Butter nails west hollywood
Highlights from West Hollywood Pride Parade & Festival
2023.06.08 12:28 Jealous_Criticism Highlights from West Hollywood Pride Parade & Festival
You can watch highlights from the parade and festival from the past weekend
https://youtu.be/VWaEsqOzexU
submitted by Jealous_Criticism to gaypoc [link] [comments]
https://youtu.be/VWaEsqOzexU
2023.06.08 12:25 Jealous_Criticism Black & Brown Marshall's at West Hollywood Pride
 | Watch the full parade video at https://youtu.be/VWaEsqOzexU submitted by Jealous_Criticism to BlackLGBT [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 11:41 MasterMilker9000 What does my topster say about my favorite food
 | submitted by MasterMilker9000 to Topster [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 08:40 WHAWHAHOWWHY New movie just dropped
 | submitted by WHAWHAHOWWHY to AnarchyChess [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 07:35 OGPenguin14 Selling my Fortnite acct been playing since season 1 over $1000 spent on it. Will not go first. DM to buy.
 | submitted by OGPenguin14 to FortniteAccountsSale [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 07:08 Tranquilbez22 Happy 10th Anniversary to Triple J's Hottest 100 of the last 20 Years
On the 8th and 9th of June 2013 aka, The Queen's Birthday long weekend. Triple J held another all time Hottest 100 celebrating the music that came out between 1993 and 2012. The years that the Hottest 100 was running it's yearly countdown. What came of it was an incredible stretch of iconic banger after iconic banger spread across two days. 100-51 on Saturday and 50-1 on Sunday. It even gave voters a redemptive moment in finally giving tracks like Naive,Hallejulah, Banquet, Around The World and Sweet Disposition the countdown placements they deserved but never got in their respective years.
Full list:
What memories to associate with this countdown. I remember I was a couple of weeks out from my trial HSC exams and I was half studying but couldn't really pay attention due to how good the countdown was.
submitted by Tranquilbez22 to triplej [link] [comments]
Full list:
- Wonderwall - Oasis
- Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
- Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley
- The Nosebleed Section - Hilltop Hoods
- Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
- Everlong - Foo Fighters
- Mr Brightside - The Killers
- These Days - Powderfinger
- Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye ft. Kimbra
- My Happiness - Powderfinger
- No One Knows - Queens Of The Stone Age
- Hearts A Mess - Gotye
- Paranoid Android - Radiohead
- Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
- Breathe - The Prodigy
- Skinny Love - Bon Iver
- Tomorrow - Silverchair
- Hey Ya! - Outkast
- Dammit (Growing Up)
- Prisoner of Society - The Living End
- 1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins
- Song 2 - Blur
- Knights Of Cydonia - Muse
- One Crowded Hour - Augie March
- Bullet With Butterfly Wings - The Smashing Pumpkins
- Chop Suey! - System Of A Down
- Frontier Psychiatrist - The Avalanches
- Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
- Californication - Red Hot Chil Peppers
- Teardrop - Massive Attack ft. Elizabeth Fraser
- Stinkfist - TOOL
- Zombie - The Cranberries
- Brick - Ben Folds Five
- Karma Police - Radiohead
- Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
- Sabotage - Beastie Boys
- Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
- Heart-Shaped Box - Nirvana
- Closer - Nine Inch Nails
- Yellow - Coldplay
- Brother - Matt Corby
- Betterman - John Butler Trio
- One More Time - Daft Punk
- Float On - Modest Mouse
- Into My Arms - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
- Self Esteem - The Offspring
- Last Nite - The Strokes
- Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine
- Better Man - Pearl Jam
- Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols
- Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz ft. De La Soul
- Every You Every Me - Placebo
- Sex On Fire - Kings Of Leon
- Praise You - Fatboy Slim
- Born Slippy .NUXX - Underworld
- Banquet - Bloc Party
- No Aphrodisiac - The Whitlams
- Around The World - Daft Punk
- Glycerine - Bush
- Lonely Boy - The Black Keys
- Buy Me A Pony - Spiderbait
- Chemical Heart - Grinspoon
- Kids - MGMT
- Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk
- Berlin Chair - You Am I
- Breezeblocks - Alt-J
- Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet
- Lose Yourself - Eminem
- ! (The Song Formerly Known As) - Regurgitator
- Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz ft. Del The Funky Homosapian
- Joker & the Thief - Wolfmother
- Home - Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros
- Let's Dance To Joy Division - The Wombats
- Somebody Told Me - The Killers
- Electric Feel - MGMT
- My People - The Presets
- Freak - Silverchair
- I Bet You Look on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
- Bulls On Parade - Rage Against The Machine
- Big Jet Plane - Angus & Julia Stone
- Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus
- Common People - Pulp
- Gold Digger - Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx
- Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio
- When You Were Young - The Killers
- Naive - The Kooks
- Monsters - Something For Kate
- Wolf Like Me - TV on The Radio
- Straight Lines - Silverchair
- Harpoon - Jebediah
- Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
- Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
- Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People
- Cigarettes Will Kill You - Ben Lee
- Hello - The Cat Empire
- Paper Planes - M.I.A
- Leaving Home Jebediah
- Video Games - Lana Del Rey
- Intergalactic - Beastie Boys
- Zebra - John Butler Trio (revealed later by Tom and Alex)
What memories to associate with this countdown. I remember I was a couple of weeks out from my trial HSC exams and I was half studying but couldn't really pay attention due to how good the countdown was.
2023.06.08 05:40 Christiano97 I got a dog and it was the worst decision of my life
I’m 24 growing up I was always the animal lover. Had a childhood dog growing up animals were always my thing. I was the kind of guy people would look at weird because I would almost sound like Elmo talking to dogs out of love lol. So growing up almost all of my friends got dogs and I 100% stood solid that’s never going to be me. I’ve always been the life of the party kind of guy that travels a lot and is never really home. I like my house spotless and a care free life. Me and my girlfriend always joked around about getting a dog but always said we should wait until we have kids so it’s a one time stress kind of thing. So then we hit a really tough spot in our relationship where I thought we’d be done for good. We reconciled but were on thin ice with each other. She started saying maybe I should get a dog now I don’t have to wait for kids. Then she asked to go dog shopping. So we go out for a day dog shopping and the main reason I was really ok with this was it kept her around since she hadn’t been coming around. We go to a pet shop and she finds a wiener dog she absolutely loved while we were looking for a dog for me. She ask me if I’d be able to take care of the wiener dog and it has to say at my house that’s the only way she’d get it. So in my mind I’m like hey that keeps her here and we can really rebuild. A couple days go by and she comes home with the wiener dog. This was my first dog ever not living at home. So it was a lot of struggles and I saw how much work it was. I was almost content with not getting a dog now and not having the responsibility. Now we’re like oh I have to get a dog still and a white husky was always my dream dog (really because of looks). My ignorance didn’t fully research how much goes into this breed. So I look all over and found one in a different state. I put the deposit and have a friend go get the dog to bring here. The dog was a lot bigger when I got her probably 3 months so I didn’t get to enjoy the tiny puppy stage. Introducing the super tiny wiener puppy was the most stressful couple weeks of my life because of their massive size difference and my husky would go after her maybe in a playful way but still. I became so extremely stressed to the point where I was in tears a few times and thought I made a huge mistake and I don’t want a dog at all. My girl talked me through and told me we would work through it together. The husky took wayyyyyyyyyy longer than the wiener dog to learn potty training so I spent most of my thanksgiving and Christmas with poop and piss all over the house constantly. I went from this carefree life to being stressed everyday getting up early to the dog whining cleaning up messes constantly. I’ve grown to absolutely love my girlfriends wiener dog she’s everything I’d want in a dog and she’s tiny so it’s a lot easier. But with my husky still even 6 months later I just feel so annoyed and aggravated constantly. Things other people find adorable absolutely annoy me to no end. If I open the door in the morning she starts screaming and it literally sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me. I just feel so disconnected and feel like I never got the love for the dog like I did for the weeny. My girlfriend doesn’t like hairy bigger dogs so she really never takes her out or helps me with her so it’s all on me constantly. It’s to the point where I just give her bones or a treat filled with peanut butter every single day because it’s the only thing that keeps her busy and out of my hair. She’s destroyed my door trim, my dining room chair, constantly eats every comforter that’s over her crate making a mess everywhere. And I completely understand 99% of puppies do this and that’s a part of owning one. I just feel like I’ve truly hit my wits end and I feel like this is the biggest mistake of my life. I’m constantly stressed out constantly snapping at all the people around me because I’m just so annoyed all of the time. It’s constantly hurting my relationship with my mom because we argue about it. My family absolutely loves the dog and will cry anytime I even say anything negative or say I don’t know if this is for me. They have health issues and can’t take the dog. I just really don’t know what to do. I feel like the dog deserves a better life with somebody who will give every waking moment and love the dog the way she should be loved. I feel like a horrible person I never wanted to feel this way but no matter what I do I can’t control this way I feel. Every time she is in her crate or staying at families house my life feels back to normal. I knew from learning from all my friends this was a horrible mistake and I did it anyways. These are all things I should have thought of before bringing a dog into my life. I’m a horrible person who should have done better. I feel like I just put up with keeping the dog to make my family happy but I know the dog and I would both live a better life separate ways. My mom had a friend at work that offered to take her and a part of me couldn’t let her go and I wanted to think about it for a couple days and now a few days later my moms friend got a different dog and now I’m sick to my stomach everyday feeling like I passed up the one opportunity to make my life normal and do what I should have done now it’s gone. I’m just so lost in this situation I’m at a loss in my mind.
submitted by Christiano97 to Advice [link] [comments]
2023.06.08 05:37 milkyrandy Summer Sublet West Hollywood-June through September
I’m subletting my room in a 2 bedroom apartment starting June 18. The apartment is in the middle of West Hollywood and is next to two grocery stores. It’s a great location but I want to go on vacation. I’m willing to negotiate if you only need to sublet for a week, or a month or whatever time slot. My roommate is quiet, artistic, and clean. Rent is 1500, with a 100$ parking space in the back available if you’d like. There is in unit laundry (washer and dryer). You would pay the electric bill which comes out to around 30$ a month. The lease ends September 18.
submitted by milkyrandy to LAHousing [link] [comments]
2023.06.08 05:32 peachykeen1284 The Griffin Tower and where not to go -6 Kisetsu 1 AA
Just west of Celeste's Hunting Lodge
Sloth as Dagdomear Okapi Zalitai; Taleek as Cyrek The Juggler; Seraphina as "Replaceable" Verônica Rocha Beleza; Hazel as Iris Finn Okpara
Blessings: Iris- Blessing of the Mouse - silky ears Cyrek- mark of the darkest deep- milky white eyes "Replaceable" Verônica - bloodmark (Reginae) - double headed eagle on thigh Dag- mark of the ancient air - “kiss” mark on left temple
Day 1 We arrived at Celeste's Hunting Lodge and Swore the oath for awakening guild. Celeste introduced us to the map stone. After a Quick drink Celeste's we headed out to west to explore. After traveling roughly 3 miles we came across a Staircase covered in moss with an ominous presence. We continued on to travel another 3 miles and proceeded to Stumble upon a a ruined tower with a Spider and a Bird creature (griffin) fighting. The spider steals an egg from the birbs nest so we decided to help the Griffin by fighting the Spider. After we defeat the large spider and I Gallantly offered the egg back to Griffin, it takes it back and returns to its nest. I inspect the spider corpse and collect Silk from spider. Cyrek's harvests the spider for meat that We offer the griffon and use that as a distraction in order to collect a Dagger that Dag could see hiding under some skeletons. the Dagger is decorated with a wolf head on the hilt (with an open mouth with no teeth) that's shaped like a wolf's tooth and is Made of high quality silver. Dag says there is a spooky person shape coming from inside the griffin, like someone was swallowed whole. So we decided to move on. We traveled 3 more miles and Camped down for the night.
Day 2 We travel 3 miles, and Find ourselves in an overwhelming Mist, and find a rickety bridge crossing over a small stream that leads to a Graveyard. We cautiously head in and read a couple gravestones, they are primarily Faun Family. A large bug-like creature appears and attacks "Replaceable", we run and I throw a dagger and hit it in the face. As we run, it teleported behind us and paralyzed me, Dag dragged me to safety and "Replaceable" defended us as Cyrek untied our steeds. After we cleared the area and felt safe again, We climbed trees and to attempt to perceive our surroundings- we saw that there are Mountains to the Southwest with a large building on them roughly 30-40 miles away as well as the bones of a massive creature. The Big tree we were looking for is roughly 30-50 miles from the coast and Ten miles southwest is a strange tree that is blue and showing off light, according to Dag. We decide to Head back toward the coast. We travel 2 miles we find a colony of bees. After traveling 3 miles, we gather water from near the Griffon tower, while the griffon is not home. While we're there we see a Strange looking Beetle climbing strange trees with odd fruit. We watch as tree kills beetle. We name the Vine on which the fruit is attached the “Snatchers Vine” and the “Snatchers berry” as it snatched the life from that beetle. We travel a bit further and set up camp for the Night. A Storm rolls in during Cyrek's watch and a small lead tablet with a small rusted iron nail shows up. Cyrek unravels the tablet, and gets really awkward about whatever it said. As the Hurricane rolls in, we back track to the griffon tower to take shelter with the Griffin and a herd of deer.
Day 3-5 I attempt to befriend the deer, and some bees and monkeys joined us in taking shelter for the next two days.
Day 6 We fill our waterskins and collect some snatcher berries that have fallen, these berries are exceedingly delicious. We see the Monkeys head north east of griffin tower. One of the deer stays with me. I name him Sven- he is a young adult male. We travel 3 miles and come across some tracks from hunters going east- southeast and see a a giant ape (gorilla) Coming from the south. After traveling the last 3 miles, we find more snatchers vine near Celeste's hunting lodge. Upon our return to Celeste's Hunting lodge, we reported our findings to Celeste and I got to Keep the Wolf tooth Dagger!
Respectfully, Iris Finn Okpara
submitted by peachykeen1284 to SopitosPatria [link] [comments]
Sloth as Dagdomear Okapi Zalitai; Taleek as Cyrek The Juggler; Seraphina as "Replaceable" Verônica Rocha Beleza; Hazel as Iris Finn Okpara
Blessings: Iris- Blessing of the Mouse - silky ears Cyrek- mark of the darkest deep- milky white eyes "Replaceable" Verônica - bloodmark (Reginae) - double headed eagle on thigh Dag- mark of the ancient air - “kiss” mark on left temple
Day 1 We arrived at Celeste's Hunting Lodge and Swore the oath for awakening guild. Celeste introduced us to the map stone. After a Quick drink Celeste's we headed out to west to explore. After traveling roughly 3 miles we came across a Staircase covered in moss with an ominous presence. We continued on to travel another 3 miles and proceeded to Stumble upon a a ruined tower with a Spider and a Bird creature (griffin) fighting. The spider steals an egg from the birbs nest so we decided to help the Griffin by fighting the Spider. After we defeat the large spider and I Gallantly offered the egg back to Griffin, it takes it back and returns to its nest. I inspect the spider corpse and collect Silk from spider. Cyrek's harvests the spider for meat that We offer the griffon and use that as a distraction in order to collect a Dagger that Dag could see hiding under some skeletons. the Dagger is decorated with a wolf head on the hilt (with an open mouth with no teeth) that's shaped like a wolf's tooth and is Made of high quality silver. Dag says there is a spooky person shape coming from inside the griffin, like someone was swallowed whole. So we decided to move on. We traveled 3 more miles and Camped down for the night.
Day 2 We travel 3 miles, and Find ourselves in an overwhelming Mist, and find a rickety bridge crossing over a small stream that leads to a Graveyard. We cautiously head in and read a couple gravestones, they are primarily Faun Family. A large bug-like creature appears and attacks "Replaceable", we run and I throw a dagger and hit it in the face. As we run, it teleported behind us and paralyzed me, Dag dragged me to safety and "Replaceable" defended us as Cyrek untied our steeds. After we cleared the area and felt safe again, We climbed trees and to attempt to perceive our surroundings- we saw that there are Mountains to the Southwest with a large building on them roughly 30-40 miles away as well as the bones of a massive creature. The Big tree we were looking for is roughly 30-50 miles from the coast and Ten miles southwest is a strange tree that is blue and showing off light, according to Dag. We decide to Head back toward the coast. We travel 2 miles we find a colony of bees. After traveling 3 miles, we gather water from near the Griffon tower, while the griffon is not home. While we're there we see a Strange looking Beetle climbing strange trees with odd fruit. We watch as tree kills beetle. We name the Vine on which the fruit is attached the “Snatchers Vine” and the “Snatchers berry” as it snatched the life from that beetle. We travel a bit further and set up camp for the Night. A Storm rolls in during Cyrek's watch and a small lead tablet with a small rusted iron nail shows up. Cyrek unravels the tablet, and gets really awkward about whatever it said. As the Hurricane rolls in, we back track to the griffon tower to take shelter with the Griffin and a herd of deer.
Day 3-5 I attempt to befriend the deer, and some bees and monkeys joined us in taking shelter for the next two days.
Day 6 We fill our waterskins and collect some snatcher berries that have fallen, these berries are exceedingly delicious. We see the Monkeys head north east of griffin tower. One of the deer stays with me. I name him Sven- he is a young adult male. We travel 3 miles and come across some tracks from hunters going east- southeast and see a a giant ape (gorilla) Coming from the south. After traveling the last 3 miles, we find more snatchers vine near Celeste's hunting lodge. Upon our return to Celeste's Hunting lodge, we reported our findings to Celeste and I got to Keep the Wolf tooth Dagger!
Respectfully, Iris Finn Okpara
2023.06.08 04:52 WelcomeToInsanity Peanut butter nails???
 | submitted by WelcomeToInsanity to DiWHY [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 04:48 Mission_Emergency_36 I am 32 years old, a full time RN-BSN student, live in Texas, and currently make ~$535 monthly.
BACKGROUND
Long story short I spent 8 years on the West Coast holding increasingly important positions in the energy industry, but I hated it with every fiber of my being. I started taking nursing prerequisite courses in January of 2020. Family trauma happened. I moved home to Texas to be closer to my family, quit my job (was making ~$130k with bonus), and took the plunge and went to back to school for nursing at 31. I am half way done with an accelerated BSN program and I have a 4.0 GPA. I love it so much despite it being very difficult. I have externship currently and I have an ICU internship lined up for my final semester, which is basically a guaranteed new grad job.
I currently live with my mom and brother. We are remodeling our house so we are in an apartment for a bit. Very tight quarters but thankful to be with them. Boyfriend just successfully made a big career move and is now a superintendent for an important and well respected organization in town making $60k annually with a 8% bonus. Very proud of him and very excited for our future - we are talking about getting engaged in the next year. He is getting an apartment in the next couple months after living at home with his family due to some major family health issues he has been helping out with so you will see some of the apartment search start to happen in this diary!
Currently boyfriend and I split going out expenses pretty much down the line, but with this new job we had a discussion last week about how he will pay for the majority of our going out costs moving forward once he gets his first paycheck this month until I start working full time again in January!
Previous money diary from August 2022 here.
ASSETS (comparing last money diary to now):
NET WORTH: $373k
**I don’t carry any credit card debt / no student loan debt / no equity in any kind of home. I was lucky enough to be in a position where I saved up over $40k cash to pay for living expenses when in school. My UGMA account will be used as part of a down payment for a house in the next couple years. My current BSN degree is being covered through family. Also, trying to figure out what to do with my pension - depending how finances go the next 8 months I am in school / if I have any emergencies (I have 2 senior pets) I could cash part of it out or completely roll it over into an IRA.
INCOME
Income Progression: I worked in the energy industry for 8 years; my starting salary was $35,000.
I worked in the Seattle area starting out at $35k in 2014. Moved to a new job in 2016 for $65k and then another new job in 2018 for $85k +12% bonus. Got up to $104k + 20% bonus before I quit. Also worked as a CNA on the weekends for about 6 months for $15 an hour during COVID to make sure I really wanted to go to nursing school.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: It varies but the average so far this year it is $535. I have an incredibly flexible externship at a hospital very close to where I live where my director literally just lets me show up whenever I want to work. I make $17 an hour. I met a couple incredible mentors but I think I am going to quit soon since it just won’t be feasible to work this semester and I already have my ICU internship lined up for September. Trying to be easier on myself and put myself first and I feel very lucky that I don’t need to work. Don’t get me wrong the extra money is SO NICE but I want to concentrate on school, myself, family, partner, and friends. Work on top of an accelerated nursing program is too much. I am actually the only one working in my cohort currently.
Any Other Monthly Income Here: I live with my mom right now and she pays for most of the groceries, utilities, etc. I feel incredibly privileged and lucky that I can live with her and that she is able to support me in this way while I transition careers. I do lots for her to support her such as chores, errands, paying for big Costco runs, etc. My boyfriend also helps out with pet expenses and other things I want / need.
MONTHLY EXPENSES
8:45: I slept 10 hours last night and it was glorious. I worked a 12 hour shift at the hospital yesterday and our patient acuity was very high.
9:30: Make a coffee and walk and feed my pup. I walk over to the pool for a morning swim. I love a quiet morning swim so much.
11:30: I had a nice 500 yd swim, drank a Premier Protein shake & ate overnight oats with blueberries for breakfast, had a relaxing shower, and started some laundry. Feeling anxious about everything I have on my plate currently. Also I feel hungover from work yesterday. I was going to work another 12 hour shift tomorrow but now I don’t know if I can handle it with school also starting on Friday and a very busy social weekend coming up. Luckily, my director literally lets me show up whenever I want so I may do 7 or 8 hours tomorrow instead of a full 12. Try to table my feelings to discuss in therapy this afternoon.
11:40: Sit down to finish some online orientation for my internship that is coming up my final semester.
13:03: Orientation stuff only took about 20 minutes thank god. I ran to the grocery store and grab a 4 pack of watermelon Celsius, frozen veggies, Eggo waffles, tea bags, string cheese, coffee filters, Wheat Thins, and lean ground beef ($37.01). Head up to the rooftop lounge at the apartment complex to FaceTime a friend that lives across the country since there is zero privacy in the apartment.
14:15: Get off FaceTime, work on some more laundry, and head out to therapy.
16:15: Good, productive, fun, and validating therapy session and I make it over to my friend’s condo to check on her kitties. I had set up a reoccurring biweekly therapy appointment now that I know my school schedule for the upcoming semester too. We talked about money fixation and anxiety and trying to let that go. We agree that I should sleep in a bit tomorrow, walk my dog, go for a swim, and then go to work. I don’t ~need~ the money so working 12 hours vs 7 or 8 is not an issue. My mental health is more important. Also the work hangover from yesterday is real.
17:00: Boyfriend comes over after work and jumps in the shower while I’m a couch potato (Disclaimer: he’s friends with my friend too and she’s 100% comfortable with him hanging out too.) We relax and hang with the kitties and catch up on our days.
18:45: We head to dinner. We grab burritos at one of our favorite local spots and I pay ($25.88). We look at houses for fun on Zillow and discuss what apartments we want to tour in the next couple weeks.
20:00: I make it home and have a long talk with my mom about her friend who ended up in the hospital today with a compound fracture. Long story short I’ll need to stay up until midnight to hand off the house keys, garage door opener, etc. to a friend who is driving into town that can take care of her dog. Her dog is a pit bull that is vicious to strangers so no one else can go over to the house other than this friend who pet sits and knows the dog.
23:30: The friend makes it and we hand him the keys and everything he needs. I had spent the evening tidying up and meal prepping and looking at more apartments. It’s amazing to me how much time goes into keeping a clean and tidy home.
12:08: I spent a half hour setting up my June budget and then pass out.
TOTAL: $62.89
THURSDAY - DAY 2
9:05: I finally wake up to a bunch of texts from multiple different friends / friend groups. Ugh. I’m just feeling really anxious about school starting tomorrow, my mom being very distraught over her colleague / friend, working today, and a busy weekend coming up. I make some coffee and walk my pup.
9:33: I call my mom while feeding my pup breakfast and tell her how I’m feeling and we both agreed I ran around too much last semester and I told her I am setting firm boundaries with myself to basically not do anything social during the school week once clinical start (Monday - Thursday) unless it’s like a super casual dinner and I truly have the capacity for it. I burned myself out at the end of last semester and spent weeks putting the pieces back together.
9:55: I make another cup of coffee and take myself for a morning swim. It brings me so much joy and grounds me. I swim 500 yards and then jump into the shower, throw my scrubs on, kiss my pup goodbye and head to the hospital. I drink a chocolate Primer Protein shake and call my friend L on the way to hear how her trip has been going so far. It was nice to catch up even though we saw each other over the weekend lol.
10:54: Ate my overnight oats made with half and half and some blueberries, clocked in, and headed out to the floor. Immediately get asked to be a sitter which literally never happens. Thank you universe. Feeling a little less anxious now that I’m here and feeling thankful for the little bit of extra money I’m making and being here for my community.
14:04: Maybe not thank you universe - the patient slept for a while then got extremely combative and was trying to punch me. I switch off with a coworker and head to the break room to eat a bowl I made with frozen veggies + rotisserie chicken from Costco + cheddar cheese on top.
19:09: I finally clock out. I had a snack of 2 rice cakes and some almonds at one point. Rest of work was wild (i.e. a psychotic patient that pulled out his IV and was throwing things everywhere, someone screaming in pain for hours nonstop, etc.) and had me questioning what I am doing making this career change. I am tired.
19:49: I make it home after swinging by L’s to check on her kitties. Jump in the shower. My mom has dinner ready and I scarf down this gorgeous basil, mozzarella, peppers, tomatoes, avocados, and olive salad + a couple Trader Joe’s dolmas + a couple pieces of fresh bread. Delicious. I force myself to get my food and my school bag ready for tomorrow and lay my scrubs out before I crawl into bed a little after 9.
TOTAL: $0
FRIDAY - DAY 3
06:22: Alarm goes off and I roll out of bed and take my pup for a nice walk. Give him breakfast / shower / throw on my scrubs / pack my lunch / give the pup a big kiss goodbye and I am out the door a little after 7:00.
07:47: I get to school and I am NOT feeling it lol. I stopped at Costco for gas on my way ($20.67) and I also swung by a very Texas niche store that sells all kinds of beef jerky my brother really likes to grab some for his birthday coming up ($17.98).
10:00: Class is boring - it’s tough getting back into it with an 8 hour cardiac lecture. It’s good to see my friends but struggle is real. I run into my favorite professor and she makes my morning. I tell her all about my upcoming internship and my boyfriend’s new job and she was stoked and told me to “lock him down” hahaha. I also make 2 phone calls to apartment complexes we are interested in cause my boyfriend doesn’t get great reception at work during business hours. One place doesn’t have any current availability but the lady was so nice and will be sending me a virtual tour later today. Schedule another tour on Monday afternoon.
11:30: We break for lunch and I eat the same thing as yesterday - rotisserie chicken + frozen veggies + cheddar cheese.
12:30: Spend the afternoon in class completely unable to concentrate. The professor is throwing ECG rhythms around left and right. 8 hours of ECG lecture is NOT a productive way to learn the material. I work on a couple study guides during class cause I cannot.
3:30: We get out a little early and I rush to meet my mom for a walk through of the house. I follow her back to her office because I sent a big Chewy order there. Pick up the box along with a Diet Coke, order us Cava for dinner, pick up Cava, check on my friends cats on my way home real quick, and then have a shower and relax. Mom pays for Cava and I thank her multiple times.
7:00: We eat dinner all together when everyone is eventually home (harissa avocado bowl for me!) and then my boyfriend calls right when I head out to walk my dog. Perfect. I miss him and have been having anxiety around our new schedules. We have a good 30 minute chat about our days before I spend the evening basically doing nothing. I chat with my family and mess around on my phone. Text boyfriend about different apartments.
22:44: Bed time after I brush and floss my teeth. I’m zonked from the week.
TOTAL: $38.65
SATURDAY - DAY 4
08:30: I’m awake! Did not sleep well at all cause thunderstorms. My pup is deathly afraid and will not stop shaking for hours so I end up sleeping on the couch on and off. We were up and down all night but somehow I feel okay. We go for a quick walk, feed him, and start a load of whites in the washer.
09:08: I have a shower, and then I head out to get my family coffee from one of our favorite spots.
10:45: Make it back home with 2 cold brews for my brother and I and a latte for mom. I also picked up 5 breakfast tacos and a German chocolate cake for Sunday dinner tomorrow ($56.24). I eat a bean and cheese taco and a potato and egg taco, start some laundry, and put air in my tires with my home compressor since my low air light has been on in my car for an embarrassing amount of time. Brother needs air in his tires too so turns into a production lol.
12:18: Spent a couple hours putzing around dealing with the tires and more laundry and packing a bag for tonight. We are headed to the lake for a friend’s bday party and I have no clue what I want to wear so I pack a lot of options and clothes for church tomorrow morning too. Now it’s time to drive around for a little bit and check out some potential apartments and do a small Target run.
14:02: I make it home from apartment cruising and my Target run. I bought a 3 subject notebook, tire pressure gauge with valve caps included, two bags of frozen veggies, mini coke zeros, and a bag of Lesser Evil popcorn ($21.50). I was so tempted to stop for lunch on my way home but lines were long everywhere so I made myself some cheesy eggs + 2 Eggo waffles when I got home. Put the valve cap on my tire that is missing one.
14:36: Make it to L’s condo and clean up after the cats and start the Roomba. Boyfriend texts that he is out of work and on his way over! He’s been up since 4 am this morning for work and I am feeling some type of way with everything on my plate / anxiety so we will see how long we make it tonight lol.
15:30: S is showered and we are out the door!
16:30: We make it to the rental, change into our bathing suits, and walk down to the river.
19:00: We hang out in the river for a good 2.5 hours. It was a good time - nice to chat with my school friends and their partners. Boyfriend and I head out before the real partying starts lol.
20:00: We eat dinner at this cute Tex Mex place. Boyfriend has some kind of alcoholic mixed drink and we share a fajita for 2 plate. Boyfriend pays - it was $70.56 with tip. I drive us back because he does not like to drive even after one drink which I am 100% here for. We are so tired lol.
21:15: Make it back to L’s condo and we take a hot shower and get into bed in the guest bedroom. It takes forever for us to both fall asleep.
TOTAL: $77.74
SUNDAY - DAY 5
6:50: Oh boy neither of us slept well. There was another thunderstorm. One of the cats was yowling nonstop outside our door. The ceiling fan was clanking on and off. The bed was way too soft. Up and down again all night for a second night in a row for me lol.
8:11: I’m showered and we are both dressed and we head out to one of our favorite taquerias for breakfast. I get 2 bean and cheese tacos and one machacado + egg taco. Boyfriend also gets 3 tacos and we both get coffee. We sit and chat for a while until it was time to go to church. I pay on the way out ($22.98 with tip).
11:40: After an hour of church and an hour meeting for a committee I’m on - I’m wiped out. Still have a house walk through to do with my family and boyfriend so I head over there and we are there for about an hour.
13:10: Finally made it home, walked my pup, and made myself a late lunch of Dave’s Killer bread toast + peanut butter + banana.
13:54: A girlfriend calls and asks if I want to get a pedicure this afternoon. We decide to get dinner together on Thursday instead. I’m actually very touched she called me because we are friends through another friend and normally don’t get together just the two of us. I’m really happy she reached out. I also invite one of my friends from school - I have been wanting them to meet for a while.
14:30: Nap timeeeee! I knock out for an hour then realize how thirsty I am and how badly I need to get out of the apartment. I get up, take the pup for a spin with my brother, and head to Sonic to get a large diet cherry limeade and then head to L’s condo to check on the kitties and chill ($3.34).
18:00: I spent a couple hours chilling on the internet - working on my google calendar, school organization, church emails, reviewing some apartments we may drive by tomorrow, and I download the remaining episodes of season 1 of Nurse Jackie to watch tonight. I had bought the complete first season over a month ago and still haven’t watched it all lol. That’s how little I watch tv.
20:00: We had bibimbap for dinner and German chocolate cake for dessert. Delicious. I clean up the dishes and do more laundry because that’s my life between school, work, working out, having 2 hairy pets, etc. Unpack my bags from the river day and sleepover last night too. Chat with my family.
22:00: Crawl into bed and watch some Nurse Jackie before passing out.
TOTAL: $26.32
MONDAY - DAY 6
7:33: I slept better but still tossed and turned. Still just anxious with everything going on, especially the start of another intense semester.
8:47: Pup is fed and walked. I open the windows because it is 68 degrees which is unheard of in June in south Texas.
10:06: I ended up doing a deep clean of my room hahah. Wiped down and vacuumed every surface. So much hair. My pup is shedding so bad. I change my bedding and toss my comforter in the wash. Thank goodness I have 2 sets of sheets now. I had only 1 for the longest time lol. I take a break and eat some Greek yogurt + pecans + banana + drizzle of honey.
11:03: I vacuumed the common areas in the apartment, took a long shower, and I’m dressed and ready for my boyfriend to pick me up. I felt like being cute today so I put on this new leather skirt from Alice + Olivia my boyfriend got me as a present that I haven’t worn yet + a white crop top + my cheetah old skool Vans. I’m so tired though lololol. This is one of the only Mondays we both have off for the foreseeable future so I am gonna rally and make the most of it!
11:15: Boyfriend is so tired too bahah. We go grab coffees at this cute little coffee shop I’ve been wanting to check out. I get a cortado. Boyfriend gets an iced caramel almond milk latte and I treat ($11.82 with tip). We sit and chill and map out what apartments we want to check out today.
12:30: Walk across the street to grab Tex Mex for lunch at a pretty famous place in town. I get the enchilada plate and boyfriend gets a chicken quesadilla plate. He pays and it is $27.89 with tip.
1:30: Go for our first apartment tour of the day and it is depressing. We drive around and check out the other apartments we are I interested in and then go on one more tour at a place that we are really impressed by. It’s $1.3k or so for a 500 sq ft one bedroom and that’s a stretch. Ideally he wants the base rent to be $1,000 or less which is quite doable. Yet again - south Texas prices for the win. He is looking at older buildings, but they are well kept up and in good neighborhoods. They are not in the hottest places to be in town, but definitely still nice.
16:00: We go back to L’s condo and chill and take care of the kitties. Discuss the apartments and ask my brother if he wants to get dinner with us and he agrees.
18:00: We head back to my apartment, pick up my brother, and head to dinner. We order a large caesar salad, an arugula and sausage pizza, and a mushroom and pepperoni pizza. This spot does $10 two topping pizzas on Monday and it slaps. I treat my boyfriend and brother to dinner ($48.01 with tip).
20:00: Home and boyfriend walks my pup with me. Brother makes us both tea and we have a nice cup of tea and chat until boyfriend heads home. I put together my breakfast and lunch tomorrow and then lay down to chill and have some quiet time.
22:30: Bed time! First day of critical care didactic is tomorrow and I am feeling mostly excited.
TOTAL: $59.82
TUESDAY - DAY 7
6:22: My alarm goes off and wakes me from a deep sleep. I finally slept a good 8 hours though!
7:10: I am showered and throw on some black Lululemon Align leggings and a swiftly tech tee. I was gonna wear real pants but screw that haha. I am really dragging this morning.
7:50: Make it to school and lecture starts at 8. Honestly - that lecture could have been given in 45 minutes but we spent the first 2 hours simply going over the schedule and clarifying assignments since everything is such a disorganized hot mess at the beginning of the semester.
10:05: We take a break and call a fellow church congregation member to see if we want to meet today to tour an organization that supports people immigrating. We are debating if we want to allocate church donation funds to them. We agree to meet at the location at 1:30.
12:41: We are done with class and I stayed a bit after to start making my study guide for our first test even though it isn’t for 5 weeks. I realize the time and quickly pack up and go heat up my lunch. Chat with an MSN student who I had met in orientation for my internship a couple weeks ago and he expressed his frustration about how the start of this semester is rough for him too.
2:38: We finish our tour and we are very impressed at the clean and organized operation. We agree to each write our own follow up email to the rest of the group before the end of the day supplying the church donating.
3:30: I make some jasmine tea and have some quiet time when I get home before starting on some dosage calculation problems that are due on Friday.
5:45: I end up spending almost 2.5 hours on homework - dosage calculations, an article summary, and start on a medication sheet. Ouch. I lay down for 20 minutes, take my pup out, and then head out to meet my friend for dinner at Cava.
6:30: I get the lemon chicken bowl and pita chips ($13.69) and we sit and chat for a 1.5 hours. We just saw each other a couple weeks ago, but so much to catch up on.
20:00: We agree to go on a double date in the next couple weeks and I head home. I walk my pup with my mom and brother, pack my gym bag and my food for tomorrow, write my follow up emails from today’s visit to the church committee, and relax in bed.
TOTAL: $13.69
TALLY OF DAILY EXPENSES:
REFLECTION
I spent quite a bit on going out to eat this week with my boyfriend, family, and friends. It was the end of my school break and boyfriend is transitioning to a new job so we were a bit out of whack with spending on food. Usually we eat at home with our families more, but it was nice to go out and enjoy ourselves too. It was a super busy week for me too - which is the norm lately. I have a great community and social life here compared to the West Coast and I do not take that for granted. Trying to make myself more of a priority so I don’t burn out again, which is difficult for me.
submitted by Mission_Emergency_36 to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]
Long story short I spent 8 years on the West Coast holding increasingly important positions in the energy industry, but I hated it with every fiber of my being. I started taking nursing prerequisite courses in January of 2020. Family trauma happened. I moved home to Texas to be closer to my family, quit my job (was making ~$130k with bonus), and took the plunge and went to back to school for nursing at 31. I am half way done with an accelerated BSN program and I have a 4.0 GPA. I love it so much despite it being very difficult. I have externship currently and I have an ICU internship lined up for my final semester, which is basically a guaranteed new grad job.
I currently live with my mom and brother. We are remodeling our house so we are in an apartment for a bit. Very tight quarters but thankful to be with them. Boyfriend just successfully made a big career move and is now a superintendent for an important and well respected organization in town making $60k annually with a 8% bonus. Very proud of him and very excited for our future - we are talking about getting engaged in the next year. He is getting an apartment in the next couple months after living at home with his family due to some major family health issues he has been helping out with so you will see some of the apartment search start to happen in this diary!
Currently boyfriend and I split going out expenses pretty much down the line, but with this new job we had a discussion last week about how he will pay for the majority of our going out costs moving forward once he gets his first paycheck this month until I start working full time again in January!
Previous money diary from August 2022 here.
ASSETS (comparing last money diary to now):
| August 2022 | June 2023 | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 401k | $156,400 | $158,600 | $2,200 |
| Roth IRA | $68,000 | $68,500 | (500) |
| Saving's account | $41,001.43 | $26,572.63 | ($14,428.81) |
| Checking Account | $3,024.58 | $915.41 | ($2,109) |
| HSA | $8,800 | $7,100 | ($1,700) |
| Brokerage | $440 | $444 | $4 |
| UGMA | $85,000 | $84,000 | ($1,000) |
| Pension | forgot to include | $27,000 | N/A |
**I don’t carry any credit card debt / no student loan debt / no equity in any kind of home. I was lucky enough to be in a position where I saved up over $40k cash to pay for living expenses when in school. My UGMA account will be used as part of a down payment for a house in the next couple years. My current BSN degree is being covered through family. Also, trying to figure out what to do with my pension - depending how finances go the next 8 months I am in school / if I have any emergencies (I have 2 senior pets) I could cash part of it out or completely roll it over into an IRA.
INCOME
Income Progression: I worked in the energy industry for 8 years; my starting salary was $35,000.
I worked in the Seattle area starting out at $35k in 2014. Moved to a new job in 2016 for $65k and then another new job in 2018 for $85k +12% bonus. Got up to $104k + 20% bonus before I quit. Also worked as a CNA on the weekends for about 6 months for $15 an hour during COVID to make sure I really wanted to go to nursing school.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: It varies but the average so far this year it is $535. I have an incredibly flexible externship at a hospital very close to where I live where my director literally just lets me show up whenever I want to work. I make $17 an hour. I met a couple incredible mentors but I think I am going to quit soon since it just won’t be feasible to work this semester and I already have my ICU internship lined up for September. Trying to be easier on myself and put myself first and I feel very lucky that I don’t need to work. Don’t get me wrong the extra money is SO NICE but I want to concentrate on school, myself, family, partner, and friends. Work on top of an accelerated nursing program is too much. I am actually the only one working in my cohort currently.
Any Other Monthly Income Here: I live with my mom right now and she pays for most of the groceries, utilities, etc. I feel incredibly privileged and lucky that I can live with her and that she is able to support me in this way while I transition careers. I do lots for her to support her such as chores, errands, paying for big Costco runs, etc. My boyfriend also helps out with pet expenses and other things I want / need.
MONTHLY EXPENSES
- Rent: $400 to my mom for a very discounted rate at our current apartment. I don’t pay rent when we are at the house. I will not be paying rent when I semi-move in with my boyfriend in the next couple months. Our goal is to get our own luxury apartment next year close to both of our places of employment after a year lease at a cheaper place. Between now and then I’ll split my time with him and my mom.
- Cellphone: $15 (on family plan & I just pay for additional data)
- Spotify: $5.40 (student plan)
- iCloud: $2.99
- Prime: $8.11
- Gym membership: $20
- Regular therapy: $5 a session and I go biweekly
- Health insurance: $122.54 monthly
- Costco: $60 annually
- Gas: $120
- Groceries: $300
- Eating out: $400
- Pet expenses: $200
- Other discretionary spending: $400
8:45: I slept 10 hours last night and it was glorious. I worked a 12 hour shift at the hospital yesterday and our patient acuity was very high.
9:30: Make a coffee and walk and feed my pup. I walk over to the pool for a morning swim. I love a quiet morning swim so much.
11:30: I had a nice 500 yd swim, drank a Premier Protein shake & ate overnight oats with blueberries for breakfast, had a relaxing shower, and started some laundry. Feeling anxious about everything I have on my plate currently. Also I feel hungover from work yesterday. I was going to work another 12 hour shift tomorrow but now I don’t know if I can handle it with school also starting on Friday and a very busy social weekend coming up. Luckily, my director literally lets me show up whenever I want so I may do 7 or 8 hours tomorrow instead of a full 12. Try to table my feelings to discuss in therapy this afternoon.
11:40: Sit down to finish some online orientation for my internship that is coming up my final semester.
13:03: Orientation stuff only took about 20 minutes thank god. I ran to the grocery store and grab a 4 pack of watermelon Celsius, frozen veggies, Eggo waffles, tea bags, string cheese, coffee filters, Wheat Thins, and lean ground beef ($37.01). Head up to the rooftop lounge at the apartment complex to FaceTime a friend that lives across the country since there is zero privacy in the apartment.
14:15: Get off FaceTime, work on some more laundry, and head out to therapy.
16:15: Good, productive, fun, and validating therapy session and I make it over to my friend’s condo to check on her kitties. I had set up a reoccurring biweekly therapy appointment now that I know my school schedule for the upcoming semester too. We talked about money fixation and anxiety and trying to let that go. We agree that I should sleep in a bit tomorrow, walk my dog, go for a swim, and then go to work. I don’t ~need~ the money so working 12 hours vs 7 or 8 is not an issue. My mental health is more important. Also the work hangover from yesterday is real.
17:00: Boyfriend comes over after work and jumps in the shower while I’m a couch potato (Disclaimer: he’s friends with my friend too and she’s 100% comfortable with him hanging out too.) We relax and hang with the kitties and catch up on our days.
18:45: We head to dinner. We grab burritos at one of our favorite local spots and I pay ($25.88). We look at houses for fun on Zillow and discuss what apartments we want to tour in the next couple weeks.
20:00: I make it home and have a long talk with my mom about her friend who ended up in the hospital today with a compound fracture. Long story short I’ll need to stay up until midnight to hand off the house keys, garage door opener, etc. to a friend who is driving into town that can take care of her dog. Her dog is a pit bull that is vicious to strangers so no one else can go over to the house other than this friend who pet sits and knows the dog.
23:30: The friend makes it and we hand him the keys and everything he needs. I had spent the evening tidying up and meal prepping and looking at more apartments. It’s amazing to me how much time goes into keeping a clean and tidy home.
12:08: I spent a half hour setting up my June budget and then pass out.
TOTAL: $62.89
THURSDAY - DAY 2
9:05: I finally wake up to a bunch of texts from multiple different friends / friend groups. Ugh. I’m just feeling really anxious about school starting tomorrow, my mom being very distraught over her colleague / friend, working today, and a busy weekend coming up. I make some coffee and walk my pup.
9:33: I call my mom while feeding my pup breakfast and tell her how I’m feeling and we both agreed I ran around too much last semester and I told her I am setting firm boundaries with myself to basically not do anything social during the school week once clinical start (Monday - Thursday) unless it’s like a super casual dinner and I truly have the capacity for it. I burned myself out at the end of last semester and spent weeks putting the pieces back together.
9:55: I make another cup of coffee and take myself for a morning swim. It brings me so much joy and grounds me. I swim 500 yards and then jump into the shower, throw my scrubs on, kiss my pup goodbye and head to the hospital. I drink a chocolate Primer Protein shake and call my friend L on the way to hear how her trip has been going so far. It was nice to catch up even though we saw each other over the weekend lol.
10:54: Ate my overnight oats made with half and half and some blueberries, clocked in, and headed out to the floor. Immediately get asked to be a sitter which literally never happens. Thank you universe. Feeling a little less anxious now that I’m here and feeling thankful for the little bit of extra money I’m making and being here for my community.
14:04: Maybe not thank you universe - the patient slept for a while then got extremely combative and was trying to punch me. I switch off with a coworker and head to the break room to eat a bowl I made with frozen veggies + rotisserie chicken from Costco + cheddar cheese on top.
19:09: I finally clock out. I had a snack of 2 rice cakes and some almonds at one point. Rest of work was wild (i.e. a psychotic patient that pulled out his IV and was throwing things everywhere, someone screaming in pain for hours nonstop, etc.) and had me questioning what I am doing making this career change. I am tired.
19:49: I make it home after swinging by L’s to check on her kitties. Jump in the shower. My mom has dinner ready and I scarf down this gorgeous basil, mozzarella, peppers, tomatoes, avocados, and olive salad + a couple Trader Joe’s dolmas + a couple pieces of fresh bread. Delicious. I force myself to get my food and my school bag ready for tomorrow and lay my scrubs out before I crawl into bed a little after 9.
TOTAL: $0
FRIDAY - DAY 3
06:22: Alarm goes off and I roll out of bed and take my pup for a nice walk. Give him breakfast / shower / throw on my scrubs / pack my lunch / give the pup a big kiss goodbye and I am out the door a little after 7:00.
07:47: I get to school and I am NOT feeling it lol. I stopped at Costco for gas on my way ($20.67) and I also swung by a very Texas niche store that sells all kinds of beef jerky my brother really likes to grab some for his birthday coming up ($17.98).
10:00: Class is boring - it’s tough getting back into it with an 8 hour cardiac lecture. It’s good to see my friends but struggle is real. I run into my favorite professor and she makes my morning. I tell her all about my upcoming internship and my boyfriend’s new job and she was stoked and told me to “lock him down” hahaha. I also make 2 phone calls to apartment complexes we are interested in cause my boyfriend doesn’t get great reception at work during business hours. One place doesn’t have any current availability but the lady was so nice and will be sending me a virtual tour later today. Schedule another tour on Monday afternoon.
11:30: We break for lunch and I eat the same thing as yesterday - rotisserie chicken + frozen veggies + cheddar cheese.
12:30: Spend the afternoon in class completely unable to concentrate. The professor is throwing ECG rhythms around left and right. 8 hours of ECG lecture is NOT a productive way to learn the material. I work on a couple study guides during class cause I cannot.
3:30: We get out a little early and I rush to meet my mom for a walk through of the house. I follow her back to her office because I sent a big Chewy order there. Pick up the box along with a Diet Coke, order us Cava for dinner, pick up Cava, check on my friends cats on my way home real quick, and then have a shower and relax. Mom pays for Cava and I thank her multiple times.
7:00: We eat dinner all together when everyone is eventually home (harissa avocado bowl for me!) and then my boyfriend calls right when I head out to walk my dog. Perfect. I miss him and have been having anxiety around our new schedules. We have a good 30 minute chat about our days before I spend the evening basically doing nothing. I chat with my family and mess around on my phone. Text boyfriend about different apartments.
22:44: Bed time after I brush and floss my teeth. I’m zonked from the week.
TOTAL: $38.65
SATURDAY - DAY 4
08:30: I’m awake! Did not sleep well at all cause thunderstorms. My pup is deathly afraid and will not stop shaking for hours so I end up sleeping on the couch on and off. We were up and down all night but somehow I feel okay. We go for a quick walk, feed him, and start a load of whites in the washer.
09:08: I have a shower, and then I head out to get my family coffee from one of our favorite spots.
10:45: Make it back home with 2 cold brews for my brother and I and a latte for mom. I also picked up 5 breakfast tacos and a German chocolate cake for Sunday dinner tomorrow ($56.24). I eat a bean and cheese taco and a potato and egg taco, start some laundry, and put air in my tires with my home compressor since my low air light has been on in my car for an embarrassing amount of time. Brother needs air in his tires too so turns into a production lol.
12:18: Spent a couple hours putzing around dealing with the tires and more laundry and packing a bag for tonight. We are headed to the lake for a friend’s bday party and I have no clue what I want to wear so I pack a lot of options and clothes for church tomorrow morning too. Now it’s time to drive around for a little bit and check out some potential apartments and do a small Target run.
14:02: I make it home from apartment cruising and my Target run. I bought a 3 subject notebook, tire pressure gauge with valve caps included, two bags of frozen veggies, mini coke zeros, and a bag of Lesser Evil popcorn ($21.50). I was so tempted to stop for lunch on my way home but lines were long everywhere so I made myself some cheesy eggs + 2 Eggo waffles when I got home. Put the valve cap on my tire that is missing one.
14:36: Make it to L’s condo and clean up after the cats and start the Roomba. Boyfriend texts that he is out of work and on his way over! He’s been up since 4 am this morning for work and I am feeling some type of way with everything on my plate / anxiety so we will see how long we make it tonight lol.
15:30: S is showered and we are out the door!
16:30: We make it to the rental, change into our bathing suits, and walk down to the river.
19:00: We hang out in the river for a good 2.5 hours. It was a good time - nice to chat with my school friends and their partners. Boyfriend and I head out before the real partying starts lol.
20:00: We eat dinner at this cute Tex Mex place. Boyfriend has some kind of alcoholic mixed drink and we share a fajita for 2 plate. Boyfriend pays - it was $70.56 with tip. I drive us back because he does not like to drive even after one drink which I am 100% here for. We are so tired lol.
21:15: Make it back to L’s condo and we take a hot shower and get into bed in the guest bedroom. It takes forever for us to both fall asleep.
TOTAL: $77.74
SUNDAY - DAY 5
6:50: Oh boy neither of us slept well. There was another thunderstorm. One of the cats was yowling nonstop outside our door. The ceiling fan was clanking on and off. The bed was way too soft. Up and down again all night for a second night in a row for me lol.
8:11: I’m showered and we are both dressed and we head out to one of our favorite taquerias for breakfast. I get 2 bean and cheese tacos and one machacado + egg taco. Boyfriend also gets 3 tacos and we both get coffee. We sit and chat for a while until it was time to go to church. I pay on the way out ($22.98 with tip).
11:40: After an hour of church and an hour meeting for a committee I’m on - I’m wiped out. Still have a house walk through to do with my family and boyfriend so I head over there and we are there for about an hour.
13:10: Finally made it home, walked my pup, and made myself a late lunch of Dave’s Killer bread toast + peanut butter + banana.
13:54: A girlfriend calls and asks if I want to get a pedicure this afternoon. We decide to get dinner together on Thursday instead. I’m actually very touched she called me because we are friends through another friend and normally don’t get together just the two of us. I’m really happy she reached out. I also invite one of my friends from school - I have been wanting them to meet for a while.
14:30: Nap timeeeee! I knock out for an hour then realize how thirsty I am and how badly I need to get out of the apartment. I get up, take the pup for a spin with my brother, and head to Sonic to get a large diet cherry limeade and then head to L’s condo to check on the kitties and chill ($3.34).
18:00: I spent a couple hours chilling on the internet - working on my google calendar, school organization, church emails, reviewing some apartments we may drive by tomorrow, and I download the remaining episodes of season 1 of Nurse Jackie to watch tonight. I had bought the complete first season over a month ago and still haven’t watched it all lol. That’s how little I watch tv.
20:00: We had bibimbap for dinner and German chocolate cake for dessert. Delicious. I clean up the dishes and do more laundry because that’s my life between school, work, working out, having 2 hairy pets, etc. Unpack my bags from the river day and sleepover last night too. Chat with my family.
22:00: Crawl into bed and watch some Nurse Jackie before passing out.
TOTAL: $26.32
MONDAY - DAY 6
7:33: I slept better but still tossed and turned. Still just anxious with everything going on, especially the start of another intense semester.
8:47: Pup is fed and walked. I open the windows because it is 68 degrees which is unheard of in June in south Texas.
10:06: I ended up doing a deep clean of my room hahah. Wiped down and vacuumed every surface. So much hair. My pup is shedding so bad. I change my bedding and toss my comforter in the wash. Thank goodness I have 2 sets of sheets now. I had only 1 for the longest time lol. I take a break and eat some Greek yogurt + pecans + banana + drizzle of honey.
11:03: I vacuumed the common areas in the apartment, took a long shower, and I’m dressed and ready for my boyfriend to pick me up. I felt like being cute today so I put on this new leather skirt from Alice + Olivia my boyfriend got me as a present that I haven’t worn yet + a white crop top + my cheetah old skool Vans. I’m so tired though lololol. This is one of the only Mondays we both have off for the foreseeable future so I am gonna rally and make the most of it!
11:15: Boyfriend is so tired too bahah. We go grab coffees at this cute little coffee shop I’ve been wanting to check out. I get a cortado. Boyfriend gets an iced caramel almond milk latte and I treat ($11.82 with tip). We sit and chill and map out what apartments we want to check out today.
12:30: Walk across the street to grab Tex Mex for lunch at a pretty famous place in town. I get the enchilada plate and boyfriend gets a chicken quesadilla plate. He pays and it is $27.89 with tip.
1:30: Go for our first apartment tour of the day and it is depressing. We drive around and check out the other apartments we are I interested in and then go on one more tour at a place that we are really impressed by. It’s $1.3k or so for a 500 sq ft one bedroom and that’s a stretch. Ideally he wants the base rent to be $1,000 or less which is quite doable. Yet again - south Texas prices for the win. He is looking at older buildings, but they are well kept up and in good neighborhoods. They are not in the hottest places to be in town, but definitely still nice.
16:00: We go back to L’s condo and chill and take care of the kitties. Discuss the apartments and ask my brother if he wants to get dinner with us and he agrees.
18:00: We head back to my apartment, pick up my brother, and head to dinner. We order a large caesar salad, an arugula and sausage pizza, and a mushroom and pepperoni pizza. This spot does $10 two topping pizzas on Monday and it slaps. I treat my boyfriend and brother to dinner ($48.01 with tip).
20:00: Home and boyfriend walks my pup with me. Brother makes us both tea and we have a nice cup of tea and chat until boyfriend heads home. I put together my breakfast and lunch tomorrow and then lay down to chill and have some quiet time.
22:30: Bed time! First day of critical care didactic is tomorrow and I am feeling mostly excited.
TOTAL: $59.82
TUESDAY - DAY 7
6:22: My alarm goes off and wakes me from a deep sleep. I finally slept a good 8 hours though!
7:10: I am showered and throw on some black Lululemon Align leggings and a swiftly tech tee. I was gonna wear real pants but screw that haha. I am really dragging this morning.
7:50: Make it to school and lecture starts at 8. Honestly - that lecture could have been given in 45 minutes but we spent the first 2 hours simply going over the schedule and clarifying assignments since everything is such a disorganized hot mess at the beginning of the semester.
10:05: We take a break and call a fellow church congregation member to see if we want to meet today to tour an organization that supports people immigrating. We are debating if we want to allocate church donation funds to them. We agree to meet at the location at 1:30.
12:41: We are done with class and I stayed a bit after to start making my study guide for our first test even though it isn’t for 5 weeks. I realize the time and quickly pack up and go heat up my lunch. Chat with an MSN student who I had met in orientation for my internship a couple weeks ago and he expressed his frustration about how the start of this semester is rough for him too.
2:38: We finish our tour and we are very impressed at the clean and organized operation. We agree to each write our own follow up email to the rest of the group before the end of the day supplying the church donating.
3:30: I make some jasmine tea and have some quiet time when I get home before starting on some dosage calculation problems that are due on Friday.
5:45: I end up spending almost 2.5 hours on homework - dosage calculations, an article summary, and start on a medication sheet. Ouch. I lay down for 20 minutes, take my pup out, and then head out to meet my friend for dinner at Cava.
6:30: I get the lemon chicken bowl and pita chips ($13.69) and we sit and chat for a 1.5 hours. We just saw each other a couple weeks ago, but so much to catch up on.
20:00: We agree to go on a double date in the next couple weeks and I head home. I walk my pup with my mom and brother, pack my gym bag and my food for tomorrow, write my follow up emails from today’s visit to the church committee, and relax in bed.
TOTAL: $13.69
TALLY OF DAILY EXPENSES:
- Food + Drink: $240.36
- Fun / Entertainment: $0
- Home + Health: $0
- Clothes + Beauty: $0
- Transport: $30.67
- Other: $17.98
REFLECTION
I spent quite a bit on going out to eat this week with my boyfriend, family, and friends. It was the end of my school break and boyfriend is transitioning to a new job so we were a bit out of whack with spending on food. Usually we eat at home with our families more, but it was nice to go out and enjoy ourselves too. It was a super busy week for me too - which is the norm lately. I have a great community and social life here compared to the West Coast and I do not take that for granted. Trying to make myself more of a priority so I don’t burn out again, which is difficult for me.
2023.06.08 04:44 Christiano97 I got a dog and feel like it’s the worst decision I’ve ever made
I’m 24 growing up I was always the animal lover. Had a childhood dog growing up animals were always my thing. I was the kind of guy people would look at weird because I would almost sound like Elmo talking to dogs out of love lol. So growing up almost all of my friends got dogs and I 100% stood solid that’s never going to be me. I’ve always been the life of the party kind of guy that travels a lot and is never really home. I like my house spotless and a care free life. Me and my girlfriend always joked around about getting a dog but always said we should wait until we have kids so it’s a one time stress kind of thing. So then we hit a really tough spot in our relationship where I thought we’d be done for good. We reconciled but were on thin ice with each other. She started saying maybe I should get a dog now I don’t have to wait for kids. Then she asked to go dog shopping. So we go out for a day dog shopping and the main reason I was really ok with this was it kept her around since she hadn’t been coming around. We go to a pet shop and she finds a wiener dog she absolutely loved while we were looking for a dog for me. She ask me if I’d be able to take care of the wiener dog and it has to say at my house that’s the only way she’d get it. So in my mind I’m like hey that keeps her here and we can really rebuild. A couple days go by and she comes home with the wiener dog. This was my first dog ever not living at home. So it was a lot of struggles and I saw how much work it was. I was almost content with not getting a dog now and not having the responsibility. Now we’re like oh I have to get a dog still and a white husky was always my dream dog (really because of looks). My ignorance didn’t fully research how much goes into this breed. So I look all over and found one in a different state. I put the deposit and have a friend go get the dog to bring here. The dog was a lot bigger when I got her probably 3 months so I didn’t get to enjoy the tiny puppy stage. Introducing the super tiny wiener puppy was the most stressful couple weeks of my life because of their massive size difference and my husky would go after her maybe in a playful way but still. I became so extremely stressed to the point where I was in tears a few times and thought I made a huge mistake and I don’t want a dog at all. My girl talked me through and told me we would work through it together. The husky took wayyyyyyyyyy longer than the wiener dog to learn potty training so I spent most of my thanksgiving and Christmas with poop and piss all over the house constantly. I went from this carefree life to being stressed everyday getting up early to the dog whining cleaning up messes constantly. I’ve grown to absolutely love my girlfriends wiener dog she’s everything I’d want in a dog and she’s tiny so it’s a lot easier. But with my husky still even 6 months later I just feel so annoyed and aggravated constantly. Things other people find adorable absolutely annoy me to no end. If I open the door in the morning she starts screaming and it literally sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me. I just feel so disconnected and feel like I never got the love for the dog like I did for the weeny. My girlfriend doesn’t like hairy bigger dogs so she really never takes her out or helps me with her so it’s all on me constantly. It’s to the point where I just give her bones or a treat filled with peanut butter every single day because it’s the only thing that keeps her busy and out of my hair. She’s destroyed my door trim, my dining room chair, constantly eats every comforter that’s over her crate making a mess everywhere. And I completely understand 99% of puppies do this and that’s a part of owning one. I just feel like I’ve truly hit my wits end and I feel like this is the biggest mistake of my life. I’m constantly stressed out constantly snapping at all the people around me because I’m just so annoyed all of the time. It’s constantly hurting my relationship with my mom because we argue about it. My family absolutely loves the dog and will cry anytime I even say anything negative or say I don’t know if this is for me. They have health issues and can’t take the dog. I just really don’t know what to do. I feel like the dog deserves a better life with somebody who will give every waking moment and love the dog the way she should be loved. I feel like a horrible person I never wanted to feel this way but no matter what I do I can’t control this way I feel. Every time she is in her crate or staying at families house my life feels back to normal. I knew from learning from all my friends this was a horrible mistake and I did it anyways. These are all things I should have thought of before bringing a dog into my life. I’m a horrible person who should have done better. I feel like I just put up with keeping the dog to make my family happy but I know the dog and I would both live a better life separate ways. My mom had a friend at work that offered to take her and a part of me couldn’t let her go and I wanted to think about it for a couple days and now a few days later my moms friend got a different dog and now I’m sick to my stomach everyday feeling like I passed up the one opportunity to make my life normal and do what I should have done now it’s gone. I’m just so lost in this situation I’m at a loss in my mind.
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2023.06.08 03:40 Icy-Condition-3187 Mama's, Ballads, and Dance Breaks - My In Depth Review of the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Finale 2023
Here I am writing an in-depth review of Eurovision 2023. 2021 was my first Eurovision since Alexander Rybak won my heart with Fairytale. I missed 2022 due some...stuff. And 2023 may be my favourite year since I came back.
So I am doing a shot for a shot review of this year's contest.
A few notes;
This was highlighted with cameos from British rappers and music stars including Sam Ryder, who did an awesome guitar bit. Andrew Lloyd Weber made an appearance, Joss Stone, Miss Banks...this felt like a star studded version of Stefania that the band could not perform in Ukraine.
Towards the end of the backstage and tubey bits, we have a royal cameo with Kate Middleton herself performing a piano solo! I missed that on both watches before this! I was surprised!
And then we get a super transition complete with a marching band, as Kalush performs the song in Liverpool and this may be one of my favourite openers ever. I might be biased because I really rate this song. This might be my favourite Ukaraine entry not named Go_A. It was really pushed home with the celeb cameos and features.
Final Rating: 8.5/10
Flag Ceremony NO RATING
We now get the traditional flag ceremony where we get the 26 finalists to come out to British anthems including Blur, Annie Lennox, Prodigy and more mixed in with Ukrainian acts from Eurovision including Go_A, Eurovision winner Jamala, Tina Karol, and one of my favourite Eurovision acts of all time, Verka!
It was a fun little tour down nostalgia lane alongside the first exposure of the acts for this year!
Segment with the hosts
For non-British viewers, you may not know the hosts; so let's go over them!
Mel C from the iconic Spice Girls is the arena MC for this evening. As viewers, we don't get to hear much of her, but for Liverpool, I bet that was a nice little grab!
Alesha Dixon is probably the best known out of the three English hosts. Being a part of Mis-Teeq, she shot to fame with 'Scandalous' in the 2000s before going solo.
Julia Sanina I don't know much about, but I wanted to take the moment to say her contrasting dress with Alesha for the Ukrainian flag colours was so great!
Hannah Waddingham is slowly becoming England's next national treasure. Her Emmy award winning work includes Ted Lasso amongst many things.
Graham Norton is an Irish TV host that has been synonymous with the BBC since I was a child in the early 2000s. He took over as Eurovision commentator when the late, great, Sir Terry Wogan passed away. He is also an out and proud gay man, and his self-named chat show is watched globally.
If you are interested in who did commentary, it was Graham Norton, and the amazing Mel Geidroyc. Mel has been doing TV as long as I have been alive and has mainly been a comedian and TV Host, synomous with the BBC. Mel, alongside best friend Sue Perkins, are both seen as national treasures in the UK.
The hosts go over the rules and Hannah does...an improv French piece? I don't know French so I can't translate that. It is then time for the first act.
I will not go over the post cards.
Austria - Teya and Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar?
I love the backstory to this song. The producer had no idea who Edgar Allen Poe was! And so the song was born.
The song was bouncy, and it was like I was in the clubs in 2010. But unfortunately, it was nothing I had not heard before. It was generic pop, but that was not to say it was not bad!
The chorus was in my head all freaking night, and the girls choreography was fantastic and on full point. The bridge kinda dwindled the song for a bit and it went on a little longer for what it was.
The striking and contrasting colours of red and white were as equally memorable as the chorus.
Overall, solid entry but it's not quite one I think will win on any ESC.
7.4/10
Portugal - Mimicat - Ai Carocao
This song was a disappointment to be honest. I did like the cabaret and burlesque themes, but the crowd engagement and uniqueness never grasped me as much as I felt.
The crowd was into it and the dancers were into it, incorporating a lot of Latin and Portuguese dances - salsa, in particular.
Unfortunately, it was just not grasping enough to be a solid contender. If I saw this on a different night out in a Portuguese lounge, I would definitely be dancing away!
7.4/10
Switzerland - Remo Forrer - Watergun
I don't like ballads. I find them slow, tiring, and meloncholic for the sake of being meloncholic. And at the end of the song...I really enjoyed this! This was one of my top 3 songs of the night. I don't know why people did not enjoy it.
Reno's voice is strong and his presence for the stage at such a young age is incredible and I predict a strong future for him and possibly an ESC return in a few years time.
The irony of a Swiss man singing about not wanting to be a soldier made me laugh. But other than that, I really, really enjoyed this song!
8.7/10
Poland - Blanka - Solo
Ugh. This was BAD! I liked it on first listen but after re-listens...it did not age well. It's summer pop in a typical 2010 beat and unlike Austria, this song had nothing memorable.
It did not even have a solo! Points deducted!
It was just...not a good song. But hey, it's better than a certain song about to be played!
6.5/10
Serbia - Luke Black - Samo Me Si Spada
I...
This was the worst song of the night for me. The lyrics were incoherent mumbles into the microphone followed by unplugging dancers who did nothing for 90% of the performance?
I get he has a huge following online but I'm sorry, I'm not a fan. This incoherent mess of mumbles and bright lights was clearly Billy Eilish inspired, but it was so far off the mark. You can hear him panting into the mic as he sings, so clearly his endurance needs work.
One of the worst songs I have seen in ESC history including the UK's Embers song of 2021...
3/10
France - La Zarra - Evidement
The crowd needed an energetic ear worm after that...mess.
La Zarra delivered but was it too safe for France? France is known for some knock out hits in Eurovision in recent years...and I feel this was not one of them.
Whilst it was strong, it was not 2022, 2021, or 2018 France. Her dress sense and the bright, strobing performance contrasted her muted yet energetic performance.
And the crowd was really into it! Solid performance, but just a little too safe from Le Frans.
7.5/10
Cyprus - Andrew Lambrou - Break A Broken Heart
I'm not a fan of when a country outsources to another country, with a singer or band with heritage from that country. Case in point, Australian Andrew Lambrou who has Cypriot parents, performed for Cyprus despite being Australian.
However, this was a good little pop ballad. It was catchy, memorable, and this song felt like a chart hit. That being said, his performance did not feel heavy or had the gravity of a performer. It felt like a glorified karaoke performance in this regard.
But it was not a bad song! It was catchy, emotional, and definitely powerful.
7.4/10
Spain - Blanca Paloma - Eaea
This was a weirdly beautiful song, that felt like a dream sequence. The beat is clearly aboriginal or ancient Spanish, and the veil adds another level of entrigue. It is definitely folk inspired for sure.
It was soothing, but oddly creepy in the sense it was super atmospheric.
I don't know what to think of this song in all fairness.
6.7/10
Sweeden - Loreen - Tattoo
I am conflicted.
This is a good song, but Eurovision winner quality? No. It felt boring for a lot of it, and the Avant Garde pop elements and...whatever those nails were did nothing for me.
Loreen is stunning, and has an incredible voice for sure. But this did absolutely nothing for me, and was not a winning quality song.
Very catchy and memorable chorus, and the press machine she was in is very unique in terms of performance. But that is about it.
8/10
Albania - Albina and the Klemendi Family - Duje
This was a mess.
Everyone seemed lost, and the song had no clear direction. The backing singers looked bored, and it just felt so, so, so uninspired. I don't have many positive remarks about this song.
It's not Luke Black...that's about it.
4/10
Italy - Marco Mengoni - Due Vite
Ok. I'm not a fan of sad songs that are sad just because. It's one thing for every song in this contest to be a banger, but unfortunately you also have Luke Black (and no, I have about 100 Luke Black jokes to throw in here).
That being said, it might not be my thing, but the emotional outpour from Marco was something to behold.
It's not my thing, but I can appreciate it. That's 3 straight bangers from Italy with Måneskin, Mahmood, and now Marco - MMM.
7.7/10
Estonia - Alika - Bridges
I was not knowing what to expect...and then I saw the Piano and I got instant Amy Lee vibes. Amy Lee is one of my favourite vocalists of all time and Evanescence was me for...a long time.
As soon as Alike opened her mouth...goosebumps. She sounds so much like Alike, in fact, this track would not go amiss on an Evanescence album. It's just a beautiful song by a beautiful woman. The bright blue dress and self playing piano were symbolistic of this memorable performance.
Just a fantastically beautiful performance!
8.3/10
Finland - Karrija - Cha Cha Cha
I'm coming straight off the bat.
This is one of my favourite songs I have EVER heard on ESC. From dancing, to stage presence, to the blending of pop and metal to create this beast. The rapping in Finnish, and then the screaming cha cha cha...and then the hidden pop verse at the end, leading to the bridge...we will never have another song like this.
It felt like Til Lindermann of Ramnsteinn and Electric Callboy had a baby. This made me dance. It made me scream. And was the song of the night for sure.
Even the insane dancing fit!
How he was robbed I have no idea! This was an insane performance and joins Fairytale, Hard Rock Hallelujah, and Zitt E Buoni as my favourite songs ever performed at ESC.
9.8/10
Chezia - Vesna - My Sister's Crown
After Finland, I was not expecting a bop. But we got a bop!
I have a soft spot for well put together girl groups, and this is definitely a well put together girl group. It is an empowering, feminist song that has a lot of folk moments, rapping, great chereography and it was just a nice package.
I just wish it had a stand out moment. That was what really pushed me back on this song.
Also a very pink performance.
8/10
Australia - Voyager - Promise
I am coming in knowing who Voyager are. I was surprised and when they came to perform...I was very impressed.
It's a poppy song, and it is insanely catchy! But then halfway through the song, you get this brutal breakdown and an insane progressive riff from the female guitarist. Even the backing singing was great!
The set was all Night Rider themed and felt like I was going through a synthwave. It was just what we needed to continue after two straight bangers. Another freaking banger!
It even has a keytar solo!!!!
Pretty sure this is gonna be a Eurovision classic for years to come.
Oh oh oh ohohoh.
8.8/10
Belgium - Gustaph - Because Of You
This next performance is a little...ehhh for me.
But that does not mean I don't like it! It is just a little out of time for me. It seems like a hit that would do really well in the late 90s and early 2000s. In fact, I can see this song winning if it was earlier.
The beat is strong and the dress game is strong here.
Also as a side note; Gustav and Marco Mengoni did a really good job this year for the LGBT community. As a member myself, these two songs really were a great show!
7.7/10
Skit With Graham Norton
This is just classic UK cheese!
We catch back up with Graham in the commentary booth watching old Eurovision DVDs and he deliberately throws popcorn on the floor 🤣 it's just cheese to the maximum. Graham is a master of the cheese, and has made a career of it.
Skit with Mel Geidroyc
And now we get a weird skit where Mel Geidroyc is churning butter...I died from laughter 🤣🤣
Some great comedy relief all night long.
Armenia - Brunette - Future Lover
And now we get back into the pop train. And this was one of the better pop songs of the night (the best is yet to come). And like Luke Black, she begins laying down...and unlike Luke Black, she produces a good song.
Look, no hate for Luke at all but...come on!
Anyway. Back to Brunette. She goes from smooth to rap and then straight up pop. She channels her inner Serj Tankien here by experimenting in multiple voice notes.
And there is a dance break which is one of the better dance breaks of the night.
Overall, it's a good song but it's nothing special. We see one of these tracks every year.
7.7/10
Moldova - Pasha Parfeni - Soreli Si Luna
This is by far the best song that shows what Eurovision is about. It is full of Eastern European culture, a fantastic flute, two very cute (the one on the right in particular) and very energetic folk drummers slash dancers, and some really cool visuals. Some beautiful dancing and a powerful presence on stage.
I'm surprised this did not do better. Alongside Remo Forrer, I'm really surprised these hits got slept on.
I adore Pasha. And I really want to see him represent Moldova again in the future. Third time is the charm Pasha!
9/10
Ukaraine - Tvorchi - Heart of Steel
First of all, well done Tvorchi. Minutes before they went live, their hometown of Ternopol was invaded by Russia. I don't want to go into anymore, so I won't.
But this song...I was not a fan. Stefania blew me away, and Shum is an all time favourite ESC track for me. And this song failed to live up to either. But the vocals and visuals were very, very strong. Combining realistic VCG and SFX was one thing, but this felt like I was at a sci-fi DJ convention.
That being said, I was not a fan. It felt rushed and over produced with an emphasis on visual reactions and not auditory. I was just impressed they performed minutes after hearing the worst news of their life.
7.5/10
Norway - Alessandra - Queen of Kings
YASSS QUEEN!
I really enjoyed this song! From Alessandra's incredible singing and the hookworms - this is the catchiest song of the night. The dancing was on point, and the crowd was really into it.
Any other year, this would be a top 3 song. But this year was stacked. It was not 2021 stacked, but it was stacked. And she is so young! I see her bringing it home to Norway in the future.
Speaking of Norway, I hear a lot Alexander Rybak tunes in this. I now want a collav between the two.
The song could have done without that High note...
8.4/10
Germany - Lord of the Lost - Blood And Glitter
This is my style of music. Heavily Rammstein inspired, I would have preferred if Electric Callboy was in this spot but for what ever reason...it never happened.
But LotL still produced a banger. It has screams, growls, sweet and bitter notes...it was a nice little metal performance to kick the last leg of the night off.
I see why it did so poorly. But I am also hopeful Electric Callboy offer a Karrija style performance next year.
The outfits threw me off a bit however...
8.7/10
Lithuania - Monika Linkyte - Stay
Monika is great.
Her song however, was very mid. It comes across as an Adele esque song, and without the backing singers, I would knock a few points off. It's not that she had a bad night...I just think this was the wrong choice.
Especially as she had a banger in 2015.
The chorus (which I think is Lithuanian) was very catchy however. It was memorable for that and unfortunately, that alone.
I want to see Monika again. But sadly, I also see Lithuania dropping out due to bad results in recent years.
7.2/10
Israel - Noa Kirel - Unicorn
Pop song of the night.
If Karijja and Loreen did not compete...Noa would win. Hands down. Her song was everything a Eurovision audience loves. It was not my song of the night - Luke Black, that goes to you - but this was VERY close.
From the poppy vibes to the incredible dance break at the end (which she nearly broke into a straight out breakdown...)...she has everything a breakout star needs. I see her career going global after this. She was loads better then Netta who won a few years ago and still lost.
Just put that into perspective.
Great performance - the last great performance of the night.
8.8/10
Slovenia - Joker Out - Carpe Diem
I heard nothing but great things about Bojan. And I came into this contest wit high expectations. And...they were not met.
The song was great. Really well wrote. But it seemed like they were playing to the camera as opposed to the crowd. And I wish they involved them more.
But that being said, Bojan has charisma, a great voice, and his band are very involved too. I can see these guys having a Måneskin like career if they continue this direction. But Bojan could break out at any minute if you ask me.
I also think the song was a bit too safe for them. I was expecting a more...funkier beat. This just felt like a FIFA Soundtrack level song.
7.8/10
Croatia - Let 3 - Mama SC
I...
Look. I get this was a joke and sticking it to Putin but...
This was a straight up meme. A sh**post if you so wish. And I'm all for it but they threw away an entry.
The crowd seemed puzzled as well. As was I!
5/10
United Kingdom - Mae Muller - I Wrote A Song
Oh Mae...
You wrote a song, yes. But it was terrible. Song structure, chorus, your vocals...this was not the song, Mae.
Again, I am using my platform to criticize my countries internal selection process. It's about time you stop looking at TikTok and go to local and national talent shows, gigs, even festivals. Once again, the selection committee picking a preferred song from personal bias over talent.
I could go on and on.
But I'm also using my platform to say the dancers were wicked and I would take the blonde guys number.
Back to the song!
I was dissapointed especially after Sam Ryder in 2022...but I expected this. I'm sorry Mae, I hope your well!
3.9/10
Voting opens, we get a recap, I go for a pee
It is now time for the interval acts. During both previous runs, I missed these as I was probably on a booze run. So this was the first time I watched the interval.
Interval: Sam Ryder
I never listened to Spaceman last year, so this is my first exposure to Sam. And after watching his song before watching this...I was impressed!
This is the first act the UK has sent to ESC in years I enjoyed, and this song would have been a contender...if the selection committee ran it back. But nope.
This was a smooth, catchy song that was highly enjoyable! A good interval act. And that guitar solo was better then Blanka's non existing solo.
Also Roger Taylor!!! Love that man.
8.5/10
We get a little cameo by Jan Leeming, the host of Eurovision back when it was hosted in my neck of the woods in Harrogate, way before I was born!!
Julia then cuts a little bit with displaced Ukrainians under the protection of the United Kingdom. It's actually really emotional, and i was moved by it! So glad we could do this for them.
Timor then meets with Alesha and I am so proud of these Ukrainians who performed under such horrible circumstances.
Another recap, another shot of tequila
Interval: Liverpool Songbook NO RATING
As I was born in the North East if England, I don't like Liverpool. But the music that Liverpool has produced is numerous and plentiful. So it was only right ESC decided to honour Liverpool's greats.
I love these Collab intervals!
Mahmood is out first and covers Imagine by the late, great, John Lennon. I was not a fan of this cover, but the original I highly rate. So that might be why.
The song then smoothly transitions to Netta who covers You Spin Me Right Round, and I forgot how great Netta is. She might have performed this better then Dead or Alive. I call for all Netta fans to be called 'Nettles'.
Next is Dadi Fryer with Whole Again by The Atomic Kittens. So, when I was a kid, I refused to go to bed without this song being played.
How did my dad not know I was gay, I don't know.
Anyway. This was a great cover! As always Dadi, blows it away. One of my fave Icelandic acts.
We then gert Cornelia Jakobs covering I Turn To You by the studio MC...Mel C. She even looks a lot like Mel C here! I was never a fan of this song, but Cornelia makes it fun at the very least! Very 90s look here, and she plays with water in a white tank top. So props to her for being comfortable with that!
We then get the return of one of United Kingdom's greatest acts and someone I had the privilege of meeting in 2022 whilst on holiday - Sonia, with her song Better The Devil You Know.
This was way before I got into ESC, but I saw her perform this song. And this was tons better then seeing her live! Also, cute dancers.
And finally, we get Duncan Lawrence cover You Will Never Walk Alone - the theme song for the legendary Liverpool FC. The entire crowd sang along with this, and we were joined by many, many, many personalities including Go_A, Hannah Waddingham, Julia, Alesha Dixon, Graham Norton, and so many more. And this rendition actually made me cry. I never cry at music.
Worthy of note, on the BBC Broadcast, at the end of this performance, Mel Geidroyc spams 'Sonia' constantly.
Was pretty funny.
End of review
I won't bother reviewing the voting process, so thank you for reading my review! Before I go, I am handing out my awards;
The Johnny Logan MVP Award (best performer) - Karijja - Cha Cha Cha
Lordi Award For Best Headbanger (best metal or rock song) - Cha Cha Cha - Karijja
Best Solo Award - Promise - Voyager
Best Dance Break - Unicorn - Noa Kirel
Best Backup Dancers - I Wrote A Song - Mae Muller
The Alexander Rybak Award For Minimal Performance - Watergun - Remo Forrer
The Nil Pois Award For Worst Song of the Night - Sero Mi Se Spada - Luke Black.
submitted by Icy-Condition-3187 to eurovision [link] [comments]
So I am doing a shot for a shot review of this year's contest.
A few notes;
- I will be going off the BBC Broadcast from BBC iPlayer. This will be my third time watching this year's contest.
- I will be ranking all the acts including intervals, alongside some comments on the in between segments.
- this is all my personal rankings, so please don't be mad.
This was highlighted with cameos from British rappers and music stars including Sam Ryder, who did an awesome guitar bit. Andrew Lloyd Weber made an appearance, Joss Stone, Miss Banks...this felt like a star studded version of Stefania that the band could not perform in Ukraine.
Towards the end of the backstage and tubey bits, we have a royal cameo with Kate Middleton herself performing a piano solo! I missed that on both watches before this! I was surprised!
And then we get a super transition complete with a marching band, as Kalush performs the song in Liverpool and this may be one of my favourite openers ever. I might be biased because I really rate this song. This might be my favourite Ukaraine entry not named Go_A. It was really pushed home with the celeb cameos and features.
Final Rating: 8.5/10
Flag Ceremony NO RATING
We now get the traditional flag ceremony where we get the 26 finalists to come out to British anthems including Blur, Annie Lennox, Prodigy and more mixed in with Ukrainian acts from Eurovision including Go_A, Eurovision winner Jamala, Tina Karol, and one of my favourite Eurovision acts of all time, Verka!
It was a fun little tour down nostalgia lane alongside the first exposure of the acts for this year!
Segment with the hosts
For non-British viewers, you may not know the hosts; so let's go over them!
Mel C from the iconic Spice Girls is the arena MC for this evening. As viewers, we don't get to hear much of her, but for Liverpool, I bet that was a nice little grab!
Alesha Dixon is probably the best known out of the three English hosts. Being a part of Mis-Teeq, she shot to fame with 'Scandalous' in the 2000s before going solo.
Julia Sanina I don't know much about, but I wanted to take the moment to say her contrasting dress with Alesha for the Ukrainian flag colours was so great!
Hannah Waddingham is slowly becoming England's next national treasure. Her Emmy award winning work includes Ted Lasso amongst many things.
Graham Norton is an Irish TV host that has been synonymous with the BBC since I was a child in the early 2000s. He took over as Eurovision commentator when the late, great, Sir Terry Wogan passed away. He is also an out and proud gay man, and his self-named chat show is watched globally.
If you are interested in who did commentary, it was Graham Norton, and the amazing Mel Geidroyc. Mel has been doing TV as long as I have been alive and has mainly been a comedian and TV Host, synomous with the BBC. Mel, alongside best friend Sue Perkins, are both seen as national treasures in the UK.
The hosts go over the rules and Hannah does...an improv French piece? I don't know French so I can't translate that. It is then time for the first act.
I will not go over the post cards.
Austria - Teya and Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar?
I love the backstory to this song. The producer had no idea who Edgar Allen Poe was! And so the song was born.
The song was bouncy, and it was like I was in the clubs in 2010. But unfortunately, it was nothing I had not heard before. It was generic pop, but that was not to say it was not bad!
The chorus was in my head all freaking night, and the girls choreography was fantastic and on full point. The bridge kinda dwindled the song for a bit and it went on a little longer for what it was.
The striking and contrasting colours of red and white were as equally memorable as the chorus.
Overall, solid entry but it's not quite one I think will win on any ESC.
7.4/10
Portugal - Mimicat - Ai Carocao
This song was a disappointment to be honest. I did like the cabaret and burlesque themes, but the crowd engagement and uniqueness never grasped me as much as I felt.
The crowd was into it and the dancers were into it, incorporating a lot of Latin and Portuguese dances - salsa, in particular.
Unfortunately, it was just not grasping enough to be a solid contender. If I saw this on a different night out in a Portuguese lounge, I would definitely be dancing away!
7.4/10
Switzerland - Remo Forrer - Watergun
I don't like ballads. I find them slow, tiring, and meloncholic for the sake of being meloncholic. And at the end of the song...I really enjoyed this! This was one of my top 3 songs of the night. I don't know why people did not enjoy it.
Reno's voice is strong and his presence for the stage at such a young age is incredible and I predict a strong future for him and possibly an ESC return in a few years time.
The irony of a Swiss man singing about not wanting to be a soldier made me laugh. But other than that, I really, really enjoyed this song!
8.7/10
Poland - Blanka - Solo
Ugh. This was BAD! I liked it on first listen but after re-listens...it did not age well. It's summer pop in a typical 2010 beat and unlike Austria, this song had nothing memorable.
It did not even have a solo! Points deducted!
It was just...not a good song. But hey, it's better than a certain song about to be played!
6.5/10
Serbia - Luke Black - Samo Me Si Spada
I...
This was the worst song of the night for me. The lyrics were incoherent mumbles into the microphone followed by unplugging dancers who did nothing for 90% of the performance?
I get he has a huge following online but I'm sorry, I'm not a fan. This incoherent mess of mumbles and bright lights was clearly Billy Eilish inspired, but it was so far off the mark. You can hear him panting into the mic as he sings, so clearly his endurance needs work.
One of the worst songs I have seen in ESC history including the UK's Embers song of 2021...
3/10
France - La Zarra - Evidement
The crowd needed an energetic ear worm after that...mess.
La Zarra delivered but was it too safe for France? France is known for some knock out hits in Eurovision in recent years...and I feel this was not one of them.
Whilst it was strong, it was not 2022, 2021, or 2018 France. Her dress sense and the bright, strobing performance contrasted her muted yet energetic performance.
And the crowd was really into it! Solid performance, but just a little too safe from Le Frans.
7.5/10
Cyprus - Andrew Lambrou - Break A Broken Heart
I'm not a fan of when a country outsources to another country, with a singer or band with heritage from that country. Case in point, Australian Andrew Lambrou who has Cypriot parents, performed for Cyprus despite being Australian.
However, this was a good little pop ballad. It was catchy, memorable, and this song felt like a chart hit. That being said, his performance did not feel heavy or had the gravity of a performer. It felt like a glorified karaoke performance in this regard.
But it was not a bad song! It was catchy, emotional, and definitely powerful.
7.4/10
Spain - Blanca Paloma - Eaea
This was a weirdly beautiful song, that felt like a dream sequence. The beat is clearly aboriginal or ancient Spanish, and the veil adds another level of entrigue. It is definitely folk inspired for sure.
It was soothing, but oddly creepy in the sense it was super atmospheric.
I don't know what to think of this song in all fairness.
6.7/10
Sweeden - Loreen - Tattoo
I am conflicted.
This is a good song, but Eurovision winner quality? No. It felt boring for a lot of it, and the Avant Garde pop elements and...whatever those nails were did nothing for me.
Loreen is stunning, and has an incredible voice for sure. But this did absolutely nothing for me, and was not a winning quality song.
Very catchy and memorable chorus, and the press machine she was in is very unique in terms of performance. But that is about it.
8/10
Albania - Albina and the Klemendi Family - Duje
This was a mess.
Everyone seemed lost, and the song had no clear direction. The backing singers looked bored, and it just felt so, so, so uninspired. I don't have many positive remarks about this song.
It's not Luke Black...that's about it.
4/10
Italy - Marco Mengoni - Due Vite
Ok. I'm not a fan of sad songs that are sad just because. It's one thing for every song in this contest to be a banger, but unfortunately you also have Luke Black (and no, I have about 100 Luke Black jokes to throw in here).
That being said, it might not be my thing, but the emotional outpour from Marco was something to behold.
It's not my thing, but I can appreciate it. That's 3 straight bangers from Italy with Måneskin, Mahmood, and now Marco - MMM.
7.7/10
Estonia - Alika - Bridges
I was not knowing what to expect...and then I saw the Piano and I got instant Amy Lee vibes. Amy Lee is one of my favourite vocalists of all time and Evanescence was me for...a long time.
As soon as Alike opened her mouth...goosebumps. She sounds so much like Alike, in fact, this track would not go amiss on an Evanescence album. It's just a beautiful song by a beautiful woman. The bright blue dress and self playing piano were symbolistic of this memorable performance.
Just a fantastically beautiful performance!
8.3/10
Finland - Karrija - Cha Cha Cha
I'm coming straight off the bat.
This is one of my favourite songs I have EVER heard on ESC. From dancing, to stage presence, to the blending of pop and metal to create this beast. The rapping in Finnish, and then the screaming cha cha cha...and then the hidden pop verse at the end, leading to the bridge...we will never have another song like this.
It felt like Til Lindermann of Ramnsteinn and Electric Callboy had a baby. This made me dance. It made me scream. And was the song of the night for sure.
Even the insane dancing fit!
How he was robbed I have no idea! This was an insane performance and joins Fairytale, Hard Rock Hallelujah, and Zitt E Buoni as my favourite songs ever performed at ESC.
9.8/10
Chezia - Vesna - My Sister's Crown
After Finland, I was not expecting a bop. But we got a bop!
I have a soft spot for well put together girl groups, and this is definitely a well put together girl group. It is an empowering, feminist song that has a lot of folk moments, rapping, great chereography and it was just a nice package.
I just wish it had a stand out moment. That was what really pushed me back on this song.
Also a very pink performance.
8/10
Australia - Voyager - Promise
I am coming in knowing who Voyager are. I was surprised and when they came to perform...I was very impressed.
It's a poppy song, and it is insanely catchy! But then halfway through the song, you get this brutal breakdown and an insane progressive riff from the female guitarist. Even the backing singing was great!
The set was all Night Rider themed and felt like I was going through a synthwave. It was just what we needed to continue after two straight bangers. Another freaking banger!
It even has a keytar solo!!!!
Pretty sure this is gonna be a Eurovision classic for years to come.
Oh oh oh ohohoh.
8.8/10
Belgium - Gustaph - Because Of You
This next performance is a little...ehhh for me.
But that does not mean I don't like it! It is just a little out of time for me. It seems like a hit that would do really well in the late 90s and early 2000s. In fact, I can see this song winning if it was earlier.
The beat is strong and the dress game is strong here.
Also as a side note; Gustav and Marco Mengoni did a really good job this year for the LGBT community. As a member myself, these two songs really were a great show!
7.7/10
Skit With Graham Norton
This is just classic UK cheese!
We catch back up with Graham in the commentary booth watching old Eurovision DVDs and he deliberately throws popcorn on the floor 🤣 it's just cheese to the maximum. Graham is a master of the cheese, and has made a career of it.
Skit with Mel Geidroyc
And now we get a weird skit where Mel Geidroyc is churning butter...I died from laughter 🤣🤣
Some great comedy relief all night long.
Armenia - Brunette - Future Lover
And now we get back into the pop train. And this was one of the better pop songs of the night (the best is yet to come). And like Luke Black, she begins laying down...and unlike Luke Black, she produces a good song.
Look, no hate for Luke at all but...come on!
Anyway. Back to Brunette. She goes from smooth to rap and then straight up pop. She channels her inner Serj Tankien here by experimenting in multiple voice notes.
And there is a dance break which is one of the better dance breaks of the night.
Overall, it's a good song but it's nothing special. We see one of these tracks every year.
7.7/10
Moldova - Pasha Parfeni - Soreli Si Luna
This is by far the best song that shows what Eurovision is about. It is full of Eastern European culture, a fantastic flute, two very cute (the one on the right in particular) and very energetic folk drummers slash dancers, and some really cool visuals. Some beautiful dancing and a powerful presence on stage.
I'm surprised this did not do better. Alongside Remo Forrer, I'm really surprised these hits got slept on.
I adore Pasha. And I really want to see him represent Moldova again in the future. Third time is the charm Pasha!
9/10
Ukaraine - Tvorchi - Heart of Steel
First of all, well done Tvorchi. Minutes before they went live, their hometown of Ternopol was invaded by Russia. I don't want to go into anymore, so I won't.
But this song...I was not a fan. Stefania blew me away, and Shum is an all time favourite ESC track for me. And this song failed to live up to either. But the vocals and visuals were very, very strong. Combining realistic VCG and SFX was one thing, but this felt like I was at a sci-fi DJ convention.
That being said, I was not a fan. It felt rushed and over produced with an emphasis on visual reactions and not auditory. I was just impressed they performed minutes after hearing the worst news of their life.
7.5/10
Norway - Alessandra - Queen of Kings
YASSS QUEEN!
I really enjoyed this song! From Alessandra's incredible singing and the hookworms - this is the catchiest song of the night. The dancing was on point, and the crowd was really into it.
Any other year, this would be a top 3 song. But this year was stacked. It was not 2021 stacked, but it was stacked. And she is so young! I see her bringing it home to Norway in the future.
Speaking of Norway, I hear a lot Alexander Rybak tunes in this. I now want a collav between the two.
The song could have done without that High note...
8.4/10
Germany - Lord of the Lost - Blood And Glitter
This is my style of music. Heavily Rammstein inspired, I would have preferred if Electric Callboy was in this spot but for what ever reason...it never happened.
But LotL still produced a banger. It has screams, growls, sweet and bitter notes...it was a nice little metal performance to kick the last leg of the night off.
I see why it did so poorly. But I am also hopeful Electric Callboy offer a Karrija style performance next year.
The outfits threw me off a bit however...
8.7/10
Lithuania - Monika Linkyte - Stay
Monika is great.
Her song however, was very mid. It comes across as an Adele esque song, and without the backing singers, I would knock a few points off. It's not that she had a bad night...I just think this was the wrong choice.
Especially as she had a banger in 2015.
The chorus (which I think is Lithuanian) was very catchy however. It was memorable for that and unfortunately, that alone.
I want to see Monika again. But sadly, I also see Lithuania dropping out due to bad results in recent years.
7.2/10
Israel - Noa Kirel - Unicorn
Pop song of the night.
If Karijja and Loreen did not compete...Noa would win. Hands down. Her song was everything a Eurovision audience loves. It was not my song of the night - Luke Black, that goes to you - but this was VERY close.
From the poppy vibes to the incredible dance break at the end (which she nearly broke into a straight out breakdown...)...she has everything a breakout star needs. I see her career going global after this. She was loads better then Netta who won a few years ago and still lost.
Just put that into perspective.
Great performance - the last great performance of the night.
8.8/10
Slovenia - Joker Out - Carpe Diem
I heard nothing but great things about Bojan. And I came into this contest wit high expectations. And...they were not met.
The song was great. Really well wrote. But it seemed like they were playing to the camera as opposed to the crowd. And I wish they involved them more.
But that being said, Bojan has charisma, a great voice, and his band are very involved too. I can see these guys having a Måneskin like career if they continue this direction. But Bojan could break out at any minute if you ask me.
I also think the song was a bit too safe for them. I was expecting a more...funkier beat. This just felt like a FIFA Soundtrack level song.
7.8/10
Croatia - Let 3 - Mama SC
I...
Look. I get this was a joke and sticking it to Putin but...
This was a straight up meme. A sh**post if you so wish. And I'm all for it but they threw away an entry.
The crowd seemed puzzled as well. As was I!
5/10
United Kingdom - Mae Muller - I Wrote A Song
Oh Mae...
You wrote a song, yes. But it was terrible. Song structure, chorus, your vocals...this was not the song, Mae.
Again, I am using my platform to criticize my countries internal selection process. It's about time you stop looking at TikTok and go to local and national talent shows, gigs, even festivals. Once again, the selection committee picking a preferred song from personal bias over talent.
I could go on and on.
But I'm also using my platform to say the dancers were wicked and I would take the blonde guys number.
Back to the song!
I was dissapointed especially after Sam Ryder in 2022...but I expected this. I'm sorry Mae, I hope your well!
3.9/10
Voting opens, we get a recap, I go for a pee
It is now time for the interval acts. During both previous runs, I missed these as I was probably on a booze run. So this was the first time I watched the interval.
Interval: Sam Ryder
I never listened to Spaceman last year, so this is my first exposure to Sam. And after watching his song before watching this...I was impressed!
This is the first act the UK has sent to ESC in years I enjoyed, and this song would have been a contender...if the selection committee ran it back. But nope.
This was a smooth, catchy song that was highly enjoyable! A good interval act. And that guitar solo was better then Blanka's non existing solo.
Also Roger Taylor!!! Love that man.
8.5/10
We get a little cameo by Jan Leeming, the host of Eurovision back when it was hosted in my neck of the woods in Harrogate, way before I was born!!
Julia then cuts a little bit with displaced Ukrainians under the protection of the United Kingdom. It's actually really emotional, and i was moved by it! So glad we could do this for them.
Timor then meets with Alesha and I am so proud of these Ukrainians who performed under such horrible circumstances.
Another recap, another shot of tequila
Interval: Liverpool Songbook NO RATING
As I was born in the North East if England, I don't like Liverpool. But the music that Liverpool has produced is numerous and plentiful. So it was only right ESC decided to honour Liverpool's greats.
I love these Collab intervals!
Mahmood is out first and covers Imagine by the late, great, John Lennon. I was not a fan of this cover, but the original I highly rate. So that might be why.
The song then smoothly transitions to Netta who covers You Spin Me Right Round, and I forgot how great Netta is. She might have performed this better then Dead or Alive. I call for all Netta fans to be called 'Nettles'.
Next is Dadi Fryer with Whole Again by The Atomic Kittens. So, when I was a kid, I refused to go to bed without this song being played.
How did my dad not know I was gay, I don't know.
Anyway. This was a great cover! As always Dadi, blows it away. One of my fave Icelandic acts.
We then gert Cornelia Jakobs covering I Turn To You by the studio MC...Mel C. She even looks a lot like Mel C here! I was never a fan of this song, but Cornelia makes it fun at the very least! Very 90s look here, and she plays with water in a white tank top. So props to her for being comfortable with that!
We then get the return of one of United Kingdom's greatest acts and someone I had the privilege of meeting in 2022 whilst on holiday - Sonia, with her song Better The Devil You Know.
This was way before I got into ESC, but I saw her perform this song. And this was tons better then seeing her live! Also, cute dancers.
And finally, we get Duncan Lawrence cover You Will Never Walk Alone - the theme song for the legendary Liverpool FC. The entire crowd sang along with this, and we were joined by many, many, many personalities including Go_A, Hannah Waddingham, Julia, Alesha Dixon, Graham Norton, and so many more. And this rendition actually made me cry. I never cry at music.
Worthy of note, on the BBC Broadcast, at the end of this performance, Mel Geidroyc spams 'Sonia' constantly.
Was pretty funny.
End of review
I won't bother reviewing the voting process, so thank you for reading my review! Before I go, I am handing out my awards;
The Johnny Logan MVP Award (best performer) - Karijja - Cha Cha Cha
Lordi Award For Best Headbanger (best metal or rock song) - Cha Cha Cha - Karijja
Best Solo Award - Promise - Voyager
Best Dance Break - Unicorn - Noa Kirel
Best Backup Dancers - I Wrote A Song - Mae Muller
The Alexander Rybak Award For Minimal Performance - Watergun - Remo Forrer
The Nil Pois Award For Worst Song of the Night - Sero Mi Se Spada - Luke Black.
2023.06.08 03:09 ineedabettertitle I used to be a homicide detective. Now I work for a cult.
I had three things on my mind walking home.
Firstly, figuring out how to get a ride back home. My best guess was that I was a good thirty minute drive from any type of civilization. There was a small possibility a car might come along from across the distance, but the chance they were heading in the same direction I was, was even slimmer.
I mean, I could probably manage to hotwire a car back at the farmhouse. But I didn't want to go back there. Not yet.
The second thing on my mind was my lack of shoes. The rocks were tough and sharp under my feet, scraping them raw with every aching footstep. I had settled on walking on the muddy, yet less painful, grass on the side. But I still wondered why. Of all the thing the man at the table could've taken from me, he took shoes.
It was a pretty clear answer, however. Mental games. He hires someone to drop me off in the middle of nowhere, with no feasible way of getting back. He knew the first thing I'd want to do is leave. So he took my shoes. He gave me two options, and he wanted to make one that displeased him hurt me, even if it was only in a small, petty way.
Mental games.
The last thing was that I had messed up. Badly. I had continually played into the man at the table's hand. He had always been two steps ahead of me and in hindsight, it was foolish of me to go confront him. I suppose I had visions of bravado, and of revenge, but all I had to show for it was one less arm, and a dead friend.
I can admit that I shouldn't have done that. But I can also change. One short phone call to the police, and I'd get rid of this nightmare. I had an address. I had a confession. I had evidence. And I had made up my mind. No longer I would face all this by myself.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed 911. No service. Great.
I continued walking for another twenty minutes, before I heard the roar of a car engine behind me. I turned around. There was a car peeking over the horizon, coming from where I came from, and going the direction I was going. Perfect. It was an old blue Chevy, that rumbled across the gravel, kicking up a plume of dust as it went.
I stuck my thumb out.
In that moment, I probably didn't look like someone you'd want to pick of the road, with missing shoes and only one arm, and all. But there was no harm in trying. I was hoping it was a kind farmer from hereabouts, heading to the main town to do some weekly shopping. The Chevy made its way to me, and I saw the driver eye me up and down, before pulling onto the shoulder of the road.
I opened the door and hopped into the passengers side, thanking the driver. He shifted his position to look at me. Well, rather look past me. He had short, cropped hair, three-day stubble, and a faraway look in his eyes, as if he couldn't rest his gaze, or if he was always searching into the distance.
It was the paramedic, from earlier.
I opened the door and got out. I wasn't doing this again. I would rather walk home. The paramedic drove forward a bit, cutting me off from the road, so that I would have to walk around his car to go forwards. I stopped walking. The paramedic got out of his car.
"Hey, Jonathan." He said, waving.
I didn't respond.
He moved forward towards me and extended a hand. I didn't accept it. He held it there for an uncomfortably long period of time, before placing it back by his side. "Look. We got of on the wrong foot here. The name's Michael. It's a pleasure to meet you again."
"The pleasure's all yours." I said, dripping with distaste.
He looked forward, his gaze shifting in and out of focus. "So. . .uh. You called 911. I can't let you do that."
"How did you know that?" I questioned.
He shrugged. "GPS tracker. In your arm. Shows us your location, and interferes with phone signals as well. Took the liberty of inserting it when you were out cold."
It wasn't a service signal problem, then.
He shifted position, and leaned against his car. "So, I'm going to set it to you straight. Come back with us. You obviously can't be trusted to not go back to the police. Let's make this fair. We're not here to hurt you. You said you'd work for us. Come back, Jonathan."
"And how would you stop me from going?" I said, tensing up for a fight.
He shook his head, looking hurt. He grabbed his keys from his pocket, and pressed a button connected to the keychain. I fell down in pain, as a sharp buzzing sensation shook my body, the intensity increasing ever few seconds.
Michael let go off the button. "I forgot to mention. The tracker also doubles as a. . .safety precaution. You just experienced setting three. Trust me, you wouldn't like setting eight." He tapped his eyes. "Messes up your internal hardware, as I'm sure you've noticed. Setting ten straight up kills you."
I automatically looked at my right arm. Inside of it, somewhere, was a small death machine.
"So, Jonathan. Will you come back?"
I didn't have much of a choice.
The drive back was uneventful, and spent mostly in silence. Every time Michael tried to start a conversation, I brushed him of with one word answers. I wanted to make it clear I didn't want to be here.
He pulled up the small driveway towards the farmhouse. The man at the table was sitting on the porch waiting for me. He knew I was coming. He tells me I have a choice in whether I leave or not, but I never really did. The illusion of choice.
Mental games.
He stood up to greet me as I got out of the car. "Jonathan! You're back! I am so glad to see you!" He waved me inside. "Come on in. I've got so much to tell you! The others are eating breakfast."
I walked in with him, towards the dining room where I had first met him. Seated around the table, there was a large group of nineteen people eating bacon and eggs, and various other breakfast items.
I knew most of them.
There was Sgt Langley, slathering some butter on bread. She smiled and waved at me as I came in.
Eddison was sitting beside her, pouring milk into a glass. He turned away from me, not wanting to look me in the eyes, I suppose. He was embarrassed to be here.
There was various other people I had seen in my time in the field,. Other paramedics and police officers, politicians, journalists, doctors and surgeons. All sharing a pleasant meal together. In the house of a murderer.
The man clapped his hands from behind me. "Ok, everyone! Let's make Jonathan feel welcome around here. He's the latest Keeper, but we're still expecting many more"
"Welcome, Jonathan." A unison of voices said.
I scanned the room, my throat dry and constricted. This was too much.
The man walked away and beckoned me towards him. He continued to walk through the house, pointing out every room, and giving a rundown of the layout. A kitchen, two living rooms, and three bathrooms spread across two stories. There was also a couple of bedrooms inside, but it seemed to me everyone was sleeping in tents outside.
He then took me down to the basement. "This is where the magic happens." He said, with a wink.
It was as I left it. A large operating table covered in dried blood filled the middle of the room. It was surrounded with various machinery, and tools. It was a stark contrast between a sterile IV machine on one side, and a rusted saw hanging of a nail on the other. And in the middle of it all were cameras, set up on tripods around the room.
I inspected one more closely. "What are the cameras for?" I asked.
The man chuckled slightly. "How else do you think I get the money to pay for all of this?"
I turned around to face him, the cogs clicking in my head. "You. . .sell videos of people being tortured."
He smiled. "You get it. Torture porn is extremely popular in some places of the internet. It's not the main reason I do this, of course. But it helps the cause. The video of your arm being sold, for example, was sold for just shy of five thousand." He clasped his eyes behind his back, seemingly very pleased with himself. "I cut paid to cut off a few legs, and then I have the money to cut off more than just legs. It's an endless cycle. It's perfect. You've seen firsthand the fruits of this system." He nodded towards the door on the side, still marked with elephant.
He continued. "That's where I keep my work-in-progresses. Of course, it's empty now. Which is a shame. He was shaping up to be my best elephant yet. No matter, we've got a cat picked out and coming in soon."
I shuddered at the way he talked about Thompson with such blasé. As if what had happened to him was a natural, everyday occurrence. It sickened me. There was no way somebody could do this all day, and believe themselves to be good.
There was something else as well, burning in the back of my mind. "You said before that the night my sister was kidnapped, she was doing something that I didn't know. What was it?"
He was silent for a moment. "How close were you with your sister?"
I shrugged. "Close enough. We talked about once a month, and came over every Christmas."
"Do you know what she did for work?"
"Yeah. She was studying something. Some sort of advanced anesthetic. She never worked it out, however."
"She did." He simply said. He waited for me to process that before continuing. "I met Alice on an online forum. From the beginning, she fascinated me. She talked about how the world was corrupt and poisoned by humanity, and her ideas for rebirth and restoration. She had plans, Jonathan. So many plans. Everything you see here is a result of her work. We met up at one point and clicked. She was perfect. She was smart. And she was mine."
"Then. . .why did you kill her?" I asked.
I could see his eyes clouding up, as if he was on the verge of tears. "Her anesthetic didn't work as intended. Instead of removing pain, it increased it. The way it truly works is beyond me, but even a little dose causes the most unimaginable pain. It feels as if your body is being removed from the inside and replaced with fire, atom by atom. Death would be preferable. But that's the thing, the anesthetic one small side-effect. It's downright impossible to die when the effects take hold. You just have to endure through the pain."
"So all the people I saw. . .?" I let my question trail of.
"It's easy to manipulate someone's body when they don't have the strength to retaliate, nor the capability to die." He paused, his body quivering with each shaky breath. "Alice wanted to be the first. She wanted to be the pioneer as the world transitioned into her vision. I begged her not to, as there were other, more suitable candidates. But she insisted.
And so we staged a kidnapping. There was no evidence because there was no struggle. There was nothing. She came to this farmhouse, and was the first person to be operated on that table. I spent years placing toothpicks in her skin, while she was drugged up under her special anesthetic. She pushed through the pain, and continued to talk to me. Sharing ideas that I would have never thought possible.
She told me to find others. In places of power. And if they wouldn't join willingly, then find a way to force them. Soon enough, they would come to realize we're working for the benefit of humanity. She told me to create animal-human hybrids to begin with. An evolution of our species. And the last thing she told me, before I laid her to rest in a park, was to find you. To hire you. To change your vision. And here you are."
I stood in silence. I, in fact, didn't know what to say. Everything that I though I knew about my sister was shattered in an instant. It was possible the man was lying. There was no way she really was a some sort of insane fanatical, hell-bent on torturing people.
It just wasn't the person I knew.
And yet, everything made sense. I didn't want to believe him, but I didn't see any way that I couldn't. He was right, and I knew it.
The man looked back at me. "Come, Jonathan. I've got one more thing you need to see."
He led me up, out of the basement, and through the back door. He led me past a large vegetable garden, and rows upon rows of tents, most of them unoccupied.
They were expecting many more.
I followed him past a fireplace, with upturned stumps placed in a circle around it, to the large barn behind the farmhouse. It was painted a classic red with a sloping roof, and white barn doors. I could hear various noises emanating from inside, different loud sounds, moans, and scrapes, seemingly as if a large machine was inside.
Or a large number of people.
"This," The man said, gesturing at the barn. "Is my crowning achievement. My life's work. It is the beginning of the vision that Alice had for the world. This is where your induction will take place, and you will become a fully fledged Keeper. You will learn to be a bringer of justice, and a waymaker into the new world."
He walked in front of me, and opened the large doors., letting me take a glimpse inside. It was dark and musky. "Welcome, Jonathan." He exclaimed. "To the human zoo!"
I stepped inside.
The smell hit me like a tidal wave. It smelled strongly of blood and fetid remains that permeated the air like a blanket. It gave me a nauseous feeling, and sent my head whirling, as it tried to breathe in clean air. It was no use. I felt a rush of bile spill out of my stomach and into my throat. I turned to the side and threw up onto the floor. And judging by the mess down there, I was not the first.
There was rows upon rows of cages, all lined up from wall to wall. In each cage there seemed to be. . .someone, and by the looks of it, most of them were already dead. Each cage was labeled with a different creature name. There was a worm, who had all of her limbs removed, and seemed to have segmented body parts every couple of inches, and was forced to crawl around by using her head as an anchor.
There was various dogs and cats, long needles inserted into the cheeks in place of whiskers, they had everything below their elbows and knees removed, forcing them to walk on all fours. Other human-animals had parts of their bodies elongated or exaggerate, turning them into various creatures. It didn't seem possible to look like that and live.
All of the inhabitants of the human zoo were filthy and ragged, cramped up in small living conditions and forced to eat small portions of what looked to be rotting meat, only fit for animals. When I walked past, they looked up at me with sorrowful, pleading eyes. They wanted freedom, just like Thompson. They were broken and they were hurt. But they seemed resigned to the fact that they were going to live out the rest of their lives here. There was no resistance in any of them. There was no struggle. They had all given up.
This place was hell.
It was hard to think clearly, the smell continued to invade my brain, and dampening my vision with black patches. My heart was pounding in my chest, a result of the horrors that laid before me. I couldn't breath. I couldn't move. This was all too much.
The man continued walking forwards. "This is where I hold all current specimens, before I decide to release them into captivity. And this is where you and all the other Keepers will work, feeding the specimens, continuing their evolution, and cleaning their chambers."
My blood boiled. He didn't care about the pain he caused. Nothing fazed him. "You're treating people like animals! This is inhumane!" I yelled at him.
He looked at me with disappointment. "Look at them. They are animals. This is all for the cause, anyways. Later on they will be glad to learn that they were the first steps in the evolution of humanity."
He led me forwards, until we ended up at a massive hole in the floor, in the middle of the barn. It was about ten meters in diameter, and the bottom seemed to stretch downwards for five or so meters. There didn't seem to be any way in or out.
The man spoke. "This is where every Keeper before you has proved themselves worthy of Keeper status. Your induction begins now."
I felt a large shove on my back. The momentum carried my body over the edge of the hole, with my feet quickly following suit. In an instant reflex, I covered my head with the nook of my remaining arm, and leaned forward, hoping to catch the grunt of the fall on my knees, before rolling away.
I landed with a large thump, which sent volts of pain rippling through my body, and spread me flat across the ground. I laid there, still. The breath was taken out of my lungs, and my knees felt if they had shattered. I tilted my head up, to get a clearer look at where I was. A small, dusty hole, in the middle of a barn where people went to die. Nothing special about it.
There was movement in the corner of my vision.
It was something circling me, walking with a slight strut, and over-the-top movements, as if it was hard to stay balanced. Every step it made caused a sharp clacking sound to echo throughout the hole. I slowly got up, despite the pain. I swiveled my body to the side to get a better look, even if it was under dim light.
The first thing that made itself clear was that the thing had no neck. Its head ended at its shoulders. The second thing was that it had no eyelids. It stared at me with large, unblinking eyes, taking in every movement. The third was the sharp, steel talons that protruded from every fingertip.
And then it opened its wings. It spread its arms out wide, to reveal a quilt-work of human flesh stitched together under its arms. It looked at me for a few moments, head cocked, arms in a display of aggression, then it swiveled its head around. A full one hundred-and-eighty degrees. I was looking at a human owl.
The owl lunged forward, talons aimed directly at my chest. I lunged to the side, fearing for my life once more since the past few days. I wasn't fast enough. Its talons ripped through my clothes like butter, and left three large gashes across my chest. I ignored the pain, and immediately turned around to face the owl. The penalty for letting my guard down would be death.
The owl was still facing the inner wall of the hole. It twisted its head around to face me, its large eyes looking at me with an intense hatred. I panicked, and hopped backwards, aiming to avoid another attack from the owl. But then I came to my senses. If I was going to survive, I knew I had to make a move right away. The longer I tarried, the weaker I would become, and the lower my chances of living through this would become.
I threw myself at one of its wings, hoping to bring the owl down. It avoided me. In a lapse of judgement, I forgot to realize there was still a human under all of that, wanting to avoid death as much as I did. I rolled backwards, and leaped to my feet. The owl lunged at me again, talons extended. My first instinct was to dodge once more, but I suppressed it. The owl would be expecting that. I instead waited until the last moment, and threw myself into the steadily approaching owl.
I caught it off guard.
The owl flailed backwards, stumbling under my weight. I dug my fingers in the small gap between its head and shoulders, and started tearing of the stitches that held them together. The owl continued to thrash, realizing what I was doing. It dropped to the ground, and tried to claw me of its back, but couldn't reach because of its wings.
I continued to tear. One after another. I could feel the tension loosening. Another couple minutes of this, and I would be home free. The owl's movements started to decrease in intensity, and hit seemed to realize the battle had been won. I removed on last stitch, and the rest of the owl's head came of easily, dripping with blood.
I threw it to the ground and collapsed, exhausted.
I woke up in one of the bedrooms. My chest hurt like hell. I sat up in the bed, and pulled the covers away. There was three large scars across my chest, painful and tender to the touch, but obviously treated by someone. I looked outside a nearby window. It was the dead of night. I couldn't hear any noises inside, so I assumed everyone was outside in a tent, sleeping. Everyone except the man. He was sitting in the chair, and simply watching me sleep.
Mind games.
He looked at me as I stood up and raised an eyebrow. I began to walk over to him, despite the pain. He clasped his hands together. "Well done. You are now a Keeper."
I continued my slow journey.
"You asked me once what my main purpose was in doing all this. It's for everyone. You. Me. All the peoples of earth. Humanity is the highest lifeform. I am treating it as such. With my guidance, and your help, humanity will enter a new era. A new evolution."
I still made my way towards him. Everyone's outside. I'm alone with him.
"This was your sister's vision, and then it became mine. I am eager to see it become yours." He tensed up in his chair slightly. "This is not the only human zoo out there, we have spread our philosophy, and we are many. But go ahead, kill me. Continue the cycle. You will follow your sister's footsteps and lead the world into salvation."
I didn't think about it twice. I grabbed a vase of the bedside table and ran at him, weapon raised. There was a flash of fear in his eyes. Clearly, he didn't actually expect me to do that. He wasted precious seconds fumbling for his key chain.
I swung the vase onto his head.
He pressed a button on his keychain.
The jolt of electricity struck my entire body. The pain was so much worse then I had previously experienced. Each separate buzz sent my entire body thrashing against itself. I tried to push past the pain, and get a hold of the button, but I couldn't move by myself, let alone think.
Setting ten will straight up kill you.
My vision turned a searing white. I could feel my organs vibrating within myself. The pain was endless and unrelenting. This was how I went. The electricity was frying my insides, turning it into a liquid mush.
And then it stopped. It took a while to regain my vision, but even then it was unfocused and blurry. The man was still lying on the ground, breathing but unconscious. Pieces of the vase were still ingrained into his skull, sending small trickles of blood down his face. I removed one and slit his throat. It wasn't the death he deserved, considering all that he did.
But it was what he got.
I stumbled out of the room, to see Eddison pouring what looked like to be gasoline on the floor. I tensed up, ready for another fight. He put the gasoline can down and put his hands up.
"Hey, man. You can relax. I'm the one who helped you out there. You would have died if it wasn't for me."
I scanned his face, and I believed him. I put my fists down.
He continued. "I hated it here as well, but I could never find an opportunity to strike back. What you did was very brave."
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Blowing up this fucking hellhole." He simply said.
We worked together for a few hours, silently and in the dark. He had almost finished with the farmhouse, so we moved onto the barn, and finished with the tents. We ended up at Michael's car, and Eddison handed me a lit match. Signifying that he wanted me to do it.
I didn't give a damn anymore. Everything could burn.
I threw the match into a puddle of gasoline, and quickly drove of with Eddison, before the small fire turned into a raging inferno. We were about two miles out when the night sky was lit up in a burst of white light.
It was done.
Eddison turned to me. "Where are we going, then?"
I gazed into the rearview mirror, watching the horizon be engulfed in flame. There was the wail of firetrucks moving in from the distance. Someone must have called it in. I looked forward, at the gravel road in front of me, pondering the question.
"Home."
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Firstly, figuring out how to get a ride back home. My best guess was that I was a good thirty minute drive from any type of civilization. There was a small possibility a car might come along from across the distance, but the chance they were heading in the same direction I was, was even slimmer.
I mean, I could probably manage to hotwire a car back at the farmhouse. But I didn't want to go back there. Not yet.
The second thing on my mind was my lack of shoes. The rocks were tough and sharp under my feet, scraping them raw with every aching footstep. I had settled on walking on the muddy, yet less painful, grass on the side. But I still wondered why. Of all the thing the man at the table could've taken from me, he took shoes.
It was a pretty clear answer, however. Mental games. He hires someone to drop me off in the middle of nowhere, with no feasible way of getting back. He knew the first thing I'd want to do is leave. So he took my shoes. He gave me two options, and he wanted to make one that displeased him hurt me, even if it was only in a small, petty way.
Mental games.
The last thing was that I had messed up. Badly. I had continually played into the man at the table's hand. He had always been two steps ahead of me and in hindsight, it was foolish of me to go confront him. I suppose I had visions of bravado, and of revenge, but all I had to show for it was one less arm, and a dead friend.
I can admit that I shouldn't have done that. But I can also change. One short phone call to the police, and I'd get rid of this nightmare. I had an address. I had a confession. I had evidence. And I had made up my mind. No longer I would face all this by myself.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed 911. No service. Great.
I continued walking for another twenty minutes, before I heard the roar of a car engine behind me. I turned around. There was a car peeking over the horizon, coming from where I came from, and going the direction I was going. Perfect. It was an old blue Chevy, that rumbled across the gravel, kicking up a plume of dust as it went.
I stuck my thumb out.
In that moment, I probably didn't look like someone you'd want to pick of the road, with missing shoes and only one arm, and all. But there was no harm in trying. I was hoping it was a kind farmer from hereabouts, heading to the main town to do some weekly shopping. The Chevy made its way to me, and I saw the driver eye me up and down, before pulling onto the shoulder of the road.
I opened the door and hopped into the passengers side, thanking the driver. He shifted his position to look at me. Well, rather look past me. He had short, cropped hair, three-day stubble, and a faraway look in his eyes, as if he couldn't rest his gaze, or if he was always searching into the distance.
It was the paramedic, from earlier.
I opened the door and got out. I wasn't doing this again. I would rather walk home. The paramedic drove forward a bit, cutting me off from the road, so that I would have to walk around his car to go forwards. I stopped walking. The paramedic got out of his car.
"Hey, Jonathan." He said, waving.
I didn't respond.
He moved forward towards me and extended a hand. I didn't accept it. He held it there for an uncomfortably long period of time, before placing it back by his side. "Look. We got of on the wrong foot here. The name's Michael. It's a pleasure to meet you again."
"The pleasure's all yours." I said, dripping with distaste.
He looked forward, his gaze shifting in and out of focus. "So. . .uh. You called 911. I can't let you do that."
"How did you know that?" I questioned.
He shrugged. "GPS tracker. In your arm. Shows us your location, and interferes with phone signals as well. Took the liberty of inserting it when you were out cold."
It wasn't a service signal problem, then.
He shifted position, and leaned against his car. "So, I'm going to set it to you straight. Come back with us. You obviously can't be trusted to not go back to the police. Let's make this fair. We're not here to hurt you. You said you'd work for us. Come back, Jonathan."
"And how would you stop me from going?" I said, tensing up for a fight.
He shook his head, looking hurt. He grabbed his keys from his pocket, and pressed a button connected to the keychain. I fell down in pain, as a sharp buzzing sensation shook my body, the intensity increasing ever few seconds.
Michael let go off the button. "I forgot to mention. The tracker also doubles as a. . .safety precaution. You just experienced setting three. Trust me, you wouldn't like setting eight." He tapped his eyes. "Messes up your internal hardware, as I'm sure you've noticed. Setting ten straight up kills you."
I automatically looked at my right arm. Inside of it, somewhere, was a small death machine.
"So, Jonathan. Will you come back?"
I didn't have much of a choice.
The drive back was uneventful, and spent mostly in silence. Every time Michael tried to start a conversation, I brushed him of with one word answers. I wanted to make it clear I didn't want to be here.
He pulled up the small driveway towards the farmhouse. The man at the table was sitting on the porch waiting for me. He knew I was coming. He tells me I have a choice in whether I leave or not, but I never really did. The illusion of choice.
Mental games.
He stood up to greet me as I got out of the car. "Jonathan! You're back! I am so glad to see you!" He waved me inside. "Come on in. I've got so much to tell you! The others are eating breakfast."
I walked in with him, towards the dining room where I had first met him. Seated around the table, there was a large group of nineteen people eating bacon and eggs, and various other breakfast items.
I knew most of them.
There was Sgt Langley, slathering some butter on bread. She smiled and waved at me as I came in.
Eddison was sitting beside her, pouring milk into a glass. He turned away from me, not wanting to look me in the eyes, I suppose. He was embarrassed to be here.
There was various other people I had seen in my time in the field,. Other paramedics and police officers, politicians, journalists, doctors and surgeons. All sharing a pleasant meal together. In the house of a murderer.
The man clapped his hands from behind me. "Ok, everyone! Let's make Jonathan feel welcome around here. He's the latest Keeper, but we're still expecting many more"
"Welcome, Jonathan." A unison of voices said.
I scanned the room, my throat dry and constricted. This was too much.
The man walked away and beckoned me towards him. He continued to walk through the house, pointing out every room, and giving a rundown of the layout. A kitchen, two living rooms, and three bathrooms spread across two stories. There was also a couple of bedrooms inside, but it seemed to me everyone was sleeping in tents outside.
He then took me down to the basement. "This is where the magic happens." He said, with a wink.
It was as I left it. A large operating table covered in dried blood filled the middle of the room. It was surrounded with various machinery, and tools. It was a stark contrast between a sterile IV machine on one side, and a rusted saw hanging of a nail on the other. And in the middle of it all were cameras, set up on tripods around the room.
I inspected one more closely. "What are the cameras for?" I asked.
The man chuckled slightly. "How else do you think I get the money to pay for all of this?"
I turned around to face him, the cogs clicking in my head. "You. . .sell videos of people being tortured."
He smiled. "You get it. Torture porn is extremely popular in some places of the internet. It's not the main reason I do this, of course. But it helps the cause. The video of your arm being sold, for example, was sold for just shy of five thousand." He clasped his eyes behind his back, seemingly very pleased with himself. "I cut paid to cut off a few legs, and then I have the money to cut off more than just legs. It's an endless cycle. It's perfect. You've seen firsthand the fruits of this system." He nodded towards the door on the side, still marked with elephant.
He continued. "That's where I keep my work-in-progresses. Of course, it's empty now. Which is a shame. He was shaping up to be my best elephant yet. No matter, we've got a cat picked out and coming in soon."
I shuddered at the way he talked about Thompson with such blasé. As if what had happened to him was a natural, everyday occurrence. It sickened me. There was no way somebody could do this all day, and believe themselves to be good.
There was something else as well, burning in the back of my mind. "You said before that the night my sister was kidnapped, she was doing something that I didn't know. What was it?"
He was silent for a moment. "How close were you with your sister?"
I shrugged. "Close enough. We talked about once a month, and came over every Christmas."
"Do you know what she did for work?"
"Yeah. She was studying something. Some sort of advanced anesthetic. She never worked it out, however."
"She did." He simply said. He waited for me to process that before continuing. "I met Alice on an online forum. From the beginning, she fascinated me. She talked about how the world was corrupt and poisoned by humanity, and her ideas for rebirth and restoration. She had plans, Jonathan. So many plans. Everything you see here is a result of her work. We met up at one point and clicked. She was perfect. She was smart. And she was mine."
"Then. . .why did you kill her?" I asked.
I could see his eyes clouding up, as if he was on the verge of tears. "Her anesthetic didn't work as intended. Instead of removing pain, it increased it. The way it truly works is beyond me, but even a little dose causes the most unimaginable pain. It feels as if your body is being removed from the inside and replaced with fire, atom by atom. Death would be preferable. But that's the thing, the anesthetic one small side-effect. It's downright impossible to die when the effects take hold. You just have to endure through the pain."
"So all the people I saw. . .?" I let my question trail of.
"It's easy to manipulate someone's body when they don't have the strength to retaliate, nor the capability to die." He paused, his body quivering with each shaky breath. "Alice wanted to be the first. She wanted to be the pioneer as the world transitioned into her vision. I begged her not to, as there were other, more suitable candidates. But she insisted.
And so we staged a kidnapping. There was no evidence because there was no struggle. There was nothing. She came to this farmhouse, and was the first person to be operated on that table. I spent years placing toothpicks in her skin, while she was drugged up under her special anesthetic. She pushed through the pain, and continued to talk to me. Sharing ideas that I would have never thought possible.
She told me to find others. In places of power. And if they wouldn't join willingly, then find a way to force them. Soon enough, they would come to realize we're working for the benefit of humanity. She told me to create animal-human hybrids to begin with. An evolution of our species. And the last thing she told me, before I laid her to rest in a park, was to find you. To hire you. To change your vision. And here you are."
I stood in silence. I, in fact, didn't know what to say. Everything that I though I knew about my sister was shattered in an instant. It was possible the man was lying. There was no way she really was a some sort of insane fanatical, hell-bent on torturing people.
It just wasn't the person I knew.
And yet, everything made sense. I didn't want to believe him, but I didn't see any way that I couldn't. He was right, and I knew it.
The man looked back at me. "Come, Jonathan. I've got one more thing you need to see."
He led me up, out of the basement, and through the back door. He led me past a large vegetable garden, and rows upon rows of tents, most of them unoccupied.
They were expecting many more.
I followed him past a fireplace, with upturned stumps placed in a circle around it, to the large barn behind the farmhouse. It was painted a classic red with a sloping roof, and white barn doors. I could hear various noises emanating from inside, different loud sounds, moans, and scrapes, seemingly as if a large machine was inside.
Or a large number of people.
"This," The man said, gesturing at the barn. "Is my crowning achievement. My life's work. It is the beginning of the vision that Alice had for the world. This is where your induction will take place, and you will become a fully fledged Keeper. You will learn to be a bringer of justice, and a waymaker into the new world."
He walked in front of me, and opened the large doors., letting me take a glimpse inside. It was dark and musky. "Welcome, Jonathan." He exclaimed. "To the human zoo!"
I stepped inside.
The smell hit me like a tidal wave. It smelled strongly of blood and fetid remains that permeated the air like a blanket. It gave me a nauseous feeling, and sent my head whirling, as it tried to breathe in clean air. It was no use. I felt a rush of bile spill out of my stomach and into my throat. I turned to the side and threw up onto the floor. And judging by the mess down there, I was not the first.
There was rows upon rows of cages, all lined up from wall to wall. In each cage there seemed to be. . .someone, and by the looks of it, most of them were already dead. Each cage was labeled with a different creature name. There was a worm, who had all of her limbs removed, and seemed to have segmented body parts every couple of inches, and was forced to crawl around by using her head as an anchor.
There was various dogs and cats, long needles inserted into the cheeks in place of whiskers, they had everything below their elbows and knees removed, forcing them to walk on all fours. Other human-animals had parts of their bodies elongated or exaggerate, turning them into various creatures. It didn't seem possible to look like that and live.
All of the inhabitants of the human zoo were filthy and ragged, cramped up in small living conditions and forced to eat small portions of what looked to be rotting meat, only fit for animals. When I walked past, they looked up at me with sorrowful, pleading eyes. They wanted freedom, just like Thompson. They were broken and they were hurt. But they seemed resigned to the fact that they were going to live out the rest of their lives here. There was no resistance in any of them. There was no struggle. They had all given up.
This place was hell.
It was hard to think clearly, the smell continued to invade my brain, and dampening my vision with black patches. My heart was pounding in my chest, a result of the horrors that laid before me. I couldn't breath. I couldn't move. This was all too much.
The man continued walking forwards. "This is where I hold all current specimens, before I decide to release them into captivity. And this is where you and all the other Keepers will work, feeding the specimens, continuing their evolution, and cleaning their chambers."
My blood boiled. He didn't care about the pain he caused. Nothing fazed him. "You're treating people like animals! This is inhumane!" I yelled at him.
He looked at me with disappointment. "Look at them. They are animals. This is all for the cause, anyways. Later on they will be glad to learn that they were the first steps in the evolution of humanity."
He led me forwards, until we ended up at a massive hole in the floor, in the middle of the barn. It was about ten meters in diameter, and the bottom seemed to stretch downwards for five or so meters. There didn't seem to be any way in or out.
The man spoke. "This is where every Keeper before you has proved themselves worthy of Keeper status. Your induction begins now."
I felt a large shove on my back. The momentum carried my body over the edge of the hole, with my feet quickly following suit. In an instant reflex, I covered my head with the nook of my remaining arm, and leaned forward, hoping to catch the grunt of the fall on my knees, before rolling away.
I landed with a large thump, which sent volts of pain rippling through my body, and spread me flat across the ground. I laid there, still. The breath was taken out of my lungs, and my knees felt if they had shattered. I tilted my head up, to get a clearer look at where I was. A small, dusty hole, in the middle of a barn where people went to die. Nothing special about it.
There was movement in the corner of my vision.
It was something circling me, walking with a slight strut, and over-the-top movements, as if it was hard to stay balanced. Every step it made caused a sharp clacking sound to echo throughout the hole. I slowly got up, despite the pain. I swiveled my body to the side to get a better look, even if it was under dim light.
The first thing that made itself clear was that the thing had no neck. Its head ended at its shoulders. The second thing was that it had no eyelids. It stared at me with large, unblinking eyes, taking in every movement. The third was the sharp, steel talons that protruded from every fingertip.
And then it opened its wings. It spread its arms out wide, to reveal a quilt-work of human flesh stitched together under its arms. It looked at me for a few moments, head cocked, arms in a display of aggression, then it swiveled its head around. A full one hundred-and-eighty degrees. I was looking at a human owl.
The owl lunged forward, talons aimed directly at my chest. I lunged to the side, fearing for my life once more since the past few days. I wasn't fast enough. Its talons ripped through my clothes like butter, and left three large gashes across my chest. I ignored the pain, and immediately turned around to face the owl. The penalty for letting my guard down would be death.
The owl was still facing the inner wall of the hole. It twisted its head around to face me, its large eyes looking at me with an intense hatred. I panicked, and hopped backwards, aiming to avoid another attack from the owl. But then I came to my senses. If I was going to survive, I knew I had to make a move right away. The longer I tarried, the weaker I would become, and the lower my chances of living through this would become.
I threw myself at one of its wings, hoping to bring the owl down. It avoided me. In a lapse of judgement, I forgot to realize there was still a human under all of that, wanting to avoid death as much as I did. I rolled backwards, and leaped to my feet. The owl lunged at me again, talons extended. My first instinct was to dodge once more, but I suppressed it. The owl would be expecting that. I instead waited until the last moment, and threw myself into the steadily approaching owl.
I caught it off guard.
The owl flailed backwards, stumbling under my weight. I dug my fingers in the small gap between its head and shoulders, and started tearing of the stitches that held them together. The owl continued to thrash, realizing what I was doing. It dropped to the ground, and tried to claw me of its back, but couldn't reach because of its wings.
I continued to tear. One after another. I could feel the tension loosening. Another couple minutes of this, and I would be home free. The owl's movements started to decrease in intensity, and hit seemed to realize the battle had been won. I removed on last stitch, and the rest of the owl's head came of easily, dripping with blood.
I threw it to the ground and collapsed, exhausted.
I woke up in one of the bedrooms. My chest hurt like hell. I sat up in the bed, and pulled the covers away. There was three large scars across my chest, painful and tender to the touch, but obviously treated by someone. I looked outside a nearby window. It was the dead of night. I couldn't hear any noises inside, so I assumed everyone was outside in a tent, sleeping. Everyone except the man. He was sitting in the chair, and simply watching me sleep.
Mind games.
He looked at me as I stood up and raised an eyebrow. I began to walk over to him, despite the pain. He clasped his hands together. "Well done. You are now a Keeper."
I continued my slow journey.
"You asked me once what my main purpose was in doing all this. It's for everyone. You. Me. All the peoples of earth. Humanity is the highest lifeform. I am treating it as such. With my guidance, and your help, humanity will enter a new era. A new evolution."
I still made my way towards him. Everyone's outside. I'm alone with him.
"This was your sister's vision, and then it became mine. I am eager to see it become yours." He tensed up in his chair slightly. "This is not the only human zoo out there, we have spread our philosophy, and we are many. But go ahead, kill me. Continue the cycle. You will follow your sister's footsteps and lead the world into salvation."
I didn't think about it twice. I grabbed a vase of the bedside table and ran at him, weapon raised. There was a flash of fear in his eyes. Clearly, he didn't actually expect me to do that. He wasted precious seconds fumbling for his key chain.
I swung the vase onto his head.
He pressed a button on his keychain.
The jolt of electricity struck my entire body. The pain was so much worse then I had previously experienced. Each separate buzz sent my entire body thrashing against itself. I tried to push past the pain, and get a hold of the button, but I couldn't move by myself, let alone think.
Setting ten will straight up kill you.
My vision turned a searing white. I could feel my organs vibrating within myself. The pain was endless and unrelenting. This was how I went. The electricity was frying my insides, turning it into a liquid mush.
And then it stopped. It took a while to regain my vision, but even then it was unfocused and blurry. The man was still lying on the ground, breathing but unconscious. Pieces of the vase were still ingrained into his skull, sending small trickles of blood down his face. I removed one and slit his throat. It wasn't the death he deserved, considering all that he did.
But it was what he got.
I stumbled out of the room, to see Eddison pouring what looked like to be gasoline on the floor. I tensed up, ready for another fight. He put the gasoline can down and put his hands up.
"Hey, man. You can relax. I'm the one who helped you out there. You would have died if it wasn't for me."
I scanned his face, and I believed him. I put my fists down.
He continued. "I hated it here as well, but I could never find an opportunity to strike back. What you did was very brave."
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Blowing up this fucking hellhole." He simply said.
We worked together for a few hours, silently and in the dark. He had almost finished with the farmhouse, so we moved onto the barn, and finished with the tents. We ended up at Michael's car, and Eddison handed me a lit match. Signifying that he wanted me to do it.
I didn't give a damn anymore. Everything could burn.
I threw the match into a puddle of gasoline, and quickly drove of with Eddison, before the small fire turned into a raging inferno. We were about two miles out when the night sky was lit up in a burst of white light.
It was done.
Eddison turned to me. "Where are we going, then?"
I gazed into the rearview mirror, watching the horizon be engulfed in flame. There was the wail of firetrucks moving in from the distance. Someone must have called it in. I looked forward, at the gravel road in front of me, pondering the question.
"Home."
x
2023.06.08 02:43 liverichly Neighbors Believe Someone is Poisoning their Dogs in West Hollywood
submitted by liverichly to weho [link] [comments]
2023.06.08 01:06 JeyDeeArr Would You Read Butch's Origin Story?
Excluding the main duo, Butch is my favorite character from the show, and I thought, "what if I were to make an original interpretation of his early life?"
Ever since I made the "Tom & Jerry Interview" comic, which was received fairly well, I'd been wanting to make one which focuses on other characters, especially Butch. Rather than being a behind-the-scenes comic, however, my idea is to make it feel like a biography for Butch as an actor.
Some might see him as just a black Tom, but I see him as a major supporting character in the show. Several episodes such as "Baby Butch" (1954) has him as the protagonist, and not to forget, he had his own short in the form of 1941's "The Alley Cat".
Nothing is set in stone yet, but my storyboard goes like this:
View Poll
submitted by JeyDeeArr to TomAndJerry [link] [comments]
Ever since I made the "Tom & Jerry Interview" comic, which was received fairly well, I'd been wanting to make one which focuses on other characters, especially Butch. Rather than being a behind-the-scenes comic, however, my idea is to make it feel like a biography for Butch as an actor.
Some might see him as just a black Tom, but I see him as a major supporting character in the show. Several episodes such as "Baby Butch" (1954) has him as the protagonist, and not to forget, he had his own short in the form of 1941's "The Alley Cat".
Nothing is set in stone yet, but my storyboard goes like this:
- Butch was originally from somewhere in the east coast, possibly New York based on his accent. He was a rather prideful cat, and wanted to make it big. In late 1939, he took a bus to the west coast to become a star in Hollywood.
- He auditioned for a role in "Puss Gets The Boot", which Tom (then known as "Jasper") gets. Despite this, Butch still manages to land the lead for "The Alley Cat", along with the supporting cast of Spike and Toodles. Spike was previously a stage actor, whereas Toodles was also making her debut. Butch was very excited, and secretly developed the hots for Toodles.
- Butch keeps adding to the script, and has issues with the studio over the creative direction, leading to the film entering development hell, and take over a year to complete. Released to the public on July of 1941, the film utlimately flops. Following this, Butch is unable to land a role for over two years, leading him to struggle financially and mentally. In the meantime, Tom and Jerry become a huge hit, and Butch's co-star from his debut film, Spike, becomes a recurring character on the duo's series. Toodles, on the other hand, isn't able to find a job in Hollywood, and is mostly forgotten.
- Tom recognizes Butch's talents, and wishes to work with him. At first, Butch is hesitant to work with Tom, but accepts Tom's offer to appear in "Baby Puss" in 1943 under the condition to also feature Toodles in future films, since Butch felt responsible for jeopardizing Toodles' career.
- Butch is relegated to playing second fiddle to Tom, and initially envied the blue cat. Despite the (mostly one-sided) animosity, however, Butch learns humility, and becomes more open to taking hard bumps. Butch and Tom get to know each other, and learn to respect one another for their skillset.
- By 1946, Butch is seen as a strong support, and whenever he appears, he leaves a lasting impression. Over the following decade, he's become a household name, he scores big in real estate, is a multi-millionaire, and marries Toodles, who was his very first dance partner since arriving to Hollywood. Upon the retirement of Tom and Jerry in 1960 (I consider different eras to be different "actors", like how Spider-Man has Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland), Butch chose to retire from acting as well, and continued his ventures as a wealthy businesscat.
View Poll
2023.06.08 00:04 jaysad What do you think about a stable, average guy who has a normal life? (Hubs.life)
Lately on gay Twitter, or at least my Twitter, there is this questionably gay 28 year old with a normal 9-5 job and after work schedule. He seems to be a bit boring and monotonous which is why people are tearing him apart. People are also saying he’s married and has a wife but the most recent post I saw was where he was getting railed at the abbey in West Hollywood this past weekend at pride. Idk what to believe anymore and I’m sure there are definitely some trolls out there but what do you think of these guys who are a bit boring and keep to themselves and just live normal lives? Is there any who likes them?
For me I love them so thanks for coming to my tedtalk lol. Trying to find myself one! His videos to me are super pleasing and relaxing and I just want to snuggle with him after work
submitted by jaysad to askgaybros [link] [comments]
For me I love them so thanks for coming to my tedtalk lol. Trying to find myself one! His videos to me are super pleasing and relaxing and I just want to snuggle with him after work
2023.06.07 23:58 Gel_007 The Founding Chapter 6
June 10th, 327
It’s been a bit since I’ve written here. I decided to give Augustine a looser leash and I allowed him to explore the outside world as long as he knew what he was doing.
June 11th, 327
Augustine said he had something to tell me later tonight, he’d been exploring almost every day now, the active sense of adventure that boy has honestly impresses me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A: Hey Zach
Z: Hey what’s up?
A: I wanna tell you about something I found while I was exploring the other day.
Z: Spill then.
A: Alright, so as I was playing around with my long distance teleportation spell and I ended up on the base of a large mountain range. It was strange as I couldn’t teleport all the way to the top, it was like something within the very mountain’s mineral makeup was negating my attempts to teleport up to its peak. So I decided to scale the mountain the old fashion way: climbing it. Thanks to the enhancements given to me by that project I scaled the mountain in no time, and the other side? It was like nothing the world has ever seen, the mountain range was hiding a large gulf of water, a large island placed just within the gulf, lush forest and 2 large mountains towards the center, a place that seemed untouched by time itself. It could be the perfect place to permanently hide from the Templar, after all we can only hide in this cabin for so long before they eventually find us.
I was certainly surprised at the fact that he was able to scale an entire mountain with seemingly very little effort, but what interested me more was the island he discovered. He claimed it looked “untouched” but the higher ups at the Templar claimed they have colonized nearly all the available land in this world so to have an entire island be left untouched is almost like foreign concept, something of legend.
Z: An untouched island? Not only untouched but also unheard of. The Templar said they’ve colonized all known land in this world.
A: I know! But I couldn’t see any mana towers among the trees or any humans from the peak of the mountains.
Z: Well if still untouched after all this time, chances are that they won’t find it anytime soon.
A: exactly! A place where the Templar will never reach…solemn look
Z: What's wrong Augustine? The memories and thoughts haunting you again?
A: yea, I’m sorry to constantly bother you with them but I’ve kept them contained for too long
Z: Hey, hey it’s alright. You’ve never been a bother at all, helping you deal with your issues is what friends are for.
A: I appreciate it Zach, for the longest time Elock was really the only friend I’ve ever had so it’s enlightening hearing someone else say that, to this day I still wonder where she is today and if she’s even alive! I used to have nightmares where I would meet her again just to discover that she’s-
Z: it’s alright, I’m sure she thinks about you every day too and most likely wonders the same every night.
A: Yeah I know, but it’s hard remaining optimistic in this world with the whole war between humans and keidran going on.
Z: Well to me that island sounds like a great place to start.
A: agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Augustine and I agreed to visit the island he found beyond the mountains tomorrow, he thinks it’ll be the perfect place to hide from the Templar.
June 12th, 327
Augustine said that the mountain range was incredibly far, about days worth of running in Augustine’s estimation, so teleporting there is just another thing to add to the list of things he impresses me with. While the material the mountain range is composed of prevents any magic from directly interacting with them, they don’t extend beyond that, so Augustine offered to fly us up there using a telekinetic spell.
Turns out Augustine is only used to telekinetically lifting one item, how do I know? Because he accidentally dropped me. Luckily I landed in a tree. After traversing both sides of the mountain and making it across the water, we arrived on the island at last and man Augustine wasn’t lying. It truly was beautiful, lush fruit bearing trees, 2 large mountains and not even the smallest hint of Templar interference!
We headed further inland and decided to stay at the valley between the 2 mountains with Augustine immediately getting to work and hacking away at the tree with the guard’s sword. After a few hours of work, Augustine already had a large pile of planks with me barely keeping up and Augustine teasing me about it, oh I’m sorry not everyone is a magically enhanced super soldier.
It was beginning to grow dark and we made the decision to head back to the cabin for today and continue the build some later time. Augustine made a waypoint in the cabin so getting back was easy though it had some issues as it took a while to activate. I took a rock sample from the mountains to analyze back at the cabin.
June 13th, 327
This was fascinating! The rock sample I took had incredibly unique properties never before seen! Its primary ability was “absorbing” sources of mana. I had stabbed one of our mana crystals into the rock and I observed as it broke down the crystal over the course of an hour! This explains why Augustine couldn’t teleport up the mountain. So even if the Templar did find the mountain they would never get over it, even with the most powerful mages magic.
Augustine had gone out to town again, he said it was to pick up building tools to help shore up the house we were building. He claimed he could handle it on his own and despite me wanting to protest, I let him go through with it. Unfortunately the town we went to around a week ago didn’t have a hardware store as any construction must run through Lulio first, so Augustine had to head to the neighboring town to see if he could find anything there.
~~~~~~~~~~
(Cut to Augustine’s pov)
Thoughts: “ugh cmon how hard could a hardware store be to find, it feels like I’ve been searching for hours already!”
sees sign with a hammer on it
“Gah! Finally!”
heads inside
Shopkeeper: Greetings sir! How may I assist you today?
“Uhh it’s alright I can handle it on my own, thanks for the offer though!”
Thoughts: this time the illusion should last longer as these mana crystals are fresh rather than being recharged.
grabs a large amount of nails, 2 hammers, some axes to preserve his sword, saws, sand paper, and stone blocks
Shopkeeper: Oh my sir, this is an awful load that you’ll have to carry on your own, are you sure you can handle it?
“Yes I’m sure…”
Shopkeeper: Are you sure? We have a policy that allows you to rent slaves to help you with whatever you’re working on.
“No, n-“
(Shopkeep rings a bell to send a slave to the front before Augustine could interject)
Thoughts: are you kidding me? Gahhh cmon Zack is waiting for me and I don’t wanna keep him on the line!
Female voice: coming!
Augustine: frustrated and staring at the floor
Shopkeeper: How about this one? Hard worker she is, very cooperative, very friendly.
Augustine: looks up
Elock: hello sir! How may I assist you today?
shivering
Thoughts: E- Elock?! When?! How?! I thought you worked for a farmer?! I can’t say anything, it'll reveal my identity to the worker! Okay, okay, okay just keep it calm!
“I- uh stuttering I changed my mind! She can help me, I’ll take her!”
Shopkeeper: I’m not surprised, she’s gone from owner to owner as she’s quite a hard worker, she’s worth a lot of money after being traded so many times before ending up at my place. 1000G for 7 days.
“I- yes I’ll take her”
Shopkeeper: perfect!
exits with supplies and Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock looking at Augustine’s wanted poster: solemn
“Something wrong?”
Elock: oh! N-nothing! It’s just these ropes binding my hands are just a bit tight! And W-where are we heading sir? We’re outside of town at this point and I- uh-
A: chuckles a bit you’re still just as bad as ever at hiding your nervousness Elock
Elock: Ah- I- how do you know my name?!
A: unties the rope and disables illusion It’s been a while, wouldn’t you agree?
Elock in shock and on the verge of tears: I…A…trembling, mouth slightly ajar in shock
A: what? Cat got your tongue? Well I guess that’s true consid-
Elock: pounces on him AUGUSTINE! I’ve missed you so much!How have you been?!Where did you- starts talking so fast that even Augustine couldn’t keep up with what she was saying and weeping happy tears profusely on his shirt
A: slightly choking from how tight she’s hugging him it’s okay, it’s okay! I’ve missed you too. I almost thought you were gonna be de- ow ow! Stop it I was kidding!
Elock: blep I know. Not a single day went by where I didn’t think about you! And say weren't your eyes brown before?
A: I’m flattered that you still remember and well…it’s kind of a long story…but first let’s retreat to safety. teleports with Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
A: …and then I ended up here
Elock: That’s incredible! You sure had been on a wild cart ride while I was gone! I wish I could have been there.
A: It's not as glamorous as it sounds, that experiment was agony incarnate, it’s a wonder I survived! In fact I was the only one who came out alive, though the powers I got bestowed with are certainly nothing to complain about but still the effects after we’re brutal.
Elock: glad you did, the way you and Zach escaped the facility was incredible.
A: well he can tell you all about it points to cabin we’ve arrived
Zach opens door
A: Hey Zach, I’m back from my shopping spree.
Z: Augustine what took you so long? The plan was to just get the supplies and get out.
A: I know! But I got a bit off track. I found someone very special.
Elock: pokes head through the door Mrow?
A: meet Elock, remem-
Z: her! The keidran you met when you were 10?
A: yup to Elock it’s alright Elock it’s fine he won’t bite.
Elock: H- hello sir.
Z: please call me Zach. It’s a pleasure.
shakes hand
Elock: it’s a nice place you 2 have here.
A: It was by sheer luck that we found this place actually.
Z: Yeah, the blast was much larger than we’d anticipated and even if my house remained intact, they’d still come searching for me.
Elock: Well lucky you found this place when you did.
A: Are you hungry Elock? We have some steak leftovers.
Elock: oh, I am actually, thank you!
Z: say Elock…
Elock: yes?
Z: Would you mind telling us your journey? I’d love to learn.
A: Zach!
Z: Right, sorry.
Elock: No, no Augustine, it’s alright. I don’t mind in the slightest.
Life in the rainforest regions was paradise, plenty of food, clean sources of water, plenty of building materials, and a beautiful sight to wake up to everyday. My parents worked directly under the matriarch, Lektra(keidran for bolt/thunder) so me being born was almost as exciting as the coronation of the matriarch herself. Unfortunately that swiftly came to a close when Lulio decided to use our home as farmland and despite protests from Lektra, Lulio still went through with the plan. In a flash everything was pretty much destroyed. Our warriors tried to fight back but were eliminated instantly, I was about 3 when this happened and the memory still burns strong to this day.
Augustine: muttering under his breath psychotic bastard…
Elock: I know how you feel, Augustine, trust me I do.
A: I know, I’m sorry
Elock: holds his hand It's alright.
After the destruction of my people and my home, I was sent into the town and stayed in a keidran only home until my 4th birthday. Instead of pleasant accommodations like human orphan homes, all we got was a pillow and some sheets to make ourselves comfortable with, most of us slept on the hardwood floor and it was unbearable. Lulio passed a law where keidran as young as 4 would be eligible for work. After my 4th birthday I was almost immediately whisked off to work on a farm, while the job was tough, they at least gave me my own room and bed, one of their guests even took a small liking to me but tragically he died of a lung infection.
Z: I lament your journey and loss Elock, I can’t imagine how tough this was to bear all at once.
Elock: please it’s okay, you don’t have to apologize for anything. None of this is any of your wrongdoing.
Z: You said your people were killed but what about your parents? Did they survive too?
Elock: Oh right! My parents were spared as they opted to surrender peacefully and they were sold to different owners. I used to occasionally see them from time to time but after I moved I had to say a tearful goodbye to both them and Augustine. playfully pinches his cheek
Z: You’re strong for getting through that, not many could take that much.
Elock: I appreciate that.
Z: Do you have any idea where your parents are right now?
Elock: I think they’re still in the same tow- Augustine? Are you okay?
A: on the other hand gripping the table so hard that it was gonna break, eyes with a look of both confusion and rage
Elock: Augustine?
A: I- I saw them…
Elock: What do you mean?
A: They were there…in the same room.
Elock: Are you talking about the operation?
A: Y- yes…I saw them, both of them. They were in the operation too, part of the 10 keidrans selected to be in the experiment. I briefly saw them looking at me, they were scared but I couldn’t do a damn thing to help them and now they're dead! slowly growing hysterical
Elock: Augustine!
A: snaps out of his hysterics
Elock: it’s not your fault! Neither of you have to feel guilty!
A: I know, but I just wish I could have done something to help them, but I was just a powerless child.
Z: Augustine. We all wish we could have done something to stop Lulio’s plan, we all feel the same way just please don’t put all the blame on yourself.
A: I know, I'm sorry…
Elock: it’s alright…we’re all here to support you, you got hit the hardest out of all so you should be the one to be the one who receives sympathy.
A: …thanks guys, It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve heard something so comforting.
Elock: don’t worry, we’ll never leave and when we do, we’ll leave together.
A: …oh! Elock, I hate to do this but would you mind helping us with something? We found a place that could be our key to salvation.
Elock: Of course! I don’t mind in the slightest.
A: teleports all 3 of them via waypoint
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock: in awe of the island I…this is incredible! It reminds me so much of my home! And you were right! There’s no hint of Templar activity at all!
A: We were just as shocked as you are right now when we first found it. I mean like Zach said, the Templar claimed that they have settled on all available land in this world.
Elock: Well then, let’s make good use of this place, so let’s get to work!
A: I couldn't have said it better myself.
hours later, the trio had finished building a moderate sized wooden house
A: woo! Not bad for a day's work, am I right?
Elock: Mrrrr…man that was a nice workout!
Z: Tell me about it!
A: So Elock, should we tell Zach?
Elock: I think so!
Z: Tell me…what?
A: Well…on the way here, Elock and I started thinking and we were thinking of a way we could free other slaves from their captors.
Z: sigh… well at this point, I know better than to criticize your plan before even hearing it so go ahead, spill it on me.
A: Operation: torchwick
—————
I would then use as much of my power as possible to telekinetic lift as many refugees as possibl-
Z: Yeah…considering that you almost dropped me off the side of the mountain, I think even you would have trouble lifting a bunch of slaves.
A: hey!
Elock: Mreeheehee!
A: anyways! After we figure out a way to get everyone up there, we’ll be untouchable!
Z: huh…well from one chaotic strategist to another, it’s worth a shot.
A: Perfect! See Elock?
Elock: mew?
A: I kept the promise I made, all those years ago! when we meet again, it’ll be your freedom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also for anyone who wants to know a bit more about Elock:
Name: Elock of the rainforest leopards
Species: rainforest leopard
Languages: human, keidran
Physical characteristics: yellow fur, black nose marking, black rosettes running down back and onto tail, unusually big and poofy tail, butter yellow hair with black streaks, faint outline of heart pattern on her behind
Height: 5’4”
Age: 9 years(was 4 when she met Augustine)
Eye color: emerald green
Mental characteristics:
-Quick learner
-Eager to help
-Bad at hiding panic
-Imaginative
-Heart of gold
-Shy but slowly growing out of it
-Optimistic
Likes: adventure, rain, storytelling, being adored, helping, hugs(especially from Augustine), pouncing on people she cares about.
Dislikes: slavery, Templar(although not as intensely as most others)
Unlike most, Elock had the ability to both read and write prior to slavery, being taught by both her parents and Lektra herself. Spending most of her time reading and drawing using whatever material she could find.
Tell me what you thought of this chapter!
submitted by Gel_007 to Twokinds [link] [comments]
It’s been a bit since I’ve written here. I decided to give Augustine a looser leash and I allowed him to explore the outside world as long as he knew what he was doing.
June 11th, 327
Augustine said he had something to tell me later tonight, he’d been exploring almost every day now, the active sense of adventure that boy has honestly impresses me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A: Hey Zach
Z: Hey what’s up?
A: I wanna tell you about something I found while I was exploring the other day.
Z: Spill then.
A: Alright, so as I was playing around with my long distance teleportation spell and I ended up on the base of a large mountain range. It was strange as I couldn’t teleport all the way to the top, it was like something within the very mountain’s mineral makeup was negating my attempts to teleport up to its peak. So I decided to scale the mountain the old fashion way: climbing it. Thanks to the enhancements given to me by that project I scaled the mountain in no time, and the other side? It was like nothing the world has ever seen, the mountain range was hiding a large gulf of water, a large island placed just within the gulf, lush forest and 2 large mountains towards the center, a place that seemed untouched by time itself. It could be the perfect place to permanently hide from the Templar, after all we can only hide in this cabin for so long before they eventually find us.
I was certainly surprised at the fact that he was able to scale an entire mountain with seemingly very little effort, but what interested me more was the island he discovered. He claimed it looked “untouched” but the higher ups at the Templar claimed they have colonized nearly all the available land in this world so to have an entire island be left untouched is almost like foreign concept, something of legend.
Z: An untouched island? Not only untouched but also unheard of. The Templar said they’ve colonized all known land in this world.
A: I know! But I couldn’t see any mana towers among the trees or any humans from the peak of the mountains.
Z: Well if still untouched after all this time, chances are that they won’t find it anytime soon.
A: exactly! A place where the Templar will never reach…solemn look
Z: What's wrong Augustine? The memories and thoughts haunting you again?
A: yea, I’m sorry to constantly bother you with them but I’ve kept them contained for too long
Z: Hey, hey it’s alright. You’ve never been a bother at all, helping you deal with your issues is what friends are for.
A: I appreciate it Zach, for the longest time Elock was really the only friend I’ve ever had so it’s enlightening hearing someone else say that, to this day I still wonder where she is today and if she’s even alive! I used to have nightmares where I would meet her again just to discover that she’s-
Z: it’s alright, I’m sure she thinks about you every day too and most likely wonders the same every night.
A: Yeah I know, but it’s hard remaining optimistic in this world with the whole war between humans and keidran going on.
Z: Well to me that island sounds like a great place to start.
A: agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Augustine and I agreed to visit the island he found beyond the mountains tomorrow, he thinks it’ll be the perfect place to hide from the Templar.
June 12th, 327
Augustine said that the mountain range was incredibly far, about days worth of running in Augustine’s estimation, so teleporting there is just another thing to add to the list of things he impresses me with. While the material the mountain range is composed of prevents any magic from directly interacting with them, they don’t extend beyond that, so Augustine offered to fly us up there using a telekinetic spell.
Turns out Augustine is only used to telekinetically lifting one item, how do I know? Because he accidentally dropped me. Luckily I landed in a tree. After traversing both sides of the mountain and making it across the water, we arrived on the island at last and man Augustine wasn’t lying. It truly was beautiful, lush fruit bearing trees, 2 large mountains and not even the smallest hint of Templar interference!
We headed further inland and decided to stay at the valley between the 2 mountains with Augustine immediately getting to work and hacking away at the tree with the guard’s sword. After a few hours of work, Augustine already had a large pile of planks with me barely keeping up and Augustine teasing me about it, oh I’m sorry not everyone is a magically enhanced super soldier.
It was beginning to grow dark and we made the decision to head back to the cabin for today and continue the build some later time. Augustine made a waypoint in the cabin so getting back was easy though it had some issues as it took a while to activate. I took a rock sample from the mountains to analyze back at the cabin.
June 13th, 327
This was fascinating! The rock sample I took had incredibly unique properties never before seen! Its primary ability was “absorbing” sources of mana. I had stabbed one of our mana crystals into the rock and I observed as it broke down the crystal over the course of an hour! This explains why Augustine couldn’t teleport up the mountain. So even if the Templar did find the mountain they would never get over it, even with the most powerful mages magic.
Augustine had gone out to town again, he said it was to pick up building tools to help shore up the house we were building. He claimed he could handle it on his own and despite me wanting to protest, I let him go through with it. Unfortunately the town we went to around a week ago didn’t have a hardware store as any construction must run through Lulio first, so Augustine had to head to the neighboring town to see if he could find anything there.
~~~~~~~~~~
(Cut to Augustine’s pov)
Thoughts: “ugh cmon how hard could a hardware store be to find, it feels like I’ve been searching for hours already!”
sees sign with a hammer on it
“Gah! Finally!”
heads inside
Shopkeeper: Greetings sir! How may I assist you today?
“Uhh it’s alright I can handle it on my own, thanks for the offer though!”
Thoughts: this time the illusion should last longer as these mana crystals are fresh rather than being recharged.
grabs a large amount of nails, 2 hammers, some axes to preserve his sword, saws, sand paper, and stone blocks
Shopkeeper: Oh my sir, this is an awful load that you’ll have to carry on your own, are you sure you can handle it?
“Yes I’m sure…”
Shopkeeper: Are you sure? We have a policy that allows you to rent slaves to help you with whatever you’re working on.
“No, n-“
(Shopkeep rings a bell to send a slave to the front before Augustine could interject)
Thoughts: are you kidding me? Gahhh cmon Zack is waiting for me and I don’t wanna keep him on the line!
Female voice: coming!
Augustine: frustrated and staring at the floor
Shopkeeper: How about this one? Hard worker she is, very cooperative, very friendly.
Augustine: looks up
Elock: hello sir! How may I assist you today?
shivering
Thoughts: E- Elock?! When?! How?! I thought you worked for a farmer?! I can’t say anything, it'll reveal my identity to the worker! Okay, okay, okay just keep it calm!
“I- uh stuttering I changed my mind! She can help me, I’ll take her!”
Shopkeeper: I’m not surprised, she’s gone from owner to owner as she’s quite a hard worker, she’s worth a lot of money after being traded so many times before ending up at my place. 1000G for 7 days.
“I- yes I’ll take her”
Shopkeeper: perfect!
exits with supplies and Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock looking at Augustine’s wanted poster: solemn
“Something wrong?”
Elock: oh! N-nothing! It’s just these ropes binding my hands are just a bit tight! And W-where are we heading sir? We’re outside of town at this point and I- uh-
A: chuckles a bit you’re still just as bad as ever at hiding your nervousness Elock
Elock: Ah- I- how do you know my name?!
A: unties the rope and disables illusion It’s been a while, wouldn’t you agree?
Elock in shock and on the verge of tears: I…A…trembling, mouth slightly ajar in shock
A: what? Cat got your tongue? Well I guess that’s true consid-
Elock: pounces on him AUGUSTINE! I’ve missed you so much!How have you been?!Where did you- starts talking so fast that even Augustine couldn’t keep up with what she was saying and weeping happy tears profusely on his shirt
A: slightly choking from how tight she’s hugging him it’s okay, it’s okay! I’ve missed you too. I almost thought you were gonna be de- ow ow! Stop it I was kidding!
Elock: blep I know. Not a single day went by where I didn’t think about you! And say weren't your eyes brown before?
A: I’m flattered that you still remember and well…it’s kind of a long story…but first let’s retreat to safety. teleports with Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
A: …and then I ended up here
Elock: That’s incredible! You sure had been on a wild cart ride while I was gone! I wish I could have been there.
A: It's not as glamorous as it sounds, that experiment was agony incarnate, it’s a wonder I survived! In fact I was the only one who came out alive, though the powers I got bestowed with are certainly nothing to complain about but still the effects after we’re brutal.
Elock: glad you did, the way you and Zach escaped the facility was incredible.
A: well he can tell you all about it points to cabin we’ve arrived
Zach opens door
A: Hey Zach, I’m back from my shopping spree.
Z: Augustine what took you so long? The plan was to just get the supplies and get out.
A: I know! But I got a bit off track. I found someone very special.
Elock: pokes head through the door Mrow?
A: meet Elock, remem-
Z: her! The keidran you met when you were 10?
A: yup to Elock it’s alright Elock it’s fine he won’t bite.
Elock: H- hello sir.
Z: please call me Zach. It’s a pleasure.
shakes hand
Elock: it’s a nice place you 2 have here.
A: It was by sheer luck that we found this place actually.
Z: Yeah, the blast was much larger than we’d anticipated and even if my house remained intact, they’d still come searching for me.
Elock: Well lucky you found this place when you did.
A: Are you hungry Elock? We have some steak leftovers.
Elock: oh, I am actually, thank you!
Z: say Elock…
Elock: yes?
Z: Would you mind telling us your journey? I’d love to learn.
A: Zach!
Z: Right, sorry.
Elock: No, no Augustine, it’s alright. I don’t mind in the slightest.
Life in the rainforest regions was paradise, plenty of food, clean sources of water, plenty of building materials, and a beautiful sight to wake up to everyday. My parents worked directly under the matriarch, Lektra(keidran for bolt/thunder) so me being born was almost as exciting as the coronation of the matriarch herself. Unfortunately that swiftly came to a close when Lulio decided to use our home as farmland and despite protests from Lektra, Lulio still went through with the plan. In a flash everything was pretty much destroyed. Our warriors tried to fight back but were eliminated instantly, I was about 3 when this happened and the memory still burns strong to this day.
Augustine: muttering under his breath psychotic bastard…
Elock: I know how you feel, Augustine, trust me I do.
A: I know, I’m sorry
Elock: holds his hand It's alright.
After the destruction of my people and my home, I was sent into the town and stayed in a keidran only home until my 4th birthday. Instead of pleasant accommodations like human orphan homes, all we got was a pillow and some sheets to make ourselves comfortable with, most of us slept on the hardwood floor and it was unbearable. Lulio passed a law where keidran as young as 4 would be eligible for work. After my 4th birthday I was almost immediately whisked off to work on a farm, while the job was tough, they at least gave me my own room and bed, one of their guests even took a small liking to me but tragically he died of a lung infection.
Z: I lament your journey and loss Elock, I can’t imagine how tough this was to bear all at once.
Elock: please it’s okay, you don’t have to apologize for anything. None of this is any of your wrongdoing.
Z: You said your people were killed but what about your parents? Did they survive too?
Elock: Oh right! My parents were spared as they opted to surrender peacefully and they were sold to different owners. I used to occasionally see them from time to time but after I moved I had to say a tearful goodbye to both them and Augustine. playfully pinches his cheek
Z: You’re strong for getting through that, not many could take that much.
Elock: I appreciate that.
Z: Do you have any idea where your parents are right now?
Elock: I think they’re still in the same tow- Augustine? Are you okay?
A: on the other hand gripping the table so hard that it was gonna break, eyes with a look of both confusion and rage
Elock: Augustine?
A: I- I saw them…
Elock: What do you mean?
A: They were there…in the same room.
Elock: Are you talking about the operation?
A: Y- yes…I saw them, both of them. They were in the operation too, part of the 10 keidrans selected to be in the experiment. I briefly saw them looking at me, they were scared but I couldn’t do a damn thing to help them and now they're dead! slowly growing hysterical
Elock: Augustine!
A: snaps out of his hysterics
Elock: it’s not your fault! Neither of you have to feel guilty!
A: I know, but I just wish I could have done something to help them, but I was just a powerless child.
Z: Augustine. We all wish we could have done something to stop Lulio’s plan, we all feel the same way just please don’t put all the blame on yourself.
A: I know, I'm sorry…
Elock: it’s alright…we’re all here to support you, you got hit the hardest out of all so you should be the one to be the one who receives sympathy.
A: …thanks guys, It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve heard something so comforting.
Elock: don’t worry, we’ll never leave and when we do, we’ll leave together.
A: …oh! Elock, I hate to do this but would you mind helping us with something? We found a place that could be our key to salvation.
Elock: Of course! I don’t mind in the slightest.
A: teleports all 3 of them via waypoint
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock: in awe of the island I…this is incredible! It reminds me so much of my home! And you were right! There’s no hint of Templar activity at all!
A: We were just as shocked as you are right now when we first found it. I mean like Zach said, the Templar claimed that they have settled on all available land in this world.
Elock: Well then, let’s make good use of this place, so let’s get to work!
A: I couldn't have said it better myself.
hours later, the trio had finished building a moderate sized wooden house
A: woo! Not bad for a day's work, am I right?
Elock: Mrrrr…man that was a nice workout!
Z: Tell me about it!
A: So Elock, should we tell Zach?
Elock: I think so!
Z: Tell me…what?
A: Well…on the way here, Elock and I started thinking and we were thinking of a way we could free other slaves from their captors.
Z: sigh… well at this point, I know better than to criticize your plan before even hearing it so go ahead, spill it on me.
A: Operation: torchwick
—————
- Elock would be our messenger, using her spare time to get any other slaves on board with the plan, amassing as many as possible.
- On the large hill next to the town, we plant a large amount of gray mana crystals. Where downhill wind will carry the effect down into the town
- I would then use a spell that emits a light that can’t be perceived by humans but can be seen by keidrans and basitins alike, Which would act as the signal to go for it.
- The group would then head towards the light where we would then break for the mountains as fast as possible.
I would then use as much of my power as possible to telekinetic lift as many refugees as possibl-
Z: Yeah…considering that you almost dropped me off the side of the mountain, I think even you would have trouble lifting a bunch of slaves.
A: hey!
Elock: Mreeheehee!
A: anyways! After we figure out a way to get everyone up there, we’ll be untouchable!
Z: huh…well from one chaotic strategist to another, it’s worth a shot.
A: Perfect! See Elock?
Elock: mew?
A: I kept the promise I made, all those years ago! when we meet again, it’ll be your freedom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also for anyone who wants to know a bit more about Elock:
Name: Elock of the rainforest leopards
Species: rainforest leopard
Languages: human, keidran
Physical characteristics: yellow fur, black nose marking, black rosettes running down back and onto tail, unusually big and poofy tail, butter yellow hair with black streaks, faint outline of heart pattern on her behind
Height: 5’4”
Age: 9 years(was 4 when she met Augustine)
Eye color: emerald green
Mental characteristics:
-Quick learner
-Eager to help
-Bad at hiding panic
-Imaginative
-Heart of gold
-Shy but slowly growing out of it
-Optimistic
Likes: adventure, rain, storytelling, being adored, helping, hugs(especially from Augustine), pouncing on people she cares about.
Dislikes: slavery, Templar(although not as intensely as most others)
Unlike most, Elock had the ability to both read and write prior to slavery, being taught by both her parents and Lektra herself. Spending most of her time reading and drawing using whatever material she could find.
Tell me what you thought of this chapter!
2023.06.07 23:42 gsuberland Played a bunch of Astro Colony for the first time yesterday!
I bought this game yesterday after seeing Let's Game It Out playing around with it. I'm a big fan of factory games (I've got 1500 hours in Factorio and another 150 hours in Dyson Sphere Program) so when I saw that Astro Colony was kinda like "Satisfactory meets Raft meets Space Engineers", I was super excited. Bought it yesterday, played for far too long, next thing I knew it was 6am.
First up: this game looks great and runs smooth like butter. I cranked everything to ultra at 4K with a 2080Ti, it ran perfectly without a hitch. I'm on a workstation optimised for threaded workloads (2x 28c/56t CPUs @ 2.2GHz base) so my CPU is usually a bottleneck for games due to them typically wanting high single-core clocks, but you've either nailed support for lower clocks on single threaded loads or you're making very good use of thread pools for parallelism. Excellent work either way.
I'm also really glad to see a "mods" button in the menu already. Great move. A healthy modding community is what keeps factory games like this alive and interesting for years to come - I reckon there's more content in Factorio's overhaul mods (248k, Pyanodons, Krastorio, Space Exploration, etc.) alone than I think I could complete in a lifetime.
I think you also nailed the balance between exploration and factory building. The exploration just sorta happens naturally as you float through space or look for new resources, and doesn't take focus away from building stuff and progressing with technology. The abundance and distance of materials is also nicely balanced; this is something I personally didn't enjoy as much in Satisfactory and I think you did a better job of it.
Based on what I played, here's some feedback on stuff that I think could be improved, in no particular order:
The manual asteroid catchers are my least favourite part of the gameplay loop. They aren't fun enough to justify the amount of time you have to spend using them. I'd like to see them redesigned a bit to offer a wider panning range; perhaps even full 360° rotation. Restricting the catching direction doesn't seem to add anything to the challenge or balance and is mostly just an annoyance until you get automatic catchers up and running. I also think they could use a bit of balancing. I found that feeding input materials to just a couple of machines in the early game already needed enough catchers to occupy the majority of my time. One idea to alleviate the amount of babysitting might be to have the manual catchers be more efficient at getting materials out of the asteroids, so that they output a bit more stuff and don't need you to run back to them quite as frequently. You could still leave the automated catchers at the same output level so that it doesn't mess with mid-game balance, and explain the efficiency boost of the manual ones with some in-game flavour text like "non-automated asteroid catchers offer an improved yield due to manual identification of the highest mineral concentration veins in each captured asteroid". If you add a feature to put astronauts in the manual catchers in future, we could still get a bonus to yield, in exchange for having to feed the astronaut.
I found that using the Alt key to go vertically down was a little cramped. It's ok in a game like DSP where you're not heavily reliant on it for placement, but in a full 3D world it's somewhat awkward. Might be worth playing around with it to see if there's a better scheme. I wanted to bind scroll up/down to vertical movement, but it looks like this gets interpreted as the button being "pressed" for a single frame every time the scroll wheel changes value, so you don't actually move anywhere. Would be cool to have this option.
My reading of the controls is that Ctrl-RClick and Del are both supposed to delete stuff, but every time I tried Del it said that the object was locked. Deleting stuff with either input also doesn't seem to work in blueprints; it always says object locked. I'm not sure what a locked object is in this context. If I made a mistake in a blueprint I just ended up deleting it and starting over. Maybe I missed something? I also couldn't seem to rename blueprints - focusing the textbox was finnicky, and my typing kept being interpreted as control inputs.
The multi-select stuff could do with a tutorial early on in the game. The selection shader could also do with being turned down a notch so that it's more of a glow or outline instead of turning the object into an indistinct white blob.
I'd like to see radial menus for interacting with stuff instead of E or F keys having specific meanings for each thing. I'm also not a fan of E to get in, Q to get out, especially since Q is also bound to select/none. Just E for enteexit would be easier.
The tutorial bot works pretty well, but it does tend to stand a bit close sometimes. I also noticed that if you unlock a bunch of technologies at once, the tutorial bot picks one of the technologies to teach you about (the latest one? I don't remember) which might not be the one you're trying to work on at that point in time. It'd be helpful to have two new interaction options on the tutorial bot: one to tell it to stay put, so it rotates to face you but doesn't move, and another to show a selection box for switching the "active" tutorial to track objectives for.
On that note, the guidebook is a bit thin in terms of what it covers. I'm guessing you prioritised working on the tutorial bot to help get people into the game, which makes sense, but often I'll want to refresh my memory on something or read about things in a more high-level way than the tutorial bot offers, which is where the guidebook is super useful.
Pickaxe animations could do with a short delay after the type of object being targeted changes. Right now if you're digging out some quartz or other minerals on a planetoid, you only get a fraction of a second after it's mined out to release the button before you accidentally pickaxe the dirt and make a hole. Adding an additional 200ms delay if the target object type changes to dirt would solve this. Not a major issue but it'd be a nice QoL improvement for when you're clearing a space to plant a miner at a mineral patch.
Mineral patch generation on planetoids seems to be based on following the terrain surface. On planetoids with large terrain height gradients, this often leads to mineral patches with a large height variation, making it near impossible to place a large miner over them, and really inefficient to place smaller miners next to them. I worked around this sometimes by placing a large floor gantry above the highest point of the mineral patch, then sticking a large miner on top, but it looks kinda silly. I also ran into a couple of mineral patches where the minerals themselves (or dirt underneath) didn't seem to be registered as ground, causing certain squares to be marked as red and preventing miner placement without obvious cause. It might be worth reworking the mineral patch generator to limit the maximum Z-height delta within a patch, preferring to bury part of the patch underground rather than have it creep up a cliff.
Background music track transitions are a bit of an abrupt hard cut sometimes. Could benefit from some crossfade markers and level matching.
Thruster controls are kinda janky and I got thrown off the ship a few times. Defaulting to having the thrusters switched on when you place a control panel was, uh, a bit of a surprise! The control directions are also weird (which way is west? I'm in space!) and it'd be better if they were aligned with the direction of the control panel. I'm guessing the thrusters are a new feature that hasn't been fleshed out fully yet and will be improved in future.
All in all, I'd definitely say this was an above-average experience for an early access game, especially considering the small dev team. I'm really looking forward to the future of Astro Colony and I could definitely see it scratching the "what if Factorio was fully 3D" itch that Satisfactory never quite solved for me.
submitted by gsuberland to AstroColony [link] [comments]
First up: this game looks great and runs smooth like butter. I cranked everything to ultra at 4K with a 2080Ti, it ran perfectly without a hitch. I'm on a workstation optimised for threaded workloads (2x 28c/56t CPUs @ 2.2GHz base) so my CPU is usually a bottleneck for games due to them typically wanting high single-core clocks, but you've either nailed support for lower clocks on single threaded loads or you're making very good use of thread pools for parallelism. Excellent work either way.
I'm also really glad to see a "mods" button in the menu already. Great move. A healthy modding community is what keeps factory games like this alive and interesting for years to come - I reckon there's more content in Factorio's overhaul mods (248k, Pyanodons, Krastorio, Space Exploration, etc.) alone than I think I could complete in a lifetime.
I think you also nailed the balance between exploration and factory building. The exploration just sorta happens naturally as you float through space or look for new resources, and doesn't take focus away from building stuff and progressing with technology. The abundance and distance of materials is also nicely balanced; this is something I personally didn't enjoy as much in Satisfactory and I think you did a better job of it.
Based on what I played, here's some feedback on stuff that I think could be improved, in no particular order:
The manual asteroid catchers are my least favourite part of the gameplay loop. They aren't fun enough to justify the amount of time you have to spend using them. I'd like to see them redesigned a bit to offer a wider panning range; perhaps even full 360° rotation. Restricting the catching direction doesn't seem to add anything to the challenge or balance and is mostly just an annoyance until you get automatic catchers up and running. I also think they could use a bit of balancing. I found that feeding input materials to just a couple of machines in the early game already needed enough catchers to occupy the majority of my time. One idea to alleviate the amount of babysitting might be to have the manual catchers be more efficient at getting materials out of the asteroids, so that they output a bit more stuff and don't need you to run back to them quite as frequently. You could still leave the automated catchers at the same output level so that it doesn't mess with mid-game balance, and explain the efficiency boost of the manual ones with some in-game flavour text like "non-automated asteroid catchers offer an improved yield due to manual identification of the highest mineral concentration veins in each captured asteroid". If you add a feature to put astronauts in the manual catchers in future, we could still get a bonus to yield, in exchange for having to feed the astronaut.
I found that using the Alt key to go vertically down was a little cramped. It's ok in a game like DSP where you're not heavily reliant on it for placement, but in a full 3D world it's somewhat awkward. Might be worth playing around with it to see if there's a better scheme. I wanted to bind scroll up/down to vertical movement, but it looks like this gets interpreted as the button being "pressed" for a single frame every time the scroll wheel changes value, so you don't actually move anywhere. Would be cool to have this option.
My reading of the controls is that Ctrl-RClick and Del are both supposed to delete stuff, but every time I tried Del it said that the object was locked. Deleting stuff with either input also doesn't seem to work in blueprints; it always says object locked. I'm not sure what a locked object is in this context. If I made a mistake in a blueprint I just ended up deleting it and starting over. Maybe I missed something? I also couldn't seem to rename blueprints - focusing the textbox was finnicky, and my typing kept being interpreted as control inputs.
The multi-select stuff could do with a tutorial early on in the game. The selection shader could also do with being turned down a notch so that it's more of a glow or outline instead of turning the object into an indistinct white blob.
I'd like to see radial menus for interacting with stuff instead of E or F keys having specific meanings for each thing. I'm also not a fan of E to get in, Q to get out, especially since Q is also bound to select/none. Just E for enteexit would be easier.
The tutorial bot works pretty well, but it does tend to stand a bit close sometimes. I also noticed that if you unlock a bunch of technologies at once, the tutorial bot picks one of the technologies to teach you about (the latest one? I don't remember) which might not be the one you're trying to work on at that point in time. It'd be helpful to have two new interaction options on the tutorial bot: one to tell it to stay put, so it rotates to face you but doesn't move, and another to show a selection box for switching the "active" tutorial to track objectives for.
On that note, the guidebook is a bit thin in terms of what it covers. I'm guessing you prioritised working on the tutorial bot to help get people into the game, which makes sense, but often I'll want to refresh my memory on something or read about things in a more high-level way than the tutorial bot offers, which is where the guidebook is super useful.
Pickaxe animations could do with a short delay after the type of object being targeted changes. Right now if you're digging out some quartz or other minerals on a planetoid, you only get a fraction of a second after it's mined out to release the button before you accidentally pickaxe the dirt and make a hole. Adding an additional 200ms delay if the target object type changes to dirt would solve this. Not a major issue but it'd be a nice QoL improvement for when you're clearing a space to plant a miner at a mineral patch.
Mineral patch generation on planetoids seems to be based on following the terrain surface. On planetoids with large terrain height gradients, this often leads to mineral patches with a large height variation, making it near impossible to place a large miner over them, and really inefficient to place smaller miners next to them. I worked around this sometimes by placing a large floor gantry above the highest point of the mineral patch, then sticking a large miner on top, but it looks kinda silly. I also ran into a couple of mineral patches where the minerals themselves (or dirt underneath) didn't seem to be registered as ground, causing certain squares to be marked as red and preventing miner placement without obvious cause. It might be worth reworking the mineral patch generator to limit the maximum Z-height delta within a patch, preferring to bury part of the patch underground rather than have it creep up a cliff.
Background music track transitions are a bit of an abrupt hard cut sometimes. Could benefit from some crossfade markers and level matching.
Thruster controls are kinda janky and I got thrown off the ship a few times. Defaulting to having the thrusters switched on when you place a control panel was, uh, a bit of a surprise! The control directions are also weird (which way is west? I'm in space!) and it'd be better if they were aligned with the direction of the control panel. I'm guessing the thrusters are a new feature that hasn't been fleshed out fully yet and will be improved in future.
All in all, I'd definitely say this was an above-average experience for an early access game, especially considering the small dev team. I'm really looking forward to the future of Astro Colony and I could definitely see it scratching the "what if Factorio was fully 3D" itch that Satisfactory never quite solved for me.
2023.06.07 23:19 milkyrandy Summer Sublet - July, August, September
Looking to sublet my room in a 2 bedroom apartment in the middle of West Hollywood. 1500$ a month, and comes with in unit washer and dryer. Also, you are paying for electricity, which is about 30$ a month. 100$ and you get a parking space in the back. Starts June 18, ends Sept 18. If the timeline doesn’t totally fit, please reach out anyways! AWilling to do week to week negotiable sublet!
submitted by milkyrandy to LAlist [link] [comments]
2023.06.07 23:06 SageParadoxFGC Huge Lore Nerd Makes Project Moon OCs and Tries To Make Sinner Profiles Out Of Them [Warning: Long And Pointless Text]
So, being the writing enjoyer, huge lore nerd and general Project Moon brainrotter that I am, I decided to make a bunch of Project Moon OCs. I really like how Limbus Company does their "character profile" set-ups (both dialogue and in-gameplay stat blocks), so I decided I was going to start filling those out for said characters. However, as a certified goon, I realised that a) it's important to me that said statblocks are not incredibly broken or underpowered (say, around, A-tier?) and b) I didn't have the understanding of the game or its mechanics required to avoid that.
As such, I am going to enlist some helpful fellow PM brainrotters (that's you) in order to ensure that I do it in a way that is interesting, in-character, not too strong, and not too weak. That is, if people are sufficiently nerdy to do so.
Just a preface - these are meant to be their own characters. As such, they aren't meant to be Identities which a Sinner would wear, but nor are they "an alternate group of Sinners Vergilius would collect to find the Golden Branches". I just like how the Limbus Company stat profiles and dialogue and EGOs and such work.
Here are summaries of the OCs, for preliminary overview and suggestions. I'll probably end up making a post for each separate character once I have a better idea of how I want to present them but this should give you an idea of whether I have anything interesting cooking or not.
Amy: Hana Director (West Branch, Section 2/3?). A huge stickler for the rules, who does everything "by the book". She absolutely hates corruption, and people not living up to the "expected standards" of their job or role, and personally audits Offices and businesses she comes across, earning her the nickname of "Hana's Inquisitor". She wants to believe in justice, but she lives in the City, so that's no easy feat. Gameplay-wise, I thought that a heavily single-target character which focuses on Rupture would make sense - with the addition of a debuff called Scrutinized which interacts with her skills in various rupture-related ways, and itself causes allies to heal for SP if the target dies to an attack that triggers Rupture. I would do something with the Trigrams, but that doesn't feel "unique" enough, and also I have no clue how those would be implemented in Limbus' style.
Antonio: A young, ruthless capo of the Thumb. Antonio made it quickly up the ranks with his quick tongue, quicker wit, and absolute loyalty to the hierarchy of the Syndicate. He is frequently sarcastic and critical, though he obviously reigns in these tendencies around his superiors. He and his men make much use of concusssive rounds, and his marksmanship is as impressively precise as he is brutally efficient. Gameplay wise, I thought that an ammo-based character would be interesting, with a focus on: blunt damage (he is using concussive/pellet rounds), bleed (he ruthlessly aims for vitals and is quite good at it, he's also a member of the Thumb), and a reload mechanic (we don't have one yet, and he's a member of the Thumb).
August: A member of Nagel Und Hammer's research teams, August frequently impales themselves with numerous (memory-containing) nails in a strange ritual of self-mutilation. Despite this alleged waste of N-Corp's Singularity, and August's concerning personality, the higher-ups overlook this for two reasons: August's innate genius competence, and August's absolutely fanatical work ethic and loyalty to N-Corp. Both as a crusader against the only things August considers "filthier" than themselves, and as a researcher on N-Corp's Singularity and the information and experiences gained from it, August is tireless, intelligent, and without scruples. Gameplay-wise, Nails, obviously, but possibly self-damage and self-healing? I wasn't really sure where to go with this, so suggestions would be appreciated.
Jason: The Operator of the Argo Office (a Zwei Associate, Grade 3). Young, naïve and absolutely prodigious, Jason spearheads a comprehensive peacekeeping operation through charisma, a sparkling intellect and impressive combat talent. Despite all of this, he cannot bear to see humanity in its current state, and searches constantly for any means to spread his peace across the entire City. Gameplay-wise, I thought a support character based on granting buffs to allies would be sensible. Protection, Haste, SP buffs? Something else?
Saz: An actress from District 9 who became enraptured by the Pianist's performance. Mysterious, joyful and cryptic, she seems to dance to a tune all her own, and meanders across the city from District to District. She has a bounty on her head as an Urban Nightmare due to her capriciousness: despite occasional actions of seeming selflessness, she sometimes kills random Nest-dwellers wherever she happens to be. She has been noted to say that she wishes to change the City in some way, considering its current state a "dull backdrop" to her performance, and wishing for a "stage with greater freedom to act". Gameplay-wise, I thought a character similar to W-Corp Don Quixote would be best - namely, a character who functions off of an incredibly powerful but potentially detrimental third Skill. Saz stacks Haste and Charge in order to reach a third skill that is absolutely devastating at full power, but targets herself if she doesn't possess the right resources.
Paul: A chef from District 23, Paul is quite unique for his distaste for overusing human meat. That is not to say he doesn't use it - after all, it's "the ultimate taste" - but to him, he finds it disrespectful to use too much of it. He believes it "cheapens" the flavour, which is very important to him as an artisanal chef. He also requisitions rare and expensive meats from the Outskirts and Ruins, from "exotic" ingredients, and produces his own homemade breads and other foodstuffs, making his food very high quality, if a little expensive. This limits his clientele, effectively forever barring him from reaching the level of the Eight Chefs, but Paul has come to terms with this. Gameplay-wise, bleed and self-healing are obvious staples, but I was thinking about having him be affected by high Sanity in some way - perhaps an abnormal number of [Heads Hit] effects?
Jacob: The Head of the Information Team in a branch facility of Lobotomy Corporation, Jacob was the only survivor after the White Nights and Dark Days commenced. He managed to escape thanks in no small part due to his Synchronization with Crimson Comet, an Aberration of Blue Star. Jacob himself used to be very idealistic and talented, having come to LobCorp for this reason. However, as the years went on, Jacob became more and more cynical and jaded. He is presently looking for work in T-Corp, seeing that as his next best option and knowing T-Corp had a relationship with his previous workplace, but for now he is doing Fixer work with Crimson Comet in order to pay the bills. Gameplay-wise, I found Tremor and Sinking to be the best way of representing him. Sort of like LCCB Ishmael, but rather than Ammo as his "resource management", I was thinking negative Sanity (to represent Crimson Comet's effect on his mental state and combat capability).
Enzo: A Senior W Corp Cleanup Crew agent, Enzo is well-known internally for his ability to make light of even the most heinous situations - a useful ability considering his line of work. His tendencies to crack genuinely funny jokes and his general sociability do not distract him from his job, though - despite his jovial, sometimes even flirtatious behaviour, Enzo is brutally efficient at "cleaning up" the aftermath of W-Corp's Singularities, and is fiercely loyal to the Wing. Owing to his adoption from the horrifying Backstreets of District 23 by a W-Corp Feather, Enzo considers the Cleanup Crew (and the Wing as a whole) his "family", and won't hesitate to protect them with his life, which has won him many favours. Gameplay-wise, Charge is obvious. Ideally some form of "tankier" ID, perhaps? I'm not really sure of the validity of tanks in a game like Limbus Company, though.
Manasseh: A peculiar Messenger of the Index, Manasseh was previously a Weaver, but the Prescripts demoted him to Messenger after his hubris got the better of him. Rather than be dismayed at this turn of events, Manasseh was amused - the sadistic thrill he got from watching the whims of the City crush a stranger's soul was even better in person. Now, he acts as a herald of the Prescripts in truth, an ill omen, a harbinger of bad news. Fate may not be his to command, but it is his to proclaim, and who better than he to be a bridge between the present and the inevitable future? Gameplay-wise, I pictured a character who has an easier time winning clashes, and slowly applies more and more Paralysis and Fragility as the fight goes on.
Julia: A diplomat, coordinator and "fieldwork operative" from the April Office (a Cinq Associate, Grade 2), Julia is a competent, well-reputed Fixer who handles her contracts with demure composure and frank professionalism. However, this persona is a facade: a shell meant to disguise Julia's disgust and contempt at the state of the City and its residents. Recently, her cocoon has begun to break open, leaving her with unusual abilities she is only too happy to use to vent her frustrations through her work. Gameplay-wise, I believe Charge and negative Sanity might be reasonable mechanics, though I find myself drawn strangely to the idea of a character with big benefits on [Clash Lose] (which would be quite hard to balance, unfortunately).
Sasgonei: A senior member of the Dragonbone Workshop, a workshop specialising in semi-autonomous body augmentations and weaponry constructed from exotic materials, Sasgonei specialises in instruction and training of his suboordinates. He is close with his fellow Dragonbone Fixers, and is seen in a somewhat paternal light by his students. Despite the City's usual policy of "it's not personal", Sasgonei has been known to go on a rampage when his Workshop or its personnel have been threatened, and has generated enough of a reputation to be known by name to certain Tres Association officials. Gameplay-wise, I was thinking of a character who hands out simple but effective buffs: stuff like Protection, Damage Up, Haste and so on. I was also thinking an actually usable Counter skill could be cool, but I'm not sure how that would function (self-healing, to make it viable to take damage?).
Zoroas: A reclusive member of the Seven Association's Western Branch's Section 1, Zoroas sees his work as artistry. From combat to information gathering, he fulfils his assignments with a certain sense of dignity and discretion that leads clients to be favourable toward him. His refined taste extends to the battlefield as well, disdaining weaponry or techniques with a lack of finesse, and procuring information and removing obstacles with much the same elegance that he displays otherwise. He has recently shown a fascination with the Distortion Phenomenon, believing it to be a sacred representation of the beauty of human struggle, and seeks to analyse any Distortions he comes across. Gameplay-wise, I believe Poise (obvious) and Fragility (as a member of the Seven Association) would be appropriate, but I'm accepting suggestions.
submitted by SageParadoxFGC to limbuscompany [link] [comments]
As such, I am going to enlist some helpful fellow PM brainrotters (that's you) in order to ensure that I do it in a way that is interesting, in-character, not too strong, and not too weak. That is, if people are sufficiently nerdy to do so.
Just a preface - these are meant to be their own characters. As such, they aren't meant to be Identities which a Sinner would wear, but nor are they "an alternate group of Sinners Vergilius would collect to find the Golden Branches". I just like how the Limbus Company stat profiles and dialogue and EGOs and such work.
Here are summaries of the OCs, for preliminary overview and suggestions. I'll probably end up making a post for each separate character once I have a better idea of how I want to present them but this should give you an idea of whether I have anything interesting cooking or not.
Amy: Hana Director (West Branch, Section 2/3?). A huge stickler for the rules, who does everything "by the book". She absolutely hates corruption, and people not living up to the "expected standards" of their job or role, and personally audits Offices and businesses she comes across, earning her the nickname of "Hana's Inquisitor". She wants to believe in justice, but she lives in the City, so that's no easy feat. Gameplay-wise, I thought that a heavily single-target character which focuses on Rupture would make sense - with the addition of a debuff called Scrutinized which interacts with her skills in various rupture-related ways, and itself causes allies to heal for SP if the target dies to an attack that triggers Rupture. I would do something with the Trigrams, but that doesn't feel "unique" enough, and also I have no clue how those would be implemented in Limbus' style.
Antonio: A young, ruthless capo of the Thumb. Antonio made it quickly up the ranks with his quick tongue, quicker wit, and absolute loyalty to the hierarchy of the Syndicate. He is frequently sarcastic and critical, though he obviously reigns in these tendencies around his superiors. He and his men make much use of concusssive rounds, and his marksmanship is as impressively precise as he is brutally efficient. Gameplay wise, I thought that an ammo-based character would be interesting, with a focus on: blunt damage (he is using concussive/pellet rounds), bleed (he ruthlessly aims for vitals and is quite good at it, he's also a member of the Thumb), and a reload mechanic (we don't have one yet, and he's a member of the Thumb).
August: A member of Nagel Und Hammer's research teams, August frequently impales themselves with numerous (memory-containing) nails in a strange ritual of self-mutilation. Despite this alleged waste of N-Corp's Singularity, and August's concerning personality, the higher-ups overlook this for two reasons: August's innate genius competence, and August's absolutely fanatical work ethic and loyalty to N-Corp. Both as a crusader against the only things August considers "filthier" than themselves, and as a researcher on N-Corp's Singularity and the information and experiences gained from it, August is tireless, intelligent, and without scruples. Gameplay-wise, Nails, obviously, but possibly self-damage and self-healing? I wasn't really sure where to go with this, so suggestions would be appreciated.
Jason: The Operator of the Argo Office (a Zwei Associate, Grade 3). Young, naïve and absolutely prodigious, Jason spearheads a comprehensive peacekeeping operation through charisma, a sparkling intellect and impressive combat talent. Despite all of this, he cannot bear to see humanity in its current state, and searches constantly for any means to spread his peace across the entire City. Gameplay-wise, I thought a support character based on granting buffs to allies would be sensible. Protection, Haste, SP buffs? Something else?
Saz: An actress from District 9 who became enraptured by the Pianist's performance. Mysterious, joyful and cryptic, she seems to dance to a tune all her own, and meanders across the city from District to District. She has a bounty on her head as an Urban Nightmare due to her capriciousness: despite occasional actions of seeming selflessness, she sometimes kills random Nest-dwellers wherever she happens to be. She has been noted to say that she wishes to change the City in some way, considering its current state a "dull backdrop" to her performance, and wishing for a "stage with greater freedom to act". Gameplay-wise, I thought a character similar to W-Corp Don Quixote would be best - namely, a character who functions off of an incredibly powerful but potentially detrimental third Skill. Saz stacks Haste and Charge in order to reach a third skill that is absolutely devastating at full power, but targets herself if she doesn't possess the right resources.
Paul: A chef from District 23, Paul is quite unique for his distaste for overusing human meat. That is not to say he doesn't use it - after all, it's "the ultimate taste" - but to him, he finds it disrespectful to use too much of it. He believes it "cheapens" the flavour, which is very important to him as an artisanal chef. He also requisitions rare and expensive meats from the Outskirts and Ruins, from "exotic" ingredients, and produces his own homemade breads and other foodstuffs, making his food very high quality, if a little expensive. This limits his clientele, effectively forever barring him from reaching the level of the Eight Chefs, but Paul has come to terms with this. Gameplay-wise, bleed and self-healing are obvious staples, but I was thinking about having him be affected by high Sanity in some way - perhaps an abnormal number of [Heads Hit] effects?
Jacob: The Head of the Information Team in a branch facility of Lobotomy Corporation, Jacob was the only survivor after the White Nights and Dark Days commenced. He managed to escape thanks in no small part due to his Synchronization with Crimson Comet, an Aberration of Blue Star. Jacob himself used to be very idealistic and talented, having come to LobCorp for this reason. However, as the years went on, Jacob became more and more cynical and jaded. He is presently looking for work in T-Corp, seeing that as his next best option and knowing T-Corp had a relationship with his previous workplace, but for now he is doing Fixer work with Crimson Comet in order to pay the bills. Gameplay-wise, I found Tremor and Sinking to be the best way of representing him. Sort of like LCCB Ishmael, but rather than Ammo as his "resource management", I was thinking negative Sanity (to represent Crimson Comet's effect on his mental state and combat capability).
Enzo: A Senior W Corp Cleanup Crew agent, Enzo is well-known internally for his ability to make light of even the most heinous situations - a useful ability considering his line of work. His tendencies to crack genuinely funny jokes and his general sociability do not distract him from his job, though - despite his jovial, sometimes even flirtatious behaviour, Enzo is brutally efficient at "cleaning up" the aftermath of W-Corp's Singularities, and is fiercely loyal to the Wing. Owing to his adoption from the horrifying Backstreets of District 23 by a W-Corp Feather, Enzo considers the Cleanup Crew (and the Wing as a whole) his "family", and won't hesitate to protect them with his life, which has won him many favours. Gameplay-wise, Charge is obvious. Ideally some form of "tankier" ID, perhaps? I'm not really sure of the validity of tanks in a game like Limbus Company, though.
Manasseh: A peculiar Messenger of the Index, Manasseh was previously a Weaver, but the Prescripts demoted him to Messenger after his hubris got the better of him. Rather than be dismayed at this turn of events, Manasseh was amused - the sadistic thrill he got from watching the whims of the City crush a stranger's soul was even better in person. Now, he acts as a herald of the Prescripts in truth, an ill omen, a harbinger of bad news. Fate may not be his to command, but it is his to proclaim, and who better than he to be a bridge between the present and the inevitable future? Gameplay-wise, I pictured a character who has an easier time winning clashes, and slowly applies more and more Paralysis and Fragility as the fight goes on.
Julia: A diplomat, coordinator and "fieldwork operative" from the April Office (a Cinq Associate, Grade 2), Julia is a competent, well-reputed Fixer who handles her contracts with demure composure and frank professionalism. However, this persona is a facade: a shell meant to disguise Julia's disgust and contempt at the state of the City and its residents. Recently, her cocoon has begun to break open, leaving her with unusual abilities she is only too happy to use to vent her frustrations through her work. Gameplay-wise, I believe Charge and negative Sanity might be reasonable mechanics, though I find myself drawn strangely to the idea of a character with big benefits on [Clash Lose] (which would be quite hard to balance, unfortunately).
Sasgonei: A senior member of the Dragonbone Workshop, a workshop specialising in semi-autonomous body augmentations and weaponry constructed from exotic materials, Sasgonei specialises in instruction and training of his suboordinates. He is close with his fellow Dragonbone Fixers, and is seen in a somewhat paternal light by his students. Despite the City's usual policy of "it's not personal", Sasgonei has been known to go on a rampage when his Workshop or its personnel have been threatened, and has generated enough of a reputation to be known by name to certain Tres Association officials. Gameplay-wise, I was thinking of a character who hands out simple but effective buffs: stuff like Protection, Damage Up, Haste and so on. I was also thinking an actually usable Counter skill could be cool, but I'm not sure how that would function (self-healing, to make it viable to take damage?).
Zoroas: A reclusive member of the Seven Association's Western Branch's Section 1, Zoroas sees his work as artistry. From combat to information gathering, he fulfils his assignments with a certain sense of dignity and discretion that leads clients to be favourable toward him. His refined taste extends to the battlefield as well, disdaining weaponry or techniques with a lack of finesse, and procuring information and removing obstacles with much the same elegance that he displays otherwise. He has recently shown a fascination with the Distortion Phenomenon, believing it to be a sacred representation of the beauty of human struggle, and seeks to analyse any Distortions he comes across. Gameplay-wise, I believe Poise (obvious) and Fragility (as a member of the Seven Association) would be appropriate, but I'm accepting suggestions.
2023.06.07 22:59 Mother_Orchid_1109 [Us to Us] [Sell] [perfume] Alkemia, AlphaMusk, Arcana Craves, Death + Floral, new Hex, MORARI, Sorcellerie apothecary, Sucreabeille, Sugar + Spite, and Whisper Sisters.
Heeeyya fellow queerios, (+ non lgbtq+ beans.) 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ happy pride month! I hope you get to be authentically you now, and in the future. And if you currently are not able to for whatever reason, remember, a small minded person can only wade in shallow, + murky waters. (Did that make any make sense? Prob not.) Anyhow, welcome to my lil’ destash. Hope some of these perfumes will fly away to new homes, where they can be properly loved. 🦋
usual deets: perfumes stored in a dark, wooden chest, pet friendly, smoke free home, i often re-use packaging —- let me know if it’s a problem though, and ship within a week. shipping is $5 for 3 or less full sizes, but may cost more if you exceed that. $4 minimum please. Assume all are oils, unless otherwise noted.
FS’
Smaller sizes / samples
Cake for Breakfast 6ml rollerball): Birthday cake, ripe mango, pineapple, coffee, maple syrup, and a hint of cardamom. $17
-Athena (dram 3.5? - label quite stained and a little torn): Dark vanilla, patchouli, pepper, ivy, sea spray. ~65% full $3.50
Venus: label came off, about 3/5 ml spiral glass rollerball bottle. Can’t find notes, but it is definitely orange blossom, and if I’m not mistaken, I recall a frankincense note, which I get gently underlying, what is otherwise very orange blossom-y. ~60% full $3
Desmondontinae can’t find notes, but I believe I remember a black musk note, and a cola note that almost reads like clove, dry down is almost like a cola meets clove, meets motor oil, but make it slightly sweet - still a quite unique, dark, deep, + sort of warm scent. (about 2.5-3ml/5 ml take as a freebie, upon request with any $8 purchase or more. Label is damaged and unreadable.) RIS, Oil
Once again, thank you for looking! =‘ )
submitted by Mother_Orchid_1109 to IndieExchange [link] [comments]
usual deets: perfumes stored in a dark, wooden chest, pet friendly, smoke free home, i often re-use packaging —- let me know if it’s a problem though, and ship within a week. shipping is $5 for 3 or less full sizes, but may cost more if you exceed that. $4 minimum please. Assume all are oils, unless otherwise noted.
FS’
- Alkemia
- ALPHAMUSK: ($14 each unless otherwise noted)
- Baked [a scent inspired by the feeling of being high all day and getting so couch glued you don’t even want to get up to pee-pee but it’s all chill, buttery weed cookie crumbs(it’s not really very weed smelling more about the feels), warm vibrational musk.] ~90% full
- Shy [arabian musk tahara, almost glue-like in texture and each have their own irresistible skin like sweet vibe - this one smells like coconut and vanilla so I decided to amp that quality and I slowly cut in a coconut butter note, more of a desert actual butter and coconut not like the odorless oil, and marshmallow fluff. The musks natural vanilla quality sort of does its thing.] (around 70-75%full -$9)
- ARCANA CRAVES:
- DEATH AND FLORAL (both mostly full):
Smaller sizes / samples
- Arcana Wildcraft (house sample ~75-80% full -$3)
- Chillum [high in the Himalayas, herb is often smoked in a cylindrical pipe called a chillum, as it has been for thousands of years. Opening with a whoosh of cold blue pine, then expanding into a heart of sensual Yeti fur, animalic mountain musk, Himalayan cedarwood, and Himalayan Gold accord." (from the brand's website)]
- Fly Me to The Moon (LE charity scent for reproductive rights / abortion access / rights): Chocolate covered roasted coffee beans, toasted coconut shavings, sweet feminine musk. ~60% full $8
- Hellebore 8.5ml (Parfum Extrait): Pumpkin cakes, mace, smoked vanilla, burnt sugar. 75% full $12
- Traveler (5ml oil -Mostly full; discontinued): Indonesian Teak, Tobacco, Sage, Campfire Smoke. $7
Cake for Breakfast 6ml rollerball): Birthday cake, ripe mango, pineapple, coffee, maple syrup, and a hint of cardamom. $17
- buy👆🏻this and get a house sample of She’s a Witch: warm pizzelle cookies studded with anise seeds and dusted with powdered sugar, heliotrope, sheer woods, musk. for $1; fill is ~at least 60%)
-Athena (dram 3.5? - label quite stained and a little torn): Dark vanilla, patchouli, pepper, ivy, sea spray. ~65% full $3.50
- SUCREABEILLE:
- WHISPER SISTERS:
Venus: label came off, about 3/5 ml spiral glass rollerball bottle. Can’t find notes, but it is definitely orange blossom, and if I’m not mistaken, I recall a frankincense note, which I get gently underlying, what is otherwise very orange blossom-y. ~60% full $3
Desmondontinae can’t find notes, but I believe I remember a black musk note, and a cola note that almost reads like clove, dry down is almost like a cola meets clove, meets motor oil, but make it slightly sweet - still a quite unique, dark, deep, + sort of warm scent. (about 2.5-3ml/5 ml take as a freebie, upon request with any $8 purchase or more. Label is damaged and unreadable.) RIS, Oil
Once again, thank you for looking! =‘ )