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One of my players made this character. Please tell me what you think about it.
2023.06.08 07:46 Brilliant-Policy-588 One of my players made this character. Please tell me what you think about it.
I'm here to share an incredible character backstory that one of my players came up with for our D&D campaign. I'm absolutely blown away by the depth and passion behind it, and I thought it would be awesome to get your opinions on it. So, let's dive in!
Character Background: I was born in Lianhua village in Xianhua. I grew up without my parents and the only person who took care of me was Jin Mei my mentor and adoptive father. He took me to Wudang Mountains to show me a temple for Bahamut the God of Dragons. When we arrived I felt something spark inside of me. Like a sleeping flame that came back to life, set ablaze to roar again. I knew right there and then that ascending to my dragonic self was my calling. I knew this wasn't a thirst for power but a burning will to make sure the people around me are safe and are living their life to the fullest. I would not spend a day without going to temple and training. With Jin's assistance I would go to the mountain peaks and train even if my body physically couldn't anymore, I knew I would never succeed unless I kept going. After a dozen of broken bones, blood, sweat and tears I would be ready for the pilgrimage. The search for the last spark. This search would include me and my fellow monks travelling all over the realms challenging all kinds of different people to a spar. In hopes of awakening the last spark of Bahamut.
Personal Thoughts: I find this backstory to be incredibly captivating and full of potential for exciting character development. The theme of awakening, perseverance, and a burning desire to protect and uplift others is truly inspiring. It also opens up possibilities for engaging role-playing moments and epic encounters throughout the campaign.
But enough of my thoughts! I'd love to hear what you all think about this character backstory. Does it resonate with you? Do you have any ideas or suggestions on how to enhance or explore this concept further? Please share your opinions and let's have a fantastic discussion!
Stay adventurous, my friends!
submitted by Brilliant-Policy-588 to DnD [link] [comments]
Character Background: I was born in Lianhua village in Xianhua. I grew up without my parents and the only person who took care of me was Jin Mei my mentor and adoptive father. He took me to Wudang Mountains to show me a temple for Bahamut the God of Dragons. When we arrived I felt something spark inside of me. Like a sleeping flame that came back to life, set ablaze to roar again. I knew right there and then that ascending to my dragonic self was my calling. I knew this wasn't a thirst for power but a burning will to make sure the people around me are safe and are living their life to the fullest. I would not spend a day without going to temple and training. With Jin's assistance I would go to the mountain peaks and train even if my body physically couldn't anymore, I knew I would never succeed unless I kept going. After a dozen of broken bones, blood, sweat and tears I would be ready for the pilgrimage. The search for the last spark. This search would include me and my fellow monks travelling all over the realms challenging all kinds of different people to a spar. In hopes of awakening the last spark of Bahamut.
Personal Thoughts: I find this backstory to be incredibly captivating and full of potential for exciting character development. The theme of awakening, perseverance, and a burning desire to protect and uplift others is truly inspiring. It also opens up possibilities for engaging role-playing moments and epic encounters throughout the campaign.
But enough of my thoughts! I'd love to hear what you all think about this character backstory. Does it resonate with you? Do you have any ideas or suggestions on how to enhance or explore this concept further? Please share your opinions and let's have a fantastic discussion!
Stay adventurous, my friends!
2023.06.08 07:44 TRZbebop675 Insomnia after quitting alcohol?
Hello everyone. Since mid - May I have had an inability to sleep. I simply do not get drowsy at night, and I don't feel drowsy the next day. In order to get any sleep I typically follow a routine: I take 5 - 10 mg of melatonin, get 2 - 3 of sleep (during which I immediately fall into a dream state), wake up, take more melatonin, get another 2 - 3 hours (usually dream again). What started out as days of insomnia turned into weeks. Now some context. I used to drink pretty heavily. For about 16 months, I used to come home in the evening and drink about 8 - 12 ounces of whiskey every night. I started weaning myself off in late April and quit drinking altogether 2 - 3 weeks later. Putting two and two together, I figured my sleep problems are due to long - term alcohol use. Now my questions. Has anyone experienced similar issues after quitting alcohol? Could this be due to my body losing the ability to produce melatonin after relying on alcohol as a sedative (I almost always drank at night, and often fell asleep drunk)? How long does this insomnia typically last? Has anyone tried remedies that work? Thank you for your responses.
submitted by TRZbebop675 to insomnia [link] [comments]
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2023.06.08 07:40 Educational-Nose223 Liv Pure Weight Loss Reviews Reddit : ⚠️Scam?⚠️Must Read! Before Buy - Does Liv Pure Weight Loss Work ?
 | Liv Pure Weight Loss Reviews Reddit : ⚠️Scam?⚠️Must Read! Before Buy - Does Liv Pure Weight Loss Work ?Liv Pure is a nutritional supplement based on a weight loss remedy from an island in the Mediterranean.Liv Pure Weight Loss Reviews Reddit Developed by a 49-year old firefighter who wanted to help his wife lose weight, Liv Pure features a blend of ingredients to target the root cause of weight problems: toxins in your liver. Find out how Liv Pure works and whether the supplement lives up to the hype today in our review. How Does Liv Pure Work?Liv Pure uses a blend of natural ingredients to support your liver. Your liver is the largest internal organ. To lose weight, your liver needs to cleanse fat from your body. If your liver isn’t performing optimally, then you’ll struggle to lose weight. Your body can’t detoxify itself.To help, Liv Pure uses a blend of ingredients known to support the liver. Those ingredients target the liver and weight loss via two specific processes: Activate your liver’s fat burning complex to ignite your metabolism and create primitive fat burning. Target body purifying cells to help your liver purify itself, increasing your ability to burn fat naturally. Together, these two effects make Liv Pure an effective weight loss supplement. In fact, some claim to have lost 50 to 100lbs using the formula. Liv Pure Features & BenefitsSome of the benefits of taking Liv Pure, according to the official website, include:
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Liver Purification ComplexThe supplement is called Liv Pure because it’s designed to help purify your liver. Over time, toxins infiltrate your liver, leading to low energy, weight gain, and general health and wellness issues. Liv Pure’s Liver Purification Complex aims to help using a blend of five active ingredients. These ingredients work to complement the five ingredients above. By cleansing and purifying your liver, you can prepare for greater weight loss results. The five active liver purifying ingredients in Liv Pure include:
How Much Does Liv Pure Cost?Liv Pure is normally priced at $199 per bottle on retail shelves. However, Dan and Dr. Andino have temporarily reduced the price of Liv Pure to $69 per bottle or less as part of a summer 2023 promotion. Liv Pure PricingHere’s how much you pay when ordering online today:
Each bottle contains one month’s worth of Liv Pure. The manufacturer recommends taking the supplement for 3 to 6 months to assess the results. Some of the ingredients work quickly, while others take time to kick into action. The manufacturer also offers a full 60 day satisfaction guarantee on all purchases. Request a refund within 60 days if you’re unsatisfied with results for any reason. Liv Pure Weight Loss Results: Customer Reviews & TestimonialsLiv Pure’s website is filled with stories of customers losing significant weight shortly after taking Liv Pure for the first time – even while exercising minimally and avoiding strict diet rules. In fact, Paula Saunders, the 51-year old mother whose husband helped develop the formula, personally claims to have lost 63lbs using Liv Pure alone. Here are some of the reviews, weight loss testimonials, and experiences shared by verified Liv Pure users: Paula Saunders, a 51-year old mother of three, lost 63 pounds “suddenly” after taking Liv Pure for the first time. Paula had struggled with weight gain after giving birth to three kids, and nothing seemed to keep it off. She tried Liv Pure and began to rapidly lose weight. One customer claims to have lost 42lbs and 6” from their waist after taking Liv Pure. Another customer dropped 27lbs and 4 dress sizes after taking Liv Pure. Liv Pure is popular with men or women. One man claims he can eat whatever he like as long as he takes Liv Pure, for example, because the fat is “melting off” him constantly. Another verified purchaser claims to have lost 17lbs and three dress sizes with Liv Pure. Some customers report feeling healthier and more active with Liv Pure. One customer claims she “feels so much healthier” thanks to the formula, for example. Liv Pure has strong reviews online from men and women of all ages, with many people taking Liv Pure daily to enjoy powerful weight loss results in a short period of time. Whether looking to lose 10lbs or 100lbs with Liv Pure, you could experience significant weight loss with the science-backed supplement, according to reviews shared on the official website. Click Here to Get Liv Pure From Official Website!!! Liv Pure Clinical Trials & Scientific EvidenceLiv Pure was developed by a doctor, giving the supplement additional medical verification beyond the average weight loss formula. Dr. Andino, according to the official Liv Pure website, is an internal medicine doctor who grew up in Greece. He developed Liv Pure with a blend of science-backed ingredients from his native country. We’ll review some of Dr. Andino’s research and citations below.Dr. Andino cites just three references on the official Liv Pure website. Those three studies include: The first study is a 2004 study on metabolic flexibility. The study shows some people become metabolically inflexible over time. Their pancreas stops secreting the right compounds, for example, for weight loss and appetite control. The second cited study, from 2018, also covers metabolic flexibility. The study showed metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cancer can disrupt your metabolic flexibility, making it harder for your body to manage its weight, appetite, and energy. Dr. Andino cites a final study on metabolic flexibility’s role in health and disease. Researchers in that study identified metabolic flexibility as one of the factors impacting diabetes and obesity. Outside of these three cited studies, Dr. Andino does not supply any research proving Liv Pure can help you lose 10 to 100lbs or more. However, many of the ingredients in the supplement are backed by their own scientific evidence. If the primary goal of Liv Pure is to support your liver, then Liv Pure contains the right ingredient: silymarin. Silymarin is a natural chemical from milk thistle extract, a type of plant sued in traditional medicine for centuries. Hundreds of studies have connected silymarin to liver health. A 2020 study, for example, found silymarin appeared to reduce inflammation in the liver. Inflammation in the liver is associated with a higher risk of disease and illness, and it could make it harder to lose weight. Liv Pure also contains another antioxidant compound that could help with inflammation: resveratrol. Found in many anti-aging supplements and formulas, resveratrol is a natural compound in grapes. A recent study found resveratrol was associated with significant reductions in weight, BMI, waist circumference, fat mass, and lean mass compared to placebo treatments. Finally, many studies have connected tea to weight loss. Greece isn’t known for its tea, yet Dr. Andino added tea to the formula for its polyphenol content. Tea is rich with polyphenols, or natural antioxidants, that could help with inflammation, cholesterol, weight loss, and overall health and wellness. Overall, the ingredients in Liv Pure could help with weight loss when combined with a healthy diet and exercise program. Plus, the formula has been validated by a doctor – an internal medicine specialist – to help with weight loss. Contact Liv PureDr. Andino and Dan Saunders teamed up with a US-based supplement company to launch the supplement across the country. That company manufactures all supplements in an FDA-registered facility that complies with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards.You can contact Liv Pure and the company’s customer service team by email at: Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) ConclusionLiv Pure is a doctor-formulated weight loss supplement featuring a blend of milk thistle extract, tea, and other natural ingredients to help you burn fat rapidly.By taking two capsules of Liv Pure daily, you can target a toxin-filled liver, which is the root cause of weight problems. Many people struggle to lose weight because of their liver, and Liv Pure aims to help. Click Here to Get Liv Pure From Official Website!!! |
2023.06.08 07:38 doomer_claire [TotK] Tears of the Kingdom got some wacky lore stuff going on
As the title suggests, I think Tears of the Kingdom completely destroys any consistency in the story of Breath of the Wild, and in turn the rest of the Zelda timeline, and is by nature pretty goofy. Allow me to explain my points. I do have to preface, I do not and never will on my own volition own a Wii, and thus have never played Twilight Princess, Wind Waker, or Skyward Sword. I realize that doesn't help my case at all as someone claiming any level of authority on Zelda lore, but this post aims to illustrate that the lack of knowledge I have on the lore of those games doesn't even matter.
One thing that has been floating around in the Zelda lore community over the past six years since Breath of the Wild released was the tapestry depicted the original battle between the hero and the great calamity, ten thousand years before the events of Breath of the Wild. It is often believed that this specific hero was a Zonai, due to his odd looks and green arm reminiscent of Rauru's. Problems arise when in Tears of the Kingdom, we see that the red hair of the hero in the tapestry, often attributed to the Zonai by the Barbarian armor set isn't actually a trait the Zonai had. From what we know of the Zonai, their hair was white rather than red, albeit we only get to see two of them. Moreover, they were scholars rather than warriors, building machines to work for them, comparable to those built by the Sheikah to do battle, although it is made clear in TotK that the Zonai gave machines a much greater presence in their lives than the Sheikah did, with the constructs (what the Zonai call their machines) working as soldiers and servants, rather than just soldiers.
The Barbarian set itself introduces some contrivance into the lore by indication that the Zonai came from and resided within the Faron region in the Southeast reaches of Hyrule. It's impossible to say whether or not there is any truth to this, because we only ever see two Zonai, but their ruins are all across Hyrule, underground and above. There very well may have been a point in time that the Zonai only lived within the Faron region, but they did not come from it. Historically, according to Tears of the Kingdom, the Zonai were an advanced civilization that came from the sky. Unfortunately, it's impossible to say what it means to say that the Zonai came from the sky. Would it make them aliens, like those seen in Majora's Mask? Were they like the people of Skyloft? If so, why was there no record of any large structures having been in the sky at any point from the founding of Hyrule to the Great Upheaval? Was the Faron region just unexplored by the Zora, Rito, Goron, or Hylian nations before the Zonai built a complex flying machine to fly them out of the region and into what is now Central Hyrule, and everyone there thought them to be gods when they landed? Forgiving me for calling it convoluted, but I think that explanation is indeed too convoluted to be correct. Unfortunately, taken at face value, it seems that the Barbarian set doesn't reference the Zonai at all, being that its description mentions warriors from Faron and the Zonai are specifically referred to as advanced scholar demigods from the sky. Rauru and Mineru themselves fight with magic instead of weapons, which seems to be within their regular abilities rather than granted by their secret stones, seeing as it is made clear that secret stones only amplify abilities rather than granting them, though this falls apart when applied to Ganondorf, whom I can guarantee did not have an innate ability to summon monsters and turn the moon red.
My point with all of this is that the hero seen in the tapestry of the great calamity cannot possibly be a Zonai, because the figure does appear to be a hero with red hair wielding a blade. The Zonai are shown to have done very little fighting of their own, and very little usage of swords (in fact, the only Zonai swords in-game belong to constucts) along with a lack of red hair and an unlikelihood of having created or worn the Barbarian armor set. Truthfully, none of that matters at all since if we account for the events of Tears of the Kingdom, the great calamity possibly didn't happen ten thousand years ago anyway.
Many Zelda fans have decided that the events of Tears of the Kingdom's memories occur ten thousand years before those of Breath of the Wild, and whether it's actually stated in-game, or the time between TotK's Imprisoning War and Link's triumph over Ganondorf is just stated to be "thousands of years" does make a pretty big difference, however if we assume the events are ten thousand years apart, unless upon being sealed away Ganondorf immediately manifested Calamity Ganon, I find it hard to believe that it happened in the first place. We know the original great calamity had to have happened during or after the reign of Rauru, due to the presence of Hyrule Castle in the tapestry. Along with the Divine Beasts, guardians, and towers also present in the tapestry, nowhere to be found anywhere within the present or past of Tears of the Kingdom, I think it is safe to say this casually accepted ten thousand year gap cannot be the case, and that TotK's Imprisoning War happens before the arrival of the great calamity. That's fine, but... If it's the same Imprisoning War as the one mentioned in prior Zelda games, more problems arise. There's the obvious issue that Ganondorf didn't get sent to any other realm, he just got placed under the castle, and then other issues like the presence of a Rito sage which would be impossible if we are to assume the Rito "evolved" from the Zora when the Great Sea showed up sometime after OoT, and there is no real reason not to believe that, seeing as the series' writers have confirmed it. The only way at all that the Imprisoning War of TotK happens after the entirety of the rest of the Zelda timeline, with the implication being that Hyrule fell to ruin and was rebuilt by the Zonai, who have never been present before in any Zelda game at all.
Another big issue arises on the topic of the Sheikah and their technology. This is one that has been debated for a while now. The question goes: After Breath of the Wild, what happened to the Sheikah towers, shrines, guardians, and Divine Beasts? It has only been a few years, and it seems like it would be difficult to fully get rid of them all in that time. The generally agreed answer is that they were removed and used to build the new towers present in TotK. This answer is really dumb. Those towers are significantly smaller than the ones in BotW. Shrines also contain vast underground areas that could not be "removed" or refilled within the span of a few years, and they contain the bodies of one-hundred and twenty-four possibly dead or alive mummified monks, which would no doubt constitute them as sacred places unfit to be destroyed. The Divine Beasts are also the only resting grounds for the Champions' spirits, a fact that pretty much everyone in Hyrule knows. Only two of the Champions even have memorials outside of the Divine beasts, those being Mipha and Daruk, and Daruk's memorial was defaced by Yunobo. For Revali and Urbosa, their Divine Beasts are the only memorial they have, and unfortunately all but Mipha seem to have undergone the third death. It seems odd, then, that the Divine Beasts were not also considered sacred and left undisturbed. In other words, it's a question that still remains unanswered, and I personally believe that's because it's a retcon. They weren't removed, the writers just want us to accept the new continuity they've designed in which they were never there.
Also, for another contradiction to Breath of the Wild, the Zonai are referred to throughout BotW as mysterious and unknown, pretty much only referenced in item descriptions. Tears of the Kingdom retcons all of that. Pretty much everyone recognizes Zonai ruins when they see them. Talk to most NPCs, they'll have something to say about the Zonai. Even Zelda knows a hell of a lot about them at the start of the game. Pretty much every major character has accepted that the Zonai founded Hyrule, when literally nothing in the previous game indicates that.
Finally, let's look at how Tears of the Kingdom contradicts its own lore. Possibly not inhabited by the Zonai, the Faron region contains imagery that makes it clear that the people there worshipped the dragons, specifically Farosh. The one implication that those are Zonai ruins comes with Mineru's quest, in which Link has to go around the Dracozu river looking for some explicitly Zonai armor. However, if they are Zonai ruins, issues associated with dragon worship become MUCH bigger, but even if they aren't, there are still issues with the concept of dragon worship. Put simply, if you eat a secret stone you become a dragon and lose everything, and that's universally agreed to be a bad thing. So, the dragons were people who ate secret stones. But that's forbidden... So why would they be worshipped by anyone...?
On the topic of secret stones, what's up with Ganondorf? He puts on a secret stone and suddenly becomes a demon king with the power to create red slime and spawn monsters and turn the moon red. Anyone else puts on a secret stone, they can make a gust of air, or roll fast, or move some water, or strike lightning. Why is it that Ganondorf suddenly becomes a deity when he wears one? Is it his connection with Demise, his innate abilities only manifesting as those of his original form? In that case, why is it that the Triforce only turns him into a pig guy? One seems vastly superior to the other. I just personally believe there is no good reason to make Ganondorf the Demon King, since he shows two feats throughout TotK's memories: leading a group of Gerudo who control a swarm of molduga with a pungi like snake charmers. And it's not Ganondorf who plays it. And making a puppet Zelda. That's it. It seems overboard to give him control of the moon. And it is the moon, it's not a puppet moon. You could say everything he makes, monsters included, are just puppets, but the issue is the extent of his power. Rauru is considered a god by Hyrule and the best he can do is sacrifice himself sealing one guy away. One guy. Ganondorf gets armies. Rauru gets to seal one guy and make an explosion and die. Yunobo gets to roll, but he can do that without the stone. Sidon gets to make a bubble. Again, he can do that without the stone. Riju gets to strike lightning, and she too can do that without the stone. Tulin gets to make gusts, but he too can do that without the stone. Sonia can rewind stuff, but Link can do that without a stone. Mineru gets to attach stuff to her construct body, something that I kid you not EVERY CONSTRUCT CAN DO. The stone doesn't let her have the body. She could already do that. The stone isn't even really what lets her attach stuff to it. Really, it does absolutely nothing for her. Period. So why does Ganondorf get armies and the power to manifest whatever he wants? That's silly. I'm sorry, really, it's goofy. Kohga can do all kinds of wacky stuff, if that guy got a secret stone I think Hyrule would legitimately be doomed, judging by the logic of Ganondorf and his silly rock. The would would transform into a giant spiked ball or something. Genuinely, the difference of power between the level of amplification on Ganondorf's abilities and the level of those amplified for everyone else is so drastic that I consider it contradicting to the game's lore, because once again, Rauru is considered a god and his power is dwarfed by Ganondorf's.
I'd love to hear your opinions, and I know someone's gonna say mine doesn't matter because I haven't played the Wii games, frankly I don't care, I included only a few references to them that pretty much every Zelda fan knows. Really, I'm not the most versed in Zelda lore and this is not in any way my attempt to appear as an authority on it, but I do think someone with authority on Zelda lore such as Zeltik should look at TotK through a critical lens because it's goofy. I've seen very little but praise posted about this game everywhere but this sub, and as someone who enjoyed playing it I personally do not think the praise is warranted.
submitted by doomer_claire to truezelda [link] [comments]
One thing that has been floating around in the Zelda lore community over the past six years since Breath of the Wild released was the tapestry depicted the original battle between the hero and the great calamity, ten thousand years before the events of Breath of the Wild. It is often believed that this specific hero was a Zonai, due to his odd looks and green arm reminiscent of Rauru's. Problems arise when in Tears of the Kingdom, we see that the red hair of the hero in the tapestry, often attributed to the Zonai by the Barbarian armor set isn't actually a trait the Zonai had. From what we know of the Zonai, their hair was white rather than red, albeit we only get to see two of them. Moreover, they were scholars rather than warriors, building machines to work for them, comparable to those built by the Sheikah to do battle, although it is made clear in TotK that the Zonai gave machines a much greater presence in their lives than the Sheikah did, with the constructs (what the Zonai call their machines) working as soldiers and servants, rather than just soldiers.
The Barbarian set itself introduces some contrivance into the lore by indication that the Zonai came from and resided within the Faron region in the Southeast reaches of Hyrule. It's impossible to say whether or not there is any truth to this, because we only ever see two Zonai, but their ruins are all across Hyrule, underground and above. There very well may have been a point in time that the Zonai only lived within the Faron region, but they did not come from it. Historically, according to Tears of the Kingdom, the Zonai were an advanced civilization that came from the sky. Unfortunately, it's impossible to say what it means to say that the Zonai came from the sky. Would it make them aliens, like those seen in Majora's Mask? Were they like the people of Skyloft? If so, why was there no record of any large structures having been in the sky at any point from the founding of Hyrule to the Great Upheaval? Was the Faron region just unexplored by the Zora, Rito, Goron, or Hylian nations before the Zonai built a complex flying machine to fly them out of the region and into what is now Central Hyrule, and everyone there thought them to be gods when they landed? Forgiving me for calling it convoluted, but I think that explanation is indeed too convoluted to be correct. Unfortunately, taken at face value, it seems that the Barbarian set doesn't reference the Zonai at all, being that its description mentions warriors from Faron and the Zonai are specifically referred to as advanced scholar demigods from the sky. Rauru and Mineru themselves fight with magic instead of weapons, which seems to be within their regular abilities rather than granted by their secret stones, seeing as it is made clear that secret stones only amplify abilities rather than granting them, though this falls apart when applied to Ganondorf, whom I can guarantee did not have an innate ability to summon monsters and turn the moon red.
My point with all of this is that the hero seen in the tapestry of the great calamity cannot possibly be a Zonai, because the figure does appear to be a hero with red hair wielding a blade. The Zonai are shown to have done very little fighting of their own, and very little usage of swords (in fact, the only Zonai swords in-game belong to constucts) along with a lack of red hair and an unlikelihood of having created or worn the Barbarian armor set. Truthfully, none of that matters at all since if we account for the events of Tears of the Kingdom, the great calamity possibly didn't happen ten thousand years ago anyway.
Many Zelda fans have decided that the events of Tears of the Kingdom's memories occur ten thousand years before those of Breath of the Wild, and whether it's actually stated in-game, or the time between TotK's Imprisoning War and Link's triumph over Ganondorf is just stated to be "thousands of years" does make a pretty big difference, however if we assume the events are ten thousand years apart, unless upon being sealed away Ganondorf immediately manifested Calamity Ganon, I find it hard to believe that it happened in the first place. We know the original great calamity had to have happened during or after the reign of Rauru, due to the presence of Hyrule Castle in the tapestry. Along with the Divine Beasts, guardians, and towers also present in the tapestry, nowhere to be found anywhere within the present or past of Tears of the Kingdom, I think it is safe to say this casually accepted ten thousand year gap cannot be the case, and that TotK's Imprisoning War happens before the arrival of the great calamity. That's fine, but... If it's the same Imprisoning War as the one mentioned in prior Zelda games, more problems arise. There's the obvious issue that Ganondorf didn't get sent to any other realm, he just got placed under the castle, and then other issues like the presence of a Rito sage which would be impossible if we are to assume the Rito "evolved" from the Zora when the Great Sea showed up sometime after OoT, and there is no real reason not to believe that, seeing as the series' writers have confirmed it. The only way at all that the Imprisoning War of TotK happens after the entirety of the rest of the Zelda timeline, with the implication being that Hyrule fell to ruin and was rebuilt by the Zonai, who have never been present before in any Zelda game at all.
Another big issue arises on the topic of the Sheikah and their technology. This is one that has been debated for a while now. The question goes: After Breath of the Wild, what happened to the Sheikah towers, shrines, guardians, and Divine Beasts? It has only been a few years, and it seems like it would be difficult to fully get rid of them all in that time. The generally agreed answer is that they were removed and used to build the new towers present in TotK. This answer is really dumb. Those towers are significantly smaller than the ones in BotW. Shrines also contain vast underground areas that could not be "removed" or refilled within the span of a few years, and they contain the bodies of one-hundred and twenty-four possibly dead or alive mummified monks, which would no doubt constitute them as sacred places unfit to be destroyed. The Divine Beasts are also the only resting grounds for the Champions' spirits, a fact that pretty much everyone in Hyrule knows. Only two of the Champions even have memorials outside of the Divine beasts, those being Mipha and Daruk, and Daruk's memorial was defaced by Yunobo. For Revali and Urbosa, their Divine Beasts are the only memorial they have, and unfortunately all but Mipha seem to have undergone the third death. It seems odd, then, that the Divine Beasts were not also considered sacred and left undisturbed. In other words, it's a question that still remains unanswered, and I personally believe that's because it's a retcon. They weren't removed, the writers just want us to accept the new continuity they've designed in which they were never there.
Also, for another contradiction to Breath of the Wild, the Zonai are referred to throughout BotW as mysterious and unknown, pretty much only referenced in item descriptions. Tears of the Kingdom retcons all of that. Pretty much everyone recognizes Zonai ruins when they see them. Talk to most NPCs, they'll have something to say about the Zonai. Even Zelda knows a hell of a lot about them at the start of the game. Pretty much every major character has accepted that the Zonai founded Hyrule, when literally nothing in the previous game indicates that.
Finally, let's look at how Tears of the Kingdom contradicts its own lore. Possibly not inhabited by the Zonai, the Faron region contains imagery that makes it clear that the people there worshipped the dragons, specifically Farosh. The one implication that those are Zonai ruins comes with Mineru's quest, in which Link has to go around the Dracozu river looking for some explicitly Zonai armor. However, if they are Zonai ruins, issues associated with dragon worship become MUCH bigger, but even if they aren't, there are still issues with the concept of dragon worship. Put simply, if you eat a secret stone you become a dragon and lose everything, and that's universally agreed to be a bad thing. So, the dragons were people who ate secret stones. But that's forbidden... So why would they be worshipped by anyone...?
On the topic of secret stones, what's up with Ganondorf? He puts on a secret stone and suddenly becomes a demon king with the power to create red slime and spawn monsters and turn the moon red. Anyone else puts on a secret stone, they can make a gust of air, or roll fast, or move some water, or strike lightning. Why is it that Ganondorf suddenly becomes a deity when he wears one? Is it his connection with Demise, his innate abilities only manifesting as those of his original form? In that case, why is it that the Triforce only turns him into a pig guy? One seems vastly superior to the other. I just personally believe there is no good reason to make Ganondorf the Demon King, since he shows two feats throughout TotK's memories: leading a group of Gerudo who control a swarm of molduga with a pungi like snake charmers. And it's not Ganondorf who plays it. And making a puppet Zelda. That's it. It seems overboard to give him control of the moon. And it is the moon, it's not a puppet moon. You could say everything he makes, monsters included, are just puppets, but the issue is the extent of his power. Rauru is considered a god by Hyrule and the best he can do is sacrifice himself sealing one guy away. One guy. Ganondorf gets armies. Rauru gets to seal one guy and make an explosion and die. Yunobo gets to roll, but he can do that without the stone. Sidon gets to make a bubble. Again, he can do that without the stone. Riju gets to strike lightning, and she too can do that without the stone. Tulin gets to make gusts, but he too can do that without the stone. Sonia can rewind stuff, but Link can do that without a stone. Mineru gets to attach stuff to her construct body, something that I kid you not EVERY CONSTRUCT CAN DO. The stone doesn't let her have the body. She could already do that. The stone isn't even really what lets her attach stuff to it. Really, it does absolutely nothing for her. Period. So why does Ganondorf get armies and the power to manifest whatever he wants? That's silly. I'm sorry, really, it's goofy. Kohga can do all kinds of wacky stuff, if that guy got a secret stone I think Hyrule would legitimately be doomed, judging by the logic of Ganondorf and his silly rock. The would would transform into a giant spiked ball or something. Genuinely, the difference of power between the level of amplification on Ganondorf's abilities and the level of those amplified for everyone else is so drastic that I consider it contradicting to the game's lore, because once again, Rauru is considered a god and his power is dwarfed by Ganondorf's.
I'd love to hear your opinions, and I know someone's gonna say mine doesn't matter because I haven't played the Wii games, frankly I don't care, I included only a few references to them that pretty much every Zelda fan knows. Really, I'm not the most versed in Zelda lore and this is not in any way my attempt to appear as an authority on it, but I do think someone with authority on Zelda lore such as Zeltik should look at TotK through a critical lens because it's goofy. I've seen very little but praise posted about this game everywhere but this sub, and as someone who enjoyed playing it I personally do not think the praise is warranted.
2023.06.08 07:36 psychicfemme my body has 24/7 spasms
Female, 22. Height: 5 foot 1 Weight: 130lbs
Conditions: secondary adrenal insufficiency, central sensitization, convergence spasm (eyes) / double vision, colitis from C. difficile (now under control), chronic pain/ fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety, depression, ocd
Medications: cortisol, venlafaxine, amitriptyline, Suboxone
I’ve always had really small tremors throughout my whole body. People always ask me if I’m cold. But since I got adrenal insufficiency, I’ve been getting muscle spasms literally all over my body that keep getting worse. I can feel it constantly. It’s my entire body. My eyes have double vision because of it - muscles are stuck in a spasm so I see double and my eyes can’t move fully.
Then there’s my tremors which are getting more severe and I’ve even developed some twitching where my head lurches forward sometimes.
The worst pain is in my spine. Specifically the pain is around T5-T7 vertebrae area. The pain IS my spine. It is not around my spine or near my spine, it is my spine. It is so bad that the only way for me to help it is to jam something into it really hard and lie down on it using pressure from my legs. I’ve used those neck back massager things in the past to try and help but I keep burning myself without realizing it because my pain is so bad that I don’t even feel my skin get burned by these heat machines.
Well, I’ve found a solution that helps very temporarily. I bought a vibrator to try and help relax my muscles, and I figured out that if I lie down on it, it almost counters my tremors / spasms that are happening and helps calm my pain a little bit. Unfortunately it isn’t permanent and I can’t do it for very long.
My question is, what do I do, and does this have a name? I am in so much pain. My body is so exhausted. I can give more details if you need. Please help me. Thank you
submitted by psychicfemme to AskDocs [link] [comments]
Conditions: secondary adrenal insufficiency, central sensitization, convergence spasm (eyes) / double vision, colitis from C. difficile (now under control), chronic pain/ fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety, depression, ocd
Medications: cortisol, venlafaxine, amitriptyline, Suboxone
I’ve always had really small tremors throughout my whole body. People always ask me if I’m cold. But since I got adrenal insufficiency, I’ve been getting muscle spasms literally all over my body that keep getting worse. I can feel it constantly. It’s my entire body. My eyes have double vision because of it - muscles are stuck in a spasm so I see double and my eyes can’t move fully.
Then there’s my tremors which are getting more severe and I’ve even developed some twitching where my head lurches forward sometimes.
The worst pain is in my spine. Specifically the pain is around T5-T7 vertebrae area. The pain IS my spine. It is not around my spine or near my spine, it is my spine. It is so bad that the only way for me to help it is to jam something into it really hard and lie down on it using pressure from my legs. I’ve used those neck back massager things in the past to try and help but I keep burning myself without realizing it because my pain is so bad that I don’t even feel my skin get burned by these heat machines.
Well, I’ve found a solution that helps very temporarily. I bought a vibrator to try and help relax my muscles, and I figured out that if I lie down on it, it almost counters my tremors / spasms that are happening and helps calm my pain a little bit. Unfortunately it isn’t permanent and I can’t do it for very long.
My question is, what do I do, and does this have a name? I am in so much pain. My body is so exhausted. I can give more details if you need. Please help me. Thank you
2023.06.08 07:36 Unlucky_Cold5312 gas tank not filling up all the way
help!
so i have a 2015 toyota prius c, i recently got into an accident with it and ever since afterwards my gas tank hasn’t been filling up all the way (usually fills up to 8 gallons but now will only fill up to 4-5). additionally, my gas gauge reading is all off where it’ll bounce up and down and not give me an accurate reading.
i took it into an auto body shop and they gave it a look, however they stated that there is no physical damage to the underside or the gas tank and all the vent lines at the tank are clear. does anybody know what the problem could be and how to fix it? i also hear that this is a common design issue with prius’s and to just rotate the gas pump but i don’t want to overfill in case there is an issue.
submitted by Unlucky_Cold5312 to prius [link] [comments]
so i have a 2015 toyota prius c, i recently got into an accident with it and ever since afterwards my gas tank hasn’t been filling up all the way (usually fills up to 8 gallons but now will only fill up to 4-5). additionally, my gas gauge reading is all off where it’ll bounce up and down and not give me an accurate reading.
i took it into an auto body shop and they gave it a look, however they stated that there is no physical damage to the underside or the gas tank and all the vent lines at the tank are clear. does anybody know what the problem could be and how to fix it? i also hear that this is a common design issue with prius’s and to just rotate the gas pump but i don’t want to overfill in case there is an issue.
2023.06.08 07:34 Unhelpful_Kitsune 2019 Ford Flex with a Salvage Title (got pics). How do I tell if the repairs are good enough?
 | Hey All, submitted by Unhelpful_Kitsune to AskAMechanic [link] [comments] I used to own a 2017 Ford Flex SEL FWD and took it to 200k miles, I loved it, but it started to have some front end issues so I traded it in for a Tiguan. The Tiguan is ok, but too small for when we got camping and hunting. So I am looking for another Flex that will primarily be a road trip vehicle. I found this 2019 SEL AWD with 46k miles for $19k. Immediately suspicious because this is about $10-15k under other comparable Flexs. Carfax shows a salvaged title for rear end damage, but the next Carfax entry says minor damage. I ran the vin and found pics from bidfax that show rear damage. It looks like the bumper is bent (actual metal as the body is removed), rear left window is broke and there is a spare on the rear left. Oddly I don't see damage to the lift gate or quarter panels, I can't tell what exactly happened, but I would expect a collision to at least deform the quarter panel. How bad does this damage look to yous? What are the chances that this was completely repaired? What would you do at the dealership to verify this is good to go or would you not even risk it? Thank you in advance! Rear bumper bent? https://preview.redd.it/3y89u8wjeq4b1.png?width=1108&format=png&auto=webp&s=59e420a5dd33192f762b9fec4c8f713731e748d2 Repaired? https://preview.redd.it/ozqmm2poeq4b1.jpg?width=641&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa08fe8826cad589b6403db188cc205220b71ae2 CarFax |
2023.06.08 07:30 J-COMBO Hello, I need help, does anyone have the body of the graphics card like in the picture? I'm looking for it If so please help me because I really need it because my card body is damaged.
 | submitted by J-COMBO to u/J-COMBO [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 07:28 J-COMBO Hello, I need help, does anyone have the body of the graphics card like in the picture? I'm looking for it If so please help me because I really need it because my card body is damaged.
 | submitted by J-COMBO to watercooling [link] [comments] |
2023.06.08 07:28 Drakolf The Fallen Star- 2: Healing
My name is Adaraka Voska, I am a Kutrali Shipwright.
These details were no longer really relevant to my current existence, considering even if my escape pod hadn't been blown to smithereens, I wasn't going to get off this planet.
I knew the telltale sign of what the Humans call a 'double tap'. Tuktuk voka.
Even though one of their own had shot me just as I launched the pod, they had clearly taken the effort to look for me, find my escape pod, and blow it to pieces. The Human who had saved me, a native of this planet, simply cried out, "What happened fallen star!?"
Even panicking, his Kutraal was getting better.
I decided to tell some blunt and honest truth. "An enemy of mine destroyed it, they believe I am dead now." This of course greatly concerned him, but in a way it was a relief. Still, I wandered the crater, looking for anything that could reasonably be salvaged. Unfortunately, anything and everything of value was gone, and I was reliant on iron age medicine to get me back on my feet.
The ride back was as unpleasant as the ride to the crash site, having to lie on my front wasn't doing me any favors. Still, I was biologically predisposed to survive at any cost, even if it killed me.
Since I was stuck here, I asked the Human his name. He looked surprised. "I already told you." He said. "My name is Kallan."
Oh, that made sense. "I thought you simply used a local word for mage." I replied. "Apologies."
I hated using formal Kutraal.
"Alright." I said after he scraped off the herbs. "Kallan, what I am about to tell you is extremely important. Without the autodoc to heal me, I'm going to need your help."
"Anything, Kataran." His use of the word for 'honored person' caught me off guard, that was going to make things worse for me.
"My name is Adaraka Voska." I said. "Before I landed, my enemy had struck me with a weapon that left behind something inside of my body. It's the reason why, even with all of your efforts, my healing is slowed."
"Who could create such a weapon?" He asked, horrified.
I bit back the retort of, 'Humans'. That wasn't going to go over well. "A people who want my kind to die." I said. "A people who believe I am dead, and will continue to believe I am dead." I took a deep breath. "Do you know of surgery?"
He shook his head. "I am not familiar with that word."
"Alright. The basic concept is that you, uh, you cut a person open to remove or heal something that is making the body ill." He looked horrified. "The fact of the matter is, unless this weapon is removed, I am going to die in two weeks."
He walked away, biting his trembling hand, he barely even knew me, and he was already mourning me. "W-what can be done?" He asked.
"Are you familiar with a clear liquid that burns when imbibed, or when put on a wound?" I asked.
"I am not." He replied, shaking his head.
"Beverages that cause drunkenness, inebriation, intoxication, or slurred speech, unstable walking, vomiting, anything like that?"
"Ah, yes. That has been outlawed by our lord."
Well, there goes my best disinfectant.
"Alright." I said. "I have very clear instructions for you. Are you at all familiar with a black glass, commonly found near-" Was volcanic a word in our lexicon at the planet's seeding? "-volcanic mountains." I finished after a brief pause.
"Yes." He said. "There are hostile beings who live in the swamplands who use such a material."
Hostile creatures? Well, they were likely my best best bet for getting obsidian any time soon.
"Alright. We can probably work with that." I said. "We're going to need some. Next, are you familiar with various kinds of mold?"
"I know many ways to kill mold, yes." He replied. That likely meant no antibiotics.
"Do you at least have salt?" I asked.
"Oh, yes. Salt is very useful for treating wounds."
Great.
"You're going to have to do something known as surgery." I said. "With the obsidian, we will need to make a cutting implement, this implement will allow for a clean cut, but the blade will be fragile, so care must be taken."
He nodded. "If it will save your life, I will do this." He said.
"Next. We're going to need to need a substance called soap. Please tell me you have soap."
"I am not familiar with that word."
"That's fine." I said. It was not fine, none of this was fine. "We're going to need fat from meat, wood ash, and water. This will create a substance that will allow your hands to be clean enough to go rooting around in my guts."
He looked nauseated at my description. "Please do not tell me you have an aversion to eating meat."
"No, no." He said. "Fat will make this substance?"
"Yes, and wood ash. I'd explain why, but you wouldn't understand." I replied. "If you have any means of collecting rain water, we're going to need it, we can make one component of soap immediately."
"I have barrels of rain water." He said. "Though, I do have to boil it before drinking it."
I smiled. "Excellent. Get a pot full of water boiling, we're going to make lye."
Sodium hydroxide, or lye, as a chemical, has fairly limited uses, but they can be very important. Soap making was an essential use, and some foods required lye for consumption, but overall, lye as a chemical is extremely caustic, and without rubber to act as a protective layer, we were going to do this stupidly and dangerously, because we had no other option.
Thankfully, Kallan actually kept his wood fire ashes, so all we needed to do was boil the water with the wood ash inside of it and skim the lye off the top once it rendered. Kallan was- thankfully- competent and was able to gather the lye without burning himself with it, as per my warning.
As for the fat, well, Kallan did have salted and smoked meats, all stored in an underground cellar that was- by my estimation, equivalent to zero Caen. Cold enough for refrigeration, at the very least, with some insulation, it could even reach -18C.
For now, as Kallan cut strips of meat off a haunch of an unidentified animal, I wondered if the salt content of the fat would harm our chances of making soap.
By the time we were done for the day, the cauldron he used to render the lye for us thoroughly scrubbed and rinsed, we had a meat stew and the cut off fat was being rendered in a pot.
"The weapon that is lodged inside of you." Kallan spoke softly. "What is it, what does it do to you?"
"It's called a bullet." I stated. "The piece that is lodged inside of me contains a metal known as depleted uranium." Of course, he didn't know what that meant. "It has a poison in it that will slowly kill me, it's used against my kind because we otherwise heal too fast to kill."
"How fast do you heal?" He asked.
"With the right medicine, almost instantly." I replied. "Without that medicine, slightly faster than your kind. Unfortunately, we do not have the means to make that medicine."
We ate, and then he changed my bandages.
I laid on the bed he provided me, staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything I've been through in just the past few days alone.
[Navigation for 'The Fallen Star'- [1] [2]]
submitted by Drakolf to DrakolfsWritings [link] [comments]
These details were no longer really relevant to my current existence, considering even if my escape pod hadn't been blown to smithereens, I wasn't going to get off this planet.
I knew the telltale sign of what the Humans call a 'double tap'. Tuktuk voka.
Even though one of their own had shot me just as I launched the pod, they had clearly taken the effort to look for me, find my escape pod, and blow it to pieces. The Human who had saved me, a native of this planet, simply cried out, "What happened fallen star!?"
Even panicking, his Kutraal was getting better.
I decided to tell some blunt and honest truth. "An enemy of mine destroyed it, they believe I am dead now." This of course greatly concerned him, but in a way it was a relief. Still, I wandered the crater, looking for anything that could reasonably be salvaged. Unfortunately, anything and everything of value was gone, and I was reliant on iron age medicine to get me back on my feet.
The ride back was as unpleasant as the ride to the crash site, having to lie on my front wasn't doing me any favors. Still, I was biologically predisposed to survive at any cost, even if it killed me.
Since I was stuck here, I asked the Human his name. He looked surprised. "I already told you." He said. "My name is Kallan."
Oh, that made sense. "I thought you simply used a local word for mage." I replied. "Apologies."
I hated using formal Kutraal.
"Alright." I said after he scraped off the herbs. "Kallan, what I am about to tell you is extremely important. Without the autodoc to heal me, I'm going to need your help."
"Anything, Kataran." His use of the word for 'honored person' caught me off guard, that was going to make things worse for me.
"My name is Adaraka Voska." I said. "Before I landed, my enemy had struck me with a weapon that left behind something inside of my body. It's the reason why, even with all of your efforts, my healing is slowed."
"Who could create such a weapon?" He asked, horrified.
I bit back the retort of, 'Humans'. That wasn't going to go over well. "A people who want my kind to die." I said. "A people who believe I am dead, and will continue to believe I am dead." I took a deep breath. "Do you know of surgery?"
He shook his head. "I am not familiar with that word."
"Alright. The basic concept is that you, uh, you cut a person open to remove or heal something that is making the body ill." He looked horrified. "The fact of the matter is, unless this weapon is removed, I am going to die in two weeks."
He walked away, biting his trembling hand, he barely even knew me, and he was already mourning me. "W-what can be done?" He asked.
"Are you familiar with a clear liquid that burns when imbibed, or when put on a wound?" I asked.
"I am not." He replied, shaking his head.
"Beverages that cause drunkenness, inebriation, intoxication, or slurred speech, unstable walking, vomiting, anything like that?"
"Ah, yes. That has been outlawed by our lord."
Well, there goes my best disinfectant.
"Alright." I said. "I have very clear instructions for you. Are you at all familiar with a black glass, commonly found near-" Was volcanic a word in our lexicon at the planet's seeding? "-volcanic mountains." I finished after a brief pause.
"Yes." He said. "There are hostile beings who live in the swamplands who use such a material."
Hostile creatures? Well, they were likely my best best bet for getting obsidian any time soon.
"Alright. We can probably work with that." I said. "We're going to need some. Next, are you familiar with various kinds of mold?"
"I know many ways to kill mold, yes." He replied. That likely meant no antibiotics.
"Do you at least have salt?" I asked.
"Oh, yes. Salt is very useful for treating wounds."
Great.
"You're going to have to do something known as surgery." I said. "With the obsidian, we will need to make a cutting implement, this implement will allow for a clean cut, but the blade will be fragile, so care must be taken."
He nodded. "If it will save your life, I will do this." He said.
"Next. We're going to need to need a substance called soap. Please tell me you have soap."
"I am not familiar with that word."
"That's fine." I said. It was not fine, none of this was fine. "We're going to need fat from meat, wood ash, and water. This will create a substance that will allow your hands to be clean enough to go rooting around in my guts."
He looked nauseated at my description. "Please do not tell me you have an aversion to eating meat."
"No, no." He said. "Fat will make this substance?"
"Yes, and wood ash. I'd explain why, but you wouldn't understand." I replied. "If you have any means of collecting rain water, we're going to need it, we can make one component of soap immediately."
"I have barrels of rain water." He said. "Though, I do have to boil it before drinking it."
I smiled. "Excellent. Get a pot full of water boiling, we're going to make lye."
Sodium hydroxide, or lye, as a chemical, has fairly limited uses, but they can be very important. Soap making was an essential use, and some foods required lye for consumption, but overall, lye as a chemical is extremely caustic, and without rubber to act as a protective layer, we were going to do this stupidly and dangerously, because we had no other option.
Thankfully, Kallan actually kept his wood fire ashes, so all we needed to do was boil the water with the wood ash inside of it and skim the lye off the top once it rendered. Kallan was- thankfully- competent and was able to gather the lye without burning himself with it, as per my warning.
As for the fat, well, Kallan did have salted and smoked meats, all stored in an underground cellar that was- by my estimation, equivalent to zero Caen. Cold enough for refrigeration, at the very least, with some insulation, it could even reach -18C.
For now, as Kallan cut strips of meat off a haunch of an unidentified animal, I wondered if the salt content of the fat would harm our chances of making soap.
By the time we were done for the day, the cauldron he used to render the lye for us thoroughly scrubbed and rinsed, we had a meat stew and the cut off fat was being rendered in a pot.
"The weapon that is lodged inside of you." Kallan spoke softly. "What is it, what does it do to you?"
"It's called a bullet." I stated. "The piece that is lodged inside of me contains a metal known as depleted uranium." Of course, he didn't know what that meant. "It has a poison in it that will slowly kill me, it's used against my kind because we otherwise heal too fast to kill."
"How fast do you heal?" He asked.
"With the right medicine, almost instantly." I replied. "Without that medicine, slightly faster than your kind. Unfortunately, we do not have the means to make that medicine."
We ate, and then he changed my bandages.
I laid on the bed he provided me, staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything I've been through in just the past few days alone.
[Navigation for 'The Fallen Star'- [1] [2]]
2023.06.08 07:26 SmartTalk7433 Blue belt rut; back from 2 years off, can’t find my head in the game.
Apologizes as I’m on the new side of using Reddit.
So as a bit of context (scroll to bottom if one doesn’t care about my life story); I (24m) started training BJJ in November 2018, shortly after my dad passed away. I wasn’t the most consistent or dedicated at first but eventually got more sucked into the sport and finally got my blue belt in May 2021.
I unfortunately did the very classic move of a blue belt and trained for maybe another month and then stopped showing up for practically 2 years (maybe once or twice every month) due to life, moving pretty far away from my gym, and working a job hard on my body.
Life got better and recently moved very back close to my gym. During my 2 years off, I only was active due to my old hard labor job and then about 8 months ago, finally became a software engineer. When I realized I was moving down the street from my gym, I swore to my self that I would not have petty excuses to avoid training ever again.
For the last 5 weeks, I’ve been going full throttle back at it again, going 3-4 times a week and really getting immersed back into both gi & no-gi and loving to train with all my favorite teammates. I’m definitely not as fit as before but I’ve got the hard head to tread through this like when I first started, and this time I am being proactive in learning BJJ inside and outside of the gym in my free time.
What’s recently getting me though is that it DOES feel like I first started again. My teammates are calling out dumb mistakes that I make even when I ‘should’ know better. Tonight in particular, a teammate told me that I don’t commit to anything and constantly leave myself open but quite frankly, it’s because I’m blanking in so many situations and positions.
My coach gives me the classic “just keep showing up and it’ll come back even better.” And don’t get me wrong, I trust and don’t deny that at the end of the day, the biggest thing I need is mat time again.
However, I’m going into this new chapter of my training with a much more open mind that yearns to improve and I’m hitting this internal wall that I’m so much worse than I was before.
I know that like anything else, time on the mats is really the best solution to getting my own head out of my ass and to realize I’m having to relearn a good chunk of what I’ve lost and more so.
My main question is: Has anyone else experienced a similar scenario and how did you approach it mentally going forward? Alongside that, I’ll gladly take any general tips/advice for self-study resources.
TLDR: I stopped training for a while and feel like I’m stupid on the mats. What do I do to get my head back in the game?
submitted by SmartTalk7433 to bjj [link] [comments]
So as a bit of context (scroll to bottom if one doesn’t care about my life story); I (24m) started training BJJ in November 2018, shortly after my dad passed away. I wasn’t the most consistent or dedicated at first but eventually got more sucked into the sport and finally got my blue belt in May 2021.
I unfortunately did the very classic move of a blue belt and trained for maybe another month and then stopped showing up for practically 2 years (maybe once or twice every month) due to life, moving pretty far away from my gym, and working a job hard on my body.
Life got better and recently moved very back close to my gym. During my 2 years off, I only was active due to my old hard labor job and then about 8 months ago, finally became a software engineer. When I realized I was moving down the street from my gym, I swore to my self that I would not have petty excuses to avoid training ever again.
For the last 5 weeks, I’ve been going full throttle back at it again, going 3-4 times a week and really getting immersed back into both gi & no-gi and loving to train with all my favorite teammates. I’m definitely not as fit as before but I’ve got the hard head to tread through this like when I first started, and this time I am being proactive in learning BJJ inside and outside of the gym in my free time.
What’s recently getting me though is that it DOES feel like I first started again. My teammates are calling out dumb mistakes that I make even when I ‘should’ know better. Tonight in particular, a teammate told me that I don’t commit to anything and constantly leave myself open but quite frankly, it’s because I’m blanking in so many situations and positions.
My coach gives me the classic “just keep showing up and it’ll come back even better.” And don’t get me wrong, I trust and don’t deny that at the end of the day, the biggest thing I need is mat time again.
However, I’m going into this new chapter of my training with a much more open mind that yearns to improve and I’m hitting this internal wall that I’m so much worse than I was before.
I know that like anything else, time on the mats is really the best solution to getting my own head out of my ass and to realize I’m having to relearn a good chunk of what I’ve lost and more so.
My main question is: Has anyone else experienced a similar scenario and how did you approach it mentally going forward? Alongside that, I’ll gladly take any general tips/advice for self-study resources.
TLDR: I stopped training for a while and feel like I’m stupid on the mats. What do I do to get my head back in the game?
2023.06.08 07:25 Aldys1427 4 Car Buying Tips For Teenage Drivers
If you are only in your teens, the prospect of driving a car you actually own is certainly a huge milestone in your life if it indeed becomes true. Having a vehicle at such a very young age is a rare achievement. Not only does it come with a ton of bragging rights, it likewise symbolizes an individual's growing independence as well as maturity. It paves the way to a more assertive journey. You now have a hand to steer your future to greater heights and way farther distance. To be entrusted with a vehicle is no easy feat, as it also implies the growing trust a parent or guardian has in a kid. To a certain extent, you now have the freedom to plot your own destiny.
For whatever reason, receiving a vehicle should and must feel rewarding. Similarly, the process should be as painlessly effortless as possible. One way of guaranteeing this is by checking vehicle history beforehand to ensure that a car is worth purchasing.
While a teenager will need their parent or guardian's written signature when finalizing a car deal, it is important to discuss their preferences and needs with those who already have experience in motor vehicles to make a wise decision on the matter. Since the teen will be using the car, they must be asked what they think is the best fit for them. The parent or guardian’s goal is to ensure proper guidance to arrive at an educated decision. Without further ado, here are the used car buying tips for teenage drivers:
Work on a financial plan
Having a sound financial plan is the start of getting a good car. The buyer must carefully consider the available options to reach the best bang for their buck. Then, there is an estimation for a probable long-term cost—the series of payments that has to be made by a new car owner not only on the amortization aspect but also on everything else that comes with the car. On top of the price tag, there are the miscellaneous fees from registration and titling. Plus, insurance, gas, maintenance, detailing, repairs and others of note. All these expenses can be a significant dent in personal earnings.
The trick to lowering overall cost is to invest a lot on initial payment. Pay more on a downpayment, and you will have to pay less on interest during the period of amortization. If you can not afford to pay a significant amount of downpayment, you may opt for a shorter mode of payment. Your monthly amortization may be big, but a good portion of your payment goes to the principal instead of the interest. Both options are healthy for your own personal finances.
Another important point of deliberation is the vehicle type. Obviously, different vehicle type works in varying circumstances. There is no one size fits all shoes. On the one hand, SUVs are great on rough roads because of their superb performance and functionality. On the other hand, city cars work well on heavy traffic, narrow streets due to their size and agility and fuel consumption is a lot more economical. It has been a proven rule that everything else (even and the same) the smaller the car is, the less the maintenance becomes. But of course, the brand of car is also of important consideration. There are cars that are very expensive to maintain because of the scarcity of parts and service stations that are knowledgeable of the type of automobile.
If the need is short-term and the budget tight, another good option is to opt for a leased vehicle.
Do your homework
Looking for the right car may take time and may run contrary to one’s impulse. Yet, one must look beyond the what-ifs and pay more attention to the actual circumstances to be in touch with reality when making a decision.
You have to go out and see cars you like in person. Check their details first hand with your own eyes. Pay considerable attention to each car sale post being checked since many of them could be fraud waiting to happen. They are not necessarily ‘best buys’ just because their sellers said so.
In addition, knowing whom you transact with can help you avoid trouble. Being diligent in conducting a background check on sellers can pay off. Who knows, unless their personal identification can be authenticated, their online identity might be bogus. You might want to give them a call to gauge their sincerity before meeting them.
Red flags may not be apparent online. However, the buyer must not lower their guard on tricks the scammer may pull off, especially when meeting the seller and the car face-to-face. It might be prudent to bring a trusted companion with you as a protective measure. Should the need arise, they may also offer a sensible second opinion on your purchase. As much as possible, meet the seller halfway on neutral ground, preferably in a public space that is safe and visible to the public, so that you will have fewer things to worry about.
Don't let your being young affect your assertiveness and prudence. Don't allow the seller to bully their way just because you are young. Remember that you are the buyer, and buyers should always be in the position of power in any transaction. Alternatively, you may also meet the seller on their business or home address as a way to confirm their authenticity. A fly-by-night site is easy to notice.
Test drive the car
Test drive is a crucial part of the car buying stage. This is where you attempt to get the feel of the vehicle you plan on driving for a long time. Depending on the situation, the driving impression can either make or break the car deal. At this stage, issues that are not put into words or unrecorded by vehicle reports at the time of the testing may be discovered.
Test driving a car is probably the last chance a buyer may confirm if the seller were not dubious and was honest with disclosed vehicle details. For this reason, it is crucial to allot an hour or two of testing since a brief driving experience may not reveal the full extent of the driving experience.
Test the vehicle in as diverse terrain and environment as possible. If the seller can accompany you, that would be great. You can ask them any questions that may come to mind. Clarify any doubts you have before you forget them.
Consider safety
No matter a person’s car driving experience, safety will always be of paramount importance. It must never be compromised for the sake of low price. Even if a car has a good body styling and multimedia system, it is as good as a garage display if it is not safe for road use.
To ensure that you don’t go by that route, it would be in your best interest to dig deeper into prospective cars. Read auto expert reviews on the model—review customer feedback on the vehicle and the seller. Subject the unit to a professional mechanic’s diagnostic test. Only then can you confidently say that your decision is well-thought-out and founded on many facts about the vehicle.
Making intensive preparation for a vehicle is a tenuous job, but it is totally worth trying to ensure that the earliest driving experience will be memorable and enjoyable. This is more important if you are just a teener and it is your first time owning an automobile.
submitted by Aldys1427 to BestFreeVINcheck [link] [comments]
For whatever reason, receiving a vehicle should and must feel rewarding. Similarly, the process should be as painlessly effortless as possible. One way of guaranteeing this is by checking vehicle history beforehand to ensure that a car is worth purchasing.
While a teenager will need their parent or guardian's written signature when finalizing a car deal, it is important to discuss their preferences and needs with those who already have experience in motor vehicles to make a wise decision on the matter. Since the teen will be using the car, they must be asked what they think is the best fit for them. The parent or guardian’s goal is to ensure proper guidance to arrive at an educated decision. Without further ado, here are the used car buying tips for teenage drivers:
Work on a financial plan
Having a sound financial plan is the start of getting a good car. The buyer must carefully consider the available options to reach the best bang for their buck. Then, there is an estimation for a probable long-term cost—the series of payments that has to be made by a new car owner not only on the amortization aspect but also on everything else that comes with the car. On top of the price tag, there are the miscellaneous fees from registration and titling. Plus, insurance, gas, maintenance, detailing, repairs and others of note. All these expenses can be a significant dent in personal earnings.
The trick to lowering overall cost is to invest a lot on initial payment. Pay more on a downpayment, and you will have to pay less on interest during the period of amortization. If you can not afford to pay a significant amount of downpayment, you may opt for a shorter mode of payment. Your monthly amortization may be big, but a good portion of your payment goes to the principal instead of the interest. Both options are healthy for your own personal finances.
Another important point of deliberation is the vehicle type. Obviously, different vehicle type works in varying circumstances. There is no one size fits all shoes. On the one hand, SUVs are great on rough roads because of their superb performance and functionality. On the other hand, city cars work well on heavy traffic, narrow streets due to their size and agility and fuel consumption is a lot more economical. It has been a proven rule that everything else (even and the same) the smaller the car is, the less the maintenance becomes. But of course, the brand of car is also of important consideration. There are cars that are very expensive to maintain because of the scarcity of parts and service stations that are knowledgeable of the type of automobile.
If the need is short-term and the budget tight, another good option is to opt for a leased vehicle.
Do your homework
Looking for the right car may take time and may run contrary to one’s impulse. Yet, one must look beyond the what-ifs and pay more attention to the actual circumstances to be in touch with reality when making a decision.
You have to go out and see cars you like in person. Check their details first hand with your own eyes. Pay considerable attention to each car sale post being checked since many of them could be fraud waiting to happen. They are not necessarily ‘best buys’ just because their sellers said so.
In addition, knowing whom you transact with can help you avoid trouble. Being diligent in conducting a background check on sellers can pay off. Who knows, unless their personal identification can be authenticated, their online identity might be bogus. You might want to give them a call to gauge their sincerity before meeting them.
Red flags may not be apparent online. However, the buyer must not lower their guard on tricks the scammer may pull off, especially when meeting the seller and the car face-to-face. It might be prudent to bring a trusted companion with you as a protective measure. Should the need arise, they may also offer a sensible second opinion on your purchase. As much as possible, meet the seller halfway on neutral ground, preferably in a public space that is safe and visible to the public, so that you will have fewer things to worry about.
Don't let your being young affect your assertiveness and prudence. Don't allow the seller to bully their way just because you are young. Remember that you are the buyer, and buyers should always be in the position of power in any transaction. Alternatively, you may also meet the seller on their business or home address as a way to confirm their authenticity. A fly-by-night site is easy to notice.
Test drive the car
Test drive is a crucial part of the car buying stage. This is where you attempt to get the feel of the vehicle you plan on driving for a long time. Depending on the situation, the driving impression can either make or break the car deal. At this stage, issues that are not put into words or unrecorded by vehicle reports at the time of the testing may be discovered.
Test driving a car is probably the last chance a buyer may confirm if the seller were not dubious and was honest with disclosed vehicle details. For this reason, it is crucial to allot an hour or two of testing since a brief driving experience may not reveal the full extent of the driving experience.
Test the vehicle in as diverse terrain and environment as possible. If the seller can accompany you, that would be great. You can ask them any questions that may come to mind. Clarify any doubts you have before you forget them.
Consider safety
No matter a person’s car driving experience, safety will always be of paramount importance. It must never be compromised for the sake of low price. Even if a car has a good body styling and multimedia system, it is as good as a garage display if it is not safe for road use.
To ensure that you don’t go by that route, it would be in your best interest to dig deeper into prospective cars. Read auto expert reviews on the model—review customer feedback on the vehicle and the seller. Subject the unit to a professional mechanic’s diagnostic test. Only then can you confidently say that your decision is well-thought-out and founded on many facts about the vehicle.
Making intensive preparation for a vehicle is a tenuous job, but it is totally worth trying to ensure that the earliest driving experience will be memorable and enjoyable. This is more important if you are just a teener and it is your first time owning an automobile.
2023.06.08 07:24 STUPIDNEWCOMMENTS Elderly woman-sudden asthma symptoms
Female 82, active. Plays golf or tennis (doubles but still wins from time to time in club play so for age active) average 5 days per week. Former cancer patient who had her annual oncology full body scans in last month-oncologist said for her age in great shape. The cancer was stage 3b colon cancer in 1995 plus some abnormal Lung stuff in like 2005 ish that resulted in removal of one lobe (I’m not totally clear on that issue I vaguely recall there might have Ben an embolism?) but her oncologist totally cleared her like a month ago based on all her annual scans.
Has, according to family, some issues with memory and confusion but only identifiable to ppl who know her well-she presents pretty well, I was on speaker phone at a GP appointment and GP out loud doubted my assertions that mom was having confusion, no longer wanted to read for pleasure due to “Covid brain fog” and issues with writing checks correctly.
In any event went to ER claiming couldn’t catch breath like 2 weeks ago claims allergy and asthma meds she has been prescribed not helping. Quit all activities. Claims that the at home oxegyn pulse ox thing has never measured below 97% and she tests frequently.
Her BP is normal for her age, no history of heart issues.
The sudden onset asthma like symptoms she is claiming to have are constant. Not like having attacks, but saying at all times can’t breath if does any sustained activity.
I’m at a loss. Her doctors don’t seem overly concerned but her quality of,life since this started has gone way way downhill.
We think that to some degree she’s an unreliable narrator due to dementia/memory issues.
We are beginning to wonder if this is potentially anxiety issues because (a) she’s really mad when we bring up memory confusion issues and (b) she claimed to have a reaction to inhaler with abuteral the other night but took med her GP has prescribed in the Event she had a reaction and that fixed the issue. The med it turned out was generic Xanax.
I would honestly appreciate any thoughts or direction. I’m on my way there to try to coordinate doctors appointments and figure out what’s happening, but have no idea where to start.
I made her Covid test and she claims is negative. I’m at a loss as to how suddenly has asthma with no history whatsoever of anything similar and no other major current health concerns where she is suddenly essentially incapacitated.
Sorry this is so long.
submitted by STUPIDNEWCOMMENTS to medical_advice [link] [comments]
Has, according to family, some issues with memory and confusion but only identifiable to ppl who know her well-she presents pretty well, I was on speaker phone at a GP appointment and GP out loud doubted my assertions that mom was having confusion, no longer wanted to read for pleasure due to “Covid brain fog” and issues with writing checks correctly.
In any event went to ER claiming couldn’t catch breath like 2 weeks ago claims allergy and asthma meds she has been prescribed not helping. Quit all activities. Claims that the at home oxegyn pulse ox thing has never measured below 97% and she tests frequently.
Her BP is normal for her age, no history of heart issues.
The sudden onset asthma like symptoms she is claiming to have are constant. Not like having attacks, but saying at all times can’t breath if does any sustained activity.
I’m at a loss. Her doctors don’t seem overly concerned but her quality of,life since this started has gone way way downhill.
We think that to some degree she’s an unreliable narrator due to dementia/memory issues.
We are beginning to wonder if this is potentially anxiety issues because (a) she’s really mad when we bring up memory confusion issues and (b) she claimed to have a reaction to inhaler with abuteral the other night but took med her GP has prescribed in the Event she had a reaction and that fixed the issue. The med it turned out was generic Xanax.
I would honestly appreciate any thoughts or direction. I’m on my way there to try to coordinate doctors appointments and figure out what’s happening, but have no idea where to start.
I made her Covid test and she claims is negative. I’m at a loss as to how suddenly has asthma with no history whatsoever of anything similar and no other major current health concerns where she is suddenly essentially incapacitated.
Sorry this is so long.
2023.06.08 07:23 bodieslaughing why do i feel more connected to fictional things than reality?
i spend a lot of time daydreaming and consuming media.
i’m genuinely not sure if i love my family more than the celebrities and fictional characters i love. like of course i care about my family and don’t want anything bad to happen to them. but i kind of don’t enjoy being around them or anyone.
i can’t say “i love you” to people, including my family. i’ve realized lately that maybe my intrusive thoughts involving family members has made me more distant. with my intrusive thoughts, saying “i love you” or any touching feels perverted. but also i just hate being touched by anyone. in my daydreams sometimes i’ll hug/cuddle or touch someone if i view them romantically but i don’t know if i’d ever actually enjoy that irl which makes me sad.
in my daydreams i am around celebrities and fictional characters and enjoy that fake socialization but hate real socializing. i don’t have friends and don’t talk to people other than family. there are people online who have the same interests as me that i want to reach out to but never do. i have parasocial relationships in my head with some people i follow online (nothing inappropriate just imagining being their friend and talking openly with them.) i feel creepy about it but i prefer keeping this parasocial relationship to reaching out because any conversation i have dies down quickly i have nothing to say.
social situations are so draining. my body aches just from being around people. i’m only comfortable when i’m home alone. i really only leave my room to eat and use bathroom but i feel like i’m being watched anytime i’m around anyone. when i’m completely alone i can talk to myself freely, sing, clean, do whatever and feel ok about it. i don’t even have the urge to act the way i do when alone around others. i just completely shut down and become a different person.
i’m so moody but if anyone raises their voice at me slightly i’ll start crying when they leave the room. i’m not someone that hates people i just want them at a distance.
i have ocd, selective mutism, autism, depression and anxiety and i don’t know if this is related to those or i have some other problem. i almost never leave the house anymore. not self diagnosing but avoidant personality disorder does sound applicable to me from what i’ve read about it.
i’m in therapy and on meds. with selective mutism i can’t talk to my therapist i just nod and sometimes write but can’t write much. i think my meds have made me even more apathetic towards real people but i’ve been on so many different meds and i think something’s wrong everytime so it might just be me looking for something wrong. i’ve always been shy and kind of spacey but nowhere near as bad as i’ve been for the past few years.
submitted by bodieslaughing to mentalhealth [link] [comments]
i’m genuinely not sure if i love my family more than the celebrities and fictional characters i love. like of course i care about my family and don’t want anything bad to happen to them. but i kind of don’t enjoy being around them or anyone.
i can’t say “i love you” to people, including my family. i’ve realized lately that maybe my intrusive thoughts involving family members has made me more distant. with my intrusive thoughts, saying “i love you” or any touching feels perverted. but also i just hate being touched by anyone. in my daydreams sometimes i’ll hug/cuddle or touch someone if i view them romantically but i don’t know if i’d ever actually enjoy that irl which makes me sad.
in my daydreams i am around celebrities and fictional characters and enjoy that fake socialization but hate real socializing. i don’t have friends and don’t talk to people other than family. there are people online who have the same interests as me that i want to reach out to but never do. i have parasocial relationships in my head with some people i follow online (nothing inappropriate just imagining being their friend and talking openly with them.) i feel creepy about it but i prefer keeping this parasocial relationship to reaching out because any conversation i have dies down quickly i have nothing to say.
social situations are so draining. my body aches just from being around people. i’m only comfortable when i’m home alone. i really only leave my room to eat and use bathroom but i feel like i’m being watched anytime i’m around anyone. when i’m completely alone i can talk to myself freely, sing, clean, do whatever and feel ok about it. i don’t even have the urge to act the way i do when alone around others. i just completely shut down and become a different person.
i’m so moody but if anyone raises their voice at me slightly i’ll start crying when they leave the room. i’m not someone that hates people i just want them at a distance.
i have ocd, selective mutism, autism, depression and anxiety and i don’t know if this is related to those or i have some other problem. i almost never leave the house anymore. not self diagnosing but avoidant personality disorder does sound applicable to me from what i’ve read about it.
i’m in therapy and on meds. with selective mutism i can’t talk to my therapist i just nod and sometimes write but can’t write much. i think my meds have made me even more apathetic towards real people but i’ve been on so many different meds and i think something’s wrong everytime so it might just be me looking for something wrong. i’ve always been shy and kind of spacey but nowhere near as bad as i’ve been for the past few years.
2023.06.08 07:19 GiganVsZilla2018 Mane Six vs Titan Shifters.
Overview
It's a fun day today, because today The Mane Six are going to be going up against 19 different Titan shifters to determin how would win.
https://preview.redd.it/xtfxnq4sxp4b1.png?width=1838&format=png&auto=webp&s=a3bf45b3eb1edd2aa372a857e7c8960adfa668a5
https://preview.redd.it/w05ip5qm0q4b1.jpg?width=350&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e3b217d39adcae3d0589af79556b198169ba211
Okay so how I'm going about this is I'm mainly focusing on the humans controling the Titans rather then the titans themselves. Also this is my personal opinion.
Round 1: Mane Six vs Armored Titan Reiner Braun.
So the first Titan the Mane Six will be facing off is Reiner Braun's Armored Titan.Now when we first saw the Armored Titan it looked like an unstoppble killing machine, barraling through the wall, and shaking off canon shells like they were nothing. However later on we saw very clear, that under the right circumstances the Armored Titan can be broken.
When Eren, and Reiner first fought in Season 2 Eren realized that physcial punches wouldn't be very effective, so he switched to grappling moves, which ended up breaking Reiner's skin, and even ripping his arm off. Infact I have no doubt that had Bertholdt not interfeared with that dive bomb Eren would have won that fight. Also now that Eren can harden his fist, he's been absoultey dogging Reiner.
Reiner was also destroyed by Zeke's Beast Titan, and now there are weapons like Thunder Spears that can easily break the Armored Titan's armor.
Twilight's blast from her horn alone would be able to make a dent in Reiner's armor, sure in Season 1 she wasn't as powerful, but come Seasons 5-9, and she was on par with Celestia, and Luna. And there's no doubt that if she fought the Armored Titan when she was supercharged with all the Alicorn Magic like in the Season 4 finale she would absoultely obliterate Reiner.
Winner Mane Six
Round 2: Mane Six vs Cart Titan Pieck Finger
Now for Pieck. Now the Cart Titan is the smallest of the Nine Titans, but there are two adavangtes Pieck has, and that is speed, and intelligence.Pieck has used her speed to help her fellow warriors mutiple times. Such as saving both Zeke, and Reiner from the Scouts.
Pieck is also able to do mutilpe consective transformations hundreds of times. This means she can eject her self out of her Titan, and then transform again.
Also she's usally equip with gun turrents and armor to help he fighting.
Despite this, and her intellegence I'm sure the Mane Six would figure out a way to defeat her and her Panzer Unit.
Winner Mane Six
Round 3: Mane Six vs Jaw Titan Marcel Gallaird.
Unfourtently we've only seen Marcel's Jaw Titan once when he along with the other warriors fought an enemy nation. Then he's eaten on their first night on Paradis.What we do know about his personallity is that he was very kind and caring, and Reiner started acting that to basically cope with his guilt.
But because we haven't seen much of him in his Titan form I again have to give this to the Mane Six
Winner Mane Six
Round 4: Mane Six vs Jaw Titan Ymir.
Ymir was the first Jaw Titan we saw. Unlike other Jaw Titans Ymir didn't have any armor or hardening parts on her body. She was also overwhelmed by Pure Titans.Winner Mane Six
Round 5: Mane Six vs Jaw Titan Porco Gallaird.
Now Porco's Jaw Titan is stronger, and faster then Ymir's Jaw Titan, and we've seen him in action the most, but Porco's problem is that he let's his emotions get the better of him, causing him to make rash descions, which is why for the fifth time in a row I have to say the Mane Six win again.Winner Mane Six
Round 6: Mane Six vs Jaw Titan Falco Grice.
So Falco does have a few unique abilites such as being able to fly since he swallowed Zeke's spinal fluid giving him Beast Titan like abilites, but I don't think that would help him in a fight against the Elements of Harmony.Winner Mane Six
Round 7: Mane six vs Female Titan Annie Leonhart.
Okay now this one. By god Annie was a beast. Not only was she a great fighter thanks to her father's traning. Not to mention her Titan is very powerful. As the Marley goverment said it's an all purpose Titan capable in every field. She was able to take out so many elite soldiers from the Scouts, and she's smart enough to wait, and bide her time before making her move. Sorry, but because of all of Annie's abilites I have to give the Mane Six their first loss.Winner Female Titan
Round 8: Mane Six vs Beast Titan Tom Ksaver.
Tom Ksaver was the father that Grisha never was to Zeke, he inherited the Beast Titan and took the form of a bighorn sheep. Unfourtently his Beast Titan was not sutted for battle, and instead Ksaver mainly did research on the Titans for Marley. This battle is easy to figure out the outcome.Winner Mane Six
Round 9: Mane Six vs Beast Titan Zeke Yeager.
Now Zeke was a much more capable Beast Titan then Tom. Not only did Zeke have long arms that allowed him to grab objects, and throw them long distances. Also since he had Royal Blood he could do things other Beast Titans couldn't do, such as creating Pure Titans by screaming.Zeke is also very smart. Combinde that with all the debries being hurled at them, and you give the Mane Six a run for their money.
Winner Beast Titan Zeke Yeager.
Round 10: Mane Six vs Warhammer Titan Lara Tybur.
Okay so while the Warhammer Titan does have cool abilties such as creating spikes, and weapons, but also being able to remotley control the Titan by a crystal underground. Yes the Warhammer Titan has amazing abilites, but considering that Eren defeated easily defeated it, no doubt the Mane Six could too.Winner Mane Six.
Round 11: Mane Six vs Attack Titan Eren Kruger.
Again we only see Kruger's Titan once, and we don't know what type of abiltes it had, but we can assume it had the same abiltes as all other Attack Titans, but these would not be enough to beat the Mane Six.Winner Mane Six
Round 12: Mane Six vs Attack Titan Grisha Yeager.
Again we only know of two times that Grisha used the Attack Titan. Once to make it to the Walls, and once again to kill the Reiss Family, and steal the Founding Titan combing both it, and the Attack Titan. However I don't think this would help him as since he didn't have Royal Blood he couldn't acess the Founding Titans power. So he looses.Winner Mane Six
Round 13: Mane Six vs Attack Titan Eren Yegaer.
When Eren first started as a Titan he was easily defeated by Annie's Female Titan, later after months of training he got better at fighting. But even though he gained hardning abiltes as well as the Warhammer Titan he would still loose.Winner Mane Six
Round 14: Mane Six vs Colossal Titan Bertholdt Hoover.
The largest of the Nine Titans, The Colossal Titan is a powerhouse, being able to create a massive explosion upon transforming. However the Colossal Titan is slow, and is not suited for long term battles. It does have one ability though, and that is to shoot out jets of hot steam to act as a barrier. However this steam only comes from the musscles, If you attach ODM gear to bones you won't get blow away, but will get seriously burned. The problem with this, is that Bertholdt does not fall for the same trick twice, so if any of the Mane six tried to use this against him, he would likely remember what Armin did, and just swat them away with his massive arm.Winner Colossal Titan Bertholdt Hoover
Round 15: Mane Six vs Colossal Titan Armin Arlert.
Armin has the same abiltes, and since he was the one to figure out that you needed to attach to the bones in order to not be blown away by the steam so he wouldn't fall for that trick. But Armin is a good boi, he's a bean. So there wouldn't even be a fight.Winner No one, they'd become friends
Round 16: Mane Six vs Founding Titan Ymir Fritz.
Ymir Fritz is the OG Titan, having all the abilties of every Titan that ever existed. The Mane Six could not defeat something like that.Winner Ymir Fritz
Round 17: Mane Six vs Founding Titan Karl Fritz.
This is the King who created the Walls, as well as the Vow Reouncing War basically meaning that the Founding Titan would not be used for war. Because of this he would not win.Winner Mane Six
Round 18: Mane Six vs Founding Titan Uri Reiss.
We only saw him once, and it wasn't even a full transformation just a Partial one. But still he was bounded by Karl Fritz's will, meaning Uri did not have acess to the Founding Titan's full power.Winner Mane Six
Round 19: Mane Six vs Founding Titan Freida Reiss.
Again we only see her once, where she fights and looses to Grisha's Attack Titan due to being bounded by the First King's Will not giving her access to the Founding Titan's full power.Winner Mane Six
Round 20: Mane Six vs Founding Titan Eren Yeager.
The first person in over a hundred years to gain the full power of the Founding Titan. However since Eren's Founding Titan was really just a long skelteton like centepiede thing it would only take one blast from Twilight on his head to defeat him, even if he had full support from the Rumbling. So while it would be a hard fight, the Mane Six could still pull it off.Winner Mane Six
Final Verdict
So after 20 rounds The Mane Six won 15, and the Titans won 4. The Mane Six, and Friendship and Magic once again triumphs.
Your Champions!
2023.06.08 07:18 nauticalfiesta I'm ready to give up
We have an almost 8 month old black lab mix. He's high energy, he's a lab of course he is.
The problem is mutlifold. He will start barking at almost exactly 8:30 pm daily. And not stop. It's his poop bark. Fine we'll go outside for 10 minutes and nothing, until a single piece pops out. Quiet for 10 minutes.
We'll play a bit but he'll go from wanting to play fetch to tug of war. Then its like he gets his alternative programming from the motherland and the command is "All humans must die." He will start biting at me, not painful at first, nipping I guess. My hands and forearms are covered in bruises. It HURTS to wash my hands from the bruising.
I've hear "oh just shut down play when he does that." HOW!? If I stop and stay still he'll go for any baggy part of my clothing, fingers, arm, hoodie, my back, calves. Basically if his mouth will fit on it, he'll attack it.
He has a couple play sessions about 10-15 minutes each time daily. And the ones DURING the day he's usually fine at the end, he'll get bored and want to go to his area. The one later at night, he loses his fucking mind.
I've really had it with him. I physically cannot take any more of this.
submitted by nauticalfiesta to puppy101 [link] [comments]
The problem is mutlifold. He will start barking at almost exactly 8:30 pm daily. And not stop. It's his poop bark. Fine we'll go outside for 10 minutes and nothing, until a single piece pops out. Quiet for 10 minutes.
We'll play a bit but he'll go from wanting to play fetch to tug of war. Then its like he gets his alternative programming from the motherland and the command is "All humans must die." He will start biting at me, not painful at first, nipping I guess. My hands and forearms are covered in bruises. It HURTS to wash my hands from the bruising.
I've hear "oh just shut down play when he does that." HOW!? If I stop and stay still he'll go for any baggy part of my clothing, fingers, arm, hoodie, my back, calves. Basically if his mouth will fit on it, he'll attack it.
He has a couple play sessions about 10-15 minutes each time daily. And the ones DURING the day he's usually fine at the end, he'll get bored and want to go to his area. The one later at night, he loses his fucking mind.
I've really had it with him. I physically cannot take any more of this.
2023.06.08 07:17 roguespectre67 My [25M] sister [23F] seems intent on using my father as her enforcer to get what she wants out of me, and I'm about at my breaking point.
So before I start this, it's important to know that I just got hired at a very nice job and will be moving out to get my own place before my birthday at the end of October. I'm going to be saving most of my income between now and them in order to build up an emergency fund prior to moving out on my own. Right now, we all live in the same house.
Anyway, I have absolutely no idea how to handle this situation involving my sister. In a nutshell, my sister is extraordinarily demanding of everybody, and every time she wants anything from me, she immediately involves my dad to try and act as her enforcer. I'm going to put in a good-faith effort to be objective about the situation, but as with anything like this, I might not be perfect.
To lay the groundwork, my father has always handled her problem behavior with a pacifist mentality, believing it to be the way to avoid conflict with her, where I've always been the subject of discipline (as a child) and almost constant verbal arguments as I've gotten older to "teach me" things when deemed necessary (this very post is coming on the heels of a "discussion" that was demanded by my sister as punishment for moving her two loads of laundry in the washer and dryer down the chain so I could wash a load of mine, apparently before the load in the dryer was dry, despite it being hot and feeling pretty damn dry to me?). Because of this, she seems to have gotten it into her head that all that's needed to get her way is to either just take and do what she wants, and if you don't like it, tough shit, or cause enough of a problem that someone just decides it's less effort to just give her what she wants to make it stop. She's also immediately, acutely aggressive if you don't roll over for her-verbal insults, profanity, condescension, talking over you every chance she gets. Because of that, I often find myself on the receiving end of these problems, and so I've basically adopted a policy of limiting my interaction with her as much as possible so that, frankly, I don't have to listen to it.
However, this does not stop her from trying to involve me in drama when she wants something. I'll provide 3 examples here:
What the fuck do I even do? I'm not even actively hostile to anybody in this situation. The best comparison would be that episode of Drake and Josh where Josh is just "done" with Drake. I don't much care what she's up to or what's going on in her life. I just want her to leave me the fuck alone because I honestly can't even remember the last time she was nice or even not-mean towards me, but that apparently makes me as much of a bad guy as her.
TL;DR: sister uses dad as her enforcer when she creates drama and wants her way, as a result I basically want nothing to do with her. Dad seems to be trying to guilt-trip me into engaging with what I see as an incredibly toxic relationship. What do?
submitted by roguespectre67 to relationships [link] [comments]
Anyway, I have absolutely no idea how to handle this situation involving my sister. In a nutshell, my sister is extraordinarily demanding of everybody, and every time she wants anything from me, she immediately involves my dad to try and act as her enforcer. I'm going to put in a good-faith effort to be objective about the situation, but as with anything like this, I might not be perfect.
To lay the groundwork, my father has always handled her problem behavior with a pacifist mentality, believing it to be the way to avoid conflict with her, where I've always been the subject of discipline (as a child) and almost constant verbal arguments as I've gotten older to "teach me" things when deemed necessary (this very post is coming on the heels of a "discussion" that was demanded by my sister as punishment for moving her two loads of laundry in the washer and dryer down the chain so I could wash a load of mine, apparently before the load in the dryer was dry, despite it being hot and feeling pretty damn dry to me?). Because of this, she seems to have gotten it into her head that all that's needed to get her way is to either just take and do what she wants, and if you don't like it, tough shit, or cause enough of a problem that someone just decides it's less effort to just give her what she wants to make it stop. She's also immediately, acutely aggressive if you don't roll over for her-verbal insults, profanity, condescension, talking over you every chance she gets. Because of that, I often find myself on the receiving end of these problems, and so I've basically adopted a policy of limiting my interaction with her as much as possible so that, frankly, I don't have to listen to it.
However, this does not stop her from trying to involve me in drama when she wants something. I'll provide 3 examples here:
- This January, at my previous job, we found a cat in a box on our doorstep. We called around, took him to the vet to check for tags, nothing. So I volunteered to take him in after bringing it up with everyone in the house and getting their OK on the condition that looking after him was my sole responsibility, and I took the lunch break to stop by Petco for some basic supplies and bring him home. My sister was home, and upon seeing him, asked me what I'd named him, and when I told her, she said, "We're not calling my cat that name." I was definitely taken aback by this, but I had to get back to work, and she volunteered to take care of him while I finished the work day, so I left the supplies with her and went back. For the next 3 or 4 days, she kept this cat locked in her room with her small dog, saying she was "acclimating" him because "she knew best" since "I'd never had a cat" (I should explain that my job was at a pet-based nonprofit, and she'd never had a cat either). Long story short, I didn't much like this, which led to massive argument in which she basically browbeat me over "dumping" this cat on her and then leaving for work again, buying "shit" supplies, not having the "ability" or "knowledge" to take care of a cat, that her dog had gotten attached and what kind of monster would I be if I separated them when I moved out, on and on, ergo my parents supposedly agreed that he was her cat, and if I didn't agree with that assessment, she'd be taking him to the pound because she "didn't really want" this cat in the first place. I guess I'm too empathetic towards animals because I couldn't let that happen just to "win" an argument. My dad and I had a "discussion" after that.
- About 2 months ago, I got a random text from her saying that she would be taking my dirt bike and its stuff to her storage unit so that she could use the space in the garage to hold furniture (I should mention, she quit her job a while ago and is now making money buying and selling furniture on Facebook and whatnot, and has filled up the back patio, most of the backyard, most of the garage, and about a third of the driveway with sofas and whatever, all with EZ-Ups and tarps over them). I basically told her to pound sand because she would not be moving a vehicle registered to me without my consent. She purportedly went to my dad over this and told me that "he said she could". I correctly called bullshit on that, but that didn't stop him pulling me aside for a "discussion" later about how I should've handled the dispute differently.
- Over the past month, she has gotten it into her head that I owe her cash for cleaning and other supplies for our bathroom, despite the fact that my parents pay a cleaning service to come once a week and clean the whole house including our bathroom. She says she's totaled up the receipts for "my share", and over the past month it's gone up from $40 I apparently "owe", to $125 I "owe", and apparently I'll "owe" her $25 a month for however long I'm here. Now, she does typically buy the toilet paper, but that's literally the only thing I use that I don't buy myself, and I've explicitly said before that the only reason I don't buy it is because I never know when it's almost gone before she buys it again. Admittedly, I had intended to give her the $40 she wanted a while ago, but between my brand-new day job of at least 50 hours every week and my freelance job and other things I've been insanely busy and it just kept slipping my mind. Anyway, a few days ago I get a random text telling me the whole "you owe me $125 plus $25 a month" thing, to which I basically responded "fuck off, I'll give you the $40 you said you wanted, and then from now on when we need anything for the bathroom, you're going to tell me and I'm going to buy it, because I'm not just going to give you money to buy shit you say we need but have no way of verifying that's what you're buying" (she has severely broken my trust more than once, but that's a separate issue). She tells me that's not good enough and that "dad's going to talk to you when you get home". I get home to find them talking, at which point I try to give her $40 in cash, which she refuses, and so to avoid giving her the ability to a) accuse me of not giving her the money and b) start a new argument, I drop it on the floor and walk off. I've heard her basically berating my dad more than once since then about "talking to your son, unless you want to be a little fucking puss about it".
What the fuck do I even do? I'm not even actively hostile to anybody in this situation. The best comparison would be that episode of Drake and Josh where Josh is just "done" with Drake. I don't much care what she's up to or what's going on in her life. I just want her to leave me the fuck alone because I honestly can't even remember the last time she was nice or even not-mean towards me, but that apparently makes me as much of a bad guy as her.
TL;DR: sister uses dad as her enforcer when she creates drama and wants her way, as a result I basically want nothing to do with her. Dad seems to be trying to guilt-trip me into engaging with what I see as an incredibly toxic relationship. What do?
2023.06.08 07:17 invigormedkraft Saving Time and Money with Portable Full Body X Ray System
 | https://preview.redd.it/4tyf023laq4b1.jpg?width=1748&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71e10adf0c79b387ac0279b0db173f1d01c3bdea submitted by invigormedkraft to u/invigormedkraft [link] [comments] Are you looking for an innovative and efficient solution to meet your diagnostic imaging needs? Introducing the game-changing portable full body X-ray system, designed to revolutionize medical diagnostics in India. This cutting-edge technology not only saves time but also significantly reduces costs, making it a must-have for healthcare facilities across the country. In this blog post, we will delve into how this remarkable device works, its numerous advantages, safety precautions to keep in mind while using it, tips on setting up your own system, and essential maintenance advice. So get ready to explore the fascinating world of portable full body X-ray systems that are transforming the way we approach radiography in India. How Does the Portable Full Body X Ray System Work?The portable full body X-ray system is a breakthrough in diagnostic imaging, offering unparalleled convenience and efficiency. At its core, this state-of-the-art equipment works on the same principles as traditional fixed X-ray machines. It generates controlled radiation that passes through the patient's body and captures high-resolution images of internal structures. What sets it apart from conventional systems is its compact design and mobility. The portable unit comes with an integrated digital detector, built-in power supply, foldable support structure, and user-friendly touchscreen interface for seamless operation. This makes it incredibly easy to transport between various locations within a healthcare facility or even off-site if required. The captured images are processed using advanced software algorithms that ensure crystal-clear visualization of bones, organs, and soft tissues with minimal exposure to radiation. These digital radiographs can be stored electronically for quick access during consultations or shared effortlessly with other medical professionals via secure networks. In essence, the portable full body X-ray system combines cutting-edge technology with unmatched convenience to revolutionize diagnostic imaging in India.Advantages of Using the Portable Full Body X Ray SystemThe use of portable full body X-ray systems has been a game-changer in the medical industry. These innovative machines offer numerous advantages over traditional stationary X-ray machines. Firstly, the main advantage of using a portable full body X-ray system is its portability. As the name suggests, these machines are designed to be moved easily from one place to another, making them ideal for on-site diagnoses and emergency situations where time is critical. Secondly, they are cost-effective compared to traditional stationary systems as they require less space and maintenance costs. This makes them an excellent option for smaller clinics or hospitals with limited resources. Furthermore, it allows patients who have difficulty moving around access to diagnostic imaging services without having to leave their homes or facilities where they reside. Portable Full Body X Ray System reduces patient exposure to radiation as modern technology enables physicians to capture detailed images with minimal doses of radiation — ensuring safety while providing accurate diagnosis results. Indeed, Portable Full Body X-Ray Systems provide flexibility and convenience while improving healthcare delivery quality by reducing wait times and increasing accessibility - ultimately resulting in better outcomes for both patients and clinicians alike.Safety and Precautions of the Portable Full Body X Ray SystemWhen it comes to taking X-rays, safety is always a top priority. This is especially true when using portable full body X-ray systems as they are designed to be used outside of traditional healthcare facilities. One important precaution that should be taken is ensuring that the equipment is properly shielded. This means making sure that all radiation-emitting components are adequately contained and protected from accidental exposure. It's also important to ensure that the system is well-grounded and installed in an area with proper ventilation. Another key factor in safety when using portable full body X-ray systems involves the training of personnel who will be operating them. Staff members must receive comprehensive training on how to safely use and operate this type of equipment, including understanding how to set up and position patients correctly for imaging. Proper monitoring of radiation doses over time can help ensure safe use of these devices. Regularly checking dose levels can help identify any potential issues before they become problematic, allowing for corrective action to be taken if necessary.Tips on Setting Up Your Portable Full Body X Ray SystemSetting up a portable full body X-ray system requires proper planning and execution to ensure the machine works effectively. Here are some tips to help you get started: First, you need to select an appropriate location for your device. It should be in a spacious area with adequate lighting and ventilation. Make sure the space is also safe for both patients and operators. Next, make sure all necessary accessories such as detectors, sensors, cables, and power sources are available before setting up the system. Ensure that the patient's clothing or jewelry does not interfere with imaging results by asking them to remove any metallic objects if possible. You may use drapes or gowns provided by your facility if needed. Make sure all safety protocols are followed during setup, including radiation exposure limits and protective barriers like lead aprons or shields. Perform regular checks on equipment performance to maintain image quality consistency over time. This includes maintenance of batteries/charging systems used in portable X-rays machines along with its software updates regularly. Following these simple tips when setting up your Portable Full Body x-ray System in India will help ensure optimal functionality while maximizing patient care efficiency at a minimal cost.Maintenance Tips for Portable SystemsMaintaining your portable full body x-ray system is essential to ensure its longevity and optimal performance. Here are some maintenance tips you can follow: Firstly, make sure to clean the equipment regularly with a soft cloth or brush. Avoid using water or detergents as they may damage the sensitive components of the system. Secondly, check for any signs of wear and tear on the cables and connectors. Replace any damaged parts immediately to avoid compromising image quality. Thirdly, keep track of the usage hours of the machine as it will help in scheduling routine inspections by a qualified service technician. Fourthly, store your portable x-ray system in a dry and cool environment when not in use. This will protect it from dust and moisture that can cause corrosion damage over time. Always refer to the manufacturer's instructions for specific maintenance guidelines related to your device model. By following these simple maintenance tips regularly, you can ensure that your portable full-body x-ray system continues performing at its best while avoiding costly repairs or replacements down the line.ConclusionA portable full body X-ray system is an innovative and cost-effective solution for medical professionals who require mobile imaging capabilities. With its numerous advantages such as portability, time-saving benefits, and exceptional image quality, it's no surprise that these systems have become increasingly popular in the healthcare industry. Invigor Medkarft provides the best Portable x ray Machine in India at a very affordable price. Investing in a portable full body X-ray system could be one of the best decisions you make as a healthcare professional. Not only will it help you save time and money but also provide accurate diagnoses with minimal disruption to your practice or hospital operations. |
2023.06.08 07:16 critical_courtney [A Bargain for Bliss] — Chapter Eleven (sequel to The Fae Queen's Pet)
![[A Bargain for Bliss] — Chapter Eleven (sequel to The Fae Queen's Pet)](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/2lScdiolOaeBJLVCNy4XrjAWx__pQBs4WRQyIzalYSI.jpg "[A Bargain for Bliss] — Chapter Eleven (sequel to The Fae Queen's Pet)") | submitted by critical_courtney to redditserials [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/8bgezt09aq4b1.jpg?width=1410&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a98c000b9146bca947211aa35dd3e253e45f1e4c Previous Chapter Chapter Eleven: Walking into a dimly lit basement, I looked down at the cracked concrete floor. The room smelled of old drainage and expired cleaning products. I turned around to see the mirror I’d just crawled out of and caught sight of the Intrinsic Pathways chamber fading back into my reflection. A simple white plastic border surrounded the glass surface. The thing was barely big enough for me to fit through. Barsilla didn’t have any trouble, though — the benefit of being a piskie and only a few inches tall. She darted up to my shoulder and hid herself in my hair. “I’m glad you’ve been growing your hair out,” she said. A moment later, the piskie stuck her head out of my hair and added, “And I’m also glad you switched to the pineapple and raspberry shampoo.” I rolled my eyes. Today I was playing carriage to the queen’s left-hand lady in the human world. And I could already tell it was going to be a test of my nerves. I’d never spent an extended time with Barsilla before, primarily because she was a bit scolding and judgmental. But today came with an important mission before we left for Kilgara tomorrow. We needed to make contact with a powerful fae that lived in the human world. “How can a fae live in the human world full-time? Wouldn’t that be a death sentence with all the iron and the lack of glamour?” I’d asked my queen. “You’ll see,” was all she said before sending me here to accompany Barsilla. And by accompany, she meant carry. The piskie looked around the little room we’d appeared in. It was a small space with concrete walls and floors. Against one wall a shelf of cleaning supplies stood, along with a mop and a janitor’s cart on wheels. “Where are we?” I asked. A grimy voice from the ceiling made me jump. I looked around to find the source. “You’re in the basement of Ssorc Insurance Arena,” a masculine-presenting fae said. When I finally found him, my eyes widened. In one of the ceiling corners hung a spider-like faery about a foot tall. When I got a closer look, I saw he had the body of a tiny man but a thorax and four narrow legs behind him that clung to the wall. His front arms were crossed as he looked down at us. Eight brown and black eyes spread across his forehead kept a close watch on us. “Hello there,” he said, waving a tiny hand. “Name’s Jello. Welcome to Portland.” I raised a finger and opened my mouth to speak. “Because he likes to eat Jell-O,” Barsilla said from inside my hair. I lowered my finger and closed my mouth, nodding. That made plenty of sense. Maybe I could change my name to Chicken Nugget. “You’re not going to come out and say hello to your old friend, Barsilla?” Jello called with a grin revealing two fangs and additional mandibles. Her voice called out from in my hair. “I’m quite good here, thanks.” I raised an eyebrow. Barsilla sounded a little scared, which was a first for me. I’d always been put in my place by the tiny creature so long as we were in the palace. Here, her voice wavered, and she grabbed my hair a little more tightly than when we first arrived. Truth be told, I was torn. Part of me wanted to rub it in, maybe jokingly hand her over to the spider dude. And the other half of me wanted to show mercy, because even when I get a chance to show vengeance. . . I’m not good at taking it. It took me years to destroy my abusive father, and he hurt me daily. So, I decided not to push the issue. “Alright, Jello. That’s enough,” I said, laughing. To his credit, the spider didn’t exactly seem upset with me pushing back. He rubbed one of his mandibles and looked me up and down. “You must be the queen’s new pet I’ve heard so much about,” he said. “That’s me. Werewolf extraordinaire,” I said. He nodded. “It’s almost too difficult to believe. Your kind is so rare that for the queen to have ensnared one. . . I’m just left impressed,” he said. My. . . kind, I thought. Aside from Mom, I’ve never met another like me. And does she even really count? She died when I was a kid. All I could do was shrug. Maybe we were rare. But the fact that he wasn’t the first fae to mention such a thing did stick out in my mind. The queen had emotional attachments to me. Of that much, I was sure. But to other fae, ones I’d see at Kilgara. . . I’d be a token — no, a specimen. It’d be like those videos of rich people who own tigers or lions and just let them roam around the house, lying on the couch and shit. In that case, I’d just have to be all the more threatening to keep their minds off such imagery and more focused on preserving their own lives. Of course, that’d be up to my inner wolf. And I had no doubt she’d be up to the task. Unlike me, she didn’t take shit from anybody. “Well, Jello. If you come by Featherstone when the Raven Queen holds court, you can see my more visceral self on full display,” I said. “But until then, I’ll ask where we’re supposed to go from here.” The spider chuckled and looked into my hair, trying to find a certain piskie with his eyes alone. When he didn’t have any luck, Jello rolled his eyes and pointed to a filthy door covered in dust and mold. “Out that door, up the cement stairs to your left, and outside by the garage. That’ll spit you out onto a path the humans call Free Street,” Jello said. I thanked him, and we left without Barsilla saying a word. Once I’d started up the stairs, she poked her head out next to my ear and said, “Just for the record, in Faerie, his kind prey upon piskies. They find the best hiding spots in the forest and then drop on any little fae that happens to be hovering over the ground, looking for nuts or fruit.” This was a tender confession from the tiny person who’d left me paralyzed on the floor during our first meeting. So I put all that aside before I spoke. “I figured it was something like that. But it’s not like I would have let him do anything to you,” I said. “Afraid of how your mistress might react?” Barsilla asked. Shaking my head, I sighed. “I just know what it’s like to be a tiny thing standing before a giant monster that wants nothing more than to hurt you. You try to shrink yourself down so that the monster doesn’t see you, but it’s never small enough. I always hoped someone would come along when I was trying to shrink myself and snatch me away. So I guess today I just wanted to be the person that would snatch you to safety,” I said, finally spotting a metal door with sunlight streaming in. Varella’s left-hand lady didn’t say anything for a moment. But right before we got outside, she spoke. “That’s actually how her majesty found me, you know? I was in the web of someone like Jello, crying out for help. Most faeries ignore such cries since the forest can be filled with them at times. And if you anger a spider, there’s always the chance they’ll scurry off to a Gohma to have her curse you.” “A Gohma?” I asked. Barsilla placed both hands on the back of my ear to steady herself as I climbed the last few steps. “Queens among the spiderlings. Some of them are quite powerful, and once in a while, they’ll curse anyone who causes trouble with their underlings. That is, they’ll curse anyone. . . except for the ruler of a court. Varella happened to be flying by, heard my cries, and for reasons I’ve never been able to figure out, plucked me from the web. The spiderling that was savoring me was too frightened to say a word. He just hid under a bush, waiting for the Raven Queen to fly away. I’ve served her loyally ever since,” the piskie said. Holy shit. Am I bonding with the piskie? I thought, again squashing the temptation to say something mocking of the little fae which could and would get revenge when we returned to Featherstone. At that moment, Lady Bon-Hwa’s words came back to me. She said I craved legitimacy from beings that wore many masks. Had Barsilla just dropped hers? “How you felt when she plucked you from the web, Barsilla?” I started. She gripped my ear a little tighter. “That’s how I felt the day I struck the bargain with my mistress. Like she’d pulled me out of the jaws of death or something.” I heard the piskie rub her chin. “So when you submit to the queen, it’s about more than a simple pleasure for you. Immense gratitude is also mixed in there somewhere,” she said. Clearing my throat, I felt heat rush to my cheeks. Barsilla was the last person I wanted to discuss submissiveness with. I’d talk about it with Ceras before her. And even they weren’t high on the list. Walking outside, I heard the cries of gulls above us and heard a couple boys laughing as their mother walked by with a shopping bag that said “Remys” on it. Now that was a store I remembered. My father dragged me there more times than I could count. And it was always a long haul down to Bangor to visit. The sky above us was cloudy, and a chilly wind gusted by occasionally, bringing with it smells of a harbor not too far away. A normal person wouldn’t smell it from this distance. But I could smell boat fuel and seafood. “Do you remember the address?” I asked Barsilla. “I remember the way from here. The last time I came to the human city of Portland it was through a different pathway. But if you walk down a block and turn left, it’ll spit you out on a path called Congress Street.” Doing as I was told, I found myself on what appeared the be the busiest street in downtown Portland. Barsilla guided me with whispers to continue onward past the downtown square where a statue of a large woman stood overlooking dozens of people shopping or visiting restaurants or coming out of the public library. I read a message on the side that said, “To her sons who died for the Union.” Barsilla whispered, “I’ve never understood that message. What’s the Union? Some kind of human court?” Sighing and shaking my head, I tried to figure out the easiest way to explain this particularly bloody piece of U.S. history. “A couple centuries back, this country tore itself in two. There was the Confederacy and the Union. People from Maine, that’s where we are now, fought for the Union, which tried to put the country back together again.” “Did the Union succeed?” I nodded. “They won the war, but a lot of shit happened afterward I don’t want to get into. And when I left this place to move into Featherstone — well, let’s just say I’d rather live in Faerie than any part of this world,” I said. With the guidance of Varella’s left-hand lady, we continued walking down Congress Street for at least a mile before she told me to make a turn. We walked past an old Italian grocery store, turned again, and finally arrived at a dentist's office. “Big Smiles? What kind of name is that?” I asked, looking inside. “The name of a business where mortals go to get their teeth fixed because they don’t have glamour to do it for them. Consider yourself fortunate the palace healers make this place unnecessary in Faerie,” Barsilla said, tapping on my ear for me to go inside. Sighing, I did as I was told. . . again. Unlike most dentist’s offices I’d been in, this one was immaculately clean and polished. Behind two receptionists stood a wall covered entirely in ivy. And it was real. I smelled its vegetative scent from where I stood. To my right stood a glass wall with a water feature running underneath the reflective surface. A little transparent refrigerator sat next to some uncomfortable wooden chairs, and it was filled with bottled water. “Hi there!” one of the receptionists said. He appeared to be freshly graduated from college and wore a button-down shirt and black pants. His nametag said “Jace,” and had “He/Him” pronouns listed underneath. “Uh, hi,” I said, trying to remember the coded message my mistress taught me before leaving Featherstone. “I need to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. I’m trying to get the shinest teeth in all the land.” I resisted the urge to slap my face in embarrassment. What kind of stupid code was that? This receptionist was just as likely to throw me out as he was to find me a nightmare fae by the name of Dramyra. Jace snickered a little and said, “Well, who doesn’t love shiny teeth? And we’ve got a great new polishing technique our dentists just started using this month.” An older woman’s voice spoke from behind me. “That won’t be necessary, Jace. I’ll see her now.” Jace looked surprised. “Are you sure, Dr. Murphy? I think you’ve got an appointment in 15,” he said. The voice behind me waved off his concern. “Just have Melissa take care of that one. This is important.” Jace scratched his wavy brown hair and nodded before punching something into his keyboard. I could only assume he was editing an appointment at the last minute. When I turned to see who’d been giving orders to the receptionist, I spotted a woman who appeared to be in her early 50s leaning around a corner. She wore a long white jacket and had eyes the color of jasper. As I stared, she blinked horizontally instead of vertically like every other human I’d met. As my eyes widened, she smiled, and I noticed an inhuman pointedness to her teeth. . . all four rows of them. “Why don’t you come this way, and I’ll get you settled?” the fae said. I gulped and nodded, suddenly getting the heebie-jeebies from this person I was going to follow into a private area. Dr. Murphy led me past an X-ray room, a couple rooms with kid-sized dentist seats and small televisions mounted on the roof, and an employee bathroom. At last, we came to her private office, and she opened the door, motioning for me to enter. When I hesitated, she said, “Oh come now. I wouldn’t be so foolish as to harm one hair on the Raven Queen’s pet. Few would be that dumb.” Walking inside the surprisingly plain office, I was greeted by a tiny sofa, a mini fridge, a marker board, and a skylight. The walls were painted beige, and a desktop computer sat over in the corner on a screensaver with fish swimming by. I took a seat on the sofa, and our faerie host closed the door behind us, locking it, which caused me to gulp again. As soon as the door was closed, the fae dropped her glamor, and before me stood a five-foot-tall woman with pointed ears, turquoise skin, and a shaved head. When she smiled, I saw those four rows of razor teeth and two tongues, one purple, one red. Her eyes now blinked vertically every few seconds, and they were the color of sand. Black curled horns hung down from the back of the faerie’s skull, wrapping around her ears and ending in spiky white tips. The faerie leaned against her door and stared down at her claws, which were painted a shade of crimson. “Dramyra,” Barsilla said, flying out from my hair and bowing her head. “It’s been some time.” The fae did not seem very impressed at the piskie’s sudden appearance. “Well well. . . if it isn’t the Raven Queen’s left-hand lady. I don’t recall receiving a letter warning of your arrival.” Now I spoke up, bowing my head. “Apologies. The queen has been busy preparing for a trip to Kilgara. She didn’t mean to offend by sending us without an announced arrival,” I said. I shivered when Dramyra’s sandy eyes looked me over. It felt like. . . like it wasn’t just her eyes watching me, but her shadow’s eyes as well. And I didn’t like that one bit. She smelled of vetiver and leather. It was a strange combination that seemed to whisper much more was hiding beneath the surface. “First time seeing a nightara?” Dramyra asked, watching me shiver for the third time in the last hour. It wasn’t like the room was cold. Rather, it felt like her glamor kept brushing up against me and light scraping over my arms. “What’s a—” I started, rather stupidly. Barsilla cut me off. “Dramyra is a nightmare faerie. Her sister rules the Nightmare Court.” “Well just give her my life story, why don’t you, Barsilla?” Dramyra sassed, folding her arms and locking with my eyes. The room fell silent. I sure as hell didn’t know what to say, so I did what I always did in that situation. . . asked a dumb question. “Excuse me, Dramyra?” She smiled at me. “Yes, royal pet?” I do not like it when she calls me that, I thought. In fact, I don’t like it when she calls me anything. Taking a deep breath as Barsilla turned to flash me a look that said, “Be careful, puppy,” I raised an eyebrow. “My mistress said you lived here in the human world permanently. I was wondering. . . how you survived here in a world of iron and without any glamour?” Dramyra ran a finger down one of her arms. “Well, for starters, all of my tools here in the office aren’t made of iron. They’re custom designed from silver. Not an ounce of iron here. And I assure you, I have all the glamour I need.” I must have looked like I had more questions because Dramyra pointed a finger at me. “You must not have a solid grasp on how glamour works. Glamour isn’t something that just exists naturally in this world or Faerie. Rather, fae produce glamour by feeding. Different fae feed in different ways. Your queen feeds off your affections as well as the power of her throne itself. And I. . . well, I feed off the fear of others.” That sounded pretty damn terrifying. . . which I’m sure was exactly the effect Dramyra must have intended because she just laughed when I slunk down into the couch. “Oh relax. It’s not so bad. I learned a few decades ago that there are some things mortals fear collectively as a species. And one of them?” It clicked in my head. “The dentist! I fucking hated visiting the dentist. Growing up, there was no place more terrifying. With every visit, I was petrified that I needed yet another filling or maybe even a root canal.” Dramyra looked pleased with my figuring it out. “Exactly. So, knowing this, I disguised myself as a dentist, opened this business, and the mortals bring me their terrified children every single day. All I have to do is walk up and down the hall with a mask on my face, looking at paperwork, and nobody suspects a thing. The entire office fills with fear, which I devour, and then I can produce all the glamour I need.” When I realized this, it was kind of ingenious. This was like. . . the ultimate business model for a nightmare fae like Dramyra. And if this place went belly up, she could always disguise herself as an IRS agent. Though that might get her more anger than fear. Barsilla cleared her throat. “Oh, yes. You were getting ready to explain why you showed up without warning. Well, go on, little piskie,” Dramyra said, her smile fading as she turned her attention back to Varella’s left-hand lady. Pulling out her little clipboard and an even smaller pencil, the piskie looked over a few things as if she was steadying herself for what had to be said. “Queen Varella is officially calling in her favor. Decades ago, she hid you—” “I know why I owe her,” Dramyra snapped, her sandy eyes glowing orange. “You can skip that part.” Barsilla quickly crossed something off on her papers. “Right, well, she wants you to make a request to your sister, the Nightmare Queen. Her majesty informed me Queen Trylla will grant you anything you ask of her.” The nightara rubbed her chin as she leaned against the wall even more. “It’s true. My little sister adores me. Though I don’t know what the Raven Queen would want from her.” I looked back and forth between the fae, finding myself wondering about how my mistress hid the nightmare fae before me. What were the circumstances? Was it a witness protection kind of thing? Did faeries even have need of that? It’s not like they can call some vacuum store and vanish to Alaska, I thought, scratching the back of my head. Barsilla looked down at her notes, not meeting Dramyra’s eyes when she relayed my mistress’ request. “The Raven Queen wants you to ask your sister for her vote in Kilgara.” Silence filled the room again as I heard Barsilla’s tiny heart beating like that of a hummingbird. She was sweating a little, too. But Dramyra’s mood changed almost instantly. She laughed louder than I’d heard before and threw her head back. “Ahahahaha! So, Queen Varella is making a move for Bliss. How interesting! Not in a thousand years would I have guessed such a thing. That ought to make for a very interesting summit with the other courts. Suddenly this mission of great importance made more sense. My mistress sent us to cash in a favor so she could try and stack the deck before we gathered with the other rulers of Faerie to decide who would host Bliss. The nightara locked eyes with me, and I felt more gooseflesh crawling over my arms and thighs. I really wished she would stop doing that. “Very well, piskie. I will do as the Raven Queen asks. It’s not like I have the power to refuse a favor when I’m in her debt. So you may scurry back with the young wolf here and tell her at least one vote is safely in her corner,” Dramyra said. “As for you, Sierra, I hope you're ready to meet folks even scarier than me. And I’d stick real close to that mistress of yours once you leave the halls of Featherstone. You have no idea just how many lords and ladies of Faerie would love to have themselves a pet werewolf. You’re quite—” “Rare,” I finished for her. “I’ve heard it before.” I sounded agitated, but I was just trying to mask my fear. I’d happily submit to my mistress a thousand times. But I was no fool. I knew there were cruel immortals all through Faerie that would find worse ways to hurt me than my father ever could have. And we were off to a summit where they’d all be gathered. As we left the dentist, I hoped and prayed my inner wolf had gotten at least a few memories of today and would understand she needed to carry the visage of an absolute killer. I didn’t want to end up in the clutches of a nightara. . . or worse. |
2023.06.08 07:15 DJ4N6O I made love to a goddess named Aya
This piece recounts the first time I drank an ancient plant medicine called Ayahuasca. It comes from Amazonian tribes who consider it a sacred plant medicine with healing powers and, given what a hugely beneficial impact it has had on my life, I am very comfortable describing it as medicine.
One Saturday, in the spring of 2016 I was greeted by the medicine man himself with a big hug, let’s call him Blu. I came into his kitchen to be greeted by several women with slightly comical homemade, feather headdresses and couldn’t help but think I’d walked into a kid’s birthday party. In the garden, there was a small festival tent set up which had a hay bale altar with easter decorations.
The ceremony had around 30 other participants and 10 shamans. In the middle of the tent stood the medicine man’s wife, Sun who was very much the master of the ceremony. She had the most daring headdress, flowing orange robes and a rattle in her hand. She spoke to us with warm, friendly humour telling us that we would know the medicine had kicked in once her singing started to sound good!
She advised that each experience is unique and we should try not to have huge expectations, sometimes nothing at all happens the first time. Having waited five years for this day I was quietly confident that this would not be the case for me and boy was I right!
We went around the circle introducing ourselves and explained what we were hoping to get out of the ceremony. Focusing on your intent during a psychedelic experience is meant to help you get what you are looking for.
During my turn, I expressed my desire to regain my self-confidence and passion for the opportunities and women in my life to whom I never seem to be able to fully commit.
Once we had all shared, we learned that it was time to drink.
My heart was filled with profound forbearing and excitement as I went up to receive a small glass of harsh-tasting, brown liquid which certainly tasted like medicine!
I had a basic camping mattress and a duvet laid out for me which I snuggled into before pulling on my eye mask. I was on my back trying not to think too much about the medicine, whether it was working or maybe wouldn’t work while I meditated for an hour.
The shamans started singing and shaking rattles. One of the female shamans, Nubia had an incredibly beautiful soprano voice that stood out from the others. It was while listening to the song of the shamans that I started to feel a warm flow of energy along my limbs. I tried to dismiss it at first, thinking it might somehow be related to my fasting for 40 hours prior.
When I moved my eye mask to let some light into my eyes I saw the tent roof overlaid with a flowing grid of beautiful, metallic, geometric grids with multi-coloured light flowing through the lines. The Individual elements of the grid reflected every colour of the rainbow like oil on water’s surface and I started to feel joyful, like a child rolling through leaves on a warm autumn day.
Nubia started singing to us again and it was like nothing I’d ever heard. It was so beautiful and mesmerizing I didn’t want her to stop.
I could hear the people around me, some giggling and some vomiting or, purging medicine into their buckets. I checked myself, asking if should I purge but I felt a gentle presence speak inside of me saying: ‘No, you’re fine. Just relax.’
It was around this time that Sun asked into the ceremony if anybody would like a second dose. I slowly sat upright and looked around. I checked myself. Truthfully, I was enjoying the experience. I was slightly nervous that having more could take me to a deeper, darker place however I had mentally prepared myself for the full immersion experience.
The presence told me: ‘It’s okay. You can handle it. I’ll be gentle.’
So I pulled on my shoes, got up and slowly walked over feeling slightly wobbly. I was worried Sun might tell me I’d had enough but when I sat in front of her, she gave me a big smile and beckoned me towards her. The second dose was about half the previous one and tasted familiar, not quite as harsh.
After I got up I walked out of the tent into the house. Sitting in the small toilet I saw the walls gently rippling with energy and recognized the phenomenon from previous psychedelic experiences. I’ve experienced mild, LSD-induced hallucinations before but nothing quite as mesmerizing as watching bright sparks of colorful energy emerging from objects and pictures.
Snuggling back under my duvet I listened to the rattles and felt myself floating deeper into the kaleidoscopic universe seeing my own body curled up but instead of my skin and flesh, I saw myself as streaming veins of energy. Millions of thin fibre optic threads pulsated with warm healing energy which outlined my body.
I felt myself lying on the floor in the jungle with mystical symbols and ineffable tribal figures around me. I felt like I was in a different, timeless dimension however I was surprisingly lucid and could snap out of it to check myself with ease. At some point I had to giggle as my boring pragmatist made the smart-ass remark, ‘You’re not lying in the jungle. You’re in a garden less than 100 meters from the Thames estuary!’
I had my eyes closed for most of the afternoon. I was seeing ever richer patterns. When I opened my eyes the patterns were still there but they were overlaid on the reality in front of my eyes. I could change them with the blink of an eye or bring back shapes I had seen previously.
I started thanking this entity for showing me all this beauty and felt the urge to reciprocate. I revealed some personal memories but they looked so very different. It seemed like they had a photo filter applied that filled the memory with golden light as they came alive with breathtaking beauty, streaming with colourful energy. I visited various life moments and it felt like entering into a photo and suddenly being there on that day!
I was there sitting in our garden at home. Once again I was a chubby baby covering my face with baked beans. I was actually there! I was picking the baked beans off my face and pushing them, one by one into my mouth.
They say that Mother Ayahuasca is a deep ancient spirit and I always imagined her as a deeply serious, majestic queen. I started wondering what she might look like… and so she appeared.
She was stern but not an old woman. Aya was young, perfectly matched to my age and exceptionally beautiful. She had long, smooth brown hair and big beautiful eyes filled with power and inspiration. As I looked closer at her exquisite face I realized that her features were constantly changing complexion. Her skin cycled from Amazonian to Latin to Nubian to Oriental and Mediterranean. She was outlined by swirling rainbow-coloured curls of light. The rest of her naked body only came into being when I directly looked at it. I realize that she was not one woman but a combination of every beautiful woman I’ve ever felt attracted to. I wanted her. She wanted me. We kissed and whirled around as we floated through my Entheoverse. My body of swirling rainbow energy flowed into her and hers into mine and this is how we made love passionately.
I had visions of us being on a summer weekend getaway in a stylish city. We lay in luxurious hotel rooms and I remember a cream-coloured clock on the wall, with Roman numerals but no hands to tell the time. I was dressed smartly as I led her by her hand into classy restaurants that had champagne poured, waiting by our table. It was like we were on a never-ending date, teleporting from one experience into the next, eloping while taking our time to enjoy each other’s energy, and passionately loving one another.
Afterwards, she lay in my arms and I asked what else she could show me and she replied; ‘What else would you like me to show you?’ I wasn’t prepared for this and my mind went a bit blank realizing that I could do anything, go anywhere in space and time I wanted.
I asked her; ‘Can you help me find my confidence?’
There was no clear answer. Instead, I had the random idea to become the temple stem of my friend Julio’s glasses. I looked at him from the bit next to the hinge and I could see him put the glasses on in the morning, and take them off at night and in the reflection of his right eye, I saw him coming home and watched his beautiful daughter jumping into his arms. Then I saw on his eyeball the reflection of me walking into the room and a felt warm glow spread through me.
Next, I visited my baby nephew sitting in my brother’s living room, in his red chair. I crossed my hands on my chest like he does and saw my brother and his wife smiling at me giving me warm hugs but more than seeing their faces while they hugged my body I could feel the way they felt when they put their arms around me and press me to their chests.
I saw all my brother’s smiles and happy faces as we jollied about, trying to make each other laugh as we do. I visited all my closest friends, took in their smiles and one by one, as I hugged each of them, I could feel their love for me.
I also visited my ex-girlfriend Jo, whose body and spiritual mind I still loved but whose soul is too damaged by the fear of rejection and tough mental armour I never managed to vanquish.
She was asleep in our white room in LA that she had so carefully decorated and I spooned my energy into her little body. She woke and we cuddled and kissed and I said I was sorry it didn’t work out between us and she replied; ‘It’s ok. I wasn’t ready for you…’
I asked Aya if we had made the right decision to stop forcing it and just be friends and felt her nod wisely.
At some point, I remember all three of us lying in bed together but instead of feeling like the king of the world, I felt like a greedy pig.
One of the underlying themes of the whole journey was how slowly gently and unhurried everything felt and I think the lesson I was meant to learn was that it’s ok to not settle right now — I thought I just haven’t found the one, the right woman to share my life with…
Aya kept giving me gentle advice throughout. I asked her about the stimulants I love such as cannabis, coffee and alcohol but instead of the stern telling-off I was secretly hoping to receive she told me; ‘You know they don’t serve you when you abuse them but they are also a part of what shaped you… Take care of the beautiful body you have been given.’
She repeated many times; Take care of yourself more… take care.
I asked Aya how I could find the power to harness my mind which has always been blessed and cursed with a distracting imagination and to keep my lack of attention from killing my dreams.
Instantly, I saw an unreal version of myself.
I was standing in something like a black shiny display window, straight out of a Mercedes advert. This guy was not merely a little bit better than I am now and I realized that the version staring back at me was my best self!
That guy is sharp, he is determined, and he dresses immaculately. That guy knows exactly what he is doing. When he enters the room, people notice his presence from the invisible halo that brightly surrounds him.
I asked Aya, how I could become him and the answer became clear. That guy works. He knows exactly where his energy comes from and all of a sudden I understood — The confident image he projects comes from the love he feels for himself which makes him look loved and successful in other people’s eyes. There is no room for distraction because that guy knows his worth and knows his purpose.
She gave me such a clear image of myself. I can still see myself standing motionless in the black, shiny shop window with rainbow-coloured fibre optic strains lighting the air that gently flowed around me.
How long I lay like that is impossible to say but I guess it was around 5–6 hours but it felt like an eternity of journeying into myself.
But it wasn’t all just warm energy and neon colours. I distinctly remember at some point realizing, it was time to go to the toilet. Afterwards, I walked back into the garden and found the Ewok-faced little terrier yapping at me. I laughed at him as I noticed the blue silver and chrome energy swirls around his head and ears. I couched down to see if I could pacify him but I suddenly became aware that his barking must be interfering with other people’s experiences. I turned to hurry into the tent as one of the shamans came out, to tell off the dog saying; ‘What’s wrong doggy, he’s alright!’ As I walked into the tent there were certainly more people sitting upright than when I had left and I read some irritated expressions on people’s faces, at least three people got up and walked out.
I lay down in shame but all my friend’s energy avatars ran up to me saying ‘It’s fine!’ as they doggy piled on top of me. It made me feel better. I felt them warm the cold shame out of me and I began relaxing again. I played around as before but the energy had markedly changed, it didn’t feel as light-hearted anymore. It was heavier and more serious. I was feeling the effects of the medicine becoming even stronger so I decided to sit up but when I opened my eyes, I saw Nubia hit the deck at my feet on a hastily arranged bed after having just purged into a bucket. I could see vomit in her black wavy hair as I started to think, ‘…oh dear if even the shamans are starting to falter, I’m in trouble.’
I didn’t know what to do. I tried to lie back down again. I asked Aya to help me, as she had several times previously when I’d gotten a little bit frightened but this time I could not sense her presence and I knew why. I had to go through this for myself.
It felt like I was sitting in a shopping trolley, rolling down a steep hill toward darkness, realizing as it picked up speed and bucked to and fro that this had been a bad decision, a dangerous idea and the only way it would end would be for the momentum to collide with suffering.
I needed help so I weakly put up my hand and within a few seconds, one of the shamans sat down next to me. She was wearing a white feather dress and occoured to me like an angel. She helped me sit up and as soon as I was sitting upright I began to retch. She passed me my bucket which I gratefully barfed into…
After I purged I felt better. My angel asked me if I felt okay again and I asked her to stay with me and hold my hand for a while longer, which she did. I gently leaned over and rested my head on her feathery bosom and felt a sense of peace and strength flow back into me. I saw my energy self, the swirling electrons of light curling my limbs as I sat cross-legged, hunched over like a bear cub being cradled by his mother bear.
She helped me lie back down and I started to return to my technicoloured dream state. I asked Aya if we could make love again and she said ‘Of course’ but it felt different, when I opened my inner eye to see the face of the person I was entangled with I saw my own. Aya had taken on my form and this might well be the strangest thing I’ve ever written but I was exceptionally attracted to myself and I realized that this could be how girls who are in bed with me see me. I could feel the burning desire a girl feels when we make love. It felt strange but also good.
While I cuddled Oskar, the dog I grew up with, and played with him in our garden I looked up to see my dad approach us with tears in his eyes. I knew what he was going to say. When he told me that my grandmother had died I didn’t run away in confusion as I had on that day, instead, I went to hug my mom and for the first time, I empathized with the pain she had felt in that moment of hearing that her mother had passed.
I visited my friend Keith whose passing I have always felt a slight responsibility for since I know he read my travel blog and went to Costa Rica a month after I’d been there where he swam out to sea and drowned. I hugged him tightly and cried gently but he grabbed me firmly by the shoulders and said; ‘It wasn’t you! It wasn’t you…’
I visited my old school friend Alex who I had not been close to but whose misfortune to be on flight 447 still touched me. I told him and his beautiful fiance whom I’d never met that I was so sorry for them having been so frightened when they died but instead of me comforting them, they hugged and comforted me as I lay there silently crying for the people I missed. But it was not painful. Quite the opposite, it felt cathartic, like I was letting out the pain and healing myself.
At some point, while it was still light out Sun said “OK, I know that some of you are still on your journey but we will start having some food soon so if you want to share what you experienced now is the time.” I listened to some of the reports.
Several people said that they had a very rough ride because they had tried to fight it. One girl even said she was convinced she was dying. I felt very lucky and grateful for my gentle, warm ride through my multi-coloured Enthenoverse and wondered if I would ever return…
When it was my turn I said that I had finally been able to see how my friends and family see me and why they think I am awesome which will give me the confidence to finally believe that I am awesome (that got a laugh :). I also shared my new appreciation for how profoundly beautiful my life has been up until now and hoped that it will give me the strength to stop comparing myself to others, to focus on my own path and become my best self.
The following day I drove back to my rented shepherd’s hut in a nature reserve and had an exceptionally rich experience walking through the marshes. The sun was shining and everything seemed so intensely beautiful. I was moved just by watching something as simple as a male and a female bird fly across the water in perfect sync. It made me well up emotionally.
I’ve cried a lot recently and I believe it’s a good thing. I cry on most days.
Usually, it happens when I see someone doing something kind and for a brief moment I get overwhelmed and shed a tear. But again, they are not tears of pain they are usually tears of joy and I feel like I have become much more in touch with my emotions.
It feels like bringing Aya’s female spirit into my awareness has tripped a switch in my brain making me more feminine, hence a more complete human being. I’ve also started to care more about my appearance. My mum commented recently that I looked different and she is right. I’ve been working out more. I get my hair cut more frequently and I’ve even gone and bought new clothes that dress me with more style, even when it’s not particularly necessary.
My work attitude has also changed. I find myself a lot more productive and capable of operating at a higher level while enjoying the entire experience so much more!
I honestly feel more in control of my life. I feel focused on who I am, who I can become and what I can achieve. Previously my decisions in life seemed more vague and fuzzy.
Above all, I feel the happiest that I have felt since childhood. The last 10 weeks have been almost like a too-good-to-be-true dream for me.
I’m also positively influencing the people around me. My grandfather wrote me the following sentence after my most recent visit.
You have this mysterious gift of raising the spirits of people both just by being there and by your gift of empathy.
submitted by DJ4N6O to Ayahuasca [link] [comments]
One Saturday, in the spring of 2016 I was greeted by the medicine man himself with a big hug, let’s call him Blu. I came into his kitchen to be greeted by several women with slightly comical homemade, feather headdresses and couldn’t help but think I’d walked into a kid’s birthday party. In the garden, there was a small festival tent set up which had a hay bale altar with easter decorations.
The ceremony had around 30 other participants and 10 shamans. In the middle of the tent stood the medicine man’s wife, Sun who was very much the master of the ceremony. She had the most daring headdress, flowing orange robes and a rattle in her hand. She spoke to us with warm, friendly humour telling us that we would know the medicine had kicked in once her singing started to sound good!
She advised that each experience is unique and we should try not to have huge expectations, sometimes nothing at all happens the first time. Having waited five years for this day I was quietly confident that this would not be the case for me and boy was I right!
We went around the circle introducing ourselves and explained what we were hoping to get out of the ceremony. Focusing on your intent during a psychedelic experience is meant to help you get what you are looking for.
During my turn, I expressed my desire to regain my self-confidence and passion for the opportunities and women in my life to whom I never seem to be able to fully commit.
Once we had all shared, we learned that it was time to drink.
My heart was filled with profound forbearing and excitement as I went up to receive a small glass of harsh-tasting, brown liquid which certainly tasted like medicine!
I had a basic camping mattress and a duvet laid out for me which I snuggled into before pulling on my eye mask. I was on my back trying not to think too much about the medicine, whether it was working or maybe wouldn’t work while I meditated for an hour.
The shamans started singing and shaking rattles. One of the female shamans, Nubia had an incredibly beautiful soprano voice that stood out from the others. It was while listening to the song of the shamans that I started to feel a warm flow of energy along my limbs. I tried to dismiss it at first, thinking it might somehow be related to my fasting for 40 hours prior.
When I moved my eye mask to let some light into my eyes I saw the tent roof overlaid with a flowing grid of beautiful, metallic, geometric grids with multi-coloured light flowing through the lines. The Individual elements of the grid reflected every colour of the rainbow like oil on water’s surface and I started to feel joyful, like a child rolling through leaves on a warm autumn day.
Nubia started singing to us again and it was like nothing I’d ever heard. It was so beautiful and mesmerizing I didn’t want her to stop.
I could hear the people around me, some giggling and some vomiting or, purging medicine into their buckets. I checked myself, asking if should I purge but I felt a gentle presence speak inside of me saying: ‘No, you’re fine. Just relax.’
They call this presence Mother Ayahuasca. The reason people drink the brew is to speak with and receive her guidance.
My eye mask was back on my face and I turned into the fetal position with the duvet pulled over my head I felt exceptionally comfy with this strange yet familiar presence as I started to explore the un-intimidating hallucinogenic world within my mind. She showed me complex pictures of flowing energy with multicoloured lights in perfect alignment while I was gently gliding along, watching the beautiful colourful spectacle.It was around this time that Sun asked into the ceremony if anybody would like a second dose. I slowly sat upright and looked around. I checked myself. Truthfully, I was enjoying the experience. I was slightly nervous that having more could take me to a deeper, darker place however I had mentally prepared myself for the full immersion experience.
The presence told me: ‘It’s okay. You can handle it. I’ll be gentle.’
So I pulled on my shoes, got up and slowly walked over feeling slightly wobbly. I was worried Sun might tell me I’d had enough but when I sat in front of her, she gave me a big smile and beckoned me towards her. The second dose was about half the previous one and tasted familiar, not quite as harsh.
After I got up I walked out of the tent into the house. Sitting in the small toilet I saw the walls gently rippling with energy and recognized the phenomenon from previous psychedelic experiences. I’ve experienced mild, LSD-induced hallucinations before but nothing quite as mesmerizing as watching bright sparks of colorful energy emerging from objects and pictures.
Snuggling back under my duvet I listened to the rattles and felt myself floating deeper into the kaleidoscopic universe seeing my own body curled up but instead of my skin and flesh, I saw myself as streaming veins of energy. Millions of thin fibre optic threads pulsated with warm healing energy which outlined my body.
I felt myself lying on the floor in the jungle with mystical symbols and ineffable tribal figures around me. I felt like I was in a different, timeless dimension however I was surprisingly lucid and could snap out of it to check myself with ease. At some point I had to giggle as my boring pragmatist made the smart-ass remark, ‘You’re not lying in the jungle. You’re in a garden less than 100 meters from the Thames estuary!’
I had my eyes closed for most of the afternoon. I was seeing ever richer patterns. When I opened my eyes the patterns were still there but they were overlaid on the reality in front of my eyes. I could change them with the blink of an eye or bring back shapes I had seen previously.
I started thanking this entity for showing me all this beauty and felt the urge to reciprocate. I revealed some personal memories but they looked so very different. It seemed like they had a photo filter applied that filled the memory with golden light as they came alive with breathtaking beauty, streaming with colourful energy. I visited various life moments and it felt like entering into a photo and suddenly being there on that day!
I was there sitting in our garden at home. Once again I was a chubby baby covering my face with baked beans. I was actually there! I was picking the baked beans off my face and pushing them, one by one into my mouth.
They say that Mother Ayahuasca is a deep ancient spirit and I always imagined her as a deeply serious, majestic queen. I started wondering what she might look like… and so she appeared.
She was stern but not an old woman. Aya was young, perfectly matched to my age and exceptionally beautiful. She had long, smooth brown hair and big beautiful eyes filled with power and inspiration. As I looked closer at her exquisite face I realized that her features were constantly changing complexion. Her skin cycled from Amazonian to Latin to Nubian to Oriental and Mediterranean. She was outlined by swirling rainbow-coloured curls of light. The rest of her naked body only came into being when I directly looked at it. I realize that she was not one woman but a combination of every beautiful woman I’ve ever felt attracted to. I wanted her. She wanted me. We kissed and whirled around as we floated through my Entheoverse. My body of swirling rainbow energy flowed into her and hers into mine and this is how we made love passionately.
I had visions of us being on a summer weekend getaway in a stylish city. We lay in luxurious hotel rooms and I remember a cream-coloured clock on the wall, with Roman numerals but no hands to tell the time. I was dressed smartly as I led her by her hand into classy restaurants that had champagne poured, waiting by our table. It was like we were on a never-ending date, teleporting from one experience into the next, eloping while taking our time to enjoy each other’s energy, and passionately loving one another.
Afterwards, she lay in my arms and I asked what else she could show me and she replied; ‘What else would you like me to show you?’ I wasn’t prepared for this and my mind went a bit blank realizing that I could do anything, go anywhere in space and time I wanted.
I asked her; ‘Can you help me find my confidence?’
There was no clear answer. Instead, I had the random idea to become the temple stem of my friend Julio’s glasses. I looked at him from the bit next to the hinge and I could see him put the glasses on in the morning, and take them off at night and in the reflection of his right eye, I saw him coming home and watched his beautiful daughter jumping into his arms. Then I saw on his eyeball the reflection of me walking into the room and a felt warm glow spread through me.
Next, I visited my baby nephew sitting in my brother’s living room, in his red chair. I crossed my hands on my chest like he does and saw my brother and his wife smiling at me giving me warm hugs but more than seeing their faces while they hugged my body I could feel the way they felt when they put their arms around me and press me to their chests.
I saw all my brother’s smiles and happy faces as we jollied about, trying to make each other laugh as we do. I visited all my closest friends, took in their smiles and one by one, as I hugged each of them, I could feel their love for me.
Later I realized that Aya was indeed trying to give me confidence by showing me how much the people in my life care for me
I visited the girl I had just started dating called Anna whose raw energy I find simply irresistible. I came into her new apartment that I’d never visited before. She was standing in sexy lingerie by a floor-to-ceiling window looking down onto the busy Tottenham Court road. I remember her turning her beautiful face as I approached, touching it with ten fingers and kissing her lips passionately as we erupted into rainbow swirls of energy.I also visited my ex-girlfriend Jo, whose body and spiritual mind I still loved but whose soul is too damaged by the fear of rejection and tough mental armour I never managed to vanquish.
She was asleep in our white room in LA that she had so carefully decorated and I spooned my energy into her little body. She woke and we cuddled and kissed and I said I was sorry it didn’t work out between us and she replied; ‘It’s ok. I wasn’t ready for you…’
I asked Aya if we had made the right decision to stop forcing it and just be friends and felt her nod wisely.
At some point, I remember all three of us lying in bed together but instead of feeling like the king of the world, I felt like a greedy pig.
One of the underlying themes of the whole journey was how slowly gently and unhurried everything felt and I think the lesson I was meant to learn was that it’s ok to not settle right now — I thought I just haven’t found the one, the right woman to share my life with…
Aya kept giving me gentle advice throughout. I asked her about the stimulants I love such as cannabis, coffee and alcohol but instead of the stern telling-off I was secretly hoping to receive she told me; ‘You know they don’t serve you when you abuse them but they are also a part of what shaped you… Take care of the beautiful body you have been given.’
She repeated many times; Take care of yourself more… take care.
I asked Aya how I could find the power to harness my mind which has always been blessed and cursed with a distracting imagination and to keep my lack of attention from killing my dreams.
Instantly, I saw an unreal version of myself.
I was standing in something like a black shiny display window, straight out of a Mercedes advert. This guy was not merely a little bit better than I am now and I realized that the version staring back at me was my best self!
That guy is sharp, he is determined, and he dresses immaculately. That guy knows exactly what he is doing. When he enters the room, people notice his presence from the invisible halo that brightly surrounds him.
I asked Aya, how I could become him and the answer became clear. That guy works. He knows exactly where his energy comes from and all of a sudden I understood — The confident image he projects comes from the love he feels for himself which makes him look loved and successful in other people’s eyes. There is no room for distraction because that guy knows his worth and knows his purpose.
She gave me such a clear image of myself. I can still see myself standing motionless in the black, shiny shop window with rainbow-coloured fibre optic strains lighting the air that gently flowed around me.
How long I lay like that is impossible to say but I guess it was around 5–6 hours but it felt like an eternity of journeying into myself.
But it wasn’t all just warm energy and neon colours. I distinctly remember at some point realizing, it was time to go to the toilet. Afterwards, I walked back into the garden and found the Ewok-faced little terrier yapping at me. I laughed at him as I noticed the blue silver and chrome energy swirls around his head and ears. I couched down to see if I could pacify him but I suddenly became aware that his barking must be interfering with other people’s experiences. I turned to hurry into the tent as one of the shamans came out, to tell off the dog saying; ‘What’s wrong doggy, he’s alright!’ As I walked into the tent there were certainly more people sitting upright than when I had left and I read some irritated expressions on people’s faces, at least three people got up and walked out.
I lay down in shame but all my friend’s energy avatars ran up to me saying ‘It’s fine!’ as they doggy piled on top of me. It made me feel better. I felt them warm the cold shame out of me and I began relaxing again. I played around as before but the energy had markedly changed, it didn’t feel as light-hearted anymore. It was heavier and more serious. I was feeling the effects of the medicine becoming even stronger so I decided to sit up but when I opened my eyes, I saw Nubia hit the deck at my feet on a hastily arranged bed after having just purged into a bucket. I could see vomit in her black wavy hair as I started to think, ‘…oh dear if even the shamans are starting to falter, I’m in trouble.’
I didn’t know what to do. I tried to lie back down again. I asked Aya to help me, as she had several times previously when I’d gotten a little bit frightened but this time I could not sense her presence and I knew why. I had to go through this for myself.
It felt like I was sitting in a shopping trolley, rolling down a steep hill toward darkness, realizing as it picked up speed and bucked to and fro that this had been a bad decision, a dangerous idea and the only way it would end would be for the momentum to collide with suffering.
I needed help so I weakly put up my hand and within a few seconds, one of the shamans sat down next to me. She was wearing a white feather dress and occoured to me like an angel. She helped me sit up and as soon as I was sitting upright I began to retch. She passed me my bucket which I gratefully barfed into…
After I purged I felt better. My angel asked me if I felt okay again and I asked her to stay with me and hold my hand for a while longer, which she did. I gently leaned over and rested my head on her feathery bosom and felt a sense of peace and strength flow back into me. I saw my energy self, the swirling electrons of light curling my limbs as I sat cross-legged, hunched over like a bear cub being cradled by his mother bear.
She helped me lie back down and I started to return to my technicoloured dream state. I asked Aya if we could make love again and she said ‘Of course’ but it felt different, when I opened my inner eye to see the face of the person I was entangled with I saw my own. Aya had taken on my form and this might well be the strangest thing I’ve ever written but I was exceptionally attracted to myself and I realized that this could be how girls who are in bed with me see me. I could feel the burning desire a girl feels when we make love. It felt strange but also good.
They said Ayahuasca show you not what you want to see but rather what you need to see at any specific point in your life.
I visited countless friends, some people no longer in my life becouse we have grown apart and even those whose who have passed away. I visited my German grandparents and told them how much I loved them.While I cuddled Oskar, the dog I grew up with, and played with him in our garden I looked up to see my dad approach us with tears in his eyes. I knew what he was going to say. When he told me that my grandmother had died I didn’t run away in confusion as I had on that day, instead, I went to hug my mom and for the first time, I empathized with the pain she had felt in that moment of hearing that her mother had passed.
I visited my friend Keith whose passing I have always felt a slight responsibility for since I know he read my travel blog and went to Costa Rica a month after I’d been there where he swam out to sea and drowned. I hugged him tightly and cried gently but he grabbed me firmly by the shoulders and said; ‘It wasn’t you! It wasn’t you…’
I visited my old school friend Alex who I had not been close to but whose misfortune to be on flight 447 still touched me. I told him and his beautiful fiance whom I’d never met that I was so sorry for them having been so frightened when they died but instead of me comforting them, they hugged and comforted me as I lay there silently crying for the people I missed. But it was not painful. Quite the opposite, it felt cathartic, like I was letting out the pain and healing myself.
At some point, while it was still light out Sun said “OK, I know that some of you are still on your journey but we will start having some food soon so if you want to share what you experienced now is the time.” I listened to some of the reports.
Several people said that they had a very rough ride because they had tried to fight it. One girl even said she was convinced she was dying. I felt very lucky and grateful for my gentle, warm ride through my multi-coloured Enthenoverse and wondered if I would ever return…
When it was my turn I said that I had finally been able to see how my friends and family see me and why they think I am awesome which will give me the confidence to finally believe that I am awesome (that got a laugh :). I also shared my new appreciation for how profoundly beautiful my life has been up until now and hoped that it will give me the strength to stop comparing myself to others, to focus on my own path and become my best self.
10 weeks later
My life has undeniably changed over the last 10 weeks.The following day I drove back to my rented shepherd’s hut in a nature reserve and had an exceptionally rich experience walking through the marshes. The sun was shining and everything seemed so intensely beautiful. I was moved just by watching something as simple as a male and a female bird fly across the water in perfect sync. It made me well up emotionally.
I’ve cried a lot recently and I believe it’s a good thing. I cry on most days.
Usually, it happens when I see someone doing something kind and for a brief moment I get overwhelmed and shed a tear. But again, they are not tears of pain they are usually tears of joy and I feel like I have become much more in touch with my emotions.
It feels like bringing Aya’s female spirit into my awareness has tripped a switch in my brain making me more feminine, hence a more complete human being. I’ve also started to care more about my appearance. My mum commented recently that I looked different and she is right. I’ve been working out more. I get my hair cut more frequently and I’ve even gone and bought new clothes that dress me with more style, even when it’s not particularly necessary.
My work attitude has also changed. I find myself a lot more productive and capable of operating at a higher level while enjoying the entire experience so much more!
I honestly feel more in control of my life. I feel focused on who I am, who I can become and what I can achieve. Previously my decisions in life seemed more vague and fuzzy.
Above all, I feel the happiest that I have felt since childhood. The last 10 weeks have been almost like a too-good-to-be-true dream for me.
I’m also positively influencing the people around me. My grandfather wrote me the following sentence after my most recent visit.
You have this mysterious gift of raising the spirits of people both just by being there and by your gift of empathy.
Epilogue
I have indeed had more Ayahuasca ceremonies since I first wrote this and even though there was a 4 year gap between my 4th and my 5th experience I have felt the effect compound over time. I will be publishing more of my trip reports over on medium and would appreciate your supporting me by following me over there where I also publish contant whihc is not just psychedilic in nature. https://medium.com/@hi_niels2023.06.08 07:14 jassi15 Dial Marula Body Wash Scent
Does anyone know the scent in dial’s marula body wash? The scent ingredient is only listed as “parfum” but it has sort of a brown sugar, fruity and caramely undertone with a hint of floral.
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