Hello; really loved the interaction with my first post, so thanks so much for that! I'll just reiterate: spoilers for all Star Trek, and everything is just my opinion.
900) Unnatural Selection (1989)
TNG 2x7
Writer: John Mason & Mike Gray
Director: Paul Lynch
We've seen this idea done before and better. Yeah, it's a little bit different this time: it centres around children genetically engineered to be free of disease (isn't that illegal in the Federation?). But the actual plot of the episode is little different from TOS' The Deadly Years, with Doctor Pulaski aging and trying to find a cure for the condition. An uninspired repeat of a TOS episode that wasn't even that good in the first place.
899) We'll Always Have Paris (1988)
TNG 1x23
Writer: Deborah Dean Davis & Hannah Louise Shearer
Director: Robert Becker
Bored me stiff. I'm not always a huge fan of time travel stuff in general, and this is one of the least dynamic uses of that story type I've ever seen. Picard also has some weak character development, in his reminiscence about the girlfriend he left behind to join Starfleet, after he runs into her in this episode. The resolution with Data is fine, though, and I do like that they used him, as somebody less affected by the Maddox Effect, to solve the problem. Functional, just really dull.
898) Angel One (1988)
TNG 1x13
Writer: Patrick Barry
Director: Michael Rhodes
I will say that, as a teenage boy and as a young man now, this episode did give me empathy for what women go through in real life: being dismissed as weak and soft and barred from meaningful work. Beyond that, however, this episode really says nothing. It feels like it wants to be a deep and compelling exploration of gender roles, but apart from that feeling of empathy it gave me it doesn't accomplish anything of the kind. It's just a rote story about an oppressed section of society trying to combat their oppressors, and Riker saves the dissidents from being executed with a dull speech.
897) Silicon Avatar (1991)
TNG 5x4
Writer: Jeri Taylor, story by Lawrence V Conley
Director: Cliff Bole
Oh, just what I always wanted: the return of the Crystalline Entity from Datalore! Most anticipated villain return ever! But seriously, this could have been an interesting episode exploring a decent creature, but all that ends up happening is the Enterprise chasing the Crystalline Entity while Data has conversations with the mother of one of the victims of its attack on his colony. I will say that her hatred of Data got some genuine emotion out of me, as I raise my hackles against anyone who dares attack that loveable android, and seeing her come round to him was reasonably satisfying. But I still wasn't intrigued by their conversations, or the story of her seeking revenge for her son's death. The actual murder of the Crystalline Entity was done with a decent weight, but the episode takes forever to get there, through a slog of boring conversations and virtually no emotional investment for me.
896) The Outrageous Okona (1988)
TNG 2x4
Writer: Burton Armus, story by Les Menchen, Lance Dickson & David Landsberg
Director: Robert Becker
An aimless, artless story of a rogue caught between two fathers hounding him for his misdeeds. I don't find Okona amusing or charming, so his heavy presence in the episode doesn't do anything for me, and the story surrounding him is weak too. Data's stand-up comedy stuff is quite funny; Brent Spiner plays it brilliantly. I particularly enjoy the scene where he's trying out his act on Guinan, and it's just so bad. Also love Whoopi Goldberg's delivery of 'No' after Data asks her if his act was good. But this B-plot has only a flimsy connection to the main story, and therefore its presence leaves the end product feeling messy as well as weak.
895) Bounty (2003)
ENT 2x25
Writer: Hans Tobeason, Mike Sussman & Phyllis Strong, story by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
Director: Roxann Dawson
An A-plot and B-plot that are both very bad. The story of Archer getting kidnapped by a bounty hunter is rote and uninspired, and definitely feels like it was one of the last ideas the writers came up with for the season. They were just filling time with a poor sequel to the earlier episode Judgement. His interactions with the Tellarite do not interest me at all, and I do not care about the Tellarite's lost ship. The B-plot with T'Pol prematurely going through the Pon Farr sees some of the worst sexualisation of the character, plus some cringey dialogue between her and Phlox. Archer's ending escape from the Klingons, with the Tellarite's secret help, is solid, though.
894) The Omega Glory (1968)
TOS 2x23
Writer: Gene Roddenberry
Director: Vincent McEveety
Goes from mundane to insane. For much of its runtime I would give this my label of dull but functional: there's a rogue Starfleet Captain trying to discover the secret to eternal youth on a pre-warp planet, and there's a lot of fighting with some of the savage natives. It's all very boring... until the last quarter.
It gets revealed that this is (yet another) TOS Season 2 Earth parallel, with the savages representing the US and the village people the Communists. There is no explanation given for how the aliens ended up with all the exact paraphernalia of that time on Earth, from the US flag to the American Constitution; it's all just ludicrous.
The crowning weirdness of the episode is Kirk's lauding of the American Constitution as the greatest thing ever invented. Now, I don't just not like this because I'm English; I would feel the same if the British (unwritten) Constitution was being lauded like this. I consider myself a pretty patriotic person, and I believe that every country has equal reason to celebrate themselves, but I feel it is utterly inappropriate in Star Trek for any one country or group to be held up as the ultimate shining example of civilisation. This is because Trek is meant to represent a future where everybody's come together under one banner. There's a lot to praise about the American Constitution, but it's inappropriate for it to be held up as the 'One True Way', if you will. Kirk's final admiring look at the US flag is so cringeworthily saccharine. So, yeah, this episode is boring for most of its runtime, and it certainly isn't in the end... it's much worse.
893) The Muse (1996)
DS9 4x21
Writer: Rene Echevarria, story by Rene Echevarria & Majel Barrett-Roddenberry
Director: David Livingston
The DS9 Lwaxana Troi episodes are largely not a good time, and this is the absolute worst of them. The story of her pregnancy feels so hammy and forced, and the drama with her and Odo doesn't interest me at all. She also doesn't feel like she has much of a presence in the episode, which is shocking given how she came on so wonderfully strong in TNG. The other plotline with Jake is also uninteresting. It's at least not as bad as the Lwaxana storyline, but it's still so very uninspired (you see what I did there?). Annoyingly our last Lwaxana appearance; they really should have stopped her episodes after TNG's Dark Page; that was the perfect ending for her character.
892) When the Bough Breaks (1988)
TNG 1x16
Writer: Hannah Louise Shearer
Director: Kim Manners
Gene Roddenberry did like his kiddie episodes, didn't he? The idea of 'Atlantis-but-a-planet' is interesting, but the episode wastes the concept on a tiresome kidnapping story. The kids are fine I guess, but I'd also rather not be watching them. Wesley feels kinda out-of-place among them, to be honest, considering how noticeably older he is. I will say that Picard's reaction to the abduction: 'You have just committed an act of utter barbarity!' is a superb bit of acting from Stewart, but other than that there's nothing else I'll praise about this outing.
891) Pen Pals (1989)
TNG 2x15
Writer: Melinda M Snodgrass, story by Hannah Louise Shearer
Director: Winrich Kolbe
This always feels like a short to me, despite its forty-five minute length. No time is spent building up Data and the alien kid's relationship; we just see the kid's first communication, then jump into Data confessing to Picard he's been in contact with a pre-warp individual. So I have no investment in this relationship, which is a shame because Data-plus-kid had the potential to be really sweet. They just didn't put the legwork into it. The resolution is fine.
890) Unforgettable (1998)
VOY 4x22
Writer: Greg Elliot & Michael Perricone
Director: Andrew Robinson
Got to be the most ironic title in Trek history, since this episode is extremely forgettable. It's also mind-numbingly boring: Trek does not have a good track record with single-episode romances, and this has got to be one of the worst. I feel zero connection to the guest character and zero investment in her relationship with Chakotay. The idea of a species that you forget after they've been gone for a while is intriguing, but it is wasted on this insipid romance. This was one of the longest forty-five minutes I've ever sat through.
889) Transfigurations (1990)
TNG 3x25
Writer: Rene Echevarria
Director: Tom Benko
Speaking of dull one-episode romances, here's another one. The idea of a species going through a butterfly-like transformation, that is feared and suppressed by the authorities, is again intriguing. It reminds me of the Jon Pertwee Doctor Who story The Mutants, if anyone's watched that, except it's done less well. Again, the good concept is wasted on a boring romance, this time between Beverly and her patient. This is another one that feels much longer than forty-five minutes.
888) Bread and Circuses (1968)
TOS 2x25
Writer: Gene Roddenberry & Gene L Coon
Director: Ralph Senensky
At this point in TOS Season 2, I just thought: 'Really, Mr Roddenberry? Another Earth parallel? I know you like them, but this is getting ridiculous!' Not only is this a tired repeat of an already done idea, but no explanation is given for why this planet parallels the Roman Empire. In A Piece of the Action and Patterns of Force clever reasons were given, but in this it's just presented as a weird fact. That doesn't fly with me.
And even if they had come up with another clever explanation, they have done this idea, which I don't like very much anyway, way too many times this season. I did have some minor interest in the concept of a Rome that never fell, but not enough to sustain me for fifty minutes. Boring and uninspired to the highest degree. I will say there's one really great scene between Spock and Bones in a prison cell, though, when Bones confronts Spock about how he keeps all his emotions carefully concealed.
887) How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth (1974)
TAS 2x5
Writer: Russell Bates & David Wise
Director: Bill Reed
Similar to Who Mourns for Adonais?, in that it gives us an omnipotent alien, who was once worshipped as a God on Earth, and has returned to take charge of his wayward children, only to ultimately discover they don't need him anymore. This is a much weaker version of that story, however, with a less sympathetic godlike character and less runtime to flesh out the idea.
The episode also takes a weird swerve halfway through, from the setting of Kukulkan's city (a nice location, I must say) to his zoo, which I find much less appealing. This episode had an idea, but it wasn't quite sure how to tell the story. Kukulkan genuinely scared me a little, though, and I did feel sorry for him when he flew off, knowing that his former worshippers had outgrown him. But again, that was done better in TOS.
886) Resurrection (1997)
DS9 6x8
Writer: Michael Taylor
Director: LeVar Burton
Michael Taylor is a curious writer for me. He has written both some of my favourite and some of my least favourite episodes, with little middle ground. This falls hard into the latter category. It's interesting to have someone from the Mirror Universe cross into the Prime Universe, rather than the other way around as normally happens, and it's doubly interesting to have that someone be Mirror Bareil. But the episode falls flat on its face: every scene is just so interminably dull, and, unlike his Prime Universe counterpart, this Bareil has no chemistry with Kira. So boring, so pedestrian, and the absolute worst of the DS9 Mirror Universe episodes.
885) The Paradise Syndrome (1968)
TOS 3x3
Writer: Margaret Armen
Director: Jud Taylor
I think this is the epitome of functional but dull. The story makes sense, the characters' motivations make sense, but that doesn't mean the episode is interesting. I do like the idea of the Preservers, beings who transplanted members of endangered peoples, here the Native Americans, to other planets, but the episode flops. Kirk's memory loss leads to a yawnworthy stay among the Native Americans, filled with predictable tensions and conflicts, and a bland romance. The Spock and Bones B-plot is also boring. I feel a little something for Miramanee's death, but only a little something.
884) Assignment: Earth (1968)
TOS 2x26
Writer: Art Wallace, story by Gene Roddenberry & Art Wallace
Director: Marc Daniels
Star Trek without the Star Trek. Deciding not to focus on the main characters for an episode isn't a bad idea in and of itself, but the characters put in their stead hold little interest for me. The same is true of the plot they work within. This was of course a backdoor pilot for a spin-off that never manifested, and maybe if it had come about I would like this episode much more, but as it stands I find the characters unintriguing and the plot uninspired. The climax is particularly poor, with about seventy different shots of the rocket going into orbit, while the characters mill about and do very little. I want me my Kirk, Spock and Bones back.
883) The Red Angel (2019)
DSC 2x10
Writer: Chris Silvestri & Anthony Maranville
Director: Hanelle M Culpepper
Down here for the same reasons as previous DSC Season 2 episodes I've put on this list. It engages heavily in the twin foul-ups of the Spock's sister storyline and the Section 31 portrayal. I hate the base concept of Burnham being Spock's sister, for reasons I've explained in my previous post, so I despise all their scenes together, that build out this relationship that I wish had never been. And Section 31 continues to be portrayed as a public wing of the Federation, with ships and resources provided by Starfleet, which is godawful.
I will say, however, that I do kinda like the sequence where Burnham has to strap herself to a chair and bare herself to the planet's toxic atmosphere in order to summon the Red Angel. And the reveal that the Angel is not herself but in fact her mother is cool. But this is still a really bad episode.
882) The Storyteller (1993)
DS9 1x13
Writer: Kurt Michael Bensmiller & Ira Steven Behr, story by Kurt Michael Bensmiller
Director: David Livingston
A really messy, weak outing. The A- and B-plots have nothing to do with each other, which isn't automatically bad, but here it just makes the episode feel untidy. Of the two, I prefer the Jake and Nog subplot; it's funny seeing them mooning over the female teenage leader of a settlement who comes to the station. Their getting in trouble to impress her is charming. The A-plot sucks, though: the whole business of O'Brien having to become the protector of this village, from an amorphous cloud villain, is just lame, and the resolution is whatever. It is funny to see O'Brien and Julian in their first episode together, though, and witnessing how much O'Brien doesn't care for the good Doctor at this point. Oh, how times will change.
881) The Arsenal of Freedom (1988)
TNG 1x20
Writer: Richard Manning & Hans Beimler, story by Maurice Hurley & Robert Lewin
Director: Les Landau
A ramshackle adventure with a medley of different storylines, all of which are underwhelming. The best is Geordi's plotline, where he asserts himself as commander of the Enterprise over the *rsehole Chief Engineer of the week, but the other two don't really have any redeeming qualities. The Riker and co storyline is repetitive and the Picard and Beverly storyline is dull. I do like that the threat is resolved when Picard agrees to make a purchase from this dead civilisation, though.
880) Move Along Home (1993)
DS9 1x9
Writer: Frederick Rappaport, Lisa Rich & Jeanne Carrigan-Fauci, story by Michael Piller
Director: David Carson
OK, so I said this wasn't the worst of DS9, but it's still really bad. Though I have to say that, after I watched this with my siblings last year, and had such fun doing so, I've never been able to see it quite so badly. It's bad, yeah, but it's so, so much fun. The best-worst bit is of course the alien hopscotch scene, and I also really have to give credit to Alexander Siddig for playing some brilliant cringey comedy with Julian. The scene where he's trying to wake himself up from a nightmare by screaming? So funny. These (sort of) praises made, this is still a stinker of an episode, with a messy plot, too-silly events, and some serious overacting from Armin Shimerman at the end. Definitely something best watched with friends or family.
Allamaraine, count to four,
Allamaraine, then three more,
Allamaraine, if you can see,
Allamaraine, you'll come with me!
879) Justice (1987)
TNG 1x7
Writer: Worley Thorne, story by Ralph Wills & Worley Thorne
Director: James L Conway
I love the basic idea of this episode: Wesley runs afoul of a law on another planet and is sentenced to death by their draconian justice system. Then Picard has to struggle with whether to obey the Prime Directive or save his life. But the episode is dragged down by some weird costuming choices and, most of all, the addition of an omnipotent entity that watches over the planet's people. This should have just been an episode about Picard struggling between duty and conscience; the addition of a mega-powerful being steals screentime from this fine idea.
878) A Simple Investigation (1997)
DS9 5x17
Writer: Rene Echevarria
Director: John T Kretchmer
Uuuuugh; another boring single-episode romance. It's an interminable chore to sit through, from beginning to end, with tired, uninspired romantic scenes and an unexciting criminalistic plot surrounding the Orion Syndicate. I also don't like how the Changelings' linking is equated with sex in that one scene. There are a few fun scenes with O'Brien, Julian and Jadzia when they're playing the spy holosuite program (Jadzia's 'Ooh, somebody stop me!', or O'Brien's 'Hi, Odo!'), but that's about it.
877) Such Sweet Sorrow Part Two (2019)
DSC 2x14
Writer: Michelle Paradise, Junny Lumet, & Alex Kurtzman
Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi
DSC wasn't merely content to introduce a sister for Spock who weakened the story of his childhood and family life. They had to make that sister so important in his life that he'd be willing to go with her into the future and leave his life behind. I hate that Kurtzman and co made this decision, as it makes everything in TOS, SNW etc feel like Spock settling for second-best, when in reality he is fulfilling his life's purpose in those series.
I also never connected with any of the DSC original characters, except for Saru, and even with him I don't feel any emotion at their grand final 23rd Century adventure to stop Control. As I've said before, this evil sentient AI story is a tired, repeated idea, and its connection to the terrible portrayal of Section 31 makes it worse. As a result of all this don't give a single crap about any of the grand-scale action in this episode, and I feel nothing for the loss of the Discovery crew to the far future. I will say that this episode did at least propel DSC into the 32nd Century, which would end up saving the series from being irredeemably awful, and it sets up the phenomenal SNW (although we didn't strictly need all this for SNW to work).
876) Vis a Vis (1998)
VOY 4x20
Writer: Robert Doherty
Director: Jesus Salvador Trevino
A vapid story about Tom feeling dissatisfied with his life on Voyager, and getting replaced by a shape-stealing alien. The concept for the alien is solid, but the execution doesn't fly. It ends up being a limp episode that drags quite a bit, with a bland character arc for Tom at its centre. Shoutout for the appearance of Dan Butler as the alien's main form, though; he played the testosterone-fuelled Bulldog Briscoe in my favourite comedy, Frasier.
That's it for now. Thank you very much for reading, and Live Long and Prosper!

Quotes About Adventure

1. "Life is an adventure, not a guided tour."

2. "The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask."

3. "Adventure awaits where the pavement ends."

Quotes About Exploration

4. "Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit."

5. "To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries."

6. "Exploration is curiosity put into action."

Quotes About Nature

7. "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

8. "Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."

9. "The mountains are calling, and I must go."

Quotes About Courage

10. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

11. "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."

12. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Quotes About Challenge

13. "The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

14. "Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

15. "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations."

Quotes About Freedom

16. "Freedom lies in being bold."

17. "Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit."

18. "The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage."

Quotes About Persistence

19. "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."

20. "Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement."

21. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

Quotes About Discovery

22. "The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams."

23. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

24. "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

Quotes About Camaraderie

25. "The joy is in the journey, not the destination."

26. "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'"

27. "The only way to have a friend is to be one."

Quotes About Resilience

28. "You are stronger than you think."

29. "Tough times never last, but tough people do."

30. "Fall down seven times, stand up eight."

Quotes About Passion

31. "Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."

32. "The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it."

33. "Do what you love, and you'll never have a problem with Monday."

Quotes About Independence

34. "Independence is happiness."

35. "Don't let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning."

36. "The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday."

Quotes About Vision

37. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

38. "Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."

39. "Believe you can and you're halfway there."

Quotes About Adversity

40. "Adversity introduces a man to himself."

41. "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."

42. "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths."

Quotes About Empowerment

43. "Empower yourself. You control your destiny."

44. "You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you."

45. "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

Quotes About Gratitude

46. "Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions."

47. "The more you are grateful for, the more you will have to be grateful for."

48. "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life."

Quotes About Achievement

49. "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

50. "Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm."

51. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Quotes About Exploration

52. "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."

53. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

54. "Adventure is worthwhile."

Quotes About Passion

55. "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

56. "Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls."

57. "Passion is the genesis of genius."

Quotes About Resilience

58. "The only way out is through."

59. "Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient."

60. "Life is tough, but so are you."

Quotes About Freedom

61. "Freedom is the oxygen of the soul."

62. "The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage."

63. "Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves."

Quotes About Adversity

64. "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain."

65. "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths."

66. "Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records."

Quotes About Courage

67. "Courage is grace under pressure."

68. "What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"

69. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

Quotes About Persistence

70. "Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time."

71. "Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm."

72. "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."

Quotes About Teamwork

73. "Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much."

74. "Teamwork makes the dream work."

75. "Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success."

Quotes About Determination

76. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

77. "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will."

78. "Determination today leads to success tomorrow."

Quotes About Inspiration

79. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

80. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."

81. "Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going."

Quotes About Motivation

82. "It's not about how bad you want it. It's about how hard you're willing to work for it."

83. "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success."

84. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Quotes About Success

85. "Success is not in what you have, but who you are."

86. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

87. "Success is not the destination, it's the journey."

Quotes About Adventure

88. "Adventure is worthwhile."

89. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

90. "The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams."

Quotes About Nature

91. "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

92. "The earth has music for those who listen."

93. "The mountains are calling, and I must go."

Quotes About Freedom

94. "Freedom lies in being bold."

95. "Freedom is the oxygen of the soul."

96. "The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage."

Quotes About Resilience

97. "You are stronger than you think."

98. "The only way out is through."

99. "Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient."

Quotes About Courage

100. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

Conclusion

Off-road adventures are more than just physical journeys; they represent the spirit of exploration, courage, and perseverance. These inspiring quotes encapsulate the essence of off-roading, reminding us to embrace challenges, seek adventure, and never lose sight of our dreams.

FAQs About Off-Roading Quotes

1. Are these quotes only for off-road enthusiasts? These quotes can inspire anyone who seeks adventure, challenges, and personal growth, not just off-road enthusiasts.
2. Can I use these quotes for my social media posts? Absolutely! Feel free to share these quotes on your social media platforms to inspire your friends and followers.
3. Are these quotes from famous personalities? Yes, some of these quotes are from renowned authors, adventurers, and thinkers who have embraced the spirit of exploration and adventure.
4. How can I apply these quotes to my everyday life? You can use these quotes as daily affirmations or as reminders to stay motivated, resilient, and adventurous in your pursuits.
5. Do you have any additional resources for off-road enthusiasts? Yes, there are many online communities, forums, and blogs dedicated to off-roading where you can find more inspiration, tips, and information about off-road adventures.Quotes About Adventure

1. "Life is an adventure, not a guided tour."

2. "The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask."

3. "Adventure awaits where the pavement ends."

Quotes About Exploration

4. "Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit."

5. "To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries."

6. "Exploration is curiosity put into action."

Quotes About Nature

7. "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

8. "Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."

9. "The mountains are calling, and I must go."

Quotes About Courage

10. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

11. "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."

12. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Quotes About Challenge

13. "The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

14. "Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

15. "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations."

Quotes About Freedom

16. "Freedom lies in being bold."

17. "Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit."

18. "The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage."

Quotes About Persistence

19. "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."

20. "Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement."

21. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

Quotes About Discovery

22. "The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams."

23. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

24. "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

Quotes About Camaraderie

25. "The joy is in the journey, not the destination."

26. "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'"

27. "The only way to have a friend is to be one."

Quotes About Resilience

28. "You are stronger than you think."

29. "Tough times never last, but tough people do."

30. "Fall down seven times, stand up eight."

Quotes About Passion

31. "Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."

32. "The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it."

33. "Do what you love, and you'll never have a problem with Monday."

Quotes About Independence

34. "Independence is happiness."

35. "Don't let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning."

36. "The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday."

Quotes About Vision

37. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

38. "Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."

39. "Believe you can and you're halfway there."

Quotes About Adversity

40. "Adversity introduces a man to himself."

41. "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."

42. "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths."

Quotes About Empowerment

43. "Empower yourself. You control your destiny."

44. "You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you."

45. "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

Quotes About Gratitude

46. "Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions."

47. "The more you are grateful for, the more you will have to be grateful for."

48. "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life."

Quotes About Achievement

49. "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

50. "Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm."

51. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Quotes About Exploration

52. "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."

53. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

54. "Adventure is worthwhile."

Quotes About Passion

55. "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

56. "Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls."

57. "Passion is the genesis of genius."

Quotes About Resilience

58. "The only way out is through."

59. "Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient."

60. "Life is tough, but so are you."

Quotes About Freedom

61. "Freedom is the oxygen of the soul."

62. "The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage."

63. "Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves."

Quotes About Adversity

64. "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain."

65. "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths."

66. "Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records."

Quotes About Courage

67. "Courage is grace under pressure."

68. "What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"

69. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

Quotes About Persistence

Hello, I'm a girl with multiple hobbies! I'm a Formula 1 fan (no, not a DTS fan, and I know what DRS does - nothing wrong with discovering F1 through Netflix imo though!), I speak a few languages (obviously English, then Italian, Latin, basics of Spanish and Portuguese, learning Dutch), I'm a university student, my major is classical studies (hence the Latin and Italian), I've started writing my first original book a few weeks ago (been a fanfic writer for years now), but I also play video games like The Sims, GTA, recently tried a bit of RDR, aaaand lastly I'm interested in mental health, but also in spirituality, manifesting (which for some people can't go together).
What am I looking for? Well, that's in the title. Looking for friends, nothing more. I've had my shot at online/long distance dating and it's just not my thing. I used to treat this stuff super seriously, but now it's just not for me, not interested in online dating anymore. I guess I'm not interested in searching for a partner in general, my astrology says my soulmate will find me when I go abroad. Also it mentioned something about self love. I love myself now, so all I need to do now is manifesting moving to Monaco or something lmao
Anyways feel free to shoot me a message, that's what this post is for!!

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Intro (Timestamp: 1:47) - Rachel: Welcome back to another episode of Rachel Goes Rogue. This is your host, Rachel Savannah Leviss. Today, we are talking about part three of the Vanderpump Rules reunion. - Rachel: It has finally come to an end, season 11. It's been a long time coming, and we're here to react. I have my producers with me, and as usual, they will be asking me some questions to get my perspective on what we just watched during the reunion.
Well, first of all, I want to start off with asking you just your overall thoughts on the reunion, watching it. How do you feel? (Timestamp: 2:19) - Rachel: Overall, I just feel tired at this point. I don't enjoy watching this show, and (Rachel starts to get emotional) I'm just happy that it's over. It was good that they didn't talk about me very much this last episode, part three. - Rachel: That's great, but it's been really difficult watching each week. And I feel like I can finally start to move on from all of this, because it's been really difficult. It was really heavy and sad. - Rachel: And I think everyone on that cast is struggling. And I would be too if I was there. I mean, I'm struggling just watching it from the sidelines, so I can only imagine what it's like being on that stage.
So you're getting really emotional right now. Where is this emotion coming from? (Timestamp: 3:28) - Rachel: It's coming from a place of feeling like I haven't had much room to go. Feeling like stuck between a rock and a hard place, so to speak. Because this entire time, I have been preparing for them to slander my name, to paint me in the worst light. - Rachel: And my goal with this podcast was to be able to represent myself, to defend myself, to share what I've learned through my time that I took away and my recovery, and just to shed more light on the situation. - Rachel: And it hasn't been easy. It's been an extreme rollercoaster of emotions in a lot of different phases, getting sucked back into it, and then feeling like all consumed by all the comments and everything, and then completely cutting off communication with the outside world and living in my own reality in the moment. It's all about that balance, and it has not been easy to move on. - Rachel: I don't think it's been easy for any of the cast to move on rehashing it and talking about it and having other people tune in. It's not typical. It's not normal. And the day has finally come that the show, season 11, is over, and it's a relief to me because I don't have to keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. - Rachel: I don't have to think about what lies they're going to spread about me, and I don't have to think about what I need to defend myself about. And then following week, I feel like I can finally start to live my life again.
And so you're kind of talking about the boundaries that you've been setting by staying away and cutting people off, which obviously boundaries was a really big topic at the reunion. You obviously set some really strong ones by not returning to the show. What's your take on this discussion of boundaries? Do you agree with Lala or do you side more with Ariana when it comes to boundaries when it's in regard to filming the show? (Timestamp: 5:40) - Rachel: I could see both of their points of view. Setting a boundary for yourself is not an easy thing to do. And when other people are upset that you set a boundary for yourself, that's usually a telltale sign that that person is using you in some way and is not happy that you have this new boundary because it's not serving them. - Rachel: So, I can see why Ariana upholded her boundaries by not speaking to Tom, even though she actually did film with Tom this whole season, or for the later part anyway. But she refused to have that conversation with Tom at the end of the show, and I commend her for it because it would have been a fake conversation. You could tell that Tom, his only motive to having that conversation with her is for camera purposes and storyline purposes. - Rachel: Therefore, it's not an authentic conversation. It would have been crocodile tears, the whole thing. And I completely understand Ariana walking away. I walked away too, and people weren't happy about that either. - Rachel: For Lala's point of view, I can understand her perspective in wanting to have a good TV show for her livelihood and the longevity of her career. If you're going to commit to filming, then I can see why Lala is upset, because you are not only committing to filming with this person, I can see her point in that she is living under the same roof as Tom. - Rachel: They're living together, they're filming together, yet in Lala's eyes, Ariana is being stubborn by not filming with Tom, or that one scene. Who even cares about that one scene? I don't know. - Rachel: It's all so silly to me, but boundaries are important. I was in a place where I didn't have boundaries, and I was really trying to appease production and put on a good show. That became my priority season 10.
And where do you think the line needs to be drawn, you know? When at the end of the day, this is a paycheck and this is a job, versus this is someone's real life. You've talked a lot about wanting to live in reality. Where do you think that line should be drawn? (Timestamp: 8:32) - Rachel: I think that's an impossible question to answer when you're filming a reality TV show, because the line is so blurry, it's impossible to know what's real and what's not. And the more I'm out of it, the clearer I can see that. We see it with Tom Sandoval when he talked about production. - Rachel: He did the New York Times article, and he stopped talking mid sentence when a plane flew over or a truck drove by, whatever it was, because the audio, typically when we're filming a show and a plane flies by, you stop talking so that the audio can pick up normally without the distraction in the background. - Rachel: So it's like programmed in your mind to think a certain way, to act a certain way, to talk a certain way, to pursue certain things, where it becomes a part of your patterning. We also see the lines get blurred with Scheana and the comment section, and what is real life and what is not, what is her own true motivation for doing certain things, and what is influenced by outside commentary. - Rachel: That gets so blurry, and when you're all consumed in the perception of yourself, how can you really be sure that you're operating from a place of an inner knowing? That's a boundary that's blurred. With Lala, she clearly prioritizes the success of the show because she wants to secure her paycheck, and when people are setting boundaries for themselves and it's conflicting with what she wants and what is successful in her eyes, that sparks an anger within her. - Rachel: And it's all fabricated to a certain point because the bottom line is this show. So, I think it truly is impossible to live a real life and be on a reality TV show.
So, do you think it's fair for Lala to direct that anger towards Ariana? Or do you think she should be directing it more towards the show? (Timestamp: 11:12) - Rachel: Oh, no, not at all. I don't think that it's fair that Lala is directing that anger towards Ariana because Ariana has been very clear with her boundaries since the very beginning and…
I guess if she's feeling this way, do you think maybe she should have upheld her boundaries more if she was feeling so resentful towards someone doing the same? Do you think she's feeling like she regrets things that she had said in the past? (Timestamp: 11:35) - Rachel: I think she did uphold her boundaries. I think that she feels like she hasn't been supported the same way that Ariana is being supported. And it's probably not a good feeling, but she maneuvered differently than Ariana has. And Lala doesn't extend the same empathy towards others. So it's harder to support her, I believe.
She does make a point to say, many times, that she feels like things are not being honest on camera. She points out Tom and Ariana’s relationship being one of those things. Katie has a flashback moment where she also calls it out. Do you agree that things are not always honest on camera? (Timestamp: 12:12) - Rachel: Totally. Yeah. I think the point that Lala is making is that Tom and Ariana haven't been honest about their relationship on camera. - Rachel: And I think people are getting caught up in Lala being hypocritical because she wasn't honest about her relationship with Randall. Okay, yes, that might be true. But the point is that Tom and Ariana haven't been good for quite some time. - Rachel: And their relationship that was portrayed on camera for fans to see was not an accurate representation of their relationship. I see the frustration because I agree with that too.
Even on your part, how does it affect you as someone on the show when people aren't fully honest on camera? How does that affect the rest of the cast? (Timestamp: 13:21) - Rachel: Yeah, it affects everyone when people aren't fully honest on the show. I mean, I wasn't fully honest the season 10 reunion. I was still covering up for Tom Schwartz. - Rachel: I was still covering up for Tom Sandoval. I was still going along with that narrative, and it would have been much better to just be open and honest about it. But of course, Tom was like, no, that wouldn't be good for business. - Rachel: It wouldn't be good for Schwartz and Sandys if people knew that the Schwartz kiss wasn't authentic and we need that to seem real. So it does affect everyone when you're not being honest, because it portrays a certain picture that isn't reality, and the whole point of reality TV supposedly is to be real, following these real people's lives. - Rachel: So honesty would be like the most important value characteristic you would think that everyone on this show should have. But it seems like nobody does.
Well, speaking of honesty, Ariana kind of called out Tom and his motives behind wanting to apologize on camera. He finally does get that moment during the reunion to apologize to Ariana. He has some words when he does, he calls the affair something he regrets every day. He says that he wears it like a badge of shame. On your end, how did that feel watching that? (Timestamp: 14:46) - Rachel: It's hard to tell if Tom is being honest or not. Even in the Secrets Revealed episode, when he was asked how many girls he had sex with since me, and he had to pause and think about if he was going to be honest or not, he's just been caught in so many lies that it's hard to tell if he's being truthful. - Rachel: But hearing Tom say that he regrets getting involved with me every single day, I regret it too, so it is a little bit painful, but it's also like maybe something is registering for him. - Rachel: I don't know. But then again, his actions speak a lot louder than his words. He knows what words to say, and then it seems that he fails to follow through with meaningful action. And that's where true amends come into play.
There was just, I feel like, a lot of pain in the room all around. You kind of acknowledged that at the beginning of this episode. What do you think that this pain, and even Lala saying that she was okay seeing some of those friendships end, what do you think that means for the future of this group? (Timestamp: 16:07) - Rachel: I don't see much of the future for this group. It looks pretty shattered. It looks like these friendships are not healthy friendships. - Rachel: The dynamic between Lala and Scheana is not a healthy dynamic. It seems to be like a power imbalance. It seems like Scheana is trying to appease Lala to make sure she's secure, and she's getting certain needs met in that friendship because Ariana hasn't been around for Scheana the way that she's used to. - Rachel: Yeah, you could tell that Scheana’s struggling with coping with that. It seems like Lala's really on a wavelength of not effing with anybody on the cast right now. It seems like her friendship with Katie isn't strong because Katie's gotten really close with Ariana. - Rachel: It seems like even her friendship with Scheana is a little rocky. I think she sees Scheana as someone that's not...How do I want to say this? - Rachel: And I hate saying this word, because I don't want to like categorize somebody as something, especially because I've been called this before too. But I think seeing how Lala reacted to everything and how Scheana was trying to be the fixer and appease Lala, and it just didn't seem like enough for Lala. I think Lala sees Scheana as someone who is weak, perceived weakness. - Rachel: I'm not saying that Scheana is weak. And I think that there's a lot of alliances and manipulation happening, and none of that is healthy for our friendship dynamic. I can see why the show is taking a hiatus, because it just seems so fractured
Well, it definitely seems like at the very end of the episode, Scheana was very sure to get that last word in. I felt like she was looking directly at Lala and almost begging for her to hear her out that she was on her side. And it really did seem like the very end, Scheana had to choose. Is she Team Ariana or Team Lala? Do you think she made the right choice? Do you think she needed to make a choice, or do you think that she's putting this pressure on herself? (Timestamp: 18:21) - Rachel: Ooh, that's a good question. I think she feels a lot of pressure from the outside perspective, and she doesn't want to, obviously, like burn bridges with Ariana or anything. And I think Ariana has been very gracious towards Scheana. Do I think that she needed to choose sides? I don't think so. I don't know. - Rachel: I can see Lala's frustration probably because I'm sure Sheena and Lala have had conversations about the whole situation. And without Ariana there, I'm sure Sheena's singing a much different tune than what we're hearing at the reunion, and that's sparking some frustration in Lala. And I'm sure that was a similar feeling when she called out Katie about it too. - Rachel: So yeah, I think that Lala feels pretty isolated, I want to say, in her feelings. And now that it's aired, and I did check Reddit for the first time in a very, very long time, it seems like the majority of people are hating on Lala right now. I'm human. - Rachel: I do hold some resentment towards Lala for the way that she's treated me over the years. I do empathize with her a little bit because all the hate online is just a little bit ridiculous. And I think also people are afraid to speak a differing opinion than the team Ariana side because people are just ruthless online and they don't want to hear a differing opinion. - Rachel: And if you do, then you get shunned out, too. It's very, my therapist calls it tribal shaming, where if you're not following the rules of the tribe, spoken or unspoken, then you're cast out and you're shunned.
***ads play and podcast resumes at 23:24
I mean, it does feel like the fans have had more of an impact on this season than ever. Would you agree with that? (Timestamp: 23:24) - Rachel: Yeah, especially because as they were filming this show, the fans were boots on the ground. We're going to production, we're going to filming, and we're going to take photos and document what we saw and all that stuff. Like it was very interactive in a way. - Rachel: I think with after show this year, it was a little bit different because some things have changed since the ending of filming last summer. One of the things was me starting my own podcast and speaking freely about my experience and my opinion and the after show gave the cast an opportunity to rebut what I was saying and it provided more of a context. - Rachel: And I think with more time passing from the end of filming last summer to, you know, early January, February of this year, when they filmed the after shows, cast dynamics shifted because as we all know, now watching the finale, Lala and Ariana did not end on a good note whatsoever. - Rachel: And so, you know, she had some choice of words to say during the after shows. And it seemed like she really got Sheena to support her with that.
Speaking about the fracturing of this cast, something about her did recently open. Not many cast members were in attendance to this opening. What's your take on that? (Timestamp: 24:56) - Rachel: Interesting. Do you know who went? - iHeart Lady: I know Schwartz went - Rachel: It seems a little telling that maybe Sheena and Lala aren't on the best terms with Ariana right now, because they went to like the Broadway opening that Ariana did for Chicago. And they also went to Dancing with the Stars. But this is all before they knew that she didn't watch the show. And so that was all before the reunion and everything. So yeah, it seems like maybe they're not on the best of terms right now.
What are your thoughts on production holding the last five minutes until the reunion to show to everyone? (Timestamp: 25:47) - Rachel: I wonder if they got word that Ariana wasn't watching the season. And they did that as a way to ensure that they would get a reaction from her, kind of like forcing her hand a little bit, forcing her into a situation that she did not want to be in. It was very strategic in that way. And it was something new. Like, we've never done that before. It was creative, for sure, on production's part.
Do you think it was fair to Ariana? (Timestamp: 26:27) - Rachel: There's a commitment, and part of that is watching the show and having an opinion on what's happening besides your own story that you're sharing. So in a way, it's like ensuring that Ariana did have an opinion on it. So very eye opening, to say the least.
I want your take on Tom's final words. He says, I love it. It's good for me. A lot of people in the room were very shocked by that. Tom even has a reaction to it, where he shakes his head no. They didn't even really press him on what he meant by that either. What's your take on all of that? (Timestamp: 26:49) - Rachel: I wish they pressed him on what he meant by that a little bit more. And Ariana was pretty much the only person that called him out on it too. She caught it. - Rachel: She was like, that exactly proves my point, that you are doing things for the audience, for the production value, and for his own story purposes. I guess in Tom's eyes, having Ariana refuse to film and walk off was good for him because he felt like he completed his job and fulfilled his duty with what production was asking from him. And Ariana was not. - Rachel: And I think selfishly, he probably thought that it would give him a better chance of having more of a redemption story. - Rachel: Because, ultimately, production is the one picking and choosing what they're going to share on the show and edit and put certain music behind certain scenes to make it seem even more of a certain way. Tom knows how to play into that. But I would have loved to hear what his explanation for that comment would be.
Why do you think they didn't press him? (Timestamp: 28:34) - Rachel: I think that they're protecting him, like they always have been.
We did see something interesting at the very end with Lisa stepping up and taking Ariana's side, which is kind of a different tune. You've talked about this before, where she seems to protect the guys a lot of the time, but then she changes her tune at the very end of the episode and takes Ariana's side. What are your thoughts on that? (Timestamp: 28:39) - Rachel: I think Lisa is very strategic with what she puts out there as well. And she knows what people are saying about her, with her always supporting the guys. So that could have been a motivation behind her changing her tune and supporting Ariana in that way. Yeah, I don't know. It's hard because I think also Lisa is very aware of who the fan favorites are. It's her show. - Rachel: She's an executive producer on this show. So she's not a dummy when it's coming to that. I think it helps her if she is supporting Ariana because she'll praise Ariana for walking away and end up holding her boundaries. - Rachel: But then when it comes to me, I don't even remember what she said about me. But when it comes to me walking away and setting a boundary for myself, I've been told that I'm a coward and I'm running away from my problems. - Rachel: So that part for me gets a little frustrating because it's like, and also the fans praising Ariana for upholding her boundaries and walking away and supporting her and telling her like, you know, she's outgrown this show. - Rachel: She should move on and do something even better with her life. And she's finding out now that these aren't her true friends and like good for her for upholding her boundaries and walking away from this situation. And I've done the same thing and it has been met with scrutiny.
Lala compares her situation with Randall to Ariana a lot throughout this reunion. Do you think the two are similar at all? (Timestamp: 30:37) - Rachel: I don't think that the relationship that Lala had with Randall is comparable to the situation that Tom and Ariana were in. It's hard to get on Lala's side with some of the things that she's saying, because the way that she spoke about her relationship with Randall is like bragging about doing BJs for PJs and getting gifted a Range Rover very early in their relationship and not being honest about who she was seeing and the situation that was happening basically. And it just seemed like she was in it for the money and like to secure her success and fame. - Rachel: So it's hard to get behind that, especially when she's been so outright about it. Unfortunately, Randall wasn't the stand up guy that she was selling him to be. We weren't buying it. - Rachel: In Ariana's case, viewers got to see that relationship develop over the years, whereas with Lala's, he wasn't around, like it was secret for a while. And, you know, it's harder to develop feelings towards a person or a relationship when you're not seeing it play out on camera. I think Lala has a lot of anger, maybe even towards herself, for the situation that she allowed herself to be in. And I think she might be taking that out on Ariana.
How hard is it to be really honest when you're in this position? And do you think certain cast members have an easier time doing this? (Timestamp: 32:22) - Rachel: So this is like where your own values come in. Like, are you an honest person or are you not? Because there are people in this cast that are not, and we know who they are, and they have no problem lying, and it doesn't bother them when they lie. - Rachel: And for me, I'm working towards living a more authentic, honest life. And part of that is being honest with my emotions, thoughts, and feelings, and expressing that, and doing that in a way that is still respectful, because I'm not trying to hurt people in the process. And I am trying to express myself honestly and be true to myself. - Rachel: So I think it just depends on who you're asking. I mean, it's definitely not easy. It's definitely hard because you're on this platform, this public arena where you're opening yourself up to scrutiny. - Rachel: And if other people have differing opinions than you do, or if your opinion is the minority, you're basically going to be harassed and scrutinized. And so sometimes for people, it's easier to not be fully honest with their thoughts and feelings in order to save face or in order to go with more popular opinion because it's perceived to be safer that way. But I don't know. - Rachel: At this point, it's like your words aren't going to hurt me. You can say whatever you want to say about me online, and I've survived this far. So whatever else you say about me is not going to affect me any more than it already has. - Rachel: I've developed thick skin through this process, and I've come to the point where I value my friendships that are real in the sense of I interact with these people in real life. I care more about people's perception of me when they actually meet me and interact with me and the vibes I give off that way. So you get to a certain point where it's almost your duty to show up for yourself and be honest with how you feel and how you think about a certain thing in that moment. - Rachel: And your opinions can change with time too and with more information. It's not like I'm going to say this one thing and I'm always going to feel this way. It's always changing, it's always developing, we're always getting more information, and we're always experiencing new things that change our perspective on life. - Rachel: So it's just your duty to represent yourself in the most authentic way so that your people will find you.
***ads play and podcast resumes at 38:08
Well, I think there was one kind of shining moment, I'll say, even though it was a really emotional moment. But the moment between, and this is a little bit of a pivot, but the moment between Schwartz and Katie, I found really interesting, where Andy was asking about their relationship. It seemed like this season, they had a little bit more of a playful dynamic. But Schwartz gets really emotional, saying that he doesn't regret how their relationship ended. But you can kind of see in his eyes that he tears well up. He gets really emotional. What did you make of that moment? (Timestamp: 38:08) - Rachel: We don't think we've really seen a moment like that between Tom, Schwartz, and Katie. It really seems like they've come to terms with how the relationship ended, and that it was for the best. But it seemed like there was a lot of fond memories and just appreciation for one another, that I don't think I've really seen that dynamic between them before. - iHeart Lady: To me, it seemed like in a season where there was a lot of hurt, that seemed like the one moment of maybe seeing two people that are going through the process of healing. - Rachel: Viewing that, it did seem like they were both coming from a place of healing, because they weren't throwing insults at each other or trying to bring each other down. It was very respecting one another and appreciating the moments that they did have together while it lasted. And that's refreshing to see on this show.
Lala said something at the very end where she said it was really hard for her to show up to season nine reunion, I believe it was. You know, she didn't want to talk about certain things, but she showed up. Ariana said the same thing where she could say the same about the season 10 reunion. She didn't want to be there. You could probably say the same thing about the season 10 reunion. You didn't want to be there as well. Is it fair to say everyone's been in a position where they didn't want to be somewhere, but they did anyway? (Timestamp: 39:44) - Rachel: 100%. Yeah, totally. And that's like the part of committing to this show. It's a commitment. And even though you don't quite know what you're signing up for, you know that it's not going to be necessarily easy. And there's a challenge in that. - Rachel: And I think, just speaking for myself, there was an opportunity for growth for me in that. Yeah, I think we've all been in a situation where we didn't want to show up for something and felt, I don't think obligated is the right word, but we made a commitment to being there, and we followed through with our commitment. And it's hard.
You started this episode off by acknowledging that there was a lot of healing that this cast needs to do. As someone who has taken a step back from filming, you've had this time to kind of come back to your own reality. What can this cast expect when you have that moment to kind of breathe and have that separation and you rejoin reality for a minute? (Timestamp: 41:07) - Rachel: Oh, okay. That is a loaded question. Because I think that there's a little bit of fear with not being the current topic of conversation. - Rachel: I think addiction is the wrong word, but there's a little bit of the dopamine hits that you get when you're being talked about on a reality TV show and the fear of that going away permanently could be a scary thing. But taking time off and re-centering with yourself, I think is like the best thing for this cast right now, because we don't want to be forced into situations that we don't want to be in. That's not living an authentic life. - Rachel: I mean, I've been worrying about scenes and storylines, and I haven't even been a part of this show, but now it feels good not to worry about that. And I do have to say, just like reading all the comments on Reddit right now, it's like hardly anybody is talking about me, which is a great feeling. It's just so much more freeing when you're not living your life for somebody else's entertainment anymore. - Rachel: It just feels like you get your life back a little bit. It's so complex, and I think it's hard to understand if you haven't been through being on a TV show for millions of people to comment on and judge your life. I don't think humans are meant for that, and there's no way that that's healthy. - Rachel: Yeah, I said that I think the cast, we have a lot of healing to do. We, as in, I still do too, and part of that is coming back to reality. And I really don't think that we've had a minute this whole season. I think it's going to be good for everyone.
Has this year though felt different to you? I feel like you're like half in, half out (Timestamp: 43:42) - Rachel: Oh, yeah, it's felt so different. But I think like a large part of that has to do with going to the meadows and really reconnecting with myself and learning about my issues and how it was showing up for me and really coming to terms with like, what is this piece of external validation and how is that motivating me? And is it even real? - Rachel: And just like really re centering back into myself and gaining a lot more perspective with that. Without the meadows, I would not be where I am right now. There's no freaking way. So it is. I'm living a new life. I really am. - Rachel: And I feel like I haven't really been able to truly have the opportunity to live my new life to the fullest because this show has been holding me back. And I know that that's partially my fault too because I'm indulging and speaking about it, but I'm really looking forward to the days when I can truly move forward and evolve into something even more magnificent.
Outro (Timestamp: 45:02) - Rachel: Thank you so much for listening to Rachel Goes Rogue. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok for exclusive video content at Rachel Goes Rogue Podcast.
***end

My solo indie game just reached the 10000 wishlists last week (10484 to be exact). I never thought I could reach that number on my own without a proper marketing team, budget or big following.
I'd like to share with you what worked and didn't in the hopes it can be helpful to you too.
Disclaimer: I did sign with a publisher two months ago, and while they are already working on marketing stuff, nothing has been published yet. Those numbers are 100% from my own "marketing" efforts. There are people way better at this than me! I'm just sharing my experience here and I'll let you judge if it's helpful. Some things that did not work with me might work with others (and vice versa)!
Let's sort what worked out the best for me. Steam Events > Influencers > Reddit > Twitter > Devlogs (I can't put image on this subreddit, but you can take a look at my wishlist graph with key notes on my original free patreon post)
It might sound obvious, but take the time to check your wishlists regularly, especially whenever you're trying to give visibility to the game with a post/video/announcement/mail. It will allow you to know what works and doesn't. I usually check out youtube and twitch for gameplay videos or press articles whenever there's a bump while I'm not in an event or did not post anything.
Keep posting stuff on social networks. I know it takes time for a small reward, but it's good to have those regular wishlists. It also shows development is alive and you never know when it will reach an influencer or press. When I stopped sharing my stuff for a while, wishlists completely dropped, I was even loosing some everyday! Reddit is harsh, but very rewarding.
I publish devlogs on my youtube channel. I got ~200 wishlist from more than 100k views that took me weeks of work. I don't think publishing devlogs is an efficient way to promote your game, UNLESS you go viral or that your videos also target players by being more accessible without too much technical stuff (mine are definitely targeting game devs for now). I'm only speculating here, but I think game developers are mostly interested in learning from your journey than actually wishlisting/playing your game compared to players which results in less wishlists. So do it only if it makes you happy and you want to share your journey (and be careful not to overwork while doing it)!
Influencers are great for 3 reasons:

1. They give your game visibility.
   
2. They give you feedback to make your game better.
   
3. They are usually keen to do it for free to help small indie devs.
   

Build yourself a press list: a list of press and influencer that might be interested in playing your game. Find their mails online, on their website, channel page or social networks. When you have something very interesting to show them (a new demo, event or announce) send them all a mail (but don´t spam them)!
Here are two accounts you should follow to get tips about how to properly reach to influencers (and other game marketing in general): Clemmy and Wanderbot (subscribe to their newsletters!)
Events are huge for wishlists. It's easy and it does not take time to submit and they are usually free. But there are two big issues with events:

1. You have to find them.

The best free place to find most events is on the HTMAG discord created by Chris (@AdventureMtn). There's also this amazing calendar with all the events (thanks to u/mreliptik for sharing this with me)!

1. You have to be accepted.

You need a demo, quality marketing assets to share and a good steam page. Again, Chris has some awesome tutorials (free and paid) to get a great steam page up. Consider supporting him if his tutorials helped you!
WARNING Do not submit your game to the steam next fest too soon like I did. You want to submit as late as possible, ideally just before your release. Each game gets one shot at the steam next fest, and the more wishlists you have going in, the more wishlists you'll get. I made that mistake because I thought I would release the game 2 months later (lol).
On a side note, you will have tons of wishlist deletions. Don't worry about it, that's perfectly normal (I won't lie, the first 1000 deletions still hit me hard though).
I think the best time to create your steam page is as soon you have a small trailer, screenshots and interesting description that do not look like a prototype full of placeholders. The sooner you have it, the sooner you start collecting wishlists! With the steam page also comes the whole steam community package, which is a plus to keep in touch with people who like your game. I don't really see any disadvantage in having a steam page early, but you might want to plan the communication around the page release to maximize visibility right away. Do not release it without telling anyone! When you demo is out, you can update your page and announce it everywhere too (try to give the exclusivity to a big showcase if you can!).
Things that did not work for me: devlogs, replying to influencers asking for games on twitter, using those spammy hashtags to promote your game (#wishlistwednesday etc...), posting uninteresting stuff about the game developement EVERY day, reposting the same content, posting on the popular subreddits, sharing my game on those "share your work" channel on discord servers, paid ads and plenty of other little things I wasted my time on because I was desperate to get more wishlists.
I hope this was was a nice read! Just to make this clear, this is my experience and it might work very differently for different type of games and game developers. If you'd like to try the game for yourself, you can play the demo on steam. And if you'd like to keep following my journey, you'll find all my links/socials/newslettepatreon stuff here.
Don't hesitate if you have questions, I'll do my best to find time and reply!

Got a question about JR Passes or IC cards (Suica/Pasmo/ICOCA/etc)? Read through the information below and feel free to ask additional questions in this thread! Please see here%20question%3F%22&restrict_sr=1&sort=new) for old versions of this megathread.

JR Pass Info

The nationwide JR Pass is a travel pass that allows train and bus travel for a fixed cost over a certain period of days on Japan Railways (JR) services. For a comprehensive source of information on the pass, check out our wiki page or Japan Guide’s JR Pass page.
The JR Pass can be purchased in one of two ways: * Online at the official site * Online from an authorized retailer (also often called a "third-party seller")
There is no way to be certain if a JR Pass will be valuable for you without knowing your exact itinerary and doing the math out. If you are trying to work out whether a JR Pass is the right choice for you, here are some calculators: * JRPass.com’s calculator * Japan Guide’s calculator * Daisuki calculator
As of October 1, 2023, the nationwide JR Pass and regional JR Passes have increased in price significantly. The price increase makes it so that there are very few itineraries that the nationwide JR Pass will be worth it for. For more information and discussion on the price increase, see this search result of prior discussion threads.

IC Card Info (Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA, etc.)

General Information

An IC card is a stored-value card used to pay for transportation in Japan. That means you can load the card with money and use the card to pay for trains, buses, etc by tapping the card at train station gates or fare readers. Even if you have a JR Pass or other travel pass, an IC card is recommended because it can be used across transportation systems operated by many different transit companies, as well as for payment at convenience stores, restaurants, shops, vending machines, and other locations.
For tourism purposes, there are nine major IC cards and all of them are completely interchangeable and usable in each other's regions, so it doesn’t really matter which one you get. Where you start your travels in Japan often dictates what IC card you get, since different IC cards originate in different regions, but then you'll be able to use it during most of your traveling, even if you move to a different region. For general information on IC cards, see our wiki or Japan Guide’s IC card page.

Physical IC Cards

Currently, sales of regular Suica, named Suica, regular Pasmo, and named Pasmo cards are technically suspended due to a semiconductor shortage (except children's versions and commuter versions). That said, there have been recent reports in early 2024 of people getting regular Suica cards at some stations in Tokyo.
If you are landing in/starting your trip in Tokyo, tourists can still get:

• A Welcome Suica at Haneda Airport (HND) or a Pasmo Passport at both Tokyo airports (HND and NRT) (Note: Pasmo Passport will be discontinued in August 2024, and may be subject to limited availability before then, based on supply)
• Possibly a regular Suica at some major JR East stations in Tokyo (subject to limited availability)
• Possibly a Toica IC card at the JR Central portions of Tokyo Station (Yaesu North Exit) and Shinagawa Station (Shinkansen North Exit) (subject to limited availability)
• A digital IC card (see next section for more information)

A Welcome Suica or Pasmo Passport acts exactly like a regular IC card, with two exceptions: it is only valid for 28 days, and it cannot be refunded. Please see this thread and its top comment for information.
If you are starting your trip in another region (e.g., Kansai, Kyushu, etc.), sales of their regional IC cards are unaffected by Suica and Pasmo shortages. Please see this page to identify which card you'll get, and it should be available at airports and train stations in those regions.

Digital IC Cards

If you are looking to get a digital IC card, please note that digital Suica, Pasmo, and ICOCA cards can only be used on iPhones, Apple Watches, or Japanese Android phones (this means the phone was purchased in Japan). For instructions on how to get a digital IC card in Apple Wallet, see here. You do not need the Suica or Pasmo apps (which are all in Japanese) in order to get a digital IC card. It can be loaded and used entirely through Apple Wallet.
Please note that not all credit cards work to load a digital IC card. Amex cards seem to have the highest success rate, but Mastercards and Visas can be flaky. Although Visa previously didn't work at all, as of December 2023, loading a digital Suica with some Visa credits cards seems to work, although not all of them. See this At A Distance blog post for more info and updates. It is not uncommon to not have any of your cards work to load a digital IC card, and if that happens, you might need to stick with a physical IC card.
Keep in mind that digital IC cards cannot be refunded (that requires a Japanese bank account), so you will need to burn down whatever value you’ve loaded onto them before the end of your trip.

IC Card FAQ

I have an old IC card from a previous trip. Can I use it on my upcoming trip?

IC cards are valid for ten years after their last date of use, so if you received the card and/or used the card in/after 2014, it’ll work.

Can more than one person use the same IC card for travel?

No. All travelers who want to use IC cards on transit need to have their own card. Most transit in Japan is distance-based, and the card is “keeping track” of your journey, and it can only keep track of one at a time.

Are there children’s IC cards? How do I get one for my child?

Children under six years old can ride transit for free. If your child is between the ages of six and eleven, you can get a children’s IC card from JR offices by presenting the child’s passport for proof of age. There are also Welcome Suica and Pasmo Passport versions for children. If you are getting IC cards at the airport, they are able to provide children’s cards.

Can I load money onto a physical IC card with a credit card?

No. Physical IC cards can only be loaded with cash, which can be done at ticket machines in train stations, convenience stores, and 7-Eleven ATMs.

I have a physical IC card and I want to transfer it to my phone. If I do that, can I still use the physical card?

No. Once you “move” the physical card to your phone and turn it into a digital card, the physical card becomes invalid. It cannot be used or reactivated.

I’m landing in Tokyo, but then I’m going to Osaka and Kyoto. Do I need a suica in Tokyo and then an ICOCA in Osaka/Kyoto?

No. Once you have one of the major IC cards, it can be used pretty much anywhere. There are some exceptions to this, but they are mostly on individual lines or in specific rural regions. If you are traveling to major tourism cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, etc., you are likely fine with whatever IC card you originally received upon arrival.

Should I buy an IC card online before arriving in Japan?

If you want to get an IC card online from a reputable vendor, there’s nothing wrong with that. Some of the authorized JR Pass website (as well as other websites targeted at tourists) will sell them bundled with other purchases. That said, there isn’t really any reason to get your card ahead of time. If you’re landing in Tokyo, the 28-day Welcome Suica or Pasmo Passport is good enough for most tourists. And if you do end up in the country for longer than 28 days, you can simply get an IC card from another region once you’re in one (such as the ICOCA from Kansai).

Help! I tried to load my digital IC card through Apple Wallet and the transaction didn't go through! What do I do?

To start, did you attempt to create it/load it overnight in Japan? The digital system goes down for maintenance from about 1am to 5am JST, so try again during Japan's daytime hours. Beyond that, Visa cards often cannot be used to load digital IC cards. Mastercards sometimes have issues too, depending on the issuing bank. Unfortunately, if you can't find a digital card + credit card combo that works for you, you may not be able to use digital IC cards.

Recent IC Card Threads

To see some recent discussion on IC cards, check out the following threads from our search results here.

In the 19, nearly 20, years I have lived my life, I was raised a Christian by American conservatives in a middle class environment and am fortunate to experience countless memories of joy, laughter, and growth with (mostly) everybody I have met. Each memory with the people in my life holds a special place in my heart, and I will forever cherish the bond we built.
The thing is that until the end of eighth grade, I had a strange obsession with East Asia. Looking back, it was very embarrassing and I condemn my parents for enabling me to become a weeaboo (by “weeaboo”, I mean “a person who is overly obsessed with East Asian culture, especially Japanese culture, to the point that they fetishize the culture in an unhealthy way”). I was the textbook example of a weeaboo who had a terrible case of “yellow fever” (sexual preference towards East Asians). Loving the image of East Asian culture without having any real idea what it stood for and seeing the East as a utopia, my fetishization of East Asia, especially Japan, was born out of the shame I have with the Western culture I was raised in. I never felt like I could fit in with my Western peers who I often looked down upon and did not want to be associated with. It got to the point that I became unsatisfied with my home town, my physical appearance, and even my closest friends. This combined with the surge in anime, K-pop, and other media on the internet really got me hooked and believing really fetish-y things about the Sinosphere. I hate being reminded of it and have tried to move on.
However, I am thankful for my exposure to Eastern culture, though it was through a very bastardized, Westernized lens. I am grateful for my exposure, even though it started out with something as intellectually undemanding as Vocaloid music (songs sung by a Japanese voice synthesizer). The best part about the exposure was that it helped me leave Christianity and join Buddhism at age 11, which greatly helped with my mental health considering I was experiencing suicidal thoughts since the age of 8. Though I had awful misunderstandings of Buddhism in the beginning and still do not really have a Buddhist teacher, I am glad that I have the resources to connect myself with other Buddhists and take refuge in the Triple Gem.
As I left my gross misconceptions of the Sinosphere behind back when I was 14 while still having a healthy interest in it, my eyes were eventually opened to perils which threaten not only the homelands of Buddhism (East, South, and Southeast Asia), but also the sustainability of modern humans. These two perils are Western culture and capitalist fascism.
The West exoticizes and misrepresents Buddhism and the culture of its home, the East, as a whole. I am ashamed to be born in a culture where this was encouraged, which I am worried could lead me to fetishizing Eastern culture again.
But what I know for sure is that the West’s hyperindividualism is harming people, both those whose lands are invaded and its own people. This combined with the West’s growing rejection of education, including that of the knowledge the West itself has given to the world for humanity’s benefit, makes it clear that it is lacking some of the Sinosphere’s cultural strengths. Everybody should hold collectivism and education to the same degree that the Sinosphere does, otherwise we would be left with an unsustainable society that would destroy itself.
There is nothing wrong with speaking Western languages, eating Western foods, watching (most types of) Western media, wearing Western clothes, and especially nothing wrong with using Western inventions, but we are now seeing that the West’s hyperindividualism and rejection of education is destructive and spreading like a cancer.
It is only Buddhists who make an effort to assimilate to the East (had they not been born into it) who can see the West with its hyperindividualism and uneducatedness, promoted by its creation of its spreading ideologies such as capitalist fascism and social Darwinism, for what it really is: a cancer. I can now see the direction the United States, the most populated and powerful country in the West, is going due to the rise of ultra-capitalism and/or fascism supporters.
Rarely the phrase “Western”, as in “formed by the combined foundations of Greco-Roman civilization and Western Christianity” (Gabbe), raised positive thoughts in my mind since I learned about it shortly after discovering Buddhism. “Western” when used in the context of medicine is an exception to this, but we are now seeing more and more Westerners dishonor the progress their ancestors made towards modern, mainstream, dare I say, Western medicine as they fall for anti-vaccine and anti-mask pseudoscience.
Nowadays, some who use the word in a derogatory context are uneducated reactionaries that bash anything and everything Western, yet hypocritically promote the Western political ideology of fascism. A strength that a majority (though now a decreasing number) of Western countries have is their progressivism, supporting scientific advancements, women’s rights, racial equality, and the LGBT+. However, this is not just becoming less common; being a progressive Westerner is not enough, not enough to end Western imperialism, to save the sacred truths taught to us by the Shakyamuni Buddha, or to empower the working class.
Although I never fully approved of Western culture after my weeaboo phase ended, my early teen self still ended up falling into the anti-social justice warrior side of YouTube that I now recognized hindered my understanding of what actually ruined my country, the United States of America. I still did not feel comfortable calling myself a Westerner but mainly because the West did not widely accept Buddhism and has several times in its history persecuted Buddhists. At the same time, I was deceived by a bastardized form of Buddhism common among Westerners (known as “secular Buddhism”, which picks and chooses aspects of the Buddha’s teachings instead of accepting them as a whole), so I was a bit more of the classic, stereotypical atheist neckbeard who fetishized the East up until 2020. Since then, my views became more progressive similar to those of American liberals and I denounced traditionalist Western beliefs, but like the average American liberal, I did not see Western culture, both traditional and progressive, as the peril I now see it. It was not until around the end of 2023 when I discovered the Western problem.
It was a slow burn that started with my discovery of Buddhists on the internet talking about how the West misrepresented Buddhism to appeal to “self-help” consumerists, Christians, and New Age followers. In the Westerner, I originally saw only a person who followed harmless customs, traditions, and other norms that came from a part of the world where Buddhism was not the dominant religion (if you could even call the non-theistic dharma as taught by the Gautama Buddha a religion). And so, I did not believe that Western civilization needed to fall for the safety of the dharma, let alone for its own people. After all, I thought to myself, the West has contributed so much to science and the modern world as we know it. I still believe to this day that there are no superior cultures and that each one simply has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, some of which are only subjective. However, while looking through Buddhist forums, I was shocked to hear about the West’s pollution of Buddhism and my knowledge on Buddhism skyrocketed as I learned that I fell victim to the Dunning-Kruger effect. I started reading sutras and immersing myself with Buddhism by listening to those who have much more experience than I do. There are hardly any Buddhists in my community and the only Buddhist center within reach is a New Kadampa Tradition meditation center (FYI: the New Kadampa Tradition must be avoided since it has a reputation for financially exploiting members and its monastics have allegations of drug trafficking and sexual abuse), so books and the internet are all I have left.
Practicing Buddhism in the West is nearly impossible without a community, without a Buddhist teacher, without any resources written by Eastern Buddhists. Reddit user u/Tendai-Student, a “lay Tendai Student [sic] with aspirations to become a Priest [sic]” states the following:
It is exceedingly challenging for a Westerner who is interested in Buddhism to find reliable information. Bookstores' Buddhist sections are rife with myths about the religion (we will come to some of these misconceptions below). Buddhism-related disinformation abounds in university classes. Misinformation about Buddhism abounds in publications with a Buddhist theme. Even Buddhism-related english-speaking [sic] Reddit boards are prone to carry false information.
Buddhism is constantly distorted in the same way: to make it more agreeable to Abrahamic faiths(especially Christianity in the west) [sic]. To imply that it is subject to Western standards, Western religion, and Western consumerism and materialism.
…Asian teachers are frequently excluded from English-speaking Buddhist places (meditation centers, university forums, periodicals). Asians make up the majority of Buddhists in the United States, despite the fact that popular images of Buddhism in the West make it appear otherwise. In the minds of Westerners, Buddhism is a religion of white converts. They don't even pay attention to the odd lack of Asians in some Buddhist areas. (u/Tendai-Student)
It is no wonder that I went through a phase when I was a weeaboo with “yellow fever”. The Westerner commodifies and commercializes these Buddhist practices and East Asian customs like they do with several other cultures. Its misuse and stealing of Buddhism is the worst because its teachings are for us to end suffering by ridding ourselves of the three poisons: greed, ignorance, and hatred (which the Westerner promotes).
My realization of this drew me away from the West, similar to when my obsession with the East began. The difference is that my interest in the East now is not because of a fantasy born out of misguidance, especially not a sexual one. I now know that there is more to the East than its pop culture. But I cannot help thinking that none of this would have happened and I would better understand Buddhism had I been born to and raised by Buddhists in East Asia, or even a majority Buddhist country in South or Southeast Asia.
However, the possibility of a cycle starting with a yo-yoing fetishization of the East makes me anxious. When I realized what I was doing at first was fetishization, I did further research and found out that the West is to blame for its portrayal of the East in its media. This in turn makes me denounce the West and brings me back towards my obsession with the Sinosphere, which could lead to more fetishization.
Despite this, I am glad that at the very least, my interest is more than just wanting to live a kawaii lifestyle, hoping to have a “submissive housewife who will look young forever”, or all that neckbeard squick. I do have to say that there is something else that is drawing me towards the Sinosphere, not to mention that it is the region where Buddhism is dominant (the same is true to a lesser extent with the Indosphere). Even though I am not a huge fan of tradition since I am very progressive, when a region’s culture gets something right, they get it right. In addition to Buddhist values, the Sinosphere holds education and collectivism to a high degree. It is no wonder I find their people so much more intelligent and caring than people from my culture.
It is common knowledge that countries such as Japan, China, South Korea, and Singapore have the highest average IQs. To add to this (unbeknownst to many), even less developed countries, e.g. Mongolia, with high Buddhist populations around the same region, have average IQs higher than developing and undeveloped nations outside the region. The most agreed upon reason for this is cultural factors rather than genetic or economic factors. To conclude, Buddhism combined with values in the East Asian cultural sphere creates the best “brains” to represent humanity, thus the West should make way for them, especially considering the East’s superior collectivism.
Of course cultures do not stay the same forever because they change over time. One big thing that is different now in the Sinosphere and Indosphere (the latter I am mentioning because it is where Buddhism came from, though it is not as dominant in the cultural region as it was) is that they are generally much more patriarchal and anti-LGBT+ than they were up until the last several centuries. However, Buddhism treats same-sex relations and being transgender the same as heterosexuality and being cisgender (preferring celibacy among monastics, though depending on the school of Buddhism, those in the monastic order may be treated as their birth gender, even if they are transgender), and in addition, the Buddha taught that women are just as capable of attaining enlightenment as men. Even outside of Buddhism, there are records of same-sex relations as early as the Shang dynasty in China and the temple walls in Khajuraho, India depict homosexual activity. As for feminism, China was matrilineal until the Han dynasty era, when Confucianism and filial piety became mainstream in the area, while India, home to over 100 different ethnic communities, has had a few matriarchal and egalitarian societies pre-European colonization. In the modern era, numerous people in the two cultural spheres are becoming more supportive of gender equality and the LGBT+, which in some cases may be due to Westernization (not that it redeems it) or simply the individuals’ progressive political views not influenced by Western culture.
What has stayed the same for the most part, besides Buddhism, is the Sinosphere’s and Indosphere’s value of collectivism in honor-shame societies and the former cultural sphere’s emphasis on education; this is what Westerners, as well as people all over the world, need for themselves. If the West is going to fall due to hyperconsumerism, late stage capitalism, and uneducated leaders, those living in the West would be better off joining Buddhism and assimilating to the East. Arguably, the best way to do this is to move to a majority Buddhist country, preferably one in the Sinosphere (its core countries being China, Japan, the Koreas, Taiwan, and Vietnam). Leave everybody you know from your home behind, especially non-Buddhists. Just to make things clear, Westerners are not necessarily evil and it is not their fault they were raised in a Western culture, but having these people in your life will hold you back from collectivism, quality education free of anti-intellectual quackery, and above all, understanding the dharma.
After you have left everybody in your life and started anew, you can immerse yourself in the culture. Again, abandoning Western food, media, clothing, and especially inventions and scientific breakthroughs is very unnecessary. Your main focus is reprogramming your mind to think like a person (specifically a Buddhist person) in the Sinosphere/Indosphere, utilizing the high educational standards, putting the collective over the individual, and taking refuge in the Triple Gem. Before moving, though, it is best to make yourself familiar with the customs and learn the language of the place you are moving to. To aid your assimilation, it would not hurt to start dating one of the locals who strongly identifies with the culture, regardless of their race. Someone living there who is not ethnically East, South, or Southeast Asian who is still very involved in the culture would be very helpful to your assimilation as one who is ethnically East, South, or Southeast Asian (I am clarifying this to discourage racial fetishization). This may be difficult as you would have to win over approval from their parents, let alone convince them to see you as another Easterner, but if you manage to do so, that would be fantastic. To make things easier, you could plan to move to a country where people treat women as equals and are relatively accepting of the LGBT+ so you would not have to worry about gender roles or whatever. Think of places in the Sinosphere such as Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, or if you are planning on going to the Indosphere (which is not too big of a step down) since they did give us Buddhism after all, Nepal and Thailand. Your most important goal, however, is to rewire your brain to think in a more Sinic or Indic way and be more in touch with Buddhism.
You can hardly consider yourself a Westerner if you manage to do so, being Western only in your country of origin (and possibly race as well). I am definitely not like those other “people” from the West who strongly cling to Western culture because they just do not understand. Western cultural merit is almost solely from the proxy of our ancestors’ inventions, scientific discoveries, and political revolutions. Considering that the West is being brought towards the wrong direction in the modern era, we should get out of there culturally, if not physically, until it all hits the fan.
If the West continues its defilement of the rest of the world, when it falls, it will bring it all down with it. We must not lose or else everybody loses.
This pressure has a good side; because the bigger the great threat becomes, the more we will push ourselves to assimilate and raise children to fight for us. Considering the infectability of Western anti-intellectualism and “main character syndrome”, how could our Western peers know better? Buddhism is not a proselytizing “religion”, so our best bet is eliminating the promoter of the three poisons, the Westerner (especially the Christian Westerner), from our own lives. How it will run to us as its society collapses under itself and we welcome it to assimilate but say “we told you so”! The older I get, the better I know the Westerner. The better I know the Westerner, the easier it gets to excuse hostility against them, especially from the Sinosphere.
From my perspective, the ones to blame are not the angry, low-middle class white males in the rural United States nor the boba conservative bananas and right-wing coconuts who suck up to the West’s biggest scum, but rather the ones who have brainwashed them to fall for chauvinism, reactionarism, and laissez faire capitalism.
Realizing this, I am now closely investigating the sources of these beliefs which make up the foundation of social Darwinism and, when combined with totalitarian thinking, capitalist fascism. This is after I noticed that these systems are unsustainable and would destroy themselves from the inside out. The slow, painful destruction of communities who fall victim to them are well known to me. If one looks carefully, they can see the consequences that have been unfolding since the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic. You may wonder: were the founders aware of this? My guess would be that they were not but were evil nonetheless because they were too selfish to think about the future, their descendants.
If this is the case, then it is the duty of us, the opponents of these ideologies, to spread the word faster than the ideologies are currently spreading in the West. It is hard for me to believe it is not the case considering that both Western political ideologies are fundamentally reactionary. Besides, I doubt they would want civilization as we know it to collapse.
I have a social Darwinist as a maternal uncle who sometimes meets with my parents, maternal grandfather, and younger brother and with his political conversations, often sourced from flawed studies, Russian news, and 4chan, I can easily study the principles of its theories. Both of my parents are also conservatives who support Trump and other immoral American politicians. Being raised by the two of them, I bet I could disguise myself as a Western right-wing traditionalist, maybe even a social Darwinist, since I know the way they speak, to whom they flock to, and how to make them give one their full attention. It would probably be easy to do this as some right-wing grifters can fool American right-wing audiences into thinking that they share the same beliefs (e.g. Thomas MacDonald).
Their kind are gullible because they do not listen to fact checkers and often do not do research to see if who they are listening to really practices what they preach.
Even though there are Westerners who are not like this, the West cannot coexist with Buddhism, let alone the cultures where it is dominant, as the West ruled by colonizing tirthikas and it will likely always be for as long as it lasts. And just because their culture is not as viable as the one founded on Buddhist, Sinic, or even Indic values does not give them the right to imperialize the rest of the world and bring it down with them. We can welcome the Westerner willing to change its ways, turn it into one of an Easterner, and have its culture go through a quick and painless demise, or the Westerner can continue its power trip, destroy everything it touches along with itself, and society will suffer a slow and painful death. This is what the conclusion that I have come to so far as I examine capitalist fascism and Westerners’ connection to it.
The Western doctrine of capitalist fascism rejects an aspect of maitrī, fulfilling beings’ basic needs, and substitutes it for a privilege towards the bourgeoisie and the exploitation of the workers’ labor (also known as Vergegenständlichung or “objectification”). Thus it denies the worth of the collective, only concerns itself with greedy individuals, and thus is immoral. Unlike what the non-Buddhist capitalist wants people to believe, all beings have an altruistic Buddha nature, but it is corrupted, being difficult to notice as it has only conditions without a beginning (listed in the Avijjā Sutta). Abandoning capitalism, both fascist and non-fascist, gives power to the people as it ensures a more guaranteed right to life instead of having not even one thousand billionaires own more than half of Earth’s population combined, more than each one of those billionaires could ever spend in their lifetimes.
Should the Westerner, especially one who pushes capitalist fascism, strengthen its grip on humanity, it can be said that it would make its own naraka.
And so I stand by my plan and encourage others to do the same because it is in the name of the Unsurpassable Enlightened One. By protecting our kind against the Westerner, we are defending the Triple Gem.
If it is not already clear, the disapproval I feel towards the societal values and prevailing norms of the West has led me to question my place in this environment. I believe that meaningful change can only be fostered if the West is put into its place and the Sino-Buddhist East motivates our minds.
In Vietnam, where the culture is predominantly Sinic with some Indic aspects and little European influence, we can see the promotion of quality education, collectivism, and Buddhism (practiced by a forgivable 15% of the population), very unlike the nearby country of the Philippines. In the Philippines, its citizens cling to the Anglo-Saxon and Hispanic culture brought to the country by American and Spaniard imperialists. The effects of this are very clear in their average IQs (Vietnam: 89.53 vs. Philippines: 81.64) and PISA scores (Vietnam: 1403 vs. Philippines: 1058). They are both developing countries in Southeast Asia that were colonized by the West, but because Vietnam kept its culture more pure and stuck to Buddhism (or at least Sinic philosophies), its people are better educated compared to the nearby Westernized countries in a similar economic situation.
In short, Westernization leads to the following:

1. The native culture becomes diluted
2. If Western thinking intrudes, mental degeneration takes hold of the native population and its society slowly degrades along with the West itself as it eats itself from the inside out

Those who cause this to happen must be stopped, especially those who endanger Buddhism. We must not wait for the fruition of their karma for their sacrilege of the Tathagata’s teachings because by then it would be too late, and even if it is instant karma, every bodhisattva’s job is to end suffering.
Those who spread the harmful ideologies bring themselves and others away from the Buddha’s word are polluting humanity by having them join their rat race that will only end in their own demise. They are leading to the ruin of many and thus, I do not consider them to be human but instead parasites.
There is a disgraceful Western belief that for a short amount of time was not held by the majority but is now very pervasive in the West and also is the foundation of reactionarism, chauvinism, and capitalism in all cultures. It says: “My individual rights matter the most and freedom means my right to violate the rights of others.”
This Western babble is followed by numerous all around the world and sows disharmony in societies where it becomes the norm. This idea provides basis for several types of Westerners, including but not limited to:

• the “Karen”; a middle-aged, entitled, often white and anti-mask/anti-vaccine female who makes trivial complaints
• the “Chud”; a racist, misogynistic, right-wing male (usually young) who browses 4chan everyday and has a high likelihood of becoming a mass shooter
• the dayangma (Hanzi: 大洋马); a sex-obsessed young adult Western female, majority white but sometimes POC, is conventionally attractive (to Westerners), sleeps around, and in some cases creates spawn that do not know their father(s)
• the angry white male; self-explanatory, right-wing and traditionalist (sometimes a social Darwnist or capitalist fascist), commonly rural, evangelical Christian and have never seen a POC before
• the “Trad Wife”; a prudish, sometimes uneducated, female who lets Western males walk all over it and raises spawn who are likely to become angry whites
• the New Agehippy; generally a teenager or young adult, a well-meaning but poorly educated white liberal or social democrat who misappropriates Buddhism and appeases Muslims
• the AmeriKKKan fathegrandfather; a middle-aged to elderly, chauvinist male with children, sometimes also grandchildren, and is unconcerned about social justice and similarly to the “Karen”, falls for pseudoscientific conspiracy theories
• the neckbearded otaku (Hiragana: おたく); a hairy white male with “yellow fever” and mediocre hygiene, for the most part subreddit/Discord server moderators who stalk and kidnap East Asian ladies (if not teenage girls)

The growth of these groups is evidence of the degradation of Western culture, showing that it must retire as the dominant culture and make way for the much more sustainable East. Once the manuṣya realm on Earth is completely tainted by the West, Buddhas can no longer arise in the world because the dharma would be known by nobody and the Vinaya are forgotten or destroyed.
The future generation will not remember the dharma unless we halt the growth of the parasitic culture that promotes overconsumption, hyperindividualism, and anti-intellectualism.
The Westerner has a remarkable contrast to the Sinic or Indic. The Westerner has a grasp on this world so strong with its weaponry since the 16th century, using force to disrupt the traditional lives of whatever native people it saw, safe for those in a few countries (even though some of those countries are still being Westernized). The Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish built colonies from the Americas to Southeast Asia. The kingdoms were blessed with powerful militaries, strong economies, stable governments, and advanced technology that allowed their cultures to spread. But after half a millennium and looking back, was any of this really earned? And is the Westerner’s conquest over yet?
Since the Great Schism of Christianity, the Westerner trained itself for roughly one thousand years. It trained itself in several aspects, but it forgot an important piece, the dharma. The cunning Westerner, blessed with advancements, used them to tyrannize other peoples on a scale never before seen. This was the beginning of the Latter Day of the Dharma. The dharma is declining because of the savage Westerner. And so, it leeched off of any people it got a hold of, including predominantly Buddhist peoples. Even during the decolonization of the 20th century, fundamentalist Christianity spread and threatened the dharma. To make matters worse, previously Buddhist peoples clung to Christianity as taught by their colonizers; the French in Vietnam and the Spanish and Americans in the Philippines. To this day, the Philippines is a lost cause along with its majority Muslim neighbors in Maritime Southeast Asia. The cunning Westerner turned the Filipino against us and now Buddhists make up only 2% of the Philippines’ population. Now, the Westerner sees Buddhism as nothing more than an aesthetic, a self-help lifestyle, or a decoration that they can commercialize and cherry pick aspects to integrate into their religion or lack thereof.
It is excellent for someone from the West to learn the dharma as this will turn them into a more compassionate and wise person, but they must not enforce the Western gaze onto it and discard parts of the Shakyamuni Buddha’s words they do not like. To be fair, some aspects of Buddhism would be nearly impossible for a Westerner to understand unless they assimilate.
Buddhism is not materialist or blind belief without evidence and it belongs to the East, so stop pretending to be something you are not while pushing stereotypes of Asian Buddhists.
However, even though Buddhism is not materialist or very in line with the Western worldview, it is uniquely human. Walpola Rahula, a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and writer explains it this way:
Among the founders of religions the Buddha (if we are permitted to call him the founder of a religion in the popular sense of the term) was the only teacher who did not claim to be other than a human being, pure and simple. Other teachers were either God, or his incarnations in different forms, or inspired by him. The Buddha was not only a human being; he claimed no inspiration from any god or external power either. He attributed all his realization, attainments and achievements to human endeavour and human intelligence. A man and only a man can become Buddha. Every man has within himself the potentiality of becoming a Buddha, if he so wills it and endeavours. We can call the Buddha a man par excellence. He was so perfect in his 'human-ness' that he came to be regarded later in popular religion almost as 'super-human'. Man's position, according to Buddhism, is supreme. Man is his own master, and there is no higher being or power that sits in judgment over his destiny. (Rahula 3)
How could one even consider the Westerners who diluted Buddhism human themselves at this point? If it were not for them, Westerners may have a better understanding of the teachings of the “man par excellence”. We are lucky that the only Westerners who necessarily see us as inferior are white nationalists and fundamentalist Christians, otherwise the Westerner could have committed a genocide that would have left millions of us dead. Westerners are competitive beings, so they rarely act in concord towards each other. It is only when there is something that draws them together or away from a common danger.
If everybody on Earth becomes a Westerner, they would wallow in their shamelessness and would have nobody left to exploit except for each other until they destroy themselves.
Until they are the only ones left, they will vilify and exploit anything non-Western until they only have each other, then leading to a chaotic world of undignified militaries, economic inequality, corrupt governments, and little or no innovations.
Unless the Westerner considers even the slightest of inspiration from the East, it will continue to follow hyperindividualism and have apathy towards its education. That is why the West is falling. Those from the West who are smart enough to realize that the West’s flaws that it spreads are deciding that the West is not worth maintaining and its resignation is overdue. If those from the West abandon it to assimilate to the East, it would make the West’s death quicker but more dignified.
This is more than a fad but rather the realization that Western society would be best being a passing fad itself. The West gave us great inventions, food, clothes, scientific discoveries, etc. and once it is gone, the East can pick up where it left off just fine.
We will never abandon the Triple Gem because we recognize it to be more than a spiritual, exotic aesthetic or trend. To do so would make us just like those others in the West who Asian Buddhists look down upon. When the time is right, each and every one of us will surround ourselves with the people who know the dharma better than anyone you have met in the West and we can finally be at their level. We shall be Western only in our country of origin and/or race, but in every other way, we will be Easterners; Buddhist Easterners who will take back what rightfully belongs to us.
When we (and hopefully Buddhists outside of both the Eastern and the Western world) do this, consumerism will lose some of its biggest prey. Even though it may not seem like it at first considering we are abandoning everyone we have ever known, we are doing our ancestors a favor by joining the culture that strives towards the end of suffering. We will be leaving our cultures’ ways of thinking behind, but doing this will save face for our lineage, especially the Western lineage as we would be preventing the creation of more “Karens”, “Chuds”, dayangmas, “neckbeards”, and other degenerates. We will not be annoying dorky nerds and certainly not “neckbeards” who are overly obsessed with and fetishize the culture but people making an effort to get closer to the dharma and surrender to the East.
Although we are collectivists, we must seek personal liberation first for the good of other beings. Once the West collapses and its former supporters come running to us, we shall welcome them. If some do not recognize this before it is too late, well boo hoo! They will have a better birth with the world we will create. Some of them, especially their unlucky spawn, would probably be better off dead and reborn into a better life, maybe even the Pure Land.
The way it is looking now, the West is falling and becoming the world’s laughingstock, which is a good thing. The quicker it falls, the less painful it will be for the Westerner and everybody else. Western culture will not be missed, but we can keep the best of it and continue the innovations that the creators would wish to see. We will remember the legacy of them and be thankful while never forgiving or forgetting the ones who ruined the West.
Works Cited
“Ignorance Avijjā Sutta (AN 10:61).” Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. Dhammatalks. 2017, https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN10_61.html. Accessed 31 May 2024.
Gabbe. “Western Culture.” Wikipedia. 25 May 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_culture#:~:text=The%20core%20of%20Western%20civilization,Roman%20civilization%20and%20Western%20Christianity. Accessed 31 May 2024.
Rahula Thero, Walpola. What the Buddha Taught. Oneworld Publications, 1959. Accessed 31 May 2024.
u/Tendai-Student. “栄真Eishin (u/Tendai-Student).” Reddit, 31 May 2024, https://www.reddit.com/useTendai-Student/. Accessed 31 May 2024.
u/Tendai-Student. “Buddhism is being MISREPRESENTED in the West Marginalisation, cultural appropriation, misconceptions and what you can do.” Reddit, 2023, https://www.reddit.com/WrongBuddhism/comments/14zc6xg/buddhism_is_being_misrepresented_in_the_west/. Accessed 31 May 2024.

We mostly just watch free YouTube, and download a few movies, but nothing over 1080p. Any reason to pay for QLED or OLED? No gaming, so would I even see 120hz?
I've had a LG 55UF6450 since Jan/2016. Paid $700. Price isn't really an issue, I just don't know when I walk through Costco if what I'm seeing that does looks better with the more expensive TVs is something I'll even see with what I watch at home.
I'll be buying a GE profile induction cooktop from Costco online before 6/5 and trust Costco so want to get the TV there to maximum discount.

Hello, it's my first time entering this subreddit and coming to think about it, this conflict really. I live in Toronto and of non-Middle Eastern background, so much of our media covering the conflict is painted in a way that Israel is the victim and Hamas is the perpetrator and vice versa, therefore leaving a very ambiguous grey zone. Before I go on, I must inform you that I have very little knowledge to the conflict itself and the history behind Israel and Palestine, so sorry in advance if I offended you in any way.
So when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, news outlets informed the public in a way that Israel was the victim. The next following days, protests were held at campus in support for Palestine, many of which were large and often times disrupting many people from moving anywhere. When I asked my lab partners (one of whom is an international student from Saudi Arabia, and two are Canadians following Islam) about the conflict, and why people are supporting Hamas despite them attacking first, I was called ignorant. I was taken aback since none of them told me any historical context and later told me that I was a zionist for not expressing my support. I retorted back to them that they never expressed any support for Ukraine, Hong Kong, the BLM movement, and the Indigenous people when their conflicts were huge. They proceeded to say that Israel is purposefully killing Palestinians and water down the Russian-Ukraine conflict as territorial expansion.
The term zionist felt off because since October 7, I've seen pro-Palestinians toss that word around with no clear definition (and I don't trust Wikipedia). So in my views, anyone is a zionist if the person a) has origins in Israel, b) is Jewish, c) not showing support for the protests, or d) anti-Hamas. University colleagues I follow on Instagram who were in support of Palestine spent the next following months repost horrific tragedies about the conflict on their stories, and while I felt sympathetic for their side, also felt annoyed at how often they're posting it. I am too afraid to say anything to them with the fear that I am pro-genocide when really I just want to watch a manatee video without any worries in the world. Same goes with TikTok. The amount of posts I've seen with comment sections filled with pro-Palestinian comments regardless of the post's relevancy to the conflict is both infuriating and annoying. For example, the Oscars, despite their controversies, had posted a video featuring a Pow Wow during the ceremony, a huge milestone in Indigenous representation. The comment section? "Yazan Kafarnah would have enjoyed this." Lady Gaga held a concert in Israel in 2013? "Blocked. All eyes on Rafah." A literal middle income American family making a seafood boil? "Children in Gaza could have been eating that." I understand many of the comments are pushing and sharing awareness on the conflict, but at this point it's so oversaturated that it feels almost forceful and tiresome because on one hand, yes Israel is targeting civilian areas, but on the other hand, you are telling me to block Lady Gaga just because she had a concert in Israel 11 years ago when no one protested at home or gave attention to the tensions.
Same goes with protests in the city. While many of them were peaceful and had good intentions, many also tend to sour the movement and cause. Near December around the winter break, a protest gathered near Zaras and after evolving into a riot when police were involved, some people chanting "death to the Israelites." Same goes with February this year when protests were marched down Hospital Avenue (nicknamed after the establishments of 4 hospitals on a single avenue, creative I know), most hospitals were unbothered except for the Jewish-founded hospital (Mount Sinai) where protesters obstructing entrances and exits, which is illegal, with some chanting antisemitic rhetoric while also waving the Palestinian flag on the property. I have family in Montreal who are Jewish (by marriage) who fear going to school and visiting the local synagogue after reports of shootings and stabbings near their place of worship, places that were supposed to be sanctuary to them. These protests were so severe that even the Prime Minister and mayors had to condemn them and label these protests as antisemitic. We can all acknowledge that the examples are from extremist views and that the majority of supporters would condemn these protests (I hope), or that I am cherry-picking. However, I have yet to see a Pro-Israel protest in person that does not include some online troll trying to toss fuel into the conflict on social media. I don't know, over these past months I was and still condemn genocide, however my support for Hamas never existed and felt Israeli-leaning as I started on a neutral stance, again, ambiguous grey zone. It's really hard for me to explain it but it follows along the lines of "I support you, I see you, but there's nothing I can do." I'm not surprised if I get a bombardment of downvotes since this whole post is biased in some way, I admit, but I am genuinely curious and want to know more.

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Hello tech enthusiasts! Are you tired of seeing pixels on your monitor? Looking for a smoother, cleaner display? Well, we've got some good news for you. In our latest article, we're diving into the world of 1440p 120Hz monitors. From high-refresh rate gaming to ultra-smooth streaming, these monitors offer a viewing experience that's simply jaw-dropping. So buckle up and get ready to upgrade your screen time with us!

The Top 9 Best 1440p 120hz Monitors

1. ASUS TUF Gaming 27" Curved Monitor: High-Speed Performance and Immersive Gameplay - Elevate your gaming experience with the Asus TUF Gaming VG27WQ1B 27" Curved Monitor, offering seamless performance and cutting-edge technology for immersive gameplay.
2. 32-inch LG QHD IPS Monitor with HDR 10 - The LG 32QN600-B provides lifelike color, enhanced contrast, and clear visuals for a versatile and sleek gaming monitor with features like AMD FreeSync, Dynamic Action Sync, and Black Stabilizer for unmatched gameplay experiences.
3. ViewSonic 1440p 165Hz Gaming Monitor - The ViewSonic Omni VX2728J-2K delivers a seamless, fluid gaming experience with its 1440p resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, 0.5ms response time, and AMD FreeSync Premium technology, perfect for immersive gaming adventures and high-quality visuals.
4. 34" Curved Gaming Monitor with 120Hz Refresh Rate - Experience breathtaking gaming with GIGABYTE's GS34WQC 34" Curved Gaming Monitor, boasting 120Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, a wide color gamut, and versatile connectivity options - the perfect companion for high-performance gaming setup.
5. LG 24" QHD FreeSync Gaming Monitor with HDR and Wide Viewing Angles - Experience lifelike colors and stunning detail with the LG 24" QHD FreeSync Monitor, perfect for work, gaming, and multimedia with its virtually borderless screen, AMD FreeSync support, and customizable on-screen controls.
6. MSI Curved Gaming Monitor with 170Hz Refresh Rate - Embrace immersive gaming with the MSI G273CQ 27" Curved Monitor, featuring a remarkable 170Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and AMD FreeSync Premium for seamless, tear-free gameplay, providing the ultimate competitive edge for avid gamers.
7. MSI 275CQRF-QD 27" WQHD Curved Speedy Gaming Monitor - Elevate your gaming experience with the 27'' MSI WQHD Curved Screen Gaming LCD Monitor, boasting a lightning-fast 170Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and stunning color vibrancy for seamless, high-definition gameplay.
8. 27" QHD Gaming Monitor with 165Hz, 1ms, and RGB Lighting - RCA Evolution Select - Introducing the ultimate gaming experience with the RCA 27" Evolution Select QHD Gaming Monitor, featuring a lightning-fast 165Hz refresh rate, HDR10, and Adaptive Refresh Technology with 1ms response for smooth, immersive gameplay.
9. LG 32GN600-B UltraGear 32" QHD 165Hz FreeSync Premium Gaming Monitor - Experience lightning-fast refresh rates, vibrant colors and smooth visuals with the LG 32GN600-B 32" UltraGear QHD 165Hz HDR10 Monitor, perfect for diehard gamers seeking to elevate their gaming experience.

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Reviews

🔗ASUS TUF Gaming 27" Curved Monitor: High-Speed Performance and Immersive Gameplay

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As a gaming enthusiast and tech reviewer, I've had the pleasure of trying out the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27WQ1B 27-inch Curved Monitor. The first thing that grabbed my attention was its sleek design and immersive 1500R curvature. The 2560x1440 resolution offers excellent visual clarity, while the ultrafast 165Hz refresh rate ensures smooth gameplay without any tearing or stuttering.
One of my favorite features of this monitor is its Adaptive-Sync (FreeSync Premium) technology, which synchronizes the refresh rate of the display with the frame rate output by the GPU, resulting in seamless and fluid gameplay. Additionally, the ASUS-exclusive ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur) technology reduces motion blur, providing much sharper and responsive gameplay.
Another feature that I absolutely love is the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27WQ1B's Shadow Boost technology. It enhances the visibility of dark areas on the screen without overexposing the brighter sections, creating a more enjoyable gaming experience. Moreover, this monitor comes equipped with GamePlus hotkeys, offering various in-game enhancements co-developed with pro gamers, allowing users to improve their gaming skills effectively.
However, there are a few downsides to this monitor as well. While setting it up was relatively easy, the menu system can be slightly confusing at first, as it may not be immediately clear what each setting does. Additionally, though the monitor does offer decent viewing angles, some colors appear distorted when viewed from extreme angles.
Overall, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27WQ1B offers an excellent combination of performance and aesthetics, making it a great option for gamers and professionals alike. Its impressive list of features, including the curved display and Adaptive-Sync technology, make it worth considering for anyone seeking a high-quality gaming monitor.

🔗32-inch LG QHD IPS Monitor with HDR 10

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Well, my friends, let me tell you about the LG 32QN600-B monitor I've been using lately. It's a big, beautiful 32-inch screen, and it has made my work and play life so much more enjoyable. This monitor features QHD resolution and IPS technology, which makes my colors look incredibly realistic and vibrant, whether I'm editing photos, working on documents, or playing video games.
The HDR10 feature in this monitor allows me to experience a more dramatic and high-quality visual experience and picture quality by adding bright color coverage and wide color gamut support. One of the best things about this monitor is that it helps to maintain accurate color on the screen, preserving the original intended color of whatever it is I'm working on. And speaking of playing games, this monitor also comes with AMD FreeSync technology, which reduces image tearing and choppiness by syncing the monitor's refresh rate with my graphics card.
One of the features that has really stood out for me is Dynamic Action Sync, which helps me respond to action, opponents, and every moment in my games with minimal input lag and unbelievable performance. This has given me a real advantage in my favorite games like Call of Duty and Overwatch.
Another feature that's really come in handy is the Black Stabilizer, which allows me to see more detail in the darker areas of games, especially in games where visibility can be a crucial factor. This has helped me to spot enemy movements and react faster in game.
The design of this monitor is another big plus. It comes with an Edge-ArcLine stand that gives it a sleek and modern look while also making it easy to adjust the tilt for perfect viewing. And if you don't have enough space on your desk, you can always mount it on the wall.
But, of course, no product is perfect, and there were a few minor drawbacks that I encountered while using this monitor. For one, the build quality felt a little cheap, especially when compared to some of the other high-end monitors I've used in the past. In addition, the menu system was a little confusing at first, and it took me some time to figure out how to navigate through all the different options.
Overall, I would recommend the LG 32QN600-B monitor to anyone who is looking for a high-quality monitor that delivers excellent color accuracy, sharp image quality, and a fantastic gaming experience. It's not perfect, but it's definitely worth checking out. So if you're in the market for a new monitor, consider giving this one a try!

🔗ViewSonic 1440p 165Hz Gaming Monitor

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The ViewSonic VX2728J-2K is my go-to gaming monitor. I've been using it for a few months now, and I can't imagine playing without it. With a sleek design and vibrant colors, this monitor makes my games come alive.
One of my favorite features is the 165Hz refresh rate, which drastically reduces screen tearing and stuttering. Combined with the ultra-fast 0.5ms response time, it provides smooth gameplay even during intense action scenes.
Another standout feature for me is the flexible connectivity options. I can easily connect my dedicated graphics card and gaming console using DisplayPort and HDMI ports. It's impressive how seamless and vibrant my gaming experience becomes with this monitor.
While the setup process was straightforward and the stand looks immaculate, I did find that the ports were slightly limited. Additionally, the menu controls could have been more user-friendly. Despite these minor drawbacks, I am thoroughly impressed by the performance and visual quality of the ViewSonic VX2728J-2K.
Overall, I have no hesitation in recommending the ViewSonic VX2728J-2K to any gaming enthusiast looking for a high-quality monitor that delivers exceptional performance, seamless connectivity, and immersive visuals.

🔗34" Curved Gaming Monitor with 120Hz Refresh Rate

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When I started using the GIGABYTE curve monitor, it added a whole new level of immersion to my gaming experience. The massive 34-inch display, coupled with the 1500R curve, envelops me into the game world like never before. With a 120Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, I can effortlessly keep up with the fast-paced action in various genres, from first-person shooters to racing games.
One of the standout features is its spectacular color accuracy, boasting 120% sRGB, allowing the most vibrant and lifelike visuals. The monitor is compatible with VESA Wall Mount, so even if I don't have much desk space, I can still securely mount it on the wall.
Though I really appreciate its performance and design, the GIGABYTE monitor can be a little tricky to assemble, and its stand doesn't provide the sturdiest support. Nevertheless, these minor issues haven't hampered my gaming sessions.
Altogether, the GIGABYTE curve gaming monitor has significantly improved my gaming experience, offering an immersive, fluid, and visually stunning experience. If you're in the market for a high-quality monitor that truly stands out, the GIGABYTE curve monitor is a solid choice.

🔗LG 24" QHD FreeSync Gaming Monitor with HDR and Wide Viewing Angles

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I've been using LG's 24" QHD FreeSync monitor, and I must say it's a game-changer for my daily work and play. The lifelike colors along with the sharp resolution make every image come alive, whether I'm editing photos or playing an intense game. The virtually borderless screen on three sides gives a truly immersive experience, and the AMD FreeSync technology keeps everything smooth and blur-free.
One thing that impressed me is the pro-level control and customization capabilities offered by the OnScreen control feature. It's a breeze to adjust settings and find the perfect balance for my needs. Plus, the blue light filter and flicker safe technologies ensure my eyes stay comfortable even during long usage sessions.
However, there are some downsides too. The mounting mechanism isn't the best, and I ended up needing a separate stand to secure the monitor properly. Additionally, the power supply being a wall wart could be inconvenient for some users.
Overall, this monitor delivers exceptional quality and performance for its price point. The combination of vibrant colors, high-resolution, and customizable controls makes it a versatile option for various uses, although the mount and power supply might need extra care.

🔗MSI Curved Gaming Monitor with 170Hz Refresh Rate

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As a fellow gamer, I recently had the chance to test out the MSI G273CQ Curved Gaming monitor and let me tell you, it's a game-changer! The first thing that caught my eye was its sleek design. The curved screen adds a certain immersion to gaming that traditional monitors lack.
One of the standout features for me was the 170Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time panel. These numbers might not mean much to non-gamers but trust me, they make a world of difference when it comes to smooth gameplay. It felt like I was playing on a higher-end PC, even though I was using the same old rig.
Another impressive feature is the AMD FreeSync Premium technology. This syncs the monitor's refresh rate with your GPU, effectively eliminating any screen tearing or stuttering. It's not something you can feel directly but believe me, once you've experienced it, there's no going back!
However, I did encounter a couple of issues. The first one was ghosting, which is quite disappointing for a gaming monitor. Games with high contrast areas, bright lighting sources, or dark shadows were particularly affected by this issue. Also, the mounting process could've been easier. It's stable once set up, but adjusting the height can be a bit cumbersome.
All in all, the MSI G273CQ Curved Gaming monitor is a solid choice for gamers looking to enhance their gaming experience. Its high refresh rate and response time make it perfect for fast-paced games, while the curved design provides an added level of immersion. Despite some minor flaws, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a new gaming monitor.

🔗MSI 275CQRF-QD 27" WQHD Curved Speedy Gaming Monitor

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I've been using the MSI MAG 275CQRF-QD Curved Gaming monitor for a while now, and I must say, it's quite an impressive piece of hardware. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the immersive, curved 27" WQHD display. It provides such a detailed and immersive viewing experience that I often find myself getting lost in whatever I'm playing or watching.
One feature I found particularly amazing is the 170Hz refresh rate. It ensures smooth gameplay without any screen tearing or choppy frame rates, giving me a competitive edge over other players. Another highlight for me was the 1ms response time, which significantly reduces motion blur and ghosting, making fast-paced games feel incredibly responsive.
There are some minor cons though. The panel has moderate ghosting and backlight bleed, which is expected for VA panels in this price range. However, if you're not sensitive to these issues or prefer the advantages of a curved monitor, it's definitely worth considering. Additionally, the stand is a bit bulky, but it doesn't interfere with the overall aesthetics of the monitor.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with this monitor. It ticks all the boxes for a high-quality gaming experience and doesn't break the bank. If you're in the market for a reliable curved gaming monitor, the MSI MAG 275CQRF-QD should be at the top of your list.

🔗27" QHD Gaming Monitor with 165Hz, 1ms, and RGB Lighting - RCA Evolution Select

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https://preview.redd.it/y4tbx9cjlw3d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5c6693a0bcce6d2a2137c0ae23b6d1937267e17
I finally got my hands on the RCA Evolution Select gaming monitor, and it's been nothing less than a game-changer for me. As someone who enjoys both gaming and work, this monitor has become a staple in my everyday routine.
One of the most notable features of this monitor is its rapid 165Hz refresh rate. This provides an incredibly smooth gameplay experience, making it feel as though you're in the game itself. The RGB lighting and built-in speakers further enhance the immersive gaming atmosphere by providing not only visual flair but also immersive sound.
However, there are a couple of minor drawbacks. The first being that the monitor doesn't have a built-in webcam or TV tuner, which might be important to some users. Additionally, the power consumption could be a concern for those who are energy-conscious.
Overall, the RCA Evolution Select gaming monitor offers a beautiful blend of speed, visual flair, and immersive sound, making it a perfect addition to anyone's gaming setup.

🔗LG 32GN600-B UltraGear 32" QHD 165Hz FreeSync Premium Gaming Monitor

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https://preview.redd.it/nvd8yyrjlw3d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb173b6bc3e29e9d2def0e865fcba5bc9e6720cb
As a tech enthusiast, I've always been on the lookout for high-performance gaming monitors. The LG UltraGear monitor was one of my top picks. With its 31.5-inch QHD display and impressive 165Hz refresh rate, the picture quality was incredibly immersive. Add in the AMD FreeSync Premium feature, which helped eliminate screen tearing and stuttering, and my gaming sessions became smoother than ever before.
One of the highlights of this monitor is its 1ms MBR response time. It made all the difference in fast-paced games. Obstacles and opponents appeared almost instantaneously, giving me the upper hand in intense firefights. The screen also supports HDR10, ensuring that colors were rich and contrasts were stark, making the overall visual experience incredibly immersive.
However, while its performance was commendable, setting up the monitor wasn't as straightforward as I would have liked. The on-screen display and menu options were a bit cluttered, making it slightly difficult to find specific settings. But once everything was set up, it was smooth sailing.
In conclusion, if you're a serious gamer looking for a monitor that can keep up with your fast-paced games, the LG UltraGear monitor is definitely worth considering. Its high-refresh-rate, quick response time, and vibrant visuals make it an excellent addition to any gaming setup.

Buyer's Guide

None
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https://preview.redd.it/g1cg6f8klw3d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1af3549fc01da057470c1654159258fc3919e7b3

FAQ

What does 1440p mean?

1440p, also known as QHD (Quad HD), is a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. It offers a balance between high image quality and performance by offering four times the number of pixels as a 720p display.
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https://preview.redd.it/vxlhkqnklw3d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a8c2f7ba0ecce1ad4fe3534306344f513d06f59

What is the difference between a 60Hz monitor and a 120Hz monitor?

The refresh rate of a monitor determines how often it updates the image on the screen per second. A 60Hz monitor refreshes at 60Hz or 60 times per second, while a 120Hz monitor refreshes at 120Hz or 120 times per second. Higher refresh rates can potentially lead to smoother gameplay and less motion blur.

What is the optimal distance for using a 1440p 120Hz monitor?

The optimal distance for using a 1440p 120Hz monitor depends on the monitor's size and individual preferences. Generally, sitting at a distance equal to 1-2 times the screen's diagonal length is recommended for 27-inch monitors. At this distance, the viewer can appreciate the improved image quality while maintaining comfortable eye strain levels.
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https://preview.redd.it/l173sgyklw3d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e85a6537aa6969e13b9ae71be9863de24edd2ef2

What is adaptive sync technology and is it necessary for a 1440p 120Hz monitor?

Adaptive sync is a display technology designed to sync the monitor's refresh rate with the video card's output to reduce screen tearing and stuttering. There are two main types of adaptive sync: NVIDIA's G-Sync and AMD's FreeSync. While it is not necessary to have adaptive sync, having one of these technologies can enhance your overall gaming experience with a 1440p 120Hz monitor by providing smoother visuals and less image tearing.

Why is 1440p preferred over 4K for gaming and what are the trade-offs?

1440p is often preferred over 4K for gaming due to its lower hardware requirements, allowing for higher frame rates and smoother gameplay. However, this comes at the expense of less detailed textures and effects compared to 4K. Additionally, 1440p monitors are generally more affordable and have more available options in the market.
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https://preview.redd.it/2yljgodllw3d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e6a1a5ed27b2eef249c2e21eab1ee5453e88a36

What are the benefits of having a 1440p 120Hz monitor?

• Improved image quality compared to lower resolutions
• Smoother gameplay and less motion blur due to the higher refresh rate
• Compatibility with adaptive sync technologies for even smoother performance
• Wider availability of options compared to 4K monitors

How essential is a 1440p 120Hz monitor for a gaming setup?

The importance of a 1440p 120Hz monitor for a gaming setup depends on individual preferences and budget constraints. For those seeking a balance between high image quality and performance, a 1440p 120Hz monitor can be an excellent choice. However, some users may prioritize other factors such as screen size or response time, making alternative monitor options more suitable for their needs.

What kind of video card do I need to support a 1440p 120Hz monitor?

To fully enjoy the benefits of a 1440p 120Hz monitor, a high-end video card capable of running modern games at or near 120Hz is recommended. Generally, NVIDIA's GTX 1660 or AMD's RX 5600 or higher are suitable options, although requirements may vary depending on specific game titles and individual graphical settings preferences.

Are there any downsides to using a 1440p 120Hz monitor for work purposes?

While a 1440p 120Hz monitor can provide a comfortable and enjoyable work environment with its high image quality and smooth scrolling, it may not be as cost-effective as lower-resolution options. Additionally, some work applications may not utilize the full potential of a high-refresh-rate monitor, making it less efficient compared to a standard 60Hz monitor for work-specific tasks.

How do I choose the best 1440p 120Hz monitor for my needs?

To choose the best 1440p 120Hz monitor for your needs, consider factors such as panel type (TN, IPS, or VA), refresh rate, response time, adaptive sync technology, size, and price. Take time to research different models and read online reviews to determine which monitor best aligns with your preferences and budget.

Are there any potential issues with using a 1440p 120Hz monitor with an older or lower-end PC?

While a 1440p 120Hz monitor can still provide benefits like improved image quality and smoother scrolling on older or lower-end PCs, it may not consistently achieve the desired high frame rates for optimal gaming performance. It is essential to ensure that your PC's hardware, including the CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage, can handle the demands of running at higher resolutions and refresh rates to ensure a satisfactory experience.
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Do you remember TI12 and the most contested heroes in pro play and pubs? Bristleback, Spiritbreaker, Doom, Centaur, Tidehunter, Mars, Kunkka etc. Do yall remember the Vanguard Blademail Heart Octarine builds that majority of carries couldn't deal with?
Try playing Slark into these heroes in lane with his worthless stat gains and weak farming capabilities. Try playing Ursa in these lanes where they can trade and heal back up with their regen from Bracer and Vanguard while Ursa has to keep ferrying regen. Monkey King? he can do aight, but these STR heroes have aoe farm spells that easily lets them comeback into the game and proceed to control said MK. Least we forget Brewmaster with evasion and brewlings that had 3k hp with magic immunity that demolishes your towers from safety.
Even now with 7.36, the trend setters are STR Offlaners like LC, Axe, Night Stalker, Centaur, Slardar and SK who has risen from the sands to fuck you with his Stinger and almost 100% uptime in his Aghs aoe stun Sandstorm (Topson is currently spamming him mid, and sometimes he plays it offlane cause the hero is that versatile).
To me, the OP of that "Why I'm so glad Valve (almost) never listen to reddit take on balance" post has clearly not played through multiple years of Dota and took the time to analyze the meta timelines. STR heroes had climbed in relevance since TI6 and had reach their apex form in TI12. Prior to 12? TI11 Zoo Tanks that bought Wraithpact like Beastmaster, Tide, Lycan, Underlord etc. If not, then you had tanky fucks like Wraith King and his skellies running at you non-stop.
TI10 Tiny was busted cause of broken numbers, otherwise as carry, he could be controlled as seen with Spirit vs Tinys in that tournament (Magnus Horn Toss, Collapse Mars Godly plays both heroes are STR). Supports, Offlanes and Mids had received a lot of utility and damage with their spells to control these carries (Spirit hero mids, Willow Lion pos 4, Hoodwink etc,). Remember when Yataro had the most versatile carry picks of that tournament as he was given late picks during the draft just so he can adapt to the offlaners and Tinys thrown at him?
Even then, carries are forced majority of the time to buy BKB just so they can actually survive in fights and yet, not necessarily kill the opponents (remember the time where people complained about how BKB is overbought but fail to realize it was the only way to protect oneself from being constantly disabled, controlled slowed etc cause STR INT heroes whose new kits to do said things and scale?). Furthermore, BKB stat's were not necessarily good vs other scaling items for its price.
Lets not forget TI8 and 9 with Ench offlane having Untouchable as their regular spell, making it impossible to kill her since pos 5s and 1s are primarily right click first in lane. Then you had the Necro, Wraith King, Weaver offlanes. Not all offlaners are STR, but look at how versatile their toolkits are. Literally just shut down the carries and eventually take over the game as carries can't 1v5 anymore (Yes Dota is a team game to win, but pos 1 has the hardest route to come online and requires a lot of help from their teammates and even then, not necessarily the most impactful throughout the game as pos 2s, 3s and 4s are with their lockdown, mobility and damage).
Regarding the Zeus outrage. Zeus was known as a glass cannon who primarily played mid and was usually last pick. He had %hp damage with his E passive before it was a jump, had shit tons of burst damage, able to reveal invis heroes and had 2 global bursts (1 with aghs). His weaknesses was he's squishy and had low mobility, hence unplayable if Storm or similar jump hero was in the pool. However, despite his flaws, he had a high win% on dotabuff and a decent winrate in high mmr because he was a late game menace as bkb durations dwindled. Players adapted to play against him and Valve thought "you know what, let's give him a jump so he can have better odds to survive" (granted I think the jump was fine, just heroes now needed to expand more resources to kill him).
But then Valve gave him his shard of right-click Arc Lightning with %hp damage that worked with illusions. Now he can buy Manta that gives him more damage and a dispel. Oh, he can also buy Hurricane Pike for the extra attack range and force-staff to push him to safety. Oh, now he don't necessarily need to buy a lot of mana regen to spam Arc Lightning to farm cause of his shard. Phylactery introduced? Best of both worlds of Burst damage and consistent high right-click damage. Since his Arc deals %hp damage, fuck buying damage items, he just needs attack speed, boom, Moonshard and now recently, Parasma. If Zeus still can die? He can now buy BKB and stand his ground to right click.
You see this Powercreep? You see how this hero no longer has a unique weakness that people can rely on to counter? This has trickled down to many heroes from the position 2, 3 and 4 for years now. Pos 4 example, Hoodwink has high cast range for her spells. Acorn does decent damage, aoe bounces and applies her right-click damage with attack modifiers. Bushwack is an aoe burst and stuns you towards a tree. No trees around? Acorn does the trick. Scurry gave her evasion and free pathing through trees and her Ult burst and breaks heroes too. But acorn scales, so she buys attack modifier items and damage items etc.
Lion, has aoe stun, single target hex and mana drain that gives him magic immunity with his shard, eventually leading to his mana draining dealing damage too. May not scale as greatly has Hoodwink, but key examples of power-creep through survival.
I can go on and on with how left behind carries are. Your TA example, TA was originally a mid hero and was pioneered as a safelane carry by OG.Sumail in the EU TI10 qualifiers as her refraction stops the burst damage dealt by the pos 3s and 4s. She then had the kit to jungle if needed and could scale as a range carry. Even then, she's burst susceptible if refraction is down, can't deal with illu/zoo heroes and has no cheap utility teamfight aoe spell. Think about that, TA, was not originally a carry, was adapted to be one just so carries can deal with the Tanky Burst Offlaners and their laning pos 4s.
Next time, actually go back and study the meta timelines before you spew your false "facts" on which roles are the most powerful and impactful. To the rest of the players who play other roles, especially the 2, 3 and 4s, look, there's no hate from me to yall, this is Valve's doing. I believe you guys have the same attitude years back with carries and their trilane AM's Gyro etc, so the current moment you guys prevailing is respectable.
I just cannot shake the fact that many carry heroes are the only ones that retain their unique traits of strengths and exploitable weaknesses when other roles are given the depth and tools to overcome their initial weaknesses without much resources/gold.

For anyone who wants to see how things began.
https://www.reddit.com/HFY/s/S97b2fqIjx
“In what universe would I ever do you a favor? “ I say, sweeping the floor of the reinforced barn.
“It’s not a favor, it’s a trade, bud.
What do you want in return? “ Trenchcoat asks from within the coffin-like cage.
“To be back home, 8 months ago. “ I reply.
Over the past few weeks I’ve managed to integrate myself into the day to day life on the farm. Things are still a grim, horrifying slog, but with every day it gets a bit easier to deal with.
“Give me something I can do. “ The creature pleads.
“Why, so I can wind up on the end of another ‘ Gotcha’ moment? I’m good. “ is my answer.
A few minutes of silence go by, Augustus breaks it.
“I don’t know many secrets of the universe. Facts, not really my bag. But I know a couple.
How about I share one with you?
No one, not the pope, not my brother, not the shit-bird perched on the highest branch of my twisted family tree, knows what happens when you die.
Some of us never will, of course. Others have ways of avoiding it, but at the end of the day, when the lights truly go out, we know next to nothing.
We do know one thing though. There is judgement, by who? Who knows? Why? Not important.
But at the end of the day, if your battery can’t be recharged, you really want to be thinking about how many marks are on each side of the ledger. “
I don’t reply, and for the next hour or so I ignore the pleading and hinting Trenchcoat does.
But that night, as I sip acidic tea, and try to get a handle on how in the fuck old televisions function, his offer is at the forefront of my mind.
He wants to kill, specifically 6 teenagers who, according to him, have been murdering classmates yearly in a twisted ritual.
He wants me to think this is some kind of noble act, he frames it as almost superheroic. The evil prick knows how I feel, knows that I see the blood on my hands every day, and would kill ( possibly literally) for some way to atone.
Is it a play? I honestly don’t think so, something about how eager the twisted thing is, about how he’s treating the situation as a buyer’s market makes me think something about this makes it important to him.
He offers me everything besides safety and protection. I’m desperate for help, but I have no way to hold him to any agreement.
So the thought rolls around in my mind, staving off the few hours of sleep I get.
“Okay, so, I have it on good authority that tea is supposed to taste better over here. What the hell is wrong with this? “ I say, sitting around an outside table with Sylvia, Dafydd and Colin.
Sylvia smiles, “ Barium, calcium, and a touch of castor oil. “
I look at the brew, then at her.
“If I had told you when you got here you need to drink that to mitigate the effects of working with void touched objects and creatures, you’d have assumed the worst, and found a way to avoid drinking it.
Good to see you becoming more perceptive though. “ Sylvia explains.
“That’s called paranoia, Syl. “ I reply.
She laughs, lighting a cigarette.
“Do you know why I’ve let you figure things out on your own? “ The ancient woman asks.
“Accepted? Yes. Understood, not in the slightest. “ I answer, wondering what sadist invented the scone.
“It’s because I need a leader. Someone who can understand, not a boy who puts his head down and listens to orders.
Someone who can make their own decisions when the time comes.
And I think that time is coming soon. “ Her statement feels like a question.
“If I chose to be here I’d be honored.” I counter.
“That attitude on the other hand… needs work.
Nikolas, today, we talk about what’s really going on.
We play a role in a much larger organization, us, and other families like us, are the ‘boots on the ground’ so to speak.
Our job is not to capture creatures, or horde esoteric goods. We do not foil the schemes of demons, nor blind those who look too deeply into the abyss.
We’re given information about events that could steer the path of humanity into a brick wall. And our job is to make sure they don’t happen. “ Sylvia reveals.
“Something is happening with these fights? “ I ask.
“As I said, perceptive.
Yes, it could be next week, it could be in a decade or two. Right now, we know very little about it, other than when it happens, it would be in our best interests to be of a high standing in the pits. “ She replies.
I absorb the information, and t drug laced tea in equal measure. As I do, I feel something, I feel I’m a part of what’s going on.
This is going to sound dumb as hell, but up until this point I hadn’t been taking things seriously. Don’t get me wrong, death is on the table, and I was trying to avoid that. But I was just treading water, hoping something or someone came by and to get me out of this situation.
But as Syl lays things out, I start to think of my place here, what I can be doing to better my state.
“Here is the part where you avoid telling me why you couldn’t have used anyone around here. “ I prod.
I keep her gaze, Colin and Dafydd shift uncomfortably.
“Augustus, he’s a tricky one. But a very lucky find for us.
I’ve tried 2 others. A boy and a girl, both I practically raised.
Marco, he was a warrior. But the demon got in his head. There was nothing that could be done beyond end his suffering.
Zelma, I won’t talk about.
That thing, it has a way of turning someone’s best traits against them. You, are a blank slate, but you’re family. You’re my best guess as to how we can use him to our advantage.
And this is why I need you, not to listen, but to understand. To see what’s happening, and make your own decisions. If I were to give you my knowledge, if I were to arm you with the best weapons, and the most powerful esoteric objects I know. He’d just have more to turn against you. “ Sylvia’s revelation scares me and puts a massive weight on my shoulders all at the same time.
Confidence and fear are both dangerous emotions. The two of them are almost like drugs in a way.
After eight months of mainlining fear, the tiny line of confidence Sylvia gave me, went straight to my head.
Trenchcoat told me where to find a video file. And after a couple of weeks of running it through every possible test I could, to check for any kind of manipulation, supernatural or otherwise, I watched it.
I was confident that the world would be much better off without the people committing the vicious acts contained in those twenty minutes of footage.
A teenage view of morality, I admit. But what do you want, I’m a teenager.
We watch the abandoned house from across the street. It’s a dingy, urban blight affected suburb, that being said, how no one seems to notice the seven foot freak with me, I have no idea.
The kid inside smoking stolen cigarettes and illegally supplied booze is a husky young guy of about 14. The half dozen kids that show up a couple hours later look closer to my age, last couple of years of high school I’m guessing.
The way they get into the house tells me they’ve done this before. The backpacks they all carry tell me they’re there for a purpose.
“How fucking funny would it be if I just killed you here and took off? “ Trenchcoat says, looming behind me.
I tense.
“It’s a joke. Out of my whole rotten family, Art and I, are close. I’m not going anywhere.
Unfortunately for you. “ Trenchcoat shoves me to the ground as he walks toward the house.
We get in through a basement window, I fit easily, Trenchcoat contorts his body to fit through the thin opening, somehow doing so silently.
I keep hearing Sylvia in my head. Telling me how she needs someone that can make his own decisions.
As I stand in the litter strewn basement, beside a creature with child murder on it’s mind I question the decision that I made.
At first the illumination is dim, nothing more than scraps of moonlight filtered through splintered wood. But with an industrial click, suddenly a half dozen lightbulbs bathe the basement in harsh, yellowish light.
Harsh, but not harsh enough to cause the reaction I see from Trenchcoat.
He squints and tries, unsuccessfully to turn away from the lights. Something about them is causing him discomfort. I get my hopes up for a moment he’s going to burst into flame or turn into dust or something, but no dice.
The sight of the walking nightmare looking pained and confused makes me panic. But before I can think of how I fucked up, I hear a voice.
The room, by the sounds of it, the entire house, has been rigged with speakers. Cleverly recessed in sconces and corners.
“Augi, long time no see. And I see you brought a little Renfield fella with you. “ The voice is modulated, Trenchcoat looks curious for a moment.
“Who, is this? You that clown that’s been fucking with Art?” He guesses.
The voice laughs, “Nope.
Who I am, is a guy who managed to find a few boxes of lightbulbs from ’93.
Then again, with eBay, that could make me just about anyone. “
Trenchcoat turns and looks toward the window we came in. He reaches a hand toward it, stopping a few inches away.
“That’s fucking interesting. “ He says, eyes darting around the room.
“Isn’t it though? “ The voice replies, clearly hearing the creature’s whisper, “ Tonight you get the pay for centuries of the worst shit committed by man or beast. I’ve made sure of that. No one in this house is going anywhere for the next 8 hours.
I’m sure the rest of the houseguests are pretty confused as to what’s going on. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so let me give you the Cliff’s notes.
You kids have been killing a monster a year for half a decade. You were the perfect bait, and I have faith you’ll be able to outwit Augi long enough to make it out of here.
If not, you’ll still have helped kill one of the worst things to walk the face of the earth. “
“What the hell is he talking about? “ I ask, a sinking feeling in my gut.
“That’s what you’re worried about right now?
Yeah, these kids are more Scooby gang than Manson family. Don’t blame me for the fact it only took an out of context exorcism video and some promises of making things right with the universe to get you on board with killing them. “ Trenchcoat spits.
I feel afraid, stupid and small. Which is to say, lately, business as usual.
I begin to break lightbulbs, I notice no runes, or anything else that would indicate they have any kind of supernatural origin.
As the basement dims, Trenchcoat starts to breathe easier.
“What’s going on, what stopped you from leaving? “ I ask.
“This little shit is playing The Game. “ Trenchcoat says to himself as much as to me. He looks deep in thought, inspecting the glass from the bulbs.
“What are you talking about? “ I say, my voice cracking slightly.
I hear noises upstairs, frantic foot falls. Indecipherable shouting.
Trenchcoat turns to me, exasperated and filled with anger.
“You’ve heard of ‘Rules’ right? All that ‘Don’t turn left on East street at 3:24 am kind of shit? “ The creature starts, “More and more of them popping up lately. Can’t miss the things.
Well, your kind seems great at finding them, but fucking awful at figuring out what they are. It’s not someone’s new job, or creepy school. The answer is so damned simple, but all of you’ve missed it.
It's a game. It’s, The Game.
It’s ran by the thickest branches of my family tree, and the stakes are high enough even I don’t really understand.
And whoever has us here, he’s weaponized it. The crazy fuck. “
“Call on your family for help then. “ I say, starting to deal with the fear and confusion.
“You first. “ Is Trenchcoat’s reply.
I get his point, and for a twisted, shitty moment, I find myself relating to the murderous thing I’ve been saddled with.
“So what’s the plan? “ I ask.
“Get my hands on whoever’s been stalking me. Between A and B, probably kill those little do-gooders upstairs out of spite.
I need you to circumvent rules we come across. Humans need to agree to follow the rules, it’s why people encounter them in jobs and schools so much. I’m not human, if you haven’t noticed. I don’t get a choice. “ I’m shaking my head as Augustus relates his plan.
“We’re not hurting those kids. “ I say defiantly.
“I’m sure you’ll have no problem with that.
But I’m a God damned child killing monster, bud! How long is that going to take to sink the fuck in?
Me not doing what I do, isn’t like giving up smokes. Think of it like not having a slash for months on end. Sooner or later, like it or not, I’m either finding a bathroom or pissing my pants. “ the rant scares me, but it makes me think.
Something about Augustus, it seems very, 90’s. Whoever was on the speakers was talking about the lightbulbs being from ’93. I’m picking up on a very distinct pattern.
I file that information with the rest of the disconnected lore I’ve managed to find on Trenchcoat as I follow him up the steep, narrow set of stairs.
He whips the thin wood door open, taking an aggressive, lurching step into the livingroom beyond. Surely ready to dispense too far quips and limitless violence, as per usual.
But that doesn’t happen, his rage filled scowl turns into a look of resignation, “Fuck”, is the monster’s last word before he disappears.
I cautiously walk up the loose splinter ridden stairs, expecting Augustus to be waiting around the corner, or engaged in combat with some other horror.
But once I get to the top, there’s nothing more sinister than a livingroom covered in dust and graffiti strewn with old bottles and new stains.
I know my chance when I see it. The particle board sealing the bay window is rotten, the glass long since broken.
No monster, no crazy family, I’ll take my chances with the streets of the U. K.
I tap the crumbling wood with a foot, it rattles, it won’t take much to make a hole.
I line up a kick, freedom no more than a quarter inch of rotten wood away.
“I wouldn’t do that. “ Says a voice behind me, male, around my age I’d guess, but with a confidence that makes me listen, “ Rigged with a load of C4 in the window frame.
Don’t take my word for it, guy wasn’t very subtle. ”
Sure enough, I see small wires running along the edges of the frame and embedded in the particle board.
I turn around, the six people standing in front of me have a vibe I can only describe as severe.
“Are we going to have issues? “ a slight, dark skinned guy asks.
“You making threats? “ I reply.
“No, he isn’t. “ it’s the same voice that warned me about the explosives. It belongs to a squared jawed kid with short black hair, he’s wearing a grey hoodie, and separates himself from the group. “ Call me Kent, and I’m in charge of making threats.
Sid, he’s our people person, he’s just trying to see if you’re someone we need to worry about. “
“We don’t have time to figure this kid out, leave him. “ a short, ginger girl says.
“Ami, why don’t I stay out of equipment, and you and Kent let me figure this kid out?” Sid says.
“I’m Nik. “ I volunteer.
“Good to meet you Nik. “ Sid says, walking around Kent, “Didn’t mean to start things off on the wrong foot.
We’ve just gotten used to doing these kinds of things in our own way over the past bit. We get a little… weird around this time of year if I’m being honest. “
I nod, apprehensive at giving any kind of detailed response.
“Derik” says a tall, pale guy, “ Research. “
“Liam. “ a tanned boy in a flannel shirt and deep blue jeans tells me, “ Oxford doesn’t talk, accident a couple of years back. I’m logistics, he figures spooky shit out. “
Oxford is thin and bald, his face looks much older than it should. Like he’s the victim of some kind of wasting disease.
Telling these kids the truth would be, complicated. And something about their war vet demeanor, makes me want to keep things simple.
So I give them a version of the truth. One where I was plucked from my room by Trenchcoat, and brought here for a slow death.
They buy it. I think.
“Well, I don’t know what this Jigsaw wannabe has planned, but trust me when I say, it can’t be much worse than the things we’ve went through. “ Kent says, trying to be reassuring.
“Just, one more thing. “ Sid begins, “ Why all the scars? “
I know I’ve won most of the group over, but I don’t like the look Sid is giving me.
“Work on a farm, on top of that, the family owns an auction. Lots of bent steel and splinters, what can I say? “ I say, trying to sound casual.
“Fair enough, that accent though. “ Sid’s look becomes almost predatory as he talks.
“Immigration my guy. What’s with the third degree? “ I reply.
“We’ve just met and I’ve only asked three questions.
Humor me here though.
You get taken in the night by that thing that winked out of existence.
Seems pretty nice of him to let you put on shoes. “ Sid lets his statement hang.
Kent turns, I don’t like where this is going. Panic and fear start to well up.
“What’re you thinking Sid? “ Kent asks.
“Kid’s lying. But he’s good at it. “ Sid answers.
“You saying this has turned into a, me, situation? “ Kent’s question starts a deep pit in my stomach.
“I don’t know if we need to go that far. But I don’t like the idea of him having seen our faces. I think this is a Liam situation. “ As Sid says this I look to Liam, who already seems deep in thought.
“Local cops will back our story, but he could go beyond them.
We tie him up until all of this is done, and we get some video of him putting a blade into the body upstairs. He goes telling any stories, it’s us and the locals versus some Yank on video stabbing the kid. “ Liam suggests.
I tried to fight, it went, embarrassingly. Kent had me on the ground in some kind of arm lock in about a second.
I’m bound to an old wooden chair with electrical cords, dragged into a room on the second floor where the chubby kid from before lays face down in a coagulated pool of his own blood. Surrounded by the trappings of misspent youth.
The door locks, and I stare at the corpse, wondering what in the hell went on up here, and in what universe are these psychopaths anything other than what they seemed on screen.
Time becomes almost malleable. I’m terrified to the point where every moment seems to stretch out forever.
Then, I hear it. A wet, organic noise. It starts below the body, and slowly starts to spread.
After a minute or two, the body starts to jerk and twitch. The room is dim as hell, but some kind of ropey, flesh-like substance, is sealing off the door.
I watch as the corpse clumsily gets to it’s feet. It’s skin pale, it’s throat slit to the point of near decapitation.
The head falls backward, obscenely with a small spurt of thick blood.
I scream, I thought I’d been getting used to being face to face with monsters. But fully bound, inches away from a kid that seems to be filled with a twisting mass of barbed, writhing, intestine like tentacles, I realize I’m not used to shit.
The ropey mass forms the barest suggestion of features, a shifting, lumpen mass of ever moving tendrils coming from what used to be the kid’s neck.
The sound spreads more, cracks in the floorboards and walls begin to show hints of the tendrils filling them in like spray foam.
No one is hearing my screams, or if they are, they have no interest in helping.
Ever wonder how you’d handle torture? I think if you’re the kind of person to be reading this, it’s likely you have.
I started by pissing myself.
The second the thin tendril touches my hand, I feel a blinding, flensing pain. I can do nothing but watch, as thousands of nearly hair thin spines tear and consume my flesh. As it slowly, almost, curiously makes it’s way up my arm, it leaves a bloodless, scarred furrow about an eighth of an inch deep.
My second reaction was to lose any pretense at defiance or dignity. I thrash and scream, beg and offer. All of this turning into choked sobs as the thing starts to do much of the same with another tendril.
It felt like I was in hell, every inch of me nothing more than a canvas for this artist of misery.
But pain, it can only go so far. Whether we’re talking about my tolerance, or this thing’s interest.
Mutilation, the brutal wedding of pain and loss. That was it’s next step.
A thick, almost centipede like tendril sits on my pinky like a hot iron. I can only watch in horror as I see fat, then muscle, then bone, then, nothing.
My voice shreds, I tear my wrists and ankles trying desperately to break the expertly tied wires.
My mind is at the breaking point, the creature in front of my makes a terrible, high pitched keening I assume is laughter.
My body is a roadmap of scarred pits and lines. My hand sports a cleanly severed finger. Fuck me, I wish things ended there.
Of all the important parts of the human body, the eye, tends to feel the least pain. Which isn’t to say, as I watched the greedy, grasping claws slowly take pieces of one of mine, it didn’t hurt, but the worst part, was knowing what was happening.
The vision in my left eye begins to distort at first, the edges getting blurry, then going dark. Bit by bit, chunk by irreplaceable chunk, the creature takes half my vision.
I can feel the shifting air on the bare socket, to call what I’m doing screaming, would be understating things to the point of absurdity.
My brain reels at what has just happened. I can feel my grip on reality begin to loosen, pain, worse than can bare, loss of half my sight, it’s too much.
My brain feels filled with static, for a few brief moments I swear, I can hear someone, a voice, trying to tell me something.
But then, a smell hits me. Something so foul, so alien, it yanks me back from the brink of disassociation. I gag and choke, as the air becomes thick with the rotten, chemical reek.
Then, I see it, I see, him.
As randomly as he disappeared, in an instant Trenchcoat is in the room.
He’s torn apart, wounds so deep and ragged, I can see the door on the other side of the room through the worst of them.
One arm is a twisted, broken mess, the flesh jacket torn to shreds of necrotic tissue.
The look on his face is panic, paranoia. A rictus grin of someone that has been kept on his toes for entirely too long.
He trembles and heaves, looking like he could fall over at any second.
He points his good arm at the tendril creature, who I notice has a too familiar eye suspended in it’s shifting features.
“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the motherfucker who just made me kill my favorite cousin, would you? “ Trenchcoat asks, his voice cracked, and strained.
He gets a confused keening in response.
“Bad day for you then. “ Augustus says.
There is no style to his violence, Trenchcoat grabs the shifting mass, his wicked, claw tipped fingers angling themselves in tendrils. As he lifts the thing, floorboards break, and it’s torn free from the root-like system it was creating in the room.
Three brutal slams cover me in ichor and pieces of creature. Trenchcoat tosses the mewling, twitching pile in a corner and looks at me with disgust.
“You let that thing do this to you? Fuckin’ pathetic, bud.
And who tied you up? “ The nightmare I’ve been cursed with chides me.
“The kids downstairs. “ I say only now realizing I’ve still been sobbing.
One handed, Trenchcoat snaps the wires, then stumbles backward, slowly sliding down the wall.
He coughs, grey, bloody phlegm hitting the ground.
“So, what’s the play here? If this shit broke you, I could use the spare parts, if not, well, you know what the Bible says.
An eye for an eye. “ Trenchcoat grins as he talks, nearly on the brink of death.
And that’s where I think I’m going to leave things. Because, honestly I don’t know what I’m choosing.
I’m mutilated, half blind, using too much of my energy typing to strangers online about things because, I’m so fucking alone here.
If you hear from me again, I hope I made the right move. If not, take this as a lesson on what happens when you screw around with the occult.

For anyone who wants to see how I got into this situation.
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/s/R0DAycoVIm
“In what universe would I ever do you a favor? “ I say, sweeping the floor of the reinforced barn.
“It’s not a favor, it’s a trade, bud.
What do you want in return? “ Trenchcoat asks from within the coffin-like cage.
“To be back home, 8 months ago. “ I reply.
Over the past few weeks I’ve managed to integrate myself into the day to day life on the farm. Things are still a grim, horrifying slog, but with every day it gets a bit easier to deal with.
“Give me something I can do. “ The creature pleads.
“Why, so I can wind up on the end of another ‘ Gotcha’ moment? I’m good. “ is my answer.
A few minutes of silence go by, Augustus breaks it.
“I don’t know many secrets of the universe. Facts, not really my bag. But I know a couple.
How about I share one with you?
No one, not the pope, not my brother, not the shit-bird perched on the highest branch of my twisted family tree, knows what happens when you die.
Some of us never will, of course. Others have ways of avoiding it, but at the end of the day, when the lights truly go out, we know next to nothing.
We do know one thing though. There is judgement, by who? Who knows? Why? Not important.
But at the end of the day, if your battery can’t be recharged, you really want to be thinking about how many marks are on each side of the ledger. “
I don’t reply, and for the next hour or so I ignore the pleading and hinting Trenchcoat does.
But that night, as I sip acidic tea, and try to get a handle on how in the fuck old televisions function, his offer is at the forefront of my mind.
He wants to kill, specifically 6 teenagers who, according to him, have been murdering classmates yearly in a twisted ritual.
He wants me to think this is some kind of noble act, he frames it as almost superheroic. The evil prick knows how I feel, knows that I see the blood on my hands every day, and would kill ( possibly literally) for some way to atone.
Is it a play? I honestly don’t think so, something about how eager the twisted thing is, about how he’s treating the situation as a buyer’s market makes me think something about this makes it important to him.
He offers me everything besides safety and protection. I’m desperate for help, but I have no way to hold him to any agreement.
So the thought rolls around in my mind, staving off the few hours of sleep I get.
“Okay, so, I have it on good authority that tea is supposed to taste better over here. What the hell is wrong with this? “ I say, sitting around an outside table with Sylvia, Dafydd and Colin.
Sylvia smiles, “ Barium, calcium, and a touch of castor oil. “
I look at the brew, then at her.
“If I had told you when you got here you need to drink that to mitigate the effects of working with void touched objects and creatures, you’d have assumed the worst, and found a way to avoid drinking it.
Good to see you becoming more perceptive though. “ Sylvia explains.
“That’s called paranoia, Syl. “ I reply.
She laughs, lighting a cigarette.
“Do you know why I’ve let you figure things out on your own? “ The ancient woman asks.
“Accepted? Yes. Understood, not in the slightest. “ I answer, wondering what sadist invented the scone.
“It’s because I need a leader. Someone who can understand, not a boy who puts his head down and listens to orders.
Someone who can make their own decisions when the time comes.
And I think that time is coming soon. “ Her statement feels like a question.
“If I chose to be here I’d be honored.” I counter.
“That attitude on the other hand… needs work.
Nikolas, today, we talk about what’s really going on.
We play a role in a much larger organization, us, and other families like us, are the ‘boots on the ground’ so to speak.
Our job is not to capture creatures, or horde esoteric goods. We do not foil the schemes of demons, nor blind those who look too deeply into the abyss.
We’re given information about events that could steer the path of humanity into a brick wall. And our job is to make sure they don’t happen. “ Sylvia reveals.
“Something is happening with these fights? “ I ask.
“As I said, perceptive.
Yes, it could be next week, it could be in a decade or two. Right now, we know very little about it, other than when it happens, it would be in our best interests to be of a high standing in the pits. “ She replies.
I absorb the information, and t drug laced tea in equal measure. As I do, I feel something, I feel I’m a part of what’s going on.
This is going to sound dumb as hell, but up until this point I hadn’t been taking things seriously. Don’t get me wrong, death is on the table, and I was trying to avoid that. But I was just treading water, hoping something or someone came by and to get me out of this situation.
But as Syl lays things out, I start to think of my place here, what I can be doing to better my state.
“Here is the part where you avoid telling me why you couldn’t have used anyone around here. “ I prod.
I keep her gaze, Colin and Dafydd shift uncomfortably.
“Augustus, he’s a tricky one. But a very lucky find for us.
I’ve tried 2 others. A boy and a girl, both I practically raised.
Marco, he was a warrior. But the demon got in his head. There was nothing that could be done beyond end his suffering.
Zelma, I won’t talk about.
That thing, it has a way of turning someone’s best traits against them. You, are a blank slate, but you’re family. You’re my best guess as to how we can use him to our advantage.
And this is why I need you, not to listen, but to understand. To see what’s happening, and make your own decisions. If I were to give you my knowledge, if I were to arm you with the best weapons, and the most powerful esoteric objects I know. He’d just have more to turn against you. “ Sylvia’s revelation scares me and puts a massive weight on my shoulders all at the same time.
Confidence and fear are both dangerous emotions. The two of them are almost like drugs in a way.
After eight months of mainlining fear, the tiny line of confidence Sylvia gave me, went straight to my head.
Trenchcoat told me where to find a video file. And after a couple of weeks of running it through every possible test I could, to check for any kind of manipulation, supernatural or otherwise, I watched it.
I was confident that the world would be much better off without the people committing the vicious acts contained in those twenty minutes of footage.
A teenage view of morality, I admit. But what do you want, I’m a teenager.
We watch the abandoned house from across the street. It’s a dingy, urban blight affected suburb, that being said, how no one seems to notice the seven foot freak with me, I have no idea.
The kid inside smoking stolen cigarettes and illegally supplied booze is a husky young guy of about 14. The half dozen kids that show up a couple hours later look closer to my age, last couple of years of high school I’m guessing.
The way they get into the house tells me they’ve done this before. The backpacks they all carry tell me they’re there for a purpose.
“How fucking funny would it be if I just killed you here and took off? “ Trenchcoat says, looming behind me.
I tense.
“It’s a joke. Out of my whole rotten family, Art and I, are close. I’m not going anywhere.
Unfortunately for you. “ Trenchcoat shoves me to the ground as he walks toward the house.
We get in through a basement window, I fit easily, Trenchcoat contorts his body to fit through the thin opening, somehow doing so silently.
I keep hearing Sylvia in my head. Telling me how she needs someone that can make his own decisions.
As I stand in the litter strewn basement, beside a creature with child murder on it’s mind I question the decision that I made.
At first the illumination is dim, nothing more than scraps of moonlight filtered through splintered wood. But with an industrial click, suddenly a half dozen lightbulbs bathe the basement in harsh, yellowish light.
Harsh, but not harsh enough to cause the reaction I see from Trenchcoat.
He squints and tries, unsuccessfully to turn away from the lights. Something about them is causing him discomfort. I get my hopes up for a moment he’s going to burst into flame or turn into dust or something, but no dice.
The sight of the walking nightmare looking pained and confused makes me panic. But before I can think of how I fucked up, I hear a voice.
The room, by the sounds of it, the entire house, has been rigged with speakers. Cleverly recessed in sconces and corners.
“Augi, long time no see. And I see you brought a little Renfield fella with you. “ The voice is modulated, Trenchcoat looks curious for a moment.
“Who, is this? You that clown that’s been fucking with Art?” He guesses.
The voice laughs, “Nope.
Who I am, is a guy who managed to find a few boxes of lightbulbs from ’93.
Then again, with eBay, that could make me just about anyone. “
Trenchcoat turns and looks toward the window we came in. He reaches a hand toward it, stopping a few inches away.
“That’s fucking interesting. “ He says, eyes darting around the room.
“Isn’t it though? “ The voice replies, clearly hearing the creature’s whisper, “ Tonight you get the pay for centuries of the worst shit committed by man or beast. I’ve made sure of that. No one in this house is going anywhere for the next 8 hours.
I’m sure the rest of the houseguests are pretty confused as to what’s going on. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so let me give you the Cliff’s notes.
You kids have been killing a monster a year for half a decade. You were the perfect bait, and I have faith you’ll be able to outwit Augi long enough to make it out of here.
If not, you’ll still have helped kill one of the worst things to walk the face of the earth. “
“What the hell is he talking about? “ I ask, a sinking feeling in my gut.
“That’s what you’re worried about right now?
Yeah, these kids are more Scooby gang than Manson family. Don’t blame me for the fact it only took an out of context exorcism video and some promises of making things right with the universe to get you on board with killing them. “ Trenchcoat spits.
I feel afraid, stupid and small. Which is to say, lately, business as usual.
I begin to break lightbulbs, I notice no runes, or anything else that would indicate they have any kind of supernatural origin.
As the basement dims, Trenchcoat starts to breathe easier.
“What’s going on, what stopped you from leaving? “ I ask.
“This little shit is playing The Game. “ Trenchcoat says to himself as much as to me. He looks deep in thought, inspecting the glass from the bulbs.
“What are you talking about? “ I say, my voice cracking slightly.
I hear noises upstairs, frantic foot falls. Indecipherable shouting.
Trenchcoat turns to me, exasperated and filled with anger.
“You’ve heard of ‘Rules’ right? All that ‘Don’t turn left on East street at 3:24 am kind of shit? “ The creature starts, “More and more of them popping up lately. Can’t miss the things.
Well, your kind seems great at finding them, but fucking awful at figuring out what they are. It’s not someone’s new job, or creepy school. The answer is so damned simple, but all of you’ve missed it.
It's a game. It’s, The Game.
It’s ran by the thickest branches of my family tree, and the stakes are high enough even I don’t really understand.
And whoever has us here, he’s weaponized it. The crazy fuck. “
“Call on your family for help then. “ I say, starting to deal with the fear and confusion.
“You first. “ Is Trenchcoat’s reply.
I get his point, and for a twisted, shitty moment, I find myself relating to the murderous thing I’ve been saddled with.
“So what’s the plan? “ I ask.
“Get my hands on whoever’s been stalking me. Between A and B, probably kill those little do-gooders upstairs out of spite.
I need you to circumvent rules we come across. Humans need to agree to follow the rules, it’s why people encounter them in jobs and schools so much. I’m not human, if you haven’t noticed. I don’t get a choice. “ I’m shaking my head as Augustus relates his plan.
“We’re not hurting those kids. “ I say defiantly.
“I’m sure you’ll have no problem with that.
But I’m a God damned child killing monster, bud! How long is that going to take to sink the fuck in?
Me not doing what I do, isn’t like giving up smokes. Think of it like not having a slash for months on end. Sooner or later, like it or not, I’m either finding a bathroom or pissing my pants. “ the rant scares me, but it makes me think.
Something about Augustus, it seems very, 90’s. Whoever was on the speakers was talking about the lightbulbs being from ’93. I’m picking up on a very distinct pattern.
I file that information with the rest of the disconnected lore I’ve managed to find on Trenchcoat as I follow him up the steep, narrow set of stairs.
He whips the thin wood door open, taking an aggressive, lurching step into the livingroom beyond. Surely ready to dispense too far quips and limitless violence, as per usual.
But that doesn’t happen, his rage filled scowl turns into a look of resignation, “Fuck”, is the monster’s last word before he disappears.
I cautiously walk up the loose splinter ridden stairs, expecting Augustus to be waiting around the corner, or engaged in combat with some other horror.
But once I get to the top, there’s nothing more sinister than a livingroom covered in dust and graffiti strewn with old bottles and new stains.
I know my chance when I see it. The particle board sealing the bay window is rotten, the glass long since broken.
No monster, no crazy family, I’ll take my chances with the streets of the U. K.
I tap the crumbling wood with a foot, it rattles, it won’t take much to make a hole.
I line up a kick, freedom no more than a quarter inch of rotten wood away.
“I wouldn’t do that. “ Says a voice behind me, male, around my age I’d guess, but with a confidence that makes me listen, “ Rigged with a load of C4 in the window frame.
Don’t take my word for it, guy wasn’t very subtle. ”
Sure enough, I see small wires running along the edges of the frame and embedded in the particle board.
I turn around, the six people standing in front of me have a vibe I can only describe as severe.
“Are we going to have issues? “ a slight, dark skinned guy asks.
“You making threats? “ I reply.
“No, he isn’t. “ it’s the same voice that warned me about the explosives. It belongs to a squared jawed kid with short black hair, he’s wearing a grey hoodie, and separates himself from the group. “ Call me Kent, and I’m in charge of making threats.
Sid, he’s our people person, he’s just trying to see if you’re someone we need to worry about. “
“We don’t have time to figure this kid out, leave him. “ a short, ginger girl says.
“Ami, why don’t I stay out of equipment, and you and Kent let me figure this kid out?” Sid says.
“I’m Nik. “ I volunteer.
“Good to meet you Nik. “ Sid says, walking around Kent, “Didn’t mean to start things off on the wrong foot.
We’ve just gotten used to doing these kinds of things in our own way over the past bit. We get a little… weird around this time of year if I’m being honest. “
I nod, apprehensive at giving any kind of detailed response.
“Derik” says a tall, pale guy, “ Research. “
“Liam. “ a tanned boy in a flannel shirt and deep blue jeans tells me, “ Oxford doesn’t talk, accident a couple of years back. I’m logistics, he figures spooky shit out. “
Oxford is thin and bald, his face looks much older than it should. Like he’s the victim of some kind of wasting disease.
Telling these kids the truth would be, complicated. And something about their war vet demeanor, makes me want to keep things simple.
So I give them a version of the truth. One where I was plucked from my room by Trenchcoat, and brought here for a slow death.
They buy it. I think.
“Well, I don’t know what this Jigsaw wannabe has planned, but trust me when I say, it can’t be much worse than the things we’ve went through. “ Kent says, trying to be reassuring.
“Just, one more thing. “ Sid begins, “ Why all the scars? “
I know I’ve won most of the group over, but I don’t like the look Sid is giving me.
“Work on a farm, on top of that, the family owns an auction. Lots of bent steel and splinters, what can I say? “ I say, trying to sound casual.
“Fair enough, that accent though. “ Sid’s look becomes almost predatory as he talks.
“Immigration my guy. What’s with the third degree? “ I reply.
“We’ve just met and I’ve only asked three questions.
Humor me here though.
You get taken in the night by that thing that winked out of existence.
Seems pretty nice of him to let you put on shoes. “ Sid lets his statement hang.
Kent turns, I don’t like where this is going. Panic and fear start to well up.
“What’re you thinking Sid? “ Kent asks.
“Kid’s lying. But he’s good at it. “ Sid answers.
“You saying this has turned into a, me, situation? “ Kent’s question starts a deep pit in my stomach.
“I don’t know if we need to go that far. But I don’t like the idea of him having seen our faces. I think this is a Liam situation. “ As Sid says this I look to Liam, who already seems deep in thought.
“Local cops will back our story, but he could go beyond them.
We tie him up until all of this is done, and we get some video of him putting a blade into the body upstairs. He goes telling any stories, it’s us and the locals versus some Yank on video stabbing the kid. “ Liam suggests.
I tried to fight, it went, embarrassingly. Kent had me on the ground in some kind of arm lock in about a second.
I’m bound to an old wooden chair with electrical cords, dragged into a room on the second floor where the chubby kid from before lays face down in a coagulated pool of his own blood. Surrounded by the trappings of misspent youth.
The door locks, and I stare at the corpse, wondering what in the hell went on up here, and in what universe are these psychopaths anything other than what they seemed on screen.
Time becomes almost malleable. I’m terrified to the point where every moment seems to stretch out forever.
Then, I hear it. A wet, organic noise. It starts below the body, and slowly starts to spread.
After a minute or two, the body starts to jerk and twitch. The room is dim as hell, but some kind of ropey, flesh-like substance, is sealing off the door.
I watch as the corpse clumsily gets to it’s feet. It’s skin pale, it’s throat slit to the point of near decapitation.
The head falls backward, obscenely with a small spurt of thick blood.
I scream, I thought I’d been getting used to being face to face with monsters. But fully bound, inches away from a kid that seems to be filled with a twisting mass of barbed, writhing, intestine like tentacles, I realize I’m not used to shit.
The ropey mass forms the barest suggestion of features, a shifting, lumpen mass of ever moving tendrils coming from what used to be the kid’s neck.
The sound spreads more, cracks in the floorboards and walls begin to show hints of the tendrils filling them in like spray foam.
No one is hearing my screams, or if they are, they have no interest in helping.
Ever wonder how you’d handle torture? I think if you’re the kind of person to be reading this, it’s likely you have.
I started by pissing myself.
The second the thin tendril touches my hand, I feel a blinding, flensing pain. I can do nothing but watch, as thousands of nearly hair thin spines tear and consume my flesh. As it slowly, almost, curiously makes it’s way up my arm, it leaves a bloodless, scarred furrow about an eighth of an inch deep.
My second reaction was to lose any pretense at defiance or dignity. I thrash and scream, beg and offer. All of this turning into choked sobs as the thing starts to do much of the same with another tendril.
It felt like I was in hell, every inch of me nothing more than a canvas for this artist of misery.
But pain, it can only go so far. Whether we’re talking about my tolerance, or this thing’s interest.
Mutilation, the brutal wedding of pain and loss. That was it’s next step.
A thick, almost centipede like tendril sits on my pinky like a hot iron. I can only watch in horror as I see fat, then muscle, then bone, then, nothing.
My voice shreds, I tear my wrists and ankles trying desperately to break the expertly tied wires.
My mind is at the breaking point, the creature in front of my makes a terrible, high pitched keening I assume is laughter.
My body is a roadmap of scarred pits and lines. My hand sports a cleanly severed finger. Fuck me, I wish things ended there.
Of all the important parts of the human body, the eye, tends to feel the least pain. Which isn’t to say, as I watched the greedy, grasping claws slowly take pieces of one of mine, it didn’t hurt, but the worst part, was knowing what was happening.
The vision in my left eye begins to distort at first, the edges getting blurry, then going dark. Bit by bit, chunk by irreplaceable chunk, the creature takes half my vision.
I can feel the shifting air on the bare socket, to call what I’m doing screaming, would be understating things to the point of absurdity.
My brain reels at what has just happened. I can feel my grip on reality begin to loosen, pain, worse than can bare, loss of half my sight, it’s too much.
My brain feels filled with static, for a few brief moments I swear, I can hear someone, a voice, trying to tell me something.
But then, a smell hits me. Something so foul, so alien, it yanks me back from the brink of disassociation. I gag and choke, as the air becomes thick with the rotten, chemical reek.
Then, I see it, I see, him.
As randomly as he disappeared, in an instant Trenchcoat is in the room.
He’s torn apart, wounds so deep and ragged, I can see the door on the other side of the room through the worst of them.
One arm is a twisted, broken mess, the flesh jacket torn to shreds of necrotic tissue.
The look on his face is panic, paranoia. A rictus grin of someone that has been kept on his toes for entirely too long.
He trembles and heaves, looking like he could fall over at any second.
He points his good arm at the tendril creature, who I notice has a too familiar eye suspended in it’s shifting features.
“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the motherfucker who just made me kill my favorite cousin, would you? “ Trenchcoat asks, his voice cracked, and strained.
He gets a confused keening in response.
“Bad day for you then. “ Augustus says.
There is no style to his violence, Trenchcoat grabs the shifting mass, his wicked, claw tipped fingers angling themselves in tendrils. As he lifts the thing, floorboards break, and it’s torn free from the root-like system it was creating in the room.
Three brutal slams cover me in ichor and pieces of creature. Trenchcoat tosses the mewling, twitching pile in a corner and looks at me with disgust.
“You let that thing do this to you? Fuckin’ pathetic, bud.
And who tied you up? “ The nightmare I’ve been cursed with chides me.
“The kids downstairs. “ I say only now realizing I’ve still been sobbing.
One handed, Trenchcoat snaps the wires, then stumbles backward, slowly sliding down the wall.
He coughs, grey, bloody phlegm hitting the ground.
“So, what’s the play here? If this shit broke you, I could use the spare parts, if not, well, you know what the Bible says.
An eye for an eye. “ Trenchcoat grins as he talks, nearly on the brink of death.
And that’s where I think I’m going to leave things. Because, honestly I don’t know what I’m choosing.
I’m mutilated, half blind, using too much of my energy typing to strangers online about things because, I’m so fucking alone here.
If you hear from me again, I hope I made the right move. If not, take this as a lesson on what happens when you screw around with the occult.

Hi there,
Please brace yourself, this is going to be a long one and I'm going to try and be as objective and as eloquent as I possibly can. P.S I've never used Reddit before but have seen these type of content reshared on YouTube.
Alright. Let's go! So, my husband and I dated 8 years ago, and 2 years ago we decided to get married. For the story's sake, let's call him Dennis (31). Dennis was from a different country and we are the same race of people (different nationalities). He is the love of my life, I love him dearly - he is everything little me dreamed out, he's... im tearing up just thinking about how much I love him, there are no words to describe.
Now, Dennis parents rarely visited when we were dating, most of the getting to know my in-laws/introduction to the fam happened online and I don't know why I didn't see the things clearer (probably jacked up on love) that I brushed things off.
I made it clear, from our third date to Dennis that I don't want kids, never wanted them and its not something I'm going to change my mind on. I wanted him to know this from the get-go so we don't hit roadblocks and him trying to persuade me... yada yada yada. He eventually told me that the more thoughts he "thunked" on this subject, the more it made sense to not have kids and so, great! We started dating and the rest was history.
Now, about 6 years in, I went on a vacation with his family cause' well, I wanted to know them better and on Christmas Day, Dennis's father, we'll call him Tom (Ancient), sat me down in front of his 2 brothers and wife and told me how disappointment he was in me that I was not going to have kids. He then followed it up with and I'm quoting "A woman's duty is to have kids...." I blocked the rest out because I was TRAUMATIZED by these words. His family also weren't vaccinated (anti-vax) and everyone ended up getting Covid. I have Asthma (like rushed into the ICU twice and put on a ventilator bad) and though Dennis and I were vaccinated, the others weren't.
This trip ended up being one of the major hurdles both Dennis and I had to navigate through because he did not say anything, he didn't stand up for me, he basically didn't do anything. Though, he told me to not let he's father's words affect me cause who cares what he thinks and that at the end of the day it was our lives, he said and I quote "It's word fodder, tune it out" but I couldn't let it go and my view was that I was not close enough to his dad for him to be talking to me about my reproductive organs/purpose. We took a mini break but got back together with Dennis agreeing to be more aware and present when he's father pulls another one of this episodes.
Fast forward to current day - my younger sister and Dennis younger brother got together during our wedding (A whole nuanced convo for another day) and I was pissed because we were really going through a tough time financially and this mini wedding was supposed to be something nice for the both of us. My in-laws attended the wedding and added so many decorations on top of the ones Dennis and I had, my MIL put fairy lights on the tables and they had 2 huge flags of the country Dennis was from and we didn't see any of this because we were getting ready. Even during the ceremony when it was time for one of my cousin to give her speech, they hijacked the whole thing by doing some ceremony of their own. I decided to let it go because... well, Dennis and I were both so fucking tired. My wedding day was the saddest day of my life. When I look back, I cannot recall a single happy memory - I know they are there but I just... I can't look past what they did, ya know?
Anyway, 2 days after the wedding, my in laws threw a dinner for Dennis and I, we attended and Tom starts expressing his grievances as to his experience at our wedding and starts telling me that I need to start distancing myself from my family because I have now become a part of theirs - I told him no, although I am a part of his family, I will NEVER ever stop being involved in mine (I'm the oldest sister). He then proceeded to call me "damaged" because I was raised in a broken family because my parents are separated. Dennis stepped in and he quickly got shut down with Tom yelling verbal abuse at him. By then, even I knew it was time to shut our pie holes and live to fight another day.
Fast forward to present day, we have both moved to a different country and are thriving. We've never been more financially stable (I got my dream job...pinch me!), we go on coffee dates, life is good except... except for when Tom comes over to stay. He comes over twice a month and is constantly talking about masculinity and femininity and how we ought to implement it in our lives. One time, Dennis tried to stop him and Tom almost got physically abusive so I decided that instead of hiding behind my husband, I shall speak and let him know exactly what I was thinking. The next time he came over, he started talking about the same thing, imagine someone regurgitating podcast bro word vomit over and over again on an endless echo chamber? Yeah - the same talking points! So i told him that he is free to implement whatever he wants in his household but in ours, we do things differently. Tom asked me to explain and I did and he called Dennis a "simp". Dennis was not in the vicinity of the conversation at the time.
Oh yeah, one time when he came to visit, I went to the gym and I was on the treadmill doing 12-3-30 and fighting for my life when Tom decided to jump on the back of the treadmill to startle me. I had my fist rounded to punch him but stopped when I realized who it was. Slight detour, could someone explain to me what thought process goes through one's brain before deciding to jump someone?
Jokes aside, the last weekend, my sister called Dennis to mediate a fight she'd been having with my Brother-in-law. I didn't want to be a part of it but eavesdropped anyway - their fight was about my brother-in-law not feeling like he's doing feminine work when he cleans the house etc and he blamed my sister for being career driven, he said it was too masculine. Dennis in his infinite patience was trying to mediate the dumpsterfire (god bless him) but it all come to a close when brother-in law told my sister "no man is ever going to love you if you're this masculine". She immediately hung up (so proud!)
Now, she wants to break up with him but he refuses to answer her call.
Fast forward to the present day, Tom constantly shares videos to the family whatsapp group about men silencing women and how feminism is bad, blah, blah, blah... and how birth rates are falling. It's a constant thing. I've. muted and archived the family group (You gotta love technology).
Tom has also recently wrote a book on the importance of being a dad and the role a man should play within the family dynamic. It's horrendous! I read the draft and it was like watching a dead animal being plowed through miles and miles of tar. I'm not just talking about his ideologies, I'm talking about his writing style. It sounded very similar to my diary entries when I was 9 (I might come off as a little standoff-ish but I assure you, I am of quite intelligent).
Between being called "damaged", my wedding day, verbal abuse inflicted on my sister and being jumped on the treadmill (Look at that, I too do have infinite patience) I decided it was time to instead of putting band-aids on a burning fire to find a permanent solution to end this once and for all. I told Dennis that he is free to fly back to visit his parents whenever he wants to and on special occasions but I don't think I can at least for now. I told him about how I don't feel safe around Tom and his brothers and their ideologies and i implored him to understand, he gave me a huge hug and said he does and he will never force me to spend our hard earned savings and time and energy on something I don't want (What a catch!). I can't help but feel guilty because well, Dennis grew up around his family and though he spent more time in my country surrounded by my family, his family is still his. Will this create a rift in our marriage? Is this how resentment starts? I want nothing more than to see my husband laugh his heart out, and experience life for all the wonderful things it is. I have to know if he's not going to be thinking of his family and how he misses them and wants to be with them, etc. So, reddit, AITA?
For some more context, I grew up in a fairly progressive neighborhood and hosuehold. Ngl, I grew up extremely privileged and my dad often sent us to summer camps through the British Council to expand our worldview. At home, we often engaged in fierce debates around religion, worldview, politics and drugs. Hint, my dad is actually a fan of legalizing it. :) My parents eventually separated as most of ours do but I don't think we are "damaged" because of it. <3
There, I hope there is enough context.

Here are my observations from our trip. We spent a few days in Tokyo prior to a cruise that visited… Shimizu, Nagoya (cancelled due to high winds), Kobe (overnight for Osaka and Kyoto), Kochi, Naha, and Miyakojima before dropping us in Taiwan. A special thanks to many contributors on this sub for the many tips I’m confirming here. 😊
Arrival at Narita: - Fill out the immigration forms online before you leave for the smoothest experience for everyone. It does not really save you any time… you go through the same line and process as folks with paper forms. The difference is that online validates your entries, if you do something wrong on the paper form you have to correct in front of the agent which creates a delay for everyone. - Plan at least an hour for customs clearance - maybe more. There’s free wifi while standing in line. - We took the Narita Express from the airport to Shinjuku. It was the easiest option from my research and was super easy in practise. Cost was reasonable… buy tickets on arrival at the in person ticket office or nearby kiosks. Watch a video on YouTube to familiarize yourself with the process. There’s lots of room for luggage on the train
Language and Reception: - I read a lot about language barriers during my research but English was not a problem… the same as nearly anywhere else in the world these days. Almost everyone speaks English that we encountered but in the rare circumstance that wasn’t the case, Google Translate on our phone was helpful. It was also helpful for reading the occasional product label or sign that wasn’t in English using the photo option. Everyone smiles or chuckles if you use Konnichiwa or Arigato even if they speak perfect English. Hello and thank you are really the only words you need to know in any language in my experience to just show you’re aware of where you are and making a small effort. - Everyone appeared happy to have tourists as customers. Not annoyed or even indifferent, but happy. We didn’t experience any disapproving attitudes at all. People were even very happy to go out of their way to be helpful.
Hotel: - We stayed at the Kadoya Hotel in Shinjuku which offered the best value and location for our needs. I would definitely stay again. The rooms were very nice and decent sized. It’s a one block walk to entrance S2 or S3 for Shinjuku station on the quiet side of the station. - Being near the Golden Gai was nice as I could walk over there for a beer or drink after dinner while my wife rested. The Golden Gai is fun… tons of tiny hole in the wall bars/pubs. Some have a cover charge and some don’t. I chose one without a cover as I was only there for a single beer and had a great time chatting with some UK and Oz tourists.
Money: - We used a mix of Visa (with no foreign transaction fee), cash (obtained before departure) and Suica. Cash is helpful for snacks or other small purchases, and some small restaurants that only take cash. We used Suica for all trains, metro, buses, etc. - If you have an iPhone, you can’t beat the convenience of adding a Suica card to your Apple wallet. We loaded it before leaving and again mid-trip a couple of times from our Visa (also in Apple Wallet) - as long as you have internet access you can reload it anytime. - Overall, Tokyo and Japan are MUCH more affordable than Vancouver. Everything from metro fares to bottled water and restaurant food and beer was probably half the price on average compared to Vancouver. We typically paid about 1000 yen for a bowl of Ramen and 500-600 for a draft beer. The exception was espresso coffee drinks from Starbucks or any other cafe where they were equivalent price to what we pay at home.
Transportation: - The Tokyo (and Osaka/Kyoto) train and metro network is very easy to navigate. Probably one of the best in the world because you can just focus on line and station numbers and not on long unpronounceable station names. For example… if you’re going from Shinjuku to Asakusa, you could take the Shinjuku line to Bakuro-yokohama and switch to the Asakusa line at Higashi-Nihomnashi… which is a mouthful and says nothing about direction of travel. Thankfully you can just take the S-Line from S1 to S9 then the A-Line from A15 to A19. It couldn’t be easier. - Google Maps “Directions” is awesome for recommending routes with lines, station entrances, platforms, etc. When you get to a station, pick your destination in Google Maps and choose “Directions” and it will give you several train choices with full details. - As you might expect the cars at either end of the train will be less crowded than the cars in the middle or near the stairs/escalator… it’s worth the walk to the end of the platform.
Food: - I think I figured out why no one eats or drinks on the go… there’s no public trash cans. So, for example, if you buy a Starbucks coffee and walk around with it, you will have a tough time trying to dispose of the cup. Starbucks became our tourist oasis because they have bathrooms, wifi… and trash cans. LOL. It’s really very bizarre and encourages everyone to consume what you buy, where you buy it. Of course most convenience stores also have a trash bin for their customer use you can use as well. - Snacks… there’s no end of amazing snacks available from small stands, shops, and convenience stores. I’m not a big snacker, but my wife was snacking constantly and loving every minute of it. - Sushi… I think living in Vancouver has spoiled us with amazing Japanese restaurant and food choices. One big difference in Vancouver is that sushi restaurants have a lot of exotic rolls… dragon rolls, volcano rolls, etc. we didn’t see any of this in Japan. Sushi in Japan tends to be heavily focused on sashimi with simple rolls as an add on. Our fav sushi experience was at a conveyor belt restaurant where you just pick a plate as it passes by. Each plate has a colopattern that represents the cost of the item on it. When you’re done, they just add up the types of plates you have. - Ramen… There’s an insane variety of ramen and all are good. - Japanese Beef!!! We had a great but expensive Teppinyaki experience in Tokyo at Ginza Steak Shibuya. They offer all you can eat (within a time limit) A5 Wagyu beef but you can’t choose the cut and they don’t offer rib or tenderloin. Never the less, it’s fantastic beef and we left stuffed and smiling. I would only recommend it if you don’t mind spending over $100pp. The best beef I’ve ever had was at a Kobe steakhouse (Kobesteak Propeller) we visited on the cruise portion of the trip. They served us rib cut beef and it just melted in our mouth. Amazing! You get a small 160g portion but it’s quality over quantity and reasonably priced given the great appies and desert included. - We made reservations for the steak outings but otherwise just picked locations as we walked by or looking at nearby options on Google Maps.
Bathrooms: - Every toilet in Japan is high tech with a full suite of cleaning options and automated heated seats. The only feature it may be missing is a wifi hotspot 😛 - Bathrooms are easy to find at nearly every metro/train station and tourist attraction (and Starbucks and department stores). They are all very clean.
Communications: - I have a work funded roaming package so didn’t buy a local SIM plan. If I didn’t have my work plan I would have looked into this. - Free WiFi is plentiful and an app called Japan WiFi Auto Connect enables you to authenticate once with this app and then it runs in the background and auto authenticates you for a variety of free wifi hotspots streamlining the connection process. - Take advantage of downloading Google maps for offline use if you don’t have a cell plan in Japan.
Cruise Logistics: - I believe a lot of cruises depart from Yokohama, but ours departed from Tokyo. - The Tokyo International Cruise Terminal is very conveniently accessed by an elevated metro line (Yurikamome) from the Shimbashi metro/train station which is readily accessible from the Yamanote line or Ginza or Asakusa lines. - We used the Yamanote line and I was concerned about this for taking our luggage but fortunately we needed to do this on a Sunday and not during rush hour. My tip is if you’re taking luggage on a train or subway, go to the furthest car platform at the front or back end of the station as the cars in the middle or nearest the escalators/stairs will be standing room only packed while the end cars are much less busy and have seats available and plenty of room - to a greater or lesser extent depending on the time and day.

Warning; Mentions in the first and eighth paragraph and conclusion of pedophilia and predation.
My Little Pony: Roleplay is Magic is a game on Roblox centered around My Little Pony. It was created November 11, 2012, and is arguably one of the better RP games for MLP on Roblox.
So, here's a um... Dumb little documentary about it!
The moderation team and staff, alongside some of the player base is a solid 4/10. I was surprised on how many pedophiles I caught on the game, and predation in general is rather common on the game as well. Very much to my dismay, I watched a 19 year old flirt with an 11 year old out of character, and the 19 y/o didn't seem to care about the fact he was flirting with a minor. This post goes more in depth about the pedophilia and corrupt moderation in the game, as I'd rather not repost something completely equal to another's post. As the post says, the main issue within the development team (Sun) was removed from the team.
The map is rather well-made, although not the best thing I've seen in the world. My only distaste for the map is the fact it doesn't feature the OLD changeling hive and the tree of harmony- Due to the fact Twilight's castle is an active place in the map. Although I believe that an "Old" version of the landmarks is past due, it would make the game much more enjoyable. The map is very clearly unfinished, lacking Manehattan, Dragon's lair, Los Pegasus, San palomino, and many more. However, it does have the main attractions of the MLP series, such as Ponyville, Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, Cloudsdale, Everfree forest, and the Wonderbolt Academy, opening up possibilities for some nice roleplays.
The pony. If you join the Roleplay is Magic group, you can create a custom pony! Yet, let's talk moreso about the build of the pony and the way your pony looks. The walking animation is barely an animation- You shuffle across the floor, and "Running" is just shuffling faster. "Holding" items is sticking them out into the distance, and there are eyes and face emotes available. On pegasi, the flapping animation is also rather rigid, resulting in an up and down jerking movement. The unicorn seems to be the least embarrassing pony of them all, having colored magic and a working teleport function. Unfortunately (Yet understandably) ponies like King Sombra, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna do not have animated manes and tails.
On custom ponies, you can choose between male and female, multiple different species, pegasus, unicorn or earth pony (Alicorn not enabled on customs for obvious reasons) alongside shapes like bulky, skinny, elderly, etc. You can select an assortment of different manes, tails, eyes, markings, and accessories, alongside giving your pony's coat, eyes, mane and tail creative, different colors. This is also the case with accessories and markings, alongside one of the game's other gamepasses- Buddies. You can spawn a morph of yours in to spawn in a little buddy of yours who'll follow every movement you do! Not the most realistic thing in the world, but it works.
Canon ponies are sorted between free and VIP; VIP players can select any pony/pony variant with a purple background; Whereas people without the VIP gamepass cannot select anything aside from ponies with a blue background. The canon ponies look rather good, although some ponies lack certain details, and there's a lack of ponies that make the world of Equestria work (Such as Guard variants, which could be free to play.) I've noticed that very few ponies have animated assets, such as Celestia and Luna's hair sparkling, and sombra's purple smoke.
Now, the part we've all been waiting for- Or dreading, the Roleplay compartment of this game. Funnily enough, there's in insane lack of public roleplays, the game being (For the most part) a chatroom aside from some younger children roleplaying as the mane six. Despite this, I've witnessed a couple of roleplays, be it with original characters, that seemed genuinely interesting.
Now, this part. "Should my kid play this game?" No. Why? I don't believe any child under 13 should roleplay. I think roleplaying, especially at a very young age on a game where romance could possibly spark between characters (Such as roleplays as Shining Armor and Princess Cadence) could be potentially damaging. Even though the game seems harmless, people on the game might not be as harmless as the game itself. I believe there's an acute lack of moderation, and I've noticed that the moderators seem too interested in talking to players on the game than taking care of people who are actively breaking rules.
Although the game could be considered one of the better roleplay games on Roblox for MLP, I definitely wouldn't go as far as to say it's a 100% safe game for kids to play. Again, some predators tend to get on games for kids under the pretense they could find a potential victim. Although this is the case for all multiplayer games, MLP:RiM has an active past of it.
I say to anyone who knows better than to trust random people on the internet (AKA Not kids) the game is pretty decent, and it has a fairly straightforward customization feature. The roleplays are (usually) innocent, and players are usually accepting and kind.
TL;DR: Good game, but pedos are likely to target you if you're a kid

Come and behold: an odyssey of two men that both claimed they just wanted to have an enjoyable Round 6 at the BAO 2024, and how that all went to hell after just 2 phases. This is a long read so strap yourselves in and get a tea or something, because I'm not giving you a TL;DR, you have to suffer like I did.
Now I’ll be honest, I’m not a perfect player. I don’t know every rule. I make mistakes. The match was Talons of the Emperor Custodes (myself) and Hypercrypt Necrons (my “good-natured” opponent). I ran a rather generic list, and he was running 4 C’tan with a very thin offering of 3 flayed one units and two sets of Lokhust heavy destroyers with Lokhust lords due to points. My main game plan was to just kill his non-C’tan stuff and then try to die efficiently wrapping his C’tan up in melee so they couldn’t jump around, limiting his ability to score with only a few models. The mission was Take and Hold, which I knew was to my disadvantage because he was going to be able to easily jump around and usually score the full 15 for primaries.
From the beginning my “this guy is gonna be an issue” red flag goes off. He doesn’t have a cohesive set of dice, just a random pile of dice of different sizes and colors. I’ve never had a friendly match with anyone who does this. It makes the dice rolls much harder to read and while I don’t expect someone to spend a lot of money on limited edition, faction-specific dice, in my experience, if a person can’t be bothered to spend a few dollars on a proper set of legible dice they won’t be bothered to read, understand and play the rules correctly either. And kids, let me tell you just how right I was.
During deployment, he just haphazardly put his units out one after another, not following the each player places one unit at a time rule. This resulted in his whole army being deployed while I had only put down a couple units. He placed his Void Dragon right on the line in a way that let me deploy my Caladius in a way that would give my tank a free shot due to line of sight while nevertheless being out of range of the Dragon’s movement and weapon range. I won the roll-off to go first, so therefore I would get shots in the first two turns due to its placement.
Here is where I have to admit my one mistake. I didn’t understand how the C’tans damage- halving interacted with damage modifiers. My tank's damage is D6+2. I assumed the D6 was halved, then the +2 added. We argued this, I even wanted a judge ruling because I knew I needed every point of damage I could muster if I was going to kill those C’tan. However, I knew both of the players on the table next to me. They’re good and knowledgeable players, so I asked them. They corrected my thinking as it only applies to weapon abilities like Melta 2, etc. Oops, my bad. I accept that three people are now telling me the same thing, even after my opponent still offers to get the judge. I decline, wanting to move on and not waste time. However, I’m sure this signaled to my opponent that I was willing to fight over proper rules interpretations, which apparently meant we weren’t just going to have an enjoyable game anymore. I’ve played dozens of games with very competitive players that had plenty of contention and tension that comes with two grown people wanting to win a game of plastic army men while still maintaining civility and sportsmanship... but I guess everything that follows is really my fault lol.
Using Tabletop Tactics' random secondaries, he drew Bring it Down and Secure No Mans Land on turn one. He didn't like BiD and burned it for 1 CP. Then said he drew Deploy Teleport Homers. Then he exclaimed that he "accidentally" drew that random secondary on my mission selection tab instead of his, so said he actually got Area Denial. I told him it really shouldn't matter because it was a secondary available to him and should still count. He got very huffy, then tried to claim he never drew BiD. After several minutes of arguing I finally got him to agree to having burned BiD and just let him have Area Denial.
At the end of both my first and second turns he forgot to hyperphase any units until after had already drawn his secondaries, then tried to decide at that point what would be best to remove from the board and redeploy in order to achieve them. This culminated in his second turn movement phase where he specifically asked me to move a unit of Flayed Ones, then several minutes later tells me he had pulled them at the end of my previous turn. We argued for several minutes where I tell him exactly what he pulled, but he continued to insist. I finally let him have it but forced him to make an agreement that we both had to pull units like that before we drew secondaries since I also had a Callidus Assassin and Allarus Terminator Squads. He of course continued to not do this even after I had to hold myself to the agreement after forgetting to pull a squad of terminators. I then had to spend the rest of the game markedly declaring the end of my turn and asking if he wanted to pull anything. (He still tried to do it in his turn 4's movement phase but stopped himself with a muttered "Yeah... but you won't let me do that..."
He also did not fundamentally understand how cover worked, claiming another Flayed One squad had cover because the front of my Calladius tank couldn't see them, despite the unit being fully visible to the back half of the tank. The two players on the table next to me had to explain how cover works because he was convinced I was wrong.
In my turn 3, after deep striking in a terminator unit nine inches out from the third unit of Flayed Ones on his home objective (yes, if you’ve been paying attention there was a different and equally ridiculous issue with every single one of his Flayed One units), I was stupid and shot a couple off. He pulled 2 models. I measured for the new charge distance. Oops, I was stupid and extended my 9-inch charge to 10 inches. I told him this.
“There is no way that is a 10 inch charge!!! I put them 2 inches apart from each other. It has to be an 11 inch charge.”
“Alright, dude, well. Look at the tape measure. It’s like 10.5.”
“Were they even 9 inches to begin with!?”
He then proceeded arbitrarily to put one of the models I killed back onto the table and measured the charge himself only to find it was 9 inches. He still was not convinced. I had to get a player from another table (not the original other table, but the one to the right of me this time [so if you’re keeping track on that front as well, that’s two tables and five players acting as pseudo-judges for this match]) to confirm that yes, it was a 10-inch charge. I then proceeded to roll a 3 on the charge lol. This one really gets me because if he had taken at least 5 seconds to actually care about where he put back the dead model, he could have made me look like a cheater because his Flayed Ones were absolutely not 2 inches apart as he had originally spaced them.
In my subsequent Turn 3 fight phase, I charged the Void Dragon with my wardens. I popped the FNP because I know they wouldn't kill it. I made my attacks, blowing the double ka’tah, and did a small amount of damage to it. He fought back. I reminded him of the -1 to hit for the Radiant Mantle. I reminded him of the -1 to wound because of wardens' ability. He generates his wounds, I make my saves and fail 2 of them. He rolls two 3s for damage.
“That’s 12 damage on your captain.”
“Umm... how? does the Void Dragon have Precision or something?”
“No, I did the precision strat.”
“You never declared it.”
“Yes I did this is why I was asking about your Captain’s toughness.”
“Yeah, but you never said anything about doing a stratagem; it’s not happening.”
“Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be?”
“Yeah, it is.” I roll my FNPs. The first one died and I manage to save 4 damage on the second wound.
By this point the match resembled something closer to a marriage between a knife fight and when two kids play pretend laser guns, where one kid says I hit you and the other one goes, “No you didn’t!” He wanted to retroactively Heroically Intervene the nearby Nightbringer. He had the CP for it since I wouldn’t let him "do the precision strat" (which turned out to be Epic Challenge). I allowed it because I preferred the fight while the wardens' FNP was activate rather than be charged by the Nightbringer in the next round. He then wanted to fight me next with the Nightbringer, despite the fact that I had another charging unit elsewhere to fight next. I told him I had to fight over there first. “But I charged!” I then had to spend several minutes explaining how fighting first actually works in regards to charging units, and how Heroic Intervention specifically stated he doesn’t get a charge bonus despite rolling a charge. In response, he spent his last 2 CP to interrupt. I reminded him of the debuffs, again. He rolled to hit and wound rather poorly. It caused like 2 damage overall, killing the other wounded warden. He is not happy. Well, even less happy than the already not-happy he was.
You might notice I’m beginning to add some flavor commentary. That’s because as I write this out and realize I’m not even halfway through it I’m becoming very demoralized and I’m sure you, dear reader, are as well and we could both use some entertainment from this utter mess.
At the start of his Turn 3, he announced his secondary draws: Assassination and Bring it Down. I had taken so much psychic damage in the match by then (which is impressive considering Necrons) that I was confused why BiD wasn’t showing up in his secondaries to select. Then it all came back to me in a flashback, like I was Neville Chamberlain having signed the Munich Agreement in Round 1, convinced that it would stop all the hostilities and we would live in peace for the next 5 rounds. Indeed, appeasement had worked as well for me as for him. I reminded him he drew BiD in turn 1 and had burned it with a CP.
“No, I just drew it now in Turn 3.”
“Dude, we had a huge dispute about this. This was the fiasco about you saying you accidentally drew a random secondary from my secondary list.”
Somehow, he did not remember this. I once again just had to force the issue and tell him he couldn’t draw it again, since it was all too suspicious that he happened to get the same secondary twice -- right as he had my only vehicle, the Caladius, lined up for an easy charge from the Nightbringer. Oh well, he still found something for the Nightbringer to charge that round.
Now, whenever he would do his massive 36 shots on the Lokhust unit, he would pick up a massive pile of 16mm or larger dice that was far too large for his very average-sized hands. He would then proceed to throw -- yes, throw -- in the manner of lifting the pile into the air and chucking them down into his dice tray as if this were an anime about cooking and he was adding ingredients to a bowl. Dice would bounce everywhere. On at least one occasion this produced a dropped a waterfall of like 10 dice onto my nearby Witchseekers that produced neither a care nor an apology. Also, he used a neighboring game's mat as the base for his dice tray and they were forced to play around it.
After the dicefall had generated a suspicious number of wounds in the previous two shooting phases from his Lokhust Heavy Destroyers (equipped with Enmitic Exterminators) -- 36 wounds on 36 shots is what finally did it -- I looked them up in the 40k app in his Turn 3 shooting phase. Yes, they have Sustained Hits 1. Yes, the Lokhust Lord attached to them lets them crit on a 5+, but I cannot find where he's getting the Lethal Hits he claims they also have. So, I ask him how he's getting them.
"Uh, from the critical hits."
"That's not what the critical hits are."
He gave me the snidest tone possible. “What do you think a critical hit is?"
After several impassioned minutes of explaining the difference between Sustained, Lethal and critical hits, he still refused to believe me and, yet again, the players next to me had to explain because by that point he was convinced I’m lying about every rules correction I made.
By this point a friend of his had come over to observe the game. He made several not-subtle, over-the-shoulder whispers to him. I can only guess these were all sorts of pejoratives about me and requests for him to police the rest of the match because the friend watched the rest of the game very intently. But, wouldn’t you know, he would never chime in that I was incorrect about a rules correction.
There were several other grand and epic spectacles over the course of the game...
After the fiasco of the Void Dragon not actually invoking an Epic Challenge and Nightbringer using IRL chronomancy to time-travel and use a Heroic Intervention/Interrupt, I used Hunt as One in my Turn 4 to fall back, shoot, and charge. I declared this. I declared what it does. Several minutes later, when I made a whopping 6 shots with the remaining spears in attempt to chip off a lucky wound, he informed me that I couldn’t do that: I fell back. I told him I did the strat. “Oh so you can fall back, charge, and shoot.” >.< I finally brought the Void Dragon down after three dedicated tank attacks and two rounds of warden charging attacks. (C’tans' half damage, 4+ invuln, 5+ FNP sucks lol.)
In Round 4, one of his secondaries was Engage on all Fronts. He was already in two quarters and could easily have hyperphased a Transcendent C’tan into a third. What he really wanted to do, however, was put a C’tan on the center objective and also have the same C'tan also count as within a quarter. It was impossible for it to be in the objective’s range and also be wholly past 3” of both center lines to be in the quarter properly. I tell him this and he argued that he only has to be more than 3” from the very center of the board in the direction of one of the corners. I then had to spend several minutes using dramatic arm motions to explain how the table is divided into quarters along two axes, how he has to be more than 3” beyond both of these, and how it’s simply impossible with his base size to be on the objective and properly in the quarter for Engage. One of the pseudo-judge players from another table finally has to back me up. I explained that he could easily put the Transcendent C’tan somewhere else and score Engage, but it wouldn’t be in a position to do anything else. He didn't want to, as he inexplicably wanted it on the objective with the Nightbringer on it that he had already scored and also to put attacks into my Caladius which, by this point, was on 4 wounds. Following that, the Nightbringer killed the Caladius on its own with Gaze of Death, so the Transcendent C’tan sat there, did nothing, and didn’t score him Engage.
Throughout the game, he would rarely if ever declare intention, especially when making attacks. He would just throw some dice to hit and wound, and then I would have to ask what unit he was even attacking. This came to a head in his turn following the death of the Void Dragon. He made an auto-charge into the wardens with the Nightbringer and did his typical just throwing dice and telling me how many wounds I had to save. I asked him if he did the -1 to wound. He exasperatedly told me yes. I asked him if he did the -1 to hit as well. Dumbfounded silence. I had to make him redo the entire attack. He was very annoyed because in all it resulted in one less wound for me to save. I tell him yes, in fact, that one less wound to save from the Nightbringer's melee is, in fact, a big deal.
He also tried to argue with me that I couldn’t gain a CP after discarding a tactical objective at the end of the turn since I had done so on Turn 1 to discard Assassination. Apparently, you can only gain a bonus CP from discarding tacticals once per game.
Finally, in his last turn at the bottom of round five, I had done all the scoring I could. He was going to score 15 for primaries and there was nothing I can do. Points as they were, I would still be up by 2 points. However, he had kept Engage, and when he scored the three points he could get from that, he would win by 1 point. It’s plain as day. He taps his other secondary on the app and his policer-friend agrees with him that it’ll be a six-point victory. He announced that the game was over. I ask him what his other secondary is, and he wouldn’t tell me.
“Why not?”
“It won’t make a difference anyway.”
“Yeah, but I need to know for proper scoring.”
“Fine, it’s Behind Enemy Lines.”
Truth be told, there was no way he could score two units for Behind, three quarters for Engage, and score the center objective alongside the two he already held. I didn't argue it, because no matter what combination of two objectives and Behind + Engage he mustered, he still would get the win by 1 point. I didn’t feel like getting in one last fight over what would have been just my stubborn pride.
This was quite honestly the worst 40k game I’ve ever played and made true my worries about going to a big competitive event after what was a relatively pleasant five rounds. Mind you, this was also a fight to see who would go 4-2 so the stakes were about as low as what it would look like if I ever tried to make a soufflé.
If you made it this far, thank you for sharing in my misery. Oh, one nice/right thing he did was to give me a few beers at the start of the match... but maybe he was just trying to get me drunk and make my play worse.

11th: Jerri Manthey 1.0 (The Australian Outback - 8th)

mother
u/SMC0629:
Despite how anyone feels about Outback, I think Jerri is the one character who transcends those opinions. She is a pioneer in terms of Survivor villains, literally the original, and for better or for worse, she had the entire fandom in a chokehold back when the show started. She's super complex and fun to watch, and EASILY my favorite character of the season.
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u/DryBonesKing:
Survivor’s original villain. Man-eater Manthey, the original Black Widow, Survivor’s very first “mactor” casting, the asshole who said Keith couldn’t cook rice, the horrible person who accused Kel of smuggling beef jerky… Honestly, I think Jerri’s gotten underrated nowadays. There’s some meaningful discussion to be had about the extent of how much of a villain Jerri is based on modern day perspectives, but I have also seen it accompanied by takes about Jerri being neither a villain nor “that entertaining”, and honestly, I categorically reject both assertions.
Jerri carves herself a truly unique role in Outback and serves as a fantastic foil to all of the main characters of the show. She’s narcissistic and vain and has very little filter on her thoughts (i.e. her complaints about Keith and her open flirting with Colby), and she’s also very cutthroat with some amazing one-liners. I think Jerri is the first person in the show’s history to make a reference to “making a deal with the devil” and god does she pull it off so well. Her relationship with Colby is genuinely iconic. Her relationship with Tina is also pretty damn amazing as well (especially as it starts with both of them being suspicious of Kel). Her hatred of Keith, her feud with Elisabeth, the forced politeness she and Rodger share… hell, she manages to do the genuine impossible task of actually making Amber Brkich seem entertaining on Survivor! Give this woman an Emmy for fuck’s sake!
The beef jerky, her making tortillas to one-up Keith, her involvement in the Mitchell tribal council as one of his faithful allies, the “drizzle chocolate on a hot guy’s bod”, Colby splashing her with water after Ogakor lost reward, their late “date” at the Great Barrier Reef, her blindside, both Tina and Colby taking potshots at her in the FTC… there’s so much to say about Jerri. And despite all of these iconic moments and being such an iconic villain, she herself has a relatability to her that I think should not be ignored. Truly, one of the best of all time. Someone who should realistically make every Endgame.
Overall Rank – 9/821
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u/Zanthosus:
The original villainess of Survivor. She’s the star of her season, and she has one of the most perfect three season arcs in the show’s history. I adore her in every iteration, but here she’s basically perfect. A true 10/10 character through and through. It’s really telling that the quality of the season goes down considerably after her elimination.
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u/Tommyroxs45:
The original villainess of Survivor. Her dynamic with Colby is iconic for a reason they have some of the best moments in survivor history. And perfectly sets up Colby’s story as well as just being completely tv gold with her beef jerky gate, Hershey bars, whenever she is on screen you know you are gonna get the Manthey experience.
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u/ninjedi1:
Jerri is definitely one of the most well known characters, originally one of the most hated people on the show, and nowadays is one of the most beloved (although not a fan of the revisionist take that she was the hero of the season). From the beef jerky debacle, to her relationship with Colby, with having the ability to tick off a number of people with her attitude without even knowing, she's pretty fun overall.
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u/Regnisyak1:
Jerri Manthey (Australian Outback, 8/16)
Jerri, Jerri, Jerri. The maneater of the show has one of the most important roles in the series and is a necessary character, not just in the history of Survivor, but the history of Reality TV. She shows what happens when a personality clash happens on Survivor. She demonstrates the pride of strong women and how they are immediately ostracized on these TV shows as being a “bitch.” The double standard she expresses, where she is playing a clear strategic game, but is relegated to the position of the camp pariah because of her behavior is endlessly fascinating. But most importantly? She is the true first villainess, the first true flirt of the series, and she is the demonstration of perceived evil in society when in reality people desire scapegoats. She is a stellar character and one of the few characters whom I ultimately question where I have in my rankings - and perhaps one day could be my number one of all time. I love Jerri.
There are about one million things I love about Jerri, so for this essay, I want to frame it in a certain manner that is easy to follow, both for myself and you all. Jerri’s strengths are mainly showcased in her relationships with other people on the island - namely, Keith, Colby, and Tina, and coincidentally, that is the order in which this paper will go. With Keith, we understand Jerri’s humor, bossiness, and personality best. Often, Jerri IS right whenever she complains about Keith - he is simply put, an idiot, and Jerri outshines him in everything. With Colby, we understand a newer facet of Survivor that hasn’t been shown - sexuality on Survivor, and how it's dealt with. With that, Jerri is also deemed as a villain, especially given the situation of Ogakor and their… conservatism. And lastly, Jerri is a free independent woman in the series - which means she is SATAN! A discussion of Tina will take over the last section of this write-up because she is the primary source of Jerri becoming the original villain that we all love and know her for.
I mentioned a long time ago in my Jerri 3.0 cut that I didn’t think that I was able to get her cut for endgame (because at that point, we all kind of agreed Jerri was making endgame), so the fact that I am in this position, to talk about one of my favorite characters of all time, is just an honor. Outback is a very underrated season when it comes to the theming of Survivor, and the fact that I get a chance to deep dive into it as extensively as I will right now is a lot of fun.
Part I: “He Should Keep His Day Job” - Jerri and Her Personality (featuring Keith and other Friends)
Opening right away on the now iconic helicopter scene, Jerri almost immediately came out on the island guns blazing when she reached the camp… by arguing with Keith. Keith in general is a condescending dink, but right away, he begins to suggest things for camp, when in reality they would not work in the context of how they should live - in other words, his ideas are kind of lame. But this culminates in the second when the world-class chef continues to cook the rice horrifically.
Jerri and her tortillas are unfortunately a bigger character than Amber 1.0, but they show so much about her character in such a short amount of time. One is that she is not afraid to speak her mind, both in confessionals and in the game. She complains about Keith not being able to cook something as simple as rice in the middle of the beach, while Jerri can do it with relative ease. She is not afraid to call his ass out on the issue either, because his rice sucked and she knew she could do it better. But it also shows Jerri’s bossy side, which seems to especially come out whenever she is hungry (or wakes up in a bad mood… or doesn’t get what she wants… or is annoyed… or… well you get the point). While Jerri is hilarious in the moment, and right because everyone hates Keith’s rice, people still see her as being negative because she has such a personality clash with the tribe, who tend to be people who follow, rather than lead like Jerri. People like her should be appreciative of what Keith is doing, but she breaks the mold and goes against the line. This culminates in Episode 3 when Jerri mocks Keith AGAIN because she is catching more fish than him without barely trying! Her overconfidence is further a key component in her character, and something that pushes people away.
I’d be wrong to not bring up JerkyGate at this point, which happens in the same episode with Jerri and also shows her abrasive side. We might never know if Kel snuck beef jerky on the show, or was simply munching on grass, but one thing we do know is that Jerri was pissed and led the witchhunt against him. Ultimately, Jerri is not afraid to take the lead on anything, even if the facts are not clear, and while the tribe was pissed at Kel for potentially having food and not being prepared to share with 7 other starving people on the island, Jerri got more flak for the situations due to how harsh she was in the concept. It’s another staple of her character.
Episode 3 is also an interesting episode for Jerri because it showcases one positive trait of her and her game. At the end of the day, while she could get annoyed easily and maybe isn’t the nicest when she is hungry, she is loyal to the people that she is friends with. Mad Dog was one of the most difficult votes for her at that point of the game because she considered her a close friend, but ultimately that was where the chips lay. It further expands to Mitchell in the next episode, where Jerri specifically mentions friendship in the game, and how she is not as close with some on the island as others. This sets off red flags for a particular Tennesseean and something I will go into more detail earlier, but it shows that no matter how the show portrays her if she likes you, she will be loyal to you. What’s important about this scene, however, is that it is a classic example of Jerri speaking before thinking about the words that she is saying. Jerri’s immediate regret in the next episode showcases her fear of the game and shows that she has game awareness, despite not having social awareness. Ultimately, her loyalty takes a front view at the end of Episode 4, as she refuses to vote for Mitchell, which puts her on the outside of the tribe because of Tina’s last-second vote flip on their hike over to the tribal council.
As time progresses, we begin to see more sides of Jerri, and it is up to us as the viewer to construe the positivity or negativity of Jerri. She is constantly complained about for her attitude on the show, whether it is her style of gameplay or her continued attitude on the beach. The gameplay portion of her game is rather important. As the game progresses we see Jerri become more and more paranoid. Jerri is a classic example of a player lacking self-awareness of how their behavior might affect people in the future, but what is notable is that she quickly understands that people do not like her in the game. I don’t think she is ever aware of the extent of the game and her behavior, (which I think explains her bitterness toward Tina in All-Stars) but she does know that people will never take her to the end, either because she is not deserving or because she is playing a good social game. But, that leads to Jerri becoming a paranoid mess, desperate to strategize with almost anything at this point. One notable moment is her strategizing with Colby in the middle night, which is something that he CLEARLY did not want to do. This was yet another strike, but showed that Jerri, while being bossy all the time, is also really game-oriented, but she doesn’t recognize what times she should - it reminds me of a lot of characters on the show, but Jerri is the true example of that, where she is actively seen as bossy AND overplaying.
But Jerri’s bossiness reaches a new height once the Kuchas come over to the tribe. Immediately, the Ogakors look like idiots because that dumbass Keith accidentally took the matches to the old Kucha tribe by accident, leading the women to have no ability to make fire, as their guests meander to their tribe. Further, we get Jerri being incredibly bossy about the rice and such, yet again, as the merge progresses. With this, we understand the entire characterization of Jerri with a simple Rodger voting confessional “Most days she gets up in a good mood, but oh baby, watch out if she gets up in a bad mood.” We get some classic Jerri personality clashes at this point in the post-merge, notably with her complaining about how Elisabeth cooks the food every morning, and how she has a specific way of cooking it.
This scene is especially important because it is a rare time when we see Elisabeth, of all characters, break their character and lose the sweetheart facade for a moment because of Jerri’s sheer negativity around camp. Elisabeth tends to keep her composure throughout most of the season, but you can tell her annoyment in this situation, and it sparks a different side of her character that we did not get an opportunity to see - a more malicious side where she pushes a lot of the Jerri boot in the process. It was yet another personality clash with Jerri at this point, and something that caused another strike because of her abrasion. And what’s funnier is that Jerri came into the merge to hide that attitude. She was attempting to be nice and together with the Ogakors as the other two Kuchas meandered over to their tribe, and she was even going to stay loyal to the final 3, who she never really knew the extent they hated her, but her power on the tribe was just too great, and her attitude finally wore them down. She went home in that episode, for a mix of reasons. Her abrasion, her attitude, her differences from the “good” people on the tribe, and her strategic abilities.
Jerri so effortlessly creates argumentation in the tribe, whether it is deserved conflict or perceived conflict because of her attitude. Her ability to be such a natural villain without over-hamming it up, and just merely due to her negative personality, is beyond impressive on the show, and something that I can’t overemphasize my appreciation for. Ultimately, Jerri is not really that bad, and I think many could even suggest that she is the right half of the time, but she ultimately cannot make that point clear because she just comes off too strongly. But is it her fault? Maybe not. At this point, we have to start looking at the other people in the tribe. Ultimately, Jerri is abrasive, the vitriol she got was just not deserved. It’s due to simple perceptions, initial first perceptions, and perhaps gender roles that created such an intense portion of the game with Jerri, and why she meets the themes of the season so well. But before that, let’s jump into the other character and their dissolution of a potential relationship, to a rivalry that last over a decade. He ain’t no Hershey bar, either.
Part II: “I Am SUCH a Sucker for Cowboys” - Jerri and Sexuality/Gender Roles
The tumultuous roller coaster that occurs between Jerri and Colby is telegraphed so greatly during Australian Outback, and ultimately it is because of one thing, and one thing only. Avoiding the full Freudian comparison, Colby is a MAMA’S BOY!
Jerri and Colby begin the show with having a mutual relationship and liking for each other, while also having their knives sharpened and ready to stab at the correct period. Probably one of my favorite and underrated scenes of Jerri was when she gave Colby the massage on the island. Both give immediate commentary in that they can see right through each other and know exactly what they are doing to each other. Jerri begins the massage but knows that at some point in the game, even though she is attracted to Colby, she will have to stab him in the back. On the other hand, Colby sees right through her sexualization of him and knows that Jerri will be in trouble down the line.
Something that Jerri’s weaponizes is her flirtatious nature. I don’t think Jerri gets enough credit for using that as her strategy and being the first really to use it in such an obvious way, because she is actively using it to win people over, notably her potential boyfriend on the season, Colby. To me, I think Jerri very well knows how she is acting on camp, and using her powers of seduction as a way to convince Colby to move over to her side and be a strong ally for her character. I think she also just has a crush on Colby, but as we’ve seen from her being strategic and understanding game awareness, she knows exactly what she is doing.
Probably, my favorite example of Jerri and her sexuality is the classic scene with her and the chocolate. Chocolate releases endorphins. Poor it over a hot bod. Hopefully, Colby is in her fantasies. I mentioned this casually in my Jerri 3.0 writeup, but her relationship with chocolate is one of my favorite side stories of Jerri because she mentions it consistently in all three seasons she appears. I don’t think it is overshadowed at all in Survivor, but with it appearing in the same episode as Trial by Fire, I do think its placement gets forgotten. She’s on the beach, lying next to a log (wait that’s AMBER?!?) and discussing just so blatantly how chocolate is an aphrodisiac near Colby, whom she admits pretty firmly that she is fantasizing about in her daydreams. Yes, we get the Hershey Bar scene here, but Jerri destroys this scene with how classic she is, just because it was so unique and different to hear a woman like her so blatantly talk about sex in that manner. Like for 2001, that’s SHOCKING. But it is reality, and I think Jerri being the leader in that role is pretty incredible.
But, silly goofy gender roles come into play, and it causes a riff between the tribe because it does make the rest of the tribe uncomfortable. Again, I will go into this more detail down below, but Colby and Tina don’t like how open she is about how she wants it, and I think that is really important contextualization for the tribe because they are a bunch of conservatives on the tribe. They don’t need to hear that, and Jerri, someone they’ve already had issues with, is already annoying as is, and this just adds insult to energy.
But as they progress, we see their relationship continue to tumble down a hill, picking up speed as it rolls down faster and faster. Colby is getting irritated with Jerri at this point, and I think Tina is involved a lot in this position on the season. As I mentioned earlier, Colby is a total mama’s boy, and that is immediately confirmed when his mom comes strolling out on the island after he wins one of his ten million challenges. We question his motives throughout the season, but I think Tina clocked Colby immediately for being someone who respects elders in his life, and her power of acting as a motherly figure for his character begins the general dislike for Jerri because at first they did get along and created an alliance. But they continue to struggle, and whether it is Colby throwing the water at Jerri during the challenge, or his general apathy as the game progresses and lack of interest, their relationship is going down, and a lot of it is due to Tina and her negative attitude toward Jerri and her character.
Their awkwardness of their, for a lack of a better word, “situationship”, culminates into the classic honeymoon scene, as they go to the reefs and slowly ruin a national landmark in Australia (lol). They lounge on the chairs out there, but Colby first issues a rule with Jerri - no one is allowed to talk about strategy out on the reward. This is a time to relax, and he simply has no desire to hear it. It was hilarious how differently the two were on different pages, with Colby not giving any fucks about Jerri (he dragged her along the challenge but did not want to win), while Jerri somehow fell more in love on her honeymoon without sex. The dichotomy of their games, with Colby playing a better social game, but not so much one with game awareness, while Jerri having the exact opposite, became quite clear here.
Jerri’s ultimate lack of understanding of how to use her strategy, and the divide of her negative attitude, something that is very difficult to change at the end of the day, creates a varied strategy that ultimately fails on cylinders. But the more important part is how a woman who has these feelings, basically being a love-sick puppy, gets ostracized by the entire country of America for her behavior. I think the perception of Jerri and her seductive nature is probably the most interesting about her character because it is highly lauded in seasons now, but when it happened then, she was the equivalent of the devil. It represents the double standards of women on Survivor because god forbid a woman shows that she has a strong sexuality. I love how Jerri embraced it, and while she did have issues making it actually… work, it still created some interesting tension among the much more conservative tribe members of Kucha and Ogakor.
Ultimately, I think Jerri and Colby’s relationship ends with fire because he just straight up lies to her when he mentions who he is voting for her because she is so done with her attitude. Jerri isn’t shocked at tribal because early Survivor didn’t understand blindsides, so they likely told her beforehand, but I think you can see she is heartbroken by the decision because Jerri was a mouthy, but loyal soldier. Even at the end, I don’t think anyone expected Jerri’s game because she was trying to fish for answers with her jury questions, and I think there’s a certain tragedy that Jerri was playing a strategically forward game, but was ultimately ruined because of her boisterous personality.
And again, I’d be wrong not to mention the sheer strength of Jerri and Colby, and how their relationship progresses throughout the seasons. From this, we get legendary moments in All-Stars that give the season some semblance of watchability, which leads to an incredible three-season arc for the duo. I wouldn’t go into too much detail because this write-up is already getting to be way too long, but it is pretty great, and watching Jerri get the final word on Colby twice is great.
Part III: “She took the canoe!” - Jerri and The Themes of Australia
Lastly, Jerri symbolizes the themes I’ve talked about loving so much in Australian Outback - understanding what deserving means on the season, and how that turn has no relevance to the season. Once someone gets pegged as “undeserving” it is hard to fight against that reputation, even in a favorable way. The problem is that Jerri constantly gets dogpiled, to the point where she can never bounce back from what people thought of her with her initial perceptions.
Tina’s hatred of Jerri symbolizes that, as she was one of the leaders of the concept of good vs. evil. Throughout the premerge, Tina plays a hidden role, but eventually, we begin to understand the “good people” winning, or those who agree Tina initially perceives as those who are “good.” The entire perception comes from her. This means white people who don’t have an attitude problem. I think Australian Outback is beyond interesting because of that because it shows how the cast can change what people describe as deserving, and that it can be completely subjective depending on the season.
No one on Survivor is truly “deserving” to make it to the end or not. It’s almost entirely luck. But Australian Outback tries to establish that, which makes it unique against the other seasons of Survivor because deserving is never really as vocalized as it is in this season. Tina disguises what being “good” means, and it causes the endgame to work out the way it is. Jerri is only the first victim that Tina has with this march, but the good vs evil marking leads to an interesting dichotomy between the two groups.
Besides that, their relationship reconfirms gender roles of the season, with someone who lives in a more conservative setting, versus one who didn’t and has broader strokes of liberalism with it. Tina is very conservative in her roles in society, as we see with her judgments of Jerri all season, which is described as negative when Jerri begins to talk about sexuality. Of course, there's a right and wrong place to talk about it, and Jerri often did do it at the wrong times, but it clouded Tina’s mind to the point where she couldn’t change her mind.
The conceit of friendship and connections also comes into play with Jerri. Again, at Mad Dog’s tribal she accidentally leaks that friendships do exist on Survivor, and she has quite a few. This immediately paints a target on her back because she admits to having an alliance, but also likes other people more than others. It set off two people, with Tina who already began to dislike Jerri, but also Colby, who understood Jerri could be a loose cannon, and he didn’t like when people ostracized other people on the tribe. Jerri was considered rude in this situation, and this was yet another domino in Jerri’s villain arc.
No one is right or wrong in this situation because putting people into schemas is natural. I don’t want to make a moral judgment about this story, but ultimately, Tina’s story did boil down to her only supporting people who have her views. And I love it. But Jerri as the main villain, when in reality, she was just an outspoken woman on a tribe that has more conservative views is an incredible contrast with one another. I don’t want to make this section about Tina any longer than it should be the ranker will do a great job speaking about her, but Jerri as a concept was through Tina’s perception, and she ultimately became a scapegoat for the tribe person that they can pile on easily.
Whether Jerri deserved the vitriol is up for debate, but ultimately, it’s a reflection on society. Jerri was both right and wrong with her accusations, and most of the time, she was right with her perceptions. But once you get targeted for that negativity, it is hard to shake off what happens for the rest of the time. We naturally look for scapegoats, and when someone falls out of line, they get targeted next to society. Tina perfected this strategy to a T and deserved every penny. And Jerri? She was the first victim in that description.
It’s why Jerri’s common complaint about her game being “tame” in comparison is always a weird take to me. It’s not the point about Jerri. She’s a bitch, but it is not really because of her style of play or how she plays the game, it’s because of how people perceive her on the show. Symbolically, her role in Australian Outback represents such an important facet of society and how people can tend to pile on when first impressions are not met properly. She is supposed to be tame in comparison to the legendary characters because she is tame. She’s just extraordinarily bossy and clashes with other people. Ultimately, this is why I love Jerri. She goes against the grain and gets punished for it, when in reality, how much she deserves it is questionable, and should be up for debate.
Her downfall is legendary from two different angles. One is if you support Tina’s narrative of getting out the negativity on the season. The other is tragic when you understand that Jerri was ostracized because of her personality, and given a chance to grow outside of it because the other tribe members were mum about their feelings. Having a character who has two completely different interpretations of how their boot occurred has a lot of implications for Jerri and showcases how stellar her character is. A lot of it is ambiguous, and while Tina’s side was much more supported in the narrative, I think both are valid takes to understand how Jerri went home.
Part IV: “I don’t know who I am out here” - Concluding Thoughts
Ultimately, as Jerri knows she is going home, she learns that she does not recognize herself out there on the island. And I believe that. Jerri becomes a mess after a while and a lot of factors could have led to that. Whether she does have a bossy personality, hunger on the island, being around people who don’t like her, or being in the same place constantly, could lead to why Jerri became Jerri on the island. But ultimately, it’s the symbolism that surrounds her boot. First impressions mean everything on Survivor, and sometimes you can go down a rabbit hole that evolves into whether someone on the series was deserving or not.
A good character for me is someone that you can spin easily. Spin their meaning into something that relates to society. And Jerri is probably the easiest character to do that for. She has so many implications about whether or not she is a villain, and how that can translate to the larger role of society. It’s a tragic blend of gender roles, personality clashes, good in society, and negativity overall and how that affects the mood. It leads to a beautiful blend of a character that is not only asking all these questions but incredibly entertaining to boot.
That’s something I’ve mostly been quiet about, but whenever Jerri has a personality clash, it’s almost gleeful to watch her be so blissfully unaware, with a top 5 laugh in reality TV (Cirie and Amy Crews from BB4 are also there). Jerri is someone who makes me consistently laugh because she is so detached at times from reality and truly doesn’t understand how these people feel about her. When she complains about tortillas, she is a magnetic narrator, and her annoyance is clear through her emotions. When she discusses sexuality, you can feel a certain emotion from her, as well as the mood shift around the camp. Ultimately, she is one of the most expressive, hilarious, funny narrators in the history of the show.
When she leaves, you can tell the magic nearly disappears because she is a queen of conflict and drives all of it on the season. Jerri was the life and soul of the season, and while Tina dominated the strategy, Jerri dominated the character. She is one of those few characters that makes characters better than they should be. I am so happy that she had the opportunity to make the endgame again, and I am even more overjoyed that I had the opportunity to talk about her in more detail.
Personal Rank: 6/821 <3.
SMC0629: 14
DryBonesKing: 8
Zanthosus: 10
Tommyroxs45: 14
Regnisyak1: 6
DavidW1208: 4
ninjedi1: 20
Average Placement: 10.857
Total Points: 76
Standard Deviation: 5.521 (10th Lowest)

I was today years old when I found out that I can ask my gp for a referral to a private clinic instead of NHS and get treated for free. 4th paragraph to skip bk story.
I am currently on nhs waiting list for diagnostic laproscopy with suspected endo and left ovary to uterus adhesion.
My symptoms aggravated soon after my miscarriage around October last year and since then they have had me done 2 ultrasounds and 2 appointments. I'm honestly so sick of waiting. October time my symptoms were only there for a week at a time, now I'm lucky if I get a few hrs a month off. I am literally walking like an old lady to the gp and no one is helping me. I have had a and e trips I'm literally bed ridden and even when I can move I end up paying for literally just making myself some 2 min noodles I will be in agony standing. They have me on 12 different meds including dulextine, amtriptyline dihydracodiene and microgynon birth control to stop periods. I am also taking medical weed. I have had gyno issues bleeding etc since my periods first started and was diagnosed with pcos after which they never took me seriously, they blamed everything on pcos.
I was looking online cause I'm just sick of waiting I have no quality of life and am in so much pain. Even painless days there's so much tightness. I'm worried there's gonna be irreversible damage as since October all symptoms have just increasingly gotten worse. Anyways I found out that instead of having to wait a minimum of 6 months for surgery I can request my gp to refer me to a private clinic like Nuffield who have specialised clinics for endo and pelvic pain. This will be under nhs and free of charge. Its a nhs program called patients choice.
Now I am fluming because every doctor nurse and everything else I have spoken to since October no one not one person told me about this. Why. Why when my regular gp has watched me lose the ability to walk why has she not mentioned it. Why when I've been crying when they tell me I had to wait a year for an appointment and I'm there begging her please I can't do this for a whole year and all she does is expedite the referral she made to nhs which yes they did hurry it up but I'm still 6 months down the line and have to wait at least another 6 months before surgery.
So for all of you in the UK on waiting list with nhs f that and go ask ur gp to refer to a private one with shorter wait times. There doesn't even seem to be much of a criteria just its ur choice how and where u want treatment. Research. I will be speaking to my gp on Monday I just had to come let everyone know.