Hi everyone!
I wanted to give a detailed review of my experience with sm global package for taemin’s metamorph concert in tokyo at the nippon budokan. I am months delayed in posting this (thanks to grad school) but I initially wrote it out of post-concert depression prior to returning to the states back in March.
buying the global package, twin ver:
the package was announced sometime in december 2023 if im not mistaken and I stayed up until midnight (pst) on 1/22 to book a twin package for ‘course c’ which was 2N3D (sunday concert 3/10) for my friend and I. The packages that included all three nights (5D3N) of the show sold out the quickest, but there were still packages available for individual show days. As a tip to make things easier, make sure to have your friends’ passport info to input in advance so the booking goes easier if you are booking a twin package. If you are the one making the booking, make sure to have the global package app downloaded as they will send you notifications along the way about day of show schedule, merch preorder, etc. They ask that you relay this info to your partner when you purchase a twin package, as you are the primary reservation holder. You also cannot split the cost while booking, it must go on one card through paypal. When booking, you have the option to request extending your stay at the hotel through sm c&c, but since we were planning to go to Kyoto after the concert, we just checked out the day after the concert as planned. Also we didn’t have any ACE memberships, but if I remember correctly, you can enter that info to get an exclusive MD benefit.
merch preorder:
Prior to arriving in Japan, we got a notification at around 6pm pst on 2/28 (11 days prior to the show) with our exclusive merch preorder links which went live at midnight that same night. The prices were in yen and you pay using paypal. I had no problem getting the MD I wanted, however since there were limits on the amount of MD you could purchase (including the 2 different pins, which were 1 per order) I had to ask my friend if I could purchase an additional pin through his MD preorder link since there were 2 different pins in this specific concert MD. The day of the show (3/10) at around 10am, we picked up the MD we preordered with ease and pulled our concert seat tickets and received our global package exclusive gift (a mag safe wallet) and let the staff know which transports we would be taking (round trip bus or one way to/from the venue). I was a ljttle disappointed in the global package benefit MD as I had seen what the metamorph show in Korea had received (I think it was a handwritten letter from Taemin and a little lego figurine of him 🤧). Everything was smooth and efficient. Even after the concert, I was able to get into the MD line to purchase more, even though most of the MD was sold out.
checking in/out of the hotel & hotel review:
We stayed at the Hotel Monterey Hanzomon which was really close to the venue and across the street from the Hanzomon subway line, so it was very accessible by public transit. My friend and I both flew into Haneda and it took a little less than an hour to get to the hotel from the airport via public transit, but after a 12.5 hour long flight it was exhausting. When I asked the people at the airport if there was an airport limousine to the area, they said it wouldn’t take me close enough to the hotel and recommended I take the subway. We had met a few people in line for the MD pickup who said that we (allegedly) had a nicer hotel than those who did the NCT 127 global package for their Tokyo dome show (same weekend) but all in all, Hanzomon was an economy hotel with nothing to write home about. I will say the breakfast buffet included was really nice and I’m glad we didn’t skip out on it. When we checked in the day before the show, we just showed our passports and checked in like any other hotel. In the lobby there was a whiteboard with all of the concert info (opening times for md pickup, bus schedules, and concert schedule) displayed in english, korean, chinese, and japanese. I was a little bummed to find out that the concert (which took place in the middle of the afternoon) was only going to be an hour and a half maximum, even though NCT’s concert was almost 4 hours (!!!) in length.
day of show:
We had breakfast in the lobby around 8:30/9ish then after that we got to the sm desk at 9:45am to pick up our md and pick our tickets for the show (thanks to the tip from another fan on reddit, well worth getting there a little before the booth opened). I did notice the ACE membership MD benefits were nice, but neither me nor my friend have any fanclub memberships. It was relatively straightforward, they checked our passports and handed us a lanyard that acted as our bus pass and then one person per twin package picks the pair of tickets at random (in sets of 2 so you sit with your friend) and we got seats in section A3 (floor) which were great. They asked us if we wanted a seat on the bus ride round trip or one way and we originally said only one ride to the venue, but my friend decided to take the bus back too once we got to the venue so we notified the SM staff and they added us to the roster for the ride back easily. When we got to the venue (an hour and a half-ish before doors) they escorted us to the front and we were let in immediately. The efficiency was incredible. They didn’t check my bag prior to entering like how they would for a concert in the US so I didn’t bring a water bottle into the venue but thankfully they had vending machines inside and concessions on the top levels of the venue. We also went to a booth upstairs to pair our lightsticks for the show, since the Japanese Shinee Lightstick app is only available for Japanese phones, so we showed our ticket locations and they were able to calibrate. The show was short yet sweet, we did not see anyone ejected for taking photos/videos but we were too scared to risk it. If you are caught filming or taking photos they will make you delete the photos/videos and kick you out with no sign of return, but I think because it was the last day and we were in the middle of a crowd, it was a little easier to get away with. There was a sadness in the air because it was Taemin’s last concert as a soloist under SM, but overall the show was incredible. One thing of note though is Japanese audiences are very quiet, they tend to clap rather than scream in between songs and there were times where you could hear someone from the rafters sneeze and it would resonate, so be prepared for that cultural difference. We still screamed when it felt appropriate to do so and the fanchants were loud but it was definitely strange to be golf clapping in between songs, especially in comparison to shows in the US where fans are barking 💀. It was nice to be able to hear Taemin speak uninterrupted during the ments, without pick-me fans interjecting their screams. He spoke exclusively in Japanese and there was no translator so we were left to guess what he was saying. A K-fan next to us was live Papago-ing his ments to Korean and I would peek and read what the translation was. Also shout out to this lovely K-shawol because she let my friend borrow one of her lightsticks! Once the show ended, everyone queued up to leave the venue in an orderly fashion and we cleaned up any trash we saw and we went out to the MD booth to buy any last minute MDs before going to the bus. On the bus, they gave us each a (unthemed) bag with some strawberry cookies and a waterbottle and we had a fun time air-dropping photos and videos from the show with other (braver) global package attendees. Everyone we met was so lovely and everything about the global package went very smoothly and efficiently.
edit: I forgot to mention that Japanese fans who had floor seats (most likely ACE club membership) received some sort of paper goods (postcard, photocard, folder etc.) upon entering the venue, a benefit that global package members did not receive. I only saw it because I went upstairs to the main entrance to sync my lightstick. I was too afraid to ask about the benefits, but I think it also might have had to do with which company you bought your ticket from (?) or where you preordered the album from (?)
closing thoughts:
the day after the show, we took advantage of the free breakfast and checked out with ease. The SM C&C staff left the whiteboard in the lobby and left a nice note for us and we wrote our thank yous on there. Overall, the package cost was $1559 for 2 people ($779 ea, 2 twin beds for 2N3D) and even though it was pricey it was so worth the convenience of not having to try to buy tickets locally, which I heard sold out entirely during fan club presale. Please note that this cost did not include airfare or transit to/from the airport. The concert coincided with my spring break and Taemin is one of my ults, I just wrote a paper on him for grad school so it was a no brainer, I had to be there no matter what lol. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of theming (I heard the concerts in Korea come with themed rooms, themed snacks, etc) and the lack of transportation to and from the airport (which I heard is sometimes an option for shows in Korea and would have been a great benefit). But otherwise the hotel was clean and convenient (a little small, but that’s how it is normally in an economy hotel in Japan), breakfast was good, SM staff were helpful and nice, and we made some new Shawol friends in the meantime :)
overall, I would absolutely book with global package again, but I would definitely want to see a show in Korea to compare the benefits. It was an unforgettable experience to be apart of the pearl aqua ocean 💎
if you have any questions ask away! prior to booking this package, I took the advice of another fan under a different thread, and it was really helpful so I wanted to offer any insight based off my experience.

Hi all, I’m a mid-20’s male solo traveler visiting Japan for the first time next month! I’m super excited, but it also feels a little overwhelming trying to plan. For the most part I’ve got my trip planned out, but I’m in need of some advice and I’m wondering how my itinerary looks. This will be my longest solo trip, longest international trip, and first solo international trip. I’ll be hitting Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Osaka, and Kyoto, as well as day trips to Kobe and Nara.
Before I get started, I have some general questions about preparing for my trip:
-eSim: from browsing this subreddit, it looks like Ubigi is the best choice. Would 10GB data be enough for 3 weeks? I’ll probably have Google Maps open for navigation pretty often, and just browsing reddit/instagram when bored or on a train. Additionally, would it be smart to get a pocket WiFi as backup, or is Ubigi reliable enough that it wouldn’t be necessary?
-Walking shoes: I need to buy a pair and will begin breaking them in immediately. Any recommendations for anything breathable and/or waterproof (are those two mutually exclusive)? May also bring my hiking boots with me, but I don’t have a ton of space in my baggage, so something that can be worn on light hikes would be a plus!
-I’m aware I’ll be visiting during the middle of the rainy season. As you will see, most of my plans are for outdoor activities/walking from place to place… If anyone has suggestions for indoor alternatives in any of the cities I’ll be visiting, I’m all ears! I would also appreciate museum recommendations, since there seem to be so many in each city.
-Carrying my passport: should I invest in one of those cross-body bags and just keep my passport, money, and a portable charger in there? For the days that I plan on hiking or day trips, I’ll be carrying a small day pack that I can keep everything in along with my snacks/water, so I’m not sure if it’s worth it to buy a new bag. I’m also considering just getting a lanyard with a small pouch and wearing my passport around my neck at all times. What would be more comfortable/convenient?
-Hiking/being outside: I’m not planning on checking luggage on the way there, so I plan on buying sunscreen/insect repellant in Japan. Is this advisable? Furthermore, it seems many trails in Japan warn about the potential of running into snakes/bears. How concerned should I be about the wildlife and are there any extra precautions I should take? I’m used to hiking in the Appalachians where there are few venomous snakes, and black bears exist but I don’t see them often.
-Observation decks: is it worth it to see more than one in a given city? If I could only do one each in Osaka/Tokyo, which would be the best choices?
-I’m not staying in any hostels, but I’m interested in meeting people (other travelers, or locals who want to converse with a tourist), any suggestions? Would it be weird to try to strike up conversation with random people in bars/izakayas?
Okay, itinerary time! Let me know if any of my days seem too packed or if I’m skipping out on anything you really recommend. I plan on starting my days pretty early to beat the heat and crowds, but it looks like a lot of shrines/attractions don’t open until 9, and most stores don’t open until 10-11, so that may limit me on some days.
Day 1: Tokyo, will be here for 4 days
-land at Haneda airport at 8am
-drop bags off at hotel in Shinjuku - I’m not sure how much energy I’ll have, but I want to force myself to at least do a few things this day
-Suga Shrine (the stairs from “Your Name”)
-Shinjuku Gyoen national garden - my friend told me to avoid paying for shrines/gardens since there are free ones all over the place, but I figure it’s worth it for another Shinkai move spot (“The Garden of Words”)
-check into hotel and maybe power nap
-Mori art museum (depending on how I feel)
-Tokyo tower (depending on how I feel)
-Omoide Yokocho at night
Day 2:
-Yoyogi park
-Meiji Jingu
-Harajuku
-Imperial palace
-Teamlabs Planet
-Odaiba seaside park for sunset/nighttime views
Day 3: Asakusa
-Senso-ji/Nakamise dori
-Ueno park
-could also do some museums around Ueno
-Akihabara? (mostly just to look around, I’m saving my shopping for the end of my trip)
-Edo Tokyo museum
-Sumida aquarium
-Tokyo skytree for sunset/night views
Day 4:
-Shibuya crossing
-Hachiko statue
-Nintendo store/explore Shibuya shops
-Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation deck
-If I have more time to spare in Tokyo, I want to try traveling around to different neighborhoods, just wandering and seeing what life is like in that corner of the city. For example, I might take the train out to the Tama area and explore the town where the Ghibli film “Whisper of the Heart” is set (and hopefully I’ll find a random cat to follow). Has anyone done something similar and have any towns/neighborhoods they recommend checking out?
-Explore Shinjuku/Shibuya nightlife
Days 5&6: head to Yokohama for 2 days
-finish up anything I didn’t have time for in Tokyo and then head over
-I don’t have much planned here tbh, so I’m open to suggestions! I’m also happy to just wander around the city.
-Yamashita park/harbor view park
-Chinatown at night
-Minatomirai
-things I’m open to but not entirely set on: -NYK Hikawa Maru -Landmark Tower -Yokohama museum of art -Sankeien garden -check out a car meet?
-I’m not particularly interested in the cup noodle museum or red brick warehouse, but if they’re highly recommended I can check them out
-I’m also open to doing a day trip to Kamakura if I’m bored
Days 7&8: head to Hakone for 2 days
-depending on how the weather is:
-I plan to spend one day doing the loop and visiting the Hakone shrine. Will also check out Gora park and the open air museum.
-Spend the other day hiking: will take the old tokaido road past Amazake Chaya and down to the Hakone checkpoint. Might do more hiking in the area or head to Mishima sky walk
-The available ryokans are out my price range, so I’ll be staying at a regular hotel and visiting public onsens. Will probably try to find at least one reservable private onsen as well.
Days 9-12: Osaka, includes Kobe day trip
-I should arrive in Osaka sometime in the afternoon on day 9, I don’t have too much planned for Osaka so I’ll try to get some stuff done this first day and feel out the rest. Also open to suggestions!
Things I want to see in Osaka, can all this be done in 1.5-2.5 days?:
-Osaka Castle/castle park
-Umeda sky building
-Dotonbori
-Ebisubashi bridge
-Hozenji yokocho
-Kuromon Ichiba market
-Abeno Harukas
-Osaka museum of history
-Osaka museum of housing and living
-Catch a baseball game, ORIX Buffaloes and Hanshin Tigers both have home series while I’m in town
-Osaka aquarium (if I skip the aquarium in Tokyo)
-Shinsekai new world (can be skipped)
-Tennoji park or Nagai park (can be skipped)
-Sumiyoshi Taisha (can be skipped)
Kobe Day trip (from Osaka) - will pick a day based on the weather forecast
-hiking in Mt. Rokko or Mt. Maya
-spend some time up in the mountains at botanical gardens/arboretums
-head back down for an early dinner, and maybe take the ropeway back up for sunset/night views of the city
-if I want to try Kobe beef, will I need to reserve a restaurant beforehand? Since I’m planning to feel this day out based on the weather, I don’t want to be restricted by a reservation. Although it’s not terribly far from Osaka if I choose to hike on another day and just go to Kobe one night for dinner
-is there anything else worth checking out in Kobe?
-Are there any other cool day trips from Osaka? Hiroshima seems a little far for my liking. I’m also planning to do Nara from Kyoto, but if I have an extra day in Osaka I might do it from here and give myself an extra day in Kyoto
Day 13: Kyoto for 5 days, includes Nara day trip
-arrive in Kyoto
-Imperial palace/national garden
-Nijo castle
-Nishiki market
-maybe some museums, the samurai ninja museum looks neat
The next 4 days are in no particular order can be re-arranged according to weather
Day 14
-Arashiyama bamboo forest (may skip since nothing else in the area opens until 9, and it seems like I want to get here by 7 to avoid heavy crowds)
-Iwatayama monkey park
-Tenryu-ji (might skip, it’s not expensive but idk if I want to pay to visit a temple when I’m already seeing so many )
-might do the Sagano romantic train and Hozugawa river boat ride. Would the boat ride be enjoyable on a summer afternoon due to being on the water, or would the afternoon sun make it unbearably hot?
-Saga Toriimoto preserved street
-Adashino nenbutsuji temple (seems to have its own bamboo grove, which makes skipping Arashiyama easier)
Day 15
-Bus/train to Kuramadera
-Hike to Kifune shrine
-Hirobun/kawadoko dining
-Explore Kibune and shrine area while I wait to eat lunch
-Back to Kyoto by mid-late afternoon
-Higashiyama Jisho-ji (can skip if too hot/tired)
-Honen-in temple (can skip if too hot/tired)
-Philosopher’s path
-Nanzen-ji
-Heian shrine
Day 16
-Fushimi inari taisha - I want to start early and climb to the top
-Rengeoin sanjusangendo (open to skipping, was recommended by a friend but doesn’t look super interesting)
-Sannenzaka
-Ninenzaka
-Kiyumizu dera
-Gion
-Maruyama park
Day 17: Nara day trip
-Todaiji
-Nara park
-Kasuga taisha
-Mt. Wakasuka
-Maybe Mt. Kasuga primeval forest, if my legs are up for more hiking
-Anything else to do/see?
On one of the Kyoto days I’d like to visit Fushimi inari taisha at night, but I’ve read comments on this subreddit about people being harassed by monkeys or seeing/hearing wild boars, so I’m a little concerned. Are there any precautions I should take to avoid unpleasant run ins with the wildlife?
Day 18: back to Tokyo for the rest of the trip
-take Shinkansen back, settle in
-baseball
Day 19
-shopping: Ginza and maybe Akihabara
-anything I missed the first time around
Day 20
-wrap up my trip and double back to any foods/places/sights I couldn’t get enough of
-fly home at 7pm
How does this look, am I risking too many activities getting ruined by rain? If any days are too packed, what can I skip/save for a later time? Thanks y’all!

So I resigned na nung Feb pa like Feb 5. That day nabalik ko na id, lanyard and headset ko. Wala pang 1 month, nagka final pay na yung kasabay ko samantalang ako wala kahit anong email. Nung kinulit ko yung coach ko, dun lang nagkausad. 2 months later biglang walang usad nanaman clearance ko :( apparently my coach DID NOT update on his end na nabalik ko na headset. It took the admins to email him 3 times within 2 weeks.
Finally, May 5, nakatanggap na ko ng QuitClaim thing and how much magiging final pay ko. I submitted the requirements on the same day within the hour it was sent to me. A week later wala pa. I was expecting a week after kasi yun din sabi nung kakilala ko since before cutoff pa ko nakapag pasa. But sa portal ng payroll sabi pwede na daw kunin check the following Friday so May 10, but at the same time need daw maapprove yung sa quitclaim bago mag send ng sched when ibibigay final pay. Sa kontrata dapat within 30 days after mag resign meron na eh. Kaso instead na Feb 5, naging March 5 pa yung akin dahil nga sa coach ko.
I'm so confused and frustrated. Reason why di naasikaso ng coach ko? Broken hearted :) I remember working and during calls mag rarant pa sakin yun. Gets ko naman, but grabehan sa tagal nun beh ha. Siguro kung naasikaso niya rin agad, malamang nakuha ko rin final pay ko parang nung kasabayan ko. I don't even understand bakit sakin di naasikaso agad pero sa kasabayan ko ang bilis eh.
Anyways, what should I do at this point?

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/TOWe6Pg
Hey, Swappers! I have 2 knives I'm looking to sell (No trades). If you purchase either of these, you will get a free BNIB Kershaw Emerson (of your choice if you're the first buyer). I am the original owner of all listed knives except the Benchmade (2nd owner). All knives will come with original box/papers. None of these have been disassembled or sharpened, but wear is described if it is present. You are responsible for knowing your local laws. I will ship these out through USPS (CON. US ONLY). Paypal G&S only, but I'm a single swap away from 25, so the second sale should have an option for PP F&F or other forms of payment. Personal messages are appreciated, but Yolos work too.

1. Benchmade Immunity: I purchased the Immunity off of the swap a few months ago LNIB from the original owner. I did end up zipping through an envelope with it, but otherwise did not carry it and put it back in the box where it has sat due to how small it is. This would serve you well in an office space and has the best factory edge I've personally seen amongst the 12 or so BMs I've owned. No wear to describe other than I believe the original owner trimmed the lanyard a bit, but I didn't notice this for a while. Good action as well considering the small size of the blade. SV: $212
2. ~SOLLLD~ ZT0350TS: I purchased this one as a back-up to my other 0350 as I'm a big fan of the designs. After accumulating a rotation I'm content with, I no longer think I need the back-up. This has only been opened for pictures and has seen zero use. SV:$112
3. Free Kershaw Emersons as ADD-ONS ONLY: Both of these were bought to give an Emerson design another try, but they just aren't my cup of tea. Neither has been used or carried and have only been opened a few times each. Buy numbers 1 or 2 above and let me know which Kershaw you'd like with it. Brand new in boxes.

• Emerson CQC4K ($44. 94 retail)
• Emerson CQC8K ($49.99 retail) ~CLAIMED~

If you have any further questions or would appreciate further photos/video, please feel free to let me know. Thanks for your considerations and have a great weekend!

TIMESTAMP: https://imgur.com/a/MHII9CQ
CRK and Benchmade clearout! Some details below on how I got all these:
All prices include shipping CONUS only. Will ship out the next day. YOLOs>chat but prompt completion of the transaction is expected. Paypal G&S of course until my next sale post after I sell all of these hopefully! I got many of these for a good deal so I'm passing that price on to the Swap unless I added something!
Trying to find what CRK I wanted to keep, so I was buying up lots I came across to check them out. Every one of these was disassembled, cleaned, and re-lubed when I got it. Some descriptions say "almost flickable or not", all of them are flickable after being cleaned and lubed up. For each one I'll include the history it was listed with when I bought it in italics, plus if I've actually used it or not. Did similar with the Benchmades, I bought a lot chasing what kind I wanted and ended up with some extras.
Now to the Knives!
ALL CRK VIDEOS AND PHOTOS: https://imgur.com/a/piFGhRQ
CRK Large Inkosi Drop Point Knife Art Exclusive CF Scale S35VN SV=$460 2nd owner, carried and cut by previous with some snails on lock side and ano wear on studs. CF Scale in great shape. Comes with box docs and lanyard, cloth and tools. Great broken in action, almost flickable 3/25/21 I cleaned and lubed it, and retied the lanyard to it when I receieved it. Never carried it or cut. Originally was missing the cloth and tools but I added some from another one of my knives. Got it to feel the difference with the CF scale. It does make it a lot lighter for edc but still just a bit too big in the pocket for me. I like the small ones.
CRK Small Sebenza 21 Drop Point knife art exclusive CF Scale S35VN SV=$435 Second owner. Came to me sharpened and carried by previous owner . I have not used or carried it . Has box and docs. Does not have lube/ tools or slip. 1/20/2020 Birthday. I also did not use or carry it. Just cleaned it up and put the original lanyard on it. Came into a tanto one which is what I really wanted.
SOLD CRK Large Sebenza 31 PJ Tanto Magnacut Silver hardware SV=$385 DOB 6-22-23 Mild carry and use. A few minor blems on scale finish. Factory edge clean and sharp. All factory goodies. Same deal, I cleaned and lubed it up, put the lanyard back on it. Never carried or cut with it cause the larges are just a bit too big for me.
SOLD CRK Small Sebenza 31 PJ Tanto Magnacut SV=$315 DOB - October 25th, 2023. Second owner on this one, this is a catch and release. Just received today, opened the box for pictures, definitely too small for me. First owner claimed light carry. There was some pocket lint in the pivot and along the scales and blade. I cleaned it out as best I could without disassembling the knife. There is also some scuffing on the bottom of the show side scale. First owner claims not to have cut, sharpened or disassembled and nothing specifically leads me to disbelieve this. I tried to capture the edge in the pictures as best I could. Action is good, no blade play, slow rolls and flicks. Comes with box, cloth, papers, wrench, lube and CoA. I did disassemble and clean it. Flicks real nice now. I carried this one to work a few days, cut open a few boxes with it. Ultimately got a small 21 I like more so this one is gonna go. It has some marks from a MXG deep carry clip I put on it before putting back the og one. MXG clip included.
CRK Large Inkosi Tanto S45VN USER SV=$325 Second owner. Previous owner carried and used it. Has been sharpened. Centered. Broken in action. Solid lockup. Has snails shown in pics. Double blue thumb studs, show sign of wear. Comes in box with card but no goodies. Moving it along because I scored a zaan last week. DOB 06/14/2023 PO mentioned it had been sharpened, the tip has been sharpened...interestingly, the PO photos didn't really show it. It's nice and sharp still but not the prettiest, I'll show it in the photos and videos. I wasn't mad about it, it's a user at a user price but just wanted to show it and be clear so the next person isn't surprised. Selling cause I got another large tanto inkosi with the same birthday as me like 4 hours after yoloing this one.
Next up, the Benchmades! Long story short after first thinking I was going to put the serrated blade with titanium scales, then maybe some orange scales, I ended up buying a lot and swapping them all around, and keeping a few. Kept my original green serrated, a titanium scale shot show blade one, and a titanium scale gersh reblade. I've left some swapped in case y'all appreciate them more that way like i do, except the AWT that is stuck that way.
ALL BENCHMADE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS: https://imgur.com/a/Zt0qEDl
Bailout- Blue OEM scales, Black Serrated M4 blade and hardware SV=$180 Never cut or carried anything. Drops shut and no play. Will come with the box for the blade and original pouch/papers.
SOLD Bailout- Green OEM Scales, Brown M4 blade and hardware SV=$180 Never carried or cut anything. Nice action just like the other. Will come with the box for the blade and original pouch/papers.
SOLD Bailout- OD Green AWT Archon Scales, Brown M4 blade and hardware. SV=$160 Originally I was gonna keep this as a beater but I don't need so many bailouts. This one is priced a bit less cause it just came to me with a pouch, the tip grind is a bit wide for the factory grind(lol benchmade QC amirite?), and it had some stripped screws. I swapped and sold the scales and replaced the stripped screws. Carried it once or twice and might have cut something but not much.
Bugout Scales- Crater Blue. SV=$35 Swapped these off a bug, never carried.
Alright I think that's all folks. Happy swaps

most of these names and people and places i've never been to, but i can imagine them in my head right now, i don't know how long that'll last though
at some home with "dad". wake up go to work new job with lanyard, it's a BIG building we go in the lift which is huge and has three doors (one above the others for stairs) i was with two other men, they had orange hi vis on (trade workers?) i was in business casual i asked them about the top door but they said nothing about it go through security gates on like level -60 or some shit, they were huge red gates in a massive foyer behind the gates was i think another elevator or something reminicient of a dream i've had before one of them goes through fine, other says he has a battery on him and goes through fine i take my phone despite being told no electronics my name is thomas something but i'm not alarm goes off because i have my phone, russian man i can't remember (putin??) is there??? he asks me who i am then calls security they find out i'm not thomas, my real name was my actual real name i have to run through the security gates to escape find this other guy whose escaping, he was older than me, asian?, around late 20s we run into an elevator and go to level 10 (can't remember) he freaks out saying he needs to go to 6 (car park) it was unfinished we go up the elevator and there's no door on one side and people can get on and off the floor weirdly moves up and down in squares the side order thing in the foyer happened then we run through construction zones a LOT we are holding hands so i don't get stuck we run on the walls and shit and do flips i fell over at one point but it was fine we continued we end up escaping dream loops here i try to explain to "dad" what happened in the morning and he doesn't believe me i get my phone gallery out and only see stuff from school
this last part looped three times, being the same but slightly different each time i've had this dream before in the past, with the same building layout and structure, though i was a lot younger then. especially the elevators were recurring when i was younger (i'd dream about them falling or doors missing and dying it was weird, i had night terrors when i was going) i mostly enjoyed it, it was a fun dream, albeit terrifying, i just don't know what it means

No wonder Nikita thinks he can get away with just lying and saying whatever to placate this community, when this community time and time again just eats whatever is put before them without any critical thought whatsoever.
Some examples from the last week:
The unity asset flip knife:
https://www.reddit.com/EscapefromTarkov/comments/1ccrqlm/unique_ingame_weapon_was_bought_from_the_asset/
Someone saw that a model of the same knife from unheard edition was on the unity asset store. They then connected the dots that BSG sucks -> they just asset flip, and got thousands of upvotes. Now, even just going on the wiki (image uploaded april 5.) and looking at the image of the knife there shows its not the same model because the knife in-game has a lanyard. Anyone could have done this and shown they were wrong. While that doesnt prove that BSG made the model themselves, it shows that the OP of the post clearly didnt have the right knife if they asset flipped, it's just an assumption based on 0 evidence.
Cheaters can enter PvE raids and kill you/RMT/extract stuff to PVP mode
https://www.reddit.com/EscapefromTarkov/comments/1ce1gg8/pve_raids_can_be_entered_by_almost_anyone/
https://www.reddit.com/EscapefromTarkov/comments/1cfdeeg/turns_out_cheaters_can_loot_pve_servers_and_post/
This guy posted a "warning" to BSG that he had an exploit for getting into PvE raids. He gave BSG 48 hours or he would post proof. Then the 48 hours went by, and instead of proof we got a long rambling thread of how "it's super easy" and "just change a few files", but never any proof. Now the guy who claimed this is a known glitch hunter, but for some reason now he refused to give any proof whatsoever to his claims. He is back on twitter now just talking about Grey Zone warfare, no mention of this magical hack he apparently had.
If this guy actually posts proof, great! But believing this guy has this super exploit purely based on his word is just as bad as believing Nikita when he says he is sorry.
The leaked insider chat
https://www.reddit.com/EscapefromTarkov/comments/1cftki1/leak_from_russian_insider_bsg_is_not_going_to_stop/
https://www.reddit.com/EscapefromTarkov/comments/1cfviyt/a_new_potential_inside_has_surfaced/ (deleted, but you can see from context in the comments that it was this)
This chatlog was ripped from a youtube video, without any proof, names, or way of verifying where it came from. People see this, and because it fits with their belief that BSG is bad, they will upvote without any critical thinking whatsoever. Of course this one was quickly shut down by mods, considering the chatlog was talking about how the subreddit mods were being scared which they denied.
I got killed by a hacker on PvE
https://www.reddit.com/EscapefromTarkov/comments/1ciqqew/loaded_into_a_pve_raid_got_killed_by_a_cheate
The most recent one, fresh from the front page. People already know BSG sucks and that PvE was released unfinished and too early, so when this guy pops up saying he got killed a cheater in PvE, of course he was! BSG are incompetent, so this makes perfect sense!
However, it turns out that PvE AI PMC names are taken from live, and that looking up names of AI PMC will often have this result. I doubt OP tried to lie here, I think he was just mistaken.
My point here is not to shill for BSG. Over the last week they tried to scam EOD owners, tried to hide evidence of their scam by editing stuff on the website, Nikita has shown he has nothing but hate for those who have supported him for years and bought a 150 euro edition of his game years ago. Now they even have scammed those who bought unheard by changing the terms of the deal after the fact, and their apology is nonexistent. They deserve our hate, but what they actually did is enough reason, we don't have to make up new reasons.
At the end of the day believing everything you are told is exactly the reason Nikita thinks he can get away with lying and coming with these obviously insincere apologies. Have some respect for your own opinion, and be a bit sceptical when you read something.

My(31F) greatly favors my older brother(33M) despite having a close to non existing relationship with him.
We all live together along withy my younger brother because its too damn expensive in the bay area but I really like my job that I don't want to move out of state.
My mom and I split the bills as well as groceries. My older brother pays my mom $300/month. My younger brother is still in college so he is not working. Younger brother is irrelevant to this discussion so this is the last I will mention him.
My mom is always asking me to give her money for small things like hair cuts, runs to the store, etc, and many times I give her what little cash I have. She and I interact a lot more than my other siblings (I'm not sure why).
But because she interacts with me more and maybe because I'm the daughter, she feels more comfortable with me. She talks to me about her family problems and work problems. But she doesn't like to listen when I want to complain about something, like with work she will say I am lucky to have a job. She will also tell me to shut up when I respond to anything she complains about. She is also critical about me, making comments on my weight, hair, overall appearance, the fact that I don't date, and will confront me about whatever thing she doesn't like about me. I didn't do dishes on my day off, I didn't pick up milk even though she never texted me too (I don't drink milk), she's upset that I got a package in the mail when she thinks I should save money so we can renovate the house, things like that she will tell me then and there if something upsets her. I already know I am not the ideal daughter.
Anyway, with my older brother, she does not interact with him and he's pretty much a stranger in our house. He never greets us, say good morning, ask how are you, say goodbye when he leaves the house, say happy birthday or other holidays, doesn't get my mom cards and gifts. When we do talk it is in a very unfriendly, gruff voice as if we are wasting his time. He will be walking away while we are talking. He speaks to delivery people politely.
There is basically no relationship. For the past few years I have been asking my older brother to sign birthday and mothers day cards and my mom use to comments how happy she was to see his name on the card cause it means he really does care about her.
Meanwhile I was the one to get the card and gift and she will say thank you but ask why there isn't money in the card and not use the gift. She has a history of not using gifts so last year for mother's day I just got her a lanyard with card holder since she's been admiring mine and its still in the gift bag.
She has no relationship with my brother but respects him so much more than she respects me. She leaves him alone in his room and when I say I don't want to talk and want to be left alone she will get mad saying that she will talk to who she wants in her house and she will constantly bring up how I will be sorry when she dies or when she dies she does not want me at the funeral.
My older brother will stay up until 4am (his light is still on when I use the restroom at night) on his days off and sleep in until 2pm. When I sleep in on weekend or just vegetate in bed until 11am my mom will knock on my door and tell me it is unacceptable to be lazy all weekend and I need to do chores.
She also has him as her second hard holder on her costco executive membership instead of me who splits with her on costco bills. (I don't like going with her shopping because she takes her sweet time so I have my own star membership)
My brother and I usually end up yelling at each other when we interact so my mom told me to bring any grievance to her and she will talk to him.
But when I do go to her or when my brother does something inconsiderate she takes forever to confront him about it.
He used to forget to flush the toilet after shitting and she would not talk to him about it . This whole period of "forgetting to flush" lasted 2-3 years until he finally started flushing. My mom only confronted him a handful of times about that.
He still constantly leaves his wet clothes in the washer overnight or leaves his dry clothes in the dryer for days. I refuse to touch his laundry because I am not his servant. My mom talked to him about it over a dozen times and he still does it and my mom will fold his laundry in the dryer when she needs to use the dryer too.
For reference I too went through a period of forgetting my clothes in the dryer, particularly towels which we all use. My mom used to yell at me that the towels will start to smell if not dried right away and will make the dryer smell too. She would yell that if I wasn't going to do the job right, don't do it at all. She would always tell me to use my common sense. I began using a timer on my phone so I get my laundry and the towels immediately.
She never yelled at my brother to get his laundry. She always talks to him in a calm voice.
My brother got a girlfriend 2 years ago and every now and then would bring her over when my mom is asleep or not home. My mom is basically a clothes hoarder and the living room is a mess that its difficult to move around so she does not like visitors. I don't like visitors either because I am a very private person and I feel really uncomfortable with strangers in our house especially at night.
My brother's girlfriend has also slept over many times against my mom's wishes. My mom has told and texted my brother several times not to bring her over, to hang out somewhere else, and she is not to sleep over. I know it is pretty harsh but this is our home too and my brother has never introduced her, he just started bringing her over. I don't even really know the girl's name. The girlfriend does not greet us or say goodbye when my brother brings her over. Again my mom told my brother not to bring his girlfriend over but he still does it, and has been bringing her over lately when my mom is awake. My mom says she doesn't want to say anything while the girlfriend is there because she doesn't want to be rude.
Something I've never forgiven my mother for is when I went over to my friends house in high school, my mom picked me up, and started yelling at me in front of my friends because she was upset she couldn't find the location (this was before widely used GPS). My friends stopped inviting me to hang out after that.
Anyway, she keeps saying she will talk to my brother about not bringing his girlfriend over but when he enters the room my mom says nothing and gets mad at me when I ask her why she didn't say anything. She says she's relaxing watching TV.
My brother has been buying new furniture for his rom and even bought a bigger bed. His girlfriend is helping him set things up and even stayed over last night. I think they are getting ready to move the girlfriend in. I've learned in passing that she works in the next town over but lives 4 towns over.
My mother and I often fight because I notice how she seems to treat my older brother much better than she treats me and would never give me as much leeway as she gives him. My mom tells me I'm just being jealous. She's right, I am jealous because it's a fact that she treats him better than me. And I know I'm not perfect either. In fact, I resent my older brother so much for getting much better treatment that I would not care if he something bad happened to him.
Its just incredibly exhausting especially since I do enjoy times I spend with her but it hurts knowing she doesn't like me that much. Thanks for listening. I just needed to vent.

Hi guys,
For anyone considering a trip to Cancún, I just wanted to post a word of warning about unscrupulous taxi drivers operating at the airport. I work at Cancún Airport and have personally witnessed their harassment of passengers. I am also aware of numerous cases where people have been insanely overcharged for short taxi rides.
Up until about 5 years ago, only authorized taxi companies were allowed to provide ground transportation services at Cancún Airport. The service was a bit more expensive than you would pay for a regular taxi, but it was safe and the cars were kept in good condition. In 2019, in its wisdom, the Mexican government decided that this was a monopolistic practice, and the airport (which is run by a private company) did not have the right to refuse access to regular taxi drivers from the city of Cancún. This ruling means that today both authorized and unauthorized taxis are free to pick up passengers.
What you need to know is that while the authorized taxi services have contracts with the airport company and are required to adhere to certain service standards (like not overcharging their passengers), there is no control whatsoever over unauthorized taxis (or "pirate taxis", as most people call them). Pirate taxis are not allowed to offer their services inside the terminal buildings, but as soon as you set foot outside that exit door and walk into the publicly accessible areas of the airport, you are fair game and will be mobbed by people trying to persuade you to take a pirate taxi. Note that anyone offering you a taxi service outside the terminal building is a pirate taxi operator, even if they have a lanyard with a official looking ID on it or a shirt with the airport company logo.
My advice to people flying in to Cancún is this:

• If you are on a connecting flight and you need to get from one terminal to another, there is a FREE SHUTTLE BUS that does a circuit of all terminal buildings about once every 45 minutes. Look for the bus stop in the curbside area of the terminal you arrive at - there is a display that tells you how long you have to wait until the next bus comes. If your connection time is very short and you can't afford to wait 45 minutes, buy a ticket for an authorized taxi service (there are several different companies) from one of the modules inside the terminal before you go outside.
• If you are travelling into the city center or going to the hotel zone, check with your hotel whether they have an airport pickup and dropoff service. Many of them offer this, and again in most cases it is free. If not, and you absolutely have to take a taxi, make sure you buy your ticket from one of the modules INSIDE the terminal building before you exit.
• If all else fails and for whatever reason you end up having to take a pirate taxi, ALWAYS make sure that the driver agrees to accept payment in cash before you get into the car (whether in pesos or dollars). DO NOT pay with a bank card - there have been many, many cases of pirate taxi drivers who "accidentally" add in an extra zero or two when they enter the amount and passengers end up paying hundreds of dollars for a 5-minute drive from one terminal building to another. I remember the case of one Canadian woman who paid with her bank card, the taxi driver told her it hadn't gone through and could he swipe it again, and when she got back to Canada she realized had been charged $600 CAD (instead of pesos) not once but twice.

Again, the recommendation is to ONLY use the authorized ground transportation services. If you use a pirate taxi, besides the risk of being ripped off, the cars are usually falling apart and if you leave something behind (like a bag with all your passports and money in it, believe me it happens all the time) your chances of getting it back are as good as zero.

So I’ve been working for a very large electrical contractor for almost the past 2 years but came in with 2 years of experience. They have work across the US but I’m in Virginia. Upon being hired and assigned to my first job site with them the superintendents in charge of this site gave a big speech to our company (nearly 100 people) about how we’re a merit based company and that if you meet your production quota and have excellent attendance it will benefit our yearly reviews. Which would lead to raises or promotions.
I was getting close to being with them for a year with good results and had several conversations with my direct superintendent and regional superintendent about getting a raise. They both agreed my pay seemed low for the quality of work I do. I had to follow up several times but I was assured they would “do what they can and talk to the right people for me”. After being with the company for 14 months and moving to 3 different job sites I finally got a raise which was 12.50 more an hour. I was thrilled!!
In the past 7 months since I got my raise I’ve had 3 issues where I’ve been underpaid due to a payroll mistake. It was annoying but it was promptly resolved by my superintendent contacting HR one time and the other 2 times I just emailed HR myself. The one thing I didn’t like when my superintendent reached out the first time was that the HR lady made it a point in the email she sent to payroll for me that my rate was too high and if payroll could look into it. Payroll reviewed it and there was no issue so I got my back pay. The second time I reached out the same HR lady handled it promptly without issue. The third time I reached out (at the current site I’m at) and they fixed it but they actually ended up paying me an extra $5 on top of my raise. I didn’t notice until the week after when that higher pay rate stayed. I emailed HR and payroll reviewed it and basically said the higher pay was correct and to keep in mind that my pay would change depending on the job site. The company has several scale jobs but I was never on one of them but I did my due diligence and was told it was fine so I didn’t worry about it. The week after my pay increased an additional $2.50 an hour and has been that way for almost 2 months.
At this point everything is fine but then a new superintendent got moved to my site. I’ve seen him at previous jobs and he’s universally disliked among anyone that’s worked with him. We believe he probably knows someone in the company that helped him get that position because he is honestly the most incompetent and hard headed person I’ve ever worked under. I actually got into a heated argument with him because I finally got tired of his demeaning tone and inability to comprehend what I’m saying. I already felt that he was doing things intentionally to me hoping I would react so he could discipline me. After our heated argument he would try to argue again but I would just not engage and go with his terrible plans. There was also a time I was locking up our onsite office to leave for the day and I heard him yell “WAIT!!” and he immediately shoulder charged through me and passed through the door. My coworkers looked at me in shock but I just dropped the lock and chain and went home before I blew up on him. Since then I kept my interactions with him to the bare minimum.
Now here’s the safety issue. Almost 3 weeks ago the shitty superintendent had us doing some work near the edge of the building (a new apartment complex with no exterior walls yet but a temp safety barricade). He wanted us to reach through the safety barricade since we had to clear some pass through sleeves between floors which were right on the other side. He also suggested we use a ladder next to the barricade without fall protection. I told him we’re not supposed to work on ladders near the edge like that and he surprisingly agreed. After bringing up my concerns about reaching over the mid rail of the barricade he proceeded to “show us how it’s done” and nearly launched my hammer off the 7th floor. I didn’t wanna argue so I just went along with it. After this ordeal I contacted my old superintendent whom I greatly respect and told him what was going and he actually guessed who it was without me telling him. He then proceeded to contact HR and the next day the head regional safety officer for our company came by to do a report and talked to me about what actually happened. He basically tried to make it seem like he was on my side but then his suggestion was to just lay on the ground next time we do that type of work and use tool lanyards. He said he’d talk to the superintendent I was having issues with but I didn’t see any action and we got a total of 3 tool lanyards.
Fast forward to today and I get a call from the same HR lady I would contact about my pay rate issues. She said she looked into my pay and told me that it was being lowered to what a 3rd year apprentice is actually supposed to make which is $6.25 lower than my initial raise and that I should keep the situation to myself. I honestly didn’t really process it at the time since I was heading back from lunch. After processing it I texted her asking to talk again about my pay rate. We had a text conversation instead. She said she adjusted it to what I should be making. I told her how I had talked to the regional superindent about the raise. She said no apprenticeship is paying that high (which is a straight up lie since apprentices in the local union make more than our journeyman). I told her it was my understanding that you can receive a higher pay rate based off performance and that I was confused about what changed since she has personally helped me in the past. All she said is that it was a system glitch and starting next week I’ll be getting paid what I’m supposed to. I replied “ok” since I was just shocked.
Honestly I’m not confident anything can be done legally to help me out since in Virginia as long as they give me a notice they can do whatever with my pay as long as it’s not below minimum wage. I just find it weird that it took them 7 months to figure this out and coincidentally it happened less than 3 weeks since I brought up a safety issue. My other theory is that the company is trying to cut down on labor since we’re having a slow time and been losing money on a few jobs (mainly from temps doing poor install and poor leadership). I think they want me to quit so I can’t collect unemployment but there’s no way to prove that. I did find out from overhearing a different superintendents conversation that apparently payroll has been paying apprentices the journeyman rate so they could meet the required ratio of journeymen to apprentices on paper.
I apologize if this is the wrong sub for this but I honestly just needed to vent and hopefully gain some insight on what I could potentially do if anything. I appreciate anyone who made it this far.

I just saw another post about being let go after three years of great evaluations, and I got several upvotes on a comment about this a few weeks ago and have decided to follow up on that. Everyone post your walkthroughs! Let’s hold admin’s feet to the fire a little bit and see how inconsistent these are across schools, states, and country. Let’s celebrate, congratulate, critique, and laugh together. Humbly- here is an observation that I got during a district unit assessment the week before winter break from a few years ago. I got put on an improvement plan afterwards. I want to reiterate. This was for a district required assessment...in literacy...the week before winter break...and my admin was concerned about my science instruction. Makes a lot of sense right???
Here is the observation and feedback I got. Only edits are for anonymity.
Slide projected: Testing (this is Unit 2 Assessment) During the Test (four points) and After the Test (two bullets) Literacy objective on board states, "Published writing piece due - W Unit 2 Assessment Th On the board: Homework (Reading HW due Friday or agenda signed if not) I wanna be the very best noise voice levels posted Physical map of TX on one board Student artwork posted Reading & writing posters displayed Desk arrangement allows for flexible seating or student movement and interaction (that would typically be seen during instruction, pre-conferences, and other applicable means. I have not noticed learning targets posted in student language - TEK objectives at times are on board yet should have student language
Describe the student data management system(s) in place: The standards for the unit test align with the district scope and sequence. A learning objective should be posted and referenced/stated so the students demonstrate they connect to the "why?". The test was planned to assess "what students should know and be able to do." I am added to the plans in the school binder
Moving forward: Develop science lessons where students engage and touch/conduct the experiments with less focus on a video or teacher demonstration. Focus on activities promoting student inquiry, curiosity, and or exploration. Stay on course with the team plans - time on task; same opportunities as other classes; students in class and responsible for their learning
The teacher and students were in their seats and students were eating their snacks. He told them that today was the day they were testing. He described Unit 2 in Reading Assessment and that they will enter answers in Edugence after they finish the test (like they did in math Unit 2) The teacher began the explanation from the front of the room. He read the questions aloud for the children to follow and explained how they can show their work. He explained how he is assisting the students in showing work and strategies independently: I do, we do, and you do During the Test (four points) and After the Test (two bullets) - how were students engaged or demonstrate proficiency prior to, during, and after testing?
Descriptive Walk Through/Observation notes: What is the date? T, "Today is 12/14" So, looking at the question, go over to question one. I'm going to read, just the question to you, not the answers and I'm going to tell you how to prove your answer, so I know... Just like the ...assessment, I showed you the Google Classroom..." So, look at question one, open to question one." (Name), the second time I'm telling you, that needs to be away. I am giving participation points. I suggest...we're not taking it right now...or you're going to be confused..." Question one read aloud - "...so go back to the text, don't go back right now, write, go back and look. So next to question one, you're going to write, go back. And then, you're going to find the question number next to where you found the answer. Okay." Number two it says, ... Conclude means - basically Don't need to be using a pen on this anyway Means to explain your answer, so you are going to write "why?" not St asked, "What question?" T stated question Prior to number six, a st asked a question and he responded, "No." Number six - read aloud and then asked the students to write 'go back' I bet you're going to find ...in the selection. St. stated, there are a lot of 'go-backs and the teacher responded, "There are a lot of go-backs." He explained he knows what it is like to fizzle out and prompted them to stick with the test. 9:57 am The class then looked at story two. The teacher let them know they will do a brain break at this point (eat a snack, restroom, a good time to focus on that. Not on number three when - student made statement and teacher responded he is in the middle of talking.) So looking at We Love Cheese, this passage is super interesting because I know you love cheese. Many students agreed and others disagreed. He continued reading the questions Most students observed writing what he stated they should write. While explaining the class should go back to seven some students stated eight. Number 11 - read aloud two times I'm not going to go over any more of this, remember when you are finished...I'm going to help you..." Few hands up 10:04 am a few students walked up to the teacher Last question and we are going to get started Okay, your voices need to be completely off. (Name, you can go back to your seat because...) Raise your hand if you need help but I want you to try on your own for about 20 minutes. If you get to one you don't know skip it because that is a good test-taking strategy. St asked a question and the teacher sat at his desk with three girls Alright, I am going to put it on Edugence then I will be walking around to (student stated out loud, 'check it, and T responded, "yes to check on you." 10:07 St took the test up and the Teacher explained that he didn't have his name on it or prove his answers. St sat back down. T walked around the room and stated he was giving points to people using their strategies." Stated, "that is a good idea" to a child's comment. 10:10 am a student asked to refill her water bottle and 15 st were working on their test 10:11 a student asked the teacher a question and he responded and another student reentered the classroom A student asked the teacher about a question and he shared he could underline it to show the response/where found. Another showed the teacher her work and he stated, "Yeah that is fine." St left for the restroom and took the lanyard to do so while the teacher reviewed a student's finished test Two girls were working at the teacher table and another worked at her seat instead 10:15 st asked him about underlining a part of the passage and another raised her hand and he asked her to hang on; she got up to show signal to go to the bathroom Another student showed him her test and asked a question, so he had her go to his table; she did while another st brought his Chromebook to the teacher where they discussed the assessment and Edugence, "Go grab your assessment." The student added answers onto the computer. T worked with the two children at the teacher's table. He checked on a student and said, "Yup." HS helper picked up a student 10:18 Teacher took the child's test to return when he finished working with the HS helper. The teacher had three tests. 10:19 student asked to use restroom and Teacher asked her to check on another student - 12 students were in the classroom at this time T checked back on a student who asked a prior question. A student raised his hand (back of the room) and raised it again after T at front of the room looking at the children and T walked over to help 10:21 St shared he was done and T asked him to review; another student selected a book to read when done and a student requested to use the restroom 10:22 Two girls sharing items from their desk and another asked to use the restroom and was told she could have another returned; teacher helped a child read a word 10:24 T resolved the bathroom issue with a bug and asked if the lanyard was back. He asked a student what she was doing - geared her to sit back down "We have about thirty more minutes to work on it." 10:25 T continued to walk around the classroom to monitor students and a student put his test in the clear tote - 14 students working in the classroom; another student turned his test into the clear bucket; T asked a student to take a breather and another to wait a second for her question. 10:28 He asked a student to do a little breathing at their desk. A student took out her Chromebook to enter her answers from the test; T checked on her (discussed snack) and set up Edugence 10:30 One student reading, one in the clinic, and others testing
Content Knowledge and Expertise 2.2 - the team uses content and pedagogical expertise to design and execute lessons aligned with state standards, related content, and student needs.
Communication 2.3 - visual supports are strong; no verbal or written miscommunications were noted How can you provide wait time when posing questions? When planning for the next assessment, how will you provide opportunities for the students to communicate prior or identify/mitigate their misunderstandings on the front end and while checking on their progress? How do you plan your individual lessons to support persistence, deeper learning, and effective effort
Differentiation 2.4- During the observation, no lessons were individualized nor different methods offered; as the teacher instructed or talked about pointers prior to testing, there were several students who disengaged yet all tried hard to do what they thought they were being asked to do - some of the confusion was not recognized
Monitor and Adjust 2.5 - I did not observe the teacher formally and informally collect, analyze, and use student progress data to make needed lesson adjustments prior to (when reading questions aloud) or during testing. Behavior was monitored yet several students walked around or got up to use the restroom How do you solicit input from students and check for understanding during testing? (Questions and academic feedback/effort)
Discuss/Wonderings: What evidence did you utilize to plan for how individual and group learning would occur in the lesson plan and during the lesson? Example - Instruction 2.1 - intentionally stating academic expectations, what mastery will look like; test did build in opportunities for self-correction and monitoring How could you have arranged the lesson to model effective questioning techniques such that the students had the purposeful time/opportunity to generate questions or show their thinking; student-to-student interactions that led to thinking and promoted complex, higher-order thinking or real-world connections prior to testing - practicing test-taking strategies with a clear understanding of the why and how? How could you post the learning target in student-friendly language so there is a strong connection to the standard or essential questions prior to, during, and after learning? Peer communication should be built into lessons and a variety of question types used to facilitate discussions; How can you include a variety of response techniques to encourage all students to participate and to do so in a variety of ways: verbally and visually? What proved to be most effective in preventing student confusion or disengagement? Proximity was used to determine engagement and success towards the learning target This is the follow up to that observation a few weeks later where I was put on an improvement plan. I want to clarify again. This is all because she observes me administering a district required assessment during literacy and she was really concerned about my science instruction. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, and I'm so embarrassed and annoyed with myself that I didn't push back enough on this. On November 4, I observed in your classroom and we met on November 11, to unpack Domains l-lll addressing the rubric data and questions in each area to guide you in planning stronger lessons. On December 14 I observed your classroom in order to observe your actions, student actions, interactions, and conversations during a lesson. We met to unpack the data on Friday, January 7. Specifically, during the observation, I focused on the following targeted domains: o Domain 1: Planning o Domain 2: lnstruction o Domain 3: Learning Environment During my observation and walkthrough, I gathered the following relevant pieces of evidence: o Domain 1: Planning. Dimension 1.1: Standards and Alignment. On December 14, the lesson-lacked evidence of a plan that was learner-centered, sequenced, or that included higher-order thinking which negatively impacted student engagement. The lesson was not clear in its design, organization, or pacing, specifically for the grade level taught. Adjustments to student needs and learning styles were not included, nor was instruction flexible based on formative student assessment. o Domain 2: instruction.2.2: Content Knowledge Expertise On December 14, content and pedagogical expertise to design and execute a lesson aligned with state standards, related content, and student needs were not included. There was no clear learning target communicated to students, nor were opportunities to use different types of thinking presented. o Domain 3: Learning Environment. Dimension 3.3 Classroom Culture. On December 14, l observed little evidence of established routines, procedures, or clear communication regarding expectations for student behavior in your classroom reflective of high expectations for student learning. Relevant and meaningful learning was not the norm as evidenced by student responses including disengagement of 10-15 students at different points in the lesson. We discussed that students were either having off-task conversations, lacked necessary materials on desks, or sat with low attention/low commitment in a ritually compliant manner as the teacher did the majority of the speaking. We discussed that the students were not taking notes, discussing their observations in table groups or with others, or given explicit directions on how and what they would be learning. Based on the observation, walkthrough, and post-conference January 7, we met this week to agree upon the refinement goal wording and suggested strategies targeting achievement of the following goal: I will use content and pedagogical expertise to design and execute learner-centered lessons that provide relevant, meaningful learning so that my students can increase their level of engagement at high levels of thinking in the learning process within a positive classroom culture.
The following actions will assist you and will provide evidence of progress and/or attainment of the new refinement goal: o By 5:00 pm. on the Friday of each instructional week, and until further notice, submit your weekly lesson plans to me, including: o An identification of engaging, collaborative learner-centered activities, learning targets, procedures for the classroom, and necessary instructional materials for lessons o The purpose for each activity (how it aligns to the learning target) o clear instructions appropriate student participation for each activity that will be communicated to students and expectations for o Times for each lesson including indications of movement from one grouping to another such as the whole group to small group and approximate time planned for each smill group o 4-5 planned questions that you intend to ask for each activity to engage students o learning target to teach and conference with her as an lnstructional Coach.
Plan a lesson with at least five higher-level questions that require students to understand, apply, synthesize, and evaluate real-life situations. A concluding activity that will be used to determine whether students achieved the lesson specialist to review language, math, or science lesson plans based on student assessment and knowledge of the studenis. Meet-with campus instructional Specialists to plan two lessons together for you Submit Thursday at 5:00 p.m. prior to instruction. o create a list of five higher-level questions that you will ask during the lesson o Submit a copy of the lesson plan to me

This was finally the moment they had all been anticipating, almost 8 years of extensive research and hundreds of millions of dollars had been poured into this secretive project and now they were finally ready to begin the first live trials of the drug that the research team had given the name - CCMIX. The first test subject that was chosen for the live tests was a wolf dog from the laboratory’s kennels, named Test Subject 7801BM. This animal was a high content wolf dog, he was large, strong and tall. He had dark black fur and looked, in all respects, like how you’d imagine any wild timber wolf would. He was chosen at random from the 8 other dogs that were kept on the site to be used as test subjects in the trials. 4 of those other dogs that were kept on site were his siblings, however 7801 would not have know this, as all of the test subjects were kept isolated from one another and their only interactions with other living beings were with the animal trainers brought in to take care of and train them, as well as occasional interactions with the scientists who would come in to run test on them; conducting measurements of their heights, bite force, running speed and other data that they needed about the dogs for the purpose of their research.
At 12:30pm on a crisp, chilly January afternoon, handlers and lab technicians arrived at 7801’s kennel and unlocked the door. The live trials would start at 1300 hours. The wolf was excited to see a familiar face amongst the humans entering his room. Jess Gwain. he wagged his tail enthusiastically and jumped up to greet her, licking her face and lips. Jess affectionately smiled and petted him, 7801 had Known Jess since he was just a pup; she had been tasked with being his main carer and handler at the facility. The researchers had acquired him and his litter mates for a cheap price from a shady ‘outdoorsman’ in town.
Jess had formed a close connection with the 7801 over the 5 years she had been working at the facility and looking after him. She was painfully aware that she was basically his only friend and companion in the whole world, and hated just how lonely it must be for 7801, never getting to socialise with his own kind and being confined to just existing within the sterile environment of his holding cell and the concrete exercise yard where he would be taken weekly to have his endurance tested by the researchers and scientists in gruelling secessions that could last for hours. She tried her best to make up for this by being around him as much as she possibly could. In her free time Jess would play games with him and managed to persuade the higher-ups of the facility to get him and the other dogs some extra dog toys as a form of enrichment and to keep them mentally stimulated and at ‘‘optimal fitness’’ for the research.
To her, 7801 had become more than just a job, a genuine connection had grown between her and this wolf, she had even given him a proper name that she would use with the wolf when she was playing with or training him or when casually talking about him with her co-workers. She named him Boomerang. Jess had named him this after noticing he would spin round to chase his tail like a ‘a spinning boomerang’ when he was still a puppy.
Jess attached a harness to Boomerang and led him slowly out of his cell. She began to walk him down the corridor with the lab technicians following close behind them. She could tell that Boomerang (7801) was puzzled when they passed by the door that they would normally go through to get to the outside training area. Instead, Jess took him down a new corridor that he had never been in or seen before. They went through several more doors and a maze of twisting and turning corridors and hallways, they even had to go down on an elevator at one point in their journey. Jess knew that this must all be very strange and frightening for Boomerang and tried her best to reassure him and keep him as calm as possible during the journey.
Jess acted and walked with confidence, though in truth she was trying hard to hide the fact that she was worried about 7801 and feared what the results of the impending test might do to him. Eventually they reached the floor at the bottom of the elevator and then began to walk down a final concrete, tunnel-like, corridor lit with slightly dim yellow lights on the centre of the curved tubular ceiling. From there on all of the doors, of which there were several along that corridor, had to be opened with the ID lanyards of the lab technicians as Jess did not have a high enough ID clearance to enter this level of the facility. A short walk through one last, bright , white corridor brought them to their destination. Room L0-02.
The technicians open the door to L0-02 and gestured for Jess to bring Subject 7801 BM into the room. The time was 12:47PM.
Boomerang (7801) was led by Jess into the room, she could tell that he was anxious and hesitant about going into this strange new place and she hated having to force him to do this, but she had no choice in the matter. She led him to the centre of the room and got him to jump up onto a central table, then she unbuckled and took off his harness and leash. He was then restrained and tied down to a table in the centre of the room by the technicians whilst jess stayed next to his head, holding him down and softly whispering ‘‘good boy’’ and ‘‘it's ok’’ whilst gently stroking behind his ears; trying to keep him calm. Jess is the one who then put the muzzle on 7801’s head.
There were cameras in every corner of the room and various small black boxes with periodically blinking red lights on them positioned on the sides of the walls to observe and monitor everything that happened inside of that room. In the upper right-hand corner of the room was a long row of small, opaquely-black glass panels running along the wall. These were one-way viewing windows from an elevated external observation room where the monitoring equipment and data processing hardware were located along with the main researchers on this project who were seated in that room, looking down into L0-02 from behind those murky glass windows.
A Scientist wearing a white lab coat, ID lanyard, plastic face visor and long, blue protective gloves slowly entered the room as the technicians left. Jess took one last regretful look back at Boomerang as she exited the room. The man in the white lab coat walked past her and approached Subject 7801BM. The scientist was holding a small metal briefcase in his left hand. He placed the case on the table next to Subject 7801 and carefully opened it, taking out the contents – a large hypodermic needle filled with a clear fluid.
7801 did not like this at all and was afraid of this strange man. He growled threateningly at the scientist, and tried to thrash about to free himself from his restraints, though he can do little in this state as he was tightly tied and bound to the table; his muzzle preventing him from being able to use his powerful jaws. The man reached for the right front leg of the wolf, taking a moment to examine it and find the right spot, he looked over 7801 with a cold and clinical gaze, He then injected the liquid into the wolf’s leg, causing 7801 to yelp and then growl furiously at this mysterious figure, his face hidden and obscured behind the reflection from the ceiling lights on his face visor. The scientist then packed up the empty needle and put it carefully back into the case before rapidly exiting the room. The only door in or out quickly and automatically sealing itself behind him after he had opened it with his ID card.
Initially not much happens.
In the first few minutes, the wolf remained relatively normal, albeit he was clearly distressed by this strange and unpleasant ordeal. Then after about ten minutes a transformation began to occur. The wolf started to grow and expand. His muscle mass and size rapidly increased, his brain activity began to alter as did his body’s metabolism. For a moment the experiment seemed to have worked, and an excited atmosphere formed in the observation room. The Scientists had been aiming to create a genetically engineered serum for military use that would be able to make bigger, stronger, and more intelligent dogs for use in combat operations- essentially, they had been tasked with creating canine super-soldiers.
Suddenly the jubilant atmosphere in the lab faded as the monitoring screens in the room flashed and buzzed ominously indicating that the wolf was still growing! The restraints around 7801’s legs began to buckle and then break as he was still rapidly growing, his metal muzzle soon shattered from the sheer force and pressure exerted on it by his continuous growth spurt. He crushed the table beneath him, his weight increased exponentially, approaching almost a literal ton! and his anguished growls could be heard / felt vibrating and rumbling through the Facility’s walls. It has been about 45 minutes since the injection was administered and Subject 7801BM was by now so large that he was getting too big for the room he was trapped in. Soon his back was brushing up against the ceiling and then breaking through it! The poor canine was no doubt experiencing a great amount of pain from both the transformation itself and being confined by the now insufficient space in room L0-02, as he continued his ever-increasing growth in both his height and girth. The wolf was soon growing so large that he was beginning to threaten the building’s structural integrity, and he was still growing! There was chaos and pandemonium in the observation room as the researchers and military personnel tried to figure out what to do, shouting at and over each other and demanding orders or protocols to enact. The sound of 7801’s wrathful growls combined with the cacophony of concrete and rebar buckling and cracking in response to the pressure of the still expanding wolf soon drowned out the sounds of the Scientists arguing amongst themselves. At that point some began to rush out of the room, shouting orders to evacuate and put the facility on lockdown, whilst others stayed behind, continuing to watch the scene unfold on the screens, unable to look away and in shock, mesmerised by the seemingly impossible sight they were witnessing on the screens.
The bulk of Subject 7801BM’s frame burst through the ceiling, his humongous arched back was now protruding into the laboratories and offices above room L0-02. He sensed that it was the way out and thrashed and clawed his way vigorously upwards towards the ground floor of the facility. It was pure chaos and terror as the wolf pushed his way up into the rooms above him. He shattered walls and floors with the sheer magnitude of his new body, sending up thick clouds of rubble, dust, and debris all around and all whilst he was growling and snarling louder than a jet engine! Once he had broken out onto the ground floor, 7801 ran through the facility, crashing through walls as though they were made of tissue paper and crushing desks, computers, filing cabinets and a variety of other equipment, as he tried to get to the outside. Lab technicians and scientists who had not evacuated in time or were still in the process of doing so had to quickly scurry away for their lives as his titanic paws came crashing down, sending up vast clouds of dust, debris, and loose papers.
Soon he broke through the outer wall of the facility and escaped the research complex. The labs were left in a state of disarray, severely damaged with a gaping hole in its side where the wolf had just burst out of, destroying several floors of laboratories and researcher’s offices in the process.
Luckily most of the personnel made it out of the building during the evacuation, but several were still missing. Jess Gwain being amongst the unaccounted for…
7801BM/Boomerang was terrified and bamboozled by the metamorphosis into his new colossal body size. He had almost finished growing by the time he had burst out of the facility’s walls. With the transformation almost over, he now stood at almost 150ft tall! He stumbled and lumbered about, crushing several trees, bushes, and vehicles in the facility’s car park beneath his paws. Scientists, lab technicians and soldiers ran to avoid him, whilst others, at a safe distance away just stared up at him in awe; their mouths agape at this otherworldly sight.
The wolf struggled to comprehend his new size and staggered about as though he were drunk or a pup who had just learnt to walk for the first time. His muscles and his head ached from the transformation and having to break out of the facility. Everything looked so strange to him from this new height. He was frightened, angry and did not know what was going on. Adding to his frustration was the incessant blaring of the sirens and alarms going off in the labs.
Just then the security of the facility decided to attack him. They order the researchers to clear out of the area and get to safety. They then open fire on the colossal wolf whilst he is still standing in the car park at the front of the laboratory complex, trying to get to grips with his new form.
The facility’s security attacked with a mix of assault rifles and a machine gun mounted on top of a jeep. To their surprise, the gun fire had virtually no effect, with even the bullets from the Machine gun being stopped and deflected by his thick coat of fur and tough lupine hide. The security then tried shooting some rifle-launched grenades at him. The grenade explosions also had virtually no effect and 7801 just shook this off and now enraged, lunged at the guards, savagely lashing out at them with his jaws and front legs. In his retaliatory attack, he picked up the jeep in his Jaws, though he did give the driver and gunner just enough time jump out of and escape the vehicle before he seized it in jaws, biting down on the car and crushing it’s structural frame whilst shaking it in his maw like a chew toy; before sending it crashing into the side of the facility. The guards continued to fire at him with their M4 carbines for a few more seconds before realising the overwhelming reality of the situation and futility of their resistance. They retreated; scattering into the ruins of the labs to hide from the colossal wolf. 7801BM stood tall and mighty in his victory, as the cowering security forces radioed for urgent reinforcements.
After making short work of the security forces best efforts to stop him, 7801BM ran away from the facility and down the path that led away from there and into the woods, as he did so he left behind a trail of large and deep footprints as well as many uprooted and broken trees in his wake as he thundered through the forest. He slowed down once the ruins of the facility were out of sight, but continued to trot deeper into the woods, and further away from the labs, slowly getting used to his new size. 7801 was now, unknowingly, heading towards the only nearby town in the area. He continued to accidentally cause damage and destruction to almost everything in his path, full grown pine trees broke like twigs before him and the asphalt of the woodland road cracked and buckled underneath the weight and strength of his ginormous paws. …
Eventually after about an Hour of stomping about and exploring the woods, the 100ft tall wolf came across the outskirts of the nearby town - Bluestone Lake.
7801BM slowly and cautiously trotted into the outskirts of the town, he was alert and nervous of his surroundings, yet sniffed and pawed curiously at the buildings and parked cars. All of this was so strange and new to him. As he came out of the woods, and made his way further into Town he was seen by members of the public who (naturally) screamed in terror and fled for their lives running away from the Giant wolf that was ‘‘Attacking’’ the town. Panic soon spread across the entirety of the small rural town; People scrambled to find shelter in basements and other hiding places. Their running exited 7801 and he decided to give chase after some of the people running away from him. His racing after people only added to the terror felt by the residents of Bluestone. The deafening, thunderous sound of his crashing footfalls as he ran playfully after the fleeing masses sent shockwaves across the whole town, so powerful that they broke the glass in nearby windows, set off car alarms and left earthquake-like cracks in roads where he ran; adding to the growing chaos and Pandemonium of the situation. 7801BM crushed whole houses and shops beneath his paws as he continued to explore the town. Their structures bending and crumpling like cardboard. 7801 did not do any of this out of Malice, as could clearly be seen by how he treated the people running from him when he easily caught up to them. The Giant wolf did not harm these people, he curiously watched them and sniffed them, sensing their intense fear but not comprehending that he was the source of it. He then after a short while lost interest in these people and wandered off to continue his exploration of Bluestone Lake. Getting Hungry, he sniffed out something tasty and began to follow that scent to the small, unfortunate local butcher's shop. He promptly broke through the front of the building with his enormous snout and began to feast on the meat held within, quickly devouring it all before walking away, leaving the building in ruins.
Eventually local law enforcement, backed up by National Guard units arrived and began an operation to attempt to ‘‘neutralise’’ the Giant wolf with all the weapons they had at their disposal. Their attack began with a sizable barrage of tank fire which wounded 7801, but to the dismay of the soldiers and police officers, this was far from sufficient to take him down and he seemed to quickly recover from his wounds. Now enraged, 7801BM turned to face this new threat. He spotted the tanks on the nearby hillside overlooking the town and after giving of a savage warning snarl, he lunged towards them.
The enraged wolf crashed into the line of tanks, military vehicles and police cars like a battering ram. he bit and clawed at their tanks and APCs ferociously, completely unfazed by the soldiers and police launching countless volleys of bullets and grenades at him, most of which were stopped by his thick skin and coat. Even the shells sent by the tanks and shoulder launched rockets could not seem to make him go down. Amidst this battlefield chaos, the wolf's ferocity only seemed to intensify. his primal instincts took over, driving him to unleash his full power and fury against the military’s forces. He turned his attention to the 7 tanks and began to crush them one by one under his paws along with many of the Humvees and trucks. Most of the tankers managed to get out in time before his paws descended on them, but a few were not so lucky… the vehicles that 7801BM did not simply crush, he picked up with his monstrous jaws and ragged on them like a dog with a chew toy, before discarding their burning, crumpled wreckage by the roadside. The soldiers, overwhelmed and caught off guard by the sheer power of 7801’s counter attack, struggled to contain the situation.
As the wolf continued His rampage, fear and desperation filled the air, leaving the soldiers scrambling for a solution. The wolf's ferocity was unlike anything they had ever seen. Bullets and grenades were futile against the Wolf’s raw strength and colossal, unnatural size, even heavy MGs and tank shells seemed to do little real damage to this gigantic creature. Panic spread among the soldiers, their training and weapons were rendered useless in the face of this formidable adversary. The commanding officer barked orders over the radio and urgently called for reinforcements and air support, as huddled in a ditch for cover.
Meanwhile, back at the labs…
Recovering from the shock and the concussion she had just sustained; a female survivor of the disastrous experiment is helped out of the rubble of the labs by a rescue team made of some of the other research personnel and soldiers – its Jess.
Jess had tried to stay behind in the initial chaos and had attempted to get to room L0-02 when all hell had broken loose. She had desperately attempted to get to Boomerang but she was stopped and pulled away by the security guards. She was being evacuated with the rest of the staff when the hallway they were in suddenly collapsed due to 7801 escaping onto the ground floor. Jess had a bloody gash on her forehead, but luckily was not seriously injured apart from some big bruises and many cuts and scrapes. After they pulled her out of the rubble, she was taken straight to the onsite field hospital that had been hastily set up in the aftermath of 7801’s escape; where she was seen to by doctors. They bandaged up her head wound and told her she was lucky as nothing was Broken and she did not appear to have serious injuries, however they did state that she would need to take some time to recover from the bruising and would be staying overnight for observations just to be safe. Whilst she was trying to rest and recover from her injuries, she noticed a familiar face sitting on one of the nearby beds ‘‘Theodore?’’ she uttered ‘‘Jess?’’ replied a well built, slightly short man with a pair of small round spectacles, a long nose and a warm, expressionate and round face topped with a crop of wispy blond hair.
‘‘Theo, what happened to Boomerang? Is he ok?’’ ‘‘I asked the nurses and some of the security personnel but no one seems to know anything, or more likely, just won’t tell me…’’
‘‘Boomerang?’’ asked Theodore
‘‘ugh, Boomerang, subject 7801BM – you know the wolfdog, Who’s now 4 stories tall!’’ replied Jess.
‘‘ah right, of course!’’ replied Theo, ‘‘um, the security forces attempted to neutralise him but they were overwhelmed. Afterwards the wolf escaped and then ran off somewhere into the woods, I don’t know what happened to him after that, though I heard a rumour that he had reached town!’’ I certainly hope that the rumour was just that, a rumour and nothing more…’’
At this news Jess’s face turned pale and her eyes grew wide.
‘‘Jess?’’ asked Theo, ‘‘are you alright?’’ ‘‘Theo’’ she said with a sudden gravity and sternness in her voice, ‘‘listen very carefully to me ‘‘ is your car is parked outside, in the parking lot, right and it’s undamaged/still driveable? ’’
‘‘Umm.’’
‘‘Theo, Is your car still driveable!’’
‘Uh yes, yes, it is.’’
‘‘Good…good. Are you ok to drive?’’
‘‘I could but we aren’t supp-’
‘‘good.’’
‘‘Theo, please, listen to me. I need you to drive me into town…you don’t understand, do you?’’... If I am not there to stop it, to calm him before it’s too late, he’s going to do a lot of damage…and…and probably end up getting himself killed!’’ Jess started to get tears in her eyes as she said this, ‘‘I need to get to him Theo, please’’ Theodore looked on in shock, unsure of how to respond, he paused for a moment before replying with just two words –
‘‘Ok, Jess.’’
Theo leads Jess to his car. They were stopped by some of the nurses as they left the hospital tents but Jess quickly fibs and says that they are just going to get some research notes and personal belongings that they left in the car earlier in the day. Once they get to the vehicle, Theo starts the engine. Luckily his car was one of the few that 7801 had not damaged or destroyed earlier. They slowly pulled out of the car park but had to stop at a checkpoint on the road to town, when a soldier walked out into the road and gestured for them to halt. Jess started talking to the guard to try and convince him into letting them pass. As she was talking to him, the soldier’s radio suddenly buzzed into life with a new message, the soldier apologised ‘sorry I’ve got to go see what that’s about’ he then went over to check the new orders coming over the radio. seizing this chance Jess told Theo to go and he rapidly accelerated away, ramming through the weak stop barrier, and by the time the soldier turned around they had already gotten away and were whizzing down the main road towards Bluestone Lake. ‘‘I can’t believe you talked me into doing this’’ Theo said in a worried and stressed tone. As they drove away from the labs Jess told Theo to take a left turn down a smaller woodland backroad, Jess frequently hiked and cycled in the woods and knew most of the roads and trails in the area like the back of her hand. She reasoned that using this tail would make it less likely that they would be caught up to if the security had decided to pursue them.
As they drove down the winding woodland road, her mind raced with memories of the wolf's transformation. She also thinks back on the countless hours she spent observing and studying his behaviour and bonding with him. ‘huuhhhg’ she sighed, ‘we have to find him Theo, I have to somehow find a way fix this mess.’
‘‘...You really do care about that wolf, don’t you?’’ Said Theo
‘‘Of course I do! I have a deep bond with him, it’s…oh, You have no idea.’’ She responded.
After about 15 minutes they started to see the town appear on the horizon. It did not look good. There were clearly signs of destruction and several columns of black smoke rose ominously into the sky from the east side of town. ‘‘looks like we’re going to the east side of town then, eh?’’ Theo said nervously.
They began to head East . Bluestone was now a complete ghost town, there was not a single person to be seen as they drove around. There were many abandoned cars in the middle of the road, some of them crashed into each other, Theo carefully navigated around them. Dropped belongings, spilt trash and broken window panes were strewn about all over the roads and sidewalks as they drove down Lincoln Street. It was on the end of that street that they also saw the first definite signs of 7801’s presence, massive, muddy paw prints in the road and sidewalk. ‘Oh my god’ Theo softly muttered to himself. There were other hints that the wolf had been down the street too, several buildings there were damaged, evidently from where 7801 had brushed up against as he had walked past or from where he had curiously pawed at their facades, one corner shop at the far end of the street and a tail shaped impaction in it. Jess and Theo continued to follow his tracks until suddenly the car lurched slightly. Theo got out to inspect what had happened and, to his dismay, he found that he had driven over some shards of broken glass and punctured his front tires. ‘‘I’m afraid this looks like the end of the line’’ he said. He then told Jess that she is free to continue on foot if she wished but he was not willing to go any further and would stay with the car. Jess was a little bit frustrated with this, but was still grateful to him getting her this far, she knew she was close now and was sure she would soon find 7801.
Jess got out of the car and thanked Theo for helping her. Theo wished her good luck in finding and taming the rampaging beast. Jess began to walk south-east towards the intersection of York and Lafayette Street, she was following the trail of destruction left by the 7801. She walked with an awkward and cautious, slightly limping gait due to the bruises she had sustained back at the labs. Despite this she pushed on and as she walked, she shouted and called out 7801’s ‘real’ name
‘Boomerang!’
‘Boomerang I’m here, boy, I’m here!’
‘Boomerang!’
‘Augh, Boomerang, where are you!?’
‘Booomeraaang!’
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the air, drawing her attention towards the local park. Jess approached the direction of the park cautiously, noting the increased signs of destruction as she did so, such as the flattened remains of O'Connell's butcher shop and several other buildings nearby with massive amounts of damage to their fronts, some of them smouldering and giving off the smoke they had seen earlier. As the town park slowly came into view she could see an enormous black shape resting in the centre of the green open space...She had found him. Taking a deep breath, Jess mustered all her courage and slowly began to approach Boomerang.
Boomerang… Jess says softly, her voice filled with a mix of compassion and authority, immediately the Colossal wolf's ears perked up and he looked right at her, his deep amber eyes now like great moons as they stared down at her. Initially he let out a terrifying low, vibrating Growl, the force of it shaking every atom in Jess’s body, He began to stand up but continued to growl. Jess was terrified at that moment, she knew very well that she could be about to die. Thoughts rushed through her head -Did he still recognize me? Did the growth change how he thinks? Does he just see me as prey now? Was it a mistake to even come after him? Does he blame me for what happened?....abruptly he stopped growling and seemed to sniff at her letting out to large puffs of warm, wet air from his nostrils after smelling her, He then left out a soft, though very loud whine and wagged his tail slowly, jess let out a relieved sight and then small laugh and burst into a huge grin before slowing approaching him. Boomerang let her approach and soon she was at his snout she gently patted him on the left side of his jaws, Jess was in awe, taking in his full size and grandeur, she could tell that just one of his teeth was now as tall as herself if not even taller. She hugged and petted him, all whilst struggling and failing to hold back tears. ‘‘I am so, so sorry Boomerang!’’ If *sob* I had known this would happen to you I’d have Never let inject you with that crap!’’ ‘‘Look, It’s going to be ok alright? We can get use to this…No we can and we will undo this, all of this…it’s going to be ok Boomerang…it’s going to be ok…’’
Boomerang sensed her sadness and emotional distress and leaned down with surprising gentleness and coordination, moving his chest forwards and allowing Jess to sink into his soft, thick neck fur, he wanted to comfort and protect her, he didn’t understand why she was upset but wanted to comfort her.
After a long few moments of reuniting Jess began to lead him away from the park and back towards the way she had come, it was evening now and the Sun was beginning to set, the town being unusually dark due to all the broken streetlights and destroyed powerlines. Boomerang was hesitant at first, but after some encouragement Jess managed to coax him into following her. Once they started to travel he stayed very close to her, his booming footsteps causing Jess to lose her footing and stumble a few times, each time he stopped and put his nose down towards her to make sure she was ok. As they came onto Lincoln Street she waved to Theo, who was still in his car. Theo went pale and then rolled down his window. He then aggressively whispered, ‘‘Jess! Have you lost your goddamn mind!? What are you doing with that thing, no, no! Stop don’t bring it closer!’’, they continued to get near to the car causing theo to utter ‘‘sh*t, sh*t, sh*t sh*t!!!’’and then try to hide in his driver’s side footwell. ‘‘Theo, Jess said calmly, he’s not going to hurt you, come on, there’s no need for that…’’ Jess arrived at the side of Theo’s car and was about to start talking him into coming out when they all suddenly heard an ominous threatening and loud TTTHHHHUMMMM sound. Helicopters Jess realised. Boomeranghe began to growl at the approaching sound and instinctively got into a defensive posture, crouching over Jess. ‘‘Theo we have find a way to signal to them that Boomerang is not a threat and that we are in the line of fire, we can let them attack him we need to signal then to call of the attack!...’’ thinking fast Jess asked, Theo, do you still have that torch in the trunk of your car. Theo’s face lit up as he began to realise what he thought she had planned ‘‘yes, I think so’’…Theo got out of the car and went to the back to open the car boot, he frantically rummaged around in his belongings, ‘Ah, found it!’ he then passed the torch to Jess, who promptly turned it on and then off again and then on…she was flashing it at the approaching helicopters, but she was not just flashing it, she was doing so in morse code, typing out ‘S.T.A.N.D D.O.W.N. - C.I.V.I.L.I.A.N.S W.I.T.H. W.O.L.F. D.O. N.O.T F.I.R.E!’ As she was doing this Theo also found his emergency road flare and lit it up to show where they were in the hope it would dissuade the attack helicopters. Suddenly the helicopters launched a volley of missiles and heavy machine gun fire, having not paid attention to Jesse’s morse code, Boomerang leapt in front of Jess and Theo and took the missiles and bullets, which hit him on his flank, it clearly hurt him as he winced in pain, but his remarkable strength and regeneration were enough to keep him standing and he was soon savagely growling and snapping at the helicopters as they circled, almost catching a low-flying one in his jaws... Jess continued to try to signal to the helicopters and it seems that her efforts were finally successful as they began to withdraw, though whether this was due to them finally noticing her signals or just them returning to base to refuel and get heavier weapons to deal with the Wolf-kaiju was unclear.
As the helicopters disappeared, it became clear to Jess that they had to get Boomerang back to the labs, ‘‘Theo, go see if you can find an abandoned car to use or if any still have their keys still in the ignition, ’’ Theo promptly went to search for a car for them to use. As he did this, Jess got Boomerang’s attention, he turned back to her and lowered his muzzle to her but kept his vision on the skies… she petted the side of his muzzle and told him that the helicopters were all gone now, trying to calm him down. A moment later Theo returned with a car, an abandoned Police car! Jess got into the car and they began to drive back to the labs, Boomerang immediately following behind them, as they got to the outskirts of town the thrum of helicopters could be heard in the faraway distance again, but fortunately they were already just entering the woods and Jess hoped that they had enough time to get to the labs and that the helicopters would be too busy searching around the town, in vain, for the canine colossus.
They followed the bumpy forest roads back the way they had come, Boomerang following diligently behind them at all times. As they neared the labs, Jess turned on the Police car’s speaker, she knew she’d need to make it clear to everyone at the labs that 7801(Boomerang) was not a threat and not to shoot at him. The Labs drew near now, their low, cube-ish, silhouette standing out on the horizon in the murky twilight. Jess began to shout into the radio, ‘‘Attention! Attention! Subject 7801BM is no Longer a threat! Do not attack him, stand down, stand down. We are bringing him back safely to the facility, he is neutralised and no longer a threat, stand down, do not shoot!’’ As they got closer to the facility the people there noticed the massive wolf approaching and began to panic, some ran for cover, others were frozen in fear, some soldiers got into defensive positions (though most of them ran in fear with the rest of the site staff) many people screamed. Jess continued to broadcast her voice over the megaphone to let them know that 7801 was not returning to harm them, after some tense moments the staff and military at the labs began to realise this. Theo parked up the commandeered police car on the edge of the parking lot and soon Afterwards Boomerang led down next to it with a soft ‘thud’ despite his calm posture Boomerang kept a close eye on the guards and soldiers, some of whom were now approaching Jess and Theo as they walked towards the Labs. Jess was soon talking to a Lieutenant by the name of Janerez and several other officers and some of the head scientists of the facility. After some stressful explaining, Jess managed to convince them to spare 7801BM and to call off any further attempts to kill him by the national guard units. For the Next few days Jess stayed with Boomerang at the damaged Labs/facility, during that time rudimentary repair works started on sight and the military began to erect fences in the woods behind the damaged labs that would form a temporary holding site for the mega-wolf. They also began a covert cover-up of Boomerang’s existence and ‘rampage’ through the nearby town. The higher-ups thanked Jess for her bravery and skill in saving such a ‘Valuable asset’ and revealed that now that he was secure, the military had big plans for his future, though they refused to elaborate what that was…despite her concerns regarding that, jess was just glad that she had, with the help of Theo, been able to save him and that was all that mattered right now, that Boomerang was safe and she was there with him.
End of part 1.

TIMESTAMP
Happy Friday! I’ve got a little something for everyone here today. Like usual, I’ve gotten a bit carried away with purchases and found out this week that I’ve got some big taxes to pay in this year so here we are again. Payments via PayPal G&S with no notes please! Will ship USPS Priority anywhere within the US within 1 business day of receiving payment. Please comment before sending any chats and YOLO takes precedence. Not looking for trades, though I will entertain some for partial trade on the Combat Troodon Delta Frag. As always, thanks for looking!
SOLD Pro-Tech Malibu NYCKS Tiffany Blue Dragon Scale
This is #26 out of the 75 that were made for NYCKS 2024. Tiffany blue (or teal) dragon scale textured handle and black DLC finished magnacut blade with pearl button. I was stoked that I was able to nab one of these once they released them to dealers, but was able to get another knife from that show that I’m definitely more stoked about and would prefer to keep over this since I have to choose. Really just hoping to see my money back on this. Comes with its box and a Pro-Tech coin that I received with a custom I bought, as well as a black and white Pro-Tech knives sticker that I didn’t find again until after taking these pics. This one has obviously never been used/carried/sharpened. It’s just sat in its box in my safe since it arrived earlier this month.
SV: 360
Microtech Combat Troodon T/E Delta Frag Shadow
This will be the last time I list this one. If it doesn’t sell this time I’m just going to hang onto it and dig it out from the back of the safe in a decade or so and call it vintage. Signature Series black DLC M390 fluted tanto blade with textured frag patterned black aluminum handle. All black DLC finished hardware, pocket clip, and glass breaker. Nickel boron internals. First owner. Comes with its Microtech box, folder, and claw sticker along with an OD green and black claw patch. Heck, I even have a patch of each color at this point that you can have your pick of if you don’t want green. Never carried, cut, or sharpened. Safe queen since day 1.
SV: 750, TV 950
Microtech Socom Elite Black Tactical
This will probably be the last time I list this one too. I’m the first owner and I haven’t ever used it, but I sure do enjoy the action on it! Black finished M390 tanto edge partially serrated blade with black anodized aluminum handle with grip inserts. This is the manual version and the action on this one is incredible! Super easy to flick open and is just all around buttery smooth opening and closing. I added the small OD green lanyard with a silver titanium Microtech claw bead when I first got the knife, as I tend to do with some of my knives. Comes with the Microtech box, folder, and claw sticker, along with another Microtech sticker that I believe came with this knife from the dealer. I’ll even toss in a patch of your choice between green, grey, and tan. Never cut, carried, or sharpened.
SV: 290
Spyderco PM2 Teal
Satin finished s90v blade with teal G-10 handle. First owner and I have not gone to reach for this even once since purchasing it quite some time back, so with my current financial burden, I’m deciding to let go of this beauty. I simply love my Crucarta PM2 and only ever carry that one out of all the PM2’s I’ve collected over time. Comes with its packaging and sticker. Never cut, carried or sharpened.
SV: 160
Spyderco PM2 Salt Black G10
Black DLC coated magnacut with blade G-10 handle. First owner and while this is another one that I really just love the look of, I have come to find that I don’t think I’ll ever love another PM2 the way I love my Crucarta so here’s another that is simply taking up space for me. Comes with its packaging and sticker. It has never cut, been carried, or sharpened.
**I just want to state this because I know I’m going to have people trying to talk me down quite a bit right off the bat. Yes, I am aware that this was on a 24 hour sale a couple days ago for $170, though not ALL dealers decided to bother with changing their pricing for those 24 hours (such as most of the small guys). I got this a solid month ago, so I definitely didn’t score that good deal and I can’t drop my price to match just because it was on sale for 24 hours with some dealers.
SV: 220
SOLD Zero Tolerance 0308 Coyote Tan
CPM 20CV stonewash finished drop point blade with coyote tan G10 front handle scale and titanium back handle scale. Heavily 3D machined for an ultra secure grip. This thing is BEEFY! I’m the first owner and I’m honestly not sure what I was thinking ordering this without checking out the weight specs on it, but it’s one solid knife! It flips real easily for being such a chonk. This knife has a lot of really great features that I didn’t even fully read about until after I got it. It’s just too hefty for me unless I find myself in a completely different line of work in the future. Comes with its packaging which is in pristine condition. Was taken out of its box when I first got it in the mail to check it out and then immediately put in safe until I took these pics. Never cut, carried, or sharpened.
SV: 300
SOLD Spyderco Para 3 LW DLC
Black DLC finished CTS-BD1N stainless steel clip point blade with textured black FRN handle scales. This one has cut a couple small pieces of thin plastic but it has never been carried or sharpened. I’m the first owner and have only had for about 2 weeks and just don’t think I’m a para 3 fan. Blade has favored the clip side since I got it. Comes with its packaging and sticker.
SV: 105
SOLD Civivi Baby Banter
Black stonewash finished Nitro-V steel drop point blade with jade G-10 handle scales. I carried this once and have cut a couple letters open with it around the house. Its factory edge is extremely slicey! I added a lanyard to it that made it a lot easier to grab out of pocket given how small it is. Great little knife that I'd actually keep if I didn't have to pick through the collection. Comes with its taco pouch, protective plastic bag, cleaning cloth, and sticker.
SV: 45
Pro-Tech Malibu Scales Set
Smooth black anodized aluminum set of Pro-Tech Malibu scales in perfect condition. These came off of a brand new 5203 that I did a scale swap on and I no longer have a want/need for these.
SV: 25
SOLD Flytanium Mini Bugout Crossfade Titanium Scales Set
Titanium stonewash colored crossfade scales for mini Bugout. Bought new with a couple other sets to mod all of my mini Bugouts. Once they were on though, I really didn’t like the look of them with the coated blade finish and I already have the exact same set of these on a different blade finish mini bug, so I ended up taking these back off a couple nights later. I never wound up carrying them but not sure if I still have the original plastic pouch they came in. They’re currently stored inside a plastic pouch though.
SV: 45

TL/DR
Victorinox Venture is a great knife. I like it. Better than Garberg IMO. Good steel. Good design. Price is justified. Slicy and has finesse. More of a camp/bushcraft than "survival" (but can still be used as survival).
I recently bought a Victorinox Venture for $75.
My current go to fix blades are: Fallkniven F1 Cos and a Mora Companion Carbon.
Some relevant quick specs:
Victorinox Venture 14c28n - stainless steel
Flat Grind (with V edge from factory)
Blade Length: 105mm
Full tang
Blade thickness 3.4 mm4 oz weight knife only
Fallkniven F1 lam Cos
convex Grind
Blade Length: 98mm
Full tang
Blade thickness 4.5 mm
5.4 oz weight - knife only
Mora Companion Carbon (UHB-20C)
Scandi Grind
Blade Length: 105mm
Rat tang
Blade thickness 2 mm
3 oz weight - knife only
I included the above 2 knives as they are my point of reference. I have had Mora Garberg (both Carbon and ss ) but got rid of both because I did not like the scandi grind on a blade that thick.
The venture is awesome. It fits nicely between the mora and the F1 in my collection. I am not sure I will be reaching for either much more. With the Mora, I would occasionally find myself wanting something more robust (I am aware of the mora companion HD, I have one but don't care for a scandi grind on a knife with >2mm thickness). With the F1 i would occasionally find myself wanting something less thick (example: cutting food).
On the Venture, The blade thickness (thinness) coupled with the flat grind make it an awesome slicer. All knife chores are easy to accomplish. The knife really never gets in the way of it self. Also, it does not give much up to durability to accomplish that. It is much more refined than the Mora as it should be and not as refined as the F1 (ex: fit and finish, no secondary v edge, laminated cos steel, more thoughtful sheath, etc).
I have seen some online critique of edge fragility. One guy batoned the hell out of the knife through a really thick log and got some edge bending (better than chipping or breaking IMO). That possibly could be repaired by some resharpening. But, that is survival use territory and the knife would still technically function as a knife. Honestly, I don't really see fragility as a concern. Especially with 14C28n hardened to 59 HRC. In addition, personally I would take a slightly thinner blade with a flat grind over a sharpened pry bar.
The Venture leans more to the side of a camp/bushcraft knife more than a "survival knife." With that said I would not feel "under knifed" what-so-ever with this knife as "survival knife." Especially due to the toughness of 14c28n at 59HRC and it being a Stainless steel. I do think the F1 leans towards survival knife than a camp/bushcraft knife (it was designed as Swedish air force survival knife). Again, with that said, I have no problem using the F1 as a camp/bushcraft knife. Some more delicate slicing tasks (food prep) with the F1 are more clumsy vs the Venture. However, in spite of the 4.5mm thickness of the F1, the convex grind and a bunch of finesse and really makes up for the the 4.5 mm thickness. The Venture still wins for delicate (food prep or carving) tasks. The F1 is better at batoning/splitting.
I have the venture with the updated sheath. It is good (not the best, I think the F1's is the best I have come across). The Venture's updated sheath does not rattle around. It fits in with a nice "click." The sheath is much nicer than the Mora's 1 piece plastic sheath but no where nearly as well designed and made as the F1's sheath (plastic one, not leather). The F1's sheath seems as though as much though went behind the development of the sheath as the knife it self. The venture's sheath is not bad by any means. I really like how lightweight the sheath is (and knife). My only critique is the rubber ring that loops around the knife handle. It seems that over time it may break and overall does not feel nearly as secure as the F1's snap button.
This knife is often compared to the Garberg. Garberg is a great knife. Of the two, I would take the venture every time. The venture feels as though it was designed from ground up. The garberg always felt like it was designed to fit an already established production line with constrains that resulted in an awkwardly shaped knife (excellent steel and heat treat). In spite of having similar blade thickness (3.2mm garberg) as the venture (3.4mm), I always felt that the Garberg lacked finesse, even when compared to even the 4.5mm thick F1. I think it was because of the scandi grind. That is why I sold the Garberg. I feel like the garberg leans towards survival vs camp/bushcraft and in that regard I would rather have the F1 (more durability and more finesse).
Regarding the grind. I love the flat grind. I do not like the secondary Factory V edge found on any knife (venture has it, moras don't, F1 did not). With that said, with the first sharpening, I plan to get rid of it and have a more convex grind on it. That is what the edge of my companion evolved to and it is now better than the factory edge IMO. I expect to do the same thing with the venture an expect the edge to only get better with future use and sharpening. So I don't fully hold the secondary V edge against the knife (there is only so much you can ask out of a $75 production knife from factory). Stock edge is not bad, but I think the knife will be a lot better once I have sharpened it a handful of times and it acquires a convex edge. Not to mention, it should be easy to sharpened due to the 14c28n steel used.
regarding steel choice 14cn28. I think it is a fine good budget steel choice. As I get older, I also find myself valuing toughness and sharpen-abilty more that edge retention. It is much easier to fix rolled edges and small dents than it is to fix a chipped edge. My mora is so easy to sharpen, I find myself a lot less reserved in using it for uses that carry risk of damaging the edge. At the end of the day, these are tools meant to be used and maintained. Anything that worrys me to use it or makes it harder to maintain, I feel like gets in the way of the purpose of the tool. Therefore, I think 14c28n at 59 hrc is a fine choice.
Regarding Handle. Handle is hard plastic, ever so slightly rubbery. No exposed tang except at the end. Comfortable with and without gloves. Cool texture that includes the letters: VICTORINOX and their symbol. I like that there is no exposed tang along the length.
The swiss army kinfe "extra functions:" jimping on the blade back and 1/4 hex lanyard hole. I am glad it was limited to areas that don't impact actually blade functionality/ performance . It is like they designed the blade, then were like: "but we are Victorinox, Of course"..... then Jimping and hex laynard hole followed. With that said, I have found the jimping helpful on controlled carving, but wuldn't care if it was not there.
Price/ value. This is a tricky one. At $75 there are a lot of very good options. Where the Victorinox Venture won for me are on a few accounts. 1st there is not much in the market for a flat grind, full tang, around 3-3.5mm thick knife. Also, as I have become older, I value production consistency, quality control, company pedigree and serviceability. I trust that Victorinox has the resources to develop a production line that delivers consistent heat treat and that they have spent the time and money on R&D for the best heat treat for the design goals of the knife. Also, their responsiveness to amend the sheath design after consumer feedback goes to show this. Lastly, they are an old company that still takes care of the customer. Their pocket knives as well as the Venture carry a life time warranty. I like to know that the company cares to stand behind their product and take care of the customer. I am sure the cost to manufacture is much much lower than the sale price, but that is a little short sighted and I do value the above mentioned (R&D, warranty, consistency...etc).
Great Knife.

TL/DR
Victorinox Venture is a great knife. I like it. Better than Garberg IMO. Good steel. Good design. Price is justified. Slicy and has finesse. More of a camp/bushcraft than "survival" (but can still be used as survival).
I recently bought a Victorinox Venture for $75.
My current go to fix blades are: Fallkniven F1 Cos and a Mora Companion Carbon.
Some relevant quick specs:
Victorinox Venture 14c28n - stainless steel
Flat Grind (with V edge from factory)
Blade Length: 105mm
Full tang
Blade thickness 3.4 mm4 oz weight knife only
Fallkniven F1 lam Cos
convex Grind
Blade Length: 98mm
Full tang
Blade thickness 4.5 mm
5.4 oz weight - knife only
Mora Companion Carbon (UHB-20C)
Scandi Grind
Blade Length: 105mm
Rat tang
Blade thickness 2 mm
3 oz weight - knife only
I included the above 2 knives as they are my point of reference. I have had Mora Garberg (both Carbon and ss ) but got rid of both because I did not like the scandi grind on a blade that thick.
The venture is awesome. It fits nicely between the mora and the F1 in my collection. I am not sure I will be reaching for either much more. With the Mora, I would occasionally find myself wanting something more robust (I am aware of the mora companion HD, I have one but don't care for a scandi grind on a knife with >2mm thickness). With the F1 i would occasionally find myself wanting something less thick (example: cutting food).
On the Venture, The blade thickness (thinness) coupled with the flat grind make it an awesome slicer. All knife chores are easy to accomplish. The knife really never gets in the way of it self. Also, it does not give much up to durability to accomplish that. It is much more refined than the Mora as it should be and not as refined as the F1 (ex: fit and finish, no secondary v edge, laminated cos steel, more thoughtful sheath, etc).
I have seen some online critique of edge fragility. One guy batoned the hell out of the knife through a really thick log and got some edge bending (better than chipping or breaking IMO). That possibly could be repaired by some resharpening. But, that is survival use territory and the knife would still technically function as a knife. Honestly, I don't really see fragility as a concern. Especially with 14C28n hardened to 59 HRC. In addition, personally I would take a slightly thinner blade with a flat grind over a sharpened pry bar.
The Venture leans more to the side of a camp/bushcraft knife more than a "survival knife." With that said I would not feel "under knifed" what-so-ever with this knife as "survival knife." Especially due to the toughness of 14c28n at 59HRC and it being a Stainless steel. I do think the F1 leans towards survival knife than a camp/bushcraft knife (it was designed as Swedish air force survival knife). Again, with that said, I have no problem using the F1 as a camp/bushcraft knife. Some more delicate slicing tasks (food prep) with the F1 are more clumsy vs the Venture. However, in spite of the 4.5mm thickness of the F1, the convex grind and a bunch of finesse and really makes up for the the 4.5 mm thickness. The Venture still wins for delicate (food prep or carving) tasks. The F1 is better at batoning/splitting.
I have the venture with the updated sheath. It is good (not the best, I think the F1's is the best I have come across). The Venture's updated sheath does not rattle around. It fits in with a nice "click." The sheath is much nicer than the Mora's 1 piece plastic sheath but no where nearly as well designed and made as the F1's sheath (plastic one, not leather). The F1's sheath seems as though as much though went behind the development of the sheath as the knife it self. The venture's sheath is not bad by any means. I really like how lightweight the sheath is (and knife). My only critique is the rubber ring that loops around the knife handle. It seems that over time it may break and overall does not feel nearly as secure as the F1's snap button.
This knife is often compared to the Garberg. Garberg is a great knife. Of the two, I would take the venture every time. The venture feels as though it was designed from ground up. The garberg always felt like it was designed to fit an already established production line with constrains that resulted in an awkwardly shaped knife (excellent steel and heat treat). In spite of having similar blade thickness (3.2mm garberg) as the venture (3.4mm), I always felt that the Garberg lacked finesse, even when compared to even the 4.5mm thick F1. I think it was because of the scandi grind. That is why I sold the Garberg. I feel like the garberg leans towards survival vs camp/bushcraft and in that regard I would rather have the F1 (more durability and more finesse).
Regarding the grind. I love the flat grind. I do not like the secondary Factory V edge found on any knife (venture has it, moras don't, F1 did not). With that said, with the first sharpening, I plan to get rid of it and have a more convex grind on it. That is what the edge of my companion evolved to and it is now better than the factory edge IMO. I expect to do the same thing with the venture an expect the edge to only get better with future use and sharpening. So I don't fully hold the secondary V edge against the knife (there is only so much you can ask out of a $75 production knife from factory). Stock edge is not bad, but I think the knife will be a lot better once I have sharpened it a handful of times and it acquires a convex edge. Not to mention, it should be easy to sharpened due to the 14c28n steel used.
regarding steel choice 14cn28. I think it is a fine good budget steel choice. As I get older, I also find myself valuing toughness and sharpen-abilty more that edge retention. It is much easier to fix rolled edges and small dents than it is to fix a chipped edge. My mora is so easy to sharpen, I find myself a lot less reserved in using it for uses that carry risk of damaging the edge. At the end of the day, these are tools meant to be used and maintained. Anything that worrys me to use it or makes it harder to maintain, I feel like gets in the way of the purpose of the tool. Therefore, I think 14c28n at 59 hrc is a fine choice.
Regarding Handle. Handle is hard plastic, ever so slightly rubbery. No exposed tang except at the end. Comfortable with and without gloves. Cool texture that includes the letters: VICTORINOX and their symbol. I like that there is no exposed tang along the length.
The swiss army kinfe "extra functions:" jimping on the blade back and 1/4 hex lanyard hole. I am glad it was limited to areas that don't impact actually blade functionality/ performance . It is like they designed the blade, then were like: "but we are Victorinox, Of course"..... then Jimping and hex laynard hole followed. With that said, I have found the jimping helpful on controlled carving, but wuldn't care if it was not there.
Price/ value. This is a tricky one. At $75 there are a lot of very good options. Where the Victorinox Venture won for me are on a few accounts. 1st there is not much in the market for a flat grind, full tang, around 3-3.5mm thick knife. Also, as I have become older, I value production consistency, quality control, company pedigree and serviceability. I trust that Victorinox has the resources to develop a production line that delivers consistent heat treat and that they have spent the time and money on R&D for the best heat treat for the design goals of the knife. Also, their responsiveness to amend the sheath design after consumer feedback goes to show this. Lastly, they are an old company that still takes care of the customer. Their pocket knives as well as the Venture carry a life time warranty. I like to know that the company cares to stand behind their product and take care of the customer. I am sure the cost to manufacture is much much lower than the sale price, but that is a little short sighted and I do value the above mentioned (R&D, warranty, consistency...etc).
Great Knife.

I (22F) was in a situationship with a guy when I was 19. For some context: He was 22 at the time and we were in a situationship/ casually dating with no labels because we’ve had a past. I could make a whole bunch of stories about that if anyone wants more of the tea about this guy after reading this. Other relevant information is we worked at the same place, he had met my family, and he had a fancy sports car that he loved (he was one of THOSE guys…). His name will be changed not just for my own privacy and safety, but also because he shares the same name as my late grandfather and I don’t want to even type the name of my lovely grandfather but in the context of this trash of a guy. On to the story of the worst date I’ve ever been on!
This guy (we’ll call him Jack) and I had made plans to go on a date on a Friday after work. I had told my parents that I wasn’t going to be home until a little bit later that night and all they and I knew was that he was wanting to take me on a “surprise date”. What a surprise date it would turn out to be…
Work ends at 6PM (close to sundown at this point), we clock out, and we get in his car. I’m figuring he’s taking me to a nice restaurant or something in the big city that we live near, so I’m dressed in nice jeans and a cute top. I ask him where we’re going as I realize we are in fact heading to Big City. He tells me the part of the city he’s taking me to and I pause. That part of town? At night? I didn’t know a lot about that area, but had heard a little bit about it not being the best neighborhood. I still naively assume we’re likely just going to a restaurant in the area and shrug it off.
On the drive there we hit red flag number one. It’s getting dark and he’s getting a bit of an ego. In an attempt to… impress me (?) he starts to speed up next to another sports car next to him and honks his horn. Apparently in sports car talk this means “let’s race!” And he proceeds to go top speed and racing this other guy with me in the car. Now sure, it’s fun for him. Cool. But what irked me was this had happened on a previous occasion that he’d driven me somewhere and when my mom found out, she told him in person to not do that with me in the car.
I respect my mom and I sure as heck expect a guy who is trying to win me over into official status to respect my mom too. So I hang on tight and remind him gently of what my mom said. Jack insists he has to win the race because he’s “never lost before” and then he won’t race again. I’m a little peeved but I sit it out even though I’m nervous the whole time. He wins, his ego is boosted, fine whatever. At this point I’m just eager to get what I presume to be dinner.
We reach a parking lot that’s not near any open buildings and definitely not a restaurant. In fact there’s one street light. I ask him what we’re doing and he says “We’re going to walk around this part of town! I met Tyler the Creator here and another rapper when they were leaving their show.”
I’m uneasy now because it’s officially pretty much dark and we’re in the Big City but I follow him out. He then drops 3 bombs on me at different points. As we are leaving the car, he tells me the main part of the town is a bit of a walk away but that he parked where he did because he didn’t want to run the risk of anyone hitting his precious sports car. I’m in platform boots. I don’t know what else to say but “okay” at this point, I’m not even sure of what this place is entirely. So we start walking.
As we get closer I notice police cars in the distance and lots of lights. Before I can say anything he turns to me and goes “Hey, you still have your pepper spray, right?”. I stop walking. I tell him yes, it’s on the end of my lanyard with my keys and also why do I need my pepper spray. He ushers me forward and says “This is a notoriously shady area. There was a shooting here last week.”
Excuse me.
WHAT?!
This 5’9” skinny as heck guy wants my 5’4” butt to protect us if things go south? ME?! The one in the platform boots and no sense of aim or direction because I have terrible hand eye coordination?! Like sure, I carry it for safety reasons and will use it by blindly spraying everywhere in the vicinity of of an attacker’s face. But you took us here. You’re the man. Telling me to potentially ready my pepper spray doesn’t give me a lot of confidence in you or this place.
By this point we’re in the area and there are police cars patrolling on every street. There’s music blasting through every building that I’m slowly starting to realize are bars and nightclubs. There are drunk people everywhere who reek of alcohol and people clearly on drugs. The entire area oozes danger and I discreetly text my mom where we are.
We are in an established dangerous area that I’ll soon find out about from my mom. Lots of crime and dangerous people lurk there. Jack takes my hand as he weaves us through crowds of drunk people bumping into me. I’m not even sure where we’re going or what we’re looking at by this point. I ask and he says “Oh, I was hoping there’d be street performers.”
Okay. So we went to a dangerous area because he wanted to see live music for free that may or may not be playing? I’m too scared to be pissed at this point and all the alarms in my head are telling me to leave. We did see one group performing on the street and they were admittedly good, but I’m overwhelmed by this point in the night and I tell him I want to find a building to go into so I can catch my breath and he agrees. But every building open are nightclubs and bars that I legally can’t get into. We finally find a shop and go inside and immediately I realize we’re in a weed shop.
Nothing against anyone, but I hate weed for the sole purpose that the smell triggers my asthma badly. Not to mentioned we had just walked past many smokers on the road and I was already coughing. And this shop is tiny. We crowd into a corner and I notice that I’ve gotten a response from my mom that I missed whilst fighting for my sanity outside. She tells me she can’t believe he’d take me to a dangerous place like that after dark and that he needs to take me somewhere different and safer. I relay the message to which he reluctantly agrees. We leave the shop and I’m a coughing mess and my lungs are struggling, so I’m at the point of needing my rescue inhaler which I use. The after effects make me shaky and that combined with my anxiety about this place leaves me feeling overstimulated, overwhelmed, and exhausted.
We begin the trek back to his car and my feet are killing me in my boots. As we walk I notice a guy behind us across the street taking the same turns as us. I’m alarmed and quietly tell Jack. He insists we walk faster. About two minutes later the man has crossed the street and is close behind us. I nervously grab onto my pepper spray and hold it and turn to see how close he is. I’m not sure if he clocked that I had pepper spray or what, but not soon after he turned a corner and we made it back to Jack’s car.
I got in and was so relieved. After the ordeal he took us to a bad Mexican restaurant that was completely empty and he raced someone in his car again, but this time because HE was being challenged and he can’t hurt his ego now, could he?
I was already in the process of mulling over if I wanted to end what had barely started between us after he pulled that stunt of a disaster date, but he gave me the perfect out not only two days later which is a whole other story. Maybe I’ll tell it if anyone is interested in how he finally broke the straw over the camel’s back for me!