rowen, and he wouldn’t want that. Sure enough, after a moment’s pause, Kyran shook his head, quickening his pace. “Of course not,” he said, his voice saccharine-sweet. “A misunderstanding, that’s all. Yes?” “Indeed,” Aloe said. She glanced around at the hallways they passed, which were steadily growing more sterile and nondescript as they wound deeper into the research part of the structure. “You’re not housing him in the focarium?” she said. “That’s your pride and joy, isn’t it?” The Lossimers were an analytical bloodline, their magic given to assessments and enhancements, their spells etched in runes. The focarium was his baby—and with it, he could plumb straight into the depths of magic. “I assumed you’d have him there.” “We’ve only had him a few hours, Aloe,” Kyran said, an exasperated note slipping into his voice. Holding out a hand, he steered them down a side hallway, marked simply Holding. He pulled a badge from his belt, tapping it against a sensor on the wall, and gestured forward as the lock clicked open. “We hadn’t gotten that far yet. Come along.” As he pushed ahead, she saw him grimace. “Let’s just get this over with.” Yes, please. She followed on his heels as they entered the wing—just a lonely hallway with a handful of doors off either side. Runes glowed from the floor and ceiling, burning with a low light Aloe couldn’t begin to make sense of. Given the name of this hallway and why they’d come to it today, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Kyran went straight to the hallway’s single closed door, all the way at the end. Aloe drifted behind him, her steps slower as he fumbled with his badge a second time. The lock on the door beeped as he again tapped the card against it. And then he stood back. “There,” he said. “Be my guest.” And as she stepped forward, she heard him sigh. “You know, I don’t know why you’ve got yourself so worked up over this. If you’d just-” “Yeah,” she said. “I’m sure you don’t.” “I mean, you’re going to such lengths. It’s not going to change anything. You have to know that.” She reached out, laying a hand on the cool metal. “You wouldn’t understand,” she whispered, her eyelids sinking lower. Pushing hard, she turned the latch, pulling the door open in the same smooth motion. The room inside was bare, she saw as she stepped in, just a smooth tile floor and a bed jammed into one corner. Something in her eased as she caught sight of the man sitting on its edge. Rowen looked up through hazy, unfocused eyes. “Hey,” he rasped, then licked his lips, swallowing. He shifted, like he was trying to stand, but his legs weren’t cooperating. He gave up, sitting back down. “It’s…you.” Aloe sighed, crossing toward him. “What did you do to him?” “He’s just sedated,” she heard Kyran say from the doorway behind her. “Our sleep spells weren’t doing anything to him.” “You don’t say,” she said dryly. Rowen tried to bat away her hands when she reached in, but she took gentle hold of one wrist, checking his pulse. “We had to use human drugs in the end,” Kyran said. “Hope you’ve got some of those stashed around.” She couldn’t miss the amusement in his voice. The spite. He was having fun with this. Releasing Rowen’s arm, she stepped back, safely out of range of his half-hearted swings. Her hand came up to cup her chin. “How am I going to do this?” she murmured. Kyran snorted. “What’s that? The great Aloisia is stumped?” She shot him a look. “I’m not-” “I don’t care how you take him,” Kyran said. “But he has to be gone. I’m not running a hostel here. You wanted him?” He gestured, scowling. “You’ve got him. He’s your problem now.” “I know, I’m just-” “If it’s too much for you, I’d be happy to call the deal off.” It was her turn to snort, shaking her head. “Wouldn’t you just.” Rowen took another swipe at her, reeling in his seat. “Can’t do this,” she heard him mumble, the words slurred. “I’ll- I’m gonna-” “Quiet,” she said with a sigh. Her hand dropped to her belt—and her kalimba. This time she unhooked it, running her thumbs across the tines. A cascade of bells filled the room. Steadily, she started to pluck one after another, the resonance building and turning in on itself as she added notes. Her limbs steadied, her strength buoying. The wave of magical aid was accompanied by the sharp pang of a headache starting to take root. She grimaced, but kept going. Enhancement magic was Kyran’s forte, not hers, but she could make it work in a pinch. And as the last note echoed on the air, she hung the kalimba back from its loop, letting it fall to her hip. The intoxicating flood of strength was still there as she took hold of Rowen, sliding his arm over her shoulders. He tried to fight her. His punch was more like a slap, his movements too uncoordinated to break away. “L’me go,” she heard him mumble. “I’ll kill you. I’ll-” “Yes, you’re very strong,” she said with a grunt, rising. Her knees ached for a moment—but she straightened, pulling his two hundred pounds of dead weight up with her. Kyran was watching when she turned, one eyebrow raised. “You’re going to carry him like that all the way back to the surface world?” he said. “And what happens after Callaton? Will you drag him through the human streets like a prisoner?” Aloe grinned, even as she started to sweat. Oh, he thought he had her stuck, did he? She reached beneath the collar of her sweater with her free hand, pulling loose a chain from beneath. A trio of crystal rods hung from it like a pendant. With the three rods resting in the palm of her hand, she hesitated. Crystal foci were expensive. Incredibly so. These three had been a gift, and once they were gone, she wasn’t sure where she’d find more. That was a question to be solved in the future, though. She needed them now, so use them she would. Leaning over, she rapped one of them against the wall. It sang out like a tuning rod, filling the room with its clear, pure peal. Kyran’s eyes widened. “Wait. You’re not going to-” Her hand closed around the rod, dampening the sound—and she snapped it in her palm. Fragments of crystal dug against her skin. Magic poured outward, carried on the rippling echoes of that perfect note. Home, she whispered silently, holding the image of the Dancing Dragon in her mind. Take us home. The odds were good that this wouldn’t work, but since she didn’t have another option on hand, she had to try. If her magic wouldn’t take hold with Rowen here- The roar of the magic crescendoed. Light filled her vision. In the incandescent glow of it, she saw Kyran take a step back, letting out a startled yelp. As the magic wrapped tight around her, she pulled Rowen closer, as if the vortex could possibly rip him away from her. Light flared in front of her as reality tore open, not dissimilar to what Kyran's goos had done - but way the hell more expensive. She sighed inwardly for what this adventure would cost her. She stepped forward, dragging Rowen with her, and gave the portal a quick, nervous look as the two approached. This had better work. If he destroyed the portal, she'd be stuck here, and the thought of Kyran's smug face leering back at her was too much to bear. It'd worked for Kyran's people. It would work for her. Teeth gritted, she heaved the both of them across the threshold. The swirling, blazing magic flickered, growing darker - but held. Aloe grinned. Victory. And with one last cascade of sparks, she stepped out into the Dragon. Still reeling, she cast a look around, Rowan’s arm slung around her shoulders. He was taller than her, which left her dragging his legs limply behind them—but they were home. She exhaled, letting herself droop. Almost done. When Aloe turned for the stairs, though, a glimmer of light on her desk caught her attention. She paused, glancing over. A smile curled at her lips at the sight of her letterbox gleaming in rainbow shades. Staggering one last step forward, she dropped Rowen unceremoniously onto Daisy’s bed. The knurl raised her head with a whuff, shying back at the unexpected intrusion. “Sorry,” Aloe panted, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead. “Bear with it, girl. He’s friendly. Well.” She grimaced, remembering the swipes. “Mostly.” He’d fallen still over their journey. She leaned closer, letting her eyes sweep over him as she gave a good, assessing look. What she saw made her sigh, sitting back on her heels. He was still awake, but probably only barely. He kept trying to curl up, pulling his knees close to his chest, and his hands were shaking. “You’re safe now,” she said softly, but there was no reaction from the man. She turned for the letterbox with a weary groan, dropping into her chair. Was it just another bill, or- Her smile grew as she withdrew the letter from within, spotting the familiar chicken-scratch handwriting on the front. Despite how horrible a day it’d been thus far, her mood lifted. Leaning back, she took a letter opener from the desk, carefully slicing the letter open. The paper inside was sturdy and thick, the handwriting no more legible than it’d been on the front. Aloe - I almost wrote you earlier, but I wanted to wait until I really knew what I’d found. I’m still in the Deeproads. Deep, but not too deep. Don’t fret. You’ll never believe what I’ve stumbled upon. I felt a bit of resonance on my last dive, so I plumbed the depths again, and this time, I broke through into a new shell. It’s remarkable. I don’t believe anyone’s been in it for years. Decades. Perhaps centuries. I found the ruins of an old structure abandoned there, but besides for that, it’s all sunbirds and the tiniest, most adorable little dragons you’ve ever seen. I don’t think the shell is in too much danger of a collapse. It feels almost like a natural pocket, instead of a Child-forged construct. Perhaps you would be interested in visiting? I wouldn’t mind sharing the coordinates with you. Give your knurl a rub for me. Welther Aloe chuckled to herself, running her fingers across the textured surface of the paper. “He’s up to his usual troubles, then,” she murmured, her cheeks warming gently. And he’d found dragons for her, too. Miniature ones. She glanced out to the shop floor, raising an eyebrow. The store was wood, so she’d always been loath to bring a dragon inside—especially considering how large they got. But if it was small enough? Maybe. She lay the letter down with a sigh, glancing back to Daisy’s bed and its new cargo. “But I’ve got to sort you out first.” Right. Her eyes widened. Rowen—and Welther. She’d talked big back in Windscour, but she wasn’t a scholar. Not really. She’d be struggling through things from here on out. But Welther. Welther was a delver, a seeker of lost knowledge, new discoveries. Would he be interested in Rowen? She chewed her lip, weighing the possibility. It’d mean revealing Rowen to someone else, and she really didn’t want to make his existence public knowledge. This was Welther, though. She couldn’t imagine him raising some sort of public stir over her newest charge. And…Aloe chuckled, shaking her head. If she didn’t tell him what she’d found, he’d probably get upset with her for that alone. “Wait there just a second more,” she whispered, glancing back down to the dozing form of Rowen. “I’ll get you settled soon.” Reaching forward, she grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen. —-------------- The sunbirds overhead flapped back and forth, chattering to each other. Aloe leaned back in her seat, lacing her fingers behind her head. The shop was quiet. She couldn’t very well open the store, not when all hell might break loose at any moment. Her letter to Welther was written and tucked into the letterbox, whose enchantments had no doubt already whisked it off to its destination. The creatures were fed, their dens mucked out. All that left for her to do was wait. She grimaced, letting her eyes sink closed. “What a damned stupid game you’re playing this time, Aloisia,” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Go ahead and challenge the lord himself, why don’t you? Why not-” One of the rafters creaked overhead. She stopped. Looking up, she watched the floorboards compress, the wood flexing almost-imperceptibly. Her pulse quickened. Was it- The sound of a footfall drifted down, so soft as to almost be lost entirely. She heard the distant clink of bedsprings. Aloe sat back, waiting. Her thoughts of Kyran and Welther were long gone, just a flicker in the back of her mind. All of her attention was fixated on the ceiling of the Dragon—and the low, hesitant sound of someone creeping across the floor. Her shop was well-built, but she’d lived in it for almost two decades, and she knew every creak and whine the place had. Her eyes drifted, following the telltale signs as they crept out of the bedroom and down the hall, descending the stairs on unsteady feet. The footsteps went quiet, brought to a halt beyond the swinging doors that separated the shop from her home. Even without a sound, though, she knew he was there. She could almost hear the ragged sound of his breathing, the terrified pounding of his heart. She didn’t get up, just stayed where she was, placid and calm—but her chin lifted. “I know you’re there,” she said. “In the stairwell. You’re not sneaking up on anyone.” In the silence, she heard the faint sound of an indrawn gasp. Aloe smiled, leaning back another inch. Bingo. “You can come out now.” |
2023.04.01 03:26 KirkHammettJigsaw Booking the NJPW World Television Championship Until Wrestle Kingdom 18 Straight Shooter
 | submitted by KirkHammettJigsaw to FantasyBookingElite [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/o71zilxbd6ra1.png?width=536&format=png&auto=webp&s=d357a02bacc47fda1eefd69ff587d2f91d27f4d5 Most wrestling championships are, of course, very similar. Same rules, same type of prestige, held by similar types of wrestlers, etc. The NJPW World Television Championship, though, is different. Every match has a fifteen minute time limit. If you run out of time, the match goes to a coin flip. The phrase “to be the man, you gotta beat the man” doesn’t apply here, because if the man fails to defeat you, then they could still lose the belt off of complete chance. It’s a concept that greatly interests me, and since it’s still new, the first year of its existence will shape how the gold is viewed in the future. It was captured for the first time at Wrestle Kingdom 17, so let’s book it until Wrestle Kingdom 18, shall we? NJPW Sakura Genesis 2023 Shota Umino vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (c) - NJPW World Television Championship Zack Sabre Jr. has had a fun reign with the NJPW World Television Championship so far (despite his banger of a theme being changed), and tonight, he’s defending against a man that some have called the future of FBE, Shota Umino. Umino became one of the most well known Young Lions in the company back when he was following Jon Moxley everywhere, but “Shooter” is not a Young Boy anymore. He’s received co-signs from legends of the game, but praise only goes so far. Tonight, it’s sink or swim in the biggest match of his career, and he’s facing a man more than capable of twisting him into knots and ripping his limbs clean off his body (okay, maybe not CLEAN off). It’s a huge test, but with his potential, anything is possible. The match is a lot of fun, as they both work aggressively, not wanting to cut things close with this fifteen minute time limit. Sabre looks for a submission the whole time, but Umino is doing a good job of staying positioned near the ropes so that he can break the holds every time The Technical Wizard gets a hold of him. Shota tries to create space with his striking, and after a beautiful Dropkick, he takes control for a while. Time is starting to tick, and after wearing Blondie down with some strikes, Shota lifts the Champion up and plans him with a Fisherman’s Suplex! Hooks the leg with a Bridging Pin! One…Two…and Sabre kicks out! He picks Zack up, but Sabre catches him with a big Forearm and grabs a Headlock. He tries for a Headlock Takeover, but Umino manages to stay on his feet, and both men go toppling through the ropes and to the apron. Sabre starts trying to lift Shota back into the ring so that he can submit him, with time ticking down. Desperately, he starts to wear Umino down by locking in an Octopus Hold! We breach the fourteen minute mark, and the challenger makes the daring move to leap off the apron, The Front Man still on his back! This hurts both men, but Umino limps to his feet and throws ZSJ in the ring, the clock dangerously low! He goes for the Death Rider on his opponent, but Junior counters and transitions into a Cradle Pin! One…Two…and Umino gets the shoulder up! Both men dart to their feet and throw a Lariat, and both connect and fall to the mat! Three…Two…One…ZERO! Time has expired, and we’re going to a coin flip decision! Both men stand up, and Sabre, with the Champion’s Right to choose, picks tails. The coin toss happens, and results in…HEADS! SHOTA UMINO HAS WON THE NJPW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP, AND SABRE IS FURIOUS! Shota Umino def. Zack Sabre Jr. in 15:00 to win the NJPW World Television Championship NJPW Collision in Philadelphia Danny Limelight vs. Shota Umino (c) - NJPW World Television Championship Shota is right back in action, and after a callout on Twitter, Danny Limelight of Team Filthy has gotten himself a championship opportunity. This match is quite fun, with Limelight showcasing exactly why he’s one of the most underrated men in wrestling today. However, Shota is ultimately able to take firm control of the contest, and around the ten minute mark, he plants Limelight with a Spike Death Rider and pins him for the victory. Danny leaves the ring with Team Filthy, but they look back at Shota with vitriol in their eyes. Shota Umino def. Danny Limelight in 9:21 to retain the NJPW World Television Championship NJPW Hirooki Goto 20th Anniversary Shota Umino and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. TenKoji On Hirooki Goto’s twentieth anniversary, we get a tag match with three NJPW legends and one potential future legend. The tag match is a lot of fun, and at the end, Shota gets a huge rub as he plants Tenzan with a Death Rider to pick up the victory. Everybody in the ring embraces each other, and then Tanahashi and Umino salute the crowd, but Team Filthy ruins the party, darting out and laying waste to Shota! Tom Lawlor stands tall, picking up the World Television Championship and posing with it while the rest of Team Filthy holds Tana off! Shota Umino and Hiroshi Tanahashi def. TenKoji in 11:45 NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 2023: Day Seven Tom Lawlor vs. Ryohei Oiwa Oiwa tries his very best in this one, showing tremendous heart, but of course, Lawlor is able to dispatch the Young Lion pretty quickly, locking him in a choke and forcing him to submit. After the match, Team Filthy celebrates in the ring, but Shota Umino runs out with a chair and starts knocking most of the members to the side! He gets a hold of Tom Lawlor and starts wailing on him with the weapon until officials get in between the two! They’re having a title match next week at Wrestling Dontaku, and this one is going to have some heat behind it! Tom Lawlor def. Ryohei Oiwa in 3:08 NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2023 Tom Lawlor vs. Shota Umino (c) - NJPW World Television Championship Umino is pissed coming into this match, angry that Filthy Tom spoiled his moment at Goto’s Anniversary Show, and he starts swinging for the fences from the very beginning. Lawlor, a skilled grappler, is able to use Roughneck’s anger and aggression against him, taking advantage of his overzealousness. Because of this, the match lasts quite a while, even going late into the thirteenth minute, but Umino is able to retain with a Death Rider from the middle rope. His aggression worked this time, but Filthy gave him a hell of a fight. Could Shota’s style cost him in the future? Shota Umino def. Tom Lawlor in 13:51 to retain the NJPW World Television Championship NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2023: Day Three Robbie Eagles has just lost a match in the BOSJ, and he is furious about it. Instead of placing the blame on himself, though, he blames the referee for his contest, Red Shoes Unno! Eagles grabs Red Shoes and threatens him, but he isn’t safe for long because Unno’s son, Shota Umino, rushes out to defend him! Eagles runs off, but Umino stares him down. In the post-show press conference, Umino is furious and wants Eagles to face him on a night where Robbie’s block isn’t competing. The contest is scheduled for the sixth day of BOSJ. NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2023: Day Six Robbie Eagles vs. Shota Umino (c) - NJPW World Television Championship Shota, just like last time, comes out of the gate very aggressively, which is a good strategy for a match with a short time limit, but also a risky one. Eagles is able to do some damage, and a lot of it is because he manages to piss Umino off and take advantage, even hitting a brutal Poison Rana! It’s a back-and-forth affair, but eventually, Umino manages to escape a Michinoku Driver attempt, lock Robbie in a standing Sleeper, weaken him sufficiently enough, and plant him with a Death Rider for the pinfall victory! Shota Umino def. Robbie Eagles in 12:24 to retain the NJPW World Television Championship After the match, Eagles gets up and offers a handshake to the man that just defeated him. Shota seems very, very hesitant, but accepts it, and the two shake hands. However, Zack Sabre Jr., Robbie's TMDK stablemate and the man that Shota took the belt from, attacks Roughneck from behind! He soaks in the jeers from the crowd, and, in the post-show press conference, states that he wants to challenge for the TV Title at Dominion. He says that he lost the belt via coin flip, so Shota is the champion legitimately based on pure chance. He’s too aggressive, not refined enough, and he WILL make a mistake so big that Sabre will be able to capitalize and take his belt back. Later on in the scrum, Shota accepts. AEW Dynamite (May 31) Bryan Danielson doesn’t yet have a match for Forbidden Door, but he has a proposal. In New Japan, there’s a pretty new title, the World Television Championship. He knows that by Forbidden Door, that belt will belong to either Shota Umino or Zack Sabre Jr. The prospect of either match is exciting to him, because he has heard stories about “Shooter” from Moxley, and he was meant to face The Bone Master at last year’s Forbidden Door. Plus, the American Dragon wants to make in-roads in Japan, so this is the perfect opportunity. No matter who has the strap, the Blackpool Combat Club is coming for it in Toronto. NJPW Dominion 6.10 in Osaka-Jo Hall Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shota Umino (c) - NJPW World Television Championship This match literally went to the wire last time it happened, and Shota Umino doesn’t want to leave his aspirations and his destiny in the hands of fate once again, so he wrestles even more aggressively than last time! ZSJ, though? He sort of hangs back, takes a beating for a while, hoping for Shota to make a mistake. Indeed he does, as the champion goes for a Rolling Elbow without setting it up properly, and the Submission Master is able to isolate the arm and begin manipulating Shota in position for a Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than The Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness! Shota has no choice but to tap out! After three defenses, the NJPW World Television Championship has returned to TMDK! Zack Sabre Jr. def. Shota Umino in 10:59 to win the NJPW World Television Championship AEW Dynamite (June 21) Zack Sabre Jr., in a pre-taped segment, talks about his upcoming match with Bryan Danielson at the second Forbidden Door event. He says that he has been looking forward to this match for a long while, for two reasons. Firstly, last year, he was meant to face the Dragon, and it fell through. Secondly, last year, he lost to a Blackpool Combat Club member in Claudio Castagnoli, and Bryan denied him the chance to prepare, so he’s been holding that grudge ever since. He doesn’t want to inflict punishment on Danielson for only fifteen minutes, no. He has spoken to AEW and NJPW officials, and he has negotiated a stipulation. Two out of Three Falls, and every fall is contested under NJPW World Television Championship rules! AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II Two out of Three Falls: Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (c) - NJPW World Television Championship The first fall is a very fun one, as the two men in the ring exchange technical holds in one of the finest displays of chain wrestling in recent memory. It’s very evenly-matched, and even geared towards ZSJ for much of the contest, but once the BCC member is able to escape the Jim Breaks Armbar, he’s able to take control by peppering the TMDK leader with Roundhouse Kicks. One of the kicks catches Sabre directly in the skull, and Danielson takes him down and applies the LeBell Lock, but he hasn’t been paying attention to the clock, and time expires! The referee gets a coin, and ZSJ calls Tails for the coin toss. The coin lands on…TAILS! Zack Sabre Jr. escaped by the skin of his teeth, getting saved by the bell and then getting the luck of the draw! In the second fall, though, Danielson carries on his momentum from the first, and on top of that, he is VERY angry about the coin toss not going his way. He comes out of the gate wrestling as aggressively as Shota Umino, but unlike Umino, Sabre can’t seem to counter it. He gets some offense in here and there, but Bryan is pressuring him too much, and all of the kicks do a lot of cumulative damage. After thwarting an attempt at Hypernormalisation, Danielson runs the ropes and levels Sabre with a Busaiku Knee! Makes the cover! One…Two…Three! That fall went less than seven minutes, and Danielson has full control! He waits in the corner for Zack to find his footing for the third fall. The third and final fall begins, and Danielson goes for another Busaiku Knee, but it’s dodged! This one has plenty of reversals in it, neither man managing to lock the other in a submission! ZSJ is probably slightly more technically proficient, but Bryan is able to bridge the gap with his striking, and once we’re past the ten minute mark of this fall, both men are just absolutely destroyed! Danielson is throwing kick after kick after kick, and they’re landing to the body, but ZSJ catches one and slaps on a Heel Hook, or as he calls it, the Sunday Rail Engineering Works Replacement Bus Service! Danielson is locked in the middle of the ring, and he has no choice but to tap out! ZSJ has retained the NJPW World Television Championship! Zack Sabre Jr. def. Bryan Danielson two falls to one to retain the NJPW World Television Championship NJPW G1 Climax 33 The G1 Climax rolls around, and it’s NOT A FOUR BLOCK BULLSHIT G1. Zack Sabre Jr. is in the A Block, and, to the delight of NJPW fans and AEW fans everywhere, Bryan Danielson is in the B Block! Danielson is very angry that he lost at Forbidden Door, especially considering the fact that he was well on his way to winning the first fall before the coin flip went in Sabre Jr.’s favour. While both men have plenty of great matches in their respective blocks, neither one makes the finals. Their feud does result in a match at the Finals, though. TMDK is at ZSJ’s side, but BCC isn’t in Japan, so Danielson enlists the help of Strong Style. TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste and Robbie Eagles) vs. Bryan Danielson and Strong Style (Minoru Suzuki, Ren Narita and El Desperado) Strong Style and Bryan Danielson are cut from the same cloth, and the quartet works well together, with the group allowing the American Dragon to get some shots in at ZSJ. However, the chemistry isn’t there as much as it is with TMDK, and Haste and Nicholls are able to isolate Despy on the outside of the ring and take him out. Suzuki and Sabre, as former stablemates, have a very fun sequence, and Narita shines in the contest as well, but the eventual finish comes when Eagles rolls a beaten-down Desperado into the ring, and ZSJ plants his former partner with the Zack Driver to pick up the win. TMDK def. Bryan Danielson and Strong Style in 13:13 After the match, ZSJ grabs the mic and shit-talks Danielson, telling him to pack his shit and go back to the “Blackpool Country Club”. Suddenly, the big screen lights up, and on it is Jon Moxley! He talks about how he was supposed to face Zack Sabre Jr., but didn’t. Recently, he was supposed to wrestle in the UK, but he didn’t. If The Front Man hates BCC so much, how about they make up for all the lost time and face off for the Television Championship at Royal Quest? ZSJ contemplates it, and agrees to the contest. Mox, on the big screen, says “I don’t know what you just said, because this video just so happens to be…pre-recorded.” The champion turns around, and Mox is right there! Death Rider, and he runs away before TMDK can get to him! NJPW Royal Quest III Jon Moxley vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (c) - NJPW World Television Championship This match has been long-awaited, and Zack Sabre Jr., in his home country, is looking to extend his second reign with the NJPW World Television Championship. Jon Moxley, though, is an absolute force. This is a great dichotomy of styles, as Mox tries to get the match on the outside of the ring to do damage with his great brawling, while The Submission Master wants things right in the middle of the squared circle so that he can submit the Death Rider. After a frenetic match, ZSJ is busted open, and he’s trying desperately to take Mox down, but he stuffs the takedown! Elbows to the back of the head! Hooks the arms! PARADIGM SHIFT/DEATH RIDER! COVER! ONE…TWO…THREE! JON MOXLEY IS THE NEW NJPW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION! Jon Moxley def. Zack Sabre Jr. in 14:31 to win the NJPW World Television Championship AEW Dynamite (September 6) We get a recap of Royal Quest, showing the fact that Jon Moxley has won the NJPW World Television Championship, and then we cut to a backstage promo from the man himself. He talks about how he has always loved performing in New Japan, but it seems like wrenches always get thrown into his plans. The pandemic forced him to give up his US Title, he lost in the G1 back in the day because of Toru Yano’s bullshit, and he just hasn’t been there as much as he would have liked to be. However, now that he has gold, he doesn’t plan on letting it go. “The Blackpool Combat Club has the World Television Championship, and we’re bringing it to REAL television.” AEW Dynamite (September 13) Darius Martin vs. Jon Moxley (c) - NJPW World Television Championship The younger member of Top Flight is in singles action tonight. He’s coming in as the huge underdog, but a win would propel him to superstardom, and over to Japan. His opponent, though, is Jon Moxley, a man that’s meaner now than he’s ever been. They have a fun match, with Martin’s insane pace seeming to benefit him with the short time limit. He’s very difficult to ground, but Moxley eventually does figure out a way to do so, locking Darius in the Bulldog Choke and forcing him to tap for the successful retention. Jon Moxley def. Darius Martin in 8:20 to retain the NJPW World Television Championship ROH TV (October 5) Yuji Nagata vs. Jon Moxley (c) - NJPW World Television Championship Yuji Nagata is in the United States for a tour, and after finding out, Jon Moxley challenged him to a match for the NJPW World Television Championship over in Ring of Honor. Blue Justice accepted, so now we’re here. We’ve seen this match before, and last time Mox won relatively easily, but Yuji is a legend because of his ability to adapt. He gives Jon a little bit more than he expected, and busts the champion’s chest open with a flurry of chops! Moxley comes alive after that, very angry, and after beating the legend down, hits three Regal Knees and a Paradigm Shift to take the victory. Jon Moxley def. Yuji Nagata in 10:00 to retain the NJPW World Television Championship After the match, Moxley walks up to Nagata aggressively, looking ready to attack. However, somebody runs out to make the save…SHOTA UMINO! Yuji Nagata is one of the men that trained The Roughneck, but Moxley is the one that taught him almost everything he knows! Umino doesn’t get physical, but he does try to defuse the situation, and Moxley backs off. Shota turns around to help Nagata up, and MOXLEY LAYS HIM OUT FROM BEHIND! PICKS HIM UP! DEATH RIDER! HE JUST DESTROYED HIS OWN PROTEGE! AEW Dynamite (October 18) Jon Moxley is interviewed by Lexy Nair, who asks why he attacked Shota Umino on ROH TV. He says that he looks at Shota and just feels disappointed. “Shooter, I trained you to be a vicious, violent son of a bitch, and to your credit, you try. You wrestle aggressively, but you leave yourself exposed, and you lose. I wrestle aggressively, and it wins me belts. You wear my jacket, and you use my finisher, but you are NOT me. You aren’t a wild man, you are a kid trying to be one. If you were really as violent as you’ve been trying to be, if you were really a Roughneck, you wouldn’t have let your heart get the better of you and make you come out to save Yuji Nagata. I know you want this belt back, and I know that I want to show you exactly why you aren’t the wrestler that I thought I had molded you into. At Power Struggle, Shooter, I will prove that no matter what you call yourself, you’ll never be anything more than my Young Lion.” AEW Dynamite (October 25) Shota Umino vs. Jack Cartwheel Jack Cartwheel, seen on Dark a few times, is making his Dynamite debut against Shota Umino. Of course, this is a showcase match for the former NJPW World Television Champion, but Jack shows out as well, impressing the crowd with his almost supernatural agility. Unfortunately for the underdog Cartwheel, he gets caught with a Dropkick off of a springboard move, and Roughneck assumes control. He hits a Death Rider and makes the cover for the one…two…three. Shota Umino def. Jack Cartwheel in 6:46 Shota picks up his jacket and goes to leave, but Jon Moxley comes out and gets in his face. He calls him a Young Boy, says that he doesn’t have what it takes to be champion, and Umino gets frustrated. He throws the jacket in Mox’s face and throws a punch! The two men brawl until officials pull them apart! Power Struggle is going to be one emotionally-charged match! NJPW Power Struggle 2023 Shota Umino vs. Jon Moxley (c) - NJPW World Television Championship Mentor vs. Protege, now bitter rivals. Jon Moxley looking to extend his title reign, Umino looking to reclaim the title that he lost earlier this year. Shota is no longer Shooter, he no longer has the Mox jacket, he is his own man. Not only is he his own man, but he goes to war with Jon Moxley. Moxley seems to be expecting Shota to be as aggressive as he usually is, but Umino has refined his style and instead of getting reversed and leaving himself exposed, is actually countering Moxley’s moves! He hits a Regal Knee on Moxley, busting the man open around the seven minute mark! The blood seems to wake Moxley up, though, and he snaps, managing to do some prolonged damage to the challenger. Time is starting to tick, and with only about two minutes remaining, The Death Rider goes for a, well, Death Rider. Shota spins out of it, kicks Mox in the gut, AND GOES FOR A DEATH RIDER OF HIS OWN! CONNECTS! COVER! ONE…TWO…THR-AND MOXLEY KICKS OUT! HE’S NOT ABOUT TO LOSE TO HIS OWN MOVE! Shota checks the clock and quickly lifts Moxley to his knees. Runs the ropes, charges at him, and HITS HIM WITH A SHOTGUN DROPKICK TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! ON COMMENTARY, KEVIN KELLY CALLS IT “THE STRAIGHT SHOOTER”! HOOKS THE LEG! ONE…TWO…THREE! YOUNG BOY NO MORE, SHOTA UMINO IS A TWO-TIME NJPW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION! Shota Umino def. Jon Moxley in 13: 46 to win the NJPW World Television Championship On the post-show press conference, Shota says that he wants his first defense to be against Ren Narita. NJPW World Tag League 2023: Night Seven Ren Narita vs. Shota Umino Ren Narita’s faction, Strong Style, is busy feuding with TMDK, but he takes a night off from waging war to challenge Shota for the NJPW World Television Championship. The two of them are the future of the company, and they have one hell of a match tonight, with Narita coming within an inch of winning the belt after Umino just BARELY manages to get a rope break. Time is winding down, and this one may very well go to a coin toss! With about twenty seconds left, Narita goes for a takedown, but Shota rolls through, gets behind Ren, and hits a short Straight Shooter! RUNS THE ROPES AND DELIVERS A SECOND, BIGGER ONE FOR GOOD MEASURE! MAKES THE COVER WITH JUST A FEW SECONDS LEFT! ONE…TWO…THREE! HE WON WITH JUST A SECOND LEFT ON THE CLOCK! Shota Umino def. Ren Narita in 14:59 to retain the NJPW World Television Championship After the match, the two men shake hands, after proving that they have impossibly bright futures. Shota leaves the ring, and Narita goes to do so as well, but TMDK comes pouring out to assault Narita, their feud still ongoing! El Desperado and Minoru Suzuki come to his aid, but TMDK still has a numbers advantage…until SHOTA UMINO TURNS BACK AND RUSHES INTO THE RING! He pulls Zack Sabre Jr. away, and the two stare daggers at each other…BEFORE COMING TO BLOWS! THIS IS AN ALL OUT BRAWL, AND TMDK RUNS FROM IT! Minoru Suzuki gets a Strong Style shirt and hands it to Shota. After some deliberation, he PUTS IT ON! STRONG STYLE IS A FOUR MAN UNIT! During the post show press conference, both Umino and Sabre call each other out for a rubber match, and the contest is made official for Wrestle Kingdom 18. NJPW Road To Tokyo Dome: Night One Strong Style (Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Shota Umino) vs. TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Kohei Fujita, and Shane Haste) For a throwaway tag, this one has a lot of heat behind it. It’s Shota Umino’s first match as a member of Strong Style, and a chance for him to establish dominance over ZSJ. The match is a fun one, but the most important moment of the match comes when Shota and Sabre are in the ring together. Zack goads him and insults him repeatedly, and frustrates him so much that the champion LEVELS HIM WITH A CLOSED FIST PUNCH! ZSJ smiles a shit-eating grin, pointing at Shota as if to say “You’re just as aggressive as you were during your first reign.” Umino has been keeping his cool lately, but ZSJ just got to him. Strong Style wins the match after Suzuki fucking MURDERS Fujita, but Umino looks shaken in victory. Strong Style def. TMDK in 12:57 NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shota Umino (c) - NJPW World Television Championship This is it. Each man has won one match apiece, each man has taken the Television Title off of the other. Shota has only ever defeated ZSJ via Coin Toss, and he’s looking for a more decisive victory tonight, while the Technical Wizard wants to prove that his spot will not be overtaken by a relative upstart. The contest is an intense one, and, with Shota trying to maintain his composure, a measured chess match. Throughout, ZSJ tries to frustrate Shota, and as the match winds down, after nearly choking him out, he manages to. Shota winds back for a closed fist punch…BUT TRANSITIONS INTO A BRUTAL SLAP, SPINNING SABRE AROUND! WAISTLOCK! GERMAN SUPLEX! ROLLS THROUGH, ZSJ IS ON HIS KNEES AND UMINO RUNS THE ROPES! STRAIGHT SHOOTER! COVER! ONE..TWO…THREE!!! SHOTA UMINO IS NOT MOX’S YOUNG BOY, AND HE IS NOT ZSJ’S PUNCHING BAG! “ROUGHNECK” SHOTA UMINO IS HIS OWN MAN, AND HE IS YOUR NJPW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION! Shota Umino def. Zack Sabre Jr. in 13:23 to retain the NJPW World Television Championship |
2023.04.01 03:17 Proletlariet Space Invaders Backup
In 1978, an army of aliens descended from the heavens to attack the planet Earth. These Space Invaders could have easily annihilated humanity were it not for an experimental tank-like weapon, capable of fending off the aliens by killing them in one shot. In spite of losing to this weapon, the aliens were not going to allow humanity's peace to last, and would come back to try and invade once more at a later date. This date constantly changes with every game that attempts to have a plot, though many games in the series forgo that for a simple "You're in a ship, there's aliens above you, defeat them before they destroy you."
II - Space Invaders Part II (Arcade, 1979)
2600 - Space Invaders (Atari 2600, 1980)
Return - Return of the Space Invaders (Arcade, 1984)
Super - Super Space Invaders '91 (Arcade, 1990)
90 - Space Invaders 90 (Mega Drive, 1990)
X-PS/64/GBC - Space Invaders (PlayStation/Nintendo 64/Game Boy Colour, 1999)
GBA - Space Invaders (Game Boy Advance, 2002)
SR- Space Raiders (GameCube, 2002)
Ex1 - Space Invaders Extreme (PlayStation Portable, 2008)
GE - Space Invaders Get Even (Wii, 2008)
Ex2 - Space Invaders Extreme 2 (DS, 2009)
IG - Space Invaders Infinity Gene (Xbox 360, 2010)
VS - Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders (IOS, 2017)
4SE - Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE (Switch, 2018)
Creatures
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Legend
78 - Space Invaders (Arcade, 1978)II - Space Invaders Part II (Arcade, 1979)
2600 - Space Invaders (Atari 2600, 1980)
Return - Return of the Space Invaders (Arcade, 1984)
Super - Super Space Invaders '91 (Arcade, 1990)
90 - Space Invaders 90 (Mega Drive, 1990)
X-PS/64/GBC - Space Invaders (PlayStation/Nintendo 64/Game Boy Colour, 1999)
GBA - Space Invaders (Game Boy Advance, 2002)
SR- Space Raiders (GameCube, 2002)
Ex1 - Space Invaders Extreme (PlayStation Portable, 2008)
GE - Space Invaders Get Even (Wii, 2008)
Ex2 - Space Invaders Extreme 2 (DS, 2009)
IG - Space Invaders Infinity Gene (Xbox 360, 2010)
VS - Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders (IOS, 2017)
4SE - Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE (Switch, 2018)
Player Strength Scaling
As a number of alien types (including all of the bosses) have durability feats of being shot multiple times by the player, here's a quick overview of the objective strength of the player's attacks for reference.- Tend to do similar damage to barriers as the aliens' shots in every game78
- One type of ship can break large meteors with a shotSuper
- Can reduce the size of large meteors in one shot, and fully blow them up with a secondX-64
- The original weapon is stated to 'obliterate' an alien in one shotGE
Named Units
- Common - Standard enemies which just move and shoot and are 12 foot tallX-PS
- Angler - 15 foot aliens which shoot shots diagonally instead of straight downX-PS
- Berserker - Go berserk after being shot, returning to normal after a couple seconds. They can only be destroyed by being shot while berserkX-GBC
- Blocker - Aliens which are 14 foot tall and move to the side after being shot, the burning wreckage briefly blocking shots from passing themX-PS
- Shown hereX-PS
- Bomber - Drops missilesX-GBC
- Burster - 11 foot aliens which release a shower of damaging energy bolts on being destroyedX-PS
- Shown hereX-PS
- Cloaker - Can intermittently go invisibleX-GBC
- Dodger - Rapidly moves to the side to avoid shots that would hit itX-GBC
- Dropper - Will always drop as far down the attack formation as possibleGBA
- Freezer - A 15 foot alien which will briefly break formation to fly close to the ground and shoot an energy beam downwardsX-PS
- Ice - Drops ice blasts which can damage barriersX-GBC
- Leecher - A 'devious species' that's 10 foot highX-64
- Kamikaze - Aliens which are only 9 foot high but, on being shot, will dive straight down to the ground as a final attackX-PS
- Shown hereX-PS
- Phaser - Teleports between free spots in the attack formationGBA
- Seeder - Drops creatures that, if they hit the ground, move a little to the side before disappearingX-GBC
- Shifter - Aliens with a unique sense of self-preservation that fly away occasionally to avoid being hit. It is 16 foot acrossX-64
- Shown hereX-64
- Space Hoppers - Aliens which leap in and bounce off the ground, trying to smash the playerX-GBC
- Splitter - An alien, originally 15 foot tall, that can split into four smaller copies of itself on being destroyed as long as the adjacent places to it are freeX-PS
- Shown hereX-PS
- Switcher - 13 foot enemies which take two shots to destroyX-PS
- Trappers - Shoots projectiles which stay on the ground for a while, slowing the player as they move over the spots they landedGBA
- Wormholes - Creatures which appear out of wormhole and charge at the playerX-GBC
- X - Invulnerable when they withdraw themselves into a small, compact orbGBC
Specific Unnamed Units
- The standard type of alien from Space Raiders hits a person back into a wallSR
- A miniboss can grab and latch onto the player ship, holding them relatively still as they fire towards itIG
- Some aliens can take multiple attacks and get larger on being hit, getting wider to fill more spacesSuper
- One type of alien on their homeworld ride devices which render them invincible to regular attacks, only being killed by power ups or by first shooting the edge of the device to tip them overX-GBC
- Some aliens have a shield to protect them entirely from shots that appears and disappears periodicallyIG
- Golden aliens are invincibleVS
- Aliens made of ooze, some being capable of turning into a puddle while moving along the ground and splitting into several smaller copies of themselvesSR
- An alien creates illusionary copies of itself, with them all being 'killed' when the real one is hitSR
- Some can take over the bodies of dead humans, like zombiesSR
General Abilities
Attacks- Their bolts can shift a large metal barrier in the air a bitSuper
- With many shots break down mechanical barriersSR
- Can destroy large, metal barriers with many shotsReturn
- With many shots destroys a large amount of concrete debrisSR
- Bolts take out chunks of seemingly stone barriersX-GBC
- Shoot bolts capable of taking chunks out of barriers78
- One shot can blow up the player shipReturn
- Some of their attacks can block an enemy's beam while continuing downwardsSuper
- Can shoot sidewaysIG
- Shots can zig-zag through the air2600
- Groups of aliens can be shot from a saucer to take down skyscrapersGE
- Aliens can clump in groups before dashing towards something, exploding like a bomb, as well as bounce repeatedly to damage and swap between targetsGE
- Can take a drill formation to damage structures and pierce through if they're brokenGE
- When only one type of alien is remaining they can group together to form a single, more durable ship to attack the playerReturn
- A group of aliens can join together to form a single, huge alien that can take a large amount of shots and break apart at willEx2
- Individual enemies can beam into an areaSR
- Can have shoulder cannons and energy shields that block bulletsSR
- Can have both the aliens and their shots become invisible, only becoming visible again after being shot2600
- Appearing bosses can drain the power up attack from the playerGBA
- Larger aliens can have shots ricochet off of them several times before dyingIG
- Flies fast through the air while fightingSuper
- Some aliens can grow in size until their defeat, though it's unclear if this is something about this specific alien type or if it's down to technologySR
- If a ship they're escaping in is having engine trouble, they can fly away without it in some manner. It's unclear if this is their own flight or some form of escape podII
Flying Saucers
- One type of saucer shoots a mass of bolts at a timeIG
- The playable flying saucer has a number of Space Invaders around it that it can command to attack thingsGE
- A flying saucer miniboss could teleport around as well as quickly move horizontallyIG
- Have flying saucers which can abduct cows if not shot down in timeSuper
- A particularly large saucer sucks up a large amount of aliens at once4SE
- One enormous flying saucer needs to be defeated in parts and can spawn enemies as well as shoot down energy itselfEx2
- What is presumably a large saucer knocks over skyscrapers while coming down on a city before dropping a huge amount of pods which turn into aliens on hitting the groundSR
- A giant flying saucer can be called in to wipe out skyscrapers and structures in the nearby area with a beam attackGE
- The 'Gigantic UFO' is extremely large
- The 'Ultimate UFO' is an enormous station with a number of pieces of weaponry around itIG
Notable Bosses
All of the bosses in Space Invaders tend to be giant machines which can take a large amount of shots from the player ship before dying. The ones listed below are described by what makes them unique. For the Space Invaders PS1/N64 game, please note that each boss is many times the size of the regular enemies, each of which are between 9 and 15 feet across.X-PSCreatures
- Some bosses can grow in size and spawn regular sized InvadersEx2
- Some focus on ramming into or otherwise hitting the player with melee attacksX-PS
- A behemoth which can fire spikes from its back and energy from its hands
- A large, plant-like creatureSR
- A large slime creature that can create other, smaller slimes. On having its slime part defeated, it continues to fly around as an eye until that's also shot downSR
- A giant enemy crab which continues to fight after having the top half of its shell destroyedSR
- Several bosses, like the Squid, can shoot shots that repeatedly change direction in the air to chase after the playerIG
- The Alien Queen first shoots with two tentacles on its sides, then when they're destroyed she shoots curving beams from her shoulders and drops a large melee attack beneath her. On further damage her eye flies out and starts to move down while her body continues to attack, both being destroyed on the eye being hit once moreX-GBC
- One ship fires large volleys of fireballs at a timeVS
- A flying saucer with multiple swinging arms, all shooting beamsSuper
- A different saucer with a detachable bottom which is immune to attacks when it's attachedSuper
- A boss charges an enormous amount of energy before dropping it, also being able to fire spread shotsX-PS
- One shoots out volleys of energy while also protecting their weapon and main body with an energy shield until two other parts of them are destroyedX-PS
- One shoots waves of missiles while hiding behind barriersX-PS
- Three machines which rapidly shoot out volleys of energy, with their stability changing the more of them are destroyedX-PS
- A large ring which encompases the player ship and rotates before attacking with its weaponsX-PS
- The large silhouette creature from the side of the arcade machine, capable of 'teleporting' by spinning into the background and back into the foreground, shooting a bunch of lasers at once, and attack by throwing rockets into the groundX-PS
- A classic style Space Invader which shoots beams down and gradually has blocks broken away by sustained fireGBA
- A classic style Space Invader that comes out of an arcade machine (the level is called 'Alien Homeworld') and moves from side to side in the traditional manner, constantly shooting down energy and getting knocked back to the top of the screen on getting shotX-64
Other
- Are rendered unable to move during a solar flareX-GBC
- Some are shown surfing on cars for some reasonSR
- Some aliens throw themselves down the screen before being shot in a kamikaze attackReturn
- Tend to move to the edge of the screen, move down a bit, and go in the opposite direction78
- Have 'crushed countless planetary civilizations'VS
2023.04.01 03:04 paycho_V My first attempt at creative writing. Liminal Station
My head hit the pillow, what a long day. As I slipped into a deep sleep. I awoke suddenly but wholly calm and aware, unlike my typical mornings...this was not my bedroom. I was in what slowly became clear, a dingy concrete train or trolly station. I sat up off the bare cement bench. A few scattered pages of news paper, wind blown into the corners rustled and caught my attention. Perhaps some answers to where and when I was. As I approached I noticed the script grew fuzzier and less legible, until I picked it up and it was nothing but tv static printed on yellowed paper. What was happening? It had headlines and type from across the room...I walked back to the bench, glanced back and the writing was back! but still illegible at this distance! Odd. What is this place? I looked around...
The single steel track stretched laser straight off into the horizon to my left, and curved impossibly sharply to my right. I peered around the corner and saw it in fact did a 180° turn and followed a downward grade. The concrete tunnel was illuminated by washed out red cage lights that became fewer in number and longer in spacing until the rails vanished into darkness.
I glanced around the rest of the L shaped concrete train stop, louvered windows faced away from the track, a single door lead outside. Brutalism architecture, stained a dark grey from years exposed to time and moisture but dried to a fine off black powder like surface. A small knapsack at the end of the other bench. Gingerly I opened the bag. A tin of sardines. A watch, broken. And note pad and pen. A knife. A much used candle and a nearly exhausted box of matches. I threw it over my shoulder. Let's see what's outside I told myself. The thought was silent, in my mind, and was peculiar as I often quietly talk to myself. I thought about saying it out loud, but stopped myself. The potential intrusion felt hostile in the silence.
I stepped out of the door.
The sky was rain grey, and dim like twilight, with no discernable sun or light. The air was dry as a bone. A slight wind creaked through a lone gnarled shattered tree trunk several meters away.
Hmm. Nothing but some poor dry grass between the cracks of pavement and dusty sand undulating as far as I could see. Only interesting feature I noticed was a payphone, a single lamp post overhead casting a nostalgic yellow over it.
I picked up the phone and held it to my ear. No response. No dial tone. Just more defending silence. Buttons were equally lifeless. I carefully replaced it on the hook and went inside. I turned and walked inside.
I sat on the bench for what seemed like hours, staring blankly at a wall mounted light. Perhaps I was sleepy? I lay down in the same spot I woke up earlier.
I must have dozed off as I awoke again but in my bedroom this time. Where was I? Did I slip through a imperceptible dimensional wall? It was so real. Tangible... I rolled over , coughed and my eyes grew heavy again, thoughts swimming through half formed ideas about where I traveled to.
I awoke yet again on the same bench. An instant had passed yet it felt like I had been laying on the bench an eternity. Time felt uncomfortable but familiar here. The time piece in the satchel! I pulled it out. Exactly broken as before, face cracked and body lifeless. But the hands were different. I was certain of it. My mind began to race. The possibilities. Could I travel? What was time? Where was here? Suddenly I felt weary again. Maybe I'd sleep on it again and get some answers in real life. I nodded off.
I awoke, yet this time it was still in the train station. Something felt wrong. Something felt off. Panic coursed through me. It consumed me. Rememeber your counselling. Breath. Journal! I opened the knapsack and retrieved the notepad and pen and wrote. I wrote and wrote and wrote until the flight inside me subsided...
Dear reader, I write this now as I remember it, was it like this? I don't know anymore. I've been stuck at this station for eons. Never hungry. Or thirsty. And my writings have long since faded into static on pages, like the newsprint at my arrival. Curiously that paper has slowly disintegrated...some sort of time exists here I believe. Funny though, my note book never runs out of paper, or my pen of ink. My old writings slip from my memory, but not my arrival here in this forsaken place...
I haven't venture down into the lower track yet. But I believe I may today. I have certainly tried walking in all directions outside this station. I have walked miles and miles. Endless grassy dunes and the odd dead corpse of what was once some kind of tree. The laser straight rails also lead seemingly to infinite. At first this illicited panic, and anger, and much fear. However I have grown as bleak as my entire world.
Yes. Today I will venture down. My unease is gone. My mind is blank. Good luck to my future self, and to anyone that may travel here. Maybe these pages will offer up a companionship, or perhaps they will disolve into static or maybe I'm writing for the decay...
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The single steel track stretched laser straight off into the horizon to my left, and curved impossibly sharply to my right. I peered around the corner and saw it in fact did a 180° turn and followed a downward grade. The concrete tunnel was illuminated by washed out red cage lights that became fewer in number and longer in spacing until the rails vanished into darkness.
I glanced around the rest of the L shaped concrete train stop, louvered windows faced away from the track, a single door lead outside. Brutalism architecture, stained a dark grey from years exposed to time and moisture but dried to a fine off black powder like surface. A small knapsack at the end of the other bench. Gingerly I opened the bag. A tin of sardines. A watch, broken. And note pad and pen. A knife. A much used candle and a nearly exhausted box of matches. I threw it over my shoulder. Let's see what's outside I told myself. The thought was silent, in my mind, and was peculiar as I often quietly talk to myself. I thought about saying it out loud, but stopped myself. The potential intrusion felt hostile in the silence.
I stepped out of the door.
The sky was rain grey, and dim like twilight, with no discernable sun or light. The air was dry as a bone. A slight wind creaked through a lone gnarled shattered tree trunk several meters away.
Hmm. Nothing but some poor dry grass between the cracks of pavement and dusty sand undulating as far as I could see. Only interesting feature I noticed was a payphone, a single lamp post overhead casting a nostalgic yellow over it.
I picked up the phone and held it to my ear. No response. No dial tone. Just more defending silence. Buttons were equally lifeless. I carefully replaced it on the hook and went inside. I turned and walked inside.
I sat on the bench for what seemed like hours, staring blankly at a wall mounted light. Perhaps I was sleepy? I lay down in the same spot I woke up earlier.
I must have dozed off as I awoke again but in my bedroom this time. Where was I? Did I slip through a imperceptible dimensional wall? It was so real. Tangible... I rolled over , coughed and my eyes grew heavy again, thoughts swimming through half formed ideas about where I traveled to.
I awoke yet again on the same bench. An instant had passed yet it felt like I had been laying on the bench an eternity. Time felt uncomfortable but familiar here. The time piece in the satchel! I pulled it out. Exactly broken as before, face cracked and body lifeless. But the hands were different. I was certain of it. My mind began to race. The possibilities. Could I travel? What was time? Where was here? Suddenly I felt weary again. Maybe I'd sleep on it again and get some answers in real life. I nodded off.
I awoke, yet this time it was still in the train station. Something felt wrong. Something felt off. Panic coursed through me. It consumed me. Rememeber your counselling. Breath. Journal! I opened the knapsack and retrieved the notepad and pen and wrote. I wrote and wrote and wrote until the flight inside me subsided...
Dear reader, I write this now as I remember it, was it like this? I don't know anymore. I've been stuck at this station for eons. Never hungry. Or thirsty. And my writings have long since faded into static on pages, like the newsprint at my arrival. Curiously that paper has slowly disintegrated...some sort of time exists here I believe. Funny though, my note book never runs out of paper, or my pen of ink. My old writings slip from my memory, but not my arrival here in this forsaken place...
I haven't venture down into the lower track yet. But I believe I may today. I have certainly tried walking in all directions outside this station. I have walked miles and miles. Endless grassy dunes and the odd dead corpse of what was once some kind of tree. The laser straight rails also lead seemingly to infinite. At first this illicited panic, and anger, and much fear. However I have grown as bleak as my entire world.
Yes. Today I will venture down. My unease is gone. My mind is blank. Good luck to my future self, and to anyone that may travel here. Maybe these pages will offer up a companionship, or perhaps they will disolve into static or maybe I'm writing for the decay...
2023.04.01 02:53 SubstantialBite788 Under the Cemetery Light
I live in a townhome across the street from a cemetery. It’s a small-town cemetery, with a little over a thousand tombstones. There is one looping road that circles the perimeter. To get to the gravesite, most people have to park, and walk. It seems to me that there’s not much room left for any more burials. The lot is dense with corpses. Sitting at my desk, I can see the entire cemetery from my bedroom window. There are five streetlamps spread out along the road. Four of them are sodium orange lights, but one, in the very distant corner, next to the sharpest curve in the road, is an old green streetlamp, shorter than the others. At night, before bed, I open up my window, turn out the lights and just stare. Sometimes I listen to a little music, but normally I like to listen to the silence emanating from the cemetery. That sort of silence can both relaxing and unnerving.
There are times when I will watch a burial, but I don’t make a regular habit of it, simply because most of those are during the day, when I’m either in school or if its Saturday, hanging out with my friends. There was one particular burial I didn’t want to miss though. Shannon Taylor, a cheerleader, had died in a car accident. It took them three weeks, with volunteers and cadaver dogs to find her body. Her prick boyfriend had been drinking and lost control of the car, skidding off of Devil’s Elbow and into the Cumberland River. Devil’s Elbow is a treacherous narrow winding road, with a steep embankment. Kevin Williams had convinced her that he was alright to drive. He was a piece of shit, so I didn’t really care much if he died. With his passing, a good number of people at that school had their lives exponentially improved. I mean he was a sadistic bully, not just your ordinary run-of-the mill bully looking to release a little stress. No, this guy loved causing other people pain. He loved causing misery. Shannon, on the other hand, was the nicest person I had ever encountered, and she was gorgeous. I had a serious crush on her. I loved everything about her, her style, her looks, even something as simple as her mannerisms, or her walk. How could someone so perfect love such a douchebag? I couldn’t understand it.
I didn’t know Shannon that well. I was too shy to ever approach her. I hated myself for being such a coward, but I’d rather not know for sure if I had a chance or not. I’d rather live in an unsure fantasy than a certain sad reality. I heard she was buried in her cheerleading outfit, which offended me, because I thought to summarize her whole life as nothing but a cheerleader was to trivialize who was she was as a person, plus I just thought it was dumb as shit.
All the popular kids were there, feigning sincerity at her passing. I couldn’t see the coffin, but I could tell when she had been lowered into the ground, buried under the earth. There was a visible wave of grief as those who truly loved her realized that she was gone forever. There’s something about packing down that last batch of dirt that evokes weeping.
I stayed in my room watching the scene unfold, until the last person was gone. I remember looking at that fresh mound of dirt and feeling a deep sense of loneliness. I walked down to her plot and said a little prayer. There were wreaths and flowers littered about her grave. I saw one with a picture of her and Kevin at a waterfall. I took the picture and put it in my pants pocket. Her plot was right under one of the orange lights. I thought how gawdy to have her grave under a streetlamp. I wish she would have been under a tree, maybe a beautiful oak, anything but a streetlamp. She deserved a peaceful, serene setting.
After some time, I walked back home. I cut Kevin out of the picture and threw that half away. I gazed at the photo of Shannon for a good while and then placed the picture in my sock drawer. The guys and I were going to a throw-back arcade, with pinball machines and retro video games. I get lost in that place. It’s like meditation without effort and the uncomfortable stillness. I don’t have to chase thoughts away. The ringing and the lights put me in another mental state, a peaceful nothingness, separated from the anxiety of life, but that night I couldn’t enjoy it. Shannon had intruded upon my Nirvana.
When I got home that night I went straight upstairs to my room, got her picture out of the sock drawer, and sat at my desk. Her grave was illuminated under the orange light. There was a weird anticipation on my part, like I expected something ghastly to happen. I couldn’t move my eyes from the plot but to my surprise something did happen, not where I expected, but under the green lamp. I saw passing under the light a girl dressed in what seemed to me a cheerleading outfit. She was pacing back and forth. I could only she her when she was under the light, but when she ventured outside the light, she was invisible. This went on for about five minutes and then she was gone for good. I reasoned that I was sleepy and probably hallucinating, that there was nothing there. I waited for a few more minutes but nothing else happened. I went to sleep and thought nothing else of it until the next night.
The next night I was too curious not to look. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and sat at my desk, moving the curtain aside to get a clear view of the green light in the cemetery. Nothing at first but after some time elapsed, she appeared. This time she wasn’t pacing but looking in my direction. She motioned for me to come to her. It had to be Shannon. I just knew it. I closed the curtain and crawled back into bed, but again, I couldn’t sleep. I got up and got dressed. I looked out the window, but she wasn’t there.
I quietly made my way downstairs, doing my best not to wake up my mom. I got through the creaking front door without any trouble. The hinges on that front door sing like hysterical banshees. There was no way anyone would ever be able to break in through the front door without alerting me to their presence. My mom on the other was a deep sleeper. The house could burn down, and she would never notice. I walked through the front lawn and across the road. It was a clear night and there was a full moon. It had been a sweltering hot day with no rain, but when I stepped into the cemetery the ground was saturated with water, pools of dark murky water scattered throughout, reflecting the moon’s light. I sloshed through the mud to the back end of the lot, near the green streetlamp. I looked up at the sky and it seemed like it was undulating. I felt as if I was looking up at the surface of a river, while trapped on the bottom. My chest was throbbing, and I started to choke for air. I moved toward the green light. It was all I could see now, my vision clouded, the light scattered by an ever-thickening fog.
From the light I could see a hand reaching out towards me. The skin hung loose, wrinkled, and pale, the last two fingers broken and bent upward. The hand grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me into the light. I immediately gasped for air. I could feel my lungs working, the blood moving throughout my body with much needed oxygen. I fell to the ground and gazed upward. It was Shannon but she wasn’t beautiful. What was left of her blond hair was thin and matted, exposing much of her bald head. One eye was missing, and the other eye was bulging, skin and eyelid eaten away by some unknown scavenger. Her skin was a pale blue, with deep bloody gashes in her face, arms, and legs. She was dressed in her cheerleading outfit. She began to speak. It was difficult for her to enunciate through her mangled mouth, upper lip missing, broken and missing teeth, an eternal damnable smile.
“Kill him.”
I was shoved out of the light and back into the darkness of the cemetery. The ground was dry, and I could breathe. There were no pools of water, no movement in the sky other than the few wispy clouds that skirted in front of the moon. I made my way back home, with the thought of being trapped in a car underwater lodged in my head. It made me anxious. I felt I couldn’t move. My muscles were atrophied. It took all my energy to get back home and into bed.
The next morning, I woke up late to the sound of activity in the cemetery. I got up and looked out the window. The scene looked familiar. I watched as family and friends gathered around the grave of a loved one, exactly where Shannon had been buried. I was confused. I got dressed and rushed down to the grave. I noticed Shannon’s parents wailing and some of the people from school listening to the preacher. There in front was the wreath, attached in the middle, a picture of Shannon and Kevin with a waterfall in the background.
“What are you doing here?” I heard an angry whisper. It was Melissa, another cheerleader, but one with a nasty disposition. I just ignored her and started walking back towards my home. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed someone in the woods behind the cemetery. Someone watching, waiting, looking for an opportunity to say goodbye.
I changed my course and started walking towards the woods. I got closer than I imagined I would have without being noticed. The spying person looked up. We looked each other in the eyes. It was Kevin, alive and well, perfectly fine. He was teary eyed, and his face expressed a tangible fear. He turned and ran deeper into the woods. I didn't want to follow him. I didn't want a confrontation. I was pondering whether or not I should report him to the police. I hated him but I also feared him.
That night, whatever damn night it was, as I lay sleeping in bed, I heard the front door open. The hinges screaming in ecstasy, piercing my ears, and shocking me out of sleep. I laid there for a while, working up the courage to check and see who was in our house. I finally made my way out of bed and went to the landing. Downstairs the door was wide open. A trail of wet footprints went from the living room hardwood floor to the kitchen, and back through the living room and up the carpeted stairs. They went past my room and to my mom’s room. I saw that her door was open. This was odd and out of character for my mom. She always locked her bedroom door for fear of intruders. I walked over to the door and peered inside. Standing over my mother was a water drenched witch, in a cheerleading outfit, with a knife in hand, ready to stab my mother in her sleep. Shannon turned her gaze in my direction and lowered the knife.
“Kill him.” Shannon backed into the dark corner and was gone. I turned on the bedroom light. No one was in the room, the only evidence being the wet footprints.
“What… what are you doing?”
“Nothing mom. Go back to sleep. I just thought I heard something.” I shut off the lights and closed the door.
The next morning, I woke up early. I went to the woods behind the cemetery and waited. The line of cars meandered through the road and in front of the gravesite. People slammed their car doors. There was muffled conversation. I hid in a patch of brush, knowing exactly where Kevin would be. I could hear the preacher start the ceremony. I had brought a hammer with me. In the distance, amidst the trees, I saw Kevin sneaking up the trail. He positioned himself so that he could watch without being noticed, bent down and out of sight. I waited and kept my focus on Kevin. After the burial he watched everyone leave and then waited what seemed to be an hour more. He stood up and jogged over to the gravesite. He just stood there, looking and weeping. I felt sorry for him. I didn’t know exactly what had happened. I imagined several different scenarios, but the most reasonable to me was that he felt guilty. I didn’t see him as a killer, just a dumb drunk teen who wasn’t able to save his girlfriend. Then again, I really didn't know. He grabbed the photo off of the wreath and started to leave. As he came to the trail, I let him get a little in front of me. I wrestled myself free from the brush and snuck up behind him. I stepped on a stick, it snapped, he turned, and I reflexively hit him in the forehead above his left eye. He fell to the ground unconscious. I knew he wasn’t dead; I could see his chest moving up and down.
I dropped the hammer to the ground. I couldn’t believe I had done it. I had changed my mind but at the last second, I had swung without thinking, only reacting to the situation. I had no time to panic or feel sorry for myself. My one chance was to dump him unconscious into the river near Devil’s Elbow. Let the authorities find him where they had expected him to be. I ran back home and got the car. I drove on the cemetery road all the way around to where the woods were. I had to pull off the road and into the grass to get the car as close to Kevin as possible. I popped the trunk. Kevin was heavy, but I could feel the adrenaline pumping. I dragged him by the ankles to the back of the car. I picked him up like a fairytale maiden and dumped him in the trunk. I went back and retrieved the hammer.
When I got to Devil’s Elbow, I had to drive down past it to the bottom of the hill and closer to the river. I parked the car on the shoulder of the road. A couple of cars passed. I waited until it was clear and made haste, opening the trunk and dragging Kevin out onto the road. I could hear another car coming, tires rubbing against the road, atop of Devil’s Elbow. I wouldn’t make it in time so I dragged him as fast as I could to the other side of the car, out of sight. I quickly popped the hood and acted like I was broken down.
The car passed without even slowing down. I left the hood up, thinking that another car would be approaching, and it would be best to keep the charade going. I went and started the arduous task of getting Kevin’s body into the river. I grabbed his ankles and heard him moan. I couldn’t do it. I thought about grabbing a rock and crushing in his skull, but he would suffer. I closed the hood and the trunk, started the car and drove off.
I was looking in the rear-view mirror as I drove away. I knew this was the end for me. I was going to jail. I saw Kevin get up and stagger out into the road, not realizing where he was. Coming down the hill was a motorcycle, doing about a hundred miles an hour. People loved taking motorcycles down Devil’s Elbow. It was a game, a thrill to brag about. This guy just happened to choose a day when a zombie pedestrian had been unwillingly installed into the course. The motorcyclist didn’t see Kevin until the last second. He swerved trying to miss Kevin, but instead the bike wobbled and blasted right into him, tossing Kevin and the cyclist into the air and over the side of the embankment. I stopped and pulled off to the side of the road. I could see both their bodies being swept down the river, neither appearing to be alive. There was no effort to swim back to shore. They were faced down in the water, looking into the void of the deep moving river.
I drove home, parked the car, and went to bed early. Later on in the night, I heard my mom watching television downstairs.
“Devil’s Elbow got another one. Some motorcycle lost control and went into the river. Oh, and they found that boy Kevin. He wasn’t too far from where the motorcycle went in. Weird, isn’t it?”
I walked upstairs and sat at my desk. I pulled the curtain back. There under the green cemetery light, stood a cheerleader, with what was probably her boyfriend. She had her back turned toward me, but the guy was looking in my direction, motioning to me, inviting me to come into the green light. I looked down into the waste basket and saw a picture of Shannon and Kevin, standing in front of a waterfall.
submitted by SubstantialBite788 to joinmeatthecampfire [link] [comments]
There are times when I will watch a burial, but I don’t make a regular habit of it, simply because most of those are during the day, when I’m either in school or if its Saturday, hanging out with my friends. There was one particular burial I didn’t want to miss though. Shannon Taylor, a cheerleader, had died in a car accident. It took them three weeks, with volunteers and cadaver dogs to find her body. Her prick boyfriend had been drinking and lost control of the car, skidding off of Devil’s Elbow and into the Cumberland River. Devil’s Elbow is a treacherous narrow winding road, with a steep embankment. Kevin Williams had convinced her that he was alright to drive. He was a piece of shit, so I didn’t really care much if he died. With his passing, a good number of people at that school had their lives exponentially improved. I mean he was a sadistic bully, not just your ordinary run-of-the mill bully looking to release a little stress. No, this guy loved causing other people pain. He loved causing misery. Shannon, on the other hand, was the nicest person I had ever encountered, and she was gorgeous. I had a serious crush on her. I loved everything about her, her style, her looks, even something as simple as her mannerisms, or her walk. How could someone so perfect love such a douchebag? I couldn’t understand it.
I didn’t know Shannon that well. I was too shy to ever approach her. I hated myself for being such a coward, but I’d rather not know for sure if I had a chance or not. I’d rather live in an unsure fantasy than a certain sad reality. I heard she was buried in her cheerleading outfit, which offended me, because I thought to summarize her whole life as nothing but a cheerleader was to trivialize who was she was as a person, plus I just thought it was dumb as shit.
All the popular kids were there, feigning sincerity at her passing. I couldn’t see the coffin, but I could tell when she had been lowered into the ground, buried under the earth. There was a visible wave of grief as those who truly loved her realized that she was gone forever. There’s something about packing down that last batch of dirt that evokes weeping.
I stayed in my room watching the scene unfold, until the last person was gone. I remember looking at that fresh mound of dirt and feeling a deep sense of loneliness. I walked down to her plot and said a little prayer. There were wreaths and flowers littered about her grave. I saw one with a picture of her and Kevin at a waterfall. I took the picture and put it in my pants pocket. Her plot was right under one of the orange lights. I thought how gawdy to have her grave under a streetlamp. I wish she would have been under a tree, maybe a beautiful oak, anything but a streetlamp. She deserved a peaceful, serene setting.
After some time, I walked back home. I cut Kevin out of the picture and threw that half away. I gazed at the photo of Shannon for a good while and then placed the picture in my sock drawer. The guys and I were going to a throw-back arcade, with pinball machines and retro video games. I get lost in that place. It’s like meditation without effort and the uncomfortable stillness. I don’t have to chase thoughts away. The ringing and the lights put me in another mental state, a peaceful nothingness, separated from the anxiety of life, but that night I couldn’t enjoy it. Shannon had intruded upon my Nirvana.
When I got home that night I went straight upstairs to my room, got her picture out of the sock drawer, and sat at my desk. Her grave was illuminated under the orange light. There was a weird anticipation on my part, like I expected something ghastly to happen. I couldn’t move my eyes from the plot but to my surprise something did happen, not where I expected, but under the green lamp. I saw passing under the light a girl dressed in what seemed to me a cheerleading outfit. She was pacing back and forth. I could only she her when she was under the light, but when she ventured outside the light, she was invisible. This went on for about five minutes and then she was gone for good. I reasoned that I was sleepy and probably hallucinating, that there was nothing there. I waited for a few more minutes but nothing else happened. I went to sleep and thought nothing else of it until the next night.
The next night I was too curious not to look. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and sat at my desk, moving the curtain aside to get a clear view of the green light in the cemetery. Nothing at first but after some time elapsed, she appeared. This time she wasn’t pacing but looking in my direction. She motioned for me to come to her. It had to be Shannon. I just knew it. I closed the curtain and crawled back into bed, but again, I couldn’t sleep. I got up and got dressed. I looked out the window, but she wasn’t there.
I quietly made my way downstairs, doing my best not to wake up my mom. I got through the creaking front door without any trouble. The hinges on that front door sing like hysterical banshees. There was no way anyone would ever be able to break in through the front door without alerting me to their presence. My mom on the other was a deep sleeper. The house could burn down, and she would never notice. I walked through the front lawn and across the road. It was a clear night and there was a full moon. It had been a sweltering hot day with no rain, but when I stepped into the cemetery the ground was saturated with water, pools of dark murky water scattered throughout, reflecting the moon’s light. I sloshed through the mud to the back end of the lot, near the green streetlamp. I looked up at the sky and it seemed like it was undulating. I felt as if I was looking up at the surface of a river, while trapped on the bottom. My chest was throbbing, and I started to choke for air. I moved toward the green light. It was all I could see now, my vision clouded, the light scattered by an ever-thickening fog.
From the light I could see a hand reaching out towards me. The skin hung loose, wrinkled, and pale, the last two fingers broken and bent upward. The hand grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me into the light. I immediately gasped for air. I could feel my lungs working, the blood moving throughout my body with much needed oxygen. I fell to the ground and gazed upward. It was Shannon but she wasn’t beautiful. What was left of her blond hair was thin and matted, exposing much of her bald head. One eye was missing, and the other eye was bulging, skin and eyelid eaten away by some unknown scavenger. Her skin was a pale blue, with deep bloody gashes in her face, arms, and legs. She was dressed in her cheerleading outfit. She began to speak. It was difficult for her to enunciate through her mangled mouth, upper lip missing, broken and missing teeth, an eternal damnable smile.
“Kill him.”
I was shoved out of the light and back into the darkness of the cemetery. The ground was dry, and I could breathe. There were no pools of water, no movement in the sky other than the few wispy clouds that skirted in front of the moon. I made my way back home, with the thought of being trapped in a car underwater lodged in my head. It made me anxious. I felt I couldn’t move. My muscles were atrophied. It took all my energy to get back home and into bed.
The next morning, I woke up late to the sound of activity in the cemetery. I got up and looked out the window. The scene looked familiar. I watched as family and friends gathered around the grave of a loved one, exactly where Shannon had been buried. I was confused. I got dressed and rushed down to the grave. I noticed Shannon’s parents wailing and some of the people from school listening to the preacher. There in front was the wreath, attached in the middle, a picture of Shannon and Kevin with a waterfall in the background.
“What are you doing here?” I heard an angry whisper. It was Melissa, another cheerleader, but one with a nasty disposition. I just ignored her and started walking back towards my home. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed someone in the woods behind the cemetery. Someone watching, waiting, looking for an opportunity to say goodbye.
I changed my course and started walking towards the woods. I got closer than I imagined I would have without being noticed. The spying person looked up. We looked each other in the eyes. It was Kevin, alive and well, perfectly fine. He was teary eyed, and his face expressed a tangible fear. He turned and ran deeper into the woods. I didn't want to follow him. I didn't want a confrontation. I was pondering whether or not I should report him to the police. I hated him but I also feared him.
That night, whatever damn night it was, as I lay sleeping in bed, I heard the front door open. The hinges screaming in ecstasy, piercing my ears, and shocking me out of sleep. I laid there for a while, working up the courage to check and see who was in our house. I finally made my way out of bed and went to the landing. Downstairs the door was wide open. A trail of wet footprints went from the living room hardwood floor to the kitchen, and back through the living room and up the carpeted stairs. They went past my room and to my mom’s room. I saw that her door was open. This was odd and out of character for my mom. She always locked her bedroom door for fear of intruders. I walked over to the door and peered inside. Standing over my mother was a water drenched witch, in a cheerleading outfit, with a knife in hand, ready to stab my mother in her sleep. Shannon turned her gaze in my direction and lowered the knife.
“Kill him.” Shannon backed into the dark corner and was gone. I turned on the bedroom light. No one was in the room, the only evidence being the wet footprints.
“What… what are you doing?”
“Nothing mom. Go back to sleep. I just thought I heard something.” I shut off the lights and closed the door.
The next morning, I woke up early. I went to the woods behind the cemetery and waited. The line of cars meandered through the road and in front of the gravesite. People slammed their car doors. There was muffled conversation. I hid in a patch of brush, knowing exactly where Kevin would be. I could hear the preacher start the ceremony. I had brought a hammer with me. In the distance, amidst the trees, I saw Kevin sneaking up the trail. He positioned himself so that he could watch without being noticed, bent down and out of sight. I waited and kept my focus on Kevin. After the burial he watched everyone leave and then waited what seemed to be an hour more. He stood up and jogged over to the gravesite. He just stood there, looking and weeping. I felt sorry for him. I didn’t know exactly what had happened. I imagined several different scenarios, but the most reasonable to me was that he felt guilty. I didn’t see him as a killer, just a dumb drunk teen who wasn’t able to save his girlfriend. Then again, I really didn't know. He grabbed the photo off of the wreath and started to leave. As he came to the trail, I let him get a little in front of me. I wrestled myself free from the brush and snuck up behind him. I stepped on a stick, it snapped, he turned, and I reflexively hit him in the forehead above his left eye. He fell to the ground unconscious. I knew he wasn’t dead; I could see his chest moving up and down.
I dropped the hammer to the ground. I couldn’t believe I had done it. I had changed my mind but at the last second, I had swung without thinking, only reacting to the situation. I had no time to panic or feel sorry for myself. My one chance was to dump him unconscious into the river near Devil’s Elbow. Let the authorities find him where they had expected him to be. I ran back home and got the car. I drove on the cemetery road all the way around to where the woods were. I had to pull off the road and into the grass to get the car as close to Kevin as possible. I popped the trunk. Kevin was heavy, but I could feel the adrenaline pumping. I dragged him by the ankles to the back of the car. I picked him up like a fairytale maiden and dumped him in the trunk. I went back and retrieved the hammer.
When I got to Devil’s Elbow, I had to drive down past it to the bottom of the hill and closer to the river. I parked the car on the shoulder of the road. A couple of cars passed. I waited until it was clear and made haste, opening the trunk and dragging Kevin out onto the road. I could hear another car coming, tires rubbing against the road, atop of Devil’s Elbow. I wouldn’t make it in time so I dragged him as fast as I could to the other side of the car, out of sight. I quickly popped the hood and acted like I was broken down.
The car passed without even slowing down. I left the hood up, thinking that another car would be approaching, and it would be best to keep the charade going. I went and started the arduous task of getting Kevin’s body into the river. I grabbed his ankles and heard him moan. I couldn’t do it. I thought about grabbing a rock and crushing in his skull, but he would suffer. I closed the hood and the trunk, started the car and drove off.
I was looking in the rear-view mirror as I drove away. I knew this was the end for me. I was going to jail. I saw Kevin get up and stagger out into the road, not realizing where he was. Coming down the hill was a motorcycle, doing about a hundred miles an hour. People loved taking motorcycles down Devil’s Elbow. It was a game, a thrill to brag about. This guy just happened to choose a day when a zombie pedestrian had been unwillingly installed into the course. The motorcyclist didn’t see Kevin until the last second. He swerved trying to miss Kevin, but instead the bike wobbled and blasted right into him, tossing Kevin and the cyclist into the air and over the side of the embankment. I stopped and pulled off to the side of the road. I could see both their bodies being swept down the river, neither appearing to be alive. There was no effort to swim back to shore. They were faced down in the water, looking into the void of the deep moving river.
I drove home, parked the car, and went to bed early. Later on in the night, I heard my mom watching television downstairs.
“Devil’s Elbow got another one. Some motorcycle lost control and went into the river. Oh, and they found that boy Kevin. He wasn’t too far from where the motorcycle went in. Weird, isn’t it?”
I walked upstairs and sat at my desk. I pulled the curtain back. There under the green cemetery light, stood a cheerleader, with what was probably her boyfriend. She had her back turned toward me, but the guy was looking in my direction, motioning to me, inviting me to come into the green light. I looked down into the waste basket and saw a picture of Shannon and Kevin, standing in front of a waterfall.
2023.04.01 02:52 paycho_V My dream the other night led me...somewhere.
As I slipped into a deep sleep, I awoke in a dingy concrete train station. I sat up off the bench. A few scattered pages of news paper, wind blown into the corners rustled and caught my attention. Perhaps some answers to where and when I was. As I approached I noticed the script grew fuzzier and less legible, until I picked it up and it was nothing but tv static printed on decaying paper. What was happening? It had headlines and type from across the room...I walked back to the bench, glanced back and the writing was back! but still illegible at this distance! Odd. What is this place? I looked around...
The single steel track stretched laser straight off into the horizon to my left, and curved impossibly sharply to my right. I peered around the corner and saw it in fact did a 180° turn and followed a downward grade. The concrete tunnel was illuminated by washed out red cage lights that became fewer in number and longer in spacing until the rails vanished into darkness.
I glanced around the rest of the L shaped concrete train stop, louvered windows faced away from the track, a single door lead outside. Brutalism architecture, stained a dark grey from years exposed to time and moisture but dried to a fine off black powder like surface. A small knapsack at the end of the other bench. Gingerly I opened the bag. A tin of sardines. A watch, broken. And note pad and pen. A knife. A much used candle and a nearly exhausted box of matches. I threw it over my shoulder. Let's see what's outside I told myself. The thought was silent, in my mind, and was peculiar as I often quietly talk to myself. I thought about saying it out loud, but stopped myself. The potential intrusion felt hostile in the silence.
I stepped out of the door.
The sky was rain grey, and dim like twilight, with no discernable sun or light. The air was dry as a bone. A slight wind creaked through a lone gnarled shattered tree trunk several meters away.
Hmm. Nothing but some poor dry grass between the cracks of pavement and dusty sand undulating as far as I could see. Only interesting feature I noticed was a payphone, a single lamp post overhead casting a nostalgic yellow over it.
I picked up the phone and held it to my ear. No response. No dial tone. Just more defending silence. Buttons were equally lifeless. I carefully replaced it on the hook and went inside. I turned and walked inside.
I sat on the bench for what seemed like hours, staring blankly at a wall mounted light. Perhaps I was sleepy? I lay down in the same spot I woke up earlier.
I must have dozed off as I awoke again but in my bedroom this time. Where was I? Did I slip through a imperceptible dimensional wall? It was so real. Tangible... I rolled over , coughed and my eyes grew heavy again, thoughts swimming through half formed ideas about where I traveled to.
I awoke yet again on the same bench. An instant had passed yet it felt like I had been laying on the bench an eternity. Time felt uncomfortable but familiar here. The time piece in the satchel! I pulled it out. Exactly broken as before, face cracked and body lifeless. But the hands were different. I was certain of it. My mind began to race. The possibilities. Could I travel? What was time? Where was here? Suddenly I felt weary again. Maybe I'd sleep on it again and get some answers in real life. I nodded off.
I awoke, yet this time it was still in the train station. Something felt wrong. Something felt off. Panic coursed through me. It consumed me. Rememeber your counselling. Breath. Journal! I opened the knapsack and retrieved the notepad and pen and wrote. I wrote and wrote and wrote until the flight inside me subsided...
Dear reader, I write this now as I remember it, was it like this? I don't know anymore. I've been stuck at this station for eons. Never hungry. Or thirsty. And my writings have long since faded into static on pages, like the newsprint at my arrival. Curiously that paper has slowly disintegrated...some sort of time exists here I believe. Funny though, my note book never runs out of paper, or my pen of ink. My old writings slip from my memory, but not my arrival here in this forsaken place...
I haven't venture down into the lower track yet. But I believe I may today. I have certainly tried walking in all directions outside this station. I have walked miles and miles. Endless grassy dunes and the odd dead corpse of what was once some kind of tree. The laser straight rails also lead seemingly to infinite. At first this illicited panic, and anger, and much fear. However I have grown as bleak as my entire world.
Yes. Today I will venture down. My unease is gone. My mind is blank. Good luck to my future self, and to anyone that may travel here. Maybe these pages will offer up a companionship, or perhaps they will disolve into static or maybe I'm writing for the decay...
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The single steel track stretched laser straight off into the horizon to my left, and curved impossibly sharply to my right. I peered around the corner and saw it in fact did a 180° turn and followed a downward grade. The concrete tunnel was illuminated by washed out red cage lights that became fewer in number and longer in spacing until the rails vanished into darkness.
I glanced around the rest of the L shaped concrete train stop, louvered windows faced away from the track, a single door lead outside. Brutalism architecture, stained a dark grey from years exposed to time and moisture but dried to a fine off black powder like surface. A small knapsack at the end of the other bench. Gingerly I opened the bag. A tin of sardines. A watch, broken. And note pad and pen. A knife. A much used candle and a nearly exhausted box of matches. I threw it over my shoulder. Let's see what's outside I told myself. The thought was silent, in my mind, and was peculiar as I often quietly talk to myself. I thought about saying it out loud, but stopped myself. The potential intrusion felt hostile in the silence.
I stepped out of the door.
The sky was rain grey, and dim like twilight, with no discernable sun or light. The air was dry as a bone. A slight wind creaked through a lone gnarled shattered tree trunk several meters away.
Hmm. Nothing but some poor dry grass between the cracks of pavement and dusty sand undulating as far as I could see. Only interesting feature I noticed was a payphone, a single lamp post overhead casting a nostalgic yellow over it.
I picked up the phone and held it to my ear. No response. No dial tone. Just more defending silence. Buttons were equally lifeless. I carefully replaced it on the hook and went inside. I turned and walked inside.
I sat on the bench for what seemed like hours, staring blankly at a wall mounted light. Perhaps I was sleepy? I lay down in the same spot I woke up earlier.
I must have dozed off as I awoke again but in my bedroom this time. Where was I? Did I slip through a imperceptible dimensional wall? It was so real. Tangible... I rolled over , coughed and my eyes grew heavy again, thoughts swimming through half formed ideas about where I traveled to.
I awoke yet again on the same bench. An instant had passed yet it felt like I had been laying on the bench an eternity. Time felt uncomfortable but familiar here. The time piece in the satchel! I pulled it out. Exactly broken as before, face cracked and body lifeless. But the hands were different. I was certain of it. My mind began to race. The possibilities. Could I travel? What was time? Where was here? Suddenly I felt weary again. Maybe I'd sleep on it again and get some answers in real life. I nodded off.
I awoke, yet this time it was still in the train station. Something felt wrong. Something felt off. Panic coursed through me. It consumed me. Rememeber your counselling. Breath. Journal! I opened the knapsack and retrieved the notepad and pen and wrote. I wrote and wrote and wrote until the flight inside me subsided...
Dear reader, I write this now as I remember it, was it like this? I don't know anymore. I've been stuck at this station for eons. Never hungry. Or thirsty. And my writings have long since faded into static on pages, like the newsprint at my arrival. Curiously that paper has slowly disintegrated...some sort of time exists here I believe. Funny though, my note book never runs out of paper, or my pen of ink. My old writings slip from my memory, but not my arrival here in this forsaken place...
I haven't venture down into the lower track yet. But I believe I may today. I have certainly tried walking in all directions outside this station. I have walked miles and miles. Endless grassy dunes and the odd dead corpse of what was once some kind of tree. The laser straight rails also lead seemingly to infinite. At first this illicited panic, and anger, and much fear. However I have grown as bleak as my entire world.
Yes. Today I will venture down. My unease is gone. My mind is blank. Good luck to my future self, and to anyone that may travel here. Maybe these pages will offer up a companionship, or perhaps they will disolve into static or maybe I'm writing for the decay...
2023.04.01 02:41 a_brief_fermata Review: El Capricho Cantabrian Anchovied
 | Price: $17 submitted by a_brief_fermata to CannedSardines [link] [comments] Source: Mercado Central NYC Rating: 5/5 Smell: slightly fishier and funkier than the Codesa tin I tried recently but also more depth to the smell. I already know these are going to be delicious Appearance: I basically pulled them straight out of the fridge so they have the little fat globules all over and honestly what fascinating little structures they made! The fat reminds me of mushrooms. Otherwise they’re beautiful little fish, no scales I can see, very well packed (with a bonus anchovy on each curved end), in 2 layers under paper Flavor / texture: wow first I tasted the oil which was super flavorful. The anchovies are very salty actually but not unpleasantly, just notably. Then the flavor is very much in line with other fancy or highly rated anchovies I’ve tried - nutty and cheesy with a fishiness overlay that has transformed by time in a tin into a pro instead of a con. The texture is good - not super plump but rich. Pretty clean after taste which I appreciate Served with: these are going on another pizza Overall impression: these are great! Might be my favorite ones that I can get regularly in the US although Codesa maybe had a better texture for being a bit bigger and fatter. Would definitely eat again of course. I think these are not as salty as Don Bocarte’s but I can’t be sure so I’ll have to just eat those again and find out |
2023.04.01 02:39 ag5airplane (SELLING) Friday night HD code party, B4G1 FREE, 4K Catwoman: Hunted
All movies $2.50 unless noted otherwise. Payments via Venmo, or Paypal family and friends.
All HD except for some 4K at the top.
Buy 4 get 1 free.
4K (MA unless noted)
HD Complete Series & Seasons
MA (HD)
Vudu / iTunes (HD)
Other (HD)
submitted by ag5airplane to DigitalCodeSELL [link] [comments]
All HD except for some 4K at the top.
Buy 4 get 1 free.
4K (MA unless noted)
- Catwoman: Hunted $4
HD Complete Series & Seasons
- Little House on the Prairie season 2 (Vudu) $4.50
MA (HD)
- 300 Rise of an Empire
- A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas
- American Sniper
- Argo $2
- Marvel Avengers (3 movie lot - Avengers, Age of Ultron, Infinity War) $7
- Avengers Age of Ultron
- Avengers Endgame
- Avengers Infinity War
- Battleship
- Bourne Identity $3.50
- Central Intelligence
- Concussion
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- Deadpool
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- The Dilemma
- Dolphin Tale 2
- Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
- Fantastic 4 (2015) $3
- Fast and Furious 2
- Fast and Furious 4
- Fast and Furious 6 (extended)
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- Fast and Furious 8 (Fate of the Furious) $2
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- The Fault in our Stars
- Fifty Shades of Grey (unrated) $1.50
- Free Guy $3
- Frozen $2
- Getaway (Ethan Hawke 2013)
- Ghostbusters (2016, theat + extended)
- A Good Day to Die Hard (extended)
- The Good Lie
- Grudge Match $2
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Hail, Caesar! $3
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- The Heat
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- How to be Single $1
- How to Train Your Dragon 2
- The Incredible Burt Wonderstone $2
- Independence Day
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- Logan $3
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- New Year's Eve
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- Pacific Rim
- Pacific Rim Uprising
- Parental Guidance $1.50
- Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales
- Philadelphia (code only for use in region B)
- Pineapple Express unrated $3
- The Pirate Fairy
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- Raya and the Last Dragon
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Vudu / iTunes (HD)
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- A Cabin in the Woods (Vudu / iTunes) $3
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- Cowboys and Aliens (iTunes) $2
- Daddy's Home (split code - Vudu or iTunes)
- Daddy's Home 2 (iTunes)
- Deepwater Horizon (Vudu / iTunes) $3
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- Dredd (iTunes)
- Escape From Planet Earth (animated) (Vudu) $3
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- Hercules (The Rock) (iTunes)
- The Hunger Games (ALL four movies) (split codes - Vudu or iTunes) $6
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- Knives Out (code ONLY valid to redeem in the UK)
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- Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
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- She's Having a Baby (Vudu / iTunes) $3
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- Warm Bodies (Vudu / iTunes)
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Other (HD)
- Appleseed XIII Complete Series (Funimation) $4
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- ULTRAMAN (from cards from USA blu-ray sets - USES Spree website):
- 01 $4
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- unknown Spree code, probably an Ultraman series, unused $3
2023.04.01 02:37 kayenano The Villainess Is An SS+ Rank Adventurer: Chapter 21
[<< First] [< Previous] [Next >]
Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
Chapter 21: Arcane Nature
Her moonlit scythe trailing behind her golden hair, Coppelia wore an expression of undiluted enthusiasm as she violently swung her weapon in a brilliant crescent. Once again, Marina was forced to defend herself against the sudden assault.
“[Conflagration Nova]!”
And just like that—
Coppelia was sent hurtling into a second hole, right beside the one she'd just created. The wall welcomed her back to an explosion of stone before the scene was completely engulfed in dust yet again.
My mouth still hadn't closed yet.
What … What was that?!
What was anything?!
Coppelia … ! She had a scythe! A scythe!
A tool for harvesting crops! A companion of peasants! A sigil of poverty!
Except this was not some farming apparatus for harvesting wheat! It was … It was huge! And glowing! And she'd … summoned it into existence!
And now she was stuck in a wall! … Again!
“C … Coppelia?!”
I called out towards the thick cloud of debris, my head only now catching up with the fact that our opponent, Marina Lainsfont, was also equally ridiculous. So much so that I could now remember her name!
I only remembered the names of the wealthy or the influential!
Yet even if I knew she was responsible for the Withering, little could have prepared me for the magic she wielded. To witness her immaculate spellcasting was to witness my first split end. That same sense of astonishment and disgust welled up inside me as I realised the mage before me sought to end my carefree lifestyle.
If Marina's fire magic damaged even a single hair on my head, then it'd be hours before I could laugh at anyone again!
This opponent … was dangerous!
[Fiery Absolution], [Molten Barrier], [Conflagration Nova]. I had no idea where these spells stood among a mage's repertoire, but I knew the Mage's Guild adored ranking their abilities based solely on what sounded the most impressive.
Anything with names like these could only be exceptionally high level abilities, capable of ruining hours of torturous hairstyling in moments!
And Coppelia had just received Marina's attacks in full! … Twice!
“H … How dare you strike back at my future attendant!” I called out to Marina, her hands enveloped with fire once again. “Not only is her fluffy hair one of her best features, but if a member of my personal entourage attacks you, it is illegal to defend yourself!”
The mage frowned, her heavy breathing evident as her eyes looked between the second cloud of dust and the sword I held in my hand.
“Ugh, two pests in a closed space,” she said, her palms raised in a cauldron of flame. “[Flight], [Cloud Step] and [Portal] restricted. If that ridiculous scythe suddenly appears in front of me again, I won't be able to—”
“Understood! ... [Moonlit Flutter]!”
The dust was still falling off her shoulders when Coppelia's form flashed in front of Marina again. Neither her enthusiastic smile had faded, nor the keenness of her scythe as it trailed behind while cleaving the air.
Marina, however, simply smirked.
“Moron.”
She clicked her fingers.
Suddenly, every loose shard of rock in the chamber shot towards the mage—including the larger chunks resulting from the two craters behind Coppelia.
They zipped past the clockwork doll as well as into her, slamming into her back and sending her hurtling over Marina's head. The scythe twisted in the air, slicing at a strand of hazelnut hair as the mage tilted her head.
“[Inferno Tornado]!”
As Coppelia acrobatically flipped in the air and landed gracefully on her feet, she turned to witness the ribbons of stone shards now enveloping the mage.
Stone shards which then burst into flame.
In moments, the temperature of the chamber rapidly rose. And then Marina disappeared.
In her place stood a vortex of fire. A twisting tornado which caused the edge of the basin of water to literally melt away. Bubbles of boiling water were sighted before being hidden by a plume of steam. The air whistled with the sound of lashing flames as a tornado of burning shards sharper than daggers stood between Coppelia and I.
And it wasn't content to merely stand for long.
That tornado—headed straight towards Coppelia.
Such a deadly whirlwind of primal earth and magic! If Coppelia was swept up in it, she'd surely be torn to pieces! Even thinking about it caused my stomach to lurch!
Why, if her workshop demanded reparations from me, I'd be bankrupt for life!
I had to act … if not to save her, then at least take advantage of her heroic death!
“Don't worry, Coppelia! I won't let your sacrifice be in vain!”
“Hey! I'm not sacrificing myself, okay? Look at me, I'm fine!”
Coppelia wore an expression of unmatched optimism, waving her arms and flicking her feet despite the extensive smattering of dust and grime to her face.
I was deeply moved. What valour, to pretend to be perfectly fine even as she was so clearly offering her life to give me an opening!
Brandishing my sword, I stepped towards the cyclone.
Powerful though it may be, what was a tornado, but a gust of wind? Compared to the gale which slammed against my tower as I slept, this was but a parlour trick. I was a child of winter, and I was born beneath a thunderstorm. Neither the wind nor anything it carried could daunt me … or the fragile dresses I braved in the name of high fashion!
Whether rain or stone, I would disperse anything that tried!
My dignity depended on it!
“I'll avenge you, fair clockwork maiden!” I solemnly vowed, raising my sword over my head. “A whisper woven in spring, comes the butterf—”
“Nooope!” said Coppelia, startling me by suddenly appearing by my side. Her hand lowered my arm. “I definitely don't need to tag you in today!”
“C-Coppelia! You're alive!”
“I've barely done anything! Stop trying to kill me off already!”
With an assured look, she readied her scythe behind her, then lowered her posture like a cat ready to pounce.
The tornado had now turned towards us, and was no longer merely swirling death, but spitting it too. Two jets of flame spread out like the wings of a phoenix, carrying it forward as it swept directly over … no, through the basin of water.
The water bubbled as it parted, a deep, boiling fissure lying in the tornado's wake as steam filled up the chamber.
That's when Coppelia wore her zaniest smirk yet.
“Time for another plunge, I think.”
She leapt off, that moonlit blade almost seeming to scatter stardust behind it as she twisted fully in the air, before landing on the chamber's ceiling.
It ... It was ridiculous!
Shards of molten rock shot after her as she dashed, her scythe dragging into the ceiling to keep her anchored. Huge chunks of flaming rock the size of small boulders hurled themselves at her. She turned and twisted past them all, skipping deftly as she propelled herself onwards.
As Coppelia neared the inferno tornado, a sheer wall of molten stone was formed using every rock and shard available. Encompassing more space than the clockwork doll could possibly avoid, the burning mass was launched at the girl whose eyes glittered from the flames approaching her.
“Wrong choice!”
Releasing her scythe, she twisted her body as she pushed off the ceiling, bearing down on the oncoming wall with her fashionable, rosy shoes.
“Aahahhahaahaha!!”
Far from looking to escape, Coppelia gave a girlish, if slightly villainous laugh as she met the molten wall with all her might.
For a single instant, the flaming barrier halted.
“[Coppelia Kick]!”
And then went backwards as Coppelia punted it back towards the direction it came.
The force of her kick cracked it into separate chunks. Flaming pieces whizzed into the basin of water, causing jets of water to erupt over the tornado. For a moment, the mage's flames were doused just enough for Coppelia to follow through on her ridiculous strike.
Riding the largest chunk of flaming wall, she smashed it directly into the whirling tornado. The fiery gale slowed upon impact, and the clear silhouette of a shocked figure could be seen buckling underneath the force of Coppelia's driving kick.
Not allowing this chance to pass, Coppelia hopped off the wall she'd cannoned back into the mage and rotated in the air. The blade of her scythe gleamed, overpowering the diminished flames as she brought the tip down onto the tornado like a headsman's axe.
The figure beneath crumpled as Coppelia drove her scythe down. Steam overtook my entire vision. The flaming tornado disappeared into the water, utterly engulfed by the vengeful tide. The entire basin shook as it swallowed both its victims whole.
Darkness eclipsed the chamber once again.
All except where my sword's light attempted to pierce the steam.
“Owowowowowow!! Hot, hot, hot, hot!!”
And also where Coppelia landed beside me, stamping the flames from her shoes as she attempted to swipe the steam around us away.
“[Spring Breeze!]”
The clockwork doll gave a sigh of relief as the flames were blown away—as was the steam as it whipped up from the ground and bundled against the cavern ceiling like a thick, marshmallow-like cloud.
Coppelia hadn't sacrificed herself. And yet I had no time to instruct her on the proper etiquette of dying heroically. Because all I could feel was horror.
The receding of the white mist revealed a lone figure rising from the now much shallower pool of water. Marina was still standing. And that wasn't the only source of my ire.
I realised with a groan that the mage's flames weren't the only light that had been extinguished from this chamber.
It was the starflower, which now lay smouldering in a black, wilted heap.
“Gosh, I forgot how much fire hurts,” said Coppelia, puffing her cheeks as she blew at her shoes. “Mostly since I'm fireproof. But I could feel my cogs getting hotter. Hey, try touching my key. How warm is it?”
“I'm not touching your key,” I replied, comforted at least in the knowledge that I could argue against any minor repair fees billed towards me. “Are you whole?”
“Almost. I think I lost a strand of hair.”
I carefully took her in, covered as she was like some seasoned chimney sweeper, then took a step away.
“In that case, you'll need to seek reparations from our assailant,” I said, nodding at the woman yet again drenched from head to toe. “As do I, if she's now responsible for the loss of an immensely rare flower.”
Coppelia smiled, her absurdly large scythe resting against her shoulder. Yet even as she relaxed, her eyes never left the figure rising from the diminished water basin.
Marina Lainsfont flicked out her hands. No jets of flames dispersed from them. Only droplets of water as she made a half-hearted attempt at shaking the water away.
“Really. I'd hoped that the key sticking from your back was a toy piece,” she said, her snapping tone easily carrying through the chamber. “A clockwork doll. A fascinating combatant to test myself against, were the conditions not wholly in your favour. Which of the workshops are you from?”
“The best one,” replied Coppelia with an unnecessary twirl of her scythe. Especially as it was near me. “How did I fare?”
“Above expectations.”
Marina opened the satchel by her belt. I felt Coppelia tense.
Then, the young woman pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed her brows.
“You,” I said, illuminating her form with my raised sword. “Explain yourself. Why have you sought to bring ruin to this kingdom's fields? What goal do you hope to achieve by wishing famine on the people, and consequently, a wholly undeserved revolution on the innocent royal family?”
Marina dried her hands.
“Oh my. Such a grand tone. It's almost as if you believe you have me at your mercy.”
“Ohhohoho …” I placed my hand to my cheek. “Your magic has been spent and your flames doused. Your fate is no longer your own. The extent of your cooperation, however, will determine the number of soap bars you'll be required to create with your prodigious talents.”
Marina burst into laughter. Echoing within this chamber, it was like the cackling of a coven of witches. I frowned. Her laugh was drowning out mine.
“Spent? You believe my magic to be spent?”
And then, her eyes took on a deep, violet hue, so stunning that for a moment, my arm lowered Starlight Grace to better see them framed against the darkness.
I … I wanted to do that too!
Chastising the servants was unnecessary if I could simply have my eyes ominously glow in anger instead! Was this magic? Alchemy? How was this wonderfully convenient tool accessible?
“Girl,” she hissed. “The fire that was quenched is the only thing that was holding my magic in check.”
She raised her hands. And out poured magic.
Not the crimson of flames. But something deadlier. And older. Magic the colour of her eyes, crackling into the shape of a warping, twisting globe of pure energy. Violet arcs lashed around the orb as it expanded between her hands, the steam surrounding it being visibly absorbed.
“You have my congratulations,” said Marina, her tone booming, as though even her voice had been empowered. “To have dulled my flames which burn mightier than dragonfire, you have achieved a feat worthy of commemoration. And in your honour, I will now incinerate the two of you until even the earth cannot weep for your ashes. The magic you have unwittingly unleashed will now not only spell your demise, but those of the fools above as well. In your haste to prove yourselves worthy, you have sentenced the innocent to die. Speak now, for I am adjudicator of your doom, and I will hear your last words!”
I looked at the basin of water as it began to glow.
“Duck,” I replied.
Marina frowned.
“'Duck'? What do you mean—”
Coppelia ducked. As did I.
A moment later, all the arcana crystals which were hidden at the bottom of the basin lit up.
And then everything exploded.
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submitted by kayenano to HFY [link] [comments]
Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
Chapter 21: Arcane Nature
Her moonlit scythe trailing behind her golden hair, Coppelia wore an expression of undiluted enthusiasm as she violently swung her weapon in a brilliant crescent. Once again, Marina was forced to defend herself against the sudden assault.
“[Conflagration Nova]!”
And just like that—
Coppelia was sent hurtling into a second hole, right beside the one she'd just created. The wall welcomed her back to an explosion of stone before the scene was completely engulfed in dust yet again.
My mouth still hadn't closed yet.
What … What was that?!
What was anything?!
Coppelia … ! She had a scythe! A scythe!
A tool for harvesting crops! A companion of peasants! A sigil of poverty!
Except this was not some farming apparatus for harvesting wheat! It was … It was huge! And glowing! And she'd … summoned it into existence!
And now she was stuck in a wall! … Again!
“C … Coppelia?!”
I called out towards the thick cloud of debris, my head only now catching up with the fact that our opponent, Marina Lainsfont, was also equally ridiculous. So much so that I could now remember her name!
I only remembered the names of the wealthy or the influential!
Yet even if I knew she was responsible for the Withering, little could have prepared me for the magic she wielded. To witness her immaculate spellcasting was to witness my first split end. That same sense of astonishment and disgust welled up inside me as I realised the mage before me sought to end my carefree lifestyle.
If Marina's fire magic damaged even a single hair on my head, then it'd be hours before I could laugh at anyone again!
This opponent … was dangerous!
[Fiery Absolution], [Molten Barrier], [Conflagration Nova]. I had no idea where these spells stood among a mage's repertoire, but I knew the Mage's Guild adored ranking their abilities based solely on what sounded the most impressive.
Anything with names like these could only be exceptionally high level abilities, capable of ruining hours of torturous hairstyling in moments!
And Coppelia had just received Marina's attacks in full! … Twice!
“H … How dare you strike back at my future attendant!” I called out to Marina, her hands enveloped with fire once again. “Not only is her fluffy hair one of her best features, but if a member of my personal entourage attacks you, it is illegal to defend yourself!”
The mage frowned, her heavy breathing evident as her eyes looked between the second cloud of dust and the sword I held in my hand.
“Ugh, two pests in a closed space,” she said, her palms raised in a cauldron of flame. “[Flight], [Cloud Step] and [Portal] restricted. If that ridiculous scythe suddenly appears in front of me again, I won't be able to—”
“Understood! ... [Moonlit Flutter]!”
The dust was still falling off her shoulders when Coppelia's form flashed in front of Marina again. Neither her enthusiastic smile had faded, nor the keenness of her scythe as it trailed behind while cleaving the air.
Marina, however, simply smirked.
“Moron.”
She clicked her fingers.
Suddenly, every loose shard of rock in the chamber shot towards the mage—including the larger chunks resulting from the two craters behind Coppelia.
They zipped past the clockwork doll as well as into her, slamming into her back and sending her hurtling over Marina's head. The scythe twisted in the air, slicing at a strand of hazelnut hair as the mage tilted her head.
“[Inferno Tornado]!”
As Coppelia acrobatically flipped in the air and landed gracefully on her feet, she turned to witness the ribbons of stone shards now enveloping the mage.
Stone shards which then burst into flame.
In moments, the temperature of the chamber rapidly rose. And then Marina disappeared.
In her place stood a vortex of fire. A twisting tornado which caused the edge of the basin of water to literally melt away. Bubbles of boiling water were sighted before being hidden by a plume of steam. The air whistled with the sound of lashing flames as a tornado of burning shards sharper than daggers stood between Coppelia and I.
And it wasn't content to merely stand for long.
That tornado—headed straight towards Coppelia.
Such a deadly whirlwind of primal earth and magic! If Coppelia was swept up in it, she'd surely be torn to pieces! Even thinking about it caused my stomach to lurch!
Why, if her workshop demanded reparations from me, I'd be bankrupt for life!
I had to act … if not to save her, then at least take advantage of her heroic death!
“Don't worry, Coppelia! I won't let your sacrifice be in vain!”
“Hey! I'm not sacrificing myself, okay? Look at me, I'm fine!”
Coppelia wore an expression of unmatched optimism, waving her arms and flicking her feet despite the extensive smattering of dust and grime to her face.
I was deeply moved. What valour, to pretend to be perfectly fine even as she was so clearly offering her life to give me an opening!
Brandishing my sword, I stepped towards the cyclone.
Powerful though it may be, what was a tornado, but a gust of wind? Compared to the gale which slammed against my tower as I slept, this was but a parlour trick. I was a child of winter, and I was born beneath a thunderstorm. Neither the wind nor anything it carried could daunt me … or the fragile dresses I braved in the name of high fashion!
Whether rain or stone, I would disperse anything that tried!
My dignity depended on it!
“I'll avenge you, fair clockwork maiden!” I solemnly vowed, raising my sword over my head. “A whisper woven in spring, comes the butterf—”
“Nooope!” said Coppelia, startling me by suddenly appearing by my side. Her hand lowered my arm. “I definitely don't need to tag you in today!”
“C-Coppelia! You're alive!”
“I've barely done anything! Stop trying to kill me off already!”
With an assured look, she readied her scythe behind her, then lowered her posture like a cat ready to pounce.
The tornado had now turned towards us, and was no longer merely swirling death, but spitting it too. Two jets of flame spread out like the wings of a phoenix, carrying it forward as it swept directly over … no, through the basin of water.
The water bubbled as it parted, a deep, boiling fissure lying in the tornado's wake as steam filled up the chamber.
That's when Coppelia wore her zaniest smirk yet.
“Time for another plunge, I think.”
She leapt off, that moonlit blade almost seeming to scatter stardust behind it as she twisted fully in the air, before landing on the chamber's ceiling.
It ... It was ridiculous!
Shards of molten rock shot after her as she dashed, her scythe dragging into the ceiling to keep her anchored. Huge chunks of flaming rock the size of small boulders hurled themselves at her. She turned and twisted past them all, skipping deftly as she propelled herself onwards.
As Coppelia neared the inferno tornado, a sheer wall of molten stone was formed using every rock and shard available. Encompassing more space than the clockwork doll could possibly avoid, the burning mass was launched at the girl whose eyes glittered from the flames approaching her.
“Wrong choice!”
Releasing her scythe, she twisted her body as she pushed off the ceiling, bearing down on the oncoming wall with her fashionable, rosy shoes.
“Aahahhahaahaha!!”
Far from looking to escape, Coppelia gave a girlish, if slightly villainous laugh as she met the molten wall with all her might.
For a single instant, the flaming barrier halted.
“[Coppelia Kick]!”
And then went backwards as Coppelia punted it back towards the direction it came.
The force of her kick cracked it into separate chunks. Flaming pieces whizzed into the basin of water, causing jets of water to erupt over the tornado. For a moment, the mage's flames were doused just enough for Coppelia to follow through on her ridiculous strike.
Riding the largest chunk of flaming wall, she smashed it directly into the whirling tornado. The fiery gale slowed upon impact, and the clear silhouette of a shocked figure could be seen buckling underneath the force of Coppelia's driving kick.
Not allowing this chance to pass, Coppelia hopped off the wall she'd cannoned back into the mage and rotated in the air. The blade of her scythe gleamed, overpowering the diminished flames as she brought the tip down onto the tornado like a headsman's axe.
The figure beneath crumpled as Coppelia drove her scythe down. Steam overtook my entire vision. The flaming tornado disappeared into the water, utterly engulfed by the vengeful tide. The entire basin shook as it swallowed both its victims whole.
Darkness eclipsed the chamber once again.
All except where my sword's light attempted to pierce the steam.
“Owowowowowow!! Hot, hot, hot, hot!!”
And also where Coppelia landed beside me, stamping the flames from her shoes as she attempted to swipe the steam around us away.
“[Spring Breeze!]”
The clockwork doll gave a sigh of relief as the flames were blown away—as was the steam as it whipped up from the ground and bundled against the cavern ceiling like a thick, marshmallow-like cloud.
Coppelia hadn't sacrificed herself. And yet I had no time to instruct her on the proper etiquette of dying heroically. Because all I could feel was horror.
The receding of the white mist revealed a lone figure rising from the now much shallower pool of water. Marina was still standing. And that wasn't the only source of my ire.
I realised with a groan that the mage's flames weren't the only light that had been extinguished from this chamber.
It was the starflower, which now lay smouldering in a black, wilted heap.
“Gosh, I forgot how much fire hurts,” said Coppelia, puffing her cheeks as she blew at her shoes. “Mostly since I'm fireproof. But I could feel my cogs getting hotter. Hey, try touching my key. How warm is it?”
“I'm not touching your key,” I replied, comforted at least in the knowledge that I could argue against any minor repair fees billed towards me. “Are you whole?”
“Almost. I think I lost a strand of hair.”
I carefully took her in, covered as she was like some seasoned chimney sweeper, then took a step away.
“In that case, you'll need to seek reparations from our assailant,” I said, nodding at the woman yet again drenched from head to toe. “As do I, if she's now responsible for the loss of an immensely rare flower.”
Coppelia smiled, her absurdly large scythe resting against her shoulder. Yet even as she relaxed, her eyes never left the figure rising from the diminished water basin.
Marina Lainsfont flicked out her hands. No jets of flames dispersed from them. Only droplets of water as she made a half-hearted attempt at shaking the water away.
“Really. I'd hoped that the key sticking from your back was a toy piece,” she said, her snapping tone easily carrying through the chamber. “A clockwork doll. A fascinating combatant to test myself against, were the conditions not wholly in your favour. Which of the workshops are you from?”
“The best one,” replied Coppelia with an unnecessary twirl of her scythe. Especially as it was near me. “How did I fare?”
“Above expectations.”
Marina opened the satchel by her belt. I felt Coppelia tense.
Then, the young woman pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed her brows.
“You,” I said, illuminating her form with my raised sword. “Explain yourself. Why have you sought to bring ruin to this kingdom's fields? What goal do you hope to achieve by wishing famine on the people, and consequently, a wholly undeserved revolution on the innocent royal family?”
Marina dried her hands.
“Oh my. Such a grand tone. It's almost as if you believe you have me at your mercy.”
“Ohhohoho …” I placed my hand to my cheek. “Your magic has been spent and your flames doused. Your fate is no longer your own. The extent of your cooperation, however, will determine the number of soap bars you'll be required to create with your prodigious talents.”
Marina burst into laughter. Echoing within this chamber, it was like the cackling of a coven of witches. I frowned. Her laugh was drowning out mine.
“Spent? You believe my magic to be spent?”
And then, her eyes took on a deep, violet hue, so stunning that for a moment, my arm lowered Starlight Grace to better see them framed against the darkness.
I … I wanted to do that too!
Chastising the servants was unnecessary if I could simply have my eyes ominously glow in anger instead! Was this magic? Alchemy? How was this wonderfully convenient tool accessible?
“Girl,” she hissed. “The fire that was quenched is the only thing that was holding my magic in check.”
She raised her hands. And out poured magic.
Not the crimson of flames. But something deadlier. And older. Magic the colour of her eyes, crackling into the shape of a warping, twisting globe of pure energy. Violet arcs lashed around the orb as it expanded between her hands, the steam surrounding it being visibly absorbed.
“You have my congratulations,” said Marina, her tone booming, as though even her voice had been empowered. “To have dulled my flames which burn mightier than dragonfire, you have achieved a feat worthy of commemoration. And in your honour, I will now incinerate the two of you until even the earth cannot weep for your ashes. The magic you have unwittingly unleashed will now not only spell your demise, but those of the fools above as well. In your haste to prove yourselves worthy, you have sentenced the innocent to die. Speak now, for I am adjudicator of your doom, and I will hear your last words!”
I looked at the basin of water as it began to glow.
“Duck,” I replied.
Marina frowned.
“'Duck'? What do you mean—”
Coppelia ducked. As did I.
A moment later, all the arcana crystals which were hidden at the bottom of the basin lit up.
And then everything exploded.
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2023.04.01 02:23 Yeah1mT1nyR1ck Current set up just added chain. Opinions wanted
 | I wanna add either a bridge piercing or high nostrils with another chain would like to know if people think those would suit me submitted by Yeah1mT1nyR1ck to piercing [link] [comments] |
2023.04.01 01:11 BlackGhost94 Is an apicoectomy a good alternative to a root canal retreatment?
So, about six or seven years ago, I had a root canal on two abscessed teeth. The one ended up healing, but the infection remained in the other. It went unnoticed for about five years before it randomly started hurting. The dentist told me that I needed a retreatment, but by that point the pain had gone away and, well, out of sight, out of mind. The main reason I haven't bothered is because, even though my insurance is supposed to cover crowns, they often refuse to do so and so I end up having to pay out of pocket, and those things aren't cheap. I didn't want to damage the crowns.
Fast forward to about a week ago. The crown fell off. I'm not entirely sure WHY it fell off, but there IS a small hole in it, so I'm guessing that acids and bacteria were able to get in and wear down the cement. Throughout all this time, the infection hasn't bothered me at all, nor does it seem to be getting any worse. Still, though, the crown falling off is a good thing because it means I can get the thing taken care of without having to worry about it. I'm gonna need a new one anyway cause of that hole, so I'm not as hesitant about paying for it; there's a big difference between paying for a new crown after the old one is compromised vs. destroying a perfectly good one and then paying for a new one.
Here's the problem, though: There's not a whole lot of tooth structure left. What's left of the original tooth already has a post in it, and the remaining structure is mostly filling material. So I'm afraid that if I have another root canal on it, it'll damage it beyond repair and I'll end up losing the tooth. I've had other crowns, and the little nub straight-up broke off. As in, there was nothing left whatsoever. They stuck a post in, built it back up, and it's been fine ever since (at least seven years, though I can't remember exactly how long). Should I just go through with the root canal, and, if the structural integrity is compromised, have them build it back up? Or would an apicoectomy be a better alternative for me, because it'd leave the structure alone?
For clarification, both thus tooth and the other one I mentioned that broke off, they're both part of a two-crown bridge (though not the same bridge). I'm assuming the reason the broken tooth has stayed in is because it is being supported by the other tooth. Could I just allow the other tooth to do most of the heavy lifting here too? Because the other tooth, next to the one I need retreated, is structurally-sound.
submitted by BlackGhost94 to askdentists [link] [comments]
Fast forward to about a week ago. The crown fell off. I'm not entirely sure WHY it fell off, but there IS a small hole in it, so I'm guessing that acids and bacteria were able to get in and wear down the cement. Throughout all this time, the infection hasn't bothered me at all, nor does it seem to be getting any worse. Still, though, the crown falling off is a good thing because it means I can get the thing taken care of without having to worry about it. I'm gonna need a new one anyway cause of that hole, so I'm not as hesitant about paying for it; there's a big difference between paying for a new crown after the old one is compromised vs. destroying a perfectly good one and then paying for a new one.
Here's the problem, though: There's not a whole lot of tooth structure left. What's left of the original tooth already has a post in it, and the remaining structure is mostly filling material. So I'm afraid that if I have another root canal on it, it'll damage it beyond repair and I'll end up losing the tooth. I've had other crowns, and the little nub straight-up broke off. As in, there was nothing left whatsoever. They stuck a post in, built it back up, and it's been fine ever since (at least seven years, though I can't remember exactly how long). Should I just go through with the root canal, and, if the structural integrity is compromised, have them build it back up? Or would an apicoectomy be a better alternative for me, because it'd leave the structure alone?
For clarification, both thus tooth and the other one I mentioned that broke off, they're both part of a two-crown bridge (though not the same bridge). I'm assuming the reason the broken tooth has stayed in is because it is being supported by the other tooth. Could I just allow the other tooth to do most of the heavy lifting here too? Because the other tooth, next to the one I need retreated, is structurally-sound.