Smoking hotels near me
I test drove this today and not sure how I felt...
2023.04.01 22:38 Mahoganychicken I test drove this today and not sure how I felt...
 | So today marked the start of my search for a new car. I am currently driving a 2010 fiesta 1.25l 3dr 59bhp - a real boring car. Since buying it I have got a better job and and now looking for an upgrade. submitted by Mahoganychicken to CarTalkUK [link] [comments] I found this Mazda3 near me for £7995. It's the fastback edition with the 2.2l SKYACTIV-D engine. 148bhp, around 65mpg. FSH from main dealer, will have a new MOT. Some minor body work damage but nothing I can't get touched up. Test driving this was the first time I've ever test driven a car (this will be my third car - whatever I buy), and I'm not entirely sure how to feel. It was 100% the best car I have ever driven, but my driving experience is limited to a 2005 VW Polo 1.4, my current car, a 2017 VW Polo, a Fiat 500, and a Ford Transit. I knew before going into it that it would be the best car I have ever driven. I came out of it slightly disappointed - I'm not sure what I was expecting. I have been in the back of some nice cars that really throw you into the back of your seat, I think that's what I wanted. It was torque-y, far more than my Fiesta. It wasn't anything mindblowing though. On the drive back I decided that I wouldn't buy it, but it's been on my mind all day and the more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to buy it. I only really pushed it a tiny bit in third gear, once I get more comfortable with it, I will be able to extract a bit more uumph out of it. Looking around on the market, there is nothing that comes close to this car in terms of age, power, looks. It seems like my best option. Is it normal to feel this way after testing a car? Should I immediately know that I want to buy it? Should it be love at first sight? Am I just talking myself into it? I am seriously considering going back tomorrow to put a deposit down. https://preview.redd.it/hn6g0l1v1cra1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=26e792c92faa1db401610e9e4a229d48570eb2ae |
2023.04.01 22:38 WannabeAuthor777 Opening scene critique (3k words)
Hi all, I'm aiming to self publish by the end of the year and I'd love to hear some reactions to my opening chapter. Thanks for your time.
---------------------------------------------------------
The great bull dropped a hoof in the grass, splattering mud upon its lower leg. A dark nose lowered to the ground and sniffed at the foliage, before lazily grabbing a mouthful and chewing contentedly. A second creature, its fur lighter brown, stepped beside the first, and the bull lowed a greeting to his mate. Seven feet tall at the shoulder, and weighing nearly a ton, the aurochs were the largest cattle that had ever existed.
Obscured by nearby foliage, the paw of a mammalian hunter lightly stepped in the mud. Intelligent amber eyes regarded the aurochs, joined a moment later by a second pair, the carnivore’s hunting partner. The two painted wolves walked on tall, spindly legs, absorbed auditory information through wide, spoon-shaped ears, and, most strikingly, looked as if their bodies had been splashed with a mosaic of tan, black, and white hues – the inspiration for their namesake. The wolves were smaller than the immense cattle, standing only a couple of feet tall – but they were exceptional hunters.
The second of the pair stepped forward, snapping a twig under its paw. The aurochs looked up, alert. The male shook his head, displaying his horns.
Their cover blown, the wolves burst from the undergrowth, rushing the aurochs. The cattle bellowed in surprise, and the male rose to his hind legs, bringing his front hooves crashing down. The nimble predators leapt out of harm’s way, yipping and harassing their prey.
A howl distracted the canines, and they instantly perked up. A third wolf emerged from the bushes behind the aurochs – though she was much larger, standing even taller than the cattle. The pups yipped in excitement – this was the alpha, their mother. With her joining the hunt, their prey stood no chance.
“Oi! Trentus!” A man sitting atop the bull eyed the wolves in disgust. “Your mutts are harassing my cows again! Get them under control, for once!”
The mother wolf trotted past the two aurochs, who paid her no mind, and sternly nudged her puppies away. A moment later, a young boy, no older than eleven, rushed to the scene. “Sorry!” he called. “It won’t happen again!”
The aurochs rider simply rolled his eyes and steered the cattle forward, continuing to till the field.
The boy, dressed in simple rags, his skin lying somewhere between truly dark and truly light, turned his attention to the two smaller dogs, which were sitting sheepishly in their mother’s shadow. “Fenrir! Amarok!” Trentus said sternly, and the puppies shrank at the reprimand. “You know you’re not supposed to chase the aurochs!” Trentus managed to keep his stern façade for a few more seconds before he dropped to his knees and widened his arms. “All right, that’s enough. You’re still good dogs!”
The two animals merrily bounded into him, knocking the laughing boy over. As Trentus attempted to push the puppies off, their gargantuan mother tenderly lowered her head and sniffed the much smaller human. Trentus fearlessly lifted his arms and rubbed the canine’s ears. “Yes, Lupa, you were a good girl. Thanks for keeping them out of trouble.”
Seemingly satisfied, Lupa lifted her head and walked away from the smaller three, across the lush green fields of Kalosi. Modest wooden houses and barns in the center of the settlement were surrounded on all sides by fields of tropical crops, ranging from sugarcane and pineapple to muddy ponds of taro. Encompassing the entire community was thick jungle, unbroken save for a small dirt road, used for bringing goods in and out.
Mirovia was oft regarded as a vast, wild, and exotic expanse, with any civilized settlements being few and far between. All but the largest cities ran the risk of being swallowed by nature. Even by these standards, Kalosi was small and isolated. A particularly tiny town, in the middle of what most scholars referred to as ‘nowhere,’ it was born due to its proximity to a fresh spring that created ideal conditions for growing certain crops. Outsiders often found the thought of living in such an isolated region stifling, but most of Kalosi’s residents enjoyed a peaceful existence alongside nature.
Trentus ran across the fields, the dogs Amarok and Fenrir on his heels. Older residents walked around him: gathering crops, hauling cargo on domesticated aurochs, or scattering food to the colorful microraptors that ran beneath their feet. Larger, adult painted wolves strolled along the jungle’s edge, following the commands of men and women armed with crossbows: security, to ensure that roving predators thought twice before paying a visit.
“Trentus!” a stern voice rang out. Now it was the boy’s turn to sheepishly shrink. He meandered towards a small pond, where farmers were pulling taro plants from the knee-deep water. One of these was a middle-aged woman, similar features belying relation to Trentus. Lupa the great wolf lay in a sunny patch of grass beside the pond.
“Yes, mom?” Trentus asked.
The woman placed her hands on her hips. “What are you doing, running around already? Don’t you have work to do?”
“I already completed my section of the harvest!”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes! Five baskets’ full! I worked very hard.” Trentus pouted at her skepticism.
Anai’s frown turned to a smile, and she relaxed. “Okay, I’m sorry for pestering you. You’re a very good worker, you know that?”
“So I can go play?” he asked impatiently, gesturing at his dogs.
“Yes,” said Anai with a grin. “And how are the pups behaving today?”
“Not very well,” Trentus admitted. “They were bothering the aurochs again. Lupa had to step in.” The larger wolf raised her head lazily at the mention of her name.
Anai chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. Lupa’s the best painted wolf I’ve ever seen. She’ll straighten those two pups out, and they’ll turn into very responsible adults.” She wiped her hands dry on her shirt, stepped out of the pond, and ruffled her son’s hair. “Kind of like someone else I know, eh?” Trentus grumbled as he unsuccessfully tried to dodge her touch, and the woman then gave Lupa a friendly scratch behind the ears, who thumped her tail in appreciation. “While learning proper training for your dogs is important, Trentus, much more important to me is that you continue to grow your bond with them. Remember to always be kind to animals, and they’ll repay you in loyalty and kindness themselves. That’s how people became friends with these wolves, after all: we feed and take care of them, and in return they’re our companions, and help protect the village.”
Trentus smirked and crossed his arms. “I know this, mom. And I’m already great friends with Fenrir and Amarok. Just you wait – once they’re grown and large enough to ride, I’m going to join the beast hunts to fight off monsters and protect the town!”
Anai bit her lip and looked down at this. “What’s wrong?” Trentus pushed. “Look, I know you don’t like the beast hunts, but they’re for a good reason!”
“You know how I feel about the culls,” she said quietly. “And you know I don’t agree with them.”
“But if they’re helping–”
“The culls don’t target individual creatures that have attacked villages. They target entire species of animal, including creatures that have never harassed a person before. Hunters break into dens, attack babies, and use this as an excuse to kill the mother when she tries to protect her children. The entire practice is barbaric. Which side do you think are the real monsters in this scenario, Trentus?”
Trentus had raised his hands placatively, trying to stop his mother from falling into a rant. “Okay, okay, I get it. I won’t talk about it anymore.”
Anai sighed. “Just promise me you’ll keep in mind, Trentus, that people used to see our painted wolves as bloodthirsty beasts before we learned we could tame them. Beast hunts in the past would target and kill all the wolves they could find – including the puppies.”
Trentus stared at his two companions. “Seriously?”
“Yes. I think a lot of animals are deeper and more intelligent than people believe – what we call monsters may have, well, a soul.” Anai locked eyes with her son. “But don’t be mistaken, Trentus. Animals may not be evil, but they can be very, very dangerous. Any beast you find in the wild is not automatically going to be your friend – it may take time and lots of work to gain a beast’s loyalty, if it can be gained at all.” She sighed. “So yes, the danger is very real. I just think there are ways of handling it besides violence.”
Anai shook her head and smiled at her son. “Sorry if I got too serious there. Are you going to spend the rest of your day playing with your dogs?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Great. Have fun!” Trentus began to scamper off, when she called him back. “Wait, Trentus! I made you a pack!” She pointed to a small hide pouch in the grass, tied to a belt. “There are snacks inside, and veris leaves in case you get a scrape.”
“Thanks, mom!” Trentus tied the pack around his waist and took off running, Fenrir and Amarok bounding after him.
----------
The sun sunk behind emerald hills, casting long shadows on the town of Kalosi and bathing its fields in brilliant orange light.
Atop a watchtower on the settlement’s edge, a sentry placed an oliphant horn to their lips and let out a long, low blow. Any farmers still out in the fields looked up at this, some sighing in relief. Trentus, sitting on a log near the forest’s edge as he sketched one of the town’s domestic microraptors, sighed instead in disappointment. His model, a colorful bird-like creature pecking the ground, squawked in surprise.
The sun was falling, and soon it would be too dark to continue their work. Furthermore, the jungle’s carnivores became active at night, and no one wanted to contend with them. On the city’s perimeter, the guards chatted and laughed as they headed towards the town, their great painted wolves trotting behind them.
“Trentus! Time to come inside!” The boy’s mother waved from across the field.
“Okay! I’m coming!” Trentus closed his sketchbook, and his four-winged model skittered for the nearest tree, scaling the bark to roost for the night. Trentus called for his two wolves, who were lounging nearby, and they ran for the houses on the other side of the fields. Ensuring he was coming, Anai turned back to the buildings with a smile.
Halfway to the houses, Trentus froze. “Ah! My pouch!” He looked back and saw the bag leaning against the log he had been using. He sprinted back to retrieve it, the confused dogs in tow.
Trentus reached the jungle’s edge and secured the bag around his waist. Before he could do anything more, however, the sound of growling entered his ears. Trentus stared at Fenrir and Amarok in surprise, who were snarling at the darkness of the trees, their hackles raised to full height.
Trentus peered into the forest, whose thick canopy blocked nearly all of dusk’s dim light. Trentus shivered, feeling as if ice water were trickling down his spine.
Trentus tried to control his breathing. Ever so slowly, he took one step back. Then two. His eyes never left the void of shadow that the wolves were focused on.
One of the guards, halfway to the village, glanced back and noticed the boy. “Hey, you! Kid! We’re heading in for the night, c’mon!”
Trentus flinched at the call, but didn’t dare to tear his eyes from the undergrowth. He took another step backwards.
The guard groaned and turned to her companions. “I’ve got this. You go on.” She started jogging towards Trentus.
The boy’s eyes widened as he saw the jungle shadows shift. His breaths grew quick and panicky. “Amarok,” he squeaked. “Fenrir. Come here.”
“Kid! What are you doing?” The guard’s cry was still distant, though growing closer.
The shadows exploded from the foliage, a dark mass filling Trentus’ vision. He reactively collapsed, which inadvertently saved him as the entity sailed overhead. Fenrir and Amarok snarled and leapt onto the mass, latching onto its side and biting down. The beast unleashed a deep, mammalian yowl.
“Moorbeast!” The guard screamed.
Trentus’ mind raced. The moorbeast cat. He had heard of these. Even glimpsed one, when he was eight. One had wandered uncomfortably close to the village when farmers were still in the fields. He had heard a commotion, and looked up in time to see the guards chase a giant black cat into the trees. That event was odd, though. The cats were usually nocturnal. They preferred to hunt at night.
Or at dusk.
Trentus stared in horror as the great black beast leapt up and down, trying to shake the young wolves off. The creature was enormous, standing nearly ten feet tall at the shoulder. Its visage was lynx-like, with pointed ears, a short tail, and jet-black spots that could be made out even against its dark pelt. Far more muscular than a standard lynx, however, the beast was squatter and incredibly bulky, with hardly any neck and a muscular hunch atop its shoulders. Trentus heard shouting, and saw the contingent of guards and full-grown wolves charging in their direction.
The moorbeast managed to reach far enough behind itself to grab Amarok in its jaws, and flung the small dog to the ground. Trentus gasped in terror. Amarok whimpered and unsuccessfully tried to stand, as the great beast advanced upon him.
An adult wolf bolted across the field, charging past the others, and rammed into the cat. The moorbeast was thrown off course, the impact also jarring off Fenrir, who ran to his brother’s side. Lupa positioned herself between the cat and her puppies, staring down her foe. The moorbeast hissed. The full-grown wolf was just as long as the cat, but shorter and nowhere near as bulky. The dogs were built for agility, while the moorbeast was built for taking down large prey. Trentus knew a one-on-one fight wasn’t ideal, but reinforcements were coming.
The cat snarled again, and charged Lupa. She conceded, latching her jaws around the moorbeast’s neck as the larger beast fought to throw her to the ground. Trentus realized he was far too close to the battle and hastily scrambled backwards, towards the treeline. He struggled to rise but stumbled as his foot became tangled in vines. He frantically fought to free himself.
The moorbeast was still attempting to wrap its jaws around Lupa’s neck when an arrow hit its shoulder. The creature yowled, ripped away from the wolf, and turned to the town. The guards were now close enough to start firing, their wolves mere seconds away.
Trentus managed to wrench his foot free, and stumbled to his feet.
Several more dogs arrived, snapping and snarling at the cat. Sensing it was outnumbered, the animal hissed and stepped backwards. As more arrows sailed overhead, it turned back to the forest, locking eyes with the only thing standing between it and shelter.
“Run!” Trentus heard the guard scream. He did.
The moorbeast charged after him, and both were swallowed by the foliage.
Calls of screaming guards and barking dogs were drowned out in Trentus’ ears, replaced only by the sound of the great beast crashing through greenery behind him. Trentus panted in terror as he ducked beneath gnarled roots and weaved between draping vines. His small size was the only thing saving him from certain death, as the feline had to pause for precious seconds to tear through each obstacle.
Near blinded by fear and the fading light, Trentus couldn’t see the plant-covered cliff edge until the ground vanished beneath him, and he was tumbling down a slope. The moorbeast leapt after him and found itself freefalling as well. Trentus landed in a patch of brambles, leaves and stems scratching at his face. He heard a thud as the cat landed in the mud a few feet away. As it slowly clambered to its feet, the boy quickly pushed further into the bushes, hitting the cliff wall. He located a small enclave in the rock face, and squeezed as deeply into it as he could. Breathlessly, Trentus watched the great beast rise to its full height. Its movements were slow, as if the fall had harmed it. The arrow still sprouted from its right shoulder.
As his eyes adjusted to the dark space, Trentus saw that the cliff face surrounded them on all sides, and he realized he had fallen into a pit, one over thirty feet deep. Small streams of water trickled into the hole, leaving the floor damp and muddy before continuing deeper into the earth through a small crack in the wall. Excellent – now even if he wasn’t killed by the cat, he’d have to scale a thirty-foot slope.
He focused back on the moorbeast. Its breathing was laborious, its head hung low. The animal seemed to be in pain. As he watched it, the cat suddenly turned to face Trentus. He stifled a gasp.
The animal limped to the brambles and sniffed the plants that had broken Trentus’ fall. It followed the scent to the enclave. Trentus pushed as far back into it as he could, closing his eyes out of fear. When he opened them again, the moorbeast was staring directly at him.
Trentus gasped, and the cat stuck a paw into the enclave, trying to reach him. “No! Get back!” Trentus kicked at the paw, and the moorbeast retracted it, before trying to squeeze its head into the hole, as if it thought its bulk would fit. “I said go!” Trentus planted a kick directly on its face, and the cat pulled back with a grumble. Trentus watched as the animal walked through the brambles again, paced a couple of times around the pit’s walls, and paused to lap at the stream running through the center. After this, the animal headed back to Trentus’ enclave, and peered in once more.
“I – said – go!” Trentus screamed, and delivered another kick to the peering face. The cat gave another unhappy yowl, and limped to the far side of the pit. Trentus watched as it regarded the cliff face, before it crouched and leapt. The beast scrambled at the wall, but its strength seemed to give out, and it fell back to the ground, mud and dirt cascading over it. The cat shook the dirt off and leapt again, scrambling for purchase, but again collapsed, landing on its side. Trentus watched as dark mass’s side rose and fell with its breath. It was another full minute before the cat moved further. It painfully rose to its feet, looking ever weaker, and once more plodded to the stream. It lapped at the water, took one last glance towards Trentus, and flopped onto its side.
Trentus leaned against the stone. He couldn’t go out there, not with that monster, and even if he could, how would he escape? The walls were steep, slick, and didn’t look to have any good handholds. He absentmindedly wondered if this was once dug as a hunting pit, but then abandoned or forgotten.
Exhausted both mentally and physically, Trentus closed his eyes and felt sleep quickly overtake him.
submitted by WannabeAuthor777 to fantasywriters [link] [comments]
---------------------------------------------------------
The great bull dropped a hoof in the grass, splattering mud upon its lower leg. A dark nose lowered to the ground and sniffed at the foliage, before lazily grabbing a mouthful and chewing contentedly. A second creature, its fur lighter brown, stepped beside the first, and the bull lowed a greeting to his mate. Seven feet tall at the shoulder, and weighing nearly a ton, the aurochs were the largest cattle that had ever existed.
Obscured by nearby foliage, the paw of a mammalian hunter lightly stepped in the mud. Intelligent amber eyes regarded the aurochs, joined a moment later by a second pair, the carnivore’s hunting partner. The two painted wolves walked on tall, spindly legs, absorbed auditory information through wide, spoon-shaped ears, and, most strikingly, looked as if their bodies had been splashed with a mosaic of tan, black, and white hues – the inspiration for their namesake. The wolves were smaller than the immense cattle, standing only a couple of feet tall – but they were exceptional hunters.
The second of the pair stepped forward, snapping a twig under its paw. The aurochs looked up, alert. The male shook his head, displaying his horns.
Their cover blown, the wolves burst from the undergrowth, rushing the aurochs. The cattle bellowed in surprise, and the male rose to his hind legs, bringing his front hooves crashing down. The nimble predators leapt out of harm’s way, yipping and harassing their prey.
A howl distracted the canines, and they instantly perked up. A third wolf emerged from the bushes behind the aurochs – though she was much larger, standing even taller than the cattle. The pups yipped in excitement – this was the alpha, their mother. With her joining the hunt, their prey stood no chance.
“Oi! Trentus!” A man sitting atop the bull eyed the wolves in disgust. “Your mutts are harassing my cows again! Get them under control, for once!”
The mother wolf trotted past the two aurochs, who paid her no mind, and sternly nudged her puppies away. A moment later, a young boy, no older than eleven, rushed to the scene. “Sorry!” he called. “It won’t happen again!”
The aurochs rider simply rolled his eyes and steered the cattle forward, continuing to till the field.
The boy, dressed in simple rags, his skin lying somewhere between truly dark and truly light, turned his attention to the two smaller dogs, which were sitting sheepishly in their mother’s shadow. “Fenrir! Amarok!” Trentus said sternly, and the puppies shrank at the reprimand. “You know you’re not supposed to chase the aurochs!” Trentus managed to keep his stern façade for a few more seconds before he dropped to his knees and widened his arms. “All right, that’s enough. You’re still good dogs!”
The two animals merrily bounded into him, knocking the laughing boy over. As Trentus attempted to push the puppies off, their gargantuan mother tenderly lowered her head and sniffed the much smaller human. Trentus fearlessly lifted his arms and rubbed the canine’s ears. “Yes, Lupa, you were a good girl. Thanks for keeping them out of trouble.”
Seemingly satisfied, Lupa lifted her head and walked away from the smaller three, across the lush green fields of Kalosi. Modest wooden houses and barns in the center of the settlement were surrounded on all sides by fields of tropical crops, ranging from sugarcane and pineapple to muddy ponds of taro. Encompassing the entire community was thick jungle, unbroken save for a small dirt road, used for bringing goods in and out.
Mirovia was oft regarded as a vast, wild, and exotic expanse, with any civilized settlements being few and far between. All but the largest cities ran the risk of being swallowed by nature. Even by these standards, Kalosi was small and isolated. A particularly tiny town, in the middle of what most scholars referred to as ‘nowhere,’ it was born due to its proximity to a fresh spring that created ideal conditions for growing certain crops. Outsiders often found the thought of living in such an isolated region stifling, but most of Kalosi’s residents enjoyed a peaceful existence alongside nature.
Trentus ran across the fields, the dogs Amarok and Fenrir on his heels. Older residents walked around him: gathering crops, hauling cargo on domesticated aurochs, or scattering food to the colorful microraptors that ran beneath their feet. Larger, adult painted wolves strolled along the jungle’s edge, following the commands of men and women armed with crossbows: security, to ensure that roving predators thought twice before paying a visit.
“Trentus!” a stern voice rang out. Now it was the boy’s turn to sheepishly shrink. He meandered towards a small pond, where farmers were pulling taro plants from the knee-deep water. One of these was a middle-aged woman, similar features belying relation to Trentus. Lupa the great wolf lay in a sunny patch of grass beside the pond.
“Yes, mom?” Trentus asked.
The woman placed her hands on her hips. “What are you doing, running around already? Don’t you have work to do?”
“I already completed my section of the harvest!”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes! Five baskets’ full! I worked very hard.” Trentus pouted at her skepticism.
Anai’s frown turned to a smile, and she relaxed. “Okay, I’m sorry for pestering you. You’re a very good worker, you know that?”
“So I can go play?” he asked impatiently, gesturing at his dogs.
“Yes,” said Anai with a grin. “And how are the pups behaving today?”
“Not very well,” Trentus admitted. “They were bothering the aurochs again. Lupa had to step in.” The larger wolf raised her head lazily at the mention of her name.
Anai chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. Lupa’s the best painted wolf I’ve ever seen. She’ll straighten those two pups out, and they’ll turn into very responsible adults.” She wiped her hands dry on her shirt, stepped out of the pond, and ruffled her son’s hair. “Kind of like someone else I know, eh?” Trentus grumbled as he unsuccessfully tried to dodge her touch, and the woman then gave Lupa a friendly scratch behind the ears, who thumped her tail in appreciation. “While learning proper training for your dogs is important, Trentus, much more important to me is that you continue to grow your bond with them. Remember to always be kind to animals, and they’ll repay you in loyalty and kindness themselves. That’s how people became friends with these wolves, after all: we feed and take care of them, and in return they’re our companions, and help protect the village.”
Trentus smirked and crossed his arms. “I know this, mom. And I’m already great friends with Fenrir and Amarok. Just you wait – once they’re grown and large enough to ride, I’m going to join the beast hunts to fight off monsters and protect the town!”
Anai bit her lip and looked down at this. “What’s wrong?” Trentus pushed. “Look, I know you don’t like the beast hunts, but they’re for a good reason!”
“You know how I feel about the culls,” she said quietly. “And you know I don’t agree with them.”
“But if they’re helping–”
“The culls don’t target individual creatures that have attacked villages. They target entire species of animal, including creatures that have never harassed a person before. Hunters break into dens, attack babies, and use this as an excuse to kill the mother when she tries to protect her children. The entire practice is barbaric. Which side do you think are the real monsters in this scenario, Trentus?”
Trentus had raised his hands placatively, trying to stop his mother from falling into a rant. “Okay, okay, I get it. I won’t talk about it anymore.”
Anai sighed. “Just promise me you’ll keep in mind, Trentus, that people used to see our painted wolves as bloodthirsty beasts before we learned we could tame them. Beast hunts in the past would target and kill all the wolves they could find – including the puppies.”
Trentus stared at his two companions. “Seriously?”
“Yes. I think a lot of animals are deeper and more intelligent than people believe – what we call monsters may have, well, a soul.” Anai locked eyes with her son. “But don’t be mistaken, Trentus. Animals may not be evil, but they can be very, very dangerous. Any beast you find in the wild is not automatically going to be your friend – it may take time and lots of work to gain a beast’s loyalty, if it can be gained at all.” She sighed. “So yes, the danger is very real. I just think there are ways of handling it besides violence.”
Anai shook her head and smiled at her son. “Sorry if I got too serious there. Are you going to spend the rest of your day playing with your dogs?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Great. Have fun!” Trentus began to scamper off, when she called him back. “Wait, Trentus! I made you a pack!” She pointed to a small hide pouch in the grass, tied to a belt. “There are snacks inside, and veris leaves in case you get a scrape.”
“Thanks, mom!” Trentus tied the pack around his waist and took off running, Fenrir and Amarok bounding after him.
----------
The sun sunk behind emerald hills, casting long shadows on the town of Kalosi and bathing its fields in brilliant orange light.
Atop a watchtower on the settlement’s edge, a sentry placed an oliphant horn to their lips and let out a long, low blow. Any farmers still out in the fields looked up at this, some sighing in relief. Trentus, sitting on a log near the forest’s edge as he sketched one of the town’s domestic microraptors, sighed instead in disappointment. His model, a colorful bird-like creature pecking the ground, squawked in surprise.
The sun was falling, and soon it would be too dark to continue their work. Furthermore, the jungle’s carnivores became active at night, and no one wanted to contend with them. On the city’s perimeter, the guards chatted and laughed as they headed towards the town, their great painted wolves trotting behind them.
“Trentus! Time to come inside!” The boy’s mother waved from across the field.
“Okay! I’m coming!” Trentus closed his sketchbook, and his four-winged model skittered for the nearest tree, scaling the bark to roost for the night. Trentus called for his two wolves, who were lounging nearby, and they ran for the houses on the other side of the fields. Ensuring he was coming, Anai turned back to the buildings with a smile.
Halfway to the houses, Trentus froze. “Ah! My pouch!” He looked back and saw the bag leaning against the log he had been using. He sprinted back to retrieve it, the confused dogs in tow.
Trentus reached the jungle’s edge and secured the bag around his waist. Before he could do anything more, however, the sound of growling entered his ears. Trentus stared at Fenrir and Amarok in surprise, who were snarling at the darkness of the trees, their hackles raised to full height.
Trentus peered into the forest, whose thick canopy blocked nearly all of dusk’s dim light. Trentus shivered, feeling as if ice water were trickling down his spine.
Trentus tried to control his breathing. Ever so slowly, he took one step back. Then two. His eyes never left the void of shadow that the wolves were focused on.
One of the guards, halfway to the village, glanced back and noticed the boy. “Hey, you! Kid! We’re heading in for the night, c’mon!”
Trentus flinched at the call, but didn’t dare to tear his eyes from the undergrowth. He took another step backwards.
The guard groaned and turned to her companions. “I’ve got this. You go on.” She started jogging towards Trentus.
The boy’s eyes widened as he saw the jungle shadows shift. His breaths grew quick and panicky. “Amarok,” he squeaked. “Fenrir. Come here.”
“Kid! What are you doing?” The guard’s cry was still distant, though growing closer.
The shadows exploded from the foliage, a dark mass filling Trentus’ vision. He reactively collapsed, which inadvertently saved him as the entity sailed overhead. Fenrir and Amarok snarled and leapt onto the mass, latching onto its side and biting down. The beast unleashed a deep, mammalian yowl.
“Moorbeast!” The guard screamed.
Trentus’ mind raced. The moorbeast cat. He had heard of these. Even glimpsed one, when he was eight. One had wandered uncomfortably close to the village when farmers were still in the fields. He had heard a commotion, and looked up in time to see the guards chase a giant black cat into the trees. That event was odd, though. The cats were usually nocturnal. They preferred to hunt at night.
Or at dusk.
Trentus stared in horror as the great black beast leapt up and down, trying to shake the young wolves off. The creature was enormous, standing nearly ten feet tall at the shoulder. Its visage was lynx-like, with pointed ears, a short tail, and jet-black spots that could be made out even against its dark pelt. Far more muscular than a standard lynx, however, the beast was squatter and incredibly bulky, with hardly any neck and a muscular hunch atop its shoulders. Trentus heard shouting, and saw the contingent of guards and full-grown wolves charging in their direction.
The moorbeast managed to reach far enough behind itself to grab Amarok in its jaws, and flung the small dog to the ground. Trentus gasped in terror. Amarok whimpered and unsuccessfully tried to stand, as the great beast advanced upon him.
An adult wolf bolted across the field, charging past the others, and rammed into the cat. The moorbeast was thrown off course, the impact also jarring off Fenrir, who ran to his brother’s side. Lupa positioned herself between the cat and her puppies, staring down her foe. The moorbeast hissed. The full-grown wolf was just as long as the cat, but shorter and nowhere near as bulky. The dogs were built for agility, while the moorbeast was built for taking down large prey. Trentus knew a one-on-one fight wasn’t ideal, but reinforcements were coming.
The cat snarled again, and charged Lupa. She conceded, latching her jaws around the moorbeast’s neck as the larger beast fought to throw her to the ground. Trentus realized he was far too close to the battle and hastily scrambled backwards, towards the treeline. He struggled to rise but stumbled as his foot became tangled in vines. He frantically fought to free himself.
The moorbeast was still attempting to wrap its jaws around Lupa’s neck when an arrow hit its shoulder. The creature yowled, ripped away from the wolf, and turned to the town. The guards were now close enough to start firing, their wolves mere seconds away.
Trentus managed to wrench his foot free, and stumbled to his feet.
Several more dogs arrived, snapping and snarling at the cat. Sensing it was outnumbered, the animal hissed and stepped backwards. As more arrows sailed overhead, it turned back to the forest, locking eyes with the only thing standing between it and shelter.
“Run!” Trentus heard the guard scream. He did.
The moorbeast charged after him, and both were swallowed by the foliage.
Calls of screaming guards and barking dogs were drowned out in Trentus’ ears, replaced only by the sound of the great beast crashing through greenery behind him. Trentus panted in terror as he ducked beneath gnarled roots and weaved between draping vines. His small size was the only thing saving him from certain death, as the feline had to pause for precious seconds to tear through each obstacle.
Near blinded by fear and the fading light, Trentus couldn’t see the plant-covered cliff edge until the ground vanished beneath him, and he was tumbling down a slope. The moorbeast leapt after him and found itself freefalling as well. Trentus landed in a patch of brambles, leaves and stems scratching at his face. He heard a thud as the cat landed in the mud a few feet away. As it slowly clambered to its feet, the boy quickly pushed further into the bushes, hitting the cliff wall. He located a small enclave in the rock face, and squeezed as deeply into it as he could. Breathlessly, Trentus watched the great beast rise to its full height. Its movements were slow, as if the fall had harmed it. The arrow still sprouted from its right shoulder.
As his eyes adjusted to the dark space, Trentus saw that the cliff face surrounded them on all sides, and he realized he had fallen into a pit, one over thirty feet deep. Small streams of water trickled into the hole, leaving the floor damp and muddy before continuing deeper into the earth through a small crack in the wall. Excellent – now even if he wasn’t killed by the cat, he’d have to scale a thirty-foot slope.
He focused back on the moorbeast. Its breathing was laborious, its head hung low. The animal seemed to be in pain. As he watched it, the cat suddenly turned to face Trentus. He stifled a gasp.
The animal limped to the brambles and sniffed the plants that had broken Trentus’ fall. It followed the scent to the enclave. Trentus pushed as far back into it as he could, closing his eyes out of fear. When he opened them again, the moorbeast was staring directly at him.
Trentus gasped, and the cat stuck a paw into the enclave, trying to reach him. “No! Get back!” Trentus kicked at the paw, and the moorbeast retracted it, before trying to squeeze its head into the hole, as if it thought its bulk would fit. “I said go!” Trentus planted a kick directly on its face, and the cat pulled back with a grumble. Trentus watched as the animal walked through the brambles again, paced a couple of times around the pit’s walls, and paused to lap at the stream running through the center. After this, the animal headed back to Trentus’ enclave, and peered in once more.
“I – said – go!” Trentus screamed, and delivered another kick to the peering face. The cat gave another unhappy yowl, and limped to the far side of the pit. Trentus watched as it regarded the cliff face, before it crouched and leapt. The beast scrambled at the wall, but its strength seemed to give out, and it fell back to the ground, mud and dirt cascading over it. The cat shook the dirt off and leapt again, scrambling for purchase, but again collapsed, landing on its side. Trentus watched as dark mass’s side rose and fell with its breath. It was another full minute before the cat moved further. It painfully rose to its feet, looking ever weaker, and once more plodded to the stream. It lapped at the water, took one last glance towards Trentus, and flopped onto its side.
Trentus leaned against the stone. He couldn’t go out there, not with that monster, and even if he could, how would he escape? The walls were steep, slick, and didn’t look to have any good handholds. He absentmindedly wondered if this was once dug as a hunting pit, but then abandoned or forgotten.
Exhausted both mentally and physically, Trentus closed his eyes and felt sleep quickly overtake him.
2023.04.01 22:37 StrivingJarl SGR: Saturn Era, Sky Sanctuary, & Cutscene 15
 | THE SATURN ERA: submitted by StrivingJarl to u/StrivingJarl [link] [comments] Ah yes. Even though there was no mainline Sonic game for the Sega Saturn (Despite the failed attempts), this era of the series does have some importance. So, I’m including it here! Though, you may notice some…odd choices here. I’ll explain why I included them when I get to each of them, but to make a long story short: Not many games to work with when it comes to Sega Saturn Sonic games, which is part of why that system failed. Plus, I wanted to have a more even split of Classic and Modern Sonic representation here. Six levels and bosses for each. That way, it doesn’t feel like either one is being sidelined here. But regardless, let’s cover the first level here, and which was already featured in the Genesis Era of the original Generations! Also, I should say that like the original Generations, this is the point where the player can go to whatever levels they want in whatever order. But we’ll go in the proper order for convenience. SKY SANCTUARY (SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3/SONIC & KNUCKLES) Although I could have cheated and given each half of Sonic 3 it’s own stage here, I wanted to be fair and just have one for each game. And while there’s plenty of great picks, like Angel Island, Hydrocity, Carnival Night, Ice Cap, Launch Base, Mushroom Hill, Flying Battery, Lava Reef, and Death Egg, Sky Sanctuary was chosen in the actual game for a good reason. It’s got great story significance in it’s origin game, the aesthetic and music were great, there’s plenty of great set pieces and gimmicks, and in the actual Generations game, it was fantastic. So, there’s not much I want to change here, aside from two things:
…Oh yeah, for anyone wondering why I’m including this game here in the Saturn Era, despite not being released initially on the Sega Saturn. Here’s my reasoning.
Cutscene 15: Rougher Than The Rest Of Them! (Classic Version) https://preview.redd.it/7miv1dr21cra1.jpg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ac30efaa8c318e9544d71707528b044872abcea1 As Modern Sonic (MS) and Classic Sonic (CS) make their way across Sky Sanctuary via bashing Egg Robos, using different tricks, and moving across many structures, they have a somewhat casual chat. Classic Sonic: “You know, I always wondered where Carnival Night came from.” Classic Sonic: “Like, is it a place Eggman made?” Modern Sonic: “Probably. Or maybe Knuckles likes to go on theme-park rides every now and then?” Classic Sonic: “Pssh! That guy could certainly use more fun in his life, considering what he does all day!” Classic Sonic: “Does he ever put that aside to help you guys out?” Modern Sonic: “A couple of times, surprisingly. Mainly because he just takes…?” MS’ words wander off as he notices something in the far corner of his eye, which CS picks up on too. So, the two of them make their way to the platform with the thing that caught their attention. Immediately, they see a pale-white Echidna statue underneath a grape-tree, holding his fists up in a defensive pose. Having a bit of a playful smirk, MS knows who this is, with CS easily being able to tell. Classic Sonic: “So, this is your Knuckles…he looks about the same as the one I know.” Modern Sonic: “Heheh. He’s not gonna be happy about having to be saved by us.” Classic Sonic: “Eh. We both know he’s secretly a bit of a softie!” CS’ words make MS chuckle a bit, as the two walk towards the frozen Knuckles. However, something suddenly crashes onto the platform, in front of the two hedgehogs, creating a dust cloud. Classic Sonic: “Oh boy…” Modern Sonic: “First Mecha Mk l…then Metal…and now this one…” When the dust clears, a particularly bulky, blue machine with hedgehog-like features and a red visor for eyes stands before the two Sonic’s. A mighty machine that’s prepared to crush any opposition to his creator… Mecha Sonic Mk ll… https://preview.redd.it/cbfzlmha1cra1.jpg?width=781&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21e5c94319510c8e8ed13ccb7c078d907ec34a3f Mecha Sonic Mk ll: “THERE ARE TWO TARGETS IDENTIFIED AS SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. ILLOGICAL.” Mecha Sonic Mk ll: “LOGIC IGNORED. ALL ENEMIES TO THE ROBOTNIK EMPIRE MUST BE CRUSHED.” Modern Sonic: “Heh! Been a long time since I fought this copy-hog! I remember him being pretty tough!” Classic Sonic: “Right. But I can take him on, no problem!” Modern Sonic: “Wait, maybe we should-?” Without listening, CS charges up a spindash and attacks Mecha Mk ll, only for the robot to suddenly punt the young hedgehog backwards with a single fist, with MS helping him back up. Classic Sonic: “Owww…I don’t remember him packing THAT big a punch!” Modern Sonic: “Me either. Something’s up.” Mecha Sonic Mk ll: “AFFIRMATIVE. THIS UNIT HAS ACQUIRED A GREAT POWER SOURCE SINCE ARRIVING HERE.” Opening his chest cavity, Mecha Mk ll pulls out a dark green Emerald. Though, it’s not an exact diamond cut, like the Chaos Emeralds, which MS recognizes. https://preview.redd.it/0dx8vifd1cra1.png?width=899&format=png&auto=webp&s=f2d6998f1ae1100e47af29d76e05df9f466ad20d Classic Sonic: “So THAT’S what it is! He’s got a Chaos Emerald!” Modern Sonic: “No. That’s the Master Emerald! He must have taken it from Knuckles when they got here!” Classic Sonic: “Really? Why is it so small?” Closing up it’s chest cavity, Mecha Mk ll starts surging with energy in a golden aura, before bursting into it’s super form, catching both Sonic’s off-guard. Source: Nibroc-Rock on DeviantArt. Modern Sonic: “Okay, I don’t remember him being able to do THAT!” Classic Sonic: “Me either!” Mecha Sonic Mk ll: “SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. I WILL CRUSH YOU.” These words cause CS to sweat a bit, while MS seems a little taken back. However, before either side can do anything, a new challenger comes in from above. ???: “HANDS OFF MY EMERALD!” Super Mecha Mk ll gets hit in the face with a spiky fist, which sends him back a bit, but does no damage. Meanwhile, his attacker gets sent back to where the frozen Knuckles is. Immediately, CS can tell who it is, smirking. Source: Nibroc-Rock on DeviantArt. Classic Sonic: “I was wondering if you were gonna show up, Knucklehead!” Classic Knuckles: “Not in the mood for your jokes, Sonic! What kind of trouble have you dragged me into this time!? And why is there another you!?” Modern Sonic: “Punch first, ask later!” Classic Knuckles: “Tch! I was already planning on it!” Mecha Sonic Mk ll: “KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA…YOU WILL ALSO BE CRUSHED.” Super Mecha Mk ll rushes in to attack Classic Knuckles (CK), who has to fight on the backfoot, but manages to hold himself well. CS is about to jump in, but MS stops him. Modern Sonic: “You go free my Knuckles first! I’ll back up yours!” Classic Sonic: “Right! I got it!” While MS jumps into the fight, CS runs up to the frozen Modern Knuckles (MK) and uses the clock hand to free him. Once he’s conscious, he looks around irritated. Source: Nibroc-Rock on DeviantArt. Modern Knuckles: “Agh! Where is-!?” Modern Knuckles: “Wait…I’m back at Sky Sanctuary…?” A few seconds after, he notices CS, and has a confused expression. Modern Knuckles: “...Why are you smaller now? And…rounder?” Classic Sonic: “*Sigh*...” Annoyed, CS points at the fight going on between Super Mecha Mk ll, MS, and CK. The older hedgehog is the main attacker, while CK acts as support. However, despite making good progress, it’s clear the power of the Master Emerald is more than enough to deal with them. MK is surprised at the event, particularly when seeing the smaller him, but quickly puts on a more aggressive expression. Modern Sonic: “Okay, I’m a little lost on the whole ‘using the Master Emerald to power itself’ thing!” Classic Knuckles: “A while back, this junk-heap tried using it to take me down! But it needed to recharge after a few seconds!” Modern Sonic: “Pretty sure it’s been longer than a few seconds!” Mecha Sonic Mk ll: “WITH THE MASTER EMERALD INTEGRATED INTO MY SYSTEMS, THERE IS NO NEED FOR A RECHARGE PERIOD.” Mecha Sonic Mk ll: “WHICH MEANS ALL OF YOU WILL SOON BE-” As if to shut him up, MK comes in and punches Super Mecha Mk ll so hard in the chest that not only is the robot sent flying back, but the Master Emerald pops out of him, and is then caught by MK. While CK looks dumbfounded at seeing another him come in all of a sudden, while also finding it kinda cool, MS just smiles. Modern Sonic: “Now, where have I seen THAT before?” Modern Knuckles: “Not the time to reminisce, Sonic. That machine’s not done with us yet.” Right after saying that, Mecha Mk ll flies back in, with a crunched chest from the blow dealt to him by MK. Though, he’s still functional, and ready for battle, with the heroes feeling similarly. Mecha Sonic Mk ll: “MUST REGAIN POWER SOURCE…MUST CRUSH ALL OPPOSITION…” Classic Sonic: “Oh yeah? You and what army, Mecha?” Classic Sonic: “Because there’s four of us, and only-” Suddenly, both Knuckles’ rush in with the two Sonic’s surprised and annoyed by this. Quickly, the two Echidna’s deliver a mighty punch that connects with Mecha Mk ll, destroying him and sending his remains all across the area. Once done, the two Knuckles’ look back at each other, proud of what they just did. Modern Knuckles: “Heh. Not a bad punch.” Classic Knuckles: “...Same to you.” MK and CK do a fist-bump, and the two Sonic’s go up to them with unamused expressions. Modern Sonic: “You really had to steal the win, didn’t you?” Modern Knuckles: “You get the wins ALL the time, Sonic. Or are you jealous?” Classic Knuckles: “Hey, now that the junk-heap is taken care of, can I know what the heck is going on?” Classic Sonic: “Time-travel stuff.” Classic Knuckles: “Time-travel? Like, going to the past and stuff?” Modern Sonic: “Basically. Do you remember what you were doing before all this happened?” Classic Knuckles: “Ugh. I was thinking about moving the Master Emerald to another shrine on Angel Island so I can better look out for threats.” Classic Knuckles: “Then, this weird purple energy came towards me, and now I’m suddenly here!” Classic Knuckles: “You two didn’t do anything stupid, did you?” Modern Knuckles: “Calm down. Some shadow creature is causing all this chaos. It’s got nothing to do with Sonic.” Classic Knuckles: “...Okay…sorry…” Classic Knuckles: “Though, why do you have the Master Emerald on hand? You know it’s dangerous to have it on you!” Modern Knuckles: “Better than leaving it unguarded when my help is needed.” Classic Sonic: “You two can debate on this another time. We ought to head back to the others.” Classic Sonic: “Then, we can-” All of a sudden, a purple time portal appears next to CS, surprising everyone there, and quickly, a Big Arm grabs the young hedgehog and drags him in, with the portal closing right after. Needless to say, everyone’s confused. Modern Knuckles: “...What just happened?” Modern Sonic: “Pretty sure the younger me’s gonna have to deal with Eggman again.” Classic Knuckles: “Eggman? Is he the one behind all this?” Modern Sonic: “We don’t know yet, but he at least knows something about what’s going on.” Modern Sonic: “As the other me was just about to say, we should head back to White Space, and wait until he’s done with whatever keeps him busy. He can get back to us with the clock hand.” Modern Knuckles: “Right. If he’s anything like you, he’ll have no problem getting it done.” MS nods, and the three heroes head off. Though, the two Knuckles’ have a chat on the way. Classic Knuckles: “Just how many more adventures am I dragged into because of Sonic and Eggman?” Modern Knuckles: “Eh. Plenty of times.” Modern Knuckles: “But at this point, I’m willing to let go of my duties every once in a while for my friends.” Modern Knuckles: “Sure. My home and the Master Emerald come first, and I prefer being alone most of the time, but…” Modern Knuckles: “...I don’t mind a little company every once in a while.” Classic Knuckles: “...Mm…” Though CK doesn’t make any sort of response that shows he agrees with what MK is saying, he does look somewhat receptive to the idea. But the two just continue on with MS as the scene ends, leading to the boss fight… This one’s definitely one of my favorites. Here’s why. First, a trend I make throughout many of these kinds of scenes is having Classic and Modern Sonic talk about different stuff, like events from different games, certain characters, that kind of thing. It’s really fun, and it kind of builds character. Second, Mecha Sonic Mk ll! Sure, it’s not the same as the death machine from SMBZ, but I certainly made a reference or two! And it’s just cool to bring him back here! Too bad he didn’t get any sort of boss fight here. But he DID have a cool scene at least! Third, Classic Knuckles is here this time! Because when you put in Classic Amy, you might as well add in Rad Red! Plus, as a Knuckles fan, it was just fun and cool to have these two versions of the character beat up Mecha Sonic Mk ll, banter with their Sonic’s, and talk about their duties to their friends and their home. It’s really cool! Speaking of cool, you probably already know what the boss fight is for this level! BIG ARMS (SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3/SONIC & KNUCKLES) This time around, I’m pulling a representative from the 3DS version of Sonic Generations! Sure, I could have gone with the Giant Eggman Robo, but I already have the Death Egg Robot here, so it’d kinda feel repetitive. And while a fight between Classic & Modern Knuckles would be awesome, I think it just makes more sense to use Big Arms here. He’s probably the most infamous boss in Sonic 3 for it’s design, attack patterns, aesthetic and music, and the fact it can hurt Super Sonic. Plus, how could I NOT keep the absolute BANGER of a music track that is the remix of this thing’s theme song!? It’s SOOOOO good! And you bet I’m gonna make the fight harder and longer so that people can actually listen to it for more than 30 seconds! Anyways, you’d obviously fight the thing on the Launch Base platform from the original fight, and the first phase would be about the same as both the original battle, and the 3DS Generations battle, such as:
See, while the Death Egg Robot is the first boss to have a Chaos Emerald, Big Arms is the first to actually use one during the fight. Using the Red Chaos Emerald, it powers itself up to make it’s attacks hit harder, along with gaining some new ones. Either on the left or right side, Big Arms will prepare to launch at Sonic, following his vertical position. Then, he sticks at the position he was just at, before dashing past the platform, attempting to grab him, and leaving no openings for damage. He’ll try it again on the other side, and then on the third attempt, when he’s about to zip past again, he’ll instead come close and clap his hands together in order to hurt Sonic. However, when he’s about to do it, his cockpit is open to a quick attack. And after doing the clap attack, the machine will seemingly malfunction a bit, which also leaves him open to damage. But if any of the attempts to grab Sonic are successful, the machine will throw him up a bit into the air, before smacking him down onto the platform. Hovering over Sonic and following his horizontal position on the platform, Big Arms will instead use a chain-knuckle punch from each arm to try and hit him. There’s a cooldown for a bit after each attack, and he’ll do about 3 of these before doing a two-handed fist-slam on Sonic’s last position, which creates a bit of a shockwave that the hedgehog will have to stay away from. After doing that fist-slam, the hands will be stuck in the platform for a few seconds, leaving Big Arms open to getting hurt. Going into the background, Big Arms shoots missiles from it’s arms at Sonic’s current position on the platform. Think of it like what the Egg Dragoon does in Sonic Forces, only a little bit faster. Big Arms calls in an Egg Robo, riding it’s own Egg Mobile, and it flies high above the platform, dropping off bombs in order to distract Sonic while the main threat attempts another move. But after dropping 3 or so bombs when moving to the right or left, it’ll lower and try to reload. This is an opening for Sonic to hit it once, which is all it takes to destroy it. Big Arms can also destroy the Egg Robo with it’s own attacks, since it’s only focus is on Sonic. The camera extends to either the left or right side, where Big Arms moves a little bit away from the platform and charges up an energy beam from it’s hands using the Chaos Emerald. When ready, it’ll fire a beam that Sonic will have to dodge by either jumping above it, or ducking under it. Think of it kinda like the beam the Giant Eggman Robo uses in Death Egg Zone during Sonic 3K, only not as large. He fires one from one hand, then another from the other hand, and then does one last one with both hands together, before having a cool-down period. However, while this happens, the machine accidentally floats towards the platform, where he’s open to getting hit by Sonic. With 3 more hits dealt, Big Arms starts to spaz out, sparking electricity and letting off steam, before suddenly shooting missiles at the steel rods that connect the platform to the Death Egg above. This causes it to fall down to the Launch Base area, along with some other nearby debris from the Death Egg, and Big Arms is seen in the background, ready for one more, desperate attack:
This then leads to Sonic falling from the sky, now becoming clear and sunny, while Eggman in his destroyed Egg Mobile spirals down in a burning and smoking mess. The hedgehog eventually lands onto the metallic floor of the Launch Base, while the broken machine parts, the platform, debris, and finally the Red Chaos Emerald land around him. Victorious and confident, Sonic smirks and wipes his nose, as the results screen is shown. Sounds a lot more fun, doesn’t it? It’s longer, more difficult, more varied, and overall, I just really like this concept! I would love to actually play this battle! But sadly, it only exists as a fun concept…but let’s just move on to the scene that plays after. Cutscene 16: Suspicion… https://preview.redd.it/sjwuqd833cra1.png?width=320&format=png&auto=webp&s=f4ec9b4fb190dbf6ec2a80abd126041b2bce1942 In Launch Base, Classic Sonic (CS) stands among the remains of Big Arms, the platform attached to the Death Egg, a few pieces that broke off the Death Egg, and the Red Chaos Emerald, lying down on the ground. https://preview.redd.it/7bmy5v8s2cra1.png?width=694&format=png&auto=webp&s=837f178173bd501ccaf47b243ddb280c2745c279 And not too far away, Classic Eggman/Robotnik (CE) crashes into the ground in his Egg Mobile, fumbling out of the cockpit and laying down, worn-out and angry at losing once again to his spiky adversary. After grabbing the Emerald, CS goes up to CE, who’s trying to sit up, and ranting about his loss. Robotnik: “I can’t believe this! I should have been able to crush you easily with the Chaos Emerald’s power!” Sonic: “Well, I’ll at least give you some credit. That certainly was one of your better machines.” Sonic: “But you should know at this point that no matter the circumstances, there’s no topping me!” Sonic: “Though…now that we have a chance to talk again, I need to ask you about something that’s been bothering me.” When CS says this, CE raises an eyebrow in confusion. Robotnik: “What do you mean?” Sonic: “Come on, Eggman. You know I’m not stupid, and I know you aren’t either.” Robotnik: “Tch! Of course not! I have an IQ of 300, and an unparalleled level of scientific and mechanical mastery!” Sonic: “Yeah, sure, whatever.” Sonic: “Anyways, you definitely are the same Eggman I fought back at South Island and the Death Egg before. And I doubt you would ever pass up an opportunity to take advantage of a situation like this.” Robotnik: “And your point is?” Looking CE dead in the eye, CS says what’s on his mind with a stern expression. Sonic: “What are you REALLY trying to do here?” Robotnik: “...” For a moment…no words are exchanged…but then… Robotnik: “...Heh…heheheh…!” Robotnik: “Hahahahahaha!” CE just laughs to himself, which leaves CS confused and annoyed. Sonic: “What’s so funny?” Robotnik: “Heheh…oh, nothing…” Robotnik: “It’s just amusing that you think you still have power over me, or that I’d willingly tell you anything I knew.” Sonic: “Why not? Do you WANT all of time and space to collapse?” Robotnik: “Obviously not! But I’m certainly not gonna work with you to fix that!” Robotnik: “Not when I have BIGGER plans in mind!” This comment catches CS’ attention. Sonic: “Bigger plans? Just what are-!?” Before any more questions can be asked, CE disappears in a flash of purple, leaving the young hedgehog alone, but still confused and irritated. Sonic: “Well, that wasn’t a very fruitful investigation…” Sonic: “But…I got another Chaos Emerald at least…” Looking at the red gem in his hands, CS smiles, before heading off and ending the scene… Yeah, not much happens here, but…it’s clear Robotnik is up to something here. But what, you’ll see later on! So, next post, we'll get to the next Saturn Era level! Next Post Archives Previous Post |
2023.04.01 22:37 demondork224 [FB4GM] Femboy Cyberslut
I’m 18+ and all characters and participants must be 18+
And fair warning this RP will be EXTREME nearly any kinks and my character could get nasty game overs, it will be quite filthy and hot nearly all kinks are up for grabs.
So this RP is based within the world of cyberpunk, not specifically night city though it's possible, there's the glitz and glamour of the high life, above the smog eating real food, with top quality food drink, servants and joytoys, above the law and there's the street, almost always clouded by the industrial haze, grimy, cheap, every day a struggle doing all manner of crimes to get by to enjoy a glass of caff beverage and synthetic beef noodles.
I’ll be a character in dire circumstances, a target of a failed corporate assassination, a poor street kid who's family got wiped in some Merc war in your neighborhood, a ganger who just about survived a hostile take over. I could have been anyone but now I’m in major debt and in need so I’ll do anything to pay them off
My ripper might install what he wants, i might not have the right tools for the job but the best you can do is try to get by.
Kinks: cum, cum eating, cum food, cum play, cream pie,bdsm, bondage, forced, body writing, spanking, cuddling, degradation, rough partners, sizeplay, dominant partners, toys, multiple partners, spit roasting, mating press, full Nelson,frenching,rimming,body oil,bestiality,water sports,wax play,sex machines,being filmed,cosplay,NTR,petplay,exhibitionism and biting and pretty much anything that isn’t my limits
Limits: Scat,gore,vore,hyper sizes,necro and vomit
If that's of interest to you, please get in touch at Demondork on Kik and come with any questions you have, clarifications you need and ideas you'd like to share. Just please do more than just tell me you're interested. Don't worry about responding slowly/late, I still want to hear from you. Finally, please no chat requests, I will simply ignore them.
submitted by demondork224 to KikRoleplayers [link] [comments]
And fair warning this RP will be EXTREME nearly any kinks and my character could get nasty game overs, it will be quite filthy and hot nearly all kinks are up for grabs.
I’ll be a character in dire circumstances, a target of a failed corporate assassination, a poor street kid who's family got wiped in some Merc war in your neighborhood, a ganger who just about survived a hostile take over. I could have been anyone but now I’m in major debt and in need so I’ll do anything to pay them off
My ripper might install what he wants, i might not have the right tools for the job but the best you can do is try to get by.
Kinks: cum, cum eating, cum food, cum play, cream pie,bdsm, bondage, forced, body writing, spanking, cuddling, degradation, rough partners, sizeplay, dominant partners, toys, multiple partners, spit roasting, mating press, full Nelson,frenching,rimming,body oil,bestiality,water sports,wax play,sex machines,being filmed,cosplay,NTR,petplay,exhibitionism and biting and pretty much anything that isn’t my limits
Limits: Scat,gore,vore,hyper sizes,necro and vomit
If that's of interest to you, please get in touch at Demondork on Kik and come with any questions you have, clarifications you need and ideas you'd like to share. Just please do more than just tell me you're interested. Don't worry about responding slowly/late, I still want to hear from you. Finally, please no chat requests, I will simply ignore them.
2023.04.01 22:37 Royal_Influence3674 It all started with panic attacks
So before anything I want to mention that I am doing psychotherapy and philosophy but I am wondering if there is anybody having the same issue like me. So, I used to drink, smoke and write like I was Bodelaire for many many years. The last 7 months I have a phobia in drinking alcohol, taking any kind of medicine (aspirine example), smoking, coffee and so on... Because I thought that If I did so my panic attacks would go away, unfortunately that didnt work at all. For many people that would be a blessing but I feel awful, like I am not myself anymore even when everything else is perfect in my life. I fear that if I do so I would lose control, the idea of becoming high or drunk stresses me. It's the fear to loose my mind or die but the same time I feel like I want to be like I was. Anyone with a similar experience? Ps. I never was addicted or something, I am talking about wanting to drink 1-2 glass or wine or a beer.
submitted by Royal_Influence3674 to PanicAttack [link] [comments]
2023.04.01 22:37 ynocfyinco Fasting-friendly way to consume cannabis, without smoking?
I'm extremely guarded about my lungs and teeth. No smoked products for me, ever. Edibles are OK, but many are high in sugar, and I'd rather avoid that while fasting. I have heard mixed things about the safety of vaping, so I'm not sure about that one.
What are some of your favorite ways to consume when fasting? Capsules? Tinctures? I'm not very hip to such things.
submitted by ynocfyinco to fasting [link] [comments]
What are some of your favorite ways to consume when fasting? Capsules? Tinctures? I'm not very hip to such things.
2023.04.01 22:37 mongotongo Having Variable string ending in 'y' causes subsequent '\r\n" to be ignored
I am having an issue with the following snippet of code. This code is being used as part of the teardown_class and is part of a string that is used as the message body for an email that is sent as a summary for the tests. When ever the variable sub[''Name] variable ends in y, the '\r\n' is ignored in the following assignment. The spacer variable is just a string of '=' that's used as a border.
subredditStr += "\r\n\r\nSubreddit " +sub['Name'].title() + ' Posts: ' +str(len(sub['Posts'])) + ' posts'subredditStr += '\r\n' + self.reddit.logger.spacer
below our two example outputs:
sub['Name'].title() = '' Valveindex "
Subreddit Valveindex Posts: 28 posts
sub['Name'].title() = '' Bladeandsorcery"
Subreddit Bladeandsorcery Posts: 30 posts ======================================
I have been able to reproduce this behavior with any values that end in y. If the value just contains a 'y' its fine. For instance, here is one for python:
Subreddit Python Posts: 30 posts
I have gotten around it somewhat by checking the last character for 'y' and then adding a extra '\r\n' with the code below:
if sub['Name'][-1] == 'y': subredditStr += "\r\n\r\nSubreddit " +sub['Name'].title() + ' Posts: ' +str(len(sub['Posts'])) + ' posts' subredditStr += '\r\n\r\n' + self.reddit.logger.spacerelse: subredditStr += "\r\n\r\nSubreddit " +sub['Name'].title() + ' Posts: ' +str(len(sub['Posts'])) + ' posts' subredditStr += '\r\n' + self.reddit.logger.spacer
Anyone have any idea why the string ending in 'y' would cause this issue? I'm at a loss. If it was at the ending of the string near the '\r\n' than it would make more sense to me. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
submitted by mongotongo to pytesting [link] [comments]
subredditStr += "\r\n\r\nSubreddit " +sub['Name'].title() + ' Posts: ' +str(len(sub['Posts'])) + ' posts'subredditStr += '\r\n' + self.reddit.logger.spacer
below our two example outputs:
sub['Name'].title() = '' Valveindex "
Subreddit Valveindex Posts: 28 posts
sub['Name'].title() = '' Bladeandsorcery"
Subreddit Bladeandsorcery Posts: 30 posts ======================================
I have been able to reproduce this behavior with any values that end in y. If the value just contains a 'y' its fine. For instance, here is one for python:
Subreddit Python Posts: 30 posts
I have gotten around it somewhat by checking the last character for 'y' and then adding a extra '\r\n' with the code below:
if sub['Name'][-1] == 'y': subredditStr += "\r\n\r\nSubreddit " +sub['Name'].title() + ' Posts: ' +str(len(sub['Posts'])) + ' posts' subredditStr += '\r\n\r\n' + self.reddit.logger.spacerelse: subredditStr += "\r\n\r\nSubreddit " +sub['Name'].title() + ' Posts: ' +str(len(sub['Posts'])) + ' posts' subredditStr += '\r\n' + self.reddit.logger.spacer
Anyone have any idea why the string ending in 'y' would cause this issue? I'm at a loss. If it was at the ending of the string near the '\r\n' than it would make more sense to me. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
2023.04.01 22:37 altorang What is this yellow smoke on me?
 | submitted by altorang to Eldenring [link] [comments] |
2023.04.01 22:34 YoungKujino Print guard advice
 | I have recently learned that Print Guard sucks, and it doesn't help when the PG I have is not working with me. I watched the brain shark video and some other random YT videos, and it seems so easy to peel, but mine keeps tearing damn near immediately. Is there any way to prevent that or make my life easier? It is older PG, and I've ordered a new roll, but this order is overdue and the Cx is one of those grumpy types, so I'm hoping there's a way to help. Unfortunately for me, the piece is about 35x47, and the Cc doesn't want it framed so I can't offer glass or Acrylic instead of our print guard. I'll attach a picture of the PG after I peeled a little so y'all can get a visual of the shit I've been dealing with submitted by YoungKujino to MichaelsEmployees [link] [comments] |
2023.04.01 22:33 missmarleee 2019 F-150 XL Remote Start
I bought my truck in 2019 used (barely 6k miles on it) and I was told it didn’t have remote start, and I figured that anyways because I have the basic key fob without the little 2x button. However, the other day, after almost 4 years of owning it, my toddler and I were walking away from it, and she pushed the unlock button. As I struggled it away from her trying to push lock I think I hit it a few times and it suddenly started. I nearly shit myself. How could be so dumb to not know I had it this whole time. Unfortunately we can’t get it to do it again and I think my husband thinks I’m crazy and doesn’t believe me that it started😂 we have watched a bunch of YouTube videos with same key fob and year and they all say just push lock 3 times and it starts , but we can’t get it to do it again. It is started to feel like I am crazy and just imagined it happening the first time. Does anyone know anything about this? Is it maybe a faulty remote start that just sporadically works? If it started once then it clearly has the capability right?
submitted by missmarleee to f150 [link] [comments]
2023.04.01 22:33 GroundbreakingAd3465 Husband's Dog Has Severe Seperation Anxiety
So my husband and I have been together for about two years now. Amongst us we have three dogs- I have one 5 year old boxer and he has a 3 year old boxer and a 10 year old wolf dog. His wolf dog has intense separation anxiety towards my husband and it's really stressful to me.
So I moved in a few months back with my 5 year old dog and the only constant stressor in my new life here is his wolf dog.
Background on his wolf dog: she is practically glued to my husbands hip at all times. Other than that, she's a very sweet girl and well trained. But my husband can not simply walk outside of the house or go downstairs without her full on freaking out until he returns (howling, whining, pacing, standing on hind legs to look out the windows, scratching and the doowalls, etc. She's lived in this house her whole life and has managed to destroy quite a lot. Like even if he just goes to the car or to the mailbox, she will freak out. The howling/whining is really what stresses me out. Also it's only happening when he leaves so he never truly experiences the whole ordeal first-hand.
We both work from home, some days he has to spend majority of the day inside, other days outside (still in the yard), while I am mostly inside.
The times where my husband is not within probably 10 feet of her, she is full on panicking. Clawing at windows and destroying whatever just to get eyes on his whereabouts. I feel so bad for her and she gets so stressed overwhelmed and over threshold so easily that I feel helpless. I'm can't distract her from the fact that my husband is not there and I'm afraid that since she is so old, she is so set in her ways and this is not something that can be fixed.
When my husband is near her, she is perfectly content and such a great dog.
I don't want to sound judge mental here but it bothers me that's his profession is a being dog trainer yet he has the dog with the worst separation anxiety. He rarely disciplines her, lets her get away with more than the other dogs, while I am the more strict one with more boundaries I try to enforce. He claims that he has tried everything and there is just a chemical imbalance in her and we can only manage it.
I could never enjoy a quiet day alone if my husband isn't home. I love my husband and his dog and I don't want to lose either of them. I just need options at this point.
It can be a little stressful when mentioning incorporating training or working out a new solution to help combat her SA but I always get (respectfully) shut down. He's tried medication but said he doesn't like seeing her "drunk-like", she still whines and howls just very sloppily. I mean this dog has won awards and such so I know that she is smart.
I've mentioned maybe us working on systematic desensitization maybe in the evenings or something but it just gets pushed under the rug. He claims that she is unfixable in this regards as it's a chemical imbalance in the brain and she can only be managed and her current state is the best it's going to get.
I get frustrated towards him because there's no foreseeable solution, but I mean he is a dog trainer so he must know his shit, right? Is he right and I'm just unknowledgeable enough to see what he sees? Or is there actually a solution to this?
Is there something I could do on my own to help simmer her SA? I try to do simple commands with her and use high value treats to build our bond when he's not around but it's always hit or miss. She's not really receptive towards me as my husband is the ultimate high value treat so anything and everything else is unimportant to her.
If she is too old to change and this is just the way things are, are there things I could do in my free time with her to help her feel more calm?
I get so angry at him and at her but I think my anger is just a result of being way overstimulated by her severe SA behavior. I don't want to be angry at either of them. I just want a solution.
I could use any and all advice.
submitted by GroundbreakingAd3465 to OpenDogTraining [link] [comments]
So I moved in a few months back with my 5 year old dog and the only constant stressor in my new life here is his wolf dog.
Background on his wolf dog: she is practically glued to my husbands hip at all times. Other than that, she's a very sweet girl and well trained. But my husband can not simply walk outside of the house or go downstairs without her full on freaking out until he returns (howling, whining, pacing, standing on hind legs to look out the windows, scratching and the doowalls, etc. She's lived in this house her whole life and has managed to destroy quite a lot. Like even if he just goes to the car or to the mailbox, she will freak out. The howling/whining is really what stresses me out. Also it's only happening when he leaves so he never truly experiences the whole ordeal first-hand.
We both work from home, some days he has to spend majority of the day inside, other days outside (still in the yard), while I am mostly inside.
The times where my husband is not within probably 10 feet of her, she is full on panicking. Clawing at windows and destroying whatever just to get eyes on his whereabouts. I feel so bad for her and she gets so stressed overwhelmed and over threshold so easily that I feel helpless. I'm can't distract her from the fact that my husband is not there and I'm afraid that since she is so old, she is so set in her ways and this is not something that can be fixed.
When my husband is near her, she is perfectly content and such a great dog.
I don't want to sound judge mental here but it bothers me that's his profession is a being dog trainer yet he has the dog with the worst separation anxiety. He rarely disciplines her, lets her get away with more than the other dogs, while I am the more strict one with more boundaries I try to enforce. He claims that he has tried everything and there is just a chemical imbalance in her and we can only manage it.
I could never enjoy a quiet day alone if my husband isn't home. I love my husband and his dog and I don't want to lose either of them. I just need options at this point.
It can be a little stressful when mentioning incorporating training or working out a new solution to help combat her SA but I always get (respectfully) shut down. He's tried medication but said he doesn't like seeing her "drunk-like", she still whines and howls just very sloppily. I mean this dog has won awards and such so I know that she is smart.
I've mentioned maybe us working on systematic desensitization maybe in the evenings or something but it just gets pushed under the rug. He claims that she is unfixable in this regards as it's a chemical imbalance in the brain and she can only be managed and her current state is the best it's going to get.
I get frustrated towards him because there's no foreseeable solution, but I mean he is a dog trainer so he must know his shit, right? Is he right and I'm just unknowledgeable enough to see what he sees? Or is there actually a solution to this?
Is there something I could do on my own to help simmer her SA? I try to do simple commands with her and use high value treats to build our bond when he's not around but it's always hit or miss. She's not really receptive towards me as my husband is the ultimate high value treat so anything and everything else is unimportant to her.
If she is too old to change and this is just the way things are, are there things I could do in my free time with her to help her feel more calm?
I get so angry at him and at her but I think my anger is just a result of being way overstimulated by her severe SA behavior. I don't want to be angry at either of them. I just want a solution.
I could use any and all advice.
2023.04.01 22:32 Temporary_Acadia7717 AITA for not wanting my husband to have a relationship with his sister.
When my husband and I met his sister seemed excited to have me around. Then when things got more serious and we moved in together she seemed almost jealous. She’s pulled me aside and basically suggested that I mess around with one of her boyfriends friends. Tried to have my husband stay over at their place without me or go to parties with them without me and he wouldn’t. Then would text me saying she missed the relationship she had with her brother. We have 4 kids (the oldest is his from a previous relationship, then I have 2 from another partner, and we have one together) and we have a lot of cookouts and things at our house. They never attend those or our kids birthdays.
When we decided to get married and elope in a 6 month time frame she asked my husband if it was a good time to get married. Yet she’s had two failed engagements… we planned to only have my husbands parents there as witnesses as we had a Quaker elopement where we didn’t need a preacher of any kind. She texted my husband and practically invited herself and then her bf. We were adamant that no kids were to be at the wedding, not even ours. We wanted a quiet, intimate ceremony.
The week of the wedding she texted me for the address and I sent it. Then she responded, “do you even want me there?” To which I didn’t respond and immediately contacted my husband who stood by my decision to not respond. Because what the F***. I’ve never acted rude or standoffish to her ever. She then decided to make a big scene with his family, saying I didn’t want her there and she deleted me and had my MIL delete me on Facebook…
When my husband texted her on the day of our wedding to ask if she was coming her respond was then, “My bf is out of town and I have all the kids so I can’t come.”
So was it about me or was it about your bf who knew 6 months ago about this day and y’all chose not to make it a priority.
That was a year and a half ago and she just reached out to him and says, “Sorry for anything and everything I’ve done to you.” And he is accepting that as an actual apology. I feel like she doesn’t even know why she’s saying sorry and doesn’t mean it. I don’t want her anywhere near my kids. If you have a problem with me then you don’t get access to them either.
submitted by Temporary_Acadia7717 to AmItheAsshole [link] [comments]
When we decided to get married and elope in a 6 month time frame she asked my husband if it was a good time to get married. Yet she’s had two failed engagements… we planned to only have my husbands parents there as witnesses as we had a Quaker elopement where we didn’t need a preacher of any kind. She texted my husband and practically invited herself and then her bf. We were adamant that no kids were to be at the wedding, not even ours. We wanted a quiet, intimate ceremony.
The week of the wedding she texted me for the address and I sent it. Then she responded, “do you even want me there?” To which I didn’t respond and immediately contacted my husband who stood by my decision to not respond. Because what the F***. I’ve never acted rude or standoffish to her ever. She then decided to make a big scene with his family, saying I didn’t want her there and she deleted me and had my MIL delete me on Facebook…
When my husband texted her on the day of our wedding to ask if she was coming her respond was then, “My bf is out of town and I have all the kids so I can’t come.”
So was it about me or was it about your bf who knew 6 months ago about this day and y’all chose not to make it a priority.
That was a year and a half ago and she just reached out to him and says, “Sorry for anything and everything I’ve done to you.” And he is accepting that as an actual apology. I feel like she doesn’t even know why she’s saying sorry and doesn’t mean it. I don’t want her anywhere near my kids. If you have a problem with me then you don’t get access to them either.
2023.04.01 22:32 Mr_Pebb Last Night Was Quite Productive
 | Out of all my games from my last night. This was my best one, just a shame we lost. We could have pushed further up if more smoke was chucked. And don't get me started on medics who refuse to pick me up, even though I saved them a few times. submitted by Mr_Pebb to battlefield2042 [link] [comments] |
2023.04.01 22:31 realmarkzackerberg meirl
 | submitted by realmarkzackerberg to meirl [link] [comments] |
2023.04.01 22:31 I_Need_Help_From_ The plane that was never found
ALERT, ALERT we are going down’ the pilot screams. ‘Please Jesus save us, I am begging’ he pleads down the intercom. So the pilot was no help. ‘WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE’ shrieks a passenger, who if I hadn’t looked at I would have easily mistaken for a banshee. ‘JESUS SAVE U-’ THUD. Then all that was left was darkness.
‘Erghhhh’ I stir, as I start to come to my senses, all I see is fire and sand, some sand had been super-heated into glass because the fire was blazing the sand to an extreme heat, which would explain the cuts I have, but wait why is there a fire? And why is there a lot of people sleeping on the floor. I ran over, shaking what looked like a businesswoman, but as I took a closer look her jaw had been separated from her body, and it looked like chunks and chunks of her guts where missing, I instantaneously gag and vomit. What happened to them? What happened to Us?
I go around one by one to see whether there are any signs of life, all of them had, had chunks taken out of them, probably because of the fire. I go around at least 4 times checking to see whether any of them are alive to no avail, they are all ‘asleep’.
‘URGHHHHH’ I hear, I sprint towards the noise to see the half human half banshee woman waking up, ‘URGHHH’ she moans. She looks at me and I look at her as she says, ‘I told you we were all going to die’, she then laughs, coughs and dies once more.
I was furious, was this some sort of sick joke, I do not know how I got here or where I am, all I know is that something happened, and a lot of people are dead because of it. Was it me? Did I kill them?
Surely not my poor weak muscles could not kill anyone, I can barely swat a fly, never mind a whole human. So that means something, killed us all, maybe a bear? No, that wouldn’t explain the fire. Maybe some sort of angry God? Who would be so cruel?
I look around for clues, grasping at anything that might mean human life. All I had found was a twig that looked funny, it looked like a flute with no holes, like the hollowness of bamboo but with a normal stick.
What felt like hours, I carry on walking, I see something, something that I had dreamed off, fire! There was a distant fire! Not the one near the mysterious dead bodies but a distant one in the centre of the island. I have no choice but to run as fast as my twig legs could carry me.
As I get closer and closer, I hear a lot of loud drums, this could mean there is multiple people. I'm saved. When I get closer, I see a bright, beautiful, roaring fire and people dancing around it and singing a funny little song, on the fire there was meat and fruit getting cooked to be eaten.
It was almost too good to be true.
I walked over and try to talk to one of the people, they were funny looking, they were not wearing normal clothes, they were wearing stuff made out of twigs and leaves and had face paint on.
They said something in apparent gibberish, and everyone had stopped dancing and turned to look at me. My face went red as I told them to carry on. They all smiled and grabbed me and sat me down at a table. Basically, force feeding me delicious meat and fruit, I was going to ask how they made the meat, but they didn’t speak English.
The people of this small village where kind and very inviting. They kept on feeding me and feeding me, until it felt like my belly was about to burst.
Later on, they indicated me to the biggest hut there was, inside there where paintings of a man who looked like he had conquered around 50 people and had left them on the floor to die. He went round making sure each one was dead because he was the one to vanquish them. Later on in the paintings it shows him sharing some food with the village, sharing his strength, and then disappearing. I thought it was a beautiful story and thought that these people where caring.
When I had turned back to the village people they had disappeared and closed the door behind them. I tried to open the door, but I was trapped I heard the word ‘Ignis’ be said outside before the whole room lit on fire. I'm guessing the reason why they’re meat was so good was because they like to slow cook it, I've been in here for two hours writing this story, I have barely any oxygen left, so if anyone reads this, if there is a strange village and you don’t know where you are or what is happening.
DO NOT GO TO IT.
submitted by I_Need_Help_From_ to nosleep [link] [comments]
‘Erghhhh’ I stir, as I start to come to my senses, all I see is fire and sand, some sand had been super-heated into glass because the fire was blazing the sand to an extreme heat, which would explain the cuts I have, but wait why is there a fire? And why is there a lot of people sleeping on the floor. I ran over, shaking what looked like a businesswoman, but as I took a closer look her jaw had been separated from her body, and it looked like chunks and chunks of her guts where missing, I instantaneously gag and vomit. What happened to them? What happened to Us?
I go around one by one to see whether there are any signs of life, all of them had, had chunks taken out of them, probably because of the fire. I go around at least 4 times checking to see whether any of them are alive to no avail, they are all ‘asleep’.
‘URGHHHHH’ I hear, I sprint towards the noise to see the half human half banshee woman waking up, ‘URGHHH’ she moans. She looks at me and I look at her as she says, ‘I told you we were all going to die’, she then laughs, coughs and dies once more.
I was furious, was this some sort of sick joke, I do not know how I got here or where I am, all I know is that something happened, and a lot of people are dead because of it. Was it me? Did I kill them?
Surely not my poor weak muscles could not kill anyone, I can barely swat a fly, never mind a whole human. So that means something, killed us all, maybe a bear? No, that wouldn’t explain the fire. Maybe some sort of angry God? Who would be so cruel?
I look around for clues, grasping at anything that might mean human life. All I had found was a twig that looked funny, it looked like a flute with no holes, like the hollowness of bamboo but with a normal stick.
What felt like hours, I carry on walking, I see something, something that I had dreamed off, fire! There was a distant fire! Not the one near the mysterious dead bodies but a distant one in the centre of the island. I have no choice but to run as fast as my twig legs could carry me.
As I get closer and closer, I hear a lot of loud drums, this could mean there is multiple people. I'm saved. When I get closer, I see a bright, beautiful, roaring fire and people dancing around it and singing a funny little song, on the fire there was meat and fruit getting cooked to be eaten.
It was almost too good to be true.
I walked over and try to talk to one of the people, they were funny looking, they were not wearing normal clothes, they were wearing stuff made out of twigs and leaves and had face paint on.
They said something in apparent gibberish, and everyone had stopped dancing and turned to look at me. My face went red as I told them to carry on. They all smiled and grabbed me and sat me down at a table. Basically, force feeding me delicious meat and fruit, I was going to ask how they made the meat, but they didn’t speak English.
The people of this small village where kind and very inviting. They kept on feeding me and feeding me, until it felt like my belly was about to burst.
Later on, they indicated me to the biggest hut there was, inside there where paintings of a man who looked like he had conquered around 50 people and had left them on the floor to die. He went round making sure each one was dead because he was the one to vanquish them. Later on in the paintings it shows him sharing some food with the village, sharing his strength, and then disappearing. I thought it was a beautiful story and thought that these people where caring.
When I had turned back to the village people they had disappeared and closed the door behind them. I tried to open the door, but I was trapped I heard the word ‘Ignis’ be said outside before the whole room lit on fire. I'm guessing the reason why they’re meat was so good was because they like to slow cook it, I've been in here for two hours writing this story, I have barely any oxygen left, so if anyone reads this, if there is a strange village and you don’t know where you are or what is happening.
DO NOT GO TO IT.
2023.04.01 22:29 rluen The Essential 100 according to ChatGPT
I tried to make ChatGPT create its version of the 1001 albums, for some reason it stopped at the 47ish line and when I tried in sections it repeated many releases. making a 1001 list would take more time that I thought so here are the 100 top albums according to ChatGPT today (2023/04/01). How do you feel about it, only two Beatles, and no Abbey Road.
1 The Beatles - "Revolver" -1966
2 Bob Dylan - "Highway 61 Revisited" -1965
3 The Beach Boys - "Pet Sounds" -1966
4 The Rolling Stones - "Exile on Main St." -1972
5 Pink Floyd - "The Dark Side of the Moon" -1973
6 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Are You Experienced" -1967
7 The Velvet Underground - "The Velvet Underground & Nico" -1967
8 Led Zeppelin - "Led Zeppelin IV" -1971
9 Nirvana - "Nevermind" -1991
10 Radiohead - "OK Computer" -1997
11 Miles Davis - "Kind of Blue" -1959
12 John Coltrane - "A Love Supreme" -1965
13 Charles Mingus - "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" -1963
14 Aretha Franklin - "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" -1967
15 James Brown - "Live at the Apollo" -1963
16 Stevie Wonder - "Songs in the Key of Life" -1976
17 Michael Jackson - "Thriller" -1982
18 Prince - "Purple Rain" -1984
19 The Clash - "London Calling" -1979
20 David Bowie - "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" -1972
21 The Smiths - "The Queen is Dead" -1986
22 Joy Division - "Unknown Pleasures" -1979
23 The Cure - "Disintegration" -1989
24 Public Enemy - "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" -1988
25 Wu-Tang Clan - "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" -1993
26 Dr. Dre - "The Chronic" -1992
27 N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton" -1988
28 Black Sabbath - "Paranoid" -1970
29 Deep Purple - "Machine Head" -1972
30 AC/DC - "Back in Black" -1980
31 Metallica - "Master of Puppets" -1986
32 Guns N' Roses - "Appetite for Destruction" -1987
33 Fleetwood Mac - "Rumours" -1977
34 The Eagles - "Hotel California" -1976
35 Bob Marley and the Wailers - "Exodus" -1977
36 Steely Dan - "Aja" -1977
37 Joni Mitchell - "Blue" -1971
38 Carole King - "Tapestry" -1971
39 Neil Young - "Harvest" -1972
40 Van Morrison - "Moondance" -1970
41 The Doors - "The Doors" -1967
42 Jefferson Airplane - "Surrealistic Pillow" -1967
43 The Who - "Who's Next" -1971
44 Queen - "A Night at the Opera" -1975
45 Elton John - "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" -1973
46 Fleetwood Mac - "Tusk" -1979
47 Prince - "Sign o' the Times" -1987
48 The Police - "Synchronicity" -1983
49 U2 - "The Joshua Tree" -1987
50 Radiohead - "Kid A" -2000
51 Arcade Fire - "Funeral" -2004
52 Sufjan Stevens - "Illinois" -2005
53 Kendrick Lamar - "To Pimp a Butterfly" -2015
54 Kanye West - "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" -2010
55 Beyoncé - "Lemonade" -2016
56 Taylor Swift - "1989" -2014
57 Frank Ocean - "Blonde" -2016
58 Outkast - "Aquemini" -1998
59 The Roots - "Things Fall Apart" -1999
60 Beastie Boys - "Paul's Boutique" -1989
61 Run-DMC - "Raising Hell" -1986
62 Blondie - "Parallel Lines" -1978
63 Patti Smith - "Horses" -1975
64 Lou Reed - "Transformer" -1972
65 Iggy Pop - "Lust for Life" -1977
66 Pixies - "Doolittle" -1989
67 Sonic Youth - "Daydream Nation" -1988
68 My Bloody Valentine - "Loveless" -1991
69 The Stone Roses - "The Stone Roses" -1989
70 The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Psychocandy" -1985
71 Oasis - "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" -1995
72 The Verve - "Urban Hymns" -1997
73 Massive Attack - "Blue Lines" -1991
74 Portishead - "Dummy" -1994
75 DJ Shadow - "Endtroducing....." -1996
76 Daft Punk - "Discovery" -2001
77 LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver" -2007
78 Vampire Weekend - "Modern Vampires of the City" -2013
79 Arctic Monkeys - "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" -2006
80 Tame Impala - "Currents" -2015
81 Pink Floyd - "Animals" -1977
82 The Rolling Stones - "Beggars Banquet" -1968
83 The Beatles - "Please Please Me" -1963
84 The Velvet Underground - "White Light/White Heat" -1968
85 David Bowie - "Station to Station" -1976
86 Talking Heads - "Remain in Light" -1980
87 Joy Division - "Unknown Pleasures" -1979
88 The Cure - "Disintegration" -1989
89 Depeche Mode - "Violator" -1990
90 New Order - "Power, Corruption & Lies" -1983
91 The Smiths - "The Queen Is Dead" -1986
92 R.E.M. - "Automatic for the People" -1992
93 Nirvana - "MTV Unplugged in New York" -1994
94 Pearl Jam - "Ten" -1991
95 Soundgarden - "Superunknown" -1994
96 Metallica - "Master of Puppets" -1986
97 Black Sabbath - "Paranoid" -1970
98 AC/DC - "Back in Black" -1980
99 Iron Maiden - "The Number of the Beast" -1982
100 Slayer - "Reign in Blood" -1986
submitted by rluen to 1001AlbumsChallenge [link] [comments]
1 The Beatles - "Revolver" -1966
2 Bob Dylan - "Highway 61 Revisited" -1965
3 The Beach Boys - "Pet Sounds" -1966
4 The Rolling Stones - "Exile on Main St." -1972
5 Pink Floyd - "The Dark Side of the Moon" -1973
6 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Are You Experienced" -1967
7 The Velvet Underground - "The Velvet Underground & Nico" -1967
8 Led Zeppelin - "Led Zeppelin IV" -1971
9 Nirvana - "Nevermind" -1991
10 Radiohead - "OK Computer" -1997
11 Miles Davis - "Kind of Blue" -1959
12 John Coltrane - "A Love Supreme" -1965
13 Charles Mingus - "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" -1963
14 Aretha Franklin - "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" -1967
15 James Brown - "Live at the Apollo" -1963
16 Stevie Wonder - "Songs in the Key of Life" -1976
17 Michael Jackson - "Thriller" -1982
18 Prince - "Purple Rain" -1984
19 The Clash - "London Calling" -1979
20 David Bowie - "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" -1972
21 The Smiths - "The Queen is Dead" -1986
22 Joy Division - "Unknown Pleasures" -1979
23 The Cure - "Disintegration" -1989
24 Public Enemy - "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" -1988
25 Wu-Tang Clan - "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" -1993
26 Dr. Dre - "The Chronic" -1992
27 N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton" -1988
28 Black Sabbath - "Paranoid" -1970
29 Deep Purple - "Machine Head" -1972
30 AC/DC - "Back in Black" -1980
31 Metallica - "Master of Puppets" -1986
32 Guns N' Roses - "Appetite for Destruction" -1987
33 Fleetwood Mac - "Rumours" -1977
34 The Eagles - "Hotel California" -1976
35 Bob Marley and the Wailers - "Exodus" -1977
36 Steely Dan - "Aja" -1977
37 Joni Mitchell - "Blue" -1971
38 Carole King - "Tapestry" -1971
39 Neil Young - "Harvest" -1972
40 Van Morrison - "Moondance" -1970
41 The Doors - "The Doors" -1967
42 Jefferson Airplane - "Surrealistic Pillow" -1967
43 The Who - "Who's Next" -1971
44 Queen - "A Night at the Opera" -1975
45 Elton John - "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" -1973
46 Fleetwood Mac - "Tusk" -1979
47 Prince - "Sign o' the Times" -1987
48 The Police - "Synchronicity" -1983
49 U2 - "The Joshua Tree" -1987
50 Radiohead - "Kid A" -2000
51 Arcade Fire - "Funeral" -2004
52 Sufjan Stevens - "Illinois" -2005
53 Kendrick Lamar - "To Pimp a Butterfly" -2015
54 Kanye West - "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" -2010
55 Beyoncé - "Lemonade" -2016
56 Taylor Swift - "1989" -2014
57 Frank Ocean - "Blonde" -2016
58 Outkast - "Aquemini" -1998
59 The Roots - "Things Fall Apart" -1999
60 Beastie Boys - "Paul's Boutique" -1989
61 Run-DMC - "Raising Hell" -1986
62 Blondie - "Parallel Lines" -1978
63 Patti Smith - "Horses" -1975
64 Lou Reed - "Transformer" -1972
65 Iggy Pop - "Lust for Life" -1977
66 Pixies - "Doolittle" -1989
67 Sonic Youth - "Daydream Nation" -1988
68 My Bloody Valentine - "Loveless" -1991
69 The Stone Roses - "The Stone Roses" -1989
70 The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Psychocandy" -1985
71 Oasis - "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" -1995
72 The Verve - "Urban Hymns" -1997
73 Massive Attack - "Blue Lines" -1991
74 Portishead - "Dummy" -1994
75 DJ Shadow - "Endtroducing....." -1996
76 Daft Punk - "Discovery" -2001
77 LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver" -2007
78 Vampire Weekend - "Modern Vampires of the City" -2013
79 Arctic Monkeys - "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" -2006
80 Tame Impala - "Currents" -2015
81 Pink Floyd - "Animals" -1977
82 The Rolling Stones - "Beggars Banquet" -1968
83 The Beatles - "Please Please Me" -1963
84 The Velvet Underground - "White Light/White Heat" -1968
85 David Bowie - "Station to Station" -1976
86 Talking Heads - "Remain in Light" -1980
87 Joy Division - "Unknown Pleasures" -1979
88 The Cure - "Disintegration" -1989
89 Depeche Mode - "Violator" -1990
90 New Order - "Power, Corruption & Lies" -1983
91 The Smiths - "The Queen Is Dead" -1986
92 R.E.M. - "Automatic for the People" -1992
93 Nirvana - "MTV Unplugged in New York" -1994
94 Pearl Jam - "Ten" -1991
95 Soundgarden - "Superunknown" -1994
96 Metallica - "Master of Puppets" -1986
97 Black Sabbath - "Paranoid" -1970
98 AC/DC - "Back in Black" -1980
99 Iron Maiden - "The Number of the Beast" -1982
100 Slayer - "Reign in Blood" -1986
2023.04.01 22:29 5YNTH3T1K Dreasm part 02
Woke up and yes... I was overbaked. again.
I was shouting at a small printed circuit board with light emitting diodes and Surface mounted devices that was giving me static about some shit that I was doing when they are actually a junior officer etc... I told then we would go to my superior officer to sort this shit out once and for all. I was super angy.
What had happened to spur my shouting so much ( I like shouting !) was the fuck up with the reactor core loading operation. The short version is that bank C had caused critical alarms in core 4 bank A and alerts in several other cores in Banks A and B, standard operating procedure is to remove the last inserted bank and tray a new bank but some operators freaked the fuck out and tried to abandon their positions.
To provide a clear timeline of events I a started create a document to hand up stairs when the smoke cleared. This was proving a bit difficult with the pen that I was being quite shit. and the paper was the back of some regional information brochure which was not taking the ink very well. Some homless guy came to help me with the gift of an unreasonably large ink marker. This was exceptional under the circumstances but I could not use it due to the lines being like an inch wide. They came back in minutes with a really amazing technical pen that was leaking. I had no idea where they were getting these pens from or even where they had come from themselves as we were isolated in zone far from safety.
I never managed to get back to the reactor cores to fix the problem, this may have been a blessing as I am sure those things are bad for you. They change you. The Strugatsky effect is still not fully understood.
Were we at war ? Did R. Heinlein invade my secure-ee-nooze tm sleep module again ? Text underfoot breaks like snapping rods of ice to over strain. No thinks to the break of a new dawn lights shine beacon drifting through time like a lost can of soup to the brain matter journey alpha plus. can you dig it?
I shove the bunker door open with a final heave and the morning gloom of mist and shit invaded my eyes. I could smell the fresh watering the air like fine droplets caressing my cheeks. The air was not toxic and the ground around the area seemed to be evacuated of debris for change. There were actual trees this time. Thought they seems to all be moving in the same lock step motion. Ignore that for the time. Cane I ano you will they I am not sure but this is time. Again. It's a bit cold and brisk I rub my hands together and hunt around in the jacket full of pockets for my woolen gloves. Maybe I ought to climb out and check the surrounding area. They might still be here, it;'s hard to tell at times. Them.
There is silence in the house, all the floor boards are riddled with tiny holes the insect make, the appliances are down to save energy. I shudder and brace myself for the cold water cleansing ritual. The shock of the cold splashing on the face. Wake up you slug you are gonna live another day. Gasping for air and muscles tense all over, it's a glorious way to meet the day and serve. The front lines of reality are knitting together like the broken bones fit tendrils of calcium mosaic crystal structure linking together to remake the new voids open junctures. Blink at the gaunt face staring out of the mirror. They are there again in the looking glass. Magic. Older. Wiser? I am not sure. Dripping water onto the floor and chilling down. Scrape the rough towel and get into the gears. Hurry up it's time to move.
The slugs are on patrol.
Electron passing through the brain cause determination to wain. The speed of light but a glow.
Fully locked red light stares unblinking at me.
Time to move.
Take care this day! xxx
submitted by 5YNTH3T1K to ShrugLifeSyndicate [link] [comments]
I was shouting at a small printed circuit board with light emitting diodes and Surface mounted devices that was giving me static about some shit that I was doing when they are actually a junior officer etc... I told then we would go to my superior officer to sort this shit out once and for all. I was super angy.
What had happened to spur my shouting so much ( I like shouting !) was the fuck up with the reactor core loading operation. The short version is that bank C had caused critical alarms in core 4 bank A and alerts in several other cores in Banks A and B, standard operating procedure is to remove the last inserted bank and tray a new bank but some operators freaked the fuck out and tried to abandon their positions.
To provide a clear timeline of events I a started create a document to hand up stairs when the smoke cleared. This was proving a bit difficult with the pen that I was being quite shit. and the paper was the back of some regional information brochure which was not taking the ink very well. Some homless guy came to help me with the gift of an unreasonably large ink marker. This was exceptional under the circumstances but I could not use it due to the lines being like an inch wide. They came back in minutes with a really amazing technical pen that was leaking. I had no idea where they were getting these pens from or even where they had come from themselves as we were isolated in zone far from safety.
I never managed to get back to the reactor cores to fix the problem, this may have been a blessing as I am sure those things are bad for you. They change you. The Strugatsky effect is still not fully understood.
Were we at war ? Did R. Heinlein invade my secure-ee-nooze tm sleep module again ? Text underfoot breaks like snapping rods of ice to over strain. No thinks to the break of a new dawn lights shine beacon drifting through time like a lost can of soup to the brain matter journey alpha plus. can you dig it?
I shove the bunker door open with a final heave and the morning gloom of mist and shit invaded my eyes. I could smell the fresh watering the air like fine droplets caressing my cheeks. The air was not toxic and the ground around the area seemed to be evacuated of debris for change. There were actual trees this time. Thought they seems to all be moving in the same lock step motion. Ignore that for the time. Cane I ano you will they I am not sure but this is time. Again. It's a bit cold and brisk I rub my hands together and hunt around in the jacket full of pockets for my woolen gloves. Maybe I ought to climb out and check the surrounding area. They might still be here, it;'s hard to tell at times. Them.
There is silence in the house, all the floor boards are riddled with tiny holes the insect make, the appliances are down to save energy. I shudder and brace myself for the cold water cleansing ritual. The shock of the cold splashing on the face. Wake up you slug you are gonna live another day. Gasping for air and muscles tense all over, it's a glorious way to meet the day and serve. The front lines of reality are knitting together like the broken bones fit tendrils of calcium mosaic crystal structure linking together to remake the new voids open junctures. Blink at the gaunt face staring out of the mirror. They are there again in the looking glass. Magic. Older. Wiser? I am not sure. Dripping water onto the floor and chilling down. Scrape the rough towel and get into the gears. Hurry up it's time to move.
The slugs are on patrol.
Electron passing through the brain cause determination to wain. The speed of light but a glow.
Fully locked red light stares unblinking at me.
Time to move.
Take care this day! xxx
2023.04.01 22:29 armando8778 Subprime people are though!
I’m at an indie lot. We don’t do BHPH but so many subprime people feel entitled to in house financing. I’m not sure what makes them think we’re going to sell them a 25k truck without a credit check and in house.
Sometimes we jump through so many hoops and educate them on why a higher down helps them. We’ve done miracles to get their rate down to 17% instead of the initial 24% (lots of lender fees) and they still call us insane when the “real dealers” are offering 0% APR.
I’ve seen too many credit reports with (no exaggeration) 40+ inquiries from people who initially refused to get a credit check from us because it would “hurt them”.
My respects go out to the BHPHs near me who ARE financing $20k+ vehicles with no credit checks. You may be setting the bar really low but at least your providing vehicles to the 300s.
How often do you guys deal with customers like this? It feels like 80% of our walk ins can’t get approved for even 20 bucks. We’re relying solely on our online advertising for the quality customers.
submitted by armando8778 to askcarsales [link] [comments]
Sometimes we jump through so many hoops and educate them on why a higher down helps them. We’ve done miracles to get their rate down to 17% instead of the initial 24% (lots of lender fees) and they still call us insane when the “real dealers” are offering 0% APR.
I’ve seen too many credit reports with (no exaggeration) 40+ inquiries from people who initially refused to get a credit check from us because it would “hurt them”.
My respects go out to the BHPHs near me who ARE financing $20k+ vehicles with no credit checks. You may be setting the bar really low but at least your providing vehicles to the 300s.
How often do you guys deal with customers like this? It feels like 80% of our walk ins can’t get approved for even 20 bucks. We’re relying solely on our online advertising for the quality customers.
2023.04.01 22:29 hampshire1999 24 [M4F] #Hampshire/UK - Looking for my Mrs. Robinson
As the title implies, I'm a recent graduate who moved back home for a while to save up money and prepare for my future career. About me: I'm White, average height with thick blond hair and blue eyes, people consider me good looking and I'd be happy to send you my photo as a DM. I'm currently working as a bartender at a country hotel and get to meet many beautiful women as part of my job, unfortunately most of them are married!
What I'm really looking for is a kind, articulate and established older woman to have a meaningful relationship with. Someone to explore new places and share memories with. I'm hoping that you are confident and can challenge me to be the best version of myself.
I live in Hampshire but travel around the country a lot so if you're further away that's no issue for me. If this all sounds interesting to you, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm excited to see where things take us!
submitted by hampshire1999 to AgeGapRomance [link] [comments]
What I'm really looking for is a kind, articulate and established older woman to have a meaningful relationship with. Someone to explore new places and share memories with. I'm hoping that you are confident and can challenge me to be the best version of myself.
I live in Hampshire but travel around the country a lot so if you're further away that's no issue for me. If this all sounds interesting to you, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm excited to see where things take us!
2023.04.01 22:28 Desperate_Minute_160 How to deal with bosses that always change their minds?
I'm not sure if it's just my executives or do most people have executives that likes to change their minds quite often.
For small things this doesn't really affect me but there have been many times when I need to plan and organize external meetings and at the very last minute, my execs would like to postpone/change it. This time I've been in contact with a hotel to book a meeting space and it has already been postponed once at the early stage, but this time we had everything planned and set up from the food menu to the floor plan. But now they want to postpone it by a month or so.
I just feel bad for the people I have to inform and don't want them to see us as unreliable and flakey.
So my question is...how do you deal with these situations anddd is it just me??
submitted by Desperate_Minute_160 to ExecutiveAssistants [link] [comments]
For small things this doesn't really affect me but there have been many times when I need to plan and organize external meetings and at the very last minute, my execs would like to postpone/change it. This time I've been in contact with a hotel to book a meeting space and it has already been postponed once at the early stage, but this time we had everything planned and set up from the food menu to the floor plan. But now they want to postpone it by a month or so.
I just feel bad for the people I have to inform and don't want them to see us as unreliable and flakey.
So my question is...how do you deal with these situations anddd is it just me??
2023.04.01 22:27 urban_lime [US-CA] [H] Glare TKL, Ina'nis (1800 layout), Elite TKL, JTK Photo Studio, GMK Serika 2 hiragana base/novelties/Macro expansion/40s/Micons from r1, WoB Minicom IV alphas [W] PayPa
timestamp!
Only shipping to USA addresses at the moment. International buyers with a proxy are ok, but I take zero responsibility for anything that happens between you and your proxy. All prices are PayPal G&S and include USPS Priority Mail shipping costs unless otherwise stated.
Outside of the listed conditions, I'll check based on when you comment and PM. The PM is absolutely necessary for the sale of these items. Since I've had this happen before, if there are two people interested in the same item, but one is willing to pay no questions asked while the other has questions or wants to see more pics, I'm 100% selling to the person who will pay no questions asked. Requests for additional pictures will also take longer than you think, so please consider that when trying to secure an item.
Please understand that if you as a buyer and I agree on a price and you back out of the purchase right after I send the invoice, I will refuse to sell anything to you in the future (yes, that includes if you offer me something like $300 on something that I'm selling for much less).
Do not use the chat function, I honestly don't know how you are taken to the chat function when the bot's verification post gives you a link to PM sellers. I will ignore you and you won't be in consideration for anything until you send me a PM. I will also ignore you if you do not comment before sending a PM.
Thank you for your time.
submitted by urban_lime to mechmarket [link] [comments]
IF THIS POST IS MORE THAN 2 DAYS OLD, PLEASE CHECK MY USER PROFILE TO FIND MY MOST RECENT SALES POSTS BEFORE COMMENTING/PM'ING
Still recovering from unexpected expenses, and there are an infinite number of things more important than keyboards, so I need to let go of all of these.Only shipping to USA addresses at the moment. International buyers with a proxy are ok, but I take zero responsibility for anything that happens between you and your proxy. All prices are PayPal G&S and include USPS Priority Mail shipping costs unless otherwise stated.
NO LOCAL PICKUPS AVAILABLE SO DON'T ASK
KEYCAPS PICTURED ON KEYBOARDS NOT FOR SALE UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
| Label | Info | Price | Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glare TKL | black WKL with stainless steel weight. will come built with 55g SP Star Meteor Whites on aluminum half plate. no flaws on the case, but stainless steel weight feels and looks like it needs a good wipe down; feels like there's dirt that just rubs off when you rub your finger on it. PCB is a USB-mini h87a that was converted to accept JST due to the original PCB having its JST connector ripped off during assembly, taking some pads with it as well. comes with extra screws, rubber feet, aluminum full plate, and case. | $700 shipped | yes! |
| Ina'nis | 1800 layout prototype by the flying penguin, inspired by a certain priestess. the eye lights up which is cool. comes built with Gateron Hippos (205g0, lubed by xen) on aluminum plate, case has Deskey stabilizer pads for force break mod (prototype units require force break to have tolerable sound). Small nick on part of the case facing away from the user. Board has a "fixed" top piece that is flush with the bottom case piece, but ano is mismatched. USB port is not perfectly flush with cutout but I didn't have issues with plugging and unplugging cables. comes with two additional accent bottom plates, scuffed top (matching ano but not flush with case), and TX large keyboard case. This is now almost $200 less than what I paid to get this originally. | $600 shipped | yes! |
| Elite TKL | solid board, but I can't justify keeping it any longer. This board was marked as A-stock when purchased during the in-stock sale. comes with case, aluminum plate, desoldered PCB, and O-ring for optional o-ring mount. This is well below the retail price for this board in this condition at the time of the in-stock sale. | $625 shipped | yes! |
| Minicom IV WoB alphas | alphas have some shine, check timestamp video for condition under light. 8u spacebar is damaged but idk if you'll actually have a use for that. | $80 shipped | yes! |
| JTK Photo Studio | great condition, can't find any shine myself. this was a nostalgia-fueled purchase that I haven't touched ever since I got it in. will ship with trays but can discount if you'd like to ship in bags (easier option as I won't have to spend nearly as long searching for a box) | $110 shipped | yes! |
| GMK Serika 2 bundle | includes hiragana base, geometries (novelties), macro expansion, 40s kit, and Micons from Serika r1 ran through Drop years ago. set has been barely used, only enough keys for TKL across both the base kit and Micons were mounted for a total of like 2 hours total. NOT SPLITTING ANY OF THESE KITS SO DON'T ASK. will be shipping in bags. | $350 shipped | yes! |
Sales are not FCFS. Please please please include relevant payment info to be prioritized for the item you want, especially if you would like to offer a lower price.
The only trades I'd be interested in at the moment would be Matrix (+PayPal on my end as needed) or Duck boards (except Viper).Outside of the listed conditions, I'll check based on when you comment and PM. The PM is absolutely necessary for the sale of these items. Since I've had this happen before, if there are two people interested in the same item, but one is willing to pay no questions asked while the other has questions or wants to see more pics, I'm 100% selling to the person who will pay no questions asked. Requests for additional pictures will also take longer than you think, so please consider that when trying to secure an item.
Please understand that if you as a buyer and I agree on a price and you back out of the purchase right after I send the invoice, I will refuse to sell anything to you in the future (yes, that includes if you offer me something like $300 on something that I'm selling for much less).
Do not use the chat function, I honestly don't know how you are taken to the chat function when the bot's verification post gives you a link to PM sellers. I will ignore you and you won't be in consideration for anything until you send me a PM. I will also ignore you if you do not comment before sending a PM.
Thank you for your time.
2023.04.01 22:27 ImaginationSea3679 For Want of a Friend Chapter 2
I might write a proper April Fools oneshot in time, but you can read this for now.
I hope you enjoy.
————————————
Television Broadcast on Venlil Prime, channel 368
Date[standardized human time]: November 11, 2136
On the screen was a beautifully rendered images of green plants and colorful flowers, similar to a glorified image of the flora on Earth.
”Humanity has lived in relative peace, completely undisturbed by outside forces…” the image shifted to a very similar image. ”…surrounded by the beauty that is an untainted natural order.”
”Unfortunately, you suffered from something no amount of material beauty could remedy: Loneliness.” the picture shifted to that of a single tall flower in a field of grass. The symbolism was obvious. “You reached up to the stars, searching for the opportunity to offer peace and harmony, without asking for anything in return.”
The screen faded to black. “When you reach med out, however…” the image suddenly shifted to footage of the bombing with a loud sound effect. “…you were met with hatred on all sides.”
The footage then showed the wreckage of Earth. “Your beautiful home was threatened with destruction, so you were forced to stay… with us.”
The screen then went through various images depicting demonized renditions of various Federation species, including the venlil.
“We haven’t welcomed you, and you’re burdened by the near unanimous hatred against you.” The screen showed various humans in depression. ”We have even gone so far as to push you towards hating yourself more than we do.” The screen showed a human with their face censored, presumably to cover up gouged eyes and ripped teeth, and various gashes all over their body.
“Needless to say, we failed to fulfill humanity’s dream.” The screen showed a wilted flower that looked as though it had been crushed under a boot.
“But that doesn’t mean that we can’t try again.”
The screen shifts to show various pairs of exchange program partners. “We have managed to appease some of you…” the next image shows a human on Venlil Prime being approached by a Krakotl. “…so why can’t we try to appease the rest of you?”
As the speech continues, various images of humans having peaceful interactions with various other species are shown. “We present to you the Humanity Initiative. Applying for the initiative will pair you up with volunteers; individuals who, through various empathy tests focused around the disasters that humans have been victim to, have proven themselves worthy of your friendship. There are no masks required around here. You won’t even be forced to have the unbalanced diet that we have, and you will be provided with meat harvested from wild animals upon your request. You will also be monetarily compensated quite generously. You don’t have to hide from us; not when you need our friendship the most.”
The final image is of an artistic rendering of a smiling human being surrounded by a bunch of individuals of other species with similar expressions of joy on their faces.
Near the bottom of the screen was a contact code. “Please use the contact code to apply.”
————————————
Memory Transcription Subject: Henry Wright, Exchange Program Participant
Date[standardized human time]: November 11, 2136
I stared at the screen.
I was honestly tempted to join. The words seemed true, and it genuinely seemed as though they wanted humanity to thrive.
I hesitated when I remembered how the exchange program went. Especially for me. Why should I think this is anything different?
I thought for a moment.
…
I had literally nothing else to do, no source of income, and I was tired of racist bullshit.
Maybe taking a chance is better than being alone like this.
With some hesitation, I punched the contact code into my pad and waited for a response.
Previous
submitted by ImaginationSea3679 to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
I hope you enjoy.
————————————
Television Broadcast on Venlil Prime, channel 368
Date[standardized human time]: November 11, 2136
On the screen was a beautifully rendered images of green plants and colorful flowers, similar to a glorified image of the flora on Earth.
”Humanity has lived in relative peace, completely undisturbed by outside forces…” the image shifted to a very similar image. ”…surrounded by the beauty that is an untainted natural order.”
”Unfortunately, you suffered from something no amount of material beauty could remedy: Loneliness.” the picture shifted to that of a single tall flower in a field of grass. The symbolism was obvious. “You reached up to the stars, searching for the opportunity to offer peace and harmony, without asking for anything in return.”
The screen faded to black. “When you reach med out, however…” the image suddenly shifted to footage of the bombing with a loud sound effect. “…you were met with hatred on all sides.”
The footage then showed the wreckage of Earth. “Your beautiful home was threatened with destruction, so you were forced to stay… with us.”
The screen then went through various images depicting demonized renditions of various Federation species, including the venlil.
“We haven’t welcomed you, and you’re burdened by the near unanimous hatred against you.” The screen showed various humans in depression. ”We have even gone so far as to push you towards hating yourself more than we do.” The screen showed a human with their face censored, presumably to cover up gouged eyes and ripped teeth, and various gashes all over their body.
“Needless to say, we failed to fulfill humanity’s dream.” The screen showed a wilted flower that looked as though it had been crushed under a boot.
“But that doesn’t mean that we can’t try again.”
The screen shifts to show various pairs of exchange program partners. “We have managed to appease some of you…” the next image shows a human on Venlil Prime being approached by a Krakotl. “…so why can’t we try to appease the rest of you?”
As the speech continues, various images of humans having peaceful interactions with various other species are shown. “We present to you the Humanity Initiative. Applying for the initiative will pair you up with volunteers; individuals who, through various empathy tests focused around the disasters that humans have been victim to, have proven themselves worthy of your friendship. There are no masks required around here. You won’t even be forced to have the unbalanced diet that we have, and you will be provided with meat harvested from wild animals upon your request. You will also be monetarily compensated quite generously. You don’t have to hide from us; not when you need our friendship the most.”
The final image is of an artistic rendering of a smiling human being surrounded by a bunch of individuals of other species with similar expressions of joy on their faces.
Near the bottom of the screen was a contact code. “Please use the contact code to apply.”
————————————
Memory Transcription Subject: Henry Wright, Exchange Program Participant
Date[standardized human time]: November 11, 2136
I stared at the screen.
I was honestly tempted to join. The words seemed true, and it genuinely seemed as though they wanted humanity to thrive.
I hesitated when I remembered how the exchange program went. Especially for me. Why should I think this is anything different?
I thought for a moment.
…
I had literally nothing else to do, no source of income, and I was tired of racist bullshit.
Maybe taking a chance is better than being alone like this.
With some hesitation, I punched the contact code into my pad and waited for a response.
Previous