Hey all, just stumbled on this community today and was hoping for some advice.
I recently moved states and can't see my stylist any longer and need help finding a new source for good quality shampoo/ conditioner. My previous stylist used Pulp Riot dye (Velvet), and I absolutely love the color and the way it fades. They worked at a Fantastic Sam's, so I was using their salon brand shampoo and conditioner because my stylist vouched for it. Unfortunately, because of the move there are no Fantastic Sam's near me and I'm almost out of conditioner.
I'm still pretty novice at taking care of my hair myself, so I have no idea what to avoid or what would work best for my hair. Any suggestions? Please and thank you!
Side note, I hope this doesn't violate rule one, because it is a question about dyed hair care. If it does, I completely understand taking it down.

has anyone tried this nail kit from amazon? i’m a beginner and want to learn how to do gel x and was wondering if anyone recommends it

This push and pull, this game. I'm so tired of it. Do you know I almost kissed you last night? Just to see your reaction? To know that it's not all in my head and I'm in fact not crazy for thinking you feel all of this happening too.
I know we both have reasons to avoid this. Way too many reasons. Maybe you're just a better actor than me.
Maybe you hide things better than me.
Or maybe it's in my head, you feel nothing for me, you give me awkward side hugs because you are actually super uncomfortable with me and the way I can't help but look at your adorable face all the time.
Lock eyes with me, and watch me squirm. Hmm, my nails are super interesting right now. 😅
My thoughts are jumbled and so are these ramblings.
I just want to know I'm not crazy.
Why else would you talk to me all the time? Damn near every day. Come over to hang out. Ask to go out this weekend. This is driving me absolutely fucking nuts.
Are you uncomfortable with me? Or that others are here as well, watching our interactions?
It's no secret we're close. Close friends. I've always whole heartedly believed that men and women can be friends, best friends at that. But no one knows the hours we've spent getting to know each other, learning things about one another. The little texts that say "I'm having a great day, and have to tell you," or the really long phone calls after a hard day. Textbook best friends, to the onlooker. If only there wasn't this persistent tension. If only I couldn't feel your presence so wholly. The moment you enter a room I feel you. Sleeping is miserable when you're over, I'm hyper aware that you're just separated by a wall. A thin one at that. I feel like a teenager again, and not a 28 year old. 😅
Fuck dude, I want you. I can't. I shouldn't. But I DO. you wouldn't believe the dreams I've had lately 🫠 But, what if I don't want to ruin anything? Everything I have, out the window the minute I say a word. Lust isn't worth it.
Maybe in another universe.

Attn: trout fishers of NH! With the season upon us I have decided to share a digital resource I've created.
The link below will allow you to download a KML file containing (almost) all the locations of NH's designated trout ponds!
TLDR: I created a digital map of nearly all NH's trout ponds. The KML file can be downloaded here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MHQD4gbvM2_BSvSQEfA96lyAW_aSTAYD/view?usp=share_link
In the details of nearly each location, there is a link to the bathymetric map for the pond hosted on the f&g site. The maps are very handy and contain such info as depth, how to access the pond, species within, restrictions etc.
This is very convenient on mobile as you can find your closest pond and pull up the map right away instead of hunting around f&g's terrible site on a tiny screen.
The KML file was created as a Project in Google Earth and will work in the web version and mobile app. To import the file, first download it, then go to "Projects" in Earth and there will be an option to import the KML file.
Many other applications have KML import functionality but YMMV as I haven't tested. (I am curious about the experience on other apps, though, so let me know how it goes if you try it.)
A few notes about these trout ponds:

• Some of the ponds are fly fishing only. The f&g bathy maps will say so if this is the case. These ponds have an "x" labeled pin on Earth as well.
  
• Some of the ponds are very remote and require fishers to hike in for access -- again, check the f&g map if it exists.
  
• And last but definitely not least -- please be responsible at these locations. Our trout fishery is a state treasure. Have your license. Carry out your trash and respect the environment and the fish!
  

Please let me know if anything is missing or broken. I will do my best to take your feedback and push a new version. Enjoy.

This is going to be a long post so beware.
Xenoblade quickly became one of my favorite RPGs of all time. Fell in love with 1 and own all of them since. To prepare for XC3 I decided to replay DE, Torna, and 2 all over again to be fresh.
I will be making comparisons to the previous games often so spoilers there if you never played them.
I got every hero, did every hero quest and just about every single sidequest.
STORY:
XB3 I felt had the weakest story of the series. I feel they hyped up the game to be the final chapter that brings XB1 and 2 together finally but 90% of the game has nods here and there to the previous game but is largely its own self contained story. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but when the cover art shows the Mechonis Sword and Uraya and neither is barely mentioned for what they are, it seems like a missed opportunity.
Where XB1 and 2 had definitive villains in the megalomaniac Zanza and sympathetic Jin. Malos was simply a blade of a vengeful man whose evil rubbed off on him. Z or Moebius felt so generic. The idea of fallen comrades or loved ones coming back as antagonist has already been done with MumkaFiora in XB1.
The idea that Z is the culmination of the worlds desire to stay in the "forever now" is.....kind of a lame concept. He really isnt even introduced to the party until the very end and he lacks the impact of Zanza or Malos. He seems like generic evil guy who thinks hes doing good.
The ending I hopes gets expanded on because it was pretty bad. The entire game essentially is one big dream sequence. Like imagine at the end of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo wakes up in bed and it turns out the entire 3 books were all just a dream. Thats how bad the ending is.
The game also doesn't answer a lot of the questions I had.
How far in the future is the series from the original games?
If the characters are all clones grown from the DNA of actual living individuals, why do they not exhibit those traits?
Why is Eunie not sensitive to ether due to her being High Entia?
Lanz is Mechon yet he eats food? I thought a big part of the original game was how Fiora no longer ate because she had the body of a mechon.
How do Blades exist without drivers? I feel they just said the generic "Well Origin allows them change the world blah blah" without giving many real answers.
I feel the City should have been more antagonistic towards the group after learning that resetting the word would basically make them cease to exist. I highly doubt they would just be ok with that after fighting for so long for their survival.
Where XB1 and 2 had interesting stories throughout, I feel XB3 has a strong beginning, less memorable middle, Chapter 5 explosive reveal, and then fizzles into....wat by the end.
Gameplay:
Without a doubt the best gameplay a XC game has had. They have perfected the system and the new chain attack system alone makes battles an incredibly fun experience.
In XB1 I would avoid fighting at points because it honestly wasn't that fun after awhile.
In XB2 the addition of blades definitely expanded the combat, but trying to make a cool team with so many options and locking blades to a character reduced my will to play around with it more.
XB3 has an awesome class system where each class definitely feels like each class is unique. Most of them are pretty fun to play as and since every character can switch to any class at any time, it gives you a lot of gameplay options.
It was easily the most fun gameplay wise out of all the XC games and often tried to battle as much as I could.
World Building/Sidequests
This is where I feel XC3 shines. Where the main story is a hit lackluster, the side quests and world building through those and the hero quest are amazing.
Zeon's Hero Ascension quest was a highlight. Seeing him realize his flaws as commander while also trying to inspire his troops through agriculture was fun. Seeing the different commanders work together to make a harvest really made the colonies feel unique. Then seeing another quest where you get to choose a colony to help grow potatoes as well is just neat.
With each side quest you do, you see how NPC's interact and talk differently. There gamelong nods and quests that can be easy to miss if you don't do all the sidequests. I liked how the one Nopon in Valdi's colony is portrayed as a spy for Alexandria's for several quests, only to find out he just has a crush on her.
Taking the time to actually complete the sidequests and ascension quests was easily the highlight of the game for me and made exploring even more fun.
Characters:
I love the party in this game. Nearly all of them felt easy to connect with and were all memorable (except Sena but more on that later)
Noah was a great protagonist. He almost tops Shulk for me but he is a close second. Shulk I felt was a perfect protagonist. He was flawed, but he was also intelligent and strong.
Rex was...ok. He had a lot of heart but thats all that was really going for him. I thought Lora was a much better XC2 protagonist. Less childish and more levelheaded.
Noah seems a bit boring at first but I love that he isn't your typical firey, hot headed, dumb hero. He isnt the smartest in the group, he isn't the strongest but hes a good leader because he is well balanced. His/N's past and split show how much different of a person he could have been. He isn't overly serious and even likes to joke sometime and shows good ranges of emotion when the time calls for it.
Lanz is a solid Reyn replacement. Both play the defense/big brothelovable dumb guy archtype and play it well. His story arc with Joran is one of the better ones. Lanz may act like he is a badass but he is deeply disturbed by Joran's death and its what shapes him the way he is. He shows real regret and emotion during those arcs and he is just a fun goofball.
Eunie is probably my favorite character in the game. Her looks, her personality and her phrases never get old. She isn't the smartest or strongest, and suffers from some PTSD from remembering her previous death but she is never afraid to speak her mind and act as a voice of reason. Her and Taion are similar in that regard but Taion does it a bit more professionally.
Mio is a pretty good character overall. She acts pretty cool headed most of the time but her defining trait is her compassion. After losing Myabi, her gentleness shines through with Sena and others around her. She feels like the mother of the group.
Taion was a character I thought would become annoying quickly but he quickly became one of my favorite characters. He is the stereotypical glasses nerd but I like how the team relies on his strategies and goes to him for his reasoning ability. I like that he isn't overly cocky about it. Sure he berates Lanz, but he still gives Noah leadership, and doesn't like being in the spotlight. His reactions in some of the more humorous scenes are great especially his during the baby scene.
Sena....oh poor Sena. Sena is the only character that I didn't really like because she doesn't really add anything to the party. She basically reminds me of Nora from RWBY but without an interesting personality. Shes bubbly and kind but she never really has any kind of arc. Her arc is "stop trying to copy people" Her ascension quest is basically just a mini quest more for Ghondor and Shania than it is for her. Her one and only use in most cutscenes is either to ask a dumb question or be the muscle and slam someone with her hammer.
For hero characters, I liked most of them. My stand outs were Teach, Isurd, Ethel, Monica, Ghondor and Tritan. Ghondor in particular because she is such a brat due to the circumstances of her upbringing but is also a badass.
The worst was probably Fiona. She felt super tacked on I barely remember even using her much outside of when I had to.
World/Exploration
I loved exploring this world. It was huge, there was so much to discover, but I did feel like each area was much less memorable than the previous games.
The colonies can't hold a candle to the cities of previous games. They are neat but you can't even explore most of the Feronises and the design layouts feel less interesting than other games. Colony 9 was an awesome starting area for XC1 because it was a big city, with a huge pool to explore, plus caves, etc.
The only main memorable locations to me were Colony Lambda, Kevesi Castle floating reefs, and Candensia region.
I wish there was more explorable from the previous XC games. Only experience 2 small areas of the Sword and some barely recognizable areas of Uraya.
Music:
Xenoblade 2 wins in the music department. XC1 has some real bangers and XC3 does as well, but neither compare to the music of 2/Torna.
That being said XC3 is pretty good. I like the town music for both factions, the overall battle music was good as well.
The highlights for me were the desert area music. I was hoping this would play more often because its so peaceful.
The consul battle music just felt so epic and menacing at the same time.
CHAIN ATTACK MUSIC. No single music gets me so hyped. It really changes like a true shift in the battle when this starts and once you figure out the system and get super long chains and level 3 Oroborus chains, its like a different game. Its still stuck in my head pretty often because its one of the best pieces of XC music to ever be created.
OVERALL:
I loved the game and was pretty happy with the experience. I do feel like it should have been marketed as its own game similar to Xenoblade Chronicles X because they do a poor job of tying it in with the other games. The story and world would have been more interesting as stand alone projects because all the game did was wishing they had fleshed out the connections a bit. This even comes after an expansion called Future Connected that really doesn't connect anything.
There is little explanation of why anyone looks different. They mention it in a single canteen cutscene but never again.
It would have been great to interlink with other characters instead of just one character. I would love to see what like Noah and Taion would look like or Eunie and Mio.
My working theory for expanded story pass is one of 2 things:
Either a prequel where we see Alvis fighting Rex and Shulk and winning with Alvis eventually becoming Z since they are both computerish.
OR
Takes place after the worlds go back to their original state. Noah grows older as we can see in one of the cutscenes and helps them out after Alvis comes back trying to correct the world which was split in 2.

I’m a lurker in this sub. I don’t work hospitality myself, but I love and appreciate every one of you for the hard work you do. I stay in hotels about six or seven times a year for work and I always try to be thoughtful of the staff, especially after reading your stories.
Most often I stay in the same hotel right next to my work. Twice a month we do an inventory of the entire store. It’s a small store, so I’m often there doing it by myself until midnight or 1am. After a full nine hours shift plus inventory, I’ll sometimes crash instead of making my hour commute home, especially if I have to be back at the store in a few hours to open.
I’ve become a rewards member at the hotel since I stay often enough to earn free nights. (My stays are not covered by work since it isn’t considered “necessary” and rather a luxury, so this is important. Usually I make my reservation through an app and show up at the front desk around 12:30am to get my sleep for the night.
This one night has stuck with me for almost a year now. That night, sleepy tired exhausted me did not question why I would be assigned Room 523 in a hotel with a near empty parking lot. Walking all the way down the hallway, to the very end near the stairwell, on a clearly empty top floor was eerie.
With every plodding footstep the walls seemed to close in, oppressive darkness closing around me. I thought about returning to the front desk to beg for mercy, to plead why?! I wondered if I had entered some kind of purgatory. Endless mazes of off-white walls and locked wooden doors, unfriendly red lights staring at me from every digital handle. That first right turn from the elevator sent me spiraling into madness as I walked to the very end of the wing.
When I finally got there I locked the door in every way I could. Bolted, shuttered, everything short of nailing boards to the wall. Later I ended up putting a chair in front of it so I could get to sleep.
Is there any reason why front desk would have assigned me a room in the middle of no man’s land? It is a mystery that plagues me. I toss and turn, wondering if there was some rationale hidden in those dexterous front desk fingers, or twinkling mischief, or even malice, in the night audit’s eye. Something I might have missed. Maybe he refused to bow before the almighty Rewards Guest and my assumed mastery of the Karenetic arts. Or perchance something about my work uniform made him certain he wanted me far far away from all other patrons, lest I continue inventory well into the night. Perhaps there is no answer to this puzzle at all.
The Mystery of the Room at the End of the Hall remains unsolved.

My niece, 4, is the biggest brat I've met so far. My sister shares her with a narcissist. I really hope this behavior can be unlearned and is not inherited. She picks fights, has the mouth of a PMSing 16 year old, and is just downright mean. She always has some nasty remark to make to literally everything. Nothing is good enough for her. She will do things very intentionally to hurt or potentially hurt the bigger kids and then laugh as she's reprimanded. She'll dance around like an animal near the gas stove while we're cooking, even after we remove her, she just comes back and refuses to stay away. She thinks its funny to walk out in front of us as were carrying things (like a laundry basket) and cant see her. I keep telling her that im not going to feel bad if i knock her down, because she does infact know better(i would feel a little bad becausei dont want to hurt her, but its bound to happen if she keeps it up). Makes demands instead of asking for anything. The only other child she's actually nice to is my 7 month old, and that's not even all the time. She rip his toys away from him too.
My niece's father abused my sister(she refused to press charges), and is currently awaiting judgment for abuse charges against my niece. But hes still out, still gets to see her, he's supposed to have another person with him, but we're not confident that's always happening. And my sister won't press the courts to do anything to enforce that rule.
I love this child to pieces. She's just so much and I can't deal with her attitude much longer. She's marginally better behaved with me because I follow through on the time outs and the loss of X,Y, or Z. She knows I won't tolerate it. For example, she's not allowed to come with me for errands for now because last time took off running and almost got hit by a pick up truck. She still needs help getting into my SUV, and my hands were too full. So I had her stand beside me while i emptied my hands, and she decided to run. Then had the nerve to say she's disappointed in me for scolding(I was a little loud because i was genuinely afraid) her after she just almost unalived herself(seriously little girl?). Another example, when she gets too rowdy(yelling and running in the house is the biggest issue the space just isnt big enough) and won't settle down, she gets 3 chances to calm down on her own. The 4th time something has to be said, i put her in a chair and shes not to move from the chair until she has calmed her body down. She stays with us, but she has to calm down before she can resume playing. And if it continues to happen, she can't re join the kids and has to do something else for a while. When she makes demands she gets nothing from me until she can use her manners.
My husband does the same. But there's not much follow through with anyone else in the house. Which is a big factor. Plus whatever her father does or doesn't do.
If you made it this far, bless you. Send me sanity. Please.

I started seeing a new dentist recently. It was my first time seeing a dentist in 12-18 months as I had moved to a new location and never got a dentist setup.
The first time I saw this dentist they took x-rays and didn’t do any cleaning whatsoever, literally just xrays. Said I needed to be scheduled for a deep cleaning.
So 2 weeks later I come in for the deep cleaning. My insurance doesn’t cover all of it and I ended up having to pay triple digits out of pocket. However, this was for one half of my mouth. They say I need to come in again in the near future and get the other half of my mouth deep cleaned which will cost me the same amount I paid for the first half.
And on top of this during both meetings they told me that my bottom gums have recessed and that it is causing plaque and tartar build up and that I need to get Invisalign to fix it, which my insurance will cover about 40% of and I will have to pay about $3k out of pocket for. And they’re really trying to push this Invisalign.
There definitely is some build up on my bottom teeth but the whole thing seems fishy and I don’t want to have to pay $3k for Invisalign if I don’t really have to.
Any help is greatly appreciated

Hello! 34 year old woman here. I've had acne mostly on my chin since I was like 26? I had very clear skin as a teen, I think probably due to being on BC for ovarian cysts. Anyway, I've been battling acne for nearly a decade. I've been to derms, estheticians, acupuncturists, etc. I've been on tretinoin since my late 20s. I think I gave it a solid try for about 1 year and then went off of it in 2020. Been back on since 2021. No matter what, my chin was always congested. I've been on spiro 2 times for at least 6 months but it makes me feel crazy and both times I experienced insomnia. I get closed comedones that DO NOT BUDGE unless I mess with them, and then obviously they get angry. I had tried a routine with tret and salicylic acid. Tried tret and BP. Tried SA and BP no tret. Niacinamide, vit c, copper peptides, all the things. Truly, I feel like tried it all... except adapalene. I always the differin gel looked a little humble, and I thought it was just a weaker version of a retinoid? No thanks.
BUT OMG. I finally caved and got the humble differin tube. Friends, fellow skincare addicts: I've used the gel TWO TIMES and the freaking comedones are gone. GONE.
I will update this if something radical changes, but you all, give it a shot if you haven't!

Hello! 34 year old woman here. I've had acne mostly on my chin since I was like 26? I had very clear skin as a teen, I think probably due to being on BC for ovarian cysts. Anyway, I've been battling acne for nearly a decade. I've been to derms, estheticians, acupuncturists, etc. I've been on tretinoin since my late 20s. I think I gave it a solid try for about 1 year and then went off of it in 2020. Been back on since 2021. No matter what, my chin was always congested. I've been on spiro 2 times for at least 6 months but it makes me feel crazy and both times I experienced insomnia. I get closed comedones that DO NOT BUDGE unless I mess with them, and then obviously they get angry. I had tried a routine with tret and salicylic acid. Tried tret and BP. Tried SA and BP no tret. Truly, I feel like tried it all... except adapalene. I always the differin gel looked a little humble, and it was just a weaker version of a retinoid? No thanks.
BUT OMG. I finally caved and got the humble differin tube. Friends, fellow skincare addicts: I've used the gel TWO TIMES and the freaking comedones are gone. GONE.
I will update this if something radical changes, but you all, give it a shot if you haven't!

So here are some datamined unique items (build 0.8.0.39517). *Please note: These may not be final and there could be additional unique items added, or powers/names changed. I don't believe this is the final list, in fact, I've seen screenshots of many other uniques that aren't listed here. You'll notice a few fan-favorite uniques returning in the list from previous games along with uniques that are completely new.
*posted in the diablo reddit but was told I should post here as well.
In beta we got to see only a tiny part of charactebuild customization. Once we combine legendary powers, affixes and stats on gear, paragon boards, glyphs (socket these into paragon boards), uniques, skill trees, and the class-specific systems (enchantments, book of the dead, spirit boons, etc) we should be in a great place which should be enough to satisfy even the most veteran arpg fans out of the gate.
So uniques have the following:

• static affixes, any drop of that specific unique will always have the same affixes (although they still roll within a range, 5-15 strength for example. So it is possible to find a "perfect" rolled item).
• the affixes may be something that don't normally show up on that slot. For example, a helm could have 30% movement speed. Movement speed doesn't normally roll on the helm slot.
• There could be a unique affix on the item that doesn't appear on any other item in the game. For example, the Harlequin Crest has the affix "+45% crafting material find". I haven't seen that stat on any other item so it may be just exclusive to it. This list doesn't show those unique affixes.
• the number of affixes on the item don't have to follow rares/legendary. Could be more/less.
• the value of affixes can be unique. For example, if the max roll for a specific affix on a rare is 25%, you may find a unique that has a range going up to 50% instead. They don't follow any rules.
• Uniques are tied to lore/maybe have a tiny backstory or flavor text

Normal/Sacred/Ancestral tiers
Something that I've also not seen much discussion on are sacred or ancestral tiers of items. If you don't know what these are, they are similar to ancient items in D3. As you go up in difficulty (world tiers) you unlock the chance for any item that drops to be sacred or ancestral. All items; white, magic, rare, legendary or unique have a chance to roll as sacred or ancestral. Sacred items roll higher values and item power than normal tier, and ancestral items roll higher values and item power than sacred tiers. Finding an ancestral item at the highest world tier is actually pretty rare, so you can imagine that finding an ancestral unique or legendary item will be very rare and add to the actual endgame loot hunt.

Unique Items

Barbarian specific uniques:

Item Name	Type	Power	Flavor Text
Ramaladni's Magnum Opus	1h Sword	Skills using this weapon deal x% increased damage per point of Fury you have, but you lose x Fury every second.	"Without him the wine is less sweet, the hearth less warm, and our blades less keen. Our blood brother is gone, but Bul-Kathos willing, we will meet again one day." - Sorrowsong for Ramaladni *this is a tribute to Travis Day, a Blizzard developer who passed away.
Ancients' Oath	2h Axe	Steel Grasp launches 2 additional chains. Enemies hit by Steel Grasp are Slowed by x% for x seconds.	"Weapons wielded by the fiercest warriors often catch the eye of the Ancient spirits. If the wielder is worthy, the spirits may bless the steel with their strength." - Gerti, Oxen Tribe Forgemaster
Hellhammer	2h Mace	Upheaval ignites the ground Burning enemies for an additional x damage over x seconds.	The demon prince Ikonoth slew hundreds of the Heavenly Host with this infernal hammer before falling to none other than the Archangel Imperius himself.
Overkill	2h mace	Death Blow creates a shockwave, dealing x% of its Base damage to enemies. Enemies who die to this effect also reset Death Blow's Cooldown.	The malformed snake creatures that live in the swamps are not content with simply killing their prey. They seem to take a malicious pleasure from inflicting as much suffering as possible before death.
Fields of Crimson	2h Sword	While using this weapon, damaging at least one enemy with Rupture creates a blood pool that inflicts x Bleeding damage over x seconds. Enemies standing in the pool take x% increased Bleeding damage.	"We've been fighting these flesh-eaters for so long, been soaked in so much blood, that after a while it's difficult to tell what side you're truly on." - Daelyr, Crane Tribe warrior
Battle Trance	Amulet	Increase Frenzy's maximum stacks by x. While you have maximum Frenzy, your other Skills gain x% increased Attack Speed.	"The change that overtook my brother in battle was terrifying. His eyes turned hard like diamonds, and the way he moved... it was like he was dancing to music only he could hear." - Captain Dervin
100,000 Steps	Boots	After gaining the final damage bonus from the Walking Arsenal Key Passive, you automatically cast Ground Stomp and gain x Fury. This cannot happen more than once every x seconds.	"While many Barbarians remained in the Dreadlands, small groups from the Oxen, Crane and Bear tribes instead chose to search the land for a new home." - A History of the Children of Bul-Kathos
Rage of Harrogath	Chest	Lucky Hit: Up to a x% chance to reduce the Cooldowns of your Non-Ultimate Skills by 1 seconds when you inflict Bleeding on Elites.	Harrogath, the final bastion of resistance against Baal's assault on Mt. Arreat was destroyed along with the Worldstone. The survivors never forgave the betrayal that led to the loss of their home.
Gohr's Devastating Grips	Gloves	Whirlwind explodes after it ends, dealing x% of the total Base damage dealt to surrounding enemies as Fire damage.	"The brutish construction of these gloves belies the strength they bestow. Gohr was clearly no craftsman, but it would be foolish to ignore the triumph of his work." - Barrett's Book of Implements
of Hammering *(this is listed as unique test, but the name reads more like a legendary.)	2h Mace	(PH) Consecutive Hammer of the Ancients increase the next cast's damage by x% its radius by x%.	-

Druid specific uniques:

Item Name	Type	Power	Flavor Text
Waxing Gibbous	1h Axe	Gain Stealth for x seconds when killing enemies with Shred. Breaking Stealth with an attack grants Ambush which guarantees Critical Strikes for x seconds.	The nights preceding the full moon are sometimes far more dangerous than the event itself. The frenzy has begun to rise, yet the night is just dark enough to obscure a hunter from their prey's sight.
Greatstaff of the Crone	2h Staff	Claw is now a Storm Skill and also casts Storm Strike at x% normal damage.	"She has existed in Scosglen since before Fiacla-Géar walked the land. Her purpose is a mystery to us all. However, approach her with deference; she may grant you her counsel." - Airidah, to Donan
Mad Wolf's Glee	Chest	Werewolf form is now your true form, and you gain +2 Ranks to all Werewolf Skills.	"He was not a victim of the curse - he sought it out. As his skin split and his bones cracked, his laughter never ceased." – Tale of the Mad Nobleman
Insatiable Fury	Chest	Werebear form is now your true form, and you gain +2 Ranks to all Werebear Skills.	When the Days of Ash began, the great druid Nafain reminded his disciples that nothing, not even the loss of their humanity, was too great a sacrifice to protect Túr Dúlra from Astaroth's flames.
Tempest Roar	Helm	Lucky Hit: Storm Skills have up to a x% chance to grant x Spirit. Your base Storm Skills are now also Werewolf Skills	"Listen, child, to the music of the storm. It has its own rhythm. Its own melody. Hear how beautifully it sings, and perhaps one day you will be able to join in its harmony." – Airidah
Vasily's Prayer	Helm	Your Earth Skills are now also Werebear Skills and Fortify you for x.	"Roots from the Great Oak growing at the seaward statue of Vasily will, on rare occasions, be found twisted back upon themselves, suffused with ferocious magic." - Barrett's Book of Implements
Storm's Companion	Pants	Your Wolf Companions are infused with the power of the storm, dealing Lightning damage and gaining the Storm Howl ability.	"The storm's rage is my own, brother. I call, and the skies roar in reply." - Vasily, to Bul-Kathos
Hunter's Zenith	Ring	Gain a bonus when you kill with a Shapeshifting Skill: Werewolf: Your next Non-Ultimate Werebear Skill costs no Resource and has no Cooldown. Werebear: Your next Werewolf Skill will Heal you for x when damage is first dealt.	"By fang, claw, spear, or sword - send the bastards back to the flames from which they crawled! Soak the peat with their blood! For Fiacla-Géar! For Scosglen!" - Nafain, during the Days of Ash

Necromancer specific uniques:

Item Name	Type	Power	Flavor Text
Black River	1h Scythe	Corpse Explosion consumes up to x additional Corpses around the initial Corpse, dealing x% increased damage and with a x% larger radius per additional Corpse.	"The scrolls describe a river of tar that separated the living from the land of the dead. Any unfortunate soul who tried to cross would be dragged down into oblivion." - Notes of Scholar Kamien
Bloodless Scream	2h Scythe	Your Darkness Skills Chill enemies for up to x%. Lucky Hit: Your Darkness Skills have up to a x% chance to generate x additional Essence against Frozen targets.	"My companion swung her odd weapon in a wide arc, and our pursuer stopped short. The look of horror on his face as his body fell to pieces will haunt me forever." - The Ebon Pages, Canto II, Verse XI
Deathspeaker's Pendant	Amulet	Blood Surge casts a mini nova on your Minions, dealing x damage. Damage is increased by x% per target drained by the initial cast, up to x%.	Once a sanctum for Rathma's studies, the Temple of the Deathspeaker became a proving grounds for potential leaders of his priesthood. Its halls are filled with the corpses of those who failed.
Greaves of the Empty Tomb	Boots	Create desecrated ground beneath your Sever spectres as they travel, damaging enemies for x Shadow damage over x seconds.	"The massive door to my family's crypt, which had taken a dozen men to close, was thrown open. Had I known the horrors to come I never would have set foot inside!" -The Ebon Pages, Canto I, Verse VII
Blood Artisan's Cuirass	Chest	When you pick up Blood Orbs, a free Bone Spirit is spawned, dealing bonus damage based on your current Life percent.	"The infamous Necromancer Gaza-Thul's mastery over blood magic was indisputable. Many suspect that upon his death, his skin was used to fashion this eldritch armor." - Barrett's Book of Implements
Howl from Below	Gloves	Instead of detonating immediately, Corpse Explosion summons a Volatile Skeleton that charges at a random enemy and explodes. Corpse Explosion's damage is increased by x%.	"Can you not hear it? That endless scream from the cold earth beneath your feet!? They are down there, trapped, blind with rage! Waiting to drag us down into the sod!" - Ravings of Madman Gustav
Deathless Visage	Helm	Bone Spear leaves behind echoes as it travels that explode, dealing x damage.	"Rathma is endless. He was the first Ancient, and will remain at the end. He is the master of the Great Cycle of Being. When Death comes for him, why should he fear it?" - Vauntus, Acolyte of Rathma
Ring of Mendeln	Ring	While you have x or more Minions you gain: Lucky Hit: Up to a x% chance to empower all of your Minions, causing the next attack from each to explode for x Physical damage.	The signet of Mendeln ul-Diomed, the founder of the Priests of Rathma and the first Necromancer, was lost for over 3,000 years. The immense power over death held within, however, has not diminished.

Rogue specific uniques:

Item Name	Type	Power	Flavor Text
Condemnation	Dagger	Your Core Skills deal x% increased damage when spending 3 Combo Points. Your Basic Skills using this weapon have a x% chance to generate 3 Combo Points.	"I've never seen such ruthless butchery. He deserves to be be shipped off to die in the swamps with the rest of the godless murderers." - Witness to the murder of Sergeant Walcot
Asheara's Khanjar	Dagger	Hits with this weapon increase your Attack Speed by x% for x seconds, up to x%.	When Caldeum's gates closed, Asheara led her Iron Wolves out of the city knowing full well they would never return. Instead they roamed Kehjistan pledging their blades to any who were in need.
Skyhunter	Bow	The first direct damage you deal to an enemy is a guaranteed Critical Strike. If you had maximum stacks of the Precision Key Passive when you cast the Skill, gain Energy, this can only happen once per cast.	"Genai took up her bow and aimed at the sun itself. The light burned her eyes, but her arrow flew true. Wounded, the sun hid, and brought forth the first night. - Fable of the Great Sky-Hunt
Windforce	Bow	Lucky Hit: Hits with this weapon have up to a x% chance to deal double damage and Knock Back the target.	"There have been numerous world-shaping conflicts throughout history. This bow has been found on the battlefield of every one, and always in the hands of the victors." - Barrett's Book of Implements
Word of Hakan	Amulet	Your Rain of Arrows is always Imbued with all Imbuements at once.	"Let the great gates of Caldeum be sealed. Let its proud walls stand fiercely defended. The rest of Kehjistan may suffer this plague, but my city, and my people, will not." - Proclamation of Hakan II
Grasp of Shadow	Gloves	Lucky Hit: Damaging a Vulnerable enemy with a Marksman or Cutthroat Skill has up to a x% chance to summon a Shadow Clone that mimics your attack.	Dark wisps creep hungrily across these gloves, like an assassin's blade seeking a life to steal on a moonless night.
Cowl of the Nameless	Helm	You gain x% increased Lucky Hit Chance against Crowd Controlled enemies.	"He is banished from the Guild, his name stricken from the Book. His punishment is to never have been." - Excerpt from a burned parchment
Eyes in the Dark	Pants	Unless it hits a Boss or Player, Death Trap will continue to re-arm itself until it kills an enemy. However, Death Trap's Cooldown is increased by x%.	"And so, when the sun dipped behind the hills each night, he knew that Ashen Jack would soon be near. Watching, and waiting." - Greenslade's Tales, Chapter 2: "Each Long Night" name*:* Eyes in the Dark

Sorcerer specific uniques:

Item Name	Type	Power	Flavor Text
Flamescar	Wand	While Channeling Incinerate, you periodically shoot embers that are attracted to enemies, each dealing x Fire damage.	The burn may heal, but the pain is eternal.
Staff of Endless Rage	Staff	Every 3rd cast of Fireball launches 2 additional projectiles.	"Leaving even blackened bones for your kin to mourn is too good an end for you." - Josiah
Staff of Lam Esen	Staff	Charged Bolts pierce, but deal x% less damage.	"Also known as the Greatstaff of the Old Religion, this powerful relic is one of only a small handful of Skatsimi artifacts that have survived to this day." - Barrett's Book of Implements
Esadora's Overflowing Cameo	Amulet	Upon collecting Crackling Energy, there's a x% chance to release a lightning nova, dealing x Lightning Damage.	The only thing more potent than Esadora's magic was her endless hatred of humanity. As she lay dying, the pale amulet around her neck drank in both.
Esu's Heirloom	Boots	Your Critical Strike Chance is increased by x% of your Movement Speed bonus.	"While scholars have proven these boots were not created by Esu herself, it is noteworthy that they have been passed down since the formation of the Mage Clans." - Barrett's Book of Implements
Raiment of the Infinite	Chest	After using Teleport, Close enemies are Pulled to you and Stunned for x seconds, but Teleport's Cooldown is increased by x%.	The power you have is never enough.
Gloves of the Illuminator	Gloves	Fireball now bounces as it travels, exploding each time it hits the ground, but its explosion deals x% less damage.	After Inarius returned to Sanctuary, he sought a way back to the High Heavens. His first step was to reignite the religion he had abandoned millennia before: the Cathedral of Light.
Iceheart Brais	Pants	Enemies that die while Frozen have a x% chance to unleash a Frost Nova.	The mad artisan saw his fingers turn black from frostbite as he worked the cloth, but refused to stay the needle and thread for even a moment.

General (used by all) uniques:

Item Name	Type	Power	Flavor Text
The Butcher's Cleaver	1h Axe	Lucky Hit: When you Critically Strike an enemy you have up to a x% chance to Fear and Slow them by x% for x seconds.	A nightmarish amalgam of blood, bone and steel, this axe is as horrific, and as deadly, as its creator.
Doombringer	1h Sword	Lucky Hit: Up to a x% chance to deal x Shadow damage to surrounding enemies and reduce their damage done by x% for x seconds.	Whenever this ancient sword has reappeared throughout history, it portends a time of great strife, as well as a devastating loss of life.
The Grandfather	2h Sword	Increases your Critical Strike Damage by x%. The other properties on this weapon can roll higher than normal.	An unbroken lineage of unwavering strength.
-	2h Sword	-	-
-	2h Sword	-	-
-	2h Sword	-	-
Melted Heart of Selig	Amulet	Gain x% Maximum Resource. In addition, when you take damage, drain x Resource for every x% of Life you would have lost instead.	"Do not allow your passions to become obsessions. Fuel the fire that burns within you, but it is madness to allow yourself to become ash to please an uncaring universe." - Last words of Master Selig
Penitent Greaves	Boots	You leave behind a trail of frost that Chills enemies. You deal x% more damage to Chilled enemies.	Remorseful devotees of the Cathedral of Light must undertake a grueling pilgrimage, journeying across the frigid glacier known as the Serac Rapture. Only then may their gravest sins be forgiven.
Razorplate	Chest	Gain x Thorns	Crafted by the cannibal Armoda, each piece of this interlocking armor has been sharpened into a knife's edge. Even a century after death, the plate remained on her corpse, unable to be removed safely.
Fists of Fate	Gloves	Your attacks randomly deal x% to y% of their normal damage.	"Will you let fear cheat you, or will you risk everything to find understanding? After all, death is simply the coin with which we purchase life." - Zurke
Frostburn	Gloves	Lucky Hit: Up to a x% chance to Freeze enemies for x seconds.	A touch so frigid it stops the heart and chills the very soul.
Andariel's Visage	Helm	Lucky Hit: Up to a x% chance to trigger a poison nova that applies x Poisoning damage over x seconds to enemies in the area.	The horrific whispers of the Maiden of Anguish flicker through your mind, pushing you ever closer to madness...
Harlequin Crest	Helm	Gain x% Damage Reduction. In addition, gain +x Ranks to all Skills.	"This headdress was once worn by an assassin disguised as a court mage. Her treachery was unveiled, but not before she used its magic to curse the king's entire lineage." - The Fall of House Aston
Temerity	Pants	Effects that Heal you beyond x% Life grant you a Barrier up to x% of your Maximum Life that lasts for x seconds.	"The revelation that master tailor Callas was in fact a witch only served to further fuel the desire for her uniquely enchanted legwraps." - Barrett's Book of Implements
Mother's Embrace	Ring	If a Core Skill hits x or more enemies, x% of the Resource cost is refunded.	"Every tome, every scroll, every book in this temple produces the same answer. The only being willing to stand against the Eternal Conflict, against the Prime Evils, was Lilith." - Elias
Ring of Starless Skies	Ring	Each consecutive Core Skill cast reduces the Resource cost of your next Core Skill by x%, up to a maximum of x%.	"Yours is the power to pluck the stars from the heavens with the ease of a child gathering fruit from the bough." - Unknown

Race Information

• Name: 2023 NYC Half
• Date: March 19, 2023
• Distance: 13.1
• Location: New York, NY
• Time: 2:24:14

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	Sub 2:30	Yes
B	Sub 2:15	No

Splits

Mile	Time
1	12:02
2	10:26
3	10:49
4	10:03
5	10:49
6	10:57
7	10:34
8	10:41
9	11:16
10	10:14
11	10:41
12	8:56
13	10:07

Training

I had my heart set on this race being my first half after watching the full marathon year after year. Miraculously, I applied for the lottery and got in! Around Christmas I started using Hal Higdon's Novice 2 program, which looked pretty manageable. But as the weeks went on and the race got closer, I started incorporating some of Nike's Half Marathon training too. I liked that the higher mileage long runs were about a month out from the race vs. Hal's which capped at 10 miles the week before the race. I got a Peloton tread in the fall too, and found a bunch of great race prep classes on there (specifically loved Robin's NYC Marathon Simulation run!)
We had an unseasonably warm winter here in Virginia, so training wasn't as brutal as I thought originally. It felt like it took weeks to finally get up to double digits, but I finally peaked at 10.6 miles 2 weeks before the race and then slowly started to taper with shorter 3-5 mile runs the weeks leading up to it.
Overall, I was just excited and pumped to get the race done as I had been mentally working up to it for months!

Pre-race

We got to NYC on Thursday with the race on Sunday, and it was awesome to see so many other runners throughout the city over the days leading up to the race. I knew the weather was going to be cold, so I stocked up on hot hands and bought a pair of gloves at the Nike store too.
While I had avoided any nerves up until this point, the night before it started to set in. I laid all my stuff out on Saturday evening and enjoyed a FABULOUS chicken parmesan dinner the night before. Definitely tossed and turned before finally falling asleep after midnight, but woke up on Sunday AM ready to go.
As I mentioned, I'm in Virginia where winters can be snowy and cold or — like this year — unseasonably warm. But when I stepped out of the hotel room on Sunday AM, I knew it was going to be brutal. The "feels like" temp was in the teens, and once I stepped off the subway in Brooklyn the wind was roaring. Even with extra throw-away layers, hot hands, gloves, etc., the wind was cutting right through anything.
However, dealing with the cold somehow distracted me from any nerves about the actual race and the sheer amount of people running this race. I was in Wave 4 and it took about 30 minutes just to get through security. I was glad I gave myself plenty of time to get to the starting line. Luckily, portapotty lines were short and the availability of them in and out of the corral was nice too.
Before I knew it, we were crowded in the corral. Someone next to me said, "The actual race can't be as bad as standing here in this cold." And she was right. This was the worst part of the whole day.

Race

The gun went off and we started through the park. The first mile my feet felt like absolute bricks, and the first mile was much narrower than the rest of the race, leaving everyone crowded in until the turn around mile 2. After all the weeks of training, I felt a bit disassociated — I was in NYC! Running my first half marathon! SHIT it's cold!
I stopped at mile 2 for my one quick bathroom break of the race, and then once I hit mile 3 in Brooklyn, I started to see the crowds. Even in teen temperatures, people were out cheering and yelling. It was incredible. I felt myself tear up at this point (and several others throughout the race) as we all ran together. It was amazing.
Around mile 4 I had my first gel and saw the Manhattan Bridge up ahead. Going over the bridge was such a surreal experience. In my opinion, people over-exaggerated the incline on the bridge, but maybe I'm just more used to running hills in my neck of the woods. At one point, I paused the music as we went over the Manhattan Bridge and it was just the silence of footsteps as people took in the view. It was the coolest part of the course, IMO.
Off the bridge and into Manhattan and the crowds were epic. I knew FDR was coming up and thought, "oh okay this is a nice flat area where I can just focus on running." However, this was for sure the worst part of the race. You're pretty much running on the highway, with cars coming the other direction. It's an incredibly long stretch. The sun is in your face. It was just the worst part of the whole thing.
Finally, mile 9, we were back on the streets. I was so happy to get off that highway. I knew my family was stationed in Times Square at mile 11, and had some extra gas in the tank to get to them. My hamstrings were definitely feeling tight around here, but just kept going. Running through a closed-off Times Square is a bucket-list experience for any runner. Really surreal and awesome.
The end was near and we entered Central Park! I swear the last 800M felt like another 2 miles. But crossed the finish line and looked at my official time: 30 seconds shorter than the 2:25 pace band I had been following. YESSSS.
(My Strava splits are a bit wonky with the GPS/city buildings but I clocked negative splits throughout the race according to the official NYRR dashboard!)

Post-race

Met up with my family and got some brunch around the corner. Took a warm shower and two days later, feeling slightly sore but ultimately so happy. I know for many runners, the cold got them — and rightfully so! It was brutal, especially if you're not used to cold weather running like that. But ultimately, I thought the race was incredibly well-organized, the course was epic and I'm already starting to think about the next one.
This group was really helpful and insightful for me as a new runner and first-time half marathoner, so just wanted to repay with my own insight from the race!
Made with a new race report generator created by herumph.

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10] [Part 11] [Part 12] [Part 13]
When my screams subsided, malevolent laughter filled the uneasy silence. Discordant, cruel laughter that sounded as though it bubbled from underwater. I turned around to see the macabre faces of the Kane sisters behind me, pressed against the window of their cottage, black teeth chattering.
“Where did they take him?” I demanded. My anger increased their delight.
“Where did they take him?” Margery mocked, my own voice coming out of her blackened mouth.
“Poor, poor girl lost her puppy!” Margaretta cackled.
I felt the rage rise within me, but I was utterly helpless. I knew they had the information we needed, but even if they were willing to speak, they could not be trusted.
Suddenly, their faces changed. Their dead white eyes widened in terror; their smiles had melted. Mina shrieked, a cacophonous cry that sent my hands to my ears.
It was René. Their eyes were fixed on him. His very presence caused them to tremble in fear.
“What is he doing here?” Margery hissed.
“Come back to hurt us again, he has!” Mina shrieked.
“Devil take you, vampire!” Margaretta cried.
I looked at René in astonishment. He wore an expression I had not seen before, a smile that was almost cruel.
“Well if it isn’t the old charlatan sisters!” He said. “I would have never guessed that she would still be keeping you around, but then again, she’s always loved the most pathetic of sycophants.”
“Be gone, vampire! Be gone!” They shouted.
“I would love nothing more. But you heard Nora. You have information we need. Where did they take the werewolf?”
Margery turned to me.
“Stay away from him, girl! Stay away!”
“He hurt us! He hurt us!” Mina moaned.
“How about we make a deal?” I said, thinking quickly. The sisters cocked their terrible heads in curiosity. “You can tell me your story. Tell me what he did. But in return, you must tell us where they took our friend.”
René raised his eyebrows, but did not protest.
“And I will know when you are lying,” he added menacingly.
The sisters looked at each other and began to nod eagerly.
“The girl says she will listen!” They whispered excitedly. I felt a pang of pity.
“Do you agree?”
“Yes,” they hissed, the glee returning to their voices. The door to the cottage opened.
I stepped inside with René close behind me. The sisters glared at him.
“Whatever you’re going to do, do it without drawing blood this time.” I said, remembering the claw marks in my wrists.
“No appreciation for the fine art of channeling,” muttered Margaretta.
The sisters gestured to the chairs at the table. René and I sat, but I kept my arms tightly crossed. The sisters closed their eyes and moved from side to side rhythmically, putting themselves into a trance. They moaned and their mouths opened, emitting a thick, ectoplasmic mist.
“Gross,” I whispered to René, who smirked in response.
The mist enveloped us and our ramshackle surroundings, along with the sisters, vanished. In their place appeared a mid-19th century parlor: a finely carved mantle draped in black crepe, the ornamental mirror on top covered with black cloth. It was night, the heavy damask curtains were drawn, elegant oil lamps were lit on a large oak table, also draped in black. The sisters sat at the table, very much alive, dressed in ostentatious displays of mourning, their wide skirts spread across the chairs they sat in, jet bracelets clattering at their wrists. Human hands wreathed by delicate lace grabbed those of an older man who trembled with emotion.
A small audience observed the séance, dressed for an evening’s entertainment. There was one man in particular, whose clothing was undoubtedly the finest, with a dazzling silver jacquard waistcoat. Though he wore a pair of blue tinted spectacles, I immediately recognized him as René. His brown hair was longer, combed away from his face and curling just under his ears. He was smiling, that same strange smile I had seen before.
The sisters made their usual dramatic entreaties to the Great Beyond and the crowd gasped when the spirits responded intelligently to their questions with a series of rapping sounds. The man begged them to contact the spirit of his young daughter who had perished in a carriage accident decades before. The sisters obliged, making contact through the rapping. With a flourish, Mina threw her head back and out of her mouth squeaked the voice of a small child. The man collapsed in tears. Women in the audience dabbed their eyes with their handkerchiefs. René was no longer smiling.
When the audience had shuffled out, René lingered. Margaretta gave him an unctuous grin.
“How may we assist you, sir?”
“I would like to schedule a…private appointment.” He lowered his glasses and fixed his grey eyes on her. Margaretta’s eyes widened. She stared vacantly as though in a daze.
“We are entirely booked. We are in such demand, after all. We leave Rochester for our world tour this Saturday.” Margery said. Mina peered at René over her sister’s arm and smiled. He winked at her.
“Such lovely ladies you are. Money should be no issue, of course. I think you will find that you are free tomorrow evening” he said slowly. Margaretta nodded.
“Yes, yes. We are.”
“Very good. I very much look forward to our session.”
“Yes!” Shouted Mina, clearly enamored.
René smiled and put on his top hat, taking his leave.
The next night, the sisters eagerly awaited their guest. René arrived with a veiled woman on his arm, wearing lace gloves, matching the sisters in a black silk gown. Mina looked slightly disappointed to see the woman, but the other sisters grinned at her obvious finery, expecting a hefty sum for their services.
“Ladies, I hope you do not mind I have brought my wife,” he said, almost unable to hide the sinister grin that crept across his face.
“Of course, of course, welcome, madam!”
The veiled woman made no response. René escorted her to the table and they joined hands. The sisters began their show: the room erupted in rapping.
“The spirits are many in the ether tonight,” Margery moaned. “To whom do you wish to speak?”
“I wish to contact the spirit of our deceased child.” René said, watching the sisters carefully.
“Ah yes, it is a child who has appeared before me now, a beautiful child!” Margaretta cried. “Child, rap twice for yes, or once for no. Are these your beloved parents before you?”
Two distinct raps were heard on the table. Mina made an exaggerated gasp.
“The child wishes to speak through my sister!” Margery shouted.
Mina began to speak in that same squeaking voice as the previous evening. René could no longer contain his fury. With one swift movement René rose and flipped over the table before them. He grabbed Mina by the neck.
“I have no child, you insidious swindlers!” He shouted. He dug his fangs into Mina’s neck and the sisters began to scream. The witch stood and removed her veil, green eyes glowing, black teeth grinning. She raised her hand and the remaining two sisters rose into the air. René threw the corpse of Mina at their feet. They sobbed hideously, begging the witch for mercy.
“I have no use for such talentless fools,” she said.
“We will do anything, we will be your most faithful servants,” they cried still suspended in the air.
“Ask them how much money they’ve bled from the grieving, how they’ve bankrupted their victims in the name of their lost loved ones!” René said, enraged, fangs bared. “Let me finish with them!”
The witch sighed. “Forgive my friend with his tedious sense of justice. Would you really do anything? Bind yourselves to me for all time?”
“Yes! Yes!” Margery and Margaretta cried.
“Idiots,” René muttered.
The witch curled her hand into a fist and the women began to cough, hands clawing at their necks. Their eyes rolled in the back of their heads. The body of Mina rose to join them. With a sickening snap, the necks of Margery and Margaretta broke and they joined their sister in death. The corpses’ mouths opened, so wide the jaws were broken and three familiar specters climbed out. The ghosts fell at the feet of the witch, making obsequies, hailing her their mistress.
The mist that had descended around the cottage dispersed, leaving the sisters glaring at us.
“Time to fulfill your end of the bargain,” René demanded. “We don’t have much time.”
They chittered angrily and turned their ghoulish heads to me.
“Girl! Have you nothing to say of the crimes of your beau?”
What I had seen had certainly shocked me, but it was something I could not bear to process at the moment.
“He’s right. Show us where they took Jake.”
“No lies.” René warned.
The sisters grumbled among themselves, but once again broke into a trance. A vision appeared before us. It was the river, a great gray mist hanging over it. A large, shadowy structure pushed its way through, revealing the towers of an elaborate stone castle. The castle was familiar to me. Around here, we call it Bellevue Castle, an abandoned Gilded Age flight of fancy on a private island that is now our most famous tourist site. During the winter months, it is closed to guests, leaving the island abandoned. The vision dissolved into smoke.
René stood up to leave.
“You’ll never reach him before dawn,” hissed Margery.
“Yes, yes, the sun is rising, revenant!” Margaretta cackled.
He ignored them. I followed him out, feeling their hateful stares at my back, leaving them to howl and complain among themselves. They had not been lying. The sky had lightened considerably, a thin line of orange had appeared on the horizon. René cursed and shielded his face.
“Let’s get to my cottage,” I said. We arrived just as I began to feel the sun behind me. René had bolted for the dark bedroom. I found him sitting on the bed, his face in his hands, shoulders tense with frustration. I was frustrated too. We’d been outmaneuvered and I feared for Jake’s safety. Would she make him the object of her retaliation? I was certain of it. But there was no way I could sail for the castle without René. I may have a death warrant, but I do not have a death wish.
“We leave as soon as the sun sets tonight,” he said, as though convincing himself.
“I don’t think we have a choice,” I said.
“Not if we want to find Jake.”
“Do you think…do you think we’ll be too late?” I didn’t want to contemplate it.
“I do not think she would kill him without us there to witness it. She wouldn’t deprive herself of the spectacle. We have to understand that she is anticipating exactly what we are planning on doing.”
“This is it then,” I said, trying to sound strong, though I felt like a fist were gripping my heart. René lifted his head and took my hands.
“I won’t let it happen,” he said. “I swear to you.”
“I don’t think that’s something you can promise, René.”
I pulled my hands back from his. It was hard to look at him, when Mina’s face flashed before me, eyes filled with terror just before he buried his fangs into her neck.
“I realize that you have not seen me feed before,” he said quietly.
“Feed? You make it sound so…casual.”
He raised my chin to his face, gray eyes resolute.
“I have spent many decades in utter misery, disgusted by myself, by what I am. That self-loathing is still with me and will be forever. But I cannot change the past and I cannot restore what I have lost. If I can channel this bloodlust, this propensity for violence, against those who have done evil, then perhaps through evil, I can accomplish something good, spare an innocent. This thought was the only thing that sustained me in that century of servitude by her side. This is something … something I hope you never have to understand.”
“I’m trying.”
“I know.”
“I’m going to take a shower.”
“If you return while I am at rest, remember—”
“You’ll look kinda dead. I know.”
He smiled sadly.
I was desperate for the warmth of the shower. The cold within me was not merely the effect of winter, but a numbness that I couldn’t shake. I tried to reach back to a couple months ago, before the sky had changed to that ghastly green, before the abyss opened before me. It was as though I were viewing another person’s life on a different planet. And yet the life I am living now does not seem like my own either. I am straddling the lives of two strangers.
I tried to imagine death. I tried to imagine not existing. Of course, I could not. Who can? I had to hope that there would be peace, that the spirits were not lying to comfort me. After all, I had already witnessed the existence of far more unlikely things.
The sound of the water soothed me. I stepped inside, relishing those first few drops, immersing my body, emptying my mind. The future didn’t matter. At that moment, I was alive and that was glorious.
I don’t know how long I had been standing there, when the water began to feel different. Thicker. Metallic tasting. I opened my eyes to find myself covered in blood, it was pouring out of the shower head. My skin began to burn, my hair falling out in clumps, my teeth loosening and I spat them out. I screamed.
I found myself on the floor of the shower, bruised but wet from water alone. My hands fluttered to my mouth, my hair. Nothing was amiss. I dragged myself upright, trying not to sob. She would take even those small moments away from me… I toweled off with trembling hands and allowed myself a brief glance in the mirror, too fearful of what might stare back if I lingered. Beyond some considerably dark rings under my eyes, I looked relatively normal.
Before, I had contemplated watching the full sunrise, sitting in the sunshine until eventually dozing on the couch. Instead, I went back to the dark bedroom and climbed under the covers of my bed. In my current state, my only comfort came in the form of the reanimated corpse next to me. I curled up beside him and fell asleep.
++
René woke me up at sunset. Despite everything, I actually felt well-rested and at ease. René prepared by downing a large thermos of blood. I secured my uncle’s knife under my coat in a leather belt sheath, my movements calm, almost mechanical. René handed me my silver bracelets and a wave of sadness passed through me.
“We don’t know what state he is in,” he whispered. I nodded and put them on my wrists.
We set sail in silence, the boat’s movements for once not triggering nausea. It was desperately cold on the water, despite the promise of spring in the near future. The cold struck through my gloves and burned my face. René was clearly not bothered by the climate; his coat wasn’t even zipped. He stared ahead with his brows furrowed, scanning all around us for ice and other enemies.
I thought of the summer and of the river crowded with life, with people laughing, speeding past each other on their boats, picnicking under the turrets of our destination, Bellevue Castle.
“Do you know the story of Bellevue Castle, René?” I asked.
“Manhattan hotelier wanted to build the grandest home in all of the Islands, but his wife died before it could be completed.”
“And in his grief, the husband asked all the workers to put down their tools and step away, leaving the castle a half-finished husk, a monument to lost love.” I added.
“I actually think he just ran out of money. I spent some time on that construction site in the 1890s.”
I laughed.
“Of course, you did. Don’t burst the bubble of anyone on the tourist board, alright? That place is a big money maker around here.”
It was good to smile with him, even if just for a moment.
As we neared the castle, a mist descended around us, just as in the vision of the sisters. The air felt heavy and old, as though rife with mildew and rot, difficult to inhale. The visibility severely decreased, but René was able to continue to navigate towards our destination, its hulking shadows barely detectible even by his eyes.
Our boat was hit by a wave, as though from the wake of a boat. René and I looked at each other, thinking the same thing: there was absolutely no one else on the river. A great creaking sound echoed all around us, the groaning of wood and metal. A veritable flotilla of ships and boats broke the surface all around us, arising from the depths glowing a ghostly green. There were wrecked wooden speed boats, steel-hulled freighters from the turn of the century, coal steamers, massive three-masted schooners, and frigates built for the wars of two hundred years ago.
No crew piloted these vessels, which groaned and sighed with the sadness of their years at the bottom. Something was weaving its way through the wrecks, howling through the air with the screeching of a cyclone. René leaned forward, craning his neck to spot it, when a rotting hand shot out of the water and grabbed his shoulder. He pulled it off, but another joined the attack, and another, until a great host of drowned, rotting corpses were pulling at him, threatening to board the boat.
I grabbed a paddle and whacked at them, but there were too many. They were pulling him overboard, despite our best efforts. I clutched his arm and with all my strength tried to drag him back in. The cacophony was approaching, my hair whipped around my face as the freezing winds accelerated. Something caught my boot and my grip on René’s hand slipped away. I was hurtled into the swirling air. I saw below me René’s struggling body dipping below the surface of the river, drowned dead glaring up at me lifelessly.
The whirlwind hummed with the cries of miserable souls. I was suspended among them, falling upwards and upwards until I could breathe no more.
x

Hey everyone!
I’ve finally gotten the jello jello one kill remover. I prepped my nails as usual after cuticle care (dehydrate and primer), applied the base, cured and applied my gel x tips as usual. I liked how easy the removal was, except my nails have been popping off after two days!! I know some people have success for two weeks which is what I was hoping for…any suggestions to get it to last longer? Should I be using the smallest amount of product possible? Thanks!

The previous ones:
https://old.reddit.com/MauLecomments/115yiq7/spacewars_hackfraudery_how_esb_is_a_lot_closer_to/ "SpaceWars HackFraudery: How ESB is a lot closer to TFA and TLJ in terms of "undoing the victory from the previous movie" and Mauler was WROOOOOOOOOONG"
https://old.reddit.com/MauLecomments/11fytsc/an_example_of_mauler_as_well_as_plinkett/ "An example of Mauler (as well as Plinkett) significantly overestimating the OT's "cause&effect motivation consistency sense-making" - and what possible implications this could have"
https://old.reddit.com/MauLecomments/11fytsc/an_example_of_mauler_as_well_as_plinkett/japzym (bit of a correction/expansion of the OP in an added comment - I should probably post a revised version of the OP somewhere at some point)
https://old.reddit.com/MauLecomments/11hki5e/ot_discontinuity_thread_number_3_schroedingers/ ""OT discontinuity" thread number 3: Schroedinger's gigantic space distances"
https://old.reddit.com/MauLecomments/11q2vwl/ot_discontinuities_thread_4_magic_invisibility/ ""OT discontinuities" thread 4: magic invisibility charms, except not; + First Empire competence issues"
https://old.reddit.com/MauLecomments/11uhedc/ot_discontinuity_thread_5_sending_x_number_of/ ""OT discontinuity" thread 5: sending x number of TIEtroopers + the homing beacon plan"
https://old.reddit.com/MauLecomments/11vbnud/6th_and_probably_almost_last_thread_anhtfa/ "6th (and probably almost last) thread: ANH/TFA opening plot holes and Tatooine/Jakku comparisons"
1a) When covering Rey and Finn's escape from Jakku, here starting at 1:56:30 (Part 2), Mauler says this:

But her navigation of the debris with the Falcon is still undeniably ridiculous - and that closes off the scene which is a horrible mess, but it happened fast, so maybe some people don't notice it so much.

It should be mentioned that they move on to the scene in space with Han Solo very soon, and that up to this point the situation of having this incredibly important droid, this man who knows the importance of the Droid and the inner workings of the First Order, and this woman who is an ace pilot as well as the future most powerful Jedi to exist, that nudges Kylo to kill Snoke, and can get Luke out of retirement, all meeting up, is incredibly lucky.
"Magic and coincidences - oh look that, that's just the Millennium Falcon, it's just sitting there! Oh we gotta run into HAN SOLO - ah heeyy, what a coincidence!!"
If not for Rey, both Finn and BB-8 would likely have been captured or killed by now.
The interesting comparison is that in Episode 4, Obi-wan is seeking out a good pilot with the interest of smuggling them - and so they get the attention of just that, and they pay money for that service; thus Han Solo smuggles them out with strong piloting.
Here though - Lady Luke is smilin'.

First of all, Finn plays an essential role by being the one shooting the gun and blowing up the TIE fighters - the second one in that impressive collaborative maneuver that they did at the end;
so saying that "Rey saved Finn and BB-8" isn't really that accurate - Rey and Finn both saved themselves as well as BB-8.
So now to the Ep4 comparison again:

The interesting comparison is that in Episode 4, Obi-wan is seeking out a good pilot with the interest of smuggling them - and so they get the attention of just that, and they pay money for that service; thus Han Solo smuggles them out with strong piloting.
Here though - Lady Luke is smilin'.

The phrasing here doesn't make 100% clear what exactly his point is, but judging by the context as well as the rest of this review, it's that the Ep4 examples makes a lot more sense because Obi-Wan and Luke seek out a professional pilot, instead of... Luke ace-piloting his way out of a hairy situation as the Troopers have caught up to them?
Implying that that would've been nonsensical (to some degree at least) which is why ANH didn't do it since it doesn't engage in such nonsense - while what it does is all based on established consistency & logic?
However this is a highly questionable assertion, to say the least.
Obi-Wan needs to find a transport in the Mos Eisley spaceport because... he doesn't have a spaceship of his own; which necessarily leads to the question, why doesn't he have a space ship?
If he's there waiting for the right moment to get called into action, and possibly recruit / start training Luke, or protect him (which may very well involve escaping with him from the planet, if a certain type of situation were to arise), why doesn't he keep a spaceship or 2 tucked away somewhere so he's prepared for emergency situations like this?
He doesn't even have a speeder apparently? Why?

"I need your help, Luke - she needs your help. I'm getting too old for this sort of thing..."
"I can't get involved... I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire, I hate it, but there's nothing I can do about it right now. It's all such a long way from here..."
"That's your uncle talking."
"My uncle... how am I ever gonna explain this?"
"Learn about the Force, Luke."
"Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead - you can get a transport there to Mos Eisley or wherever you're going."
"You must do what you feel is right, of course."

Mauler's phrase about "Han's strong piloting" kind of almost implies that Obi-Wan couldn't have pulled that off, which also leads to the question - why assume Obi-Wan was a bad pilot (or not at all), and/or what does the film establish about this? Could it indeed somehow be the case that he can't really fly a spaceship?

"No, my father didn't fight in the wars; he was a navigator on a spice freighter."
"That's what your uncle told you. He didn't hold with your father's ideals; thought he should have stayed here - and not gotten involved."
"You fought in the Clone Wars?"
"Yes - I was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father."
"I wish I'd known him..."
"He was the best star pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior. I understand you've become quite a good pilot yourself!
And he was a good friend...
Which reminds me - I have something here for you. Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn't allow it; he feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade like your father did."

So he was a Jedi Knight just like Skywalker Sr.; they went on an idealistic crusade together - fought together in the Clone Wars (or certainly Obi-Wan did - Skywalker just in "wars", but 99% the Clone ones), and he's describing Skywalker as a "cunning warrior" and "the best pilot";
how much room do any of these lines leave for the interpretation that despite being "a Jedi Knight, same as Skywalker", and even a Jedi instructor i.e. to Vader, he was in fact, unlike Skywalker, a lousy warrior and a lousy pilot if a pilot at all?
Especially given how in final act of the film, Luke's emerging Force powers enhance his starfighter abilities?
I think one can safely say here that virtually none - that he may not have been quite as ace as Skywalker, but probably very good and competent at the very least - and the movie simply didn't need to go out of its way to assure everyone that yes, since Obi-Wan shared Skywalker's "Jedi Knight" and "fought in the wars together" attributes, by extension he also shared the "great warrior & pilot" attributes listed in the same paragraph.
So.... all but confirmed as a skilled ex-warrior pilot, and completely inexplicably without a ship or even speeder, how is his need for a pirate pilot with a ship "logically justified", exactly?
Doesn't seem to be justified at all - and if it isn't, then literally the only reason why the movie had him "have to" go to Mos Eisley and pay for a pilot, is because it wanted them to go to a city with colorful aliens, enter a Western salon, and team up with their new pirate pilot co-protagonist in this way;
quite obviously not a case of rational ground-up plot construction.
So if this intention by the movie to team them up with Solo, or specifically do that in this fashion, at this point, is taken out of the picture - what could've happened alternatively?
Luke's got a speeder, Obi-Wan's got a spaceship tucked away either right by his home, or in some kinda secret cave somewhere or who knows (and probably has a speeder as well) - and, to maintain the spirit of their Mos Eisley escape, the Stormtroopers have now followed the trail from Luke's home to Ben's and are closing in on them;
or perhaps Luke catches their attention by going against Ben's advice and speeding to the homestead;
either way now there's a tense action sequence where Obi-Wan and Luke are both chased by the Stormtroopers and have to quickly get away and leave the planet - and both are skilled pilots, as already established.
Would it somehow been out-of-character for this movie if Luke then jumped into some kind of co-pilot or gotten behind a turret or something, and played an essential role in escaping & fighting off the pursuing Troopers - thus showcasing these skills that he's been said to have, and maybe even already an early hint of his inherited Force potential?
And if yes, how so? That's pretty much exactly what proceeds to happen in the middle and final acts of this movie - and by all looks, really the only reason it doesn't already happen right here and now, at the same spot where Rey&Finn are escaping Jakku in this fashion, is because the movie wanted them to go to the spaceport city and meet Han there instead: an arbitrary creative decision.
The only thing that would've been out-of-character for ANH, would be to make this sequence as over-the-top as its TFA counterpart - however it wouldn't have had the technology for that anyway, and besides, the regular gunslinging in TFA is also over-the-top compared to ANH, along with the visual gags during those shoot-outs;
so yes, ANH would've had a more "tone down", no-nonsense version of that, but that's about the only expected difference there:

But her navigation of the debris with the Falcon is still undeniably ridiculous - and that closes off the scene which is a horrible mess, but it happened fast, so maybe some people don't notice it so much.

; not the core concept of Luke (and Obiwan) not taking a backseat to Solo.
At this point a structured breakdown of both Luke's and Rey's initial skillsets and lvl'ing up arcs is in order:
1b)
Rey can fight of 3 (unarmed, in this case) dudes with a staff, struggling somewhat, ending up taking a light punch or something, but basically being quite on top of things there.
She threatens a grumpy asshole of seemingly very limited mobility on an ultra-slow horse with a knife - he has a staff but clearly just uses it to try and throw his weight around, having no apparent ability or willingness to fight.
How much her staff and knife skills extend beyond what was shown here, is unknown and remains unknown.
Never used a gun before somehow??

"You might need this."
"I think I can handle myself."
"I know you do - that's why I'm giving it to you. Take it. You know how to use one of those?"
"Yeah. You pull the trigger."
"A little bit more to it than that - you got a lot to learn. You got a name?"

Has "flown ships before" though:

"That was some flying." "Thanks!" "How did you do that?!" "I don't know!" "No one trained you? No one?!" "I've flown some ships, but I've never left the planet!"

and pulls off a ultra-feat she herself is surprised by.
Then gets told her destiny by Maz, has a mystical experience with the sentient lightsaber;
and shortly later pulls out the gun for the first time, and almost immediately (small hiccup with the "safety", and 1 missed shot a second before the successful one) "sharpshoots" a trooper (after he misses her) - looking startled and amazed immediately afterwards, either at having been immediately able to hit someone at such a long distance, or perhaps at having personally killed somebody for the 1st time? It's unclear.
While she keeps sharpshooting Stormtroopers but also still running from them in visible distress, Han is seen gunslinging like mad, and then Poe is also seen taking down one TIE after another while also hitting individual Troopers on the ground, impressing Finn. (The prominently filmed X-Wing(s) shown picking off the troopers holding them as well as numerous other ground and air targets a slight bit earlier, seemingly aren't strictly speaking confirmed to all be the same one - however it's most likely Poe as well. If not, that just means more over-the-top aces in this Resistance fleet who aren't main characters.)
Then her telepathy / mind control powers are "unlocked" by Kylo.
Then Finn tries to "rise to the occasion" by fighting Kylo, after having seen Rey get knocked unconscious by getting pushed into a tree - lacking the Force (aside from having received a bit of Maz' blessing as well), but evidently having been trained in melee combat incl. with energy blades, just like his earlier stormtrooper adversary.
After his defeat, Rey in turn rises to the occasion, and manages to (intuitively? it happens off-screen while focusing on Kylo trying to do the same) summon the lightsaber and starts putting up a better fight than Finn - only having staff brawling experience in terms of concrete combat practice (and not even against other staff/weapon wielders, at least from what was shown), but now having a serious amount of Force access (which seemingly replaces the need for concrete practice, as has been long established in 4 and 5);
as she's getting pushed against the edge of the chasm, she "taps into the Force" even more, along with getting a new sense of determination and fury, and then proceeds to overpower him.
When Luke

"Sandpeople, or worse... come on - let's go have a look. Come on!"

, he takes a rifle with him, looking quite confident - however it's unknown if he's already shot at moving targets or what not.
Then as he gets overwhelmed by a Tusken raider, and manages to dodge a few of his staff attacks while on the ground and unarmed, before eventually getting knocked out - it's not quite clear how good he would've been in such a brawl had he been prepared; apparently above 0, but beyond that, who knows.
Then he gets approached by the 2 thugs in the cantina, clearly not looking like he's ready to start a fight with them, but also not all that intimidated - even when when the guy grabs him and threatens to kill him. The impression is that he's just determined to not take them very seriously, and doesn't really expect them to attack him if he refuses to give them attention? And then he gets pushed across the room, without putting up any resistance, but also again getting surprised after not really having been prepared (due to some kind of arrogance or naivity) - judging by this moment alone, he may as well have been a complete total zero rookie when it comes to fighting, but just like the Tusken attack it doesn't rule out he can generally do better.

"I understand you've become quite a good pilot yourself!"
"10 thousand?! We could almost buy our own ship for that!" "But who's gonna fly it, kid - you?" "You bet I could - I'm not such a bad pilot myself. We don't have to sit here and listen-"
"It's not impossible - I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than 2 meters."

While it's not clear whether he's "ever left the planet", he's established in dialogue as already a "quite good" / "not bad" pilot - and later as having performed a feat the difficulty of which isn't really consistently established:
One pilot thinks it's "impossible even for a computer", but he replies that it's "not impossible" - and judging by his tone he doesn't even mean that it's particularly impressive either.
However then Gold Leader fails at it "even with a targeting computer" (one is probably to assume that that skeptical pilot was referring to this, and not an automated computer-guided shot?) - and Luke is then seen also starting to use that targeting computer (did he also when shooting those womp rats?), but eventually turns it off to rely on the Force instead.
So it was impossible even for a computer after all? Is that because they're flying faster? But then if those womprat shots had been at done lower speeds, why did he bring it up in the first place?

"Great shot, kid! That was one in a million!"

So... Han's exaggerating, or was it really a "1 in a million shot" that could've only been nailed supernaturally? Or they could've nailed it after a several more attempts, but the supernatural aid just increased the odds for this last second attempt?
But if this task was difficult enough to likely miss at the 1st or 2nd attempt, shouldn't Luke have thought of that when recounting his story? They'd probably know they'd have limited time up there, right?
Or, if the womprats hadn't been too difficult to hit on the 1st attempt, and the speeds back home were comparable, making it valid for him to bring that up - then why did he need to "let go and trust the Force" when he hadn't needed that back home? Again, had he been using targeting computers to hit those womprats? If yes, him putting away the computer here is a bigger deal - however if not, hadn't he already succeeded at it without the Force or a computer? Why did he need it now - again, just to increase the odds since this was the last ditch attempt against a ticking clock?
Point is, according to these various lines and attempts/methods, it's quite unclear just how impossible or just difficult or even unimpressive the task of hitting that 2 meter target in fact was - not clear how impressive the climactic shot was, and not clear how impressive Luke's skills back home had been either.
So while him snapping at Han like this in the bar may come off as some kind of over-confidence, and Obi-Wan even softly reins him in, it's ultimately unclear at that point whether he really could've pulled that off or not - maybe Obi-Wan thinks he doesn't have the skills yet (but then he probably has those skills himself - or is he doubting them due to his age?), or maybe he thinks he does, and he himself does, but why throw away their chances with this good pilot they've just met and his impressive ship, and take chances by going to look to buy some other ship?
So depending on how cocky and irrational Luke is being during that outburst, he either has "never left the planet" and is only really "good" on a local semi-amateur level, and going into space would be serious uncharted territory for him - or in fact he is as good as he's saying, and could really pull this off.
Shortly after takeoff, he's seen being completely clueless about hyperspace travel - however that doesn't mean they would've been screwed on their own, since Obi-Wan obviously knows about hyperspace travel and he could've handled that part.
However is that the only aspect of piloting that he's ignorant about, or is he severely lagging behind in other departments as well?
Well - after what's revealed about his backstory in that Yavin briefing, if he was already pulling off shots that Han would praise as "1 in a million" (even if hyperbolically) before the movie started, then that certainly raises him up quite highly;
however perhaps he's still lacking in the "evasive maneuvers against Star Destroyers" department?
How much time passes between their jump to hyperspace and this:

"Are you all right? What's wrong?"
"I felt a great disturbance in the Force... - as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror - and were suddenly silenced... I fear something terrible has happened.
You'd better get on with your exercises."
"Well, you can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs - I told you I'd outrun them."
"Don't everybody thank me at once..."

One has to assume that the "Imperial slugs" he's talking about there are the same Stardestroyers (or, well, "Imperial Cruisers" - they weren't yet called "Star Destroyers" in this 1st movie) that they escaped from on Tatooine - however by "outrunning them" Han clearly can't be referring to just having jumped to hyperspace in front of their noses, since evidently enough time has passed for them to have started playing chess and began training with the lightsaber since that point; and he's only outrun them just now.

"Why don't you outrun 'em? I thought you said this thing was fast!"
"Watch your mouth, kid, or you're gonna find yourself floating home. We'll be safe enough once we make the jump to hyperspace. Besides, I know a few maneuvers.

"Safe enough", well this all adds up - looks like in this movie, unlike ESB, the Imperial ships can chase them through hyperspace/lightspeed; and Han just outran them after what might be a 30min or 1h chase, or who knows how long/short.
This is then further confirmed a few minutes later:

Obi-Wan: "It's an Imperial fighter."
Luke: "It followed us!"
Obi-Wan: "No - it's a short-range fighter."
Han: "There aren't any bases around here, where did it come from."

So "long-range ships" could have followed them through that hyperspace trip? (Despite Han having thought he'd lost them?)
At the end of V, they jump to lightspeed, leaving Vader's ship without any chances of catching or tracking them anymore - Vader walks off the bridge, looking defeated and even too depressed go lash out at Piett;
that wouldn't have worked in the universe of ANH?
So when they "invent the new hyperspace tracking tech" in by TLJ, that's only a "new" ability according to ESB's changed universe - before this continuity shift, a similar thing was already possible in ANH.
TFA-Han's ability to lightspeed-jump through a planetary shield, while inconsistent with how he introduced the mechanics of hyperspace travel to Luke:

"It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navi-computer." "Are you kidding?! At the rate they're gaining??" "Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dustin' crops, boy! Without precise calculations, we'd fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova... and that would end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"

, doesn't seem to stand out that much anymore...
Also to go off on a short tangent here:

"Did your men deactivate the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon?" >"Yes, my Lord."

Last time they placed a "homing beacon" and tracked them to Yavin, but now - despite having screwed with the ship in an analogous situation - they've only "deactivated the hyperdrive";
had they also put a tracking device on it, just in case, they could've tracked them down, attempted to capture them and Luke again, and also found their space base - unless of course the Falcon's crew had the bright idea to think of this possibility, and then (instead of immediately forgetting about it moments later) either change ships or find&deactivate the homing beacon.
(Also if a Star Destroyer had showed up at their space base's doorsteps, or even several, couldn't they have attacked it with X-Wings just like the last time? Motti said they were generally more vulnerable than the Death Star - and even if they don't happen to have an equivalent Achilles' Heel, the RotJ fighters still managed to destroy the Super Stardestroyer.)
Also:

"Lord Vader - our ships have completed their scan of the area and found nothing. If the Millennium Falcon went into lightspeed, it'll be on the other side of the galaxy by now."
"Alert all commands. Calculate every possible destination along their last known trajectory."
"Yes, my Lord. We'll find them."
"Don't fail me again - Admiral."
"Alert all commands. Deploy the fleet."

So now the Falcon did jump to lightspeed - can't they at least have tried the same approach? That Piett even showed such confidence about? Or was that just in case the Falcon hadn't jumped to lightspeed? (It certainly would've been absurd otherwise.)
This one's not too big of an issue if it's interpreted as Vader just being desperate / refusing to give up and Piett trying to be optimistic and not get killed on the spot; what "trajectory" was he even referring to here, given how all the Falcon had been doing this whole time was fly around in curves and circles while trying to evade them? The trajectory they took when flying at the Stardestroyer's window? Or some earlier point? If it was supposed to make sense, then it seems very hard to explain how so.
Aaaand, for a second tangent:

Obi-Wan: "A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space, on its own?.."
Luke: "He.. must've gotten lost, been part of a convoy or something..."

Other than the issue of Ben repeating almost the same exact thought that Han voiced moments ago, there are other confusing things about this sequence:

Han: "There aren't any bases around here, where did it come from."

By "no bases" does he mean he's not picking up any big stations / hyperspace-able ships on his scanners, or that there are no known ones in this area (as if the Empire doesn't have lots of mobile "bases"? a mobile "convoy" could've been an explanation too, of course) - or that there are no planets/moons around here?

"Look at him, he's heading for that small moon!.."
"Think I can get him before he gets there - he's almost in range."
"That's no moon - it's a space station..."
"It's too big to be a space station..."

Han hadn't picked up the Death Star on his scanners (which, if that's what he was referring to, should've been a lot wider than what the naked eye could see, since the Death Star was still too far away to be even visible at that moment), and no one showed surprise at there being a "moon" not showing up on any of the charts.
While Han and the rest not immediately thinking of the possibility that "that TIE could've been dropped there by a Stardestroyer" (i.e. what Luke suggests about a possible "convoy" moments later) isn't really a problem, Han's line about "no bases around here" followed by them bumping into this giant moon-sized station remains quite inexplicable.
Back from the tangents:

Photos upon request
 

amiibo	Condition
Zelda Loftwing	New In Box
Sanrio amiibo cards	Sealed Pack
Inkling Boy - Neon Green	Loose/Mint
Mario Cereal Box	Cereal Removed/Flattened
Pit	New In Box
Isabelle Summer Outfit	Open Box
Cyrus/K.K./Reese	New In Box/Damaged box
Timmy & Tommy	New In Box
Tom Nook	New In Box
Mabel	New In Box
Celeste	New In Box

 

Switch	Condition
Azure Striker Gunvolt Striker Pack	Sealed
Bendy and the Ink Machine	Complete in Box
Cruel King and the Great Hero Storybook Edition	Complete in Box
Disgaea 1 Rosen Edition	Complete in Box
Ghostbusters The Video Game Remastered	Sealed
Metroid Dread Collector's Edition	Sealed, a few dings associated with shipping
Monster Hunter Stories 2 Collector's Edition	Sealed
River City Girls	Sealed, Best Buy Variant
Shantae Collector's Edition	Sealed
Shantae Risky's Revenge Collector's Edition	Sealed
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection	Sealed
Unravel 2	Sealed
Yu-Gi-Oh Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution	Loose
Zelda Breath of the Wild	Loose, EU copy. Works with US DLC

 

Wii	Condition
Batallion Wars 2	Game and Case
Castle of Shikigami III	Complete in Box
Okami	Game and Case
Super Mario Galaxy	Complete in Box

 

WiiU Games	Condition
Batman Arkham City Armored Edition	Sealed
Disney Infinity 2.0	Sealed
Mario Kart 8	Complete in Box
Nintendoland	Complete in Box
Star Fox Guard	Complete in Box

 

DS	Condition
Super Scribblenauts	Loose

 

3DS	Condition
Kid Icarus Uprising (Japanese)	Game, Manual, and Case (No Big Box)

 

GBA	Condition
Game & Watch Gallery 4	Loose, Torn Label
Lady Sia	Loose, EU import
Lady Sia	Loose. Label imperfections
Super Puzzle Fighter 2	Complete in Box
Super Mario Advance	No label

 

GB	Condition
Alleyway	Loose
Kid Dracula	Loose
Pocket Monsters Red (Import)	Loose, still saves

 

NES	Condition
Kid Icarus	Game, Box, and Manual; Box shows wear; Protective case for box and manual included

 

SNES	Condition
Mortal Kombat II	Loose
Super Mario World	Loose
Super Scope 6	Loose
Wild Guns	Loose, Bad Label Damage

 

N64	Condition
Bomber Man 64 The Second Attack!	Loose
Pokemon Snap	Loose

 

Gamecube	Condition
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles	Disc and case. Artwork is a little dinged up. No Manual
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	Complete in Box, blockbuster stickers on case.
Pokemon Box (Import)	Game, Case, Manual, Demo Disc, and Slip Cover; Japanese Region
Super Mario Sunshine	Game and Manual. Case included, but the artwork may be a reprint.

 

Sega Genesis	Condition
Jurrassic Park	Loose cartridge, Sharpie on Label
Spider-Man	Loose cartridge, Label Damage
Genesis 6-Pak	Loose cartridge

 

Sega Saturn	Condition
Vampire Savior (Import, Dark Stalkers 2)	Game and artwork, no spine slip. Some creases in the artwork.

 

Sega Dreamcast	Condition
Power Stone	CIB
Power Stone 2	CIB

 

PSP	Condition
Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories	Game and Case, Greatest Hits
Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories	Loose, Greatest Hits, Cracked Casing
Little Big Planet	Loose
Loco Roco	Complete in Box
Patapon	Loose
Silent Hill Origins	Complete In Box
Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron	Complete in Box

 

PS1	Condition
Castlevania Chronicles	Loose
Chocobo's Dungeon 2	Complete in Box
Crash Bash	Complete in Box
Dark Stalkers	Loose
Dark Stalkers 3	Loose
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver	Loose
Silent Hill	Loose disc
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo	Complete in Box
Valkyrie Profile	Discs and Case, no manual
World of Dragon Warrior Torneko The Last Hope	Loose disc

 

PS2	Condition
Burnout	Loose Disc
Burnout 2	Loose Disc
Burnout 3 Takedown	Complete, Water Damage on back cover art
Burnout Dominator	Case and Disc, Disc has superficial scratches but still boots
Burnout Revenge	Complete, Greatest Hits
Castlevania Curse of Darkness	Loose, Disc has light scratching
Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of Cortex	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Dragon Ball Z Budokai	Complete in Box
Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi	Complete in Box; Greatest Hits
Final Fantasy X	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Final Fantasy X-2	Complete; Greatest Hits
God of War II	Complete; Greatest Hits
Grand Theft Auto Vice City	Disc, Case, Poster, No Manual
.Hack Quaratine	Game, Anime Disc, and Case. Missing Manual
Jak and Daxter	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Marvel vs Capcom 2	Cracked Disc, won't boot for me. Comes with case, no manual
Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2	Disc and Case
Need for Speed Underground	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Need for Speed Underground 2	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Resident Evil Dead Aim	Game and Case, No manual
Scarface	Complete; Greatest Hits
Star Wars Battlefront II	Disc and Case
Tekken Tag Tournament	Disc and Case; Greatest Hits

 

PS3	Condition
Castlevania Lord of Shadow Collection	Loose

 

PS4	Condition
APEX Construct	Sealed

 

PS5	Condition
Battlefield 2042	Complete in Box

 

XBOX One	Condition
Watchdogs	Sealed

 

Consoles	Condition
Monster Hunter Rise Edition Switch	New in Box (No game code)
White OLED Nintendo Switch	New in Box
OLED Switch Tablet	New/Unused Tablet Only
Legend of Zelda Game & Watch (35th Anniversary)	New in Box

 

Controllers	Condition
Fortnite Joy-Con Set	Comes from the Fortnite Edition Console, never used
Joy-Con Grip	Bagged/Unused - Came with console
Oculus Quest 1/Rift S Left Controller	Used but very good condition. Comes with silicon case
Oculus Quest 1/Rift S Right Controller	Used but very good condition. Comes with silicon case
Joy-Con (Left/Neon Blue)	Good, no drift
Joy-Con (Left/Gray)	Good, no drift
Joy-Con (Right/Neon Blue)	Good, no drift
Joy-Con (Right/Neon Red)	Good, no drift, Factory refurbished
SPIN Z WiiU Pro Controller	Black, Near Mint
SPIN Z WiiU Pro Controller	Black, Near Mint
Gray Wavebird w/Receiver	All OEM, the receiver and controller have a discremepncy on channels, but everything works as intended.
WiiU Pro Controller	Black, OEM, Good condition

 

Misc.	Condition
Switch Dock (Black)	Good
Black MagicGate 8MB PS2 Memory Card	Has Free McBoot loaded onto the card
Blue MagicGate 8MB PS2 Memory Card	Has Free McBoot loaded onto the card
Yellow Nyko MagicGate 8MB PS2 Memory Card	Has Free McBoot loaded onto the card
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Nintendo Switch ConsoleBox Only	Empty Box, good condition
Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch Console Box Only	Empty Box, good condition
Pokemon Dialga & Palkia Switch Lite Box Only	Empty Box, good condition
Fortnite Nintendo Switch Console Box Only	Empty Box, good condition
The Art of Splatoon 2	Sealed, Heavy book with media mail options
Kid Icarus Uprising Players Guide (Imported, no AR cards)	Shows a little wear
Nintendo Switch AC Adapter	Unused in original bag, Authentic Nintendo Adapter
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Pre-Order Coin	Sealed
Breath of the Wild Sheikah Coin	From BotW Special Edition, Good condition
Pokken Art Cel Pre-Order Bonus	Sealed
Blastoise New 3DS Plates	Plates are mint and unused
Nintendo 3DS Stand	OEM, Came with Kid Icarus Uprising
Kid Icarus AR Card Set (205/404)	Contains 205 different US cards, no duplicates. This is roughly half the entire set. An itemized list can be provided upon request.
Shantae Risky's Revenge 2 LP Soundtrack Vinyl	Sealed

 

Cases	Condition
Dot Hack (.HACK) Infection	Case & Manual
Dot Hack (.HACK) Mutation	Case only
Dot Hack (.HACK) Outbreak	Case & Manual
God of War Chains of Olympus	Case and Manual Only

 

Freebies	Condition
Gold Game & Watch Stand	Gold Game & Watch stand meant for the 35th Anniversary Edition Zelda G&W, but likely works with others.
Playstation 2 IDE Connector	Upgraded my HD Adapter to SATA, these are the old/leftover connectors.
Leapster Games

 

Wants	Console
Kid Icarus Uprising AR Cards: AKDE-025 AKDE-039 (Will consider others)	None
Asheron's Call Memorabilia	PC
Game & Watch Devices (Excluding 35th Mario & Zelda editions)	None
Sola to robo	DS
Izuna Legend of the Unemployed Ninja (Case Only)	DS
Little Red Ridinghood Zombie BBQ	DS
Metal Gear Acid	PSP
Classic NES Series: Ice Climbers	GBA
Classic NES Series: Excitebike	GBA
Classic NES Series: Dr. Mario	GBA
Classic NES Series: Donkey Kong	GBA
Classic NES Series: Pac-Man	GBA
Classic NES Series: The Legend of Zelda	GBA
Classic NES Series: Xevious	GBA
Castlevania Legends	GBC
Night Warriors Darkstalkers Revenge (Case & Manual Only)	Saturn
N64 Expansion Pack	N64
R.O.B. Accessories	NES
Wii Sports Club	Wii U
Turbo	Wii U
Blaster Master 2	Genesis

Prices are subjective, negotiable, and do not include shipping.   Photos upon request
 

amiibo	Price	Condition
Zelda Loftwing	30	New In Box
Sanrio amiibo cards	12	Sealed Pack
Inkling Boy - Neon Green	39	Loose/Mint
Mario Cereal Box	15	Cereal Removed/Flattened
Pit	30	New In Box
Isabelle Summer Outfit	40	Open Box
Cyrus/K.K./Reese	18	New In Box/Damaged box
Timmy & Tommy	40	New In Box
Tom Nook	12	New In Box
Mabel	9	New In Box
Celeste	9	New In Box

 

Switch	Price	Condition
Azure Striker Gunvolt Striker Pack	40	Sealed
Bendy and the Ink Machine	30	Complete in Box
Cruel King and the Great Hero Storybook Edition	60	Complete in Box
Disgaea 1 Rosen Edition	100	Complete in Box
Ghostbusters The Video Game Remastered	30	Sealed
Metroid Dread Collector's Edition	110	Sealed, a few dings associated with shipping
Monster Hunter Stories 2 Collector's Edition	160	Sealed
River City Girls	200	Sealed, Best Buy Variant
Shantae Collector's Edition	150	Sealed
Shantae Risky's Revenge Collector's Edition	150	Sealed
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection	30	Sealed
Unravel 2	30	Sealed
Yu-Gi-Oh Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution	18	Loose
Zelda Breath of the Wild	35	Loose, EU copy. Works with US DLC

 

Wii	Price	Condition
Batallion Wars 2	11	Game and Case
Castle of Shikigami III	75	Complete in Box
Okami	10	Game and Case
Super Mario Galaxy	13	Complete in Box

 

WiiU Games	Price	Condition
Batman Arkham City Armored Edition	40	Sealed
Disney Infinity 2.0	15	Sealed
Mario Kart 8	15	Complete in Box
Nintendoland	10	Complete in Box
Star Fox Guard	10	Complete in Box

 

DS	Price	Condition
Super Scribblenauts	5	Loose

 

3DS	Price	Condition
Kid Icarus Uprising (Japanese)	40	Game, Manual, and Case (No Big Box)

 

GBA	Price	Condition
Game & Watch Gallery 4	16	Loose, Torn Label
Lady Sia	30	Loose, EU import
Lady Sia	50	Loose. Label imperfections
Super Puzzle Fighter 2	60	Complete in Box
Super Mario Advance	13	No label

 

GB	Price	Condition
Alleyway	5	Loose
Kid Dracula	240	Loose
Pocket Monsters Red (Import)	10	Loose, still saves

 

NES	Price	Condition
Kid Icarus	180	Game, Box, and Manual; Box shows wear; Protective case for box and manual included

 

SNES	Price	Condition
Mortal Kombat II	15	Loose
Super Mario World	16	Loose
Super Scope 6	10	Loose
Wild Guns	270	Loose, Bad Label Damage

 

N64	Price	Condition
Bomber Man 64 The Second Attack!	250	Loose
Pokemon Snap	15	Loose

 

Gamecube	Price	Condition
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles	14	Disc and case. Artwork is a little dinged up. No Manual
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	16	Complete in Box, blockbuster stickers on case.
Pokemon Box (Import)	38	Game, Case, Manual, Demo Disc, and Slip Cover; Japanese Region
Super Mario Sunshine	40	Game and Manual. Case included, but the artwork may be a reprint.

 

Sega Genesis	Price	Condition
Jurrassic Park	10	Loose cartridge, Sharpie on Label
Spider-Man	12	Loose cartridge, Label Damage
Genesis 6-Pak	18	Loose cartridge

 

Sega Saturn	Price	Condition
Vampire Savior (Import, Dark Stalkers 2)	40	Game and artwork, no spine slip. Some creases in the artwork.

 

Sega Dreamcast	Price	Condition
Power Stone	120	CIB
Power Stone 2	160	CIB

 

PSP	Price	Condition
Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories	19	Game and Case, Greatest Hits
Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories	14	Loose, Greatest Hits, Cracked Casing
Little Big Planet	9	Loose
Loco Roco	7	Complete in Box
Patapon	7	Loose
Silent Hill Origins	50	Complete In Box
Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron	13	Complete in Box

 

PS1	Price	Condition
Castlevania Chronicles	120	Loose
Chocobo's Dungeon 2	100	Complete in Box
Crash Bash	15	Complete in Box
Dark Stalkers	47	Loose
Dark Stalkers 3	47	Loose
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver	18	Loose
Silent Hill	105	Loose disc
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo	40	Complete in Box
Valkyrie Profile	325	Discs and Case, no manual
World of Dragon Warrior Torneko The Last Hope	80	Loose disc

 

PS2	Price	Condition
Burnout	8	Loose Disc
Burnout 2	8	Loose Disc
Burnout 3 Takedown	11	Complete, Water Damage on back cover art
Burnout Dominator	9	Case and Disc, Disc has superficial scratches but still boots
Burnout Revenge	10	Complete, Greatest Hits
Castlevania Curse of Darkness	60	Loose, Disc has light scratching
Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of Cortex	10	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Dragon Ball Z Budokai	11	Complete in Box
Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi	15	Complete in Box; Greatest Hits
Final Fantasy X	6	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Final Fantasy X-2	6	Complete; Greatest Hits
God of War II	13	Complete; Greatest Hits
Grand Theft Auto Vice City	10	Disc, Case, Poster, No Manual
.Hack Quaratine	300	Game, Anime Disc, and Case. Missing Manual
Jak and Daxter	10	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Marvel vs Capcom 2	60	Cracked Disc, won't boot for me. Comes with case, no manual
Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty	10	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2	10	Disc and Case
Need for Speed Underground	10	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Need for Speed Underground 2	17	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2	10	Greatest Hits, Used, Disc and Case
Resident Evil Dead Aim	50	Game and Case, No manual
Scarface	40	Complete; Greatest Hits
Star Wars Battlefront II	10	Disc and Case
Tekken Tag Tournament	10	Disc and Case; Greatest Hits

 

PS3	Price	Condition
Castlevania Lord of Shadow Collection	30	Loose

 

PS4	Price	Condition
APEX Construct	15	Sealed

 

PS5	Price	Condition
Battlefield 2042	20	Complete in Box

 

XBOX One	Price	Condition
Watchdogs	15	Sealed

 

Consoles	Price	Condition
Monster Hunter Rise Edition Switch	420	New in Box (No game code)
White OLED Nintendo Switch	400	New in Box
OLED Switch Tablet	250	New/Unused Tablet Only
Legend of Zelda Game & Watch (35th Anniversary)	50	New in Box

 

Controllers	Price	Condition
Fortnite Joy-Con Set	120	Comes from the Fortnite Edition Console, never used
Joy-Con Grip	8	Bagged/Unused - Came with console
Oculus Quest 1/Rift S Left Controller	115	Used but very good condition. Comes with silicon case
Oculus Quest 1/Rift S Right Controller	115	Used but very good condition. Comes with silicon case
Joy-Con (Left/Neon Blue)	35	Good, no drift
Joy-Con (Left/Gray)	35	Good, no drift
Joy-Con (Right/Neon Blue)	35	Good, no drift
Joy-Con (Right/Neon Red)	35	Good, no drift, Factory refurbished
SPIN Z WiiU Pro Controller	25	Black, Near Mint
SPIN Z WiiU Pro Controller	25	Black, Near Mint
Gray Wavebird w/Receiver	90	All OEM, the receiver and controller have a discremepncy on channels, but everything works as intended.
WiiU Pro Controller	35	Black, OEM, Good condition

 

Misc.	Price	Condition
Switch Dock (Black)	40	Good
Black MagicGate 8MB PS2 Memory Card	20	Has Free McBoot loaded onto the card
Blue MagicGate 8MB PS2 Memory Card	20	Has Free McBoot loaded onto the card
Yellow Nyko MagicGate 8MB PS2 Memory Card	20	Has Free McBoot loaded onto the card
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Nintendo Switch ConsoleBox Only	90	Empty Box, good condition
Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch Console Box Only	20	Empty Box, good condition
Pokemon Dialga & Palkia Switch Lite Box Only	30	Empty Box, good condition
Fortnite Nintendo Switch Console Box Only	20	Empty Box, good condition
The Art of Splatoon 2	80	Sealed, Heavy book with media mail options
Kid Icarus Uprising Players Guide (Imported, no AR cards)	30	Shows a little wear
Nintendo Switch AC Adapter	20	Unused in original bag, Authentic Nintendo Adapter
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Pre-Order Coin	15	Sealed
Breath of the Wild Sheikah Coin	25	From BotW Special Edition, Good condition
Pokken Art Cel Pre-Order Bonus	7	Sealed
Blastoise New 3DS Plates	150	Plates are mint and unused
Nintendo 3DS Stand	30	OEM, Came with Kid Icarus Uprising
Kid Icarus AR Card Set (205/404)	600	Contains 205 different US cards, no duplicates. This is roughly half the entire set. An itemized list can be provided upon request.
Shantae Risky's Revenge 2 LP Soundtrack Vinyl	55	Sealed

 

Cases	Price	Condition
Dot Hack (.HACK) Infection	20	Case & Manual
Dot Hack (.HACK) Mutation	20	Case only
Dot Hack (.HACK) Outbreak	30	Case & Manual
God of War Chains of Olympus	15	Case and Manual Only

 

Freebies	Price	Condition
Gold Game & Watch Stand	Free with purchase	Gold Game & Watch stand meant for the 35th Anniversary Edition Zelda G&W, but likely works with others.
Playstation 2 IDE Connector	Free with purchase	Upgraded my HD Adapter to SATA, these are the old/leftover connectors.
Leapster Games	Free with purchase

 

The cost of flights is so depressing right now. I'm trying to get to Europe and Belize this year and the flights are DOUBLE what they were my previous trips. I can't believe I used to get to Barcelona for $600 just a couple years ago. Belize was like $300 max. I've been monitoring the prices for at least 5 months now and Barcelona is holding strong at $1400 and Belize is nearly up to $700. I am fortunate and grateful for the privilege to travel and if something were to happen tomorrow and I'd never travel again, I can live knowing I got to see some of the world. But now I've got a SO and some teenagers turning into adults and I want to share my passion for travel with them and its so crazy expensive.
The only thing I've got going for me are my credit card points. I have a capital one venture and just received a capital one venture x (woof $400 AF, cries). So I've been able to use those points for flights and thats been a real help. Credit card miles this year paid for a ticket to Jamaica, Arizona, Cancun, and South Florida. Thank you dear benevolent credit card overlords.
Vent over.