Sorry this is all over the place we have a lot going on and I’m sleep deprived.
For some background on her sleep history, we have coslept since about 6 months old and she has always been hard to get to sleep but once in bed she would stay asleep pretty consistently. I rocked her to sleep every night until she got so big I couldn’t anymore so now we lay next to her and cuddle until she’s asleep.
About 4 months ago she started having trouble staying asleep. She would take around 2 hours to get to sleep and then wake 4 hours later (usually around 2-3am) and either be inconsolable or absolutely wired and want to roam the house. For example today she went to sleep at 9pm woke at 2:45 and did not go back to sleep until 7:00am. She does not act herself. She starts off crying then gets mean then acts like it’s a new day and says come on mama and tours our entire house. Eventually I’ll put us all 3 in the car to drive and she still won’t fall asleep for an hour or more.
Sometime around december she developed a wet cough that has still not gone away. I have been to the doctor multiple times. We have had a chest xray and tried allergy medicine and can’t seem to figure out what it is. I feel like the sleep problems and the cough are somehow related because it tends to be worse when she’s asleep.
To top this off we also had our second baby 3 months ago in mid december. Hard to say what order this all happened in but I know her sleep problems started before the new baby. I know it’s hard on her because I now sleep in another room with baby and dad and her sleep in our bed.
Any thoughts or input on what to do. I’m desperate and don’t know what is going on I feel like something isn’t right and her pediatrician has no advice beyond trying an antihistamine (which has surprisingly made her stay up even later than normal) please someone help!

So, I posted here a few days ago in absolute shambles. I had just realized what a mistake transitioning was, I had just realized what I'd done to my body, I felt like I wanted to die. It's hard to accurately judge my big-picture feelings right now, but I don't think saying that this past Friday-Sunday have been the worst days of my life so far would be innacurate. But now I'm calm, my emotions have stabilized more, and I don't want to just throw that much negativity into this space without trying to balance it now that I'm out of the worst of it. So, here's this post. Let me know if I flared it wrong, sorry it's long.
I went shopping with my mom yesterday for new underwear and clothes (I got rid of a lot of my old pre-transition stuff). I wore a dress she gave me, plus what used to be my favorite coat in high school before transitioning. I didn't have a wig and I'm still incredibly insecure about my face shape and the look of my skin, but going out as a girl again felt so good. I miss a lot of my clothes from high school, but I have new clothes that will hopefully only make me more confident as my body starts to return to its default state (as much as is possible). My mom told me she can't remember the last time she saw me as happy as I was when we were shopping, and that I looked pretty in the clothes I had tried on. My mind immediately went to how much time I've wasted, but I'm trying to keep my focus on the future rather than my mistakes.
I've also calmed down a lot about my chest. I don't know if I'll ever be okay with what's happened, but I'm at the point where I can acknowledge my situation without crying or breaking down. I'm more or less comfortable in just a tee shirt and a cartigan right now, with no stuffed bra, which honestly felt impossible the past few days. I'm not ready to try to appreciate anything about my chest yet, but I'm trying to keep in mind how I will be physically healthier now, post-surgery. I am very thin and had DDD cups, which caused me a lot of back pain that regularly interfered with my life. It's easy to see with hindsight why the hatred of my chest got so bad.
I've also been hanging out with my girlfriend more yesterday and today. She lives with me and my family, but had work all day Saturday and Sunday, so I was basically only leaning on my parents at that time. She's been more supportive than I can put into words. She's been extremely affectionate and comforting to me, and isn't treating the gender change as a big deal beyond how it's affecting me emotionally. She told me she had a dream lastnight that I had long hair, and that it looked nice. I've been having trouble opening up to her about it, just because she's seen my body in its current state, and I find it hard to believe she could be attracted to me as a woman right now, but based on her words and behavior, my anxieties have been unfounded, and it means the world to me. I think the biggest possible "bright side" I can think of about my post-surgery body, is how I feel physically closer to her when we hug now, and how good that feels.
I've still been crying a lot. I still feel terrible about my voice, and my face, and my masculinized body shape, but it's easier now to have perspective, and it's not all bad. I will need to come to terms with my voice, but my fat will redistribute, and my skin will get softer. It's much too soon for me to be thinking about breast reconstruction, especially after fixating for so long on the idea of another surgery fixing my problems with my body, but I'm looking into breast forms and mastectomy bras, and getting less uncomfortable with wearing nothing under shirts at home.
Everything is still really hard right now, but it's getting easier, even only a few days out. I have a very good therapist right now, a great support system, and enough of a will to live to make it through this. I'm growing out my hair, and my body will adjust to being off T soon. It's going to take a while, but I'm optimistic that I'll be okay.

The pursuit of knowledge and truth do not overlap with the pursuit of gaining capital. In order to regain culture and science, we have to let go of any decadency. The pursuit of capital means creating a for profit, inhumane, dystopian society in which convenience, efficiency and automation are on an undeserving pedestal.
Humans appreciate chiseled bodies, great works of art, beautiful architecture, being well socialized and finding meaning through their communities.
The current American culture refuses this.
Masculinity is branded as men being brain dead, sports obsessed, car enthusiasts. Men that enjoy drinking more than being compassionate, hardworking providers to communities. If men are not this then they wear graphic t-shirts, collect funko pops and hang on to Nintendo wondering why women don't like them.
Women have their faults but I understand the risk involved in expressing truth around women and refuse to say something against the current tyranny.
People will want to passively take substances in order to feel, "happy". Anyone who does this is juvenile and lazy. Get up and move. Work out, work hard and progress in something. Do not take drugs to better tolerate a life style that makes you feel depressed.
Male depression and female depression are very different. Women want to feel loved and men want to be capable.
Value being a strong, compassionate force for good. Value being a healthy resource to others. Show love and guidance through actions. Show you care about being a good man.

Stand musical Reference: “Mio Mao La La La La La” by Francesco Mosseri & Piero Barbetti(it has no meaning literally at all.)
Stand Typing: Bound, uh… you’ll just need to read it for yourself.
User Name: Johannes Swan
User References: Johannes for the creator of the Printing Press and Swan from Joseph Swan, who was involved in the creation of the electric lightbulb.
Stats
Power: N/A
Speed: N/A
Range: ? (Hard to tell.)
Durability: D
Potential:A
Stand Ability:『Mio Mao』is unique in that it began powerless, and it even currently has no entirely battle centered abilities, but it makes up for such by having a very large plethora of possible abilities, currently depending mostly on passerby and other civilians to fight. The abilities will be split into “Mio” and “Mao”, as I use their meanings to create the abilities. Let’s start with Mao. The Mao section of abilities is called “The Coarse”. The Coarse has the abilities of “quality stealing”, manipulation of people without strong minds(passerby’s for standoffs sake), to revert a “finished” object back to an unfinished state, increased impact of the users words on people under the age of 19, and creation of monoamine oxidase. The Mio section of abilities is called “The Treasury” . The Treasury the abilities of “declaring ownership” of something, to “deposit” or “withdraw” one million, instantaneous Cherry Blossum Growth(only one every 15 minutes by default), and,when the user found out about Mio(the water-enhancer company) gave the user a power within the company equal to a Co-owner.
Mao further explanations: The “quality stealing” ability is only usable non-living man-made objects. Objects with their quality stolen will become less well constructed, such as a house having a worse foundation or a plane having a faulty landing mechanism, or a bridge being more likely to collapse. The manipulation of weak minded individuals is limited to either quickly rallying a mob or calming a mod down, and the opponent will never be included in any fighting scenarios. The reverting of finished things to an unfinished form can also only be done to non living man-made things, and things it can do include but are not limited to: removing a houses wall paint, removing one of the pillars of a building, and removing the concrete of a road. Due to the extra impact of the words of Johannes on younger people, he can influence them into helping him in fights or schemes quite easily. And finally, monoamine oxidase is, by definition, an enzyme that deaminates monoamines: it destroys excessive amounts of many biologically active monoamines, as serotonin, epinephrine, or histamine. Or condensed, it causes depression. Johannes can manifest this within a person’s brain through physical contact, but it’s not as if it would do much other than lowering the opponents moral.
Mio further explanations: Declaring ownership of something is more or less to make it so that any 5 by 5 feet square of land that Johannes is standing on, when somebody other than him stands or otherwise on it, can trigger the police to arrive, as it’s “Private Property” owned by Johannes. I the time the police arrive are dependent on the arrival times of the police in the specified area. “Withdrawing” or “depositing” one million works as it allows for Johannes to “deposit” a million yen into allowing him to use his instant Cherry Blossom growth skill, which he will get by “withdrawing” one million yen(which comes from money and coins lost in peoples couches or like 2-3 dollars from rich people from all over the world, instantly Converting to yen. His instant Cherry Blossom growth allows him to, you guessed it, instantly grow a 40-50 feet tall Cherry Blossum tree from anywhere within 10 meters of him, letting him climb to roofs or lift the opponent or other shenanigans. Finally, the Mio water-enhancer company is basically a mini-speedwagon foundation for Johannes; but only the money or specific requested items part.
『Mio Mao』has an “A” in potential as Johannes can expand his abilities even further by discovering new meanings of “Mio” or “Mao”. This includes slang and possibly false, even if it was created as a joke, all that matters is if the user believes it to be a real application. Let me explain where each ability came from: in Chinese, Mao man’s a lot of things. It means: hair, feather, down, wool, mildew, mold, coarse or semi finished, young, raw, careless, unthinking, nervous, scared, (of currency) to devalue or depreciate. I’m sure you can find find where each power comes from. Secondly, MAO also stands for Monoamine Oxidase, which is one of the depression chemicals. Mio means “Mine” or “My Own” in both Spanish and old Italian. Mio is also used as an abbreviation of of “Million” sometimes as well. Somehow, Mio is also from words regarding Cherry Blossoms. Finally, Mio is also a water-enhancer company.
Appearance:『Mio Mao』is a stand composed of two objects, one representing The Treasury and the other The Coarse. The Coarse is a small white marble with a small section of it being an orange color, that feels surprisingly fluffy, like a feather. The Treasury is a small unpure brass ring, with the words “Live, Love, and” with the third word being unreadable, created as part of the ring. Johannes has to be wearing The Treasury on one of his fingers to use it’s abilities, and he must have The Course on his person somewhere to use it.
User lore: Johannes is currently 23, and has had a rather complicated upbringing. He’s born in the slums of Chicago, having an Indian-Mexican Heritage. He gets abandoned, as you do, and lives simply by getting lucky. Whenever he passes out from wounds or hunger or thirst, he wakes up having been saved by a person who puts him back on the street as soon as possible. He’s been in a rather brutal gang before, leaving after a few months, setting the base on fire before he runs away. He went on the move at age 15 for better places, and hasn’t stopped yet, though he had finally summoned his stand when he got caught in a rather unfortunate 5-on-one fight he definitely couldn’t win. Suddenly a ring appeared on his finger and a bead in his clenched fist. He had heard the word “Mio” used as an acronym for one million, being the cost for them to let him go. He used the ring, and withdrew that sweet sweet 1 million yen, before hightailing it out of there. He has just been doing research on the words “Mio” and “Mao” as well as money-making schemes to get by since. Along with that he, of course, took online language classes and expanded his vocabulary. He is fluent in Italian, Spanish, French, and Arabic. He’s haunted for sure, but you won’t see him not cracking a joke at every opportunity. He doesn’t really have a fighting style, as he would be improvising, but using the passerby or police through bribing or his heightened manipulation is what he relies on.
User Appearance: Johannes clocks out at the height of 5’4 with a pretty ok build, nothing special. He usually wears clothes that make it easier for him to hide in crowds, such as a blue shirt without printing and khakis in slums, but it can vary depending on where he currently is. What doesn’t change is that he wears three additional rings, one on the hand with The Treasury, and the other two on the other hand. His shoes also don’t change, wearing brown bowler shoes, with a small skull at the back of the heels.

The Stay On Main hotel, referred to by its former title of the Cecil, stood tall before me. Its brown brick front loomed. I walked through the main entranceway with my suitcase in hand.
I made my way into the empty lobby and approached the front desk. The inside had glossy black and white tile flooring. Stanchions with red ropes led to the check-in counter.
The clerk looked up at me from his phone with a side-eyed glance. He had wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. He resembled a surfer more than he did a night manager.
“I’m looking to stay here for a week,” I said as I handed him a wad of cash.
“This is an affordable housing unit for the homeless,” he said. “You’re well dressed and have an Irish accent. I’m guessing you’re a journalist or documentary filmmaker. Either way, it wouldn’t feel right to let you stay here when you can afford somewhere else. You’d be taking up space someone of greater need could use.”
“This should erase guilt,” I said as I handed him another stack of hundreds.
The man accepted the bribe and stuffed it in his shirt pocket. He then slid a room key over to me after I gave him a false name and a credit card that did not belong to me. He mentioned the complimentary breakfast available in the morning.
“I’m Scottish by the way,” I corrected him as I made my way onto the elevator.
There were fifteen floors and my room was on the fifth. I pressed the button. The sounds of the creaking wires holding the platform stable reverberated above.
It dinged and let me off. I went down the hallway, which had wooden ground and drab white-painted walls.
I entered my room and saw it was not much better than the corridor. There were a few places I had stayed at with my wife around Loch Lomond far above such a decrepit den as this.
The first thing I saw was the view of skid row outside. Its wandering figures resembled the madhouse painting by Goya. Street lights, neon, and litter were everywhere.
The desk drawer had the to-be-expected Bible. Shock coursed through me as I saw the completed works of Alfred Tennyson next to it. A highlighted passage got my attention:
‘and this gray spirit yearning in desire to follow knowledge
like a sinking star, beyond the utmost bound of human thought.’
It was well-known that Tennyson was a part of my agency when the organization was first founded.
I laid my piece of luggage on the bed and opened it. I took out a leather-bound journal, an EVP recorder, external microphones, and a few mini cameras. I placed the items in each corner.
I waited and retrieved my ledger. I scribbled about my findings later in the morning.
EXCERPTS FROM FIELD NOTES/SURVEILLANCE MONITORING, FEBRUARY 16th AT 0439 HOURS:
There is a streak of blood underneath my mattress. It is faint, very old, and would not even be noticeable to the average eye due to its faded quality. I would not have found it had I not spotted and attempted to kill a roach that scurried across the carpet. The insect has disappeared. I presume it to have fallen between the cracks into another dreary unit below. I have not observed strange or unusual sounds within my space in particular. I have not seen any visions, ethereal or cerebral, which would sound any alarms. Screaming, honking horns, and drunken babbling seep through the boundaries. The wind seemed to flow through the rafters at an unusual pace around those noises. By that, I mean it whistles a song of its own in perfect rhythm.
*
I awoke the next day to the sound of my phone. It was the landline in the room. I answered it and pressed the receiver to my ear in a groggy state, entangling my neck in the wire.
“Meet me at the Civilization Cafe,” a familiar woman’s voice said. My response would have been irrelevant since it was an order and not a question. I placed it back on the hook and managed to get out of bed.
I showered, dressed, and made the walk to the coffee shop.
Dani sat outside with a steaming mug in hand. She did not acknowledge me with anything more than a quick nod as I took a seat across from her. She scanned her surroundings to make sure no one was within earshot.
“Why did you rent the place for a week?” Dani asked between sips. “We agreed on one night.”
“You know why,” I said. I tried to remind myself to remain assertive without being hot-tempered. I did not want a write-up for insubordination.
“We need you to find out what’s wrong with this place," she said. "Report your findings soon. Otherwise, what happened to the last occupants could very well occur to the next civilian.”
“Please don’t put pressure on me like that,” I said. “Catching a poltergeist in a place with so much suffering is almost impossible. It's like summoning the ancients and asking them about the order of their calamities.”
“Could you at least streamline it by sending us emails instead of relying on a pen and notebook?” Dani’s voice became an aggressive whisper. “We’re getting tired of hiring an administrator to sort out your papers. Keeping your intelligence on point is a full-time job.”
“Writing it out by hand gives me a closer connection to the source material. I have to trust my way, or I’ll make mistakes by breaking my habits. You wouldn’t want that.”
She looked down the road. She finished her drink, slung her purse over her shoulder, stood, and pushed her chair in.
“Stay safe,” she said as she walked to a black cherry-painted Honda parked near the sidewalk. "Take care, Graham."
EXCERPTS FROM FIELD NOTES/SURVEILLANCE MONITORING, FEBRUARY 17th AT 0345 HOURS:
There has been one odd synchronicity after another. My window, accumulated so much mist that I reasoned it must have been pouring. Of course, it was bright out. Some of my filming devices have readjusted without me having touched them since set up. The towel rack in my restroom bent at its center. I guarantee it was not that way beforehand. I have taken this as a lesson to take photographs of every square inch of the place. This is for future reference in my studies. After observing these anomalies, my body fell into a lethargic sensation. I was reading a book titled The Origins of the World’s mythologies by EJ Michael Witzel before it fell out of my hands. As sleep enveloped me, something tendril-like moved in my periphery. It disappeared when I tried to stare at the illusions. I fell off of my mattress after having a nightmare of a lion chasing me through the Serengeti. I hit the floor. I looked to the side and saw a fog creep through the small crack at the bottom of my door. I went to investigate where this was coming from. I did not see anything as the remnants of the precipitation evaporated completely. In the hallway was an orange feline. She scampered away into a grimy stairwell.
*
I walked outside after I finished the report. I stepped into my rented vehicle and drove to a liquor store to pick out a bottle of whiskey. There were so many evenings when I was comfortable in my sobriety. This was no longer one of them. I had an uncontrollable urge to drown myself in the brown liquid that had been a scar on my life for so long.
I passed by a few markets that were teeming with too many suspicious people outside to risk going in. It took a while until I found one that was quiet and clean.
I went across the parking lot and saw a mural of Venice beach on the wall. It brought back memories of walking along the sands of Prestwick, with Lynsey.
Her eyes were emerald and her hair was darker than any cave I had explored in my youth. We had met at the Old College Bar in Glasgow at an age we kept secret from the bartenders with our fake IDs. We had a competition to see whose fraudulent driver's license was the most convincing.
I do not remember if I fell in love with her at first sight. I do recall being in disbelief that she even bothered to give me the time of her day. I can remember kissing her for the first time. The scent of her blossom honey perfume lit my body up.
I snapped out of my reminiscences and purchased a bottle of Glennmorangie blue label.
I was back at the Cecil in minutes. I imbibed two highballs and passed out. My tolerance level had weakened compared to the binging of my younger days. When I awoke, I analyzed what had occurred in the room during my sleep.
EXCERPTS FROM FIELD NOTES/SURVEILLANCE MONITORING, FEBRUARY 18th AT 0116 HOURS:
I am feeling hungover but alert. My 450-milliliter friend is half gone, but I am seeing straight right now without any problems. In other words, I am sober with a grudge. I hope my Supervisors at the Providence agency will forgive my conduct on the job. I do not believe they will blame me. A cobalt-hued smoke emanated from one of the corners. Jazz music is playing around me, whereas it never has before for the duration of my stay. It sounds so old and improvised. The notes are as unfamiliar to me as they would be to a new listener in the Flapper era. Worst of all is how out-of-tune it sounds. My tub has overfilled itself with brackish water. I have not even bathed yet, so I know that was not by my hand. A piece of the footage shows a silhouette moving across the room. Before it reaches my sleeping body, the camera lens shattered.
*
I ran out of pages and my hand cramped. I wrote new entries within the margins. I also started to hear things other than old tunes from a bygone era.
Human wails seeped in, each one more agonized than the last. Within a few minutes, I differentiated how there were two different voices. One male, the other a woman. I attempted to record them, but it was useless. All my mics picked up were static and the hum of the air conditioner, despite how they plagued my ears like tinnitus.
I lit a circle of candles and created a makeshift altar in the center of the room. I drew the circle with salt. I sat in the lotus position, closed my eyes, and endeavored to remain open to any visions. Seances were always my last resort.
I fell into a dream. I saw a couple, both from the decade of prohibition. They were lounging in the same room as me. The man had a copy of the completed work of Alfred Tennyson in his hands.
It all seemed like a peaceful scene until an argument commenced between the two. The man retrieved a blade from his vest and advanced toward her. He stabbed her. She turned the knife on him by gripping the sharp edge in her palms and hoisting it towards his midsection. He tried to claw towards the door, but failed and instead made his way under the bed.
EXCERPTS FROM FIELD NOTES/SURVEILLANCE MONITORING, FEBRUARY 19th AT 0026 HOURS:
I now realize I have not met my intended goal. I was hoping to receive some answers why my wife took her own life in this place. Instead, I came in contact with a murdered couple from the 1920s. They killed one another, but the woman acted in self-defense. Following research, I have learned the female is an ancestor of my departed wife, Lynsey. They share the same name. Her family immigrated here in the 1850s. She had mentioned this to me over dinner on more than one occasion. I never knew they had made their way here, to the exact spot I am sitting.
I am grateful to these organizations for allowing me to make an effort at settling this matter. I hope I have completed my duties with integrity. Unfortunately, I was unable to contact her. I will revisit this place one day soon since I have no intention of giving up.

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

	HOUSE	FRAGRANCE	SIZE	REMAINING	Notes/Condition	Price	Type
1	Amouage	Incense Rori Attar	12mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$475	Niche
2	Amouage	Material (Woman)	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box; Tester Cap	$145	Niche
3	Amouage	Orris Wakan Attar	12mL	99% Full	Full Presentation	$439	Niche
4	Amouage	Rose Aqor Attar	12mL	99% Full	Full Presentation	$439	Niche
5	Amouage	Vanilla Barka Attar	12mL	99% Full	Full Presentation	$439	Niche
6	Andy Tauer	Cologne du Maghreb	50mL	99% Full	First Release, Rectangular Clear Bottle; With box	$95	Niche
7	Boadicea The Victorious	Blue Sapphire	100mL	95% Full	Cap is cracked	$475	Niche
8	Bond No. 9	Madison Avenue	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$125	Niche
9	Bond No. 9	Signature New York	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$145	Niche
10	Bond No. 9	Madison Square Park	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$135	Niche
11	By Kilian	Bamboo Harmony	100mL	100% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray)	$209	Niche
12	By Kilian	Gold Knight	100mL	100% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray)	$209	Niche
13	By Kilian	Intoxicated	100mL	100% Full	Tester Refill (No Spray)	$209	Niche
14	Byredo	Bal D'Afrique	100mL	100% Full	New, No Box	$165	Niche
15	Byredo	Infloresence	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$150	Niche
16	Byredo	Mixed Emotions	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$150	Niche
17	Byredo	Mumbai Noise	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$150	Niche
18	Byredo	Sunday Cologne	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$140	Niche
19	Chanel Exclusif	Cuir de Russie EdT	200mL	95% Full	No Box; Tester	$725	Niche
20	Chanel Exclusif	Misia EdT	200mL	98% Full	Vintage Discontinued Formula; No Box	$380	Niche
21	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Bois D'Argent	7.5mL	100% Full	Official Mini	$30	Niche
22	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Bois D'Argent	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 0V01 (2010 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$35	Niche
23	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Cologne Royale	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 1X01 (2011 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$30	Niche
24	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Diorissima	7.5mL	100% Full	Official Mini; No Cannister - Price includes shipping	$30	Niche
25	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Eau Noire	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 1R01 (2011 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$35	Niche
26	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Eden Roc	7.5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Price includes shipping	$30	Niche
27	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Granville	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 0V01 (2010 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$35	Niche
28	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Gris Dior	7.5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Price includes shipping	$35	Niche
29	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Milly-La-Foret	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 0W01 (2010 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$30	Niche
30	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Mitzah	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 1W01 (2011 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$35	Niche
31	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	New Look 1947	5mL	100% Full	Official Mini - Batch Code 1R01 (2011 Production Date) - Price includes shipping	$30	Niche
32	Christian Dior / Dior Privee	Vetiver	50mL	100% Full	Magnetic Cap Decant	$141	Niche
33	Clive Christian	I Pour Femme (Woody Floral with Vintage Rose)	50mL	99% Full	No Box	$180	Niche
34	Clive Christian	Rock Rose	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$289	Niche
35	Creed	Acqua Florentina - F Batch	75mL	95% Full	Box, No Cap.	$175	Niche
36	Creed	Aventus - 22A11A	100mL	100% Full	Full Presentation	$250	Niche
37	Creed	Aventus Cologne - 2022 Batch	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$234	Niche
38	Creed	Aventus Cologne - F Batch (Plastic Cap)	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed in Box	$239	Niche
39	Creed	Erolfa - 15X01	120mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$369	Niche
40	Creed	Fleurs de Gardenia - 17P01	75mL	100% Full	Tester; No Cap, No Box	$125	Niche
41	Creed	Green Irish Tweed - 2022 Batch	100mL	100% Full	Full Presentation	$195	Niche
42	Creed	Himalaya - 22B01A	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$190	Niche
43	Creed	Jardin D'Amalfi - 16H01	75mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$240	Niche
44	Creed	Millesime Imperial - F Batch	100mL	100% Full	Comes with Box and SQUARE Older Style Cap.	$180	Niche
45	Creed	Neroli Sauvage - F241	100mL	100% Full	Comes with Box and SQUARE Older Style Cap.	$180	Niche
46	Creed	Royal Oud - F BATCH	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$289	Niche
47	Creed	Royal Water - 20C01N	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$175	Niche
48	Creed	Silver Mountain Water - 21V01A	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$190	Niche
49	Creed	Spice and Wood - 18C01	75mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap	$300	Niche
50	Creed	Tabarome - 21Y01A	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box; No Cap	$149	Niche
51	Creed	White Amber - 17W01	75mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box; No Cap	$149	Niche
52	Creed	White Flowers - 18G01	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box; No Cap	$189	Niche
53	DS&DURGA	Amber Kiso	100mL	100% Full	New, No Box	$135	Niche
54	Frederic Malle	Eau de Magnolia	10mL	100% Full	Official Travel Spray	$55	Niche
55	Gallagher	Bergamot Silk	100mL	99% Full		$84	Niche
56	Giorgio Armani / Armani Prive	Gardenia Antigua	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$155	Niche
57	Giorgio Armani / Armani Prive	Pierre de Lune	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$155	Niche
58	Giorgio Armani / Armani Prive	Rose Alexandrie	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$155	Niche
59	Guerlain	Angelique Noire	30mL	100% Full	Mini Bee Bottle Decant	$215	Niche
60	Guerlain	Angelique Noire	10mL	100% Full	Tall Glass Decant	$55	Niche
61	Guerlain	Cherry Oud	200mL	100% Full	Brand new tester without box	$319	Niche
62	Guerlain	Cruel Gardenia	200mL	100% Full	Brand new tester without box	$299	Niche
63	Guerlain	Derby	100mL	98% Full	Wooden Rimmed Bottle	$499	Niche
64	Guerlain	Embruns D'Ylang	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$299	Niche
65	Guerlain	Gourmand Coquin	10mL	100% Full	Tall Glass Decant	$60	Niche
66	Guerlain	Herbes Troublantes	200mL	100% Full	New, No Box	$339	Niche
67	Guerlain	Joyeuse Tubereuse	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$339	Niche
68	Guerlain	Le Frenchy	100mL	98% Full	Wooden Rimmed Bottle	$249	Niche
69	Guerlain	Oeillet Pourpre	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$339	Niche
70	Guerlain	Rose Barbare	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$339	Niche
71	Guerlain	Santal Pao Rosa	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$339	Niche
72	Guerlain	Tonka Imperiale	30mL	100% Full	Mini Bee Bottle Decant	$199	Niche
73	Guerlain	Tonka Imperiale	10mL	100% Full	Tall Glass Decant	$55	Niche
74	Hermes / Hermessence	Agar Ebene	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$135	Niche
75	Hermes / Hermessence	Epice Marine	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$145	Niche
76	Hermes / Hermessence	Iris Ukiyoe	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$145	Niche
77	Hermes / Hermessence	Osmanthe Yunnan	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$145	Niche
78	Hermes / Hermessence	Santal Massoia	100mL	100% Full	No Box	$199	Niche
79	Hermes / Hermessence	Vanille Galante	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$135	Niche
80	Hermes / Hermessence	Vetiver Tonka	200mL	100% Full	Full Presentation, Brand New.	$399	Niche
81	Hiram Green	Vetiver	50mL	95% Full	Full Presentation	$130	Niche
82	House of Sillage	Nouez Moi	75mL	99% Full	Tester	$120	Niche
83	I Profumi di Firenze	Caterina De Medici	50mL	99% Full	No Box	$35	Niche
84	Jacques Fath	Bel Ambre	200mL	99% Full		$79	Niche
85	Jacques Fath	Vers le Sud	200mL	99% Full		$79	Niche
86	Knize	Knize Ten	125mL	99% Full	No Box	$110	Niche
87	Louis Vuitton	California Dreaming	100mL	98% Full	May be a tester; No Box/No Cap. May have scratches/small engraving	$190	Niche
88	Louis Vuitton	Couer Battant	100mL	98% Full	May be a tester; No Box/No Cap. May have scratches/small engraving	$190	Niche
89	Louis Vuitton	Mille Feux	100mL	98% Full	May be a tester; No Box/No Cap. May have scratches/small engraving	$190	Niche
90	Maison Crivelli	Rose Saltifolia	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$159	Niche
91	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	724	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$365	Niche
92	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	A la Rose	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$325	Niche
93	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Vitae Forte EdP	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$160	Niche
94	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Amyris Femme EdP	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$139	Niche
95	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Amyris Femme Extrait	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$165	Niche
96	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Celestia	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$115	Niche
97	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte	200mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$279	Niche
98	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$149	Niche
99	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Celestia Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$159	Niche
100	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Universalis EdT	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$109	Niche
101	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Universalis EdT	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$219	Niche
102	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Universalis Cologne Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$119	Niche
103	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Vitae	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$219	Niche
104	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Aqua Vitae Cologne Forte	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$119	Niche
105	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Baccarat Rouge 540 EdP	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$375	Niche
106	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$300	Niche
107	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Feminine Pluriel	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$149	Niche
108	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Gentle Fluidity Gold	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$160	Niche
109	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Grand Soir	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$170	Niche
110	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	L'eau a La Rose	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$129	Niche
111	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	L'homme A la Rose	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$159	Niche
112	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Oud EdP	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$170	Niche
113	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Oud Extrait	10mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$35	Niche
114	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Oud Silk Mood EdP	70mL	40% Full	Tester; No Box	$75	Niche
115	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Petit Matin	70mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$145	Niche
116	Maison Francis Kurkdjian	Petit Matin	200mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$350	Niche
117	Maitre et Parfumer Gantier	Le Jeune Homme Eau Extravagante	100mL	35% Full	No Cap, No Box. Bottle May Leak. Ask about decanting	$15	Niche
118	Mark Birley	Charles Street	75mL	97% Full	Travel Version	$90	Niche
119	Masque Milano	Tango	35mL	99% Full		$90	Niche
120	Memo Paris	Italian Leather	75mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box or Cap	$135	Niche
121	Memo Paris	Lailabella	75mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box; No Cap	$135	Niche
122	Memo Paris	Marfa	75mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box; No Cap	$135	Niche
123	Memo Paris	Moon Fever	75mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box; No Cap	$135	Niche
124	Memo Paris	Oriental Leather	75mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box; No Cap	$135	Niche
125	Mind Games	Caissa	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$250	Niche
126	Mind Games	Checkmate	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$225	Niche
127	Mind Games	Gardez (Black Queen)	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$225	Niche
128	Mind Games	Scholar's Mate	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$225	Niche
129	Mizensir	Ideal Oud	100mL	100% Full	No Box	$155	Niche
130	Mizensir	Bois de Mysore	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$155	Niche
131	Mona di Orio	Cuir	75mL	99% Full	No Box	$120	Niche
132	Mona di Orio	Nuit de Noir	75mL	99% Full	No Box	$120	Niche
133	Oliver and Co.	M.O.U.S.S.E.	50mL	99% Full	Limited Edition 87/133	$110	Niche
134	Parfums de Marley	Delina Pour Le Corps (Body Cream)	200mL	100% Full	Full Presentation	$75	Niche
135	Parfums de Marley	Sedley	125mL	100% Full	Brand New in Box, Sealed	$149	Niche
136	Parfums de Nicolai	Patchouli Intense	100mL	98% Full	Full Presentation	$119	Niche
137	Perris Monte Carlo	Tuberuese Absolue	100mL	99% Full	No Box	$99	Niche
138	Pomare's Stolen Perfume	Angel's Share	9mL	70% Full	No Box	$40	Niche
139	Roja Dove	Apex Discovery Atomizer	7.5mL	99% Full		$50	Niche
140	Roja Dove	Creation-E Essence de Parfum	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box, No Cap	$150	Niche
141	Roja Dove	Scandal Essence de Parfum	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box; No Cap	$150	Niche
142	Roman Monegal	L'eau de Rose	50mL	97% Full		$70	Niche
143	Santa Maria Novella	Sandalo	100mL	95% Full	No Box	$80	Niche
144	The Harmonist	Desired Earth Eau de Parfum	50mL	100% Full	Brand new, Sealed	$219	Niche
145	The Harmonist	Magnetic Wood Parfum	50mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$229	Niche
146	Tom Ford	Beau de Jour	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$1,000	Niche
147	Tom Ford	Fougere Platine	250mL	100% Full	Full Decanter, No Box	$375	Niche
148	Tom Ford	Fougere Platine	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$1,000	Niche
149	Tom Ford	Fucking Fabulous	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$190	Niche
150	Tom Ford	Neroli Portofino	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$850	Niche
151	Tom Ford	Oud Fleur	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$1,000	Niche
152	Tom Ford	Rose de Chine	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$199	Niche
153	Tom Ford	Rose Prick	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$269	Niche
154	Tom Ford	Soleil Blanc EdP	50mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$145	Niche
155	Tom Ford	Soleil Neige	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$850	Niche
156	Tom Ford	Tobacco Vanille	50mL	90% Full	Full Presentation with Box	$160	Niche
157	Tom Ford	Tuscan Leather	50mL	100% Full	Magnetic Cap Decant	$115	Niche
158	Tom Ford	Vert des Bois	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$900	Niche
159	Tom Ford	White Suede	1000mL	100% Full	Sealed Dramming Bottle	$850	Niche
160	TVGA	Milestones Extrait	9mL	90% Full	No Box	$40	Niche
161	Washington Tremlett	Black Tie	100mL	95% Full		$125	Niche
162	Xerjoff	Accento	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$169	Niche
163	Yves Saint Laurent	Tuxedo	250mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$375	Niche
164	Acqua di Parma	Arancia Di Capri	150mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$65	Designer
165	Acqua di Parma	Colonia EdC	100mL	100% Full	Brand New, Sealed	$75	Designer
166	Acqua di Parma	Colonia Intensa	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$65	Designer
167	Aqua di Parma	Magnolia Nobile	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$115	Designer
168	Caron	Pour un Homme de Caron Le Matin	125mL	100% Full	Opened to test, sprayed once	$84	Designer
169	Caron	Pour un Homme de Caron Le Soir	125mL	100% Full	Opened to test, sprayed once	$84	Designer
170	Chanel	Allure Homme	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$75	Designer
171	Chanel	Allure Homme Sport - Aftershave Balm	100mL	99% Full	No Box	$65	Designer
172	Chanel	Allure Pour Femme EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$65	Designer
173	Chanel	Bleu de Chanel - Aftershave Balm	100mL	99% Full	No Box, Minor Cosmetic Damage	$55	Designer
174	Chanel	Bleu de Chanel - Aftershave Lotion	100mL	99% Full	No Box, Minor Cosmetic Damage	$55	Designer
175	Chanel	Chance Eau Fraiche EdT	150mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$120	Designer
176	Chanel	Chance Eau Tendre EdP	50mL	90% Full	Tester; No Box	$90	Designer
177	Chanel	Chance Eau Tendre EdT	150mL	99% Full	Tester; No Box	$120	Designer
178	Chanel	Coco EdP	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$85	Designer
179	Chanel	Coco Mademoiselle - Moisturizing Body Lotion	200mL	99% Full	No Box	$55	Designer
180	Chanel	Coco Mademoiselle EdP	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$90	Designer
181	Chanel	Coco Mademoiselle EdP Intense	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$95	Designer
182	Chanel	Coco Mademoiselle EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$65	Designer
183	Chanel	Coco Mademoiselle L'eau Privee	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$90	Designer
184	Chanel	Cristalle Eau Vert EdTC	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$135	Designer
185	Chanel	Cristalle EdP	50mL	95% Full	Tester; No Box	$135	Designer
186	Chanel	Gabrielle Essence EdP	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$90	Designer
187	Chanel	No. 19	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$115	Designer
188	Chanel	No. 19 Poudre EdP	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$135	Designer
189	Chanel	No. 5 Eau Premiere	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$85	Designer
190	Chanel	No. 5 EdP	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$85	Designer
191	Christian Dior	Dior Homme Cologne	125mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$85	Designer
192	Christian Dior	Dior Homme Eau	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$125	Designer
193	Christian Dior	Dior Homme Sport - 2017 Version	125mL	99% Full	Tester; No Box Batch Code is 6Y02	$95	Designer
194	Christian Dior	J'adore in Joy EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap, No Box	$60	Designer
195	Floris	007	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap, No Box	$100	Designer
196	Floris	Cefiro	100mL	100% Full	Tester with Cap, No Box	$59	Designer
197	Giorgio Armani	Acqua di Gio Absolu	75mL	99% Full	Full Presentation, Box has some wear	$75	Designer
198	Guerlain	Habit Rouge L'instinct	100mL	99% Full	Sprayed once	$84	Designer
199	Guerlain	L'instant de Guerlain Pour Homme EXTREME	10mL	100% Full	VINTAGE BLACK RIM - DECANT	$50	Designer
200	Hermes	H24 EdT	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$65	Designer
201	Hermes	Twilly	80mL	100% Full	Tester; No Box	$65	Designer
202	Jo Malone	Amber & Lavender	30mL	90% Full	No Box	$52	Designer
203	Jo Malone	English Oak & Redcurrant	30mL	80% Full	No Box	$49	Designer
204	Jo Malone	English Pear & Freesia	100mL	100% Full	Brand New with Gift Box and Gift Set (Body Wash, Body Lotion)	$180	Designer
205	Jo Malone	Gardenia & Oud Absolu	100mL	100% Full	Brand New with Gift Box	$180	Designer
206	Jo Malone	Rose & White Musk Absolu	100mL	100% Full	No Box	$180	Designer
207	Ralph Lauren	Supreme Leather	125mL	99% Full	No Box	$90	Designer
208	Thierry Mugler	A*MEN	100mL	99% Full	Rubber Flask; No Box	$75	Designer
209	Thierry Mugler	A*MEN Ultra Zest	100mL	85-90% Full	Rubber Flask; No Box	$275	Designer
210	Tom Ford	Black Orchid - Body Oil Mist	50mL	99% Full	No Box, Minor Cosmetic Damage	$50	Designer
211	Amouage	Cristal and Gold Ladies	50mL	95% Full	Vintage, Incredibly hard to find. Full presentation in nice condition	$399	Vintage
212	Cartier	Santos EdT	100mL	60% Full	Splash; Refillable; Original Formulation; No Box; Some Wear on Case	$199	Vintage
213	Chanel	Egoiste Cologne Concentree	100mL	97% Full	Bottle Only	$399	Vintage
214	Chanel	Gardenia EdT	100mL	100% Full	Vintage; Sealed	$390	Vintage
215	Dior	Jules	100mL	95% Full	Vintage; Ribbed Bottle; No Box	$264	Vintage
216	Dunhill	Cologne	125mL	99% Full	Vintage; Splash	$100	Vintage
217	Escada	Pour Homme Aftershave	75mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$165	Vintage
218	Escada	Pour Homme Aftershave	125mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$240	Vintage
219	Floris	Bay Rum	3.5 Oz	97% Full	Vintage; Splash. "Use as a cologne, after shave lotion, or hair lotion."	$84	Vintage
220	Floris	Special 127	100mL	98% Full	Vintage; Dark Blue Box., 2 Royal Warrants, Vintage Version	$70	Vintage
221	Fragonard	Zizanie	240mL	80% Full	Shaker bottle (Splash, not spray) no box. At least 80% Full.	$240	Vintage
222	Geo F Trumper	Ajaccio Violets	100mL	99% Full		$40	Vintage
223	Gucci	Envy Aftershave	50mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$140	Vintage
224	Gucci	Envy Aftershave	100mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$215	Vintage
225	Gucci	Rush for Men	50mL	100% Full	Full Presentation; These do not come fully filled	$190	Vintage
226	Gucci	Rush for Men Aftershave	100mL	100% Full	BNIB Sealed	$140	Vintage
227	Guerlain	Heritage EdT	200mL	100% Full	New; Vintage; Splash. 1991 Bottle.	$225	Vintage
228	Guerlain	Samrasa EdP	50mL	100% Full	No Box	$109	Vintage
229	Guerlain	Samsara EdT 1992-1993 Formulation	100mL	100% Full	Tester; No Cap; No Box	$109	Vintage
230	Jean Desprez	Bal a Versailles	9 Oz	70% Full	Vintage; Splash; No Box Open to offers on this enormous bottle.	$135	Vintage
231	Lacoste	Eau de Sport Vivifiante	100mL	99% Full	No Box	$130	Vintage
232	Lacoste	Land	100mL	99% Full		$130	Vintage
233	Nino Cerruti	Fair Play Pour Homme	100mL	99% Full	Full presentation with Box	$275	Vintage
234	Paco Rabanne	Eau de Metal	20mL	100% Full	Vintage; Mini	$15	Vintage
235	Ralph Lauren	Silver Romance for Men	100mL	80% Full	No Box, No Cap	$165	Vintage
236	Revillon	Pour Homme Eau de Toilette Super Concentrate	60mL	99% Full	Atomizer	$190	Vintage
237	Revillon	Pour Homme Eau de Toilette Super Concentrate	90mL	99% Full	Atomizer	$290	Vintage
238	Saxony	Russian Leather	60mL	70% Full	Vintage; Splash, Liquid is Cloudy. No Box	$10	Vintage​

Hello everyone!
So. I recently upgraded my phone, and have been jealous of my partner's Apple Watch. I'm not an apple guy, however. On a whim, I bought a refurbished Galaxy Watch (Model SM-R800). I'm going to return it. While I like the rotating bezel, UI, understated look, and screen clarity, it simply doesn't do what I want it to reliably. The Alti-Barometer straight up doesn't work. Integration with Strava hasn't worked correctly, since I think I'm accidentally pausing my ride by tapping the buttons with my hand/wrist while using bike handlebars.
My buddy is willing to sell me his old Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire for $175. I've been using it for a few days. While it is clearly more accurate and super rugged, and the battery life is awesome, I really dislike the UI and feel like the screen resolution/display quality are pretty poor for a product as nice as this. I was interested in it because of integration with the Trailforks app, but the integration isn't as smooth as I'd like. I do have access to a ~35% discount on all Garmin and Sunnto products. However, even with that discount, they are quite pricey pieces and I don't think I really need the quality of a Fenix 6 or 7, or an Epix. The Forerunner seems nice, but I'm not a fan of the plastic construction.
So, I've narrowed it down to a few options, and I'd love to get some input from folks here who have tried out some of these models.
Use Case:

• Everyday use. Basic metrics like steps, HR, etc. Ability to control Spotify. Ability to see basic notifications like text messages and my Google Calendar, etc. Ideally it also has a nice looking display with good clarity and brightness. Ideally a nice, subtle form factor and not too ostentatious.
• Sport Use: I'm a pretty active and avid outdoors-person. My primary sports are cycling (both mountain and road), and watersports (whitewater rafting, SUP, swimming, fly fishing), and backcountry skiing. I also hunt. This means that having good GPS tracking is needed. Ideally, I would be able to have a downloaded topo map with trails on the watch, or be able to import KML or GPX files. I plan routes using a variety of software. For MTB rides in new trail systems, I'd still use my phone for larger scale navigation, but it would be nice to be able to quickly glance at my watch to determine which way I'd prefer to go at a junction, or tell friends which way would be best without pulling my phone out of a pack.
• Must be rugged. I'm hard on things, and weather it's swimming laps at the pool or hitting rocks underwater while swimming in a river, grabbing a fish, dinging it on hard surfaces, the watch needs to be able to survive.

So, my thoughts are:

1. Amazfit T-Rex. Seems like a great value that would do everything I need. I've read some reviews of this and the Falcon, and it seems like the biometric data isn't perfect, but I'm not super concerned about my HR being perfectly accurate. The rest of the features seem to tic the boxes. I'm skeptical about the UI and app availability. Really wonder if there would be a decent offline map app that would suit my needs. Also wonder about the ergonomics for cycling.
2. Keep my buddy's Fenix 5X Sapphire. It tics all the spec boxes, but the display just looks pretty mediocre and I feel like I'd end up having buyers remorse.
3. Amazfit Falcon. Same as the T-Rex, but with more subtle branding and aesthetic. Unfortunately it's also around the same price as what I can get a Garmin Fenix 6 for.
4. Garmin Fenix 6. I know it will be solid for the sport use, but I worry that the UI and screen resolution/display quality will be less crisp than I'd prefer.
5. Samsung Watch 5 Pro. I'd likely need to add a rugged case, but I know the screen/UI/app store are all solid. I just wonder about the GPS/AltimeteBarometer reliablity, considering my current, older Samsung totally fails in that regard.

Very open to suggestions if there's something I missed. Thank you for your time!

DELAWARE’S CHANCELLOR ANDRE BOUCHARD UP TO HIS USUAL, UNUSUAL TRICKS IN CHANCERY COURT?

04/29/2020 By Judson Bennett📷
OPINION
Dear friends,
I’ve been following Andre Bouchard’s rocky career since the day he took office as the new Chancellor in Delaware’s Court of Chancery, and I wrote about the way he handled the Sussex County Register of Wills Office in his first year, which I thought was abhorrent. I’ve been extra critical of him through the TransPerfect trial, which ended years ago, and somehow, court-payments linger and his old buddies at Skadden Arps are still collecting nearly six-figure monthly paychecks, thanks to Bouchard’s atrocious handling of the case.
I wonder which one of his friends could possibly get paid off this time because, in my opinion, the TransPerfect case has been milked for huge amounts of money for the benefit of Delaware’s Good-Ole-Boys Legal Club, aka friends of the Chancellor???
I’m seeing similar suspicious patterns in a new case covered by The Law360 story below, where he’s again being shortsighted, in my view, during a court-supervised sale, which sounds similar to me to the TransPerfect case. where he was, in my opinion, continually attempting to bully the sides into a settlement, rather than just doing his job as a judge.
The Law360 story, says it best, “Chancellor Bouchard, a veteran of epic — and unfinished — battles arising from the liquidation of TransPerfect Global Inc. after a falling-out between its founders.”
I would love to hear your thoughts on this one. In my opinion, this guy, who was never a judge before, somehow through his Democrat politics, getting the chief role at the Chancery Court, is not even learning on the job. Time for him to go!
Respectfully Yours,
Judson Bennett-Coastal Network
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE at : coastalnetwork.com
See the Law360 story:
Chancellor Rips Critics Of Pharma Sale As ‘Incredibly Naive’
By Jeff Montgomery
Share us on:
Law360 (April 20, 2020, 11:40 PM EDT) — Delaware’s chancellor branded some challenges to the court-supervised sale of drug developer Inspirion Delivery Sciences LLC as “astounding” and “incredibly naive” on Monday, noting that a court order had given a liquidating trustee broad latitude to complete the job.
The comments by Chancellor Andre G. Bouchard during a sale hearing teleconference followed arguments by Michael Yoder of Reid Collins & Tsai LLP that a new auction effort could have produced a better result than the offer of $4 million in cash and up to $10 million in future payments from OHEMO Life Sciences Inc. from royalties on anti-abuse opioid drug compounds.
Yoder, who represents former Inspirion members Raymond DiFalco and Manish Shah, argued that it made little sense for a trustee to “simply accept the first offer from a company insider,” referring to OHEMO, which has ties to IDS member Stefan Aigner.
Chancellor Bouchard, a veteran of epic — and unfinished — battles arising from the liquidation of TransPerfect Global Inc. after a falling-out between its founders, asked if Yoder had fully examined Delaware law and trustee discretion on the issue.
“I really find that astounding. You didn’t even address the standard of review in your papers,” the chancellor said. “I find equally astounding the notion that you didn’t think insiders would be able to bid. Do you know how most of these contests end? Typically somebody involved with the company buys the other side out.”
Yoder said he was not arguing that insiders could not participate, but said that his clients did not participate because they hoped for a successful sale to a third party and were unaware there were no third parties in the running until recently.
“That just demonstrates extraordinary naivety,” Chancellor Bouchard said. “It all seems so last-minute for your client to walk in here not prepared to do something, and I find it very hard to believe that if they wanted to make a bid, they couldn’t do it all along.”
Differences between Shah and DiFalco and member Aigner over approval and marketing of key anti-abuse drugs MorphaBond and RoxyBond hobbled the business, with Aigner attempting to remove DiFalco as president of IDS.
The court ordered a liquidation after a three-day trial in November 2018, although further disputes and market issues extended the process. The proposed winning bidder was OHEMO, based in Puerto Rico, a company championed by Aigner before the liquidation order as a replacement for the Shah and DiFalco-aligned production operation.
Cerovene Inc., controlled by Shah and DiFalco, made an offer valued at up to $15 million but missed a key deadline for the submission earlier this month, according to Donna L. Culver of Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell LLP, counsel to liquidating trustee Derek C. Abbott.
Culver said Cerovene argued that the COVID-19 crisis and a lack of wire transfer specifics kept the business from making a required bid deposit, but not until “literally minutes before deadline” did the prospective competing bidder “give any indication he could not comply with the deadline.”
Nothing prevented DiFalco and Shah from getting involved through Cerovene earlier, Culver said, adding that the sale opponents also had not shown how the trustee or process represented an abuse of discretion.
Peter B. Ladig of Bayard PA, counsel to Aigner, Acela Investments LLC and two other companies that hold Aigner’s interests in IDS, said the business already had worked through a several-month marketing process, with 81 potential buyers approached, before choosing to move ahead with OHEMO for lack of a better offer.
“This is not, as I think the objectors would have the court believe, a question of having an auction just between the two insiders,” Ladig said. “This was an auction process that ran for months, and it’s really the end of the second process.”
Ladig said nothing in the case record supported claims that Aigner maneuvered the trustee into setting the final, 48-hour window for receipt of a competing offer for the business.
Chancellor Bouchard said he would take the arguments under advisement.
Aigner is represented by Peter B. Ladig and Brett M. McCartney of Bayard PA.
Shah and DiFalco are represented by Carmella P. Keener of Cooch and Taylor PA and William T. Reid IV, Michael Yoder, Jordan L. Vimont and Ryan M. Goldstein of Reid Collins & Tsai LLP.
Liquidating trustee Derek C. Abbott is represented by Donna L. Culver of Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell LLP.
The case is Acela Investments LLC et al. v. Raymond DiFalco et al., case number 2018-0558, in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware.
–Editing by Aaron Pelc.
About Judson Bennett
📷Captain A. Judson Bennett was a life- long resident of Lewes, DE. He served the maritime industry for 33 years, primarily as a Delaware River Pilot, guiding large ships to the Port of Philadelphia. Captain Bennett has been an active and consistent entrepreneur over the years.
He was elected as a Lewes City Councilman for 6 years. Afterwards he ran for the Sussex County Council as a Republican, and with 20 thousand people voting, lost Delaware’s closest election by 3 votes to an 8 year incumbent. Abandoning his personal political ambitions, he became the Republican District leader, advocating conservative values. Captain Bennett became a lobbyist in the state legislature advocating among many ideas, financial literacy concepts in education. He managed several political campaigns, including one for Governor of Delaware and one for the US Senate against VP Joe Biden. He is now the owner, operator, and writer for the Coastal Network which communicates regularly with over 6000 people throughout the State of Delaware.
Captain Bennett is a graduate of St. Andrew’s School in Middletown, DE (where the movie “The Dead Poet’s Society was filmed) and also graduated “Magna Cum Laude” from the University of Delaware with a BA in Criminal Justice and an MA in Liberal Studies.
He is now a Widower, living in West Palm Beach, Florida. Captain Bennett has one son, three grandchildren, and one great grand-daughter, all who live in Richmond, Virginia.

Bet record: 17-31, Staked: 53.75u, Profit/Loss: +4.96u, ROI: 9.24%, Parlay Suggestions: 21-6
If you’re not bothered about my ramblings on last week’s opinions, scroll down for UFC San Antonio Breakdowns
(For context, my UFC 286 Preview for that event can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/MMAbetting/comments/11qh6nn/ufc_286_betting_preview_ufc_las_vegas_review/)
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UFC 286
Bets: 4-3, +5.74u, Parlay Suggestions: 3-1
✅ 3u Gunnar Nelson & Marvin Vettori both to Win (-115)
✅ 2u Jack Shore & Impa Kasangany to Win (-180)
✅ 1u Jack Shore to Win in Round 2 or 3 (+241)
❌ 1.5u Omar Morales to Win (-110)
✅ 1u Leon Edwards to Win (+250)
❌ 1u Juliana Miller & Omran Chaaban to Win (-125)
❌ 0.25u Marvin Vettori, Gunnar Nelson, Jack Shore & Juliana Miller all to Win (+205)
As I said in my initial comments about UFC 286, I think it really under delivered from a fan perspective because of the lack of high level UK prospects. Without a Molly McCann, Darren Till, Paddy Pimblett or a Tom Aspinall, the fans just weren’t as excited or vocal throughout the card.
With that said, I’m always having fun if I’m making money! This was my third winning event in a row, a streak of over 10u profit in March. It was obviously a card of strong favourites but I’m mostly happy with the spots I chose to pull the trigger on. The Nelson/Vettori parlay was nice as both men delivered exactly what I expected them to, and Jack Shore also came through to cash a bigger priced prop bet. It’s really satisfying when your reads on fights turn out to be spot on, and your bets cash with relative ease as a result. Here's some live thoughts on the card + my breakdowns:
- So proud of Leon Edwards man, that was one hell of a performance. The way he levelled up that takedown defence and made his shots count in the clinch. It was one of those complicated fights to score in that he was moving backwards and fighting defensively for the most part, but he certainly landed more shots and had the better moments. Really happy to have gotten 2/1 and 3/1 (boosted) on the dog there.
- Jesus Christ Rafael Fiziev is quick. The combinations he was throwing in the first minute of round three were some of the most terrifying spurts of offence I’ve seen in some time. And then just a minute or so later Justin Gaethje starts winging massive uppercuts and cannot miss with them. That was such a good fight, real back and forth stuff. I feel like Gaethje was lowkey a really good underdog spot all week but it’s hard to give those opinions credence sometimes when the masses are all hyping up Fiziev. At least I identified Fiziev was not a good bet.
- Massive shoutout to Gunnar Nelson for performing exactly like a -400 should, as I expected him to! He got in, landed a takedown, and found the sub soon after. I still wish he would have done that against Takashi Sato, bur he rounded out the parlay with Vettori and made it a winning night for me! Along with Hadley, he was the best parlay option on the card (as I suggested).
- Casey O’Neill didn’t shoot for a takedown. Not the fight anyone was expecting. It’s disappointing when that happens but there’s not really a whole lot you can do. Jennifer Maia is a really underrated striker so god knows why Casey chose that path. When you consider the way Jake Hadley approached his fight and compare it with O’Neill…that’s the difference between good fight IQ and bad. I actually said in my analysis “I trust O’Neill’s dedication to her gameplan here” which is hilarious. Don’t think I can be blamed for not seeing it coming though haha.
- All week I was a little bit confused by all the love for Roman Dolidze, as I got on Marvin Vettori pretty early and didn’t really see a whole lot of reasoning that I understood. To be perfectly honest, Dolidze had more success than I expected him to, and any fighter other than Vettori would probably have wilted and got stopped. With that said, that’s exactly why I bet Marvin, so I don’t necessarily think it was a bad read at all. A solid parlay leg.
- Jack Shore vs Makwan Amirkhani played out exactly as I expected it to. Amirkhani’s a good grappler, so I wasn’t surprised nor worried when he clearly won round 1. In fact, I was more confident in winning my bets as soon as the horn sounded, and it showed. I don’t really understand how a professional fighter can have such a glaring cardio issue and not address it or adjust his style. I hope they keep Makwan around, those Round 2/3 props will always be good. Happy to finally win one of those bigger priced prop bets. I’ve historically been pretty good with props but somehow been on a dry patch since I started posting here.
- Chris Duncan v Morales was a frustrating one. Morales will look back on that one and be pissed off at himself, because he should absolutely be winning that. Chris Duncan really isn’t very good and I am already looking forward to fading him in the future. Hope they try and build him up because there’ll be a good fade waiting to happen. Annoying fight to lose but fair play to Duncan for identifying the path to victory. Glad I went with a smaller stake for a volatile fight.
- A shame what happened to Dusko Todorovic. Christian Leroy Duncan is a really exciting striker so I was looking forward to seeing more of him, but you never want to see that happen. I hope we don’t have to wait until the next England card for C L Duncan’s next fight, but I also hope they give him a bit of a lay-up for to allow for a proper “debut”.
- Nicely done from Jake Hadley, making use of his striking advantage and not getting sucked into a grappling affair. Always annoys me when someone has a distinct advantage but doesn’t use it because it’s not their plan A. He was the best parlay piece of the card. Good for Hadley and I’m excited to see what else he has to offer. Wish I’d gone with him instead of backing Juliana Miller.
- I was keeping half an eye on Herbert/Klein and Wood/Carolina whilst at work. Doesn’t look like I missed a whole lot and haven't bothered to rewatch.
- Juliana Miller with an awful performance. Veronica Macedo looked much improved but it didn’t take a whole lot to defeat an opponent with no plan B. I didn’t anticipate Macedo being the stronger fighter of the two, which changed a whole lot. Poor decision from me to back an inexperienced fighter at -400 like that. Grim. Inexperience really showed.
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UFC San Antonio
I'm really excited for the main event of this one, very glad they put this fight together. Unfortunately the headliner is a massive cut above the rest of the card in terms of popularity and calibre, but we’ve had worse cards this year, I don’t mind it. Usually I’d rejoice over the fact we aren’t in the Apex…but we are in Texas, where judging has been historically AWFUL. There isn’t a whole lot we can really do with that information though, except consider how much of a fighter’s win probability is based around them finding a finish. Fighters who are likely to win without the judges getting involved will be the less volatile spots this week.
From a betting perspective, it’s a very weak card. The bookies have done a really good job of pricing the punters out of any value, as my conclusions to most fights see me lining it pretty close to the books, where there ends up being no real numerical edge on either side! Nonetheless, I’ve broken down most of the bouts on the card below:
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Cory Sandhagen v Marlon Vera
Marlon Vera has always been one of my favourite fighters. Backing him to win inside the distance when he was a prelim fighter was a spot I always looked out for back in the day, so it’s great to see him climb so high in the rankings. I always support and ride with the fighters that make me money over the years, and Vera has been one of the best of them.
Unfortunately, Vera’s always relied on his power and finishing ability to really carry him through fights, as there are a lot of instances where he’s down on the overall scorecards, before finding a finish. His wins over Dominic Cruz and Frankie Edgar are the two best examples recently, but his issue of being a slow starter also made this applicable in wins over Davey Grant, Nohelin Hernandez and Guido Cannetti. Also similarly, he was being thoroughly outboxed by Rob Font in their main event encounter last year, but the Ecuadorian was stealing rounds with knockdowns in a very similar way.
Considering I expect this fight against Cory Sandhagen to be a closely contested one, Vera’s inability to win minutes and start strong could end up becoming a problem here. The pivotal question in this fight is whether or not Vera can hurt or finish Sandhagen, as I certainly lean towards favouring Cory if this fight goes the distance and Vera hasn’t scored multiple knockdowns.
Vera is one of the most dangerous guys P4P on the roster, with KO and Submission potential across all five rounds – but Sandhagen has been pretty damn durable in his MMA career. Aljamain Sterling was the only man of 19 able to finish Cory, and it came in under 90 seconds. Sandhagen’s performance there was such a disappointment that I’m convinced there was something else going on that hindered him that night. Petr Yan also dropped Sandhagen with a spinning back fist combo, but that seemed very much like Cory getting caught unaware – and he looked like he recover instantly.
Given the calibre that Sandhagen has fought against in the last four years – I think we have to give him the benefit of the doubt in assuming he can stay safe here. If that is the case I expect him to win rounds with superior output and a faster pace – especially considering he’s got a high likelihood of being one round up after five minutes.
I’m not super confident in that take though as it’s hardly on the level of Garbrandt vs Jones or something! So it’s a fight I’m definitely lining as quite close. Sandhagen deserves to be deemed the favourite for the above reasons, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if Vera’s dangerousness was enough to tip the balance in his favour, or if he was able to win a round by just point striking anyway.
I saw a stat this week that said there have been 10 rounds in 2023 where a knockdown is landed but the round still ended and was scored. Of those scorecards, the fighter landing the knockdown won 8 of 10 times. Whilst it’s highly implied that a knockdown means you’re more likely to win the round based off how the following minutes take place, that does still imply the judges are leaning towards awarding damage over minute winning (I personally hate the way MMA judging has gone these days but it is what it is). Just something to consider when you think about Chito’s path to victory.
At the end of the day, it’s an intriguing fight, and not one I think anyone should be rushing to the betting window for due to the small margins in the various skill discrepancies.
How I line this fight: Cory Sandhagen -150 (60%), Marlon Vera +150 (40%)
Bet or Pass: Pass
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Holly Holm v Yana Santos
Holly Holm is one of those fighters who makes your memory play tricks on you. I instinctively feel like I have a good read on her style and overall calibre, but then when I watch tape she’s always a much more underwhelming version of that fighter I have in my head. She just doesn’t really put her stamp on rounds – spending too much time in the clinch and does not have high enough volume. 3.24 significant strikes landed per 15 minutes is a shockingly low number, especially considering it’s Women’s MMA and Holm has a lot of in cage time. To make matters worse, Holm averages 0.72 takedowns per 15 minutes and is now 41 years old.
Whilst there’s a lot of data to crunch on Holm, there’s actually a surprisingly smaller sample size on Yana Santos. Considering Kunitskaya (previous surname) has been a known name in Women’s MMA for some time, it’s pretty crazy to think she only has 7 UFC appearances to her name – most of which are against a lesser calibre than Holly Holm. She’s also coming off a two year lay-off having had a child with Thiago Santos, which adds further uncertainty to an already tepid read.
As I’m sure you may have noticed by now, this breakdown is much more stat-based than I typically offer (though Women’s MMA is a lot more accessible for stats), because I honestly cannot bring myself to re-watch Holly Holm’s career and I’m instead relying on what the numbers are telling me. Perhaps that’s a bit lazy, but this is the 8th week of UFC cards in a row and I am feeling very burnt out! I just don’t think either woman has a particularly commanding style, and there’s a hell of a lot of intangibles floating around this fight (old age, post-child birth, lay-offs, levels of competition, Texas judging etc), so it’s a very easy pass.
How I line this fight: I won’t line a fight I haven’t taped, but I do not recommend Holm at this price.
Bet or Pass: Pass
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Nate Landwehr v Austin Lingo
It’s a shame Alex Caceres had to pull out of the originally scheduled bout against Nate Landwehr, but good to see they managed to find Austin Lingo a fight so soon after the Ricardo Ramos one fell through a couple of weeks ago (still annoyed I didn’t get to cash some easy money there). From a fan perspective, this bout is probably the most entertaining of the three available!
Both dudes are hardnosed strikers that like to fight gritty and wear out their opponents. Neither are particularly gifted from a technique perspective, but you’d be hard pressed to find fighters that can out work these two. Pitting them against one another is going to lead to an exhausting fight.
Landwehr is the much more experienced of the two and has clearly had more career success implementing the brawling style, but I think this is just one of those matchups that’s going to be fought quite closely, given how it should play out. Landwehr relies on sheer busyness and drowning his opponents to win rounds but, if he can’t necessarily do that to Lingo, do you really have a whole lot of confidence that he’s going to be the clear round winner? The guy gets hit by 5.56 significant strikes per minute. Considering we are in Texas and there is added volatility to the judging, any fighter that can land 5.56 S.Strikes is live to win a round or two!
Landwehr’s key to winning this fight is going to be in his wrestling, as that’s where he will clearly assert himself. But can he even get it there though? Lingo’s debut performance against Youseff Zalal was a big red flag in terms of his takedown defence, but he looks to have improved it in his following two bouts. However, those came against a lower level of competition so could well be flattering Lingo’s overall ability. His takedown defence stats are quite skewed, and he’s coming off an 18 month layoff which muddies the water even more.
I think the edge in experience and overall competence at the hard-nosed styles means that Landwehr deserves to be favoured here, but I think the pricetag is a bit ridiculous. He should get the win, but I would be very surprised if he does it with the dominance of a -275. The lay off for Lingo means that he can have anywhere from a very low floor to a reasonably high ceiling. Both men are durable and will have moments in this fight, so this is one of the fights where I’m expecting some wild shit from Texas judges. If you’re convinced about betting Landwehr at -300 here, you’re crazy. Lingo the value side, but mostly based off intangibles and hypotheticals, which doesn’t fill me with enough confidence to pull the trigger.
How I line this fight: Nate Landwehr -200 (67%), Austin Lingo +200 (34%)
Bet or Pass: Pass
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Andrea Lee v Maycee Barber
This one should be pretty fun! It’s speed and agility vs power and force.
Andrea Lee is a complicated fighter to get a full read on, as her performances have really varied throughout her career. She’s well rounded enough to outstrike most equally levelled opponents on the feet, and her grappling isn’t too bad either. Takedown defence needs a bit of work though.
The biggest issue with Lee is those back-to-back losses to Lauren Murphy and Roxanne Modafferi. It’s just inexcusable to lose both of those of those fights when you’re the calibre that Andrea Lee is. I know you can argue she got robbed against Murphy (it’s probably the key example of Texas judging being so bad), but she let the fight become quite close. And yes, Barber lost to Modafferi, but that was all determined by an injury and anyone who tells you otherwise is a hater or hasn’t watched it.
I’ve always thought Barber was overrated in terms of skills, but her physicality and strength are a bit of a gamechanger in the Women’s divisions. She’s well-rounded, but statistically has lesser output than Andrea Lee…which is always concerning. I expect this one to be quite competitive, where Andrea Lee could easily stay safe on the outside and jab her way to a win, as long as she gets on her bike and utilises good footwork. Maycee will plod forward and look to land the power shot, but that’s not a particularly high percentage outcome to rely on in Women’s MMA. If she can get her hands on her and utilise the clinch, I think it’s all one way traffic from there though. Maycee is reliable to do that, at least.
I can understand Barber being the favourite based off the finishing upside, imposing striking with good metrics and ability to land takedowns…but I’m just still not wholly convinced by her ability as a mixed martial artist outside of the way she implements brute force. It might be enough here, but I just don’t like her at this short of a price. Lee has a clear path to victory that, whilst I’m not convinced she can execute it, should be taken seriously.
How I line this fight: Andrea Lee +163 (38%), Maycee Barber -163 (62%)
Bet or Pass: Pass
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Alex Perez v Manel Kape
It’s just impossible to know what we’re getting from Alex Perez at this stage, isn’t it? I like Manel Kape and rate him relatively highly, but I have always maintained that Perez on his best day could well be a champion at Flyweight. I bet him in most of his fights in the buildup to the title bout against Figgy – and I bet him there as well. Unfortunately Figgy was still in his explosive prime so it didn’t work out, but I expected Perez to become somewhat of a title eliminator gatekeeper from then on. Since that loss two and a half years ago his career has taken a peculiar turn – eight fight cancellations and a 91 second loss to Alexandre Pantoja.
There are just so many question marks surrounding Alex Perez at the moment, and that makes it impossible to know what to expect in this fight. If he was at his best, I’d consider him a slight favourite here, but who knows. Kape’s weakness is clearly defensive wrestling, and he can sometimes be low volume enough on the feet that he makes fights closer than they need to be. Perez has a good enough style to make that work and win here…providing we get him at his best.
I didn’t dive into much tape for this one as I knew I wasn’t going to bet it at all. If you think Kape beats Perez based off the footage available then you’re getting a decent price!
How I line this fight: Didn’t tape, won’t line it.
Bet or Pass: Pass
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Chidi Njokuani v Albert Duraev
It’s crazy how much Albert Duraev’s stock has fallen, all in one loss to Joaquin Buckley. Before that bout he looked sensational on the Contender Series, and followed it up with a dominant win over Roman Kopylov as a -450 favourite. He absolutely does his best work in the grappling and showed that he doesn’t have much of a plan B if he can’t land takedowns or settle his opponent on their back. I’m also not too convinced by his cardio, and any opponent that will make him work hard to secure top position can weaponise his questionable endurance in the later rounds.
Buckley’s such a physical and stocky guy though, I think he’s naturally going to be a tough opponent to take down when you’ve got a bit more of a wirey frame like Duraev does. Chidi Njokuani isn’t so muscular and stocky, so I think it’s fair to assume that Duraev’s going to be more of a threat with the takedowns than he was against Buckley.
The problem is, Chidi showed some really impressive get ups after the initial takedown and doesn’t usually settle on the bottom whilst he’s fresh. Dusko Todorovic isn’t the best grappler in the world by any stretch, but Chidi was doing all the right things to prevent hit back from lying flat on the mat, and if he has similar success against Duraev he’s cruising.
The finish to the Robocop fight was a bit of a concern, but that fight heated up to a ridiculously fast pace in round 1 that I think Chidi cardio dumped, got rocked, and kind of quit on the bottom against Rodrigues. The same could happen again, but it would rely on Duraev pushing the pace aggressively with his striking, which isn’t something he often does.
Overall, I think Njokuani definitely deserves to be a favourite here as he is much more dangerous on the feet and has shown us already that he can successfully answer the questions that Duraev will ask. The Russian also does not have much of a plan B and doesn’t always do a whole lot with his top control except set up submissions. Considering Njokuani is a BJJ Black Belt, and the judges probably won’t appreciate those kind of optics from Duraev, I’m not massively convinced by his chances here.
I’m interested to see what kind of price they’re giving for Njokuani ITD in this fight, as I’m quite convinced by his finishing ability since he moved up to Middleweight, and Duraev is very hittable if he gets stuck on the feet. If I can get + money on it I think I’d have a small wager.
How I line this fight: Chidi Njokuani -175 (64%), Albert Duraev +175 (36%)
Bet or Pass: 1.5u Chidi Njokuani & CJ Vergara Both to Win (+122)
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Steven Peterson v Lucas Alexander
I complain pretty much every week about the UFC’s current fighter calibre having massively declined recently, and nothing proves my point like Steven Peterson finally becoming a betting favourite for the first time in 8 UFC bouts. The guy has been the perfect litmus test to determine whether any fighter is UFC level, and those he has beaten were notoriously bad at the time and didn’t last long at the top level (Chase Hooper excluded because he had some “name value”).
He’s got some similarities to Austin Lingo in that he is some generic white guy with bad tattoos, that doesn’t have any real skill but is gritty and dedicated to the fight. If you can’t put him away, you’re going to have keep your shit together or he might surprise you by sheer output and ruggedness. No fighter that is credited mostly for their ability to take a punch and walk forward deserves to be a -175 favourite, but they also don’t always deserve to be massive underdogs either (see breakdown of Landwehr vs Lingo). The thing that baffles me the most though is that Peterson isn’t much of a finisher (6 of his last 7 went the distance), meaning the books are putting a fair bit of stock into his ability to win a decision.
So…Lucas Alexander. His UFC debut was a quick loss via RNC, but it came off a slip from a kick and the rest was kind of a formality at that point once Brito got the back as a result. Personally I don’t really put much/any stock into that loss as I don’t think it showed us anything about him apart from his defensive grappling isn’t elite? Ask yourself this…if this was Lucas Alexander’s UFC debut, would the line still be the same? It depends on what the regional tape looks like, but I’m quite sure it wouldn’t!
Therefore, we have to go back to the regional scene to actually get a glimpse of Alexander…and there is a lot more to be intrigued by than you might think. He’s a better technical striker than Peterson! He’s got great fluidity and movement, throws a varied arsenal of kicks and combos (lots of leg kicks, which will halt that forward pressure), and switches stances quite often. I’m not too sure how he’ll deal with being crowded by Peterson and his intense style, but I fully expect him to get the better of the majority of the striking exchanges whilst they’re at distance.
To win this fight cleanly, the grappling is the answer for Peterson…but Alexander’s defensive wrestling and get ups aren’t bad at all from what I’ve seen! I’ve seen evidence of him using the cage to get back to his feet and reversing position in the clinch, as well as maintaining position in top control. Apparently he’s a black belt as well, but I try not to immediately assume that makes you a good grappler (he does have 3 submission losses tbf). I did see a few submission attempts and successful reversals from bottom against Jeremias Fernandez, and was impressed with how he handled being on the bottom. The two regional scene submission losses both came in 2018, and honestly he looks like he’s improved his wrestling/grappling a lot since then so I’m not massively concerned by them.
Peterson has averaged just 1.61 TDs landed per 15 minutes, which isn’t a massively high number and doesn’t really fill you with a whole lot of confidence that he’s going to stick to a grappling based gameplan in this fight, especially when we know how much he enjoys brawling. If he does come with that kind of gameplan then I guess I expect him to be favoured (still hard to say how good/bad Alexander’s grappling is), but if he opts to strike I think he’s at a disadvantage.
For me, this fight is clearly a pick’em, or at least leans slightly towards Peterson as the favourite. I do expect Alexander to perform better than his +150 price tag suggests, as I think he’s got the potential to keep out of danger with the grappling and actually outscore Peterson on the feet. This fight probably goes the distance and, given the hesitance I have about Texas judges, I’d much rather be on the + money side there as well. Alexander is still being regarded as a “UFC debut” fighter in my eyes so I won’t be staking much here…but if you’re betting Peterson at -180 I think you’re crazy.
How I line this fight: Steven Peterson -120 (54%), Lucas Alexander +120 (46%)
Bet or Pass: 1u Lucas Alexander to Win (+150 or better…waiting to see if the juice continues)
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Trevin Giles v Preston Parsons
Preston Parsons looked really good in his win over Evan Elder last year, with the latter going on to impress everyone with his latest performance against Nazim Sadykhov a few weeks ago. Parsons has a really suffocating wrestling/grappling style, forcing his opponents to work and threatening with a variety of submissions. He can be a little “submission over position” but he’s got an arsenal of really good sweeps from bottom. His striking also looked decent in the loss to Daniel Rodriguez, throwing shots at angles and landing pretty cleanly on D-Rod a few times.
He faces Trevin Giles, who has had a pretty eventful UFC career so far. Giles suffered back to back R3 losses to Zak Cummings and Gerald Meerschaert in fights he was clearly winning, where lapses in concentration saw him snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. He then went on to be the benefactor of one of the worst decisions in MMA history when he beat James Krause by decision. Giles hasn’t really gone on to do a whole lot in his UFC career since, but a well-aged win over Roman Dolidze stands out as the highlight.
Giles has decent striking himself, but he is such a low volume fighter that I think he’s going to struggle to win rounds against Preston ‘Pressure’ Parsons if he doesn’t do damage. The younger fighter will be happy to push the pace in this one, varying up his striking with a few takedown entries and just overwhelming Giles, who likes to fight patiently and methodically on the feet. Giles looks clean when he’s involved in a staring match on the feet, but when the tempo turns up and things get a bit wild he kind of loses all composure and technique (see losses to Morales and Du Plessis recently). Giles is also a decent enough grappler, but he’s prone to reversals on the mat (which Parsons will definitely try to execute), and can accept bottom position if his initial guard sub or two get shut down.
I’m struggling to really see why this one is being lined as a pick’em here, as Giles doesn’t hold a whole lot of advantages that I think he’ll be able to implement. He’s clearly a good striker, but the low volume should prevent him from really being able to show that off properly, and he won’t be the fighter looking to put his stamp on rounds when he’s fighting at a tempo way higher than he wants. He’s more experienced, but we’ve also seen lots of examples of poor fight IQ consistently creeping into Giles’ game and he hasn’t addressed the flaws of his style.
I’d line Parsons as a small to moderate favourite in this fight, and I’ll be betting him for a couple of units as a result.
How I line this fight: Trevin Giles +150 (40%), Preston Parsons -150 (60%)
Bet or Pass: 3u Preston Parsons to Win (+100)
​
CJ Vergara v Daniel Da Silva
To me, this seems like one of those fights where the UFC are acknowledging Vergara has paid his dues, and are giving him a bit of a softball as a result.
No one really knew what to make of Vergara when he got to the UFC – a KO win on the Contender Series in 41 seconds is usually a red flag more than anything! They lined him up with Ode Osbourne for his debut, where he was a +170 underdog. He put a really impressive display in that fight, with many thinking he actually won against a guy that is quite well respected at Flyweight.
Next, he was a +270 underdog to Kleydson Rodrigues, who was making his debut as a highly, highly touted prospect. Everyone and their mothers was on Rodrigues in that fight, yet Vergara fought a really smart and dedicated gameplan and won a close split decision. I had a big bet on Kleydson in his fight a few weeks ago, and rewatching the Vergara fight had me respecting him all over again. Given what we saw Kleydson do to Shannon Ross (not that the latter is a world beater) did nothing but improve Vergara’s stock.
Then, for his third UFC bout, he gets Tatsuro Taira! Probably one of the top 5 hottest unranked prospects in the sport right now. That was the first time we saw Vergara actually look like the +220 underdog that the books had him as, but given the hype around Taira that’s actually a respectable number to be graded at! There really isn’t a long list of fighters who are willing to fight Taira at the moment, so the matchmakers have probably scheduled this fight as a thank you for Vergara being a company man.
They’ve given him Daniel da Silva (Lacerda) as a reward. DdS is a pretty wild fighter, with 15 bouts all ending inside the distance (and none even reaching round 3). That kind of kill-or-be-killed style is certainly fun to watch, but it doesn’t really work out as well as you’d think when you hit the big shows. Don’t get me wrong, he looks pretty decent in round 1, but Vergara is a durable guy that has shown good IQ in the cage so far. He should find a way to stay safe in that opening round, probably by landing a takedown and coasting in top control like Jeff Molina did (also, shoutout Jeff Molina for handling the social media chaos with grace last week!), or by pushing that ferocious striking pace and keeping da Silva on the backfoot.
Even so, da Silva is a liability to himself in Round 1 as well, as we saw in losses to Francisco Figueiredo and Victor Altamirano. Getting kneebar’d by Figgy’s subpar brother is a pretty bad look, and he had absolutely no answer for Altamirano’s ground striking as soon as he was on his back. His commitment to the guard sub is insane, and it’s probably going to be responsible for yet another loss here against Vergara.
I think we’re getting a decent price on Vergara here. The blueprint has been written on Da Silva and, whilst Vergara will have to be careful for the opening few minutes, I think CJ’s got him covered here. I jumped in on the -275 as a parlay piece, as I think there’s an argument Vergara should probably be a bigger favourite here?
Also, as a side note from watching Molina vs Da Silva – Damn James Krause was a good coach. What a waste!
How I line this fight: CJ Vergara -300 (75%), Daniel Da Silva +300 (25%)
Bet or Pass: 1.5u CJ Vergara & Chidi Njokuani Both to Win (+122)
​
Vinicius Salvador v Victor Altamirano
I loved Vinicius Salvador’s DWCS performance against Shannon Ross and I’m really excited to see him make his debut, but I’m not massively sure about how good he is as an overall fighter. His style instantly makes him a fan favourite, but using nothing but head movement to defend, and having that cocky style that throws ridiculous highlight reel kicks isn’t really a positive trait when you’re looking to put your hard earned money on a fighter. It looks cool and can sometimes impress the judges…but it’s a risky game and can easily see you getting caught clean or making mistakes. There’s a reason Michel Pereira doesn’t fight like a lunatic anymore.
Salvador hits hard and absolutely has knockout power, having finished 13 of his 14 wins by KO (the other was a submission). He’s also lost inside the distance in three of his 4 losses, and Shannon Ross did have him hurt for a second or two in the DWCS fight. He’s a chaotic fighter, and I’m really annoyed we got robbed of the chance to see him fight Daniel Da Silva a few months ago. It would have been fireworks.
This might sound stupid as a genuine piece of logic and reasoning, but I have always fully believed the notion that Mexican fighters have the best chins and next level toughness. It’s kind of a dumb narrative for me to hang my hat on, but I am always hesitant to side with a knockout-based fighter if it’s a Mexican opponent they’re trying to put to sleep. We saw Altamirano eat a few clean and heavy shots from Daniel Da Silva in his last bout, which makes me think I might have to side with my illogical narrative once again.
With that said, I still think Salvador deserves to be favoured by a small margin here. Victor Altamirano just isn’t very good. His win over DdS was kind of a high variance random knee, and he was clearly losing that fight up to that point. He was competitive in the win against Carlos Hernandez, but I feel like that fight didn’t do much to show off the skills of either guy and it really solidified that they are equally matched as entry level UFC fighters. It was like an intense sparring session, where neither guy had any real sting on their shots and only looked to point score, with a bit of cage pushing thrown in for good measure.
The power discrepancy between Altamirano and Salvador is too big to ignore here. Salvador is going to come out hot and look to take Victor’s head off, and I just don’t think Altamirano is going to be able to earn back the respect of Salvador here. The striking should be one-way traffic whilst they’re fresh, simply because Salvador’s going be doing damage with almost every shot that he lands. As the fight wears on though, I expect Altamirano have a lot more success in the later minutes, as he settles into the fight and has grown confident he can withstand the power (as well as some of the sting coming off Salvador’s shots).
Altamirano doesn’t look like wrestling/grappling is his preferred skillset, but I think he would do well to lean on it a bit here. I haven’t been able to really find any tape on Salvador’s defensive wrestling/grappling, but I have to assume that a fighter with as little technical discipline as him is probably not the greatest grappler in the world.
I see Vinicius Salvador as something similar to the Brazilian equivalent of Trevor Peak. It's easy to get ahead of yourself and try to fade a guy with brute force and no technique, but it’s important to realise that the judges don’t score technique and as long as Salvador is landing something, he’ll earning favour with the judges and threatening to score a finish too.
I don’t think Altamirano is the guy to capitalise on those defensive lapses of Salvador, so I think the Brazilian is the rightful favourite. However, there’s not enough value on the line to justify a bet here, and Salvador could easily be the maker of his own downfall with his reckless style, and that’s not the kind of guy I like to back.
Very excited to see this one play out. I will probably throw Salvador into a couple of my untracked degenerate parlays, but officially it’s a no-bet for me.
How I line this fight: Vinicius Salvador -120 (54%), Victor Altamirano +120 (46%)
Bet or Pass: Pass
​
Tamires Vidal v Hailey Cowan
The UFC are being very generous to Hailey Cowan, aren’t they!? After trying and failing to set her up with one of the worst fighters on the roster, Ailin Perez, they’re trying again to offer her a bit of a soft entry into the UFC.
The problem is that Cowan is just simply not very good, so I think she’s going to struggle against anyone that’s borderline UFC calibre. Tamires Vidal sits on the fringe, and she seems to be the much more dangerous of the two and actually has some process to her striking, so I think Cowan deserves to be the underdog once again.
The betting line here has been on a real journey already. Books opened Cowan as a +200 underdog, and it looks to have been jumped on by some opportunistic value bettors – and rightly so! I just hope the steam has come in because they think the line was wide, not because they have any real faith in Cowan!
I’m intrigued to see how far the overcorrection goes, as this one really should land around a pick’em. The books won’t mind tipping the balance towards Cowan if it means they’ve got equal money on each side, as this isn’t going to be a high stakes fight so they’ll prioritise keeping the book green.
I have to remind myself of the calibre I’m dealing with here though…both women are low level and high variance is at play! If all the money on Cowan continues to come and Vidal’s price gets bigger, then a true value bettor should pounce on any decent size + money…but you really do have to accept that you’re getting into bed with variance here.
How I line this fight: Tamires Vidal -110 (52%), Hailey Cowan +110 (48%)
Bet or Pass: Pass
​
Bets (Placed bets in bold, others are pending as line may improve)
3u Preston Parsons to Win (+100)
1.5u CJ Vergara & Chidi Njokuani Both to Win (+122)
0.25u Njokuani, Parsons & Vergara All to Win (+330)
1u Lucas Alexander to Win (+150 or better)
Parlay Do’s: Njokuani, Parsons, Vergara
Parlay Don’ts: Sandhagen, Holm, Landwehr, Barber, Peterson, Cowan
​
UFC 287 (Breakdown next week but don’t expect line to hold)
2u Michael Chiesa to Win (-150)
Best of luck with your bets!

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
Another new alien race! WOOOOO
Also to all arachnophobes: I am sorry…I guess just imagine eight legged dogs the size of horses if that helps…
Previous First [Next](link)
"So, you're telling me we found another sapient omnivore species?"
The commander grunted, ripping his boot from a watery patch of mud and nearly crashing into the swampy water between two twisted tree roots.
Sunny reached out with one of her four armored arms and caught him by the back of his pack, pulling him upright.
He nodded a thanks to her and adjusted his gear.
Behind her Ramirez ducked under a low hanging branch, slogging through a pool of knee-high water, adjusting the containment pod, holding Krill more comfortably over both shoulders.
Krill, comfortable and warm inside his containment pod, watched the marines, scientists, and a linguist struggle through the mud under a covering of impossibly tall, twisted trees, their canopy blocking out all light that might have dared cut downwards towards the watery floor below.
"Not entirely sapient, I suppose."
Krill answered,
"Unfortunately the way in which they communicate is going to drastically reduce their ability to create complex structures and perform mathematical equations."
Together they maneuvered themselves over a root, which at some point in the distant past, had decided to grow upwards instead of down. At about four feet high, it had changed its mind and arched back down into the water. Perhaps it had been smaller then, but at four feet wide, the root was an absolute monstrosity now.
The trees themselves were massive, challenging, and sometimes outgrowing the legendary redwood forests of the western Americas, but unlike the redwoods, these trees didn't stand tall and proud. Instead, they chose a twisted path much like the branching veins which made up a human vascular system. They twisted and undulated, interlocking past each other with branches that were well over two feet wide in many cases, and stretching to over four feet wide in others.
No one direction was good enough, and the trees twisted, ducked swirled and reached, grasping for any sort of light to be found.
On top of the darkness cast by the trees and the soggy nature of the forest floor, it was also horribly hot and humid, giving the impression of a microwaved wet blanket thrown over the world. Where heat from the upper canopy met the cooler air of deep forest pools, it created a perpetually thick mist which writhed and undulated through the trees, leaving only the shadowy impressions of twisted trunks and clawing branches past distances greater than 50 feet (15m).
"They communicate primarily through pheromones and heat modulation. From what I understand, the language in itself isn't precise, and really only works in generalities and feelings than it does in absolutes."
Commander Vir kicked a rotting log out of the way, ducking as a massive green bug buzzed over his head and into the fog.
Turns out the hotter and more humid a planet gets, the bigger the bugs get,
"But we were still able to communicate with them?”
Krill nodded from inside his case,
"Yes, generally speaking. For a species that cannot communicate in absolutes, I hear they are quite reasonable. They seem willing to accept our friendship, and have..... invited, I guess, us to participate in some sort of primitive ritual."
Vir perked up, flashing a bright smile.
“Reasonable? Peaceful? Rituals? And definitely CANNOT communicate in ABSOLUTES!? Am I the only one who thinks that sounds familiar?”
Sunny sighed,
“No Adam I am reasonably sure that they are not Jedis…”
“C’mon, that would be so cool! Like lightsabers, the force and stuff… maybe they look like tiny Yodas? I mean it fits, with the swamp, the speech impairment and all…”
He nearly fell over another root.
“Adam, focus. We have a mission here.”
The commander nodded, scrambling over another tree branch,
"Alright, so... where are these things anyway? How do they look?"
His boots hit solid ground, covered in some sort of wet spongy fungus and he glanced down at his GPS.
“Considering they talk by smell, my bet is on Elephants with giant human noses. What do you think Mav?”
Ramirez turned around to look at Maverick, who had stopped walking.
“…”
“Mav?”
“Giant… fucking spiders…”
“…”
Commander Vir was still looking at his GPS and no one else answered, so without looking up he broke the silence and said:
“Wow you are always so negative; it better not be, I want my space Yodas…”
“…”
“…”
More silence.
This time it was broken by Ramirez.
“Giant fucking spiders… with… Wolfheads!?”
The commander was still diddling around with the GPS in his hands.
“Oh not you too Ramirez, also that’s oddly specific, you always had a pretty cruel imagination. Ah there we go I think it’s that way.”
He said, looking up from his GPS to keep moving.
“…”
“…”
After some steps he realized no one was following him, so he stopped and turned around.
Behind him the other marines were dead silent, heads lifted towards the sky in shock.
"FUCK ME."
One of the marines whispered, scrambling back behind a tree root.
Commander Vir turned and nearly fell into the water again, eyes locked onto the creatures descending from high above.
They were huge, about the size of large horses, and horrifically spider like in their construction, or perhaps an ant. They had large-scale abdomens connected to a thinner thorax. All together they had ten appendages, three pairs of spider-like legs on the abdomen which, instead of ending in a pod or foot, ended in a sharp pointed spike. On the abdomen, they had two arm-like appendages, with too many joints and strange wavy tentacles instead of fingers.
The head was just as disconcerting.
It seemed too large for the body, grossly out of proportion and strangely out of place, like some cosmic sentience had used a random animal generator to assign parts to its body.
The head was wolflike, if you were to strip the skin and fur away, leaving only the muscle underneath. You could see the line of teeth running up either side of the muzzle, while the large red-pink ears rotated continuously.
Commander Vir had backed himself into the bowl of a tree eyes wide. Sunny slogged herself up from the water, placing herself between the strange spidery creatures and the human.
They didn't descend like a spider might, on threads of silk, but they used their back six feet, and the spikes on the end to dig into the bark of the trees with a disconcerting thud thud thud thud.
Finally the largest of the creatures reached the ground, surprisingly silent for its massive bulk.
Glancing around Sunnys tensed body, he noticed something he hadn't before, and that was a strange small mass gripping onto the spidery creature's underbelly. Upon closer inspection he counted ten legs and a surprisingly spidery head buried against its underside... a completely separate creature holding on to its companion.
Behind the largest creature, he noted ANOTHER type of creature. It boasted the same sort of structure as the large creature, but its abdomen was devoid of scales, and covered in strange black bulbs suctioned onto its body by way of a strange, sticky black-green webbing. Its head was also constructed differently more like a lizard than a wolf, with large bulbous eyes that could rotate behind its own head to look in all directions.
Commander Vir fiddled nervously with the advanced translation headset he wore, strapped to his helmet, supposedly it was supposed to be able to understand what these things were saying.
"Sky... friends."
The translation was somewhat garbled, but he understood it was the large wolf-head who spoke.
He walked forward, pushing Sunny gently to the side despite her clear reluctance,
"Yes, we are friends, and we are here to offer peace to you, and the assistance of the Galactic Assembly."
He wasn't entirely sure how that was going to translate over in smell, but the creature seemed happy lifting its head and gnashing its large canine teeth.
"Agreement... for a favor."
Commander Vir grew unsure then, letting off a reluctant,
"What favor?”
The spidery shape moved closer sniffing at him with its large wolffish nose. Sunny stiffened at his side, and he put a hand on her arm to calm her.
"Ritual... you watch and help."
"None of us will get hurt... will we?"
The creature stopped and pondered the question for a long moment,
"No danger... live... healthy... happy."
Commander Vir nodded slowly,
"Alright, what do we have to do?"
The creature hefted its large bulk, and turned in the opposite direction,
"Follow."
It commanded, scuttling off into the trees.
[…]
"This is very interesting."
Krill was saying to one of the accompanying scientists, who nodded vigorously in agreement.
"What's so interesting?”
Commander Vir whispered, from where he stood at the edge of yet another, but larger fungus covered clearing, watching as the creatures scuttled back and forth.
The scientist learned in in excitement,
"It seems that these creatures have a ternary gender system."
Before the commander could ask, the scientist continued,
"For ease of speech, the large ones are the females, and those things on their bellies are probably the males. The medium ones are the third gender, the 'they' if you will. It looks like the male impregnates the female who then attaches the eggs to the third party. Dr. Krill tells me that the third party have a very high heat signature, probably to incubate the young. Those attachments probably provide nutrients into the egg and may even transfer DNA over as well."
"Wow... freaky."
The commander muttered in fascination.
"Kind of gross if you ask me."
Sunny muttered.
"I'm with her. Its kinky, but too kinky for me…"
Ramirez muttered, receiving a few nods from the other marines.
"Oh please."
Krill whispered,
"I know what human reproduction is like, and it's arguable way worse."
The scientist waved them all off,
"The big one there, the one that's been talking to us. I think she's the queen, and judging from those egg sacks, this is probably mating season, if they have one."
"Creepy, but cool, I guess."
The captain muttered. They watched for a little longer as the queen scuttled around the clearing and then returned to look at them, lowering her meaty wolffish head to the commander's eye level.
"Ritual... find... eggkeeper."
She scuttled away.
"Oh... this is some sort of… Mating ritual maybe? To choose that third party you were talking about?”
"This isn't exactly the kind of "Mating ritual" I wanted to see."
Ramirez muttered. The other marines turned to look at him with raised eyebrows. Sunny stuck her tongue out in disgust.
Off in the clearing, some of the smaller females had moved themselves onto the high branches scuttling through the trees to examine the "they" who waited patiently. It appeared that side was very important in the ritual, as they all fought for the largest counterpart. Once found, the wolffish head would lower, and open up to reveal a tube under the tongue. From there she would... disgorge the egg onto the abdomen of the 'they' and the mucus would solidify to hold them on.
"It has to do with size."
Krill hissed,
"But it seems that it has more to do with heat. The big ones only get chosen more because they also happen to be warmer than the smaller ones. I'd say they incubate at an average of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, so 32 degrees Celsius."
They watched this for a while, the scientists taking notes and the marines making inappropriate jokes.
Eventually most of the creatures had finished, leaving only the queen left over.
Everything went still when she began to move, and she scuttled around the clearing, looking over all the available 'theys' she could find, but she just didn't seem satisfied.
Commander Vir tugged at the collar of his jacket, a line of sweat dripping down his face.
She continued her circuit once and then twice; at some point she turned her head, large eyes locking on the humans.
She sniffed at them.
The human laughter died as she advanced.
"What is she doing?"
The commander muttered under his breath.
The scientist that stood next to him, hidden partially behind Sunny, answered
"I... I'm not sure."
She scuttled even closer, and the humans backed away.
"Hey doc... didn't you say something about... them being attracted to heat? And like the “they’s” being around 90 F/32 Celsius?”
Ramirez wondered, hiding himself behind a root.
"Yeah... I did, why?”
"Not to freak anyone out or anything but... isn't average human heat about 98.6 Fahrenheit… so 37 degrees Celsius?"
”FUCK!”
”OH NONONONONO!”
”HIIIIDE!”
”RUUUN!”
What followed was a rather violent game of nose goes, but instead of involving touching one’s nose to see who was the last person standing, it involved a mad rush to reduce body heat.
The smartest marines took the initiative and dove into the water beside the clearing, completely submerging themselves under the surface.
Others chose to cover whatever exposed skin they might have had in mud, as if to mask the heat.
Still others chose to cut and run.
Unfortunately, with his position at the head of the group, commander Vir wasn't fast enough.
She came at him in a scuttling rush, and in a frantic leap to get away, his boot caught on a root and he hit the ground hard.
Sunny tried to leap in front of him, but was bowled over by the mad rushing form.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"
Commander Vir repeated, scuttling backwards across the ground, as the large spidery shape loomed over him.
He stopped dead in his tracks, backed against a tree root.
She leaned closer.
He raised his hands above his head blocking his face,
"Please don't lay your eggs in me. Please don't lay your eggs in me."
She reached out one of her forward hands, surprisingly delicate, as she cut through the first layers of his jacket, and shirt.
They fell away in slices revealing the pale human skin underneath red and sticky with the tropical heat.
His chest and abdomen heaved with his breath as he tried to scramble away, but she caught him with the prong of one of her back legs pinning him in place.
"Fuck... Help... HELP."
Sunny wasn't fast enough, having been tipped head over heels into the water, with the rest of the marines in similar positions, Krill contained inside his tube unable to help but also unable to look away.
She lowered her head, and the man screamed. It was cold, gelatinous and slimy at first, but even as it touched open air, he could feel it fusing against his skin solidifying. He thrashed and wriggled, but she was far too strong holding him in place.
Finally though, she backed away, leaving him panting on the ground shaking and trembling leg throbbing where he had been pinned.
She leaned her head down to examine him,
"Warm."
They locked eyes,
"Friends... now... Keep them... warm."
She retreated, and he struggled to his knees, turning to look down at his body which was now partially obscured by a sticky pod of six black eggs, pulled tight against his skin. His hands were shaking, as he reached down to touch them, cold and smooth.
He tried tugging on one, but nearly fainted at the pain it caused against his skin.
The creatures were withdrawing back into the trees, leaving him kneeling on the fungus, hands trembling as looked downwards.
Sunny was the first to recover, scrambling out of the water and over to him, placing a hand on his back as she examined the strange eggs attached to his skin,
"Mother of-"
The marines cut her off as they came wriggling from the trees,
"Commander, commander are you ok..."
One of the marines cut around front, frozen in his tracks, eyes wide once he saw,
"WHAT THE HELL!"
Sunny reached out as if to tug on one of them,
"NO!"
He snapped, jerking away from her.
The others gathered around to look with exclamations of shock and disgust.
The commander looked up at Sunny pleadingly.
She decided to take charge, helping him to his feet and then pulling him into her arms,
"We have to get him back to the ship, let's move, NOW!"
"What do you think, Dr."
Dr. Katie examined the scan with a frown,
"It's very, very strange, that's for sure."
Commander Vir lifted his head to look down at them,
"Well what the HELL does that mean?”
Krill shoved his head back onto the table,
"Stay still."
Dr. Katie hummed softly as she continued to examine the scans,
"It looks like these little filaments have breached the skin ... and.... well at least one of them has made it to your liver, this one here has made it to your lungs."
"What about white blood count?"
Krill wondered,
"The body must have noticed something by now?"
Dr Katie shook her head,
"Nothing, the body seems to have accepted it. I took some samples and... well I think I might know why."
She rolled herself to the side in her chair and over to one of the adjoining computers,
"See this, this is HIS DNA ...and this is the DNA of the strands."
Krill pearled over her shoulder,
"What the... they look almost identical."
"Yes... I don't think the body knows anything is wrong."
She turned her chair back around to look at the commander,
"Congratulations commander, you are perhaps, in the weirdest way possible, the only man in the history of existence who might just experience the miracle of life. You are going to be a dad!"
The look on his face made it clear he wasn't interested in being congratulated,
"What the actual fuck does that mean?"
He snapped, Dr. Katie rolled closer,
"Well, to explain in terms you may understand. You are doing more than keeping them warm. Those filaments that you saw are acting like umbilical cords. The one at your liver is using it as a filter, and to take in nutrients as it seems to have branching filaments to the stomach and intestines. The one going to your lungs is taking in carbon... not sure what that's going to do to your breathing if anything. But at this point I don't think that even Dr. Krill, as good as he is, can remove them. We would have to remove too much of your internal structure to it to be viable, plus they don't seem to be hurting you."
"Not hurting me! NOT HURTING ME! You said it yourself they are SUCKING OUT MY VITAL JUICES."
Dr. Katie shrugged,
"Welcome to pregnancy... sort of.”**
”Look we will monitor you, make sure they aren't sucking away to many nutrients. Look on the bright side, you can probably eat more, and judging from an analysis of the egg sacks, the average gestational period is only around two months."
"TWO MONTHS!?"
Sunny, who had been standing next to the man at the head of the exam table, couldn't suppress a short chirp of laughter.
He glowered at her,
"What's so funny!?"
She chirped again placing a hand on his arm,
"You're gonna be a mom."
If looks could kill, shed be reduced to a singularity,
"Get your hand off me or ill break it in half!"
She continued chirping but removed her hand just in case.
This was going to be a very awkward call to the UNSC and the GA.
For that matter, it was going to be a very awkward call home.
Previous First [Next](link)
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.

Hey what’s up! Just looking to make a friend, maybe someone to chat with on a daily basis. Maybe more if we hit it off? Who knows, life can surprise you sometimes. 6’2’’, athletic, Canadian but I live in Texas. Never married, no kids. Here’s a few pics of me: https://imgur.com/a/UBZq1iT
I’m into drawing and getting a bit better all the time. Currently trying to deadlift 500lbs and getting very close. I game but not as much as I used to because I just don’t have the time. Work in IT. Avid reader; comics, sci-fi, horror, super heroes, fantasy, historical stuff, psychology, whatever. When I was a kid I used to get in trouble for reading in class when I should have been working (whoops). Guess I never stopped.
My music ranges from hard rock to instrumentals to anime music. Pretty much anything but country, sorry Texas people. Movies follow the same lines as my reading preferences.
Lived all over the world, done a bit of everything. Rode horses next to giraffes in Africa, worked as a prison guard, jumped off a highway bridge into a river, took a cross country motorcycle trip, etc.
Several tattoos plus piercings and I want more. Have a squishy pushover dog named after a tragic Greek hero, who is my best friend.
If any of that seems like your thing, send me a message and we can see if we vibe. I highly prefer if you include a picture. Age is whatever, just be able to hold a conversation. Hope to hear from you!

Credit to u/SpacePaladin15 for his amazing worldbuilding.
[First]-[Previous]-[Next]
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Sorry for the delay, I was again busy with a university project. Woe be upon me for I forgot the NOP: in the title.
~~~~
Memory transcription subject: Ryan West, Runner Date [standardized human time]: November 25th, 2136.
It’s hard to tell if you’re moving in space. If there’s no close point of reference it can feel like you’re motionless. The engines run at quarter capacity to lower our heat signature. Even with our target, the green, barren moon of Turadus, in sight I can’t tell if we’re approaching or slowly drifting away. I sink into my seat and close my eyes, a bit tired.
“Would the Nevok actually attack the ship if they detected it?” I ask Tsanma as she manually pilots the ship.
“No, it’s very unlikely they’d take any direct action, especially against a cargo ship. But the intel the Countess can provide will be more useful if the Imperium is unaware that we possess it.”
“I see.” I say halfheartedly. I open my eyes again and the moon seems to have gotten a bit closer.
***
The station comes into view, various metal structures and domes poked from the green rock. The surface of the moon was very jagged, like an emerald badland. I make sure I’m out of view of the camera as Tsanma hails the station. The visage of a masked Nevok appears.
“Hello Compact representative, you are clear to land at bay two.” Tsanma dips her head in response and the feed cuts as quickly as it started.
I head to the back of the ship, I’ll be waiting in the bunks until we leave. We’ve done nothing but stare at a slowly approaching moon for nearly half a day. It's been the most exhausting part of the job so far.
Memory transcription subject: Reossa, Nevok Imperium Countess Date [standardized human time]: November 25th, 2136.
“Oh Lady,” Maylak is on the verge of tears, “must you leave? The estate is so safe.” She holds my bag for me as we walk to the landing bay; she’s not been taking it well.
“The plot came directly from the capital Maylak, it’s safe for now, but it’s only a matter of time before the Imperium sends someone here. Then none of you will be safe.” A small entourage of my personal servants has conglomerated in the steel halls as I walk. Most have taken the news with somber acceptance, but Maylak has been my chambermaid since she was a kitten.
I push through the doors to the bay, the small crowd stopping at the doors. Some cry their final goodbye, some just stand in silence. I see the fissan standing at the top of a small landing platform, she must be the captain. I grab my bag from Maylak who whines and holds it for a moment longer than she should have, I walk towards the ship. As I approach, the fissan dips her head in greeting.
“Hello Lady Roessa, I am Tsanma, a representative of the Fissan Compact.” She says with the flat tone of one who’s recited the phrase a thousand times before.
“Hello Tsanma, I hope my background doesn’t invoke any hostility between us.” I’d weighed my options of who to go to for a long time. In the end the Fissans were the closest, and obviously had a great deal to gain from my cooperation.
“Nonsense, the Compact is always open to those willing to do business.” I almost instinctively voice an objection to the statement. No point in wasting breath defending an empire that wants me dead.
“Alright, please, show me where I’ll be-” I’m cut off by a cry from Maylak, she runs towards me, jumping over a guard who tries to stop her.
“Please Lady, I need to come with you,” she grabs onto one of my paws with both of her own. I’m shocked she’d go this far. I look over to Tsanma pleadingly.
“She can come, we have enough room for the both of you.” she says. I sigh, it had taken a lot of mental preparation for what I thought would be the rest of life servantless, what a waste.
“Then I suppose,” I look to Maylak, “you can come.” she signals joy with her tail. She quickly sprints back into the crowd of servants by the door, and comes back holding her own bag.
“My Lady, you won’t regret it.” She says, holding the small bag.
“You seem prepared.” I give, she holds her ears down in shame though her tail still says joy.
“A very touching scene, but please hurry, we have a schedule to meet.” Tsanma says as she walks back into the ship. Maylak and I follow her in. “I’ll go over everything once we’re voidborne, for now please just sit down.” She mans the ship and the engines begin to lightly rumble. The rumbling quickly eases as we leave the artificial gravity of the station. Tsanma activates auto-pilot and the ship begins a very slow ascent from the moon’s green surface.
“I can’t help but notice the lack of personnel. Where is everyone?” I ask.
“We keep our cargo ship crew light. I’m knowledgeable enough in ship maintenance that a dedicated mechanic is unnecessary. Though currently we have an exceptionally low crew.”
“Who else is there?” Maylak asks.
“Besides myself we have a single security contractor on board. I’ll show you around the ship.” Tsanma walks out of the cockpit, pointing to the various rooms of the ship.
Only two crewmembers? I consider as she points to a closed door,
“This is the dorm room you’ll be staying in.” She doesn’t open the door and continues the small tour. After a short time we’re back in the cockpit. “I hope you find the ship acceptable for our short journey.” She sits in the pilot seat and deactivates the auto-pilot.
“I’ll go prepare your quarters my Lady.” Maylak says as she walks out. Half a second later Tsanma turns back to her,
“Wait!” she says, the slight delay of the translators stopped the words from reaching her before she left the cockpit. Tsanma sighs, but just looks forward in her seat.
“What’s the matter? I presume the security guard was in the room but I’m certain Maylak won’t disturb them.”
“That’s not exactly the issue.” she says.
“Well what’s-” I hear a scream come from the back of the ship, my ears shoot up in alert. “Maylak!?” I run out of the cockpit, I hear a loud deep voice yell,
“Fuck, OW!” I almost run into Maylak as she comes sprinting out of the dorms.
“LADY IT- THERE- A- AH-” She speaks erratically, placing a hand on my shoulder. A large body comes from the door, a clawless hand rubs its face as it groans. Maylak scurries behind me. The being is without fur save a long patch that comes from its head to its back, unfamiliar clothes cover most of its body. A single piercing eye peaks through it’s hand.
“Ah, you must be the Countess, and…”, it looks between Maylak and I. Neither of us say anything for a few long moments.
“Are you a human?” I ask. It removes it’s hand from it’s face, revealing it’s second forward facing eye. The gaze is nearly paralyzing, but I maintain my composure.
“Tsanma didn’t explain to you? I’m the security detail.” I feel Maylak release her paw from my shoulder as she slumps to the ground, unconscious.
“A fine mess you’ve made Ryan, and in only a few minutes since we’ve left.” Tsanma’s voice comes from behind me.
“I hardly see how this is my fault.” He says as he walks towards Maylak, he stops right before he’s upon me and says, “Ah, I’m just going to lay her on one of the beds. Also, who is who?” He carefully grabs Maylak under her legs and neck. The sight of the predator holding her shoots fear through me. The only thing keeping me calm is the assurance that the Compact wouldn’t bring a predator if it was a danger to me. I repeated this fact through my head like a mantra.
“The one who didn’t faint is the Countess, Reossa.” Tsanma answers for me, “The one you hold is one of her servants.” The man, Ryan was his name? He looks at Maylak as he listens to Tsanma.
“I see, well if she wakes up in my arms she’ll probably have a heart attack.” He walks into the dorms. I feel my heart rate lower as he leaves my sight. I turn to Tsanma,
“Why a human?” A much more direct question than I hoped for, but the stress made it come out.
“Various reasons, chiefly their intimidation factor. The strength is certainly another qualifier.” She says as if it weren’t a mad calculation. A moment later Ryan comes back from the dorms.
“Also, I’m a really good dancer.” Ryan adds. Tsanma lowers her horn slightly towards him.
“We will not discuss that event in the presence of the Countess.” she says sternly, causing Ryan to give a small, rhythmic growl.
“Anyways, I’m a bit hungry,” he checks his holopad, “I’m eating.” He walks into the kitchen and Tsanma returns to the cockpit. He’s eating? What would he eat? Images of the human tearing into dead flesh made me sick, but a morbid curiosity consumed me.
Certainly they wouldn’t keep flesh on the ship. I peek into the kitchen and see Ryan procuring various tools. He flips a switch on the counter, and a small flame raises from a burner.
“You need something,” he pauses for a moment, considering his words, “countess?” He says unsure, “Sorry I’m not sure what would be an appropriate way to address you.”
“Just Reossa is fine.” I say, I don’t want to make the predator see me as above him, a contender for dominance. “But no, I’m just curious.”
“About?” He procures a small bag from the refrigerator and I sit in a metal chair.
“What you’re making.” I don’t know where the bravado to risk a glimpse of dead flesh came from.
“Oh, I’m making stir fry,” he dumps a small amount of oil into the pan, fat oils? I shutter slightly. “It’s like, well actually the name says it all, basically you put anything in a pan and stir it as it cooks. Though I don’t have a wok so it’s a bit hard.” he tears open the bag and a large amount of mixed Fissan vegetables falls into the pan. “I’m not sure what most of these are called actually. Tsanma keeps on telling me but I never eat any of them separate from the rest. Er, I guess I know the white beans are called urag beans, but that’s it.”
“And that’s all you’re having?” I ask
“Oh, you’re right, I’m missing something.” he returns to the fridge and my heart rate spikes, he must’ve forgotten the flesh. He pulls out a small opaque jar. He returns to the burner and opens the jar, he puts a spoon in and out, a small glob of black goo comes with it. He flicks the substance into the pan.
“What is that?” My eyes are wide, congealed blood?
“Uh, some sort of bean sauce, It’s a bit sweet, I don’t remember what it’s called though.”
“You’re not eating,” I shrink in the seat, “flesh?” I add quietly. He pauses, continuing to stir in the pan. He says nothing for a few moments.
“I know you probably think Tsanma is crazy or whatever for having a predator on board. But it’s not like she’s emotionless, eh? Please don’t go lookin’ at her like you do at me, she wouldn’t keep meat on the ship.” I was relieved for a moment before realizing the implication; he’d keep meat on the ship if he could, it’s merely not allowed. Neither of us speak for a moment.
“Well!” He says suddenly, “Want to try some when it’s done?” He asks. I consider the proposition, I saw everything he added, none of it seemed poisoned or from a living being. I quickly recall the oil he put in,
“What type of oil was that?”
“I don’t know, something fissan probably, Tsanma just called it ‘oil’.”
“Then, I will accept.” We sit in silence for a while until he declares the food ready, he walks towards a small cabinet with securely held bowls and plates. He grabs two bowls and fills them, he places one in front of me and sits across the table.
“I feel a bit bad, I gave you almost half of what I got but,” his eyes run up my body, “you’re about half my size though, so I guess it works out. I hope it’s up to your standards.” He quickly starts eating, when his mouth opens, the slightly lustrous, dulled ends of canines flash into sight. I find my attention drawn to his mouth every time it opens. I take a scoop of the food, various vegetables sit on the spoon, wilted from the heat. I put the spoon in my mouth.
“It’s alright. For someone who doesn’t know what they’re cooking, you did well.” He quickly finishes his food before I’m done half of my own.
“Alright, I’ll be with Tsanma, when you’re done we need to go over sleeping schedules.” I swish my tail to signify I understood, he seems to get what I mean, and leaves.
I slowly eat the rest of the food and look around. The internal design of the fissan ship is unfamiliar to me. I can’t name the food I’m eating. I’m on a ship with a predator. How long had it been since I had felt anything akin to this instability? I feel rootless, lost, betrayed by my nation for reasons completely unknown to me. With the fear of the predator subsiding, I realize it wasn’t the worst of what I felt. Perhaps this is why I stayed and watched him. I wish he was back so I could replace this feeling with fear and detest. I put another spoonful of the food into my mouth. I close my eyes as I chew— a tear falls into the bowl. I had lied; the food was amazing.
Memory transcription subject: Nittal, Takkan Mercenary Date [standardized human time]: November 25th, 2136.
I rhythmically tap a claw on the dashboard of the ship. The Imperium requested we give them the ship’s landing location, the fact that it had landed on the moon was supposedly a big deal. I wasn’t happy to be kept waiting after tailing the fissan ship manually, in real space for such a long time. Suddenly the ship is hailed from Turadus, Laz quickly answers the call. The visage of our contractor appears on screen.
“Hello, the deal is being updated,” I almost yell an objection before he continues, “we’re increasing your pay,” typically the ‘deal being updated’ was code for ‘we’re screwing you’, I quickly calm down “There’s a nevok that was picked up by the fissan ship, we want you to kill her. If you can confirm her death there’s another hundred thousand credits in the deal.”
“We will gladly take that update.” I give.
“Great. Since the ship took such great lengths to avoid detection from the colony, they’ll no doubt be doing the same while leaving. You’ll have plenty of time to intercept them on their path. Do not fail us.” The feed cuts, always so direct these people, but I wasn’t complaining.
The ship is currently resting in a small crevice on the surface of Turadus’ moon. For a bit the ship had been visible with the naked eye. I resist the urge to merely gun the ship down, we’d have to dock in order to capture the fissan agent. That means waiting until they were out of the moon's gravity well. Laz sits in the seat watching the radar, those stimulants were a godsend, neither of us were a bit tired. If anything I felt excited, dangerously so. By the great dissolution, this mission will be a test of will more so than anything.

Throwaway account I (27F) have been with my boyfriend (34M) for two years. We live together, no kids, one dog. It’s my first major relationship where I’ve lived with someone/considered a future with.
Let me start by saying, I love him and we have a great relationship. We argue sometimes like all couples but it’s rare and usually we are able to talk things out.
Here’s the problem. He has no plans to leave our rural hometown, and I have been chomping at the bit to leave for years, basically since I graduated college. I will be finishing graduate school soon and short of working remotely, which I’d rather not, job options in my field will be slim in this area. I want to move away to a big city but he has zero interest in this.
Now I’m stuck thinking about what to do. I love him, but lately as I approach graduation (two months to go!) I can’t help thinking about moving away and starting a new life. I would love for him to come with me but I don’t think he would; he's said he doesn’t want to leave his job, his friends and family, everything he’s ever known, and I get that… it’s just not what I want. I’m worried if I stay with him, in this town, I’ll resent him and be bitter about not taking the leap to move somewhere new. But, I also worry about regretting leaving him if he won't move away with me. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place and constantly thinking about this to the point where I’m feeling really anxious and depressed.

Hey all!
Hope your Spring Break is going well!
With just 3 days left until GT Friend Finder closes I would just like to plug it again on the sub.
Answer our 40 questions, and our proprietary algorithm matches you with 4-6 other people who it thinks would form a great friend group with you.
For the form use this link!!!!
Now I understand most of you did not click the link, but here's 5 reasons why I think you should reconsider.
1) College is one of the last chances to make easy friends: When you go out in the working world, making friends isn't as easy as just liking their shirt, or playing a game of pickup. Take advantage of this ease to meet some cool people.
2) GT Friend Finder is made by GT Students: There is no profit incentive for us, we're just trying to encourage tech students to make new life-long connections. By filling it out it helps encourage us to keep improving and come up with other fun things for tech students (like our April Crush event coming up).
3) You can meet people you'd never meet otherwise: Oftentimes the friends we make our dictated significantly by who we see on a daily basis. This means there is a lot of cool people on campus you could be friends with, but aren't. With our algorithm though you get a chance to be friends!
4) Shooting your shot is hard: Whether it be romantic or platonic asking someone to hang out when you aren't close yet is hard. With GT Friend Finder we do the asking for you, to make it less akward.
5) Worst case you lose an hour of your life: The absolute worst case scenario is that we messed up and the friends we match you with are actually not the vibe. Then all that happens is the hour you spent get knowing them is wasted, on the other hand, if everything works out you could potentially have a friend for life. Also the odds of 4-6 people all not vibing with you is hella hella low.
Hope you fill out the form :)
- GT Match
If you have any questions feel free to leave it on this Reddit thread, dm us on insta at gatechmatch or email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
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PS: For the incoming freshman that are stalking the sub, what are some of the best places to hang out in campus and around campus?

I’ve had an anxiety disorder most of my life and I had a particularly stressful day the night before. As of writing this I just had the most vividly intense nightmare of my life that it still doesn’t feel like I’ve awoken into reality at the moment. In short, I had a dream where I was being possessed by a demon but I could feel all the pain and physical anxiety it was creating. I woke up multiple times. One of the times my mouth was wide open, my throat completely dry, and my neck as stiff as a rock. During the dream I felt my heart racing and beating so hard my chest still hurts, and I woke up completely covered in sweat and my body aching real bad. Is this a normal experience for a panic attack at night? Would anyone be able to provide some advice for why this could’ve happened and how I can prevent it in the future?

OnTrac delivered my package from The Gap to the wrong address. The house number was wrong and I can't figure out the address of the house they they delivered it to. I was going to go to that address and ask if they have my package. This company is terrible. I sent them the picture that they already have on my confirmation of delivery from them along with a picture of my front porch/door area. How hard can it be to see they made a mistake of delivering my package to the wrong address? I am contemplating ever ordering from The Gap online moving forward because of this. $90 worth of T-Shirts down the drain.

I write this while sitting in my son’s room, waiting for our meeting with the ENT team. Born at 26+2, today is his 164th day in the NICU. We are at one of the top children’s hospitals in the country and I’m afraid that I’m just waiting here for them to come tell me to choose which way my son goes to heaven.
His biggest issue has always been his lungs. He has BPD and has been on a breathing tube his whole life. We had one attempt at extubation back in December. He lasted 34 hours before it had to go back in. Since then, it’s felt like a slow decline littered with false instances of hope.
About a month ago, they came to us saying the only way he would make it was with a trach/g-tube insertion. He has no signs of intellectual disabilities or issues with motor skills and they estimated he could probably come off of them at around 3 years. It was very hard to hear, but after a bit of research and lots of success stories, my husband and I embraced the idea. Only issue was we needed the peak(?)on his ventilator to be (steadily) below 40. He was rocking in the 60s.
At one point he got vent-induced pneumonia and they had to paralyze him. Once over that, they woke him back up but eventually put him back under paralytic to prevent him from fighting his vent and get those numbers down, which they slowly have been for the past few weeks. I’ve even seen it hang in the 30s here and there, but he’s mostly in the low 40s.
Earlier this week, our NP came to us and gave us the impression that where he’s at is pretty much “good enough”. He was put on the schedule for the trach surgery and we were soooooo excited! Finally a light at the end of the tunnel! We met with the two surgeons who were gonna do it, signed the paper work, we were briefed on the risks, and it sounded like everything was good to go for 8:45am today. Until last night when I got a call from some other doctor and the call was just so weird.
I can’t imagine what it’s like to have to tell people that their son isn’t going to make it, but it just felt so bizarre. She kept talking in circles. The gist of what I got was that his numbers are NOT “good enough” and if they go through with the surgery, he won’t be strong enough. But at the same time, he’s been paralyzed for 2 weeks now and they can’t keep him like this. But if they wake him up, he’s going to fight his vent immediately and will shotgun in the opposite direction. I asked her if she was telling me this info or asking me what I want to do, and it just got very confusing because she wouldn’t give me a straight answer. Just that she wanted me to agree to canceling the surgery today and both of us coming in for a “talk” in person.
I honestly don’t know what to do. If I do have the choice, I figure I’d rather do the surgery and know that I did everything I possibly could instead of giving up. But I’m also afraid they’re going to say something along the lines of “now that it’s an elective surgery, it’s not covered by your health insurance” or something like that.
Has anyone else had any experience with similar situations? I feel as though my heart will literally just stop beating if this goes the way I fear.

Selling lots of classics, many Japanese pressings in pristine shape. Info regarding pressing version, inserts, OBIs, and sound quality (if I had the chance to listen to it) are noted in the spreadsheet below:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q56B6gEH28roEyLT400zTw2Q9XXbwMta4nwHM8fQDrA/edit?usp=sharing
Shipping is from Honolulu, Hawaii via media mail for an added $5 on the listed price. Shipping only to US. All opened records are packaged outside of their covers inside poly outer sleeves. LPs are placed in either antistatic rice-paper inner sleeves or plain white inner sleeves as opposed to their custom printed sleeves. This doesn't apply to sealed records.
Note: Shipping via media mail from Hawaii can take up to 4-8 weeks according to USPS. If you'd like to switch to Priority Shipping, I can come up with an accurate shipping quote depending on the records you purchase. Priority generally comes out to an average of $15, but again, it all depends on the titles you purchase. However, I so far haven't had any issues with media mail; Previous sales have taken a maximum of 3 weeks to arrive.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions and requests for pictures if you're considering purchasing. I want to make sure we're all on the same page about the grading and hope that whichever record you're interested in meets your expectations.
​

1. Abbey Lincoln - That's Him (E- / VG+) = $30.00
2. Al Green - Livin' For You (VG+ / VG+) = $10.00
3. Al Kooper Introduces Shuggie Otis - Kooper Session (VG+ / VG) = $10.00
4. Albert Ayler Trio - Spiritual Unity (E / E-) = $35.00
5. Archie Shepp - Four For Trane (E / E-) = $40.00
6. Archie Shepp - Fire Music (VG / VG) = $40.00
7. Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You (VG++ / VG++) = $30.00
8. Aretha Franklin - Aretha Now (G+ / G+) = $10.00
9. Aretha Franklin - Spirit In The Dark (VG / VG) = $20.00
10. Arthur Lyman - Island Vibes (VG / VG+) = $50.00
11. Bill Evans - Conversations With Myself (E- / E-) = $40.00
12. Bill Evans - At The Montreux Jazz Festival (E / E-) = $40.00
13. Blue Mitchell - Boss Horn (VG+ / VG+) = $45.00
14. Bob Dylan - Self Portrait (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
15. Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (G+ / G+) = $10.00
16. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (VG+ / VG) = $15.00
17. Bobbi Humphrey - Blacks And Blues (VG+ / VG+) = $35.00
18. Bobby Caldwell - Cat In The Hat (E- / E) = $40.00
19. Bobby Caldwell - Cat In The Hat (NM - Sealed / NM - Sealed) = $50.00 (Unsure which exact pressing)
20. Bobby Lyle - The Genie (VG+ / G+) = $20.00
21. Buckingham Nicks - Buckingham Nicks (VG / VG) = $40.00
22. Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else (E / E-) = $65.00
23. Change - Miracles (E / VG++) = $35.00
24. Change - The Glow Of Love (VG / VG) = $15.00
25. Charles Mingus - Oh Yeah (E / E-) = $35.00
26. Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots (E / E-) = $40.00
27. Charles Mingus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (VG+ / VG+) = $70.00
28. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings (E / E) = $70.00
29. Curtis Mayfield - Curtis (E / E-) = $75.00
30. David Bowie - "Heroes" = 英雄夢語り（ヒーローズ） (E / E-) = $60.00
31. David Bowie - Low (E / VG++) = $60.00
32. David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (VG / VG) = $25.00
33. David Bowie = David Bowie - Hunky Dory = ハンキー·ドリー (E / E-) = $70.00
34. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier (M / M) = $20.00
35. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (E / E) = $45.00
36. Duke Ellington • Charles Mingus • Max Roach - Money Jungle (VG / F) = $40.00
37. Duke Ellington And His Orchestra - Anatomy Of A Murder (VG / G+) = $15.00
38. Eddie Kamae And The The Sons Of Hawaii - This Is Eddie Kamae (VG / VG+) = $20.00
39. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Song Book, Vol. 1 (VG+ / VG) = $20.00
40. Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The Rodgers And Hart Song Book (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
41. Emitt Rhodes - Emitt Rhodes (VG / VG) = $20.00
42. Evelyn King - I'm In Love (VG / VG+) = $15.00
43. Fela Kuti And Africa 70 - Zombie (VG+ / VG+) = $40.00
44. Fela Kuti And Africa 70 With Ginger Baker - Live! (VG / G) = $40.00
45. Frank Ocean - Endless (SEALED (Presumably M) / SEALED / VG++) = $380.00
46. Frank Zappa - Waka / Jawaka - Hot Rats (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
47. Freddie Hubbard / Stanley Turrentine With Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Eric Gale - In Concert Volume One (VG+ / VG+) = $15.00
48. Gene Harris - Astralsignal (VG / VG) = $45.00
49. Graham Nash - Songs For Beginners (VG+ / VG) = $5.00
50. Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel (VG / VG) = $20.00
51. Hank Mobley - Workout (E / E) = $60.00
52. Hank Mobley - A Caddy For Daddy (VG+ / VG+) = $50.00
53. Happy End - 風街ろまん (E / E) = $80.00
54. Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off (E / E) = $50.00
55. Herbie Hancock - Fat Albert Rotunda (VG / VG) = $45.00
56. Herbie Hancock = Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage = 処女航海 (E / VG+) = $50.00
57. Horace Silver - Horace Silver Trio (VG+ / VG+) = $35.00
58. Howlin' Wolf - Howling Wolf Sings The Blues (VG / G) = $40.00
59. Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius (E- / VG++) = $35.00
60. João Gilberto - The Boss of the Bossa Nova (VG / VG) = $30.00
61. John Coltrane - Transition (E- / E-) = $40.00
62. John Coltrane - Coltrane's Sound (E- / E-) = $40.00
63. John Coltrane - Coltrane Jazz (E / E) = $40.00
64. John Coltrane - Blue Train (E / E-) = $70.00
65. John Coltrane - Kulu Sé Mama (Juno Sé Mama) (G+ / G+) = $15.00
66. John Coltrane - Blue Train (VG+ / NM) = $25.00
67. John Coltrane - Meditations (VG / VG) = $40.00
68. John Coltrane - Ascension (Edition I) (VG / VG) = $75.00
69. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (VG / VG) = $40.00
70. John Coltrane - Expression (VG / VG) = $40.00
71. John Fahey - Volume 1 / Blind Joe Death (VG+ / VG) = $25.00
72. John Fahey - The Best Of John Fahey 1959 - 1977 (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
73. John Tropea - Short Trip To Space (VG+ / VG) = $15.00
74. Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash At San Quentin (VG / VG) = $15.00
75. Joni Mitchell - Blue (VG / G+) = $20.00
76. Kalapana - Kalapana II (E / E-) = $30.00
77. Kamasi Washington - The Epic (NM / NM) = $100.00
78. Kate Bush - The Kick Inside = 天使と小悪魔 (E / E-) = $45.00
79. Kate Bush - The Dreaming (E / E-) = $40.00
80. Kate Bush - The Whole Story (E / E-) = $50.00
81. Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love (VG+ / VG+) = $85.00
82. Kate Bush - Never For Ever = 魔物語 (E / E-) = $40.00
83. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly (NM / NM) = $25.00
84. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered. (M / M) = $90.00
85. Kevin I. - Kevin I. (VG / VG+) = $40.00
86. King Crimson - Red (VG / VG) = $20.00
87. King Crimson - Starless And Bible Black (VG+ / VG) = $20.00
88. Leonard Cohen - Ten New Songs (VG+ / VG+) = $45.00
89. Leonard Kwan And Raymond Kane - Slack Key Guitar In Stereo (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
90. LeRoy Hutson - Hutson (VG / VG+) = $30.00
91. LeRoy Hutson Featuring The Free Spirit Symphony - Feel The Spirit (VG / VG) = $30.00
92. Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes - Expansions (VG+ / VG+) = $40.00
93. Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes - Visions Of A New World (VG / VG+) = $35.00
94. Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes - Renaissance (VG / VG) = $35.00
95. Lou Reed - Transformer (VG / G+) = $20.00
96. Louis Prima Featuring Keely Smith With Sam Butera And The Witnesses - The Wildest! (VG / VG) = $25.00
97. Mac Demarco - Another (Demo) One (NM / NM) = $30.00
98. Marc Benno - Minnows (VG / VG) = $20.00
99. Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Watchout! (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
100. Marvin Gaye - How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You (E / E-) = $40.00
101. Marvin Gaye - I Want You (E- / E-) = $45.00
102. Marvin Gaye - Marvin Gaye Live! (E / E-) = $40.00
103. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (E / E-) = $65.00
104. Marvin Gaye = Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On = レッツ·ゲット·イット·オン (E / E-) = $40.00
105. Max Romeo & The Upsetters - War Ina Babylon (VG / VG) = $25.00
106. McCoy Tyner - Live At Newport (VG / VG) = $40.00
107. Merry Clayton - Merry Clayton (VG / G+) = $15.00
108. Michael Jackson - Thriller (VG / VG+) = $10.00
109. Miles Davis - Miles Davis (E- / VG+) = $45.00
110. Miles Davis - Agharta = アガルタの凱歌 (E- / E-) = $50.00
111. Miles Davis - On The Corner (E / E) = $50.00
112. Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain (VG / VG+) = $25.00
113. Miles Davis - A Tribute To Jack Johnson (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
114. Miles Davis - In A Silent Way (VG+ / VG) = $25.00
115. Miles Davis + 19, Gil Evans - Miles Ahead (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
116. Milt Jackson - Sunflower (VG+ / VG) = $20.00
117. Mtume - Juicy Fruit (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
118. Ned Doheny - Hard Candy (E- / E-) = $40.00
119. Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue (E- / E-) = $60.00
120. Nina Simone - Forbidden Fruit - Nina Simone Collections Vol. 1 (E / E-) = $45.00
121. Nina Simone - Here Comes The Sun (E / E-) = $45.00
122. Nina Simone - Baltimore (VG / VG+) = $45.00
123. Nina Simone - Pastel Blues (E- / E-) = $65.00
124. Nina Simone - I Put A Spell On You (VG / VG) = $65.00
125. Nina Simone - Silk & Soul (G+ / G+) = $30.00
126. Oliver Nelson - More Blues And The Abstract Truth (VG- / VG+) = $20.00
127. Ornette Coleman - The Shape Of Jazz To Come (E- / VG++) = $40.00
128. Otis Redding - Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul (E / E-) = $45.00
129. Otis Redding - The Dock Of The Bay (E / E-) = $45.00
130. Patrice Rushen - Posh (VG / VG) = $20.00
131. Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi (Life Out Of Balance) (Original Soundtrack Album From The Motion Picture) (VG++ / VG+) = $30.00
132. Philip Glass - Glassworks (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
133. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon (VG+ / P) = $40.00
134. Prince - Sign "O" The Times (E / E-) = $70.00
135. Prince - 1999 (VG- / VG+) = $15.00
136. R.E.M. - Reckoning (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
137. Ramsey Lewis - Mother Nature's Son (VG / VG+) = $35.00
138. Ray Charles - Yes Indeed! (VG / VG) = $10.00
139. Ray Charles - The Genius Of Ray Charles (VG / VG+) = $15.00
140. Robert Wyatt - Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard (VG++ / E-) = $30.00
141. Roland Kirk - The Inflated Tear (E- / E-) = $35.00
142. Roland Kirk - I Talk With The Spirits (E / E-) = $45.00
143. Ronnie Laws - Pressure Sensitive (VG+ / VG) = $10.00
144. Rotary Connection - Aladdin (VG+ / VG) = $10.00
145. Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
146. Roy Ayers Ubiquity - Everybody Loves The Sunshine (VG+ / VG+) = $60.00
147. Ryuichi Sakamoto - Neo Geo (VG+ / VG+) = $15.00
148. Ryuichi Sakamoto Featuring Robin Scott - Left Handed Dream (VG+ / VG+) = $15.00
149. Sandy Bull - Inventions (VG+ / VG) = $15.00
150. Sonny Rollins - Way Out West (E / E-) = $40.00
151. Sonny Rollins - The Bridge (E / E-) = $40.00
152. Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (VG / VG) = $50.00
153. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy (NM / NM) = $20.00
154. St. Vincent - St. Vincent (NM / NM) = $90.00
155. Stan Getz / João Gilberto Featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim - Getz / Gilberto (VG / VG) = $10.00
156. Steely Dan - Aja (G+ / VG) = $15.00
157. Steve Reich - Music For 18 Musicians (VG+ / VG+) = $50.00
158. Steve Reich - The Desert Music (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
159. Steve Reich / Richard Maxfield / Pauline Oliveros - New Sounds In Electronic Music (Come Out / Night Music / I Of IV) (VG / VG) = $45.00
160. Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July (VG / VG) = $10.00
161. Stevie Wonder - Signed Sealed & Delivered (NM - Sealed / NM - Sealed) = $40.00
162. Stevie Wonder - Talking Book (VG / VG) = $10.00
163. Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (G+ / VG+) = $10.00
164. Stevie Wonder - My Cherie Amour (VG+ / VG) = $20.00
165. Suburban Lawns - Baby (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
166. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell (NM / NM) = $20.00
167. Sufjan Stevens - Chicago (Demo) (NM / Generic) = $25.00
168. Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs (M / M) = $25.00
169. T. Rex - Electric Warrior (E / E-) = $45.00
170. Talking Heads - Remain In Light (E / E-) = $45.00
171. Tame Impala - Currents (NM / NM) = $65.00
172. Tame Impala - Tame Impala (NM / NM) = $100.00
173. Tenement - Bruised Music, Vol.2 (NM / NM) = $5.00
174. Terry Riley - Shri Camel (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
175. Terry Riley - In C (VG / VG) = $30.00
176. Terry Riley - A Rainbow In Curved Air (VG / No Cover) = $5.00
177. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds / Carl And The Passions – So Tough (VG+ / G+) = $15.00
178. The Beach Boys - Sunflower (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
179. The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Today! (VG / VG) = $10.00
180. The Beatles - The Beatles (VG+ / VG) = $20.00
181. The Beatles - Please Please Me (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
182. The Beatles - The Beatles (VG+ / G++) = $60.00
183. The Bill Evans Trio - Portrait In Jazz (E / E-) = $55.00
184. The Bill Evans Trio - Waltz For Debby (E / VG++) = $60.00
185. The Bill Evans Trio = The Bill Evans Trio - Explorations = エクスプロレイションズ (E / E-) = $40.00
186. The Bill Evans Trio Featuring Scott LaFaro - Sunday At The Village Vanguard (E / E) = $65.00
187. The Brothers & Sisters (2) - Dylan's Gospel (VG / VG) = $20.00
188. The Clash - Sandinista! (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
189. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (VG / VG+) = $15.00
190. The Fall - Cruiser's Creek (VG+ / VG+) = $10.00
191. The Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band - The Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band (VG / VG) = $15.00
192. The Horace Silver Quintet - Song For My Father (Cantiga Para Meu Pai) (E- / E-) = $50.00
193. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced (G+ / VG) = $10.00
194. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
195. The John Coltrane Quartet - Africa / Brass (E- / E-) = $40.00
196. The John Coltrane Quartet With McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison & Elvin Jones - Ballads (E- / VG+) = $40.00
197. The Kinks - The Kink Kronikles (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
198. The Kinks - Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire (VG / VG) = $25.00
199. The Makaha Sons Of Ni'ihau - No Kristo (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
200. The Miles Davis Quintet - Cookin' With The Miles Davis Quintet (E / E-) = $40.00
201. The Miles Davis Sextet / The Miles Davis Quintet - Miles At Newport (VG+ / VG) = $10.00
202. The Mothers - Uncle Meat (VG+ / VG) = $25.00
203. The Mothers - We're Only In It For The Money (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
204. The Ornette Coleman Trio - At The "Golden Circle" Stockholm - Volume One (VG / VG) = $45.00
205. The Pop Group - Y (E / E-) = $40.00
206. The Pretty Things - Parachute (NM / NM) = $20.00
207. The Rolling Stones - Aftermath (VG / VG) = $15.00
208. The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet (VG / VG+) = $15.00
209. The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St. (VG+ / VG+) = $35.00
210. The Sons Of Hawaii - The Folk Music Of Hawaii (E / E) = $20.00
211. The Thelonious Monk Quartet - Monk's Dream (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
212. The Turtles - Present The Battle Of The Bands (VG / VG) = $15.00
213. The Velvet Underground - Live At Max's Kansas City (VG+ / VG+) = $15.00
214. The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (E / E) = $50.00
215. The Velvet Underground - VU (VG+ / VG) = $30.00
216. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - Part One (VG- / VG) = $45.00
217. The Who - Live At Leeds (VG+ / VG+) = $15.00
218. The Who - A Quick One (E / VG++) = $20.00
219. The Witch Trials - The Witch Trials (VG / VG) = $10.00
220. Thelma Houston - Summer Nights (M / M) = $15.00
221. Thelonious Monk - Monk. (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
222. Thelonious Monk Septet - Monk's Music (VG+ / VG+) = $40.00
223. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (VG++ / VG++) = $80.00
224. Various - Even A Tree Can Shed Tears: Japanese Folk & Rock 1969-1973 (M / M) = $55.00
225. Various - A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records (G+ / G+) = $30.00
226. Various - The Harder They Come (Original Soundtrack Recording) (VG / VG) = $20.00
227. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes (VG+ / VG) = $40.00
228. William Onyeabor - Atomic Bomb (NM / NM) = $25.00
229. Wilson Pickett - The Exciting Wilson Pickett (VG / VG+) = $10.00
230. XTC - Oranges & Lemons (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
231. Yellow Magic Orchestra - BGM (E- / E-) = $35.00
232. Yellow Magic Orchestra = Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor = ソリッド·ステイト·サヴァイヴァー (E / E) = $35.00
233. Yumi Arai = Yumi Arai - Misslim = ミスリム (E / VG+) = $45.00

Hi all,
Before I got on my most recent flight, I spent a lot of time on this forum reading other people's experiences and trying to take what I could from exceptional commenters like the several pilots who frequent here. Now that I'm home from my two flights, I thought it might be helpful to give back to this community that had given much to me. Here's my story:
Despite having flown (25+) times in my life, my fear of flying developed very early in my childhood and has plagued me ever since. Despite knowing the safety and statistics, I've let it hold me back from experiences I have dreamed of my whole life: Parisian cafes. English pubs. Icelandic hot springs – all of the wonderful things life has to offer when you travel. When my new partner came along a few years ago, we bonded over travel, especially international travel, and my reluctance to get on flight not only was bound to impact our relationship, but also continue my pattern of self loathing and missing out. Despite my reservations, we booked a trip to London and Paris, and the minute the "buy" button was pressed on the tickets, the dread set in. Only this time, I wad adamant I was getting on the plane and there was nothing stopping that. All I could do was prepare. Here's a list of what I did:

Things I Did

• I went through an online hypnotherapy session specifically focused on flight. I'm not sure this was helpful in the actual getting on the plane, but it certainly helped me identify where the feelings of fear and need for control came from.
• I worked with my own personal therapist on EMDR and brain spotting about flying and my experiences with it. This included going through the flight in my imagination, both to and from Heathrow, and talking through each piece. Sitting with the moments that made me nervous and talking myself through them. Each time we did this my anxiety lessened.
• I enrolled in the S.O.A.R program with Captain Tom Bunn. I went through his full guaranteed program which included video lessons, therapy appointments, group therapy, and at-home work. I did everything to a "T" including actually buying a mini plane (with my airline's logo) and suspending it in jello to learn how rough air impacts (and most importantly, doesn't impact a plane).
• I watched as many youtube videos as I could of successful plane takeoffs and landings. Takeoffs were a big trigger for me so those were my focus. I learned how everything worked, the jargon and processes (v1 - rotate-positive climb - gear up!). These really helped me understand how things worked, how regimented the processes were, and how pilots are prepared for anything and have emergency procedures worked out if an engine, or two, should fail.
• I also listened to fear of flying hypnosis while I slept, though I'm not sure this did anything.

You may be saying to yourself: wow, that's a lot of stuff! And yes, it was. But I wasn't going to prevent this horrible fear keep me earthbound anymore and stop me from seeing the places I want to see before the end of this mortal coil.

Results

The day came and the 8 hour flight lay ahead. I experienced quite a bit of anticipatory anxiety which included some vomiting at home (my anxiousness manifests as nausea). But I combatted that with sour candies (recommended by my therapist) which seemed to really help. We got to the airport early and went through all of the annoying security procedures which is even more interesting with international flights. To be supportive, my partner upgraded our seats so we had access to a lounge where waited to board. As soon as I got on the flight, I found the head attendant and explained I was a nervous flyer and asked to meet the pilot, which the S.O.A.R. program recommends. They couldn't have been nicer and the pilots even more so. They shook my had, thanked me for trusting them, and even offered to let me sit in the cockpit which politely refused. I went back to my seat and a funny thing happened: the nervousness went away. I put on my headphones and started watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown and before I knew it were were heading toward takeoff. I thought in my head (v1-rotate-positive climb-gear up) and had prepared myself for the sensations to expect (the elevator-type falling feeling) that were all normal. They all happened right on schedule, and soon we were airborne and I was completely fine. The flight was fantastic and when I arrived in London, I was both thrilled and proud.
The flight home caused some pre-flight anxiety as well, but the same thing happened. New attendants, new pilots, but all were wonderful. My fear was gone once we were on the actual plane. The crew took good care of me and even presented me with wings and a handwritten note to say how proud they were of me. Now, I'm back home with the post-vacation blues – why did I allow this fear to stop me for so long?

What Worked for Me

As I laid out earlier in this novel, I did quite a bit of work to help, so I can't point directly to what worked and what didn't. But here's what I believe made the biggest impact:

• Talking things through with a therapist. They can help you understand, reframe, and get to the root of the fear.
• Learning how the plane works. Once you understand how exactly things work and that planes just can't fall out of the sky, and can fly on one engine, etc, you'll be in much better shape.
• Accept the anxiety for what it is. Accept that you have it and it's never going to be totally gone. However, know that you can control it and even help it go away.
• The S.O.A.R. program which helped me understand why meeting the pilots was such an important thing. As soon as I spoke to them, I know they were in control and that I would be safe.
• Youtube videos of takeoffs. These made me actually excited to get on a plane and feel it's power. It it showed me the control the pilots have.
• Being honest about my fears and not letting the embarrassment stop me. Both times i met the pilots, I told them I was embarrassed that i had to be here but I was committed to getting through these fears and both times they were really nice. They even provided me suggestions of things to do in London!
• Having a supportive partner who is patient and understanding and willing to help. You absolutely do not NEED this, but it can be a big help.

Conclusion

I was exactly like you. I thought everything that worked for others wouldn't work for me. I thought my plane would be the one in a billion that crash. I thought it would just fall out of the sky. I thought I would never do it or that I would freak out on the plane. And, less that 24 hours ago, I was eating beef short ribs 39,000 feet in the sky without a worry in the world despite some rough air that made it hard to drink my coffee.
If I can do this, if I can get though this, you can too. You can open the world up to yourself and you can get on the plane. It is not impossible.
I know this was a novel-length post, but I hope it might help others as previous posts have helped me. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out - I would be happy to answer them!

After 10 years, I’m at a point where I’m questioning whether my wife and I being together anymore is the healthiest thing for us and our kids. I love her very much, and I’ve tried SO hard to show it over the years ( in fact, that’s ALL I’ve done, but I’ll get to that), but due to some legitimate bad trauma as a teenager (rape) and her parents screwing her up, she’s got some pretty severe insecurity and self-esteem issues. She’s an angry and dark person sometimes, and a lot of the time, doesn’t care about things a person should really care about. She’s also a very sweet person, and a good mom. Recently, I lost my temper at our kids when they did something really disrespectful to HER, and what ended up happening is she got mad at ME, and it turned out to be kind of 3 against 1. I realized then that, this is kind of how it always is. When she loses her temper at them, I try and be on the same page with her and support her, so our kids aren’t getting conflicting lessons. When I lose my temper at them, she’s quick to take their side and tell me that basically I’m wrong and I should see things from their perspective.
Now, this all dovetails onto the bigger issue. As I said, she’s got some issues. With self-esteem and anger and sometimes has breakdowns, and this has gotten worse over the past couple years. When this happens, I, 100% of the time, immediately and unconditionally, console and reassure her the best I can. Hugs, flowers, pep talks, romantic sexual stuff if the time is right, etc…. I LISTEN. I have always wanted her to feel loved, and that she’s not alone, and that her feelings are legitimate, and just everything I feel like a caring spouse would do; a rock to lean on. She has no problem telling me the things I’m screwing up and how sometimes I make her feel this or that (negative), and has, on occasion, said some pretty mean or uncalled-for things that I’m not sure a spouse should be saying to another spouse, and I always just take it….I listen, acknowledge that maybe there’s some truth in there, apologize and tell her I’ll try and do better at whatever the problem is. I’ve found that retorting only makes things worse. I’m a de-escalator.
I’ve tried a couple times over the past 10 years to do the same to her; and it never goes well. When she makes me feel a certain way and I try and talk to her about it, she takes it as a personal attack and gets angry, defensive, and goes “well you did THIS” to deflect. I’m not trying to fight with her or be hurtful, I’m just trying to explain my perspective on something and let her know how something made me feel or maybe she should try a different reaction/approach to something…. but because she’s insecure and self-admittedly “crazy”, I just feel like talking to her makes things worse. She doesn’t see that all I want is for her to be able to hear me and support me the same way I support her.
It’s come to a point where I feel like my feelings/thoughts aren’t legitimate anymore. I’ve been conditioned to just keep my mouth shut and acknowledge. I don’t ever feel like I have a rock to lean on and our whole relationship is me supporting her without any reciprocity. I feel SO, SO alone and I don’t know what to do anymore. I love her, and I know she’s not intentionally being sinister or malicious, but I don’t know how much longer I can just sit there and not be able to talk to her about even why I can’t talk to her, let alone anything else.

I am one of few people who are severely disabled from floroquinolones toxicity. I was completely healthy prior to taking ciprofloxacin and metronidazole for 4-5 days. I became weak, developed severe neuropathy and dysautonomia over next 3 months. Now I am almost 18 months post without much recovery
It is generally accepted that these drugs are toxic to mitochondria resulting into damaged nervous system and energy metabolism. This brings me to fasting- there are people on German forums who have used fasting to help induce mitophagy and autophagy or to improve stemness to heal themselves
I have very difficult time fasting. I get dizzy, severely weak, headaches etc to the point where I become completely bed bound even when I try 14 hr fast. I need watesalt/sugar due to dysautonomia
So I am stuck between rock and hard place. I can’t follow fasting and I can’t get better without trying fasting. Many people improve on their own without drastic measures but few unlucky like me become king haulers.
I wonder if anyone have done fasting here for “floxing” or “dysautonomia” or have any practical suggestions. I grew up around people for whom fasting is a norm (religious) but I could never fast even before I was sick. That tells me possibly my mitos were already ineffective in using fatty acid/ketones to generate energy and very dependable on carbs. Could this be reason? If so what can I do?