Make your own car online game

RoastMyCar: Have your car roasted or roast others!

2016.01.10 19:38 RoastMyCar: Have your car roasted or roast others!

Roast some rubber!
[link]

2016.07.06 16:25 rsmtirish Ask the car folks!

This is a subreddit for automotive related questions.
[link]

2010.09.20 06:45 darthcaldwell r/CarTalk

The place to talk about your car
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2024.06.10 19:03 ccorbs89 34 [M4F] #Connecticut Northeast area Any love for chubby dads?!

Hello! Single dad here. I have a 5 year old son that I share custody with his mother. We do the co-parenting thing and live our own individual lives. I’m 34, 35 next Friday! Been having a rough time on dating apps and I lucked out here once so I figured I would give it another go.
Besides the full time job of being a parent, I work full time in masonry and hardscape sales. When I’m not working or with my boy I enjoy working on my rockin’ Dadbod, hanging out with the few close friends that I have, checking out new restaurants/breweries/bars and getting outside. I’ve really enjoyed hiking lately and just did 6 miles this past weekend! I love sports, mainly baseball and football. I’ll watch college basketball also. I’m opening to becoming a fan of other sports as well. I also enjoy going to festivals/raves but I listen to a wide range of music. Not a huge tv fan. My ADHD brain makes it hard to choose which show to watch. I play a few video games, taught myself a little acoustic guitar, collect baseball cards and beer glasses! I’m somewhat of a nerd..love history and anything science related. My son and I love Star Wars and Marvel.
As far as looks go..I’m 5’10, brown hair, brown eyes chubby Dadbod physique with a couple tattoos. (I lean toward a muscular fat Dadbod) I try to keep clean shaven for work since I’m in sales. I can send a picture if you send one in return.
As far as what I’m looking for? Someone who gets me, someone where the conversation just clicks. Where we can move our chat off of here and send each-other texts throughout the day or voice notes or videos. If you like memes that’s a plus! I’d like someone in CT or New England since I’d like to meet up eventually if things get serious. Ideally I’d like to find a relationship here and hopefully something long term.
If you’re interested shoot your shot at this chubby dad and let’s see if we mesh!
submitted by ccorbs89 to ForeverAloneDating [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 19:03 nukleabomb Forza Motorsport Update 9.0 Release Notes – June 10, 2024

Forza Motorsport Update 9, Endurance Month, celebrates the tenacity and focus of one of the most unique racing formats in motorsport history with new endurance races, a debut car, and one of the most iconic endurance racing tracks in the world, Sebring.
Suit up and drive like a member of the Porsche 2024 endurance racing team with the 2024 Porsche #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 and Porsche Racing Suit.
Today’s update also brings improvements to endurance mainstay tracks Laguna Seca and Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Below is a summary of new content and features, and items fixed or improved in Update 9. The list of changes in this version is lighter compared to previous updates as we work towards additional improvements to be released during the summer.
In the meantime, we wanted to let you know that we are looking into an issue where shift times can be slightly different based on your monitor refresh rate and PC framerate. The community has provided useful data to help us investigate this problem, and we expect to have it resolved in an upcoming release. In the future, PC players will also receive an option to disable TAA and an updated VRAM estimator. Stay tuned for details on when these updates roll out into the game.
Also, we continue to investigate a bug where many existing and shared livery designs inadvertently appear with matte decals following the addition of the Vinyl Material feature in the previous update. Work on this fix remains ongoing and we will let you know once it’s ready to be released.

Version Number:

Game Content, Features and Events [All Platforms]

Store DLC
Track Addition
Career Events
Reward Cars
Spotlight Cars
VIP Discount Cars
Multiplayer Events
The Endurance Series in Featured Multiplayer ratchets up the strategy and focus of the most competitive drivers for up to 1 hour per race.
With a different division each week, these races will require a renewed focus on strategies around pitting, tire compounds, and fuel levels.
We’re also permanently adding 30-minute-long races to the event rotation within both the Forza Touring Car and Forza GT Series. Going forward, the length of these evergreen Spec Series will cycle between ‘Short,’ ‘Medium’ and the new ‘Long’ races. The Nürburgring Nordschleife and Full Circuit layouts have also been included in the event rotation for Long races in Featured Multiplayer.
Endurance Series
Available from June 12 5pm PT June 13 12am UTC – July 10 5pm PT July 11 12am UTC
Open Series
Spotlight Series
Rivals Events

Bug Fixes and Improvements

Gameplay [All Platforms]
Tracks [All Platforms]
Laguna Seca
Nürburgring Nordschleife
To accommodate these changes, leaderboards for Laguna Seca – Full Circuit, Nürburgring Nordschleife and Nürburgring Nordschleife – Full Circuit have been reset.
Maple Valley
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Cars [All Platforms]
UI [All Platforms]
Forza Motorsport Update 9, Endurance Month, celebrates the tenacity and focus of one of the most unique racing formats in motorsport history with new endurance races, a debut car, and one of the most iconic endurance racing tracks in the world, Sebring.
Suit up and drive like a member of the Porsche 2024 endurance racing team with the 2024 Porsche #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 and Porsche Racing Suit.
Today’s update also brings improvements to endurance mainstay tracks Laguna Seca and Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Below is a summary of new content and features, and items fixed or improved in Update 9. The list of changes in this version is lighter compared to previous updates as we work towards additional improvements to be released during the summer.
In the meantime, we wanted to let you know that we are looking into an issue where shift times can be slightly different based on your monitor refresh rate and PC framerate. The community has provided useful data to help us investigate this problem, and we expect to have it resolved in an upcoming release. In the future, PC players will also receive an option to disable TAA and an updated VRAM estimator. Stay tuned for details on when these updates roll out into the game.
Also, we continue to investigate a bug where many existing and shared livery designs inadvertently appear with matte decals following the addition of the Vinyl Material feature in the previous update. Work on this fix remains ongoing and we will let you know once it’s ready to be released.

Version Number:

Game Content, Features and Events [All Platforms]

Store DLC
Track Addition
Career Events
Reward Cars
Spotlight Cars
VIP Discount Cars
Multiplayer Events
The Endurance Series in Featured Multiplayer ratchets up the strategy and focus of the most competitive drivers for up to 1 hour per race.
With a different division each week, these races will require a renewed focus on strategies around pitting, tire compounds, and fuel levels.
We’re also permanently adding 30-minute-long races to the event rotation within both the Forza Touring Car and Forza GT Series. Going forward, the length of these evergreen Spec Series will cycle between ‘Short,’ ‘Medium’ and the new ‘Long’ races. The Nürburgring Nordschleife and Full Circuit layouts have also been included in the event rotation for Long races in Featured Multiplayer.
Endurance Series
Available from June 12 5pm PT June 13 12am UTC – July 10 5pm PT July 11 12am UTC
Open Series
Spotlight Series
Rivals Events

Bug Fixes and Improvements

Gameplay [All Platforms]
Tracks [All Platforms]
Laguna Seca
Nürburgring Nordschleife
To accommodate these changes, leaderboards for Laguna Seca – Full Circuit, Nürburgring Nordschleife and Nürburgring Nordschleife – Full Circuit have been reset.
Maple Valley
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Cars [All Platforms]
UI [All Platforms]
submitted by nukleabomb to forza [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 19:02 FunnyAggressive5783 F4A- LOOKING FOR A REALISTIC HUSBAND WIFE ROLEPLAY AS WE SEE IN DESI HOUSEHOLDS

F4A - A realistic desi husband wife rp.
So i wanna play as my husband. So 3 am, we are asleep with the kids on the same bed, i wake up horny and try to wake you up to convince and seduce you for sex. I want you to give me a scenario similar to this one as ive done this one alot of times.
Notes I want this sex to be from your perspective like youre doing it only to fulfill your duty as a wife And not that you want it much
I'd like to convince you alot....i love chasing And i want to request and insist on small things multiple times like...getting your top off etc
I want you to agree very hardly....i want you to be a typical housewife
We will be doing this in hindi. I want you to dm me.
I am Roleplaying is a creative and interactive form of storytelling where individuals assume fictional roles and engage in improvisational scenarios. It allows participants to explore different characters, personalities, and situations, fostering imagination, empathy, and problem-solving skills. In roleplaying, players can experiment with various identities, backgrounds, and motivations, helping to develop their understanding of different perspectives and experiences.
Roleplaying can take many forms, including tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, live-action games, and online communities. It can be used for entertainment, education, and even therapeutic purposes. By immersing themselves in fictional worlds and characters, participants can build confidence, communication skills, and emotional intelligence. Roleplaying also encourages creativity, adaptability, and critical thinking, as players navigate complex scenarios and make decisions that impact the story. Whether in a fantasy realm or a real-world setting, roleplaying offers a unique and engaging way to explore new possibilities and connect with others.
submitted by FunnyAggressive5783 to IndianNSFWRoleplay [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 19:02 BruiseVein Sharing my journey through NEET PG prep and how i scored well in the exam.

Hello everyone. I want to share my journey through NEET PG preparations (PG entrance exam in India) 4 years ago. I was not a great student but i worked really hard through one year of drop and ended up scoring well enough to end up in Radiology which i had never imagined before.
I want to share bits of my own journey, share the things that i learnt about how to score well in the exam.
This is not a step by step guide to crack NEET PG exam, but rather my own experiences and what i believe can help you score well.
Part 1: Introduction
Throughout undergrad i was an average student. I didn’t read a lot, but in general i understood the concepts well.
There's always all kinds of people writing the exam: first, the top tier elite students who have the potential and are hard working enough to crack the exam. We all have those in out batch and we all know who they are.
Second, Mid to low tier ones who either have the potential but are unable to put in enough hard work, or are hard working but lack a smarter approach or strategy. This post is mainly intended for such people.
Then there are ones who neither want to or are incapable of putting in the effort. These are already out of the competition and do not contribute significantly to the competition. The actual competition is among the 30-40k students, beyond which it's just insignificant crowd.
Before approaching NEET PG, i never expected myself to do well in the exam. I was however aware of my shortcomings. I knew what a mammoth task it was to crack an exam like that, and how underprepared i was.
During med school, i had imposter syndrome. I significantly underestimated myself. I attributed the things i had achieved to luck rather than my own hard work. I wasn't very hard working during MBBS either. However for NEET i ended up developing a system which got me through the preparation and helped me score well in the exam. I got 839 marks out of 1200, with a rank of 1299, which isn't that amazing in of itself, but it was way beyond i had ever expected. And there must be many of you in the same boat. There must be some of you who have the potential and just need some direction or a little push towards the right direction.
This is not a step by step guide to scoring higher marks, rather the story of my own journey through the prep, the things i learnt, the mistakes i made, and the challenges i overcame.
People say you can achieve anything with hard work. Can you really though? Can it really be done through sheer hard work and planning, was the question i had. I was competing with people much smarter, hard working and dedicated students across the country. I'm sure many of you feel this way.
Part 2: Entering the prep
Entering the prep, i was vastly underprepared as compared to my colleagues.
I had several important realizations before entering the preparation, which played a vital role in how it turned out. It's important that you pause and take some time to truly understand these things and ingrain it in your brain.
First, understand how big a task NEET really is. The sheer scale of it should humble you. You cannot underestimate the exam or overestimate yourself. If you approach the exam with a slightest bit of casual attitude, you don't truly deserve a great outcome. It's a competitive exam. For every mistake of yours there are thousands waiting to surpass you.
Second, the exam demands your complete attention and dedication. Anything else going on in your life must take a lower priority. Preparation and studying should be of utmost importance. That is the mindset you are going to need while entering the prep.
What many of us end up doing, is that we enter the preparation with a more relaxed mindset and think that eventually we'll get more serious. “There's an entire year to study i don't want to burn myself out”. The entire prep phase has three phases, the beginning, the middle and the end. Each has it’s own set of challenges that we need to overcome.
Third, we need to aim high. No matter who you were up to this point, no matter what you expect from yourself, if you want to succeed in the exam you must have a clear vision to do whatever it takes to succeed and aim higher than you expect.
Part 3: The beginning, the middle and the end
While preparing for any major exam, there are three key factors that govern the momentum and impact of our studies. These are:
  1. Information retained, which forms your overall accumulated knowledge about the subject which you can recall on the day of the exam.
  2. Backlog represents your pacing and how much you’re lagging behind. Backlog tends to build up exponentially, so we need a strategy to manage backlog more effectively.
  3. And the burnout, which directly governs your momentum and retention. Motivation can prevent or reduce burnout.
The entire prep phase can be divided into three major phases. Entering each of these you will be at a different level of information retained, backlog and burnout. A combination of these will govern your momentum.
In the beginning we’re at level zero, or that’s what we’ll assume here. No retained info, but also no backlog or burnout.
Many enter the prep with a more relaxed attitude, thinking they do not want to burn themselves out. But that can lead to buildup of backlog. And once backlog starts it accumulates exponentially.
Also it’s highly unlikely to get serious in the middle phase. Once get used to a relaxed lifestyle in the beginning, it almost always get too late until you ‘get serious’.
In the end phase it’s relatively easier to build momentum as the exam gets closer. So most end up studying well in the third phase irrespective of whether they got serious since the beginning or the middle.
Which is why we need to enter the prep with our full attention and dedication. This can give you a great boost among many of your peers. It’s a competitive exam, to move ahead of others, you need to do everything where most others might cut some slack.
Build enough momentum in the beginning and it will carry you through the middle, the most difficult phase to get through. The middle is the time when we have covered enough subjects to get a real idea of how big the entire syllabus is, how much you already have to read and retain and how much is yet to come. It can be a scary realization. And you balance of your knowledge (retained info), backlog and burnout will decide how you tackle the middle.
Do well in the first third and you will survive the middle. This is a time where many who started well at the beginning start falling behind, likely due to burnout or lack of motivation.
Try to read and retain too much info for a long enough period of time can lead to burnout and slow you down. Read too little and backlog increases which will further suppress you down in the future.
Part 4: Backlog
Backlog is bound to happen. It’s possible to have some control over it.
First, the obvious thing to do is to try to keep backlog as less as possible during the first read itself. It means try to go through the entire topics during the first read itself. It will require extra time, extra work at times. But keeping backlog to a minimal at the beginning is vital.
Second, keeping track of any topic that you skip during the first read, write it down at a common place, which we’ll call ‘The list of Backlogs’. Keep a visual track of every topic you have skipped to read in the future. This way all the accumulated backlogs won’t to a void which you forget and eventually discover during your revisions. It will keep you in check. And if you’re ever confused what topic to study, or sometimes if you have just a small window of time to read a small topic, you can visit your backlogs.
Part 5: The art of note taking
A clear concise and clean notes is easier to read, revise and retain. I used to put conscious efforts into keeping my notes interesting. Diagrams, highlighters, sticky notes, use whatever it takes to help that one extra piece of information leave an impression which it wouldn’t have otherwise.
Here are few tips that helped me make good notes:
  1. Keep it as neat and clean as possible. Leave ample spaces to add things later on. And do not underestimate the amount of things you’ll have to add eventually. Leaving more space beforehand lets you add the new stuff in a neat and systematic manner.
  2. Use multiple colored pens: at least one primary and a secondary color. The secondary color should only be used to highlight key information which you’d like to glance through. It’s not important to use secondary colors to write headings as they do not contribute to the ‘key info’ which you would want to glance through.
  3. Neat, simple diagrams. Be creative with your diagrams. It’s okay to make it funny or add extra details in the diagrams to make it easier to remember.
  4. Summarize pages in a box: for certain pages where you can summarize longer concepts or key info in a separate box to make easier to glance through. Remember, one of the main goals while first writing the notes should be to make it easier to revise later on.
Part 6: Short and long term planning and strategy
Every single night write down a list of topics that you hope to cover the next day. I used to write it down on a sticky note and stick it in front of the study table. This way you progress in a more systematic manner, have a clear idea of what you’re supposed to do that day instead of wondering and wasting time over it.
Always have a clear vision of what your current day, the next day, the current week, and how the next few month are going to be like. How many days you are going to give to a certain subject or topic. All should be visually charted on a planner which should be easily accessible, for example on the wall next to your study table.
Part 7: Approaching the MCQs
I developed a hyper focused approach to solving MCQs. I made sure to attempt every single MCQ that i would ever come across with utmost sincerity and attention. It does not matter whether you’d read the particular topic. As long as there’s anything familiar in the question or the answer choices, try to use all logic and everything you can think of in order to rule out at least two of the options. Make a final guess, preferably write down the option to commit to the answer. And then check the answer key.
The point is to make this entire journey of solving a single MCQ an active effort rather than passively checking the answer key. Whenever you guess a wrong answer, which you will of course many many times, it should leave a tiny impression on you.
The purpose of this is to develop an ability to make an educated guess.
Many of the questions in an exam are solved by critical thinking, ruling out the least probable answers, and making a highly educated guess about the correct answer.
Solving MCQs is a game in of itself. It’s more about ruling out the less probable answers than about ‘knowing’ the answer to every question.
Part 8: Keep the body healthy and mind sharp
These are basic advice which people should keep in mind. Eat healthy. Get enough sleep, etc. Time is precious, try not to fall sick.
Take supplements like multivitamins.
Adding more antioxidants in your diet helps keep the mind sharp.
Try your best to stop smoking or reduce it as much as possible. Smoking greatly affects your focus and retention.
Try keep some form of exercise in your routine. It’s not possible for all of us to workout or go to the gym. This exercise can be anything minimal such a a good 10-15 mins of stretching, yoga, jogging, running etc. Any form of exercise is better than no exercise at all.
I used to use ample amounts of coffee, as it helped me focus better. It’s okay to use anything which genuinely helps you focus.
Caffeine combined with L-theanine worked wonders in maintaining focus.
Let me know if you'd like me to continue or expand upon this.
submitted by BruiseVein to medicalschool [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 19:00 kiltedfrog Mindscape Scrape

Specter delved into the Mindscape of the ancient being, technically Andros Grimm had once been a man, but more than twenty thousand years would make any human, Wizard or Mundane, go a little Mad. Specter knew that he only had limited time here, and also that time wouldn't work normally here. Outside, in the physical world, his friends were giving it their all to keep Andros distracted and unawares while Specter worked.
The real world of fire balls, lighting blasts, and magical warfare faded away and the outer shell of Andro's Mindscape faded in. It was terrifying, Specter found himself floating in the air near a kilometer tall ten-thousand-armed bodhisattva-spider-demon. Below the demon stood a massive web reaching in all directions. Closer to where the massive spider demon touched it's web were hundreds, maybe thousands of people, wrapped up in his webs. Specter guessed that each body here was a mind that Andros had infected and could be bent to his will at a moment's notice.
He had to fight the urge to start ripping them free, and instead flew (It's a Mindscape, you think "Fly that way!" and you do) up toward the Great Spider Demon's head. As he approached the head he realized that not only did Andros Grimm's First layer of mental defense have thousands of arms, it also had a thousand eyes, and there was no way in hell he hadn't been noticed.
The arms started coming his way, and Specter had to put his Mindscape traversal skills to the test. Massive spider legs thick around as a twenty year old oak tree's trunk came crashing toward him in a nigh unceasing avalanche of legs. Spiraling and twisting and turning as he flew, Specter deftly dodged and wound his way ever toward that creature's head. Almost six hundred years as a disembodied ghost gave him plenty of practice at navigating Mindscapes.
After what felt like hours of ducking, dodging, and diving, Specter slammed his ghostly form into the head of Andros' Spider Bodhisattva guardian.
In the second layer of Andros' Mindscape there was another web, but this one was much more orderly than the web containing the minds of all the captured wizards he'd gained control of. This web was a web of historical events, There was a version of Andros here too, but it was calm, and looked much like Andros did in the physical world, a skinny Santa Claus in a white robe.
"Oh hello there, Invader, come to have a look around?" The old wizard had a genial smile with a tiny undertone of vile deception.
Specter glanced about and took a moment to answer. Each of these events through history were Andros' Memories. Without meaning to, Specter found himself falling into a memory of Andros talking to Adolf Hitler.
"I will not be helping you in your war." Andros was saying, only in perfect German. Specter didn't know German other than, Ja and Nein, but the Minscape translated for him "But I will benefit from it whether you win or not. Death is death, I care not if it be German, Jew, or Englishman. If you have your agents bother me again I shall get involved on the other side."
Specter snapped back to the Mindscape web of memories.
"So you really didn't have shit to do with the world wars?" Specter couldn't help but ask the floating form.
"Why bother? The spells I was working toward my immortality at the time only required death on a grand scale, they only needed to absorb the leftover life from all those, early leavers." The old white haired wizard smiled. A smile that made Specter's stomach turn. "So tell me, Invader, why have you come here?"
"Well..." Specter had come to find the root of Andros Grimm's motivation to conquer the universe and to undo it, but he couldn't well just say that. Andros could apparently read his thoughts here, only a short while after having thought them.
Andros' form frowned. "You seek to undo me, Then it means war!"
This Andros used memories as a weapon. He pointed at a portion of web and threw it at Specter. Specter tried to dodge but was caught all the same.
He found himself in a blizzard, stalking up toward a small village, barely visible through the heavy snowfall. Then Specter was forced to watch as Ancient Andros Grimm, during the ice age, Devoured the life force of all the people living in the village. Blood magic and dark Rituals flashed through Specter's mind, and then he found himself weeping for all their deaths, and suddenly he was back in the second layer of Andros' Mindscape.
Specter dodged the next memory thrown at him, and the few after that as well. Soon he found himself avoiding thousands of years of guilt and depravity, all meant to keep Andros alive, draining life from the living until he could automate the whole process. That's what Specter and his friends were tying to undo now, That automated life stealing spell Andros had cast almost a millennia ago. All wizards stop aging at about thirty five since then, and all the Mundanes die earlier than they should.
Specter resolved himself, reminded himself of his purpose here and with a trail of thousands of years of memories chasing him, he slammed into Andros' floating form at full speed. He punched Andros in the mouth to stun him as he came in, and together the two men in the Mindscape tumbled through the gravity-less void.
While they spun and struggled and punch one another like cavemen, Specter noticed that there was one memory that never moved, that never shook, and was never thrown as a weapon. After leveling a headbutt into Andros' nose, Specter kicked off the stunned Mindscape Wizard and dashed into the stable memory at the speed of thought.
Inside the memory there was a group of children tied to a circular stone laid down in a temple. Andros was there, but was young boy. Specter almost didn't recognize him. Standing on side of the circle was Andros, the boy, and on the other side Andros the adult man. Specter looked on a moment before realizing that wasn't an adult Andros, it was Andros' father.
"Andros, you must learn to shed this notion that Mundanes are worthy of living. They are merely cattle meant to extend your own lifespan. I warned you against becoming friend with them, but you did it anyhow, and now you must do what must be done. We must live forever, it is our duty, our fate as wizards."
"What a load of shit." Specter said aloud.
The elder Grimm looked at him, as did the younger.
"You aren't supposed to be here." The older Grimm said.
"You aren't supposed to teach kids such evil shit." Replied Specter. "Mundanes are people to you fucking monster."
"Watch, child, as I dispatch this... pestilent thought caught in your mind."
A bolt of white light shot out toward Specter, but he'd played these Mindscape games before, and knew well how to dodge, especially an announced attack.
He appeared behind the elder Grimm and stuffed his hand into his head, before dissolving the man away. "Only a memory." With Andros mental defenses defeated Specter then watched as the child Andros then proceeded with the memory as it happened.
Crying and clearly not happy about what he was doing, Andros methodically worked his way around the sacrificial table, slitting the throats of each of the children his own age as he went, and with each one he seemed to be shocked by electricity, the way he arched his back and twitched afterward.
"So you were forced to become a monster, set on the path as a child."
Specter found himself in the second layer again. The old white haired skinny Santa Clause next to him.
"No one ever stood up to my father. Never." He muttered. "Until..."
With a gesture, he pulled another memory close and set it playing. Specter watched as a twenty something looking Andros and his father battled with arcs of lighting and Arcane bolts, only for the elder Grimm to collapse and fall to a knee. The battle stopped a moment, and the younger man helped his father to his feet.
"I'm proud of you son, you've grown so much in power in such a shor-" He was cut off by a dagger to the throat. Andros jerked the knife to the side and kicked his father to the ground. Then he cast that same spell he'd been forced to cast on his friends as he sacrificed them some years back. His body twitched in agony as he took on all the stolen life his father had taken.
The memory faded and Specter was left speechless.
"Oh go ahead. Delete them both. I know you know how or you wouldn't have made it this deep." Specter looked at the old man, only to find he had been replaced by the boy. "I never wanted to be a monster, and if you destroy my core memories, I'll become a gibbering useless fool... far better than a monster."
Specter sighed and slammed what little power remained to him into erasing those memories.
In the physical world outside Andros' growing fireball spell suddenly collapsed and he fell to the ground in a heap, though no attack visible to those outside had landed.
submitted by kiltedfrog to AFrogWroteThis [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 19:00 BruiseVein Sharing my journey through NEET PG prep and how i scored well in the exam.

Hello everyone. I want to share my journey through NEET PG preparations (PG entrance exam in India) 4 years ago. I was not a great student but i worked really hard through one year of drop and ended up scoring well enough to end up in Radiology which i had never imagined before.
I want to share bits of my own journey, share the things that i learnt about how to score well in the exam.
This is not a step by step guide to crack NEET PG exam, but rather my own experiences and what i believe can help you score well.
Part 1: Introduction
Throughout MBBS i was an average student. I didn’t read a lot, but in general i understood the concepts well.
There's always all kinds of people writing the exam: first, the top tier elite students who have the potential and are hard working enough to crack the exam. We all have those in out batch and we all know who they are.
Second, Mid to low tier ones who either have the potential but are unable to put in enough hard work, or are hard working but lack a smarter approach or strategy. This post is mainly intended for such people.
Then there are ones who neither want to or are incapable of putting in the effort. These are already out of the competition and do not contribute significantly to the competition. The actual competition is among the 30-40k students, beyond which it's just insignificant crowd.
Before approaching NEET PG, i never expected myself to do well in the exam. I was however aware of my shortcomings. I knew what a mammoth task it was to crack an exam like that, and how underprepared i was.
During med school, i had imposter syndrome. I significantly underestimated myself. I attributed the things i had achieved to luck rather than my own hard work. I wasn't very hard working during MBBS either. However for NEET i ended up developing a system which got me through the preparation and helped me score well in the exam. I got 839 marks out of 1200, with a rank of 1299, which isn't that amazing in of itself, but it was way beyond i had ever expected. And there must be many of you in the same boat. There must be some of you who have the potential and just need some direction or a little push towards the right direction.
This is not a step by step guide to scoring higher marks, rather the story of my own journey through the prep, the things i learnt, the mistakes i made, and the challenges i overcame.
People say you can achieve anything with hard work. Can you really though? Can it really be done through sheer hard work and planning, was the question i had. I was competing with people much smarter, hard working and dedicated students across the country. I'm sure many of you feel this way.
Part 2: Entering the prep
Entering the prep, i was vastly underprepared as compared to my colleagues.
I had several important realizations before entering the preparation, which played a vital role in how it turned out. It's important that you pause and take some time to truly understand these things and ingrain it in your brain.
First, understand how big a task NEET really is. The sheer scale of it should humble you. You cannot underestimate the exam or overestimate yourself. If you approach the exam with a slightest bit of casual attitude, you don't truly deserve a great outcome. It's a competitive exam. For every mistake of yours there are thousands waiting to surpass you.
Second, the exam demands your complete attention and dedication. Anything else going on in your life must take a lower priority. Preparation and studying should be of utmost importance. That is the mindset you are going to need while entering the prep.
What many of us end up doing, is that we enter the preparation with a more relaxed mindset and think that eventually we'll get more serious. “There's an entire year to study i don't want to burn myself out”. The entire prep phase has three phases, the beginning, the middle and the end. Each has it’s own set of challenges that we need to overcome.
Third, we need to aim high. No matter who you were up to this point, no matter what you expect from yourself, if you want to succeed in the exam you must have a clear vision to do whatever it takes to succeed and aim higher than you expect.
Part 3: The beginning, the middle and the end
While preparing for any major exam, there are three key factors that govern the momentum and impact of our studies. These are:
  1. Information retained, which forms your overall accumulated knowledge about the subject which you can recall on the day of the exam.
  2. Backlog represents your pacing and how much you’re lagging behind. Backlog tends to build up exponentially, so we need a strategy to manage backlog more effectively.
  3. And the burnout, which directly governs your momentum and retention. Motivation can prevent or reduce burnout.
The entire prep phase can be divided into three major phases. Entering each of these you will be at a different level of information retained, backlog and burnout. A combination of these will govern your momentum.
In the beginning we’re at level zero, or that’s what we’ll assume here. No retained info, but also no backlog or burnout.
Many enter the prep with a more relaxed attitude, thinking they do not want to burn themselves out. But that can lead to buildup of backlog. And once backlog starts it accumulates exponentially.
Also it’s highly unlikely to get serious in the middle phase. Once get used to a relaxed lifestyle in the beginning, it almost always get too late until you ‘get serious’.
In the end phase it’s relatively easier to build momentum as the exam gets closer. So most end up studying well in the third phase irrespective of whether they got serious since the beginning or the middle.
Which is why we need to enter the prep with our full attention and dedication. This can give you a great boost among many of your peers. It’s a competitive exam, to move ahead of others, you need to do everything where most others might cut some slack.
Build enough momentum in the beginning and it will carry you through the middle, the most difficult phase to get through. The middle is the time when we have covered enough subjects to get a real idea of how big the entire syllabus is, how much you already have to read and retain and how much is yet to come. It can be a scary realization. And you balance of your knowledge (retained info), backlog and burnout will decide how you tackle the middle.
Do well in the first third and you will survive the middle. This is a time where many who started well at the beginning start falling behind, likely due to burnout or lack of motivation.
Try to read and retain too much info for a long enough period of time can lead to burnout and slow you down. Read too little and backlog increases which will further suppress you down in the future.
Part 4: Backlog
Backlog is bound to happen. It’s possible to have some control over it.
First, the obvious thing to do is to try to keep backlog as less as possible during the first read itself. It means try to go through the entire topics during the first read itself. It will require extra time, extra work at times. But keeping backlog to a minimal at the beginning is vital.
Second, keeping track of any topic that you skip during the first read, write it down at a common place, which we’ll call ‘The list of Backlogs’. Keep a visual track of every topic you have skipped to read in the future. This way all the accumulated backlogs won’t to a void which you forget and eventually discover during your revisions. It will keep you in check. And if you’re ever confused what topic to study, or sometimes if you have just a small window of time to read a small topic, you can visit your backlogs.
Part 5: The art of note taking
A clear concise and clean notes is easier to read, revise and retain. I used to put conscious efforts into keeping my notes interesting. Diagrams, highlighters, sticky notes, use whatever it takes to help that one extra piece of information leave an impression which it wouldn’t have otherwise.
Here are few tips that helped me make good notes:
  1. Keep it as neat and clean as possible. Leave ample spaces to add things later on. And do not underestimate the amount of things you’ll have to add eventually. Leaving more space beforehand lets you add the new stuff in a neat and systematic manner.
  2. Use multiple colored pens: at least one primary and a secondary color. The secondary color should only be used to highlight key information which you’d like to glance through. It’s not important to use secondary colors to write headings as they do not contribute to the ‘key info’ which you would want to glance through.
  3. Neat, simple diagrams. Be creative with your diagrams. It’s okay to make it funny or add extra details in the diagrams to make it easier to remember.
  4. Summarize pages in a box: for certain pages where you can summarize longer concepts or key info in a separate box to make easier to glance through. Remember, one of the main goals while first writing the notes should be to make it easier to revise later on.
Part 6: Short and long term planning and strategy
Every single night write down a list of topics that you hope to cover the next day. I used to write it down on a sticky note and stick it in front of the study table. This way you progress in a more systematic manner, have a clear idea of what you’re supposed to do that day instead of wondering and wasting time over it.
Always have a clear vision of what your current day, the next day, the current week, and how the next few month are going to be like. How many days you are going to give to a certain subject or topic. All should be visually charted on a planner which should be easily accessible, for example on the wall next to your study table.
Part 7: Approaching the MCQs
I developed a hyper focused approach to solving MCQs. I made sure to attempt every single MCQ that i would ever come across with utmost sincerity and attention. It does not matter whether you’d read the particular topic. As long as there’s anything familiar in the question or the answer choices, try to use all logic and everything you can think of in order to rule out at least two of the options. Make a final guess, preferably write down the option to commit to the answer. And then check the answer key.
The point is to make this entire journey of solving a single MCQ an active effort rather than passively checking the answer key. Whenever you guess a wrong answer, which you will of course many many times, it should leave a tiny impression on you.
The purpose of this is to develop an ability to make an educated guess.
Many of the questions in an exam are solved by critical thinking, ruling out the least probable answers, and making a highly educated guess about the correct answer.
Solving MCQs is a game in of itself. It’s more about ruling out the less probable answers than about ‘knowing’ the answer to every question.
Part 8: Keep the body healthy and mind sharp
These are basic advice which people should keep in mind. Eat healthy. Get enough sleep, etc. Time is precious, try not to fall sick.
Take supplements like multivitamins.
Adding more antioxidants in your diet helps keep the mind sharp.
Try your best to stop smoking or reduce it as much as possible. Smoking greatly affects your focus and retention.
Try keep some form of exercise in your routine. It’s not possible for all of us to workout or go to the gym. This exercise can be anything minimal such a a good 10-15 mins of stretching, yoga, jogging, running etc. Any form of exercise is better than no exercise at all.
I used to use ample amounts of coffee, as it helped me focus better. It’s okay to use anything which genuinely helps you focus.
Caffeine combined with L-theanine worked wonders in maintaining focus.
Let me know if you'd like me to continue or expand upon this.
submitted by BruiseVein to GetStudying [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 19:00 No_Coat1155 Friend / Business Partner Ghosted after investment

Intro
I'm 33 and into cars. As part of that hobby/passion my friends and I would lean on our buddy George to help us with builds. George is a master mechanic for euro cars and owns a performance shop. There you can get your car modified, purchase parts, etc. The brand itself has existed for 20 years almost but it only came under George's ownership 7 years ago. The brand itself used to have an amazing reputation for high quality USA-made parts and is considered an "OG" in the space. It fell off when the business moved across the country. For a long time, we would always talk about bringing the brand back to its roots, focused on car culture and the love of the community. We had a special group of some amazing builds, some 100k+, and our individual social media pages were continuing to grow fast. Myself and the other people in this circle would tag our cars and always speak praise because we thought the brand represented a family.
Investment
In November 2022, George approached me and asked if I wanted to become a co-owner. Of course I was excited because this was my chance to really build something with my friends and escape the corporate rat race. Some background there, I work in the tech industry. I make a good living and have a great work life balance. We talked it over and the original "plan" was to give me a percentage of the company, have me run all socials / events / marketing / sales and George would strictly handle the mechanic projects.
We met over dinner and George didn't have an official document or anything. The agreement was he would figure out what the percentage of the company I was going to own. The initial investment was $8500 to catch up on back-rent for the performance shop. There was an unofficial agreement that I would cover events (registration fees, marketing costs) and we were off to the races. I think the excitement caught me up and in the beginning moment, I said take the time you need to figure out legally what we have to sign. Mistake #1 maybe?
Over the course of a year, we attended some of the biggest gatherings around our brand scene. Florida, Los Angeles, Las Vegas. As a group, we attended these events, build organic hype around our brand and even rented out a race circuit in NJ for the day. We created team gear, hats / shirts / jackets and quickly sold out / gave them away. Momentum was at an all time high in 2023 and we just keep pushing. These costs were roughly $10,000 throughout the year and includes everything from gas, hotels, car rentals, marketing costs, etc. Now I don't consider all of this investment money as I'm sure if George had the choice, he wouldn't have done it. I didn't include costs I incurred to ship the cars but basic items like registrations should be split responsibilities. At the least, the team reaped the benefits.
Last "investment" separate from the company was I let George borrow 20k to purchase the company SUV out of lease. It was a pre-covid deal so there was equity left on the table if he just returned the lease. This was simply a loan to be paid back in full and he could keep the equity difference. It didn't matter to me about whatever profit because I was just doing my friend a favor. George made an additional 5k from the lease after it sold. It took months for him to list it (he never did) but I eventually found a buyer and urged him to make the sale bc I started to sense he was not gonna pay me back.
Not for nothing, as part of our agreement - George would work on our shop cars with priority. This helped us have top notch projects to display at our events and with social media content. I considered this investment from him at full retail value for the jobs on my cars, totaling roughly 5k in 2023.
Arising Issues
First few months of our partnership were good. Lots of questions from my end. I manage software projects so from my perspective, there wasn't much confusion - just clarity needed on how things operate at a shop / automotive business. But as time went on, things began to get difficult.
Present State
We started 2024 basically saying we need to hit a reset and handle this stuff that has been pending. Ownership on paper, website build / email monitoring, inventory tracking - I have basically begged to help with any of this stuff as he simply wasn't doing it. And throughout 2024, the brand has essentially nuked itself out of existence bc we're simply not doing anything. We've done 1 event where he couldn't even go and I flew to FL and ran it myself. We have 1 or 2 more big things planned but any discussions about planning have paused.
Recently heard from a friend, George wants to maybe sell the company. He left is other side job and wants to get a professional corporate job and make his way out of the automotive space. Now none of this is confirmed and I haven't heard anything so not putting too much stock into it. This revelation led me to text him and ask what's going on? I laid out options like I'd take over just the parts business and he can have first right to jobs I bring in. I also said he can just give me my percentage and if the company sells, at least its not all for nothing.
As of today, completed ghosted. 1 text saying nothing over 1 month and I've nicely and politely reached out trying to talk with him a few times.
I just don't know how to feel or what to do. This is one of my greatest friends. Someone who has been through life the past 5-6 years and always someone I've relied on. Over the past like 8-9 months, shit is different. It's almost like he wanted me to invest but didn't realize I was serious? And now with him ghosted / ignoring me (I see him on his phone doing other shit, I'm not actively seeking it out - we're just in the same social circles sometimes).
I feel so disrespected. I put my life on hold for over a year because I believed so deeply in what we were doing. I mean I literally said stuff like I don't need any of your profit for the first year - just build it up together with me. I make a lot of money already; it was never about that. In total, I invested / brought in almost 40k worth of work / sales for him. Never asked for a cent.
I feel embarrassed for trusting someone so much. I feel angry because I don't deserve to be wronged when this whole time, I've stuck my neck out for him.
My wife, my parents, my friends - no one really understood it. They just saw boys playing with cars but we were actually building something. On the precipice of greatness. Our social medias were getting hundreds of thousands of impressions, our brand was seen as the cool guys in the scene, and we had made relationships with literally every single head of big companies in the space. I say we but honestly it was mostly my socials and my efforts. I am not diminishing his work but he was working on the cars (when available) and I was playing the politics and managing the image.
I'm honestly just really sad.
Options
I feel like I have no options here.
So on one hand, I want to go nuclear. I'm so hurt I want to tell the world and make him feel what I feel. On the other, I don't want to look stupid and if that is at the expense of me..so be it. He's also my friend, or I thought he was... so maybe he knows what he did and can't face it. As of right now, I haven't done anything. Continuing my online presence as if nothing has happened. I don't want to keep lying to myself. I hate who I am becoming when I get consumed with the stress of it all. Either way, I lose something and it is one of the hardest situations I've had to face. I've driven thousands of miles to and from, I've sweat, I've defended, I've cried... I've given everything to this idea and I'm watching it dissipate in real time. What do I do? Where do I even begin?
submitted by No_Coat1155 to smallbusiness [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 19:00 preumorno Struggles of the questioning phase regarding SO

I've been thinking about writing and posting this somewhere else, but I think this is the best place for it. I've been questioning my SO ever since my teenage years, and it's been really tough, weird, traumatizing, and just really makes me feel like I want to vanish because it always exhausts me and makes me feel lost. Throughout some of these years, I've had these crises where I feel depressed and anxious, and then I just make myself feel even worse if I'm not able to find any fitting label for myself. It is indeed SOCD, no matter what I am and how I may label myself, but it's also obviously a cry for help and some type of identity crisis.
I've tried giving myself some time, stepping out of my comfort zone, experimenting a bit online, exploring my identity and mind, talking to others, working on myself, seeking professional help, and all that – but nothing works. The (Gray) Aro-ace label really feels like home for me, or maybe bisexual, or just using the term 'queer.' But I don't really want to be labeled as a lesbian or be one because it makes me feel lost. I've always had a bunch of male crushes (platonic ones, fictional, in real life, online, etc.), and I know what it means when you like somebody both emotionally and a bit physically (sexually), when you have feelings for 'em and all that. Also, I think I might know how it feels when you like a girl, because it happened to me once, I think (?), and it's sort of the same, and it's beautiful.
But the thing is, I never really felt any urge to do anything with anybody (regardless of any sex or gender types). I don't know if it's just that I might have a low libido or what, but it feels natural to me. Not even going on dates, flirting with them, nothing physically. Everything somehow gives me an ick instantly, and even when I try to think about anything, I feel like that's not who I am and it makes me feel trapped.
This year, I wanted to explore myself a bit more, so I made an account on a dating app. I just wasn't interested in any girl out there, so I started chatting with guys, and it was fun and interesting to give myself some chance to explore myself better. I had some really nice and normal conversations with a few of 'em, and it ended in a way that I think I might have fallen in love with one guy who was so nice, really cute, and somewhat good looking, to be honest, cool, and really gentle with his words and everything. We've been in contact for a few months, and it was just one of the greatest things I ever did outside my comfort zone, but because of a lot of my and his problems, we never really got a chance to meet in real life. I still don't know if it was some type of emotional bonding (because he was always there for me when I was feeling bad), or an attraction, or me falling in love (yeah, online, how funny), or if I was just delusional and losing my mind (so that was a way of me dealing with my identity crisis and SOCD, in denial), or maybe all at once (?!).
I tried feeling better the last three months and giving myself some time and acceptance for everything, like I really tried to heal in peace, but I couldn't do it on my own. Once my overall mental health got worse, this whole process of obsessional questioning of yourself, and hating and all that came back to me. And now I'm like, yes, maybe I'm a lesbian, or aro-ace, or bisexual or whatever – but I just want to rest, I'm really tired of everything.
I'm planning on seeing some professionals in the field of mental health as soon as possible so I can try to understand, accept, and fix everything, but I'm just really scared right now and exhausted. My question is – how was your own questioning phase? Did it hurt you, and how long did it take for you? And maybe another one – is it possible to have SOCD (cuz, believe me, everything in my country is bad ash, mental health is the biggest taboo here, and just imagine what sort of stigma and marginalization as a queer you can't go through out there – a good number of professionals here told me such disgusting things when I was at my lowest, they try to fix everything with meds, and here you're only a lunatic who's either willing to go nuts or spend a lot of money if you're trying to get better, so guess what they say SOCD doesn't exist at all and you should always know who and what you are, ever since you're born.)?
Sometimes I feel really pressed by the fact that I might be this or that, or seen as this or that, even though I by myself tried to fit into any possible label. The biggest problem for me is the stress that I feel constantly, and I feel like I'm losing myself and my mind, and I don't think I'll ever be better and feeling better. I'm also so scared to try anything to feel better and explore my sexual orientation, mostly because of the way I don't feel any urge as a possible aro-ace, and mostly because of past traumas. And that's the thing, you won't know unless you try, but you can also know it even if you don't try – but I always feel different (some days I don't feel anything towards anybody, some days I might feel attracted towards one specific sex more than the other one, but the way of that attraction is different).
I like to think that I would feel safer and somehow more like myself with a woman that I like, but sometimes I definitely think that's not who I am (and I was always interested in boys more I guess, and that's what I need in fact, but still, it's nice when you think about it, but not in practice that much, or I'm just so passive and scared, Idk). Like I'm more drawn to guys romantically, but sometimes sexually, and I think I might be less drawn to women romantically but more sexually (even though I never felt any valid thing in my life towards any of this sexually). Yeah, I think what I was feeling towards this guy could lead to something physically if we ever met, because I just liked his voice, how he looks, how he treated me, everything was so cute, and kind of romantic, and that was the first possible and serious crush I ever developed in my adulthood. So I definitely felt some butterflies when I was in contact with him, and I think months later I still do, but I don't know, this was just one example where I'm even questioning who I am indeed. Was it like a real attraction and crush or not? I don't want to get any affirmations and negations based on this thing, from anyone, because you're not me, and everything's up to me, but it would be maybe helpful to just see if anyone's gone through something similar.
Right now, I'm like, yes, I'm definitely a part of the LGBTQ+ community obviously, but I'm just struggling with understanding and everything, and it hurts. But I'm glad this community exists, and that you're so supportive and such beautiful souls. I hope one day things will be better for every and each member in the world, and that life would be better, prettier, and easier. I'm also really thankful for the fact that I have such supportive people in my life (who are both a part of this community and not), and they inspire me and give me strength to explore myself and explain myself in so many ways. So even if I might just not have any label, life is still pretty with everything out there and the way it is. Happy Pride month, y'all, and wish you the best! <3 PS: Sorry for all this sort of stupid text and venting out, but thank you to anyone who reads it and maybe responds!! <33 I hope I didn't break any of the rules of this community, but if I did, I'm so sorry.
submitted by preumorno to lgbt [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:58 BruiseVein Sharing my journey through NEET PG prep and how i scored well in the exam.

Hello everyone. I want to share my journey through NEET PG preparations 4 years ago. I was not a great student but i worked really hard through one year of drop and ended up scoring well enough to end up in Radiology which i had never imagined before.
I want to share bits of my own journey, share the things that i learnt about how to score well in the exam.
This is not a step by step guide to crack NEET PG exam, but rather my own experiences and what i believe can help you score well.
Part 1: Introduction
Throughout MBBS i was an average student. I didn’t read a lot, but in general i understood the concepts well.
There's always all kinds of people writing the exam: first, the top tier elite students who have the potential and are hard working enough to crack the exam. We all have those in out batch and we all know who they are.
Second, Mid to low tier ones who either have the potential but are unable to put in enough hard work, or are hard working but lack a smarter approach or strategy. This post is mainly intended for such people.
Then there are ones who neither want to or are incapable of putting in the effort. These are already out of the competition and do not contribute significantly to the competition. The actual competition is among the 30-40k students, beyond which it's just insignificant crowd.
Before approaching NEET PG, i never expected myself to do well in the exam. I was however aware of my shortcomings. I knew what a mammoth task it was to crack an exam like that, and how underprepared i was.
During med school, i had imposter syndrome. I significantly underestimated myself. I attributed the things i had achieved to luck rather than my own hard work. I wasn't very hard working during MBBS either. However for NEET i ended up developing a system which got me through the preparation and helped me score well in the exam. I got 839 marks out of 1200, with a rank of 1299, which isn't that amazing in of itself, but it was way beyond i had ever expected. And there must be many of you in the same boat. There must be some of you who have the potential and just need some direction or a little push towards the right direction.
This is not a step by step guide to scoring higher marks, rather the story of my own journey through the prep, the things i learnt, the mistakes i made, and the challenges i overcame.
People say you can achieve anything with hard work. Can you really though? Can it really be done through sheer hard work and planning, was the question i had. I was competing with people much smarter, hard working and dedicated students across the country. I'm sure many of you feel this way.
Part 2: Entering the prep
Entering the prep, i was vastly underprepared as compared to my colleagues.
I had several important realizations before entering the preparation, which played a vital role in how it turned out. It's important that you pause and take some time to truly understand these things and ingrain it in your brain.
First, understand how big a task NEET really is. The sheer scale of it should humble you. You cannot underestimate the exam or overestimate yourself. If you approach the exam with a slightest bit of casual attitude, you don't truly deserve a great outcome. It's a competitive exam. For every mistake of yours there are thousands waiting to surpass you.
Second, the exam demands your complete attention and dedication. Anything else going on in your life must take a lower priority. Preparation and studying should be of utmost importance. That is the mindset you are going to need while entering the prep.
What many of us end up doing, is that we enter the preparation with a more relaxed mindset and think that eventually we'll get more serious. “There's an entire year to study i don't want to burn myself out”. The entire prep phase has three phases, the beginning, the middle and the end. Each has it’s own set of challenges that we need to overcome.
Third, we need to aim high. No matter who you were up to this point, no matter what you expect from yourself, if you want to succeed in the exam you must have a clear vision to do whatever it takes to succeed and aim higher than you expect.
Part 3: The beginning, the middle and the end
While preparing for any major exam, there are three key factors that govern the momentum and impact of our studies. These are:
  1. Information retained, which forms your overall accumulated knowledge about the subject which you can recall on the day of the exam.
  2. Backlog represents your pacing and how much you’re lagging behind. Backlog tends to build up exponentially, so we need a strategy to manage backlog more effectively.
  3. And the burnout, which directly governs your momentum and retention. Motivation can prevent or reduce burnout.
The entire prep phase can be divided into three major phases. Entering each of these you will be at a different level of information retained, backlog and burnout. A combination of these will govern your momentum.
In the beginning we’re at level zero, or that’s what we’ll assume here. No retained info, but also no backlog or burnout.
Many enter the prep with a more relaxed attitude, thinking they do not want to burn themselves out. But that can lead to buildup of backlog. And once backlog starts it accumulates exponentially.
Also it’s highly unlikely to get serious in the middle phase. Once get used to a relaxed lifestyle in the beginning, it almost always get too late until you ‘get serious’.
In the end phase it’s relatively easier to build momentum as the exam gets closer. So most end up studying well in the third phase irrespective of whether they got serious since the beginning or the middle.
Which is why we need to enter the prep with our full attention and dedication. This can give you a great boost among many of your peers. It’s a competitive exam, to move ahead of others, you need to do everything where most others might cut some slack.
Build enough momentum in the beginning and it will carry you through the middle, the most difficult phase to get through. The middle is the time when we have covered enough subjects to get a real idea of how big the entire syllabus is, how much you already have to read and retain and how much is yet to come. It can be a scary realization. And you balance of your knowledge (retained info), backlog and burnout will decide how you tackle the middle.
Do well in the first third and you will survive the middle. This is a time where many who started well at the beginning start falling behind, likely due to burnout or lack of motivation.
Try to read and retain too much info for a long enough period of time can lead to burnout and slow you down. Read too little and backlog increases which will further suppress you down in the future.
Part 4: Backlog
Backlog is bound to happen. It’s possible to have some control over it.
First, the obvious thing to do is to try to keep backlog as less as possible during the first read itself. It means try to go through the entire topics during the first read itself. It will require extra time, extra work at times. But keeping backlog to a minimal at the beginning is vital.
Second, keeping track of any topic that you skip during the first read, write it down at a common place, which we’ll call ‘The list of Backlogs’. Keep a visual track of every topic you have skipped to read in the future. This way all the accumulated backlogs won’t to a void which you forget and eventually discover during your revisions. It will keep you in check. And if you’re ever confused what topic to study, or sometimes if you have just a small window of time to read a small topic, you can visit your backlogs.
Part 5: The art of note taking
A clear concise and clean notes is easier to read, revise and retain. I used to put conscious efforts into keeping my notes interesting. Diagrams, highlighters, sticky notes, use whatever it takes to help that one extra piece of information leave an impression which it wouldn’t have otherwise.
Here are few tips that helped me make good notes:
  1. Keep it as neat and clean as possible. Leave ample spaces to add things later on. And do not underestimate the amount of things you’ll have to add eventually. Leaving more space beforehand lets you add the new stuff in a neat and systematic manner.
  2. Use multiple colored pens: at least one primary and a secondary color. The secondary color should only be used to highlight key information which you’d like to glance through. It’s not important to use secondary colors to write headings as they do not contribute to the ‘key info’ which you would want to glance through.
  3. Neat, simple diagrams. Be creative with your diagrams. It’s okay to make it funny or add extra details in the diagrams to make it easier to remember.
  4. Summarize pages in a box: for certain pages where you can summarize longer concepts or key info in a separate box to make easier to glance through. Remember, one of the main goals while first writing the notes should be to make it easier to revise later on.
Part 6: Short and long term planning and strategy
Every single night write down a list of topics that you hope to cover the next day. I used to write it down on a sticky note and stick it in front of the study table. This way you progress in a more systematic manner, have a clear idea of what you’re supposed to do that day instead of wondering and wasting time over it.
Always have a clear vision of what your current day, the next day, the current week, and how the next few month are going to be like. How many days you are going to give to a certain subject or topic. All should be visually charted on a planner which should be easily accessible, for example on the wall next to your study table.
Part 7: Approaching the MCQs
I developed a hyper focused approach to solving MCQs. I made sure to attempt every single MCQ that i would ever come across with utmost sincerity and attention. It does not matter whether you’d read the particular topic. As long as there’s anything familiar in the question or the answer choices, try to use all logic and everything you can think of in order to rule out at least two of the options. Make a final guess, preferably write down the option to commit to the answer. And then check the answer key.
The point is to make this entire journey of solving a single MCQ an active effort rather than passively checking the answer key. Whenever you guess a wrong answer, which you will of course many many times, it should leave a tiny impression on you.
The purpose of this is to develop an ability to make an educated guess.
Many of the questions in an exam are solved by critical thinking, ruling out the least probable answers, and making a highly educated guess about the correct answer.
Solving MCQs is a game in of itself. It’s more about ruling out the less probable answers than about ‘knowing’ the answer to every question.
Part 8: Keep the body healthy and mind sharp
These are basic advice which people should keep in mind. Eat healthy. Get enough sleep, etc. Time is precious, try not to fall sick.
Take supplements like multivitamins.
Adding more antioxidants in your diet helps keep the mind sharp.
Try your best to stop smoking or reduce it as much as possible. Smoking greatly affects your focus and retention.
Try keep some form of exercise in your routine. It’s not possible for all of us to workout or go to the gym. This exercise can be anything minimal such a a good 10-15 mins of stretching, yoga, jogging, running etc. Any form of exercise is better than no exercise at all.
I used to use ample amounts of coffee, as it helped me focus better. It’s okay to use anything which genuinely helps you focus.
Caffeine combined with L-theanine worked wonders in maintaining focus.
Let me know if you'd like me to continue or expand upon this.
submitted by BruiseVein to NEET [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:57 First-Industry4762 Does anyone think that sometimes updated releases ruin entire story beats?

So I have been thinking about this for quite some time and I'd like to know what anyone else thinks.
Also spoilers for P3/P4/P5.
So a lot of Japanese games have a tendency that after a game launch, they relatively quickly release another version of the same game afterwards but with more content and quality of life upgrades.
Persona 3 had FES, Persona 4 had Golden and Persona 5 had Royal. While I like most of the added content (quality of life upgrades, ,playing it on a portable, more side stories/content/sometimes a kind of quasi sequel) , but I feel like sometimes some the added content, ruins some of the original plot beats and reveals.
Let me start of with the biggest ruiner imo: Persona 4 Golden. One of the highlights of the original game came after the climax of defeating Namatame. You decide what to do with him, but you get strong vibes that even though he seems sketchy, exacting vengeance on him is clearly not the good option.
Afterwards you're proven right and Nanako miraculously survives. Then basically you and the team try to pick up the investigation then who the real killer is. But the trail has become cold and you run into a dead end.
This is the highlight of the game to me: you have to label the true killer or the trail goes cold forever. As a final clue Naoto re-phrases all that what you know about the killer into the characteristics that you're looking for. And with that the game wishes you good luck, hands you a list of EVERY NPC IN THE GAME and three tries to get it right.
I loved this so much: to me it truly wasn't clear to who the killer was and while every player probably listened to how the investigation team throughout the game discussed the case, this was the first time that you as the player needed to carefully think and select the killer other than watching things happen passively. You feel very smart when you get it right.
So where does Persona 4 Golden fit in? Well, from the start of the game, a special social link is included: The jester social link. And if you've played P3 before, you know that's not a common arcana. The social link gives off seriously weird vibes with Adachi encouraging lazy and sketchy behavior. The social link also just stops at a point but doesn't complete.
It's basically a giant glowing billboard that points to Adachi as the killer. I know that the updated release is focused on a large part of the original fanbase who already know the twist, but I feel like this cheapens a seriously good reveal
Another point: the addition of Marie. I'm more mixed on this point than Adachi though. Marie's inclusion also wasn't popular at first, but she gives off more clues to the true final boss reveal The reason I'm mixed on this: I liked the 'hidden-ness' of the true final boss in the original, but I can also understand that the Izanami final boss reveal was so hidden she kind of feels like an Ass pull.
But Marie is also an angsty tsundere, haiku spouting emo teen and I feel that her being part of Izanami, kind of cheapens Izanami as the great myserious overarching villain. It would be the same like if you found out that puppeteering Yaldabaoth (even though he wasn't a good villain character) who kidnapped and replaced Igor, had an Avatar who was a brony .
P3 wasn't as obnoxious in changes but I personally wasn't a fan of the fact that you had the option to get Shidori to live, based on what you told Junpei on very specific days. I'm not sure if whether her death is canon or not anymods but it's the event that leads to Junpei's character development and I can imagine that her surviving or not has a great effect on how Junpei would develop in the future. It feels weird to let that one in the open while he still appeared in spin off games as an older self.
I had no problems with Shinjiro potentially surviving in the female route because it makes the ending with the MC passing on, tragic on a different level. Although Ken's inclusion as a romantic social link is wild lol.
Lastly Persona 5 Royal: I truly enjoyed Akechi's social link. It underlines his complicated feelings towards Joker and while just like Adachi, he seriously gave different vibes than normal social links, I didn't mind it becUse him being a twist villain was expected and known from the start.
It also added something positive to his status as a (not so hidden) twist villain: the problem with twist villains is that they suddenly just shift in personality leaving you with no clue on who the real person is after the twist.
Akechi's social link clues us in to his true personality and his motivations, and his lines as a navigator basically cement this. He is filled with bloodlust, has his own set of rules and moral codd he adheres to, is still insanely intelligent and harbors complicated towards Joker. His navigator lines are also glorious to listen to.
My main problem lies with the inclusion of Sumire. I didn't have a problem with her being added as a social link but her eventual conclusion as a member of the phantom thieves as the last member in the last dungeon seriously feels tacked on.
It feels like she doesn't have any kind of bond with the main team aside from Joker. Throughout the game she only quickly appears when Joker is conveniently alone and disappears when Joker meets his friends. Seriously tacked on.
She is also able to keep up and be at the same level as Akechi and Joker n the last dungeon while Akechi's strength is actually a plot point. He is working his ass off to get revenge by himself.
I have no clue on how Sumire is supposed to be as strong as Joker or Akechi. The only explanation that makes sense is it being a meta reason: you lugging a level 15 Sumire around while you and Akechi dispatch shadows would be funny but annoying. She's given such a high level because you only have three party members for that section.
Anyway those are my thoughts: anyone have some points on the topic as well? Does anyone feel the same about other updated releases?
submitted by First-Industry4762 to GirlGamers [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:56 Anna-papaya We'll see... Life is the long game. It truly is. Who else thought they dodged a bullet when in fact a nuclear bomb was dodged??

5 months post break up. Female dumper here.
I recently discovered, that the toxic waste I rid myself of mid January is, on top of everything else, a compulsive pathological liar
Yup, that's right! Nothing that he said, in the short 3 months that I associated with him is of any substance...
The last encounter, 3 months after dropping this toxic pathetic loser.
He hurled his vitriole at me with all his vulgar might... Making up as much bullshit as his puny mind could muster, telling me that my German shepherd was in a panic on the street almost getting hit by cars, etc...
Well, a neighbor and eyewitness informed me that was hardly the case. My dog never left the gated property...
As Ive shared, I made THE BEST decision for myself, by severing all ties and connections.
What a manipulative waste of space and air...
I knew something was off. I felt deeply that I couldn't trust him...
Gotta trust one's own instincts... ALWAYS!!!
will you share your experiences where you felt something was off... But after breaking up find out solidly, that it was much more severe than you had initially, thought??
submitted by Anna-papaya to BreakUps [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:56 MarlynnOfMany The Token Human: Rainy Day Eggs

{Shared early on Patreon}
~~~
The last delivery our ship made was to a dry planet with too much wind. I’d say it was nice to be somewhere with moisture in the air again, but this was a lot of rain. And while I can appreciate the scent of petrichor and the sound of raindrops on the roof as much as the next Earthling, our current setup was a smidge inconvenient.
Paint asked, “Are you sure we don’t want to use the cargo bay instead?” She peeked past my elbow through the personnel door. “I feel like a wet floor there is less of a slipping hazard.”
“Maybe, but the awning doesn’t fit,” I told her, pointing up at the portable thing that came with this spaceport’s landing pad. It was made for single-person entrances, a hovering pink rectangle tethered to the ground with some kind of localized tractor beam. It stuck to the ship nicely, and hadn’t let so much as a drop sneak past to drip down my shirt, but it wouldn’t have fit over the cargo bay entrance.
“I thought we were going to use one of the bigger landing pads,” Paint said, surprise on her lizardy face as she looked out at the spaceport. “I know our ship is on the small side, but this spot looks tiny!”
“It is,” I said. “That douchnozzle over there sniped our spot.” I pointed at the sporty red single-person cruiser that was currently hogging a courier space. I’d heard Wio swear from the cockpit when she had to adjust our approach because the jerk zipped in front of us. I’d seen the nice big awning crumple down to fit his jerkmobile. After we’d landed in a spot almost too small for us, I’d seen him stroll away with fancy clothes and a force field umbrella, and he hadn’t come back yet.
He was a human, too. Not that I was bitter about any of that.
Paint huffed. “How rude! Well at least we have the comfort of knowing that the kind of person to do that is likely to make their own life harder every day.”
“You’re right on that count,” I agreed. “I can just imagine how much his food gets spit in when he eats at restaurants.”
This concept was a new one as far as Paint was concerned, and we spent the next few minutes before our client arrived talking about unsanitary food sabotage. (She wasn’t a fan. Can’t say I blame her.)
The birdlike cargo of the day was making quiet cooing noises from its cage as the client approached: a slender Frillian who’d come prepared with a bubble-shielded hover cart. I greeted him and handled the electronic payment while Paint gave the cargo one last look over. The coos turned to anxious warbles.
I wanted to call them chickens, and I’m still not convinced that I’m far off, but while their speckled feathers reminded me of the Aracaunas I’d had as a kid, these guys had scaly jaws instead of beaks. Feathery little velociraptors, all puffed up into anxious feather-orbs and looking ready to bite.
I was grateful for both the cage and the awning.
“Here you go,” I said, passing over the cage with extreme care. It barely fit through the door. Luckily the dino-chickens were light, even when they flapped and hissed. The client got them onto the cart with practiced ease. I tried not to show how relieved I was. That cage going sideways to smash open on the rainy ground would have been disastrous.
“Oh wait!” Paint said from behind me. “What about the eggs?”
“Right, I forgot about those,” I said, turning to grab the bowl she held out, which I’d set in the hallway next to the cage. Three speckled eggs rolled merrily as I held it out to the client. “Do you want these? They laid them on the way here, though they don’t seem interested in caring for them.”
He was busy strapping the cage down. “No thanks! They’re not fertilized. Just toss ‘em in your bio-recycler or whatever. Have a great day!” A fresh wave of rain pounded down between us.
“All right, thank you!” I waved goodbye and stepped back inside the ship, closing the hatch. With the rain shut out, the silence felt loud.
“I’ll mop up the water,” Paint volunteered. She pointed at where a spray of raindrops had managed to blow in on the wind. “Watch your step.”
“Thanks.” I held the bowl of rolling eggs in one hand, and the payment tablet in the other. I stepped carefully.
“And make sure you sanitize that bowl!”
“Oh, I will,” I said. “But before I just throw these away, I think it’s time for a rousing game of ‘who thinks these are food?’”
Paint regarded me with a mix of skepticism and disgust. “Really?”
I grinned at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll have Eggskin scan them first.”
“You do that!”
Still grinning, I put away the tablet and did that. Eggskin was in the medical bay, which was next to the kitchen, which was convenient, because Eggskin was in charge of both. They were the most knowledgeable cook/medic I’d ever met.
They didn’t make any fun expressions when I handed over the bowl, not so much as lifting a scaly browridge. They just set to scanning and analyzing like the professional lizardy alien they were.
(I still haven’t told them that the color of their scales reminds me of boogers, and I don’t ever plan to.)
The machine dinged. Eggskin tapped a few buttons, cross-referencing something on the intelligent species database.
“You can’t eat these,” they declared.
“What? Why not?” I was honestly shocked. Humanity’s omnivorous nature had made me used to being the one who could eat everybody’s food.
“There is a significant level of a toxin that would cause vomiting and worse,” Eggskin informed me. “Looks like your people call it tremetol.”
That made a memory ding. “Wait, like the kind from white snakeroot? The kind cows eat, and gives people milk sickness?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Eggskin said drily. “In my personal opinion, all milk is likely to cause sickness, but you’re welcome to your mammal tendencies. Just don’t eat these.”
“Aw, man,” I said. “Is it poisonous to everybody?”
“Let me check.” Eggskin brought up another species. “Looks like Mesmers aren’t affected.”
A voice from the doorway asked, “By what?” and I realized the quiet clicking noises had been Zhee’s feet. His big bug eyes peered in with some very nosy curiosity for someone without a nose.
I said, “By a toxin in the eggs that our animal cargo laid.”
Zhee tilted his head. “Good to know that something I don’t plan to touch will not harm me.”
Eggskin said, “The conversation was about eating them.”
“Ew.” He tilted his head at a more extreme angle and raised his pincher arms as if in defense. “Why?”
I sighed. “Apparently they’re poisonous to some of us.”
“Oh no,” Zhee deadpanned. “What a loss.”
Eggskin asked, “Want me to dispose of them?”
“I guess so,” I said. “Looks like all they’re good for is egging houses. Or spaceships.” I paused to think. “I wonder if they’d do the same kind of damage to the exterior that they do to car paint. It’d get washed away by the rain today anyway.”
“Spaceships like a certain red piece of excrement?” Zhee angled his long body sideways to let someone pass. “The captain would likely deem that unwise.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Captain Sunlight beat me to it.
“Unwise is one word for it,” she said as she stepped into view and paused instead of passing. Her scaly yellow face wore a scowl. “But that’s the same egghole who nearly sideswiped Kamm’s ship last week; I just checked. Now, we’re about to take off, but if the door happens to open and close before we do, I will be conveniently looking the other way.” She made eye contact, then strolled off toward the cockpit.
Zhee and Eggskin looked at me. I looked at them. Then I grabbed the bowl of eggs and legged it toward the hatch.
As the crewmember with the best throwing arm, and the same species as the egghole in question, it was only fitting that I deliver the karma.
~~~
Shared early on Patreon
Cross-posted to Tumblr and HumansAreSpaceOrcs
The book that takes place after the short stories is here
The sequel is in progress (and will include characters from the stories)
submitted by MarlynnOfMany to HFY [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:56 Icy-Lingonberry-2574 Translation & Release Status Update/Discussion - June 9

This is the weekly translation status update thread. Use this thread to discuss translation news, issues, titles you're looking forward to, etc.
Note: This is simply a mirror from 4chan's weekly thread on the /jp/ board. All credit goes to the user VNTS there. Entries in Bold have had changes since last week
Fan Translations
Official work
MangaGamer
JAST
Age titles
Sekai/Denpa
VisualArts
Nekonyan
PQube
Dualtail
Frontwing
Fakku
Saikey Studios (mix of official/unofficial)
HyoukanOpera
MAGES. GAMES
Voltage Inc.
Aksys
B-cluster
MediBang Inc.-
Kamitsubaki Studio
Dayu Zixun
Shiravune
FG Remake
Dramatic Create
Kagura Games
Aniplex
Love Lab
DLsite
Idea Factory
Harukaze
Moonchime
Alice In Dissonance
G-mode
HyoukanOpera
MiKandi Japan
PRODUCTION PENCIL
072 Project
F&C
Eroge Japan
Tensei Games
GRAVITY GAME ARISE
MintLip
Other
submitted by Icy-Lingonberry-2574 to visualnovels [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:56 ilua_linerin As much as i loved the first DD i can't recommend the 2nd. Capcom fix your damn game.

Before i begin, i played on PC and these are my specs: CPU: Ryzen 3700X at 4.4Ghz 1.3V, 32GB of ram 3600mhz cl16, game on nvme SSD, GPU: RX 6700, OS: Arch linux with zen kernel 6.9.
The game runs at 1080p 60fps high settings without FSR or dynamic resolution, only flops a bit under the 40's in towns. So far I've played around 65 hours.
This will be a rant, i will begin with technical issues and continue with "ingame" issues.
(It's possible there will be mild spoilers here and there, I'll try covering them but read at your own risk):
I loved the first game, as imperfect and rushed as it was, it was great, but this sequel has become the bane of my existence, i haven't gone through the coronation questyet, but I've already explored a good chunk of the map, ended up finding paths back to beginning of the game while doing some quests (I'm the type to explore like a madman and push along any quest i happen to find along the way before proceeding with the main story), but saying that it's been hard it's an understatement, not because of the difficulty of the game, no, but because of the list of issues i will start explaining now:
For starters opening the game is a gamble, sometimes the game crashes on boot, other times it boots without actually allocating the resources it needs and performs like crap until restarted, those are bothersome but MINOR issues, the bigger problems are when the game decides to crash randomly and nukes the entire OS along with it and forces me to manually reboot the PC, along with the usual crappy performance in towns, makes this an extremely bad experience, but this doesn't end here, as the crashes are random sometimes i managed twice to get a single 4 hour session without ANY issue, it was GREAT, but then the day after boom 13 crashes in less than 3 hours.
I've checked on forums and discord servers, and these issues aren't inherent of me using Linux, in fact people seem to have worse experiences with better machines than mine, specially in the performance department.
One of the things i liked of the first game was the inventory system, it was good, if not great, being able to always access your vault from town shops so you could sell,buy and upgrade equipment from and to your vault was great, i simply cannot fathom why the hell would anyone think of the inventory system of DD2 while the ONLY thing the one used by the first game lacked was an armor set system (similar to the one found in MH games) so you could change class and equipment fast, now i have to put everything i need or want to try for the new class i wanna use, in my inventory, go change vocation, and go back to the vault at my house or at the inn to drop off the stuff of the vocation i was using before, in DD1 i could do that from the equipment menu that opens after switching vocations, but this isn't the end of the shitshow that is the inventory of DD2, no.
In DD1 when dropping large quantities of items you could simply go to a section like "materials" and simply press "start" and that would mover everything from that inventory section to the vault, was good because if used on equipment sections it would ignore the equipped armors and weapons, so mass storage was great, i don't know why the hell this isn't in DD2.
Another issue with the inventory is the "led syndrome" i like to call it, every time you pick an item you get a new shiny notification led on your inventory, I ALREADY HAVE 99 explosive arrows, why do you mark it as something new just because i didn't have it in my inventory before? i already now the item, all the recipes that give me the damn arrow, i have my vault filled with those arrows, i don't need a notification, i can make a thesis on the damn blast arrows.
More issues: Stacks are limited to 99 items, why? simply... Why? I can put enough resources of any given material to equip an army, but somehow the stacks are limited to 99 items, you can't hold any more either in your inventory or in the vault, only 99 per inventory, this is stupid, specially for the vault, i mentioned by which point in the history i am, and i filled 3 inventories with blast arrows: the vault, my inventory and my pawn's, I'm literally giving them for completing the pawn quests because i am overburdened by arrows.
These previous two issues where NOT present in DD1.
Recovery times, I understand that if I'm hit by the club of a cyclops i will eat dust, but the recovery time when getting knocked down is atrocious, if i have bad luck and a bunch of enemies gang on me it's literally death, you have no freaking control over it, getting knocked down is like playing modern Yugiho with and old deck like Gishki, you literally don't play, from the stupid amount of effects and BS of the newer cards, in DD1 if you got knocked down or grabbed you could do the joystick swing "minigame" to recover, that's no longer an option in DD2, if you get knocked down it's literally "come another week to play", and even with the "Help" command the Pawns don't seem to prioritize getting you up instead they focus on recovering your HP, as realistic as it tried to be, it's not fun or engaging, it's boring and infuriating.
I think I've made a good list of my issues with the game and why can't recommend it even when it does so many things greatly, the cons are too big for me to ignore. The current state of Dragon's Dogma 2 IT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE, and Capcom should be ashamed to have this game released in such deplorable state, and I'm not talking about the PC version alone, i find it and insult that the console versions running a similar hardware to mine are locked at 30fps and also have terrible performance.
Capcom fix your game.
submitted by ilua_linerin to DragonsDogma2 [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:55 MarlynnOfMany The Token Human: Rainy Day Eggs

{Shared early on Patreon}
~~~
The last delivery our ship made was to a dry planet with too much wind. I’d say it was nice to be somewhere with moisture in the air again, but this was a lot of rain. And while I can appreciate the scent of petrichor and the sound of raindrops on the roof as much as the next Earthling, our current setup was a smidge inconvenient.
Paint asked, “Are you sure we don’t want to use the cargo bay instead?” She peeked past my elbow through the personnel door. “I feel like a wet floor there is less of a slipping hazard.”
“Maybe, but the awning doesn’t fit,” I told her, pointing up at the portable thing that came with this spaceport’s landing pad. It was made for single-person entrances, a hovering pink rectangle tethered to the ground with some kind of localized tractor beam. It stuck to the ship nicely, and hadn’t let so much as a drop sneak past to drip down my shirt, but it wouldn’t have fit over the cargo bay entrance.
“I thought we were going to use one of the bigger landing pads,” Paint said, surprise on her lizardy face as she looked out at the spaceport. “I know our ship is on the small side, but this spot looks tiny!”
“It is,” I said. “That douchnozzle over there sniped our spot.” I pointed at the sporty red single-person cruiser that was currently hogging a courier space. I’d heard Wio swear from the cockpit when she had to adjust our approach because the jerk zipped in front of us. I’d seen the nice big awning crumple down to fit his jerkmobile. After we’d landed in a spot almost too small for us, I’d seen him stroll away with fancy clothes and a force field umbrella, and he hadn’t come back yet.
He was a human, too. Not that I was bitter about any of that.
Paint huffed. “How rude! Well at least we have the comfort of knowing that the kind of person to do that is likely to make their own life harder every day.”
“You’re right on that count,” I agreed. “I can just imagine how much his food gets spit in when he eats at restaurants.”
This concept was a new one as far as Paint was concerned, and we spent the next few minutes before our client arrived talking about unsanitary food sabotage. (She wasn’t a fan. Can’t say I blame her.)
The birdlike cargo of the day was making quiet cooing noises from its cage as the client approached: a slender Frillian who’d come prepared with a bubble-shielded hover cart. I greeted him and handled the electronic payment while Paint gave the cargo one last look over. The coos turned to anxious warbles.
I wanted to call them chickens, and I’m still not convinced that I’m far off, but while their speckled feathers reminded me of the Aracaunas I’d had as a kid, these guys had scaly jaws instead of beaks. Feathery little velociraptors, all puffed up into anxious feather-orbs and looking ready to bite.
I was grateful for both the cage and the awning.
“Here you go,” I said, passing over the cage with extreme care. It barely fit through the door. Luckily the dino-chickens were light, even when they flapped and hissed. The client got them onto the cart with practiced ease. I tried not to show how relieved I was. That cage going sideways to smash open on the rainy ground would have been disastrous.
“Oh wait!” Paint said from behind me. “What about the eggs?”
“Right, I forgot about those,” I said, turning to grab the bowl she held out, which I’d set in the hallway next to the cage. Three speckled eggs rolled merrily as I held it out to the client. “Do you want these? They laid them on the way here, though they don’t seem interested in caring for them.”
He was busy strapping the cage down. “No thanks! They’re not fertilized. Just toss ‘em in your bio-recycler or whatever. Have a great day!” A fresh wave of rain pounded down between us.
“All right, thank you!” I waved goodbye and stepped back inside the ship, closing the hatch. With the rain shut out, the silence felt loud.
“I’ll mop up the water,” Paint volunteered. She pointed at where a spray of raindrops had managed to blow in on the wind. “Watch your step.”
“Thanks.” I held the bowl of rolling eggs in one hand, and the payment tablet in the other. I stepped carefully.
“And make sure you sanitize that bowl!”
“Oh, I will,” I said. “But before I just throw these away, I think it’s time for a rousing game of ‘who thinks these are food?’”
Paint regarded me with a mix of skepticism and disgust. “Really?”
I grinned at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll have Eggskin scan them first.”
“You do that!”
Still grinning, I put away the tablet and did that. Eggskin was in the medical bay, which was next to the kitchen, which was convenient, because Eggskin was in charge of both. They were the most knowledgeable cook/medic I’d ever met.
They didn’t make any fun expressions when I handed over the bowl, not so much as lifting a scaly browridge. They just set to scanning and analyzing like the professional lizardy alien they were.
(I still haven’t told them that the color of their scales reminds me of boogers, and I don’t ever plan to.)
The machine dinged. Eggskin tapped a few buttons, cross-referencing something on the intelligent species database.
“You can’t eat these,” they declared.
“What? Why not?” I was honestly shocked. Humanity’s omnivorous nature had made me used to being the one who could eat everybody’s food.
“There is a significant level of a toxin that would cause vomiting and worse,” Eggskin informed me. “Looks like your people call it tremetol.”
That made a memory ding. “Wait, like the kind from white snakeroot? The kind cows eat, and gives people milk sickness?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Eggskin said drily. “In my personal opinion, all milk is likely to cause sickness, but you’re welcome to your mammal tendencies. Just don’t eat these.”
“Aw, man,” I said. “Is it poisonous to everybody?”
“Let me check.” Eggskin brought up another species. “Looks like Mesmers aren’t affected.”
A voice from the doorway asked, “By what?” and I realized the quiet clicking noises had been Zhee’s feet. His big bug eyes peered in with some very nosy curiosity for someone without a nose.
I said, “By a toxin in the eggs that our animal cargo laid.”
Zhee tilted his head. “Good to know that something I don’t plan to touch will not harm me.”
Eggskin said, “The conversation was about eating them.”
“Ew.” He tilted his head at a more extreme angle and raised his pincher arms as if in defense. “Why?”
I sighed. “Apparently they’re poisonous to some of us.”
“Oh no,” Zhee deadpanned. “What a loss.”
Eggskin asked, “Want me to dispose of them?”
“I guess so,” I said. “Looks like all they’re good for is egging houses. Or spaceships.” I paused to think. “I wonder if they’d do the same kind of damage to the exterior that they do to car paint. It’d get washed away by the rain today anyway.”
“Spaceships like a certain red piece of excrement?” Zhee angled his long body sideways to let someone pass. “The captain would likely deem that unwise.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Captain Sunlight beat me to it.
“Unwise is one word for it,” she said as she stepped into view and paused instead of passing. Her scaly yellow face wore a scowl. “But that’s the same egghole who nearly sideswiped Kamm’s ship last week; I just checked. Now, we’re about to take off, but if the door happens to open and close before we do, I will be conveniently looking the other way.” She made eye contact, then strolled off toward the cockpit.
Zhee and Eggskin looked at me. I looked at them. Then I grabbed the bowl of eggs and legged it toward the hatch.
As the crewmember with the best throwing arm, and the same species as the egghole in question, it was only fitting that I deliver the karma.
~~~
Shared early on Patreon
Cross-posted to Tumblr and HFY
The book that takes place after the short stories is here
The sequel is in progress (and will include characters from the stories)
submitted by MarlynnOfMany to humansarespaceorcs [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:55 MsKaliMay StarDust RP an 18+, new player friendly, whitelisted community. Active DOJ, PD, and EMS. Custom clothing business and fun activities to do!

StarDust RP an 18+, new player friendly, whitelisted community. Active DOJ, PD, and EMS. Custom clothing business and fun activities to do!
Are you ready to immerse yourself in a world where your imagination sets the only limits? StarDust RP invites you to join a thriving community where every day is a new adventure, and every character has a story to tell. Whether you’re a seasoned roleplayer or a curious newcomer, we invite you to join the world of StarDust.

Why Choose StarDust RP?

Dynamic Storytelling
At StarDust RP, we believe in the power of narrative. Our community is built on diverse characters with rich backstories, interacting in ways that shape the ever-evolving world of Los Santos. From gritty crime sagas to heartwarming everyday tales, your story finds its place here.
Engaging Features:
Our server is packed with custom features to enhance your roleplay:
  • Custom Jobs: Choose from a wide array of professions or create your own path.
  • Unique Businesses: Own and operate your business, whether it’s a nightclub, a car dealership, or a cozy cafe.
  • Legal and Illegal Activities: Engage in a variety of activities, from lawful to the more clandestine, with a robust law enforcement system to keep things interesting.
Active and Supportive Community:
Join a welcoming community where support is always at hand. Our experienced staff and friendly players are here to help you get started, answer questions, and ensure everyone enjoys a fair and fun experience.
Regular Events and Updates:
Stay excited with regular server events, updates, and new content. From massive community events to subtle updates that add depth to your roleplay, there’s always something happening in StarDust RP.

How to Join

Getting started with StarDust RP is easy:
  1. Install FiveM: Download and install the FiveM client.
  2. Join the Community: Join our Discord server to get the latest updates and connect with fellow roleplayers.
  3. Apply for your Passport: Complete a short application about rule and roleplay knowledge to gain your passport to the city.
  4. Create Your Character: Bring your character to life and dive into the world of Los Santos.

Ready to Start Your Adventure?

Your story is waiting to be told. Join StarDust RP today and become part of a community where every moment is an opportunity for an unforgettable roleplay experience.
Join our Discord: Star Dust Gaming GTAV RP 2
See you in Los Santos, where your adventure begins with StarDust RP
submitted by MsKaliMay to FiveMRPServers [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:52 Dicklefart A word of warning with love to those getting into PCVR right now:

PCVR has always been an enthusiast hobby, the barrier to entry has always been blocked by a significant price and know-how factor. Now that the quest is in a lot of people’s hands, once they find they like VR, eventually they’re likely to want more, and look towards whatever pc they have to take them to the next level.
PCVR can certainly offer much more than standalone, but it comes at the cost of ease of use. Anything first party steam made for vr should work pretty well with minimal effort, but let’s be honest, with a lack of new titles, and YouTubers showing off UEVR, vorpx, and modded Skyrim, people are going to try to make vr work in ways it wasn’t designed to. That is more than doable, but requires time and patience.
Pcvr is by nature finicky. Getting it to work the first time will be more difficult than quest. If you’re trying to play wirelessly it will be even more difficult for an average non-savvy person. There’s some settings you’ll need to tweak that will be based on your WiFi and your machine that you’ll have to discover on your own, there will be guides to help, but you will still have to go through testing to get it smooth and consistent. Automatic should work well but not perfectly.
Then it will work for a while, then when you take a break you will come back to massive amounts of updates. I have to turn off auto update so that I can keep a working build, before I update anything I check online to see if there’s any compatibility issues. Every time you update anything you may have to do at least a small amount of tweaking, and often these will be unsolved problems that you’ll have to figure out on your own or by searching through forums and Reddit.
If you’re not moderately to highly tech savvy, PCVR may not be for you, especially if you want to play games that weren’t designed for vr or modded vr games, but that’s the ultimate appeal of pcvr. Plus of course the graphic capabilities. But being on the cutting edge comes at a cost, you’ll always be in uncharted and untested territory. There are many of us navigating that territory, and we will mostly try to help each other in Reddits and discords, but alas, you will likely have to find your own solution to a few of your problems, especially if your hardware isn’t super common. You’ll likely spend more time modding, testing, and adjusting than playing the game depending on what you’re doing, but the reward is an experience that most are unable to obtain.
I don’t say this to discourage anyone, I say it to prepare this new generation of people who have fallen in love with vr and want the next level. It will not be easy, (sometimes it is though lol) but if you really want to see the best that vr can offer, it’s certainly worth learning. It’s not a matter of pcvr being good or bad, it’s a matter of, is the juice worth the squeeze and do you have the energy to learn to juice?
For me, 1000% it’s worth it, and if you are hooked on vr the way I am, your passion will see you through the troubles. I encourage everyone who wants it to try, but want to be realistic about the hurdles you may encounter. You may hit none of these hurdles, it may be easy and you’ll think I’m crazy or stupid, I pray that it is. Happy hunting my brothers and sisters in VR.
TL;DR: Quest users looking to get into pcvr should be aware that there is likely to be moderate to significant effort to get a non standard game running in vr at the quality you see on YouTube.
submitted by Dicklefart to virtualreality [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:50 Kahzgul [Near As I Can Tell...] Luthen Rael Conquest Guide

Welcome to my guide to the Luthen Rael conquest series. This is a work in progress and will be updated with new strategies as I learn about them. If you come up with a brilliant idea, or see someone who has, please post it in the comments and I’ll add it here along with proper credit.
If you’re new to conquest (or new to my guides), I recommend starting with my Conquest Basics Guide, which will give you the foundation for understanding the rest of this guide.
I will also refer to various “cheese teams” from time to time. I’ve got a guide for those as well.
About my roster: I have 11.2M GP and all GLs except LV (230/330 shards though). I have all marquee characters at a minimum of 3 stars and g8 gear. This is the minimum I recommend for any cheese strategy.
A note about data discs: I like to avoid caustic emissions and thermal exhaust. Both stack more dots on enemies, which increases the chance that the enemy dies to the dot rather than to your direct damage, and that prevents progress on “kill X number of guys” feats.
Data Disc Info:
NO ONE KNOWS!!! CG usually releases this info at the same time we learn about feats, but this time they didn’t. In the past we’ve had two different cycles:
There’s more than that, but until we know what’s in this conquest, this is as good as it gets. Please report discs as you find them so we can build our own list!
----
Global Feats:
Defeat 250 Enemies in the gold challenge track:
Just do the golden path all the time and you’ll get this for free.
Win 15 battles with Captain Rex Surviving:
Very easy. He’s plug and play on PHX teams, a staple of GLLO squad, and you can use him as a clone trooper. Plus he just became accelerated so there’s no excuse. Since you need him at R7 to unlock GLLO, you can feel good about pumping him full of gear, too.
Defeat 35 Enemies with JKCK:
- JML / JKCK / 3 other jedi will easily handle this. Cheese-able vs. teams with lots of revives like MM (with SRP) or if there’s a NS+zombie boss node again.
Win 15 Battles with Master Poncho and Obi-Tween Kenobi Surviving:
​
Win 15 Battles with 4 Gungans in your Squad:
- Rey / 4 gungans. This is my go-to here. Rey does the dirty work and the gungans are unlikely to die thanks to her leader ability. SLKR, LV, or really any GL will let you collect wins, but they probably won’t also keep the gunnies alive. Not that you need to. This is a surprisingly easy feat from CG. Past conquests would have required a full squad and required they all survive.
Kill 35 Enemies with DTMG:
Brutal for the vast majority of players who haven’t unlocked him. For the select few of us who have, this is something we’ll probably need to cheese since he doesn’t deal very much damage.
​
Complete a battle with Overprepared I Active (Gungans): Ok.
Call 60 allies to assist with Booming Voice (DTMG): Ok.
----
Sector 1 Feats:
Defeat 35 enemies with LS Mandos:
Straightforward and simple. Remember Sabine counts on your PHX team, BAM and Mando count on Scoundrel or BH teams, etc.. Or go with the full Bodalor squad and shred everyone.
Gain Evasion Up 50 Times:
​
Defeat 35 Enemies with Ewoks:
​
Win 10 Battles with Full Resistance:
​
Sector 1 Bosses:
Sector 1 Miniboss - Defeat an enemy with scout trooper:
Not sure how this will go. Leaked images show the miniboss to be Cere, and that’s a very strong team. DTMG lead, Iden lead, or Veers lead may work, or it may be cheesier like a Traya / Malak use VV situation. I’m not sure yet.
Sector 1 Miniboss - Win with only light siders: So many options. Try to double up with other feats by using Resistance, LS Mandos, or BB.
Sector 1 End Boss - Win with Thrawn surviving: Great!
Sector 1 End Boss - Win without using Empire. So many options.
----
Sector 2 Feats:
Defeat 35 Enemies with Rebel Fighters:
​
Attempt to Inflict Potency Down 50 Times:
​
Defeat 35 Enemies with Imp Troopers:
- Veers / Piett / Dark Trooper / Range Trooper / Starck is my go-to here, but Iden or even DTMG teams may work (though DTMG is not an imp trooper and since you want him to get kills for the global, I don’t recommend trying with that team.
Win 10 Battles with a Full Squad of NS:
​
Sector 2 Bosses:
Sector 2 Miniboss - Defeat an Enemy with Sabine: Ok.
Sector 2 MiniBoss - Win with a Full Squad of Galactic Republic Surviving: This is a new twist on the “win with full faction” feat type. They all need to survive!
Sector 2 End Boss - Win with Saw surviving: If you don’t have his team built out, use one of the cheeses.
Sector 2 End Boss - Win with a full squad of Empire: Ok.
----
Sector 3 Feats:
Defeat 35 Enemies with any Han: So the Hans in the game are: Han Solo (raid), Captain Han, Vet Han, Young Han, and ST Han. Of those, ST Han and Captain Han are very unlikely to get any kills and Young Han is unlikely to have any gear. Vet Han you may have if you have SLKR, and raid Han is just outstanding and should be used all the time. So…
​
Win 10 Battles with a Full Squad of Separatists:
​
Gain Accuracy Up 50 times:
- MM / SRP / 3 rebel fighters SRP grants it on basic, so on a MM team he’ll be assisting a ton, which is how most people are going to have to get this buff.
​
Gain We Adapt or Die 50 Times:
- Iden is the only character who grants this buff, so you need to play with her and 4 non-leader imp troopers. I’m almost certain we’ll find a stall team where you can just gain this 50 times in one combat and be done.
Sector 3 Bosses:
Sector 3 Miniboss - Win with A full squad of GR Jedi. Should be easy enough.
Sector 3 MiniBoss - Win without force users: Jabba with Boba Scion should do fine. Or GG, imps, etc..
Sector 3 End Boss - Win with Boss Nass surviving: Well he’s low gear and stars, so it’s JKL / JML / Wat cheese time.
Sector 3 End Boss - Win with only dark siders: Ok.
----
Sector 4 Feats:
Win 10 Battles with STAP surviving:
​
Gain Shield Up 50 Times:
- Only Gungan Phalanx can do this, and he only grants it to his Gungan allies, so this feat is a “skip” for me, barring a solid wheel of cheese.
Attempt to inflict Accuracy Down 50 Times: Cad applies on basic, Aphra on 2nd ability, 8th bro applies it to the whole enemy team on 2nd ability, and I guess 7th sis applies it when assisting if she’s the leader and the enemy has at least 3 stacks of purge (I’m never trying that). So realistically it’s Cad on a team that calls him to assist a bunch or inks (or empire?) with 8th bro. Ugh.
Win 10 Battles with a full squad of Rebels: Lots of options.
Sector 4 Bosses:
Sector 4 Miniboss - Win with Bo’dalor Surviving. If you have her, of course.
Sector 4 MiniBoss - Win with only Dark Siders: Ok.
Sector 4 End Boss - Win with GLLO surviving: Double up with “win with rebels” and “captain rex surviving”
Sector 4 End Boss - Win without a GL: Ok.
----
Sector 5 Feats:
Attempt to Inflict Evasion Down 50 Times:
​
Defeat 35 enemies with Phoenix: They’re really leaning into Captain Rex this time around, eh? Anyway, self-explanatory.
Win 10 Battles with MQG and QGJ surviving:
​
Defeat 35 Enemies with Bounty Hunters:
​
Sector 5 Bosses:
Sector 5 MiniBoss - Win with Veers in your squad: Ok.
Sector 5 Miniboss - Win with only Light Siders: Ok.
Sector 5 End Boss - Win with Bane Surviving: Dick move, CG.
Sector 5 End Boss - Win without a force user: Ok.
----
General Planning Guide:
The first thing I do is decide which feats I simply am not capable of completing. In this conquest, there are several feats that require rare characters than many are unlikely to have:
​
That’s 43 burritos gated behind specific characters that not everyone has and max crate may simply be physically impossible for you to get.
For me, I actually have everyone, but if, say, you don’t have DTMG or JKCK, that means you’re missing out on 31 burritos. In the past we could afford to miss a total of 34 per conquest and still get max crate, but this conquest has reduced sector 3 feats from 10 burritos to 5 each (20 fewer, total), so unless something else changes we’re talking a margin of only 14 burritos. Missing any single global feat dooms your max crate run.
Are there other feats that will be really hard for you? The ones that stand out to me are:
​
You’ll need - it seems - all globals to get max crate, and since the globals overlap with the non globals listed here, there’s no real point in skipping any of them. UGH.
Now that I know which feats I can't do, it's time to figure out the most efficient means of completing the feats I can do…
In order of daily priority, I suggest:
​
In all cases you want to double up feats as much as physically possible.
----
Timeline/Roadmap:
Note: I do battles twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. I never do more than 2 battles with any specific squad each time I do battles. So if I put in my roadmap "4 battles with GR" that means "2 battles in the morning with my GR team, and 2 battles in the evening with my GR team.” If I have multiple teams, you’ll see multiples of 4, most likely.
This assumes 3 refreshes per day (50 crystals each) plus 120 energy gained over time daily, for about 24 battles per day. Day 1 begins with 144 energy full for 7 bonus attacks on top of that.
I’m only really planning the first two days out so you can see how to plan your own run. Beyond that, I’ve noted where you have teams committed so you can pace yourself accordingly. It’s actually going to be very easy to accidentally finish your 40 GR wins very early even though the odds you use those teams later is quite high. Be sure to focus on sector-specific wins instead.
Day 1: 31 attempts. Goal: Clear Sector 1.
​
Immediately I’m going to break my rule with regards to stamina and suggest doing all 10 resistance combats on day 1 for anyone with Rey. Sector 1 teams are a lot weaker than other sectors and both resistance teams slap without any data discs, so finishing this feat shouldn’t be hard, even pushing your stamina lower than normal. One of these combats should be vs. the midboss to double with “win with all light side.”
​
Day 2: 24 attempts. Goal: Clear Sector 2.
​
I want to note that so far we already have 8 committed wins with CRex of our 15 total needed. We may not need to actually try to get those wins for him.
Day 3: 24 attempts. Goal: Clear Sector 3. In a perfect run, there are only 11 combats to go in sector 3 at this point. I should probably mention that I have never once had a perfect run 2 days in. Remember: A plan is just a list of things that won’t happen.
​
Day 4: 24 attempts. Goal: Clear Sector 4.
Day 5: 24 attempts: Goal: Clear Sector 5.
- JML / Old Ben / QGJ / MQG / POW - This team will get us our 50 evasion down debuffs (feed attacks to old ben) as well as 10 wins with QGJ and MQG. Bringing POW along also gets us 10 wins towards our global goal of 15 wins with MQG and POW, which is huge.
That’s basically it. Everything else is just feat cleanup. I’ll update the feats with cheese teams as we discover them. In theory you can clear sector 5 while making considerable feat progress all in 5 days. Cheers!
Days 6-14: 24 attempts each. Clean up any other feats you haven't finished yet, then farm Datacons as desired.
----
If you found this helpful or just want to read more of my stuff, I have an index of all of my posts about SWGoH here. Thanks for reading and may the force be with you!
submitted by Kahzgul to SWGalaxyOfHeroes [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:49 anonymous-5000 25 [M4F] Netherlands/Europe - Looking for something real? A deep connection? Friendship? A potential long or short term relationship?

Hello, I am currently an international student in the country looking for find a short term or long term partner. I’ve been single by choice for a long time mostly due to me wanting to work on myself and feeling too busy and due to personal stuff you will learn later. While I’m not perfect I’ve really worked on myself a lot during this period and am ready to full open up my heart to someone again for a deep bond. Just want to preface I hope you live nearby as I really don’t want to do long distance anymore it’s too hard and painful for me.
In this post I really just want to paint a complete picture of who I am so someone hopefully sees this and feels we will really click with the type described here and respond. That’s why I’m positing here I just feel I have the potential to form a really tight bond with someone I meet online completely unlike I would in person. I really want someone I can be entirely open and honest with and I want my partner to do the same. I really crave and want the deepest form of intimacy possible with someone special.
Looks: I am including this first because I do think physical attraction is important. I am 193cm (6’4) and have dark brown hair which is medium length style. I have blue eyes and some facial hair but I always keep it well trimmed so it’s like a very well groomed very short beard. I always make sure it’s groomed. I also have clear skin almost all the time which is lucky. I’m thin but quite muscular I do go to the gym 5 days a week as part it my routine and lift and I do think it shows as I have some bulk in my arms and legs. I also can bench quite a decent amount(about 100kg for 4 reps). I have wide shoulders pretty flat stomach still fairly large arms and legs.
I really do feel I have a very unique sense of fashion which I’m further developing and getting better each year I personally do think I am pretty good looking. I like to wear tighter dress pants with a belt of different colors usually all black or darker and a tighter shirt that’s plain with dress shoes and some jewelry like a watch, rings and wrist chain. Usually I like to wear things a bit on the tighter side. I have been cold approached a few times by women which I understand is pretty rare talking to my guy friends and have found women I meet online are more enthusiastic when they see how I look. Just anecdtoal evidence
Personality: My mbti is INTP I can be an ambivert and really social at times. At my uni and at parties I know a lot of people and I even enjoy going to them occasionally but at the end of the day no matter how much forced exposure therapy I do I am a reserved and quite, stoic and thoughtful person. I am a decent conversationalist but sometimes too much socializing with large groups and crowds exhausts me and I spend a lot of time alone at the end of the day. I also prefer to have space and to do my workouts alone.
I am pretty sure I also have adhd. It isn’t so bad and I can manage I am almost done with my master and will be fine but it’s worth mentioning. I’ve found I also get on really well with other people who also have adhd? My love language is physical touch and hopefully I can find someone with the same?
Where I am from what’s my plan?: I am from the United States. I didn’t include that until now because id rather be judged as an individual than where I am from. People usually aren’t able to guess where I am from unless I tell them and I’d prefer it to stay that way. I feel I am my own person with my own unique thoughts and sense of fashion. In many ways I feel I don’t fit in where I grew up.
My plan is to finish my masters in psychology in a few months and then get the 1 year job finders visa. During that time I’ll work on the side while spending a lot of effort looking for a real job that can support me. I am currently in the a2/b1 Dutch class and I am completely committed to taking courses all the way up to c1 no matter what. I also have every intention to try to stay in this country if possible though I am open to living elsewhere. I’ve been to quite a few places in Europe and there are some I like a lot.
Hobbies/sport: Honestly, I feel like I don’t have any strong hobbies bc I am always just jumping aroind to different things. In my free time I like watching random informational videos about politics, geography and history. I also like watching streams and people playing video games. My main sport is lifting. I wouldn’t say I’m a gym rat but I am at the gym 5 days a week mainly to keep progressing and because it makes me feel good. It’s also true that my bench is quite high and I’m also stronger than most people at the gym in my legs. I don’t like to brag but I do think my numbers are in the top 1% of gym goers.
What I am looking for + what I can give: I don’t care where you are from or who you are. I just hope that we have some things in common. Would be nice if you also like going to the gym sometimes? Maybe your mbti is similar to INTP? If you read this and feel like we will click we will get on very well. I don’t really have a type physically as long as you are not overweight I will find you attractive most likely. I am quite into fitness (dw I still eat unhealthy pretty often I just care about my weight and physical activity mostly) so I’m hoping you care a little about it too. My type varies a lot. I have a thing for brown eyes but honestly I don’t really care at the end of the day.
In return I find when I deeply connect with someone I’m incredibly loyal, and I would do anything for that person. I love everything about that person physically and emotionally. I also don’t believe in double standards and I can promise you I’ll always care about my appearance and fitness even as I get older. I will never allow myself to get fat as a personal thing for myself and I know this won’t happen because at one point in my life for the first time ever I got a bit overweight and went on a diet and lost 20kg in 3 months.
If you clicked with anything here feel free to send me a message. Since I think physical attraction is important after a few messages I’ll send you some pictures of myself and you the same. If the attraction isn’t there that’s ok! We can be friends and please don’t take it personally it just means we have different types! Maybe I’ll hear from you soon?
submitted by anonymous-5000 to r4r [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:49 it_rains_blue_here [F4M] Your bully visits the host club where you work! [so much teasing][getting you drunk so you open up][playful, dominant speaker][snuggling in her car]['serving' your rival][secretly yandere][Confessions? Yes.][cat ears and tequila sunrises]

This is the most fun I've had writing a script in quite a while. I'm excited to be sharing this with you.
Some information about the script:
Can you monetize this on YouTube and/or Patreon? Yes.
Can you make minor changes to the script? Yes.
Can you genderflip the script? Yes. I'd suggest changing the setting to a hostess club/maid cafe, and swapping out the lipstick for a marker pen (read on!), in that case.
The SFX and voice cues are all optional, and thus, it's not a necessity to incorporate them if you're filling this.
Shout out to u/Tiny_Rip2222 for posting a prompt that inspired certain aspects of this script (and for throwing amazing prompts our way, in general)
Note: The speaker's character is named Natalie, but there's no special significance behind this. Please feel free to use any other name instead, including your channel name.
For the listener:
You’ve been working part-time at a host club in your city. You can’t believe you find yourself in this situation, but honestly, it’s more fun than you expected. The pay is decent, you serve drinks to the women who walk into the club, and you even (professionally) flirt with them a bit. But then, your academic rival- your bully- your mortal enemy herself, shows up at the club. And guess whom she picks to be her host?

...
SCRIPT:
(SFX: Soothing ambient music. Clinking of glasses.)
(Cheerfully) Hi there. It’s so nice to meet you! Let’s start off the evening with a-
Wait.
No. No, this cannot be happening!
(Excited) Oh my gosh! Nerd, is that you?!
You’re wearing the uniform! This-This is- oh my God! Are you telling me you work here? In this host club?
Hey, hey, hey! No looking at the floor! Look at me. I want to....really take in this sight of you.
You’re one of the hosts here? (Giggling) No way! Absolutely (still giggling) no way! Oh dear. Oh, nerrrd, I’d never have guessed in my wildest dreams!
Why are you doing this job? And- (incredulously) are those cat ears?
(She can’t stop laughing) Why....why do you....why do you have those on? (Trying to stop laughing, but mostly failing) You....You look cuuute! Oh....I can’t even....this is too much!
I need to get a picture. Lemme just get my phone.
Hey nerd, don’t walk away! I’m paying for this! You stand right there. Yup.
Look at the camera. Give me a cute pose. Can you say “meow” for me? Please? Pleeeease?
Awww, keep pouting! Just like that!
(SFX: Camera clicking)
Hey, one more! One more! Just tilt your head to the side a bit, and look at the camera.
Oh, this is simply priceless! Smiiiiile!
(SFX: Camera clicking again)
(Amused) Awww, you look like such a grumpy little kitty in these photos! This is the best night ever! I can’t wait to show these to everyone in our class.
Nope. I’m totally sharing these. It’d be such a shame to keep this side of you hidden from the world. You’re going to become a celebrity around campus!
No, dude, this is totally on you. Why (bursting into laughter again) Why....are....you even wearing the cat ears?
Oh, I made you wear them? Really? Natalie always makes you do everything, doesn’t she? Yeah, just blame it on your bully.
.....Well, yeah, I kind of did ask for a host with, uh, these on. But that was only for fun! I had NO idea they’d send you!
No, don’t take them off just yet.
Hey, I’m not the weird one here! You spend your free time serving drinks to women and wearing cat ears. I’m, I guess, one of your clients now. And I say those stay on!
(Sighing happily) Nerd, you know what this means, don’t you? I practically own you for the next hour. Oh, this is going to be fun.
Mmmnn. You’re looking at me with such hate in your eyes. I missed this, you know? You always scamper off after class before I can do something fun to you.
Well, don’t just stand there. Get me a drink.
I’m being serious. That’s your job, isn’t it? Get me a tequila sunrise. Go on, nerd. (Clapping) Chop chop!
(A long pause)
Well, this is nice, isn’t it? Just two friends drinking and enjoying each other’s company.
(Playfully) Oh, I’m not your friend? That was unnecessary. You’ll hurt my feelings.
(Sighing) I don’t have any, huh? I’d forgotten you still had some wit hidden under those fluffy ears. My bad, cat boy.
Well, you’re still stuck with me for the better part of an hour. Might as well drink your drink.
I insist. Finish your glass, nerd.
(softly, to herself) Gotta get you to open up somehow.
You really want to know what I’m doing here? Why, so you can use that info to sabotage me later?
Well, at least you’re honest about your intentions. Let’s just say I’m a young woman with varied interests. A girl’s allowed to have fun, right? The bigger question is why you’re working here.
A side-hustle? And you couldn’t have chosen anything else in the world to make money?
You’re full of surprises, aren’t you? I thought all you were good at was coming up second in academics, but apparently you can carry drinks too. Who would’ve guessed?
It wasn’t a fluke. You think the professors gave me better grades last semester because I flirted with them or something? No, nerd, flirting’s part of your job description. I’ll bet you’ve flirted with lots of women like me before.
They were all nicer than me, huh? Well thanks! You do realise I’m your client, right? Aren’t you supposed to be all charming and polite?
Why would doing it with me be weird? We may be rivals, but we’re not strangers. I beat you at everything, and you entertain me. It’s a simple dynamic.
If you really need a refresher, I’m in the lacrosse team. I’m a state level debater. I’ve got a pretty sweet internship at JP Morgan. I’m pretty, and popular, and I apparently score higher grades than you now. How does it feel being second place anyway?
(Giggling) Yeah, I thought you might need another drink. Here, let me.
(SFX: Pouring liquid)
Soooo. This job. Why do you do it? Like, really?
Come on, dude. You can tell me. Do you just like getting female attention or something? Is that it?
(Concerned) What do you mean I wouldn’t understand? I’m here to listen. I want to understand.
Because you intrigue me, nerd.
(A long pause)
I see. You needed the money till you found something else. And you thought this’d be a nice way to get out of your shell, and talk to people.
How has that been working out for you? You never did tell me how many women you’ve had swooning over you.
Yeah, nerd, I’m asking how many clients you’ve had. Is the tequila clouding your mind already?
That many, huh? (Quietly) Wow. I’m impressed.
I know I can count that with less than ten fingers, but that’s still- it’s surprising for a loser like you, is all. Tell me, do you get any repeat customers?
I’m alright. Why wouldn’t I be?
I’m only asking because I’m curious. Have there been any, uh, romantic developments?
Woah, careful there! Easy on the liquor. Pace yourself, silly. (To herself) Although, if that gets you to open up….
None yet, huh? That’s....(very softly) really nice.
Heard me, did you? Well of course I don’t want anyone getting entangled with you. Remember that one time I emptied my smoothie all over your head? You responded by slashing my tyres like a maniac.
Well, of course it was you! Who else could’ve slashed my tyres? My point is, you never take my “bullying” lying face down. You always try to get back at me. It’s what makes our little game so fun.
You’re unable to just....walk away from me. You could’ve protested more when I clicked your photos back there. It’s almost like you secretly have a crush on me.
(Whispering) Well, do you? Have you been fantasizing about the girl that’s been teasing you at college? Have you fantasized about me walking into this host club one day, and asking for you to attend on me? When you were flirting with those other girls, did you ever close your eyes, and imagine it was me instead? Did you ever call them by my name?
(Gently) No. I suppose you’d get fired, if you did. But that doesn’t answer my question.
Your words are getting a little slurry. Are you asking me why I want to know?
Why do you think? Use that cute little brain of yours, nerd.
Do I have a crush on you? Hmmm. Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. Maybe I won’t tell you. Either way, it shouldn’t affect how you feel, deep down in your heart. How you’ve always felt.
So, nerd, tell me. How do you really feel?
(A long pause)
(Giggling) I wonder how you’ll react once you’re sober enough to realise I just recorded this.
What? Don’t look so confused. This isn’t a prank. This isn’t blackmail. I’m not going to send this to anyone. I have standards, you know?
This adorable recording is just to ensure you can no longer lie to either of us about your true feelings. And....it’s to ensure I have something I can always listen to, and smile. I’m never deleting this.
You look like you’ve had enough to drink. Come on, nerd. Take my hand. Follow me.
Hey, easy there, Mr. Stumbles-a-lot! We don’t want you getting hurt just after you confessed. That’d put such a damper on things.
(To the manager) Yeah. I’m taking him with me, as part of our deal. It was a pleasure coming here. I’d love to visit again, but now there’s no reason for me to.
Hush. It’s okay. I’ve got you. There we go. Just lean on me. I’ve got you, you big baby.
That’s it. Slow and easy steps. My car is parked outside. Come on now. One foot in front of the other. Good job.
(Reassuringly) Don’t worry. I promise I’ll look after you.
(Scene changes. SFX: Gentle drumming of rain on rooftops)
Those drinks really did a number on you, huh?
You look cute, curled up on my lap like this. And you’re still wearing the cat ears (giggles).
Hey. Are you asleep? Can you hear me?
(Sighing gently) You’re such a lightweight. Only three glasses, and you’re all dazed and confused. How did you even survive for so long at that place?
Hmm? I know you’ve been working there for about a month. Don’t ask me how. I have my ways. I thought I could wait till you got bored and quit, but- you seemed to be enjoying your job a little too much. That’s not fair.
You’re dense, aren’t you? Sometimes I really wonder how you do well in college. Things just don’t add up, you know?
Okay. Since you were....(affectionately) so sweet in there, I’ll tell you a secret too.
(Whispering) This wasn’t a coincidence. They gave me a catalogue, and I picked you to be my host. I’d followed you here after class one day. I was stunned. I had to pull a few strings to keep tabs on you, and- the more I saw, the more annoyed I became. I thought you were going out of your way to make me jealous.
Congratulations, nerd. It worked. I wanted to strangle each and every one of the women you flirted with. Most of all, I wanted to strangle you. All those times I forced you to sit beside me during class? Dragged you along to my club events? Challenged you to get your attention? How could you have not taken a hint?
I’m sure you tried to say something intelligible just now. Oh, well. It doesn’t matter. We’re together now.
Yeah. Together. I talked with your manager. You won’t have to work at that infernal place anymore.
Rent? What about it? I have my own apartment outside campus. You’re moving in with me, starting now. No more terrible college dorms.
I’m sorry. I didn’t get that.
(Very softly) Oh, I’m sure I want you, nerd. Why else would I go through all this effort?
Let’s just strike a truce, okay? It has been an absolute pleasure being your bully, but I think I wanna try being your girlfriend now.
(Giggling) What was that? Did you say something?
Why are there so many buildings coming out of the sky? (Sighing) You’re hammered. Don’t ruin the moment. Just drift off to sleep on my lap. I’ll drive you home once it stops raining.
Please. I’m fine. I didn’t even finish my glass. You’re in good hands.
You really are cute, you know that? Snuggled up against me all helpless like this. I could do whatever I wanted to you. I’m going to regret making that truce, aren’t I?
I’d never take advantage of you when you’re like this. But maybe, just maybe, for old time’s sake....well, a girl is allowed to have her fun, right? And I do have my lipstick right here.
Any ideas what I should write? How about “wimp”? (Giggles)
What aftershave do you use, dude? You smell kind of nice.
Hey, hey! Hold still. It’s okay. I just need access to your neck. I don’t want to drink your blood. I’m not a vampire (giggles again).
There we are. You’re so obedient. Now then, for your reward....
(A long pause. She hums a little.)
Mhmm. It says Natalie’s. You look lovely. Now everyone will know you’re mine.
Oh, don’t be like that. It’ll wash off. Eventually. I think. (Whispering) What won’t, though, is the truth that’ll remain....
You’re mine, nerd. (she kisses the listener)
...
As always, comments and feedback are welcome and appreciated.

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2024.06.10 18:48 LawyerVet36 The Rest Of Saturday

I realize this is really long and don't blame anyone if you want to skip parts. A lot happened after the morning got derailed. Some good, some that didn't feel so good, but no one else was assaulted and no more family drama hit on Saturday, I'll save what happened Sunday for my post about Sunday - which was a pretty interesting day but the post shouldn't be as long as this day's was...
*** Saturday Continued **\*
I figured we all needed a break from the day’s drama and asked Mark and Sam if they could stay and have lunch with us. Both agreed, Mark said he wanted to go over the security plan that John was putting together, and Sam didn’t want to leave Emily just yet.
I remembered that right after Emily was born, Sam would hold her at every family gathering, staring at her and playing with her little hands. Even though it had been 17 years since she’d last seen Emily, she is still protective of her.
Rather than eat at the conference table, we went to a fairly new gourmet burger place nearby. I asked John to join us at the table for lunch, and he reluctantly agreed. I had seen Mark on the phone on the way over, and by the time we got there, a police car was parked out front.
Emily called her mom on the way to eat and confirmed that she was out and home. She told her mom about her summer job and let her know she’d hopefully see her later today, but that she might spend the night at a friend’s place again. Debbie asked her to find out if I minded if she came by later today or tomorrow. Emily covered her phone with her hand and relayed the question. I told Emily to let her know that one of us would call her, and if we couldn’t meet this weekend, we definitely would on Monday.
I heard Emily tell her mom she might be working tomorrow too and realized that she was right. Things were moving quickly, and I doubted we’d be sitting around relaxing anytime soon.
We got to the restaurant and walked in. The servers pulled a couple of tables together since, even though there were only five of us, both Mark and John took up a lot of room. I noticed that both of them took seats facing the door. We ordered drinks and took a couple of minutes to go over the menu before I asked John to share his plans.
“Well, given the messages and the fact that someone has already been hurt, I think we’re going to want to make some immediate improvements to the security. I’ve already sent messages to our security team to be prepared to install alarms and cameras at both properties; they’ll be on-site tomorrow at the latest. I’ll need complete access to both buildings.”
I remembered that I still needed to get keys from JA, I’d had some exploring to do. The three-story building was constructed sometime around the turn of the century (last century, not this one) and had seen a variety of uses in its 100+ year history. It sat on a corner lot downtown and extended a good bit of the way down the block. Several of the businesses that occupied the first floor had been there for decades, supporting multiple generations of residents. When the downtown was dying in the 70s and 80s, a lot of the occupants moved out, with only the retail offices remaining open, and even those barely made it through those times.
Like most of the buildings back then, it was deep, around 70 feet from the front of the building on Main Street to the alley in back, it was also significantly longer than most, with 100 feet of Main Street frontage and 70 feet on the side street. It acted as an anchor for the downtown for decades. In addition to the retail spaces on the first floor and my office, there was also a bar and restaurant that catered to the professionals in the area and the weekend crowd. I’m not a big drinker, but it was convenient to have a spot to go when I wanted to relax at the end of the day.
The corner of the building housed the lobby and opened to the hallway dividing the storefronts from the storage areas behind them. There was an elevator going up to the second and third floors, although a keycard was required to get to go to the top floor. The staircase was right next to the elevators, which I chose to use the elevator ninety percent of the time.
Once you got to the second floor there was a small lobby with doors heading off in three different directions. One was to my apartment, one directly across from mine, which I assume was a mirror of my space, and then a set of double oak doors going to the backside of the building.
When Joe built the apartment space out he left the wood beams and exposed interior brickwork. A series of tall, evenly spaced windows dominated one wall, letting in a ton of light. The floor plan essentially consists of a great room that houses a kitchen, utility room with washer and dryer, my bedroom and bathroom (which are both quite large), a study, a half bath, and a second bedroom and full bath.
I never measured it, but I think it’s easily 1800 square feet of space with a mostly open floor plan and a ton of light. For a single guy, it feels massive, and the great room lets Charlie and Cooper hang around without it ever feeling crowded (the bed is another story). On the rare occasion I invite anyone up, they’re amazed by the space, having had no idea it was even here.
“We’ll be installing cameras in all common areas and along the rooflines. On Monday or Tuesday, we’ll upgrade the security for lobby access. There is already keycard access on the elevator, but we need to make some changes to limit access to the second floor now as well.
Joe’s place is a little more complex, we’ll be getting upgraded internet installed and a network of wired cameras around the property. We’ll also be installing perimeter motion sensors in the woods. It’s not feasible to cover the acreage with cameras this quickly, but we can at least ensure no one enters the property without us knowing. Finally, remotely deployed drones will be ready to put eyes wherever we don’t have cameras in the event of a motion alert.”
Good lord, I thought… This is going to be at least $50K by the time we get done, and I bet I don’t even get to play with the drones.
“We’ll get copies of the surveys and look at fencing options…” That immediately grabbed my attention. “No fences!” I quickly said. “I’m sorry, John, I know that might make the most sense, but we’re going to have to do this without fences.”
“Understood. Are you okay with a low wall on the road frontage and gates for the driveways? I really need to have some way of controlling vehicle traffic; it will create a safer environment for you and the protection team.”
John’s delivery of a gentle reminder that this wasn’t just about me, that life was going to be different, was needed. I nodded. “Of course, thanks, John. I’d like to preserve the woods as I’ve always known them if we can, but not at a risk to your team. Let me know if we get to that point.”
John nodded. “I appreciate that, it’s our job to find the balance between your security and your happiness.” He paused before continuing, “We’ll go ahead and get work on the system designs for both buildings. We’ll need you or someone from the firm on-site when we’re doing the interior work.”
“One last thing, we’ll be providing you with a GPS tracker and panic button. It can be worn around your neck. We can do the same thing with a smartwatch, but we’d prefer you to also carry the tracker if you don’t have any objections.”
“That’s fine,” I said. “I’ll call JA to get the other keys to my place today, but let’s make Joe’s house the priority since it’s been broken into twice now.“ Emily looked uncomfortable again, but I winked at her, and that made her smile a little bit.
“You good with all this, Mark?” I asked.
“Yep, I just wanted to know what the plan was, and to get John to pay for my lunch since he’s landed himself this fat contract,” Mark said, laughing.
John laughed back and said, “Done! But I’ll take you to lunch anytime, I can always write it off as a recruiting expense. You know I pay a lot better than the city!”
Sam had been quiet the entire time, taking it all in. I asked her what she was thinking, and she just said, “Oh, nothing, we can talk about it later.” I didn’t love that answer. I knew this was already a lot and was afraid it was getting to be too much. I nodded and forced a smile that I was sure didn’t meet my eyes.
I turned to Emily and asked her how her first day had gone so far. She was quick to respond, “It hasn’t been dull!” She had a smile on her face that DID meet her eyes. I couldn’t help but think that the younger you are, the more you’re likely to find things like this exciting, since life hadn’t quite gotten exciting enough on its own. At least I knew I could count on some enthusiasm over what was sure to be an interesting summer.
The rest of lunch was small talk, with Mark and John catching up and Emily telling Sam about school and asking what it was like to leave the valley and live on the West Coast. I just sat and enjoyed my burger as much as I could.
Emily ordered a milkshake to go while the rest of us finished our burgers. John, true to his word, paid the check, and we all walked back to my office. The girls headed into the conference room, but Mark held me back.
“Thanks for an interesting day so far, Alex. You know this really wasn’t what I was expecting when we met for breakfast,” Mark laughed as I was trying to figure out what to say. “I’m pulling your leg; this is going to make for an interesting summer.”
My head snapped around to look at him. “I was JUST thinking that!”
We both laughed for a second before he got serious again.
“Look, keep your eyes open and your head on a swivel. I know Michael is your brother, but he’s not a good guy. He’s been on and off our radar for a while. Your dad has gotten him out of trouble way more often than he deserved. Michael hasn’t gotten smarter with age.” Mark paused for a second. “Don’t underestimate him or his kids.”
I had forgotten about my nephews. Mark was right—they were worse than Michael. With them, there was no pretense of even trying to stay on the right side of the law. If they somehow got pulled into this, that was a whole 'nother level of trouble. I thanked him for reminding me and told him I’d mention it to John and get him to pull their background reports.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m having their arrest records pulled and sent over. It will save him filing a FOIA request, and I can fill him in on some of my experiences with them,” Mark said.
I couldn’t help but wonder just how much trouble they were causing the community, but I decided to get with John later and get a better idea of who we might be dealing with, if Michael did in fact drag them into the situation, or if he already had.
“Thanks again, Mark. I owe you big time. I’ll hit you up a little later and tell you how it goes with Sam.” Mark turned and said goodbye to Emily, Sam, and John, shaking John’s hand as he stepped away, telling him to look for an email shortly.
I asked John if we had anything else to cover, and he said no, that he’d be posted in the lobby of my office.
Turning to Emily, I asked her to get all the notes together on the calls, particularly the client calls. We’d be following up with clients on Monday. I wouldn’t be taking on any more cases or clients for the foreseeable future, so I’d need to get some names for Emily to start referring people to when they called in.
I stepped into my office to call JA about keys, and Sam walked in behind me, closing the door. “Uh oh,” I thought. I leaned up against my desk, bracing for what was coming. She asked me how I was doing, and I was honest. I told her it was a lot to deal with right now, that the breaking and entering and attack on the guard was a complete shock. This is basically how I remember the conversation that followed:
“I know, Alex. You realize this isn’t going to get easier anytime soon? For God’s sake, we just spent the last hour detailing security measures for multiple properties and discussing likely threats to your safety. All that and you haven’t even started dealing with the actual estate and the responsibilities that will come with it,” Sam said with a mix of exasperation and sympathy.
I figured it was time to tell Sam about the other part of the will: the establishment of the Community Foundation and the Russell Family Trust, both of which would be my responsibility to oversee—a total of $50 million in funds to manage, disperse, and direct. I explained Joe’s vision, as much as I understood it without diving into the journals, and told her I’d probably have to get started on the groundwork in the next week or so.
Sam’s eyes widened. “Fuck Alex, Joe really must have thought you could leap tall buildings with everything he’s put on you without any warning.”
Privately, I agreed. I still didn’t understand why Joe handled things this way, but I wasn’t ready to condemn him either. I needed time and perspective to better understand his plan.
“Alex,” Sam started and paused. (“This isn’t good,” flashed through my brain.) “I’m so glad we reconnected, and I feel like so many of the feelings we had for each other when we were younger are still there,” (“Here comes the but,”) “but I don’t see how we can do a new relationship justice with all you’ve got going on.”
“Well, this sucks,” I thought, but I knew she was right. This was going to be enough of a transition without trying to also navigate a serious, committed relationship. I'm honestly glad we had this conversation now as opposed to a month from now.
She continued, “I spent the last 18 years grinding it out in school, residency, and a fellowship to get to this point. I’m committed to my career, and even though I think there is room for an ‘us,’ I don’t think there is room for an ‘us,’ a bodyguard,” (I hated that word) “a family feud, enemies, a foundation, a trust, a complex estate to understand, and a substantial business to manage.”
“I’m not sure there is room for all that in your life, even without trying to build a new relationship. You’re going to need all the friends and support you can get.” As usual, she was right. I didn’t like it, and I wouldn’t have said it myself, but I knew she wasn’t wrong.
“I’d like to be part of that support, and for us to get to know each other as friends again, without the expectations of a romantic relationship. I want to be there for you while you’re building this new life. I want to be your friend first and I want you to be mine. I’m going to need support some days too. I’m basically new in town after 18 years away, and my job isn’t always a cakewalk. There are going to be days that I need a whiskey after work, and you’ve got a great bar downstairs.” Her smile made me feel better about the situation as she continued.
“So, here’s my proposal. Let’s start this as friends, just like we did in elementary school. We’ll be there for each other and know we can talk about anything we need to. We can have a drink, and we can spend time together without expectations of anything more than just friendship.”
“If we’re meant to be together, it will work out that way. If not, then we can at least be godparents for each other’s kids someday.” She looked like she was finished, and a little anxious as she waited for my response.
Sam was more mature than I was when we were in high school, and nothing had changed in the 18 years since.
“I know you’re right, Sam. If it weren’t for this situation, I’d have all the bandwidth in the world for ‘us,’ but as it is, I realize something is going to suffer if we try and do this now. All of this, including us, is too important to risk doing any of it half-assed.”
I could see how relieved she was, and honestly, I felt it a little bit too, like a pressure I didn’t even realize was there had been lifted. I relaxed a little and hugged her. As soon as I did, I knew this was the right thing to do; I just felt it.
With over a week’s worth of hindsight, I know now that our feelings for each other from high school had never been properly resolved. Trying to restart a relationship based on stolen kisses in the hall between classes and exploring what romance meant in the back seat of a car by the river was a bad idea. We had made promises to each other back then before we even knew what those promises meant. Maybe we were destined to be together, but if so, we’d find out as the people we are now, not the kids we used to be.
“So, does this mean I might see you out on dates?” I asked.
“Yep, and I might see you on them too, although I think it’s more likely I’ll see you than you’ll see me. I’m not going to be looking for anyone. I think this move, my new job, and being your friend is going to take up a lot of my time. However, if I think it would be fun to go out with someone and I’ve got time to do so, I will. You need to do the same thing.”
I nodded again. There was no point in arguing; she was still right.
“One more thing, I’m going to be spending time with Emily. She’s going through a lot; it’s not my place to go into details. She promised she’d share with you when she’s ready. Here’s what you do need to know: she needs your friendship, she’s excited about this job, and she’s more than capable of being a good ‘junior assistant.’”
At this point, Sam fixed me with that stare of hers. “Also, she needs a place to stay for a few weeks. DO NOT ask me why, or her, for that matter. I haven’t seen your place, do you have room for a 19-year-old, well-behaved young lady that was editor of the school paper, president of the debate club, and one-tenth of a point away from being valedictorian?”
“Holy crap,” I thought. With friends like Sam, I might just find myself taking direction as much as I’m making decisions.
“She’s welcome to stay with me. I’ll probably end up at Joe’s place some nights anyway. Do you want to check out the apartment and tell me what you think?” I asked. "I'm probably going to need to get her a bed, and maybe some furniture."
“Not the reason I thought I’d be going to your apartment for the first time, but sure. Let me see if it’s any better than these offices,” she said.
“Ouch, that hurts!” I laughed. “Ok, give me a minute to call JA and tell him I need keys ASAP for the rest of this building, and then we’ll head up.”
I called JA and told him what was going on. He already knew about the attack on the guard, of course, and evidently, John had also contacted him and told him we needed to get into the rest of the building to install security systems. He said a courier was meeting someone at his office and picking up the master keys.
“Alex, there is more to that building than you know. I was going to go over this with you when we met on Monday, but it doesn’t really matter, and under the circumstances, it’s more important to get this done. Everything on the second and third floors is part of your uncle’s estate. I’ll explain it all later. I hope you find it as interesting as he did.” I thanked him, and we hung up.
“Ok, let’s head up to check out the apartment. There is a courier on his way with the keys to the rest of the building, so we might get to see more than just the apartment if you have time.”
“Sounds good. I do have some things to do later, but I’m good for now. Let’s see your man cave.”
Leaving the office, I stuck my head in the conference room and told Emily we were heading upstairs for a minute and to keep working. I asked if I had had any more calls, and she said just more of the same—that she’d taken messages and told people that you’d call back when you had time. If it was a client, she told them someone would call them Monday. She said she was working on a schedule based on 20-minute calls.
I told her to begin scheduling calls at 8:00 and to cut them off at 10:30, that we’d be opening the office early so we could close before noon and then get as much done at JA’s office as possible next week. Closing the door to the conference room behind me, Sam and I walked out to the lobby where I let John know the the courier was going to be coming with the keys shortly and thanked him for calling JA.
Sam and I took the stairs up and I opened the door to the apartment. I could tell it wasn’t what Sam had been expecting. “This is amazing! How big is this place?”
“I really don’t know, I think it feels larger than it is because the only walls are around the bedrooms, the study, the utility room, and the bathrooms.”
Sam stuck her head in the second bedroom “This will be fine as soon as you empty it out. She’ll need to get a bed, bedroom furniture, TV, etc. You’ll also need towels for her bathroom.”
Opening my refrigerator she did a quick inventory, I had 4 beers, a leftover pizza, some eggs, milk, yogurt, and a carton of OJ. Thinking about it, I wouldn’t recommend drinking the milk but I kept that to myself. “You need actual food here. Give her a card and tell her to go shopping, I’ll give her a list of the basics. After opening a couple more cabinets she shook her head “Never mind, I’ll take her shopping myself, you apparently only have one plate and it looks like you stole your glasses from the bar downstairs!”
For the record: I did NOT steal them. I once mentioned to the manager that I liked how heavy they were and how nice they looked and she gave me a set since I eat there regularly.
“Also, you might be able to do 100% of your cooking in a single skillet, but she won’t.”
That wasn’t fair either, I have a small pot I used to make soup. One skillet, one pot, who needs more than that??
Her cursory inventory complete she put her hands on her hips and scanned the apartment once more. “Just give me a card, I’ll handle everything. If we run out of room on your card I’ll take care of it and you can just pay me back.” She saw me flinch and said to me with a serious tone.
“Alex, you don’t have to be reckless with your money but aren’t going to fly under the radar like Joe did. Hell, he asked you to run a foundation, which means raising money and schmoozing. You might as well start getting used to the new normal.” She paused until I nodded in agreement “Do you have a particular style of decor you like or don’t like?”
“I like things clean and modern with a little bit of a nod to history, but usually I just let “cheap” win.”
Well, brace yourself. You can have clean and modern but cheap isn’t going to cut it. Especially if I’m going to put my name on it. I’ll try and keep it under $25K but no promises, this dorm furniture is going to go. You have the nicest apartment in the area. Let’s make sure we do it justice.”
I felt my eye twitch, $25K??? I hadn’t paid that much for a car until I finally splurged on my truck. Reaching into my pocket I pulled out my card and handed it to Sam who had a mischievous smile.
“Oh good, I love shopping with other people’s money.” She pulled out her phone and took a series of pictures, panoramas, and videos as she paced off the space to get a rough idea of the dimensions.
“Ok, I’ve seen enough. I’ll try to have a bed here by tonight, If not Emily can sleep on the sofa. I’m going to steal her for the rest of the day today and probably tomorrow if you’re ok with it?”
“Uh, sure. She can take the phone with her and just make sure she stays on top of the calls.”
Sam tucked the card in her pocket. “Great, she may also need a couple of work outfits. Is there any furniture that’s sentimental?”
I looked around, my eyes fell on photos of friends from the military, a folded flag, a shadow box, and a few keepsakes. Sam’s smile softened and she laid her hand on my arm. “Don’t worry Alex, it’s still your place, I’ll honor your friends and your past. We’re not getting rid of you or them. I promise you’ll love it.”
“Oh my gosh, I almost forgot your bedroom. Let’s take a quick look in there.” I pointed to a large hanging barn door. Sam walked over and slid it open. Stepping inside. She took one look at the to the master bedroom and bath and turned around, closing the door behind her as she walked back into the great room. “Forget it, no way it’s going to be under $25K, everything in this place has to go.”
“Sam, I didn’t spend $3000 on all the furniture and stuff in here, I don’t see how it can cost $25,000 to replace it.”
Sam laughed, “Oh, you’ll see, don’t you worry. Do you have a preference for mattress firmness?”
I don’t think I’ve ever even bothered to try different mattresses but I remembered staying on some that I thought were too soft. “Firm, I guess?” Sam nodded and went back to the list she’d been making on her phone.
About that time the door rang, John had sent the courier up. I thanked him for bringing it so quickly on a Saturday and signed for the envelope.
It contained several access cards and half a dozen keys. I asked Sam if she needed anything else. She said she was all so we left the apartment and I started trying keys across the hall. The second one I tried unlocked the door. Swinging it open I saw a mirror image of my apartment, maybe a little larger since this side of the building extended further down the street from the corner. It was unfurnished but gleaming new appliances could be seen in the kitchen and the same open floor plan, uncluttered by thrift store furniture.
Seeing the empty space made remember the possibilities I thought existed before I filled my apartment up with a mix of hand-me-downs and consignment finds. I found myself looking forward to seeing the space when Sam got done.
We wandered around for another minute or two, checking out the view from the windows and commenting on what a great location this was before leaving and locking the door behind us.
That left the double doors and the third floor. I knew Sam was hoping to get Emily settled in to a bed tonight so I decided to save that for another time.
Checking my phone, I saw it was nearly 2:00. We’d been poking around for over half an hour and Emily was just sitting downstairs waiting. “Oh boy, we’d better get downstairs. Did you want to take Emily shopping still?”
“Absolutely, and you need to see if actually wants to stay with you for a while. Let’s go talk to her.”
We took the stairs back down and went into my office. Emily was just getting off the phone, looking annoyed when we walked in.
“Everything ok?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing really, just calls from people wanting to talk to you about borrowing money, making investments, or asking for donations. You also got calls from people we’re not related to.”
Sam and I both laughed. I told her we’d catch up on messages later but that I wanted to talk to her about where she was staying. She evidently had plans to stay a friend’s place for a while until she figured things out.
“I have another option, if you’re interested. I have a second bedroom upstairs if you’d like to stay here. You’ll have a lot more privacy and be right above your work. I’ll be splitting my time between here and Joe’s place for a while, so you’ll probably have the apartment to yourself occasionally.” I thought for a second, “Only rule is no more than three friends over at a time. Five is a party.”
“Oh my God! Really? That would be amazing, and that means I can have all my friends over at the same time! I go for quality over quantity!”
Sam grabbed her purse off the table. “Then that settles it, but you and I have some shopping to do. Let’s go – we need to get you a bed and some bedroom furniture plus Alex lives like he’s in a college dorm. We may not get everything done today, but we can get a start.” Emily grabbed her bag and they left before 2:30, waving goodbye and promising to call when they were on the way back.
I realized then that for the first time since the reading I was alone. No one was expecting me to call. I didn’t have to be somewhere in an hour. It was just me… well, me, two dogs, and John, but mostly just me.
I went upstairs with the dogs following behind. Grabbing a beer out of the fridge, I cleared out the extra bedroom to make room for Emily. I mostly used it to store my kayak, bicycle, and other sports stuff. Those all found their way into the great room, with the exception of the kayak, which I moved into the study.
With the bedroom empty, along with my beer, I grabbed the dogs’ leashes, and we went downstairs to go for a walk. Groups of folks were strolling the downtown sidewalks, checking out the shops and stopping into the beer and wine bars that had popped up over the last few years. Charlie and Cooper got plenty of pets as we strolled, and I finally had time to clear my head.
Eventually, I stopped at a wine bar where a guy was playing acoustic guitar, covering Simon & Garfunkel and doing a pretty good job of it. Sitting on the patio for the next couple of hours, I chatted with several friends that walked up to offer condolences or just say hi, while the pups soaked up all the attention they wanted.
It was almost 6 pm when my phone rang. It was Sam, letting me know they were on their way back and would be there in about thirty minutes with new beds for both Emily and me, along with furniture for Emily’s room. She said she didn’t see anything appropriate for my room but wanted to go ahead and replace the mattress.
I asked if I needed to do anything to get ready, and she assured me that all I needed to do was open the door. She mentioned that two guys in a delivery truck were going to take care of everything. I was shocked that she had pulled this off so fast and asked her how she did it.
“Evidently, when a last-minute sale for over $8,000 comes through the door at the end of the day on a Saturday, you find a way to make the delivery,” she replied.
Now, I was shocked for a different reason, but I just thanked her for arranging everything and said I’d meet them back there.
We had an easy walk back to the apartment. I got there about 15 minutes before they said they’d arrive. I had stripped the bed and pulled out new sheets to remake it when Sam and Emily came in the front door.
Sam checked to confirm that the second bedroom was empty and saw me setting out sheets. 'What are those for?' she asked. I told her I figured I should put fresh sheets on the new mattress.
'Look, Alex, just do me a favor: grab all the sheets in the house and bring them out here, then go downstairs and have a drink and dinner. Emily and I are going to order in; we’ll take care of everything else.' She paused and thought before finishing, 'We might join you for dessert, but we’re going to be busy around here for a while.”
I laughed; I’m sharp enough to know when I’m not wanted. Grabbing my tablet, I walked downstairs and told John I was going to eat around the corner. I asked him if he thought the girls were okay here by themselves, and he said he’d given a panic button to Emily earlier that afternoon when they left. He’d be right around the corner with me in the unlikely event they needed anything.
I walked out the door and turned right; just a few steps was all it took to put me at the front door of The Sluice. Stepping inside, I was greeted by the familiar warm glow of vintage-style lighting reflecting off the copper ceilings twelve feet overhead. The long, polished wooden bar stretches across one side of the room, backed by an array of mirrors and stained glass that date back to the early days of the building. The bar itself is a masterpiece, made from rich, dark wood said to have been milled from black walnut cut in the valley over 100 years ago. It had been meticulously restored to its former glory. Behind the bar, shelves stocked with an impressive selection of spirits and wines create a dazzling display of colors and shapes.
All around the restaurant were tasteful nods to the period when gold mining was the focus of our community. Rustic wooden beams and exposed brick walls provide a sturdy and authentic backdrop, while vintage mining tools like pickaxes, sluice boxes, and gold pans are artfully displayed throughout the space. I’ve been down here many times as folks new to the area ask about the theme, unaware of the gold rush that took place here long before the one in California.
I moved to the bar where I ordered a local lager and flipped open the menu, not for any good reason, I already knew what I was going to order. The bartender, Emma, brought my lager over, and I ordered their 12 oz New York strip medium rare, choosing that over their prime rib only because I wanted to give the girls all the time they needed, and prime rib would come out too quickly.
By the time I finished dinner, it was nearly 8 pm, John had left and been replace by Craig. I texted Sam and asked if I could come back up. She said only if I brought chocolate cake. That sounded reasonable, so I ordered three slices and ice cream to go, paid the check, and finished my beer while waiting for the deserts to come out. Less than ten minutes later I was climbing the stairs back to my apartment, cake and ice cream in hand.
Walking inside, I could hear the dryer running and noticed that both girls were in my bedroom. Up against the wall, they were making up a king-size bed. I’d never had anything larger than a queen, and the size difference was striking.
Seeing me walk in, they excitedly instructed me to lie down and tell them what I thought. Sinking onto the mattress, I said I’d never felt anything like it before. It was by far the most comfortable mattress I’d ever felt. Both were excited to hear that, and frankly, I would have been happy to lie down and sleep, but Emily wanted me to see her room.
I forced myself to get up and follow them. I must have underestimated the size of the room because Sam had elected to go with a king-size bed in here as well, and it easily accommodated the large mattress. The bed frame, dresser, nightstand, and floor mirror all had a Scandinavian feel and were done in white.
A desk with a glass top and rolling chair was up against a wall, and a comfortable reading chair sat in the adjacent corner. Pulling everything together was a light-colored rug with rose tones (in the days since Emily moved in, I once called it pink and was corrected). The bed hadn’t been made yet, but a white comforter sat on top of the mattress.
I was in awe. It had been less than five hours, and at least one room in my apartment now looked like a home. Both girls must have been able to read my expression because I got a big hug and thank you from Emily, who was clearly happy to see my approval, and a warm smile from Sam.
Going to the kitchen to retrieve the cake and ice cream, I realized that not only did I not have dishes, but I also didn’t have a proper place for three people to sit, just a small table that I’d eat at if I wasn’t eating on the sofa.
To be honest, I could have paid to properly furnish my apartment when I moved in. My law practice was doing quite well for a one-man show, between it and my benefits from the military, I had saved up a considerable nest egg for someone my age. I once again thought to myself that I couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the place would look like when they were done.
The girls ended up sitting on the sofa to eat, while I took the only recliner, and we used the to-go containers as bowls. They talked about all the things they had seen and made plans to go back out the next day. Sam suggested that in the morning, since there was no food in the house, Emily and I go to breakfast and then make a run to Emily’s place to pick up some more clothes. She had only packed for a weekend at her friend’s house.
Sam told Emily she’d come back around noon to pick her up and drive back to the city to see if they could find everything else Sam wanted to replace my current furniture.
Sam asked if I’d have time to get the grocery shopping done if she made a list. I assured her that I could handle it and that there would be food in the house by the time they got back.
About that time, the buzzer went off on the dryer. Emily’s new sheets were ready to go on the bed, and they went to grab them.
I picked up the now-empty “dishes” and threw them away. Grabbing the dogs’ leashes, I took them outside one last time, saying hi to Craig as I walked Cooper and Charlie across the street to the square.
The sidewalks were still full, with the after-dinner crowd moving from bar to bar, and the square was well-lit and lively. It was nice to see the downtown so full of life. When I was in high school, it was relatively dead by 6 pm.
When I got back upstairs, Emily’s bed had been made, and Sam was gathering her things to go. “I’ll see you both tomorrow around noon. I’ll bring your list, Alex.” Sam gave Alex and I both a hug before heading downstairs. It was well after 9 o’clock, which normally wouldn’t be the end of a night for me, but I was dead tired.
I told Emily she was welcome to stay up but that I was going to bed and asked her to turn off the lights when she finally decided to turn in.
She ran over and hugged me. “Thank you for everything, Alex. I really didn’t know what I was going to do. You have no idea what this means to me.” I hugged her back and told her this summer was going to be a real adventure for both of us.
I realized that I was glad she was there, not just because I wanted to help her out but because having her there would push me to leave a routine that had become way too comfortable. Having someone around also meant I wouldn’t spend every evening alone, worrying about how I was going to handle what Joe had put in front of me.
Seeing me heading to bed, Cooper jumped up to follow me. I noticed that Charlie stayed on the sofa where he had been lying next to Emily. I figured he’d follow later if he wanted to and left the door cracked for him to slide through later and got ready for bed.
Once again, it had been a crazy day. I was recapping it in my head as I lay down on my new bed.
The last thing I remember was thinking, “this is the most comfortable mattress I’ve ever slept on.”
In hindsight, the next day (Sunday), was a great day. There were some complications and some fallout from Saturday but overall I think it was the best day since Joe died. I'm working on journaling it now and cleaning it up to post it. Thanks for your continued interest in what's been going on.
submitted by LawyerVet36 to InTheValley [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 18:48 apondalifa [RATE ANNOUNCEMENT] 90s Warp Rate

Howdy, indieheads! Welcome to the 90s Warp Rate, the biggest, bleepiest collection of classic electronica this side of the Atlantic! I’m your host, Warp-alifa, and with my ravey co-host u/WaneLietoc, we’ve prepared to bring you the best rave rate of British golden age drum & bass, bleep, and IDM electronic listening music that acid can buy!

Hold on! What’s a rate?

Once a month, this subreddit plays a game called a “rate” where a host (myself and u/WaneLietoc) select a collection of albums (and bonus songs) for everyone to score on a scale of 1-10, with a single 11 & a 0 available as well. Ballots of these scores are submitted, and then over “reveal” weekend, the host(s) take the averages of the songs and eliminate them from worst to best, giving one song out of all the albums the top spot, and declaring the album where that song is from the coveted “rate winner.”
Our sister subreddit popheads has a Guide to Rates Video that can give you a broad overview of rates (please note our reveal process is thread-based instead of video chat rooms). And here's recent examples of a rate announcement and a rate reveal.

Cool! Are there any other rates happening right now?

Yes! The Brazil Classics Rate is currently ongoing, with ballots due June 21st! Check out more info about it here.

Cool! How do I participate in the Warp Rate?

Simply fill out the ballot by the due date and submit it to me through the link below! You may also use the playlists to help you keep track of what and where you’re listening to everything.

SUBMIT A BALLOT HERE

Backup Pastebin Ballot

BALLOTS DUE: July 16th

REVEAL WEEKEND: July 19th - 21st

Playlists

Apple Music
Spotify
Tidal
Youtube

Main Rate

1) Who and what is Warp?
There’s a label guide to be written here one day, so we’ll try to keep it short. Warp Records was born in 1989 as something of an evolution of a Sheffield sound that had been developing for 15 prior years as 80s dance/rave scene in Sheffield was finally reaching a place of maturation: DJs displayed a wide knowledge base, mixing older rare groove/funk/disco into new abstract electronic minimalism arriving on import from Detroit & Chicago; sounds that crossed racial divides. Meanwhile, luminaries like Cabaret Voltaire, ABC, the Human League, and Heaven 17, all were Sheffield-based pioneers in electronic pop that also happened to have ties to the FON complex, a place where Rob Gordon was cooking up and devising the “bleep” techno sound. By 1989, an opportunity had presented itself to Gordon, partnering with Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell to found Warp as both a record store and a pioneering label with an MO in exploring emerging homegrown electronic sounds that could tear up a Saturday night in the abandoned warehouses across the Northern UK.
It was almost Warped, but no one could understand it through the phone lines really. Also, Warp could stand for We Are Reasonable People. Cheeky Brits!
2) So What Did Warp’s 90s Look Like? Is there a definitive Warp Sound?
You could broadly characterize Warp’s 90s into 3 distinctive parts:
Needless to say, Warp’s pivot out of singles, towards singular artists on the outside of “scenes” quickly established itself as the flagship electronic independent label of its time, and is still the label where many of today’s most cherished alternative acts call home. In the mainline rate, we’ll focus on the highs of the Blech Era and meet a few of the most legendary acts to ever sport the little purple globe, exploring their most enduring works.

Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album (1997) (WARP 43)

The poster child of IDM (so much so that he derided the term), RDJ has built his legacy on going against every little grain he comes across, passing through techno, acid house, rave, ambient, drum & bass, breakbeat, and everything in between. In the process, he became the court jester of electronic dance, a stinky little ginger prankster with a tank living in a bank vault that happened to be one of the most prolific producers ever pressed to wax, Richard David James has gone by many monikers-- Polygon Window, The Dice Man, Caustic Window, user18081971, Four Tet (rumored), Burial (also rumored)-- yet everyone knows the name Aphex Twin.
No one could keep up with Richard in the 90s, not even his best mate Luke Vibert! His sincere acts of trolling repeatedly manifested itself into compilations of analog electronic listening music that he also reveled in rarely giving easy, definitive answers to. Even if he despised his inadvertent celebrity status, the legend of the 1990s Richard D James was an extravagant, decadent one, whose face sprawled forth from every direction. The self-titled-by-proxy Richard D. James Album, with its menacing grin and simplistic title, is but one of a plethora of AFX projects that could have been chosen for this rate; yet with its childlike sense of wonder and bouncing beats, it’s an easy selection for old fans and newcomers alike.
It may even be his most personal work yet. He’d done a portrait for a cover, left track names as anagrams or references to Cornwall, even brought out a new edition of Calx, but the RDJ album happened to feature one major upgrade for Richard hiding in the reflection of his eye: a computer! That’s right, Richard was making the leap to the digital age for breakbeat innovation. He’d long been an analog purist, but after releasing Squarepusher’s debut Feed Me Weird Things, Richard had a new friend, one who he would be locked in a sonic arms race with for the rest of the decade, and a new direction towards something jungle-adjacent, but manic of its own accord.
Note: we will be using the American CD release for this rate, which included the Girl/Boy EP as an addendum–minus the remixes. This edition is not on normal streaming in full.
  1. 4
  2. Cornish Acid
  3. Peek 82454201
  4. Fingerbib
  5. Carn Marth
  6. To Cure A Weakling Child
  7. Goon Gumpas
  8. Yellow Calx
  9. Girl/Boy Song
  10. Logan Rock Witch
  11. Milk Man
  12. Inkey$
  13. Beetles

Autechre - Tri Repetae (1995) (WARP 38)

This is when we knew it was really on. Gloriously driven by the kick drum swing of hip-hop while also beginning to dissolve in their new acid computer bath, Tri Repetae is the first full album where Sean and Rob let their hearts and brains fully merge with the gear.
-Sasha Frere-Jones, the Shfl’s (very good!) guide to IDM
There’s a joke in the office, that the Autechre duo always say the next album’s going to be ‘much more hiphop’
-Ian Anderson of the Designers Republic (Autechre’s album cover designers)
I thought I might give them boys another go....Would be the third time of trying, if we count the initial back-in-the-day listening. Got rid of nearly all the CDs years ago - where shall I start? Tips, playlists, beginner's guide to , all very much welcomed. Bear in mind, though, my entrenched position is 1/ no grooves 2/ no tunes 3/ no discernible emotions or even moods.... so evidence proffered to the contrary is unlikely to be persuasive... Much more likely to be swayed by extremes of abstraction.... absolute unhuman inhospitable uninhabitable inclemency... the kind of unreachable alienness gestured at in the devastating denouement to Stanislaw Lem's Fiasco...I do remember being quite impressed by Confield, for instance...Did I quite-like Oversteps? Thing is, I can't remember. And that is the main issue, I just find their stuff resolutely evades memory. There's no element in it, on any level, that sticks. I mean, come on. Who hasn't got better things to do than this?
- Simon Reynolds, continuing to be frustrated by Autechre as of October 19, 2023
I remember, like, doing Tri Rep and it was literally like: ‘Right, we’re just going to do loops, and that’s it’. And it’s going to be that, and they’re going to be incrementally changing. And it was very much about it being looped. I was really thinking about that a lot at the time, that I’m going to loop this more than I should, it’s going to go on longer than it should. But it’s going to be just about tolerable, just within the kind of boundary of what’s acceptable in terms of how long things are going on for and how much repetition there is…I mean, basically we still sit in there arsing around with drum machines and keyboards, we’re not doing anything technically amazing and flash. We’re just REALLY into it.”
- Sean Booth, keeping his feet on the ground in an Interview with Droid (2023) + for Rob Young’s Warp: Labels Unlimited (2006)
By 1995 Autechre wanted out of the industry; they were shit at signing CDs and hated doing interviews. The duo had come to Warp with hardcore electro cuts in ‘91 that were passed on, returning months later with tracks “a bit like LFO but they’ve got better beats”. Warp was amused, edging one cut after another out of them until debut Incunabula was curated as a result. Amber took things in a more decidedly ambient exploration, but neither release quite reflected the promise "The Egg" on the Artificial Intelligence compilation, "Basscadet" on Incunabula, nor the Garbage EP were trafficking in. Tri Repetae was to be their escape vessel.
Very few musicians from the last century were ever able to build the type of devoted cult following that the Manchester-based duo of Sean Booth and Rob Brown have accumulated over 30 years; even fewer have done so while consistently scouting the deepest regions of dance music until it was rendered into some kind of jam-based synthetic utopia. Tri Repetae, their third full-length album from Warp, locates the pair at a pivotal moment in their development. One where the technology was finally at the point Autechre’s love of Street Sounds electro could be hyper-charged while also still playing to a composeNew Music bent the duo was seeing themselves in a lineage belonging to.
It’s straight up an album of loops, ones fully grown into cool, synthetic worlds. It is hip hop but in a way that is beyond the after-image of a break-dancer, an actual moving 'n' grooving human, toeing the line between human and machine, and pushing electronica into a new era of methodical mechanics and pulsing glitch textures. It sounds like music Wall-E and EVE have RAD sex to. It is 70 minutes and Autechre politely requests you listen to it on analog vinyl (the cassette is disposable information & the CD is incomplete without surface noise) AND in the dark; if applicable.
NOTE: this album is a real bizarre one. If the quoteboard makes anything clear, there is SOMETHING to this release, but also it may sound like a brick to you. Deadass. Play around with it. Have fun. Don’t remain motionless!
  1. Dael
  2. Clipper
  3. Leterel
  4. Rotar
  5. Stud
  6. Eutow
  7. C/Path
  8. Gnit
  9. Overand
  10. Rsdio

Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998) (WARP 55)

We grew up in the 70s, a time of great paranoia about science, a paranoia which comes across in the science fiction of that era, in books as well as films. It’s this paranoia, this pessimism, this fear of science, which can be found in our music along with other influences. When we were growing up in the 70s, the view of the future shown in TV and films was very dark, very powerful.
After hearing a tape of their work. Sean Booth of Autechre hipped Warp to a pair of enigmatic, nostalgic, brothers, Michael Sanderson and Marcus Eoin. The duo had been working south of Edinburgh in part of a free ranging collective of artist friends since the 80s, Hexagon Sun, that was holding outdoor music and art events. Proto-Boards of Canada music, alongside children’s song records and tapes mixed and reversed over the top were in the mix, complete with kaleidoscopic imagery. But such events had slowed over the 90s as the collective dwindled and insularity became key to the brothers’ work for the Skam label.
With their ARG-album announcements, hidden occult messages, and exquisite production, it’s no wonder why BoC have developed such a rabid following, and an even wider scope of influence in the decades since. The recurring themes of nature and man, memory and nostalgia, wonder and fear of the unknown, all accumulate seamlessly on their Warp debut, Music Has the Right to Children. Flipping fluidly between slinky downtempo and wobbling ambient, while always keeping an underlying adoration to 90s boom bap hip-hop instrumentals, this turquoise-tinted record was another zap from where 90s music was zipping towards. To say it has wowed and inspired generations of listeners would be an understatement, as much as it has become something of a sacred text… an essential bliss out.
Note: we will be using the original UK release for this rate, which did not include the track “Happy Cycling” as found on streaming now.
  1. Wildlife Analysis
  2. An Eagle in Your Mind
  3. The Colour of the Fire
  4. Telephasic Workshop
  5. Triangles & Rhombuses
  6. Sixtyten
  7. Turquoise Hexagon Sun
  8. Kaini Industries
  9. Bocuma
  10. Roygbiv
  11. Rue the Whirl
  12. Aquarius
  13. Olson
  14. Pete Standing Alone
  15. Smokes Quantity
  16. Open the Light
  17. One Very Important Thought

Squarepusher - Hard Normal Daddy (1997) (WARP 50)

Indeed there have been questions about an act in which Warp is currently investing its future; solo performer Squarepusher, described respectfully as “Weather Report on 78”... Going between us, from 95-97, was really like a conversation. It wasn't like we were trying to better each other; or at least if it was we never came out in the open about it. We were just like, ‘Oh yeah man, that’s wicked’, and then turn up the next week with a DAT: ‘Check this out’. But it was brilliant.
- Tom Jenkinson (Squarepusher) on his friendship with Richard D James during 1995-1997
Tom Jenkinson’s discography is an eclectic, mind-twisting journey through the heart and soul of frantically rhythmic dance music. Spanning almost 30 years, the Squarepusher moniker has explored everything from acid and drill, jungle and techno, hard breaks and flash-- all while maintaining a distinctly human touch to the easier-said-than-done prospect of making drums go “brrrr.” All the while, he’s eschewed a scene or collective. “The idea of being part of a movement isn’t particularly exciting to me, unfortunately,” he said back in 1998.
But before all that, Tom just wanted to release a purple sleeve on Warp. He was a raver that knew his jungle breaks and was cooking up tunes back in the 92-93 heyday when he was 17. He was well on his way to a purple sleeve by 1995, when RDJ helped him curate dozens of cuts into Feed Me Weird Things, a harmonious blending of melodic hooks with technical bravado, for Rephelx. It would kick off the great Squarepusher v Aphex Twin (v Autechre) “make the freakiest shit you can” arms race of the late 90s. The RDJ album fired back at the speed Squarepusher pushed. Chiastic Slide offered an alternate freak mode glitch hop swing. Hard Normal Daddy, Jenkinson’s debut LP on Warp in the spring of ‘97 and hot off the heels of the singularly brilliant purple sleeve Port Rhombus EP, may have been the real achievement of Warp’s 90s run.
Armed with a fake Fender Jazz bass and a “totally outdated” Akai S950 sampler, Jenkinson aimed for something singular. Both a love letter to his local rave scene, as much as an attempt to perfect and enshrine his Weather Report jazz fusion worship into the hardcore continuum, Hard Normal Daddy carries a sense of personalization akin to a bildungsroman. This is Squarepusher the Underdog cementing his own wicked legacy as yet another progressive pioneer in the landscape of alternative electronica.
  1. Coopers World
  2. Beep Street
  3. Rustic Raver
  4. Anirog D9
  5. Chin Hippy
  6. Papalon
  7. E8 Boogie
  8. Fat Controller
  9. Vic Acid
  10. Male Pill Part 13
  11. Rat/P’s + Q’s
  12. Rebus

Bonus Rate (Optional)

Warp had over 71 albums and 128 singles released across 1989-1999. We could be here for DAYS rating cuts! So, we came up with something reasonable. Our bonus rate includes an absolute bevy of Warp classics, examining the varied eras and aesthetics. From the heaviest of dance tunes to the most blissful of comedown tracks fit for a spliff. Oh, and wicked spins on kitschy rave! Want to float peacefully around the orbital space station? Or dive into the deep end of bleep techno? This bonus rate has a little something for everyone, and perhaps a new obsession or two to follow.
  1. B12 - ”Telefone 529”
  2. The Black Dog - ”End of Time”
  3. Broadcast - ”Echo’s Answer”
  4. Drexciya - ”Black Sea”
  5. F.U.S.E. - ”Substance Abuse”
  6. Richard H. Kirk - ”World War Three”
  7. Kenny Larkin - ”Tedra”
  8. LFO - ”We Are Back”
  9. Max Tundra - ”Children at Play”
  10. Nightmares on Wax - ”Mega Donutz”
  11. Plone - ”Plock”
  12. Seefeel - ”Fracture”
  13. Speedy J - ”Beam Me Up!”
  14. Tricky Disco - ”Tricky Disco”
  15. Two Lone Swordsmen - ”The Big Clapper”

Rules - READ ALL OF THESE BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR SCORES

Formatting

Songs - THIS IS CORRECT (single space after colon):
Milk Man: 7
You may also and are generally encouraged to leave comments with your scores!
Milk Man: 7 thank you Mrs. Milk Man but I prefer non-dairy alternatives
THESE ARE INCORRECT
Milk Man 7 thank you Mrs. Milk Man but I prefer non-dairy alternatives
Milk Man - 7 thank you Mrs. Milk Man but I prefer non-dairy alternatives
Milk Man: 7: thank you Mrs. Milk Man but I prefer non-dairy alternatives
Milk Man: (7) thank you Mrs. Milk Man but I prefer non-dairy alternatives
Milk Man: thank you Mrs. Milk Man but I prefer non-dairy alternatives 7
Albums: You can also comment on the complete albums by adding a colon after the album name and then your comment, like so:
Album: Music Has the Right to Children Wow! This is just like the time when I had the opportunity to serve as a juror in a censorship or so-called obscenity case, where the same people who would stop me from listening to Boards of Canada complained about a book and even a tv program, and I defended my constitutionally protected rights!
(If you don't follow the format, I'll probably still accept your ballot, but you have to write me a 1000-word essay WITH SOURCES on why Drexciya is the most important techno act of all time.)
***
Did a lot of copy and pasting here (including the following list of users), so thank you to all the raters of old: daswef2; u/vapourlomo; u/roseisonlineagain; u/DolphLundgrensArms; u/R_E_S_I_G_N_E_D; u/stansymash; u/ClocktowerMaria; u/aerocom; u/themilkeyedmender; u/greencaptain; u/Crankeedoo; u/dirdbub; u/ThatParanoidPenguin; u/tedcruzcontrol; u/kappyko; u/FuckUpSomeCommasYeah; u/LazyDayLullaby; u/SRTViper; u/Whatsanillinois; u/NFLFreak98; u/freav; u/freeofblasphemy; u/kvothetyron, u/RatesNorman; u/aPenumbra; u/idontreallycare4; u/p-u-n-k_girl; u/luigijon3; u/WaneLietoc; u/dream_fighter2018; u/darjeelingdarkroast (RIP); u/smuckles; u/PiperIBarelyKnowHer; u/welcome2thejam; u/imrlynotonreddit; u/kvothetyrion; u/thedoctordances1940; u/b_o_g_o (of the BogoLomo Rate Collective); u/MCK_OH; u/TiltControls; u/chug-a-lug-donna; u/TakeOnMeByA-ha; u/indie_fan_; u/bilbodabag, u/zenits, u/saison_Marguerite, and tons of people on popheads.
***

SUBMIT A BALLOT HERE

Ballots are DUE JULY 16TH

Reveal Weekend July 19th - 21st

Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoy the rate!
submitted by apondalifa to indieheads [link] [comments]

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