Briggs and stratton 16hp parts
BriggsEngines
2021.04.14 18:11 BriggsEngines
Subreddit dedicated to Help, Modifications, and maintenance for any Briggs and Stratton Engine!
2014.01.17 17:45 ctesibius The cutting edge of lawn maintenance
For all your lawnmower needs
2016.11.13 00:54 gabeb71 /r/GlockMod
The Official Modified Glock Subreddit
2024.05.09 01:40 Boom_Morello Pressure washer issues
Husqvarna gas pressure washer with a Briggs & Stratton engine. I used it a couple times already this year without issue. I had my kid pull it out today to wash the ATVs and it wouldn’t stay running. I opened the gas cap and saw no gas so I put some in and tried to start it. At first I couldn’t pull the cord but then it moved. After a few pulls I saw liquid coming out of the exhaust.
The fuel I put in went from the tank on top, into the engine and I found it in the oil pan.
I don’t want to chuck this thing. I’m not an engine guy, but I am fairly handy. I’ve got tools and space and I understand basics. Plus, there’s a couple other engines I own on mini-bikes I’d like to tackle at some point. I haven’t done any research yet on this specific engine, but what could I be looking at here?
Thanks
submitted by Boom_Morello to smallenginerepair [link] [comments]
The fuel I put in went from the tank on top, into the engine and I found it in the oil pan.
I don’t want to chuck this thing. I’m not an engine guy, but I am fairly handy. I’ve got tools and space and I understand basics. Plus, there’s a couple other engines I own on mini-bikes I’d like to tackle at some point. I haven’t done any research yet on this specific engine, but what could I be looking at here?
Thanks
2024.05.09 00:07 ammanxxl Engine starts then stops
Hey guys - long story short I was gifted a Briggs and Stratton Quattro from a friend. It’s been stored in his garage for a couple of years.
It wouldn’t start at first. Slight sputter when pulling the cord and that’s it. I tipped it on its side for a few seconds to check out the shape of the blades underneath and then put it back normal side up. It started, but died out maybe 5-10 seconds later. Tried pulling the cord again no dice.
Got it to start again by doing the same thing (tipping it on its side for a few seconds then back again).
Any ideas?
submitted by ammanxxl to smallenginerepair [link] [comments]
It wouldn’t start at first. Slight sputter when pulling the cord and that’s it. I tipped it on its side for a few seconds to check out the shape of the blades underneath and then put it back normal side up. It started, but died out maybe 5-10 seconds later. Tried pulling the cord again no dice.
Got it to start again by doing the same thing (tipping it on its side for a few seconds then back again).
Any ideas?
2024.05.08 19:50 diet_dr_kelpp Oil Leak with Mower Help
Bought a mower heavily discounted yesterday, Lowe's employee told me the previous owner noticed an oil leak at the bottom. They took it to the manufacturer since it was under warranty but they didn't find anything wrong with it.
I left it overnight under cardboard but didn't see any oil drip. The only thing found was smeared oil residue around the bottom center of the mower. It collected a tiny bit on top of the blades. I cleaned the bottom to see if it's easier to spot the leak but no luck.
Could it be a seal or did the previous owner just overfilled the oil?
Model engine is Briggs & Stratton 09P7020293F1, Toro 21" Recycler Self Propelled mower
submitted by diet_dr_kelpp to smallengines [link] [comments]
I left it overnight under cardboard but didn't see any oil drip. The only thing found was smeared oil residue around the bottom center of the mower. It collected a tiny bit on top of the blades. I cleaned the bottom to see if it's easier to spot the leak but no luck.
Could it be a seal or did the previous owner just overfilled the oil?
Model engine is Briggs & Stratton 09P7020293F1, Toro 21" Recycler Self Propelled mower
2024.05.08 19:47 diet_dr_kelpp Oil Leak Help
 | Bought a mower heavily discounted yesterday, Lowe’s employee told me the previous owner noticed an oil leak at the bottom. They took it to the manufacturer since it was under warranty but they didn’t find anything wrong with it. submitted by diet_dr_kelpp to lawnmowers [link] [comments] I left it overnight under cardboard but didn’t see any oil drip. The only thing found was smeared oil residue around the bottom center of the mower. It collected a tiny bit on top of the blades. I cleaned the bottom to see if it’s easier to spot the leak but no luck. Could it be a seal or did the previous owner just overfilled the oil? Model engine is Briggs & Stratton 09P7020293F1, Toro 21” Recycler Self Propelled mower |
2024.05.08 19:40 Various_Lingonberry7 Baffling
Bought a new string trimmer from DR thinking it had a Briggs & Stratton engine. Nope. I'm guessing Chinese, but I can't say for sure. Unboxed it, added oil and gas, pulled it twice and it started right up. Ran it for about an hour and shut it down for a rest. I came back to it and the cord won't pull. It felt like the transmission was engaged, but I couldn't get it to disengage. Pulled the spark plug and it spins like a new engine. Pulled the flywheel and replaced the flywheel key. Drained the crankcase and tried to pull it with nothing in the crankcase. Not happening. It still pulls exactly like you would expect it to pull with no sparkplug, but it refuses to turn with the sparkplug in place and the clutch engaged. I've asked every mechanic I know and got nothing but blank stares, so I'm turning it over to the hive mind. Any ideas?
submitted by Various_Lingonberry7 to smallengines [link] [comments]
2024.05.08 19:39 Various_Lingonberry7 Baffled
Bought a new string trimmer from DR thinking it had a Briggs & Stratton engine. Nope. I'm guessing Chinese, but I can't say for sure. Unboxed it, added oil and gas, pulled it twice and it started right up. Ran it for about an hour and shut it down for a rest. I came back to it and the cord won't pull. It felt like the transmission was engaged, but I couldn't get it to disengage. Pulled the spark plug and it spins like a new engine. Pulled the flywheel and replaced the flywheel key. Drained the crankcase and tried to pull it with nothing in the crankcase. Not happening. It still pulls exactly like you would expect it to pull with no sparkplug, but it refuses to turn with the sparkplug in place and the clutch engaged. I've asked every mechanic I know and got nothing but blank stares, so I'm turning it over to the hive mind. Any ideas?
submitted by Various_Lingonberry7 to smallenginerepair [link] [comments]
2024.05.08 19:25 AbeilleMarketing What I learned from years of burnout and chronic pain
 | In 2017 I fell on my knees. I was going to work, I was late, a lady with large bags was blocking the exit of my carriage on the District line in Victoria station. I stumbled and I fell on both knees, on the choir of a synchronised “Ohhhh” from the other passengers. Somebody picked me up, I didn’t even see who that person was and I was on my feet. So typical English, something I love about this culture, it doesn’t matter how deep you went down, just lift yourself up and you are good as new. Only thing, I wasn’t. At the office both knees started to swell and were very very painful. I called my boyfriend to pick me up. We went to the hospital where nobody found anything wrong, it almost seemed I was inventing the pain. So there started a long battle against the NHS, medications, specialists, transports, cancelling my busy London schedule for the following 6 months, work, sadness, weight gain, etc. submitted by AbeilleMarketing to OverEmployedWomen [link] [comments] Why did I fall? I didn’t fall because I was late, or because of the cumbersome bags of that lady. I fell because of stress. I had a good job, the team was nice, my boss was cool, the office had showers and lockers, I could cycle to work and get changed there, it was comfortable. But I didn’t want comfort, I wanted challenge! I wanted the excitement of a tough role and this one was boring. My previous job was amazing, I was in charge of two marketing channels at my favourite museum. I loved it there, but I was overworked and underpaid. I had a great mentor, but when she left the new boss clearly hated me, I never understood why. She outright bullied me, pushing me to leave, and I was so tired of working late that I believed all her lies. So instead of reporting her to HR, I ended up accepting a boring job, which anyway lifted my salary by 50%! Less than a month in my new role I had already realised that I was not going to get the experience and the thrill I was looking for, so I started to look around again. For normal people “looking around” probably means checking out Linkedin once a week, but I am a 500% kind of girl, so I started “looking around” night and day. I was calling recruiters during my lunch break, sending applications from the toilet, going to interviews before and after work… It became my second job, much more demanding than the one paying my rent. So I had a boring job, but I was stressed as hell. I was restless, and I fell on my knees. That was just the beginning The pain was terrible, and doctors were worse, they kept telling me that I was inventing the pain, I hated them for it. I was forced in bed or on crutches, but to them I was hallucinating. Not being able to walk for 6 months really messed me up, my back started to ache, I blocked it several times until only anti-inflammatory injections brought some relief. MRIs were out of the question, over £1000 just for the scan, not counting the specialist’s fee. In the meantime, I changed jobs two or three times, I didn’t like anything, nothing seemed enough. I was hopping around town to attend interviews, swallowing pills, calling cabs because of the pain. It was a nightmare, but I couldn’t stop. My boyfriend kept telling me to let go and settle in any job, but that was only making me more determined. I had no more free time. It was constant anxiety. Could it be the place? London is a wonderful city, if I had to choose one adjective to describe her, it would be “majestic”. But she’s like a teenager on cocaine, she would take everything from you if you don’t have solid boundaries. In my case, London swallowed my time. I didn’t have any left. I was feeling a tremendous pressure to do more, be more, have more and quickly! I had to be thinner, have more money, a better title, go to events and parties, I HAD TO. I also had to own a property, but the cost of real estate in London is prohibitive, so it was clear that I had to move. My boyfriend - who at that time became my fiance - is French, so we both started to look for openings in France. We liked Italy and Spain too, but nothing came from there. To my surprise, in less than two weeks I got a marketing job in Bordeaux, we were really going to move! Apnea I moved to France in 2018, the job was complex, it seemed to be the challenge that I was looking for, it was perfect. But my back was a mess, even breathing was hurting. In France I could afford seeing specialists, but some did nothing but pausing my life. I had appointments three times a week, I worked nonstop during the day so I could leave early and see doctors, what a great time. They found two herniated discs in my lower spine, so my connection with the knee injury seemed sci-fi. I was hallucinating again. Almost two years into my new job and I was still unable to spend more than 30 minutes seated without horrible spasms and stabbing pain. I had to lay down, but as it is not possible to do that in an open space in front of everybody, I had to hide in the toilet and rest next to stains of piss and who knows what else. My spirit broke. Digging deeper and deeper and deeper In January 2020 I woke up with 5 little dots on the side of my right eye. I thought it was spider bites, but a couple of days later I got diagnosed with herpes zoster. My GP forced me home for three weeks, prescribed a ton of pain medications and told me that that was stress crawling out of my body and I had to take a break. I cried so much in front of him. I had no hope, I couldn’t take a break from my body, and my body was in constant pain. I was given the address of an osteopath near home, and the advice to seek psychological help. When I went back to work I had a million things to do, I started feeling that pressure again. My to-do list never actually recovered from those three weeks of sickness. Like an onion The new osteopath was a magician, we’re still in touch today. He told me that he was going to work on me like an onion, peeling off the layers until we found the source of the pain. We started by talking. I explained my theory of the back pain being caused by the knee injury and he didn't laugh or reply that I was crazy, instead he listened. We talked about all the injuries and the sports of my entire life and then he taught me some exercises to do every day from home. I healed in 2 months. And no, the herniated discs had nothing to do with my pain. Instead, being in bed for 6 months and walking on crutches around London atrophied my muscles. After two years in France I could finally travel the country and go to restaurants and wine bars… ah no wait, covid arrived. 2020 was a good year… I know, covid was terrible, the deaths, the fear, the isolation. But I convinced myself that for me 2020 was great! I healed from chronic back pain, I got married, I finally got to work from home… But I was unquestionably depressed. The past years between work, stress and pain had dug a crack in my soul. I couldn’t recognise myself in the mirror, I felt like an empty husk. On top of that covid made my job a living nightmare. My assistant left, I had millions of extra campaigns every week, tons of new regulations to learn. Many colleagues left, others were fired. That pressure had become a pneumatic hammer in my ears. I started seeing a therapist, an Italian girl more or less my age. I was sceptical initially, I approached therapy like work: a task, a project to complete efficiently and quickly. I found her because I was looking for something fast and effective, and I read about CBT. She accepted me as a patient, and when I asked how long until I was healed she said that since my life was full of pain it would have taken a bit longer than usual. Therapy was like finally someone switched on a light on my darkness, I could see what was happening! And once I understood what was going on I thought I could manage it on my own. Severing connections, frying circuits 2021 started with a growing feeling of loss. I had just got married, but I was feeling so lonely. All the people I connected with in my almost 3 years in France had moved and my other friends were spread across the globe. To amplify the feeling, in February my grandfather died, and there were no planes for me to go say goodbye or reunite with my family. One morning in March, I switched on my work laptop, began my day and suddenly I saw all white. I thought that it was already some time since I started having this strange symptom: while looking at the screen suddenly my peripheral vision would go blurry and white. And then I realised that actually it was a while since I started having a lot of strange symptoms, from dizziness to urticaria. I wasn’t sleeping much, I had lost a lot of weight, my hands were always shaking, and another long long list of strange feelings including the most unsettling one: not recognising myself in the mirror. I talked with my GP and one year after the herpes zoster he forced me home again, this time for two months, with the taunting diagnosis: burnout. Two months became six and I was not better at all, actually it went worse. Even thinking about work was making me feel sick. The smallest stressor, like a rude lady at the supermarket, could crush me. I started seeing my therapist again. Eventually the company called me and we agreed on me leaving the job. It was not an easy choice, even if I felt relieved once I signed the papers. My (big) break It happened to me in the past to take time off work, a month, maybe two or even three, but this was going to be epic! I was home already for 6 months, and I had completely lost track of reality. I was living inside a bubble where I wasn’t me and reality didn’t feel real. But the irony in taking a break from your life is that life doesn’t really take a break from you, strangely enough, things keep happening! So during my break I had to transform into an architect to manage the renovation of our new home, bought before the final short-circuit. I also had to become a bit of a lawyer to navigate the different legislations about sick leave, chomage, CPAM money claims, etc. I invented myself as an accountant to figure out why my taxpayer profile didn’t exist. And since there weren’t enough irons on the fire, one of my two cats, Kali, died under a car, so that really helped dig another hole in my heart. In this same period, my husband and I also discovered to have fertility problems, but that’s material for a different article. To sum up, the first year of break was no break at all. A year and a half off work In summer 2022 something happened: my bubble exploded. Quite suddenly I started remembering things that happened during the previous years that I had completely forgotten. It was like recalling a dream, the timeline was totally mixed-up. But I was finally waking up, I was me again even if that person was someone new. I felt energy coming back, I felt alive and I started planning how to build a new path forward. I met several times with counsellors at Apec and Pole Emploi, and all these appointments highlighted one thing: my career as a marketing employee was over. I had no plans of repeating that sad show of waking up on Monday morning yearning for the weekend to start again. Tests like Myers-Briggs and MAPP showed potential for many different jobs. But I didn’t want to throw away years of studies and work experience, I had to find a compromise, so I went back to the roots. I ended up in marketing because I am a creative person, not an economist. My journey started with website creation and community management, and I really enjoyed that! Also, I didn’t like what marketing per se had become, all the brainwashing and consumerism doesn’t represent me. Bombarding people with ads and slogans disgusts me and I know that many people see it the same way. The foundations for Bee l’Abeille du Marketing started here. Rewiring It’s been three years since I fried my brain. I’m fine now, but things have changed. Some emotions are not felt the same as before, other feelings are not as clear anymore, I have to think before feeling. But I’m good, I slowed down, I took that break and I can recognise when too much is too much. Rewiring my brain also meant finding another way forward, and I had great help. From my therapist to my GP and the osteopath who listened! Apec was wonderful, they really helped me understand my nature and how to go back being part of society without burning myself out again. I discovered that I could have been an artist! Pole Emploi, Adie and the Bordeaux team at Passerelles et Competences gave me the confidence of launching myself into a new venture. My friends and family, my cat Miso, all participated in my recovery. My husband was so supportive, he is the best of all humans, I couldn’t have made it without him. I realised how stupid I was years before; he was telling me to slow down and I didn’t listen. And when I got hurt, he was there, tending to my shattered spirit. Overall I think I was very lucky: my body shut down, but that forced me to change. Some live in constant anxiety and don’t have this fortune, they just keep going. Also, I had this network of people who helped me even from far away, they felt close despite different cultures and time zones. Thank you. What helped I am a creative person, but I have a very analytical mind. I need to understand things. So I read a lot of articles, I learned terms such as adrenal fatigue and vagus nerve dysfunction. I came to realise that what happened to me was very tangible, and that it was self-inflicted. Understanding the science behind it helped me recognise that I had to stop feeling guilty about what I was not. No one is perfect and I had to allow the idea that I wasn’t going to be perfect either. So I let go of that pounding pressure that accompanied me for so many years. Not working helped, but I didn’t like it, I felt like a burden to society. So I went from spending 12 hours a day on my laptop to cleaning the house, cooking, tidying up, etc. But that wasn’t healthy either. I pay taxes after all, I can be a burden sometimes! Unfortunately though, I reached the opposite side of that coin. For a while I could not lift myself from bed. At this stage I hated when people around me pushed me to make an effort. But it actually really helped. Little by little I was leaving the house on my own again. CBT worked like magic. It made me understand my feelings and this taught me how to use them, when to listen and when to let them go. I was given tools to associate thoughts and sentiments, to identify and shut down dangerous ideas and live happier. Talking with career consultants highlighted my best skills. I realised that I could do a lot of different jobs and this encouraged me to test myself in different environments and re-discover self-confidence. Painting was another way to let go of the anxiety. Sometimes I would paint non-stop, one subject after the other, just to let out the stress. It was like meditation. What did not help At the beginning of my journey into disconnectedness I was prescribed medications. Everybody told me that I had nothing to fear, meds were just a little help to go through the worst time. So I tried, for three long days, and then I stopped them when all the possible side effects had come up. I even stopped peeing for one full day, like the most rare side effect of all. I understood that this was a process I had to do on my own, without chemical support. Some of the people around me understood what was happening inside of me, or even if they didn’t, they figured out that I was not well. However, not everyone got it, and I perceived a lot of anger (or perhaps jealousy?) from those who saw me as an opportunist and a liar. I had to prove my condition to a series of specialists, and that really hurt. Every expertise was like going back hundreds of years, falling hard on my butt and having to get up again. Any contact with my previous job was like being stabbed. I had to ask work friends and ex colleagues not to contact me for a while, thankfully they understood. The lesson In a nutshell that would be “listen-to-husband”, but it is slightly more complex than that. I learned that no matter how strong we think we are, there is always something that could break us. We have to be aware, we have to carefully listen to our body because nature always knows what’s best for us. Our body loves us. I learned that humans are amazing. We have incredible resources within ourselves, we can heal from awful traumas and grow stronger than ever! I learned that work is overrated. Our society incites us to compete and to accumulate items and titles and prestige that taken alone mean absolutely nothing. A walk in the forest is worth millions of “Head of Marketing” positions. I learned that it is never too late to change life. In my journey back to reality, I met people of all ages converting to something new. From 30-something like me to others close to retirement who always wanted to be someone else and they finally decided to make that happen at 62. Follow what you love, and be true about it. Finally, I am still learning this now: time is never lost. Everything happens at once after all, right? |
2024.05.08 19:10 BaseballBot Game Thread 5/8 ⚾ Brewers (21-14) @ Royals (21-16) 2:10 PM ET
Join us on Discord!
Brewers (21-14) @ Royals (21-16)
First Pitch: 2:10 PM at Kauffman Stadium| Team | Starter | TV | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brewers | Joe Ross (1-3, 4.65 ERA) | BSWI | WTMJ |
| Royals | Brady Singer (2-1, 2.45 ERA) | BSKC | KCSP |
| MLB | Fangraphs | Reddit Stream | IRC Chat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gameday | Game Graph | Live Comments | Libera: ##baseball |
Line Score - Game Over
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | LOB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| KC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 7 |
Box Score
| KC | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | BA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | Garcia, M | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .235 |
| SS | Witt Jr. | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .327 |
| 1B | Pasquantino | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .248 |
| LF | Blanco | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .222 |
| DH | Massey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .281 |
| RF | Renfroe | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .150 |
| 2B | Frazier | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .169 |
| LF | Melendez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .182 |
| 1B | Hampson | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .237 |
| C | Fermin | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .241 |
| CF | Isbel | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .217 |
| KC | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | P-S | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singer | 5.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 89-58 | 2.36 |
| Smith, W | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9-6 | 8.49 |
| Anderson, N | 0.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11-7 | 3.29 |
| Zerpa | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6-4 | 1.69 |
| Stratton, C | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9-7 | 5.06 |
| Duffey | 0.1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 21-11 | 4.76 |
| McArthur | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3-3 | 4.15 |
| MIL | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | BA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | Turang | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .316 |
| C | Contreras, Wm | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .329 |
| DH | Yelich | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .295 |
| SS | Adames | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .257 |
| LF | Bauers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .203 |
| LF | Chourio | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .221 |
| RF | Frelick | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| 1B | Sánchez | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .232 |
| 3B | Dunn | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .221 |
| CF | Perkins, B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .248 |
| MIL | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | P-S | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross | 5.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 67-43 | 4.75 |
| Hudson, B | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 39-25 | 0.84 |
| Payamps | 0.1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 21-15 | 5.25 |
| Herget | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4-3 | 0.00 |
Scoring Plays
Highlights
Decisions
| Winning Pitcher | Losing Pitcher | Save |
|---|---|---|
| Singer (3-1, 2.36 ERA) | Ross (1-4, 4.75 ERA) | McArthur (8 SV, 4.15 ERA) |
| Attendance | Weather | Wind |
|---|---|---|
| 67°F, Partly Cloudy | 8 mph, R To L |
| HP | 1B | 2B | 3B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Todd Tichenor | Angel Hernandez | Nic Lentz | Emil Jimenez |
Remember to sort by new to keep up!
2024.05.08 12:58 LuxuriantOak I think it finally clicked last session (Oddity High)
(Small Oshukan High spoilers!)
Background:
This season we've been playing Oddity High, a PbtA game with a focus on Anime High School life, with an extra topping of the weird and wacky.
This was actually not the first PbtA game I bought (City of Mist is standing unopened on the shelf, mea culpa CoM, I just never got around to you!), but something about the premise was so unusual from my regular fare that I had to back it when the KS campaign dropped.
Now usually we play a decent mix of fantasy and sci-fi: a lot of D&D, some Fria ligan stuff (Coriolis, Symbaroum) , and some old school grognard bait (Dark Heresy), and and I have dabbled in Fate and Pathfinder previously. All of this is to say: it's not my first rodeo as a GM.
But something about the PbtA way just felt really ... Weird to me. It shies away from telling you or codifying the things I'm used to, and talks a lot more about the stuff I'm used to make up as I go. It's a weird culture shock to play after being used to the other brands of games before, and until last nigh I wasn't sure if I was "getting it".
Oddity High in a nutshell:
For those who haven't heard of it, Oddity High is small indie PbtA game with some interesting twists on the formula: - you pick two playbooks, one for your mundane life, and one for your supernatural life. The mundane ones are kinds bonkers and heavily lean into anime stereotypes, the supernatural ones are all kinds of crazy, from "you're a wizard harry", "and escaped android", to stuff like "a god, but you don't know it". - it doesn't do granular violence, but instead opts for two boxes: "in pain/wounded" and a two sets of conditions for each of its stats, racking up conditions and then having a "public breakdown" is a part of the gameplay loop it seems. - it has a bunch of basic moves that might be familiar, and some unique one like one for having exams, and another for trying to get out of an obligation, and of course "unleashing your TRUE power!" - which can get quite wild...
Starting:
We did our s0 and somehow ended up on a setting with mostly magic and monsters as a focus (ejecting the mecha and robots from our fiction), the PC's were a swordswoman from the 1600s, a British exchange student with a magic book (and some magic he is trying to control), and a up and coming j-pop idol who's actually a twin tailed shapeshifting cat. I followed the advice for your first school day as a session and started trying out the game.
Now I don't know about you, but for me having 4 dudes sitting around a table talking about teenage drama with some examples of kawaii voices and anime-like gusto is quite an experience.
Luckily, the tropes are easy to recognise and lean on for action or comedic effect, so things got entertaining.
GM worries:
But as a GM I was wobbling a bit.
First, Animes are usually built in arcs and are to be honest, kinda predictable in their plots.
So I started prepping some stuff based on the playbooks and the genre: a duel against a rival, a monster attack, some mysterious organisations or individuals, a beach episode, ideas for a finale and a final boss to be hidden throughout the season.
Before I knew it I had a script ... Which made me frown.
One of the recurring advice is "play to find out", was I breaking that rule? Was I just not 'getting' it?!
I decided to see what happened in play, players will suprise you.
1st sessions:
The first story arc somehow ended up in a hospital, where one of the players had to crossdress to sneak in, then the showdown against the vampire ended so fast that I didn't get to break the sword I had planned to lead into the side quest I written. And the NPC I was planning to introduce got left outside because she wasn't needed.
Phew! As normal, no plan survives contact with players. Good thing I kept my notes as concepts and shorthand instead of turning them into a novel, that would have gotten stale.
After some sessions I was starting to notice some things with OH and PbtA:
So I went online, including this Reddit, and started hunting for advice and examples of moves from other games. I read about the "16hp dragon" which is where I realized that some PbtA game use hp and have rules for specific weapons, wow - but I didn't want that for this game. Knowing that your katana did 3 harm instead of 2 wasn't going to make it any more fun for our group.
Eventually I stumbled over a hodgepodge of houserules, stolen from other games.
From The Veil I stole the move "the Duel", but I decided to use it with normal moves spliced in between. So a showdown could be as an example: a social roll during the facedown, the a dual roll, then use of other moves ( like thinking things through) to get an advantage, then another duel move.
From Monster if the Week I stole a lot of monster design, but jettisoned the specifics on weapon damage and harm tracks. I ended up with a simple idea (which I think is from City of Mist as well?): tags as wounds - I would give opponents in the game descriptors or special moves that doubled as their wound boxes as well.
A made up benchmark would be no more then 3 for most things. Partly because I didn't want combat and confrontations to turn into slogs (we have other games for that), and partly because I didn't want to invent a bucketful of special moves between every session.
And around here I realized that I was hacking the system, and maybe I was always supposed to.
As a GM, I've gotten comfortable with changing the rules of a game to fit my style and my players. But I usually have a rule to not change something before you understand it, that was why I had been holding back and trying to wrestle with the games logic to find that sweet moment of understanding, but it had eluded me.
Armed with my new hacks I made a battle for next session: last session had a duel already agreed on so I would need the swordsman's moves as a foil and antagonist. And then I had planned for a monster attack to interrupt and change the scene, a bunch of kappa , with some larger ones and one large one in the "small kaiju"-category.
Here are the stats I made for them:
Swordsman (Rival): - Water Breath Style - can cut anything - Punk Rock Fighter - unpredictable movements - Chip on His Shoulder - can ignore hits
Bunch of Kappa (minions): - Water Monster - can drown anyone near water - Kinda Disgusting - inflicts a condition when taking a hit - Brave as a Group - can take hits for allies
Kawatora! (Elite): - Big and Burly - knock back or prone (players choice) when attacking (don't need to score a hit) - Large Sweep - attack target 2 at once - Scaled Authority - can rally troops to regain tags
Kawa No Kami (Kaiju): - Damned Big - (just a hp tag) - Hard Scales - damages attackers weapon/spirits - Powerful Roar- hurls opponents and objects
I probably overdid it a bit, and the tags are really vague at places, but they make sense for me and I have so far no plan to make them player-facing (we've discussed it a bit) but I'm leaving them here to show my process, and for others that might need something similar.
Throwing caution to the wind and armed with my new opponents cards and ideas I went to game night to test them.
The Duel session:
The session opened with one player having a public breakdown and getting thrown out of the kendo club for recklessness, following a quiet moment talking to their "Ojii-san" over tea. Meanwhile the other players were dealing with being a up and coming j-pop star that was being forced to wear leatherhosen, and another was trying (and failing) to find intel about the rival and developing insomnia.
Then Sunday evening came and it was time. After introducing the NPC and scene there was some smack talk, some attempts at de-escalation, we used moves to influence or understand this arrogant duelist. And then we shifted into a more tense background music as we tried out the duel rules.
Not going to give a blow-by-blow, but some things went as planned, and some got changed along the way. All-in-all it was really fun and the group had a blast, but most importantly: it finally clicked for me.
Somewhere between when the swordswoman had to decide whether to protect the mage or face the larger Kawatora, or when the mage unleashed an untapped potential to barbecue some minions, or the "all in lost"- mood snuck in as the "River God" appeared and threw the swordsman into the sand and the cat had to teleport away to avid being squashed, and the swordswoman had to face it alone with all her boxes filled in for a desperate final blow ... I realized that I had slipped into the flow of the game.
The back and forth conversation had been steadily moving around the table as I made hard and soft cuts where they were needed, gave players spotlight, moved it to where they weren't prepared for, made them scramble, and then made them shine.
I had unlocked PbtA *
Or more accurately, by hacking the game to fit me and just not giving a f*ck anymore if I was doing it "right" or not, I had managed to get into the mindset of the Fiction and let it guide my rulings and moves, thereby giving a place for the players to do the same.
OR, agin in less fancy prose: stop thinking about it and have fun.
Closing:
That's my story, just wanted to share the fun of "figuring out" PbtA, I'm sure I have some "aha"-moments to come, but at least now I think I get the game style and can make fun with it. If there are questions I will of course answer them (badly).
For those that wonder, the swordswoman unlocked her first attempt at "Wind Breath Style" (whatever tf that is) and used a once per game move that just removes an opponent, in this case it knocked the River God unconscious, but it is often used in anime to yeet or punt annoying NPC's into the air as they disappear in the distance with an appropriate sound effect. Anime man, it's f*cking weird.
Oh and btw, if anyone knows where to post Oddity High resources and sheets let me know, there is no dedicated Reddit and the discord seems to be dead from what I can see ... I went a bit overboard in then prepp/handout-stage and have both custom character sheets, playbook leaflets (not sharing those unless the creator ok's it, ofc) , class charts .... and a curriculum with a list of teachers +++ on my drive.
*🎉
submitted by LuxuriantOak to PBtA [link] [comments]
Background:
This season we've been playing Oddity High, a PbtA game with a focus on Anime High School life, with an extra topping of the weird and wacky.
This was actually not the first PbtA game I bought (City of Mist is standing unopened on the shelf, mea culpa CoM, I just never got around to you!), but something about the premise was so unusual from my regular fare that I had to back it when the KS campaign dropped.
Now usually we play a decent mix of fantasy and sci-fi: a lot of D&D, some Fria ligan stuff (Coriolis, Symbaroum) , and some old school grognard bait (Dark Heresy), and and I have dabbled in Fate and Pathfinder previously. All of this is to say: it's not my first rodeo as a GM.
But something about the PbtA way just felt really ... Weird to me. It shies away from telling you or codifying the things I'm used to, and talks a lot more about the stuff I'm used to make up as I go. It's a weird culture shock to play after being used to the other brands of games before, and until last nigh I wasn't sure if I was "getting it".
Oddity High in a nutshell:
For those who haven't heard of it, Oddity High is small indie PbtA game with some interesting twists on the formula: - you pick two playbooks, one for your mundane life, and one for your supernatural life. The mundane ones are kinds bonkers and heavily lean into anime stereotypes, the supernatural ones are all kinds of crazy, from "you're a wizard harry", "and escaped android", to stuff like "a god, but you don't know it". - it doesn't do granular violence, but instead opts for two boxes: "in pain/wounded" and a two sets of conditions for each of its stats, racking up conditions and then having a "public breakdown" is a part of the gameplay loop it seems. - it has a bunch of basic moves that might be familiar, and some unique one like one for having exams, and another for trying to get out of an obligation, and of course "unleashing your TRUE power!" - which can get quite wild...
Starting:
We did our s0 and somehow ended up on a setting with mostly magic and monsters as a focus (ejecting the mecha and robots from our fiction), the PC's were a swordswoman from the 1600s, a British exchange student with a magic book (and some magic he is trying to control), and a up and coming j-pop idol who's actually a twin tailed shapeshifting cat. I followed the advice for your first school day as a session and started trying out the game.
Now I don't know about you, but for me having 4 dudes sitting around a table talking about teenage drama with some examples of kawaii voices and anime-like gusto is quite an experience.
Luckily, the tropes are easy to recognise and lean on for action or comedic effect, so things got entertaining.
GM worries:
But as a GM I was wobbling a bit.
First, Animes are usually built in arcs and are to be honest, kinda predictable in their plots.
So I started prepping some stuff based on the playbooks and the genre: a duel against a rival, a monster attack, some mysterious organisations or individuals, a beach episode, ideas for a finale and a final boss to be hidden throughout the season.
Before I knew it I had a script ... Which made me frown.
One of the recurring advice is "play to find out", was I breaking that rule? Was I just not 'getting' it?!
I decided to see what happened in play, players will suprise you.
1st sessions:
The first story arc somehow ended up in a hospital, where one of the players had to crossdress to sneak in, then the showdown against the vampire ended so fast that I didn't get to break the sword I had planned to lead into the side quest I written. And the NPC I was planning to introduce got left outside because she wasn't needed.
Phew! As normal, no plan survives contact with players. Good thing I kept my notes as concepts and shorthand instead of turning them into a novel, that would have gotten stale.
After some sessions I was starting to notice some things with OH and PbtA:
- they say "keep things loose and don't plan to much", but that doesn't work with anime, instead I had to have ideas for the large picture and was story arc, but not be married to anything and be prepared to jettison or change to fit the moves and choices along the way.
- there is no move to notice anything and it's driving me mad! Every other game I've played has a "Perception"-skill or whatever, but the closest thing here is the move "Think things through" which I have to remind the players to use.
- the "one roll for a scene/event" thing works... But it sure as f*ck doesn't work during combat. And it goes completely against the Shonen Anime Showdown -trope.
So I went online, including this Reddit, and started hunting for advice and examples of moves from other games. I read about the "16hp dragon" which is where I realized that some PbtA game use hp and have rules for specific weapons, wow - but I didn't want that for this game. Knowing that your katana did 3 harm instead of 2 wasn't going to make it any more fun for our group.
Eventually I stumbled over a hodgepodge of houserules, stolen from other games.
From The Veil I stole the move "the Duel", but I decided to use it with normal moves spliced in between. So a showdown could be as an example: a social roll during the facedown, the a dual roll, then use of other moves ( like thinking things through) to get an advantage, then another duel move.
From Monster if the Week I stole a lot of monster design, but jettisoned the specifics on weapon damage and harm tracks. I ended up with a simple idea (which I think is from City of Mist as well?): tags as wounds - I would give opponents in the game descriptors or special moves that doubled as their wound boxes as well.
A made up benchmark would be no more then 3 for most things. Partly because I didn't want combat and confrontations to turn into slogs (we have other games for that), and partly because I didn't want to invent a bucketful of special moves between every session.
And around here I realized that I was hacking the system, and maybe I was always supposed to.
As a GM, I've gotten comfortable with changing the rules of a game to fit my style and my players. But I usually have a rule to not change something before you understand it, that was why I had been holding back and trying to wrestle with the games logic to find that sweet moment of understanding, but it had eluded me.
Armed with my new hacks I made a battle for next session: last session had a duel already agreed on so I would need the swordsman's moves as a foil and antagonist. And then I had planned for a monster attack to interrupt and change the scene, a bunch of kappa , with some larger ones and one large one in the "small kaiju"-category.
Here are the stats I made for them:
Swordsman (Rival): - Water Breath Style - can cut anything - Punk Rock Fighter - unpredictable movements - Chip on His Shoulder - can ignore hits
Bunch of Kappa (minions): - Water Monster - can drown anyone near water - Kinda Disgusting - inflicts a condition when taking a hit - Brave as a Group - can take hits for allies
Kawatora! (Elite): - Big and Burly - knock back or prone (players choice) when attacking (don't need to score a hit) - Large Sweep - attack target 2 at once - Scaled Authority - can rally troops to regain tags
Kawa No Kami (Kaiju): - Damned Big - (just a hp tag) - Hard Scales - damages attackers weapon/spirits - Powerful Roar- hurls opponents and objects
I probably overdid it a bit, and the tags are really vague at places, but they make sense for me and I have so far no plan to make them player-facing (we've discussed it a bit) but I'm leaving them here to show my process, and for others that might need something similar.
Throwing caution to the wind and armed with my new opponents cards and ideas I went to game night to test them.
The Duel session:
The session opened with one player having a public breakdown and getting thrown out of the kendo club for recklessness, following a quiet moment talking to their "Ojii-san" over tea. Meanwhile the other players were dealing with being a up and coming j-pop star that was being forced to wear leatherhosen, and another was trying (and failing) to find intel about the rival and developing insomnia.
Then Sunday evening came and it was time. After introducing the NPC and scene there was some smack talk, some attempts at de-escalation, we used moves to influence or understand this arrogant duelist. And then we shifted into a more tense background music as we tried out the duel rules.
Not going to give a blow-by-blow, but some things went as planned, and some got changed along the way. All-in-all it was really fun and the group had a blast, but most importantly: it finally clicked for me.
Somewhere between when the swordswoman had to decide whether to protect the mage or face the larger Kawatora, or when the mage unleashed an untapped potential to barbecue some minions, or the "all in lost"- mood snuck in as the "River God" appeared and threw the swordsman into the sand and the cat had to teleport away to avid being squashed, and the swordswoman had to face it alone with all her boxes filled in for a desperate final blow ... I realized that I had slipped into the flow of the game.
The back and forth conversation had been steadily moving around the table as I made hard and soft cuts where they were needed, gave players spotlight, moved it to where they weren't prepared for, made them scramble, and then made them shine.
I had unlocked PbtA *
Or more accurately, by hacking the game to fit me and just not giving a f*ck anymore if I was doing it "right" or not, I had managed to get into the mindset of the Fiction and let it guide my rulings and moves, thereby giving a place for the players to do the same.
OR, agin in less fancy prose: stop thinking about it and have fun.
Closing:
That's my story, just wanted to share the fun of "figuring out" PbtA, I'm sure I have some "aha"-moments to come, but at least now I think I get the game style and can make fun with it. If there are questions I will of course answer them (badly).
For those that wonder, the swordswoman unlocked her first attempt at "Wind Breath Style" (whatever tf that is) and used a once per game move that just removes an opponent, in this case it knocked the River God unconscious, but it is often used in anime to yeet or punt annoying NPC's into the air as they disappear in the distance with an appropriate sound effect. Anime man, it's f*cking weird.
Oh and btw, if anyone knows where to post Oddity High resources and sheets let me know, there is no dedicated Reddit and the discord seems to be dead from what I can see ... I went a bit overboard in then prepp/handout-stage and have both custom character sheets, playbook leaflets (not sharing those unless the creator ok's it, ofc) , class charts .... and a curriculum with a list of teachers +++ on my drive.
*🎉
2024.05.08 11:39 PetrichorAndNapalm Are you actually supposed to empty the oil for a push lawn mower?
I have had a Briggs and Stratton push mower for about a decade. Once a year if I remember I top it off with oil. I have never even thought of actually changing the oil. Or if there is an oil filter than should be changed.
So my question is… should I have been emptying the oil to actually change it like with a car? Or can you just top it off once a year? Also is there an oil filter? I always just sort of thought it worked like a two stroke a bit, and it eats the oil enough that you never need to empty it, and no filter. But wondering if that’s actually true.
submitted by PetrichorAndNapalm to lawncare [link] [comments]
So my question is… should I have been emptying the oil to actually change it like with a car? Or can you just top it off once a year? Also is there an oil filter? I always just sort of thought it worked like a two stroke a bit, and it eats the oil enough that you never need to empty it, and no filter. But wondering if that’s actually true.
2024.05.08 09:49 Agusteeng This is better than MBTI?
Thinking about the way the Myers-Briggs typology works and after researching a lot of information about it and the Big Five factor model, I tried to make a model about human psyche on my own and here's my final product. Personally, I think it's easier to understand and more specific than MBTI and let's say "less forced" since MBTI uses rules of cognitive function positioning that seems a bit weird sometimes to me.
• Input-Processing-Output model (IPO).
It's possible to think about human psyque as a machine. A machine has an input, then it process information and finally gives an output, a result. Human mind works in a similar way.
There's a trait for every element of the IPO approach. It has to do with how much psychic energy the individual puts on them. Every subject must be "high" or "low" or "in the middle" on every single one of the following:
1) Extraversion it's not about how social a person is. It's about the need to seek sensory stumulation. Obviously there is a correlation with sociability, but it's a different concept. It's almost equal to Jung's approach of Extraversion.
2) An individual low in Reasoning is not necessarily dumb. Maybe those high in this trait tend to be considered "smarter" or more "logical", but this trait means how much psychic energy you put in your reasoning ability. There might be individuals who don't reason too often or intensely, but when they do it they're brighter than everyone else. Perfectly possible.
3) An individual high in Feeling is not necessarily moral/altruistic/sympathetic. For example, people who critize others too often also might be high in this trait, because that's precisely what the trait is about (thinking about what is "good" or "bad").
4) Being high in Feeling doesn't necessarily mean being too emotional. It might be correlated with that, but a generally calm individual can be high in Feeling too.
• IPO Typology.
Typologies have a problem: they do not evaluate the possibility of someone being in the middle between two extremes. Therefore, this typology that I show is more of a game than a serious idea, but it can serve to contrast with the MBTI. It's based on the assumption that a person should always lean towards one of the two extremes.
The psychological types based on this IPO model are constructed like this:
submitted by Agusteeng to mbti [link] [comments]
• Input-Processing-Output model (IPO).
It's possible to think about human psyque as a machine. A machine has an input, then it process information and finally gives an output, a result. Human mind works in a similar way.
- Perception: it has to do with the input, and it means receiving information about the world through the five senses.
- System of beliefs: it's a part of the processing, and it means a set of propositions which are believed to be true or false by the individual.
- System of desires: it's the other element of the processing stage, it means everything the individual considers likeable and good, and also everything they consider bad or disgusting.
- Decision: it has to do with the output, and it's all about what the individual thinks he must do, what reaction he has to all their internal processes and the information about the external world.
There's a trait for every element of the IPO approach. It has to do with how much psychic energy the individual puts on them. Every subject must be "high" or "low" or "in the middle" on every single one of the following:
- Extraversion: tendency to seek new and intense sensory stimuli. Closely related to socialization.
- Reasoning: tendency to carry out reasoning and logic processes aimed at determining what is true and what is not.
- Feeling: tendency to make moral or sentimental evaluations to determine what is pleasant and what is unpleasant, good or bad.
- Conscientiousness: tendency to carefully evaluate rewards and risks when making decisions, and perform tasks carefully.
1) Extraversion it's not about how social a person is. It's about the need to seek sensory stumulation. Obviously there is a correlation with sociability, but it's a different concept. It's almost equal to Jung's approach of Extraversion.
2) An individual low in Reasoning is not necessarily dumb. Maybe those high in this trait tend to be considered "smarter" or more "logical", but this trait means how much psychic energy you put in your reasoning ability. There might be individuals who don't reason too often or intensely, but when they do it they're brighter than everyone else. Perfectly possible.
3) An individual high in Feeling is not necessarily moral/altruistic/sympathetic. For example, people who critize others too often also might be high in this trait, because that's precisely what the trait is about (thinking about what is "good" or "bad").
4) Being high in Feeling doesn't necessarily mean being too emotional. It might be correlated with that, but a generally calm individual can be high in Feeling too.
• IPO Typology.
Typologies have a problem: they do not evaluate the possibility of someone being in the middle between two extremes. Therefore, this typology that I show is more of a game than a serious idea, but it can serve to contrast with the MBTI. It's based on the assumption that a person should always lean towards one of the two extremes.
The psychological types based on this IPO model are constructed like this:
- First letter: E (Extroverted) or I (Introverted). Just like MBTI.
- Second letter: S (Sentimental) or N (Neutral). Yeah, like MBTI again.
- Third letter: P (Practical) or T (Thoughtful).
- Fourth letter: F (Flexible) or D (Decisive).
2024.05.08 09:33 Ok_Conversation6529 10 things I want but are impossible unlikely part 2.
The first one was well received so fuck it we ball part 2.
1 - Ricochet comes out and cuts a promo about how the wwe speed competition has no chance of ever catching up to him. He offers an open challenge to whomever. Some jobber comes out and gets squashed. Adam Pearce then comes out and says that he has a perfect challenger. “SOME ARE BORN TO FIGHHTTT, SOME ARE BORNN TO SINNNN”, Evan Bourne/Matt Sydal comes out and challenges ricochet for the WWE Speed title.
2 - Battle of the Isles Match, (no DQ), I don’t have any idea how it would happen. But Finlay/Regal vs McIntyre/Sheamus just scratches my brain right.
3 - In an eventual Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes feud. Rhodes cuts a promo about how Orton just like the WWE when he was Stardust turned his back on him during the legacy days. Orton then retaliates by pointing out Rhodes was once vindictive as well. Hardcore Holly comes out to his theme and challenges Rhodes to a vengeance match for turning on him all those years ago leading to a mini feud between Rhodes and Holly.
4 - Sometime during the Awesome Truth Reign, R-Truth forgets his Tag Title at home and is scrambling backstage for a replacement. Nikki Cross lets Truth pin her so he can borrow the defunct 24/7 title as a placeholder. However, Alpha Academys music starts playing mid-match allowing Otis and Maxxine Dupri to distract Truth while Tozawa comes out from under the ring to pin Truth and take back the 24/7 Title. After this, Awesome Truth wins their tag match and shit goes on as normal.
5 - Gunther should win King of The Ring. During a promo Kaiser and him state how they are the elegance of the WWE. Fandangos music starts to play and challenges the assumption of elegance. Gunther instructs Kaiser to take care of the riff-raff leading to a one off Kaiser vs Fandango match.
6 - In a backstage segment Naomi is seen dancing and is then persecuted by Tiffany Stratton and Ludwig Kaiser for her questionable moves. Brodus Clay appears around a corner and appears saying that he taught Naomi all the dance moves he knows. This results in a mixed tag match with the one time funkadactyl.
7 - Backstage Segment between Curt Hawkins and Alpha Academy (minus Gable) telling them about his past how to prevail past losing.
8 - Tiffany Stratton bumps into Chris Jericho backstage and calls him an uggo! Jericho then swiftly adds her to THE LIST!
9 - During a match between Bronson Reed and Ivar (Big Meaty Man slapping Man Meat). Simon Dean comes out informing both men that they are overweight and should get on his fitness plan. They proceed to absolutely batter him and the match goes on as expected.
10 - Carlito with his heel turn brings back Carlitos Cabana. I just really liked it ok?
submitted by Ok_Conversation6529 to fantasybooking [link] [comments]
1 - Ricochet comes out and cuts a promo about how the wwe speed competition has no chance of ever catching up to him. He offers an open challenge to whomever. Some jobber comes out and gets squashed. Adam Pearce then comes out and says that he has a perfect challenger. “SOME ARE BORN TO FIGHHTTT, SOME ARE BORNN TO SINNNN”, Evan Bourne/Matt Sydal comes out and challenges ricochet for the WWE Speed title.
2 - Battle of the Isles Match, (no DQ), I don’t have any idea how it would happen. But Finlay/Regal vs McIntyre/Sheamus just scratches my brain right.
3 - In an eventual Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes feud. Rhodes cuts a promo about how Orton just like the WWE when he was Stardust turned his back on him during the legacy days. Orton then retaliates by pointing out Rhodes was once vindictive as well. Hardcore Holly comes out to his theme and challenges Rhodes to a vengeance match for turning on him all those years ago leading to a mini feud between Rhodes and Holly.
4 - Sometime during the Awesome Truth Reign, R-Truth forgets his Tag Title at home and is scrambling backstage for a replacement. Nikki Cross lets Truth pin her so he can borrow the defunct 24/7 title as a placeholder. However, Alpha Academys music starts playing mid-match allowing Otis and Maxxine Dupri to distract Truth while Tozawa comes out from under the ring to pin Truth and take back the 24/7 Title. After this, Awesome Truth wins their tag match and shit goes on as normal.
5 - Gunther should win King of The Ring. During a promo Kaiser and him state how they are the elegance of the WWE. Fandangos music starts to play and challenges the assumption of elegance. Gunther instructs Kaiser to take care of the riff-raff leading to a one off Kaiser vs Fandango match.
6 - In a backstage segment Naomi is seen dancing and is then persecuted by Tiffany Stratton and Ludwig Kaiser for her questionable moves. Brodus Clay appears around a corner and appears saying that he taught Naomi all the dance moves he knows. This results in a mixed tag match with the one time funkadactyl.
7 - Backstage Segment between Curt Hawkins and Alpha Academy (minus Gable) telling them about his past how to prevail past losing.
8 - Tiffany Stratton bumps into Chris Jericho backstage and calls him an uggo! Jericho then swiftly adds her to THE LIST!
9 - During a match between Bronson Reed and Ivar (Big Meaty Man slapping Man Meat). Simon Dean comes out informing both men that they are overweight and should get on his fitness plan. They proceed to absolutely batter him and the match goes on as expected.
10 - Carlito with his heel turn brings back Carlitos Cabana. I just really liked it ok?
2024.05.08 00:03 Strict_External678 Prayers Of The Malevolent Moon Chapter 5
The days since Sarah had been found were a blur of statements, reports, and sleepless nights. The official story was that Bill Thompson had suffered a psychotic break, became fixated on the cold cases from the 60s, and murdered Daniel Cobb as part of some delusional ritual. Case closed; the town of Millfield could breathe easy once more.
But Sarah knew better. She'd seen the truth in Bill's eyes in those final moments and had heard the dark certainty in his voice. Millfield hid a secret, one written in blood and shadow. And though Bill was dead, Sarah knew with grim certainty he wasn't the only one guarding it.
She threw herself into research, scouring historical records and online forums for any scrap of information that might shed some light on the mystery. She read and read until late at night, delving into ancient texts and obscure mythologies, trying to find some sort of meaning in the half-glimpsed horrors that Bill had hinted at.
Repeatedly, the name Glaaki was whispered in connection with eldritch rites and unspeakable sacrifices. A being from beyond the stars, sleeping under the earth, waiting to be woken by the spilled blood of the innocent. Was this the Ancient One Bill had spoken of, that he and all others like him had pledged their lives and atrocities to?
But hard answers eluded her, the truth slipping through her fingers like wisps of fog. In the daylight, with the bustle of the police station around her, Sarah could almost convince herself it had all been some sick fantasy, the product of trauma and overwork.
Almost.
Until the second body was found.
She looked down at the corpse, spread out in the middle of a familiar clearing, her heart a heavy weight in her chest. It was Ashley Sutton, the pretty librarian who had been so forthright about Daniel's research. Her throat cut, her bare torso carved with those same twisted geometries that had adorned Daniel's body.
"This is a message," Sheriff Briggs said grimly, his face pale beneath the brim of his hat. "Whoever did this…they're telling us to back off."
She crouched down, examining the runes cut into the cooling flesh. The wounds were too precise, too ritualized, to be a mere copycat. No, this was the same killer. The same dark purpose.
"Bill had accomplices," she murmured. "People who shared his beliefs, his mission. With him gone, they must be trying to continue his work."
Briggs scrubbed a hand over his jaw, rough and stubbled. "Jesus. How many of them d'you think there are?"
"I don't know. But what I know is that they won't stop; not until they have reached whatever demented goal they're after." Sarah said, standing up with a hard-set face. "We need to find them, Sheriff. Stop them before they can kill again."
But even as she said it, Sarah could feel the pressure of shadows bearing down around her, those eyes in the darkness, old and insatiable. Those whispers in the back of her mind: blood, and madness.
In a place deep down that she dared not acknowledge, Sarah feared that maybe they were already too late. The wheels of a horrific plan had been set in motion; all that she did would be for naught against the momentum of an evil centuries in the making.
Still, she had to try. For Daniel. For Ashley. For all the innocent lives she feared would be lost if she didn't find a way to stem the tide of darkness rising beneath Millfield's quiet streets.
It consumed all her time. She interviewed witnesses, followed up leads, went into the backgrounds of everyone remotely related to the victims. But the trail always led to mist, and the suspects always had iron-clad alibis. Like smoke, killers would slip through her fingers and elude her grasp, never to be found.
The murmurs grew ever louder. The shadows grew darker. Her dreams were haunted by visions of blood and stone, of twisted forms writhing in the darkness below the earth. She awoke soaked in sweat and trembling, her mouth filled with the taste of blood.
She knew, with a certainty that transcended reason, that time was running out. That the servitors of those ancient things were on the brink of something world-shattering. Every instinct in her screamed to run, to flee this cursed town and its eldritch secrets before she, too, could be swallowed by the gathering dark.
But she couldn't. Wouldn't. Not when there was still the slightest chance of preventing the horrors that were to ensue.
So Sarah soldiered on, even as the shadows lengthened and the weight of unseen eyes bore down upon her, and found the third body, and the fourth, each more grotesque than the last.
She poured over ancient texts, followed up whispered rumors, bargained, and threatened for scraps of forbidden lore. The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place, painting a picture of cyclopean horror that threatened to shatter her sanity.
For what lay asleep underneath Millfield was so much more than a cult's dark god. It was a piece of primordial chaos, an eldritch intelligence from the unfathomed depths of the universe. A being that had planted its seed of taint upon the Earth eons ago, waiting for the time when the stars would align once more and the sealed gate be thrown open.
The murders, the rituals. they were all in service of this impending apocalypse. Every drop of spilled blood weakened the barriers a little more, eased open the metaphysical locks trapping the ancient ones in their stygian prison.
And now the locks were straining, the very air humming with the dissonant resonance of their imminent failure. Sarah could feel it in her bones, see it in the shadows that twisted in ways that defied physics. The veil was thinning; the darkness pushed through.
When the next body was found, spread-eagled in the centre of town as if in mocking invitation, Sarah knew the end was upon them. The runes on the disembowelled torso were a message, a promise of the horrors yet to come.
The final seal was broken. The way was open. And all of Millfield would be the sacrifice to usher in a new age of Eldritch nightmares.
Standing at the edge of the abyss, Sarah felt how heavily the gun on her hip weighed; this knew, however, that it was the only thing standing between this world and the horrors that lurked over the threshold.
But what could one mortal woman do against such primordial evil? What hope did she have of stemming this overwhelming tide of shadows?
Tired. So hollow, the gales of truth she'd caught sight of in the darkness, that the temptation was to give in to the madness that would take her—this was a siren song in her blood.
But she couldn't. For the sake of every innocent soul, who didn't know the end coming their way, she had to fight, even if it cost her soul and sanity.
Sarah Reeves squared her shoulders, checked her ammunition, and stepped out into the unnatural twilight settling over Millfield. Out to meet her destiny, for good or ill. The shadows twisted in anticipation. The ancients were roused in their feated dreams. And lastly, Sarah's final thought as the darkness surged up to claim her was that at least she had met this horror on her terms. At least she had gone down fighting. Even though in the end it turned out to be all for nothing.
The End?
submitted by Strict_External678 to scarystories [link] [comments]
But Sarah knew better. She'd seen the truth in Bill's eyes in those final moments and had heard the dark certainty in his voice. Millfield hid a secret, one written in blood and shadow. And though Bill was dead, Sarah knew with grim certainty he wasn't the only one guarding it.
She threw herself into research, scouring historical records and online forums for any scrap of information that might shed some light on the mystery. She read and read until late at night, delving into ancient texts and obscure mythologies, trying to find some sort of meaning in the half-glimpsed horrors that Bill had hinted at.
Repeatedly, the name Glaaki was whispered in connection with eldritch rites and unspeakable sacrifices. A being from beyond the stars, sleeping under the earth, waiting to be woken by the spilled blood of the innocent. Was this the Ancient One Bill had spoken of, that he and all others like him had pledged their lives and atrocities to?
But hard answers eluded her, the truth slipping through her fingers like wisps of fog. In the daylight, with the bustle of the police station around her, Sarah could almost convince herself it had all been some sick fantasy, the product of trauma and overwork.
Almost.
Until the second body was found.
She looked down at the corpse, spread out in the middle of a familiar clearing, her heart a heavy weight in her chest. It was Ashley Sutton, the pretty librarian who had been so forthright about Daniel's research. Her throat cut, her bare torso carved with those same twisted geometries that had adorned Daniel's body.
"This is a message," Sheriff Briggs said grimly, his face pale beneath the brim of his hat. "Whoever did this…they're telling us to back off."
She crouched down, examining the runes cut into the cooling flesh. The wounds were too precise, too ritualized, to be a mere copycat. No, this was the same killer. The same dark purpose.
"Bill had accomplices," she murmured. "People who shared his beliefs, his mission. With him gone, they must be trying to continue his work."
Briggs scrubbed a hand over his jaw, rough and stubbled. "Jesus. How many of them d'you think there are?"
"I don't know. But what I know is that they won't stop; not until they have reached whatever demented goal they're after." Sarah said, standing up with a hard-set face. "We need to find them, Sheriff. Stop them before they can kill again."
But even as she said it, Sarah could feel the pressure of shadows bearing down around her, those eyes in the darkness, old and insatiable. Those whispers in the back of her mind: blood, and madness.
In a place deep down that she dared not acknowledge, Sarah feared that maybe they were already too late. The wheels of a horrific plan had been set in motion; all that she did would be for naught against the momentum of an evil centuries in the making.
Still, she had to try. For Daniel. For Ashley. For all the innocent lives she feared would be lost if she didn't find a way to stem the tide of darkness rising beneath Millfield's quiet streets.
It consumed all her time. She interviewed witnesses, followed up leads, went into the backgrounds of everyone remotely related to the victims. But the trail always led to mist, and the suspects always had iron-clad alibis. Like smoke, killers would slip through her fingers and elude her grasp, never to be found.
The murmurs grew ever louder. The shadows grew darker. Her dreams were haunted by visions of blood and stone, of twisted forms writhing in the darkness below the earth. She awoke soaked in sweat and trembling, her mouth filled with the taste of blood.
She knew, with a certainty that transcended reason, that time was running out. That the servitors of those ancient things were on the brink of something world-shattering. Every instinct in her screamed to run, to flee this cursed town and its eldritch secrets before she, too, could be swallowed by the gathering dark.
But she couldn't. Wouldn't. Not when there was still the slightest chance of preventing the horrors that were to ensue.
So Sarah soldiered on, even as the shadows lengthened and the weight of unseen eyes bore down upon her, and found the third body, and the fourth, each more grotesque than the last.
She poured over ancient texts, followed up whispered rumors, bargained, and threatened for scraps of forbidden lore. The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place, painting a picture of cyclopean horror that threatened to shatter her sanity.
For what lay asleep underneath Millfield was so much more than a cult's dark god. It was a piece of primordial chaos, an eldritch intelligence from the unfathomed depths of the universe. A being that had planted its seed of taint upon the Earth eons ago, waiting for the time when the stars would align once more and the sealed gate be thrown open.
The murders, the rituals. they were all in service of this impending apocalypse. Every drop of spilled blood weakened the barriers a little more, eased open the metaphysical locks trapping the ancient ones in their stygian prison.
And now the locks were straining, the very air humming with the dissonant resonance of their imminent failure. Sarah could feel it in her bones, see it in the shadows that twisted in ways that defied physics. The veil was thinning; the darkness pushed through.
When the next body was found, spread-eagled in the centre of town as if in mocking invitation, Sarah knew the end was upon them. The runes on the disembowelled torso were a message, a promise of the horrors yet to come.
The final seal was broken. The way was open. And all of Millfield would be the sacrifice to usher in a new age of Eldritch nightmares.
Standing at the edge of the abyss, Sarah felt how heavily the gun on her hip weighed; this knew, however, that it was the only thing standing between this world and the horrors that lurked over the threshold.
But what could one mortal woman do against such primordial evil? What hope did she have of stemming this overwhelming tide of shadows?
Tired. So hollow, the gales of truth she'd caught sight of in the darkness, that the temptation was to give in to the madness that would take her—this was a siren song in her blood.
But she couldn't. For the sake of every innocent soul, who didn't know the end coming their way, she had to fight, even if it cost her soul and sanity.
Sarah Reeves squared her shoulders, checked her ammunition, and stepped out into the unnatural twilight settling over Millfield. Out to meet her destiny, for good or ill. The shadows twisted in anticipation. The ancients were roused in their feated dreams. And lastly, Sarah's final thought as the darkness surged up to claim her was that at least she had met this horror on her terms. At least she had gone down fighting. Even though in the end it turned out to be all for nothing.
The End?
2024.05.07 20:29 Sea-Celebration-7565 Barred From Each Other: Why Normative Husbands Remain Married to Incarcerated Wives—An Exploratory Study – page 1
Barred From Each Other: Why Normative Husbands Remain Married to Incarcerated Wives—An Exploratory Study – page 1
Tomer Einat1, Inbal Harel-Aviram1, and
Sharon Rabinovitz2
Abstract
This study explores men’s motivation and justification to remain married to their criminal, imprisoned wives. Using semistructured interviews and content-analysis, data were collected and analyzed from eight men who maintain stable marriage relationships with their incarcerated wives. Participants are normative men who describe incarceration as a challenge that enhances mutual responsibility and commitment. They exaggerate the extent to which their partners resemble archetypal romantic ideals. They use motivational accounts to explain the woman’s criminal conduct, which is perceived as nonrelevant to her real identity. Physical separation and lack of physical intimacy are perceived as the major difficulties in maintaining their marriage relations. Length of imprisonment and marriage was found to be related to the decision whether to continue or terminate the relationships. Women-inmates’ partners experience difficulties and use coping strategies very similar to those cited by other normative spouses facing lengthy separation.
Keywords
marriage, female inmates, normative spouses, incarceration, romantic accounts
Introduction
One of the most significant “pains of imprisonment” for female inmates is the separation from their husbands (Farkas & Rand, 1999; Severance, 2005a, 2005b). This disconcerting and frustrating deprivation often negatively affects women’s ability to function as wives while in prison and after release (Dodge & Pogrebin, 2001; Pollock-Byrne, 1990). When a man is imprisoned, the marriage usually remains intact (Dodge & Pogrebin, 2001; Shapiro, 2003; Travis, McBride, & Solomon, 2003), whereas women’s incarceration often results in their abandonment by their partners and termination of their marriage (the term marriage in this study relates to formally wedded couples and common-law couples; Hairston, 1991; Sergin & Flora, 2005).
The abandonment of women prisoners by their spouses has been recognized by researchers and practitioners as a noteworthy component of women-inmates’ subculture (Dodge & Pogrebin, 2001) and a significant factor of their rehabilitation and reentry into society (Visher & Travis, 2003). However, relatively few studies have addressed this topic in depth (Dodge & Pogrebin, 2001; MacKenzie, Robinson, & Campbell, 1995; Sobel, 1982). Furthermore, close examination reveals that prisoners’ marital relationships were addressed mainly from the inmates’ point of view (Girshick, 1996; Hairston & Addams, 2001) and focused, almost exclusively, on male inmates (Accordino & Guerney, 1998; Fishman, 1988; Girshick, 1992). In other words, the study of marital relationships between inmates and their spouses’ neglected women inmates, and the few studies examining female inmates overlooked 50% of the individuals involved in these relationships and possibly affected by them—the husbands.
Thus, in the preliminary research for this paper, we could not find a single empirical study that had focused on the rationale behind men’s decision to terminate or maintain their marital relations with incarcerated wives nor on the impact of such a decision on their emotional and behavioral state. The aim of this exploratory study is to fill this literature lacuna and explore the motivations and justification of men to remain married to their criminal wives imprisoned in Neve Tirza prison—the sole prison facility for women in Israel. By examining these topics, the current study seeks to identify and analyze the significance of marital relationships to women-inmates’ spouses and to describe the dynamics of marital relationships between men and incarcerated spouses, both from men’s perspective, a step that previous research has not taken before.
The following sections will provide information about Neve Tirza prison as well as cover topics relating to marital stability among inmates and offender reentry, drawing on the criminological and correctional literatures.
The Neve Tirza Prison
Neve Tirza prison is the sole women’s prison in Israel. The facility is located in the Central District of Israel, next to the city of Ramla in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan in Israel. The prison houses 225 criminal (as opposed to security) inmates at full capacity. Yet, at the time of the research, it housed no more than 180 prisoners. Fifty-two percent of the inmates have been previously jailed, and the average incarceration period is 2.7 years (SD = 2.70). Approximately, 58% of the prison population are incarcerated for drug-related crimes (substance abuse, drug dealing, and possession), 16% are incarcerated for violent crimes, 16% for bodily crimes, 45% for fiscal crimes, and 13% for other offences (Einat & Chen, 2012).1
The ethnic ratio of the prison population is 62% Jews and 36% Arabs, who are Israeli nationals, and 2% foreigners. The marital status of the inmates is 63% single (n = 113), 32% (n = 58) divorced, and 5% (n = 9) married (Einat & Chen, 2012)— comparable, albeit not identical, to U.S. and U.K. prisons. In U.S. prisons, 85% of all women in local jails (4% widowed, 13% separated, 20% divorced, 48% never married), 83% in state prisons (6% widowed, 10% separated, 20% divorced, 47% never married), and 71% in federal prisons (6% widowed, 21% separated, 10% divorced, 34% never married) are not married (Greenfeld, & Snell, 2000). In U.K. prisons, 24% of women-inmates are married or lived together with a spouse prior to their imprisonment, 63% are single, and 12% are either widowed, divorced, or separated (Hamlin & Lewis, 2000).
In Israel, 85% of the women-inmates are eligible for a monthly 30-min family visit and a 24/48-hr furlough. Fifteen percent of the prisoners, who are ineligible for home furloughs, are entitled to a monthly, 12-hr conjugal visit (Ben Avraham, 2012). Such furlough/visitation policy differs significantly from other parallel policies in Western and non-Western correctional facilities (for a comprehensive review, see Einat & Rabinovitz, 2013).
Incarceration, Marital Stability, and Inmates’ Reentry
Incarceration prevents meaningful interaction and limits physical and emotional connections among spouses (Booth, Johnson, White, & Edwards, 1984; Sergin & Flora, 2005), and often changes individuals in ways that make them incompatible with their partners (Comfort, 2008; Nurse, 2002; Rindfuss & Stephen, 1990). Physically separated spouses experience deficits of emotional interaction (Hill, 1988), which increases the number of disagreements and lowers marital satisfaction (Booth et al., 1984). In addition, these physical and mental processes negatively affect the emotional status of the inmates inside the prison (Faith, 1993; Jiang & Winfree, 2006; Thompson & Loper, 2005) and harm the likelihood of their successful rehabilitation and reentry into society after release (Gunnison & Helfgott, 2013; Horney, Osgood, & Marshall, 1995; Laub, Nagin, & Sampson, 1998; Vaillant, 1995; Ward, 2001). Ironically, and irrespective of the negative impact of incarceration and separation from spouse on marital stability (Massoglia, Remster, & King, 2011) and of imprisonment and marital dissolution on prisoner reentry (Laub & Sampson, 2001), several enforcement systems raise various barriers that prevent partners (and families) from remaining in contact while a spouse is behind bars. For example, in the United States, more than 60% of state and 80% of federal inmates are imprisoned in facilities located more than 100 miles from home (Mumola, 2000). Wives (as well as other family members) may lack the time and means to travel these long distances with children on a regular basis (Christian, 2005; Christian, Mellow, & Thomas, 2006). Consequently, 57% of male state-prison inmates in the United States had never had a personal visit with their children since their admission to prison and only a quarter of male inmates with families reported weekly contact by phone or postal mail with loved ones (Mumola, 2000). Pelka Slugocka and Slugocki (1980) qualitatively analyzed female inmates’ viewpoints regarding the relationship between incarceration and marital stability. Most of their research participants (86.3%, n = 282) maintained that imprisonment was the sole reason for the destruction of their marriage, whereas 13.7% (n = 45) asserted that it was the combination of husbands’ personalities and their imprisonment. Moreover, the research revealed that the divorce generated feelings of despair and frustration among the female inmates, and harmed their rehabilitation and successful reentry into society.
Hairston’s (1991) review concluded that the stress and strain that male imprisonment imposes on family ties are due, mainly, to denial of sexual relations and inability to engage in and share day-to-day interactions and experiences. As time passes, the spouse at home visits the prisoner less frequently and many marriages fail. Similarly, Kiser (1991) found that most male prisoners perceived their separation from their families—alongside the realization that they themselves had brought undeserved hardship to their families—as the most difficult aspect of doing time. Therefore, encouraging inmates and families to maintain relationships would benefit most inmates, their families, and the prisons.
Bobbitt and Nelson (2004) portrayed the positive aspects of various family involvement programs (i.e., La Bodega de la Familia and the Greenlight Family Reintegration Program) on drug abuse, recidivism rates, family strength, avoidance of illegal activity, possession of jobs, and obtainment of stable housing. The researchers’ main conclusion was that families can be a powerful material and emotional force for positive change for members making the difficult transition from institutional life back to the community . . . and can significantly assist probation and parole officers in their quest to successfully reenter ex-criminals and ex-prisoners to the community. (Bobbitt & Nelson, 2004, p. 8) In support of that conclusion, Horney et al. (1995) found that living with a normative wife limited significantly convicted felons’ involvement in illegal behavior after release from prison.
The importance of marriage to recidivism rates and reentry was discussed in several cornerstone criminal theories. Hirschi’s (1969) social control theory assumes that individuals are prevented from engaging in delinquency by four social bonds: involvement, attachment, commitment, and belief. When these bonds are weak, and the appropriate motivations rise, individuals are more likely to engage in delinquency.
Individuals with high affection and respect (attachment) are less likely to engage in delinquency because they do not want to harm the approval of people they care about. In their age-graded theory of informal social control, Laub and Sampson (1993) emphasize the importance of quality and strength of current social ties (such as strong bonds of attachment to a partner) in adapting to life transitions more than the occurrence or timing of discrete life events. Hence, marriage by itself may not increase social control, but close emotional ties and mutual investment increase the social bond between individuals and can decrease criminal behavior. Although this issue has been a source of controversy (e.g., Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990), Farrington and West (1995) also concluded that a stable marriage was nevertheless related to adult social conformity, even in adults who were identified at high-risk as children. Whereas these theories emphasize emotional ties and support, the cognitive transformation theory focuses on the conscious transformation of one’s identity in the process of desistance from crime (Giordano, Cernkovich, & Rudolph, 2002). Thus, through associations
with a spouse who sees them as noncriminals, inmates are exposed to and receive reinforcement for socially approved attitudes and behaviors (Agnew, 2005) and are likely to receive support for not only avoiding illegal behavior but also developing normative self-perceptions.
In summary, identification of various problems faced by men married to incarcerated spouses with regard to the preservation of marital relationships may significantly promote the understanding of the impact of incarceration on marital continuation/dissolution and assist in developing effective policies directed at their maintenance. Such policies appear to be highly important due to the existence of a (correlative or casual) link between continuation of stable romantic relations among normative men and incarcerated spouses, reduction of the negative effects of various “pains of imprisonment” (Faith, 1993; Jiang & Winfree, 2006; Thompson & Loper, 2005), and inmates’ successful reentry and desistance from crime after release (Horney et al., 1995; Ward, 2001)
Method
Research Tool
We used a flexible research design (Briggs, 1986). This methodology enables access to unpredicted subject matter and helps examine it from the perspective of the research sample (Silverman, 1993). Flexible design enabled us to incorporate unexpected contents, accommodating data as they emerged, thereby enhancing the quality and authenticity of the findings (Stake, 1995). The qualitative semistructured interview, based on guidelines that ensure that all interviewees are subject to similar stimuli and create a common basis for data analysis (Maruna, 2001), was found most appropriate for this study. To ensure reliability, all interviews were conducted by the researchers only.
While the semistructured interview maintains a subjective framework, it enables the interviewer and the interviewee to correct misunderstandings or vagueness during the course of the interview (Rubin & Rubin, 1995). This flexibility contributes to the quality and credibility of the interview (Briggs, 1986; Suchman & Jordan, 1990).
Each interview began with a similar open-ended broad question: “Could you please tell us about your romantic relationship with your spouse prior to her incarceration?” Only after the interviewees had answered the question, did we initiate a series of questions on the main difficulties of maintaining romantic relationships with an incarcerated spouse and the strategies used to do so: “How would you define your current romantic relationships with your spouse?” “How do you maintain romantic relationships with your incarcerated spouse?” “Does your spouse’s conviction and incarceration affect your mutual romantic relations?” “What are/were the main romantic crises you experience/d with her and how do/did you deal with them?” “What is your main motivation for maintaining marital relationships with your spouse; do you experience moments where you want to end your marriage?” “Do you experience any regrets as regards to your decision to maintain marital relationships with your spouse?”
Participants
Out of 180 prisoners incarcerated in the single Israeli female incarceration facility, Neve Tirza Prison, only 9 (5%, of whom 8%-4.4% agreed to take part in the study) maintained stable romantic relationships longer than 3 years. One male partner declined to participate in the study after being informed by his incarcerated spouse about the purpose of the study and its procedures, resulting in a final sample size of eight men and a response rate of 88.9%. Thus, the research sample includes almost all partners of female inmates who maintained stable romantic relationships for 3 years and more in Israel.
The participants were eight husbands—six were married to prisoners and two kept stable, romantic—although nonmarital—relations with their imprisoned spouses for more than 3 years (years of relationships range—3.5-35; M = 17.06, SD = 10.14, median = 17.5). Hence, the latter were acknowledged by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and by the Israeli ruling as common-law husbands (Israel Prison Service, 2012). Six of the eight couples had mutual children (compared with 61% of the prison population; Einat & Chen, 2012).
The ethnic distribution of the research sample (as well as the participants’ incarcerated spouses) was 75% (n = 6) Jews and 25% (n = 2) Muslim-Arab, all of whom were Israeli citizens. This ratio resembles the ethnic distribution of the general Israeli female inmates’ population (62% Jews; 36% Arabs; Einat & Chen, 2012). Participants had a mean of 9.6 years of education (SD = 1.4); the mean age of the participants is 48.9 (SD = 9.0). The distribution of the socioeconomic status of the research participants—as perceived and described by them—is high (37.5%; n = 3), moderate (12.5%; n = 1), and poor (50%; n = 4). Eighty-seven percent (n = 7) of the participants had no criminal record and 12.5% (n = 1) have been jailed. All participants were legally employed and maintained secured normative housekeeping. The women whose husbands we interviewed have been incarcerated for 21.8 months (M; SD = 9.42, compared with 27 months in the general prison population) and convicted to serve 41.4 months (M; SD = 43.1, compared with 31 of the prison population; Ibid). Twenty-five percent of the women have been previously jailed (compared with 52% of the prison population; Ibid), and 25% were drug abusers (as opposed to 65% drug abusing inmates out of Neve Tirza Prison’s general population). Hence the women whose husbands participated in this study differ substantially from the general female inmate population.
Content analysis revealed five major themes about marital relationships between normative men and their incarcerated wives: (a) perceptions of marital relations with incarcerated wife, (b) perceptions of wife’s criminal conduct, (c) difficulties in marital relationships with incarcerated wife, (d) preconditions for the continuation of marital relationships between normative men and incarcerated wives, (e) ways of preserving the marital relationships with incarcerated wives.
Perceptions of Marital Relations With Incarcerated Wives
Commitment and motivation. Research has repeatedly shown that commitment and motivation are the basis for a good and stable marriage, one which successfully tackles situations of crisis (Hawkins, Carroll, Doherty, & Wiloughby, 2004; Mace, 1982; Sabatelli & Cecil-Pigo, 1985). Commitment and motivation, which reflect the mutual responsibility of the couple to the preservation of their marriage (Clements & Swensen, 2000), are also identified as the best predictors of the quality of such relationships (Sabatelli & Cecil-Pigo, 1985; Surra, Arizzi, & Asmussen, 1988). Similarly, the findings of the present study indicate that the incarceration of their partners led the participants to recognize their obligation to the women and to their marital relations:
All in all, it [the wife’s imprisonment] connected us together as a couple and united our family. That’s the way we behave in our family—when there’s a problem we become united. (I., a 47-year-old Muslim husband, married to an inmate sentenced to 14 months)
During the incarceration, I felt as if I become a part of her, as if we became one. During this time, our romantic relationships grew stronger and stronger. We went through hell and it made us stronger. It intensified our love. (D., a 34-year-old Jewish common-law husband, romantically-related to a prisoner sentenced to a period of 3.1 years)
We overcame all our problems together, and we will overcome all obstacles, including the incarceration, together. It [the imprisonment] even made our romantic relationships grow stronger, made us show how committed we are to each other. (C., a 37-year-old Muslim husband, married to an inmate sentenced to 1.5 years prison.
Nonetheless, and somewhat in contrast to these statements, our findings also suggest that the imprisonment of female spouses generated major dyadic crisis, which, at least temporarily, destabilized the romantic relations. Specifically, all participants noted that the incarceration raised frustration, tension, and lack of trust, which led them to consider and reconsider their motivation to preserve the marital relationship:
There was a lot of tension and pressure the moment they arrested her. We had lots of
arguments, did a lot of shouting and cursing. (T., a 52-year-old Jewish husband, married to an ex-addict sentenced to prison for 14 months)
I love her very much and can’t deny it. But her arrest caused a lot of chaos between us, a lot of stress and arguments. I even remember a moment where I wanted to hit her. (A., a 43-year-old Jewish husband, married to an inmate sentenced to a period of 22 years).
I. expressed a similar viewpoint:
I was quiet disappointed and I stopped trusting her. The fact that she did not share her behavior with me was more disappointing than the acts themselves. I can’t say that she betrayed me . . . after all she did it for the sake of both of us so it’s not a matter of unfaithfulness. But she didn’t tell me right at the beginning, and this is a shame.
Love. Love is one of the most significant elements in the preservation of and long-lasting marital relationships (Mackey & O’Brien, 1995; Sharlin, 1996) and is attributed greatly to successfully dealing with short- or long-term romantic crises. Love is also a meaningful element in partners’ mutual acceptance and support (Meeks, Hendrick, & Hendrick, 1998; Sokolski & Hendrick, 1999). In accordance, the findings of this study reveal that the participants perceive love as a noteworthy character of their marriage and an important factor in their decision to preserve marriage relationships:
submitted by Sea-Celebration-7565 to prisonhusbands [link] [comments]
Tomer Einat1, Inbal Harel-Aviram1, and
Sharon Rabinovitz2
Abstract
This study explores men’s motivation and justification to remain married to their criminal, imprisoned wives. Using semistructured interviews and content-analysis, data were collected and analyzed from eight men who maintain stable marriage relationships with their incarcerated wives. Participants are normative men who describe incarceration as a challenge that enhances mutual responsibility and commitment. They exaggerate the extent to which their partners resemble archetypal romantic ideals. They use motivational accounts to explain the woman’s criminal conduct, which is perceived as nonrelevant to her real identity. Physical separation and lack of physical intimacy are perceived as the major difficulties in maintaining their marriage relations. Length of imprisonment and marriage was found to be related to the decision whether to continue or terminate the relationships. Women-inmates’ partners experience difficulties and use coping strategies very similar to those cited by other normative spouses facing lengthy separation.
Keywords
marriage, female inmates, normative spouses, incarceration, romantic accounts
Introduction
One of the most significant “pains of imprisonment” for female inmates is the separation from their husbands (Farkas & Rand, 1999; Severance, 2005a, 2005b). This disconcerting and frustrating deprivation often negatively affects women’s ability to function as wives while in prison and after release (Dodge & Pogrebin, 2001; Pollock-Byrne, 1990). When a man is imprisoned, the marriage usually remains intact (Dodge & Pogrebin, 2001; Shapiro, 2003; Travis, McBride, & Solomon, 2003), whereas women’s incarceration often results in their abandonment by their partners and termination of their marriage (the term marriage in this study relates to formally wedded couples and common-law couples; Hairston, 1991; Sergin & Flora, 2005).
The abandonment of women prisoners by their spouses has been recognized by researchers and practitioners as a noteworthy component of women-inmates’ subculture (Dodge & Pogrebin, 2001) and a significant factor of their rehabilitation and reentry into society (Visher & Travis, 2003). However, relatively few studies have addressed this topic in depth (Dodge & Pogrebin, 2001; MacKenzie, Robinson, & Campbell, 1995; Sobel, 1982). Furthermore, close examination reveals that prisoners’ marital relationships were addressed mainly from the inmates’ point of view (Girshick, 1996; Hairston & Addams, 2001) and focused, almost exclusively, on male inmates (Accordino & Guerney, 1998; Fishman, 1988; Girshick, 1992). In other words, the study of marital relationships between inmates and their spouses’ neglected women inmates, and the few studies examining female inmates overlooked 50% of the individuals involved in these relationships and possibly affected by them—the husbands.
Thus, in the preliminary research for this paper, we could not find a single empirical study that had focused on the rationale behind men’s decision to terminate or maintain their marital relations with incarcerated wives nor on the impact of such a decision on their emotional and behavioral state. The aim of this exploratory study is to fill this literature lacuna and explore the motivations and justification of men to remain married to their criminal wives imprisoned in Neve Tirza prison—the sole prison facility for women in Israel. By examining these topics, the current study seeks to identify and analyze the significance of marital relationships to women-inmates’ spouses and to describe the dynamics of marital relationships between men and incarcerated spouses, both from men’s perspective, a step that previous research has not taken before.
The following sections will provide information about Neve Tirza prison as well as cover topics relating to marital stability among inmates and offender reentry, drawing on the criminological and correctional literatures.
The Neve Tirza Prison
Neve Tirza prison is the sole women’s prison in Israel. The facility is located in the Central District of Israel, next to the city of Ramla in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan in Israel. The prison houses 225 criminal (as opposed to security) inmates at full capacity. Yet, at the time of the research, it housed no more than 180 prisoners. Fifty-two percent of the inmates have been previously jailed, and the average incarceration period is 2.7 years (SD = 2.70). Approximately, 58% of the prison population are incarcerated for drug-related crimes (substance abuse, drug dealing, and possession), 16% are incarcerated for violent crimes, 16% for bodily crimes, 45% for fiscal crimes, and 13% for other offences (Einat & Chen, 2012).1
The ethnic ratio of the prison population is 62% Jews and 36% Arabs, who are Israeli nationals, and 2% foreigners. The marital status of the inmates is 63% single (n = 113), 32% (n = 58) divorced, and 5% (n = 9) married (Einat & Chen, 2012)— comparable, albeit not identical, to U.S. and U.K. prisons. In U.S. prisons, 85% of all women in local jails (4% widowed, 13% separated, 20% divorced, 48% never married), 83% in state prisons (6% widowed, 10% separated, 20% divorced, 47% never married), and 71% in federal prisons (6% widowed, 21% separated, 10% divorced, 34% never married) are not married (Greenfeld, & Snell, 2000). In U.K. prisons, 24% of women-inmates are married or lived together with a spouse prior to their imprisonment, 63% are single, and 12% are either widowed, divorced, or separated (Hamlin & Lewis, 2000).
In Israel, 85% of the women-inmates are eligible for a monthly 30-min family visit and a 24/48-hr furlough. Fifteen percent of the prisoners, who are ineligible for home furloughs, are entitled to a monthly, 12-hr conjugal visit (Ben Avraham, 2012). Such furlough/visitation policy differs significantly from other parallel policies in Western and non-Western correctional facilities (for a comprehensive review, see Einat & Rabinovitz, 2013).
Incarceration, Marital Stability, and Inmates’ Reentry
Incarceration prevents meaningful interaction and limits physical and emotional connections among spouses (Booth, Johnson, White, & Edwards, 1984; Sergin & Flora, 2005), and often changes individuals in ways that make them incompatible with their partners (Comfort, 2008; Nurse, 2002; Rindfuss & Stephen, 1990). Physically separated spouses experience deficits of emotional interaction (Hill, 1988), which increases the number of disagreements and lowers marital satisfaction (Booth et al., 1984). In addition, these physical and mental processes negatively affect the emotional status of the inmates inside the prison (Faith, 1993; Jiang & Winfree, 2006; Thompson & Loper, 2005) and harm the likelihood of their successful rehabilitation and reentry into society after release (Gunnison & Helfgott, 2013; Horney, Osgood, & Marshall, 1995; Laub, Nagin, & Sampson, 1998; Vaillant, 1995; Ward, 2001). Ironically, and irrespective of the negative impact of incarceration and separation from spouse on marital stability (Massoglia, Remster, & King, 2011) and of imprisonment and marital dissolution on prisoner reentry (Laub & Sampson, 2001), several enforcement systems raise various barriers that prevent partners (and families) from remaining in contact while a spouse is behind bars. For example, in the United States, more than 60% of state and 80% of federal inmates are imprisoned in facilities located more than 100 miles from home (Mumola, 2000). Wives (as well as other family members) may lack the time and means to travel these long distances with children on a regular basis (Christian, 2005; Christian, Mellow, & Thomas, 2006). Consequently, 57% of male state-prison inmates in the United States had never had a personal visit with their children since their admission to prison and only a quarter of male inmates with families reported weekly contact by phone or postal mail with loved ones (Mumola, 2000). Pelka Slugocka and Slugocki (1980) qualitatively analyzed female inmates’ viewpoints regarding the relationship between incarceration and marital stability. Most of their research participants (86.3%, n = 282) maintained that imprisonment was the sole reason for the destruction of their marriage, whereas 13.7% (n = 45) asserted that it was the combination of husbands’ personalities and their imprisonment. Moreover, the research revealed that the divorce generated feelings of despair and frustration among the female inmates, and harmed their rehabilitation and successful reentry into society.
Hairston’s (1991) review concluded that the stress and strain that male imprisonment imposes on family ties are due, mainly, to denial of sexual relations and inability to engage in and share day-to-day interactions and experiences. As time passes, the spouse at home visits the prisoner less frequently and many marriages fail. Similarly, Kiser (1991) found that most male prisoners perceived their separation from their families—alongside the realization that they themselves had brought undeserved hardship to their families—as the most difficult aspect of doing time. Therefore, encouraging inmates and families to maintain relationships would benefit most inmates, their families, and the prisons.
Bobbitt and Nelson (2004) portrayed the positive aspects of various family involvement programs (i.e., La Bodega de la Familia and the Greenlight Family Reintegration Program) on drug abuse, recidivism rates, family strength, avoidance of illegal activity, possession of jobs, and obtainment of stable housing. The researchers’ main conclusion was that families can be a powerful material and emotional force for positive change for members making the difficult transition from institutional life back to the community . . . and can significantly assist probation and parole officers in their quest to successfully reenter ex-criminals and ex-prisoners to the community. (Bobbitt & Nelson, 2004, p. 8) In support of that conclusion, Horney et al. (1995) found that living with a normative wife limited significantly convicted felons’ involvement in illegal behavior after release from prison.
The importance of marriage to recidivism rates and reentry was discussed in several cornerstone criminal theories. Hirschi’s (1969) social control theory assumes that individuals are prevented from engaging in delinquency by four social bonds: involvement, attachment, commitment, and belief. When these bonds are weak, and the appropriate motivations rise, individuals are more likely to engage in delinquency.
Individuals with high affection and respect (attachment) are less likely to engage in delinquency because they do not want to harm the approval of people they care about. In their age-graded theory of informal social control, Laub and Sampson (1993) emphasize the importance of quality and strength of current social ties (such as strong bonds of attachment to a partner) in adapting to life transitions more than the occurrence or timing of discrete life events. Hence, marriage by itself may not increase social control, but close emotional ties and mutual investment increase the social bond between individuals and can decrease criminal behavior. Although this issue has been a source of controversy (e.g., Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990), Farrington and West (1995) also concluded that a stable marriage was nevertheless related to adult social conformity, even in adults who were identified at high-risk as children. Whereas these theories emphasize emotional ties and support, the cognitive transformation theory focuses on the conscious transformation of one’s identity in the process of desistance from crime (Giordano, Cernkovich, & Rudolph, 2002). Thus, through associations
with a spouse who sees them as noncriminals, inmates are exposed to and receive reinforcement for socially approved attitudes and behaviors (Agnew, 2005) and are likely to receive support for not only avoiding illegal behavior but also developing normative self-perceptions.
In summary, identification of various problems faced by men married to incarcerated spouses with regard to the preservation of marital relationships may significantly promote the understanding of the impact of incarceration on marital continuation/dissolution and assist in developing effective policies directed at their maintenance. Such policies appear to be highly important due to the existence of a (correlative or casual) link between continuation of stable romantic relations among normative men and incarcerated spouses, reduction of the negative effects of various “pains of imprisonment” (Faith, 1993; Jiang & Winfree, 2006; Thompson & Loper, 2005), and inmates’ successful reentry and desistance from crime after release (Horney et al., 1995; Ward, 2001)
Method
Research Tool
We used a flexible research design (Briggs, 1986). This methodology enables access to unpredicted subject matter and helps examine it from the perspective of the research sample (Silverman, 1993). Flexible design enabled us to incorporate unexpected contents, accommodating data as they emerged, thereby enhancing the quality and authenticity of the findings (Stake, 1995). The qualitative semistructured interview, based on guidelines that ensure that all interviewees are subject to similar stimuli and create a common basis for data analysis (Maruna, 2001), was found most appropriate for this study. To ensure reliability, all interviews were conducted by the researchers only.
While the semistructured interview maintains a subjective framework, it enables the interviewer and the interviewee to correct misunderstandings or vagueness during the course of the interview (Rubin & Rubin, 1995). This flexibility contributes to the quality and credibility of the interview (Briggs, 1986; Suchman & Jordan, 1990).
Each interview began with a similar open-ended broad question: “Could you please tell us about your romantic relationship with your spouse prior to her incarceration?” Only after the interviewees had answered the question, did we initiate a series of questions on the main difficulties of maintaining romantic relationships with an incarcerated spouse and the strategies used to do so: “How would you define your current romantic relationships with your spouse?” “How do you maintain romantic relationships with your incarcerated spouse?” “Does your spouse’s conviction and incarceration affect your mutual romantic relations?” “What are/were the main romantic crises you experience/d with her and how do/did you deal with them?” “What is your main motivation for maintaining marital relationships with your spouse; do you experience moments where you want to end your marriage?” “Do you experience any regrets as regards to your decision to maintain marital relationships with your spouse?”
Participants
Out of 180 prisoners incarcerated in the single Israeli female incarceration facility, Neve Tirza Prison, only 9 (5%, of whom 8%-4.4% agreed to take part in the study) maintained stable romantic relationships longer than 3 years. One male partner declined to participate in the study after being informed by his incarcerated spouse about the purpose of the study and its procedures, resulting in a final sample size of eight men and a response rate of 88.9%. Thus, the research sample includes almost all partners of female inmates who maintained stable romantic relationships for 3 years and more in Israel.
The participants were eight husbands—six were married to prisoners and two kept stable, romantic—although nonmarital—relations with their imprisoned spouses for more than 3 years (years of relationships range—3.5-35; M = 17.06, SD = 10.14, median = 17.5). Hence, the latter were acknowledged by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and by the Israeli ruling as common-law husbands (Israel Prison Service, 2012). Six of the eight couples had mutual children (compared with 61% of the prison population; Einat & Chen, 2012).
The ethnic distribution of the research sample (as well as the participants’ incarcerated spouses) was 75% (n = 6) Jews and 25% (n = 2) Muslim-Arab, all of whom were Israeli citizens. This ratio resembles the ethnic distribution of the general Israeli female inmates’ population (62% Jews; 36% Arabs; Einat & Chen, 2012). Participants had a mean of 9.6 years of education (SD = 1.4); the mean age of the participants is 48.9 (SD = 9.0). The distribution of the socioeconomic status of the research participants—as perceived and described by them—is high (37.5%; n = 3), moderate (12.5%; n = 1), and poor (50%; n = 4). Eighty-seven percent (n = 7) of the participants had no criminal record and 12.5% (n = 1) have been jailed. All participants were legally employed and maintained secured normative housekeeping. The women whose husbands we interviewed have been incarcerated for 21.8 months (M; SD = 9.42, compared with 27 months in the general prison population) and convicted to serve 41.4 months (M; SD = 43.1, compared with 31 of the prison population; Ibid). Twenty-five percent of the women have been previously jailed (compared with 52% of the prison population; Ibid), and 25% were drug abusers (as opposed to 65% drug abusing inmates out of Neve Tirza Prison’s general population). Hence the women whose husbands participated in this study differ substantially from the general female inmate population.
Content analysis revealed five major themes about marital relationships between normative men and their incarcerated wives: (a) perceptions of marital relations with incarcerated wife, (b) perceptions of wife’s criminal conduct, (c) difficulties in marital relationships with incarcerated wife, (d) preconditions for the continuation of marital relationships between normative men and incarcerated wives, (e) ways of preserving the marital relationships with incarcerated wives.
Perceptions of Marital Relations With Incarcerated Wives
Commitment and motivation. Research has repeatedly shown that commitment and motivation are the basis for a good and stable marriage, one which successfully tackles situations of crisis (Hawkins, Carroll, Doherty, & Wiloughby, 2004; Mace, 1982; Sabatelli & Cecil-Pigo, 1985). Commitment and motivation, which reflect the mutual responsibility of the couple to the preservation of their marriage (Clements & Swensen, 2000), are also identified as the best predictors of the quality of such relationships (Sabatelli & Cecil-Pigo, 1985; Surra, Arizzi, & Asmussen, 1988). Similarly, the findings of the present study indicate that the incarceration of their partners led the participants to recognize their obligation to the women and to their marital relations:
All in all, it [the wife’s imprisonment] connected us together as a couple and united our family. That’s the way we behave in our family—when there’s a problem we become united. (I., a 47-year-old Muslim husband, married to an inmate sentenced to 14 months)
During the incarceration, I felt as if I become a part of her, as if we became one. During this time, our romantic relationships grew stronger and stronger. We went through hell and it made us stronger. It intensified our love. (D., a 34-year-old Jewish common-law husband, romantically-related to a prisoner sentenced to a period of 3.1 years)
We overcame all our problems together, and we will overcome all obstacles, including the incarceration, together. It [the imprisonment] even made our romantic relationships grow stronger, made us show how committed we are to each other. (C., a 37-year-old Muslim husband, married to an inmate sentenced to 1.5 years prison.
Nonetheless, and somewhat in contrast to these statements, our findings also suggest that the imprisonment of female spouses generated major dyadic crisis, which, at least temporarily, destabilized the romantic relations. Specifically, all participants noted that the incarceration raised frustration, tension, and lack of trust, which led them to consider and reconsider their motivation to preserve the marital relationship:
There was a lot of tension and pressure the moment they arrested her. We had lots of
arguments, did a lot of shouting and cursing. (T., a 52-year-old Jewish husband, married to an ex-addict sentenced to prison for 14 months)
I love her very much and can’t deny it. But her arrest caused a lot of chaos between us, a lot of stress and arguments. I even remember a moment where I wanted to hit her. (A., a 43-year-old Jewish husband, married to an inmate sentenced to a period of 22 years).
I. expressed a similar viewpoint:
I was quiet disappointed and I stopped trusting her. The fact that she did not share her behavior with me was more disappointing than the acts themselves. I can’t say that she betrayed me . . . after all she did it for the sake of both of us so it’s not a matter of unfaithfulness. But she didn’t tell me right at the beginning, and this is a shame.
Love. Love is one of the most significant elements in the preservation of and long-lasting marital relationships (Mackey & O’Brien, 1995; Sharlin, 1996) and is attributed greatly to successfully dealing with short- or long-term romantic crises. Love is also a meaningful element in partners’ mutual acceptance and support (Meeks, Hendrick, & Hendrick, 1998; Sokolski & Hendrick, 1999). In accordance, the findings of this study reveal that the participants perceive love as a noteworthy character of their marriage and an important factor in their decision to preserve marriage relationships:
2024.05.07 19:59 Strict_External678 Prayers Of The Malevolent Moon Chapter 4
When Sarah awoke, it was to a dull throb at the base of her skull and a sour taste in her mouth. She blinked, and the world seemed to swim into focus around her. She was in a dimly lit room, the air dank and stale. The walls of concrete were stained with mildew, and a solitary bare bulb dangled from the ceiling.
She tried to move but found herself tightly bound to the chair, rough ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Panic flooded through her; memories flooded back in jagged shards. The diner. Bill Thompson. The blow to her head.
"Good. You're awake"
She had heard the cold, eerily calm voice from behind her. Bill came into her line of sight, hands clasped behind his back. He looked different in some way, harder of face, eyes shining with a disturbing intensity.
"Bill," Sarah croaked, her throat was dry as dust. "What's happening? Where are we?"
"Where no one will hear you scream," Bill replied evenly. "Not that it would matter if they did."
A chill rippled down Sarah's spine. It was not the grieving, soft-spoken man she had interviewed in the grocery store. It was someone, something, very different.
"Why are you doing this?" Sarah had to force the effort to keep her voice steady. "What do you want?"
Bill squatted down, bringing his face level with hers. "I'd like you to stop digging, detective. I want you to stop asking questions about things that don't concern you."
"Daniel Cobb's murder is what I'm concerned with," Sarah snapped. "And those missing persons cases from the 60s. Cases I know you're somehow connected to."
Bill gave her a thin, humorless smile. "Smart girl. You don't know how right you are."
He straightened, pacing a slow circle around her chair. "You see, Detective, Millfield has secrets. Dark, ancient secrets that have been kept for generations. Secrets that must remain buried."
"What kind of secrets?".
"The kind your mortal mind can barely comprehend." The strange resonance in Bill's voice was like the echoing depth that would have made Sarah's bones vibrate. Secrets of blood and shadow, of sacrifices made to keep the darkness at bay.
Sarah's heart pounded against her ribs. Bill's words were those of a lunatic. and yet some primal instinct deep within her whispered that he spoke the truth. That there were indeed unspeakable realities lurking beneath Millfield's quaint facade.
"The people who disappeared," she whispered haltingly. "Maureen, the rest of them. you killed them, didn't you? Sacrificed them to whatever it is you worship."
"Very good, Detective." At that, the smile widened, and his form seemed to flicker for a little, shadows gathering about him like a shroud. "They were offerings, tribute to the old ones who sleep beneath this land. Their blood keeps the seals strong, the barriers intact."
He leaned close, his breath cold against her cheek. "And now Daniel has joined them. His death has bought us more time, kept our masters appeased a little longer."
Bile rose in Sarah's throat. "You're crazy. There's no such thing as ancient gods or dark magic."
"Oh, but there is. And the fact that you can't see it just makes our work easier." Bill straightened, his face hardening. "Millfield is just one of many places like it, Detective. Pockets of darkness, of worship. We keep the sacrifices coming, and the world keeps turning, oblivious to what lurks in the shadows."
He turned away, rummaging on a table behind him. When he turned back, a wicked looking knife seemed to glint in his hand. Sarah's blood turned to ice.
"Normally, we make our gifts very far apart," Bill spoke conversationally. "One death every few years, to make sure it's not noticeable. But you, Detective. You give us no other choice. You know too much, ask too many questions." He tried the edge of the knife on his thumb. A bead of blood welled, black in the poor light. "Daniel was to be our last for a while. But now, I'm afraid your death must be added to the tally."
"You don't have to do this," Sarah said, trying to break her bindings. "I can help you, Bill. We can end this madness."
"Madness?" laughed Bill again, hollowly, bleakly. "This is not madness, Detective. This is duty. Loyalty. Devotion to forces your kind could never understand."
He raised the knife; its edge gleamed hungrily. "But don't worry. Your death will mean something. The last thoughts of every sacrifice are devoured by the ancient ones, so in a way, some part of you lives on. Screaming in the dark under the earth."
Sarah threshed wildly, the chair toppling over and spinning in a circle with her, as she fought. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a nightmare, a delusion. Any moment now she'd wake up, safe in her own bed.
But the ropes held. Down came the knife, inch by terrible inch. She opened her mouth to scream.
And the world erupted into anarchy.
The door burst open with a splintering crack, and light and noise flooded into the room. Voices shouted, guns roared. Bill staggered back, a red stain blossoming on his chest.
"Police! Drop the weapon! Hands in the air!"
Sarah saw Sheriff Briggs storm through the door, a shotgun braced against his shoulder, through a veil of tears. His face was thunder, his eyes hard as flint.
Bill fell to the ground, and the knife clattered out of his nerveless fingers. He twitched once, then twice, and at last lay still.
The gentle hands untied Sarah, pulled her from the chair. She collapsed against Sheriff Briggs, her knees turned to water.
"You are safe now," he murmured, holding her weight. "It's over."
"As soon as the words left his mouth, Sarah realized they were a lie. For as Bill Thompson's blood pooled on the floor, mixing with the ancient stains ground into the concrete, the shadows in the corners deepened.".
Writhed. Whispered. This wasn't over. It was just the beginning. The darkness below Millfield was patient; it had waited eons, and it could wait a little while longer. There would be more deaths. There would be more bloodshed. The ancient ones would get what they were owed. But nothing was going to stop them—certainly not Sarah, and not Sheriff Briggs either with all the guns and badges in the world. The shadows knew. And they hungered.
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She tried to move but found herself tightly bound to the chair, rough ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Panic flooded through her; memories flooded back in jagged shards. The diner. Bill Thompson. The blow to her head.
"Good. You're awake"
She had heard the cold, eerily calm voice from behind her. Bill came into her line of sight, hands clasped behind his back. He looked different in some way, harder of face, eyes shining with a disturbing intensity.
"Bill," Sarah croaked, her throat was dry as dust. "What's happening? Where are we?"
"Where no one will hear you scream," Bill replied evenly. "Not that it would matter if they did."
A chill rippled down Sarah's spine. It was not the grieving, soft-spoken man she had interviewed in the grocery store. It was someone, something, very different.
"Why are you doing this?" Sarah had to force the effort to keep her voice steady. "What do you want?"
Bill squatted down, bringing his face level with hers. "I'd like you to stop digging, detective. I want you to stop asking questions about things that don't concern you."
"Daniel Cobb's murder is what I'm concerned with," Sarah snapped. "And those missing persons cases from the 60s. Cases I know you're somehow connected to."
Bill gave her a thin, humorless smile. "Smart girl. You don't know how right you are."
He straightened, pacing a slow circle around her chair. "You see, Detective, Millfield has secrets. Dark, ancient secrets that have been kept for generations. Secrets that must remain buried."
"What kind of secrets?".
"The kind your mortal mind can barely comprehend." The strange resonance in Bill's voice was like the echoing depth that would have made Sarah's bones vibrate. Secrets of blood and shadow, of sacrifices made to keep the darkness at bay.
Sarah's heart pounded against her ribs. Bill's words were those of a lunatic. and yet some primal instinct deep within her whispered that he spoke the truth. That there were indeed unspeakable realities lurking beneath Millfield's quaint facade.
"The people who disappeared," she whispered haltingly. "Maureen, the rest of them. you killed them, didn't you? Sacrificed them to whatever it is you worship."
"Very good, Detective." At that, the smile widened, and his form seemed to flicker for a little, shadows gathering about him like a shroud. "They were offerings, tribute to the old ones who sleep beneath this land. Their blood keeps the seals strong, the barriers intact."
He leaned close, his breath cold against her cheek. "And now Daniel has joined them. His death has bought us more time, kept our masters appeased a little longer."
Bile rose in Sarah's throat. "You're crazy. There's no such thing as ancient gods or dark magic."
"Oh, but there is. And the fact that you can't see it just makes our work easier." Bill straightened, his face hardening. "Millfield is just one of many places like it, Detective. Pockets of darkness, of worship. We keep the sacrifices coming, and the world keeps turning, oblivious to what lurks in the shadows."
He turned away, rummaging on a table behind him. When he turned back, a wicked looking knife seemed to glint in his hand. Sarah's blood turned to ice.
"Normally, we make our gifts very far apart," Bill spoke conversationally. "One death every few years, to make sure it's not noticeable. But you, Detective. You give us no other choice. You know too much, ask too many questions." He tried the edge of the knife on his thumb. A bead of blood welled, black in the poor light. "Daniel was to be our last for a while. But now, I'm afraid your death must be added to the tally."
"You don't have to do this," Sarah said, trying to break her bindings. "I can help you, Bill. We can end this madness."
"Madness?" laughed Bill again, hollowly, bleakly. "This is not madness, Detective. This is duty. Loyalty. Devotion to forces your kind could never understand."
He raised the knife; its edge gleamed hungrily. "But don't worry. Your death will mean something. The last thoughts of every sacrifice are devoured by the ancient ones, so in a way, some part of you lives on. Screaming in the dark under the earth."
Sarah threshed wildly, the chair toppling over and spinning in a circle with her, as she fought. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a nightmare, a delusion. Any moment now she'd wake up, safe in her own bed.
But the ropes held. Down came the knife, inch by terrible inch. She opened her mouth to scream.
And the world erupted into anarchy.
The door burst open with a splintering crack, and light and noise flooded into the room. Voices shouted, guns roared. Bill staggered back, a red stain blossoming on his chest.
"Police! Drop the weapon! Hands in the air!"
Sarah saw Sheriff Briggs storm through the door, a shotgun braced against his shoulder, through a veil of tears. His face was thunder, his eyes hard as flint.
Bill fell to the ground, and the knife clattered out of his nerveless fingers. He twitched once, then twice, and at last lay still.
The gentle hands untied Sarah, pulled her from the chair. She collapsed against Sheriff Briggs, her knees turned to water.
"You are safe now," he murmured, holding her weight. "It's over."
"As soon as the words left his mouth, Sarah realized they were a lie. For as Bill Thompson's blood pooled on the floor, mixing with the ancient stains ground into the concrete, the shadows in the corners deepened.".
Writhed. Whispered. This wasn't over. It was just the beginning. The darkness below Millfield was patient; it had waited eons, and it could wait a little while longer. There would be more deaths. There would be more bloodshed. The ancient ones would get what they were owed. But nothing was going to stop them—certainly not Sarah, and not Sheriff Briggs either with all the guns and badges in the world. The shadows knew. And they hungered.
2024.05.07 19:38 StacysBlog Twin Peaks: The Return, Part 9 "This is the Chair" Review: Solid, but a step down from Part 8.
"I am not your foot." -Jerry Horne's foot
Part 9 picks up with Mr. C (Kyle MacLachlan) as he meets up with his associates Hutch (Tim Roth) and Chantal (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Mr. C sends them to kill Warden Murphy (James Morrison).
Agent Tammy Preston (Chrysta Bell) gets word about the discovery of Major Briggs' (Don S. Davis) body. She, Gordon (David Lynch), Albert (Miguel Ferrer), and Diane (Laura Dern) fly out to Buckhorn, South Dakota. They also learn Mr. C escaped from prison. Diane receives a cryptic text from Mr. C, but keeps it to herself. After examining Major Briggs' body, Tammy interviews William Hastings (Matthew Lillard). It turns out, William and Ruth Davenport (Mary Stofle) had a shared interest in alternate dimensions. They ended up finding their way into an alternate dimension where they met Major Briggs. He asked them to get coordinates for him, which they did, before his head floated away.
Bushnell Mullins (Don Murray) gives his statement to the police about the attack on Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan). The police can't find any information on Dougie Jones (Kyle MacLachlan) prior to 1997. Detective D. Fusco (David Koechner) manages to get Cooper's fingerprints off of a mug. The police manage to track down and arrest Ike the Spike (Christophe Zajac-Denek).
Sheriff Truman (Robert Forster), Hawk (Michael Horse), and Bobby (Dana Ashbrook) visit Bobby's mother, Betty (Charlotte Stewart), to ask her about Major Briggs' final conversation with Cooper. Betty tells them that Garland foresaw this visit and gives them a metal tube hidden in the back of a chair. Bobby manages to open it. Inside is a note with a time, dates, and a location near Jack Rabbits Palace, a place Bobby and Garland played when Bobby was a kid. They decide to go visit in 2 days, like the note says. There is also a piece of a transmission that implies there are two Coopers.
Ben Horne (Richard Beymer) and Beverly Paige (Ashley Judd) almost share a romantic moment at the Great Northern, but Ben doesn't let it happen.
At the Roadhouse, Hudson Mohawke performs followed by Au Revoir Simone, as Ella (Sky Ferreira) tells her friend, Chloe (Karolina Wydra), that she was fired for going to work high.
What Works:
This is the episode that brings Tim Roth onto to the show as Hutch. I love Tim Roth and really enjoy his role on the show, even if it's minor. He's just so easygoing, which is surprising due to his association with Mr. C. He's just so relaxed about everything that it makes me feel relaxed by proxy. Hutch is just a nice presence on the show, even if he is a murderer.
This episode has a major focus on Major Briggs. It's really nice to revisit the Briggs family unit and listen to Betty talk about Garland and the future he saw for Bobby. It's a sweet and emotional scene. And it's awesome to see Bobby figure out the clues left for him by his father.
We also get the reveal that William Hastings met Major Briggs in another dimension. Matthew Lillard gives one hell of a performance as he explains the strange events he experienced. It adds so much mythos to Major Briggs and its nice to see a character get so much love and appreciation even if Don S. Davis is no longer with us.
We also get a couple of really funny moments. Sheriff Truman kicking Chad (John Pirruccello) out of the conference room is wonderful and I love to watch Chad continue to get dunked on. We also have Jerry Horne (David Patrick Kelly) high off his ass in the woods and fighting his own foot. Hilarious.
What Sucks:
The police storyline is a little bit lackluster for me in this episode. This is the last time we see Ike the Spike on the show and his arrest is very straightforward and disappointing. I was hoping for more from such a fun character, especially since it's his last appearance.
I think this episode is lacking a big or iconic moment, especially in coming off of the incredible Part 8. There are a handful of scenes the feel like wheel spinning and it's a bit of a letdown after the highs of the last episode.
Crystal Coffee:
The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode. For Part 9, this Award goes to Bobby Briggs for figuring out the clues left behind by his father. This is his 3rd time winning this Award, which ties him for 4th place overall with Audrey Horne.
Verdict:
This is a decent enough episode of Twin Peaks, but it's lacking any signature scene that makes it stand out, especially coming on the heels of Part 8. Tim Roth and Matthew Lillard are both great and its nice the episode spends so much time on the impact of Major Briggs. Plus Jerry Horne is hilarious in his brief appearance. This is still a really good episode of television and has still got it going on, but it's a weaker episode of The Return.
8/10: Really Good
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Part 9 picks up with Mr. C (Kyle MacLachlan) as he meets up with his associates Hutch (Tim Roth) and Chantal (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Mr. C sends them to kill Warden Murphy (James Morrison).
Agent Tammy Preston (Chrysta Bell) gets word about the discovery of Major Briggs' (Don S. Davis) body. She, Gordon (David Lynch), Albert (Miguel Ferrer), and Diane (Laura Dern) fly out to Buckhorn, South Dakota. They also learn Mr. C escaped from prison. Diane receives a cryptic text from Mr. C, but keeps it to herself. After examining Major Briggs' body, Tammy interviews William Hastings (Matthew Lillard). It turns out, William and Ruth Davenport (Mary Stofle) had a shared interest in alternate dimensions. They ended up finding their way into an alternate dimension where they met Major Briggs. He asked them to get coordinates for him, which they did, before his head floated away.
Bushnell Mullins (Don Murray) gives his statement to the police about the attack on Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan). The police can't find any information on Dougie Jones (Kyle MacLachlan) prior to 1997. Detective D. Fusco (David Koechner) manages to get Cooper's fingerprints off of a mug. The police manage to track down and arrest Ike the Spike (Christophe Zajac-Denek).
Sheriff Truman (Robert Forster), Hawk (Michael Horse), and Bobby (Dana Ashbrook) visit Bobby's mother, Betty (Charlotte Stewart), to ask her about Major Briggs' final conversation with Cooper. Betty tells them that Garland foresaw this visit and gives them a metal tube hidden in the back of a chair. Bobby manages to open it. Inside is a note with a time, dates, and a location near Jack Rabbits Palace, a place Bobby and Garland played when Bobby was a kid. They decide to go visit in 2 days, like the note says. There is also a piece of a transmission that implies there are two Coopers.
Ben Horne (Richard Beymer) and Beverly Paige (Ashley Judd) almost share a romantic moment at the Great Northern, but Ben doesn't let it happen.
At the Roadhouse, Hudson Mohawke performs followed by Au Revoir Simone, as Ella (Sky Ferreira) tells her friend, Chloe (Karolina Wydra), that she was fired for going to work high.
What Works:
This is the episode that brings Tim Roth onto to the show as Hutch. I love Tim Roth and really enjoy his role on the show, even if it's minor. He's just so easygoing, which is surprising due to his association with Mr. C. He's just so relaxed about everything that it makes me feel relaxed by proxy. Hutch is just a nice presence on the show, even if he is a murderer.
This episode has a major focus on Major Briggs. It's really nice to revisit the Briggs family unit and listen to Betty talk about Garland and the future he saw for Bobby. It's a sweet and emotional scene. And it's awesome to see Bobby figure out the clues left for him by his father.
We also get the reveal that William Hastings met Major Briggs in another dimension. Matthew Lillard gives one hell of a performance as he explains the strange events he experienced. It adds so much mythos to Major Briggs and its nice to see a character get so much love and appreciation even if Don S. Davis is no longer with us.
We also get a couple of really funny moments. Sheriff Truman kicking Chad (John Pirruccello) out of the conference room is wonderful and I love to watch Chad continue to get dunked on. We also have Jerry Horne (David Patrick Kelly) high off his ass in the woods and fighting his own foot. Hilarious.
What Sucks:
The police storyline is a little bit lackluster for me in this episode. This is the last time we see Ike the Spike on the show and his arrest is very straightforward and disappointing. I was hoping for more from such a fun character, especially since it's his last appearance.
I think this episode is lacking a big or iconic moment, especially in coming off of the incredible Part 8. There are a handful of scenes the feel like wheel spinning and it's a bit of a letdown after the highs of the last episode.
Crystal Coffee:
The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode. For Part 9, this Award goes to Bobby Briggs for figuring out the clues left behind by his father. This is his 3rd time winning this Award, which ties him for 4th place overall with Audrey Horne.
Verdict:
This is a decent enough episode of Twin Peaks, but it's lacking any signature scene that makes it stand out, especially coming on the heels of Part 8. Tim Roth and Matthew Lillard are both great and its nice the episode spends so much time on the impact of Major Briggs. Plus Jerry Horne is hilarious in his brief appearance. This is still a really good episode of television and has still got it going on, but it's a weaker episode of The Return.
8/10: Really Good
2024.05.07 09:23 Strict_External678 Prayers Of The Malevolent Moon Chapter 3
The Millfield Public Library closed at 6 pm sharp, the heavy doors swinging shut with a muffled thud. Sarah tucked the folders of copied articles under her arm and headed out into the rapidly fading light. The temperature had dropped noticeably, the air taking on a crisp bite that promised an early winter.
She made her way down the library steps, lost in thought. The missing persons cases from the 60s tugged at her mind, loose threads begging to be pulled. Six people vanished without a trace over a single summer. No evidence, no closure for the families left behind. And no indication of why the cases had interested Daniel Cobb so deeply half a century later.
As Sarah crossed the street to the small parking lot where she'd left her car, the back of her neck prickled. She paused, hand halfway to the driver's side door. The lot was empty, leaves swirling across the cracked asphalt, but the feeling of being watched was unmistakable.
She turned slowly, scanning the deepening shadows. The sun had nearly set, bleeding orange and red across the horizon. Streetlights flickered on with a buzzing hum. But there, at the mouth of the alley between the library and the neighboring antique store - was that a figure, half-hidden in the gloom?
Heart suddenly pounding, Sarah squinted into the darkness. "Hello? Someone there?"
No response. The figure, if it had ever been there at all, was gone. Sarah waited a long moment, hand resting on the butt of her service weapon, but the alley remained empty and still.
Unnerved, she climbed quickly into her car and locked the doors. She let out a slow breath, chiding herself for jumping at shadows. The atmosphere of the strange little town was getting to her, the weight of Daniel Cobb's murder and these cold cases from the past.
Still, as she pulled out onto the lamp-lit street, she couldn't quite shake the feeling of eyes on her back. Of a presence in that alley, cloaked in shadow and malice.
Sarah drove aimlessly for a while, trying to clear her head. She needed food and a good night's sleep. The mental gears wouldn't stop turning otherwise, endlessly chewing over scant details and dead-end clues.
She pulled into the gravel lot of a small diner on the outskirts of town, lured by the warm yellow glow spilling from the windows. A bell chimed above the door as she stepped inside, enveloped instantly by the smell of coffee and frying bacon.
The diner was nearly empty at this hour, just a few scattered patrons hunched over steaming mugs at the Formica counter. Sarah slid into a corner booth, the red vinyl creaking under her weight. A bored-looking waitress ambled over, pulling a pencil from behind her ear.
"What can I get ya, hon?"
"Just coffee, please. And a bowl of the chili if you've got it."
The waitress jotted it down and walked off without a word. Sarah pulled out the folders and fanned them across the table, hoping that food in her stomach would jog some new insight.
But the words swam before her tired eyes, the faces in the faded black and white photos blurring together. Missing. Vanished. Gone without a trace. Just like Daniel Cobb, a shy grocery clerk who had no business being ritualistically murdered in the woods.
What connected them? What had Daniel seen in their cases that had cost him his life years later? Or was it all just some terrible coincidence, a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time?
The waitress returned, plunking down a mug of coffee and a bowl of steaming chili. "Holler if you need anything else," she said, already turning away.
Sarah sipped the coffee, wincing at the bitter bite of it. Her gaze fell on one of the photos, a pretty young woman with dark hair and a shy smile. Maureen O'Connell, 24. Vanished on her way home from her job at the local dance hall.
Maureen's photo stirred something in Sarah's memory. She'd seen that face recently, but not in any of the case files. No, it had been...
Her eyes widened. In the library. There had been a photo of Maureen on the wall near the local history section, part of a display on Millfield's bygone days.
But Maureen hadn't been the only familiar face in that display. Because right next to her photo, smiling out from a black and white snapshot...
Had been Bill Thompson. The owner of the Millfield Grocery.
Looking barely a day over 20.
Sarah's heart began to race, the chili turning to lead in her stomach. Bill had to be in his 60s now. But that display, those photos...they had clearly been from the early 60s. At the same time, the missing persons cases had happened.
Had Bill known Maureen? Had he known the other victims too? And if so, why had he never come forward? What was he hiding?
Sarah's hand shook as she pulled out her cellphone, scrolling frantically through her contacts. She needed to talk to Sheriff Briggs, to tell him about this connection. Perhaps Bill wasn't the harmless small-town grocer he appeared to be.
The line rang once, twice. "Come on," Sarah muttered. "Pick up."
But after the fourth ring, it went to voicemail. Sarah cursed and ended the call without leaving a message. Fine. She'd go to the Sheriff's Department in person then. She couldn't sit on this, couldn't risk Bill getting wind that she'd uncovered his secret.
She threw a crumpled twenty on the table and gathered her files, the bell chiming discordantly as she rushed out the door...
...and ran smack into a tall figure blocking her path.
"Going somewhere?"
Sarah staggered back, hand instinctively flying to her gun. That voice...
She looked up slowly into the stern, weathered face of Bill Thompson. He stood unnaturally still, his expression inscrutable.
"Bill," Sarah said carefully. "You scared the shit out of me. I was just headed to see Sheriff Briggs."
"I know what you were doing." Bill's voice was cold, flat. Empty of inflection. "I know what you found."
Sarah's stomach turned to ice. Her hand tightened on the grip of her weapon. "What are you talking about?"
Bill smiled thinly. "Let's not play games, Detective. We both know you're too smart for that." He took a step closer. "Now, we can do this the easy way, or..."
He let the unspoken threat hang in the air between them. Sarah's mind raced, darting frantically between fight and flight.
She never had time to decide. A heavy weight crashed down on the back of her skull, an explosion of pain.
And then there was only darkness.
Sarah's last thought before she lost consciousness was that Bill Thompson's eyes weren't human at all. They were black as a moonless night.
And filled with the cold void of space.
submitted by Strict_External678 to scarystories [link] [comments]
She made her way down the library steps, lost in thought. The missing persons cases from the 60s tugged at her mind, loose threads begging to be pulled. Six people vanished without a trace over a single summer. No evidence, no closure for the families left behind. And no indication of why the cases had interested Daniel Cobb so deeply half a century later.
As Sarah crossed the street to the small parking lot where she'd left her car, the back of her neck prickled. She paused, hand halfway to the driver's side door. The lot was empty, leaves swirling across the cracked asphalt, but the feeling of being watched was unmistakable.
She turned slowly, scanning the deepening shadows. The sun had nearly set, bleeding orange and red across the horizon. Streetlights flickered on with a buzzing hum. But there, at the mouth of the alley between the library and the neighboring antique store - was that a figure, half-hidden in the gloom?
Heart suddenly pounding, Sarah squinted into the darkness. "Hello? Someone there?"
No response. The figure, if it had ever been there at all, was gone. Sarah waited a long moment, hand resting on the butt of her service weapon, but the alley remained empty and still.
Unnerved, she climbed quickly into her car and locked the doors. She let out a slow breath, chiding herself for jumping at shadows. The atmosphere of the strange little town was getting to her, the weight of Daniel Cobb's murder and these cold cases from the past.
Still, as she pulled out onto the lamp-lit street, she couldn't quite shake the feeling of eyes on her back. Of a presence in that alley, cloaked in shadow and malice.
Sarah drove aimlessly for a while, trying to clear her head. She needed food and a good night's sleep. The mental gears wouldn't stop turning otherwise, endlessly chewing over scant details and dead-end clues.
She pulled into the gravel lot of a small diner on the outskirts of town, lured by the warm yellow glow spilling from the windows. A bell chimed above the door as she stepped inside, enveloped instantly by the smell of coffee and frying bacon.
The diner was nearly empty at this hour, just a few scattered patrons hunched over steaming mugs at the Formica counter. Sarah slid into a corner booth, the red vinyl creaking under her weight. A bored-looking waitress ambled over, pulling a pencil from behind her ear.
"What can I get ya, hon?"
"Just coffee, please. And a bowl of the chili if you've got it."
The waitress jotted it down and walked off without a word. Sarah pulled out the folders and fanned them across the table, hoping that food in her stomach would jog some new insight.
But the words swam before her tired eyes, the faces in the faded black and white photos blurring together. Missing. Vanished. Gone without a trace. Just like Daniel Cobb, a shy grocery clerk who had no business being ritualistically murdered in the woods.
What connected them? What had Daniel seen in their cases that had cost him his life years later? Or was it all just some terrible coincidence, a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time?
The waitress returned, plunking down a mug of coffee and a bowl of steaming chili. "Holler if you need anything else," she said, already turning away.
Sarah sipped the coffee, wincing at the bitter bite of it. Her gaze fell on one of the photos, a pretty young woman with dark hair and a shy smile. Maureen O'Connell, 24. Vanished on her way home from her job at the local dance hall.
Maureen's photo stirred something in Sarah's memory. She'd seen that face recently, but not in any of the case files. No, it had been...
Her eyes widened. In the library. There had been a photo of Maureen on the wall near the local history section, part of a display on Millfield's bygone days.
But Maureen hadn't been the only familiar face in that display. Because right next to her photo, smiling out from a black and white snapshot...
Had been Bill Thompson. The owner of the Millfield Grocery.
Looking barely a day over 20.
Sarah's heart began to race, the chili turning to lead in her stomach. Bill had to be in his 60s now. But that display, those photos...they had clearly been from the early 60s. At the same time, the missing persons cases had happened.
Had Bill known Maureen? Had he known the other victims too? And if so, why had he never come forward? What was he hiding?
Sarah's hand shook as she pulled out her cellphone, scrolling frantically through her contacts. She needed to talk to Sheriff Briggs, to tell him about this connection. Perhaps Bill wasn't the harmless small-town grocer he appeared to be.
The line rang once, twice. "Come on," Sarah muttered. "Pick up."
But after the fourth ring, it went to voicemail. Sarah cursed and ended the call without leaving a message. Fine. She'd go to the Sheriff's Department in person then. She couldn't sit on this, couldn't risk Bill getting wind that she'd uncovered his secret.
She threw a crumpled twenty on the table and gathered her files, the bell chiming discordantly as she rushed out the door...
...and ran smack into a tall figure blocking her path.
"Going somewhere?"
Sarah staggered back, hand instinctively flying to her gun. That voice...
She looked up slowly into the stern, weathered face of Bill Thompson. He stood unnaturally still, his expression inscrutable.
"Bill," Sarah said carefully. "You scared the shit out of me. I was just headed to see Sheriff Briggs."
"I know what you were doing." Bill's voice was cold, flat. Empty of inflection. "I know what you found."
Sarah's stomach turned to ice. Her hand tightened on the grip of her weapon. "What are you talking about?"
Bill smiled thinly. "Let's not play games, Detective. We both know you're too smart for that." He took a step closer. "Now, we can do this the easy way, or..."
He let the unspoken threat hang in the air between them. Sarah's mind raced, darting frantically between fight and flight.
She never had time to decide. A heavy weight crashed down on the back of her skull, an explosion of pain.
And then there was only darkness.
Sarah's last thought before she lost consciousness was that Bill Thompson's eyes weren't human at all. They were black as a moonless night.
And filled with the cold void of space.
2024.05.07 05:42 TerribleSell2997 Diesel Generator Market Increasing Demand, Growth Analysis and Future Outlook by 2031
Diesel generator market is anticipated to grow at a significant CAGR of 14.1% during the forecast period (2024-2031). The market growth is attributed to the increasing investments in producing efficient energy management across various applications with backup power in industries and businesses. The demand for an uninterrupted power supply and frequent power outages in developing economies are accelerating the demand for diesel generators globally is driving the market growth. Among other verticals, the majority of these diesel generators are utilized to supply electricity to residences, factories, schools, hospitals, and construction sites. It serves as either a primary or backup power source in the event of a grid outage.
Get Free Sample link @ https://www.omrglobal.com/request-sample/diesel-generator-market
Diesel generators are essential to the global electrification of rural areas as they provide dependable connectivity to the electrical grid. Diesel generator-powered microgrids have become a viable option for improving energy accessibility and stimulating socioeconomic growth in isolated regions. Diesel generators offer a consistent supply of electricity in case of emergencies, which enhances the dependability of microgrids. Diesel generators can produce electricity on their own, however other renewable energy sources, like solar panels and wind turbines, may depend on external variables.
full report of Diesel Generator Market available @ https://www.omrglobal.com/industry-reports/diesel-generator-market
· Market Coverage
· Market number available for – 2024-2031
· Base year- 2023
· Forecast period- 2024-2031
· Segment Covered- By Source, By Product Type, By Applications
· Competitive Landscape- Archer Daniels Midland Co., Ingredion Inc., Kerry Group Plc, Cargill
· Inc., and others
Market Segmentation
Global Diesel Generator Market by Power Rating
o Up to 50 kW
o 51 - 280 KW
o 281-500 kW
o 501 - 2,000 kw
o Above 2,000 KW
Global Diesel Generator Market by Source
o Standby Power
o Peak Shaving
o Prime & Continuous Power
Global Diesel Generator Market by Application
o Industrial
o Commercial
o Residential
Regional Analysis
o North America
o United States
o Canada
o Europe
o UK
o Germany
o Italy
o Spain
o France
o Rest of Europe
o Asia-Pacific
o China
o India
o Japan
o South Korea
o Rest of Asia-Pacific
o Rest of the World
o Latin America
o The Middle East & Africa
Company Profiles
o AB Volvo
o Atlas Copco
o Briggs & Stratton, LLC
o CFC Holdings Pty Ltd (JCB CEA)
o DEUTZ AG
o FG Wilson
o Generac Power Systems, Inc.
o GENERAL POWER LIMITED, INC.
o GENESAL ENERGY
o HIMOINSA SL
o Ingersoll Rand Inc.
o Isuzu North America Corp.
o John Deere Group
o Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd.
o Kohler Co.
o Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
o Motorenfabrik Hatz GmbH & Co. KG
o Perkins Engines Company Ltd.
o Rolls-Royce plc
o Teksan Generator Power Industries and Trade Co. Inc.
The Report Covers
About Orion Market Research Orion Market Research (OMR) is a market research and consulting company known for its crisp and concise reports. The company is equipped with an experienced team of analysts and consultants. OMR offers quality syndicated research reports, customized research reports, consulting and other research-based services. The company also offer Digital Marketing services through its subsidiary OMR Digital and Software development and Consulting Services through another subsidiary Encanto Technologies.
Media Contact:
Company Name: Orion Market Research
Contact Person: Mr. Anurag Tiwari
Email: info@omrglobal.com
Contact no: +91 780-304-0404
submitted by TerribleSell2997 to Nim2908 [link] [comments]
Get Free Sample link @ https://www.omrglobal.com/request-sample/diesel-generator-market
Diesel generators are essential to the global electrification of rural areas as they provide dependable connectivity to the electrical grid. Diesel generator-powered microgrids have become a viable option for improving energy accessibility and stimulating socioeconomic growth in isolated regions. Diesel generators offer a consistent supply of electricity in case of emergencies, which enhances the dependability of microgrids. Diesel generators can produce electricity on their own, however other renewable energy sources, like solar panels and wind turbines, may depend on external variables.
full report of Diesel Generator Market available @ https://www.omrglobal.com/industry-reports/diesel-generator-market
· Market Coverage
· Market number available for – 2024-2031
· Base year- 2023
· Forecast period- 2024-2031
· Segment Covered- By Source, By Product Type, By Applications
· Competitive Landscape- Archer Daniels Midland Co., Ingredion Inc., Kerry Group Plc, Cargill
· Inc., and others
Market Segmentation
Global Diesel Generator Market by Power Rating
o Up to 50 kW
o 51 - 280 KW
o 281-500 kW
o 501 - 2,000 kw
o Above 2,000 KW
Global Diesel Generator Market by Source
o Standby Power
o Peak Shaving
o Prime & Continuous Power
Global Diesel Generator Market by Application
o Industrial
o Commercial
o Residential
Regional Analysis
o North America
o United States
o Canada
o Europe
o UK
o Germany
o Italy
o Spain
o France
o Rest of Europe
o Asia-Pacific
o China
o India
o Japan
o South Korea
o Rest of Asia-Pacific
o Rest of the World
o Latin America
o The Middle East & Africa
Company Profiles
o AB Volvo
o Atlas Copco
o Briggs & Stratton, LLC
o CFC Holdings Pty Ltd (JCB CEA)
o DEUTZ AG
o FG Wilson
o Generac Power Systems, Inc.
o GENERAL POWER LIMITED, INC.
o GENESAL ENERGY
o HIMOINSA SL
o Ingersoll Rand Inc.
o Isuzu North America Corp.
o John Deere Group
o Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd.
o Kohler Co.
o Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
o Motorenfabrik Hatz GmbH & Co. KG
o Perkins Engines Company Ltd.
o Rolls-Royce plc
o Teksan Generator Power Industries and Trade Co. Inc.
The Report Covers
- Market value data analysis of 2023 and forecast to 2031.
- Annualized market revenues ($ million) for each market segment.
- Country-wise analysis of major geographical regions.
- Key companies operating in the global diesel generator market. Based on the availability of data, information related to new product launches, and relevant news is also available in the report.
- Analysis of business strategies by identifying the key market segments positioned for strong growth in the future.
- Analysis of market-entry and market expansion strategies.
- Competitive strategies by identifying ‘who-stands-where’ in the market.
About Orion Market Research Orion Market Research (OMR) is a market research and consulting company known for its crisp and concise reports. The company is equipped with an experienced team of analysts and consultants. OMR offers quality syndicated research reports, customized research reports, consulting and other research-based services. The company also offer Digital Marketing services through its subsidiary OMR Digital and Software development and Consulting Services through another subsidiary Encanto Technologies.
Media Contact:
Company Name: Orion Market Research
Contact Person: Mr. Anurag Tiwari
Email: info@omrglobal.com
Contact no: +91 780-304-0404
2024.05.07 03:53 kaleviko [All] Our man in Columbia
Much of Return took place in Yankton Federal Prison in South Dakota. While there is a real town called as Yankton there, seen also on Mr C's map in P2, it doesn't have a Federal Prison, and the prison shown to us as the one allegedly in Yankton is actually in New Jersey. Why then choose such a specific but obscure location?
There is also another Yankton in the United States. This Yankton is a little village in Columbia County, Oregon, down the Columbia River from Portland. Coincidentally, Portland was where Cole called Agent Chester Desmond in Fire Walk with Me. A little further up the river, there would have been the imaginary Deer Meadow where Teresa Bank was found murdered, floating in one of the Columbia River's many tributaries, the Wind River.
Coincidentally, Columbia County in Oregon and Yankton in South Dakota are also connected by the early 19th century Lewis and Clark expedition that passed through both. This expedition got random attention when Wally paid his respects to Sheriff Truman in P4.
At this point, these observations would link to a strange confession Albert made to Cole in P3. Years ago, Jeffries had been in touch with him, asking for some "information" that he needed to pass on to Cooper.
As usual, to help us deal with the disbelief how steep these slippery slopes are, each blurry clue appears backed up by another that led to the same outcome. Thus, there would be another way how Yankton connected to Columbia, possibly revealing in the process what this South Dakota business was all about.
He found the man in Columbia.
In P2, on Mr C's map, as he zoomed out from Buckhorn and then in to Yankton, the oversized title DAKOTA got cut to its bottom right corner. The purpose in that probably was that what remained visible of the last three letters could just as well have been the same corner from COLUMBIA. Together with the other Yankton being in actual Columbia, this got us as close as possible to a conclusion that the place was the likely site where "our man" was before Albert got him killed, his whereabouts now showing up as the prison.
This would also come with the likelihood that what was going on in South Dakota was really about what was now going on in Oregon in Fire Walk with Me. Instead of direct narration or laborious flashbacks with digitally recreated characters, more of the past events would have been revealed by staging them in future settings, making that the future past, like seeing new dreams that were based on old history.
For this to have been figured out as intended, we should be able to identify "our man" in Yankton. A week later, that man was killed. The one man from Yankton who did get killed was Warden Murphy, shot dead with two bullets in P12.
Your man, right. RIGHT.
Earlier in P4, when the FBI arrived in Yankton Federal Prison and the Warden was still alive, they were first led to a separate room to have a look at some findings. There were six of them lined up in the room. On the left, Inspector Randy Hollister spoke.
Elsewhere in the story, the "information" that Albert let Jeffries pass to Cooper, leading to "that man" getting killed, would align with the coordinates that Mr C was after, trying to locate a certain place for an unknown reason. The place that the coordinates pointed at would have been where "our man" was to be found, presumably leading him to the Warden.
Following the information.
Both the coordinates and their counterpart - the information on a piece of paper from inside a metal tube left behind by Major Briggs - led to a small golden pond by a bare sycamore tree somewhere in the forest on the Blue Pine Mountain. The pond was also associated with the drawing on Mr C's Ace of Spades that he showed to Darya in P2, telling her it was what he wanted.
Murphies with two shoots.
The irregular blob on the card also resembled what looked like a potato escaping when the Experiment's vomited in P8, along with BOB's head. Another word for a potato is a murphy, and as Warden Murphy died after shot twice, that would link him to the drawing on the card that had two shoots on the possible murphy.
Murphy seems to have got his murphy cut off.
This potato would also have a link to Hastings's lawyer George who further connected to the Fireman. Accordingly, Cole commented Hollister's remark about "your man" with a reference to a George.
The last (and first) we saw of George was when he arrived in jail in P2, possibly hinting that in another storyline, he was still there, now as the prison Warden. While George was framed together with stacks of forms hanging on the wall, the first time we saw the Warden who was framed together with a wall sign saying, "You are required to fill out a form" in P4.
Fill in the custody forms, and we'll put you in the form of the Warden.
Last we heard of George hinted how he may have got his new "form". In P9, Detective Macklay left us wondering about George's fate.
If you are a fireman, then you must have a fire alarm.
Then in P7, the Warden stepped out of his office and was briefly framed together with a fire alarm on the opposite wall. In the next episode P8, the Fireman got some kind of an alarm that ruined his slow evening with Senorita Dido. He walked to his theater and checked some "security footage", freezing it to the moment when the assumed potato was just coming out of the Experiment's vomit. The Fireman floated up and fell asleep, seeing golden dreams that came out of his head.
Looks like mine.
As the loose potato also seems to be connected to the Fireman, the twist here may have been that somewhere in the universe, he had been decapitated by the Experiment. Now, his severed head showed up as the spud, possibly because he had been Warden Murphy and a murphy is a potato. On the fantasy dimension of the story, his head then turned into one.
Flying through the universe, the potato would have landed in the forest, leaving the golden pond where it fell. In P17, Mr C then followed the coordinates to the pond, apparently assuming that the "man in Columbia" would have been there, or at least his head.
These complicated schemes would then circle back to George. In the opening episode, Detective Harrison interrupted Hastings's interview.
Overall then, it looks like Albert got the Fireman killed. But who was he really?
submitted by kaleviko to twinpeaks [link] [comments]
There is also another Yankton in the United States. This Yankton is a little village in Columbia County, Oregon, down the Columbia River from Portland. Coincidentally, Portland was where Cole called Agent Chester Desmond in Fire Walk with Me. A little further up the river, there would have been the imaginary Deer Meadow where Teresa Bank was found murdered, floating in one of the Columbia River's many tributaries, the Wind River.
Coincidentally, Columbia County in Oregon and Yankton in South Dakota are also connected by the early 19th century Lewis and Clark expedition that passed through both. This expedition got random attention when Wally paid his respects to Sheriff Truman in P4.
Wally: "From Alexandria, Virginia, to Stockton, California, I think about Lewis and his friend Clark, the first Caucasians to see this part of the world. Their footsteps have been the highways and byways of my days on the road."Wally appeared to further hint about the speculated connection. Alexandria, Virginia, is right next to District of Columbia while Stockton rhymes with Yankton.
At this point, these observations would link to a strange confession Albert made to Cole in P3. Years ago, Jeffries had been in touch with him, asking for some "information" that he needed to pass on to Cooper.
Cole: "What information did they want?" Albert: "I told Phillip who our man was in Columbia." Cole: "And?" Albert: "A week later, that man was killed."Neither of them returned to the discussion, leaving it for us to figure out what was going on. Naturally, there was nothing more about Columbia either, but we were left with the slim idea Albert's Columbia may have been associated with Columbia County, Oregon.
As usual, to help us deal with the disbelief how steep these slippery slopes are, each blurry clue appears backed up by another that led to the same outcome. Thus, there would be another way how Yankton connected to Columbia, possibly revealing in the process what this South Dakota business was all about.
He found the man in Columbia.
In P2, on Mr C's map, as he zoomed out from Buckhorn and then in to Yankton, the oversized title DAKOTA got cut to its bottom right corner. The purpose in that probably was that what remained visible of the last three letters could just as well have been the same corner from COLUMBIA. Together with the other Yankton being in actual Columbia, this got us as close as possible to a conclusion that the place was the likely site where "our man" was before Albert got him killed, his whereabouts now showing up as the prison.
This would also come with the likelihood that what was going on in South Dakota was really about what was now going on in Oregon in Fire Walk with Me. Instead of direct narration or laborious flashbacks with digitally recreated characters, more of the past events would have been revealed by staging them in future settings, making that the future past, like seeing new dreams that were based on old history.
For this to have been figured out as intended, we should be able to identify "our man" in Yankton. A week later, that man was killed. The one man from Yankton who did get killed was Warden Murphy, shot dead with two bullets in P12.
Your man, right. RIGHT.
Earlier in P4, when the FBI arrived in Yankton Federal Prison and the Warden was still alive, they were first led to a separate room to have a look at some findings. There were six of them lined up in the room. On the left, Inspector Randy Hollister spoke.
Hollister: "That's your man, right?" Cole: "Holy jumpin' George."While we assumed they were talking about Cooper's disheveled mugshot, the actual idea may have been to indicate that the Warden, standing on the very right, was "your man".
Elsewhere in the story, the "information" that Albert let Jeffries pass to Cooper, leading to "that man" getting killed, would align with the coordinates that Mr C was after, trying to locate a certain place for an unknown reason. The place that the coordinates pointed at would have been where "our man" was to be found, presumably leading him to the Warden.
Following the information.
Both the coordinates and their counterpart - the information on a piece of paper from inside a metal tube left behind by Major Briggs - led to a small golden pond by a bare sycamore tree somewhere in the forest on the Blue Pine Mountain. The pond was also associated with the drawing on Mr C's Ace of Spades that he showed to Darya in P2, telling her it was what he wanted.
Murphies with two shoots.
The irregular blob on the card also resembled what looked like a potato escaping when the Experiment's vomited in P8, along with BOB's head. Another word for a potato is a murphy, and as Warden Murphy died after shot twice, that would link him to the drawing on the card that had two shoots on the possible murphy.
Murphy seems to have got his murphy cut off.
This potato would also have a link to Hastings's lawyer George who further connected to the Fireman. Accordingly, Cole commented Hollister's remark about "your man" with a reference to a George.
The last (and first) we saw of George was when he arrived in jail in P2, possibly hinting that in another storyline, he was still there, now as the prison Warden. While George was framed together with stacks of forms hanging on the wall, the first time we saw the Warden who was framed together with a wall sign saying, "You are required to fill out a form" in P4.
Fill in the custody forms, and we'll put you in the form of the Warden.
Last we heard of George hinted how he may have got his new "form". In P9, Detective Macklay left us wondering about George's fate.
Macklay: "Once we took Hastings into custody, his wife was murdered in their house, apparently by their lawyer, a man named George Bouncer, who is now also in custody."Being "in custody" has two meanings. One is imprisonment while the other is about being a custodian. Another kind of custodian is a warden.
If you are a fireman, then you must have a fire alarm.
Then in P7, the Warden stepped out of his office and was briefly framed together with a fire alarm on the opposite wall. In the next episode P8, the Fireman got some kind of an alarm that ruined his slow evening with Senorita Dido. He walked to his theater and checked some "security footage", freezing it to the moment when the assumed potato was just coming out of the Experiment's vomit. The Fireman floated up and fell asleep, seeing golden dreams that came out of his head.
Looks like mine.
As the loose potato also seems to be connected to the Fireman, the twist here may have been that somewhere in the universe, he had been decapitated by the Experiment. Now, his severed head showed up as the spud, possibly because he had been Warden Murphy and a murphy is a potato. On the fantasy dimension of the story, his head then turned into one.
Flying through the universe, the potato would have landed in the forest, leaving the golden pond where it fell. In P17, Mr C then followed the coordinates to the pond, apparently assuming that the "man in Columbia" would have been there, or at least his head.
These complicated schemes would then circle back to George. In the opening episode, Detective Harrison interrupted Hastings's interview.
Harrison: "Show Mr Hastings to his new room. He can meet with his lawyer there."We didn't see George visiting his client but we did see someone else there. Later in P2, Camera moved from Hastings's cell to show a strangely frozen Woodsman sitting nearby. The Woodsman faded away, but then his head reappeared, flying somewhere on its own. Regarding how the plot seems to have gone, that Woodsman would have been representative of George aka the Fireman, having just lost his head.
Overall then, it looks like Albert got the Fireman killed. But who was he really?
2024.05.07 00:02 WeirdViper Friday Night Smackdown Month 4 Week 1
Smackdown kicks off with COO Triple H standing in the ring
Triple H: Ladies & Gentlemen welcome to Friday Night Smackdown, now last week it was revealed that Kelly Kelly was leaving her position as Smackdown General Manager and we would like to thank her for her time and the door is always open for a return. But that raises the question who is the new General Manager of Smackdown well, lets not waste any time.
There is a dramatic pause before "Light it up" begins to play and the crowd goes nuts as AJ Lee steps out onto the stage, she makes her way to the ring doing her trademark skip before getting in the ring and shaking Triple H's hand before he leaves.
AJ Lee: I am not here to waste anytime so lets get right to the point, when I was active in the ring I was always making history so lets make some tonight.
AJ gestures to a stand that is set up in the ring with a cloth on it, she reaches over pulling it off revealing a championship belt
AJ Lee: This is the first ever WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship and we will have a 16 woman tournament to decide the first ever Champion... and no this tournament won't take place in Brazil. Tonight will be full of all 8 first round matchups, leading to the finals being held at Backlash so lets not waste anytime and get right into the matches.
__________
Alexa Bliss vs Maxxine Dupri
Results: 2 fresh faces are facing off here as The Goddess Alexa Bliss takes on the still learning Maxxine Dupri. It is not a shock to anyone as the veteran Bliss controls most of the match and picks up the win with Twisted Bliss.
Winner Alexa Bliss
__________
Xia Brookside vs Tiffany Stratton
Results: Xia with a huge opportunity in her first match here as she takes on the Women's champion in round one of the tournament, Tiffany controls a lot of the match but as Xia is starting to fight back, Roxanne appears and behind the referee's back hits Xia in the back with a pipe... or so she thinks. As Xia is falling the referee turns, sees Xia falling and sees Roxanne on the apron. The ref pauses briefly then calls for the bell and disqualifies Tiffany.
Winner Xia Brookside
__________
Toni Storm vs Scarlett
Results: Scarlett shows off some skill early but eventually Toni takes over and after hitting the Storm Zero picks up the win to move on
Winner Toni Storm
__________
Mandy Rose vs Julia Hart
Results: These two both seem cautious early on, as the match goes on it looks like Mandy is close to winning when Karmen Petrovic appears and behind the refs back goes to mist Mandy, but Mandy ducks and Karmen mists Julia leading to Mandy getting a roll up and a sneaky win
Winner Mandy Rose
After the match Karmen & Julia start to attack Mandy, leading to Fallon Henley running in to make the save as officials separate the women, leading into the next match
__________
Karmen Petrovic vs Fallon Henley
Results: Karmen goes right after Fallon, clearly upset over what just happened, Karmen wastes no time and locks in the single leg neck lock and gets the quick submission victory
Winner: Karmen Petrovic
__________
Liv Morgan vs Sasha Banks
Results: Sasha making her return tonight, these two start off slow seeming to respect each other, as the match goes on Liv seems to get more and more aggressive, at one point ramming Sasha's shoulder into the ring post. Eventually Liv hits the ObLIVion for the win
Winner Liv Morgan
__________
Rhea Ripley vs Skye Blue
Results: Skye spends the early part of the match going for quick pins and trying to use any tactic she can, however in the end Rhea's power is too much as she nails Skye with the RipTide for the win
Winner Rhea Ripley
________
Giulia vs Natalya
Results: These two are clearly veterans who know how to work as they both try their best to take advantage of their strengths, at one point Natalya gets Giulia locked into the Sharpshooter and fans think Giulia is about to tap till she makes it to the ropes. In the end Giulia locks in Bianca, and Natalya is forced to tap
Winner Giulia
Smackdown goes off the air with a graphic showing the 8 women who advanced tonight
submitted by WeirdViper to RedflamesBookingNow [link] [comments]
Triple H: Ladies & Gentlemen welcome to Friday Night Smackdown, now last week it was revealed that Kelly Kelly was leaving her position as Smackdown General Manager and we would like to thank her for her time and the door is always open for a return. But that raises the question who is the new General Manager of Smackdown well, lets not waste any time.
There is a dramatic pause before "Light it up" begins to play and the crowd goes nuts as AJ Lee steps out onto the stage, she makes her way to the ring doing her trademark skip before getting in the ring and shaking Triple H's hand before he leaves.
AJ Lee: I am not here to waste anytime so lets get right to the point, when I was active in the ring I was always making history so lets make some tonight.
AJ gestures to a stand that is set up in the ring with a cloth on it, she reaches over pulling it off revealing a championship belt
AJ Lee: This is the first ever WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship and we will have a 16 woman tournament to decide the first ever Champion... and no this tournament won't take place in Brazil. Tonight will be full of all 8 first round matchups, leading to the finals being held at Backlash so lets not waste anytime and get right into the matches.
__________
Alexa Bliss vs Maxxine Dupri
Results: 2 fresh faces are facing off here as The Goddess Alexa Bliss takes on the still learning Maxxine Dupri. It is not a shock to anyone as the veteran Bliss controls most of the match and picks up the win with Twisted Bliss.
Winner Alexa Bliss
__________
Xia Brookside vs Tiffany Stratton
Results: Xia with a huge opportunity in her first match here as she takes on the Women's champion in round one of the tournament, Tiffany controls a lot of the match but as Xia is starting to fight back, Roxanne appears and behind the referee's back hits Xia in the back with a pipe... or so she thinks. As Xia is falling the referee turns, sees Xia falling and sees Roxanne on the apron. The ref pauses briefly then calls for the bell and disqualifies Tiffany.
Winner Xia Brookside
__________
Toni Storm vs Scarlett
Results: Scarlett shows off some skill early but eventually Toni takes over and after hitting the Storm Zero picks up the win to move on
Winner Toni Storm
__________
Mandy Rose vs Julia Hart
Results: These two both seem cautious early on, as the match goes on it looks like Mandy is close to winning when Karmen Petrovic appears and behind the refs back goes to mist Mandy, but Mandy ducks and Karmen mists Julia leading to Mandy getting a roll up and a sneaky win
Winner Mandy Rose
After the match Karmen & Julia start to attack Mandy, leading to Fallon Henley running in to make the save as officials separate the women, leading into the next match
__________
Karmen Petrovic vs Fallon Henley
Results: Karmen goes right after Fallon, clearly upset over what just happened, Karmen wastes no time and locks in the single leg neck lock and gets the quick submission victory
Winner: Karmen Petrovic
__________
Liv Morgan vs Sasha Banks
Results: Sasha making her return tonight, these two start off slow seeming to respect each other, as the match goes on Liv seems to get more and more aggressive, at one point ramming Sasha's shoulder into the ring post. Eventually Liv hits the ObLIVion for the win
Winner Liv Morgan
__________
Rhea Ripley vs Skye Blue
Results: Skye spends the early part of the match going for quick pins and trying to use any tactic she can, however in the end Rhea's power is too much as she nails Skye with the RipTide for the win
Winner Rhea Ripley
________
Giulia vs Natalya
Results: These two are clearly veterans who know how to work as they both try their best to take advantage of their strengths, at one point Natalya gets Giulia locked into the Sharpshooter and fans think Giulia is about to tap till she makes it to the ropes. In the end Giulia locks in Bianca, and Natalya is forced to tap
Winner Giulia
Smackdown goes off the air with a graphic showing the 8 women who advanced tonight
2024.05.06 22:09 namelessunknown1 I can't get my lawn mower to start
 | I have a lawn tractor engine I put on a mower and it wouldn't start so I cleaned out the carberator and still nothing submitted by namelessunknown1 to lawnmowers [link] [comments] So I ultra sonics cleaned it with all the jets and ports removed. Still nothing. I did it all agian in a can of carb parts washer Still nothing Nothing is blocked the motor just won't start. It only runs off quick start and then it bogs out when I stop using quick start. A new carberator is 150 dollars and I'm not looking to spend that so any tips? The motor is a 21hp briggs and stratton vanguard and has a two barrel Nikki carberator. |
2024.05.06 11:24 unevenwill River branded Mulcher/chipper
I have an old Rover mulcher, perhaps from the late 70s. The second photo I found online and matches my mulcher. It’s got a 5hp Briggs and Stratton engine that runs beautifully. Well, it did until recently. I pulled and pulled on the starter cord recently and was wondering why it wasn’t starting when I noticed the situation shown in my photo. I assume there was a glass window there. Does anyone know where I could possibly find parts for this old girl? Or what model it is etc or any helpful info? Cheers.
submitted by unevenwill to smallengines [link] [comments]