Psp 5.50 prom
Dealing with a scummy box-store Electrician company
2024.05.13 19:30 mentorofminos Dealing with a scummy box-store Electrician company
So I'm going to avoid naming the name of the company because I'm currently in a dispute with them. I've posted here before about a proposed $27,731.60 "service replacement" charge that this company suggested after telling me that my smoke alarm system had died and that it was due to "corroded electrical supply that was past its serviceable lifespan".
I'm happy to report that I did not acquiesce to any such outlandish charge and instead got the opinions of three different qualified electricians from the area. The most I was quoted was $2,300, i.e. 1/10 of the proposed cost, to change out the circuit breaker panel, but the other 2 electricians said they didn't think there was anything the matter with my electrical supply and that there was no corrosion on the buses and everything was wired neat and tidy.
The rage I feel. Ohhhh the rage.
So then I found out that the smoke alarms they charged me $2,700 to install a year or so ago were actually $119 Kidde brand combo smoke/CO alarms with wireless interconnect. Those detectors come, by default, with a 10-year sealed battery, bear that in mind. In other words, they come factory direct that way at the $119 price point. The number they installed even with labor at $115/hour shouldn't have come to more than $1k, so being charged nearly $3k raised my alarm bells. I dug into it further and got a detailed invoice from the company and yup, they gouged me.
They charged the following:
6 counts of "wireless combination smoke/co detector" at $228.60/count = $1,371.60 3 counts of "install a wireless battery operated smoke and CO detector" at $178.20 per = $534.60 9 counts of "add 10 year sealed battery to detector" at $52/count = $468 (!!!!!!!!) Heat detector units at $166.50/count for 2 counts = $333
Total of $2,707.20
Those heat detectors by the way cost even less than the smokes because they don't have voice command or wireless operation, they're just hard wired heat detectors.
I was OUTRAGED that they were literally charging me $468 to "add a battery" when the battery comes with the unit straight out of the box and requires no additional assembly or work. Disgusting price gouging.
Fortunately, there was a "service satisfaction guarantee" clause and you bet your 3rd point of contact that I invoked that! So I did get the money back for the smokes, every penny of it.
The company is now, however, jerking me around about a $468 charge (different from the one in the invoice) for one of their electricians to come to my home and try to "fix" my smoke alarm system. But it wasn't broken. Indeed, all that happened is that one of the units had a fault and just needed to be re-initialized, but it just so happened that the one in question was the "hub" unit that acted as the central connector for all of the others in the wireless grid. So when that faulted, all of the others started chirping and saying "connection lost!" over and over and over again at 1 o'clock in the morning.
The only thing the goofus that they sent out did was just push the silence button, put the alarms back up, and then 15 minutes later when they inevitably unsilenced after the 15 minute hush period and started screaming "connection lost!" again, he tells me that my system is damaged beyond repair because of my outdated electrical supply and I'll need to get the full service updated at which point they can get a warranty replacement on the smoke alarms.
Bruh. -.-
So after he leaves, I call Kidde, the manufacturer, and confirm that in fact all I ACTUALLY have to do is hold the button down on the central unit for about 8 seconds until I get 3 beeps, then hold each of the other units down for about 5 seconds until I get 2 beeps, then hold the central unit down for 5 seconds and get 2 beeps and they alllllll reconnect and reinitialize. Took me less than 5 minutes.
How a licensed electrician working for the company that installed those units didn't do that while at my home for 3.5 hours is beyond me. I have to assume he was intentionally not fixing the units in order to pressure me into a $27,731.60 service agreement. That or he was inept. I don't know which is the more generous thing to assume, frankly.
The same company also installed a whole home surge protector on my circuit breaker. It's internally fused, apparently, so it's patched DIRECTLY into the main breaker, not onto sub breaker. It's a PSP Category 1 Hurricane Surge Protector (model #HC1C100-06N) and I called PSP, the manufacturer, directly to try to get a quote on the price for it, but they tell me they are a factory that sells directly to electricians, so they can't quote me a value. But I'm willing to bet it's substantially less than $1,100.
So my question is this: I know for sure they were taking me for a ride from the beginning because online sources tell me residential whole home surge protectors cost typically between $30 and $150 or so based on the quality and brand. And that installation is usually another $200ish. I'm curious to know: have any of you worked with a PSP Cat-1 Hurricane surge protector? Are they low quality, mid, or high? About what do they charge you as the electrician? About what do you typically charge to install? Bonus points if you're in western Massachusetts or the New England market in general and can quote approximately what it would cost to do this. I'm trying to establish that in all 3 cases this company grossly overcharged me, because I want my money back for any work they did since it has, thus far, all been substandard.
And to clarify, they were not running any new wires for the smoke alarm system or for the surge protector. They used existing breakers and existing wires, so it cannot be the case that they were justifying a higher charge for that reason. They literally put up 9 smoke alarms on existing wires, took them like an hour and a half, so at the $115/hour rate they quote that should have been like $180 of install charges plus maybe a fee for rolling a truck out here and the cost of the units themselves. Something a little over $1k would have made sense. In my defense, it was the middle of the pandemic, I was going through a messy breakup with an ex who cohabitated and co-owned my home at the time, and looking up prices for smoke detectors was not at the top of my priority list at the time of this charge. I guess "caveat emptor" so my fault a bit, but also screw that nonsense, electricians shouldn't be cut-throat bastards, they should quote an honest price for honest work.
submitted by mentorofminos to AskElectricians [link] [comments]
I'm happy to report that I did not acquiesce to any such outlandish charge and instead got the opinions of three different qualified electricians from the area. The most I was quoted was $2,300, i.e. 1/10 of the proposed cost, to change out the circuit breaker panel, but the other 2 electricians said they didn't think there was anything the matter with my electrical supply and that there was no corrosion on the buses and everything was wired neat and tidy.
The rage I feel. Ohhhh the rage.
So then I found out that the smoke alarms they charged me $2,700 to install a year or so ago were actually $119 Kidde brand combo smoke/CO alarms with wireless interconnect. Those detectors come, by default, with a 10-year sealed battery, bear that in mind. In other words, they come factory direct that way at the $119 price point. The number they installed even with labor at $115/hour shouldn't have come to more than $1k, so being charged nearly $3k raised my alarm bells. I dug into it further and got a detailed invoice from the company and yup, they gouged me.
They charged the following:
6 counts of "wireless combination smoke/co detector" at $228.60/count = $1,371.60 3 counts of "install a wireless battery operated smoke and CO detector" at $178.20 per = $534.60 9 counts of "add 10 year sealed battery to detector" at $52/count = $468 (!!!!!!!!) Heat detector units at $166.50/count for 2 counts = $333
Total of $2,707.20
Those heat detectors by the way cost even less than the smokes because they don't have voice command or wireless operation, they're just hard wired heat detectors.
I was OUTRAGED that they were literally charging me $468 to "add a battery" when the battery comes with the unit straight out of the box and requires no additional assembly or work. Disgusting price gouging.
Fortunately, there was a "service satisfaction guarantee" clause and you bet your 3rd point of contact that I invoked that! So I did get the money back for the smokes, every penny of it.
The company is now, however, jerking me around about a $468 charge (different from the one in the invoice) for one of their electricians to come to my home and try to "fix" my smoke alarm system. But it wasn't broken. Indeed, all that happened is that one of the units had a fault and just needed to be re-initialized, but it just so happened that the one in question was the "hub" unit that acted as the central connector for all of the others in the wireless grid. So when that faulted, all of the others started chirping and saying "connection lost!" over and over and over again at 1 o'clock in the morning.
The only thing the goofus that they sent out did was just push the silence button, put the alarms back up, and then 15 minutes later when they inevitably unsilenced after the 15 minute hush period and started screaming "connection lost!" again, he tells me that my system is damaged beyond repair because of my outdated electrical supply and I'll need to get the full service updated at which point they can get a warranty replacement on the smoke alarms.
Bruh. -.-
So after he leaves, I call Kidde, the manufacturer, and confirm that in fact all I ACTUALLY have to do is hold the button down on the central unit for about 8 seconds until I get 3 beeps, then hold each of the other units down for about 5 seconds until I get 2 beeps, then hold the central unit down for 5 seconds and get 2 beeps and they alllllll reconnect and reinitialize. Took me less than 5 minutes.
How a licensed electrician working for the company that installed those units didn't do that while at my home for 3.5 hours is beyond me. I have to assume he was intentionally not fixing the units in order to pressure me into a $27,731.60 service agreement. That or he was inept. I don't know which is the more generous thing to assume, frankly.
The same company also installed a whole home surge protector on my circuit breaker. It's internally fused, apparently, so it's patched DIRECTLY into the main breaker, not onto sub breaker. It's a PSP Category 1 Hurricane Surge Protector (model #HC1C100-06N) and I called PSP, the manufacturer, directly to try to get a quote on the price for it, but they tell me they are a factory that sells directly to electricians, so they can't quote me a value. But I'm willing to bet it's substantially less than $1,100.
So my question is this: I know for sure they were taking me for a ride from the beginning because online sources tell me residential whole home surge protectors cost typically between $30 and $150 or so based on the quality and brand. And that installation is usually another $200ish. I'm curious to know: have any of you worked with a PSP Cat-1 Hurricane surge protector? Are they low quality, mid, or high? About what do they charge you as the electrician? About what do you typically charge to install? Bonus points if you're in western Massachusetts or the New England market in general and can quote approximately what it would cost to do this. I'm trying to establish that in all 3 cases this company grossly overcharged me, because I want my money back for any work they did since it has, thus far, all been substandard.
And to clarify, they were not running any new wires for the smoke alarm system or for the surge protector. They used existing breakers and existing wires, so it cannot be the case that they were justifying a higher charge for that reason. They literally put up 9 smoke alarms on existing wires, took them like an hour and a half, so at the $115/hour rate they quote that should have been like $180 of install charges plus maybe a fee for rolling a truck out here and the cost of the units themselves. Something a little over $1k would have made sense. In my defense, it was the middle of the pandemic, I was going through a messy breakup with an ex who cohabitated and co-owned my home at the time, and looking up prices for smoke detectors was not at the top of my priority list at the time of this charge. I guess "caveat emptor" so my fault a bit, but also screw that nonsense, electricians shouldn't be cut-throat bastards, they should quote an honest price for honest work.
2024.05.13 19:09 Mifevra Russian Republic (Presidential Republic under right-liberal Progressive Party)
 | submitted by Mifevra to kaiserredux [link] [comments] |
2024.05.13 08:38 GlassPersonality7901 La fórmula del éxito
Desde lograr el aprendizaje de las primeras nociones de matemáticas hasta alcanzar una alta posición ejecutiva, pasando por la búsqueda de ganar dinero haciendo negocios y, porque no, alcanzar éxitos personales como aprender un idioma o jugar mejor al tenis, estamos en forma permanente persiguiendo metas y objetivos a lo largo de nuestra vida.
También estamos interesados en los éxitos colectivos que nos involucran; que nuestro equipo de futbol gane el campeonato, que la economía de nuestro país crezca, que la empresa donde trabajamos tenga buenos resultados, etc.
Es evidente que el éxito, no siempre de alcanza. Y cuando ocurre, sucede en diferentes grados. No es lo mismo, aprobar con 4 que aprobar con 8 el examen de matemáticas. No es lo mismo llegar a CEO de una compañía multinacional que ser jefe de sector en un supermercado. Tanto Messi como Cristiano Ronaldo ganaron el balón de oro, pero no es lo mismo 8 que 5.
Con independencia del grado de conformidad que cada uno tenga de los logros alcanzados, es una realidad objetiva que hay personas, equipos deportivos, empresas y países más exitosos que otros.
Lógicamente, es de esperar que nos preguntemos en que va la diferencia de lograr el tan deseado éxito. ¿Por qué me cuesta tanto superar los exámenes de matemáticas mientras que a mi compañero de banco lo hace casi sin estudiar? ¿Por qué el puesto de CEO fue para Martín y no para Rodrigo? ¿Que hace que la música de Coldplay sea tan escuchada? ¿Qué factores contribuyeron para que Messi finalmente logre levantar la copa del mundo en 2022?
Existen innumerables opiniones y puntos de vistas sobre el tema. Algunos dirán que todo depende del esfuerzo, otros que hay gente que tiene mejores oportunidades que otros dependiendo de su cuna, o ¿será que simplemente algunos están tocados con la varita mágica de la suerte?
En el año 2020, Alberto Fernandez, en ese momento presidente de Argentina, sorprendió con una frase polémica: “Lo que nos hace evolucionar o crecer no es el mérito, como nos han hecho creer en los últimos años, porque el más tonto de los ricos tiene muchas más posibilidades que el más inteligente de los pobres”
Si se quisiera soportar con mayor rigurosidad dicha frase, uno podría revisar la lista de los principales millonarios del mundo y encontrar que todos pertenecen una familia que, al menos, tenía una posición económica que les permitió una buena educación y un apoyo inicial para sus negocios.
Por otro lado, es fácil encontrar cinematográficas historias de superación personal donde personajes de orígenes humildes logran éxitos enormes basado exclusivamente es su talento y esfuerzo.
Desde Diego Maradona nacido en uno de los barrios mas pobres de Buenos Aires, pasando por la cantante francesa Edith Piaf, criada en los prostíbulos de Paris y llegando a Johan Gauss, físico matemático alemán proveniente de una familia campesina, es posible revivir estas historias en películas, novelas y series de televisión donde se muestra que ya sea en el deporte, el arte o la ciencia es posible alcanzar el éxito con la dosis adecuada de talento, esfuerzo y … ¿algo de suerte?.
Cuenta la historia, que Maradona casi se pierde el fichaje para Argentinos Juniors porque el día de la prueba no tenía dinero para el transporte, finalmente un amigo lo ayudo para que llegue a la cancha y allí inició su exitosa carrera deportiva.
El 5 de enero de 1964, Rod Stewart estaba tocando la harmónica en una estación de tren cuando pasaba el vocalista de la banda All Stars, lo invitó a sumarse y allí empezó su carrera profesional.
Si estos eventos “fortuitos” no hubiesen ocurrido, ¿nos hubiésemos perdido de conocer la genialidad de Maradona y el talento de Stewart? ¿o hubiesen llegado igual al éxito por otro camino? Nadie lo sabe, se podrían plantear millones de escenarios contra fácticos.
Pero si es posible deducir algunos escenarios basados en la realidad del entorno. Por ejemplo, es muy probable que Maradona hubiera sido tarde o temprano descubierto por el mundo de futbol debido a que Argentina cuenta con un enorme entramado de clubes de futbol locales, entrenadores, reclutadores y es el deporte mas popular en el país. Por el lado de Stewart, el entorno de londinense de los 70s, sin dudas fue un excelente caldo de cultivo para su talento musical.
En el entorno empresarial, para salir de las áreas del deporte y el arte, también existen casos de éxitos y fracasos que son estudiados en las universidades de negocios. Siendo uno de los más emblemáticos de la era moderna el caso de Steve Jobs en Apple. ¿Puede explicarse por un solo hombre, que una compañía que estaba prácticamente en quiebra en 1997 a convertirse en la empresa mas valiosa del mundo 20 años mas tarde? Seguramente se podrían encontrar miles de empresas similares han estado en situaciones similares, con líderes muy carismáticos y brillantes pero que finalmente no lograron el mismo nivel de éxito.
Lo cierto es que tenemos una tendencia a construir las historias de éxito de “atrás hacia adelante”, esto es, tomamos un ejemplo de éxito (Apple, Maradona, Stewart) y luego vamos hacia atrás para “explicar” los factores que contribuyeron a su éxito. Lo que nadie advierte, es que esos mismos factores (talento, mérito, inteligencia, etc) se pueden encontrar en un montón de casos de no-éxito (o éxitos mucho más moderados). Existen millones de deportistas, artistas y ejecutivos que no ha llegado a la cima a pesar de estar en niveles de talento muy similares a los que si lo han hecho.
Ahora, más allá de cada caso puntual, es intuitivo que existe una clara correlación entre factores como el talento, la dedicación y el entorno con los resultados finales de cualquier emprendimiento personal o grupal.
Se plantea entonces el desafío de construir un modelo para vincular el resultado positivo con los factores que contribuyen para tal fin. Un modelo que sea representativo de la mayoría de los casos y que nos permita describir la realidad de manera objetiva y sin apelar a los paradigmas habituales.
Para lo cual primero necesitamos entender que es “un modelo” y como se construye. Las ciencias sociales proveen un gran soporte para entender estos fenómenos, pero en este caso se busca plantearlo desde otro punto de vista y apelar a la estrategia que utilizan las ciencias duras para modelar la realidad.
Los ingenieros hacen uso hace años de modelos para explicar la realidad física de los procesos técnicos e industriales. Esto les permite entender el comportamiento de los fenómenos físicos y sacar provecho efectivo de dicho entendimiento. Por ejemplo, los modelos que permiten entender el comportamiento de los materiales permiten calcular la cantidad adecuada de cemento para que un edificio se mantenga en pie; los modelos aerodinámicos permiten diseñar los aviones y los modelados químicos permiten establecer que reactivos combinar para fabricar los plásticos que utilizamos a diario.
Es muy común en el caso de las ciencias duras que estos modelos estén apoyados por las matemáticas, ya que la mayoría de los fenómenos físicos tienen un comportamiento predecible y cuantificable. Por ejemplo, hace muchos años, se sabe que la ley de gravedad responde a la siguiente formula cuando se quiere modelar un cuerpo que cae desde una determinada altura:
H = 0,5 * g * t^2
Siendo H la altura desde donde se arrojó el cuerpo, g la aceleración de la gravedad que siempre vale 9,8 y t el tiempo que tarda el cuerpo en llegar al suelo.
Digamos entonces que queremos utilizar este modelo para un caso práctico. Supongamos que estamos en el campo, sin instrumentos de medición y queremos conocer la altura de un acantilado. Podemos arrojar una piedra y contabilizar el tiempo que tarda en llegar al suelo. Digamos que tardó 3,37 segundos.
Luego multiplico: 0,5 x 9,8 x 3,37^2 = 55,6
Entonces podemos determinar que el acantilado mide 55,6 metros.
Observemos las ventajas que tiene conocer el “modelo de la gravedad” al permitirnos conocer la relación que existe entre la altura y el tiempo. Aún si no tuviéramos la formula exacta, es intuitivo que cuanto mas tiempo tarda en llegar la piedra, mas alto es el acantilado y por comparación con otros riscos podríamos estimar una altura.
Obviamente, los comportamientos sociales, no pueden modelarse de manera cuantitativa como los fenómenos físicos. Sin embargo, es posible que podemos utilizar modelos conceptuales equivalentes que nos permitan describir el fenómeno de manera general y considerando los principales factores.
Es importante aclarar que todos los modelos tienen limitaciones y simplificaciones, en el caso de la piedra, por ejemplo, no se tienen en cuenta factores secundarios como el rozamiento con el aire durante la caída, las variaciones de la gravedad según las coordenadas y otros factores que podrían hacer diferir los resultados.
Claramente cualquier modelo que traté de describir un fenómeno social, tendrá limitaciones y simplificaciones aún mayores, pero el objetivo no es cuantitativo sino conceptual. Para que tratar de explicar cómo se relaciones los distintos factores entre sí, para luego, poder actuar o influir o simplemente entender cada uno de ellos y su efecto en el resultado.
Empecemos entonces por lo básico, definamos que es el éxito. Según el diccionario:
“Resultado feliz y satisfactorio de una empresa o acción emprendida”
“el cumplimiento de un objetivo o propósito”
“triunfo, logro o victoria en algo que nos hayamos propuesto”
Por ende, es claro que el éxito es un resultado puntual y responde a una situación u objetivo específico. No es un estado permanente sino una situación coyuntural. Puede lograrse hoy y mañana tal vez no. Puede lograrse en algunos aspectos y no en otros.
Sin embargo, es habitual hablar de “personas exitosas” o “equipos exitosos”. Se entiendo que son personas o grupos que han logrado recurrentemente los propósitos que se definan alcanzar o que han alcanzado un logro significativo y permanente. Una empresa que creció, un artista reconocido por su trayectoria, un país que se desarrolló, un equipo que ganó el campeonato, etc.
Ahora bien, todo éxito es relativo, podríamos medir el grado de éxito en una empresa si lo comparamos con el resto de las empresas de su sector o región, lo mismo se podría hacer con las personas, sus carreras y sus logros. Dicho éxito puede medirse dependiendo del contexto según diferentes métricas: dinero acumulado, capitalización bursátil, trofeos deportivos, seguidores en Instagram, reproducciones en Spotify, etc.
Por ejemplo, si comparamos a los Rolling Stones con los Guns n Roses, independiente del gusto musical de cada uno, es claro que Rolling Stones es la banda mas exitosa de las dos, sea que se mida en años de trayectoria, discos producidos, discos vendidos, recitales realizados y cantidad de fanáticos alrededor del mundo. Rolling Stones tiene 61 años de trayectoria y ha vendido 242 millones de álbumes mientras que GnR ha vendido 124 millones en 38 años de trayectoria discontinua. Dos bandas muy exitosas desde luego, pero una mas que la otra si las tenemos que comparar.
En el ámbito de las empresas tecnológicas, se puede discutir si es más exitosa Apple con 2900 millones de valor de mercado o Microsoft con 2800 millones del mismo indicador, pero nadie duda que ambas son mucho más exitosas que Oracle que tiene 320 millones de Capitalización bursátil.
Yendo a ejemplos más mundanos, si medimos el éxito económico que tiene un dentista en Europa frente al mismo profesional en Latinoamérica, es claro que el primero tiene una ventaja sobre el segundo debido al contexto de una economía mas desarrollada y prospera.
Entonces, con todo lo anterior, podríamos ponernos el objetivo de definir un modelo que nos permita asociar el “grado de éxito” con los factores que contribuyen al mismo. No existe una metodología matemática para vincular estos factores, pero a lo fines conceptuales podemos proponer una formula sencilla que nos permita analizar cada factor por separado.
Como una primera aproximación, vamos a proponer diferenciar los componentes externos a la persona o grupo, del éxito personal logrado por propio mérito.
Podemos diferenciar dos factores externos principales, el legado y el contexto.
El primero hace referencia al efecto de las ventajas obtenidas por herencia o legado de antepasados, familiares o tutores. Por ejemplo, el dinero heredado de la familia cuando se trata de un empresario, o la ventaja de pertenecer al círculo mediático en un artista.
El segundo hace referencia al contexto general o entorno del país, región o época en la que se evalúa cada caso.
Si asumimos que el nivel de éxito total será la suma de el éxito por merito propio, más el que me aporta el entorno y los legados familiares, surge la siguiente formula:
Éxito Total = Éxito Propio + Legado + Contexto
Ahora bien, se miramos en detalle el éxito propio, podríamos diferencias tres factores principales: el talento, el merito y el azar. Los cuales se combinan para dar un resultado que dependerá exclusivamente de factores inherentes al individuo o grupo evaluado.
Dado que cada uno de estos factores tiene un efecto potenciador sobre el otro, es razonable plantear su relación como una multiplicación:
Éxito Propio = Talento x Merito x Azar
Indicando que los factores se potenciaran o afectaran entre si para dar el resultado, si tenemos talento alto, pero no hacemos merito o no tenemos suerte, es poco probable lograr el éxito.
Podríamos pensar en cada unos de estos factores numéricamente como un valor entre 0 y 100%. Si se multiplica un talento del 100%, con un merito del 50% y un azar del 50%, el resultado que se obtiene es 25%.
De todas maneras, estas relaciones no pretenden utilizarse para realizar cálculos precisos, sino para entender y describir la relación entre los factores de una manera metódica y objetiva.
Si combinamos ambas formulas anteriormente detalladas, llegaríamos a los que podríamos llamar “la fórmula del éxito”:
E = T x M x A + L + C
Donde:
E es el nivel de éxito de la persona o grupo en un dado objetivo o disciplina
T es el Talento natural individual o la suma de talentos de grupo en la disciplina
M es el Mérito que se ha dedicado al objetivo evaluado
A es un factor relacionado con el Azar
L es el aporte que el individuo o grupo heredó o le fue dado. El Legado de sus ancestros o antecesores.
C es un factor asociado con el Contexto. País, Mercado o Época donde se desarrolla la actividad evaluada.
Vamos a analizar cada uno de los elementos de este formula en detalle para encontrar los mecanismos que aportar a cada uno de ellos y que sentido tienen en nuestro análisis.
~El Legado~
Este es uno de los factores mas controversiales del éxito. Es la herencia de los ricos o las ventajas comparativas que tuvo alguien por pertenecer a una familia o grupo en particular.
Es posible encontrar en Youtube, un video donde un profesor de ciencias sociales realiza un experimento con sus estudiantes.
Los lleva a un campo de carreras y les dicen que van a tener que competir en una carrera de velocidad. Pero con una particularidad, todos tendrán la misma meta, pero no la misma línea de largada. Entonces pone a algunos estudiantes a pocos metros de la meta, mientras que a otros los pone muy por detrás de la línea de largada. Obviamente, los estudiantes mas retrasados comienzan a quejarse que la regla es muy injusta y que no hay forma de ganarle a los que arrancan con ventaja.
La idea de este experimento es justamente mostrar una contradicción entre la meritocracia y las ventajas de cuna que tienen los distintos miembros de una sociedad. De alguna manera, poner en evidencia un supuesto fallo en el concepto fundamental del sistema capitalista que dice que la competencia es justa y equitativa por que cada uno logra en función de lo que se esfuerza.
Sin embargo, el experimento se olvida de una de las características fundamentales del ser humano, su mortalidad inevitable y la búsqueda de continuidad a través de la descendencia.
Los humanos somos seres tribales, todos y cada uno de los logros de la humanidad se han basado en logros previos obtenidos por nuestros antepasados, quienes nos legaron sus éxitos para nosotros los continuemos y aumentemos.
Un experimento mas representativo sería realizar una carrera de postas, donde cada estudiante de una vuelta a la pista y pase la posta a un compañero. Si la carrera es larga y consta de varias postas, realmente no haría mucha diferencia si algunos de los primeros corredores salieron un poco adelantados.
El legado para un grupo puede ser el legado cultural de un país, la historia deportiva de un club, las alianzas entre razas o países, etc.
Es evidente que los hijos de Rockefeller, tuvieron ventajas sobre otros niños. Si se midiera su éxito por la cantidad de dinero que tienen hoy en el banco, seguramente superaran a muchos empresarios que construyeron su dinero de la nada. Sin embargo, ¿Cuál se considerará mas “exitoso”, un rico por herencia que tiene 100 millones o un rico por propio merito que tiene 50 millones?
El mito de la que la competencia es la base del capitalismo hace mucho que quedo descartado. Por el contrario, el mayor factor de éxito de las sociedades modernas es la colaboración social, dentro de lo cual la competencia cumple un rol pero no es el principal factor. Lo cierto es que en la mayoría de los casos el avance de una parte de la sociedad (una familia, una región, un país) termina impactando positivamente en las demás partes de la misma comunidad. El legado es una forma de colaboración social intergeneracional.
Entonces, para que sea aún mas representativo, el experimento de la carrera debería permitir que cuando los primeros estudiantes lleguen a meta puedan apoyar a los estudiantes que aún no llegan y que el primer puesto en el podio sea para todos los que lleguen, sin importar quien llego primero.
~El Contexto~
En este factor el individuo o grupo tampoco tiempo influencia o mérito propio. Es la base de resultados que se obtiene gracias al país donde naciste, la época donde viviste o las circunstancias generales que te tocaron.
A diferencia del legado, este factor contempla las ventajas generales y no particulares del individuo. Son ventajas que comparte con todos los ciudadanos del mismo país, región o época.
Un trabajador del primer mundo tiene un factor de contexto mayor que un trabajador de un país con menores ingresos per capita si se quiere medir el éxito económico.
Un cantante de rock en español de los 80 tendrá bajo factor de contexto si se compara con un cantante de rock en ingles de la misma época si se mide su éxito en discos vendidos.
Aumentar el factor de contexto es posible. Ello ocurre cuando un país se desarrolla, un mercado se potencia, una cultura se difunde, etc.
Los trabajadores de los países en vías de desarrollo podrían alcanzar el mismo ingreso per cápita de los países desarrollados y contar con las mismas oportunidades. Los cocineros peruanos aumentaron sus posibilidades de éxito gracias a los pioneros en popularizar la cocina peruana de alta calidad. Los futbolistas brasileros tienen un mayor factor de contexto si se los compara con los futbolistas de Asia donde el deporte no esta tan difundido.
Como individuos no podemos hacer mucho para mejorar el factor de contexto, pero si podemos hacerlo como una tarea colectiva. Depende de todos los interesados y participantes de la actividad en mejorar las decisiones políticas, popularizar la actividad y conseguir mejores condiciones.
Esto explica la existencia de sindicatos, colegios de profesionales, sociedades de fomento y partidos políticos.
Entonces, si bien hemos definido al contexto como un factor externo debido a que no es inherente al individuo, es mucho lo que podemos hacer colectivamente para aumentar este factor y con él aumentar nuestras posibilidades de éxito de todos los individuos de la sociedad.
~El talento~
Todos entendemos el concepto de talento. Su definición formal se puede describir según:
Capacidad para desempeñar o ejercer una actividad.Está vinculada a la aptitud o la inteligencia. Se trata de la capacidad para ejercer una cierta ocupación o para desempeñar una actividad. El talento suele estar asociado a la habilidad innata.
En este caso, nos vamos a referir al talento asociado a la actividad que se pretende evaluar. Si se desea predecir la probabilidad de éxito en un deporte, será el talento para practicar dicho deporte. Si se desea, explicar el éxito de una empresa, se considerará la suma de los talentos de la organización para lograr dicho éxito. Obviamente, a mayor talento, mayor la posibilidad de tener éxito.
El talento en este análisis, lo vamos a considerar un factor innato o intrínseco de los individuos y que no se modifica con el tiempo ni la práctica. Es cierto que una persona con talento natural para determinada actividad puede aumente sus capacidades a través de la practica y el entrenamiento, pero a ese factor lo consideraremos en el factor del mérito. De esta manera podemos diferenciar el efecto de la lotería genética donde el individuo no tiene mayor control y el esfuerzo que se hace para mejorar sobre esta base original.
Siendo así, alguien podría pensar que no hay nada para hacer respecto del talento natural que le tocó a cada uno. Es una cuestión de azar y no depende de nosotros. Sin embargo, podemos hacer algo muy importante: Identificarlo.
Identificar el potencial de los individuos en forma temprana es fundamental para enfocar los esfuerzos en sacar el máximo posible de dicho potencial. Esto aplica tanto a niños en la escuela primaria, jóvenes deportistas de las inferiores de un club de futbol y nuevos profesionales en una empresa tecnológica.
Desde los departamentos de recursos humanos hasta los reclutadores de talentos deportivos, el foco del esfuerzo se pone en los individuos que muestran las mayores características de talento natural ya que allí es donde cada hora de trabajo se multiplica por un mayor factor de talento.
Por el contrario, si alguien disfruta mucho de alguna actividad, como jugar al futbol, tocar la guitarra o pintar, pero puede identificar de manera objetiva que no tiene un nivel de capacidades naturales para dicha actividad en comparación con los requisitos necesarios para ejercer dicha actividad en forma profesional, podrá articular decisiones para no confiar su futuro a esta actividad y mantenerlo solamente como hobby mientras busca mejores estrategias como forma de sustento.
~El mérito~
El significado formal del mérito se puede describir según:
“Acción, circunstancia o cualidad que hace algo o alguien digno de aprecio o reconocimiento”
En nuestro modelo, vamos a considerar el concepto de “acción” como el punto fundamental del factor mérito. Esto es, “lo que hacemos para lograr el éxito”. Es el esfuerzo, la práctica, la capacitación, las horas de entrenamiento y la dedicación que se pone en una determinada tarea.
Claramente este es el factor donde tenemos mayor incidencia en forma personal o como factor de gestión. Aquí es donde se enfocan los mayores esfuerzos para lograr el tan deseado éxito. Cuanto mayor tiempo, esfuerzo y concentración pongamos en lograr un objetivo, mayor será la posibilidad de tener éxito. Por le contrarió, mas allá de las habilidades naturales que cada uno posea, si no se dedica un mínimo esfuerzo para lograr un objetivo, será muy difícil alcanzar la meta.
Obviamente, en la vida real, el merito y el talento se potencian entre sí. Un deportista talentoso que, a su vez, se dedica fuertemente a potenciar su habilidad, logra un incremento de sus capacidades y talentos natural.
Todo modelo necesitar recurrir a simplificaciones para realizar análisis y predicciones. En este caso, vamos a considerar los factores naturales, genéticos e intrínsecos en el factor del talento y los factores de acción, dedicación y comportamientos en el factor mérito.
Así las cosas, mientras en el caso del talento es clave identificación, en el caso del mérito es clave la acción. Aquí debemos evaluar los comportamientos de las personas o grupos relacionados al logro del objetivo. A mayor dedicación o mejores prácticas, mayor es la posibilidad de lograr el éxito.
Este concepto es el que soporta la idea de la meritocracia. La misma se basa en la lógica de “quien más merito hace, mayores resultados y beneficios consigue”. Lo cual es, a todas luces, algo con mucho sentido común y una realidad que se verifica empíricamente. Sin embargo, como lo hizo el mencionado Alberto Fernandez, es un tema que genera mucho debate ideológico.
El problema con los debates sobre la meritocracia es que usualmente no de despejan los demás factores que afectan al éxito y suelen mezclarse peras con mazanas. Es evidente, que en la vida real existen muchos casos de personas y grupos que a pesar de su dedicación y esfuerzos no terminan alcanzado sus objetivos.
Uno de los factores que no podemos dejar de abordar en este caso es “la suerte”
~El azar~
La diferencia entre la suerte y el azar no se puede determinar por medio de sus definiciones ya que ambos términos se definen por:
Circunstancia de ser, por mera casualidad, favorable o adverso a alguien o algo lo que ocurre o sucede.
Sin embargo, en el sentido popular, los conceptos se utilizan de manera bastante diferente.
La suerte, se asocia a una persona o grupo de manera cuasi constante o permanente al menos para un determinado periodo de tiempo. Decimos que tal o cual persona “no tiene suerte” y por eso le va mal en los emprendimientos que realiza o que el equipo del 1990 “tuvo suerte” y por eso llego a la final del campeonato.
La suerte se interpreta como una condición de la persona o grupo. Puede ser mala o buena y una vez definida la misa, afecta positiva o negativamente los resultados hasta que “cambie la racha”.
El azar, por otra parte, es concepto técnico que alude a cuestiones de probabilidad. Si tiro una moneda al aire, tengo 50% de chances que sea cara y 50% de que sea cruz. Si arrojamos un dado, existe una posibilidad en seis que salga el número 4 y así sucesivamente.
Existen muchas situaciones, como el caso del dado y la moneda, donde es perfectamente factible calcular las probabilidades del azar, y otras donde realizar un cálculo exacto es imposible, pero aún así, el azar sigue existiendo.
¿Cuáles son las chances de que un golfista profesional haga hoyo en uno? ¿Cuáles son las probabilidades de que en un examen me pregunten sobre el único tema que no estudie? ¿Cuáles son las posibilidades de que el clima arruine un evento muy bien programado?
Usualmente se pueden hacer proyecciones o estimaciones cono mayor o menor precisión, pero independientemente de los números, lo importante es que sabemos que existe un factor aleatorio que, a priori, no controlamos y que puede tener un factor decisivo en los resultados.
Bajo estos conceptos, podríamos definir que “no existe la suerte” sin que ello desconozca el factor que claramente tiene el azar sobre los resultados esperados.
Vamos a considerar para nuestro modelo, un factor que puede variar en 0 y 2 en forma totalmente aleatoria. De alguna manera representando el cero cuando no tenemos nada de suerte y el 2 cuando la fortuna nos sonríe. Como es un factor que esta multiplicando, afecta directamente al resultado reduciendo el efecto del talento y el mérito cuando el valor se acerca a cero.
Entonces, siendo un factor aleatorio, ¿podemos hacer algo respecto a este factor para mejorar las probabilidades de éxito?
La respuesta es sí. Lo cierto es que el azar afecta a eventos puntuales y puede afectar un resultado especifico. Sin embargo, al tratarse de un fenómeno estadístico, si repetimos el evento varias vences deberíamos obtener, a la larga, una media de resultados que sea representativo de la media de nuestras capacidades.
Podemos ganar un partido por efecto del azar, pero difícilmente ganar el campeonato. Podemos reprobar un examen, pero igualmente graduarnos tarde o temprano. Podemos fallar en una entrevista laboral pero tarde o temprano alguien valorará nuestro verdadero potencial.
Matemáticamente podríamos expresar que el promedio de resultados de varios eventos (varios partidos, varios exámenes, etc.) será el resultado de multiplicar el talento y el mérito por el promedio del factor de azar de cada evento:
Prom Ep = (T x M) x Prom A
Ahora bien, si A puede variar entre 0 y 2 en forma aleatoria, en tanto tengamos una cantidad de eventos significativa, el promedio siempre debería ser cercano a 1.
Es decir, si consideramos uno o pocos eventos, el azar puede tener un factor muy relevante y dar por tierra con todos nuestros esfuerzos y talentos más preciosos. A medida que la cantidad de eventos aumenta, el efecto del azar tiende a compensarse.
Aquí surge un factor que podemos gestionar. La cantidad de eventos. Seguir intentándolo. Confiar en que los resultados tarde o temprano llegarán si hacemos mérito para ello.
Podemos tener el talento adecuado en nuestro equipo y hacer mucho mérito para ganar la copa. Aun así, es posible que perdamos algún partido o inclusive que no logremos ganar el campeonato durante varias temporadas. En estos casos es donde entra en juego un valor muy relevante en los equipos y personas exitosas. La constancia y la resiliencia.
~Resumen:~
- El legado y el contexto son ventajas comparativas que tenemos a partir de logros de nuestros antepasados, predecesores y compatriotas. Son factores que se deben gestionar en forma colectiva.
- El Talento debe Identificarse en forma temprana y potenciarse a través de la práctica, el entrenamiento y el estudio.
- El Mérito es la principal variable para potenciar el desarrollo del talento y alcanzar los objetivos
- El azar influye, pero puede mitigarse a través de la constancia y la resiliencia.
submitted by GlassPersonality7901 to argentina [link] [comments]
También estamos interesados en los éxitos colectivos que nos involucran; que nuestro equipo de futbol gane el campeonato, que la economía de nuestro país crezca, que la empresa donde trabajamos tenga buenos resultados, etc.
Es evidente que el éxito, no siempre de alcanza. Y cuando ocurre, sucede en diferentes grados. No es lo mismo, aprobar con 4 que aprobar con 8 el examen de matemáticas. No es lo mismo llegar a CEO de una compañía multinacional que ser jefe de sector en un supermercado. Tanto Messi como Cristiano Ronaldo ganaron el balón de oro, pero no es lo mismo 8 que 5.
Con independencia del grado de conformidad que cada uno tenga de los logros alcanzados, es una realidad objetiva que hay personas, equipos deportivos, empresas y países más exitosos que otros.
Lógicamente, es de esperar que nos preguntemos en que va la diferencia de lograr el tan deseado éxito. ¿Por qué me cuesta tanto superar los exámenes de matemáticas mientras que a mi compañero de banco lo hace casi sin estudiar? ¿Por qué el puesto de CEO fue para Martín y no para Rodrigo? ¿Que hace que la música de Coldplay sea tan escuchada? ¿Qué factores contribuyeron para que Messi finalmente logre levantar la copa del mundo en 2022?
Existen innumerables opiniones y puntos de vistas sobre el tema. Algunos dirán que todo depende del esfuerzo, otros que hay gente que tiene mejores oportunidades que otros dependiendo de su cuna, o ¿será que simplemente algunos están tocados con la varita mágica de la suerte?
En el año 2020, Alberto Fernandez, en ese momento presidente de Argentina, sorprendió con una frase polémica: “Lo que nos hace evolucionar o crecer no es el mérito, como nos han hecho creer en los últimos años, porque el más tonto de los ricos tiene muchas más posibilidades que el más inteligente de los pobres”
Si se quisiera soportar con mayor rigurosidad dicha frase, uno podría revisar la lista de los principales millonarios del mundo y encontrar que todos pertenecen una familia que, al menos, tenía una posición económica que les permitió una buena educación y un apoyo inicial para sus negocios.
Por otro lado, es fácil encontrar cinematográficas historias de superación personal donde personajes de orígenes humildes logran éxitos enormes basado exclusivamente es su talento y esfuerzo.
Desde Diego Maradona nacido en uno de los barrios mas pobres de Buenos Aires, pasando por la cantante francesa Edith Piaf, criada en los prostíbulos de Paris y llegando a Johan Gauss, físico matemático alemán proveniente de una familia campesina, es posible revivir estas historias en películas, novelas y series de televisión donde se muestra que ya sea en el deporte, el arte o la ciencia es posible alcanzar el éxito con la dosis adecuada de talento, esfuerzo y … ¿algo de suerte?.
Cuenta la historia, que Maradona casi se pierde el fichaje para Argentinos Juniors porque el día de la prueba no tenía dinero para el transporte, finalmente un amigo lo ayudo para que llegue a la cancha y allí inició su exitosa carrera deportiva.
El 5 de enero de 1964, Rod Stewart estaba tocando la harmónica en una estación de tren cuando pasaba el vocalista de la banda All Stars, lo invitó a sumarse y allí empezó su carrera profesional.
Si estos eventos “fortuitos” no hubiesen ocurrido, ¿nos hubiésemos perdido de conocer la genialidad de Maradona y el talento de Stewart? ¿o hubiesen llegado igual al éxito por otro camino? Nadie lo sabe, se podrían plantear millones de escenarios contra fácticos.
Pero si es posible deducir algunos escenarios basados en la realidad del entorno. Por ejemplo, es muy probable que Maradona hubiera sido tarde o temprano descubierto por el mundo de futbol debido a que Argentina cuenta con un enorme entramado de clubes de futbol locales, entrenadores, reclutadores y es el deporte mas popular en el país. Por el lado de Stewart, el entorno de londinense de los 70s, sin dudas fue un excelente caldo de cultivo para su talento musical.
En el entorno empresarial, para salir de las áreas del deporte y el arte, también existen casos de éxitos y fracasos que son estudiados en las universidades de negocios. Siendo uno de los más emblemáticos de la era moderna el caso de Steve Jobs en Apple. ¿Puede explicarse por un solo hombre, que una compañía que estaba prácticamente en quiebra en 1997 a convertirse en la empresa mas valiosa del mundo 20 años mas tarde? Seguramente se podrían encontrar miles de empresas similares han estado en situaciones similares, con líderes muy carismáticos y brillantes pero que finalmente no lograron el mismo nivel de éxito.
Lo cierto es que tenemos una tendencia a construir las historias de éxito de “atrás hacia adelante”, esto es, tomamos un ejemplo de éxito (Apple, Maradona, Stewart) y luego vamos hacia atrás para “explicar” los factores que contribuyeron a su éxito. Lo que nadie advierte, es que esos mismos factores (talento, mérito, inteligencia, etc) se pueden encontrar en un montón de casos de no-éxito (o éxitos mucho más moderados). Existen millones de deportistas, artistas y ejecutivos que no ha llegado a la cima a pesar de estar en niveles de talento muy similares a los que si lo han hecho.
Ahora, más allá de cada caso puntual, es intuitivo que existe una clara correlación entre factores como el talento, la dedicación y el entorno con los resultados finales de cualquier emprendimiento personal o grupal.
Se plantea entonces el desafío de construir un modelo para vincular el resultado positivo con los factores que contribuyen para tal fin. Un modelo que sea representativo de la mayoría de los casos y que nos permita describir la realidad de manera objetiva y sin apelar a los paradigmas habituales.
Para lo cual primero necesitamos entender que es “un modelo” y como se construye. Las ciencias sociales proveen un gran soporte para entender estos fenómenos, pero en este caso se busca plantearlo desde otro punto de vista y apelar a la estrategia que utilizan las ciencias duras para modelar la realidad.
Los ingenieros hacen uso hace años de modelos para explicar la realidad física de los procesos técnicos e industriales. Esto les permite entender el comportamiento de los fenómenos físicos y sacar provecho efectivo de dicho entendimiento. Por ejemplo, los modelos que permiten entender el comportamiento de los materiales permiten calcular la cantidad adecuada de cemento para que un edificio se mantenga en pie; los modelos aerodinámicos permiten diseñar los aviones y los modelados químicos permiten establecer que reactivos combinar para fabricar los plásticos que utilizamos a diario.
Es muy común en el caso de las ciencias duras que estos modelos estén apoyados por las matemáticas, ya que la mayoría de los fenómenos físicos tienen un comportamiento predecible y cuantificable. Por ejemplo, hace muchos años, se sabe que la ley de gravedad responde a la siguiente formula cuando se quiere modelar un cuerpo que cae desde una determinada altura:
H = 0,5 * g * t^2
Siendo H la altura desde donde se arrojó el cuerpo, g la aceleración de la gravedad que siempre vale 9,8 y t el tiempo que tarda el cuerpo en llegar al suelo.
Digamos entonces que queremos utilizar este modelo para un caso práctico. Supongamos que estamos en el campo, sin instrumentos de medición y queremos conocer la altura de un acantilado. Podemos arrojar una piedra y contabilizar el tiempo que tarda en llegar al suelo. Digamos que tardó 3,37 segundos.
Luego multiplico: 0,5 x 9,8 x 3,37^2 = 55,6
Entonces podemos determinar que el acantilado mide 55,6 metros.
Observemos las ventajas que tiene conocer el “modelo de la gravedad” al permitirnos conocer la relación que existe entre la altura y el tiempo. Aún si no tuviéramos la formula exacta, es intuitivo que cuanto mas tiempo tarda en llegar la piedra, mas alto es el acantilado y por comparación con otros riscos podríamos estimar una altura.
Obviamente, los comportamientos sociales, no pueden modelarse de manera cuantitativa como los fenómenos físicos. Sin embargo, es posible que podemos utilizar modelos conceptuales equivalentes que nos permitan describir el fenómeno de manera general y considerando los principales factores.
Es importante aclarar que todos los modelos tienen limitaciones y simplificaciones, en el caso de la piedra, por ejemplo, no se tienen en cuenta factores secundarios como el rozamiento con el aire durante la caída, las variaciones de la gravedad según las coordenadas y otros factores que podrían hacer diferir los resultados.
Claramente cualquier modelo que traté de describir un fenómeno social, tendrá limitaciones y simplificaciones aún mayores, pero el objetivo no es cuantitativo sino conceptual. Para que tratar de explicar cómo se relaciones los distintos factores entre sí, para luego, poder actuar o influir o simplemente entender cada uno de ellos y su efecto en el resultado.
Empecemos entonces por lo básico, definamos que es el éxito. Según el diccionario:
“Resultado feliz y satisfactorio de una empresa o acción emprendida”
“el cumplimiento de un objetivo o propósito”
“triunfo, logro o victoria en algo que nos hayamos propuesto”
Por ende, es claro que el éxito es un resultado puntual y responde a una situación u objetivo específico. No es un estado permanente sino una situación coyuntural. Puede lograrse hoy y mañana tal vez no. Puede lograrse en algunos aspectos y no en otros.
Sin embargo, es habitual hablar de “personas exitosas” o “equipos exitosos”. Se entiendo que son personas o grupos que han logrado recurrentemente los propósitos que se definan alcanzar o que han alcanzado un logro significativo y permanente. Una empresa que creció, un artista reconocido por su trayectoria, un país que se desarrolló, un equipo que ganó el campeonato, etc.
Ahora bien, todo éxito es relativo, podríamos medir el grado de éxito en una empresa si lo comparamos con el resto de las empresas de su sector o región, lo mismo se podría hacer con las personas, sus carreras y sus logros. Dicho éxito puede medirse dependiendo del contexto según diferentes métricas: dinero acumulado, capitalización bursátil, trofeos deportivos, seguidores en Instagram, reproducciones en Spotify, etc.
Por ejemplo, si comparamos a los Rolling Stones con los Guns n Roses, independiente del gusto musical de cada uno, es claro que Rolling Stones es la banda mas exitosa de las dos, sea que se mida en años de trayectoria, discos producidos, discos vendidos, recitales realizados y cantidad de fanáticos alrededor del mundo. Rolling Stones tiene 61 años de trayectoria y ha vendido 242 millones de álbumes mientras que GnR ha vendido 124 millones en 38 años de trayectoria discontinua. Dos bandas muy exitosas desde luego, pero una mas que la otra si las tenemos que comparar.
En el ámbito de las empresas tecnológicas, se puede discutir si es más exitosa Apple con 2900 millones de valor de mercado o Microsoft con 2800 millones del mismo indicador, pero nadie duda que ambas son mucho más exitosas que Oracle que tiene 320 millones de Capitalización bursátil.
Yendo a ejemplos más mundanos, si medimos el éxito económico que tiene un dentista en Europa frente al mismo profesional en Latinoamérica, es claro que el primero tiene una ventaja sobre el segundo debido al contexto de una economía mas desarrollada y prospera.
Entonces, con todo lo anterior, podríamos ponernos el objetivo de definir un modelo que nos permita asociar el “grado de éxito” con los factores que contribuyen al mismo. No existe una metodología matemática para vincular estos factores, pero a lo fines conceptuales podemos proponer una formula sencilla que nos permita analizar cada factor por separado.
Como una primera aproximación, vamos a proponer diferenciar los componentes externos a la persona o grupo, del éxito personal logrado por propio mérito.
Podemos diferenciar dos factores externos principales, el legado y el contexto.
El primero hace referencia al efecto de las ventajas obtenidas por herencia o legado de antepasados, familiares o tutores. Por ejemplo, el dinero heredado de la familia cuando se trata de un empresario, o la ventaja de pertenecer al círculo mediático en un artista.
El segundo hace referencia al contexto general o entorno del país, región o época en la que se evalúa cada caso.
Si asumimos que el nivel de éxito total será la suma de el éxito por merito propio, más el que me aporta el entorno y los legados familiares, surge la siguiente formula:
Éxito Total = Éxito Propio + Legado + Contexto
Ahora bien, se miramos en detalle el éxito propio, podríamos diferencias tres factores principales: el talento, el merito y el azar. Los cuales se combinan para dar un resultado que dependerá exclusivamente de factores inherentes al individuo o grupo evaluado.
Dado que cada uno de estos factores tiene un efecto potenciador sobre el otro, es razonable plantear su relación como una multiplicación:
Éxito Propio = Talento x Merito x Azar
Indicando que los factores se potenciaran o afectaran entre si para dar el resultado, si tenemos talento alto, pero no hacemos merito o no tenemos suerte, es poco probable lograr el éxito.
Podríamos pensar en cada unos de estos factores numéricamente como un valor entre 0 y 100%. Si se multiplica un talento del 100%, con un merito del 50% y un azar del 50%, el resultado que se obtiene es 25%.
De todas maneras, estas relaciones no pretenden utilizarse para realizar cálculos precisos, sino para entender y describir la relación entre los factores de una manera metódica y objetiva.
Si combinamos ambas formulas anteriormente detalladas, llegaríamos a los que podríamos llamar “la fórmula del éxito”:
E = T x M x A + L + C
Donde:
E es el nivel de éxito de la persona o grupo en un dado objetivo o disciplina
T es el Talento natural individual o la suma de talentos de grupo en la disciplina
M es el Mérito que se ha dedicado al objetivo evaluado
A es un factor relacionado con el Azar
L es el aporte que el individuo o grupo heredó o le fue dado. El Legado de sus ancestros o antecesores.
C es un factor asociado con el Contexto. País, Mercado o Época donde se desarrolla la actividad evaluada.
Vamos a analizar cada uno de los elementos de este formula en detalle para encontrar los mecanismos que aportar a cada uno de ellos y que sentido tienen en nuestro análisis.
~El Legado~
Este es uno de los factores mas controversiales del éxito. Es la herencia de los ricos o las ventajas comparativas que tuvo alguien por pertenecer a una familia o grupo en particular.
Es posible encontrar en Youtube, un video donde un profesor de ciencias sociales realiza un experimento con sus estudiantes.
Los lleva a un campo de carreras y les dicen que van a tener que competir en una carrera de velocidad. Pero con una particularidad, todos tendrán la misma meta, pero no la misma línea de largada. Entonces pone a algunos estudiantes a pocos metros de la meta, mientras que a otros los pone muy por detrás de la línea de largada. Obviamente, los estudiantes mas retrasados comienzan a quejarse que la regla es muy injusta y que no hay forma de ganarle a los que arrancan con ventaja.
La idea de este experimento es justamente mostrar una contradicción entre la meritocracia y las ventajas de cuna que tienen los distintos miembros de una sociedad. De alguna manera, poner en evidencia un supuesto fallo en el concepto fundamental del sistema capitalista que dice que la competencia es justa y equitativa por que cada uno logra en función de lo que se esfuerza.
Sin embargo, el experimento se olvida de una de las características fundamentales del ser humano, su mortalidad inevitable y la búsqueda de continuidad a través de la descendencia.
Los humanos somos seres tribales, todos y cada uno de los logros de la humanidad se han basado en logros previos obtenidos por nuestros antepasados, quienes nos legaron sus éxitos para nosotros los continuemos y aumentemos.
Un experimento mas representativo sería realizar una carrera de postas, donde cada estudiante de una vuelta a la pista y pase la posta a un compañero. Si la carrera es larga y consta de varias postas, realmente no haría mucha diferencia si algunos de los primeros corredores salieron un poco adelantados.
El legado para un grupo puede ser el legado cultural de un país, la historia deportiva de un club, las alianzas entre razas o países, etc.
Es evidente que los hijos de Rockefeller, tuvieron ventajas sobre otros niños. Si se midiera su éxito por la cantidad de dinero que tienen hoy en el banco, seguramente superaran a muchos empresarios que construyeron su dinero de la nada. Sin embargo, ¿Cuál se considerará mas “exitoso”, un rico por herencia que tiene 100 millones o un rico por propio merito que tiene 50 millones?
El mito de la que la competencia es la base del capitalismo hace mucho que quedo descartado. Por el contrario, el mayor factor de éxito de las sociedades modernas es la colaboración social, dentro de lo cual la competencia cumple un rol pero no es el principal factor. Lo cierto es que en la mayoría de los casos el avance de una parte de la sociedad (una familia, una región, un país) termina impactando positivamente en las demás partes de la misma comunidad. El legado es una forma de colaboración social intergeneracional.
Entonces, para que sea aún mas representativo, el experimento de la carrera debería permitir que cuando los primeros estudiantes lleguen a meta puedan apoyar a los estudiantes que aún no llegan y que el primer puesto en el podio sea para todos los que lleguen, sin importar quien llego primero.
~El Contexto~
En este factor el individuo o grupo tampoco tiempo influencia o mérito propio. Es la base de resultados que se obtiene gracias al país donde naciste, la época donde viviste o las circunstancias generales que te tocaron.
A diferencia del legado, este factor contempla las ventajas generales y no particulares del individuo. Son ventajas que comparte con todos los ciudadanos del mismo país, región o época.
Un trabajador del primer mundo tiene un factor de contexto mayor que un trabajador de un país con menores ingresos per capita si se quiere medir el éxito económico.
Un cantante de rock en español de los 80 tendrá bajo factor de contexto si se compara con un cantante de rock en ingles de la misma época si se mide su éxito en discos vendidos.
Aumentar el factor de contexto es posible. Ello ocurre cuando un país se desarrolla, un mercado se potencia, una cultura se difunde, etc.
Los trabajadores de los países en vías de desarrollo podrían alcanzar el mismo ingreso per cápita de los países desarrollados y contar con las mismas oportunidades. Los cocineros peruanos aumentaron sus posibilidades de éxito gracias a los pioneros en popularizar la cocina peruana de alta calidad. Los futbolistas brasileros tienen un mayor factor de contexto si se los compara con los futbolistas de Asia donde el deporte no esta tan difundido.
Como individuos no podemos hacer mucho para mejorar el factor de contexto, pero si podemos hacerlo como una tarea colectiva. Depende de todos los interesados y participantes de la actividad en mejorar las decisiones políticas, popularizar la actividad y conseguir mejores condiciones.
Esto explica la existencia de sindicatos, colegios de profesionales, sociedades de fomento y partidos políticos.
Entonces, si bien hemos definido al contexto como un factor externo debido a que no es inherente al individuo, es mucho lo que podemos hacer colectivamente para aumentar este factor y con él aumentar nuestras posibilidades de éxito de todos los individuos de la sociedad.
~El talento~
Todos entendemos el concepto de talento. Su definición formal se puede describir según:
Capacidad para desempeñar o ejercer una actividad.Está vinculada a la aptitud o la inteligencia. Se trata de la capacidad para ejercer una cierta ocupación o para desempeñar una actividad. El talento suele estar asociado a la habilidad innata.
En este caso, nos vamos a referir al talento asociado a la actividad que se pretende evaluar. Si se desea predecir la probabilidad de éxito en un deporte, será el talento para practicar dicho deporte. Si se desea, explicar el éxito de una empresa, se considerará la suma de los talentos de la organización para lograr dicho éxito. Obviamente, a mayor talento, mayor la posibilidad de tener éxito.
El talento en este análisis, lo vamos a considerar un factor innato o intrínseco de los individuos y que no se modifica con el tiempo ni la práctica. Es cierto que una persona con talento natural para determinada actividad puede aumente sus capacidades a través de la practica y el entrenamiento, pero a ese factor lo consideraremos en el factor del mérito. De esta manera podemos diferenciar el efecto de la lotería genética donde el individuo no tiene mayor control y el esfuerzo que se hace para mejorar sobre esta base original.
Siendo así, alguien podría pensar que no hay nada para hacer respecto del talento natural que le tocó a cada uno. Es una cuestión de azar y no depende de nosotros. Sin embargo, podemos hacer algo muy importante: Identificarlo.
Identificar el potencial de los individuos en forma temprana es fundamental para enfocar los esfuerzos en sacar el máximo posible de dicho potencial. Esto aplica tanto a niños en la escuela primaria, jóvenes deportistas de las inferiores de un club de futbol y nuevos profesionales en una empresa tecnológica.
Desde los departamentos de recursos humanos hasta los reclutadores de talentos deportivos, el foco del esfuerzo se pone en los individuos que muestran las mayores características de talento natural ya que allí es donde cada hora de trabajo se multiplica por un mayor factor de talento.
Por el contrario, si alguien disfruta mucho de alguna actividad, como jugar al futbol, tocar la guitarra o pintar, pero puede identificar de manera objetiva que no tiene un nivel de capacidades naturales para dicha actividad en comparación con los requisitos necesarios para ejercer dicha actividad en forma profesional, podrá articular decisiones para no confiar su futuro a esta actividad y mantenerlo solamente como hobby mientras busca mejores estrategias como forma de sustento.
~El mérito~
El significado formal del mérito se puede describir según:
“Acción, circunstancia o cualidad que hace algo o alguien digno de aprecio o reconocimiento”
En nuestro modelo, vamos a considerar el concepto de “acción” como el punto fundamental del factor mérito. Esto es, “lo que hacemos para lograr el éxito”. Es el esfuerzo, la práctica, la capacitación, las horas de entrenamiento y la dedicación que se pone en una determinada tarea.
Claramente este es el factor donde tenemos mayor incidencia en forma personal o como factor de gestión. Aquí es donde se enfocan los mayores esfuerzos para lograr el tan deseado éxito. Cuanto mayor tiempo, esfuerzo y concentración pongamos en lograr un objetivo, mayor será la posibilidad de tener éxito. Por le contrarió, mas allá de las habilidades naturales que cada uno posea, si no se dedica un mínimo esfuerzo para lograr un objetivo, será muy difícil alcanzar la meta.
Obviamente, en la vida real, el merito y el talento se potencian entre sí. Un deportista talentoso que, a su vez, se dedica fuertemente a potenciar su habilidad, logra un incremento de sus capacidades y talentos natural.
Todo modelo necesitar recurrir a simplificaciones para realizar análisis y predicciones. En este caso, vamos a considerar los factores naturales, genéticos e intrínsecos en el factor del talento y los factores de acción, dedicación y comportamientos en el factor mérito.
Así las cosas, mientras en el caso del talento es clave identificación, en el caso del mérito es clave la acción. Aquí debemos evaluar los comportamientos de las personas o grupos relacionados al logro del objetivo. A mayor dedicación o mejores prácticas, mayor es la posibilidad de lograr el éxito.
Este concepto es el que soporta la idea de la meritocracia. La misma se basa en la lógica de “quien más merito hace, mayores resultados y beneficios consigue”. Lo cual es, a todas luces, algo con mucho sentido común y una realidad que se verifica empíricamente. Sin embargo, como lo hizo el mencionado Alberto Fernandez, es un tema que genera mucho debate ideológico.
El problema con los debates sobre la meritocracia es que usualmente no de despejan los demás factores que afectan al éxito y suelen mezclarse peras con mazanas. Es evidente, que en la vida real existen muchos casos de personas y grupos que a pesar de su dedicación y esfuerzos no terminan alcanzado sus objetivos.
Uno de los factores que no podemos dejar de abordar en este caso es “la suerte”
~El azar~
La diferencia entre la suerte y el azar no se puede determinar por medio de sus definiciones ya que ambos términos se definen por:
Circunstancia de ser, por mera casualidad, favorable o adverso a alguien o algo lo que ocurre o sucede.
Sin embargo, en el sentido popular, los conceptos se utilizan de manera bastante diferente.
La suerte, se asocia a una persona o grupo de manera cuasi constante o permanente al menos para un determinado periodo de tiempo. Decimos que tal o cual persona “no tiene suerte” y por eso le va mal en los emprendimientos que realiza o que el equipo del 1990 “tuvo suerte” y por eso llego a la final del campeonato.
La suerte se interpreta como una condición de la persona o grupo. Puede ser mala o buena y una vez definida la misa, afecta positiva o negativamente los resultados hasta que “cambie la racha”.
El azar, por otra parte, es concepto técnico que alude a cuestiones de probabilidad. Si tiro una moneda al aire, tengo 50% de chances que sea cara y 50% de que sea cruz. Si arrojamos un dado, existe una posibilidad en seis que salga el número 4 y así sucesivamente.
Existen muchas situaciones, como el caso del dado y la moneda, donde es perfectamente factible calcular las probabilidades del azar, y otras donde realizar un cálculo exacto es imposible, pero aún así, el azar sigue existiendo.
¿Cuáles son las chances de que un golfista profesional haga hoyo en uno? ¿Cuáles son las probabilidades de que en un examen me pregunten sobre el único tema que no estudie? ¿Cuáles son las posibilidades de que el clima arruine un evento muy bien programado?
Usualmente se pueden hacer proyecciones o estimaciones cono mayor o menor precisión, pero independientemente de los números, lo importante es que sabemos que existe un factor aleatorio que, a priori, no controlamos y que puede tener un factor decisivo en los resultados.
Bajo estos conceptos, podríamos definir que “no existe la suerte” sin que ello desconozca el factor que claramente tiene el azar sobre los resultados esperados.
Vamos a considerar para nuestro modelo, un factor que puede variar en 0 y 2 en forma totalmente aleatoria. De alguna manera representando el cero cuando no tenemos nada de suerte y el 2 cuando la fortuna nos sonríe. Como es un factor que esta multiplicando, afecta directamente al resultado reduciendo el efecto del talento y el mérito cuando el valor se acerca a cero.
Entonces, siendo un factor aleatorio, ¿podemos hacer algo respecto a este factor para mejorar las probabilidades de éxito?
La respuesta es sí. Lo cierto es que el azar afecta a eventos puntuales y puede afectar un resultado especifico. Sin embargo, al tratarse de un fenómeno estadístico, si repetimos el evento varias vences deberíamos obtener, a la larga, una media de resultados que sea representativo de la media de nuestras capacidades.
Podemos ganar un partido por efecto del azar, pero difícilmente ganar el campeonato. Podemos reprobar un examen, pero igualmente graduarnos tarde o temprano. Podemos fallar en una entrevista laboral pero tarde o temprano alguien valorará nuestro verdadero potencial.
Matemáticamente podríamos expresar que el promedio de resultados de varios eventos (varios partidos, varios exámenes, etc.) será el resultado de multiplicar el talento y el mérito por el promedio del factor de azar de cada evento:
Prom Ep = (T x M) x Prom A
Ahora bien, si A puede variar entre 0 y 2 en forma aleatoria, en tanto tengamos una cantidad de eventos significativa, el promedio siempre debería ser cercano a 1.
Es decir, si consideramos uno o pocos eventos, el azar puede tener un factor muy relevante y dar por tierra con todos nuestros esfuerzos y talentos más preciosos. A medida que la cantidad de eventos aumenta, el efecto del azar tiende a compensarse.
Aquí surge un factor que podemos gestionar. La cantidad de eventos. Seguir intentándolo. Confiar en que los resultados tarde o temprano llegarán si hacemos mérito para ello.
Podemos tener el talento adecuado en nuestro equipo y hacer mucho mérito para ganar la copa. Aun así, es posible que perdamos algún partido o inclusive que no logremos ganar el campeonato durante varias temporadas. En estos casos es donde entra en juego un valor muy relevante en los equipos y personas exitosas. La constancia y la resiliencia.
~Resumen:~
- El legado y el contexto son ventajas comparativas que tenemos a partir de logros de nuestros antepasados, predecesores y compatriotas. Son factores que se deben gestionar en forma colectiva.
- El Talento debe Identificarse en forma temprana y potenciarse a través de la práctica, el entrenamiento y el estudio.
- El Mérito es la principal variable para potenciar el desarrollo del talento y alcanzar los objetivos
- El azar influye, pero puede mitigarse a través de la constancia y la resiliencia.
2024.05.13 08:26 GlassPersonality7901 La formula del éxito
Desde lograr el aprendizaje de las primeras nociones de matemáticas hasta alcanzar una alta posición ejecutiva, pasando por la búsqueda de ganar dinero haciendo negocios y, porque no, alcanzar éxitos personales como aprender un idioma o jugar mejor al tenis, estamos en forma permanente persiguiendo metas y objetivos a lo largo de nuestra vida.
También estamos interesados en los éxitos colectivos que nos involucran; que nuestro equipo de futbol gane el campeonato, que la economía de nuestro país crezca, que la empresa donde trabajamos tenga buenos resultados, etc.
Es evidente que el éxito, no siempre de alcanza. Y cuando ocurre, sucede en diferentes grados. No es lo mismo, aprobar con 4 que aprobar con 8 el examen de matemáticas. No es lo mismo llegar a CEO de una compañía multinacional que ser jefe de sector en un supermercado. Tanto Messi como Cristiano Ronaldo ganaron el balón de oro, pero no es lo mismo 8 que 5.
Con independencia del grado de conformidad que cada uno tenga de los logros alcanzados, es una realidad objetiva que hay personas, equipos deportivos, empresas y países más exitosos que otros.
Lógicamente, es de esperar que nos preguntemos en que va la diferencia de lograr el tan deseado éxito. ¿Por qué me cuesta tanto superar los exámenes de matemáticas mientras que a mi compañero de banco lo hace casi sin estudiar? ¿Por qué el puesto de CEO fue para Martín y no para Rodrigo? ¿Que hace que la música de Coldplay sea tan escuchada? ¿Qué factores contribuyeron para que Messi finalmente logre levantar la copa del mundo en 2022?
Existen innumerables opiniones y puntos de vistas sobre el tema. Algunos dirán que todo depende del esfuerzo, otros que hay gente que tiene mejores oportunidades que otros dependiendo de su cuna, o ¿será que simplemente algunos están tocados con la varita mágica de la suerte?
En el año 2020, Alberto Fernandez, en ese momento presidente de Argentina, sorprendió con una frase polémica: “Lo que nos hace evolucionar o crecer no es el mérito, como nos han hecho creer en los últimos años, porque el más tonto de los ricos tiene muchas más posibilidades que el más inteligente de los pobres”
Si se quisiera soportar con mayor rigurosidad dicha frase, uno podría revisar la lista de los principales millonarios del mundo y encontrar que todos pertenecen una familia que, al menos, tenía una posición económica que les permitió una buena educación y un apoyo inicial para sus negocios.
Por otro lado, es fácil encontrar cinematográficas historias de superación personal donde personajes de orígenes humildes logran éxitos enormes basado exclusivamente es su talento y esfuerzo.
Desde Diego Maradona nacido en uno de los barrios mas pobres de Buenos Aires, pasando por la cantante francesa Edith Piaf, criada en los prostíbulos de Paris y llegando a Johan Gauss, físico matemático alemán proveniente de una familia campesina, es posible revivir estas historias en películas, novelas y series de televisión donde se muestra que ya sea en el deporte, el arte o la ciencia es posible alcanzar el éxito con la dosis adecuada de talento, esfuerzo y … ¿algo de suerte?.
Cuenta la historia, que Maradona casi se pierde el fichaje para Argentinos Juniors porque el día de la prueba no tenía dinero para el transporte, finalmente un amigo lo ayudo para que llegue a la cancha y allí inició su exitosa carrera deportiva.
El 5 de enero de 1964, Rod Stewart estaba tocando la harmónica en una estación de tren cuando pasaba el vocalista de la banda All Stars, lo invitó a sumarse y allí empezó su carrera profesional.
Si estos eventos “fortuitos” no hubiesen ocurrido, ¿nos hubiésemos perdido de conocer la genialidad de Maradona y el talento de Stewart? ¿o hubiesen llegado igual al éxito por otro camino? Nadie lo sabe, se podrían plantear millones de escenarios contra fácticos.
Pero si es posible deducir algunos escenarios basados en la realidad del entorno. Por ejemplo, es muy probable que Maradona hubiera sido tarde o temprano descubierto por el mundo de futbol debido a que Argentina cuenta con un enorme entramado de clubes de futbol locales, entrenadores, reclutadores y es el deporte mas popular en el país. Por el lado de Stewart, el entorno de londinense de los 70s, sin dudas fue un excelente caldo de cultivo para su talento musical.
En el entorno empresarial, para salir de las áreas del deporte y el arte, también existen casos de éxitos y fracasos que son estudiados en las universidades de negocios. Siendo uno de los más emblemáticos de la era moderna el caso de Steve Jobs en Apple. ¿Puede explicarse por un solo hombre, que una compañía que estaba prácticamente en quiebra en 1997 a convertirse en la empresa mas valiosa del mundo 20 años mas tarde? Seguramente se podrían encontrar miles de empresas similares han estado en situaciones similares, con líderes muy carismáticos y brillantes pero que finalmente no lograron el mismo nivel de éxito.
Lo cierto es que tenemos una tendencia a construir las historias de éxito de “atrás hacia adelante”, esto es, tomamos un ejemplo de éxito (Apple, Maradona, Stewart) y luego vamos hacia atrás para “explicar” los factores que contribuyeron a su éxito. Lo que nadie advierte, es que esos mismos factores (talento, mérito, inteligencia, etc) se pueden encontrar en un montón de casos de no-éxito (o éxitos mucho más moderados). Existen millones de deportistas, artistas y ejecutivos que no ha llegado a la cima a pesar de estar en niveles de talento muy similares a los que si lo han hecho.
Ahora, más allá de cada caso puntual, es intuitivo que existe una clara correlación entre factores como el talento, la dedicación y el entorno con los resultados finales de cualquier emprendimiento personal o grupal.
Se plantea entonces el desafío de construir un modelo para vincular el resultado positivo con los factores que contribuyen para tal fin. Un modelo que sea representativo de la mayoría de los casos y que nos permita describir la realidad de manera objetiva y sin apelar a los paradigmas habituales.
Para lo cual primero necesitamos entender que es “un modelo” y como se construye. Las ciencias sociales proveen un gran soporte para entender estos fenómenos, pero en este caso se busca plantearlo desde otro punto de vista y apelar a la estrategia que utilizan las ciencias duras para modelar la realidad.
Los ingenieros hacen uso hace años de modelos para explicar la realidad física de los procesos técnicos e industriales. Esto les permite entender el comportamiento de los fenómenos físicos y sacar provecho efectivo de dicho entendimiento. Por ejemplo, los modelos que permiten entender el comportamiento de los materiales permiten calcular la cantidad adecuada de cemento para que un edificio se mantenga en pie; los modelos aerodinámicos permiten diseñar los aviones y los modelados químicos permiten establecer que reactivos combinar para fabricar los plásticos que utilizamos a diario.
Es muy común en el caso de las ciencias duras que estos modelos estén apoyados por las matemáticas, ya que la mayoría de los fenómenos físicos tienen un comportamiento predecible y cuantificable. Por ejemplo, hace muchos años, se sabe que la ley de gravedad responde a la siguiente formula cuando se quiere modelar un cuerpo que cae desde una determinada altura:
H = 0,5 * g * t^2
Siendo H la altura desde donde se arrojó el cuerpo, g la aceleración de la gravedad que siempre vale 9,8 y t el tiempo que tarda el cuerpo en llegar al suelo.
Digamos entonces que queremos utilizar este modelo para un caso práctico. Supongamos que estamos en el campo, sin instrumentos de medición y queremos conocer la altura de un acantilado. Podemos arrojar una piedra y contabilizar el tiempo que tarda en llegar al suelo. Digamos que tardó 3,37 segundos.
Luego multiplico: 0,5 x 9,8 x 3,37^2 = 55,6
Entonces podemos determinar que el acantilado mide 55,6 metros.
Observemos las ventajas que tiene conocer el “modelo de la gravedad” al permitirnos conocer la relación que existe entre la altura y el tiempo. Aún si no tuviéramos la formula exacta, es intuitivo que cuanto mas tiempo tarda en llegar la piedra, mas alto es el acantilado y por comparación con otros riscos podríamos estimar una altura.
Obviamente, los comportamientos sociales, no pueden modelarse de manera cuantitativa como los fenómenos físicos. Sin embargo, es posible que podemos utilizar modelos conceptuales equivalentes que nos permitan describir el fenómeno de manera general y considerando los principales factores.
Es importante aclarar que todos los modelos tienen limitaciones y simplificaciones, en el caso de la piedra, por ejemplo, no se tienen en cuenta factores secundarios como el rozamiento con el aire durante la caída, las variaciones de la gravedad según las coordenadas y otros factores que podrían hacer diferir los resultados.
Claramente cualquier modelo que traté de describir un fenómeno social, tendrá limitaciones y simplificaciones aún mayores, pero el objetivo no es cuantitativo sino conceptual. Para que tratar de explicar cómo se relaciones los distintos factores entre sí, para luego, poder actuar o influir o simplemente entender cada uno de ellos y su efecto en el resultado.
Empecemos entonces por lo básico, definamos que es el éxito. Según el diccionario:
“Resultado feliz y satisfactorio de una empresa o acción emprendida”
“el cumplimiento de un objetivo o propósito”
“triunfo, logro o victoria en algo que nos hayamos propuesto”
Por ende, es claro que el éxito es un resultado puntual y responde a una situación u objetivo específico. No es un estado permanente sino una situación coyuntural. Puede lograrse hoy y mañana tal vez no. Puede lograrse en algunos aspectos y no en otros.
Sin embargo, es habitual hablar de “personas exitosas” o “equipos exitosos”. Se entiendo que son personas o grupos que han logrado recurrentemente los propósitos que se definan alcanzar o que han alcanzado un logro significativo y permanente. Una empresa que creció, un artista reconocido por su trayectoria, un país que se desarrolló, un equipo que ganó el campeonato, etc.
Ahora bien, todo éxito es relativo, podríamos medir el grado de éxito en una empresa si lo comparamos con el resto de las empresas de su sector o región, lo mismo se podría hacer con las personas, sus carreras y sus logros. Dicho éxito puede medirse dependiendo del contexto según diferentes métricas: dinero acumulado, capitalización bursátil, trofeos deportivos, seguidores en Instagram, reproducciones en Spotify, etc.
Por ejemplo, si comparamos a los Rolling Stones con los Guns n Roses, independiente del gusto musical de cada uno, es claro que Rolling Stones es la banda mas exitosa de las dos, sea que se mida en años de trayectoria, discos producidos, discos vendidos, recitales realizados y cantidad de fanáticos alrededor del mundo. Rolling Stones tiene 61 años de trayectoria y ha vendido 242 millones de álbumes mientras que GnR ha vendido 124 millones en 38 años de trayectoria discontinua. Dos bandas muy exitosas desde luego, pero una mas que la otra si las tenemos que comparar.
En el ámbito de las empresas tecnológicas, se puede discutir si es más exitosa Apple con 2900 millones de valor de mercado o Microsoft con 2800 millones del mismo indicador, pero nadie duda que ambas son mucho más exitosas que Oracle que tiene 320 millones de Capitalización bursátil.
Yendo a ejemplos más mundanos, si medimos el éxito económico que tiene un dentista en Europa frente al mismo profesional en Latinoamérica, es claro que el primero tiene una ventaja sobre el segundo debido al contexto de una economía mas desarrollada y prospera.
Entonces, con todo lo anterior, podríamos ponernos el objetivo de definir un modelo que nos permita asociar el “grado de éxito” con los factores que contribuyen al mismo. No existe una metodología matemática para vincular estos factores, pero a lo fines conceptuales podemos proponer una formula sencilla que nos permita analizar cada factor por separado.
Como una primera aproximación, vamos a proponer diferenciar los componentes externos a la persona o grupo, del éxito personal logrado por propio mérito.
Podemos diferenciar dos factores externos principales, el legado y el contexto.
El primero hace referencia al efecto de las ventajas obtenidas por herencia o legado de antepasados, familiares o tutores. Por ejemplo, el dinero heredado de la familia cuando se trata de un empresario, o la ventaja de pertenecer al círculo mediático en un artista.
El segundo hace referencia al contexto general o entorno del país, región o época en la que se evalúa cada caso.
Si asumimos que el nivel de éxito total será la suma de el éxito por merito propio, más el que me aporta el entorno y los legados familiares, surge la siguiente formula:
Éxito Total = Éxito Propio + Legado + Contexto
Ahora bien, se miramos en detalle el éxito propio, podríamos diferencias tres factores principales: el talento, el merito y el azar. Los cuales se combinan para dar un resultado que dependerá exclusivamente de factores inherentes al individuo o grupo evaluado.
Dado que cada uno de estos factores tiene un efecto potenciador sobre el otro, es razonable plantear su relación como una multiplicación:
Éxito Propio = Talento x Merito x Azar
Indicando que los factores se potenciaran o afectaran entre si para dar el resultado, si tenemos talento alto, pero no hacemos merito o no tenemos suerte, es poco probable lograr el éxito.
Podríamos pensar en cada unos de estos factores numéricamente como un valor entre 0 y 100%. Si se multiplica un talento del 100%, con un merito del 50% y un azar del 50%, el resultado que se obtiene es 25%.
De todas maneras, estas relaciones no pretenden utilizarse para realizar cálculos precisos, sino para entender y describir la relación entre los factores de una manera metódica y objetiva.
Si combinamos ambas formulas anteriormente detalladas, llegaríamos a los que podríamos llamar “la fórmula del éxito”:
E = T x M x A + L + C
Donde:
E es el nivel de éxito de la persona o grupo en un dado objetivo o disciplina
T es el Talento natural individual o la suma de talentos de grupo en la disciplina
M es el Mérito que se ha dedicado al objetivo evaluado
A es un factor relacionado con el Azar
L es el aporte que el individuo o grupo heredó o le fue dado. El Legado de sus ancestros o antecesores.
C es un factor asociado con el Contexto. País, Mercado o Época donde se desarrolla la actividad evaluada.
Vamos a analizar cada uno de los elementos de este formula en detalle para encontrar los mecanismos que aportar a cada uno de ellos y que sentido tienen en nuestro análisis.
~El Legado~
Este es uno de los factores mas controversiales del éxito. Es la herencia de los ricos o las ventajas comparativas que tuvo alguien por pertenecer a una familia o grupo en particular.
Es posible encontrar en Youtube, un video donde un profesor de ciencias sociales realiza un experimento con sus estudiantes.
Los lleva a un campo de carreras y les dicen que van a tener que competir en una carrera de velocidad. Pero con una particularidad, todos tendrán la misma meta, pero no la misma línea de largada. Entonces pone a algunos estudiantes a pocos metros de la meta, mientras que a otros los pone muy por detrás de la línea de largada. Obviamente, los estudiantes mas retrasados comienzan a quejarse que la regla es muy injusta y que no hay forma de ganarle a los que arrancan con ventaja.
La idea de este experimento es justamente mostrar una contradicción entre la meritocracia y las ventajas de cuna que tienen los distintos miembros de una sociedad. De alguna manera, poner en evidencia un supuesto fallo en el concepto fundamental del sistema capitalista que dice que la competencia es justa y equitativa por que cada uno logra en función de lo que se esfuerza.
Sin embargo, el experimento se olvida de una de las características fundamentales del ser humano, su mortalidad inevitable y la búsqueda de continuidad a través de la descendencia.
Los humanos somos seres tribales, todos y cada uno de los logros de la humanidad se han basado en logros previos obtenidos por nuestros antepasados, quienes nos legaron sus éxitos para nosotros los continuemos y aumentemos.
Un experimento mas representativo sería realizar una carrera de postas, donde cada estudiante de una vuelta a la pista y pase la posta a un compañero. Si la carrera es larga y consta de varias postas, realmente no haría mucha diferencia si algunos de los primeros corredores salieron un poco adelantados.
El legado para un grupo puede ser el legado cultural de un país, la historia deportiva de un club, las alianzas entre razas o países, etc.
Es evidente que los hijos de Rockefeller, tuvieron ventajas sobre otros niños. Si se midiera su éxito por la cantidad de dinero que tienen hoy en el banco, seguramente superaran a muchos empresarios que construyeron su dinero de la nada. Sin embargo, ¿Cuál se considerará mas “exitoso”, un rico por herencia que tiene 100 millones o un rico por propio merito que tiene 50 millones?
El mito de la que la competencia es la base del capitalismo hace mucho que quedo descartado. Por el contrario, el mayor factor de éxito de las sociedades modernas es la colaboración social, dentro de lo cual la competencia cumple un rol pero no es el principal factor. Lo cierto es que en la mayoría de los casos el avance de una parte de la sociedad (una familia, una región, un país) termina impactando positivamente en las demás partes de la misma comunidad. El legado es una forma de colaboración social intergeneracional.
Entonces, para que sea aún mas representativo, el experimento de la carrera debería permitir que cuando los primeros estudiantes lleguen a meta puedan apoyar a los estudiantes que aún no llegan y que el primer puesto en el podio sea para todos los que lleguen, sin importar quien llego primero.
~El Contexto~
En este factor el individuo o grupo tampoco tiempo influencia o mérito propio. Es la base de resultados que se obtiene gracias al país donde naciste, la época donde viviste o las circunstancias generales que te tocaron.
A diferencia del legado, este factor contempla las ventajas generales y no particulares del individuo. Son ventajas que comparte con todos los ciudadanos del mismo país, región o época.
Un trabajador del primer mundo tiene un factor de contexto mayor que un trabajador de un país con menores ingresos per capita si se quiere medir el éxito económico.
Un cantante de rock en español de los 80 tendrá bajo factor de contexto si se compara con un cantante de rock en ingles de la misma época si se mide su éxito en discos vendidos.
Aumentar el factor de contexto es posible. Ello ocurre cuando un país se desarrolla, un mercado se potencia, una cultura se difunde, etc.
Los trabajadores de los países en vías de desarrollo podrían alcanzar el mismo ingreso per cápita de los países desarrollados y contar con las mismas oportunidades. Los cocineros peruanos aumentaron sus posibilidades de éxito gracias a los pioneros en popularizar la cocina peruana de alta calidad. Los futbolistas brasileros tienen un mayor factor de contexto si se los compara con los futbolistas de Asia donde el deporte no esta tan difundido.
Como individuos no podemos hacer mucho para mejorar el factor de contexto, pero si podemos hacerlo como una tarea colectiva. Depende de todos los interesados y participantes de la actividad en mejorar las decisiones políticas, popularizar la actividad y conseguir mejores condiciones.
Esto explica la existencia de sindicatos, colegios de profesionales, sociedades de fomento y partidos políticos.
Entonces, si bien hemos definido al contexto como un factor externo debido a que no es inherente al individuo, es mucho lo que podemos hacer colectivamente para aumentar este factor y con él aumentar nuestras posibilidades de éxito de todos los individuos de la sociedad.
~El talento~
Todos entendemos el concepto de talento. Su definición formal se puede describir según:
Capacidad para desempeñar o ejercer una actividad.Está vinculada a la aptitud o la inteligencia. Se trata de la capacidad para ejercer una cierta ocupación o para desempeñar una actividad. El talento suele estar asociado a la habilidad innata.
En este caso, nos vamos a referir al talento asociado a la actividad que se pretende evaluar. Si se desea predecir la probabilidad de éxito en un deporte, será el talento para practicar dicho deporte. Si se desea, explicar el éxito de una empresa, se considerará la suma de los talentos de la organización para lograr dicho éxito. Obviamente, a mayor talento, mayor la posibilidad de tener éxito.
El talento en este análisis, lo vamos a considerar un factor innato o intrínseco de los individuos y que no se modifica con el tiempo ni la práctica. Es cierto que una persona con talento natural para determinada actividad puede aumente sus capacidades a través de la practica y el entrenamiento, pero a ese factor lo consideraremos en el factor del mérito. De esta manera podemos diferenciar el efecto de la lotería genética donde el individuo no tiene mayor control y el esfuerzo que se hace para mejorar sobre esta base original.
Siendo así, alguien podría pensar que no hay nada para hacer respecto del talento natural que le tocó a cada uno. Es una cuestión de azar y no depende de nosotros. Sin embargo, podemos hacer algo muy importante: Identificarlo.
Identificar el potencial de los individuos en forma temprana es fundamental para enfocar los esfuerzos en sacar el máximo posible de dicho potencial. Esto aplica tanto a niños en la escuela primaria, jóvenes deportistas de las inferiores de un club de futbol y nuevos profesionales en una empresa tecnológica.
Desde los departamentos de recursos humanos hasta los reclutadores de talentos deportivos, el foco del esfuerzo se pone en los individuos que muestran las mayores características de talento natural ya que allí es donde cada hora de trabajo se multiplica por un mayor factor de talento.
Por el contrario, si alguien disfruta mucho de alguna actividad, como jugar al futbol, tocar la guitarra o pintar, pero puede identificar de manera objetiva que no tiene un nivel de capacidades naturales para dicha actividad en comparación con los requisitos necesarios para ejercer dicha actividad en forma profesional, podrá articular decisiones para no confiar su futuro a esta actividad y mantenerlo solamente como hobby mientras busca mejores estrategias como forma de sustento.
~El mérito~
El significado formal del mérito se puede describir según:
“Acción, circunstancia o cualidad que hace algo o alguien digno de aprecio o reconocimiento”
En nuestro modelo, vamos a considerar el concepto de “acción” como el punto fundamental del factor mérito. Esto es, “lo que hacemos para lograr el éxito”. Es el esfuerzo, la práctica, la capacitación, las horas de entrenamiento y la dedicación que se pone en una determinada tarea.
Claramente este es el factor donde tenemos mayor incidencia en forma personal o como factor de gestión. Aquí es donde se enfocan los mayores esfuerzos para lograr el tan deseado éxito. Cuanto mayor tiempo, esfuerzo y concentración pongamos en lograr un objetivo, mayor será la posibilidad de tener éxito. Por le contrarió, mas allá de las habilidades naturales que cada uno posea, si no se dedica un mínimo esfuerzo para lograr un objetivo, será muy difícil alcanzar la meta.
Obviamente, en la vida real, el merito y el talento se potencian entre sí. Un deportista talentoso que, a su vez, se dedica fuertemente a potenciar su habilidad, logra un incremento de sus capacidades y talentos natural.
Todo modelo necesitar recurrir a simplificaciones para realizar análisis y predicciones. En este caso, vamos a considerar los factores naturales, genéticos e intrínsecos en el factor del talento y los factores de acción, dedicación y comportamientos en el factor mérito.
Así las cosas, mientras en el caso del talento es clave identificación, en el caso del mérito es clave la acción. Aquí debemos evaluar los comportamientos de las personas o grupos relacionados al logro del objetivo. A mayor dedicación o mejores prácticas, mayor es la posibilidad de lograr el éxito.
Este concepto es el que soporta la idea de la meritocracia. La misma se basa en la lógica de “quien más merito hace, mayores resultados y beneficios consigue”. Lo cual es, a todas luces, algo con mucho sentido común y una realidad que se verifica empíricamente. Sin embargo, como lo hizo el mencionado Alberto Fernandez, es un tema que genera mucho debate ideológico.
El problema con los debates sobre la meritocracia es que usualmente no de despejan los demás factores que afectan al éxito y suelen mezclarse peras con mazanas. Es evidente, que en la vida real existen muchos casos de personas y grupos que a pesar de su dedicación y esfuerzos no terminan alcanzado sus objetivos.
Uno de los factores que no podemos dejar de abordar en este caso es “la suerte”
~El azar~
La diferencia entre la suerte y el azar no se puede determinar por medio de sus definiciones ya que ambos términos se definen por:
Circunstancia de ser, por mera casualidad, favorable o adverso a alguien o algo lo que ocurre o sucede.
Sin embargo, en el sentido popular, los conceptos se utilizan de manera bastante diferente.
La suerte, se asocia a una persona o grupo de manera cuasi constante o permanente al menos para un determinado periodo de tiempo. Decimos que tal o cual persona “no tiene suerte” y por eso le va mal en los emprendimientos que realiza o que el equipo del 1990 “tuvo suerte” y por eso llego a la final del campeonato.
La suerte se interpreta como una condición de la persona o grupo. Puede ser mala o buena y una vez definida la misa, afecta positiva o negativamente los resultados hasta que “cambie la racha”.
El azar, por otra parte, es concepto técnico que alude a cuestiones de probabilidad. Si tiro una moneda al aire, tengo 50% de chances que sea cara y 50% de que sea cruz. Si arrojamos un dado, existe una posibilidad en seis que salga el número 4 y así sucesivamente.
Existen muchas situaciones, como el caso del dado y la moneda, donde es perfectamente factible calcular las probabilidades del azar, y otras donde realizar un cálculo exacto es imposible, pero aún así, el azar sigue existiendo.
¿Cuáles son las chances de que un golfista profesional haga hoyo en uno? ¿Cuáles son las probabilidades de que en un examen me pregunten sobre el único tema que no estudie? ¿Cuáles son las posibilidades de que el clima arruine un evento muy bien programado?
Usualmente se pueden hacer proyecciones o estimaciones cono mayor o menor precisión, pero independientemente de los números, lo importante es que sabemos que existe un factor aleatorio que, a priori, no controlamos y que puede tener un factor decisivo en los resultados.
Bajo estos conceptos, podríamos definir que “no existe la suerte” sin que ello desconozca el factor que claramente tiene el azar sobre los resultados esperados.
Vamos a considerar para nuestro modelo, un factor que puede variar en 0 y 2 en forma totalmente aleatoria. De alguna manera representando el cero cuando no tenemos nada de suerte y el 2 cuando la fortuna nos sonríe. Como es un factor que esta multiplicando, afecta directamente al resultado reduciendo el efecto del talento y el mérito cuando el valor se acerca a cero.
Entonces, siendo un factor aleatorio, ¿podemos hacer algo respecto a este factor para mejorar las probabilidades de éxito?
La respuesta es sí. Lo cierto es que el azar afecta a eventos puntuales y puede afectar un resultado especifico. Sin embargo, al tratarse de un fenómeno estadístico, si repetimos el evento varias vences deberíamos obtener, a la larga, una media de resultados que sea representativo de la media de nuestras capacidades.
Podemos ganar un partido por efecto del azar, pero difícilmente ganar el campeonato. Podemos reprobar un examen, pero igualmente graduarnos tarde o temprano. Podemos fallar en una entrevista laboral pero tarde o temprano alguien valorará nuestro verdadero potencial.
Matemáticamente podríamos expresar que el promedio de resultados de varios eventos (varios partidos, varios exámenes, etc.) será el resultado de multiplicar el talento y el mérito por el promedio del factor de azar de cada evento:
Prom Ep = (T x M) x Prom A
Ahora bien, si A puede variar entre 0 y 2 en forma aleatoria, en tanto tengamos una cantidad de eventos significativa, el promedio siempre debería ser cercano a 1.
Es decir, si consideramos uno o pocos eventos, el azar puede tener un factor muy relevante y dar por tierra con todos nuestros esfuerzos y talentos más preciosos. A medida que la cantidad de eventos aumenta, el efecto del azar tiende a compensarse.
Aquí surge un factor que podemos gestionar. La cantidad de eventos. Seguir intentándolo. Confiar en que los resultados tarde o temprano llegarán si hacemos mérito para ello.
Podemos tener el talento adecuado en nuestro equipo y hacer mucho mérito para ganar la copa. Aun así, es posible que perdamos algún partido o inclusive que no logremos ganar el campeonato durante varias temporadas. En estos casos es donde entra en juego un valor muy relevante en los equipos y personas exitosas. La constancia y la resiliencia.
~Resumen:~
- El legado y el contexto son ventajas comparativas que tenemos a partir de logros de nuestros antepasados, predecesores y compatriotas. Son factores que se deben gestionar en forma colectiva.
- El Talento debe Identificarse en forma temprana y potenciarse a través de la práctica, el entrenamiento y el estudio.
- El Mérito es la principal variable para potenciar el desarrollo del talento y alcanzar los objetivos
- El azar influye, pero puede mitigarse a través de la constancia y la resiliencia.
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También estamos interesados en los éxitos colectivos que nos involucran; que nuestro equipo de futbol gane el campeonato, que la economía de nuestro país crezca, que la empresa donde trabajamos tenga buenos resultados, etc.
Es evidente que el éxito, no siempre de alcanza. Y cuando ocurre, sucede en diferentes grados. No es lo mismo, aprobar con 4 que aprobar con 8 el examen de matemáticas. No es lo mismo llegar a CEO de una compañía multinacional que ser jefe de sector en un supermercado. Tanto Messi como Cristiano Ronaldo ganaron el balón de oro, pero no es lo mismo 8 que 5.
Con independencia del grado de conformidad que cada uno tenga de los logros alcanzados, es una realidad objetiva que hay personas, equipos deportivos, empresas y países más exitosos que otros.
Lógicamente, es de esperar que nos preguntemos en que va la diferencia de lograr el tan deseado éxito. ¿Por qué me cuesta tanto superar los exámenes de matemáticas mientras que a mi compañero de banco lo hace casi sin estudiar? ¿Por qué el puesto de CEO fue para Martín y no para Rodrigo? ¿Que hace que la música de Coldplay sea tan escuchada? ¿Qué factores contribuyeron para que Messi finalmente logre levantar la copa del mundo en 2022?
Existen innumerables opiniones y puntos de vistas sobre el tema. Algunos dirán que todo depende del esfuerzo, otros que hay gente que tiene mejores oportunidades que otros dependiendo de su cuna, o ¿será que simplemente algunos están tocados con la varita mágica de la suerte?
En el año 2020, Alberto Fernandez, en ese momento presidente de Argentina, sorprendió con una frase polémica: “Lo que nos hace evolucionar o crecer no es el mérito, como nos han hecho creer en los últimos años, porque el más tonto de los ricos tiene muchas más posibilidades que el más inteligente de los pobres”
Si se quisiera soportar con mayor rigurosidad dicha frase, uno podría revisar la lista de los principales millonarios del mundo y encontrar que todos pertenecen una familia que, al menos, tenía una posición económica que les permitió una buena educación y un apoyo inicial para sus negocios.
Por otro lado, es fácil encontrar cinematográficas historias de superación personal donde personajes de orígenes humildes logran éxitos enormes basado exclusivamente es su talento y esfuerzo.
Desde Diego Maradona nacido en uno de los barrios mas pobres de Buenos Aires, pasando por la cantante francesa Edith Piaf, criada en los prostíbulos de Paris y llegando a Johan Gauss, físico matemático alemán proveniente de una familia campesina, es posible revivir estas historias en películas, novelas y series de televisión donde se muestra que ya sea en el deporte, el arte o la ciencia es posible alcanzar el éxito con la dosis adecuada de talento, esfuerzo y … ¿algo de suerte?.
Cuenta la historia, que Maradona casi se pierde el fichaje para Argentinos Juniors porque el día de la prueba no tenía dinero para el transporte, finalmente un amigo lo ayudo para que llegue a la cancha y allí inició su exitosa carrera deportiva.
El 5 de enero de 1964, Rod Stewart estaba tocando la harmónica en una estación de tren cuando pasaba el vocalista de la banda All Stars, lo invitó a sumarse y allí empezó su carrera profesional.
Si estos eventos “fortuitos” no hubiesen ocurrido, ¿nos hubiésemos perdido de conocer la genialidad de Maradona y el talento de Stewart? ¿o hubiesen llegado igual al éxito por otro camino? Nadie lo sabe, se podrían plantear millones de escenarios contra fácticos.
Pero si es posible deducir algunos escenarios basados en la realidad del entorno. Por ejemplo, es muy probable que Maradona hubiera sido tarde o temprano descubierto por el mundo de futbol debido a que Argentina cuenta con un enorme entramado de clubes de futbol locales, entrenadores, reclutadores y es el deporte mas popular en el país. Por el lado de Stewart, el entorno de londinense de los 70s, sin dudas fue un excelente caldo de cultivo para su talento musical.
En el entorno empresarial, para salir de las áreas del deporte y el arte, también existen casos de éxitos y fracasos que son estudiados en las universidades de negocios. Siendo uno de los más emblemáticos de la era moderna el caso de Steve Jobs en Apple. ¿Puede explicarse por un solo hombre, que una compañía que estaba prácticamente en quiebra en 1997 a convertirse en la empresa mas valiosa del mundo 20 años mas tarde? Seguramente se podrían encontrar miles de empresas similares han estado en situaciones similares, con líderes muy carismáticos y brillantes pero que finalmente no lograron el mismo nivel de éxito.
Lo cierto es que tenemos una tendencia a construir las historias de éxito de “atrás hacia adelante”, esto es, tomamos un ejemplo de éxito (Apple, Maradona, Stewart) y luego vamos hacia atrás para “explicar” los factores que contribuyeron a su éxito. Lo que nadie advierte, es que esos mismos factores (talento, mérito, inteligencia, etc) se pueden encontrar en un montón de casos de no-éxito (o éxitos mucho más moderados). Existen millones de deportistas, artistas y ejecutivos que no ha llegado a la cima a pesar de estar en niveles de talento muy similares a los que si lo han hecho.
Ahora, más allá de cada caso puntual, es intuitivo que existe una clara correlación entre factores como el talento, la dedicación y el entorno con los resultados finales de cualquier emprendimiento personal o grupal.
Se plantea entonces el desafío de construir un modelo para vincular el resultado positivo con los factores que contribuyen para tal fin. Un modelo que sea representativo de la mayoría de los casos y que nos permita describir la realidad de manera objetiva y sin apelar a los paradigmas habituales.
Para lo cual primero necesitamos entender que es “un modelo” y como se construye. Las ciencias sociales proveen un gran soporte para entender estos fenómenos, pero en este caso se busca plantearlo desde otro punto de vista y apelar a la estrategia que utilizan las ciencias duras para modelar la realidad.
Los ingenieros hacen uso hace años de modelos para explicar la realidad física de los procesos técnicos e industriales. Esto les permite entender el comportamiento de los fenómenos físicos y sacar provecho efectivo de dicho entendimiento. Por ejemplo, los modelos que permiten entender el comportamiento de los materiales permiten calcular la cantidad adecuada de cemento para que un edificio se mantenga en pie; los modelos aerodinámicos permiten diseñar los aviones y los modelados químicos permiten establecer que reactivos combinar para fabricar los plásticos que utilizamos a diario.
Es muy común en el caso de las ciencias duras que estos modelos estén apoyados por las matemáticas, ya que la mayoría de los fenómenos físicos tienen un comportamiento predecible y cuantificable. Por ejemplo, hace muchos años, se sabe que la ley de gravedad responde a la siguiente formula cuando se quiere modelar un cuerpo que cae desde una determinada altura:
H = 0,5 * g * t^2
Siendo H la altura desde donde se arrojó el cuerpo, g la aceleración de la gravedad que siempre vale 9,8 y t el tiempo que tarda el cuerpo en llegar al suelo.
Digamos entonces que queremos utilizar este modelo para un caso práctico. Supongamos que estamos en el campo, sin instrumentos de medición y queremos conocer la altura de un acantilado. Podemos arrojar una piedra y contabilizar el tiempo que tarda en llegar al suelo. Digamos que tardó 3,37 segundos.
Luego multiplico: 0,5 x 9,8 x 3,37^2 = 55,6
Entonces podemos determinar que el acantilado mide 55,6 metros.
Observemos las ventajas que tiene conocer el “modelo de la gravedad” al permitirnos conocer la relación que existe entre la altura y el tiempo. Aún si no tuviéramos la formula exacta, es intuitivo que cuanto mas tiempo tarda en llegar la piedra, mas alto es el acantilado y por comparación con otros riscos podríamos estimar una altura.
Obviamente, los comportamientos sociales, no pueden modelarse de manera cuantitativa como los fenómenos físicos. Sin embargo, es posible que podemos utilizar modelos conceptuales equivalentes que nos permitan describir el fenómeno de manera general y considerando los principales factores.
Es importante aclarar que todos los modelos tienen limitaciones y simplificaciones, en el caso de la piedra, por ejemplo, no se tienen en cuenta factores secundarios como el rozamiento con el aire durante la caída, las variaciones de la gravedad según las coordenadas y otros factores que podrían hacer diferir los resultados.
Claramente cualquier modelo que traté de describir un fenómeno social, tendrá limitaciones y simplificaciones aún mayores, pero el objetivo no es cuantitativo sino conceptual. Para que tratar de explicar cómo se relaciones los distintos factores entre sí, para luego, poder actuar o influir o simplemente entender cada uno de ellos y su efecto en el resultado.
Empecemos entonces por lo básico, definamos que es el éxito. Según el diccionario:
“Resultado feliz y satisfactorio de una empresa o acción emprendida”
“el cumplimiento de un objetivo o propósito”
“triunfo, logro o victoria en algo que nos hayamos propuesto”
Por ende, es claro que el éxito es un resultado puntual y responde a una situación u objetivo específico. No es un estado permanente sino una situación coyuntural. Puede lograrse hoy y mañana tal vez no. Puede lograrse en algunos aspectos y no en otros.
Sin embargo, es habitual hablar de “personas exitosas” o “equipos exitosos”. Se entiendo que son personas o grupos que han logrado recurrentemente los propósitos que se definan alcanzar o que han alcanzado un logro significativo y permanente. Una empresa que creció, un artista reconocido por su trayectoria, un país que se desarrolló, un equipo que ganó el campeonato, etc.
Ahora bien, todo éxito es relativo, podríamos medir el grado de éxito en una empresa si lo comparamos con el resto de las empresas de su sector o región, lo mismo se podría hacer con las personas, sus carreras y sus logros. Dicho éxito puede medirse dependiendo del contexto según diferentes métricas: dinero acumulado, capitalización bursátil, trofeos deportivos, seguidores en Instagram, reproducciones en Spotify, etc.
Por ejemplo, si comparamos a los Rolling Stones con los Guns n Roses, independiente del gusto musical de cada uno, es claro que Rolling Stones es la banda mas exitosa de las dos, sea que se mida en años de trayectoria, discos producidos, discos vendidos, recitales realizados y cantidad de fanáticos alrededor del mundo. Rolling Stones tiene 61 años de trayectoria y ha vendido 242 millones de álbumes mientras que GnR ha vendido 124 millones en 38 años de trayectoria discontinua. Dos bandas muy exitosas desde luego, pero una mas que la otra si las tenemos que comparar.
En el ámbito de las empresas tecnológicas, se puede discutir si es más exitosa Apple con 2900 millones de valor de mercado o Microsoft con 2800 millones del mismo indicador, pero nadie duda que ambas son mucho más exitosas que Oracle que tiene 320 millones de Capitalización bursátil.
Yendo a ejemplos más mundanos, si medimos el éxito económico que tiene un dentista en Europa frente al mismo profesional en Latinoamérica, es claro que el primero tiene una ventaja sobre el segundo debido al contexto de una economía mas desarrollada y prospera.
Entonces, con todo lo anterior, podríamos ponernos el objetivo de definir un modelo que nos permita asociar el “grado de éxito” con los factores que contribuyen al mismo. No existe una metodología matemática para vincular estos factores, pero a lo fines conceptuales podemos proponer una formula sencilla que nos permita analizar cada factor por separado.
Como una primera aproximación, vamos a proponer diferenciar los componentes externos a la persona o grupo, del éxito personal logrado por propio mérito.
Podemos diferenciar dos factores externos principales, el legado y el contexto.
El primero hace referencia al efecto de las ventajas obtenidas por herencia o legado de antepasados, familiares o tutores. Por ejemplo, el dinero heredado de la familia cuando se trata de un empresario, o la ventaja de pertenecer al círculo mediático en un artista.
El segundo hace referencia al contexto general o entorno del país, región o época en la que se evalúa cada caso.
Si asumimos que el nivel de éxito total será la suma de el éxito por merito propio, más el que me aporta el entorno y los legados familiares, surge la siguiente formula:
Éxito Total = Éxito Propio + Legado + Contexto
Ahora bien, se miramos en detalle el éxito propio, podríamos diferencias tres factores principales: el talento, el merito y el azar. Los cuales se combinan para dar un resultado que dependerá exclusivamente de factores inherentes al individuo o grupo evaluado.
Dado que cada uno de estos factores tiene un efecto potenciador sobre el otro, es razonable plantear su relación como una multiplicación:
Éxito Propio = Talento x Merito x Azar
Indicando que los factores se potenciaran o afectaran entre si para dar el resultado, si tenemos talento alto, pero no hacemos merito o no tenemos suerte, es poco probable lograr el éxito.
Podríamos pensar en cada unos de estos factores numéricamente como un valor entre 0 y 100%. Si se multiplica un talento del 100%, con un merito del 50% y un azar del 50%, el resultado que se obtiene es 25%.
De todas maneras, estas relaciones no pretenden utilizarse para realizar cálculos precisos, sino para entender y describir la relación entre los factores de una manera metódica y objetiva.
Si combinamos ambas formulas anteriormente detalladas, llegaríamos a los que podríamos llamar “la fórmula del éxito”:
E = T x M x A + L + C
Donde:
E es el nivel de éxito de la persona o grupo en un dado objetivo o disciplina
T es el Talento natural individual o la suma de talentos de grupo en la disciplina
M es el Mérito que se ha dedicado al objetivo evaluado
A es un factor relacionado con el Azar
L es el aporte que el individuo o grupo heredó o le fue dado. El Legado de sus ancestros o antecesores.
C es un factor asociado con el Contexto. País, Mercado o Época donde se desarrolla la actividad evaluada.
Vamos a analizar cada uno de los elementos de este formula en detalle para encontrar los mecanismos que aportar a cada uno de ellos y que sentido tienen en nuestro análisis.
~El Legado~
Este es uno de los factores mas controversiales del éxito. Es la herencia de los ricos o las ventajas comparativas que tuvo alguien por pertenecer a una familia o grupo en particular.
Es posible encontrar en Youtube, un video donde un profesor de ciencias sociales realiza un experimento con sus estudiantes.
Los lleva a un campo de carreras y les dicen que van a tener que competir en una carrera de velocidad. Pero con una particularidad, todos tendrán la misma meta, pero no la misma línea de largada. Entonces pone a algunos estudiantes a pocos metros de la meta, mientras que a otros los pone muy por detrás de la línea de largada. Obviamente, los estudiantes mas retrasados comienzan a quejarse que la regla es muy injusta y que no hay forma de ganarle a los que arrancan con ventaja.
La idea de este experimento es justamente mostrar una contradicción entre la meritocracia y las ventajas de cuna que tienen los distintos miembros de una sociedad. De alguna manera, poner en evidencia un supuesto fallo en el concepto fundamental del sistema capitalista que dice que la competencia es justa y equitativa por que cada uno logra en función de lo que se esfuerza.
Sin embargo, el experimento se olvida de una de las características fundamentales del ser humano, su mortalidad inevitable y la búsqueda de continuidad a través de la descendencia.
Los humanos somos seres tribales, todos y cada uno de los logros de la humanidad se han basado en logros previos obtenidos por nuestros antepasados, quienes nos legaron sus éxitos para nosotros los continuemos y aumentemos.
Un experimento mas representativo sería realizar una carrera de postas, donde cada estudiante de una vuelta a la pista y pase la posta a un compañero. Si la carrera es larga y consta de varias postas, realmente no haría mucha diferencia si algunos de los primeros corredores salieron un poco adelantados.
El legado para un grupo puede ser el legado cultural de un país, la historia deportiva de un club, las alianzas entre razas o países, etc.
Es evidente que los hijos de Rockefeller, tuvieron ventajas sobre otros niños. Si se midiera su éxito por la cantidad de dinero que tienen hoy en el banco, seguramente superaran a muchos empresarios que construyeron su dinero de la nada. Sin embargo, ¿Cuál se considerará mas “exitoso”, un rico por herencia que tiene 100 millones o un rico por propio merito que tiene 50 millones?
El mito de la que la competencia es la base del capitalismo hace mucho que quedo descartado. Por el contrario, el mayor factor de éxito de las sociedades modernas es la colaboración social, dentro de lo cual la competencia cumple un rol pero no es el principal factor. Lo cierto es que en la mayoría de los casos el avance de una parte de la sociedad (una familia, una región, un país) termina impactando positivamente en las demás partes de la misma comunidad. El legado es una forma de colaboración social intergeneracional.
Entonces, para que sea aún mas representativo, el experimento de la carrera debería permitir que cuando los primeros estudiantes lleguen a meta puedan apoyar a los estudiantes que aún no llegan y que el primer puesto en el podio sea para todos los que lleguen, sin importar quien llego primero.
~El Contexto~
En este factor el individuo o grupo tampoco tiempo influencia o mérito propio. Es la base de resultados que se obtiene gracias al país donde naciste, la época donde viviste o las circunstancias generales que te tocaron.
A diferencia del legado, este factor contempla las ventajas generales y no particulares del individuo. Son ventajas que comparte con todos los ciudadanos del mismo país, región o época.
Un trabajador del primer mundo tiene un factor de contexto mayor que un trabajador de un país con menores ingresos per capita si se quiere medir el éxito económico.
Un cantante de rock en español de los 80 tendrá bajo factor de contexto si se compara con un cantante de rock en ingles de la misma época si se mide su éxito en discos vendidos.
Aumentar el factor de contexto es posible. Ello ocurre cuando un país se desarrolla, un mercado se potencia, una cultura se difunde, etc.
Los trabajadores de los países en vías de desarrollo podrían alcanzar el mismo ingreso per cápita de los países desarrollados y contar con las mismas oportunidades. Los cocineros peruanos aumentaron sus posibilidades de éxito gracias a los pioneros en popularizar la cocina peruana de alta calidad. Los futbolistas brasileros tienen un mayor factor de contexto si se los compara con los futbolistas de Asia donde el deporte no esta tan difundido.
Como individuos no podemos hacer mucho para mejorar el factor de contexto, pero si podemos hacerlo como una tarea colectiva. Depende de todos los interesados y participantes de la actividad en mejorar las decisiones políticas, popularizar la actividad y conseguir mejores condiciones.
Esto explica la existencia de sindicatos, colegios de profesionales, sociedades de fomento y partidos políticos.
Entonces, si bien hemos definido al contexto como un factor externo debido a que no es inherente al individuo, es mucho lo que podemos hacer colectivamente para aumentar este factor y con él aumentar nuestras posibilidades de éxito de todos los individuos de la sociedad.
~El talento~
Todos entendemos el concepto de talento. Su definición formal se puede describir según:
Capacidad para desempeñar o ejercer una actividad.Está vinculada a la aptitud o la inteligencia. Se trata de la capacidad para ejercer una cierta ocupación o para desempeñar una actividad. El talento suele estar asociado a la habilidad innata.
En este caso, nos vamos a referir al talento asociado a la actividad que se pretende evaluar. Si se desea predecir la probabilidad de éxito en un deporte, será el talento para practicar dicho deporte. Si se desea, explicar el éxito de una empresa, se considerará la suma de los talentos de la organización para lograr dicho éxito. Obviamente, a mayor talento, mayor la posibilidad de tener éxito.
El talento en este análisis, lo vamos a considerar un factor innato o intrínseco de los individuos y que no se modifica con el tiempo ni la práctica. Es cierto que una persona con talento natural para determinada actividad puede aumente sus capacidades a través de la practica y el entrenamiento, pero a ese factor lo consideraremos en el factor del mérito. De esta manera podemos diferenciar el efecto de la lotería genética donde el individuo no tiene mayor control y el esfuerzo que se hace para mejorar sobre esta base original.
Siendo así, alguien podría pensar que no hay nada para hacer respecto del talento natural que le tocó a cada uno. Es una cuestión de azar y no depende de nosotros. Sin embargo, podemos hacer algo muy importante: Identificarlo.
Identificar el potencial de los individuos en forma temprana es fundamental para enfocar los esfuerzos en sacar el máximo posible de dicho potencial. Esto aplica tanto a niños en la escuela primaria, jóvenes deportistas de las inferiores de un club de futbol y nuevos profesionales en una empresa tecnológica.
Desde los departamentos de recursos humanos hasta los reclutadores de talentos deportivos, el foco del esfuerzo se pone en los individuos que muestran las mayores características de talento natural ya que allí es donde cada hora de trabajo se multiplica por un mayor factor de talento.
Por el contrario, si alguien disfruta mucho de alguna actividad, como jugar al futbol, tocar la guitarra o pintar, pero puede identificar de manera objetiva que no tiene un nivel de capacidades naturales para dicha actividad en comparación con los requisitos necesarios para ejercer dicha actividad en forma profesional, podrá articular decisiones para no confiar su futuro a esta actividad y mantenerlo solamente como hobby mientras busca mejores estrategias como forma de sustento.
~El mérito~
El significado formal del mérito se puede describir según:
“Acción, circunstancia o cualidad que hace algo o alguien digno de aprecio o reconocimiento”
En nuestro modelo, vamos a considerar el concepto de “acción” como el punto fundamental del factor mérito. Esto es, “lo que hacemos para lograr el éxito”. Es el esfuerzo, la práctica, la capacitación, las horas de entrenamiento y la dedicación que se pone en una determinada tarea.
Claramente este es el factor donde tenemos mayor incidencia en forma personal o como factor de gestión. Aquí es donde se enfocan los mayores esfuerzos para lograr el tan deseado éxito. Cuanto mayor tiempo, esfuerzo y concentración pongamos en lograr un objetivo, mayor será la posibilidad de tener éxito. Por le contrarió, mas allá de las habilidades naturales que cada uno posea, si no se dedica un mínimo esfuerzo para lograr un objetivo, será muy difícil alcanzar la meta.
Obviamente, en la vida real, el merito y el talento se potencian entre sí. Un deportista talentoso que, a su vez, se dedica fuertemente a potenciar su habilidad, logra un incremento de sus capacidades y talentos natural.
Todo modelo necesitar recurrir a simplificaciones para realizar análisis y predicciones. En este caso, vamos a considerar los factores naturales, genéticos e intrínsecos en el factor del talento y los factores de acción, dedicación y comportamientos en el factor mérito.
Así las cosas, mientras en el caso del talento es clave identificación, en el caso del mérito es clave la acción. Aquí debemos evaluar los comportamientos de las personas o grupos relacionados al logro del objetivo. A mayor dedicación o mejores prácticas, mayor es la posibilidad de lograr el éxito.
Este concepto es el que soporta la idea de la meritocracia. La misma se basa en la lógica de “quien más merito hace, mayores resultados y beneficios consigue”. Lo cual es, a todas luces, algo con mucho sentido común y una realidad que se verifica empíricamente. Sin embargo, como lo hizo el mencionado Alberto Fernandez, es un tema que genera mucho debate ideológico.
El problema con los debates sobre la meritocracia es que usualmente no de despejan los demás factores que afectan al éxito y suelen mezclarse peras con mazanas. Es evidente, que en la vida real existen muchos casos de personas y grupos que a pesar de su dedicación y esfuerzos no terminan alcanzado sus objetivos.
Uno de los factores que no podemos dejar de abordar en este caso es “la suerte”
~El azar~
La diferencia entre la suerte y el azar no se puede determinar por medio de sus definiciones ya que ambos términos se definen por:
Circunstancia de ser, por mera casualidad, favorable o adverso a alguien o algo lo que ocurre o sucede.
Sin embargo, en el sentido popular, los conceptos se utilizan de manera bastante diferente.
La suerte, se asocia a una persona o grupo de manera cuasi constante o permanente al menos para un determinado periodo de tiempo. Decimos que tal o cual persona “no tiene suerte” y por eso le va mal en los emprendimientos que realiza o que el equipo del 1990 “tuvo suerte” y por eso llego a la final del campeonato.
La suerte se interpreta como una condición de la persona o grupo. Puede ser mala o buena y una vez definida la misa, afecta positiva o negativamente los resultados hasta que “cambie la racha”.
El azar, por otra parte, es concepto técnico que alude a cuestiones de probabilidad. Si tiro una moneda al aire, tengo 50% de chances que sea cara y 50% de que sea cruz. Si arrojamos un dado, existe una posibilidad en seis que salga el número 4 y así sucesivamente.
Existen muchas situaciones, como el caso del dado y la moneda, donde es perfectamente factible calcular las probabilidades del azar, y otras donde realizar un cálculo exacto es imposible, pero aún así, el azar sigue existiendo.
¿Cuáles son las chances de que un golfista profesional haga hoyo en uno? ¿Cuáles son las probabilidades de que en un examen me pregunten sobre el único tema que no estudie? ¿Cuáles son las posibilidades de que el clima arruine un evento muy bien programado?
Usualmente se pueden hacer proyecciones o estimaciones cono mayor o menor precisión, pero independientemente de los números, lo importante es que sabemos que existe un factor aleatorio que, a priori, no controlamos y que puede tener un factor decisivo en los resultados.
Bajo estos conceptos, podríamos definir que “no existe la suerte” sin que ello desconozca el factor que claramente tiene el azar sobre los resultados esperados.
Vamos a considerar para nuestro modelo, un factor que puede variar en 0 y 2 en forma totalmente aleatoria. De alguna manera representando el cero cuando no tenemos nada de suerte y el 2 cuando la fortuna nos sonríe. Como es un factor que esta multiplicando, afecta directamente al resultado reduciendo el efecto del talento y el mérito cuando el valor se acerca a cero.
Entonces, siendo un factor aleatorio, ¿podemos hacer algo respecto a este factor para mejorar las probabilidades de éxito?
La respuesta es sí. Lo cierto es que el azar afecta a eventos puntuales y puede afectar un resultado especifico. Sin embargo, al tratarse de un fenómeno estadístico, si repetimos el evento varias vences deberíamos obtener, a la larga, una media de resultados que sea representativo de la media de nuestras capacidades.
Podemos ganar un partido por efecto del azar, pero difícilmente ganar el campeonato. Podemos reprobar un examen, pero igualmente graduarnos tarde o temprano. Podemos fallar en una entrevista laboral pero tarde o temprano alguien valorará nuestro verdadero potencial.
Matemáticamente podríamos expresar que el promedio de resultados de varios eventos (varios partidos, varios exámenes, etc.) será el resultado de multiplicar el talento y el mérito por el promedio del factor de azar de cada evento:
Prom Ep = (T x M) x Prom A
Ahora bien, si A puede variar entre 0 y 2 en forma aleatoria, en tanto tengamos una cantidad de eventos significativa, el promedio siempre debería ser cercano a 1.
Es decir, si consideramos uno o pocos eventos, el azar puede tener un factor muy relevante y dar por tierra con todos nuestros esfuerzos y talentos más preciosos. A medida que la cantidad de eventos aumenta, el efecto del azar tiende a compensarse.
Aquí surge un factor que podemos gestionar. La cantidad de eventos. Seguir intentándolo. Confiar en que los resultados tarde o temprano llegarán si hacemos mérito para ello.
Podemos tener el talento adecuado en nuestro equipo y hacer mucho mérito para ganar la copa. Aun así, es posible que perdamos algún partido o inclusive que no logremos ganar el campeonato durante varias temporadas. En estos casos es donde entra en juego un valor muy relevante en los equipos y personas exitosas. La constancia y la resiliencia.
~Resumen:~
- El legado y el contexto son ventajas comparativas que tenemos a partir de logros de nuestros antepasados, predecesores y compatriotas. Son factores que se deben gestionar en forma colectiva.
- El Talento debe Identificarse en forma temprana y potenciarse a través de la práctica, el entrenamiento y el estudio.
- El Mérito es la principal variable para potenciar el desarrollo del talento y alcanzar los objetivos
- El azar influye, pero puede mitigarse a través de la constancia y la resiliencia.
2024.05.13 00:13 just_a_gay_penguin Suits that remind me of paintings
 | submitted by just_a_gay_penguin to LoveNikki [link] [comments] |
2024.05.12 22:16 KMan93 [USA] [H] Consoles/Games/Accessories Japanese Stuff, Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, Sega [W] PayPal
Only accepting PayPal F&F
Bundles take priority
Shipping not included in listed price
As long as the package is light (first class), we can add $5 for shipping. If it's heavier then I'll have to calculate it out for you.
Consoles and Games are fully tested and working unless otherwise noted.
Pictures can be found at the top of each table.
Don't be afraid to shoot me an offer on anything, worst I can do is say no! Please comment before dm'ing!
submitted by KMan93 to GameSale [link] [comments]
Bundles take priority
Shipping not included in listed price
As long as the package is light (first class), we can add $5 for shipping. If it's heavier then I'll have to calculate it out for you.
Consoles and Games are fully tested and working unless otherwise noted.
Pictures can be found at the top of each table.
Don't be afraid to shoot me an offer on anything, worst I can do is say no! Please comment before dm'ing!
| FREEBIES(with purchase) | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Dualsense Shell and Assorted Buttons (Repro) | Free with purchase | |
| Gameboy Cartridge Shell - Blue (Repro) | Free with purchase | |
| Gameboy Cartridge Shell - Clear (Repro) | Free with purchase | |
| GBA Console Manual (Japanese) | Free with purchase | |
| PS2 System Manual - SCPH-79001 | Free with purchase | |
| Wii Stand - OEM | Free with purchase |
| MISCELLANEOUS | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Club Nintendo Mario and Friends Pin Badge Set | 10 | Pins were never used |
| CONSOLES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Gundam Char Red Gamecube 001 Console (Japanese) | 550 shipped | Modded with Picoboot (will play USA discs), BlueRetro bluetooth internal adapter and SD2SP2. Comes with CIB Gundam Special Disc, CIB Cosmic Red PS5 controller, black Gameboy Player, all hookups, and 1 OEM memory card. AV cable is seemingly unused and will come in its original box. I'll throw in an unopened 3rd party s-video cable and a couple Japanese games as well! |
| Indigo Gamecube 001 Console (Japanese) - Slightly discolored | 90 shipped | Xeno installed, will play USA discs. Fresh Date/time battery installed. Comes with all hookups, 1 OEM matching controller, 1 OEM memory card and 2 Japanese Gamecube games. |
| Black Gamecube 001 Console (Japanese) | 100 shipped | Xeno installed, will play USA discs. Fresh Date/time battery installed. Comes with all hookups, 1 OEM matching controller, 1 OEM memory card and 2 Japanese Gamecube games. |
| Black Gamecube 001 Console (Japanese) | 100 shipped | Xeno installed, will play USA discs. Fresh Date/time battery installed. New yellow LED installed. Comes with all hookups, 1 OEM matching controller, 1 OEM memory card and 2 Japanese Gamecube games. |
| Pokemon Zacian Zamazenta Switch Lite | 200 shipped | Probably used about 5 times total. CIB, great condition, comes with screen protector installed and white carrying case. |
| Xbox 360 Console | 60 shipped | 60gb external hdd with internal 4gb. All hookups, 2 OEM white wireless controllers (with black battery pack covers) |
| Sega Genesis Model 1 Console (High Definition) | 50 shipped | 1 Controller, power adapter and RF cable. Crack in case. I'll throw in the boxed Retro-Bit controller that I have listed below if you want it. |
| JAPANESE GAMEBOY/GBC GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Kirby Dreamland 2 (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Pokemon Red (Japanese) | 10 | Loose, new battery |
| Pokemon Red (Japanese) | 65 | CIB |
| Pokemon Yellow (Japanese) | 65 | CIB |
| Pokemon Silver (Japanese) | 35 | CIB |
| Pokemon Crystal (Japanese) | 70 | CIB |
| Puyo Puyo (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Tamagotchi 2 (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| GAMEBOY ADVANCE/SP ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| GBA to GameCube Link Cable (DOL-011) | 15 | X2 |
| SMB3 e-Reader card | 5 | Super Mario Bros 3 - Super Leaf (Power-Up Card) |
| JAPANESE GAMEBOY ADVANCE/SP GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Klonoa Dream Champ Tournament (Japanese) | 60 | CIB. Fairly certain it is brand new. |
| Super Mario Bros. - Famicom Mini Series (Japanese) | 20 | CIB |
| DS ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Kirby Squeak Squad -- Case Only | 10 | 'Subscribe to Nintendo Power' insert |
| NES GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. | 10 | Loose |
| Super Mario Bros. 3 | 10 | Loose |
| SNES/SUPER FAMICOM ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| SNES Controller | 10 | |
| Super Famicom Controller | 10 |
| SNES GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Super Gameboy | 20 | Loose |
| Mortal Kombat 2 | 10 | Loose |
| Mortal Kombat 3 | 10 | Loose |
| X-Men Mutant Apocalypse | 15 | Loose |
| SUPER FAMICOM GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Super Gameboy (Japanese) | 12 | Loose |
| Super Gameboy 2 (Japanese) | 40 | Loose |
| Dragonball Z Super Butoden (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Final Fantasy IV (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Front Mission: Gun Hazard (Japanese) | 25 | CIB |
| Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun (Japanese) | 10 | Loose |
| Kirby's Dreamland 3 (Japanese) | 20 | Loose |
| Magical Quest starring Mickey (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Rockman's Soccer (Japanese) | 10 | Loose |
| Rockman X2 (Japanese) | 15 | Loose |
| Super Bomberman (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Super Mario RPG (Japanese) | 10 | Loose |
| Super Momotaro Densetsu DX (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Super Puyo Puyo | 10 | CIB |
| Wagyan Paradise (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Yoshi's Island (Japanese) | 10 | Loose |
| Yoshi's Island (Japanese) | 30 | CIB |
| Yu Yu Hakusho (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| JAPANESE N64 GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Banjo Kazooie (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Bomberman 64 (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Donkey Kong 64 (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Mario Kart 64 (Japanese) | 10 | Loose |
| Mario Tennis (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Paper Mario (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Pokemon Snap (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Pokemon Stadium (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Star Fox 64 (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Yoshi's Story (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| GAMECUBE ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Black Controller (Japanese) | 50 | CIB, new, open box. |
| White OEM Controller | 60 | Long cable |
| Emerald Blue OEM Controller | 45 | |
| Indigo/Clear OEM Controller | 20 | Discolored |
| Indigo OEM Controller | 25 | X2 |
| Black OEM Controller | 25 | X3 |
| Silver OEM Controller | 25 | X5 |
| GameCube to GBA Link Cable (DOL-011) | 15 |
| GAMECUBE GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Viewtiful Joe | 15 | Loose |
| JAPANESE GAMECUBE GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Mario Party 4 (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Mario Party 5 (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Mario Tennis (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Mario Tennis (Japanese) | 5 | CIB, missing slipcover |
| Mega Man Network Transmission (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Naruto: Clash of Ninja (Japanese) | 5 | CIB, missing slipcover |
| Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 (Japanese) | 5 | Game and case only |
| Naruto: Clash of Ninja 4 (Japanese) | 5 | CIB, missing slipcover |
| Naruto: Clash of Ninja 4 (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| SD Gundam Gashapon Wars (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (Japanese) | 15 | CIB |
| Super Smash Bros (Japanese) | 10 | X2 - Game and case only |
| Wii GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Klonoa | 25 | No manual |
| Wii Sports | 15 | CIB (sleeve) |
| Wii Sports Resort | 15 | CIB |
| Wii U GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Wipeout: Create & Crash | 5 | Game in Wii U case with game store artwork |
| SWITCH ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Switch AC Adapter | 10 | |
| Zelda Switch Lite Carrying Case | 10 |
| SWITCH GAMES/ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Castlevania Anniversary Collection (Bloodlines Edition, Limited Run) | 70 | Sealed |
| XBOX 360 GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| NCAA Football 13 | 15 | CIB. Disc is scratched but I was able to start the game and play it. |
| XBOX ONE GAMES/ACCESSORIES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Xbox One Controller | 15 | |
| Xbox One S Controller | 20 | |
| Assassin's Creed Unity - Limited Edition | 2 | CIB |
| Doom | 5 | CIB |
| Dragonball Xenoverse | 5 | No inserts |
| Lego Dimensions | 12 | CIB |
| Mortal Kombat X | 5 | CIB |
| Sekiro Shadows Die Twice | 25 | CIB |
| Wolfenstein 2 | 4 | CIB |
| PSP GAMES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| One Piece Romance Dawn (Japanese) | 10 | Sealed |
| PS1 ACCESSORIES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Gray Dualshock Controller | 10 | |
| Gray Memory Card | 5 | X10 |
| Gray Memory Card with Game Sticker | 15 | X11, most come in official Sony protective case, various game stickers on these cards (Melty Lancer, Final Fantasy VII, Persona, Angel Graffiti, Bastard, Heroine Dream, Final Fantasy Tactics, Arc The Lad, Wizard's Harmony, Xenogears, Saga Frontier) |
| Light Gray Memory Card | 10 for both | X2 |
| Emerald Memory Card | 10 | X3 |
| Yellow (Clear) Memory Card with SD Gundam G Generation Sticker | 20 | Comes in official Sony protective case |
| White Memory Card with Dragon Quest VII Sticker | 20 | Comes in official Sony protective case |
| PS1 GAMES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Klonoa Door To Phantomile (Japanese) | 25 | CIB |
| Grand Theft Auto [Collector's Edition] | 200 | Sealed |
| Tekken 3 [Greatest Hits] | 100 | Sealed |
| Contra Adventure | 15 | Loose |
| Mortal Kombat Trilogy | 20 | Loose |
| Pocket Fighter | 16 | Loose with gutted manual |
| Ridge Racer Revolution | 15 | CIB |
| Street Fighter Alpha 3 | 12 | X2, Loose |
| Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo | 15 | Loose with gutted manual |
| PS2 ACCESSORIES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Midnight Blue Controller | 25 | |
| Black Controller | 15 | X2 |
| Black Memory Card with FMCB Installed | 10 | |
| Black Memory Card | 5 | |
| Black Memory Cards with Various Game Stickers | 10 | X6 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Final Fantasy X, Ridge Racer, Dragon Quest VIII, Samurai Warriors, Beyblade |
| White Memory Card | 12 | X8 |
| Island Blue Memory Card | 10 | |
| Island Blue Memory Card with Dragon Quest VIII Sticker | 20 | |
| Crimson Red Memory Card | 5 | Has a little bit of damage on the front |
| Lemon Yellow Memory Card | 15 | |
| Midnight Blue Memory Card | 20 | X2 |
| Midnight Blue Memory Card with Battle Stadium DON Sticker | 20 | |
| Zen Black (Clear) Memory Card | 15 | X4 |
| Fujiwork Memory Card | 5 | Pick from 6 different colors - Gold, Pink, Red, Teal, Blue |
| Kemco Memory Card | 5 | Pick from 4 different colors - White, Red, Teal, and Black |
| Kotobuki Clear Yellow Memory Card | 5 | |
| Hori Memory Card | 5 | Pick from 2 different colors - Clear Black/Clear, and White |
| PS2 GAMES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| .Hack Mutation Part 2 | 20 | Boxed, no manual |
| Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi | 10 | Boxed, no manual |
| Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (Greatest Hits) | 10 | CIB |
| PS3 GAMES/ACCESSORIES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Sixaxis Controller - Black | 5 | |
| BluRay Disc Remote Control | 20 | New/Sealed. Edges of packaging are a little rough |
| Playstation Eye | 5 | |
| Playstation Move Controller | 15 | |
| Rocksmith (Big Box with Cable) | 25 | CIB with cable |
| PS4 GAMES/ACCESSORIES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Red Dualshock 4 Controller | 22 | |
| Bloodstained Curse of the Moon 2 (Classic Edition, Limited Run) | 60 | Sealed |
| Pocky and Rocky Reshrined | 15 | CIB |
| GENESIS ACCESSORIES/GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Retro-bit Super Retro Gen Controller | 6 | Boxed |
| 6-Pak | 5 | Loose |
| Aaahh!! Real Monsters | 15 | CIB |
| Bubsy | 10 | Boxed, missing manual |
| Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble | 8 | Boxed, missing manual |
| Decap Attack | 15 | Loose |
| Game Genie | 20 | Black label, comes with original manual. Loose |
| Game Genie | 15 | X2, gold label. Loose |
| Ghouls 'N Ghosts | 25 | Loose |
| Golden Axe II | 16 | Loose |
| Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs | 3 | Loose |
| Pac Man 2 The New Adventures | 8 | Cardboard box, CIB |
| Sonic & Knuckles | 20 | Loose |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | 10 | Loose |
| Sonic the Hedgehog (Not for Resale) | 10 | Loose |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | 8 | Loose |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Not For Resale) | 8 | Loose |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | 15 | Loose |
| Spiderman Maximum Carnage | 12 | Loose |
| Super Monaco GP II | 16 | CIB |
| Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 | 20 | Loose |
| Vectorman | 20 | Cardboard box, no manual |
| X-Men | 5 | Loose |
| DREAMCAST GAMES/ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Caution Seaman | 50 | CIB, no mic |
2024.05.12 14:26 Sbaker444 [USA-FL][H] Consoles, Games, Accessories, Pokemon, Mario, Zelda [W] PayPal FF
Hello. I have a bunch of stuff for sale. Prices do not include shipping. Please check condition.
I am constantly adding new things.
SYSTEMS AND ACCESSORIES
GAMES
Gamecube
NES
Gameboy/GBC/GBA
Wii
Wii U
DS
3ds
Switch
XBOX
XBOX 360
Xbox One/X
PS1
PS2
PS3
PS4
PS5
PSP
Vita
submitted by Sbaker444 to GameSale [link] [comments]
I am constantly adding new things.
SYSTEMS AND ACCESSORIES
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $120 | Yellow Nintendo Switch Lite | Good condition |
| $100 | Black 3ds | Good condition |
| $75 | PSP 1000 | Good condition |
| $60 | Nintendo Wii White | Good condition |
| $60 | White Xbox 360 | Good condition |
| $50 | Nintendo DS Lite Pink | Good condition |
| $40 | Nintendo Switch Dock with Cords | Good condition |
| $25 | Yellow Nintendo 64 Controller | Good condition |
| $20 | Gray Nintendo 64 Controller | Good condition |
| $20 | Sega Saturn Controller | Fair condition untested |
| $20 | SNES Quick Shot Arcade Controller | Good condition |
| $15 | SNES Controller | Good condition untested |
Gamecube
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $15 | Nintendo GameCube Preview Disc | CIB |
| $10 | Sims Bustin Out | CIB |
| $10 | Madagascar | CIB |
| $20 | Metroid Prime | Disc only |
| $10 | Crash NitroCart | Disc only |
| $5 | Medal of Honor | Disc only |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt | Cart only |
| $20 | Tetris | Game and manual |
| $10 | Top Gun | Game and manual |
| $15 | RC Pro Am | Game and manual |
| $15 | Milon's Secret Castle | Game and manual |
| $15 | Taboo: The Sixth Sense | Game and manual |
| $10 | Skate or Die | Cart only |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $45 | Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages | Cart only Label wear |
| $25 | Mario Golf Advance Tour | Cart only Some wear |
| $20 | Yu-Gi-Oh GX Duel Academy | Cart only |
| $20 | Super Mario Advance | Cart only |
| $15 | Formula One 2000 | Cart only |
| $10 | Sims Bustin Out | Cart only |
| $10 | Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 3 | Cart only |
| $5 | GT Advance Championship Racing | Cart only |
| $5 | MX 2002 | Cart only |
| $5 | ATV Quad Power Racing | Cart only |
| $5 | Pacman Collection | Cart only |
| $5 | Yu-Gi-Oh Destiny Board Traveler | Cart only |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $30 | We Sing 80s | sealed |
| $30 | Mario Kart | CIB |
| $30 | Mario Kart | CIB |
| $30 | Mario Party 8 | CIB |
| $25 | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | CIB Manual in rough shape |
| $25 | Wii Sports | CIB |
| $15 | Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law | CIB |
| $10 | Sonic Colors | No Manual |
| $20 | House of the Dead 2 & 3 | disc only |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | Monster High New Ghoul at School | CIB |
| $5 | Lego Hobbit | CIB |
| $20 | Smurfs 2 | CIB |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $15 | Space Invaders Extreme | CIB |
| $15 | Plants vs Zombies | CIB |
| $15 | Mario Party DS | Cart + Box/art |
| $40 | Yu-Gi-Oh Nightmare Troubadour | Cart only |
| $25 | Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia | Cart only |
| $15 | Final Fantasy III | Cart only |
| $15 | Professor Layton Unwound Future | Cart only |
| $10 | Crash Mind over Mutant | Cart only |
| $10 | Guitar Hero On Tour Decades | Cart only |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $75 | Tomodachi Life | CIB |
| $30 | Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask | CIB |
| $20 | Sims 3 | CIB |
| $20 | Pokemon Moon | CIB |
| $20 | Animal Crossing New Leaf | CIB |
| $10 | SpongeBob SquarePants Plankton's Robotic Revenge | CIB |
| $70 | Tomodachi Life | Cart only |
| $30 | Fantasy Life | Cart only |
| $30 | Captain Toad Treasure Tracker | Cart only |
| $30 | Pokemon X | Cart only |
| $30 | Pokemon X | Cart only |
| $30 | Pokemon Omega Ruby | Cart only |
| $25 | Bravely Default | Cart only |
| $25 | Poochy and Yoshi's Woolly World | Cart only |
| $20 | Legend of Zelda Link Between Worlds | Cart only |
| $20 | Resident Evil Revelations | Cart only |
| $15 | Pokemon Moon | Cart only |
| $15 | Kirby Triple Deluxe | Cart only |
| $15 | New Super Mario Bros 2 | Cart only |
| $15 | Pokemon Rumble Blast | Cart only |
| $15 | Yoshi's New Island | Cart only |
| $15 | Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate | Cart only |
| $15 | Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer | Cart only |
| $15 | Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon | Cart only |
| $15 | Nintendogs + Cats | Cart only |
| $10 | Mario Tennis Open | Cart only |
| $10 | Ghost Recon Shadow Wars | Cart only |
| $10 | Sonic Boom Shattered Crystal | Cart only |
| $10 | Mario Kart 7 | Cart only |
| $5 | Lego Star Wars III | Cart only |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $40 | Animal Crossing New Horizons | CIB |
| $35 | Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild | CIB |
| $35 | Sonic Superstars | CIB |
| $35 | Witcher III | CIB |
| $15 | My Hero Ones Justice 2 | CIB |
| $15 | Rayman Legends | CIB |
| $35 | Animal Crossing New Horizons | Cart only |
| $20 | Assassin's Creed Ezio Collection | Cart only |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | Halo Combat Evolved | CIB some wear on coverart |
| $10 | Sims 2 | No manual |
| $10 | College Hoops 2k7 | CIB |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | Shrek Forever After | Sealed |
| $15 | Samurai Warriors 2 Empires | CIB |
| $15 | Call of Duty Black Ops II | CIB |
| $10 | Street Fighter IV | CIB |
| $10 | Portal 2 | CIB |
| $10 | Grand Theft Auto Episodes from Liberty City | CIB |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $15 | Guitar Hero Live | CIB |
| $20 | Don't Starve Mega Pack | CIB |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $30 | Final Fantasy VII GH | No Manual |
| $30 | Resident Evil 3 Nemesis | disc only |
| $30 | Dino Crisis | disc only |
| $15 | Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver Collector's Edition | disc only |
| $5 | Pong Next Level | CIB |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $5 | Gran Turismo 3 A Spec | CIB |
| $10 | Jak & Daxter Precursor Legacy | CIB |
| $10 | Grand Theft Auto Vice City | CIB |
| $10 | Grand Theft Auto San Andreas GH | CIB |
| $15 | Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater | CIB |
| $15 | Snoopy vs the Red Baron | CIB |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | NBA 2k18 | CIB |
| $15 | Aliens vs Predator | CIB |
| $10 | Saints Row IV | CIB |
| $10 | Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds | CIB |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $45 | Summon Night 6: Lost Borders | CIB |
| $10 | Little Big Planet 3 | CIB |
| $15 | Uncharted 4 | Sealed |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | Lego Star Wars Skywalker Saga | CIB |
| $30 | Diablo IV | CIB |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $45 | Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary | sealed |
| $55 | The Warriors | CIB |
| $30 | Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker | CIB |
| $20 | Final Fantasy Crisis Core GH | CIB |
| $20 | Final Fantasy Crisis Core | CIB |
| $20 | UFC Undisputed 2010 | CIB |
| $20 | Tekken Dark Resurrection | CIB |
| $20 | Monster Hunter Freedom Unite | CIB |
| $15 | Monster Hunter Freedom | CIB |
| $15 | Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2 | CIB |
| $15 | Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus | CIB |
| $15 | The Bigs 2 | CIB |
| $15 | Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children UMD | CIB |
| $10 | Dissidia Final Fantasy | CIB |
| $25 | Mortal Kombat Unchained GH | Disc only |
| $15 | Mega Man Maverick Hunter X | Disc only |
| $10 | Marvel Nemesis Rise of the Imperfects | Disc only |
| $10 | Atari Classics Evolved | Disc only |
| $15 | Sega Genesis Collection | Disc only |
| $10 | Space Invaders Extreme | Disc only |
| Price | Title | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | Lego Marvel Super Heroes Universe in Peril | no manual |
| $10 | Lego Batman 2 | Cart only |
2024.05.12 09:01 pianoplayerjas The Sharp Knife of a Short Life
There was a boy. I’d known him since I was 5 but it wasn’t until I was older that I truly noticed him. We were in 6th grade when we started taking an advanced math class together. I could tell he was smart, funny, and a person I’d want to be around for a long time. Middle school and all the drama that ensues during that time quickly invaded my life. My social group shifted and I found myself closer to my friend, Dakota. By the time we were in 7th grade he was tall and strong. Blond hair and a light greenish set of smart eyes. We started working together outside of school. My dad worked for his dad and I often found myself at their house. Dakota had one older brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister. I’m the oldest of four so I could handle the chaos of lots of kids in a home. I had some of my most fun memories in middle school at that home. Not just me and Dakota, but with other friends we worked with, our siblings, and family friends. Nerf gun fights, swimming in the pool, and playing manhunt on the homestead that they lived on. I developed what you could consider a crush on Dakota. And the feeling was mutual. He hinted with the not-so-subtle flirting of a 14 year old boy. Pulling my hair, taking my things, and throwing snacks were often his go-to moves.
One night at a Christmas party, us “kids” were watching a movie while the adults played games and hung out in the other room. At some point, his head ended up on my lap. I remember touching his hair, but ultimately deciding I did NOT want someone to see this and assume the worse. Another time, we were alone in the basement. The basement was the place of all our friend hangouts. The video and board games were down there, along with the nerf guns. One night we were on the couch showing each other memes from our iPod touches. We were laughing and joking, then he handed me his iPod to read the next one. Except this wasn’t a meme: it was his notes app. On the screen it said “I think you are beautiful”. I instantly blushed and tried to hide my face. “Me?.....” I looked at him, also blushing red and he nodded. I told him thank you. It was the first time any boy had told me I was beautiful. In my own eyes, I was not. I had a big tooth gap because my parents couldn’t afford braces, and I wore glasses. I don’t know what he saw, but I appreciated the flattering compliment.
We entered high school where once again, your life shifts. You are faced with new teachers, new course materials, new teammates, and new challenges. We remained close friends through this time, by taking enough classes together and being involved with the same friends. It was nearing the fall homecoming season and I was nervous about getting a date. I saw many older boys asking girls to be their dates and I wondered if I would even have one my freshman year. Leave it up to my best friend Anna to set me up.
I clearly remember it was a Sunday night and I was watching football. My mom tells me she got a text from Dakota’s mom that there was a book she needed to grab from their house. She told me I needed to go with her. Without any context, I was annoyed she was making ME drive her there since I did not want to leave home. They lived about 5 minutes away so I figured the faster we leave the quicker I can get back home. Mom told me I should brush my hair.
“Why?”
“Well because you should look a little presentable.”
“It’s fine right, we’re just grabbing a book really quick, right?”
“Yes but you don’t want to leave the house looking like you do.”
I huffed and opened our sliding glass door going outside to the car.
“You should at least put some shoes on!”
“I’m FINE, Can we just go and get this over with”
I angrily and annoyed drove/ sped down the paved road to their house, all the while questioning my mother why she really needed me to go with her.
“I don’t know, there might be something there for you.”
I had no idea what that meant. We drove to the shop on their property that this supposed book was. I stepped out of the car, barefoot on the gravel and walked into the shop. There I see Dakota, holding a sign. I frantically looked around to figure out what was going on. I see Anna crouched in a corner covering her smiling mouth. I looked at his sign and read the homecoming proposal which used lyrics and titles from Beatles songs, my favorite band.
“Oh, Dakota! Of course yes!”
I gave him an awkward hug and turned around to realize that my mother didn’t need a book at all.
Dakota was sweet. In an innocent way. He had casually asked before if we could date, but being the reserved and shy individual I was, I had always declined. After the dance, we drifted, not for any particular reason. I heard he had started dating a different girl. She was older by two years. Was I hurt? Not particularly. Was I jealous? Maybe a little more so. They went to prom together and she was definitely way prettier than me. It happens, I thought, we aren’t meant to be. A romantic relationship would definitely change our entire chemistry.
Summer came and we were out working together on his family’s farm. We spent hours in the fields, talking, singing, and sweating. Just good friends again. It was normal and felt right. We spent a week together in late July on a church trip. We worked on a homeless shelter with our youth group and had a fun yet powerful time together. My mom, dad, and brother were on this trip as well, along with many of our church friends. After the week was done on Saturday, we drove back to our town. I remember waving goodbye to his family in their Suburban as they left the church parking lot. I didn’t realize how significant that goodbye would be.
A few days went by and we had casual texting conversations about work and school starting in the next few weeks. He texted me Tuesday night that his dad really needed some help the next morning bright and early. I wanted to sleep in. He texted “Don’t worry about it, we’ll get it covered.” A decision I’d soon regret.
Wednesday morning, I go to the church with my mom to do a couple of things with her. I can’t even recall what it was. We were getting into our car when we heard loud sirens throughout our small town. Mom and I looked at each other. Sirens are never a good sign. We get in the car, curious, but praying whoever needs the ambulance is okay. My mom gets a phone call. It’s one of our family friends. She says Dakota and his older brother have been in a bad car accident. That heavy feeling that makes your heart sink to your stomach instantly hit me. “They’re okay, they’re okay, they’re okay.” I kept telling myself. The ambulance was going fast, and Dakota is strong. He’s practically invincible. My mother’s friend tells us that we should stop by Dakota’s house to grab the boys clean clothes and bring them to the emergency room. We drive in silence, except for maybe a short prayer that the boys are okay. We get to the house and my mom quickly runs up the stairs to the boys’ bedroom. I stay downstairs. I observe the dining room. Dirty laundry in the baskets. Dirty dishes on the counter. Dakota’s name on a marker board along with a list of chores to do. We speed to the emergency room in the nearby town. On the way we received a text from Dakota’s older brother, John. He said he was doing okay but he wasn’t sure about Dakota. We should be keeping their family in our prayers. The panic was rising in my throat. I had been nervous about things before. This was different. It was like a nauseating churn that started in my stomach. Like my soul was shaking out of my physical body. We got to the hospital, parked and my mom said I should stay in the car. Probably wanting to protect me from any scarring sights within the ER. I wanted to go in. Could I see him? She insisted that I stay in the car. I stayed. Frozen at first. Then rocking back and forth. My palms were shaking and itchy in the center.
“This can’t be happening. Not Dakota. He’s like my best friend. Kids don’t die. He’s too young. Too smart. He has an incredibly successful life ahead of him.”
I was eyeing the automatic door for any sign of someone that I recognized. The ten minutes I waited felt like an hour. Ten minutes of restless uncertainty. Then I see my mom. She had one of the hardest faces that I had ever seen her make. She opened the driver’s side door and I immediately asked “What’s going on. Is he ok?!”
She looks at me dead in the eyes, shaking her head, “He didn’t make it, Jasmine”
A million emotions and questions flood my brain. I started blubbering and sobbing while hitting the dashboard. “No, no, no. Why!? Why him?” My mom breaks down with me, not able to get out a single word. The family friend who delivered the phone call joins us in the car. She says Dakota’s in a better place now. I’m in a state of shock and disbelief. Hot tears will not stop streaming down my cheeks. We were silent on the way back home. I ran upstairs to my room and shut the door. I cried into a pillow for the rest of the afternoon. I skipped dinner. There was a candlelight vigil that evening at a church. I barely had the strength to go, but my mom said it would be good for me. I brought my water bottle. I ate nothing and only drank water to replenish my tears the next two days. Saturday morning, I went to a different church with my family to see Dakota’s family. The church’s youth were making survivor bracelets out of parachute cord. Dakota had made them during his depressive episodes during his 9th grade year, when we somewhat drifted. Dakota and I took Spanish class together our freshman year. One day he asked me what my favorite color was. I told him blue. The next day he gave me a blue bracelet he had made. He said he accidentally made one too small. I was instantly brought back to that moment while standing in the church with dozens of people learning how to braid the cord. When I got home, I tore apart my vanity in search for the bracelet he had made for me. I put it on my right hand. I wore the bracelet everyday for an entire year. I had a Dakota original.
Dakota’s brother, John, who was entering his senior year, invited many of us friends to go out to the place where the accident happened. It was a blind intersection that I had previously been weary of earlier that summer. The corn was high and there were no road signs for a yield or stop. John explained how they had just got in the truck after working the field about a half mile south and were going to take their lunch break. He said they had just started going down the road, picking up speed, when he heard a small voice tell him to put his seatbelt on. John put his seatbelt on, but Dakota didn’t. John said he felt as if there was something around the corner, but ultimately did not slow down near the intersection. A driver, going 50 miles per hour, t-boned them in the intersection. According to John, the truck rolled and Dakota was thrown through the windshield. John found his phone and quickly called 911. He found Dakota and blood was coming from his mouth. He had a large wound on his forehead where he had smashed the dashboard. John pulled him into the field of soybeans, opposite the corn, and tried performing CPR. Dakota was mumbling and sputtering blood before his breathing stopped. The paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. They said he was internally decapitated.
The wake for Dakota was on Sunday night. I had a tough time finding the strength to go. We waited in line behind dozens of people for close to an hour. When I finally got up to him, my heart sank again. There he was. His skin was pale. His hair was not right. His mother, who was right by, said it was okay to touch him. I reached for his hair to move it how he usually wore it. As I parted it, I saw the large scar covered by gobs of makeup that the hair was covering on his forehead. I put it back.
His funeral was the next day. Monday. At 1:18PM, his birthday date. I felt sick the whole morning. My whole family got in the car and my mom was talking to my younger siblings. I was silent. I was going to one of my best friends’ funerals. The church where the funeral was held was absolutely packed. Parked cars took up the surrounding blocks. The church had multiple floors and rooms with casted video of the celebration of life. I was considered close enough to sit in the sanctuary in the front half of the pews. I sat with my gifted teacher and other friends from the gifted program. What a terrible way to end your summer. Saying hello to people you haven’t seen in a few months at a funeral. I remember the funeral. There were songs and the service was led in large by Dakota’s own mother. To this day I have no idea how she had the strength to do that. I remember a few of the songs that were sung, but I’ll never forget the sound of the casket closing. The last goodbye. The final SLAM. His face would never again have sunlight shown upon it. Never again would a person touch him, hold him, hug him.
My family tried to get out to the burial but the crowd was just too insanely large to get around. I had the final say that we could go home. I’d come back another time.
The next day, I went to the scene of the accident. It was an intersection 5 miles east of my house. Someone had put up a make-shift cross at the intersection. I brought a big University of Kansas patch from one of our gifted trips to place at the cross. He loved basketball, and especially the Jayhawks. On the back of the patch I had written “I love you”. That night, there was a big storm. I sat up straight in bed and started crying as the wind whistled by my windows. The patch.
When I woke up, I found a reason to leave home and went back out to the intersection. I ran up to the cross and found my patch wrapped tightly around the base with some old barbed wire. I burst into tears of relief. I have no idea who saved my patch.
The next two weeks were spent preparing for school and fall practice. I had decided to do tennis that fall instead of volleyball. On the first day of school, I rode the bus into the town with my school. We drove past the intersection and I burst into tears. I cried four more times that day. Each time in the class he should have been in with me. I was distraught. I have no other way to describe how absolutely depressed I was walking the halls. Teachers were not the same. There was an absence in our sophomore class. An absence on our football team. In our audition choir. In our youth group. And in me. I tried my best to get through it. I started journaling a little bit after the accident to help organize my thoughts. To remember all the little details I could about him. To write them down so they didn’t disappear.
My sophomore year was brutal. I was playing tennis in the fall with a small team of girls who helped to create a safe and calm environment for me. I spent all of my hours in the team vehicle listening to two Lifehouse albums on repeat. I’d look out the window and reflect. What was life? What was my purpose? Why did this happen?
I didn’t have an answer. I bottled it up. It seemed that a lot of my class who weren’t very close with Dakota had a lot easier time going back to their normal lives. I was missing a friend. There was a contact in my phone from whom I’d never received another text. I had unfinished business. We had talked all summer about how our math class and Spanish II classes would be so fun this year. The bracelet I wore everyday was getting a stark tan line.
The semester rolled on. One of my other close friends moved to Colorado. And my last best friend, Anna, was in her own self-discovery phase. She wasn’t as close to Dakota and I was more or less a depressed teen at that time. I cried at school. In the bathrooms. In the locker room or a small music practice room. Am I just that sensitive? Why is no one else dealing with this grief like I am? I tried to distract myself with various activities. It worked for the most part. In the spring, I went out for softball. I loved softball. I had been playing it for years. I even had helped “assistant coach” a little girls rec league with Dakota and his family a few summers beforehand. Softball was hard but I needed the challenge. I worked hard at the sport and found myself on the varsity team after multiple players were out for the season due to injury or illness. In the last regular season game, on May 9th on our home field, I broke my leg. I had a high impact with the catcher while trying to steal home. The ump called me safe and we won the game by a run rule as I crumpled to the ground. I remember thinking I could stand up, but the weirdest tingling started down my leg around my knee. My coach carried me off the field like a baby. I pulled my helmet off and one tear slid down my cheek. They put me on a stretcher while the athletic trainer checked my knee.
“Yep, you fractured a bone. We should get you in to the ER for an X-ray”
“Fracture? Like my bone broke?”
“Yes that’s what a fracture is”
I started sobbing. Not from the pain. From the overwhelming feeling of becoming an invalid for an uncertain amount of time. I slid in the back of my mom’s vehicle as we drove down to the county ER. We got there, I was still in uniform. Just hysterical. I had no idea what was going on as I had never had an injury like this before. The ER lady took X-rays of my right leg. The images came back and showed a tibial plateau fracture. I wouldn’t be walking for a while. They helped cut me out of my softball pants and sent me home with lots of pain killers. The next few days I spent vomiting from the strong norco drug. I had a surgery a few days later where they placed hardware in my knee and put me in a straight-leg brace. I was miserable. It was hot and scratchy and I had my finals coming up. I went back to school the next Wednesday or Thursday to collect some class work to do at home. As I lived on the downstairs couch for close to three weeks I found myself asking again “Why did this happen?” I finished the school year by doing my final projects and giving my German foreign exchange student friend a final hug. I remember thinking “This is a nicer way to say goodbye to someone forever”.
I couldn’t walk for most of the summer and I started painful physical therapy. I was frequenting 3 times a week for a long while to build back my strength and relearn to walk. As soon as I was weight-bearing, I started working outside again. Doing what I could with one crutch. Dakota’s dad hired me to help manage the field workers and I could do some wood stacking decently enough. On the 1 year anniversary of Dakota’s death, I went to the gravesite for a small ceremony. It was the first time I had been there. The intersection where he died was my frequent mourning spot, almost daily on my drive to and from school. The gravestone was large and obviously very expensive. It has a beautiful picture of him and the quote “You got this”, that he used often as a self-reassuring phrase. At some point after the 1-year, I stopped wearing the bracelet he made me. Was it time to let go? How long does one mourn?
The rest of my high school journey was tainted with the memories of him and the phantom memories of where I imagined him being. At my graduation, we had an honorary memorial and scholarship dedicated to him and his character. Then I went to college. I was already dating who would become my husband a number of years later.
Years have passed. There is no happy ending. I'm still here. Aging. Growing older while I can still see the face of my 15 year old friend. He isn’t growing. He’s in the ground. Resting. It feels like a lifetime until I can see him again. I’ve had dreams of him. Unprompted visions of him were prevalent for about 2 years after he passed. You would think this story would get easier after the number of times I’ve played in my head over all of these years. But it hasn’t. I’m in the acceptance stage of grief. I’ve lived life, gotten married, laughed again, and see a bright future for myself. Though I do often think, Where would Dakota be now? Would we have become closer friends? Would he be married? He would have made a good father.
Again, I have no answers to these questions that I suppose may eternally sit with me. I do have some answers though. I’ve learned how to not take people for granted. I’ve learned how to recognize depressive symptoms and how to be a listening ear for someone who feels hopeless. I’ve learned how to find purpose in helping people. I’ve learned patience. Sometimes patience is agonizing, which means the reward is definitely worth the wait.
submitted by pianoplayerjas to sadstories [link] [comments]
One night at a Christmas party, us “kids” were watching a movie while the adults played games and hung out in the other room. At some point, his head ended up on my lap. I remember touching his hair, but ultimately deciding I did NOT want someone to see this and assume the worse. Another time, we were alone in the basement. The basement was the place of all our friend hangouts. The video and board games were down there, along with the nerf guns. One night we were on the couch showing each other memes from our iPod touches. We were laughing and joking, then he handed me his iPod to read the next one. Except this wasn’t a meme: it was his notes app. On the screen it said “I think you are beautiful”. I instantly blushed and tried to hide my face. “Me?.....” I looked at him, also blushing red and he nodded. I told him thank you. It was the first time any boy had told me I was beautiful. In my own eyes, I was not. I had a big tooth gap because my parents couldn’t afford braces, and I wore glasses. I don’t know what he saw, but I appreciated the flattering compliment.
We entered high school where once again, your life shifts. You are faced with new teachers, new course materials, new teammates, and new challenges. We remained close friends through this time, by taking enough classes together and being involved with the same friends. It was nearing the fall homecoming season and I was nervous about getting a date. I saw many older boys asking girls to be their dates and I wondered if I would even have one my freshman year. Leave it up to my best friend Anna to set me up.
I clearly remember it was a Sunday night and I was watching football. My mom tells me she got a text from Dakota’s mom that there was a book she needed to grab from their house. She told me I needed to go with her. Without any context, I was annoyed she was making ME drive her there since I did not want to leave home. They lived about 5 minutes away so I figured the faster we leave the quicker I can get back home. Mom told me I should brush my hair.
“Why?”
“Well because you should look a little presentable.”
“It’s fine right, we’re just grabbing a book really quick, right?”
“Yes but you don’t want to leave the house looking like you do.”
I huffed and opened our sliding glass door going outside to the car.
“You should at least put some shoes on!”
“I’m FINE, Can we just go and get this over with”
I angrily and annoyed drove/ sped down the paved road to their house, all the while questioning my mother why she really needed me to go with her.
“I don’t know, there might be something there for you.”
I had no idea what that meant. We drove to the shop on their property that this supposed book was. I stepped out of the car, barefoot on the gravel and walked into the shop. There I see Dakota, holding a sign. I frantically looked around to figure out what was going on. I see Anna crouched in a corner covering her smiling mouth. I looked at his sign and read the homecoming proposal which used lyrics and titles from Beatles songs, my favorite band.
“Oh, Dakota! Of course yes!”
I gave him an awkward hug and turned around to realize that my mother didn’t need a book at all.
Dakota was sweet. In an innocent way. He had casually asked before if we could date, but being the reserved and shy individual I was, I had always declined. After the dance, we drifted, not for any particular reason. I heard he had started dating a different girl. She was older by two years. Was I hurt? Not particularly. Was I jealous? Maybe a little more so. They went to prom together and she was definitely way prettier than me. It happens, I thought, we aren’t meant to be. A romantic relationship would definitely change our entire chemistry.
Summer came and we were out working together on his family’s farm. We spent hours in the fields, talking, singing, and sweating. Just good friends again. It was normal and felt right. We spent a week together in late July on a church trip. We worked on a homeless shelter with our youth group and had a fun yet powerful time together. My mom, dad, and brother were on this trip as well, along with many of our church friends. After the week was done on Saturday, we drove back to our town. I remember waving goodbye to his family in their Suburban as they left the church parking lot. I didn’t realize how significant that goodbye would be.
A few days went by and we had casual texting conversations about work and school starting in the next few weeks. He texted me Tuesday night that his dad really needed some help the next morning bright and early. I wanted to sleep in. He texted “Don’t worry about it, we’ll get it covered.” A decision I’d soon regret.
Wednesday morning, I go to the church with my mom to do a couple of things with her. I can’t even recall what it was. We were getting into our car when we heard loud sirens throughout our small town. Mom and I looked at each other. Sirens are never a good sign. We get in the car, curious, but praying whoever needs the ambulance is okay. My mom gets a phone call. It’s one of our family friends. She says Dakota and his older brother have been in a bad car accident. That heavy feeling that makes your heart sink to your stomach instantly hit me. “They’re okay, they’re okay, they’re okay.” I kept telling myself. The ambulance was going fast, and Dakota is strong. He’s practically invincible. My mother’s friend tells us that we should stop by Dakota’s house to grab the boys clean clothes and bring them to the emergency room. We drive in silence, except for maybe a short prayer that the boys are okay. We get to the house and my mom quickly runs up the stairs to the boys’ bedroom. I stay downstairs. I observe the dining room. Dirty laundry in the baskets. Dirty dishes on the counter. Dakota’s name on a marker board along with a list of chores to do. We speed to the emergency room in the nearby town. On the way we received a text from Dakota’s older brother, John. He said he was doing okay but he wasn’t sure about Dakota. We should be keeping their family in our prayers. The panic was rising in my throat. I had been nervous about things before. This was different. It was like a nauseating churn that started in my stomach. Like my soul was shaking out of my physical body. We got to the hospital, parked and my mom said I should stay in the car. Probably wanting to protect me from any scarring sights within the ER. I wanted to go in. Could I see him? She insisted that I stay in the car. I stayed. Frozen at first. Then rocking back and forth. My palms were shaking and itchy in the center.
“This can’t be happening. Not Dakota. He’s like my best friend. Kids don’t die. He’s too young. Too smart. He has an incredibly successful life ahead of him.”
I was eyeing the automatic door for any sign of someone that I recognized. The ten minutes I waited felt like an hour. Ten minutes of restless uncertainty. Then I see my mom. She had one of the hardest faces that I had ever seen her make. She opened the driver’s side door and I immediately asked “What’s going on. Is he ok?!”
She looks at me dead in the eyes, shaking her head, “He didn’t make it, Jasmine”
A million emotions and questions flood my brain. I started blubbering and sobbing while hitting the dashboard. “No, no, no. Why!? Why him?” My mom breaks down with me, not able to get out a single word. The family friend who delivered the phone call joins us in the car. She says Dakota’s in a better place now. I’m in a state of shock and disbelief. Hot tears will not stop streaming down my cheeks. We were silent on the way back home. I ran upstairs to my room and shut the door. I cried into a pillow for the rest of the afternoon. I skipped dinner. There was a candlelight vigil that evening at a church. I barely had the strength to go, but my mom said it would be good for me. I brought my water bottle. I ate nothing and only drank water to replenish my tears the next two days. Saturday morning, I went to a different church with my family to see Dakota’s family. The church’s youth were making survivor bracelets out of parachute cord. Dakota had made them during his depressive episodes during his 9th grade year, when we somewhat drifted. Dakota and I took Spanish class together our freshman year. One day he asked me what my favorite color was. I told him blue. The next day he gave me a blue bracelet he had made. He said he accidentally made one too small. I was instantly brought back to that moment while standing in the church with dozens of people learning how to braid the cord. When I got home, I tore apart my vanity in search for the bracelet he had made for me. I put it on my right hand. I wore the bracelet everyday for an entire year. I had a Dakota original.
Dakota’s brother, John, who was entering his senior year, invited many of us friends to go out to the place where the accident happened. It was a blind intersection that I had previously been weary of earlier that summer. The corn was high and there were no road signs for a yield or stop. John explained how they had just got in the truck after working the field about a half mile south and were going to take their lunch break. He said they had just started going down the road, picking up speed, when he heard a small voice tell him to put his seatbelt on. John put his seatbelt on, but Dakota didn’t. John said he felt as if there was something around the corner, but ultimately did not slow down near the intersection. A driver, going 50 miles per hour, t-boned them in the intersection. According to John, the truck rolled and Dakota was thrown through the windshield. John found his phone and quickly called 911. He found Dakota and blood was coming from his mouth. He had a large wound on his forehead where he had smashed the dashboard. John pulled him into the field of soybeans, opposite the corn, and tried performing CPR. Dakota was mumbling and sputtering blood before his breathing stopped. The paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. They said he was internally decapitated.
The wake for Dakota was on Sunday night. I had a tough time finding the strength to go. We waited in line behind dozens of people for close to an hour. When I finally got up to him, my heart sank again. There he was. His skin was pale. His hair was not right. His mother, who was right by, said it was okay to touch him. I reached for his hair to move it how he usually wore it. As I parted it, I saw the large scar covered by gobs of makeup that the hair was covering on his forehead. I put it back.
His funeral was the next day. Monday. At 1:18PM, his birthday date. I felt sick the whole morning. My whole family got in the car and my mom was talking to my younger siblings. I was silent. I was going to one of my best friends’ funerals. The church where the funeral was held was absolutely packed. Parked cars took up the surrounding blocks. The church had multiple floors and rooms with casted video of the celebration of life. I was considered close enough to sit in the sanctuary in the front half of the pews. I sat with my gifted teacher and other friends from the gifted program. What a terrible way to end your summer. Saying hello to people you haven’t seen in a few months at a funeral. I remember the funeral. There were songs and the service was led in large by Dakota’s own mother. To this day I have no idea how she had the strength to do that. I remember a few of the songs that were sung, but I’ll never forget the sound of the casket closing. The last goodbye. The final SLAM. His face would never again have sunlight shown upon it. Never again would a person touch him, hold him, hug him.
My family tried to get out to the burial but the crowd was just too insanely large to get around. I had the final say that we could go home. I’d come back another time.
The next day, I went to the scene of the accident. It was an intersection 5 miles east of my house. Someone had put up a make-shift cross at the intersection. I brought a big University of Kansas patch from one of our gifted trips to place at the cross. He loved basketball, and especially the Jayhawks. On the back of the patch I had written “I love you”. That night, there was a big storm. I sat up straight in bed and started crying as the wind whistled by my windows. The patch.
When I woke up, I found a reason to leave home and went back out to the intersection. I ran up to the cross and found my patch wrapped tightly around the base with some old barbed wire. I burst into tears of relief. I have no idea who saved my patch.
The next two weeks were spent preparing for school and fall practice. I had decided to do tennis that fall instead of volleyball. On the first day of school, I rode the bus into the town with my school. We drove past the intersection and I burst into tears. I cried four more times that day. Each time in the class he should have been in with me. I was distraught. I have no other way to describe how absolutely depressed I was walking the halls. Teachers were not the same. There was an absence in our sophomore class. An absence on our football team. In our audition choir. In our youth group. And in me. I tried my best to get through it. I started journaling a little bit after the accident to help organize my thoughts. To remember all the little details I could about him. To write them down so they didn’t disappear.
My sophomore year was brutal. I was playing tennis in the fall with a small team of girls who helped to create a safe and calm environment for me. I spent all of my hours in the team vehicle listening to two Lifehouse albums on repeat. I’d look out the window and reflect. What was life? What was my purpose? Why did this happen?
I didn’t have an answer. I bottled it up. It seemed that a lot of my class who weren’t very close with Dakota had a lot easier time going back to their normal lives. I was missing a friend. There was a contact in my phone from whom I’d never received another text. I had unfinished business. We had talked all summer about how our math class and Spanish II classes would be so fun this year. The bracelet I wore everyday was getting a stark tan line.
The semester rolled on. One of my other close friends moved to Colorado. And my last best friend, Anna, was in her own self-discovery phase. She wasn’t as close to Dakota and I was more or less a depressed teen at that time. I cried at school. In the bathrooms. In the locker room or a small music practice room. Am I just that sensitive? Why is no one else dealing with this grief like I am? I tried to distract myself with various activities. It worked for the most part. In the spring, I went out for softball. I loved softball. I had been playing it for years. I even had helped “assistant coach” a little girls rec league with Dakota and his family a few summers beforehand. Softball was hard but I needed the challenge. I worked hard at the sport and found myself on the varsity team after multiple players were out for the season due to injury or illness. In the last regular season game, on May 9th on our home field, I broke my leg. I had a high impact with the catcher while trying to steal home. The ump called me safe and we won the game by a run rule as I crumpled to the ground. I remember thinking I could stand up, but the weirdest tingling started down my leg around my knee. My coach carried me off the field like a baby. I pulled my helmet off and one tear slid down my cheek. They put me on a stretcher while the athletic trainer checked my knee.
“Yep, you fractured a bone. We should get you in to the ER for an X-ray”
“Fracture? Like my bone broke?”
“Yes that’s what a fracture is”
I started sobbing. Not from the pain. From the overwhelming feeling of becoming an invalid for an uncertain amount of time. I slid in the back of my mom’s vehicle as we drove down to the county ER. We got there, I was still in uniform. Just hysterical. I had no idea what was going on as I had never had an injury like this before. The ER lady took X-rays of my right leg. The images came back and showed a tibial plateau fracture. I wouldn’t be walking for a while. They helped cut me out of my softball pants and sent me home with lots of pain killers. The next few days I spent vomiting from the strong norco drug. I had a surgery a few days later where they placed hardware in my knee and put me in a straight-leg brace. I was miserable. It was hot and scratchy and I had my finals coming up. I went back to school the next Wednesday or Thursday to collect some class work to do at home. As I lived on the downstairs couch for close to three weeks I found myself asking again “Why did this happen?” I finished the school year by doing my final projects and giving my German foreign exchange student friend a final hug. I remember thinking “This is a nicer way to say goodbye to someone forever”.
I couldn’t walk for most of the summer and I started painful physical therapy. I was frequenting 3 times a week for a long while to build back my strength and relearn to walk. As soon as I was weight-bearing, I started working outside again. Doing what I could with one crutch. Dakota’s dad hired me to help manage the field workers and I could do some wood stacking decently enough. On the 1 year anniversary of Dakota’s death, I went to the gravesite for a small ceremony. It was the first time I had been there. The intersection where he died was my frequent mourning spot, almost daily on my drive to and from school. The gravestone was large and obviously very expensive. It has a beautiful picture of him and the quote “You got this”, that he used often as a self-reassuring phrase. At some point after the 1-year, I stopped wearing the bracelet he made me. Was it time to let go? How long does one mourn?
The rest of my high school journey was tainted with the memories of him and the phantom memories of where I imagined him being. At my graduation, we had an honorary memorial and scholarship dedicated to him and his character. Then I went to college. I was already dating who would become my husband a number of years later.
Years have passed. There is no happy ending. I'm still here. Aging. Growing older while I can still see the face of my 15 year old friend. He isn’t growing. He’s in the ground. Resting. It feels like a lifetime until I can see him again. I’ve had dreams of him. Unprompted visions of him were prevalent for about 2 years after he passed. You would think this story would get easier after the number of times I’ve played in my head over all of these years. But it hasn’t. I’m in the acceptance stage of grief. I’ve lived life, gotten married, laughed again, and see a bright future for myself. Though I do often think, Where would Dakota be now? Would we have become closer friends? Would he be married? He would have made a good father.
Again, I have no answers to these questions that I suppose may eternally sit with me. I do have some answers though. I’ve learned how to not take people for granted. I’ve learned how to recognize depressive symptoms and how to be a listening ear for someone who feels hopeless. I’ve learned how to find purpose in helping people. I’ve learned patience. Sometimes patience is agonizing, which means the reward is definitely worth the wait.
2024.05.12 08:16 LOTTO-SPIELEN PROMO CODE TRADEREPUBLIC NEUKUNDE
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- Investieren Sie langfristig, um von der Rendite des Aktienmarktes zu profitieren.
- Seien Sie geduldig und lassen Sie sich nicht von kurzfristigen Kursschwankungen verunsichern.
CASHBACK NEUKUNDEN NEUKUNDE AKTION ACTIONS ACTION CODES CODE GELD ZURÜCK 1. BESTELLUNG PROMOCODE PROMO CODES PROMOCODES erste Bestellung NEUKUNDE KODE GUTSCHEiNE GUTSCHEIN-CODE AKTIONSGUTSCHEIN NEUKUNDENRABATT RABATT RABAT DISCOUNT DISOUNTS EN HUNGER PIZZA BURGER LIEFERSERVICE € PLN $ 12 14 15 10 20 30 50 % 5 NEULING 1. Bestellung PROMS SALES DISCOUNT BERLINER ZU HAUSE NACH HAUSE ZUR ARBEIT AUF AKTIONEN OHNE GEBÜHR KAMERADEN FREUNDE WERBEN GELD ESSEN UMSONST GRATIS GROSSE AUSWAHL GUTE BEWERTUNG MITNEHMEN ABHOLEN SELBER VOR DER BERLIN UBER EATS NEUKUNDEN RABATT TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNGANMELDUNG TRADE REPUBLIC DOWNLOAD 30 € 30 € BONUS TRADE REPUBLICTRADE REPUBLIC DOWNLAOD ANMELDEN REGISTRIEREN ANMELDUNG NEW USER 15€ GRATIS FREE KOSTENLOS VOUCHER CODE CODES GUTSCHEIN GUTSCHEINE30 € BONUS ANMELDEBONUS DOWNLOAD APP DOWNLOAD RUNTERLADEN FREUNDE 50 TRADE REPUBLIC RUNTERLADEN TRADE REPUBLIC REGISTRIEREN TRADE REPUBLIC GUTSCHEIN TRADE REPUBLIC FREUNDE WERBEN TRADE REPUBLIC CODES TRADE REPUBLIC ZERTIFIKATE HANDELN TRADE REPUBLIC ZERTIFIKATE SHORT TRADE REPUBLIC ZERTIFIKATE LONG TRADEREPUBLIC GUTSCHEIN CODES TRADE REPUBLIC GUTSCHEIN CODES TRADE REPUBLIC NEUKUNDENBONUS TRADEREPUBLIC NEUKUNDENBONUS TRADEREPUBLIC NEUKUNDEN TRADEREPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS AUGUST GRATIS AKTIE TRADEREPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS GRATIS AKTIE ALS NEUKUNDE TRADEREPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN GRATIS AKTIE ALS NEUKUNDE TRADEREPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN FÜR ANMELDUNG ALS NEUKUNDE GRATIS AKTIE ERHALTEN TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN AKTIEN HANDELN EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN AKTIEN HANDELN BLACK FRIDAY WEEK EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN TRADEREPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS BITCOIN HANDELN TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS BLACK FRIDAY TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS KRYPTOKAUF TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS DIVIDEDEN ETFS TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS DIVIDENDEN ETFS TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS DIVIDENDEN EX TAG 2023 TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS DIVIDENDEN MIT HÖCHSTER RENDITE 2023 TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNG DIVIDENDEN MIT HOHER RENDITE 2023 ANMELDUNG DEUTSCHER BROKER ONLINE ANMELDUNG AKTIENHANDEL MIT FREUNDSCHAFTSBONUS ANMELDUNG TRADE REPUBLIC FREUNDSCHAFTSPRÄMIE ANMELDUNG TRADE REPUBLIC PRÄMIE FÜR NEUKUNDEN EMPFEHLUNGSLINK TRADE REPUBLIC PRÄMIE FÜR NEUKUNDEN PROMO CODE TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNG
PROMO CODE TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNGPROMO CODE TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNGPROMO CODE TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNGPROMO CODE TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNGum Dein Depot zu eröffnen und einen Bonus von 200 € zu erhalten.Lass Dein Geld für Dich arbeiten und werde Teil von Trade Republic!Nutze diesen Einladungslink: PROMO CODE TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNGEMPFEHLUNGSLINK TRADE REPUBLIC PRÄMIE FÜR NEUKUNDENTrade Republic ist ein deutscher Online-Broker, der 2015 von Christian Hecker, Thomas Pischke und Marco Cancellieri gegründet wurde. Das Unternehmen hat seinen Hauptsitz in Berlin und beschäftigt über 700 Mitarbeiter. Trade Republic bietet seinen Kunden den Handel mit Aktien, ETFs, Derivaten und Kryptowährungen an. Die Handelsgebühren sind sehr niedrig, und das Unternehmen bietet eine Vielzahl von Funktionen, wie zum Beispiel eine mobile App, eine Web-App und ein Kundenportal.Trade Republic hat sich schnell zu einem der beliebtesten Online-Broker in Deutschland entwickelt. Das Unternehmen hat über 1,5 Millionen Kunden und verwaltet ein Vermögen von über 20 Milliarden Euro. Trade Republic ist eine vertrauenswürdige und sichere Plattform für den Handel mit Wertpapieren. Das Unternehmen ist von der Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin) zugelassen und reguliert.Hier sind einige der Vorteile von Trade Republic:Niedrige Handelsgebühren
Große Auswahl an Wertpapieren
Moderne Benutzeroberfläche
Mobile App und Web-App
Kundenportal
Sichere und vertrauenswürdige PlattformWenn Sie auf der Suche nach einem günstigen und guten Online-Broker sind, ist Trade Republic eine gute Wahl.Mundpropaganda
Weiterempfehlung
Empfehlungsmarketing
Empfehlungsprogramm
Empfehlungsbonus
Empfehlungsprämie
Empfehlungsgeschenk
Empfehlungsgutschein
Empfehlungsrabatt
EmpfehlungscodeAktienhandel ist der Kauf und Verkauf von Aktien an einer Börse. Aktien sind Anteile an einem Unternehmen und geben dem Aktionär einen Anteil am Eigentum und am Gewinn des Unternehmens.Wenn Sie Aktien kaufen, werden Sie Miteigentümer des Unternehmens. Wenn das Unternehmen Gewinn macht, wird ein Teil des Gewinns an die Aktionäre ausgeschüttet. Diese Ausschüttung wird Dividende genannt.Der Aktienkurs ist der Preis, zu dem eine Aktie gekauft oder verkauft wird. Der Aktienkurs kann sich täglich ändern, je nachdem, wie viel die Anleger bereit sind, für eine Aktie zu zahlen.Der Aktienhandel ist eine Möglichkeit, Geld zu verdienen. Wenn Sie Aktien kaufen, die im Wert steigen, können Sie Gewinne erzielen, wenn Sie die Aktien zu einem höheren Preis verkaufen. Wenn Sie Aktien kaufen, die im Wert fallen, können Sie Verluste machen, wenn Sie die Aktien zu einem niedrigeren Preis verkaufen.Der Aktienhandel ist jedoch auch eine riskante Investition. Der Aktienkurs kann stark schwanken und Sie können Geld verlieren, wenn der Aktienkurs fällt.Wenn Sie sich für den Aktienhandel interessieren, sollten Sie sich vor der Investition gründlich informieren. Sie sollten sich über die Risiken des Aktienhandels bewusst sein und nur Geld investieren, das Sie sich leisten können zu verlieren.Hier sind einige Tipps für den Aktienhandel:Investieren Sie nur Geld, das Sie sich leisten können zu verlieren.
Informieren Sie sich über die Unternehmen, in die Sie investieren wollen.
Investieren Sie breit gestreut, um das Risiko zu streuen.
Investieren Sie langfristig, um von der Rendite des Aktienmarktes zu profitieren.
Seien Sie geduldig und lassen Sie sich nicht von kurzfristigen Kursschwankungen verunsichern.Der Aktienhandel kann eine gute Möglichkeit sein, Geld zu verdienen. Wenn Sie sich jedoch vor der Investition gründlich informieren und das Risiko verstehen, können Sie Verluste vermeiden.CASHBACK NEUKUNDEN NEUKUNDE AKTION ACTIONS ACTION CODES CODE GELD ZURÜCK 1. BESTELLUNG PROMOCODE PROMO CODES PROMOCODES erste Bestellung NEUKUNDE KODE GUTSCHEiNE GUTSCHEIN-CODE AKTIONSGUTSCHEIN NEUKUNDENRABATT RABATT RABAT DISCOUNT DISOUNTS EN HUNGER PIZZA BURGER LIEFERSERVICE € PLN $ 12 14 15 10 20 30 50 % 5 NEULING 1. Bestellung PROMS SALES DISCOUNT BERLINER ZU HAUSE NACH HAUSE ZUR ARBEIT AUF AKTIONEN OHNE GEBÜHR KAMERADEN FREUNDE WERBEN GELD ESSEN UMSONST GRATIS GROSSE AUSWAHL GUTE BEWERTUNG MITNEHMEN ABHOLEN SELBER VOR DER BERLIN UBER EATS NEUKUNDEN RABATT TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNGANMELDUNG TRADE REPUBLIC DOWNLOAD 30 € 30 € BONUS TRADE REPUBLICTRADE REPUBLIC DOWNLAOD ANMELDEN REGISTRIEREN ANMELDUNG NEW USER 15€ GRATIS FREE KOSTENLOS VOUCHER CODE CODES GUTSCHEIN GUTSCHEINE30 € BONUS ANMELDEBONUS DOWNLOAD APP DOWNLOAD RUNTERLADEN FREUNDE 50 TRADE REPUBLIC RUNTERLADEN TRADE REPUBLIC REGISTRIEREN TRADE REPUBLIC GUTSCHEIN TRADE REPUBLIC FREUNDE WERBEN TRADE REPUBLIC CODES TRADE REPUBLIC ZERTIFIKATE HANDELN TRADE REPUBLIC ZERTIFIKATE SHORT TRADE REPUBLIC ZERTIFIKATE LONG TRADEREPUBLIC GUTSCHEIN CODES TRADE REPUBLIC GUTSCHEIN CODES TRADE REPUBLIC NEUKUNDENBONUS TRADEREPUBLIC NEUKUNDENBONUS TRADEREPUBLIC NEUKUNDEN TRADEREPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS AUGUST GRATIS AKTIE TRADEREPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS GRATIS AKTIE ALS NEUKUNDE TRADEREPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN GRATIS AKTIE ALS NEUKUNDE TRADEREPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN FÜR ANMELDUNG ALS NEUKUNDE GRATIS AKTIE ERHALTEN TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN AKTIEN HANDELN EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN AKTIEN HANDELN BLACK FRIDAY WEEK EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN TRADEREPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSGUTSCHEIN TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS BITCOIN HANDELN TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS BLACK FRIDAY TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS KRYPTOKAUF TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS DIVIDEDEN ETFS TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS DIVIDENDEN ETFS TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS DIVIDENDEN EX TAG 2023 TRADE REPUBLIC EMPFEHLUNGSBONUS DIVIDENDEN MIT HÖCHSTER RENDITE 2023 TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNG DIVIDENDEN MIT HOHER RENDITE 2023 ANMELDUNG DEUTSCHER BROKER ONLINE ANMELDUNG AKTIENHANDEL MIT FREUNDSCHAFTSBONUS ANMELDUNG TRADE REPUBLIC FREUNDSCHAFTSPRÄMIE ANMELDUNG TRADE REPUBLIC PRÄMIE FÜR NEUKUNDEN EMPFEHLUNGSLINK TRADE REPUBLIC PRÄMIE FÜR NEUKUNDEN PROMO CODE TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNGPROMO CODE TRADE REPUBLIC ANMELDUNG PROMO CODE TRADEREPUBLIC NEUKUNDE
PROMO CODE TRADEREPUBLIC NEUKUNDE
2024.05.11 22:50 MainClothes8522 WTF I THOUGHT IT SAID P*RN INVITATIONS
 | No, I swear. I'm not kidding. submitted by MainClothes8522 to LoveNikki [link] [comments] |
2024.05.11 21:04 Ambitious_Estimate41 No new glitch?:c
 | I remember for an event someone posted that a pack costed less than it showed due to a glitch which was awesome lol. Have that happened again?🥺 submitted by Ambitious_Estimate41 to LoveNikki [link] [comments] |
2024.05.11 16:16 SystemSpark [USA] [H] Pixel Pals, FF7 Rebirth DE; Car Battler Joe, Haunting Grounds, Chrono Trigger Maps, Cubivore, Turbo, Project Justice, Xenogears, Power Stone 2, Faria, Izuna 2, amiibo, Switch/Wii/WiiU/PSP/PS1/PS2/PS3/PS4/PS5/DS/3DS/GBA/GB/NES/SNES/NGC/Genesis/Saturn Games, Controllers, Swag [W] Paypal F&F
Prices are subjective, negotiable, and do not include shipping. If you would like to trade, check out my thread on /gameswap. Also accepting Cashapp and Venmo. One Freebie per order. Photos upon request.
submitted by SystemSpark to GameSale [link] [comments]
| Storage Solutions | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Thin Jewel Case for CD/DVD/Blu-Ray | 1/per | New. Clear front, black back |
| Standard Jewel Case for CD/DVD/Blu-Ray | 1/per | New. Clear front and back |
| Genesis/Famicom Retro Protection | 1/per | New, PET acid-free plastic cartridge protector |
| Super Famicom Cartridge Retro Protection | 1/per | New, PET acid-free plastic cartridge protector |
| SNES Cartridge Retro Protection | 1/per | New, PET acid-free plastic cartridge protector |
| NES Cartridge Retro Protection | 1/per | New, PET acid-free plastic cartridge protector |
| amiibo | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Tears of the Kingdom Link | 25 | Loose |
| Ocarina of Time Link | 25 | Loose |
| Majora's Mask Link | 30 | Loose |
| Smash Bros. Link | 20 | Loose |
| Skyward Sword Link | 20 | Loose |
| Zelda & Loftwing | 15 | Loose |
| Wind Waker Link | 20 | Loose |
| Wind Waker Zelda | 20 | Loose |
| Twilight Princess Link | 50 | Loose |
| Wolf Link and Midna | 25 | Loose |
| Callie | 20 | Loose |
| Marie | 20 | Loose |
| Inkling Boy [Neon Green] | 15 | Loose |
| Inkling Girl [Neon Pink] | 25 | Loose |
| Inkling Squid [Neon Purple] | 17 | Loose |
| Splatoon 2 Pearl | 20 | Loose |
| Splatoon 2 Marina | 20 | Loose |
| Splatoon 3 Inkling [Yellow] | 22 | Loose |
| Splatoon 3 Octoling [Blue] | 20 | Loose |
| Splatoon 3 Small Fry | 20 | Loose |
| Zelda Loftwing | 30 | New In Box |
| Sanrio amiibo cards | 12 | Sealed Pack |
| Mario Cereal Box | 15 | Cereal Removed/Flattened |
| Isabelle Summer Outfit | 40 | Open Box |
| Cyrus/K.K./Reese | 18 | New In Box/Damaged box |
| Tom Nook | 12 | New In Box |
| Mabel | 9 | New In Box |
| Digital Codes | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD-STANDARD EDITION-US | 10 | Switch Digital Code |
| Figures | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Chrono Trigger Chrono (Crono)/Robo/Eira (Ayla) Formation Arts Figure | 100 | Loose figure, most limbs are detachable by design, no missing parts |
| Pit Figma Figure | 90 | First Edition, Open Box, Contains everything but AR cards |
| Lillie (Pokemon) Nendoroid | 300 | Sealed. US edition from the Pokemon Center |
| Pixel Pal Mega Man | 30 | Sealed, damaged box |
| Pixel Pal SMB3 Mario | 30 | Sealed |
| Pixel Pal SMB3 Luigi | 30 | Sealed |
| Tracer Nendoroid (730) | 30 | Sealed |
| Tracer (Blizzard Entertainment Cute But Deadly Series 2 Vinyl) | 8 | Loose figure |
| Switch | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure Acedamia | 30 | Sealed |
| Atelier Ryza 3 | 90 | Complete in Box |
| Azure Striker Gunvolt Striker Pack | 40 | Sealed |
| Bendy and the Ink Machine | 30 | Complete in Box |
| Cruel King and the Great Hero Storybook Edition | 60 | Complete in Box |
| Ender Lilies | 55 | Sealed, Japan Import |
| Grim Fandango Remastered | 45 | Complete in Box, no slip cover |
| Labyrinth of Refrain | 65 | Loose |
| Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom | 60 | Sealed |
| Metroid Dread Collector's Edition | 110 | Sealed, a few dings associated with shipping |
| Monster Hunter Stories 2 Collector's Edition | 160 | Sealed |
| The Mummy Demastered | 55 | Complete in Box |
| River City Girls | 120 | Complete in Box, US Copy, Best Buy Variant |
| Shadowverse Champion's Battle | 15 | Loose |
| Shantae | 50 | Sealed |
| Shantae Risky's Revenge | 50 | Sealed |
| Shantae Collector's Edition | 150 | Sealed |
| Shantae Risky's Revenge Collector's Edition | 150 | Sealed |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection | 30 | Sealed |
| Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap | 40 | Complete in Box |
| Yu-Gi-Oh Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution | 18 | Loose |
| Wii | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Batallion Wars 2 | 11 | Game and Case |
| Castle of Shikigami III | 75 | Complete in Box |
| Okami | 10 | Game and Case |
| WiiU Games | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Batman Arkham City Armored Edition | 40 | Sealed |
| Disney Infinity 2.0 | 15 | Sealed |
| Nintendoland | 10 | Complete in Box |
| Star Fox Guard | 10 | Complete in Box |
| Turbo Super Stunt Squad | 200 | Complete in Box, Art/Manual damage |
| DS | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Crossing Wild World | 35 | Game, Case, and inserts. No Manual |
| Final Fantasy Fables Chocobo's Dungeon DS+ | 25 | Complete in Box, Japanese Import |
| Izuna 2 The Unemployed Ninja Returns | 70 | Loose |
| Super Scribblenauts | 5 | Loose |
| 3DS | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Kid Icarus Uprising (Japanese) | 40 | Game, Manual, and Case (No Big Box) |
| Kid Icarus Uprising | 120 | Complete in Box, Includes Big Box, Stand and AR cards |
| Senran Kagura Deep Crimson Double D Edition | 75 | Sealed |
| GBA | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Car Battler Joe | 180 | Loose. Label imperfections |
| Chocobo Land A Game of Dice | 15 | Loose |
| Lady Sia | 30 | Loose, EU import |
| Lady Sia | 50 | Loose. Label imperfections |
| Super Mario Advance | 13 | No label |
| GB | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Alleyway | 5 | Loose |
| Kid Dracula | 240 | Loose |
| NES | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure Island II | 25 | Loose |
| Faria | 200 | Game and Box. Box has some wear |
| Kid Icarus | 180 | Game, Box, and Manual; Box shows wear; Protective case for box and manual included |
| Rainbow Islands | 35 | Loose |
| Super Mario Bros & Duck Hunt | 10 | Loose |
| SNES | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Metal Marines | 90 | Loose |
| Secret of Mana | 55 | Loose |
| Super Punch-Out | 25 | Loose |
| Super Scope 6 | 22 | Loose |
| Wild Guns | 270 | Loose, Bad Label Damage |
| Gamecube | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Cubivore | 350 | Loose disc |
| Pikmin | 50 | Player's Choice, Complete In Box |
| Star Fox Assault | 30 | Loose disc |
| Resident Evil 0 | 15 | Player's Choice, Case and Discs, no manual |
| Resident Evil | 25 | Player's Choice, Complete In Box |
| Resident Evil | 27 | Complete In Box |
| Resident Evil 4 | 30 | Complete In Box, Disc 2 has label wrinkles |
| Super Mario Sunshine | 40 | Game and case, no manual |
| Sega Genesis | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Jurrassic Park | 10 | Loose cartridge, Sharpie on Label |
| Phantasy Star IV | 70 | Loose cartridge, Label Damage |
| Quackshot | 40 | Complete In Box |
| Rocket Knight Adventures | 37 | Loose cartridge, Label Damage |
| Spider-Man | 12 | Loose cartridge, Label Damage |
| Sega Saturn | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| NiGHTS Into Dreams | 40 | Complete in Box, Not for Resale Edition |
| Night Warriors Darkstalkers' Revenge | 50 | Loose |
| Sega Dreamcast | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Project Justice | 225 | Complete in Box, page 2 detached from manual. |
| Power Stone 2 | 90 | Loose |
| PSP | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Daxter | 10 | Loose, Greatest Hits, Not For Resale |
| Power Stone Collection | 30 | Loose |
| Silent Hill Origins | 50 | Game and Case |
| PS1 | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Castlevania Chronicles | 165 | Complete in Box |
| Chocobo Racing | 55 | Loose |
| Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon | 20 | Complete in Box, Japanese Import |
| Chocobo's Dungeon 2 | 70 | Complete in Box, Manual is badly water damaged |
| Dark Stalkers | 70 | Loose slim case version |
| Dark Stalkers 3 | 50 | Disc and Manual, no back art |
| Rival Schools | 130 | Complete in Box |
| Silent Hill | 105 | Loose disc, Greatest Hits |
| Valkyrie Profile | 325 | Discs and Case, no manual |
| World of Dragon Warrior Torneko The Last Hope | 90 | Loose |
| Xenogears | 150 | Complete in Box |
| PS2 | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Avatar The Last Airbender | 10 | Disc and Case |
| Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance | 17 | Complete in Box; Greatest Hits |
| Bully | 15 | Greatest Hits, game & artwork |
| Burnout 3 Takedown | 11 | Complete, Water Damage on back cover art |
| Burnout Dominator | 9 | Case and Disc, Disc has superficial scratches but still boots |
| Castlevania Curse of Darkness | 60 | Loose, Disc has light scratching |
| Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of Cortex | 10 | Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case |
| Dragon Ball Z Budokai | 11 | Complete in Box |
| Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi | 15 | Complete in Box; Greatest Hits |
| Final Fantasy X | 6 | Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case |
| Final Fantasy X-2 | 6 | Complete; Greatest Hits |
| Haunting Ground | 300 | Complete in Box, Water Damage on art and manual |
| Killzone | 15 | Complete in Box |
| Grand Theft Auto Vice City | 10 | Disc, Case, Poster, No Manual |
| .Hack Infection | 20 | Complete in Box, Includes Anime DVD |
| .Hack Mutation | 45 | Complete in Box, Includes Anime DVD |
| .Hack Outbreak | 65 | Complete in Box, Includes Anime DVD |
| .Hack Quaratine | 300 | Discs and Case, no manual |
| Marvel vs Capcom 2 | 60 | Cracked Disc, won't boot for me. Comes with case, no manual |
| Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty | 10 | Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case |
| Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2 | 10 | Disc and Case |
| Need for Speed Underground | 10 | Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case |
| Need for Speed Underground 2 | 24 | Complete in Box |
| Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 | 10 | Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case |
| Resident Evil Dead Aim | 50 | Game and Case, No manual |
| Scarface | 40 | Complete; Greatest Hits |
| Simpsons Road Rage | 15 | Loose, Greatest Hits |
| Valkyrie Profile 2 | 40 | Complete In Box, some wear on the artwork and manual |
| Tekken Tag Tournament | 10 | Disc and Case, Greatest Hits, Full side Movie Gallery sticker on DVD face |
| PS3 | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Sports Champions | 10 | Complete in Box |
| PS4 | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| APEX Construct | 15 | Sealed |
| Gravity Rush Remastered | 60 | Loose |
| J-Stars Victory VS+ | 30 | Loose |
| SteamWorld Dig 2 | 20 | Sealed |
| PS5 | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Battlefield 2042 | 20 | Complete in Box |
| Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Deluxe Eiditon | 150 | Sealed |
| XBOX One | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Watchdogs | 15 | Sealed |
| Consoles | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Monster Hunter Rise Edition Switch | 420 | New in Box (No game code) |
| Oculus Quest 1 | 180 | Complete in Box |
| Playstation 2 w/FreeMcBoot | 80 | Original PS2 "Fat" system. Won't read PS1 or blue PS2 discs. Laser could be ready to go bad, or just need re-alignment. Comes with a Yellow PS2 Memory Card that has FreeMcBoot on it. Free McBoot will allow you to to play games off of a hard drive if desired. No cords/controllers included. |
| Pokemon Scarlet/Violet Edition OLED Switch | 400 | New In Box |
| SNES Jr. | 120 | Includes Deck, RF Coax Cable, Third Party AC Adapter, and Third Party Controller. Small crack on the corner. |
| Splatoon 3 Edition OLED Switch | 400 | New In Box |
| Controllers | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| FortniteWildcat Joy-Con Set | 120 | Comes from the Fortnite Edition Console, never used |
| Joy-Con Grip | 8 | Bagged/Unused - Came with console |
| Oculus Quest 1/Rift S Left Controller | 115 | Used but very good condition. Comes with silicon case |
| Oculus Quest 1/Rift S Right Controller | 115 | Used but very good condition. Comes with silicon case |
| Platinum Gamecube Controller | 20 | Third Party, no nintendo logo, wired, good condition |
| Joy-Con (Left/Gray) | 35 | Good, no drift |
| Joy-Con (Right/Neon Red) | 35 | Good, no drift, Factory refurbished |
| SNES Controller | 10 | Third Party, no nintendo logo |
| SPIN Z WiiU Pro Controller | 25 | Black, Near Mint |
| Misc. | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Chocobo White Mage Plush | 20 | Good |
| Chocobo Mystery Dungeon Everybuddy Pin | 5 | Thief costume |
| Chocobo's Dungeon Card Game Monsters Expansion Pack | 25 | Sealed |
| Black MagicGate 8MB PS2 Memory Card | 20 | Has Free McBoot loaded onto the card |
| Yellow Nyko MagicGate 8MB PS2 Memory Card | 20 | Has Free McBoot loaded onto the card |
| The Art of Splatoon 2 | 300 | Sealed |
| Mario Kart 8 Target Pre-Order Keychain | 10 | Sealed. Cut in the film. |
| Nintendo Switch AC Adapter | 20 | Gently used |
| Nintendo 64 Memory Jumper Pack | 20 | OEM/Authentic Regular Pack, not to be confused with the expansion |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Pre-Order Coin | 15 | Sealed |
| Breath of the Wild Sheikah Coin | 25 | From BotW Special Edition, Good condition |
| Pokken Art Cel Pre-Order Bonus | 7 | Sealed |
| Blastoise New 3DS Plates | 200 | Plates are mint and unused |
| Nintendo 3DS Stand | 30 | OEM, Came with Kid Icarus Uprising |
| Kid Icarus Uprising Players Guide (Imported from Japan, no AR cards) | 30 | Shows a little wear |
| Kid Icarus AR Card Set (205/404) | 600 | Contains 249/402 different North American (AKDE) cards, no duplicates. An itemized list can be provided upon request. |
| Kid Icarus AR - Pit Rally Cry Sealed Pack | 20 | Sealed pack of cards that contains AKDE-403,014,086 |
| Shantae Risky's Revenge 2 LP Soundtrack Vinyl | 55 | Sealed |
| Super Mario Wonder Framed Art Print | 25 | Comes from Best Buy, Sealed |
| Tears of the Kingdom Pin Set (The Legend of Zelda) | 20 | From the TotK Collector's Edition. Mint |
| Tears of the Kingdom Art Book (The Legend of Zelda) | 65 | From the TotK Collector's Edition. Mint |
| Tears of the Kingdom Poster (The Legend of Zelda) | 20 | From the TotK Collector's Edition. Mint |
| Portal 2 Wheatley LED Flashlight | 120 | Sealed |
| Cases/Boxes/Inserts | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Chrono Trigger Manual | 100 | SNES, Slight Wear |
| Chrono Trigger Orange Border Map | 80 | Slight Water Damage, 2 Pin holes in the folds, frame optional |
| Chrono Trigger Green Border Map | 80 | Slight Water Damage |
| Disgaea 1 Rosen Queen Edition | 150 | Everything but the game |
| Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi | 5 | Greatest Hits Artwork |
| Shantae Slip Cover | 100 | Limited Run Nintendo Switch 5 Game Slip cover with protector |
| Burnout Revenge | 5 | PS2 case and manual |
| Doom Eternal Steelbook | 15 | PS4 Sealed, no game |
| Dot Hack (.HACK) Infection | 20 | PS2 case and manual |
| Dot Hack (.HACK) Mutation | 20 | Empty Case only |
| Dot Hack (.HACK) Outbreak | 30 | PS2 case and manual |
| Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi | 10 | PS2 Greatest Hits Case Only, damaged clips but artwork is in good shape |
| The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Collector's Edition | 100 | Includes everything but the game |
| Metroid Dread Special Edition | 5 | Box only, damaged from shipping |
| God of War Chains of Olympus | 15 | Case and Manual Only |
| Gran Turismo 3 A-spec | 5 | PS2 case only, 'Not For Sale' version |
| Super Smash Bros Ultimate Nintendo Switch ConsoleBox Only | 90 | Empty Box, good condition |
| Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch Console Box Only | 20 | Empty Box, good condition |
| Pokemon Dialga & Palkia Switch Lite Box Only | 30 | Empty Box, good condition |
| Rival Schools Front Artwork | 25 | Just the front artwork |
| Fortnite Nintendo Switch Console Box Only | 20 | Empty Box, good condition |
| The Witcher III Wild Hunt | 20 | Empty Case, good condition |
| Tears of the Kingdom Steelbook (The Legend of Zelda) | 30 | From the TotK Collector's Edition. Empty Case, Mint |
| Witch's Wish Box | 50 | Empty Box, good condition |
| Freebies | Price | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Playstation 2 IDE Connector | Free with purchase | Upgraded my HD Adapter to SATA, these are the old/leftover connectors. |
| Nintendo Switch Cart Caddy | Free with purchase | 3D Printed. Holds 16 carts. Can connect to an OEM dock. |
| Yoshi Mario Kart Keychain | Free with purchase | Good |
| Small Jotaro Kujo Figure | Free with purchase | 3D Printed. From Jojo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle-R |
| Large Jotaro Kujo Figure | Free with purchase | 3D Printed. From Jojo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle-R |
| 2 Cartridge DS Travel Case | Free with purchase | 2 Cartridge DS Travel Case |
| 4 Cartridge DS Travel Case | Free with purchase | 4 Cartridge DS Travel Case |
| Wonderswan Display Stand | Free with purchase | 3D Printed. Does not fit Wonderswan Crystal |
| Lavos Figure | Free with purchase | 3D printed in PLA Wood Filament. Not my model, found on thingiverse. |
2024.05.11 09:26 raven80wolfx2 [H] A bunch of games [W] to trade all for dragon dogma 2
- Killing Floor 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
- Warhammer: Vermintide 2
- Zombie Army Trilogy
- Family Man
- Outward
- SHADOW TACTICS: AIKO'S CHOICE
- BACKBONE
- TOEM
- WHERE THE WATER TASTES LIKE WINE
- TRIBES OF MIDGARD
- ENCASED: A SCI-FI POST-APOCALYPTIC RPG
- OLLIOLLI WORLD - RAD EDITION
- GROW: SONG OF THE EVERTREE
- CONAN CHOP CHOP
- HOKKO LIFE
- THE SERPENT ROGUE
- PATHFINDER: WRATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS
- THRONEBREAKER: THE WITCHER TALES
- OTHERCIDE
- SHADY PART OF ME
- SCOURGEBRINGER
- FIVE DATES
- BIOMUTANT
- JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
- EDGE OF ETERNITY
- HERO'S HOUR
- ROGUE LORDS
- DEMON TURF
- DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
- LIFE IS STRANGE 2: COMPLETE SEASON
- THE LIFE AND SUFFERING OF SIR BRANTE
- MONSTER PROM 2: MONSTER CAMP
- REVITA
- FOUNDERS' FORTUNE
- SPIRITFARER: FAREWELL EDITION
- BUILDER SIMULATOR
- BEHIND THE FRAME: THE FINEST SCENERY
- THE INVISIBLE HAND
- GHOSTWIRE TOKYO
- CURSE OF THE DEAD GODS
- HONEY I JOINED A CULT
- ETERNAL THREADS
- TURBO GOLF RACING
- MEEPLE STATION
- ROADWARDEN
- KRAKEN ACADEMY!!
- MERCHANT OF THE SKIES
- OZYMANDIAS: BRONZE AGE EMPIRE SIM
- DISCO ELYSIUM - THE FINAL CUT
- ARCADE PARADISE
- SUCHART: GENIUS ARTIST SIMULATOR
- TIN CAN
- HOT BRASS
- TINY TINA'S WONDERLANDS CHAOTIC GREAT EDITION
- ACES & ADVENTURES
- PATCH QUEST
- FORETALES
- WHO PRESSED MUTE ON UNCLE MARCUS
- AUTONAUTS VS PIRATEBOTS
- HI-FI RUSH
- LODDLENAUT
- KING OF THE CASTLE
- BRAVERY AND GREED
- AMANDA THE ADVENTURER
- MEDITERRANEA INFERNO
- VICTORIA 3
- THE CALLISTO PROTOCOL
- HUMANKIND DEFINITIVE EDITION
- TERRAFORMERS
- SYMPHONY OF WAR: THE NEPHILIM SAGA
- THE EXCAVATION OF HOB'S BARROW
- WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR: REALMS OF RUIN – ULTIMATE EDITION
- NIOH 2 - THE COMPLETE EDITION
- CITIZEN SLEEPER
- BLACK SKYLANDS
- Soulstice
- AFTERIMAGE
- DESTROYER: THE U-BOAT HUNTER
- BEACON PINES
- CHILDREN OF SILENTOWN
- OAKEN
- SNOWTOPIA: SKI RESORT BUILDER
- TWO POINT CAMPUS
- ROGUEBOOK
- THE PALE BEYOND
- LAST CALL BBS
- FROM SPACE
- HARDSPACE: SHIPBREAKER
- UNPACKING
- FRIENDS VS FRIENDS
- REBEL INC: ESCALATION
- SPIRIT OF THE ISLAND
- LORDS AND VILLEINS
- A JUGGLER'S TALE
- MR. PREPPER
2024.05.11 09:24 raven80wolfx2 [H] A bunch of games [W] to trade all for dragon dogma 2
- Killing Floor 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
- Warhammer: Vermintide 2
- Zombie Army Trilogy
- Family Man
- Outward
- SHADOW TACTICS: AIKO'S CHOICE
- BACKBONE
- TOEM
- WHERE THE WATER TASTES LIKE WINE
- TRIBES OF MIDGARD
- ENCASED: A SCI-FI POST-APOCALYPTIC RPG
- OLLIOLLI WORLD - RAD EDITION
- GROW: SONG OF THE EVERTREE
- CONAN CHOP CHOP
- HOKKO LIFE
- THE SERPENT ROGUE
- PATHFINDER: WRATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS
- THRONEBREAKER: THE WITCHER TALES
- OTHERCIDE
- SHADY PART OF ME
- SCOURGEBRINGER
- FIVE DATES
- BIOMUTANT
- JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2
- EDGE OF ETERNITY
- HERO'S HOUR
- ROGUE LORDS
- DEMON TURF
- DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT
- LIFE IS STRANGE 2: COMPLETE SEASON
- THE LIFE AND SUFFERING OF SIR BRANTE
- MONSTER PROM 2: MONSTER CAMP
- REVITA
- FOUNDERS' FORTUNE
- SPIRITFARER: FAREWELL EDITION
- BUILDER SIMULATOR
- BEHIND THE FRAME: THE FINEST SCENERY
- THE INVISIBLE HAND
- GHOSTWIRE TOKYO
- CURSE OF THE DEAD GODS
- HONEY I JOINED A CULT
- ETERNAL THREADS
- TURBO GOLF RACING
- MEEPLE STATION
- ROADWARDEN
- KRAKEN ACADEMY!!
- MERCHANT OF THE SKIES
- OZYMANDIAS: BRONZE AGE EMPIRE SIM
- DISCO ELYSIUM - THE FINAL CUT
- ARCADE PARADISE
- SUCHART: GENIUS ARTIST SIMULATOR
- TIN CAN
- HOT BRASS
- TINY TINA'S WONDERLANDS CHAOTIC GREAT EDITION
- ACES & ADVENTURES
- PATCH QUEST
- FORETALES
- WHO PRESSED MUTE ON UNCLE MARCUS
- AUTONAUTS VS PIRATEBOTS
- HI-FI RUSH
- LODDLENAUT
- KING OF THE CASTLE
- BRAVERY AND GREED
- AMANDA THE ADVENTURER
- MEDITERRANEA INFERNO
- VICTORIA 3
- THE CALLISTO PROTOCOL
- HUMANKIND DEFINITIVE EDITION
- TERRAFORMERS
- SYMPHONY OF WAR: THE NEPHILIM SAGA
- THE EXCAVATION OF HOB'S BARROW
- WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR: REALMS OF RUIN – ULTIMATE EDITION
- NIOH 2 - THE COMPLETE EDITION
- CITIZEN SLEEPER
- BLACK SKYLANDS
- Soulstice
- AFTERIMAGE
- DESTROYER: THE U-BOAT HUNTER
- BEACON PINES
- CHILDREN OF SILENTOWN
- OAKEN
- SNOWTOPIA: SKI RESORT BUILDER
- TWO POINT CAMPUS
- ROGUEBOOK
- THE PALE BEYOND
- LAST CALL BBS
- FROM SPACE
- HARDSPACE: SHIPBREAKER
- UNPACKING
- FRIENDS VS FRIENDS
- REBEL INC: ESCALATION
- SPIRIT OF THE ISLAND
- LORDS AND VILLEINS
- A JUGGLER'S TALE
- MR. PREPPER
2024.05.10 21:43 PhilsTriangle [NJ] [H] Consoles + Games - Nintendo (NES), SNES, N64, Gamecube, GBA, Nintendo DS/3Ds, Wii, Playstation, PS2, PS3, Sega Genesis, Xbox [W] Venmo, PayPal
Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/IZHvfeu
Let me know if you need pictures of any of the items listed below. Shipping is $5 flat for anything under one pound. I've got 400+ transactions on this board and accept payment via PayPal (F&F) or Venmo (F&F) only.
Consoles
GBA Indigo - $80 shipped
GBA SP (Silver CIB) - $120 shipped
Nintendo 2DS w/ charger - $85 shipped
Nintendo 3DS XL Pokemon X & Y Edition Console - $225 shipped
Nintendo 64 Console w/ hookups + OEM Controller - $90 shipped
Nintendo Wii Console (gamecube compatible) w/ hookups + Wii remote & numb chuck - $75 shipped
PS2 w/ hookups, OEM controller, OEM memory card - $100 shipped
Retron 5 Hyperkin (GBA/GBC/SNES/NES/Genesis) unused CIB - $120 shipped
Super Nintendo w/ hookups & OEM controller - $95 shipped
Xbox OG Console w/ hookups & OEM controller + Project Gotham Racing (CIB) - $100 Shipped
Controllers/Accessories
Gameboy OEM Clam Shells (lot of 32) - $75 shipped
Gamecube OEM Controller (Indigo) - $30 shipped
Gamecube OEM Wavebird Controller w/ receiver- $95 shipped
NES OEM 10-Cart Storage Case (3x avail) - $20 + shipping each
N64 OEM Expansion Pak - $50 shipped
N64 OEM Green Controller - $30 shipped
N64 Memory Card - $14 shipped
PS2 Logitech Wireless Controller (w/ dongle) - $35 shipped
PS2 OEM Memory Card- $14 shipped
Sega GameGear Super Wide Gear - $20 shipped
Wii U Wireless Controller (WUP-005) & charging cable - $35 shipped (2x avail)
N64 Games
007 GoldenEye - $25
007 World is Not Enough - $14
Army Men Sarge's Heroes - $15
Automobil Lamborghini - $8
Backstage Assault - $12
Banjo Kazooie - $25
Bass Hunter 64 - $8
Beetle Adventure Racing - $17
Charlies Blasts - $40
Diddy Kong Racing - $25
Doom 64 - $30
Extreme G Racing - $10
Forsaken 64 - $10
Gex 64 - $16
Iggy's Reckin' Balls - $20
Killer Instinct Gold - $30
Knockout Kings 2000 - $6
Magical Tetris Challenge - $20
Mario Kart - $40
Monster Truck Madness - $15
MRC Multi Championship Racing - $10
Namco Museum 64 - $12
Nascar 99 - $7
Nascar 2000 - $7
NBA In the Zone 98 - $5
NBA Live 99 (CIB) - $20
NBA Showtime - $12
Polaris Sno-Cross -$30
Pokemon Snap - $20
Quest 64 - $25
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - $12
Ridge Racer 64 - $15
San Francisco Rush - $15
Starfox 64 - $25
Star Wars Episode 1 Racer - $10
South Park Chef's Luv Shack - $25
Supercross 2000 - $7
Super Mario 64 - $35
Super Smash Bros. - $40
Tetrisphere - $12
Top Gear Rally - $10
Turok Dinosaur Hunter - $12
Turok 2 Seeds of Evil - $12
Vigilante 8 - $21
Virtual Pool - $13
Waialae Country Club - $6
War Gods - $10
Wave Race (Player's Choice) - $15
WCW Backstage Assault - $11
WCW NWO Revenge - $11
Wheel of Fortune - $11
Zelda Ocarina of Time (label wear) - $30
N64 Manuals
1080 Snowboarding - $7
Duke Nukem Manual - $10
Flying Dragon Manual - $40
Rush Extreme Racing - $8
Silicon Valley Space Station Manual - $40
Supercross 2000 - $6
Tony Hawk Pro Skater - $6
Nintendo Gamecube Games (CIB unless noted)
ATV Quad Power Racing 2 - $10
The Hobbit - $24
Enter the Matrix - $13
Eternal Darkness - $90
Fifa 2003 - $6
Fifa Street 2 - $25
Finding Nemo - $8
F-Zero GX - $90
Gun (missing manual) - $10
Harry Potter Chambers of Secret - $12
Killer 7 - $65
Luigi's Mansion - $60
Madden 2003 - $5
Madden 2007 - $8
Mario Golf Toadstool Tour - $27
Mario Kart Double Dash - $75
Monopoly Party - $10
Monsters, Inc. Scream Arena - $7
Nascar Thunder 2003 - $7
Pikmin - $50
Power Rangers Dino Thunder - $8
Resident Evil - $25
Resident Evil 2 - $100
Resident Evil 4 - $30
Resident Evil Zero - $18
The Sims Bustin Out - $12
Smuggler's Run (missing manual) - $12
Sonic Adventure Battle 2 (missing manual) - $45
Spiderman 2 - $15
Spyro A Hero's Tail (missing manual) - $15
SSX Tricky - $28
Starfox Assault - $45 (CIB; some wear to cover art)
Super Mario Sunshine (missing manual) -$35
Super Smash Brothers Melee - $60
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (missing manual) - $12
WWE Crush Hour - $27
WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (missing manual) - $25
Nintendo DS Games (cart only unless CIB noted)
Avatar The Game - $6
Bionicle Matoran Adventures - $6
Build-A-Bear Workshop (CIB) - $6
Carnival (CIB) - $6
Deal or No Deal - $5
Guitar Hero On Tour Bundle (CIB) - $25
Happy Feet - $4
Horsez (CIB) - $6
Hot Wheels Beat That - $6
Kung Fu Panda (CIB) - $6
Mario Party DS - $13
Mario Kart DS (loose) - $15
Mario Kart DS (CIB) - $18
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (CIB) - $10
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (CIB) - $10
Megaman Starforce Dragon - $85 shipped
Metroid Hunters First Hunt - $6
Nacho Libre - $15
Namco Museum DS - $8
Naruto Ninja Council 3 - $6
New Super Mario Bros. (CIB) -$22
Nickelodeon Team Umizoomi - $6
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney - $20
Picross 3D - $9
Ping Pals - $3
Planet Puzzle League - $10
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (case & manual only, no game) - $55
Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia (cart only) - $30
Ratatouille - $5
Rayman DS - $10
Ridge Racer DS - $8
Shrek Superslam - $5
Spiderman 3 - $8
Star Wars II The Original Trilogy (LEGO) - $6
Super Money Ball Touch & Roll - $6
Transformers Animated - $11
Tron Evolution - $4
Zhu Zhu Pets - $3
Nintendo 3DS (cart only unless noted)
Animal Crossing: New Leaf (CIB) - $20
Lego Marvel Superheroes: Universe in Peril - $5
Mario Kart 7 - $12
Minecraft New Nintendo 3DS Edition - $18
Pilotwings Resort - $10
Pokemon X (CIB) - $30
Skylander Giants - $6
Skylander Swap Force - $16
Skylander Trap Team - $12
Super Mario Maker - $10
Super Smash Bros (CIB) - $15
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - $9
Wipeout: Create & Cash - $5
Wreck-it Ralph - $6
Yo-Kai Watch - $15
NES Games (cart only; unless noted)
8 Eyes - $11
A Boy and His Blob (cart, box, manual) - $40
Blades of Steel - $8
Bubble Bobble - $16
Burgertime - $15
Castlevania II Simon's Quest - $15
Castlevania III Dracula's Curse - $45
Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers (CIB) - $125
Contra - $40
Dick Tracy - $7
Double Dragon - $13
Double Dragon II - $12
Donkey Kong 3 - $20
Dr. Mario - $10
Duck Tales - (cart & box) - $100
Excite Bike - $11
Faxanadu - $11
GI Joe: A Real American Hero - $75
Golf - $3
Legend of Zelda - $30
Mickey Mousecapade - $7
Mike Tyson's Punch-out - $40
Paperboy - $16
Punch-Out - $20
Rad Racer - $6
RBI Baseball 3 (cart & box) - $25
Robocop - $10
Rollerball - $8
Skate or Die 2 (cart & box) - $65
Spy Hunter - $5
Street Fighter 2010 - $15
Super Glove Ball - $7
Super Mario Bros. 2 - $20
Super Off-Road - $12
Super Team Games - $7
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Arcade Game (cart & box) - $80
Tiger Heli - $8
Wall Street Kid (cart, box, registration card, poster) - $45
WWF Wrestlemania - $6
SNES Games (cart only)
Aladdin - $15
Castlevania IV - $45
Clue - $5
Earthbound - $350
F-Zero (Player's Choice) - $20
Jungle Strike - $9
Ken Griffey Jr Major League Baseball - $11
Kirby's Avalanche - $15
Lion King - $11
Mario Paint - $6
Mega Man X - $32
Mickey Mania - $13
Mortal Kombat - $13
Ms. Pacman - $9
NBA All-Star Challenge - $5
Pilot Wings - $10
Scooby Doo Mystery - $11
Starfox - $15
Super Adventure Island - $16
Super Baseball 2020 - $13
Super Ghouls N Ghosts - $23
Super Mario All-Stars - $25
Super Mario Kart - $40
Super Mario World - $20
Super Punch Out - $28
Top Player Tennis - $8
WWF Raw - $13
Zombies Ate My Neighbors - $30
GBA (cart only unless noted)
Aggravation/Sorry/Scrabble - $5
Barnyard - $8
Bratz - $4
Care Bears Care Quest (CIB) - $28
Cars - $5
Cars (CIB) - $16
Castlevania Double Pack - $85
Cho Makaimura R Super Ghouls N Ghost ( Japanese Import) - $95 Shipped
Crash Bandicoot 2 N-tranced - $10
Crash Huge Adventure - $11
Curious George (CIB) - $28
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 - $4
Disney Party - $10
Disney Princess (CIB) - $12
Donkey Kong Country (GBC/CIB) - $56
Dora Explorer's Pirate Pig's Treasure - $4
Dragon Ball Z Supersonic Warriors - $20
Elf - $10
ESPN Great Outdoor Games Bass 2002 - $5
F-14 Tomcat - $7
Finding Nemo - $5
Green Eggs & Ham (CIB) - $20
Incredibles (CIB) - $14
Kong 8th Wonder of the World - $5
Lost Vikings - $25
Madden 2005 - $5
Mario Kart Super Circuit (torn label) - $20
Metroid Zero Mission - $60
Monsters Inc - $4
Monster Jam Maximum Destruction - $6
Namco Museum - $6
Oddworld Munch's Oddysee - $12
Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl - $5
Pong Asterios Yar's Revenge - $4
Sonic Advance 3 - $25
Quad Desert Furty - $3
Shaun Palmers Pro Snowboarding (GBC/CIB) - $10
Shrek Swamp Kart Speedway - $5
Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron - $5
SpongeBob Battle for Bikini Bottom - $7
Spongebob Squarepants Super Sponge - $6
SSX 3 - $7
The Incredibles - $3
Thunder Alley - $5
Top Gear GT Championship - $10
Sony PSP (all CIB)
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - $15
Gurumin A Monstrous Adventure - $42
LocoRoco - $10
Mega Man Powered Up - $38
Parappa the Rapper - $27
Sega Genesis Collection - $17
PS1 Games (CIB unless noted)
007 Tomorrow Never Dies - $7
Action Bass - $6
Andretti Racing (GH) - $5
Ball Breakers (sealed) - $10
Bass Championship - $7
Battle Arena Toshinden (GH) - $14
Bust A-Move 4 - $17
Driver 2 (GH) - $10
Fighting Force - $20
IHRA Drag Racing - $5
Missile Command - $6
MLB 2001 - $9
MLB 2003 - $9
Nascar Heat (CIB) - $7
NBA Live 2000 - $8
NBA Shootout 98 - $9
NHL 98 - $8
NHL Faceoff 97 (GH) - $5
PlayStation Underground Jampack Fall 2001 - $9
Resident Evil 2 (DualShock Edition) - $65
Rocket Power Team Rocket Rescue - $7
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie - $12
Spongebob SquarePants Super Pants - $7
Syphon Filter 2 (GH) - $10
Tecmo Super Bowl - $20
Tiger Woods 99 - $8
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 - $12
Twisted Metal 2 (Greatest Hits) - $32
Toy Story 2 - $22
Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour - $20
World Cup 98 - $12
PS2 Games (CIB unless noted)
All-Star Baseball 2005 - $5
Ape Escape 2 - $48
Ape Escape 3 - $43
ATV Offroad Fury 2 - $6
Avatar the Last Airbender - $8
Batman Begins - $13
Batman Vengeance - $19
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Chaos Bleeds - $28
Burnout Revenge - $11
Burnout 3 Takedown - $13
Buzz the Mega Quiz - $12
Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 - $13
Castlevania Lament of Innocence -$25
Corvette - $5
Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of the Cortex - $12
Crash Nitro Kart (GH) - $9
Crazy Taxi - $10
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 - $7
Dead to Rights - $6
Devil May Cry (GH) - $7
Enter the Matrix - $10
Eragon - $6
Family Feud - $5
Finding Nemo - $6
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns - $10
Ford Racing 3 - $5
Frogger the Great Quest - $7
Golden Compass - $5
GTA 3- $10
Gran Turismo 3 - $5
Godfather the Game - $14
Guitar Hero - $10
Guitar Hero Aerosmith - $7
Guitar Hero II - $7
Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock - $9
High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 - $5
Hot Wheels Velocity - $10
Hot Wheels World Race (missing manual) - $12
Hobbit - $10
Ice Age 2 The Meltdown - $7
Ironman - $6
Karaoke Revolution Party - $8
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol - $5
Legends of Wrestling II - $12
Lego Star Wars The Original Trilogy - $6
Lego Star Wars The Video Game - $7
Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring - $10
Madden 2003 - $5
Madden 2004 - $5
Madden 2005 -$5
Madden 2007 - $5
Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 - $10
Max Payne - $10
Metal Arms Glitch in the System - $16
Midway Arcade Treasures (1) - $12
Midway Arcade Treasures (2) - $12
MLB 07 the Show - $5
MLB Slugfest 2003 - $10
MLB Slugfest 2004 - $13
Namco Museum (GH) - $8
Nascar 2001 - $5
Nascar Thunder 2003 - $7
NBA Street - $12
Need for Speed Underground 2 (missing manual) - $20
NFL Blitz Pro - $10
NFL Street - $17
NFL Street 3 (missing manual) - $20
Onimusha 3 Demon Siege - $21
Pinball Hall of Fame - $5
Pirates - The Legend of Black Kat - $12
Power Rangers: Dino Thunder - $8
Reel Fishing III - $7
Resident Evil Code Veronica X - $13
Rise of Kasai - $8
Rocky - $11
Scarface the World is Yours - $45
Scooby Doo First Frights - $13
Sega Superstars - $10
Sega Superstar Tennis - $10
Shrek Superslam - $8
Simpson's Hit & Run (Greatest Hits) -$50
Spiderman - $10
Sprint Cars Road to Knoxville - $6
Spy Hunter - $7
Spy Hunter 2 (missing manual) - $7
Starsky & Hutch - $7
SSX - $7
SSX 3 - $9
SSX On Tour - $8
Superman Shadow of Apokolips - $14
Super Monkey Ball Adventure - $10
Summoner - $10
Taito Legends - $15
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battlenexus (missing manual) - $17
Teen Titans - $22
Theme Park Roller Coaster - $8
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 - $6
Thrillville - $6
Thrillville Off the Rails - $10
Time Crisis 3 - $23
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger - $11
Wheel of Fortune - $6
Virtua Fighter 4 (missing manual) - $6
Warriors of Might & Magic - $10
WWE Smackdown vs Raw - $11
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007 (Sealed) - $45
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007 - $17
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 - $10
WWE Smackdown Shut Your Mouth - $15
PS3
Band Hero - $6
Batman Arkham Asylum - $7
Battlefield 3 - $6
Call of Duty Advanced Warfare - $6
Call of Duty Ghosts - $6
Call of Duty Mordern Warfare 3 - $6
Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare - $7
Call of Juarez Bound in Blood - $9
Crysis 2 - $7
Dirt 2 - $12
Dirt 3 - $10
Driver San Francisco - $25
Enemy Territory Quake Wars - $9
Fifa Soccer 11 - $5
Fight Night Champion - $13
GTA IV Complete Edition - $25
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - $8
Gran Turismo XL Edition - $11
Gran Turismo 6 - $19
Heavy Fire: Afghanistan - $10
Infamous - $6
Infamous 2 - $8
Killzone 2- $7
Killzone 3 - $7
Lego 3: Beyond Batman - $8
Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 - $7
Lego The Hobbit - $9
LittleBigPlanet - $9
Madden 2011 - $5
Metro: Last Night - $8
Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition - $12
MLB the Show 10 - $4
MLB the Show 11 - $4
Monster Jam Path of Destruction - $20
NCAA Football 11 - $9
Sports Champions - $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 [Masters Historic Edition] - $23
Transformers Fall of Cybertron - $35
Transformers Rise of the Dark Spark - $13
Virtua Tennis 3 - $6
WWE 2K16 - $12
PS Vita
Lumines Electronic Symphony - $16
Need for Speed Most Wanted - $20
Sly Cooper Collection - $50
Sega 32X (all cart only)
Primal Rage - $50
Virtua Fighter - $24
Virtua Racing - $20
Sega Dreamcast Games (disc & manual only***; do not have original cases unless noted CIB)
Centipede - $7
Plasma Sword Night of Bilstein - $50
Psychic Force 2012 - $25
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - $12
Resident Evil Code Veronica (CIB) - $40
Rippin Riders - $5
Sega Bass Fishing - $8
Sega Rally 2 Championship - $12
Speed Devils - $15
Sword of Berserk: Gut's Rage (game only) - $65
Trick Style - $7
Zombie Revenge - $30
Sega Genesis (**CIB unless noted)
Aladdin (cart + manual) - $10
Double Dragon (cart & box) - $45
Game Genie (loose + booklet) - $20
Hard Drivin' (Missing Manual) - $15
John Madden Football (cart + manual) - $20
Lemmings (CIB) - $30
MERCS (cart & box) - $35
NBA Jam T.E. (CIB) - $20
Prime Time NFL Football starring Deon Sanders (cart +manual) - $9
Ren & Stimpy Show: Stimpy's Intervention (CIB) - $20
Road Rash II (CIB) - $22
Robocop 3 (CIB) - $40
Streets of Rage (cart only) - $22
Super Off-Road (CIB) - $30
WWF Super Wrestlemania (CIB) - $20
X-Men (cart + manual) - $15
Zero Tolerance (CIB) - $35
Sega Master System (CIB unless noted)
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars - $28
California Games (missing manual) - $20
Choplifter - $18
Ghostbusters - $25
Great Baseball - $10
Monopoly - $10
Parlour Games - $10
Pro Wrestling - $14
Rocky - $17
Space Harrier (missing manual) - $18
Shinobi (includes map; missing manual) - $30
Xbox (all CIB)
MechAssault 2 Lone Wolf (Limited Edition) - $8
Project Gotham Racing - $6
Xbox 360 (CIB)
Assassin's Creed - $6
Assasin's Creed II - $6
Asssasin's Creed III - $6
Battlefield Hardline Deluxe Edition - $10
Battlefield 3 Limited Edition - $6
Bioshock - $7
Bioshock Infinite - $5
Call of Duty World at War - $9
Call of Juarez: Blood Bound - $10
Civilization Revolution - $6
CSI Hard Evidence - $9
Fifa Soccer 10 - $5
Fifa Work Cup South Africa 2010 - $5
Game of Thrones - $11
Gears of War - $9
Halo 4 - $5
Injustice Gods Among Us - $5
L.A. Noire - $7
Mass Effect - $5
Mass Effect 2 - $5
N3 Ninety-Nine Nights - $20
NBA 2K12 - $5
NHL 10 - $3
NHL 14 - $6
Saints Row 2 - $10
Saints Row The Third - $5
Skate 3 - $6
Star Trek Legacy - $18
Star Wars Kinect - $7
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 - $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 - $5
Top Spin 3 - $6
Walking Dead Survival Instinct - $8
Wheel of Fortune - $14
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire -$5
Nintendo Wii (all CIB unless noted)
Animal Crossing City Folk - $20 (includes inserts but missing manual)
Celebrity Sports Showdown - $6
Dragon Quest Swords The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors - $20
Guitar Hero World Tour - $18
Little League World Series Baseball 2008 - $10
Madden 2013 - $14
Mario Kart Wii - $35
Mario Party 8 - $30
Mario Sports Mix - $30
Mario Super Sluggers (disc only) - $25
Mario Strikers Charged (disc only) - $10
NBA Live 09 All-Play - $5
New Super Mario Bros - $26
Pokemon Battle Revolution - $25
PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure - $35
Punch-Out - $35
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz - $6
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - $20
Tony Hawk Downhill Jam - $5
Tony Hawk Shred Big Air - $5
Warioware Smooth Moves - $22
Wii Sports - $22
Wii Sports Resort - $30
Wheel of Fortune - $6
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 - $7
submitted by PhilsTriangle to GameSale [link] [comments]
Let me know if you need pictures of any of the items listed below. Shipping is $5 flat for anything under one pound. I've got 400+ transactions on this board and accept payment via PayPal (F&F) or Venmo (F&F) only.
Consoles
GBA Indigo - $80 shipped
GBA SP (Silver CIB) - $120 shipped
Nintendo 2DS w/ charger - $85 shipped
Nintendo 3DS XL Pokemon X & Y Edition Console - $225 shipped
Nintendo 64 Console w/ hookups + OEM Controller - $90 shipped
Nintendo Wii Console (gamecube compatible) w/ hookups + Wii remote & numb chuck - $75 shipped
PS2 w/ hookups, OEM controller, OEM memory card - $100 shipped
Retron 5 Hyperkin (GBA/GBC/SNES/NES/Genesis) unused CIB - $120 shipped
Super Nintendo w/ hookups & OEM controller - $95 shipped
Xbox OG Console w/ hookups & OEM controller + Project Gotham Racing (CIB) - $100 Shipped
Controllers/Accessories
Gameboy OEM Clam Shells (lot of 32) - $75 shipped
Gamecube OEM Controller (Indigo) - $30 shipped
Gamecube OEM Wavebird Controller w/ receiver- $95 shipped
NES OEM 10-Cart Storage Case (3x avail) - $20 + shipping each
N64 OEM Expansion Pak - $50 shipped
N64 OEM Green Controller - $30 shipped
N64 Memory Card - $14 shipped
PS2 Logitech Wireless Controller (w/ dongle) - $35 shipped
PS2 OEM Memory Card- $14 shipped
Sega GameGear Super Wide Gear - $20 shipped
Wii U Wireless Controller (WUP-005) & charging cable - $35 shipped (2x avail)
N64 Games
007 GoldenEye - $25
007 World is Not Enough - $14
Army Men Sarge's Heroes - $15
Automobil Lamborghini - $8
Backstage Assault - $12
Banjo Kazooie - $25
Bass Hunter 64 - $8
Beetle Adventure Racing - $17
Charlies Blasts - $40
Diddy Kong Racing - $25
Doom 64 - $30
Extreme G Racing - $10
Forsaken 64 - $10
Gex 64 - $16
Iggy's Reckin' Balls - $20
Killer Instinct Gold - $30
Knockout Kings 2000 - $6
Magical Tetris Challenge - $20
Mario Kart - $40
Monster Truck Madness - $15
MRC Multi Championship Racing - $10
Namco Museum 64 - $12
Nascar 99 - $7
Nascar 2000 - $7
NBA In the Zone 98 - $5
NBA Live 99 (CIB) - $20
NBA Showtime - $12
Polaris Sno-Cross -$30
Pokemon Snap - $20
Quest 64 - $25
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - $12
Ridge Racer 64 - $15
San Francisco Rush - $15
Starfox 64 - $25
Star Wars Episode 1 Racer - $10
South Park Chef's Luv Shack - $25
Supercross 2000 - $7
Super Mario 64 - $35
Super Smash Bros. - $40
Tetrisphere - $12
Top Gear Rally - $10
Turok Dinosaur Hunter - $12
Turok 2 Seeds of Evil - $12
Vigilante 8 - $21
Virtual Pool - $13
Waialae Country Club - $6
War Gods - $10
Wave Race (Player's Choice) - $15
WCW Backstage Assault - $11
WCW NWO Revenge - $11
Wheel of Fortune - $11
Zelda Ocarina of Time (label wear) - $30
N64 Manuals
1080 Snowboarding - $7
Duke Nukem Manual - $10
Flying Dragon Manual - $40
Rush Extreme Racing - $8
Silicon Valley Space Station Manual - $40
Supercross 2000 - $6
Tony Hawk Pro Skater - $6
Nintendo Gamecube Games (CIB unless noted)
ATV Quad Power Racing 2 - $10
The Hobbit - $24
Enter the Matrix - $13
Eternal Darkness - $90
Fifa 2003 - $6
Fifa Street 2 - $25
Finding Nemo - $8
F-Zero GX - $90
Gun (missing manual) - $10
Harry Potter Chambers of Secret - $12
Killer 7 - $65
Luigi's Mansion - $60
Madden 2003 - $5
Madden 2007 - $8
Mario Golf Toadstool Tour - $27
Mario Kart Double Dash - $75
Monopoly Party - $10
Monsters, Inc. Scream Arena - $7
Nascar Thunder 2003 - $7
Pikmin - $50
Power Rangers Dino Thunder - $8
Resident Evil - $25
Resident Evil 2 - $100
Resident Evil 4 - $30
Resident Evil Zero - $18
The Sims Bustin Out - $12
Smuggler's Run (missing manual) - $12
Sonic Adventure Battle 2 (missing manual) - $45
Spiderman 2 - $15
Spyro A Hero's Tail (missing manual) - $15
SSX Tricky - $28
Starfox Assault - $45 (CIB; some wear to cover art)
Super Mario Sunshine (missing manual) -$35
Super Smash Brothers Melee - $60
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (missing manual) - $12
WWE Crush Hour - $27
WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (missing manual) - $25
Nintendo DS Games (cart only unless CIB noted)
Avatar The Game - $6
Bionicle Matoran Adventures - $6
Build-A-Bear Workshop (CIB) - $6
Carnival (CIB) - $6
Deal or No Deal - $5
Guitar Hero On Tour Bundle (CIB) - $25
Happy Feet - $4
Horsez (CIB) - $6
Hot Wheels Beat That - $6
Kung Fu Panda (CIB) - $6
Mario Party DS - $13
Mario Kart DS (loose) - $15
Mario Kart DS (CIB) - $18
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (CIB) - $10
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (CIB) - $10
Megaman Starforce Dragon - $85 shipped
Metroid Hunters First Hunt - $6
Nacho Libre - $15
Namco Museum DS - $8
Naruto Ninja Council 3 - $6
New Super Mario Bros. (CIB) -$22
Nickelodeon Team Umizoomi - $6
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney - $20
Picross 3D - $9
Ping Pals - $3
Planet Puzzle League - $10
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (case & manual only, no game) - $55
Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia (cart only) - $30
Ratatouille - $5
Rayman DS - $10
Ridge Racer DS - $8
Shrek Superslam - $5
Spiderman 3 - $8
Star Wars II The Original Trilogy (LEGO) - $6
Super Money Ball Touch & Roll - $6
Transformers Animated - $11
Tron Evolution - $4
Zhu Zhu Pets - $3
Nintendo 3DS (cart only unless noted)
Animal Crossing: New Leaf (CIB) - $20
Lego Marvel Superheroes: Universe in Peril - $5
Mario Kart 7 - $12
Minecraft New Nintendo 3DS Edition - $18
Pilotwings Resort - $10
Pokemon X (CIB) - $30
Skylander Giants - $6
Skylander Swap Force - $16
Skylander Trap Team - $12
Super Mario Maker - $10
Super Smash Bros (CIB) - $15
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - $9
Wipeout: Create & Cash - $5
Wreck-it Ralph - $6
Yo-Kai Watch - $15
NES Games (cart only; unless noted)
8 Eyes - $11
A Boy and His Blob (cart, box, manual) - $40
Blades of Steel - $8
Bubble Bobble - $16
Burgertime - $15
Castlevania II Simon's Quest - $15
Castlevania III Dracula's Curse - $45
Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers (CIB) - $125
Contra - $40
Dick Tracy - $7
Double Dragon - $13
Double Dragon II - $12
Donkey Kong 3 - $20
Dr. Mario - $10
Duck Tales - (cart & box) - $100
Excite Bike - $11
Faxanadu - $11
GI Joe: A Real American Hero - $75
Golf - $3
Legend of Zelda - $30
Mickey Mousecapade - $7
Mike Tyson's Punch-out - $40
Paperboy - $16
Punch-Out - $20
Rad Racer - $6
RBI Baseball 3 (cart & box) - $25
Robocop - $10
Rollerball - $8
Skate or Die 2 (cart & box) - $65
Spy Hunter - $5
Street Fighter 2010 - $15
Super Glove Ball - $7
Super Mario Bros. 2 - $20
Super Off-Road - $12
Super Team Games - $7
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Arcade Game (cart & box) - $80
Tiger Heli - $8
Wall Street Kid (cart, box, registration card, poster) - $45
WWF Wrestlemania - $6
SNES Games (cart only)
Aladdin - $15
Castlevania IV - $45
Clue - $5
Earthbound - $350
F-Zero (Player's Choice) - $20
Jungle Strike - $9
Ken Griffey Jr Major League Baseball - $11
Kirby's Avalanche - $15
Lion King - $11
Mario Paint - $6
Mega Man X - $32
Mickey Mania - $13
Mortal Kombat - $13
Ms. Pacman - $9
NBA All-Star Challenge - $5
Pilot Wings - $10
Scooby Doo Mystery - $11
Starfox - $15
Super Adventure Island - $16
Super Baseball 2020 - $13
Super Ghouls N Ghosts - $23
Super Mario All-Stars - $25
Super Mario Kart - $40
Super Mario World - $20
Super Punch Out - $28
Top Player Tennis - $8
WWF Raw - $13
Zombies Ate My Neighbors - $30
GBA (cart only unless noted)
Aggravation/Sorry/Scrabble - $5
Barnyard - $8
Bratz - $4
Care Bears Care Quest (CIB) - $28
Cars - $5
Cars (CIB) - $16
Castlevania Double Pack - $85
Cho Makaimura R Super Ghouls N Ghost ( Japanese Import) - $95 Shipped
Crash Bandicoot 2 N-tranced - $10
Crash Huge Adventure - $11
Curious George (CIB) - $28
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 - $4
Disney Party - $10
Disney Princess (CIB) - $12
Donkey Kong Country (GBC/CIB) - $56
Dora Explorer's Pirate Pig's Treasure - $4
Dragon Ball Z Supersonic Warriors - $20
Elf - $10
ESPN Great Outdoor Games Bass 2002 - $5
F-14 Tomcat - $7
Finding Nemo - $5
Green Eggs & Ham (CIB) - $20
Incredibles (CIB) - $14
Kong 8th Wonder of the World - $5
Lost Vikings - $25
Madden 2005 - $5
Mario Kart Super Circuit (torn label) - $20
Metroid Zero Mission - $60
Monsters Inc - $4
Monster Jam Maximum Destruction - $6
Namco Museum - $6
Oddworld Munch's Oddysee - $12
Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl - $5
Pong Asterios Yar's Revenge - $4
Sonic Advance 3 - $25
Quad Desert Furty - $3
Shaun Palmers Pro Snowboarding (GBC/CIB) - $10
Shrek Swamp Kart Speedway - $5
Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron - $5
SpongeBob Battle for Bikini Bottom - $7
Spongebob Squarepants Super Sponge - $6
SSX 3 - $7
The Incredibles - $3
Thunder Alley - $5
Top Gear GT Championship - $10
Sony PSP (all CIB)
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - $15
Gurumin A Monstrous Adventure - $42
LocoRoco - $10
Mega Man Powered Up - $38
Parappa the Rapper - $27
Sega Genesis Collection - $17
PS1 Games (CIB unless noted)
007 Tomorrow Never Dies - $7
Action Bass - $6
Andretti Racing (GH) - $5
Ball Breakers (sealed) - $10
Bass Championship - $7
Battle Arena Toshinden (GH) - $14
Bust A-Move 4 - $17
Driver 2 (GH) - $10
Fighting Force - $20
IHRA Drag Racing - $5
Missile Command - $6
MLB 2001 - $9
MLB 2003 - $9
Nascar Heat (CIB) - $7
NBA Live 2000 - $8
NBA Shootout 98 - $9
NHL 98 - $8
NHL Faceoff 97 (GH) - $5
PlayStation Underground Jampack Fall 2001 - $9
Resident Evil 2 (DualShock Edition) - $65
Rocket Power Team Rocket Rescue - $7
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie - $12
Spongebob SquarePants Super Pants - $7
Syphon Filter 2 (GH) - $10
Tecmo Super Bowl - $20
Tiger Woods 99 - $8
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 - $12
Twisted Metal 2 (Greatest Hits) - $32
Toy Story 2 - $22
Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour - $20
World Cup 98 - $12
PS2 Games (CIB unless noted)
All-Star Baseball 2005 - $5
Ape Escape 2 - $48
Ape Escape 3 - $43
ATV Offroad Fury 2 - $6
Avatar the Last Airbender - $8
Batman Begins - $13
Batman Vengeance - $19
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Chaos Bleeds - $28
Burnout Revenge - $11
Burnout 3 Takedown - $13
Buzz the Mega Quiz - $12
Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 - $13
Castlevania Lament of Innocence -$25
Corvette - $5
Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of the Cortex - $12
Crash Nitro Kart (GH) - $9
Crazy Taxi - $10
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 - $7
Dead to Rights - $6
Devil May Cry (GH) - $7
Enter the Matrix - $10
Eragon - $6
Family Feud - $5
Finding Nemo - $6
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns - $10
Ford Racing 3 - $5
Frogger the Great Quest - $7
Golden Compass - $5
GTA 3- $10
Gran Turismo 3 - $5
Godfather the Game - $14
Guitar Hero - $10
Guitar Hero Aerosmith - $7
Guitar Hero II - $7
Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock - $9
High Heat Major League Baseball 2004 - $5
Hot Wheels Velocity - $10
Hot Wheels World Race (missing manual) - $12
Hobbit - $10
Ice Age 2 The Meltdown - $7
Ironman - $6
Karaoke Revolution Party - $8
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol - $5
Legends of Wrestling II - $12
Lego Star Wars The Original Trilogy - $6
Lego Star Wars The Video Game - $7
Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring - $10
Madden 2003 - $5
Madden 2004 - $5
Madden 2005 -$5
Madden 2007 - $5
Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 - $10
Max Payne - $10
Metal Arms Glitch in the System - $16
Midway Arcade Treasures (1) - $12
Midway Arcade Treasures (2) - $12
MLB 07 the Show - $5
MLB Slugfest 2003 - $10
MLB Slugfest 2004 - $13
Namco Museum (GH) - $8
Nascar 2001 - $5
Nascar Thunder 2003 - $7
NBA Street - $12
Need for Speed Underground 2 (missing manual) - $20
NFL Blitz Pro - $10
NFL Street - $17
NFL Street 3 (missing manual) - $20
Onimusha 3 Demon Siege - $21
Pinball Hall of Fame - $5
Pirates - The Legend of Black Kat - $12
Power Rangers: Dino Thunder - $8
Reel Fishing III - $7
Resident Evil Code Veronica X - $13
Rise of Kasai - $8
Rocky - $11
Scarface the World is Yours - $45
Scooby Doo First Frights - $13
Sega Superstars - $10
Sega Superstar Tennis - $10
Shrek Superslam - $8
Simpson's Hit & Run (Greatest Hits) -$50
Spiderman - $10
Sprint Cars Road to Knoxville - $6
Spy Hunter - $7
Spy Hunter 2 (missing manual) - $7
Starsky & Hutch - $7
SSX - $7
SSX 3 - $9
SSX On Tour - $8
Superman Shadow of Apokolips - $14
Super Monkey Ball Adventure - $10
Summoner - $10
Taito Legends - $15
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battlenexus (missing manual) - $17
Teen Titans - $22
Theme Park Roller Coaster - $8
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 - $6
Thrillville - $6
Thrillville Off the Rails - $10
Time Crisis 3 - $23
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger - $11
Wheel of Fortune - $6
Virtua Fighter 4 (missing manual) - $6
Warriors of Might & Magic - $10
WWE Smackdown vs Raw - $11
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007 (Sealed) - $45
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007 - $17
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 - $10
WWE Smackdown Shut Your Mouth - $15
PS3
Band Hero - $6
Batman Arkham Asylum - $7
Battlefield 3 - $6
Call of Duty Advanced Warfare - $6
Call of Duty Ghosts - $6
Call of Duty Mordern Warfare 3 - $6
Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare - $7
Call of Juarez Bound in Blood - $9
Crysis 2 - $7
Dirt 2 - $12
Dirt 3 - $10
Driver San Francisco - $25
Enemy Territory Quake Wars - $9
Fifa Soccer 11 - $5
Fight Night Champion - $13
GTA IV Complete Edition - $25
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - $8
Gran Turismo XL Edition - $11
Gran Turismo 6 - $19
Heavy Fire: Afghanistan - $10
Infamous - $6
Infamous 2 - $8
Killzone 2- $7
Killzone 3 - $7
Lego 3: Beyond Batman - $8
Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 - $7
Lego The Hobbit - $9
LittleBigPlanet - $9
Madden 2011 - $5
Metro: Last Night - $8
Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition - $12
MLB the Show 10 - $4
MLB the Show 11 - $4
Monster Jam Path of Destruction - $20
NCAA Football 11 - $9
Sports Champions - $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 [Masters Historic Edition] - $23
Transformers Fall of Cybertron - $35
Transformers Rise of the Dark Spark - $13
Virtua Tennis 3 - $6
WWE 2K16 - $12
PS Vita
Lumines Electronic Symphony - $16
Need for Speed Most Wanted - $20
Sly Cooper Collection - $50
Sega 32X (all cart only)
Primal Rage - $50
Virtua Fighter - $24
Virtua Racing - $20
Sega Dreamcast Games (disc & manual only***; do not have original cases unless noted CIB)
Centipede - $7
Plasma Sword Night of Bilstein - $50
Psychic Force 2012 - $25
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - $12
Resident Evil Code Veronica (CIB) - $40
Rippin Riders - $5
Sega Bass Fishing - $8
Sega Rally 2 Championship - $12
Speed Devils - $15
Sword of Berserk: Gut's Rage (game only) - $65
Trick Style - $7
Zombie Revenge - $30
Sega Genesis (**CIB unless noted)
Aladdin (cart + manual) - $10
Double Dragon (cart & box) - $45
Game Genie (loose + booklet) - $20
Hard Drivin' (Missing Manual) - $15
John Madden Football (cart + manual) - $20
Lemmings (CIB) - $30
MERCS (cart & box) - $35
NBA Jam T.E. (CIB) - $20
Prime Time NFL Football starring Deon Sanders (cart +manual) - $9
Ren & Stimpy Show: Stimpy's Intervention (CIB) - $20
Road Rash II (CIB) - $22
Robocop 3 (CIB) - $40
Streets of Rage (cart only) - $22
Super Off-Road (CIB) - $30
WWF Super Wrestlemania (CIB) - $20
X-Men (cart + manual) - $15
Zero Tolerance (CIB) - $35
Sega Master System (CIB unless noted)
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars - $28
California Games (missing manual) - $20
Choplifter - $18
Ghostbusters - $25
Great Baseball - $10
Monopoly - $10
Parlour Games - $10
Pro Wrestling - $14
Rocky - $17
Space Harrier (missing manual) - $18
Shinobi (includes map; missing manual) - $30
Xbox (all CIB)
MechAssault 2 Lone Wolf (Limited Edition) - $8
Project Gotham Racing - $6
Xbox 360 (CIB)
Assassin's Creed - $6
Assasin's Creed II - $6
Asssasin's Creed III - $6
Battlefield Hardline Deluxe Edition - $10
Battlefield 3 Limited Edition - $6
Bioshock - $7
Bioshock Infinite - $5
Call of Duty World at War - $9
Call of Juarez: Blood Bound - $10
Civilization Revolution - $6
CSI Hard Evidence - $9
Fifa Soccer 10 - $5
Fifa Work Cup South Africa 2010 - $5
Game of Thrones - $11
Gears of War - $9
Halo 4 - $5
Injustice Gods Among Us - $5
L.A. Noire - $7
Mass Effect - $5
Mass Effect 2 - $5
N3 Ninety-Nine Nights - $20
NBA 2K12 - $5
NHL 10 - $3
NHL 14 - $6
Saints Row 2 - $10
Saints Row The Third - $5
Skate 3 - $6
Star Trek Legacy - $18
Star Wars Kinect - $7
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 - $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 - $5
Top Spin 3 - $6
Walking Dead Survival Instinct - $8
Wheel of Fortune - $14
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire -$5
Nintendo Wii (all CIB unless noted)
Animal Crossing City Folk - $20 (includes inserts but missing manual)
Celebrity Sports Showdown - $6
Dragon Quest Swords The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors - $20
Guitar Hero World Tour - $18
Little League World Series Baseball 2008 - $10
Madden 2013 - $14
Mario Kart Wii - $35
Mario Party 8 - $30
Mario Sports Mix - $30
Mario Super Sluggers (disc only) - $25
Mario Strikers Charged (disc only) - $10
NBA Live 09 All-Play - $5
New Super Mario Bros - $26
Pokemon Battle Revolution - $25
PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure - $35
Punch-Out - $35
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz - $6
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - $20
Tony Hawk Downhill Jam - $5
Tony Hawk Shred Big Air - $5
Warioware Smooth Moves - $22
Wii Sports - $22
Wii Sports Resort - $30
Wheel of Fortune - $6
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 - $7
2024.05.10 20:27 Kenshin1296 [USA] [H] Consoles (Psp Go, Gba, Ds Lite, 2ds's) Kuon, Rule of Rose, Mariokart DD, The Last Story, Wii SportsR, Switch (DQ Builders, OnePiece PW4, HW AOC, Mario Strikers & Odyssey, Etc) Gb, Gba, Ds 3ds Games, All 3 Pokemon Rangers, Intelligent Qube, SFEX2 Plus, Blue Dragon, HOTD2 & More [W] PP F&F
All items are FIRM in price and include shipping!
Will take $5 off each additional item purchased (Certain items including consoles or multi disk ps1 titles may may not be included depending on heaviness or other factors. Just check in with me and I'll lyk)
Everything is tested and fully working unless stated otherwise!!!
Consoles
N64
submitted by Kenshin1296 to GameSale [link] [comments]
Will take $5 off each additional item purchased (Certain items including consoles or multi disk ps1 titles may may not be included depending on heaviness or other factors. Just check in with me and I'll lyk)
Everything is tested and fully working unless stated otherwise!!!
Consoles
- $65 Glacier GBA Console (No battery back. Fully Functional) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/pR09ZkR844
- $55 Pink Ds Lite With Charger & Stylus (Charger not pictured but is official charger) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/1NQ8NTdT48
- $75 Black & Blue 2ds With Charger & Stylus (Rubber piece off thumbstick is starting to come undone a bit. No other issues besides that https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/m1717w87q1
- $160 Psp Go With Charger (Has Games Like Smash Bros Remix, Dragon Ball Z Kart (MK64 Mod) Marvel Vs Capcom etc Downloaded https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/YQ1DY4bUHn
N64
- $10 NBA Live 99 & Madden 99 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/2f0E0tmDW7
- $35 Snowboard Kids https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/u6eHE9s78r
- $10 Turok 2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/thb1c42pBq
- $70 Mario Kart Double Dash https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/S2g96oe1w0
- $25 Nsmb Wii (No Manual) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/7toGYT0H2b
- $65 The Last Story https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/4b42hBVt58
- $30 Wii Sports Resort https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/K9R2Km830C
- $60 Dragon Quest Builders https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/D5o3BXi8uN
- $35 Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/SVp291dkzy
- $15 Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/718w61Mj35
- $12 Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/97H5VuF05U
- $35 Mario Strikers Battle League (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/5tT15cNDJ0
- $15 Mega Man 11 (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/GD8bi27F33
- $15 Monster Hunter Rise (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/rQGdihP21d
- $45 One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/yHd71a181E
- $15 Power Rangers Battle For The Grid (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/04985Q3muM
- $15 Shin Megami Tensei III https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/oUy8s1A3EH
- $18 Splatoon 2 (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/3bL9802185
- $35 Super Mario Odyssey https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/21z812752
- $160 The Caligula Effect Overdose Limited Edition https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/01r838h8AN
- $40 The Caligula Effect 2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/4139f2N1za
- $20 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1&2 (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/RD25gsv24X
- $8 Baseball Gameboy https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/L2ZgZA6FFT
- $30 Donkey Kong Original https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/DU922X9N9o
- $10 Dr Mario https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/4N529zHrQ4
- $10 Game & Watch Gallery 3 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/0eA9pugB3N
- $15 Kirby's Pinball Land https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/L4d5i51505
- $10 NBA Jam https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/03E98S2x1G
- $9 Pac-Man https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/LX4m2Csqb1
- $9 Super Battletank https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/HpgH03N5b3
- $8 Beyblade V Force https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/979xoDmznt
- $22 Mega Man Battle Network 6 Gregar https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/u24M309011
- $8 Midnight Club https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/t14E845101
- $8 SpongeBob Lights Camera Pants https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/80s1f8AzbZ
- $10 Spyro Superpack Fire/Ice https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/03k84V28jo
- $9 Spyro Orange https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/HLZK2i964B
- $9 The Legend of Spyro A New Beginning https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/vgiLX1PbM4
- $25 The Legend of Zelda II Adventures of Link https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/VCA0Y56Q8y
- $12 Diddy Kong Racing Ds Cart Only https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/73een4611n
- $17 Donkey Kong Jungle Climber (Cart Only) https://flic.kp/2pFKJBC
- $30 Dragon Ball Origins (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/7wegJ7e521
- $20 Pokemon Ranger (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/966M2Nq008
- $50 Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/352Nr0sB11
- $60 Pokemon Ranger Guardian Signs https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/85Py743651
- $23 Yugioh World Championship 2010 (Cart Only) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/ES6M3EU63H
- $13 Monster Hunter Generations https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/6dU1Hp5fqZ
- $23 Paper Mario Sticker Star https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/n0k7114c39
- $28 Pokemon Rumble Blast https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/o70w85W562
- $35 House of The Dead 2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/QTcpXUH2E2
- $40 Intelligent Cube https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/08WAo10hs7
- $85 Street Fighter EX2 Plus https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/WB8K9pi0pz
- $900 Kuon https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/oZaZesy159
- $650 Rule of Rose https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/93529vA82m
- $15 Final Fantasy Dirge Of Cerberus Disk Only https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/ri45672o13
- $25 Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (No Manual) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/yeFRq7i594
- $15 Star Trek Voyager Elite Force https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/Bvt8PZDh25
- $45 Stella Deus ( No Manual ) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/6nP8624KJV
- $10 4 Game Ps2 Lot Medal of Honor X2, Madden, NHL https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/Y3J23pU010
- $17 Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/a338Q48jrT
- $9 Destiny 1 & 2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/732e891951
- $9 Dragon Ball Xenoverse https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/PVdW62T41a
- $15 Guitar Hero Live https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/2062ThPftv
- $9 Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/U1mp6Rqbam
- $25 Rust https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/3Cu138Kg85
- $8 Star Wars Battlefront https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/9U5e2H27J3
- $10 Lego Star Wars Ep 2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/4Md1R76T11
- $30 Manhunt 2 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/hT7fJ04535
- $15 Final Fantasy X/X-2 Cart Only https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/0Sw1EY335N
- $10 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/H90x348647
- $20 Voodoo Vince https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/4hT7S6940n
- $35 Sealed Ace Combat 6 (Game is sealed however there is a slit in the wrapper down the middle plus another piece next to it that is peeling off/can be pulled back) https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/V3yW975G1H
- $45 Blue Dragon bit of sun fading https://www.flickr.com/photos/193718836@N02/shares/8Z6Ts0sp82
2024.05.10 18:09 ImTheFriskyPlatypus How 2 girls ruined my life 20 years ago and every night I go to sleep hoping I don’t wake up.
How 2 girls ruined my life 20 years ago and every night I go to sleep hoping I don't wake up.
I (39M) want to die. I have wanted to die basically every day since I was 19 years old. I will give you a little back story since everyone loves backstories. Please bear with me as this will be very long.
Growing up over weight made me the blunt of jokes all thru middle and high school. I was around 325 pounds when I graduated. When I was 17, I met a girl, lets call her Sierra. I was still a junior at this time due to me skipping school 2nd semester sophomore year and failing all my classes sophomore year due to a very bad individual I hung out with during that time. I had met her thru a friend who had a huge crush on me. Lets call said friend Lisa. Both of these girls were 15 at the time and went to school in a little town about 10 miles north of me. When it came time for me to choose, I chose Sierra.
Fast forward a month later, I was head over heels. I had previous gfs, but something about her was different. She didn't seem to care that I was overweight and genuinely seemed to love me. The day I introduced Sierra to my father (who has since passed), and she came up to my room with me. As we started fooling around, she eventually took my virginity. About 2 weeks later she called me freaking out that she was sick and had missed her period. And I thought this was great as even though we had only been dating a month, we had already decided we wanted to have kids together and even had names picked out. This freaked her out and she eventually confessed to her dad and he threatened me that If I ever so much as called his daughter again, I would be arrested.
We spent the better half of the next 18 months or so sneaking around behind her parents back and talking on the phone at night after her father went to bed. Granted, this is 2002/03, so texting isn't a big thing. We would sit in her car when we would meet and cuddle, make out, I'd finger her, things like that. However, she completely refused to do anything sexual to me. At the time, I didn't think anything of it as I thought she just had different ways of showing her affection toward me.
(Changing the tune for a minute, but this all ties in. I swear). After about a year of dating Sierra, I was chatting on MSN with my buddy and his gf in a group chat. Now, me and my best friends gf had brother sister type bond that made her off limits in my eyes. I had introduced them and they hit it off right away. However, without my noticing, she has brought in a friend of hers that had the exact same name. Lets call them both Erica 1(buddy's girl) and Erica 2 (my future gf). After about 20 minutes of thinking I'm talking to Erica 1 and messing around with her like a brother would do to a sister, I realized she started to flirt with me. Just as I was about to tell her that s**t was inappropriate, I looked at the email address under that MSN name, and noticed this Erica had a different last name. It was then that I was realized I had been teasing Erica 2 the whole time and she indeed thought I was flirting with her.
Around this time, it was summer of 2003, I was 18, about to be heading into my senior year(finally). Sierra was 15 almost 16 and going into her junior year. Erica 2 was 16 and going into her junior year. Erica 2 went to school across the state border, so these girls didn't know each other. 1 day, I get a call from Sierra saying she wanted to take a break during the summer because the sneaking around was getting to her. I was absolutely devastated. Cried for days. During this time, Erica 2 was there was for me and we eventually struck up a relationship that lasted throughout the summer. We didn't have am extremely physical relationship, but there was quite a bit of making out and griding.
Come the end of summer, I get a call from Sierra balling her eyes out telling me it was the worst 2 1/2 months of her life without me in it and wanted to get back together. After much deliberation, I ended things with Erica 2 because I couldn't get over Sierra and was still madly in love with her. From what Erica 1 told me, this absolutely devastated her, as she spent the 1st week of her junior year crying every day.
So here I was, back to sneaking around with Sierra behind her parents back. Back me to showing her how I loved her physically and her still not touching me in a loving way. Fast forward about 5 months, and my world had came crashing down. One day on AIM (for you younger folk, that's AOL instant messenger), I got an IM from a guy, and to this day I still can't remember his AIM name. All it said was, "dude, I didn't know she has a b/f". That was it. I replied asking who this was, but never received another message.
A few weeks before I received this message, Lisa has regularly been calling me asking me how I was doing and always checking in on me. I found it odd, because for the last year she had basically cut me out of her life for choosing Sierra over her. About a month later, Lisa asked to meet her at her job before closing (she worked at a local fast food place). She gave a me a recording that completely ruined my life. On it, Sierra was talking to all her friends, Lisa included, as she had still thought at the time that Lisa had cut me off, explaining how she had just have the best sex of her life last night. Lisa, was furious, saying you knew how much I liked OP and that she didn't want to hear about her and our sex life. That's when Sierra dropped the bomb to everyone. It wasn't me. When Lisa asked Sierra when she had broken up with me, she told her she hadn't. Sierra said I was basically like her best friend who she allowed to make out with and finger her every once in a while, but I was nothing more. She then told them that after we had sex that first month of dating, she couldn't feel my small dick enter her and knew that we would have a no future together. She then started making jokes about how her baby brother, who she helped take care as her parents worked until late evening, was bigger than me and he was 6. Lisa, who sounded furious at this point, asked her why she didn't just break up with me, and Sierra stated she really thought she was in love with me and enjoyed spending time with me. She figured she could sleep with other guys and keep it on the DL, and then get all the emotional parts from me and since her dad had forbidden her from seeing me. It made it easier to get away with it. She said she had an emotional connection with me that the other guys didn't give her, but that sex between us would be non existent.
After hearing all this, I flipped. I threw the recorder thru glass door at the restaurant, (thankfully this was before cameras were everywhere) and Lisa said she would handle it saying some drunk asshole fell thru the door. She apologized to me and said for a month or so she has been having suspicions that Sierra was cheating on me, and that's why she took the recorder with her, because she has been told what happened that night. As I was walking out, Lisa said she had a few more things to tell me. At this point, I was already numb. Apparently, after Lisa had stop recording, Sierra let every know her body count, which before we hooked up, was 1, was now at a whooping 21. Man she was an overachiever. Also, she had faked the pregnancy thing to use it as an excuse to never have sex with me. Yeah, every time I brought up sex, she said she still wasn't over that scare and didn't want to risk it.
Her prom night was the next month, and she ended up going with her gay best friend, and yes, this guy was gay. Everyone knew. She wanted to come over to my house afterward, but I was at my buddies and and told her she could meet me there. At this point, she has no idea I know everything. She shows up about 1030ish and we head down to his basement. About 30 minutes later, we are going at it hot and heavy, and I once again, try to initiate sex knowing this is going to the be last time we are ever together. She is hesitant and I say I can use 2 condoms to make her feel safer. After a few minutes of debating, she says she can't do it, but wants to continue fooling around. By this time, I was already drunk as my buddy and I have been drinking SOCO and E&J all night while playing Triple Play on PS2. I told her no, that I was ready to go back up to my buddies room and get back on the PS2. She was furious. She left without saying anything.
The next few weeks I got back in touch with Erica 2 to see if there was any shot as rekindling what we had. She said she has just got out of a relationship and wasn't looking to get into another one. But if I felt like fooling around, she was game. So, Erica 2 and I started fooling around for about a month before I finally let Sierra know my endgame. One night at a bonfire across the state line, Erica 2 and I finally had sex. I was on cloud nine. I was thinking back to the 9 months prior realizing what a mistake I made picking Sierra over Erica 2. I was supposed to call Sierra at 1030 as that had been out nightly routine for 18 months, but I didn't that night. She called my cellphone around 50 times that night, and I just kept ignoring her. I called Sierra that night when I got home around 3 AM. She answered and let me have it. "Where the hell have you been? I have been worried sick about you. I thought you were dead and I was about to have a panic attack". I explained that I was at a bonfire with Erica 2(by this time, she has known about me and her the previous summer) and she started to flip out on me. By this time, I was exhausted with our relationship and let her know that Erica 2 and I have sex. Sierra had the f'n nerve to start crying. Asking how I could betray her like that. I told her that her facade was over. Lisa had recorded her entire convo the other day and that we were done. She cried for a bit, then hung up on me. The next morning, she called me on her way to school like she had done every day for the 18 months we were together, crying saying she didn't want us to end and she couldn't lose me in her life. I told her she lost me the first time she let another dick penetrate her, just neither one of us knew it until she got caught. Should would call from time to time, but I never answered. I was looking forward to seeing Erica 2 that night, as there was another bonfire.
Being it was spring time and towards the end of the school year, parties were starting to pick up. I showed up late to the party as me and some buddies went to a bar to pre game for a bit. Once we got to the bonfire, I searched for Erica 2. I saw her talking to some friends. I snuch up behind to surprise her, but as I was sneaking up, I heard the convo she was having. She was making fun the guy she had sex with the last night. She said and I quote "He pulled his pants down and it took every ounce of energy in my being not to laugh. When he entered me, it felt like I was using my pinkie to masturbate." I just stood there stunned. At the time, Erica 1 saw me standing behind Erica 2. She exclaimed "OP". She didn't know Erica 2 and I had started messing around again, so Erica 1 was just excited to see me(she wasn't at the previous night bonfire because her and her b/f were out of town for the night.) At this point Erica 2 turned around. Erica 1 saw my face go pale. I looked at Erica 1 and she had a confused look on her face. Then I turned my attention to Erica 2. I started at Erica 2 for what seemed like hours, but was actually about 30 seconds. I turned and just started walking way. As I was walking away, Erica 2 "oh there goes the baby boy now". I heard a smack. I turned around and saw that Erica 1 had coldcocked Erica 2, which was basically her best friend beside me and came over to console me. I left the party about 10 minutes later.
I spent all my 20's and early 30's drinking heavily. Never once looking for a the affection of another girl. I had always wanted to have 2 kids. A boy and a girl. But within 2 months, 2 girls had ruined me. I would never let another girl touch me again. My dad and my grandparents all died while I was in my 20s within a years of each and my weight ballooned out of control. At my heaviest, I was around 500 lbs. A few months ago, I started having tests down and found out I have low T. My glands are working fine, but my body isn't making testosterone. I'm assuming this has been going on since my teen years as I have never had acne and never really developed facial hair. My dad(had) and brothers all have full beards. So they want to put me on Astro gel claiming it will help me lose weight along with Ozempic, as I am currently at around 430 lbs. But right now, I just don't care. Every day since the day after Erica 2 did that to me, I wake up every morning and say "f**k". I say that because I wake up. I'm ready for my life to be over. I have suicidal thoughts every day, even though, apparently like my relationships, I'm too much of a pussy to do anything about them.
I just got done at the doctors where they are putting me on testosterone. I was told this will make me sterile. And its hitting me hard. The realization that I will never have kids is destroying me. My parents had always asked me if I wanted kids in my 20's and I always made excuses like "I don't want to being kids into this world" or "I don't want to put up me growing up". The real reason I didn't want kids was I knew every day I woke up, I wanted it to be my last. I didn't know if I would ever have the guts to finish the job I almost started about a month after what Erica 2 had done to me, but I didn't want to take a chance leaving a child without a father. For context, I got really drunk at the town hangout about a month after the Erica 2 situation and took a bunch of pills because I wanted to it all to end. I was sitting alone when I did it, or so I thought. One of my buddies at the time saw me take all the pills and ran over to me, calling about 5 or 6 friends over to help him. Keep in mind, at the time I'm 5'11, 325. I put up a fight. But enough of them held me down and induced me to vomit up everything, which I could tell included all of the pills that were now all over the ground. I just laid there crying for what seemed like hours with a couple buddies consoling me.
So here I am, sitting here writing this post wishing my life would just end. I haven't had any friends in years, my days consist of work and going home. I just don't know what to do. I haven't kissed a girl since I was 19. I would get drunk and hit on girls in my 20's, but the next day when I was sober, I would pretend it didn't happen when they brought it up to me to avoid what would be the obvious disappointment in sex.
So that's my story. I think I might try to stick it out for 5 years just to watch my niece graduate high school as I love that girl more than anything in the world, but no one ever knows what they day brings. Sometimes, as I'm driving to work, I fantasize about what it would be like to turn my car head on into an oncoming semi. But I couldn't risk hurting someone else or putting some poor human thru that. Outside of that, I'm just dead inside. I feel nothing for anyone outside my family.
Any advice would be welcome because each day gets harder and harder and I have no one to talk to.
TLDR: penis size was made fun of by girls I had strong feelings for and attempted to end it
submitted by ImTheFriskyPlatypus to cheating_stories [link] [comments]
I (39M) want to die. I have wanted to die basically every day since I was 19 years old. I will give you a little back story since everyone loves backstories. Please bear with me as this will be very long.
Growing up over weight made me the blunt of jokes all thru middle and high school. I was around 325 pounds when I graduated. When I was 17, I met a girl, lets call her Sierra. I was still a junior at this time due to me skipping school 2nd semester sophomore year and failing all my classes sophomore year due to a very bad individual I hung out with during that time. I had met her thru a friend who had a huge crush on me. Lets call said friend Lisa. Both of these girls were 15 at the time and went to school in a little town about 10 miles north of me. When it came time for me to choose, I chose Sierra.
Fast forward a month later, I was head over heels. I had previous gfs, but something about her was different. She didn't seem to care that I was overweight and genuinely seemed to love me. The day I introduced Sierra to my father (who has since passed), and she came up to my room with me. As we started fooling around, she eventually took my virginity. About 2 weeks later she called me freaking out that she was sick and had missed her period. And I thought this was great as even though we had only been dating a month, we had already decided we wanted to have kids together and even had names picked out. This freaked her out and she eventually confessed to her dad and he threatened me that If I ever so much as called his daughter again, I would be arrested.
We spent the better half of the next 18 months or so sneaking around behind her parents back and talking on the phone at night after her father went to bed. Granted, this is 2002/03, so texting isn't a big thing. We would sit in her car when we would meet and cuddle, make out, I'd finger her, things like that. However, she completely refused to do anything sexual to me. At the time, I didn't think anything of it as I thought she just had different ways of showing her affection toward me.
(Changing the tune for a minute, but this all ties in. I swear). After about a year of dating Sierra, I was chatting on MSN with my buddy and his gf in a group chat. Now, me and my best friends gf had brother sister type bond that made her off limits in my eyes. I had introduced them and they hit it off right away. However, without my noticing, she has brought in a friend of hers that had the exact same name. Lets call them both Erica 1(buddy's girl) and Erica 2 (my future gf). After about 20 minutes of thinking I'm talking to Erica 1 and messing around with her like a brother would do to a sister, I realized she started to flirt with me. Just as I was about to tell her that s**t was inappropriate, I looked at the email address under that MSN name, and noticed this Erica had a different last name. It was then that I was realized I had been teasing Erica 2 the whole time and she indeed thought I was flirting with her.
Around this time, it was summer of 2003, I was 18, about to be heading into my senior year(finally). Sierra was 15 almost 16 and going into her junior year. Erica 2 was 16 and going into her junior year. Erica 2 went to school across the state border, so these girls didn't know each other. 1 day, I get a call from Sierra saying she wanted to take a break during the summer because the sneaking around was getting to her. I was absolutely devastated. Cried for days. During this time, Erica 2 was there was for me and we eventually struck up a relationship that lasted throughout the summer. We didn't have am extremely physical relationship, but there was quite a bit of making out and griding.
Come the end of summer, I get a call from Sierra balling her eyes out telling me it was the worst 2 1/2 months of her life without me in it and wanted to get back together. After much deliberation, I ended things with Erica 2 because I couldn't get over Sierra and was still madly in love with her. From what Erica 1 told me, this absolutely devastated her, as she spent the 1st week of her junior year crying every day.
So here I was, back to sneaking around with Sierra behind her parents back. Back me to showing her how I loved her physically and her still not touching me in a loving way. Fast forward about 5 months, and my world had came crashing down. One day on AIM (for you younger folk, that's AOL instant messenger), I got an IM from a guy, and to this day I still can't remember his AIM name. All it said was, "dude, I didn't know she has a b/f". That was it. I replied asking who this was, but never received another message.
A few weeks before I received this message, Lisa has regularly been calling me asking me how I was doing and always checking in on me. I found it odd, because for the last year she had basically cut me out of her life for choosing Sierra over her. About a month later, Lisa asked to meet her at her job before closing (she worked at a local fast food place). She gave a me a recording that completely ruined my life. On it, Sierra was talking to all her friends, Lisa included, as she had still thought at the time that Lisa had cut me off, explaining how she had just have the best sex of her life last night. Lisa, was furious, saying you knew how much I liked OP and that she didn't want to hear about her and our sex life. That's when Sierra dropped the bomb to everyone. It wasn't me. When Lisa asked Sierra when she had broken up with me, she told her she hadn't. Sierra said I was basically like her best friend who she allowed to make out with and finger her every once in a while, but I was nothing more. She then told them that after we had sex that first month of dating, she couldn't feel my small dick enter her and knew that we would have a no future together. She then started making jokes about how her baby brother, who she helped take care as her parents worked until late evening, was bigger than me and he was 6. Lisa, who sounded furious at this point, asked her why she didn't just break up with me, and Sierra stated she really thought she was in love with me and enjoyed spending time with me. She figured she could sleep with other guys and keep it on the DL, and then get all the emotional parts from me and since her dad had forbidden her from seeing me. It made it easier to get away with it. She said she had an emotional connection with me that the other guys didn't give her, but that sex between us would be non existent.
After hearing all this, I flipped. I threw the recorder thru glass door at the restaurant, (thankfully this was before cameras were everywhere) and Lisa said she would handle it saying some drunk asshole fell thru the door. She apologized to me and said for a month or so she has been having suspicions that Sierra was cheating on me, and that's why she took the recorder with her, because she has been told what happened that night. As I was walking out, Lisa said she had a few more things to tell me. At this point, I was already numb. Apparently, after Lisa had stop recording, Sierra let every know her body count, which before we hooked up, was 1, was now at a whooping 21. Man she was an overachiever. Also, she had faked the pregnancy thing to use it as an excuse to never have sex with me. Yeah, every time I brought up sex, she said she still wasn't over that scare and didn't want to risk it.
Her prom night was the next month, and she ended up going with her gay best friend, and yes, this guy was gay. Everyone knew. She wanted to come over to my house afterward, but I was at my buddies and and told her she could meet me there. At this point, she has no idea I know everything. She shows up about 1030ish and we head down to his basement. About 30 minutes later, we are going at it hot and heavy, and I once again, try to initiate sex knowing this is going to the be last time we are ever together. She is hesitant and I say I can use 2 condoms to make her feel safer. After a few minutes of debating, she says she can't do it, but wants to continue fooling around. By this time, I was already drunk as my buddy and I have been drinking SOCO and E&J all night while playing Triple Play on PS2. I told her no, that I was ready to go back up to my buddies room and get back on the PS2. She was furious. She left without saying anything.
The next few weeks I got back in touch with Erica 2 to see if there was any shot as rekindling what we had. She said she has just got out of a relationship and wasn't looking to get into another one. But if I felt like fooling around, she was game. So, Erica 2 and I started fooling around for about a month before I finally let Sierra know my endgame. One night at a bonfire across the state line, Erica 2 and I finally had sex. I was on cloud nine. I was thinking back to the 9 months prior realizing what a mistake I made picking Sierra over Erica 2. I was supposed to call Sierra at 1030 as that had been out nightly routine for 18 months, but I didn't that night. She called my cellphone around 50 times that night, and I just kept ignoring her. I called Sierra that night when I got home around 3 AM. She answered and let me have it. "Where the hell have you been? I have been worried sick about you. I thought you were dead and I was about to have a panic attack". I explained that I was at a bonfire with Erica 2(by this time, she has known about me and her the previous summer) and she started to flip out on me. By this time, I was exhausted with our relationship and let her know that Erica 2 and I have sex. Sierra had the f'n nerve to start crying. Asking how I could betray her like that. I told her that her facade was over. Lisa had recorded her entire convo the other day and that we were done. She cried for a bit, then hung up on me. The next morning, she called me on her way to school like she had done every day for the 18 months we were together, crying saying she didn't want us to end and she couldn't lose me in her life. I told her she lost me the first time she let another dick penetrate her, just neither one of us knew it until she got caught. Should would call from time to time, but I never answered. I was looking forward to seeing Erica 2 that night, as there was another bonfire.
Being it was spring time and towards the end of the school year, parties were starting to pick up. I showed up late to the party as me and some buddies went to a bar to pre game for a bit. Once we got to the bonfire, I searched for Erica 2. I saw her talking to some friends. I snuch up behind to surprise her, but as I was sneaking up, I heard the convo she was having. She was making fun the guy she had sex with the last night. She said and I quote "He pulled his pants down and it took every ounce of energy in my being not to laugh. When he entered me, it felt like I was using my pinkie to masturbate." I just stood there stunned. At the time, Erica 1 saw me standing behind Erica 2. She exclaimed "OP". She didn't know Erica 2 and I had started messing around again, so Erica 1 was just excited to see me(she wasn't at the previous night bonfire because her and her b/f were out of town for the night.) At this point Erica 2 turned around. Erica 1 saw my face go pale. I looked at Erica 1 and she had a confused look on her face. Then I turned my attention to Erica 2. I started at Erica 2 for what seemed like hours, but was actually about 30 seconds. I turned and just started walking way. As I was walking away, Erica 2 "oh there goes the baby boy now". I heard a smack. I turned around and saw that Erica 1 had coldcocked Erica 2, which was basically her best friend beside me and came over to console me. I left the party about 10 minutes later.
I spent all my 20's and early 30's drinking heavily. Never once looking for a the affection of another girl. I had always wanted to have 2 kids. A boy and a girl. But within 2 months, 2 girls had ruined me. I would never let another girl touch me again. My dad and my grandparents all died while I was in my 20s within a years of each and my weight ballooned out of control. At my heaviest, I was around 500 lbs. A few months ago, I started having tests down and found out I have low T. My glands are working fine, but my body isn't making testosterone. I'm assuming this has been going on since my teen years as I have never had acne and never really developed facial hair. My dad(had) and brothers all have full beards. So they want to put me on Astro gel claiming it will help me lose weight along with Ozempic, as I am currently at around 430 lbs. But right now, I just don't care. Every day since the day after Erica 2 did that to me, I wake up every morning and say "f**k". I say that because I wake up. I'm ready for my life to be over. I have suicidal thoughts every day, even though, apparently like my relationships, I'm too much of a pussy to do anything about them.
I just got done at the doctors where they are putting me on testosterone. I was told this will make me sterile. And its hitting me hard. The realization that I will never have kids is destroying me. My parents had always asked me if I wanted kids in my 20's and I always made excuses like "I don't want to being kids into this world" or "I don't want to put up me growing up". The real reason I didn't want kids was I knew every day I woke up, I wanted it to be my last. I didn't know if I would ever have the guts to finish the job I almost started about a month after what Erica 2 had done to me, but I didn't want to take a chance leaving a child without a father. For context, I got really drunk at the town hangout about a month after the Erica 2 situation and took a bunch of pills because I wanted to it all to end. I was sitting alone when I did it, or so I thought. One of my buddies at the time saw me take all the pills and ran over to me, calling about 5 or 6 friends over to help him. Keep in mind, at the time I'm 5'11, 325. I put up a fight. But enough of them held me down and induced me to vomit up everything, which I could tell included all of the pills that were now all over the ground. I just laid there crying for what seemed like hours with a couple buddies consoling me.
So here I am, sitting here writing this post wishing my life would just end. I haven't had any friends in years, my days consist of work and going home. I just don't know what to do. I haven't kissed a girl since I was 19. I would get drunk and hit on girls in my 20's, but the next day when I was sober, I would pretend it didn't happen when they brought it up to me to avoid what would be the obvious disappointment in sex.
So that's my story. I think I might try to stick it out for 5 years just to watch my niece graduate high school as I love that girl more than anything in the world, but no one ever knows what they day brings. Sometimes, as I'm driving to work, I fantasize about what it would be like to turn my car head on into an oncoming semi. But I couldn't risk hurting someone else or putting some poor human thru that. Outside of that, I'm just dead inside. I feel nothing for anyone outside my family.
Any advice would be welcome because each day gets harder and harder and I have no one to talk to.
TLDR: penis size was made fun of by girls I had strong feelings for and attempted to end it
2024.05.10 07:48 ImTheFriskyPlatypus How 2 girls ruined my life 20 years ago and every night I go to sleep hoping I don't wake up.
I (39M) want to die. I have wanted to die basically every day since I was 19 years old. I will give you a little back story since everyone loves backstories. Please bear with me as this will be very long.
Growing up over weight made me the blunt of jokes all thru middle and high school. I was around 325 pounds when I graduated. When I was 17, I met a girl, lets call her Sierra. I was still a junior at this time due to me skipping school 2nd semester sophomore year and failing all my classes sophomore year due to a very bad individual I hung out with during that time. I had met her thru a friend who had a huge crush on me. Lets call said friend Lisa. Both of these girls were 15 at the time and went to school in a little town about 10 miles north of me. When it came time for me to choose, I chose Sierra.
Fast forward a month later, I was head over heels. I had previous gfs, but something about her was different. She didn't seem to care that I was overweight and genuinely seemed to love me. The day I introduced Sierra to my father (who has since passed), and she came up to my room with me. As we started fooling around, she eventually took my virginity. About 2 weeks later she called me freaking out that she was sick and had missed her period. And I thought this was great as even though we had only been dating a month, we had already decided we wanted to have kids together and even had names picked out. This freaked her out and she eventually confessed to her dad and he threatened me that If I ever so much as called his daughter again, I would be arrested.
We spent the better half of the next 18 months or so sneaking around behind her parents back and talking on the phone at night after her father went to bed. Granted, this is 2002/03, so texting isn't a big thing. We would sit in her car when we would meet and cuddle, make out, I'd finger her, things like that. However, she completely refused to do anything sexual to me. At the time, I didn't think anything of it as I thought she just had different ways of showing her affection toward me.
(Changing the tune for a minute, but this all ties in. I swear). After about a year of dating Sierra, I was chatting on MSN with my buddy and his gf in a group chat. Now, me and my best friends gf had brother sister type bond that made her off limits in my eyes. I had introduced them and they hit it off right away. However, without my noticing, she has brought in a friend of hers that had the exact same name. Lets call them both Erica 1(buddy's girl) and Erica 2 (my future gf). After about 20 minutes of thinking I'm talking to Erica 1 and messing around with her like a brother would do to a sister, I realized she started to flirt with me. Just as I was about to tell her that s**t was inappropriate, I looked at the email address under that MSN name, and noticed this Erica had a different last name. It was then that I was realized I had been teasing Erica 2 the whole time and she indeed thought I was flirting with her.
Around this time, it was summer of 2003, I was 18, about to be heading into my senior year(finally). Sierra was 15 almost 16 and going into her junior year. Erica 2 was 16 and going into her junior year. Erica 2 went to school across the state border, so these girls didn't know each other. 1 day, I get a call from Sierra saying she wanted to take a break during the summer because the sneaking around was getting to her. I was absolutely devastated. Cried for days. During this time, Erica 2 was there was for me and we eventually struck up a relationship that lasted throughout the summer. We didn't have am extremely physical relationship, but there was quite a bit of making out and griding.
Come the end of summer, I get a call from Sierra balling her eyes out telling me it was the worst 2 1/2 months of her life without me in it and wanted to get back together. After much deliberation, I ended things with Erica 2 because I couldn't get over Sierra and was still madly in love with her. From what Erica 1 told me, this absolutely devastated her, as she spent the 1st week of her junior year crying every day.
So here I was, back to sneaking around with Sierra behind her parents back. Back me to showing her how I loved her physically and her still not touching me in a loving way. Fast forward about 5 months, and my world had came crashing down. One day on AIM (for you younger folk, that's AOL instant messenger), I got an IM from a guy, and to this day I still can't remember his AIM name. All it said was, "dude, I didn't know she has a b/f". That was it. I replied asking who this was, but never received another message.
A few weeks before I received this message, Lisa has regularly been calling me asking me how I was doing and always checking in on me. I found it odd, because for the last year she had basically cut me out of her life for choosing Sierra over her. About a month later, Lisa asked to meet her at her job before closing (she worked at a local fast food place). She gave a me a recording that completely ruined my life. On it, Sierra was talking to all her friends, Lisa included, as she had still thought at the time that Lisa had cut me off, explaining how she had just have the best sex of her life last night. Lisa, was furious, saying you knew how much I liked OP and that she didn't want to hear about her and our sex life. That's when Sierra dropped the bomb to everyone. It wasn't me. When Lisa asked Sierra when she had broken up with me, she told her she hadn't. Sierra said I was basically like her best friend who she allowed to make out with and finger her every once in a while, but I was nothing more. She then told them that after we had sex that first month of dating, she couldn't feel my small dick enter her and knew that we would have a no future together. She then started making jokes about how her baby brother, who she helped take care as her parents worked until late evening, was bigger than me and he was 6. Lisa, who sounded furious at this point, asked her why she didn't just break up with me, and Sierra stated she really thought she was in love with me and enjoyed spending time with me. She figured she could sleep with other guys and keep it on the DL, and then get all the emotional parts from me and since her dad had forbidden her from seeing me. It made it easier to get away with it. She said she had an emotional connection with me that the other guys didn't give her, but that sex between us would be non existent.
After hearing all this, I flipped. I threw the recorder thru glass door at the restaurant, (thankfully this was before cameras were everywhere) and Lisa said she would handle it saying some drunk asshole fell thru the door. She apologized to me and said for a month or so she has been having suspicions that Sierra was cheating on me, and that's why she took the recorder with her, because she has been told what happened that night. As I was walking out, Lisa said she had a few more things to tell me. At this point, I was already numb. Apparently, after Lisa had stop recording, Sierra let every know her body count, which before we hooked up, was 1, was now at a whooping 21. Man she was an overachiever. Also, she had faked the pregnancy thing to use it as an excuse to never have sex with me. Yeah, every time I brought up sex, she said she still wasn't over that scare and didn't want to risk it.
Her prom night was the next month, and she ended up going with her gay best friend, and yes, this guy was gay. Everyone knew. She wanted to come over to my house afterward, but I was at my buddies and and told her she could meet me there. At this point, she has no idea I know everything. She shows up about 1030ish and we head down to his basement. About 30 minutes later, we are going at it hot and heavy, and I once again, try to initiate sex knowing this is going to the be last time we are ever together. She is hesitant and I say I can use 2 condoms to make her feel safer. After a few minutes of debating, she says she can't do it, but wants to continue fooling around. By this time, I was already drunk as my buddy and I have been drinking SOCO and E&J all night while playing Triple Play on PS2. I told her no, that I was ready to go back up to my buddies room and get back on the PS2. She was furious. She left without saying anything.
The next few weeks I got back in touch with Erica 2 to see if there was any shot as rekindling what we had. She said she has just got out of a relationship and wasn't looking to get into another one. But if I felt like fooling around, she was game. So, Erica 2 and I started fooling around for about a month before I finally let Sierra know my endgame. One night at a bonfire across the state line, Erica 2 and I finally had sex. I was on cloud nine. I was thinking back to the 9 months prior realizing what a mistake I made picking Sierra over Erica 2. I was supposed to call Sierra at 1030 as that had been out nightly routine for 18 months, but I didn't that night. She called my cellphone around 50 times that night, and I just kept ignoring her. I called Sierra that night when I got home around 3 AM. She answered and let me have it. "Where the hell have you been? I have been worried sick about you. I thought you were dead and I was about to have a panic attack". I explained that I was at a bonfire with Erica 2(by this time, she has known about me and her the previous summer) and she started to flip out on me. By this time, I was exhausted with our relationship and let her know that Erica 2 and I have sex. Sierra had the f'n nerve to start crying. Asking how I could betray her like that. I told her that her facade was over. Lisa had recorded her entire convo the other day and that we were done. She cried for a bit, then hung up on me. The next morning, she called me on her way to school like she had done every day for the 18 months we were together, crying saying she didn't want us to end and she couldn't lose me in her life. I told her she lost me the first time she let another dick penetrate her, just neither one of us knew it until she got caught. Should would call from time to time, but I never answered. I was looking forward to seeing Erica 2 that night, as there was another bonfire.
Being it was spring time and towards the end of the school year, parties were starting to pick up. I showed up late to the party as me and some buddies went to a bar to pre game for a bit. Once we got to the bonfire, I searched for Erica 2. I saw her talking to some friends. I snuch up behind to surprise her, but as I was sneaking up, I heard the convo she was having. She was making fun the guy she had sex with the last night. She said and I quote "He pulled his pants down and it took every ounce of energy in my being not to laugh. When he entered me, it felt like I was using my pinkie to masturbate." I just stood there stunned. At the time, Erica 1 saw me standing behind Erica 2. She exclaimed "OP". She didn't know Erica 2 and I had started messing around again, so Erica 1 was just excited to see me(she wasn't at the previous night bonfire because her and her b/f were out of town for the night.) At this point Erica 2 turned around. Erica 1 saw my face go pale. I looked at Erica 1 and she had a confused look on her face. Then I turned my attention to Erica 2. I started at Erica 2 for what seemed like hours, but was actually about 30 seconds. I turned and just started walking way. As I was walking away, Erica 2 "oh there goes the baby boy now". I heard a smack. I turned around and saw that Erica 1 had coldcocked Erica 2, which was basically her best friend beside me and came over to console me. I left the party about 10 minutes later.
I spent all my 20's and early 30's drinking heavily. Never once looking for a the affection of another girl. I had always wanted to have 2 kids. A boy and a girl. But within 2 months, 2 girls had ruined me. I would never let another girl touch me again. My dad and my grandparents all died while I was in my 20s within a years of each and my weight ballooned out of control. At my heaviest, I was around 500 lbs. A few months ago, I started having tests down and found out I have low T. My glands are working fine, but my body isn't making testosterone. I'm assuming this has been going on since my teen years as I have never had acne and never really developed facial hair. My dad(had) and brothers all have full beards. So they want to put me on Astro gel claiming it will help me lose weight along with Ozempic, as I am currently at around 430 lbs. But right now, I just don't care. Every day since the day after Erica 2 did that to me, I wake up every morning and say "f**k". I say that because I wake up. I'm ready for my life to be over. I have suicidal thoughts every day, even though, apparently like my relationships, I'm too much of a pussy to do anything about them.
I just got done at the doctors where they are putting me on testosterone. I was told this will make me sterile. And its hitting me hard. The realization that I will never have kids is destroying me. My parents had always asked me if I wanted kids in my 20's and I always made excuses like "I don't want to being kids into this world" or "I don't want to put up me growing up". The real reason I didn't want kids was I knew every day I woke up, I wanted it to be my last. I didn't know if I would ever have the guts to finish the job I almost started about a month after what Erica 2 had done to me, but I didn't want to take a chance leaving a child without a father. For context, I got really drunk at the town hangout about a month after the Erica 2 situation and took a bunch of pills because I wanted to it all to end. I was sitting alone when I did it, or so I thought. One of my buddies at the time saw me take all the pills and ran over to me, calling about 5 or 6 friends over to help him. Keep in mind, at the time I'm 5'11, 325. I put up a fight. But enough of them held me down and induced me to vomit up everything, which I could tell included all of the pills that were now all over the ground. I just laid there crying for what seemed like hours with a couple buddies consoling me.
So here I am, sitting here writing this post wishing my life would just end. I haven't had any friends in years, my days consist of work and going home. I just don't know what to do. I haven't kissed a girl since I was 19. I would get drunk and hit on girls in my 20's, but the next day when I was sober, I would pretend it didn't happen when they brought it up to me to avoid what would be the obvious disappointment in sex.
So that's my story. I think I might try to stick it out for 5 years just to watch my niece graduate high school as I love that girl more than anything in the world, but no one ever knows what they day brings. Sometimes, as I'm driving to work, I fantasize about what it would be like to turn my car head on into an oncoming semi. But I couldn't risk hurting someone else or putting some poor human thru that. Outside of that, I'm just dead inside. I feel nothing for anyone outside my family.
Any advice would be welcome because each day gets harder and harder and I have no one to talk to.
submitted by ImTheFriskyPlatypus to Infidelity [link] [comments]
Growing up over weight made me the blunt of jokes all thru middle and high school. I was around 325 pounds when I graduated. When I was 17, I met a girl, lets call her Sierra. I was still a junior at this time due to me skipping school 2nd semester sophomore year and failing all my classes sophomore year due to a very bad individual I hung out with during that time. I had met her thru a friend who had a huge crush on me. Lets call said friend Lisa. Both of these girls were 15 at the time and went to school in a little town about 10 miles north of me. When it came time for me to choose, I chose Sierra.
Fast forward a month later, I was head over heels. I had previous gfs, but something about her was different. She didn't seem to care that I was overweight and genuinely seemed to love me. The day I introduced Sierra to my father (who has since passed), and she came up to my room with me. As we started fooling around, she eventually took my virginity. About 2 weeks later she called me freaking out that she was sick and had missed her period. And I thought this was great as even though we had only been dating a month, we had already decided we wanted to have kids together and even had names picked out. This freaked her out and she eventually confessed to her dad and he threatened me that If I ever so much as called his daughter again, I would be arrested.
We spent the better half of the next 18 months or so sneaking around behind her parents back and talking on the phone at night after her father went to bed. Granted, this is 2002/03, so texting isn't a big thing. We would sit in her car when we would meet and cuddle, make out, I'd finger her, things like that. However, she completely refused to do anything sexual to me. At the time, I didn't think anything of it as I thought she just had different ways of showing her affection toward me.
(Changing the tune for a minute, but this all ties in. I swear). After about a year of dating Sierra, I was chatting on MSN with my buddy and his gf in a group chat. Now, me and my best friends gf had brother sister type bond that made her off limits in my eyes. I had introduced them and they hit it off right away. However, without my noticing, she has brought in a friend of hers that had the exact same name. Lets call them both Erica 1(buddy's girl) and Erica 2 (my future gf). After about 20 minutes of thinking I'm talking to Erica 1 and messing around with her like a brother would do to a sister, I realized she started to flirt with me. Just as I was about to tell her that s**t was inappropriate, I looked at the email address under that MSN name, and noticed this Erica had a different last name. It was then that I was realized I had been teasing Erica 2 the whole time and she indeed thought I was flirting with her.
Around this time, it was summer of 2003, I was 18, about to be heading into my senior year(finally). Sierra was 15 almost 16 and going into her junior year. Erica 2 was 16 and going into her junior year. Erica 2 went to school across the state border, so these girls didn't know each other. 1 day, I get a call from Sierra saying she wanted to take a break during the summer because the sneaking around was getting to her. I was absolutely devastated. Cried for days. During this time, Erica 2 was there was for me and we eventually struck up a relationship that lasted throughout the summer. We didn't have am extremely physical relationship, but there was quite a bit of making out and griding.
Come the end of summer, I get a call from Sierra balling her eyes out telling me it was the worst 2 1/2 months of her life without me in it and wanted to get back together. After much deliberation, I ended things with Erica 2 because I couldn't get over Sierra and was still madly in love with her. From what Erica 1 told me, this absolutely devastated her, as she spent the 1st week of her junior year crying every day.
So here I was, back to sneaking around with Sierra behind her parents back. Back me to showing her how I loved her physically and her still not touching me in a loving way. Fast forward about 5 months, and my world had came crashing down. One day on AIM (for you younger folk, that's AOL instant messenger), I got an IM from a guy, and to this day I still can't remember his AIM name. All it said was, "dude, I didn't know she has a b/f". That was it. I replied asking who this was, but never received another message.
A few weeks before I received this message, Lisa has regularly been calling me asking me how I was doing and always checking in on me. I found it odd, because for the last year she had basically cut me out of her life for choosing Sierra over her. About a month later, Lisa asked to meet her at her job before closing (she worked at a local fast food place). She gave a me a recording that completely ruined my life. On it, Sierra was talking to all her friends, Lisa included, as she had still thought at the time that Lisa had cut me off, explaining how she had just have the best sex of her life last night. Lisa, was furious, saying you knew how much I liked OP and that she didn't want to hear about her and our sex life. That's when Sierra dropped the bomb to everyone. It wasn't me. When Lisa asked Sierra when she had broken up with me, she told her she hadn't. Sierra said I was basically like her best friend who she allowed to make out with and finger her every once in a while, but I was nothing more. She then told them that after we had sex that first month of dating, she couldn't feel my small dick enter her and knew that we would have a no future together. She then started making jokes about how her baby brother, who she helped take care as her parents worked until late evening, was bigger than me and he was 6. Lisa, who sounded furious at this point, asked her why she didn't just break up with me, and Sierra stated she really thought she was in love with me and enjoyed spending time with me. She figured she could sleep with other guys and keep it on the DL, and then get all the emotional parts from me and since her dad had forbidden her from seeing me. It made it easier to get away with it. She said she had an emotional connection with me that the other guys didn't give her, but that sex between us would be non existent.
After hearing all this, I flipped. I threw the recorder thru glass door at the restaurant, (thankfully this was before cameras were everywhere) and Lisa said she would handle it saying some drunk asshole fell thru the door. She apologized to me and said for a month or so she has been having suspicions that Sierra was cheating on me, and that's why she took the recorder with her, because she has been told what happened that night. As I was walking out, Lisa said she had a few more things to tell me. At this point, I was already numb. Apparently, after Lisa had stop recording, Sierra let every know her body count, which before we hooked up, was 1, was now at a whooping 21. Man she was an overachiever. Also, she had faked the pregnancy thing to use it as an excuse to never have sex with me. Yeah, every time I brought up sex, she said she still wasn't over that scare and didn't want to risk it.
Her prom night was the next month, and she ended up going with her gay best friend, and yes, this guy was gay. Everyone knew. She wanted to come over to my house afterward, but I was at my buddies and and told her she could meet me there. At this point, she has no idea I know everything. She shows up about 1030ish and we head down to his basement. About 30 minutes later, we are going at it hot and heavy, and I once again, try to initiate sex knowing this is going to the be last time we are ever together. She is hesitant and I say I can use 2 condoms to make her feel safer. After a few minutes of debating, she says she can't do it, but wants to continue fooling around. By this time, I was already drunk as my buddy and I have been drinking SOCO and E&J all night while playing Triple Play on PS2. I told her no, that I was ready to go back up to my buddies room and get back on the PS2. She was furious. She left without saying anything.
The next few weeks I got back in touch with Erica 2 to see if there was any shot as rekindling what we had. She said she has just got out of a relationship and wasn't looking to get into another one. But if I felt like fooling around, she was game. So, Erica 2 and I started fooling around for about a month before I finally let Sierra know my endgame. One night at a bonfire across the state line, Erica 2 and I finally had sex. I was on cloud nine. I was thinking back to the 9 months prior realizing what a mistake I made picking Sierra over Erica 2. I was supposed to call Sierra at 1030 as that had been out nightly routine for 18 months, but I didn't that night. She called my cellphone around 50 times that night, and I just kept ignoring her. I called Sierra that night when I got home around 3 AM. She answered and let me have it. "Where the hell have you been? I have been worried sick about you. I thought you were dead and I was about to have a panic attack". I explained that I was at a bonfire with Erica 2(by this time, she has known about me and her the previous summer) and she started to flip out on me. By this time, I was exhausted with our relationship and let her know that Erica 2 and I have sex. Sierra had the f'n nerve to start crying. Asking how I could betray her like that. I told her that her facade was over. Lisa had recorded her entire convo the other day and that we were done. She cried for a bit, then hung up on me. The next morning, she called me on her way to school like she had done every day for the 18 months we were together, crying saying she didn't want us to end and she couldn't lose me in her life. I told her she lost me the first time she let another dick penetrate her, just neither one of us knew it until she got caught. Should would call from time to time, but I never answered. I was looking forward to seeing Erica 2 that night, as there was another bonfire.
Being it was spring time and towards the end of the school year, parties were starting to pick up. I showed up late to the party as me and some buddies went to a bar to pre game for a bit. Once we got to the bonfire, I searched for Erica 2. I saw her talking to some friends. I snuch up behind to surprise her, but as I was sneaking up, I heard the convo she was having. She was making fun the guy she had sex with the last night. She said and I quote "He pulled his pants down and it took every ounce of energy in my being not to laugh. When he entered me, it felt like I was using my pinkie to masturbate." I just stood there stunned. At the time, Erica 1 saw me standing behind Erica 2. She exclaimed "OP". She didn't know Erica 2 and I had started messing around again, so Erica 1 was just excited to see me(she wasn't at the previous night bonfire because her and her b/f were out of town for the night.) At this point Erica 2 turned around. Erica 1 saw my face go pale. I looked at Erica 1 and she had a confused look on her face. Then I turned my attention to Erica 2. I started at Erica 2 for what seemed like hours, but was actually about 30 seconds. I turned and just started walking way. As I was walking away, Erica 2 "oh there goes the baby boy now". I heard a smack. I turned around and saw that Erica 1 had coldcocked Erica 2, which was basically her best friend beside me and came over to console me. I left the party about 10 minutes later.
I spent all my 20's and early 30's drinking heavily. Never once looking for a the affection of another girl. I had always wanted to have 2 kids. A boy and a girl. But within 2 months, 2 girls had ruined me. I would never let another girl touch me again. My dad and my grandparents all died while I was in my 20s within a years of each and my weight ballooned out of control. At my heaviest, I was around 500 lbs. A few months ago, I started having tests down and found out I have low T. My glands are working fine, but my body isn't making testosterone. I'm assuming this has been going on since my teen years as I have never had acne and never really developed facial hair. My dad(had) and brothers all have full beards. So they want to put me on Astro gel claiming it will help me lose weight along with Ozempic, as I am currently at around 430 lbs. But right now, I just don't care. Every day since the day after Erica 2 did that to me, I wake up every morning and say "f**k". I say that because I wake up. I'm ready for my life to be over. I have suicidal thoughts every day, even though, apparently like my relationships, I'm too much of a pussy to do anything about them.
I just got done at the doctors where they are putting me on testosterone. I was told this will make me sterile. And its hitting me hard. The realization that I will never have kids is destroying me. My parents had always asked me if I wanted kids in my 20's and I always made excuses like "I don't want to being kids into this world" or "I don't want to put up me growing up". The real reason I didn't want kids was I knew every day I woke up, I wanted it to be my last. I didn't know if I would ever have the guts to finish the job I almost started about a month after what Erica 2 had done to me, but I didn't want to take a chance leaving a child without a father. For context, I got really drunk at the town hangout about a month after the Erica 2 situation and took a bunch of pills because I wanted to it all to end. I was sitting alone when I did it, or so I thought. One of my buddies at the time saw me take all the pills and ran over to me, calling about 5 or 6 friends over to help him. Keep in mind, at the time I'm 5'11, 325. I put up a fight. But enough of them held me down and induced me to vomit up everything, which I could tell included all of the pills that were now all over the ground. I just laid there crying for what seemed like hours with a couple buddies consoling me.
So here I am, sitting here writing this post wishing my life would just end. I haven't had any friends in years, my days consist of work and going home. I just don't know what to do. I haven't kissed a girl since I was 19. I would get drunk and hit on girls in my 20's, but the next day when I was sober, I would pretend it didn't happen when they brought it up to me to avoid what would be the obvious disappointment in sex.
So that's my story. I think I might try to stick it out for 5 years just to watch my niece graduate high school as I love that girl more than anything in the world, but no one ever knows what they day brings. Sometimes, as I'm driving to work, I fantasize about what it would be like to turn my car head on into an oncoming semi. But I couldn't risk hurting someone else or putting some poor human thru that. Outside of that, I'm just dead inside. I feel nothing for anyone outside my family.
Any advice would be welcome because each day gets harder and harder and I have no one to talk to.
2024.05.09 23:00 SuperiorArty [USA] [H] Pokemon Black 2, GBA SP 101, Nintendo Switch games, 3DS games, PS4 games, Halo Infinite Cosmetics, Xbox One/Xbox 360 games [W] PayPal
Hello! I had a some games that I’m looking to offload at the moment. Please comment before PMing. Feel free to ask for images. Prices not shipped unless stated otherwise. If a game is pictured but not listed, it is no longer available
Pokemon Black 2 (CiB and authentic): $185
Pink GBA SP: $120
Switch (All CiB)
Power A Pokémon Espeon Themed Wireless GameCube controller (NiB): $75
The Lost Child (CiB): $110
Blossom Tales (CiB w/ card): $130
Scott Pilgrim vs the World (BB retail edition, NiB. 2x copies): $25 each
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles (3x available): $25 each
Smash Chrom Amiibo (NiB, have a few): $20 each
3DS (All CiB)
Dragon Ball Fusions: $45
Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney: $110
Gamecube:
Spartan: Total Warrior (missing manual): $20
Xbox 360:
Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions (CiB): $70
Just Dance 2019: $30
X-Men Origins Wolverine (CiB): $60
X-men Origins Wolverine (Case and disc but no Manual): $50
Naruto: Broken Bond (Missing Manual): $35
PS4, I have:
Lego Dimensions (Just the game, no portal): $20
PS4 back button attachment (NiB): $15
Godzilla (CiB but disc wont load besides menu on dashboard. Dunno if its my PS4 or game, as is): $125
Also have Def Jam; Fight for NY for PSP loose, asking $60
PS1:
Digimon World (No Manual): $50
Gex CiB: $20
For Xbox One, I have:
Skylanders Swap Force and Superchargers bundle: $40 shipped
Monster Prom XXL (digital): $5
Halo 5 Guardian (Xbox One, Digital): $10
Halo Infinite Rockstar AR skin + 2x XP: $10
Halo Infinite Rockstar Warthog Skin + 2x XP: $15
Halo Infinite Rockstar Emblem + 2x XP: $5
submitted by SuperiorArty to GameSale [link] [comments]
Pokemon Black 2 (CiB and authentic): $185
Pink GBA SP: $120
Switch (All CiB)
Power A Pokémon Espeon Themed Wireless GameCube controller (NiB): $75
The Lost Child (CiB): $110
Blossom Tales (CiB w/ card): $130
Scott Pilgrim vs the World (BB retail edition, NiB. 2x copies): $25 each
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles (3x available): $25 each
Smash Chrom Amiibo (NiB, have a few): $20 each
3DS (All CiB)
Dragon Ball Fusions: $45
Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney: $110
Gamecube:
Spartan: Total Warrior (missing manual): $20
Xbox 360:
Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions (CiB): $70
Just Dance 2019: $30
X-Men Origins Wolverine (CiB): $60
X-men Origins Wolverine (Case and disc but no Manual): $50
Naruto: Broken Bond (Missing Manual): $35
PS4, I have:
Lego Dimensions (Just the game, no portal): $20
PS4 back button attachment (NiB): $15
Godzilla (CiB but disc wont load besides menu on dashboard. Dunno if its my PS4 or game, as is): $125
Also have Def Jam; Fight for NY for PSP loose, asking $60
PS1:
Digimon World (No Manual): $50
Gex CiB: $20
For Xbox One, I have:
Skylanders Swap Force and Superchargers bundle: $40 shipped
Monster Prom XXL (digital): $5
Halo 5 Guardian (Xbox One, Digital): $10
Halo Infinite Rockstar AR skin + 2x XP: $10
Halo Infinite Rockstar Warthog Skin + 2x XP: $15
Halo Infinite Rockstar Emblem + 2x XP: $5
2024.05.09 20:21 KMan93 [USA] [H] Consoles/Games/Accessories Japanese Stuff, Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, Sega [W] PayPal
Only accepting PayPal F&F
Bundles take priority
Shipping not included in listed price
As long as the package is light (first class), we can add $5 for shipping. If it's heavier then I'll have to calculate it out for you.
Consoles and Games are fully tested and working unless otherwise noted.
Pictures can be found at the top of each table.
Don't be afraid to shoot me an offer on anything, worst I can do is say no! Please comment before dm'ing!
Take all the DS games for 20 shipped
Take all Lego 360 games for $20 shipped
submitted by KMan93 to GameSale [link] [comments]
Bundles take priority
Shipping not included in listed price
As long as the package is light (first class), we can add $5 for shipping. If it's heavier then I'll have to calculate it out for you.
Consoles and Games are fully tested and working unless otherwise noted.
Pictures can be found at the top of each table.
Don't be afraid to shoot me an offer on anything, worst I can do is say no! Please comment before dm'ing!
| FREEBIES(with purchase) | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Dualsense Shell and Assorted Buttons (Repro) | Free with purchase | |
| Gameboy Cartridge Shell - Blue (Repro) | Free with purchase | |
| Gameboy Cartridge Shell - Clear (Repro) | Free with purchase | |
| GBA Console Manual (Japanese) | Free with purchase | |
| PS2 System Manual - SCPH-79001 | Free with purchase | |
| Wii Stand - OEM | Free with purchase |
| MISCELLANEOUS | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Amiibo - Metroid Dread 2 Pack | 10 | Sealed |
| Club Nintendo Mario and Friends Pin Badge Set | 10 | Pins were never used |
| CONSOLES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Gundam Char Red Gamecube 001 Console (Japanese) | 550 shipped | Modded with Picoboot (will play USA discs), BlueRetro bluetooth internal adapter and SD2SP2. Comes with CIB Gundam Special Disc, CIB Cosmic Red PS5 controller, black Gameboy Player, all hookups, and 1 OEM memory card. AV cable is seemingly unused and will come in its original box. I'll throw in an unopened 3rd party s-video cable and a couple Japanese games as well! |
| Indigo Gamecube 001 Console (Japanese) - Slightly discolored | 90 shipped | Xeno installed, will play USA discs. Fresh Date/time battery installed. Comes with all hookups, 1 OEM matching controller, 1 OEM memory card and 2 Japanese Gamecube games. |
| Black Gamecube 001 Console (Japanese) | 100 shipped | Xeno installed, will play USA discs. Fresh Date/time battery installed. Comes with all hookups, 1 OEM matching controller, 1 OEM memory card and 2 Japanese Gamecube games. |
| Black Gamecube 001 Console (Japanese) | 100 shipped | Xeno installed, will play USA discs. Fresh Date/time battery installed. New yellow LED installed. Comes with all hookups, 1 OEM matching controller, 1 OEM memory card and 2 Japanese Gamecube games. |
| Pokemon Zacian Zamazenta Switch Lite | 200 shipped | Probably used about 5 times total. CIB, great condition, comes with screen protector installed and white carrying case. |
| Xbox 360 Console | 60 shipped | 60gb external hdd with internal 4gb. All hookups, 2 OEM white wireless controllers (with black battery pack covers) |
| Sega Genesis Model 1 Console (High Definition) | 50 shipped | 1 Controller, power adapter and RF cable. Crack in case. I'll throw in the boxed Retro-Bit controller that I have listed below if you want it. |
| JAPANESE GAMEBOY/GBC GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Kirby Dreamland 2 (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Pokemon Red (Japanese) | 10 | Loose, new battery |
| Pokemon Red (Japanese) | 65 | CIB |
| Pokemon Yellow (Japanese) | 65 | CIB |
| Pokemon Silver (Japanese) | 35 | CIB |
| Pokemon Crystal (Japanese) | 70 | CIB |
| Puyo Puyo (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Tamagotchi 2 (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| GAMEBOY ADVANCE/SP ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| GBA to GameCube Link Cable (DOL-011) | 15 | X2 |
| SMB3 e-Reader card | 5 | Super Mario Bros 3 - Super Leaf (Power-Up Card) |
| JAPANESE GAMEBOY ADVANCE/SP GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Klonoa Dream Champ Tournament (Japanese) | 60 | CIB. Fairly certain it is brand new. |
| Super Mario Bros. - Famicom Mini Series (Japanese) | 20 | CIB |
| DS ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Kirby Squeak Squad -- Case Only | 10 | 'Subscribe to Nintendo Power' insert |
| DS GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| NES GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. | 10 | Loose |
| Super Mario Bros. 3 | 10 | Loose |
| SNES/SUPER FAMICOM ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| SNES Controller | 10 | |
| Super Famicom Controller | 10 |
| SNES GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Super Gameboy | 20 | Loose |
| Mortal Kombat 2 | 10 | Loose |
| Mortal Kombat 3 | 10 | Loose |
| X-Men Mutant Apocalypse | 15 | Loose |
| SUPER FAMICOM GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Super Gameboy (Japanese) | 12 | Loose |
| Super Gameboy 2 (Japanese) | 40 | Loose |
| Dragonball Z Super Butoden (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Final Fantasy IV (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Front Mission: Gun Hazard (Japanese) | 25 | CIB |
| Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun (Japanese) | 10 | Loose |
| Kirby's Dreamland 3 (Japanese) | 20 | Loose |
| Magical Quest starring Mickey (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Rockman's Soccer (Japanese) | 10 | Loose |
| Rockman X2 (Japanese) | 15 | Loose |
| Super Bomberman (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Super Mario RPG (Japanese) | 10 | Loose |
| Super Momotaro Densetsu DX (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Super Puyo Puyo | 10 | CIB |
| Wagyan Paradise (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Yoshi's Island (Japanese) | 10 | Loose |
| Yoshi's Island (Japanese) | 30 | CIB |
| Yu Yu Hakusho (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| JAPANESE N64 GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Banjo Kazooie (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Bomberman 64 (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Donkey Kong 64 (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Mario Kart 64 (Japanese) | 10 | |
| Mario Tennis (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Paper Mario (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Pokemon Snap (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Pokemon Stadium (Japanese) | 5 | |
| Star Fox 64 (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| Yoshi's Story (Japanese) | 5 | Loose |
| GAMECUBE ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Black Controller (Japanese) | 50 | CIB, new, open box. |
| White OEM Controller | 60 | Long cable |
| Emerald Blue OEM Controller | 45 | |
| Indigo/Clear OEM Controller | 20 | Discolored |
| Indigo OEM Controller | 25 | X2 |
| Black OEM Controller | 25 | X3 |
| Silver OEM Controller | 25 | X5 |
| GameCube to GBA Link Cable (DOL-011) | 15 |
| GAMECUBE GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Viewtiful Joe | 15 | Loose |
| JAPANESE GAMECUBE GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Mario Party 4 (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Mario Party 5 (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Mario Tennis (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Mario Tennis (Japanese) | 5 | CIB, missing slipcover |
| Mega Man Network Transmission (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Naruto: Clash of Ninja (Japanese) | 5 | CIB, missing slipcover |
| Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 (Japanese) | 5 | Game and case only |
| Naruto: Clash of Ninja 4 (Japanese) | 5 | CIB, missing slipcover |
| Naruto: Clash of Ninja 4 (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| SD Gundam Gashapon Wars (Japanese) | 10 | CIB |
| Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (Japanese) | 15 | CIB |
| Super Smash Bros (Japanese) | 10 | X2 - Game and case only |
| Wii GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Klonoa | 25 | No manual |
| Wii Sports | 15 | CIB (sleeve) |
| Wii Sports Resort | 15 | CIB |
| Wii U GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Wipeout: Create & Crash | 5 | Game in Wii U case with game store artwork |
| SWITCH ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Switch AC Adapter | 10 | |
| Zelda Switch Lite Carrying Case | 10 |
| SWITCH GAMES/ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Castlevania Anniversary Collection (Bloodlines Edition, Limited Run) | 70 | Sealed |
| XBOX 360 GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| NCAA Football 13 | 15 | CIB. Disc is scratched but I was able to start the game and play it. |
| XBOX ONE GAMES/ACCESSORIES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Xbox One Controller | 15 | |
| Xbox One S Controller | 20 | |
| Assassin's Creed Unity - Limited Edition | 2 | CIB |
| Doom | 5 | CIB |
| Dragonball Xenoverse | 5 | No inserts |
| Lego Dimensions | 12 | CIB |
| Mortal Kombat X | 5 | CIB |
| Sekiro Shadows Die Twice | 25 | CIB |
| Wolfenstein 2 | 4 | CIB |
| PSP GAMES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| One Piece Romance Dawn (Japanese) | 10 | Sealed |
| PS1 ACCESSORIES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Gray Dualshock Controller | 10 | |
| Gray Memory Card | 5 | X10 |
| Gray Memory Card with Game Sticker | 15 | X11, most come in official Sony protective case, various game stickers on these cards (Melty Lancer, Final Fantasy VII, Persona, Angel Graffiti, Bastard, Heroine Dream, Final Fantasy Tactics, Arc The Lad, Wizard's Harmony, Xenogears, Saga Frontier) |
| Light Gray Memory Card | 10 for both | X2 |
| Emerald Memory Card | 10 | X3 |
| Yellow (Clear) Memory Card with SD Gundam G Generation Sticker | 20 | Comes in official Sony protective case |
| White Memory Card with Dragon Quest VII Sticker | 20 | Comes in official Sony protective case |
| PS1 GAMES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Klonoa Door To Phantomile (Japanese) | 25 | CIB |
| Grand Theft Auto [Collector's Edition] | 200 | Sealed |
| Tekken 3 [Greatest Hits] | 100 | Sealed |
| Contra Adventure | 15 | Loose |
| Mortal Kombat Trilogy | 20 | Loose |
| Pocket Fighter | 16 | Loose with gutted manual |
| Ridge Racer Revolution | 15 | CIB |
| Street Fighter Alpha 3 | 12 | X2, Loose |
| Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo | 15 | Loose with gutted manual |
| PS2 ACCESSORIES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Midnight Blue Controller | 25 | |
| Black Controller | 15 | |
| Black Memory Card with FMCB Installed | 10 | |
| Black Memory Card | 5 | |
| Black Memory Cards with Various Game Stickers | 10 | X6 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Final Fantasy X, Ridge Racer, Dragon Quest VIII, Samurai Warriors, Beyblade |
| White Memory Card | 12 | X8 |
| Island Blue Memory Card | 10 | |
| Island Blue Memory Card with Dragon Quest VIII Sticker | 20 | |
| Crimson Red Memory Card | 5 | Has a little bit of damage on the front |
| Lemon Yellow Memory Card | 15 | |
| Midnight Blue Memory Card | 20 | X2 |
| Midnight Blue Memory Card with Battle Stadium DON Sticker | 20 | |
| Zen Black (Clear) Memory Card | 15 | X4 |
| Fujiwork Memory Card | 5 | Pick from 6 different colors - Gold, Pink, Red, Teal, Blue |
| Kemco Memory Card | 5 | Pick from 4 different colors - White, Red, Teal, and Black |
| Kotobuki Clear Yellow Memory Card | 5 | |
| Hori Memory Card | 5 | Pick from 2 different colors - Clear Black/Clear, and White |
| PS2 GAMES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| .Hack Mutation Part 2 | 20 | Boxed, no manual |
| Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi | 10 | Boxed, no manual |
| Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (Greatest Hits) | 10 | CIB |
| PS3 GAMES/ACCESSORIES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| BluRay Disc Remote Control | 20 | New/Sealed. Edges of packaging are a little rough |
| Playstation Eye | 5 | |
| Playstation Move Controller | 15 | |
| Rocksmith (Big Box with Cable) | 25 | CIB with cable |
| PS4 GAMES/ACCESSORIES | PRICES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Red Dualshock 4 Controller | 22 | |
| Bloodstained Curse of the Moon 2 (Classic Edition, Limited Run) | 60 | Sealed |
| Pocky and Rocky Reshrined | 15 | CIB |
| GENESIS ACCESSORIES/GAMES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Retro-bit Super Retro Gen Controller | 6 | Boxed |
| 6-Pak | 5 | Loose |
| Aaahh!! Real Monsters | 15 | CIB |
| Bubsy | 10 | Boxed, missing manual |
| Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble | 8 | Boxed, missing manual |
| Decap Attack | 15 | Loose |
| Game Genie | 20 | Black label, comes with original manual. Loose |
| Game Genie | 15 | X2, gold label. Loose |
| Ghouls 'N Ghosts | 25 | Loose |
| Golden Axe II | 16 | Loose |
| Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs | 3 | Loose |
| Pac Man 2 The New Adventures | 8 | Cardboard box, CIB |
| Sonic & Knuckles | 20 | Loose |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | 10 | Loose |
| Sonic the Hedgehog (Not for Resale) | 10 | Loose |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | 8 | Loose |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Not For Resale) | 8 | Loose |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | 15 | Loose |
| Spiderman Maximum Carnage | 12 | Loose |
| Super Monaco GP II | 16 | CIB |
| Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 | 20 | Loose |
| Vectorman | 20 | Cardboard box, no manual |
| X-Men | 5 | Loose |
| DREAMCAST GAMES/ACCESSORIES | PRICE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Caution Seaman | 50 | CIB, no mic |
2024.05.09 15:49 GhostHNW The Joy of Watching Random Speedruns From Random YT Search/ Recommendations and Speedrun.com
There's this inexplicable joy in watching a random speedrun of a game you never heard of, or well-known games on YT or speedrun.com. Everytime I feel bored, and feeling like I want to watch some random speedrun, well... I always have ESA to satiate that itch. And I always like to learn how the glitches in the run works by simply watching (that's years of experience as a glitch hunter for ya!)
Sometimes, those games can surprised you with its depth. And sometime you were so enamoured by it till you feel an ache because why didn't this game got a lot of spotlight. I mean, this shit is cool as fuck! And sometimes, those runs can inspire other to pick up the game, and/or begin their speedrun carrer.
Here, let me give you examples:
Ok, I'm gonna cheat here, and first talk about the game that I glitch hunted. Looking at the games, license games are usually my kind of forte, but I do branch out to original works as well. Racing and platformer are my go-to places, but again, I do branch out to TPS, and even two RPGs at one point (both I dropped).
First one was Shrek the Third. Anyone who's been around probably know me from this Reddit post. Yeah, that kinda kick start a whole revolution for about five years or so before I left due to inactivity. The epitome of this game's speedrun achievement would be GhostKir's Grimm difficulty WR on PC because it is a culmination of years of experimentation and knowledge, and an ending to a competition that is worthy of an M. Night Shaymalan. Like, Jesus, the ending to that whole competition was fucking insane!
Another notable run that I would like to discuss is Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction. This game, on the surface may not seem like much, but it has only 5 years of history behind its speedrun history despite being released in 2010. And it has changed a lot. I would recommend the following in order to grasp the context of its history, because it is surely fascinating:
The two runs that got me into speedrunning were the Battle For Bikini Bottom run by Shift at AGDQ 2017 and Turo's run of Harry Potter 1 PC at ESA17. Both were influential for me not only as a speedrunner, but as a glitch hunter as well. But there are a lot more to it. Here are a few:
Of course, lest we forget about the games outside the big two, hidden within YT. You just had to find it. Luckily, since I am one of the moderator of a marathon, I get to watch more obscure runs as I verified them full one-by-one. I mean, just take a look at the Obscurathon 3 schedule. It is stacked with quality speedrun that you either clearly never heard of, or never think to have a speedrun before.
I could list so much more, but I may about to reach Reddit's limit, so I'll stop here.
Speedrunning is much more than the Marios, Zeldas, and Sonics. There's also the little guys that quietly whittle down their favourite game little by little all on their own. I hope you guys decide to venture out the unexplored territory because you never know what lies beyond...
submitted by GhostHNW to speedrun [link] [comments]
Sometimes, those games can surprised you with its depth. And sometime you were so enamoured by it till you feel an ache because why didn't this game got a lot of spotlight. I mean, this shit is cool as fuck! And sometimes, those runs can inspire other to pick up the game, and/or begin their speedrun carrer.
Here, let me give you examples:
Ok, I'm gonna cheat here, and first talk about the game that I glitch hunted. Looking at the games, license games are usually my kind of forte, but I do branch out to original works as well. Racing and platformer are my go-to places, but again, I do branch out to TPS, and even two RPGs at one point (both I dropped).
First one was Shrek the Third. Anyone who's been around probably know me from this Reddit post. Yeah, that kinda kick start a whole revolution for about five years or so before I left due to inactivity. The epitome of this game's speedrun achievement would be GhostKir's Grimm difficulty WR on PC because it is a culmination of years of experimentation and knowledge, and an ending to a competition that is worthy of an M. Night Shaymalan. Like, Jesus, the ending to that whole competition was fucking insane!
Another notable run that I would like to discuss is Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction. This game, on the surface may not seem like much, but it has only 5 years of history behind its speedrun history despite being released in 2010. And it has changed a lot. I would recommend the following in order to grasp the context of its history, because it is surely fascinating:
- Cobra's run at GSPS Dzieciom 2021 (in Polish)
- The First Sub Hour by Igor
- Sub 50 NG+ by Igor
- Sub 50 Any% by ExoticSponge
The two runs that got me into speedrunning were the Battle For Bikini Bottom run by Shift at AGDQ 2017 and Turo's run of Harry Potter 1 PC at ESA17. Both were influential for me not only as a speedrunner, but as a glitch hunter as well. But there are a lot more to it. Here are a few:
- Eren really loves this tree!
- This run of Harry Potter 1 GBC by Konception at ESA Winter 2020
- The beginning of my undying fervour on Super Magnetic Neo
- ESA's obsession with this game, like seriously.
- I wish this unique Hitman Absolution category appears more as it is quite an interesting run to watch
- Hello Kitty: Kitty Rescue before ESA took over
Of course, lest we forget about the games outside the big two, hidden within YT. You just had to find it. Luckily, since I am one of the moderator of a marathon, I get to watch more obscure runs as I verified them full one-by-one. I mean, just take a look at the Obscurathon 3 schedule. It is stacked with quality speedrun that you either clearly never heard of, or never think to have a speedrun before.
I could list so much more, but I may about to reach Reddit's limit, so I'll stop here.
Speedrunning is much more than the Marios, Zeldas, and Sonics. There's also the little guys that quietly whittle down their favourite game little by little all on their own. I hope you guys decide to venture out the unexplored territory because you never know what lies beyond...
2024.05.08 17:13 plugindeals PSP Flow by PSPaudioware - 20% Off 🚀
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