Evans & browne's funeral home obituaries
Hi. How can I feel less stuck given my family situation?
2023.03.23 06:01 Kadowit1000 Hi. How can I feel less stuck given my family situation?
Hi. Can anyone help me/give your thoughts on my situation?
Some context, I am a 37 year old female. My mother divorced by father (who was mentally and physically abusive) when I was 2 and I’ve not seen or heard from him since. My mother re-married not long after the divorce, and her second husband (let’s call him D) is a bit less physically less abusive, but more mentally abusive. She has 2 sons with D, he has no other children.
Growing up, D always favoured his sons over me, and took every opportunity to belittle and threaten me. As far as I can remember, on a weekly basis he would tell me (when my mother wasn’t around) that I am fat, I smell bad, I am a waste of money why can’t my own father support me. Once I spoke back and he threatened to beat me up. Ever since that incident, he has threatened to beat me up regularly, though he never did (twice he almost did, but I ran out of the house and waited for my mother to come back, and came back with her). My mother forced him to put me through college (which was 80% paid for by loans on my name which I am still paying off), so every single night (including on my birthday) after my mother went to bed he would call me and to tell me to drop out of college and go to work so he can retire. After I graduated, he takes credit and tells all his friends and acquaintances that he supported his wife’s daughter from a previous marriage through college.
I wanted to find some sliver of happiness so I had a string of relationships between the ages 20 to 30. Some of the men were good men who are now happily married, though all were completely wrong for me. Having what I realised at a later stage was very low self esteem, as long as a man wanted to be in a relationship with me I would grab it as I thought no one could ever want to be with me. Since the age of 30, I have realised relationships were not bringing any happiness to my life, so I stopped being in them, and have been single since. I do regret not being more discerning in my youth and finding a good life partner, and I was in an accident at age 33 which left me slightly disabled, so the relationship ship (no pun intended) for my life has sailed. I don’t have many friends either.
Since the age of 25 I have been supporting & living with my mother and D, thought I am not on talking terms with D for the past couple of years. I wanted to cut contact with him after I graduated college, but my mother told me I’d be breaking up the family, and to be grateful that D supported me when my own father did not. It was then that I told he about all the abuse that went on behind her back but she did not relent and continued to insist that I treat D well and with respect. I suspect she suspected some parts of the abuse but never called it out. D used to take full advantage of this and would expect me to run errands or do work for him at the drop of a hat. If I asked him to wait he would raise his voice and tell me I’m being ungrateful. All this came to a head during the pandemic when I had to work from home. One day I just broke down and told my mom and D that if this continued I would be forced to quit my job because I can’t have a full time job and be D’s full time secretary at the same time. There was a lot of shouting and tears, since then D refuses to speak to me (which is fine by me) and gives me withering looks whenever we see each other (which I try to minimise). My half-brothers are married and are living separately. They will come by 3-4 times a month for a meal with my mother and D, sometimes they will bring a snack or some chocolates for me, I don’t know if they give her or D any money during their visits.
Living with my mother and D is quite painful, I feel suffocated at home because my mother is constantly asking me to do tasks around the house, and laying a lot of burden on me for her personal activities e.g. I must take her to the mall every weekend, if I don’t take her for the whole next week she will be very passive aggressive, “Oh I don’t have black pepper, if only you had taken me to the mall last weekend, but oh I know you’re very busy”, and just giving me random errands (carry the groceries home from the car – something she is very capable of doing, imo she is just lazy/likes to boss me around). For context, the kitchen has 2 fridges, I buy and cook all my food separately, she and her husband manage their food separately (which is mainly tv dinners) – on this too she will get passive aggressive “Wow your food looks so good, if only someone will cook for me such good food, but I have to eat this frozen food”. I work, I cook and clean up after myself, and run all my errands by myself.
She does do some things for me, like she’ll wash the dishes, but I’m fine to do it myself, she insists on doing it regardless, and will get upset if I do it. If I let her she will clean my room too, but I don’t allow it as when she comes in room the first thing she’ll do it look for anything new I may have bought e.g. a top, or an organiser, comment how nice it is, ask me where I got it from, and ask if I could buy the same thing for her the next time I go there. She will remember this and whenever she knows I will be going to the place, she will ask me to buy her the item until I do. Every conversation with her will end up with her asking me to run an errand for her.
If I’m being honest, what has kept me going all this time is a vague notion that if I had a pet, things would be better. Both my mother and D absolutely refuse to get a pet or allow me to get a pet as they say it would be dirty and smelly. 2 weeks ago a friend had to travel urgently as her mother passed on suddenly, and I live the closest to her so she dropped off her dog (the most adorable little jrt with the most soulful brown eyes) and told me to help with the arrangements for its care with a boarder. I decided to take care of the dog myself (which was fine with my friend) to see how life would be with a dog. I loved its company, it was great to have someone to smile and laugh with in the house, and it was lovely to have some company that didn’t demand any work for the privilege of a conversation. However, having that dog did not bring happiness in to my life the way I expected it would, and it was a lot of work (feeding, walking, etc.) and expenses (food, equipment) especially given my disability, so I have decided to not get a pet.
Now to my issue – I am very, very unhappy with my life. I just feel so tired and worn out.
Growing up my mother always tried to save me from the abuse of my father and D, and basically forced D to put me through college, so I feel obligated towards her. I also suspect she may be coming down with some age related illnesses, though all her medical tests so far have come back clean.
I am at a loss on how to make my life better, and be less unhappy. I’ve been considering moving out, but every cent of my money is tied up in this house I have bought (still paying off the mortgage) in which we all stay, and my mother would be heartbroken if I leave.
Could someone help me? Am I just being very petty/ungrateful? How can I not feel sad and stuck all the time.
Thank you.
submitted by Kadowit1000 to Advice [link] [comments]
Some context, I am a 37 year old female. My mother divorced by father (who was mentally and physically abusive) when I was 2 and I’ve not seen or heard from him since. My mother re-married not long after the divorce, and her second husband (let’s call him D) is a bit less physically less abusive, but more mentally abusive. She has 2 sons with D, he has no other children.
Growing up, D always favoured his sons over me, and took every opportunity to belittle and threaten me. As far as I can remember, on a weekly basis he would tell me (when my mother wasn’t around) that I am fat, I smell bad, I am a waste of money why can’t my own father support me. Once I spoke back and he threatened to beat me up. Ever since that incident, he has threatened to beat me up regularly, though he never did (twice he almost did, but I ran out of the house and waited for my mother to come back, and came back with her). My mother forced him to put me through college (which was 80% paid for by loans on my name which I am still paying off), so every single night (including on my birthday) after my mother went to bed he would call me and to tell me to drop out of college and go to work so he can retire. After I graduated, he takes credit and tells all his friends and acquaintances that he supported his wife’s daughter from a previous marriage through college.
I wanted to find some sliver of happiness so I had a string of relationships between the ages 20 to 30. Some of the men were good men who are now happily married, though all were completely wrong for me. Having what I realised at a later stage was very low self esteem, as long as a man wanted to be in a relationship with me I would grab it as I thought no one could ever want to be with me. Since the age of 30, I have realised relationships were not bringing any happiness to my life, so I stopped being in them, and have been single since. I do regret not being more discerning in my youth and finding a good life partner, and I was in an accident at age 33 which left me slightly disabled, so the relationship ship (no pun intended) for my life has sailed. I don’t have many friends either.
Since the age of 25 I have been supporting & living with my mother and D, thought I am not on talking terms with D for the past couple of years. I wanted to cut contact with him after I graduated college, but my mother told me I’d be breaking up the family, and to be grateful that D supported me when my own father did not. It was then that I told he about all the abuse that went on behind her back but she did not relent and continued to insist that I treat D well and with respect. I suspect she suspected some parts of the abuse but never called it out. D used to take full advantage of this and would expect me to run errands or do work for him at the drop of a hat. If I asked him to wait he would raise his voice and tell me I’m being ungrateful. All this came to a head during the pandemic when I had to work from home. One day I just broke down and told my mom and D that if this continued I would be forced to quit my job because I can’t have a full time job and be D’s full time secretary at the same time. There was a lot of shouting and tears, since then D refuses to speak to me (which is fine by me) and gives me withering looks whenever we see each other (which I try to minimise). My half-brothers are married and are living separately. They will come by 3-4 times a month for a meal with my mother and D, sometimes they will bring a snack or some chocolates for me, I don’t know if they give her or D any money during their visits.
Living with my mother and D is quite painful, I feel suffocated at home because my mother is constantly asking me to do tasks around the house, and laying a lot of burden on me for her personal activities e.g. I must take her to the mall every weekend, if I don’t take her for the whole next week she will be very passive aggressive, “Oh I don’t have black pepper, if only you had taken me to the mall last weekend, but oh I know you’re very busy”, and just giving me random errands (carry the groceries home from the car – something she is very capable of doing, imo she is just lazy/likes to boss me around). For context, the kitchen has 2 fridges, I buy and cook all my food separately, she and her husband manage their food separately (which is mainly tv dinners) – on this too she will get passive aggressive “Wow your food looks so good, if only someone will cook for me such good food, but I have to eat this frozen food”. I work, I cook and clean up after myself, and run all my errands by myself.
She does do some things for me, like she’ll wash the dishes, but I’m fine to do it myself, she insists on doing it regardless, and will get upset if I do it. If I let her she will clean my room too, but I don’t allow it as when she comes in room the first thing she’ll do it look for anything new I may have bought e.g. a top, or an organiser, comment how nice it is, ask me where I got it from, and ask if I could buy the same thing for her the next time I go there. She will remember this and whenever she knows I will be going to the place, she will ask me to buy her the item until I do. Every conversation with her will end up with her asking me to run an errand for her.
If I’m being honest, what has kept me going all this time is a vague notion that if I had a pet, things would be better. Both my mother and D absolutely refuse to get a pet or allow me to get a pet as they say it would be dirty and smelly. 2 weeks ago a friend had to travel urgently as her mother passed on suddenly, and I live the closest to her so she dropped off her dog (the most adorable little jrt with the most soulful brown eyes) and told me to help with the arrangements for its care with a boarder. I decided to take care of the dog myself (which was fine with my friend) to see how life would be with a dog. I loved its company, it was great to have someone to smile and laugh with in the house, and it was lovely to have some company that didn’t demand any work for the privilege of a conversation. However, having that dog did not bring happiness in to my life the way I expected it would, and it was a lot of work (feeding, walking, etc.) and expenses (food, equipment) especially given my disability, so I have decided to not get a pet.
Now to my issue – I am very, very unhappy with my life. I just feel so tired and worn out.
Growing up my mother always tried to save me from the abuse of my father and D, and basically forced D to put me through college, so I feel obligated towards her. I also suspect she may be coming down with some age related illnesses, though all her medical tests so far have come back clean.
I am at a loss on how to make my life better, and be less unhappy. I’ve been considering moving out, but every cent of my money is tied up in this house I have bought (still paying off the mortgage) in which we all stay, and my mother would be heartbroken if I leave.
Could someone help me? Am I just being very petty/ungrateful? How can I not feel sad and stuck all the time.
Thank you.
2023.03.23 05:24 Secret-Lock-8601 MIL Upset over Fuzzy Socks (RANT)
I'm SOOO sorry if this is all over the place. I'm just so angry.
There are only two people I hate.
- My sister because when I was 10 years old and she was 12, she would physically assault me up over everything. I wouldn't let her wear my pants. She starts hitting me. I wouldn't give her money. She starts hitting me. She did this until she was kicked out at 25 years old (I was 23).
- My MIL.
If she would die tomorrow, I would not go to her funeral.
I use to have an okay relationship with my MIL. We weren't close, but we can talk and be in the same room just fine. I moved in with my boyfriend and his family during my junior year of college and within a couple of months I saw how my MIL truly was.
It started off with her coming home from a vacation and she yelled at my boyfriend and I for the the "messy house." It was a Sunday at 1 pm and the "mess" was a single spoon in the sink. My boyfriend and I cleaned the entire house (vacuum, mop, etc) all morning long.
MIL has put a lot of "nails in the coffin" of this relationship.
Nail 1: My BIL (Brother in law) and BF got into an argument over my BF car. (BIL wanted to borrow it, but has a history of leaving a mess and no gas). Also it's my BF car, he pays for all of it (insurance/ monthly payments). But yet, MIL still sided with BIL (she always does). For whatever reason, after that fight, she pulled me to the side and said, "I hope you don't have kids." all because when my BF was 14 years old he sold weed one time (or tried to)..... Hasn't done it since. (29 years old).
That hurt me. He was 14. He was a dumb kid. Since then, he went to college, graduated with honors, did a shit ton of volunteer work. You're seriously going to hold something that is 10+ years old over his head?!
So I was pissed. She asked me to not tell my BF, but F U C K that. I told him. She knew I was pissed and her apology was, "I'm sorry I came to you as an adult." I told her that wasn't an apology and she just walked away.
She ended up unfriending me on social media (Facebook/Instagram). LMAO
A few months go on and she asked if I wanted to get my nails done, but due to school I'm unable to have my nails done. So I tell her no, and I tell her why. She didn't seem mad at the time. That happened in April 2022.
Janurary of this year, she comes up at me and say, "I have an extra pair of valentines socks, do you want them?" I told her no, that I don't like Valentines as a holiday. She wasn't mad. Just said okay and walked away.
On Valentines Day, my BF and I are getting ready to go get dinner. We normally don't celebrate Valentines day, BUT there was a resturant that we have been wanting to try but it's stupid expensive & we needed an excuse to go. This was it. I also have my nails done, because my friend is learning how to do them and I'm her test subject. I'm also allowed to have them because this semester is all online.
So as I'm getting ready (literally jeans and a red top), MIL keeps making passive aggressive comments like, "cute nails.... thought you didn't like getting them done?" "You look nice... thought you hated valentines day?"
It's started an argument between my MIL and my BF and I.
- "Im sorry I don't remember every single stupid detail of her life." I guess asking someone you have known for 7 years to know your birthday is "stupid."
- "She has be the victim. I feel like I'm walking around eggshells with you two!" When we asked BIL to help more with the cleaning. He woudl slam the dishes down and then bang the vacuum on our bedroom door.... He is 23 years old.
- "She is just so rude." Her "rude" story of me, is that I didn't offer my BIL and his GF a slice of pizza because they just walked in from eating out. But she ignores that when her own husband is insulting her and saying that what she is wearing is ugly, I'm the only person defending her. Well, that wont happen anymore.
- "She doesn't talk to anyone. All she says "it's fine" like a parrot." I don't talk to her because within a single weekend she asked the same question over and over again. She doesn't remember anything you say. Oh and she has walked away in the middle of me talking.
Obviously the fight didn't end well, and we missed our dinner date.
The silent treatment doesn't bother me. I actually find it funny, because during the first few weeks she couldn't be in the same room as me. She would see me in a room, leave, and then when I leave, I would hear her walk to that room. She would purposefully take the "long" way through the house just so she doesn't have to walk past me.
But I draw the line of the petty and immature silent treatment when it comes to a serious event.
Nail 2: I had a very close aunt of mine pass away. As my BF and I were getting ready to go to the funeral, FIl was saying how sorry he was and he wished he could make it. MIL just stared at me. Not saying anything. When I leave the room, she is telling my BF how sorry she is. You're that upset over some damn socks?!
I told my BF she will never see our kids. That I will be staying home on holidays. & that she is going to be put in a retirement home.
There are so many stories that I wasn't sure where to start. So I'm sorry for this mess.
I. Hate. Her.
Edit: A lot a grammar mistakes.
submitted by Secret-Lock-8601 to motherinlawsfromhell [link] [comments]
There are only two people I hate.
- My sister because when I was 10 years old and she was 12, she would physically assault me up over everything. I wouldn't let her wear my pants. She starts hitting me. I wouldn't give her money. She starts hitting me. She did this until she was kicked out at 25 years old (I was 23).
- My MIL.
If she would die tomorrow, I would not go to her funeral.
I use to have an okay relationship with my MIL. We weren't close, but we can talk and be in the same room just fine. I moved in with my boyfriend and his family during my junior year of college and within a couple of months I saw how my MIL truly was.
It started off with her coming home from a vacation and she yelled at my boyfriend and I for the the "messy house." It was a Sunday at 1 pm and the "mess" was a single spoon in the sink. My boyfriend and I cleaned the entire house (vacuum, mop, etc) all morning long.
MIL has put a lot of "nails in the coffin" of this relationship.
Nail 1: My BIL (Brother in law) and BF got into an argument over my BF car. (BIL wanted to borrow it, but has a history of leaving a mess and no gas). Also it's my BF car, he pays for all of it (insurance/ monthly payments). But yet, MIL still sided with BIL (she always does). For whatever reason, after that fight, she pulled me to the side and said, "I hope you don't have kids." all because when my BF was 14 years old he sold weed one time (or tried to)..... Hasn't done it since. (29 years old).
That hurt me. He was 14. He was a dumb kid. Since then, he went to college, graduated with honors, did a shit ton of volunteer work. You're seriously going to hold something that is 10+ years old over his head?!
So I was pissed. She asked me to not tell my BF, but F U C K that. I told him. She knew I was pissed and her apology was, "I'm sorry I came to you as an adult." I told her that wasn't an apology and she just walked away.
She ended up unfriending me on social media (Facebook/Instagram). LMAO
A few months go on and she asked if I wanted to get my nails done, but due to school I'm unable to have my nails done. So I tell her no, and I tell her why. She didn't seem mad at the time. That happened in April 2022.
Janurary of this year, she comes up at me and say, "I have an extra pair of valentines socks, do you want them?" I told her no, that I don't like Valentines as a holiday. She wasn't mad. Just said okay and walked away.
On Valentines Day, my BF and I are getting ready to go get dinner. We normally don't celebrate Valentines day, BUT there was a resturant that we have been wanting to try but it's stupid expensive & we needed an excuse to go. This was it. I also have my nails done, because my friend is learning how to do them and I'm her test subject. I'm also allowed to have them because this semester is all online.
So as I'm getting ready (literally jeans and a red top), MIL keeps making passive aggressive comments like, "cute nails.... thought you didn't like getting them done?" "You look nice... thought you hated valentines day?"
It's started an argument between my MIL and my BF and I.
- "Im sorry I don't remember every single stupid detail of her life." I guess asking someone you have known for 7 years to know your birthday is "stupid."
- "She has be the victim. I feel like I'm walking around eggshells with you two!" When we asked BIL to help more with the cleaning. He woudl slam the dishes down and then bang the vacuum on our bedroom door.... He is 23 years old.
- "She is just so rude." Her "rude" story of me, is that I didn't offer my BIL and his GF a slice of pizza because they just walked in from eating out. But she ignores that when her own husband is insulting her and saying that what she is wearing is ugly, I'm the only person defending her. Well, that wont happen anymore.
- "She doesn't talk to anyone. All she says "it's fine" like a parrot." I don't talk to her because within a single weekend she asked the same question over and over again. She doesn't remember anything you say. Oh and she has walked away in the middle of me talking.
Obviously the fight didn't end well, and we missed our dinner date.
The silent treatment doesn't bother me. I actually find it funny, because during the first few weeks she couldn't be in the same room as me. She would see me in a room, leave, and then when I leave, I would hear her walk to that room. She would purposefully take the "long" way through the house just so she doesn't have to walk past me.
But I draw the line of the petty and immature silent treatment when it comes to a serious event.
Nail 2: I had a very close aunt of mine pass away. As my BF and I were getting ready to go to the funeral, FIl was saying how sorry he was and he wished he could make it. MIL just stared at me. Not saying anything. When I leave the room, she is telling my BF how sorry she is. You're that upset over some damn socks?!
I told my BF she will never see our kids. That I will be staying home on holidays. & that she is going to be put in a retirement home.
There are so many stories that I wasn't sure where to start. So I'm sorry for this mess.
I. Hate. Her.
Edit: A lot a grammar mistakes.
2023.03.23 04:44 Dry-Neat-2818 My bullies died, and it healed me.
Warning: dark rant
TW: bullying, car accident, self harm
The Netflix K-drama ‘The Glory’ took me to a dark place that I had forgotten.
From ages 12-16 I was bullied in school. I was a middle class kid in a school where the toppers were from families where both parents were English speakers, generational Mumbaiite professionals or business elite. My parents are Hindi Medium vernies who migrated to Mumbai in the 80’s with a plate and a spoon between them. My Mom was a SAHM who was my homework assistant and tutor. She taught herself English from some tutorials starting from when I started the alphabet. She read all my textbooks in all languages before it was taught. She went over everything the teacher taught everyday and that propelled me into being the school topper for my grade nearly every term.
That was a problem, because everyone else from a background like mine scored between 50-60%, couldn’t speak English without the accent they acquired from home, didn’t have the confidence to participate in extra curriculars and inter school competitions and actually win them. That glory belonged to the ‘Elites’, the ones with homes facing the Sea or close to it, whose parents came for the Open House and discussed their grades and performance with their teachers in SoBo English.
My mom was the only mother who showed up in a Sari and insisted that the teachers speak to her in Hindi and explain why my grades were lesser than they could be. At our Open House, parents were to come and see their children’s answer sheets, speak to their teachers and get feedback for them. One time when I was in 6th grade, she grabbed the answer paper of an Elite who had beaten me by 2 marks, took it to the teachers and asked us why she scored me less when the answers were the same. All the teachers fawned over the elites and knew which papers belonged to them, many of them scored according to their whims and fancies in subjects other than Maths and Sciences.
I was an uppity vernie who was daring to punch above my aukaat. My school life after this incident with my mom exposing the partiality in front of 60 students and parents, became hell. I was bullied by the Elite girls no matter which class I ended up in, in grade after grade. From how I looked, the food in my tiffin, my parents being small town yokels, my school bag, my umbrella- nothing was off limits.
I developed clinical body dysphoria and hated every part of my body. I was marginally plump but believed I was obese and overweight and developed eating disorders. I had big lips and frizzy hair and the elites called me ‘hapshee’. (Years later, as a student in grad school in Manhattan I was told I look like Angelina Jolie).
I developed so much body hatred I subconsciously started picking and eating the flesh of my nail beds until they bled. This was disgusting to everyone around me and being in public made me do it fervently. My parents couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to go out with them to any event, be it family weddings or social gatherings, where I used to be an extrovert and social. And I believed I was completely unloveable, that even my parents were faking their love for me. I lost my ability to trust because a few elites made friends with me to access my study notes and then told everyone how dirty and cheap my building and home were.
I entered college, socially and mentally destroyed. I have had social and generalized anxiety until well into my 20’s. The inability to trust and body hatred meant that I didn’t date, nor open myself to the countless classmates who actually saw me as I am. I was an 8 who felt like a 2. I had dreamt of doing great things, travelling abroad for education and making the world a better place as a child. In my 20’s I just wanted to while my time and wait for death, no interest in love, career or anything at all. I was clinically depressed throughout my 20’s and my parents traumatized from what happened to their brilliant daughter. I told them I was suicidal and happy to die whenever they brought up my attitude. I ended up in a nightmare AM with an abuser, which is just symptomatic of what I was like inside, a beaten up little girl.
Then I turned my life around, beat my self hatred, depression, anxiety and became the Boss Lady I was meant to be, graduated from World’s number 1 university, topped my post grad program, worked at the UN, travelled, made friends of different nationalities, published a journal, became a magazine editor and the Star of my life.
Because - I found out that my bullies died in a car accident, in their 20’s.
Of the 4 Elites who had led the bullying campaign against me, 2 were crushed by the truck that hit their car so thoroughly they had to make do with mangled pulp for the funeral. Their parents were destroyed and their Rona Dhona became front page news because they came from old money families with listed companies. Every year, their families publish expensive obituaries and visit orphanages and I spit at the paper and wonder why they didn’t have this humanity and parenting drive while raising them. The other 2 girls suffered spinal and brain injuries and never got married or had a shot at career success. I’m on their FB and for a long time posted updates glorifying my life and success and imagined them seeing those. I was by no means their only target obviously, the ones who were at the bottom of the grading hierarchy were picked at for that too. Also, if god forbid, you had any body imperfections - that became your Nick name.
When I found out about this tragedy, it’s like a bulb went off in my brain. I’ve discussed this in therapy and my therapist isn’t any clearer than I am, why this gory, ghastly tragedy pulled me out of the darkness and onto the path that was always mine, as the brilliant, hard working, middle class girl with big dreams.
I might be a bad person by some definition for being so positively transformed by the death and suffering of sociopathic narcissists. I might have some condition. All I know is I look forward to the death anniversary announcement in the newspapers so I can spit on those faces that convinced me I was a lesser being, undeserving of love, humanity, friendship or even living. I don’t know if that makes me a sadist.
All I know is, bullying is no a minor offense, it can change the mental and emotional reality of a child with perfectly fine parenting, it can destroy their educational and career potential, their ability to be happy or to even live. I know this because when Karma came for my bullies it somehow undid all the damage they had done. Justice is not Justice unless it is restorative.
Bullying does not kill someone directly, but it can and has killed many lives because the bullied keep living less and less.
Bullies are criminals who deserve prison and death penalty and I have zero compassion or empathy for any bully who tastes their Karma.
If you have been bullied PLEASE initiate your healing, therapy, self work, whatever you can manage. You deserve the life you were gifted with, even if the lies convince you that you don’t. The Bible has a quote that shook me when I read it - the devil is a liar.
You are worthy.
submitted by Dry-Neat-2818 to TwoXIndia [link] [comments]
TW: bullying, car accident, self harm
The Netflix K-drama ‘The Glory’ took me to a dark place that I had forgotten.
From ages 12-16 I was bullied in school. I was a middle class kid in a school where the toppers were from families where both parents were English speakers, generational Mumbaiite professionals or business elite. My parents are Hindi Medium vernies who migrated to Mumbai in the 80’s with a plate and a spoon between them. My Mom was a SAHM who was my homework assistant and tutor. She taught herself English from some tutorials starting from when I started the alphabet. She read all my textbooks in all languages before it was taught. She went over everything the teacher taught everyday and that propelled me into being the school topper for my grade nearly every term.
That was a problem, because everyone else from a background like mine scored between 50-60%, couldn’t speak English without the accent they acquired from home, didn’t have the confidence to participate in extra curriculars and inter school competitions and actually win them. That glory belonged to the ‘Elites’, the ones with homes facing the Sea or close to it, whose parents came for the Open House and discussed their grades and performance with their teachers in SoBo English.
My mom was the only mother who showed up in a Sari and insisted that the teachers speak to her in Hindi and explain why my grades were lesser than they could be. At our Open House, parents were to come and see their children’s answer sheets, speak to their teachers and get feedback for them. One time when I was in 6th grade, she grabbed the answer paper of an Elite who had beaten me by 2 marks, took it to the teachers and asked us why she scored me less when the answers were the same. All the teachers fawned over the elites and knew which papers belonged to them, many of them scored according to their whims and fancies in subjects other than Maths and Sciences.
I was an uppity vernie who was daring to punch above my aukaat. My school life after this incident with my mom exposing the partiality in front of 60 students and parents, became hell. I was bullied by the Elite girls no matter which class I ended up in, in grade after grade. From how I looked, the food in my tiffin, my parents being small town yokels, my school bag, my umbrella- nothing was off limits.
I developed clinical body dysphoria and hated every part of my body. I was marginally plump but believed I was obese and overweight and developed eating disorders. I had big lips and frizzy hair and the elites called me ‘hapshee’. (Years later, as a student in grad school in Manhattan I was told I look like Angelina Jolie).
I developed so much body hatred I subconsciously started picking and eating the flesh of my nail beds until they bled. This was disgusting to everyone around me and being in public made me do it fervently. My parents couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to go out with them to any event, be it family weddings or social gatherings, where I used to be an extrovert and social. And I believed I was completely unloveable, that even my parents were faking their love for me. I lost my ability to trust because a few elites made friends with me to access my study notes and then told everyone how dirty and cheap my building and home were.
I entered college, socially and mentally destroyed. I have had social and generalized anxiety until well into my 20’s. The inability to trust and body hatred meant that I didn’t date, nor open myself to the countless classmates who actually saw me as I am. I was an 8 who felt like a 2. I had dreamt of doing great things, travelling abroad for education and making the world a better place as a child. In my 20’s I just wanted to while my time and wait for death, no interest in love, career or anything at all. I was clinically depressed throughout my 20’s and my parents traumatized from what happened to their brilliant daughter. I told them I was suicidal and happy to die whenever they brought up my attitude. I ended up in a nightmare AM with an abuser, which is just symptomatic of what I was like inside, a beaten up little girl.
Then I turned my life around, beat my self hatred, depression, anxiety and became the Boss Lady I was meant to be, graduated from World’s number 1 university, topped my post grad program, worked at the UN, travelled, made friends of different nationalities, published a journal, became a magazine editor and the Star of my life.
Because - I found out that my bullies died in a car accident, in their 20’s.
Of the 4 Elites who had led the bullying campaign against me, 2 were crushed by the truck that hit their car so thoroughly they had to make do with mangled pulp for the funeral. Their parents were destroyed and their Rona Dhona became front page news because they came from old money families with listed companies. Every year, their families publish expensive obituaries and visit orphanages and I spit at the paper and wonder why they didn’t have this humanity and parenting drive while raising them. The other 2 girls suffered spinal and brain injuries and never got married or had a shot at career success. I’m on their FB and for a long time posted updates glorifying my life and success and imagined them seeing those. I was by no means their only target obviously, the ones who were at the bottom of the grading hierarchy were picked at for that too. Also, if god forbid, you had any body imperfections - that became your Nick name.
When I found out about this tragedy, it’s like a bulb went off in my brain. I’ve discussed this in therapy and my therapist isn’t any clearer than I am, why this gory, ghastly tragedy pulled me out of the darkness and onto the path that was always mine, as the brilliant, hard working, middle class girl with big dreams.
I might be a bad person by some definition for being so positively transformed by the death and suffering of sociopathic narcissists. I might have some condition. All I know is I look forward to the death anniversary announcement in the newspapers so I can spit on those faces that convinced me I was a lesser being, undeserving of love, humanity, friendship or even living. I don’t know if that makes me a sadist.
All I know is, bullying is no a minor offense, it can change the mental and emotional reality of a child with perfectly fine parenting, it can destroy their educational and career potential, their ability to be happy or to even live. I know this because when Karma came for my bullies it somehow undid all the damage they had done. Justice is not Justice unless it is restorative.
Bullying does not kill someone directly, but it can and has killed many lives because the bullied keep living less and less.
Bullies are criminals who deserve prison and death penalty and I have zero compassion or empathy for any bully who tastes their Karma.
If you have been bullied PLEASE initiate your healing, therapy, self work, whatever you can manage. You deserve the life you were gifted with, even if the lies convince you that you don’t. The Bible has a quote that shook me when I read it - the devil is a liar.
You are worthy.
2023.03.23 04:32 cruisingNW Detail Dive! -- Arxur
Hello, everyone! This series will be a supplement to all of my writings, and will go into detail on physical attributes, evolutionary stressors, and culture. Those of you familiar with my work will recognize much of this, but I wanted to more solidly centralize my understanding of each race. So far I have done Venlil.
Some Reference Art. it is my understanding these are posts by the original artist, and not shares or reposts. If this is wrong, please correct me, and I will credit the artist appropriately. This assessment will include several hyperlinks to referenced chapters and articles citing earth precedent. Due to Reddit’s character limit, these will be indicated `as this`, though the clickable link will be in a comment after the post.
Thank you u/Browneorum, u/Cornsquashbeans, u/Monarch357, u/Venlil, as well as AsciiSquid (aka u/SlimyRage), Asclepius, and Khazgbthagn for brainstorming this with me in discord, and thank you u/Huge-Judgment7404 for you input on Reddit!
This assessment is based on a combination of my personally accepted artistic depictions, linked above, canon references to the main story, including names, utterances, and physical descriptions, as well as input from influential authors and their works, who I will name along with their contributing sections. As of writing, there have been no canon commissioned art of Arxur, though SP15 has stated his preferred depictions are by u/Demon_Deity.
The first thing we must understand is that nearly every living Arxur is under the control of Betterment. Betterment is an arm of Arxur government that seeks to perfect Arxur-kind by way of Eugenics, behavioral conditioning, and propaganda. Examples of this include: denying medical assistance to undesirables, corporeal punishment akin to torture, a strict caste society emphasizing physical perfection and breeding, murder of leadership being an effective and recognized means to seize power, and confirmed as of ch100, controlling food supply to encourage obedience. Because of this, many of the aspects of Arxur appearance, behavior, and culture would have been very different pre-Betterment, and would become very different post-Betterment. With that understood:
Arxur bear some similarity to Earth crocodyliforms, however their advanced terrestrial state supports the notion that they have not occupied a semi-aquatic ambush predator niche for tens of millions of years. For an arxur-like sophont to have evolved a string of evolutionary pressures and subsequent adaptations must have occurred:
1. Movement onto land: A full terrestrial occupation would have been the first feature to have occurred. The crocodile bauplan is an evolutionary success story, emulated first in stem-tetrapods like Tiktaalik and Panderichthys ~150 million years before the first crocodilian. Their traits include a. eyes and nostrils placed high on the head to be vigilant whilst remaining beneath the waterline, b. a large, flattened skull filled with interlocking or pronounced teeth to trap prey, and c. a strong, paddle-like tail for aquatic movement.
All of these traits, whilst useful in the water, become hindrances on the land, but the face and head would be the first to change. Looking up is useful when you’re looking up at prey, but your vision would be better spent on eyes that can see where you’re going. Binocular vision, the ability to effectively gauge distance, would be most effective in a terrestrial predator. A large flat skull could work, amphibians get away with it (keeping in mind that they are all aquatic too), but such an animal becomes limited in that it can only eat what it can fit in its mouth. Most large carnivores tend to favor a longer, narrower snout that maximizes bite force and gape without compromising visual or olfactory capability. It also widens the zygomata (the cheekbones) for a stronger bite, and incidentally, frees up the back of the skull, allowing the brain to grow; the first tentative step toward sapience. Good comparisons would be baurusuchids, canids, and theropod dinosaurs.
The appendages would also have to change, the paddle-like tail would be reduced in favor of stronger, larger, more mobile limbs to move about on land.
This may seem like a colossal undertaking, but it is actually the most probable to occur. Populations become isolated all the time; all it would take is one river drying up over a prolonged period, one little pond that ran out of food, and the selection to move away from the water would take hold. Such changes have occurred in Earth’s history before, crocodiles have done so on a number of occasions; and indeed, one would be amiss to not point out that the entire tetrapod transition effectively occurred in this way. To use that metaphor fully: an Arxur is as different to their crocodile-like ancestors as early reptiles were to amphibians.
2. A more active lifestyle: But moving onto terra firma came with new difficulties. Where a crocodile is effectively a mouth in the river that waits for prey to come to drink, early Arxurids had to seek out their prey. Pursuit predation would not have been their earliest form of prey capture, as their anatomy would still be carrying a fair amount of aquatic baggage. Ambush would have remained their primary means of hunting, but their bodies would have to adapt to a different style of predation.
The primary means of prey capture by a crocodilian predator is a strong bite, inflicting major lacerations, shock and bleeding, whilst dragging the weakening prey into the water, where it is drowned. Simple, brutal, effective. But moving out onto land compromises this, making escape from a slow-moving reptile more likely. Moreover, the crocodile can no longer rely on the water to drown its target, so if the first bite does not subdue the prey, it will escape. As well, ambush is made more difficult by the lack of water; a crocodile is a big strong animal, but it is well hidden, no less, in the one thing a prey item cannot be without. If Arxurids were to survive they would need to be able to actively catch their prey. Here the changes would be subtler from the previous stage, more focused on the internal anatomy.
Firstly, the limbs must become more nimble, stronger, and capable of a longer stride. Crocodiles walk plantigrade (heel to toe, as humans do), and can move at great speed, but this is ineffective for a cursor. Their distal portion of each limb must be made longer, preferably with the extension of the digits into a digitigrade stance. A long, well-muscled tail, such as the early Arxur possessed from their crocodile-like ancestors, would become less flattened paddle, more thickened counterbalance.
Secondly, the loss of any impedance to the movement of the pelvis relative to the torso. True quadrupedal cursors, such as cheetah or greyhounds, maximize the length of their strides by stretching and shortening their mid-sections between each footfall. Early Arxur would not have been moving at such high speeds, but they would have still possessed gastralia (belly ribs) in their mid-sections that would have slowed them down considerably. Gastralia gotta go!
Thirdly, the teeth would have to change. All Terran reptiles have homogenous dental morphology, i.e., their teeth are just replicates of one another, most often simple pegs. Simple pegs are perfect for holding onto something, less so for cutting it up. Carnivorous reptiles (theropods, varanids, mosasaurs, etc.) all possess/ed flattened, serrated teeth. It is possible that Arxur may evolve further differentiation of their dentition, but on Earth this is a trait solely found in mammals. If such a change was to occur, the most probable justification would be an adaptation to a broader diet at this stage.
The final adaptation would be the next strong movement of the Arxurids away from animals and toward true sapients. Terrestrial predators must be able to strategize in a way their ancestors did not need to. They must take better stock of their senses, gauge the likelihood of injury and success. Many hunting animals are quite intelligent, but working alone can only get you so far. The next adaptation is probably the greatest yet, and requires a trait generally considered un-Arxur.
3. Group cooperation: Socialization; the act of interacting with others, of being social. All animals practice some form of socialization; dispute of territory, displays, mating, are all essential to an organism’s survival and all require some ability to communicate. Modern Arxur are complex social creatures, this much is evident from their behavior alone, but it is also a prerequisite to building a society. An Arxur who lives alone, no matter how intelligent, dies alone. They have no one to talk to, to share ideas, or songs, or art with. In short, they build no culture, and that clearly is not the case. At some stage in their evolution, they must have developed some capacity for cooperation.
Pack hunting would be the most sensible assumption; a group of Arxurids could bring down larger prey than one alone or permit the rearing of offspring whilst others are away. But all this comes with profound implications. On Earth, packs are family units, built around mating and/or dominant individuals. It’s a sensible strategy; if I can safeguard others (even better those who share genes with me) then they will safeguard me. This makes a lot of sense, obligately enforcing group cohesion around shared communal bonds. This, we should also recognise, is the start of empathy. As the American anthropologist Margaret Mead purportedly said, 'The first sign of civilisation is in the setting of a broken femur.'
Some subtle physiological changes would occur to facilitate socialization. Individual recognition would be paramount; is this my brother, my lover, or my enemy? Unique color patterns, perhaps around the eyes, would be a good starting point. Specific vocalization is also found amongst pack animals and would be a strong driver of cognition. Here a positive feedback loop could take hold; more interaction leads to more complex socialization and with-it greater cognition, that then adds to the strength of subsequent interactions.
At this point an Arxurid is equivalent to a hominid in human evolution, akin to a great ape.
4. Manual manipulation & bipedalism: One of the earliest questions in human evolution was whether or not our brains grew before our bodies did. Early australopithecines provide a clear answer: Lucy stood upright like a person but had a brain no bigger than a chimpanzees. The Arxur face a similar question; what came first: manual manipulation or bipedalism? On the face of it, it seems like a simple question; they clearly stood upright so that they could use tools. But this is a circular argument, where the effect is also ascribed to a cause, so we must look deeper.
The most reasonable argument would be prey/carcass manipulation. Where mammals have specialized teeth to help break down a big meal, reptiles tend to be more… violent with their food, having to toss their heads around and swallow big chunks. If the teeth are remaining more reptilian and dedicated to feeding, with only some heterogeneity, then having some dextrous, mobile hands makes sense. Most predators restrict the forelimbs to grappling with prey, using the head to deliver a killing stroke. Arxur would likely still do this, but having a strong set of hands might be selected for if they began hunting larger prey, as socialization would supply.
Thus, alterations to the pelvis and lower back would be needed, as well as anchorage of large muscles in the thigh and tail. This would result in a stiff seeming but strong lower section. Motion at the elbow, and the ability to pronate/supinate the hands would be critical but must be balanced against any impact to their primary (quadrupedal) form of movement. The shoulder would have to remain quite restricted to allow this; an Arxur probably couldn’t raise its arms directly upward (as in surrender) or draw a bow.
But this is the final push, and with the ability to alter your surroundings, strong binocular vision, social and communicative skills, and a growing brain, the Arxur would have been well on their way to sapience.
They have grey coloring over their whole body, however as a living creature, they would still be susceptible to albinism or melanism, though these may be cause for elimination by Betterment. The largest visual difference between individuals would be bone structure and Scale patterning. The exact location and quality of scales on their body would be determined by genetics, healing, early development, and even lifestyle, which would lead to patterns that are unique from one individual to the next. Scales would be different across their body, from nearly skin-like on creases and joints, to harder scales on belly, chest, neck, and pads of hands. The hardest scales would be found on the back of their neck, top of head, outside arms and biceps, and spinal column, and would be hard enough to protect against biting and slashing especially, with limited protection from low-yield munitions. Citing earth precedent, Reptiles of all sorts shed their skin as they grow or heal, and I feel the Arxur are no different. As their hide is so different across their body, they would have different manners of shed depending on the quality of scales. Hard scales like those found on the spine or outside arm would come off in Schutes, described as rigid keratinous flakes of the whole scale, while soft scales in high contact areas like inner joints would slough off in thin sheets.
Scarring appears differently on different parts of the body: hard scales such as back and arms would require deep cuts to scar, and the scale would heal over it completely, though the scar tissue would still be visible on the soft skin behind the scale. Soft scale areas, like the face and underarm, would appear to be scale-less and discolored darker. Given this method of healing, personal adornments would include mutilation such as tattoo, piercing, and scarring, though would appear very differently from humans. Tattooing would be done on the soft skin under and behind the scales, and would largely be used to emphasize scale patterning. Piercings would be most used on the face, and never hard scale, as it would fall off after damage or shed. Their scaled body would be more resistant to small arms; pest killers such as birdshot would be a strong irritant, but military or home defense grade munitions would still be very effective.
Scarring would be permanent evidence of some kind of violence, and so would be a mark of respect, though the type of scar and its location would have specific meanings. Scars on the back would be a sign of cowardice, and may be intentionally inflicted by a superior as a mark of shame. To lie about your scars would be a severe breach of trust overall, and to self-inflict scars that mimic the marks of combat is extremely dishonorable, and may be grounds for ostracization.
Arxur display Sexual Dimorphism, although markedly less than humans. Being such an antisocial creature they would develop the need to be independent, which would curtail the evolutionary need for the sexes to specialize; essentially, they have no stressors to look different, so they would look very similar.
Chapter 69 confirmed they have slit pupils, which is well founded by examples on earth; every animal on earth with a slit pupil is an ambush predator. On earth, the eye color of ambush predators, namely crocodilians, are largely based on the need to camouflage and tend to have very little variance. Crocodilian eyes normally range from a drab orange/brown to forest green, though albinism and melanism can shift that to bright orange or jet black respectively; given the Arxur’s primarily grey coloring, I will conclude that the average eye color is majority tan or grey.
I prefer u/Browneorum’s interpretation of early life in Offspring , and conclude that Arxur hatch from a hard-shell egg, and spend early life quadrupedal; this is also supported by the scene in Ch59 in which 'One Arxur pounced from all fours, and dragged [Sovlin] by the arm out into the open.' Though to reconcile the understanding that adult Arxur can chase down most prey species while on two legs, I will conclude that Arxur develop bipedalism through puberty by hormones changing the shape of the pelvis to accommodate the new joint structure.
As obligate carnivores, their bodies would be better suited to hunt and capture things that fight back for their survival. To hold fast to something that is trying to escape, they would have well developed gripping muscles and claws that would curve toward the palm.
Injuries on humans and Federation alike have mentioned long gashes, so the claws would be long and thin, with a micro-serrated slashing edge. These injuries have also described disembowelment and impalements, implying great length and slight curve; I would compare this to a cat claw, though straighter and 20-30% of the length of the digit, similar to a bear claw. Since they have claws that are adept at quickly subduing their prey, they would have less pressure to change their teeth, so they would be most adept at tearing flesh and breaking bones rather than capture. This would look markedly similar to a crocodile’s though with several exceptions: The teeth would develop a narrower profile with serrations, as opposed to the straight pegs of crocodiles, as well as pointed molars at the back of the mouth adapted to breaking bone and shredding meat. With these, whatever they eat would look like corned beef by the time it gets to their gullet. A sapient creature capable of civilization would have an enlarged brain, so the Arxur skull would become taller and wider to accommodate it, as well as forward-facing eyes.
Arxur are unusual in that, true they are obligate carnivores, but they are also plant matter averse, in that they cannot digest any quantity of plant matter, of any kind, without suffering some level of gastro-intestinal distress. This would mean that sugars are nearly absent from their diet, and combined with the high fiber of raw meat, their teeth would be largely very clean; though the possibility of cracking or chipping one’s tooth still exists. Culturally, this would mean that Dental care is only emergency rather than maintenance level; and, given Betterment’s propensity to drop someone at the first sign of 'weakness', dental care would only be provided to the most effective hunters or most powerful leaders.
Walking the line of 'social but not really' implies an individual may have one or two others who they trust, if not enjoy the company of. These may include clutchmates, parental figures, mentor figures, or long time acquaintances, but it is established that Betterment, established after first contact, tried to breed out empathy and social structures, becoming entirely reliant on the government and Betterment.
This would not halt the odd 'friend' in their lifetime, but these relationships would be only barely more than surface level, enough to feel regret at their passing. This would significantly affect the acquisition of a mate. Pairings are largely set up by Betterment, though whether or not you are allowed is determined by an application and vetting process that the prospective parent initiates. If you are found wanting, you will not be allowed to procreate. Those with favorable traits would be allowed to breed, but the constant need for hunger-crazed raiders would make child rearing impossible in the field. As such, the vast majority would be raised in institutions separated by age groups and/or population, whichever is more pragmatic. If the children have a concept of 'mother, father, brother, sister' it would only be a gendered understanding of caregiver and friends; who layed you, who hatched you, and who you hatched with would have little or no bearing. Same-egg twins are a possibility, if rare, which may give reason for a closer, long-term relationship.
In such a heavily caste based meritocracy, those who prove themselves effective at what they do would be afforded the opportunity to raise their young directly; Chief Hunters raise their young to be Chief Hunters, Prophets raising Prophets, and so on.
Without the influence of Betterment, Arxur would pair as convenient and the mother would raise the young to self-sufficiency, which would be a very young age compared to other federation species, at which time the young would either leave or be ejected from the ‘family’. There would be instances of many-mother groups to raise large clutches as a collective and this behavior would have laid the foundation for being raised by Betterment. For the father to contribute to rearing is not unheard of, but very unusual. Throughout their evolution the father would have very little incentive to stick around, leading to a preponderance of ‘fusion-fission’ relationships. This would mean that, Pre-Betterment, their cultures would be largely matriarchal, with larger groups possibly led by a mated pair including a committed father. Post-Betterment would make the leader the Prophet and those who represent them, regardless of gender.
I believe the Arxur feel desire, and pursue the sensations brought about by intimacy. Arxur do not have a breeding cycle, rather their need is prompted by external environmental factors: high ambient temperature, high humidity, and the feeling of prosperity, plenty, and safety, i.e. well fed; other factors may contribute including trust, vulnerability, or dominance. While this may prompt arousal, breeding behaviors are prompted by touch of specific erogenous zones on their body, such as neck, sides, belly, and underside of the meat of their tail. These areas become discolored due to blood flow during arousal, and become extra sensitive. During arousal or contentment, an Arxur will frequently, but not always, make long deep body sounds, comparable to but different from purring.
Arxur are equipped with a cloaca, which disposes of excrement, provides and receives reproductive material, and deposits eggs. Though a key difference is that the vaginal canal, which receives reproductive material and passes eggs, is a separate canal that branches off of the main cloaca. The walls of a Female Arxur's cloaca is coated in a protective specialized mucus which serves as lubricant during intimacy and egg laying, and a protective barrier from pathogens during waste disposal. The vaginal and cloacal walls are highly textured to allow for expansion, though the surrounding flesh is interlaced with musculature for passing stool, eggs, and moving her legs. As such, a female has the capability to use these muscles to encourage insemination, though not all individuals may practice this.
A male Arxur's reproductive organ remains in their body also as a branch off the cloacal canal, except arousal fills the surrounding area with fluid which inverts the canal to a penetrative organ, emerging from the cloaca as a very smooth tendril-like organ. The sex is given form by fluid pressure, meaning it would be only as rigid as needed to perform; this would allow significant flexibility in both form and size, allowing a wider range of size compatibility than a comparable human would be capable of, provided preparation and patience. Upon presentation, the organ emerges coated in a different mucus than is present in females, the specific composition works to eliminate and replace the mucosal membrane of the female, allowing for and increasing the likelihood of successful insemination.
Breeding technique is largely a cultural and personal influence, which means that the high competition low survival environment of Betterment fosters a violent and one-sided experience. Some may enjoy this, some may hate it, but it is all they know. Their biology allows for gentler affections, they receive stimulation from it, but few may be familiar with the experience.
While their early roots were aquatic, nothing about their interaction or environment implies a current-day need for an aquatic environment, indicating they have evolved to be almost entirely terrestrial; this means they would have to keep their mouths from drying out with the use of lips, making their mouths appear closer to a lizard than a crocodile. These lips would not be as nimble as a primate, so lip-based sounds like Buh and Puh would still be very limited; if they exist at all. Though Ff sounds would be very easy, and would modulate to a Vv sound when backed by a hum or growl. Having a mouth full of carnivorous teeth is not conducive to easy speaking, so I believe they rely heavily on deep body sounds and glottal stops, with most if not all mouth sounds being some form of S. Given this, I believe their first oddity is that they don't use their mouth to speak much, if at all; the vast majority of their sounds would be coming from one or more voicebox-like organs deeper in their body.
This is supported, albeit obliquely, by the fact they eat their meat raw and in large quantities. It's probable that to avoid choking on food, their breathing and speaking pathways are separate from their digestive system; very different from humans and most creatures on earth.
As early water-land hybrids, they would have evolved to communicate through dense mediums, which may include dense air, as their dense bodies imply a high-gravity world. Since sound doesn't carry cleanly through dense mediums, they would have evolved long strong sounds, originating deep within the body. They may have used this as an intimidation tactic, especially in conjunction with a harmonic medium. This tells me they would use long tones, possibly using a drone as an emotive, modified by glottal stops, clicks, and hisses. With that in mind, their vowel sounds would be open-mouth Ah Eh EE OH.
Nearly every creature on earth with a tongue, has one long enough to clean their entire mouth, as well as their nose and/or eyes, and I believe the Arxur are no different: their tongue would be long enough to clean their nose above the tip of their mouth, and as their snout is so long, would also be long enough to clean their eyes. A tongue like that would be very good at RR and SS sounds, but unable to make a complete seal on the upper palate, making N sounds nearly impossible. Common consonants would be Ff, K and G. Hard X would be more exotic but well utilized, and modulated to a Zh or J sound when followed by a vowel sound. Guh would be common at the start or end of a word, but rarely both, while most S and Th sounds would have a strong lisp to them. Zee sounds would originate largely in the body, but modified by a Ss sound in the mouth, resulting in a very breathy soft J sound.
Thank you u/ImaginationSea3679 for your comments on the Arxur written word, I will expand on it here. Given their use of a drone along with additional sounds, I believe the Arxur indicate their drone with a horizontal line across their phrases, not unlike Devanagari, which is one of several scripts developed in India; whether the drone line is above, below, or through the phrase is not relevant and I leave to the writer how it is positioned, or if it is standardized at all. They would have symbols on these lines that represent broad concepts, such as 'Prey' or 'Danger', then modify these concepts using marks that represent phonetic sounds. These phonetic sounds would create the word that is heard and convey the full meaning, tense, plurality, and other specifics of the word and its use; as a visual example, ' P̷̓͠r̵̽̌e̸̒͌y̴͂̀ ' would be 'Venlil' and ' Ṕ̶͝r̶͒̓e̸̊̚y̷͊͐ ' would be 'Gojid'; notice how the base word, or glyph, is the same but the accents change to give precise meaning. Rather than developing a writing implement, I believe they largely use their claws, so the language would feature mostly lines while also taking advantage of depth; visually, I’m imagining a cross between Japanese and Yautja from the Predator franchise.
Finally, as they mostly use their claws to write, I believe that class would also determine how an individual writes; the higher castes would show their superiority with sharper claws, so a lower-class would have to use the blunt of their claw.
Post-Betterment, architecture would quickly shift to being state-sponsored and utilitarian. Minimal material, built to last, with little regard for aesthetic. Community child rearing would become required, and done totally by The State. Being a Matron would become a profession rather than a calling, recruited by Betterment based on their ability to train rather than raise. These matrons would then select apprentices, possibly from the young they raise, to be their helpers and eventually replacements.
While pursuing brutal efficiency, Post-Betterment Arxur would condense their housing, while still compartmentalizing further; this would cause stress and tension, instigating competition and establishing dominance, all of which would further the goals of Betterment in a merciless ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality.
This brutalism would extend to their war machines, which is also shown in canon, with sharp angles and every open space sporting additional armaments and/or shielding. As they transition to a raiding-based society, their average life would push into space, using capital ships to house and train new Arxur, while sapient-cattle farms provide cushy living for those with powerful friends or family.
Betterment would pull the focus of their art away from the self and push it toward the Glory of Arxur-Kind, and the perfection of the Prophet. Leaning hard into photorealism, any new artistic works, including statues and carvings, would venerate the Prophet and depict battle scenes, likely fictitious, triumphing over anything that would not be ‘Arxur’; visually, I’m imagining Renaissance Catholic, mixed with Soviet propaganda, with a hint of the ultra-violence of Warhammer 40k.
Post Betterment, the atrocities of the Federation gave a unifying enemy to the Arxur, and they unified behind a single individual, Laznel who became the Prophet. Outlined in ch39 by Captain Coth, Laznel was a genetic scientist who posited that certain bloodlines had a higher chance of being stronger, or smarter, or other beneficial traits, and submitted this theory under the article Betterment; we the reader, would recognize this as Eugenics. While Laznel’s theories had gained ground pre-first-contact, it wasn’t until after the Federation tried to Gentle the Arxur that these philosophies became commonplace. Laznel, the Prophet, gave the blueprint for the Perfect Arxur, something every Arxur should aspire to be like. The Prophet Descendant is the top of every level of leadership, including being the head of Betterment, which translates to the top leader and interpreter of their faith. The Prophet Descendant and Betterment use this belief to guide Arxur behavior and enforce what we would call Brutal Darwinism to try to craft the next Perfect Arxur.
submitted by cruisingNW to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
Some Reference Art. it is my understanding these are posts by the original artist, and not shares or reposts. If this is wrong, please correct me, and I will credit the artist appropriately. This assessment will include several hyperlinks to referenced chapters and articles citing earth precedent. Due to Reddit’s character limit, these will be indicated `as this`, though the clickable link will be in a comment after the post.
Thank you u/Browneorum, u/Cornsquashbeans, u/Monarch357, u/Venlil, as well as AsciiSquid (aka u/SlimyRage), Asclepius, and Khazgbthagn for brainstorming this with me in discord, and thank you u/Huge-Judgment7404 for you input on Reddit!
- Disclaimer
This assessment is based on a combination of my personally accepted artistic depictions, linked above, canon references to the main story, including names, utterances, and physical descriptions, as well as input from influential authors and their works, who I will name along with their contributing sections. As of writing, there have been no canon commissioned art of Arxur, though SP15 has stated his preferred depictions are by u/Demon_Deity.
The first thing we must understand is that nearly every living Arxur is under the control of Betterment. Betterment is an arm of Arxur government that seeks to perfect Arxur-kind by way of Eugenics, behavioral conditioning, and propaganda. Examples of this include: denying medical assistance to undesirables, corporeal punishment akin to torture, a strict caste society emphasizing physical perfection and breeding, murder of leadership being an effective and recognized means to seize power, and confirmed as of ch100, controlling food supply to encourage obedience. Because of this, many of the aspects of Arxur appearance, behavior, and culture would have been very different pre-Betterment, and would become very different post-Betterment. With that understood:
- Natural history
Arxur bear some similarity to Earth crocodyliforms, however their advanced terrestrial state supports the notion that they have not occupied a semi-aquatic ambush predator niche for tens of millions of years. For an arxur-like sophont to have evolved a string of evolutionary pressures and subsequent adaptations must have occurred:
1. Movement onto land: A full terrestrial occupation would have been the first feature to have occurred. The crocodile bauplan is an evolutionary success story, emulated first in stem-tetrapods like Tiktaalik and Panderichthys ~150 million years before the first crocodilian. Their traits include a. eyes and nostrils placed high on the head to be vigilant whilst remaining beneath the waterline, b. a large, flattened skull filled with interlocking or pronounced teeth to trap prey, and c. a strong, paddle-like tail for aquatic movement.
All of these traits, whilst useful in the water, become hindrances on the land, but the face and head would be the first to change. Looking up is useful when you’re looking up at prey, but your vision would be better spent on eyes that can see where you’re going. Binocular vision, the ability to effectively gauge distance, would be most effective in a terrestrial predator. A large flat skull could work, amphibians get away with it (keeping in mind that they are all aquatic too), but such an animal becomes limited in that it can only eat what it can fit in its mouth. Most large carnivores tend to favor a longer, narrower snout that maximizes bite force and gape without compromising visual or olfactory capability. It also widens the zygomata (the cheekbones) for a stronger bite, and incidentally, frees up the back of the skull, allowing the brain to grow; the first tentative step toward sapience. Good comparisons would be baurusuchids, canids, and theropod dinosaurs.
The appendages would also have to change, the paddle-like tail would be reduced in favor of stronger, larger, more mobile limbs to move about on land.
This may seem like a colossal undertaking, but it is actually the most probable to occur. Populations become isolated all the time; all it would take is one river drying up over a prolonged period, one little pond that ran out of food, and the selection to move away from the water would take hold. Such changes have occurred in Earth’s history before, crocodiles have done so on a number of occasions; and indeed, one would be amiss to not point out that the entire tetrapod transition effectively occurred in this way. To use that metaphor fully: an Arxur is as different to their crocodile-like ancestors as early reptiles were to amphibians.
2. A more active lifestyle: But moving onto terra firma came with new difficulties. Where a crocodile is effectively a mouth in the river that waits for prey to come to drink, early Arxurids had to seek out their prey. Pursuit predation would not have been their earliest form of prey capture, as their anatomy would still be carrying a fair amount of aquatic baggage. Ambush would have remained their primary means of hunting, but their bodies would have to adapt to a different style of predation.
The primary means of prey capture by a crocodilian predator is a strong bite, inflicting major lacerations, shock and bleeding, whilst dragging the weakening prey into the water, where it is drowned. Simple, brutal, effective. But moving out onto land compromises this, making escape from a slow-moving reptile more likely. Moreover, the crocodile can no longer rely on the water to drown its target, so if the first bite does not subdue the prey, it will escape. As well, ambush is made more difficult by the lack of water; a crocodile is a big strong animal, but it is well hidden, no less, in the one thing a prey item cannot be without. If Arxurids were to survive they would need to be able to actively catch their prey. Here the changes would be subtler from the previous stage, more focused on the internal anatomy.
Firstly, the limbs must become more nimble, stronger, and capable of a longer stride. Crocodiles walk plantigrade (heel to toe, as humans do), and can move at great speed, but this is ineffective for a cursor. Their distal portion of each limb must be made longer, preferably with the extension of the digits into a digitigrade stance. A long, well-muscled tail, such as the early Arxur possessed from their crocodile-like ancestors, would become less flattened paddle, more thickened counterbalance.
Secondly, the loss of any impedance to the movement of the pelvis relative to the torso. True quadrupedal cursors, such as cheetah or greyhounds, maximize the length of their strides by stretching and shortening their mid-sections between each footfall. Early Arxur would not have been moving at such high speeds, but they would have still possessed gastralia (belly ribs) in their mid-sections that would have slowed them down considerably. Gastralia gotta go!
Thirdly, the teeth would have to change. All Terran reptiles have homogenous dental morphology, i.e., their teeth are just replicates of one another, most often simple pegs. Simple pegs are perfect for holding onto something, less so for cutting it up. Carnivorous reptiles (theropods, varanids, mosasaurs, etc.) all possess/ed flattened, serrated teeth. It is possible that Arxur may evolve further differentiation of their dentition, but on Earth this is a trait solely found in mammals. If such a change was to occur, the most probable justification would be an adaptation to a broader diet at this stage.
The final adaptation would be the next strong movement of the Arxurids away from animals and toward true sapients. Terrestrial predators must be able to strategize in a way their ancestors did not need to. They must take better stock of their senses, gauge the likelihood of injury and success. Many hunting animals are quite intelligent, but working alone can only get you so far. The next adaptation is probably the greatest yet, and requires a trait generally considered un-Arxur.
3. Group cooperation: Socialization; the act of interacting with others, of being social. All animals practice some form of socialization; dispute of territory, displays, mating, are all essential to an organism’s survival and all require some ability to communicate. Modern Arxur are complex social creatures, this much is evident from their behavior alone, but it is also a prerequisite to building a society. An Arxur who lives alone, no matter how intelligent, dies alone. They have no one to talk to, to share ideas, or songs, or art with. In short, they build no culture, and that clearly is not the case. At some stage in their evolution, they must have developed some capacity for cooperation.
Pack hunting would be the most sensible assumption; a group of Arxurids could bring down larger prey than one alone or permit the rearing of offspring whilst others are away. But all this comes with profound implications. On Earth, packs are family units, built around mating and/or dominant individuals. It’s a sensible strategy; if I can safeguard others (even better those who share genes with me) then they will safeguard me. This makes a lot of sense, obligately enforcing group cohesion around shared communal bonds. This, we should also recognise, is the start of empathy. As the American anthropologist Margaret Mead purportedly said, 'The first sign of civilisation is in the setting of a broken femur.'
Some subtle physiological changes would occur to facilitate socialization. Individual recognition would be paramount; is this my brother, my lover, or my enemy? Unique color patterns, perhaps around the eyes, would be a good starting point. Specific vocalization is also found amongst pack animals and would be a strong driver of cognition. Here a positive feedback loop could take hold; more interaction leads to more complex socialization and with-it greater cognition, that then adds to the strength of subsequent interactions.
At this point an Arxurid is equivalent to a hominid in human evolution, akin to a great ape.
4. Manual manipulation & bipedalism: One of the earliest questions in human evolution was whether or not our brains grew before our bodies did. Early australopithecines provide a clear answer: Lucy stood upright like a person but had a brain no bigger than a chimpanzees. The Arxur face a similar question; what came first: manual manipulation or bipedalism? On the face of it, it seems like a simple question; they clearly stood upright so that they could use tools. But this is a circular argument, where the effect is also ascribed to a cause, so we must look deeper.
The most reasonable argument would be prey/carcass manipulation. Where mammals have specialized teeth to help break down a big meal, reptiles tend to be more… violent with their food, having to toss their heads around and swallow big chunks. If the teeth are remaining more reptilian and dedicated to feeding, with only some heterogeneity, then having some dextrous, mobile hands makes sense. Most predators restrict the forelimbs to grappling with prey, using the head to deliver a killing stroke. Arxur would likely still do this, but having a strong set of hands might be selected for if they began hunting larger prey, as socialization would supply.
Thus, alterations to the pelvis and lower back would be needed, as well as anchorage of large muscles in the thigh and tail. This would result in a stiff seeming but strong lower section. Motion at the elbow, and the ability to pronate/supinate the hands would be critical but must be balanced against any impact to their primary (quadrupedal) form of movement. The shoulder would have to remain quite restricted to allow this; an Arxur probably couldn’t raise its arms directly upward (as in surrender) or draw a bow.
But this is the final push, and with the ability to alter your surroundings, strong binocular vision, social and communicative skills, and a growing brain, the Arxur would have been well on their way to sapience.
- External Appearance
They have grey coloring over their whole body, however as a living creature, they would still be susceptible to albinism or melanism, though these may be cause for elimination by Betterment. The largest visual difference between individuals would be bone structure and Scale patterning. The exact location and quality of scales on their body would be determined by genetics, healing, early development, and even lifestyle, which would lead to patterns that are unique from one individual to the next. Scales would be different across their body, from nearly skin-like on creases and joints, to harder scales on belly, chest, neck, and pads of hands. The hardest scales would be found on the back of their neck, top of head, outside arms and biceps, and spinal column, and would be hard enough to protect against biting and slashing especially, with limited protection from low-yield munitions. Citing earth precedent, Reptiles of all sorts shed their skin as they grow or heal, and I feel the Arxur are no different. As their hide is so different across their body, they would have different manners of shed depending on the quality of scales. Hard scales like those found on the spine or outside arm would come off in Schutes, described as rigid keratinous flakes of the whole scale, while soft scales in high contact areas like inner joints would slough off in thin sheets.
Scarring appears differently on different parts of the body: hard scales such as back and arms would require deep cuts to scar, and the scale would heal over it completely, though the scar tissue would still be visible on the soft skin behind the scale. Soft scale areas, like the face and underarm, would appear to be scale-less and discolored darker. Given this method of healing, personal adornments would include mutilation such as tattoo, piercing, and scarring, though would appear very differently from humans. Tattooing would be done on the soft skin under and behind the scales, and would largely be used to emphasize scale patterning. Piercings would be most used on the face, and never hard scale, as it would fall off after damage or shed. Their scaled body would be more resistant to small arms; pest killers such as birdshot would be a strong irritant, but military or home defense grade munitions would still be very effective.
Scarring would be permanent evidence of some kind of violence, and so would be a mark of respect, though the type of scar and its location would have specific meanings. Scars on the back would be a sign of cowardice, and may be intentionally inflicted by a superior as a mark of shame. To lie about your scars would be a severe breach of trust overall, and to self-inflict scars that mimic the marks of combat is extremely dishonorable, and may be grounds for ostracization.
Arxur display Sexual Dimorphism, although markedly less than humans. Being such an antisocial creature they would develop the need to be independent, which would curtail the evolutionary need for the sexes to specialize; essentially, they have no stressors to look different, so they would look very similar.
Chapter 69 confirmed they have slit pupils, which is well founded by examples on earth; every animal on earth with a slit pupil is an ambush predator. On earth, the eye color of ambush predators, namely crocodilians, are largely based on the need to camouflage and tend to have very little variance. Crocodilian eyes normally range from a drab orange/brown to forest green, though albinism and melanism can shift that to bright orange or jet black respectively; given the Arxur’s primarily grey coloring, I will conclude that the average eye color is majority tan or grey.
I prefer u/Browneorum’s interpretation of early life in Offspring , and conclude that Arxur hatch from a hard-shell egg, and spend early life quadrupedal; this is also supported by the scene in Ch59 in which 'One Arxur pounced from all fours, and dragged [Sovlin] by the arm out into the open.' Though to reconcile the understanding that adult Arxur can chase down most prey species while on two legs, I will conclude that Arxur develop bipedalism through puberty by hormones changing the shape of the pelvis to accommodate the new joint structure.
- Internal Biology
As obligate carnivores, their bodies would be better suited to hunt and capture things that fight back for their survival. To hold fast to something that is trying to escape, they would have well developed gripping muscles and claws that would curve toward the palm.
Injuries on humans and Federation alike have mentioned long gashes, so the claws would be long and thin, with a micro-serrated slashing edge. These injuries have also described disembowelment and impalements, implying great length and slight curve; I would compare this to a cat claw, though straighter and 20-30% of the length of the digit, similar to a bear claw. Since they have claws that are adept at quickly subduing their prey, they would have less pressure to change their teeth, so they would be most adept at tearing flesh and breaking bones rather than capture. This would look markedly similar to a crocodile’s though with several exceptions: The teeth would develop a narrower profile with serrations, as opposed to the straight pegs of crocodiles, as well as pointed molars at the back of the mouth adapted to breaking bone and shredding meat. With these, whatever they eat would look like corned beef by the time it gets to their gullet. A sapient creature capable of civilization would have an enlarged brain, so the Arxur skull would become taller and wider to accommodate it, as well as forward-facing eyes.
Arxur are unusual in that, true they are obligate carnivores, but they are also plant matter averse, in that they cannot digest any quantity of plant matter, of any kind, without suffering some level of gastro-intestinal distress. This would mean that sugars are nearly absent from their diet, and combined with the high fiber of raw meat, their teeth would be largely very clean; though the possibility of cracking or chipping one’s tooth still exists. Culturally, this would mean that Dental care is only emergency rather than maintenance level; and, given Betterment’s propensity to drop someone at the first sign of 'weakness', dental care would only be provided to the most effective hunters or most powerful leaders.
- Socialization
Walking the line of 'social but not really' implies an individual may have one or two others who they trust, if not enjoy the company of. These may include clutchmates, parental figures, mentor figures, or long time acquaintances, but it is established that Betterment, established after first contact, tried to breed out empathy and social structures, becoming entirely reliant on the government and Betterment.
This would not halt the odd 'friend' in their lifetime, but these relationships would be only barely more than surface level, enough to feel regret at their passing. This would significantly affect the acquisition of a mate. Pairings are largely set up by Betterment, though whether or not you are allowed is determined by an application and vetting process that the prospective parent initiates. If you are found wanting, you will not be allowed to procreate. Those with favorable traits would be allowed to breed, but the constant need for hunger-crazed raiders would make child rearing impossible in the field. As such, the vast majority would be raised in institutions separated by age groups and/or population, whichever is more pragmatic. If the children have a concept of 'mother, father, brother, sister' it would only be a gendered understanding of caregiver and friends; who layed you, who hatched you, and who you hatched with would have little or no bearing. Same-egg twins are a possibility, if rare, which may give reason for a closer, long-term relationship.
In such a heavily caste based meritocracy, those who prove themselves effective at what they do would be afforded the opportunity to raise their young directly; Chief Hunters raise their young to be Chief Hunters, Prophets raising Prophets, and so on.
Without the influence of Betterment, Arxur would pair as convenient and the mother would raise the young to self-sufficiency, which would be a very young age compared to other federation species, at which time the young would either leave or be ejected from the ‘family’. There would be instances of many-mother groups to raise large clutches as a collective and this behavior would have laid the foundation for being raised by Betterment. For the father to contribute to rearing is not unheard of, but very unusual. Throughout their evolution the father would have very little incentive to stick around, leading to a preponderance of ‘fusion-fission’ relationships. This would mean that, Pre-Betterment, their cultures would be largely matriarchal, with larger groups possibly led by a mated pair including a committed father. Post-Betterment would make the leader the Prophet and those who represent them, regardless of gender.
- Reproduction
I believe the Arxur feel desire, and pursue the sensations brought about by intimacy. Arxur do not have a breeding cycle, rather their need is prompted by external environmental factors: high ambient temperature, high humidity, and the feeling of prosperity, plenty, and safety, i.e. well fed; other factors may contribute including trust, vulnerability, or dominance. While this may prompt arousal, breeding behaviors are prompted by touch of specific erogenous zones on their body, such as neck, sides, belly, and underside of the meat of their tail. These areas become discolored due to blood flow during arousal, and become extra sensitive. During arousal or contentment, an Arxur will frequently, but not always, make long deep body sounds, comparable to but different from purring.
Arxur are equipped with a cloaca, which disposes of excrement, provides and receives reproductive material, and deposits eggs. Though a key difference is that the vaginal canal, which receives reproductive material and passes eggs, is a separate canal that branches off of the main cloaca. The walls of a Female Arxur's cloaca is coated in a protective specialized mucus which serves as lubricant during intimacy and egg laying, and a protective barrier from pathogens during waste disposal. The vaginal and cloacal walls are highly textured to allow for expansion, though the surrounding flesh is interlaced with musculature for passing stool, eggs, and moving her legs. As such, a female has the capability to use these muscles to encourage insemination, though not all individuals may practice this.
A male Arxur's reproductive organ remains in their body also as a branch off the cloacal canal, except arousal fills the surrounding area with fluid which inverts the canal to a penetrative organ, emerging from the cloaca as a very smooth tendril-like organ. The sex is given form by fluid pressure, meaning it would be only as rigid as needed to perform; this would allow significant flexibility in both form and size, allowing a wider range of size compatibility than a comparable human would be capable of, provided preparation and patience. Upon presentation, the organ emerges coated in a different mucus than is present in females, the specific composition works to eliminate and replace the mucosal membrane of the female, allowing for and increasing the likelihood of successful insemination.
Breeding technique is largely a cultural and personal influence, which means that the high competition low survival environment of Betterment fosters a violent and one-sided experience. Some may enjoy this, some may hate it, but it is all they know. Their biology allows for gentler affections, they receive stimulation from it, but few may be familiar with the experience.
- Language
While their early roots were aquatic, nothing about their interaction or environment implies a current-day need for an aquatic environment, indicating they have evolved to be almost entirely terrestrial; this means they would have to keep their mouths from drying out with the use of lips, making their mouths appear closer to a lizard than a crocodile. These lips would not be as nimble as a primate, so lip-based sounds like Buh and Puh would still be very limited; if they exist at all. Though Ff sounds would be very easy, and would modulate to a Vv sound when backed by a hum or growl. Having a mouth full of carnivorous teeth is not conducive to easy speaking, so I believe they rely heavily on deep body sounds and glottal stops, with most if not all mouth sounds being some form of S. Given this, I believe their first oddity is that they don't use their mouth to speak much, if at all; the vast majority of their sounds would be coming from one or more voicebox-like organs deeper in their body.
This is supported, albeit obliquely, by the fact they eat their meat raw and in large quantities. It's probable that to avoid choking on food, their breathing and speaking pathways are separate from their digestive system; very different from humans and most creatures on earth.
As early water-land hybrids, they would have evolved to communicate through dense mediums, which may include dense air, as their dense bodies imply a high-gravity world. Since sound doesn't carry cleanly through dense mediums, they would have evolved long strong sounds, originating deep within the body. They may have used this as an intimidation tactic, especially in conjunction with a harmonic medium. This tells me they would use long tones, possibly using a drone as an emotive, modified by glottal stops, clicks, and hisses. With that in mind, their vowel sounds would be open-mouth Ah Eh EE OH.
Nearly every creature on earth with a tongue, has one long enough to clean their entire mouth, as well as their nose and/or eyes, and I believe the Arxur are no different: their tongue would be long enough to clean their nose above the tip of their mouth, and as their snout is so long, would also be long enough to clean their eyes. A tongue like that would be very good at RR and SS sounds, but unable to make a complete seal on the upper palate, making N sounds nearly impossible. Common consonants would be Ff, K and G. Hard X would be more exotic but well utilized, and modulated to a Zh or J sound when followed by a vowel sound. Guh would be common at the start or end of a word, but rarely both, while most S and Th sounds would have a strong lisp to them. Zee sounds would originate largely in the body, but modified by a Ss sound in the mouth, resulting in a very breathy soft J sound.
Thank you u/ImaginationSea3679 for your comments on the Arxur written word, I will expand on it here. Given their use of a drone along with additional sounds, I believe the Arxur indicate their drone with a horizontal line across their phrases, not unlike Devanagari, which is one of several scripts developed in India; whether the drone line is above, below, or through the phrase is not relevant and I leave to the writer how it is positioned, or if it is standardized at all. They would have symbols on these lines that represent broad concepts, such as 'Prey' or 'Danger', then modify these concepts using marks that represent phonetic sounds. These phonetic sounds would create the word that is heard and convey the full meaning, tense, plurality, and other specifics of the word and its use; as a visual example, ' P̷̓͠r̵̽̌e̸̒͌y̴͂̀ ' would be 'Venlil' and ' Ṕ̶͝r̶͒̓e̸̊̚y̷͊͐ ' would be 'Gojid'; notice how the base word, or glyph, is the same but the accents change to give precise meaning. Rather than developing a writing implement, I believe they largely use their claws, so the language would feature mostly lines while also taking advantage of depth; visually, I’m imagining a cross between Japanese and Yautja from the Predator franchise.
Finally, as they mostly use their claws to write, I believe that class would also determine how an individual writes; the higher castes would show their superiority with sharper claws, so a lower-class would have to use the blunt of their claw.
- Names
- Architecture
Post-Betterment, architecture would quickly shift to being state-sponsored and utilitarian. Minimal material, built to last, with little regard for aesthetic. Community child rearing would become required, and done totally by The State. Being a Matron would become a profession rather than a calling, recruited by Betterment based on their ability to train rather than raise. These matrons would then select apprentices, possibly from the young they raise, to be their helpers and eventually replacements.
While pursuing brutal efficiency, Post-Betterment Arxur would condense their housing, while still compartmentalizing further; this would cause stress and tension, instigating competition and establishing dominance, all of which would further the goals of Betterment in a merciless ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality.
This brutalism would extend to their war machines, which is also shown in canon, with sharp angles and every open space sporting additional armaments and/or shielding. As they transition to a raiding-based society, their average life would push into space, using capital ships to house and train new Arxur, while sapient-cattle farms provide cushy living for those with powerful friends or family.
- Artistic Expression
Betterment would pull the focus of their art away from the self and push it toward the Glory of Arxur-Kind, and the perfection of the Prophet. Leaning hard into photorealism, any new artistic works, including statues and carvings, would venerate the Prophet and depict battle scenes, likely fictitious, triumphing over anything that would not be ‘Arxur’; visually, I’m imagining Renaissance Catholic, mixed with Soviet propaganda, with a hint of the ultra-violence of Warhammer 40k.
- Faith
Post Betterment, the atrocities of the Federation gave a unifying enemy to the Arxur, and they unified behind a single individual, Laznel who became the Prophet. Outlined in ch39 by Captain Coth, Laznel was a genetic scientist who posited that certain bloodlines had a higher chance of being stronger, or smarter, or other beneficial traits, and submitted this theory under the article Betterment; we the reader, would recognize this as Eugenics. While Laznel’s theories had gained ground pre-first-contact, it wasn’t until after the Federation tried to Gentle the Arxur that these philosophies became commonplace. Laznel, the Prophet, gave the blueprint for the Perfect Arxur, something every Arxur should aspire to be like. The Prophet Descendant is the top of every level of leadership, including being the head of Betterment, which translates to the top leader and interpreter of their faith. The Prophet Descendant and Betterment use this belief to guide Arxur behavior and enforce what we would call Brutal Darwinism to try to craft the next Perfect Arxur.
2023.03.23 04:30 Sushi_chan18 Weekly Manga Live Tracker: 23-03-2023 to 29-03-2023
This Table updates every 15 mins. You can save this post and come back later! ( ´ ▽ ` )Top Manga in last hour
| Status | Manga | Upvotes |
|---|---|---|
| ←→ | Witch Craft Works - Ch. 109.9 - Extra Part 6: Kasumi-chan and Kemomimi's Different World Adventures Again | 3 |
| new | Last One Oneshot by Ozawa Natsu | 1 |
Last Update: 08:00:02-23/03 IST
2023.03.23 04:21 MrBuckBuck (Not really) Fun facts & stats from the Wizards' 104-118 loss to the Denver Nuggets
A song for the current mood - What is love?
Teams:
Peace.
submitted by MrBuckBuck to washingtonwizards [link] [comments]
Teams:
- The Wizards are now on a 32-41. The Pacers (33-40) won the Raptors 118-114 tonight, so now the Wizards are now 0.5 games behind them (but it's more because they'll remain above us in the case of a tied record as well) and remain in the 12th seed spot. The Bulls (34-38) lost to the 76ers 91-116, but still remain in the 10th seed spot.
- The Wizards are currently 16-19 at home games & 16-22 at road games.
- The Wizards are now 16-20 in the year 2023 (15W & 21 L) - from 16-21 to 32-41.
- The Wizards are now 4-11 since the All-Star break.
- The Wizards are now 6-8 in back-to-back games
- The Wizards are now 3-6 without Kyle Kuzma.
- The Wizards are now 12-15 since the trade with Rui Hachimura (12 W & 15 L). Before the trade, the Wizards were 17-13 (17 W & 13 L) with him (in games he played), and 3-13 (3 W & 13 L) in games he wasn't playing. Overall, the Wizards were a 20-26 record before this trade.
- The Nuggets came to this game with the highest FG% scored vs. the Wizards this season (65.1%), the highest points scored on the Wizards this season (142 points) & the most field goals made vs. the Wizards this season (54 FG) - all of them are since December 14th, 2022 - 128-141 L to the Nuggets.
- The series between the 2 teams ended tonight: 2-0 to the Nuggets.
- The Wizards had their 4th consecutive loss, including the 7th loss out of their last 8 games.
- The Wizards lost 6 out of their last 8 games, including 8 out of their last 10 games.
- The Nuggets won their last 4 head-to-head encounters vs. the Wizards after the Wizards won the previous 3 games beforehand.
- The historical head-to-head matchup during the regular season - Washington Wizards vs. the Denver Nuggets: Update: 41-57 to the Denver Nuggets.
- The Wizards are 4-25 when an opponent scores 117 points or more against them this season.
- The Wizards are also 7-27 in games they score 112 points or less (0-3 when scoring exactly 112 points)
- The Wizards had a season-low of 15.4% from the 3-point land - 4/26.
- All of the Wizards' starting lineup had a double-digit plus/minus (all of them are the worst among the +/- tonight): Deni had -23, KP had -18, Monte -16, Gafford -14 & Kispert -12.
- The Nuggets had 3 players (all of them are starters) with a plus/minus of +28: Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon.
- The Wizards had only a single turnover in the first half (vs. 5 by the Nuggets) but had 6 turnovers in the 3rd quarter alone.
- The Wizards had 7 turnovers this game - the 3rd least the Wizards had this season (for the first time 7 turnovers too)
- The Wizards had 60 points in the paint vs. 48 points in the paint by the Nuggets, the Wizards had 14 2nd chance points vs. 13 2nd chance points by the Nuggets, and also had 10 fastbreak points vs. 8 fastbreak points by the Nuggets.
- Bradley Beal missed his 23rd game of the season after yesterday reaching his 50th game of the season, and it's the first game he missed since February 6th, 2023 - 91-114 L to the Cavaliers. Kyle Kuzma missed his 9th game of the season, including 8 out of his last 21 games. That same game on February 6th, 2023, is also the last time both Kyle Kuzma & Bradley Beal were out (KP did play).
- Corey Kispert was in the starting lineup for the 36th time this season, while Deni Avdija had his 35th.
- Johnny Davis WITH SICK ONE-HANDED REVERSED LAYUP!
- Jeff Green from the Nuggets has been to 12 different teams (including Supersonics' change to Thunder & moving to Oklahoma from Seattle) in 14 years, whereas Ish Smith had 13 different teams in 12 years.
- Nikola Jokic only scored twice below 50% from the field this season.
- Nikola Jokic had his 20th 30+ points game of the season (he still has his season-high of 43 points from December 14th, 2022 - 141-128 W over the Wizards).
- Nikola Jokic had 3 steals in the 3rd quarter - that's what he had the entire game as well.
- Kristaps Porzingis had 5 straight games with 2 blocks or more (2, 2, 4, 2 & 2 blocks tonight) until tonight.
- Kristaps Porzingis scored his 1,399 points of the season - keeps on shattering his total points in a single season (which was 1,196 points in his sophomore year, in 66 GP). If he maintains this, he will also break his PPG record of 22.7 (48 GP), which currently stands at 22.9 PPG.
- Michael Porter Jr. tied his season high of 6 3-pointers made.
- Corey Kispert was 1/7 from 3PT tonight (14.5%) - tying his season-worst 3PT% when scoring one 3-pointer or more. Kispert is also 2/12 in his last two games (16.7%).
- Deni Avdija had 4 out of the Wizards' 7 turnovers tonight - all of them in the 3rd quarter (4 turnovers out of 6).
- Deni Avdija had 2+ assists in his last 11 games.
- Deni Avdija had his 11th 15+ points game of the season, as well as his 30th game with 10+ points this season.
- Deni Avdija had his 26th dunk of the season - shattering his season-high of dunks in a single season (even combined) - in rookie season 11 dunks in 54 GP & last season 7 dunks in 82 GP = total of 18 dunks.
- It was only the 10th game this season Delon Wright didn't have a single steal (out of 43 GP), and the 4th straight game without a single steal.
- Delon Wright hasn't scored more than 4 points in each of his last 5 games (2 points tonight - 2,0,4, 4 & 2 tonight).
- Johnny Davis played for 6 straight games - a career-high.
- Out of 64 GP this season by Kispert, he was 0% from 3PT only 6 times, & 15 times between 0% to 20% - including tonight's 1/7 3PT (20%), 8 times shooting 33% from 3PT out of 17 games shooting between 20%+ to 40% Overall, he has 35 games shooting 40% or higher this season.
- Johnny Davis was 0/3 from 3PT tonight, which means he is 1/12 (8.3%) from 3PT this season.
- Johnny Davis scored in each of his last 5 games.
- Johnny Davis had his 2nd steal in his NBA career.
- It's the 10th straight game of Deni Avdija without a single block.
- Deni Avdija had only one block in his last 17 games. The last block was on March 2nd, 2023 - 119-108 W over the Raptors.
- Deni Avdija has an offensive rebound in 6 out of his last 7 games (he had 3 offensive rebounds once)
- Deni Avdija had the worst +/- of -23 in 31:41 minutes.
- Kendrick Nunn hasn't scored in double figures since February 14th, 2023 (126-101 W over the Trail Blazers) - playing in 11 out of the last 14 games, never scoring more than 8 points (7 points tonight).
- Jay Huff is still perfect from the free throw line this season, with 2/2 from FT tonight after 3/3 from FT vs. the Kings (in the last game) - he is 5/5 from the free throw this season, so far.
- Jay Huff had his first assist in his NBA career.
- Quenton Jackson had his first NBA career steal tonight.
- Jeff Green had 11 points tonight - only the 2nd time he got double figures in points in his last 10 games after coming off 5 straight games scoring 10 to 24 points.
- KCP had 6 points tonight, scoring between 3 to 8 points in 5 out of his last 6 games, including 8 out of his last 10 games.
- It's the 2nd team that Thomas Bryant with against the Wizards this season (he also had 2 games with the Lakers against the Wizards).
- Bruce Brown tied his season-high of 2 blocks.
Peace.
2023.03.23 02:55 rkt_ BIG GIGANTIC DOES JAZZ BIG GIGANTIC DOES JAZZ BIG GIGANTIC DOES JAZZ
submitted by rkt_ to jazzcirclejerk [link] [comments]
2023.03.23 01:30 Super_Jay JRAD w/Kamasi Washington & tons of other good shit at Newport Jazz Festival this year
 | submitted by Super_Jay to jambands [link] [comments] |
2023.03.22 23:26 CasusBellum Ivy Day Results + End of March Results from 2 yrs ago~
Hey all, as Ivy Day comes around and some selective colleges are releasing apps, I thought I'd put my results out from a couple years ago (post-pandemic year) since I never ended posting them. Hope some people will find it interesting - I tried to make it as detailed as possible~
Demographics
Academics
List the highest scores earned and all scores that were reported.
List all extracurricular involvements, including leadership roles, time commitments, major achievements, etc.
Awards/Honors
List all awards and honors submitted on your application.
I won't numerically rate my LoRs because... just how would I do that?
Entrepreneurship Mentor (CEO): Had a very strong relationship with him, he provided and advanced a lot of my extracurricular opportunities and he was from the entrepreneurship incubator (gave me a scholarship to attend). He wrote letters for a few other students a year above me at the incubator and they were admitted to Harvard, JHU, Purdue, NYU Stern. Those other students say I was his favorite.
AP Phys Teacher: Well enough, I've known him for 4 years and he's well aware of my entrepreneurial activities and podcasting (actually had him on the podcast once). Generally on amicable terms, been good and ambitious student.
APUSH Teacher: Only takes 10 LOR requests a year, I requested mine a year in advance. Very good terms, probably one of best students in our APUSH class. Had out of class conversations that espoused my personality. Aware of my writing and my authorship.
Peer (for Darty): Co-founder in firm, went through a lot together at entrepreneurship incubator and later reconnected as mentors in same incubator. Read it myself and its quite professional for a peer rec.
Interviews
UPenn: Not great, really didn't click. She was a doctor who was really questioning my want to go to big city Philly and asked me verbatim what I did for fun again (after my initial response of fall into Wikipedia rabbit holes and podcast) with a straight face. Never making that mistake again.
Duke: Pretty good, was able to make them laugh at end, had an engaging conversation about Duke entrepreneurship and leadership programs.
Princeton: Recent grad who was probably the best so far, she described me as a "gift to the world" (flattered) and she said she was impressed by my responses compared to other applicants. She said to update her on my decision in April.
Harvard: Would say it was good. Really stoic guy who was in President Clinton's cabinet, had an engaging conversation about journalism and the new media forces (Vox, ProPublica) and my ambition to do the same. Ended with a bit about him talking about imposter syndrome as his biggest dislike with his Harvard experience.
Stanford: Short (~40 min) where halfway through interview I became the interviewer. Talked a lot about her daughter who was a Stanford senior and the easily accessible small research grants. Apparently she welcomes the ~60-70 Stanford admitted students every year with a reception at her home.
Dartmouth: Really down to earth conversation with a guy, standard interview questions, he still sends me material and updates from Dartmouth here and there now based on things I said in our interview (like swim team changes, pitching opportunities). I also update him in April.
MIT: Fairly standard interview. Nothing really to note here, talked about my journalism and my view on media for the most part.
Essays
After being rejected by Penn, I think I went through maybe like 15 CA drafts in total but only the last two mattered. I applied to half my colleges with one CA draft (that I thought showed how I thought, albeit maybe not as personal as I wanted it). I ended up applying to all the colleges with deadlines 1/3/20 and after using my Harvard supp as my CA since a friend and a college counselor both read it, suggested no changes, and said it was my best work. All sups went through 2-4 drafts and were reviewed by either my friend or college counselor. I had half of them coming into Winter break then I crammed out the rest during break. I'm proud of my CA essays and most of my sups and have realized throughout all my revising and editing, that I lost a great deal of my own voice in the essays that I initially sent to Penn. Which is why I resolved to keep editing minimal and my original voice a priority in my later essays (and rewrote my CA).
Decisions (indicate ED/EA/REA/SCEA/RD)
Acceptances:
In March, I was selected for a 12-person cohort in a career development program following my entrepreneurial activities where I was selected to participate in funded projects ranging from Harvard case studies and startups. This was discontinued owing to the COVID pandemic but will be resuming the latter half of my senior year.
I was interviewed by major news networks (November 2020) about the launch of the entrepreneurial incubator clubs chapters in the midst of COVID-19, interview expected to be in outlets like USNews and the like in February (Hopefully in time for RD)
I was invited to join the student council of a social science research program for high school students around the world, hosted by the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) on the basis of my journalism and the entrepreneurship incubator clubs program. This just began this February and am currently meeting with the director.
Final words:
I made a lot of mistakes back then but I won't deny I was and am happy with how I handled the college app process back then. Happy to answer any Qs - I chose Cornell at the end of the day and am now heavily involved the entrepreneurship/VC scene in uni.
Edit: Much of this was written in present tense in March 2021 FYI~
submitted by CasusBellum to collegeresults [link] [comments]
Demographics
- Gender: M
- Race/Ethnicity: AA ORM
- Residence: SoCA
- Income Bracket: 200k+
- Type of School: Large, Public
- Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): None
Academics
- GPA (UW/W): 4.0/4.76
- Rank (or percentile): 2
- # of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: 15
- Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Physics C, Sociology (College), Political Science (College)
List the highest scores earned and all scores that were reported.
- SAT I: 1540 (740RW, 800M)
- ACT: N/A
- SAT II: Bio E (800), Mathématique Deux (800)
- AP/IB: APUSH (5), AP Calc AB (4), AP Bio (5), AP Euro (5), AP Chinese (self-studied) (4), AP Macro (self-studied) (4), AP Lang (5),
- Other (ex. IELTS, TOEFL, etc.): N/A
List all extracurricular involvements, including leadership roles, time commitments, major achievements, etc.
- Founder of Online Media Publication: Founded youth media org, grew to 100+ global team (10 countries) incl. web journalism, podcasts, videos; partnered w/youth advocacies (purposely vague) (3yrs)
- National Clubs Executive for a chain of entrepreneurship clubs attached to a nonprofit entrepreneurship incubator: Selected at nonprofit's 2019 Summer Incubator (10% accept), pitched 2 biz, won $7K seed; joined org, manage 22 int’l clubs/ competitions, help student entrepreneurs pitch and find mentors (2yrs)
- Co-founding Managing Partner of small consulting LLC providing GenZ branding, marketing and user experience services to improve client businesses; secured six contracts during 2020; founded with seed funding from (#2) (2yrs)
- Director of Student Programs at a small international startup platform; Work w/founders to coordinate student ambassador program and enhance community interactions; founded coalition program connecting student NPOs on site to foster int’l collaboration and drive recruiting/publicity resources into verified site organizations. Paid position (in company shares, not salary), worked my way up from an online internship (2yrs)
- Published Author and Misc. Freelance Writing/History Research Co-wrote book on loan surveying volunteer experiences published Jan 2020 over 3 years; research/wrote articles for various youth economics magazines and sites; submitted to Concord Review (hear back soon in time for RD apps hopefully); (4 yrs)
- Podcast Host Co-host [redacted] podcast: interview students and admissions officers to discuss [redacted]; 50K views total (2 yrs)
- Volunteer / Organizer for Economic Opportunity Initiative for Rural Farmers and small shopkeepers; Led teams to interview farmers and craft financial statements to successfully obtain agricultural loans; 200+ service hours (1yr)
- Corporate Culture / Economics Research Intern with local university prof, Contributed to economics research on entrepreneurship, corruption and business politics; also conducted statistical analysis of insider trading rates by gender; acknowledgements in prof's published research (no co-author)(3 yrs)
- FoundePresident of SciFair Club Started club to engage peers in research/competition; recruited professional mentors; cancelled mostly due to COVID but I was the top SciFair performer from my school 2yrs
- FoundePresident of FBLA club (Formerly LaunchX in 10th grade) Founded schl’s first-ever club to explore entrepreneurship and career dev; grew to 30 members; mentored peers; achieved FBLA state qualifier 2020 (but then COVID) 2yrs
Awards/Honors
List all awards and honors submitted on your application.
- 2nd Place in Entrepreneurship Incubator Competition (technically international?? just national), 5K seed money for my startup
- President's Volunteer Service Award-Gold for 200+ hrs from volunteer work and being a mock juror for local law grad students
- 2nd Pl–Social Science State Science Fair; 2nd Pl- City Psychological Association for same Research; Monetary Award from Sigma Xi Research Honors Society
- 3rd Pl, City Asian-American association: Essay contest where I wrote & presented economic consequences of CA bill
- One 1 (of 6) to represent school at Rotary Youth Leadership Award Conference (but then COVID)
I won't numerically rate my LoRs because... just how would I do that?
Entrepreneurship Mentor (CEO): Had a very strong relationship with him, he provided and advanced a lot of my extracurricular opportunities and he was from the entrepreneurship incubator (gave me a scholarship to attend). He wrote letters for a few other students a year above me at the incubator and they were admitted to Harvard, JHU, Purdue, NYU Stern. Those other students say I was his favorite.
AP Phys Teacher: Well enough, I've known him for 4 years and he's well aware of my entrepreneurial activities and podcasting (actually had him on the podcast once). Generally on amicable terms, been good and ambitious student.
APUSH Teacher: Only takes 10 LOR requests a year, I requested mine a year in advance. Very good terms, probably one of best students in our APUSH class. Had out of class conversations that espoused my personality. Aware of my writing and my authorship.
Peer (for Darty): Co-founder in firm, went through a lot together at entrepreneurship incubator and later reconnected as mentors in same incubator. Read it myself and its quite professional for a peer rec.
Interviews
UPenn: Not great, really didn't click. She was a doctor who was really questioning my want to go to big city Philly and asked me verbatim what I did for fun again (after my initial response of fall into Wikipedia rabbit holes and podcast) with a straight face. Never making that mistake again.
Duke: Pretty good, was able to make them laugh at end, had an engaging conversation about Duke entrepreneurship and leadership programs.
Princeton: Recent grad who was probably the best so far, she described me as a "gift to the world" (flattered) and she said she was impressed by my responses compared to other applicants. She said to update her on my decision in April.
Harvard: Would say it was good. Really stoic guy who was in President Clinton's cabinet, had an engaging conversation about journalism and the new media forces (Vox, ProPublica) and my ambition to do the same. Ended with a bit about him talking about imposter syndrome as his biggest dislike with his Harvard experience.
Stanford: Short (~40 min) where halfway through interview I became the interviewer. Talked a lot about her daughter who was a Stanford senior and the easily accessible small research grants. Apparently she welcomes the ~60-70 Stanford admitted students every year with a reception at her home.
Dartmouth: Really down to earth conversation with a guy, standard interview questions, he still sends me material and updates from Dartmouth here and there now based on things I said in our interview (like swim team changes, pitching opportunities). I also update him in April.
MIT: Fairly standard interview. Nothing really to note here, talked about my journalism and my view on media for the most part.
Essays
After being rejected by Penn, I think I went through maybe like 15 CA drafts in total but only the last two mattered. I applied to half my colleges with one CA draft (that I thought showed how I thought, albeit maybe not as personal as I wanted it). I ended up applying to all the colleges with deadlines 1/3/20 and after using my Harvard supp as my CA since a friend and a college counselor both read it, suggested no changes, and said it was my best work. All sups went through 2-4 drafts and were reviewed by either my friend or college counselor. I had half of them coming into Winter break then I crammed out the rest during break. I'm proud of my CA essays and most of my sups and have realized throughout all my revising and editing, that I lost a great deal of my own voice in the essays that I initially sent to Penn. Which is why I resolved to keep editing minimal and my original voice a priority in my later essays (and rewrote my CA).
Decisions (indicate ED/EA/REA/SCEA/RD)
Acceptances:
- USC Merit (Presidential) - Marshall
- UCLA (Regents Invite) Biz Econ
- UCI Honors
- UC Berkeley GMP Program (Haas School of Business)
- UCSD Business Econ
- Cornell Dyson
- UChicago
- Vanderbilt
- NYU
- Harvard Rejection after submitting LOCI
- Dartmouth
- Brown
- ED Penn Wharton
- Northwestern
- MIT
- Duke
- Princeton
- Yale
- Columbia
- Stanford
In March, I was selected for a 12-person cohort in a career development program following my entrepreneurial activities where I was selected to participate in funded projects ranging from Harvard case studies and startups. This was discontinued owing to the COVID pandemic but will be resuming the latter half of my senior year.
I was interviewed by major news networks (November 2020) about the launch of the entrepreneurial incubator clubs chapters in the midst of COVID-19, interview expected to be in outlets like USNews and the like in February (Hopefully in time for RD)
I was invited to join the student council of a social science research program for high school students around the world, hosted by the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) on the basis of my journalism and the entrepreneurship incubator clubs program. This just began this February and am currently meeting with the director.
Final words:
I made a lot of mistakes back then but I won't deny I was and am happy with how I handled the college app process back then. Happy to answer any Qs - I chose Cornell at the end of the day and am now heavily involved the entrepreneurship/VC scene in uni.
Edit: Much of this was written in present tense in March 2021 FYI~
2023.03.22 23:13 xhysics Pedrito Martinez at this years Newport Jazz fest Aug. 6, 2023.
 | submitted by xhysics to AfroCuban [link] [comments] |
2023.03.22 22:59 Ok_Pineapple_2090 Who going 👀👀👀
| | submitted by Ok_Pineapple_2090 to Jazz [link] [comments] |
2023.03.22 22:51 kevinpaulmyrick Prayers for the family of Mr. Brandon of Taylorsville , who passed on Monday. Alvis Miller & Son Funeral Home of Rockmart is in charge of the arrangements.
 | submitted by kevinpaulmyrick to polktoday [link] [comments] |
2023.03.22 22:13 Starhawk1106 Hey Compadres, Welcome to the QUARTERFINALS ROUND 2 of the "Padres Best of '22" Bracket Tourney! Here's your next 2 moments to pick from to advance to the Semifinals:
Juan's First Brown & Gold Soto Bomb (August 9th):
-The Padres were in a rough patch of time. Despite adding the likes of Josh Hader, Juan Soto and Brandon Drury, the team was on a downward slope after a 5 game losing skid, and no runs scored for 2 whole games. Players needed to step up, and the tides needed to start turning for the Padres. After many losses, Soto finally stepped up and lived up to his trade deal. On August 9th, after the Padres were down 1-0 to the Giants in the bottom of the 4th inning, Soto worked a full count, then proceeded to blast his first home run in a brown & gold uniform for the Friar Faithful to enjoy. His efforts snapped a 26 scoreless inning streak, and paved the way to a 7-4 Padres win over the Giants to snap the potentially worse losing streak.
Mad Max Mayhem (October 7th):
-Having made it to the postseason after many trials and tribulations, the Padres were slated to face the 101-win Mets team on the other side of the country in Citi Field, New York. The Mets were heavily favored to win the series, because who could win against a Max ScherzeJacob deGrom 1-2 combo? Who could beat a team that practically led the National League East the entire season, and ended the season with a 101-61 game record? The Padres, that's who. They made their statement clear in the first inning, with Josh Bell racking a towering 2 run homerun off of his ex-teammate Max Scherzer, to make the game 2-0. Trent Grisham would then homer an inning later, making it 3-0 Padres. After a couple of shutout innings, something the Mets wanted out of Scherzer, the Padres reminded them that the game wasn't done, with Profar hitting a 3 run shot and Machado capping it off with a solo shot, making it 7-0 San Diego, a lead that would end up standing for the rest of the game. Oops.
View Poll
submitted by Starhawk1106 to Padres [link] [comments]
-The Padres were in a rough patch of time. Despite adding the likes of Josh Hader, Juan Soto and Brandon Drury, the team was on a downward slope after a 5 game losing skid, and no runs scored for 2 whole games. Players needed to step up, and the tides needed to start turning for the Padres. After many losses, Soto finally stepped up and lived up to his trade deal. On August 9th, after the Padres were down 1-0 to the Giants in the bottom of the 4th inning, Soto worked a full count, then proceeded to blast his first home run in a brown & gold uniform for the Friar Faithful to enjoy. His efforts snapped a 26 scoreless inning streak, and paved the way to a 7-4 Padres win over the Giants to snap the potentially worse losing streak.
Mad Max Mayhem (October 7th):
-Having made it to the postseason after many trials and tribulations, the Padres were slated to face the 101-win Mets team on the other side of the country in Citi Field, New York. The Mets were heavily favored to win the series, because who could win against a Max ScherzeJacob deGrom 1-2 combo? Who could beat a team that practically led the National League East the entire season, and ended the season with a 101-61 game record? The Padres, that's who. They made their statement clear in the first inning, with Josh Bell racking a towering 2 run homerun off of his ex-teammate Max Scherzer, to make the game 2-0. Trent Grisham would then homer an inning later, making it 3-0 Padres. After a couple of shutout innings, something the Mets wanted out of Scherzer, the Padres reminded them that the game wasn't done, with Profar hitting a 3 run shot and Machado capping it off with a solo shot, making it 7-0 San Diego, a lead that would end up standing for the rest of the game. Oops.
View Poll
2023.03.22 21:16 USOC_Matchday 2023 U.S. Open Cup Thread: Round 1, Day 2
#USOC2023
Flashscore Live Table
List of Games and Streams
TheCup.us Round 1 Preview
El Farolito (NPSL) – International San Francisco (LQ)
International San Francisco Soccer Club to compete in the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (Video Interview)
2:30 PT - Ohlone College Soccer Field; Fremont, CA
Stream
Oakland Roots SC (USLC)
Appalachian FC (NPSL) – North Carolina Fusion U23 (USL2)
Appalachian FC: Sasquatch, Open Cup & the Power of Belief
7:00 ET - Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex; Boone, NC
Stream
Appalachian FC advance to play Charlotte Independence (USL1)
Manhattan SC (USL2) – FC Motown (NPSL)
Manhattan SC make US Open Cup debut this Wednesday in the Bronx
Violette AC sign NYC-area talent to compete in CONCACAF Champions League
7:00 ET - Marillac Field (College of Mt. St. Vincent); Bronx, NY
Stream
Flower City Union (NISA)
Club de Lyon B (LQ) – Nona FC (USL2)
7:00 ET - Austin-Tindall Sports Complex, Kissimmee, FL
Stream
Tampa Bay Rowdies (USLC)
Chicago House AC (LQ) – Bavarian United SC (LQ)
Chicago House AC vs Bavarian United SC - U.S. Open Cup 1st round preview
An Open Cup Romantic at Home With Chicago House
7:00 CT - Langhorst Field (Elmhurst University); Elmhurst. IL
Stream
Forward Madison FC (USL1)
Beaman United FC (LQ) – Des Moines Menace (USL2)
Des Moines Always a Menace for the Big Boys
7:00 CT - Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium (MTSU); Murfreesboro, TN
Stream
Chattanooga FC (NISA)
Tulsa Athletic (NPSL) – Brazos Valley Cavalry FC (USL2)
7:00 CT - Hicks Park; Tulsa, OK
Stream
FC Tulsa (USLC)
UDA Soccer (LQ) – Park City Red Wolves SC (USL2)
Meet The Underdogs: UDA Soccer
7:00 MT - New Mexico State Soccer Field; Las Cruces, NM
Stream
New Mexico United (USLC)
Project 51O (USL2) – Crossfire Premier (NPSL)
7:00 PT - Ohlone College Soccer Field; Fremont, CA
No Stream womp womp
Sacramento Republic FC (USLC)
Ventura County Fusion (USL2) – Capo FC (LQ)
Open Cup Debutants Capo FC Grown up From the Grassroots
7:00 PT - Ventura College Sportsplex; Ventura, CA
Stream
Orange County SC (USLC)
Previous Threads:
Round 1, Day 1
Visit /usopencup for more U.S. Open Cup news and discussion.
submitted by USOC_Matchday to MLS [link] [comments]
Flashscore Live Table
List of Games and Streams
TheCup.us Round 1 Preview
International San Francisco Soccer Club to compete in the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (Video Interview)
2:30 PT - Ohlone College Soccer Field; Fremont, CA
Stream
Oakland Roots SC (USLC)
Appalachian FC: Sasquatch, Open Cup & the Power of Belief
7:00 ET - Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex; Boone, NC
Stream
| APP | NC23 |
|---|---|
| ✔️ | ❌ |
| ✔️ | ❌ |
| ✔️ | ❌ |
| - | - |
| - | - |
Manhattan SC make US Open Cup debut this Wednesday in the Bronx
Violette AC sign NYC-area talent to compete in CONCACAF Champions League
7:00 ET - Marillac Field (College of Mt. St. Vincent); Bronx, NY
Stream
Flower City Union (NISA)
7:00 ET - Austin-Tindall Sports Complex, Kissimmee, FL
Stream
Tampa Bay Rowdies (USLC)
Chicago House AC vs Bavarian United SC - U.S. Open Cup 1st round preview
An Open Cup Romantic at Home With Chicago House
7:00 CT - Langhorst Field (Elmhurst University); Elmhurst. IL
Stream
Forward Madison FC (USL1)
Des Moines Always a Menace for the Big Boys
7:00 CT - Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium (MTSU); Murfreesboro, TN
Stream
Chattanooga FC (NISA)
7:00 CT - Hicks Park; Tulsa, OK
Stream
FC Tulsa (USLC)
Meet The Underdogs: UDA Soccer
7:00 MT - New Mexico State Soccer Field; Las Cruces, NM
Stream
New Mexico United (USLC)
7:00 PT - Ohlone College Soccer Field; Fremont, CA
No Stream womp womp
Sacramento Republic FC (USLC)
Open Cup Debutants Capo FC Grown up From the Grassroots
7:00 PT - Ventura College Sportsplex; Ventura, CA
Stream
Orange County SC (USLC)
Round 1, Day 1
Visit /usopencup for more U.S. Open Cup news and discussion.
2023.03.22 19:26 bobwvng [H] Bundle leftovers, Destiny 2: Lightfall, F1 2020, more [W] Demon Turf, Wishlist, offers
barter.vg: https://barter.vg7166/
GameTrade Rep: https://www.reddit.com/GameTradeRep/comments/nc9p7z/bobwvngs_gametrade_rep_page/
IGS Rep: https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/nc9zs9/bobwvngs_igs_rep_page/
Indiegala Rep: https://www.indiegala.com/trades/use200068fa6b4311eab4afcf7c48530a3b
Steamtrades: https://www.steamtrades.com/use76561199047824498
SGS Flair: https://www.reddit.com/sgsflaicomments/ovh34k/flair_profile_ubobwvng
submitted by bobwvng to GameTrade [link] [comments]
- 11-11: MEMORIES RETOLD
- 112 Operator
- 99Vidas
- A Plague Tale: Innocence
- Absolute Drift
- Agatha Cristie Abc Murders
- Ancestors Legacy
- Anomaly II
- Archery Practice VR
- ATOM RPG Trudograd
- Automachef
- Axis Football 2021
- Between the Stars
- Bridge Constructor
- BUDDY SIMULATOR 1984
- Crypts of Anak Shaba
- Deiland: Pocket Planet
- Desperados III
- Destiny 2: Lightfall
- Dirt 4
- Dolmen
- Dungeon of Elements
- ENDLESS Space - Definitive Edition
- Ethernal
- Evan's Remains
- Everhood
- F1 2018
- F1 2020
- Farmer's Dynasty
- Fort Triumph
- Garage: Bad Trip
- Gas Station Simulator
- Get Even
- Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
- Ghostrunner
- Golf with your friends
- Gone Home + Original Soundtrack
- Grimstar: Welcome to the savage planet
- Hack N Slash
- Hammerting
- Heads Will Roll: Downfall
- Hearts of Iron IV Cadet Edition
- Hell Let Loose
- HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED™
- ibb and obb (steam gift)
- Internet Cafe Simulator
- Iron Harvest
- Isonzo
- Just Die Already
- Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning FATE Edition
- Land of Puzzles Elven Princess
- Land of Puzzles Knights
- Last Inua
- Last Oasis
- Lawn Mowing Simulator
- Legend of Keepers
- Legion TD 2
- Leisure Suit Larry - Retro Bundle
- Lovecraft's Untold Stories
- Mahjong
- Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (origin)
- Megabyte Punch
- Metro Exodus
- Midnight Protocol
- Mind Scanners
- Moo Lander
- Morendar Goblin Slayer
- Mountain
- mummification
- NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER
- Nebuchadnezzar
- OSK - The End of Time
- OUT OF REACH
- Outward
- Overcooked - The Lost Morsel
- Paradise Lost
- Per Aspera
- Plane Mechanic Simulator
- Plunder Panic
- POLE
- Professor Watts Memory Match Cute Animals
- Professor Watts Memory Match: Cats
- Puzzle Monarch Egypt
- Puzzle Monarch Forests
- Puzzle Monarch Mummy
- Puzzle Monarch Nile River
- Puzzle Monarch Vampires
- Quadrant M4
- Quixzel Rush Halloween Party
- Randal's Monday
- Raptor Territory
- Red Solstice 2: Survivors
- Reventure
- Ring of Pain
- RING RUNNER FLIGHT OF THE SAGES
- Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
- Rustler
- S.W.I.N.E. HD Remaster
- Scorn
- Scribble It! Premium Edition DLC
- Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice
- Shape of the World
- Sid Meier's Civilization V: Complete
- Skullgirls 2nd Encore
- Slay the spire
- Softened Cookie
- Space Pilgrim Episode II: Epsilon Indi
- Spacebase Df-9
- Stacking
- Sudden Strike Gold
- SugarMill
- Superhot
- Surviving Mars - Deluxe Edition
- Tales
- The Apotheosis Project
- The Ascent
- The Deed
- The Indie Mixtape
- The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia
- The Walking Dead
- THREE DEAD ZED
- Tower To Heaven
- Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
- Train Valley
- Trivia Vault Boxing Trivia
- Trivia Vault Celebrity Trivia
- Trivia Vault Food Trivia
- Trivia Vault Golf Trivia
- Trivia Vault Music Trivia
- Trivia Vault Science & History Trivia
- Tropico 3
- Unpacking
- Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide
- Warlock - Master of the Arcane
- Wayout
- World War Z: Aftermath
- X-COM: Complete Pack
- Yooka-Laylee
GameTrade Rep: https://www.reddit.com/GameTradeRep/comments/nc9p7z/bobwvngs_gametrade_rep_page/
IGS Rep: https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/nc9zs9/bobwvngs_igs_rep_page/
Indiegala Rep: https://www.indiegala.com/trades/use200068fa6b4311eab4afcf7c48530a3b
Steamtrades: https://www.steamtrades.com/use76561199047824498
SGS Flair: https://www.reddit.com/sgsflaicomments/ovh34k/flair_profile_ubobwvng
2023.03.22 19:26 bobwvng [H] Bundle leftovers, Destiny 2: Lightfall, F1 2020, more [W] Demon Turf, Wishlist, offers
barter.vg: https://barter.vg7166/
GameTrade Rep: https://www.reddit.com/GameTradeRep/comments/nc9p7z/bobwvngs_gametrade_rep_page/
IGS Rep: https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/nc9zs9/bobwvngs_igs_rep_page/
Indiegala Rep: https://www.indiegala.com/trades/use200068fa6b4311eab4afcf7c48530a3b
Steamtrades: https://www.steamtrades.com/use76561199047824498
SGS Flair: https://www.reddit.com/sgsflaicomments/ovh34k/flair_profile_ubobwvng
submitted by bobwvng to indiegameswap [link] [comments]
- 11-11: MEMORIES RETOLD
- 112 Operator
- 99Vidas
- A Plague Tale: Innocence
- Absolute Drift
- Agatha Cristie Abc Murders
- Ancestors Legacy
- Anomaly II
- Archery Practice VR
- ATOM RPG Trudograd
- Automachef
- Axis Football 2021
- Between the Stars
- Bridge Constructor
- BUDDY SIMULATOR 1984
- Crypts of Anak Shaba
- Deiland: Pocket Planet
- Desperados III
- Destiny 2: Lightfall
- Dirt 4
- Dolmen
- Dungeon of Elements
- ENDLESS Space - Definitive Edition
- Ethernal
- Evan's Remains
- Everhood
- F1 2018
- F1 2020
- Farmer's Dynasty
- Fort Triumph
- Garage: Bad Trip
- Gas Station Simulator
- Get Even
- Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
- Ghostrunner
- Golf with your friends
- Gone Home + Original Soundtrack
- Grimstar: Welcome to the savage planet
- Hack N Slash
- Hammerting
- Heads Will Roll: Downfall
- Hearts of Iron IV Cadet Edition
- Hell Let Loose
- HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED™
- ibb and obb (steam gift)
- Internet Cafe Simulator
- Iron Harvest
- Isonzo
- Just Die Already
- Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning FATE Edition
- Land of Puzzles Elven Princess
- Land of Puzzles Knights
- Last Inua
- Last Oasis
- Lawn Mowing Simulator
- Legend of Keepers
- Legion TD 2
- Leisure Suit Larry - Retro Bundle
- Lovecraft's Untold Stories
- Mahjong
- Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (origin)
- Megabyte Punch
- Metro Exodus
- Midnight Protocol
- Mind Scanners
- Moo Lander
- Morendar Goblin Slayer
- Mountain
- mummification
- NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER
- Nebuchadnezzar
- OSK - The End of Time
- OUT OF REACH
- Outward
- Overcooked - The Lost Morsel
- Paradise Lost
- Per Aspera
- Plane Mechanic Simulator
- Plunder Panic
- POLE
- Professor Watts Memory Match Cute Animals
- Professor Watts Memory Match: Cats
- Puzzle Monarch Egypt
- Puzzle Monarch Forests
- Puzzle Monarch Mummy
- Puzzle Monarch Nile River
- Puzzle Monarch Vampires
- Quadrant M4
- Quixzel Rush Halloween Party
- Randal's Monday
- Raptor Territory
- Red Solstice 2: Survivors
- Reventure
- Ring of Pain
- RING RUNNER FLIGHT OF THE SAGES
- Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
- Rustler
- S.W.I.N.E. HD Remaster
- Scorn
- Scribble It! Premium Edition DLC
- Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice
- Shape of the World
- Sid Meier's Civilization V: Complete
- Skullgirls 2nd Encore
- Slay the spire
- Softened Cookie
- Space Pilgrim Episode II: Epsilon Indi
- Spacebase Df-9
- Stacking
- Sudden Strike Gold
- SugarMill
- Superhot
- Surviving Mars - Deluxe Edition
- Tales
- The Apotheosis Project
- The Ascent
- The Deed
- The Indie Mixtape
- The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia
- The Walking Dead
- THREE DEAD ZED
- Tower To Heaven
- Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt
- Train Valley
- Trivia Vault Boxing Trivia
- Trivia Vault Celebrity Trivia
- Trivia Vault Food Trivia
- Trivia Vault Golf Trivia
- Trivia Vault Music Trivia
- Trivia Vault Science & History Trivia
- Tropico 3
- Unpacking
- Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide
- Warlock - Master of the Arcane
- Wayout
- World War Z: Aftermath
- X-COM: Complete Pack
- Yooka-Laylee
GameTrade Rep: https://www.reddit.com/GameTradeRep/comments/nc9p7z/bobwvngs_gametrade_rep_page/
IGS Rep: https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/nc9zs9/bobwvngs_igs_rep_page/
Indiegala Rep: https://www.indiegala.com/trades/use200068fa6b4311eab4afcf7c48530a3b
Steamtrades: https://www.steamtrades.com/use76561199047824498
SGS Flair: https://www.reddit.com/sgsflaicomments/ovh34k/flair_profile_ubobwvng
2023.03.22 18:36 Mean-Cauliflower-850 Removed/Upcoming Effects on The Curse at Alton Manor…
Bit of a long post here but super meaty for the real detail nerds out there…
I rode The Curse at Alton Manor for the very first time yesterday and I thought it was brilliantly crafted, super solid dark ride that the UK needs a hell of a lot more of. After riding 4 times I really got to memorise the layout and take in every little detail including every single special effect used in the attraction. However after getting home, I watched a couple of ride POV’s others had taken on the opening weekend and I noticed a couple of special effects that were not present when I rode yesterday.
The first of these being the projection of the ominous shadow that appears to grow into a large demon behind the Emily figure right before the ‘hide and seek’ sequence. This effect looked amazing on the videos I saw as it began as a normal shadow of Emily and suddenly grew to consume the whole room. Now though this has been changed/removed as now Emily says ‘Let’s play hide and seek’ before blowing out her candle and whole room around her going dark. I assume this was done to better setup the 20 seconds of complete darkness that follows as originally the room would stay lit. Another one I noticed was a small projection jump-scare of Emily on the first set of mirrors right before you ‘vanish’. I assume this has broken rather than removed as the sound cue remains, yet nothing appears. I do hope they manage to fix it as I feel there needs to be more incentive to look at the mirrors on your right in order to catch the disappearing effect as only 2 out of the 4 of us spotted it on our first ride.
This leads me to speculate about upcoming changes that I think could be made. I managed to speak with Sean Evans from Lift Hills and Thrills a couple times that day (which he was lovely to speak with may I add) and he mentioned that Merlin are still tweaking the attraction and are yet to add certain effects to the ride, which was proven right as I saw a small team from Merlin Magic Making riding it later that day. Again, I feel there needs to be something to catch your attention to look at the mirrors even before the Emily projection jump-scare, perhaps a small trail of projection mapped purple magic that follows the ride car from the spider scene and settles on the mirror, THEN the Emily jump-scare can play which would make it much more effective in my opinion. Another is that I feel the spider sequence is rather weak in it’s scares, I feel like turning up the pace on the figures so they jump out at you faster would really help, as well as adding less lighting and a louder screech for the group of 3 spiders that come out from behind the box and I could see them even before they started moving.
Touching on arguably the most controversial moments of the ride are the two areas of complete darkness. The first of which is the aforementioned ‘Hide and Seek’ sequence where I would like them to add back the demon shadow but just turn off all the lights before the ride vehicle turns the corner as it looks like such an incredible effect even through video. I would like them to move the speakers that hang above you throughout the scene to be beside each side of the ride car and turned up a lot more in order to really sell the effect that Emily is chasing you trying to find you and having the darkness there would really sell that feeling tenfold. To end the sequence, I feel as though a figure of Emily much like the one seen at the start should jump up out of the darkness screaming ‘Almost got you!’ with the lights flashing for only a second, which would then sell the final massive hand screaming ‘Found you!’. Then comes the flying demon scene after the mirror hallway, which in my opinion is the weakest scene in the ride as I’m a little confused on why they added ghostly demons instead of just multiple figures of Emily herself as she’s the only demon possessing the house. Just imagine if instead we saw Emily contorted in all these creepy grudge-esque poses along the walls with sudden bursts of air hitting you or something else just to add a fifth sense to the attraction.
Finally, I would just like to see any traces of the open house idea removed as these really add nothing on top of the fact that the concept isn’t mentioned anywhere within the attraction, probably because it makes 0 sense as why would a company be trying to sell a house that is very clearly possessed with a spirit who’ll kill anyone who tries to enter?? I much preferred the idea of us stumbling upon this old abandoned manor in the middle of the woods concept that was featured in the original Haunted House.
All in all, The Curse of Alton manor is a really fantastic dark ride with a big emphasis on physical sets and audio that Merlin have been missing from their portfolio for many years and I just hope that they continue to upkeep and improve the attraction’s reliability rather than what they did to Derren Brown’s Ghost Train where they kept it loved for the first couple of years and then left it to rot for the next 5..
Let me know if they’re any improvements you’d like to see added and if there are any missing effects that I missed that you saw over the opening weekend :))
submitted by Mean-Cauliflower-850 to altontowers [link] [comments]
I rode The Curse at Alton Manor for the very first time yesterday and I thought it was brilliantly crafted, super solid dark ride that the UK needs a hell of a lot more of. After riding 4 times I really got to memorise the layout and take in every little detail including every single special effect used in the attraction. However after getting home, I watched a couple of ride POV’s others had taken on the opening weekend and I noticed a couple of special effects that were not present when I rode yesterday.
The first of these being the projection of the ominous shadow that appears to grow into a large demon behind the Emily figure right before the ‘hide and seek’ sequence. This effect looked amazing on the videos I saw as it began as a normal shadow of Emily and suddenly grew to consume the whole room. Now though this has been changed/removed as now Emily says ‘Let’s play hide and seek’ before blowing out her candle and whole room around her going dark. I assume this was done to better setup the 20 seconds of complete darkness that follows as originally the room would stay lit. Another one I noticed was a small projection jump-scare of Emily on the first set of mirrors right before you ‘vanish’. I assume this has broken rather than removed as the sound cue remains, yet nothing appears. I do hope they manage to fix it as I feel there needs to be more incentive to look at the mirrors on your right in order to catch the disappearing effect as only 2 out of the 4 of us spotted it on our first ride.
This leads me to speculate about upcoming changes that I think could be made. I managed to speak with Sean Evans from Lift Hills and Thrills a couple times that day (which he was lovely to speak with may I add) and he mentioned that Merlin are still tweaking the attraction and are yet to add certain effects to the ride, which was proven right as I saw a small team from Merlin Magic Making riding it later that day. Again, I feel there needs to be something to catch your attention to look at the mirrors even before the Emily projection jump-scare, perhaps a small trail of projection mapped purple magic that follows the ride car from the spider scene and settles on the mirror, THEN the Emily jump-scare can play which would make it much more effective in my opinion. Another is that I feel the spider sequence is rather weak in it’s scares, I feel like turning up the pace on the figures so they jump out at you faster would really help, as well as adding less lighting and a louder screech for the group of 3 spiders that come out from behind the box and I could see them even before they started moving.
Touching on arguably the most controversial moments of the ride are the two areas of complete darkness. The first of which is the aforementioned ‘Hide and Seek’ sequence where I would like them to add back the demon shadow but just turn off all the lights before the ride vehicle turns the corner as it looks like such an incredible effect even through video. I would like them to move the speakers that hang above you throughout the scene to be beside each side of the ride car and turned up a lot more in order to really sell the effect that Emily is chasing you trying to find you and having the darkness there would really sell that feeling tenfold. To end the sequence, I feel as though a figure of Emily much like the one seen at the start should jump up out of the darkness screaming ‘Almost got you!’ with the lights flashing for only a second, which would then sell the final massive hand screaming ‘Found you!’. Then comes the flying demon scene after the mirror hallway, which in my opinion is the weakest scene in the ride as I’m a little confused on why they added ghostly demons instead of just multiple figures of Emily herself as she’s the only demon possessing the house. Just imagine if instead we saw Emily contorted in all these creepy grudge-esque poses along the walls with sudden bursts of air hitting you or something else just to add a fifth sense to the attraction.
Finally, I would just like to see any traces of the open house idea removed as these really add nothing on top of the fact that the concept isn’t mentioned anywhere within the attraction, probably because it makes 0 sense as why would a company be trying to sell a house that is very clearly possessed with a spirit who’ll kill anyone who tries to enter?? I much preferred the idea of us stumbling upon this old abandoned manor in the middle of the woods concept that was featured in the original Haunted House.
All in all, The Curse of Alton manor is a really fantastic dark ride with a big emphasis on physical sets and audio that Merlin have been missing from their portfolio for many years and I just hope that they continue to upkeep and improve the attraction’s reliability rather than what they did to Derren Brown’s Ghost Train where they kept it loved for the first couple of years and then left it to rot for the next 5..
Let me know if they’re any improvements you’d like to see added and if there are any missing effects that I missed that you saw over the opening weekend :))
2023.03.22 18:26 tvchase THE GREATEST TRICK THE DEVIL EVER PULLED - Part Four
"Fragile Ego, Fragile Body, Weak Mind, Weak Spirit"
In Part One, Part Two, and Part Three, we've built a timeline and tracked the story of an old man who came back to professional wrestling. Disgruntled and broken, he had abandoned the business to which he’d given himself for fifteen years. They were a tumultuous fifteen years, but within that time he reached the height of the industry. He held the attention of every single person who was a wrestling fan and even many of whom weren’t fans at all. To get to such heights, he plumbed the depths of cruelty and villainy in character, going places many of his peers wouldn’t dare touch. He attacked the sobriety of recovering alcoholics and substance abusers. He preyed upon the anxiety and insecurity of those with mental health issues. He lied, he gas-lit, and he betrayed on the way to the top. Even for someone as vile as himself, however, it simultaneously became all too much and not enough. At the mountaintop, sick of himself and everything around him, he walked away.
September 4, 2022 – MJF returns to All Elite Wrestling and steals Punk's ovation in Chicago.
The final words of the PPV broadcast:
The stream has a longer delay than usual before the presser begins. Bloodied, battered, sweat-soaked hair in his eyes, draped in a towel… CM Punk looks like pure hell as he sits down to take – and to ask – questions from a group of wrestling reporters.
The mic goes to Nick Hausman first:
Punk continues:
Punk:
Tony Khan is the one who answers:
Punk:
The scrum moves onto its next question, this time for Tony.
Punk doesn’t want to talk about MJF. He goes back into his rant:
A question comes up for Punk from an old friend in the press pool: What’s his message for MJF?
The notion of having to speak directly to MJF seems to sap all of the energy from Punk. All of the piss and vinegar leaves him. He’s quiet now and reserved now… almost sheepish. It’s like he’s speaking to the mirror once again.
Punk:
Punk:
Punk dives deeper:
The rest of the scrum is often overlooked, but on closer examination, it’s no less interesting, and seems to be developing a common theme.
Next up come the reigning tag team champions, Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee. Midway through their match against The Acclaimed, the audience in Chicago was nuclear hot for the challengers. Sensing this, Swerve In Our Glory began working heel en route to a successful defense of their titles.
One of the first questions concerns “problems” between the pair that have flared up in recent weeks, with the two not always on the same page and Swerve eliminating Lee in a battle royal.
Swerve:
Swerve, on how people felt The Acclaimed should’ve won:
Swerve is beside himself:
Tony Khan:
Next up is Toni Storm, who has secured the AEW Interim Women’s world championship. Brief chatter about how the women in the locker room all feel devoted to helping each other and elevating each other as a whole, before a reporter asks:
“We’re in a situation now where we just saw Jon Moxley come off a run where he was an interim world champion, and he made his thoughts very clear about how he felt about the word ‘Interim’. How do you feel about that?”
Toni Storm:
At this point, the new trios champions – Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson, and Matt Jackson – should be arriving at the podium. Someone to the side alerts Tony Khan that it will be Chris Jericho coming up next instead. Tony looks surprised. He starts reading and responding to messages on his phone. A reporter randomly asks Tony about the contract tampering allegations, but he declines to comment on it. He stalls for about five minutes before Jericho gets to the podium.
After commenting on what a pleasure it was to finally wrestle against Brian Danielson and call a match on the fly (“there’s very few people in the world you can do that with”), Jericho takes a question from Nick Hausman:
The story between Douglas and Michaels is notorious and quite relevant here.
“The Franchise” had originally been in WWE in 1990, where he made a name for himself filling in for the injured Michaels as Marty Janetty’s tag partner in The Rockers. Caring for his ailing father, Douglas stepped away from wrestling full-time but intermittently appeared for WCW, then ECW, where he finally became a top guy. When he returned to WWE in 1995, HBK and the rest of the Kliq had assumed nearly full control of backstage politics and were tyrannical in the locker room. Michaels invited Shane Douglas into the fold. Considering them childish, he declined. The rest of his tenure in WWE would be smothered after rejecting Michaels and The Kliq. HBK vowed never to do the job against him, and even faked an injury to avoid dropping the Intercontinental title to him. Douglas left the company the following year after Vince was infuriated that Douglas would not wrestle at Madison Square Garden, despite a doctor explicitly telling him that if he worked through his back injury it would risk paralysis.
The scrum moves on, and eventually Denise Salcedo asks Jericho about MJF’s return.
Jericho:
A few “no comments” are issued to questions regarding WWE's alleged contract tampering as well as a proposed super-show with WWE. Tony Khan says he has good feelings toward WWE but they’re not exactly reciprocated, and from there he doesn’t comment any further.
A reporter asks:
The next question centers on the start of the scrum:
Before Tony wraps up the scrum, he singles out a young man in the press pool to ask a question. The young man asks about CM Punk’s dog, Larry, who had ran out in front of the crowd earlier.
In the coming hours, news would steadily emerge from backstage. As the story goes, the EVPs of All Elite Wrestling went to CM Punk’s locker room accompanied by Megha Parekh, AEW’s Chief Legal Officer and Director of Human Resources, along with Christopher Daniels, Fallen Angel and Manager of Talent Relations.
While in the locker room, CM Punk punched Matt Jackson, a chair hit Nick Jackson in the eye, and Ace Steel bit Kenny Omega on the arm. Larry the Dog was in peril also, later seen being carried by Megha away from the area. Brandon Cutler, Pat Buck, and Michael Nakazawa were all present. At some point Chris Jericho made his way to Punk to tell him he was a cancer to the locker room and detrimental to the company as a whole, only to be told in turn that it was none of Jericho’s business and he should leave. Aside from Megha, all parties present (aside from Jericho who arrived late) were immediately placed on paid administrative leave, pending investigation.
News dropped quickly that Punk would be out for six-to-eight months regardless of anything else due to his torn triceps suffered that night in the main event.
Aside from the injury, none of this has been 100% confirmed. None of these details exist on any official record. All accounts are, at best, third-hand information. The facts of the story changed wildly from the first 48 hours to the first two weeks, with absurd initial claims such as the Young Bucks (super)kicking down the door to Punk’s locker and Larry losing teeth in the maelstrom. To this day, no one other than those present know with any degree of certainty what happened inside that room.
But what happened outside that room was a remarkable shattering of perception about CM Punk, the Elite, but most importantly, AEW itself. In the immediate aftermath, massive fans such as myself couldn’t help but feel as if something was taken away from us. In the months since, so much has been made of getting AEW back to the old days, regaining that old feeling that made us fall in love at the beginning. We want to go back to what Jericho called the “amazing world” created by everyone at AEW, but none more so than by the Elite.
How could CM Punk so grossly and directly attack the founders and shapers of this company which, up to then, was widely hailed as the only place a wrestler would want to be? I thought back to the very last thing said to AEW cameras by Cody Rhodes, a founder whose absence loomed large that night in Chicago. A lot of people don’t realize his final words in AEW weren’t those uttered by a ladder, inside a ring where he famously claimed credit for construction of the Forbidden Door. No, it was in the bowels of the arena after his unification match with Sammy Guevara, over eight months before All Out… There, he talked about how proud he was of everything he had helped to build. Fighting back tears, he talked about how he would never feel more at home than he does in an AEW ring. “It’s Paradise, right?”
… Paradise.
Paradise… Paradise… Paradise Lost… The Fall of Man… Snake in the Garden…
Oh, enough already! I’m grasping at straws to find some connection that can't exist. How would a guy whose contract expired at the end of 2021 be even remotely connected to stuff throughout the next year and culminated on 9/4/22?
Huh... 9… 4… 2+2… 944?
What was it that I noticed back in Part Two?
Huh. That’s interesting.
May 16, 2016: Cody’s last match in WWE.
December 16, 2018: Cody’s last match before signing with AEW.
... 944 days.
Well, that’s actually pretty wild. These guys must have a really firm grasp on the history of their careers to line up Easter eggs like that. But really, that’s all they are: Easter eggs. The Elite and Punk are all famous trolls, so they may have been hoping some obsessive fool like myself would catch on and get pulled into the rabbit hole.
The trail stops at All Out, though. We can’t go into the future and see what happens 944 days from that media scrum, and the paths of most people involved in Brawl Out seem so divergent it’d be impossible to predict with any sort of accuracy. Punk is sidelined indefinitely, perhaps permanently. Kenny and the Bucks are back in action but their contract situations have started bubbling up in dirtsheets, so we can assume Hangman won’t be far behind in those rumors.
Meanwhile over in WWE, Cody Rhodes is sitting pretty. He’s getting massive cheers the AEW fanbase refused him toward the end, when his vision lost alignment with ours. Each passing day he climbs toward a mountain top of his own. In less than two weeks from now he will go to WrestleMania and try to overcome the most impenetrable obstacle in that company: the Bloodline.
If Cody succeeds at WrestleMania, his personal story would have a crowning achievement nearly every wrestler in history would envy. The fact that he bet on himself so many times and always won is remarkable. He’ll look even better considering the stains and scars imposed on “Paradise” after his departure. Maybe he could’ve helped avoid the embarrassment of All Out, but we’ll never know and that’s not for him to dwell upon. His primary focus should be on the Tribal Chief and stopping that historic reign in its tracks at...
... 944 days.
PART FIVE WILL EXAMINE THE FALLOUT FROM BRAWL OUT, THE CORONATION OF MJF, RIPPLE EFFECTS ACROSS PROMOTIONS, AND SPECULATE ON THE FUTURE…
I AM TAKING A DEEP, DEEP DIVE INTO ELITE LORE... SO IT’S GONNA TAKE A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF WORK AND MIGHT NOT BE HERE QUICKLY, BUT I THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH ME THIS FAR AND I HOPE YOU’LL STAY ONBOARD FOR THE END OF THE RIDE!
submitted by tvchase to SquaredCircle [link] [comments]
In Part One, Part Two, and Part Three, we've built a timeline and tracked the story of an old man who came back to professional wrestling. Disgruntled and broken, he had abandoned the business to which he’d given himself for fifteen years. They were a tumultuous fifteen years, but within that time he reached the height of the industry. He held the attention of every single person who was a wrestling fan and even many of whom weren’t fans at all. To get to such heights, he plumbed the depths of cruelty and villainy in character, going places many of his peers wouldn’t dare touch. He attacked the sobriety of recovering alcoholics and substance abusers. He preyed upon the anxiety and insecurity of those with mental health issues. He lied, he gas-lit, and he betrayed on the way to the top. Even for someone as vile as himself, however, it simultaneously became all too much and not enough. At the mountaintop, sick of himself and everything around him, he walked away.
“I was never gonna get healthy physically, mentally, spiritually or emotionally, staying in the same place that got me sick in the first place.”Who could fault him? But then he came back seven years later to, as some have called it, “Wrestling Paradise”. In that Paradise, as he turned uphill, he crossed the path of a Snake slithering deceitfully among the weeds. The Snake bit him and at first, it seemed only a surface wound that would easily heal in time. That Snake’s venom, however, was slow-acting and allowed the bite to be all but forgotten as the Snake slithered out of sight and out of mind. Then one day, he’s finally back upon that mountain top, having gone a different route than before – a longer and more winding route, but seemingly nobler and more sustainable. Many of our faithful heroes weren’t buying it. They knew him before and have studied his ways, knowing he could quickly revert back to the evil and destruction he was for so long. He brushes away their suspicion to assure both us and himself: he’s a new man. He feels at peace with himself and he is bathing in the adulation of his friends, his fans, and his peers… until suddenly on that mountain top, the Snake leaps out and reminds him of the venom coursing through his veins.
September 4, 2022 – MJF returns to All Elite Wrestling and steals Punk's ovation in Chicago.
The final words of the PPV broadcast:
What does this mean for AEW?Shortly before midnight, a live stream goes up on YouTube for the post-event media scrum.
The stream has a longer delay than usual before the presser begins. Bloodied, battered, sweat-soaked hair in his eyes, draped in a towel… CM Punk looks like pure hell as he sits down to take – and to ask – questions from a group of wrestling reporters.
The mic goes to Nick Hausman first:
“Hi! Nick Hausman here from Wrestling Inc–”Punk cuts him off:
“--I’ll start, Nick. Show of hands. Who here fancies themselves a journalist? You a journalist Nick?”Nick:
“... I try my best.”Punk:
“You still do improv?”Nick:
“Not for a little bit..”Punk:
“When you did improv, who’d you do improv with?”Nick curiously uses a shoot name:
“I did it with Scott Colton.”Punk:
“Okay, so you fancy yourself a journalist. Would you say you’re friends with Scott Colton?”Nick:
“Uh… no. I haven’t talked to Scott in some time.”Punk:
“So you’re not friends with him?”Nick:
“No… Scott and I do not see eye to eye.”Punk, to the whole room:
“Oh wow… Well that makes two of us. My point is, if you fancy yourself a journalist, even if it’s for the silly world of professional wrestling, and you have journalistic integrity… people who report things, mostly that are bullshit and slanderous lies against myself… you should probably disclose who you’re friends with.”Punk, directly to Hausman, somewhat quietly:
“You blew my spot… If you’re not friends with him, I apologize.”Nick:
“I’m not friends with him…”Punk, ignoring him, continues on:
“I haven’t had anything to do with Scott Colton for almost a decade. Probably wanted nothing to do with him even longer than that. It’s fucking unfortunate that I have to come up here and speak on this when I’m on my time and this is a fucking business. Why I’m a grown-ass adult man and I decide not to be friends with somebody is nobody else’s fucking business. But my friends, if I fall backwards, will catch me. Scott Colton, I felt, never would have.CM Punk and Colt Cabana weren’t even faced with the famously divisive legal bills until 2015 when WWE’s doctor filed a defamation lawsuit against them. Colt didn’t file suit against Punk over legal fees until 2018. The timeline here is very fuzzy and totally unreliable. The line about Colt's mother sticks out like a sore thumb, but if you've read previous installments, wrestlers' relationships with their mothers have been referenced before and most notably in recent promos.
My problem was I wanted to bring a guy with me to the top that did not want to see me at the top, okay? You can call it jealousy, you can call it envy, whatever the fuck it is. My relationship with Scott Colton ended long before I paid all of his bills. I have every receipt. I have every invoice. I have every email. I have an email where he says ‘I agree to go our separate ways, I will get my own lawyer and you do not have to pay anymore.’
That’s an email that I have and the only reason the public did not see it is because when I finally had to counter-sue him, through discovery we discovered he shared a bank account with his mother. That’s a fact. As soon as we discovered that fact and we subpoenaed old Marsha, he sent the email ‘Oh, can we please drop all this?’ Now, it’s 2022. I haven’t been friends with this guy since at least 2014, late-2013.
Punk continues:
The fact that I have to sit up here because we have irresponsible people who call themselves EVPs and couldn’t fucking manage a Target and they spread lies and bullshit and put into the media that I got somebody fired when I have fuck all to do with him, want nothing to do with him, do not care where he works, where he doesn’t work, where he eats, where he sleeps… the fact that I have to get up and do this in 2022 is fucking embarrassing. If y’all are at fault, fuck you. If not, I apologize. What did I ever do in this world to deserve an empty-headed fucking dumbfuck like ‘Hangman’ Adam Page to go out on national television and fucking go into business for himself? For what? What did I ever do? Dave [Meltzer]?… I didn’t do a goddamn thing.At this point, Punk calls on a guy in the front row and asks his name. The guy is wearing a Pittsburgh Penguins shirt.
Punk:
“Fuck the Pittsburgh Penguins.”Tony Khan interjects, referring to an article where he had briefly discussed the rumors about Colt Cabana’s “sidelining” in weeks prior:
“I made it very clear in Forbes and I just wanna make it clear again–”Punk cuts off Tony Khan, the company owner, his boss:
“It’s not his position to make it very fucking clear! There’s people who call themselves EVPs that should have fuckking known better. This shit was none of their business. I understand sticking up for your fucking friends, I fucking get it. I stuck up for that guy more than anybody. Okay? I paid his bills until I didn’t and it was my decision not to.”TK:
“Yeah but I shouldn’t have no-commented when Nick first said it, it’s my fault, I should’ve taken it head-on”Punk:
“I appreciate that, but I’m trying to run a fucking business. And when somebody who hasn’t done a damn thing in this business [Hangman Page] jeopardizes the first million dollar house that this company has ever drawn off of my back and goes on national television and does that, it’s a disgrace to this industry, it’s a disgrace to this company. Now we’re far beyond apologies. I gave him a fucking chance, it did not get handled, and you saw what I had to do, which is very regrettable, lowering myself to his fucking level. But that’s where we’re at right now. And I will still walk up and down this hallway and say ‘If you have a fucking problem with me, take it up with me. Let’s fucking go’.”Nick Hausman finally gets to ask his question to Punk, and it’s regarding the return of MJF.
Tony Khan is the one who answers:
“If I may… I am the one who asked him back because MJF’s a big star in this company and this is one of the biggest events. A year ago, CM Punk debuted here and I thought it was right for the fans. I felt that, for the fans, one of the best things we could do is bring MJF back.”After rolling his eyes and stuffing a muffin in his mouth, Punk jumps in:
“It’s because he wants me to work with pricks. Constantly.”TK brushes it off:
“...Nevertherless… Two of the top wrestlers in the world. It’s a big match down the line.”At this point, Tony Khan looks like he’s about to vomit.
Punk:
“Oh, sorry, I keep fucking bringing this up… When it came down he was going to sue, I asked to talk to him. He denied… When I offered him money, it wasn’t enough [Punk is banging on the table for emphasis]. He went ahead with the lawsuit and sued. It’s his fucking funeral. He shares a bank account with his mother, that tells you all you need to know about what his character is.”Nick Hausman:
“Well… You were always very nice to me.”Punk:
“I appreciate that. I’m sorry I’m a little bit snippy. I’m hurt, I’m old, I’m fucking tired and I work with fucking children.”TK:
“I regret not answering your question the first time you asked it…”Punk:
“We’re all learning here, Tony. It’s okay.”Punk goes on to plug Mindy’s Bakery in Chicago, the supplier of his muffins.
The scrum moves onto its next question, this time for Tony.
“You saw the reaction to MJF when he came out at the end of the night. He was cheered over Punk… the hometown guy… Do you have any worries about MJF… becoming this sort of anti-authority figure?”Tony Khan gives some boilerplate word salad about how it’s great to have two compelling and charismatic figures, while Punk makes snarky faces and continues chomping on his muffins.
Punk doesn’t want to talk about MJF. He goes back into his rant:
“I’ll tell you why I’m upset about it. If you’re an EVP, you don’t try to middle your top babyface, try to get your niche audience on the internet to hate him for some made-up, bullshit rumor. Really pisses me off. Stepping on your own dick… Trying to make money, sell tickets, fill arenas, and these stupid guys think they’re in Reseda.”Next question regards how “modern talent can take advice from some of the older guys” to “help grow as a company”. Tony lets Punk give the answer.
“We have a locker room full of pretty brilliant minds… When I came back, when I cut my promo my second week here, I thought it was pretty decent. I kinda blur the lines a little bit, ya know, ‘What’s he doing? Crazy Phil, going into business for himself’, when really I was just defending myself. Mix that in with attacking Moxley, calling Kingston the second best Kingston – which is a pretty great line – but our locker room for all the brilliance and wisdom it has, isn’t worth shit when you have an empty-headed dumbfuck, who hasn’t done anything in this business, do public interviews and say ‘I don’t really take advice.’ Who the fuck do you think you are? I’m on a team with Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and Sammy Sosa, and I don’t need to work on my swing? … Fucking go fuck yourself… Grow up.Bonds, McGuire, and Sosa are most famous for hitting insane amounts of home runs in the late 1990s and early 2000s, breaking numerous historic records, rejuvenating interest in MLB, and most notably, using banned PEDs which would ultimately ostracize them from the baseball community and block them from enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
A question comes up for Punk from an old friend in the press pool: What’s his message for MJF?
The notion of having to speak directly to MJF seems to sap all of the energy from Punk. All of the piss and vinegar leaves him. He’s quiet now and reserved now… almost sheepish. It’s like he’s speaking to the mirror once again.
Punk:
“Do I have to answer this… I guess… I don’t know. I’m tired of wrestling these pricks. I’m tired of wrestling with these kids who think they know everything… But I’m not the boss… He won number one contender. I guess I’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Max is supremely talented, but this goes for him and every other individual in the locker room that doesn’t wanna be here. The grass is not greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water it. Max likes to shit where he eats instead of watering the grass. So we’ll have to see how that goes.”Next question:
“A year ago we were in this room. It was after Adam Cole, after Brian Danielson… You said it had the feeling of ‘Bash at the Beach’ [1996]...Punk, sarcastically:
“Oh boy… Did I say that?...”Reporter continues:
“A year later… What's your honest assessment of the last year, personally and professionally?”Punk:
“Look, I know it sounds like a pretty ridiculous statement, but in five years, I think you’ll see the impact of it. There’s a chance I’m wrong. We’ve got an uphill battle in a lot of respects… There’s just so much drama and turmoil going on. I like to believe in the place I work. We do have a very, very strong roster and we have a lot of brilliant minds backstage. If young talent is willing to actually listen and receive advice… There’s always gonna be people who think they should be the top guy and wanna be pushed. I get that. That was me… I always wanted more.”Meltzer asks about Punk’s foot injury from a few months before. You’ll remember, he wanted to soak in the adulation of the crowd the next show after Double or Nothing where he won the belt, and he got hurt doing a reckless stage dive.
“...This is the worst injury I’ve ever had… This was really hard for me. I really wanted to have this great Summer and do good for Tony. I wanted to sell tickets and draw money, help with ratings. And it all came crashing down… I missed Forbidden Door in the United Center… I have pride in my work and I really wanted to carry the title through the summer and just help grow the business, so it was mentally devastating.”The final question concerns the significance of the victory over Jon Moxley. Both the reporter and Tony Khan make note of the fact that it is Moxley’s first clean pin defeat in three years.
Punk:
“Oh man. Well I guess people are REALLY mad at me then, huh?... We came from the same place. Felt a lot of the same things… Guys could’ve helped us out a little bit more, passed the torch… I’m here to elevate everybody. And I’m not saying I elevated Moxley, but maybe I did. Because I think that’s what all of our jobs are: to reach back and get everybody to that level. We have different philosophies about pro wrestling, but it’s all pro wrestling. When done right, it’s magic.”The scrum session for Punk officially comes to an end, but Punk pauses things and calls out Bryan Alvarez:
“Alvarez… I saw that video man. You were so incredulous that I went into business for myself.”Alvarez explains how he said he only pointed out some were pro-Punk and some were anti-Punk about the whole thing [his worked shoot challenge to Hangman].
Punk dives deeper:
“...I’ve eaten shit on this subject for a very, very long time. I am very sad today that I had to get up here and say his name. He doesn’t fucking deserve it. But facts are facts. Name two people that have made the most money off CM Punk. [He looks at Tony Khan] I don’t think you’re there yet. The first one is Vince McMahan. The second one is Scott Colton. I hope you all have a good night. Please be more responsible with the news you get from certain people and just remember, we’re human beings.”Punk packs up his muffins and his drinks, gives his dog Larry a shout out, and runs down the Pittsburgh Penguins. He gives Tony Khan one of his sodas.
“Contrary to popular belief, I am a very nice guy.”Punk walks off the podium after nearly 25 minutes.
The rest of the scrum is often overlooked, but on closer examination, it’s no less interesting, and seems to be developing a common theme.
Next up come the reigning tag team champions, Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee. Midway through their match against The Acclaimed, the audience in Chicago was nuclear hot for the challengers. Sensing this, Swerve In Our Glory began working heel en route to a successful defense of their titles.
One of the first questions concerns “problems” between the pair that have flared up in recent weeks, with the two not always on the same page and Swerve eliminating Lee in a battle royal.
Swerve:
We didn’t really have problems. We had a dip in the road and we fixed that. You know what fixes everything? Winning. I can get violent and ravenous in that ring when I have to… If I have to push the envelope and bring Keith Lee to that level to defend these titles… So many people were against us having them in the first place… I’m always like that. Super King Petty. I read all of y’all. I read everybody in here. I literally listen to all your podcasts. First thing y’all said when we won the titles… No congratulations, nothing about Keith Lee almost losing his life fighting COVID, nothing about where I come from and both of us being let go… When we finally climbed the mountaintop, there was so much ridicule and bullshit against us about how we don’t deserve this. [You said] these opportunities should have gone… everywhere else… I’m not gonna apologize. I’m gonna gloat.”The next reporter asks Tony Khan if he gave consideration to calling an audible on the match due to how over The Acclaimed were, changing the finish on the fly. He’s skittish to answer, so the question is rerouted to the talent.
Swerve, on how people felt The Acclaimed should’ve won:
“I couldn’t care less.”Tony starts putting over how great of a match they just had, then puts over how great The Acclaimed are. He begins hinting that it makes sense to possibly have a rematch at Grand Slam in just over two weeks.
Swerve is beside himself:
“Wow. Why? Why??... How much more we gotta keep proving??”Keith Lee starts trying to rationalize how it makes sense but Swerve is pissed.
Tony Khan:
“People are asking... Look, I think it would be one of the best thing we could do at Grand Slam–”Swerve cuts off Tony, even putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him, and Tony gives him a hell of a look.
“Tony… Tony… This is just another tag team they all want the belts on instead of us!”Keith Lee:
“I find it interesting in our losses, we had to go down the ladder, but you wanna do this rematch… But I’m not gonna speak to that.”TK:
“I’ll take some time to think about it, but I just think it’d be a great match for the fans.”Swerve:
“...It is what it is, but miss me with it altogether… listen man. That’s what you wanna do… I mean, you pay the bills man so you do what you gotta do… But don’t be surprised if somebody gets hurt. Are we done? Are we done?”Keith Lee, nervously laughing:
“I’m not a part of that statement.”This portion of the scrum ends abruptly.
Next up is Toni Storm, who has secured the AEW Interim Women’s world championship. Brief chatter about how the women in the locker room all feel devoted to helping each other and elevating each other as a whole, before a reporter asks:
“We’re in a situation now where we just saw Jon Moxley come off a run where he was an interim world champion, and he made his thoughts very clear about how he felt about the word ‘Interim’. How do you feel about that?”
Toni Storm:
“Yeah. It’s not ideal. Thunder Rosa says she’s injured… Okay. So when she says she’s not injured, she can come back and lose to me, and that’ll be the end of that.”Tony Khan, laughing nervously:
“Well, that’s a… That’s a statement…”A few questions allow the new champ to put over the depth of the locker room and how AEW has been very good to her after her career was in limbo. Then it circles back around to Thunder Rosa:
“We had formed kind of a friendship… But I want her to know that I’m not just going to sit in her corner and cheer for her and be her little friend… I didn’t come here to make friends. I’ll be cool. I’ll be civil. But when she comes back, I’m gonna whip her ass.”Toni Storm’s portion wraps up.
At this point, the new trios champions – Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson, and Matt Jackson – should be arriving at the podium. Someone to the side alerts Tony Khan that it will be Chris Jericho coming up next instead. Tony looks surprised. He starts reading and responding to messages on his phone. A reporter randomly asks Tony about the contract tampering allegations, but he declines to comment on it. He stalls for about five minutes before Jericho gets to the podium.
After commenting on what a pleasure it was to finally wrestle against Brian Danielson and call a match on the fly (“there’s very few people in the world you can do that with”), Jericho takes a question from Nick Hausman:
“I asked Tony about this earlier this week… There was a mandatory backstage talent meeting that Tony confirmed happened. Reportedly you spoke at that meeting, Chris. Wondering if you could tell us what you said to the roster and what kind of advice you’re giving to talent… and to management… right now at this point in AEW?”Jericho:
“The specifics don’t need to be discussed… and that was one of the things that was addressed: don’t leak shit that’s supposed to be private among us. My message is always to remind people how special AEW is and don’t take that for granted… I always want to remind guys, please don’t ruin or potentially ruin this amazing world that we’ve created.”TK:
“We don’t want guys going into business for themselves… or girls…”Jericho:
“We don’t. Where I came from, working for twenty years, with Vince… That would never happen [Note: it happened all the time…] and I’m trying to let people know we’re getting to the point where these things are unacceptable. We will start doing things that Tony would do in the NFL or at Fulham. We are a pro sports, multi-million dollar company with a huge contract, with another huge television contract coming up soon. A lot of guys don’t have that experience and don’t realize how special this is. So that’s what I try to do whenever I have them, and Tony has them… Now it’s just a little more frequent, just to remind everyone: stay on course… both guys and girls.”Meltzer asks Jericho about having to constantly reinvent himself. Jericho says he’s not big on nostalgia, but tapping into the past and bringing up history always helps tell a compelling story:
“... We’re building a whole story around it. It fits in with the whole Heel-Jericho delusion: ‘I’ve found the fountain of youth! I’m better than ever! I’m the best wrestler in the world!’ I can say that stuff as a heel. It’s so funny: when I lose a match, it’s a great match. When I win? ‘Oh, 51-year-old Jericho is burying the young guys!’ So I can kinda use that. That intrigues me… That little kernel of truth, that I always like as a heel, that I can over blow to the point where people are like, ‘Shut the fuck up already, man!’... So let’s use that to our advantage, hide behind it…”Tony Khan then recounts a story about how he had first seen Chris Jericho in person at an ECW show in 1996 in Chicago, the same show from which a photo was shown on Dynamite the week earlier when Jericho was the young Lionheart. He recounts how when Jericho left ECW, they chanted “You Sold Out!” He also mentions a sign he had at the ECW event that night: “Shane [Douglas] ♥️’s Shawn [Michaels]”, alluding to the famous grudge between those two men.
The story between Douglas and Michaels is notorious and quite relevant here.
“The Franchise” had originally been in WWE in 1990, where he made a name for himself filling in for the injured Michaels as Marty Janetty’s tag partner in The Rockers. Caring for his ailing father, Douglas stepped away from wrestling full-time but intermittently appeared for WCW, then ECW, where he finally became a top guy. When he returned to WWE in 1995, HBK and the rest of the Kliq had assumed nearly full control of backstage politics and were tyrannical in the locker room. Michaels invited Shane Douglas into the fold. Considering them childish, he declined. The rest of his tenure in WWE would be smothered after rejecting Michaels and The Kliq. HBK vowed never to do the job against him, and even faked an injury to avoid dropping the Intercontinental title to him. Douglas left the company the following year after Vince was infuriated that Douglas would not wrestle at Madison Square Garden, despite a doctor explicitly telling him that if he worked through his back injury it would risk paralysis.
The scrum moves on, and eventually Denise Salcedo asks Jericho about MJF’s return.
Jericho:
“I said to him, ‘When you come back, you’re going to be a babyface…’ and he said, ‘I don’t wanna be a babyface, I don’t know what I’m gonna do.' ...It’s easier to make people hate you than it is to make them like you. But once they start really hating you, that’s when they start really liking you. He’s almost at that point. That’s my prediction: he’s gonna be one of our top babyfaces, whether or not he wants to be, very, very soon… A game changer.”At this point, the Jericho portion wraps up, and as he stands to leave he says something to Tony Khan, in a whisper, but very much able to be picked up on a live mic. What he said was either, “We gotta talk after” or “We called the cops”, but follow-ups to the local police department revealed no call was made so it is very likely the former. What’s indisputable is that he said “Some shit happened” directly in front of the cameras and the microphones. TK says to Jericho, “I’ll meet you in my office afterwards.” There is zero sense of urgency around anything as Jericho leaves thanking the press pool and Tony sits down to field his final questions.
A few “no comments” are issued to questions regarding WWE's alleged contract tampering as well as a proposed super-show with WWE. Tony Khan says he has good feelings toward WWE but they’re not exactly reciprocated, and from there he doesn’t comment any further.
A reporter asks:
“Leading up to All Out, there were unfortunately some reports that the AEW locker room and talent were facing some adversity… In comparison to a sports team, a big win usually pushes them over that threshold of challenges they were facing. With the overall success of tonight, do you think that will help the locker room overcome those roadblocks?”Instead of taking this softball as it was pitched, TK leans into the premise:
“I think there’s still a lot of wrestlers in professional wrestling who don’t get along… now more than ever, those things are apparent. But I also think that the industry has thrived on creative tension for a long time. Yeah, you might say, what if it doesn’t manifest in a match right away? In the late 90s and early 2000s, which was the business, the interest, and the general peak of pro wrestling in many ways… There was certainly a big group of pro wrestlers who didn’t like each other. A lot of times they weren’t even in the same companies and they would rip each other, and it wasn’t gonna produce a match… But that is what we produce, is wrestling matches…Brandon Thurston asks him about the business aspect of the weekend, and Tony admits it was challenging with a lot of direct competition, some of it seemingly targeted directly to hit the AEW bottom line. Then, Tony’s general tone shifts he legit cuts a promo:
There’s a lot of matches between people who don’t get along and it’s not always an easy road to get people in the ring. But when you can get people in the ring to settle their differences, it’s really exciting. And there’s a lot of people… some people even here have gone out and blatantly slammed me in public. I have a pretty calm demeanor… I’m willing to put up with a lot of abuse… but there’s only so much knocking me and slamming me I can put up with. On the other hand, I will do what’s right for business when I have to…”
“I have to face the competition out there. When I compare myself to Jim Crockett promotions… This weekend, I think, I got a taste of the same medicine Jim Crockett promotions took. But I have a lot more fucking money than Jim Crockett did. I’m not gonna sit back and take this fucking shit.”Probably the most uncharacteristic thing I have ever heard Tony Khan say.
The next question centers on the start of the scrum:
“You see without a doubt your biggest star, your biggest mainstream attraction… He goes off the rails a bit toward your EVPs and another of your big young stars. You, as the leader of the ship, how do you diffuse the situation?”Tony Khan:
“That is a dicey situation. It is contentious and frankly challenging. But, I have to do what’s best for the sake of the company. Everybody you’re talking about are great wrestlers with big reputations… Some of them have been around from the beginning of the company. Some have been around for about a year now… The fact is, these are people that drive revenue, and they help create jobs for everyone. I’m not gonna comment on what you heard here tonight, but like I said earlier this week… It’s no secret that a lot of professional wrestlers don’t like each other. Now it’s probably more out in the open than it’s been in a while. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing for the pro wrestling business given the product that we produce: matches.”The next reporter asks about the ongoing role of The Elite within the company and Tony puts them over as invaluable assets in putting together and organizing the shows, as well as mentoring younger talent and helping to grow revenue streams.
Before Tony wraps up the scrum, he singles out a young man in the press pool to ask a question. The young man asks about CM Punk’s dog, Larry, who had ran out in front of the crowd earlier.
“... Well… Larry is a live wire… he got a taste of the live crowd… I thought he had a good time. When he arrived, he seemed like he was in good spirits.”Tony then leaves the podium.
In the coming hours, news would steadily emerge from backstage. As the story goes, the EVPs of All Elite Wrestling went to CM Punk’s locker room accompanied by Megha Parekh, AEW’s Chief Legal Officer and Director of Human Resources, along with Christopher Daniels, Fallen Angel and Manager of Talent Relations.
While in the locker room, CM Punk punched Matt Jackson, a chair hit Nick Jackson in the eye, and Ace Steel bit Kenny Omega on the arm. Larry the Dog was in peril also, later seen being carried by Megha away from the area. Brandon Cutler, Pat Buck, and Michael Nakazawa were all present. At some point Chris Jericho made his way to Punk to tell him he was a cancer to the locker room and detrimental to the company as a whole, only to be told in turn that it was none of Jericho’s business and he should leave. Aside from Megha, all parties present (aside from Jericho who arrived late) were immediately placed on paid administrative leave, pending investigation.
News dropped quickly that Punk would be out for six-to-eight months regardless of anything else due to his torn triceps suffered that night in the main event.
Aside from the injury, none of this has been 100% confirmed. None of these details exist on any official record. All accounts are, at best, third-hand information. The facts of the story changed wildly from the first 48 hours to the first two weeks, with absurd initial claims such as the Young Bucks (super)kicking down the door to Punk’s locker and Larry losing teeth in the maelstrom. To this day, no one other than those present know with any degree of certainty what happened inside that room.
But what happened outside that room was a remarkable shattering of perception about CM Punk, the Elite, but most importantly, AEW itself. In the immediate aftermath, massive fans such as myself couldn’t help but feel as if something was taken away from us. In the months since, so much has been made of getting AEW back to the old days, regaining that old feeling that made us fall in love at the beginning. We want to go back to what Jericho called the “amazing world” created by everyone at AEW, but none more so than by the Elite.
How could CM Punk so grossly and directly attack the founders and shapers of this company which, up to then, was widely hailed as the only place a wrestler would want to be? I thought back to the very last thing said to AEW cameras by Cody Rhodes, a founder whose absence loomed large that night in Chicago. A lot of people don’t realize his final words in AEW weren’t those uttered by a ladder, inside a ring where he famously claimed credit for construction of the Forbidden Door. No, it was in the bowels of the arena after his unification match with Sammy Guevara, over eight months before All Out… There, he talked about how proud he was of everything he had helped to build. Fighting back tears, he talked about how he would never feel more at home than he does in an AEW ring. “It’s Paradise, right?”
… Paradise.
Paradise… Paradise… Paradise Lost… The Fall of Man… Snake in the Garden…
Oh, enough already! I’m grasping at straws to find some connection that can't exist. How would a guy whose contract expired at the end of 2021 be even remotely connected to stuff throughout the next year and culminated on 9/4/22?
Huh... 9… 4… 2+2… 944?
What was it that I noticed back in Part Two?
June 27, 2011: Punk delivers his landmark Pipebomb promo in WWE.Okay. But still, what does any of that really have to do with The Elite, in particular Cody? Hell, if anything Cody might be more inclined to side with Punk than the Elite. His history with Punk went back all the way to 2007 and they worked shows together for the next seven years. Both guys left WWE with similar frustrations. Cody would certainly know what it’s like dealing with the Bucks… From Cody’s last match in WWE to the creation of AEW, he was tied at the hip with Nick & Matt Jackson. As soon as he hit the indies, he linked up with them and many other AEW stalwarts in Reseda, California. You can learn a lot about people in…
He would ultimately leave WWE and professional wrestling altogether 944 days later.
On January 1, 2019: All Elite Wrestling is founded.
944 days later, tickets for Rampage: The First Dance sell out within minutes.
Huh. That’s interesting.
May 16, 2016: Cody’s last match in WWE.
December 16, 2018: Cody’s last match before signing with AEW.
... 944 days.
Well, that’s actually pretty wild. These guys must have a really firm grasp on the history of their careers to line up Easter eggs like that. But really, that’s all they are: Easter eggs. The Elite and Punk are all famous trolls, so they may have been hoping some obsessive fool like myself would catch on and get pulled into the rabbit hole.
The trail stops at All Out, though. We can’t go into the future and see what happens 944 days from that media scrum, and the paths of most people involved in Brawl Out seem so divergent it’d be impossible to predict with any sort of accuracy. Punk is sidelined indefinitely, perhaps permanently. Kenny and the Bucks are back in action but their contract situations have started bubbling up in dirtsheets, so we can assume Hangman won’t be far behind in those rumors.
Meanwhile over in WWE, Cody Rhodes is sitting pretty. He’s getting massive cheers the AEW fanbase refused him toward the end, when his vision lost alignment with ours. Each passing day he climbs toward a mountain top of his own. In less than two weeks from now he will go to WrestleMania and try to overcome the most impenetrable obstacle in that company: the Bloodline.
If Cody succeeds at WrestleMania, his personal story would have a crowning achievement nearly every wrestler in history would envy. The fact that he bet on himself so many times and always won is remarkable. He’ll look even better considering the stains and scars imposed on “Paradise” after his departure. Maybe he could’ve helped avoid the embarrassment of All Out, but we’ll never know and that’s not for him to dwell upon. His primary focus should be on the Tribal Chief and stopping that historic reign in its tracks at...
... 944 days.
PART FIVE WILL EXAMINE THE FALLOUT FROM BRAWL OUT, THE CORONATION OF MJF, RIPPLE EFFECTS ACROSS PROMOTIONS, AND SPECULATE ON THE FUTURE…
I AM TAKING A DEEP, DEEP DIVE INTO ELITE LORE... SO IT’S GONNA TAKE A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF WORK AND MIGHT NOT BE HERE QUICKLY, BUT I THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH ME THIS FAR AND I HOPE YOU’LL STAY ONBOARD FOR THE END OF THE RIDE!
2023.03.22 16:51 HuluHasLiveSports My number 1 song in my replay is an unreleased Drake track that I added through iTunes and it’s showing up in my 2023 Replay. I thought local files weren’t counted towards replay?
submitted by HuluHasLiveSports to AppleMusic [link] [comments]
2023.03.22 15:42 TeaAndCozy 9 more Nui Cobalt Bees & Favorite Things
I'm back with thoughts on my new Nui Cobalt Bees! I previously posted thoughts on the 19 Bees and Favorite Things I'd tried HERE - I have a bunch of favorite Bees, including Queen Bee and Bees Love Blue for florals, The Bees' High Tea, Honeymoon Suite, Wasp, and Busy Bee, all especially wonderful for particular seasons of the year, Bee Kind To Yourself (concept by our very own u/propheticperfumes here at IMAM! Truly not to be missed), and Emotional Support Bee and She Stopped to Pet a Bumblebee for gentle, delicate, my-skin-but-better scents. Today I'm sharing my thoughts on 9 more, all of them new releases this year. Despite being sick for the last two weeks and counting (ugh), after the first week of illness I was happily able to get back to enjoying perfume. Thus this review post comes a little later than my usual, but I'm delighted to still get it out in time for the next release (April Fools this Friday!) in case you might want to add any of these to your next order.
Ordering specs: Nui Cobalt's website is easy to navigate, shipping is very affordable (please note that since the slight price increase this year, base shipping has gone up from $2.99 to $3.45, just fyi), items come very securely packed, and customer service is always spectacular. I don't think I've ever placed an order that took more than 2-3 business days to ship (and recently it has usually been literally the very next day). Samples are generous - 1.15 mls at least - in vials with wand caps. Each order comes with one free sample, chosen by them (there’s no box to insert requests).
Nui Cobalt's typical annual schedule of releases: (I [and especially Nui Cobalt] make no promises, of course, that these collections will recur; this is just in my experience)
These perfumes were provided as press samples by Nui Cobalt in exchange for an honest review.
The Bees' Carnival [Cotton candy spun from crystallized honey, fresh leaves of lemon verbena, blue raspberry drizzle, and a grounding smolder of sweet myrrh] - This one is COTTON CANDY and a lot of honey, with only mere hints of the lemon and blue raspberry. (If you love the cotton candy of Nephophilia [A fluffy melange of pink cotton candy, ivory cashmere, silk tree blossoms, blush suede, and steamed vanilla] but wanted it to have even more cotton candy, The Bees' Carnival is for you!) I was expecting more blue raspberry, but happily I do have Blue Moon [A diaphanous lunar musk entwines living honeysuckle and sugared blue raspberry] and Dewdrops on Spidersilk [Cerulean strands of cotton flower bejeweled with dewdrops, cold crystalline musk, tiny black vanilla beans, frozen blue raspberry, and gentle incense] to scratch that itch. The herbal quality of the lemon verbena and the slight earthiness of the myrrh come out in the drydown, keeping the really golden nature of this honey from becoming too cloying.
Honey, I'm Home [Snowdrops and fresh nectar from their first petals unfurled, golden sunlight, yellow crocus, and warmed honeycomb] - This one is GORGEOUS - the light-golden warmth of an early spring day. After an initial burst of warm but airy honey, the honey blends in with the flowers, which really are yellow in their scent color. There's nothing grassy about these florals but they remind me of chamomile nonetheless - chamomile and daisies perhaps, they're just so cheerful and happy. This is the springtime sibling to Yellow Leaves [Blooming moringa, olivewood, coriander, oakmoss, tangerine, and helichrysum], the most perfect autumnal floral. After its initial burst of honey, this scent dries down to cling quite closely to my skin, a private little bubble of buoyancy and optimism.
Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy [Portrait of an extraterrestrial desert and its elusive denizens: dry white sandalwood, Tunisian tea, cracked coriander, cassia bark, amber resin, raw cotton, and combs full of precious honey that few will ever taste] - Friends, Nui Cobalt has done it again: another spectacular black tea scent! This one is black tea spiced with coriander and cinnamon, gently sweetened with honey, and with some very subtle nuances of cotton flower and sandalwood (making it a much more rainy-day-cozy scent than the perfume's name might suggest). This tea note is more incensey than Blarney: Irish Breakfast Tea [The warm, tannic comfort of a proper Cuppa sweetened with a touch of raw honey and smoothed with fresh cream], more like the black tea in Unbought & Unbossed: A Tribute to Shirley Chisholm [The fragrance inspired by her is a strong and sophisticated spiced tea with raw honey and Barbados sugar sipped among the sunlit roses of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden] and Cloak of Evergreens [Snow-covered spruce, iced cedar tips, golden pine sap, icicle musk, and the fading memory of tea by the fireside].
The Beekeeper's Funeral [This comforting blend opens with gentle Bulgarian lavender and petrichor, then blooms with Casablanca lily, honeysuckle, and wet grass, and settles at last into a pillow of fluffy whipped honey] - A very pretty, understated floral-aquatic. I get white florals (but not too bold), an herbal lavender, grass, and rain - this petrichor is more the smell of the watery rain itself rather than wet pavement. Oddly enough for this being a Bee, I actually don't get any honey, though there is a little bit of sweetness that reminds me of the white amber in Mirror [Pale amber and white tea are accented by dry coconut, angelica, and cooling rain], in part because of the shared rain note.
Bee You Tiful [Honey-roasted pistachio and chestnut, pink magnolia, and sweet apple blossom] - When it first arrived, sniffed in the vial, this one smelled entirely of honeyed-salty-toasty nuts. On my first wear (though I was getting sick at the time so I didn't count it as a proper "first-test"), the florals were there, but almost entirely obscured. So this one is definitely one that benefited from a proper rest, because when I wore it again, wow! I'm really not sure that I want to smell like nuts (although I remain utterly fascinated by the idea of Black Baccara's Shamrock Potion [Pistachio mousse, fresh whipped cream, slivered almonds, and a drizzle of french vanilla syrup] and hope someday to buy a really small decant), but this perfume is awfully convincing. I still get toasty, honeyed nuts, but they are beautifully balanced with the florals, particularly the apple blossom. Nui Cobalt has a gorgeous apple blossom note! I have previously said that Pixie [An apple orchard in bloom, spring grasses alive with an unearthly glow, vanilla bean offertory cakes, and sparkling honey mead] is an early autumn perfume for me, and Venus Amica [Sun-warmed wildflowers, olivewood, apple blossom, light amber, moringa leaf, and sacred benzoin] is an early spring perfume; well, I think Bee You Tiful is going to be a "transition from spring to summer" scent for me. The honey, pistachio, and faint apple combine to be reminiscent of some sort of delightful pastry - is a pistachio-apple galette a thing? And yet this isn't a realistic gourmand, especially with the wafting florals making it much more atmospheric. The overall impression is of a garden party. Many hours later, the top-note florals are gone, but the gentle nuts remain.
Candlelight [Molten vanilla caramel, Egyptian musk, mahogany, honey amber, black tea, cathedral incense, a pinch of galangal, and a glimmer of white grapefruit] - Caramel and honey, thick and rich and luscious, backed by golden amber, a touch of grapefruit to cut the molten sweetness, and a whole lot of very expensive-smelling Egyptian musk. There are some indistinct spices too, which is perhaps how my nose is reading the black tea and incense. (This is a bummer, because I LOVE Nui Cobalt's black tea + incense combo, but this scent doesn't really feature them.) It's a heavy, luxurious scent, a sister to Ailurophilia (Love of Cats) [Egyptian musk, tonka, and dulce de leche wrapped in luxuriant cashmere, soft suede, wisps of sandalwood and copal smoke]. Its dark, honeyed quality is also reminiscent of Arcana Snug [The scent of staying in to watch the snow fall: dark honey amber, marshmallow, and the glow of beeswax candles], but with caramel instead of beeswax. All this being said about its complexity and rich layers, my colleague walked into the church choir room this morning and from across the room from me said "It smells like pancakes!", to which I sheepishly admitted that it was probably me. (It was.) So, this one has tremendous throw, much stronger than most Nui Cobalts, and to an untrained nose, apparently smells extremely (and solely) like maple syrup! (To me, though, it's not nearly as similar to the mapley Little Brown Rabbit as it is to the caramel of Ailurophilia.)
Fairy Garden [Cool dewdrops cupped in clover leaves, early purple orchid, a porcelain thimble of green tea with oat milk, and frosted almond cakes served in an acorn cap] - It goes on more gourmand than I was expecting, primarily oat milk, green tea, and sugary frosting. Behind these are a bit of acorn earthiness (I recognize a similar acorn note to Deep Midnight Wildwood [Pumpkin Bread, Incense, Acorns, Dried Apple and Orange Peels, Fading Bonfire], the only other place I've experienced an acorn accord) and a touch of floral. At first (and to my surprise, based on the order of the notes list), I don't get any aquatic dewdrop nor any grassy clover but as the scent dries, these start to emerge as the sweetness of the frosting recedes. Eventually, all these notes combine to create a very balanced and detailed scent portrait not just of a fairy garden, but of the fairies holding a fancy tea party among the flowers. I'm curious, for anyone who has tried both: how similar is Fairy Garden to Poesie Green Girl [Pistachio, wildflower honey, oatmilk matcha latte, heliotrope blossoms, marshmallow musk]? Fairy Garden has a Poesie-style whimsicality which I'm really loving.
Or if you want to imagine yourself part of a fairy tea party, go for Bee You Tiful and Fairy Garden.
And The Beekeeper's Funeral and All Dolled Up are just lovely warm-weather scents.
I would love to hear your thoughts on these - which ones did you love most? - or if I've inspired you to add any to your wishlist!
submitted by TeaAndCozy to Indiemakeupandmore [link] [comments]
Ordering specs: Nui Cobalt's website is easy to navigate, shipping is very affordable (please note that since the slight price increase this year, base shipping has gone up from $2.99 to $3.45, just fyi), items come very securely packed, and customer service is always spectacular. I don't think I've ever placed an order that took more than 2-3 business days to ship (and recently it has usually been literally the very next day). Samples are generous - 1.15 mls at least - in vials with wand caps. Each order comes with one free sample, chosen by them (there’s no box to insert requests).
Nui Cobalt's typical annual schedule of releases: (I [and especially Nui Cobalt] make no promises, of course, that these collections will recur; this is just in my experience)
- Late January - Valentines
- Late February - Bees, Celtic Treasures, Favorite Things
- Late March - April Fools
- Late April - Critters
- Late May - Fae Folk
- Late June - Big Island, Dances
- Late July - Witches' Utility Blends
- Late August - Autumn 1
- Late September - Autumn 2
- Late October - Astrology, Ascended Masters, Good & Evil
- Late November - Yule/Nutcracker
- Late December - Gamers & Geeks
These perfumes were provided as press samples by Nui Cobalt in exchange for an honest review.
New Bees
It's Hive Code [Spring harvest honey, a faithful accord of rare Ghost Orchid, neroli and bergamot hand lotion, and a dark base of melted fudge] - I got this sample because most of these notes sounded absolutely heavenly. Honey, orchid, neroli, and bergamot? Count me in - that sounds amazingly light and springy. I kept my fingers crossed that the fudge would be minimal. In the vial, it's a base of honey and chocolate fudge, with the light citrus and floral above, and on my skin, it continues to be a fight between the gorgeous, breezy springtime floral and the heavier, waxy (almost tootsie roll-ish) chocolate. And it's so strange, because up close, the chocolate is so much less obvious that it really almost is the scent I wanted it to be. Personally, I just really wish it didn't have the fudge - I think all of the other notes are just perfect! All in all, It's Hive Code is much more atmospheric than springtime. Like the the several NCD blends that pair caramel with wildly different notes (Mad Scientist, Glass Pumpkin, Venus Verticordia), this one is a thoroughly unexpected combination. My approach to it is also slightly hampered by the fact that I haven't seen the Netflix show (Wednesday) that it's an homage to.The Bees' Carnival [Cotton candy spun from crystallized honey, fresh leaves of lemon verbena, blue raspberry drizzle, and a grounding smolder of sweet myrrh] - This one is COTTON CANDY and a lot of honey, with only mere hints of the lemon and blue raspberry. (If you love the cotton candy of Nephophilia [A fluffy melange of pink cotton candy, ivory cashmere, silk tree blossoms, blush suede, and steamed vanilla] but wanted it to have even more cotton candy, The Bees' Carnival is for you!) I was expecting more blue raspberry, but happily I do have Blue Moon [A diaphanous lunar musk entwines living honeysuckle and sugared blue raspberry] and Dewdrops on Spidersilk [Cerulean strands of cotton flower bejeweled with dewdrops, cold crystalline musk, tiny black vanilla beans, frozen blue raspberry, and gentle incense] to scratch that itch. The herbal quality of the lemon verbena and the slight earthiness of the myrrh come out in the drydown, keeping the really golden nature of this honey from becoming too cloying.
Honey, I'm Home [Snowdrops and fresh nectar from their first petals unfurled, golden sunlight, yellow crocus, and warmed honeycomb] - This one is GORGEOUS - the light-golden warmth of an early spring day. After an initial burst of warm but airy honey, the honey blends in with the flowers, which really are yellow in their scent color. There's nothing grassy about these florals but they remind me of chamomile nonetheless - chamomile and daisies perhaps, they're just so cheerful and happy. This is the springtime sibling to Yellow Leaves [Blooming moringa, olivewood, coriander, oakmoss, tangerine, and helichrysum], the most perfect autumnal floral. After its initial burst of honey, this scent dries down to cling quite closely to my skin, a private little bubble of buoyancy and optimism.
Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy [Portrait of an extraterrestrial desert and its elusive denizens: dry white sandalwood, Tunisian tea, cracked coriander, cassia bark, amber resin, raw cotton, and combs full of precious honey that few will ever taste] - Friends, Nui Cobalt has done it again: another spectacular black tea scent! This one is black tea spiced with coriander and cinnamon, gently sweetened with honey, and with some very subtle nuances of cotton flower and sandalwood (making it a much more rainy-day-cozy scent than the perfume's name might suggest). This tea note is more incensey than Blarney: Irish Breakfast Tea [The warm, tannic comfort of a proper Cuppa sweetened with a touch of raw honey and smoothed with fresh cream], more like the black tea in Unbought & Unbossed: A Tribute to Shirley Chisholm [The fragrance inspired by her is a strong and sophisticated spiced tea with raw honey and Barbados sugar sipped among the sunlit roses of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden] and Cloak of Evergreens [Snow-covered spruce, iced cedar tips, golden pine sap, icicle musk, and the fading memory of tea by the fireside].
The Beekeeper's Funeral [This comforting blend opens with gentle Bulgarian lavender and petrichor, then blooms with Casablanca lily, honeysuckle, and wet grass, and settles at last into a pillow of fluffy whipped honey] - A very pretty, understated floral-aquatic. I get white florals (but not too bold), an herbal lavender, grass, and rain - this petrichor is more the smell of the watery rain itself rather than wet pavement. Oddly enough for this being a Bee, I actually don't get any honey, though there is a little bit of sweetness that reminds me of the white amber in Mirror [Pale amber and white tea are accented by dry coconut, angelica, and cooling rain], in part because of the shared rain note.
Bee You Tiful [Honey-roasted pistachio and chestnut, pink magnolia, and sweet apple blossom] - When it first arrived, sniffed in the vial, this one smelled entirely of honeyed-salty-toasty nuts. On my first wear (though I was getting sick at the time so I didn't count it as a proper "first-test"), the florals were there, but almost entirely obscured. So this one is definitely one that benefited from a proper rest, because when I wore it again, wow! I'm really not sure that I want to smell like nuts (although I remain utterly fascinated by the idea of Black Baccara's Shamrock Potion [Pistachio mousse, fresh whipped cream, slivered almonds, and a drizzle of french vanilla syrup] and hope someday to buy a really small decant), but this perfume is awfully convincing. I still get toasty, honeyed nuts, but they are beautifully balanced with the florals, particularly the apple blossom. Nui Cobalt has a gorgeous apple blossom note! I have previously said that Pixie [An apple orchard in bloom, spring grasses alive with an unearthly glow, vanilla bean offertory cakes, and sparkling honey mead] is an early autumn perfume for me, and Venus Amica [Sun-warmed wildflowers, olivewood, apple blossom, light amber, moringa leaf, and sacred benzoin] is an early spring perfume; well, I think Bee You Tiful is going to be a "transition from spring to summer" scent for me. The honey, pistachio, and faint apple combine to be reminiscent of some sort of delightful pastry - is a pistachio-apple galette a thing? And yet this isn't a realistic gourmand, especially with the wafting florals making it much more atmospheric. The overall impression is of a garden party. Many hours later, the top-note florals are gone, but the gentle nuts remain.
New Favorite Things
All Dolled Up [Spiced apricot preserves, almond blossom, pink peony, Hawaiian and Australian sandalwoods, balsam of Peru, and sunlit amber] - Despite the notes list starting off with apricot and almond, All Dolled Up does NOT read like a Squirrel (which all start with the same base: "A playful blend of almond and spiced apricot, grounded in rich benzoin and copaiba balsam"). Instead, it reminds me strongly of Rose Gold Sky [Fuzzy apricot, amber resin, styrax, pink sandalwood, clove bud, melissa, and blush rose], but lighter and more warm-weather. When I tried this, I didn't have the notes list in front of me (and I didn't remember it), so my impression that this scent is pink amber + apricot + clove (see the connection to Rose Gold Sky?) was completely independent of the actual official notes. Then seeing the notes list a little later in the day, I could also easily make out the peony (a very "pink" floral), which is a big part of why this reads as more summery than Rose Gold Sky.Candlelight [Molten vanilla caramel, Egyptian musk, mahogany, honey amber, black tea, cathedral incense, a pinch of galangal, and a glimmer of white grapefruit] - Caramel and honey, thick and rich and luscious, backed by golden amber, a touch of grapefruit to cut the molten sweetness, and a whole lot of very expensive-smelling Egyptian musk. There are some indistinct spices too, which is perhaps how my nose is reading the black tea and incense. (This is a bummer, because I LOVE Nui Cobalt's black tea + incense combo, but this scent doesn't really feature them.) It's a heavy, luxurious scent, a sister to Ailurophilia (Love of Cats) [Egyptian musk, tonka, and dulce de leche wrapped in luxuriant cashmere, soft suede, wisps of sandalwood and copal smoke]. Its dark, honeyed quality is also reminiscent of Arcana Snug [The scent of staying in to watch the snow fall: dark honey amber, marshmallow, and the glow of beeswax candles], but with caramel instead of beeswax. All this being said about its complexity and rich layers, my colleague walked into the church choir room this morning and from across the room from me said "It smells like pancakes!", to which I sheepishly admitted that it was probably me. (It was.) So, this one has tremendous throw, much stronger than most Nui Cobalts, and to an untrained nose, apparently smells extremely (and solely) like maple syrup! (To me, though, it's not nearly as similar to the mapley Little Brown Rabbit as it is to the caramel of Ailurophilia.)
Fairy Garden [Cool dewdrops cupped in clover leaves, early purple orchid, a porcelain thimble of green tea with oat milk, and frosted almond cakes served in an acorn cap] - It goes on more gourmand than I was expecting, primarily oat milk, green tea, and sugary frosting. Behind these are a bit of acorn earthiness (I recognize a similar acorn note to Deep Midnight Wildwood [Pumpkin Bread, Incense, Acorns, Dried Apple and Orange Peels, Fading Bonfire], the only other place I've experienced an acorn accord) and a touch of floral. At first (and to my surprise, based on the order of the notes list), I don't get any aquatic dewdrop nor any grassy clover but as the scent dries, these start to emerge as the sweetness of the frosting recedes. Eventually, all these notes combine to create a very balanced and detailed scent portrait not just of a fairy garden, but of the fairies holding a fancy tea party among the flowers. I'm curious, for anyone who has tried both: how similar is Fairy Garden to Poesie Green Girl [Pistachio, wildflower honey, oatmilk matcha latte, heliotrope blossoms, marshmallow musk]? Fairy Garden has a Poesie-style whimsicality which I'm really loving.
Personally...
The stunners from the new releases, for me, are Honey, I'm Home and Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy.Or if you want to imagine yourself part of a fairy tea party, go for Bee You Tiful and Fairy Garden.
And The Beekeeper's Funeral and All Dolled Up are just lovely warm-weather scents.
Where these landed in my collection:
- Honey, I'm Home and The Beekeeper's Funeral are in my "Spring" section
- Bee You Tiful and Fairy Garden are in my "Transition from spring to summer" section
- All Dolled Up is in my "Summer" section, specifically in the "Pink" subsection
- Candlelight is in my "Fall" section, specifically in the "Cozy" subsection, right next to Ailurophilia
- Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy is in my "Tea" section
- It's Hive Code and The Bees' Carnival will land in my destash
I would love to hear your thoughts on these - which ones did you love most? - or if I've inspired you to add any to your wishlist!
2023.03.22 15:41 Mediocre-River5537 47 [m4f] #Chicago— Oral
I’m looking for a woman who thinks very highly of foreplay — specifically oral foreplay. Someone who enjoys going down and being gone down on more than sex itself. Oral as the main event.
Ideally, I’d love to find someone who enjoys this so much that they wouldn’t mind regular oral-oriented meetups. We go down on one another, put some music on or even a tv show or movie. It could be a quick thing (until we make each other cum once), or, more preferably, a much longer thing and we go down on each other for 1-2 hours each.
To understand where I’m coming from, I’m of the mindset that everyone should have someone who can go down on them unconditionally so they can unwind, destress, and simply lay back and enjoy. I find it very therapeutic and stress relieving and if someone else does as well, we should chat and talk about making this a regular occurrence 🙂
I’m 47, Greek & Indian about 5’7”. Shaved Head and Brown eyes. Thick/Long sized dick, “dad bod”. married. I live in The North Shore and I Work From Home so I’m pretty open to all different kinds of arrangements / potential meets. Let’s chat if this interests you! m4f] #Chicago— Looking for Oral
submitted by Mediocre-River5537 to R4R40Plus [link] [comments]
Ideally, I’d love to find someone who enjoys this so much that they wouldn’t mind regular oral-oriented meetups. We go down on one another, put some music on or even a tv show or movie. It could be a quick thing (until we make each other cum once), or, more preferably, a much longer thing and we go down on each other for 1-2 hours each.
To understand where I’m coming from, I’m of the mindset that everyone should have someone who can go down on them unconditionally so they can unwind, destress, and simply lay back and enjoy. I find it very therapeutic and stress relieving and if someone else does as well, we should chat and talk about making this a regular occurrence 🙂
I’m 47, Greek & Indian about 5’7”. Shaved Head and Brown eyes. Thick/Long sized dick, “dad bod”. married. I live in The North Shore and I Work From Home so I’m pretty open to all different kinds of arrangements / potential meets. Let’s chat if this interests you! m4f] #Chicago— Looking for Oral
2023.03.22 15:04 chainer9999 2023 32 Teams/32 Days: Cincinnati Bengals
Hub post
Contributors: chainer9999, TheReaver88
Division: AFC North
Record: 12-4 (1 no contest), AFC North Champions, Lost in AFC Title Game
Season Summary:
After a Cinderella run the previous season which ended just short of a truly miraculous ending, there were a lot of split opinions about whether the Bengals were “for real.” While there were people who believed that a young nucleus led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and numerous talented but relatively unknown defenders would continue to grow and be even better in 2022-23, the majority opinion was that the Bengals were prime regression candidates and that they were not even the favorites for their own division.
The early part of the season appeared to validate the skeptics: the Bengals sputtered to an 0-2 start, and the offseason O-line improvements were not yet apparent. But Joe Burrow found his form, the line came together as a cohesive unit, and the offense adjusted to take what the defenses were giving them in the short passing game. After a humiliating Monday night loss in Cleveland, the team buckled down and ripped off 8 straight wins (with a tragic no contest in the middle) to roar past the Ravens and grab the division title for the second straight year. The Bengals entered the postseason with some serious question marks; two of their three prized OL signings went down with injuries, as did left tackle Jonah Williams. After squeezing by Baltimore and dominating Buffalo, Cincinnati fell just short against the Chiefs in the AFC Title Game by a familiar score of 23-20. The Bengals experienced several departures in free agency, but the coaching staff and quarterback will remain with the team in 2023 in search of the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
1. 2022 Offseason Recap
Offense
From the data, we can conclude a few things.
A few conclusions:
5. What Lies Ahead for the Bengals in the 2023 Offseason (Free Agency and Draft)
This was an amazing season for the Bengals, despite major disappointment on either end of the schedule. The biggest takeaway was the statement that the Bengals are real; all those projections of a “step back” or the team being a fluke have faded into the past. The convincing win in Buffalo was among the strongest statements the franchise has ever made. The new reality of the NFL is that the Cincinnati Bengals are a serious contender until proven otherwise.
The team has taken free agency losses and will need to see how the roster looks going forward, but this team is still largely the same squad that has reached consecutive AFC title games, and it’s mostly behind a coaching staff and quarterback that are still leading the charge. As long as Joe Burrow is wearing stripes, Bengals fans will enter the season (and often the postseason) with an aura of confidence that has frankly never existed for this fanbase.
Cincinnati will enter 2023 as one of the 4 or 5 shortest odds to win Super Bowl LVIII, and at this point, we fans can dream of our first Lombardi Trophy without being accused of hitting the pipe. However, many monsters loom in the loaded AFC. Guide us, the good shepherd Burrow.
Special thanks to u/TheReaver88 for his edits and summary work, and finally......
WHO DEY!
submitted by chainer9999 to nfl [link] [comments]
Contributors: chainer9999, TheReaver88
Division: AFC North
Record: 12-4 (1 no contest), AFC North Champions, Lost in AFC Title Game
Season Summary:
After a Cinderella run the previous season which ended just short of a truly miraculous ending, there were a lot of split opinions about whether the Bengals were “for real.” While there were people who believed that a young nucleus led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and numerous talented but relatively unknown defenders would continue to grow and be even better in 2022-23, the majority opinion was that the Bengals were prime regression candidates and that they were not even the favorites for their own division.
The early part of the season appeared to validate the skeptics: the Bengals sputtered to an 0-2 start, and the offseason O-line improvements were not yet apparent. But Joe Burrow found his form, the line came together as a cohesive unit, and the offense adjusted to take what the defenses were giving them in the short passing game. After a humiliating Monday night loss in Cleveland, the team buckled down and ripped off 8 straight wins (with a tragic no contest in the middle) to roar past the Ravens and grab the division title for the second straight year. The Bengals entered the postseason with some serious question marks; two of their three prized OL signings went down with injuries, as did left tackle Jonah Williams. After squeezing by Baltimore and dominating Buffalo, Cincinnati fell just short against the Chiefs in the AFC Title Game by a familiar score of 23-20. The Bengals experienced several departures in free agency, but the coaching staff and quarterback will remain with the team in 2023 in search of the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
1. 2022 Offseason Recap
- Free Agency Signings:
- RG Alex Cappa (4 years, $35m, $11m guaranteed): Announced within the first minute of free agency, Cappa's signing signaled a stark departure from the past, when the Bengals refused to pay big money to guards. As the interior of the o-line was absolute garbage especially near the end of the previous season, Cappa was viewed with great optimism.
- C Ted Karras (3 years, $18m, $5m guaranteed): Karras a bit less so. While known as a heady and smart player, the Bengals fanbase had been focused in on Ryan Jensen, but he chose to play with TB12 for one more run. Karras felt like a consolation prize at the time, but he was definitely a good signing and won over many fans with his play and attitude.
- RT La’El Collins (3 years, $21m, $5m guaranteed): Filled with shopping mall intrigue and Burrow-baked cupcakes, the La’El Collins saga eventually ended up with him in the building. While the great majority of the fanbase welcomed a signing of Collins’s pedigree, there was some skepticism amongst certain fans that maybe there was a reason Collins had been let go by Dallas. Yeah, about that……
- TE Hayden Hurst (1 year, $3.5m): A signing needed to replace the departed CJ Uzomah, expectations were modest for Hurst. With his first-round pedigree, the hope was that he’d slot into Uzomah’s production, maybe make some gamebreaking plays.
- Notable Re-signed players:
- DT BJ Hill (3 years, $30m total, $13m guaranteed): After a promising campaign rotating with Larry Ogunjobi, the Bengals chose to pay Hill. This was seen as a bit of a gamble as Hill, while productive in a rotational role, had not been the starter the previous season. Ogunjobi was more disruptive as an interior pass rusher, but the deciding factor was probably Ogunjobi’s deficiency in run support and his late-season injury.
- FS Jessie Bates III (Franchise tag, $12.9m): After failing to come to a long-term deal, Bates was franchised, a distinction that he did not take great joy in. Bates maintained that he would refuse to play on the tag, and carried out that threat well into training camp.
- CB Eli Apple (1 year, $3.5m): While most knew Apple as 1) a loud Tweeter and 2) the guy that got burned by Cooper Kupp in the final moments of the Super Bowl, Bengals fans knew that Apple had outplayed his paltry contract. With the cornerback market getting pricy, Apple was retained as a cheap value CB2 or CB3, depending on how the draft would fall out.
- Other re-signed players:
- QB Brandon Allen (1 year, $1.5m), WR Stanley Morgan (2 years, $2.24m), WR
Adam ColeTrenton Irwin (1 year, $825k), WR Trent Taylor (1 year, $1.135m), WR Mike Thomas (1 year, $1.13m) - DT Josh Tupou (2 years, $3m), S/CB* Tre Flowers (1 year, $1.85m), S Michael D. Thomas (1 year, $1.17m)
- LS Clark Harris (1 year, $1.27m)
- QB Brandon Allen (1 year, $1.5m), WR Stanley Morgan (2 years, $2.24m), WR
- Departures:
- TE CJ Uzomah (UFA, Jets, 3 yrs $24m): the spiritual leader of the team during their Cinderella playoff run, Uzomah left for a payday and to be in New York. While it was sad, people understood that his money for his production was not a great deal.
- DT Larry Ogunjobi (UFA, Steelers, 1 yr): After a failed medical scuttled his potential big-money move to Chicago, there were some rumblings that Ogunjobi could possibly return, but no dice; Ogunjobi eventually ended up in Pittsburgh, leaving Baltimore as the one AFC North team that he hasn’t played for……yet.
- C Trey Hopkins (Released, unsigned by any NFL team in 2022), OG Quinton Spain (UFA, unsigned by any NFL team in 2022), RT Riley Reiff (UFA, Bears): Three members of the offensive line cut or not retained. Tells you something, doesn't it?
- CB Trae Waynes (Released, subsequently retired): the big miscue out of the Bengals’ defensive spending spree, Waynes was constantly hurt, and even when healthy could not beat out Awuzie or Apple.
- CB Darius Phillips (UFA, Raiders): After his two-muff debacle against San Francisco, he was never heard from again in Bengals stripes.
- CB Vernon Hargraves III (UFA, unsigned by any NFL team), S Ricardo Allen (UFA, subsequently retired), LB Jordan Evans (UFA, unsigned by any NFL team)
- WR Auden Tate (UFA, Falcons), OL Fred Johnson (ERFA, Buccaneers)
- Draft picks:
- Round 1: S Daxton Hill (Michigan) - a redshirt year for Dax, as he was picked with Bates’ departure in mind. Still, it was somewhat depressing to see him virtually never get on the field, and he worryingly showed some mental lapses when used on special teams.
- Round 2: CB Cam Taylor-Britt (Nebraska) - the first instance of Zac Taylor’s Nebraska connection being utilized, CTB was picked to compete with Apple for the CB2 job.
- Round 3: DL Zach Carter (Florida) - seen by many draftniks as a reach, Anarumo’s penchant for players who can line up in multiple positions was a deciding factor. Ultimately did not contribute much, as his first campaign was spent mostly bulking up.
- Round 4: OG Cordell Volson (North Dakota State) - the sole pick spent on offense, Volson was seen as a Frank Pollack guy from the start, a “glass-eater” to use Pollack’s term. He beat out Jackson Carman for the left guard job and held it, making the pick a relative success.
- Round 5: S Tycen Anderson (Tulsa) - an injury wiped out his rookie campaign.
- Round 6: DL Jeffrey Gunter (Coastal Carolina) - Not much out of Gunter in his rookie campaign, except on special teams.
- Notable UDFAs:
- LS Cal Adomitis (Pitt): this pickup would prove hugely important after Week 1.
- Midseason waiver pickups
- DT Jay Tufele (Jacksonville Jaguars)
- OG Max Scharping (Houston Texans)
- TE Devin Asiasi (New England Patriots)
- Other notable happenings
- Zac Taylor’s contract extended: Hey, if you lead the Bengals from the doldrums to the precipice of a Super Bowl, you deserve to get paid. There were concerns about whether this was a knee-jerk extension to an overachieving season, but over the course of 2022, Taylor showed enough both tactically and leadership-wise that we can say it wasn’t a mistake.
- Joe Burrow’s appendectomy: the quest for an uninterrupted Joe Burrow offseason continues, as he had an appendectomy before training camp and missed all of preseason. While none of the players or coaches admitted as such, one gets the sense that this definitely impacted Burrow early in the season.
- Paul Brown Stadium becomes Paycor Stadium: Seeing the dollar signs racing towards him in the form of Burrow, Chase, and Higgins, Mike Brown gave in and put up the naming rights of Paul Brown Stadium for sale. Paycor made the highest bid, and thus PBS became Paycor Stadium. I maintain that it sounds better than Acrisure Stadium; your mileage may vary.
Offense
| Total | League Rank | 2021 League Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 418 | 7th | 7th |
| Total Yards | 5371 | 7th 🔺 | 13th |
| Yards Per Play | 5.9 | 7th | 7th |
| Passing Yards | 4520 | 6th 🔺 | 7th |
| Passing TDs | 35 | T-2nd 🔺 | 7th |
| Interceptions | 12 | T-19th (w/ 4 other teams) | T-14th |
| Sacks Allowed | 44 | T-22nd 🔺 | 32nd |
| Sack Yards Allowed | 280 | 21st 🔺 | 31st |
| Yards Per Pass Attempt | 7.4 | 9th 🔻 | 3rd |
| 20+ yard Passes | 54 | 12th 🔻 | 6th |
| Rushing Yards | 1528 | 29th 🔻 | 23rd |
| Yards Per Rush | 3.8 | T-30th 🔻 | 24th |
| Rushing TDs | 14 | T-20th (w/ BAL) 🔻 | T-14th |
| 20+ yard Runs | 7 | T-26th (w/ 3 other teams) 🔻 | T-22nd |
| DVOA | 14.2% | 4th 🔺 | 18th |
- Continuing last year’s trend, the Bengals were a top-quartile passing offense, even after a dreadful start to the season. After some fits and starts, the players and coaching staff eventually figured out how to attack opposing defenses that took away the deep shots which made the team must-watch TV last season. This dinged the yards per attempt figure, which dipped from 3rd in 2021 to 9th this season.
- However, the running game, which was bottom quartile last year, was even more putrid–and this was evident to anybody that was watching the games. It got so bad that at one point, the Bengals gave up lining up under center and went all shotgun all the time, because they simply could not run the ball from under center (and telegraphed the run way too much when they went under center). The running backs did contribute significantly in the passing game as Burrow utilized checkdowns extensively as a counter to the 2 high safety shells, but the running game itself ultimately never got going.
- The reinforcements for the O-line did have some impact, as the sacks allowed and sack yardage stat all improved quite a bit from last year (55 → 42, 403 → 280). Some of this was also on Burrow learning when to give up looking for the home run.
| Total | League Rank | 2021 League Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points Allowed | 322 | 5th 🔺 | 17th |
| Yards Allowed | 6048 | 8th 🔺 | 17th |
| Rushing Yards Allowed | 1706 | 5th | 5th |
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Carry | 4.2 | T-7th 🔺 | 15th |
| Rushing TDs Allowed | 12 | T-10th 🔺 | 15th |
| Passing Yards Allowed | 3665 | 16th 🔺 | 26th |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Attempt | 6.6 | 18th 🔺 | 20th |
| Passing TDs Allowed | 17 | T-3rd 🔺 | 15th |
| Sacks | 30 | 29th 🔻 | 11th |
| Takeaways | 24 | 13th 🔺 | 18th |
| Red Zone Defense % | 52% | T-9th 🔺 | 18th |
| DVOA | -4.4% | 11th 🔺 | 19th |
- Last year’s defense was a middling defense that got hot at the right time; this year, the results were more steady throughout the season, as the Bengals improved their defensive rankings across nearly all areas.
- One notable area where the Bengals declined was in sacks, as Trey Hendrickson’s 14.5 sacks from last year did not materialize (though advanced stats say that he played just as well, if not better). Other than T-Rex, the Bengals don’t really have an elite pass rusher, which in turn puts a strain on coverage.
- While Lou Anarumo being back is a huge boon, there most definitely will be some departures this offseason compared to last year, when virtually every meaningful contributor returned......and this was borne out in free agency, as Bates and Bell walked away, bringing the "dark day" that Anarumo had been dreading.
- Game by game recaps: see here
- Season highs and lows:
- Highs
- Feasting on the NFC South: With the season off to an uneven start, the Bengals won a close one against New Orleans, and then absolutely pasted the Falcons and the Panthers to gain momentum for the stretch run. Even old GOAT Brady could not stop the Bengals, as the Bengals defense led a rousing second half comeback to sweep the NFC South.
- The 8-game win streak to end the season: There was a lot of skepticism about the Bengals after their slow start, as the stretch run slate of opponents looked exceptionally difficult. However, the team came together for this stretch and dispatched Tennessee, Kansas City, old nemesis Cleveland, Tampa, New England and Baltimore to once again claim the division.
- The Hubbard Yard Dash: Arguably the greatest defensive play in Bengals history. With the game in the balance on Wild Card Weekend, local kid Sam Hubbard scooped up a goal-line fumble and, unlike in Madden, didn’t run out of stamina on his way to the end zone, snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat. A fitting celebratory moment for a player who often gets overlooked.
- Returning to the AFC Title Game: There were many questions about whether the Bengals were just a one-year wonder, or if 2021 was the foundation for something greater. While they came up just short in the AFC Title Game, the fact that they managed to make it there twice in a row after being a doormat for half a decade is not something that should be laughed at.
- Lows
- The first two games of the season: A comedy of errors in Week 1 (a pick six, a blocked XP, and a hilariously botched FG) and a sputtering offense in Week 2 started the season off in morbid fashion. Ultimately, these two squandered games would become the difference in the Bengals having no shot at home field in the stretch run.
- The Halloween massacre: The Browns have had Zac Taylor’s number ever since he became head coach, and on Halloween,
Jake BrisketJacoby Brissett, Nick Chubb and Myles Garrett delivered an ass whooping. It was the Bengals’ worst loss of the season, compounded by CB1 Chidobe Awuzie tearing his ACL. - The end of the season: No doubt about it, the final game against Kansas City feels like an opportunity missed, as O-line injuries led to the offense sputtering even as the defense put up an incredible effort against Patrick Mahomes & co. The way it ended with a costly penalty also stings, as many knew that this year would be the end of the line for several key players.
- Special aside
- The Damar Hamlin game: As the other team participating in that game, I think the Bengals, and specifically head coach Zac Taylor, did the right thing by conferring with Sean McDermott to essentially stop the game, and get the very distressed players off the field. It’s really a relief seeing Hamlin now walking about and able to live his life, considering he was temporarily a dead man on the field in Cincinnati. Even though I don’t think the league handled the aftermath very well, I truly hope that in another scenario like that, the Bengals and Taylor would act just like they did that night–some things are bigger than football.
- Highs
- Awards:
- HoF induction: Ken Riley (posthumous)
- Best Celly of the Year (lol): The Jungle Roller Coaster (Week 18)
- Pro Bowlers
- First Team: QB Joe Burrow, WR Ja’Marr Chase, DE Trey Hendrickson
- Alternates: FS Jessie Bates III (2nd alternate), RB Joe Mixon (3rd alternate), WR Tyler Boyd (3rd alternate), K Evan McPherson (4th alternate), C Ted Karras (5th alternate), DT DJ Reader (5th alternate), SS Vonn Bell (5th alternate)
- All-Pros: None
- A bit of a rant, but it is incredible how the Bengals have no All-Pros, just three first team Pro Bowlers, managed to win the AFC North and reel off 8 straight wins to finish the season, and Zac Taylor doesn’t get a single vote for CotY. Where the hell are the victories coming from then?
5. What Lies Ahead for the Bengals in the 2023 Offseason (Free Agency and Draft)
- Extension Candidates: before we get started, it should be noted that the Bengals front office has rarely used the "modern cap techniques" such as void years and backlogging guarantees--they like doing flat AAV contracts and not incurring dead money when possible. However, with Burrow and Chase (and others) soon to be paid, it is going to be tricky to navigate the cap without utilizing such methods. This offseason will grant us a real look at what the Bengals' strategy is moving forward.
- QB Joe Burrow: The big one. He’ll get extended, no question–it’s a matter of how much, and how it’s structured. An AAV of $50m is probably going to be the end result. This extension will be the one that shapes all decisions this offseason, as well as many other offseasons to come.
- WR Tee Higgins: Extension-eligible, the tricky part is that Chase is available for one next year (although Chase has a 5th year option). Since paying two WRs WR1 money is often not seen as a wise investment of cap space, there is a lot of speculation that Higgins might be trade bait a la A.J. Brown–of course, we know what happened to the GM that actually did trade A.J. Brown, so really? An extension might not get done, but the Bengals will want to keep him around at least for the next two years, possibly even using the tag on Higgins after this season if things go down that route.
- LB Logan Wilson: The 3rd rounder in the “Burrow draft,” Wilson has blossomed into a good-to-great linebacker. With Pratt looking set to leave, the team will want to lock down Wilson; the issue will be the cap number. If the Higgins extension is a no-go, Wilson could be the one getting it instead this offseason. The return of Pratt at a relatively modest number might change the calculation a bit.
- The next two are primarily cap-related extension ideas, which, for the record, are not typically things that Cincinnati has done.
- DE Trey Hendrickson: With two years remaining on his deal and his importance to the defense paramount, an extension might be an option to lower Hendrickson's cap hit ($15m).
- DT DJ Reader: Entering the last year of his 4-year deal, Reader's importance to the run defense is similar to Hendrickson's to the pass rush. Just like Hendrickson, Reader's cap hit is $15m--an extension could be on the cards.
- Free agency
- Notable UFAs
- FS Jessie Bates III: Having already had contentious negotiations for two years and playing on the franchise tag, Bates looks almost as good as gone. Get paid, man. (Highly likely to leave) Left for Atlanta on a 4-year, $64m deal. Glad he got his bag, thanks for the memories Jessie.
- LB Germaine Pratt: Played himself into a big payday by being a positive in pass coverage, and probably out of Cincinnati’s reach. (Likely to leave) Ended up staying, solidifying the linebacking corps (3 years, $21m).
- SS Vonn Bell: With Bates almost certain to leave and Lou Anarumo on record as saying that it will be a dark day when both Bell and Bates are no longer here, Bell looks to be a high priority to re-sign. This is especially because unlike Bates, the Bengals don’t have someone that can fill in Bell’s slot. (50-50) Left for Carolina on a 3-year, $22.5m deal. Thanks for the memories Vonn, you turned the franchise around when you sent JuJu into next week.
- CB Eli Apple: With the emergence of Cam Taylor-Britt and Apple’s antics on Twitter coming to the fore after the Divisional Round, it’s a toss-up to whether Apple is re-signed. If he’s willing to play for cheap like he did last year ($4m), it wouldn’t be a bad idea. (50-50)
- TE Hayden Hurst: Hurst became a fan favorite in Cincinnati, and he seemed to like it here as it gave him a chance to resurrect his career. The issue will definitely be price, as nobody is certain exactly how much Hurst will command–if it goes into CJ Uzomah territory ($8m AAV), the Bengals will probably bid him goodbye. (50-50) Left for Carolina on a 3-year, $21m deal. The man parlayed the season into a bag, good for him!
- RB Samaje Perine: Mixon might be gone unless he takes a pay cut, in which case the Bengals will probably want to retain Perine while bringing in a rookie. How much the Bengals pursue Perine will be dependent on money and what happens with Mixon. (Likely to return) Left for Denver on a 2-year, $7.5m deal. He stated personal reasons, so I'll respect that. We'll always remember his TD against the Chiefs and him dribbling Justin Reid's head.
- RB Trayveon Williams, WR Trent Taylor, OG Max Scharping: re-signed
- CB Jalen Davis, S Michael D. Thomas: re-signed
- DB Tre Flowers
- QB Brandon Allen
- TE Drew Sample
- LS Clark Harris
- Potential cut candidates
- RB Joe Mixon: His 12m cap hit is a large one for a running back who was ineffective last year. As he doesn't have additional years left on his deal, restructuring is not an option. Straight up cutting Mixon would save roughly $7.2m against the cap, while incurring $5.5m in dead money. Perine's departure makes this less likely.
- OT La'El Collins: The coaching staff seems to want him back. However, his play noticeably dipped last year, making a cut a distinct possibility. Cutting Collins would save the Bengals $6m while incurring $3.3m in dead money.
- ERFAs
- LS Cal Adomitis: re-signed in February, which probably means the end of the road for Clark Harris.
- LB Clay Johnston
- TE Mitchell Wilcox
- RFA
- LB Joe Bachie: Re-signed
- Notable UFAs
- Additions
- LT Orlando Brown (4 yrs, $64m): A very unexpected signing, and probably the biggest swing that the Bengals have taken in free agency regarding the offensive line in recent memory. He's not perfect, but he's a damn good LT and in his prime; throw in the surprisingly reasonable contract, and this is a signing that Bengals fandom was highly supportive of. This did in turn force current LT Jonah Williams to make a trade request; stay tuned.
- S Nick Scott (3 yrs, $12m): Signed to pair up with Dax Hill after Vonn Bell's departure, Scott is definitely athletic and heady, although Bengals fandom was somewhat disappointed after prime free agent Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was all over Twitter re-tweeting Bengals players throughout early free agency.
- OG/T Cody Ford (1 yr, $1.08m): Signed for the minimum, there are rumblings that Ford could be the Bengals' plan at RT, which does not give me any reassurances. It's better than Adeniji, but that's not saying much.
- Draft
- Needs
- Offensive Line: Center and right guard are stable (Karras, Cappa), left tackle is now set (Brown) but right tackle is uncertain (Collins? Williams? Ford?) and left guard is nothing special (Volson). The Bengals will definitely look to see if they can secure a high-potential offensive tackle prospect with their first rounder, with names like Dawand Jones, Broderick Jones, Darnell Wright, and Anton Harrison all in the mix for the 29th pick.
- Tight End: Hurst is gone, Sample and Wilcox are out of contract, and this is a deep class for tight ends. The idea of taking one in the first round like Michael Mayer or Darnell Washington is hotly debated on Bengals Twitter, but later round potential picks like Sam Laporta, Tucker Kraft or Luke Schoonmaker are also discussed. They need at least one.
- Pass rusher: While the defense improved this season, it had a precipitous drop-off in sacks. Either a good edge or someone that can provide pressure from the interior is needed, and names like Calijah Kancey, Nolan Smith, and BJ Ojulari are all under discussion.
- Cornerback: With Awuzie coming off a torn ACL and CTB still developing, the Bengals could see cornerback as a position that needs another injection of youth–you need as many corners as you can in this league, and the Bengals have not been afraid to stack picks at CB in the past (Jonathan Joseph-Leon Hall, Dre Kirkpatrick-Darqueze Dennard). Deonte Banks was the main name that got discussed for the 29th pick, though he may have risen too far now.
- Wide receiver: Tyler Boyd may be on his last season at Cincy, and with Higgins and Chase due for raises, finding a developing wide receiver is a need. Probably not a 1st unless someone slips far, but they’ll look for options later in the draft.
- Running back: Even if Mixon returns, it behooves the Bengals to find a future starter in later rounds. If Bijan is actually there at pick 29 there will be some interesting discussions, but later round names like Zach Charbonnet, Devon Achane or any other running back prospect slated for Day 2 or later will be in the mix.
- Needs
- Possible coaching departures and promotions:
- OC Brian Callahan (finalist for the Colts job–lost out to Shane Steichen)
- DC Lou Anarumo (finalist for the Cardinals job–lost out to Jonathan Gannon)
- QB Coach Dan Pitcher (interviewed for Bucs OC)
- After a lengthy process, Callahan, Anarumo and Pitcher all were passed over by other teams, leading them back to Cincinnati. The dream scenario would be for these coaches, who have been with the team for five years now, to guide the Bengals to the promised land and then find their places as head coaches. Of course, dreams don’t always come true, but there’s no harm in hoping.
This was an amazing season for the Bengals, despite major disappointment on either end of the schedule. The biggest takeaway was the statement that the Bengals are real; all those projections of a “step back” or the team being a fluke have faded into the past. The convincing win in Buffalo was among the strongest statements the franchise has ever made. The new reality of the NFL is that the Cincinnati Bengals are a serious contender until proven otherwise.
The team has taken free agency losses and will need to see how the roster looks going forward, but this team is still largely the same squad that has reached consecutive AFC title games, and it’s mostly behind a coaching staff and quarterback that are still leading the charge. As long as Joe Burrow is wearing stripes, Bengals fans will enter the season (and often the postseason) with an aura of confidence that has frankly never existed for this fanbase.
Cincinnati will enter 2023 as one of the 4 or 5 shortest odds to win Super Bowl LVIII, and at this point, we fans can dream of our first Lombardi Trophy without being accused of hitting the pipe. However, many monsters loom in the loaded AFC. Guide us, the good shepherd Burrow.
Special thanks to u/TheReaver88 for his edits and summary work, and finally......
WHO DEY!