Timestamp
Hey everyone, I'm re-posting a couple leftover from my last post with some price drops. Let's get these knives homes!
- Please read descriptions and see pictures/video for condition details, ownership, disassembly, etc.
- Yolo trumps all, chat preferred over PM for questions/offers. Prices are OBRO. Please comment prior to chat/PM.
- I accept Paypal F&F (preferred), Venmo, or Zelle. No trades please at this time.
- Shipping within the USA via USPS Ground Advantage, USPS Priority, or UPS Ground at my discretion (PO boxes will receive USPS service as is required).
​
Pena Raptor XL - Ti/black micarta inlays/Zirc pivot collars / Satin M390 SV - $230 NOW $207
Numerous owners on this one, I think I'm the 4th. Never disassembled to my knowledge, but has been carried a couple times by myself and at least one of the prior owners. There is a small snail at the corner of the inlay on the clip side scale, otherwise this knife is flawless everywhere else. Solid lockup, top flipper works great and has excellent jimping. Perfect centering and sharp factory edge. Blade drops easily on disengagement, but needs a little wiggle to close. Includes original packaging and a cleaning cloth.
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Kansept Shikari SBL - Black micarta/black aluminum bolsters / Blackwash 154CM SV - $40 NOW $36
Catch and release, I'm the 2nd owner. Prior owner disassembled to adjust spring tension but did not use or carry. Personally I think the spring tension is too soft now, and the flipper can be easily failed. But, it also deploys reliably as long as you're deliberate. There are a couple little chips in the G10 backspacer, and maybe a hairline scratch in the blade on the show side, or it could just be an anomoly from the blackwash. One tiny mark on the clip too. Scales and bolsters look clean, some patina on the micarta from handling. Centering and lockup are good. Factory edge is ok, edge bevel wanders a little bit but it's a perfectly useable edge. Super smooth action and falls easily when the button is pressed. Includes all original packaging.

Post here and/or PM me with any questions. Shipping is $5. International is available, please discuss. Free samples with every purchase! Payment is by Venmo, CashApp or Zelle, PayPal must inquire.
Only swapping for 200mL Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait and Louis Vuitton Symphony at this time.
All of my contact info as well as all of my bottles for sale, are available in my spreadsheet which you should bookmark and look at for a more updated inventory
Spreadsheet

	HOUSE	FRAGRANCE	SIZE	REMAINING	Notes/Condition	Price	Type
1	Amouage	Amber Sogara	12mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$335	Niche
2	Amouage	Incense Rori Attar	12mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$299	Niche
3	Amouage	Orris Wakan Attar	12mL	99% Full	Full Presentation	$299	Niche
4	Amouage	Rose Aqor Attar	12mL	99% Full	Full Presentation	$299	Niche
5	Amouage	Saffron Hamra Attar	12mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$299	Niche
6	Andy Tauer	Cologne du Maghreb	50mL	99% Full	First Release, Rectangular Clear Bottle; With box	$95	Niche
7	Bond No. 9	Central Park West	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$149	Niche
8	Bond No. 9	Dubai Jade	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$200	Niche
9	Bond No. 9	Hamptons	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$149	Niche
10	Bond No. 9	Madison Square Park	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$149	Niche
11	Bond No. 9	NOMAD	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$169	Niche
12	Bond No. 9	Riverside Drive	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$149	Niche
13	Bond No. 9	So New York	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$149	Niche
14	Bond No. 9	Sutton Place	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$149	Niche
15	Bond No. 9	Wall Street	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$149	Niche
16	By Kilian	Bamboo Harmony	100mL	100% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray, No Box)	$199	Niche
17	By Kilian	Black Phantom	100mL	100% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray, No Box)	$199	Niche
18	By Kilian	Can't Stop Loving You	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$185	Niche
19	By Kilian	Forbidden Games	50mL	98% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray, No Box)	$125	Niche
20	By Kilian	Gold Knight	100mL	100% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray, No Box)	$199	Niche
21	By Kilian	Gold Knight	50mL	98% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray, No Box)	$145	Niche
22	By Kilian	Good Girl Gone Bad	250mL	99% Full	Decanter; No Box	$650	Niche
23	By Kilian	Good Girl Gone Bad	50mL	98% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray, No Box)	$135	Niche
24	By Kilian	Good Girl Gone Bad Eau Fraiche	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$180	Niche
25	By Kilian	Intoxicated	100mL	100% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray, No Box)	$199	Niche
26	By Kilian	L'Heure Verte	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$135	Niche
27	By Kilian	Moonlight In Heaven	100mL	99% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray, No Box)	$199	Niche
28	By Kilian	Roses on Ice	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$135	Niche
29	Byredo	Eyes Closed	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$135	Niche
30	Byredo	Infloresence	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$135	Niche
31	Byredo	Lil Fleur	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$135	Niche
32	Byredo	Sunday Cologne	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$135	Niche
33	Chanel / Chanel Exclusif	Beige Parfum	15mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$180	Niche
34	Chanel / Chanel Exclusif	Misia EdT	200mL	90% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$325	Niche
35	Chanel / Chanel Exclusif	No. 22 EdT	200mL	95% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$325	Niche
36	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	7 Mini Set as Pictured	7x 5mL	100% Full	7 Official Minis from 2010-2011... Mitzah, Milly-A-La-Foret, Granville, Cologne Royale, Eau Noire, New Look 1947	$180	Niche
37	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Bois D'Argent	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 0V01 (2010 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$35	Niche
38	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Cologne Royale	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 1X01 (2011 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$30	Niche
39	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Diorissima	7.5mL	100% Full	Official Mini; No Cannister - Price includes shipping	$30	Niche
40	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Eau Noire	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 1R01 (2011 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$35	Niche
41	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Eden Roc	7.5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Price includes shipping	$30	Niche
42	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Granville	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 0V01 (2010 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$35	Niche
43	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Milly-La-Foret	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 0W01 (2010 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$30	Niche
44	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	New Look 1947	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 1R01 (2011 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$30	Niche
45	Clive Christian	C for Men	50mL	95% Full	Tester (No Box)	$169	Niche
46	Clive Christian	I Pour Femme (Woody Floral with Vintage Rose)	50mL	99% Full	Tester (No Box)	$169	Niche
47	Clive Christian	Rock Rose	50mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$229	Niche
48	Clive Christian	X Pour Femme	50mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$169	Niche
49	Creed	Aventus - 19P21 (Decant)	50mL	100% Full	Magnetic Cap Decant	$169	Niche
50	Creed	Aventus - F1396	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$209	Niche
51	Creed	Aventus for Her - F Batch	75mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$175	Niche
52	Creed	Bois du Portugal	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$185	Niche
53	Creed	Carmina - F1449	75mL	100% Full	Tester (No Cap or Box)	$199	Niche
54	Creed	Erolfa	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap	$185	Niche
55	Creed	Green Irish Tweed	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$195	Niche
56	Creed	Himalaya - F Batch	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$185	Niche
57	Creed	Jardin D'Amalfi	75mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box, No Cap)	$199	Niche
58	Creed	Millesime Imperial	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$185	Niche
59	Creed	Original Santal	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$185	Niche
60	Creed	Original Vetiver	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$185	Niche
61	Creed	Queen of Silk	75mL	100% Full	Tester with Metal Cap	$275	Niche
62	Creed	Refillable Atomizer (5mL Leather Wrapped) Blue	5mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$85	Niche
63	Creed	Refillable Atomizer (5mL Leather Wrapped) Grey	5mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$85	Niche
64	Creed	Royal Oud - F Batch	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$260	Niche
65	Creed	Royal Water - F238	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$180	Niche
66	Creed	Silver Mountain Water - 21V01A	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$180	Niche
67	Creed	Spice and Wood	75mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$219	Niche
68	Creed	Viking - F BATCH	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$190	Niche
69	Creed	Viking Cologne	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap	$185	Niche
70	Creed	Virgin Island Water	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Plastic Cap (No Box)	$195	Niche
71	Creed	White Amber - 17R01	75mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$155	Niche
72	Diptyque	Eau de Papier EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$100	Niche
73	Diptyque	Ombre Dans L'eau EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$100	Niche
74	Diptyque	Oyedo EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$100	Niche
75	Diptyque	Philosykos EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$100	Niche
76	Fragrance Du Bois	Brume du Matin	100mL	100% Full	New, No Box	$180	Niche
77	Fragrance Du Bois	Cannabis Blue	100mL	100% Full	New, No Box	$180	Niche
78	Fragrance Du Bois	Cannabis Intense	100mL	100% Full	New, No Box	$180	Niche
79	Fragrance Du Bois	HERITAGE	100mL	100% Full	New, No Box	$330	Niche
80	Fragrance du Bois	Lovers	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$325	Niche
81	Fragrance Du Bois	New York Fifth Avenue	100mL	100% Full	New, No Box	$180	Niche
82	Fragrance Du Bois	SAHRAA	100mL	99% Full	Full presentation with Box	$399	Niche
83	Fragrance Du Bois	Siberian Rose	100mL	100% Full	New, No Box	$180	Niche
84	Frederic Malle	Cologne Indellible	100mL	85% Full	Full presentation with Box	$175	Niche
85	Frederic Malle	Eau de Magnolia	10mL	100% Full	Official Travel Spray	$55	Niche
86	Frederic Malle	Monsieur	10mL	95% Full	Official Travel Spray	$55	Niche
87	Frederic Malle	Promise	100mL	100% Full	Brand New (Not Sealed)	$315	Niche
88	Gallagher	Bergamot Silk	100mL	99% Full	No Box	$79	Niche
89	Giorgio Armani / Armani Prive	Pierre de Lune	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$155	Niche
90	Giorgio Armani / Armani Prive	Rose Alexandrie	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$155	Niche
91	Guerlain	Angelique Noire	30mL	100% Full	Mini Bee Bottle Decant	$215	Niche
92	Guerlain	Angelique Noire	10mL	100% Full	Tall Glass Decant	$55	Niche
93	Guerlain	French Kiss	75mL	98% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$450	Niche
94	Guerlain	Frenchy Lavende	200mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$399	Niche
95	Guerlain	Herbes Troublantes	200mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$339	Niche
96	Guerlain	Jasmin Bonheur	200mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$369	Niche
97	Guerlain	Neroli Outrenoir	200mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$339	Niche
98	Guerlain	Spiriteuse Double Vanille	200mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$399	Niche
99	Guerlain	Tobacco Honey	200mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$399	Niche
100	Hermes / Hermessence	Agar Ebene	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$150	Niche
101	Hermes / Hermessence	Ambre Narguile	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$175	Niche
102	Hermes / Hermessence	Cedre Sambac	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$165	Niche
103	Hermes / Hermessence	Epice Marine	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$170	Niche
104	Hermes / Hermessence	Myrrhe Eglantine	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$185	Niche
105	Hermes / Hermessence	Poivre Samarcade	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$170	Niche
106	Hermes / Hermessence	Santal Massoia	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$170	Niche
107	Hermes / Hermessence	Vetiver Tonka	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$175	Niche
108	House of Sillage	Nouez Moi	75mL	99% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$120	Niche
109	I Profumi di Firenze	Caterina De Medici	50mL	99% Full	No Box	$35	Niche
110	Initio	High Frequency	90mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$180	Niche
111	Initio	Oud for Happiness	90mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$189	Niche
112	Jo Malone	English Pear & Freesia	30mL	100% Full	No Box	$50	Niche
113	Le Labo	Bigarade 18 - Hong Kong Exclusive	50mL	100% Full	Full Bottle, Retail Label	$299	Niche
114	Le Labo	Mousse de Chene 30 - Amsterdam City Exclusive	50mL	99% Full	Sprayed Once to Test / Brand New; No Box	$259	Niche
115	Le Labo	Oud 27	50mL	99% Full	Full presentation with Box	$169	Niche
116	Le Labo	Santal 33	50mL	100% Full	Full Bottle, Retail Label	$135	Niche
117	Liquides Imaginaires	Bloody Wood	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$85	Niche
118	Liquides Imaginaires	Desert Sauve	100mL	99% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$85	Niche
119	Liquides Imaginaires	Fleur de Sable	100mL	99% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$85	Niche
120	Liquides Imaginaires	Fleuve Tendre	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$85	Niche
121	Liquides Imaginaires	Sancti	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$85	Niche
122	Loewe	7 EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$90	Niche
123	Loewe	Aire Anthesis	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$100	Niche
124	Loewe	Esencia EdP	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$120	Niche
125	Loewe	Esencia Elixir	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$200	Niche
126	Loewe	Man 001 EdP	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$120	Niche
127	Louis Vuitton	Contre Moi	100mL	99% Full	Tester (Bottle may show some damage, Cap has no paint/is peeling)	$385	Niche
128	Louis Vuitton	Sun Song	100mL	98% Full	Tester (Bottle is scratched, may have an engraving, and Cap has no paint/is peeling)	$425	Niche
129	Louis Vuitton	Sun Song	200mL	98% Full	Dummy Bottle, filled with real juice. I don't think it's refillable.	$750	Niche
130	Maison Crivelli	Bois Datchai	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$169	Niche
131	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	724	200mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$355	Niche
132	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	724	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$165	Niche
133	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	A la Rose	200mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$315	Niche
134	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Amyris Femme EdP	70mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$150	Niche
135	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Amyris Femme Extrait	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$160	Niche
136	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Amyris Homme EdT	70mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$160	Niche
137	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Celestia	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$135	Niche
138	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$145	Niche
139	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Celestia Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$160	Niche
140	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Media Cologne Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$150	Niche
141	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Universalis	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$135	Niche
142	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Universalis Cologne Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$125	Niche
143	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Universalis Cologne Forte	200mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$225	Niche
144	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Universalis Cologne Forte	35mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$90	Niche
145	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Universalis Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$160	Niche
146	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Vitae	200mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$215	Niche
147	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Vitae	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$135	Niche
148	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Vitae Cologne Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$125	Niche
149	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Vitae Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$160	Niche
150	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Baccarat Rouge 540 EdP	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$209	Niche
151	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$300	Niche
152	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Feminine Pluriel	200mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$335	Niche
153	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Feminine Pluriel Special Edition Extrait	70mL	100% Full	Full Presentation With Mirror Display	$499	Niche
154	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Gentle Fluidity Gold	200mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$365	Niche
155	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Gentle Fluidity Gold	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$165	Niche
156	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	L'eau a La Rose	35mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$90	Niche
157	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	L'Homme a la Rose	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$165	Niche
158	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Masculin Pluriel	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$165	Niche
159	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Oud EdP	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$170	Niche
160	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Oud Extrait	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$190	Niche
161	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Oud Silk Mood EdP	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$170	Niche
162	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Oud Silk Mood Extrait	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$190	Niche
163	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Petit Matin	70mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$145	Niche
164	Maison Lancome	Orange Bigarades	100mL	100% Full	Full presentation with Box	$229	Niche
165	Mark Birley	Charles Street	75mL	97% Full	Travel Version	$90	Niche
166	Memo Paris	French Leather	75mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$115	Niche
167	Memo Paris	Italian Leather	75mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$115	Niche
168	Memo Paris	Lailabella	75mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$115	Niche
169	Memo Paris	Marfa	75mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$115	Niche
170	Memo Paris	Moon Fever	75mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$115	Niche
171	Memo Paris	Oriental Leather	75mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box or Cap)	$115	Niche
172	Mind Games	As-Suli's Diamond	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$249	Niche
173	Mind Games	Gardez	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$249	Niche
174	Mind Games	Vieri	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$249	Niche
175	Mizensir	Bois de Mysore	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$155	Niche
176	Mizensir	Cologne de Matte	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$155	Niche
177	Mizensir	Ideal Oud	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$155	Niche
178	Mizensir	Rose Exaltante	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$155	Niche
179	Mizensir	Tonic Water	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$155	Niche
180	Mizensir	Vert Empire	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$155	Niche
181	Oh Mon Dieu!	L'objet	100mL	100% Full	Full presentation with Box	$125	Niche
182	Oliver and Co.	M.O.U.S.S.E.	50mL	99% Full	Limited Edition 87/133	$110	Niche
183	Parfums de Marley	Valaya	75mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap (No Box)	$175	Niche
184	Penhaligon's	Elixir	100mL	90% Full	No Box	$250	Niche
185	Penhaligon's	Petra	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$200	Niche
186	Penhaligon's	Cairo	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$220	Niche
187	Pomare's Stolen Perfume	Angel's Share	9mL	70% Full	No Box	$40	Niche
188	Precious Liquid	Iced Juniper	75mL	95% Full	Full presentation with Box (Limited Edition)	$135	Niche
189	Roja Dove	Creation-E Essence de Parfum	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$165	Niche
190	Roja Dove	Danger Pour Femme	50mL	100% Full	99% Full with Box	$275	Niche
191	Roja Dove	Elixir	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$175	Niche
192	Roja Dove	Elixir Essence Pour Femme	100mL	100% Full	No Box	$175	Niche
193	Roja Dove	Qatar	50mL	99% Full	Full Presentation	$339	Niche
194	Roja Dove	Scandal Essence de Parfum	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$165	Niche
195	Roja Dove	United Arab Emirates (UAE)	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$300	Niche
196	Roman Monegal	L'eau de Rose	50mL	97% Full		$70	Niche
197	Santa Maria Novella	Sandalo	100mL	95% Full	No Box	$80	Niche
198	Sospiro	Deep Amber Ocean	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, No Box	$170	Niche
199	Sospiro	Deep Amber Ocean	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$180	Niche
200	Spirit of Dubai	Bahar	50mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap and Travel Case	$175	Niche
201	Spirit of Dubai	Rimal	50mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap and Travel Case	$175	Niche
202	Tiziana Terenzi	Attar Cas	13mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$225	Niche
203	Tiziana Terenzi	Chiron	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$165	Niche
204	Tiziana Terenzi	Draconis	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$135	Niche
205	Tom Ford	Azure Lime - A71	50mL	99% Full	Original Formula	$349	Niche
206	Tom Ford	Beau de Jour	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$700	Niche
207	Tom Ford	Ebene Fume	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$165	Niche
208	Tom Ford	Electric Cherry	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$200	Niche
209	Tom Ford	Fleur de Portofino	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$135	Niche
210	Tom Ford	Fougere Platine	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$700	Niche
211	Tom Ford	Neroli Portofino	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$140	Niche
212	Tom Ford	Plum Japonais	50mL	100% Full	Decant (No Box)	$215	Niche
213	Tom Ford	Rive Ambre - A63	50mL	99% Full	Original Formula	$225	Niche
214	Tom Ford	Rose de Amalfi	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$135	Niche
215	Tom Ford	Santal Blush	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$140	Niche
216	Tom Ford	Soleil Neige	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$700	Niche
217	Tom Ford	Tobacco Vanille	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$245	Niche
218	Tom Ford	Tubereuse Nue	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$150	Niche
219	Tom Ford	Vanille Fatale	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$180	Niche
220	Tom Ford	White Suede	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$700	Niche
221	Washington Tremlett	Black Tie	100mL	95% Full		$125	Niche
222	Widian	II Black	50mL	99% Full	Tester (No Box)	$149	Niche
223	Yves Saint Laurent	Babycat	125mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$300	Niche
224	Acqua di Parma	Magnolia Nobile	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$95	Designer
225	Brunello Cucinelli	Pour Homme	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$90	Designer
226	Caron	Pour un Homme de Caron Le Matin	125mL	100% Full	Opened to test, sprayed once	$69	Designer
227	Caron	Pour un Homme de Caron Le Soir	125mL	100% Full	Opened to test, sprayed once	$69	Designer
228	Caron	Pour Un Homme Impact Parfum	75mL	97% Full	No Box	$175	Designer
229	Chanel	Allure Homme Sport - Aftershave Balm	100mL	99% Full	No Box	$65	Designer
230	Chanel	Allure Pour Femme EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$65	Designer
231	Chanel	Bleu de Chanel - Aftershave Balm	100mL	99% Full	No Box, Minor Cosmetic Damage	$55	Designer
232	Chanel	Bleu de Chanel - Aftershave Lotion	100mL	99% Full	No Box, Minor Cosmetic Damage	$55	Designer
233	Chanel	Coco EdP	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$85	Designer
234	Chanel	Coco Mademoiselle - Moisturizing Body Lotion	200mL	99% Full	No Box	$55	Designer
235	Chanel	Coco Noir	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$100	Designer
236	Chanel	Cristalle Eau Vert EdT Concentree	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$135	Designer
237	Chanel	Cristalle EdP	50mL	95% Full	Tester; No Box	$135	Designer
238	Chanel	Gabrielle Essence	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$100	Designer
239	Chanel	No. 19	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$115	Designer
240	Chanel	No. 5 Eau Premiere	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$85	Designer
241	Chanel	No. 5 EdP	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$95	Designer
242	Chanel	Platinum Egoiste	75mL	99% Full	SPLASH, NOT SPRAY Older Formulation	$125	Designer
243	Christian Dior	Dior Homme Parfum	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed (Packaging may be slightly damaged)	$175	Designer
244	Christian Dior	J'adore in Joy EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap, No Box	$60	Designer
245	Floris	Cefiro	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap, No Box	$59	Designer
246	Gucci	Gucci Guilty Absolute	90mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$70	Designer
247	Guerlain	Habit Rouge Parfum	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$130	Designer
248	Guerlain	L'Homme Ideal Parfum	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$130	Designer
249	Guerlain	L'instant de Guerlain Pour Homme EXTREME	10mL	100% Full	VINTAGE BLACK RIM - DECANT	$50	Designer
250	Guerlain	Vetiver Parfum	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$130	Designer
251	Hermes	Twilly	80mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$65	Designer
252	Jo Malone	Amber & Lavender	30mL	90% Full	No Box	$52	Designer
253	Jo Malone	English Oak & Redcurrant	30mL	80% Full	No Box	$49	Designer
254	Jo Malone	English Pear & Freesia	100mL	100% Full	Brand New with Gift Box and Gift Set (Body Wash, Body Lotion)	$180	Designer
255	Jo Malone	Rose & White Musk Absolu	100mL	100% Full	No Box	$180	Designer
256	Jo Malone	Scarlett Poppy Cologne Intense	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$130	Designer
257	Lalique	Ombre Noire	100mL	100% Full	Sealed	$100	Designer
258	Maison Martin Margiela	Replica - Jazz Club	100mL	100% Full	Tester (No Box)	$80	Designer
259	Thierry Mugler	A*MEN	100mL	99% Full	Rubber Flask; No Box	$75	Designer
260	Amouage	Cristal and Gold Ladies	50mL	95% Full	Vintage, Incredibly hard to find. Full presentation in nice condition	$399	Vintage
261	Cartier	Santos EdT	100mL	100% Full	Spray; Refill.	$299	Vintage
262	Chanel	Gardenia EdT	100mL	100% Full	Vintage; Sealed	$350	Vintage
263	Crabtree & Evelyn	Crabtree & Evelyn Extract of West Indian and Sicilian Limes	125mL	100% Full	Full presentation with Box	$209	Vintage
264	Dunhill	Cologne	125mL	99% Full	Vintage; Splash	$100	Vintage
265	Ermenegildo Zegna	Haitian Vetiver	125mL	99% Full	No Box	$300	Vintage
266	Escada	Pour Homme Aftershave	75mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$165	Vintage
267	Escada	Pour Homme Aftershave	125mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$240	Vintage
268	Floris	Special 127	100mL	98% Full	Vintage; Dark Blue Box., 2 Royal Warrants, Vintage Version	$70	Vintage
269	Fragonard	Zizanie	240mL	80% Full	Shaker bottle (Splash, not spray) no box. At least 80% Full.	$240	Vintage
270	Geo F Trumper	Ajaccio Violets	100mL	99% Full		$40	Vintage
271	Gucci	Envy Aftershave	50mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$140	Vintage
272	Gucci	Envy Aftershave	100mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$215	Vintage
273	Gucci	Rush for Men	50mL	100% Full	Full Presentation; These do not come fully filled	$190	Vintage
274	Gucci	Rush for Men Aftershave	100mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$140	Vintage
275	Guerlain	Heritage EdT	200mL	100% Full	New; Vintage; Splash. 1991 Bottle.	$225	Vintage
276	Guerlain	Samrasa EdP	50mL	100% Full	No Box	$109	Vintage
277	Guerlain	Samsara EdT 1992-1993 Formulation	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Cap; No Box	$109	Vintage
278	Jean Desprez	Bal a Versailles	9 Oz	70% Full	Vintage; Splash; No Box Open to offers on this enormous bottle.	$135	Vintage
279	Lacoste	Eau de Sport Vivifiante	100mL	99% Full	No Box	$110	Vintage
280	Lacoste	Land	100mL	99% Full		$130	Vintage
281	Nino Cerruti	Fair Play Pour Homme	100mL	99% Full	Full presentation with Box	$275	Vintage
282	Paco Rabanne	Eau de Metal	20mL	100% Full	Vintage; Mini	$15	Vintage
283	Revillon	Pour Homme Eau de Toilette Super Concentrate	60mL	99% Full	Atomizer	$190	Vintage
284	Revillon	Pour Homme Eau de Toilette Super Concentrate	90mL	99% Full	Atomizer	$290	Vintage​

I wanted to track my progress and also maybe provide helpful insight for those looking to get surgery. I'll be updating this every few days.
SYMPTOMS/CONTEXT:
I 28f had a severe herniated disk at the l4/l5 disc since 2021 was working towards treatment in 2022 but lost my insurance at the new year of 2023 and went the entire year without seeing any doctors. In Dec of 2023 i was able to get a new job and back on the original insurance and pick up where i left off. At the time of my most recent MRI in Feb 2024 the herniation was described as severe causing severe stenosis and nerve impingement it measured 19x10x19mm. My symptoms continued to worsen to the point I was unable to do much of anything, sitting, standing, laying down all hurt, I barely slept because I'd be in severe pain from laying down within a few hours. I couldn't drive, I lost weight because I couldn't sit or stand long enough to cook and just laid in bed tossing and turning. I didn't shower, brush my hair, walk my dog, clean my house or go anywhere unless I absolutely had to. I could likely count the number of times I left my house between February and May on both hands. Pain was majority in my left side, hip and gluten, behind my knee and I had numbness in the front of my lower left leg and the top of my left foot. My right leg and foot had existing nerve damage because I have had this issue before from a snowboarding accident. I had existing numbness and weakness in the right leg which worsened to the point I couldn't wiggle my toes and had poor balance. I have saddle area numbness, urinary retention and incontinence and bowel incontinence when my stool is too soft. Again all of which worsened.
THE SURGERY:
I had surgery on May 9th, I was expected to be admitted for 1 day because my surgeon expected he would need to remove bone on the right side not just the left to get all the disc material. He was able to open me up on the left side and get everything out. However, my disc material had pressed my nerve into the bone and wore it very very thing and the dura tore causing a CSF leak. A neurosurgeon assisted in closing up the leak. My surgeon was impressed by the size of the herniation and took pictures to show me at our next post op appointment, saying my entire disc had essentally been blown out into the small space which was what was making my symptoms so bad, there was no room left for my nerve. There were no complications.
RECOVERY
DAY 1-5: I ended up having to lay flat for 48 hours due to the dural tear. After which I was allowed to sit up. The pain was mostly from soreness but I have having nerve pain that pulsed from my back into my glute. It would wake me up out of my drug induced sleep. I also ended up getting my period on the 2nd day which caused a lot of back soreness and cramping. I think a lot of my discomfort was due to being stuck in bed because PT and OT had not seen me and I wasn't able to leave the bed unattended. On day 3 I was able to get up and they removed my foley and the little leg wraps that fill with air to keep up with circulation. I was able to go to the bathroom and move pretty well with my cane around the room. This continued until day 5 where I was able to meet with PT and OT we walked the halls of the hospital and I was permitted to go home. The car ride was extremely uncomfortable. I was able to shower for the first time since the day before surgery using a shower chair and while difficult to not twist etc it was tolerable. The least painful shower ive had in almost 2 years. I found myself extremely sore by the end of day 5.
DAY 6: (05/14) as of this post this is my current day. I still have the throbbing pain but mostly this seems to be stirred up by movement. Mostly going from a laying down to sitting position. Though it does still randomly occur while I am laying down but not nearly as much. I'm about half way through the day and have found that laying on my right side is far more comfortable than my left side. I have tried sitting in a recliner and just leaning back but this seems to put too much pressure on my back and incision site so I have been mostly in bed or laying on my couch which is very firm and easy to get up and down from. I won't have anyone staying with me after today and I'm confident that I'll be able to handle things on my own. Other than the pain relief I have not noticed any improvement to the other symptoms I had, numbness, weakness etc remain the same.

I wanted to track my progress and also maybe provide helpful insight for those looking to get surgery. I'll be updating this every few days.
SYMPTOMS/CONTEXT:
I 28f had a severe herniated disk at the l4/l5 disc since 2021 was working towards treatment in 2022 but lost my insurance at the new year of 2023 and went the entire year without seeing any doctors. In Dec of 2023 i was able to get a new job and back on the original insurance and pick up where i left off. At the time of my most recent MRI in Feb 2024 the herniation was described as severe causing severe stenosis and nerve impingement it measured 19x10x19mm. My symptoms continued to worsen to the point I was unable to do much of anything, sitting, standing, laying down all hurt, I barely slept because I'd be in severe pain from laying down within a few hours. I couldn't drive, I lost weight because I couldn't sit or stand long enough to cook and just laid in bed tossing and turning. I didn't shower, brush my hair, walk my dog, clean my house or go anywhere unless I absolutely had to. I could likely count the number of times I left my house between February and May on both hands. Pain was majority in my left side, hip and gluten, behind my knee and I had numbness in the front of my lower left leg and the top of my left foot. My right leg and foot had existing nerve damage because I have had this issue before from a snowboarding accident. I had existing numbness and weakness in the right leg which worsened to the point I couldn't wiggle my toes and had poor balance. I have saddle area numbness, urinary retention and incontinence and bowel incontinence when my stool is too soft. Again all of which worsened.
THE SURGERY:
I had surgery on May 9th, I was expected to be admitted for 1 day because my surgeon expected he would need to remove bone on the right side not just the left to get all the disc material. He was able to open me up on the left side and get everything out. However, my disc material had pressed my nerve into the bone and wore it very very thing and the dura tore causing a CSF leak. A neurosurgeon assisted in closing up the leak. My surgeon was impressed by the size of the herniation and took pictures to show me at our next post op appointment, saying my entire disc had essentally been blown out into the small space which was what was making my symptoms so bad, there was no room left for my nerve. There were no complications.
RECOVERY
DAY 1-5: I ended up having to lay flat for 48 hours due to the dural tear. After which I was allowed to sit up. The pain was mostly from soreness but I have having nerve pain that pulsed from my back into my glute. It would wake me up out of my drug induced sleep. I also ended up getting my period on the 2nd day which caused a lot of back soreness and cramping. I think a lot of my discomfort was due to being stuck in bed because PT and OT had not seen me and I wasn't able to leave the bed unattended. On day 3 I was able to get up and they removed my foley and the little leg wraps that fill with air to keep up with circulation. I was able to go to the bathroom and move pretty well with my cane around the room. This continued until day 5 where I was able to meet with PT and OT we walked the halls of the hospital and I was permitted to go home. The car ride was extremely uncomfortable. I was able to shower for the first time since the day before surgery using a shower chair and while difficult to not twist etc it was tolerable. The least painful shower ive had in almost 2 years. I found myself extremely sore by the end of day 5.
DAY 6: (05/14) as of this post this is my current day. I still have the throbbing pain but mostly this seems to be stirred up by movement. Mostly going from a laying down to sitting position. Though it does still randomly occur while I am laying down but not nearly as much. I'm about half way through the day and have found that laying on my right side is far more comfortable than my left side. I have tried sitting in a recliner and just leaning back but this seems to put too much pressure on my back and incision site so I have been mostly in bed or laying on my couch which is very firm and easy to get up and down from. I won't have anyone staying with me after today and I'm confident that I'll be able to handle things on my own. Other than the pain relief I have not noticed any improvement to the other symptoms I had, numbness, weakness etc remain the same.

I got a little bit of sleep after depriving myself of it for many hours last night and this morning.
I was in a white victorian room, my attention on the door. I wanted to take pictures of it. I was being harassed by a disturbing man or two, picking a cream cheese danish and stale cream puffs off the floor. There was something blue on the floor, along with another thing, which I forgot. I fell back asleep right after memorizing it, earlier. It had something to do with Layne Staley.
I found a pack of ocean spray yogurt raisins, liking the faded packaging too. I went to the library not long after this, preoccupied with a stack of books there. Just like heaven, was the one I was able to remember.
Outside my house, the manhole cover was removed. Down inside of it was full of several ones, on the ground and piled around. Victorian font on the front.
I had a nightmare, as the zombie apocalypse was happening. I was sitting in a victorian-esque house, next to the main floor. It had a gothic stairway in the center of the floor, flat stairs. It would've been a mansion, then. I was sitting in a gaming chair a foot away, seeing the zombies come inside and attack the people I was with. A woman was wearing vintage lingerie, 80s. Teddy bodysuit. I heard a voice talk over the scene, saying the lingerie was from '78-79-80-81.' I feel like he went from '82 to '84, but he stopped slowly at '81. In my house, a industrial gothic video game was on. I watched my little brother play it, thinking about the soundtrack. Seemed like 16volt would be on it. There was a remote control attached to my gaming chair, I instantly noticed. The dream turned towards my abusive family members on my dad's side, for yet another time. I was now in a room with my mom, looking into a fridge. I saw syrup inside it. A few pink lemonade syrup cans. There was probably a white-regular lemonade as well. I took a pink one, wanting a drink. My aunt who doesn't like me; my dad's sister, who hates us all, came into the room. I would think they would be fake to us if he was still alive. That'd be the more likely scenario where they'd pour us a drink; do something courteous for us. Insecurely, unwelcome my mom felt. As always, around them. My mom, the leo. Passive and left out when near that family. My cousins were nearby, which I could feel the energy of one of them.
I lastly, found myself laying on my mom's bed with my partner. Fruit salad by the wiggles was playing or talked about, for some reason. We were laughing, drawing letters onto a paper notebook. The shapes looked erotic/suggestive, and that somehow was arousing. I drew a 'M'
I had drew the left start of the m square, instead of victorian and delicate. I said, 'Touch my boobies while I do it..' Waking right up after.

I have a 4.5 year old daughter who goes to preschool 3 days a week (and loves it). She’s very spirited (she’s being monitored for potential ADHD but they don’t think she needs an eval at this time) but she’s a very sweet girl and her teachers love her. They say she is a wiggle worm but also say she’s incredibly bright, kind and loves being a helper and most of the time is a good listener. She doesn’t have any issues with transitions or melt downs or anything like that, she’s very agreeable. But one thing we do have an issue with though is that she is soooo easily influenced by her peers. There’s one particular friend she has at school and my daughter wants to do EVERYTHING she does good or bad. They have to be separated during circle and snack time because they’ll just goof off together. She also will just copy a lot of bad behavior, even though she knows it wrong. Today at school she heard her friend say “ugh I don’t like group time!”…so she said “UGH I don’t like group time!!!” When their teacher told them it was time for group time. (Except she loves it). She heard a group of girls at school tell the boys “NO BOYS ALLOWED. GO AWAY YOU CANT PLAY WITH US!!”…so she has started repeating this at school and at the park. She has started repeating a lot of moaning and grumbling because she, again, wants to copy. At clean up time, Her friend said “awww I don’t wanna clean up!!” …so mine said it as well, right to her teacher. Her teacher rightfully told her to stop the sass.
Her teachers have never brought this stuff up to me about it being a problem..these are just things I’ve observed in the observation room (every couple of months I observe her class with the person from our school district who monitors her behavior to see if she’ll end up needing an eval . She’s amazing and lets me observe just to get a good picture of what goes on with her in class!)
I make a genuine effort to CONSTANTLY talk about kind behavior vs unkind behavior and how we must always listen to our teachers. I also tell her that just because she hears her peers saying unkind things, does not mean she needs to say it, too. Idk, I’m just wondering if any of you wonderful teachers can shed light on any of this. I feel like I’m failing 😭😭

Hi all, so my feet are short but wide. I've been struggling to find shoes that fits my feet for more than 5 years and was hoping for some recommendations in here. I've always bought wayy to big shoes to compensate for big toebox but wanted to try my luck here for some recommendations or pointers.
I got some altra lone peak 8 as I heard that they got quite the wide toe box but it did not work out. Having them on for 10 minutes, my big toe started to hurt as did my ingrown toe nail. I need quite the wiggle room for the big toe. The size I bought was 10.5. The shoe is overall too big, but at the toebox too narrow :/. I always end up with ingrown toe nail when I try to push through the pain.
Here are some picture of my feet, trace of my feet, and with feet over the altra shoe sole.
Thank you for reading so far.

My kid has a Lenovo T460 ThinkPad. I just had to replace its motherboard. There are two ribbon cables under it, which are supposed to slot into the two connectors on the UNDERSIDE of the system board. (In the second picture, above.)
Which is clearly a plot to keep people from doing this themselves. The cables are really short so there's very little wiggle room to slot them in, much less to reach in and push the flap shut to lock them down. (Third picture)
My roommate and I managed to get the bigger cable reattached by dint of her holding things in place while I poked and moved things with tweezers for a LONG time.
Then I plugged enough things back in to turn it on. And it told me it couldn't find the mouse. Which I assume means I definitely do need to plug the little cable back in too. (I couldn't remember whether it had been plugged in originally.)
Then she tried to attach the small one, and accidentally unplugged the big one again.
Does ANYBODY know how the heck to do this more easily?? Is there some kind of long thin half-tweezer or other tool I should be using here? I can't seem to find any information about it at all, but surely I'm not the first person to have had to do this.

As Reddit doesn't allow posts to exceed 40,000 characters, Eastwood's edition had to be split into two parts because his whole career cannot be ignored. The second part will be posted tomorrow.

Here's a new edition of "Directors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the directors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Clint Eastwood's turn.
Eastwood was a troublemaker at school, and he had a bunch of odd jobs such as lifeguard, paper carrier, grocery clerk, forest firefighter, and golf caddy. In 1951, he was drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War and was discharged two years later. Through this, he got into contact with a Hollywood representative, who got him into acting classes and started his acting career. He got his start by starring in the hit show Rawhide, but he said he was exhausted by the experience. This caught the attention of some film producers and he decided to act in films directed by the then-unknown Sergio Leone. His career was on the rise, and then he got the chance to make his directorial debut.
From a box office perspective, how reliable was he to deliver a box office hit?
That's the point of this post. To analyze his career.

It should be noted that as he started his career in the 1970s, some of the domestic grosses here will be adjusted by inflation. The table with his highest grossing films, however, will be left in its unadjusted form, as the worldwide grosses are more difficult to adjust.

Play Misty for Me (1971)

"The scream you hear may be your own!"
His directorial debut. It stars Eastwood, Jessica Walter and Donna Mills, and follows a radio disc jockey being stalked by an obsessed female fan.
Before his colleague Irving Leonard died, he and Eastwood had discussed the idea of producing a film that was to give Eastwood the artistic control he desired, and his debut as a director. Eastwood said he was ready, "I stored away all the mistakes I made and saved up all the good things I learned, and now I know enough to control my own projects and get what I want out of actors."
The film was a huge success for Eastwood, and it also received positive reviews. So far, his directorial career was off to a great start.

• Budget: $950,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $10,600,000. ($81.7 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $10,600,000.
  

High Plains Drifter (1973)

"They'd never forget the day he drifted into town."
His second film. The film stars Eastwood, Verna Bloom and Mariana Hill, and follows a mysterious stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town.
Eastwood reportedly liked the offbeat quality of the film's original nine-page proposal and approached Universal with the idea of directing it, which would make it his first directed Western. The screenplay was inspired by the real-life murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens in 1964, which eyewitnesses reportedly stood by and watched. Holes in the plot were filled in with black humor and allegory, influenced by Sergio Leone.
It was well received, and the film even surpassed Play Misty for Me at the box office. Eastwood was just going up.

• Budget: $5,500,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $15,700,000. ($110.4 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $15,700,000.
  

Breezy (1973)

"Her name is Breezy."
His third film. It stars William Holden and Kay Lenz, and follows the relationship between a middle-aged real estate agent and a young hitchhiker.
This was his first directed film without starring on it. And his lack of presence certainly hurt the film; it received mixed reviews and flopped at the box office.

• Budget: $750,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $200,000. ($1.4 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $217,753.
  

The Eiger Sanction (1975)

"His lifeline, held by the assassin he hunted."
His fourth film. Based on the novel by Trevanian, the film stars Eastwood, George Kennedy, Vonetta McGee, and Jack Cassidy. It follows Jonathan Hemlock, an art history professor, mountain climber, and former assassin once employed by a secret government agency, who is blackmailed into returning to his deadly profession for one last mission.
The film received mixed reactions for its writing, and it wasn't a box office success either.

• Budget: $9,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $14,200,000. ($82.4 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $14,200,000.
  

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

"An army of one."
His fifth film. Based on the novel Gone to Texas by Forrest Carter, it stars Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney and John Vernon. The film tells the story of Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer whose family is murdered by Union militia during the Civil War. Driven to revenge, Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla band and makes a name for himself as a feared gunfighter. After the war, all the fighters in Wales' group except for him surrender to Union soldiers, but the Confederates end up being massacred. Wales becomes an outlaw and is pursued by bounty hunters and Union soldiers as he tries to make a new life for himself.
Eastwood was fascinated by the novel and he bought the film rights, hoping to star on the film. He got Philip Kaufman involved as screenwriter and possible director, but left after disagreeing with Eastwood in the material adapted to the screen. Kaufman insisted on filming with a meticulous attention to detail, which caused disagreements with Eastwood, not to mention the attraction the two shared towards Locke and apparent jealousy on Kaufman's part in regard to their emerging relationship. This caused Eastwood to take over as the director. Kaufman's firing angered the DGA, as he did most of the pre-production, and sanctioning a $60,000 fine. This resulted in the Director's Guild passing a new rule, known as "the Eastwood Rule", which prohibits an actor or producer from firing the director and then personally taking on the director's role.
The film received critical acclaim, and in subsequent years, is ranked among Eastwood's greatest films. It was also a huge success at the box office, doubling his previous highest grossing film. It was also one of the few Western films to receive critical and commercial success in the 1970s at a time when the Western was thought to be dying as a major genre in Hollywood.

• Budget: $3,700,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $31,800,000. ($174.5 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $31,800,000.
  

The Gauntlet (1977)

"The man in the middle of..."
His sixth film. It stars Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney, and Mara Corday. It follows a down-and-out cop who falls in love with a prostitute, to whom he is assigned to escort from Las Vegas to Phoenix for her to testify against the mob.
While it received mixed reviews, it became another box office success for Eastwood, becoming his now highest grossing film.

• Budget: $5,500,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $35,400,000. ($182.4 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $35,400,000.
  

Bronco Billy (1980)

"The most outrageous of 'em all."
His seventh film. The film stars Eastwood and Sondra Locke, and focuses on the financially-struggling owner of a traditional Wild West show and his new assistant.
It became another critical and commercial success for Eastwood, who referred to the film as one of his most affable shoots of his career.

• Budget: $6,500,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $24,265,659. ($91.9 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $24,265,659.
  

Firefox (1982)

"The most devastating killing machine ever built... his job... steal it!"
His eighth film. Based on the novel by Craig Thomas, it stars Eastwood, Freddie Jones and David Huffman. The Soviets have developed a revolutionary new jet fighter, called "Firefox". Naturally, the British are worried that the jet will be used as a first-strike weapon, as rumors say that the jet is undetectable on radar. They send ex-Vietnam War pilot Mitchell Gant on a covert mission into the Soviet Union to steal the Firefox.
The film received mixed reviews, but it earned almost $47 million, becoming Eastwood's highest grossing title as director.

• Budget: $21,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $46,708,276. ($151.1 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $46,708,276.
  

Honkytonk Man (1982)

"The boy is on his way to becoming a man. The man is on his way to becoming a legend."
His ninth film. It's based on the novel by Clancy Carlile, and it stars Eastwood and his son Kyle. It follows Red Stovall, a country music singer and composer. With his nephew Whit by his side, he travels to Nashville to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in the backdrop of the Great Depression.
While the film received acclaim, it earned just $4.4 million, becoming his second worst performer.

• Budget: $2,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $4,484,991. ($14.5 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $4,484,991.
  

Sudden Impact (1983)

"Dirty Harry is at it again."
His tenth film. The fourth installment in the Dirty Harry series, directed, it stars Eastwood and Sondra Locke. The film tells the story of a gang rape victim who decides to seek revenge on her rapists 10 years after the attack by killing them one by one. Inspector Harry Callahan, famous for his unconventional and often brutal crime-fighting tactics, is tasked with tracking down the serial killer.
The film received mixed reviews from critics, but it earned over $150 million worldwide, Eastwood's first film to pass that milestone. It's also very popular for including the iconic catchphrase, "Go ahead, make my day."

• Budget: $22,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $67,642,693. ($212.1 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $150,642,693.
  

Tightrope (1984)

"A cop on the edge..."
His 11th film. It stars Eastwood, Geneviève Bujold, Dan Hedaya, Alison Eastwood and Jennifer Beck, and follows a detective determined to hunt down a sadomasochistic serial killer of prostitutes.
The film became another critical and commercial success for Eastwood.

• Budget: N/A.
  
• Domestic gross: $48,143,579. ($144.7 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $48,143,579.
  

Pale Rider (1985)

"...And Hell followed with him."
His 12th film. It stars Eastwood, Michael Moriarty and Carrie Snodgress. A couple and their daughter, along with a few others, are driven out of Lahood, California, by goons working for a mining baron. However, a stranger enters their life to assist them in their fight.
There was no stopping Eastwood: another critical and commercial success.

• Budget: $6,900,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $41,410,568. ($120.2 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $41,410,568.
  

Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

"The scars run deep."
His 13th film. It stars Eastwood, Marsha Mason, Everett McGill, and Mario Van Peebles. The story centers on a U.S. Marine nearing retirement who gets a platoon of undisciplined Marines into shape and leads them during the American invasion of Grenada in 1983.
The film was inspired by an account of American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division using a pay telephone and a credit card to call in fire support during the invasion of Grenada, and fashioned a script of a Korean War veteran career Army non-commissioned officer passing on his values to a new generation of soldiers. Eastwood was interested in the script and asked his producer, Fritz Manes, to contact the US Army with a view of filming the movie at Fort Bragg. However, the Army read the script and refused to participate, due to Highway being portrayed as a hard drinker, divorced from his wife, and using unapproved motivational methods to his troops, an image the Army did not want.
It received mixed reviews, with some deeming the film as "imperialist propaganda". But it was still another box office success.

• Budget: $15,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $42,724,017. ($121.7 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $121,700,000.
  

Bird (1988)

"There are no second acts in American lives."
His 14th film. The film stars Forest Whitaker and Diane Venora. It is constructed as a montage of scenes from saxophonist Charlie Parker's life, from his childhood in Kansas City, through his early death at the age of 34.
Eastwood, a lifelong fan of jazz, had been fascinated by Parker ever since seeing him perform live in Oakland in 1946. He approached Chan Parker, Bird's common-law wife on whose memoirs the script was based, for input, and she lent Eastwood and arranger Lennie Niehaus a collection of recordings from her private collection Before Eastwood was involved, Richard Pryor was originally cast as Parker.
Despitive positive reviews, it performed poorly, earning just $2.2 million in North America.

• Budget: $14,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $2,181,286. ($5.7 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $2,181,286.
  

White Hunter Black Heart (1990)

"An adventure in obsession."
His 15th film. Based on the novel by Peter Viertel, it stars Eastwood, Jeff Fahey, George Dzundza, Alun Armstrong and Marisa Berenson. It follows a famous movie director, John Wilson, who goes to Africa to make his next movie. He is an obstinate, contrary director who'd rather hunt elephants than take care of his crew or movie. He has become obsessed with one particular elephant and cares for nothing else.
Despite positive reviews, it made just $2.3 million domestically, not even 10% of the budget.

• Budget: $24,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $2,319,124. ($5.5 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $2,319,124.
  

The Rookie (1990)

His 16th film. The film stars Eastwood, Charlie Sheen, Raul Julia, Sônia Braga, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Tom Skerritt. It follows a veteran police officer teamed up with a younger detective, whose intent is to take down a German crime lord in downtown Los Angeles, following months of investigation into an exotic car theft ring.
It received negative reviews for its acting and story, and it became another flop for Eastwood. That's three bombs in a row. Ouch.

• Budget: $30,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $21,633,874. ($51.6 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $21,633,874.
  

Unforgiven (1992)

"Some legends will never be forgotten. Some wrongs can never be forgiven."
His 17th film. It stars Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Richard Harris and Morgan Freeman. It follows William Munny, a widower with two young kids, who was once a very vicious gunfighter who gave up everything after marriage. Now, a man named Schofield Kid brings him an offer that he cannot refuse, forcing him to come out of retirement for one last job.
David Webb Peoples wrote the script all the way back to 1976, and it was optioned by Francis Ford Coppola, but he lacked the funds needed to helm it. By Eastwood's own recollection, he was given the script in the "early 80s" although he did not immediately pursue it, because, according to him, "I thought I should do some other things first". Eastwood has long asserted that the film would be his last traditional Western, concerned that any future projects would simply rehash previous plotlines or imitate someone else's work. He dedicated the film to his close friends and mentors Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Hackman initially refused to participate as his daughters were upset that he was starring in too many violent films, but he became fascinated by the script that he agreed.
It opened with $15 million and it legged all the way to $100 million after playing for almost one year, closing with $159 million worldwide, his now highest grossing film. The film received Eastwood's best reviews of his career, with many considering the film as his magnum opus as director. It received 9 Oscar nominations, and won four: Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood, Best Supporting Actor for Hackman, and Best Film Editing. So Eastwood, on top of being a reliable box office draw, was now a 2-time Oscar winner.

• Budget: $14,400,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $101,167,799. ($225.2 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $159,167,799.
  

A Perfect World (1993)

His 18th film. Kevin Costner, Eastwood and Laura Dern, and follows an escaped convict who takes a young boy hostage and attempts to escape on the road with the child, while being pursued by a Texas Ranger.
The film received critical acclaim, and has appeared as one of Eastwood's best films. The film disappointed in North America, but it earned up to $100 million overseas (Eastwood's first film to gross that much) and ended with $135 million worldwide.

• Budget: $30,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $31,130,999. ($67.2 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $135,130,999.
  

The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

"The human heart has a way of making itself large again even after it's been broken into a million pieces."
His 19th film. Based on the novel by Robert James Waller, it stars Eastwood and Meryl Streep. The film is set in 1965, following a war bride, Francesca Johnson, who lives with her husband and two children on their Iowa farm. That year she meets National Geographic photojournalist, Robert Kincaid, who comes to Madison County, Iowa to photograph its historic covered bridges. With Francesca's family away for a short trip, the couple have an intense, four-day love affair.
It received more critical acclaim, and made over $180 million worldwide, becoming his highest grossing film. For her performance, Streep was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.

• Budget: $22,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $71,516,617. ($146.5 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $182,016,617.
  

Absolute Power (1997)

His 20th film. Based on the novel by David Baldacci, it stars Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis, Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert, and Richard Jenkins. It follows a master jewel thief who witnesses the killing of a woman by Secret Service agents.
It received mixed reviews, and disappointed at the box office.

• Budget: $50,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $50,068,310. ($97.4 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $92,768,310.
  

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)

"Welcome to Savannah, Georgia. A Ccty of hot nights and cold blooded murder."
His 21st film. Based on the book by John Berendt, it stars John Cusack and Kevin Spacey. It follows the story of antiques dealer Jim Williams, on trial for the killing of a male prostitute who was his lover. The multiple trials depicted in Berendt's book are combined into one trial for the film.
It received mediocre reviews, and flopped at the box office.

• Budget: $30,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $25,105,255. ($48.8 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $25,105,255.
  

True Crime (1999)

His 22nd film. Based on the novel by Andrew Klavan, it stars Eastwood, Isaiah Washington, Denis Leary, LisaGay Hamilton and James Woods. It follows a journalist covering the execution of a death row inmate, only to discover that the convict may actually be innocent.
This was another project that received mediocre reviews and flopped at the box office.

• Budget: $55,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $16,649,768. ($31.2 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $16,649,768.
  

Space Cowboys (2000)

"Boys will be boys."
His 23rd film. It stars Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner as four aging former test pilots who are sent into space to repair an old Soviet satellite.
It received very positive reviews, and earned over $128 million worldwide.

• Budget: $60,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $90,464,773. ($164 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $128,884,132.
  

Blood Work (2002)

"He's a heartbeat away from catching the killer."
His 24th film. Based on the novel by Michael Connelly, it stars Eastwood, Jeff Daniels, Wanda De Jesús, and Anjelica Huston. It follows a retired FBI agent who recently had a heart transplant but still takes up the job to nab a killer.
It was another film with mediocre reviews and flop status.

• Budget: $50,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $26,235,081. ($45.5 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $31,794,718.
  

Mystic River (2003)

"We bury our sins, we wash them clean."
His 25th film. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, it stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laura Linney. It follows three childhood friends who are reunited 25 years later when one of them suffers a family tragedy.
Michael Keaton was originally cast in the role of Det. Sean Devine, and did several script readings with the cast, as well as his own research into the practices of the Massachusetts Police Department. However, creative differences between Keaton and Eastwood led to Keaton leaving the production. He was replaced by Kevin Bacon. This was the first film in which Eastwood would be credited as composer.
The film had a slow roll-out, but it was aided by strong word of mouth, closing with a wonderful $156 million worldwide. It also received acclaim, and was named as one of Eastwood's greatest films. Sean Penn received universal acclaim for his performance, with some naming it among the best acting of the century, particularly for one scene (if you watched it, you definitely know which scene). It received 6 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood. It won two: Best Actor for Penn and Best Supporting Actor for Robbins.

• Budget: $25,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $90,135,191. ($153 million adjusted)
  
• Worldwide gross: $156,595,191.
  

Come back tomorrow for Part 2

MOVIES (FROM HIGHEST GROSSING TO LEAST GROSSING)

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Overseas Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
x	The Bridges of Madison County	1995	Warner Bros.	$71,516,617	$110,500,000	$182,016,617	$22M
x	Unforgiven	1992	Warner Bros.	$101,167,799	$58,000,000	$159,167,799	$14.4M
x	Mystic River	2003	Warner Bros.	$90,135,191	$66,460,000	$156,595,191	$25M
x	Sudden Impact	1983	Warner Bros.	$67,642,693	$83,000,000	$150,642,693	$22M
x	A Perfect World	1993	Warner Bros.	$31,130,999	$104,000,000	$135,130,999	$30M
x	Space Cowboys	2000	Warner Bros.	$90,464,773	$38,419,359	$128,884,132	$60M
x	Heartbreak Ridge	1986	Warner Bros.	$42,724,017	$78,975,983	$121,700,000	$15M
x	Absolute Power	1997	Sony	$50,068,310	$42,700,000	$92,768,310	$50M
x	Tightrope	1984	Warner Bros.	$48,143,579	$0	$48,143,579	N/A
x	Firefox	1982	Warner Bros.	$46,708,276	$0	$46,708,276	$21M
x	Pale Rider	1985	Warner Bros.	$41,410,568	$0	$41,410,568	$6.9M
x	The Gauntlet	1977	Warner Bros.	$35,400,000	$0	$35,400,000	$5.5M
x	The Outlaw Josey Wales	1976	Warner Bros.	$31,800,000	$0	$31,800,000	$3.7M
x	Blood Work	2002	Warner Bros.	$26,235,081	$5,559,637	$31,794,718	$50M
x	Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil	1997	Warner Bros.	$25,105,255	$0	$25,105,255	$30M
x	Bronco Billy	1980	Warner Bros.	$24,265,659	$0	$24,265,659	$6.5M
x	The Rookie	1990	Warner Bros.	$21,633,874	$0	$21,633,874	$30M
x	True Crime	1999	Warner Bros.	$16,649,768	$0	$16,649,768	$55M
x	High Plains Drifter	1973	Universal	$15,700,000	$0	$15,700,000	$5.5M
x	The Eiger Sanction	1975	Universal	$14,200,000	$0	$14,200,000	$9M
x	Play Misty for Me	1971	Universal	$10,600,000	$0	$10,600,000	$950K
x	Honkytonk Man	1982	Warner Bros.	$4,484,991	$0	$4,484,991	$2M
x	White Hunter Black Heart	1990	Warner Bros.	$2,319,124	$0	$2,319,124	$24M
x	Bird	1988	Warner Bros.	$2,181,286	$0	$2,181,286	$14M
x	Breezy	1973	Universal	$200,000	$17,753	$217,753	$750K

The Verdict

Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.
The next director will be Robert Zemeckis. One of the biggest falls from grace.
I asked you to choose who else should be in the run and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. It had to be a controversial filmmaker. Well, we'll later talk about... Zack Snyder. Oh, BoxOffice chose fuego 🔥
This is the schedule for the following four:

Week	Director	Reasoning
May 20-26	Robert Zemeckis	Can we get old Zemeckis back?
May 27-June 2	Richard Donner	An influential figure of the 70s and 80s.
June 3-9	Ang Lee	What happened to Lee?
June 10-16	Zack Snyder	RIP Inbox.

Who should be next after Snyder? That's up to you.

Like New Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM for $1950.00 shipped to you.
Pics/Timestamp: https://imgur.com/3tBpo7r
More pics: https://imgur.com/a/LJesAsf
Comes with its soft case w/ strap, caps, hood and collar and foot.
Note:

1. The tripod foot wiggles a bit. I called Sony and instead of sending me another foot, they want me to send the lens back under warranty. I do have that option open, but decided to sell as I am getting a 200-600 G.
   
2. There is tiny spot where it looks like the paint did not stick. You can see it in one of the pictures that frames the spot.
   

Besides these two blemishes the lens is in mint/like new condition. This will be posted for sale on FB Marketplace/DC-NoVA communities as well.
If you are local to Northern VA/DC you can pick up in person. Would prefer a local transaction with cash. However, I am willing to ship, but as a new seller it has to be something that works for both of us with safeguards in place.
Prefer PayPal G&S. Will ship within CONUS only. Please comment on post for me to reply to DMs.

I went on vacation a few weeks ago and noticed he started following more girls. One girl specifically really annoyed me. She was a local regular girl with like 120 followers and he started liking her pictures. I asked how he knows her, he said he doesn’t know her but that she started following him so he followed her back. I called him out on lying because she doesn’t follow him. He said she must have unfollowed him once she realized that she doesn’t know him.
We have only been together for a year. In November I noticed that he was following and liking A LOT of girls (regular girls to OF girls). He was liking raunchy post( how he wants a girl who will give him oral in the car and then be all proper once they arrive at his parents for dinner). I EVEN DID THIS FOR HIM BECAUSE I FELT MAYBE I WASNT MEETING ALL HIS NEEDs but my gut told me something was off. I brought this up to him and he said I was being controlling but unfollowed the few specific pages we had discuss. My guard went down for a few months and then I noticed it was still happening. I tried breaking up with him again in February. He was following and liking new pages.
It’s not like he liking the photos of these girls wedding pictures or family pictures, he only likes the selfies, revealing ones. Again he unfollowed the specific girls we discussed. I know he thinks I’m crazy and insecure but I have stated my boundaries. I AM AWARE HE IS A MALE AND WILL LOOK AT OTHER FEMALES and I don’t care if he follows hot celebrities or even porn stars. The man wiggle room. I just feel it’s disrespectful and the fact that I have made it known multiple times and he keeps doing this hurts me. Do all men go this? Is this just what I should expect to be the new norm when dating??

I went on vacation a few weeks ago and noticed he started following more girls. One girl specifically really annoyed me. She was a local regular girl with like 120 followers and he started liking her pictures. I asked how he knows her, he said he doesn’t know her but that she started following him so he followed her back. I called him out on lying because she doesn’t follow him. He said she must have unfollowed him once she realized that she doesn’t know him.
We have only been together for a year. In November I noticed that he was following and liking A LOT of girls (regular girls to OF girls). He was liking raunchy post( how he wants a girl who will give him oral in the car and then be all proper once they arrive at his parents for dinner). I EVEN DID THIS FOR HIM BECAUSE I FELT MAYBE I WASNT MEETING ALL HIS NEEDs but my gut told me something was off. I brought this up to him and he said I was being controlling but unfollowed the few specific pages we had discuss. My guard went down for a few months and then I noticed it was still happening. I tried breaking up with him again in February. He was following and liking new pages.
It’s not like he liking the photos of these girls wedding pictures or family pictures, he only likes the selfies, revealing ones. Again he unfollowed the specific girls we discussed. I know he thinks I’m crazy and insecure but I have stated my boundaries. I AM AWARE HE IS A MALE AND WILL LOOK AT OTHER FEMALES and I don’t care if he follows hot celebrities or even porn stars. The man wiggle room. I just feel it’s disrespectful and the fact that I have made it known multiple times and he keeps doing this hurts me. Do all men go this? Is this just what I should expect to be the new norm when dating??

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Patreon Official Subreddit Series Wiki Royal Road
About half of the student body was blinded by the sudden and intense flash of light that blanketed the room.
The other half seemed to have reacted in time to shield themselves from that unexpected assault on the senses.
I was part of that latter half.
And what I saw during those precious few seconds of visual overstimulation was nothing short of remarkable.
The walls that had resembled Mal’tory’s dark and dreary office quaked and quivered in place, as if the whole room was a living organism, and we were somehow nestled within its guts.
Each of the ornate wooden panels began dislodging from one another, their formerly flush surfaces cracking, revealing seams where there had been none before. These seams too began expanding, as each of the panels started wobbling, wiggling, then eventually disconnecting from one another entirely; moving independently of one another as if freeing themselves from a long-dormant state.
For a moment, they looked almost like a reptile’s scales when put under magnification.
Then, and without any warning, they began disappearing, each panel violently pulled back and into some dark anomalous void that existed behind the walls themselves; sending the EVI into another fit of spatial error reports.
We were, for a split second, completely wall-less. But not a second after the old walls had been… for lack of a better term — banished to the literal shadow realm, did a set of new walls suddenly take their place.
And quite dramatically too.
As an entirely new wallface suddenly emerged darkness of the void, one that was earthy in tones, and reminded me more of those old teakwood heritage buildings back on Earth. There were fewer embellishments to them compared to the previous Victorian-styled walls, less patterns and ostentatious designs, instead simply going with this less is more approach that left vast empty gaps where decorations and patterns were previously present. It was almost as if they were left empty and bare for a reason.
ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 475% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
Out of nowhere, dozens of pots, planters, and trellises suddenly embedded themselves through the wall, decorating what was no longer a blank canvas.
Plantlife soon followed this open invitation for a free home, as hundreds of flowers bloomed all across the wall, carefully trimmed and perfectly appointed to the lattice structures they coiled on, with not a single one of them looking too wild or out of place.
The sudden and abrupt remodeling completely threw me off.
At least, until the source of it all suddenly made themselves known.
“Welcome, first years, to Mana-field perception and Light Magic theory.” The voice continued, as through the literal haze of change came a female figure that the EVI had little problem assigning a name and identifier to.
ENTITY IFF CONFIRMED: A109 Apprentice Larial Essen - NEXUS [CORDIAL]
Yet strangely, the metallic footsteps that I’d heard just before she crossed the staff door’s threshold didn’t seem to follow her. Instead, only the apprentice emerged from the door behind the lectern.
She continued towards the lectern with a forced and somewhat stiff poise and gait, her general demeanor identical to how she carried herself prior to the whole crate saga. Which was of course, stern, tired, and completely unyielding; a fact supported by the impeccable posture she used to walk into class.
Though the class’ focus certainly wasn’t on her demeanor, or her posture, nor even on the room that had completely morphed into a completely different space.
No.
It was instead almost squarely focused on the apprentice’s cloak, which was most certainly not black.
This prompted the entire room to erupt into a frenzy of whispers, tempered only by those daring enough to deploy privacy screens.
But before those antics could evolve any further, and before my mind could even catch up with this turn of events, a loud, high-pitched, and unbroken — SHUSH — erupted from the front of the class. Emerging from a certain gorn-like lizard, who’d stood up to face us rather than the apprentice currently manning her podium. “ALL STUDENTS RISE!” He commanded.
To which the entire class followed, with the only two tentative parties being myself and a certain bull.
“ALL STUDENTS FORWARD AND BOW!” He continued, prompting the whole class to follow suit, and from there, receiving a head-tilt’s worth of praise from the apprentice.
“Thank you, Lord Qiv.” The apprentice spoke appreciatively, before setting her sights on the rest of the desks and chairs—
ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 200% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
—which were subsequently transformed into brighter-toned variants of their formerly dark and depressive selves. “I understand that there may be quite a few lingering questions amongst the crowd that quite a few of you wish to be addressed. In the spirit of ensuring that these needless thoughts and senseless rumors do not come to cloud your mind throughout the rest of class, thereby rendering these lessons moot, I wish for them to be addressed here and now.” Larial announced tacitly, but with a severity that was clearly modeled off of her mentor.
The mood of the room quickly changed following that.
But instead of shifting to the deference and submission in Articord’s class, or the tentative acceptance of Vanavan’s class, there was instead an overarching tone of outright confusion.
It was as if the whole class didn’t know how best to handle the situation.
But whilst the rest of the room remained undecided, with a few shaky hands rising up one by one, a sense of relief quickly washed over me as my emotions finally managed to catch up to the rapidly developing turn of events.
I couldn’t help but to immediately activate the in-armor positional readjustment mode in the suit, allowing myself to just… slouch; as I took in the class with a renewed wave of reprieve.
It was that same feeling you get when you arrive on the day of the test, only to find it delayed by a week. Or that feeling you get when a notification arrives in the dead of night, on the eve of a presentation, to inexplicably announce that the whole project was now put on hold due to some unforeseen event.
But unlike those situations where the why of the situation didn’t really matter… here, it most certainly did.
Which prompted me to listen in, as the questions began flying towards the apprentice.
“If I may be the one so brazen as to offer myself as the voice of the year group, Apprentice Essen?” A certain Auris Ping took the lead, having been chosen by the apprentice amidst a sea of equally inquisitive hands.
“The floor is yours, Lord Ping.” The apprentice proclaimed.
“Thank you, Apprentice.” The bull responded curtly, eliciting a particularly intense glare from the likes of Thalmin. “Where is Professor Mal’tory?”
The apprentice’s features shifted somewhat at that question, as if she wasn’t expecting something that blunt and straightforward right out of the gate. “The professor’s whereabouts are the business of the Academy’s faculty and staff.” She spoke firmly, yet with an authority that she was clearly under equipped to wield. “If you wish to inquire as to the nature of this class going forward, I will be more than happy to-”
A series of hands were raised even before the apprentice had even finished her sentence. Which prompted the overworked and exhausted elf to switch over to another student before she even had time to finish her own thoughts. “The floor is yours, Lady Ladona.”
“Thank you, Apprentice. Now, to clarify, are we to expect you to be teaching us for the rest of this class?” The being, which I could only describe as a butterfly with most of their insectoid-traits toned down, asked politely.
“That is correct, Lady Ladona.”
“And is this expected to continue for… the rest of the month?” Ladona continued, her features shifting if only to show her growing sense of confidence.“The semester perhaps? Or maybe even the rest of the school year?” She continued at a rapid-fire pace, making a point to catch the apprentice off-guard before she could even respond to that first point.
“The responsibility of tutelage has been deferred to me on the basis of Professor Mal’tory’s current inability to fulfill this particular aspect of his responsibilities owing to his current engagements. This will remain so, until the Professor returns from said engagements.” The apprentice responded in that same jaded, no-nonsense tone of voice she’d used during our pre-life debt interactions.
It was, however, woefully inadequate in dealing with the likes of a vicious social predator like Ladona, who immediately waded through the tepid waters towards the first sign of weakness. “So when can we expect his return, Apprentice?” She pushed further, her polite tone of voice acting like a velvet cloth, barely concealing the sharp mandibles beneath it.
“That is something I cannot answer.” The apprentice replied sternly, taking a stand against the shark that had now tasted blood in the water.
“Is this because of a lack of correspondence to the faculty?” The butterfly-person shot back quickly with an innocent cock of her head, her antennae swaying as she did so.
“I am not at a privilege to divulge such details, and that is most certainly not the case, Lady Ladona.”
“My apologies, Apprentice.” Ladona spoke in a calculated show of apologetics. “In any case, am I to assume then that in addition to the responsibility of tutelage, that the responsibilities of proctorship, examination, and evaluation, have likewise been deferred to you?” She shifted gears once more, this time, her question garnered quite a few murmurs to emerge from the rest of the class.
Murmurs which, as the EVI’s little picture-in-picture subtitles hinted at, were all in support of Auris Ping’s right-hand.
“That’s right… are we to assume that an apprentice of all people will be responsible for the evaluation of our performance?”
“I mean, she is an elf, that should count for something right-”
“Have some dignity! Just because she’s an elf, doesn’t mean she has any right to be dictating the fate of our academic progress!”
“That’s right! This is an insult to our titles! How dare they relegate the tutelage of a class to a mere pitiable apprentice! What do they take us for, the dregs of society?”
These hot-takes continued escalating further and further, until finally, and seemingly out of nowhere, several of those voices began dying down seemingly mid-sentence; something had distracted them from their little outbursts.
In fact, as the seconds ticked by, Thacea, Thalmin, and Ilunor turned towards each other knowingly, as if sensing that something was amiss.
That something was soon made clear to me by a sudden uptick of mana that rose from two, to three, to four hundred percent above background radiation.
At which point, several warnings suddenly slammed my HUD.
ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 400% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
CAUTION: Concentrated Heat-Energy Surge Detected!
CAUTION: Localized Temperature Surge Detected!
Those caution reticles quickly formed just behind the apprentice, hovering ominously over that void-filled doorway, right before a stream of concentrated flames surged forwards towards her.
However, instead of dodging, ducking, or leaping out of the way, she stood firm; her features not even shifting even a little.
As right before the flames made contact, so too did they suddenly stop, as that surge of mana radiation fluctuated wildly—
ALERT: VARIABLE FREQUENCY FLUCTUATION OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED 200 - 400% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
—before suddenly disappearing.
The room was left stunned.
Any remaining conversations were halted mid way, with many of the more chatty students barely even registering what’d just happened.
So for those who lacked situational awareness, and were still very much looking around for the reason why the rest of the class had gone silent, there was a round two to these attacks that erupted as suddenly as the first.
ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 650% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
This was signaled at first by the cracking of rock and the quaking of the entire room, followed closely by four distinct sinkholes forming along the floor at the very front of the lecture hall. A gurgling, churning noise echoed ominously from deep within the newly-formed holes, like an ancient concrete mixer dialed up to eleven.
Eventually, it stopped.
And soon after, four humanoid earthen behemoths erupted from those sinkholes. Each of them easily towered over the apprentice, whilst each of their fists were at least a full Ilunor in size.
A tense confrontation followed, and a silence that could be shattered by a pin drop soon descended upon the formerly whisper-filled room.
Yet despite it all, the apprentice didn’t move a single muscle, and to top it all off her eyes were closed shut as if in deep thought.
Seconds passed.
Then finally, the four cobblestone golems made their move.
All four moved in sync, their first steps caused the whole hall to shudder, prompting me to instinctively flinch towards my sidearm as the events of the second day hit me harder than a sack of bricks.
The first golem was poised to strike her side—
ALERT: VARIABLE FREQUENCY FLUCTUATION OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED 300 - 650% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
—but found itself crumbling before our eyes, as local mana radiation spiked and shifted erratically.
The second golem reached down with its fist, poised to grab the apprentice through the lectern—
ALERT: VARIABLE FREQUENCY FLUCTUATION OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED 250 - 700% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
—but like the first, it found itself reduced to rubble, falling where it stood; as rock by rock, it collapsed under its own weight.
The third and fourth golems charged forward together, lunging down fast towards the lectern—
ALERT: VARIABLE FREQUENCY FLUCTUATION OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED 350 - 725% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
—but like the first and second, they too found themselves victims to the great equalizer that was gravity, as whatever magical glue was holding them together just up and failed, reducing those humanoid forms into harmless piles of rock.
A few stray rocks did reach the lectern, but were effortlessly swatted away by an invisible barrier, leaving the apprentice and her immediate surroundings completely unharmed.
Silence once more descended on the entire class.
But just like the silence from before, that lull period wasn’t destined to last, as a loud, boisterous, and jolly series of bellowing laughs emerged from behind the void of that door.
I could tell, with immediate certainty, who that voice belonged to.
I didn’t even need the EVI’s tag system for this one.
ENTITY IFF CONFIRMED: A110 Professor Sorecar Latil Almont Pliska - NEXUS [CORDIAL]
“Spectacular work, young apprentice! Spectacular work indeed!” The man came marching through the door, walking up and towards the apprentice.
“Thank you, Professor-Armorer Pliska.” The apprentice responded softly, prompting the armorer to reply with a sharp and brisk bow of his own.
“You can reserve your thanks for after class, I have plenty more exercises where that came from, and each and every one is going to be tougher than the last!” The man proclaimed not-so-discreetly, eliciting a worried expression to form on the apprentice’s face, highlighting the seriousness of the otherwise lackadaisical tone of his voice. “Needless to say, I don’t think you’ll be thanking me much after I’m done with you! The Academy’s gotten a bit softer over the years, and I’m about to make up for lost time before they toss old-Sorecar Latil Almont Pliska back into the workshop!” He paused, before shifting his tone towards a more menacing one. “And that applies to your understudies as well, Apprentice.”
“Now!” The armorer quickly shifted his attention from the apprentice, and towards class, his gesticulations wild, as if making for the apprentice’s slower, more sluggish demeanor. More specifically, he maintained this sort of “Y” posture, with both arms high above his head as he spoke. “For those of you wondering exactly what just happened… well, perhaps it would be best for you to leave the class considering this is exactly the sort of thing we’ll both be expecting of you following the conclusion of this school year! And for those of you who openly doubt the qualifications of our dear apprentice here… just know that she was hand-picked by Professor Mal’tory himself for a reason.” The man paused, before bringing his arms back down to his sides, if only to emphasize his point, before resuming the posture from before. “And until I see a single one of you being personally selected by a black, red, blue, or white-robed professor… I don’t want to hear a single peep of doubt from you lot. At least as it pertains to the apprentice’s ability to teach these classes! And if you need an extra guarantee of such? Well… know that the Academy does not allow an apprentice to teach without supervision from an appointed Professor of the Magical Arts.” He paused, as if for dramatic effect, before pointing both hands down towards himself. “Which just so happens to be the only Professor otherwise free from the burdens of stringent schedules — yours truly!”
To Sorecar’s credit, the murmurs born of inflated egos, and the whispers of dissidence did not once dare to interrupt, or follow-up on the man’s proclamations.
If anything, that entire… display was enough to keep the critics at bay, and the ones on the fence to fully hop back on the side of respect.
At least, until one group decided to tempt fate, deploying a privacy screen.
ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 350% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
If only for that privacy screen to suffer the same effects as the rest of the spells casted throughout class thus far.
ALERT: VARIABLE FREQUENCY FLUCTUATION OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED 100 - 350% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS
“Bold! Brash! And indeed, cheeky, if that word still holds true in this era’s vernacular!” Sorecar announced with a laugh that radiated deep from within his armor. “Unlike other classes that prohibit the casting of magic save for practice or demonstrative purposes, I fully allow it, nay, I say, I encourage it! You youths should be free to cast magic whenever and however you like!” The man paused soon after, and once again shifted gears towards a more severe timbre, yet never once losing that lackadaisical personality I knew him for. “But just remember, while you may freely practice these magical gifts you have and hold so highly, doing such in this class is to be considered a direct challenge by yours truly! This is the study of Light Magic and Mana-field Perception, after all! And thus, in the spirit of scholarly competition, I shall take every spell cast as a chance to prove what’s what!”
The man paused, before gesturing towards the apprentice. “Now, for those of you still quite confused with the definition of Light Magic as it pertains to the Nexian vernacular, I shall defer the right of tutelage back to that of our dear Apprentice. The floor is yours, my lady.”
A brief exchange of bows between the teaching duo was had, before the apprentice finally started, now with all doubts and concerns fully addressed not just by words alone, but through action as well.
“As all of you may have already discerned, the demonstration Professor Pliska had so graciously provided, was an attempt to illustrate the most visible effects of Light Magic — that being the detection and subsequent dispelling of active and pre-active spells. The subject of Light magic, thus refers to the study of the detection, dispelling, counterspelling, and disarming of all forms of other magics.”
“And by that definition, it is the single most combative field of magic there is.” Sorecar promptly chimed in with a nod towards the apprentice, almost like he was tag-teaming this opening statement with her; establishing a precedent for the dynamics of the class. “For in order to practice Light Magic, one must be in the presence of an active spell. And in order to truly practice Light Magic, one must be in the presence of active danger, as unlike most forms of magic, unevenness and intensity in casting is key to the successful destabilization of an offending spell.”
“So THAT’S what the fluctuations were.” I thought to myself outloud inside my helmet.
“Moreover—” Sorecar continued, raising his arms into the air once again as if to emphasize his points. “—to the seasoned and the wise, Light Magic as a field is known to be the single most versatile field in existence. For if implemented correctly, it has the capacity to bring all other forms of magic to its knees.”
“Versatility and adaptability are core elements of Light Magic, so while not capable of much harm by itself, it is capable of incredible feats of defense if used correctly.”
To say that I was pleasantly surprised would’ve been an understatement by this point. Because not only was Mal’tory completely out for the count, and not only was he replaced by two of my only cordial relations within the Academy thus far, but the class itself was refreshingly straightforward. There was no mincing around words like Vanavan’s class of lectures, there was also no overt signs of blatant propaganda and indoctrination like in Articord’s class. Instead, this whole class started out with a practical demo of all things, followed up essentially with a breakdown of exactly what we were studying.
“What you observed during the start of class, were just two out of a near-infinite set of examples demonstrating counterspell and dispelling measures, a rather dramatic one I might add but one that you may very well one day use.” The apprentice continued following yet another exchange of nods with Sorecar.
“And indeed, while they may have seemed trivial to the keen-eyed observer, the execution of their dispelling is anything but. Because despite what most misinformed minds may believe regarding counterspelling — dispelling isn’t simply a matter of overpowering an offending spell with a burst of mana, but instead, more akin to the unwinding of a knot, or the picking of a lock. You must act to untangle a spell, until the spell itself falls apart at the seams.” Sorecar continued, before once again swapping the baton with Larial through an exchange of nods.
“Which is exactly why Light Magic continues to be a field forever expanding in its domain.” The apprentice continued. “Because as every other field develops more and more convoluted forms of spells and artificing, so too does Light Magic have to adapt, improvise, and overcome these advanced and oftentimes eclectic means of casting.”
So an arms race… I thought to myself.
“It is, in essence, a pure magic field. Yet it is applied as if it were an applied magical field of study.” Sorecar surmised, prompting me to actually listen in with genuine intent, this marking the first moment I was truly engaged with a class with none of its politics.
“And as for the Mana-Field Perception class?” The apprentice continued with an inquisitive tone of voice. “It’s effectively an extension, or rather, a foundational element of Light Magic depending on how one wishes to view it. Because in order to become proficient in Light Magic, you have to first understand and hone your abilities in order to detect the nuances within mana-streams and mana-fields. It is only through the detection of disruptions and the accurate understanding of a spell being cast, that you are able to apply more advanced abjurations in an attempt to counter these spells. Sometimes even before they’re cast if you’re so inclined to.”
“Now, how many of you can genuinely say you noticed the shift in the room’s aura prior to the casting of that Firestream?” Sorecar asked the crowd, prompting almost every hand to be raised.
“Well that’s just a blatant lie now, isn’t it?” The man retorted bluntly. “I can tell by your reactions just before the Flamespear hit, you know. So please, honestly now, I’m giving you one more chance to answer.”
About three quarters of the class lowered their hands, leaving only the gang, Auris Ping and Qiv’s group, as well as a few other scattered students to maintain their raised hands.
“Alright, that’s about exactly the number I counted from behind the veil! Rightio then!” Sorecar proclaimed through what I could only imagine would’ve been a grin if it wasn’t for his armor. “This is exactly why mana-field perception is necessary. Because to most mages, it is a learned skill rather than an inherent trait. Which, of course, is by no means a demerit! But moreso, a wonderful little oddity in the grander tapestry that is the magical arts and pedagogue!”
The apprentice quickly followed that up with a series of talks once more summarizing the expectations of the class. Mana-field perception was, unsurprisingly, divided into practical and theoretical assessments. Which, at first, seemed to be a potential roadblock, until I realized one fundamental way this class could actually benefit my aims.
“EVI?” I spoke inwardly, as Larial started her lectures on mana-field perception.
“Yes, Cadet Booker?”
“Is there any chance you can maybe interpolate and extrapolate on the Apprentice’s points? As in, is it possible to… visualize magic, as opposed to just alerting me to bursts of it?”
“The mana-radiation visualization project, or MRVP, has been in development for some time, Cadet Booker. The research and development teams however, were unable to create a reliable model for field-use that wouldn’t have been a liability to operations.”
“So it wasn’t field-deployable because of the variance and accuracy issue.”
“Correct, Cadet Booker.”
“Alright, and you said all they needed was more data to create a better model for it, right?”
“Correct, Cadet Booker.”
“Could you… do that with this? Is that within your mission parameters to do so?”
“It is indeed one of the many ongoing projects taking up the bulk of my processing capacity, Cadet Booker. However, proper implementation of this will require additional hardware to be developed, tested, and then field-deployed for testing. The success rate of which is yet to be determined. I cannot guarantee this operation will yield the desired results inferred, Cadet Booker.”
“Alright, that’s good enough for me.” I acknowledged, before turning back to class with a renewed sense of invigoration.
The lecture continued, only stopping about midway as the apprentice realized she’d yet to elaborate on the whole Light Magic class side of things.
Which, it turns out, was more or less similar to Mana-field perception in its assessment criteria — that being a mix of practical and theory assessments. A combination of written exams and practical counterspelling would be expected in tests, midterms, and finals. This would mark my first true hurdle… but then again, perhaps I could balance out the rest of my grades against the practicals which was more or less an impossibility given my obvious human limitations…
“As with most of the classes in the first year, I will treat both periods as one. As both subjects are intertwined, we may see glimpses of both within the same period.” The apprentice continued, before shifting gears towards something else. “And on the topic of periods, since we’re nearing the conclusion of the first, with lunch quickly coming upon us, I believe it to be necessary to inform everyone now of what awaits at the end of this second period.” The apprentice spoke ominously, as she made the effort of meeting every one of the students’ gazes. “By day’s end, I intend for a pair of you to perform a practical demonstration of the fundamentals of light magic. So I expect everyone to pay close attention after lunch.”
A small pause punctuated the room yet again, before Sorecar, after several hours of silence, came to complete the apprentice’s thoughts; his faceplate squeaked to form a shape that just barely gave off the feeling of a smirk.
“Be prepared, and be ready, for your first real brush with magical dueling.”
“First being the operative word here, I must add.” The apprentice quickly clarified. “Within the bounds of demonstrative purposes.”
I could just about hear the band rounding out the corner outside the hall, and I could just about see a few students ready to pack up their things for lunch.
However, before the band could arrive, Thalmin unexpectedly stood up, raising his hand in the process.
“Yes, Prince Thalmin Havenbrock?” The apprentice acknowledged.
“I wish to volunteer as the issuer of this duel, and to designate the other party for this duel as well.”
The apprentice paused, considering this carefully, before nodding. “Granted, though I warn you Prince Havenbrock, this is an introductory demonstration, and will be treated as such. In any case, who would you wish to designate as the other party?”
“Lord Auris Ping.”
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(Author’s Note: And there we have it! Light Magic Theory and Manafield Perception classes are both now in session! This is probably the most fun and engaging class I've written yet, and this is a sentiment that Emma shares as well! I do hope you guys share the sentiment haha as I still think that action is something I still am quite lacking in, in terms of my abilities to properly write and convey it. I hope you guys enjoy! :D The next Two Chapters are already up on Patreon if you guys are interested in getting early access to future chapters!)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 80 and Chapter 81 of this story is already out on there!)]

I wanted to share this for the ones who are holding on by a thread or wishing for the light at the end of the tunnel.
In May 2021, I was 11 months pregnant and I had asked my husband (now ex) if we would celebrate this mother’s day. He said we could wait to “do it big” when she got here.
My daughter arrived safely and healthily. My marriage did not make it.
May 2022, my daughter was 11 mos old and I was in the midst of a high conflict divorce. 31 years old, was married for 7 years, dated and known him since I was 16. How did I get here? I spent my first real mother’s day buying flowers, thai food, cuddling my daughter in our new home in a new town as she napped, and I cried.
May 2023 was similar and a little better emotionally.
Now May 2024 Mother’s Day weekend. I’m in bed letting my girl wake up on her own as I scroll reddit or social media. It will be rainy here in DFW, and I still plan on going out to eat with her. Maybe some shopping haha. Yesterday, we did mommy and me photos in a wildflower field. The photographer showed us the raw footage and I’m going to buy them all because they’re that stunning. We look relaxed, happy, and full of love. The solo pics of my daughter holding a bunch of flowers… those photos represent her budding personality, bits of me and my parenting. She took my breath away.
After the photoshoot, we went to dinner and got ice cream. People were so lovely to us even in ordinary circumstances. Even though we waited in line for 20 mins for ice cream My almost 3yo was dancing and wiggling in her seat because the food tasted great to her and she was in a happy mood. I’ve replayed that iphone recording I got of her dancing at least 50x since last night.
I’ve been on a consistent health/weight loss journey since January, making better money moves, and the healthiest and happiest I’ve been in a long time. I am open and emotionally ready to be vulnerable for intentional dating. I am at the place I feel I’m doing the best I can in life, and hopeful for the next big chapters.
Motherhood (and single parenting) is challenging. The heartbreak and grief can get easier, healthier if we let it. Let the feelings be felt, work on ourselves so we dont inflict the pain/habits onto innocent people (my daughter and loved ones), learn to enjoy or endure the present moment, and just cling onto a mnatra, a picture or vision to what will get you through.
For me, it was “this wont last forever” and “i am hopeful I still have my best days ahead of me”
I have my days and moments but these past three years, I’ve worked on myself slowly and kept moving forward hanging onto my hopes and dreams. Fueled of course by coffee and the love/joy my daughter brings. But my third mother’s day as a single mom, this has been the most peaceful and love-filled yet. I wouldn’t have believed you two years ago or a year ago. But now I’m living a little of what I desperately wished for back then.
Thinking of all you/us today. ❤️

Click here for pictures of Freeway and Francisco!
Click here for more information about adoption and other ways to help!
Click here for a link to The Cat Cove’s main website.
Freeway is a little over two years old. He’s a Big boy that was Found on the 710 freeway, with a broken tail. Super fun, playful, snack master. Loves toys and playing hard with Fransisco. Because of his tail he has a hard time with hard scratches in his back or being picked up. He can be a little jumpy with loud noises and heavy steps.
Fransisco is a Lynx Point. Polydactyl. Born March 2023. Found in an alley at 4 months old. He’s Mischievous, a wiggle worm who really loves pets when he is sleeping otherwise he is on the go. Constantly playing with one of two toys. A pink spring toy or a blue spring toy. He too loves wand toys specifically if they have feathers He’s super goofy and full of love.
Both Freeway and Fransisco are super Curious and completely entertained by each other, although sometimes Freeway just wants to chill while the wild child is going richter in zoomie mode. These boys need to be adopted together.

I'm 33 years old, married with a blended family of five kids. I'm looking for a friend to talk through text/Snapchat.
I'm exhausted. I'm ready to be done developing a connection; I'd rather jump right to sending a picture of my left butt cheek to say good morning because it's fucking hilarious.
We will get along, and probably become best friends if we connect in these areas: sports, world events, lovely green trees, boobs, music/movies, video games (PS5, not much of a player these days but currently into Helldivers 2), stereotype-oriented jokes, and sarcasm.
We will not connect whatsoever if these are your defining joys: anime, outdoors, traveling, country music, and Star Wars.
Please only message if you're determined to get through the basics.. otherwise, what the hell is the point?
My wife is my best friend numero uno, but second is open!
Only preference is someone over 25; other than that, let's wiggle.

So I just got into this whole FemPrimarchs and their Chosen lovers (male or female or purposefully ambiguous). I want to preface this now: I write and present my interpretations and ideas on what The Chosen is all about. Most of this is based on the existing "lore" generously generated by those involved. Big thanks to the creative mind behind the idea, @Sweet_older-Sister, with her Primarch Girlfriend templates, and everyone else coming up with the nicknames of the semi-mysterious Chosen lovers. I believe they are all men or some male persuasion, at the very least. But I digress.
This is all based on the idea that while yes, The Emperor in this scenario was convinced to make them all male, Malcador believed they still needed foils of their own to keep them stable and a means to control them if they could not. That is where The Chosen comes in. Each is a composite human, a homunculus using the DNA of their paired primarchs and other donors. I cannot say how or if the Emperor knew of this or if Malcador ever told his friend. Again, all interpretations and opinions, so please bear with me. How the Chosen and their Primarchs met is both different and a mystery, but they do meet eventually, and it was by design. Mostly, anyhow. Each one has their nickname from their respective spouse, so for clarity, I will refer to The Chosen by their primarchs first, and I believe their original purpose was for each primarch woman. Please have a read, and tell me what you all think! ((Note: there ARE the two missing primarchs we know existed, but given their fates, it is fair to say their Chosen may have fallen the same way.)
The Chosen by Primarch Legion order Lion El'Jonson—The Chosen of The Lioness exudes an aura of trustworthiness and determination. They are receptive like all Chosen, but much more so to understand the whims and wants of their mistress. Where she keeps secrets, they can find them and know how to eek them out from her tough shell. Their purpose was to keep The Lioness honest with someone who could understand their reasoning without fear. Thus, they are the bravest of the Chosen, comparatively speaking.
Fulgrim - They are untapped potential given form: always learning, improving, and challenging their Phoenician goddess. Interestingly, they are plain and unremarkable, but Fulgrim can and does see the endless possibilities with them. Unlike Fulgrim, they are slow and steady in their improvements and know how to step back from obsession. They are meant to remind Fulgrim that "a flawed gem is more perfect than a hand-cut emerald." They were meant to keep Fulgrim's obsessive and compulsive drive to improve and perfect within more reasonable parameters. Easier said than done...
Perturabo - The Chosen of the Lord of Iron. Similar to Perturabo, they also exhibit aspects of being "different" but are far more patient with their mistresses' quirks and outbursts. They are the ones who cheer and compliment their lord when they feel like no one notices or cares. More importantly, besides being avid inventors and architects, this Chosen is the first to ask Perurabo if they are okay. They are the ones that look for the hidden flaws and cracks that would threaten their lord in any way and quickly address their primarch about it. Whether Peteruabo listens and acknowledges these criticisms is a different matter.
Jaghatai Khan - The Chosen of the Great Khan is the wind at her back, the falcon that flies by her side, always. Much like the Khan, the Chosen of the Great Khan is independent. While they are not inhumanly fast, they can keep up with their primarch in other ways. More than that, they always seemed to be around when she needed their presence or comfort the most, as if their speed moved faster than the thought came. Jaghatai and her Chosen have an "open relationship" and do not restrict one another, but both are there when they need each other the most. Their purpose is to support without slowing down the primarch of the White Scars.
Leman Russ - Leman Russ, the She-Wolf, is what you'd expect. The Chosen of Leman and the Vulka Fenrika is to her as Ullr was to Odin: the silent but competent reagent to the Executioner. They act and fight as all the space marines of the Space Wolves do, and because of it, She and her sons see them as fellow members, regardless of their size. After all, this Chosen CAN fight an astartes, surprisingly. The Chosen refuses to be ascended into a full Astartes, however (as all Chosen seem to share), and prefers to fight as they are. Their purpose is to solidify the Wolf's loyalty while remaining loyal to Leman and her alone. They are often trusted with hidden secrets and critical roles and are believed to be the hidden reagent when Leman is away from Fenris proper.
Rogal Dorn - Chosen of the Praetorian of Terra, and similar to the Chosen of Peturabo, they are the small right hand to Dorn. Their purpose was to help Dorn navigate the interpretation of the social aspect and maintain the "human" aspect and quality in their primarch's great work. They are the only two, short of Magnus and their Chosen's telepathy, who can converse without words but actions. They are also the only ones among the Imperial Fists' legion that can see the hidden rage of their primarch from a mile away, and their constructive criticisms, while rare, are studied and accepted by Dorn often.
Konrad Kurze - Chosen of the Night Haunter. Somehow, Malcador seemed to know of Kurze's fate because how else can someone so human, kind, and empathetic to both mercy and justice survive and stand Konrad for so long? Their purpose was to keep Konrad from going too far by providing the viscous daughter of Nostromo an outlet for her ravings and an advisor for sure... methods of meting justice. There is only so much the Chosen can do when their paired primarch is both mentally unstable and plagued by horrific visions of the future. At best, this poor Chosen's greatest strength was to protect his mistress from herself, but you can only slow down an endless descent for so long...
Sanguinius - "A match made in heaven," one may say. This Chosen is both loved and beloved almost as much as Sanguinius herself in life. Her sons see them as their fraternal figure, and the people of Baal see them as either a saint or even an avatar of the Blood Angel and never fail to bring a smile to the primarch maiden's face. That said, there is... a secret design to their biology. Should Sanguinius go too far and drink the blood of her lover, the blood will react and kill Sanguinius within minutes. Otherwise, the Chosen helps and acts as a support fighter, aiding and abetting the rage and blood lust that hides just under the surface of their mistress.
Ferrus Manus - The Chosen of the Gorgon of Medusa reminds Ferrus that "the flesh is weak, but deeds are forever." This Chosen is an overachiever and often challenges his primarch. Not to belittle or doubt her position but to continuously improve where she would otherwise think is either perfect or pointless in addressing. Interestingly, they are more merciful than their primarch and are often the first to be approached by non-astartes humans with tasks and requests. More than that, the Chosen is the linchpin that holds the armor of Ferrus well together. But what happens to a linchpin when the armor breaks elsewhere...?
Angron - The Chosen of the Red Angel was, initially, an "auxiliary battery" for Angron and her empathetic psyker powers. But because of Angron's butcher's nails implantations, they have had to work overtime to keep Angron coherent. That said, their body was made to allow instantaneous reflexes and timing. While not as fast as Angron in a full sprint or spree of combat, the Chosen of Angron is a master reader of intentions and emotions on a surface level. They were meant for a different kind of Angron but became more for their mistress' current condition. They are the calm waters that bring the burning blade that is the primarch of the World Eaters to a tempered state.
Roboute Guilliman - The Chosen of the Avenging Daughter is one step below their mistress' analytical and learning capabilities but makes up for it by being the most trusted advisor, friend, and single lover to the Mother of Ultramar. Where Roboute can see the bigger picture but misses more minor details, her Chosen is the opposite and covers her weak points. But even without all of these things, there is one thing that Roboute loves about their Chosen more than anything else: they can make her laugh and still find her jokes funny.
Mortarion—The Chosen of Mortraion foils her unrelenting, unbearable stubbornness. Their patience and persistence in outwaiting her bouts of petulance are legendary. This patience also helps Mortarion vent her frustrations with someone she can trust. This Chosen is unique in that they are not a psyker... instead, they are an Untouchable. A psychic null whose wrongness is an unbearable stench (no, not Yurgen, please and thank you). Despite this opposing disposition, Mortarion is too stubborn to let it bother her, or the Chosen's null nature is too small to be registered by her. This Chosen fostered a love for gardening instead of destroying, granting The Pale Queen a positive outlet. They were also a doctor when not with Mortraion but had to work through machines as they were still null, so normal humans could not stand to be near them for too long.
Magnus the Red - The Chosen of the Sorceress of Prospero is the cautious wisdom to Magnus' reckless intelligence. They are active psyker and have learned much with and by Magnus herself. They are the hand that pulls an eager primarch away from the edge when sensing danger but also enjoys their mistress' pursuit of knowledge. Much like Magnus, the Chosen loves and cares for their stepson. They may know more about what IS in the Warp than they let on.
Horus Lupercal - The First of the Chosen and the first to meet their primarch. However, they were already aware of their true purpose and nature, as Malcador revealed to them. They were with Horus the longest and, much like Horus, was well-liked and respected by the other Chosen. They also saw the cracks forming, with the Emperor's expectations being piled onto Horus, and they did their best to alleviate their worries. Most of all, they brought out the best of Horus, her sons, and those around him. They were the corona to Horus' rising sun... but just as they were the first to be born and the first to be enlightened, they were the first of the Chosen to die. Without Horus' Chosen, her descent into madness quickened.
Lorgar Aurelian - The Chosen of the Urizen, the “little light” as they were affectionally called in life. A scholar by profession, the Chosen of the primarch of the word bearers was both faithful and logical. Two contradictions that seemed to defy expectations in their cohesion. They were faithful but more so to Lorgar, but they were logical so as to not be blinded by their own faith, or the faith of others. With this super human sense of reasoning, this Chosen could denounce those who sought to twist faith into cruelty, while avoiding offense at the same time. Their purpose was to keep Lorgar’s charisma anchored so as to not fall into the pitfall of zealotry. Unfortunately that zealtroy was refocused from faith and onto the love and well being of the purest source of comfort she ever had, or would ever had. But like any small and persistent light, this Chosen of was not so easily snuffed out.
Vulkan - The Chosen of the Forge Master is the persistent flame that burns even in the most dire circumstances. They are the firm heft to Vulkan's hammerhead, always steadfast and never faltering. They assist the Mother of the Salamanders by reminding her that, while there are good reasons to die for, there are other reasons to live for. For Vulkan, she chose to live for her Chosen as a result, tempering her overly selfless acts of sacrifice. Much like their primarch this Chosen is a master smith, but creates toys for children and leaves surprise baubles and trinkets for Vulkan. She calls it her 'hoard' as a joke to her namesake, The Salamander. Their true nature is that they, like Vulkan, are a perpetual. When they die, they will reconstitute at the cellular level and when and where Vulkan needs them the most. After the Horus Heresy, the Chosen of Vulkan reformed before a vault containing the artifacts of Vulkan herself. They act as the stoic, unmoving guard of their mistress primarch's weapons and tools until she sees fit to return and relieve them of their duty.
Corvus Corax - The Chosen of the hero of Deliverance is the unseen personal spy of the Raven Lord. They practically live within her shadow, often coming out from around corners and doorways that were either empty or locked, respectively, and previously. Besides being Corax's confidant, the Chosen is also the auxiliary eyes and ears that monitor unseen and unheard. More so, they were meant to monitor Corvus, her loyalties, and her well-being and act as the safety line that keeps her from becoming too aloof. Both, however, share their disdain for tyranny and their desire to liberate the downtrodden and oppressed, with the Chosen working so far as to preemptively sabotage enemy nerve centers and critical structures. While they lack the power of wraith slip, they have the passive power to appear as if they belong where they usually would not. Perhaps they are your neighbor walking down the street? Or the nobleman among the ball meandering to an unseen area. Whatever they could be, they are what Corax needs to be: her reliable shadow to her dark life.
Alpharius/Omegon - The Chosen of the Hydra is a peculiar one. More so than any other Chosen, they are the puzzle box that keeps Alpharius and Omegon interested and preoccupied. No matter the mystery, the puzzles, or the hidden plots that are among them, the Chosen of A/O are deviously cunning and receptive. So much so that they figured out their nature far before Malcador revealed it to Horus' Chosen. They like to play their little games with their dual mistresses, with the latter attempting to pretend to be the other and the former trying to figure out who is who. More importantly, their purpose was to keep A/O honest and sincere, at least for the most part. They need to find out where this Chosen is, who they are now, and what they are doing. Some claim they still serve the Hydra to this day. Others think they are dead, and those who claim they ARE this Chosen are either lying or brainwashed to throw off any pursuers of A/O's Chosen. Perhaps no one will ever know, and those who did are either dead or missing.