Pla lashes
Kobra(Standard) Guide and Tips
2023.05.16 16:09 K_Prints3D Kobra(Standard) Guide and Tips
Hey all, I’m tired of seeing all the Kobra hate so here is a guide to getting peak performance from your Kobra.
One of the below links is a link to a general guide I found on a Kobra Facebook group. You can ignore the first few sections on tuning as it is usually on point from the factory. The other link is a Prusa profile I made that’s geared towards PLA with a 0.4mm nozzle.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hQ8fXXjWE-dnWe5WLZcCs4aZ9Gf9KIu_/view?usp=drivesdk
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19IJDYukagmwTXQ_ApvPc6_TyC-kGGLNYsQa2Wi0JBJI/edit
General tips:
Clean all rails and the wheels every few prints.
Check for wheel wear and gently tighten if any play or wobble can be felt. Z banding is usually a sign that the wheels are too tight/loose. The goal is to be just tight enough to eliminate wobble while still allowing the slightest amount of slip between the wheel and rail
Clean Z Rod and install an anti-back lash nut: helps z banding.
Install z rod stabilizer.
Upgrade to a hardened tool steel nozzle
Replace all belts with better belts: link in above google doc.
Print duct and install 5015 blower fan: links to 4 different designs and fan link are in the google doc.
Wash your bed with dish soap, a sponge, and hot water every 3-4 prints to maintain peak adhesion.
Don’t over tighten the extruder tensioner. If too tight wit will lead to terrible surface quality. See google doc.
I hope this helps everyone having struggles with their Kobra.
submitted by K_Prints3D to 3Dprinting [link] [comments]
One of the below links is a link to a general guide I found on a Kobra Facebook group. You can ignore the first few sections on tuning as it is usually on point from the factory. The other link is a Prusa profile I made that’s geared towards PLA with a 0.4mm nozzle.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hQ8fXXjWE-dnWe5WLZcCs4aZ9Gf9KIu_/view?usp=drivesdk
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19IJDYukagmwTXQ_ApvPc6_TyC-kGGLNYsQa2Wi0JBJI/edit
General tips:
Clean all rails and the wheels every few prints.
Check for wheel wear and gently tighten if any play or wobble can be felt. Z banding is usually a sign that the wheels are too tight/loose. The goal is to be just tight enough to eliminate wobble while still allowing the slightest amount of slip between the wheel and rail
Clean Z Rod and install an anti-back lash nut: helps z banding.
Install z rod stabilizer.
Upgrade to a hardened tool steel nozzle
Replace all belts with better belts: link in above google doc.
Print duct and install 5015 blower fan: links to 4 different designs and fan link are in the google doc.
Wash your bed with dish soap, a sponge, and hot water every 3-4 prints to maintain peak adhesion.
Don’t over tighten the extruder tensioner. If too tight wit will lead to terrible surface quality. See google doc.
I hope this helps everyone having struggles with their Kobra.
2023.05.16 16:08 K_Prints3D Kobra(Standard) Guide and Tips
Hey all, I’m tired of seeing all the Kobra hate so here is a guide to getting peak performance from your Kobra.
One of the below links is a link to a general guide I found on a Kobra Facebook group. You can ignore the first few sections on tuning as it is usually on point from the factory. The other link is a Prusa profile I made that’s geared towards PLA with a 0.4mm nozzle.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hQ8fXXjWE-dnWe5WLZcCs4aZ9Gf9KIu_/view?usp=drivesdk
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19IJDYukagmwTXQ_ApvPc6_TyC-kGGLNYsQa2Wi0JBJI/edit
General tips:
Clean all rails and the wheels every few prints.
Check for wheel wear and gently tighten if any play or wobble can be felt. Z banding is usually a sign that the wheels are too tight/loose. The goal is to be just tight enough to eliminate wobble while still allowing the slightest amount of slip between the wheel and rail
Clean Z Rod and install an anti-back lash nut: helps z banding.
Install z rod stabilizer.
Upgrade to a hardened tool steel nozzle
Replace all belts with better belts: link in above google doc.
Print duct and install 5015 blower fan: links to 4 different designs and fan link are in the google doc.
Wash your bed with dish soap, a sponge, and hot water every 3-4 prints to maintain peak adhesion.
Don’t over tighten the extruder tensioner. If too tight wit will lead to terrible surface quality. See google doc.
I hope this helps everyone having struggles with their Kobra.
submitted by K_Prints3D to anycubickobra [link] [comments]
One of the below links is a link to a general guide I found on a Kobra Facebook group. You can ignore the first few sections on tuning as it is usually on point from the factory. The other link is a Prusa profile I made that’s geared towards PLA with a 0.4mm nozzle.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hQ8fXXjWE-dnWe5WLZcCs4aZ9Gf9KIu_/view?usp=drivesdk
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19IJDYukagmwTXQ_ApvPc6_TyC-kGGLNYsQa2Wi0JBJI/edit
General tips:
Clean all rails and the wheels every few prints.
Check for wheel wear and gently tighten if any play or wobble can be felt. Z banding is usually a sign that the wheels are too tight/loose. The goal is to be just tight enough to eliminate wobble while still allowing the slightest amount of slip between the wheel and rail
Clean Z Rod and install an anti-back lash nut: helps z banding.
Install z rod stabilizer.
Upgrade to a hardened tool steel nozzle
Replace all belts with better belts: link in above google doc.
Print duct and install 5015 blower fan: links to 4 different designs and fan link are in the google doc.
Wash your bed with dish soap, a sponge, and hot water every 3-4 prints to maintain peak adhesion.
Don’t over tighten the extruder tensioner. If too tight wit will lead to terrible surface quality. See google doc.
I hope this helps everyone having struggles with their Kobra.
2023.05.16 16:03 K_Prints3D Kobra(Standard) Guide and Tips
Hey all, I’m tired of seeing all the Kobra hate so here is a guide to getting peak performance from your Kobra.
One of the below links is a link to a general guide I found on a Kobra Facebook group. You can ignore the first few sections on tuning as it is usually on point from the factory. The other link is a Prusa profile I made that’s geared towards PLA with a 0.4mm nozzle.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hQ8fXXjWE-dnWe5WLZcCs4aZ9Gf9KIu_/view?usp=drivesdk
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19IJDYukagmwTXQ_ApvPc6_TyC-kGGLNYsQa2Wi0JBJI/edit
General tips:
Clean all rails and the wheels every few prints.
Check for wheel wear and gently tighten if any play or wobble can be felt. Z banding is usually a sign that the wheels are too tight/loose. The goal is to be just tight enough to eliminate wobble while still allowing the slightest amount of slip between the wheel and rail
Clean Z Rod and install an anti-back lash nut: helps z banding.
Install z rod stabilizer.
Upgrade to a hardened tool steel nozzle
Replace all belts with better belts: link in above google doc.
Print duct and install 5015 blower fan: links to 4 different designs and fan link are in the google doc.
Wash your bed with dish soap, a sponge, and hot water every 3-4 prints to maintain peak adhesion.
Don’t over tighten the extruder tensioner. If too tight wit will lead to terrible surface quality. See google doc.
I hope this helps everyone having struggles with their Kobra.
submitted by K_Prints3D to anycubic [link] [comments]
One of the below links is a link to a general guide I found on a Kobra Facebook group. You can ignore the first few sections on tuning as it is usually on point from the factory. The other link is a Prusa profile I made that’s geared towards PLA with a 0.4mm nozzle.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hQ8fXXjWE-dnWe5WLZcCs4aZ9Gf9KIu_/view?usp=drivesdk
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19IJDYukagmwTXQ_ApvPc6_TyC-kGGLNYsQa2Wi0JBJI/edit
General tips:
Clean all rails and the wheels every few prints.
Check for wheel wear and gently tighten if any play or wobble can be felt. Z banding is usually a sign that the wheels are too tight/loose. The goal is to be just tight enough to eliminate wobble while still allowing the slightest amount of slip between the wheel and rail
Clean Z Rod and install an anti-back lash nut: helps z banding.
Install z rod stabilizer.
Upgrade to a hardened tool steel nozzle
Replace all belts with better belts: link in above google doc.
Print duct and install 5015 blower fan: links to 4 different designs and fan link are in the google doc.
Wash your bed with dish soap, a sponge, and hot water every 3-4 prints to maintain peak adhesion.
Don’t over tighten the extruder tensioner. If too tight wit will lead to terrible surface quality. See google doc.
I hope this helps everyone having struggles with their Kobra.
2023.05.08 05:38 Regular-Cobbler2877 PLA
PLA (paris lash academy) has released nail products and gel polishes and I was wondering if anyone has tried them yet? They appeal to me for being vegan and hema free but I haven’t heard much about it.
submitted by Regular-Cobbler2877 to Nailtechs [link] [comments]
2023.04.23 02:45 CreativeGhost1 Nature of the ARKs chapter 5
hello! here's another chapter of my story for you all to enjoy. credit to u/SpacePaladin15 for his world, which I have blended together with the game ARK: Survival Evolved.
—---------—
Eugene, Male Human Survivor
Date: ???
(Subject taken from the year 2136).
Survival Quotient: To Be Determined
I awoke exactly as I expected I would, sore and not very rested at all. Neither of these things will slow me down today. After thinking about it a bit this morning, if there's a bunch of dinosaurs on this island then that is very likely to include the carnivorous ones, things I don’t really want to deal with right now, or ever.
So I have decided that I want to build a raft.
It won’t be much, just a solid floating platform that I can push while swimming along the coast, and rest on whenever I tire. I’ll be staying close to the shore so I can stop whenever I need to meet my physical needs and continue on my merry way around the island. I’ll also be steering very clear of any more of those sky bound demons masquerading as birds that I see.
So with another step towards my goal and a primitively constructed stone axe in hand, I set to work gathering wood. First I searched for any big pieces of wood I hadn’t used in last night’s fire, which resulted in me finding two long logs in the underbrush that I dragged out right next to the shoreline. I spent a bit of time and a grueling amount of effort attempting to chop the longer log and bring it more in line with the smaller one’s size so that the raft wouldn’t be particularly lopsided. With this done I ran off to the short, thin palm trees next to the cliff and began beating them senseless with my axe.
It was actually kinda cathartic chopping down the trees, the repetitive motions continuing throughout midday and an appreciable amount of the afternoon. I kept myself satiated with berries I picked from the bushes during breaks. I’ve expanded my horizons from just the blue raspberries to the red and yellow ones as well ever since the encounter with the stealgull. I personally like the red berries most, which taste primarily tangy, but have a sweet and sour aftertaste that I think is absolutely delicious for wild food.
I stopped my work at a little over a dozen felled trees, believing this will suffice to make the base of the structure for now. I dragged each of the thin logs over to their larger counterparts at the shoreline, where I stripped them of their leaves and once again tried to bring their lengths in line with each other. Once they were sufficiently even I put the big logs about eight feet apart from each other, then set the thin palm trunks across them. There were three main sections to this construction, a larger central platform and two pontoons made of three or four pieces on the sides for stabilization.
Now to find something to lash the pieces together.
I headed over to the tip of the peninsula where the cliff sloped down and inland foliage grew over the plenitude of boulders. There I spent a great deal of time finding and gathering sturdy vines with which I will bind the raft together and begin my journey, though said journey will likely start tomorrow with the way things are going collecting these vines.
I decided to grab some stalks of bamboo I found on my way back, putting a massive effort into uprooting them but knowing it would be worth it to integrate the hollow stems into my raft for their buoyancy in the water. By the time I got back to the site of yesterday’s fire and the raft it was already evening. I set the fruits of my gathering down and began preparing a fire again.
This time it was much quicker to catch alight now that I have a slight amount of experience in making fire. The fuel I used was a general mixture of the discarded parts of the raft I cut off and more driftwood and fallen sticks from the surrounding beach greenery. palm leaves and little chunks of wood crackled in the twilight as I began lashing all the pieces of the raft together with the vines. I only had the frame done by the time night fully set in.
I’m not gonna be able to finish this tonight.
With this thought I set down my work and went over to my “bed” of dry plant matter. I really need to upgrade from this mess, there’s only so many nights in a row I can handle waking up like I had today.
So with today’s end what did I accomplish? I got most of the work for building a raft done, I am getting better at making fire and now there are another two berries that I know are safe for consumption. That’s an alright amount of stuff done today, it only sets up tomorrow to be better.
As I drifted to sleep I pointedly tried not to let all the questions I had about everybody back home form.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the morning I finished the lashings on the raft, tying the bamboo and logs as sturdily together as I could. Today I intend to properly begin exploring northward and finding out everything I can about the ins and outs of this island. I dumped my tools onto the raft and pushed it into the water, which was far more difficult to do than it sounds.
I tested the raft’s seaworthiness by climbing atop of it, and seeing as it wasn’t sinking I smiled, proud of my handiwork. I jumped into the water and began pushing my creation northward. Each and every time I ran out of breath I climbed up onto my raft and took in the sights of the coast.
I passed the peninsula I had lived on for the past two days, which was for the most part just a sandy beach all the way down its length. I did see the entrance to a cave in the cliff though, that’s something to remember.
As I kept pushing my raft northwards I kept note of all the creatures I saw, many of which I recognised from popular media like Jurassic Park or the few times I looked dinosaurs up on the internet. Besides the parasaur I had already encountered there was a turtle larger than myself lazily basking in the sun, a pack of… what were they called? Compys? The small little theropods that attacked that one lady in the second movie. There was a dilophosaurus chasing a thick barrel-shaped quadruped creature that I didn’t recognise, and a large pterosaur of some sort was watching the scene from above, likely hoping to scavenge a meal.
After I was done recovering my energy, I got back into the water and continued traveling. The water seemed strangely not-salty for an ocean. This is most definitely not earth. I steered around a particularly large rock protruding from the sea as I began to see mangrove trees in the distance.
I felt something brush my leg.
Panic overtook me, and I scrambled onto my raft again. I do not experience thalassophobia, but on this sort of island where there are things that can definitely kill you you really don’t take chances. I looked into the deep only to see a thin tail disappear into the darkness. Yep. Right call.
I dunked my head in to risk a look at my subsurface surroundings. Nothing but some sand on the bottom and coelacanths with decidedly non-wispy tails. Creepy.
Now I have a dilemma. I need to push my boat, but if I submerge then something could possibly kill me. If I go to the beach then I get torn apart by a dilo or a compy pack or something far, far worse. Even if I avoided those, what could possibly be in that swampy mangrove area ahead?
Deciding that the land was proven to be dangerous right now while the sea was only possibly dangerous I risked it and got back into the water. I did not have such an unsettling encounter again.
I passed the mangrove area . There was an enormous frog and a boomerang headed salamander hiding in the trees, as well as something partially submerged in the water that had a large sail on its back. I had a feeling I didn’t want to be here for any reason in my time on this island. I continued onward.
The swampy mangroves gave way to the beach again, and I saw a great many things as I swam. Sauropods, huge quadruped mammals, snakes, triceratops herds, a carnotaurus eating its fill of a freshly killed parasaur, and the desecrated corpse of a venlil.
…wait, what?
I did a double take and sure enough there was the corpse of something fluffy stained in orange. I felt sorrow that I couldn’t have helped them before, but I couldn’t have known someone else was on this island and I wouldn’t let myself be down for something I couldn’t have prevented and wasn’t responsible for.
I continued further up the coast taking in the sight of all the dinosaurs. I’m very glad I made this raft, the sheer amount of carnivores here is astounding. The Federation would have nuked this pla-
Is that another venlil?
In the middle of my pondering I saw a furry humanoid sitting still next to a rock in the distance, which upon squinting I could confirm was indeed a venlil. No nostrils, side facing eyes, astonishing fluffiness, prehensile tail, all of it checks out. They must be terrified.
“Well Eugene, you signed up for their Exchange Program, so you may as well go over there and talk to them,” I said to myself “Ha, who knows, maybe this could go really well!”
And with that I headed over to the stranded venlil as the sun began setting.
—---------—
and there we go, Eugene is about to meet Avli! let's hope it goes well.
[first] (https://www.reddit.com/NatureofPredators/comments/12mksa3/nature_of_the_arks_chapter_1/) [previous] (https://www.reddit.com/NatureofPredators/comments/12ujhax/nature_of_the_arks_chapter_4/) [next](https://www.reddit.com/NatureofPredators/comments/12wxady/nature_of_the_arks_chapter_6/)
submitted by CreativeGhost1 to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
—---------—
Eugene, Male Human Survivor
Date: ???
(Subject taken from the year 2136).
Survival Quotient: To Be Determined
I awoke exactly as I expected I would, sore and not very rested at all. Neither of these things will slow me down today. After thinking about it a bit this morning, if there's a bunch of dinosaurs on this island then that is very likely to include the carnivorous ones, things I don’t really want to deal with right now, or ever.
So I have decided that I want to build a raft.
It won’t be much, just a solid floating platform that I can push while swimming along the coast, and rest on whenever I tire. I’ll be staying close to the shore so I can stop whenever I need to meet my physical needs and continue on my merry way around the island. I’ll also be steering very clear of any more of those sky bound demons masquerading as birds that I see.
So with another step towards my goal and a primitively constructed stone axe in hand, I set to work gathering wood. First I searched for any big pieces of wood I hadn’t used in last night’s fire, which resulted in me finding two long logs in the underbrush that I dragged out right next to the shoreline. I spent a bit of time and a grueling amount of effort attempting to chop the longer log and bring it more in line with the smaller one’s size so that the raft wouldn’t be particularly lopsided. With this done I ran off to the short, thin palm trees next to the cliff and began beating them senseless with my axe.
It was actually kinda cathartic chopping down the trees, the repetitive motions continuing throughout midday and an appreciable amount of the afternoon. I kept myself satiated with berries I picked from the bushes during breaks. I’ve expanded my horizons from just the blue raspberries to the red and yellow ones as well ever since the encounter with the stealgull. I personally like the red berries most, which taste primarily tangy, but have a sweet and sour aftertaste that I think is absolutely delicious for wild food.
I stopped my work at a little over a dozen felled trees, believing this will suffice to make the base of the structure for now. I dragged each of the thin logs over to their larger counterparts at the shoreline, where I stripped them of their leaves and once again tried to bring their lengths in line with each other. Once they were sufficiently even I put the big logs about eight feet apart from each other, then set the thin palm trunks across them. There were three main sections to this construction, a larger central platform and two pontoons made of three or four pieces on the sides for stabilization.
Now to find something to lash the pieces together.
I headed over to the tip of the peninsula where the cliff sloped down and inland foliage grew over the plenitude of boulders. There I spent a great deal of time finding and gathering sturdy vines with which I will bind the raft together and begin my journey, though said journey will likely start tomorrow with the way things are going collecting these vines.
I decided to grab some stalks of bamboo I found on my way back, putting a massive effort into uprooting them but knowing it would be worth it to integrate the hollow stems into my raft for their buoyancy in the water. By the time I got back to the site of yesterday’s fire and the raft it was already evening. I set the fruits of my gathering down and began preparing a fire again.
This time it was much quicker to catch alight now that I have a slight amount of experience in making fire. The fuel I used was a general mixture of the discarded parts of the raft I cut off and more driftwood and fallen sticks from the surrounding beach greenery. palm leaves and little chunks of wood crackled in the twilight as I began lashing all the pieces of the raft together with the vines. I only had the frame done by the time night fully set in.
I’m not gonna be able to finish this tonight.
With this thought I set down my work and went over to my “bed” of dry plant matter. I really need to upgrade from this mess, there’s only so many nights in a row I can handle waking up like I had today.
So with today’s end what did I accomplish? I got most of the work for building a raft done, I am getting better at making fire and now there are another two berries that I know are safe for consumption. That’s an alright amount of stuff done today, it only sets up tomorrow to be better.
As I drifted to sleep I pointedly tried not to let all the questions I had about everybody back home form.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the morning I finished the lashings on the raft, tying the bamboo and logs as sturdily together as I could. Today I intend to properly begin exploring northward and finding out everything I can about the ins and outs of this island. I dumped my tools onto the raft and pushed it into the water, which was far more difficult to do than it sounds.
I tested the raft’s seaworthiness by climbing atop of it, and seeing as it wasn’t sinking I smiled, proud of my handiwork. I jumped into the water and began pushing my creation northward. Each and every time I ran out of breath I climbed up onto my raft and took in the sights of the coast.
I passed the peninsula I had lived on for the past two days, which was for the most part just a sandy beach all the way down its length. I did see the entrance to a cave in the cliff though, that’s something to remember.
As I kept pushing my raft northwards I kept note of all the creatures I saw, many of which I recognised from popular media like Jurassic Park or the few times I looked dinosaurs up on the internet. Besides the parasaur I had already encountered there was a turtle larger than myself lazily basking in the sun, a pack of… what were they called? Compys? The small little theropods that attacked that one lady in the second movie. There was a dilophosaurus chasing a thick barrel-shaped quadruped creature that I didn’t recognise, and a large pterosaur of some sort was watching the scene from above, likely hoping to scavenge a meal.
After I was done recovering my energy, I got back into the water and continued traveling. The water seemed strangely not-salty for an ocean. This is most definitely not earth. I steered around a particularly large rock protruding from the sea as I began to see mangrove trees in the distance.
I felt something brush my leg.
Panic overtook me, and I scrambled onto my raft again. I do not experience thalassophobia, but on this sort of island where there are things that can definitely kill you you really don’t take chances. I looked into the deep only to see a thin tail disappear into the darkness. Yep. Right call.
I dunked my head in to risk a look at my subsurface surroundings. Nothing but some sand on the bottom and coelacanths with decidedly non-wispy tails. Creepy.
Now I have a dilemma. I need to push my boat, but if I submerge then something could possibly kill me. If I go to the beach then I get torn apart by a dilo or a compy pack or something far, far worse. Even if I avoided those, what could possibly be in that swampy mangrove area ahead?
Deciding that the land was proven to be dangerous right now while the sea was only possibly dangerous I risked it and got back into the water. I did not have such an unsettling encounter again.
I passed the mangrove area . There was an enormous frog and a boomerang headed salamander hiding in the trees, as well as something partially submerged in the water that had a large sail on its back. I had a feeling I didn’t want to be here for any reason in my time on this island. I continued onward.
The swampy mangroves gave way to the beach again, and I saw a great many things as I swam. Sauropods, huge quadruped mammals, snakes, triceratops herds, a carnotaurus eating its fill of a freshly killed parasaur, and the desecrated corpse of a venlil.
…wait, what?
I did a double take and sure enough there was the corpse of something fluffy stained in orange. I felt sorrow that I couldn’t have helped them before, but I couldn’t have known someone else was on this island and I wouldn’t let myself be down for something I couldn’t have prevented and wasn’t responsible for.
I continued further up the coast taking in the sight of all the dinosaurs. I’m very glad I made this raft, the sheer amount of carnivores here is astounding. The Federation would have nuked this pla-
Is that another venlil?
In the middle of my pondering I saw a furry humanoid sitting still next to a rock in the distance, which upon squinting I could confirm was indeed a venlil. No nostrils, side facing eyes, astonishing fluffiness, prehensile tail, all of it checks out. They must be terrified.
“Well Eugene, you signed up for their Exchange Program, so you may as well go over there and talk to them,” I said to myself “Ha, who knows, maybe this could go really well!”
And with that I headed over to the stranded venlil as the sun began setting.
—---------—
and there we go, Eugene is about to meet Avli! let's hope it goes well.
[first] (https://www.reddit.com/NatureofPredators/comments/12mksa3/nature_of_the_arks_chapter_1/) [previous] (https://www.reddit.com/NatureofPredators/comments/12ujhax/nature_of_the_arks_chapter_4/) [next](https://www.reddit.com/NatureofPredators/comments/12wxady/nature_of_the_arks_chapter_6/)
2023.04.18 16:15 shesapartofme Eye makeup suggestions for this outfit?
Hi!
I hope the link works (I don't know how to add pics).
https://www.newlook.com/uk/womens/clothing/dresses/ax-paris-dark-purple-animal-print-long-sleeve-frill-midi-wrap-dress/p/843757857?extcam=UK_PPC_PLA_Designer_NC_Google_DV_m_AGID_126584460476_PRID_8437757&_cclid=Google_EAIaIQobChMIobzl08uz_gIVDtPtCh0CKQrkEAQYAiABEgJ_QvD_BwE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIobzl08uz_gIVDtPtCh0CKQrkEAQYAiABEgJ_QvD_BwE
So I am wearing the dress like in the picture for a night out with some other trans girls - I mention this because I am not very experienced with makeup - and I will be pairing it with blush pink heels and handbag and I have light blonde hair and brows (happy to darken brows).
I had a little bit of an experiment the other night with sparkly pink on the eyelid and an attempt to match the plum of the dress in my crease and on lower lash line, with a little white highlight below the eyebrow. Mascara and black eyeliner with a pinky lip gloss to finish. I liked it enough, considering my clumsy hands applied it but before I go out, I have the option to have my makeup done professionally and I'd love to have the MUA copy a look that still contains the pink and plum of my outfit, but is in a style I could never accomplish at the minute.
Perhaps a smokey pinky cateye? Something fun and 'wow' but nothing that looks out of place with the clothes I am wearing.
Can anyone help me?
Thank you!
Abi x
submitted by shesapartofme to MakeupAddiction [link] [comments]
I hope the link works (I don't know how to add pics).
https://www.newlook.com/uk/womens/clothing/dresses/ax-paris-dark-purple-animal-print-long-sleeve-frill-midi-wrap-dress/p/843757857?extcam=UK_PPC_PLA_Designer_NC_Google_DV_m_AGID_126584460476_PRID_8437757&_cclid=Google_EAIaIQobChMIobzl08uz_gIVDtPtCh0CKQrkEAQYAiABEgJ_QvD_BwE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIobzl08uz_gIVDtPtCh0CKQrkEAQYAiABEgJ_QvD_BwE
So I am wearing the dress like in the picture for a night out with some other trans girls - I mention this because I am not very experienced with makeup - and I will be pairing it with blush pink heels and handbag and I have light blonde hair and brows (happy to darken brows).
I had a little bit of an experiment the other night with sparkly pink on the eyelid and an attempt to match the plum of the dress in my crease and on lower lash line, with a little white highlight below the eyebrow. Mascara and black eyeliner with a pinky lip gloss to finish. I liked it enough, considering my clumsy hands applied it but before I go out, I have the option to have my makeup done professionally and I'd love to have the MUA copy a look that still contains the pink and plum of my outfit, but is in a style I could never accomplish at the minute.
Perhaps a smokey pinky cateye? Something fun and 'wow' but nothing that looks out of place with the clothes I am wearing.
Can anyone help me?
Thank you!
Abi x
2023.04.15 13:29 xXSneakyPriestXx I would love to see Air PvE mode similar to Heli PvE mode!
Although war thunder is a "realistic" game , I've become to notice that gameplay has become somewhat too video game like, there is no emphasis on effective strategy and teamwork. Teamwork happens randomly, you all are pushing a singular point so therefore just by lashing together teamwork occurs but tbh despite what you team is doing , you will do your own thing , it just happens that you all want the same goal.
Goal currently: spawn, get as many kills as possible and preserve your survival chances.
There isn't anything wrong with this , it's fun and enjoyable. I don't mind the grind, without it war thunder wouldn't be fun (although they can tone it down a bit).
Back to topic XD, we have the Assualt mode but let's be real here , I can say 50% of the community have never touched it and those that have have played it under 5 times. I'd rather them remove that and add a pve similar to heli pve. With maybe 2 types, one for casual grinding with friends similar to heli pve. Just something to turn off your brain and pass time, with atleast some reward. The second type being more difficult, allowing for more strategic gameplay , a large emphasis on planning and effective execution. Requiring you and your friends to pla out loadouts and how one may approach the situation, a mix between cap points, ATA and ATG. Taking down AAs, Tanks, soft targets, maybe even buildings and then other Bot jets that are actually capable. Bot jets that use formation, missiles and general strategy against the players.
A combined arms version could be added but that would be very tough to implement but would be fantastic to see. This seems like a fever dream but I'm sure atleast a few fellow players somewhat share my vision or atleast would like to see it implemented.
This game mode must also have reasonable rewards, no one wants to go through all this work just to get 30k after an hour game.
Lastly maybe even just a different type of object in RB battles. Like I'm sure if an entire studio could think fo something, like I haven't seen any creative input into the game in awhile, some risks, something new to offer. I would not consider reading declassified tank documents , then just taking thar info and making a digital version of it as creative it's literally copy and paste with extra steps. This is also not meant to fire shots at the developers <3 but also we know you guys love money so much but please seriously, it is unhealthy for the community, you guys mentally manipulate your players at every step so that they have the highest probability of spending cash.
Thanks XD
submitted by xXSneakyPriestXx to Warthunder [link] [comments]
Goal currently: spawn, get as many kills as possible and preserve your survival chances.
There isn't anything wrong with this , it's fun and enjoyable. I don't mind the grind, without it war thunder wouldn't be fun (although they can tone it down a bit).
Back to topic XD, we have the Assualt mode but let's be real here , I can say 50% of the community have never touched it and those that have have played it under 5 times. I'd rather them remove that and add a pve similar to heli pve. With maybe 2 types, one for casual grinding with friends similar to heli pve. Just something to turn off your brain and pass time, with atleast some reward. The second type being more difficult, allowing for more strategic gameplay , a large emphasis on planning and effective execution. Requiring you and your friends to pla out loadouts and how one may approach the situation, a mix between cap points, ATA and ATG. Taking down AAs, Tanks, soft targets, maybe even buildings and then other Bot jets that are actually capable. Bot jets that use formation, missiles and general strategy against the players.
A combined arms version could be added but that would be very tough to implement but would be fantastic to see. This seems like a fever dream but I'm sure atleast a few fellow players somewhat share my vision or atleast would like to see it implemented.
This game mode must also have reasonable rewards, no one wants to go through all this work just to get 30k after an hour game.
Lastly maybe even just a different type of object in RB battles. Like I'm sure if an entire studio could think fo something, like I haven't seen any creative input into the game in awhile, some risks, something new to offer. I would not consider reading declassified tank documents , then just taking thar info and making a digital version of it as creative it's literally copy and paste with extra steps. This is also not meant to fire shots at the developers <3 but also we know you guys love money so much but please seriously, it is unhealthy for the community, you guys mentally manipulate your players at every step so that they have the highest probability of spending cash.
Thanks XD
2023.03.27 15:47 BeardedDragonProps Interest Check - All DIY Customizers, Long and Oddbody creators
 | Hi. I'm new to reddit and this community but I've been a Furby fan since 1998. I have quite a few now that I've restored and/or modified. Of eleven "dead" Furbies I've bought, only one was suffering from true death (water damaged board and everything rusted out and corroded,) and one is still irreversibly mute. I've also been involved in turning two of our Buddies into Oddbodies, and helped make several vegan (no Furbies where harmed in the production of these guys) long Fubies and Oddbodies. submitted by BeardedDragonProps to furby [link] [comments] I've been running a etsy shop side hustle for a while and my best seller is the 1998 Furby Buddie inspired faceplate (which is what I've used for those vegan furbs I mentioned.) Now I'm not really happy with that faceplate. I 3d print them and while they are ok they need a lot of sanding and prep work to get ready to ship or use and they just aren't the quality I want them to be. SO I've started to remake the faceplates. I'm adding features like 12mm eyechip sockets, separate eyes and lashes like real buddies have and I'm trying to cast it in resin (cast with a mold, not 3d resin prints) as well as the PLA prints. I'm thinking about adding a customizable or interchangeable beak with options like Dog, Cat, or Pig noses. Anyway what I'm wondering is what the DIY and Modders want. What do you use now? And what would you like to see? Is articulation important to have? Premade mods or easy to replace parts? What price point makes it worth buying vs trying to make it yourself? I want to know what I can do to make things better and easier for people. And thanks for reading and replying. :) New Faceplate development Eyechip Socketed Eye Parts with Eyechip in Parts together with eyechip out... once I put the chip in I couldn't get it out without using a gluestick. |
2023.01.11 16:47 madisonn414 [Routine Help] Where Do I Use Winlevi In My Routine?
Hi! I was just prescribed Winlevi (clascoterone 1%/"topical spironolactone") and Tret (.025%) to help with what I believe is hormonal acne. I currently follow a 3-day skin cycling routine and am planning to replace my current retinol serum with the Tret, but haven't found a ton of information on the best way to layer Winlevi. Here's the routine I've been using for the past ~3 months and where I'm thinking of adding the new products:
Skin Cycling Day 1
AM:
AM:
AM:
My biggest questions are 1. Are these the right places to add these products in and 2. Is it fine to use Winlevi and a chemical exfoliant like SA at the same time. I'll also welcome any other advice/reviews/etc. on starting Winlevi if you have them!
Thank you in advance!!
submitted by madisonn414 to SkincareAddiction [link] [comments]
Skin Cycling Day 1
AM:
- Rinse face with water
- Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner
- Generic 10% Benzoyl Peroxide spot treatment
- Winlevi?
- La Roche-Posay Double Repair Face Moisturizer UV SPF 30
- Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Oil (if I have makeup on)
- Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser
- Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner
- Wipe face with Stridex Red Box pads (Salicylic Acid 2%)
- Winlevi?
- Cerave PM Moisturizing Lotion
AM:
- Rinse face with water
- Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner
- Generic 10% Benzoyl Peroxide spot treatment
- Winlevi?
- La Roche-Posay Double Repair Face Moisturizer UV SPF 30
- Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Oil (if I have makeup on)
- Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser
- Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner
- Cerave Skin Renewing Retinol Serum <-- replace with Tret
- Winlevi?
- Cerave PM Moisturizing Lotion mixed with TO Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Oil Control Serum
AM:
- Rinse face with water
- Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner
- Facial Mist + TO Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum
- Winlevi?
- Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer
- Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40
- Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Oil (if I have makeup on)
- Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser
- Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner
- Winlevi?
- Cerave Moisturizing Cream mixed with TO Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum
My biggest questions are 1. Are these the right places to add these products in and 2. Is it fine to use Winlevi and a chemical exfoliant like SA at the same time. I'll also welcome any other advice/reviews/etc. on starting Winlevi if you have them!
Thank you in advance!!
2022.12.20 10:45 RainbowPenguin1000 What improvements, big or small, would you make to the maps if you had the power?
And i dont mean "RePLaCE THem aLL WiTH BetTEr MaPS" but what specific improvements or enhancements would you make to them?
One thing i would like to see is weather and different times of day added.
Maybe you can be playing a game in a storm, you hear the wind blowing and rain lashing and you walk in to shack and all the wind and rain stops but can still be seen through the doors... it would make it feel much more immersive. Or if you play rotten fields at dusk and you see the corn in the dull light swaying in a breeze.
submitted by RainbowPenguin1000 to deadbydaylight [link] [comments]
One thing i would like to see is weather and different times of day added.
Maybe you can be playing a game in a storm, you hear the wind blowing and rain lashing and you walk in to shack and all the wind and rain stops but can still be seen through the doors... it would make it feel much more immersive. Or if you play rotten fields at dusk and you see the corn in the dull light swaying in a breeze.
2022.12.03 03:00 majorpotassium Eyelash extension models wanted!
Hi everyone! I work for a beauty supply company (PLA) here in Reno and we are having our monthly eyelash extension training next week. We are looking for models to come in either December 8th 2pm-6pm or December 9th 10am-2pm to get a free full set of eyelash extensions! The lashes will be done by a licensed cosmetologist or esthetician taking our certification course. Models will need to be able to lay on their backs for about 3-4 hours comfortably. All genders and 18+ welcome!
Please DM me if you are interested!
submitted by majorpotassium to Reno [link] [comments]
Please DM me if you are interested!
2022.12.02 22:02 malachus Creality Ender 3 v2 Neo modification and upgrade guide
I know this community is tiny but I thought it was one of the more appropriate places to try to pull together this information. As a recent owner of an Ender 3 v2 Neo I have been enjoying making some tweaks and modifications but it has been a little frustrating to track down some information because of the differences between the Ender 3 v2 Neo and the other printers in the ender line like the Ender 3 and Ender 3 V2. I have also noticed that because the Ender 3 has been around for a few years and has gone through minor production revisions prior to the v2, some of the information for the Ender 3 is a little old, outdated, or inconsistent.
Any information that can be contributed would be appreciated.
Another great resource is Lash-L's guide. https://lash-l.github.io/ender3_v2_neo
https://youtu.be/GsymnDDAjiE?t=103
Also from the same video, like the Ender 3 v2, the main board fan is connected to the same power as the part cooling fan which is fine for PLA but it means for some other filament types the fan will be disabled. This can be changed by wiring it into the hot end fan which runs all the time.
https://youtu.be/GsymnDDAjiE?t=374
A BigTreeTech SKR board can be used as a drop in replacement (in case you want, say, independent dual Z motor control). It has been reported that the skr mini e3 v3 will work. (Thanks Lamb-thesheep.) Note that the skr mini e3 does not provide two Z axis drivers even thought it has two headers for the Z axis. In other words, it can't move a dual Z axis independently.
There is a printable shroud to hold an 80mm fan for the mainboard. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5563110
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RWz4ey1wjw
Some more information about Noctua vs stock fans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouYFYDC_OdU
There are many hot end shrouds listed in the printable accessories, some of which can accommodate a 4020 fans.
There have been other designs that have popped up that offer multi or dual sided part cooling and/or additional part cooling fan support. Look in the printable accessories list below for things like the Neo Thang and the Minimus cooler.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4548187
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4567153
Even if you don't plan to change the fan, you might consider just replacing the bottom plate so that the PSU can vent better.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4806176
I have also found that the cheap dual gear extruders are a drop in replacement. I got this one. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HC8MSVV/
https://www.reddit.com/ender3v2/comments/wysw2w/psa_sprite_extruder_pro_kit_does_not_work_with/
https://www.reddit.com/ender3v2/comments/y5p4uh/update_sprite_extruder_on_v2_neo_problems_and_my/
The all metal Spider hotend (pre-v3.0) can be used as a drop-in replacement for the factory hotend. https://www.reddit.com/Ender3V2NEO/comments/10c4dpi/creality_spider_all_metal_hotend_non_30_works_on/
Creality Box is a simple box that allows for some remote control and management over wifi or ethernet. The biggest downsize is that remote usage is tied to the Creality Cloud service(s) and it does not allow much direct control. However, the box is basically a router that can run openWRT so it is possible to flash it with openWRT variants based on Octoprint or Klipper.
https://github.com/ihrapsa/OctoWrt https://github.com/ihrapsa/KlipperWrt
Creality Wi-fi Cloud Box 2.0 is the newer version of the Creality Box and it likely supports a lot of the same things as the original plus some extra features, but I don't have any information or experience with trying to use it with an alternate firmware like OctoWrt or KlipperWrt.
Creality Sonic Pad is a relatively new (late 2022) interface that adds a touch screen and Klipper support to many Creality printers in a turnkey way that does not require as much configuration and tweaking as Klipper usually does. There are some reviews specifically with the Ender 3 v2 Neo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkRj0HA30rI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfGMMt4aPwU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAxStbx9q_U
OctoPrint is a solid platform for running one or more printers and it has a bevy of plugins and features that are very nice. It can control an Ender 3 over the USB port with the stock Marlin firmware or it can drive Klipper with a plugin (not recommended, see below). Due to the scarcity and relative high price of the Raspberry Pi currently (late 2022), other boards or machines can be used as alternatives as long as they have similar or better capability when compared to the Pi. e.g. and old laptop running linux.
https://octoprint.org/
Fluidd is a front end that is specific to Klipper and can run on a Pi or other similarly capable system. The FluiddPi image may be deprecated soon, with kiauh (klipper install and upgrade helper) being the preferred method for setting up new Fluidd systems.
https://docs.fluidd.xyz/
Mainsail is another front end specific to Klipper than is very similar to Fluidd. In fact, it is possible to use both Fluidd and Mainsail on the same pi to manage the same printer at the same time, due to the way that Klipper works. kiauh can also be used to install Mainsail.
https://docs.mainsail.xyz/
kiauh (klipper install and upgrade helper) is an installer script that can be used to automate the install of several software packages often used with Klipper.
https://github.com/th33xitus/kiauh
Some boards may support Linear Advance in Marlin.
I do not know if the Neo can be used with some of the alternative builds of Marlin like jyers (https://github.com/Jyers/Marlin) or not. The firmware from mriscoc (https://github.com/mriscoc/Ender3V2S1/) has been known to work but it requires a little bit of additional care when setting up the SD card.
https://github.com/mriscoc/Ender3V2S1/discussions/413#discussioncomment-4187625
Flashing the firmware involves putting the *.bin file on a FAT32 Micro SD Card and rebooting the printer. After a few minutes, it should be automatically flashed and ready to operate.
https://github.com/conway220/Ender-3-V2-Neo-Setup
Klipper offers a huge array of settings and options for tweaking the performance of your printer. It can be a bit overwhelming, but the promise is that it can yield higher quality prints and higher speed printing at the same time by using many tuning parameters to compensate for printer vibration and movement. See also, pressure advance and resonance tuning. As of yet, there is no official Ender 3 v2 Neo printer.cfg available, but most of the settings are the same or similar to the Ender 3 v2 example. Depending on the specific board version and chip, the configuration may be slightly different.
https://www.klipper3d.org/
https://github.com/Klipper3d/klippetree/masteconfig
Klipper does not work with the Ender 3 v2 Neo display out of the box. It is possible to wire the display directly to the GPIO of the Pi and run some additional software to have an interface similar to the original although some people go without an interface on the printer at all and just use a phone or tablet as a temporary or permanent UI.
Original: https://github.com/odwdinc/DWIN_T5UIC1_LCD
More recently updated: https://github.com/MicroSuDWIN_T5UIC1_LCD
Easy to understand wiring: https://github.com/GalvanicGlaze/DWIN_T5UIC1_LCD/wiki
Side filament roll holder. This is the first functional thing I printed because the default filament placement puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the extruder and the filament due to the location and weird angles. There are various designs including ones that directly mount with screws and ones that slide into the channels on the frame. An alternative would be to print a filament guide.
https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#intro
Edit: reddit is a jerk. At some point, while adding additional links to this post, a huge chunk of it just disappeared. I have pulled the majority of it back from the wayback machine, but I may be missing some of the updates that were added in the last few months.
submitted by malachus to Ender3V2NEO [link] [comments]
Any information that can be contributed would be appreciated.
Another great resource is Lash-L's guide. https://lash-l.github.io/ender3_v2_neo
Main Board
Adding ferrules to the high current wires to replace the tinned ones has been widely discussed for other Ender 3 models and still applies in this case.https://youtu.be/GsymnDDAjiE?t=103
Also from the same video, like the Ender 3 v2, the main board fan is connected to the same power as the part cooling fan which is fine for PLA but it means for some other filament types the fan will be disabled. This can be changed by wiring it into the hot end fan which runs all the time.
https://youtu.be/GsymnDDAjiE?t=374
A BigTreeTech SKR board can be used as a drop in replacement (in case you want, say, independent dual Z motor control). It has been reported that the skr mini e3 v3 will work. (Thanks Lamb-thesheep.) Note that the skr mini e3 does not provide two Z axis drivers even thought it has two headers for the Z axis. In other words, it can't move a dual Z axis independently.
There is a printable shroud to hold an 80mm fan for the mainboard. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5563110
Heat Break
The Ender 3 v2 Neo (and Ender 3 Neo?) uses a hot end that is very similar or identical to the CR-6 SE one, so it can accept the same all metal heat break as the CR-6 SE. These can be found on Amazon and range from a couple dollars to around $20USD. In theory this should allow for temps above 250C without damaging the PTFE tubing.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RWz4ey1wjw
Bowden Tube and Coupling
As far as I can tell, the PTFE tube and coupling is basically the same as other Ender 3 printers and the Creality replacement kit (with Capricorn tubing) worked fine for me.Hot End Cooling
The stock fan is a 4010 24v. If you want a Noctua quiet replacement then you will also need a buck converter. There are also reports of some people moving down to a Noctua (12v) fan ending up with heat creep due to insufficient cooling. This can be mitigated somewhat by using a 4020 Noctua fan instead of a 4010. The Noctua 4020 moves around 5.5 cfm but some people claim that the hot end of the older Ender 3 models need 6 or 7 cfm. However, the Neo has a larger heat sink with more surface area, so it should, in theory, require less airflow to maintain the same level of cooling.Some more information about Noctua vs stock fans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouYFYDC_OdU
There are many hot end shrouds listed in the printable accessories, some of which can accommodate a 4020 fans.
Part Cooling
In comments, the designer of the FANG part cooling system for Ender 3s is not planning to design a version for the Ender 3 v2 Neo. https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/ender3-v2-dual-40mm-fan-hot-end-duct-fangThere have been other designs that have popped up that offer multi or dual sided part cooling and/or additional part cooling fan support. Look in the printable accessories list below for things like the Neo Thang and the Minimus cooler.
PSU
Some of the Creality power supplies may have 12v fans but mine had a 24v one. I printed a new back plate for it and used a buck converter to install a 80x10mm 12v fan. It's quieter than the stock one and there was enough spare room to fit it. At some point I might look at a deeper plate, but this works for now.https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4548187
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4567153
Even if you don't plan to change the fan, you might consider just replacing the bottom plate so that the PSU can vent better.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4806176
Extruder
AdamantVision has reported success upgrading the default single gear extruder with a Micro Swiss dual gear extruder like this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09K1CNP6LI have also found that the cheap dual gear extruders are a drop in replacement. I got this one. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HC8MSVV/
Hot End
The Creality Sprite is not a drop in replacement for the Ender 3 v2 Neo hot end. The X axis limit switch is in a different position on the Neo and the Sprite has to be modified in order to work properly. Thanks, YourMomsAVaperhttps://www.reddit.com/ender3v2/comments/wysw2w/psa_sprite_extruder_pro_kit_does_not_work_with/
https://www.reddit.com/ender3v2/comments/y5p4uh/update_sprite_extruder_on_v2_neo_problems_and_my/
The all metal Spider hotend (pre-v3.0) can be used as a drop-in replacement for the factory hotend. https://www.reddit.com/Ender3V2NEO/comments/10c4dpi/creality_spider_all_metal_hotend_non_30_works_on/
Management
For remote management there are a few options.Creality Box is a simple box that allows for some remote control and management over wifi or ethernet. The biggest downsize is that remote usage is tied to the Creality Cloud service(s) and it does not allow much direct control. However, the box is basically a router that can run openWRT so it is possible to flash it with openWRT variants based on Octoprint or Klipper.
https://github.com/ihrapsa/OctoWrt https://github.com/ihrapsa/KlipperWrt
Creality Wi-fi Cloud Box 2.0 is the newer version of the Creality Box and it likely supports a lot of the same things as the original plus some extra features, but I don't have any information or experience with trying to use it with an alternate firmware like OctoWrt or KlipperWrt.
Creality Sonic Pad is a relatively new (late 2022) interface that adds a touch screen and Klipper support to many Creality printers in a turnkey way that does not require as much configuration and tweaking as Klipper usually does. There are some reviews specifically with the Ender 3 v2 Neo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkRj0HA30rI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfGMMt4aPwU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAxStbx9q_U
OctoPrint is a solid platform for running one or more printers and it has a bevy of plugins and features that are very nice. It can control an Ender 3 over the USB port with the stock Marlin firmware or it can drive Klipper with a plugin (not recommended, see below). Due to the scarcity and relative high price of the Raspberry Pi currently (late 2022), other boards or machines can be used as alternatives as long as they have similar or better capability when compared to the Pi. e.g. and old laptop running linux.
https://octoprint.org/
Fluidd is a front end that is specific to Klipper and can run on a Pi or other similarly capable system. The FluiddPi image may be deprecated soon, with kiauh (klipper install and upgrade helper) being the preferred method for setting up new Fluidd systems.
https://docs.fluidd.xyz/
Mainsail is another front end specific to Klipper than is very similar to Fluidd. In fact, it is possible to use both Fluidd and Mainsail on the same pi to manage the same printer at the same time, due to the way that Klipper works. kiauh can also be used to install Mainsail.
https://docs.mainsail.xyz/
kiauh (klipper install and upgrade helper) is an installer script that can be used to automate the install of several software packages often used with Klipper.
https://github.com/th33xitus/kiauh
Firmware
By default, the Ender 3 v2 Neo runs Marlin, but it is also capable of using Klipper with Fluidd, Mainsail, or Octoprint as a front end interface (Octoprint may not be ideal in all cases. With my Pi 2B there were performance issues when printing round-ish objects [many short segments] that would cause the print head to stop every few seconds and leave a glob of plastic because the Pi was not sending commands to the printer fast enough. Using Fluidd and Mainsail has avoided this problem at the cost of not having the cool plugins that Octoprint has. Your experience may vary, as the Pi 2B is not the recommended Pi for this application, but I have also heard from others who had similar problems with Klipper and Octoprint.Some boards may support Linear Advance in Marlin.
I do not know if the Neo can be used with some of the alternative builds of Marlin like jyers (https://github.com/Jyers/Marlin) or not. The firmware from mriscoc (https://github.com/mriscoc/Ender3V2S1/) has been known to work but it requires a little bit of additional care when setting up the SD card.
https://github.com/mriscoc/Ender3V2S1/discussions/413#discussioncomment-4187625
Flashing the firmware involves putting the *.bin file on a FAT32 Micro SD Card and rebooting the printer. After a few minutes, it should be automatically flashed and ready to operate.
https://github.com/conway220/Ender-3-V2-Neo-Setup
Klipper offers a huge array of settings and options for tweaking the performance of your printer. It can be a bit overwhelming, but the promise is that it can yield higher quality prints and higher speed printing at the same time by using many tuning parameters to compensate for printer vibration and movement. See also, pressure advance and resonance tuning. As of yet, there is no official Ender 3 v2 Neo printer.cfg available, but most of the settings are the same or similar to the Ender 3 v2 example. Depending on the specific board version and chip, the configuration may be slightly different.
https://www.klipper3d.org/
https://github.com/Klipper3d/klippetree/masteconfig
Klipper does not work with the Ender 3 v2 Neo display out of the box. It is possible to wire the display directly to the GPIO of the Pi and run some additional software to have an interface similar to the original although some people go without an interface on the printer at all and just use a phone or tablet as a temporary or permanent UI.
Original: https://github.com/odwdinc/DWIN_T5UIC1_LCD
More recently updated: https://github.com/MicroSuDWIN_T5UIC1_LCD
Easy to understand wiring: https://github.com/GalvanicGlaze/DWIN_T5UIC1_LCD/wiki
Dual Z-Axis
The existing Ender 3 dual Z-axis kits will work with the Neo, there are just some parts to ignore (PSU bracket) and using the default board is limiting because it does not have two drivers for the Z-axis. Some alternative boards do, which would allow for additional automatic calibration and reduce the potential for binding. Also, without changing the voltage, adding the second motor will reduce them both to half power which is fine, in theory, because the load is distributed.Printable Accessories
There are a number of printable accessories that are either Neo specific or which can be adapted to the Neo. This list is in no way exhaustive.Side filament roll holder. This is the first functional thing I printed because the default filament placement puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the extruder and the filament due to the location and weird angles. There are various designs including ones that directly mount with screws and ones that slide into the channels on the frame. An alternative would be to print a filament guide.
- Side Spool Mount
- Bed handle. I think these are the same as for other Ender 3 models with the same sized bed, but it's nice to have a way to easily manipulate the bed without having to touch the surface.
- Tool holders. There are lots of these around, most of them are designed to slot into the channels on the frame, usually on the upper right corner, but some of them are a little more flexible.
- https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5599906
- https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5578313
- https://www.printables.com/model/366085
- https://grabcad.com/library/ender-3-v2-neo-top-tool-holder-1
- https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5673451
- https://www.printables.com/model/366735
- https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5758722
- With USB and microSD slots: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5681160
- Side mount for scraper, clippers, and tweezers: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5550906
- Just the scraper and clippers: https://www.printables.com/model/338667
- Just the scraper: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5753223
- Modified for dual Z-Axis upgrade https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5867683
- Hot end shrouds
- Hot end shroud for 4020 fan (mentioned above)
- Remix of the 4020 shroud
- Another 4020 shroud
- Hot end shroud for stock (4010) fan
- Remix of the "robot" (4010) shroud
- Neo Thang
- Neo Thang remix with shorter necks
- Neo Thang with dual part cooling fan support
- 80mm mainboard fan shroud (mentioned above)
- Mouse Shroud (dual blower)
- Minimus Shroud
- Sherpa Elephant Tool Head
- Hotend cover "new"
- Nozzle Cooling Air Duct
- Replacement X carriage
- Feet (35mm)
- Filament Guides
- Pi/Buck Converter Mounts
- Extruder knob replacement
- Slim display mount (moves the display to the top of the side rail to reduce overall printer width)
- Sonic Pad mount
- Dial gauge mount
- Dragonfly Hotend adapter
- Sprite pro hotend fix
- Sprite X-Axis stop cap
- Sprite L Gantry Cover
- Neo Series Direct Drive / CV Laser Adapter Plate
- Dual Gear direct drive for Ender 3 Neos
General Advice (not printer specific)
https://ellis3dp.com/Print-Tuning-Guide/https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#intro
Edit: reddit is a jerk. At some point, while adding additional links to this post, a huge chunk of it just disappeared. I have pulled the majority of it back from the wayback machine, but I may be missing some of the updates that were added in the last few months.
2022.11.04 03:33 agedvermouth [Event] Polemics in the Great Hall
Polemics in the Great Hall
The Yuanpai Clique
President Li Keqiang is reaching a decade as the Paramount Leader of the People's Republic. His rule has seen China amass large amounts of wealth, in what is described as China's own "Reaganomics". By mobilizing the academia against the demographic issue, President Li encouraged the party to resolve the future labor shortage by the proliferation of autonomous robotic labor, which has been largely successful across the country, and permeates more industries than just manufacturing. This has been one of the crowning achievements of his term. As more high-income individuals entered the party and snagged leadership positions, the big tent of ideas grew so large, it could no longer really be called the "Shanghai Clique", and evolved to just being called "Yuanpai".One of the more polarizing issues for the party was the pace at which President Li conducted the PLA withdrawal of Myanmar. Even in its heyday, the cooperation with the Tatmadaw to secure the country was received as a mixed bag from the average Chinese person. The PLA, in fact, had never conducted a major military operation since the invasion of Vietnam, so it was really unclear how it would be received. Although there were no raving mobs of protests, most of those who supported the intervention were already in government, but it should be noted that, what was started by Xi Jinping, had already committed President Li to the execution of the conflict, already several years into the war. His calculated move was that, so long as the casualties are not massive, and there was no major public outcry, that they had to stay committed to the mission, otherwise it would look worse if they just withdrew from the conflict, seemingly with no aim. None of this was interpreted as the war was popular, but more than anything else, the people were one way or another, simply just indifferent to it. There were those ready to chew up the government propaganda about dealing with terrorists, those anti-Hindu personalities, and those that simply thought the war served no purpose. While on the other hand, companies like Norinco made out like bandits after scoring major arms deals with the government in Myanmar.
Ultimately, when China withdrew from Myanmar, after scoring a strategic victory with the Tatmadaw, the populace was generally warm about this event, but none were more fervent than those in nearby Yunnan, specifically those by the border who had been exposed to cross-border incidents for decades. Arguably, the military were the only official group more excited about the victory, proving that they had done something well. This was one way that President Li was able to placate the PLA faction for years. However, it also emboldened them, specifically, to lobby the Chairman to attack Taiwan.
The PLA Clique
The PLA Clique is a misnomer for the political body of military personnel AND intelligence personnel from MSS in the party, but specifically the Great Hall. The PLA Clique consists of primarily warhawks, authoritarians, and anti-revisionists. After the infighting between the Tsinghua Clique and the Shanghai Clique, the remnants of Tsinghua evacuated to the PLA Clique, despite varying levels of military experience if any, because of the political affiliation with Chairman Xi. The PLA Clique essentially just became one grand front against "revisionism" as they deemed the politics of Yuanpai. They are a large formidable force after consolidating numbers, so much so that they are unignorable. In order to prevent them from lashing out against the president, an extremely dangerous measure that could result in a coup, President Li has had to placate them by ceding policy positions to Chairman Xi and in other cases, simply the military. Although, ceding positions to the military did not really come until after the war in Myanmar had come to a close. President Li kept them in good graces by slowing the withdrawal from Myanmar so they could test their equipment and work with manufacturers, but this also entrenched them as a force of power, knowing all too well they are the knife of the party, and without it, the President is without enforcement.This became apparent when rumblings within the party began on the "Taiwan question". China was rapidly approaching its centennial anniversary since its founding, and the PLA was very unhappy about the lack of progress, since even the late 1990s. Specifically, with China being involved in Myanmar, they began to murmur that Taiwan was "off-the-menu", and that the role of "Liberation" was no longer a core tenant of the military. President Li understood that they would continue to press him until action was taken. Every year, without fail, the Central Military Commission would bring him plans for an invasion, one he would reject time and time again, until he finally agreed, only to a scaled down invasion- simply of Taiwan's outlying islands. The PLA Clique agreed that this would be sufficient to them, to prove President Li was still committed to Chinese reunification, a core tenant that is simply unavoidable for party members.
The issue of Mongolia, which President Li has so keenly placed his dreams on the vast resources there, in hopes they will connect with the Chinese people, has the PLA Clique somewhat torn. On one hand, they are very interested in quietly playing into Li's cards and then lobby for the PLA to secure major resource extraction contracts for their affiliated SOEs, however, many are also concerned that Li will simply pawn all the resources off to private enterprise, with nothing to show for the military but another difficult ethnic crisis. In order to prevent such a situation, the PLA has also been begging President Li to just simply 'walk in to Mongolia' and stake China's claim, despite what issues that may causes internationally, the already disputed territories make things tenuous.
The Tuanpai Clique
The Tuanpai Clique are the populists of the two, and have spent the last 20 years quietly building their empire in the shadows, cultivating the next generation of party leaders through the proliferation of the Young Pioneers across Chinese society. Largely seen as a preliminary requirement for membership, in an era where President Li has focused on expanding membership, has also meant that the Tuanpai make-up has gotten proportionally favorable for them, with their candidates receiving preferential treatment for their 'merit' performance to the party's tenants. Their politics are anti-reformist, but on a much more moderate scale than what is prevalent in the PLA Clique. They are seen as centrists if there really is such a thing in the CCP.The interesting note about them, is whoever can really control the Tuanpai, will control the Great Hall, and therefore- the country. The primary battleground between the PLA and the Yuanpai has been within the Tuanpai, rather than directly on battlelines like open opposition in legislation. Up to this point, the disputes have not come to open opposition. The Tuanpai, as a result, has had a very difficult time wrangling its members and keeping them in line as their ideologies pull in both directions, and the faction with it.
The Tuanpai is primarily focused on the advancement of health care, social services, improvement of education, and elevating China's position in these fields to create a higher quality of life in the country, while adhering to Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Ask anyone, no one will be able to give you a definitive answer on what that means in the Tuanpai, all they know is they are not easily sorted into either camp.
2022.10.22 16:39 Ok_Band2802 My Routine / Habits / Diagnosis
Hi Everyone, I wanted to give a rundown on my routine and what has worked for me. My condition and symptoms
What the ophthalmologist told me
submitted by Ok_Band2802 to Blepharitis [link] [comments]
- Dry eye and blepharitis with styes (especially in the winter).
- My eyes feel drier in the winter, and when I am tired and stressed. My eye area feels strained, more so than dry and gritty (as some have described.)
What the ophthalmologist told me
- I have both types of bleph, anterior (crusty eyes and styes) and posterior (MGD)
- She did a meibiography and determined that 30-50% of my glands are impacted.
- She recommended I take Omega 3, Vitamin D and Probiotics
- She recommended I reduce or try to eliminate sugar and packaged foods from my diet
- She had me fill out a Fitzpatrick skin test https://advancedskincaresolutions.org/blog/take-quiz-whats-fitzpatrick-skin/
- She did a Schirmer test https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schirmer%27s_test
- She said that the root cause is autoimmune. Gave no further details when I asked what it could be.
- She recommended a few treatments - Blephex, IPL and RF therapy
- I opted for Blephex since it was the cheapest (around $225) - I am located in Canada and this is all private.
- Before she did the Blephex, they heated my eyelids and did a Meibomian Gland expression
- Here is what happens during Blephex
- After the Blephex she had me start on an eye-care routine (info below).
- Results from the Blephex - very little downtime. My eyes were a bit irritated. I did a follow up exam 2 weeks later and she looked at my lid margin through an eye exam device and said they looked very clean.
- She recommended the Blephex once every 7-8 months
- Wash hands thoroughly for a minimum of 20 seconds
- Take a clean cotton round / pad like this and wet it with warm or cool water.
- Use a cleansing foam specifically for Blepharitis. Currently I use Blephadex Foam. I have also used Ocusoft Lid Scrub
- Ocusoft also makes pre-soaked pads - these are good too. Anything formulated specifically for Bleph should be good.
- What did not work (for me personally) - Systane Lid Wipes. They don't contain the ingredients for the amount of bacteria that were on my lids.
- You don't need to vigorously scrub the lids, but if you had lots of crusties or a stye you could use a q-tip
- I pat my eyes dry with a second cotton round
- I found that using a wash cloth didn't work since the bacteria affected my eyes and single use products were more effective
- Never touch your eyes or pick at your eyes, especially with unwashed hands. I used to give myself styes (pre-routine), when I'd pick at a lash or wipe my eyes. If it happens, just make sure to wash 'em right away with the lid scrub.
- Since I have been keeping up with my nightly routine, I rarely get styes that are deep and angry.
- I sometimes get mini surface styes and I can treat them right away.
- I use a Wizard brand USB mask. I personally found that the Aroma USB mask wasn't great. I used to use a Bruder mask (bean bag / rice), but I found they didn't get or stay hot enough. Same with the washcloth, and I got concerned about cross-contamination.
- I use the same cleansing routine but introduce the mask daily - 10 minutes in the AM and 10 minutes before bed. I wash my eyes after I use the mask (AM and PM).
- Using this method I have been able to stop all styes in their tracks. I'll maybe get one 2-3 times per year, and it is a little surface guy that I can eliminate in about 8 hours.
- I have never massaged my eyes or attempted any manual expression at home. Anytime, I've picked at stye I have regretted it.
- I take Omega 3 supplements - Nordic Naturals. I personally take 3 x per day (the package says take 2). I do an extra one because I have extremely dry skin. It helps immensely with my skin and a little bit with my eyes.
- Due to some other health conditions (Anxiety, OCD and what I suspect are gut health issues), for me personally, Vitamin D and Probiotics are too mentally stimulating. To each their own.
- I eat a low-sugar and low-carb diet. I am slowly learning that for me, wheat is becoming an issue for my stomach. I find alcohol a trigger for dry eye.
- I try to walk a minimum of 8,000 steps per day. I do a 15-20 minute cardio tape 3 x per week.
- I am a high-stress person that takes on way too much and then burns out. When I'm going through periods of stress my dry eye is bad.
- Styes are often triggered by my menstrual cycle. If I get any, they happen mid-month (ovulation) and during PMS times.
- I wear make-up twice a week when I teach (I'm a college prof).
- Any makeup product that goes near my eye is phenoxyethanol free. I use an eye primer, shadow, eye liner and mascara, with a translucent powder to set it.
- I remove my make-up with baby oil and a cotton round. Then follow up by cleansing my eyes twice with the products listed above. I do it twice because I find the products really stick to my eyes.
- I wash all of my make-up brushes once per week
- I'm 41 and using anti-aging products. Here is my routine
- In the AM I use Timeless Vitamin C (allow to dry for a few min), then apply Timeless Matryxl 3000. Let it sink in, then apply Avene Moisturizer. then follow with sunscreen.
- I use a computer a lot. I have found that a standard pair of blue-light-blocking glasses work well for me. These are the ones that I use -
- The other option is to turn all screens to night mode. I find the glasses work better for me personally, but this is certainly worth a shot.
- Someone else on this forum brought to my attention these very amber blue light blockers, which are much more strong than the ones I use.
2022.10.22 16:36 Ok_Band2802 My Routine / Habits / Diagnosis - What works for me
Hi Everyone, I wanted to give a rundown on my routine and what has worked for me. My condition and symptoms
What the ophthalmologist told me
submitted by Ok_Band2802 to Dryeyes [link] [comments]
- Dry eye and blepharitis with styes (especially in the winter).
- My eyes feel drier in the winter, and when I am tired and stressed. My eye area feels strained, more so than dry and gritty (as some have described.)
What the ophthalmologist told me
- I have both types of bleph, anterior (crusty eyes and styes) and posterior (MGD)
- She did a meibiography and determined that 30-50% of my glands are impacted.
- She recommended I take Omega 3, Vitamin D and Probiotics
- She recommended I reduce or try to eliminate sugar and packaged foods from my diet
- She had me fill out a Fitzpatrick skin test https://advancedskincaresolutions.org/blog/take-quiz-whats-fitzpatrick-skin/
- She did a Schirmer test https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schirmer%27s_test
- She said that the root cause is autoimmune. Gave no further details when I asked what it could be.
- She recommended a few treatments - Blephex, IPL and RF therapy
- I opted for Blephex since it was the cheapest (around $225) - I am located in Canada and this is all private.
- Before she did the Blephex, they heated my eyelids and did a Meibomian Gland expression
- Here is what happens during Blephex
- After the Blephex she had me start on an eye-care routine (info below).
- Results from the Blephex - very little downtime. My eyes were a bit irritated. I did a follow up exam 2 weeks later and she looked at my lid margin through an eye exam device and said they looked very clean.
- She recommended the Blephex once every 7-8 months
- Wash hands thoroughly for a minimum of 20 seconds
- Take a clean cotton round / pad like this and wet it with warm or cool water.
- Use a cleansing foam specifically for Blepharitis. Currently I use Blephadex Foam. I have also used Ocusoft Lid Scrub
- Ocusoft also makes pre-soaked pads - these are good too. Anything formulated specifically for Bleph should be good.
- What did not work (for me personally) - Systane Lid Wipes. They don't contain the ingredients for the amount of bacteria that were on my lids.
- You don't need to vigorously scrub the lids, but if you had lots of crusties or a stye you could use a q-tip
- I pat my eyes dry with a second cotton round
- I found that using a wash cloth didn't work since the bacteria affected my eyes and single use products were more effective
- Never touch your eyes or pick at your eyes, especially with unwashed hands. I used to give myself styes (pre-routine), when I'd pick at a lash or wipe my eyes. If it happens, just make sure to wash 'em right away with the lid scrub.
- Since I have been keeping up with my nightly routine, I rarely get styes that are deep and angry.
- I sometimes get mini surface styes and I can treat them right away.
- I use a Wizard brand USB mask. I personally found that the Aroma USB mask wasn't great. I used to use a Bruder mask (bean bag / rice), but I found they didn't get or stay hot enough. Same with the washcloth, and I got concerned about cross-contamination.
- I use the same cleansing routine but introduce the mask daily - 10 minutes in the AM and 10 minutes before bed. I wash my eyes after I use the mask (AM and PM).
- Using this method I have been able to stop all styes in their tracks. I'll maybe get one 2-3 times per year, and it is a little surface guy that I can eliminate in about 8 hours.
- I have never massaged my eyes or attempted any manual expression at home. Anytime, I've picked at stye I have regretted it.
- I take Omega 3 supplements - Nordic Naturals. I personally take 3 x per day (the package says take 2). I do an extra one because I have extremely dry skin. It helps immensely with my skin and a little bit with my eyes.
- Due to some other health conditions (Anxiety, OCD and what I suspect are gut health issues), for me personally, Vitamin D and Probiotics are too mentally stimulating. To each their own.
- I eat a low-sugar and low-carb diet. I am slowly learning that for me, wheat is becoming an issue for my stomach. I find alcohol a trigger for dry eye.
- I try to walk a minimum of 8,000 steps per day. I do a 15-20 minute cardio tape 3 x per week.
- I am a high-stress person that takes on way too much and then burns out. When I'm going through periods of stress my dry eye is bad.
- Styes are often triggered by my menstrual cycle. If I get any, they happen mid-month (ovulation) and during PMS times.
- I wear make-up twice a week when I teach (I'm a college prof).
- Any makeup product that goes near my eye is phenoxyethanol free. I use an eye primer, shadow, eye liner and mascara, with a translucent powder to set it.
- I remove my make-up with baby oil and a cotton round. Then follow up by cleansing my eyes twice with the products listed above. I do it twice because I find the products really stick to my eyes.
- I wash all of my make-up brushes once per week
- I'm 41 and using anti-aging products. Here is my routine
- In the AM I use Timeless Vitamin C (allow to dry for a few min), then apply Timeless Matryxl 3000. Let it sink in, then apply Avene Moisturizer. then follow with sunscreen.
- I use a computer a lot. I have found that a standard pair of blue-light-blocking glasses work well for me. These are the ones that I use -
- The other option is to turn all screens to night mode. I find the glasses work better for me personally, but this is certainly worth a shot.
- Someone else on this forum brought to my attention these very amber blue light blockers, which are much more strong than the ones I use.
2022.10.22 09:26 Creativ24 Promovarea cărții dvs. electronice pe Amazon Kindle
 | submitted by Creativ24 to u/Creativ24 [link] [comments] |
2022.10.21 23:00 Literal_Genius I had LASIK with a Denver-based surgeon yesterday and here's how it went
A few weeks back I posted my findings from three different LASIK surgeons in the Denver area. A lot of people liked the information, so I thought I’d post a follow-up after my surgery yesterday.
I chose to work with Dr. James Patterson from Colorado Ophthalmology at the recommendation of my optometrist.
I just returned from my 1-day post-op appointment with my regular optometrist. I have 20/20 in one eye and almost 20/20 in the other, which he noted had more inflammation and bleeding. He expects my eyesight to improve over the next week to closer to 20/15.
I am not a doctor, and I am not providing medical advice. Speak with your doctor when making decisions about your health.
Pre-op:
submitted by Literal_Genius to Denver [link] [comments]
I chose to work with Dr. James Patterson from Colorado Ophthalmology at the recommendation of my optometrist.
I just returned from my 1-day post-op appointment with my regular optometrist. I have 20/20 in one eye and almost 20/20 in the other, which he noted had more inflammation and bleeding. He expects my eyesight to improve over the next week to closer to 20/15.
I am not a doctor, and I am not providing medical advice. Speak with your doctor when making decisions about your health.
Pre-op:
- I had to be out of my contact lenses for 14 days prior to my pre-op appointment, which was 1 week prior to my surgery date, so I needed 3 weeks out of my contacts. This will vary by your doctor’s recommendation and schedule.
- They did the scan of my eyes that other providers did at the consult to take a read of my cornea topography. This was non-invasive and very easy.
- They tested my prescription again.
- Then they numbed/dilated both eyes and the surgeon took my prescription one final time. He asked the same questions a few times to make sure I was giving an accurate read.
- The surgeon went over the procedure again (more on that later).
- I was given the medicated drops, all of the consent / pre-op / post-op paperwork to review, the sunglasses and eye shield I would need post-op, plus some other swag. They also gave me some preservative-free drops, but not nearly enough. I bought 2 additional boxes of Refresh preservative-free to last me a few weeks.
- Something that was implied in my last post, but clarified since then: the surgery center and equipment is the exact same with ICON or CO Ophthalmology. The only difference is the doctor who is performing the surgery. This may be true for other providers; I think ICON owns the lasers at the facility in Lone Tree / Englewood and several providers can use them.
- When I arrived, I completed the consent paperwork. Once everything was signed, I was given 600mg of ibuprofen and 5mg of diazepam (valium). Both were optional. I was also asked to wear a cap to cover my hair and ears.
- While I waited for my surgery for around 15mins, 2 patients came out from their procedures. (I don’t think the 15mins I waited was long enough for the valium to kick in, more on that later). After my surgery I waited for around 20mins while 2 patients went in and came out after me. I was in the surgery room for no more than 10mins, and under the equipment/doc’s hands for less than 8mins.
- I wish I had more information regarding the procedure before I went into the room. I listened when each provider explained it to me, and I got the impression that the doctor was hands-off throughout the procedure. They said you go under one laser, then they move you to a different laser, and then you’re done. It seemed like the doctor didn’t matter that much. Having been through it, that is not accurate. If you are squeamish about medical stuff, maybe skip the next 6 bullets.
- They give you a small stuffed animal to hold. They put many drops into your eyes for lubrication and numbing. They disinfect your lids and lashes. Then they move you under one machine and tape one eye closed.
- They prop your lid open. The first machine includes a suction cup to hold your eye still. You will lose vision for several seconds. This laser cuts the flap. This didn’t make much noise and was mostly uncomfortable because you know your eye is open but you can’t see anything. This takes about 6 seconds. When it’s finished, they tape the first eye shut and repeat the process on the other eye.
- This is the part no one talks about beforehand. The doctor has to physically lift the flap. It’s difficult to see because it happens to your eye, but he uses a tool that looks exactly like what your hygienist uses to clean your teeth. It looks like a tiny metal hook. They prop your lid open again and tape your top lashes down. Then you can see your vision blurring while he manipulates the flap out of the way. You are instructed to keep looking at the green light, but the light goes in and out of focus, goes blurry, seems to move up and down. This took about 30 seconds.
- Once the flap is out of the way, the second laser goes to work. You are instructed to look at the green light. It’s easier than it sounds, and my doctor assured me that if I accidentally looked away, the laser would notice and shut itself off. It could start up where it stopped when I looked back at the light. Luckily, I was able to keep my eye still. This laser makes noise and creates a smell. I didn’t ask if the smell was from the laser or from my eye and frankly I never want to know. This took about 18 seconds.
- Another part no one told me about beforehand: After the second laser, the doctor has to put the flap back. He uses the same small hook and also two small silicone spatulas, I think. During this process, you can see your vision blurring again, the lights go in and out of focus. And then the doctor uses the small spatulas to “paint” your flap back onto your eye. Obviously your eye is open this whole time, and you can see but not feel him manipulating the flap. This took about 60 seconds.
- This has to be repeated on each eye. So for me it was cut the right flap, cut the left flap, lift the right flap, correct the right eye, put the right flap back, lift the left flap, correct the left eye, put the left flap back.
- You can blink and keep your eyes open or closed as soon as you are finished. The doctor asked me to look at the clock, and I was able to read it, even though my vision was very hazy. The improvement in vision is absolutely immediate.
- They walk you out of the surgery room and ask you to wait for monitoring for 5-10mins. While you’re waiting, another patient is probably being walked into the surgery room.
- I had some minor discomfort in one eye during monitoring; it felt like a contact lens that wasn’t sitting correctly. I told the nurse, and after the surgeon was finished with the procedure after mine, he brought me back into the room to look. He said it was a bit of mucus, gave me another drop, assured me that everything looked normal, and sent me on my way.
- You are not allowed to drive yourself home because of the valium and because your vision will be very hazy. They ask you to put on the sunglasses, and tell you to take a nap when you get home.
- Maybe you can tell from my description, but getting LASIK was the worst thing I’ve ever paid to happen to me. It was 10mins of pain-free torture.
- I do not like to be touched, especially on my face and especially when I can’t see it coming. I sometimes get a flight/fight response when my esthetician takes too long waxing/plucking my eyebrows.
- This was 10 straight minutes of strangers touching my face/eyes when I couldn’t move away and couldn’t see it coming. The machines were not even the worst part.
- I prefer to put drops in my own eyes in the corner from close distance, so even the nurse dropping them directly onto my pupil from 1 inch away while my lids were propped open felt awful. I was numb and felt no pain, but everything else about the experience was torture.
- I had an anxiety reaction while on the table and for 20mins afterwards. I forced myself to breathe through it and not move, but I started crying as soon as they asked me to sit up. The doctor assured me that tears were fine (and good for lubrication) but reminded me to avoid rubbing my eyes.
- I saw 4 other patients come out while I was there, and none of them reacted like I did. They were quiet and careful, but no one else was crying or outwardly having a negative reaction. They were dismissed after 5mins, but I sat there for 20mins after my procedure.
- I was able to calm down after the doctor looked at my eye the second time, but I will never know if that was when the valium kicked in, or if that was when my body stopped reacting to the stress. The staff didn’t seem overly concerned about my reaction, so maybe they see it often.
- A lot of people in the previous post questioned my decision to go with a provider that does not offer a lifetime guarantee on the surgery, but I will never be able to sit for that procedure again.
- It was still absolutely worth it.
- He was great. He explained most of the procedure beforehand, and likely avoids describing the intricacies because people will back out if they hear that he’ll be working on your eye with a dental hook.
- He could tell I was freaking out on the table. He was explaining each step, how long things would take, and reminded me where and when to look. He told me when things were going well. He checked in, even though I couldn't really answer him because I was freaking out.
- When he brought me back into the room for the double check, he thanked me for saying something before I left, and reassured me that everything was normal. He didn’t make me feel like he was annoyed I questioned it or that my tears were an overreaction.
- My optometrist told me today that he recommends Dr. Patterson because his results are consistent and predictable. He knows Dr. Patterson is clean (not sure why that’s even a question but sure), has a good bedside manner, and gets good results for his patients. That matches my experience.
2022.09.08 01:19 co_carolelaine AMA! RECAP: Micro-Wedding in the Colorado Mountains Planned in Under 3 Months $19,920 Spent Photos, Cost Break-Down & Timeline Included
About Us
35 F (me) / 36 M, together for about 4 years, engaged May 29, 2022, married July 30, 2022. We live in the mountains out west of Denver. Like most Coloradans, we love being outdoors. We’re “pawrents” to three rescue dogs. We met because my now-husband's dog escaped and I found him :)When we started making calls to venues in early June, the spot we really wanted was available for one weekend - yes, WEEKEND! - this summer, so we fast-tracked the planning and made it happen.
Our Goals for the Wedding
- Small, simple outdoor celebration with delicious food - elevated backyard BBQ concept
- Low-stress - as close to possible to everyone just showing up!
- Venue with plenty of lodging within walking distance, for ease and to avoid concerns around drinking and driving (Ubers / cabs aren’t an option)
End Result (Photos!)
LinkGuest List
- 34 invited: 2 invites were our grandparents who we knew would sadly be definite no’s; several other guests we knew would be questionable (new baby / military service)
- 24 yes RSVPs
- 24 ultimately attended, split pretty evenly between family and friends
Weekend Timeline
FRIDAY- Morning / early afternoon: couple's massage, brunch, then drove over to our venue and had a drink together before spending some time separately with each of our families
- Evening: welcome dinner for family and out-of-town friends
- 6 AM: Hike with my brother
- 9 AM: Family breakfast, then our families were free to go enjoy the mountains until the wedding
- Noon-1:45 PM: My hair & makeup (I think my husband started getting ready as I was wrapping up!)
- 2:30 PM: First look photos
- 3-3:30 PM: A couple of our friends / family members took care of things like putting out centerpieces / name cards, setting out signs, and confirming that a few vendors arrived
- 4:30 PM: Ceremony
- 5 PM: Family photos / cocktail hour with live music, yard games, open bar, appetizers
- 6:30 PM: Dinner
- 8 PM: Toasts and cake cutting, cake served
- 9-10 PM: Completely informal - open bar, charcuterie board, mingling (no official send-off)
- 10 AM: farewell breakfast
- Noon: departed directly from the venue for our "mini-moon"
Finances
My (bride’s) parents covered almost the entire cost. This was something my parents had always told me they were planning on doing, so this wasn’t a surprise but it was greatly appreciated. There was no set budget but we didn't spend their money lightly. They were totally on board with a small wedding!My in-laws also wanted to help, and they paid for the welcome dinner, his attire, and the open bar.
Cost Break-Down
We had a clear idea of which vendors we wanted to work with and we went straight to them. Most of our vendors were our first choice - we lucked out! Quotes from our preferred vendors were as we expected and I'm not sure we could've saved much money by price-shopping (high cost of living area).VENUE
Inn in the historic downtown area of a small mountain town. The ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner were all held in the lovely backyard which is right on the creek, surrounded by aspen trees. Our venue included a lot of the essential elements, which was a big deciding factor for us for simplicity's sake!
How we found them: We attended a party there in the past; my husband knows the GM from skiing.
Included:
- The entire inn to ourselves for Friday - Sunday (4 rooms, including a spacious bridal suite)
- Small per-dog cleaning fee
- Wedding day breakfast for our families
- Ceremony set-up next to the creek w/ arbor
- 5-hour open bar with upgraded wine, liquor, and beer selections - they made us an amazing Old Fashioned and sourced beers from our favorite local brewery!
- Cocktail hour set-up outdoors with yard games and appetizers (smoked pork belly bites, Caprese skewers, pigs-in-blankets)
- Dinner buffet - smoked prime rib, salad w/ goat cheese, grilled asparagus, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes & gravy
- All chairs, tables, linens, table settings, etc. including set up / removal - for dinner, set-up was three round tables
- Minimal fee for cake cutting / serving
- HUGE charcuterie board for a late-night snack - safe to say no one left hungry!
- Farewell breakfast the day after the wedding
- Total: $9,132 (including gratuity)
We did first look photos before the ceremony and formal family photos after; we arranged for our photographer to stay until after all the “official” events like toasts and cake cutting had concluded. She did a phenomenal job capturing the our day and our guests' candid reactions and emotions.
How we found them: Personal recommendation from a local photographer friend.
Included:
- 6 hours of photography (no second shooter)
- About 350 edited photos delivered in under 6 weeks
- Total: $3100 (including gratuity)
I requested wildflower-inspired arrangements. My mom cried happy tears when she saw them!
How we found them: I've worked with her in the past for gifts (floral / succulent arrangements).
Included:
- 4 centerpieces
- 1 bouquet
- 1 bout
- Cake flowers
- Total: $1,102 (including gratuity)
We asked for classical music as guests arrived and for the processional (“Canon in D”) and exited to “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Cocktail hour was bluegrass / folk. It was a hit!
How we found them: Local Facebook group, but he also teaches guitar to a friend's son.
Included:
- Ceremony and cocktail hour music, about 2.5 hours of playing
- One musician; fiddle for the ceremony, alternated guitar and fiddle for cocktail hour
- Total: $550 (including gratuity)
We ordered enough for each guest to have a serving of wedding cake and a cupcake.
How we found them: My husband works with her husband; everyone in town raves about her cakes!
Included:
- Two-tier cake (8” + 6”) - vanilla cake, lemon buttercream, raspberry filling; one tier was gluten free
- Two dozen cupcakes - chocolate cake w/ peanut butter buttercream
- Delivery and set-up
- Total: $414 (including gratuity)
We wanted my husband's cousin to marry us, but we got word about a month out that the military wouldn't allow his time off. Luckily, we had a back-up plan. Our officiant (part of a team) met with us via Zoom a couple times before the ceremony and did a great job customizing the content to us.
How we found them: This was the outlier, we just found them online.
- Total: $529 (including gratuity)
The dress was the one thing I low-key panicked about once we decided on a short timeline. I went to BHLDN, asked my stylist to show me dresses that could ship right away, tried on 10-12 dresses, and picked one. I was going for simple and classic, and I wanted to look and feel like myself. No regrets!
Included:
- Dress - Portia by Jenny Yoo from BHLDN
- Alterations - hem, side bustle, take in bust (on sides and along front boning), modify neckline
- Headpiece - Twigs & Honey Linney Halo from BHLDN
- Shoes for first look photos & reception - Birkenstocks Mayari Antique Lace
- Shoes for ceremony & family photos - Rothy’s The Point Diamond Metallic
- Purse - ABLE Envelope Clutch Beach
- Jean jacket for reception - Prana Slate Rim Denim Jacket
- Jewelry - Etsy - raw pearl tri-toned bracelets and wire-wrapped raw pearl earrings
- Hair / Makeup on-site, hair / makeup trial, gratuity for both
- Mani / pedi prior to the wedding, gratuity
- Lash lift / tint prior to the wedding, gratuity
- Robe, shape-wear, sticky inserts
- Total: $3,006
My MIL suggested a "summer navy" suit - when we went shopping, we both really liked the color!
Included:
- Suit - Calvin Klein from Men’s Warehouse
- Calvin Klein Dress Shirt and Pronto Uomo Tie
- Accessories - shoes, belt, and fun mountain socks (Jos. A. Bank)
- Total: $665
Our venue was beautiful and didn’t require a ton of extra decor (at least in our opinion). Everything we added was meant to complement the outdoor setting and highlight our personalities and our story.
Included:
- Outfits for our informal flower girls / ring bearer - pinafore dresses and short / vest suit set
- Ribbon wands and “here comes the bride” sign
- Dog “tuxes” and leather leashes
- Guest book
- Coloring books (woodland animal themed) and crayons for the kids
- Name cards / favors: National Forest sign ornaments
- Bear cake topper
- Candle holders w/ celestite crystals
- Frames for signs, ribbon for various uses
- Total: $884
I did the design work for our save-the-dates, invitations, programs, and wedding website, but all of these resources have great design templates you could use.
Included:
- Save-the dates: Paperless Post
- Wedding website: WIX hosting
- Invitations (soft touch w/ foil) and wedding programs: Smartpress
- Misc. supplies: postage stamps, pens, etc.
- Total: $282
Included:
- Wedding insurance: If you have animals at your wedding, that's an automatic "no" from a lot of carriers - I had to do some digging. Purchased bare-bones liability insurance from Wedsure. ($225)
- Marriage license: In Colorado, you can self-solemnize so witnesses / an officiant aren't required but we had our guests sign our license just for fun. ($30)
- Total: $255
- Welcome dinner (night before the wedding)
- My engagement ring from a local jeweler (I didn’t get a separate band)
- My husband’s wedding band from Emblem - about $600
- Our couple’s massage the day before the wedding - about $200 total w/ tips
- Drinks and snacks we bought to stock mini-fridges at the inn - about $150
- Thank you gifts for a couple friends / family members that helped us out day-of and for our parents
Would highly recommend / would do all over...
- Planning on a short time frame. To some extent, wedding planning is inherently stressful and weddings bring family dynamics into play that can be hard to navigate - it was nice to deal with all of that for only three months rather than a year or more.
- Focusing on a few meaningful details. It was tempting to keep adding to the plan, but I tried really hard to assess whether the extra cost and coordination of each detail would actually add to the experience. We wanted the focus to be on us and our loved ones, not a wedding theme.
- Having a small wedding. We actually got to talk to and spend time with each of our guests. Because it was an intimate group, our ceremony and toasts were really personal and we both felt ok being emotionally vulnerable. We have zero regrets about keeping the guest list really small.
- Being protective of our emotional energy / quiet time. We made a point to carve out quiet moments for just the two of us. We had four of our closest people around while we were getting ready. For us, having more people around for the entire day would've been exhausting.
- Including our dogs. We had asked friends to help, and we gave the dogs breaks up in our room with food and water. They behaved wonderfully and got a lot of love. Could be tricky, but worked out great with a small group of guests who are comfortable with our dogs and vice versa.
- Going on an immediate “mini-moon.” We wanted something with easy logistics that would be super relaxing so we chose a hot springs resort a couple hours away and stayed on-site. It was wonderful to have a few days just the two of us before transitioning back to real life.
Would do differently ... (just a couple things!)
- Ensuring that everyone can hear the ceremony. If we could do it over, I’d insist that we set up the officiant with a small amp / mic. He told us his voice would project, but some of our guests later mentioned they couldn’t hear significant parts of the service.
- Communicating our “unplugged” wedding. We were trying to avoid photos / videos / social posts due in large part to guest privacy concerns (actually a child in the wedding) but a couple people completely disregarded our requests. Our wording should've been more direct, we should've had a candid chat with a couple people ahead of time, and we should've had a plan to ask them to stop.
If you want to host a destination wedding in Colorado...
- Mountain time is a real thing. Email / phone / text communication can be slow. Whenever possible, I would go talk to our vendors face-to-face (kindly!) and that’s usually when I got stuff accomplished. Everyone is extremely short-staffed. If you’re willing to be a bit patient, the small mountain towns and family owned businesses are a wonderful experience. Some of our out-of-town family had a hard time adapting to the laid back approach to service - but that's the way it is.
- You'll know what the weather is going to be when it happens. I’ve experienced sun, rain, hail, and snow within the space of 15 minutes. It can snow anytime between September and May. We weren’t sure how the weather was going to be (forecast for thunderstorms). We made the best back-up plan we could and luckily the weather held out for us - we enjoyed being outdoors all day!
- Consider whether your guests will do ok at elevation. Guests with health issues may not be able to attend - make sure you’re ok with them missing your wedding. (In our case, our grandparents would’ve been a definite “no” at elevation, but there was no other location where they both would’ve been able to attend.) If you and your guests don’t live at elevation: drink a lot of water, watch your alcohol intake, eat plenty of food, and give yourself some time to acclimate.
I hope some small part of this incredibly long post helped someone who's looking to do something similar :)
2022.09.08 01:11 co_carolelaine AMA! RECAP: Micro-Wedding in the Colorado Mountains Planned in Under 3 Months $19,920 Spent Photos, Cost Break-Down & Timeline Included
About Us
35 F (me) / 36 M, together for about 4 years, engaged May 29, 2022, married July 30, 2022. We live in the mountains out west of Denver. Like most Coloradans, we love being outdoors. We’re “pawrents” to three rescue dogs. We met because my now-husband's dog escaped and I found him :)When we started making calls to venues in early June, the spot we really wanted was available for one weekend - yes, WEEKEND! - this summer, so we fast-tracked the planning and made it happen.
Our Goals for the Wedding
- Small, simple outdoor celebration with delicious food - elevated backyard BBQ concept
- Low-stress - as close to possible to everyone just showing up!
- Venue with plenty of lodging within walking distance, for ease and to avoid concerns around drinking and driving (Ubers / cabs aren’t an option)
End Result (Photos!)
LinkGuest List
- 34 invited: 2 invites were our grandparents who we knew would sadly be definite no’s; several other guests we knew would be questionable (new baby / military service)
- 24 yes RSVPs
- 24 ultimately attended, split pretty evenly between family and friends
Weekend Timeline
FRIDAY- Morning / early afternoon: couple's massage, brunch, then drove over to our venue and had a drink together before spending some time separately with each of our families
- Evening: welcome dinner for family and out-of-town friends
- 6 AM: Hike with my brother
- 9 AM: Family breakfast, then our families were free to go enjoy the mountains until the wedding
- Noon-1:45 PM: My hair & makeup (I think my husband started getting ready as I was wrapping up!)
- 2:30 PM: First look photos
- 3-3:30 PM: A couple of our friends / family members took care of things like putting out centerpieces / name cards, setting out signs, and confirming that a few vendors arrived
- 4:30 PM: Ceremony
- 5 PM: Family photos / cocktail hour with live music, yard games, open bar, appetizers
- 6:30 PM: Dinner
- 8 PM: Toasts and cake cutting, cake served
- 9-10 PM: Completely informal - open bar, charcuterie board, mingling (no official send-off)
- 10 AM: farewell breakfast
- Noon: departed directly from the venue for our "mini-moon"
Finances
My (bride’s) parents covered almost the entire cost. This was something my parents had always told me they were planning on doing, so this wasn’t a surprise but it was greatly appreciated. There was no set budget but we didn't spend their money lightly. They were totally on board with a small wedding!My in-laws also wanted to help, and they paid for the welcome dinner, his attire, and the open bar.
Cost Break-Down
We had a clear idea of which vendors we wanted to work with and we went straight to them. Most of our vendors were our first choice - we lucked out! Quotes from our preferred vendors were as we expected and I'm not sure we could've saved much money by price-shopping (high cost of living area).VENUE
Inn in the historic downtown area of a small mountain town. The ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner were all held in the lovely backyard which is right on the creek, surrounded by aspen trees. Our venue included a lot of the essential elements, which was a big deciding factor for us for simplicity's sake!
How we found them: We attended a party there in the past; my husband knows the GM from skiing.
Included:
- The entire inn to ourselves for Friday - Sunday (4 rooms, including a spacious bridal suite)
- Small per-dog cleaning fee
- Wedding day breakfast for our families
- Ceremony set-up next to the creek w/ arbor
- 5-hour open bar with upgraded wine, liquor, and beer selections - they made us an amazing Old Fashioned and sourced beers from our favorite local brewery!
- Cocktail hour set-up outdoors with yard games and appetizers (smoked pork belly bites, Caprese skewers, pigs-in-blankets)
- Dinner buffet - smoked prime rib, salad w/ goat cheese, grilled asparagus, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes & gravy
- All chairs, tables, linens, table settings, etc. including set up / removal - for dinner, set-up was three round tables
- Minimal fee for cake cutting / serving
- HUGE charcuterie board for a late-night snack - safe to say no one left hungry!
- Farewell breakfast the day after the wedding
- Total: $9,132 (including gratuity)
We did first look photos before the ceremony and formal family photos after; we arranged for our photographer to stay until after all the “official” events like toasts and cake cutting had concluded. She did a phenomenal job capturing the our day and our guests' candid reactions and emotions.
How we found them: Personal recommendation from a local photographer friend.
Included:
- 6 hours of photography (no second shooter)
- About 350 edited photos delivered in under 6 weeks
- Total: $3100 (including gratuity)
I requested wildflower-inspired arrangements. My mom cried happy tears when she saw them!
How we found them: I've worked with her in the past for gifts (floral / succulent arrangements).
Included:
- 4 centerpieces
- 1 bouquet
- 1 bout
- Cake flowers
- Total: $1,102 (including gratuity)
We asked for classical music as guests arrived and for the processional (“Canon in D”) and exited to “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Cocktail hour was bluegrass / folk. It was a hit!
How we found them: Local Facebook group, but he also teaches guitar to a friend's son.
Included:
- Ceremony and cocktail hour music, about 2.5 hours of playing
- One musician; fiddle for the ceremony, alternated guitar and fiddle for cocktail hour
- Total: $550 (including gratuity)
We ordered enough for each guest to have a serving of wedding cake and a cupcake.
How we found them: My husband works with her husband; everyone in town raves about her cakes!
Included:
- Two-tier cake (8” + 6”) - vanilla cake, lemon buttercream, raspberry filling; one tier was gluten free
- Two dozen cupcakes - chocolate cake w/ peanut butter buttercream
- Delivery and set-up
- Total: $414 (including gratuity)
We wanted my husband's cousin to marry us, but we got word about a month out that the military wouldn't allow his time off. Luckily, we had a back-up plan. Our officiant (part of a team) met with us via Zoom a couple times before the ceremony and did a great job customizing the content to us.
How we found them: This was the outlier, we just found them online.
- Total: $529 (including gratuity)
The dress was the one thing I low-key panicked about once we decided on a short timeline. I went to BHLDN, asked my stylist to show me dresses that could ship right away, tried on 10-12 dresses, and picked one. I was going for simple and classic, and I wanted to look and feel like myself. No regrets!
Included:
- Dress - Portia by Jenny Yoo from BHLDN
- Alterations - hem, side bustle, take in bust (on sides and along front boning), modify neckline
- Headpiece - Twigs & Honey Linney Halo from BHLDN
- Shoes for first look photos & reception - Birkenstocks Mayari Antique Lace
- Shoes for ceremony & family photos - Rothy’s The Point Diamond Metallic
- Purse - ABLE Envelope Clutch Beach
- Jean jacket for reception - Prana Slate Rim Denim Jacket
- Jewelry - Etsy - raw pearl tri-toned bracelets and wire-wrapped raw pearl earrings
- Hair / Makeup on-site, hair / makeup trial, gratuity for both
- Mani / pedi prior to the wedding, gratuity
- Lash lift / tint prior to the wedding, gratuity
- Robe, shape-wear, sticky inserts
- Total: $3,006
My MIL suggested a "summer navy" suit - when we went shopping, we both really liked the color!
Included:
- Suit - Calvin Klein from Men’s Warehouse
- Calvin Klein Dress Shirt and Pronto Uomo Tie
- Accessories - shoes, belt, and fun mountain socks (Jos. A. Bank)
- Total: $665
Our venue was beautiful and didn’t require a ton of extra decor (at least in our opinion). Everything we added was meant to complement the outdoor setting and highlight our personalities and our story.
Included:
- Outfits for our informal flower girls / ring bearer - pinafore dresses and short / vest suit set
- Ribbon wands and “here comes the bride” sign
- Dog “tuxes” and leather leashes
- Guest book
- Coloring books (woodland animal themed) and crayons for the kids
- Name cards / favors: National Forest sign ornaments
- Bear cake topper
- Candle holders w/ celestite crystals
- Frames for signs, ribbon for various uses
- Total: $884
I did the design work for our save-the-dates, invitations, programs, and wedding website, but all of these resources have great design templates you could use.
Included:
- Save-the dates: Paperless Post
- Wedding website: WIX hosting
- Invitations (soft touch w/ foil) and wedding programs: Smartpress
- Misc. supplies: postage stamps, pens, etc.
- Total: $282
Included:
- Wedding insurance: If you have animals at your wedding, that's an automatic "no" from a lot of carriers - I had to do some digging. Purchased bare-bones liability insurance from Wedsure. ($225)
- Marriage license: In Colorado, you can self-solemnize so witnesses / an officiant aren't required but we had our guests sign our license just for fun. ($30)
- Total: $255
- Welcome dinner (night before the wedding)
- My engagement ring from a local jeweler (I didn’t get a separate band)
- My husband’s wedding band from Emblem - about $600
- Our couple’s massage the day before the wedding - about $200 total w/ tips
- Drinks and snacks we bought to stock mini-fridges at the inn - about $150
- Thank you gifts for a couple friends / family members that helped us out day-of and for our parents
Would highly recommend / would do all over...
- Planning on a short time frame. To some extent, wedding planning is inherently stressful and weddings bring family dynamics into play that can be hard to navigate - it was nice to deal with all of that for only three months rather than a year or more.
- Focusing on a few meaningful details. It was tempting to keep adding to the plan, but I tried really hard to assess whether the extra cost and coordination of each detail would actually add to the experience. We wanted the focus to be on us and our loved ones, not a wedding theme.
- Having a small wedding. We actually got to talk to and spend time with each of our guests. Because it was an intimate group, our ceremony and toasts were really personal and we both felt ok being emotionally vulnerable. We have zero regrets about keeping the guest list really small.
- Being protective of our emotional energy / quiet time. We made a point to carve out quiet moments for just the two of us. We had four of our closest people around while we were getting ready. For us, having more people around for the entire day would've been exhausting.
- Including our dogs. We had asked friends to help, and we gave the dogs breaks up in our room with food and water. They behaved wonderfully and got a lot of love. Could be tricky, but worked out great with a small group of guests who are comfortable with our dogs and vice versa.
- Going on an immediate “mini-moon.” We wanted something with easy logistics that would be super relaxing so we chose a hot springs resort a couple hours away and stayed on-site. It was wonderful to have a few days just the two of us before transitioning back to real life.
Would do differently ... (just a couple things!)
- Ensuring that everyone can hear the ceremony. If we could do it over, I’d insist that we set up the officiant with a small amp / mic. He told us his voice would project, but some of our guests later mentioned they couldn’t hear significant parts of the service.
- Communicating our “unplugged” wedding. We were trying to avoid photos / videos / social posts due in large part to guest privacy concerns (actually a child in the wedding) but a couple people completely disregarded our requests. Our wording should've been more direct, we should've had a candid chat with a couple people ahead of time, and we should've had a plan to ask them to stop.
If you want to host a destination wedding in Colorado...
- Mountain time is a real thing. Email / phone / text communication can be slow. Whenever possible, I would go talk to our vendors face-to-face (kindly!) and that’s usually when I got stuff accomplished. Everyone is extremely short-staffed. If you’re willing to be a bit patient, the small mountain towns and family owned businesses are a wonderful experience. Some of our out-of-town family had a hard time adapting to the laid back approach to service - but that's the way it is.
- You'll know what the weather is going to be when it happens. I’ve experienced sun, rain, hail, and snow within the space of 15 minutes. It can snow anytime between September and May. We weren’t sure how the weather was going to be (forecast for thunderstorms). We made the best back-up plan we could and luckily the weather held out for us - we enjoyed being outdoors all day!
- Consider whether your guests will do ok at elevation. Guests with health issues may not be able to attend - make sure you’re ok with them missing your wedding. (In our case, our grandparents would’ve been a definite “no” at elevation, but there was no other location where they both would’ve been able to attend.) If you and your guests don’t live at elevation: drink a lot of water, watch your alcohol intake, eat plenty of food, and give yourself some time to acclimate.
Questions? Ask away!
I hope some small part of this incredibly long post helped someone who's looking to do something similar :)2022.09.03 01:30 mochii69 First time buying!! I let my husband open the other pack since it felt nostalgic to him
 | submitted by mochii69 to PokemonTCG [link] [comments] |
2022.08.11 22:39 t4bullock The USS O'Kane Incident
The AA 1343 Incident
The Hidden One
The Cherufe of Monserrat
There have been many events which have occurred around the world which could be called unusual. Some get lumped into the realm of the supernatural. Ghosts, goblins, and monsters. I can tell you, from personal experience, monsters exist in this world. Did you hear the one about the Airliner that landed with no one on board except a charred corpse? How about the one about the ancient being imprisoned by angels in a pyramid? That one was me. Long story short, a satellite crashed into the desert, revealing a pyramid which housed an extraterrestrial lifeform beyond anything previously encountered in both size and power. After a nightmarish experience, two of us survived, and I was recruited away from the Air Force. I had spent the last few months settling into my new position as field operative for Vanguard.
A report fell upon my desk not long ago, lost in the shuffle of endless paperwork which was part of taking the job. Positives include a budget to upgrade my closet, a wardrobe which is flexible, the Puerto Rican food is outstanding, and I get double travel miles. Negatives include mountains of paperwork, government office furniture, and occasionally dangerous, world ending threats and creatures from myth and legend.
I scanned the box associated with the file and peeled the tape off the box lid. I immediately popping off a sticky note reading “FILE 13,” code for “put behind a lock and bury.” I tossed it into the recycle and opened the box. A flash drive and nearly 100 pages of bluster filled it. I flipped open the drive and plugged it in. A series of logs sat on the file. Each had an unusual name, so I skimmed the files, many of them bearing the format of ‘NAME-Interview-Number.’ I found one titled ‘Aldridge Interview Six.’ Deciding it was as good enough as any place to start, I clicked it.
The media player opened to a clinical office setting. An Asian male moved from in front of the camera to behind the desk and sat in a hideous lime green mid-century chair. He had a recording device on the table, as well as a tablet. He picked the tablet up and pushed a small button from under his desk. A buzz, then the sound of an opening door. He beamed a false smile and motioned for someone off screen to sit. A tall, thin male with long, shaggy brown hair sat down.
“Let’s pick up where we left off, shall we, Captain Aldridge?” The Asian man sounded almost robotic as he adjusted his eyeglasses. “You said you had just reached the South China Sea, trailing the Quilong. Is that correct?”
“Um… Yes, Doctor Lin. The Quilong,” the man with the mop top said. His voice sounded hollow and tired.
“The Chinese aircraft carrier that doesn’t exist,” the doctor responded flatly.
“It’s classified. Super advanced. Or, it was,” Captain Aldridge responded.
“Right. Just so I am up to speed, the US Navy sent your submarine to tail an experimental Chinese warship in Chinese waters. And you found it.”
“Well… Yes. She was 80,000 tonnes. Not hard to miss,” he replied.
“Quite right. Carry on, then, Mr. Aldridge,” the doctor said as he started a recording. The husk of a man in front of him, with a ghostly pallor and deep, sunken eyes, began to stare off at the oil painting of the USS Constellation on the wall. He cleared his throat, rapping his fingers rhythmically against his thigh. After a long minute, he began to speak.
“We were trailing the Quilong once we found out she put to see for trials. She was moving into the South China see towards the China Sea Basin, probably for deep water maneuvers and weapons testing. She was supposed to be the most advanced aircraft carrier in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy. Nuclear, we think, first for the Chinese.” The doctor made various notes on the pad as the man continued to speak.
“Just after sundown, our sonar operator detected an anomalous object running in deep water, around 1800 feet. We had no classification for it in the computer. It actively pinged with some kind of sonic weapon, not like echolocation but something close. It approached the Quilong from underneath. We acquired a firing solution but didn’t engage. We were supposed to observe the carrier’s maneuvers and report back, just ghost. The object circled the Quilong for several minutes from below, at a depth of around 1000 feet. The Chinese must have detected it, hard to believe they couldn’t because it was big as shit. They launched sonar buoys and immediately engaged. They had alert aircraft on deck, probably for training. They did deploy torpedoes, which were not effective… The object then retaliated.” The captain paused, not sure if he should continue.”
I closed the video, scrolling down through all the Interview videos. I found one marked, “CONTACT-Audio.” And clicked. A black screen, with a scrolling text wall of transcription followed.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “CONN, SONAR. New contact, designated Echo-3. Large body, running deep. Possible sub.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Give me specs, Mr. Gibbs.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Unknown, sir. Computer doesn’t recognize it. Whatever it is, it’s big as hell,” he replied. “Speed is eighteen knots, moving north, depth is 1800 feet, captain. Captain, the sensors are giving me a profile I’ve never seen before. It’s the size of a Soviet boomer. Never seen anything like this.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Moving North. Is it headed towards the target?” Long pause. “Gibbs, is it moving towards target?”
Audio is interrupted by an earsplitting, high-pitched whine. A sound like a long rap against a metal pan, followed by reverberation.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Standby.” Another long pause. “CONN, SONAR. Echo-3 has actively pinged. Not a sonar pulse, captain, something else. Possibly a counterwave weapon. Echo-3 is rising rapidly and increasing speed, now at twenty knots, sir. Twenty-five. Heading directly for target.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Captain, there are no other American subs out here. Someone else after the Quilong?”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “I don’t know, Desi. Let’s stay quiet, see what happens. We are supposed to be observers only.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Echo-3 has stalled. 1000 feet down, circling. Turning at around a one-kilometer radius around the Quilong, sir.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Alright, let’s get an eye in the sky. I need to know what the hell is going on up there. Put a switchblade out.” Pause. “Quietly, please.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Aye, sir. WEPS, load a switchblade into tube 1, cold open. Flood the tube and deploy.” Thirty seconds pause.
Man on radio: “Switchblade is away. Eye is in the sky, Captain. Altitude is seven zero zero feet. Sending live feed to the table.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “She’s a big girl. Plenty of MiGs on the flight deck, too. Looks almost like the Queen Elizabeth the Brits built.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “CONN, SONAR. Torpedoes are in the water. No surface vibration, I think the MiGs are dropping them on Echo-3.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Guess it’s not a Chinese sub, then.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Captain, torpedoes are closing on Echo-3. Brace for detonation.”
Several deep rumbles.
Commander Desmond Williams: “Jesus, they aren’t playing around.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Echo-3 is still there, captain. Torpedoes did not neutralize. Echo-3 is diving, passing 1500 feet. 2,000. Passing 2,600 feet. Echo-3 is turning and accelerating. Twenty knots. Thirty. Thirty-five, captain. Still accelerating. Forty knots now. I’m detecting cavitation, sir. Some type of… pulsating sound, coming from Echo-3. No idea what it is. Echo-3 is still rising, on a collision course.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Lock a firing solution onto Echo-3, load torpedo tubes one through four. Flood the tubes and open outer doors. I want to be ready in case whatever this fucker is realizes we are here. Get me a line to Pacific Command, they need to know about this, now!”
Commander Desmond Williams: “what kind of submarine moves at that speed?”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Do we have an ID on this thing? Sound profile? Anything?”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Computer has nothing, captain. Impact in five, four, three, hold on to your butts!”
Distant echo.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Echo-3 has struck the Quilong, captain. I’ve got multiple splashes above, sounds like depth charges.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “What’s the switchblade got? No, show me the external camera view. Down. Oh, my God. What the hell… what is that?”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Load torpedo tubes five through eight, safeties off. Flood em and get em hot!”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Distress call from the Chinese, captain. All frequencies. Reads, ‘Mayday mayday mayday, PLA-N Quilong attacked by unknown… creature. Torpedoes ineffective. Depth charges ineffective. Need immediate assistance. Radiation leak imminent.’ Captain, we have to do something. Captain… Marco!”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “We aren’t here, Desi. We are a ghost, remember?”
Commander Desmond Williams: “You cannot be serious, Marco. Look at that thing! Those men are sailors doing their jobs, just like us. We have to help them!” Long Pause.
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Can’t help if we aren’t here, Commander. Maybe their MiGs will have better luck. Now take your hand off my arm.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Whatever that is, its ripping a carrier apart. What do you think it will do to us?” Pause.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Captain, they have floaters, sir. Multiple splashes. I can hear them screaming.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “I hate you, Desi. I really do.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “You’re welcome.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Make depth six five feet, bring up missiles on through four. Fire torpedoes, one through four!”
Weapons Officer Baccara: “Torpedoes have cleared and left the tubes!”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Let’s see how it likes some MK 48s.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Torpedoes are tracking. Impact in three, two, one.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “All hands this is the captain. Brace for torpedo impact.”
Vibration sound.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Captain, Echo-3 has released the the Quilong. Dropping to depth of fifty feet. It’s turning. Accelerating quickly, captain. That same pulsating noise. It’s heading straight for us.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Well that worked just fine. Fire torpedoes five through eight, launch Tomahawks! Get the switchblade back into view.”
Rattling sound.
Commander Desmond Williams: “Tomahawks are on target. Closing. Impact!”
Deep rattling throughout the ship.
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Ping it, Mr. Williams. I want to know range to target. Reload all tubes and lock on. Prepare Tomahawks five through fifteen. Let’s blow this thing out of the water.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “It’s coming right at us, captain, speed is forty knots!”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “All ahead flank, twenty-five degrees down bubble, get us out of the way!”
Loud rumble, followed by grinding metal, screams heard in background.
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Get me a damage report and re-acquire firing solution. Active Ping, now.
Loud, repetitive ping can be heard.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Captain, the ping is driving it away from us. It’s headed back towards the Quilong, sir.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Captain, engine room is reporting a hull breach. Reactor room is flooding.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Record everything with the switchblade. Keep the torpedoes loaded. Close the doors and get us out of here, now!”
Commander Desmond Williams: “it… it’s eating them. It’s eating the men in the water. Oh, God.”
Groaning metal can be heard.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Captain, the Quilong is going down. Echo-3 has hold of her. She’s sinking.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “It’s pulling a carrier down…”
I closed the audio and sat in silence for a moment. I canned the next few items before finding the file I wanted. I placed my finger over the file labeled ‘SWITCHBLADE’ and gave it a soft double tap.
My screen was instantly filled with the brilliant blue ocean of the South China Sea. An aircraft carrier, some 800 feet long, sat in the middle of the screen. The drone circled it slowly. A gargantuan shadow, nearly the size of the carrier itself, rose from underneath it. The silhouette struck the Quilong amidships, and it lurched upward. The flight deck, made of asphalt crumbled as the ship flexed and bent slightly while rocking in the sea. Several jets and a helicopter flew off the deck into the ocean. A Russian-made MiG bobbed in the water for a moment before it was suddenly, violently ripped down.
I blinked several times. Sailors manning the flight line had been tossed into the water. They too were yanked down with unfathomable speed. Jets raced across the deck, several lifting off while one struck a chunk of deck and careened into the water. Two monstrous black orbs, each easily ten meters across, broke the surface. The blackness retracted to reveal a deep red oblong slit in each orb. Eyes. They were eyes on stalks. A mass of tentacles lashed out viciously, dozens of them. Each tentacle smashed into the hull of the Quilong. The mighty carrier lurched to port due to the massive weight. More planes slid off the deck.
Explosions racked the creature but seemed to have little effect. The water separated and a massive spiral shell rocked the ocean into vicious waves as it rose from beneath the carrier. It was nautilus. A string of MiGs pounded the shell with a volley of missiles. The drone continued to pan as it lazily drifted in its circular pattern. The giant nautilus remained undamaged. More explosions, and the nautilus released the carrier. It turned and, in one motion, sucked in a tidal wave of water with a vortex from underneath the many tentacles.
A pregnant pause, then the creature forcefully expelled the water from its shell like a garden hose. The pressure was enough to push the nautilus through the water, its massive blue and white spiral shell brutally smashing the surface of the South China Sea like a ridiculous shark fin.
I quickly made notes of what I was observing. I cut a precious glance away from the screen to open a new file on my computer. The nautilus was repeatedly struck with explosions, undoubtedly the Tomahawks which had been fired. The nautilus dove under, and the water rippled slightly from something deep beneath it. The drone continued circling, an uncaring God’s Eye view of the devastation below it. After a few moments, the monster breached again, latching onto the Quilong. Some of the mass of tentacles would scoop hapless sailors from the water, dragging them under. The carrier shrugged and slowly bent in half, the unfathomable strength of the nautilus folding the warship up like a piece of paper. The Quilong vanished beneath the waves in moments, leaving a trail of burning jet fuel, oil slicks, and debris for hundreds of meters.
I opened the file with details of the data packet pulled from the sensor array. The object designated as Echo-3, an unknown biological organism, attacked and sank the experimental Chinese aircraft carrier Quilong on 2 October 2021. The USS Richard O’Kane, a Seawolf-II class hunter killer sub, suffered severe damage and thirty-three sailors perished when she sank approximately forty miles from Leyte, Philippines. The executive officer, Commander Desmond Williams, died assisting the crew stop a reactor breach. Active sonar shows Echo-3 descended rapidly with Quilong to a depth of nearly five thousand meters to one of the deepest points of the South China Sea. Quilong did send multiple distress calls, which were answered. Chinese intelligence, as well as the Republic of Korea and Japan, also detected the distress calls.
Information has been deemed G-14 classified by the President of the United States and all pertinent information is authorized to be placed under Vanguard operations. I scribbled a few notes and texted my old friend, Malakai, the only other survivor or the incident in Iraq. We were supposed to meet for coffee to discuss a case. I think I will bring this file along, just for a bit of show and tell. I placed everything in a brand-new folder, unhandled and undamaged, and slapped a fresh label with updated information on the front.
Authority Broadhurst, Jordan- JAB82A Designate New Entry, COMMAND KNIGHT 1
Aquatic-Biological Entity (ABE-140), Kraken Class
Codename: Umibozu
Category: 4
Location: South China Sea
Length: 225 meters (with tentacles)
Height: 68 meters (Shell)
Weight: 12,700 tonnes, (estimated)
Status: Active
submitted by t4bullock to nosleep [link] [comments]
The Hidden One
The Cherufe of Monserrat
There have been many events which have occurred around the world which could be called unusual. Some get lumped into the realm of the supernatural. Ghosts, goblins, and monsters. I can tell you, from personal experience, monsters exist in this world. Did you hear the one about the Airliner that landed with no one on board except a charred corpse? How about the one about the ancient being imprisoned by angels in a pyramid? That one was me. Long story short, a satellite crashed into the desert, revealing a pyramid which housed an extraterrestrial lifeform beyond anything previously encountered in both size and power. After a nightmarish experience, two of us survived, and I was recruited away from the Air Force. I had spent the last few months settling into my new position as field operative for Vanguard.
A report fell upon my desk not long ago, lost in the shuffle of endless paperwork which was part of taking the job. Positives include a budget to upgrade my closet, a wardrobe which is flexible, the Puerto Rican food is outstanding, and I get double travel miles. Negatives include mountains of paperwork, government office furniture, and occasionally dangerous, world ending threats and creatures from myth and legend.
I scanned the box associated with the file and peeled the tape off the box lid. I immediately popping off a sticky note reading “FILE 13,” code for “put behind a lock and bury.” I tossed it into the recycle and opened the box. A flash drive and nearly 100 pages of bluster filled it. I flipped open the drive and plugged it in. A series of logs sat on the file. Each had an unusual name, so I skimmed the files, many of them bearing the format of ‘NAME-Interview-Number.’ I found one titled ‘Aldridge Interview Six.’ Deciding it was as good enough as any place to start, I clicked it.
The media player opened to a clinical office setting. An Asian male moved from in front of the camera to behind the desk and sat in a hideous lime green mid-century chair. He had a recording device on the table, as well as a tablet. He picked the tablet up and pushed a small button from under his desk. A buzz, then the sound of an opening door. He beamed a false smile and motioned for someone off screen to sit. A tall, thin male with long, shaggy brown hair sat down.
“Let’s pick up where we left off, shall we, Captain Aldridge?” The Asian man sounded almost robotic as he adjusted his eyeglasses. “You said you had just reached the South China Sea, trailing the Quilong. Is that correct?”
“Um… Yes, Doctor Lin. The Quilong,” the man with the mop top said. His voice sounded hollow and tired.
“The Chinese aircraft carrier that doesn’t exist,” the doctor responded flatly.
“It’s classified. Super advanced. Or, it was,” Captain Aldridge responded.
“Right. Just so I am up to speed, the US Navy sent your submarine to tail an experimental Chinese warship in Chinese waters. And you found it.”
“Well… Yes. She was 80,000 tonnes. Not hard to miss,” he replied.
“Quite right. Carry on, then, Mr. Aldridge,” the doctor said as he started a recording. The husk of a man in front of him, with a ghostly pallor and deep, sunken eyes, began to stare off at the oil painting of the USS Constellation on the wall. He cleared his throat, rapping his fingers rhythmically against his thigh. After a long minute, he began to speak.
“We were trailing the Quilong once we found out she put to see for trials. She was moving into the South China see towards the China Sea Basin, probably for deep water maneuvers and weapons testing. She was supposed to be the most advanced aircraft carrier in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy. Nuclear, we think, first for the Chinese.” The doctor made various notes on the pad as the man continued to speak.
“Just after sundown, our sonar operator detected an anomalous object running in deep water, around 1800 feet. We had no classification for it in the computer. It actively pinged with some kind of sonic weapon, not like echolocation but something close. It approached the Quilong from underneath. We acquired a firing solution but didn’t engage. We were supposed to observe the carrier’s maneuvers and report back, just ghost. The object circled the Quilong for several minutes from below, at a depth of around 1000 feet. The Chinese must have detected it, hard to believe they couldn’t because it was big as shit. They launched sonar buoys and immediately engaged. They had alert aircraft on deck, probably for training. They did deploy torpedoes, which were not effective… The object then retaliated.” The captain paused, not sure if he should continue.”
I closed the video, scrolling down through all the Interview videos. I found one marked, “CONTACT-Audio.” And clicked. A black screen, with a scrolling text wall of transcription followed.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “CONN, SONAR. New contact, designated Echo-3. Large body, running deep. Possible sub.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Give me specs, Mr. Gibbs.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Unknown, sir. Computer doesn’t recognize it. Whatever it is, it’s big as hell,” he replied. “Speed is eighteen knots, moving north, depth is 1800 feet, captain. Captain, the sensors are giving me a profile I’ve never seen before. It’s the size of a Soviet boomer. Never seen anything like this.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Moving North. Is it headed towards the target?” Long pause. “Gibbs, is it moving towards target?”
Audio is interrupted by an earsplitting, high-pitched whine. A sound like a long rap against a metal pan, followed by reverberation.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Standby.” Another long pause. “CONN, SONAR. Echo-3 has actively pinged. Not a sonar pulse, captain, something else. Possibly a counterwave weapon. Echo-3 is rising rapidly and increasing speed, now at twenty knots, sir. Twenty-five. Heading directly for target.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Captain, there are no other American subs out here. Someone else after the Quilong?”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “I don’t know, Desi. Let’s stay quiet, see what happens. We are supposed to be observers only.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Echo-3 has stalled. 1000 feet down, circling. Turning at around a one-kilometer radius around the Quilong, sir.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Alright, let’s get an eye in the sky. I need to know what the hell is going on up there. Put a switchblade out.” Pause. “Quietly, please.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Aye, sir. WEPS, load a switchblade into tube 1, cold open. Flood the tube and deploy.” Thirty seconds pause.
Man on radio: “Switchblade is away. Eye is in the sky, Captain. Altitude is seven zero zero feet. Sending live feed to the table.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “She’s a big girl. Plenty of MiGs on the flight deck, too. Looks almost like the Queen Elizabeth the Brits built.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “CONN, SONAR. Torpedoes are in the water. No surface vibration, I think the MiGs are dropping them on Echo-3.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Guess it’s not a Chinese sub, then.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Captain, torpedoes are closing on Echo-3. Brace for detonation.”
Several deep rumbles.
Commander Desmond Williams: “Jesus, they aren’t playing around.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Echo-3 is still there, captain. Torpedoes did not neutralize. Echo-3 is diving, passing 1500 feet. 2,000. Passing 2,600 feet. Echo-3 is turning and accelerating. Twenty knots. Thirty. Thirty-five, captain. Still accelerating. Forty knots now. I’m detecting cavitation, sir. Some type of… pulsating sound, coming from Echo-3. No idea what it is. Echo-3 is still rising, on a collision course.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Lock a firing solution onto Echo-3, load torpedo tubes one through four. Flood the tubes and open outer doors. I want to be ready in case whatever this fucker is realizes we are here. Get me a line to Pacific Command, they need to know about this, now!”
Commander Desmond Williams: “what kind of submarine moves at that speed?”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Do we have an ID on this thing? Sound profile? Anything?”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Computer has nothing, captain. Impact in five, four, three, hold on to your butts!”
Distant echo.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Echo-3 has struck the Quilong, captain. I’ve got multiple splashes above, sounds like depth charges.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “What’s the switchblade got? No, show me the external camera view. Down. Oh, my God. What the hell… what is that?”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Load torpedo tubes five through eight, safeties off. Flood em and get em hot!”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Distress call from the Chinese, captain. All frequencies. Reads, ‘Mayday mayday mayday, PLA-N Quilong attacked by unknown… creature. Torpedoes ineffective. Depth charges ineffective. Need immediate assistance. Radiation leak imminent.’ Captain, we have to do something. Captain… Marco!”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “We aren’t here, Desi. We are a ghost, remember?”
Commander Desmond Williams: “You cannot be serious, Marco. Look at that thing! Those men are sailors doing their jobs, just like us. We have to help them!” Long Pause.
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Can’t help if we aren’t here, Commander. Maybe their MiGs will have better luck. Now take your hand off my arm.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Whatever that is, its ripping a carrier apart. What do you think it will do to us?” Pause.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Captain, they have floaters, sir. Multiple splashes. I can hear them screaming.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “I hate you, Desi. I really do.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “You’re welcome.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Make depth six five feet, bring up missiles on through four. Fire torpedoes, one through four!”
Weapons Officer Baccara: “Torpedoes have cleared and left the tubes!”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Let’s see how it likes some MK 48s.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Torpedoes are tracking. Impact in three, two, one.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “All hands this is the captain. Brace for torpedo impact.”
Vibration sound.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Captain, Echo-3 has released the the Quilong. Dropping to depth of fifty feet. It’s turning. Accelerating quickly, captain. That same pulsating noise. It’s heading straight for us.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Well that worked just fine. Fire torpedoes five through eight, launch Tomahawks! Get the switchblade back into view.”
Rattling sound.
Commander Desmond Williams: “Tomahawks are on target. Closing. Impact!”
Deep rattling throughout the ship.
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Ping it, Mr. Williams. I want to know range to target. Reload all tubes and lock on. Prepare Tomahawks five through fifteen. Let’s blow this thing out of the water.”
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “It’s coming right at us, captain, speed is forty knots!”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “All ahead flank, twenty-five degrees down bubble, get us out of the way!”
Loud rumble, followed by grinding metal, screams heard in background.
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Get me a damage report and re-acquire firing solution. Active Ping, now.
Loud, repetitive ping can be heard.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Captain, the ping is driving it away from us. It’s headed back towards the Quilong, sir.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “Captain, engine room is reporting a hull breach. Reactor room is flooding.”
Captain Marco Aldridge: “Record everything with the switchblade. Keep the torpedoes loaded. Close the doors and get us out of here, now!”
Commander Desmond Williams: “it… it’s eating them. It’s eating the men in the water. Oh, God.”
Groaning metal can be heard.
Petty Officer Brandon Gibbs: “Captain, the Quilong is going down. Echo-3 has hold of her. She’s sinking.”
Commander Desmond Williams: “It’s pulling a carrier down…”
I closed the audio and sat in silence for a moment. I canned the next few items before finding the file I wanted. I placed my finger over the file labeled ‘SWITCHBLADE’ and gave it a soft double tap.
My screen was instantly filled with the brilliant blue ocean of the South China Sea. An aircraft carrier, some 800 feet long, sat in the middle of the screen. The drone circled it slowly. A gargantuan shadow, nearly the size of the carrier itself, rose from underneath it. The silhouette struck the Quilong amidships, and it lurched upward. The flight deck, made of asphalt crumbled as the ship flexed and bent slightly while rocking in the sea. Several jets and a helicopter flew off the deck into the ocean. A Russian-made MiG bobbed in the water for a moment before it was suddenly, violently ripped down.
I blinked several times. Sailors manning the flight line had been tossed into the water. They too were yanked down with unfathomable speed. Jets raced across the deck, several lifting off while one struck a chunk of deck and careened into the water. Two monstrous black orbs, each easily ten meters across, broke the surface. The blackness retracted to reveal a deep red oblong slit in each orb. Eyes. They were eyes on stalks. A mass of tentacles lashed out viciously, dozens of them. Each tentacle smashed into the hull of the Quilong. The mighty carrier lurched to port due to the massive weight. More planes slid off the deck.
Explosions racked the creature but seemed to have little effect. The water separated and a massive spiral shell rocked the ocean into vicious waves as it rose from beneath the carrier. It was nautilus. A string of MiGs pounded the shell with a volley of missiles. The drone continued to pan as it lazily drifted in its circular pattern. The giant nautilus remained undamaged. More explosions, and the nautilus released the carrier. It turned and, in one motion, sucked in a tidal wave of water with a vortex from underneath the many tentacles.
A pregnant pause, then the creature forcefully expelled the water from its shell like a garden hose. The pressure was enough to push the nautilus through the water, its massive blue and white spiral shell brutally smashing the surface of the South China Sea like a ridiculous shark fin.
I quickly made notes of what I was observing. I cut a precious glance away from the screen to open a new file on my computer. The nautilus was repeatedly struck with explosions, undoubtedly the Tomahawks which had been fired. The nautilus dove under, and the water rippled slightly from something deep beneath it. The drone continued circling, an uncaring God’s Eye view of the devastation below it. After a few moments, the monster breached again, latching onto the Quilong. Some of the mass of tentacles would scoop hapless sailors from the water, dragging them under. The carrier shrugged and slowly bent in half, the unfathomable strength of the nautilus folding the warship up like a piece of paper. The Quilong vanished beneath the waves in moments, leaving a trail of burning jet fuel, oil slicks, and debris for hundreds of meters.
I opened the file with details of the data packet pulled from the sensor array. The object designated as Echo-3, an unknown biological organism, attacked and sank the experimental Chinese aircraft carrier Quilong on 2 October 2021. The USS Richard O’Kane, a Seawolf-II class hunter killer sub, suffered severe damage and thirty-three sailors perished when she sank approximately forty miles from Leyte, Philippines. The executive officer, Commander Desmond Williams, died assisting the crew stop a reactor breach. Active sonar shows Echo-3 descended rapidly with Quilong to a depth of nearly five thousand meters to one of the deepest points of the South China Sea. Quilong did send multiple distress calls, which were answered. Chinese intelligence, as well as the Republic of Korea and Japan, also detected the distress calls.
Information has been deemed G-14 classified by the President of the United States and all pertinent information is authorized to be placed under Vanguard operations. I scribbled a few notes and texted my old friend, Malakai, the only other survivor or the incident in Iraq. We were supposed to meet for coffee to discuss a case. I think I will bring this file along, just for a bit of show and tell. I placed everything in a brand-new folder, unhandled and undamaged, and slapped a fresh label with updated information on the front.
Authority Broadhurst, Jordan- JAB82A Designate New Entry, COMMAND KNIGHT 1
Aquatic-Biological Entity (ABE-140), Kraken Class
Codename: Umibozu
Category: 4
Location: South China Sea
Length: 225 meters (with tentacles)
Height: 68 meters (Shell)
Weight: 12,700 tonnes, (estimated)
Status: Active
2022.07.27 18:02 _futterwacken_ Lash retention problems!!
I've been lashing for about 5 months now and am still having retention problems and they seem to only be getting worse! I've even upped my game and started using a super bonder but one client is losing the lashes in her left eye before a week is even up! I've checked all the ingredients in my products to make sure she's not allergic to anything, so I'm thinking this is just operator error, but I can't figure out what I'm doing! I'm using Lash Out Esthetics glue and PLA super bonder. I nano misted halfway through each eye because she starts watering like crazy about halfway through the service and will start breaking the glue bonds. I'm at a loss and definitely don't want to take on new clients until I can get this figured out.
submitted by _futterwacken_ to lashextensions [link] [comments]