30 inch towel bar brushed nickel

For those in Blacksburg: Weekend Event Rundown

2023.06.03 01:27 next3days For those in Blacksburg: Weekend Event Rundown

For anyone in town for the summer who's looking for events to enjoy this weekend, here's 25 local events you can enjoy and participate in on Saturday & Sunday.
1. 2023 Pulaski County Spring Flea Market New River Valley Fairgrounds, Dublin Saturday, June 3, 2023 and Sunday, June 4, 2023, 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM Admission: $2.00, Kids 6 and Under: Free The Dublin Lions Club presents the 2023 Pulaski County Spring Flea Market celebrating 48 years. With over 20,000 visitors and 700 vendors spaces, more than a dozen different food vendors offering varied food options and the chance to eat a few of the famous "Lion Dogs", you will not want to miss this event. Check out vendors with crafts, antiques and more at the semi-annual Pulaski County Flea Market. Although over 100 spaces are under roof, it is a largely an outdoor event. The terrain is varied from asphalt, gravel and grass. Parking is free. All proceeds go to the Dublin Lions and their numerous community causes such as eyeglasses for the needy and hunger relief in the community. The event is rain or shine. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708165
2. Kunga Fest 2023: Two-Day Donations Yoga Festival In Balance Yoga Studio, Blacksburg Friday, June 2, 2023, 4:00 - 10:00 PM and Saturday, June 3, 2023, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Yoga classes and events are by donation. In Balance Yoga Studio presents their 10th Kunga Fest, a two-day Donations Yoga Festival with 100% of the donations donated to directly support the Homes of Hope Orphanage in India. Homes of Hope is a safe space for orphaned, abandoned, or trafficked young girls in India. In Balance Yoga is offering 15 donation-based classes throughout the two-day event. Hot yoga, ariel yoga, yoga classes with live music and gentle flow, are just some of the options offered. A silent auction will also be offered with bidding open until 6:00 PM on Saturday, June 3rd. Over 20 items are in the auction including a private ariel yoga session, a one-hour reiki session, an acupuncture session and more! Yoga classes and events are by donation though registration is required. Membership is not required to attend however new students will have to create an online profile in order to register. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708207
3. National Trails Day: Appalachian Trail Volunteer Trail Work Pearis Cemetary / Appalachian Trailhead Parking, Pearisburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Admission: Free The Outdoor Club at Virginia Tech is hosting Appalachian Trail Volunteer Trail Work for National Trails Day meeting at the Appalachian Trailhead Parking at Pearis Cemetary. The first Saturday of June each year is designated as National Trails Day, a day to celebrate our National Trails. There are a variety of volunteer opportunities available throughout the Trail. Essential trail maintenance helps protect natural resources and improves the hiking experience. Activities planned for the day include removing tress that have fallen across the Trail and are obstructing its path, cleaning out water bars and other trail tread structures of debris so that they can effectively divert water from the Trail and continue to help reduce erosion, as well as trimming back woody bushes that might be encroaching on the sides of the Trail. This work will be taking place on Hemlock Ridge, the stretch of Trail between the Celenese plant and Clendennin Road. There will be a shuttle planned to allow for a 3-mile hike through, performing work along the way. No previous experience required and all ages are welcome. The club will provide tools, training, and personal protective equipment. While it is free to volunteer, registration is required to ensure enough supplies will be available. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708056
4. American Red Cross Blood Drive with Brunch Meadowbrook Public Library, Shawsville Saturday, June 3, 2023, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Admission: Free Meadowbrook Public Library and the Meadowbrook Center hosts an American Red Cross Blood Drive. Help save a life by donating blood. Brunch will be provided for donors and they may select a used book to take home. Books compliments of Friends of the Library-Meadowbrook Chapter. The blood drive is sponsored by Craighill Masonic Lodge and Meadowbrook Library. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708083
5. CIMA Open House Christiansburg Institute Museum and Archives, Christiansburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Admission: Free Christiansburg Institute Museum & Archives staff will lead museum guests on a behind the scenes tour of our archives and explain the digitization process. Explore the history of Christiansburg Institute and African American history in Southwest Virginia. No registration is required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708171
6. Survival Skills Workshop Series: Part 2: Edible and Medicinal Plants Pulaski County Library, Pulaski Saturday, June 3, 2023, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Admission: Free The Pulaski County Library continues their Survival Skills Workshop Series with "Part 2: Edible and Medicinal Plants". Learn about edible and medicinal plants and enjoy some pine needle tea. Join them to learn important survival skills from a Claytor Lake ranger. This is the second part of a four-part course that will help you to brush up our survivalist knowledge and skills. All are welcome but these will be gauged for adults. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707463
7. 2023 Gospel Sing St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, Blacksburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 12:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation presents the annual Gospel Sing. The afternoon will be filled with singing, dancing, and fellowship as six local groups including Simple Gifts, Indian Run, Glorylanders and soloists perform their favorite current and old-time gospel favorites. Food and beverage will be available for purchase. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708172
8. Historic Smithfield's June Crafters' Stitch Along Historic Smithfield, Blacksburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 12:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free Historic Smithfield presents June's Crafters' Stitch Along. You don't have to stitch to participate. Bring whatever craft you would like to work on and feel free to bring your paints, pencils, hooks, yarn, needles or fabric. This event is free to attend though pre-registration is appreciated. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708189
9. Music at the Villa with Craig Vaughn Villa Appalaccia Winery, Floyd Saturday, June 3, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Relax and enjoy some great music along with great wine and food. Craig Vaughn is a musician that combines extraordinary musicianship with heavy-duty fun. His high energy blend of rock, blues, pop and acoustic music equals unforgettable moments for audiences. He seamlessly goes from playing Bob Marley to The Eagles to Johnny Cash to Tom Petty to Ed Sheering to Journey to Newgrass to The Steve Miller Band without missing a lick. Kids and well-behaved dogs welcome. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708180
10. Genealogy Saturdays Alexander Black House & Cultural Center, Blacksburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Ancestry experts will be on hand to assist you as you explore your family tree. Come with questions about research and discovering your roots. Join them on the first Saturday of every month for Genealogy Saturdays. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708173
11. Puzzle Swap Christiansburg Library, Christiansburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free Bring your puzzles to swap for new-to-you puzzles. Please make sure that all pieces are there. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708134
12. June 2023 Cruiser Night Scoops Arcade, Pembroke Saturday, June 3, 2023, 5:00 - 8:00 PM Admission: Free Scoops Arcade continues their Cruiser Nights on Snidow Street in downtown Pembroke, VA. Show off your classic, modified, or new cars, trucks and bikes. Ride in style down the street and/or park and enjoy the atmosphere and oldies music. All vehicles and spectators are welcome. Hotdogs, corndogs, pizza, nachos, drinks and Scoops old fashion hand dipped ice cream and shakes will be available inside Scoops. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708196
13. Bobby and Blake Parker in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Rising Silo Farm Brewery presents Bobby and Blake Parker playing cozy folk music, blues and ragtime on 6- and 12-string guitar and more. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707876
14. Chico and Willie in Concert Outerspace, Floyd Saturday, June 3, 2023, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Chico & Willie perform Americana music to make you smile outside at Outerspace. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708185
15. John McEuen & The Circle Band in Concert Floyd Country Store, Floyd Saturday, June 3, 2023, 7:00 - 10:00 PM General Admission: $38.00, Reserved Seating: $45.00 John McEuen has performed for 50 years worldwide with his banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. Often referred to as ‘the String Wizard’, he humorously weaves stories of his travels and family life (he has raised 7 kids), taking us on a multi-media show through where his musical path has taken him. A founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1966, John realized his teenage dream: to record with Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson. When he initiated the 1972 classic "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" album with his band the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Earl and Doc with Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, Merel Travis, Vassar Clements, Norman Blake gathered for an historic week in the studio. The album has been inducted in to the Library of Congress as "one of America’s most important recordings" and the Grammy Hall of Fame. John has continually performed since 1963, doing over 11,000 concerts, 300 television shows, 10,000 interviews and flown more than 4 million miles. McEuen’s rich history of creating, producing and preserving original and traditional folk music earned him the 2013 Charlie Poole Lifetime Achievement Award. He has made over 46 albums (7 solo) that have earned four platinum and five gold records, multiple Grammy Awards and nominations, CMA and ACM awards, an Emmy film score nomination, IBMA record of the year award, and performed on another 25 albums as guest artist. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707453
16. The CC Coates Band in Concert Dogtown Roadhouse, Floyd Saturday, June 3, 2023, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: $8.00 The CC Coates Band performs blues, soul and rock n roll. Sung by the real deal and backed by a hell of a band. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708190
17. 2023 Check Farm Trail Downtown Check, Check Sunday, June 4, 2023, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Admission: Free Floyd Country Tourism presents the 2nd Annual Check Farm Trail at seven participating farms and businesses throughout Check, Virginia including Lil Valley Farm, Weathertop Farm, Grateful Produce, I-Tal Acres, Seven Spring's Farm and The Soup Shop. This family-friendly experience is an up-close chance to learn about agriculture through demonstrations, tastings and farm tours and more. Food and/or products will be available for purchase at most of the farms and businesses. Times and available hours vary by farm and tour stop. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708205
18. 2023 Rotary Club of Floyd Dog Show Warren G. Lineberry Memorial Park, Floyd Sunday, June 4, 2023, 12:15 - 3:00 PM Dogs: $5.00 entry per class, Spectators: Free though donations encouraged The Rotary Club of Floyd County presents their 4th Annual Rotary Dog Show. Bring your dog, puppy, and/or faithful canine friend to compete in one or more of the dog show classes and ribbons will be awarded for each class. Classes for Dog Show include Best Tail, Best Treat Catcher, Best Smile, Best Owner-Dog Look-a-Like Contest, Best Trick, Cutest Puppy Under One Year Old, Best Bark, Best Mixed Breed Dog, Best Purebred Dog, Best Child Handler Under 12 Years Old and more. All dogs must should be on a short leash and up to date on vaccinations. The Humane Society will also have a table and possibly dogs to adopt. Adults and children ages 9 and older are welcome to participate with their dog in the various classes. Proceeds will be used to help build a dog park in Floyd. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708176
19. Music Jam and Car Cruise-In Wildwood Farms General Store, Floyd Sunday, June 4, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Enjoy a cruise-in with a variety of classic cars, motorcycles and other vehicles from 1:00-4:00 PM. All are welcome to bring their vehicles. And, bring your instruments and join in the music jam from 2:00-4:00 PM. Admission is free and all are welcome including non-musicians. The event is weather permitting. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708018
20. Clay Blevins in Concert Buffalo Mountain Brewery, Floyd Sunday, June 4, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Clay Blevins performs a signature mix of old and new country, pop and singer songwriter tunes. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708153
21. Book Club Meeting: Corkscrew Blacksburg Wine Lab, Blacksburg Sunday, June 4, 2023, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: $40.00 Blacksburg Wine Lab presents their June Book Club Meeting featuring the book "Corkscrew" by Peter Stafford-Bow. Josh from Well Crafted Wine has picked this book specifically for the book club and will be hosting the event. The book includes a whole chapter on South Africa and Josh is inspired to share a tasting of his favorite bottles with participants from this region, along with a selection of crafted bites from Chef Bryan. The ticket price includes the wine tasting, book discussion and crafted bites to accompany the wine. RSVP is required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708208
22. Matt Mullins in Concert Rock House Marina, Pulaski Sunday, June 4, 2023, 3:00 - 5:00 PM Admission: Free Matt Mullins performs multiple genres of music and now resides from Beckley, West Virginia after a stay in Southwest Virginia. A loud and sometimes profanity filled personality, you can't help but love to hate his shake, rattle, and roll nonsense. By spending the better part of the last decade creating songs with some of his favorite artists, (in particular The Boatmen) it has helped shape this songwriters methodology. Relating to back porch memories, and moving listeners to undoubtedly feel that he's got music in his bones. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708090
23. Sunday Mountain Music Series with Kris Hale Mountain Lake Lodge, Pembroke Sunday, June 4, 2023, 4:00 - 6:00 PM Admission: Free Kristopher Hale is a native of Roanoke, Virginia. Currently a Adjunct Professor of Music at both Radford University and Lynchburg College in Virginia, he also teaches guitar and music theory privately throughout the New River Valley and Roanoke areas. He is a sought after performer, appearing in public and private events throughout Virginia playing classical music to The Beatles. Stop by Salt Pond Pub every Sunday starting Memorial Day weekend through Sunday, August 20th for live music and delicious food and drinks. Perfect for relaxing with the whole family (furry friends welcome too). Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707866
24. Open Mic Night (Family Friendly and 18+ Segments) The Beast of Blacksburg Pizzeria & Bar, Blacksburg Sunday, June 4, 2023, 4:00 PM - 01:00 AM Admission: Free The Beast of Blacksburg Pizzeria & Bar kicks off their Open Mic Nights with two segments offering a full evening of local talent. From 4:00-8:00 PM, family friendly material will be performed and then from 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM, the open mic is open to adult material for ages 18 and up. Note: Any group acts of more than two performers should message them on Facebook to make the necessary arrangements. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708201
25. Mist on the Mountain in Concert Palisades Restaurant, Eggleston Sunday, June 4, 2023, 5:00 - 7:30 PM Admission: Free Mist on the Mountain is an Irish Traditional Music group based in the New River Valley of southwest Virginia. From lively jigs and reels to heartbreaking laments and rollicking ballads, Mist on the Mountain provides great Irish music for any occasion. Reservations are not required, but recommended for dining area seating. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708177
Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!
submitted by next3days to VirginiaTech [link] [comments]


2023.06.03 00:29 lbabinz [Best Buy] Weekly Top Deals Sale at Best Buy: June 2 - 8 (PlayStation Days of Play, Square Enix, 2K, Samsung Shopping Event, Smart Home Sale, Outlet Center, more)

Top Deals
Samsung Shopping Event
Smart Home Sale
Outlet Center Sale
Video Games

Video Games

Item Sale Price MSRP Savings
Anker Charging Dock For Meta Quest 2 $99.99 $129.99 $30.00
Arcade1up Mortal Kombat Countercade Arcade Machine $219.99 $249.99 $30.00
Arcade1up Nba Jam Shaq Edition Partycade Arcade Machine $299.99 $379.99 $80.00
Arcade1up Street Fighter Ii Capcom Legacy Edition Arcade Machine With Riser $499.97 $549.97 $50.00
Arcade1up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Countercade Arcade Machine $219.99 $249.99 $30.00
Audio Technica Ath-gdl3 Gaming Headset - Black $159.99 $179.99 $20.00
Audio Technica Ath-gdl3 Gaming Headset - White $159.99 $179.99 $20.00
Battlefield 2042 (ps5) $14.99 $24.99 $10.00
Battlefield 2042 (ps4) $14.99 $19.99 $5.00
Battlefield 2042 (xbox One) $14.99 $19.99 $5.00
Battlefield 2042 (xbox Series X) $14.99 $24.99 $10.00
Bloodborne (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Corsair Hs35 Stereo Gaming Headset - Black $59.98 $69.99 $10.01
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy Vii Reunion (ps4) $49.99 $64.99 $15.00
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy Vii Reunion (ps5) $49.99 $64.99 $15.00
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy Vii Reunion (switch) $49.99 $64.99 $15.00
Days Gone (ps4) $29.99 $49.99 $20.00
Fifa 23 (ps5) $49.99 $54.99 $5.00
Fifa 23 (xbox Series X) $49.99 $59.99 $10.00
Forspoken (ps5) $59.99 $89.99 $30.00
Ghost Of Tsushima Director's Cut (ps5) $39.99 $89.99 $50.00
God Of War Iii Remastered (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
God Of War (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
God Of War Ragnarok (ps4) $54.99 $79.99 $25.00
God Of War Ragnarok (ps5) $64.99 $89.99 $25.00
Gran Turismo 7 (ps5) $49.99 $89.99 $40.00
Gran Turismo 7 (ps4) $39.99 $79.99 $40.00
Gran Turismo Sport (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Harvestella (switch) $49.99 $79.99 $30.00
Horizon Forbidden West Launch Edition (ps5) $49.99 $84.97 $34.98
Horizon Forbidden West Launch Edition (ps4) $39.99 $79.99 $40.00
Horizon Forbidden West (ps5) $49.99 $89.99 $40.00
Hyperx Cloud Alpha Over-ear Gaming Headset - Black $109.99 $119.99 $10.00
Hyperx Cloud Flight Wireless Gaming Headset For Ps5/ps4 - Black $129.99 $159.99 $30.00
Hyperx Cloud Stinger 2 Core Gaming Headset For Ps5/ps4 - Black $44.99 $49.99 $5.00
Hyperx Cloudx Stinger 2 Core Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S / Xbox One - White $44.99 $49.99 $5.00
Insignia Carrying/protective Case For Meta - Only At Best Buy $29.99 $39.99 $10.00
Insignia Cleaning Kit For Meta $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Insignia 5m (16.4 Ft.) Usb Type-c Cable For Meta Quest Vr Headsets - Only At Best Buy $59.99 $79.99 $20.00
Kontrolfreek Fps Freek Galaxy 4-prong Thumbsticks For Ps4 & Ps5 $19.99 $24.99 $5.00
Kontrolfreek Fps Freek Galaxy 4-prong Thumbsticks For Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S $19.99 $24.99 $5.00
Kontrolfreek Fps Freek Inferno 4-prong Thumbsticks For Ps4 & Ps5 $19.99 $24.99 $5.00
Kontrolfreek Fps Freek Inferno 4-prong Thumbsticks For Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S $19.99 $24.99 $5.00
Littlebigplanet 3 (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Logitech Extreme 3d Pro Joystick (963290-0403) $48.98 $49.99 $1.01
Logitech Gamepad F310 Controller $19.98 $29.99 $10.01
Logitech G923 True Force Racing Wheel For Playstation 5/pc - Black $479.99 $499.99 $20.00
Logitech G923 True Force Racing Wheel For Xbox Series X/S And Xbox One - Black $479.99 $499.99 $20.00
Logitech Wireless Gamepad (f710) $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Mlb The Show 22 (ps4) $14.99 $29.95 $14.96
Mlb The Show 23 (ps5) $64.99 $89.99 $25.00
Mlb The Show 22 (ps5) $14.99 $39.99 $25.00
Mlb The Show 23 (ps4) $49.99 $79.99 $30.00
Mlb The Show 23 (switch) $54.99 $79.99 $25.00
Mlb The Show 23 (xbox One) $54.99 $79.99 $25.00
Nba 2k23 (ps5) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Nba 2k23 (ps4) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Nba 2k23 (switch) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Nba 2k23 (xbox One) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Nba 2k23 (xbox Series X) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
Nfs Unbound (ps5) $49.99 $64.99 $15.00
Nfs Unbound (xbox Series X) $49.99 $64.99 $15.00
Nier:automata (switch) $39.99 $54.99 $15.00
Noon Vr Pro Headset $39.99 $49.99 $10.00
Powera Dualsense Controller Charger For Ps5 $27.99 $34.99 $7.00
Ratchet & Clank (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (ps5) $39.99 $89.99 $50.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Ps5 - White $53.99 $79.99 $26.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S - Black $53.99 $74.99 $21.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S - Blue $53.99 $74.99 $21.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S - Lime $53.99 $74.99 $21.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S - Red $53.99 $74.99 $21.00
Razer Kaira X Gaming Headset For Xbox Series X/S - White $53.99 $79.99 $26.00
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (ps5) $29.99 $79.99 $50.00
Seagate 512gb Storage Expansion Card For Xbox Series X And Series S $124.99 $149.99 $25.00
Seagate 2tb Storage Expansion Card For Xbox Series X And Series S $389.99 $489.99 $100.00
Seagate 1tb Storage Expansion Card For Xbox Series X And Series S $204.99 $274.99 $70.00
Spider-man: Miles Morales (ps4) $29.99 $64.99 $35.00
Spider-man: Miles Morales (ps5) $29.99 $64.99 $35.00
Spider-man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition (ps5) $49.99 $89.99 $40.00
Star Ocean: The Divine Force (ps5) $34.99 $49.95 $14.96
Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro X Wireless Gaming Headset For Xbox - Black $432.98 $449.99 $17.01
Surge Starter Kit 2.0 For Switch/switch Lite/switch (oled Model) $19.99 $24.99 $5.00
Surge Switchpad Pro Wireless Controller For Switch & Switch (oled Model) - Blue $34.99 $39.99 $5.00
Surge Switchpad Pro Wireless Controller For Switch & Switch (oled Model) - Red $34.99 $39.99 $5.00
Surge System Travel Case For Switch/switch Lite/switch (oled Model) $17.99 $19.99 $2.00
Surge Tempered Glass Screen Protector For Switch Lite - 2 Pack $4.99 $7.99 $3.00
Surge Temperedshield Screen Protector For Switch (oled Model) - 2 Pack $7.99 $9.99 $2.00
Tactics Ogre: Reborn (ps5) $39.99 $64.99 $25.00
The Diofield Chronicle (ps4) $34.99 $49.95 $14.96
The Diofield Chronicle (xbox Series X / Xbox One) $34.99 $37.98 $2.99
The Last Of Us: Part I (ps5) $64.99 $89.99 $25.00
The Last Of Us Remastered (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
The Quarry (ps5) $29.99 $39.95 $9.96
The Quarry (ps4) $19.99 $29.99 $10.00
The Quarry (xbox Series X) $29.99 $39.99 $10.00
Thrustmaster Ferrari F1 Racing Wheel $239.99 $249.99 $10.00
Thrustmaster Formula Racing Wheel Add-on - Ferrari Sf1000 Edition $449.99 $499.99 $50.00
Thrustmaster Open Wheel Add-on $239.99 $279.99 $40.00
Thrustmaster T248p Racing Wheel & Magnetic Pedal Set For Xbox/pc $439.99 $549.99 $110.00
Thrustmaster T248 Racing Wheel & Magnetic Pedals For Ps5/ps4/pc $439.99 $549.99 $110.00
Thrustmaster T128 Racing Wheel & Magnetic Pedals For Ps5/ps4/pc $239.99 $279.99 $40.00
Thrustmaster T128 Racing Wheel & Magnetic Pedals For Xbox Series X/S & Xbox One/pc $239.99 $279.99 $40.00
Thrustmaster T300rs Gt Racing Wheel For Ps5/ps4/pc $529.99 $649.99 $120.00
Turtle Beach Battle Buds Gaming Headset For Switch - Black $39.98 $44.99 $5.01
Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 70 Gaming Headset With Microphone For Playstation 4 - Black $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 70 Over-ear Gaming Headset - Blue Camo $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 70 Over-ear Gaming Headset - Green Camo $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 70 Over-ear Gaming Headset - Silver $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 50p Playstation 4 Headset - Black $34.98 $39.99 $5.01
Turtle Beach Gaming Headset With Microphone For Switch - Black/red $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Gaming Headset - Arctic Camo $59.99 $69.98 $9.99
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Gaming Headset - Black $59.99 $69.99 $10.00
Turtle Beach Recon 70 Gaming Headset With Microphone For Xbox One - Black/green $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Recon 70 Over-ear Gaming Headset - White $39.98 $49.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Recon Spark Gaming Headset With Microphone - White/lavender $49.99 $69.99 $20.00
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Multiplatform Wireless Gaming Headset - Arctic Camo $139.99 $169.99 $30.00
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Multiplatform Wireless Gaming Headset - Midnight Red $139.99 $169.99 $30.00
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Wireless Gaming Headset - Black $139.99 $169.99 $30.00
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Wireless Gaming Headset For Ps5/ps4 - Arctic Camo $139.99 $169.99 $30.00
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Wireless Gaming Headset For Ps5/ps4 - Black $129.98 $139.99 $10.01
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Wireless Gaming Headset For Ps5/ps4 - Midnight Red $139.99 $169.99 $30.00
Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection (ps5) $29.99 $64.99 $35.00
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Until Dawn (ps4) $9.99 $19.99 $10.00
Wd_black D30 Game Drive 2tb Usb-c External Solid State Drive For Ps4 (wdbatl0020bbk-wesn) $254.99 $294.99 $40.00
Wd_black D30 Game Drive 1tb Usb-c External Solid State Drive For Ps4 (wdbatl0010bbk-wesn) $159.99 $164.99 $5.00
Wd_black D30 Game Drive 1tb Usb-c External Solid State Drive For Xbox (wdbamf0010bbw-wesn) $179.99 $189.99 $10.00
Wd_black D30 Game Drive 2tb Usb-c External Solid State Drive For Xbox (wdbamf0020bbw-wesn) $314.99 $354.99 $40.00
Wd_black P10 5tb External Game Drive For Xbox (wdba5g0050bbk-wesn) - Black $159.98 $169.99 $10.01
Xbox Stereo Headset For Xbox Series X/S / Xbox One / Windows 10 $67.98 $74.99 $7.01
Xbox Wireless Controller (2020) With Usb-c Cable - Carbon Black $73.98 $74.99 $1.01
Xbox Wireless Headset For Xbox Series X/S / Xbox One / Windows 10 $109.98 $129.99 $20.01

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Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) Smart Speaker With Alexa - Charcoal 39.99 69.99 30.00
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submitted by lbabinz to VideoGameDealsCanada [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 20:22 Chico237 #NIOCORP~The United States Needs a Shift in Perspective on Mining & a few other odds & ends....

#NIOCORP~The United States Needs a Shift in Perspective on Mining & a few other odds & ends....

June 1, 2023~The United States Needs a Shift in Perspective on Mining~

The United States Needs a Shift in Perspective on Mining (csis.org)
Photo: JJW Photography/Adobe Stock
The energy transition involves more than a move away from high-carbon fuels to low- and zero-carbon fuels. It also entails the fundamental reorganization of the global economy around so-called critical minerals—the metals and other raw materials needed to build electric cars, solar panels, power lines, and other technologies that cut carbon emissions.
At the risk of stating the obvious, mines are needed to produce critical minerals, and right now, United States doesn’t have enough mines meet the demands of the energy transition—not even close.
While the United States also has to work closely with allies to secure the supply chains for these materials, something has to change at home, too.
Like many other U.S. industries, mining was largely outsourced to other parts of the world during the late twentieth century. As a result, global markets for most in-demand minerals are now dominated by the Chinese Communist Party. In fact, of the 50 critical minerals listed by the U.S. government, China is the top producer of 30 of them.
“For most critical minerals, the United States is heavily reliant on foreign sources for its consumption requirements,” a U.S. Geological Survey report said. It further reported that domestic metals production fell 6 percent in 2022.
Simply stated, the United States needs to build new mines and expand existing mines in the United States. Rather than stop digging, the United States needs to start.
To be sure, it will not be easy. Before the passage of landmark environmental laws in the 1970s, including the National Environmental Policy Act and Clean Water Act, the U.S. mining sector was known for polluting practices and indifference to the concerns of neighboring communities. Public anger and distrust proved to be a major factor in the offshoring of U.S. mining after the 1970s. This was understandable, but there were unintended consequences.
An “out of sight, out of mind” approach to metals and other mineral commodities took hold, giving tacit approval to toxic waste dumping, the use of child labor, and other reprehensible mining practices abroad.
Today, there is an opportunity to write a new chapter for the U.S. mining sector, in which the some of the raw materials for advanced energy technologies are produced here, under close scrutiny, subject to the most protective standards in the world and—above all—with strong public support.
The complicated history of mineral extraction in this country must be addressed fully and forthrightly, but it cannot be used as an excuse to keep saying no. At this point there doesn’t seem to be a mine on federal land that is not facing opposition, delays, or rejection.
Fortunately, there are already some promising examples of this new approach to mining in the United States.

A Sense of Patriotism

In southeast Nebraska, for example, the developers of a mine that will produce materials for electric-vehicle batteries have built a strong base of support in the local community. As reported by the New York Times, the mine has secured all the permits it needs to start digging and the developer—Colorado-based NioCorp—is now working with the U.S. Export–Import bank to complete financing for the billion-dollar project.
The planned Elk Creek mine will produce niobium, scandium, titanium, and a series of magnetic rare earth minerals. The global market for these minerals is dominated by other countries, including China, Russia, and Brazil.
These critical minerals can be used to build the components for electric vehicle batteries, fuel cells and wind turbines. But in conservative southeast Nebraska, NioCorp has found ways to connect with people who are less concerned with the energy transition and more worried about economic issues and national security.
The minerals produced at Elk Creek will also be used to make lighter and stronger steel products for the automotive, construction, and oil and natural gas industries, and to build fighter jet engines, among other military applications.
“NioCorp is being very thoughtful in how they’re communicating with Southeast Nebraskans,” Senator Julie Slama (R-NE), who represents the Elk Creek area, said. “In Nebraska, we have a sense of patriotism and desire to serve our country.”
While the proposed mine still has its detractors, the broad-based appeal of the project has helped maintain a sufficient mass of support, also known within industry circles as the “social license to operate.”

Same Rocks, More Value

While building new mines is absolutely necessary, it will also be important to make the most of the mines the United States already has. In some cases, existing mines will be expanded, but another strategy is gaining momentum: full-value mining.
This strategy identifies new ways to get other metals and other valuable materials out of the same rocks, which improves the economics of the existing mine and reduces mining waste.
A leading example of full-value mining is taking place in Utah at the Kennecott copper mine, southwest of Salt Lake City. Last year, the mine’s owner—Rio Tinto—started producing tellurium there as well.
The tellurium, which is used to make highly efficient thin-film solar panels, was in the same rocks as the copper. But until last year, it was not cost effective to separate it out, and the tellurium was discarded along with other waste.
That changed when Rio Tinto found a U.S. buyer for the tellurium, First Solar, which builds solar panels in Ohio. The deal was “an important step towards securing a North American supply chain of critical minerals to support the clean energy transition,” the mining company said.

Old Mines, New Tricks

The idea of reprocessing piles of discarded rocks and other mine waste has also gained steam. Innovative companies like Nth Cycle and Phoenix Tailings have developed technologies that can cleanly and safely extract critical minerals from this waste.
These breakthroughs also allow for the reprocessing of waste at pre-1970s mines that were abandoned and never properly cleaned up. For example: Regeneration, a start-up mining company is scouting for locations where critical minerals can be produced from abandoned mines and other so-called legacy sites, while creating new revenue sources for cleaning up those sites.
According to Corey Fisher, the public lands policy director for Trout Unlimited, an environmental nonprofit with experience in abandoned mine restoration, the work of Regeneration and others “will help both clean up abandoned mines and recover much needed transition minerals.”

Confront the Past, Build the Future

Abandoned mines are not the only legacy to confront. The quest for mineral wealth in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was especially cruel to Native American communities.
That history, and the distrust it continues to produce, should not be brushed aside in the quest to build a domestic supply chain for clean energy technologies. According to investment research firm MSCI, between 68 percent and 97 percent of U.S. cobalt, copper, lithium, and nickel reserves are located within 35 miles of Native American reservations.
Changing minds about mining in Native American communities will be a massive undertaking, and there are bound to be conflicting signals along the way.
For example: Lithium Americas, the developer of a Nevada mine that will produce lithium carbonate, a key mineral in batteries, reached a “community benefits agreement” last October with the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe that includes job training, local hiring, cultural education, and other initiatives. However, three others—the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Burns Paiute Tribe and Summit Lake Paiute Tribe—are fighting the project in federal court, arguing they were not properly consulted.
Conflicts like these can be resolved or even avoided, but the amount of work needed should not be underestimated, according to Daniel Cardenas of the National Tribal Energy Association.
“If you want loyal and long-term mining partners who can supply the most environmentally friendly and sustainable critical minerals, start talking to the Tribes now,” Cardenas wrote on Linkedin.

A Project-by-Project Focus

According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, leaders in the White House and in Congress have plowed billions of dollars into research, resource assessment, and workforce development programs focused on critical minerals since 2020.
The area of critical minerals also offers one of the rare slivers of bipartisan light. Among other things, that means allowing national security concerns—such as materials needed by the Department of Defense—to play a bigger role in the discussion, as opposed to only seeing mining through an environmental lens.
There are also promising efforts within the Biden administration and on Capitol Hill to speed up the years-long permitting process for mining projects while maintaining environmental safeguards.
These initiatives are essential, but it would be a mistake to assume that all the work to build a domestic supply chain for critical minerals can be done from Washington, D.C. in one fell swoop.
This endeavor will succeed or fail based on delivering this new positive narrative for mining. And the difference will be whether the neighbors can be persuaded that digging for critical minerals in the United States is not just good for the planet—it is good for them too.
Morgan Bazilian is a former lead energy specialist for the World Bank and the director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. Simon Lomax is a program manager at the Payne Institute and a former congressional fellow with the American Political Science Association.

Join us in Washington DC for Battery Gigafactories USA 2023, a live, and in-person conference being held 8-9 June at the JW Marriott Washington DC, USA.
Two days of discussions will explore the rise of USA's lithium ion battery gigafactory economy and the need to build secure, sustainable supply chains for lithium, nickel, graphite, cobalt, manganese, rare earths and other critical raw materials.

Battery Gigafactories USA 2023 (benchmarkminerals.com)

SPONSORS:

https://preview.redd.it/6syaesv0dn3b1.png?width=1263&format=png&auto=webp&s=51d81951949e581582251fb2bba779e73091623f

June 2, 2023~China Is Digging a Big Frickin' Hole 33,000 Feet Into the Earth~

China Is Digging a Big Frickin' Hole 33,000 Feet Into the Earth (yahoo.com)

Well at the Shunbei oil and gas field belonging to Sinopec Northwest Oil Field Co. in Tarim Basin of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on February 21, 2019.
China has seemingly set off on a journey into the center of the earth. This week the country has begun digging what will eventually become the deepest hole in China’s history to test drilling technology and further understand the Earth’s underground structure, Bloomberg reported.
Once completed, the hole is going to be 10,000 meters (32,808 feet). That’s a little more than 6 miles deep into the earth. The drilling is expected to occur for 457 days and is being led by the China National Petroleum Corp, according to Bloomberg. It will cut through 10 continental strata, which are the various layers of the earth. Once completed it will reach down into the cretaceous system; rocks in that layer of the year date back more than 140 million years.
The drilling project is part of the country’s efforts to expand underground research. During a speech back in 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged scientists to break new barriers in different areas including deep earth exploration, China Daily reported. And earlier this year, Chinese officials vowed to strategically build up the country’s energy supplies and mineral resources. “China will launch a new round of domestic prospecting operations, focusing on strategic bulk minerals that are in short supply,” Wang Guanghua, the minister of Natural Resources, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency, according to Bloomberg.
This could explain why the project is based in the Xinjiang region, which is the largest oil and gas-producing area in the country, the South China Morning Post reported. China also has some of the world’s largest crude iron ore reserves in the world, which is widely used in steelmaking. This could present another energy opportunity for the country as it tests drilling technology.
Countries around the world are increasingly focused on mineral exploration. Rare earth minerals and other elements found deep underground are necessary for new clean technology. They’re often used to make batteries for electric vehicles, for energy storage, and for wind turbines. And as the market for more clean energy continues to increase, nations and businesses will need steady access to those minerals to keep up with demand.
https://preview.redd.it/a5r5gi3qcn3b1.png?width=191&format=png&auto=webp&s=3a070512b1e2d65404c884978b59127efc3f3183

Form Your own Opinions & Conclusions above!

Just a few tidbits for today! Have a Great Weekend ALL!.....
https://preview.redd.it/obiolj30cn3b1.png?width=1774&format=png&auto=webp&s=57ec33fed81e25d92132338f6270f2e8b7dff486
Chico
submitted by Chico237 to NIOCORP_MINE [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 19:03 CarlJH Make shaving soap with the ends of your old soaps.

I keep a jar in my closet where I toss all the soap bars that get too small to use. After I get enough, I take it and crush it into small pieces, dump it into a mug, add a little water and pop it in to the microwave.
Heat it for about 30 seconds at a time and when it starts to melt stir it together. Keep heating g and stirring until it starts to get smoother (it's going to have some lumps in it no matter what). You may have to add a little more water as you go.
Once you get it mostly melted, add some olive oil or coconut oil (not much) and stir it together. LET IT COOL COMPLETELY !
This works very well as a shaving soap. You'll need a shaving brush. You can frequently find those at the drug store or online. The cheap ones are just fine. A coffee mug from the thrift store makes a great shaving mug.
submitted by CarlJH to Frugal [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 18:42 Internal_Ad1169 [WTS/WTT] 16 Uppers, BAKELITE AK MAG, ODG Geissele Buffer Tube, Surefire 3 & 4 Prong, BCGs, Surefire light, Modlite handheld PLH5K

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/k6Q2yq6
PayPal Friends & Family No Notes No Chats
STUFF
$560 $500 $475 🚢 16 Rise Armament Upper NIB, picked this up locally at my Rise Armament company last week, comes with logo’ed BCG and extended latch as well as rise compensator, MY LOST YOUR GAIN, here is the website
$475 $430 🚢 BCM BFH 11.5 Stripped Upper, 2k rounds, shop cerakote more like a coyote tan than Fde 🤷🏻‍♂️, No BCG or charging handle, BCM QD mount, used condition, comes with FDE SBA3 Brace
$260 🚢 Sadly.. 😔 this one has to go.. edc it for half a year and loved it but going back to handheld olights… this is great but too much for my work application. Modlite 18350 camo body with switchback and PLH5K head
$220 $210 FIRM 🚢 16 inch Upper Spraypainted C&R, 2k rounds, Rosco barrel in IMGUR link, Expo Arms Combat Rail, NBS Upper, no bcg or handle
$200 🚢 Surefire M600u KE2-A head and takes 2x 123 batteries.. let me know if price is off. I’m not exactly sure which model this is
$155 🚢 3 Prong Surefire 1/2x28 223/556 (NOT WARCOMP), light scratch
$155 🚢 4 Prong Surefire 1/2x28 223/556, pretty much minty, can’t find a scratch or damage
$105 🚢 Streamlight HLX with arisaka pic mount and pressure cap, no battery, spray painted
$100 🚢 minty fresh CMC BCG
$100 🚢 Bakelite AK Magazine, steel feed lip, used condition, Star with 34B written, 30 rounder, legal states only
$85 🚢 Aero Nickel Boron BCG, used condition
$85 🚢 Spraypaintwe PEAK Front, light spray, liked my flip ups better for a shorter ar
$75 🚢 Springfield BCG, like new
$70 🚢 Surefire SR07 switch
$55 🚢 Modbutton spray painted, still works great, no flicker
$45 🚢 VLTOR extended latch handle black, used condition
$50 $45 🚢 Geissele ODG buffer tube only, used
Things I want to trade for:
Super duty or Urgi 14.5 PW surefire uppers, DF model Surefire lights
submitted by Internal_Ad1169 to GunAccessoriesForSale [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 16:57 r3crac BANGGOOD Deals (2.6.2023)!

BANGGOOD Deals Compilation (2.6.2023)!
Check products in compilation image: https://i.imgur.com/8HWy5hr.jpeg or https://i.ibb.co/x1gv0QD/816116b8e367.jpg
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submitted by r3crac to couponsfromchina [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 09:54 autobuzzfeedbot "She Was So Rude, My Family Is No Longer Allowed To Listen To Her Music": 34 Of The Absolute Best And Worst Celebrities People Have Ever Met

  1. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I’ve met Harry Styles several times, and he is so nice and considerate. He actually put off going out with his team just to sit and talk to my 15-year-old daughter and me. I’m sure he was exhausted, but he seemed to enjoy relaxing and chatting with us. My daughter will most likely live on that memory for years to come!"
  2. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Jennifer Aniston is a sweetheart. She seemed very genuine and kind. I met her in a restaurant bathroom of all places. We talked for so long, her friend had to come and find her."
  3. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Lorne Michaels when I worked at a 5-star restaurant. Everyone who worked with me knew I’d been a fan of SNL since I came out of the womb, so when I picked up the phone to make the reservation and spoke with his assistant, I told them I was Lorne's biggest fan. When he arrived with his wife and son (who went to a local boarding school), they were so kind, and he said, 'Oh, I heard you’re my biggest fan, and that’s amazing because I don’t have fans — the cast always has fans!' I almost died. I gave them my favorite table, which they were thrilled with, and when he got up to leave, he left me an envelope with a pretty sweet bonus tip inside. I wasn’t usually tipped doing my work, so it wasn’t necessary, but it was so thoughtful and appreciated. All three were true gems. You’d never know he was famous or rich at all."
  4. TOTAL NIGHTMARE: "I met Roseanne Barr for work once. I went to shake her hand, and she looked me up and down and said, 'I don't shake hands,' then walked away."
  5. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Matthew Gray Gubler after he did a talk years ago at my college! Only the first 100 people who got tickets were supposed to be able to do a meet and greet. He said 'rules were made to be broken' and that he would stay and meet with everyone until they kicked him out. Not only was he incredibly sweet to me (literally introduced himself...so humble and posed for a goofy pic), but he seemed so genuinely kind to everyone there. Just amazing energy all around."
  6. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "A friend and I visited my boyfriend while he was doing security at a jazz festival in Malibu. He told us Adam Sandler and his family had been there all day and tons of people took pictures with him. We ran back to the car to grab the digital camera, looked up, and saw Adam, his pregnant wife Jackie, and their toddler leaving. We went up to them. Adam was clearly done for the day, but his wife said, 'Honey, let me hold [toddler's name] and you can take a picture.' We handed him the camera and he took a selfie with us. Still have that picture on my fridge. Love the Sandman!"
  7. TOTAL NIGHTMARE: "My little cousin played one of Rob Schneider's kids in 50 First Dates. Rob was stuck-up, never got to know the children or their parents, and always went straight to his dressing room. I'm an introvert, so I like my alone time to recharge, but apparently the vibes he was giving off were that he couldn't be bothered to care about anyone else there. Also, the little girl in the movie was apparently a spoiled brat who threw tantrums and made them have to redo so many takes. I can see why Rob maybe didn't want to play with her, but the other kids were great!"
  8. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "My husband met Rihanna years ago and said she was super nice. He was working as a ground handler at an airport and was setting up something on the ramp for her private plane. She came out, approached him, asked him about his job, and they chatted for a few minutes. Not sure if she was killing time until the gate opened, or if she went out of her way to talk to him for the heck of it, but he had nothing but nice things to say about her."
  9. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Jerry Springer while bartending almost 20 years ago. He was thinking of getting back into politics and had a meeting in our private dining room on the second floor. It was happy hour and the bar was packed. Someone spotted him and started chanting, 'JERRY, JERRY,' while he was about to walk up the stairs. He then came to the bar, ordered a $2 beer, walked through the entire bar, shook hands, and took pictures. When he finished the loop, he set the full beer on the bar and handed me $40. Regardless of his show, I will always think of him as a class act."
  10. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "My story is that I was actually horrible to a celebrity. In the '70s, I was obsessed with Donny and Marie. They were playing at our state fair that year. My dad tried to get tickets, but it was sold out. He took us to the fair anyway. A few times we could hear the music, which infuriated me at 7 years old. When we were leaving, my dad had to stop the car because there was a big crowd of people. As they cleared to let us through, two people popped their heads in the car window to apologize. It was Donny and Marie. I refused to believe it was really them, and I told Marie, 'You're not Marie. She's a lot prettier than you.' My family was horrified."
  11. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Hands down nicest celebrity I've ever met was Taylor Swift. I met her at a concert as part of her security at the Houston shows. She was polite and introduced herself to everyone. She was obviously very busy, but she seemed interested in what I had to say and signed an album cover for my son."
  12. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I have been lucky enough to meet Sir Ian McKellen twice: once after a performance where I also met Simon Callow and Patrick Stewart, and once during his tour of 80 shows for turning 80. Absolutely lovely man. He is my #1 dream dinner guest. I wish I was his friend."
  13. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I did a photo-op last year at my local con with Ewan McGregor and, even though it was so quick, he was super sweet. We shook hands, and he asked how my day was. He’s gorgeous in person!"
  14. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Matthew Lewis at a local con at his booth and he was lovely (and gorgeous in person). I told him how jealous my Harry Potter-obsessed sister (who was working that day) was going to be, and he told me to tell her he sent his regards! It totally made her day at work when I texted her about it after!"
  15. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Pink around 2000. She performed at a teen club I was at, and she was a sweetheart. After her performance, she even danced with us for a little bit."
  16. TOTAL NIGHTMARE: "I’ve heard nothing but bad things from people who've met Bill Nye. One friend said he was at some children’s art show and made fun of the artwork in front of the youngsters. What a jerk."
  17. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "When I was in college in Boston, I was making a late-night Taco Bell run. As I was walking in, this white limo pulled up in front. I went inside and placed my order, and a guy in a white jumpsuit with a white bandana tied around his head came in. There weren't that many people in the restaurant, but he stopped and signed autographs and was chatting everyone up when I left. It wasn't until a few years later that I realized that person was Steven Tyler. This was in the late '80s before Aerosmith had that string of hits."
  18. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "The most genuine interaction I've ever had with a celeb was with Bert Kreischer. I saw a show (during which he mentioned his grandma was in the hospital). Then, he told the audience he would be going to the bar next door after the show if anyone wanted a picture. When he arrived at the bar, he waded through CROWDS of people and made sure everyone who wanted to was able to get a pic or a moment with him. I stayed at the bar for a drink until he was on his way out (by this time the crowd had dispersed). I called out as he passed, 'Hey, I didn't get a chance to say it before, but I hope your grandma does well.' He stopped, turned around, and had a very genuine conversation with me."
  19. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Jason Momoa was really fun to meet in person when I saw him at a Nine Inch Nails show. Really fun guy!"
  20. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Jennifer Lopez. I went to where they were filming Air last year (I live in LA) because I wanted to meet Ben Affleck. I met Matt Damon as he wrapped before he left. He was a SUPER nice guy. I waited for Ben as his Escalade pulled up, but I DID NOT expect JLO to get out. She got out right next to me. She was only with her driver and he didn’t tell me to move or anything, so when she got out, I was like ‘Jen! Can I get a picture?' and she said sure. We talked about Selena because I’m Latina and she’s super important to me, and the movie means so much to me. She was SOO nice and sweet. She didn’t give any vibes that I was annoying her or that she had to Go. We also spoke in Spanish. We took our picture and then she went inside to get Ben. When they got out, Ben was NOT HAPPY (I don’t blame him. He was acting and directing), so I just stepped aside."
  21. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "In 2004, I met Tony Curtis. He exuded 'old Hollywood.' He made his way around the room, speaking to each person, and when he approached me, he extended his hand and held my hand through the entire conversation. He focused on our conversation as if there was no one else in the room. As we said goodbye (he was still holding my hand), he raised my hand to his lips and kissed it. He was dressed impeccably and was in fine form. I have had many celebrity encounters, but nothing rises to the level of Tony Curtis. Absolutely the best celebrity encounter I've ever had."
  22. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Sir Patrick Stewart at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando. We were both hanging out with friends in the lobby. He told stories, made lots of jokes with his friends, and included us in the conversation."
  23. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I went to college with Muhammad Ali's twin daughters. He came with them for move-in day, and they arrived in a chauffeured Rolls Royce. He was gracious and took as many pictures and signed as many autographs as people wanted. I even have a picture where he is pretending to punch me. I told him that I grew up down the street from the house he had in Chicago before he donated it to the Nation of Islam. He asked me if they were good neighbors and laughed when I told him not really."
  24. TOTAL NIGHTMARE: "My sister met Katy Perry at a restaurant, but she was being rude to the bartender and all the employees who came over to help, so now my niece and nephew aren't allowed to listen to her music."
  25. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Tori Amos, and she was an absolute sweetie pie. She hugged me and told me she liked my shirt. We spoke briefly. I was starstruck, but it made a lasting impression on me."
  26. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I grew up in a tiny town (pop. 3,000), and every year for his twins' birthday dinner, Michael J. Fox would bring his whole family to the restaurant my mom worked at. She almost always ended up being their server and she said he (and his family) were the nicest people. They were unobtrusive, friendly, and excellent tippers."
  27. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "James Earl Jones was super sweet. My father and I met him when I was young. His voice is deep, but sweet!"
  28. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I met Dennis Quaid, and he was the nicest guy ever. We chatted about dogs for a while, and he was more than happy to take a few pictures!"
  29. TOTAL NIGHTMARE: "I helped host a book signing for Bobby Flay, and he's a jerk."
  30. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Every time Dave Matthews plays at the venue across the street from our bookstore, people want to be working in the cafe because he randomly shows up for coffee the morning of his concert and gives the people waiting on him free tickets."
  31. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Nicest celebrity I've ever met was Cole Sprouse. This was way before when he probably got sick of being on Riverdale and decided to just show his true colors. He took the photo of us together because I was shaking from nerves and excitement."
  32. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "I was a bartender at the Troubadour for five years and have so many stories! Jeff Bridges was the first celeb I met. His band was playing. Before we opened, after his sound check, he made a point of coming down to us bartenders to introduce himself and thank us for helping out that night. SUCH A GEM!"
  33. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "Jason Schwartzman came into the bar I worked in on a night that had a bunch of teenage bands playing and was super sweet to any of the kids who came up to him."
  34. ABSOLUTE DREAM: "When I was young, I went to an Olivia Newton-John concert. I grew up watching Grease on repeat and had always loved her. At the concert, me and another young girl were invited on stage to give her flowers and introduce ourselves. On stage, l asked to get her autograph and she told me she would after the show. Post-concert, I waited with my family to get an autograph and she invited me and my dad into her fitting room and no one else. Once back there, I was so starstruck and amazed that she remembered my name! She was so kind and took pictures with me and my dad, signed a photo, gave me the set list, and wrapped it up by giving me a hug and kiss on the cheek. She spent probably an hour with us just hanging out in her room and chatting. To this day, it's one of my most cherished memories."
Link to article
submitted by autobuzzfeedbot to buzzfeedbot [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 08:59 Ok_Thanks_2265 Roller shutters are not clean? Okay I'll do it.

This was a few years back when I was working in a pet store. The pet store has four roller shutters, two at the back and two at the front. So, one day my manager told me use a cloth and clean the roller shutters (front and back) before we open the store for business. There was never enough time to clean all the roller shutters before we open the store. Bare in mind, that I arrived at the store at 7:00 am to clean the cages, feed the animals, brush the cats and dogs to be well-presented to potential customers, clean the glass partitions, mop and sweep the floor, restock and manage the cash register. The store opens at 8:30 am and I barely made it in time everyday. We only have 3 staffs at that time.
So as I quickly finished all my morning tasks, I use a damp cloth to wipe the roller shutters in back and forth sweeps like lighting fast just to make it in time for the opening. This manager had the audacity to scold and pointing at the roller shutter for not cleaning it before opening.
This is where I cue the malicious compliance.
You want me to clean the roller shutters. Okay fine. I pulled the back roller shutters down and proceed to the cleaning, inch by inch until it was squeaky clean. In between the cleaning, I had to wash the cloth several times to make sure that the water was clear. While I was cleaning, the store was filled with customers, I was nowhere to be found because I was at the back cleaning the roller shutters and blocked from everyone's sight. The line to the cash register was the longest I ever seen. It took me a good two hours just to clean the back side. Oh I was not done, I proceed to clean the front roller shutters as well, pulling it down to clean it, blocking the entrance, preventing customers from entering and exit the store. The customers inside the store had to exit from the back and potential customers thought that the store was close for the day. I took my sweet time about two hours too to clean the front side inch by inch. By the time I reopen the roller shutters, the money made on that day was down by half. It was not my fault, you got mad for me not cleaning the roller shutters, I just followed what you wanted. It was the best day of my life because I'm sick of serving the customers the everyday.
I worked there for three years before I had enough. I had done so many malicious compliance that even till this day, I chuckled myself to sleep when I thought of it. Sorry for my grammar as English is not my first language.
submitted by Ok_Thanks_2265 to MaliciousCompliance [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 06:21 bunniii333 A letter I’ll never send

I could write a thousand words about you and never scratch the surface of how I feel. The devastation, the admiration, the hatred, the repulsion. To put it simply, I hate you. You were a hurricane that came into my life with no forecast and you made me believe your love was the raft I needed to survive the raging abyss that is my life. I will forever wish I had decided to stay home that night. I wish I decided that I didn’t need to follow the staircase up to a grimy dive bar, and I wish I decided against starting a conversation with the DJ sitting alone in his booth. You knew I was 18, I knew the difference between us was 12 years, but I didn't truly know what that would mean for the dynamic we would soon call “us”.
At first, you were exciting, the first person I called my friend in this new city I had lived in for less than a month. You felt like an entryway to my vast & spirited new home, and I wanted to absorb everything you were willing to teach me. I learned very quickly that to know is to suffer, and the city lights dimmed after just a short time by your side. The first time I met you one-on-one, you were waiting for me outside my dorm, smoking a Marlboro Red, ready to take me along one of your typical nights. I remember carefully planning my outfit for the night, not wanting to be perceived as putting too much effort into how I looked, but also stressing about getting denied from the bars over not looking 21. So we made the 15 minute walk to the same bar where I first met you, the same place I would eventually be called a regular, and where I would spend most nights falling asleep as you worked until the sun came up. Within a half hour and on my second ice-breaking drink, your fourth, I discovered your first red flag: leaving me alone in a crowded bar to sell cocaine. For some strange reason, maybe because I was afraid to lose my only potential friendship, or maybe just because I lacked any foresight, I stayed, we laughed, we kissed, I went to sleep smiling. That night when you offered me a pearly white bump off the keys to your apartment, I declined.
The first time I went home with you, I met your two roommates, two cats, and a dog. One cat, the alleged queen of the house, was curled up asleep on the couch. The other cat & the dog were locked up in two cages stacked on top of eachother. I spent most of my time, day and night at this apartment, and I can remember maybe one time those poor animals were allowed out of their discretion coated jail cells. As time went on, I frequently compared their situation to mine, suffocating and unable to escape. However, what grabbed my attention on this night was the state of the space I had just arrived to. Empty beer cans littered the floor so exceptionally that stepping on them was unavoidable. Dirty clothes were piled up on every surface and the coffee table carried pounds of weed and about a million dime bags filled with white powder. Your bed had a thin blanket and no sheets, an invitation for mediocre sex and the first time I accepted a line from the bag you never let go of.
We woke up that next morning, and I followed your lead of picking up a drink like we never stopped. Wake up, crack a beer, snort a few lines, have sex, snort a few lines, crack a beer, head to the bar, fall asleep with no idea how we got home. Another routine that would be established, you and I were rarely sober. All of our conversations were fueled by alcohol or various drugs, creating the illusion of sublimity. You made me believe I was special, that I was the best thing that's ever happened to you, and to lose me would be losing yourself. Another thing you regularly made known was that you loved me because I never expected you to change. I now realize this was in effort to manipulate me to never expect or ask for more than the bare minimum. It absolutely worked.
In a similar fashion, you would talk about how terrible my roommates and my family were. You told me they treated me like shit, so I thanked you for letting me stay with you. How ridiculous is it that I fully believed you were looking out for me by not letting me have conversations you weren't a part of? “All of my exes hate me” were the words you used to describe your dating history. I wish you were kidding. It was after this conversation that I learned about your three children and their multiple mothers. I listened to stories of your divorce, how you slammed her into a wall so hard the drywall cracked, how long it had been since you’ve seen your children. You knew how to make yourself into the victim when you were in fact the perpetrator. Honestly, I’m not sure if I was addicted to you or the drugs you would fuel me with. If I was with you, we were never going to be sober whether that be cocaine, molly, mushrooms, xanax, or whatever else you had your hands on that day. When I wasn’t with you, I felt physically sick and empty. On the other hand, I was completely dependent on your love just as intensely. If not you, then who else will accept me? You held me when I cried, brushed my hair when I could barely keep my eyes open, and reassured me that everything was going to be okay as long as I was with you. Crawling into your arms and hiding from the world under your protection was my peace. I’m not sure you really loved me either, I think you loved having someone to control in every aspect. I think you loved that I took your word as gospel and would blindly follow you off a cliff if you asked me to. I hate myself for being so vulnerable and naive, wasting away by your rules that I was too strung out to really think about. I kept my mouth shut and spoke only when spoken to. My body was no longer mine, regardless of what I wanted. I was your toy that you got to parade around on your arm. I was conditioned to hang out with your sketchy friends who always got a little too close for comfort. I always wanted to be on your good side because I had seen plenty of times where hell broke loose after something as trivial as someone stepping on your shoe.
When someone you love physically puts their hands on you, it is the single most confusing and harrowing feeling in the world. You gave me bruises on every inch of my body, called me the most horrible names I’ve ever been called, but then cradled me while I cried, brushing away my tears and kissing my forehead, asking if I learned my lesson. The relationship we had was so unconventional but we had a routine that seemed to just work. It’s impossible for me looking back to see how I loved you so much. Of course I believe with everything I have that you are a terrible human and I hate you. But the good moments we had were so good. You know everything about me, more than anyone has ever gotten to know. The walls I spent years putting up to protect myself were completely gone with you. You always had the right things to say, knew what I was thinking just by my body language and as we were unknowingly reaching the end, I know you cared and truly loved me. We were always in perfect synchrony, laughing together, always wanting to be closer together, the hugs that silently said a thousand words. Ironically, your arm wrapped around me was my safety net, if I was with you, we were in this together. I really truly loved you innocently and passionately. You always dealt with my temper and when I was having a tough time dealing with life. You kept me in check even though the ways you did so damaged me forever and forced me to move back home. I sometimes almost forgive you when I think about how crazy and lost you were just like me. I still smile when I remember you literally have my favorite necklace tattooed on your face. I really do hope you get sober because I think you could be a good person if you wanted to be, but I refuse to be part of your journey.
submitted by bunniii333 to offmychest [link] [comments]


2023.06.02 04:52 Lepony A look at some of the common complaints that frequent fighting game discourse

A Necessary Preface

To start things off, some baselines need to be set for the sake of sidestepping a lot of talking points. This post will come entirely from the perspective that fighting games are a multiplayer genre first. There's a lot of very valid criticisms of the genre's single player aspect. I am actively choosing to ignore them for this post. When these discussions occur, it's meant from the perspective of the fighting game community trying to convince people to play and stick with the genre. For hundreds or even thousands of hours. In the same way that people would League of Legends, Apex, Rocket League, etc. The single-player aspect ultimately have very little bearing on the multiplayer aspect since it only increases impressions and not retention.
I'll also make a deeply arbitrary distinction between accessibility and accommodations for the disabled. They're two very different issues where the latter needs to be tackled in ways that I, or most people, am completely uninformed in. I am going to be addressing the layman's accessibility concerns.
FGC-heads, I know many of you have also thrown in the towel and now sing the virtues of gatekeeping due to not wanting "intolerants". But don't be an ass about it and remember there's a lot more wiggle room than you think. This post already comes across as condescending despite my best efforts, so cool it.
Finally, you don't have to read all of this. Just keep an eye out for the bolds that catch your eye. I'll try to keep things as simple as much as I reasonably can, but things will ultimately be technical. You will likely need a passing familiarity of the terms I'll be using, and I'll try to assist you in that by linking to a definition when appropriate. I will avoid requiring rigorous knowledge of the subject matter though, so don't get too caught up in the details.
This conveniently segways to one common criticism.

There is too much terminology for me to learn

There sure is a lot of them. But they're not used to make things esoteric. They're words meant to concisely convey otherwise intuitive concepts for the purposes of discussion, learning, and troubleshooting.
In other words, you don't really need to explicitly learn them. Eventually, you'll implicitly learn all the terminology. Just not the words to express them. Think of it like how many of us trying out chess will start games by moving a pawn to allow the Queen to move around, completely unaware of the fact that what we're performing is likely a Queen's Pawn or a King's Pawn opening. In the same vein, many are likely already familiar with certain popular concepts in fighting games. You're just unaware of what they're called, or know them by another name.
Take for example, spacing or neutral. You're likely familiar with snipers in a multiplayer shooter. If a sniper is uncontested, they completely own or dominate the "space" they're looking at. Running in full view of a sniper is a terrible idea because of it, and hiding behind cover is a solid idea because they don't "dominate" the space behind cover. To shut down a sniper's control of an area, you need to either physically overpower them (kill them), approach from a space they're not in control of (ambush them), or to force them to move else where (flush them out) via grenades or simply shooting in their general direction. Or in fighting game terms, whiff punish them (kill them), by playing footsies (ambush them), or by zoning (flush them out) them out.
Frame data deserves a special mention. The simplest way to put is that they're measurements of time. If you play any game somewhat seriously, you're already familiar. Reload speeds, fire rates, attack rates, and even movement speeds. Hell, something as simple as not wanting to use Knights of Round on generic encounters due to the long animation is a decision rooted in frame data.

There are too many things I need to learn

That's fair. There's no way around it. Fighting games are so far removed on a physical level that most people will have to learn everything from scratch. But it's not for the sake of it. There's too little overlap for you to rely on to draw experience.
I'll try not to bore you with the details by delving deep into stuff like Razbuten's series about gaming for non-gamers. But there's an inherent language to video game conventions and how things control or happen. It's all very learned behavior and not all of it translates to every game. For fighting games in particular, almost nothing translates unless you play exclusively 2d beat 'em ups, spectacle fighters, Monster Hunter, and Soulslikes. And even then.
And that's all okay. We all have a finite amount of time in our lives, with responsibilities to attend to. We can't invest the time to learn everything we need for everything we have a passing interest in. We all pick our battles.

No, seriously, it's all really overwhelming even when I'm trying

It sure is. And there are lots of ways the on-boarding process could be significantly improved upon. These days, the games with the most renowned tutorials are from French Bread or Arc System Works. And they're very excellent... at being a reference. Primary learning material they are not. I could talk about all about the ways things could be improved, but I'm not part of the industry. Waste of character limits if you ask me.
Until things improve drastically, my only advice is to take things slow. A lot of the things you're tempted to learn are cool combos, special techniques to make people stop blocking, or every single move your character has. Maybe all at once. Don't. Pick one or two things to focus on. Play against people where your only goals in life are the one or two things. Move onto new things when you feel that you're comfortable. Rinse and repeat until you've had enough.

The controls aren't intuitive

There's a funny thing about intuition. Despite it being rooted in instinct, it's entirely learned behavior. If you've used mnemonics before, you probably know that some just aren't very useful no matter how hard you try. It's kinda arbitrary. Things being intuitive or unintuitive also don't matter that much in the grand scheme of things. Like mnemonics, intuition only go so far to help you remember or learn something.
Movement tech in other genres is often brought up as an argument for intuition. They're typically a "logical" sequence of inputs that the player is already familiar with. Smash Melee's Wavedash actually gets brought up as an example time to time. It's jump then air dodge directly back onto the platform. On paper, it's very simple and easy to do.
It's not. The dexterity required to do it is a lot more than you'd expect it to be. Then there's frequency of its use, which causes a very real, physical strain on you. No matter how you look at it, you'll spend several orders of magnitudes more learning the rhythm than you do remembering the sequence of actions. The sequence themselves are a very minor step.
Not to mention, there is a language to how fighting game controls. Most people aren't used to it because most games aren't anything like fighting games. Take for example the quarter circle forward input. It's also known as the fireball input. Why? Because the average QCF input is a fireball. If not, it's probably a move that lunges your character forward. The fact that it ends in forward usually indicates that it's designed to control space in front of you. Hey look, a made up mnemonic. It's also probably useless!

Motion controls are superfluous and should be simplified

A very popular misconception, no doubt due to the widespread popularity of Smash. But the matter of fact is that motion controls are not superfluous and have momentous consequences. But at the same time, the consequences kinda don't matter. It creates a different type of fighting game for people to enjoy, which people do. The problem comes when people assert that it should be mandatory across the entire genre thinking that nothing would change. It's the same as saying that every FPS needs to have parkour mechanics or every action game needs to have animation canceling or every RPG needs to be real time: it's incredibly short-sighted. There's a reason why Smash has poor cross pollination or why not every TF2 player likes Overwatch.
If you're willing to accept the previous paragraph at face value, skip to the next checkpoint. The following will be dense.
The simplest example of the consequences of simplified inputs is the single input invicible DP. Their existence completely redefines how offense is structured and how it is played out. In particular, it heavily emphasizes true gapless blockstrings because the ease of the DP make it so that any unintentional gaps are fundamentally bad pressure. Because of that, pressure becomes more telegraphed and rigid, to the point of turns becoming almost concrete. Or in other words, homogenized and potentially requiring study at all levels.
I also need to stress the word unintentional here. There are entire series and subgenres that thrive on forcing chaotic, ambiguous situations that neither player is fully aware of but have to place their bets anyway. But with a one button DP, intentionally causing mutually ambiguous situations will almost never be in your favor because doing anything will lose out to a DP.
There's some other reasons why the ease factor can cause new problems that need to be addressed, like how most motions don't end in a blocking input which means you must forgo blocking or how some inputs assume that you forgo your ability to move forward. But there are ways around this with surprisingly minimal effects on gameplay or even cause novel situations. But I'm ready to move on.
See, simplified inputs have a very inherent and significant design cost to them. Grapplers in fighting games historically have insanely fast grabs. It's not uncommon for a grappler's command grab to be tied for literally the fastest move in the game, while simultaneously being 2-4x the range of other similarly fast non-grabs, and typically leading to much more advantageous situations post-grab than fast non-grabs. As seen here. Not only are they incredibly strong offensively, but also incredibly strong defensively. Almost as strong as a DP generally, and sometimes stronger than DPs in very specific (but potentially common) scenarios. This is often balanced out by the motions tied to these moves have an associated time cost to perform them in most but not all situations, ontop of the fact that it requires some modicum of effort to perform. Combined, this results in a surprisingly low margin for error to utilize this move effectively, and even players at the highest levels fail it every so often in stress-free, at home in their boxers, scenarios.
Think of it like the choice between slamming on your brakes to minimize collision damage or swerving to avoid it entirely. With enough of a heads up, everyone would choose to swerve. But sometimes you don't realize that you have enough room to swerve and by the time you did, it's too late. You have to pick the next best option. Mental burden is the concept I'm stressing here.
Of course, we can adjust how one button command grabs work to minimize the differences. The most common answer to this is by making the command grab themselves slower. But by doing so, the command grab is now a fundamentally different move. It cannot be used defensively. It is offensively neutered and the scenarios where it is a good idea to use is significantly reduced. The alternative answer is by tying the command grab to a resource. In turn, it's no longer a move that you always have access to. It's something that must be built towards and then managed alongside all the other mechanics that likely share the same resource.
Nothing mentioned so far are inherent downsides and won't make games bad. You can even omit more nuanced moves like command grabs and DPs entirely and people can still like it. The problem is that these would be the only kind of games that could exist if motion controls would be permanently retired. My preferred solution would be not to remove them, but to add more characters who don't have motions.
Anyway if you've read all that, then you might think I'm making up assumptions. That I can't know for sure that this is how one-button specials would affect the game. Except they're not assumptions. They're real world observations of games that already have one-button specials.
Games with one button specials: Fantasy Strike, Smash, DNF Duel
Games with simplified-but-still-motioned specials: Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, Dragonball Fighterz, Skullgirls
Games with both: Granblue Versus, Street Fighter 6, Idol Showdown

Combos are too long

This is a really interesting complaint that comes up a lot. But what it means is one of three very different concerns that all need to be addressed in their own ways.

...because I keep getting stuck in one and dying to them

A very common and popular problem that is unfortunately born out of complete and total ignorance. Allow me to demonstrate with a clip.
Do you believe this was one combo? A really long infinite? A 100% to 0% combo? If your answer to any of these were a yes, then you are wrong. That was about six separate combos. I try to not get caught up on definitions as a rule of thumb and focus on the meaning instead, but this is a pretty big deal for this concern. Because people don't actually know the language, they misuse words all the time. They don't actually know how to express their concerns in an immediately understandable manner. This is... a huge can of worms that I won't get into for this post.
The thing about combos is that combos only work if the recipient of those combos have failed. One failure = one combo. Therefore, six separate combos means that the opponent has failed six times. But if it's the result of failure, then that must mean that success is an option, right?
Yes. It's called blocking, or more accurately, having good defense. Really focus on this bit here:
Players and characters with strong defense tend to be able to survive long offensive sequences from their opponent and take little overall damage
This leads into the next separate concern expressed in the same way.

...and there's nothing I could have done

Here's a clip. The player with the long whip (P1) looks really oppressive, right? The player with the hat (P2) had nothing they could do to stop the onslaught of combos coming their way. It was a miracle that they didn't take more damage from all of that. There's a bit of a hitch to all of this though:
None of those were combos. It wasn't oppressive at all. In the context of that clip, P2 willingly chose to do nothing but exclusively block because they wanted to see if P1 was capable of doing anything else.
What do I mean they weren't combos? They just aren't. For this specific concern, it's a simple misunderstanding of term. A sequence of attacks in quick succession are better known as strings. Not all strings are combos, but all combos are strings. What makes a string a combo is if it makes a character start physically reeling from an attack. This is a very important distinction for reasons that are irrelevant to this concern.
Okay, they're not combos but strings. Why does that matter? It still doesn't seem like P2 could have done anything. The thing with strings is that they must inevitably end. When and where they end is highly game and character dependent, but it's one of the few constants of the genre. From Street Fighter, to Smash, to Fantasy Strike. One of the most significant aspects of the genre is figuring out when someone is actually done so that you can take your turn. How a fighting game handles "the end of offense" is one of the most common ways to distinguish itself from other games. The clip I linked is a game that likes to keep things intentionally vague for the defender. Tekken famously requires you to know frame data to know when it's your time. Some games like to simplify things with rules of thumbs. Some games make it extremely short.
In the clip I shared, there were plentiful of solutions that P2 could have done that didn't require much thinking. Ignoring the DP that character has access to or any of the other moves they had, they could have ran forwards. They even had a second point to run forward.
What's really being complained about in this concern here is actually more along the lines of this:
I don't know what's going on and there's nothing I could do
This has a multitude of solutions. Some of them are tough pills to swallow. Some of them requires an adjustment of how information is conveyed. Some require slowing things way down. They all work, all with their own caveats. But you can't remove the problem entirely. It's not how video games work. It's like how you know it's safer to move while the enemy is reloading or charging or whatever.
Technically, you can make it so that it's theoretically always your time to shine regardless of what the opponent is doing. There are two games I'm aware of where this idea has been played with. A character named Baiken from Guilty Gear XX, and the Touhou games' Typhoon condition.
Nobody likes playing against Baiken. Typhoon is not a good time for anyone involved.

...and I can't be bothered

We're finally here. A complaint that actually means what it means. And it's 100%, completely, unarguably, fair. This a common complaint of fans from different series/subgenres too. There are games I love that have really long combos and I still have a limit. It's actually so common that it's been very consistently addressed:
Games with short combos exist. Games with almost no combos exist. We can go a step further: there are specific types of characters common to the genre that don't really do combos. There's usually at least one of them in most games. If you're okay with seeing them but not doing them, that's an option too.
One sidenote. The length of combos make a large difference in how games are played at a very fundamental level, beyond the combos themselves. Like everything else mentioned so far, short combos or long combos aren't better than the other. They simply offer different experiences. The problem is being shoehorned into a specific experience were one implemented genre-wide.

...and do too much damage

A bit distinct from the other concerns. It's suggesting almost a touch of death, but not quite. Fighting games do have an informal equivalent to time-to-kill from FPS that is measured in how many "touches" until you lose a round but that's a little too nuanced and tangential to get into for this.
Combos that do a lot of damage exist. This is true. There are lots of long combos. Also true. Here's one for example. It's a 30 second combo, where 17 seconds of it involves the P1 pushing buttons and then 13 seconds of watching a cinematic. You're probably not having a good time if you're on the receiving side of this.
There are some very, very important caveats. One, this particular game has an above average combo length in the first place. Two, that combo is an especially egregious example even in that game. Three, that combo is a culmination of a multitude of mistakes that required being hit by a very specific attack from P1 while P2 tried to attack, when P1 has at least 80% super meter, while P1 has nigh-max character-specific resources, while P2 is backed into a corner, while P1 has won a minigame. And it barely does enough to do 65% of a life bar. It's pretty rare for a combo this damaging to happen in most games. In some games, the opportunity can only occur once a match.
There's also the cinematic we need to talk about. Personally, I believe that the cinematic could be shorter. Especially in games where cinematic stuff happens all the time such as in Guilty Gear Strive or Tekken 7. One really big problem though:
Cinematics push copies. A very significant portion of a fighting game's marketing strategy is to showcase them because most people see something cool and think it's exciting. Think about how every time a new Mortal Kombat or Injustice comes out, gaming social media is flooded with supers and fatalities for a while. It just works. It also unfortunately has a very real effect on your personal experience when you're playing a game for >10 cumulative hours.
Games that try to make it obvious you didn't get the right answer: Guilty Gear Strive, Street Fighter 5, Skullgirls
Games with short combos: Fantasy Strike, Granblue Versus, Samurai Shodown
Games where combos don't exist: Divekick
Games that try to make it easy to do combos: Every fighting game released after 2014

There are too many buttons and it's too hard to keep track of

A pretty specific complaint that pops up time to time. And again, it's fair. Low button games do exist and actually in fact are more frequent than high button games, but that's besides the point. Let's address the primary purposes of more buttons:
I'll focus on the final point since I think the first two are self-evident. There are ways to make low-button games have the same amount of actions as high-button games. The problem is that no matter how you do it, the chances of input errors get increased. A clear delineation of input options makes being in control a lot more accessible. Which is a pretty big thing in this genre.
With a low button game, there are two choices: maintain a comparable amount of actions compared to higher buttons and accept we'll get more input errors, or accept that we'll have fundamentally less actions.
Games with two buttons: Smash, Divekick
Games with three buttons: Fantasy Strike, Granblue Versus, Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, Soul Calibur
Games with four buttons: Touhou IaMP, Touhou Hisoutensoku, Persona 4 Arena, Melty Blood, Under Night, Samurai Shodown, Blazblue, Dragonball Fighterz, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, etc

Combos have no bearing on strategy

Another complaint about combos, but a lot more directed. It's a complicated concern, as misguided as it may be, isn't without reason. Doing combos at some point can feel dialed in, and getting comboed is the equivalent of getting stunned in other video games. Except it can happen multiple times in about 30 seconds, which is frustrating to a lot of people.
A previous section already covered the idea of low-combo or comboless games, so I won't repeat myself on that front. I'll instead try to make a case for combos and why they shouldn't be removed entirely.

...because it is an exercise in rote memorization

This sort of complaint comes up a lot from very specific crowds. Primarily people who have experience in platform fighters like Smash or people who are very interested in the other aspects of fighting games but specifically dismiss combos.
I'll get the elephant in the room out of the way first: what's wrong with rote memorization? There are entire genres of games pretty much dedicated to tickling that part of the brain. If you were there for the 2000's rock band/guitar hero boom, you probably took part of it too. There are competitive rote memorization games. Jeopardy has been a worldwide phenomenon for decades. There's nothing wrong with it, and it's okay to acknowledge they're not your thing. Games that deemphasize combos exist.
Okay, there's still another reason why this complaint exists. People hate losing agency when playing video games and being comboed definitely takes it away. A very common example is brought up as a solution: Smash's Directional Influence. While a player's typical agency is gone, they do gain a new form and a new "game" forms between both players with it.
DI is pretty cool, and can be fun. Not everyone likes it. Some fighting games try to add agency in their own way through a combo breaking mechanic called Burst. Killer Instinct is famous for having a very specific way of handling combos through their combo breaker mechanic. Not everyone likes these either. There are likely other ways that agency can be added that haven't been done yet. And not everyone will like them. And that's okay.
Now, let me try to sell you on the idea that losing agency while being comboed is okay. Fighting games can be a lot. Some of them relish in being a lot. They can be overwhelming to absorb everything that's going on. Not to mention the whole part where you're trying to outwit the opponent.
You need time to breathe and get your bearings back in order. And that's exactly the window that being comboed provides. You can take a mental step back and look at what's going on. How many more times can you get hit and still survive? What is everyone's resources at? Are you winning that weird tug of war minigame? What has the opponent been doing? What's the chances they're going to do the same thing when they're done with the combo? Do you have a response to that thing?
Breathers are really important. People aren't built for full-throttle thinking and action for long stretches. Video games have realized this decades ago. It's why even the most spastic, twitchy of monsters in Monster Hunter will stop in place and roar. Why bullet hell games constantly swap between hyper dense, rapid patterns and patterns where you can kinda veg out for a moment. Why plenty of Zelda/Mario bosses will make you do some slow paced jump roping before they expose their weakpoint again.
This all also applies for the person performing the combo provided that they are at total comfort with the whole sequence. It won't always be the case, but it's worth mening.

...because nobody drops them so why not cut out the middleman?

A very modern take due to the prevalence of accessible high level footage, the massive growth of fighting games overall, and due to evangelical efforts for the genre. Not to mention, the vast majority of games these days have made it very easy to do very simple combos that everyone has access to and is practical at all levels. From more lenient input buffers, to simplified and standardized motion inputs, to autocombos, and an overall philosophical change on how games address damage, it can feel like having to perform combos is unnecessary work.
But people still fail combos. Even players at the highest level when there are zero stakes. The simple increased likelihood that one can fail doing a combo affects their decision-making. If they fail, the opponent can completely turn the tables. It creates tension. It opens up wiggle-room for the defender. It gives people hope. Allow me to paint a picture:
Both players are at low health and will die in about 1.5 "average" combos. P1 gets hit first, and is getting comboed. P2 has two choices: they can do their standard combo that has little chance of failing and place their bets on winning the next interaction after the combo ends. Or they can do their more damaging combo that should kill, but if they drop it (or even if the combo is carried to completion), P2 will be significantly disadvantaged for the next interaction. Or in some cases, even potentially the rest of the round. What do they do? What should they place their chips on?
This is such a popular aspect that certain content creators take this whole concept to its logical extreme and make a game show out of it.

Fighting games need no strategy beyond button mashing and combos

This opinion has largely died out in the past decade among the more dedicated video game communities, but it does still persist. Especially among the mainstream crowd.
Ignoring everything that has already been mentioned in the post so far, let's look at this clip. A very typical and basic interaction in the genre. It may be a little reiterative to what I've already said, but here's a twelve page explanation breaking it all down.

...because everyone picks the most optimal solution

This is a particularly strange complaint. It kind of arbitrarily ignores the fact that fighting games are primarily a real-time genre. Which fundamentally means that fighting games have imperfect information. Ignoring the real time aspect and 4head game theory stuff that most people — including myself — don't actually understand aside, fighting games at their core are sort of like weighted rock paper scissors.
A single dominant strategy doesn't exist, because every strategy loses to something. You know what always picking the most logical strategy in any given situation makes you?
Predictable.

I don't have the reaction time for them

This is a really fun complaint, because addressing it actively involves understanding what reaction times are. Most people will not want to be convinced that their use of it has been wrong their entire lives.
What is commonly understood as reaction time is as follow: how quickly one is able to respond to stimuli. Simple enough. The thing is that this is not actually how most people respond to things except as a very last resort.
There's an excerpt I like to share. It's not at all a formal study and it's pretty anecdotal. You don't have to read through it all, but I do recommend it. This is the relevant part though. The rest of the excerpt then explains how people are hitting something that is physically unreactable with the human body: because they're reacting to something else long, long, looong before the ball goes airborne.
This is what good reaction times really are. People recognizing a situation long before it happens, and reacting accordingly by adjusting their rhythm. Trying to rely on pure stimuli to react is ignoring the entirety of a countdown and only responding to the "Go!" There's a reason why basically every track event starts with a countdown through the words "On your marks".
This is actually such an age old argument that someone made a flash game to make a point back in 2011. You can get it going through an emulator if you'd like, but that's optional. I'll be explaining under the assumption you haven't touched it at all.
The two moves that you are meant to block here is the weird flip kick and the moon. There's something really important to note here: both moves take about 256/288ms (moon/flip) before they can actually hurt you. On a technical level, they land squarely within the average human reaction time.
Millia Blocker is really fucking hard. Most fighting game players can't actually react in time. But in the actual game these moves are from, blocking them isn't that big of a deal in most situations. You only ever really see these two moves in very specific situations that often occur a mile away. It ends up becoming a fairly binary "are they gonna use them or not" sort of situation where you're already blocking with whatever you decided to go with, sort of like pre-firing, or by blocking both. Defending against them is so little of a deal these days that more experienced players tend to opt for more complicated options instead.

...because I'm too old

When I first started playing fighting games ten years ago, the top players were in their mid-thirties. Most of them are still top players in their forties and the young rising stars of the time are now in their thirties and top players as well. Something like 40% of the current top 100 tennis players are over thirty. Baseball and soccer both have very significant 30+ year old representation at the highest levels. 20% of the NBA is comprised of dudes in their thirties.
You can go out to your closest metropolitan community park or gym where random people meet up for a game of ball once a week. You're probably going to find an older person playing and keeping up with the rest of them, if the group isn't primarily older in the first place. And they'll steamroll the average high school senior who only play sports for gym class. They could probably keep up with the average HS sports club too.
Why? It's not that they're physically built different. It's because they decided to continue giving a damn about a game of ball in their older age. It's a conscious decision they've made to balance ball on top of whatever responsibilities they already have. This whole reaction time business ultimately boils down to a lack of experience, not actual reaction times.

...because too much is going on

It gets easier. If you decide to stick with it that is. When you're brand new to something, you're at a total sensory and information overload. It's difficult to parse through all that and you get decision paralysis, but it gets easier. This is known as cleaning up your mental stack. Or more concisely, turning the unfamiliar into familiar, into routine.
If you have a driver's license, remember when you first learned how to drive. There are 2-3 pedals for some reason, you need to keep track of what's behind you and to your sides, what's up ahead, the traffic laws, how the fuck a steering wheel works, etc. Forget trying to have a conversation or turning on the AC, you're way too focused on trying to not to crash the car. But eventually you get used to it all and now you do something very complex almost automatically. Some people are so used to it that they think texting during it all is no big deal. Please don't text and drive.

I don't like how you have to take out your credit card to unlock characters instead of unlocking them like you used to

This is a really interesting complaint born from yet another misunderstanding. In the overall microtransaction discourse, this can be valid regarding things like cosmetics. The good ol' SFxT DLC fiasco during the early days of DLC really does not help things either. But I'm going to spell it out in absolutely no uncertain terms:
You always had to pay money to get new characters in fighting games. The "unlockable" characters were not new characters, they were always part of the base roster.
When most people look back on history, they look at the character roster a game ends with and compare it to a post-DLC era roster and note the differences. But it's missing such a fundamental detail that is always conveniently forgotten in these complaints: fighting games used to have an insane amount of rereleases. Consider the age ol' meme of Super Street Fighter 2 Super Championship Turbo Edition.
Ever considered why that was? It's because fighting games were console ports of arcade games, where changing updating the game was relatively "trivial" on the arcade's end. Consoles? Consoles couldn't patch games until the 360/PS3 era. Which is around the time DLC started being a thing outside of PC games. And do you know what one of the main selling points of new patches/editions were? New characters. Compare Street Fighter 2's original roster of eight eventually growing up to a total of 16 in its final version. And you had to fork over money to buy the same game again to get those new characters.
To obfuscate things even further, each franchise had their own nomenclature to refer to patch versions. Street Fighter did "editions", reserving new numbers for actually brand new games (ala Alpha/Zero and 3). Tekken just increased the number. King of Fighters used the year they came out. Both franchises didn't properly distinguish whether it was a brand new game or a new patch either.
Anyway, it's 2023 now. Companies usually don't sell patches for $60-70 a pop anymore. Balance updates are entirely free these days with characters being the only things you have to purchase.

Fighting games are too expensive to get all the characters

Yup. Fighting games don't exactly have a better monetization method yet either, so we're kinda stuck with it.
In practice, it surprisingly doesn't matter that much. Even with the entire roster available, the vast majority of players don't actually play more than 2-3 characters. For most games, learning new characters can be really difficult for people. A new character can feel like playing a different version of the game in of itself. Combined with the fact that most people have struggle readjusting muscle memory, a lot of people put very little effort in actually playing new characters.
Alright so learning them is hard, but surely people need to study new characters because matchups are important, right? They totally are. But most people don't actually bother since the community is far more casual than people outside realize. That said, most people do agree that we should be able to try out characters for free. And hopefully that becomes standard in the genre. In any case, it sucks. But for most people, it's an inconvenience and not a money sink.

Fighting games lack progression

My personal disdain towards progression systems and love for abstract improvement aside, it's true. Fighting games lack engaging progression systems that are popular amongst multiplayer games. And I do believe that a well-made progression system would actually do wonders to resolve a lot of the misunderstandings found in this post. But forget well-made, most fighting games don't have any progression.
Until then, if your desire to play multiplayer games rely on concrete and highly measurable goals, fighting games are going to be a hard pass for a long while.
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2023.06.02 01:17 ConcertDowntown333 My vagina is a crime scene

I 34f have 2 older teenage children. I started dating recently and want to prevent the possibility of being pregnant so I looked into bc methods and decided to try the nexplenon. It has small amounts of hormones according to my OB and wouldn’t be noticeable “hardly detectable amounts of hormones in urine” so I got it. Fucked me up mentally. Had trouble with increased mood swings irritability and spotting that lasted 3 months. I swapped it for the copper iud 2 weeks ago thinking non hormonal was the way to go! I got it placed and nearly fainted during the process. We had to stop but I got through it. 10/10 on the cramps worst I’ve ever had almost as bad as contractions. Now I’ve spent the past 3 days bleeding nonstop through thick overnight pads every 20-30 minutes. Er said my blood levels are fine and so was the iud placement but thankfully my ob was curious and called the er to clarify what they meant when they said it was “hanging in the cervix” and my body is expelling the iud. So instead of having a hot girl summer I’m wearing fucking depends and passing blood clots every time I sneeze or cough. In all my actions to prevent pregnancy I’ve traumatized and fucked my body up and I’m pissed. I have an appointment in the morning to remove the iud and now I have no protection from pregnancy for the next 3 weeks and it’s terrifying. I wrote this post while washing all my blood soiled clothing, towels and underwear that I had planned on never fucking wearing again because I hate being on my period and bleeding is just so sticky and gross. I don’t know how we are expected to think this shit is fucking normal to bleed this much. The er was like your blood count is good so your body’s keeping up, meanwhile I’m fucking exhausted and drained and havent had the energy to brush my fucking hair or teeth in 36 hours End rant.
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2023.06.01 23:19 Kairi_rin Yae Miko almost finished 🙏

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2023.06.01 22:54 Kairi_rin Yae Miko almost done <3

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2023.06.01 22:43 Kairi_rin Yae from Genshing Impact, almost done <3

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2023.06.01 22:11 HoardingBotanist "Toasted" Ravioli is from Missouri?!

I had no idea that "toasted" or fried ravioli was a Midwestern delicacy. After researching it a bit, it seems to have come out of an Italian-American kitchen in St. Louis. Go figure. Anyways, I really dig a toasted ravioli and think it's an S-tier appetizer so I went ahead and tested out a recipe where I made the ravioli (and filling) from scratch. If you're looking for a fun cooking project, look no further. I posted the full recipe below along with a cook-along video for those of you who prefer visuals. Let me know if you have any questions!

INGREDIENTS

Ravioli Dough
Ravioli Filling and Breading
No-Cook Marinara

INSTRUCTIONS

Ravioli Dough
  1. Make a mound of flour, dimple the middle and add in the egg yolks. Use a fork to whisk the eggs into the flour, then knead by hand until shiny and hydrated. Can be made and stored in the fridge 2 days in advance, if wrapped tightly.
Ravioli Filling and Breading
  1. Mix the ricotta, parmesan, salt and pepper together in a large bowl, then transfer to a piping bag and set aside until needed.
  2. Add breadcrumbs, salt and a pinch of oregano in the food processor and blitz until fine. Set aside.
  3. Set up a bowl of all-purpose flour, a separate bowl of the whisked eggs, and the third and final bowl with the fine, seasoned breadcrumbs.
No-Cook Marinara
  1. Mix everything together in a large bowl
Assemble and Fry
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat and set up a large bowl of ice water next to it. At the same time, fill a large dutch oven half way with neutral oil and bring it to 350F.
  2. Roll the pasta dough out using a pasta machine or rolling pin to a thin sheet.
  3. Spoon a tablespoon of the cheese filling in the middle of the pasta leaving a couple inches of space between each dollop. Crack an egg in a small bowl and add a splash of water, then whisk it. Brush the egg onto the pasta to act as an adhesive. Fold the pasta dough over and seal it. Use a pasta cutter, pizza roller or sharp knife to cut away the excess pasta and create the ravioli.
  4. Cook the shaped ravioli in the simmering water for 2-3 minutes, just until cooked through, then transfer the pasta to the ice bath. Once cooled, remove the pasta from the water and set on a plate of paper towels to dry.
  5. Set up a 3-bowl frying station consisting of all-purpose flour with a pinch of salt, egg wash and Italian breadcrumbs. Coat each ravioli first in the seasoned flour, then the egg wash and finally the breadcrumbs before deep frying, in batches, until golden. Drain and increase the oil temperature to 375F. Fry the ravioli a second time until deeply golden brown. Transfer the finished ravioli to a sheet tray lined with a wire rack to drain.
  6. Arrange the ravioli on a plate, garnish with chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately with marinara sauce and CRUSH!
Cook-along here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLI0lFCYjVc&ab_channel=OmnivorousAdam
submitted by HoardingBotanist to AmericanFood [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 21:24 RandomAppalachian468 Don't fly over Barron County Ohio. [Repost]

The whirring blades of my MD-902 throbbed against the warm evening air, and I smiled.
From 5,000 feet, the ground flew by in a carpet of dark forests and kelly-green fields. The sun hung low on the horizon in a picturesque array of dazzling orange and gold, and I could make out the narrow strip of the Ohio River to my left, glistening in the fading daylight. This time of year, the trees would be full of the sweet aroma of fresh blossoms, and the frequent rains kept small pockets of fluffy white mist hanging in the treetops. It was a beautiful view, one that reminded me of why being a helicopter pilot trumped flying in a jumbo jet far above the clouds every day of the week.
Fourteen more days, and I’m debt free.
That made me grin even more. I’d been working as a charter pilot ever since I obtained my license at age 19, and after years of keeping my nose to the grindstone, I was closing on the final payment for real-estate in western Pennsylvania. With no debt, a fixer-upper house on 30 rural acres all to myself, and a respectable wage for a 26-year-old pilot, I looked forward to the financial freedom I could now enjoy. Maybe I’d take a vacation, somewhere exotic like Venice Italy, or the Dominican Republic. Or perhaps I’d sock the money back for the day I started a family.
“Remember kleineun, a real man looks after his own.”
My elderly ouma’s voice came back from the depths of my memories, her proud, sun-tanned face rising from the darkness. She and my Rhodesian grandfather had emigrated to the US when they were newlyweds, as the violence against white Boer descendants in South Africa spiraled out of control. My mother and father both died in a car crash when I was six, and it had been my grandparents who raised me. Due to this, I’d grown up with a slight accent that many of my classmates found amusing, and I could speak both English, and Afrikaans, the Boer tongue of our former home.
I shifted in my seat, stretched my back muscles, and glanced at the picture taped to my console. Both my parents flanked a grinning, gap-toothed six-year-old me, at the last Christmas we’d spent together. My mother beamed, her dark hair and Italian features a sharp contrast to my father’s sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. Sometimes, I liked to imagine they were smiling at me with pride at how well I flew the old silver-colored bird my company had assigned to me, and that made the long, lonely flights easier to bear.
A flicker caught my eye, and I broke my gaze away from the photograph.
Perched in its small cradle above the controls, my little black Garmin fuzzed over for a few seconds, its screen shifting from brightly colored maps to a barrage of grey static.
Did the power chord come loose?
I checked, ensuring the power-cable for the unit’s battery was plugged into the port on the control panel. It was a brand-new GPS unit, and I’d used it a few times already, so I knew it wasn’t defective. Granted, I could fly and navigate without it, but the Garmin made my time as a pilot so much easier that the thought of going blind was dreadful.
My fuel gauge danced, clicked to empty, then to full, in a bizarre jolt.
More of the gauges began to stutter, the entire panel seeming to develop terrets all at once, and my pulse began to race. Something was wrong, very wrong, and the sludge inside my bowels churned with sour fear.
“Come on, come on.” I flicked switches, turned dials, punched buttons, but nothing seemed to fix the spasming electronics. Every gauge failed, and without warning, I found myself plunged into inky darkness.
Outside, the sun surrendered to the pull of night, the sky darker than usual. A distant rumble of thunder reverberated above the roar of my helicopter’s engine, and I thought I glimpsed a streak of yellowish lightning on the far horizon to my left.
Calm down Chris. We’re still flying, so it must just be a blown fuse. Stay in control and find a place to set her down.
My sweaty palm slid on the cyclic stick, and both feet weighed heavy on the yaw pedals. The collective stuck to my other hand with a nervous vibration, and I squinted against the abyss outside.
Beep.
I jumped despite myself, as the little Garmin on my panel flared back to life, the static pulling aside to reveal a twitching display. Each time the screen glitched, it showed the colorful map detailing my flight path over the ground below, but I noticed that some of the lines changed, the names shifting, as if the device couldn’t decide between two different versions of the world.
One name jutted out at me, slate gray like most of the major county names, appearing with ghostly flickers from between two neighboring ones.
Barron County.
I stared, confused. I’d flown over this section of southeastern Ohio plenty of times, and I knew the counties by heart. At this point, I should have been over the southern end of Noble County, and maybe dipping lower into Washington. There was no Barron County Ohio. I was sure of it.
And yet it shown back at me from the digital landscape, a strange, almost cigar-shaped chunk of terrain carved from the surrounding counties like a tumor, sometimes there, sometimes not, as my little Garmin struggled to find the correct map. Rain began to patter against my cockpit window, and the entire aircraft rattled from a strong gust of wind. Thick clouds closed over my field of vision like a sea of gray cotton.
The blood in my veins turned to ice, and I sucked in a nervous breath.
Land. I had to land. There was nothing else to do, my flight controls weren’t responding, and only my Garmin had managed to come back to life. Perhaps I’d been hit by lightning, and the electronics had been fried? Either way, it was too dark to tell, but a storm seemed to be brewing, and if I didn’t get my feet on the ground soon, I could be in real trouble.
“Better safe than sorry.” I pushed down on the collective to start my slow descent and clicked the talking button for my headset. “Any station, this is Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, over.”
Nothing.
“Any station, this is Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, requesting emergency assistance, over.”
Still nothing.
If the radio’s dead, I’m really up a creek.
With my hand shaking, I clicked on the mic one more time. “Any station, this is—”
Like a curtain pulling back, the fog cleared from around my window, and the words stuck in my throat.
Without my gauges, I couldn’t tell just how far I’d descended, but I was definitely very low. Thick trees poked up from the ground, and the hills rolled into high ridges with flat valley floors, fields and pastures pockmarking them. Rain fell all around in cold, silvery sheets, a normal feature for the mid spring in this part of Ohio.
What wasn’t normal, were the fires.
At first, I thought they were forest fires for the amount of smoke and flames that bellowed from each spot, but as I swooped lower, my eyes widened in horror.
They were houses.
Farms, cottages, little clusters that barely constituted villages, all of them belched orange flames and black pillars of sooty smoke. I couldn’t hear above the helicopter blades, but I could see the flashes on the ground, along the road, in between the trees, and even coming from the burning buildings, little jets of golden light that spat into the darkness with anger.
Gunfire. That’s rifle fire, a whole lot of it.
Tiny black figures darted through the shadows, barely discernable from where I sat, several hundred feet up. I couldn’t see much, but some were definitely running away, the streaks of yellow gunfire chasing them. A few dark gray vehicles rumbled down one of the gravel roads, and sprayed fire into the houses as it went. They were fighting, I realized, the people in the trucks and the locals. It was horrific, like something out of war-torn Afghanistan, but worse.
Then, I caught a glimpse of the others.
They didn’t move like the rest, who either fled from the dark vehicles, or fired back from behind cover. These skinny figures loped along with haphazard gaits, many running on all fours like animals, swarming from the trees by the dozens. They threw themselves into the gales of bullets without flinching, attacking anyone within range, and something about the way they moved, so fluid, so fearless, made my heart skip a beat.
What is that?
“Echo Four Actual to unknown caller, please respond, over.”
Choking back a cry of shock, I fumbled at the control panel with clumsy fingers, the man’s voice sharp and stern. I hadn’t realized that I’d let go of the talking button and clicked it down again. “Hello? Hello, this is Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot out of Pittsburgh, over.”
An excruciating moment passed, and I continued to zoom over the trees, the fires falling away behind me as more silent forest took over.
“Roger that Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, we read you loud and clear. Please identify yourself and any passengers or cargo you might be carrying, over.”
Swallowing hard, I eyed the treetops, which looked much closer than they should have been. How far had I descended? “Echo Four Actual, my name is Christopher Dekker, and I am alone. I’m a charter flight from PA, carrying medical equipment for OSU in Columbus. My controls have been damaged, and I am unable to safely carry on due to the storm. Requesting permission to land, over.”
I watched the landscape slide by underneath me, once catching sight of what looked like a little white church surrounded by smaller huts, dozens of figures in the yard staring up at me as I flew over a towering ridgeline.
“Solid copy on that Douglass Three-One-Four-Foxtrot. Be advised, your transponder shows you to be inside a restricted zone. Please cease all radio traffic, reduce your speed, climb to 3,000 feet and proceed north. We’ll talk you in from there. How copy, over?”
My heart jumped, and I let out a sigh of relief. “Roger that Echo Four Actual, my altimeter is down, but I’ll do my best to eyeball the altitude, over.”
With that, I pulled the collective upward, and tried my best to gauge how far I was by eyesight in the gathering night, rain still coming down all around me. This had to be some kind of disaster or riot, I decided. After all, the voice over the radio sounded like military, and those vehicles seemed to have heavy weapons. Maybe there was some kind of unrest going on here that I hadn’t heard about yet?
Kind of weird for it to happen in rural areas though. Spoiled college kids I get, but never saw farmers get so worked up before. They usually love the military.
Something moved in the corner of my eye, and I turned out of reflex.
My mouth fell open, and I froze, unable to scream.
In the sky beside me, a huge shadow glided along, and its leathery wings effortlessly carved through the gloom, flapping only on occasion to keep it aloft. It was too dark for me to see what color it was, but from the way it moved, I knew it wasn’t another helicopter. No, this thing was alive, easily the size of a small plane, and more than twice the length of my little McDonald Douglass. A long tail trailed behind it, and bore a distinct arrow-shaped snout, with twig-like spines fanned out around the back of its head. Whatever legs it had were drawn up under it like a bird, yet its skin appeared rough and knobby, almost resembling tree bark. Without pause, the gigantic bat-winged entity flew along beside me, as if my presence was on par with an annoying fly buzzing about its head.
Gripping the microphone switch so tight, I thought I’d crack the plastic, I whispered into my headset, forgetting all radio protocol. “T-There’s something up here.”
Static crackled.
“Douglas Three-One-Four-Foxtrot, say again your last, you’re coming in weak and unreadable, over.”
“There’s something up here.” I snarled into the headset, still glued to the controls of the helicopter, afraid to deviate even an inch from my course in case the monstrosity decided to turn on me. “A freaking huge thing, right beside me. I swear, it looks like a bat or . . . I don’t know.”
“Calm down.” The man on the other end of the radio broke his rigorous discipline as well, his voice deep, but level. “It won’t attack if you don’t move too fast. Slowly ease away from it and follow that course until you’re out of sight.”
I didn’t have time to think about how wrong that sounded, how the man’s strict tone had changed to one of knowledge, how he hadn’t been the least surprised by what I’d said. Instead, I slowly turned the helicopter away from the huge menace and edged the speed higher in tiny increments.
As soon as I was roughly two football fields away, I let myself relax, and clicked the mic switch. “It’s not following.”
“You’re sure?”
Eyeing the huge flapping wings, I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, I’m well clear.”
“Good. Thank you, Mr. Dekker.”
Then, the radio went dead.
Something in my chest dropped, a weight that made my stomach roil. This wasn’t right, none of it. Who was that man? Why did he know about the thing I’d just seen? What was I supposed to—
A flash of light exploded from the trees to my right and shot into the air with a long finger of smoke.
What the . . .
On instinct, I jerked the cyclic stick to one side, and the helicopter swung to avoid the rocket.
Boom.
My world shook, metal screeched, and a dozen alarms began to go off inside the cockpit in a cacophony of beeps and sirens. Orange and red flames lit up the night sky just behind me, and the horizon started to spin wildly outside. Heat gushed from the cockpit door, and I smelled the greasy stench of burning oil. The safety belts dug into my shoulders, and with a final slip, the radio headset ripped free from my scalp.
I’m hit.
Desperate, I yanked on the controls, fought the bird even as she spun toward the ground in a wreath of flames, the inky black trees hurtling up to meet me. The helicopter went into full auto-rotation, the sky blurring past outside, and the alarms blared in a screech of doom. Panic slammed through my temples, I screamed at the top of my lungs, and for one brief second, my eyes locked on the little black Garmin still perched atop my control panel.
Its screen stopped twitching and settled on a map of the mysterious Barron County, with a little red arrow at the center of the screen, a few words popping up underneath it.
You are here.
Trees stabbed up into the sky, the belts crushed at my torso, glass shattered all around me, and the world went dark.
Copper, thick, warm, and tangy.
It filled my mouth, stank metallic in my nose, clogged my throat, choking me. In the murkiness, I fought for a surface, for a way out, blind and numb in the dark.
This way, kleineun.
My ouma’s voice echoed from somewhere in the shadows.
This way.
Both eyes flew open, and I gagged, spitting out a stream of red.
Pain throbbed in my ribs, and a heavy pressure sent a tingling numbness through my shoulders. Blood roared inside my temples, and stars danced before my eyes with a dizzying array. Humid night air kissed my skin, and something sticky coated my face, neck, and arms that hung straight up toward the ceiling.
Wait. Not up. Down.
I blinked at the wrinkled, torn ceiling of the cockpit, the glass all gone, the gray aluminum shredded like tissue paper. Just outside the broken windows, thick Appalachian bluegrass and stemmy underbrush swished in a feeble breeze, backlit by flashes of lightning from the thunderstorm overhead. Green and brown leaves covered everything in a wet carpet of triangles, and somewhere nearby, a cricket chirped.
Turning my head from side to side, I realized that I hung upside down inside the ruined helicopter, the top half burrowed into the mud. I could hear the hissing and crackling of flames, the pattering of rain falling on the hot aluminum, and the smaller brush fires around the downed aircraft sizzling out in the damp long grass. Charred steel and burning oil tainted the air, almost as strong as the metallic, coppery stench in my aching nose.
They shot me down. That military dude shot me out of the sky.
It didn’t make sense. I’d followed their orders, done everything they’d said, and yet the instant I veered safely away from whatever that thing in the sky had been, they’d fired, not at it, but at me.
Looking down (or rather, up) at my chest, I sucked in a gasp, which was harder to do that before.
The navy-blue shirt stuck to my torso with several big splotches of dark, rusty red. Most were clean slashes, but two held bits of glass sticking out of them, one alarmingly bigger than the other. They dripped cherry red blood onto my upturned face, and a wave of nausea hit me.
I gotta get down.
I flexed my arms to try and work some feeling back into them, praying nothing was broken. Half-numb from hanging so long, I palmed along my aching body until I felt the buckled for the seat belts.
“Okay.” I hissed between gritted teeth, in an effort to stave off my panic. “You can do this. Just hold on tight. Nice and tight. Here we go . . .”
Click.
Everything seemed to lurch, and I slid off the seat to plummet towards the muck-filled hole in the cockpit ceiling. My fingers were slick with blood and slipped over the smooth faux-leather pilot’s seat with ease. The shoulder belt snagged on the bits of glass that lay just under the left lowest rib, and a flare of white-hot pain ripped through me.
Wham.
I screamed, my right knee caught the edge of the aluminum ceiling, and both hands dove into a mound of leaf-covered glass shards on the opposite side of the hole. My head swam, being right-side-up again enough to make shadows gnaw at the corner of my eyes.
Forcing myself to breath slowly, I fought the urge to faint and slid back to sit on the smooth ceiling. I turned my hands over to see half a dozen bits of clear glass burrowed into my skin like greedy parasites, red blood weeping around the new cuts.
“Screw you.” I spat at the rubbish with angry tears in my eyes. “Screw you, screw you, screw you.”
The shards came out easy enough, and the cuts weren’t that deep, but that wasn’t what worried me. On my chest, the single piece of cockpit glass that remined was almost as big as my palm, and it really hurt. Just touching it felt like self-inflicted torture, but I knew it had to come out sooner or later.
Please don’t nick a vein.
Wiping my hands dry on my jeans, I gripped the shard with both hands, and jerked.
Fire roared over my ribs, and hot blood tickled my already grimy pale skin. I clapped a hand over the wound, pressing down hard, and grunted out a string of hateful expletives that my ouma would have slapped me for.
Lying on my back, I stared around me at the messy cargo compartment of the MD-902. Most of the medical supplies had been in cardboard boxes strapped down with heavy nylon tow-straps, but several cases had ruptured with the force of the impact, spraying bandages, syringes, and pill bottles all over the cluttered interior. Orange flames chewed at the crate furthest to the rear, the tail section long gone, but the foremost part of the hold was intact. Easily a million-dollar mess, it would have made me faint on any other trip, but today it was a godsend.
Half-blind in the darkness, I crawled along with only the firelight and lightning bolts to guide me, my right knee aching. Like a crippled raccoon, I collected things as I went, conscious of the two pallets of intact supplies weighing right over my head. I’d taken several different first-aid courses with some hunting buddies of mine, and the mental reflexes kicked in to help soothe my frazzled mind.
Check for bleeds, stop the worst, then move on.
Aside from my battered chest and stomach, the rest of me remained mostly unharmed. I had nasty bruises from the seatbelts, my right knee swelled, my nose slightly crooked and crusted in blood, but otherwise I was intact. Dowsing every scratch and cut with a bottle of isopropyl alcohol I found, I used butterfly closures on the smaller lacerations that peppered my skin. I wrapped soft white gauze over my abused palms and probed at the big cut where the last shard had been, only stopping when I was sure there were no pieces of glass wedged inside my flesh.
“Not too bad.” I grunted to myself, trying to sound impassive like a doctor might. “Rib must have stopped it. Gonna need stitches though. That’ll be fun.
Pawing through the broken cases, I couldn’t find any suture chord, but just as I was about to give up, I noticed a small box that read ‘medical skin stapler’.
Bingo.
I tore the small white plastic stapler free from its packaging and eyeballed the device. I’d never done this before, only seen it in movies, and even though the cut in my skin hurt, I wondered if this wouldn’t be worse.
You’ve gotta do it. That bleeding needs to stop. Besides, no one’s coming to rescue you, not with those rocket-launching psychos out there.
Taking a deep breath, I pinched the skin around the gash together, and pressed the mouth of the stapler to it.
Click.
A sharp sting, like that of a needle bit at the skin, but it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the cut itself. I worked my way across the two-inch laceration and gave out a sigh of relief when it was done.
“Not going to bleed to death today.” I daubed ointment around the staples before winding more bandages over the wound.
Popping a few low-grade painkillers that tumbled from the cargo, I crawled wriggled through the nearest shattered window into the wet grass.
Raindrops kissed my face, clean and cool on my sweaty skin. Despite the thick cloud cover, there was enough constant lightning strikes within the storm to let me get glimpses of the world around me. My helicopter lay on its back, the blades snapped like pencils, with bits and pieces of it burning in chunks all around the small break in the trees. Chest-high scrub brush grew all around the low-lying ground, with pockets of standing water in places. My ears still rang from the impact of the crash, but I could start to pick up more crickets, frogs, and even some nocturnal birds singing into the darkness, like they didn’t notice the huge the hulk of flaming metal that had fallen from the sky. Overhead, the thunder rumbled onward, the feeble wind whistling, and there were other flashes on the horizon, orange and red ones, with crackles that didn’t sound quite like lightning.
The guns. They’re still fighting.
Instinctively, I pulled out my cellphone, and tapped the screen.
It fluttered to life, but no matter how I tried, I couldn’t get through to anyone, not even with the emergency function designed to work around having no service. The complicated wonder of our modern world was little better than a glorified paperweight.
Stunned, I sat down with my back to the helicopter and rested my head against the aluminum skin of the craft. How I’d gone from a regular medical supply run to being marooned in this hellish parody of rural America, I didn’t know, but one thig was certain; I needed a plan. Whoever fired the missile could have already contacted my charter company and made up some excuse to keep them from coming to look for me. No one else knew I was here, and even though I now had six staples holding the worst of my injuries shut, I knew I needed proper medical attention. If I wanted to live, I’d have to rescue myself.
My bag. I need to get my go-bag, grab some gear and then . . . head somewhere else.
It took me a while to gather my green canvas paratrooper bag from its place behind the pilot’s seat and fill it with whatever supplies I could scrounge. My knee didn’t seem to be broken, but man did it hurt, and I dreaded the thought of walking on it for miles on end. I focused instead on inventorying my gear and trying to come up with a halfway intelligent plan of action.
I had a stainless-steel canteen with one of those detachable cups on the bottom, a little fishing kit, some duct tape, a lighter, a black LED flashlight with three spare batteries, a few tattered road maps with a compass, a spare pair of socks, medical supplies from the cargo, and a simple forest green plastic rain poncho. I also managed to unearth a functioning digital camcorder my ouma had gotten me for Christmas a few years back, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to do any filming in such a miserable state. Lastly, since it was a private supply run from a warehouse area near Pittsburgh to a direct hospital pad in Ohio, I’d been able to bring my K-Bar, a sturdy, and brutally simple knife designed for the Marine Corps that I used every time I went camping. It was pitiful in comparison to the rifle I wished I had with me, but that didn’t matter now. I had what I had, and I doubted my trusty Armalite would have alleviated my sore knee anyway.
Clicking on my flashlight, I huddled with the poncho around my shoulders inside the wreck of the chopper and peered at the dusty roadmaps. A small part of me hoped that a solution would jump out from the faded paper, but none came. These were all maps of western PA and eastern Ohio. None of them had a Barron County on them anywhere.
The man on the radio said to head north, right before they shot me down. That means they must be camped out to the north of here. South had that convoy and those burning houses, so that’s a no-go. Maybe I can backtrack eastward the way I came.
As if on cue, a soft pop echoed from over the eastern horizon, and I craned to look out the helicopter window, spotting more man-made flashes over the tree tops.
“Great.” I hissed between clenched teeth, aware of how the temperature dipped to a chilly 60 degrees, and how despite the conditions, my stomach had begun to growl. “Not going that way, are we? Westward it is.”
Walking away from my poor 902 proved to be harder than I’d anticipated. Despite the glass, the fizzling fires, and the darkness, it still held a familiar, human essence to it. Sitting inside it made me feel secure, safe, even calm about the situation. In any other circumstance, I would have just stayed with the downed aircraft to wait for help, but I knew the men who shot me down would likely find my crash site, and I didn’t want to be around when they did.
Unlike much of central and western Ohio, southeastern Ohio is hilly, brushy, and clogged with thick forests. Thorns snagged at my thin poncho and sliced at my pant legs. My knee throbbed, every step a form of self-inflicted torture. The rain never stopped, a steady drizzle from above just cold enough to be problematic as time went on, making me shiver. Mud slid under my tennis shoes, and every tree looked ten times bigger in the flickering beam of my cheap flashlight. Icy fear prickled at the back of my neck at some of the sounds that greeted me through the gloom. I’d been camping loads of times, both in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, but these noises were something otherworldly to me.
Strange howls, screeches, and calls permeated the rain-soaked sky, some almost roars, while others bordered on human in their intonation. The more I walked, the softer the distant gunfire became, and the more prevalent the odd sounds, until the shadows seemed to fill with them. I didn’t dare turn off my flashlight, or I’d been completely blind in the dark, but a little voice in the back of my head screamed that I was too visible, crunching through the gloomy forest with my long beam of light stabbing into the abyss. It felt as though a million eyes were on me, studying me, hunting me from the surrounding brush, and I bitterly recalled how much I’d loved the old Survivor Man TV series as a kid.
Not so fun being out in the woods at night. Especially alone.
A twig snapped somewhere behind me, and I whirled on the spot, one trembling hand resting on the hilt of my K-Bar.
Nothing. Nothing but trees, bushes, and rain dripping down in the darkness.
“This is stupid.” I whispered to myself to keep my nerves in check as I slowly spun on the spot. “I should have went eastward anyway. God knows how long I’m going to have to—”
Creak.
A groan of metal-on-metal echoed from somewhere to my right, and I spun to face it, yanking the knife on my belt free from its scabbard. It felt so small and useless in my hand, and I choked down a wave of nauseas fear.
Ka-whump. Creak. K-whump. Creak.
Underbrush cracked and crunched, a few smaller saplings thrashed, and from deep within the gloom, two yellow orbs flared to life. They poked through the mist in the trees, forming into slender fingers of golden light that swept back and forth in the dark.
The soldiers . . . they must be looking for me.
I swallowed hard and turned to slink away.
Ice jammed through my blood, and I froze on the spot, biting my tongue to stop the scream.
It stood not yards away, a huge form that towered a good twelve feet tall in the swirling shadows. Unpolished chrome blended with flash-rusted spots in the faded red paint, and grime-smeared glass shone with dull hues in the flashes of lightning. Where the wheels should have been, the rounded steel axels curved like some enormous hand had bent them, and the tires lay face-down on the muddy ground like big round feet, their hubcaps buried in the dirt. Dents, scrapes, and chips covered the battered thing, and its crooked little radio antenna pointed straight up from the old metal fender like a mast. I could barely make out the mud-coated VW on the rounded hood, and my mind reeled in shock.
Is . . . is that a car?
Both yellow headlights bathed me in a circle of bright, blinding light, and neither I nor the strange vehicle moved.
Seconds ticked by, the screech-thumping in the background only growing closer. I realized that I couldn’t hear any engine noises and had yet to see any soldiers or guns pointed my way. This car looked old, really old, like one of those classic Volkswagen Beetles that collectors fought over at auctions. Try as I might, I couldn’t see a driver inside the murky, mold-smeared windows.
Because there wasn’t one.
Lightning arched across the sky overhead, and the car standing in front of me blinked.
Its headlights slid shut, as if little metal shades had crawled over the bulbs for a moment and flicked open again. Something about that movement was so primal, so real, so lifelike, that every ounce of self-control I had melted in an instant.
Cursing under my breath, I lunged into the shrubs, and the world erupted around me.
Under my shoes, the ground shook, and the car surged after me in a cacophony of ka-thumps that made my already racing heart skip several beats. A weather-beaten brown tow truck from the 50’s charged through the thorns to my left, it’s headlights ablaze, and a dilapidated yellow school bus rose from its hiding place in the weeds to stand tall on four down-turned axel-legs. They all flicked their headlights on like giants waking from their slumber, and as I dodged past them, they each blared their horn into the night in alarm.
My breaths came short and tight, my knee burned, and I crashed through thorns and briars without thought to how badly I was getting cut up.
The cheap poncho tore, and I ripped it away as it caught on a tree branch.
A purple 70’s Mustang shook off its blanket of creeping vines and bounded from a stand of trees just ahead, forcing me to swerve to avoid being run over, my adrenaline at all-time highs.
This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening.
Slipping and sliding, I pushed through a stand of multiflora rose, and stumbled out into a flat, dark expanse.
I almost skidded to a stop.
What had once been a rather large field stood no taller than my shoestrings, the grass charred, and burnt. The storm above illuminated huge pieces of wreckage that lay scattered over the nearly 40-acre plot, and I could just make out the fire-blackened hulk of a fuselage resting a hundred yards away. The plane had been brought down a while ago it seemed, as there weren’t any flames left burning, and I threw myself toward it in frenzied desperation.
Burned grass and greasy brown topsoil slushed underfoot, and I could hear the squelching of the cars pursing me. Rain soaked me to the bone, and my lungs ached from sucking down the damp night air. A painful stich crept into my side, and I cursed myself for not putting in more time for cardio at the gym.
Something caught my left shoelace, and I hurtled to the ground, tasting mud and blood in between my teeth.
They’ve got me now.
I clawed at the mud, rolled, and watched a tire slam down mere inches from where my head had been. The Mustang loomed over me and jostled for position with the red Volkswagen and brown tow truck, the school bus still a few yards behind them. They couldn’t seem to decide who would get the pleasure of stomping me to death, and like a herd of stampeding wildebeest, they locked bumpers in an epic shoving match.
On all fours, I scampered out from under the sparring brutes, and dashed for the crumpled airplane, a white-painted DC-3 that looked like it had been cut in half by a gargantuan knife blade. I passed a snapped wing section, the oily remains of a turbo-prop engine, and a mutilated wheel from the landing gear. Climbing over a heap of mud, I squeezed into the back of the ruined flight cabin and dropped down into the dark cargo hold.
Wham.
No sooner had my sneakers hit the cold metal floor, and the entire plane rocked from the impact of something heavy ramming it just outside. I tumbled to my knees, screaming in pain as, once again, I managed to bash the sore one off a bracket in the wall.
My hand smeared in something gooey, and I scrabbled for my flashlight.
It clicked on, a wavering ball of white light in the pitch darkness, and I fought the urge to gag. “Oh man . . .”
Three people, or what was left of them, lay strewn over the narrow cargo area. Claret red blood coated the walls, caked on the floor, and clotted under my mud-spattered shoes. Bits of flesh and viscera were stuck to everything, and tatters of cloth hung from exposed sections of broken bone. An eerie set of bloody handprints adorned the walls, and the only reason I could tell it had been three people were the shoes; all of them bore anklebones sticking out above blood-soaked socks. It smelled sickly sweet, a strange, nauseas odor that crept into my nose and settled on the back of my tongue like an alien parasite.
Something glinted in the beam of my flashlight, and my pulse quickened as I pried the object loose from the severed arm that still clung to it.
“Hail Mary full of Grace.” I would have grinned if it weren’t for the fact that the plane continued to buck and roll under the assault from the cars outside.
The pistol looked old, but well-maintained, aside from the light coating of dark blood that stained its round wooden handle. It felt heavy, but good in my hand, and I turned it over to read the words, Waffenfabrik Mauser stenciled into the frame, with a large red 9 carved into the grip. For some reason, it vaguely reminded me of the blasters from Star Wars.
I fumbled with a little switch that looked like a safety on the back of the gun and stumbled toward a gap in the plane’s dented fuselage to aim out at the surrounding headlights.
Bang.
The old gun bucked reliably in my hand, its long barrel spitting a little jet of flame into the night. I had no idea if I hit anything, but the attacking cars recoiled, their horns blaring in confusion.
They turned, and scuttled for the tree line as fast as their mechanical legs could go, the entire ordeal over as fast as it had begun.
Did I do that?
Perplexed, I stared down at the pistol in my hand.
Whoosh.
A large, inky black shadow glided down from the clouds, and the yellow school bus moved too slow to react in time.
With a crash, the kicking nightmarish vehicle was thrown onto its side, spraying glass and chrome trim across the muddy field. Its electro-synth horn blared with wails of mechanical agony, as two huge talon-like feet clamped down on it, and the enormous head of the flying creature lowered to rip open its engine compartment.
The horn cut out, and the enormous flying entity jerked its head back to gulp down a mass of what looked like sticky black vines from the interior of the shattered bus.
At this range, I could see now that the flying creature bore two legs and had its wings half-tucked like a vulture that had descended to feed on roadkill. Its head turned slightly, and in the glow of another lightning bolt, my jaw went slack at the realization of what it was.
A tree trunk. It’s a rotted tree trunk.
I couldn’t tell where the reptilian beast began, and where the organic tree components ended, the upper part of the head shaped like a log, while the lower jaw resembled something out of a dinosaur movie. Its skin looked identical to the outside of a shagbark hickory but flexed with a supple featheriness that denoted something closer to skin. Sharp branch-like spines ranged down its back, and out to the end of its tail, which bore a massive round club shaped like a diseased tree-knot. Crouched on both hind legs, it braced the hooked ends of its folded wings against the ground like a bat, towering higher than a semi-truck. Under the folds of its armored head, a bulging pair of chameleon-like eyes constantly spun in their sockets, probing the dark for threats while it ate.
One black pupil locked onto the window I peered through, and my heart stopped.
The beast regarded me for a moment, with a curious, sideways sniff.
With a proud, contemptful head-toss, the shadow from the sky parted rows of razor-sharp teeth to let out a roar that shook the earth beneath my feet. It was the triumphant war cry of a creature that sat at the very top of the food chain, one that felt no threat from the fragile two-legged beings that walked the earth all around it. It hunted whenever it wanted, ate whatever it wanted, and flew wherever it wanted. It didn’t need to rip the plane apart to devour me.
Like my hunter-gatherer ancestors from thousands of years ago, I wasn’t even worth the energy it would take to pounce.
I’m hiding in the remains of the cockpit now, which is half-buried under the mud of the field, enough to shield the light from my screen so that thing doesn’t see it. My service only now came back, and it’s been over an hour since the winged beast started in on the dead bus. I don’t know when, or how I’m going to get out of here. I don’t know when anyone will even see this post, or if it will upload at all. My phone battery is almost dead, and at this point, I’m probably going to have to sleep among the corpses until daylight comes.
A dead man sleeping amongst friends.
If you live in the Noble County area in southeastern Ohio, be careful where you drive, fly, and boat. I don’t know if it’s possible to stumble into this strange place by ground, but if so, then these things are definitely headed your way.
If that happens . . . pray that they don’t find you.
submitted by RandomAppalachian468 to u/RandomAppalachian468 [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 21:22 wingnut5k Online Play 101: Netcode Type, Connection Quality, WiFi vs. Ethernet Explained Simply and (Semi) Quickly

Hey y’all. With SF6 coming out and the WiFi indicator starting the debate and shitstorm up again, I wanted to make a quick and painless guide for new people or for people who aren’t FGC troglodytes like myself. I’m not going to tell YOU what to do, just arm you with the information so you understand what to look at when accepting matches or to understand the jargon from people arguing on the internet. I’ll be explaining things in general terms, so keep in mind some things are a bit generalized. I’m not an IT professional, just a guy who likes games too much, so if anyone who knows better wants to chime in and correct me by all means do! Scroll to bottom for TLDR of all of this.
First, let’s talk about what you see and control when you play: ping, download speeds, etc. First, let’s define them, and then talk about what they mean for you. Scroll down further to see the only things that really matter and ignore the definitions if you don’t need them.
Ping: also defined as latency, is the time it takes for your device to send a small amount of data (a packet) to its target, and then back to your device (hence, the time it takes your computer to “ping” something). Usually shown in milliseconds. Also called RTT (round trip time).
Speed: Colloquially this is used to refer to upload and download speeds, defined in mbps, or megabits per second (1 megabyte = 8 megabits).
Signal strength/connection bars: Very commonly used, and talked about, but are sorta useless, as far as I’ve been able to find out. Essentially, the number of “bars” you get, traditionally, is a measure from cellular towers of the frequency your phone is receiving, i.e. your reception. However, there is literally no standard, which is why 4 bars on one carrier on one brand can be 2 bars on a different brand of phone with a different carrier. What does this mean for connections in fighting games between two people? Zero idea. Tekken and SF don’t tell us, just that they are used as an indicator of signal strength. However, we have no idea how it quantitatively decides to display what, so I’ll be ignoring it here. Just know it is a general number for connection quality. https://www.signalconnect.com/cell-phone-bars-signal-strength-and-the-truth/
Delay Frames/Rollback Frames: Will be mentioned in a different post. Just know a frame is 16.67 ms for now.
What DOESN’T matter for lag: Fighting games are P2P, meaning that there is no server involved, data is transmitted from you to your opponent and vice versa. Bars, as we just defined, are more mystery meat in this context, but can be used as a general predictor of quality. (SOMEONE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE CAN CHIME IN) Here’s the big kicker a lot of people don’t know though: Your actual connection “speed” does not matter AT ALL, as long as you satisfy the data the game sends. How much do you need? Great news! Basically none at all, the amount of data online gaming takes is actually really small. https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/how-much-speed-do-i-need-for-online-gaming Having any higher uploads or downloads will not affect your connection quality, since there’s no more data to send. It does not matter how wide and huge your pipes are if you’re only using one sink in your house.
BOTTOM LINES:
So what is “lag” and what affects it?: Really you only need to look for one number: PING! There are 3 things that make your connection feel how it does: The average ping, the variance in ping (jitter), and packet loss. Ping is what makes your character feel slow. If your ping is 30 ms, it means that the time in between the information you send and get is really good, and you probably won't notice the difference. If it’s 1000 ms, then it takes a full second. So, very simply and generally put, the higher the ping, the slower it feels. But ping is not a constant. You can have a ping of 1 ms most of the time, but if the VARIANCE, or jitter, is high, it will destroy the experience. Everyone has experienced at some point a connection where it’s awesome one second, and then suddenly it becomes a sludgy mess. This is the result of jitter, when you once had a consistent, steady transmission of data that suddenly changes speeds. Packet loss is what it sounds like: the entire loss of some data due to congestion or other issues. Did you definitely tech that throw but somehow got thrown anyway? You probably didn’t tech it, be honest, but it may have been because the packet containing your inputs was “dropped” and therefore didn’t factor into the match.
What should you do then?: The 3 things listed above are the things you want to reduce. A lot of it is out of your control, like how your ISP works. The main things you can do are:
Ping: Play people closer to you. Ping is a property of physics, and it takes two to tango, so the closer the person, generally the lower the ping. But you already knew that. The easiest way to improve your ping is to have an ethernet cable. You’re essentially giving a dedicated highway to your data. If this isn’t possible, WiFi is sending information over the air, which is affected by barriers like walls, so try different locations for routers and devices if you’re personally noticing high ping caused by your connection. This may also be caused by congestion of the network, which again can be remedied often with a LAN cable. Keep in mind on WiFi you’re also especially at the mercy of your family members, and even your neighbors in some cases. Changing the WiFi channel on your router may help with this, as you won’t be competing on the same highway as other people.
Jitter: The big one. There’s no avoiding it with this one: Ethernet is just going to have less jitter. This is a fact. The reason games have WiFi indicators is because of the jitter WiFi causes. Even the very best WiFi conditions, i.e., the router an inch from your system, it will cause jitter. Full stop. It can be improved by having the router closer and more unimpeded from your system, but it just will not solve the intrinsic issues with beaming the connection over the air. Don’t take my word for it, test it for yourself! If you’re on your computer, you can simply type “ping (IP address)” in the command prompt and just like that it will show you your jitter. Here’s a demonstration: https://youtu.be/qrIgZgjEofk?t=86 Power adapters are generally better, but it depends on the wiring of your house and I’m inexperienced on them so I won’t comment. In a FG this can mean the difference between an awesome experience and a horrible one. Packet loss: Essentially the same things listed above.
TLDR: Ping/RTT is how sluggish the game feels. The close you are to your opponent, the less sluggish it's going to feel. You can check your ping and improve it. Easiest way is with a LAN cable, and it works best in all conditions. If you can’t use Ethernet, try testing your pings with different locations of your router and devices or change the channels to avoid interference. Consider power adapters. Jitter is the variance, or the “lag spikes” you experience during games. The only way to really make jitter a non-issue is going to be a wired connection fighting a wired connection. Just be aware that you can improve it on WiFi, such as not putting physical barriers like walls between your router and your device, but it will always intrinsically perform worse than wired. Packet loss is the result of instability, congestion and the stuff listed above where data is straight up lost at times during a match. If you want the best experience, play low ping matches on a wired connection versus another wired player. If you can’t or won’t, it's really up to your tolerances for match quality. Your connection speed DOES NOT matter as long as you’re able to meet the needs of online gaming (which is really low). Connection “bars” are an imperfect measurement since it's inconsistent, and doesn’t actually say what it's measuring, but it can be used as a rule of thumb. Lower delay/rollback frames = better.
NOTES: I’ll make a similar post on rollback vs delay, and how the game accounts for all of this, which will hopefully be shorter. Also, I know, “ethernet” “wired connection” and “LAN” are NOT interchangeable, but they are used that way colloquially so I did so here.
submitted by wingnut5k to Fighters [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 21:21 wingnut5k Online Play 101: Netcode Type, Connection Quality, WiFi vs. Ethernet Explained Simply and (Semi) Quickly

Hey y’all. With SF6 coming out and the WiFi indicator starting the debate and shitstorm up again, I wanted to make a quick and painless guide for new people or for people who aren’t FGC troglodytes like myself. I’m not going to tell YOU what to do, just arm you with the information so you understand what to look at when accepting matches or to understand the jargon from people arguing on the internet. I’ll be explaining things in general terms, so keep in mind some things are a bit generalized. I’m not an IT professional, just a guy who likes games too much, so if anyone who knows better wants to chime in and correct me by all means do! Scroll to bottom for TLDR of all of this.
First, let’s talk about what you see and control when you play: ping, download speeds, etc. First, let’s define them, and then talk about what they mean for you. Scroll down further to see the only things that really matter and ignore the definitions if you don’t need them.
Ping: also defined as latency, is the time it takes for your device to send a small amount of data (a packet) to its target, and then back to your device (hence, the time it takes your computer to “ping” something). Usually shown in milliseconds. Also called RTT (round trip time).
Speed: Colloquially this is used to refer to upload and download speeds, defined in mbps, or megabits per second (1 megabyte = 8 megabits).
Signal strength/connection bars: Very commonly used, and talked about, but are sorta useless, as far as I’ve been able to find out. Essentially, the number of “bars” you get, traditionally, is a measure from cellular towers of the frequency your phone is receiving, i.e. your reception. However, there is literally no standard, which is why 4 bars on one carrier on one brand can be 2 bars on a different brand of phone with a different carrier. What does this mean for connections in fighting games between two people? Zero idea. Tekken and SF don’t tell us, just that they are used as an indicator of signal strength. However, we have no idea how it quantitatively decides to display what, so I’ll be ignoring it here. Just know it is a general number for connection quality. https://www.signalconnect.com/cell-phone-bars-signal-strength-and-the-truth/
Delay Frames/Rollback Frames: Will be mentioned in a different post. Just know a frame is 16.67 ms for now.
What DOESN’T matter for lag: Fighting games are P2P, meaning that there is no server involved, data is transmitted from you to your opponent and vice versa. Bars, as we just defined, are more mystery meat in this context, but can be used as a general predictor of quality. (SOMEONE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE CAN CHIME IN) Here’s the big kicker a lot of people don’t know though: Your actual connection “speed” does not matter AT ALL, as long as you satisfy the data the game sends. How much do you need? Great news! Basically none at all, the amount of data online gaming takes is actually really small. https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/how-much-speed-do-i-need-for-online-gaming Having any higher uploads or downloads will not affect your connection quality, since there’s no more data to send. It does not matter how wide and huge your pipes are if you’re only using one sink in your house.
BOTTOM LINES:
So what is “lag” and what affects it?: Really you only need to look for one number: PING! There are 3 things that make your connection feel how it does: The average ping, the variance in ping (jitter), and packet loss. Ping is what makes your character feel slow. If your ping is 30 ms, it means that the time in between the information you send and get is really good, and you probably won't notice the difference. If it’s 1000 ms, then it takes a full second. So, very simply and generally put, the higher the ping, the slower it feels. But ping is not a constant. You can have a ping of 1 ms most of the time, but if the VARIANCE, or jitter, is high, it will destroy the experience. Everyone has experienced at some point a connection where it’s awesome one second, and then suddenly it becomes a sludgy mess. This is the result of jitter, when you once had a consistent, steady transmission of data that suddenly changes speeds. Packet loss is what it sounds like: the entire loss of some data due to congestion or other issues. Did you definitely tech that throw but somehow got thrown anyway? You probably didn’t tech it, be honest, but it may have been because the packet containing your inputs was “dropped” and therefore didn’t factor into the match.
What should you do then?: The 3 things listed above are the things you want to reduce. A lot of it is out of your control, like how your ISP works. The main things you can do are:
Ping: Play people closer to you. Ping is a property of physics, and it takes two to tango, so the closer the person, generally the lower the ping. But you already knew that. The easiest way to improve your ping is to have an ethernet cable. You’re essentially giving a dedicated highway to your data. If this isn’t possible, WiFi is sending information over the air, which is affected by barriers like walls, so try different locations for routers and devices if you’re personally noticing high ping caused by your connection. This may also be caused by congestion of the network, which again can be remedied often with a LAN cable. Keep in mind on WiFi you’re also especially at the mercy of your family members, and even your neighbors in some cases. Changing the WiFi channel on your router may help with this, as you won’t be competing on the same highway as other people.
Jitter: The big one. There’s no avoiding it with this one: Ethernet is just going to have less jitter. This is a fact. The reason games have WiFi indicators is because of the jitter WiFi causes. Even the very best WiFi conditions, i.e., the router an inch from your system, it will cause jitter. Full stop. It can be improved by having the router closer and more unimpeded from your system, but it just will not solve the intrinsic issues with beaming the connection over the air. Don’t take my word for it, test it for yourself! If you’re on your computer, you can simply type “ping (IP address)” in the command prompt and just like that it will show you your jitter. Here’s a demonstration: https://youtu.be/qrIgZgjEofk?t=86 Power adapters are generally better, but it depends on the wiring of your house and I’m inexperienced on them so I won’t comment. In a FG this can mean the difference between an awesome experience and a horrible one. Packet loss: Essentially the same things listed above.
TLDR: Ping/RTT is how sluggish the game feels. The close you are to your opponent, the less sluggish it's going to feel. You can check your ping and improve it. Easiest way is with a LAN cable, and it works best in all conditions. If you can’t use Ethernet, try testing your pings with different locations of your router and devices or change the channels to avoid interference. Consider power adapters. Jitter is the variance, or the “lag spikes” you experience during games. The only way to really make jitter a non-issue is going to be a wired connection fighting a wired connection. Just be aware that you can improve it on WiFi, such as not putting physical barriers like walls between your router and your device, but it will always intrinsically perform worse than wired. Packet loss is the result of instability, congestion and the stuff listed above where data is straight up lost at times during a match. If you want the best experience, play low ping matches on a wired connection versus another wired player. If you can’t or won’t, it's really up to your tolerances for match quality. Your connection speed DOES NOT matter as long as you’re able to meet the needs of online gaming (which is really low). Connection “bars” are an imperfect measurement since it's inconsistent, and doesn’t actually say what it's measuring, but it can be used as a rule of thumb. Lower delay/rollback frames = better.
NOTES: I’ll make a similar post on rollback vs delay, and how the game accounts for all of this, which will hopefully be shorter. Also, I know, “ethernet” “wired connection” and “LAN” are NOT interchangeable, but they are used that way colloquially so I did so here.
If you have questions, feel free to ask, but please don't turn it into an argue fest.
submitted by wingnut5k to StreetFighter [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 21:00 DiscoverDurham Things to Do in Durham this Weekend (Jun 1-4)

Check out our full Durham events calendar.
If you'd like to add an event to our calendar, submit an event here. Please check with the event organizers to see if events change due to weather. Have a great weekend!

June Featured Events

53rd Annual Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival at Rock Quarry Park
1776 at DPAC
PLAYlist Concert Series: Raíces, Rutas, y Ritmos at Durham Central Park

Venue Weekend Schedules

Events at The Carolina Theatre
Events at The Pinhook
Events at Motorco Music hall
Events at The Fruit
Live Music at Blue Note Grill
Events at Moon Dog Meadery
Live Music at Sharp 9 Gallery
Events at Arcana
Events at Rubies on Five Points
Events at Durty Bull Brewing Company
Live Comedy at Mettlesome
Events at Boxyard RTP
Events at Glass Jug Beer Lab in RTP
Events at Glass Jug Beer Lab in Downtown Durham

Local Sports

Durham Bulls Home Stand at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Running of the Bulls 8K at Historic Durham Athletic Park

Thursday, Jun 1

Thirsty Thursdays at Dashi
Vinyl Night with DJ Deckades at Gizmo Brew Works
Boulders & Brews Meetup at Triangle Rock Club - Durham
Trivia Night w/Big Slow Tom at Clouds Brewing Brightleaf Square

Friday, Jun 2

Tasting at Ten at Counter Culture Coffee
Garden Printing: Cyanotypes and Hammered Flower Prints on Fabric at Duke Campus Farm

Saturday, Jun 3

Durham Farmers’ Market at Durham Central Park
South Durham Farmers' Market at Greenwood Commons Shopping Center
parkrun Durham at Southern Boundaries Park
Hayti Walking History Tour at Hayti Heritage Center
Nasher Community Celebration at the Nasher Museum of Art
MAKRS Pop-up at Durham Central Park
Crafternoons at Gizmo Brew Works
Beaver Queen Pageant — Once Upon a Wetland... at Duke Park

Sunday, Jun 4

Al Strong Presents Jazz Brunch at Alley Twenty Six
Art-n-Soul Market at Mystic Farm & Distillery
Public Tour at Duke Chapel
Trivia at Navigator Beverage Co.

Running Art Exhibits

upstART Gallery: A Jim Lee Project at Pop Box Gallery
Exhibit at 21c Museum Hotel
“Extra-Spectral” at the Durham Art Guild Truist Gallery
Donna Stubbs, Featured Artist at 5 Points Gallery
Chieko Murasugi & Renzo Ortega at Craven Allen Gallery
Spirit in the Land at the Nasher
Andy Warhol: You Look Good in Pictures at the Nasher
Art of Peru at the Nasher
submitted by DiscoverDurham to bullcity [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 18:57 TimelyMushroom5369 [FS][USA] SWEATERS: VINTAGE STYLE NAUT1CA SPELLOUT, N1KELAB MINI SWOOSH HOODIES (NAVY, GRAY, BLUE), RETAIL VINTAGE N1KE MINI SWOOSH / TSHIRTS: RETAIL N1KE MINI SWOOSH, AD3R 3RROR x K1TSUNE

tagged photos and timestamp - group pic of all items
more detailed photos of items
PAYPAL INVOICE ONLY, COMMENT BEFORE PMING. IMPORTANT INFO BELOW
WHEN READY TO BUY, PLEASE PM ME YOUR PAYPAL EMAIL.
---
ITEMS (shipping not included)
SWEATERS
  1. naut1ca vintage style spellout crewneck M: $52. length: ~72cm, pit to pit: ~64cm OVERSIZED
    1. in inches: ~25W x ~28.5L. only tried on! more of a toweled material inside. pretty sturdy and seems to be great quality (was p expensive to buy and ship)
  2. n1kelab mini swoosh hoodie XL (1x navy, 1x gray, 1x blue): $36 each. length: ~71cm, pit to pit: ~63cm
    1. ~25W x ~28L. only tried on! blue still has tags on! soft fleece inside. great basic
  3. RETAIL vintage(?) n1ke mini swoosh charcoal gray crewneck S: $45. length: ~67 cm, pit to pit: ~56cm can probably fit S-M but please check measurements
    1. ~22W x ~26.5L. an older piece (should be from the 2000s) based on the tag but idk the exact year, so not sure if it qualifies as vintage. nice basic, awesome dark gray color, great used condition
TSHIRTS
  1. RETAIL n1ke mini swoosh tshirt XS: $33. length: ~69cm, pit to pit: ~47cm
    1. ~18.5W x ~27L. only tried on, tags still on! retails for $40+tax as shown on tag. color looks like a grayish lavender in person. this color is not available on the site anymore.. and seems like n1ke raised the retail price to $50 lol
  2. ad3r 3rror x k1tsune 2020 tshirt A3: $30. length: ~75cm, pit to pit: ~58cm L to XL is my guess but please check measurements
    1. ~23W x ~29.5L. only tried on, tags still on! nice unique design
submitted by TimelyMushroom5369 to FashionRepsBST [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 18:15 r3crac BANGGOOD Deals (1.6.2023)!

BANGGOOD Deals Compilation (1.6.2023)!
Check products in compilation image: https://i.imgur.com/e2heVRB.jpeg or https://i.ibb.co/L0d1BV9/ed7cb35ba2d5.jpg
-1- 18Inches Eagle Carbon Fiber Birds Flapping Wing Flight DIY Model
✌️ https://bit.ly/42i9dXq
⭕️ Price: 6.99 USD / Lowest: 7.99 USD
-2- SONOFF SNZB-03-ZB Motion Sensor
❗️ https://bit.ly/45Ewlm5
✌️ Price: 7.49 USD / Lowest: 8.99 USD
📌 Coupon: BG6edee4
-3- USB3.1 HDMI 4K Type C Cable 2m
✳️ https://bit.ly/43xNixr
🔹 Price: 8.59 USD / Lowest: 9.99 USD
-4- 5V LCD Display 18650 Lithium Battery Capacity Tester
👌 https://bit.ly/3C6GLNS
💰 Price: 9.99 USD / Lowest: 8.99 USD
▪️ Coupon: BGcbd315
-5- 75pcs Electrical Connectors
✌️ https://bit.ly/3vOCfAF
🔹 Price: 10.99 USD / Lowest: 11.88 USD
💵 Coupon: BG6443da
-6- LILYGO T-Display-S3 ESP32-S3 1.9 inch ST7789 LCD Display Development Board
🌐 https://bit.ly/3WGLCyI
🥇 Price: 11.99 USD / Lowest: 14.99 USD
✂️ Coupon: BG724912
-7- XY-UDP Digital USB DC Converter
🌍 https://bit.ly/3WL5u3D
👉 Price: 12.99 USD / Lowest: 12.99 USD
⏳ Coupon: BG3aa3e2
-8- Lenovo Thinkplus TU110 USB3.2 Flash Drive 128GB
👌 https://bit.ly/44yD9Rz
👉 Price: 13.59 USD / Lowest: 13.99 USD
-9- WOLF TF270 104 Keys Wired Gaming Keyboard Mouse Combo
🌍 https://bit.ly/3oLDdxd
👉 Price: 13.99 USD / Lowest: 14.99 USD
-10- Battery Energy Storage Spot Welding Machine with Shell
🌍 https://bit.ly/43fr175
📉 Price: 14.99 USD / Lowest: 24.85 USD
⏳ Coupon: BGab3790
-11- Microdrive MD223C USB3.0 Type-C 256GB Pendrive
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-12- M.2 NVME SSD Case USB3.0 x2 Type-C M2 NVME SSD Enclosure 10Gbps
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🚨 Price: 15.99 USD / Lowest: 15.99 USD
-13- DIGOO Weather Station with Projection
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-14- Mibro Earbuds 2 Earbuds Bluetooth 5.3
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💲 Price: 15.99 USD / Lowest: 18.99 USD
-15- SONOFF 4CH Pro R3 10A 2200W 4 Gang WiFi Smart Switch
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-16- GUUDGO 10 LED 1080P IP Camera
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-17- 2pcs Baofeng Walkie Talkie BF-88E PMR 0.5W
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-18- LILYGO T-Display-S3 Touch Glass Edition 1.9inch LCD Module
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-19- Geekcreit UNOR3 Basic Starter Learning Kit
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-20- S3 Monitor Light Bar Computer Eye Protection Lamp
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-21- FOXSUR 12V 24V 10A Car Battery Charger
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-22- Geekcreit DIY Imitate Glow Clock Kit
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📌 Coupon: BG59602d
-23- Royal Kludge RK71 Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard Ice Blue
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-24- Royal Kludge RK61 Keyboard
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-25- UGREEN HiTune X5 Bluetooth 5.2 Earphones aptX
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-26- Royal Kludge RK61 Triple Mode Mechanical Keyboard
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-27- 600x2400x5mm Marine Flooring Faux Teak EVA [EU]
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-29- Mohoo Woodworking Sharpening System Honing Guide Sharpening Holder [EU]
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-30- ACMER Laser Equipment Honeycomb Working Table 400x400mm [EU]
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⭕️ Price: 41.99 USD / Lowest: 44.99 USD
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-31- UNI-T Digital Clamp Meter UT202BT
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💣 Price: 45.99 USD / Lowest: 45.99 USD
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-32- ACMER-C1 Air Pump Assist System for Laser Engraving Machine [EU]
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💣 Price: 54.99 USD / Lowest: 59.99 USD
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-33- YK75 84 Keys Mechanical Keyboard Tri-Mode OUTEMU
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-34- Dancing Wings Hobby E31 J3 FireBird 600mm PP RC Airplane KIT+Power Combo
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〽️ Price: 59.99 USD / Lowest: -1 USD
-35- ACMER R10 Laser Engraver Closure with Vent [EU]
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💰 Price: 64.99 USD / Lowest: -1 USD
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-36- WPL C54-1 1/16 LC80 RC Crawler
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📉 Price: 70.99 USD / Lowest: -1 USD
-37- ANBERNIC RG35XX 64GB Handheld Game Console
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〽️ Price: 74.99 USD / Lowest: 74.99 USD
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-38- Alldocube iPlay 50 Mini T606 4/64GB 8.4 Inch Android 13 Tablet
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🔹 Price: 95.99 USD / Lowest: 89.99 USD
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-39- VolantexRC Mini Mustang P-51D V2 EPP 400mm RC Airplane
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👉 Price: 97.99 USD / Lowest: -1 USD
-40- Happymodel Mobula6 65mm 1S Drone BNF Nano 3
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🔹 Price: 105.99 USD / Lowest: -1 USD
-41- XIAOVV 4CH 3MP Security Camera System H.265+ P2P 5X Zoom
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✌️ Price: 119.99 USD / Lowest: 129.99 USD
🔓 Coupon: BG933ce1
-42- OWON XDM1241 Digital Multimeter
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🔹 Price: 125.99 USD / Lowest: 115.99 USD
-43- N-One NPad Plus MTK8183 8/128GB 10.4 Inch 2K Android 12 Tablet [EU]
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👌 Price: 129.99 USD / Lowest: 129.99 USD
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-44- DarwinFPV BabyApe II Analog 156mm F411 FC 30A 4S / 6S Drone
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💲 Price: 148.99 USD / Lowest: 148.99 USD
-45- Blackview Tab 11 T618 8/128GB 4G 10.4 Inch Tablet [EU]
👉 https://bit.ly/43z0wZZ
💣 Price: 169.99 USD / Lowest: 169.99 USD
-46- MINGDA Magician X 3D Printer [EU]
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🔹 Price: 279.00 USD / Lowest: 289.99 USD
✂️ Coupon: BGeadd3f
-47- ACMER P1 Laser Engraver 10W [EU]
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-48- ATOMSTACK S10 PRO Flagship Laser Engraving Cutting Machine
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🥇 Price: 302.00 USD / Lowest: 359 USD
🔖 Coupon: BG8a33b4
-49- Mankeel MK083 8.5inch 350W 36V 7.8Ah Electric Scooter [EU]
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⭕️ Price: 319.99 USD / Lowest: 319.99 USD
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-50- SYL 13 5000mAh 36V 600Wx2 Electric Skateboard [EU]
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💥 Price: 369.99 USD / Lowest: 369.99 USD
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-51- X7 36V 5Ah 350W 8.5inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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-52- X7 36V 5Ah 350W 10inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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💲 Price: 409.99 USD / Lowest: 419.99 USD
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-53- MEGAWHEELS A5 36V 7.8Ah 350W 9inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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-54- X8 36V 10Ah 350W 10inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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-55- MEGAWHEELS A11 36V 7.8Ah 350W 10inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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-56- MINGDA Magician Pro 3D Printer [EU]
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-57- Xming Q3MAX Projector 1080P
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-58- Dogebos K202 48V 15Ah 500W 10inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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💲 Price: 549.99 USD / Lowest: 559.99 USD
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-59- MEGAWHEELS D12 36V 10.4Ah 350W 9inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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👉 Price: 569.99 USD / Lowest: 569.99 USD
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-60- ACMER P2 Laser Engraver 20W [EU]
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-61- GTS 01 7.5Ah 36V 1200Wx2 Electric Skateboard [EU]
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🚨 Price: 579.99 USD / Lowest: 579.99 USD
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-62- H1 250W 36V 10Ah 14inch Electric Bicycle [EU]
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〽️ Price: 589.99 USD / Lowest: 599.99 USD
👉 Coupon: BGe47ce6
-63- X9 PLUS 36V 15.6Ah 500W 10inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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📉 Price: 649.99 USD / Lowest: 669.99 USD
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-64- Mankeel MK089 36V 10.4Ah 500W 10inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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〽️ Price: 719.99 USD / Lowest: 739.99 USD
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-65- X9 PROMAX 48V 15.6Ah 550W 10inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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🚨 Price: 729.99 USD / Lowest: 739.99 USD
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-66- KAISDA K7 36V 12.5Ah 350W 20inch Electric Bicycle [EU]
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📉 Price: 829.99 USD / Lowest: 779.99 USD
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-67- FAFREES 20F054 36V 250W 10Ah 20inch Electric Bicycle [EU]
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-68- Accolmile 36V 10.5Ah 250W Electric Bicycle [EU]
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👉 Coupon: BG87e8f4
-69- FAFREES FF91 48V 1000W 10Ah 26x4.0inch Electric Bicycle [EU]
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-70- KETELES K820 1000W 48V 18Ah Electric Bicycle [EU]
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-71- GUNAI MX60 500W 48V 15Ah 27.5 Inch Electric Bicycle [EU]
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-72- K2-P PRO 48V 15Ah 750W Electric Bicycle [EU]
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-73- BURCHDA R8WS 48V 20Ah 800W 20x4.0inch Electric Bike [EU]
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-74- Friend 10.5Ah 48V 750W Electric Bicycle [EU]
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-75- DYU FF500 48V 14Ah 500W 20inch Electric Bicycle [EU]
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-76- YUME M10 60V 22.5Ah 2400W 10inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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-77- DYU King 750 48V 20Ah 750W Electric Bicycle [EU]
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-78- YUME X11+ 60V 30Ah 3000Wx2 11inch Electric Scooter [EU]
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✌️ Price: 1859.99 USD / Lowest: 1859.99 USD
Products compilation image: https://i.imgur.com/e2heVRB.jpeg or https://i.ibb.co/L0d1BV9/ed7cb35ba2d5.jpg
submitted by r3crac to couponsfromchina [link] [comments]


2023.06.01 18:14 Trash-panda-art I am trying to grow my hair 16" longer, any advice from the pros?

So i got the big chop i am turning 30 next year and i want to really focus on getting myself in a good place. i have wanted long hair my entire life, 16" will bring it to the bottom of my rib kinda area and that is as long as i want to go, i cut out all the bleach and dye. i am doing rice water once a week, i am doing the hair massage once a day and i have ordered some biotin and i trimmed my hair. since the 15/05/2023 i have grown about an inch worth of hair so i am assuming what i am doing is working fairly well. any advice from the long hair pros? I don't drink enough water per day (i am changing that) but bar that i don't know anything else i could or should do, i sleep in a silk bonnet due to my hair being wavy (yet it seams to be going back to its curly curly ways)
submitted by Trash-panda-art to longhair [link] [comments]