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Members' Corner, Feb-March '25: Teach us about something that's close to your heart

Posted by Alex Sinclair in Just Create

Here at Just, we celebrate the knowledge and passion of fans. That's what the rewards you'll find across our communities aim to do. But as they're specific prompts, there might be something you're itching to talk about that hasn't yet come up.

That's what this reward will offer. What curious pieces of expertise are you proud of? What's your specialist subject on Mastermind? What interesting thing would you like to share with your fellow members?

Give us 150 words (or more!) in writing or video about a subject you know well and care about. The more niche, the more quirky, the better. Tell us why more people should have heard of Thales, how whisky is peated, how to get overpowered in Final Fantasy VIII within the first hour, or whatever else is close to your heart.

The top submissions will get $20 apiece and be featured in curated content right here on JAJA, a further two will receive $10 and may be featured too, and up to five more will each receive $2 as a sign of our appreciation.

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This reward closed to entries at 9:58am on April 3, 2025 but you can still reply, react, and join the conversation below! If you’d like to enter other rewards which are still open, click here.

Created at 3:21pm, 14th February, 2025. Page last updated at 2:27pm, 4th April, 2025.
Deadline at 11:00pm, 30th March, 2025.

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Raven 3/5/2025, 4:22:00 PM

Cosplay is one of my favrite hobbies, and I realy love doing FX makeup, specialy scary and gore ones. There’s just something so cool about making yourself look like a horror movie monster using only stuff you have at home. I don’t always have proffesional makeup or fancy SFX materials, so I just get creative with whatever I can find. I use things like oatmeal, paper tishue, white glue, and even coffe to make textures that look like burned skin, open wounds, or peeling flesh. It’s super fun to experament and see what works. Sometimes I even use gelatine or flour mixed with water to make fake skin. You don’t need expensive stuff to make awsome FX looks!

One of my best makeups was my zipper face makeup, where I made it look like my skin was being unzipped to show bloody flesh underneeth. I used a real zipper and glued it to my face with school glue (which I don’t recomend if you have sensetive skin, but it worked for me lol). Then I used tishue and glue to build up the "skin" around it and painted it with red and black to look like raw flesh. I also added fake blood to make it extra gory. It was one of my proudest makeup looks, and I got so many complaments on it!

Next in line is my stiched mouth makeup, which I did for Halloween. It was inspired by horror movies where the monster has its mouth sewn shut, and I wanted to make it look as real as posible. I used black tishue paper to create the effect of deep cuts and then glued pieces of thread to my lips to look like actual stitches. It was really hard not to laugh or talk while wearing it, but the final look was totaly worth it. It freeked out a lot of people, which is exactly what I wanted!

If you wanna make fake blood with stuff from a convinience store, it’s super easy. Just mix corn syrupp with red food colorant and a tiny drop of blue to make it look darker and more real. If you want thicker, more realistic blood, add a little bit of coco powder—it makes it look clottier and less like just red syrup. Another trick is using instant coffe to darken the blood and give it a dried, crusty effect for older wounds. And if you need chunky, fresh-looking blood, mix in some crushed up cerial or oatmeal! It sounds weird, but it looks super real when you put it on fake wounds.

I love playing around with all these materials and seeing how real I can make my FX makeup look. It’s amazing how much you can do with simple things that are just lying around your kitchen. You don’t need to spend a ton of money to make cool horror looks! And honestly, I think DIY FX makeup is way more fun because you have to be creative and think outside the box.

One of my next goals is to try making a torn-off face effect or maybe a really nasty, rotting zombie look with maggots (probably using rice for that lol). There’s always something new to experament with, and that’s what makes FX makeup so exciting. Whether it’s for cosplay, Halloween, or just for fun, I love seeing how far I can push my skills with just basic house hold stuff.

yan57436 3/30/2025, 4:38:21 PM

Fragrances

I've seen people writing about much more sentimental things that are actually more relevant to society. I thought about writing about the Heimlich maneuver, since I'm a medical student, but I wouldn't be talking about something I really love and I believe it's somewhat niche.

A smell reflects much more than a simple sense, it's coming home and knowing that your mother has made the stew you love so much, or the smell of your grandmother's house, and what about the smell of rain? Smells reflect feelings, desires, times that will never come again and that you would like to keep.

A year ago I saw a post on reddit by a guy whose wife passed away and he still had her clothes and he wanted as much as possible for people to discover the perfume so that he could keep that memory and show it to his daughter when she grows up.

So I'm going to teach you what you need to know about perfume:

Concentration:

You need to understand that perfume is basically oils + alcohol (except for some crazy inventions, like sauvage eau forte) and the percentage of oil we put in is what defines how long the smell lasts on you and how intense it is. Gee, Yan, why don't I have a 100% oil perfume since it will make it last longer? Simple, the alcohol is what guarantees its volatility, which makes people in your environment perceive your scent, so here I'll introduce you to the concentrations we see on the market today:

Eau frachie: Here we have only 1-3% oils in its composition, which guarantees high volatility and little durability. It's very good for those who want something brief, like someone who uses it to go to bed or just to go to the bakery.

Eau de Cologne: Here we have 2-5% oils, it's still very volatile and doesn't last long, but here you're guaranteed a slightly longer-lasting fragrance. In general, it goes very well with eau frachie, they're lighter perfumes that you definitely won't use to go to a party haha.

Eau de Toilette (EdT): Here we have most of the perfumes we'll see on the market, it's the perfect dosage between oils and alcohol for your day-to-day life (5-15%). It guarantees good volatility, you'll certainly be noticed in your surroundings and good durability, usually lasting up to 6 hours. Here you have the ideal product for your day-to-day life.

Eau de Parfum (EdP): Here we have more robust perfumes, they won't exhale like the EdT (although some come close in terms of projection), they can have heavier notes (Relax, I'll explain that further) and guarantee good durability, generally here we have intense and even striking perfumes, their concentration is 15-25%.

Parfum/Extrait de Parfum: Here we have a great fixation, with the focus really on its intensity and durability, in general we have elegant, striking perfumes that certainly have a higher level of quality, their concentration is 25-45%.

Although you may read that the difference is only one of concentration, you should know that this simple change makes some notes that were previously more muted, such as in edt, more prominent, sometimes making what was a citrus perfume to wear in the heat, a perfume that needs mild temperatures. I bring up the example of sauvage, which are simply DIFFERENT FRAGRANCES simply by changing the concentration.

Some technical terms:

Fixation: This is how long the perfume stays on your skin.

Projection: How volatile the alcohol we explained above is, basically how much it spreads.

Now let's talk about specific notes:

Top notes: This is the note you will feel the moment you spray the perfume.

Heart notes: Here we have the soul of the perfume, the real essence of the perfume.

Base notes: Generally we have woody notes, because they are heavier notes, they ensure greater durability on the skin.

Now that you know that, let's choose your perfume. Heavy perfumes should not be worn in hot weather or indoors, as they are very uncomfortable when worn in the wrong environment. For this reason, I recommend the fragrantica website, which has a visual indicator to better understand the wearability of the perfume. But in general, citrus perfumes do very well in hot weather, but they will have a shorter shelf life. Here I recommend the current darling, myself by yves saint laurent.

If you don't like citrus perfumes and want something more sophisticated and even striking, we have incense perfumes, which will guarantee you elegance and sophistication. The best example here is bleu de chanel.

Now you want to go to a party and definitely attract attention? Choose something sweet, expansive, that will let you know you're coming before you're even there, like jean paul gaultier's scandal.

I've provided some examples so that you can see the presence of sweet notes in more relaxed and open environments and citrus and woody notes in more serious or everyday environments. I hope this has helped, fragrances have become an addiction in my life nowadays haha. You only need 2 fragrances to look good, one for your day-to-day life which will be what we call your “signature” and one for parties and environments where your all-rounder doesn't have the necessary impact.

The world of perfumery is huge, and there are many other themes, such as countertypes, which are Arabic replicas and companies that aim to give you an experience similar to a designer perfume for people who don't have the money or simply don't want to spend on that expensive perfume.

There are also niche perfumes, which come from companies that only produce perfumes, but they are VERY expensive, so I don't think it's worth bringing them up, as I think it's better for you to venture into normal perfumes and then move on to them, if you're interested.

All in all, that's it, I hope I've been able to interest you a little in the reality of perfumery, as I said before, smells represent more than just a sense!

Alex SinclairMod4/4/2025, 8:52:41 AM

yan57436

Hey yan57436, I missed the 'curator's pick' button for this one, but I just wanted to say that this is an excellent submission. I've always wondered what the difference between these was, and I left reading your piece a more enlightened man.

JHenckes 3/28/2025, 11:52:26 PM

CardioPulmonary Resuscitation (CPR):

As I work in the health sector as a doctor, I'd like to give you some basic but extremely comprehensive information on how to act in a cardiac arrest or cardiorespiratory arrest. This topic can save a life, because you don't need to work in the health sector to start CPR and it's essential that the person closest to you knows how to identify and start the maneuvers, so that's what we're going to talk about today!

What is known as CPR or CardioPulmonary Resuscitation is the name given to the initial maneuvers used to resuscitate a person with a stopped heart. They allow the blood from the heart to continue to be pumped and give the victim a chance of having their body function again with fewer sequelae!

And how do I identify cardiac arrest? It can happen acutely/suddenly (the victim will probably lose consciousness after feeling severe pain) or slowly (the heart starts to show signs of weakness until it actually stops, in which case it can take several minutes before the victim needs CPR). In both cases, your first course of action will always be to lay the victim down on a hard floor and check that they are breathing (see if their lungs are moving or if you feel air coming out when you touch your face to their mouth) and check that their heart is beating (the ideal place to check this is by looking at the artery in their neck, but if you can't find it, check by looking at their wrist).

If both signs are not present, you should immediately call or ask someone to call the emergency medical service in your city. Also ask someone to bring the nearest Automated External Defibrillator (AED) while the ambulance doesn't arrive. During this time, you need to promptly begin resuscitation maneuvers, and how do you do that?

CPR consists of placing your hands one on top of the other, resting the bottom of your palm on the middle of the patient's chest (roughly in line with the nipples) and compressing the chest forcefully at a rate of about 2 compressions per second. It is essential that you do this continuously (you can alternate with other people as it is an extremely exhausting process) until the emergency medical service arrives!

When the AED arrives, immediately place it on the patient's chest as instructed by the device itself and follow the audio instructions! This is very important, as the electric shock greatly increases the chance of saving the patient's life.

Believe it or not, thousands of people could be alive if this knowledge were taught and reinforced in schools, workplaces, colleges... Don't let someone dear to you live less than they should for lack of knowledge, we can all help save a life!

NOTE: This is the official sequence of actions we should take in a cardiac arrest, published by the American Hearth Association and followed worldwide in practically every country!

Lanah Tyra 3/23/2025, 9:47:53 AM

The evolution of Final Fantasy versus XIII

I'm probably not the most qualified person to speak about this, as for a long time I didn't even know about Final Fantasy XV being based on another idea of its director Tetsuya Nomura, nor did I ever play Kingdom Hearts III. But maybe this is the reason why I can look at this topic as an outsider, without being too attached to the idea and promise of a project which never saw the sunlight in the end.

I missed out on a lot of games after moving to the UK, as my focus was on building up my new life from nothing, and pretty much it was just surviving from one day to another, after having to leave the life I've known behind and having to cut ties with or losing people I've loved. One day I wandered into CEX (for the non-UK readers: it's a shop selling second-hand games) and came across Final Fantasy XV. The last single player FF game I played was FFXII - I did own FFXIII but never actually got to play it, had to sell my limited edition PS3 and the game when I moved - so I was happy to see a new title. It was advertised as a great first step into the franchise for people who never played a Final Fantasy game before, so it was a great way for me to get back into it as well.

I loved the setting, the music, the road trip with this happy boy band.... until as usual the world was set on fire and I sat there with controller in hand, weeping, as I was rudely reminded that I'm playing a Final Fantasy game and there will be sacrifices.

I loved it.

I've been through a lot which made Noctis' story and character relatable, and to put it short FFXV was exactly what I needed in that time. I didn't even do half the side quests I was supposed to on first run, but I didn't feel like the game was incomplete. I was left with a lot of questions at the end, but I do like it when a game or movie does that, when the answers are not handed to you, instead you need to think. I played the game again when the DLCs came out, this time paying more attention to the side quests and random dialogues, which gave a lot more context to what was happening.

FFXV is a game which should have been released with all the DLC content and the accompanying movie and animated series in one package, and then maybe people would have appreciated it more. But even with this in mind I was shocked to see all the hate on social media years later. It felt as if no matter what this game did, people would hate it for no reason.

So I had to find the reason.

From Final Fantasy Versus XIII to Kingdom Hearts III: Verum Rex

Final Fantasy XIII was the first instalment of a series of games set in the world called Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy. The second title announced to it was Final Fantasy versus XIII, and if you look up trailers of the project you'll see a city very similar to FFXV's Insomnia, a hero who is the spitting image of Noctis, and the music playing is what became Somnus for FFXV.

But the original Final Fantasy versus XIII never came to be.

Here are 30 minutes of all the trailers released for the versus XIII project, you can see how it evolved into FFXV:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/w0SSeBcWpJc?feature=oembed

As you follow along the trailers you will see how the project changed and became Final Fantasy XV, keeping certain elements, taking inspiration from others, but in the end turned out a very different game than the original concept was supposed to be, and in short, this is the reason why so many people hate it. While I can understand the disappointment for not getting what they were promised, hating on FFXV for not being something else feels a bit excessive to me.

Looking at these trailers, the worlds, the combat, the characters and trying to follow the crumbs of story we were given I would have very much loved to see this game become a reality. But for some reason, decisions good or bad made at the time it didn't. And it would be time for us to move on from it, but how could we move on, if the creator himself can't?

Kingdom Hearts III came, and though they look different, Yozora shares a lot of similarities with Noctis, if we just state one, both their names mean "night sky". In Kingdom Hearts III: ReMind we even get the car scene from the Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer recreated with Yozora, which enkindled the hope in those who still wished to see Final Fantasy versus XIII become a reality.

So does the long wait for Kingdom Hearts IV begin, with our breaths held to see Final Fantasy versus XIII in some shape or form.

Here is a video from The Night Sky Prince explaining the connection between Final Fantasy versus XIII and Kingdom Hearts.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bengy9_emLA?feature=oembed

What is Final Fantasy?

If I had to guess what caused the change of the Final Fantasy versus XIII project it was the difficulties of developing for the PlayStation3. There is a reason why current consoles are not backward compatible with PS3 games, and after the long years spent on development, when the PS4 finally came, they had to bring a Final Fantasy game to it as soon as possible, but also had to deliver the long-overdue Kingdom Hearts III. So did Final Fantasy versus XIII remain something like Nomura's own fanfiction, a great idea which he never got to finish, but keeps weaving elements from it into other projects and creating alternative versions of it as he still tries to find a way to finish this work.

But what if others took inspiration from Final Fantasy versus XIII and created their own spin-offs on the idea, taking the elements and themes which resonated with them?

With Nomura trying to bring so many elements from Final Fantasy into Kingdom Hearts would it be possible to make a game which is Final Fantasy in all but name?

What is Final Fantasy to you? Is it certain characters, a certain type of world design, turn-based combat or something else entirely? To me it is what I mentioned at the beginning of this now very long article. To me Final Fantasy is how the story teaches us that every magic comes with a price and a happy ending won't come without sacrifices. And if I had to pick one gameplay element it would be the summons.

Lost Soul Aside

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0EKvNt4bijE?feature=oembed

As I was watching the PlayStation State of Play, if I ignored the studio logo I saw I would have thought I'm watching the trailer for the next Final Fantasy game. Lost Soul Aside has been about 8 years in the making by a solo Chinese developer Bing Yang and he admitted it was inspired by Final Fantasy versus XIII. The project caught the attention of PlayStation and they took it under the wings of their support program for new Asian developers, which finally brings it to us this May.

The trailer shown at the State of Play starts with one element which was a defining part of the story of Final Fantasy versus XIII, it was there even though not as prominently in FFXV, and played a core part in that one Kingdom Hearts IV trailer we got to see: dreams. Apart from this core concept, the world and characters we see have lots of elements which remind us of old Final Fantasy games mixed with new and unique scenery. There is a creature which resembles Bahamut, one of the summons of the Final Fantasy games. The combat reminds me of FFXVI, but that game took inspiration from FFXV’s combat and we know what that game was originally meant to be.

At first glance this game has everything which I’m looking for in a Final Fantasy game, and knowing that Nomura is busy with the 3rd part of the FFVII Remake series and we haven’t heard anything about Kingdom Hearts IV for a while, Lost Soul Aside might be as close as we will ever get to Final Fantasy versus XIII becoming a reality.

So instead of dwelling on the past we should be cherishing and remembering Final Fantasy versus XIII for all the inspiration it gave to other game concepts, and love those games for what they are instead of hating them for what they are not. FFXV is not perfect, but it had an important story to tell and it did tell the whole story, but as my friend Prof Noctis said, you had to earn it. Play the game fully and find the crumbs of lore scattered across the world. Random dialogues and side quests are part of a game’s story, and if you play a game for the story, then you shouldn’t forget about these elements either.

Here is the live stream from the Prof, where he analyses all the similarities between Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy versus XIII and Lost Soul Aside.

https://www.youtube.com/live/V99Cgq3U4oM?si=4nDE0Wq_irRYYeNR

And who knows, maybe one day Nomura will get the chance to bring his great idea on Final Fantasy versus XIII to completion. I don’t know about you, but I might just know what to spend the money on if I ever won the lottery.

Until then we have our home-made Final Fantasy versus XIII in Lost Soul Aside.

Sassy 3/8/2025, 3:59:21 PM

Being Sepsis Savvy

In 2019, my life changed forever when I developed sepsis in my leg. I came dangerously close to losing my life, and the aftermath left me with lasting disabilities. However, this experience ignited my passion for raising awareness about sepsis. As a content creator and streamer, I use my platform to educate people about this life-threatening condition, helping them become more "sepsis savvy." I also raise funds for charity to support vital research and those affected by sepsis.

Sepsis is often difficult to detect because its symptoms can be vague and easily mistaken for the flu or other common illnesses. However, sepsis is a medical emergency, and early recognition is critical. If you or someone you know experiences any of the following symptoms, ask yourself: Could it be sepsis? and seek urgent medical attention immediately.

Symptoms of Sepsis:

Slurred speech or confusion
Extreme shivering or muscle pain
Passing no urine (in a day)
Severe breathlessness
It feels like you’re going to die
Skin mottled or discoloured

What is Sepsis?

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection, causing widespread inflammation that can lead to organ failure and death. While our immune system usually helps us fight infections, in cases of sepsis, it turns against us, attacking the body's own tissues and organs.

Sepsis can affect anyone, regardless of age, health, or fitness level. It is not contagious, meaning you cannot catch it from someone else, but it can develop rapidly in response to an infection. Immediate medical treatment is essential, as untreated sepsis is fatal. The sooner sepsis is identified, the better the chances of survival. In many cases, a simple blood test can confirm the presence of sepsis. Globally, this condition claims approximately 11 million lives per year, making awareness crucial.

What Can Cause Sepsis?

Not every infection leads to sepsis, but any infection has the potential to trigger it. This is why understanding the condition and recognising its symptoms are so important. Sepsis most commonly develops from bacterial infections, but it can also result from viral and fungal infections. Some of the most frequent infections that can lead to sepsis include:

Chest infections (pneumonia)
Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Abdominal infections (such as appendicitis or gallbladder infections)
Skin and soft tissue infections (including cellulitis and wound infections)

Why Awareness Matters

Sepsis is a race against time. Every minute counts when it comes to diagnosing and treating this condition. If you or someone you know displays symptoms, don’t hesitate—ask the question: Could it be sepsis? Seeking medical help immediately could mean the difference between life and death.

By reading this, you’ve taken an important step in becoming more sepsis savvy. One day, this knowledge could help save your life or the life of someone you love. Spread awareness, stay informed, and help fight sepsis together.

JCPeters23 2/28/2025, 9:27:35 AM

I’ve been working in the coffee industry for over 10 years and I would describe myself as being hugely passionate about being a barista and coffee! I feel as though it’s the thing I know the most about, as I’ve previously been tasked with educating others from scratch and leaving them with a breadth of coffee knowledge.

Today, I’m going to teach you how to make a coffee (as if you had a professional set up in front of you as a barista)

Firstly, you’ll want to grind your coffee. Assuming you have a professional grade grinder in front of you, you’ll usually be able to press your coffee basket against a button which activates the grinder & doses the perfect amount of coffee for you. This is usually something around 16g - 19g, but differs in different shops & due to different beans!

You’ll next need to ‘tamp’ your coffee. This means essentially to press down the shot to make it more compact and get rid of most of the gaps between the grains of coffee. If the coffee isn’t tamped correctly, the shot will come out really fast and watery. Tamping it and compressing it means the water will flow through the coffee more slowly, extracting the lovely delicious flavour from the beans and into your drink!

You can now either add hot water to your shot to make an americano, short black or a variation of black drinks, or steam some milk! (dairy free milks are available!)

Steaming milk is also something that can totally mess up your coffee if done wrong, so it’s best to get this technique down first to be able to enjoy a delicious drink. First you want to fill your metal milk jug with milk, usually to some sort of line indicator or to the bottom of the spout. You want enough room for the milk to swirl around in the jug and to add a bit of foam / texture without overflowing.

‘Purge’ your steam wand first, by turning it off and on quite quickly. This just gets droplets of water out of the wand so you only get steam into your milk, not water! Then place the tip of the wand just beneath the milk’s surface. If you position the wand to the left or right side of the jug, this will encourage the milk to spin and create what it referred to as a vortex! This equally heats the milk and ensures the texture / heat is distributed all around the milk rather than making it uneven.

Once your milk has reached your desired temperature, which is usually quite hot but not scorching, you can turn off the wand and purge it again.

Latte art is totally optional, but it’ll help your chances if you firstly swirl your milk and tap the bubbles out of it, and swirl your coffee shot to break it up and give you a nice sandy brown base for your art.

There you have it, you can now make an excellent coffee at barista standard. Especially if you keep practicing!!

AtomicMoonchild 2/20/2025, 9:57:03 AM

Cooking on a budget/Clever meal planning

Parts of growing up was very tough for me, I used to be handed £30 from my mother and I had to budget food buying to feed me & my brother for the month.

I have also had to think cleverly when I was student living at university & again when I was student nurse, working 100+ hours a week but barely scraping by. I am also having to budget and think wisely in the current state of economy in the UK.

This is a guide to easy food planning and management. The key is to have a select number of meals that are cheap to make and can stretch a long way. I will list a couple of easy recipes at the end too.

I understand my knowledge is mainly UK based so apologise in advance if this isn't transferable to others.

Preparation

You ideally need a select number of meals where the ingredients aren't expensive and you're able to buy plenty of. for me it has been the following:

Chicken thighs
Potatoes
Rice
Spaghetti/penne pasta
chopped tomatoes/passata
stock cubes

Those are my core ingredients used in many dishes, as well as the staples, you need seasoning to add flavour & keep the meals interesting. I ultimately keep in a lot of Worcester sauce, basil, garlic paste, paprika & the faithful salt/pepper. This is individual to your own tastes though.

Cooking Methods

My go to is generally a crockpot, this is easy to use & can make great quantities for batch cooking. I use my crockpot & rice cooker for most of my batch cooking meals.

These are the 'one pot' type where you can throw in your ingredients with some stock then let is stew, stirring occasionally. A crockpot is a great investment for budget & bulk cooking. This type of cooking also works well for those is a busy lifestyle that only get short amounts of time to sort their food. Most meals in a crockpot take 6-8 hours to fully cook but a quick google or check of the recipe you're using will give the exact time & method needed.

The other methods I often use is pan to crockpot or pan to casserole dish then oven. These generally cut a crockpot cooking time down to 2-4 hours depending on the meal.

A large casserole dish is essential for budget pasta meals, I often enjoy cooking pasta bake (penne pasta with sauce, topped with cheese).

Dishing out/Storage

My recipes allow me to make up approximately 6-8 portions, 2 feed me & my partner, the rest then get dished up for future meals.

it's handy to keep standard sized plastic tubs for easy storage, these can be put in the freezer & most meals can be stored up to 3-6 months depending on contents (always do a google check if unsure).

My own budget style recipes

Recipe 1: Cornbeef Hash (a.k.a meat & potatoes)

This is a recipe I grew up on, it holds very close to my heart & brings many fond memories of being at my grandmas & having the 'pot of chug' on for me & all my cousins! The method can use fresh food (i.e. potatoes, carrots, peas etc) but for budget purposes, this is the tinned version.

Ingredients:

cornbeef (1 tin, average £3)
Potatoes (1 tin, average 40p)
Carrots (1 tin, average 40p)
Marrowfat peas (1 tin, average 50p)
1 chopped onion (average £1 per KG, can go a long way for other meals)
Oxo cube or beef stock - 300-400ml, enough to cover ingredients with an inch above (average £1 per pack)
Gravy granules for thickening after cooking, approx 1-2 tbsp (average 20p per tub)
Salt & pepper for flavouring
1tbsp Worcester sauce (average £1 per bottle, add less or more according to taste)

This is a one pot wonder, so you just simply chuck in all your ingredients (except gravy granules), set the crockpot on low and cook away for approx. 8 hours with the odd stir in between. Once onions & potatoes are cooked through, add gravy granules for thickening, get the consistency you prefer then it is good to serve. Goes nice with pickled red cabbage, beetroot & buttered bread.

Recipe 2: Spicy Chicken & Rice (budget edition)

This recipe is one I use often for my partners dinners, it's low budget and stretches a really long way.

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs/breasts (thighs are generally cheaper & more tender)
2 packets of savoury rice (come in packets in most UK supermarkets and is an average of 28p per packet)
Seasoning or sauce of choice (I use peri peri or any hot sauce I have to hand)

This recipe is made using a rice cooker, very similar to a crockpot but has cooking times specific for cooking rice dishes.

Add savoury rice packets to the slow cooker, I usually combine the amount of water for both packets and add an extra 100ml (usually is 1litre in total). If your chicken is uncooked them season & cook in an oven, de-bone and put aside to add afterwards. Set the rice to cook, this is generally on a white rice cycle or if not using a rice cooker (cook by method highlighted on the savoury rice packets). Once cooked, add seasoning/sauce to taste & mix in the chicken.

You can add all sorts of ingredients like different vegetables or meats/fish to this dish.

This usually gives me an average of 6-8 portions.

I have a lot of recipes I use and have constructed so far, I'm open to share any of these.

These methods & recipes have helped me & my family a lot during times of hardship so please no judgement.

Please note, I'm UK based so ingredients might differ in price and availability for other countries.

Horror and Cats 2/14/2025, 9:39:32 PM

Being Ready to Rescue Cats/Kittens

Some of you who have been here for a while likely know that last year someone dumped a litter of kittens outside my house and, I'm not going to lie, I got caught with my pants down trying to rescue them.

I got lucky in a very big way in that their mother was also dumped, so they had food and limited protection/guidance for surviving. However, I couldn't help but to think how much more difficult it would have been to not only ensure they stayed put as I slowly brought them in, but also how much more difficult it would have been to keep them nourished once I had them inside as they were still at nursing age.

So, for a "next time" I hope will never happen, I put together a cat/kitten rescue kit! I suggest everyone in any living environment have these few, simple items on hand if you're a cat lover.

Humane Capture Trap

By far the most expensive item in the rescue kit, but also the most crucial as without it, you're falling at the first hurdle. The brand I have is a Havahart live trap and it runs about $110 USD. But, once you've got it, you'll basically never have to worry about having a trap on hand again. It is excellently built and has very clever pressure plate resistance settings to be fine tuned to your needs/the animal you are trapping.

Kitten Feeding Bottles and Formula

Just like human babies, kittens can be fed on formula! Any pet store ought to have both feeding bottles and formula on hand. Formula also has an impressive shelf life! Make sure you buy enough to feed eight kittens for two months to be completely safe. That will cover even the largest litters from day one to month two when they can safely eat kitten chow. Obviously, that much formula will likely be expensive, but since you are stocking up for an emergency, just buy a little at a time until you've got your kit stocked.

Eye Infection Treatment Drops

If you've got feral/dumped kittens, you are basically guaranteed to have at least one end up with an eye infection. Upper-respiratory infections are incredibly common with kittens, so you'll want to know where you can get some Gentamicin Ophthalmic Solution 0.3% on short notice.

You do NOT want to preemptively buy this item, however, just know where you can get it (Chewy sells it if you don't have anywhere local). It is only good for 30 days even when refrigerated, so don't "stock up."

There you have it! The bare minimum of things you will need to rescue cats/kittens.

As a bonus, here are some pics of the babies I rescued (and their mama).

dianthus 2/18/2025, 2:33:26 PM

Horror and Cats

Very good and informative post! I will add: look up in advance the contact info of your local shelter and/or neuter-and-release and/or vet, including emergency vet services!

My Mum is a retiree dog trainer and we used to board dogs as well (when people go on holidays, etc), and people used to dump unwanted puppies on us all the time. It became such an issue that we had to change our address on Google Maps so that it would stop happening. That's how I have a little experience on the subject!

Other useful supply: lots of old journal paper, blunt syringes, a vet first help kit (be very very mindful of checking the products are animal safe!)...

Anyway, my point is, taking care of baby animals is a LOT of work, especially when they're really young (puppies need to be fed every two hours, day and night, in the first few weeks). Your local animal-related services might be able to provide sound advice that's relevant to your local area on how to best care for the animals & find them a place to live, as we are not all ready to adopt 2-12 baby animals on the fly.

For example, if you notice lots of stray cats, it's definitely better to check in with your local groups to see if there's a "neuter and release" program in place (stray cats can make great pet cats but that requires a lot of socialization work. No, even more work than that. Yes, even if they come and let you pet them when outside. I promise you. Do not try to trap a stray cat, put it in your home and expect it to go well.)

Horror and Cats 2/18/2025, 8:56:40 PM

dianthus

Yes definitely stray/feral adults are a real struggle. The kittens were my primary focus, but since the mama was there too I made sure to bring her in to care for them. Definitely wouldn't JUST try and catch adult cats running around especially out in the country here haha.

I spayed and released the kittens' mama because she was so territorial my other adult cats would not have been happy (kittens and mom lived separately from the others in my bathroom in case of disease) so I just put food at water out for mama in the back of my property where the dogs don't go.

And yeah definitely know your vets and what not, I was more highlighting the items I wish I had on HAND for the dumping that I now do haha.

For population control if you CAN TNR cats in your area though, it's a great thing to do.

Alex SinclairMod4/3/2025, 10:23:26 AM

Horror and Cats

Horror and Cats I forgot to hit 'Curator's Pick' on this, and it can't be done retroactively, but rest assured it's absolutely one of the picks of the curators! Congratulations on the number one spot!

Horror and Cats 4/3/2025, 8:05:24 PM

Alex Sinclair

Yay! I knew these good for nothing freeloading kittens would do something for me eventually. I mean uhhhh...

Alex SinclairMod4/4/2025, 8:50:58 AM

Horror and Cats

What a plot twist

Borrrrr 2/17/2025, 12:35:34 PM

Being stoic day by day

With the increasing human population and information in this world, it is possible to make the world we live in more crowded and noisy. In fact, it is not uncommon for people to end their lives due to stress after being blasphemed on the internet.

For example, there are always strange things such as we have done good to person X but somehow person X even returned evil to us, there are also times when we have worked hard with all our energy and effort but lost to people who we feel are not as effortful as us then make envy and stress, and the ultimate thing is if we lose forever people who are close & really understand us.

From all that anxiety I found stoicism, in my opinion stoicism is a way of how we have self-protection, namely self-control. By having self-control we can prevent destructive emotions, make us happy, and grow. I will share some of the things that I have practised after discovering stoicism.

Control what can be controlled

This is the first and mandatory thing if you want to apply stoic, control what can be controlled is the basic foundation for me. Because by only having this, I think there is nothing to be afraid of and can be applied to various things. For example, I explained earlier, we have done good to person X but for some reason person X has done bad things back to us. The explanation is that we are something we can control while person X is not someone we can control, back to the purpose of doing good whether because we want or want to be reciprocated.

If it's because we want to be saved, but if it's because we want to be rewarded, it's unfortunate because it's an external factor that we can't control with our will. Expectations are an internal thing that is also important for us to control, because it is often what makes us disappointed.

Trying to be a good and positive person

If we think about why our world is full of bad and unfair people. Then whether there are still good people in this world, the answer is ourselves. Instead of us being too busy to think about why people are bad, let's just do good. If everyone has that kind of thinking I'm sure our world will be better. Being positive might be a solution, why people are mean and upsetting because I think maybe we are not in the same boat and have reasons behind all these events. So when a problem occurs, maybe it's good to always look from another point of view instead of getting emotional right away.

Believe & dead

Believing is something interesting too. The brain in my opinion is like the centre of our body, all organs move because they get orders from the brain as well as thoughts and beliefs. For example, when we fall and get hurt, that part of the body will tell information to the brain and the brain will give feedback that there will be pain in that part of the body. But I once tried to reduce the pain by lying to the brain by thinking it doesn't hurt, in fact it will still hurt and will not heal if it is not treated because in reality it happens but it is different from the pain that makes it interesting.

Then I love one piece where there is a scene where a character dies but he talks to a loved one ‘when is someone declared dead’ then he replies ‘someone will die if he is forgotten’ the fact is that the character still dies but only his body is gone but his soul is still alive in the memories of those who still remember him. This was applied when my grandmother passed away about 3 years ago, people were crying profusely when they learnt about the incident but strangely I didn't shed a single tear. Is this because I have that kind of thinking or am I heartless? I'm not 100% sure, but what I am sure of is that my grandmother is still alive because I still remember her. The proof is that I wrote this story because I still remember my dead grandmother.

I hope this will help, thank you :)

projectazone 2/17/2025, 4:56:08 PM

Interesting initiative and as simple as it may seem it can also be very difficult. There are many passions and one of those I would talk about now is design. Minimalist design, more than anything the Japandi style that I often apply to everything in my world, whether it is graphics for a client or even a website up to DIY jobs as well as home furnishings. I am actually also designing the layout of the home automation panel. Japandi is a very minimalist style with few things on which to focus your attention, the most is made up of large free spaces that give a sense of relaxation and peace.

It is a question of communication, in the most absolute emptiness and silence you can find answers and mental peace. Eliminating too many visual elements, for example at home, helps to convey the message of the few essential elements arranged. Start from a neutral palette and then put a predominant color that will be the common thread of everything, whether it is digital graphics or home design. Clean line, and place only the essential. And then in Japandi the plants, which create a natural environment with earthy colors helps to relax.

Even big brands are adopting this style lately. And I also brought this style back to Critter :D

GoJapan 2/19/2025, 6:26:41 PM

I will tell you that at the beginning I had difficulty understanding the topic, I hope I have hit the target, in any case, my passion is Japan of course, but also video games, I have been writing on the web for over 20 years, doing mine Passion a full -time job can be said. Many ask me how to become SEO or to embark on the blogger and/or streamer career, of course, I am aware that there are experts, graduates and professionals, but in my many years of experience, I can say mine about it.

My career began in an era in which the IA did not exist, therefore the texts had to be written, revised and corrected independently, today with the IA we have those who do it for us, which is a good on the one hand but An evil on the other, starting today by making use of the AI, will never lead the individual to learn from his mistakes, make sure that what is posted is not a hoax, having that taste of being able to review anything with the your own head, saying one's own on the trial, instead of entrusting the whole.

Of course, the IA saves time, but I believe that whoever wants to be the blogger, reviewer or even SEO, and has no experience, must start from scratch, as if the IA did not exist, learning from its mistakes, to grow and mature. As mentioned, I am passionate about video games, and basically my job is blogger and streamers of the same, in everything you have to first put your passion, because if you do something just for a personal gain, there is no soul in what you do , as they say, do what you like and you will work forever, or something like that.

SEO is certainly a professional figure, who could also rely on the AI to obtain support but not entrust its job to it, knows the best strategies to get better on the web, knows what people are looking for and how to seek it, what to deal with And what is not, when and how to do it, is something that is good for the simple blogger, and it is a working experience that needs continuous updates, for this reason the advice to a neophyte is primarily to choose a topic of In short, you know or know the fact in short, after starting your career as a simple blogger, at least until the indispensable tools and social media are mastered to move on to the next step, building a solid community is essential to grow.

I could stay here days to talk about SEO and give advice, as well as the life as a streamer, everything you have to do it first of all out of passion, without ever being discouraged when you do not see followers, likes or shares, when nobody comments or even loses qualla Little users you have, learn from errors and try to improve where you have failed, believe in yourself and never surrender, only so you have any chance.

mar1gold 3/12/2025, 3:34:25 PM

for me it has to be how prisoners within northern ireland pushed the republican movement towards more peaceful methods! i've included references incase anybody would like to read more....

Within the Republican movement, political engagement occurring within HM Prison Maize (or Long Kesh), and Gerry Adam’s leadership significantly impacted the movement’s shift from militarism to electoral politics.

Being imprisoned for terror-related activity proved valuable for many members of the Republican movement. Originally, many prisoners joined the IRA due to violence within their community during the troubles (Shirlow, Tonge and McAuley 2008: 162). Often, there was not a coherent political ideology amongst the ‘foot soldiers’ of the IRA (Tonge 2010: 50). Once in the confines of HM Prison Maize, inmates had the time and resources to politically educate themselves and form a more cohesive Republican identity, leading to the emergence of collective action (Shirlow, Tonge and McAuley 2008: 164-166). IRA leadership would often be isolated in separate wings to the general population, leading to them being able to devise coherent strategy and philosophy; when released back into the general population, these ideas would be disseminated to all Republican prisoners (Beresford 1994: 29). The most exemplary effect of this would be the 1981 hunger strikes, which would expose to outside Republican leadership the benefit of electoral politics. Bobby Sands would win a parliamentary by-election in 1981, shifting the Republican movements’ engagement in the electoral process (Neumann 2005: 951). This would allow for Adams to push ahead with the expansion of the movement’s political wing, Sinn Féin (Neumann 2005: 951). The hunger strikes would lead to the famous ‘armalite and ballot box’ strategy being devised, as it was realised that political activity could complement armed struggle (Shirlow and McGovern 1998: 174). The subsequent death of Bobby Sands following his self-imposed starvation would lead to the mass mobilisation of the nationalist community, with 100,000 attending his funeral (Adams 1986: 83), demonstrating an increasing general tolerance of the IRA amongst the working-class, catholic population (Adams 1986: 86).

Republican prisoners themselves would also question the utility of violence, with prisoner Tommy McKearney publicly stating in an article published by a Republican newspaper that violence would not lead to Britain pulling out of Northern Ireland, thus making it a ‘futile exercise’ (Alonso 2001: 134). This would be particularly persuasive, as these prisoners were often middle-ranking members of the IRA, and were therefore seen as credible, respectable voices who had ‘done their time’ by those within the Republican movement (Clubb 2016: 621-622). The activity of prisoners within Long Kesh would prove most significant for shifting the Republican movement’s tactics, as, despite abstention, the success of electoral tactics would be exposed to the movement, and so would the questioning of violence from respected inmates.

Gerry Adams would utilise the Hunger Strikes as a way to further shift the movement towards electoral methods. Republican aims of British disengagement from Northern Ireland did not have to be abandoned. Instead, Adams would present the move as a pragmatic decision.

Diela 3/18/2025, 1:50:26 PM

Preparedness in an uncertain economy

I've been reading a lot of books lately, mostly because of Amazon's new lending program, Kindle Unlimited. With a Prime membership you can check out ten titles at a time, turn them in when you're done, and check out more. One at a time, or all ten at once, it makes no difference.

I cannot tell you how much money this has saved me, especially in the cooking, gardening, and prepper genres. I no longer have to spend $10 on a title, only to find out the person has poor taste, poor writing skills, created a deceptive title for quick cash, or is Paranoid Beyond Belief. Seriously, some preppers think the National Guard is going to be marching down our streets tomorrow grabbing the Big Macs and rifles out of our hands and making us stand in line to beg for a cup of rice. Some of those people are freaking scary.

BUT... being the person on the spectrum that I am, I am a big enough worrier that I DO believe in being prepared. I have no expectations about WHEN I'm going to need these things, but the scary preppers do, and that's the difference. They're motivated by the panic that they may already be too late. Me, I'm motivated by the adage "better safe than sorry". To be honest, after living through Hurricane Katrina, then Hurricane Ike just a short time later, and a couple of instances where utilities just went out for days with no apparent reason (other than the local electric or water company was abysmally incompetent), I prepare because I do not like the feeling of scrambling to make sure my family stays healthy and fed.

I mean, what would you do if you opened the kitchen tap tomorrow, and nothing came out? You'd run to the store and buy a jug of water, right? But what if you're in the midst of an emergency, like a hurricane or storm watch, got to the store and it was all purchased already? Or worse, the stores were closed? You'd be standing in the yard with a bucket, praying for rain. Not a happy feeling.

So I prep where I can. I believe in having a pantry of food that you can draw from if your spouse loses their job. I believe in gardening for your own food. Not only is it therapeutic, but with grocery prices increasing on an average of almost 50% over the last five years, it's an economic necessity. I still haven't managed to make rain barrels to capture and store water yet, but I plan to. You'll get the necessity the first time you cut up a chicken, go to the kitchen sink to wash the salmonella off your hands, and nothing comes out of the tap. Yeah, that was a fun day.

At the very least, I believe every grownup in America, whether you have a family or not, should have enough food in the house to live for at least a month. Even if you are responsible enough to have money saved up in your account, if you lost your job tomorrow would you want to see that money dwindle away on food? You may need that to go job hunting... new suits, running to Kinko's for a nice resume printing, or gas money. Plus, canned or stored food can be more convenient than fast food when you're tired from hitting the job market. I mean, it's already in your house, how much more convenient can you get? And then if you haven't got a job by the end of the month, you will have saved money otherwise spent. Am I right?

So I say be prepared. Don't make me trot out the story about the ant and the grasshopper.

Merlinux74 3/22/2025, 6:23:59 AM

What I want to briefly talk about is the world of programming because it involves me closely. What I could introduce is the difference between the Front-End and the back-end present in both native apps (which are the ones I usually deal with) and web apps. Although it is the least visible, the back end is the heart of the app because it manages the data, the connections with the server and the internal functioning of the app and the platforms used. Before focusing on the graphics and on how an app should be, we must aim to have a robust and above all secure back-end for the users who will use it. A poorly made back end does not make our app work well, regardless of whether it is a full-bodied or showcase app, and would allow vulnerabilities and theft of data from those who download our application. So in an app we will have the data management that we will do using a database. We will have an authentication and security system thanks to tokens that are generated from time to time. And finally we will have the management of the APIs that allow us to connect the backend with the frontend

Braulio M Lara 🔹3/26/2025, 12:30:33 AM

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nmW7ebPOsmc?feature=oembed

🔴 SOMETHING THAT CLOSE MY HEART🔴

It is normal that living in Germany, a country that has a long culture of animal protection, one gradually becomes aware of animal problems, especially in nature and all that kind of things.

Another way I like to help the community is to participate in flea markets and in donations that we make to my country. For which we collect clothes, shoes and other products to pack them in a barrel, which is sent by ship to the Dominican Republic. There are many organizations that are in charge of that, both helping poor people in Latin America as well as people in Africa and Asia and you see from time to time I like to contribute with a grain of sand.

TO GIVE A LITTLE OF YOU IS VERY IMPORTANT TO SLEEP GOOD

When l have the chance l love to give a little of me that mean a gift 🎁 a souvenir but something that give the satisfaction of to see a happy smile, a happiness in a family or a friends without speaking about religión but if out there is something celestial

Must give the right reward in earth 🌎 or whatever we call heaven

https://www.youtube.com/embed/cMZefq75t7M?feature=oembed

🔴 Second Vídeo teaching Origami 🔴

FIRST HISTORY, HELP THE DUCKS 🦆

My first History Start one rainy Sunday afternoon in Augsburg Germany , my girlfriend Marina (at the time) and I were enjoying walking around the city when,

near the famous City Gallery Mall, we found a flooded canal and a mother duck (*Really was a family species from Duck but not exactly a Duck if somebody know the name of this kind of bird l will appreciate) so the mother bird could not get to the upper part of the canal with her baby ducklings.

And right now we saw a mother duck. Well, some kind of duck that was walking with seven little ducklings that didn't know how to get out of there, so my girlfriend at this time worried asked me:

-"What's going to happen to the little ducklings?" To which I said:

"Well, I don't know if their mother can't just carry it, they'll probably starve to death." And she said:

>"No, please do something."
And I said:
"But maybe it's just Mother Nature."

But from that moment on I had to decide to do something to save the ducklings. In the video I've put in the link, can you see the whole operation?

And really, although I don't consider myself a protector of all animals, whenever I can, I do something to help an endangered animal. I always like to help. I always like to do my part.

ORIGAMI TIME

Also on one of the occasions that I visited my country, the Dominican Republic, in 2019,

I had met a group of students in a small town called Padre Las Casas, where I began to teach them how to make origami paper figures. like a crane , somes planes or a Liontooth paper flower

And those are two of the moments that have really touched my heart deeply. I could share more. I could also share more videos and more photos, but I don't want to make this too long.

Greetings, to all my beautiful people from JUST ABOUT.

Let’s participate it 💪🏼

Vivisector 3/26/2025, 2:53:00 PM

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxEHrBWgfyc

If there is one thing I could talk about for now, it is the Doom saga. In fact, before I expose you a little knowledge about it, I hope to find other enthusiasts like me on this site. I'll post a photo that was also reposted by one of the creators John Romero and his software house.

Doom is known in the world as a video game with almost no lore, or at most that the anger of the Doom Guy is linked only to the death of his bunny Daisy. Nothing could be more wrong, that event certainly contributed but today the story is so expanded that it makes more sense than one might think.

After the events of Doom 2 and Doom 64, our soldier remains trapped in the underworld, from there on he is found by the UAC who for years traveled between the portals of Mars and the Underworld. Locked in a sarcophagus to contain his fury, the Maykr free him to make him a weapon against the infernal forces. But the Doom Slayer doesn't take orders from anyone and so he goes against everyone, even his own creator. Of course now with the arrival of Dark Ages many other things will be explained but I tried to reduce the story a bit to the essence of the story.

As you can see I'm not only interested in the game, but also in the physical collecting side that led me to read the books. One called Masters of Doom that tells the story of the birth of id Software and everything the creators did at the time. The main inspiration for the demons actually came from Romero's passion for fantasy DnD.

Then there are 4 novels that took inspiration from the game where you could only deduce that our Doom Guy is called Flynn Taggart but the decent story stops at the first two books, after that it becomes almost unreadable and confusing. We also know that he is not alone, that a colleague Arlene Sanders is fighting his same battle and that maybe she could pop up in future chapters of the game (who knows?).

Gentlemen, let's say that maybe it's better if I calm down otherwise this post will become too tedious but if you have any questions about it feel free to leave a comment and I will try to give you clarifications on the matter.

MrT 3/28/2025, 6:40:54 PM

Sound Mixing

One of the things I am passionate about and I do regularly is sound mixing, in particular church on a Sunday although it could relate to mixing sound anywhere. Unlike concerts that have professionals doing the sound, churches will normally use volunteers who aren’t necessarily trained or knowledgeable in what to do. One thing that really annoys me is when I walk into a service and the mixing isn’t good, especially when there are certain instruments or singers that you are unable to hear clearly.

Frequencies

Before you can understand how to mix sound you have to realise that sound can be broken up into frequencies and that certain instruments (including vocals) tend to use certain frequencies but not all of them.

A simple breakdown could look like:

0-20Hz Very Low – Too low to hear

20-60Hz Sub – Sound that would come out your subwoofers. The rumble of a bass drum would fit nicely here but not a lot else

60-250Hz Bass – Bass guitar fits here, need to make sure other instruments aren’t taking it over, ie. the keyboard. However, if there is no bass guitar then the keyboard might be appropriate to add bass to the mix

250-500Hz Lo-Mids – Usually a frequency you want to scoop out a little or avoid as it can make things sound muddy or boxy

500-2kHz Mids – This is where all the other instruments compete, along with the vocalists.

2-4Khz Hi-Mids – Some instruments and vocals may get up here but you need some of it otherwise

4-20Khs Highs – Mostly too high to hear and you may want to dampen some of this on vocals to remove harsh S’s (de-ess)

Equalisation

The way you deal with particular frequencies is through equalisation. It’s just a way of adjusting the difference between each frequency, either on an individual channel or on the mix as a whole. You can boost frequencies that you want and reduce those that you don’t. This is the most powerful tool a sound person has so it’s very important to learn about. You can add other effects and cool stuff but it will all be based on top of what you’ve done (or not done) with equalisation.

Mix with your Ears

It might seem obvious but you need to listen to what the whole mix sounds like and make adjustments from there. It’s easy to look visually at frequencies on a sound desk and make pretty shapes with the EQ but it’s meaningless if the sound is still terrible. Sometimes a good trick is to look away or position yourself somewhere else for a moment so you get a better idea of what it really sounds like.

Alex SinclairMod4/3/2025, 10:20:46 AM

Congratulations to our podium winners -Horror and Cats, yan57436, and Raven - as well as our five runners up! Moreover, I'd like to thank everyone who entered. There were plenty of entries that we didn't have enough prizes for, but that we still very much enjoyed: from the fascinating (MrT) to the impressive (Vivisector) to the adorable (Braulio M Lara 🔹). Ford, Rich, and I all very much enjoyed reading these and learning about your passions!

Frank 2/14/2025, 5:44:31 PM

I have been taken whisky for a very long time and trust me am contented with the test, i will also be checking out for more if there brand to try out now and in the future, i,m looking out for new brand and old of there brand for consumption and trust me i will always recomend it for my friends and family anymore and I had a very good and trust that you would be removed automatically if there brand to try out for more if you can use the test it is a good idea to get a very long time and trust me am contented with the brand to get a good thing to be checking on my phone some weeks ago I will also be in this week and I'm not going anywhere else I will be there for the freecash and the test will be checking out the link to my account details and in case I need it you can use the test code email the freecash and in case they will be needing to try out now I can get it them of the way and get it done in the morning if there is a bit more than the test I have been doing for a very long day I have been taken whisky for more if you have any lady to do that for me to

greybill 2/14/2025, 11:48:16 PM

Frank

I wonder, how many glasses of whisky did you test before writing this? 🤨

Horror and Cats 2/15/2025, 12:48:08 AM

greybill

LMAO

Banned user 2/17/2025, 10:51:48 AM

greybill

Banned user 2/17/2025, 10:51:49 AM

greybill

Avinash 2/23/2025, 11:18:54 AM

HrujfbThe lights dimmed as the familiar opening credits of the beloved TV show "The Mindful Detective" began to play. The audience settled in, eager to witness another thrilling episode filled with mystery, humor, and heart. As the scene unfolded, tension filled the air, and viewers held their breath in anticipation.

Amidst a particularly intense moment, Detective James, the show's protagonist, found himself face to face with the notorious criminal mastermind, known only as The Whisperer. The Whisperer was a mysterious figure who had eluded capture for years, leaving a trail of chaos and destruction in his wake. As the two locked eyes, a palpable sense of danger filled the room.

Just as Detective James prepared to make his move, the scene took an unexpected turn. In a cringe-worthy twist, The Whisperer broke into song and dance, performing a bizarre musical number that left everyone watching utterly bewildered. The once menacing villain now pranced around the room in a glittery top hat and cane, singing a catchy but completely out-of-place tune about his evil plans.

The audience squirmed in their seats, unsure of how to react to this absurd display. The tension that had been building dissipated in an instant, replaced by a feeling of awkward discomfort. Even Detective James seemed unsure of how to handle the situation, his steely resolve crumbling in the face of such unexpected behavior.

Despite the cringe-inducing nature of the scene, there was a strange brilliance to it. The juxtaposition of the dark, intense crime drama with the whimsical musical number created a surreal experience that was equal parts hilarious and unsettling. It was a bold creative choice that, while jarring, somehow managed to work in its own bizarre way.

As the scene came to a close and The Whisperer skipped off into the night, leaving Detective James standing in stunned silence, the audience was left with a mix of emotions. Some were left scratching their heads, others shaking with laughter, but all were left with a newfound appreciation for the show's willingness to take risks and defy expectations.

And so, as the credits rolled and the lights came back up, viewers couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for "The Mindful Detective" and its willingness to embrace the absurd. It was a cringe-worthy moment, to be sure, but one that would be remembered for years to come as a shining example of creative daring in the world of television.

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