Heyyy @all, since a friend asked me how far I got in Genshin after playing for a while now, I wondered too. So I looked up some stats, took a few screenshots and now I'm curious how other (new) players progress, what are your biggest milestones yet, best loot-drops, craziest pulls, stories in general, or if you have some personal tips maybe?
As for me, I started playing Free 2 Play on 13.02.24 and here are some stats:

• Old Standard Team: Electro Traveller, Amber, Noelle, Kaeya, all 90
• Old 2. Team for Abyss: Dilluc, Collei, Barbara, Razor, all ~70 (got me to Abyss 10-3)
• pulled: Neuvillette, Kazuha, Arlecchino, all 90 (3x 50/50 won in a row, I'm worried...)
• pulled: Diluc, Skyward Pride and Qiqi from Standard Banner
• bought Bennett from Shop, 90
• obtained ~ 75k primogems (~ 45k left)
• had ~ 90 intertwined fates, wished 245x
• had ~ 180 Acquaint Fates, wished 212x
• 25.04.24 all Areas show 100% (not true 100% though, I know)
• Serenitea-Pot: 2x 25k points and Paradise Lvl 10, all challenges done
• 1029 Achievements without hunting them besides challenger-series
• 01.05.24 beat Abyss 12-2 (finally saw the last missing enemy-type🙏🏼) and made it to 12-3
• 75 Weapons, 1 gold, 49 purple, 24 blue, 1 grey (Starter-Sword)
• 210 Artifacts, 171 gold, 39 purple
• hit maximum of 1800 pieces 3 or 4 times while exploring iirc. Nearly everything what's left got filtered through: General Settings all turned on + edited Standard Filter Plan 1 (additional Main Affixes: Sands: ER, EM / Goblet: EM / Circlet: ER, EM, HB and Minor Affixes: Crit Rate, Crit DMG, EM, ER, including at least 2))
• farmed Artifacts with Condensed Resin: Noelle 10 runs, Neuvillette 10 runs, Kazuha 5 runs
• learned 165 Recipes, mastered 142 of them
• found 104 Tunes
• highest Crit DMG: 110.133
• Co-op Domains: 431
• Co-op stuff taken: 1279
• Wood collected: 5911
• Dyes created: 1198
• Furnishing Blueprints learned: 463
• Currency obtained: 45.988
• Fish caught: 2014 (all spots = ~ 500 fish per run so 4 runs)
• caught all jumping versions of them
• TCG Lvl 10, defeated all players on map, all challenges + all on hard
• TCG coins obtained: 231.550
• Crowns obtained: 21
• Crowns used: 2 on Neuvillette, 1 on Kazuha, 1 on Arlecchino
• for a month now helping others, because motivation for achievement-hunting isn't really here yet^{^}

I'm still planning on getting the first char I wanted to pull for after playing her story quest - Raiden. And as the second one - Zhongli. As for Starter-Pokemon I'm planning on getting Alhaitham next. Others I want to pull for: Navia, Wriothesley, Ganyu, Furina, Nahida And then, in my dreams where I still have primogems left: Ayaka, Yelan, Itto, Xiao, Shenhe, Eula and Klee.
My personal biggest Milestones: - got all the crystalflies including the coralfly💙 - finished all available Quests - Map Exploration Rate of 100% - Only missing 4 + 1 Hydroculi and the extra Electroculi - Made it to Abyss 12-3 - Earned 6 Gold-Medals in Vibro-Crystal Application😎 ( the difficulty was not even comparable to all the other events I took part in😅) - Saved the "unplayable" account of a friend on WR 8 with 24 artifacts in total and struggling with lvl 70 enemies in only 3 days, obtained 40 wishes and got her Arlecchino as a 'overnight suprise' next time she logged in🤭
Next one: - Finally beating Abyss for the first time
And my biggest Fails: - although logged in 7 of 7 days, I did not claim Day 6 and through that missed out on 5 Intertwined Fates...💀 - because the season ended and max weekly xp were reached, I bought a season-pass rank up for 150 primogems to get a wish worth 160. Only to being able to claim a seasonal challenge ten minutes later which bypassed the weekly xp limit and got me the rank up anyways...🤦🏻‍♂️ - allowed a player in chat to join my teapot and got infected with his excitement and happines over getting accepted and finally finding someone so close before reset, so I then quickly entered it myself because I wanted to know what he was so crazy about - without realizing I just kicked him before he could even send a request...😂
Sooo, that was my journey so far, how are you all doing? Ah btw, in case someone still has not redeemed these yet, here are some free codes I posted last week: https://www.reddit.com/Genshin_Impact/s/0t5oSaJcYB 🍀

**Name and House:** Beatrice Massey
**Age:** 27
**Cultural Group:** Crownlander
**Appearance:** She has curly brown hair she always keeps tied up, and dark brown eyes. She has plain features and dresses modestly and is of an average height with a pudgy build. She always has dark circles beneath her eyes. Despite her and her brother’s partial Valyrian heritage, they both take strongly after their father’s family.
**Trait:** Steward
**Skill(s):** Administrator (e), Investor (e), Avaricious
**Talent(s):** Language: High Valyrian, History, Geography
**Negative Trait(s):** N/A
**Starting Title(s):** Steward of Stonedance
**Starting Location:** The Hunt

AC
**Name and House:** Arthur Massey
**Age:** 30
**Cultural Group:** Crownlander
**Appearance:** He has thin, straight features with a squared jaw and stubble, with curled brown hair and dark eyes. He stands a modest height with broad shoulders and slim build.
**Trait:** Ruthless
**Skill(s):** Rumourmonger(e), Devious
**Talent(s):** Drinking, Card Games, Sleight of Hand
**Negative Trait(s):** N/A
**Starting Title(s):** Heir of Stonedance
**Starting Location:** The Hunt


Biography

House Massey, along with many neighbouring houses, were quick to join Aegon’s cause and pledge their support during his conquest. Coren Massey, the Lord, had wed a Valyrian woman named Alysanne Belaerys, and had two children by her.
Beatrice was only two years old, and her brother only a boy of five when the Conquest began. Their father and uncle would ride out with their armies to support his cause and would find themselves roosting in his court for the next few years and assisting the construction of King’s Landing. It wouldn’t be until after Aegon’s assassination that her uncle, Triston Massey would take over as Master of Laws.
Tragedy would strike the Massey’s during the Kingswood Hunt, where Triston would fall victim to the attacks by the bandits and would perish.
Coren Massey, her father, would spend much time in King’s Landing, constantly seeking—and failing to secure his brother’s position as Master of Laws. Arthur would spend much time in the new capital as well, though not in court. He would carouse the town, often spending times with other lords and ladies of a similar age, hosting parties or tavern crawls, or hunting expeditions. He established a network of contacts and conversationalists throughout the years there, a gossip-mill that he could turn to his own ends—amongst nobility and smallfolk alike.
Beatrice’s story was much different. As her father and brother left Stonedance to seek greener pastures, much of it resided on her. When she grew up, her family had secured tutors to teach her and her brother skills of administration and governance—though Arthur never took to them, often skipping out on his lessons. Beatrice on the other hand made it her life’s work, studying a variety of subjects. One gift her mother had given her was a tutor from Essos, to teach her the Valyrian tongue both for eventual use in court, and to connect with that part of her heritage.
When she turned ten and seven, she began to take in children from around the Crownlands and a few from lands beyond that, offering to teach them in various disciplines such as arithmetic, history, geography, calligraphy, and literature. This, combined with her duties of running and managing Stonedance, kept her busy and rarely leaving the hold, while her brother, the heir, caroused through life.
At twenty, she was arranged to marry Dorin Sunglass, however the betrothal fell through when he married another—to her relief.
Arthur would sire several bastards, that she would keep track of and it became her responsibility to care for the mother’s left behind and the children he wanted nothing to do with. A cook, a maid, a sailor—Beatrice kept track of them as they came to Stonedance with their children in their arms, offering them gold and a place in the village. Most notably was his fling with Perra Bracken—while the Blackwood’s and Bracken’s geared for war, the two had a tryst in King’s Landing which resulted in a child, Arina. Taken back to Stonedance to raise, Beatrice would tutor her and send letters of progress to Perra, but otherwise both of the parents of the bastard would be uninvolved.

Archetype NPCs

Magnate – Laisa Chyttering
Trader – Evelyne Follard


Family Tree

Coren Massey, Head of House (56)
Alysanne Belaerys (57)
Triston Massey, Uncle – Deceased
Arthur Massey – Brother (30)
- 4 bastards (Calla, Primrose, Roan, Arina)
Beatrice Massey (27)

https://www.familyecho.com/?p=START&c=jx4tc3o73z2l582z&f=703439927850474756

Timeline

1 AC – House Massey is of the first to support Aegon’s Conquest, Coren and Triston, brothers, fight at the Dragonlord’s side to Conqueror Westeros and swear fealty
5 AC – Beatrice begins her studies from tutors acquired by her father from Westeros and beyond.
8 AC – Following the death of the King, Triston Massey is named Master of Laws
14 AC – Arthur makes regular appearances in King’s Landing and begins to make his own circles and share and spread information.
15 AC – Triston Massey perishes in the Kingswood. Coren Massey would move permanently to the court of King’s Landing, vying for a seat on the Small Council, with no luck. In the same year, Beatrice takes his absence and begins to tutor and teach her own students within the lands of Stonedance in a variety of subjects.
18 AC – Beatrice is arranged to marry Dorin Sunglass, though the wedding is called off when he marries another, to her relief, and the chagrin of her family’s. Arina Waters is born.

Here we go—I'm finally making a post!
So, after months of lurking (and a handful of half-written posts), I'm finally taking the plunge and giving this a shot. I know they say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but in my case, it begins with a single post. So, here goes nothing, right? Haha.
What am I looking for?
In a nutshell—authentic, meaningful conversation. A few days ago, a few other faculty members and I met up for an evening out to celebrate the end of finals. A few of us stayed pretty late, pontificating about life, talking about the most random topics, and basically just enjoying each other's company. I don't know about you, but in today's world (where so many of us are glued to Zoom screens and remote work), we need more of that sort of dynamic—just genuine, authentic, long-form discourse. I like to believe with the right sort of person (and the right sort of conversational skills), you can cultivate that sort of vibe in online conversation.
For example, when I think back to the past, one of my favorite memories was a lengthy conversation I had with a random stranger at a cozy little coffee shop in a small town in Upstate New York. We talked about everything from philosophy to the best type of coffee beans. That's the sort of conversation I crave!
A bit about me:

• I'm 34, male, and work in higher education.
• I finished my doctorate a few years ago (Finally! I can now add "doctor" to my name without having to prescribe anything or perform surgery, haha — although that dissertation was brutal, just sayin').
• I love the outdoors and often take local day trips to explore new trails and scenic spots.
• I have a passion for photography, always trying to capture that perfect shot (though my cat remains a stubbornly uncooperative model).
• Journaling and poetry are my ways of reflecting and expressing my thoughts, even if my poems often end up sounding like Dr. Seuss after too much coffee.
• Long hikes are my therapy. Nature has a way of putting things into perspective.
• I have a knack for making terrible puns. Consider yourself warned.
• I like to pretend I'm a trivia night enthusiast, though my knowledge of obscure 90s cartoons is more impressive than practical.
• I'm convinced that breakfast foods are acceptable at any time of the day. Pancakes for dinner, anyone?
• I’ve been known to binge-watch documentaries about anything from space exploration to ancient civilizations.
• I’m a coffee enthusiast and love experimenting with different brewing methods and beans.
• I’m secretly training for the “Olympics of Procrastination,” and I’m a gold medal contender.
• I pride myself on my ability to parallel park in one go – a skill I wish I could add to my résumé.
• My superpower is finding the perfect GIF for any situation.

So basically...
I'm hoping to find thoughtful interactions with folks who genuinely want to discuss all that life has to offer. I'm drawn to people with a natural zest and curiosity for life, who embrace a growth mindset, and who value emotional intelligence and strong communication skills. Whether we're delving into deep philosophical questions or sharing our favorite recipes, I'm looking for someone who appreciates the beauty of a well-rounded, engaging conversation.
If this sounds like you, send me a chat message! I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

I've compiled a list of parallels that fans have drawn between Elden Ring and Dark Souls 2, along with brief commentaries and illustrations on the patterns they may have observed.
https://preview.redd.it/9mu9ob1ee90d1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=057574020575dd9701d7df7a5cdc86bee8401f8f
"The game is called the Elden Ring and it's a sequel to a video game that came out a few years ago called Dark Souls, My work on it was actually done years ago. These games, they're like movies, they take a long time to develop." - George R.R. Martin
He [George Martin] actually knew about the Dark Souls games. He was aware of them and what they were about, so that made me happy. That sort of gave me a little bit of a boost. I knew immediately from talking to him, it just became apparent his skill and his passion for the fantasy genre, and for games as well. - Hidetaka Miyazaki
“I can't deny the fact that, maybe down the line, I want to go back to the [Dark Souls] series and make one more game before I retire. I don't want to be branded a liar if that happens.” - Hidetaka Miyazaki
Dark Souls 2 probably bears the Souls series’ closest resemblance to Elden Ring. Design wise, both Dark Souls 2 and Elden Ring stressed open-ended gameplay and ditched linear progression.
Miyazaki agrees and in fact goes a step further. “In regards to Dark Souls 2, I actually personally think this was a really great project for us, and I think without it, we wouldn’t have had a lot of the connections and a lot of the ideas that went forward and carried the rest of the series. We were able to have that different impetus and have those different ideas and make those different connections that we otherwise might not have had.” He goes so far as to say that “there’s really no way of telling how or if the series would have continued the way it did without Dark Souls 2.” Hidetaka Miyazaki
https://preview.redd.it/ptcn01tce90d1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=ccb38969a89fcc77c0f2784a3c934a9764530fa5
Elden Ring was co-directed by Yui Tanimura who is the director of Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin.
Name-Engraved ring
"There are countless vestiges of long-lost gods in the ruins of Drangleic. Or perhaps they are the very same gods as ours, only known by different names."
I’ve seen people make comparison with the deities mentioned on the Name-engraved Ring list. (although the one they made about Ranni didn’t make sense to me and seem to be more relevant to the Gloam-Eyed Queen if anything).
https://preview.redd.it/serj2lx6e90d1.png?width=1640&format=png&auto=webp&s=51d71268bca135848931a26c5b02e958c296cb09
St. Trina and Miquella from Elden Ring share striking similarities with Quella, the deity of dreams dreams from Dark Souls 2, and Nehma, the goddess of love. Like the latter, Miquella has the power to "compel affection" through the Bewitching Branch. St. Trina and Quella are associated with sleep, trees, and dreams. Miquella shares similarities with Quella, as both are associated with ethereal, dream-like entities like the Nascent Butterfly and White Ring,
Quella’s icon also depicts a boy with wings, which something similar we see Miquella have during Elden Ring’s intro cut scene.
https://preview.redd.it/icccb0b5e90d1.png?width=900&format=png&auto=webp&s=5332b149b3d0e09eacd1c5559644d553d7a2058a
Hanleth is the goddess of bliss. After the war of the erdtree, Marika's reign ushered in an age of plenty when It is said that drops of blessing once dripped boughs forever which gradually restored HP.
In Marika's own words. Hark, brave warriors. Hark, my lord Godfrey. We commend your deeds. Guidance has delivered ye through ordeal to the place ye stand. Put the giants to the sword and confine the flame atop the mount. Let a new epoch begin. An epoch glistening with life. Brandish the Elden Ring, for the Age of the Erdtree! - Melina
Kremmel, god of Struggle.
Lord Radagon was a great champion... He came to these lands at the head of a great golden host, when he met Lady Rennala in battle. He soon repented his territorial aggressions though, and became husband to the Carian Queen. However, when Godfrey, first Elden Lord, was hounded from the Lands Between, Radagon left Rennala to return to the Erdtree Capital. - Miriel, Pastor of Vows
“Solemn duty weighs upon the one beholden; not unlike a gnawing curse from which there is no deliverance” descriptions from both Marika's & Radagon's Soreseals
Queen Marika has high hopes for us. That we continue to struggle. Unto eternity. - Gideon Ofnir
https://preview.redd.it/h4hm67u2e90d1.png?width=2528&format=png&auto=webp&s=76e2dc5e153f9381ae11bc63fa6a58bccaa57216
Radagon’s thorns
Prevented by the mantle of barbs. The thorns are impenetrable. A husk of the Erdtree's being; that spurns all that exists without. The only way to stand before the Elden Ring...and become the Elden Lord...is to pass the thorns. My purpose serves to aid in that very act. So I'd like you to undertake a new journey, with me. To the flame of ruin, far above the clouds, upon the snow mountaintops of the giants. Then I can set the Erdtree aflame. And guide you. Down the path to becoming Elden Lord. - Melina
“Ring granted protection by Kremmel, god of Struggle. The ring's spikes drive into the wearer's skin, so that each blow fuels spite toward the perpetrator. When damage is taken the ring retaliates and inflicts damage upon enemy.” - Ring of Thorns
https://preview.redd.it/9e66m7y1e90d1.png?width=1700&format=png&auto=webp&s=36d60bbcaab169e7315dc34c8567cb932ff2be25
Assuming the theories that Mesmer are true, his association with the snake (which is viewed as a traitor to the Erdtree), consumption of dragon hearts, and seeking ultimate power suggest the pursuit for supremacy for his own gain. This aligns with the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring), which depicts the snake, a manifestation of the god of desire, Zinder. The serpent is an imperfect dragon and symbol of the undead. Mesmer's ambition and willingness to embrace forbidden power mirrors the ring's representation of insatiable desire and the undying nature of the serpent.
Rykard from Elden Ring and Zandroe from Dark Souls share a striking similarity - they are both associated with serpents and the concept of greed. Zandroe is described as the "god of greed" whose manifestation and servant is the snake, while Rykard fed himself into a massive "god-devouring serpent" in his pursuit of immortality through devouring others, an act of ultimate greed.
​
https://preview.redd.it/tio0c9lzd90d1.png?width=2250&format=png&auto=webp&s=6b1d131769bade56ee609c74a7d0323187414995
Nahr Alma, the god of blood and a god of war, where Mohg is a demigod and the lord of blood.
Both Mohg and Nahr Alma are divinely associated with blood and have followers who use blood-themed weapons like the Scythe of Nahr Alma. Mohg and Nahr Alma's followers have rejected the world and vow to travel a bloody path. Mohg is the Lord of Blood and seeks to inaugurate a new dynasty, similar to Nahr Alma's influence
https://preview.redd.it/i6zqjp8xd90d1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=35e4a823f259b6f9d4f5e46cb8dcde9b34abd4ea
Morgott, the "Fell Omen" 忌み鬼 (Imi Oni) meaning "Abominable Demon#cite_ref-14)." , and highly-ranked clerics of Lindelt from Dark Souls 2 share similarities as holy knights who wield "demonic powers" to castigate those who harbor ambitions for power. Both are feared by their enemies for their ruthless tactics in battle, with Morgott slaughtering countless champions during the Shattering and these clerics of Lindelt use the miracle "Unveil" to reveal the location of traitors.
“Wilful traitors, all. Thy kind are all of a piece. Pillagers. Emboldened by the flame of ambition. Have it writ upon thy meagre grave: Felled by King Morgott! Last of all kings.” Morgott, the Grace-Given.
https://preview.redd.it/h54dbl6ud90d1.png?width=900&format=png&auto=webp&s=da570701ce72a9b5f18e60dc076a33fdaeed1f3d
Godwyn the Golden from Elden Ring and the God of Sun from Dark Souls 2 were revered for their mastery of lightning and their incantations, such as Lightning Spear, Dragonbolt Blessing, and Sacred Oath. Additionally, Godwyn's victory of the ancient dragon Fortissax and his subsequent friendship with the fallen foe gave rise to the ancient dragon cult in the capital, much like the God of Sun's connection with the Blinding Bolt that was forbidden so to protect the world from hatred, or sorrow, and the ancient clan) whose leader was revered as the deity.
https://preview.redd.it/r3aqmuusd90d1.png?width=1148&format=png&auto=webp&s=0f1c703c23b38b1468e0192576d598bf2ce325c0
The demigod general Radahn and Faraam like Nahr Alma, is a god of war from Dark Souls 2 are both associated with lions, a symbol of strength and ferocity in battle, representing their prowess as mighty warriors. Known for their skill in combat, with Radahn being captivated by the Lord of the Battlefield from a young age, now wields a greatsword in each hand, and the Faraam Knights being feared for their nimble two-handed swordplay.
https://preview.redd.it/97iizhtrd90d1.png?width=1720&format=png&auto=webp&s=b690f8449c0251323da274582be650db88d390b8
Galib (I’ve seen it spelled “Calib”) from Dark Souls 2 and Malenia (who released her bloom in Caelid) both have a thematic connection to disease and affliction. Malenia and Miquella, both children of a single god, were afflicted with rot and eternal childhood respectively. Leydia apostles manipulated both the onset and curing of disease but were denied peaceful deaths, while Malenia's rot was an incurable sickness (as her army are undergoing their gradual, putrefaction of their flesh) that Miquella tried to ward off with unalloyed gold needles and her great rune provides healing after receiving damage.
Coincidentally Malenia can grow wings as well.
https://preview.redd.it/hubw0m1rd90d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc90c140c199edac02ef010f0b284f3ac9a1e490
Caffrey, deity of Fortune, and Godfrey the first Elden lord. The name “Frey” might be derived from Nordic mythology. Frey is primarily associated with fertility, prosperity, and abundance.
Caffrey's icon mirrors the currency and EXP icon from Dark Souls 2, representing experience points gained by defeating enemies. In a similar vein, Godfrey is portrayed as the lord of the battlefield, who bravely battled Giants, confronted the Storm Lord and had countless victories, ushering in the Age of the Erdtree which was forged through the use of valuables like Smithing Stones [8], becoming the embodiment of Order. This left a long legacy of loyal warriors honored him by wielding axes like himself.
​
https://preview.redd.it/81ze5i0qd90d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=80a838c57b4b826d959f8bda05c32dbda4a12214
The hunting Goddess Evlana was no goddess at all, but rather a brave and highly skilled bow huntress. Long after her demise, the passing of lore transformed her into a deity.”
The Hunter's Hat
Spirit of a handsome archer who dressed in the style of a man. Called the Silent Hunter by some, she fires St. Trina's arrows from her shortbow.
Dolores the Sleeping Arrow Puppet
:P

Hey all!
Here's the cards split up by era:

• SV
  
• SWSH
  
• Mid-Era
  
• Vintage
  
• Slab
  
• SV Bulk
  
• VaultX SV3 12 Pocket Binder The first 7~ pages curl on the corners but otherwise is unused and like new. Asking for $25 shipped.
  

Vintage have varying condition. Mid-era are HP to NM, with the white binder generally having worse condition. All modern are straight to sleeve.
I am hoping to make some trades for my list of wants. I can send close ups upon request. Prices will be based off of TCGplayer market price. PWE 1$ and BMWT 5$
Ideally I would like all of my want list to have decent centering with a select few being as perfect as possible. Listed in order of priority by condition.

Want list:

Raw 10 grade candidates or will consider graded 10 slabs

• Mismagius - Illustration Rare (212/193)
• Toedscool - Illustration Rare (201/198)
• Fuecoco - Illustration Rare (201/193)
• Sinistea - Cosmo Holo foil promo (062)
• Garchomp ex - Ultra Rare (219/182)
• Sandy Shocks ex - Secret Illustration Rare (250/182)

NM

• Neo Discovery 1st Edition rares I am missing from my list
• Neo Genesis 1st Edition Lugia. Will also look at 7 grade slabs
• Erika's Vileplume - First Edition Gym Heroes (5/132)
• Weezing - Holo Expedition (32/165)
• Omanyte - Vending Series 2 - 138
• Koffing - VHS Bulbasaur deck
• Lt. Surge's Raichu - First Edition Gym Challenge (11/132)
• Light Togetic - First Edition Neo Destiny 15/105
• Golem - Holo Expedition (14/165)
• Raichu - Holo Delta Species Holon Phantoms (15/110)
• Spidops ex - Secret Illustration Rare (243/198)
• Wo-chien ex - Secret Illustration Rare (257/193)
• Fearow - Holo Expedition (11/165)

Paradox Rift Wants

• Gholdengo ex - SIR (252/182)
• Tapu Koko ex - SIR (247/182)

Paradox Rift Master Set cards I am missing from my list, listed below:
Illustration Rare

• Dottler
• Joltik
• Espathra
• Mienshao
• Ferrothorn
• Aipom
• Porygon-Z

Ultra Rare

• Goliospod ex
• Cofagrigus ex
• Norman
• Tulip

Secret Illustration Rare

• Garchomp ex
• Tapu Koko ex (2x)
• Iron Valiant ex
• Altaria ex
• Mela
• Professor Sada's Vitality
• Professor Turo's Scenario
• Rika

Hyper Rare

• Garchomp ex
• Beach Court
• Counter Catcher

Promos

• Professor Turo's Scenario - Regional championship Staff

Temporal Forces Wants

Temporal Forces Master Set cards I am missing from my list, some listed below:
Reverse Holo

• 97
• 118
• 135
• 148
• 151

Illustration Rare

• Litten
• Reuniclus
• Excadrill
• Minccino
• Cinccino

Ultra Rare

• Gouging Fire ex
• Iron Boulder ex
• Explorer's Guidance
• Salvatore

Promos

• 089 Feraligatr - Prerelease and Staff
• 090 Metang - Prerelease and Staff
• 091 Koraidon - Prerelease and Staff
• 092 Miraidon - Prerelease and Staff
• 097 Flutter Mane - PC Stamped
• 098 Iron Thorns - PC Stamped

Obsidian Flames Wants

Obsidian Flames master set cards I am missing from my list, also listed below:
Bulk

• Fire: 35, 38, 39
• Water: 46
• Electric: 65
• Psychic: 90, 97
• Fighting: 109, 111, 114, 116, 118, 119, 121
• Darkness: 126, 128, 131, 132, 137
• Metal: 150
• Dragon: 160, 161
• Colorless: 174, 180, 182, 184
• Trainer: 186, 187, 189, 190, 195, 197

Reverse Holo

• Grass: 2, 5, 12, 20, 21
• Fire: 32, 35, 37, 44
• Water: 49, 51, 55, 62
• Electric: 65, 69, 75, 77, 78
• Psychic: 86, 88, 91, 93
• Fighting: 106, 112, 113, 117
• Darkness: 127, 130, 133
• Metal: 141, 142, 147, 149, 151, 154
• Dragon: 160, 161
• Colorless: 168, 174, 177, 180, 181
• Trainer: 192, 193, 197

Illustration Rare

• Cleffa
• Larvitar
• Pidgeotto

Secret Illustration Rare

• Geeta

Hyper Rare

• Charizard ex (Gold)

Cosmo Foil

• Scovillain
• Palafin
• Togekiss

Promos

• Umbreon Obsidian Flame Stamps
• Umbreon GameStop
• Geeta - Regional Championship Staff Stamped
• 037 Cleffa - Staff Stamped
  
• 044 Charmander - ETB and PC Stamped
  

Play! Pokemon

• Toedscruel ex
• Tyrantiar ex
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I'm pretty sure I'm going to be dead in the next 24 hours.
Whether that's the Costella family, or whatever this is, I'm not sure.
The police are taking forever, and part of me knows they're either refusing to believe me, or RC got them too.
I'm holed up on our school bus, so I've got nothing better to do.
I want to tell you about my team.
We met in our sophomore year.
Strangers standing outside the club room.
Levi was the freckled brunette who wouldn't stop talking about Game of Thrones.
Sunny, a pretty redhead, told him to shut up.
Tom, a sandy blonde, nodding his head to music corked in his ears.
I just wanted to be part of a club, and get away from my overbearing mother.
I won't say it was a perfect start. Our school was lacking in funding, so anyone could join, which made us more of a Quiz Club. I had some serious anxiety, so I stayed on the sidelines for a while, watching, rather than taking part.
It's not like we actually talked to each other initially. The first few weeks, we played Jeopardy, and attempted to find more members to cement us as an official Academic Decathlon club.
Unfortunately, though, it was just the four of us.
Which made it extremely hard for us to be taken seriously.
According to Google, Academic Decathlon teams were made up of nine members, placed by their GPA.
Our principal laughed at us, but he did let us become official.
Which was out of pity, I assumed.
The club was assembled, and we started meeting up after school.
Sort of.
Sunny barely showed up, and Levi didn't take anything seriously, preferring to spend the time telling us about his weird family turf-war.
Our principal dumped us in a tiny classroom with a resident rat living under the floorboards.
There was barely enough room to move, and the four of us crammed together for three hours was less than appealing.
Still, though, I wanted to be part of a club.
I had grown up with parents who were obsessed with board games, so I was pretty good at general knowledge questions. Our club room was too small for anything else but three desks (Sunny and I shared one) and a whiteboard we had to shove through the door.
But, again, we didn't start as an Academic club.
It was more akin to Story Time Club.
Arriving late on my third day, armed with quiz cards from home, I found Tom and Sunny completely mesmerised by Levi’s storytelling skills, drowned in shadow.
They didn't even turn the lights on.
I strictly remember squeezing next to Sunny, and hearing the words, “But there was so much blood all over the floor, and my Mom told me to go upstairs and hide under the bed…”
Sitting in front of them was Levi, perched on a desk, his legs swinging, a whiteboard marker between his teeth.
Sometimes he'd get up, and illustrate parts of his story.
It sucked that his drawings were all stick people.
I won't go into full details of his life, but Levi grew up as part of a family who had… interesting methods of making a living. I had seen the guy’s father multiple times when we hung out at his place, and, yeah, my friend’s family definitely had Soprano vibes.
Levi’s Draw My Life was nothing to do with the club, but it did bring us closer.
Even if, at that point, I was considering leaving.
But it's not like it was easy to walk away from these guys. It's like finding your soulmates. Levi wasn't the only one with an interesting life. Sunny Lang was an ex kpop trainee, who was kicked out for being too fat, which led her to develop a severe eating disorder, and a hatred for her own body.
Sunny explained her family were originally from Boston, her mother growing up in Korea.
She signed up for an idol agency focusing on creating a new girl group, and had gotten all the way to the final stages, before being kicked for her weight. Sunny told us her story with a smile, though there was a hollowness in her eyes I couldn't ignore. The other girls were judgemental bullies, and the idol diet and brutal regime almost killed her.
Sunny lived in a tiny apartment with 9 girls, who would tear each other apart for a chance to debut. Sunny said all the other girls debuted, and when we (not so patiently) asked for names, she shrugged, admitting she signed an NDA that prevented her spilling the beans.
What she did say, was the K-pop idol is a product, not a person– and are made and moulded into a product.
She had zero interest in throwing her humanity away to become a manufactured doll.
So, one of us was the son of an underground family, and the other was an ex idol.
Tom was an aspiring horror writer with a famous older step-brother.
His story times were usually, That one time I went to the Met Gala.
When it was my turn to reveal my story, I told them the only interesting thing about me.
I could smell when something bad was going to happen.
They laughed, but I was being serious.
When I was a kid, I smelled my mother’s brain tumor.
I remember it smelled like curdled milk.
I asked Mom why her head smelled of mouldy milk, and Mom laughed and said it was her shampoo.
It was actually a grade two tumor growing inside her brain.
Thankfully, the tumour was found quickly and removed.
Growing older, I became sensitive to smell. The little girl choking on the bus smelled of singed wood, and the old man crossing the road stunk of gasoline.
In the fourth grade, my classmate Alex Castor smelled of lemons all morning.
I sat behind him, choking on the stink all the way through class.
Ever since I met him, Alex had always smelled… off.
It was a distinct smell I could never understand, and as the days and months and years went by, that smell morphed into a subtle orangey musk that was so strong I had to cover my mouth and nose. Then, he smelled like lemons.
During Recess, I watched Alex fall off of the jungle gym, straight onto his head.
Alex Castor was dead before the paramedics arrived, my panicked teacher attempting CPR when his brains were leaking out of his ears.
The school claimed it was an accident, but Alex would have been fine if the jungle gym wasn't built on solid concrete.
I told my team members this, and Levi was sceptical.
“You can smell bad things?” He said, his lips curved around his milkshake straw. In the early days, we hung out in the local bar. It's not like we were allowed inside, but Levi could get us in anywhere.
I was squeezed between Tom and Sunny, while Levi took the seat opposite us. I couldn't help noticing our waitress was insisting on free milkshake refills, her frantic eyes glued to Levi.
I had zero idea why. Levi Costella was about as intimidating as a fruit fly.
Wearing a white shirt with a popped collar, a leather jacket thrown over the top, Levi was giving rebellious Harvard student, rather than son of a crime family.
Leaning forward, he raised a brow, clearly not believing me.
“So, you're like a stink psychic?”
I shrugged, sipping my own shake.
“Sure.”
I wasn't planning on telling him the club room smelled off on our first day.
Once we actually started the club, Levi surprised us as the smartest member, and getting to know him further, I came to the realization his family were infamous in our town.
However, his parents hid it well. Lucy and Michael Costella were the owners of a popular ramen store in our town, hiding under the facade of two successful business owners. The Costella’s were an attractive family.
Lucy was a sophisticated brunette with a lipstick smile, Michael, a handsome fluffy haired man who looked like he modelled glasses.
The two were fiercely protective over their youngest son, not so casually reminding us behind grinning smiles, that if anything happened to Levi, we would automatically be involved in the family.
I mean, they did laugh and say, “We’re joking! Look at your little faces!” when Sunny went deathly pale. But there was definitely truth behind their words.
Being Levi’s friend was… challenging at first.
Tom and I were in his room studying for finals, and an alarm went off, flooding Levi’s room in red light.
I had zero idea where it was coming from, but it locked all the doors and windows, forcing the Costella residence into temporary lockdown. Levi didn't seem fazed, casually mentioning his parents were taking care of it.
He had a whiteboard set up in his room, and was standing in front of it, cramming all of our textbook notes into one easily digestible drawing.
Levi wasn't just smart.
He was Ivy League smart, so we had struck gold with him.
His family were questionable, and yes, sometimes I did fear for my life, but as the more time we spent at his house, the Costella household became a second home. We got used to the alarms.
I just brought along ear plugs.
I wish I was writing this post about Levi’s family, and sure, they are a factor in what is going on right now, but I want to preface this by saying the events below involve the 2024 scholastic decathlon final in our town with the school’s listed:
Starbrook High School.
Ratcliffe High School.
Please note, the incident that took place last night was immediately covered up, and all phone footage was destroyed. Our town is mostly out of the way, and does not show up on Google searches.
We also have our own version of the academic decathlon, which is a more town-level competition, due to lacking funds. The four of us were desperate to start competing with our schools.
So, we started taking things a little more seriously.
We got a coach.
Mr Hanes, who was hesitant at first.
In his words, “You will hate me as your coach.”
He started by recruiting more members, announcing, “If you want to be taken seriously as an actual club, then I'll be taking the reins from now on.”
He did, and with our teachers guidance (and sometimes brutal honesty), we reached a level where we could start competing with other school’s in town. Now, none of us knew this, but Mr Hanes was obsessed with winning.
So, club meetings were twisted into two hour study sessions with no talking, followed by Mr Hanes Jeaprody, which was Jeaprody, without the actual fun.
We were quizzed multiple times, answer cards and practise questions quite literally thrown directly in our faces.
I hate to admit this (I really hate to admit this) but Mr Hanes’s tactics worked. Sure, we had been mildly brainwashed by our slightly unhinged coach, but with Levi Costella, we destroyed our competitors. Like I said, our town held their own version of the academic scholastic decathlon, but it was pretty much the same, with some changes.
Ten subjects. Language and Literature, Math, Social Science, Economics, Art, Music, Interview, Speech, and Essay.
Unlike the official Decathlon, ours was more like a game show, with the ability to be knocked out if a team member answers a question wrong. Whoever answers the most questions correctly wins. Team meet ups were either tests, study sessions, or quizzing each other.
Which leads me to last night.
The finals were held in the reigning champions, Ratcliffe High School’s, auditorium.
And we were about to win our town’s Scholastic Decathlon 2024 Championships.
Well…I was knocked out in the music section. Standing next to my coach who I was sure was going to asphyxiate from excitement, I could smell the sudden potent stink of lemon. I tried to ignore it at first, but the more questions my team were answering correctly, the smell got worse, suffocating my senses.
This wasn't just lemon. The stink was like a burning, singing smell trickling into my nose and the back of my throat.
It was stronger than what Alex smelled like.
This was suffocating, drowning my thoughts.
“Are you okay, Cassandra?”
Mr Hanes nudged me when a Ratcliffe girl was struggling to answer a question, only for Sunny to jump in with the answer. “You look quite pale.”
I nodded, forcing a smile.
My gaze was on the Ratcliffe coach, a scary looking blonde woman, whispering in one of her student’s ears.
The Ratcliffe kid freaked me out. He was way too tall, dark blonde hair, and bulging eyes I swear were not blinking.
His gaze was glued to Levi, who wore a smug grin.
There was a smaller girl next to the Ratcliffe kid, a Macbook balanced on her knee. Every so often, he leaned into her, the two of them in deep conversation.
“I'm just nervous.”
I jumped when Ratcliffe scored a point, their side erupting into cheers.
During the break, we had a mini team meeting.
Sunny rushed to the bathroom to freshen up, and I noticed a Ratcliffe girl with a bouncing ponytail following her.
Ignoring our coach’s speech, I joined the two girls in the corridor, that lemony scent hanging thick in the air.
I caught them in an awkward position.
The Ratcliffe girl had her fingers pinched between the material of Sunny’s dark blue shirt bearing our school’s name.
Sunny looked confused, her lips parted like she was going to yell.
Ponytail dropped her hand, suddenly, with a nervous laugh. “Oh! I'm so, so, sorry,” she gushed. “You had, like, the biggest spider crawling on your back.”
Sunny caught my eye, shooting me a reassuring smile.
“Thanks.” She made sure to keep her distance. “Uh, where's your bathroom?”
The Ratcliffe girl nodded down the hallway. “It's just down there. I'm going there too if you want me to show you?”
Sunny motioned for me to go back to the auditorium. “Uh, sure! That'd be great!”
I did try to follow them, only for Sunny to cough loudly.
I took the hint, reluctantly heading back into the auditorium.
My team was hyping each other up, Levi in the centre, sweating through his team shirt. He ran a trembling hand through his hair. “I can't do this,” He groaned. “Ratcliffe High is known to play dirty, man. They're unbeatable.”
“In what way do they play dirty?” I asked, joining them.
Levi gulped down water, shrugging.
“I dunno! They're already trying to distract me with the stink eye.” The boy narrowed his eyes at a grinning Ratcliffe kid who, after noticing our stares, jumped to his feet, waving at us.
“Hey guys!”
“That's Harry Cartwright, the son of the Cartwright family who tried to kill my parents in the third grade.” Levi mockingly waved back. “As you can see, their kid is a fucking sociopath.”
Huh. I wasn't expecting the smiley kid to be the mobster’s son.
Harry Cartwright was not what I expected.
Unlike his team members, he was the only one in casual clothing, a short sleeved white shirt and jeans, a pair of sunglasses perched on top of his head.
Tom went pale.
“Fuck.” He hissed. “He’s one of you? Then those bastards will have a reason to play dirty, right?”
Levi shrugged, averting his gaze. It was the first time I saw his eyes darken, like he was subtly telling the boy to back off.
“The Cartwright’s have been trying to buy our land for a while,” he muttered. “I wouldn't put it past them to use the Decathlon as a way to attack.”
“Attack?!” April, another member of our team, hissed. “Like, attack attack?”
Mr Hanes grabbed the boy, resting his hands on Levi’s shoulders. “Ignore them,” he said. “Hey. Look at me.”
Levi did, raising a brow.
“You're losing that spark in your eye, young man.”
“Spark?”
Our coach nodded. “Look at me, kid.”
Levi rolled his eyes. “I am looking at you, Mr Hanes.”
The man was shaking. I was guessing his whole career (or coaching career) was on the line.
“They know they're losing, Mr Costella.”
Hanes shook the boy, squeezing his shoulders. “You are being positive and Ratcliffe doesn't like that. They want you to be nervous. They want to make you second guess yourself and lose confidence. Don't let them get into your head.” he smiled, giving the boy a playful shove. “Kick their asses.”
“Exactly!”
I didn't realize Sunny was back from the bathroom.
The faint smell of lemons had followed her. I noticed a wet patch on her shirt collar, though she was quick to smile at me, admitting she'd spilled water down herself. Sunny wrapped her arms around Levi, squeezing him into a hug.
She hung on for a little too long, Tom dragging her away with a laugh. “Good luck, all right?” she backed away, ruffling his hair. “We’ve got this!”
When I hugged Levi good luck too, I had to resist covering my nose.
The smell of lemon was unbearable, just like fourth grade Alex.
But it wasn't as potent as earlier.
I vaguely remembered the smell starting to fade once Alex’s body was being carted away on a stretcher.
Following my captain through the crowd, I was right. The smell was less suffocating. Before he went back to the stage, I grabbed the back of his shirt.
The material was soaking wet.
“How are you so wet?” I said, swiping my hands on my shirt.
“Huh?”
I shook my head. “Never mind. Do you remember what I told you in sophomore year?”
Levi settled me with a confident, but nervous smile. “Thaaaat you're scared of clowns?”
“No. I mean the boy who smelled of lemons.” I gritted out.
Levi surprised me with a laugh. “What are you talking about?”
Something ice cold trickled down my spine.
Levi did know what I was talking about. He brought up my stink sense a day earlier in front of his parents, and I had to cover his mouth to shut him up.
Leaning close, I whispered in his ear. “You stink of rotten lemons.”
He nodded slowly, pulling away. “Uh… thanks?”
I bit back a hiss of frustration. “No, you don't understand what I'm saying–”
“Starbrooke High School,” The host announced. “Can all members please return to the stage.”
Levi held up his hand for a high five.
“Can we do this later?” He winked. “I'm kinda busy carrying this spelling-bee on my back right now.”
I nodded shakily, high fiving him, and letting him jump back onto the stage.
Before his words hit like a tidal wave, ice cold water slammed into me.
Spelling Bee?
Slowly making my way back to the stands, Levi’s mistake was circling around my head. He did win a spelling bee, but that was in middle school.
Thankfully, the smell of lemons was gone when I returned to my seat.
Mr Hanes handed me a soda. “Chill out, Cassandera, it's just a game.”
He could talk. The guy was on his fifth coffee.
Mr Hanes was not chilled out in the slightest.
Surprisingly, the event went well. I was half expecting my team to be crushed by the rafters, or caught in a blaze started in the crowd. But we were doing well. No, we were winning.
Reaching the climaxing round, Sunny choked against a smug Ratcliffe boy, joining me on the sidelines.
Levi answered the next question with a confident smile.
We were winning, but Ratcliffe could still catch up with a miracle.
The second to last question was to Ratcliffe, and it was general knowledge.
”Where on the human body would one find the *orbit?*
I knew the answer, and so did Levi, his lips breaking out into a smile when the Ratcliffe boy was hesitating, eyes wide.
Our school’s buzzer went off, Levi slamming his hand down.
Bzzz!
The host turned to our team. “Starbrooke, can I have your answer?”
Levi nodded, shooting our team a victory grin.
“It's…!“ He opened his mouth to answer, his jaw slackening suddenly.
The boy’s shoulders slumped.
“Uh… “
“Um…”
“Huhhhhh…”
Levi inclined his head, blinking, his eyes glazing over. There was a sudden, hollow vacancy that sent chills down my spine. It was like someone had reached into his skull, and yanked out his brain, leaving a shell in his place.
To my confusion, our team captain frowned at his buzzer like he'd never seen one before. He pressed it, exploding into child-like giggles.
Bzzz!
The audience laughed along nervously.
Tom nudged me. “What the fuck is he doing?”
Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz!
Levi’s entire body was slumped, his hand slamming down on the buzzer.
I caught something pooling down his chin.
“Is he… drooling?” I whispered.
Mr Hanes looked mildly horrified. “Has he been drinking?
“Levi?” Tom spluttered. “Drinking?!"
Whatever we were watching, however, was definitely influenced by… something.
Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. Bzz!
“Young man, that is not a toy!”
The host wasn't amused. “Starbrooke High School, I need an answer from you,” He nodded to Levi, who was pressing the buzzer, his smile growing.
“Once again,” The host backed away, like Levi was contagious. “Where on the human body would one find the Orbit?”
Levi cocked his head, lips parted.
His gaze found the overhead lights, and he winced, his lips curling into a frown.
“Starbrooke High School!”
Levi jumped, tipping his head back and blowing a raspberry. “Palm tree?”
The audience laughed, and I started feeling nauseous.
Across from us, I could see the twist of a smirk on the Ratcliffe coach’s lips.
Bzzz! Levi slammed the buzzer again giggling.
“Starbrooke High School, if your team member continues to act like this, I will be forced to disqualify all members.”
Our captain stopped, gaze glued to the host, his hand creeping towards the buzzer, like it was a big red button.
The audience loved it, laughing like they were watching a sitcom.
“He wouldn't.” Tom whisper-shrieked.
The auditorium was silent for a moment, awaiting Starbrooke’s response.
Levi stuck out his tongue, slamming his hand down.
Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz–
When Tom dragged Levi away from his podium, a Ratcliffe girl hit her buzzer.
“Starbrooke High School, you are disqualified,” the host announced. “Ratcliffe High School, do you have an answer?”
It was Ponytail who nodded with a grin.
“The answer is the eye socket! The Orbit is part of the eye socket!”
“That is the correct answer.” The host was distracted, his eyes glued to Levi.
“Ratcliffe High School wins.”
Levi jumped when the Ratcliffe wide erupted into cheers.
His eyes were wide, clinging onto the buzzer for comfort.
Next to me, our coach looked like he was going to faint.
I barely noticed Ratcliffe’s victory, too busy watching our team captain, who was Harvard bound, tipping his head back and smiling at the ceiling like a new-born baby. Tom dragged the stumbling boy over to me, his mouth twisted.
“This was Ratcliffe, right?” He hissed, shaking our captain, who was struggling, squirming in his grip.
“Did they put something in his drink?!” He prodded Levi. “Hey! What did they do to you?!”
Still, though, drugging his drink didn't make sense.
Levi never left the auditorium, and kept his water bottle with him the whole time.
How did they even manage to slip something into his drink in the first place?
Did I smell our competitors drugging him?
Sure, intentionally inebriating my teammate was morally wrong and illegal, but why could I smell lemon?
“I doubt it was Ratcliffe.” Sunny squeezed next to me. “I've been watching them. They're harmless.”
“Then how the fuck do we explain this to his parents?!” Tom whispered, grappling with Levi, who was fighting to get back to the buzzer.
When Tom let go of him, he dropped onto the floor, crawling over to his podium. It was like watching a child.
Who was determined to piss off the adults.
Levi jumped back to instead feet, his gaze was glued to the host, a smile curved on his lips, when he slammed the buzzer again.
Bzzz!
“Someone, please remove the Starbrooke boy from the stage!”
I was embarrassed, our whole team ducking our heads as our captain was forcibly removed from the podium.
Mr Hanes grabbed Levi, pulling him off of the stage.
I expected our coach to be mad at him, but I think the teacher was more worried, a phone pressed to his ear while he forced the boy into a sitting position.
No, I don't think it's influence from alcohol, I could hear his conversation.
Levi kept trying to get up, mesmerised by the buzzer. The teacher was firm but gentle. “Hey. Sit down, all right? Keep still.” He went back to his phone call, gently prying Levi’s eyes open.
From what I can see, there's nothing wrong. He's just kind of…
Mr Hanes swiped his own hands on his jeans. ... wet?
Team Ratcliffe came over to rub it in our faces, though I was still tuned into our coach’s hissed whispering.
Water? No, I don't think it's water. It smells… no, I haven't told his parents…
“You guys did awesome!” Ponytail's voice was sugary sweet. Too sugary.
She held the 2024 trophy, bearing a satisfied smile. I noticed the Ratcliffe members were surrounding Harry, like guards.
“Better luck next time, okay?” She held out her hand, her eyes twinkling.
“No hard feelings?”
“Control your dog.” Harry said, amused eyes flicking to Levi, who was once again sprinting back to the fucking buzzer. His eyes had visibly darkened, lips curled into a triumphant smile.
Harry Cartwright was watching Mr Hanes chase our team captain like it was his own personal entertainment.
I had to look away before I died of second hand embarrassment.
“What did you put in his drink?” Tom demanded. “Weed? Edibles?” the boy attempted to shove Harry, only to be pushed back. “What the fuck did you do to him?”
Harry’s smile didn't waver. “Like I said. Control your mut.”
When the Ratcliffe team walked away, our red faced coach struggling with Levi, who was behaving progressively more erratically, informed us we were longer welcome inside the school.
Tom suggested calling an ambulance, but our coach was hesitant.
We all knew who Levi’s family were.
On the way out, Tom matched my stride. He was frowning at our team captain struggling to walk.
The way he was acting was already eyebrow raising.
But walking at an angle and being unable to stand up straight was worrying.
“I don't think they drugged his drink.” Tom muttered.
We pushed through the doors out of the school, and I revelled in the cool night air grazing my cheek. “If they did, he would be acting out of it, right? So, what's the deal with him acting like–”
“A child.” I finished for him.
“Yeah.” Tom leaned closer. “Do you think this has something to do with their turf war?”
I slapped at a bug creeping across my cheek.
Levi fell over again, this time bursting into giggles.
“Almost definitely.”
Levi was right about Ratcliffe playing dirty. I didn't realize how dirty until we were on the losers bus home. Levi was in the seat next to me, and the kid hadn't moved since we left Ratcliffe, his eyes wide, lips pulled into a dazed grin.
Bzzz!
The noise startled me from slumber. I was drooling, my head pressed against the window. Outside, the sky was pitch dark, and squinting through the glass, I couldn't get a bearing on where we were. I thought I was hearing things, but when I sat up, I heard it again.
Bzzz!
It was close.
Leaning over the boy, I glimpsed a smear of scarlet on his headrest.
I choked on my next words.
“Tom.”
Tom was in front of me, listening to music.
He didn't reply, his head of dark blonde curls nodding to the beat.
“Levi.” I managed to get out. I prodded him, and his head lolled into his shoulder. “Hey. Can you… sit up?”
Bzzz! Bzzz!
When the boy didn't move, I gently grabbed his shoulders and pulled him forward myself, something contracting in my stomach.
I don't know how long it takes for your mind to fully register something, but my body was already reacting.
Levi’s seat was infested with bugs, eating their way through the upholstery. I was aware of my body moving back. I threw up, instantly, screaming into my hand.
The back of my best friend's skull resembled a deflated soccer ball, what was left of his brain leaking from his skull where a swarm of skittering bugs chewed their way through brain tissue, metallic legs scratching the curved, pearly white of the base if his skull.
Levi’s head hung, his body flopping into mine.
But his eyes were still open, lips still stretched into a smile.
Blood ran in thick rivulets from his nose and ears.
Bzzz!
I could see them, black writhing dots alive in his eyes, wriggling movement under his skin.
“Tom!”
I jumped up, stumbling into the aisle, my stomach heaving.
And it was only when I was on my knees, swiping bile from my lips, when I realized the others weren't reacting.
Tom wasn't moving.
I pulled an Airpod out of his ear, a long, slithering string of pink attached to the end.
There was a stray bug skittering across his hand, his face starting to twitch and writhe.
Moving back, I checked myself over, my hands shaking.
Head.
Shoulders.
Hair.
Clawing through it, my breath was stuck in my throat.
Arms.
Legs.
Feet.
Mr Hanes was slumped against the window, a reddish froth bubbling from his mouth.
Sunny.
I started towards the back of the bus, but all I had to see was her bowed head, half of her skull chewed through.
Sunny was in a far more deteriorated state, her face had been ripped through, a skeletal smile glinting in the dim.
The thick black smear on the window next to her was moving.
When I screamed for the driver to stop the bus, he ignored me.
If anything, he stamped on the gas.
I moved forward to shake him, before glimpsing a bug creeping down his face.
Calling 911, the operator laughed at me.
“Bugs are eating your friends.” He said. “Do you know the penalty for calling with bullshit pranks?”
The bus didn't stop, so I stayed at the front, while the bugs took over the back, eating through my teammates.
After four hours, I risked leaning over the seat next to Tom to check on Levi.
They were eating him.
Chewing all the way through skin, muscle and bone.
I tried to stop the bus, but the driver’s hands were tightly wrapped around the wheel.
Another hour, and blood was seeping down the aisle, crawling with bugs.
Levi was gone, and in his place, a buzzing skittering pile of bugs, that I thought were going to move to a second victim, maybe burrowing into the seats.
But, no.
These things began to tremble, replicating.
Building.
Slowly, nothing became static, and static became muscle.
Then bone.
Then flesh.
When a body began to slowly form, moulded from the dead boy, I stumbled back.
These things weren't eating Levi Costella.
They were rewriting him.
…
Edit: I'm still on the bus. I'm 99.9% sure that I'm infected with whatever this thing is. I can't stop fucking itching.
I keep picking them off me but they won't stop. This bus isn't going to stop until I'm like the others.
…
Edit 2:
I can feel them chewing into my skull. They're in my ears. I keep spitting them out. Please, someone get them off of me. Help me. I don't want to die at 17.
Edit 3:
Still alive. Still breathing. Maybe they're leaving me alone????? I think I'm okay. There is a pile of bugs at my feet, but they're crawling off of me.
Edit 4:
Levi really wants to go home. Like, he just told me he REALLY wants to go home. He's got a gift for his parents.
~~Edit 5 :) ~~
Levi is next to me right now, an odd smile on his face.
The bugs are not finished building him yet, but he'll be ready soon.
We will be ready soon.
Your son says hello! He is a wonderful boy, is he not?
Mr and Mrs Costella, I cannot wait for you to meet him.
He is our greatest achievement, and rest assured, you will give us what we want.
Warm regards.
The Cartwright's.

Date: 05/13/2024

Reading time: 8 minutes, 1779 words

🏛️ Politics & Government

Disobedience actions were carried out in Yerevan, 151 citizens were detained (completed)

151 participants of the disobedience actions that started in the morning have been arrested. The leader of the "Tavush for the Motherland movement, Bagrat Archbishop Galstanyan, called the citizens to a rally on Republic Square on May 12.

CivilNet, Disobedience actions have been taking place in Yerevan since early morning, 88 people were detained (VIDEO), 151 detained as civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan

Prime Minister Pashinyan heads to the Kingdom of Denmark

Nikol Pashinyan will attend the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 14. He will participate in a discussion titled "From the Frontline: Armenia’s Defence of Democracy" as part of the visit.

Armenpress, Pashinyan travels to Denmark to participate in "Copenhagen Democracy Summit", Armenian PM off to Denmark for Democracy Summit

Armenian Parliament Speaker receives OSCE Chair-in-Office

The Armenian National Assembly President Alen Simonyan on May 13 received the delegation led by the OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Jan Borg. The NA President presented to the interlocutor the process of the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations.

Armenpress, OSCE to Support Armenia and Azerbaijan in Achieving Comprehensive Peace - Ian Borg, Armenian Prime Minister and OSCE Chairman-in-Office discuss South Caucasus developments, Expanded meeting of foreign ministers of Armenia and Malta held in Yerevan, We are ready to support Armenia and Azerbaijan in achieving peace. OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Pashinyan presents Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process to OSCE Chair-in-Office, Reaching stable, comprehensive peace between Armenia, Azerbaijan remains priority for OSCE, OSCE Chairman-in-Office to visit Armenia, OSCE will support Armenia and Azerbaijan in peace efforts, Chairman-in-Office says, Armenian FM, OSCE Chair discuss developments in the South Caucasus

Argentina sees efforts of Armenia in establishing peace in the South Caucasus

Armenia National Assembly President Alen Simonyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Argentine Republic to the Republic of Armenia Rafael Enrique Gonzalez Aleman. The Head of Parliament congratulated the Ambassador on the occasion of his appointment. He expressed conviction that it will promote rapprochement and strengthening of the relations between Armenia and Argentina.

Armenpress

Mirzoyan provides constructive review about meeting with Azerbaijani foreign minister in Almaty

The meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Almaty took place in a constructive atmosphere, reported by Ararat Mirzoyan. The parties agreed to continue negotiations on the open issues where differences still exist.

Armenpress, France urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to proceed with border demarcation based on agreed principles, France hails negotiations between Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers in Almaty, France welcomes the holding of a new round of negotiations between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Almaty, France welcones talks between Armenian, Azerbaijani FMs held in Almaty, France welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in Almaty

Alma-Ata declaration inclusion in peace treaty is crucial for regional stability-Ararat Mirzoyan

The United States and the Republic of Azerbaijan signed a peace treaty on April 19. The two countries agreed that the agreement should be the basis for the agreement. They agreed that all of the countries involved in the agreement would be under the same principles.

Armenpress, Mirzoyan: The signing of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan could end the long-term conflict

Mirzoyan says meeting with Bayramov was “constructive”

At the moment, Ararat Mirzoyan said, there is no basis for additional comments.

PanArmenian

Yerevan Mayor receives World Bank representatives

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan and World Bank representatives discussed progress of projects with the World Bank. Initiated projects pertained to public administration reforms, including digitization of services provided to citizens.

Armenpress

Protesters in Georgia reconvene to rally against foreign-agents bill

Several hundred people gathered near the parliament building in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi to protest against a bill on foreign agents. They are holding flags of Georgia and the EU, as well as banners demanding the withdrawal of the bill.

Armenpress, Georgian Parliament Committee approves “foreign agents bill” amid protests

European Commission’s Executive Vice President to take in the EBRD's annual meeting in Armenia

Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis will participate in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) annual meeting and business conference in Yerevan on May 15 and 16. He will take part in a panel discussion on "Critical Raw Materials" within the framework of his mission. The EBRD 2024 Annual Meeting & Business Forum serves as a global platform for discussions.

Armenpress, Executive Vice President of European Commission for economic affairs to visit Armenia on 15-16 May, OSCE Chairman-in-Office to visit Armenia, European Commission’s Executive Vice President Dombrovskis in Armenia for EBRD’s Annual Meeting

The Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh is gradually being destroyed – Geghard SAF

The destruction of St. Hambardzum Church in Berdzor is yet another act of vandalism by Azerbaijan, “Geghard’s scientific and analytical foundation said in a statement. Azerbaijan's state policy, under the dictatorial leadership of Aliyev, has openly declared its intention to continue the destruction of Armenian heritage built over the past thirty years.

Armenpress

Armenia among top three countries in terms of cargo turnover growth with Russia’s southern regions

The demand for cargo shipping from the Southern Federal District of Russia into Armenia and China has grown 11 times since March 2021. The Russian government announced earlier that the country’s ministries of agriculture, energy, industry and trade had reported high demand for shipping using the Russia - Turkey, Russia - Iran - India and Russia - China transport corridors.

ArkaAm

💵 Economy

Armenia to host 33rd EBRD Business Forum with flagship sponsorship of Ardshinbank

Armenia joined the EBRD as a member on December 7, 1992, contributing €10 million to the bank's capital. Ardshinbank organized a discussion on economic and trade sanctions, the issues they raise, and potential solutions. The bank is the only non-sovereign entity from Armenia which has issued RegS /144A public Eurobonds in international capital markets.

ArkaAm, The 33rd EBRD business forum will be held in Armenia with the strategic partnership of Ardshinbank, Hrant Hakobyan. Participation in the EBRD Annual Meeting is consistent with the strategy adopted by the Bank

Cargo carriage volume drops by 14.4%, passenger traffic grows by 22.5% in Q1 2024 in Armenia

Cargo carriage volume stood at 3,437.1 thousand tonnes in the first quarter of 2024. Total passenger traffic reached 50,664.3 thousand passengers, growing by 22.5%. Armenia’s cargo turnover stood at 1,383.6 million tkm, dropping by 7.3% compared to the same period last year. 71 individuals were killed (dropping by 5.3%) and 1,275 more people were injured in traffic accidents.

ArkaAm

⚽ Sport

Armenian sambo wrestlers won 18 medals at the European Championship

At European Sambo Championships of different age groups, Armenian teams of different ages won 3 gold, 8 silver and 7 bronze medals. By total Armenian athletes took 4th place with 18 medals. About 600 athletes from 29 countries took part in the European Championships.

Armenpress

Armenian chess players wrap up participation in Dubai international tournament

Shant Sargsyan scored 6 points out of 9 possible and took 8th place. Hayk Martirosyan took 13th place with the same result. Hovik Hayrapetyan is in 30th place, Samvel Ter-Sahakyan is in 31st place.

Armenpress

Date: 05/12/2024

Reading time: 0 minutes, 109 words

🏛️ Politics & Government

Where did the process of expressing no confidence in Nikol Pashinyan reach, according to Bishop Bagrat?

Opposition factions lack one vote to put project of no confidence in PM Nikol Pashinyan on agenda of the National Assembly. Opposition factions supporting the movement of the movement have one vote. Archbishop Galstanyan met independent deputy Ishkhan Zakaryan twice to get his opinion.

CivilNet

Taking the Alma-Ata declaration as the basis for the definition is criminally punishable. Vahagn Melikyan

Vahagn Melikyan presented the text developed by the "All-Armenian Council of Diplomats"ry group of former diplomats.

CivilNet

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Tbilisi against the controversial law

Tens of thousands of people came out in Tbilisi against the Law on Foreign Agents. 16 former Georgian Dream MPs have appealed to the ruling party to immediately stop the adoption of the Foreign Agents Law. Opposition parties: United National Movement, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Lelo, Girchi, Droa, Ahali and Republican.

CivilNet

Date: 05/11/2024

Reading time: 3 minutes, 696 words

🏛️ Politics & Government

41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan

41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience.

PanArmenian

Abkhaz opposition figures support the Georgian protesters

Opposition figures in Abkhazia express support for protesters against draft law on foreign agents in Georgia. They fear that the draft law signals a change in Tbilisi's pro-Russian foreign policy. Opponents say the law could be used to silence critics of the government or foreign agents.

CivilNet

Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP

Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan.

PanArmenian

Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers agreed to continue talks on the open issues

Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, held talks with Jeyhun Bayramov in Kazakhstan. The Ministers welcomed progress on delimitation and agreements reached in this regard. The parties agreed to continue negotiations on the open issues where differences still exist.

Armenpress, Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers continue talks in Almaty, The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to continue negotiations on open issues, Armenian, Azerbaijani Ministers welcome progress on delimitation and agreements reached in this regard, Second round of Armenia-Azerbaijan talks set for May 11

Armenian President meets with representatives of the Union of Iranian-Armenians and Iraqi-Armenians

President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan had a meeting with representatives of the Union of Iranian-Armenians and Iraqi-Armanians at his residence in Los Angeles. The border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and developments taking place around it were touched upon.

Armenpress

EU agreed on security guarantees for Kyiv

The EU has agreed on a bill to provide security guarantees to Ukraine. The draft agreement has already been agreed upon by all 27 member countries of the commonwealth. Brussels intends to provide guarantees no later than early July.

Armenpress

UN Committee Against Torture issues findings on Azerbaijan and mistreatment of Armenians

The UN Committee Against Torture released in its findings today violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law related to the treatment of ethnic or national Armenians by Azerbaijan. The Committee also expressed concerns over the continued detention of 23 individuals of Armenian origin.

ArmRadio

Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights

The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine.

PanArmenian

EU still discussing funding Armenia through European Peace Facility

Discussions continue in the EU on providing Armenia with funds from the European Peace Facility, Vassilis Maragos says.

PanArmenian

Eurovision Grand Final: Armenia’s Ladaniva to perform number 19

The Grand Final of Eurovision 2024 has started in Malmö, Sweden. The representative of Armenia, the group "Ladaniva" will perform the song Jako under the number 19. The running order of the Eurovision Grand Final is as follows: Sweden, Ukraine, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Israel, Lithuania, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Greece, Norway, Italy, Serbia, Finland, Portugal, Cyprus, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Georgia, France and Austria.

Armenpress, Eurovision Grand Final: Armenia performs 19th

We will build specialized sports schools named after all Olympic champions - PM

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Armavir region. He visited schools of the settlements in the gymnasiums of which various problems and defects had been recorded. He also visited other settlements and got acquainted with the construction of new facilities. In Jararat, he attended the opening ceremony of a weightlifting sports school.

Armenpress, PM Pashinyan visits various communities in Armavir region, attends opening of Weightlifting School after Simon Martirosyan in Jrarat

Lemkin Institue slams Pashinyan's “cryptic engagement with Genocide denial”

The Lemkin Institute is alarmed over Pashinyan’s statements “questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Turkey”.

PanArmenian

🎭 Culture

Azerbaijanis completely destroy St. Ascension Church in Berdzor

Azerbaijan completely destroyed the St. Ascension Church in Berdzor, the Research on Armenian Architecture. The new domed church built of finely processed basalt was anointed in May 1998.

ArmRadio

Netherlands’ Eurovision entry disqualified from song contest

Joost Klein has been disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest after a backstage incident. An allegation of intimidation was made to Swedish police by a female member of the production crew. Ireland's Bambie Thug missed their dress rehearsal, but promised to be on stage for the show.

ArmRadio

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Hey Reddit! It's my first time posting in this group but I am currently working on my Dissertation project analyzing music within Olympic Sport and was looking at seeing if anyone has information on Figure Skating programs. I have quite a bit identified already, but I cannot seem to find the music for the older routines or identify the music being used. If anyone is willing to help out, that would be amazing. Here is a list of the ones that I am missing. I will embed youtube links to some of the performances but without music identification. Any help would be appreciated! Let me know if you want me to go in more detail about the actual project too! I'd be happy to talk about it. Thank you!!
Women's Figure Skating
Need all (besides the Gold Medal music) from 1936-1964
1968 - Zsuzsa Almássy - 6th Place - FS -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVbAm9YX2ns
1972 - Sonja Morgenstern - 6th Place - FS
1976 - Christine Errath - 3rd Place - SP - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu2Yw799L1k
1976 - Anett Pötzsch - 4th Place - SP
1976 - Wendy Burge - 6th Place - SP
1980 - Emi Watanabe 6th Place - FS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7aJxRw52rM and SP - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAwU6-pjTJg
1984 - Kira Ivanova - 3rd Place - FS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDw0_ZpjU8Q and SP - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc6neZWi05w
1984 - Tiffany Chin - 4th Place - SP - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5MAIHkFQmU
Men's Figure Skating
Need all (besides the Gold Medal music) from 1936-1972
1976 - Vladimir Kovalev - 2nd Place - FS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z6cEmjEtAA
1976 - Sergei Volkov - 5th Place - FS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CQWpSMhZI0
1980 - Igor Bobrin - 6th Place - SP
1984 - Jozef Sabovčík - 3rd Place - SP
1984 - Rudi Cerne - 4th Place - FS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzvYOOyfUUc
1988 - Alexander Fadeev - 4th Place - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otkpkB0gNn4

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1ml: $10 2ml: $15 3ml: $18 5ml: $27
Louis Vuitton Afternoon Swim :
1ml: $10 2ml: $15 3ml: $18 5ml: $25
Maison Francis Kurkdjian OUD Extrait De Parfum :
2ml: $15 3ml: $18 5ml: $29
Memo Paris Irish Leather :
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $17
Memo Paris African Leather:
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $17
Montale Arabian Tonka :
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $19 ​
Mancera Tonka Cola:
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $19 ​
Mancera Pearl:
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $19 ​
Mancera Amore Caffe :
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 ​
Mancera Cedrat Boise :
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $19 ​
Mancera Instant Crush :
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $19
Mancera Cosmic Pepper :
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $19 ​
Mancera Red Tobacco :
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $19
Mancera Aoud Vanille :
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $19 ​ ​
Mancera Kumkat Wood :
1ml: $7 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $19 ​
Michael Malul West Loop :
1ml: $6 2ml: $8 3ml: $11 5ml: $13 10ml: $16​
Michael Malul EdgeWater :
1ml: $6 2ml: $8 3ml: $11 5ml: $13 10ml: $16 ​ ​ 15ml: $19 ​
Michael Malul Terra Nova :
1ml: $6 2ml: $8 3ml: $11 5ml: $13 10ml: $16 ​ ​ 13ml: $19 ​
Moschino Toy Boy EDT :
1ml: $6 2ml: $8 3ml: $11 5ml: $13 10ml: $16 ​ ​
MontBlanc Explorer Platinum :
2ml : $7 ( Official Sample ) ​
MontBlanc Explorer EDP :
1ml: $6 2ml: $8 3ml: $11 5ml: $13 10ml: $16 ​
Montblanc Legend Spirit :
1ml: $6 2ml: $8 3ml: $11 5ml: $13 10ml: $16 ​ ​
Montale Honey Aoud :
1ml: $6 2ml: $8 3ml: $11 5ml: $15 10ml: $19 ​
Montale Arabian Tonka :
1ml: $6 2ml: $8 3ml: $11 5ml: $15 10ml: $19 ​
Nishane Ani :
1ml: $10 2ml: $13 3ml: $16 5ml: $19 10ml: $26 ​ ​
Nishane Hacivat :
1ml: $10 2ml: $13 3ml: $16 5ml: $19 10ml: $26 ​ ​
Narcisio Rodriguez Bleu Noir EDP :
1ml: 7 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $18 10ml: $19
Narcisio Rodriguez Bleu Noir Parfum :
1ml: 7 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $18 10ml: $19 ​ ​
Nosamatto Baraonda EDP :
1ml: 9 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $22
Office For Men By Fragrance One :
1ml: 9 2ml: $14 3ml: $17 5ml: $22 10ml: $27
Unisex for Everybody By Fragrance One :
1ml: 9 2ml: $14 3ml: $17 5ml: $22 10ml: $27
Paco Rabanne 1 Million Prive :
1ml: 9 2ml: $17 3ml: $21 5ml: $26
Polo Red Extreme :
2ml: $12 3ml: $14 5ml: $16
Polo Red EDP :
1ml: 5 2ml: $9 3ml: $11 5ml: $13 10ml: $16​ ​
Polo Ralph Lauren Blue Parfum :
1.2ml : $7 ( Official Sample ) ​ ​
Prada Luna Rosa Carbon EDT :
1ml: 9 2ml: $12 3ml: $14 5ml: $16 10ml: $19
Prada Luna Rosa Extreme :
1ml: 9 2ml: $16 3ml: $18
Prada Luna Rosa Sport :
1ml: 9 2ml: $12 3ml: $14 5ml: $16 10ml: $19
Prada Luna Rosa Black :
1ml: 9 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $17 10ml: $19
Prada L’homme :
1ml: 9 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $19
Prada L’homme Intense :
1ml: 7 2ml: $9 3ml: $15 5ml: $17 10ml: $24​ ​
Prada L’homme Leau :
1ml: 7 2ml: $8 3ml: $12 5ml: $15 10ml: $19 ​
Paco Rabane 1 Million Prive :
1ml: $8 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $18
Paco Rabane Phantom :
1ml: $8 2ml: $9 3ml: $12 5ml: $14
Parfums De Marly Layton :
1ml: $8 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $18 10ml: $27
Parfums De Marly Layton Exclusif :
5ml: $19
Parfums De Marly Pegasus Exclusif :
1ml: $8 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $19 10ml: $29
Parfums De Marly Pegasus:
1ml: $8 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $19 10ml: $26
Parfums De Marly Althair :
1ml: $8 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $18 10ml: $29 ​ ​
Parfums De Marly Carlisle :
1ml: $8 2ml: $14 3ml: $16 5ml: $19 10ml: $31 ​ ​
Parfums De Marly Percival :
1ml: $8 2ml: $14 3ml: $16 5ml: $19
Roja Parfums Elysium :
1ml: $10 2ml: $13 3ml: $16
Rasasi Hawas EDP:
1ml: 7 2ml: $10 3ml: $11 5ml: $13 10ml: $16 ​
Rasasi Hawas ICE :
1ml: 8 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $15 10ml: $19​ ​
Ralph Lauren Beyond Romance :
1.2ml : $7 ( official Sample ) ​
Ralph Lauren Romance :
1.2ml : $7 ( official Sample ) ​
Ralph Lauren EDP :
1.2ml : $7 ( official Sample )
Serge Lutens Chergui :
1ml: 9 2ml: $12 3ml: $15 5ml: $17 ​ ​ 10ml: 24
Salvatore Ferragamo UOMO EDT :
2ml: $5 3ml: $8 5ml: $12 10ml: $15 ​ ​
Salvatore Ferragamo UOMO Signature :
2ml: $5 3ml: $8 5ml: $12 10ml: $15 ​
Salvatore Ferragamo Casual Life :
2ml: $5 3ml: $8 5ml: $12 10ml: $15​
Salvatore Ferragamo Spicy Leather :
2ml: $10 3ml: $13 5ml: $15 10ml: $19
Tom Ford Fucking Fabolous :
1ml: $11 2ml: $14 3ml: $17 5ml: $29
Tom Ford Oud Wood :
1ml: $9 2ml: $14 3ml: $17 5ml: $25
Tom Ford Ombre Leather :
1ml: $9 2ml: $14 3ml: $16 5ml: $19 10ml: $27​ ​
Tom Ford Ombre Leather Parfum :
1ml: $9 2ml: $14 3ml: $16 5ml: $19 10ml: $29
Tom Ford Tuscan Leather :
1ml: $9 2ml: $12 3ml: $16 5ml: $24
Tom Ford Oud Wood :
1ml: $9 2ml: $14 3ml: $17 5ml: $25
Tom Ford Black Orchid :
1ml: $6 2ml: $9 3ml: $12 5ml: $16 10ml: $19 ​ ​
Thomas Kosmala Arabian Passion :
8ML: $19 ​ ​
Terre D'hermes EDT :
1ml: $8 2ml: $9 3ml: $13 5ml: $17 10ml: $19 ​ ​
Issey Miyake Noire Ambre :
1ml: $11 2ml: $14 3ml: $17 5ml: $22 10ml: $26
Issey Miyake Nuit Dissey Parfum :
2ml: $4 3ml: $6 5ml: $9 10ml: $17 ​
Issey Miyake L’eau Dissey EDT :
2ml: $4 3ml: $6 5ml: $9 10ml: $17 ​
​Versace Oud Noir :
1ml: $8 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $17 10ml: $19 ​
​Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb EDT :
1ml: $8 2ml: $11 3ml: $12 5ml: $14 10ml: $17 ​ ​
Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Extreme :
1ml : $7 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $17 10ml: $19 ​
Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Infrared :
1ml : $7 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $17 10ml: $19
Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Infrared EDP :
1ml : $7 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $17 10ml: $19 ​ ​
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb EDP :
1.2ml : $7 ( Official Sample ) ​ ​
Xerjoff Iommi Monkey Special :
1ml: $8 2ml: $15 3ml: $19 5ml: $26
Xerjoff Erba Gold :
1ml: $8 2ml: $13
Xerjoff Erba Pura :
1ml: $8 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $22 10ml: $34
Xerjoff 1861 Naxos :
1ml: $8 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $22 10ml: $34
Xerjoff 40 Knots :
1ml: $8 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $22 10ml: $34
Xerjoff Apollonia :
1ml: $8 2ml: $15 3ml: $19
​ ​Xerjoff Renaissance :
1ml: $8 2ml: $12 3ml: $15 5ml: $22
Xerjoff Torino 21 :
1ml: $10 2ml: $15 3ml: $19 5ml: $26
​YSL Tuxedo :
5ml: $28
YSL Myslf : 1ml: $11 2ml: $19 5ml: $24 ​ ​
YSL Y LE Parfum :
1ml: $8 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $16 10ml: $22 ​
​YSL La Nuit L’homme :
1ml: $8 2ml: $11 3ml: $13 5ml: $15 10ml: $19 ​ ​
YSL L’homme Parfum Intense :
1ml: $8 2ml: $13 3ml: $15 5ml: $19
YSL Bleu Electrique :
1ml: $11 2ml: $19 5ml: $24 ​ ​
******************************************************
Paris Corner Rifaaqat :
2ml: $7 3ml: $9 5ml: $11 10ml : 14
Lattafa Asad Zanzibar :
2ml: $7 3ml: $9 5ml: $11 10ml : 14
Lattafa Khamrah Qahwa :
2ml: $7 3ml: $9 5ml: $11 10ml : 14
Lattafa Khamrah :
2ml: $7 3ml: $9 5ml: $11 10ml : 14
Maison Alhambra The Tux :
2ml: $7 3ml: $9 5ml: $11 10ml : 14
Maison Alhambra Jean Lowe Immortal :
2ml: $7 3ml: $9 5ml: $11 10ml : 14
Fragrance World Suits :
2ml: $7 3ml: $9 5ml: $11 10ml : 14
Rasasi Brilliant Silver :
2ml: $7 3ml: $8 5ml: $9 10ml : 12
******************************************************
Accepted Payments - PayPal G&S ( 3.5% add fees ) , F&F , Venmo, Zelle , CashApp
Thanks!!

Hi! Studied a lot from these subreddits, would love to see ways this can be improved.
Context: Two college-aged students (AFAB) on a reasonable budget. My partner is coming from Canada. I (22F) am coming from the United States. I have travelled to Japan before (Golden Route), and I speak Japanese (~N3 level, nearly N2 / studied multiple years).
Disclaimer: We met and bonded over our shared interest in Japanese pop culture, so there may be more of that in this itinerary (particularly in Tokyo). We're also more on the artsy side.
I tried to build in free days in consideration of the August heat and flexibility. Tried not to load up each day with too much - have things bookmarked in the areas we're going to if we want to hit up more things.

Tokyo (Aug 3-Aug6)

Hotel based near Kanda station.
Aug 3

• Will land in early afternoon. Easy day. Explore area around hotel. Walks. There's a remotely-operated robot cafe near our hotel that might be fun.
• Most likely hit up Akihabara arcades, try the foods. Might check out Eorzea Cafe or save for another day.

Aug 4

• Tsukiji Market (early morning)
• TeamLab Planets + DiverCity Tokyo
• Might pop into the Unko Museum
• Waterbus (if scenic) to Asakusa
• Walk around Sensouji, probably eat around one of the shotengai there
• Hit up SkyTree - check if any collab cafes

Aug 5

• Harajuku Snoopy Cafe (early morning) - pair with Meiji Shrine
• Takeshita St
• Shibuya lunch + shopping
• Shinjuku - Omoide Yokocho (dinnertime)

Aug 6

• Free day

Possible Tokyo free day plans:
- Ikebukuro Day = book fake food making class, explore Sunshine City (\might have collaboration event), check if nui clothes shop open*
- Hakone daytrip = Hakone loop (all day)
- Korakuen / Tokyo Dome showing

Matsumoto (Aug7-Aug8)

Hotel based near Matsumoto Station for convenience.
Aug 7

• Arrive in Matsumoto
• Miso Brewery Tour?
• Matsumoto Castle
• Nakamachi St

Aug 8

• Kamikochi :) hiking?

Kanazawa (Aug9-10)

Hotel based near Kanazawa Station.
Aug 9

• Arrive in Kanazawa
• Higashi Chaya + gold leaf workshop
• Kazuemachi Chaya (*check if geisha performances at nighttime, if not OK)

Aug 10

• Nagamachi District
• Ishiura Shrine
• Kenrokuen (*teahouse here?)
• Kanazawa Castle
• Associated Crafts

Kyoto (Aug11-Aug14)

Hotel based near Kyoto Station.
Aug 11

• Arrive in Kyoto. Free day
• To consider: nearby shopping, Nishiki Market area, OR fushimi inari
• Karaoke is really nice in Kyoto, for the record.
• Kameoka Hozugawa River Fireworks at night (*factor in travel time)

Aug 12

• Bike day - will rent bikes and follow self-guided bike tour :)
• either in Arashiyama (past Togetsukyo Bridge/Tenryuji/Nonomiya Shrine/Bamboo Forest/Nisoin/Daikakuji)
• OR down towards Uji depending on heat

Aug 13

• Kiyomizudera / associated Higashiyama areas
• Kodaiji or Manga museum?

Aug 14

• Free day :) Consider Northern Kyoto?

Hiroshima (Aug15-16)

Aug 15

• Arrive in Hiroshima
• Peace Park & Museum
• Food :)

Aug 16

• Miyajima Day! All day.
• (Omotesando/Itsukushima/Daishoin/Ropeway/Etc)

Osaka (Aug17-Aug19)

Hotel based near Kintetsu Nipponbashi.
Aug 17

• Arrive in Osaka.
• Kuromon market near hotel :)
• likely down to Dendenmachi + Shinsekai
• Shinsaibashi shopping :)
• hit up the areas near and around Dotonbori for food

Aug 18

• Concert in Himeji at nighttime (6:30pm) - either daytrip to Himeji only, or might look at Kurashiki daytime exploration / Himeji at night

Aug 19

• Free day :) Enjoy Osaka food.

Tokyo (Aug20-Aug22)

Hotel situated near Kojimachi & Nagatacho.
Aug 20

• Free day - Western Tokyo again?
• Aladdin Performance nighttime (Ginza area)

Aug 21

• Tokyo DisneySea (*check out the new region they're opening up)

Aug 22

• Zojoji
• High Tea in Ginza
• Teamlab Borderless?
• Clamp Exhibit

Leaving Japan Aug 23.
Thank you in advanced for any and all feedback :)

Spurs vs City

Competition: Premier League
Date: 14th May 2024
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Kickoff: 20:00 (BST)
TV: Sky Sports Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Live Streaming and TV Listings, Live Scores, News, Videos - May 14, 2024 - England Premier League :: Live Soccer TV

Match Preview

Four straight defeats in the Premier League momentarily looked set to become a miserable five on the spin for a tepid Tottenham during the opening exchanges of their battle with Burnley, who required nothing fewer than three points to keep their hopes of a miraculous escape alive for at least a couple of hours.
However, just seven minutes after Jacob Bruun Larsen had opened the scoring, Spurs hit back through Pedro Porro - making amends for his role in the Clarets' strike - before another lauded defender in Micky van de Ven, Spurs' Player of the Season, finished like a veteran centre-forward to complete the turnaround.
In addition to ensuring that Burnley would be playing second-tier football in 2024-25, Spurs' victory saw the fifth-placed Lilywhites cut the deficit to fourth-placed Aston Villa down to four points, and their Champions League hopes will still be kicking by the time Tuesday rolls around if Liverpool glean at least a point at Villa Park on Monday.
Victory for the Lions and Tottenham will officially be out of the top-four running, although Postecoglou has stressed on numerous occasions that rising above that desired dotted line is not the ultimate goal for his side in his debut campaign, one in which Spurs have set a new club record in the Premier League era.
Indeed, fighting back to beat Burnley means that Tottenham have now rescued 25 points from losing positions in the 2023-24 Premier League - their highest tally in the competition and second only to Liverpool's 28 this term - and the seemingly endless run of Spurs home matches seeing both teams score now stands at 14 top-flight games.
Conceding the first goal in each of their last five matches does not bode well for a Tottenham side who may have mixed feelings about taking points off of Manchester City, whose traditional end-of-season surge saw them finally bump Arsenal off the gold medal position on Saturday lunchtime.
The newly-prolific Josko Gvardiol came up with two of the Citizens' four strikes at Fulham's Craven Cottage base, where FWA Player of the Year Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez also got in on the act; the latter calmly dispatched a penalty after Gvardiol passed up the opportunity to become the Premier League's first hat-trick-scoring defender.
Gvardiol unselfishly allowed penalty-taker Alvarez to fulfil his 12-yard duties, perhaps also taking City's inferior goal difference into account, and the treble winners established a two-point advantage over Arsenal with their seventh-straight Premier League win, but their formerly noisy neighbours could not do them a favour on Sunday.
Indeed, Arsenal's scrappy 1-0 win over Manchester United took the Gunners back to top spot and re-established their one-point lead over the champions, who must prevail on Tuesday if they are to be in control of their title destiny on May 19.
Another fresh page of club history could be written at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though, as Man City have never won eight successive Premier League matches by at least two goals before, and they edged out Spurs 1-0 in North London in January's FA Cup tie.
However, the Premier League hoodoo still hangs over the men in sky blue, as they have only prevailed in one of their last five top-flight games against Tottenham and have never won a Premier League match at Spurs' new stadium, although some Lilywhites supporters may happily relinquish that record if it means no title parade for Arsenal.

Team News

Tottenham striker Richarlison was a surprise omission from the Brazil squad for the 2024 Copa America, although national team coach Dorival Junior explained that the ex-Everton man had picked up a calf problem, which was confirmed by Postecoglou at the weekend.
The fact that Richarlison's problem is serious enough to rule him out of the continental tournament suggests that he will not be available for Spurs' last two Premier League games, joining Timo Werner (hamstring), Ben Davies (calf), Manor Solomon (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (thigh), Fraser Forster (ankle) and Destiny Udogie (thigh) on that list.
After a couple of Emerson Royal disaster classes, Postecoglou experimented with Oliver Skipp at left-back for the visit of Burnley, but the 23-year-old's relative lack of minutes and tight turnaround means that Emerson might come back in; Postecoglou is reluctant to play Van de Ven out wide due to his injury issues this term.
Speaking of versatile defenders encountering fitness problems, only a quarter of the game had gone at Craven Cottage before Guardiola had to pull Nathan Ake out of the match; the Dutchman's injury has not been specified, but he was in visible discomfort.
It remains to be seen if Ake's problem will be severe enough to hinder his participation here, but he ought to be the champions' only absentee if so; Jack Grealish should return from the illness that kept him out of Saturday's success.
Thankfully for Guardiola, he can negate the possible loss of Ake by simply recalling Kyle Walker and shifting Manuel Akanji or the returning John Stones to a central role, and the Catalan coach may also try to take advantage of Spurs' left-back losses by reintroducing the tricky Jeremy Doku.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Emerson; Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson; Son
Manchester City possible starting lineup: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden

Match facts

Head-to-head

• Tottenham have won each of their past four Premier League home games against Manchester City without conceding a goal.

Tottenham Hotspur

• Spurs ended a run of four consecutive league defeats by beating Burnley on Saturday.
• They have gone 1-0 down in each of their past five Premier League fixtures.
• Ange Postecoglou’s side have recovered 25 points from losing positions this season, second only to Liverpool.
• It's 14 Premier League home matches without a clean sheet for Spurs since a 2-0 win against Fulham on 23 October. Their longest such run is 15 games, latterly from December 2002 to September 2003.
• Tottenham have scored 71 goals - three shy of the club Premier League record set in 2017-18.

Manchester City

• If Manchester City win their final two league games they are guaranteed to become the first club to win four successive English top-flight titles.
• City are on a club record run of 33 matches unbeaten in all competitions since a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa in December (W27, D6).
• There have only been two longer unbeaten runs in all competitions by an English top-flight team: 40 by Nottingham Forest in 1978, and 34 by Manchester United from September 1993 to March 1994.
• They have earned seven consecutive Premier League wins for the first time this season.
• Manchester City are vying to win four away league games in a row without conceding for only the second time, having first done so in 1903 in the second tier.
• Ederson could make his 250th Premier League appearance in this match.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

Tottenham wins: 66
Draws: 37
Man City wins: 67
COYS

Came across WA1 resources and looked at the companies history, I wanted to know more on why the market went crazy for this stock. Going through 2 years worth of news releases, i found the Aussie's jumped on this Niobium discovery. At first this company was looking for gold/copper and some Ree. However from their one news release they did sampling no mention of any traces of Niobium were found. Than a few months later they hit Niobium and it went from 12c to like $2.30 and every drill hit that produce more results of Niobium it went to $6, to $10 and so on until this year it reached $20, shares outstanding are usually in the hundreds of millions for ASX companies, but this one is tight with 68million
Looking at the Niobium market there are only 3 active producing mines in the world, 1 in Canada, 2 in Brazil and the Brazilian mines control 88% of the worlds production
​
MY question is the market that hot on Niobium?
​

​
https://preview.redd.it/q7fz6zwdo80d1.jpg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4208defa69df28571e3a9a8eeb9482bbc2d26289
Edmonton, Alberta – TheNewswire - May 13, 2024 — Golden Rapture Mining Corporation [CSE:GLDR] (“Golden Rapture” or the “Company”), is pleased to report that its Spring surface sampling program has been completed and that drilling has also just commenced at the Combined Mine area, Phillips Township Property, Rainy River District, NW Ontario.
A total of 61 well-mineralized samples were sent to the Lab last week with assay results pending. These appear to be our best-looking samples to date and our drilling has also just commenced targeting high-grade gold targets.
​
https://preview.redd.it/m4sy9f7fo80d1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a1c37e54902a9167361ddf6f419339872b3104e
https://preview.redd.it/5rqiig7fo80d1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1bab06a77e2b7737c73f95de6181a0f7206db36
https://preview.redd.it/4xrv8j7fo80d1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=505eface59eb60ff32021ecfc84b97b3448c9fd8
https://preview.redd.it/2vcfdm7fo80d1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=9adf4f3fd8b592dc09c6d296197076347d561506
https://preview.redd.it/sdimeq7fo80d1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=f17aa808f594b2c47de9e604bcf7e75aec80bc28
Mr. Richard Rivet, CEO of Golden Rapture, commented:
“Golden Rapture is primed for an exciting season of exploration that will target both our high-priority Combined Mine and our Young’s Bay Gold Occurrence with surface sampling programs and drilling of the numerous high-grade drill targets at these two areas of the property.
We expect a stream of upcoming assay results throughout the remainder of the year. So stay tuned for an exciting summer ahead as we seek to uncover our Combined Mine followed by our Young’s Bay Occurrence. Both areas are to be surface sampled and drilled starting now.”
Our priority targets include:
Combined Mine: Of main importance are four (4) main veins (three steeply dipping & one large flat-lying up to 12 meters thick with 762 metres of strike length). It has seven (7) shafts with some drifting with many trenches, pits, and visible gold documented. Recent Golden Rapture sampling results as high as 125.00 g/t Au
Young’s Bay Occurrence: Has six (6) parallel quartz veins, four of which have visible gold with 262 meters in strike length. In 1949, approximately 7.3 tonnes of material was taken from shaft #1 to a depth up to 3.7 meters yielding an astonishing grade of 769.81 g/t Au. Recent Golden Rapture sampling results as high as 204.00 g/t Au.
The property is truly a treasure chest of forgotten golden opportunities hosting an impressive eighteen (18) mine shafts with visible gold having been recorded historically & recently. Of great significance is the fact that the majority of the gold-bearing systems also have parallel systems.
Qualified Person
The technical disclosure in this news release has been reviewed and approved by John Archibald, P.Geo., Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators.
About Golden Rapture Mining
Golden Rapture Mining is a well-funded exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of high-potential assets located in favorable, established Tier 1 mining jurisdictions being the Rainy River and Geraldton areas of NW Ontario, Canada.
Our second property includes the past-producing Hutchison/Maylac Gold Mine located in the Geraldton Gold Camp, Greenstone, NW Ontario. It was one of the richest mines in the area and was mined underground on and off from 1937 to 1947. The highest historical drill intersection included results as high as 24.16 oz/t/gold. The property has only seen shallow drilling and was only mined to a depth of around 400ft and lies in the shadows of the new Greenstone/Equinox Gold Mine. We would entertain a JV with the right partner.
On behalf of the Board
Richard Rivet, Chief Executive Officer
Email: [goldenrapture@outlook.com](mailto:goldenrapture@outlook.com)
Phone: 780-885-9385
For more info please look at our website at https://goldenrapturemining.com/

Hello all,
Looking to sell this nice piece to someone today for SPOT price, including shipping! The total Gold content in this coin is 0.3735 ozt of agw. So the price today as of this writing is $872 shipped via UPS.
Here is the coin (medal) and pertinent details:
https://imgur.com/a/0vZD3jq
This Gold Commemorative Medal was released in 1976 in celebration of our nation's 200th anniversary of its birth. Designed by Frank Gasparro, this is the only official Gold medal struck by the U.S. for the bicentennial.
The medal weighs 12.9 grams and has a gold purity of 90%. Once again the total Gold metal content in the medal is .3735 ozt.
The medal comes in the original walnut box and with the original paperwork (see all pictures).
Will ship today if purchased before 6pm tonight. Otherwise will ship tomorrow. At this time I can only accept Zelle for payment.
Again, price is $872 shipped via UPS.
Please feel free to ask any questions or request any more pictures. Thanks for your time!