I'm still going through my divorce. It's been ongoing for 8 months. 17 year marriage. She said it was because she thought I would always leave, so she pushed me away. I am her fourth husband, but all of the others were short in comparison to our 17 years.
Problems arose about ten years ago and I fought hard to fix things. I feel like I read every how to fix and rekindling article and book available. Flowers, random gifts, new cars, shopping sprees, home renovations, vacations, took over all the household chores, and the list goes on. I tried until I had a sort of depressive episode that hit me very hard. It lasted about a month and it was kind of a wake up call where I had to admit that I just couldn't handle the rejection anymore. At that point I felt like I had no other option than to give her an ultimatum. I told her that if she "pushed me away" again, then it was over.
Mind you, that the type of intimacy I was looking for was a hug. I couldn't give her a kiss on the cheek when I got home from work without getting looked at like I had two heads. I tried giving her space, making sure she wasn't in a state where she was overwhelmed, clearly stating my intentions ("Hey, can I give you a kiss?"). I was definitely pushed away and I think there might have been someone on the side at one point. That was my guess, until a neighbor finally told me that he had seen her with someone acting a little too cozy on a walk.
Well, I drew the line in the sand and about 6 months later, she crossed it. I asked her if she wanted a divorce and she just smirked at me, and said "Fine, this feels like a huge load off."
I was pretty devastated. Went through a case of "heartbreak syndrome" and actually had a trip to the hospital over it. It was bad. Now I'm numb. I work twelve to fourteen hours a day out of choice. I lost about 40 pounds. I force myself to eat and only sleep about 4 or 5 hours a night. I don't even get hungry anymore and don't have the willpower to just shut my eyes and sleep.
What bugs me the most is that I was an awesome gift giver. I would pick a special gift for my wife and kids every gift giving holiday. I had this drive to find the perfect gift, it was my mission. I would investigate and listen to everyone just to figure out what material thing they were missing in their lives and I would fight tooth and nail to get it. Hard to find, international, having to drive two hours to get some hot item. It didn't matter, I was on it.
Since the divorce, it's gone. Now whenever a birthday comes up I feel annoyed by the thought of it. I just throw money now. I can't even be bothered to get a card. I just hit the ATM and toss cash. I can't say me doing it was never appreciated. I would get hugs and sincere thank you's from my kids, even tears some times, but never from the wife. She would just open them, look inside and make some generic, "Oh thanks" remark.
I raised the bar every year for her to the point I was spending thousands. No change, same response. I once drove a three hour round trip to pick up sandwiches from a restaurant where we got engaged (it was a chain restaurant and our restaurant closed so I drove to the nearest one), and got a "Where did you find that? I wouldn't have driven that far."
Our last Christmas together pre divorce, I got nothing. I really don't want anything and I feel like I'm whining, but nothing. I would at least get socks and underwear every year, but nothing. All I can think, is how adamant we were about getting stuff for everyone and how I couldn't imagine completely forgetting someone. It felt pretty intentional.
Regardless of any underlying reasons though, what I thought was a personal super power is just gone. I would always have some great idea for each person, now just nothing. I tried forcing myself to do it and I just can't. I can roam stores and scour the internet and nothing jumps out at me. Now it's just a fistful of cash. Unpersonal, easiest, least effort gift I can manage.
I want to care that much again, but it's just not there anymore. My lack of drive is hitting other areas of my life, but not caring is now adding a nasty ping of guilt every time I toss cash at my kids. I feel ruined and am genuinely mad that part of me is gone.

Animal‌-Man/Swamp‌ ‌Thing

Issue‌ 32:‌ ‌ The Pale Wanderer
Written‌ ‌by‌ ‌Deadislandman1
Edited‌ ‌by‌ PatrollinTheMojave
 
Next‌ ‌Issue‌ ‌> ‌Coming‌ ‌Soon
 
Arc: Flesh and Bark‌ ‌
 ‌ ‌
‌  ‌ ‌
Then
An arc of purple lightning flashed across the night sky of the Boneyard, splitting the dark sky in twain as Capucine trudged across the ashy wastes of the realm. A cold gale ripped through the land, chilling the warrior to the bone, yet after centuries of time living in the Rot’s home realm, it felt identical to the ocean breeze that graced her every evening of her monastic childhood. Anxious, she fiddled with her leather armor, tightening every strap and support to make sure they were all in the right positions. She double checked that her sheath was properly tied to her belt, and that the steel sword within was sharp and clean.
He would catch up to her sooner or later, almost certainly before she made it to the portal. It wasn’t hard to pick that fact up. The Boneyard always became a little rougher when he wasn’t happy. She’d endeavored to spare him a difficult conversation, but perhaps that was too optimistic a hope. He was smart for someone his age, even if he’d made such a grave mistake.
Perhaps she was trying to spare herself the labor of having a conversation, rather than trying to keep the adolescent Avatar’s emotions in check. Perhaps she was just running from her problems, something she couldn’t remember ever doing before. Perhaps her ambitions to steer the young Avatar towards better decisions was the wrong choice on her part.
…No. Her advice was invaluable, she knew that much, and William Holland took that advice well. She just wasn’t in much of a position to give advice anymore.
Climbing atop an gray, dusty hill, Capucine gazed at the portal back to the physical world, composed of a miasma of swirling bones and inky fluids. To the unadjusted nose, it smelled absolutely foul, but to Capucine it smelled no different than the rest of the Boneyard. This was her ticket back, to somewhere where she’d do… something.
She didn’t know what that something was. In fact, she felt nauseous at the idea of wandering the world for centuries yet again with no real goal or purpose, though when considering the alternative, Capucine was ready to step right through the portal, even if her reason for leaving was so small in the grand scheme of things.
Breathless, Capucine took one step towards the portal, only for a boom of thunder to shake the realm. Capucine stopped dead in her tracks, sighing. William didn’t need to say anything to get her attention, as she turned around, coming face to face with the young Avatar.
He’d grown quite a bit in the three years she’d been advising him. His mane of red hair had regained some of its color, and across his pale face stood the beginnings of a beard, with bits of pronounced stubble around his chin and above his lips. He remained as gaunt as ever, yet he’d also grown much taller since his beginning as the Rot’s leader. He looked Capucine in the eyes, keeping his expression as blank as possible, “I got your note.”
Capucine narrowed her eyes, “So you did.”
William’s bottom lip quivered, “There’s no way I can change your mind…is there?”
“Not that I can see,” Capucine remarked.
William’s head drifted to the side as he attempted to avert his gaze, hiding his eyes from Capucine behind his wild hair. He choked back something, maybe a sob, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said. It was a mistake.”
Capucine took a step forward, feeling the urge to console the boy, yet as she reached out towards him, she found herself frozen by trepidation. She was not a woman of gentle words, and this was a situation that called for them. Rescinding her hand, she stepped back towards the portal, “What’s done is done. I do not hate you, William Arcane, but I cannot stay here.”
Capucine turned her back on William, readying herself to step through the portal. She took one step, then another before William spoke once more, “Tefé.”
Capucine stopped, electing not to turn back and face the young Avatar. Realizing that she was waiting for him to continue, William spoke again, “My sister. I know her, she’s got a good heart, but she’s not like me. She’s not an Avatar. She could always use someone to watch her back.”
For a moment, Capucine did not answer, and the silence seemed to push William to take a few steps back. Turning, he began to walk away, unable to think of much else to say, when Capucine finally answered back, “If she is the sister of William Arcane…then I know her to be someone of good character. Your advice is invaluable, Avatar. Thank you.”
Without another word, Capucine stepped through the portal, disappearing from the Boneyard. William stared at the portal for what felt like hours before he finally shuddered, his shaky breathing accompanied by a single tear that froze up on its way down his cheek, stopping short as a bead of ice just before it fell off of his jaw.
Now
“So you’re here because my brother suggested it?”
“That’s correct.”
Capucine answered Tefé’s inquiry in a dry manner, keeping most of her focus on cleaning the gasoline off her sword with a rag. She sat upon the corpse of the formerly living infected tree, using it as a comfortable log of sorts while Maxine and Tefé remained in their canoe, having managed to dock it by tying it to a nearby set of protruding roots. It was about noon now, and the Florida heat had become unbearable. Maxine wiped her forehead, expecting that she’d probably be dead without the trees as a shield from the sun.
Tefé rubbed her throat, recovering from the vice grip of the tree, “I…how is he? He’s not in trouble is he?”
“Far from it. Your brother is doing better than most. He’s got a keen mind for leadership, and the Rot endures with him as its head,” Capucine sheathed her sword. “He doesn’t need my advice anymore, and I do the world no favors remaining at his side. If I am to continue the preservation of a better world, then it’s best I accompany you instead.”
Tefé grumbled a little, but also couldn’t help but smile, “So the little rascal thinks I need a hand, huh? Thinks I need advice.”
Tefé smirked, then looked up at Capucine, “Got any words of wisdom for me?”
Capucine looked down at the tree carcass, then back at Tefé, “Don’t get grabbed by monstrous trees.”
Tefé swallowed, “Yeah…sound advice.”
Maxine stared at the water, noting that its viscosity had remained unchanged, “Uh…guys? I think there are more gasoline trees somewhere out there. I feel like it would’ve cleared up at least a little bit.”
Capucine jumped into the canoe, breaking the rope keeping it moored with her bare hands, “Then we find the source of the infestation, and remove it.”
Maxine and Tefé didn’t do anything to impede Capucine’s actions, though they were certainly taken aback by this old English era woman taking charge of their mission. Without a word, Capucine grabbed a paddle and began rowing upstream, her toned build making what was a laborious task for Tefé effortless. The trio moved upstream at a rapid pace, with Capucine barely making a single grunt or noise as she paddled onward. As the hours went by, the water to gasoline ratio of the river continued to tip in the gasoline’s favor, to the point that eventually Capucine looked like she was putting real effort into her paddling.
Tefé stared at the woman, unsure of what to make of her, “So…Capucine?”
“Yes?”
“I know your name, I know you’ve been…advising my brother. What else do you do? What’s your story?”
Capucine frowned, “To be brief…I was born over a thousand years ago in Lindisfarne Abbey. What happened after is a personal matter, and one I’d rather not discuss. Similarly, discussing how I came to be immortal, and what I’ve done in the many centuries afterwards would doubtlessly be a fruitless and boring exercise. That energy is better spent rowing.”
Tefé raised an eyebrow, “Okay….then, why are you doing any of this? What drives you to help us?”
Capucine paused for a moment, allowing the canoe to slow in its approach upriver. Then, she snorted, a small smile forming as she began to paddle once more, “I’ve lived long enough to know this is a good place, a good world. I like it intact and alive, and I’d do whatever it takes to keep it that way.”
“Uh…good answer,” Tefé turned her attention to the rest of the forest, watching carefully for threats. Capucine was certainly blunt, and maybe a little scary looking, but from what she could tell the woman wasn’t much of a danger. If she wanted to learn more, she could do that after the case of Silver Springs was solved.
Maxine grimaced, staring at the thick gasoline they were rowing through, “What do you think is causing this stuff? The closest thing I can think of is the Rot but…part of me can’t put that picture together.”
“Because this is not the Rot’s doing. William is well aware of these kinds of problems, and manages them well. He would never allow something like this to escalate as far as it has,” Capucine grunted, her sheath rattling against the interior of the canoe. “This is something different.”
“Oil’s a fossil fuel, right?” Maxine asked, “Could there be any connection?”
“Perhaps, but this isn’t just oil, it’s gasoline. It’s processed,” Capucine grunted, the act of rowing becoming tougher. “Something is turning the oil into Gasoline. Maybe it’s the trees, maybe it’s something else.”
“But what force would do that? There’s definitely something magical going on about these things,” Maxine asked.
Capucine frowned, “I am…unsure. I’ve not heard of any force that pertains to these properties. Perhaps one of them has evolved. Such an occurrence is not unheard of; the Red does it all the time.”
“Or maybe…someone’s twisting a force into something it isn’t,” said Tefé. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out soon enough.”
Eventually, the boat rounded a corner, passing another infected tree. Maxine and Tefé readied themselves, only for Capucine to keep paddling, “Do not bother with them. They’re symptoms, not the cause.”
Maxine raised an eyebrow, “And the cause is….where?”
Capucine pointed down the river, and past a muddy, poisoned shore sat an entire row of the ailing cypresses, encircling a clearing of some kind. As the canoe pushed up against the mid, Capucine trudged out, making her way towards the clearing with her hand on her longsword’s hilt. The trees seemed to regard her, blatantly still conscious, yet they did not attack. Maxine and Tefé followed in trepidation, eyeing the trees in suspicion.
“Why aren’t they attacking?” Maxine asked.
“I don’t know,” Capucine remarked. “Perhaps they’re afraid.”
“Of you…or of something else?” Tefé wondered aloud.
As the three entered the clearing, they came across a sight none of them would have expected…a human heart.
It laid in the mud, rooted by cartilage that snaked its way beneath the earth. It beat with a satisfying rhythm, pulsating as if it still rested inside the body of a living man. A thick liquid permeated the mud, shifting outward from the heart.
Gasoline.
Capucine drew her sword, preparing to stab the heart with it. Eyes wide, Maxine jumped in front of her, “Woah woah woah, what are you doing?!”
“I’m removing the problem,” Capucine remarked.
“But…but…we don’t know what this thing even is?”
Capucine sneered at Maxine, “Is it not obvious? Someone or something has perverted an object of the Red, and that infection is spreading to the Green. With its removal, this area can begin healing.”
“How can you know that for sure? I’m the Avatar of the Red, and I can’t feel any trace of the Red in there,” Maxine exclaimed.
“Then the corruption of the object has completely overridden its connection to the Red. All the more reason to destroy it.”
Maxine whirled around, staring at Tefé for help. Tefé opened her mouth to protest, yet she was unsure of how to proceed. On the one hand, the Green was suffering, this place was suffering. Getting rid of the heart seemed like the right answer, yet Maxine was right as well. They knew practically nothing about this heart, and if the trees weren’t attacking them, maybe it was an invitation to learn more.
Before she could voice her opinion on one approach or the other though, a new voice made itself known, a raspy, texan accent that came from vocal chords that didn’t realize they were long past their expiration date.
“Well, if you’d let me speak…I’d love to tell you why I deserve to live!”
The trio assumed defensive stances as the ground rumbled around the heart, at which point a dozen or so ribs began to poke out of the mud around the heart, followed by rotten yet well preserved flesh. The heart and ribs rose with the flesh, revealing a man with an open chest as he picked himself up from out of the mud. He was wearing an old coat and pants, and wore only one sock on his feet. Inconsistent, matted hair hung from his head, covered up slightly by a ruined cowboy hat. An ugly stubble dotted his cheeks, paired with yellow teeth and milky white eyes. He smiled, raising what looked to be an old revolver to his chin to scratch it with the barrel. With the other hand, he reached out to shake any of the trio’s hands, “Howdy folks. Pale Wanderer, representing the Parliament of Gears…how are you doing this fine day?”
The trio looked at each other in confusion, then Capucine spoke, “What are you? Are you the cause of the Malady plaguing this land.”
“Well…I wouldn’t call it a malady per-se! More of a necessary sacrifice.” The Pale Wanderer tipped his hat up. “As for what I am? Well honey…I’m a crusader. A force meant to alleviate suffering, and right now? That suffering is…well, it’s not exactly something any of the flora or fauna here really give a shit about.”
“And what’s that?” Tefé asked.
“Well…it’s a bit of a logistical nightmare to explain, but it starts with oil!” The Pale Wanderer gestured towards the ground. “We’re a car based society, here in the United States I mean! Trouble is, gas prices are fuckin’ outrageous these days, right?”
Capucine narrowed her eyes, “I do not see how that should concern us.”
“I’m not finished!” The Pale Wanderer remarked. “The average American has to pay an arm and a leg for gas nowadays, and they need gas if they want to get anywhere. Have a job, wanna see family, need to make a trip to the grocery store? Need to pay for gas if you wanna to any of that! Trouble is, gas comes from oil, and oil? It’s getting rarer by the minute…that’s why I made this place!”
The Pale Wanderer raised his arms, gesturing to the gasoline laced mud and the producing trees, “Think about it! More Gasoline means the market price of Gasoline’s gonna go down, which means gas is cheaper for everyone! At least, I think that’s how it works! Plus, my Gas is A+ quality, even comes in Diesel!”
As The Pale Wanderer continued on about his tirade on Gas prices, Maxine and Tefé shared a confused glance at each other. They’d never encountered something like this before, something this unusual, this keyed in and calculated in purpose yet scattershot in reasoning. The only thing two of them seemed to fixate on though was something the Pale Wanderer said when he introduced himself.
The Parliament of Gears.
Tefé stepped forward, “You said you were part of the Parliament of Gears? What is that? I’ve never heard of them.”
“Oh, That’s cause we’re new on the block, sweetie, but glad to be here,” The Pale Wanderer remarked. “Not qualified to sell them overall though, you’ll have to talk to marketing for that.”
“Enough!” Capucine declared, holding the point of the sword at the Pale Wanderer. “Your reasons for poisoning this place are simplistic and needless. Leave, or I will make you leave!”
The Pale Wanderer raised an eyebrow, “See, now I don’t like comments like that! We’re all just having a lovely discussion and now all you wanna do is escalate! Things don’t have to be this way! Maybe we can work something out?”
Tefé glanced between Capucine and the Pale Wanderer, making an educated guess that Capucine wasn’t the type to back down in these sorts of situations. Furthermore, she had a point. This place was suffering, and no matter the Pale Wanderer’s intentions, that was something that wouldn’t stand, “We don’t want to fight you, but what you’re doing is…horrifying. You’re killing everything around here for…Gasoline! We can’t stand by and let that happen.”
The Pale Wanderer glanced at Tefé, a glum look on his face. Maxine seemed to be holder her breath somewhat, but there was no question that she was on Tefé and Capucine’s side. Sighing, The Pale Wanderer scratched his thigh with his gun, “So that’s how it is?”
Capucine’s grip on her sword tightened, “That’s how it is.”
The Pale Wanderer pursed his lips, “...Well, if we’ve got no more words to share…I guess we better hop to it.”
The wanderer raised his revolver, only for Capucine to surge forward at lightning speed, piercing him in the heart with her sword. For a moment, he was still, motionless, and Capucine stared him dead in the eyes. Then, he shifted, and after meeting her gaze, he began to laugh, his guffawing causing gasoline to spurt from his heart and onto Capucine’s sword and armor, “Hah! Good try!”
Capucine attempted to back away from the Wanderer, only for him to grab her wrist, keeping her and the sword wedged firmly in his body. Raising his weapon, he prepared to put a bullet in Capucine’s eyes, only for her to deliver a swift fist to his arm, knocking the gun out of his hands. Smiling, he took advantage of his newly freed hand, grabbing her by the throat and squeezing tight. As Capucine struggled for air, the Wanderer could only hoot and holler, “Whooo-weeee! We’re getting down to it now!”
Maxine and Tefé rushed to help the ancient warrior, only for a mob of living trees to encroach upon them, blocking their way while attempting to grab or smash them with their heavy branched arms. Maxine dove to the left, dodging the crushing slam of one tree, while Tefé slipped through the roots of another, narrowly avoiding being picked up again. Separated, the two tried to get a read on each other while avoiding harm, yet it was difficult for either of them to really do anything to help Capucine.
They were both far from the Red and the Green’s safety. No animal would go anywhere near the Pale Wanderer, meaning Maxine’s powers were utterly neutered. Similarly, there was no living plant life near the battlefield, meaning Tefé couldn’t use her powers either. If they wanted to get out of this, they would need to think outside the box.
And that’s when Tefé spotted the Wanderer’s revolver sitting in the mud, and a wild idea crossed her mind as she scanned it and the gasoline laden ground around it. She glanced at Maxine, then to the gun, and Maxine seemed to pick up on what she was thinking. It was a gambit, an insane gambit, but without much power to draw on, it might be their only shot.
Together, the two began to race for the gun, trying desperately to keep out of the reach of the trees. Tefé tried to get there quickly, yet she found herself pursued by a half dozen trees, pressured by their presence. Maxine was closer, and managed to pick up the gun as Tefé was halfway over, only for a tree to come barreling towards her. She whirled around to run, only to snag her foot on a dead root, causing her to trip and fall. Afraid of losing their one chance at Victory, Maxine shared a split second look with Tefé before throwing the gun towards the Pale Wanderer, just as the tree came down on her. It stretched out its arms, its branches ensnaring her and trapping her in place.
Her mind in overdrive, Tefé pivoted and raced for the Pale Wanderer, leaping over the swinging branches of another tree in order to catch the gun. Capucine gasped for air, her eyes glazing over as the Wanderer choked the life out of her, laughing like a madman. With the trees about to grab her, Tefé leapt for the Wanderer’s back, looping one arm around his neck to hold on while planting the gun’s barrel against the gasoline soaked sword, “Stop!”
The trees froze in place, including the one holding Maxine captive. The Pale Wanderer raised his eyebrow, loosening his grip on Capucine and allowing her to breath, “What’s this now? Ready to call it quits?”
Tefé gritted her teeth, “I’m ready to make a deal, and if you refuse, I’ll blow us all sky high! Even you won’t survive that, will you?”
“The hell’re you…” The Pale Wanderer looked down at the gun planted against the sword, and finally realized what was at stake. There was a reason smoking a cigarette at a gas station was a stupid idea, and Tefé was willing to demonstrate. A bullet crashing against steel would cause sparks, and sparks can light many fires, especially ones where the ground was soaked in gasoline. She’s set miles of forest on fire, to nuke the entire place from the ground up….and from the tone of her words, the Wanderer knew Tefé meant it, “Ohhhhh…Clever girl….Ha! So, you’ve got me. What do you want from me?”
Tefé let out a grunt of exhaustion, “I want you…to fuck off and never come back here. Got it?”
The Wanderer chuckled, then winked at Capucine, letting go of her and allowing her to pull out the sword, “Well then, a deal’s a deal.”
Snapping his fingers, The Wanderer watched as every tree around him began to dissolve into an inky ooze, including the one holding onto Maxine, who became drencheds in the stuff. Similarly, the Wanderer himself began to dissolve, though much more slowly. As he sank into the earth, he looked up at Tefé and Capucine, “This place’ll return to what it once was, but don’t count me out just yet. We’ll be seeing each other…oh, and keep the gun. Think of it as a gift from little ol’ me.”
Eventually, the Pale Wanderer was gone, not even his hat remaining, leaving Maxine, Tefé, and Capucine to stare at the spot he once occupied. The crisis at hand was solved, at least as far as they knew, but the problems were only just beginning.
A new force of nature was here, and it did not seem to be a peaceful one.
 
Next Issue: A Trip to somewhere new!
 

I (21F) decided to drop out of university a couple of months ago after my third attempt at a degree. Bluntly, I just don’t think the way it works is for me. I’m ADHD/ASD Level 1 and, partially as a result of that, I’m an extremely literal person and I learn through examples of a concept or way of thinking in practice. I had to spend hours and hours of my time a week seeking out examples of every single topic I learnt in a class (say, I was in a class about political theory when I was trying out political science and they mentioned historical relativism, I then had to spend hours searching for examples of historical relativism to understand it). I also struggle a lot with hyper focus and there’d be days where I’d just read without food or even more than one or two bathroom breaks from 8am in the morning to 8pm at night. As you can imagine, I got super burnt out and I’d crash and burn and end up majorly depressed within a year, but then a few months later I’d convince myself that it was just because I didn’t like the material and try again. Thankfully, I finally picked up on the cycle and I walked away for good. Maybe I’ll try again in my mid or late 20s, but, right now, I’m done.
I still live with my parents and, when I told them I dropped out of uni full-stop, they just said: “It’s absolutely fine that you’re not in uni for now, but you need to get a full-time job ASAP if you want to continue living here” and I jumped right on it. My dad works in hospital administration and his manager told him to tell me to send my resume to HR there and they’ll maybe hook me up with something. Within a week, I got an interview with one department that I thought went solidly despite my utter lack of experience in hospitals or even in administration (my only work experience before has been nannying and working in OSHC/tutoring centres casually). The department head called me about a week later saying I wasn’t successful for that particular position but they really liked “my personality” and all my references were great and they were passing my resume onto other department heads.
A couple of weeks later, I got a call from an administration manager that oversaw the hospital’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit and she wanted me to come in and “meet everyone”. I thought this just was code for another interview so I got super prepped and came in ready to be grilled. As it turns out, the manager just met me in the building that all the heads and managers work out of it and took me to the unit. I met the head nurse and her and the manager just sat me down and told me all about the unit, warned me about some of the challenges (ward accepts children and seeing brain-damaged children come who have to stay there on their own for an extended period doing rehab with little understanding of what’s going on is, of course, distressing + majority of patients in the ward are young men who sometimes get argumentative and aggressive), assured me that I’d do several weeks worth of training so that I’d feel adequately prepared, allowed me to ask questions and gave me a tour of the entire unit afterwards. In the end, the head nurse said: “Looking forward to seeing on the 27th!” as she said goodbye. I was totally flabbergasted because it wasn’t even an interview - just a good, informative chat.
The admin manager told me as she was seeing me off that I didn’t have to accept the position if I didn’t want it, but I “have the job” and to please let her know within a couple of days what I decided. I have my reservations about how I’ll handle it (I’ve worked with disabled children in tutoring/OSHC but this is a lot different) but I really want to give it a try + I kind of need a job so I called her the next day saying I’d love to take up the position. I’m still kind of in shock. As I said in the title, I basically got offered this job on a silver platter and I’m in absolute disbelief about how this has all happened and how I just suddenly got a job on a random Tuesday. Like wtf?
I got sent some paperwork yesterday about the job and the minimum pay is $2820 a fortnight which is utterly INSANE. No, I’m not going to be rich, but, as someone who’s always worked casually around school and never earned over $700 a fortnight, I still can’t fathom that amount of money. Even after I take out tax, mandatory HECS (student loan system in Australia) repayments and the amount of rent my parents are charging, I’m still pocketing $1800 a fortnight. I can’t even believe it. I didn’t think it was possible for 21-year-olds without a degree to earn that much. I don’t even want to tell anyone around me because I’m afraid it’s some mistake.
I won’t lie. There are some cons. The job is from 7:30 to 3:30 M-F and, because of how far I live from the hospital and the fact that I can’t drive for medical reasons, I’ll have to get up before 5:30 in the morning. The admin manager also mentioned to me that the unit doesn’t really ‘do’ overtime and if I clock out after my scheduled finish time, a record of that time is kept and I can eventually apply for an extra leave day with it. Furthermore, as I mentioned above, there’s elements of the job I have mixed feelings about. I have a lot of trouble comforting people, so if a distressed patient or family member approaches me (which, in a brain injury unit, is probably going to be common), I’m not really sure what else to say other than: “Oh… Oh.. I’m sorry… That really sucks… Oh… Oh…” Nevertheless, both of those pitfalls still don’t seem to justify the 72k a year to me… It’s not like I’m literally taking care of these patients, I’m just talking to people coming in and answering emails and phones.
I’m super scared that there’s something that’s being hidden from me and that’s why they were so eager to get me, an inexperienced 21 year old, into the position. I tried to ask my mum the other day: “What if they’re just saying that the patients are ‘argumentative’, but in reality they throw chairs and spit at the admin or you’ll have to pull 11 hour shifts on the regular with no proper overtime or they’ll just leave me in charge of an entire ward and that’s why they’re so desperate to find someone?” My mum told me that I was being ridiculous and I’m “underselling myself” and she’s sure it will be fine… but I’m not 100% certain. I’m sure there has to be at least some level of transparency and professionalism because it’s a public hospital and it’s fully accountable to the government (the Australian health system is reassuring sometimes!), but there’s nothing strictly stopping them from straight up lying about what I’m in for when I start this job.
I really want an objective perspective on this because everyone I’ve personally tried talking about this to has brushed me off and said they’re sure I’ll be great… But I don’t ask if they think I’ll be great, I’m asking if they think this job is straight up too good to be true and they’re just dancing around the question. Randoms, what do you think?

May 15/16 2024
👍👍 👋 Welcome citizens, come and take a look at the items I have to offer and feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions before buying.
About me:
RSI: Juannox - Discord: Juannox

• I'm a backer since Jan-2015, I'm an active user in the comunity, my goal is to bring all items to you at best possible prices from me, all funds will be used to support the proyect again,
• More than 3000 real trades in this subreddit without any problem.

✅ Safe place to trade:
- I don't use second hand credits and I don't purshase accounts, all the items I sell are directly from my own account using my own funds, so there is no risk on my side.
🌎🌍🌏 I'am accepting US$ and EU€ from anywhere in the world using paypal or Cryptocurrencies: BTC, ETH, LTC, USDT, BUSDT etc.
my local time is GMT -5

• Listed prices includes paypal fees.
• Verified paypal users only
• Confirmed RSI account only, (check HERE on how to)
• Items over $35 only to buyers with some reddit history (crypto has no limits)
• Check instructions on "how to buy" at the end of this post.

⬇️ STANDALONE SHIPS ⬇️

• If you don't find a ship in the list, feel free to ask me.- All the ships listed here are built with my own funds without using second-hand credits, so there's no risk here.

SHIP	Insurance - Attributes	Price	Availability
SPARTAN	OC - LTI	$90	✔️ YES
NOMAD	OC - LTI	$90	✔️ YES
CUTTER	OC - LTI	$70	✔️ YES
SABRE	CCU'ed - LTI	$155	✔️ YES
FREELANCER MIS	CCU'ed - LTI	$160	✔️ YES
CUTLASS BLUE	CCU'ed - LTI	$160	✔️ YES
F7C- SUPER HORNET	CCU'ed - LTI	$170	✔️ YES
A1 SPIRIT	CCU'ed - LTI	$180	✔️ YES
HURRICANE	CCU'ed - LTI	$185	✔️ YES
DEFENDER	CCU'ed - LTI	$190	✔️ YES
SAN TOK YAI	CCU'ed - LTI	$195	✔️ YES
SCORPIUS	CCU'ed - LTI	$200	✔️ YES
APOLLO TRIAGE	CCU'ed - LTI	$210	✔️ YES
ARES INFERNO	CCU'ed - LTI	$215	✔️ YES
ARES ION	CCU'ed - LTI	$215	✔️ YES
400i	CCU'ed - LTI	$215	✔️ YES
VANGUARD WARDEN	CCU'ed - LTI	$215	✔️ YES
CORSAIR BIS 2953	CCU'ed - LTI	$220	✔️ YES
MERCURY BIS 2952	CCU'ed - LTI	$225	✔️ YES
APOLLO MEDIVAC	CCU'ed - LTI	$230	✔️ YES
RETALIATOR BOMBER	CCU'ed - LTI	$230	✔️ YES
VANGUARD HARBINGER	CCU'ed - LTI	$235	✔️ YES
ECLIPSE	CCU'ed - LTI	$240	✔️ YES
CATERPILLAR	CCU'ed - LTI	$245	✔️ YES
REDEEMER	CCU'ed - LTI	$245	✔️ YES
ENDEAVOR	CCU'ed - LTI	$255	✔️ YES
CRUCIBLE	CCU'ed - LTI	$255	✔️ YES
VALKYRIE	CCU'ed - LTI	$265	✔️ YES
GALAXY	CCU'ed - LTI	$270	✔️ YES
RECLAIMER	CCU'ed - LTI	$285	✔️ YES
GENESIS	CCU'ed - LTI	$285	✔️ YES
C2 HERCULES	CCU'ed - LTI	$285	✔️ YES
600i EXPLORER BIS 2953	CCU'ed - LTI	$320	✔️ YES
HULL C	CCU'ed - LTI	$325	✔️ YES
M2 HERCULES	CCU'ed - LTI	$335	✔️ YES
HULL D	CCU'ed - LTI	$340	✔️ YES
LIBERATOR	CCU'ed - LTI	$345	✔️ YES
ARRASTRA	CCU'ed - LTI	$345	✔️ YES
CARRACK	CCU'ed - LTI	$345	✔️ YES
MERCHANTMAN	CCU'ed - LTI	$350	✔️ YES
ORION	CCU'ed - LTI	$350	✔️ YES
PERSEUS	CCU'ed - LTI	$370	✔️ YES
ODYSEY	CCU'ed - LTI	$380	✔️ YES
HAMERHEAD	CCU'ed - LTI	$390	✔️ YES
NAUTILUS	CCU'ed - LTI	$390	✔️ YES
POLARIS	CCU'ed - LTI	$395	✔️ YES

⬇️🤑 Saving Cost WARBOND/Pre-Price UPGRADES 🤑⬇️

FROM	📌	TO 👇	Insurance	Price
Reliant Mako	➡️	Freelancer	-	$10
Nova	➡️	Cutlass Red	-	$10
Hornet Tracker		Prospector	-	$10
Sabre	➡️	A1 Spirit	-	$15
Hornet Tracker	➡️	SRV	-	$16
Hull B	➡️	SRV	-	$16
Defender	➡️	Corsair	120	$15
Railen	➡️	Corsair	120	$15
F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	➡️	Defender	-	$12
Retaliator Bomber	➡️	Eclipse	120	$15
Prowler	➡️	Hull C	-	$25
F7C-M Super Hornet	➡️	Hurricane	-	$15
Liberator	➡️	Merchantman	-	$38
Vanguard Hoplite	➡️	Mercury	120	$12
Hull D	➡️	Orion	120	$56
Perseus	➡️	Polaris	120	$56
Reclaimer	➡️	Prowler	120	$25
Prospector	➡️	Sabre	120	$12
A1 Spirit	➡️	San'tok.yāi	120	$20
Starfarer Gemini	➡️	Valkyrie	-	$25
Razor	➡️	Vulture	-	$15

⬇️☀️ Standard UPGRADES ☀️⬇️

FROM	📌	TO 👇	Price	Availability
Aurora MR	➡️	MPUV C	$9	✔️ YES
Mustang Alpha	➡️	MPUV C	$9	✔️ YES
Aurora MR	➡️	P-72 Archimedes	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
HoverQuad	➡️	P-72 Archimedes	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Aurora MR	➡️	Ranger CV	$9	✔️ YES
HoverQuad	➡️	Ranger CV	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Aurora MR	➡️	Ranger RC	$9	✔️ YES
HoverQuad	➡️	Ranger RC	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Aurora LX	➡️	Ranger TR	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Dragonfly Black	➡️	Nox	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
P-72 Archimedes	➡️	X1	$14	✔️ YES
Dragonfly Black	➡️	X1	$9	✔️ YES
Dragonfly Yellowjacket	➡️	X1	$9	✔️ YES
STV	➡️	X1	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
C8X Pisces Expedition	➡️	Cutter Rambler	$9	✔️ YES
Cutter	➡️	Cutter Rambler	$9	✔️ YES
Mule	➡️	Cutter Rambler	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
C8X Pisces Expedition	➡️	Cutter Scout	$9	✔️ YES
Cutter	➡️	Cutter Scout	$9	✔️ YES
Mule	➡️	Cutter Scout	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
STV	➡️	X1 Velocity	$14	✔️ YES
Cutter	➡️	X1 Velocity	$9	✔️ YES
Mule	➡️	X1 Velocity	$9	✔️ YES
X1	➡️	X1 Velocity	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
100i	➡️	Fury	$9	✔️ YES
Cutter Rambler	➡️	Fury	$9	✔️ YES
Cutter Scout	➡️	Fury	$9	✔️ YES
Ursa	➡️	Fury	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
100i	➡️	Fury LX	$9	✔️ YES
Cutter Rambler	➡️	Fury LX	$9	✔️ YES
Cutter Scout	➡️	Fury LX	$9	✔️ YES
Ursa	➡️	Fury LX	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
100i	➡️	Fury MX	$9	✔️ YES
Cutter Rambler	➡️	Fury MX	$9	✔️ YES
Cutter Scout	➡️	Fury MX	$9	✔️ YES
Ursa	➡️	Fury MX	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
100i	➡️	Mustang Gamma	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Cutter	➡️	X1 Force	$14	✔️ YES
100i	➡️	X1 Force	$9	✔️ YES
X1 Velocity	➡️	X1 Force	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Cyclone	➡️	Lynx	$9	✔️ YES
Fury	➡️	Lynx	$9	✔️ YES
ROC	➡️	Lynx	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
300i	➡️	C8R Pisces	$9	✔️ YES
Avenger Stalker	➡️	C8R Pisces	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
125a	➡️	Cyclone RC	$9	✔️ YES
300i	➡️	Cyclone RC	$9	✔️ YES
Avenger Stalker	➡️	Cyclone RC	$9	✔️ YES
300i	➡️	Cyclone RN	$9	✔️ YES
Avenger Stalker	➡️	Cyclone RN	$9	✔️ YES
300i	➡️	Cyclone TR	$9	✔️ YES
Avenger Stalker	➡️	Cyclone TR	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Avenger Stalker	➡️	G12a	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Avenger Stalker	➡️	Mustang Delta	$9	🔥 Last one!
-	📌	TO 👇
135c	➡️	Syulen	$9	✔️ YES
Reliant Kore	➡️	Syulen	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
325a	➡️	Avenger Titan Renegade	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
325a	➡️	Cyclone MT	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Reliant Kore	➡️	Reliant Tana	$14	✔️ YES
325a	➡️	Reliant Tana	$9	✔️ YES
Syulen	➡️	Reliant Tana	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Arrow	➡️	Cyclone AA	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
300i	➡️	Spartan	$25	✔️ YES
G12	➡️	Spartan	$25	🔥 Last one!
G12r	➡️	Spartan	$25	🔥 Last one!
Arrow	➡️	Spartan	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Nomad	➡️	Avenger Warlock	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Nomad	➡️	Herald	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Arrow	➡️	Reliant Sen	$14	✔️ YES
Nomad	➡️	Reliant Sen	$9	✔️ YES
Spartan	➡️	Reliant Sen	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Arrow	➡️	Storm	$19	✔️ YES
Nomad	➡️	Storm	$14	✔️ YES
Reliant Sen	➡️	Storm	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Gladius	➡️	Reliant Mako	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Reliant Sen	➡️	M50	$19	✔️ YES
Gladius	➡️	M50	$14	✔️ YES
Hull A	➡️	M50	$14	✔️ YES
Reliant Mako	➡️	M50	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Gladius	➡️	Storm AA	$14	✔️ YES
Storm	➡️	Storm AA	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Hull A	➡️	Buccaneer	$25	✔️ YES
Hawk	➡️	Buccaneer	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Gladius	➡️	Centurion	$25	✔️ YES
Hull A	➡️	Centurion	$25	🔥 Last one!
-	📌	TO 👇
Gladius	➡️	Talon	$30	✔️ YES
Reliant Mako	➡️	Talon	$25	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Arrow	➡️	Talon Shrike	$46	✔️ YES
Gladius	➡️	Talon Shrike	$30	✔️ YES
Reliant Mako	➡️	Talon Shrike	$25	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Freelancer	➡️	Legionnaire	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
M50	➡️	Nova	$25	🔥 2 Left!
Cutlass Black	➡️	Nova	$14	✔️ YES
Freelancer	➡️	Nova	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Cutlass Black	➡️	350r	$19	✔️ YES
Talon	➡️	350r	$14	✔️ YES
Talon Shrike	➡️	350r	$14	✔️ YES
Legionnaire	➡️	350r	$9	✔️ YES
Nova	➡️	350r	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Cutlass Black	➡️	C1 Spirit	$19	✔️ YES
Freelancer	➡️	C1 Spirit	$19	✔️ YES
Nova	➡️	C1 Spirit	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
F7C Hornet	➡️	Cutlass Red	$30	🔥 Last one!
Freelancer	➡️	Cutlass Red	$30	🔥 Last one!
F7C-S Hornet Ghost	➡️	Cutlass Red	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Cutlass Red	➡️	Hull B	$9	✔️ YES
Freelancer DUR	➡️	Hull B	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
F7C-R Hornet Tracker	➡️	Razor	$9	✔️ YES
Hull B	➡️	Razor	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Ballista	➡️	E1 Spirit	$14	✔️ YES
Razor	➡️	E1 Spirit	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
F7C-R Hornet Tracker	➡️	Expanse	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
F7C-R Hornet Tracker	➡️	Razor LX	$14	✔️ YES
Razor	➡️	Razor LX	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Razor	➡️	Zeus Mk II CL	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Razor	➡️	Zeus Mk II ES	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Razor	➡️	Razor EX	$14	✔️ YES
Freelancer MAX	➡️	Razor EX	$9	✔️ YES
Mantis	➡️	Razor EX	$9	✔️ YES
Razor LX	➡️	Razor EX	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	Gladiator	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Hull B	➡️	Khartu-Al	$35	✔️ YES
Prospector	➡️	Khartu-Al	$19	✔️ YES
Gladiator	➡️	Khartu-Al	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Freelancer MAX	➡️	Sabre	$25	🔥 2 Left!
Prospector	➡️	Sabre	$19	✔️ YES
Razor EX	➡️	Sabre	$19	✔️ YES
Gladiator	➡️	Sabre	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Cutlass Red	➡️	Cutlass Blue	$46	✔️ YES
Prospector	➡️	Cutlass Blue	$25	✔️ YES
Sabre	➡️	Cutlass Blue	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	F7C Hornet Wildfire	$25	✔️ YES
Razor EX	➡️	F7C Hornet Wildfire	$25	✔️ YES
Gladiator	➡️	F7C Hornet Wildfire	$14	✔️ YES
Khartu-Al	➡️	F7C Hornet Wildfire	$9	✔️ YES
Sabre	➡️	F7C Hornet Wildfire	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
E1 Spirit	➡️	Freelancer MIS	$30	✔️ YES
Prospector	➡️	Freelancer MIS	$25	✔️ YES
Razor EX	➡️	Freelancer MIS	$25	✔️ YES
Gladiator	➡️	Freelancer MIS	$14	✔️ YES
Khartu-Al	➡️	Freelancer MIS	$9	✔️ YES
Sabre	➡️	Freelancer MIS	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet	$35	✔️ YES
Razor EX	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet	$35	✔️ YES
Gladiator	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet	$25	✔️ YES
Khartu-Al	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet	$19	✔️ YES
Sabre	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet	$19	✔️ YES
Cutlass Blue	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet	$14	✔️ YES
F7C Hornet Wildfire	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet	$14	✔️ YES
Freelancer MIS	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet	$14	✔️ YES
Vulture	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	Sabre Comet	$35	✔️ YES
Vulture	➡️	Sabre Comet	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Vulture	➡️	Zeus Mk II MR	$19	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet	➡️	Zeus Mk II MR	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	A1 Spirit	$51	✔️ YES
Gladiator	➡️	A1 Spirit	$40	✔️ YES
Khartu-Al	➡️	A1 Spirit	$35	✔️ YES
Sabre	➡️	A1 Spirit	$35	✔️ YES
Vulture	➡️	A1 Spirit	$30	✔️ YES
Zeus Mk II MR	➡️	A1 Spirit	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	$51	✔️ YES
Sabre	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	$35	✔️ YES
Freelancer MIS	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	$30	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	$19	✔️ YES
Sabre Comet	➡️	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	$19	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
F7C-M Super Hornet	➡️	Vulcan	$19	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	Hurricane	$62	✔️ YES
Sabre	➡️	Hurricane	$46	✔️ YES
Cutlass Blue	➡️	Hurricane	$40	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet	➡️	Hurricane	$30	✔️ YES
A1 Spirit	➡️	Hurricane	$14	✔️ YES
Constellation Taurus	➡️	Hurricane	$14	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	➡️	Hurricane	$14	✔️ YES
Vulcan	➡️	Hurricane	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	Defender	$72	✔️ YES
Khartu-Al	➡️	Defender	$56	🔥 2 Left!
Sabre	➡️	Defender	$56	✔️ YES
Cutlass Blue	➡️	Defender	$51	✔️ YES
Freelancer MIS	➡️	Defender	$51	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet	➡️	Defender	$40	✔️ YES
Sabre Comet	➡️	Defender	$40	✔️ YES
Constellation Taurus	➡️	Defender	$25	✔️ YES
Hurricane	➡️	Defender	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
A1 Spirit	➡️	Terrapin	$25	✔️ YES
Constellation Taurus	➡️	Terrapin	$25	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	➡️	Terrapin	$25	✔️ YES
Vulcan	➡️	Terrapin	$25	✔️ YES
Hurricane	➡️	Terrapin	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	Railen	$77	✔️ YES
Constellation Taurus	➡️	Railen	$30	✔️ YES
Vulcan	➡️	Railen	$30	✔️ YES
Defender	➡️	Railen	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Taurus	➡️	Scorpius Antares	$35	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	➡️	Scorpius Antares	$35	✔️ YES
Hurricane	➡️	Scorpius Antares	$25	✔️ YES
Defender	➡️	Scorpius Antares	$14	✔️ YES
Terrapin	➡️	Scorpius Antares	$14	✔️ YES
Railen	➡️	Scorpius Antares	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Taurus	➡️	Cutlass Steel	$40	✔️ YES
Terrapin	➡️	Cutlass Steel	$19	✔️ YES
Scorpius Antares	➡️	Cutlass Steel	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
A1 Spirit	➡️	San'tok.yāi	$46	✔️ YES
Constellation Taurus	➡️	San'tok.yāi	$46	✔️ YES
Hurricane	➡️	San'tok.yāi	$35	✔️ YES
Defender	➡️	San'tok.yāi	$25	✔️ YES
Terrapin	➡️	San'tok.yāi	$25	✔️ YES
Scorpius Antares	➡️	San'tok.yāi	$14	✔️ YES
Cutlass Steel	➡️	San'tok.yāi	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	Scorpius	$93	✔️ YES
Sabre	➡️	Scorpius	$77	✔️ YES
Freelancer MIS	➡️	Scorpius	$72	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet	➡️	Scorpius	$62	✔️ YES
Sabre Comet	➡️	Scorpius	$62	🔥 2 Left!
Constellation Taurus	➡️	Scorpius	$46	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	➡️	Scorpius	$46	✔️ YES
Hurricane	➡️	Scorpius	$35	✔️ YES
Defender	➡️	Scorpius	$25	✔️ YES
Terrapin	➡️	Scorpius	$25	✔️ YES
Scorpius Antares	➡️	Scorpius	$14	✔️ YES
Cutlass Steel	➡️	Scorpius	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Taurus	➡️	Vanguard Hoplite	$46	✔️ YES
Defender	➡️	Vanguard Hoplite	$25	✔️ YES
Railen	➡️	Vanguard Hoplite	$19	✔️ YES
Scorpius Antares	➡️	Vanguard Hoplite	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Taurus	➡️	400i	$56	✔️ YES
Terrapin	➡️	400i	$35	✔️ YES
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	400i	$14	✔️ YES
San'tok.yāi	➡️	400i	$14	✔️ YES
Scorpius	➡️	400i	$14	✔️ YES
Vanguard Hoplite	➡️	400i	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Apollo Triage	$14	✔️ YES
Scorpius	➡️	Apollo Triage	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	Ares Inferno	$104	✔️ YES
Sabre	➡️	Ares Inferno	$88	✔️ YES
Freelancer MIS	➡️	Ares Inferno	$83	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet	➡️	Ares Inferno	$72	✔️ YES
Sabre Comet	➡️	Ares Inferno	$72	✔️ YES
Constellation Taurus	➡️	Ares Inferno	$56	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	➡️	Ares Inferno	$56	✔️ YES
Vulcan	➡️	Ares Inferno	$56	✔️ YES
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Ares Inferno	$14	✔️ YES
San'tok.yāi	➡️	Ares Inferno	$14	✔️ YES
Scorpius	➡️	Ares Inferno	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prospector	➡️	Ares Ion	$104	✔️ YES
Sabre	➡️	Ares Ion	$88	✔️ YES
Freelancer MIS	➡️	Ares Ion	$83	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet	➡️	Ares Ion	$72	✔️ YES
Sabre Comet	➡️	Ares Ion	$72	✔️ YES
Constellation Taurus	➡️	Ares Ion	$56	✔️ YES
F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	➡️	Ares Ion	$56	✔️ YES
Vulcan	➡️	Ares Ion	$56	✔️ YES
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Ares Ion	$14	✔️ YES
San'tok.yāi	➡️	Ares Ion	$14	✔️ YES
Scorpius	➡️	Ares Ion	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Defender	➡️	Corsair	$35	✔️ YES
Terrapin	➡️	Corsair	$35	✔️ YES
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Corsair	$14	✔️ YES
San'tok.yāi	➡️	Corsair	$14	✔️ YES
Scorpius	➡️	Corsair	$14	✔️ YES
Vanguard Hoplite	➡️	Corsair	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	➡️	Mercury	$67	✔️ YES
Terrapin	➡️	Mercury	$46	✔️ YES
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Mercury	$25	✔️ YES
San'tok.yāi	➡️	Mercury	$25	✔️ YES
Scorpius	➡️	Mercury	$25	✔️ YES
Vanguard Hoplite	➡️	Mercury	$25	✔️ YES
400i	➡️	Mercury	$14	✔️ YES
Ares Inferno	➡️	Mercury	$14	✔️ YES
Ares Ion	➡️	Mercury	$14	✔️ YES
Corsair	➡️	Mercury	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Vanguard Warden	$25	✔️ YES
Scorpius	➡️	Vanguard Warden	$25	✔️ YES
400i	➡️	Vanguard Warden	$14	✔️ YES
Ares Inferno	➡️	Vanguard Warden	$14	✔️ YES
Ares Ion	➡️	Vanguard Warden	$14	✔️ YES
Corsair	➡️	Vanguard Warden	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Apollo Medivac	$40	✔️ YES
400i	➡️	Apollo Medivac	$30	✔️ YES
Apollo Triage	➡️	Apollo Medivac	$30	✔️ YES
Corsair	➡️	Apollo Medivac	$30	✔️ YES
Mercury	➡️	Apollo Medivac	$19	✔️ YES
Vanguard Warden	➡️	Apollo Medivac	$19	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Blade	$40	🔥 2 Left!
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Retaliator Bomber	$40	✔️ YES
Scorpius	➡️	Retaliator Bomber	$40	🔥 Last one!
400i	➡️	Retaliator Bomber	$30	✔️ YES
Ares Inferno	➡️	Retaliator Bomber	$30	✔️ YES
Ares Ion	➡️	Retaliator Bomber	$30	✔️ YES
Corsair	➡️	Retaliator Bomber	$30	✔️ YES
Mercury	➡️	Retaliator Bomber	$19	✔️ YES
Vanguard Warden	➡️	Retaliator Bomber	$19	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Vanguard Sentinel	$40	✔️ YES
400i	➡️	Vanguard Sentinel	$30	✔️ YES
Ares Ion	➡️	Vanguard Sentinel	$30	✔️ YES
Corsair	➡️	Vanguard Sentinel	$30	✔️ YES
Mercury	➡️	Vanguard Sentinel	$19	✔️ YES
Vanguard Warden	➡️	Vanguard Sentinel	$19	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Vanguard Harbinger	$56	✔️ YES
Mercury	➡️	Vanguard Harbinger	$35	✔️ YES
Vanguard Warden	➡️	Vanguard Harbinger	$35	✔️ YES
Retaliator Bomber	➡️	Vanguard Harbinger	$19	✔️ YES
Vanguard Sentinel	➡️	Vanguard Harbinger	$19	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Eclipse	$67	✔️ YES
Mercury	➡️	Eclipse	$46	✔️ YES
Vanguard Warden	➡️	Eclipse	$46	🔥 Last one!
Retaliator Bomber	➡️	Eclipse	$30	✔️ YES
Vanguard Sentinel	➡️	Eclipse	$30	✔️ YES
Vanguard Harbinger	➡️	Eclipse	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Starfarer	$67	🔥 Last one!
Mercury	➡️	Starfarer	$46	🔥 Last one!
Vanguard Harbinger	➡️	Starfarer	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Andromeda	➡️	Caterpillar	$99	✔️ YES
400i	➡️	Caterpillar	$88	✔️ YES
Mercury	➡️	Caterpillar	$77	✔️ YES
Vanguard Warden	➡️	Caterpillar	$77	✔️ YES
Retaliator Bomber	➡️	Caterpillar	$62	✔️ YES
Vanguard Sentinel	➡️	Caterpillar	$62	✔️ YES
Vanguard Harbinger	➡️	Caterpillar	$46	✔️ YES
Constellation Aquila	➡️	Caterpillar	$19	✔️ YES
MOLE	➡️	Caterpillar	$19	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Mercury	➡️	Redeemer	$77	✔️ YES
Vanguard Warden	➡️	Redeemer	$77	✔️ YES
Constellation Aquila	➡️	Redeemer	$19	✔️ YES
MOLE	➡️	Redeemer	$19	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Aquila	➡️	Starfarer Gemini	$30	✔️ YES
MOLE	➡️	Starfarer Gemini	$30	✔️ YES
Caterpillar	➡️	Starfarer Gemini	$14	✔️ YES
Redeemer	➡️	Starfarer Gemini	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
MOLE	➡️	Crucible	$40	✔️ YES
Caterpillar	➡️	Crucible	$25	✔️ YES
Starfarer Gemini	➡️	Crucible	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
MOLE	➡️	Endeavor	$40	✔️ YES
Caterpillar	➡️	Endeavor	$25	✔️ YES
Redeemer	➡️	Endeavor	$25	✔️ YES
Starfarer Gemini	➡️	Endeavor	$14	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Aquila	➡️	Valkyrie	$67	🔥 Last one!
MOLE	➡️	Valkyrie	$67	✔️ YES
Caterpillar	➡️	Valkyrie	$51	✔️ YES
Redeemer	➡️	Valkyrie	$51	✔️ YES
Starfarer Gemini	➡️	Valkyrie	$40	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Valkyrie	➡️	Galaxy	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
MOLE	➡️	C2 Hercules	$93	✔️ YES
Starfarer Gemini	➡️	C2 Hercules	$67	✔️ YES
Glaive	➡️	C2 Hercules	$56	✔️ YES
Valkyrie	➡️	C2 Hercules	$30	✔️ YES
Galaxy	➡️	C2 Hercules	$25	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
MOLE	➡️	Genesis	$93	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Valkyrie	➡️	Reclaimer	$30	✔️ YES
Galaxy	➡️	Reclaimer	$25	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Valkyrie	➡️	600i Touring	$67	🔥 Last one!
C2 Hercules	➡️	600i Touring	$40	✔️ YES
Reclaimer	➡️	600i Touring	$40	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Constellation Aquila	➡️	Prowler	$136	✔️ YES
Valkyrie	➡️	Prowler	$72	✔️ YES
C2 Hercules	➡️	Prowler	$46	✔️ YES
Reclaimer	➡️	Prowler	$46	✔️ YES
600i Touring	➡️	Prowler	$9	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
C2 Hercules	➡️	600i Explorer	$83	🔥 2 Left!
600i Touring	➡️	600i Explorer	$46	✔️ YES
Prowler	➡️	600i Explorer	$40	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
MOLE	➡️	Hull C	$199	✔️ YES
Prowler	➡️	Hull C	$67	✔️ YES
600i Explorer	➡️	Hull C	$30	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
MOLE	➡️	M2 Hercules	$220	✔️ YES
C2 Hercules	➡️	M2 Hercules	$130	✔️ YES
600i Explorer	➡️	M2 Hercules	$51	✔️ YES
Hull C	➡️	M2 Hercules	$25	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
M2 Hercules	➡️	Arrastra	$62	✔️ YES
Hull D	➡️	Arrastra	$30	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
M2 Hercules	➡️	Liberator	$62	✔️ YES
Hull D	➡️	Liberator	$30	🔥 2 Left!
-	📌	TO 👇
Valkyrie	➡️	Carrack	$241	✔️ YES
Genesis	➡️	Carrack	$215	🔥 Last one!
Prowler	➡️	Carrack	$173	✔️ YES
600i Explorer	➡️	Carrack	$136	✔️ YES
M2 Hercules	➡️	Carrack	$88	✔️ YES
Arrastra	➡️	Carrack	$30	✔️ YES
Liberator	➡️	Carrack	$30	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Prowler	➡️	Merchantman	$225	✔️ YES
600i Explorer	➡️	Merchantman	$188	✔️ YES
M2 Hercules	➡️	Merchantman	$141	✔️ YES
Liberator	➡️	Merchantman	$83	✔️ YES
Carrack	➡️	Merchantman	$56	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Carrack	➡️	Orion	$56	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Carrack	➡️	Perseus	$83	✔️ YES
Merchantman	➡️	Perseus	$30	✔️ YES
Orion	➡️	Perseus	$30	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Carrack	➡️	Odyssey	$109	✔️ YES
Perseus	➡️	Odyssey	$30	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Carrack	➡️	Hammerhead	$136	🔥 Last one!
Carrack Expedition w/C8X	➡️	Hammerhead	$88	🔥 2 Left!
Merchantman	➡️	Hammerhead	$83	✔️ YES
Perseus	➡️	Hammerhead	$56	✔️ YES
Odyssey	➡️	Hammerhead	$30	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Merchantman	➡️	Nautilus	$83	🔥 Last one!
Perseus	➡️	Nautilus	$56	🔥 2 Left!
Odyssey	➡️	Nautilus	$30	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
M2 Hercules	➡️	A2 Hercules	$247	🔥 Last one!
Carrack	➡️	A2 Hercules	$162	✔️ YES
Carrack Expedition	➡️	A2 Hercules	$136	🔥 2 Left!
Carrack Expedition w/C8X	➡️	A2 Hercules	$114	✔️ YES
Merchantman	➡️	A2 Hercules	$109	✔️ YES
Perseus	➡️	A2 Hercules	$83	✔️ YES
Odyssey	➡️	A2 Hercules	$56	✔️ YES
Hammerhead	➡️	A2 Hercules	$30	✔️ YES
-	📌	TO 👇
Perseus	➡️	Polaris	$83	✔️ YES
Hammerhead	➡️	Polaris	$38	✔️ YES
Nautilus	➡️	Polaris	$38	✔️ YES

⬇️☀️ SOME ITEMS AND PAINTS ☀️⬇️

Items	Price
Scorpius - Stinger Paint 💎	$45
Scorpius - Sunburn Paint	$14
Spirit - Olympia Paint	$18
Constellation ILW 2950 Paint Pack	$24
CITIZENCON 2951 DIGITAL GOODIES	$10

HOW TO BUY:

1. PM me what you would like to buy and include your Verified PayPal email
2. Reply to this thread by announcing that you sent me a private message "PM'd", so I can see that you are a verified buyer.
3. I will then send you an invoice to your paypal email.
4. After payment is cleared Item is delivered to the buyer's PayPal email address.
5. You will recieve a regular email from RSI with the title "Someone sent you a gift from Roberts Space Industries"
6. Make sure to be logged into the correct RSI account before you open the link inside,
7. I will post in "Confirmed Trades theme post" thread announcing the sale.
8. After confirming the gift, you can reply to the post in which I mention you with +verify in "Confirmed Trades theme post".
9. Tracking and proof of delivery are provided by "Hangar Log" on RSI website.

Important: I don't do middleman services, my Discord is Juannox#3193, I do not do trades or anything in discord, avoid trades with any name other than that, please read THIS

Hi 👋 I'm a white male (26), physically attractive (in shape, healthy, handsome face, etc.) Most women say I'm a 8-10 online. But when out in public it seems like women in their 20s just treat me like I'm scum, ignore me, avert their eyes from me, etc. Cashiers even seem rude to me. For instance recently a chick 24-27 was cashiering and I said "Hello" when I approached And I didn't say anything else. She said "hi" back. She scanned my item etc, and She cracked her neck and said "ow my neck." Then she looked over her shoulder and playfully waved to another girl coworker and smiling all giddy like. I said "thank you, have a good day" at the end and she practically rolled her eyes. She definitely widened them not directly looking at me, but speaking to me, and simultaneously said "Yeah.. you too." I get similar kind of interactions all the time that just come off cold from women around my age. I just don't understand it. I live in a liberal college town. Does anyone else experience this being an attractive, quiet/shy, white guy? Do you think women are intimidated by me because of my looks so they act like I'm not in their presence? Am I just way too quiet or shy so they think I don't like them? It used to not be like this at all like 5-8 years ago. Girls my age actually acknowledged me, looked at me, and showed interest. Sometimes I feel like young white guys are stereotyped to be creeps or something and that's how girls view me.
Am I overthinking all this? Please comment your honest opinion or experience on the matter if you want to.
EDIT: I find it quite disturbing that I posted something that has been concerning to me and my mental health for awhile now and literally everyone attacked me when all I wanted to know if I'm just delusional or not. I Literally was drowning myself to sleep with alcohol from stuff like this and other personal reasons that I won't talk about here only 5 months ago. Now I'm 5 months sober and gaining my mental health back. I couldn't even walk into a store without almost having an anxiety attack from how lost I was from being a drunk for so long. Sorry to those people that I have offended for giving details about myself to paint a picture of me and my situation. I tried my best to explain it but most people search for what they can attack about someone before even lending some help I guess. We're all shaped from media and society and how we talk and use terms and whatnot. Some get lost along the way in their own thoughts and are blinded. Instead of immediately attacking those people how about you show them to the "light?"
Anyway...
Thanks for making me feel like even more of a piece of crap Society.

Hello Reddit. Below is a one-shot designed for four level 8 characters. I would expect this to take approximately 2 sessions of a few hours (roughly 6 hours in total) to run through in its entirety. Your mileage may vary depending on how quickly your table handles combat.
You can find a PDF of this adventure along with battlemaps here.
Here's a quick adventure overview:
This is a combat focused adventure that takes place on an unnaturally frozen lake outside the mountain town of Maul, though it could be set on any lake of your choosing.
The players are tasked with killing a Frost Giant named Tirrog who has recently descended from nearby mountains. With the aid of a white dragon, he has frozen the lake and created an icy palace atop it.
The players must survive a series of challenging encounters before confronting Tirrog and his enslaved white dragon beneath his palace. After successfully ending the threat, the players will be rewarded with the favor of Maul’s residents.
If you get the chance to run this, or even just look through the whole thing, I would love feedback!
Here is the rest of the adventure:

For the DM: What’s Going on Here?

Some additional context just for the Dungeon Master:
· Tirrog, the Frost Giant, was cast out of his clan after losing a duel with his father.
· He stole a Young Adult White Dragon named Bymraynyl and used her power to freeze a nearby lake and construct an icy palace.
· Tirrog resides in a cavern beneath the palace, awaiting the challenge of Maul’s mightiest warriors, hoping to regain his clan’s favor by winning.
· Bymraynyl, the white dragon, is imprisoned by Tirrog and will only attack the players if they fail to free her.

Adventure Hooks

When determining why your players are involved with ending Tirrog’s icy presence, feel free to use any, or all, of the below Adventure Hooks when discussing this adventure with your players.

Aiding the Guards of Maul

The adventurers are approached by Brenlanna Orina, the Captain of the Guards of Maul. Brenlanna explains the situation caused by Tirrog is dire as his forces roam the countryside and many townsfolk have gone missing.
The constant threat has left the town’s defenses stretched thin and she needs capable adventurers to end his reign of terror. She emphasizes that defeating Tirrog will not only bring peace to Maul, but also earn the gratitude and favor of its people.

Ecological Balance

Mort, A local druid, approaches the adventurers to express his deep concerns about the unnatural freezing of the lake. Mort explains that the frozen lake has disrupted the local ecosystem, causing harm to wildlife and plants.
He implores the adventurers to defeat Tirrog and restore the natural balance. In return, the druid offers their knowledge of the land, rare herbs, and a powerful artifact as a reward. Restoring the lake to its natural state will help the region thrive once more.

Dragon Hunters

Word has travelled far and wide that Bymraynyl, a white dragon, is far from its natural territory and is imprisoned by Tirrog, the frost giant.
The adventurers are from a dragon hunting guild and see this as a prime opportunity to either hone their skills of slaying dragons or set free a majestic creature, allowing it to grow and become a more challenging hunt.

Before the Adventure Begins

This adventure begins by introducing your players at the gates of Tirrog’s frozen palace. They will be battling their way through Tirrog’s defenses, seeking to challenge him. Share the below excerpt with your players as they create their characters:
Your journeys have brought you to Maul, a small mountain town renowned for its gladiatorial games held beneath the mountain of Pike Rise.
Word has travelled quickly that Tirrog, a frost giant, has descended from the peaks of Pike Rise with Bymraynyl, a white dragon. They have frozen a nearby lake and constructed an icy palace. Frost is spreading farther from the lake with each passing day and Tirrog’s forces patrol the countryside, pillaging small villages.
For your own various reasons, you have agreed to help end Tirrog’s reign of terror by any means necessary.
As the game master, you should note down the passive perception for each character as this will be referenced in the adventure for ambush encounters.
The encounters provided in this adventure are balanced for four level 8 characters. To adjust for fewer players, consider removing ¼ of the monsters’ health pools for each player less than four. To adjust for more players, consider adding additional Duergar Berserkers or Ice Mephits in each encounter.

Approaching the Palace

When your players are ready to begin their adventure, start by reading the below excerpt to kick things off:
As you approach the lake, a chill unlike any you’ve felt before cuts through your armor. Before you is an unnaturally frozen expanse, its surface a flawless sheet of ice stretching as far as the eye can see. The air is eerily still, and the usual sounds of wildlife are absent, replaced only by the whispers of wind across the frozen wasteland.
In the center of this icy domain stands an imposing ice palace, its glistening walls reflect the pale sunlight from above. Four watchtowers, each 40 feet tall and crafted entirely of ice, stand at the corners of the palace.
The front door of the palace, a massive slab of ice 20 feet wide, looms before you. Its surface is intricately carved with frost patterns, but it is sealed shut, offering no immediate passage into the stronghold. The sense of foreboding is palpable, as if the palace itself is a living entity, waiting to challenge those who dare approach.
[Player A], please describe your character, what they are doing, and where they are on the map. (Ask this of all players before continuing)

Palace Locations

P1. Four Watchtowers

To open the palace's front door, the adventurers must pull four levers located at the tops of the four icy watchtowers. Each tower is guarded by a Duergar Berserker and two Ice Mephits. Engaging one group will alert the other towers.
Ice bridges connect the left and right towers and are considered difficult terrain. The 40-foot towers are nearly impossible to climb without magic or specialized gear. Once all four levers are pulled, the palace door will melt.

P2. Palace Entrance

The palace's interior boasts 30-foot-high ceilings supported by large ice pillars. Braziers of blue flame illuminate four ice sculptures, an icy throne, and the bones of Tirrog's unsuccessful challengers. In the center of the floor is a 20-foot circle of intricate carvings, which opens when two Ice Elementals are defeated.
Two Ice Elementals are hidden within the ice walls, ready to ambush the players once they all enter the palace. Upon defeating them, the circle in the floor melts away, revealing a 100-foot-deep hole with a wooden ladder descending beneath the lake.

P3. Beneath the Lake

The floors in all subsequent rooms are ice and considered difficult terrain. There are four pairs of Ice Cleats in room P4 which can aid with traversing the rooms. Most of the walls are perfectly sculpted ice, 25-feet-high, but some areas have caved in due to lake pressure or creature damage. All doorways are wooden and unlocked unless noted otherwise.
There are no torches in this room and constant howling wind can be heard from room P6.

P4. Ice Bunks

This well-lit room of ice contains four beds and supplies for the Duergar. If the boxes are searched, the players will easily find four pairs of Ice Cleats.
There are 2 Duergar Berserkers in this room and if engaged, they will alert the Duergar in room P5.
A DC 18 investigation check will uncover a +2 Greataxe hidden in an icy cavity underneath one of the beds. There is a small supply room that connects P4 to P5.

P5. Leisure Hall

This room is well-lit and contains tables, mostly empty casks of beer, and a rack of mugs along the wall. There is 1 Duergar Berserker and 1 Duergar Priest in this room. They will alert the Duergar in room P4 if engaged.
One of the casks has 6 servings of Mimic’s Brew left in it.

P6. The Frozen Hall

This area is the coldest room in the Palace and there is a deafening wind constantly blowing. It is well-lit and the entryway to this room is supported by two pillars.
There is a magical ice statue at the end of the hallway that is constantly blowing damaging ice winds. There is a stone on the back of the statue which deactivates it.
The wind blows from the statue and ends just before it reaches the room with the pillars. A creature can be damaged by the wind once per round. If a creature is in the presence of the icy wind, they must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.
The doorways to P10 and P11 are locked with padlocks. They can both be unlocked with a DC 17 Thieves’ Tools check.

P7. Prison Cell

This room contains one locked cell. It takes a Thieves’ Tools check (DC 15) to unlock the cell. There is also a chair made of ice sitting in the corner of this room.
Zathea, a female Duergar Berserker, is locked in the cell and visibly malnourished.
If Zathea is freed from her cell, she will warn the adventurers of the troll ahead, tell them how to deactivate the stone statue, and ask that they consider letting Bymraynyl go

P8. Lumber Storage

This unlit room is where lumber for fires is kept. There are a few axes for cutting wood. Three of the logs in this room are Mimics but will only attack if the players actively search through the logs.

P9. The Crumbling Hall

This illuminated hallway is visibly damaged. A Perception check (DC 15) will notice claw marks as the primary source of damage.
The doorway to P10 is locked with a padlock and can be unlocked with a DC 17 Thieves’ Tools check.

P10. Troll’s Den

This room is not lit, contains the bones of many dead fish, and smells putrid. There is 1 Troll in this room.
A DC 17 Investigation check will find a gemmed golden lure in the carcass of a dead fish worth approximately 50 gold pieces.

P11. Bymraynyl, The White Dragon

This room contains Bymraynyl, a young adult white dragon, who has just freed herself from Tirrog’s chains. She is visibly wounded and only has half of her health.
She will try to reason with the adventurers to let her go but is ready to fight if they will not.
If the players choose to free Bymraynyl, she will excavate a small amount of ice and reveal a +2 Breastplate hidden in the ice, which they are free to take.

P12. Tirrog, The Frost Giant

Tirrog sits patiently in this well-lit icy throne room, waiting for his challengers. Before engaging with the adventurers, he gently pats a large wooden chest next to his throne and says in Giant:
I took all that I could from Pike Rise and it’s all yours should you defeat me. But with your heads, I can return home. Let us see who will be rewarded this day.
The chest contains 15 sapphires worth 25 gold each, 2,000 gold, 2 potions of greater healing, and an Everwarm Blanket.

Random Encounters

Roll 1 4-sided die every hour to determine which monsters return to the palace from their patrol around the lake. All monsters should roam freely as you see fit.

Result	Monsters returning from Patrol
1	3 Duergar Berserkers & 2 Ice Mephits
2	1 Ice Elemental & 4 Ice Mephits
3	1 Troll
4	1 Ice Elemental & 1 Duergar Berserker

Concluding the Adventure
Upon defeating Tirrog, the players will have reached the end of this adventure. If you and your players wish to continue adventuring from this point, this would be an appropriate milestone to increase their character levels to 9.
Thank you for playing through The Frozen Palace of Tirrog. I hope you and your players had a fun time with this adventure!

Magical Items

Everwarm Blanket

Adventuring Gear, very rare
This quilted blanket is surrounded by a comfortably warm aura.
While this blanket is in your inventory, you do not suffer any exhaustion caused by sources of cold.

Ice Cleats

Adventuring Gear, common
These blue metal cleats can be attached to any footwear.
While equipped, ice is not considered difficult terrain when moving across it.

Mimic’s Brew (Brown Ale)

Beer, Uncommon
When you drink this beer, you can change your appearance as though you casted Alter Self for one hour.
An hour after you consume this beer, your tongue hangs from your mouth until you finish a long rest.
The bottom of this potent brown ale is a small layer of slime

Tirrog’s Helmet

Helmet, rare (requires attunement)
You gain a +1 bonus to AC and Constitution saving throws while you where this helmet.
While wearing this helmet, you can gain the “enlarge” effect of the enlarge/reduce spell for 1d4 hours (no concentration required). Once used, this effect cannot be used again until you complete a long rest.

Hello Reddit. Below is a one-shot designed for four level 8 characters. I would expect this to take approximately 2 sessions of a few hours (roughly 6 hours in total) to run through in its entirety. Your mileage may vary depending on how quickly your table handles combat.
You can find a PDF of this adventure along with battlemaps here.
Here's a quick adventure overview:
This is a combat focused adventure that takes place on an unnaturally frozen lake outside the mountain town of Maul, though it could be set on any lake of your choosing.
The players are tasked with killing a Frost Giant named Tirrog who has recently descended from nearby mountains. With the aid of a white dragon, he has frozen the lake and created an icy palace atop it.
The players must survive a series of challenging encounters before confronting Tirrog and his enslaved white dragon beneath his palace. After successfully ending the threat, the players will be rewarded with the favor of Maul’s residents.
If you get the chance to run this, or even just look through the whole thing, I would love feedback!
Here is the rest of the adventure:

For the DM: What’s Going on Here?

Some additional context just for the Dungeon Master:
· Tirrog, the Frost Giant, was cast out of his clan after losing a duel with his father.
· He stole a Young Adult White Dragon named Bymraynyl and used her power to freeze a nearby lake and construct an icy palace.
· Tirrog resides in a cavern beneath the palace, awaiting the challenge of Maul’s mightiest warriors, hoping to regain his clan’s favor by winning.
· Bymraynyl, the white dragon, is imprisoned by Tirrog and will only attack the players if they fail to free her.

Adventure Hooks

When determining why your players are involved with ending Tirrog’s icy presence, feel free to use any, or all, of the below Adventure Hooks when discussing this adventure with your players.

Aiding the Guards of Maul

The adventurers are approached by Brenlanna Orina, the Captain of the Guards of Maul. Brenlanna explains the situation caused by Tirrog is dire as his forces roam the countryside and many townsfolk have gone missing.
The constant threat has left the town’s defenses stretched thin and she needs capable adventurers to end his reign of terror. She emphasizes that defeating Tirrog will not only bring peace to Maul, but also earn the gratitude and favor of its people.

Ecological Balance

Mort, A local druid, approaches the adventurers to express his deep concerns about the unnatural freezing of the lake. Mort explains that the frozen lake has disrupted the local ecosystem, causing harm to wildlife and plants.
He implores the adventurers to defeat Tirrog and restore the natural balance. In return, the druid offers their knowledge of the land, rare herbs, and a powerful artifact as a reward. Restoring the lake to its natural state will help the region thrive once more.

Dragon Hunters

Word has travelled far and wide that Bymraynyl, a white dragon, is far from its natural territory and is imprisoned by Tirrog, the frost giant.
The adventurers are from a dragon hunting guild and see this as a prime opportunity to either hone their skills of slaying dragons or set free a majestic creature, allowing it to grow and become a more challenging hunt.

Before the Adventure Begins

This adventure begins by introducing your players at the gates of Tirrog’s frozen palace. They will be battling their way through Tirrog’s defenses, seeking to challenge him. Share the below excerpt with your players as they create their characters:
Your journeys have brought you to Maul, a small mountain town renowned for its gladiatorial games held beneath the mountain of Pike Rise.
Word has travelled quickly that Tirrog, a frost giant, has descended from the peaks of Pike Rise with Bymraynyl, a white dragon. They have frozen a nearby lake and constructed an icy palace. Frost is spreading farther from the lake with each passing day and Tirrog’s forces patrol the countryside, pillaging small villages.
For your own various reasons, you have agreed to help end Tirrog’s reign of terror by any means necessary.
As the game master, you should note down the passive perception for each character as this will be referenced in the adventure for ambush encounters.
The encounters provided in this adventure are balanced for four level 8 characters. To adjust for fewer players, consider removing ¼ of the monsters’ health pools for each player less than four. To adjust for more players, consider adding additional Duergar Berserkers or Ice Mephits in each encounter.

Approaching the Palace

When your players are ready to begin their adventure, start by reading the below excerpt to kick things off:
As you approach the lake, a chill unlike any you’ve felt before cuts through your armor. Before you is an unnaturally frozen expanse, its surface a flawless sheet of ice stretching as far as the eye can see. The air is eerily still, and the usual sounds of wildlife are absent, replaced only by the whispers of wind across the frozen wasteland.
In the center of this icy domain stands an imposing ice palace, its glistening walls reflect the pale sunlight from above. Four watchtowers, each 40 feet tall and crafted entirely of ice, stand at the corners of the palace.
The front door of the palace, a massive slab of ice 20 feet wide, looms before you. Its surface is intricately carved with frost patterns, but it is sealed shut, offering no immediate passage into the stronghold. The sense of foreboding is palpable, as if the palace itself is a living entity, waiting to challenge those who dare approach.
[Player A], please describe your character, what they are doing, and where they are on the map. (Ask this of all players before continuing)

Palace Locations

P1. Four Watchtowers

To open the palace's front door, the adventurers must pull four levers located at the tops of the four icy watchtowers. Each tower is guarded by a Duergar Berserker and two Ice Mephits. Engaging one group will alert the other towers.
Ice bridges connect the left and right towers and are considered difficult terrain. The 40-foot towers are nearly impossible to climb without magic or specialized gear. Once all four levers are pulled, the palace door will melt.

P2. Palace Entrance

The palace's interior boasts 30-foot-high ceilings supported by large ice pillars. Braziers of blue flame illuminate four ice sculptures, an icy throne, and the bones of Tirrog's unsuccessful challengers. In the center of the floor is a 20-foot circle of intricate carvings, which opens when two Ice Elementals are defeated.
Two Ice Elementals are hidden within the ice walls, ready to ambush the players once they all enter the palace. Upon defeating them, the circle in the floor melts away, revealing a 100-foot-deep hole with a wooden ladder descending beneath the lake.

P3. Beneath the Lake

The floors in all subsequent rooms are ice and considered difficult terrain. There are four pairs of Ice Cleats in room P4 which can aid with traversing the rooms. Most of the walls are perfectly sculpted ice, 25-feet-high, but some areas have caved in due to lake pressure or creature damage. All doorways are wooden and unlocked unless noted otherwise.
There are no torches in this room and constant howling wind can be heard from room P6.

P4. Ice Bunks

This well-lit room of ice contains four beds and supplies for the Duergar. If the boxes are searched, the players will easily find four pairs of Ice Cleats.
There are 2 Duergar Berserkers in this room and if engaged, they will alert the Duergar in room P5.
A DC 18 investigation check will uncover a +2 Greataxe hidden in an icy cavity underneath one of the beds. There is a small supply room that connects P4 to P5.

P5. Leisure Hall

This room is well-lit and contains tables, mostly empty casks of beer, and a rack of mugs along the wall. There is 1 Duergar Berserker and 1 Duergar Priest in this room. They will alert the Duergar in room P4 if engaged.
One of the casks has 6 servings of Mimic’s Brew left in it.

P6. The Frozen Hall

This area is the coldest room in the Palace and there is a deafening wind constantly blowing. It is well-lit and the entryway to this room is supported by two pillars.
There is a magical ice statue at the end of the hallway that is constantly blowing damaging ice winds. There is a stone on the back of the statue which deactivates it.
The wind blows from the statue and ends just before it reaches the room with the pillars. A creature can be damaged by the wind once per round. If a creature is in the presence of the icy wind, they must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.
The doorways to P10 and P11 are locked with padlocks. They can both be unlocked with a DC 17 Thieves’ Tools check.

P7. Prison Cell

This room contains one locked cell. It takes a Thieves’ Tools check (DC 15) to unlock the cell. There is also a chair made of ice sitting in the corner of this room.
Zathea, a female Duergar Berserker, is locked in the cell and visibly malnourished.
If Zathea is freed from her cell, she will warn the adventurers of the troll ahead, tell them how to deactivate the stone statue, and ask that they consider letting Bymraynyl go

P8. Lumber Storage

This unlit room is where lumber for fires is kept. There are a few axes for cutting wood. Three of the logs in this room are Mimics but will only attack if the players actively search through the logs.

P9. The Crumbling Hall

This illuminated hallway is visibly damaged. A Perception check (DC 15) will notice claw marks as the primary source of damage.
The doorway to P10 is locked with a padlock and can be unlocked with a DC 17 Thieves’ Tools check.

P10. Troll’s Den

This room is not lit, contains the bones of many dead fish, and smells putrid. There is 1 Troll in this room.
A DC 17 Investigation check will find a gemmed golden lure in the carcass of a dead fish worth approximately 50 gold pieces.

P11. Bymraynyl, The White Dragon

This room contains Bymraynyl, a young adult white dragon, who has just freed herself from Tirrog’s chains. She is visibly wounded and only has half of her health.
She will try to reason with the adventurers to let her go but is ready to fight if they will not.
If the players choose to free Bymraynyl, she will excavate a small amount of ice and reveal a +2 Breastplate hidden in the ice, which they are free to take.

P12. Tirrog, The Frost Giant

Tirrog sits patiently in this well-lit icy throne room, waiting for his challengers. Before engaging with the adventurers, he gently pats a large wooden chest next to his throne and says in Giant:
I took all that I could from Pike Rise and it’s all yours should you defeat me. But with your heads, I can return home. Let us see who will be rewarded this day.
The chest contains 15 sapphires worth 25 gold each, 2,000 gold, 2 potions of greater healing, and an Everwarm Blanket.

Random Encounters

Roll 1 4-sided die every hour to determine which monsters return to the palace from their patrol around the lake. All monsters should roam freely as you see fit.

Result	Monsters returning from Patrol
1	3 Duergar Berserkers & 2 Ice Mephits
2	1 Ice Elemental & 4 Ice Mephits
3	1 Troll
4	1 Ice Elemental & 1 Duergar Berserker

Concluding the Adventure
Upon defeating Tirrog, the players will have reached the end of this adventure. If you and your players wish to continue adventuring from this point, this would be an appropriate milestone to increase their character levels to 9.
Thank you for playing through The Frozen Palace of Tirrog. I hope you and your players had a fun time with this adventure!

Magical Items

Everwarm Blanket

Adventuring Gear, very rare
This quilted blanket is surrounded by a comfortably warm aura.
While this blanket is in your inventory, you do not suffer any exhaustion caused by sources of cold.

Ice Cleats

Adventuring Gear, common
These blue metal cleats can be attached to any footwear.
While equipped, ice is not considered difficult terrain when moving across it.

Mimic’s Brew (Brown Ale)

Beer, Uncommon
When you drink this beer, you can change your appearance as though you casted Alter Self for one hour.
An hour after you consume this beer, your tongue hangs from your mouth until you finish a long rest.
The bottom of this potent brown ale is a small layer of slime

Tirrog’s Helmet

Helmet, rare (requires attunement)
You gain a +1 bonus to AC and Constitution saving throws while you where this helmet.
While wearing this helmet, you can gain the “enlarge” effect of the enlarge/reduce spell for 1d4 hours (no concentration required). Once used, this effect cannot be used again until you complete a long rest.

First time finding here, so Im sorry if this doesn't fit but I cant really find anywhere else. I am also pretty new to this, as I only got officially diagnosed around 7 months ago. When I was 17, I had my family doctor at the time go "oh you're a gifted kid struggling? Here have these ADD pills", which didn't work for multiple pills, so I never realized I might have until I met someone with ADHD in college that was like "you need to be tested because you are just like me". So yeah... Don't know how universal that is, but I'm just glad I have meds that work now. Anyways..
For years, I (24f) have been pacing in circles before I go to bed. I have been doing this seen my early teens, even before I was diagnosed to help regulate my mood and energy so I can get out any built up tension and energy from the day, allowing my brain to slow down enough my sleeping meds can work. I used to do it whenever I could, but as my family realized it was a regular thing that I couldn't stop doing, they got upset, and if I was caught doing this, I would get insulted, being told about how funny I looked pacing to music, or bugged about why I cant do things a "normal" way, like using a treadmill (I tried, it doesn't work, I don't keep a steady pace, I walk to the beat of the music which, you know, changes every song) or go for a walk (I live in a really bad area, so its completely unsafe to do so). So then I would move rooms so they couldn't see me.
Well, they would figure out which room I was using and when, then they would decide that they would be using that room at the times I was normally there (which I purposely chose so they would routinely be doing other things in other parts of the house). After being blocked from pretty much every room, I got relegated to the basement, which they would stuff with things into giant piles. This worked fine for a bit, because I worked evenings so I could pace after they went to bed. Even when I got laid off from that job, I could still be up late and tire myself out so I could get up and function.
Well, now my work schedule has changed from nights to early mornings, like I'm waking up at 3:30am, which means I have to go to bed hours before anyone else, blocking me from pacing. I am also very close to my period, and I have really bad PMS moods when I can regulate, and it is so much worse. Like my body is constantly twitching and moving way more than normal and I just feel so uncomfortable, like there are ants in my skin, which spirals into my anxiety, causing my neck to twitch a lot (anxiety symptom, which also then proceeds to get made fun of). My anxiety also makes the need to move worse, so it spirals and I can't get out of it. Or the need to move gets so much that its almost painful and I start to cry.
I currently cannot move out, due to me not even being in this new job long enough for my first paycheck, plus student debt and housing prices being so high ( like this new jobs pays me a good bit more and I couldnt afford a small bachelor without having at least 2 or 3 others there too). Just for a chance to have some privacy, I bought my own lock for my glorified closet of a room (I'm not joking, my twin bed takes up 3/4s of the space I have, so I cant even pace in this room since I will stub my toe constantly on my bed frame).
I cant just sit with my dog (since petting her helps a lot) because my family's dogs come and shove her out of the way and I get in trouble for telling them off. Cant go to therapy since my therapist feels bad for me (last time I went I got a genuine "I am so sorry that you have to just survive" and that is a whole deal I refuse to unpack. All my fidgets that I have are for my hands which doesn't help near as much since it doesn't engage my brain at the same time, and I am at a loss for what to do. Every alternative I have tried doesn't work either for me or for the situation, and I just wish I could explain things and have someone understand in my life. Hell, I had to blame the fact I get overwhelmed at the sound of a vacuums or loud music on the fact I have severe migraines, since it gives a reason why my brain just melts down when it happens.
I know I have to be patient, and see things through, but getting this one comfort I had for over half my life ripped away just really sucks. If anyone has read this far, and has any tips, it would be greatly appreciated. I am just at a loss at what to do.

In the very likely scenario that monero is outlawed, as I am sure it is on some places (esp. For goods and services), I think we should explore a mechanism to allow monero users to find one another and still use it as currency in a fashion that doesn't out themselves as Monero users.
I have talked about this before, and it's not the best, but I think is worth bringing up again, hopefully someone smarter than me can improve it:
there should be a messaging protocol that makes usernames or accounts based on the same exact address format as Monero addresses. Perhaps the private key of the messaging app is based on the private or public view key of your monero wallet.
This way you can signal to people: yes, I accept monero, more than likely, but have plausible deniability that you actually do accept monero.
The Jesus Fish, Ichthys, was used to signal to other Christians at a time when they were persecuted, that they were in good company.
"It has been claimed that Christians used it to recognize churches and other believers during a time when they faced persecution in the Roman Empire"
I can see where an online shop might have something like this:
Contact us on Ichthys: (XMR address) A buyer could then contact them: how much for this item plus shipping? Seller: "$100" (Buyer sends XMR to address) Buyer: oh, ok thank you. Can't afford that right now but I had one previously, I was wondering if I could get a free replacement? (Seller checks payment on blockchain and sees $100 was sent) Seller: in that case I am happy to send a free replacement.
(Ideally messaging app would be encrypted, but still as a sellebuyer act in such a way that the other could be an agent/Honeypot etc)
Admittedly it's kind of stupid, but the core concept makes sense to me: the one thing that reveals you are a monero user, or cryptocurrency user, is to send or display a monero address.
If we create other apps that also use monero addresses, then it's not strictly true. Maybe you only use the messaging app.
This arguably improves privacy of monero users outside of the protocol.
Would love others to put thoughts to this. Perhaps a scheme could be devised that looks entirely different than a monero address but a buyer could derive the XMR address from it that the seller has the private spend key to. That way it doesn't even seem monero-y

Written by u/GoldWhale & u/JD397
Thanks everyone for your patience with us getting this written up. Much appreciation to my co-author u/JD397 for his work, scouting analysis, and comprehensive background knowledge on where Demidov sat compared to historical players, and the international analysis. Please note, this analysis won’t focus on why Demidov>Levshunov. In terms of BPA, Demidov is nearly unanimously over Levshunov based on consolidated rankings. With the Blackhawks publicly saying they want to go BPA, we hope to establish a case as to why Demidov truly stands above the rest, by a good margin. We hope that this was worth the wait, and we haven’t disappointed anyone who may have wanted more. We’re amateurs, give us a small break 😉
When Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly flipped the decisive card to reveal the number one overall pick, Blackhawks fans were disappointed. They were going to miss out on Macklin Celebrini, the consensus number one center and number one overall player in the draft. After winning Connor Bedard the prior year, many fans were hoping for a one two punch down the middle, their own version of McDavid and Draisaitl, Crosby and Malkin; this was not to be.
Despite the initial dismay, fans were still happy. The Blackhawks won the second lottery, and with that, the rights to select a franchise player at number two overall. Immediately, though, there was debate. Swirling on social media there were rumors that the Blackhawks were predominantly looking at two high end prospects: Ivan Demidov (RW/C) and Artyom Levshunov (D). On one hand Demidov is an elite prospect at wing with excellent hands, creativity, and legitimate top line wing with PPG+ upside. On the other, Levshunov is a dynamic offensive defenseman with a stellar shot, solid size, dynamic skating, and most importantly right-handedness.
The Blackhawks, realistically, need both positions. Last year the Blackhawks iced one of the worst offenses in the entire league, scoring the second least goals behind only San Jose. They also had the fourth worst defense, surrendering 290 goals on the season. Neither are acceptable in the push for a playoff spot in the coming years, but ultimately with number two, you can only choose one of the two players. After our hours of analysis, u/JD397 and I believe there is no debate – as good as Levshunov is, Demidov is closer in skill and projection to Celebrini than anyone else in the draft is to him.
So who is Ivan Demidov? He’s an 18 year old forward playing for SKA 1946, a MHL affiliate of SKA of the KHL. Since the 2023 draft the big story out of the KHL was the dominance of Matvei Michkov. This was a kid who destroyed the MHL by putting up 38 points in 22 games and going PPG+ in the playoffs his D-1 Year. Michkov then outperformed Connor Bedard by putting up 16 points in 7 games at the IIHF U18s in 2021. Michkov was, and still is, borderline generational but there was someone else waiting in his shadow. In his D-1 Year, Ivan Demidov put up 62 points in 41 games, and scored 1.3PPG in the MHL playoffs. While putting up a lower PPG pace than Michkov, Demidov’s game was substantially more well rounded and scouts started to take notice of another potential franchise winger in Ivan Demidov.
Demidov exploded in his D-0 Year, putting up a literal 2.0 PPG pace in the MHL the highest pace ever for a player 18 or under, and the third highest PPG in league history. In the playoffs, despite an injury, Demidov posted a ridiculous 28 points in 17 games. This production was unheard of beforehand and bested Kucherov’s 1.87 point pace at 18. Not only did Demidov have better production AND two way play, but he also did it nearly 7 months younger. Demidov remains a bright spot who is able to elevate his play to the competition. Before talking about playstyle, strengths, comps, projections, etc. it needs to be noted just how dominant Demidov was on the scoresheet.
Now that fans know who Ivan Demidov is, let’s address the elephant in the room. Demidov is Russian and with the political climate worldwide, being a Russian is associated with an inherent risk of a prospect not coming over. Rest assured – there is no such concern in this case. Last year, rumors swirled around Michkov not coming over due to three factors:

1. Michkov did not meet with more than two teams and actively told specific teams he would not play for them.
   
2. Michkov was incredibly difficult to get ahold of predraft and it made scouts and front offices skeptical on his character and desire to come to the NHL.
   
3. Michkov had 3 more years left on his contract with SKA.
   

Demidov, on the other hand, is actively engaging with teams. He’s hosting a workout in Florida before the draft for multiple teams to attend, and is actively having his agent coordinate interviews and meetings with interested front offices. Demidov has publicly declared his intention to come over to the NHL as soon as possible, even venturing so far as to say he’s looking at options for getting out of his KHL contract to get to the NHL for the 24-25 season. Finally, Demidov only has 1 year left on his contract so there isn’t long term concern about losing the ability to develop him internally. An interesting note that we found during analysis was that Demidov’s agent, Dan Milstein, is “hated” in the KHL because of how consistently he pushes for his clients to leave Russia and transition them to the NHL. Even if Demidov is stuck in Russia all of next year, there’s almost zero risk he doesn’t come over.
On Demidov, the other large question that looms is his lack of play in the KHL, and SKA’s decision to play him in the MHL. Despite being the one of the best players in MHL history, Demidov only saw action in 4 KHL games and scored a total of 0 points which has also turned off many scoresheet watchers. Let us reassure you – Demidov was predominantly the 13th forward and played an average of 3-5 minutes per game with unfamiliar linemates. He did not have a chance to play enough to succeed, and built no chemistry with the teammates he was playing with in his limited time. SKA is notorious for handling their prospects poorly. Young players are consistently given limited ice time, especially when they’re expected to leave Russia. Michkov, despite his skill, couldn’t crack the SKA roster in his D-0 or D+1 simply because of this bias. All said, this is not a concern scouts have when it comes to the potential drafting of Demidov.
With the Russia question answered, we believe there is no doubt that Ivan Demidov is the pick to make in the 2024 draft. Ivan Demidov is really really good. He is the complete package for what you look for in a franchise winger. Demidov has excellent hands, dynamic edgework, elite hockey IQ, high end compete and energy, a relentless forecheck, creativity in the offense he provides, solid two way play, and finally rapid speed in terms of release and puck control. There is no one like him in this draft who offers such an elite skillset with no obvious flaws in his game outside of his build. He can also play center when needed which gives him additional offensive flexibility and adds even more dynamism to his game.
While analytics don’t tell the full story, they can often be a useful baseline to build from. The first item we want to call attention to is Byron Bader’s model, which projects Demidov as the best #2OA prospect since Eichel.. Let's again be clear, we don’t put much merit into this due to the low gradings of Carlsson and Laine, but it’s important to contextualize how Bader’s model works. It compares prospects to the league they’re in and projects them out. Demidov dominated the MHL to such a degree that the model favorably views him due to being almost untouched in play, and setting multiple records. Continuing with Hockey Prospecting and Bader, who is an active NHL draft consultant, they project Demidov to be an absolute STUD based on production. No forward who they’ve ever given 99%s to has ever been less than PPG+. Demidov has a very comparable offensive game to Celebrini, and is all but guaranteed to be a star due to his production and skillset. Alanen also projects Demidov to be elite in all 3 zones, and gives him a total RARE grade of 100, due to his next level offense and transition, and above average defensive work despite his assignments. Again, analytics aren’t an end all be all by any means. They’re just an exceptional base to build from when scouts, data scientists and NHL draft consultants unanimously believe a player to be elite. From our research, no prospects with comparable profiles have busted or not succeeded in the NHL.
Whilst reading multiple articles, watching videos on Demidov, and going through tape, we compiled the following scouting report.
Physical Attributes:
Demidov is not very physically imposing, or even one of the most physical players in the draft. He’s expected to show up to the combine around 6ft tall and weighing 170lbs. Admittedly one knock that some scouts have for him is his build and need to bulk up. Thankfully, this is easy to build at the professional level. Nonetheless, Demidov has sturdy base that enables him to dominate around the boards and in front of the net due to his rapid twitch movements and lower body power. Demidov is able to outskate and outwork larger and stronger players by being smart with his legs and driving to the inside consistently when in transition. His remarkable agility and lower-body strength allow him to outmaneuver opponents and maintain possession in tight spaces, or separate for quick attacks or desperation back checking.
Skating:
Demidov's skating is characterized by irregularities; while he exhibits great power on his edges, his transitions suffer due to a wide stance, leading to questionable but explosive pivot work. Despite this, his rapid acceleration and agility enable him to navigate through traffic seamlessly, while his powerful stride generates significant momentum, making him a constant threat in transition. Let’s clear up a misconception; Demidov is not a bad skater. He’s got decent speed, a good handle on body control, power on the inside of his edges and with quick crossovers, etc. His posture and stance need work, but this is something that looks completely fixable at the NHL level. It doesn’t require a rebuild of his skating style, rather a retool that can utilize his edgework as a base. Instead of hunching over at the end of a shift and losing speed and energy, Demidov can rely on quicker small movement cuts on for rapid movement and longer, albeit slower strides while holding himself higher to preserve energy while covering distance. While the 10 and 2 skating that Demidov employs isn’t conventional, it allows him to see a good deal of the ice, and when in close provide breaking speed towards the play. Fixing the reliance on 10 and 2 also offers faster top level skating and easier quick pivoting in a 200ft game, rather than a longer turn. Again, his skating is unorthodox – but it isn’t bad. It’s not mechanically sound, but it can be polished to a high level without a large amount of concern. Because of how unpredictable his skating is now, scouts across the board acknowledge that it potentially even grants an advantage as his body is harder to read.
Scoring Ability:
A natural sniper, Demidov possesses a lethal shot with pinpoint accuracy and a lightning-quick release that catches goaltenders off guard. Whether he's unleashing a blistering wrist shot from the slot or wiring a one-timer on the power play, Demidov consistently finds the back of the net with precision and finesse. One really underrated part of Demidov’s scoring ability comes from the aforementioned elite edgework. Due to how rapidly he can change directions while holding full control over the puck, he can create scoring lanes with almost zero room, and his accuracy is again one of the best we’ve evaluated as amateur scouts in the last few drafts. When there isn’t an immediate opening or shot, Demidov is patient, draws coverage where he wants, and again has no qualms about firing the puck to the net. If there’s one question about his ability to score, it’s his slapshot. He hasn’t had to use it in almost any occasion due to how the offense is structured on SKA 1946, and therefore it’s not as developed as his snap or wrister. This is a relatively minor knock, though. Demidov can take slapshots and find twine without much difficulty, it’s just the least refined part of his goalscoring ability.
Playmaking and Elite Hands:
Demidov has the best hands that we have scouted. Better than McDavid, better than Fantilli, better than Hughes, better than Bedard, better than Michkov, and yes, better than Patrick Kane as a prospect. Yep, that good. Hadi Kalakeche, one of Dobber’s lead scouts says, “…he has THE best handling skill I’ve seen… he’s the closest thing we’ve seen to Pavel Datsyuk since Pavel Datsyuk.” The rapidity of his movement, the purposeful puck placement, the astounding protection rate, and his ability to pull defenders off of him without moving his body is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Again, he has the most individual puck skill and innate offensive talent in the draft. These skills with his hands allow him to become an absolutely next level playmaker. Demidov is crafty, and has a history of faking shots to make a pass, or vice versa to help his team. He’s able to create lanes and take advantage of his puck control by having absolutely next level zone entry to set up the offense on a consistent basis. While his decision making needs some work when it comes to choosing the best move, he almost always makes the right one, and is able to think through solutions when there’s no apparent move forward. Whether it’s a drop pass, running the puck up the boards, a regroup, finding a teammate with a perfectly slotted pass, Demidov has no real ceiling. The only question remains is whether these skills will work as well at the next level. All said though, there’s no real debate between scouts that he’ll be a franchise winger.
Creativity and IQ:
Demidov is electrifying, brilliant, dynamic, innovative, transcendent, and any other adjective you want to use. There is no prospect in this draft with Demidov’s offensive upside, including Macklin Celebrini. As mentioned above, Demidov has been compared to Datsyuk: he is stellar at opening up lanes with his body or finding passes, even if they’re banked off the boards. While Bedard is a guy who was expected to shoot first, Demidov is a passer. This works in his favor, though. Demidov certainly doesn’t lack a scoring touch. His positioning and body will tell goalies and defenders he’s planning to pass and he’s able to quickly change direction using his edges to put a shot on net. His ability to think several steps ahead of the play allows him to execute highlight-reel passes and capitalize on scoring opportunities that others on his team might miss, or simply not have the skill to execute. He’s unpredictable because his vision is at such a high level. He’s got a game reminiscent of Jack Hughes and Patrick Kane, and the way he views the game has scouts absolutely over the moon about his pro projection. There really is nothing that Demidov doesn’t have the ability to do – this year in the MHL he took advantage of the strength of competition and tested it out. Demidov tried different reads, different styles, working more heavily down the middle, shooting, playdriving, etc. We’re blown away by the flexibility that he shows across every facet of the game. A really fun quote to mention from Lassi Alanen, EP’s director of Euro scouting is, “I still have like 100+ unused clips of Demidov's play from this season. He must be the most clippable prospect I've ever watched. Something eye-catching happening almost every shift during his second half of the season.” Demidov’s highlight reel isn’t really a “reel” – that’s just how he plays the game on most shifts that he takes.
Physicality and Defensive Awareness:
Demidov's physicality extends well beyond his height, as he isn't afraid to throw his weight (all 170lbs) around and engage in board battles to win possession. His defensive awareness is equally impressive, as he uses his size and reach to disrupt passing lanes and apply pressure on opposing forwards both in the defensive zone and in the neutral zone, showcasing a commitment to playing a complete, two-way game. As briefly mentioned, Demidov doesn’t exclusively play wing – he plays center too. While he’s not going to be Patrice Bergeron he is capable of handling both ends of the ice, and has consistently improved his defensive play throughout the year.
Work Ethic and Engagement:
While almost all prospects “work hard” to play their best on the ice, Demidov does that little bit more. Despite being a winger, he’s consistently one of the first players up and down the ice. He rarely coasts and drifts around but is engaged rather consistently all around the ice. One thing that’s often hard to teach prospects is how to be aggressive and assertive without being risky. Demidov never worries about challenging his opponents, fighting hard board battles, or giving his all to get back into a play after he’s low after driving to the net. This is something that the Blackhawks LOVE in their players, and should hopefully encourage GMKD to pull the trigger, if everything else didn’t sell him. As we see Demidov continue to improve in skating with NHL coaches, this should only give him more energy to expend in the 200ft game, and improve his engagement across plays. He’s an absolute workhorse, and consistently pushes to improve which evidenced by the massive improvement across this season in the MHL. There’s no reason to think this same drive can’t come through on the NHL level.
Areas to Improve and Questions:
With all the hype around Demidov, it’s hard to initially understand why he’s considered a lower end prospect than Celebrini. Digging in, though, it becomes more clear. While Demidov has the higher ceiling, he also has a much lower floor. The number one factor that limits Demidov is his exposure to higher end competition. The MHL is a good league, but Demidov was ready for the KHL last year. Since he wasn’t exposed to higher end competition there is still question on how much of his skillset will translate when playing higher level men’s hockey. There isn’t an expectation of a problem, but when a player lacks that experience, it undoubtedly makes them more challenging to project. Remember, Demidov didn’t really play meaningful KHL minutes when he got 4 games this year. He got 13th forward exposure and didn’t play with the same linemates that he worked with in the pre-season. Nonetheless, he wasn’t perfect. He did see some questionable decisions while trying to adapt to higher competition. There’s little concern that this is an actual issue, but Demidov needs to grow and play against men, even for a few games, before coming to the NHL. Thankfully, he should have the entire season in 2024-2025, and I haven’t read a single scouting report that expects him to have an issue putting up Michkov+ numbers.
The second factor is skating. Demidov is a good skater, but he’s unorthodox at best. While this skating relies heavily on his edgework which gives him amazing playmaking ability, his pivoting, high end speed, position and stride could all use refinement and improvement. While these are all skating mechanics that are easier to fix, skating is NOT a guarantee. If he’s unable to improve his skating with NHL skating coaches, it could limit his upside. He is still expected to be a top line winger, but it could be the difference between 70+ and 100+ points if skating doesn’t develop. Remember, some scouts view his skating as a “hidden” upside in his game, but improving skating not only gives him more offensive flexibility, but also defensively. There’s room for improvement, and it could be an easier lever to correct to see high rewards from.
The third factor is decision making. Demidov is creative to a fault, but just like in art, not every project works out. With such an advanced toolkit, Demidov needs to work with video coaches to better understand which moveset is appropriate in which scenario and when to deploy it. There’s a difference between decision making and IQ. Decision making is hard to fix when a prospect is set in their ways based on playstyle, but if playstyle is more flexible, then there’s much less of a concern. IQ, on the other hand is uncoachable, and Demidov has arguably the best offensive IQ in the draft. There’s no reason to believe that he can’t fix this, but due to being stuck abroad, and potentially even the MHL again next year, it could take him a bit longer to get up to NHL speed.
The final factor is defense. While it seems that every single forward prospect has a knock on their defense, we can qualify Demidov’s specifics a bit more easily. Demidov is a competent defender, and a very good well rounded player, but again decision making plays a factor in the challenge of projecting him here. While players like Celebrini are dominant both ways, Demidov often doesn’t make the right choice when defending – he has a lot of offensive instincts which have him sit higher on the blue, and while he is always engaged on the puck, he needs to be more responsible in coverage rotations. Off the rush, Demidov doesn’t always read the play correctly, and the inconsistency can create shooting lanes for his opponent. Just like Michkov, he can also cheat on plays where he finds himself a bit further away from a play and loses sight of his defensive assignment. He’s extremely energetic and consistently pushes to get back, but working with him on understanding when to cheat will be important for his development as well. We again want to reemphasize that Demidov plays solid defense and a good two way game, especially for a wingecenter. But there’s room for improvement in terms of bridging the gap between him and other recent prospects like Celebrini, Carlsson, and Johnston.
Pro Projection:
While he doesn’t have the skating that Jack Hughes had, he’s still a great projection and comparable. A smaller but nimble player who isn’t afraid to get involved on the rush, around the boards, or in transition. Demidov’s offensive upside is similar as well – like Hughes, the defense isn’t the best, but he’s able to run an entire offense both on the wing and playing center. He’s creative to a fault, has a great set of hands, and the toolkit to be a consistent top 5 player at his position in the NHL. Pro projections are always hard because you can never guarantee how a player will turn out, whether they’re undrafted or a #1OA, but Demidov is truly all but a sure thing. His creativity rivals players like Nikita Kucherov and Mitch Marner in their ability to think ahead of where the play is, his handling rivals Kane and Datysuk, his defensive play is above average for a winger, he has a great shot comparable to players like Matt Tkachuk, and is a bitch to get off the puck. Even when Demidov is literally on the ground, he’s consistently able to hold possession and find a play with no room left. With a toolkit like his, decent size at an estimated 6ft, there should be no reservations that Demidov should succeed at the next level. Most scouts see his floor around 65-70 points, and his ceiling closer to 120. I stand by the Jack Hughes comp I made earlier. While they differ in skating, they play very similar games, and should expect similar success at the next level.
Quotes:

“He’s got the best hands in the draft… and has made more one-on-one skill plays so far this season than almost any prospect I’ve scouted for any draft. He’s also a pretty engaged off-puck player who keeps his feet moving, hunts pucks on the forecheck, and can turn a steal into a game-breaking play in an instant.”
Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
“Demidov is already a game-breaking forward who can move the puck effortlessly and there’s no question he’d be a fantastic partner to some of the best prospects in the NHL today. His production in the MHL is comparable to Patrick Kane’s 2006-07 season with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights… Demidov is a bonafide first-line winger who will score tons of goals.”
Dayton Reimer, The Hockey Writers
“In a vacuum he’s the most talented forward this draft class has to offer outside of Celebrini. Demidov possesses many of the same traits Celebrini does, only his track record is against younger, more unproven talent."
Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet
“The talent of Demidov is impossible to deny. His raw skills might be the best in terms of offense in the entire draft. His puckhandling, shot, passing, and even skating makes him a unique hockey player and prospect. There are many great offensive players, but not many quite like Demidov. Especially who will also have a great drive and motor to play a strong 200 foot game… he could easily be a point per game player in the NHL on most teams first line.”
Frederik Frandsen, Last Word on Sports
“At the end of the day, what you get in a player like Ivan Demidov is a generational offensive dynamo with the mind of a master chess player. Each time he gains possession of the biscuit, his ability to think many steps ahead of the opponent, find creative solutions involving his puck handling abilities, as well as creating tremendous execution at creating space with his skating or precisely hitting the net is considered to be up to par at the NHL level.”
Tyler Ballesteros-Willard, Draft Prospects Hockey
“Any forward that has ever had the type of equivalency we’ve seen from Demidov in his pre-draft year and draft year, going back to the ’80s, has turned into a point-per-game-plus superstar over their careers… You need stars to compete and contend in the NHL, and Demidov is almost guaranteed to be that.”
Byron Bader, Hockey Prospecting
“Demidov is the most dynamic, verstatile, and creative [puck] handler we’ve seen come through the draft in recent years. Elements of his on-puck decision-making remain raw, but his upside as a 100-point top-line winger is supported by decent off-puck and defensive engagement and lightning-quick processing of the game. His elite-level of on-puck intelligence and his trifecta of dynamic handling, playmaking, and goalscoring tools give him the foundation to become an electrifying creative force and offensive driver.”
Sebastian High, Dobber
“Demidov breaks defences. He spots a tiny gap in coverage, bursts right through, and blows it open. He plays mostly a finesse game, but does so hyper-aggressively, attacking everything he can. Demidov succeeds at pulling off plays that most prospects can't. He plans, processes, and anticipates faster than he can stickhandle. He's a pure creator with the puck, making plays out of nothing.”
David St. Louis, Elite Prospects
“Demidov is the more dynamic and flashy prospect [Than Michkov].Demidov is the single-most gifted handler in the entire 2024 class. He projects to be the superior one-on-one attacker…someone who can single-handedly create out of thin air. When it comes to passing ability…Demidov’s ability to chain together handling sequences into following passing plays is second to none.”
Lassi Alanen, Elite Prospects
“It’s a no brainer[at #2OA]. It’s Ivan Demidov all day, every day, 24/7. You run to the stage and pick him… if you ask me, Ivan Demidov is better than Matvei Michkov… He’s the only prospect in our rankings who we gave a 10 grade to for a specific ability. It’s not just the handling skill in isolation it’s the creativity. He comes up with solutions no one can expect.. his motor is underrated, puts in work defensively… it’s a no brainer there.”
Hadi Kalakeche, Locked on NHL/Dobber

Our Scouting:
Clip 1:
As we talked about prior, Demidov has a great IQ and the ability to create lanes and plays out of nothing. Demidov pushes up the ice and enters the zone with pressure closing onto the side. He uses his hands to pull in control, but more impressively, puts his body between the defender and the puck. He uses his edgework and breaking speed to push past the defender, then is patient enough to draw 3 defenders towards him, away from his teammate. When he sees the trailing defenseman waiting, he immediately finds a tight pass for a wide open teammate to capitalize.
Clip 2:
There’s a difference between a safe move, and then there’s an insane move. Watch as Demidov comes up on the left side. He sees that the defender is getting desperate and goes for a large poke. Demidov slides the puck under the Dman’s stick and once again shows off his patience. Instead of going for a quick shot he reads that the other defender is slowly coming across the crease to prevent a passing lane. Instead of just shooting like most players, Demidov baits the goalie into thinking he’s going to run into the defenseman, and in that second, puts the puck in the net.
Clip 3:
Small play, but this is just about how slick his passing is. He slides the puck through a very tight lane while baiting the defenseman into sliding due to not knowing where the play is going to be.
Clip 4:
While we can put on nonstop highlights, it’s also important to see how smart Demidov’s game is. Demidov and the other SKA players move the puck around a bit trying to find an opening until they give it to Demidov. Demidov reads an open play and passes the puck down, but instead of immediately following the puck or staying at his spot, Demidov uses his high engagement to instead move to the other side of the net down low to offer accessory support for his teammates on his anticipated cross crease pass, should there have been a rebound.
Clip 5:
Not every highlight is going to be a goal. One really underrated part of Demidov’s game is how well he’s able to read the offense. As he holds high initially, he’s able to help move the puck out in order to reset the offense when the play fails. His motor keeps him in the play and with his excellent edges, he’s able to make a quick pivot after rushing around in order to step up and create an open shooting lane. While his teammate can’t make the pass to get the puck to him, Demidov read where the play WOULD be, not just where it was. Those IQ aspects really can’t be taught, and are part of what makes him so special. By anticipating the open play rather than following the puck, he establishes himself as a play driver by creating options rather just following and executing structure at a high level.
Clip 6:
We're not even going to analyze this one. It’s just fucking fun. Talent oozes.
Clip 7:
This video has a ton of highlights, which I’d definitely recommend watching, but we’re going to focus specifically on the play at 0:45. We can post clips of Demidov scoring goals, finding breakaways, etc. all day long, but when thinking about translation to the NHL, IQ and decision making is what we’re really drying to drill down on. Demidov arrives in the zone through to middle and pushes the initial F1 to the F3 spot and changes the rotation. The puck is dumped to him and the initial F1 leaves a drop pass for Demidov approaching the goal. As soon as Demidov gets the puck, at 0:47, you can see him primed and in a good shooting position. The bigger defender misread the play and has drifted too far towards the center of the ice, leaving Demidov with a nearly unobstructed shooting lane as the netfront defenseman is also too far toward the middle. Instead of taking the shot, he instead waits to draw over the netfront defenseman, and the bigger defenseman closer towards him, leaving his teammate literally untouched across the crease. Demidov trusts his hands and ability with an extremely quick and accurate pass through the stick range of three defenders to find his teammate wide open. His decision making has been progressively improving and his ability to look off the shot to find an elite pass will translate extremely well to the next level.
Clip 8:
Another play where you can just be excited about Demidov. The puck is wrapped up around the boards and the defenseman sitting at the top of the blue just pushes the puck back into the zone without a clear target, or a player who has an explicit opening to the puck. If anything, the puck is put in the middle of all 5 Karpat skaters. Despite starting on the outside, Demidov’s engagement shines through where he uses his edgework to get a rapid explosive burst of speed, and pushes through both defenders in front of him to gain possession. Once he gains possession, his ability to control the puck, and his handles help to demonstrate just how strong of a prospect Demidov is. Even when the defender is falling onto him, Demidov is patient, makes the netfront defender bite to believe he’s going wide, creating a lane (effectively bypassing 3 separate Karpat players) to get to the goalie unobstructed. Then, his hands come out and he absolutely undresses the netminder with moves that the video literally cannot fully capture. He makes highlights like this look routine, every single game.
Clip 9:
Sometimes when you see a play it’s hard to say anything but wow. Demidov leads the rush through the neutral zone and reads the coverage a much less conventional 1-4 scheme. The offensive rush is a bit unconventional as well, but can offer a smart solution. By having 3 attackers, two concentrated up the middle and one wide, it allows for quick movement up the middle, and post defensive collapse onto the puck, a pass to the outside for a clear entry lane and shot. Demidov passes to his teammate directly across the center of the ice as he expects that teammate to immediately get puck to their teammate on the outside as coverage collapses. Demidov gauges where the openings are pre pass, as evidenced by the head movement. Unfortunately, instead of immediately passing again to the outside for an open lane, his teammate runs into pressure, and panics. He passes back to Demidov who is less than 8ft away and will inevitably will run into immediate pressure as well. Somehow, this is no problem for Demidov. He collects the puck with the literal tip of his stick, uses his body push the defender off, and then pulls the puck in while facing the wrong direction to slip past the defender. Despite being placed in a no win situation his hands and creativity shine through and he creates a clean lane to shoot the puck at the net. It’s almost inhuman what he’s able to do with his hands. When he gets to the net, he’s patient, baits the goalie, pulls wide, and then puts in a clean backhand. Some of these highlights are literally awe-inspiring.
Closing Thoughts:
If this scouting report doesn’t get you excited for Demidov, we don’t think anything will. He’s truly the most electric player in the draft with absolutely ridiculous hands, compete, dynamic play, and highlight reel performance. His IQ is next level, and his hands allow him to do truly amazing things with his skillset and competency. Demidov’s vision is absurd; he consistently makes passes to his teammates without looking, or sends a pass before a teammate has a clean break by using anticipation. These RARELY lead to a turnovers and are often not only creative but unorthodox methods to continue to move the puck up ice. Although his skating is unorthodox, he’s explosive, able to create comprehensive offensive maneuvers due to quick transitions, and make off angle passes with ease due to his edgework. He is elite in transition and able to run a breakout, an offense, and play any of the F1/F2/F3 roles when the situation calls for it. Despite his expected size of “only” 6ft 170lbs, Demidov knows how to use his body and hands. He not only protects the puck on offense but can draw defenders away from his teammates in predictable patterns, once again opening up space for him to capitalize. The same goes for defense where he's able to use his positioning to get the edge on his opponents for a rapid takeaway or a box out off the rush.
As we mentioned earlier, Demidov’s game isn’t limited only to offense, he has a decent understanding of the two way game as well. He’s a relentless forechecker, aggressive on the boards, and also always willing to use his high running motor to jump back into a play that leaves the zone, even if he’s right next to the net. Demidov has the most skill and raw talent out of any player in this draft, including Celebrini. Had Demidov not been demoted to the MHL due to SKA’s poor management, there is almost no doubt that he would be considered nearly neck and neck with Celebrini. As it is now, Demidov is ranked #2 on most boards, and the overall #2 in the consolidated ranking. Demidovs don’t come around often; people last year were genuinely considering whether Michkov was at Bedard’s level. Demidov rivals Michkov if not exceeds him.
You can nitpick the analysis we have of any one single aspect of Demidov. Not everyone buys analytics. Not everyone buys playmaking in a lower league. Not everyone likes irregular skating. Not everyone is on board with the MHL stat sheet, our hype etc. etc. We get it. Really, we do. But at the end of the day, when you step back and appreciate the full body of work, the comps, the analytics, the rave scouting reports, unanimous love, models, stat sheets, skill, work ethic, and more that ALL say that this kid is elite, there’s fire beyond the smoke. Demidov is THE guy. There should not be a debate at #2.
For those of you who made it to the end, thanks for reading! Ultimately we know there will be inevitable debate about a prospect, but we appreciate you hearing us out, and at least letting me, u/GoldWhale, spam the sub over the last few weeks in love of Demidov. Whether or not you agree with our analysis, we encourage you to do your own scouting, read from the authors we've included, watch through all the highlights in the linked videos, and draw your own conclusions!
We appreciate everyone in this community, and will try to answer any questions that you may have in the comments. If you so choose, please feel free to crosspost to other subs, edit, or utilize this writeup anywhere you like (forums/blogs/youtube etc.), just link back to our original post! For those in professional media who have contacted us with the hope of utilizing our writeup, feel free, again just link back to the original post as well. Thanks again!

Just started last week or so as an OFA. There are some issues that I see already. My store in my opinion is under staffed. There are multiple times in the day where the service desk (millwork for an example) is vacant. Also I am new so I don’t really know how to page and the handheld is useless when you don’t have an extension. Also just because I wear my apron people assume that I’m a master of whatever “projects” they are doing. Had a rude customer get upset at me the other day because I was shadowing a coworker while he was helping a customer. The guy said “what’s it take two people to help one customer? I need some service” when he said it and how he said it ruined my day. There are also times where I am constantly pulled to do something all while I’m picking a BOPIS. Items are not the easiest either. There’s been multiple instances where the product is not where it says it is or the price of the item is different. I’m constantly called up front to help with pulling an orde helping loading the product into someone’s vehicle. I know that we are timed when picking. I spent at least 15 mins looking for a specific washer. The fact that I don’t have any licenses for equipment also makes my job harder. It’s hard to find someone to help with a team lift. The labels for the location is confusing even for me. It’s a lot of walking but I need to because of my weight. The co workers are cool and chill. But it can be a demanding job already. I was thrown into the wolves and had yesterday by myself and today for a little while. I can’t see myself doing this job for no more than a year. Not saying it’s a bad company. Just that there so many flaws from day to day and I am new and see them. Lastly I would like to mention this older lady stopped me from doing a task and rambled on about “a product that wasn’t an arm and a leg for ant traps” I pointed a few out but she was just picking at my brain. As I was watching her face to show that I was listening to what she was saying, she had both sides corner of her mouth with that white stuff that accumulates I guess when someone has dry mouth. I kept staring at her lips. Then finally she licked the left side of her mouth and literally took the substance from her corner and it went on her tongue. It was pretty disgusting but I understand that she’s a human being. So I guess we get all different walks of life in our store. Sorry for the long post but I knew that I wanted to post my thoughts on Reddit. Thanks for reading…..

I wanted to share my experience with the entire Carvana package now that our car is paid off and all monetary transactions with them are over.
This will get long, as it started in 2019.
We bought our 17' Rogue from Carvana in April of 2019. I was researching vehicles for close to 3 months before finally pulling the trigger on this particular model. It was about 34k miles, 2.5 years old, located in Illinois. I liked the geographic area for chances the vehicle hadn't seen a lot of snow for the first 2 years of it life as Carfax activity showed it was most likely in the southern part of the state.
I also chose this specific Rogue as the VIN indicated the vehicle was made in South Korea, as opposed to Tennessee. The difference is all Rogues made in South Korea received engines and CVT's from Japan, while US made models had engines from Japan or US, and CVT's from Mexico which was a no go for me. I will also go one more and state Korean labor for assembly is far more disciplined than what you find in the US and especially mexico. Fun fact for those still paying attention - The Nissan Rogue's that have the flat Nissan logo on the grille behind smoked plastic were made in South Korea. They stopped production there in early 2020.
What interested me in Carvana was-

1. Buying a car is the sleaziest most frustrating process from a dealer
   
2. I could hand pick from an inventory of cars across the country willing to pay for delivery
   
3. They offered me 500 dollars off the final price of a car in a letter campaign, as they were still growing
   

I started looking over inventory for a month, and decided to sign up and go for the soft credit pull to see what terms Carvana would offer. I was prequalified for a used car loan through my credit union, so I wanted to see Carvana's terms would be. The loan and term tools were pretty damn cool at the time, you could just jiggle those sliders and almost completely tailor a lending solution to fit your needs.
After the soft credit pull and a single pay stub, Carvana pre-approved me for any car up to 90k, with zero money down. I laughed. Hard. I had decent credit but wasnt going to bury myself.
After I settled down to a few models, I worked through the trade-in portion of the site, and found it was real easy to get a quote to trade in our 2005 Escape XLT which was a great car, but in Ford fashion the frame was rotting away. I had a fair offer for the trade in, described it honestly.
We also opted for the SilverRock warranty. Nissan, CVT, etc.
The big sale!
After watching how quickly some cars came and went early on, I got everything I needed for the trade in. Scan of the title, picture of the milage, car pictures. We were putting 2k down on the car, so the cash was waiting in my account, ready for transfer or cashier check if we were going to go with Carvana final loan offer.
The day I pulled the trigger on our Rogue, the entire process took all of 20 minutes. I was amazed, and honestly thought at the time "This should be illegal for how easy that was".
The offer for Carvana finance was within a couple tenths of my credit union, so I opted to simplify the process and go with them. Carvana performed a hard pull on my credit, confirmed the terms, and required confirmation from my bank that the money for deposit was in my account. I provided my bank login credentials and the process was done in minutes.
I had to provide a copy of my license and items related to the trade in, and it was done, in literally 20 minutes. I wondered if I was making a mistake..
It was an amazing deal, every dealer in the area was selling the same model for well over 2k of what we paid, so the SilverRock warranty was pretty much free after the additional 500 discount off the final price of the car.
Delivery - Trade in!
It was delayed. Twice. Pretty disappointing. Some pretty lame excuses. Honestly I should have expected a reasonable delivery date as the I knew the car I bought was 1500 miles away, but Carvana makes unrealistic delivery promises and is my biggest gripe regarding them.
When delivery day finally came, the Rogue was everything I had hoped it would be. While on the delivery truck I asked to inspect the undercarriage, and the driver was super friendly and allowed me to take my time. I looked it all over, looking for rust, oil leaks, you name it and I found nothing nothing, including nothing suspect like it had been cleaned. It was a 2-ish year old car with light dirt and surface rust where you would expect.
Once the Rogue was unloaded I was free to look it over with a fine comb, pop the hood, check the fluids, look for dents and dings, paint issues, interior issues, you name it. I found nothing major, just some minor things like paint polish slag in small corners and what not. Interior was very clean and detailed.
While I was looking over the Rogue, the delivery driver was loading the trade-in. He took some pictures, verified the mileage, checked the "check engine" light was off and started loading it on his truck.
I live in Massachusetts with very strict license and registration requirements. A few days before the delivery, someone from the Danvers site reached out to me about the registration details. I was transferring the plates from the trade in and they were finalizing the paperwork. I was provided the new registration, and the delivery driver had the new registration in hand so we could just put the plates on the Rogue and be ready to roll.
I took the Rogue for a 20 minute test drive, signed off on the purchase and trade. Driver headed off with the trade in and that was it. Carvana never called or questioned what they gave me for the trade.
Post delivery!
The very next day I brought the Rogue to work, I work in transportation/logistics and my site has ASE mechanics that I know very well. I asked him to go over the Rogue with the white glove and let me know if they think anything is wrong, as I have 6 days to return the car. They did so and they didnt find anything, just amazed at how clean the undercarriage, engine, and fluids were.
If I didn't have access to an ASE certified mechanic in this situation that I really trusted, I would have paid for a purchase inspection from a Nissan dealer. I did pay for the trusted inspection, just not in dollars lol.
After the personal vehicle inspection, my wife and I took off for a long weekend road trip roaming the White mountains of New Hampshire. Three days across many miles that easily blew out the initial vehicle 7 day warranty mileage. The Rogue was amazing through the mountains getting a ridiculous 30mpg through the entire trip. I wasn't concerned as people I trust cleared the car, and I also had the SilverRock warranty to cover the rest..
Speaking of warranty..
SilverRock!
The first, and pretty much only issue with the Rogue, was at about 48k miles. Massachusetts has a comprehensive yearly vehicle inspection program. At about 48k miles, the Rogue failed inspection for a bad inner tie rod, passenger side. Contacted SilverRock, and they gave me the local network shop here in Massachusetts, Monro.Monro is a regional repair shop here in MA with many locations. I take the Rogue to them and they diagnose that indeed the passenger side inner tie rod has gone bad. Repair tech states he has never seen one go bad on a Nissan at the current mileage.
The service manager starts looking around for the parts, called about 5 places, then calls a Nissan dealer. The Nissan dealer informs him the inner tie rod is not available for the 17, the only way to to repair the defect is replace the entire electric steering rack which comes with the inner and outer tie rods complete.
I call SilverRock with the service manager. I provide my name and vehicle make, SilverRock knows who I am right away. SilverRock rep asks whats wrong, service manager laid it down. SilverRock rep transfers us to a manager, manager asked about a few more details and then asked the service manager of Monro to send the estimate.
I get a call from the manager of Monro the next day, he said he went back and forth with SilverRock for about 20 minutes and got the entire job covered, throwing in a free front end alignment, for 1500 dollars using a genuine Nissan OEM steering rack.
SilverRock paid everything but the 100 dollar deductible. I picked up the Rogue 2 days later, paid 100, and went back for inspection. It passed.
Anyone reading this that knows about car repair, an inner tie rod costs maybe 150 dollars OEM. The fact it wasn't available and they had to replace the entire rack was absurd, yet they did it with a new OEM rack. At the time SilverRock could have required a rack used from a salvage yard, but they didn't.
I have nothing but positive things to say about SilverRock.
Bridgecrest!!
The silent partner.
I have NEVER spoken to someone at Bridgecrest. I have never called them. They have never called me.
I have NEVER emailed Bridgecrest. They have emailed me every single month for the life of my loan, after making a payment.
They fronted me the money, and expected it back. I paid it back, as expected. On time.
5 stars, and they will return the favor on my credit now that the loan is clear.
WHY YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY
Do your homework - buying a car is a capital investment in your future that loses money. You need a car to be reliable for your job, your family, your life. You need to spend money on a regular basis to keep that car reliable, on top of your car payment.
Know your budget - Dont fall for finance traps. Only buy what you can comfortably afford, again, owning a car costs you more money than what's on the final loan payment.
Get your car inspected ASAP - Pay a dealer for a purchase inspection. Schedule it ahead of time. Inform Carvana of the issues within 3 days of delivery and ask them to pick up the car. Carvana will make the car right, as they dont want to take the car back from qualified buyers. Keep on top of them until the car is what was expected.
Why Carvana may be bad for you
You have bad credit - Better know what you are signing on for. The majority of complaints in this sub are from people that have bad credit, cant read, and cant learn from past mistakes. Thats a personal problem, not a Carvana problem.
Closing
Aside from some delays in delivery, We have had an amazing 5 year journey with Carvana and associated companies. Our Rogue is now at over 100k miles and still drives and looks like new. We perform all maintenance as required, without question.
Living in MA, the last 5 years our Rogue has taken us thousands of miles over the White Mountains of New Hampshire, all through the Mountains of Maine, and multiple trips to Canada to visit the iconic Niagara Falls.
My wife travels every day for work, and the Rogue is her daily driver putting 3k miles on the clock every 2.5 months. We change the oil every 3k miles, perform the required CVT services at the dealer, and keep the tires rotated every 8K.
The tires that came on the Rogue from Carvana were in fact new, but the kind of tires that have a 30k mile treadwear warranty. The first snowy New England day we slipped through a stop sign in light snow, the next week we replaced the tires all around with BF Goodrich Advantage TA sport tires and the Rogue has been amazing in the snow ever since.
After getting our Rogue, my coworker was so impressed he bought not 1, but 2 cars from Carvana. Bastard got both cars delivered on time, on the same day, from different parts of the country.. I was so jealous lol. His cars had some minor issues, but Carvana took car of them.
My daughter bought a Nissan as well from Carvana. It had a few front end issues, but ultimately was taken care of through constant communication with Carvana during the 7 day test drive.
Will I use Carvana again? Yes.
Will it be soon? Not really.
Our other car is a Hyundai and running strong.
Hope some of my diatribe will be useful to anyone considering Carvana as usually is all bad mouth drival posted here.

Originally chronicled here.
I am not the OOP. OOP is u/Lost_Beginning_2824
This was originally posted in TrueOffMyChest
2 updates
(recovered via pushpull)
Original post - February 6th, 2024
1st Update - February 28th, 2024
2nd Update - March 8th, 2024
Trigger warning: mention of domestic violence situation
I’m married to a woman who acts like a teenage girl – February 6th, 2024
My wife behaves like a teenage girl and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
This is just a rant. Curious to know how many full grown adults behave the way my wife does. I’d say out of all of the adult women I know, like friends, relatives, wives of my friends, none of them behave this way unless they keep it a closely guarded secret.
Editing right here to add that my wife is in her 30s, for context.
My wife is always obsessed with somebody, a man or sometimes multiple men at one time. Usually there is one or two main focuses at a time. When I talk obsessed I mean obsessed like a teenage girl or maybe even preteen girl would be. I’ve seen pictures of her bedroom when she was that age and they were literally wallpapers in posters of her favorite guys. That’s totally normal for a 13 year old girl. She still behaves that way as a woman in her 30s. Granted, our bedroom walls aren’t wallpapered in posters but they probably would be if I allowed it.
Her obsessions have ranged from rock stars, actors, non-entertainment industry public figures. It’s like one day she hasn’t even heard of the guy in question and the next day she’s super fan #1 and knows just about everything there is to know about him. She will read and watch everything there is to watch about the man. She will bring him up in every conversation. She will adopt parts of him into her own personality. She will suggest things that make it clear to me that she wants me to adopt characteristics of these men as part of my appearance or personality. She will openly admit to me that she’s masturbated over the guy multiple times in one day.
When she finds a new man to obsess over, she puts the others in her little stable of men who she always has a place for in her heart and in her fantasies, so they never really go away. The new man just takes center stage and becomes the main focus of almost her entire life.
So the current obsession is so strange to me. Never saw this one coming, but leave it to her to always find somebody new to fall in love with. The intensity that she has during these periods - it’s honestly like she falls in love with these men.
I’m laughing so hard just typing this all. Her current obsession is Bret Hart, former pro wrestler. This woman had never watched wrestling before in her life. Always thought that stuff was below her. And now she’s obsessed with this former pro-wrestler. She watched one show about him, for reasons I’m not aware of, and I could tell almost instantly where it was headed. I thought “here we go…” So now the Bret Hart obsession is in full swing. Has she already dropped close to $1000 in vintage Bret Hart shirts on eBay? Of course. Bought all the stickers and magnets and all sorts of other stupid crap she can find? Yep. Does she send me Bret Hart YouTube clips all.day.long when she’s supposed to be working? Yes she does.
So, I better get to work brushing up on my Bret Hart knowledge and tag lines. This is the key to getting laid when it comes to her. I’m used to this by now. It’s just not something that I can easily explain to anyone I know.
I mean, there’s are things I’m a fan of, but she is next level. I can’t think of anyone I know who is her age and acts like this. She was voted most likely to grow up and become a groupie when she was in high school, so this is absolutely nothing new for her. Sigh.
Many are lighthearted in the comments
plastic_Schedule_891
I mean he's the best there is, was and ever will be so that one makes sense at least .
You don’t think I’m hearing that 10 times a day now?
I better start planning that trip to Calgary.
Limerence is mentioned
poopchutethemoon
Yeah my bouts of limerence have been with people I’ve dated but reading that made me realize that I was very much being obsessive and it was totally all consuming. Glad it’s over honestly. Those feelings are exhausting.
Very interesting to hear you say the feelings are exhausting. It’s like a full time job for my wife, so I could see that. She told me she’s at work with her door closed pretending to be working, but she’s really watching Bret Hart videos on YouTube. She can’t even focus on her job.
OOP reveals more of the life he’s signed up for in the comments
get-bread-not-head
You've pretended to act like other men for 20 years?!
Damn dude, I hope you're finding ways to accept it and cope. That sounds rough, having to be someone else to have sex... stay strong king
Nah, I just learn their catchphrases or gain some deep fan knowledge that’ll impress her or maybe perfect a vocal impersonation of them that I can drop at the opportune time. The vocal impersonations work the best as far as making her like me and being like “ok, wanna have sex now?”
another_canoe
But what do you guys actually share *together*? That's not related to the obsession of the season? (I'm not going to even bother asking if she's tried to learn about any of your hobbies/interests).
NGL, this is all pretty grim to me, my man....and I'm someone who loves having a partner who is passionate about things and nerds out.
I fear that you've spent so long with her infatuations steamrolling over your own interests and preferences that you have convinced yourself that getting attention-by-proxy as your main source of validation from your SPOUSE is a healthy way to live.
If I told you that I was big into anime and Japanese RPGs and the only way I get interested in doing it with my actual wife is if she adopts the catch phrases /personality characteristics of my latest "waifu", would you feel some concern for my wife's mental health?
I'm also wondering about this spending....
She’s pretty dismissive of my interests and hobbies. I’ve told her I’d like her to try to pretend to show a little more interest sometimes. I make an effort to show real interest in her stuff and she does not do the same. I’m very into music and I do geek out over guitars and gear and things like that and she couldn’t tell you anything about any of the guitars I own other than “he has a blue one, he has a red one. “ We do love some of the same bands. Of course she wants to fuck the band members and I just want to talk about the chord progression on my favorite guitar tracks, but it’s close enough. We like a lot of the same movies and that sort of thing. We have the same sense of humor and can keep each other laughing for ages. We have a lot of the same views on life and on the world in general.
I don’t know, we just get each other I guess.
I would be concerned about the waifu thing, but I guess in my case she always likes guys who I think are pretty cool anyway. She has good taste, at least. If she has to be obsessing over some other guy constantly at least she does it over guys I can respect on some level.
Regarding the spending, I spend way more than she does. Only difference is it’s not usually fan merch I’m buying. But she tolerate my spending when it comes to stuff like guitar gear. She rolls her eyes and reprimands me but she tolerates it and just knows I won’t stop. I’m the same when it comes to her fan stuff. I get it, she wants the vintage 1993 Bret Hart shirt that costs hundreds…not a modern shirt that just anyone could go online and buy for $25 right now. She wants the cool, rare stuff. I’m the same with my guitars so I guess it’s like we understand each other in some way. I think it’s weird to become a fan of somebody and 2 days later drop thousands on them though. At least my money pit is consistent.
I think we both feel like we’re the only person who will semi understand and tolerate all of this stuff from each other
Not included here, but in several comments, OOP definitely brings up his wife’s looks as a positive in the relationship and he finds her antics at times amusing or even attractive.
1st Update - February 28th, 2024
I recently wrote about my wife suddenly discovering former pro-wrestler Bret “The Hitman” Hart one day after never even knowing of his existence, experienced love at first site, and is now even deeper than love with him then she was a month ago.
Tonight, I experienced a good hour of her sobbing, literal sobs, after watching the Bret Hart A&E biography. “I just love him so much. I love him with all my heart. I don’t want any more bad things to happen to him. Also, I’m very jealous he’s not my husband.”
She also went from not wanting any kids to suddenly wanting a baby so she can name it Bret (a girl or a boy, doesn’t matter…they will be named Bret). And she almost had me convinced, but I blame that on the heat of the moment.
She’s bought all sorts of clothes just like his. My wife now dresses like Bret Hart in and outside of the ring.
The past few days she’s been acting really annoyed with me. Finally I’m like “Wtf am I doing wrong?” I bought you Bret Hart stuff for your birthday! I call you Mrs. Bret Hart now, even though you’re my wife. I even sent you flowers at work from Bret. I mean that was supposed to get me points because she knew they were from me and I was playing into her obsession which she’s now apparently shared with everyone she works with. They’ve bought her a giant Bret Hart wall decal for her office.
Ok, so I did forget our anniversary which was very recently. Totally forgot it. Then again, so did she. She was too busy masturbating over Bret Hart to remember our wedding anniversary. I mean bad husband points for me obviously but all the birthday gifts had to have made up for it. I mean, I even ordered a Bret Hart birthday banner and got her a Bret Hart themed birthday cake as if she were a 7 year old boy in the year 1994.
So why is she acting so annoyed lately? Why does she act like she hates me and can’t stand to even be in the same room as me? She finally admits…I’m not Bret Hart. None of her obsession have ever been this bad. She’s seriously threatening me with divorce now because I’m not Bret Hart! She “just wants a guy like that.” She had to go walk the dog today and cry over it, how much she hates me and wishes she was married to Bret Hart. Oh fuck me you want a guy like your dad because that’s what Bret Hart is like…exactly like her dad, the same look, the same hair, the same damn age.
I told her I think she should get checked out for autism or some other sort of disorder. Her obsessions have never been this bad. She should make an appointment now because the waitlist is long. She just laughed. There’s nothing wrong with her. She just has different taste in men now, according to her.
Some comments
psychick
Therapist here - she needs to see a psychiatrist. This is mental illness to the extreme. Either she goes, or you leave. This is ultimatum territory. And, stop giving into her obsession. It makes it worse.
nualt42
Man, when she threatens divorce, take it. Jump at the chance.
Hell, sit, be a good boy and offer your fucking paw if that’s what it takes to get treated to an exit strategy. Don’t worry about dignity, sounds like you gave that up a long time ago.
She’s even looked up the divorce process for where we live and says we can be amicable about everything. She assures me she’s not looking to take any thing that is rightfully mine. She just wants a clean break.
Sophie3546
I’m surprised he even lasted this long. Calling her “Ms. Bret Hart” …..I can’t even fathom.
Excuse me, it’s MRS Bret Hart, not Ms.
NEW UPDATE - March 8th, 2024
Hi, you might remember me as the guy whose wife was obsessed with JFK (35th President of the United States), then experienced a world wind romance with former WWF pro-wrestler Bret Hart (the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be), but now she’s met a new man. I thought the Bret Hart obsession was the worst one yet. Never has she threatened divorce or told me she hated me because I wasn’t the object of her desire. Luckily, that was a relatively quick love affair for her. 3-4 months is a short run for her and one of her men. But I should be careful what I wish for.
This new one is the first time I’ve felt that I should maybe, just possibly, feel legitimately scared. Her newly developing obsession is Patrick Bateman. Yep, the character from American Psycho. Specifically, the movie version played by Christian Bale.
It’s not like she’s just met the guy. She’s seen the movie before but it doesn’t appear that they hit it off initially. Now, she’s suddenly started making constant reference to him. Bret is gone and now it’s just Patrick Bateman and maniacal laughter and purchasing all of the items in his skin care routine. I’d like to see her do 1000 crunches though. That’ll be the day.
She has always admitted to living the 80s preppy/yuppie look. She loves assholes. Assholes are a weakness for her. Psychopaths? Hmm…that’s a new one, unless you count the time she was in love with the Menendez Brothers years ago. God, the pastel Ralph Lauren sweaters she used to try to make me wear. Pastels are just not my shades.
Now, there was a time many years ago where I did have to hide all the knives in our home. I was legitimately scared that she was going to murder me. I forget what she was upset about now. I am, after all, her type - an asshole. I did something that bothered her and she ran for the knives. I had to hide them and then lock myself in a bedroom because she was literally chasing me. That was before she decided that she’d be the female Patrick Bateman. Granted, she says “only mean in the looks and snob department-nothing else.”
She’s trying to determine what the female equivalent to a Patrick Bateman hairstyle would be right now. I’m just worried about the bank account with this obsession. The amount she’ll spend on business cards alone.
Comments
lemonade_sparkle
Your wife is severely mentally ill, and needs help quickly.
Is there no chance of persuading her to get help?
If not, what preparations have you made to leave her?
I’m a strange way, I think these obsessions are what keep her sane.
Her getting help is funny though. It’s not going to happen. Sure I’ve tried to persuade her to see a therapist but she just won’t.
ctIaTErA
I probably shouldn’t be laughing as hard as I am right now. This is truly bizarre. Does she narrate her morning routine in the mirror each day now?
But in all seriousness, she’s chased you with a knife? Thats far more concerning than any of the obsessions with these men, and yes I did read the post about the wrestler. I thought it was just very quirky behavior before, but she seems truly unhinged now.
It was years ago. Like 10+ years ago. I’m much stronger than her so it’s not hard to hold her down if need be.
I AM NOT OOP
NO BRIGADING, NO HARASSMENT

Hi, I’m truly desperate for someone’s help I’ll give you the backstory:
My now fiancée and I became an item back in August of 2023. The first three months were utterly magical. It was so strange how well we both got on to the point that it did feel like the universe made us for each other we had the same opinion on everything. We came from a very similar family dynamic are interests were strangely the same. He would write me letters every week explaining his love for me. November came and he found out about my past that I had very lazily kept from him. I have a large body count that he didn’t know about and I hadn’t told him. How he found out was on my laptop I hadn’t deleted the texts from people from tinder worse than that I hadn’t deleted the catfish that I had sexted for a month or so prior to us really started to speak. He confronted me about it and I lied so much to try and cover my own back. I knew how bad I was but I just wanted to selfishly forget about it without dealing with the consequences. We had spoken about getting engaged not even that long from seeing each other. We were utterly obsessed with each other and still are. We got engaged but I was still lying about things. Everything is out now but I’ve fucked up every suggestion he has given me to fix things. He finds it very difficult to sleep with me as he’s constantly thinking about other partners. I haven’t told anyone about it and either has he with the fear that they’ll say we have to break up. We still have the most amazing moment even with this going on but it’s there and it needs to be sorted for my partners mental health. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to fix things. I want my best friend back. TL;DR: my fiancé and I are incredibly in love, but just one problem, my past. I need help fast! For the sake of our relationship!

I was invited by a couple of friends to go camping a few days ago. I'm honestly still exactly not sure if any of it was real, but I wish to share my story nonetheless. It began last Monday, when friend number Six invited friends One through Five to a girls get away. She claims to have found this beautiful spot in the mountain on one of her hikes and she says it’s perfect for seeing the stars at night. I was skeptical at first, to be honest I don't really like being outdoors, but it sounded like an experience worth having, so I thought "why not, this will be a wonderful memory to look back on!". I had just purchased a new camera as well, so I was honestly starting to warm up to the idea. I could take pictures of our excursion into the woods and make cute little picture frames for everyone for their birthdays, it would've been so cute! But things did not go at all as I had envisioned.
So the day of the trip arrives, a bit faster than I would've liked, but honestly I think I was just anxious about… I kept feeling this weight in my chest that made it uncomfortable to breathe, but I was going into the woods, strange things happen to women in movies; Jason Voorhees, Sasquatch, Shia LaBeouf! Who knows what could happen! Not to mention there is always the chance I could fall into a lake and get covered in leeches, or get surrounded by wolves, or chased up a tree by a bear… Hopefully a very soft bear so I'll at least know one pleasure before I die! There are all sorts of fears I had envisioned before the day of the trip, but anxiety just be like that.
I met up with my friends at the trail and learned that friend Six decided to bring her bf along, which I was upset about but I guess he was just going to get a hotel room nearby so he'd be close enough to her to feasibly show up if we needed any help. She later told us that he worries all the time because his father went missing in these woods years ago and he's worried the same might happen to her. This is where I learned that men tend to stay out of those woods because men have been going missing in those woods for years, but according to friend Six, she's been coming to this forest for a while now and hasn't had any bad experiences. Hearing that did oddly put me at ease, but now all I could wonder at the time was what happened to all those poor men.
Deep into the night we're all chit chatting, talking about where we are in our lives, things that are bugging us, what our hopes are, and dancing to the music of nature… but which of course I mean we got shit drunk, smoked some great wee, talked about sex, laughed over silly anime scenes, and twerked to slipknot girly bops!. It was such a fun night at that point that I honestly wish I could go back and never let that night end. It was intoxicating how beautiful the sky looked, and when gazed up it was almost like we could scoop the stars into our hands and sip from the sea of stars. I was worried we'd just be on our phones all night filming tiktoks or something but even with no signal, no one really seemed to be too stressed about it, we all just kind of felt safe… Almost welcomed into the forest, like being embraced by a loving mother. But unfortunately, heaven isn't forever, and men come not but to steal, kill, and destroy.
As we were drinking we decided to tell some scary stories… or well I decided to because I thought "it's so cliché but we have to do it. It feels like tradition almost." plus I would've regretted it if we didn't do it, so fuck it, right? Right. So we go around telling scary stories to one another, and I mention to friend Six that I keep thinking about those poor men that went missing. I then asked if any women had gone missing, and surprisingly she said yes… it was way back in the 1800's but after that there had never been a single missing woman in that forest again. The forest was actually named after the first young woman who went missing all those years back, and now there are all these rumors about it but I don't believe in that stuff so I didn't really pay much attention… I kept thinking "I'll just wait for the manga… or the shitty Hollywood cash grab of it…" but I DO vaguely remember the history cause I find dark history lore to be super fascinating. So there was a time when the area had more Ojibwe people living here, before gentrification moved into town. She went on to tell us that The Ojibwe people eventually began to keep to themselves because as more white people moved in, more of their daughters went missing. There are yearly parades to honor the missing daughters and to spread awareness to those living in the town. The police try to shut it down but they still do it every year.
Not long after hearing that we hear something howl in the distance. Friend Three howls back and friend Five falls on her out of her camping chair laughing. I tell them to knock it off because the last thing we need is for her to accidentally attract a wolf during mating season! I don't know if that’s a thing, but it sounds like something that’s a thing… So I'm just going to assume that it is. Don't judge me. She then says "But what if it's Taylor Lautner? Or Joe Manganiello? Personally… I'm more of a Meatloaf guy myself… But you know… RIP… But Joe is pretty fine and my mom did always hope I'd marry a black man to get melanin back in our family… But I don't think a splash of melanin is gonna override this asian/african skin so… Anyways! So these guys come walking past our camp site, and we're all drunk and high so we're already all on edge upon seeing random men this deep into the forest, but friend Four gets up and says "who the fuck are you and what're you doing here!?" One of the men quickly apologizes and tells us they're actually out here camping as well. They said a friend of theirs found this waterfall in the forest that glows because it captures the moon's light. Friend Two hears this and asks if we can go with them, to which we all begrudgingly agree.
At the "mooncuzi" I like to call it, we all sit around this beautiful natural pool lit up by the moon, and we were worried it would be cold but I was surprisingly warm, if I had to guess I'd assume there's a magma vein under there or something? Idk, I'm not a geologist or volcanologist, but something kept it warm and it wasn't my tiny bladder! Everyone was really relaxed and the guys honestly seemed super cool, and guy One honestly seemed really nice. I call him guy One because he's number 1 to me, we're still together now, and we even have another partner now, so yay! We all began talking and some of us were hitting it off, clearly… but we had all been drinking and smoking more which, honestly we had stopped… but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to get cross-faded in a mooncuzi. Nuh. Nope. Not on my watch. But someone clearly didn't get the vibe memo, because friend Two screams out "bro what the fuck I said no!"
The next thing we hear is "You don't have to yell about it like some kind of cunt!" Everyone runs over to try and figure out what's going on. Turns out guy Five didn't like being told no. He and friend Two were playing a drinking game with friends Three and Four and guy Three and Four. We learned that guy Five dared friend Two to take her top off, to which she said politely refused, and the guys didn't seem to like that. They tried to convince her it's part of the game. One of the guys said she was already in her underwear anyway, so she might as well… My guy, One, and guy Two scolded their friends for their behavior, which is why guy Two and friend Two are married now… Guess nice guys don't finish last, huh? Anyways, They scolded their friends for their behavior, I remember my guy yelling "you never speak to a woman like that!" and "If I ever catch you trying to peer pressure a woman again I'll take your testicals in my hand and squeeze on them slowly until I know what it's like to feel one pop in my hand." and it was honestly the hottest thing I've ever heard a man say… a bit violent… but fuck was I glad I was in the water!
Guys One and Two apologized for their friends' actions the whole way back. I asked them why they remained friends with them and guy One had gone off to college while guy Two went into the service, so the two of them had been away for a few years, but they swore their friends never used to be like that. This was actually supposed to be a reunion hike of sorts since they both happened to come back around the same time. After meeting up with guys Three, Four, and Five though, they realized their friends had been warped by these podcasts about alphas and betas and maximizing your sigma or something, and tried to convince him to listen to some pickup artist that claimed to know the secret to unlocking the female brain. Also known as, stupid useless slop grifters make to get rich off young boys with zero confidence and zero bitches. Lastly, he tells me guy Three was actually raised by a single mother alongside his two sisters, so he really wouldn't expect that kind of behavior from him. Guy Four was always sort of sketchy but they thought he was "just being funny", men right? The only thing they felt was weird about him was this one time when they were teens his sister moved away and he got really quiet afterwards, but then he dated a few people that looked almost identical to her, but for some reason he didn't see it, so they started calling him "little sister" (or did they? oooo) or "Lil" for short, joking he had an undiagnosed sister complex… Ew. That’s all I’ll say to that. The last guy, Five, they said always seemed fine to them, they didn't elaborate, so idk what their idea of "fine" is, sorry to disappoint.
Not long after we got back to the camp we heard engines in the distance, and as they got closer and closer we all stared in confusion. No one should be riding vehicles out this way, and friend 6 knows her bf wouldn't come out here without alerting us.
The vehicles stopped after surrounding us with their lights pointing right at us. We heard the familiar voices of guy Three, along with 4 new voices. He whined about how we hyurt his widdle feefees or something obnoxious. I tried to listen but it's just so hard to listen to some overgrown pissbaby go on about their fragile ego. Guys One and Two went to confront guy Three and his posse, asking why they didn’t wait at the car. Guy Three told them they wouldn’t understand because they’ve given themselves over to feminist ideas and allowed themselves to become beta cucks. He told them that simps deserve to die so other men won’t be warped by feminist witch pussy magic like they have… Like we just met these guys and he’s already acting like we had sex… This man's logic was like a runaway train, the cars are all there but they ain’t making it to their destination. Guys One and Two continue to argue with guys Three, Four, and Five, before guys Six and seven come up behind them and put knives to their necks. At this moment I noticed a gleam in guy Three’s eyes. He now thinks he’s invincible… I can see the depravity in his eyes as he looks upon friend Two, stripping her down in his mind, imagining all the sick things he’ll do. And as if to validate my suspicions, he walks up to her and says “You never did complete that dare… How about we start a new game… But this time we won’t have any need for truths.” I watch as fear washes over Two’s face, as she begins to imagine what he is implying, almost as if his depraved thoughts were being projected into her mind, instilling suffering on her before he had even begun to touch her. She catches herself, refusing to give him the satisfaction of fear and spits in his face. She then tells him “you couldn’t even please your hand with a prick that small.” The look of anger on his face was honestly delectable. If I could, I would put it on canvas and call it “Portrait of a Scorned Man” or “Man who just realized being a dick doesn’t make yours bigger”. ANYWAYS, he then began to yell something about "it's up to real men to show women their place in society!" OOO so angwy! They started circling around us like starving wolves. One of them placed themselves against friend Five’s back and said "I always wondered if trans women looked different down there." Which angered friend Five, but not as much as it did friend Four who tends to be a bit of a hot head.
Friend Four may look like a pretty cute petite princess, but she's manlier than most men I know. She's a competitive marksman, as well as being a gymrat who likes to build cars on the weekends. She's also the girlfriend of friend Five, not that that’s important but I feel like it should be important. So anyways, she starts blasting right? And one of these guys yells "what the fuck they’ve got funs!? Who the fuck gave these stupid bitches guns!?" I then hear one of them try to antagonize her by saying "pretty young thang like you shouldn't be carrying such a big piece until she's used to it! AYO!" So she shot a round off at the tree he took shelter behind as if to mock him by letting him know his life is in her hands… She looked like a real boss bitch, like for real! That girl is HIM! She has always been him, she will always be him! While this was taking place, friend Six reached out to her boyfriend now that we could finally use the radio without fear of them taking it. We explained what was happening and asked him to bring help. He told us to tie the button down and to hide it from sight so that he could listen in while he headed to the station to get help. I feel so bad for that man, having to listen to all those screams, feeling completely powerless to do anything in the moment, but we’re so thankful to him for being there in the way that he was.
Gun fire kept ringing out as Four kept firing rounds into the forests yelling “I shoot to maim!” and “You’re not safe here!” hoping to scare the men enough to make them retreat because none of them seemed to have rifles on them… But then we hear it… The first scream… Everyone freezes in their tracks, their heart stilled by this sudden shriek of terror that seemed to only further race towards the all consuming darkness. The moment it stopped nothing remained but the slow encroaching crawl of raindrops and the rapid beating drums of the fear in our hearts. It's then that the rain came down like a closing curtain on the chapter of our innocence, because that’s when we heard the second scream, a scream just as chilling as the first, ascending high into the tree tops before we see something that shocks everyone to their core; the haunting image of a man’s face still screaming, a face still unaware its going to meet, a face that still hopes to be saved but never will. Within unison, as if hell had a chorus, we all screamed in silence as we turned to run. With no other means of safety, my friends, guys One and Two, as well as myself ran for the tent. We don't really know what happened after we got into the tent, but not a second went by that we didn't think we wouldn't be next. We know better now, but in that moment I felt both relief and fear for my life. I just kept thinking how lucky I was that I was fortunate enough to die with my dignity still intact… I kept thinking "at least those man babies didn't get to do whatever depravity they had in mind"
Well by now everyone knows what happened, it's been on the news. Those 3 guys and all of their cronies turned up missing… But what the news won't tell you is that we were saved by Mama Makwa, we call her that due to the sounds we heard, as well as the site we saw afterwards. The bellowing sound of vengeance that came in the form of a bear’s roar was as loud as the mean screaming they saw a 9 ft tall bear with skin dripping off of its bone like fur. We later learned that men referred to it as “Slippy Skin” aka "Wejuk", as it seemed the bear would change appearance depending on who gazed upon its visage, but this was not "Wejuk". One by one, we heard those men scream for their lives, describing a creature with a mouth made of human hands that had palms covered by teeth shaped like hypodermic needles. It had claws that seemed like stone daggers that were etched by The Ojibwe. The men warned each other "Don't look into its eyes!" before proclaiming how sorry they were for the things they'd done… They complained of the putrid stench suffocating them as they were pulled into its gaping maw. They screamed of the creatures rotting viscous flesh melting into their own, and making their skin a part of it, as if their skins were fuel for the fear this best could instill by its mere dominion over them. But we never saw that creature… Instead, after the screams stopped, we were greeted by this beautiful creature that looked like a bear, only it had this glow about it, and its fur seemed almost like the softest of opalescent feathers. Its eyes looked just like the aurora borealis, and she was mesmerizing. We felt safe, and welcomed, and most of all protected… After everything that happened, I think we will be coming back, because we know Mama Makwa will be there to protect us. We believe Mama Makwa is an avenging spirit born from the fear those lost daughters felt, here to make sure no other women ever have to suffer like they did within this forest. We also now understand why those men all went missing. My boyfriend and friend Two's husband weren't attacked by Mama Makwa… Only the men who felt any sort of ill intent toward us women that night saw Mama Makwa in that form, the form they confused for Slippy… But knowing there is a safe haven for women out there, I'm thinking we will have another girls night next year, anybody wanna come?

Everytime I see someone discussing the social features on here, they are very polarized. It is either that they despise it, or that they love them.
I see people mourning the death of the forums and how it helped them learn grammar that isn't explicitly taught through just lessons themselves and helped them feel like a part of a community all learning together.
Then I see someone posting a screenshot here of someone being creepy/bigoted/spamming in the already very limited social features. It is pretty common here for people to say that they wish these features were gone, especially to protect children. I'm worried that the social features will be removed entirely and not without cause, it's a lot of work to moderate I bet.
I only follow three people I know in real life, plus an internet friend, the rest of the people I follow I just follow back because I believe in kindness and like seeing the sentences they post. I like working on quests with family or strangers, I like when I get notifications about my family because it feels like a more indirect way to keep in touch, sometimes I will get a notification and it's our code for that they are on break or lunch at work and can talk for a little bit. Another positive example, I am not learning Portuguese, but someone I follow is. So sometimes she posts sentences she's learning and I see the Spanish translation of the Portuguese phrase because I think she is a native Spanish speaker, then I translate the Spanish sentences into English in my head. It's like doing a mini lesson without even doing anything, I often find a bunch of cognates that make me feel encouraged if I wanted to learn Portuguese in the future.
So what I've been doing is compulsively liking/celebrating people's achievements in my feed, and always commenting positive and supportive comments that are fairly unique. When someone comes back after awhile I encourage them, when someone has a long streak or quest thing or whatever I am genuinely happy for them inside. I love that they are learning my tongue and I'm learning theirs, it feels like it fosters a sense of understanding and tolerance. I told my quest partner who is a stranger that I was sorry I wasn't pulling my weight because I was busy with work lately and he was super nice back! It was cool he could practice his English, it was somewhat awkwardly phrased and not natural but it was all correct technically. Practice like that builds confidence!
To paraphrase Vikram and his radio show, lovely readers, can we please try to positivity max and have an uplifting, kind community? It would be a really funny juxtaposition to have Duolingo the community having a reputation for: "super proud of you keep going heres constructive feedback on how to improve!" And Duolingo the company having a reputation of: "Please do your French lesson or the Canadian government will send Duo to your house to rip the English labels off of your food items."
I spam you with the XP doublers every time I can, never nudge, if we are not going to make a quest deadline I will dedicate an hour or so to make sure that you get that prize even if it's just 10xp you contributed because it's a big motivation for me that someone else is depending on me even if ultimately it's inconsequential. If I see you are killing it in the same language that I'm learning, I will focus on that one just a bit more in a sort of mini friendly competition in my head, etc.
Am I just weird and take this funny bird word app too seriously or are you all aboard the #positivitymaxxing train?

Hi guys, I'm trying to max some specs, I have some silver to spare for faster progress. I have 100 specs of fighter sections, but my weapons or chests are not 100.
Here is my question, an average satchel consumes 1.15 per extra fame but I couldn't find the information about auto-respect (It gives 80% rather than %20 when you active it as far as I understand, but it doesn't say how much silver it consumes.) Did someone do this math before? Which one is rational? Thanks.

A thread for new collectors to ask basic questions of the community.
Frequently Asked Questions below!
A longer version of the subreddit rules is here.
For questions specifically concerning bootlegs or vendor legitimacy, please ask in the Bootleg Megathread.
NSFW & Spoiler Guidelines

• For Self Posts: include a bolded NSFW note next to links in that post.
• For Links to sites/images: If the figure is NSFW, or the website has any NSFW content (including ads) be sure to tag your post NSFW and use the appropriate link flair.

Bootlegs
Any collection posts containing bootlegs, comments advocating buying bootlegs, or links to sites selling bootlegs, recasts, or unlicensed merchandise will be removed.
People often ask about the legitimacy and/or safety of a number of websites which sell large resin statues. The more commonly-asked of those deal primarily in resins from studios which do not have a license from the Japanese IP holders to produce merchandise. Therefore links to those sites are not permitted here. Another sign is if MyFigureCollection doesn't list the either the statue, its manufacturer, or the shop it's being sold on.
MyFigureCollection
My Figure Collection is like MyAnimeList... but for figures! Their database includes thousands of items which been produced during the last couple of decades, along with reviews of shops and other helpful articles. One can also list their own collection and post gallery photos.
Shops

Retailers:
AmiAmi HobbySearch Mandarake (sells rare figures) Good Smile Company Online Shop (often has exclusives) Good Smile Company US shop Crunchyroll Store Hobby Link Japan (aka HLJ) Solaris Japan (MFC partner) BigBadToyStore (MFC partner, US retailer) Big in Japan (also has proxy service) Tokyo Otaku Mode FigureHaven Archonia (EU) Yorokonde (EU) Figuya (EU) Gamersheek (UK) Jungle
List of retailers on MFC
/AnimeFigures' List of Retailers
Community Guide to Shopping in Japan

Blogs/News:

Nekomagic (News/Previews) NyaaFigurines (Reviews/Releases) Kahotan's Blog (News/Reviews) Figma Blog (JP)

Buying & Shipping

1. What’s the best place to buy my anime figures from?
That’s going to depend a lot on what works for you, but most people around here buy them from Amiami, Big in Japan, Hobby Search, HobbyLink Japan, or Tokyo Otaku Mode. If none of those work for you for whatever reason, there’s a list of reputable retailers in the sidebar that you can check out at any time. Be extra careful when ordering figures from websites like Amazon or ebay, as there are a lot of bootlegs on those sites. Don’t be afraid to ask in our Bootleg Megathread if you’re unsure.
2. What differences are there between the shipping options I get from most Japanese shops?
Below is a rundown of the main shipping choices you’ll get at most retailers. Keep in mind that if an order is large enough you will be forced to use one of the more expensive options, as SAL shipments have lower size and weight restrictions.

• Unregistered SAL: Sometimes referred to as uSAL, is usually the cheapest method. It does not come with any tracking or insurance. Usually takes up 2-4 weeks for delivery.
• Registered SAL: Sometimes referred to as rSAL, is insured for the declared value up to 6,000 yen. It comes with a tracking number and usually takes 2-4 weeks for delivery.
• EMS: This method of shipping is much faster than either SAL options, usually arriving within a week of shipment. EMS shipments are insured for the declared value up to 2,000,000 yen.
• Airmail
• E-packet
• Surface: Shops don't offer this very often. It's an actual cargo ship and slow as a result.
  
• DHL: Becoming more available as an alternative to EMS on AmiAmi and other sites. Can be less expensive than EMS and of comparable speed, but may be more reliant on the specific geographical area being shipped to. The price is also determined by the size of the box. Offers their own tracking.
  

3. I placed two+ orders for figures at different times. Will my items be shipped together, or will I have to pay shipping twice?
Most shops will ask you to pay shipping on a per-order basis, but here are some that will allow combined shipping:

• Amiami: You can combine orders here, as long as the orders ship in the same month. It doesn’t matter if the item is new or preowned. Any preorders that are set for that month can also be combined with other orders for that month. However, be aware that if the preorder gets delayed, Amiami will remove that item from that month’s shipment and place it on a new order. To combine orders on Amiami, use the “Combine Orders” feature under “My Account”.
  
• Hobby Search: Hobby Search will let you combine orders that release in the same month, but you cannot combine in stock items with preorders. If you want to combine multiple preorders, or multiple in stock items, you can do so using the “Order Recombination” feature on your account page.
  
• HobbyLink Japan: At HLJ, you have the option to send paid orders to their “Private Warehouse”, where you can store them for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to ship the items, you simply select which items to ship and HLJ will combine them into one shipment for you. To use this, just select the “Private Warehouse” option as shipping when you order.
  

If you’re unsure about whether or not a shop we haven’t listed will combine your orders, please refer to their individual FAQs.
4. When will I get charged for my preorder?
Most Japanese shops charge you once the item is in stock and ready for shipment. When that happens, they will send you an email asking for payment. Some shops (mostly overseas ones), will allow you to pay for the item up front though, if you’d like. A few with that option are:

• Big in Japan (Japanese store)
• Tokyo Otaku Mode
• Anime Island
• Crunchyroll

Keep in mind that overseas stores will likely get the figure a few months after Japanese ones, so pay attention to the release date stated on the website you are buying from so as to avoid that confusion.
5. Should I expect to pay customs fees when importing figures?
That depends on where you live. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Australia: 10% GST is now assessed up front.
• Canada: Minimum declared value for charges is around CAD$20 for regular shipments, and CAD$60 for gifts (gifting something only seems to lower the declared value by about CAD$40, not deplete it completely). When using Amiami, try their Small Air Packet option. It comes with tracking, gets there in about the same time as EMS, and is better at avoiding customs.
• European Union: As of 1st July 2021, VAT has to be paid on all goods imported from outside of the EU. Retailers are supposed charge VAT for purchases under €150, however many Japanese retailers currently do not, so VAT will be charged when your order arrives in the EU. Orders that are >€150, VAT and duty will be charged by your local customs.
• UK: As of 1st January 2021, VAT is to be charged by retailers for orders <£135. However, customs isn't currently charging VAT on parcels valued at <£135, even if the VAT hasn't been paid. Goods >£135 will have their VAT and duty calculated and charged by customs.
• Mexico: Minimum declared value for customs fees is USD$300 for shipments by post, and USD$50 for shipments by courier.
• United States: A shipment has to have a declared value of USD$2,000 before customs starts hitting you with fees, so you most likely won’t have to worry about them at all.

6. The figure I want is an exclusive, how do I go about ordering one outside of Japan?
You have three options for this:
A. Big in Japan is known to stock exclusive figures and ship to other countries. Usually the price is higher because they build in their proxy fees, but it’s easier than worrying about using a forwarder or proxy service. If you live in the US, Crunchyroll, Right Stuf, and Tokyo Otaku Mode also get exclusives sometimes, but out of the states the shipping can get expensive.
B. Forwarding Services: A forwarder is someone who you ship an exclusive item to so that they can forward the package on to you, usually for a flat fee + shipping. When using a forwarder you still make the purchase yourself, and enter their address into the shipping field. When the box arrives at the forwarder they will then stick your address onto the package and send it on its way.
Some popular forwarders are:

• Big in Japan
• Tenso

Be sure to read each sites instructions on forwarding carefully!
C. Proxy Services: With a proxy, you tell them what the item you’re looking for is and they will purchase it in your stead. This is handy for when a company doesn’t accept foreign credit cards, or you’re having trouble navigating a Japanese website.
Some popular proxies are:

• Big in Japan (Won’t proxy for Yahoo Auctions)
• From Japan

Again, be sure you thoroughly read through each sites proxy instructions.
7. I see a bunch of really cheap figures that ship from China on ebay. Are those okay to buy?
Generally, no. They’re most likely bootlegs. If you want a second opinion on that, feel free to ask in the Bootleg Megathread that’s always stickied at the top of the sub.
8. What’s a bootleg, and how can I avoid buying them?
A bootleg is a counterfeit figure often made using rejected molds of the official product. They are usually priced significantly lower than the genuine article, and in order to make their profit, bootleggers use lower quality materials and have less attention to detail- resulting in a substandard figure.
The Bootleg Megathread that I mentioned in question 7 is a great tool to avoid buying any bootlegs. It has a few tips and tricks to avoiding them to begin with, and a few more on how to spot them if you’re worried you might already own one.
9. Does anyone know when figure X is going to be released? How do I know if it was delayed?
My Figure Collection (sometimes referred to as MFC) does an excellent job of staying on top of information like release dates and delays. If you’re curious about an upcoming figures release date, check there first. This information can be found directly under the “Releases” section on a figure’s entry. If you only see a month and a year in that section, it means the release date has not yet been announced by the manufacturer, and there is still a chance the figure could be delayed.
If you make an account on MFC you can also subscribe to comments, changes, and pictures via a checkbox on the right hand side of a figure’s listing. Subscribing to any of these things will allow MFC to send you an email anytime the subscription in question updates. Subscribing to “changes” is a great way to keep up with release dates and delays, among other things.
10. The figure I want is long sold out at normal retailers! What’s the best place to pick it up in the aftermarket?
A list of reputable retailers can be found under the “Shops” section of the /AnimeFigures sidebar. They all sell legitimate products, and many of them also sell figures second hand. However, the most frequently suggested second hand sites are Mandarake and Amiami- who has a preowned section that they update every night save Sundays and Japanese holidays around 1PM JST and again around 6PM JST.
AmiAmi grades their pre-owned items on a letter scale. The general consensus from buyers is that their ratings are conservative, so unless the item and/or packaging is specifically indicated as having significant flaws, pre-owned items from them are usually in at least as good a condition as their rating suggests.
Note: When you search Mandarake, you’ll get the best results by using the Japanese characters for whatever you are searching. If you don’t know them, you can find them on MFC by clicking on any of the “details” in that figure’s listing.
11. Amiami has a figure I’m interested in labeled as “For sale in Japan only”. Does this mean I can’t order it without a proxy or forwarder?
No, you can still order it. Amiami’s English site has that warning on many items, and it’s mostly meant to inform you that this product was made for a Japanese market, and as such, will have Japanese speaking/writing in it- so don’t expect any instructions to be in English. If Amiami doesn’t want foreigners buying a certain product, they won’t even list it on their English site.

Displaying Your Figures

12. What display cases do you recommend?
If you live near an Ikea try out one of these:

• Klingsbo
• Billy (Often used with Morliden doors (now the HÖGBO and glass shelves.)
• Detolf: Formerly the go-to choice for inexpensive display cabinetry, the Detolf was first made flimsier around 2020 and then essentially phased out of the name, to become the BLÅLIDEN. Knockoff versions of widely-varying quality are commonly found on other shopping sites these days, though.

*If you decided on a Detolf, you might find that there is a lot of wasted space. Here are a few tutorials on raising the shelves or and adding extra ones in.

• Using metal clips
• Using acrylic supports and PVC pipe

If you don’t live near an Ikea, Amazon has a few display options, though they are more expensive. Also keep an eye on your local Craigslist (or your country’s equivalent) and stores near you that are closing up.
13. What lighting do you guys recommend?
Ikea’s Dioder LED strips were discontinued after a long run. A current version is the Vattensten, if you're inclined to buy your case and lights at the same time.
LED strips have become very commonly available in recent years; most hardware and home furnishing stores carry a selection now. Just make sure that the lights don’t get too hot!
14. What are those clear plastic boxes that I see under everyone’s figures in their collection posts, and where can I get them?
Those are called risers. Most of us use standard acrylic risers like these. Some other, easy to find things that have been suggested are:

• Plastic picture cubes
• Card Deck Boxes
• If you’re feeling adventurous, try making your own!

Check your local hobby store for the first 2 options, or your local hardware store if you want to make your own.
Another common suggestion is to visit The Container Store if you have one near you. They have a lot of things to choose from that can suit a variety of needs. Be sure to check out their standard acrylic risers, their Amac boxes, and the various display cases they sell (baseball cases, mini car cases. hockey puck cases, etc).
15. Should I keep my figures sealed?
That is, of course, up to you really, but here are a few things to keep in mind when debating this question:

• Keeping it sealed can actually damage your figure. PVC figures usually have something called plasticizer in them, and that plasticizer needs to be able to breath. If a PVC figure isn’t exposed to oxygen, after a period of time the plasticizer starts to break down and form a sticky substance on the surface of the figure. Simply opening your figures and taking them out of the box prevents this from happening. If you happen to find plasticizer goo on one of your figures, Kahotan has a handy guide for dealing with it.
• Unlike some other figure markets, keeping an anime figure sealed won’t raise its value by a whole lot. In fact, because of the plasticizer problem mentioned above, your figure could actually be in better condition if you open it versus keeping it sealed.

Finding the Right Figure(s) for You

16. What are "scales" and "prizes"? What is the difference between them?
Those are classifications for figures based on a few factors.

• "Prizes" are generally more simply produced figures which are intended to be given as prizes for playing arcade games. They are inexpensive and lack the detail of scale figures, though some prize figure lines have standouts which may approach lower-end scales in quality. That is uncommon and often depends on the individual figure.
• "Scales" are called such because they are nominally designed to be proportional to the dimensions of the character which they are based on. They are generally of much better manufacture and materials than prize figures, allowing for more detail in painting, accessories, or complex poses.
• "Trading" figures appear in gashapon machines or as blind boxes on shop counters, often as sets which include multiple characters. As suggested by the class name, the randomness encourages trading. They are usually very inexpensively-produced, though as with prizes, some series are better than others.
• "Non-scale" encompasses a variety of other categories. It is often used to describe poseable figure lines such as figma and Nendoroids.

In recent years producers such as Good Smile Company attempted to further bridge the gap between prize quality and scales by introducing figure lines which are intended to be moderately-priced while retaining a higher level of detail than the typical prize figure, to varying levels of success.
17. There are so many figure companies! Who makes good figures?!
Obviously this is a very subjective question, but as a general starting point, here are a few well renowned figure companies:

• Alter
• Max Factory
• Good Smile Company
• Kotobukiya (usually hit or miss for people. Use your best judgement based off of the prototype)
• Flare
• Stronger

18. I really love “series X / character X”- how can I check if any figures were ever made for it?
My Figure Collection can be your best friend here. Simply do a search on the name of the series or character using the search bar located at the top right of the screen, and all associated figures pop up!
Alternatively, if you’re looking at a figure’s MFC entry, most of the text under the “Details” section can be clicked on and used to run a search.
19. How can I commission a custom figure?
None of the major figure companies (Alter, Kotobukiya, Good Smile Company, etc.) will take a commission for a single figure. This thread has a few websites in it that you can check out, or you can look into garage kits. Some kit painters would be willing to resculpt, frankenstein together, or otherwise modify kits for the right price.
If you're looking for help completing a garage kit, /brushforhire may be useful.

Keeping Up with New Announcements

20. How can I keep up with figure news (announcements, updates, etc.)?
Most people use a MFC combined with any or all of the following news sites:

• Neko Magic
• Alter’s Blog (In Japanese)
• Kahotan’s Blog (Only GSC and their sister companies)

Many figure companies are active on Twitter, so following them there is recommended for quicker news.
To use MFC for this I’ll quote question #9.

If you make an account on MFC you can also subscribe to comments, changes, and pictures via a checkbox on the right hand side of a figure’s listing. Subscribing to any of these things will allow MFC to send you an email anytime the subscription in question updates. Subscribing to “changes” is a great way to keep up with release dates and delays, among other things.

Most companies have one or more Twitter accounts. Some examples: Good Smile Company sales, Good Smile's USA branch, Max Factory, AmiAmi Hobby News.
21. Everyone’s excited about something called Wonfes….. what the heck is that?!
WonFes (short for Wonder Festival) is a biannual figure expo where many figure producers (both large and small) show off new sculpts and updates to figures already under way. Most companies save their most exciting announcements for WonFes, so we all look forward to the expo whenever it rolls around! Winter Wonder Festival is usually held in February, while Summer Wonder Festival is usually in July. The event has also spread to Shanghai, in the late spring.
22. One or two (or 15) figures were announced at WonFes that I’m really excited about! How can I keep track of their progress once the event is over?
MFC is always really quick about getting new WonFes announcements (or any others throughout the year, for that matter) listed in their database, so we suggest using that. To find a figure from the event you can search any number of things, including the name of the character or the name of the show. You can also use the tag search to search “WonderFestival 20xx_[season]” to see all items announced at that event.

Killer Grips: Anne Maria, Brick, Jasmine, Justin, Millie
Screaming Gaffers: Chase, MK, Ripper, Scott, Sky
Episode 7: The Chefshank Redemption
"Last week, the dry desert heat baked our favorite pardners like roadkill on the black top! But, crispy bottoms or not, they still had to mount their ancient steed… from a hundred-foot platform!"
“But that wasn't all. A calf-roping contest had the teams lasso each other. When Trent threw challenges for Sky, she gave him a much deserved talking to, which led to some Total Drama from Justin. Well, poor old deputy Trent found himself hitching a ride on the 3:10 to Loserville.”
"With ten remaining, it's anyone's guess who will win this week!" The camera now showed the cast trailers, with nobody in sight. "Will the Gaffers manage to win again?" the host asked as the shot moved to the team of five, loitering together beneath a tree.
"Or will the Grips even things out?" Chris asked next as the shot cut to the team of five, all sitting outside at a picnic table.
"It can happen!" Anne Maria said.
"Right," Chris said in a close-up before smiling at the camera. "See for yourself, next, on Total! Drama! Action!"
(Theme Song)
The episode properly opened on a scene of the morning sun, a lilting tune playing as the camera panned down and over to the cast trailers. The sound of snoring could be heard as the shot zoomed further in on the boys' trailer, and cut inside to show the boys all in the beds they'd picked at the start of the season, though Justin was in the middle of a facial while a fan was blowing on his nails.
An air horn was sounded loudly as the shot zoomed in on Chase, who woke up with a snap. The focus switched to Scott, who opened his eyes and rubbed them before Ripper sat up and yawned.
"I call dibs on the bathroom!" Chase said after he got out of bed, rushing to the door of the trailer. The scene cut to a close-up of the handle as he grabbed it and pulled to no effect, leading him to frown and try pulling with both hands, still with no results.
Chase then saw Justin still in bed. "Can you help with this?"
“This is day 12 of my manicure!” Justin replied. “To risk any more cuticle damage would be madness!”
"I'll open the door if you can't," Ripper told Chase as he stood next to him. “I have more muscle than all of you wimps.”
“By all means, go ahead and give it a try,” Scott encouraged insincerely.
Ripper grabbed the handle and pulled to the best of his ability, but the door remained closed. "I can't open it. We're trapped."
Confessional: Ripper
“I'm pretty much the strongest of my brothers," Ripper told the confessional camera. "In my school, I'd usually have to rip open lockers so I could either stuff somebody into it or take money. I'd usually get weeks of detention for that though."
Confessional Ends
“Why did they even trap us in here?” Chase complained as the scene cut back to the guys' trailer.
“They probably want us to fight each other to see who'll come out on top,” Scott theorized.
“We should find a way out instead of doing that,” Justin argued. “My hands have just been manicured.”
The camera cut back outside as the scene panned over to the girls' trailer, and the camera cut inside to show Millie jiggling the girls' door handle.
"I don't know how I ended up inside this trailer when I slept in a tree, but we have to open the door," Jasmine panicked as the scene panned over to her. Anne Maria and Sky were sitting on the lower bunk next to her.
“I'm pretty sure they snuck you in here while you were sleeping,” Anne Maria said. “And why are you so worked up about this?”
“I have claustrophobia, and I hate being in tight spaces,” Jasmine said.
Millie gave up pulling the handle. “This thing is jammed. I'm not able to get it open.”
"So we should try a different exit," MK walked past the bunks and pointed up at the ceiling. The other girls looked up as well and the camera followed their gazes, stopping on an emergency hatch.
"One of us should be able to squeeze through it," Sky noted and tilted her head down at MK.
“Uh, why are you staring at me?” MK asked gruffly.
Confessional: Sky
"I'm not happy to see Trent leave this early," Sky confessed. "He did do some questionable things in the past few challenges, but I thought he could get better after our talk. Regardless," she looked at the camera with determination, "I have to not let this affect my game now that I'm competing without him for the first time, and we are still together, unlike me and Keith."
Confessional Ends
"You should be the one to do it," Sky told her petite teammate. "You are the smallest one here."
MK furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't like being singled out because of my height, but for the sake of escaping this trailer, I'll excuse it." The techno looked back up at the hatch. "I will need a boost though."
"I'll help you get up there," Jasmine offered as she walked over to the girl. "My height will definitely come in handy."
The scene flashed back over to the guys, showing them looking up at the hatch.
"So obviously, we need someone to fit through the hatch and open our trailer," Scott deduced.
"Count me out," Ripper huffed. "I'm too heavy to fit through."
“I'd do it, but I would need more people to climb up through,” Justin said. “This would be a lot easier if Brick was here.”
“Speaking of which, where is Brick anyway?” Chase asked aloud.
The scene cut over to the craft services tent before flashing inside to Brick standing in the kitchen wearing a pot as a hat while Chef stood next to him in his drill sergeant uniform. "Okay maggot," Chef said. "I'm gonna ride you 'til your confidence coats the back of a spoon and your self-respect forms stiff peaks!" He showed the cadet his reflection in a cleaver and said, "No more War Child Brick. Watch and learn." He used a knife to cut a banana, a can, a bitten apple, and a boot into pieces.
"What is that?" Brick wondered.
"Taste perfection, boy," Chef poured the sliced items into a pot and served a spoonful to Brick, who cringed in disgust. "What you're tasting is pride, son. The most important virtue in a man's life. Now stir that pot!" the cook ordered before storming out.
"If Chef wants pride, then I'm going to give it my best effort," Brick talked to himself as he stirred. "What he gave me was an order, and I always follow orders."
The scene flashed back to the guys' trailer, cutting inside as Ripper placed himself in a fighting position with his arm folded and sticking out in front of him.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Ripper?” Justin asked in concern.
"Of course," Ripper said. "All I have to do is show that door who's boss by bursting through it!" Moments later, he charged across the room, yelling at the top of his lungs.
The door opened outside just before Ripper reached it, and unable to stop himself, he flew outside, past a smirking Chris wearing a police uniform, and landed next to the girls who had already gathered outside their own trailer.
"Hope you all enjoyed your first taste of the gulag," Chris said as he walked over to them, the other boys coming out of their trailer and joining the group.
"Gulag?" Anne Maria asked as Ripper stood up and dusted himself off. "What even is that? Food?"
“Gulag means prison, not food,” Sky pointed out.
"Correctamondo," Chris told her. "Because today," the camera quick-panned to a prison set with high walls rimmed with barbed wire and several wooden dummies in prison uniforms set up in a courtyard, "is Prison Flick day!"
The castmates groaned.
"Ah, prison," Chris continued. "The confinement, the claustrophobia!" he said, getting excited as he began to pace back and forth in front of the unimpressed contestants, a tense tune building up in the background. "The vile, nasty food! And you're always lookin' over your shoulder, 'cause Mr. Killer Dude wants to cut ya for takin' the last tater tot! And no matter how hard you try, digging out spoonfuls of dirt, year after year, there's no escape!"
"Unless you get voted off, of course!" he added plainly.
Confessional: Chase
“As if this place wasn't prison-like enough,” Chase muttered. “Now we have to actually live like criminals. It won't surprise me if in a year or two, Chris gets locked up for teenage abuse.”
Confessional Ends
"Lockdown, people," Chris said with a grin as the footage cut back to him in the interior of a prison lit by a handful of stage lights. "Let's get this challenge started!" The shot pulled back, revealing the teams standing across from each other next to tables filled with a variety of cooking dishes. A covered cart sat near the hot, and in the background were a pair of cages.
"Teams, take a prisoner from the competition," he told them in a close-up as footsteps were heard in the background, "and Chef,” Chef arrived on screen in his earlier outfit, "I mean Warden," the host corrected with a wink. "Lock 'em up."
The shot cut over to the Grips. "Okay," Justin whispered as the five huddled, "we have to pick the weakest member of the other team."
“We do have to weigh our options,” Millie said. “Chase once told me that he swallowed ten bugs into his mouth in under a minute as a dare, and Scott and Sky have strong stomachs as evident in the eating challenge from last season.”
“Ripper doesn't seem the type to chuck out what he eats, so we're picking MK,” Jasmine decided.
The shot cut over to the Gaffers' huddle. "Obviously, we need to pick Millie for this," Scott suggested. "She's less likely to handle gross food."
"I would say Jasmine since she's less likely to go through being locked up because of her claustrophobia," MK said, "but using someone's fear against them would make me look bad."
"Looks like we have a choice," Chase finished.
"Choices?" Chris announced suddenly. "Gaffers?"
"We choose Millie," Sky announced, causing the writer to groan.
"Grips?" Chris followed up, taking a few steps to the other team. "Now remember, this is an important choice. Whoever gets the upper hand here could win the whole challenge!"
"Because of that," Brick announced, "we're picking MK." The techno girl gulped.
"Today's first game is," Chris announced as he walked back over to the covered cart, "the Prison Chow-llenge!" A few deep notes played as he grabbed the cover and whipped it away, revealing the stinking, rotting, half eaten food lying beneath. "Each team of prison chefs whips up the foulest, nastiest, most barf-inducing slop this side of Alcatraz," he explained as the camera moved in for a close-up of the 'food', then cut to a cringing Brick and a again to a somewhat surprised-looking Anne Maria.
"Millie and MK have to stomach as much as they can," the host explained. "Last one to power-hurl wins!"
"Technically, this isn't an actual prison," Millie said as Chef herded her into the cage closest to the Grips. "If I was, I'd be protesting how unfair my “arrest” is."
"That's what some of them say," Chris told her with a smile as the door slammed shut and the camera pulled back, showing that MK had been locked up as well.
Confessional: Millie
"I'm not exactly hyped for this," Millie confessed uncertainly. "With the exception of the Brunch of Disgustingness, I'm not the kind to eat gross food, and I don't plan on doing so in the future, but since I've already been nominated, I might as well just suck it up."
Confessional Ends
The camera panned across the Grips' table, showing only a handful of dishes filled with unidentifiable mush. "This just keeps getting worse and worse!" Millie said as she looked at it in horror.
"The reward better be worth it," MK said from her cage.
"Have I ever let you down?" Chris asked before quickly adding "Wait! Scratch that!" He smiled before continuing. "Anyway, the winning team gets this!" He held up a golden shovel, which gleamed in the light.
"A shovel?" Millie asked skeptically. “Seriously?”
Confessional: Jasmine
"Given what I know about confinement cells, I think I know what the next part of the challenge will be," Jasmine told the confessional camera. "If it's digging, then we have to believe that Millie will pull through for us."
Confessional Ends
"Prisoners ready?" Chris called from between the two cages. "Aaaand, culinate!"
The host continued his rapid commentary as the Gaffers were shown making their first moves around a large bowl of something brown. "Ripper goes right for the roaches. Chase tops it off with some moldy pineapple slices and oh! Here come the horse lips!" The burly boy dropped his ingredient into the bowl and walked away while the daredevil stuffed the pineapples into the bowl and grabbed some horse lips in order to add them in.
Sky approached the table from the other side. “Where did you even get these things?” the athlete asked.
"I found some leftover pineapples from the beach party," Chase told her before they left the table.
“Gross, but effective,” Sky said.
Scott arrived with his wife beater taken off and in his hands. “This oughta be good,” he snickered as he twisted his cloth and squeezed out all the sweat into the bowl. After doing so, he put his wife beater back on his bare chest.
The camera cut over to the Grips as Justin took some dead hair out of his pockets and put them into his team's bowl. "Looks like Justin is sacrificing some of his dead hair," Chris commented as Jasmine stepped forward with a cheese grater and a moldy onion, "and Jasmine adds a topping of ripe onion." The Australian woman quickly grated the onion and walked away as Anne Maria walked up to the bowl.
"Remember," Brick whispered to the Jersey girl, "we're trying to make the food gross, not tasty."
"I know that, which is why I'm throwing out these expired lip gloss," Anne Maria said as she took out two sticks of lip gloss and put them in the bowl, followed by her using her spray can on it.
"Time's up!" Chris announced suddenly and with a grin. "And jailbirds, hope your appetites are primed!"
"Hope you're not feeling queasy today," Jasmine said with a smirk as she delivered her team's bowl of white-and-moldy 'food' over to MK.
"Here is what me and my team put together," Chase said as he walked past to take a bowl of something mostly brown to Millie. “Sorry if it grosses you out, babe.”
"This looks," Millie said before gulping, "uh, incredibly...not so bad..."
"Are you maggots ready?" Chris asked excitedly. The shot cut to a close-up of maggots squirming beneath the white mush, the camera zooming out to show a horrified MK. "One minute to down that chow! Aaaaanndd...Dig in!"
The hacker took a spoonful of prison food and forced it into her mouth, cringing and shuddering immediately.
Confessional: MK
"I don't even know how the contestants could go through the Brunch of Disgustingness without dying last season," MK admitted in the make-up trailer. "I clearly don't have the iron stomach for this challenge, even after eating Chef's grossening excuse for food for two seasons."
Confessional Ends
The footage cut back to Millie as she hesitantly plunged the first spoonful into her mouth. She swallowed it whole and moaned. "What did you even put in this? Anchovy paste?"
"Not gonna answer," Ripper snorted cruelly.
Millie took another spoonful, and after a pause, she opened her mouth and pulled out a moldy pineapple slice. She shuddered again and flung it away from her.
A quick-pan over to MK showed the short girl forcing her way through her own meal. "Don't think about it," she said with a disgusted grimace after a swallow. "Do not think about it!" She took another bite, shuddered, and swallowed.
Seeing her struggle, Scott quickly conducted a plan. "Wow, who knew Millie had such a strong stomach?" he said to his team. "Especially after I squeezed all of my sweat into the bowl!"
“What?!” Millie's eyes went wide as she dropped her bowl of food to the ground with an off-screen splat. She vomited moments later, in a stream that hit a stunned MK in the head.
"MK keeps it down for the Screaming Gaffers," Chris announced over a piece of triumphant music, "and wins the reward!"
The Gaffers cheered, Sky holding the golden shovel in her hand.
"Hey Chris, can I throw up now?" MK asked as Chris let her out.
"As long as you don't get any puke on my hair and below, go right ahead," Chris told her.
"Cool," MK said, holding her stomach as she walked out of her cage. The moment the host left, she turned around and grabbed the side of her former cell, and puked right into it.
"Are you gonna be alright?" Sky asked as she and Scott walked over to her.
"Yeah," MK said after she turned around. "I was just waiting for Millie to puke her guts out."
"And because of me, she did it much faster," Scott gloated. “My sweat came through for us.
“You didn't need to say it out loud,” Sky told her teammate. “That was sort of cheating.”
"You say cheating, we say getting an advantage," MK said before getting queasy again. "Now can you excuse me for a sec?" Without waiting for a response, she turned back around and puked again.
The camera cut to Chef on another part of the set. "Sir, we may not have won," Brick said as he ran over to the cook, "but I can take pride in the fact that we created a meal that even you wouldn't eat."
"You've still got more to learn!" Chef shouted.
“Pardon?” Brick grew confused.
“Pride and two bucks will get you a cup of coffee!” Chef said. “What a man really needs is loyalty, and you clearly came through for your team. If it wasn't for the sweat thing, you would've won!”
“Thank you?” Brick said confusingly.
Chef placed a hand on his shoulder. “I was once like you. Young, weird, kinda ugly. But you've got a gift. Now own it. Don't let it go to waste. Like I did,” he sniffled and returned to his gruff state. “Meet me in the kitchen after the challenge. You're on permanent KP duty, soldier,” he said as he left.
Confessional: Brick
“I had no idea Chef could show empathy towards me, and though I don't like going against my morals by doing this secret alliance, that was the highlight,” Brick said with a smile.
Confessional Ends
(Commercial Break)

Plot

When the Traveling Baboon Show led by Uroho arrives in the Pride Lands to perform their show, they end up stealing the other animals' food. After chasing the baboons to the Outlands, the Lion Guard has to come to their rescue when they are cornered by Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu.

Song: "The Traveling Baboon Show"
Pros
-There aren't that many pluses to this episode, for me. However, I did like Kion and Ma Tembo's interactions in this. This episode feels like a precursor of their "child/adult friendship" for the rest of Season 2. I like their interaction at the start and when they discover there's a food thief. Unfortunately, they are not enough to save this episode.
-"No, but, we will hear you chewing," Fuli, Misophonic icon.
-"Me too! I was in a panic, let me tell you!" Thurston. It's funny because he's always in a panic.
-"I like 'em better on my inside than my outside," Bunga, best line in the entire episode.
-I will admit, I do like the addition of Yellow Baboons in The Lion Guard because they are a different species of baboon than the rest of them in the Pride Lands. So, I like that the animators added a new species for the kids. It's just really unfortunate that they made them really unlikable and annoying.
-"Or, if you're a zebra, panicking and running!" Alright fine, that was the funniest Uroho line in the whole episode, but, I still hate him.
-"It's funny because it's true," Thurston, at least he's aware of it. What an icon.
-I've always loved Ono in this episode because I empathise with him and I feel his frustration. "Yes, they're hysterical. Ha ha," I love his sarcasm. He hates them as much as I do.
-Beshte, "Like my dad says, it's not fair to take more than your share." Wise words from Basi. Also, I always loved when Beshte recites his father's sage advice.
-Ono, speaking nothing, but facts, "Plus, some zebras are afraid of.... bugs!"
-Bunga's "Baboons" was a funny line in the episode. He understands where Fuli and Ono are coming from by then.
-Cheezi and Chungu were funny at first, but it got old really quickly as soon as the baboon trio arrived into the Outlands. "You know what would taste really good right now?" Anything?" I can't deny how much I love these two, even if they can't save this episode.
Cons
-Okay, while the idea of there being a food thief in the Pride Lands sounds cool, the series has already explored that in episodes like "The Kupatana Celebration" and "The Call of the Drongo" and we saw two different outcomes. In the former, Reirei and the jackals got punished for stealing food and for scamming the animals of the Pride Lands, and in the latter, Tamaa was stealing food at first, but did learn from and correct his mistake. I find the two of them much more watchable than this lackluster episode. Plus, nothing thrilling happens in this episode, it's just the Lion Guard investigating on area of the Pride Lands and very slowly trying to piece together who the food thieves are. Plus, they don't even ask around and no animal is in any real danger, here. We don't get a change of scenery, apart from the baboons' performance and the one area of the Pride Lands.
-Okay, as I already said, this episode is a complete rehash of "The Kupatana Celebration", "The Call of the Drongo" and "Ono's Idol", which are much better episodes than this and have more going on. We already had the whole "food thief" plotline in the first two and it was way better. It's very predictable with any twists and turns, and it's not very interesting. I thought the dialogue was quite weak. We can all guess exactly what will happen even if we've never it before (I have watched it when it premiered). Also, I thought the baboons were weak antagonists, personally with no redeeming or interesting qualities, whatsoever. But seriously, switch out the baboon trio for Reirei's pack or Tamaa, and it's the same story, except that the jackals actually got their comeuppance and Tamaa learned his lesson.
-The baboons are very unlikable and I don't feel like they earned their redemption arc at all. At least, with Tamaa, he wasn't entirely antagonistic in his episode, he was more morally-grey and he was unable to gather food for himself. So, we can kind of feel bad for him. Also, Tamaa was, deep down, aware that he was in the wrong for stealing and he actually took the initiative to correct his mistake in the end, no prompting from the Lion Guard. With Hadithi, in his episode, he did have a conscience deep down all along and felt guilty for always lying to Ono. He also feels guilty during the ceremony and makes a proper effort to apologise and help Ono, and even commends the young egret at the end for his act of heroism. Those were both examples of "Selfish character learns to put the needs of others before their own" done right.
-Another reason I think that the baboon troop had no qualms about stealing food and going against the circle of life, is that they kept juggling and throwing Ono around against his will because they knew he would figure it out and expose them as the thieves. I don't think they actually wanted him as part of the act, I think they intimidated by his presence. Also, the circus soon becomes clear that it's just a cover up to throw the Pride Landers off, so, they can't be exposed. When eventually Ono figures out that they are the thieves, Uroho tries to talk himself out of trouble, but to no avail, just like Reirei had tried when her pack were discovered. So, overall, I think the baboons were very aware that they were in the wrong, but, didn't care, they only cared about being popular from performing.
-"Bunga and the Baboons" would've been genuinely funny, to me, except for the fact that we'd already seen the baboons mistreating Ono against his will by forcing him to be part of the act. I have to wonder, I know Bunga is being Bunga, but, why would he want to do the act when Ono, one of his best friends, is being thrown around by said baboons.
-That's another thing, I really don't like Ono being treated as the Butt-Monkey. I don't like his mistreatment from Mwevi and Mwizi, and the fact that no one on the Lion Guard does anything to prevent it. I thought Kion and his friends were a little bit mean here, the way they laughed at Ono even though he was clearly being roped into a performance he didn't want to be in. "What the hell, guys! This is your friend, Ono, and a valuable member of the Lion Guard. Why would you guys just stand there and not intervene when he's clearly being juggled around, screaming?" That doesn't sound like any of them. Kion has pounced on several of the bad guys for trying mistreat his friends and allies, as well as trouble-making and he's also pounced on Hafifu and Majinuni for messing with some pangolins." Why wouldn't he just pounce on Mwevi and Mwizi right then and there, for his friend Ono?
-"It was pretty funny when they juggled you like a sausage fruit." and "Funny! That was hilarious..." No, it was not. I think was the one time I didn't like Beshte's character and Bunga's, for that matter. I don't like that they do not defend Ono even once and that they're laughing at his annoyance.
-"Come on, Bunga. Who are gonna believe, your friend, Ono or a couple of baboons?" Thank you, Fuli. I really don't like these stupid or mindless Bunga tropes that the writers like to throw in. The Bunga I know would believe Ono, in a heartbeat! Plus, Bunga has already proven before that he is, in fact, intelligent when he needs to be. So, I hate this trope of stupid, idiotic, "doesn't-know-where-he's-been Bunga". Also, the whole "Hi" joke was pointless. He already knows that Ono was referring to him and the rest of the Lion Guard. So, what was the point?
-Thurston is really rude in this episode. I don't like obnoxious and rude Thurston. "Excuse me, I believe I had something very important to say." Thurston, you'll get your turn to speak eventually.
-I really loathe Ono being made the butt of every joke with the baboon trio. He deserved so much better and he shouldn't have been made for cheap laughs, in this episode. "Ono, why would you keep letting them treat you like this, my friend? You should've seen it coming the second and third time." I dare you guys to name a single Ono fan who enjoyed this!
-Mwevi and Mwizi were obnoxious with the way were stealing and hoarding food from other animals in the Pride Landers. As Pride Landers, they should know that, as a general rule, you're not allowed to steal and that it goes against the circle of life. There's also the fact that they continued to hide the evidence, even after Ono caught them red-handed, further proving my point that they must feel no guilt about it.
-It's doubly a crime against nature because they did it so close to the Dry Season and didn't even apologise or own up to what they did. This makes them absolute scumbags since food scarcity is extremely high during the Dry Season. Another reason why I don't think they have earned their redemption and why it could've been much better. They also ran away from Kion and the Lion Guard instead of, I don't know.... turning themselves in.
-I don't like how the baboons are invading everyone's space as part of their act. Audience participation has to be a personal choice and shouldn't be forced upon someone. Not only did they force Ono to perform by just throwing him around, but, they also went around invading everyone's personal boundaries and using them in their act. First, with Fuli, when Mwevi and Mwizi jumped on her back without permission, despite the fact that she didn't like it, and also the fact that Uroho purposely used Ma Tembo's trunk for the act without her permission. I don't like the fact that they just make all the animals be in the show against their will and without a slight care for personal space.
-Uroho, "Sorry, but, I'm not sorry!" Uroho, you're such a jerk. See, the writers are literally handing me proof, on a silver platter, that Uroho and his troupe did not feel any guilt for their actions and, therefore, didn't earn their redemption arc in the end. Also, I don't like the fact that he didn't show any sign of redemption until after the Lion Guard saved them. So, did he actually genuinely want to reformed or did he just do it to repay the Lion Guard, because they saved him even when he did not deserve it and to get back into the Pride Lands. I mean, for God's sake his name means "Gluttony" for a reason and Mwizi means "Thief/Burglary" for a reason.
-Now, I do feel bad for Janja in this episode. I feel so bad that he's considered the villain of this episode. Damn it, I never wanted to side with Janja, but, in fairness, he was not doing anything wrong, like he is in most other episodes. 99% of the time, I can see why the Lion Guard need to chase away the hyenas because Janja has an ulterior motive most times, but, in this situation, I just wanted to see him eat for a change. I'm not saying the Lion Guard shouldn't have felt bad that the baboons had ended up in the Outlands, but, I think they should've cut Janja some slack this time around. Plus, Kion was initially saying how the baboons are not in the Pride Lands and therefore, not their problem, anymore. But, suddenly, for no real reason other than "Well it's our job to defend the Pride Lands", they decided they must save the baboons. In this situation, and this situation only, I think they were unfair to Janja. When does get to eat in his OWN TERRITORY!!!!
-Kion, "Stop right there, Janja! Step away from the baboons!" Really Kion! Could you not give him a break this time around? He didn't do anything wrong and wasn't taking down whole herds of animals to spite you. Those are the situations where he deserved to get his butt kicked, but, not here. I refuse to acknowledge him as the villain of this episode! He did not have an ulterior motive this time around, he was just hungry. Plus, you didn't even want to go into the Outlands, in the first place. I also don't get what the Lion Guard were intending to do to them as punishment for stealing food. If they didn't intend for them to be in the Outlands, why did Kion say, "At least we got 'em outta the Pride Lands," and what were they going to do with? This is the bit I can't get my head around because isn't that what they do with animals that don't follow the rules.
-To further prove my point, Kion says earlier on, "It's more than not fair, Beshte, it goes against the circle of life." And the line before where he tells Ma Tembo that the Lion Guard will make sure the food thief doesn't do anything again. So, if you guys what their plan was, please tell me because I don't get it. Were they just intending to attack them as punishment, but then, let them remain in the Pride Lands? Were they going to be watched or under slave labour for Simba and Nala? I don't know, because when Janja and Reirei are breaking rules they are chased out of the Pride Lands, justifiably so. I mean, even though the baboons are Pride Landers, they've been nothing, but trouble, and we have no proof that they would've changed if the Lion Guard hadn't come to their aid. Uroho didn't seem to care about the circle of life and had been antagonistic for nearly the whole episode.
-"They wouldn't be in the Outlands if it weren't for us. We're the ones who chased them there." No, Ono, you guys didn't chase them into the Outlands, you guys broke off to deal with some sable antelopes that fell in the river. The baboons, meanwhile, just ran away so they wouldn't have to own up to what they did and then chased themselves into the Outlands. So, no, it wasn't you guys' doing and you guys' wouldn't have had to take action if they hadn't been stealing food in the first place. The baboons brought this on themselves by putting themselves into a situation where the Pride Landers would be mad at them and then running away instead of actually apologising for their actions.
-I also don't know why Ono would be forgiving of them. "Ono, my friend, they humiliated you like an hour ago and literally tossed you around and stole food. Why would you so eager to forgive them? Don't you think you should be firm? You're the smart after all." I mean, I admire his level-headedness, but, the baboons didn't earn their rescue and needed to be punished for their wrongdoing. And if poor Ono hadn't suffered enough, to end the episode, the baboons just bribed him by throwing him an insect, before selfishly tossing him around again. And yet again, the Lion Guard do nothing. Uroho is still a massive jerk. Ono had just saved his life like 5 minutes ago and this is how he repays him!
-"And for that they deserved to get eaten?" Okay, I do get where Beshte is coming from. I didn't want to see the baboons get killed just because they were mean to everyone in the Pride Lands. I don't anyone should deserve to die, but, at the same time, they did have it coming to them by wandering into Janja's territory in the first place and stealing from them. If it was a situation like "Too Many Termites", it would be a different story, but, here the baboons went into the Outlands on their own and had been nothing except a nuisance within the Pride Lands! I mean, the Lion Guard should've definitely felt bad for them, but, I think they should've let Janja have this, on this occasion.
-"I can't believe you came all this way to save us. Now we feel bad..." Yeah right, Uroho, you knew stealing was wrong all along and you kept doing it. I have my doubts about whether he actually felt bad or if he was sucking up to the Lion Guard to be welcomed back into the Pride Lands. Also, the Lion Guard are very naïve for letting them scott-free with no real punishment except to give free food to the Pride Landers. I get that they're children and that the writers probably didn't want the younger viewers to dislike Kion and his friends in this episode by making them leave the baboons for dead, but, it feels unfair to how the Outlanders get punished for disrespecting the circle of life.
-Finally, I don't the song of this episode "Travelling Baboon Show" was just annoying. It's one of the few TLG songs I can't stand, especially since having watched this episode when it first aired, I found out at the end that the baboons were the main villains of the episodes and kept stealing and making everyone look foolish. Also, they humiliate Ono in front of everyone, during the song. I do think that the lyrics are just plain weak as well, and Uroho is just kind of making the performance a much bigger than it is. It really isn't as hyped up as he makes it out be, in my opinion. I don't listen to this song and I don't really want to revisit it any time soon. I'll give a 2.75/10 because it's the worst TLG song ever.
Overall
I never liked this episode. I think it's got storytelling that wasn't very interesting and it didn't have much happening in it. Also, as I said, we already this storyline twice and doesn't work here, on this occasion. I hate Uroho's troupe so much and I find them extremely unbearable. They're worse than Tiifu and Zuri and Hafifu and Majinuni, for me. I think they're more obnoxious with no redeeming qualities and I don't think they properly earned their redemption arc, unlike Tamaa and Hadithi. They were just annoying and they didn't feel worthy of forgiveness and I hate the way the Lion Guard just decided to treat them like they did nothing wrong and just let them off scott-free when they were clearly breaking the circle of life. I feel bad for Janja on this occasion because he hadn't done anything wrong and the baboons didn't deserve to live in the Pride Lands. I'm very confused about what the Lion Guard were planning to do to them before Janja got to them. The baboons had learned nothing about not stealing basically and continued to annoy Ono in the end. The song was very bad for a TLG song. I found the dialogue weak. The only saving grace was a few funny moments in the first act, but only in the first act and they cannot compensate for how bad this episode was, in my opinion. Overall, I think it had potential and could've been written better. I'll give a 2.5/10 and I don't want to watch it again. But it isn't my most hated episode.