Sample about me sections
She breasted boobily down the stairs.....
2017.10.03 05:38 NicoleMary27 She breasted boobily down the stairs.....
A sample of how men who create films, books, TV, and graphic novels characterize women. (Plus memes, shitposts, and meta once in a while.)
2008.10.08 14:45 NPR
For all fans of public radio, this is a community designed to showcase really good radio stories -- and the people who make them. All public radio fans welcome.
2018.02.04 07:50 AbnormalDepression Meme Formats
Do you want to make a meme but you can’t find any formats? Or do you want to help others by making a meme format? Well, you come to the right place!
2024.05.15 00:30 Temporary-Driver-772 Devil's Bargain Counter
Reflecting on 2021, truly marked the zenith of my young career. The pandemic was coming to an end, I was fresh from the hallowed halls of a prestigious but unheralded college, thrust into the corporate labyrinth where, as a mere sidekick to the big shots, I contributed to a deal of record-breaking magnitude. My modest corporate minion life was exaggerated into legend by my professors during an alumni reunion, leading to a rather embarrassing episode where I was paraded around as the poster child of their education career’s success. My parents, not ones to shy away from a bit of pomp, lauded my achievements to anyone within earshot.
But as 2022 unfurled its chaos with the epidemic, my professional life spiralled downwards as swiftly as it had risen. I was laid off, and replaced by a nepotistic hire—my boss's new mistress's nephew. During my dismal final days, my colleagues, once comrades became corporate sharks, whispers of them scheming to claim my last efforts as their own filled the empty office spaces.
Compelled by financial duress to abandon my central city dwelling, I relocated to the outskirts with two college mates, Jaz and Kath, who had similarly found themselves victims of the economic downturn. We settled into apartment 606, a unit with dubious charm, suspiciously affordable on the 13th floor of a dreary building, its corridor haunted by a flickering sensor light that was only designed to function on rare occasions. Yet, the apartment itself was surprisingly very well furnished, almost like something that jumped out from a design mag, out beating sample rooms in Ikea, boasting a spacious balcony, a living room ready for an impromptu soirée, a dining table that’s good enough to hold a banquet(became our co-working space) and a kitchen isle that became our sanctuary and curse.
When we first settled into our new abode, we discovered a trove of fine kitchen utensils, perfect for whipping up sophisticated cuisine and crafting cocktails worthy of a swanky soirée. Tucked away in the fridge, among the remnants of the previous tenants' life, was a quaint note: “The three of us really enjoyed our stay here, especially our meals and nights spent by the kitchen island. We hope you find as much joy in it as we did. Use it well.” With a casual flick of my wrist, I dismissed the note into the garbage can, oblivious to the depth of its seemingly innocuous message. Little did I know, that piece of paper was more a passing of the torch than a simple goodbye.
Our initial days in apartment 606 brimmed with camaraderie and impromptu celebrations: movie nights sprawled on the living room sofas, barbeque dinners under the stars on our balcony, and co-working sessions at the dining table, peppered with resume tweaks and contemplative conversations over cocktails. We even scored a second-hand karaoke machine, allowing me to channel my inner diva—a throwback to my musical theatre days in college and my stint as the voice of corporate presentations and negotiations at my previous job, where I was known for my resonant yet finely tuned voice.
Yet, as the months wore on and the job market remained unyielding, our early merriment slowly surrendered to a creeping anxiety. The kitchen island, once the heart of our home where laughter and shared meals flowed freely, gradually morphed into the epicenter of our collective unease, bearing silent witness to the quiet desperation settling over us.
One evening, in the suspiciously affordable yet stylish apartment, I sank into the sofa, my spirits dampened by my favorite team's disheartening loss. The mood was grim, mirroring my fears of my beloved player's potential retirement at season's end. Later, as we congregated around the kitchen island for dinner, I transformed into an impromptu sports commentator, passionately preaching about the game’s disappointing details that led to failure and my favorite player’s fine qualities. Meanwhile, Jaz updated us on a friend's melodramatic breakup, with guesses that something ugly must have happened behind the scenes. Kath, ever the culinary enthusiast, not only served up her delicious pasta but also dished out the latest celebrity gossip, each tidbit as spicy as her sauce.
The next day, during a late breakfast at the same kitchen island—our unwitting oracle—we were hit by a triple whammy of reality checks. The news of my favorite player's retirement broke, echoing my gloomy predictions from the night before. Jaz chimed in with an update that our friend had uncovered a cheating scandal worthy of its own reality TV special. And Kath, never one to be left out of the drama: her favorite celebrity was now the star of a scandal.
By the third morning, as we sipped our coffee, the newspaper slapped me with another bizarre twist. I was going through the devastating economics and politics sections, then I saw the sports section——featured an irate coach, hell-bent on convincing my favorite player to dismiss retirement plans and keep his jersey on a little longer. Meanwhile, Jaz had good news for a change: it turned out our friend's love story might have a second act after all, as misunderstandings were being cleared up. Amidst these revelations, Kath, who had been grumbling about the nearby supermarket’s inability to stock anything remotely gourmet, and hadn’t had a taste of her favorite Blue Mountain coffee since the beginning of that year, triumphantly found a can of Blue Mountain coffee, and it was on sale and therefore affordable—proof that miracles happen, and sometimes they even go on discount.
As I sat there, absorbing the serendipity of our discussions manifesting into real-world events, I couldn't help but marvel at the mysterious knack of our kitchen island. Was it merely a coincidence, or had this stylish piece of decor become the unlikely conductor of our lives symphony? One thing was certain: life in apartment 606 was never dull, and our kitchen island seemed to be more than just a place to eat—it was a place where, apparently, you could stir the pot of fate.
I decided to conduct a whimsical experiment with our now seemingly magical kitchen island. Clearing my throat theatrically, I declared, "I should be interviewed for a director position." To my sheer astonishment, the next day a headhunter rang me up, claiming I was the ideal candidate for a directorial role at a prestigious corporation in my field. Despite the other candidates possessing decades more experience which defeated me with no effort, and my own lingering self-doubt from months of unemployment, I sailed to the final interview round with the company's executives.
Upon returning to our apartment, I found Kath flaunting a chic dress from a designer brand brand she’d snagged on clearance—a little luxury courtesy of our wish-granting island. Inspired, I approached the island and cheekily requested, "Get us jobs. Something fun." Lo and behold, the following day was spent lounging and binge-watching Netflix, only to be interrupted by a call from a former bigwig at my old job. He was venturing into a more illustrious company and wanted me onboard. The informal chat that followed was a breeze, and just like that, I was back in the game with a fancier title and a fatter paycheck.
The subsequent week was a flurry of celebrations. Jaz secured a senior-level position, and Kath landed her dream job at an influencer management agency. Feeling triumphant, we decided to indulge in a night of fine dining—our first in months. That Friday evening when I went from office to restaurant, on a whim, stopped at a convenience store to grab snacks and cigarettes for our post-dinner revelry. Outside, I encountered a homeless person. After offering him a sandwich (which he traded for a cigarette instead), he took a drag, peered into my eyes, and ominously muttered, “Look, young lady, this isn’t my business, but be wary of what you wish for; everything comes with a price. Good luck and god bless you.”
His words barely registered until later that evening when a mishap occurred that seemed to underline his warning. As we enjoyed syphon coffee post-dinner, a barista accidentally tripped over Kath’s flowing dress. The resulting spill left her with first-degree burns, abruptly ending our night as we rushed to the emergency room. Though it was "just" a first-degree burn, the pain was significant enough to require several days off for Kath’s recovery. Amid the drama, I couldn't help but wonder about the cryptic caution from the man outside the store—had our fortunate streak come with a hidden cost?
We chalked up the coffee calamity to bad luck. The next month flowed smoothly: Kath's fingers healed, she returned to work, and I quickly found my groove at the new job. With all of us gainfully employed, our communal meals at the kitchen island became rare. My mornings were a whirlwind of grabbing breakfast and coffee on the go, followed by an hour's commute to a job that had me scarfing down instant noodles by nightfall, just in time for a quick shower.
As the busy season kicked in, my workload ballooned—not just from the seasonal uptick, but because I was hell-bent on proving my mettle. I quickly outshone most of my peers, and my employer, recognizing a budding overachiever, piled on major tasks, which I eagerly accepted. What started as the occasional hour of overtime soon devoured my weekends. Unpaid overtime, as the fine print in my contract gleefully noted, became my new norm. Driven by a mix of ambition and expectation, I had become the go-to young hotshot, the erstwhile record-breaker now expected to continually outdo myself.
Mentally, I was too swamped to entertain thoughts of anything beyond work, which, in a twisted way, felt like a break. Physically, however, the strain began to show. A bout of flu caught on a business trip escalated into a fever. Sick as I was, deadlines waited for no one, and I soldiered on medicated and miserable. By the time I made it home, my voice had abandoned me. Unable to utter a word the next morning, I resorted to emailing my manager about my sorry state.
That week, robbed of my voice, I mused that it was perhaps a well-deserved hiatus for my overworked vocal cords—a silent retreat if you will. But when my voice did return, it was as a raspy whisper, a shadow of its former crisp and melodious timbre. My doctor offered a grim prognosis: slight improvement might come, but the golden tones were gone for good—scarred by the relentless grind. Ah, the price of ambition—a scratchy throat as a permanent reminder of my corporate conquests.
It seemed I had unwittingly exchanged the clarity of my voice for the tumult of career success. In the midst of our domestic enchantment with the possibly mystical kitchen island, Kath unearthed the contact of a reputed psychic, hailed as the finest in the land. However, the consultation fee was nothing short of princely, and with Jaz vehemently dismissing anything that couldn't be explained by cold, hard science, she promptly opted out of splitting the bill. Kath and I, unwilling to drain our wallets on what could be mere phantasmagoria, reluctantly let the opportunity pass.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but notice a curious change in Jaz’s routine. She had ceased dining at the kitchen island, avoiding it as if it were cursed—or perhaps, in her view, simply out of style. The Saturday morning brought a particularly harsh twist: a murder of crows took to spiralling above our balcony, their cries as sharp as the plot of a Poe novel. We found ourselves drawn to the infamous kitchen island, lined up like the cast of a macabre play, silently praying for the birds to disperse. Kath, ever trying to restore some semblance of normalcy, offered up cups of Blue Mountain coffee. She absentmindedly inquired if I wanted cream or sugar in mine—a blunder that made me realize just how long it had been since our last coffee klatch at this very spot. My inner monologue couldn't resist a dark wish for the crows to scatter, perhaps too dark, for they began to dive bomb our balcony in a feathery kamikaze. The spectacle was enough to knock Jaz off her feet—literally—as her mug met its end on the floor. Kath, meanwhile, made a hasty retreat to worship the porcelain god, and I sat frozen, my brain offline, pondering the twisted power of our kitchen island's apparent wish-granting.
After the unnerving spectacle of crows turning our balcony into a scene straight out of a Hitchcock film, our first rational step—post-collective fainting, of course—was to summon cleaners to manage the feathery carnage. Then, still rattled but increasingly curious, we visited a psychic, who, contrary to the crystal-ball-gazer image, operated out of a posh boutique in a high-end mall and dressed more like she was headed to a fashion show than a séance. We laid bare our saga of the seemingly cursed kitchen island, complete with photographic evidence of where domestic bliss meets eerie phenomena.
The psychic introduced a term that chilled the air around us: “limbo,” the threshold between our world and the otherworldly, and she dubbed our kitchen island the "Devil’s Bargain Counter." According to her, our wishes came with a heavy and unpredictable price, because we have accidentally started trades with beings from the netherworld. Her advice was disarmingly simple: cease all trades on the island. To address the repercussions of past wishes, she advised us the first line of defence, which was an eclectic mix of offerings laid out on our cursed countertop: raw meat(rooster works the best), a cocktail of spices(coca and cinnamon preferably), liberal splashes of spirits(whiskey and rum ideally), and an eerie bouquet of black flowers(luckily I found some black roses at a flower shop of the mall). In a grander gesture of appeasement, Kath relinquished her shiny new diamond bracelet, Jaz her absurdly expensive headphones, and I parted with cash—— a hefty slice of my bonus in hopes of placating whatever capricious spirits we'd angered.
Our return to normalcy was brief but sweet, prompting us to plan a getaway, eager to forget about our nefarious kitchen island. Yet, the respite was merely a tease. Jaz, in a stroke of spectacular misfortune, narrowly dodged disaster twice in one day—first nearly becoming subway track fodder on her way back after work, and then almost getting knocked out by a rogue plant at our apartment building’s doorstep. Clearly, our previous offerings were mere appetizers to whatever forces we'd stirred. The psychic, summoned once again to our now-dubious sanctuary, decreed that the spirits had developed rather expensive tastes, unsatisfied by our initial gestures.
In a desperate bid for closure, we had the psychic over for a nighttime ritual, timed perfectly with Earth's closest approach to the netherworld, according to her. Our living room turned into a ritual chamber, with windows blacked out for days, to keep the otherworldly dealings strictly nocturnal. That night, we arranged ourselves around the island, now less a kitchen fixture and more an altar of last resort.
The psychic, amidst a chorus of Latin incantations, directed us through a chilling séance that included a mirror that reflected nothing but darkness and a burning black candle, the three of us sat in a row, joined hands, eyes closed. When the black candle was flickering at its last, the first eerie scratches heard prompted our eyes to open prematurely, we saw a command appear on the island, written by invisible hand and pen, in blood-red script, urging us to find the next "succeeder" before our lease on otherworldly disturbances could be terminated.
With bated breath, we agreed, and as if by magic, our signatures materialized on the countertop, then faded as the candle sputtered out. We tore off the black cardboard taped on the windows at dawn, the sunrise revealed a final message etched into the surface: "Debt cleared." As the daylight grew, the ominous inscription dissolved into nothingness, signalling the end of our spectral saga.
The ordeal, now officially behind us, left us enjoying a semblance of normalcy: life in 606 returned to its mundane rhythm, with dinners and movie nights back on our social calendar. Though not without its scars—literal and figurative.
It’s been two years since then, Jaz, in the throes of romantic bliss, is now gearing up for a new chapter waiting to be written alongside her soon-to-be spouse; Kath, her career finally taking a lucrative turn, was poised to upgrade her living situation, she secured a lease on a lavish serviced apartment in the city center—a place that matched her newfound financial swagger.
I’m not without my own leaps forward. With a modest boost from my parents, I took the plunge into homeownership, snagging a property within the city’s vibrant confines. The process was a whirlwind of paperwork and decorating decisions, culminating in a space I could truly call my own.
As we are packing up now, my last act is to type out our story, at the infamous island, and of course, I left a note in the fridge for the next tenants:
"Welcome to 606. We had a wonderful time here, especially at the kitchen island, filled with joy and unforgettable moments. We hope you find as much happiness as we did. Use the isle well. Warm wishes, the previous tenants."
submitted by Temporary-Driver-772 to creepypasta [link] [comments]
But as 2022 unfurled its chaos with the epidemic, my professional life spiralled downwards as swiftly as it had risen. I was laid off, and replaced by a nepotistic hire—my boss's new mistress's nephew. During my dismal final days, my colleagues, once comrades became corporate sharks, whispers of them scheming to claim my last efforts as their own filled the empty office spaces.
Compelled by financial duress to abandon my central city dwelling, I relocated to the outskirts with two college mates, Jaz and Kath, who had similarly found themselves victims of the economic downturn. We settled into apartment 606, a unit with dubious charm, suspiciously affordable on the 13th floor of a dreary building, its corridor haunted by a flickering sensor light that was only designed to function on rare occasions. Yet, the apartment itself was surprisingly very well furnished, almost like something that jumped out from a design mag, out beating sample rooms in Ikea, boasting a spacious balcony, a living room ready for an impromptu soirée, a dining table that’s good enough to hold a banquet(became our co-working space) and a kitchen isle that became our sanctuary and curse.
When we first settled into our new abode, we discovered a trove of fine kitchen utensils, perfect for whipping up sophisticated cuisine and crafting cocktails worthy of a swanky soirée. Tucked away in the fridge, among the remnants of the previous tenants' life, was a quaint note: “The three of us really enjoyed our stay here, especially our meals and nights spent by the kitchen island. We hope you find as much joy in it as we did. Use it well.” With a casual flick of my wrist, I dismissed the note into the garbage can, oblivious to the depth of its seemingly innocuous message. Little did I know, that piece of paper was more a passing of the torch than a simple goodbye.
Our initial days in apartment 606 brimmed with camaraderie and impromptu celebrations: movie nights sprawled on the living room sofas, barbeque dinners under the stars on our balcony, and co-working sessions at the dining table, peppered with resume tweaks and contemplative conversations over cocktails. We even scored a second-hand karaoke machine, allowing me to channel my inner diva—a throwback to my musical theatre days in college and my stint as the voice of corporate presentations and negotiations at my previous job, where I was known for my resonant yet finely tuned voice.
Yet, as the months wore on and the job market remained unyielding, our early merriment slowly surrendered to a creeping anxiety. The kitchen island, once the heart of our home where laughter and shared meals flowed freely, gradually morphed into the epicenter of our collective unease, bearing silent witness to the quiet desperation settling over us.
One evening, in the suspiciously affordable yet stylish apartment, I sank into the sofa, my spirits dampened by my favorite team's disheartening loss. The mood was grim, mirroring my fears of my beloved player's potential retirement at season's end. Later, as we congregated around the kitchen island for dinner, I transformed into an impromptu sports commentator, passionately preaching about the game’s disappointing details that led to failure and my favorite player’s fine qualities. Meanwhile, Jaz updated us on a friend's melodramatic breakup, with guesses that something ugly must have happened behind the scenes. Kath, ever the culinary enthusiast, not only served up her delicious pasta but also dished out the latest celebrity gossip, each tidbit as spicy as her sauce.
The next day, during a late breakfast at the same kitchen island—our unwitting oracle—we were hit by a triple whammy of reality checks. The news of my favorite player's retirement broke, echoing my gloomy predictions from the night before. Jaz chimed in with an update that our friend had uncovered a cheating scandal worthy of its own reality TV special. And Kath, never one to be left out of the drama: her favorite celebrity was now the star of a scandal.
By the third morning, as we sipped our coffee, the newspaper slapped me with another bizarre twist. I was going through the devastating economics and politics sections, then I saw the sports section——featured an irate coach, hell-bent on convincing my favorite player to dismiss retirement plans and keep his jersey on a little longer. Meanwhile, Jaz had good news for a change: it turned out our friend's love story might have a second act after all, as misunderstandings were being cleared up. Amidst these revelations, Kath, who had been grumbling about the nearby supermarket’s inability to stock anything remotely gourmet, and hadn’t had a taste of her favorite Blue Mountain coffee since the beginning of that year, triumphantly found a can of Blue Mountain coffee, and it was on sale and therefore affordable—proof that miracles happen, and sometimes they even go on discount.
As I sat there, absorbing the serendipity of our discussions manifesting into real-world events, I couldn't help but marvel at the mysterious knack of our kitchen island. Was it merely a coincidence, or had this stylish piece of decor become the unlikely conductor of our lives symphony? One thing was certain: life in apartment 606 was never dull, and our kitchen island seemed to be more than just a place to eat—it was a place where, apparently, you could stir the pot of fate.
I decided to conduct a whimsical experiment with our now seemingly magical kitchen island. Clearing my throat theatrically, I declared, "I should be interviewed for a director position." To my sheer astonishment, the next day a headhunter rang me up, claiming I was the ideal candidate for a directorial role at a prestigious corporation in my field. Despite the other candidates possessing decades more experience which defeated me with no effort, and my own lingering self-doubt from months of unemployment, I sailed to the final interview round with the company's executives.
Upon returning to our apartment, I found Kath flaunting a chic dress from a designer brand brand she’d snagged on clearance—a little luxury courtesy of our wish-granting island. Inspired, I approached the island and cheekily requested, "Get us jobs. Something fun." Lo and behold, the following day was spent lounging and binge-watching Netflix, only to be interrupted by a call from a former bigwig at my old job. He was venturing into a more illustrious company and wanted me onboard. The informal chat that followed was a breeze, and just like that, I was back in the game with a fancier title and a fatter paycheck.
The subsequent week was a flurry of celebrations. Jaz secured a senior-level position, and Kath landed her dream job at an influencer management agency. Feeling triumphant, we decided to indulge in a night of fine dining—our first in months. That Friday evening when I went from office to restaurant, on a whim, stopped at a convenience store to grab snacks and cigarettes for our post-dinner revelry. Outside, I encountered a homeless person. After offering him a sandwich (which he traded for a cigarette instead), he took a drag, peered into my eyes, and ominously muttered, “Look, young lady, this isn’t my business, but be wary of what you wish for; everything comes with a price. Good luck and god bless you.”
His words barely registered until later that evening when a mishap occurred that seemed to underline his warning. As we enjoyed syphon coffee post-dinner, a barista accidentally tripped over Kath’s flowing dress. The resulting spill left her with first-degree burns, abruptly ending our night as we rushed to the emergency room. Though it was "just" a first-degree burn, the pain was significant enough to require several days off for Kath’s recovery. Amid the drama, I couldn't help but wonder about the cryptic caution from the man outside the store—had our fortunate streak come with a hidden cost?
We chalked up the coffee calamity to bad luck. The next month flowed smoothly: Kath's fingers healed, she returned to work, and I quickly found my groove at the new job. With all of us gainfully employed, our communal meals at the kitchen island became rare. My mornings were a whirlwind of grabbing breakfast and coffee on the go, followed by an hour's commute to a job that had me scarfing down instant noodles by nightfall, just in time for a quick shower.
As the busy season kicked in, my workload ballooned—not just from the seasonal uptick, but because I was hell-bent on proving my mettle. I quickly outshone most of my peers, and my employer, recognizing a budding overachiever, piled on major tasks, which I eagerly accepted. What started as the occasional hour of overtime soon devoured my weekends. Unpaid overtime, as the fine print in my contract gleefully noted, became my new norm. Driven by a mix of ambition and expectation, I had become the go-to young hotshot, the erstwhile record-breaker now expected to continually outdo myself.
Mentally, I was too swamped to entertain thoughts of anything beyond work, which, in a twisted way, felt like a break. Physically, however, the strain began to show. A bout of flu caught on a business trip escalated into a fever. Sick as I was, deadlines waited for no one, and I soldiered on medicated and miserable. By the time I made it home, my voice had abandoned me. Unable to utter a word the next morning, I resorted to emailing my manager about my sorry state.
That week, robbed of my voice, I mused that it was perhaps a well-deserved hiatus for my overworked vocal cords—a silent retreat if you will. But when my voice did return, it was as a raspy whisper, a shadow of its former crisp and melodious timbre. My doctor offered a grim prognosis: slight improvement might come, but the golden tones were gone for good—scarred by the relentless grind. Ah, the price of ambition—a scratchy throat as a permanent reminder of my corporate conquests.
It seemed I had unwittingly exchanged the clarity of my voice for the tumult of career success. In the midst of our domestic enchantment with the possibly mystical kitchen island, Kath unearthed the contact of a reputed psychic, hailed as the finest in the land. However, the consultation fee was nothing short of princely, and with Jaz vehemently dismissing anything that couldn't be explained by cold, hard science, she promptly opted out of splitting the bill. Kath and I, unwilling to drain our wallets on what could be mere phantasmagoria, reluctantly let the opportunity pass.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but notice a curious change in Jaz’s routine. She had ceased dining at the kitchen island, avoiding it as if it were cursed—or perhaps, in her view, simply out of style. The Saturday morning brought a particularly harsh twist: a murder of crows took to spiralling above our balcony, their cries as sharp as the plot of a Poe novel. We found ourselves drawn to the infamous kitchen island, lined up like the cast of a macabre play, silently praying for the birds to disperse. Kath, ever trying to restore some semblance of normalcy, offered up cups of Blue Mountain coffee. She absentmindedly inquired if I wanted cream or sugar in mine—a blunder that made me realize just how long it had been since our last coffee klatch at this very spot. My inner monologue couldn't resist a dark wish for the crows to scatter, perhaps too dark, for they began to dive bomb our balcony in a feathery kamikaze. The spectacle was enough to knock Jaz off her feet—literally—as her mug met its end on the floor. Kath, meanwhile, made a hasty retreat to worship the porcelain god, and I sat frozen, my brain offline, pondering the twisted power of our kitchen island's apparent wish-granting.
After the unnerving spectacle of crows turning our balcony into a scene straight out of a Hitchcock film, our first rational step—post-collective fainting, of course—was to summon cleaners to manage the feathery carnage. Then, still rattled but increasingly curious, we visited a psychic, who, contrary to the crystal-ball-gazer image, operated out of a posh boutique in a high-end mall and dressed more like she was headed to a fashion show than a séance. We laid bare our saga of the seemingly cursed kitchen island, complete with photographic evidence of where domestic bliss meets eerie phenomena.
The psychic introduced a term that chilled the air around us: “limbo,” the threshold between our world and the otherworldly, and she dubbed our kitchen island the "Devil’s Bargain Counter." According to her, our wishes came with a heavy and unpredictable price, because we have accidentally started trades with beings from the netherworld. Her advice was disarmingly simple: cease all trades on the island. To address the repercussions of past wishes, she advised us the first line of defence, which was an eclectic mix of offerings laid out on our cursed countertop: raw meat(rooster works the best), a cocktail of spices(coca and cinnamon preferably), liberal splashes of spirits(whiskey and rum ideally), and an eerie bouquet of black flowers(luckily I found some black roses at a flower shop of the mall). In a grander gesture of appeasement, Kath relinquished her shiny new diamond bracelet, Jaz her absurdly expensive headphones, and I parted with cash—— a hefty slice of my bonus in hopes of placating whatever capricious spirits we'd angered.
Our return to normalcy was brief but sweet, prompting us to plan a getaway, eager to forget about our nefarious kitchen island. Yet, the respite was merely a tease. Jaz, in a stroke of spectacular misfortune, narrowly dodged disaster twice in one day—first nearly becoming subway track fodder on her way back after work, and then almost getting knocked out by a rogue plant at our apartment building’s doorstep. Clearly, our previous offerings were mere appetizers to whatever forces we'd stirred. The psychic, summoned once again to our now-dubious sanctuary, decreed that the spirits had developed rather expensive tastes, unsatisfied by our initial gestures.
In a desperate bid for closure, we had the psychic over for a nighttime ritual, timed perfectly with Earth's closest approach to the netherworld, according to her. Our living room turned into a ritual chamber, with windows blacked out for days, to keep the otherworldly dealings strictly nocturnal. That night, we arranged ourselves around the island, now less a kitchen fixture and more an altar of last resort.
The psychic, amidst a chorus of Latin incantations, directed us through a chilling séance that included a mirror that reflected nothing but darkness and a burning black candle, the three of us sat in a row, joined hands, eyes closed. When the black candle was flickering at its last, the first eerie scratches heard prompted our eyes to open prematurely, we saw a command appear on the island, written by invisible hand and pen, in blood-red script, urging us to find the next "succeeder" before our lease on otherworldly disturbances could be terminated.
With bated breath, we agreed, and as if by magic, our signatures materialized on the countertop, then faded as the candle sputtered out. We tore off the black cardboard taped on the windows at dawn, the sunrise revealed a final message etched into the surface: "Debt cleared." As the daylight grew, the ominous inscription dissolved into nothingness, signalling the end of our spectral saga.
The ordeal, now officially behind us, left us enjoying a semblance of normalcy: life in 606 returned to its mundane rhythm, with dinners and movie nights back on our social calendar. Though not without its scars—literal and figurative.
It’s been two years since then, Jaz, in the throes of romantic bliss, is now gearing up for a new chapter waiting to be written alongside her soon-to-be spouse; Kath, her career finally taking a lucrative turn, was poised to upgrade her living situation, she secured a lease on a lavish serviced apartment in the city center—a place that matched her newfound financial swagger.
I’m not without my own leaps forward. With a modest boost from my parents, I took the plunge into homeownership, snagging a property within the city’s vibrant confines. The process was a whirlwind of paperwork and decorating decisions, culminating in a space I could truly call my own.
As we are packing up now, my last act is to type out our story, at the infamous island, and of course, I left a note in the fridge for the next tenants:
"Welcome to 606. We had a wonderful time here, especially at the kitchen island, filled with joy and unforgettable moments. We hope you find as much happiness as we did. Use the isle well. Warm wishes, the previous tenants."
2024.05.14 23:31 surprisedkinder Childish Gambino's "This is America" is Actually a Drake, Jay Z and Diddy Diss
Before going into it, I want to mention how this post was inspired by three things. One was user u/HastyvonFuego2 and their post on going down the rabbit hole on the Kendrick sub last week. It was also inspired by Childish Gambino’s first album release in nearly 6 years where I have been sitting on this idea for a while but he inspired me to finally post this week like he did (never posted on Reddit at all before so be gentle if I am not doing it right)! I was also inspired by an interview Bino gave to GQ about breaking down his most iconic characters. In this interview he says how This is America started out as a Drake diss but then he realized the song was too hard for just Drake so he kept working on it. He also talks in this interview about how all culture is about compression. Which means that yes, This is America is about the gun violence and police issues in America, but compressed in this video is also more about where that culture comes from which he shows is from a small handful of rap moguls, namely Drake, Diddy and Jay-Z (bear with me on this long post, I think/hope it will be worth it). At the end I talk briefly about how Little Foot Big Foot might be in this same vein of cultural compression.
[Intro: Choir]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
The beginning of this song has no background music yet, which really gives it an ‘in the beginning’ feel. Then Gambino starts doing his dances with weird facial expressions. I will explain as we go through his video how those expressions and dance moves represent different famous rap moguls. One easy look to pick out right away is Jay-Z’s famous lip curl/growl look that Gambino gives with a head nod repeatedly. The colonial pants have been a hot topic, but since it’s only the pants that are colonial, Gambino is saying the bottom or basis for this violent culture in America is ultimately colonialism. The lyrics ‘Go Away’, are likely foreshadowing the rap moguls wanting other popular rap rivals to ‘go away’ or they will make them (aka murder them) for profit.
[Bridge: Childish Gambino & Young Thug]
We just wanna party
Party just for you
We just want the money
Money just for you (Yeah)
Usually you want money for yourself and to party for yourself, so this is a bit odd. But what Gambino is referring to is similar to these Diddy ‘freakoff parties’ we are hearing about where people who want to be famous are really partying for these rap moguls so they can get close to them. Where they suck up to them saying that they want to earn the mogul money from their songs.
I know you wanna party
Party just for free
Girl, you got me dancin' (Girl, you got me dancin')
Dance and shake the frame (Yeah)
Then this almost feels like the Diddy rebuttal where he’s like ya I know you want to party and you want to do it for free. Like Katt Williams says, “you gotta tell Diddy no”, it is never free to go to those parties. There are always consequences. When you are partying you are dancing, but shaking the frame could refer to how those boundaries/edges are being crossed, lines are blurred, etc.
Then in the video, the fellow who was playing the guitar gets shot and things turn dark from happy music. I believe that this guitar tune is meant to represent 2Pac and Nas’s song Thugz Mansion. It’s one of the original greats from ‘in the beginning’. Nas famously has always had major issues with Jay-Z too (More on why 2Pac and Nas later). It also represents how it was these moguls who murdered 2Pac like Jaguar Wright and Katt Williams keep saying. Where these murders only lead to more money and fame for the killers when the dead artists’ and their music are exploited more easily.
Also note that the gun gets taken away by a school kid after the shooting, more on this later as well.
[Verse 1: Childish Gambino, Young Thug, Blocboy JB & 21 Savage]
This is America (Skrrt, skrrt, woo)
Don't catch you slippin' now (Ayy)
Look how I'm livin' now
Police be trippin' now (Woo)
Yeah, this is America (Woo, ayy)
Guns in my area (Word, my area)
There is a song called Guns in My Area by Lil Weiner and Baby Chapox that paints a vivid picture of the everyday struggles and conflicts faced by those living in communities affected by gun violence. More compression of other songs and the American gun culture.
I got the strap (Ayy, ayy)
I gotta carry 'em
I am almost certain this line is referring to 2Pac’s song Changes. Throughout This is America, Gambino takes lines from Pac’s song: “They get jealous when they see you with your mobile phone” (referred to later in this a Celly, that’s tool) “That's the sound of my tool, you say it ain't cool, My mama didn't raise no fool”
“And as long as I stay black, I gotta stay strapped, And I never get to lay back” It seems like Gambino broke up these lyrics and scattered them throughout his song. This plays into the theme that everyone is using 2Pac and enriching themselves off of his image and music. I show below how this particular section of the video represents Diddy meaning that Diddy himself is exploiting his music (and alleging that Diddy killed Pac?). We could see this exploitation play out at length with how much Diddy milked the death of Biggie like in Every Breath You Take.
Yeah, yeah, I'ma go into this (Ugh)
Yeah, yeah, this is guerilla (Woo)
Yeah, yeah, I'ma go get the bag
The song Gorilla War by $uicideboy$ and Ramirez talks about getting a bag repeatedly in the course. Also in Otis with Kanye and Jay-Z their lyrics talk about going gorilla (I talk about this song more further down), so it could be referring to this as well. It seems like Gambino is trying to pull out lyrics from all across the rap culture and embed them in his song to highlight the ‘cultural compression’.
Yeah, yeah, I'm so cold like, yeah (Yeah)
I'm so dope like, yeah (Woo)
We gon' blow like, yeah (Straight up, uh)
I think that all of the school kids in the video represent all of the rappers that are signed with these big labels. Which is interesting because they are the ones facilitating the guns for the moguls in the video. You can see that the mogul is really focused on the kids and gets agitated and directs them to follow him whenever they stray off a bit like they are his pupils, or like he owns them. Then all of a sudden the camera comes into a scene where you can see more kids shooting a rap video and all shooting money from a Supreme gun. The camera zooms out almost to show you that this is the mogul’s whole rap empire they are looking over, all of their kids in one place (this empire already includes some chaos in the background). It’s subtle but hilarious, Gambino puts fricken chickens on the ground where the kids are filming the rap video. He is directly calling all of these rappers complete chickens for playing up this lifestyle and being the cause of so much chaos rather than coming out and telling somebody what’s really going on. Trying to get their money over everything else.
[Refrain: Choir & Childish Gambino]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
You go tell somebody
Grandma told me
Get your money, Black man (Get your— Black man)
This is where things start to get interesting. Gambino is literally saying, go tell somebody about this! We all know what’s happening, why don’t you go let people know how bad it is? But like Jaguar Wright said, who do you tell when these moguls have the cops and feds paid off? This video is literally Gambino putting it all out there in this extremely popular song for everyone to see but yet we still just see the dancing and the violent chaos of people and police in the streets and not the root cause that is hidden in plain sight.
The vast majority of those who reviewed this video until now think this scene represents the tragic church shooting in Charleston in 2015. I think it does, but we also have to look at this from an angle of compression.
The people in the choir are all of the people who are currently singing the rap mogul’s praises and who are focused on going and getting what’s owed to them, get their money (who are also profiting off of the dead fellows music since it goes back to the original tune). You can see that each choir member has a distinct look to them. Think about who you are hearing about now who is about to be implicated in these freak offs and evil deeds. Is that Will Smith in the back left corner!? The short bald fellow in the front left maybe Kevin Hart? Rick Ross or TD Jakes maybe the bigger guy towards the back right? When the camera zooms in on the choir right at first to show their faces, doesn’t the guy in the bottom middle look like an uncanny version of Jordan Peele? Or is that meant to be Cuba Gooding Jr? Then just like the guitar fellow at the beginning, bang. You may be singing Diddy’s praises now, but he will cut you down whenever he suddenly feels like it.
I think almost for sure this initial section of the music video is Gambino acting as Diddy, because right after he shoots the choir, he does the elbow pump/chicken dance. At 3:14 in Diddy’s video for P.E. 2000 he does the chicken dance (he is up first in the video and I think Gambino is trying to say here I first present to you the first public enemy of 3 in this song). That elbow dance signals that it was Diddy and this is the end of his section.
[Chorus: Childish Gambino, Young Thug, Slim Jxmmi & Quavo]
This is America (Woo, ayy)
Don't catch you slippin' now (Woo, woo, don't catch you slippin' now)
Don't catch you slippin' now (Ayy, woah)
Look what I'm whippin' now (Slime!)
There have been many accounts of celebrities being given fancy cars after suffering abuse at the hands of these moguls. So these lyrics are saying that you better not slip up and tell people what’s really going on. And if you don’t look at this sweet carecord deal/movie contract I am going to give you. Beiber told this story about Diddy wanting to give him a luxury car.
Now suddenly, the dance switches from the chicken dance to a sudden bicep flex to signal us that we have now moved on from Gambino representing Diddy to our next mogul.
[Verse 2: Childish Gambino, Quavo, Young Thug, 21 Savage & BlocBoy JB]
This next chunk of the video is all about Jay-Z. I think this is the case because he throws his arms up in a bicep flex just like Jay does in the Otis music video at 2:38. And it makes sense Gambino would pick a dance move from a video with a huge American flag in the background to fit the ‘This is America’ theme. Gambino is mocking him saying, who are you really, the pretty guy or this hard gangster like Gambino shows in his dancing. Also right before they pan to the kids on the balcony, Bino also does Jay-Z’s signature lip curl look a couple times so we know it’s him and to signal the end of his section.
Look how I'm geekin' out (Hey)
I'm so fitted (I'm so fitted, woo)
Jay-Z is famous for making the fitted Yankees cap famous, it’s his signature look. More signs this verse is about Jay.
I'm on Gucci (I'm on Gucci)
Jay-Z has been seen in full wallpaper Gucci sweat suits but could also be referring to Gucci Mane who he hung out with at Beyonce’s tour around the time this song was released.
I'm so pretty (Yeah, yeah, woo)
I'm gon' get it (Ayy, I'm gon' get it)
Watch me move (Blaow)
These lines are probably referring to Jay-Z having a hidden preference for men, especially with the way Gambino flicks his wrist in the video when he says I’m so pretty.
This a celly (Ha)
That's a tool (Yeah)
On my Kodak (Woo) Black
I think that “this a celly, that’s a tool” harkens back to 2Pac’s lyrics in Changes where he sings, “They get jealous when they see ya with your mobile phone” then shortly after that he sings about the sound of his tool, referring to shooting a gun. But Childish flips these lyrics on their head. He is saying that it’s really the phone that’s a tool to be using, not a gun. And pans up and shows (the school kids specifically) on the balcony filming everything going on below. He’s telling the kids/other rappers, use your phone as a tool, you can record these bad deeds when you get blackmailed into being at the freak off. That’s how you can kill them and their career, not with a gun. Go tell somebody! There is also the reference to Kodak which plays into the picture taking theme, but also because Kodak Black has been accused of assaulting a teenage girl in a hotel room. So we have a good idea of what Gambino suggests all the kids start filming and collecting evidence of.
Ooh, know that (Yeah, know that, hold on)
Get it (Woo, get it, get it)
Ooh, work it (21)
Now we are onto Drake’s part. In the video Gambino starts doing the BlocBoy JB dance called Shoot. Drake is known for doing these little viral dance moves like in Hotline Bling. But not only that, this dance is also used in the song that both BlocBoy JB and Drake collaborate on for their video Look Alive. It starts at 2:07 in the Look Alive video. So this is Drake’s dance to signal his part is now starting.
Note this is where the pale horse rides by also potentially saying that Drake is one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. Interestingly, Drake’s collab with BlocBoy JB was pretty much the apocalypse for BlocBoy’s career, who hasn’t had a hit since.
Hunnid bands, hunnid bands, hunnid bands (Hunnid bands)
Contraband, contraband, contraband (Contraband)
I got the plug in Oaxaca (Woah)
They gonna find you like "blocka" (Blaow)
Again, we know this is Drake’s section because his song 10 bands starts out by saying “10 bands, 50 bands, 100 bands” almost identical to Bino’s lyrics here. Also Blocka was famously used by Biggie in his song Gimme the Loot which could be referring to Biggie's demise like Pac’s and making money from his death. Everything in this industry originates from pushing drugs, which has been alleged through the trafficking that Diddy, Jay-Z and Drake do through their private jets likely connected to their bosses, the Clive Davises and Lucian Grainges of the world. This escalates rap beefs and the whole culture to the next level where murder is often a consequence for young rappers in their prime when international drug lord money is involved.
An interesting point is this is the only time where Childish was about to shoot someone in the video, but where he didn’t have a school kid either handing him the gun or taking it away carefully from him. (Maybe also a diss at Drake that even though he acts hard he doesn’t shoot, he gets his horseman of the apocalypse to do his dirty deeds for him instead perhaps?). This is the beginning of the end for the rap mogul as he no longer has his kids doing his bidding for him. A simple message to show how the violence can be stopped, that these shootings can end when the kids stop enabling them. So then as soon as he can’t react in that moment and shoot someone his anger is forced to chill out, as shown by smoking a J, and to go back to exploiting the dead man’s music instead. If you don’t put a gun in someone’s hand when they are heated, those feelings too shall pass - kinda feel.
[Refrain: Choir, Childish Gambino, & Young Thug]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
America, I just checked my following list, and
You mothafuckas owe me
Whose voice does that sound like!? It sounds a lot like Diddy to me, public enemy #1. This is basically saying that the moguls are the ones who we all owe it to for all of this glorified gun violence in America. That we owe them way more follows and likes for what a massive influence they have had on the violence and chaos we see in America today.
Grandma told me
Get your money, Black man (Black man)
(1, 2, 3—get down)
In Moneybagg Yo’s song 1, 2, 3, he also has a line that says “1, 2, 3, let’s go!” in a similar vein.
But something interesting I came across was Nas’s song Get Down where they use a sample from James Brown's “The Boss” that sounds extremely similar to the way Gambino screams “Get Down!” Which would fit well if the guitar singer from the beginning is meant to be Nas and Pac doing Thugz Mansion.
Also make sure you check out Nas’s song Get Down so that you can hear how much Jay-Z outright copied this song for The Story of OJ. From the musical structure with the piano and interwoven samples right down to the theme reiterated by the sample at the end of Nas’s song: “If that’s how our people are gonna get down, how are we ever gonna get up?”
SZA
Finally to wrap up the video, I have been stumped for a long time as to why SZA is randomly at the end of this video sitting on one of the cars. But I think I finally know why and it reconfirms that this last scene is all about Drake. If you watch Drake’s music video for Worst Behavior (not very Canadian of him to spell behaviour that way I might add) you will see Drake rapping and dancing with a few cars surrounding him and one of those cars has other rappers making cameos in it. In Gambino’s video SZA represents that car with a famous cameo. I think this is further confirmed when the black edges of the video start closing inwards at the end of This is America, the exact same way that Worst Behavior ends. So why SZA as the cameo then? Cause it reminds people that Drake is a p*do.
This is from an article in the Rolling Stone: In 2020, Drake revealed publicly that he and SZA had dated over a decade ago, well before she was an established artist (her earliest music goes back to around 2012; her critical breakthrough, Ctrl, came in 2017). On 21 Savage’s “Mr. Right Now,” Drake rapped about a newer fling who was a fan of SZA’s: “Yeah, said she wanna fuck to some SZA, wait / ‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08 / If you cool with it, baby, she can still play.” A few days later, SZA responded, corroborating Drake’s claim with a slight correction: they dated in 2009, when both would have been over 18. Since SZA would not have turned 18 until late 2008, she wanted to set the record straight. “in this case a year of poetic rap license mattered 🥴lol I think he jus innocently rhymed 08 w wait [sic],” she tweeted. “I just didn’t want anybody thinking anything underage or creepy was happening . Completely innocent . Lifetimes ago . [sic]”
If you have to specifically say something isn’t creepy and distance yourself from it being lifetimes ago, it usually is creepy. Drake would’ve been 22 when she was 17. Metro Boomin also happens to be on the Mr. Right Now track. He is currently in trouble for resurfaced old tweets showing how Metro used to tweet disgusting things about what he wanted to do to underage girls. Interestingly, Metro Boomin is also now beefing with Drake.
Drake doing his dance on the car of the original musician’s music seems to be accusing Drake directly of stealing 2Pac’s music. Orlando Brown recently said the cryptic statement that “Drake is Pac” which likely means he stole 2Pac’s approach/style/audience after his death. Gambino did some good foreshadowing here too with the recent AI release Drake put out of 2Pac.
This dance scene also signals that the Drake section is now over.
[Outro: Young Thug]
You just a black man in this world
You just a barcode, ayy
You just a black man in this world
Drivin' expensive foreigns, ayy
You just a big dawg, yeah
I kenneled him in the backyard
No, probably ain't life to a dog
For a big dog
The outro lyrics speak to how these gatekeepers keep black men down and control them with things like being forced to wear a dress to become famous or to submit to homosexual/p*do acts.. In the video, as I mentioned above, the black edges close in on Drake’s dancing scene in This is America. But they don’t completely close and end things like they do in the Worst Behavior video. Instead, in Gambino’s video, the camera pans to show the mogul running for his life with Young Thug’s lyrics almost like a quiet echo in the background. He isn’t running from the cops though, he’s running from the kids and from the public. When I mentioned earlier that the kids not handing over the last gun before Drake’s scene signalled the beginning of the end for the moguls, this is that conclusion. Where it is showing that if all the kids come together to stop enabling and rather expose the moguls, people will be chasing these bastards down once we realize what has been going on behind the curtain. Then the song that Young Thug is singing can just be a quiet echo of the way things were in the past.
If you don’t think Gambino would be this deep and that I went too far down the rabbit hole, do a Google search on the calculations that he came up with for why he sings about loving until 3005 in his song. He seems to go real deep with his lyrics. So a big question this leaves us with is, what did Childish Gambino witness in the rap industry? His whole rap career plays out like he is trying to avoid industry norms.
Even in Sweatpants, he has lyrics like:
No hands like soccer teams and y'all fuck boys like Socrates
You niggas ain't coppin' these, niggas ain't lookin' like me (Nah)
Nah, I ain't checkin' I.D. (Nah), but I bounce 'em with no problem
Seems like he is trying to make it really clear across his catalogue of music that he isn’t a p*do but that other rappers are. Where he is saying that he doesn’t need to ID his potential partners because he can tell they are obviously too young and that’s not hard to do.
Tell 'em, Problem (Problem!)
I'm winnin', yeah, yeah, I'm winnin' (What?)...
Rich kid, asshole, paint me as a villain
So who was trying to paint him as a villain, Drake? And that’s why the diss was originally meant for him?
Don't be mad 'cause I'm doing me better than you doing you…
Better than you doing you
Fuck it, what you gon' do? (What?!)
He’s taunting the other rappers cause he knows they can’t say shit if they are creeps. He has the same sentiment in Bonfire “It’s a bonfire, turn the lights out, I’m burning everything you mother fuckers talk about.”
Childish Gambino has always refrained from talking about the meaning of This is America whenever he is asked, and I can only assume that all of this is why.
Little Foot Big Foot
Now with his new release, Little Foot Big Foot and applying cultural compression to it, it has me wondering if he is referring to Megan Thee Stallion and the Nicki beef? People like Nicki (calling Megan Big Foot) have been claiming for some time she wasn’t even shot in the foot by Tory Lanez. There were many people laughing and making fun of Megan over getting shot. Which could be an interesting story for Childish to tell to represent how crazy this violent culture has gotten that people just laugh and blame the victim now when you get shot. Also a good metaphor for things like ‘shooting yourself in the foot’ for not having a lawyer look over potentially predatory industry contracts like in the beginning of his video. That you want to get in the cool kids club so bad you overlook it. Not as sure on this one though since the song just came out and I have only heard it a few times.
One last thing that is really interesting, there have been tons of artists on podcasts like Shay Shay talking about the strings these ultra rich moguls can pull. Like buying awards or gatekeeping people from being in the industry at all. There was even a story, I think maybe it was Gene Deal who told it, that when Killer Mike won at the grammys that Jay-Z was so angry he made sure to mess up his night by getting him locked up as soon as he left the awards stage. These moguls are extremely powerful and have an incredible amount of sway in the world/industry. If you check out Gambino’s profile on Youtube, his old music videos keep getting taken down, like Bonfire for example is just gone. Fans have been having to upload the videos themselves. There is a reply to a comment, on one of the fan uploaded vids, from Gambino’s account himself when someone asks why the videos are being taken down. His account just replies “Noone knows why :(“ Seems a bit odd all things considered and like maybe he has been at the mercy of these gatekeepers for going against the system.
I am so curious to know what the rest of you think about all of this!
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[Intro: Choir]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
The beginning of this song has no background music yet, which really gives it an ‘in the beginning’ feel. Then Gambino starts doing his dances with weird facial expressions. I will explain as we go through his video how those expressions and dance moves represent different famous rap moguls. One easy look to pick out right away is Jay-Z’s famous lip curl/growl look that Gambino gives with a head nod repeatedly. The colonial pants have been a hot topic, but since it’s only the pants that are colonial, Gambino is saying the bottom or basis for this violent culture in America is ultimately colonialism. The lyrics ‘Go Away’, are likely foreshadowing the rap moguls wanting other popular rap rivals to ‘go away’ or they will make them (aka murder them) for profit.
[Bridge: Childish Gambino & Young Thug]
We just wanna party
Party just for you
We just want the money
Money just for you (Yeah)
Usually you want money for yourself and to party for yourself, so this is a bit odd. But what Gambino is referring to is similar to these Diddy ‘freakoff parties’ we are hearing about where people who want to be famous are really partying for these rap moguls so they can get close to them. Where they suck up to them saying that they want to earn the mogul money from their songs.
I know you wanna party
Party just for free
Girl, you got me dancin' (Girl, you got me dancin')
Dance and shake the frame (Yeah)
Then this almost feels like the Diddy rebuttal where he’s like ya I know you want to party and you want to do it for free. Like Katt Williams says, “you gotta tell Diddy no”, it is never free to go to those parties. There are always consequences. When you are partying you are dancing, but shaking the frame could refer to how those boundaries/edges are being crossed, lines are blurred, etc.
Then in the video, the fellow who was playing the guitar gets shot and things turn dark from happy music. I believe that this guitar tune is meant to represent 2Pac and Nas’s song Thugz Mansion. It’s one of the original greats from ‘in the beginning’. Nas famously has always had major issues with Jay-Z too (More on why 2Pac and Nas later). It also represents how it was these moguls who murdered 2Pac like Jaguar Wright and Katt Williams keep saying. Where these murders only lead to more money and fame for the killers when the dead artists’ and their music are exploited more easily.
Also note that the gun gets taken away by a school kid after the shooting, more on this later as well.
[Verse 1: Childish Gambino, Young Thug, Blocboy JB & 21 Savage]
This is America (Skrrt, skrrt, woo)
Don't catch you slippin' now (Ayy)
Look how I'm livin' now
Police be trippin' now (Woo)
Yeah, this is America (Woo, ayy)
Guns in my area (Word, my area)
There is a song called Guns in My Area by Lil Weiner and Baby Chapox that paints a vivid picture of the everyday struggles and conflicts faced by those living in communities affected by gun violence. More compression of other songs and the American gun culture.
I got the strap (Ayy, ayy)
I gotta carry 'em
I am almost certain this line is referring to 2Pac’s song Changes. Throughout This is America, Gambino takes lines from Pac’s song: “They get jealous when they see you with your mobile phone” (referred to later in this a Celly, that’s tool) “That's the sound of my tool, you say it ain't cool, My mama didn't raise no fool”
“And as long as I stay black, I gotta stay strapped, And I never get to lay back” It seems like Gambino broke up these lyrics and scattered them throughout his song. This plays into the theme that everyone is using 2Pac and enriching themselves off of his image and music. I show below how this particular section of the video represents Diddy meaning that Diddy himself is exploiting his music (and alleging that Diddy killed Pac?). We could see this exploitation play out at length with how much Diddy milked the death of Biggie like in Every Breath You Take.
Yeah, yeah, I'ma go into this (Ugh)
Yeah, yeah, this is guerilla (Woo)
Yeah, yeah, I'ma go get the bag
The song Gorilla War by $uicideboy$ and Ramirez talks about getting a bag repeatedly in the course. Also in Otis with Kanye and Jay-Z their lyrics talk about going gorilla (I talk about this song more further down), so it could be referring to this as well. It seems like Gambino is trying to pull out lyrics from all across the rap culture and embed them in his song to highlight the ‘cultural compression’.
Yeah, yeah, I'm so cold like, yeah (Yeah)
I'm so dope like, yeah (Woo)
We gon' blow like, yeah (Straight up, uh)
I think that all of the school kids in the video represent all of the rappers that are signed with these big labels. Which is interesting because they are the ones facilitating the guns for the moguls in the video. You can see that the mogul is really focused on the kids and gets agitated and directs them to follow him whenever they stray off a bit like they are his pupils, or like he owns them. Then all of a sudden the camera comes into a scene where you can see more kids shooting a rap video and all shooting money from a Supreme gun. The camera zooms out almost to show you that this is the mogul’s whole rap empire they are looking over, all of their kids in one place (this empire already includes some chaos in the background). It’s subtle but hilarious, Gambino puts fricken chickens on the ground where the kids are filming the rap video. He is directly calling all of these rappers complete chickens for playing up this lifestyle and being the cause of so much chaos rather than coming out and telling somebody what’s really going on. Trying to get their money over everything else.
[Refrain: Choir & Childish Gambino]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
You go tell somebody
Grandma told me
Get your money, Black man (Get your— Black man)
This is where things start to get interesting. Gambino is literally saying, go tell somebody about this! We all know what’s happening, why don’t you go let people know how bad it is? But like Jaguar Wright said, who do you tell when these moguls have the cops and feds paid off? This video is literally Gambino putting it all out there in this extremely popular song for everyone to see but yet we still just see the dancing and the violent chaos of people and police in the streets and not the root cause that is hidden in plain sight.
The vast majority of those who reviewed this video until now think this scene represents the tragic church shooting in Charleston in 2015. I think it does, but we also have to look at this from an angle of compression.
The people in the choir are all of the people who are currently singing the rap mogul’s praises and who are focused on going and getting what’s owed to them, get their money (who are also profiting off of the dead fellows music since it goes back to the original tune). You can see that each choir member has a distinct look to them. Think about who you are hearing about now who is about to be implicated in these freak offs and evil deeds. Is that Will Smith in the back left corner!? The short bald fellow in the front left maybe Kevin Hart? Rick Ross or TD Jakes maybe the bigger guy towards the back right? When the camera zooms in on the choir right at first to show their faces, doesn’t the guy in the bottom middle look like an uncanny version of Jordan Peele? Or is that meant to be Cuba Gooding Jr? Then just like the guitar fellow at the beginning, bang. You may be singing Diddy’s praises now, but he will cut you down whenever he suddenly feels like it.
I think almost for sure this initial section of the music video is Gambino acting as Diddy, because right after he shoots the choir, he does the elbow pump/chicken dance. At 3:14 in Diddy’s video for P.E. 2000 he does the chicken dance (he is up first in the video and I think Gambino is trying to say here I first present to you the first public enemy of 3 in this song). That elbow dance signals that it was Diddy and this is the end of his section.
[Chorus: Childish Gambino, Young Thug, Slim Jxmmi & Quavo]
This is America (Woo, ayy)
Don't catch you slippin' now (Woo, woo, don't catch you slippin' now)
Don't catch you slippin' now (Ayy, woah)
Look what I'm whippin' now (Slime!)
There have been many accounts of celebrities being given fancy cars after suffering abuse at the hands of these moguls. So these lyrics are saying that you better not slip up and tell people what’s really going on. And if you don’t look at this sweet carecord deal/movie contract I am going to give you. Beiber told this story about Diddy wanting to give him a luxury car.
Now suddenly, the dance switches from the chicken dance to a sudden bicep flex to signal us that we have now moved on from Gambino representing Diddy to our next mogul.
[Verse 2: Childish Gambino, Quavo, Young Thug, 21 Savage & BlocBoy JB]
This next chunk of the video is all about Jay-Z. I think this is the case because he throws his arms up in a bicep flex just like Jay does in the Otis music video at 2:38. And it makes sense Gambino would pick a dance move from a video with a huge American flag in the background to fit the ‘This is America’ theme. Gambino is mocking him saying, who are you really, the pretty guy or this hard gangster like Gambino shows in his dancing. Also right before they pan to the kids on the balcony, Bino also does Jay-Z’s signature lip curl look a couple times so we know it’s him and to signal the end of his section.
Look how I'm geekin' out (Hey)
I'm so fitted (I'm so fitted, woo)
Jay-Z is famous for making the fitted Yankees cap famous, it’s his signature look. More signs this verse is about Jay.
I'm on Gucci (I'm on Gucci)
Jay-Z has been seen in full wallpaper Gucci sweat suits but could also be referring to Gucci Mane who he hung out with at Beyonce’s tour around the time this song was released.
I'm so pretty (Yeah, yeah, woo)
I'm gon' get it (Ayy, I'm gon' get it)
Watch me move (Blaow)
These lines are probably referring to Jay-Z having a hidden preference for men, especially with the way Gambino flicks his wrist in the video when he says I’m so pretty.
This a celly (Ha)
That's a tool (Yeah)
On my Kodak (Woo) Black
I think that “this a celly, that’s a tool” harkens back to 2Pac’s lyrics in Changes where he sings, “They get jealous when they see ya with your mobile phone” then shortly after that he sings about the sound of his tool, referring to shooting a gun. But Childish flips these lyrics on their head. He is saying that it’s really the phone that’s a tool to be using, not a gun. And pans up and shows (the school kids specifically) on the balcony filming everything going on below. He’s telling the kids/other rappers, use your phone as a tool, you can record these bad deeds when you get blackmailed into being at the freak off. That’s how you can kill them and their career, not with a gun. Go tell somebody! There is also the reference to Kodak which plays into the picture taking theme, but also because Kodak Black has been accused of assaulting a teenage girl in a hotel room. So we have a good idea of what Gambino suggests all the kids start filming and collecting evidence of.
Ooh, know that (Yeah, know that, hold on)
Get it (Woo, get it, get it)
Ooh, work it (21)
Now we are onto Drake’s part. In the video Gambino starts doing the BlocBoy JB dance called Shoot. Drake is known for doing these little viral dance moves like in Hotline Bling. But not only that, this dance is also used in the song that both BlocBoy JB and Drake collaborate on for their video Look Alive. It starts at 2:07 in the Look Alive video. So this is Drake’s dance to signal his part is now starting.
Note this is where the pale horse rides by also potentially saying that Drake is one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. Interestingly, Drake’s collab with BlocBoy JB was pretty much the apocalypse for BlocBoy’s career, who hasn’t had a hit since.
Hunnid bands, hunnid bands, hunnid bands (Hunnid bands)
Contraband, contraband, contraband (Contraband)
I got the plug in Oaxaca (Woah)
They gonna find you like "blocka" (Blaow)
Again, we know this is Drake’s section because his song 10 bands starts out by saying “10 bands, 50 bands, 100 bands” almost identical to Bino’s lyrics here. Also Blocka was famously used by Biggie in his song Gimme the Loot which could be referring to Biggie's demise like Pac’s and making money from his death. Everything in this industry originates from pushing drugs, which has been alleged through the trafficking that Diddy, Jay-Z and Drake do through their private jets likely connected to their bosses, the Clive Davises and Lucian Grainges of the world. This escalates rap beefs and the whole culture to the next level where murder is often a consequence for young rappers in their prime when international drug lord money is involved.
An interesting point is this is the only time where Childish was about to shoot someone in the video, but where he didn’t have a school kid either handing him the gun or taking it away carefully from him. (Maybe also a diss at Drake that even though he acts hard he doesn’t shoot, he gets his horseman of the apocalypse to do his dirty deeds for him instead perhaps?). This is the beginning of the end for the rap mogul as he no longer has his kids doing his bidding for him. A simple message to show how the violence can be stopped, that these shootings can end when the kids stop enabling them. So then as soon as he can’t react in that moment and shoot someone his anger is forced to chill out, as shown by smoking a J, and to go back to exploiting the dead man’s music instead. If you don’t put a gun in someone’s hand when they are heated, those feelings too shall pass - kinda feel.
[Refrain: Choir, Childish Gambino, & Young Thug]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
America, I just checked my following list, and
You mothafuckas owe me
Whose voice does that sound like!? It sounds a lot like Diddy to me, public enemy #1. This is basically saying that the moguls are the ones who we all owe it to for all of this glorified gun violence in America. That we owe them way more follows and likes for what a massive influence they have had on the violence and chaos we see in America today.
Grandma told me
Get your money, Black man (Black man)
(1, 2, 3—get down)
In Moneybagg Yo’s song 1, 2, 3, he also has a line that says “1, 2, 3, let’s go!” in a similar vein.
But something interesting I came across was Nas’s song Get Down where they use a sample from James Brown's “The Boss” that sounds extremely similar to the way Gambino screams “Get Down!” Which would fit well if the guitar singer from the beginning is meant to be Nas and Pac doing Thugz Mansion.
Also make sure you check out Nas’s song Get Down so that you can hear how much Jay-Z outright copied this song for The Story of OJ. From the musical structure with the piano and interwoven samples right down to the theme reiterated by the sample at the end of Nas’s song: “If that’s how our people are gonna get down, how are we ever gonna get up?”
SZA
Finally to wrap up the video, I have been stumped for a long time as to why SZA is randomly at the end of this video sitting on one of the cars. But I think I finally know why and it reconfirms that this last scene is all about Drake. If you watch Drake’s music video for Worst Behavior (not very Canadian of him to spell behaviour that way I might add) you will see Drake rapping and dancing with a few cars surrounding him and one of those cars has other rappers making cameos in it. In Gambino’s video SZA represents that car with a famous cameo. I think this is further confirmed when the black edges of the video start closing inwards at the end of This is America, the exact same way that Worst Behavior ends. So why SZA as the cameo then? Cause it reminds people that Drake is a p*do.
This is from an article in the Rolling Stone: In 2020, Drake revealed publicly that he and SZA had dated over a decade ago, well before she was an established artist (her earliest music goes back to around 2012; her critical breakthrough, Ctrl, came in 2017). On 21 Savage’s “Mr. Right Now,” Drake rapped about a newer fling who was a fan of SZA’s: “Yeah, said she wanna fuck to some SZA, wait / ‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08 / If you cool with it, baby, she can still play.” A few days later, SZA responded, corroborating Drake’s claim with a slight correction: they dated in 2009, when both would have been over 18. Since SZA would not have turned 18 until late 2008, she wanted to set the record straight. “in this case a year of poetic rap license mattered 🥴lol I think he jus innocently rhymed 08 w wait [sic],” she tweeted. “I just didn’t want anybody thinking anything underage or creepy was happening . Completely innocent . Lifetimes ago . [sic]”
If you have to specifically say something isn’t creepy and distance yourself from it being lifetimes ago, it usually is creepy. Drake would’ve been 22 when she was 17. Metro Boomin also happens to be on the Mr. Right Now track. He is currently in trouble for resurfaced old tweets showing how Metro used to tweet disgusting things about what he wanted to do to underage girls. Interestingly, Metro Boomin is also now beefing with Drake.
Drake doing his dance on the car of the original musician’s music seems to be accusing Drake directly of stealing 2Pac’s music. Orlando Brown recently said the cryptic statement that “Drake is Pac” which likely means he stole 2Pac’s approach/style/audience after his death. Gambino did some good foreshadowing here too with the recent AI release Drake put out of 2Pac.
This dance scene also signals that the Drake section is now over.
[Outro: Young Thug]
You just a black man in this world
You just a barcode, ayy
You just a black man in this world
Drivin' expensive foreigns, ayy
You just a big dawg, yeah
I kenneled him in the backyard
No, probably ain't life to a dog
For a big dog
The outro lyrics speak to how these gatekeepers keep black men down and control them with things like being forced to wear a dress to become famous or to submit to homosexual/p*do acts.. In the video, as I mentioned above, the black edges close in on Drake’s dancing scene in This is America. But they don’t completely close and end things like they do in the Worst Behavior video. Instead, in Gambino’s video, the camera pans to show the mogul running for his life with Young Thug’s lyrics almost like a quiet echo in the background. He isn’t running from the cops though, he’s running from the kids and from the public. When I mentioned earlier that the kids not handing over the last gun before Drake’s scene signalled the beginning of the end for the moguls, this is that conclusion. Where it is showing that if all the kids come together to stop enabling and rather expose the moguls, people will be chasing these bastards down once we realize what has been going on behind the curtain. Then the song that Young Thug is singing can just be a quiet echo of the way things were in the past.
If you don’t think Gambino would be this deep and that I went too far down the rabbit hole, do a Google search on the calculations that he came up with for why he sings about loving until 3005 in his song. He seems to go real deep with his lyrics. So a big question this leaves us with is, what did Childish Gambino witness in the rap industry? His whole rap career plays out like he is trying to avoid industry norms.
Even in Sweatpants, he has lyrics like:
No hands like soccer teams and y'all fuck boys like Socrates
You niggas ain't coppin' these, niggas ain't lookin' like me (Nah)
Nah, I ain't checkin' I.D. (Nah), but I bounce 'em with no problem
Seems like he is trying to make it really clear across his catalogue of music that he isn’t a p*do but that other rappers are. Where he is saying that he doesn’t need to ID his potential partners because he can tell they are obviously too young and that’s not hard to do.
Tell 'em, Problem (Problem!)
I'm winnin', yeah, yeah, I'm winnin' (What?)...
Rich kid, asshole, paint me as a villain
So who was trying to paint him as a villain, Drake? And that’s why the diss was originally meant for him?
Don't be mad 'cause I'm doing me better than you doing you…
Better than you doing you
Fuck it, what you gon' do? (What?!)
He’s taunting the other rappers cause he knows they can’t say shit if they are creeps. He has the same sentiment in Bonfire “It’s a bonfire, turn the lights out, I’m burning everything you mother fuckers talk about.”
Childish Gambino has always refrained from talking about the meaning of This is America whenever he is asked, and I can only assume that all of this is why.
Little Foot Big Foot
Now with his new release, Little Foot Big Foot and applying cultural compression to it, it has me wondering if he is referring to Megan Thee Stallion and the Nicki beef? People like Nicki (calling Megan Big Foot) have been claiming for some time she wasn’t even shot in the foot by Tory Lanez. There were many people laughing and making fun of Megan over getting shot. Which could be an interesting story for Childish to tell to represent how crazy this violent culture has gotten that people just laugh and blame the victim now when you get shot. Also a good metaphor for things like ‘shooting yourself in the foot’ for not having a lawyer look over potentially predatory industry contracts like in the beginning of his video. That you want to get in the cool kids club so bad you overlook it. Not as sure on this one though since the song just came out and I have only heard it a few times.
One last thing that is really interesting, there have been tons of artists on podcasts like Shay Shay talking about the strings these ultra rich moguls can pull. Like buying awards or gatekeeping people from being in the industry at all. There was even a story, I think maybe it was Gene Deal who told it, that when Killer Mike won at the grammys that Jay-Z was so angry he made sure to mess up his night by getting him locked up as soon as he left the awards stage. These moguls are extremely powerful and have an incredible amount of sway in the world/industry. If you check out Gambino’s profile on Youtube, his old music videos keep getting taken down, like Bonfire for example is just gone. Fans have been having to upload the videos themselves. There is a reply to a comment, on one of the fan uploaded vids, from Gambino’s account himself when someone asks why the videos are being taken down. His account just replies “Noone knows why :(“ Seems a bit odd all things considered and like maybe he has been at the mercy of these gatekeepers for going against the system.
I am so curious to know what the rest of you think about all of this!
2024.05.14 22:53 uninvitedthirteenth Travel Diary: Amsterdam, May 2-May 8
Travel Diary: I make $195,000 and spent $2149.75 (+49k points) while on a trip to Amsterdam
Section One: Bio
Age: 40
Occupation: Lawyer
Hometown: DC
Number of PTO days and how you accrue them: I earn 6 hours of annual leave every two weeks (19 days total a year), and used 36 hours for this trip
Section Two: Assets + Debt
Not super comfortable with a very detailed financial picture, but my NW is ~$750k. No SO.
Section Three: Income
Main Job Monthly Take Home: After all deductions and contributions to savings, my monthly take home is ~$6200
Section Four: Travel Expenses/Diary
Trip planning - My (40F) best friend from college (39F) and I decide to go to Amsterdam on a birthday trip. We both turn 40 in 2024, and we decide to go in May because it's in between our birthdays and because it'll be tulip season in Amsterdam! Neither of us have been. We also haven't travelled together before, despite being friends for 20(!) years, so we are a little apprehensive, although we have spent a lot of time together over the past few years. We decide on a 6 day trip. For purposes of this diary I'm going to list my half of the expenses for things we split. Costs are in US dollars, despite paying using Euros. As a side note, I also am a little over one year post-Gastric Bypass, which has a limited effect on my diet (I try to eat low carb, but you'll see that I mostly fail at this on this trip!).
Pre-trip expenses: $1193.15 total
Flight: $255 + 49k points (from Capital One)
Lodging: $1425.91 (split) - $713
Rijksmuseum: $40.28
Anne Frank House: $24.95
Keukenhof Gardens plus bus ticket: $36.20
Red Light District Tour: $50.52
Day trip to windmills tour: $43.20
Snacks: $30ish
Day 1 (Total $21.17)
Our flight is at 5:30pm, so we planned to be at the airport by 3:30pm, which actually turned out to be 4pm. Uber ($21.17). After checking bags (included in flight price) and getting through security we made it to our gate right as boarding was about to start. No time for food or drinks.
On the plane I eat a snack of roasted chickpeas before dinner, which was chicken cacciatore with mashed potatoes, bread, cheesecake, cheese, and a salad. And two glasses of wine. I save the cheesecake and cheese for later.
My friend and I watch a movie (Poor Things) and then try to sleep. I am reading A Fault In Our Stars, because Amsterdam. I try unsuccessfully to sleep for awhile and then go back to reading. At some point i eat the cheese and cheesecake. Breakfast is a cheese roll, which i eat a couple bites of (OMG does all of Amsterdam have this much cheese?? - spoiler alert… yes it does!). I wish I had slept more.
Day 2 - Even though it feels like a continuation of day one. (Total $207.02)
7am - We land at 7 and then grab the bags and go through customs. Easy peasy. We are exhausted so we grab coffee at the airport before figuring out public transit ($5.10). I take out 60 euro for cash in case we need it ($65). We buy a train ticket to the central station ($6.33) and when we get there we buy a four day unlimited public transit pass ($28.44) so that we don’t have to worry about it later.
We get to the hotel at around 9am. They tell us it will cost $50 to check in early, which we opt not to do. Instead we go get breakfast and coffee at a cafe nearby ($21.20). The hotel tells us that our prepaid amount did not include city taxes, which is another $183 (my half $91.88).
11:30am - Back at the room we decide to rest for 90 minutes. Enough to catch up on sleep but not to waste the day and get more jet-lagged. After a rest we decide to walk around and get a feel for the neighborhood and do some shopping. We find a bookstore, and I buy a copy of my favorite book from high school, Tess of the D’Ubervilles with a beautiful cover and gold edges ($21.46). We also buy fries with truffle, mayo, and Parmesan at a fry shop ($3.32) (that’s all they have and they are delicious!). We also stop a grocery store and pick up a few things including yogurt, cheese, salami, apples, and an energy drink ($13.19). We have some early days planned and nothing seems to open early. It’s very cold and rainy and semi unpleasant.
6pm - We drop stuff off, bundle up, and head off to dinner and a tour of the red light district. We try to find a place that serves Snert, a Dutch pea soup, but strike out. We end up at an Asian place instead. I get chicken satay and a beer and my friend gets Indonesian soup and wine ($16.10). Our red light tour is great, but we are exhausted after and head straight home to bed. 22k steps total
Day 3 (Total $87.24)
7:30am - We have an early day planned, and have to be on a bus near the central station by 8am. I eat a yogurt and energy drink (from grocery store) for breakfast and we take public transit (covered on unlimited card) to the station. We find the right bus and head off!
First stop is the windmills, which are beautiful! I am happy we get there early because we basically have the place to ourselves. My friend gets a coffee and we both use the restroom ($1.08!). Then we head to Edam and do a walking tour there. Next stop is a clog/cheese place, which feels very touristy but they do feed us lots of cheese. I buy a cheese slicer as a souvenir ($10.81). Next stop is another small town where we have lunch at a cafe. We basically pick one at random. My friend gets fried fish and I get a ham and cheese panini and a beer ($17.30). Final stop is an artificial island town called Maarken. We do another walking tour.
2:30pm - we arrive back in Amsterdam and get let off north of the water. I grab a coffee ($3.76). We go up to the Adam lookout and take a ride on the swing off the side of the building ($25.95 for swing plus ticket to lookout). We also grab a drink and sit on a pillow watching the city from very high up, which is lovely ($6.63). On the way out I buy a reusable water bottle at the gift shop ($4.87).
After the lookout we take the tram over to a brewery at a windmill that was recommended to us by several people (including here on Reddit!). Cost was covered by the transit pass. We buy bitterballen and a small bottle of Genever (local whiskey) (paid by my friend) and a flight of beer ($16.84). We are a bit tipsy but enjoying the lovely weather.
6:30 - On the way back toward the hotel the weather turns and it starts raining so we dip into a pub for dinner. I have a burger ($16.12). We are there at 8pm, which is momentous because it’s a day of remembrance and the whole bar is silent for two minutes. It was very interesting to be there during this time.
We are exhausted by this point and go home to bed. 19k steps total for the day.
Day 4 (Total $104.33)
7am - Another early day as we have to be on a bus at 7:30 to go to Keukenhof for the tulips! (paid in advance). We wanted to take the first bus out there because we heard the crowds were bad. I eat a yogurt for breakfast and take a 5 hour energy (no cafes open this early!). We try to take public transit to the train station but didn’t realize that the trains do not run that early on a Sunday so we grab an Uber instead ($12.20). We tell the Uber driver we’re trying to catch a bus so he makes sure we find the right place and we pull up just as the bus is loading. Phew!
8:00am - we spend 5 hours in the gardens and take literally hundreds of pictures. We are glad that we get there early as the first few hours are lovely and empty. We get a coffee ($4.60) and lunch later ($25.36). By 1pm it’s getting very crowded so we start heading out. We grab the bus back to the train station.
2:30pm - We decide to go by the Rijksmuseum although not in it because we planning that later. Instead we stop off at the Van Gogh/Rijks gift shop that’s nearby. I get a couple souvenirs, including a foldable bag and a magnet ($20.44). I also get a coffee ($3.64) and my friend gets bubble tea. We sit on the hill on museumplein and people watch. After awhile it starts to get hot (we had dressed for the early morning) so we head back to the hotel to change.
5pm - we decide we are having an evening of drinking. We first grab a drink in the hotel bar because we get free vouchers for each day we choose not to have the room cleaned. Then we have dinner at an udon place, which is delicious. We have tempura, chicken katsu, and dumplings ($15.94). Then because it’s cinco de mayo we decide to have margaritas at the Mexican place near the hotel ($15.15)! Not Dutch but it’s fun. We head down the street to another bar and have a Genever cocktail called an Amsterdam mule ($9.91). I am happy with our choice of hotel because there are so many places in our neighborhood. On the way home we pass a fresh stroopwaffle place and must get in line for one ($5.92).
By then we are exhausted and head to bed. 21k steps total for the day.
Day 5 (Total $80.44)
8am - We have a slightly less early day but have tickets to the Anne Frank house at 9:15. (paid in advance). I eat some yogurt and cheese in the room before we leave. It’s walkable so we decide to head out early and grab coffee on the way. ($3.19). The house is sombering but I’m glad we did it.
11am - After the Anne Frank house we walk to the nearby cheese museum. We sample lots of cheese. I buy one cheese to take home ($15.18). We want to walk to a used bookstore, but decide to have lunch at a cafe on the way. We pick one at random. We split chicken tenders and a goat cheese and apple sandwich and I have a beer. ($15.14). The sandwich is one of the best things we have eaten. We spend about an hour in the bookstore and my friend buys one book.
3pm - We realize we are by the monkey bar (one of the oldest bars in Amsterdam that they told us about on our red light district tour). We stop in for a drink. Ok two drinks. ($12.50). We take the metro back towards the hotel and stop in at a tile store in our neighborhood so I can buy a magnet. I buy magnets from all my trips, but I like non-touristy handmade ones if I can find them, Van Gogh magnet from yesterday aside. I buy one with a windmill on it. ($14). We also stop at the grocery store for more yogurt ($3.05) and for Dutch apple pie at the cafe across the street from the hotel ($4). We get back to the hotel and have another free drink and then rest before dinner.
8pm - We go out to a Dutch restaurant for dinner. I am not super hungry from pie so I just get the snert (pea soup). My friend gets sauerkraut and potatoes. Sorry, but I thought it was pretty bland food in general. ($13.38).
We head home. It’s a lighter day, only 14k steps today.
Day 6 (Total $194.47)
8am - Today is our last full day in Amsterdam. We have planned to spend the day at the Rijksmuseum. We want to get there right when it opens for crowd reasons. We had bought “friend of the museum” passes ahead of time so that we can skip the line. I have a yogurt for breakfast and we walk to a cafe near the museum for coffee and breakfast for my friend ($3.78). The man at the cafe is very nice and we love sitting outside in the sunshine. It’s going to be a warm day!
We spend about 5 hours at the museum. We rush to see the Van goghs and the main gallery where the Rembrandts are, including The Night Watch, which is probably one of the most famous paintings in there. We had downloaded the app so we shared a pair of earbuds and listened to audio notes about many of the works (they have a number you can enter in). We take a break outside for coffee ($7.29 - i pay) and skip the line again. Totally worth it for the more expensive ticket. Around 2 we are hungry and have seen almost everything. We stop in the gift shop and I buy a ring and earring set. ($64.76). I forget to use my 10% discount for being a friend. :( I wanted a necklace too but didn’t like the ones they had there so I’ll try to find a matching piece at home.
2pm - My friend has been trying to get herring for the whole trip so we make it a point to do that. The first place is a bust so we find a little stand that sells it a 15 min walk away. We are determined, so we head there. I don’t eat fish so I get a shawarma on the way, which is terrible (cash). I throw half away. After lunch we get ice cream. I get coffee ice cream, and it makes up for the bad shawarma ($6). We also stop at the peanut butter store, which is allegedly the first in the world, and I pick up 3 small jars for my mom for Mother’s Day ($8.11). We also stop at a thrift store and i buy a dress ($21.59). At some point this day (I think), we also stop at another bookstore, and I buy a few things including a card, a couple gifts, and a book ($39.71).
6pm - After resting a bit, we get two more free drinks at the hotel and then head out to dinner. We pick another Asian place. I get an aperol spritz at dinner and we share appetizers (satay, spring rolls, and bitterballen). We also get coconut ice cream with mango sauce for dessert. All yum! ($33.03).
We get one final drink at a local bar near the hotel ($10.20) and I’m again grateful for our choice of neighborhood. Today has been all walking because our 4-day metro pass ran out yesterday. Total steps 13k.
Day 7 (Total $36.93)
8am - this our last day. The plane was supposed to leave at 1:30pm, but we get a message that it’s delayed an hour. We decide to have a leisurely breakfast. We pick a place that’s at a hotel near our hotel. I get an egg sandwich and my friend gets French toast. We both get coffee. ($15.27)
We decide to leave for the airport around 11. We walk to the central station about 20 min away, and I buy wooden tulips for my mom on the way (cash). We buy train tickets (cash) and get right on a train. We are proud of ourselves for our navigation on this trip.
12pm - we get to the airport and through security. We head to a lounge but there’s a line. We are 40th in line based on our QR code place. We decide not to wait and sit down for lunch at a random bar. I get a sausage and a beer ($20.66). We walk around some and get another message that our flight is delayed more, to 4pm. It’s finally our turn to get into the lounge at 2:30 (2 1/2 hour wait) so we go. I grab some water and a whiskey and coke but we just ate so we are not hungry. Around 3 we head to the gate. Unfortunately when we get there our flight is delayed more and will board at 4. They give us airport vouchers so we buy a book, beer, and some stroopwaffles ($1 after vouchers). We finally board and head off around 5.
On the flight we are served dinner. They have run out of chicken by the time they get to me, but eventually find one and bring it to me later. I have a wine too. I read, watch a movie, and try to sleep a little. We have a whole row of four to ourselves so we can spread out. Dinner is a French bread pizza.
8pm - We land around 7pm (love time zone math!), grab our bags, and get a taxi to my car ($27.09). I drop off my friend and get home at 8:30. I am exhausted but cuddle my cats for about an hour before going to bed. 15k steps today
After trip expenses - $225 cat sitting
Total expenses: $2149.75 (+49k points)
Flight: $255 + 49k points
Lodging: $804.88
Food/drinks: $531.38
Travel: $101.56
Activities: $221.10
Souvenirs/gifts: $ 231.93
Final parting thoughts - I think just over $2k for an almost-week long trip to Europe is a pretty comfortable number for me. I am glad I could use points for most of the flight. We definitely didn't try to cheap out on anything. We spent a lot of money drinking (neither of us drink this much usually). I hope this was helpful to anyone, and I look forward to reactions/comments!
submitted by uninvitedthirteenth to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]
Section One: Bio
Age: 40
Occupation: Lawyer
Hometown: DC
Number of PTO days and how you accrue them: I earn 6 hours of annual leave every two weeks (19 days total a year), and used 36 hours for this trip
Section Two: Assets + Debt
Not super comfortable with a very detailed financial picture, but my NW is ~$750k. No SO.
Section Three: Income
Main Job Monthly Take Home: After all deductions and contributions to savings, my monthly take home is ~$6200
Section Four: Travel Expenses/Diary
Trip planning - My (40F) best friend from college (39F) and I decide to go to Amsterdam on a birthday trip. We both turn 40 in 2024, and we decide to go in May because it's in between our birthdays and because it'll be tulip season in Amsterdam! Neither of us have been. We also haven't travelled together before, despite being friends for 20(!) years, so we are a little apprehensive, although we have spent a lot of time together over the past few years. We decide on a 6 day trip. For purposes of this diary I'm going to list my half of the expenses for things we split. Costs are in US dollars, despite paying using Euros. As a side note, I also am a little over one year post-Gastric Bypass, which has a limited effect on my diet (I try to eat low carb, but you'll see that I mostly fail at this on this trip!).
Pre-trip expenses: $1193.15 total
Flight: $255 + 49k points (from Capital One)
Lodging: $1425.91 (split) - $713
Rijksmuseum: $40.28
Anne Frank House: $24.95
Keukenhof Gardens plus bus ticket: $36.20
Red Light District Tour: $50.52
Day trip to windmills tour: $43.20
Snacks: $30ish
Day 1 (Total $21.17)
Our flight is at 5:30pm, so we planned to be at the airport by 3:30pm, which actually turned out to be 4pm. Uber ($21.17). After checking bags (included in flight price) and getting through security we made it to our gate right as boarding was about to start. No time for food or drinks.
On the plane I eat a snack of roasted chickpeas before dinner, which was chicken cacciatore with mashed potatoes, bread, cheesecake, cheese, and a salad. And two glasses of wine. I save the cheesecake and cheese for later.
My friend and I watch a movie (Poor Things) and then try to sleep. I am reading A Fault In Our Stars, because Amsterdam. I try unsuccessfully to sleep for awhile and then go back to reading. At some point i eat the cheese and cheesecake. Breakfast is a cheese roll, which i eat a couple bites of (OMG does all of Amsterdam have this much cheese?? - spoiler alert… yes it does!). I wish I had slept more.
Day 2 - Even though it feels like a continuation of day one. (Total $207.02)
7am - We land at 7 and then grab the bags and go through customs. Easy peasy. We are exhausted so we grab coffee at the airport before figuring out public transit ($5.10). I take out 60 euro for cash in case we need it ($65). We buy a train ticket to the central station ($6.33) and when we get there we buy a four day unlimited public transit pass ($28.44) so that we don’t have to worry about it later.
We get to the hotel at around 9am. They tell us it will cost $50 to check in early, which we opt not to do. Instead we go get breakfast and coffee at a cafe nearby ($21.20). The hotel tells us that our prepaid amount did not include city taxes, which is another $183 (my half $91.88).
11:30am - Back at the room we decide to rest for 90 minutes. Enough to catch up on sleep but not to waste the day and get more jet-lagged. After a rest we decide to walk around and get a feel for the neighborhood and do some shopping. We find a bookstore, and I buy a copy of my favorite book from high school, Tess of the D’Ubervilles with a beautiful cover and gold edges ($21.46). We also buy fries with truffle, mayo, and Parmesan at a fry shop ($3.32) (that’s all they have and they are delicious!). We also stop a grocery store and pick up a few things including yogurt, cheese, salami, apples, and an energy drink ($13.19). We have some early days planned and nothing seems to open early. It’s very cold and rainy and semi unpleasant.
6pm - We drop stuff off, bundle up, and head off to dinner and a tour of the red light district. We try to find a place that serves Snert, a Dutch pea soup, but strike out. We end up at an Asian place instead. I get chicken satay and a beer and my friend gets Indonesian soup and wine ($16.10). Our red light tour is great, but we are exhausted after and head straight home to bed. 22k steps total
Day 3 (Total $87.24)
7:30am - We have an early day planned, and have to be on a bus near the central station by 8am. I eat a yogurt and energy drink (from grocery store) for breakfast and we take public transit (covered on unlimited card) to the station. We find the right bus and head off!
First stop is the windmills, which are beautiful! I am happy we get there early because we basically have the place to ourselves. My friend gets a coffee and we both use the restroom ($1.08!). Then we head to Edam and do a walking tour there. Next stop is a clog/cheese place, which feels very touristy but they do feed us lots of cheese. I buy a cheese slicer as a souvenir ($10.81). Next stop is another small town where we have lunch at a cafe. We basically pick one at random. My friend gets fried fish and I get a ham and cheese panini and a beer ($17.30). Final stop is an artificial island town called Maarken. We do another walking tour.
2:30pm - we arrive back in Amsterdam and get let off north of the water. I grab a coffee ($3.76). We go up to the Adam lookout and take a ride on the swing off the side of the building ($25.95 for swing plus ticket to lookout). We also grab a drink and sit on a pillow watching the city from very high up, which is lovely ($6.63). On the way out I buy a reusable water bottle at the gift shop ($4.87).
After the lookout we take the tram over to a brewery at a windmill that was recommended to us by several people (including here on Reddit!). Cost was covered by the transit pass. We buy bitterballen and a small bottle of Genever (local whiskey) (paid by my friend) and a flight of beer ($16.84). We are a bit tipsy but enjoying the lovely weather.
6:30 - On the way back toward the hotel the weather turns and it starts raining so we dip into a pub for dinner. I have a burger ($16.12). We are there at 8pm, which is momentous because it’s a day of remembrance and the whole bar is silent for two minutes. It was very interesting to be there during this time.
We are exhausted by this point and go home to bed. 19k steps total for the day.
Day 4 (Total $104.33)
7am - Another early day as we have to be on a bus at 7:30 to go to Keukenhof for the tulips! (paid in advance). We wanted to take the first bus out there because we heard the crowds were bad. I eat a yogurt for breakfast and take a 5 hour energy (no cafes open this early!). We try to take public transit to the train station but didn’t realize that the trains do not run that early on a Sunday so we grab an Uber instead ($12.20). We tell the Uber driver we’re trying to catch a bus so he makes sure we find the right place and we pull up just as the bus is loading. Phew!
8:00am - we spend 5 hours in the gardens and take literally hundreds of pictures. We are glad that we get there early as the first few hours are lovely and empty. We get a coffee ($4.60) and lunch later ($25.36). By 1pm it’s getting very crowded so we start heading out. We grab the bus back to the train station.
2:30pm - We decide to go by the Rijksmuseum although not in it because we planning that later. Instead we stop off at the Van Gogh/Rijks gift shop that’s nearby. I get a couple souvenirs, including a foldable bag and a magnet ($20.44). I also get a coffee ($3.64) and my friend gets bubble tea. We sit on the hill on museumplein and people watch. After awhile it starts to get hot (we had dressed for the early morning) so we head back to the hotel to change.
5pm - we decide we are having an evening of drinking. We first grab a drink in the hotel bar because we get free vouchers for each day we choose not to have the room cleaned. Then we have dinner at an udon place, which is delicious. We have tempura, chicken katsu, and dumplings ($15.94). Then because it’s cinco de mayo we decide to have margaritas at the Mexican place near the hotel ($15.15)! Not Dutch but it’s fun. We head down the street to another bar and have a Genever cocktail called an Amsterdam mule ($9.91). I am happy with our choice of hotel because there are so many places in our neighborhood. On the way home we pass a fresh stroopwaffle place and must get in line for one ($5.92).
By then we are exhausted and head to bed. 21k steps total for the day.
Day 5 (Total $80.44)
8am - We have a slightly less early day but have tickets to the Anne Frank house at 9:15. (paid in advance). I eat some yogurt and cheese in the room before we leave. It’s walkable so we decide to head out early and grab coffee on the way. ($3.19). The house is sombering but I’m glad we did it.
11am - After the Anne Frank house we walk to the nearby cheese museum. We sample lots of cheese. I buy one cheese to take home ($15.18). We want to walk to a used bookstore, but decide to have lunch at a cafe on the way. We pick one at random. We split chicken tenders and a goat cheese and apple sandwich and I have a beer. ($15.14). The sandwich is one of the best things we have eaten. We spend about an hour in the bookstore and my friend buys one book.
3pm - We realize we are by the monkey bar (one of the oldest bars in Amsterdam that they told us about on our red light district tour). We stop in for a drink. Ok two drinks. ($12.50). We take the metro back towards the hotel and stop in at a tile store in our neighborhood so I can buy a magnet. I buy magnets from all my trips, but I like non-touristy handmade ones if I can find them, Van Gogh magnet from yesterday aside. I buy one with a windmill on it. ($14). We also stop at the grocery store for more yogurt ($3.05) and for Dutch apple pie at the cafe across the street from the hotel ($4). We get back to the hotel and have another free drink and then rest before dinner.
8pm - We go out to a Dutch restaurant for dinner. I am not super hungry from pie so I just get the snert (pea soup). My friend gets sauerkraut and potatoes. Sorry, but I thought it was pretty bland food in general. ($13.38).
We head home. It’s a lighter day, only 14k steps today.
Day 6 (Total $194.47)
8am - Today is our last full day in Amsterdam. We have planned to spend the day at the Rijksmuseum. We want to get there right when it opens for crowd reasons. We had bought “friend of the museum” passes ahead of time so that we can skip the line. I have a yogurt for breakfast and we walk to a cafe near the museum for coffee and breakfast for my friend ($3.78). The man at the cafe is very nice and we love sitting outside in the sunshine. It’s going to be a warm day!
We spend about 5 hours at the museum. We rush to see the Van goghs and the main gallery where the Rembrandts are, including The Night Watch, which is probably one of the most famous paintings in there. We had downloaded the app so we shared a pair of earbuds and listened to audio notes about many of the works (they have a number you can enter in). We take a break outside for coffee ($7.29 - i pay) and skip the line again. Totally worth it for the more expensive ticket. Around 2 we are hungry and have seen almost everything. We stop in the gift shop and I buy a ring and earring set. ($64.76). I forget to use my 10% discount for being a friend. :( I wanted a necklace too but didn’t like the ones they had there so I’ll try to find a matching piece at home.
2pm - My friend has been trying to get herring for the whole trip so we make it a point to do that. The first place is a bust so we find a little stand that sells it a 15 min walk away. We are determined, so we head there. I don’t eat fish so I get a shawarma on the way, which is terrible (cash). I throw half away. After lunch we get ice cream. I get coffee ice cream, and it makes up for the bad shawarma ($6). We also stop at the peanut butter store, which is allegedly the first in the world, and I pick up 3 small jars for my mom for Mother’s Day ($8.11). We also stop at a thrift store and i buy a dress ($21.59). At some point this day (I think), we also stop at another bookstore, and I buy a few things including a card, a couple gifts, and a book ($39.71).
6pm - After resting a bit, we get two more free drinks at the hotel and then head out to dinner. We pick another Asian place. I get an aperol spritz at dinner and we share appetizers (satay, spring rolls, and bitterballen). We also get coconut ice cream with mango sauce for dessert. All yum! ($33.03).
We get one final drink at a local bar near the hotel ($10.20) and I’m again grateful for our choice of neighborhood. Today has been all walking because our 4-day metro pass ran out yesterday. Total steps 13k.
Day 7 (Total $36.93)
8am - this our last day. The plane was supposed to leave at 1:30pm, but we get a message that it’s delayed an hour. We decide to have a leisurely breakfast. We pick a place that’s at a hotel near our hotel. I get an egg sandwich and my friend gets French toast. We both get coffee. ($15.27)
We decide to leave for the airport around 11. We walk to the central station about 20 min away, and I buy wooden tulips for my mom on the way (cash). We buy train tickets (cash) and get right on a train. We are proud of ourselves for our navigation on this trip.
12pm - we get to the airport and through security. We head to a lounge but there’s a line. We are 40th in line based on our QR code place. We decide not to wait and sit down for lunch at a random bar. I get a sausage and a beer ($20.66). We walk around some and get another message that our flight is delayed more, to 4pm. It’s finally our turn to get into the lounge at 2:30 (2 1/2 hour wait) so we go. I grab some water and a whiskey and coke but we just ate so we are not hungry. Around 3 we head to the gate. Unfortunately when we get there our flight is delayed more and will board at 4. They give us airport vouchers so we buy a book, beer, and some stroopwaffles ($1 after vouchers). We finally board and head off around 5.
On the flight we are served dinner. They have run out of chicken by the time they get to me, but eventually find one and bring it to me later. I have a wine too. I read, watch a movie, and try to sleep a little. We have a whole row of four to ourselves so we can spread out. Dinner is a French bread pizza.
8pm - We land around 7pm (love time zone math!), grab our bags, and get a taxi to my car ($27.09). I drop off my friend and get home at 8:30. I am exhausted but cuddle my cats for about an hour before going to bed. 15k steps today
After trip expenses - $225 cat sitting
Total expenses: $2149.75 (+49k points)
Flight: $255 + 49k points
Lodging: $804.88
Food/drinks: $531.38
Travel: $101.56
Activities: $221.10
Souvenirs/gifts: $ 231.93
Final parting thoughts - I think just over $2k for an almost-week long trip to Europe is a pretty comfortable number for me. I am glad I could use points for most of the flight. We definitely didn't try to cheap out on anything. We spent a lot of money drinking (neither of us drink this much usually). I hope this was helpful to anyone, and I look forward to reactions/comments!
2024.05.14 22:40 ConfidentLeg7645 Japan (Honshu) 3 Week Spring Trip Report. A perfect trip (almost)!.
LONG POST WARNING
Hello everyone,
My partner (24F) and I (25M) returned home from our 3-week Japan trip last week and due to us using this sub a lot during our planning I thought it would be helpful for other current planners to upload a trip report.
Our main interests are Japanese traditions and history, street style/culture, and food so keep reading if these interests are mutual. Read to the bottom to see how much we spent plus some tips and disappointments.
Prelude
We were caught up in the madness at Dubai airport during our layover. Long story short; Airport (and the rest of Dubai) flooded and caused all the flights to be cancelled. What was meant to be a 5-hour layover turned into a torturous 36 hour wait. No staff to be seen, crowds of people arguing, fighting, and crying. We queued for 12 hours to get a new boarding pass for the next flight to Japan. We were meant to fly to Haneda but settled for Narita as we needed to get out of that place as soon as possible but still ended up missing our first day in Tokyo (should have had 5 days). We can’t complain too much as some of the people I spoke to on emirates were in the airport for up to 5 days before getting a flight back to their departure destination. Oh, and our baggage was missing with us only receiving our checked in bags on day 19. Cheers Emirates.
Day 1
Arrived in Shinjuku around midnight. We went straight to Don Quiojte to buy some replacement cosmetics and clothes. The combination of no good-quality sleep for 48 hours and the stimulating nature of the store was very intense! We then started to walk back towards the hostel and passed a Ichiran, so dropped in for some 2am ramen. Not the best ramen I’ve ever had but was still very good for the price.
Steps: 21,643 (includes some airport steps)
Day 2
Woke up and ate the free breakfast at the hostel (this turned out to be a really good money saver for the whole trip as we are not huge eaters in the morning anyway, but it was good to get something light in us before a long day walking). We then walked through the Shinjuku Gyoen Garden – saw some late blooming cheery blossoms and overall, it was a really beautiful botanical garden.
The next stop was Meji Shrine and a walk through Yoyogi park. The shrine was cool to see, especially as it was our first one in Japan. Saw a middle-aged man wearing denim hotpants so short that his balls were hanging out?!?!
Walked to Shibuya to see the scramble. This was cool but also felt it was a bit underwhelming at ground level but the view from Shibuya station walkway was wicked. Lunch was at a conveyor belt sushi place on the top floor of this department store right next to the scramble. This would be higher than average quality sushi in Europe, so it blew our minds that it was available on the top floor of a department store and for so cheap.
Shimokitazawa – We picked up some bargains at 2nd street and I treated myself some Japanese jeans from a small Demin shop called Bears. The guy in the shop was super helpful and friendly and even tailored the trousers to exactly my size.
In the evening, we first had a poke around Golden Gai and then headed towards Shibuya and stopped in a cool bar where the owner was mixing vinyl while he mixed your drinks (think it was called Q Bar).
We had previously bought tickets to a gig at Circus for one of my fav rappers who I’d been wanting to see for a while. Also really enjoyed seeing the local Japanese warm up acts. Stayed until 5am and then go the train straight to the Tsukiji outer fish market. Was there way too early and had to wait roughly an hour for thing to open. Went to chill by a bench for a bit and by the time we went back to the market it was rammed! Went to bed around 8:30am.
Steps: 32,159
Day 3
We woke up at 2:30pm, got ready, and headed to the Bunkyo civic centre for the free observation deck. We heard it wasn’t meant to be the best Tokyo skyline view but for a free attraction we thought it was very good! Jimbocho book town was also very cool to see. We had a peak into a couple adult movie/magazine stores where I don’t think the owner appreciated our presence as western tourists.
In the evening, we first went for Ramen at Motenashi Kuraki in Asakusa Bashi. Honestly probably the best Ramen I’ve had to date. I ordered the Black Pepper Shio special, and it blew my mind. Even though the staff didn’t speak English they were very accommodating for my partner who doesn’t eat meat (pescetarian but will brave a meaty broth).
We then had a stroll around Akihabara and played some dance mat games in the arcades before heading back for an earlyish night.
Steps: 28,680
Day 4
I couldn’t sleep so got up around 3am and did some admin stuff to try and get our bags back to us ASAP. Chatted to people in the hostel for a few hours.
We arrived at Senso-ji for around 8am. Wasn’t too busy at this time and the temple was impressive. Went for a coffee down the road and had a chill for about an hour before heading into Asakusa. Got admission to the Drum museum which was wicked. Only 400 yen each and had the whole place to ourselves to smack some big fucking drums and make as much noise as we wanted.
We then started to head towards Ueno but made a slight detour to Kappabashi Dougu street to peruse the Japanese chef knives and other cookware. Grabbed lunch from a 7/11 and went and sat in Ueno park which was super busy. There was some food market event on which loads of food stalls had set up. There was also a stage with some J-pop performers and people dressed as ninjas dancing in the crowd. Weird to say the least. By mid-afternoon we were pretty tired so headed back to the hostel for a nap.
In the evening, we headed down to Harajuku and stopped by Big Love records. My partner is really into vinyl, so this was definitely a highlight for her. She picked up Wu Tang 36 chambers in case you were wondering. We then went for food at Afuri as my partner wanted to try the Vegan ramen to which she said it was ok but nothing special. My cold dipping noodle dish was very tasty, however. We then stumbled across this vinyl listening bar called Bar Music on the 5th floor of this pokey building on the outskirts of Shibuya for a few drinks before bed. There was such a good vibe in there and the cocktails were super good for the price. If you’re looking for a romantic spot, then this is the place to go.
Steps: 31,818
Day 5
Today we headed to Kyoto on the shinkansen around midday after a slow morning chilling in and around the hostel and catching up on some sleep. Checked in to the hostel and had a walk around downtown Kyoto, stopping at 2nd Street to buy some more clothes.
In the evening, we headed to Kodai-Ji to see the shrine lit up at night. We couldn’t believe how few people were there as it was stunning and truly magical place to be at night. It also has a bamboo grove (much better than Arashiyama, see below). The bar for Kyoto shrines/temples had been set very high.
Walked down Pontocho alley and stopped at a yakitori restaurant which was just ok. We knew it was going to be average when we looked around the restaurant and it was just western tourists dining.
Steps: 25,255
Day 6
First thing in the morning we rented bikes and cycled across the city to Arashiyama. Parked the bikes at the train station and walked up through Arashiyama. We were expecting it to be busy but there were so many people it was almost impossible to move. Had a look around the bamboo grove and was slightly underwhelmed after our visit to Kodai-Ji so we took the tram and then bus up to Kosan-Ji. This was very much worth the 45-minute journey as there was only one other group there and the temple nestled between the trees overlooking the river was breath-taking. On the whole, Arashiyama was way too packed during peak times to enjoy and with everything else Kyoto has to offer we wouldn’t say it was a must see.
We then picked up the bikes from the train station and cycled back across Kyoto taking the long route to explore and get lost. Once we dropped off the bikes, we went for another explore and this time went into WeGo for more clothes shopping. At this point we’d pretty much matched the amount of clothing that we had packed in our checked-in luggage that was still stuck in Dubai.
After a nap we walked towards the metro and stopped at a Katsu restaurant as we wanted to try something different, and it was pretty good. For the price of 1300 yen each we got so much food/sake and left stuffed.
Fushimi Inari in the evening. Like Kodai-Ji, we would recommend visiting Fushimi Inari at night. Firstly, to help avoid the crowds (we got there around 9pm and there was hardly anybody there) and secondly as seeing it lit up at night is a nice change. It was however slightly creepy at night, especially as it was lightly raining. My partner started to get a bit scared once we saw the signs to be careful of the wild boar and monkeys haha. We didn’t make it to the top of Mt Inari as the rain started to get heavy but still very much enjoyed walking through the hundreds of tori gates, stopping off at the shrines and soaking up the history.
Steps: 23,686
Day 7
Today was a late start as even after 8 hours sleep the 25k plus steps a day was starting to catch up with us.
We took the metro to Shimogamo Shrine in north Kyoto. It was very peaceful and quiet however temple fatigue had definitely set in at this point. We then walked through Kyoto to the beginning of Philosophers path. We had seen on this sub that people recommend skipping it unless its Sakura season however we disagree. The path along the river is so pretty and atmospheric, along with the fish gently swimming along in the river.
Kyoto Hand Crafts Centre – if you have the money then this is a great place to pick up souvenirs.
Pre-booked Sushi Iwa for a 15 course Omakase. The food was amazing, but it came to an eye watering 28k yen each. The difference for our western palettes between mid-range sushi and exceptional sushi is negligible. Nonetheless it was a good experience and I’m glad that we did it.
Steps: 23,751
Day 8
Today was an empty day in terms of things we wanted to do, so used it to walk the city and explore.
We checked out the Nishiki market and ate various fried foods on sticks which were all pretty tasty. We then walked northwards, stopping for coffee before reaching the imperial palace. By this point we were very much bored of temples and structures of similar architecture, but we actually ended up enjoying walking the palace grounds and seeing the buildings more than we thought and would recommend it to those who find themselves in north Kyoto.
A leisurely walk back down towards downtown Kyoto, stopping off at a wicked standing soba joint. Forgotten the name but their curry soba was delicious.
Chao Chao gyozas (only veggie gyoza place we could find) for our evening meal before a night cap at the bar across the road before bed.
Steps: 23,304
Day 9
Shinkansen to Hiroshima arriving around 11am.
Checked into hostel and then went straight to the A-dome, peace memorial and museum. We thought the museum was very moving and captured the horror of the events that unfolded very well. A must see for sure.
Okonomiyaki at Okonomimura and then some vintage clothes shopping in Hondori.
Went back out for food in the evening and ended up getting Okonomiyaki again. This time it we enjoyed it a lot more than we did at lunch (probably because we got it covered in cheese). There are a few streets by Hiroshima station with lots of bars and restaurants on top of each other, much like Golden Gai in Shinjuku, however they are not super touristy and has a more laid-back feel to them.
We then went to some bars in the city centre. The best one we stumbled across was called Tropical Bar Revolucion. It was on the 8th floor and the smoking balcony overlooked the city. Plus, the beers in there tasted so good and I’m not sure why.
Steps: 23,299
Day 10
A hungover morning. Headed to the Hiroshima National Gardens. Going to some gardens is my go-to hangover activity as its low effort, relaxing, and feels productive. These gardens in particular were great and we really appreciated the signs explaining the history behind the space. Overall, we enjoyed this more than the national gardens in Shinjuku.
Public baths near Dobashi in the afternoon. If you’re feeling brave enough to get your kit off in front of 10s of strangers, then this is a good experience. Male and female baths are separate. Can’t go wrong for 400 yen.
Went for a drink at Bar Pretty and then realised the effect of golden week on trying to get a table walking into a restaurant. Walked around for about an hour with no success so settled for food from a department store food court. Sounds miserable but the food was pretty good for the price, and it was busy in there, so it still had an atmosphere.
Steps: 29,487
Day 11
Miyajima Day. Took the ferry to the island arriving at 10:30am. The Ryokan staff met us at the port and collected our bags to take back to the hotel.
Had a mooch around the port area before doing the hike up Mt Misen. The climb to the top on a hot day is not to be underestimated. Sweating buckets, but the route and the view from the top was amazing and one of the standout highlights of the whole trip.
After descending Mt Misen, we bought some beers, oysters and, ice cream and sat along the beach wall and chilled in the sun for a couple hours. The hotel staff then picked us up from the ferry terminal, we checked in and went straight to the Onsen for a couple hours before dinner. Dinner was a traditional kaiseki meal (with more courses than I can remember) served in the banquet hall with the other guests.
While the staff converted our retro ryokan room and set up the futons we had a few more beers before bed.
Steps: 20,803
Day 12
Today we had a chilled morning on the island, having a stroll and stopping for some coffees. We then took the ferry back to Hiroshima, stopping for Okonomiyaki one more time, before taking the shinkansen to Osaka.
Checked into our hostel near Namba and went out for a walk around 8pm. When looking for somewhere to eat we walked past a sign for a vegetarian Indian restaurant called Shama. After nearly two weeks of pure Japanese food we were craving some variety so decided to head in. Located on the basement floor of a particularly run down looking building the restaurant was not the most glamorous. Barely enough space for 10 people, it was hot in there. A constant stream of people was coming in and out of the restaurant and we were lucky enough to walk in when there were two spaces available. From sitting down at the table to receiving our food we waited just under an hour. This would be enough to put most people off but fuck me the food was good when it did finally arrive. We got a selection of 4 different curries, naan breads and samosa. We left stuffed. If you’re in the area this is definitely a place worth checking out.
Steps: 25,502
Day 13
Our first stop of the day was the Umeda Sky Building. Not suitable if you are scared of heights as the glass elevator made our stomachs drop slightly. The views were impressive but we thought the price was a bit steep at 1500 yen each.
We then spent the afternoon wondering about near Namba and Shinsujibashi dropping into shops and picking up some food.
For dinner we made a reservation for a Mexican restaurant near Dotonbori. Massive margheritas, nachos and enchiladas. The food was great, and it shows by how busy the place was still at 10pm. It had been open since the late 70’s with the décor to match and it had a great atmosphere.
Steps: 27,290
Day 14
Checked out Tsuruhashi and Korea Town. Loved the market – dimly lit maze of numerous food and clothing vendors. Stopped to have some Korean stew and pancakes and it was delicious. One of the best meals of the trip.
Shinsekai in the evening. What I can describe as the armpit of Osaka. We loved it. Dirty? Yes. Rowdy? Yes. Rough around the edges with a red light district to top it all off. We had Kushikatsu to finish the evening off. Fried stuff on a stick – of course it going to be tasty but it wasn’t exactly flavour town.
Steps: 23,777
Day 15
Took the train to Minoh and hiked up the trail to see the waterfall. Hike was easy in comparison to Mt Misen and the waterfall was very cool to see. Had a wonder around Minoh stopping for some lunch at a Ramen bar.
We went to the Team lab botanical gardens in the evening. It was very awe inspiring seeing all the installations lit up.
After sampling Japanese McDonalds (I had a burger where the buns were made out of rice) we went for some drinks at Zerro. We liked this bar a lot, the guys working there were very friendly and it had a good vibe.
We then sat and watched the skaters at triangle park with some beers from the konbini before going to see Dj Masda at Circus until around 4am. This area of Osaka was such a vibe and came back here a few times over our 6 days here. Overall, a very fun evening.
Steps: 26,130
Day 16
Woke up chronically hungover but powered on and went to see a baseball game. You’re allowed to bring food and drink into the stadium (as long as alcohol is in plastic/paper cups) so we grabbed some beers and snacks from family mart. We had no idea what was happening but the atmosphere was electric and we enjoyed getting pissed and cheering.
Had a nap and then went to Hafez for middle eastern food. The food was good but not amazing, nothing in comparison to my local middle eastern restaurant back home. Chilled around the Namba park/Big step area. Loved this area so much, we are big into street fashion and culture so this place really ticked some boxes. Lots of skaters and street wear stores concentrated around here. Got an early night watching Battle Royale back at the hostel.
Steps: 22,065
Day 17
Today we went to the Umeda area. Popped into some shopping centres and had Omurice for lunch. It was tasty but not something I will crave when back home. Good experience trying it though. We then walked through Yodoyobashi along the rivers and got gelato and sat in the rose garden. The sun was beating down and we enjoyed just chilling in the sun eating our ice cream.
Compufunk Records were holding a party in their store. Decent gaff with some very welcoming and kind people to party with until the early hours.
Steps: 21,267
Day 18
We reluctantly left Osaka for Hakone today. Very sad to go but onwards to the next adventure. Took the shinkansen to Odawara and then the Hakone Tozan Train to Gora. Checked into our Ryokan and relaxed in the Onsen for a few hours.
Went for a walk around Gora and had dinner at the Ryokan before watching Predator in bed.
Steps: 16,926
Day 19
Today we did the Hakone Loop, starting early in Gora.
Started with the Open-air museum and it was great. We loved the installation and ended up spending 3 hours slowly making our way round. Got some cool photos as well for the gram.
Ropeway to Lake Ashi. This was absolutely terrifying. You have to swap cable cars 3 times on the way over and the warnings of the service being suspended due to the wind was announced at each stop. I’m not going to ruin the surprise, but one section made me literally freeze in terror due to the winds outside so try to do it on a calm weather day.
We then took the pirate boat (bit underwhelming) across the Lake and stopped for some soba noodles and a wander around. Unfortunately it was way too cloudy to even get a chance at seeing Mt Fuji.
Train to Kamakura and checked into our super cute traditional hostel near the beach.
Dinner at an Izakaya from the hostel owners recommendation. Food great and beers slipped down a treat. First time I tried Yuzu Kosho as well – I’m now addicted to the stuff and literally cover all my food with it.
Steps: 19,512
Day 20
A slow start to the morning. Weather was pretty bad but we still managed to hit all the main sights in Kamakura. Big Buddha was a refreshing sight from the temples. Did some shopping up Komachi Dori. Highlight of the day was Hukokaji temple. It was so peaceful and zen in the rain with its very own matcha tea ceremony backdropped by bamboo forest. This turned out to be our second favourite temple/shrine we visited, just being beaten by Kodaji.
In the evening we went for Sushi at a conveyor belt place. Figured this would probably be my last Japanese sushi of the trip so devoured 7000 yen worth of sushi and beer. Went back to the hostel and invited some of the other guests to drink with us. The owner of the hostel had some bayberry homebrew, so we got stuck into that.
Steps: 20,494
Day 21
Enoshima Island is just a 25 min train from Kamakura. Started off the day by walking to the top of the island to get French toast and a beer with a lovely view across the bay. We then headed up the Sea candle to check out the observation deck, still the illusive Mt Fuji hides behind the clouds.
We then bought admission to the caves beneath the island which was pretty cool. I won’t ruin the surprise but there’s something waiting for you at the end of one of the caves.
Had an explore around the rockpools near the caves and took some cool photos. We then had a pizza with fish on which was pretty crazy. Walked around the island a little bit more and I picked up some more Japanese denim which wasn’t the cheapest but the quality of the trousers are great and will last me a lifetime.
Back to Tokyo in the evening.
Went for Izakaya around Asakusa and popped into a couple bars. One was called Not Suspicious and the whole bar was covered in handwritten notes by patrons. Very touristy but quite cool at the same time. Our favourite was a drawing of Mario saying It’s a Me Muthafucka.
Steps: 25,903
Day 22
First stop was Don Quiojte to pick up some Yuzu Kosho (if you know you know) and weird flavoured KitKats.
Kappabashi Dougu street to purchase a fine Japanese carbon stell Santoku. Honestly in love with this knife so much. The people at the store were very happy to hear exactly what I was looking for and even let me try before you buy on some daikon radish.
While in Asakusa I had to return to the place where I put the best thing in my mouth in Japan. Motenashi Kuroki. Switched it up this time and had their classic Shio ramen plus the duck rice as a side. Honestly this place is amazing, and you have to go there if you have time. They aren’t veggie/pescy friendly so my partner went for one last round of sushi round the corner. We met up at a massage chair parlour and spent 30 mins relaxing in the chairs.
We had a bright idea to watch the sunset one last time so headed over to the rooftop park on a department store in Shibuya. Sipping on an ice cold Kirin, the sun slowly dropped behind the distant mountains and we knew our trip had come to an end. How symbolic.
Flight at 11pm from Haneda.
Steps: 23,187
On reflection:
I honestly think this trip was almost perfect in terms of hitting our interests and travel style. There was a good balance of doing the typical first time visit to Japan sights and activities while still exploring and seeing what we came across in the moment.
It hard to pinpoint exact highlights of the trip as everywhere we visited had so much going for it in different ways. We loved the rugged and trendy vibe to Osaka, and I think this would be the city I would most want to live in for a considerable amount of time (If I had to choose). Miyajima was also stunning and a great overnight trip with the Ryokan experience. We also underestimated how much we would enjoy Kamakura with its laid-back surfer vibe and access to Enoshima Island.
One random memorable moment that has stuck with me was when we landed at Narita airport, we took the limo bus to Shinjuku. As the driver pulled away, all the staff at the station turned and bowed in unison. It felt so special to first observe a culture totally opposite to the one I grew up with and was at this point I knew I had embarked on the trip of a lifetime.
If I could go back and change something I would probably miss out Hakone and do an extra day in one of the major cities. This isn’t because we didn’t enjoy Hakone, but we feel like it’s a place that needs more time to soak in what’s going on around you (plus the weather was bad when we were there). This being said the Open-Air Museum was amazing and we enjoyed it more than the Teamlab botanical gardens so the trip up the mountains was worth it just for that.
So, how much did we spend per person (not inc flights)?
Accommodation - £765pp
Given that we spent a couple nights in Ryokans raising the average price slightly, we were pretty happy with the accommodation costs. We stayed in a mix of private room and shared dorm hostels and pretty much all of them were spot on. Travelling as a couple meant that anywhere with a private room split the price between 2. The only hostel we didn’t like was the one in Hiroshima, there wasn’t anything in particularly wrong with it, there was just a really bad vibe from the owner and other guests.
Transport - £344pp
This includes shinkansen to and from all the major cities as well as our suica top ups for metros and buses. Unless your itinerary is something like 3 days Tokyo, 2 days Osaka 2 days Kyoto then there really isn’t any point getting the JR pass now that the price has increased.
Activities – £280pp
It is hard to give an exact amount for activities and food as 1) I didn’t track what we spent our cash on and 2) my partner and I would take in turns paying for things like temple admission. That being said I’ve allocated 25% of the cash we spent to activities such as temple admission. Activities includes our baseball tickets plus club entries as well as temple and museum admissions etc.
Food – £962pp
As above, its hard to give an exact amount for food. On the whole we tried to eat cheap with possible, especially at the start of our trip. There were a few expensive meals peppered in plus we ate out twice a day towards the end of our trip as we realised we were under budget.
The total is a bit skewed as this includes all the alcohol we bought in bars as well as the konbini trips for beers and cigarettes. I estimate that booze accounts for around a third of the total per person. If you would like to do Japan on a budget, reducing the booze will make a big difference.
Shopping/Souvenirs/Gifts – £607 (just me)
We went hard with the shopping. We didn’t actually receive our checked in luggage until day 19 so we had to buy all new clothes and cosmetics. If this wasn’t the case, then I don’t think I would have spent so much (airline is comping us for the additional clothing bought anyway). I also bought a fairly expensive chef knife and Japanese denim pieces, plus lots of gifts for friends and family. Obviously, this number could theoretically 0 if you are on a serious budget and did no shopping but I really underestimated Japanese shopping, especially thrifting. Also, given our cheap choices when it came to accommodation we could afford to splurge. However just to note my partner spent less than half than I did on shopping.
Total: £2958 (582,628 yen at time of writing)
I kept within my budget of £3000. I definitely got a bit frivolous with the cash in the last few days or so, if being as careful as I was towards the start of the trip, I think the total would be closer to £2500.
Disappointments
Takoyaki. We thought it was going to be all about the octopus but were disappointed with our balls of sloppy goo surrounding tiny chewy pieces of octopus. We tried it twice and couldn’t get behind it. Sorry Takoyaki fans.
Arashiyama. Way too busy, especially around the main station and bamboo grove. If it’s the bamboo you are going to see, then Kodaji is a much better spot.
Dotonburi. Albeit we were there in golden week, and it was pretty busy. However, I get the feeling this area has fallen to the past its golden days title and has become a bit of a cash cow for places selling spiralised potatoes on a stick. The area around Namba park was a better option for us.
Tips
Konbini. Absolute life saver for snacks and drinks on the go. The food quality for a convenience store is higher than most other countries so we had no problem with grabbing a meal from one to help keep within our budget.
Don’t over pack – even though we didn’t get our checked in bags, I still packed light so had plenty of space to bring stuff back. Emirates give you your allowance by weight rather than number of baggage so we could check in additional bags on the way back.
Don’t be scared of hostels. If you don’t want to brave the shared dorms, then most hostels offer private rooms with just the shower and toilet shared. Obviously, it’s cheaper if there are two people sharing a room.
Don’t stress about cash. Most places take debit/credit card and if they don’t, you’re never more than 5 minutes from a konbini ATM.
For us, golden week didn’t seem that big of an issue. No problems booking shinkansen around GW. We spent most of GW in Osaka, as such it was going to be busy anyway so maybe we didn’t see much of a difference from normal numbers in the spring.
submitted by ConfidentLeg7645 to JapanTravel [link] [comments]
Hello everyone,
My partner (24F) and I (25M) returned home from our 3-week Japan trip last week and due to us using this sub a lot during our planning I thought it would be helpful for other current planners to upload a trip report.
Our main interests are Japanese traditions and history, street style/culture, and food so keep reading if these interests are mutual. Read to the bottom to see how much we spent plus some tips and disappointments.
Prelude
We were caught up in the madness at Dubai airport during our layover. Long story short; Airport (and the rest of Dubai) flooded and caused all the flights to be cancelled. What was meant to be a 5-hour layover turned into a torturous 36 hour wait. No staff to be seen, crowds of people arguing, fighting, and crying. We queued for 12 hours to get a new boarding pass for the next flight to Japan. We were meant to fly to Haneda but settled for Narita as we needed to get out of that place as soon as possible but still ended up missing our first day in Tokyo (should have had 5 days). We can’t complain too much as some of the people I spoke to on emirates were in the airport for up to 5 days before getting a flight back to their departure destination. Oh, and our baggage was missing with us only receiving our checked in bags on day 19. Cheers Emirates.
Day 1
Arrived in Shinjuku around midnight. We went straight to Don Quiojte to buy some replacement cosmetics and clothes. The combination of no good-quality sleep for 48 hours and the stimulating nature of the store was very intense! We then started to walk back towards the hostel and passed a Ichiran, so dropped in for some 2am ramen. Not the best ramen I’ve ever had but was still very good for the price.
Steps: 21,643 (includes some airport steps)
Day 2
Woke up and ate the free breakfast at the hostel (this turned out to be a really good money saver for the whole trip as we are not huge eaters in the morning anyway, but it was good to get something light in us before a long day walking). We then walked through the Shinjuku Gyoen Garden – saw some late blooming cheery blossoms and overall, it was a really beautiful botanical garden.
The next stop was Meji Shrine and a walk through Yoyogi park. The shrine was cool to see, especially as it was our first one in Japan. Saw a middle-aged man wearing denim hotpants so short that his balls were hanging out?!?!
Walked to Shibuya to see the scramble. This was cool but also felt it was a bit underwhelming at ground level but the view from Shibuya station walkway was wicked. Lunch was at a conveyor belt sushi place on the top floor of this department store right next to the scramble. This would be higher than average quality sushi in Europe, so it blew our minds that it was available on the top floor of a department store and for so cheap.
Shimokitazawa – We picked up some bargains at 2nd street and I treated myself some Japanese jeans from a small Demin shop called Bears. The guy in the shop was super helpful and friendly and even tailored the trousers to exactly my size.
In the evening, we first had a poke around Golden Gai and then headed towards Shibuya and stopped in a cool bar where the owner was mixing vinyl while he mixed your drinks (think it was called Q Bar).
We had previously bought tickets to a gig at Circus for one of my fav rappers who I’d been wanting to see for a while. Also really enjoyed seeing the local Japanese warm up acts. Stayed until 5am and then go the train straight to the Tsukiji outer fish market. Was there way too early and had to wait roughly an hour for thing to open. Went to chill by a bench for a bit and by the time we went back to the market it was rammed! Went to bed around 8:30am.
Steps: 32,159
Day 3
We woke up at 2:30pm, got ready, and headed to the Bunkyo civic centre for the free observation deck. We heard it wasn’t meant to be the best Tokyo skyline view but for a free attraction we thought it was very good! Jimbocho book town was also very cool to see. We had a peak into a couple adult movie/magazine stores where I don’t think the owner appreciated our presence as western tourists.
In the evening, we first went for Ramen at Motenashi Kuraki in Asakusa Bashi. Honestly probably the best Ramen I’ve had to date. I ordered the Black Pepper Shio special, and it blew my mind. Even though the staff didn’t speak English they were very accommodating for my partner who doesn’t eat meat (pescetarian but will brave a meaty broth).
We then had a stroll around Akihabara and played some dance mat games in the arcades before heading back for an earlyish night.
Steps: 28,680
Day 4
I couldn’t sleep so got up around 3am and did some admin stuff to try and get our bags back to us ASAP. Chatted to people in the hostel for a few hours.
We arrived at Senso-ji for around 8am. Wasn’t too busy at this time and the temple was impressive. Went for a coffee down the road and had a chill for about an hour before heading into Asakusa. Got admission to the Drum museum which was wicked. Only 400 yen each and had the whole place to ourselves to smack some big fucking drums and make as much noise as we wanted.
We then started to head towards Ueno but made a slight detour to Kappabashi Dougu street to peruse the Japanese chef knives and other cookware. Grabbed lunch from a 7/11 and went and sat in Ueno park which was super busy. There was some food market event on which loads of food stalls had set up. There was also a stage with some J-pop performers and people dressed as ninjas dancing in the crowd. Weird to say the least. By mid-afternoon we were pretty tired so headed back to the hostel for a nap.
In the evening, we headed down to Harajuku and stopped by Big Love records. My partner is really into vinyl, so this was definitely a highlight for her. She picked up Wu Tang 36 chambers in case you were wondering. We then went for food at Afuri as my partner wanted to try the Vegan ramen to which she said it was ok but nothing special. My cold dipping noodle dish was very tasty, however. We then stumbled across this vinyl listening bar called Bar Music on the 5th floor of this pokey building on the outskirts of Shibuya for a few drinks before bed. There was such a good vibe in there and the cocktails were super good for the price. If you’re looking for a romantic spot, then this is the place to go.
Steps: 31,818
Day 5
Today we headed to Kyoto on the shinkansen around midday after a slow morning chilling in and around the hostel and catching up on some sleep. Checked in to the hostel and had a walk around downtown Kyoto, stopping at 2nd Street to buy some more clothes.
In the evening, we headed to Kodai-Ji to see the shrine lit up at night. We couldn’t believe how few people were there as it was stunning and truly magical place to be at night. It also has a bamboo grove (much better than Arashiyama, see below). The bar for Kyoto shrines/temples had been set very high.
Walked down Pontocho alley and stopped at a yakitori restaurant which was just ok. We knew it was going to be average when we looked around the restaurant and it was just western tourists dining.
Steps: 25,255
Day 6
First thing in the morning we rented bikes and cycled across the city to Arashiyama. Parked the bikes at the train station and walked up through Arashiyama. We were expecting it to be busy but there were so many people it was almost impossible to move. Had a look around the bamboo grove and was slightly underwhelmed after our visit to Kodai-Ji so we took the tram and then bus up to Kosan-Ji. This was very much worth the 45-minute journey as there was only one other group there and the temple nestled between the trees overlooking the river was breath-taking. On the whole, Arashiyama was way too packed during peak times to enjoy and with everything else Kyoto has to offer we wouldn’t say it was a must see.
We then picked up the bikes from the train station and cycled back across Kyoto taking the long route to explore and get lost. Once we dropped off the bikes, we went for another explore and this time went into WeGo for more clothes shopping. At this point we’d pretty much matched the amount of clothing that we had packed in our checked-in luggage that was still stuck in Dubai.
After a nap we walked towards the metro and stopped at a Katsu restaurant as we wanted to try something different, and it was pretty good. For the price of 1300 yen each we got so much food/sake and left stuffed.
Fushimi Inari in the evening. Like Kodai-Ji, we would recommend visiting Fushimi Inari at night. Firstly, to help avoid the crowds (we got there around 9pm and there was hardly anybody there) and secondly as seeing it lit up at night is a nice change. It was however slightly creepy at night, especially as it was lightly raining. My partner started to get a bit scared once we saw the signs to be careful of the wild boar and monkeys haha. We didn’t make it to the top of Mt Inari as the rain started to get heavy but still very much enjoyed walking through the hundreds of tori gates, stopping off at the shrines and soaking up the history.
Steps: 23,686
Day 7
Today was a late start as even after 8 hours sleep the 25k plus steps a day was starting to catch up with us.
We took the metro to Shimogamo Shrine in north Kyoto. It was very peaceful and quiet however temple fatigue had definitely set in at this point. We then walked through Kyoto to the beginning of Philosophers path. We had seen on this sub that people recommend skipping it unless its Sakura season however we disagree. The path along the river is so pretty and atmospheric, along with the fish gently swimming along in the river.
Kyoto Hand Crafts Centre – if you have the money then this is a great place to pick up souvenirs.
Pre-booked Sushi Iwa for a 15 course Omakase. The food was amazing, but it came to an eye watering 28k yen each. The difference for our western palettes between mid-range sushi and exceptional sushi is negligible. Nonetheless it was a good experience and I’m glad that we did it.
Steps: 23,751
Day 8
Today was an empty day in terms of things we wanted to do, so used it to walk the city and explore.
We checked out the Nishiki market and ate various fried foods on sticks which were all pretty tasty. We then walked northwards, stopping for coffee before reaching the imperial palace. By this point we were very much bored of temples and structures of similar architecture, but we actually ended up enjoying walking the palace grounds and seeing the buildings more than we thought and would recommend it to those who find themselves in north Kyoto.
A leisurely walk back down towards downtown Kyoto, stopping off at a wicked standing soba joint. Forgotten the name but their curry soba was delicious.
Chao Chao gyozas (only veggie gyoza place we could find) for our evening meal before a night cap at the bar across the road before bed.
Steps: 23,304
Day 9
Shinkansen to Hiroshima arriving around 11am.
Checked into hostel and then went straight to the A-dome, peace memorial and museum. We thought the museum was very moving and captured the horror of the events that unfolded very well. A must see for sure.
Okonomiyaki at Okonomimura and then some vintage clothes shopping in Hondori.
Went back out for food in the evening and ended up getting Okonomiyaki again. This time it we enjoyed it a lot more than we did at lunch (probably because we got it covered in cheese). There are a few streets by Hiroshima station with lots of bars and restaurants on top of each other, much like Golden Gai in Shinjuku, however they are not super touristy and has a more laid-back feel to them.
We then went to some bars in the city centre. The best one we stumbled across was called Tropical Bar Revolucion. It was on the 8th floor and the smoking balcony overlooked the city. Plus, the beers in there tasted so good and I’m not sure why.
Steps: 23,299
Day 10
A hungover morning. Headed to the Hiroshima National Gardens. Going to some gardens is my go-to hangover activity as its low effort, relaxing, and feels productive. These gardens in particular were great and we really appreciated the signs explaining the history behind the space. Overall, we enjoyed this more than the national gardens in Shinjuku.
Public baths near Dobashi in the afternoon. If you’re feeling brave enough to get your kit off in front of 10s of strangers, then this is a good experience. Male and female baths are separate. Can’t go wrong for 400 yen.
Went for a drink at Bar Pretty and then realised the effect of golden week on trying to get a table walking into a restaurant. Walked around for about an hour with no success so settled for food from a department store food court. Sounds miserable but the food was pretty good for the price, and it was busy in there, so it still had an atmosphere.
Steps: 29,487
Day 11
Miyajima Day. Took the ferry to the island arriving at 10:30am. The Ryokan staff met us at the port and collected our bags to take back to the hotel.
Had a mooch around the port area before doing the hike up Mt Misen. The climb to the top on a hot day is not to be underestimated. Sweating buckets, but the route and the view from the top was amazing and one of the standout highlights of the whole trip.
After descending Mt Misen, we bought some beers, oysters and, ice cream and sat along the beach wall and chilled in the sun for a couple hours. The hotel staff then picked us up from the ferry terminal, we checked in and went straight to the Onsen for a couple hours before dinner. Dinner was a traditional kaiseki meal (with more courses than I can remember) served in the banquet hall with the other guests.
While the staff converted our retro ryokan room and set up the futons we had a few more beers before bed.
Steps: 20,803
Day 12
Today we had a chilled morning on the island, having a stroll and stopping for some coffees. We then took the ferry back to Hiroshima, stopping for Okonomiyaki one more time, before taking the shinkansen to Osaka.
Checked into our hostel near Namba and went out for a walk around 8pm. When looking for somewhere to eat we walked past a sign for a vegetarian Indian restaurant called Shama. After nearly two weeks of pure Japanese food we were craving some variety so decided to head in. Located on the basement floor of a particularly run down looking building the restaurant was not the most glamorous. Barely enough space for 10 people, it was hot in there. A constant stream of people was coming in and out of the restaurant and we were lucky enough to walk in when there were two spaces available. From sitting down at the table to receiving our food we waited just under an hour. This would be enough to put most people off but fuck me the food was good when it did finally arrive. We got a selection of 4 different curries, naan breads and samosa. We left stuffed. If you’re in the area this is definitely a place worth checking out.
Steps: 25,502
Day 13
Our first stop of the day was the Umeda Sky Building. Not suitable if you are scared of heights as the glass elevator made our stomachs drop slightly. The views were impressive but we thought the price was a bit steep at 1500 yen each.
We then spent the afternoon wondering about near Namba and Shinsujibashi dropping into shops and picking up some food.
For dinner we made a reservation for a Mexican restaurant near Dotonbori. Massive margheritas, nachos and enchiladas. The food was great, and it shows by how busy the place was still at 10pm. It had been open since the late 70’s with the décor to match and it had a great atmosphere.
Steps: 27,290
Day 14
Checked out Tsuruhashi and Korea Town. Loved the market – dimly lit maze of numerous food and clothing vendors. Stopped to have some Korean stew and pancakes and it was delicious. One of the best meals of the trip.
Shinsekai in the evening. What I can describe as the armpit of Osaka. We loved it. Dirty? Yes. Rowdy? Yes. Rough around the edges with a red light district to top it all off. We had Kushikatsu to finish the evening off. Fried stuff on a stick – of course it going to be tasty but it wasn’t exactly flavour town.
Steps: 23,777
Day 15
Took the train to Minoh and hiked up the trail to see the waterfall. Hike was easy in comparison to Mt Misen and the waterfall was very cool to see. Had a wonder around Minoh stopping for some lunch at a Ramen bar.
We went to the Team lab botanical gardens in the evening. It was very awe inspiring seeing all the installations lit up.
After sampling Japanese McDonalds (I had a burger where the buns were made out of rice) we went for some drinks at Zerro. We liked this bar a lot, the guys working there were very friendly and it had a good vibe.
We then sat and watched the skaters at triangle park with some beers from the konbini before going to see Dj Masda at Circus until around 4am. This area of Osaka was such a vibe and came back here a few times over our 6 days here. Overall, a very fun evening.
Steps: 26,130
Day 16
Woke up chronically hungover but powered on and went to see a baseball game. You’re allowed to bring food and drink into the stadium (as long as alcohol is in plastic/paper cups) so we grabbed some beers and snacks from family mart. We had no idea what was happening but the atmosphere was electric and we enjoyed getting pissed and cheering.
Had a nap and then went to Hafez for middle eastern food. The food was good but not amazing, nothing in comparison to my local middle eastern restaurant back home. Chilled around the Namba park/Big step area. Loved this area so much, we are big into street fashion and culture so this place really ticked some boxes. Lots of skaters and street wear stores concentrated around here. Got an early night watching Battle Royale back at the hostel.
Steps: 22,065
Day 17
Today we went to the Umeda area. Popped into some shopping centres and had Omurice for lunch. It was tasty but not something I will crave when back home. Good experience trying it though. We then walked through Yodoyobashi along the rivers and got gelato and sat in the rose garden. The sun was beating down and we enjoyed just chilling in the sun eating our ice cream.
Compufunk Records were holding a party in their store. Decent gaff with some very welcoming and kind people to party with until the early hours.
Steps: 21,267
Day 18
We reluctantly left Osaka for Hakone today. Very sad to go but onwards to the next adventure. Took the shinkansen to Odawara and then the Hakone Tozan Train to Gora. Checked into our Ryokan and relaxed in the Onsen for a few hours.
Went for a walk around Gora and had dinner at the Ryokan before watching Predator in bed.
Steps: 16,926
Day 19
Today we did the Hakone Loop, starting early in Gora.
Started with the Open-air museum and it was great. We loved the installation and ended up spending 3 hours slowly making our way round. Got some cool photos as well for the gram.
Ropeway to Lake Ashi. This was absolutely terrifying. You have to swap cable cars 3 times on the way over and the warnings of the service being suspended due to the wind was announced at each stop. I’m not going to ruin the surprise, but one section made me literally freeze in terror due to the winds outside so try to do it on a calm weather day.
We then took the pirate boat (bit underwhelming) across the Lake and stopped for some soba noodles and a wander around. Unfortunately it was way too cloudy to even get a chance at seeing Mt Fuji.
Train to Kamakura and checked into our super cute traditional hostel near the beach.
Dinner at an Izakaya from the hostel owners recommendation. Food great and beers slipped down a treat. First time I tried Yuzu Kosho as well – I’m now addicted to the stuff and literally cover all my food with it.
Steps: 19,512
Day 20
A slow start to the morning. Weather was pretty bad but we still managed to hit all the main sights in Kamakura. Big Buddha was a refreshing sight from the temples. Did some shopping up Komachi Dori. Highlight of the day was Hukokaji temple. It was so peaceful and zen in the rain with its very own matcha tea ceremony backdropped by bamboo forest. This turned out to be our second favourite temple/shrine we visited, just being beaten by Kodaji.
In the evening we went for Sushi at a conveyor belt place. Figured this would probably be my last Japanese sushi of the trip so devoured 7000 yen worth of sushi and beer. Went back to the hostel and invited some of the other guests to drink with us. The owner of the hostel had some bayberry homebrew, so we got stuck into that.
Steps: 20,494
Day 21
Enoshima Island is just a 25 min train from Kamakura. Started off the day by walking to the top of the island to get French toast and a beer with a lovely view across the bay. We then headed up the Sea candle to check out the observation deck, still the illusive Mt Fuji hides behind the clouds.
We then bought admission to the caves beneath the island which was pretty cool. I won’t ruin the surprise but there’s something waiting for you at the end of one of the caves.
Had an explore around the rockpools near the caves and took some cool photos. We then had a pizza with fish on which was pretty crazy. Walked around the island a little bit more and I picked up some more Japanese denim which wasn’t the cheapest but the quality of the trousers are great and will last me a lifetime.
Back to Tokyo in the evening.
Went for Izakaya around Asakusa and popped into a couple bars. One was called Not Suspicious and the whole bar was covered in handwritten notes by patrons. Very touristy but quite cool at the same time. Our favourite was a drawing of Mario saying It’s a Me Muthafucka.
Steps: 25,903
Day 22
First stop was Don Quiojte to pick up some Yuzu Kosho (if you know you know) and weird flavoured KitKats.
Kappabashi Dougu street to purchase a fine Japanese carbon stell Santoku. Honestly in love with this knife so much. The people at the store were very happy to hear exactly what I was looking for and even let me try before you buy on some daikon radish.
While in Asakusa I had to return to the place where I put the best thing in my mouth in Japan. Motenashi Kuroki. Switched it up this time and had their classic Shio ramen plus the duck rice as a side. Honestly this place is amazing, and you have to go there if you have time. They aren’t veggie/pescy friendly so my partner went for one last round of sushi round the corner. We met up at a massage chair parlour and spent 30 mins relaxing in the chairs.
We had a bright idea to watch the sunset one last time so headed over to the rooftop park on a department store in Shibuya. Sipping on an ice cold Kirin, the sun slowly dropped behind the distant mountains and we knew our trip had come to an end. How symbolic.
Flight at 11pm from Haneda.
Steps: 23,187
On reflection:
I honestly think this trip was almost perfect in terms of hitting our interests and travel style. There was a good balance of doing the typical first time visit to Japan sights and activities while still exploring and seeing what we came across in the moment.
It hard to pinpoint exact highlights of the trip as everywhere we visited had so much going for it in different ways. We loved the rugged and trendy vibe to Osaka, and I think this would be the city I would most want to live in for a considerable amount of time (If I had to choose). Miyajima was also stunning and a great overnight trip with the Ryokan experience. We also underestimated how much we would enjoy Kamakura with its laid-back surfer vibe and access to Enoshima Island.
One random memorable moment that has stuck with me was when we landed at Narita airport, we took the limo bus to Shinjuku. As the driver pulled away, all the staff at the station turned and bowed in unison. It felt so special to first observe a culture totally opposite to the one I grew up with and was at this point I knew I had embarked on the trip of a lifetime.
If I could go back and change something I would probably miss out Hakone and do an extra day in one of the major cities. This isn’t because we didn’t enjoy Hakone, but we feel like it’s a place that needs more time to soak in what’s going on around you (plus the weather was bad when we were there). This being said the Open-Air Museum was amazing and we enjoyed it more than the Teamlab botanical gardens so the trip up the mountains was worth it just for that.
So, how much did we spend per person (not inc flights)?
Accommodation - £765pp
Given that we spent a couple nights in Ryokans raising the average price slightly, we were pretty happy with the accommodation costs. We stayed in a mix of private room and shared dorm hostels and pretty much all of them were spot on. Travelling as a couple meant that anywhere with a private room split the price between 2. The only hostel we didn’t like was the one in Hiroshima, there wasn’t anything in particularly wrong with it, there was just a really bad vibe from the owner and other guests.
Transport - £344pp
This includes shinkansen to and from all the major cities as well as our suica top ups for metros and buses. Unless your itinerary is something like 3 days Tokyo, 2 days Osaka 2 days Kyoto then there really isn’t any point getting the JR pass now that the price has increased.
Activities – £280pp
It is hard to give an exact amount for activities and food as 1) I didn’t track what we spent our cash on and 2) my partner and I would take in turns paying for things like temple admission. That being said I’ve allocated 25% of the cash we spent to activities such as temple admission. Activities includes our baseball tickets plus club entries as well as temple and museum admissions etc.
Food – £962pp
As above, its hard to give an exact amount for food. On the whole we tried to eat cheap with possible, especially at the start of our trip. There were a few expensive meals peppered in plus we ate out twice a day towards the end of our trip as we realised we were under budget.
The total is a bit skewed as this includes all the alcohol we bought in bars as well as the konbini trips for beers and cigarettes. I estimate that booze accounts for around a third of the total per person. If you would like to do Japan on a budget, reducing the booze will make a big difference.
Shopping/Souvenirs/Gifts – £607 (just me)
We went hard with the shopping. We didn’t actually receive our checked in luggage until day 19 so we had to buy all new clothes and cosmetics. If this wasn’t the case, then I don’t think I would have spent so much (airline is comping us for the additional clothing bought anyway). I also bought a fairly expensive chef knife and Japanese denim pieces, plus lots of gifts for friends and family. Obviously, this number could theoretically 0 if you are on a serious budget and did no shopping but I really underestimated Japanese shopping, especially thrifting. Also, given our cheap choices when it came to accommodation we could afford to splurge. However just to note my partner spent less than half than I did on shopping.
Total: £2958 (582,628 yen at time of writing)
I kept within my budget of £3000. I definitely got a bit frivolous with the cash in the last few days or so, if being as careful as I was towards the start of the trip, I think the total would be closer to £2500.
Disappointments
Takoyaki. We thought it was going to be all about the octopus but were disappointed with our balls of sloppy goo surrounding tiny chewy pieces of octopus. We tried it twice and couldn’t get behind it. Sorry Takoyaki fans.
Arashiyama. Way too busy, especially around the main station and bamboo grove. If it’s the bamboo you are going to see, then Kodaji is a much better spot.
Dotonburi. Albeit we were there in golden week, and it was pretty busy. However, I get the feeling this area has fallen to the past its golden days title and has become a bit of a cash cow for places selling spiralised potatoes on a stick. The area around Namba park was a better option for us.
Tips
Konbini. Absolute life saver for snacks and drinks on the go. The food quality for a convenience store is higher than most other countries so we had no problem with grabbing a meal from one to help keep within our budget.
Don’t over pack – even though we didn’t get our checked in bags, I still packed light so had plenty of space to bring stuff back. Emirates give you your allowance by weight rather than number of baggage so we could check in additional bags on the way back.
Don’t be scared of hostels. If you don’t want to brave the shared dorms, then most hostels offer private rooms with just the shower and toilet shared. Obviously, it’s cheaper if there are two people sharing a room.
Don’t stress about cash. Most places take debit/credit card and if they don’t, you’re never more than 5 minutes from a konbini ATM.
For us, golden week didn’t seem that big of an issue. No problems booking shinkansen around GW. We spent most of GW in Osaka, as such it was going to be busy anyway so maybe we didn’t see much of a difference from normal numbers in the spring.
2024.05.14 15:55 shamgar_bn My grandfather (90's M) has prostate cancer and I'm looking for help understanding his biopsy results
My grandfather is a man of few words and hasn't really asked many questions about his recent-ish prostate cancer diagnosis and his doctors have been hesitant to give answers on life expectancy. He says he doesn't feel any real pain yet, but has lost his desire to do pretty much anything.
I was finally able to convince him to send me a screenshot of his biopsy results and I'm hoping someone here can help me understand what is going on and if possible, give a general prognosis. I'm doing my best to type out what is written in the screenshot, but the section breaks are weird so please bear with me. Please feel free to explain it to me like I'm 5 ;)
And to be completely clear... I understand that every case is different, and it may be difficult to answer some questions specifically. I'm just hoping for a high-level understanding, and to see if I can get even a Months vs Years kind of answer.
Here goes: Final Diagnosis Prostate, Transurethral Resection Adenocarcinoma, Gleason's score 5+5=10, grade group 5 Possible lymphovascular invasion Tumor involves 7% of the tissue sampled
Code 9 Microscopic Description Sections contain prostate with a high-grade adenocarcinoma, Gleason's Score 5+5=10. The tumor is composed of solid sheets of tumor cells which infiltrate the stroma. The tumor cells are mildly pleomorphic and contain nuclear pseudoinclusions and occasional prominent nucleoli. The tumor involves 7% of the tissue sampled and there is possible lymphovascular invasion.
Special Stains
Gross Description The specimen is received in formalin for paraffin processing labeled prostate chips and consists of a 26-gram, 4.0 x 4.0 x 4.0 cm aggregate of tan-rubbery tissue fragments. Approximately 35% of the specimen is sampled in 1A-1E. tj
submitted by shamgar_bn to ProstateCancer [link] [comments]
I was finally able to convince him to send me a screenshot of his biopsy results and I'm hoping someone here can help me understand what is going on and if possible, give a general prognosis. I'm doing my best to type out what is written in the screenshot, but the section breaks are weird so please bear with me. Please feel free to explain it to me like I'm 5 ;)
And to be completely clear... I understand that every case is different, and it may be difficult to answer some questions specifically. I'm just hoping for a high-level understanding, and to see if I can get even a Months vs Years kind of answer.
Here goes: Final Diagnosis Prostate, Transurethral Resection Adenocarcinoma, Gleason's score 5+5=10, grade group 5 Possible lymphovascular invasion Tumor involves 7% of the tissue sampled
Code 9 Microscopic Description Sections contain prostate with a high-grade adenocarcinoma, Gleason's Score 5+5=10. The tumor is composed of solid sheets of tumor cells which infiltrate the stroma. The tumor cells are mildly pleomorphic and contain nuclear pseudoinclusions and occasional prominent nucleoli. The tumor involves 7% of the tissue sampled and there is possible lymphovascular invasion.
Special Stains
Gross Description The specimen is received in formalin for paraffin processing labeled prostate chips and consists of a 26-gram, 4.0 x 4.0 x 4.0 cm aggregate of tan-rubbery tissue fragments. Approximately 35% of the specimen is sampled in 1A-1E. tj
2024.05.14 14:01 Zappingsbrew A post talking about 400 words
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2024.05.14 12:40 Specialist_Bake6514 Vapiano P3: Italian Food Made in Germany
 | The kitchen is on fire. Welcome to the final part of the Vapiano story where the tables are turning. In the first two episodes we followed Mark Korzilius' journey from setbacks to founding Vapiano, a groundbreaking restaurant concept, highlighting its fresh ingredients, dynamic atmosphere, and data-driven operations that drove rapid success. While achieving initial profitability and garnering attention from industry giants like McDonald's, Vapiano's global expansion has led to stellar revenue growth. However, it has also resulted in the emergence of numerous side projects (or distractions), operational challenges, increased costs, significant investments, and a notable accumulation of debt. This underscores the prioritization of top-line growth over profitable growth. We will continue on this thread and see how the story ends, but I would encourage you to read part one and two for better context. Vapiano P1: Italian Food Made in Germany (substack.com). Let's dig in. submitted by Specialist_Bake6514 to unpackbusinesses [link] [comments] Before Going Public We are now in 2015 and the year is a disaster for Vapiano's PR department. Employee time stamps are being manipulated, endless overtime for employees and high turnover in managerial roles are reported; mice in the kitchen and even rotten food allegedly found. The company is confronted with allegations of exceeding working hours among trainees in an article published by Welt am Sonntag, while the same outlet accuses Vapiano of manipulating punch times. The auditing firm PwC is commissioned to investigate the allegations and finds that there is no systematic approach but rather misconduct by individual employees, a mistake that’s being corrected. Internal however, investigations into stamp times are carried out regularly now and beyond its obvious reputational impact, this sucks up valuable management time and attention. In the summer of 2015 CEO, co-founder and investor Gregor Gerlach, who has been running the group since 2011 is stepping down and Jochen Halfmann is taking over. A new Vapiano People Program with an App is being developed with the aim to better interact with customers that will incorporate innovate features such as mobile pay. The German website sees a launch of new magazine to further promote the brand and there is now a full inhouse blogger and Instagram team being installed. In October the company buys seven restaurants from original co-founder, former co-investor and ex-president previously responsible for internation expansion Kent Hahne (2x Bonn, 3x Cologne, 1x Koblenz and one in Cologne that’s under construction). This package of Vapiano restaurants is very successful and generates net sales of more than 20 million euros in 2014. Hahne opened his first Vapiano restaurant in Cologne in August 2006 and in 2015 with his company apeiron AG, Hahne operates six L'Osteria franchise restaurants, a direct Vapiano competitor, and two self-owned restaurants GinYuu. Then in November of 2015, the next public relations bomb goes off with allegations regarding the company's quality standards. The company immediately investigates the issue through internal and external specialists but finds no evidence of any quality issues. Nevertheless, knowing that the group is now being closely watched, the company’s already in place hygiene standards are being reinforced. Additional audits and inspections are performed nationally. Further, all Vapianos worldwide are being audited twice by the partners SGS Institut Fresenius and SAI Global. Auditing software is purchased to simplify the implementation of the audits and the resulting measures. Apart from the external examinations, there is a food sampling plan in place being performed continuously. Again, all of this sucks up costs, management time and attention. With all these tumultuous developments the company’s growth engine is undeterred. Revenue grows by a whopping 50 million euros to 202 million euros, an increase of 33%. Impressive. While average spent per customer increases in all countries, the number of customers per day in Germany decreases by 3.3% partially due to the negative press towards the end of the year. Five own, four JV and 19 new franchise restaurants are added that year to the group, the total number of own managed restaurants grows to 51, there are 31 JVs and 84 franchises which bringing the total to 166 Vapiano restaurants. Global restaurant sales are now above 400 million euros. But while revenue grows by an astronomical 50 million euros, operating profits, alarmingly, shrink again. Gross margins are staying perfectly healthy above 75% but operating costs keep growing disproportionately fast. The Company’s outstanding debt jumps by almost 30 million, close to 85 million euros by the end of the year. With operating profits at 9.5 million euros, alarm bells should be going off right now. In Q4 of 2015, new CEO Jochen Halfmann introduces Strategy 2020. The new strategy includes five essential points. One, profitable growth in the newly defined core markets of Germany and Austria as well as in the UK, Netherlands, France and USA. Two, operational excellence through strict “best practice” management. Three, further development and digitalization of the concept considering guest feedback. Four, greater focus on long-term employee retention and five, building a modern and sustainable IT landscape. Sound’s good on paper but let’s see how things pan out. Vapiano's investments (capital expenditures) that year are primarily directed towards new restaurant openings, renovations of existing establishments, and share acquisitions in other Vapiano restaurants from franchisees or JV partners. A significant portion of funds is allocated to the digitalization of the guest experience, including the development of a new app scheduled for market release in 2016 and the implementation of a time recording system across all group restaurants. The world's first standalone Vapiano restaurant with a delivery service that year is built in Fürth, Germany. The company keeps expanding its presence in both inner-city locations and international markets, such as Shanghai, China. To finance all of this, the group has its own operating cash flow which comes in at 18 million while capital expenditures are 26 million euros plus 14 million for acquisitions. The funding gab is filled with 26 million euros of new debt and a seven-million-euro equity raise. At that end of the year and after the equity raise Gregor Gerlach (through his AP Leipzig GmbH & Co. KG entity) holds 30.1%, Hans-Joachim and Gisa Sander through their Exchange Bio GmbH hold 25.5% and the Tchibo heirs, Herz through their Mayfair Beteiligungsfonds II GmbH & Co. KG hold 44,4%. But for the first time the restaurant’s concept that was so successful to date is being questioned. Some customers are starting to mislike the operational flow of the concept itself. If you want pasta, you must queue for pasta. If you want pizza you stand in a different queue. A small side salad, yet another queue. "You spend more time carrying trays than an actress in Berlin-Mitte. The audience in the pasta limbo can only consist of people who have worked for an insurance company for a long time and, like Stockholm syndrome, they can no longer get away from the industrial canteen feeling," writes TV host Beisenherz provocatively. While overly harsh in his assessment he's not entirely wrong judging by customers venting their frustrations in forums and social media channels. It isn’t uncommon for those who ordered pizza to have already finished eating while there is little movement in the pasta queue. Long term that doesn't go down well, QSRs competitors like L’Osteria are handling this process differently, with much success. https://preview.redd.it/6cas01oked0d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=2da6e0b4bc0e07dbee558de412feb414cd598d4a Tipping PointWhere are now in the year 2016 and things start to deteriorate visibility. Perhaps not for the leman’s eye but any business minded observer can see that there are problems under the hood. Yes, revenue grows yet another whopping 50 million to almost 250 million euros but half of that growth, comes from acquisitions of restaurants that the group didn’t already own 100%, which is now being fully consolidated within the group’s accounts. Here is a concrete example. In the past, Vapiano SE, the group’s top holding company held an indirect 50% stake in a French subgroup via the subsidiary VAP Restaurants SA, based in Luxembourg, and included this as an associated company in the Vapiano SE consolidated financial statements using the equity method. Due to the acquisition of additional shares in September of 2016, Vapiano SE's indirect share in the French subgroup increased to 75%. This means that Vapiano SE takes control of the French subgroup, which is therefore included in the group’s financial statements as part of the full consolidation. The revenue from the acquired subsidiary now recorded in the consolidated income statement amounts to 12.8 million euros. While that’s great for the top line, the loss of the fully consolidated entity equates to 0.2 million euros. Yes, you are buying revenue, but there are losses attached to them, not profits. A similar case is the Swedish entity that runs eight restaurants with revenue of 11.5 million euros but has losses of 235 thousand euros. So much for Strategy 2020 and “profitable” growth.That year the group’s operating profits are absolutely tanking, halving to 3.5 million euros. Operating profits are now a mere 1,4% of revenue. Remember original founder Mark Korzilius who talked about operating margins of 25% to 28% at the restaurant level? Yes, there are overhead costs for the organization that sits above the chain of restaurants, but operating margins that low indicates a course correction is needed. What’s telling is that in the annual report, in the management discussion section, the company starts talking about EBITDA as a proxy measure of profitability, rather than operating profit or net income. This wasn’t the case in the years before. Is this window dressing for an upcoming IPO? EBITDA is short for earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization. How can you measure profitability of a restaurant chain that absolutely and unequivocally needs capital investment to maintain its restaurant operations, the very source of cash generation, by simply excluding this maintenance charge (depreciation in the income statement)? Vapiano’s own annual report talks about the fact that existing restaurants must be rejuvenated from time to time and that new interior designs have to be implemented every few years. These things wear and tear, they go out of style, kitchen equipment breaks and needs replacement. This business absolutely needs maintenance capital expenditure, why anyone talks of profits before these maintenance costs is beyond me. Fun fact: in the previous annual report EBITDA is mentioned seven times, mostly around restaurant acquisitions and financing, not however as a profit indication for the group. In the new annual report, EBITDA is mentioned 28 times. Maybe it’s just me but belated Charlie Munger liked to call EBITDA: bullsh*t earnings. When in doubt I stick with Charlie. Interestingly, EBITDA for Vapiano keeps growing while operating and net profits keep falling. Operating cashflow for the group that year is about 21 million euros, but capital expenditure is 30 million and acquisitions for subsidiaries another 20 million. To finance these expenditures another 28 million euros of debt and 16 million of equity is raised. Net debt rises above 130 million euro. The operating cashflow of the group before any capital expenditures is 21 million euros. I am not sure free cash flow would be significantly positive after maintenance capex is paid out; it’s not broken out so we can’t be sure. Granted, I am not on the ground during this time, and I am not in the board room, I am simply reading what’s in front of me, but to me this is starting to look like a distressed situation. Regardless, the following year the company goes public. IPOWhere are now in the year 2017 and its Vapiano’s first year as public company. The company’s annual report reads the following “Sales revenue, like-for-like growth (LfL) and the earnings figures EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are used as the most important financial performance indicators for controlling operational business activities.” The very same report however also says: “The majority of the group's investments regularly go towards opening new restaurant locations and modernizing existing restaurants. The latter are differentiated into regular replacement investments that occur during ongoing operations (Maintenance CAPEX) and fundamental investments in the renovation of a restaurant (Remodeling CAPEX). On average, a restaurant remodeling takes place nine years after opening.” It says it right there in their own report; every nine years a remodeling is taking place. Remodeling and updating is not cost free, so why exclude depreciation charges which reflect capital expenditures? I understand that perhaps you would want to strip out one-off opening costs, that’s fine and fair, but don’t go overboard.The number of restaurants increases by 26 (previous year: 13) to a total of 205. The increase consists of 27 new openings and one closure. Group revenue grows to an astonishing 325 million euros but here comes the shocker, operating profits turn negative to 25 million. Fine, strip out foreign exchange losses of 3 million, IPO costs of 5.8 million and new opening costs of 6.1 million and you still have 10 million euros of operational losses. All the while the debt load of almost 130 million hasn’t materially changed, so those operating losses are before a six-million-euro interest payment. 184 million euros are raised through the IPO of which 85 million go to the company. This money is earmarked for further expansion as the group has ambitions to almost double the footprint to 330 restaurants by the end of 2020. The company is currently not profitable on an operating basis, and still wants to expand aggressively? I don’t get it. The remaining 100 million euros of the IPO money raised is distributed to co-founder Gregor Gerlach and Wella heirs Hans-Joachim and Gisa Sander. The family office of the former Tchibo owners Günter and Daniela Herz with a 44% stake, don’t sell a single share. After the IPO, 32% of all the company’s shares are now in free float. One year later, in 2018, things get even worse. Revenue grows to 371 million, but operating losses mount to 85 million euros, that’s before interest expenses of 9 million. Even the beloved EBITDA figure turns negative, meaning the operating business before any expansionary or even maintenance capital expenditures is loss making. All regions are experiencing significant deterioration in their earnings profiles. Like for like sales are down 1% across the board. That’s revenue, not profitability. The question naturally arises: is the Group approaching its natural saturation point here or this operational by nature? The operating cash flow is now 9 million while financing cost are close to 7 million. That leaves 2 million for maintenance capital for 74 own restaurants and 76 joint ventures ones. Describing this as financially tight, would be an understatement. Things are not looking good at this point. Yet the company still grows restaurants by 26 new sites. 64 million euros are spent on acquisitions, new openings, and maintenance costs, financed through a 20 million-euro equity raise and 72 million of new debt. The Company now has net debt outstanding of over 160 million euros. After the equity raise and by the end of the year 2018, Mayfair owns 47.4%, VAP Leipzig, Gregor Gerlach’s entity owns 18.9% and the Sander couple own 15.5% of the company. Yes, the Sanders and Gerlach may have taken 100 million euros off the table, but they still have substantial skin in the game. Plus, Mayfair hasn’t sold a single share and instead injects more money into the company through the equity round. The stock has now fallen from its IPO price of 23 euros per share to under 6 euros by the end of 2018. Something must be done here. And indeed, there is pivot in strategy and a hard push for change. At last, the management team abandons its aggressive growth plan and curtails new openings significantly. Additionally, the team wants to run a thorough analysis of weak locations to then either discontinue or sell sites. In Europe, the operating focus will be put on corporate restaurants and joint ventures in major cities to ensure the ideal size and location to match the respective demographic target group. Outside of Europe, the franchising business is being expanded and at the same time a consolidation of the existing corporate and joint venture markets is being sought. All future investments will be reviewed to achieve higher rates of returns on new openings. Investments are also being made in the renovation of older restaurants. The goal in the future is to also open smaller formats, like Mini-Vapianos (less than 400 square meters) or Freestander at prominent transportation hubs outside city centers (currently in Fürth and Toulouse) to cater to individual location requirements, and to enter new partnerships. I am not sure why management hasn’t stopped all expansion altogether, bringing the ship in order first, getting profitable, clean up, all hands-on deck before considering any further expansions whatsoever. But again, it’s easy to comment from the sidelines; maybe they saw white spaces that would be covered by competing concepts if they weren’t moving fast and aggressively enough. Although pushing internationally means competing with local players such as Jamie's Italian, Prezzo, Pizza Express, Wagamama, Nando's and many more which brings in its own dynamic. Management also aims to enhance guest satisfaction. This involves refining operational processes, reorganizing the support center, and refocusing on the core offering: providing fresh and high-quality Italian food at affordable prices for a broad audience. The group also aims to reduce waiting times, especially during lunch, while also improving the evening atmosphere. There is even what I would call an evolution, away from Vapiano’s original concept, reorientating the customer journey. The ordering flow is being changed, offering guests synchronized preparations of all dishes while eliminating wait times at the cooking stations. The open show kitchen remains, staying true to original mantra of freshness and transparency but now guests can choose their preferred method of ordering through a mobile app, using a digital order point (kiosk), or by personally placing an order with a waiter. Guests can still freely choose their table and are then informed about the complete preparation of their order through a pager or their smartphone. This is a substantial deviation from the original concept, but a needed one. The group is also exploring and implementing the expansion of take-away and home delivery services but only at suitable locations, not universally across new openings. I am not sure why home delivery is even a priority here; it adds operational complexity. It’s better to clean up shop first and get back to the basics before adding new complexities. To be fair management does try to simplify. There are 49 different permanent dishes on the menu and additional 10 seasonal ones. Customers can choose from eleven different types of pasta. There is simply too much choice, and it makes orders complicated. The company announced to slim the menu down to its most popular and typical Vapiano dishes. There’s no need for an Asian salad at an Italian restaurant. "We have to go back to the roots, i.e. classic, honest Italian cuisine" says COO Everke. Regardless, in November of 2018, the supervisory board pulls the plug on CEO Jochen Halfmann and replaces him with Cornelius Everke. Everke himself has just become COO five months ago. Since 2017 he was responsible for international expansion. From 2011 to 2017 that role was filled by Mario Bauer – put a pin in that name, he’ll play a key role in the groups fate later. Then nine months later, in the middle of 2019, Cornelius Everke quits. He essentially concludes that his skillset and experience in the areas of internation expansion is no longer needed in the foreseeable future. To put it differently: Vapiano has moved from a growth story and has become a restructuring case, and other skills are required for that job. In June of 2019 Everke says the following “(we’ve) made a bit of a mistake when it came to foreign expansion”. No sh#t. Vapiano postpones the presentation of the 2018 annual financial statements three times in the spring of 2019, citing negotiations over an urgently needed loan of 30 million euros. It’s not until the end of May that a binding loan commitment comes through from the financing banks and major shareholders. We are now in August of 2019 and the corona pandemic is just around the corner. Supervisory board chief Vanessa Hall takes over as interim-CEO and things are unravelling. Visitor numbers are declining; originally, it was planned to sell the US business but halfway through the year the buyer cannot come up with the money. But not all restaurants are performing poorly. The group's poor figures contrast starkly as an example with the experiences of the Swiss-German franchisee, who runs six restaurants. The Sodano family in Switzerland pays Vapiano a royalty of 6% of sales for the use of the brand. Enrico Sodano explains in an interview that they operate largely autonomously from the licensor. If an “accident” were to occur, he could immediately replace the Vapiano sign with Sodano, he says. The family concluded the rents and contracts with employees and suppliers independently. The Sodano family have six locations in Bern, Basel and Zurich, around one million guests every year and 350 employees. Things are going well on the ground. The delivery service they’ve built is offering them a second income stream. Expansion into Winterthur, St. Gallen and Lucerne are being planned; small locations with 150 to 250 square meters and an attached delivery service. Originally, Vapiano restaurants used to be huge but for such a large restaurant to be profitable, 800 to 1,000 guests per day are needed. That’s possible in medium-sized cities, but not in smaller towns which is why the Vapiano group now also supports smaller formats. Back to our corporate drama. The 2019 annual report would be the last report the group files. By the end 2019 the outstanding debt of the company is at an astronomical 450 million euros. Revenue has grown by another 7%, produced by four net new openings through two JVs and two franchise restaurants but operating losses come in at 317 million euros. That sound like an absolute shocker at first but depreciation and amortization charges are 345 million, so that operating cash flow is actually positive but unfortunately capital expenditures and interest payments are so large that they are eating up all of the company’s operating cash flow. Then in the beginning of 2020 Corona hits with full force and the world shuts down. As a result of the measures to prevent further spreading of the virus, the group is forced to cease all global business operations (except in Sweden). While all these shutdowns are happening, the group is the middle of negotiating with its lending banks and main shareholders. There are additional financing needs for restructuring measures, even without a pandemic happening in the background. The situation is so dire that the company starts pleading to the German government to roll out the package of financial help more quickly. Unfortunately, it’s to no end. The rapid closure of restaurants and the resulting lack of operating cash inflows in conjunction with the additional financing requirements, lead to the company’s final knockout punch. In April of 2020, the Vapiano group officially files for insolvency proceedings. The end of an era. New BeginningsBecause of the pandemic, the majority of the group's subsidiaries in Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United States, Sweden, and China also file for insolvency or seek liquidation. The US business never gets sold in the end and is wound down. In the summer of 2020, significant group divestments occur, including the sale of 75% shares in the group's French subsidiaries, shares in franchisor companies, Australian subsidiaries, German subsidiaries, associated companies, self-managed restaurants in Germany, and insolvency-related sales in the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Sweden. The buyer of the Vapiano brand and one of these bundles of Vapiano restaurants is company named Love & Food Restaurant Holding, a consortium led by Mario C. Bauer – a name I told you to remember. Bauer was a former Vapiano board member and led the national and international expansion, opening 200 sites in 33 countries from 2011 to 2017 until he was succeeded by Cornelius Everke. Bauer didn’t feel comfortable with the IPO at the time but clearly has a lot of managerial and entrepreneurial talent.The buyer consortium is an absolute A-Team comprised of European QSR top league hitters, including the founder of the Pret A Manger chain Sinclair Beecham; Henry McGovern, the founder and Ex-CEO of the giant international restaurant and foodservice operator AmRest; the Van der Valk Family that runs hotels and Vapiano restaurants in the Netherlands, and co-founder and ex-CEO Gregor Gerlach. The acquisition value is 15 million euros and entails 30 Vapiano restaurants in Germany, albeit that’s just the purchase price which comes on top of any capital investment needed to refresh and return the sites to its former glory. Nevertheless, just as a thought experiment, if you can get each site to 2 million euros of revenue and 400,000 euros in operating profit on average, which wouldn’t be an overly aggressively assumption given the company’s history, you’ve got yourself a package that can deliver restaurant-level operating profits of 12 million euros or more. It’s not disclosed how much capex was needed to refresh the operations, just that fact that the overall investment plus purchase price was a middle double-digit million-euro figure. Stil, it probably was a decent purchase. The same consortium buys Vapiano’s French business for 25 million euros just two weeks prior. After the transaction concludes, the master franchise is given to Delf Neumann and his Gastro & Soul GmbH. Neumann is an experienced operator, and he is ambitious to revitalise the brand with new services and products. For example, instead of pizza, the restaurants will be serving pinsa - a flatbread made from sourdough, wheat and rice flour, topped similarly to a pizza. It targets a more health-oriented customer base looking for a less calory heavy option. The menu overall is expanded by including a variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes. https://preview.redd.it/kpt7ea6red0d1.png?width=1242&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9930ced85ee364e9df414547cae06b47a03fc19 Today Neumann’s Gastro & Soul GmbH operates 18 Vapianos on its own account and has 29 franchise sites, amongst other brands. By the year 2021, Vapiano operates 191 restaurants in 34 countries. This is around 50 fewer sites than before the bankruptcy. The number of branches is particularly thinned out in Germany – from 80 to 55. Nevertheless, Vapiano's home country remains by far the largest market, followed by France with 35 restaurants and Austria with 15 locations. “We have shrunk ourselves to health,” says Bauer in the aftermath and there is no further shrinking planned. Quite the opposite, the smell of expansion is in the air again – pun intended. Not as aggressively as before and with a new menu and ordering process. Overall, the team around Bauer is filled with industry experts with knowledge and networks gained over decades who have a great track record, a long-term view, and the staying power to let Vapiano breath and finds its way back to success. The pressure of being a public company with all the associated quarterly, half-year and yearly disincentives have been removed. The menu is changed and extended with new types of pasta and sauces with significantly more vegetarian and vegan dishes available. Guests can order with restaurant staff, at terminals or on their phones and there are barcodes attached to the tables identify the respective seat. The food is brought to your table, all at the same time if you are in a group, no more annoyances with waiting in line. There is a plan for smaller, 350 square meter locations, with half the number of guests and significantly fewer staff and less set-up costs required to make the economics work. Locations that capitalize on remote work and increased demand for local lunch options, higher population density with shorter delivery routes and therefore cost-effective in house delivery services are targeted. And Bauer is testing the concept of ghost kitchens, which operate without a dining room or service staff, focusing solely on preparing food for delivery services, which for obvious reasons have a very different operational set up and footprint. Original founder Mark Korzilius however is not entirely convinced. He is not a fan of the pinsa for instance and he considers Vapiano's pizza as its cash cow, flagship product and believes that the core Vapiano proposition of Pizza, Pasta, Bar that has given the company its original success is being diluted. He instead admires the competitor L'Osteria, saying they’ve done a better job by focusing on Italian classics, especially the impressively large pizzas that sticks out beyond the plate is leaving every customer in awe. The guys who run L’Osteria are the same guys who have built Vapiano with him in the first place. Bauer on the other hand, like a true business leader, remains undeterred, stating that he is frequently asked whether Vapiano's restart was bold or foolish. He believes in entrepreneurship, franchising, in his experienced fellow partners and importantly the Vapiano concept. By the year 2024 you can find over 140 Vapiano branded restaurant in 27 countries across the globe, including locations far away from its birthplace like Australia, USA, Columbia, Chile, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. And why not? Italian food is, and will remain to be, incredibly popular. Vapiano offers fresh and tasty food at affordable prices in a good atmosphere. This combination of attributes should attract a lot of customers. It certainly has in the past. For more stories: WIP Thomas Weitzendoerfer Substack |
2024.05.13 22:19 AdAppropriate7838 2nd year ELEC experience/overview
Wasn't able to find one post that summarized 2nd year ELEC before I did it so I thought I'd make one. This is my personal opinion and an average student's perspective (sometimes even below average lol). 2nd year is a lot of mixed opinions about everything.
You want to have MATH 101, PHYS 158, APSC 160 and MATH 152 completed before starting 2nd year. Standardly you'll be taking 39 credits in the winter session. Although it's very common to take fewer (in fact I'd recommend it) credits.
Term 1 looks like: ELEC 201(4), CPEN 211(5), MATH 253(3), MATH 256(3), CPSC 259(4). Term 2 looks like: ELEC 202(4), ELEC 211&MATH264 (3), ELEC 221(4), ELEC 281(3), ELEC 291(6). You could take MATH 253 in the summer before 2nd year, take ELEC 281 before 2nd year after you've been placed in ELEC or also take it the summer after 2nd year. Utilize your summers to complete as many complimentary studies, free, impact requirement electives as you can. There is an option to take ELEC 291 in the summer after 2nd year as well but I wouldn't recommend that as it's a very time consuming design course and I've heard it's run differently in the summer and isn't as worthwhile in terms of what you learn.
ELEC 201: One of the harder courses in term 1, isn't very time consuming but isn't easy either. First time you'll be giving WebWork exams so the average is low but you'll be fine. Do the homework and attend class. I took it with Alireza Nojeh who was a good prof. Lectures were very organized and he writes and explains everything as he goes which is nice. Isn't scaled or scaled very slightly. Practice the WebWorks and lecture notes and also follow Linares's YouTube channel regardless whether he teaches it or not. Difficulty: 3.75/5.
CPEN 211: Hardest course in term 1 imo. Very time consuming, especially the labs, which would sometimes take entire weekends and eat time out of other courses and aren't even worth 2% each. So find a good lab partner. There's a lot to cover so be up to date. Although the lectures aren't very helpful. I'd suggest keeping up with the slides and making notes and GOING TO ANY TUTORIAL AND LECTURE where he/the TAs solve problems. Took it with Tor who teaches it almost every year. Too much content to be covered in lectures but he is helpful in office hours/after lectures. Do as many problems as you can find and try and understand every concept. Difficulty 4.5/5.
MATH 253: One of the easier courses in 2nd year. In a non-ideal situation can be done in a short time as well. Easier compared to MATH 100 and 101. In math practice is very useful so try and do as many problems be it before the exams or throughout the term. The course is taught online so is easily procrastinated but Professor Leonard and Alexandra Niedden on YouTube are very good resources. Took it with Mark MacLean who is a GOATED math prof. Clear communication from him about what's expected and needs to be done. Difficulty: 2.5/5
MATH 256: Easiest course in 2nd year imo (partially because of the prof). Cannot be done in a short time but is easily followed throughout the term. As usual practice is key. Took it with Neil Balmforth who is also GOATED. He makes the course much easier, the other section didn't have as nice of a time. His midterms and finals were basically identical to the sample midterms and finals. Difficulty: 2/5
CPSC 259: It's a much more theoretical than APSC 160. The only nice parts were the labs because they were coding and not theory. The quizzes and final were mostly theory and on PraireLearn so limited attempts (usually 2) which made the tests very very hard. Took it with Geoffery Tien who usually teaches it. He's a nice guy but okayish at teaching. Very monotonous. I read the textbook and did it's problems which really helped. Difficulty: 3.5/5.
ELEC 202: A hard course but Linares makes you spend so much time on it, it doesn't feel as difficult as the other courses by the end. Another course graded by WebWork so marks aren't easily obtained. Make sure you understand all the WebWorks, TopHat and questions from the slides. Linares imo is one of the best teachers I've had and is very knowledgeable about EE. But his personality takes a lot away from him as a professor. This course will solidify a lot of basics for you, some that you might have overlooked in 201 but they way he runs the course does make it unnecessarily time consuming and challenging. I'd say do take the course with him regardless of the horror stories, you'll be glad you did later on but be ready for having a weird time in this course. And yeah follow his YouTube channel like your life depends on it. Difficulty: 4/5
ELEC211 & MATH264: These 2 are run together as a one 3 credit course ELEC 211(2) and MATH 264(1). I pretty much had to do this course on your own. It isn't very time consuming but the term that it's in and the way it's taught will make it feel challenging. Took it with Carol Jaeger who taught the 211 part and Professor Demirbas who taught the 264 part. I don't mean to be rude but both were basically useless. I don't know if Professor Jaeger tried to teach because I stopped going after a few weeks that's how bad it was. It felt like she was just there because she has to be. For Professor Demirbas the way he teaches was very weird. Read a few nice things about him but didn't have the same experience. He speaks and teaches too fast for anyone to be able to learn anything but that might be because they're making him teach most of a 3 credit course (MATH 317-Calculus IV) as a one credit course in about 6-7 lectures all this along with a theory driven electromagnetics course. I'd recommend watch the last 4-5 lecutures of Professor Leonard's Calc III YouTube playlist right in the beginning of the course. That'll cover the MATH portion. Then follow the math lectures to practice and use that math you learnt to understand the ELEC portion. Wasn't able to find a goof YouTube resource for the ELEC part but just watch a bunch of different videos for each topic I guess. WebWorks are good practice. Difficulty: 4/5 (should've been 3 but the way they run it).
ELEC 221: A hard course depending on your proclivity for mathematics. It's a whole lot of new concepts so it's reasonable it'll be difficult. If the concepts of Fourier Series, Laplace Transforms (also in ELEC 202) and Differential Equations that you learnt in MATH 256 are really clear, that'll help. Took it with Joseph Yan who is a very kind and helpful person, but he just refuses to teach for some reason. He'll ask you to watch 1 or 2 20-30 minute videos before the week and the lectures will basically be a slideshow of previously annotated slides from a few of years ago and him just repeating "any questions?" without really explaining anything. His pre-week videos were helpful but they were only there for the first part of the course. I'd say watch his videos that are there. The examples in his slides are good for theoretical understanding and WebWorks are good practice for exams. Difficulty: 4.25/5
ELEC 281: It's a technical communication course, supposedly like WRDS 150B. Dropped it, taking it in the summer will update this here once I've taken it.
ELEC 291: Probably my favorite course from 2nd year. You actually get a sense of what it might be like being an engineer because this is a project course and you do hands on work. You get to work in teams which is sometimes good and sometimes bad. The only downside is it'll eat up A LOT, sometimes ALL of your time. First of all there are 6 labs that are due weekly which can take anywhere from 1-6 hours, depends on the amount of debugging you need to do. There's 2 projects which are much bigger than the labs. You have to spend a lot of time (can't put hours because I couldn't keep track even if I tried to) on the projects. There's no studying but a whole lot of doing. Professor Fraga is very helpful in the lab. Right course, wrong timing. Difficulty: 5/5 (60% because of the time it takes and 40% because of the actual work).
Hope this helps! Again these are just my opinions and everyone has a different experience. Let me know if anyone has any questions or if you feel I wrote something that isn't a valid description.
submitted by AdAppropriate7838 to ubcengineering [link] [comments]
You want to have MATH 101, PHYS 158, APSC 160 and MATH 152 completed before starting 2nd year. Standardly you'll be taking 39 credits in the winter session. Although it's very common to take fewer (in fact I'd recommend it) credits.
Term 1 looks like: ELEC 201(4), CPEN 211(5), MATH 253(3), MATH 256(3), CPSC 259(4). Term 2 looks like: ELEC 202(4), ELEC 211&MATH264 (3), ELEC 221(4), ELEC 281(3), ELEC 291(6). You could take MATH 253 in the summer before 2nd year, take ELEC 281 before 2nd year after you've been placed in ELEC or also take it the summer after 2nd year. Utilize your summers to complete as many complimentary studies, free, impact requirement electives as you can. There is an option to take ELEC 291 in the summer after 2nd year as well but I wouldn't recommend that as it's a very time consuming design course and I've heard it's run differently in the summer and isn't as worthwhile in terms of what you learn.
ELEC 201: One of the harder courses in term 1, isn't very time consuming but isn't easy either. First time you'll be giving WebWork exams so the average is low but you'll be fine. Do the homework and attend class. I took it with Alireza Nojeh who was a good prof. Lectures were very organized and he writes and explains everything as he goes which is nice. Isn't scaled or scaled very slightly. Practice the WebWorks and lecture notes and also follow Linares's YouTube channel regardless whether he teaches it or not. Difficulty: 3.75/5.
CPEN 211: Hardest course in term 1 imo. Very time consuming, especially the labs, which would sometimes take entire weekends and eat time out of other courses and aren't even worth 2% each. So find a good lab partner. There's a lot to cover so be up to date. Although the lectures aren't very helpful. I'd suggest keeping up with the slides and making notes and GOING TO ANY TUTORIAL AND LECTURE where he/the TAs solve problems. Took it with Tor who teaches it almost every year. Too much content to be covered in lectures but he is helpful in office hours/after lectures. Do as many problems as you can find and try and understand every concept. Difficulty 4.5/5.
MATH 253: One of the easier courses in 2nd year. In a non-ideal situation can be done in a short time as well. Easier compared to MATH 100 and 101. In math practice is very useful so try and do as many problems be it before the exams or throughout the term. The course is taught online so is easily procrastinated but Professor Leonard and Alexandra Niedden on YouTube are very good resources. Took it with Mark MacLean who is a GOATED math prof. Clear communication from him about what's expected and needs to be done. Difficulty: 2.5/5
MATH 256: Easiest course in 2nd year imo (partially because of the prof). Cannot be done in a short time but is easily followed throughout the term. As usual practice is key. Took it with Neil Balmforth who is also GOATED. He makes the course much easier, the other section didn't have as nice of a time. His midterms and finals were basically identical to the sample midterms and finals. Difficulty: 2/5
CPSC 259: It's a much more theoretical than APSC 160. The only nice parts were the labs because they were coding and not theory. The quizzes and final were mostly theory and on PraireLearn so limited attempts (usually 2) which made the tests very very hard. Took it with Geoffery Tien who usually teaches it. He's a nice guy but okayish at teaching. Very monotonous. I read the textbook and did it's problems which really helped. Difficulty: 3.5/5.
ELEC 202: A hard course but Linares makes you spend so much time on it, it doesn't feel as difficult as the other courses by the end. Another course graded by WebWork so marks aren't easily obtained. Make sure you understand all the WebWorks, TopHat and questions from the slides. Linares imo is one of the best teachers I've had and is very knowledgeable about EE. But his personality takes a lot away from him as a professor. This course will solidify a lot of basics for you, some that you might have overlooked in 201 but they way he runs the course does make it unnecessarily time consuming and challenging. I'd say do take the course with him regardless of the horror stories, you'll be glad you did later on but be ready for having a weird time in this course. And yeah follow his YouTube channel like your life depends on it. Difficulty: 4/5
ELEC211 & MATH264: These 2 are run together as a one 3 credit course ELEC 211(2) and MATH 264(1). I pretty much had to do this course on your own. It isn't very time consuming but the term that it's in and the way it's taught will make it feel challenging. Took it with Carol Jaeger who taught the 211 part and Professor Demirbas who taught the 264 part. I don't mean to be rude but both were basically useless. I don't know if Professor Jaeger tried to teach because I stopped going after a few weeks that's how bad it was. It felt like she was just there because she has to be. For Professor Demirbas the way he teaches was very weird. Read a few nice things about him but didn't have the same experience. He speaks and teaches too fast for anyone to be able to learn anything but that might be because they're making him teach most of a 3 credit course (MATH 317-Calculus IV) as a one credit course in about 6-7 lectures all this along with a theory driven electromagnetics course. I'd recommend watch the last 4-5 lecutures of Professor Leonard's Calc III YouTube playlist right in the beginning of the course. That'll cover the MATH portion. Then follow the math lectures to practice and use that math you learnt to understand the ELEC portion. Wasn't able to find a goof YouTube resource for the ELEC part but just watch a bunch of different videos for each topic I guess. WebWorks are good practice. Difficulty: 4/5 (should've been 3 but the way they run it).
ELEC 221: A hard course depending on your proclivity for mathematics. It's a whole lot of new concepts so it's reasonable it'll be difficult. If the concepts of Fourier Series, Laplace Transforms (also in ELEC 202) and Differential Equations that you learnt in MATH 256 are really clear, that'll help. Took it with Joseph Yan who is a very kind and helpful person, but he just refuses to teach for some reason. He'll ask you to watch 1 or 2 20-30 minute videos before the week and the lectures will basically be a slideshow of previously annotated slides from a few of years ago and him just repeating "any questions?" without really explaining anything. His pre-week videos were helpful but they were only there for the first part of the course. I'd say watch his videos that are there. The examples in his slides are good for theoretical understanding and WebWorks are good practice for exams. Difficulty: 4.25/5
ELEC 281: It's a technical communication course, supposedly like WRDS 150B. Dropped it, taking it in the summer will update this here once I've taken it.
ELEC 291: Probably my favorite course from 2nd year. You actually get a sense of what it might be like being an engineer because this is a project course and you do hands on work. You get to work in teams which is sometimes good and sometimes bad. The only downside is it'll eat up A LOT, sometimes ALL of your time. First of all there are 6 labs that are due weekly which can take anywhere from 1-6 hours, depends on the amount of debugging you need to do. There's 2 projects which are much bigger than the labs. You have to spend a lot of time (can't put hours because I couldn't keep track even if I tried to) on the projects. There's no studying but a whole lot of doing. Professor Fraga is very helpful in the lab. Right course, wrong timing. Difficulty: 5/5 (60% because of the time it takes and 40% because of the actual work).
Hope this helps! Again these are just my opinions and everyone has a different experience. Let me know if anyone has any questions or if you feel I wrote something that isn't a valid description.
2024.05.13 22:14 Blankboo97 The Lost Women of NXIVM Part 7
Next part from The Lost Women of NXIVM:
PRODUCER: Do you have the suicide note?
HEIDI CLIFFORD (As “Anonymous Classmate”): (Reading purported “suicide note” aloud): This is a copy of the suicide note.
“I attended a course called Executive Success Programs, aka Nexium (sic), based out of Anchorage, Alaska and Albany, New York. I was brainwashed and my emotional center of the brain was killed and turned off. I still have feeling in my external skin, but my internal organs are rotting. I’m sorry, life. I didn’t know I was already dead.”
“No need to search my body.”
Was this potential suicide letter in Kris’s car coerced?
Was it her willingly writing it?
You don’t know.
As we have discussed in previous posts, nothing about the Kristin Snyder missing person case makes any sense whatsoever, and the purported “suicide note” found in her vehicle is certainly no exception.
Before we start analyzing the “suicide note,” here are a few factors to keep in mind:
• We know through information from multiple sources that Kristin was a prolific journal writer and letter writer, so we have a plethora of writing samples to compare with this alleged “suicide note.”
• We refer to “the writer” in our discussion of the “suicide note” below. The reason for this phrasing is because the actual writer of this note is unknown. Did Kristin herself write it, either as a explanation for killing herself, or for the purpose of faking her own death? Did someone else write it to make her disappearance appear to be a suicide? Was part of the text written by Kristin and added to by another party? Was the entire note faked? Was the note written by Kristin, but under duress/coercion as Heidi pondered?
• See notes under each section below regarding clear discrepancies between Kristin’s baseline writing style based on the hundreds of writing samples we have obtained from multiple sources through varying times throughout her life.
Now, without further ado, let’s take an in-depth look at this “suicide note” – line by line.
“I attended a course called Executive Success Programs (aka Nexium) based out of Anchorage, AK + Albany, NY.”
• Who is the note intended for? There is no salutation. We have tons of samples of Kristin’s letters and there is always a salutation – AND a date. If this is really her “suicide note,” why wouldn’t she address it to her partner Heidi, friends, coworkers, and/or family – as she always had addressed people in her letters? Similarly, wouldn’t she document the date of the most significant letter of her life, as she did routinely with her letters? In fact, she often even included the specific time (for instance, 7:15 p.m.) that the letter or journal entry was written.
• In addition to a salutation and date on other writing samples, Kris also typically indented her paragraphs and she also usually wrote on each line of the paper in her letters and journal entries, unlike this “suicide note,” which does neither.
• Related to the numerous writing samples we have acquired though multiple sources, Kris also primarily wrote in cursive in both her letters and in her journal. This “suicide note” is an odd hybrid of cursive and print.
• Why would anyone start a suicide note with “I attended a course…”? Clearly, the writer of this note is directing the reader to correlate ESP with the disappearance, but it seems like a very odd place for anyone to start a suicide note. Also, Kris attended two courses, not “a course”; a fact that Kris would have clearly known.
• “aka Nexium” is another oddity. Kris did not take any NXIVM classes, not even one, despite the extensive recent propaganda linking her to NXIVM. Why? Because NXIVM did not even exist at the time of Kristin’s disappearance; it was still in the planning stages. The writer had obviously heard about these plans as evidenced by the phonetic spelling. Again, it is obvious the writer of the note is clearly directing the reader’s attention to ESP/NXIVM – but if Kris were distraught enough to write a suicide note (and as functionally incapacitated as reported by her partner), why/how would she focus on minutiae like this?
• Speaking of minutiae, it gets even more obvious in the next words: “based out of Anchorage, AK + Albany, NY.” First of all, WHO CARES where ESP was based? That is in no way pertinent to the reasoning, and apparently is another clear attempt by the writer to direct the reader toward ESP/NXIVM. Secondly, this information is actually wrong. ESP wasn’t “based out of Anchorage, AK” – they held classes in Anchorage in a rented hotel space. The home base was in NY. Furthermore, Kris knew very well that this information was wrong, having recently visited their NY headquarters herself weeks before her disappearance!
•The words “based out of” (city, state) are odd as well. None of Kristin’s other writing samples did this. Nowhere does she mention elsewhere that anything is “based out of” anywhere in any of her copious writing samples we have obtained.
• Furthermore, why would the note say “Anchorage, AK” anyway? Presumably, Alaska law enforcement would be able to deduce that Anchorage is in Alaska without this unnecessary clarification.
“I was brainwashed + my emotional center of the brain was killed/turned off. I still have feeling in my external skin but my internal organs are rotting.”
• If Kris was brainwashed, she wouldn’t know (at least at the time) that she had been brainwashed. Again, this seems to be yet another clear attempt by the writer to direct the reader to look at ESP.
• Furthermore, if Kris finally did realize that she had been brainwashed, why would she then kill herself?
• The writer switches “my” and “the” in a sentence – something Kris never did, even once, in the hundreds of pages of writing we have obtained. The sentence should read “the emotional center of my brain,” not “my emotional center of the brain.”
• Another oddity is in the redundancy of “external skin.” Again, this sort of mistake does not appear to be Kris’s style, based on other writing samples. She had a Master of Science (M.S.) in Biology and she worked as an environmental consultant to the National Guard. She was a precise, clear, scientific, and articulate writer.
• This passage clearly implies that Kris was suffering from Cotard’s syndrome; per WebMD: “People with Cotard’s syndrome (also called walking corpse syndrome or Cotard’s delusion) believe that parts of their body are missing, or that they are dying, dead, or don’t exist.” We have talked to multiple people who Kris had visited in her January 2003 trip immediately prior to her February 2003 disappearance, and nobody reported any observations of any mental health issues, suicidal ideation, depression, psychosis, nor delusions of any sort. All of the people who discussed Kris’s reported mental health decline stated that they had not personally witnessed any symptoms, but rather, they were told of a rapid decline following Kris’s disappearance.
• If Kris thought she was already dead, why would she kill herself?
“Please contact my parents Bob + Jonnie Snyder at (number redacted) in Dillon, SC if you find me or this note.”
• Why would she specify to contact her parents, who lived out-of-state? Why not her partner? Why, in fact, is Heidi, the love of her life and civil union partner not mentioned AT ALL in the entire note?
• The inclusion of Kris’s parents as the sole contacts listed in the note contradicts a specific story told at the time of the disappearance alleging that Kris had uncovered memories of abuse during the class and that these purported memories were the reason/a factor in her alleged suicide. But: if that story was true, why would she include her father in the note? It should be noted that there is no evidence whatsoever that Kris was abused. As with the alleged rapid mental health decline, people who reported that story were not told of the purported abuse by Kris themselves, but rather, they were told of the purported abuse allegations after her disappearance. In fact, we even have been given a copy of a text message exchange in which the person who spread this abuse claims refers to it as “the lie.” This is yet another example of the myriad of inconsistencies and contradictions that plague Kris’s case.
• Why mention “Dillon, SC”? There is already a phone number given, so the city/state is irrelevant, and also, it is not her typical style. Again, it seems like someone with a quirky tic to mention a city and state wrote this.
• “if you find me or this note” is similarly nonsensical. If someone found her but NOT the note, they wouldn’t see the note, would they? Again, this oddity of wording is inconsistent with Kris’s typically precise style.
“I am sorry, life, I didn’t know I was already dead. May we persist into the future. KRISTN (sic) SNYDER”
• Again, if she thought she was already dead, why would she need to kill herself?
• Why is she addressing “life”?
• “May we persist into the future” is interesting. “Persist into the future” is a phrase used in ecology, which could potentially mean a couple things: a). Kristin wrote this herself; b). Kristin wrote this phrase elsewhere and someone traced/copied it onto the “suicide note”; or c). the writer had seen a document that referred to this phrase and used it.
• WHO LEAVES A LETTER OUT OF THEIR OWN NAME???? The second “I” is missing in “KRISTN.” Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, Kris predominantly wrote in cursive and she typically signed her name in cursive as well. Why, in the most important document of her life, would she BLOCK PRINT her name, and even more bizarre, why would she leave a letter out of her own name? The writer appears to drop letters and cram letters together, but there is no evidence from other writings that Kris did these things.
“No need to search for my body”
• Why was this written on the BACK of the page on the “suicide note”? And why was the note left inside of a notebook to begin with?
• Kris was a member of the Anchorage Nordic Ski Patrol, and therefore, she was involved in search and rescue. Therefore, she would already know that THEY WOULD SEARCH FOR HER ANYWAY. Also, more importantly, why would she intentionally hide her own body and therefore put her colleagues/friends on the search and rescue team through the extensive trouble and potential dangers of conducting the search for her?
• Why write “my body” on the back of the page but write “me” on the front of the page of the note? That is yet another incongruity.
• Why the emphasis on not looking for a body? The writer clearly has a very specific reason to mention this; there is a reason the writer does not want the body found. It is very rare for a person to want to hide his/her own body, and even more rare to be able to successfully do so.
submitted by Blankboo97 to Verity_of_Kris_Snyder [link] [comments]
PRODUCER: Do you have the suicide note?
HEIDI CLIFFORD (As “Anonymous Classmate”): (Reading purported “suicide note” aloud): This is a copy of the suicide note.
“I attended a course called Executive Success Programs, aka Nexium (sic), based out of Anchorage, Alaska and Albany, New York. I was brainwashed and my emotional center of the brain was killed and turned off. I still have feeling in my external skin, but my internal organs are rotting. I’m sorry, life. I didn’t know I was already dead.”
“No need to search my body.”
Was this potential suicide letter in Kris’s car coerced?
Was it her willingly writing it?
You don’t know.
As we have discussed in previous posts, nothing about the Kristin Snyder missing person case makes any sense whatsoever, and the purported “suicide note” found in her vehicle is certainly no exception.
Before we start analyzing the “suicide note,” here are a few factors to keep in mind:
• We know through information from multiple sources that Kristin was a prolific journal writer and letter writer, so we have a plethora of writing samples to compare with this alleged “suicide note.”
• We refer to “the writer” in our discussion of the “suicide note” below. The reason for this phrasing is because the actual writer of this note is unknown. Did Kristin herself write it, either as a explanation for killing herself, or for the purpose of faking her own death? Did someone else write it to make her disappearance appear to be a suicide? Was part of the text written by Kristin and added to by another party? Was the entire note faked? Was the note written by Kristin, but under duress/coercion as Heidi pondered?
• See notes under each section below regarding clear discrepancies between Kristin’s baseline writing style based on the hundreds of writing samples we have obtained from multiple sources through varying times throughout her life.
Now, without further ado, let’s take an in-depth look at this “suicide note” – line by line.
“I attended a course called Executive Success Programs (aka Nexium) based out of Anchorage, AK + Albany, NY.”
• Who is the note intended for? There is no salutation. We have tons of samples of Kristin’s letters and there is always a salutation – AND a date. If this is really her “suicide note,” why wouldn’t she address it to her partner Heidi, friends, coworkers, and/or family – as she always had addressed people in her letters? Similarly, wouldn’t she document the date of the most significant letter of her life, as she did routinely with her letters? In fact, she often even included the specific time (for instance, 7:15 p.m.) that the letter or journal entry was written.
• In addition to a salutation and date on other writing samples, Kris also typically indented her paragraphs and she also usually wrote on each line of the paper in her letters and journal entries, unlike this “suicide note,” which does neither.
• Related to the numerous writing samples we have acquired though multiple sources, Kris also primarily wrote in cursive in both her letters and in her journal. This “suicide note” is an odd hybrid of cursive and print.
• Why would anyone start a suicide note with “I attended a course…”? Clearly, the writer of this note is directing the reader to correlate ESP with the disappearance, but it seems like a very odd place for anyone to start a suicide note. Also, Kris attended two courses, not “a course”; a fact that Kris would have clearly known.
• “aka Nexium” is another oddity. Kris did not take any NXIVM classes, not even one, despite the extensive recent propaganda linking her to NXIVM. Why? Because NXIVM did not even exist at the time of Kristin’s disappearance; it was still in the planning stages. The writer had obviously heard about these plans as evidenced by the phonetic spelling. Again, it is obvious the writer of the note is clearly directing the reader’s attention to ESP/NXIVM – but if Kris were distraught enough to write a suicide note (and as functionally incapacitated as reported by her partner), why/how would she focus on minutiae like this?
• Speaking of minutiae, it gets even more obvious in the next words: “based out of Anchorage, AK + Albany, NY.” First of all, WHO CARES where ESP was based? That is in no way pertinent to the reasoning, and apparently is another clear attempt by the writer to direct the reader toward ESP/NXIVM. Secondly, this information is actually wrong. ESP wasn’t “based out of Anchorage, AK” – they held classes in Anchorage in a rented hotel space. The home base was in NY. Furthermore, Kris knew very well that this information was wrong, having recently visited their NY headquarters herself weeks before her disappearance!
•The words “based out of” (city, state) are odd as well. None of Kristin’s other writing samples did this. Nowhere does she mention elsewhere that anything is “based out of” anywhere in any of her copious writing samples we have obtained.
• Furthermore, why would the note say “Anchorage, AK” anyway? Presumably, Alaska law enforcement would be able to deduce that Anchorage is in Alaska without this unnecessary clarification.
“I was brainwashed + my emotional center of the brain was killed/turned off. I still have feeling in my external skin but my internal organs are rotting.”
• If Kris was brainwashed, she wouldn’t know (at least at the time) that she had been brainwashed. Again, this seems to be yet another clear attempt by the writer to direct the reader to look at ESP.
• Furthermore, if Kris finally did realize that she had been brainwashed, why would she then kill herself?
• The writer switches “my” and “the” in a sentence – something Kris never did, even once, in the hundreds of pages of writing we have obtained. The sentence should read “the emotional center of my brain,” not “my emotional center of the brain.”
• Another oddity is in the redundancy of “external skin.” Again, this sort of mistake does not appear to be Kris’s style, based on other writing samples. She had a Master of Science (M.S.) in Biology and she worked as an environmental consultant to the National Guard. She was a precise, clear, scientific, and articulate writer.
• This passage clearly implies that Kris was suffering from Cotard’s syndrome; per WebMD: “People with Cotard’s syndrome (also called walking corpse syndrome or Cotard’s delusion) believe that parts of their body are missing, or that they are dying, dead, or don’t exist.” We have talked to multiple people who Kris had visited in her January 2003 trip immediately prior to her February 2003 disappearance, and nobody reported any observations of any mental health issues, suicidal ideation, depression, psychosis, nor delusions of any sort. All of the people who discussed Kris’s reported mental health decline stated that they had not personally witnessed any symptoms, but rather, they were told of a rapid decline following Kris’s disappearance.
• If Kris thought she was already dead, why would she kill herself?
“Please contact my parents Bob + Jonnie Snyder at (number redacted) in Dillon, SC if you find me or this note.”
• Why would she specify to contact her parents, who lived out-of-state? Why not her partner? Why, in fact, is Heidi, the love of her life and civil union partner not mentioned AT ALL in the entire note?
• The inclusion of Kris’s parents as the sole contacts listed in the note contradicts a specific story told at the time of the disappearance alleging that Kris had uncovered memories of abuse during the class and that these purported memories were the reason/a factor in her alleged suicide. But: if that story was true, why would she include her father in the note? It should be noted that there is no evidence whatsoever that Kris was abused. As with the alleged rapid mental health decline, people who reported that story were not told of the purported abuse by Kris themselves, but rather, they were told of the purported abuse allegations after her disappearance. In fact, we even have been given a copy of a text message exchange in which the person who spread this abuse claims refers to it as “the lie.” This is yet another example of the myriad of inconsistencies and contradictions that plague Kris’s case.
• Why mention “Dillon, SC”? There is already a phone number given, so the city/state is irrelevant, and also, it is not her typical style. Again, it seems like someone with a quirky tic to mention a city and state wrote this.
• “if you find me or this note” is similarly nonsensical. If someone found her but NOT the note, they wouldn’t see the note, would they? Again, this oddity of wording is inconsistent with Kris’s typically precise style.
“I am sorry, life, I didn’t know I was already dead. May we persist into the future. KRISTN (sic) SNYDER”
• Again, if she thought she was already dead, why would she need to kill herself?
• Why is she addressing “life”?
• “May we persist into the future” is interesting. “Persist into the future” is a phrase used in ecology, which could potentially mean a couple things: a). Kristin wrote this herself; b). Kristin wrote this phrase elsewhere and someone traced/copied it onto the “suicide note”; or c). the writer had seen a document that referred to this phrase and used it.
• WHO LEAVES A LETTER OUT OF THEIR OWN NAME???? The second “I” is missing in “KRISTN.” Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, Kris predominantly wrote in cursive and she typically signed her name in cursive as well. Why, in the most important document of her life, would she BLOCK PRINT her name, and even more bizarre, why would she leave a letter out of her own name? The writer appears to drop letters and cram letters together, but there is no evidence from other writings that Kris did these things.
“No need to search for my body”
• Why was this written on the BACK of the page on the “suicide note”? And why was the note left inside of a notebook to begin with?
• Kris was a member of the Anchorage Nordic Ski Patrol, and therefore, she was involved in search and rescue. Therefore, she would already know that THEY WOULD SEARCH FOR HER ANYWAY. Also, more importantly, why would she intentionally hide her own body and therefore put her colleagues/friends on the search and rescue team through the extensive trouble and potential dangers of conducting the search for her?
• Why write “my body” on the back of the page but write “me” on the front of the page of the note? That is yet another incongruity.
• Why the emphasis on not looking for a body? The writer clearly has a very specific reason to mention this; there is a reason the writer does not want the body found. It is very rare for a person to want to hide his/her own body, and even more rare to be able to successfully do so.
2024.05.13 19:07 CeeJap My Double Review of YWGBYST
It's taken me a good few listens to really appreciate this album. Here are my thoughts that I had when I had listened to the album once, and then how I came around on most of these songs.
Thirst I thought was a great opener, loved the sub bass breakdown the most. Piece by Piece went hard as balls but I thought the ending was maybe a little weak. Suffocate and Don't Reach for Me I had heard before and loved both of those songs. Especially Reach. Moss Covers All I thought was really weak, especially when a song like Return to Passion exists, I felt like that song did everything this one was trying to do already. Take Me Home I also did not like originally and thought the outro section left a lot to be desired, however I did like how it was a bit strange in comparison with the rest of the album so far. Slaughterhouse 2 I thought was pretty decent at first. Definitely so much better than the MIW song imo. The Calm That Keeps You Awake I thought was solid as hell on first listens. Blinding Faith I saw a lot of people saying how it "sounded too much like KL" which I think makes no sense lol this one's a banger. Sit & Mourn I didn't like at first. I found that it didn't build as methodically as I usually liked in more slower-build songs. I also found the samples a bit obscure, and overall just made this as the outro feel a bit underwhelming.
Listening to the Boundaries album earlier this year, I got exactly what I was expecting from them, which was incredible breakdown-centered metalcore which contributed in that album being my favorite of this year. YWGBYST did not give me what I was expecting, especially since the singles were some of the most "accessible" songs on the album (which they should be). Because of this the first couple of listens for me left a bit to be desired, but once I have started to take the album as it is I've found a lot more enjoyment in subsequent listens. Here's what I think about everything now, which is definitely bound to change in the coming months.
Thirst obviously is still a brutal opener. Piece by Piece has even grown on me despite already liking it, that chorus just has so much g r o o v e and I love that there's no vocals on them and it's just riffage. Moss Covers All I still think is outdone by Return, but I do like it's place on the album and how it introduces some lyrics and motifs for Take Me Home. Take Me Home has grown on me the most. I love this song now, the percussion is amazing and the screams are brutal. The first "pull me!" actually freaks me the fuck out everytime I hear it, something about there being nothing but clean guitar while Bryan screams his head off is really unsettling. I've seen people talk about how this band is trying to pull off a "fake spooky" vibe but come on this song is legit scary. Slaughterhouse 2 is still amazing, and definitely sounds like a KL song to me despite people disagreeing about that. Also just glad there's a blegh somewhere in this album. The Calm That Keeps You Awake is also still amazing, I absolutely love Isaac's "WOH" before the last breakdown, it's so damn good. I do think though that it sounds a lot like the breakdown in Mangekyō that Alpha Wolf came out with earlier this year. Sit & Mourn has grown on me a bit, although I still don't think it's the greatest closer. I do really like how massive the song sounds in its melodic bits around the middle.
Overall this album fucks. I do wish like a lot of others on here it seems that the guitars came through a bit better in the mix. The drums, although yes they are crispy, I find overpower a lot in the mix and think it could've been done ever so slightly better. If I were to rank the KL releases so far I would say UL - YWGBYST - ATITFOL - PC - LT - ADSOB
TL:DR - Album good.
submitted by CeeJap to knockedloose [link] [comments]
Thirst I thought was a great opener, loved the sub bass breakdown the most. Piece by Piece went hard as balls but I thought the ending was maybe a little weak. Suffocate and Don't Reach for Me I had heard before and loved both of those songs. Especially Reach. Moss Covers All I thought was really weak, especially when a song like Return to Passion exists, I felt like that song did everything this one was trying to do already. Take Me Home I also did not like originally and thought the outro section left a lot to be desired, however I did like how it was a bit strange in comparison with the rest of the album so far. Slaughterhouse 2 I thought was pretty decent at first. Definitely so much better than the MIW song imo. The Calm That Keeps You Awake I thought was solid as hell on first listens. Blinding Faith I saw a lot of people saying how it "sounded too much like KL" which I think makes no sense lol this one's a banger. Sit & Mourn I didn't like at first. I found that it didn't build as methodically as I usually liked in more slower-build songs. I also found the samples a bit obscure, and overall just made this as the outro feel a bit underwhelming.
Listening to the Boundaries album earlier this year, I got exactly what I was expecting from them, which was incredible breakdown-centered metalcore which contributed in that album being my favorite of this year. YWGBYST did not give me what I was expecting, especially since the singles were some of the most "accessible" songs on the album (which they should be). Because of this the first couple of listens for me left a bit to be desired, but once I have started to take the album as it is I've found a lot more enjoyment in subsequent listens. Here's what I think about everything now, which is definitely bound to change in the coming months.
Thirst obviously is still a brutal opener. Piece by Piece has even grown on me despite already liking it, that chorus just has so much g r o o v e and I love that there's no vocals on them and it's just riffage. Moss Covers All I still think is outdone by Return, but I do like it's place on the album and how it introduces some lyrics and motifs for Take Me Home. Take Me Home has grown on me the most. I love this song now, the percussion is amazing and the screams are brutal. The first "pull me!" actually freaks me the fuck out everytime I hear it, something about there being nothing but clean guitar while Bryan screams his head off is really unsettling. I've seen people talk about how this band is trying to pull off a "fake spooky" vibe but come on this song is legit scary. Slaughterhouse 2 is still amazing, and definitely sounds like a KL song to me despite people disagreeing about that. Also just glad there's a blegh somewhere in this album. The Calm That Keeps You Awake is also still amazing, I absolutely love Isaac's "WOH" before the last breakdown, it's so damn good. I do think though that it sounds a lot like the breakdown in Mangekyō that Alpha Wolf came out with earlier this year. Sit & Mourn has grown on me a bit, although I still don't think it's the greatest closer. I do really like how massive the song sounds in its melodic bits around the middle.
Overall this album fucks. I do wish like a lot of others on here it seems that the guitars came through a bit better in the mix. The drums, although yes they are crispy, I find overpower a lot in the mix and think it could've been done ever so slightly better. If I were to rank the KL releases so far I would say UL - YWGBYST - ATITFOL - PC - LT - ADSOB
TL:DR - Album good.
2024.05.13 18:08 Quetzhal DIE. RESPAWN. REPEAT. (Book 2, Ch 36)
Book 1 Prev Next
The journey back to the City of Glass is surprisingly uneventful. I suppose part of it is that we're used to the trip by now — I'm able to tune out everything that happens on the way, up to and including the strange interaction with the guards where they take a sample of my Firmament. Nothing's come of it so far, but I still make sure to give them a fake sample.
Tarin, as usual, doesn't bother. I imagine he's done this plenty of times before he ever met me, though, considering his relationship with Miktik. I doubt them having an additional sample of his Firmament is actually going to make a difference.
"What happened between you and Mari, anyway?" I ask once we've gotten past the Great Gates. Tarin looked like he needed some time to think on the journey, so I haven't asked about it so far. Now, though, he looks a little more like he's in the mood to talk.
"She tell me she worried," Tarin says. We've slowed down to a walking pace for the time being. Actually being in Isthanok means we have to be careful about Whisper being able to listen in to everything they say. I've never really thought about how suffocating that is, but the difference is stark now that I haven't had to watch my every word for the past day or so.
"About what?" I ask. I think I know the answer, but Tarin seems to want to talk it through.
"Me," Tarin says, which surprises me. It doesn't exactly mirror what she told me when we last spoke, though that was a different iteration of her. "She worry I lonely."
"I'm assuming she's not talking about the kind of loneliness I can help with," I say dryly. Tarin's expression is almost comically horrified, like he hadn't even considered that interpretation.
"No!" he squawks. "Just... I experience many things. She not. You understand?"
That much I do understand. Tarin's essentially moving on without her. He's having new experiences, encountering new people, fighting new fights — and Mari is stuck in place. I haven't made any progress in figuring out how to bring someone else into the loop intentionally, nor do I really know where to start, even with all the strides I've made in Firmament and imbuement.
"Yeah," I say. That's a little closer to what Mari talked to me about. "Do you know what you want to do about it? I've been wondering if I might be able to bring her into the loop somehow..."
To my surprise, Tarin immediately shakes his head. "She not want join," he says. "She say experiencing same thing too many times not easy."
A short silence. Then Tarin continues, "she right."
I don't have anything to say to that.
"You don't seem bored with the loops," Ahkelios points out. His chosen perch this time is on top of my head, nestled in my hair. "Not yet, anyway."
"I not bored," Tarin says. "Many things interesting. But for how long?"
"As long as you can handle it, I suppose," I say.
Maybe I've been looking at this the wrong way. Maybe I shouldn't be looking for a way to get Mari in, but a way to get Tarin out.
I'm not sure I like the idea of that.
—
Isthanok looms ahead of us. The first indication that it's near is the crystalline palace in the sky that directs the sun's glare almost directly into my eyes. This is also the first time I notice that Tough Body seems to passively increase my ability to stare into powerful sources of light without being blinded. Not that I'm about to try staring into the sun or anything.
As more of the city comes into view, however, I almost immediately notice that things are... different. I slow down, bleeding off the speed skills I've been using, and next to me Tarin does the same. We exchange cautious glances.
"I don't remember there being this many guards before," I say quietly.
More accurately, I don't remember there being any guards before. Security within Isthanok is mostly handled by He-Who-Guards and his many bodies, as I understand it. I don't ever really see them around, so presumably they're good at hiding.
Even in the last loop, where Guard began injured and apparently dying, there hadn't been any guards stationed at the borders of Isthanok. So one of two things must have happened: either Guard's condition is much worse than before, or Whisper was able to pass on a message about the Trialgoer being active.
I grimace. The changes don't bode well, but this doesn't really change what we have to do.
"We're not going to visit Miktik this time," I mutter. I feel compelled to be quiet even though we're still well out of Whisper's range — at least, I'm pretty sure we are. The Firmament doesn't get collected into her palace from this far away. "Don't want to put her at risk, and we've already seen the design for her Firmament sink."
"Your design not complete," Tarin points out, entirely reasonably.
"I'm sure I can make do," I say. Ahkelios makes it a point to rap me on the skull, at this point, and I sigh. "...Okay, we'll talk to Miktik. But I don't want to involve her any more than necessary. At this point I'm tired of seeing Whisper abuse her."
From the grim look on Tarin's face and the way he tenses up, I'm pretty sure he agrees. He confirms it a second later. "She try it again and I fight her."
"Not kill?"
Tarin snorts. "I not kill Whisper. She too strong. But I can be very, very annoying."
I can't argue with that. The idea of Tarin swooping in and out at his blistering pace and annoying Whisper makes me smirk a bit.
That smirk quickly falls away as we approach the guards that stand at the border to Isthanok.
They're both silverwisps, and considering how unkempt their uniforms are and the way they keep looking nervously between one another, I'm guessing neither of them are used to the job — they hold their weapons like they're toys rather than weapons.
Their weapons are large marbles filled with deadly Firmament. I hope they know what side the Firmament is supposed to come out from — the spherical shape doesn't really give you a lot of clues. I can tell there's a cone of energy in there with my Firmament sense, but barring that, there are no markings that might indicate a firing direction.
"That looks like a disaster waiting to happen," I mutter.
The noise is enough for the two silverwisps to take notice. One of them steps forward. "What's your purpose in Isthanok today?" he asks. I note the sudden concentration of Firmament being drawn up to Whisper's palace — she's listening in.
"Visit!" Tarin squawks. "We want visit—"
"—a kobold-run shop we heard about," I interrupt. "I think it's called Thys and Thaht?"
Tarin gives me a baffled look. I ignore him.
"Really?" the guard seems surprised. I feel the focused Firmament waver a bit — Whisper's lost interest and is going back to passive listening. "Not a very popular shop, that one."
"Why not?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Too many explosions," he says, waving a hand. "How long will you be staying in Isthanok?"
"Not long," I say. "Maybe a day or two. We're going to check out the Craven Arena, too."
"Oh?" the guard leans forward, suddenly interested. "As a spectator, or a fighter?"
...That smells like a trap. I feign embarrassment and laugh. "I doubt I'd last a second in the ring."
"Most people don't," the silverwisp says, his pendant displaying a smirk. He takes a step back — evidently, I gave him the answer he wanted to hear — and waves us both in. "You're clear. Enjoy your time in Isthanok."
Tarin and I make our way past him, a little bemused by the whole experience. Everything inside Isthanok hasn't changed, at least. The Firmament feels a little different, but I'm guessing that's because of Guard's absence, which speaks volumes as to his power.
"We go shop?" Tarin asks. His way of asking about the kobold shop I mentioned, I suppose. Anything more specific might be an obvious tipoff, especially if Whisper knows that the Trial is now active.
"Let's get your friend first," I say. "Bring her along. I'm sure she'd be interested in what they've got."
I'm not just saying that, either. Whatever tech or imbuements they use are seriously impressive, considering the difficulty I had against that one piloted robot. Tarin nods thoughtfully in response.
We make our way once more to Miktik's workshop, ducking through the hole in the fence and the Firmament barrier that separates the two sections of the city. Like before, the abrupt change in noise is jarring — this part of the city is much louder than any other. I wonder if that's why the barrier exists, to dampen and filter out the sound that Whisper receives as she listens in on the city. It's not like that's a trivial imbuement to keep running.
"Something feel different," Tarin says suddenly. I blink.
"Does it?" I glance around. Nothing looks particularly out of the ordinary.
"I feel it too," Ahkelios says. The little guy twitches in his spot in my hair — I can't see him, but I can feel him shifting uncomfortably. Not a great sign.
I flick on Firmament Sight. My natural Firmament sense is good, but I'm not able to organize the information as quickly as I can with a visual reference. The moment I do, I see it.
There's... a gradient, for lack of a better word. The Firmament looks normal at first glance, but a second look shows that it's getting gradually denser as it approaches the direction of Miktik's workshop, and while the workshop itself is still out of range for me, this is enough to warrant caution.
Evidently, Ahkelios and Tarin have developed their instincts enough to know when something is wrong, even if they can't pinpoint what it is. I'll have to work on that.
"There's some kind of concentration of Firmament up ahead," I say. "It's subtle, but it's there."
Ahkelios opens his mouth to ask me a question, then pauses, sending said question through our bond instead. What changed this time? he asks. Whisper took longer to send for MIktik last time. This is too soon.
I shrug. No idea, I admit. But I'm guessing Whisper has some idea of what's going on now.
You think she's got something to do with this, then?
Maybe. It's the only thing I can think of, anyway. We'll find out. Not like a bit of Firmament is going to stop us.
Book 1 Prev Next
Author's Note: Reddit seems to have changed the submission page and now pasting into the text box doesn't retain formatting no matter what subreddit I try to paste in, so I'm using a markdown exporter instead. Hopefully that doesn't cause any problems.
Thanks for reading! This story is also on RoyalRoad, and I'd appreciate any support via Patreon.
submitted by Quetzhal to HFY [link] [comments]
The journey back to the City of Glass is surprisingly uneventful. I suppose part of it is that we're used to the trip by now — I'm able to tune out everything that happens on the way, up to and including the strange interaction with the guards where they take a sample of my Firmament. Nothing's come of it so far, but I still make sure to give them a fake sample.
Tarin, as usual, doesn't bother. I imagine he's done this plenty of times before he ever met me, though, considering his relationship with Miktik. I doubt them having an additional sample of his Firmament is actually going to make a difference.
"What happened between you and Mari, anyway?" I ask once we've gotten past the Great Gates. Tarin looked like he needed some time to think on the journey, so I haven't asked about it so far. Now, though, he looks a little more like he's in the mood to talk.
"She tell me she worried," Tarin says. We've slowed down to a walking pace for the time being. Actually being in Isthanok means we have to be careful about Whisper being able to listen in to everything they say. I've never really thought about how suffocating that is, but the difference is stark now that I haven't had to watch my every word for the past day or so.
"About what?" I ask. I think I know the answer, but Tarin seems to want to talk it through.
"Me," Tarin says, which surprises me. It doesn't exactly mirror what she told me when we last spoke, though that was a different iteration of her. "She worry I lonely."
"I'm assuming she's not talking about the kind of loneliness I can help with," I say dryly. Tarin's expression is almost comically horrified, like he hadn't even considered that interpretation.
"No!" he squawks. "Just... I experience many things. She not. You understand?"
That much I do understand. Tarin's essentially moving on without her. He's having new experiences, encountering new people, fighting new fights — and Mari is stuck in place. I haven't made any progress in figuring out how to bring someone else into the loop intentionally, nor do I really know where to start, even with all the strides I've made in Firmament and imbuement.
"Yeah," I say. That's a little closer to what Mari talked to me about. "Do you know what you want to do about it? I've been wondering if I might be able to bring her into the loop somehow..."
To my surprise, Tarin immediately shakes his head. "She not want join," he says. "She say experiencing same thing too many times not easy."
A short silence. Then Tarin continues, "she right."
I don't have anything to say to that.
"You don't seem bored with the loops," Ahkelios points out. His chosen perch this time is on top of my head, nestled in my hair. "Not yet, anyway."
"I not bored," Tarin says. "Many things interesting. But for how long?"
"As long as you can handle it, I suppose," I say.
Maybe I've been looking at this the wrong way. Maybe I shouldn't be looking for a way to get Mari in, but a way to get Tarin out.
I'm not sure I like the idea of that.
—
Isthanok looms ahead of us. The first indication that it's near is the crystalline palace in the sky that directs the sun's glare almost directly into my eyes. This is also the first time I notice that Tough Body seems to passively increase my ability to stare into powerful sources of light without being blinded. Not that I'm about to try staring into the sun or anything.
As more of the city comes into view, however, I almost immediately notice that things are... different. I slow down, bleeding off the speed skills I've been using, and next to me Tarin does the same. We exchange cautious glances.
"I don't remember there being this many guards before," I say quietly.
More accurately, I don't remember there being any guards before. Security within Isthanok is mostly handled by He-Who-Guards and his many bodies, as I understand it. I don't ever really see them around, so presumably they're good at hiding.
Even in the last loop, where Guard began injured and apparently dying, there hadn't been any guards stationed at the borders of Isthanok. So one of two things must have happened: either Guard's condition is much worse than before, or Whisper was able to pass on a message about the Trialgoer being active.
I grimace. The changes don't bode well, but this doesn't really change what we have to do.
"We're not going to visit Miktik this time," I mutter. I feel compelled to be quiet even though we're still well out of Whisper's range — at least, I'm pretty sure we are. The Firmament doesn't get collected into her palace from this far away. "Don't want to put her at risk, and we've already seen the design for her Firmament sink."
"Your design not complete," Tarin points out, entirely reasonably.
"I'm sure I can make do," I say. Ahkelios makes it a point to rap me on the skull, at this point, and I sigh. "...Okay, we'll talk to Miktik. But I don't want to involve her any more than necessary. At this point I'm tired of seeing Whisper abuse her."
From the grim look on Tarin's face and the way he tenses up, I'm pretty sure he agrees. He confirms it a second later. "She try it again and I fight her."
"Not kill?"
Tarin snorts. "I not kill Whisper. She too strong. But I can be very, very annoying."
I can't argue with that. The idea of Tarin swooping in and out at his blistering pace and annoying Whisper makes me smirk a bit.
That smirk quickly falls away as we approach the guards that stand at the border to Isthanok.
They're both silverwisps, and considering how unkempt their uniforms are and the way they keep looking nervously between one another, I'm guessing neither of them are used to the job — they hold their weapons like they're toys rather than weapons.
Their weapons are large marbles filled with deadly Firmament. I hope they know what side the Firmament is supposed to come out from — the spherical shape doesn't really give you a lot of clues. I can tell there's a cone of energy in there with my Firmament sense, but barring that, there are no markings that might indicate a firing direction.
"That looks like a disaster waiting to happen," I mutter.
The noise is enough for the two silverwisps to take notice. One of them steps forward. "What's your purpose in Isthanok today?" he asks. I note the sudden concentration of Firmament being drawn up to Whisper's palace — she's listening in.
"Visit!" Tarin squawks. "We want visit—"
"—a kobold-run shop we heard about," I interrupt. "I think it's called Thys and Thaht?"
Tarin gives me a baffled look. I ignore him.
"Really?" the guard seems surprised. I feel the focused Firmament waver a bit — Whisper's lost interest and is going back to passive listening. "Not a very popular shop, that one."
"Why not?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Too many explosions," he says, waving a hand. "How long will you be staying in Isthanok?"
"Not long," I say. "Maybe a day or two. We're going to check out the Craven Arena, too."
"Oh?" the guard leans forward, suddenly interested. "As a spectator, or a fighter?"
...That smells like a trap. I feign embarrassment and laugh. "I doubt I'd last a second in the ring."
"Most people don't," the silverwisp says, his pendant displaying a smirk. He takes a step back — evidently, I gave him the answer he wanted to hear — and waves us both in. "You're clear. Enjoy your time in Isthanok."
Tarin and I make our way past him, a little bemused by the whole experience. Everything inside Isthanok hasn't changed, at least. The Firmament feels a little different, but I'm guessing that's because of Guard's absence, which speaks volumes as to his power.
"We go shop?" Tarin asks. His way of asking about the kobold shop I mentioned, I suppose. Anything more specific might be an obvious tipoff, especially if Whisper knows that the Trial is now active.
"Let's get your friend first," I say. "Bring her along. I'm sure she'd be interested in what they've got."
I'm not just saying that, either. Whatever tech or imbuements they use are seriously impressive, considering the difficulty I had against that one piloted robot. Tarin nods thoughtfully in response.
We make our way once more to Miktik's workshop, ducking through the hole in the fence and the Firmament barrier that separates the two sections of the city. Like before, the abrupt change in noise is jarring — this part of the city is much louder than any other. I wonder if that's why the barrier exists, to dampen and filter out the sound that Whisper receives as she listens in on the city. It's not like that's a trivial imbuement to keep running.
"Something feel different," Tarin says suddenly. I blink.
"Does it?" I glance around. Nothing looks particularly out of the ordinary.
"I feel it too," Ahkelios says. The little guy twitches in his spot in my hair — I can't see him, but I can feel him shifting uncomfortably. Not a great sign.
I flick on Firmament Sight. My natural Firmament sense is good, but I'm not able to organize the information as quickly as I can with a visual reference. The moment I do, I see it.
There's... a gradient, for lack of a better word. The Firmament looks normal at first glance, but a second look shows that it's getting gradually denser as it approaches the direction of Miktik's workshop, and while the workshop itself is still out of range for me, this is enough to warrant caution.
Evidently, Ahkelios and Tarin have developed their instincts enough to know when something is wrong, even if they can't pinpoint what it is. I'll have to work on that.
"There's some kind of concentration of Firmament up ahead," I say. "It's subtle, but it's there."
Ahkelios opens his mouth to ask me a question, then pauses, sending said question through our bond instead. What changed this time? he asks. Whisper took longer to send for MIktik last time. This is too soon.
I shrug. No idea, I admit. But I'm guessing Whisper has some idea of what's going on now.
You think she's got something to do with this, then?
Maybe. It's the only thing I can think of, anyway. We'll find out. Not like a bit of Firmament is going to stop us.
Book 1 Prev Next
Author's Note: Reddit seems to have changed the submission page and now pasting into the text box doesn't retain formatting no matter what subreddit I try to paste in, so I'm using a markdown exporter instead. Hopefully that doesn't cause any problems.
Thanks for reading! This story is also on RoyalRoad, and I'd appreciate any support via Patreon.
2024.05.13 16:26 Processter How would I start a 3d printing business, if I had to restart after 10 years. 15 “things” I would need.
I’ve shared my story on how I started, ran for 10 years, and remotely sold my 3dp business HERE.
Now I would like to speculate on How I would start it if I had to do it again. Why? 2 reasons:
I concentrate on the business side since the 3dp business is first of all a business, and I go through with it as I would’ve done it (not just some average avatar model).
This article doesn’t cover everything and simplifies some parts, but I tried to make it as real and in-depth as possible since the devil is in the details.
But I will revisit this very important question (let's call it a “vision”) as soon as I have a meaningful chunk of data and experience.
For that, I need to pick a place (3dp business is place-bound to a certain degree). Let's say a city - Austin - TX.
Note here - the bigger city, the better.
Now I need 3 lists:
I need general high-frequency keywords as well as Google suggestions and low-frequency keywords. The broader the scope, the better. There is a free tool called Keyword Planner (it also provides a click cost estimation for Google ads) inside a Google Ads account. If you don’t use Google ads, you can pick any keyword search tool out there.
Now I need to sort it, vet out unneeded ones, and separate them into groups based on intent (informational or commercial). I will also create a list of “minus” words (will use them later).
When it is all done, I need to assemble a “core”: a few groups of keywords united by intention.
If I don’t use keys/groups for commercial purposes, I may use them for info articles (SEO). The most visited (by a long shot) page on the site, which I sold as a part of the business was “The History of 3d printing”.
📜 Research should also include many other “places”, basically one should identify where potential customers hang out, what they need (their problems), and how one can reach them, and as a result will have some potential acquisition channels, and a list of “problems” to form an offer with.
I will only cover the fastest and the one I know best - Google ads (+ a bit of SEO for the long game). This channel corresponds rather well, with my understanding, of where my “target audience” may be (more on that below).
I know what I won't do - I won't try to go for the cheapest price - it is a road to nowhere. I may go for it once or twice to snatch an order, which will be beneficial to my portfolio, but that is it!
Now I also understand how my competitors interact with their customers and what I can offer in this regard.
Usually, the latter shall be detailed like: I need to reach X revenue/per day, to get Y rev per month, and for that, I will need Z inquiries and so on... But as I am just starting, it may not make a lot of sense, since there are no "base" numbers. But I will use that type of planning as soon as I have those numbers (after 6-12 months).
I also will align the plan with my vision, and maybe add some details to it, based on the data I’ve gathered.
I will have a somewhat united note/doc with actionable tasks, equipped with due dates (those are very important), and an overall plan.
I like to unify all of the above (lists, vision, tasks…) as a project in a project management software (later about that). Much easier to manage and keep track of.
This offer will be presented on my site, in my ads, and everywhere else.
I need to describe CLEARLY what do I do exactly, for whom, and why those people should take their business to me (competitive advantages).
I pick a name, and domain name and make a logo. I keep in mind that they are a part of the offer (everything is), and I keep them as short, direct, and close to the point as possible. I squeeze a relevant keyword in if I can.
Before I decide I type the name into the search and see what pops up (don’t skip that part).
Now I can make a site. I pick one of the No-code options to create it myself or delegate it. Keep in mind that you will need to correct and change the site: an offer (text. headings), portfolio, blog (for SEO purposes), services, etc. The no-code solution will allow you to do that yourself.
It will be a landing page (in the beginning), and it will include:
The “art” of creating a Title, H1, and the rest of the text, headings, and attributes is a delicate dance between the need to be different from competitors, the need to incorporate the right keywords, basic SEO guidelines, and most importantly - to present a compelling offer.
📜 An important thing to keep in mind - your first screen should tell, straight and clearly - what services you provide, for whom, and why a visitor should click your CTA, or continue reading.
Last thing - make sure that it looks fine and loads quickly on mobile. More than half of the traffic will be from there.
Research says, that If it loads more than 3 seconds - more than 70% of people bounce.
Check your speed here - https://pagespeed.web.dev/
There is A LOT more to that, but it is beyond the scope of this article.
Google ads. As I just starting, I need to be as targeted as possible. So I will:
Why?
I will use exact match, fix (pin) headings and descriptions, and practically make "an old school" text ad from a responsive search ad. I will have to do different ads for different keywords (if the keyword or phrase is matched in the title, conversion is higher); Yes, it will be more work, but results will be better, and controllable.
Just how I like them.
Now I will compose my "SEO plan", I will:
I won't cover social media here, since its plenty of info on that topic.
From my experience, if I plan (and I do) to offer 3d printing services to businesses (B2B), social media (with the exception of LinkedIn maybe, not sure nowadays what is what) is not exactly a place for “fishing” (I might be wrong).
I will not go deep into the business structure (LLCs or sole proprietorships), just say that you need one. Figure out what works best in your case, but note: if you are planning (envisioning) to sell your business one day (or a part of it) - you will need it to be at least an LLC.
This structure (as stated in the name), also limits your liability, which is not a bad thing. One more thing that does that, and at times viewed as a formality - is a contract.
I’ve learned to appreciate contracts and pay attention to their "design". The contract sets expectations, protects both you and your client, and serves as an extension to your offer - a clear, correct, and honest contract, that picks up on promises you’ve made will reassure your client that you are a trustworthy professional.
Create a clear, correct contract template (or templates), seek professional help/advice if needed, and try not to overcomplicate it (easier-smaller the better).
📜 Before the contract, expectations are set during all interactions with a client: nuances, limitations, examples, samples, etc. As the number of interactions with clients starts to grow you will notice repetitive patterns in questions and answers. Create a base with answer templates - those saved me a ton of time and improved the quality of my communication.
If you plan to start such a business, you may already have some, and/or possess the needed knowledge in the matter, but I still going to say a few things. No specific models, or vendors though, since there is a lot of printer-related content out there, and the scene is rapidly (wink) changing.
I would try to pick one type of printer (or at least a vendor) and stick to it. Benefits:
Note here: your choice shall also be based on your perceived goal (niche you want to end up with/customers you want to serve), and you may need different types of printers for that.
Depending on my situation, I may not need an office/working space right from the start (at least not until the idea has been validated). If I do, I would get something with a space to grow (aligned with my plan/goals), but I would try not to jump over my head with it.
I will need:
Management software and CRM might not be obvious must-haves, but they are if I want to make it into a controllable and growing business (and I do).
There is no other way, look at any business that made it - they all without exception use such systems.
One more thing - all business decisions shall be based on data: how would I know, for example, if my ads campaign is making (and how much) or losing money, without knowing what my average check, margin, or LTV is for any type of service for a needed time period?
So I’ve got:
If you like it/are passionate about it/good at it (the most important factor in my opinion.) - it certainly might be.
I’ve planned to go with the B2B service model (on-demand manufacturing), and that trend will only grow over time.
Since we talked about the US, let's take a look at this article and specifically the chart of Construction spending on US manufacturing https://www.businessinsider.com/us-building-factories-census-data-chips-act-inflation-reduction-act-2023-6?op=1 + big new “infrastructure rebuild projects” might be somewhere around the corner.
What does it all have to do with a small 3dp service? The economy is an interconnected system. All of those “big projects” will require a lot of smaller contractors/suppliers, and they will need smaller ones…and that is where I come in.
I hope you got some value out of it.
Thanks for reading.
submitted by Processter to Entrepreneur [link] [comments]
Now I would like to speculate on How I would start it if I had to do it again. Why? 2 reasons:
- When it was time to sell, I discovered, that the most valuable assets of my business were NOT the printers or production base and that I could've significantly grown and therefore increased business value if I did certain things a certain way.
I concentrate on the business side since the 3dp business is first of all a business, and I go through with it as I would’ve done it (not just some average avatar model).
This article doesn’t cover everything and simplifies some parts, but I tried to make it as real and in-depth as possible since the devil is in the details.
- I am starting new business projects right now, and the path I am taking is almost the same (minus printers basically) path;
Vision
First I need to ask myself: what kind of 3dp business would I like to start? It may be hard to answer right at the start, but I do know 4 things:- I want it to be service-based (at least in the beginning, then I may consider a hybrid: service+product model);
- I want it to be B2B (higher check, less transactional costs);
- I want to gravitate towards big/complicated models;
- I will offer some post-processing (get hand dirty, mot many others willing to do that);
But I will revisit this very important question (let's call it a “vision”) as soon as I have a meaningful chunk of data and experience.
Research
Then I will conduct research.For that, I need to pick a place (3dp business is place-bound to a certain degree). Let's say a city - Austin - TX.
Note here - the bigger city, the better.
Now I need 3 lists:
- First is a List of keywords with average monthly searches and cost of clicks for different areas:
- Austin;
- Other big cities nearby;
- State of Texas;
- Nearby states;
- The whole of the US.
I need general high-frequency keywords as well as Google suggestions and low-frequency keywords. The broader the scope, the better. There is a free tool called Keyword Planner (it also provides a click cost estimation for Google ads) inside a Google Ads account. If you don’t use Google ads, you can pick any keyword search tool out there.
Now I need to sort it, vet out unneeded ones, and separate them into groups based on intent (informational or commercial). I will also create a list of “minus” words (will use them later).
When it is all done, I need to assemble a “core”: a few groups of keywords united by intention.
If I don’t use keys/groups for commercial purposes, I may use them for info articles (SEO). The most visited (by a long shot) page on the site, which I sold as a part of the business was “The History of 3d printing”.
I will only cover the fastest and the one I know best - Google ads (+ a bit of SEO for the long game). This channel corresponds rather well, with my understanding, of where my “target audience” may be (more on that below).
- Second is a List of competitors. I will only need ones’ that will compete with me for my target demographic. Specifically, I would like to know:
- Domain name;
- Their offer (range of services, materials, unique propositions);
- Their main (and all significant pages) Title, H1, description, “subtitle”, unique selling propositions, and maybe a screenshot of HERO;
- Their CTAs (calls to action - do they use online calculators, contact form…).
- Third list - competitor’s prices. Based on my initial ”vision” (what/for whom I will try to do) I prepare a couple of inquiries, which I send to competitors to quote.
- Price;
- Fulfillment time;
- Conditions;
- How competitors interact with prospects.
- A somewhat complicated “technical” model of a middle size;
- Small-to-mid batch of parts (up to 100-300);
- A somewhat big (that will probably require printing in parts and assembly) model + separately I would inquire about painting;
I know what I won't do - I won't try to go for the cheapest price - it is a road to nowhere. I may go for it once or twice to snatch an order, which will be beneficial to my portfolio, but that is it!
Now I also understand how my competitors interact with their customers and what I can offer in this regard.
Plan
With that data gathered I am now ready to compose a “business plan” /set up business goals for 1-3 years, and lay out a tactical (more detailed) plan for a quarter or so.Usually, the latter shall be detailed like: I need to reach X revenue/per day, to get Y rev per month, and for that, I will need Z inquiries and so on... But as I am just starting, it may not make a lot of sense, since there are no "base" numbers. But I will use that type of planning as soon as I have those numbers (after 6-12 months).
I also will align the plan with my vision, and maybe add some details to it, based on the data I’ve gathered.
I will have a somewhat united note/doc with actionable tasks, equipped with due dates (those are very important), and an overall plan.
I like to unify all of the above (lists, vision, tasks…) as a project in a project management software (later about that). Much easier to manage and keep track of.
Offer and Site creation
Now I can form my offer.This offer will be presented on my site, in my ads, and everywhere else.
I need to describe CLEARLY what do I do exactly, for whom, and why those people should take their business to me (competitive advantages).
I pick a name, and domain name and make a logo. I keep in mind that they are a part of the offer (everything is), and I keep them as short, direct, and close to the point as possible. I squeeze a relevant keyword in if I can.
Before I decide I type the name into the search and see what pops up (don’t skip that part).
Now I can make a site. I pick one of the No-code options to create it myself or delegate it. Keep in mind that you will need to correct and change the site: an offer (text. headings), portfolio, blog (for SEO purposes), services, etc. The no-code solution will allow you to do that yourself.
It will be a landing page (in the beginning), and it will include:
- Title (shown as a first string in search);
- Description (shown as a second string in the search);
- H1 (main “title” shown on the top of the page)
- Subtitle (text below the H1, usually supports the H1 and includes unique selling points);
- Clear CTA (Call to action);
- Foto or video of what I’ve done (the visual representation of services works really well);
- Unique selling points (not included in the subtitle, or supporting/elaborating on them);
- Unique selling points;
- All other headers;
- All other text;
- Examples (what I’ve done) and/or testimonials - if I truly just starting I may need to make some examples of objects I would like to make (as close to desired nich as possible) and take GOOD photos of them (It can be powerful, that is what I did and people told me many times, that they “came” because of “beautiful” thing that we’ve done (“beautiful” is mostly attribute off a picture, then a thing);
- FAQ (those shall be questions that your customers ask you the most, I mean REAL questions - they work rather well as objection handlers);
- Clear CTA (Call to action);
The “art” of creating a Title, H1, and the rest of the text, headings, and attributes is a delicate dance between the need to be different from competitors, the need to incorporate the right keywords, basic SEO guidelines, and most importantly - to present a compelling offer.
Research says, that If it loads more than 3 seconds - more than 70% of people bounce.
Check your speed here - https://pagespeed.web.dev/
There is A LOT more to that, but it is beyond the scope of this article.
Traffic: Ads and SEO
Now I need traffic:Google ads. As I just starting, I need to be as targeted as possible. So I will:
- Vet keywords carefully, avoid high-frequency ones, and compose them into groups.
- Start with one or two groups, with a limited number of keywords with clear commercial intent.
- Limit the location to the city I am in.
- Add a minus keywords list. If a search query includes one of the words from the list (like FREE, or CHEAP) - ads won't be shown.
Why?
- It will greatly disperse the focus, and therefore results of my campaign.
- It is still not working properly, especially for small and/or “complicated” niches. In other words, it will waste my money, (relocate it to Google), without bringing back results (or at least as many).
I will use exact match, fix (pin) headings and descriptions, and practically make "an old school" text ad from a responsive search ad. I will have to do different ads for different keywords (if the keyword or phrase is matched in the title, conversion is higher); Yes, it will be more work, but results will be better, and controllable.
Just how I like them.
Now I will compose my "SEO plan", I will:
- Plan to add new "commercial" pages to the site (one page per meaningful keyword group) as I go.
- Create a schedule: after the main page is up, I will try to “deploy” them in 2-4 week intervals, starting with the most meaningful/impactful.
- Make Google index it through its search console after the first publishable version of the site is done. I will repeat the operation with every meaningful page I add, including info SEO pages (below).
- Form a few groups from keywords with informational intent, vet groups that align with my direction, and plan an article for each vetted group - a separate page on the site with a personal set of SEO attributes.
- Publish them with the same or longer intervals as for the "commercial" pages.
- Try to make those articles as valuable for the reader as possible. Everything I do shall be client-oriented (bring value), and user behavior is more and more important for SEO.
I won't cover social media here, since its plenty of info on that topic.
From my experience, if I plan (and I do) to offer 3d printing services to businesses (B2B), social media (with the exception of LinkedIn maybe, not sure nowadays what is what) is not exactly a place for “fishing” (I might be wrong).
Legal+
Moving along to the legal land.I will not go deep into the business structure (LLCs or sole proprietorships), just say that you need one. Figure out what works best in your case, but note: if you are planning (envisioning) to sell your business one day (or a part of it) - you will need it to be at least an LLC.
This structure (as stated in the name), also limits your liability, which is not a bad thing. One more thing that does that, and at times viewed as a formality - is a contract.
I’ve learned to appreciate contracts and pay attention to their "design". The contract sets expectations, protects both you and your client, and serves as an extension to your offer - a clear, correct, and honest contract, that picks up on promises you’ve made will reassure your client that you are a trustworthy professional.
Create a clear, correct contract template (or templates), seek professional help/advice if needed, and try not to overcomplicate it (easier-smaller the better).
3d printers and a space (finally here they are)
Well, and yeah, I need 3d printers to start a 3d printing business.If you plan to start such a business, you may already have some, and/or possess the needed knowledge in the matter, but I still going to say a few things. No specific models, or vendors though, since there is a lot of printer-related content out there, and the scene is rapidly (wink) changing.
I would try to pick one type of printer (or at least a vendor) and stick to it. Benefits:
- Somewhat stable overall quality;
- Same spare parts;
- Same repair and maintenance routine;
- Same working protocols;
- Same slicing…
Note here: your choice shall also be based on your perceived goal (niche you want to end up with/customers you want to serve), and you may need different types of printers for that.
Depending on my situation, I may not need an office/working space right from the start (at least not until the idea has been validated). If I do, I would get something with a space to grow (aligned with my plan/goals), but I would try not to jump over my head with it.
One software to control it all
There is one more thing that I will need right from the start (because I don’t want to replicate my own mistakes) - a software suite to manage the business. Getting it from the start will provide the most leverage and set me up on the right path.I will need:
- CRM - all work with a client: pricing, offers, deals, followups, deadlines, docs… +
- ERP - control and management of all resources: materials, printers, team… +
- Production scheduling +
- Maintenance, Repairs, Spare parts, and materials control +
- Team + Docs + Files storage + Contractors + Spending + everything else.
Management software and CRM might not be obvious must-haves, but they are if I want to make it into a controllable and growing business (and I do).
There is no other way, look at any business that made it - they all without exception use such systems.
One more thing - all business decisions shall be based on data: how would I know, for example, if my ads campaign is making (and how much) or losing money, without knowing what my average check, margin, or LTV is for any type of service for a needed time period?
Summary and Q&A
There is a lot more to that, but it is already too long.So I’ve got:
- List of keywords;
- List of competitors;
- Price research (and base price level as a result);
- A plan;
- An offer;
- Name and logo;
- Website (with offer and good photos of done jobs on it);
- Google ads campaign (or other acquisition channel, start from one you know best/where your customers are);
- SEO plan;
- Legal entity;
- Contract templates;
- “Sales templates” base (those collected on the go, but you may already have something since you talked to people before);
- Printers;
- Some physical space;
- Management system/software (like this one)
- To get paid in advance. ALWAYS, at least partially;
- To do extra for customers. If I can, when I can;
- To be patient- business is a marathon, not a sprint;
- Is the 3d printing business a good business to start?
If you like it/are passionate about it/good at it (the most important factor in my opinion.) - it certainly might be.
I’ve planned to go with the B2B service model (on-demand manufacturing), and that trend will only grow over time.
Since we talked about the US, let's take a look at this article and specifically the chart of Construction spending on US manufacturing https://www.businessinsider.com/us-building-factories-census-data-chips-act-inflation-reduction-act-2023-6?op=1 + big new “infrastructure rebuild projects” might be somewhere around the corner.
What does it all have to do with a small 3dp service? The economy is an interconnected system. All of those “big projects” will require a lot of smaller contractors/suppliers, and they will need smaller ones…and that is where I come in.
- Why the service model?
- I know how to do it (done it for 10 years), the data above backs the idea up, and I still see a lot of upsides and opportunities there (aside from the data).
- It is a lot easier to “search” for product ideas - they come to you (for that you will have to have a B2C “department” though). I’ve recently talked to a few 3dp business owners (and read a few stories over the years), and almost all of them had their product ideas brought to them by clients.
- Is it profitable?
I hope you got some value out of it.
Thanks for reading.
2024.05.13 15:39 shamgar_bn My grandfather (90's M) has prostate cancer and I'm looking for help understanding his biopsy results
My grandfather is a man of few words and hasn't really asked many questions about his recent-ish prostate cancer diagnosis and his doctors have been hesitant to give answers on life expectancy. He says he doesn't feel any real pain yet, but has lost his desire to do pretty much anything.
I was finally able to convince him to send me a screenshot of his biopsy results and I'm hoping someone here can help me understand what is going on and if possible, give a general prognosis. I'm doing my best to type out what is written in the screenshot, but the section breaks are weird so please bear with me. Please feel free to explain it to me like I'm 5 ;)
And to be completely clear... I understand that without seeing him as a patient, it may be difficult to answer some questions specifically. I'm just hoping for a high-level understanding, and to see if I can get even a Months vs Years kind of answer.
Here goes: Final Diagnosis Prostate, Transurethral Resection Adenocarcinoma, Gleason's score 5+5=10, grade group 5 Possible lymphovascular invasion Tumor involves 7% of the tissue sampled
Code 9 Microscopic Description Sections contain prostate with a high-grade adenocarcinoma, Gleason's Score 5+5=10. The tumor is composed of solid sheets of tumor cells which infiltrate the stroma. The tumor cells are mildly pleomorphic and contain nuclear pseudoinclusions and occasional prominent nucleoli. The tumor involves 7% of the tissue sampled and there is possible lymphovascular invasion.
Special Stains
Gross Description The specimen is received in formalin for paraffin processing labeled prostate chips and consists of a 26-gram, 4.0 x 4.0 x 4.0 cm aggregate of tan-rubbery tissue fragments. Approximately 35% of the specimen is sampled in 1A-1E. tj
submitted by shamgar_bn to AskDocs [link] [comments]
I was finally able to convince him to send me a screenshot of his biopsy results and I'm hoping someone here can help me understand what is going on and if possible, give a general prognosis. I'm doing my best to type out what is written in the screenshot, but the section breaks are weird so please bear with me. Please feel free to explain it to me like I'm 5 ;)
And to be completely clear... I understand that without seeing him as a patient, it may be difficult to answer some questions specifically. I'm just hoping for a high-level understanding, and to see if I can get even a Months vs Years kind of answer.
Here goes: Final Diagnosis Prostate, Transurethral Resection Adenocarcinoma, Gleason's score 5+5=10, grade group 5 Possible lymphovascular invasion Tumor involves 7% of the tissue sampled
Code 9 Microscopic Description Sections contain prostate with a high-grade adenocarcinoma, Gleason's Score 5+5=10. The tumor is composed of solid sheets of tumor cells which infiltrate the stroma. The tumor cells are mildly pleomorphic and contain nuclear pseudoinclusions and occasional prominent nucleoli. The tumor involves 7% of the tissue sampled and there is possible lymphovascular invasion.
Special Stains
Gross Description The specimen is received in formalin for paraffin processing labeled prostate chips and consists of a 26-gram, 4.0 x 4.0 x 4.0 cm aggregate of tan-rubbery tissue fragments. Approximately 35% of the specimen is sampled in 1A-1E. tj
2024.05.13 07:43 ruthituesday did my surgeons accidentally take my ovary?!
So, to start out: I had a total hysterectomy (uterus, cervix, and tubes, leaving ovaries) one week ago. It was supposed to happen vaginally, but once my surgical team went in, they had to switch to laparoscopic because I had massive amounts of stage IV endometriosis; my narration specifically mentions that my colon and an endometrioma on my left ovary were stuck to my pelvic sidewall with adhesions and had to be separated to complete my hysterectomy. This was the only mention my paperwork made about my left ovary at all. tbh I suspected I've had endometriosis for years, so none of this even really surprised me (although I was really disappointed they couldn't proceed vaginally and even cried about it in the PACU after everyone hyped up how great it was gonna be to not have lapro excisions 😭 )
Anyway, yesterday my anatomic pathology report dropped into my patient gateway account, and I'm equal parts morbid and self-obsessed lmao, so I logged in to read about what they found. It describes the tissue sample bag being delivered being labeled "uterus, cervix, and bilateral fallopian tubes," but in the inventory it lists "Left ovary, entirely submitted" as a sample section and lists "LEFT OVARY: Serous cystadenofibroma" in the pathologic diagnosis. And the clinical data lists "Operation: Hysterectomy vaginal, laparoscopic hysterectomy total with bilateral salpingectomy, cystoscopy." Wouldn't oophorectomy have to be listed if they ended up taking my ovary?
To me, after going down an anxiety-fueled research hole, it sounds more likely the endometrioma was taken and sent with the sections of my uterus, cervix, etc but not labeled properly so it was categorized as the ovary itself? (the "entirely submitted" makes me assume it's not an ovarian tissue sample or something like that.)
Of course, because it's a Sunday, leaving a message isn't going to get a response until Monday (or later today considering time of night.) And I know that I won't go into menopause if I still have one ovary! It's more like I'm having an anxiety attack about possibly being lied to.
Basically, I think I'm just looking for thoughts on what I'm reading/seeing until I can actually get in contact with my doctor. Or has anyone else had something like this happen to them?
edit: I heard from one of the doctors on my team quicker than I expected to. It was the cyst from my ovary like I was theorizing, it was labeled left ovary because it came from my left ovary. Both the oophs are intact 😮💨👏 Thanks for talking me through it, y'all 🖤
submitted by ruthituesday to hysterectomy [link] [comments]
Anyway, yesterday my anatomic pathology report dropped into my patient gateway account, and I'm equal parts morbid and self-obsessed lmao, so I logged in to read about what they found. It describes the tissue sample bag being delivered being labeled "uterus, cervix, and bilateral fallopian tubes," but in the inventory it lists "Left ovary, entirely submitted" as a sample section and lists "LEFT OVARY: Serous cystadenofibroma" in the pathologic diagnosis. And the clinical data lists "Operation: Hysterectomy vaginal, laparoscopic hysterectomy total with bilateral salpingectomy, cystoscopy." Wouldn't oophorectomy have to be listed if they ended up taking my ovary?
To me, after going down an anxiety-fueled research hole, it sounds more likely the endometrioma was taken and sent with the sections of my uterus, cervix, etc but not labeled properly so it was categorized as the ovary itself? (the "entirely submitted" makes me assume it's not an ovarian tissue sample or something like that.)
Of course, because it's a Sunday, leaving a message isn't going to get a response until Monday (or later today considering time of night.) And I know that I won't go into menopause if I still have one ovary! It's more like I'm having an anxiety attack about possibly being lied to.
Basically, I think I'm just looking for thoughts on what I'm reading/seeing until I can actually get in contact with my doctor. Or has anyone else had something like this happen to them?
edit: I heard from one of the doctors on my team quicker than I expected to. It was the cyst from my ovary like I was theorizing, it was labeled left ovary because it came from my left ovary. Both the oophs are intact 😮💨👏 Thanks for talking me through it, y'all 🖤
2024.05.13 01:32 SlightFlower5596 Detailed bisalp experience
First of all, I want to thank the people on this subreddit who offered the information that made me feel like I could go through with this. I’m a longtime lurker (posting from a throw away) but finally got my bisalp earlier this week and I couldn’t be more excited. This was my first experience with surgery/general anesthesia, so I wanted to share my experience in as much detail as possible in hopes that it can help someone else know what to expect. My only regret: not doing it sooner. :)
About my physical health: I’m a 33 year old woman who’s never had kids or even so much as a pregnancy scare. I’m 5’5” and 124 pounds, and I feel privileged that I have no major health issues; I exercise on a daily basis and try to eat healthy when possible; I’ve been a social drinker for the past few years; I use THC and CBD several times a week, but in small doses (like 2-5mg); I’m diagnosed with ADHD and regularly take medication for it, but that’s the only prescription medication I take regularly.
About my desire to not have kids: I’ve known since I was a kid that I never wanted to have any children of my own; being raised by two neglectful parents made me realize how selfless and patient a good parent needs to be, and how I have no desire to be that person. Some of my favorite things about my current life include freedom, good sleep, some disposable income, minimal stress, and not being responsible for anyone else. I’ve also never used any forms of birth control aside from condoms. What galvanized me to take the plunge with permanent birth control was the situation with Roe v. Wade… I’d rather just embrace my childfree lifestyle and ensure it stays the way it is. It’s hard to put into words the relief I feel about not ever being able to have kids… it’s surreal in the best possible way. It’s like I’m still trying to wrap my mind around having finally achieved a dream I’ve been thinking about for years.
About my health insurance: I’ve been on Medicaid for the past 3 years. When I was first approved for Medicaid, I was automatically placed on my city’s plan (Denver Health) and since that was the only option that was covered, I tried to schedule a bisalp there. The nurse practitioner I met with walked me through the details and asked if I’d thought it through and fully understood if it was permanent (I’ve forgotten her name but can try to look it up if anyone’s interested). I said yes. She told me she approved me for the procedure, and that the next step would be to wait for the surgery scheduler to give me a call. The scheduler tried calling me about 6 times over the next two months, all during work hours when I was unable to answer my phone; I was never once able to get through to her even though I tried calling her back 43 times before I gave up.
I applied for the Medicaid option with wider coverage (Colorado Medicaid) the next possible chance I had. I’d researched doctors listed on this sub and had seen that Dr. Dabelea had gotten good reviews AND accepted Medicaid, so I booked a consultation. (again, a big thank you to fellow redditors on this sub for recommending him)
During the appointment, Dr. Dabelea confirmed that my past bisalp approval was still valid, and I appreciated his kindly and gentle tone as he reiterated the details. Everyone in the office was incredibly kind, in fact, and especially Betty, the scheduler (she actually scheduled me for the surgery unlike other clinics–I’m looking at YOU, Denver Health). I told her about my anxiety around medical procedures and she suggested I choose the earliest morning appointment time possible because my surgery would be less likely to be delayed than if I booked an afternoon time slot. As someone who hates waking up early yet hates waiting around anxiously even more, I accepted the earliest time slot–a 7:30am surgery. This meant that I’d need to be at the hospital by 5:30am to check in and get prepped. The first available surgery appointments were about a month out and Betty got me set up with a 2 week follow up as well. She sent me home with a surgery “goody bag” with Ensure to drink 4 hours before the procedure + a bottle of Hibiclens soap to use in the shower the 4 days prior to surgery + chapstick.
What I did to prepare: 1. put reminders in my schedule to start showering with the soap 4 days out. 2. The Ensure went in my fridge because Betty said it was best when chilled. 3. I asked a close friend if she could get me to and from the hospital. 4. I completed the online surgery registration forms about my current prescriptions, health history, etc 5. I immediately started reducing alcohol , THC, and CBD and completely cut them out about a week before my surgery. 6. The weekend before, I deep cleaned my house, did all my laundry, took out the trash, got groceries, and asked friends for recommendations for light TV shows I could binge. 7. The day before, I made a nest on my couch with cozy blankets and a hot water bottle and a mini stockpile of meds (including gas pills and throat lozenges and laxatives). I made a smoothie and stuck it in my fridge for the next day. I laid out my clothes (baggy black cotton maxi dress, cozy sweater, and slip-on shoes) and threw some essentials in a bag just in case I’d need to stay overnight (airpods, chapstick, phone charger, toothbrush/paste, underwear). I double checked the pre-surgery info page, and followed instructions not to eat or drink anything after midnight… 8. …except for the chilled Ensure that I set next to my bed before I set my alarm for 3am and 4:45am. 9. Woke up at 3am and chugged Ensure. 10. Woke up again to shower with the Hibiclens one last time.
My friend got me to the OR admissions office by 5:30am. From there, the warm-voiced receptionist handed me an iPad to fill out a few more details and explained that a nurse would be along shortly to take me upstairs to prep for surgery.
Upstairs, the nurse weighed me then instructed me to go into the bathroom to provide a urine sample: “even just 3 drops is all I need,” she said. (Thankfully she didn’t need much, because I didn’t have much in my system.) Next, in the prep room, she pointed out plastic bags for my clothes and shoes to go into, along with a back-opening gown and grippy sock slipper things. She motioned to the packet of 6 surgery towelettes and told me to use one for each arm and leg, and the front and back of my torso and said she’d leave me to do that and get changed.
Once I had, another nurse came in to go over a few other details. I confirmed that I felt like a big ol baby with my anxiety about the whole thing, and she said it was normal and that she was impressed that it was my first time with general anesthesia. She suggested that she could add a couple friends’ phone numbers to get text alerts about my progress so they could have an idea of when to pick me up.
“Placing the IV is the hardest part,” she said as she answered my questions about its purpose. “This is how we’ll make sure you’re properly hydrated. And this will be how your anesthesiologist administers sedation. They used to use gas, but they rarely do anymore because it tends to cause terrible nausea for women.” She asked if I got carsick easily, and when I said yes, she provided me with an anti nausea patch of scopolamine behind my ear. “If you happen to touch it, just be sure to wash your hands ASAP. If you touch the patch then accidentally touch your eyes, they’ll get really dilated.” She then told me that she’d be getting me a small cocktail of pills to take before the surgery.
IV placed, I gulped down my pill cocktail. The nurse asked if I’d like to use the restroom one last time.
Next, I briefly met the anesthesiologist. He threw me for a loop when he asked about the prescription medications the nurse had just given me–he seemed to think I was regularly prescribed them until I told him they were just for today. (“Please don’t mess up my anesthesia,” I thought.) He asked about my habits with alcohol, and how often I used THC. He clarified that regular users of high THC doses tended to need more anesthesia to knock them out.
When Dr. Dabelea came in and greeted me with a handshake and asked if I had any questions, I asked him if it’d be possible for me to take my tubes home with me. I felt like a weirdo for asking but he seemed to take my request seriously. “The usual procedure is to send the tissue to the Pathology Department to confirm that the tissue is, indeed, the Fallopian tubes,” he said. “It’s very rare that it isn’t, but we do this to make absolutely sure that the patient is sterilized.” Fine by me–I’d rather be totally sure than have some weird shit to put on my mantle. I also asked him if he’d been seeing an uptick in bisalps. “Yes,” he said, “before the Roe v. Wade situation, I did 1-2 bisalps a year for women under 30. Since the decision, I’ve been doing 1-2 per month.”
One of the nurses popped back in to put my phone away in a locker with the rest of my stuff. As she was doing that, I met the final member on my surgery team, my OR nurse, and immediately liked her warmth and the competence she radiated. I told her how silly I felt for being so nervous. As she wheeled me back to the OR, she told me I’d be in good hands, and that in a few minutes I’d get to drift off to sleep like I was on a tropical beach vacation. The compression pads around my calves, she said, would start inflating and would feel like I was getting a massage.
She helped me shift onto the OR bed, then the anesthesiologist was placing a mask over my face and instructing me to breathe deeply, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in a curtained section of PACU. A new nurse was asking me what year it was and I told her. (“It is 2024, right?”) Then I asked her what time it was. The surgery had gone quickly–it was 8:30. The nurse asked if I needed to pee, I said yes, and she brought a bedpan. Apparently they’d used a catheter on me, so the slight soreness around that plus the bloated sesnation in my belly made me feel like I had to pee more than I did. The nurse brought me water, applesauce, and graham crackers before she walked me through post-op instructions that included things like: avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours; drink plenty of water; avoid spicy/greasy/fried foods at first; avoid lifting anything over 20 pounds for the first couple weeks; take the least amount of your prescription narcotic as possible.
She went to pick up my prescription of pain pills from the hospital pharmacy (very convenient; I’d called the office the week prior to see if I could arrange to pick up my pills before the surgery, but the receptionist had let me know that the hospital’s pharmacy would get them to me).
At around 9:30, I was ready to start getting dressed. I texted my friend that I’d be ready to go soon, and before I knew it, I was in her car on the way home.
I could not be more GRATEFUL to have gotten this surgery. I feel blessed to have experienced minimal pain: I feel aware of the bloating and incisions, but not in a painful way. If anything, my stomach feels the way it would the day after a big ab workout. I was prescribed a weeks’ worth of pain pills (2 per day) but luckily this post-op discomfort doesn’t come close to the sharp pain of my monthly period cramps.
While researching this surgery, several people had mentioned the risk of constipation from dehydration and pain pills, so I took a laxative in the evening of day 2 (about 36 hours after surgery) and ate a meal with lots of beans.
Stuff I’d recommend: 1. Make sure that your pickup person has a wide-ish window to pick you up, just in case it takes you a while to come out of anesthesia. 2. If you like CBD, have plenty of it on hand for after the surgery. (Please take this with a grain of salt: there can be interactions between pain medicine and CBD.) 3. Wear the absolute baggiest clothes you own. The dress I wore was essentially a giant bag. 4. The day before your surgery, drink some electrolytes and try to get as hydrated as possible. 5. Although waking up before dawn isn’t ideal, I loved knowing that I wouldn’t have to deal with potentially anxiety-inducing delays the way I might if I had a surgery scheduled later in the day. 6. Do as many little chores around the house as possible so you don’t have to worry about taking out the recycling, for example.
I’d read about how terrible it was to have your period start soon after this surgery, but I couldn’t change the fact that mine was due to start 3 days after. Thankfully the cramps weren’t extra painful. The only difference I’ve noticed is that I’ve definitely bled a bit more than usual.
TL;DR: I had a smooth bisalp experience and highly recommend the procedure if you’re considering it.
submitted by SlightFlower5596 to sterilization [link] [comments]
About my physical health: I’m a 33 year old woman who’s never had kids or even so much as a pregnancy scare. I’m 5’5” and 124 pounds, and I feel privileged that I have no major health issues; I exercise on a daily basis and try to eat healthy when possible; I’ve been a social drinker for the past few years; I use THC and CBD several times a week, but in small doses (like 2-5mg); I’m diagnosed with ADHD and regularly take medication for it, but that’s the only prescription medication I take regularly.
About my desire to not have kids: I’ve known since I was a kid that I never wanted to have any children of my own; being raised by two neglectful parents made me realize how selfless and patient a good parent needs to be, and how I have no desire to be that person. Some of my favorite things about my current life include freedom, good sleep, some disposable income, minimal stress, and not being responsible for anyone else. I’ve also never used any forms of birth control aside from condoms. What galvanized me to take the plunge with permanent birth control was the situation with Roe v. Wade… I’d rather just embrace my childfree lifestyle and ensure it stays the way it is. It’s hard to put into words the relief I feel about not ever being able to have kids… it’s surreal in the best possible way. It’s like I’m still trying to wrap my mind around having finally achieved a dream I’ve been thinking about for years.
About my health insurance: I’ve been on Medicaid for the past 3 years. When I was first approved for Medicaid, I was automatically placed on my city’s plan (Denver Health) and since that was the only option that was covered, I tried to schedule a bisalp there. The nurse practitioner I met with walked me through the details and asked if I’d thought it through and fully understood if it was permanent (I’ve forgotten her name but can try to look it up if anyone’s interested). I said yes. She told me she approved me for the procedure, and that the next step would be to wait for the surgery scheduler to give me a call. The scheduler tried calling me about 6 times over the next two months, all during work hours when I was unable to answer my phone; I was never once able to get through to her even though I tried calling her back 43 times before I gave up.
I applied for the Medicaid option with wider coverage (Colorado Medicaid) the next possible chance I had. I’d researched doctors listed on this sub and had seen that Dr. Dabelea had gotten good reviews AND accepted Medicaid, so I booked a consultation. (again, a big thank you to fellow redditors on this sub for recommending him)
During the appointment, Dr. Dabelea confirmed that my past bisalp approval was still valid, and I appreciated his kindly and gentle tone as he reiterated the details. Everyone in the office was incredibly kind, in fact, and especially Betty, the scheduler (she actually scheduled me for the surgery unlike other clinics–I’m looking at YOU, Denver Health). I told her about my anxiety around medical procedures and she suggested I choose the earliest morning appointment time possible because my surgery would be less likely to be delayed than if I booked an afternoon time slot. As someone who hates waking up early yet hates waiting around anxiously even more, I accepted the earliest time slot–a 7:30am surgery. This meant that I’d need to be at the hospital by 5:30am to check in and get prepped. The first available surgery appointments were about a month out and Betty got me set up with a 2 week follow up as well. She sent me home with a surgery “goody bag” with Ensure to drink 4 hours before the procedure + a bottle of Hibiclens soap to use in the shower the 4 days prior to surgery + chapstick.
What I did to prepare: 1. put reminders in my schedule to start showering with the soap 4 days out. 2. The Ensure went in my fridge because Betty said it was best when chilled. 3. I asked a close friend if she could get me to and from the hospital. 4. I completed the online surgery registration forms about my current prescriptions, health history, etc 5. I immediately started reducing alcohol , THC, and CBD and completely cut them out about a week before my surgery. 6. The weekend before, I deep cleaned my house, did all my laundry, took out the trash, got groceries, and asked friends for recommendations for light TV shows I could binge. 7. The day before, I made a nest on my couch with cozy blankets and a hot water bottle and a mini stockpile of meds (including gas pills and throat lozenges and laxatives). I made a smoothie and stuck it in my fridge for the next day. I laid out my clothes (baggy black cotton maxi dress, cozy sweater, and slip-on shoes) and threw some essentials in a bag just in case I’d need to stay overnight (airpods, chapstick, phone charger, toothbrush/paste, underwear). I double checked the pre-surgery info page, and followed instructions not to eat or drink anything after midnight… 8. …except for the chilled Ensure that I set next to my bed before I set my alarm for 3am and 4:45am. 9. Woke up at 3am and chugged Ensure. 10. Woke up again to shower with the Hibiclens one last time.
My friend got me to the OR admissions office by 5:30am. From there, the warm-voiced receptionist handed me an iPad to fill out a few more details and explained that a nurse would be along shortly to take me upstairs to prep for surgery.
Upstairs, the nurse weighed me then instructed me to go into the bathroom to provide a urine sample: “even just 3 drops is all I need,” she said. (Thankfully she didn’t need much, because I didn’t have much in my system.) Next, in the prep room, she pointed out plastic bags for my clothes and shoes to go into, along with a back-opening gown and grippy sock slipper things. She motioned to the packet of 6 surgery towelettes and told me to use one for each arm and leg, and the front and back of my torso and said she’d leave me to do that and get changed.
Once I had, another nurse came in to go over a few other details. I confirmed that I felt like a big ol baby with my anxiety about the whole thing, and she said it was normal and that she was impressed that it was my first time with general anesthesia. She suggested that she could add a couple friends’ phone numbers to get text alerts about my progress so they could have an idea of when to pick me up.
“Placing the IV is the hardest part,” she said as she answered my questions about its purpose. “This is how we’ll make sure you’re properly hydrated. And this will be how your anesthesiologist administers sedation. They used to use gas, but they rarely do anymore because it tends to cause terrible nausea for women.” She asked if I got carsick easily, and when I said yes, she provided me with an anti nausea patch of scopolamine behind my ear. “If you happen to touch it, just be sure to wash your hands ASAP. If you touch the patch then accidentally touch your eyes, they’ll get really dilated.” She then told me that she’d be getting me a small cocktail of pills to take before the surgery.
IV placed, I gulped down my pill cocktail. The nurse asked if I’d like to use the restroom one last time.
Next, I briefly met the anesthesiologist. He threw me for a loop when he asked about the prescription medications the nurse had just given me–he seemed to think I was regularly prescribed them until I told him they were just for today. (“Please don’t mess up my anesthesia,” I thought.) He asked about my habits with alcohol, and how often I used THC. He clarified that regular users of high THC doses tended to need more anesthesia to knock them out.
When Dr. Dabelea came in and greeted me with a handshake and asked if I had any questions, I asked him if it’d be possible for me to take my tubes home with me. I felt like a weirdo for asking but he seemed to take my request seriously. “The usual procedure is to send the tissue to the Pathology Department to confirm that the tissue is, indeed, the Fallopian tubes,” he said. “It’s very rare that it isn’t, but we do this to make absolutely sure that the patient is sterilized.” Fine by me–I’d rather be totally sure than have some weird shit to put on my mantle. I also asked him if he’d been seeing an uptick in bisalps. “Yes,” he said, “before the Roe v. Wade situation, I did 1-2 bisalps a year for women under 30. Since the decision, I’ve been doing 1-2 per month.”
One of the nurses popped back in to put my phone away in a locker with the rest of my stuff. As she was doing that, I met the final member on my surgery team, my OR nurse, and immediately liked her warmth and the competence she radiated. I told her how silly I felt for being so nervous. As she wheeled me back to the OR, she told me I’d be in good hands, and that in a few minutes I’d get to drift off to sleep like I was on a tropical beach vacation. The compression pads around my calves, she said, would start inflating and would feel like I was getting a massage.
She helped me shift onto the OR bed, then the anesthesiologist was placing a mask over my face and instructing me to breathe deeply, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in a curtained section of PACU. A new nurse was asking me what year it was and I told her. (“It is 2024, right?”) Then I asked her what time it was. The surgery had gone quickly–it was 8:30. The nurse asked if I needed to pee, I said yes, and she brought a bedpan. Apparently they’d used a catheter on me, so the slight soreness around that plus the bloated sesnation in my belly made me feel like I had to pee more than I did. The nurse brought me water, applesauce, and graham crackers before she walked me through post-op instructions that included things like: avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours; drink plenty of water; avoid spicy/greasy/fried foods at first; avoid lifting anything over 20 pounds for the first couple weeks; take the least amount of your prescription narcotic as possible.
She went to pick up my prescription of pain pills from the hospital pharmacy (very convenient; I’d called the office the week prior to see if I could arrange to pick up my pills before the surgery, but the receptionist had let me know that the hospital’s pharmacy would get them to me).
At around 9:30, I was ready to start getting dressed. I texted my friend that I’d be ready to go soon, and before I knew it, I was in her car on the way home.
I could not be more GRATEFUL to have gotten this surgery. I feel blessed to have experienced minimal pain: I feel aware of the bloating and incisions, but not in a painful way. If anything, my stomach feels the way it would the day after a big ab workout. I was prescribed a weeks’ worth of pain pills (2 per day) but luckily this post-op discomfort doesn’t come close to the sharp pain of my monthly period cramps.
While researching this surgery, several people had mentioned the risk of constipation from dehydration and pain pills, so I took a laxative in the evening of day 2 (about 36 hours after surgery) and ate a meal with lots of beans.
Stuff I’d recommend: 1. Make sure that your pickup person has a wide-ish window to pick you up, just in case it takes you a while to come out of anesthesia. 2. If you like CBD, have plenty of it on hand for after the surgery. (Please take this with a grain of salt: there can be interactions between pain medicine and CBD.) 3. Wear the absolute baggiest clothes you own. The dress I wore was essentially a giant bag. 4. The day before your surgery, drink some electrolytes and try to get as hydrated as possible. 5. Although waking up before dawn isn’t ideal, I loved knowing that I wouldn’t have to deal with potentially anxiety-inducing delays the way I might if I had a surgery scheduled later in the day. 6. Do as many little chores around the house as possible so you don’t have to worry about taking out the recycling, for example.
I’d read about how terrible it was to have your period start soon after this surgery, but I couldn’t change the fact that mine was due to start 3 days after. Thankfully the cramps weren’t extra painful. The only difference I’ve noticed is that I’ve definitely bled a bit more than usual.
TL;DR: I had a smooth bisalp experience and highly recommend the procedure if you’re considering it.
2024.05.12 22:04 popcodswallop [WTS] VINTAGE • 1930s-40s Italian and French Wet Noodles (Superflex-Wet Noodle): (2) Montegrappa Extras Aurora Selene Astura Nova Novo Retrofit (3) Edacotos Mercury w/ Sticker •
This week’s vintage batch of Italian and French pens from my own collection might be the largest bunch of Wet Noodles I’ve ever offered! Nibs range from Superflex to Wet Noodle with more than half of the pens being the latter. As you can see, my collecting focus was pens with white metal trim, which all 9 pens have. Some uncommon models here, especially if you’re in the US. As always, all are fully restored and ready to write.
ALBUM & TIMESTAMP
Pastable link: https://imgur.com/a/qzjdJeU
Condition (n.b.): All pens listed below have been disassembled, cleaned and restored with new sacs/seals installed in the last couple months. Each of these pens is guaranteed to fill and write as designed without leaks or other problems. Nibs have been adjusted when necessary to ensure that all lay down a smooth and consistent line.
THESE PENS HAVE NO CRACKS, CHIPS, PERSONALIZATIONS, LOOSE OR MISSING PARTS, BENT NIBS, MISALIGNED TINES, BROKEN/WORN OFF TIPPING, OR THREADING ISSUES.
Line Widths and Writing Samples: To provide buyers with as much information as possible, I have started to adopt the following line width standards: XXF (.1-.2mm); XF (approx .3mm); F (approx .4mm); M (approx .6mm); B (approx .8mm). Nib flexibility is determined by variation (max line width under pressure) and softness (amount of pressure). Flexibility designations based on variation generally run as follows for an XF/F nib: Semi-Flex (approx. 1mm); Flex (1.2-1.9mm); Superflex (>2mm). All line width measurements are taken with a digital caliper but should be considered approximations providing a general guide. Width may vary slightly depending on type of ink and paper used as well as amount of pressure applied. All writing samples are on Rhodia dot paper using Waterman Serenity Blue.
1. 1930s-40s Montegrappa Extra (green marble w/ lizard skin window, celluloid, NPT, piston filler, SS F/M Flex/Superflex nib). This full-sized model measures 5 1/16” capped. Founded c.1912 in Bassano del Grappa, Italy by Edwige Hoffman and Heinrich Helm, Montegrappa (née Elmo) was one of the Big Four Italian makers whose products have had a profound impact on FP design to this day. The Extra was the premier model of the late-1930s and 1940s. This pen has the white metal trim and factory stainless steel nib that distinguish wartime pens in Italy during the restriction on precious metals to aid the war effort. Not a common pen to see Stateside. It’s a piston filler made of green marble celluloid with an eye-catching, transparent, lizard-skin-patterned window in the barrel for viewing ink-level. To fill simply rotate the filler-knob on the end of the barrel counter-clockwise to extend the piston, submerse the nib, then rotate the filler-knob clockwise to draw ink. To quote an Italian collector over at FPN: “Rule No. 1 about vintage Italian pens: Don't let steel nibs scare you off. Unless you're writing with hydrochloric acid, they're every bit as good as the gold nibs from the years before the gold ban.” The stainless steel Montegrappa Extra #4 nib in this pen is no exception, yielding Super-Flexible variation with Flexible softness. It lays down a smooth and consistent F/M line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.0mm) under moderate pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). A nib with particularly juicy flow that’s reliable over its full range of flex, making it a great choice for boldly shaded writing and calligraphic writing styles. Condition: excellent [B]. Nickel-plated trim is clean with no notable flaws aside from a bit of plating wear to the cap bands on one side of the cap (see timestamp photo). Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes aside from some fine scratches on the plastic between and below the cap bands. Barrel transparency is superb (DETAIL PHOTO). Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is deep and fully legible. Feed is missing a couple fins from one side, which has no discernible effect on writing performance (see DETAIL PHOTO LEFT). This pen's filling mechanism was restored in the last couple years but does have a little quirk in filling I haven’t been able to diagnose. It fills near to factory capacity smoothly with no leaks, but one must be careful to avoid extending the piston all the way down to the bottom of the ink-view window. If extended all the way down, the bottom part of the piston loses connection with the top part, requiring the section to be unscrewed to help the piston back up with a pencil eraser while turning the knob. This is a straightforward process but annoying, so I’ve always chosen to fill to just 90% of factory capacity to avoid it. A scarce pen in a striking color pattern. Price:$320 $290
2. 1930s-40s Montegrappa Extra (green swirl w/ lined window, celluloid, NPT, piston filler, SS XF Wet Noodle nib). This full-sized model measures 5 1/16” capped. For more on Montegrappa and the Extra, see description of pen #1 above. This pen has white metal, wartime trim and nib, but it retains the elegant roller-clip distinctive of Italian pens of the 1930s – so likely late-1930s production. It’s another piston filler made of celluloid in an interesting, green swirl pattern with a transparent, lined window in the barrel for viewing ink level. To quote an Italian collector over at FPN: “Rule No. 1 about vintage Italian pens: Don't let steel nibs scare you off. Unless you're writing with hydrochloric acid, they're every bit as good as the gold nibs from the years before the gold ban.” The stainless steel Montegrappa Extra #4 nib in this pen epitomizes this statement, being a Wet Noodle with variation and softness comparable to that of a dip pen nib. It lays down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.3mm) under minimal pressure. Thin hairlines, astonishingly responsive snap-back that rivals the 14k dip pen nib in pen #5 below, and reliable flow over its full range of flex makes it an ideal choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian (see WRITING SAMPLE). Condition: excellent [B]. Nickel-plated trim is clean with no notable flaws aside from a bit of plating wear to the cap bands on the same side of the cap as pen #1 above (see timestamp photo). Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes – scarcely even any micro-scratches. Barrel transparency is excellent apart from a ring of staining (DETAIL PHOTO). Filling system restored with new cork in the last couple years - operation can be a tad stiff if it hasn't been used in a while so I recommend storage filled with water. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is deep and fully legible. Price: $370 SOLD
3. c.1940 Aurora Selene (brown web, celluloid, NPT, button filler, Platiridio XF Wet Noodle nib). This is an oversized pen by vintage standards, having a thick girth and measuring 5 3/16” capped. Counded in 1919 by Isaia Levi and located in Turin, Italy, Aurora remains one of the most celebrated Italian makers. Introduced in 1940 amid Axis restrictions on precious metals, the Selene was their wartime button-filler and was marketed as “the pen for everyone.” In 1943 the Aurora factory was bombed by the Allies, perhaps contributing to this model’s short span of production. This example is made of celluloid in a fetching brown shell color pattern evocative of the 2nd-gen Eversharp Doric. Nickel plated clip and early-style cap bands with wider center band. One historically interesting detail of this pen is that its barrel bears the subtle heatstamped personalization of Lancia, the famous Italian auto manufacturer (see timestamp photo). To fill the pen, simply unscrew the blind cap, submerse the nib, and depress the metal button once (DETAIL PHOTO). This big pen has a strong fill and holds a lot of ink. As if the 2 pens above weren’t evidence enough of the quality of Italian steel nibs, the Aurora Platiridio #5 in this pen takes the cake. Not only is it a Wet Noodle with softness and flow rivaling that of a dip pen nib, but it’s capable of one of the widest max line widths I’ve ever measured. It lays down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to an incredible 5B? (approx 2.8mm!) under minimal pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Even so, it retains a superbly responsive snap-back that gives one precise control over the line under any amount of pressure. That and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it another ideal choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian. Note that due to the considerable space between the tines of this nib at full flex, Waterman Serenity Blue had trouble keeping the surface tension but my trusty Omas Grey solved the problem entirely, producing flawlessly reliable lines under full flex. So some experimentation with wetter inks might be in order. Condition: excellent+ [B+] assuming you take the “Lancia” marking as an interesting mark of historical provenance as opposed to a flaw. Nickel-plated trim is clean with no brassing or other notable flaws. ). Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes – scarcely even any micro-scratches. Manufacturer imprint on the section is deep and fully legible. Price: $420 SOLD
4. 1930s-40s Astura Nova (grey pearl snakeskin, celluloid, NPT, lever filler, 14k XF Superflex/Wet Noodle nib). This full-sized model measures 5 1/16” capped. Astura pens were made by S.A.F.I.S., a company in Turin (fd. 1926) that would come to be one of the most influential Italian pen makers of the early half of the twentieth century (MORE INFO). They’re best known for producing pens of considerably high quality such as Radius and The King. And this Astura follows suit. It’s made of celluloid in a particularly bold and pearlescent snakeskin pattern, complemented by nickel plated trim. 14k Warranted #3 nib yields Super-flexible variation with softness verging on that of a Wet Noodle. It lays down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.2mm) under very light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Thin hairlines, superbly responsive snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it another excellent choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian. Condition: fine [C]. Nickel-plated trim shows some brassing to the clip and some of the lower cap band, which has been factored into the price. Nib has a mark on one tine that's merely cosmetic, having no effect on durability or performance. Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes – scarcely even any micro-scratches. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is deep and fully legible. Another beautiful Italian pen and another lovely writer. Price: $280 SOLD
5. 1930s-40s Novo Retrofit (green moss, celluloid, NPT, button filler, 14k XXF Needlepoint Wet Noodle nib). This full-sized model measures 4 7/8” capped. The only maker’s mark on this pen is a barrel imprint that reads “Novo.” But I haven’t been able to determine whether that’s a make or a model or anything about it, for that matter. It’s clearly Italian, of a quality similar to the Montegrappas and Aurora above, probably originating from one of those conglomerates that collaborated with some of the major Italian makers. In fact, the clip of this pen is identical to that of pen #2. This pen is made of celluloid in an unusual, moss green color pattern with flashes of a brighter green. Nickel-plated trim with elegant roller-clip. This pen is a button filler. To fill the pen, simply unscrew the blind cap, submerse the nib, and depress the metal button once. This pen came to me nibless but with a very narrow section, so I equipped it with a smaller, 14k, iridium-tipped Aikin Lambert dip pen nib - adjusted and tuned to match factory performance. That nib is a Wet Noodle with killer snap-back. It lays down a smooth and consistent XXF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.1mm) under minimal pressure (probably the softest nib of the batch) (see WRITING SAMPLE). Needlepoint hairlines, effortless variation, surgically precise snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it another ideal choice for calligraphic writing styles. Condition: excellent+ [B+]. Nickel-plated trim is clean with no brassing or other notable flaws aside from perhaps a sliver or two of high-point wear on the apex of the faceted clip. Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes – scarcely even any micro-scratches. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is deep and fully legible. Price: $270 SOLD
6. 1930s-40s Edacoto 02 Retrofit (coral grey pearl, celluloid, NPT, button filler, 14k XXF Needlepoint Wet Noodle nib). This is a larger Edacoto model, having a thicker girth than standard and measuring 5 1/16” capped. Edacoto (née Edac) was French maker based in Paris from 1922 to the mid-1960s. Edacotos are well-made pens known for their unusual color patterns and distinctive waterfall clip design. This one is a case in point, being made in a grey pearl celluloid with a quasi-psychedelic color pattern resembling chatoyant coral that seems to shift when the pen is turned under light. This model’s size, filling system, and trim configuration situates it near the top of Edacoto’s lineup. It is a button filler. To fill the pen, simply unscrew the blind cap, submerse the nib, and depress the metal button once. It’s equipped with one of my dip pen nib retrofits: a large, 14k, iridium tipped E.S. Johnson that’s been adjusted and tuned to match factory performance. That nib is another Wet Noodle, laying down a smooth and consistent XXF line that widens to an impressive 4B+ (approx 2.5mm) under minimal pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Needlepoint hairlines, strong snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it another ideal choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian. Condition: excellent+ [B+]. Nickel-plated trim is clean with no brassing or notable flaws apart from the top cap band having lost some of its original luster (I assume). Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes – scarcely even any micro-scratches. Feed is missing a a fin from one side, which has no discernible effect on writing performance (see DETAIL PHOTO RIGHT). Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is deep and fully legible. Price: $310 SOLD
7. 1930s-40s Edacoto (grey web, celluloid, NPT, lever filler, SS XF/F Wet Noodle nib). This full-sized model measures 4 7/8” capped. For more on Edacoto, see description of pen #6 above. This pen is made of grey web celluloid complemented by nickel plated trim with deluxe, triple cap bands. SS Edacoto 87 nib is yet another Wet Noodle with flow and softness comparable to that of a dip pen nib. It lays down a smooth and consistent XF/F line that widens to an impressive 4B+ (approx 2.5mm) under minimal pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Effortless variation, strong snap-back, and reliably wet flow over its full range of flex make it another ideal choice for calligraphic writing styles. Condition: excellent [B]. Nickel-plated trim is clean with no brassing or notable flaws apart from a pin sized spot of wear on the lever and a couple on the cap bands on each side of the cap (see timestamp photo). Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes – scarcely even any micro-scratches. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is weakened but fully legible. Price: $220 SOLD
8. 1930s Edacoto (grey pearl marble, celluloid, NPT, lever filler, 14k F Flex/Superflex nib). This smaller model measures 4 5/8” capped. For more on Edacoto, see pen #6 above. This one is made of grey pearl marble complemented by nickel-plated trim. 14k Warranted nib yields Super-Flexible variation with Flexible softness. It lays down a smooth and consistent F line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.0mm) under moderate pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Strong snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it a great choice for expressive and calligraphic writing styles. Condition: excellent/fine [B/C]. Nickel-plated trim looks clean with the naked eye but shows a peppering of wear under a loupe. Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes apart from subtle shrinkage of the cap that can’t be seen so much as felt when running a finger down it – merely cosmetic with no affect on how the cap screws on. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is weakened but fully legible. Price:$150 $140
9. 1940s-50s Mercury w/ Sticker (blue swirl, celluloid, NPT, button filler, 14k XF Superflex nib). This full-sized model measures 5 3/8” capped. This mysterious pen has defied all my research efforts. It’s marked “Mercury” on the barrel in the usual place and “B-tg / SGDG / Made in France” farther up toward the section. It comes with its original price sticker, ehich reads “Mercury” and “225” penned in ink. This pen is made of a curious wrapped celluloid in blue and black complemented by heavy, white metal trim with “Bronze au Glucinium” stamped in the top of the spring-activated clip. Never seen trim made of this! Threads for the blind cap appear to be stainless steel. All this gives the pen a substantial heft in the hand. Super-Flexible 14k Mercury nib lays down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.0mm) under light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Thin hairlines, strong snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it another great choice for calligraphic writing styles. Condition: excellent+ [B+]. This pen is in pristine, museum-grade condition. Nickel-plated trim is immaculate with no brassing or other notable flaws. Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes – scarcely even any micro-scratches. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel are deep and fully legible. Price: $240 SOLD
Shipping: Pens purchased on the weekend are mailed on Tuesday. Otherwise they are mailed within 2 business days of payment. All pens that do not come with their original boxes are packaged in PVC or thick plastic tubes to protect them in transit. To CONUS locations the following shipping options are available:
New York Customers: For tax purposes, I am now required to add an 8% sales tax on any sale made in the state of NY. If your shipping address is in NY state, please let me know before payment to receive an adjusted total. Discounted shipping is included for NY State residents to help defray the extra cost.
Ordering: Pens are placed on hold for the first person to reply to the thread and PM me with firm request to purchase (no chat DMs please). A request with the words “I'd like to purchase [pen number]” would be best to avoid confusion), to which I’ll reply with payment details. Please note that a message inquiring into a price discount does not suffice to place a pen on hold. If I haven't received Paypal payment within 24 hrs after a hold is placed, then pen(s) may become available to the next person.
Payment, & Guarantee: Payment by Paypal only. All pens are guaranteed to be in the condition in which I've described them. If I've missed something objectionable or the filling mechanism is not fully functional, the buyer may contact me up to 7 days after receiving the pen for a full refund (issued once I receive the pen back in the same condition as sold). Buyer must ship the return no later than 2 weeks after it was delivered to receive a refund. I've sold pens online for over a decade. Please check my past listings here as well as on the classifieds and historical sales forums on FPN (username: Estragon) and FPGeeks (popcod) for some of my previous offerings.
OTHER OPEN LISTINGS
submitted by popcodswallop to Pen_Swap [link] [comments]
ALBUM & TIMESTAMP
Pastable link: https://imgur.com/a/qzjdJeU
Condition (n.b.): All pens listed below have been disassembled, cleaned and restored with new sacs/seals installed in the last couple months. Each of these pens is guaranteed to fill and write as designed without leaks or other problems. Nibs have been adjusted when necessary to ensure that all lay down a smooth and consistent line.
THESE PENS HAVE NO CRACKS, CHIPS, PERSONALIZATIONS, LOOSE OR MISSING PARTS, BENT NIBS, MISALIGNED TINES, BROKEN/WORN OFF TIPPING, OR THREADING ISSUES.
Line Widths and Writing Samples: To provide buyers with as much information as possible, I have started to adopt the following line width standards: XXF (.1-.2mm); XF (approx .3mm); F (approx .4mm); M (approx .6mm); B (approx .8mm). Nib flexibility is determined by variation (max line width under pressure) and softness (amount of pressure). Flexibility designations based on variation generally run as follows for an XF/F nib: Semi-Flex (approx. 1mm); Flex (1.2-1.9mm); Superflex (>2mm). All line width measurements are taken with a digital caliper but should be considered approximations providing a general guide. Width may vary slightly depending on type of ink and paper used as well as amount of pressure applied. All writing samples are on Rhodia dot paper using Waterman Serenity Blue.
1. 1930s-40s Montegrappa Extra (green marble w/ lizard skin window, celluloid, NPT, piston filler, SS F/M Flex/Superflex nib). This full-sized model measures 5 1/16” capped. Founded c.1912 in Bassano del Grappa, Italy by Edwige Hoffman and Heinrich Helm, Montegrappa (née Elmo) was one of the Big Four Italian makers whose products have had a profound impact on FP design to this day. The Extra was the premier model of the late-1930s and 1940s. This pen has the white metal trim and factory stainless steel nib that distinguish wartime pens in Italy during the restriction on precious metals to aid the war effort. Not a common pen to see Stateside. It’s a piston filler made of green marble celluloid with an eye-catching, transparent, lizard-skin-patterned window in the barrel for viewing ink-level. To fill simply rotate the filler-knob on the end of the barrel counter-clockwise to extend the piston, submerse the nib, then rotate the filler-knob clockwise to draw ink. To quote an Italian collector over at FPN: “Rule No. 1 about vintage Italian pens: Don't let steel nibs scare you off. Unless you're writing with hydrochloric acid, they're every bit as good as the gold nibs from the years before the gold ban.” The stainless steel Montegrappa Extra #4 nib in this pen is no exception, yielding Super-Flexible variation with Flexible softness. It lays down a smooth and consistent F/M line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.0mm) under moderate pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). A nib with particularly juicy flow that’s reliable over its full range of flex, making it a great choice for boldly shaded writing and calligraphic writing styles. Condition: excellent [B]. Nickel-plated trim is clean with no notable flaws aside from a bit of plating wear to the cap bands on one side of the cap (see timestamp photo). Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes aside from some fine scratches on the plastic between and below the cap bands. Barrel transparency is superb (DETAIL PHOTO). Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is deep and fully legible. Feed is missing a couple fins from one side, which has no discernible effect on writing performance (see DETAIL PHOTO LEFT). This pen's filling mechanism was restored in the last couple years but does have a little quirk in filling I haven’t been able to diagnose. It fills near to factory capacity smoothly with no leaks, but one must be careful to avoid extending the piston all the way down to the bottom of the ink-view window. If extended all the way down, the bottom part of the piston loses connection with the top part, requiring the section to be unscrewed to help the piston back up with a pencil eraser while turning the knob. This is a straightforward process but annoying, so I’ve always chosen to fill to just 90% of factory capacity to avoid it. A scarce pen in a striking color pattern. Price:
8. 1930s Edacoto (grey pearl marble, celluloid, NPT, lever filler, 14k F Flex/Superflex nib). This smaller model measures 4 5/8” capped. For more on Edacoto, see pen #6 above. This one is made of grey pearl marble complemented by nickel-plated trim. 14k Warranted nib yields Super-Flexible variation with Flexible softness. It lays down a smooth and consistent F line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.0mm) under moderate pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Strong snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it a great choice for expressive and calligraphic writing styles. Condition: excellent/fine [B/C]. Nickel-plated trim looks clean with the naked eye but shows a peppering of wear under a loupe. Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes apart from subtle shrinkage of the cap that can’t be seen so much as felt when running a finger down it – merely cosmetic with no affect on how the cap screws on. Manufacturer imprint on the barrel is weakened but fully legible. Price:
Shipping: Pens purchased on the weekend are mailed on Tuesday. Otherwise they are mailed within 2 business days of payment. All pens that do not come with their original boxes are packaged in PVC or thick plastic tubes to protect them in transit. To CONUS locations the following shipping options are available:
USPS First-Class with tracking for $5Due to the delivery delays that continue under postmaster general DeJoy, I strongly recommend that the Priority shipping option be chosen. All packages will include full insurance (covered by me). Rest assured that a full refund is guaranteed (issued through Paypal) in the event of a lost parcel and you will not have to wait until I receive a reimbursement from the USPS.- USPS Priority with tracking for $9
New York Customers: For tax purposes, I am now required to add an 8% sales tax on any sale made in the state of NY. If your shipping address is in NY state, please let me know before payment to receive an adjusted total. Discounted shipping is included for NY State residents to help defray the extra cost.
Ordering: Pens are placed on hold for the first person to reply to the thread and PM me with firm request to purchase (no chat DMs please). A request with the words “I'd like to purchase [pen number]” would be best to avoid confusion), to which I’ll reply with payment details. Please note that a message inquiring into a price discount does not suffice to place a pen on hold. If I haven't received Paypal payment within 24 hrs after a hold is placed, then pen(s) may become available to the next person.
Payment, & Guarantee: Payment by Paypal only. All pens are guaranteed to be in the condition in which I've described them. If I've missed something objectionable or the filling mechanism is not fully functional, the buyer may contact me up to 7 days after receiving the pen for a full refund (issued once I receive the pen back in the same condition as sold). Buyer must ship the return no later than 2 weeks after it was delivered to receive a refund. I've sold pens online for over a decade. Please check my past listings here as well as on the classifieds and historical sales forums on FPN (username: Estragon) and FPGeeks (popcod) for some of my previous offerings.
OTHER OPEN LISTINGS
2024.05.12 20:10 gakernes [M4ApM] Fandom Rps (OCxCanon, OCxOC), SOL, Original Plots, etc.
Hi there Everyone, My name is Royal. I'm looking for some RPs; if we've got something going on I'm not replacing you just want a couple more partners. We can discuss plots, ideas, etc.
Potential Partners
submitted by gakernes to RoleplayPartnerSearch [link] [comments]
Potential Partners
- Must be 18+; ideally 21+- I'm 32 so yeah.
- Be willing to communicate- I get life happens. Just let me know.
- Be willing to double- I don't mind doubling, and will do it. Gives everyone something to look forward to.
- Be LGBTQ+ friendly- Not negotiable. I'm gay and this is important.
- Help with planning- Rping is a team sport, so help with planning.
- Don't ghost- Refer to the second bullet point.
- Have good grammar and punctuation
- Be open of OOC chat.
- Third person, past tense writing style- More of a preference than requirement.
About me - I’m 32, Male and live in the Pacific Time Zone; willing to RP with anytime zone.
- Posting length I aim for about 2-4 paragraphs per response, I prefer quality over quantity.
- Frequency of posting I tend for every couple of days. I work two jobs; one full time and one part time.
- I usually play on discord, and prefer to do it there.
- My pairings are almost always going to be MxM; willing to do MxF for your character. Will not play female characters or do FXF pairings; it comes off as a male writing female. There are a couple of exceptions which are noted in the fandoms and pairings section.
- I have samples if you'd like to see them. Please have a sample as well if you ask for mine.
- Assassin's Creed- EzioxOC, JacobxOC, ConnorxOC, EivorxOC, AlexiosxOC, OCxOC
- Avengers- BuckyxOC, Captain AmericaxOC, ThorxOC, LokixOC, Star LordxOC, Spider-ManxOC, OCXOC
- Avatar the Last AirbendeLegend of Korra- SokkaxOC, BolinxOC, OCxOC
- Batman/Gotham Knights- Jason ToddxOC, Nightwing (Dick Grayon)xOC
- Bauldr's Gate 3- WyllxOC, HalsinxOC, OCxOC
- Baywatch 2017 Movie- MattxOC, MitchxOC
- Bridgerton/Queen Charlotte- BenedictxOC, ColinxOC, SimonxOC, OCxOC <-- Possible to be MxF for OCxOC
- Critical Role- CalebxOC, FjordxOC, VaxxOC, MollymaukxOC, PercyxOC, OrymxOC, AshtonxOC,
- Disney- KristoffxOC, HerculesxOC, AladdinxOC, Flynn RiderxOC
- Game Of Thrones/House of The Dragon- Jon SnowxOC, Rob StarkxOC, DrogoxOC, OCxOC
- Harry PotteHogwarts Legacy- Charlie WeasleyxOC, Bill WeasleyxOC, SiriusxOC (Set during the first Wizarding War), Sebastian SallowxOC, OCxOC
- How to Train Your Dragon- HiccupxOC, EretxOC
- Jurassic World- OwenxOC
- Pokémon- RedxOC, SparkxOC, Professor KukuixOC, Lt. SurgexOC, LeonxOC, BrawlyxOC, StevenXOC, MortyxOC, BrockxOC,OCxOC
- Star Wars- Cal KestisxOC, Obi-WanxOC, OCxOC
- Supernatural- SamxOC
- Warrior Cats- OCxOC <-- Will only be MxF pairing(s).
- Super Natural Race (Demon, Vampire, Werewolf, Etc) x Human
- Prince x Bodyguard
- Quarterback x New Kid in school
- Greek Gods
- Governor's Son x Pirate Captain
- Gladiator x Slave
- Medieval Fantasy Setting
- Any of the following time periods: Victoria Era, Regency Era, Turn of the 20th Century, 1920's, Ancient Rome/Greece, Tudor England
- Dragon Riders, Griffin Riders, Fantasy or Modern setting
- Country Boy x City Boy
2024.05.12 16:34 According-Ring-8678 I created a subreddit dedicated to find the mysterious song that sounds like Cher "Just Give Me A Chance"
Here is the subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/JustGiveMeAChance/
This song was in the followed section of LORRAIN's WatZatSong (yes, THAT Lorrain, the one that posted "Tension Rising in the Air") and it has been lost for 15 years (the sample was posted in April 18, 2009) with absolutely NO leads about it (We only know that this user is French or from a French speaking country) and unfortunately it has been completely ignored until recently, here's the link: https://www.watzatsong.com/en/name-that-tune/21233.html and here is on Youtube: https://youtu.be/zv3oxs0FWd8
submitted by According-Ring-8678 to Lostwave [link] [comments]
This song was in the followed section of LORRAIN's WatZatSong (yes, THAT Lorrain, the one that posted "Tension Rising in the Air") and it has been lost for 15 years (the sample was posted in April 18, 2009) with absolutely NO leads about it (We only know that this user is French or from a French speaking country) and unfortunately it has been completely ignored until recently, here's the link: https://www.watzatsong.com/en/name-that-tune/21233.html and here is on Youtube: https://youtu.be/zv3oxs0FWd8
2024.05.12 05:26 Iloveingrownhairs Help me pick a roofer based on their quotes
 | I'd love some advice on which roofer to go with. I'm in central North Carolina and have a shingled roof of indeterminate age as well as a small flat roof that we had replaced with EPDM 4 years ago. The shingled roof has been on the to-do list ever since it was given "a year or two" 4 years ago, and we finally decided it was time before it starts leaking. However, the three roofers who came to give quotes all agreed that the EPDM was installed poorly and needs replacing - nailheads about to pop through, extra large pooling areas that are sinking, bubbling tape...sad news for that 5k we paid so recently. I went back to my records to find who did the work to see if anything could be done, and found out the guy died of a heart attack a year or two ago. submitted by Iloveingrownhairs to Roofing [link] [comments] There's one section of the shingled roof that everybody agrees is newer and likely does not need to be redone. I discussed the pros and cons of redoing that as well (full warranty?) with at least a couple of the roofers and am not actually sure which included that in their quotes. Without further ado, the contestants: Roofer 1: friendly and well-reviewed in the area, and he said he'd redo the flat roof for $1.5k (which the other roofers were shocked at), but he wants to put .3 mil TPM on the flat roof, I think because he has some leftovers. Came down on the shingled section when I told him the other quotes were in the 8.5k range. So, verbally and 1.5 months ago (took a while for roofer 2 to get me a quote), .3 mil TPM for 1.5k, and then shingles: https://preview.redd.it/esmlc511zwzc1.png?width=940&format=png&auto=webp&s=409b68005d1c519839a39691f9f6ac4bd61ebb50 Roofer 2, very highly rated in the area. Came out and saw the roof (twice actually). Insistent that TPM is the way to go and would use .45. Talked about adding a very slight slope to the flat roof. https://preview.redd.it/n47yvv94zwzc1.png?width=1159&format=png&auto=webp&s=deef5b205920cb747829734aa1247b35ef5a0bf0 https://preview.redd.it/f0tee7j5zwzc1.png?width=1157&format=png&auto=webp&s=a8b4bf259f2f5fdbb8ef86221bf53bd8af1797d9 Roofer 3, also very highly rated. Came out, saw the roof, did a core sample of the current EPDM as roofers 1 and 2 said it was wet underneath, found it was dry where the sample was taken (though not necessarily the exact problem spot?). Agrees that the flat roof should be replaced though and says EPDM is absolutely the way to go. https://preview.redd.it/84m6j1n9zwzc1.png?width=714&format=png&auto=webp&s=1270ee2dda4e4221529dce95055d603838d51dc9 https://preview.redd.it/brvei2yazwzc1.png?width=1224&format=png&auto=webp&s=abd6c811d6d15a3ed8b39181be18eef9b4e22545 Roofer 4, also well-reviewed, though maybe not as much as the others - sounds like more of a contractor. Regardless, they used satellite pictures and it was early in the process, so I didn't know about the flat roof issues, so from them I just have a shingles quote. https://preview.redd.it/98xjdp6hzwzc1.png?width=1247&format=png&auto=webp&s=a15720ec23a52ef5e34d722a9c4493edbf5ccaeb Really it comes down to roofers 2 and 3, TPM with a slope and more expensive vs EPDM that would still be flat, as far as I know. Any suggestions on which way to leap? |
2024.05.12 03:05 GH057807 A VERY long and hopefully reasonable compilation of issues that I see, and changes that I'd like to, after 300+ hours. Not specific to any patch. Discussion welcome.
Quick Intro/DisclaimePlease Read:
Howdy!I've been playing since launch week, I have over 300 hours of playtime and have reached level 77.
I play with a lot of friends, a lot of randoms, on a lot of difficulties, and their play time and skill levels vary a lot. I read a lot of feedback and opinions on here and discord, opposing views, memes, rants, thought-out thoughts, and have managed to form opinions about things based on experiences that are often but not always the same as mine.
Pretty much everything in here comes with an example of another thing present in the game that gives me reason to question or mention or suggest it. I will also do what I can to provide ideas for a solution where applicable.
This is intensely long for a reddit post, easily a 20 minute read. Been writing it all day. I've tried to format it so that bold things are noteworthy issues and italics are potential solutions or ways I see making sense of things. At least I tried to. I also tried to be brief.
If you'd like to reply to a specific segment, it might be wise to quote that specific segment in your reply, at least in part, so we don't get lost. I would love to talk about this stuff, but this is largely for my own use as a public repository for my feedback on this game in an official-adjacent location. I'm not expecting much interaction from this much text.
Please keep in mind that these are subjective observations and opinions, often generalizations and are in no way meant to convey absolute fact, objective experience, or are designed to be delivered as complaints. Obligatory "I am not a dev, but I am a player."
\Hellpod Music Begins\**
Enemy Unit Balance
- Bile Titans - These enemies alone cause their own meta. They are designed in such a way that they require a specific toolset that is not found elsewhere in the enemy codex. They are not difficult to kill, you simply just can't with most things. This is not the case with any other heavy unit from either faction. I am willing to bet the build variety in Automatons varies substantially more than for Terminids because of this. I believe that giving Bile Titans weaknesses in their legs that are more susceptible to Medium Penetration to hobble, and eventually kill them, could cause more of a meta shakeup than any weapon balance ever could.
- Bile Spewers - The instant kill nature of these enemy's attacks is immersion breaking, frustrating, and does not provide a unique challenge. Constant posts about how it makes no sense to be killed so fast by some of this goo slightly grazing your cape, or missing you entirely, are absolutely right. I think Bile Spewers spray (not mortar) should act as a burning-type Damage over Time effect with substantial, but not one-shot, direct damage and a considerable slow. However, instead of the behavior of fire, where you dive to put it out, this DoT effect would require the opposite. Diving to the ground covered in more of it, causes you to take even more damage from the substance. This would make these enemies an actual unique challenge instead of what seems like an artificial medium for a requisite number of deaths per match.
- Flamethrower Hulk (ft. Burning Damage) - A lot of what I said above about the Bile Spewer can be applied here. Being instantly killed by the slightest graze of the flame from this enemy does not feel like something that makes any sense, and deaths of that nature are antithetical to the otherwise brilliant nature of how death is an absolute factor in this game. The heavy buffs to fire damage from all sources without any way to negate this increase only served to buff these enemies beyond unreasonable in most cases. In general, I think that all Helldivers should have a baseline 50% fire resistance provided by the fact that we are covered in armor made out of spaceships, to counter the 50% damage increase from all sources. Yes, fire hurts. It should not hurt this bad when we are wearing a suit. It does not hurt enemies that bad. Specific to the Flamethrower Hulk, I think that the addition of a new and obvious weakspot in the form of a Gas Tank on the weapon arm would help make these uniquely dangerous enemies easier to deal with. The direct damage from their flamethrower should probably be adjusted to be more in-line with our own unbuffed Flamethower's damage output. Combined with a passive resistance, this would bring these down to "manageable" instead of "completely broken by a nearly unanimous consensus". I don't recall seeing Flame Hulks one shotting all the other bots they hit, never once.
- Heavy Devastator Aim - The inverse kinematics, or IK for this enemy is completely broken, or perhaps simply absent. Aim IK essentially means "the thing actually points where it's pointing" and for the Heavy Devastator in particular, their weapon essentially has none. The weapon is able to fire in a 180-degree field in front of the Devastator without the actual barrel of the gun being turned or moved at all. These enemies with their large ballistic shields are already a challenging foe, this issue with their aim IK acts at a very similar level to the Spewer and Flamethrower Hulk's immersion breaking due-to-being-broken side of the deaths we face. We should feel like both we and our enemy earned our death, not that it was given away because of a broken mechanic. They, at least, do not one-shot Helldivers if a single bullet slightly grazes the outskirts of their hitbox. Just fixing or adding the aim IK for Heavy Devastators would make fighting them makes sense.
- Rocket Devastator has Infinite Ammo - I think these enemies are at a fine place as far as balance goes, aside from the simple fact that their rocket pods seem to skirt the otherwise prevalent rules regarding ammunition in this game. Most Automaton units fire laser bullets, and as we have some of our own with unlimited capacity, that's no issue. There are some enemies where a subtle suspension of disbelief helps, Rocket Troopers for instance, but no offender is as grievous as the Rocket Devastator. We even have our own rocket mech, with an almost identical rocket pod, with a very limited ammo capacity - and for good reason. Why does this enemy get to skirt those otherwise sensible requirements? Give Rocket Devastators a limited ammo supply based on the visible number of rockets in their pods. If we must conserve our ammo, shouldn't they as well, under at least visibly reasonable circumstances?
- Our ability to interrupt Breaches and Dropships is inconsistent at best - While this is definitely possible, this mechanic seems to have an incredibly tiny window to the point where it's almost not even worth trying all that hard to achieve it. I haven't checked the actual timing, but there is little to no telegraphing for the Bot Soldiers when they (and I think all the small bots can do it) call in a dropship, but it feels like it is close to if not under a single second. When the bugs release their pheromone signal, it also feels like the window to interrupt them is approaching ancillary. Often enough, you'll stop the bug half a second into its spray and think you've stopped the breach, but one comes through a few seconds later anyway. How this plays out in front of us, is a lack of, or unreliable and confusing visual cues. I think bot soldiers should have a blinking red visual windup unique to a flare about to be fired, and once that flare is fired, we should be able to shoot it out of the air. Shooting it out of the air will not completely stop the drop, but it will make the drop location be somewhere just...nearby. Less precise. For the bugs I think there should be a very noticeable sound, color change, cloud or puff, something to signify when exactly that call for backup was successfully made. It is very obviously 'when the flare is fired' for the bots. A similar function where interrupting a successful but not fully realized call for a breach could result in the breach just being located farther away could work well here also.
Primary Weapon Balance
I will keep this short and sweet. This is a complex job and a topic worthy of its own megathread. This is just my opinion on how I feel Primary Weapons fit a role in this game, and how balancing them should be approached based on those feelings.- I believe that Primary Weapons' primary role in the game should be to deal with Medium Armored Enemies. These are enemies that appear at a medium frequency and are medium hard to kill. I do not think that the Primary Weapon's main focus should be light enemy chaff, nor should it be heavy enemies. This does not necessarily mean they should be useless against those things, nor does it mean there shouldn't be Primary weapons that do those things.
- I believe Primary Weapons should focus on 3 separate but similar design areas. If they are very good at one, they should be only okay at the other two, if at all. If they are good at two, they should be pretty bad at the third. If they are good at all 3, they should be only kind of pretty good at all 3.
- Those 3 things are, in no specific order: Medium Armor Penetration, Stagger, and "Big" Damage with a Gimmick. "Big Damage with a Gimmick" means a lot of things. "Big" means area, actual numbers, or consistency. AoE that can kill you if used up close. Infinite ammo but a compromised fire rate. A delayed charge up fire mechanic with increased damage. Of the three rules, this one is easily the most fluid and has lots of examples and avenues to create interesting weapons. A weapon could very easily do all 3 of these things, but it should not do any of them very well. If it only does 2 of these things, it should do those two things better than the one that does 3. If it only does 1 of these things, it should do that thing very well. Every Primary Weapon should excel at at least one of those three categories, or excel with a combination of them. If it does not, it is not a good Primary Weapon. I think if Primaries were rebalanced in this way, it would be a huge benefit to everyone and build variety.
- I feel like Medium Armor Penetration should just be baseline for most Primary Weapons, with few exceptions, as Light Armor Penetration as a baseline doesn't mean much for most enemies.
Public Testing Environment
- I think we would benefit greatly, as players and Arrowhead themselves, by having some sort of testing environment for new Weapons, Grenades, Boosters, and Armor from Warbonds. This could also be used to test unrelease Stratagems.
- The way that this manifests is not incredibly important, as long as we are able to test these things. My idea however is a specific planet where having your ship docked there gives you access to upcoming Warbond equipment in your Armory screen.
- The only reward for completing missions here is being able help make HD2 better. There is no place for 'live client' rewards in a testing environment in my opinion, and apparently that of the vast majority of developers. I think that Helldivers 2 is in a unique position to somehow include this testing environment into the live service game, but I stand firmly in my belief that there should be no rewards that impact our gameplay or progress outside of that environment.
UI Features
- I feel like we would greatly benefit from a distance meter on player tags in our FOV and compass icon dots. We certainly have the technology for me to be able to tell if R3 is directly behind that charger or completely all the way on the other side of the map, without opening my minimap that disables my character.
- I think we would also benefit from a similar distance meter on tagged objectives on the compass display.
- I would love to see a minimap icon for Supply Drop packs once they have been exploded from their Supply Pod.
- The visibility of dropped items (Support gear and Samples) on the ground has an incredibly short distance. It can make it very frustrating to try and find these items in the middle of a battlefield. I love the little blinking light on Samples, it would be great to see that light exaggerated and applied to everything we dropped, and the icons in our FOV to show up at a further proximity to the items.
- It would also be incredibly helpful of those dropped items got compass icons when we approached them, or at least were pingable objects with the ping system to produce the same effect we get on our compass when we ping objectives on our map.
Utilization of Currency
- I find it very unfortunate how easily (subjective of course) it is to cap various currencies in this game, and the way that translates to the player is in essence punishment for heavy play. It is very easy to hit a point where Requisition Slips become completely ancillary and thoughtless. Until recently it was very easy to become capped on Samples and will inevitably reach that point again. I'm only 20 samples shy of being 23/24 modules. After a certain point it also becomes easy to get capped on Medals as well. I was, until this most recent Warbond. This is with an average between 3 and 4 hours of gameplay a day over the last 3 months.
- I would love to see Medals converted into Super Credits once you have reached cap. I believe these two currencies are sort of intertwined in a quantum state of sort to begin with. They are both centered around premium content, are both found in game and do not require extraction to acquire, you use SC to unlock things to spend Medals on, but you can spend Medals on SC in those things you used SC to unlock. Reward heavy play by making it so people who are capped get a bonus on that SC farm for their next Warbond. I don't think people with heavy play are typically the customers who are purchasing SC in bulk with real money, but I could be wrong.
- Requisition Slips fall off into a thoughtless yellow number very quickly. I would like to see a way to convert them to Samples. Even with the new 25k cost on the new Modules, it's very easy to be right back up to cap well before you approach being able to afford another one's sample requirements. Considering how much of a grind Samples can be when you're starting off, and how the requisite samples for half of our upgrades are gated behind the highest difficulties, I think we would benefit from Requisition Slips being able to be substituted for certain predetermined amounts of Samples when purchasing Ship Modules. For example, 20k RS for 30 Commons. 30k RS for 10 Rares. 40k RS for 5 Supers. A few buttons right there on the purchase screen.
- I really like it when we have a "Free" Stratagem available through the Galactic War in some capacity and wish we could buy those for our own missions. Let group leaders use our constant abundance of RS to purchase a Stratagem for our entire team to use for an entire Operation, a set of 3 missions. These could be prohibitively expensive to reduce their use from a constant requirement to something cool you can do now and then to get rid of some stacked up currency.
- I do not think it is healthy for the long-term gameplay loop to gate Super Samples, and thusly 50% of our Ship upgrades, behind the highest difficulties in the game. Not everyone is comfortable playing on difficulty 7 and above, and in my opinion, this does not disqualify them from being able to progress their ship and character. I think that giving Difficulty 6 a single Super Sample per mission is a perfectly reasonable compromise to allow those people who cannot have fun on the higher difficulties to still progress their Ship, albeit at a much slower rate.
- I don't think there should be a Tier 5 of Ship Modules that cost 500/300/40. The cost of the current 4th tier of modules feels like a good ceiling to me. Instead of adding increasingly more expensive modules, I think additional lower-tier modules at a lower cost would be more beneficial to the average player.
- Alternatively (or also) adding a way to incrementally increase certain modules that are percent based could provide a lasting and consistent upgrade path. For instance, the 15% Orbital Barrage Spread Reduction Module could be boosted by a single percent for 100/40/5 Samples up to a cap, say 25% for the sake of example.
- I would love to see a Helldiver Module section that buffs things from Armory screen to spend samples on. Things like small incremental primary damage/recoil bonuses, speed/stamina/armor boosts, grenade spread/fuse reduction, minor versions of boosters that act as passives, like ammo or vitality, minor versions of armor passives like throw distance, damage reduction, detection radius, etc.)
- We have 150 levels. 120 or so are effectively ancillary. Put these increases from the previous two suggestions behind those levels, all the way up to the level 150 cap. I see no problem with giving high level characters slightly enhanced stats.
Cosmetics and Build Customization
- I don't think this game deserves a situation where we have to choose between style or substance. I think Helldivers 2 deserves at the very least a simple passive swap ability between armors and alternate color schemes, if not a robust loadout and passive and cosmetic customization system.
- I initially supported the "Apple that tastes like Bacon" argument, but it quickly unraveled, and as it stands there isn't really a reason that our suspension of disbelief cannot be utilized based on padding or pockets. There are plentiful examples of how this logic is poorly represented if not wholly ignored throughout the game. My personal favorites beyond the bountiful examples in the armor sets themselves, are how the literal subject of the Eruptor's flavor text was removed from the weapon for being "not important", and how we were given Headshot protection in the form of more body armor, regardless of the Helmet we have on our heads. If these things are acceptable, I cannot see why we can't switch armor passives around. If I can pull half a dozen two-foot-long rockets out of a lunchbox sized Supply Pack, then I can hold Grenades in my Armor with no extra satchels. Any of them. See the Drone Master for more details. If Winter Warrior without a robot arm can have Servo Assisted, then they all can. If 50% of the Scout armors are neon orange, we can hide in whatever we want.
- Currently there are only 3 Armor Passives that are not available on all 3 Armor weights. Scout does not appear on heavy armor. The 50% chance to not die from death is only on Medium, three times. Arc resistance skipped Heavy Armor, which honestly seems more like an oversight since one of the Arc Resistance armors is the exact same as the other, with slightly more armor. There are no logical reasons that any of these passives cannot be put on the armor weights they are not found on currently either.
- Love it or hate it, the MedKit Armor is the only passive locked behind a specific color scheme, and that color scheme is divisive at best. I believe this to be one of the strongest arguments for the necessity of some way to alter the appearance of armor's colors, if we can't switch passives, or better yet, alongside it.
- At the very least I think every set of body armor should be given a "default" black and yellow classic Helldiver alternate color scheme. MedKit Armors could be unique in that they are given a white and yellow color scheme as an alternate, to match the original game.
- A way to change accent color on armor, helmets included, would also be very excellent to see. Accent colors would be the areas on armor that are Yellow, Orange, Red, Beige, etc.
- Arrowhead, you have shown very clearly that you not only don't have a problem with recoloring armor, you've done it multiple times in these few short months yourself. Let us do it too.
- When the UI we use to change our Helmets and Capes gives us Stats and a Passive window, it's unrealistic to think we won't expect that to be a feature. I am aware that there is some semblance of an internal discussion about bringing helmets at least into the realm of meaningful choices instead of pure cosmetics. I am all for it, in every possible way. However, if Helmets and Capes are to remain purely cosmetic, treat them that way. Remove the things that make them look like they do things. If those stats are actually meaningful, move those flat amounts to all body armors. Remove or change misleading flavor text that talks about things that the helmets inarguably do not do. Take away the passive window that says "Standard Issue" - this literally implies the existence of other passives.
Honorable Mentions / Broken Things / Misc
- We should be able to Stim other Helldivers at any % of missing health, like we can ourselves. 50% health in this game can be a death sentence, and it is incredibly frustrating in some moments to not be able to heal your buddy because he's at 51%. "Go get hurt some more and come back" is not something we should have to worry about in a team game where we have the ability to use our healing on our teammates.
- There is an abundance of one sided and unfun-because-it's-unfair interactions that seem to largely give our enemies superpowers when it comes to the physics in the game. Chargers who ice skate track you 90-degrees when you try to juke them, Hunters and Scavengers who scale the inside of a cliff with an invisible elevator and spawn from within the ground under your feet because you used a Jetpack to escape from them. Bots who can clip their guns into objects and shoot through them, using Downed Dropships as impenetrable fortresses, tracking Helldivers on reduced visibility maps through puff balls and smoke with pinpoint accuracy. I don't really have a solution here because a video game's physics engine might as well be actual Quantum Physics as far as I'm concerned, I simply want to bring voice to how often the game seems to bend the rules just to screw you over, and it does not feel good to play. Again, I want to feel like both my enemy and I earned that death of mine. I want to be able to learn from it and adapt in the future. I want to know what I did wrong. Dying to broken interactions like this is the opposite of that and harms the otherwise excellent and immersive gameplay experience.
- Similarly, watching a treaded Automaton Tank enemy effortlessly climb over pretty much any obstacle is also very immersion breaking. These things will do some very impossible movements just to get closer to us. This is in the same world where my ape-descended human who can jog indefinitely carrying dozens of pounds of ordinance is somehow unable to climb up on top of a roof because it's slightly above shoulder height. There is nothing wrong with being able to "defeat" these very powerful enemies by cutting off their ability to advance with terrain or obstacles. It is already a viable tactic by destroying their treads.
- Heavy Units from both factions are way too quiet to make sense. I feel like it's not an unpopular opinion that enemies like Hulks, Tanks, Bile Spewers and Titans, Chargers, should have very unique and identifiable sound profiles and screen shakes to alert players to their presence.
EDIT:
WELL, I definitely did not expect waking up to over 200 replies. I will do what I can over the course of the day to reply to most of ya'll, but no promises.
It means a whole lot to me how well this was received. I hope it comes across the right desks too. Ya'll are the best.
I gotta turn off notifications for this thread so I can focus on my day, but I will continue to browse through replies and try to interact to the best of my ability. Again, you guys rock.
2024.05.11 23:44 charli_zebre Touchdown Boy album "Music" Deleted from all internet
 | First time posting here, I'm sorry if this is irrelevant. submitted by charli_zebre to Lostwave [link] [comments] Okay so, some time ago when everyone was looking for the very popular lost wave "Ulterior Motives" the short extract we had was sometimes sample in other recent song. One of those was "LETSTAYTOGETHER!" feat.h? By Touchdown Boy. I got interested and listen to the whole album but some time later it got deleted ??? I cannot find any informations anywhere why it got deleted and I can't find any social media of the creator ? All those album song just disappear from internet I guess it makes this album a lost media ? But I have a feeling it was deleted to create a lost media, why else ? I would really like to find some of those song again, I only listened to them a few time. I actually got some informations about it. I'm providing with some screenshots. The album was called "Music" and was posted on 1 september 2023 genre : dubstep. (Some time ago a second one came out called "Music 2" released on 3 may 2024 genre : alternative. This may be related?) The only 3 song name I got for this lost album are the following :
Also I will had that the album cover on my screenshots was change some time before it got deleted, but it was change to a similar nostalgic radio picture. I actually got an extract of Silly Little Games because I used it for a reel of mine : https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5i-_qMKac1/?igsh=MWR4YjBiZnFqM2dyZA== I've listened to this one enough to know the lyrics : I don't wanna play, Anymore of your stupid games I didn't like them anyway. I don't wanna stay I don't wanna stay right here And to ? pick around my brain, Till I'm? hollow And then the chorus goes "I don't wanna play your stupid games" over and over Another creator used the official audio from Instagram of LETSTAYTOGETHER but as it got deleted Instagram can't find it anymore in its library. Here's the link anyway : https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3NiSKTPn3p/?igsh=MWllZzM4NDZlbnY3aA== Also I have to has this here : I never use Instagram's library to had songs to my reel, I always had the song in the video for timing frame shit. To do so, I go on YouTube and find the song, then download it on a shady website from the Youtube video. That means I did found the song "Silly Little Games" on YouTube but if you do a researsh right now on the song or the artist you will find nothing ??? This is so suspicious. Anyway if anyone can help me resolve this mystery it would be appreciated. I really wanna listen to The Storm again. But honestly I don't have many hope. Only the creator could aswer my questions. Screenshots I'm providing :
https://preview.redd.it/lzbicw1mbvzc1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7635c070c97b8b70d3d6692852031300728bac03 https://preview.redd.it/w5c78w1mbvzc1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43fb282a04e16ac7779d590ba15a17a9b46fd083 https://preview.redd.it/bq42bw1mbvzc1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57915395a4065776f475d62b08c153f97ed9359b https://preview.redd.it/fe9ba22mbvzc1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=010edef2efc9407291086dd30818a63b48f58f3f https://preview.redd.it/exll6x1mbvzc1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2dc315eff5f08fd62d02a9fbbd89050f1c9da32 |
2024.05.11 23:33 Medium_Leg_1042 Getting over the fear of written responses.
Just got out of the exam. I'm pretty confident that I did well on the multiple choice section (44/55, this one was probably even easier tbh), but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't uncertain about the writing bits. I've done god knows how many SAQs (which my teacher has graded pretty well), did two DBQs and LEQs beforehand (one of which got a 7/7 from said teacher), watched videos, reviewed samples, looked at the rubric and committed it to memory, etc., and yet, I still feel uncertain. It doesn't really bode well for me that I failed my first exam in human geography (in part because I wrote the multiple choice questions on the exam booklet itself and not the answer sheet)
Sorry if this seems vaguely braggy btw. Not my intent at all, just wondering how I can console myself here
submitted by Medium_Leg_1042 to APEuro [link] [comments]
Sorry if this seems vaguely braggy btw. Not my intent at all, just wondering how I can console myself here