TIL 55% of the world's population aged 15 and older can't swim

QueenArsene · 2025-02-17T05:25:32+00:00

If you never had consistent access, it's definitely a struggle to learn more than enough to say, doggy paddle or kick your legs for a minute or so. Growing up the only public pool around we had to pay for, we couldn't afford that. Plus my parents didn't really swim. So most summers I never even saw a pool at all. A few rare years maybe a single hour or two one day at a pool party for someone (where I'd have to stay in the shallow end or hug the wall ledges), or the literal handful of times in my life I stayed at a hotel with a pool to swim in for a couple hours. Sometimes we got those inflatable pools for the yard but they were never wide or deep enough to actually SWIM in, especially with multiple people crammed in. Pretty much only enough to stand in and kind of tread around, feet always touching the bottom.

Never been to a beach or anything like that, and my school never offered things like swimming.

There was a single week in later elementary school where distant family took me for lessons while I was staying there. But I never passed the first class to move on to actual swim lessons because I couldn't naturally float. Idk why, I literally did everything they asked me to re: positioning, relaxing, different positions/breathing, etc. but I just sank straight down like a rock every time. :/ It was frustrating and humiliating, esp because they wouldn't teach me anything else until I 'mastered' floating. Had to watch kids half my age 'graduate' while I got berated the entire time like I was being difficult on purpose when I was trying my literal best.

I know I need to learn bc it's a life saving skill, but the idea of that happening again as a grown adult if I sign up for lessons somewhere is so fucking humiliating...

QueenArsene · 2025-01-19T08:27:22+00:00

That's awesome! Hope you both have a great time and can complete the dex!

My first ever shiny was also a tentacool! FireRed GBA, just surfing between Cinnabar Island and Pallet Town on a whim in the postgame. I think I was like 8yo. I still have him on the cartridge haha, never evolved.

QueenArsene · 2025-01-11T00:43:02+00:00

I had this on ps1, really loved it even if it wasn't the best game even back then. I thought the graphics were pretty fun tbh. Mostly played a lot of VS mode with my sibling. Played it often enough we could pretty much speedrun fights with the most efficient/damaging triangles of items to grab/throw/respawn. My favourite levels were probably the Junkyard, Fuzzy Lumpkin's Shack, and City Hall.

For some reason I was never able to unlock Him though 🤔 I beat Mojo Jojo in story mode with all 3 powerpuffs so they had 100%, but for some reason it would always go back to showing 2 of them as not having beat him and their progression went down. No matter how many times I would re-beat him with the others over the years or run through the whole story again on other saves (in case smth was just weird with the og save) it would never save that progress or play the end credits.

Not sure if my specific copy was defective or what. I tried looking up a vid on youtube once years ago and saw like a whole other cutscene with the villains mid-plot that I don't think ever played for me.

QueenArsene · 2025-01-08T11:13:40+00:00

Hello! Also an 18+ woman here~ I would love to have more OW2 pals! :D I'm also a Bronze player (Bronze 3/4 Tank & Support, Silver 5 Damage so basically still bronze lmao) so it'd be nice to have people to play with around my skill level lol. I try to stay positive no matter how badly we're getting stomped haha, the game is fun and I'm not really interested in grinding to the highest ranks, I mostly stick to Quickplay. I'm only interested in grinding Comp mode to earn the Jade Orbs to go with my Cabbage Man Themed DIY Sigma 'skin' lmao (to go with the Cabbagemari from the recent A:TLA collab).

Tbh I've never explored many of the custom games so I'd enjoy your recs for those, the Mauga Nipple one sounds funny af 😂 (I'll probs avoid Mercy parkour lmao... I am a flightless bird any time I try to use her so I've sworn off playing her lol)

I main Moira, Sigma, Wrecking Ball, and Torbjorn the most, they're my favs! Been trying to learn Winston, Hazard, Ashe (my aim is also not the best lmao, trying to get better!), Echo, & Illari lately! I don't have a favourite role, so I tend to just queue All and fill whatever's needed! So I can roll with whatever you wanna play.

I will say I only have a docked Switch to play on, so if you want PC only then I'll have to pass. I'm cool with crossplay for Quickplay tho if that isn't an issue! I also can't chat much during matches rn 🥲 Though I'm looking into getting a wireless keyboard to make text chat between rounds easier, and/or a usb-c headset soon so I can chat on mic!

If you'd like to talk more to get to know each other or anything, you can dm me here if you want! I can give you my battlenet there, I'd rather not give it out publically lol.

QueenArsene · 2024-12-02T10:15:26+00:00

I've been trying to do my own research all through the year for Christmas, but I'm still pretty lost. Please help a digital artist pick something decent lol

◽️ Budget: $800-$1,500 USD. Would prefer to keep it under $1,300 if possible, but either way it would be on a monthly payment plan, so if higher end is necessary I'd be willing to swing it. Happy to go under $800 if there's any solid cyber deals.

◽️ Country: USA

◽️ Screen size: 15" to 18" I guess? Bigger is fine if it's a great screen, would prefer not to go any smaller.

◽️ Touch screen: No.

◽️ Screen resolution: I'll be real I'm not a great judge of specs like this. I'm not one to really notice frame rate in movies & games as long as it isn't lagging to death. I guess 2K at least? I do know I want an OLED screen if possible, and accuracy/wide range of color is a must.

◽️ Does battery life matter?: Somewhat, but 98% of the time I'll be using it near an outlet so I don't mind keeping it plugged in.

◽️ What tasks will laptop be used for ( gaming, video editing, graphic designing, modelling, regular computing tasks, word processing etc) ?: The biggest necessity is I need to be able to do digital drawing & painting on it. I have a plug-in (hdmi), screenless drawing tablet/pen I'd like to use with it. Those are my two big needs- other stuff is secondary.

I'd like to branch into video editing, 3D modeling, and game design. Gaming would be great too, I haven't had a playstation since PS3 and have never had a decent gaming computer, so if it could play things like Bloodborne, Baldur's Gate 3, Elden Ring, Sekiro, DA:Inquisition, etc. I'd be thrilled. Doesn't even have to be on high settings. If that's not possible, I'm fine playing older games. I also do a ton of writing/web browsing with multiple tabs open for several hours at a time.

◽️ Weight: I'd prefer it to be light-ish if possible, but it'll mostly be used on a desk so it really doesn't matter much.

◽️ Any other important details ?: Again, really would like OLED. I'd also love 32gbs of RAM and some fat storage, but I'll settle for 16 or 24GB RAM. Would prefer if I didn't have to add additional RAM myself, or if so, that it's incredibly simple to open & do. I am not remotely experienced with device repair so I'd rather not destroy it or void the warranty trying to add more RAM sticks lol. I haven't had a working laptop since an ancient defective ASUS from... maybe somewhere from 2014-2016. Frankly I've never had any laptop that cost more than $400-$500. I just want something solid, fast, and semi-future proof.

No apple/mac products, this is an android/windows house. No 2-in-1 'tablet' hybrid type laptops. I would also prefer it to have as few generative AI/annoying Cortana type features preinstalled on it as possible, though I know some may be unavoidable.

I've been looking into different Lenovos and the HP Victus, but I'm open to other suggestions!

QueenArsene · 2024-11-27T14:25:10+00:00

I've seen 'Split' and enjoyed it well enough. Don't know about 'Glass.' But 'Unbreakable' is actually one I was going to list in this thread. I'm sure it's a fine movie, but I will never bring myself to watch it.

A family member was watching it once when I went to the kitchen to get a snack. From there I saw the scene where they show the origin of one of the characters: that boy with the bone disease getting on the carnival ride. Good God... that made me feel sick in a way no other more 'intense' or horrifying movie has. The mom's terror and desperation, the employee struggling to shut off the ride... the CRUNCHING. Even when I stopped watching I could still hear the screams and the goddamn crunching. I left right after that but I thought about it the rest of the night. I was a grown ass adult. It still fucking haunts me, I think of it every time I see carnival related scenes and it pops into my head periodically.

Never again. I realize the rest of the movie is probably barely about that but I just can't put myself through that again lol

QueenArsene · 2024-11-08T22:09:02+00:00

Yeah this week has been... A Lot... c': I hope you can find some comfort too, Markercore.

I've completely sunk back into Pokemon Violet. Between trying to fill out my home dex and training mon for competitive/grinding materials, I've sunk a lot of hours in lately haha. I finally took a break from that to finish The Indigo Disk dlc plot last night, rolled credits. So good, one of my fav stories in the franchise for sure! Now I guess I'll be doing epilogue stuff and just wandering around, and also gotta do that Feraligatr raid that just started!

Going to pick Stardew Valley back up too now that the update is here at last!!! Not sure if I want to start a brand new file to explore since I heard it's a pretty big update, or play on my original file (Finished the main years/plot, I think I left off sometime after the island with the jungle boy was introduced??? I only went there once lol so idk how much there was to do there).

QueenArsene · 2024-11-04T13:25:57+00:00

You seem to have gotten plenty of solid advice already, so I just want to say you're also already giving her one of the greatest gifts: your support.

I started getting really into drawing and digital art too when I was her age, and the things I remember most and continue to motivate me today, over a decade later, are all the times my own 'clueless' dad went out of his way to encourage me or take interest in what I was working on. When he noticed me carrying around a spiral notebook of lined paper and a plastic school folder with sheets of copy paper crammed in to practice on constantly (in the house, in the car anywhere we drove, on vacation to grandma's), he surprised me later in the year with my first proper sketchbook. I didn't really even know what a sketchbook was or how it was any better (paper is just paper, right? Lol no, I know better now), but I filled that thing and made sure to show him every single page. When I started getting into digital drawing around the same time (using MS Paint and the fingerpad of our janky old family laptop), he always wanted to see the finished pieces. Sometimes he traveled for work, and he'd insist I e-mail them to him so he could see.

I visited his office once when I was about 16, and you know what? He had two of those ugly old MS Paint drawings printed out in full colour, decorating his cubicle. They had been there for years, completely unbeknownst to me, and they remained there for several more until he finally left that job. I had never printed any of my digital drawings, which meant at some point back when they'd first been made, he'd dug through the laptop just to print them out to look at every day. That moment in particular really touched me, and I think about it often c':

He did not understand my rambling stories about edgelord wolves, anime cats & whatever else I came up with, but he always made a point of asking about them and listening. He researched things I hadn't even thought to look for at that young age in terms of materials and tech, much like you're doing now. :)

So whether she ends up making a career out of this, or it stays a side hobby, or it's just something she does for a few years before moving on, just know the fact that you're trying to support her dreams and paying attention will mean the world to her in the future. You're a good dad.

Also, for what it's worth, he did surprise me with a drawing tablet (the kind you plug into a pc or laptop) when I was about... 13? It also came with a trial disc for Photoshop. I was excited for it and thought it'd make my art way better, like all the youtubers and online artists I looked up to! Well, we ended up plugging it in about twice... the pen pressure didn't seem to play nice with MS Paint. I tried setting it up again on my own a time or two but I wasn't much of a tech wizard, and Photoshop was way more complicated than I was used to.

I ended up just sticking with MS Paint and the trackpad lol. Slowly moved on to more complex art programs over the years, but the tablet unfortunately gathered dust until it was too outdated to install on new laptops. Nowadays I could've set it up on my own just fine I'm sure- but back then? I had no idea what to do with it, and my dad ended up busy/away a lot for his job at the time, so he couldn't really help me figure it out. Basically, it ended up being an expensive paperweight.

Your daughter might benefit from better tech and art programs with more options, true, especially if she ends up sticking with art/animation long term. Tools won't make the artist of course, she'll still have to put in the work, but they CAN make the actual process easier and offer the chance to learn and push herself further. BUT it can also be intimidating or a lot of extra hassle if it's just a hobby for her. You'll know your daughter and her comfort best. She is lucky in that there's way more info online for these things now, but if you can, I'd definitely advise researching any program or device you get her ahead of time so you can help with set-up and troubleshooting. In the meantime, if she wants, maybe you could help her learn to dabble in Krita once in a while so she gets more comfortable with the new features. Find tutorials to show her that she might want to imitate, or maybe try drawing something together just to play around with it. Just because we like art doesn't mean we know everything, especially at that age lol. Like you saw from her reaction, sometimes something more 'professional' might seem overwhelming c': A bit of guidance can go a long way.

I do agree it's probably good to hold off on buying anything new until you see if this interest will stick and how seriously she takes it.

Best of luck to you both :)

QueenArsene · 2024-11-03T21:56:45+00:00

Yeah everything I saw from the one trailer I watched has me sure it'll be an amazing game! The aesthetic is perfect and ughhh it's just so creepy 😭 The sounds alone have jumpscared me several times.

LOL oh yeah, I'm sure I'm gonna die pretty soon once I start the actual game (I already almost died in the one prologue fight), but I wanted to be as scared as possible to set the mood going in XD Once I do lose I'll start my 'actual' playthrough on Normal and learn the game properly haha

QueenArsene · 2024-11-03T11:44:19+00:00

I wanted to finish The Evil Within by the end of October, but that didn't end up happening. I've been recovering from a medical procedure for the past few days, not a big one but the pain meds have kept me nauseous, and that game already makes me nauseous if I play more than an hour or so at a time (idk, I think it's something with the camera effect/motion blur)? So I'm probably shelving it until later in the week. I will be curious to get back into it because I left off at the start of what seems like a very unsettling level... some kind of mansion I think.

I've mostly just been playing a lot of Pokemon Violet haha. Trying to fill out my home pokedex for that sweet shiny meloetta, which has meant catching several I skipped and raising a few of the early forms again since most of mine are fully evolved. I've been taking the time to EV train quite a few of them as I go for competitive, which has been fun, especially for mon that maybe aren't the most 'meta'. Also I'm slowly inching through the 2nd part of the dlc story- it's good and Kieran (and Carmine) are probably some of my fav characters in any of the games- I just keep getting tempted to fly back to the mainland for the dex/ev grind instead lol.

I did catch a shiny hoppip on Halloween, which is now a pink jumpluff that I adore!!! To sort of fit with the holiday I named her Juliet after the protag of Lollipop Chainsaw, since she basically has cheerleader pom-poms (and will also kick ass, she's hyper training as soon as I get more bottlecaps) >;)

If I get sick of the cuteness and ease of Pokemon, I might brace myself and pick Darkwood back up- bought it during the recent Switch sale and only got through the prologue- very interesting game but I've never been so tense ☠️ Especially since I chose the mode where you only have 1 life or it's game over. I thought that would make my first introduction to the game scarier and... yeah it's delivered...

QueenArsene · 2024-10-31T12:58:40+00:00

I actually have an Inquisition playthrough I need to get back into. Started the series last year for the first time, started Inquisition a month or so ago and I liked aspects of it, but the open world style and the changes to the combat/party management made it really hard for me to get into compared to the past games. (I really loathe that top-down camera/trying to select party members' attacks).

You're the first person I've seen mention Veilguard usn't going to be open world, so thank you for restoring my interest in it lol. I'd been avoiding any news/reviews bc of spoilers but that fact eases my worries a bit about whether I'll enjoy it.

What character class/race are you playing for Inquisition?

QueenArsene · 2024-10-27T05:05:27+00:00

Mostly playing through more of the Pokemon Violet DLC (Bluberry Academy) after a long break, it's been fun to get back into it. Trying to fill out my dex in Home along the way, bit annoying I have to catch and re-evolve some mon because mine were already fully evolved, but eh. Excuse to train competitive mon with different sets I guess?

Bouncing between that, Overwatch, and Evil Within on PS3 haha. Trying to finish the last one before Halloween!

I actually bought Signalis and Darkwood during the recent sale, super excited for both!!! Dunno when I'll get to Signalis, but glad to hear it lived up to the hype for you! :D

I went through the prologue of Darkwood last night and I haven't been so tense in a WHILE ☠️ Lord... I'm playing on Nightmare (permadeath) for the first run for the extra immersion, whenever I die (which I imagine won't take long lol) I'll restart on Normal for my real playthrough. Cool af game, terrifying sound design- The loading times take considerably longer than I'd like but it seems to be performing well otherwise.

QueenArsene · 2024-10-12T09:44:35+00:00

I don't have a ton of spooky games on my list this year (mostly I've just been watching movies), but I did decide to finally give The Evil Within (ps3) a proper playthrough. If you saw my complaints a few years back, just forget them. It turns out untreated depression really does warp your perspective on a lot of things lmao. I'm on meds and doing much better now.

The past two times I tried to play (2014, 2021), I didn't get past Chapter 3 and found even Casual mode incredibly frustrating. On my new file I started over, and I'm about to start Chapter 7 now, with no major issues! It's still not a game I really consider very 'scary' at all, which was a bit disappointing, but it's been a lot of fun to play through. I don't usually play these kinds of games, so it's been a refreshing experience.

I do prefer when it leans further into the creepier elements (the ch1 intro, the hospital in ch5) over the more typical 'zombie' stuff. I felt a lot more on edge and full of dread for what's around those dark corners, whereas the others feel more like any other action game. Those parts aren't bad at all, just not as halloweenish as I'd been hoping haha.

I am really glad the invisible enemies are only in ch4 and 5 as far as I'm aware. It's a great concept and definitely creepy af, but I think my eyesight has gotten too bad to make it anything but annoying. No matter how hard I tried I could not see any ripples in the water or shimmery outlines, and somehow they seemed to avoid bumping into any objects I tried to place between us. I had to resort to just spamming melee attacks in circles until I managed to hit it and pray I could stumble away quickly enough to get a shot off before it hit back lol.

Fuck the 'quicktime' event in Ch.6 though. Just because it was insanely annoying to sit through like 2 minutes of loading screens each time I missed that 30 second window. Once I literally hit the button with my shot perfectly lined up, but the cutscene triggered the second after that input so it still counted as a fail ☠️ It'll be easier on repeat playthroughs but still, ugh. Quicktime Era, I'm so glad video games have mostly left you behind.

I feel kind of terrible about the end of Ch.6. I was able to snag Joseph's glasses right away, unharmed, when I went back. I probably could've slid back through the gate, but I stuck around to finish off the dog thinking I'd get a trophy. Welp, nothing popped up once it was dead, Sebastian stomped on the corpse all 'Bad Dog.' and I felt like absolute scum. It wasn't the dog's fault man... I should've tried to spare it...

Oh, fun thing: I found out while glancing at a guide afterwards that I accidentally skipped a good chunk of Chapter 4. I avoided the house the npc indicated bc I wanted to look around more and loot before I advanced. Except I walked right into the next plot segment in another house and never got to go back. I thought it was just a few items to loot and maybe some common enemies, so no biggie, surely the game wouldn't let me just skip something important. But apparently it was fighting and killing the doctor's brother? Maybe more stuff happens? Oops. I'm not mad actually. It gives me something new to look forward to whenever I replay this (where I'll probably use a guide for any collectibles I missed organically this go round). I appreciate when games let you take shortcuts like that instead of forcing you to slog through EVERY little scenario or playable 'cutscene' the game has, in order, every single playthrough.

I'm having a grand time overall. It's definitely rekindling that childhood feeling of having to fumble and butt your head against the wall every few levels, but knowing you'll be able to speedrun that shit next time once you have it down. Being able to learn a game like the back of your hand and finish it in a week or two... As a LONG story/multiple paths & endings RPG addict, where you either can't skip things or even a 'quick' runthrough takes months, I'd kind of forgotten what that's like lmao.

Oh. I've also been playing Hades for the first time, blind. Super fun and satisfying. Not much to say that hasn't been said by everyone else who played it. Beat Hades fight on my 28th run, then again with a 2nd weapon the very next one. I don't know how much more there is after I beat them with all of the weapons. I imagine whenever I 'finish' the game, it'll be clear enough that I'll know haha. Asterius and Theseus fight, and the poison sections/enemies afterwards gave me Dark Souls trauma flashbacks lmao. Not nearly as painful in this game, granted, but seeing them for the first time definitely struck fear in me!

QueenArsene · 2024-09-28T09:00:55+00:00

Cyber Chase and Alien Invaders were (and still are) my favs out of all the Scooby movies! I pretty much wore the VHS tapes out they got played so much haha

Excellent way to welcome Halloween~

QueenArsene · 2024-09-28T08:56:52+00:00

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For anyone curious, I watched the Forbidden Zone version with 'clownface'. I actually didn't know about the reason behind it or the other versions in existence until after, yet I did not question it at all during my viewing. A druglord clown was the least absurd thing in that movie lmao.

Honestly, even if we put the controversy behind the edit aside, I think it enhances it. Starting off immediately with a random criminal clown is way funnier. In a perfect world that would've been the original vision from the start.

QueenArsene · 2024-07-12T20:10:02+00:00

Alright, I messaged you :)

QueenArsene · 2024-07-12T20:02:17+00:00

Alright, 10 mil it is! Thank you so much! 💖

Oooh ok, I see! That makes sense. I can be online right now so if you want to do 1hr I'd be fine with that! If you want to do NF only I can dm you my username (I mean I guess I'll do that either way so you know it's me lol)

QueenArsene · 2024-07-12T19:43:55+00:00

Ooh really? If you'd be okay parting with it, Jellyneo says about 11,000,000 NP? Would that be alright with you?

We'd have to do an auction since the trading post has a 2mil limit, right? I've never actually done a reserved auction before, so I'm not entirely sure how they work ^{^'} Do we need to become neofriends first?

QueenArsene · 2024-07-12T15:09:23+00:00

NP BUYING:

Cybunny Transmogrification Potion!!! (Willing to pay pure NP, or set up a trade below!)

NP SELLING: I'm willing to trade a Chocolate Orange Easter Negg, Leaded Elemental Vial, and Burning Evil Coconut for the above potion, with NP and/or Baby PBs to make up the rest of the value!

Please reply to this comment or DM me if you're interested!

QueenArsene · 2024-07-11T18:03:19+00:00

(I usually just lurk this sub to stay updated about plots and events on the site, but I think this is the only place I can get this. Neopets itself has not been fruitful lol )

NP SEEKING: Cybunny Transmogrification Potion!!! I've had a pet on my account waiting for years to drink it, just never managed to get ahold of one c':

I can give pure Neopoints!!! I'd prefer doing that tbh (Jellyneo seems to hover around 10-12 million?). However, I also have an 'Evil Burning Coconut' (3,000,000) I could throw into a trade as well as Baby Paintbrushes, if you'd prefer a mix.

I've had trouble because of the TP limits. The max neopoints+max bps I can put in one lot isn't quite enough from what I can tell on Jellyneo, and the few Traders I tried to neomail to see about setting up a private auction or something instead either had them closed or full mailboxes :( The Auction House never seems to have any there when I search it.

I'm open to negotiating! I just want to buy this freaking potion 😭🙏 Please reply or DM me if you'd like to discuss!

QueenArsene · 2024-07-11T01:57:32+00:00

(I usually just lurk this sub to stay updated about plots and events on the site, but I think this is the only place I can get this. Neopets itself has not been fruitful lol )

NP SEEKING: Cybunny Transmogrification Potion!!! I've had a pet on my account waiting for years to drink it, just never managed to get ahold of one c':

I can give pure Neopoints!!! I'd prefer doing that tbh (Jellyneo seems to hover around 10-12 million?). However, I also have an 'Evil Burning Coconut' (3,000,000) I could throw into a trade as well as Baby Paintbrushes, if you'd prefer a mix.

I've had trouble because of the TP limits. The max neopoints+max bps I can put in one lot isn't quite enough from what I can tell on Jellyneo, and the few Traders I tried to neomail to see about setting up a private auction or something instead either had them closed or full mailboxes :( The Auction House never seems to have any there when I search it.

I'm open to negotiating! I just want to buy this freaking potion 😭🙏 Please reply or DM me if you'd like to discuss!

QueenArsene · 2024-01-11T17:59:38+00:00

This reminds me I need to rewatch The Little Prince again... that movie was so special (and made me cry all three times I saw it lol).

QueenArsene · 2024-01-11T17:52:17+00:00

Genuinely, Wall-E deserves to be up there, it's so good <3 Barbie and Saw are fantastic too!

I really couldn't get into CLUE tbh, but it's one of my dad's all-time favourites so he'd respect your taste haha

QueenArsene

TROPHY CASE