Powder coating yeti cups near me

Food / Drink or Supplements to help w/Side effects

2023.03.22 15:50 Evening_Business8719 Food / Drink or Supplements to help w/Side effects

Hey everyone-
I am about to take my last .25 injection tomorrow. I always have GI issues nausea, gas, and constipation. So nothing is new to me, well the nausea is a little worse, sort of similar to the morning sickness I had in my first trimester with my first kid. ( NO I AM NOT PREGNANT I HAD MY FACTORYS POWER CUT OFF IN OCT. 2022 AND YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY DO CERTAIN THINGS TO GET PREGNANT AND THAT HASNT HAPPENED IN EVEN LONGER). Before I go to my MD with this info I wanted to see if anything has helped others with these side effects. A little bit of extra info below just to help with the advice.
Ok well if you have any ideas on something I can add food or drink-wise to help with these GI symptoms that would be a really great help!
submitted by Evening_Business8719 to WegovyWeightLoss [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 15:42 TeaAndCozy 9 more Nui Cobalt Bees & Favorite Things

I'm back with thoughts on my new Nui Cobalt Bees! I previously posted thoughts on the 19 Bees and Favorite Things I'd tried HERE - I have a bunch of favorite Bees, including Queen Bee and Bees Love Blue for florals, The Bees' High Tea, Honeymoon Suite, Wasp, and Busy Bee, all especially wonderful for particular seasons of the year, Bee Kind To Yourself (concept by our very own u/propheticperfumes here at IMAM! Truly not to be missed), and Emotional Support Bee and She Stopped to Pet a Bumblebee for gentle, delicate, my-skin-but-better scents. Today I'm sharing my thoughts on 9 more, all of them new releases this year. Despite being sick for the last two weeks and counting (ugh), after the first week of illness I was happily able to get back to enjoying perfume. Thus this review post comes a little later than my usual, but I'm delighted to still get it out in time for the next release (April Fools this Friday!) in case you might want to add any of these to your next order.
Ordering specs: Nui Cobalt's website is easy to navigate, shipping is very affordable (please note that since the slight price increase this year, base shipping has gone up from $2.99 to $3.45, just fyi), items come very securely packed, and customer service is always spectacular. I don't think I've ever placed an order that took more than 2-3 business days to ship (and recently it has usually been literally the very next day). Samples are generous - 1.15 mls at least - in vials with wand caps. Each order comes with one free sample, chosen by them (there’s no box to insert requests).
Nui Cobalt's typical annual schedule of releases: (I [and especially Nui Cobalt] make no promises, of course, that these collections will recur; this is just in my experience)
My preferences: I especially love snuggly scents, incense, golden amber, cardamom, black tea, beeswax, non-gourmand vanillas, and white florals (though sadly I am allergic to lilies and in my admittedly limited experience, jasmine doesn’t work on me). I don't like hay, overly sweet gourmands, excessive musk, dragon’s blood, leather, patchouli, labdanum, or any really dark scents in general. To my great devastation, Nui Cobalt’s apricot and pear notes don’t tend to work on me, though I haven’t given up hope and I continue to try new blends with those notes occasionally.
These perfumes were provided as press samples by Nui Cobalt in exchange for an honest review.
​

New Bees

It's Hive Code [Spring harvest honey, a faithful accord of rare Ghost Orchid, neroli and bergamot hand lotion, and a dark base of melted fudge] - I got this sample because most of these notes sounded absolutely heavenly. Honey, orchid, neroli, and bergamot? Count me in - that sounds amazingly light and springy. I kept my fingers crossed that the fudge would be minimal. In the vial, it's a base of honey and chocolate fudge, with the light citrus and floral above, and on my skin, it continues to be a fight between the gorgeous, breezy springtime floral and the heavier, waxy (almost tootsie roll-ish) chocolate. And it's so strange, because up close, the chocolate is so much less obvious that it really almost is the scent I wanted it to be. Personally, I just really wish it didn't have the fudge - I think all of the other notes are just perfect! All in all, It's Hive Code is much more atmospheric than springtime. Like the the several NCD blends that pair caramel with wildly different notes (Mad Scientist, Glass Pumpkin, Venus Verticordia), this one is a thoroughly unexpected combination. My approach to it is also slightly hampered by the fact that I haven't seen the Netflix show (Wednesday) that it's an homage to.
The Bees' Carnival [Cotton candy spun from crystallized honey, fresh leaves of lemon verbena, blue raspberry drizzle, and a grounding smolder of sweet myrrh] - This one is COTTON CANDY and a lot of honey, with only mere hints of the lemon and blue raspberry. (If you love the cotton candy of Nephophilia [A fluffy melange of pink cotton candy, ivory cashmere, silk tree blossoms, blush suede, and steamed vanilla] but wanted it to have even more cotton candy, The Bees' Carnival is for you!) I was expecting more blue raspberry, but happily I do have Blue Moon [A diaphanous lunar musk entwines living honeysuckle and sugared blue raspberry] and Dewdrops on Spidersilk [Cerulean strands of cotton flower bejeweled with dewdrops, cold crystalline musk, tiny black vanilla beans, frozen blue raspberry, and gentle incense] to scratch that itch. The herbal quality of the lemon verbena and the slight earthiness of the myrrh come out in the drydown, keeping the really golden nature of this honey from becoming too cloying.
Honey, I'm Home [Snowdrops and fresh nectar from their first petals unfurled, golden sunlight, yellow crocus, and warmed honeycomb] - This one is GORGEOUS - the light-golden warmth of an early spring day. After an initial burst of warm but airy honey, the honey blends in with the flowers, which really are yellow in their scent color. There's nothing grassy about these florals but they remind me of chamomile nonetheless - chamomile and daisies perhaps, they're just so cheerful and happy. This is the springtime sibling to Yellow Leaves [Blooming moringa, olivewood, coriander, oakmoss, tangerine, and helichrysum], the most perfect autumnal floral. After its initial burst of honey, this scent dries down to cling quite closely to my skin, a private little bubble of buoyancy and optimism.
Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy [Portrait of an extraterrestrial desert and its elusive denizens: dry white sandalwood, Tunisian tea, cracked coriander, cassia bark, amber resin, raw cotton, and combs full of precious honey that few will ever taste] - Friends, Nui Cobalt has done it again: another spectacular black tea scent! This one is black tea spiced with coriander and cinnamon, gently sweetened with honey, and with some very subtle nuances of cotton flower and sandalwood (making it a much more rainy-day-cozy scent than the perfume's name might suggest). This tea note is more incensey than Blarney: Irish Breakfast Tea [The warm, tannic comfort of a proper Cuppa sweetened with a touch of raw honey and smoothed with fresh cream], more like the black tea in Unbought & Unbossed: A Tribute to Shirley Chisholm [The fragrance inspired by her is a strong and sophisticated spiced tea with raw honey and Barbados sugar sipped among the sunlit roses of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden] and Cloak of Evergreens [Snow-covered spruce, iced cedar tips, golden pine sap, icicle musk, and the fading memory of tea by the fireside].
The Beekeeper's Funeral [This comforting blend opens with gentle Bulgarian lavender and petrichor, then blooms with Casablanca lily, honeysuckle, and wet grass, and settles at last into a pillow of fluffy whipped honey] - A very pretty, understated floral-aquatic. I get white florals (but not too bold), an herbal lavender, grass, and rain - this petrichor is more the smell of the watery rain itself rather than wet pavement. Oddly enough for this being a Bee, I actually don't get any honey, though there is a little bit of sweetness that reminds me of the white amber in Mirror [Pale amber and white tea are accented by dry coconut, angelica, and cooling rain], in part because of the shared rain note.
Bee You Tiful [Honey-roasted pistachio and chestnut, pink magnolia, and sweet apple blossom] - When it first arrived, sniffed in the vial, this one smelled entirely of honeyed-salty-toasty nuts. On my first wear (though I was getting sick at the time so I didn't count it as a proper "first-test"), the florals were there, but almost entirely obscured. So this one is definitely one that benefited from a proper rest, because when I wore it again, wow! I'm really not sure that I want to smell like nuts (although I remain utterly fascinated by the idea of Black Baccara's Shamrock Potion [Pistachio mousse, fresh whipped cream, slivered almonds, and a drizzle of french vanilla syrup] and hope someday to buy a really small decant), but this perfume is awfully convincing. I still get toasty, honeyed nuts, but they are beautifully balanced with the florals, particularly the apple blossom. Nui Cobalt has a gorgeous apple blossom note! I have previously said that Pixie [An apple orchard in bloom, spring grasses alive with an unearthly glow, vanilla bean offertory cakes, and sparkling honey mead] is an early autumn perfume for me, and Venus Amica [Sun-warmed wildflowers, olivewood, apple blossom, light amber, moringa leaf, and sacred benzoin] is an early spring perfume; well, I think Bee You Tiful is going to be a "transition from spring to summer" scent for me. The honey, pistachio, and faint apple combine to be reminiscent of some sort of delightful pastry - is a pistachio-apple galette a thing? And yet this isn't a realistic gourmand, especially with the wafting florals making it much more atmospheric. The overall impression is of a garden party. Many hours later, the top-note florals are gone, but the gentle nuts remain.

New Favorite Things

All Dolled Up [Spiced apricot preserves, almond blossom, pink peony, Hawaiian and Australian sandalwoods, balsam of Peru, and sunlit amber] - Despite the notes list starting off with apricot and almond, All Dolled Up does NOT read like a Squirrel (which all start with the same base: "A playful blend of almond and spiced apricot, grounded in rich benzoin and copaiba balsam"). Instead, it reminds me strongly of Rose Gold Sky [Fuzzy apricot, amber resin, styrax, pink sandalwood, clove bud, melissa, and blush rose], but lighter and more warm-weather. When I tried this, I didn't have the notes list in front of me (and I didn't remember it), so my impression that this scent is pink amber + apricot + clove (see the connection to Rose Gold Sky?) was completely independent of the actual official notes. Then seeing the notes list a little later in the day, I could also easily make out the peony (a very "pink" floral), which is a big part of why this reads as more summery than Rose Gold Sky.
Candlelight [Molten vanilla caramel, Egyptian musk, mahogany, honey amber, black tea, cathedral incense, a pinch of galangal, and a glimmer of white grapefruit] - Caramel and honey, thick and rich and luscious, backed by golden amber, a touch of grapefruit to cut the molten sweetness, and a whole lot of very expensive-smelling Egyptian musk. There are some indistinct spices too, which is perhaps how my nose is reading the black tea and incense. (This is a bummer, because I LOVE Nui Cobalt's black tea + incense combo, but this scent doesn't really feature them.) It's a heavy, luxurious scent, a sister to Ailurophilia (Love of Cats) [Egyptian musk, tonka, and dulce de leche wrapped in luxuriant cashmere, soft suede, wisps of sandalwood and copal smoke]. Its dark, honeyed quality is also reminiscent of Arcana Snug [The scent of staying in to watch the snow fall: dark honey amber, marshmallow, and the glow of beeswax candles], but with caramel instead of beeswax. All this being said about its complexity and rich layers, my colleague walked into the church choir room this morning and from across the room from me said "It smells like pancakes!", to which I sheepishly admitted that it was probably me. (It was.) So, this one has tremendous throw, much stronger than most Nui Cobalts, and to an untrained nose, apparently smells extremely (and solely) like maple syrup! (To me, though, it's not nearly as similar to the mapley Little Brown Rabbit as it is to the caramel of Ailurophilia.)
Fairy Garden [Cool dewdrops cupped in clover leaves, early purple orchid, a porcelain thimble of green tea with oat milk, and frosted almond cakes served in an acorn cap] - It goes on more gourmand than I was expecting, primarily oat milk, green tea, and sugary frosting. Behind these are a bit of acorn earthiness (I recognize a similar acorn note to Deep Midnight Wildwood [Pumpkin Bread, Incense, Acorns, Dried Apple and Orange Peels, Fading Bonfire], the only other place I've experienced an acorn accord) and a touch of floral. At first (and to my surprise, based on the order of the notes list), I don't get any aquatic dewdrop nor any grassy clover but as the scent dries, these start to emerge as the sweetness of the frosting recedes. Eventually, all these notes combine to create a very balanced and detailed scent portrait not just of a fairy garden, but of the fairies holding a fancy tea party among the flowers. I'm curious, for anyone who has tried both: how similar is Fairy Garden to Poesie Green Girl [Pistachio, wildflower honey, oatmilk matcha latte, heliotrope blossoms, marshmallow musk]? Fairy Garden has a Poesie-style whimsicality which I'm really loving.

Personally...

The stunners from the new releases, for me, are Honey, I'm Home and Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy.
Or if you want to imagine yourself part of a fairy tea party, go for Bee You Tiful and Fairy Garden.
And The Beekeeper's Funeral and All Dolled Up are just lovely warm-weather scents.

Where these landed in my collection:

​
I would love to hear your thoughts on these - which ones did you love most? - or if I've inspired you to add any to your wishlist!
submitted by TeaAndCozy to Indiemakeupandmore [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 15:05 TheNaotoShirogane Why I can read slow-paced books but I can't stand a minute of a slow-paced game (even supposed masterpieces like Read Dead 2 for example).

When reading other posts that complain about how slow Red Dead Redemption 2 is, or any other such game, I always see people replying "think of it like a book, enjoy the slow burn".
But while I do enjoy books, even slow ones, I can't seem to be able to play slow games at all. Every minute is suffering.
So I've been thinking about why this is. And I think I have an answer.
While slow games do have some things going for them, like immersion, enjoying the sights and the sounds and the many other elements that go into creating the experience that is the video game, they also have downsides, even compared to slow books.
And those downsides are apparently a deal-breaker for me. Specifically, the biggest downside is the low density and pointlessness of the things that are happening.
By that I mean that while reading a book, even a slow one, every word you read is flashing images and thoughts in your mind. You're constantly imagining and thinking new thoughts.
But with a slow game, the opposite is true. You're locked into a very limited and repetitive task. Your brain isn't getting nearly as much new information, especially after a few mission when you get used to the formula. You ride the horse, you shoot the gun, you loot the things. Rinse and repeat for 50 more quests, doing the same thing but with a different coat of paint on.
TL;DR: Books may be slow, but they aren't as repetitive. Every sentence is new information, even if it's boring. But with games, you're doing the same thing over and over and over, even if it's with a new coat of paint on.
submitted by TheNaotoShirogane to StopGaming [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 15:00 KhoaFraelich 2023 Ineos Grenadier review

2023 Ineos Grenadier review
Not only does it live up to the original Land Rover Defender brief, the Grenadier goes above and beyond but it's not perfect.
​
https://preview.redd.it/rizu8018k9oa1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c4544853e9d4c891199a795e6e7a6c70c08ce3c
The Ineos automotive brand might be new, but what has led to the creation of the Grenadier wagon and soon, the Grenadier ute is nothing short of extraordinary.
​
With the absence of the Land Rover Defender in its original, tough ladder chassis form, the gap in the market for a fully capable off-road vehicle that feels at home in the city and one which you can hose the mud out of, was left to no other than British billionaire and chemical engineer, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
​
The original idea was to simply buy the tooling and the manufacturing products from Land Rover and continue producing the Defender one way or another, but the British brand evidently wasn’t very keen and what was then conceived at the Grenadier pub in London almost as a ‘we can do it better ourselves any way’, became the Ineos Grenadier.
​
Imagine this; start with a near-unlimited budget for a passion project and hire the likes of Magna Steyr to engineer your vehicle, BMW to produce the engines, ZF to make the transmission and Bosch to supply a great deal of the other parts… then you buy a pre-existing Mercedes-Benz production facility and further invest a claimed $770 million AUD in upgrades to produce the vehicle.
​
That probably needs some context because if you don’t know, Magna Steyr happens to be the same company that makes a similar car, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class – or G-Wagen.
​
Yep, that’s right, the same company that produces what is probably the most famous SUV in the world also happened to engineer the Ineos Grenadier. Conflict of interest? Don’t tell Mercedes.
​
It gets better though; because having talked to the engineers who have made the project come to life, most are from the likes of Mercedes, Jaguar Land Rover, and even McLaren.
​
Thankfully, the Grenadier starts at $97,000 (originally $85k) and not the $400,000 on-road the G-Wagen has become, and that is perhaps what the Grenadier is here to do. It’s to provide a fully capable alternative to the ultra-expensive off-roaders that have become as much a fashion icon as anything else.
​
The main question isn’t about the Grenadier’s intent or its individual parts, however.
​
We know Magna can engineer a car, we know BMW can make great engines that work amazingly well with ZF transmissions, and we know Bosch supplies automotive parts to the absolute majority of other manufacturers.
​
The real question, is whether the Grenadier is a genuine alternative for the original Defender and befitting of a new model in 2023? The answer to that question is actually a resounding yes, but with some caveats that we will discuss in this review.
​
How much does the 2023 Ineos Grenadier cost?
As previously mentioned, the Grenadier saw a substantial price increase last year which added as much as $13,000 to the price of the Wagon and Ute.
​
Although Ineos has put this down to the increasing cost of materials – which is definitely a contributing factor – we also have no doubt that the increase is also driven by market dynamics of supply and demand and perhaps a repositioning of the brand itself given just how popular the original price point was with buyers.
​
2023 Ineos Grenadier pricing:
​
Utility Wagon
​
Base: $97,000 (up 14.8 per cent or $12,500)
Fieldmaster Edition: $107,400 (up 12.5 per cent or $11,905)
Trailmaster Edition: $108,525 (up 13.6 per cent or $13,030)
Station Wagon
​
Base: $98,000 (up 14.6 per cent or $12,500)
Fieldmaster Edition: $109,525 (up 13.5 per cent or $13,030)
Trailmaster Edition: $109,525 (up 13.5 per cent or $13,030)
Prices exclude on-road costs
​
If you were lucky enough to get in at that price, you have got yourself a bargain, but for the rest the price increase does genuinely position the vehicle in a place now that makes you really have to consider whether you can trust a first time manufacturer to produce a vehicle that costs well in excess of $100k.
​
While the price increase is unfortunate, options in the hardcore 4×4 market are limited considering orders for the LandCruiser 70 remain closed on the back of rampant demand unmatched by supply.
​
There’s also no haggling given Ineos is using an ‘agency model’ with fixed pricing. The company will control inventory and pricing, and pay dealer partners a “straight-forward commission”, much in the style of Mercedes-Benz and Honda.
​
Australia is a huge market for the Grenadier in terms of orders, coming in the top five, which means local market feedback and input has been well and truly taken into account. You can find a list of Ineos Grenadier retail locations here.
​
What is the Ineos Grenadier like on the inside?
First impressions when you get inside the Grenadier cabin are that of a modern and actually not all that austere interior. It was not what we expected and it’s fair to say we were pleasantly surprised.
​
The Recaro seats are comfortable in all available configurations, whether it’s cloth, vinyl or leather. We found the seating position in the front to be excellent for visibility and ease of access to the switchgear and cabin.
​
With the majority of off-road controls cleverly placed on the roof – inspired by aircraft cockpits – there is heaps of room in the cabin itself and it never feels overwhelming or unusable.
​
This is a case of what happens when a new company that has never made cars is allowed to rethink the basics. Having used the 4WD controls on the roof, the question becomes – why don’t all cars have this?
​
So front seat ergonomics are fantastic, but not perfect. There are a couple of issues for right-hand drive models that seem a little bizarre.
​
Firstly, the windscreen wiper does a terrible job of cleaning the edge of the right side of the screen. A decently sized area near the A-pillar on the right of the windscreen is basically untouched and given the wet and muddy conditions in which we drove the Grenadier in, it becomes a genuine visibility issue when turning right.
​
You get used to it and its likely not an issue for the absolute majority of the time you are driving, but it is nonetheless a strange thing to encounter in a modern car.
​
Secondly, right-hand drive vehicles are disadvantaged with the exhaust manifold of the BMW engines (diesel or petrol) both taking up an unusual amount of space in the footwell where you would usually have your footrest.
​
This means your left foot is sitting a fair bit higher than one would probably be used to and if you happen to use the car on a farm, with big boots, this further exaggerates the problem.
​
Again, we got used to this unexpected feature after a few hours of driving but as with the wiper, it’s not something you would expect from a modern car.
​
When quizzed, Ineos engineers told us they initially planned to change the engineering of the vehicle to address it, but it would have changed the cabin or chassis size and this wasn’t feasible.
​
It’s also worth mentioning that in some of the vehicles we drove, the fit and finish of the interior were not as great as we would have wished for.
​
From the roof control panel feeling easy to pull off to the outside door handles that jammed (we are told these will be fixed for all Australian-delivered vehicles), there is no doubt that first batch production vehicles have some room for improvement; and hopefully those improvements are passed on to the first vehicles delivered for our market.
​
For all the niggling issues, the interior is genuinely excellent for its intended purpose – it’s comfortable, it’s spacious and has heaps of storage.
​
The back seat is also a great place to be for long drives as you can easily fit two six-foot adults behind one another, given the ample leg and headroom in both rows. In saying that, while the front Recaro seats are ideal for off-roading, those sitting in the back have literally no support outside of holding on to the handle.
​
The 12.3-inch touchscreen display is super clear and very high resolution with wireless Apple CarPlay that works brilliantly. Ineos has outsourced the unique software and it’s on par if not better than some well-established manufacturers. You will have no issues using the infotainment system.
​
Without a traditional instrument cluster, though, you are forced to use the centre screen to see your speed and we did find that a little frustrating because, unlike other vehicles in which that is also the case (Tesla being the prime example), the Grenadier’s interior is vastly larger so the focal change point from the road to the screen is also more than other vehicles.
​
Given the Grenadier’s ‘instrument cluster’ is a tiny screen to show things like ignition light, check engine light etc, we feel it would have made a lot of sense to put a basic digital speedometer in that position.
​
The front and rear diff locks, plus the off-road mode and wading depth controls, are on the roof but to actually engage low range and lock the centre differential you need to use an old-school lever and, to be fair, it does look a little odd sitting next to the BMW-sourced gearstick which is super modern in design and appearance. So this is definitely a case of lots of parts being put together.
​
Even the steering wheel itself is interesting because, given the recirculating-ball setup, the number of wheel turns you need to do in basic manoeuvring lends itself to using a wheel that is not so circular and allows for a better understanding of the top and bottom.
​
The 1255L boot is huge, and the way the rear doors open allows super quick access from the left side using the smaller door, because opening the larger one on the right is not only a heavier operation (it carries the spare tyre) but also requires far more room to swing open.
​
What’s under the bonnet?
Ineos will offer 3.0-litre straight-six diesel and petrol options, both of which have been sourced from BMW and are codenamed B57 (diesel) and B58 (petrol).
​
Ineos says these engines, used across BMW’s sports cars and SUVs since 2016, have been tested in the Grenadier across 1.8 million kilometres and diverse climates. It’s not a straight fit and play, with ECU tuning taking place to better unlock torque down as low in the rev range.
​
The 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel six makes 183kW of power (3250-4200rpm) and 550Nm of torque (1250-3000rpm) and is capable of moving the Grenadier from 0-100km/h in 9.9 seconds.
​
The 3.0-litre single-turbo petrol six makes 210kW of power (4750rpm) and 450Nm of torque (1750-4000rpm) and is capable of moving the Grenadier from 0-100km/h in 8.6 seconds.
​
Both engines come mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission (codenamed 8HP51 for the petrol, 8HP76 for the diesel), with what Ineos calls a new “heavy duty” torque converter.
​
The WLTP combined-cycle fuel economy for the diesel is a rated 10.3 to 11.8 litres per 100km, while the petrol uses between 13.2L/100km and 15.3L/100km.
​
Both engines have stop/start, and the diesel also has a 17L AdBlue tank. The standard fuel tank with both engine options carries 90 litres.
​
All Grenadiers come standard with permanent four-wheel drive (4WD), with low-range accessed through a 2.5:1 Tremec two-speed transfer case. Matching the class leaders, the Grenadier will also have a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity.
​
There are no other powertrains confirmed for the Grenadier for the moment, however, the brand is well advanced creating a hydrogen fuel-cell version and is also working on a new model which will be a full electric version on a smaller and all-new platform for 2026.
​
How does the Ineos Grenadier drive?
The Ineos Grenadier came to life to meet a very specific design and engineering brief.
​
The wagon and utility versions are essentially a modernised iteration of what would otherwise be considered commercial vehicles; in fact they are very much considered commercial vehicles when it comes to tax purposes.
​
With that in mind, it’s vital that buyers looking at the Grenadier understand this is not a cheap G-Wagen, nor is it a new-old Defender. It’s its own unique vehicle, with its own set of characteristics and traits – some of those are better and some are worse than said vehicles.
​
When it comes to driving, we will break this down into two parts; on-road and off-road.
​
From an on-road perspective, the Grenadier rode exceptionally well, even on poorly surfaced roads. There is no doubt that you can drive this vehicle in the city and it will do an excellent job of keeping you happy and comfortable.
​
The suspension setup and the way the vehicle behaves on sealed roads is a credit to the engineering team behind it.
​
The diesel engine is undoubtedly the powertrain that makes more sense to most buyers looking to tow or do long-distance rural driving, with better fuel economy and more torque.
​
Nonetheless, if you’re buying this and intend to do a fair bit of inner city driving and actually enjoy the driving experience, the petrol is a fantastic option – it’s faster, more responsive, sounds great and makes the Grenadier feel far more engaging and purposeful.
​
This tester would pick the petrol regardless of requirements just for its capacity to overtake other vehicles on the highway with significant ease.
​
The ZF eight-speed transmission is mated beautifully to both powertrain and frankly, given this exact setup has been used in BMW vehicles for a number of years, there is no contention around the powertrain and its ability to perform day in day out. It’s solid and reliable.
​
What may catch out some buyers is the recirculating-ball setup steering box, something more suited to trucks than most modern cars.
​
According to Ineos engineers, the reason this particular Bosch steering system was picked was due to its incredible off-road durability and capacity. In other words, it has been around and used in heavy-duty vehicles with over 1,000,000 kilometres without issue, and Ineos decided to go with that to suit the rugged character of the vehicle.
​
This is all well and good but for on-road driving, it’s a bit of a handful, literally. The amount of turning you need to do to make a basic manoeuvre can get a little frustrating but even just turning left or right at an intersection.
​
It will often see you turn, and then turn again and again until you realise you have likely done one too many rotations and turn back to correct. It’s entirely unlike a normal modern hydraulic or power steering system and more akin to driving a light truck.
​
You absolutely will get used to it, and by the second day it didn’t feel as cumbersome as our initial impressions, but while this may be fantastic for those that only do long-distance drives mixed in with rural roads and off-roading, it’s not ideal for those looking to drive these around inner-city environments.
​
The other option we wish it had was adaptive cruise control. Model-year 2024 Grenadiers will have autonomous emergency braking (AEB) but it will still not enable active cruise, which is unfortunate because this vehicle will likely do plenty of highway kilometres and it would be great to that driving stress further removed.
​
Overall though, the on-road driving aspect of the Ineos Grenadier is much better than we expected due to the ride comfort, power and torque delivery. The cabin is also very quiet with low levels of noise, harshness and vibrations.
​
Take the Ineos off-road and it goes into its true element. This is a vehicle that was designed to go off-road before it was designed to go on-road. Most car companies tend to put car reviewers on off-road courses that you can usually do in a basic medium SUV, but Ineos didn’t hold back.
​
An Off-Road driving mode disengages parking sensors, seatbelt reminders and start/stop, and from a regulatory standpoint we’d imagine this function is only accessible in low-range. The hill-descent control function can brake each wheel independently.
​
We crossed some of the most spectacular natural terrains, in the water, up and down Scottish mountains, and four-wheel drive tracks that would make hardcore enthusiasts proud. There is not much to say except that we never got stuck and the diff locks and the powertrain worked spectacularly.
​
It can occasionally be cumbersome to engage low-range using the manual lever (neutral to be engaged first), with some occasional crunching – which occurred even to our Ineos engineers – and as there are no sensors to detect differential locking positions (to save complexity and weight), wheel speed sensors are used which means engaging and disengaging the front and rear diffs are basically manual and require movement that highlights the differing wheel speed (like a turn).
​
All-terrain tyres are supplied by Bridgestone (Dueler AT 001) or BFGoodrich (AT T/A KO2) depending on spec, and Brembo disc brakes come standard. Electromechanical Eaton diff lockers front and rear are also available either as standard or an option depending on grade.
​
Ground clearance is 264mm, wading depth 800mm, approach angle 36.3 degrees, breakover 28.2 degrees, and departure angle 36.1 degrees. Powder-coated skid plates and a fuel-tank plate are standard.
​
The other great thing is that the amount of accessories expected for the Ineos (given the company has made the blueprint for the car publicly accessible to support the aftermarket) will be huge, so those looking to start with a base car and build what they need will have plenty of options.
​
The Ineos is an excellent compromise between on- and off-road driving as it can one pretty well and the other spectacularly. The only place in which owners may find the driving dynamics challenging is in built-up, city areas that require a lot of close manoeuvring but even then, it’s an intimidating car that will make its own way.
​
What do you get?
Grenadier Base highlights:
​
17-inch steel wheels
Full-size spare wheel
Bridgestone AT tyres
LED headlights
LED daytime running lights
LED tail lights
30/70 split rear doors
Roof protection strips and rails
Hydraulic jack and toolkit
Immobilisealarm
Cruise control
Recaro cloth and vinyl seats
Tilt and telescoping wheel adjust
Climate control AC (second-row vents for five-seaters)
Heavy duty flooring with drain valves
Loadspace locker and tie-down rings
12.3-inch touchscreen display with rotary controller
Pathfinder off-road navigation system
Wireless Apple CarPlay
Wired Android Auto
Bluetooth audio and phone
Digital radio
USB and 12V sockets
Overhead control panel
Auxiliary switch panel and electrical prep (3 x 10A)
Options (Base) include:
​
$2875 Rough Pack: Front and rear diff locks, BFGoodrich tyres
$2875 Smooth Pack: Front parking sensors, powered and heated side mirrors, a lockable central stowage box, puddle lamps, door lighting, auxiliary charge points, Thatcham Cat. 1 immobilisealarm
​
17-inch steel wheels
Full-size spare wheel
Bridgestone AT tyres
LED headlights
LED daytime running lights
LED tail lights
30/70 split rear doors
Roof protection strips and rails
Hydraulic jack and toolkit
Immobilisealarm
Cruise control
Recaro cloth and vinyl seats
Tilt and telescoping wheel adjust
Climate control AC (second-row vents for five-seaters)
Heavy duty flooring with drain valves
Loadspace locker and tie-down rings
12.3-inch touchscreen display with rotary controller
Pathfinder off-road navigation system
Wireless Apple CarPlay
Wired Android Auto
Bluetooth audio and phone
Digital radio
USB and 12V sockets
Overhead control panel
Auxiliary switch panel and electrical prep (3 x 10A)
Options (Base) include:
​
$2875 Rough Pack: Front and rear diff locks, BFGoodrich tyres
$2875 Smooth Pack: Front parking sensors, powered and heated side mirrors, a lockable central stowage box, puddle lamps, door lighting, auxiliary charge points, Thatcham Cat. 1 immobilisealarm
​
Solid paints
​
Scottish White: standard
Magic Mushroom: $900
Eldoret Blue: $900
Britannia Blue: $900
Sela Green: $900
Inky Black: $900
Metallic paints
​
Sterling Silver: $1230
Shale Blue: $1230
Queen’s Red: $1230
Donny Grey: $1230
Contrast ladder frames
​
Black: standard
Red: $1410
Grey: $1410
Contrast roof paints
​
Scottish White: $1690
Inky Black: $1690
Contrast Wrapped nose
​
Tunic Red: $1060
Emergency Orange: $1060
Contrast wrapped rear doors
​
Tunic Red: $1400
Emergency Orange: $1400
​
Wheels
​
17-inch alloys (base and Trailmaster): $1060
18-inch steel (base and Trailmaster): $1430
18-inch alloys (base and Trailmaster): $2835
18-inch alloys (Fieldmaster): $1775
Other things
​
Safari windows (base and Trailmaster): $2465
Privacy glass: $670
Leather seats (base and Trailmaster): $1850
Heated seats (base and Trailmaster): $650
Floor carpet: $370
Front and rear diff locks (base and Fieldmaster): $2790
Raised air intake (base and Fieldmaster): $1100
Integrated Heavy Duty 5.5t winch: $5430
There are also a lot of accessories, some of which we have listed below, the full list is here:
​
Outside
​
Side Runners: $830
Rock Sliders: $1630
40″ Front LED Light Bar (incl. mounting brackets): $960
Checker Plate for Front Fenders: $460
Roo Bar: $1990
Roo Bar Side Protection Rails: $730
Raised Air intake Cyclone Pre-Cleaner: $420
Inside
​
Rubber Floor Mats: $280
Foldable Tailgate Camp Table: $440
Heavy Duty Seat Covers – Front: $490
Heavy Duty Seat Covers – Rear: $490
Cargo
​
Roof Rack: $2530
Roof Cross-bars: $580
Utility Cargo Barrier – Half-height: $600
Full-height Loadspace Divider: $550
Loadspace Partition Net: $280
Luggage Retention Net – Floor: $90
Cargo Management System: $360
Collapsible Luggage Organiser: $110
Quick Release Tie-Down Rings (x4): $70
​
Recovery
​
Removable Winch with Tow Mounting Kit (3.5 Tonnes): $4050
Heavy Duty Spade: $60
Off-Road Recovery Kit: $630
Roof add-ons
​
Roof Mounted Bike Carrier: $460
Roof Mounted Ski/Snowboard Carrier: $310
Surfboard Carrier for Roof Rack: $160
Roof Kayak Mount, J-style: $330
Roof Kayak Mount, Saddles: $280
Roof Mounted Adjustable Load Holder: $110
Roof Mounted Cargo Box: $790
Vehicle Integrated Side Awning: $970
Spare Tyre Carrier for Roof Rack: $170
Jerry Can Mount for Roof Rack: $190
Hi-Lift Jack Mounting Bracket for Roof Rack: $160
Roof Mounted Axe and Shovel Bracket: $160
Sand Ladder Flat Mounting Brackets: $220
Sand Ladder Side Mounting Brackets: $160
Spot Light Bracket: $150
Gas Bottle Holder for Roof Rack: $190
Load Mounting Brackets for Roof Rack: $180
Roof Tie-down Rings: $100
Folding Aerial Mount: $160
Lockdown Security Cable: $60
Cargo Load Straps: $30
RotopaX Mounting Bracket: $20
Is the Ineos Grenadier safe?
There is no official crash test data from any resting authority for the Grenadier and there is every chance there never will be, given the position of this vehicle as commercial rather than passenger.
​
Standard safety features include:
​
Front, side and curtain airbags
ESP with trailer-sway control
Tyre pressure monitor
Reversing camera and sensors
ISOFIX and top tethers (five-seat versions)
There’s no mention of driver-assist active safety features such as autonomous emergency braking or lane-keeping aids, meaning a five-star NCAP or ANCAP rating looks impossible.
​
How much does the Ineos Grenadier cost to run?
The Ineos Grenadier is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with five years of roadside assist.
​
Servicing intervals are recommended at 12 months for normal usage or six-month servicing “for continuous use in tough environments”.
​
As well as servicing Grenadiers at its retail centres, Ineos has cut a global deal with Bosch Car Service centres to cater to more remote operators. “Flying Spanner” techs based in the Australian HQ are also said to be available, if the service network needs help.
​
For owners who want to carry out work on their Grenadier themselves, Ineos is taking a novel approach by providing online 3D interactive manuals with support from the technical team at HQ a call or a click away.
​
“The vehicle has been deliberately designed and engineered to be easy to work on inside and out,” the company claims. It bills its “open source” approach, without trying to “ring-fence” buyers into its own ecosystem, as a point-of-difference for enthusiasts.
​
It’s not yet clear what conditions will be placed on DIY owners, from a warranty perspective.
​
CarExpert’s Take
There is a lot to love about the Ineos Grenadier.
​
It started life as nothing but an idea at a pub between friends, and ended up bringing together an enormous amount of knowledge from some of the best engineers in the world and huge amounts of investment to create an ultra-modern, rugged vehicle that is just as suited to the farm and rural areas as it is for a drive from Sydney to Melbourne.
​
The Grenadier is an excellent adventure vehicle and those looking to get out of the city, camp and enjoy a more outdoor lifestyle will also benefit massively from the number of accessories available for the vehicle.
​
The only asterisks for us are the niggling initial production quality issues that we are very hopeful will be solved before local cars arrive, and a steering system which will take some buyers a bit of getting used to.
submitted by KhoaFraelich to CarScannerOBD2 [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 14:57 WheelerGolfPool Valspar

Nice to see Jordan Spieth continuing to work hard on his back nine collapses. We can now predict with extreme confidence that if he’s anywhere near the lead on the final nine at Augusta, his ball will get wet.
Also nice to see perennial nice guy Patrick Reed and his LIV buddies get turned back at the gate at the Match Play. Funny how ditching the PGA Tour costs some playing privileges.
Fore Me wins the week with $2,153k, followed by Chilli Dippers with $1,837k and Team Brand with $1,210k.
Year to date, Phatman & Bigkrak RM continues to lead with $24,197k, followed by Thin2Win with $24,035k and The Stingers with $23,994k.
Charles
Rank Team YTD Valspar Players Bay Hill P.R. Winnings
1 Phatman & Bigkrak RM $24,196,733 0 2266056 3037389 0 $40
2 Thin2win $24,035,404 216855 2472021 1228761 0
3 The Stingers $23,994,323 0 3004449 3133056 0
4 Ham...Burger $23,981,489 0 3097070 3172028 0 $120
5 Dude Where's my Par $23,757,435 0 2318890 828406 0 $520
6 Mount McKinley $23,240,002 203094 2547056 1417389 0
7 Roto $22,816,292 254475 2770117 3071006 0
8 Gilligan & Skipper $22,379,475 203094 2559117 2762389 0
9 NDTJ $22,238,181 35280 3732546 1914361 0 $120
10 Ghost Writer $22,101,857 21519 3293140 1548056 0
11 Hockeydoc $22,098,725 203094 2837272 3023722 0
12 Loch Ness Monster $22,015,698 499419 4148153 1267456 0
13 1 Time $21,746,508 0 2609367 1545056 0 $200
14 Sportsphone $21,719,952 35280 2166617 3043256 0
15 Major Pain $21,457,702 477900 3401988 4714428 0
16 Hole in Yuan $21,435,830 17820 2609367 1382056 0 $80
17 Pebble Buster $21,065,817 0 1142949 3002056 0 $40
18 Tarrbreras $21,021,102 499419 4255497 3863028 0 $200
19 F Bois $20,980,524 477900 2093140 1505056 0
20 RHB $20,867,189 477900 1358783 1220656 0
21 Tiger's Glutes $20,838,679 617625 1501082 413339 0 $120
22 WCPGW $20,815,780 477900 1348023 1511428 0
23 Charles Stuart II $20,804,571 35280 3337380 2862628 0 $40
24 First $20,728,498 21519 3633331 1393656 0
25 Tiger's 14th Ho $20,572,084 0 1507248 2823028 0
26 Juan Dos y Uno $20,551,223 17820 1660701 4699656 0
27 Euro Can $20,422,137 234765 1000582 4000428 0 $80
28 Roadkill Delicatessen $20,373,402 145899 2040474 2307028 0
29 Wally and Doug $20,222,168 18063 902523 2609028 0 $160
30 Phatrat $20,130,196 181575 1637533 1341939 0
31 Henry 3 $20,096,426 181575 2102451 1339389 0
32 Pro Bono Handies $20,087,041 495720 1886451 3517656 0
33 Doc & Dobber 2 $20,049,803 181179 1624273 4319228 0
34 Long Ball $20,016,176 477900 3279822 1033428 0
35 Eagle Has Landed $19,797,373 131625 2584998 1305028 0
36 SloppyBallz $19,417,377 270675 1824140 1211389 0
37 Larry's Bird $19,102,278 363150 955773 2284028 252857
38 Dan Geary $19,098,897 53190 1700724 2808056 0 $120
39 Wooden Shafts $19,090,228 477900 1569085 1516189 8816
40 CI Has Been $18,906,292 0 1445832 2792028 0
41 1 Time Again $18,652,852 477900 2370390 1390006 0
42 Dr Hook $18,527,558 680994 1789773 1553361 0
43 Woodstock $18,485,964 21519 2320415 1017389 0
44 Diamondback $18,485,229 35280 2312357 621361 0
45 PatBry $18,477,970 584820 726238 639778 0 $120
46 Big Smoke $18,415,788 181575 1687689 522694 0
47 Lafferty Daniel $18,408,139 221157 1414367 576339 115425
48 Team Fore $18,399,118 246132 1513355 1056361 155800
49 Steel Shafts $18,361,299 259893 2488273 1419561 0
50 Team Brand $18,247,133 1210275 1001238 1686828 0 $80
51 Genie I $18,242,698 35280 3100439 1198978 0
52 VGS $18,217,934 659475 839582 1205361 0
53 Fore Marvelous $18,182,695 35280 2204498 1646228 0
54 Beaser $18,163,884 659475 2145822 825761 0
55 Nemmo $18,109,971 181575 914617 638389 0
56 Sandshank Redemption $18,070,074 275994 1131023 3902028 0
57 Grip It & Sip It $18,063,919 199089 2602845 1198978 0
58 Tin Cup $17,937,747 0 610082 730361 0
59 Craig Ruane $17,903,836 272538 665332 667028 0
60 4 Js $17,855,023 694224 660500 1581361 0
61 DDR $17,817,881 70560 931058 3850256 0
62 Hitting Bombs $17,779,697 0 1570189 2447028 0
63 Creeping Death $17,710,005 0 5470867 4724028 0 $280
64 Laurel and Hardy $17,706,267 477900 1811416 3244028 0
65 Bombs over Baghdad $17,693,124 0 1421724 574056 0
66 Weapons of Grass Destruction $17,669,335 17334 676951 509456 0
67 HarryO $17,542,288 181575 1978166 2692361 0
68 JG and Physio Steve $17,528,297 567000 1828357 1708456 0
69 Dice and Slice $17,507,971 955800 1917656 3179428 0
70 Bubba $17,447,634 39339 1297439 405361 155800
71 John Major $17,366,409 955800 661062 2895456 0
72 MetalKatz $17,207,060 123849 2039582 1626361 0
73 Caddyshack $17,085,815 0 1683105 1329978 0
74 Drawshank Redemption $16,994,630 199395 333572 1026722 0
75 Wally and Duke $16,823,776 477900 385666 3084028 0
76 Birdie Juice $16,819,853 254475 630607 915817 0
77 Sandton $16,489,945 731052 745857 2283761 12350
78 Tee Fore Two $16,420,340 680994 728822 2283761 0
79 Chilli Dippers $16,166,585 1836855 2477998 3537028 0 $120
80 Asian Golfers Matter $15,893,493 56799 1383582 4749206 0 $120
81 Real Sports $15,737,169 499419 2920378 3350600 0 $120
82 ProBoys $15,690,040 38205 4178832 1630400 0
83 Long LIV the King $15,595,706 0 2211607 2561361 0
84 Stef $15,574,351 771525 331072 2219428 0
85 Dick Dork $15,537,859 0 116666 4064028 0
86 Doug Fraser $15,454,729 567000 2020355 2046400 0
87 Show Me Your Hog(e) $15,236,873 567000 5201238 2020300 0 $120
88 Snoopy $15,210,163 89100 560082 2267978 0
89 Iminakoma $15,134,447 124380 497906 576339 0 $80
90 No Bubblegum $15,125,867 327474 2093046 3339333 0
91 Switz $15,115,638 343575 2780497 1769628 0
92 Fore Me $14,692,993 2152755 1450914 1736561 0 $200
93 BunkerBumbler $14,542,378 363150 2486607 965028 23750
94 Flav $14,459,014 659475 4830250 1826333 35957 $280
95 2 Dukes Aurora $13,862,436 159660 2762404 1961228 0
96 Nella $13,770,089 56799 3041773 3250400 0 $40
97 Big Dix Six $13,761,345 730035 2203640 1824361 0
98 Hello Neimann $13,267,891 21519 1932390 1638028 0
99 Rocky's Wife $12,947,711 89100 1534630 4450350 0
100 SaulSobo $12,855,858 181575 1789773 3145027 0
101 Dillweed $12,816,498 659475 715916 5223333 0 $200
102 Phatman & Bigkrak MS $12,799,788 513675 1968261 2355333 0
103 Pin Hi $12,774,181 0 4184523 1723283 0
104 Newbie $12,740,072 142443 3114949 1222056 0
105 2 Dukes $12,633,906 531243 2796271 1411950 0
106 Ben Fash $12,590,292 131625 1295189 3046000 115425
107 Cankles $12,529,904 477900 3057283 1730778 0
108 Duke $12,434,240 477900 2069605 1754333 0
109 Team Seve $12,333,074 602280 1462845 2863400 0
110 Designated Driver $12,263,099 0 3572248 1079000 0
111 Charles Stuart I $12,181,943 953289 1420533 1499361 0
112 Gumby $12,061,291 329661 2460605 1678228 35957
113 Happy Hookers $11,978,205 0 2821689 660333 0
114 Embalmers $11,942,903 477900 3096689 1850000 0
115 Paul Filipiuk $11,911,592 0 4361605 1354628 0
116 AmericanX $11,853,793 716274 1751974 1900761 0
117 Long LIV Meghan Markle $11,833,533 21519 2446747 768539 0 $200
118 Young Guns $11,819,510 289755 3041654 959656 0
119 Here's Hoping $11,782,427 471330 2612523 1184361 0
120 Hozelrocket $11,676,076 367380 2533738 788000 0
121 Genie III $11,660,740 602280 3491845 895300 0 $240
122 Block Fade $11,648,820 841050 822156 1976389 0
123 Craigsters $11,585,819 17820 2369998 1448400 0
124 Harry/Mike $11,572,961 0 3433939 1185644 0
125 Ernie's Army $11,343,394 0 3070415 2564361 0
126 Hairy/Al $10,908,897 177570 2526832 1616028 0
127 Four for Fore $10,819,322 567000 1896689 1460333 0
128 Pep Patty $10,734,111 181575 779498 1049666 0
129 Swansea’s Finest $10,635,776 21519 1320974 2440056 0
130 Doc & Dobber 1 $10,557,995 510759 1358058 1336339 0
131 That's a Gimmee $10,418,407 124380 2736355 1306656 0 $200
132 Stroke Shavers $10,289,207 270045 1632699 1033283 0
133 Buckethead Barr $10,261,217 0 1570189 1199333 0
134 Skipper & Gilligan $10,192,264 658089 1062259 4065028 0
135 Wise $10,149,070 1095390 1312380 369400 0
136 Canadian Bacon $10,115,075 336663 1523521 966400 0
137 Kim's Convenience $10,054,650 35280 2328513 1448389 0 $120
138 The Wizard $9,996,516 288495 2237689 1659644 0
139 Jap-a-Dog $9,500,796 452250 977558 1003644 115425
140 Drive for Show $9,354,823 181575 2420822 1340666 0
141 B Squared 1 $9,275,189 771525 1346679 1140761 0
142 JSW $9,229,524 181575 1444998 643683 0
143 Genie II $9,179,600 1114290 1684855 1771978 0
144 Arizona Jimmy $9,044,060 53190 937582 1344950 0
145 B Squared 2 $9,029,834 748575 772906 1815789 0
146 Ugly Sweaters $8,982,513 0 1699832 2967933 0
147 Team Daisy $8,975,837 181575 1591666 2644733 0
148 SeanL $8,617,144 477900 825000 1989333 0
149 Chimpo $8,566,596 584235 1367548 874872 0
150 Sokal Squared $8,215,298 124380 2039582 1645028 0
151 Terra Torque $8,202,785 552609 1634808 1437333 0 $40
152 Birdie Numnums $8,193,505 254475 2332581 979016 0
153 I’m Not So Young $7,421,194 270675 900523 1641333 0
154 GreenKiwi $7,103,846 493263 339332 820333 0
155 2 Guns $7,008,670 860490 526273 532961 0
156 GRAB $5,374,451 477900 386166 1331950 0
submitted by WheelerGolfPool to WheelerGolfPool [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 14:22 Royal_Nothing7137 Need honest review for my FFS result please

Need honest review for my FFS result please
Had FFS nearly four months ago, healing is okay and may still have abit swelling.
20k AUD spend for overall fees out from my pocket, partly lend from my partner and a minor loan.
Grateful for my partner'a support, my hard working for fund and the surgeons for giving me a life-changing experience.
Although I appreciate the work carried out by the surgeons but yet still find myself in a possible clockable condition, not really dissatisfied to the result but still having concern about how I look now.
Found myself easily identify as a "BRO" or getting sized in my previous workplace by most people or near half? until others call me in correct pronounce, I have a chance to speak with the person in a not trained not feminine but soft and gender voice or find that I have boobs underneath my coat (labcoat sort of thing).
Now when I see myself I often feel slightly discourage with my FFS result or maybe I'm just setting the standard too high comparing with other girls that spends similar amount on FFS.
Please kindly give me honest review for what you think about the result and how will you identify me as when you first see my pictures, thank you for your reading and honest review.
submitted by Royal_Nothing7137 to Transgender_Surgeries [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 14:16 ohhidied LEGACY: From the Book of SAW (Chapter 16 & 17) The Survivors

Read chapter 15 here: https://www.reddit.com/saw/comments/11rvp3u/legacy_from_the_book_of_saw_chapter_15_dr_steward/
___________________________________________________
*** CHAPTER 16 **\*
William Schenk enters a shabby apartment complex carrying a red, portable cooler. He passes the commonly empty front desk and proceeds upstairs. When he reaches his floor, he sees a call girl exiting his neighbor's apartment. He flashes a charming smile and keeps moving. His neighbor, ashamed, says, "Hey Bill…," But Bill doesn't stop. He offers a wave and continues down the hall.
Aside from a small TV and newspaper articles, his flat is almost barren. He places the cooler on the kitchen counter and heads into his bedroom. Opening the closet door, he procures a small, aqua green, square-shaped box and a thin strand of rope, approximately four feet in length.
He sets the box on the living room table, then grabs the portable cooler. On the table in front of him, he switches on an old radio, quickly tuning the device to a new station.
The reporter begins to speak about the mass grave that's been discovered, while Bill stuffs the box full of newspaper. He then opens the cooler and places the contents into box. The final step is to wrap the box with the rope, making the perfect knot and bow.
In the kitchen, he takes a black marker from a ceramic cup and writes a note on a small white tag. He slips the rope through a pre-punctured hole on the label and ties it off. Satisfied, The Organ Donor admires his work, then places the gift inside the freezer.
*** CHAPTER 17 **\*
Paint dripped on the precinct floor as Lincoln made his way to the restroom. He locked the door, unbuttoned his shirt, set it on the counter, and unhooked the latch on his brace. The Detective slowly removed the homemade cilice, exposing a throng of metal spikes that had left dozens of painful indentations in his skin. Lincoln stared at his scarred torso, stoic to the pain he had caused himself as repentance. As he watched the blood spill from several small wounds, he remembered cradling Roy's head, and in his mind, Lincoln felt he deserved this.
He allowed his sores a moment to breathe while he struggled to remove the paint from his shirt and jacket. Five minutes passed, and he was granted only a moderate improvement. He reapplied the painful undergarment, breathed sharply, and buttoned his shirt.
On the way to his office, he is approached by an officer, "Detective Riley," she says, "Renee Walsh would like to speak with you."
"Where is she?"
"Agent Webb is interviewing her now. Right, this way."
Following his colleague to the Booking Room, Lincoln feels the cilice pressing against his skin. He reaches into his shirt, pulls the strap to tighten the brace, and readjusts his clothes.
Agent Webb has concluded her interview, and she passes him in the hallway, "She's all yours."
Entering the room, Lincoln puts on a neutral face, "I'm sorry for the delay. Are you alright?"
Renee stands up from her chair and approaches the Detective, "Lincoln, It's been a long time."
"Look, this is just a precaution. You'll be safe here."
"That woman…" she says, referring to Agent Webb, "She's treating me like I'm a part of this."
Lincoln looks over his shoulder, then back to Renee, "I can't reveal much, but there is a connection between the murders and Jigsaw's accomplices."
Renee moves to the table and sits down, "I thought this was over. It's been over two years…."
"Have you been in contact with any of the other survivors?"
She sighs, "Not really, just Jeff…."
"You were close?"
Renee thinks about her response before answering, "He didn't do those things he was accused of… I-I trust him."
"What about the rest of the group?"
"The others? They never really liked me, and you don't often find someone who appreciates what John did."
Lincoln glances at her eye patch, "Why do you?"
She stares at her shoes and explains, "I always felt invisible, but he noticed me. I know it's stupid, but I needed this."
Her words resonated with Lincoln. He slid his hands against his chest and down to his hips. He could feel the Nitrous canister inside his pocket, left over from his session with Dr. Steward. A sudden craving was triggered, "We're going to keep you here as long as we have to."
Renee's face was tinged with sadness, "Lincoln, I can't." She says, distressed.
"What's wrong?"
She bits her lip, "It's not me I'm worried about… It's my Dad and Brother."
"There's no indication that they're in any danger."
"It's not that," She says, "My dad is sick. He needs me."
Lincoln's eyes wander, contemplative, "I'll tell you what, I'll send someone over there to make sure everything is alright, okay?"
"Thank you, Lincoln."
He moves towards the door, and she says, "Hey, maybe when this is all over, you can come by the Survivors Group and say 'Hello'? I think everyone would be happy to see you again."
Stopping at the door, Lincoln pauses and considers the suggestion. He slowly turns his head back to her and then exits the room.
Lincoln's desire to use was growing, but as he was about to exit the building, he was stopped by Chief Savino.
"Where are you going?" Savino asked.
Thinking on his feet, Lincoln replied, "I need to make a personal call."
"Can it wait?" Savino asked, "Have you finished the MP report?"
Lincoln can see Borden and Marlow through the Briefing Room window. Frustrated, he responds, "Just about. I'll bring it to you shortly."
He proceeded to the Briefing Room, where he sat at his desk and sifted through the Missing Person cases from the last ten years. While he researched the disappearances, the others read through a culled list of Jigsaw survivors and their last known whereabouts.
"Listen to this," Borden says, browsing a newspaper article, "Years after surviving Jigsaw's "final" test, "S.U.R.V.I.V.E" Author, Bobby Dagen, was found dead in his suburban home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,'" He glances at Lincoln for a reaction, "Did you hear about this? … "While a suicide note was not present at the scene, it's speculated that he felt guilt for the death of his wife, Joyce… Dagen was outed as a fraud shortly after the death of John Kramer."
Borden sets the article down and comments, "Wrote a book called 'Survive' and then kills himself. No irony in that, huh?"
"How 'bout this," Marlow adds, "Mother and Son Killed in Car Accident Near Home Residence…." He traces the words with his finger, "It says Tara Abbot and her son Brent were killed in a collision after Tara lost control of the vehicle."
Listening to his colleagues recite the news articles, Lincoln couldn't help but imagine the victims' deaths. He keeps his emotions at bay and continues to glean information from the Missing Person files.
"Here's another one," Marlow says, "Jigsaw survivor, Mallick Scott, was pronounced dead today. After struggling with substance abuse, Scott was kidnapped and tortured by the infamous John Kramer... Neighbors reported a pungent odor next door, and the arriving officers discovered Mallick had overdosed on heroin and drowned in his pool…." Marlow looks at his colleagues solemnly, "He was found with a rubber band wrapped around his arm."
Borden squints his eyes and shakes his head, "This can't be a coincidence," he theorizes.
"What? You think they were murdered?" Marlow replies skeptically, "Who could do that?"
"Do you know Mark Hoffman? Do you know how many people he killed the night Jill Tuck died?" He took out three FBI Agents, including Peter Strahm, and a slew of cops."
"That was before I started," Marlow admits.
Lincoln turns to his associates and reveals, "Six of these Missing Person cases were also Jigsaw survivors; Joan Douglas and Morgan Tillman both disappeared four years ago, realtor Brit Stevenson from the Fatal Five trap, vanished three years ago. The list goes on."
A lite knock at the door indicates Logan's arrival. He enters the room with Agent Webb, holding pictures in his hand, "Detective," he says.
"Come in…"
He hands Lincoln an Autopsy Report, and Agent Webb stands beside him, "We've identified the tattooed woman. Her name was Pamela Jenkins. She was William Easton's sister."
"Another survivor." Unnerved, Lincoln asks, "What about the others?"
"Jeff Ridenhour never showed up," Borden said.
Marlow conjures a curious expression, "The Dentist?"
"Neurologist. He was lobotomizing patients…."
"Allegedly..." Lincoln adds.
Webb's face showed concern, "He hasn't called?"
"No, but Gavin Beck is under protection… Stupid, asshole," Borden said, "He wouldn't leave his house, so I got a patrol unit watching over him."
"I spoke with Neil Perri hours ago." Marlow notes, "He sounded drunk…."
"What did he say?" Lincoln asked.
"He wouldn't tell me where he was but said he'd be here… There's more. Simone Howard called out of work the last two days. Her manager received a text stating she was sick. I tried to reach her by phone, but no response."
Lincoln leans back, ruminating, "And Sarah Harper?"
"Nothing," Borden reveals, "but Chief Savino issued an All Points Bulletin on all of the survivors. We're putting her face on TV."
Stepping forward, Agent Webb asked, "Where's the tape from Gordon's apartment?"
"This way," Lincoln leads her to the VCR in the back of the room, "Did you find something?"
"Pamela Jenkins was investigating Jigsaw Copycats. We lost communication with her about a week ago."
Borden joins them at the TV, and Agent Webb rewinds the tape. Using the computer next to the VCR, she locates a folder from the cloud containing several videos. "Her last transmission was from this broadcast."
She presses play on the first recording, and they watch as a camera is positioned on the dashboard of a car.
Pamela captures the heavy clouds that filled the night sky. Raindrops exploded onto her windshield as she traveled up a gravel road towards a mysterious home. A black car was parked outside the house, but the license plate was out of view. She exited her vehicle and shielded her camera from the wind and rain.
"I've seen this before…." Lincoln said, "It was on the news the night Gordon died."
Agent Webb adjusts the footage, filtering it through different settings until everything is visible. The VCR has finished rewinding, and she links the tape with the content from the cellphone.
The front door is already open when Pamela tries knocking. She looks inside, "Hello? Is anybody here?"
The light switch doesn't seem to work, but Pamela proceeds cautiously into the residence and enters a nearby room. On the floor, she finds crayon drawings and children's toys.
"What are you hoping to find?" Lincoln asks.
"Hello?" Pamela repeats.
The body of a small puppet lays face down on the floor next to two small chairs. Upon turning it over, Pamela discovers the head has been smashed. Picking up one of the broken pieces, she realizes it's the Billy puppet Jigsaw would use in his traps. The doll starts to laugh, but it's labored and distorted. Next to the puppet, she finds a hammer and nails.
Pamela grabs the tool, "What the…?"
The front door slams shut, and Pamela yelps, frightened, but no one is there. Trembling, she holds the hammer in front of herself like a sword. The loud wind crashes against the frame of the building, and her nerves settle. She moves through the darkness and finds a door that leads into the next room. However, wooden boards have been nailed to the wall to prevent entry.
Setting her camera down but still recording herself, she uses the hammer to yank the nails out of the wood, one by one and then uses her strength to pry them from the wall. When the last board is removed, she grabs her camera and opens the door.
Two hands quickly pierce the darkness and rush towards her. A shirtless, emaciated man mumbles and grabs at Pamela, tearing her shirt. She drops her phone and attempts to fight him off, smacking him several times with the hammer. Blood spews from his head, and he collapses to the floor.
Pamela grabbed her phone and checked on the lifeless man; his mouth hung open, and she could see his tongue had been cut out. His body is filthy, and his fingers are covered in blood from scratching at the walls.
"Fuck! …Shit!" She says. The footage stops suddenly.
Agent Webb suggests, "We think she tried to call the police." She clicks on the following video.
The footage returns, and they can hear Pamela panting. She walks into the next room, where the man was held captive.
The light flickers as the battery dies on her phone, and they can hear her slapping the camera. Pamela is startled by the sudden appearance of a corpse with a rusty pipe impaled through its neck. The cadaver is a reddish-brown, having been deceased for some time.
"Oh my god," she says, positioning her camera closer to the body.
A bright light in the hallway turns on, and she tilts her camera towards the luminescence. She could now hear the alarming moans of someone in jeopardy through the walls.
Agent Webb inhales and grinds her teeth. Watching both monitors, they prepare for the next scene.
Pamela moves fearfully into the hallway. Her heart is racing, and a surveillance camera captures her every move. Several floorboards have detached from the foundation, and there are scratch marks on the walls as if someone was dragged. Her teeth chatter, and she proceeds nervously towards the muffled groans, the floorboards creaking with her every step.
A masked figure appears behind her, their presence announced by the audible floorboards, but before she can turn around, the hooded man smacks her in the head. The video ends, but the surveillance camera records her grisly fate.
Webb notices something on the wall and rewinds the tape for several seconds. She positions the computer next to the television, restarts the cellphone footage, and pauses the content when she sees the same marking.
"Do you see that?"
With both screens side-by-side, they can now see the symbol of Ankh.
Lincoln leans forward, "What does it mean?"
"The "Ankh" is the Egyptian symbol for Eternal Life," she says, "In the last message we received from Pamela, she said she was investigating the Gideon Meat Packing Plant. I think she followed that car to this location."
"It can't be too far from the plant," Borden theorizes.
"Did you notice the toys and chairs? I think this is a Children's DayCare… I'm going to pull up the city records…."
"Marlow can help you with that," Lincoln says, "Simone Howard doesn't live too far from here. Frank and I will go get her."
***
TO BE CONTINUED...
submitted by ohhidied to saw [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 13:43 AppointmentLeft1966 When seeing your Twin Flame again is very unlikely how do we stop thinking of them?

In my case any sort of relationship is very very unlikely to happen. There is a massive age Gap and other circumstances. I used to have Friends in the area they moved to, well near the same area but I fell out with them so the chances of me ever bumping into my Twin are Slim. I am getting fed up of the burden of knowing what the connection is when most likely they don’t. When I have had Online contact it was me reaching out only to get one email response each time and any follow up emails regarding the subject of what I emailed have not been responded to. (He has an interest in a particular subject and I was asking about the work on it) that in itself was a gateway of communication.
How does one accept the fact “look you won’t see them again” I have had vision type things but as it stands I will chalk that down to me having a period of time where mentally things were not great. Regarding thinking of him all the time do I just accept it as a way of life? You know like making a cup of tea everyday. Is it going to be like this the rest of my life? I have thought about him for 5 Years and to be honest Twin Flame or not we are not immune to limerence romantic or not. I mean will I still be thinking of him when he is not in the land of the living anymore? That is if I don’t die first for whatever reason.
I can’t force 5D stuff or 3D. Any helpful tips particularly those in similar circumstances?
submitted by AppointmentLeft1966 to twinflames [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 13:08 Verrgasm Clubbing

"Why won't you come with me?" Andrea's voice whined down the phone in the tone she always adopted when she wasn't getting her way. "C'mon… please? Everyone else is busy..."
"I already told you, I'm not going back to another one of your shitty dive clubs. Remember last time when I nearly got my eye gouged out in the moshpit? I had to take a week off work."
"So what if you got your bell rung for the first time, you really want to die without any scars? Besides, do you have any idea how hard it was to get these tickets? I had to pay some random street guy double just to get us in the door."
"Well, what's the big deal about this place, then? Why's it so exclusive?"
"Suck Shaft."
"What?"
"Suck Shaft, they're opening. Headliner's some local hick but everyone's going to see Suck Shaft, it's their first gig in like ten years or something. How in the fuck have you never heard of Suck Shaft?"
"Andrea, can you please stop saying 'Suck Shaft' for a minute… let me think…"
"Look, are you coming or not? We'll be in and out in two hours, Tom, I promise. You'll be no worse off for work tomorrow, might even have something interesting to say around the water cooler, ay?"
"Fine... As long as we're only staying for the opener."
"Great! Pick me up at six."
beep
I pulled up outside Andrea's house to find her sitting impatiently on the doorstep and she eagerly bounded over and hopped inside.
"Are you as excited as I am?!" She asked giddily, looking at me with her make-up-caked face. She presented two little white tickets and passed one over. "This is gonna be a night to remember!"
"Yeah, whatever… Two hours, then I'm going home, so don't fuck around, okay?" I put the car in gear and departed from the pavement. "I mean it, Andrea. I can't mess up with this job right now."
"Jeeeez, you're such a stick in the mud…" She groaned dramatically as her eyes rolled back into her head.
As we drove slowly down the decrepit street which was home to the run-down venue I was immediately shocked at just how busy it really was. A swarm of patrons all waiting to get inside mobbed the sidewalk and spilled over into the street. After a tedious fifteen minutes of creeping around, I eventually managed to squeeze the car into a tiny space two streets over.
It was freezing but I gave Andrea my jacket anyway after catching a few passive aggressive 'brrrrr's' as we walked side-by-side to the club.
"Why didn't you just bring your own coat?"
"Well, I didn't know we'd have to park like a hundred fucking miles away, did I?"
"What if it's cold inside? You consider that one, genius?"
"We won't be cold for very long," She shot me a sly wink as she dug into her back pocket and held up a baggie containing two tiny pills stamped with a smiling alien. "Roll with me?"
I looked into her big green pleading puppy dog eyes and found myself unable to say no. That and it had been a while since I'd gotten my hands on some decent ecstasy. Andrea always got good X.
"I'll take half. Remember I still have to get us both home in one piece after this." I said in a defeated voice, but secretly I was excited for the first time that day.
"Yay!" Andrea hopped up and clicked the heels of her Nikes at me. "This is gonna be great!"
She pulled the bag open and bit half a pill, handing me the other half. Then, without any hesitation, she slammed the other full one down too before flashing her tongue at me the way I imagine they make the patients do at mental hospitals after med time.
"For fuck's sake, Andrea. Really? You said two hours. In two hours' time you're gonna be completely gone, I'll probably have to carry you through the dance floor, prise your fingers off the stage just to get you out the door with me."
"A promise is a promise." She booped my nose condescendingly the way you might a small child. I always hated when she did that, endearing as it was. "When it's over, it's over. I won't hold you back."
"I hope not." I'd gotten the pill down quickly, but that bitter taste still permeated the surface of my tongue and a little at the back of my throat. "I really hope not..."
We rounded the corner and joined the back of the line and found ourselves relieved that it was moving relatively quickly. I stood on my toes and got a decent look at the action up front. The bouncer wasn't even really checking the tickets, just a nod in acknowledgement at whatever random white paper was being presented. This prompted me to check the one in my pocket.
It was riddled with typos. I held it up to Andrea and she looked at me as if I was from Mars.
"What?"
"You paid double for fake tickets?"
"Yeah, so what? They'll get us in, won't they?"
"Jesus, Andrea. I swear, two hours and then we're leaving. Okay? This is gonna be a nightmare to get away from, look how busy this fucking street is, it's all because of these fake ticket scalping fucks..."
The ecstasy had begun to take effect and I couldn't help but feel a little shame for just how hard my half a pill was already kicking my ass. I looked over at Andrea for the first time since we'd joined the queue, of which was quickly packed behind us as we gradually approached the front, boxing us in. She was chewing voraciously at her bottom lip. I put my arm around her shoulder reassuringly and she turned to me with her big wobbly pupils. The vibrant green of her irises almost obscured by them.
"We will get in, right? Won't we?" She asked with a sort of desperation that I understood. I'd had a 'bad' X trip before when my plans got cancelled and I'd taken too much, ended up milling around my apartment hugging pillows and gnawing at my toothbrush. I pictured Andrea disappointedly sitting on her couch while she ferociously stroked her cat with hardstyle blasting through her TV speakers.
"Yeah, I think we'll get in. Don't worry." She pulled me closer to her and we embraced. Usually that took an hour or two but the clear overdose had ramped up the process. "Are you sure you're okay to go in here? You shouldn't have done all that at once."
"Oh, y-yeah" She chattered at me through her clenched teeth. She broke away for a second and yelled into the crowd behind us.
"SUCK SHAFT! WOOO!"
She was met with a rallying cry of about two dozen other people who were also prematurely wasted. With a pleased giggle she took my arm again and snuggled in, which was a relief because it was so damn cold on that sidewalk. We got close to the front and I whispered into Andrea's ear.
"Look, just keep your head down and don't look at the bouncer. If he sees how fucked up you are he won't let us in, okay?"
"Okey-doke…"
"Gimme your ticket."
I took her ticket and approached the big man by the door as Andrea half-hid behind me. No words were exchanged, barely even a look. He grabbed our tickets, and in we went.
"Here's your jacket back." Andrea thrust my knockoff leather jacket towards me and I put it back on, knowing that it'd eventually just become a hindrance in the heat. I followed closely behind as we descended the sickly white painted concrete stairwell, already littered with cigarette butts and empty bottles and vomit possibly from the night before. The music was getting louder as we got closer to the underground set. Thick swathes of bass resonated in the walls and in the floor and the ceiling and I felt myself come alive.
The stairs ended after a few turns and Andrea took my hand and led me into the packed crowd, all moving sinuously to the beat. I felt a jab in my ribs but I didn't care. We were somewhere close to the stage, but I couldn't tell where. My vision flickered and moved with my body as I danced with Andrea, every so often taking an accidental shove from a stranger and giving out a few of my own. That moment, I don't know how long it lasted, but it was the last time I was ever truly happy.
I brushed it off at first, something being shouted that looking back, I know must have been 'fire'. I just didn't want to believe it. Then, when the dancefloor broke its rhythm and people began to push into us towards the exit, I realized what was happening. Andrea looked into my eyes and I could see she knew it too, that rapturous joy snuffed out by terror. When the real world creeps into the fantasies we use to escape, turning them foul forever.
The music was still blaring, but the stage was empty. Smoke trickled out from behind it. Screams began to overtake the bass as people crammed in beside us, all running in the same direction. The lit single door exitway was in near darkness spare a few gaps that weren't full of people squeezing through. It was utter chaos.
All around us the ones who'd fallen over were stepped on in the scramble, I could hear their bones snapping under the weight of frantic footfalls and their pained reactions as they gasped their last breaths before giving in. Several men and women were actively shoving people back, throwing elbows and punches with others retaliating and then succumbing to the trampling themselves. We managed to reach the exit door leading to the stairs, but as I squeezed myself through Andrea's wrist got caught in the doorframe and was shattered by the incoming horde pushing through the cramped doorway three at a time. She screamed, shrieked out, and then was lost. I didn't look back, I was overcome with an unbearable rage. I stood in that doorway and I kicked out hard, knocking at least a dozen people back into the club, which was now entirely ablaze as flames engulfed the stage rendered near invisible by the thick black smoke.
I wasn't giving anything close to a fuck. I jerked my elbows into noses, I yanked back two womem ahead of me and they tumbled backwards down the stairs into the fiery oblivion below. I kicked and I punched and I shoved and I think I even bit a guy at one point, until eventually, I managed to wriggle through the open door and into the night air as sirens screeched down the street towards the scene. I looked back over my shoulder at the carnage as other escapees of the blaze rushed past me to safety. I did too, except I didn't stop running.
I got in my car and I drove home.
Fifty-three people died in that club that night. Seventy were injured, many in ways that'll surely have made their lives a living hell since. Andrea. I'm not sure if Andrea died in the crush or under some fucker's boot or if the smoke got her, or the fire. All I know is that she didn't make it. I just hope it was quick. Oh, fuck, how I hope it was quick... I look back and it's like I can see her lying there by that jammed up door with her wrist all bent backwards with the bone sticking out while she pleads, begs, the other people there to help her. Everyone ignored her. I ignored her.
I don't like to think about it. I can't. So I don't. I moved away. Nobody knows I was there, or what I did. I know I'll never forget it, though. I know that I'll never forgive myself.
submitted by Verrgasm to creativewriting [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 12:34 floridacollection Collection Defense Attorney Near Me to Solve Debt Issues

Creditors lend money to their borrowers for different reasons, and some might find difficulties in repaying them on time. It is feasible to get some time to give back the money, but the situation cannot continue for long. Often, the lenders have a deadline after which they try to collect the money somehow.
​
You can plan to search for a Collection Defense Attorney Near Me and hire them. Their potential brings more power and debt amount to you in a short span. If borrowers do not pay the amount, often a lawsuit is filed to which they must answer. Many benefits a lender can obtain from hiring a collection agency.
​
Quick Results for Lenders
​
When lenders hand over the responsibility of collecting debts to the collection agency, their efforts prove the best. Borrowers who have been dragging for several days without repaying the loan will close their pending accounts quickly. Hence the choice of hiring the Miami Commercial Litigation Attorney can help the most. Their persuasion skills shall help creditors achieve a good amount of debt collection.
​
Have a Hassle-Free Business
​
Being a business owner and money lender, it is not always convenient to deep dive into collecting funds from clients. Some might be stubborn not to pay on time and delay it for a long. It could be more stressful and need professional assistance to collect the debt. In this case, hiring a suitable collection agency near you will be right.
​
Their expertise in getting money from borrowers is efficient enough to reduce the level of stress you handle. The result would be a peaceful environment to continue with your business by eliminating the hassles of getting debts paid. If arguing with clients is not your cup of tea, hand over the issue to agencies that handle it appropriately.
​
Legal Proceedings at Their Best
​
Under necessary circumstances, filing a lawsuit against the money borrower might arise, which needs suitable techniques to manage. In this aspect, the debt collection agencies work dedicatedly and ensure you do not fall into the trap. Their knowledge tells if it is highly recommended to file a lawsuit before doing it.
​
These agencies, if required, will pick either an internal or an affiliate lawyer to complete the process rapidly.Its outcome would be the quick collection of the money. Debtors who wish to get rid of legal hurdles should prefer hiring collection agencies. They also use tools for enforcing judgements that make the service complete.
​
Being mindful before making a choice yields the best result. Research well and hire a company that fulfils your demands and brings down your burden.
submitted by floridacollection to u/floridacollection [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 11:59 lovewithdonut How to Make Donuts without Yeast

How to Make Donuts without Yeast
Best Donuts in Perth are a darling sweet treat that can be partaken in any season of day. Whether you favor exemplary frosted Donuts or more imaginative flavors like maple bacon or matcha green tea, there's a donut out there for everybody. In any case, numerous donut recipes require yeast, which can be scary for novice cooks. To figure out how to make Donuts without yeast, look no further! In this article, we'll share a basic and delightful recipe for without yeast Donuts that you can undoubtedly make at home.

Fixings:

· 2 cups regular flour
· 1/4 cup granulated sugar
· 2 tsp. baking powder
· 1/2 tsp. salt
· 1/2 cup milk
· 2 enormous eggs
· 2 tbsp. unsalted margarine, softened
· 1 tsp. vanilla concentrate
· Oil for searing (canola or vegetable oil functions admirably)
​
https://preview.redd.it/uiuuvk4su9pa1.jpg?width=612&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a5ff554adc14613417b768c25ab984b3e6d4adfc

Guidelines:

  1. In an enormous blending bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until very much joined.
  2. In a different bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, liquefied spread, and vanilla concentrate.
  3. Empty the wet fixings into the dry fixings and mix until recently joined. Be mindful so as not to over mix, as this can make the Donuts intense.
  4. Heat an enormous, profound griddle over medium-high intensity and add sufficient oil to fill the dish around 1 inch down.
  5. When the oil is hot (around 375°F), utilize a little treat scoop or spoon to drop spoonfuls of the donut player into the hot oil. Be mindful so as not to pack the skillet, as this can make the Donuts remain together.
  6. Sear the Donuts for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until they are brilliant brown and cooked through.
  7. Utilize an opened spoon to eliminate the Donuts from the hot oil and move them to a paper towel-lined plate to deplete off any overabundance oil.
  8. Rehash the cycle with the excess hitter until the Donuts are all broiled.
  9. When the Donuts have cooled somewhat, you can add your number one fixings and enrichments. A few famous choices incorporate coatings, powdered sugar, sprinkles, and chocolate chips.

Tips and Deceives:

· Make certain to utilize a profound griddle or pot with high sides to keep away from splatters and spills.
· In the event that you don't have a treat scoop, you can utilize a tablespoon to parcel the hitter.
· To make the Donuts significantly tastier, take a stab at adding a spot of cinnamon or nutmeg to the player.
· For a better choice, you can utilize entire wheat flour or almond flour rather than regular flour.
· Make certain to just sear a couple of Donuts all at once to try not to stuff the container and to guarantee that they cook uniformly.

End:

Donuts are a heavenly and flexible treat that can be delighted in different ways. While numerous conventional donut recipes require yeast, making Donuts without yeast is a straightforward and simple cycle that should be possible in only a couple of steps. With this recipe, you can make tasty hand crafted Donuts that make certain to dazzle your loved ones. Whether you're a novice cook or an accomplished culinary expert, this sans yeast donut recipe is a must-attempt!
Read More: Most Common Donuts in Perth
submitted by lovewithdonut to u/lovewithdonut [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 11:37 fluffybunbu My bridal store messed up my dress and I’m wondering has anyone successfully sued a store before for your money back?!

I’m in desperate need of help. I have had the biggest issue with my wedding dress from day 1 and I’m now out $4500…. Has anyone successfully got a refund from a bridal store? I purchased a dress from fairtytale bridals in Australia. I tried on a sample gown 12 in store and they ordered me a size 18. It arrived and was GIGANTIC. I’m a B cup boob and this dress was made for like a G size cup… they said they ordered the dress on my waist measurement (90cm) and that is what matched the designer sizing. But I honestly thought they would order a 14 since the store size 12 fitted nearly okay. Honestly it is also my own fault as I didn’t even notice they ordered a size 18. I’m a noob at this and my family and friends live abroad so I’ve had to do this all alone and it’s been horrible and I’ve just trusted the bridal store completely. Anyways dress arrived too big… I had to pay $1500 to their in house alteration team to alter it. I complained already once in a email stating the size ordered was clearly too big regardless of what they say and then they said ok next time you’re in tell us what to fix. So I told them the chest part is all wrong. But I also believe it’s too big to even be fixed. So today I tried the final dress on and honestly I did initially think it looked great unfortunately my hair was covering the front of the dress. Again that is my fault completely. But I also had it on for only 5 minutes and didn’t exactly move around and bend forwards (again my fault). So whenever I got home to try the dress on I noticed how it looked so different than when on in the store. See photos attached. At this point I have no idea what to do. My wedding is on Tuesday (I fly out on Sunday for it). Ive 2/3 days max to fix the dress. I emailed the store and will call asap in the morning but ultimately I told them I think the only solution is if they can give me the sample gown which fitted me well enough and don’t worry about doing hem alterations or adding boning, but if they could transfer my flutter sleeves over and I’ll even pay for that. At this point I think my current dress is a write off and if they won’t exchange the dress I’d even be happy with a refund but somehow I don’t think they’ll refund me. If I have to, I might need to eventually try take them to court but I don’t even know if this is possible. Has anyone successfully done this? Does anyone have any solutions for me right now? I’m a crying mess and a huge stress ball. The brown bra cups are also sticking out.
See photos below of me in dress
Pictures of dress
dress
dress
submitted by fluffybunbu to wedding [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 11:35 Justin8051 Need advice - my cast iron pan sticks and burns food

Need advice - my cast iron pan sticks and burns food
Hi, before writing this post I have reviewed the official FAQ, especially the What's Wrong with my Seasoning section, and have seasoned my pan strictly as per instructions outlined in _Silent_Bob_'s Seasoning Process. I have stripped and re-seasoned my pan 6 times now, trying different number of seasoning coats, amounts of oil, as well as experimenting with different foods and cooking mediums. The pan I am using is this one, widely regarded as one of the best products available in my country (it might seem cheap to you, but it is A LOT of money in my country). I am using this pan on my induction stove. The seasoning was done using sunflower oil. I know that the canon choice on this subreddit is Crisco, but unfortunately it is extremely expensive to get it shipped to my country (Lithuania). I found several topics saying that sunflower oil is ok as well.
The issue with my pan is that no matter what I try to cook, the food sticks to the pan immediately as it touches it, and becomes impossible to scrape off, even if I try to do it right away. And when I continue cooking, it burns, badly. Eggs, steak, vegetables - everything sticks. No matter how low I set the heat, even if it is so low that the food barely cooks at all, it still sticks like mad.
My usual cooking procedure is like this:
  1. Preheat the pan at the intended cooking setting (my induction stove has 10 settings - I usually go with 3 or 4, which results in pan temperature of around 150 -180°C (300-350°F);
  2. I add generous amounts of cooking medium - sunflower oil or butter, and wait a few minutes for it to heat up;
  3. Add food, and monitor it, trying to move it around and flip when necessary.
  4. Once cooked, I remove the food with silicone spatula, scrape as much as I can with wooden spatula (it becomes impossible to remove when cold), wait for pan to cool down completely, and then soak with water for a few hours to soften the stuck bits. Then I wash it using lightest scrubbers I can, no dishwashing soap.
Unfortunately the only thing that manages to clean the pan is steel wool - without it, I can scrub the pan for 20 minutes to no effect. And steel wool pretty much destroys the seasoning, meaning I have to fully strip the pan and re-season every time. I did try to ignore this, and try to make more cooking sessions in hope that the pan would "blacken" and get better over time, but it only gets worse.
I read that the usual cause for this is leaving on too much oil when seasoning - so I made goddamn sure that I wipe the pan as much as possible before setting it into the oven for curing. I use paper towels and make 3 wiping passes to make absolutely sure nothing looks shiny. I rather go with more thin seasoning coats than one thick coat.
On my last attempt, I made 15 seasoning coats, which took me 2 days to complete. All strictly according to _Silent_Bob_'s Seasoning Process. This is what the pan looked like straight after these 15 coats:
​
https://preview.redd.it/iy09dl7tn9pa1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=cfc4627b5671ded156023574c711f66fd6c3a5be
It didn't feel sticky when touched cold with a finger, but not really slick either.
On the next day, I attempted to cook scrambled eggs on it, using loads of butter, using the procedure I outlined above, cooking at 150°C (300 F). I also tried the usual egg sliding experiment - the egg stuck to the pan as soon as it landed. With heat so low, my eggs took nearly 15 minutes to cook, and I was stirring and scraping the bottom all the time using silicone and wooden spatula. I could already feel that even the wooden spatula is not cutting it. When the eggs were almost done, I removed them, and this is what I found under:
https://preview.redd.it/z214pn6co9pa1.png?width=2960&format=png&auto=webp&s=f6116f7623b2dec3ebd99a5d6ab348d5ad3581fc
And once the pan cooled down, that stuff was nearly impossible to remove. After soaking in water for 2 hours, it took me 5 minutes scrubbing with steel wool to get this off - and by the time I was done, my precious 15 coats were pretty much gone.
This is the result I get with any food I try to cook. If I try to cook steak, the outside burns immediately, while the inside is raw. It takes hours to cook anything with temps so low.
I don't understand what am I doing wrong here. Before this cast iron pan, I used Bollire non-stick pan, and I could go with MUCH higher heat (even as high as 250-300°C or 480-570 F) without any sticking or burning, and prepare scrambled eggs in under a minute, or steak in under 10 minutes, as opposed to dozens of minutes or hours with my cast iron one.
Can anyone please advise?
submitted by Justin8051 to castiron [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 11:06 petsvilla 20 Best Freeze-Dried Dog Foods in 2023

20 Best Freeze-Dried Dog Foods in 2023
20 Best Freeze-Dried Dog Foods in 2023
​
https://preview.redd.it/a4a8mk5jl9pa1.jpg?width=360&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e9284975360dd70a9c4f500a95ad49af15ee7fa9
As pet owners, we all want the best for our furry friends, and that includes providing them with a healthy and nutritious diet. Freeze-dried dog food has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its convenience, long shelf life, and high nutritional value. In this blog, we'll be discussing the 20 best freeze-dried dog foods in 2023, along with some of the top pet products such as scratch boards for dogs, toy mahjong, cactus cat bed, tropic lean flea and tick spray, honeypot cat bed, pidan tofu, tropic lean flea tick spray, chicken chunks, can beef stew, dog treats near me, acana puppy food, dog mat, dog sofa bed, dog cooling mat, ceramic pet bowl, slow feeder dog bowls, dog feeding mat, dog wipes, dental wipes for dogs, flea comb for dogs, flea shampoo for dogs, flea and tick spray, dog calming spray, dog ear wipes, dog rope toy, chew toy for puppies, dog fetches toy, and finger toothbrush.
  1. Stella & Chewy's Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Patties
Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried dog food is made with high-quality ingredients, including grass-fed beef and cage-free chicken. This dog food is minimally processed to maintain the maximum amount of nutrients and flavor.
  1. Primal Pet Foods Freeze-Dried Nuggets
Primal Pet Foods freeze-dried dog food is made with organic ingredients, including grass-fed beef and organic produce. This dog food is designed to provide a balanced diet that's high in protein and low in carbohydrates.
  1. Orijen Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Orijen freeze-dried dog food is made with fresh, regional ingredients, including free-range chicken and turkey, wild-caught fish, and cage-free eggs. This dog food is loaded with protein and is free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors.
  1. Instinct Freeze-Dried Raw Meals
Instinct freeze-dried dog food is made with real meat and organic fruits and vegetables. This dog food is designed to provide a balanced diet that's high in protein and low in carbohydrates.
  1. Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Chicken Recipe
The Honest Kitchen freeze-dried dog food is made with human-grade ingredients, including free-range chicken, organic oats, and carrots. This dog food is easy to prepare, and it's a great option for picky eaters.
  1. Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Boost Mixers
Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Boost Mixers are a great option for dogs that prefer a raw food diet. This dog food is made with real meat and vegetables, and it's designed to be mixed with kibble or served as a treat.
  1. Northwest Naturals Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Northwest Naturals freeze-dried dog food is made with natural ingredients, including free-range chicken and wild-caught salmon. This dog food is minimally processed to maintain the maximum amount of nutrients and flavor.
  1. Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Dog Food
Ziwi Peak air-dried dog food is made with 96% real meat, organs, and bone, along with a variety of fruits and vegetables.
  1. TruDog's Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food in the Crunchy Munchy Gourmet Gobbler flavor is a great option for your furry friend.
TruDog Feed Me Crunchy Munchy Gourmet Gobbler is a high-protein dog food that's made with real turkey and organs. This dog food is minimally processed to maintain the maximum amount of nutrients and flavor.
  1. K9 Natural Freeze-Dried Dog Food
K9 Natural freeze-dried dog food is made with 100% natural ingredients, including free-range meat, organs, and vegetables. This dog food is designed to be a complete and balanced meal, and it's free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors.
  1. Dr. Pol Raw Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Dr. Pol Raw freeze-dried dog food is made with high-quality, human-grade ingredients, including free-range chicken and grass-fed beef. This dog food is designed to provide a balanced diet that's high in protein and low in carbohydrates.
  1. Nutro Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Nutro freeze-dried dog food is made with real meat and vegetables, and it's designed to provide a balanced and nutritious diet.
  1. Only Natural Pet EasyRaw Human Grade Dehydrated Dog Food
Only Natural Pet EasyRaw Human Grade Dehydrated Dog Food is made with 100% human-grade ingredients, including free-range meat, organic vegetables, and fruits. This dog food is easy to prepare and is free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors.
  1. Open Farm Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Open Farm freeze-dried dog food is made with high-quality ingredients, including grass-fed beef and wild-caught salmon. This dog food is designed to provide a balanced diet that's high in protein and low in carbohydrates.
  1. Vital Essentials Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Vital Essentials freeze-dried dog food is made with high-quality, USDA-inspected meat, organs, and bones. This dog food is minimally processed to maintain the maximum amount of nutrients and flavor.
  1. Grandma Lucy's Artisan Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Grandma Lucy's Artisan freeze-dried dog food is made with all-natural, human-grade ingredients, including hormone-free meats and organic fruits and vegetables. This dog food is easy to prepare, and it's free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors.
  1. Merrick Backcountry Freeze-Dried Raw
Merrick Backcountry freeze-dried dog food is made with real meat, vegetables, and fruits. This dog food is designed to provide a balanced diet that's high in protein and low in carbohydrates.
  1. Sojos Complete Natural Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Sojos Complete Natural freeze-dried dog food is made with all-natural, human-grade ingredients, including meat, vegetables, and fruits. This dog food is easy to prepare, and it's free from artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors.
  1. Rawbble Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Rawbble freeze-dried dog food is made with high-quality, human-grade ingredients, including free-range chicken and grass-fed beef. This dog food is designed to provide a balanced diet that's high in protein and low in carbohydrates.
  1. Nutra Nuggets Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
Nutra Nuggets freeze-dried dog food is made with real meat and vegetables, and it's designed to provide a balanced and nutritious diet.
Visit Our Website
Pets Villa
submitted by petsvilla to u/petsvilla [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 09:30 HKRKW Is anyone else’s paint absolute garbage?

I’m usually not one to do this but my 2022 June Model Y Performance in multi-coat red paint looks like shit after less than a year.
It’s always garaged, rarely sits outside for longer than a few hours per week, is always washed by a touchless car wash or professional detailers and it still has some horrible markings/stains/scratches near the driver side door handle and I can see a TON of spidering happening as well.
Also I got a pretty nasty rock chip on the hood that made it pretty evident how thin the paint is. It’s all the way down to the metal of the hood.
I’m just curious if anyone else is experiencing this and if we have any recourse or “warranty” for the paint? This seems extreme to me.
submitted by HKRKW to TeslaModelY [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 08:58 Scrambledme Skiing in Yuzawa - trip report

I just returned from 16 days in Japan and spent a couple of days skiing in Yuzawa, from Tokyo. I will do a full write up of the rest of the trip too but thought I would focus on skiing in Yuzawa (Niigata) first, as I couldn’t find a whole lot about doing it on a budget while I was researching.
We wanted to do a couple of days of skiing as part of a longer trip without blowing our whole budget on it, and we didn’t want to fly up to Hokkaido just for a couple of days - so we checked out Yuzawa and were pleasantly surprised by the good value and fantastic views. We went in the first week of March, and snow was plentiful (and all the resorts were open). It may not be the world class snow of Hokkaido, but as someone who hasn’t skiied for many years and is not much of a snow connoisseur, it seemed excellent to me, as well as being very accessible for tourists, and navigable for non-Japanese speakers.
We brought zero skiing equipment with us (not even a coat) and were able to hire everything very quickly and easily. I have skied before but my partner had not, so we also splashed out on a private 2-hour skiing lesson. The lesson was in English and was extremely good value - highly recommended if you are new to skiing or returning to it after a break.

Costs

2 nights in traditional Japanese guest house, total: 22,500 JPY (170.50 USD) 2 days equipment hire (including winter clothes), total: 16,000 JPY (121.60 USD) 2 days lift passes (Ishiuchi & Yuzawa Kogen), 4 passes in total: around 15,000 JPY (114.00 USD)
2-hour private ski lesson: 16,000 JPY (121.60 USD) 2 return train tickets to Tokyo: 28,000 JPY (212.80 USD) (not needed if you have JR pass)
This brings the cost per person to around 26,750 JPY (203.30 USD), closer to 50,000 JPY (380.00 USD) if paying for train tickets and private ski lesson.
It is also easily be doable as a day trip from Tokyo. I think you could do it including gear rental for around $100 if you wanted to. If you move quickly, you can be on the slopes within about 2 hours of your train departing Tokyo.

Day 1: Tokyo to the slopes!

Caught the Joetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo station, directly to Echigo Yuzawa. Departed around 8.15am, taking 1 hour 20 minutes. The landscape is not mountainous right until this last few minutes - it takes you by surprise!
There is a 7-11 in the station, so we bought a lot of breakfast and lunch supplies here.
Walked to accommodation I had booked in Yuzawa, which was a basic Japanese-style guest house. It was much cheaper than ryokans seem to be, and it provided a tatami mat, futon, and yukata experience. Otherwise it was quite basic, with shared facilities and an onsen. They were happy to look after our baggage until check in time.
The accommodation had a rental shop within the building. There are lots of rental shops all over the town with broadly similar prices. Advanced booking doesn’t seem to be required (at least on a weekday). We had all our gear sorted within 20 minutes. All the staff were very helpful and worked with us to overcome the language barrier!
Our accommodation offered to drop us off at our chosen resort - we went for Ishiuchi Maruyama, as we had heard good things about it. More info on resorts below.
From what we could tell, most accommodation seemed to provide transport to any resort in the Yuzawa region, and there were also regular shuttle buses going between several of the main resorts including GALA Yuzawa, Yuzawa Kogen (which is directly accessible from Yuzawa town), and Ishiuchi (and probably others).
We emailed a few days in advance to book a private lesson in English with Snow Country Instructors, who work across several resorts in the region and would meet us wherever we wanted.
After our lesson we ate lunch and had a beer at one of Ishiuchi’s many slopeside restaurants, which was very cheap and filling, and then spending the rest of the afternoon exploring the resort.
We telephoned our accommodation when we were ready to leave and they picked us up from the car park. Lots of vans of skiiers were driving away at the end of the day and we could have jumped in with others if we had needed to. Everyone was very helpful and friendly.
We ate dinner in Yuzawa town. Restaurants seemed to be quite booked up, despite it being a weekday, so I’d advise advance booking for food if you’re in a group, or if you are picky. There are a few grocery stores and takeaways too.

Day 2 - Skiing Yuzawa Kogen

We elected for Yuzawa Kogen on our second day because it was right across the road from our accommodation, and we wanted a small resort so we could stick to beginner slopes and practice away from the crowds.
We used the onsen in our accommodation, and went to a Thai restaurant in Yuzawa.

Day 3: Depart

Shinkansen back to Tokyo and then on to Kyoto in time for lunch. We could have done a morning of skiing but elected to head off.

Resorts

While we didn’t go to GALA Yuzawa, it’s the most popular resort with tourists in the region, with a Shinkansen station at the resort itself. We decided to go to other resorts ourselves, but if convenience is your priority then GALA might be a good choice.
I would highly recommend Ishiuchi Maruyama for confident beginners and intermediates, and also for snowboarders (the snow park looked great). It has excellent views and great choice of cheap restaurants, and a distinctly Japanese feel. A big meal for two and beers with a view over the valley came to around 3000 JPY. Mmmmmm!
Yuzawa Kogen was a very small resort, and had fewer facilities than Ishiuchi, however the view from the long beginner’s “panorama” course was one of the best I’ve ever seen skiing, and the slopes were incredibly quiet and peaceful. With our lift ticket (a bargain at 3300 Y) we could get the gondola back to Yuzawa town for lunch, with a wide choice of restaurants, and return to the slopes for the afternoon.
For beginners or out-of-practice skiiers looking for a budget alternative to a GALA Yuzawa day trip from Tokyo, I would recommend Yuzawa Kogen. It is about a 10-minute walk from Echigo Yuzawa station, there are loads of cheap rental shops at the base of the resort itself, the lift ticket is cheap, and the beginner slopes are very accessible.
We didn’t buy it, but you can also get a “three mountains pass” which is a lift ticket to all three of Ishiuchi Maruyama, Yuzawa Kogen, and GALA Yuzawa. You could also upgrade a lift ticket from any one of those resorts into a three mountain pass just by paying a few extra yen at any of the ticket counters. So we had the option open but didn’t use it in the end.
PowderHounds has useful info about the various resorts, opening dates, snow quality, etc.
Overall I would highly recommend the Yuzawa area for a day trip or short break from Tokyo. We chatted to many other travellers during our trip and many were very surprised to find out that skiing is so easily accessible (and a few subsequently added it to their itinerary.)
Final note - make sure your travel insurance covers winter sports activities. Happy skiing!
submitted by Scrambledme to JapanTravel [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 07:25 HughEhhoule The Klink Mike's Story Part 1

Link to original story
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/10meqmh/the_big_rock_candy_mountain_part_1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
The floor of the cell is covered in decades of mildew and dust. This disgusting carpet does nothing to dull the pain as I skip across it, thrown in by someone with the intention of making a point.
My Name’s Mike, and if any of you are the types to go on a deep dive, you probably know A little about me already.
For those of you that don’t, Jesus I don’t know exactly where to begin.
The Cliff’s notes would be that I spent a little over a decade either being a serial killer or a vigilante. I won’t try to justify my actions, both of those are just sides of the same shitty coin. I’m not a person to be idolized or emulated, so I choose not to plead my case.
Now, while I thought that was just about as screwed up as life could get, one day, out of the blue, after burying my best, fuck, my only friend I found myself, somewhere else. A world that looked and felt like mine, but one where the things that go bump in the night actually existed.
Where I came from, I’d seen monsters, to be sure, but only the kind that happen when people break.
Since I’ve been here? Got caught up in some demented gameshow for demons or something, threw a massive shit in the punch bowl of the thing running the production, and got the world’s unluckiest man his freedom.
And that leads me to my current situation, staring down the rage filled, mildly bruised face of that asshole, that fucking, demonic Ted Turner, Art.
He runs a hand aggressively through his slicked back hair, standing at the door to my cell.
“Looks like your little plan didn’t work, exactly as I predicted, you fuck.
I mean, great try with the little cat thing you had, honestly didn’t see that coming. But, Jesus, Mike, what was your end game? “ Art gloats.
“Cards on the table? It was a lot better, but shit fell through, that whiskey abomination, it was the one that ratted me out I assume?
That being said, still got Kev out. And you can’t really ‘flip off his lightswitch’ if he didn’t let you screw around with his wiring, can you? “ I grin, I keep it, even as a Gucci shoe slams into my face.
Am I scared? Of God damn course I am, I’ve been pissing myself (metaphorically speaking.) since I realised that the rules of reality don’t really apply any more.
Every new grain of sand on the beach of hell my life has become, tosses me further down the road of mental failure. Shit, that’s half of what fucked up my last plan in the first place.
If I could have just kept my shit together long enough, I’d be sipping a beer with Kev in some shit hole town somewhere. But the only thing harder than trying to stamp down fear in the face of God’s and monsters, is trying to do it while projecting some kind of ‘death fears me ‘ persona.
Between you and I? Death doesn’t fear me, in fact, it seems to love to hang around. And every day I have to stare down that grim spectre, the closer I get to losing the tenuous grip on reality I have .
“Oh, fuck Kev. He’s smart enough to stay off my radar, and too stupid to figure out a way to come back at me.
He's got a 1 bedroom in Idaho or something? Salud, good on him.
You, I had high hopes for, and then you decide to wipe your ass all over my carpet, cost me more than I could even explain, and even, get me a little roughed up. My favorite shell, anyway.
I want to recoup some loses Mike. So, you, get to be a part of another one of my projects.
You thought The Path was bad? Oh, you literal, fucking clown, you haven’t seen anything.
I won’t spoil it for you, the devil’s in the details and all, but you know what everyone loves?
Prison.
Not being in it themselves, of course, but seeing others, especially those they hate in there.
This place isn’t fair, the path was a boxing match with Queensbury rules, this is a handcuffed knife fight.
And I can’t wait to see you figure out, all the little surprises it has in store for you. “ Art laughs and tosses me a battered, ancient looking smartphone, “ Feel free to drum me up some good press online if you want. “
My heart is pounding, I have to use every bit of will I have to stop from shaking, to roll my neck and sit against the cold, padless cement bed behind me.
I feel sick, my stomach boiling and gurgling.
“For the love of whatever the demonic equivalent of Christ is, why not just kill me? I’m right here, I have no way of fighting back, and you know damn well that if you give me enough time, I’m going to find a way to wipe my ass on your doorframe next. “ My tone is flippant, or at least, I hope it is.
“The ego on you kid, you think you’re that guy don’t you?
They exist, don’t get me wrong, probably a couple thousand folks capable of taking me out, but trust me, you are not one of them.
This isn’t some ‘Arch’ idiocy where I leave my greatest rival alive. This is me watching you squirm because I can, and making a little profit on the deal.
Don’t flatter yourself. “ Art has produced a long thin knife as he talks, he spins and rolls it absently.
“Before your guys dragged me off, I met something. A corner store, I don’t know if it was haunted, possessed, or if it was some kind of creature that just decided to look like a knock off 7-11.
Point being, it was out there, ethereal, I couldn’t hurt it, outwit it, even slow it down. I ran from that thing as fast as I could. It gave me some serious Lovecraft vibes.
You, Art, are not that guy. “ I notice myself tapping my finger nervously on the slime covered floor, I focus, stopping the tic.
The tip of Art’s knife glows, the sick, grey sheen isn’t heat, but something that makes me start to back up.
“I am, but you will never see that. You’re not worth the effort.
I want to give you a little something though. “ Art stalks toward me, I stand as I back into the farthest corner of the cell, “ Proud of your face paint were you? “
Art grins, and for a moment lets some of his true self slip through. For just a moment I see timeless horror in his eyes, a dark black void of consumed souls and unrestrained evil.
That knife parts my flesh with pain like a whip. Without even using the blade, it’s presence flenses my face, opening up raw, textured furrows in my flesh.
He leaves after he is done, laughing to himself.
The pain makes me black out, my stomach is boiling, I come to dry heaving, the effort sends me back into the oblivion of sleep.
I don’t know how long has passed, my face feels like it is on fire, and the thick steel bars of my cell door are closed.
It takes me two minutes of cupping my hands under the grime laden steel tap to get enough water to clear off a spot on the rusted, old, wall mounted steel mirror.
No mortal hand could have scarred me as accurately as Art did. The wounds, not healed, but cauterised as to not make me bleed out, used depth, and width, to create a colorless replica of my makeup.
I know trauma, physical as well as mental, and these are scars that will never heal. As the fact sinks in that my face is literally no longer my own, I scream, heart pounding, I split open my knees on the cold cement floor.
Pain flares, threatens to send me back to the bliss of unconsciousness, but I don’t care.
I read Kev’s journals, and they paint me in a really… positive light, in a sense.
What I mean is, going by what he thought he saw, I’m some kind of supervillian or something. Tossing three hundred pound air conditioners ( it was the outer shell, seventy pounds, physics and luck did the rest.), wrestling Art ( I was clinging on for dear life, had it not been for Jr and the mass of denizens, I’d have been killed with a flick of his wrist.), or appearing like a ghost (people, even immortal are very unobservant. Especially in an emergency.).
I’m great at seeming horrifying, and that’s a weapon in and of itself, but at the end of the day, that’s all it is.
Kneeling in my own blood, vision blurry with pain, I realise how small, vulnerable, and unarmed I truly am.
By the time daylight shines through the yellow reinforced glass window, I’m already awake. I’ve spent an hour and a half calming myself, trying to find some focus, some centre to keep me going.
I’ve been in prison before, back home, first and last time I tried plying my trade outside of America.
Being the stupid payaso gringo that I am I bit off so much more than I can chew that I wound up choking on it for 2 months in a Mexican prison.
The routine of, count, lineup, chow, remained the same.
The demographics of the population on the other hand…
Being observant is one of my main skills and as I was brought into the absurdly sized cafeteria, I was taken aback at just how many people were here.
Tens of Thousands, easily, maybe a hundred. I try and think of how many missing person cases this accounts for, and even that math doesn’t quite add up.
I quickly inventory the groups that make up the place, not that it wasn’t obvious.
The first, of course are the guards. Some, the majority, appear to be human, well geared up and in intimidating physical condition.
But a handful, they are clearly, something else. Some are smooth featured ebony skinned giants, carrying truncheons that could crush a car engine. Others are grinning, pale skinned bad attempts at human copies, wild eyed and twitching.
Second would be what I called the cultists. They all appeared to style themselves after certain tropes and urban legends, clearly human, but dressing, tattooing and mutilating themselves to appear like, myths, legends, and monsters.
The subtle violence I see tells me I’ve found the gangs.
Third are the Everymen, I can’t see any kind of pattern to them, but they seem to make up the majority of the population. They keep their distance from the guards and the cultists, but on more than one occasion I see then stand, united against attempts at extortion.
The last group, I call the candles, people that are clearly on their way out mentally and physically. Sunken eyed, and set upon from all angles, at any moment these folks could be simply snuffed out.
I keep my distance, and stay respectful, the meandering, twisting line seems to take hours to get me my thick slice of crumbling yellow bread, and thick red slurry that reminds me of porridge masquerading as meat.
My coat is gone but I’m left with the majority of the clothing I fashioned back in the path. I see a mix of unwashed orange uniforms and ‘civilian’ clothing, some of the cultists, bordering more on costume than wardrobe.
As the massive, butchers apron wearing man in smeared clown makeup sits down, I wish I’d have been issued something more generic. I saw this coming the second I noticed a lump of Chlorophiles in blood stained getups.
“You sit with us. “ I can’t tell if it’s an accent or speech pattern, the clown sounds strange, either way.
I eat a spoonful of the red sludge.
“No disrespect intended, I’m not one for clubs. I’m going to make no waves, no plays, nothing. I’m a ghost. “ I say, levelly, avoiding eye contact.
Why, you might ask, having been told about my adventures in murder.
Well, that’s just it. Murder is easy, and any time you saw me end a life, it was just that.
A fight, that’s another thing entirely, especially against someone with a significant weight and height advantage.
“Not asking. You got friends. “ The massive clown moves his bulk closer, it’s like sitting next to a forklift.
I eat the bread, it tastes amazing until I swallow, then has a foul, chemical aftertaste.
I drink some tepid, burgundy fluid that might be caffeinated.
No weapons nearby, no one watching that might step in. I’m full of bruises and sprains, and probably anemic from blood loss. Not to mention one eye is running at about fifty per cent. Art didn’t sever the optic nerve last time, but he wasn’t gentle. My heart races.
“I don’t play well with people who take clowning and slap a coat of dark paint on it.
You guys are Clown Killers. You are good at killing, I’m sure, but the clown part, it’s tacked on.
Myself, I’m a killer clown…. “ I had a really good rant planned, honestly, it was a corker, douche bags would have used it in memes for a decade.
But before I can react, with one massive hand, he bounces my face off of the pitted steel table.
It rings my bell, but not as much as I let on. In clowning terms, what I do Is called a pratfall.
For those of you that don’t speak nerd, I oversell the hit, falling backwards, eyes fluttering.
I tip backwards, reaching out my left arm, as if to steady myself. The meat mountain is unbothered, knowing I have no chance unarmed, in this close, he let’s me grab one shoulder of the butchers apron. The material is thick, and matted in stains that will never come out, literally or metaphorically.
If you want to take someone out, in a relatively harmless way, you don’t want to choke them. It takes forever, usually ends up killing them, and generally is a bad idea for everyone involved.
Your goal is go cut off blood flow to the brain as quickly and fully as possible.
I hook my thumb around the opposite shoulder strap, and snap my body backward, the apron acting as an impromptu Garrotte.
His right arm is knotted through my left, as he tries to struggle, to put his murderous intent and ability to work, the choke only becomes tighter.
I don’t want enemies here, and I only have so many tricks to play before things come to a knock down drag out fight, so I leave the clown unharmed.
I do need friends, but the look I get as I take a seat at a loose collection of men is cold and fearful.
A red haired guy, five foot nine or so, makes eye contact, “Anything we can help you with? “ he says, fearless.
“Yeah, despite the face work I’ve had done, I have fuck all in common with any of those penny wise, Icp, Gacy dressed, assholes.
I need a tribe guys, you all look like the unlucky ones around here, but I don’t want to get involved in bloodshed.
I’m Mike “ I know, that’s only mostly true, but I mean it, either way. I extend a hand.
“Chris. “ the red haired guy says, he wears a white dress shirt and surprisingly blue jeans, “Those stains around your cuffs tell me otherwise.
If you’re telling the truth, that’s great. If you are lying, and still sane enough to keep your word, that’s even better. “ Chris’s tone is mirthless, I read him easily. He’s been here a long time for a short life, he looks thirty max, and I shudder to think how young he may have been when he came in.
Chris catches me up on the ins and outs of this place, beyond what a general knowledge of prison would give.
Everyone here has crimes they were not convicted of, that would, otherwise put them in jail for life. A large amount, obviously are murderers, torturers, real bastards.
But a significant minority are just regular folks, maybe a bit thoughtless, but that have collected a litany of small, petty, in cases almost victim less crimes.
No one seems to be aware of the… reality t.v. Meets demonic fast food aspect of things, but there is a Doom cherry on this fear Sunday.
There is a single way someone can get out. To earn 20 tokens.
And how does one earn these tokens you ask?
Each day the prison holds an event, to call it a challenge would insinuate a level of fair play that is simply not there. The events range from somewhat fair, a fight or game of chance, to esoteric rituals complex enough to rip someone’s soul from their body.
These tokens are also the sole form of currency in the prison, they can buy everything from commissary snacks to literal free passes from guards.
The economy has created a cut throat society, the heads of the cults not even taking advantage of being able to be free, but simply reveling in the power of being psychotic and enabled.
The weak are enslaved, their lives traded on the off chance at tokens.
So, of course, braindead asshole that I am, I signed myself right up. Feeling a little more confidant after climbing Mount Bozo.
It's 8pm and the volunteers are rounded up and brought to a massive room that has all the trappings of a gymnasium, but the scale is large enough easily hold the focus of tonight’s events.
In tiered bleachers all around us, our fellow prisoners cheer and scream. The smell of thousands of unwashed, men is overpowering, the din of excitement is deafening.
But my attention is focussed on the small, single floor home, sitting out of place in the middle of the polished wood floor.
What I wouldn’t give for Demi to appear right now, give me the low down on all the supernatural bullshit that is heading my way. But the longer we stayed in the mountain the less and less the most useful voice in my head could, or would, make an appearance.
I study each of my fellow volunteers, the goal seems simple, last the longest in the home. Men enter and leave within minutes. They come out looking shaken, with minor lacerations, and a general sense of shell shock.
By the time my turn arrives, I think I know what I’m in for.
I’m wrong.
As the baby blue door closes behind me, nothing immediately in the home causes me concern. The fixtures and furniture is a bit out of date, the lighting is, not inviting, and there is a general fog of gloom hanging around.
I smile, I’ve felt this before. Granted I had Demi feeding me supernatural errata at the time, but, I’m positive I can wing it.
“So, I think I may have met one of you guys before. Back in New York, a Happy-Face corner store, anyone you know?
Scary dude, took a couple of pieces out of me.
But this, it’s more like an MMA fight, right? I tap out when you start kicking my ass? “ I stretch, trying to see if I’m getting any kind of reaction.
I inventory the objects around me, last time everything that wasn’t nailed down, shifted, changed and tried to take me apart.
You may have noticed by now, I love using the phrase ‘ last time’, and that’s because up until this moment, I haven’t learned a fucking thing here.
Mike’s first rule of paranormal survival, last time means nothing.
“It’s you” the voice is young, late teens, and male.
I spin, expecting violence, then, wishing violence.
I know the young man, not this pale, older, revenant with a self inflicted gunshot wound, but I know him none the less.
I’m not being metaphorical when I say my heart misses a beat, I almost fall over, pounding at my chest to stop it’s arythmatic pounding.
I knew what happened to him, found it out long after I could do anything about it. And wasn’t in the best of places when I did.
I’ll call him a ghost for simplicity sake, but this kid, he’s my first, and biggest mistake.
I based who I turned into on finding what I thought was one of the worst people on earth. This kid’s father.
I did things to him worthy of what I knew he did. And to top it all off, I had him die by his wife’s hand.
Well, a decade later I find out, the guy wasn’t a Saint, but he didn’t do anything worthy of the twisted shit I put him through.
I got wind of some false information put out there in a moment of rage by a tech savvy ten year old. The kid never intended it to see the light of day
“I found out about you Mike, I saw that you were a hero. “ The voice is thin echoes like a stuck record.
“No kid, don’t think that. “ I mumble, I’m shaking, the air is freezing, each breath comes out as white mist.
I’m sitting on the flower printed couch now, and it hits me.
I’d assumed because Art couldn’t screw around in my head last time, the same went for everything here.
Remember what we said about last time.
“My told me what happened one night, what I made you do.
I destroyed her memory of him, I made a real Hero kill him, I couldn’t keep hurting people. “ I can see images, flashing in my mind, memories that are not mine.
I’m counting seconds, trying to focus, trying to stay long enough to get the token. It has to have been fifteen, twenty minutes at least.
I try to work up a smirk, to convince myself that I’m just being played by the paranormal equivalent of a heckler.
That’s not it though, This place, this house, is reaching inside me and finding places to look. As I stare into the young man’s rotted eyes I know this is some part of him, torn away from whatever rest he was entitled to.
The lights dim, then turn off. The house is silent.
Hollywood gets being both a lunatic and a hitman wrong in equal measure. No matter how much morality you want to inject into the profession, there are going to come times when you make mistakes.
As the lights slowly turn to a dull orange glow, I’m surrounded by the hovering, mutilated forms of mine.
Those that died that could have been spared, those that died because of my inaction, or stupidity. I’ve never forgotten them, I use them to make sure I never make the same mistakes again, but having them looming, screaming, all demanding I hear their stories, their accusations, their placations.
It's too much, I stumble from the couch, trying to avoid the icy touch of these phantoms. For a moment I find some last scrap of courage, I close my eyes, shut out the shrieking din of the dead.
The silence hits like a truck, I focus, trying to calm my burned out nerves.
Then they are reignited like a fucking welding torch.
“This place didn’t bring us here.
We’ve been right next to you for years Mike. We can’t leave. “ The voice of my first mistake.
Like a toddler I try to run with my eyes closed, I trip over a glass coffee table, clawing my way up the door, grasping at the handle.
I can feel a slight pull now, almost magnetic, trying to drag me backwards.
My hands shake too much, I have to steady my right wrist with my left hand, the floor becomes slick, I see the door, escape start to move further away as I’m pulled backward.
I've taken a hit or two, and had a couple of three day benders that have made me piss myself. But as I stumble, trying to make progress on the nearly friction less floor, I have another unpleasant first experience.
I grab the handle, pulling myself out of the house, launching my body into a skin peeling tumble across unforgiving plank flooring.
I’m a shaking, fetal wreck, by the time I’ve pulled myself together enough to take in my surroundings, I see the red Led clock displaying my time.
42 seconds. Bottom of the barrel. The jeers and booing from the crowd do nothing for my frayed nerves or the storm of fear and anxiety going through my mind.
I’m exhausted, but I can’t sleep, it has nothing to do with the concrete slab that serves as my bed.
My stomach has been knotting and cramping, with each passing second I get more worried I blew some internal gasket in one of the many life or death struggles in the past months.
When I finally manage to vomit, the urge is strong enough I get no where near the filth crusted hole in the floor that serves as my toilet. And my worst fears are confirmed as I see the massive pile of vomit is mostly blood.
… and bones? Is that an eyeball? A piece of fur?
The mass begins to pull itself together, bits and pieces forming the most rudimentary attempt at a face.
“Junior? “ I say, stunned.
submitted by HughEhhoule to nosleep [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 06:30 ImaginationSea3679 Near-Tragedies of Venlil Prime: Outburst Part 7

Check out u/se05239 for his amazing fanart of Tarho!
Anyway, I hope you haven’t gotten too depressed.
Expect some intensity coming up.
————————————
Memory Transcription Subject: Tarho, venlil civilian and former predator disease facility patient
Date[standardized human time]: November 7, 2136
Blank.
That’s the only thing describing my afterlife so far.
Bleak emptiness, without any meaning.
That is, until I opened my eyes to bright lights over my head.
At first, I was confused. Did I survive the fall? Did the drugs finally-
Wait.
I called them drugs, not medicine.
Did… did I finally regain control?
I bolted myself into an upright position. I was in a hospital room. Things still felt a little disproportional, probably because there was still a small amount of drugs in my system, but aside from that, it was just… a hospital room.
I felt myself over. My fleece felt… clean. I could no longer feel the sticky texture of mold and mildew coating me. I moved to my mouth. It seemed that all of my remaining teeth had been pulled, probably because they were too rotten to save. Thankfully, my gums didn’t seem to ache anymore.
I…
I’VE DONE IT! I FINALLY HAVE CONTROL OVER MY LIFE!
Morning time, time for medicine.
…
Oh no.
“You’re shtill here.” I said out loud. I took notice of the lisp caused by my missing teeth.
Of course I am, I live here.
“You… you aren’t alive. You’re jusht a trace mixchure of drugs shtill in my body.” I said out loud, hoping that volume would make it easier for me to banish the false identity.
So long as I am in your mind, I’m real, because reality is subjective.
I stared into space. What kind of philosophical bullshit was that supposed to be?
The kind that a healthy mind can come up with.
I became quite angry. I grabbed the nearest reflective surface, which turned out to be a glass of water. I drank the fresh water, savoring the taste, before starring at the barely visible face in the clear reflection of the glass.
The reflection’s eyes were clouded, and the fleece and mouth were still infected by mold and disease. It was most definitely him.
“Listhen here you little shit. Thish ish MY body, controlled by MY brain. YOU are jusht a stowaway in my life, keeping yourshelf alive with the ushe of dangerous chemicals. I shwear that when my syshtem is finally fully flushed of those drugs, both you and that shentient fight or flight response are going to FUCKING DIE! YOU HEAR ME! YOU ARE GOING TO CEASE TO EXIST-“
“Sir?” I heard a feminine voice speak.
I screamed like a little girl and nearly leapt full out of my bed at the interruption.
Predator?
SHUT UP, YOU SURVIVALIST PSYCHOPATH!
“Yesh?” I asked simply, as though there was absolutely nothing wrong with anything that I had probably just done right in front of the nurse.
“Are you alright?” She asked.
“No.” I answered with 100% honesty. “No I am not alright.”
“I assume that it’s related to the drugs?” She asked.
“They aren’t drugs. They are medicine.*
“They are not medichine you fucking retard.” I spoke, almost on reflex, straight at a wall.
“… medicine?” She asked.
“Those drugsh were preshcribed by ‘doctors’ from the ‘predator disease’ fachility.” I made sure to stress my words to focus of how ridiculously cruel my situation was.
The nurses confusion increased as it mixed with shock.
I looked down at the floor in pain of my memories. I was finally able to tell my story, but I needed to keep myself from sobbing as well.
“It was only a couple of yearsh ago when I was dragged away. I didn’t do anything wrong. I was jusht having a bad day. The outbursht I had out on the shtreet was jusht me letting out my anger. Nobody even got hurt. Of course, the exterminatorsh immediately mishtook my anger for a shign of predatory behavior, and dragged me to the fachility. They put me in the chair. I hated that fucking chair. I begged for a way out, and they offered a way out. ‘Tesht out this batch of medichine’ they shaid. ‘If you shurvive, you can leave with shome preshcription’ they explained. I took the drugs, and I jusht happened to not die, and the effects that the drugs had were what they conshidered acceptable. Now, they require that I take the preshcribed doshes every day. As I took the medicine, I began to hear voices. As the voices got louder and louder I realized something.” I explained, my voice growing more cracked as I spoke.
I felt my stress cloud my mind. I could feel my sentient fight or flight response wanting to lash out. To add to the description. I honestly didn’t have the will to stop it.
”I hate them. I fucking hate them. They just like the predatorsh. They inflict shuffering for their own pershonal gain. They desherve to die horrible deaths.” I turned my head at the ‘nurse’. “You desherve to die ash well. All of you shtood by and watched as my body washted away! How could you do that?! You’re shupposed to be empathetic you shick fucks! WHY THE FUCK DOESHN’T ANYONE SHARE THAT WITH ME!?!”
I continued to stare at the nurse as she started back with…
…sympathetic horror in her eyes.
I regained control over myself as I broke into sobs. “I jusht want to go back. Back to the way thingsh once were. Ish that sho much?” I said, trying not to choke between sobs.
I felt a pair of comforting arms wrap around me. With some hesitation, I returned the embrace.
“Sir… I’m sorry to inform you…” What? Sorry to inform me what?
Am I going to die?
I hope you die, in all honesty.
“We took scans of your brain. We compared them to scans from the last time you were screened. I’m sorry to inform you that… the continuous use of so much drugs has permanently altered your brain chemistry. In other words… you now have a mental illness.” The nurse explained.
Yay! I’m not dying!
My blood ran cold. I was too shocked by the revelation to have any meaningful reaction. That means that I now have to deal with these horrible voices forever.
Heh.
The irony isn’t lost on me.
The facility meant to cure predator disease actually afflicted me with it instead.
Previous
submitted by ImaginationSea3679 to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 05:36 ZackGolden18 The Customer Is Always Right: FLASH FICTION Drama

Kit had not felt well when the morning blurred with his yesterday, he made sure to sip his pill before 8 but had found no motivation to move out of his bed patiently and make his way over for his daily coffee while his mother got ready for work in her bedroom, slightly ignoring his presence when she walked by him in the hall.
Kit sat mostly on the couch watching T.V, embracing the laziness that came on the weekend before school started up again, and the towering uneasiness but exciting unknown that came to be filled with imaginary friends and hangouts that he knew couldn't be possible with his mother's existence still be as overly irritable, and passive as usual. Surely she made sure her growls were heard throughout the house each morning. And by that, when the time, as surreal as it seems, reached past five in the afternoon and melting into the evening he started his shower once a day and got into it, trying his best to focus on the smooth vibrant steam that came from it before his shift starts at work. And with uncertainty, after drying himself, he passed his mother the same way she did that morning, but unfortunately, this time she went ahead and grabbed his arm strength, and by that moment, all Kit could remember was the dark burning bubbles that came within his stomach when right after, he walked out of his home and down the street towards the bus to get to work, and passionately think of getting away from his mother, and by night be home to probably see her not there. By 7, she leaves and never comes back until 4 in the morning. This however became an enjoyment rather than an insecurity, when he realized the freedom that came was not surely an embarrassment of his image of a neat home, or a perfect family, but instead an outsider who waited for the perfect time to strike, and the strike did he indeed five weeks ago. While sitting on the bus feeling the bus rumble, he recalled his father leaving their house one night and never returning, and when he once did to grab the rest of his belongings, he slipped on his little brother's toy and broke his neck on the stairs. Whether it was on purpose for his little brother to leave that on the exact edge of the stairwell is unknown, but surely wasn’t in the hands of Kit, who gave a cookie to him that very same day and said, “sometimes fathers don’t last long, it's okay. I'm sure he would be proud you're still going strong”.
Around halfway through his shift, Kit was recollecting the go-backs that were brought by customers who either changed their minds about buying the product or simply wanted to return one. And while wondering what to do next for the rest of his shift, since he didn’t expect to finish so early, standing down the aisle filled with kitchen products, a mother and her daughter glance at him strongly. The mother had her hair tied up and her figure looking well shaped, her makeup looking well put, she glanced one more time at Kit and said, “Are you making sure we don’t steal?”.
Kit's confusion takes over, but Kit remembers to stay neutral. “Oh no, this is just my department. Sorry If you think so”, he says with a smile. Thinking she wouldn’t say more, he went back to daydreaming about home.
“Oh okay”, the mother says, then adds passively, “it's just that that's a good way to scare people off because we saw you standing in the corner over there, not doing anything and I think, if anything, is a bit weird”.
“I'm sorry”, Kit says strongly. Not knowing if it's a question or a defense.
The mother moves closer with a strong stance, as her daughter giggles lightly with her phone in hand watching in pride how her mother is speaking, “I'm just saying that's a good way to scare people off. You're just being a little weird around me and my daughter in the store. And can I just say, you're making me and my daughter not feel good in the store because I know you're watching us”, the mother says proudly.
With the mother waiting for a response, and the daughter grinning at him, Kit remembered why he felt so lonely at home, and anywhere else. From the growing anger, he still kept about his overpowering father, to the growing fantasy of just him and his little brother against the whole world, he turned when he thought he felt a grip on his arm and slapped the mother harshly causing her to fall down and smack her head against the floor. The daughter gasped, and the mother looked overly astonished.
Kit quickly told his boss what happened, grabbed his coat, clocked out, and directly left the store as everyone piled near the mother and daughter. Into the night, in the dark, alone walking back to his home, where he knew his mother wouldn't be waiting or anyone else that he could fully trust other than his own little brother. Just him and him alone, and with that, he giggled the rest of the way down the street. “Poor thing”, he whispers, “I'm pretty sure she was just drunk and just trying to have fun with her daughter”. He chuckles and continues to walk.
submitted by ZackGolden18 to u/ZackGolden18 [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 05:21 trover2345325 My prediction for watching and dreaming

As we are preparing for the series finale of the owl house called watching and dreaming, I am going to predict how the finale plays out
​
Continuing from " For the Future" Luz now with a Palisman named Stringbean and her friends are facing the final battle against the collector who is now manipulated by Belos himself, the collector trapped Luz in a dreamscape which will be used to break her spirit and turn her into one of his puppets but her friends snaps Luz out of her despair and break free from the collector dreamscape just before Luz's friends are caught by the collector and turned into puppets.
Luz after being free from the dreamscape is shocked in tears that her friend made a heroic sacrifice in freeing her from the scary dreamscape but she has no time to mourn as she must diverge herself from the collectors wrath before she turned into a puppet like her friends, then Luz encounters Eda and King leading to a heartwarming union however it was cut short when the collector finds them and put them in some of his games (just like in the promo) but the trio fight back and defeat the collector.
​
Belos (in Raine's puppet body) witness this, so he possesses the nearly defeated collector and take control of his body, transforming them both into a scary like demon and attacks the trio , so Luz,Eda and King use their magic to attack the combined Belos collector monster from the inside then the trio witness both of the collectors backstories perhaps to see how the collector ends up all alone when he diverge himself from his godlike parents after their encounter with the titans and how Belos furiously kill his elder brother Caleb Wittebane when he married an ancestor of Eda Clawthrone and after the tragic backstories which is for him a betrayal, Luz ,Eda and King after witnessing both the collector and belos past use their magic to finally separate belos from the collectors body and transform the boiling isles back to its former glory especially the residents who were statues and puppets into normal beings again including Luz's friends and then Belos after he revert back to the mortal form of Philip Wittebane rapidly ages into an old man until he turns into a skeleton and then dust leaving only a skull (and believe me it's going to be frightening and scary to younger viewers)
​
and after everything is back to normal in the boiling isles and with Belos defeated and dead for real this time Luz,Eda and King are reunited with their loved ones with tears of joy but then they turn towards the defeated ,slightly depowerd and disappointed collector who asks them if they would probably seal him again like last time. But after Luz,Eda and King witness the collectors backstory as he was just a lonely kid who misses his family after their conflict with the titans and return to their world not to mention that King sympathize with him, Luz along with her friends forgive the collector and so with the help of some magicians they returned the collector to his world and reunite with his family,
​
Then it is Luz and her mother Camila's turn as they must return to their world through the portal so that Luz might take some time off from her magical adventures for a while , she then says goodbye to her friends along with her girlfriend Amity including her friend and mentor Eda and king and promise to them, she will come back , Eda then gives Luz a portal key and assures her that she can come back to the boiling isles anytime she likes and after some goodbyes and farewells, Luz and Camila returned to their world through the portal door where Vee who was outside the Noceda resident was waiting for them.
​
Then many years later , Luz is now a college young adult loosely based on her beta appearance but with the same hairstyle and a long coat , she is about to leave for college with a bag and says goodbye to her mother Camila and then tells Vee ( in her human form but still unaged in her pre-teen form) to take care of Camila and as Camila and Vee went inside back to their house, Luz however in reality is about to go back to the boiling isles as she is shown taking her palisman Stringbean out of her bag and opens the portal back to the boiling isles, there things have changed as the boiling isles is now peaceful and is no longer under the monarchy of Belos but democracy instead as shown with Lilith now a democratic leader with good leadership, Luz is shown reunited her friends and her girlfriend Amity who was waiting for her , then she meets the now older Eda (who is married to Raine) and King (now grown to a medium-sized titan) who are glad to see Luz again as a young confident adult woman, and the final scene of the series has Eda asking Luz "Ready to continue where we left off kid ?" Luz answered while holding her palisman Stringbean with confidence, saying, "Let's do this."
​
And then we are treated to a series finale credits (like the previous 2 season 3 episodes) where we see a where are they now to every characters of the series, Camila and Vee are living peacefully at the Noceda residence while webcam chat with her daughter Luz to see how she is doing in the boiling isles, then we see the romantic couples of the owl House fandom going on a date together such as Luz and Amity, Willow and Hunter and Eda and Raine who are now a happy couple there will also be a where are they now moment to Guz who is now a professor and goes to Earth in search of another "human relic" , king who does his thing as usual, a shot of Lilith continue her leadership of the boiling isles,some other shots of the rest of the supporting characters of the owl house as they live peaceful lives, Kikimora who is now imprisoned in a small cell and is still in her rage mode because a group of Passersby is now laughing and mocking her, then a shot of Belos remaining human skull as it resides in the museum marked as "the remain of a cruel dictator" , a shot of the collector now in his home world happily leaving with his reunited family and then the final shot of the credits ends with Luz,Eda and king looking over the boiling isles in their flying brooms ending the series.
​
And that's my prediction for watching and dreaming, what do you think?
submitted by trover2345325 to TheOwlHouse [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 05:08 dale_whitehill Dale VII – Ghost of the Grove

It had been two nights since the attack, but Dale's pain wasn't to stop with the Starbreaker. Upon his arrival at the gates of Highpoint, the castellan had been whisked swiftly away to Maester Alwyn, who had insisted on immediate treatment of the break in his nose.
Even with a strong dose of milk of the poppy, the pain had been agonizing; first he cauterized the inner nostril, and next he took to straightening Dale's nose. The pain was enough for him to fall unconscious, by fortune, and he awoke the next day with cotton-stuffed nostrils.
"Don't dare remove those," he recalled Alwyn saying, "or you'll regret it."
His hands were in similarly grisly shape; their deep gashes still stung at him mightily, and he could scarcely bear to hold a quill. Most of his time had been spent bedridden, at any rate, and it was early in the morning when Alwyn paid him another visit.
"How do you feel?" he asked, arms crossed.
"As well as you'd expect. How do I look?"
The corner of the old maester's mouth curled in a wry smile.
"As well as you'd expect."
Dale rolled his eyes, sitting up in the bed. He crossed the room, grabbing a hand mirror from his desk.
Alwyn made no lie; half of Dale's face had blackened and swollen beyond recognition, one eye forced nearly to closing. He set the mirror down with a grunt.
"That one really gave me a beating. I'm surprised that I made it out in one piece."
Alwyn's eyes moved to the castellan's left hand; noticing the maester's gaze, Dale rolled his eyes and lifted his hands.
"I know, I know. That was my least favourite pinkie anyhow."
Alwyn let out a restrained chortle, earning a cocked eyebrow from Dale.
"What is it?"
The old maester sighed.
"Dale... you've been summoned to meet with the remainder of the family."
Dale felt a wave of confusion come over him.
"What's this? What do you mean, remainder?"
Alwyn let out a softer sigh, this one accompanied by a grimace.
"I... believe that it would be best to allow the council to explain. We should go; they're expecting us."
Dale followed Alwyn to the meeting chamber, outside whose entrance they found the brothers Wendell and Walder Warrick, swords at their hips. They bowed their heads respectfully, more cordial by far than Dale had ever known them to be.
"Dale." said Walder, some hesitance evident in his tone.
"I'm sorry. We're glad to see you safe." he continued, Wendell nodding beside him in solemn agreement.
"I suppose it's what I deserve for leaving without the two of you in tow."
They followed Alwyn and Dale as they entered the [meeting chamber](https://on.soundcloud.com/M5gLMpabVbXN4AFZ9), which had been occupied already by a handful of his kinsmen; taking a quick count, he tallied six in all – making seven with Dale's arrival.
Pairs of the elite household guard stood vigil at each entrance, each resting his offhand on the pommel of their sword. The Whitehills too wore swords at their hips, an uncommon sight. Stranger yet, another guard offered Dale a blade of his own – which he responded to by holding up his bandaged hands. The man nodded, handing the blade to Walder instead.
Taking a seat, Dale cast a quick glance to the ceiling; sunshine came down in beams from seven stone-etched stars, revealing specs of dust floating through the air, accompanied by a familiar morning chill.
Before him sat a hot cup of tea, steam rising restlessly above it. He turned it awkwardly and slid it nearer with his right hand, carefully servicing the handle so as not to pain his palm before taking a sip.
When Dale set down the cup, his uncle, Ser Conan – the justiciar of Highpoint – cleared his throat, glancing about the table dourly at the men in attendance.
"Now that the castellan has arrived, let us begin."
Conan gave Alwyn a glance, opening his mouth again to speak.
"Have you given Dale the details?"
The old man shook his head.
"No; I suspected that it would be best he hear it from another member of the house."
Conan sighed.
"Very well, then. Dale, how well do you recall the attack?"
He shrugged.
"Well enough. I was discussing productivity with a handful of my foremen when those fanatics stormed the village. I made for the stables in flight, but two of them intercepted me."
He waved his hands over his own features.
"I managed to kill them and escape, and after that I rode here."
Dale's twenty-year-old cousin, Delwen, raised an eyebrow in response to Dale's recollection.
"You dispatched two men by yourself? I can't recall ever seeing you at the sparring grounds, cousin."
Dale glared back at him.
"Steady now. You'd be fighting with rusty blades were it not for my work, lad."
Delwen's face twisted in a scowl.
"That's *ser*, pinchpurse. Perhaps you'd have put up a better fight against that rabble if you took to a real man's 'work'."
In a fit of rage, Ser Conan brought his fist down hard on the table, spilling his own tea over its ironwood surface. Grown red in the face, he barked out as if he were drilling the keep's garrison.
"Shut your fucking mouths, or I'll shut them myself!"
Dale sighed, taking another sip of his tea; Dafyn – Delwen's father – and Daniel, the elder of his sons, stared indignantly at the justiciar, while Conan's son Connor and their cousin Waltyr sat in silence.
His expression having lessened in anger by a hair, Conan continued.
"Your account matches an eyewitness report I received during my investigation of the attack – a man who called himself 'Twiggy'. You know him?"
Dale nodded.
"Aye, that's one of my foreman – and what of the others?"
Connor shook his head sullenly.
"It was a slaughter. What few weren't cut down burned in the torching."
Dale grimaced.
"Gods... those were some of our best craftsmen. You say they cut down everyone in the village? There were at least a hundred people there; how did the Starbreakers kill them all?"
Conan's brow furrowed at Dale's question.
"Perhaps you took note of their weaponry; that was not rabble you faced. Those men armed themselves with Whitehill steel, stolen from our own armoury."
Dale looked incredulously at the justiciar.
"Stolen, you say? Then there are Starbreakers within our walls? I know not of a man among us ascribed to the old ways."
Conan shook his head.
"Those were not our men that attacked the village; we tallied no desertions, and of the dead Starbreakers, none were identified among any of our settlements."
Dale frowned.
"Passing strange. They come from afar, then – but why here? The faith is nothing new in these lands."
Waltyr chimed in next, offering a shrug.
"These savages grow emboldened by the day. Lord Domeric has killed plenty of them; perhaps they sought revenge on an easier target."
This time Dafyn cut in, giving a resolute shake of his head.
"How in seven hells would a random assortment of rabble infiltrate our keep and pilfer our barracks? We examined the wounds of the dead villagers; these were trained killers. Whoever sent them was out for blood."
Dale puzzled as his uncle spoke. The more he learned, the less sense it made.
"But why Pinewood, of all places? The Pine and Poplar was the only reason for anyone to make the trek there."
Conan gave Dale a nod.
"Aye, I'm told it served the cheapest ale within leagues of Highpoint – and that one man was known to frequent the establishment regularly."
Dale's eyes widened.
"Me."
Conan nodded again.
"Aye, you. Whoever ordered that attack wanted you dead."
With a groan, Dale took another sip of his tea.
"Lovely. I don't recall anyone threatening my death of late, though."
Conan's lips thinned in a frown.
"We have discussed a number of explanations. We suspect that your cancellation of the ironwood contract did you no favours with Lord Tarly."
Daniel groaned.
"If the Tarlys were behind it, they could afford their own swords. Besides, they wouldn't have gained anything. It was a shit deal, and I'll wager they knew that."
Dale snorted. Daniel had always been the wiser of Dafyn's children. Waltyr offered his thoughts next.
"It must have been someone else in the North. I think we should address the obvious – the Forresters envy us! Our power grows by the day, while theirs subsides with the wind. They wish to sabotage our castellan in order to drag us down to the dirt alongside them."
None of the other men seemed to question the idea. The Forresters' envy for the might of Highpoint was no question, after all. Dale had known the spawn of Ironrath to be neither honourable nor noble.
"Aye, I would not put such a thing past the Forresters. But why would they risk so bold a move? It is Lord Corin demands the spread of the faith – and his wife is a Forrester, if you've forgotten. They're spineless, the lot of them; they don't have enough assurances to take such a risk."
"Nor would they be wise to," said Conan, "but that question is the key to it all – or half, at any rate."
Dale raised an eyebrow.
"Half? What do you mean?"
Conan closed his eyes with a grimace.
"There is something you must know, Dale. The attempt on your life is not the true reason for our assembly this morning."
Dale looked about the room; it was a strange gathering, in truth. Conan and Dafyn were the only council members present, aside from Dale.
"Will Lord Willas be joining us, then?"
The room grew silent.
"No. Lord Willas..."
Conan sighed.
"It appears that some of these assailants infiltrated the keep in advance of the attack; while I investigated the torching at Pinewood, much of the family sheltered within the sept in prayer. There were plenty of guards inside – more than enough to protect them all.
"But the cowards didn't face our men head on. They barred the doors tight, and they set the sept alight."
Dale could scarcely believe it. He had always been a black sheep at Highpoint, but he could not begin to fathom committing such a crime.
"I see. How many were there?" asked Dale glumly, looking to the chamber doors.
"And who else has yet to arrive? Wilmer, Glendon, and Alvin? This is early an early morning, after all. Perhaps they are paying their respects to Willas? I would join them–"
Conan shook his head stoically.
"They're dead, Dale. All of them. Glendon, his wife, his children. Irma. Alvin, his wife and little Arthur. Wilmer and his wife..."
The eyes at the table moved to Waltyr, Wilmer's only son.
"And Waltyr's wife as well."
Dale's cousin wore a morose expression.
"And your daughter, Jessica...?"
"Is unharmed," said Waltyr, "for she has been ill. She was resting when the attack occurred – as was Irma's bastard, Simon. I kept watch over them with a handful of men during the attack."
When Waltyr finished, Conan continued with a sigh.
"My... wife was there, as was Dafyn's – and their daughter, Doris."
Daniel and Delwen looked as sullen as their father. Dale leaned forward
"What of Cormac and Conrad?"
Conan gritted his teeth.
"Cormac stood guard outside the sept when the attack took place; the assailants shot them down before burning it.
"As for Conrad... he was a brave lad. He was always a brave lad. He managed to break down the door when the fire was discovered, but... when he tried to rescue the children, the rafters gave in to the flames. He died with all the rest."
Dale knew naught what to say. He had never been a nurturting man, after all. Silence took the table for what felt like an eternity.
"All told, that leaves nine of us. Ten, if you count the bastard boy." said Conan in a tired tone.
Dafyn cleared his throat.
"Eleven, if you count our father. He draws breath yet in Crowtown, last I heard."
Conan shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. Father's duty is to the Watch now; I will not trouble him with our failings. What matters now is that we maintain the strength of Highpoint, and that Lady Alice is protected at any cost."
Conan looked to Waltyr.
"I shall trust you with the safety of our lady and your daughter. See that our most elite men remain with them at all times."
Waltyr nodded.
"Of course."
"We are all the men remaining to the house in this very room," said Conan, "and we must be vigilant. There could be another attack any day now."
Dale's ears pricked up at Conan's last statement.
"Wait, uncle."
The room's eyes turned to face the castellan.
"There is one Whitehill you've forgotten."
Conan seemed confused. Dale look first to the justiciar, and next to Dafyn.
"Your brother – Gared."
submitted by dale_whitehill to IronThroneRP [link] [comments]

2023.03.22 05:01 scrubhaven_ Lab Coats Embroidery

At ScrubHaven, you must check out the excellent collection of lab coats embroidery, which is the perfect way to improve the image of your healthcare facility.
scrubstorenearme cherokeescrubs scrubstore nursingscrubsstores
submitted by scrubhaven_ to u/scrubhaven_ [link] [comments]