Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/TI1SKnY
Accepting PayPal FF or Apple Pay. Dibs then PM me pls.
Hytest Boots: $85? No idea how to price these, I’m just going based on eBay listings I’ve seen for similar Hytest boots. Size 11, I bought these when I was doing warehouse work, wore them for a month before I ended up doing office work and they’ve sat in the closet ever since. A couple of scuffs from rubbing up on corners of pallets, some discoloration around the eyelets but in good shape otherwise. Super comfy.
Galati Gear Mag Carrier: $15 shipped. Like new, just rode around in my trunk for a few months.
MDJ Customs G19 LH IWB Hybrid Holster: $15 shipped. Well worn but very comfy
Weapon Light Covers: $12. I have 4 of these ready to ship. Each includes the weapon light cover, a length of shock cord, and an elastic band. These were designed based off the Streamlight HLX-1000 Rail Mount and will fit other similar lights with a bezel size 1.44" or slightly smaller. I also have a design for lights with smaller bezels (32mm or smaller) I made using measurements from a Surefire KF1-A, which I can make at your request. All covers are printed at 100% infill using eSun PLA+.
Installation instructions: https://imgur.com/a/lnLYAry
Glock Charging Handle: $8 shipped.
Elite First Aid Rapid Response coyote med bag: $15 shipped. Like new, it just rode around in my trunk for a few months. Empty pouch, no contents included.

Fun x files fanfic idea: The typical depiction of aliens that we know with the big head and big black oblong eyes 👽 are just us from the future because of millions/billions of years of evolution. The massive big eyes are from evolution because now we all use screens so much and use our eyes until they ache and dry out that they eventually we evolved to be big ol wet hardly blinking eyes. Hands loose digits and end up being three long creepy fingers because we don’t use our hands as much and don’t need detailed digits because telepathy evolves to be a real thing hen that big ol head for big ol brains. The grey skin could be from adapting to lack of vitamin D or whatever because it’s dark there cuz the sun don’t hit anymore idk.
So aliens are not aliens they’re us evolved billions of years in the future, okay right. So Mulder be searching for aliens his whole life like he do and he starts to learn conspiracy theories about how lots of people are starting to believe aliens are just us fork the future. Maybe the one of the lone gunmen guys finds super completing proof of it and tries to tell Mulder but he’s in denial but it’s becoming a community on Reddit and a movement in conspiracy groups. many people are on board to believe aliens are just future us based on sightings or some shit maybe. But Mulder eventual meets with the aliens and it’s kind like huge for him like meeting god but he’s angry because he feels his wholes life’s work was bullshit But they tell him that since aliens is us we really be alone in this universe and their science found the end of the universe so it’s a big ol box or something like we’re just gods fucked up terrarium blah blah I won’t get into that so we’re the only planet with human/human esque life or any life at all. Like maybe there was many rad liveable planets that we eventually found that were ripe with life but some human bullshit happened and everyone is gone and we’re the last remaining life on the planet. Idk. That seems like it hits more because I think that is totally plausible in reality. But all that makes Mulder spiral into this fuck everything depression like my whole life I’ve just been searching for alien life and we’re alone (or sad it’s all gone idk) and he’s like “its nothing Scully! this is nothing and we’re it! So that really don’t hit fit him but after a while Mulder gets his shit together and stops drinking or whatever he be doing and he realizes he can try to work with the aliens to help the future and help other dead planets idk. But all that being said he starts to think covid or some covid like panini was done by the future aliens now to try to kill some of our worlds worst people or kill masses because their future population is insane and they gotta cull masses because everyone is starving (them long gray skinny bodies bro, they ain’t got no nutrition) and he has to deal with the ethical dilemma that helping future us could hurt innocent people now and that whole back and forth and he is down for the death because he is like this is the only “us” in the universe and we gotta save future us but Scully is like as a medical professional this is unethical I won’t stand for it we can’t let it happen and that whole back and forth. But like maybe a shitty alien that has to save his future kid or some shit leaks the virus out anyways or commits some wild atrocity in history for the same reason. And like some missed assassinations can be blamed on aliens with bad sir or some shit, and like all/if any the attempted tries on sHitlers life were future aliens that really fucked up.
But it’s a super creative idea to think that alien sightings ate just future humans sightings because we learned time travel.
Thanks for reading ✌🏻

I’m relatively new to the Bay Area, 31 years old single Asian male, 5’9 and 135 lbs, fit and active. I work in R&D, and outside of work, I live a pretty healthy lifestyle with cooking, running, cycling being my main hobbies, and just like to be active in general.
I recently had a casual encounter with someone visiting from out of town and we managed to meet up again for the next evening before her flight home. This was my first casual experience and I enjoyed it more than I had anticipated, so I'm putting myself out here, in hopes of finding someone local. I’m hoping to meet someone who is interested in chatting and getting to know each other a bit, with the ultimate goal of becoming ongoing FWB.
Looking for 23-38F (not super rigid). No strong preference on race or ethnicity. I'm attracted to slim or athletic women, but also find curvy women super sexy as well. Located in Dublin and happy to host!
SFW pics: https://imgur.com/a/6z9JKbJ

Moving to north Fresno next month and looking for a gym with multiple squat racks, benches, free weights, etc. Any places you could recommend? Just want a place with actual equipment, not just machines (ie planet fitness).

Recently bought an iqos 3 duo folio and noticed in the photos there is a small gey plastic box in between the heets pack and the cleaner,what is that and how would i get one as it would make everything fit snugly in the folio.Any idea what that small plastic thing is and where i could get one?

I’m looking to chat with people around my age about meeting up for something casual. Probably just a one time thing, but who knows what can happen. I’m going to be able to potentially host a little later this month, so I’m down to chat for a bit and check that the vibe is right (I can also travel if that’s better for you). Just hit me up on here or elsewhere and we’ll see if we are a fit!
I’m looking for someone chill, clean (ddf) close-ish to my age, discreet, and ideally in the East Bay as well, though not a dealbreaker. Any couples or ladies I’m pretty much open to whatever, guys I’m looking for more a jo buds type situation.
This post is open at all times, so if you see it days, weeks, or months later, still feel free to message me here or elsewhere, but especially hit me up if you are around today

I park my car in the incredibly nice upper-middle class Huntington Beach neighborhood, just down the street from the ‘New Reality’ (editor's note: fake name) sober living I got kicked out of. I take a second to pull myself together while in the darkness. I’m starting to feel very weak, very frazzled. I’ve been awake for at least 60 hours straight now, and I’m well aware of that. It is 1AM. I can’t decide if I should get a hotel or not.
I am so weak. I need to eat. I need water. I need to sleep. My mouth tastes TERRIBLE – like I am decaying from the inside out. I need to shower. I am aware that I have many physical needs that go beyond my need for more drugs.
See how you feel after the next shot, Lonnie.
I text Kace:
Here
I pat my pockets, making sure I have two separate bags: a bag in my left pocket, which has my furanylfentanyl and clean syringes in it, and a bag in my right pocket, which has both their meth and their dilaudid pills in it. I do not want to sell them furanylfentanyl because I don’t want them to die in the sober living house that has already seen 2 overdoses because of it.
I get out of my car and lock it. I walk through the sprawling, meticulous Huntington Beach neighborhood full of spacious and decorous houses, heading towards the sober living, though I stay on the other side of the street. I walk past several houses, with perfect green lawns and perfect landscapes, walking past the sober living. I walk a few houses past it, and then cross the street. When I arrive on the other side of the street, I glance all around me, checking for surveillance.
I double back, heading towards the sober living. I cut into the side yard, heading for the side door that leads into the garage. It is already cracked open, just as we planned. I open the door just enough so that I am able to slide through. I see two phone lights on in the far corner of the big 3-car garage.
“Yo,” I whisper-yell in the direction of the phone lights. One of the lights starts moving in a circular motion, beckoning me closer. I walk up, moving as quietly as I can. It would be terrible if the house manager, Jack, came in here right now.
I pull out their bag of dilaudid and meth. I see a hand with money in it being held out in my direction. I take the money and replace it with their bag of drugs.
“Nice, thanks,” Kace whispers, as I count the money. It's right on. The phone lights move closer to the ground, so I move with them. I see 3 fresh bottles of water on the ground, just like I asked for. I pull out the bag of needles and hand each of them 2 clean needles, putting one on the ground for myself.
“You got the Q-tips,” I whisper, looking towards Kace. His hand is already outstretched, a Q tip in it. I open the water bottle and put the bottle cap on the floor, beginning to prepare my shot of furanylfentanyl as quietly as I can, while they break up their dilaudids. The phones are propped up on the floor, giving me an eerie feeling. I have seen this before.
Déjà vu hits, and something inside me works to flash me back to my horrible half-ounce psilocybin trip. I suppress the embodied, hellish memories and the feelings of absolute terror, doom, and panic by preparing the shot as fast as I can.
“Where are you going after this?” Kace whispers to me, while we all work. I don’t even know the third boy, I only know that his name is Shane, he is white, he came here from the east coast, he’s in his 20s, and that he came to the wrong place if he wants to survive and recover from his addiction.
“I might go get a hotel, depends on how I feel,” I whisper back.
“Well, take a piece of this, mix it in there, that’ll help,” Kace whispers, his hand outstretched with a shard of meth in it. Meth is Kace’s panacea. I hesitate for a second, only because I know that this meth came from Sloan, which means it came from Lucky, which means it is very clean and very, very strong.
A small amount added to my shot of furry would ensure that I could stay awake for a little while longer. Now that I am coming down from the 2-day cocaine binge and haven’t yet slept, I run the risk of passing out at any moment.
“Maybe I should, just to be on the safe side,” I whisper, before involuntarily watching my hand take the small shard of meth and add it to the bottle cap. I take pleasure in the fact that this is fresh water from a clean water bottle, a fresh cotton, a clean bottle cap, and drugs that I sourced myself and am familiar with.
Listen to you, Lonnie. This is your third day in a row, and now that you don’t have cocaine, you’re doing meth? You were chugging cough syrup, you went on a cocaine binge, now you’re doing some goddamn meth? The dirtiest, most disgusting drug on the planet? And you’re selling it to these poor kids, at their sober living? Shame on you.
I shake my head slightly, hoping to shut it up.
I push the limits in my preparation of the dose: adding meth to this shot enables me to add more furanylfentanyl than I normally would, since the meth will keep me awake and therefore alive. I look up from the phone light when I am done, and I am surprised to see somebody else is done prepping and has completed their injection before me.
“Whoa, god damn,” Shane whispers. I chuckle.
“He’s never done a dilaudid before,” Kace whispers. I can hear the smile on Kace’s face, even in the darkness. I don’t smile, for something terrible has happened on this night. Shane’s soul has been infected by another parasite, and I will burn in the deepest level of Hell for being the one that brought it to him.
“Can you light me up?” I ask. One of the phone lights turns towards me. I find a vein quickly and easily, though I am having to rotate injection sites constantly. I cap the needle when it’s done and lean back, putting my hands on the concrete floor of the garage behind me. I count mentally, and barely make it past 3.
Every cell that I consist of alights with the jolting electric euphoria of meth. My chest tightens with power and ecstasy. I feel electric light waves of raw energy emanating from my heart as my heart rate dramatically increases with feelings of excited arousal.
All weakness and negativity have disappeared from my body. I could fight a tiger right now. I should go play basketball right now. I’d be unstoppable. I’d win every game. Nobody else would even have a chance.
“Fuck, I hate meth,” I whisper, overly alert, my heart racing in my ears. Now it feels like the house manager will open the door any second. Police are certainly watching us. My heart races in nonstop anticipation; I can feel my heartbeat in my trembling hands. Only the massive shot of furry I did can prevent the paranoia from causing me to panic. I take solace in the sensations of peace and relaxation that underlie the meth high. My lady, the Opioid - even though She is the cold, robotic Miss Furryfent, She is with me. I have nothing to fear.
“Nobody hates meth,” Kace whispers.
“It’s too good. It makes me feel too powerful. It makes me feel crazy,” I say.
“Yeah, it’s awesome,” Shane whispers, as we watch Kace inject himself. There are a few seconds of silence, all of us waiting for Kace to get his rush.
“Shit, that dilaudid gives you a good rush. I forgot how good it is,” Kace whispers.
“I know,” I whisper back, before standing up. I walk to the exit, loath to be physically alone again, even though I feel lonely all the time. I wish I didn’t have to leave, but I know that this is another place that I am not welcome. The world is shrinking around me by the day. I am wearing out my welcome at the few places I am still allowed to go.
I need to go back to another treatment center, but life feels hopeless. More talk therapy, more 12-step meetings, more jail-rehabs, more vacation-rehabs – none of it has worked for me, and more of the same thing won’t help me. I am so hooked on these drugs; the drugs are a torrent, and every method of treatment is like a two-by-four piece of wood laying in the way. These drugs have my soul. Death is closing in on me.
“Thanks for coming out here. Be safe, brother,” Kace whispers, before closing the door behind me. I hear it lock, which hurts my feelings, even though I don’t blame him for locking me out. I’d lock me out, too.
I step out into a warm summer California night – back into a world that I don’t belong in; back into a world that doesn't want me.
Where are you going to go, Lonnie?
Not here. Anywhere but here. I start walking, and then start jogging across the street. Surprisingly, I feel no pain in my ankles at all. Jogging feels good. I make it across the street, and then keep jogging.
I jog up to my car. I open the door and get in it. I sit for a second. I check in on my body.
I feel amazing. I could run 3 miles right now. I feel great. I should keep moving.
I check in with my stomach. Although I couldn’t be less hungry, I know I need to consume some nutrients, even if they’re just liquid. I've been injecting cocaine continuously; I haven’t eaten a solid meal or slept in days.
I know what to do. I put my drugs and paraphernalia in the center console of my car. I get out of the car with only my phone, wallet, and keys in my pockets. I lock the car, checking it twice so it registers in my meth-addled brain, which is often riddled with unreasonable paranoia, that it is locked, and nobody can steal my drugs.
I start to walk away from my car, then stop mid-step. What if Kace or one of those guys comes looking for my car, knowing that it is full of drugs?
I am frozen with indecision. I notice I am licking my lips with overstimulation and force myself to stop my tongue. My heart is racing. I’m shaking with excitation. My brain is screaming at my body to do something, but I don't know what to do. They will certainly come looking for my car, hungry for more drugs.
You're being ridiculous, Lonnie. Nobody is going to steal your drugs.
I tell my feet to move. They won't move. I feel the urge to scream. I have to get away from here, I have to do something.
I start to jog again. I can get a quick workout in and get my brain to shut up at the same time. I start to jog, doing the old breathing trick I did when I was a kid trying to run the fastest 1-mile time in gym class.
I focus on my breath, to which I apply a specific breathing pattern. In, in, out. I jog, and I breathe. I jog, and then I jog faster, and my breathing sharpens – and then I jog even faster. I jog out of the neighborhood and onto the main road that connects these huge, gorgeous housing developments in Huntington Beach. I jog in the direction of a gas station that I know is just down the street from me.
I jog, and my mind turns to college basketball. I visualize myself playing in my mind, shooting 3-pointers and knowing that they’re in the hoop as soon as they leave my hand. I shoot a few more 3-pointers in my mind before losing myself completely.
The big, bright, lights, the smell of the hardwood, the sound of the ball bouncing on the floor and echoing off of every wall. The sound of solitude, and hard work, and everything that is good in life. The sound of the ball hitting nothing but net. Watching the net flip up after a perfect swish. I take myself back to some of my favorite moments playing basketball: back to Frederick, Maryland, where I scored 16 points on an overseas professional in a competitive men’s league game.
Back to West Palm Beach, Florida, where I got invited to try out for the semi-pro ABA team, the Miami Storm.
Back to Atlanta, GA, where I got made fun for doing ball handling drills with a tennis ball and then picked last, only to lead my team to victory several times in a row, scoring almost all of our points, winning in silence.
Showing up day in and day out, scoring and shooting and winning. Even when I was losing, I was getting better, so I was winning.
I press onward, jogging harder. I am going to play college basketball. Nothing is going to stop me. I notice that my shirt, which is drenched in sweat, is sticking to my skin. I peel my shirt off, barely slowing my pace. I glance up and to my right. There is a brown apartment complex. I throw my shirt in one of the bushes, making a mental note to get it out of the bush on my way back, certain that I’ll remember exactly how it landed in the bushes and precisely where it is.
I start to jog again, pretending that I have a basketball. I cross the invisible ball back and forth on the sidewalk, going out of my way to cross bushes up, crossing the imaginary ball hard and then going straight into a spin move. I lose myself in the movements. Thoughts cease, and there is nothing but my instinct telling me which dribble move to pantomime next against invisible defenders.
I stop. Why am I even going to the gas station? I should just get my car, go to 24-hour fitness, and play basketball for real. I turn around and start the journey back the way I came. I continue to run and do fake basketball moves on the shadow people. Finally, I find myself back in the residential neighborhood of Huntington Beach that my car is in.
I look around again. Is this the right neighborhood? Where am I? I walk around, looking for a landmark or something that I recognize.
There was something I was supposed to remember.
That’s right, I have to get to work. I need to find my car.
A white truck pulls up in the street next to me and stops.
That’s right, there’s a white truck coming to pick me up and take me to work! I walk up to the white truck, which has stopped in the middle of the road. Though the windows are tinted, I know that Todd is in this truck, and that he is here to pick me up to take me to Cinepolis for work. I pull on the passenger side door handle of the truck, so I can get in and go to work. The handle slips out of my hand when the door doesn’t pop open. The truck starts to drive away.
Why would Todd do that to me?! I look up at the sky. The sun is coming up? Shit, I’m going to be late for work now! I jog away from the truck. I need to go back to Todd’s house. I jog up to Todd’s house, which is the brown house right down the street. I walk up to the door and twist the doorknob. It doesn’t open.
Of course, it didn’t open, dumbass. Todd went to work.
I jog away. How am I going to get to work? I jog some more and start to feel sick.
Where am I?
“HEY! You left your stuff, like, way back there!” a random lady yells at me. I look at her, and then around at my surroundings. I don’t know where I am.
“What?” I yell back at her.
“You took your shorts off and left your stuff, like, way back there. I’ve been watching you. I think you should go home!” she yells, from across the street. I reach for my pockets.
I look down at my lower half. I have no shorts on. I am wearing nothing but black Nike compression underpants and basketball shoes. Realization strikes me like a thunderbolt: I have been running around in a state of meth-induced delusion for the entire night, playing with an invisible basketball.
I jog across the street, over to the lady.
“I’m sorry. I had a little too much to drink last night. Do you mind showing me where I left my stuff?” I ask, evaluating the woman. She is in her 40’s or 50’s, with long dark hair and a kind face. She has a small dog with her. He looks like a mutt.
“I figured. I was walking my dog, and saw you take your shorts off. I wanted to stop you when you tried to get in the truck, but I thought maybe you knew them. Then you tried to get in that house. You seemed very confused and out of it. Your pants are back this way,” she says, walking her dog down the sidewalk, back the way I came.
“Thanks,” I say, too embarrassed and ashamed to say much else. The sun is up. I try to walk naturally, like I am wearing pants instead of not wearing pants, which is a difficult thing to do. She leads me several minutes down the sidewalk, to somebody’s front yard. I see my shorts sitting in the grass in somebody’s yard, right by the sidewalk. I grab my shorts and put them on. My wallet and my phone are still in the pockets.
My keys. Shit, where are my keys?
“Do you know where my keys are?” I ask the woman, too embarrassed to look her in the eyes.
“No. I saw you take off your shorts here. I’ve been watching you, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. I wouldn’t be surprised if police are on their way,” she says, her eyebrows raised at me knowingly.
“Ok. Well, thanks for your help. I’m going to go. My house is in the neighborhood over there,” I lie, pointing further away from her and walking away. The word “police” forces me into action. I powerwalk until she is out of sight, and then I start to jog again.
Jog faster, Lonnie. Train harder.
No. I have to slow down. I’m becoming psychotic from overexertion, lack of nutrition, sleep deprivation, and methamphetamine. I have no drugs on me. I can slow down.
I force myself to start walking. I become aware, again, of my racing heart. It has been beating like this for days on end. It could easily explode and kill me at any second. Wait, when was the last time I did any opioids? The furanylfentanyl has been making me dopesick within 6 hours. I search my body for opioid effects. There are none.
I’m in the no man’s land between the opioid high and the withdrawal where I actually feel normal. The more I binge, the shorter the breaks become, and I’ve been binging, hard. If I feel normal now, that means I’ll be dopesick any second. I whine out loud. I want to scream up at the sky. My stomach starts to hurt terribly – it feels like it is bleeding.
I am dying.
I open my phone’s GPS and set it to my old sober living.
Shit, I don’t have a car key. I can’t get into my car! I call a locksmith, and then I start to run back towards the ironically named ‘sober living.’
I attempt to cling to reality.
My name is Lonnie. I am in Huntington Beach. I am going to Jack’s sober living, so I can do some fentanyl, so I don’t get dopesick. I did some meth, and I haven’t slept or ate in days, so I might hallucinate. Hallucinations aren’t real.
My name is Lonnie. I am in Huntington beach. I went to Florida for rehab for sniffing oxy, and I started to shoot dope. I came to California to stop shooting dope and picked up a meth habit.
STOP!
My name is Lonnie. The world would be better off if I were dead.
I start to walk. I can’t take this. I need some music. No, playing music would be suspicious. I start to jog again, trying not to think about my racing heart. I should focus on my breathing.
No, I can’t do that. That’s what made me go psychotic.
My name is Lonnie. I am going back to Jack’s sober living…

Thank you to u/SabbyofSableWine for the inspiration to make this, that's why I tagged it as Writing Prompt and not Original Story since I do borrow one or two ideas (they're very good ideas.)
First time posting on this sub so if I screwed anything up please lmk in the comments and happy reading!
Part 1:
It was a bittersweet day on the ship, Xoll had taken an early retirement to go home and take care of their sick parents, I knew I wouldn't be seeing much of them anymore, which devastated me as over our 3 Stellar Periods working together we had become quite close friends. Xoll was a friend to us all, that's the Om for you. After giving them a proper send off we anxiously clamored just outside the airlock to hanger bay 2 to see who the federation send to replace them.
The shuttle docked making a loud mechanical THUNK that reverberated through the metal corridor and the airlock hissed as it sprung into action, we all cleared the door. It spun to life, gears turning and lights flashing as the doors prepared to open, and out stepped of all things, a Human.
We all gasped in shock, we had all learned of stories about their brutal engagements in battle, engagements that rarely left survivors, and only as to serve as a messenger to the rest of the fleets. We had all heard of rumors about how they eat and drink some of the most volatile poisons known to the universe like it's nothing. I wouldn't be lying if I said we were all terrified deep down that this human would bring nothing but trouble.
"What you all standing around murmuring, this can't possibly be your first time meeting a human."
The crowd pushed me to the front, and I thought to myself Oh come on, you're really just gonna make me have to talk to him.
"Hello" I said sheepishly.
"Oh, I take it you've all heard the stories." He said making a weird sound I later came to learn as chuckling.
My eyes darted to the floor, so did everyone else's.
"Well, my name is Dr. William Schneider, but you can just call me William, I'm your new engineer, I was in fact born on Earth and I graduated top of my class and Terra Polytechnic and I just got assigned to your lovely ship. I look forward to getting to know you all."
He stuck out one of his hands, such peculiar things, all boney and rigid with these weird round lumps all over the 5 protrusions. I had no clue what to do with it, do I touch it, do I hit it?
"I take it your not familiar with the hand shake, it's a human custom, we grab each other's extended hand and shake it up and down"
How strange I thought, extending one of mine to join him in this strange custom. I shook his hand up and down, side to side and all around.
"Woah they're slow down you're gonna break it off! Just up and down, not too aggressively."
Don't hear about a human saying that very often now do you.
"Okay look it's probably wise to just resume whatever you're supposed to be doing, I'll say hi whenever I run into you"
"Why would you be running into us!?" Said Hlxop quite startled, he was of Avian classification and had quite fragile bones.
"Figure of speech, just means whenever I see you, no need to be concerned" William answered.
We all returned to out stations, being and navigator I went to the ships bridge along with a dozen or so others, William oddly enough though had disappears off to stars know where in the ship.
"Hey, does anyone know where William went?" I asked the group, William was a relatively mid rank officer and was required to be at the bridge for his introductory tour.
"Wait" said the Captain Reloxyn, turning around to look for him, letting out a deep exhale she said "Looks like we'll just have to make a few calls when we get to to the bridge, lets just hope this isn't some weird human thing that he'll keep doing, planets know it's already getting on my nerves." she said, with her hair undulating purple, indicating stress.
After getting to the bridge, we made a few calls before Hyldron (who sits next to me) tracked him down in the reactor, and of course they sent me to fetch him since he was being incredibly stubborn about insisting on meeting all the other engineers first.
After having had to march myself down to the reactor to find him mid conversation yammering on with the head of reactor ops about possible improvements to the Tritium harvester or something like that.
“What are you thinking you need to have your orientation tour 20 minutes ago!” I was borderline shrieking. “The captain’s hair has been undulating deep purple since I left!”
“If you insist." the human - I mean - William said quite begrudgingly.
After arriving at the bridge the captain, in a furious conversation demanded answers as the quote, "What in the goldilocks zone were you thinking just disappearing like that!?"
To which he replied with a "I figured that getting to know what the ship is like from the perspective of the other engineers instead of the captain and some fancy tour would make my presence here a bit less jarring, I know what your preconceived notions about Humans are and I know just how much you all revered Xoll." Admittedly I was on his side after hearing him talk, he seemed quite nice, and I wanted to get to know him better.
After eventually capitulating the Captain (though in protest I must admit) let him continue with his unusual methods William turned to me and said "Shit, I totally forgot to let you introduce yourself to me at the airlock, what's your name?" Shit was a uniquely human word, we didn't have a good translation into any other language, primarily due to it having a plethora of different meanings.
"Oh!" I said, almost jumping out of my seat. "My name is Tromō, Im a navigator here on the bridge, and I specialize in surveying pre-FTL worlds."
"Wonderful" he replied, "Nice to meet you” he said with this beaming smile that could just light up a room adorned across his face.
Pt 2 coming tomorrow!

At the Triceradon’s hidden island “CRASH!” and Fox got thrown through a wall into a saltwater tide-pool King Triceradon “Havoc! Fox McCloud came with his superior for a visit, so just chill out already!”
General Pepper “Are you alright, Fox?”
Fox “Don’t worry, l had much worser injuries before.”
General Havoc “Sorry about that! I lose my patience when invaders try to steal our aquatic collection of merfolk.”
General Pepper “It’s alright! I could have taken the punch before letting Fox get injured and changed into his merman appearance.”
Fox “And I forgot to bring my wheelchair again!”
the Triceradon’s servants brought a wheelchair for his transformed visitor
King Triceradon “Well, you are right about coming to visit us at a different timing. Though I was hoping your friends would have come as well…”
Fox “They’re all back in the Subspace Headquarters, so it’s only just us two that are visiting!”
General Havoc “Well now that you have arrived here, do you need anything new to wear since I damaged your uniform?”
Fox “Not really, unless you have an extra sleeveless shirt that fits my size.”
King Triceradon “My servants are going through the closet nearby to find what you have requested.”
General Pepper “So, which part of the galaxy did you come from?”
King Triceradon “We came from the TMNT universe, 4Kids versioned Turtles’ galaxy.”
Fox “Same galaxy that the Shredder came from, but from different worlds? Guessing he didn’t inform us about his origin.”
General Havoc “While I stayed behind on the island, he went to the different world and met the Warlord. He was reporting back when seeing the true form of Ch’rell…”
Fox “I guess I was astonished to see an Utrom in his fortress and not a real threat of the same person.”
King Triceradon “Well since you came to visit, do you want to go into the Grand Aquarium and interact with the merfolk residents?”
Fox “It would be an honor to meet with your aquatic friends while you are chatting with General Pepper out here!”
General Pepper “Like an excited kid ready to explore a new place!”
Fox enters the Grand Aquarium to interact with the underwater locals
General Havoc “While he’s in there chatting with the merfolk, tell us what you are really looking for!?”
General Pepper “Was thinking about rescuing some of the missing people from Corneria, but it seems just a few of the civilians are feeling relaxed here.”
King Triceradon “I did remember buying some canine mermen from the dark Octillean, and they were very calm when arriving at our island home.”
General Pepper “Those were my soldiers who were in Corneria before. Guessing they are still wondering about their families since they were abducted by the dark Octillean soldiers.”
General Havoc “When the soldiers came through in a transport aquarium, they were saluting in-front of me knowing who was the big dog!”
Merman Soldier saluting under Havoc “And we are glad that you didn’t go hard on us, Sir!”
King Triceradon “Guessing that answers your odd reaction!?”
General Pepper “A human living with a big dinosaur humanoid. Are you two like roommates or something more closer?”
King Triceradon “We were both enemies before coming to this galaxy!”
General Havoc “Our factions made peace after a technical ceasefire, while we still fought. Later we had a truce after escaping our prison.”
General Pepper “So how long did you stay near Corneria?”
General Havoc “Not long after the Shredder was living on a distant planet, we found an isolated island to create our new suitable home.”
King Triceradon “Later on I needed some company, so we built a grand aquarium and bought our first arrivals to interact with.”
General Havoc “Most of the merfolk were bought from the Dark Octillean, and some were washed up wanderers looking for a place to live from other worlds that were either overpopulated or fell into corruption.”
King Triceradon “Havoc was training most of the mermen to defend their new home against enemy invaders. And I was trying to reassure the mermaids to make them feel welcomed in their protective sanctuary. I even fostered a young orphan mermaid to be my daughter.”
General Pepper “The Dark Octillean’s soldiers have captured lots of innocent families. No wonder he has sorted them into separate groups.”
King Triceradon “I believe he was trying to have the hostages separated from their loved ones, but I like them better together.”
General Pepper “Since Fox is still interacting with most of the merfolk residents in your Grand Aquarium, I would like to meet the young mermaid that you are fostering.”
King Triceradon “Of course! Havoc, I’ll be bringing Pepper to my bedroom to see my foster daughter.”
General Havoc “Okay! I’ll be watching Fox McCloud then.”

Hello, kpopthoughts! Originally this was posted in twice but one of my friends said I should crosspost it here — so here this album review is.
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Intro

To preface the review, I just need to say that this is going to be a very long read. Going through it myself for the fun of it takes around 30 minutes — it's almost 7k words, including lyrical references. So for the best experience, listen to the album beforehand to understand what the hell I was thinking when I wrote this, play the album while reading, and set a good amount of time aside.
And yes, this is 9 months late 😭 I'm not sorry — when I find an album review online it's always around a paragraph per song or even shorter. It makes sense from a journalistic perspective, but I want to do this album justice, hence taking 7 months to write out all my thoughts.
This shit is comprehensive and definitely overanalyzed, especially in Talk that Talk and Trouble. Each song review will compose of my commentary, noting the details I noticed through months of listening, then a conclusion. Also, mild swearing warning, I like implementing a touch of "French" when I'm very emotional about something. Anyway, onto the review!
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Between 1&2 💞

Album Review
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TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT
TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED
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Talk that Talk 🎙

Producers by collapsedone and MRCH
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One of the most perfect TWICE songs.
I think this is one of TWICE’s best-sounding title tracks. Warm modulated synths, a thrumming bass line, distant bells, shimmering synths — the purpose of this song is to be fun and my god is it excellent at it, like, Sana and Chaeyoung are saying knock-knock-knock and beep-beep-beep as if they’re some kind of car. So much fun.
Further along in the verse, Dahyun’s voice sounds so full and smooth with that layered harmony. Tzuyu coming with the Yes or Yes, Push & Pull, and 1 to 10 references — these are 5 years of song references. And Jeongyeon closes the pre-chorus accompanied by a rising synth to drop into chorus one. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
The drums accelerate, the synths start blasting, and Jihyo opens to that party of a chorus with her godly vocals,
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Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
A to Z da malhaebwa
But shijageun ireoke have
Talk that Talk ttak han madi
Talk that Talk L-O-V-E
deullyeojweo ooh
Now now now now now yeah~

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During Sana's Talk that Talk~ lines there’s this gentle ascending synth bell that rings with the descending melody and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. And the choreography during that part of the chorus is so so so so fun: the talking hands bit, spelling L-O-V-E, concluding with the deullyeojweo ooh! Oh my Jihyo the deullyeojweo ooh…
Have I mentioned this song is fun?
Speeding through verse 2; Chaeyoung’s part with the cat ears popping in the music video is adorable; Momo her stretching her arms out looks so damn cool; and Dahyun with her replay part sounds so lovely — although I think it sonically sounds a touch random, it makes sense thematically.
And now for this pre-chorus. Mina and Jihyo leading into it sound great BUT JEONGYEON… Now, she is my ult bias, and this pre-chorus sounds almost identical to the first one, but the way she holds that final note, inflecting and holding that now~ for one more beat before the chorus drops sounds so perfect — the song teeters on a cliff edge. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
Dropping into the second chorus and man the way Nayeon delivers it just hits different. She has this indescribable “pop” voice (I promise this wasn't on purpose) that shouts out loud that this is THE chorus. This is especially apparent in how both lead their choruses where Jihyo starts at 120% power while Nayeon waits until [Tell me] WHAT YOU WANT to full-send it. The production also helps with this effect, cutting out during what you to emphasize Nayeon's voice before crashing back down, double the pause at Jihyo's intro.
Another deullyeojweo ooh! Nayeon travels to Narnia, and Mina the engineer strikes again in this heavenly, underwater-esque bridge,
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The simple words “I love you”
That’s all I wanna hear
Without hesitation, I’ll go up to you
I’ll make it simple
And just tell you I love you

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The word “love” is said for the first time in the song. There’s a funky keyboard instrument behind Chaeyoung’s part. Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Nayeon take the initiative in their lyrics, professing their love before closing the bridge.
And now for the pièce-de-résistance: this final double chorus is exceptional — 40 seconds of crack-laced euphoria; Jihyo switches up the chorus and the choreo, Dahyun chimes in with her fluttery Talk that Talk, Momo comes out of nowhere with oh yeah it sounds so good! — you’re damn right it does, and this is where the song SOARS.
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han beon deo~ haejweo
geurae banggeum geu mal~

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Nayeon outright shouts Tell me what you need and then Jeongyeon sings the above lines in such an ethereal, warm way where the first line ascends while the second descends, causing a lull in the song before the finale with Tzuyu and Nayeon, finishing off the song with the final deullyeojweo ooh!
What a party. What a song.
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THE GOOD

• The synths of all time
• The chimes during Talk-that-talk~
• Jeongyeon’s pre-chorus going into Nayeon’s chorus
• Rich harmonies and fun ad-libs
• The entirety of that magical final chorus and outro

Needs Work

• The opening hook (Tell me what you want) and accompanying choreography could be “catchier”

Core Memory

• Singing (and dancing) my heart out when this song played at a K-pop club

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Lyrics and theme-wise, if this were to have been TWICE’s last comeback, they’ve once again built upon the theme they've been doing since debut: a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story.
This song’s chorus is honest yet simple; it asks the listener, in this case, the other half of the relationship, to be more upfront and open with their love (never be scared of love), that before the relationship can continue and flourish, there has to be a foundation and commitment of love between each other.
TWICE debuted with a song about making your crush go ooh ahh. Years later, they started pondering What is Love? and imagining their crush responding with Yes when asking them out — and now concluding with the phrase Talk that Talk, [Talk that] L-O-V-E, being upfront with the relationship, wishing their partner to also be happy, to commit to them, to feel the love that they want to impart on them. From gawking like ooh-ahh to talking out your shared love like adults — to having a true relationship between (one and) two.
And can I just say before finishing off Talk that Talk's review that this is such a fun and repeatable song with many little intricacies hidden in the nonet’s vocals and the song's production. This is the third draft I’m writing about Talk that Talk and its original word count pretty much quadrupled.
Harkening back to TWICE’s roots by combining mature thinking with youthful character, an incredible ending to look forward to, and just simply being a club-banger that’s easy to listen to, TTT is an easy 10/10.
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WATCH ME GO WATCH ME GO
RULE THE WORLD
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Queen of Hearts 👑

Produced by LDN Noise
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If there was one B-side to promote in a live clip, this was a solid choice.
Helmed by LDN Noise going headlong into the Western boy-group rock-band aesthetic, Queen of Hearts is a boom-boom-clap song through and through. The drums are very prominent throughout the song, only giving room to riffs of electric guitar in the chorus to drive and continue the momentum of the music.
And speaking of the chorus, vocal line each got a chorus to flex and they did not fuck around,
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You ain’t ready for it
Watch me go~ watch me go~
Rule the world
Know you never doubted baby
I’mma go run the whole universe~

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Cymbals crashing, drums booming, and 3MIX belting all just so sound so good.
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Baby I was born to rule~~
Yeah I’m the Queen, I’m the Queen
And it’s all because of you~~
That I’m the Queen of Hearts

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These long, held-out notes performed by Jihyo and Nayeon are simply exquisite. Along with the shredding guitar, the drum set coming in full, and the interludes by Dahyun, Momo, and Chaeyoung, this is the part of the song that always, always, gives me goosebumps — it sounds so visceral, so energetic, so fun, so triumphant. Boom-boom-clap songs can be hit or miss with people, but there's no denying the payoff from the first part of the chorus to the second part is worth the wait.
The theme of the song so far has been kind of spread around the song. The chorus alludes to it with the line And it’s all because of you. But Mina shows more sides of it in the second verse, especially with the phrase,
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And now that I’m surrounded by all my girls
We be shining bright like diamonds and pearls

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It sounds really lovely — in a very cheesy and affectionate kind of way, as it rightfully should — the song is about the girls and their fans. But the bridge is where the song indeed shows its colours
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Screaming out my name
See it in the stage lights
Feel so lucky just to have ya
Cause I know deep down I was meant for something bigger! Greater!
I know you’re seeing what I see
Yeah I’ll be everything you need
I know I’m gonna walk the walk
And talk the talk to be~ [the Queen of Hearts]

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This is a song CONCEIVED TO BE PERFORMED FOR THE FANS. It’s meant to be loud. It’s meant to be unapologetic. It’s meant to be sappy. And it’s all the more wonderful for it.
This is the TWICEiest shit ever.
Like Talk that Talk, Queen of Hearts also has a killer closer. The production already started to grow from the bridge, but now the guitarist finally went Super Saiyan and instead of supporting the drums, they both take the centre stage in tandem.
Then finally, the closing moments of the song even manage to squeeze in some more sappiness.
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So thank you for the memories
You’re all the ones who made me~
So thank you for the memories
That I’m the Queen of Hearts

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I still can’t believe that this banger is a FAN SONG out of all things. Truly, the TWICEiest shit ever.
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THE GOOD

• Adorable fucking lyrics
• Unrelenting, roaring chorus
• English and vocal flex
• Intoxicating guitar riffs

Needs Work

• Chaeyoung rapping in English in their Korean songs somehow slaps harder than her English rapping in their English songs, nonetheless, in QoH, it fits with the sound of the song

Core Memory

• Walking home from a K-pop festival with this song playing, felt like a Queen of Hearts

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I love these types of rock songs with how grunge and head-bang-able they are, there is just a certain nostalgic and cheesy quality to them that feels so cozy. I don’t love putting them on repeat, because in this case, I do believe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Perhaps more shredding, maybe a guitar solo to rock out to, or an accompaniment(!) of ad-libs from 3MIX to support Jihyo’s final chorus? A ONCE can dream of a truly bombastic rock song from TWICE. But then again that distracts from the core of what this song is: a fan song disguised as a rock song.
Queen of Hearts has so much sweetness in its lyrics and message that it's overflowing. The drums, guitar, and vocals can be as loud and intricate as they can, but the theme of this song is what makes it special from TWICE’s other rock songs — it’s a 9/10 for me.
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I WANNA WANNA WANNA
TAKE YOU TO THE BASICS
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Basics 🌈

Lyrics by Chaeyoung
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Quite possibly the jammiest (pun intended) song of the album.
A song written by the Strawberry Princess herself — an event similar in frequency to other artists' releases with her last song being 2020’s silky Handle It — Basics first starts with an understated and dreamy delivery. After the first stanza, however, a bouncy Miami bass line emerges, revealing the true nature of the song: this is a classic summer bop! Especially in the first rap,
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dareun aedeulgwaneun dalla
Ain’t beggin’ for love
nappeun geon anijana ige naraseo
eodiro twilji molla
Like rainbow bubble gum
geureoni nal kkwak butjabadweo

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Syllables are pronounced in a relaxed nature, bars often starting with an "ah" sound, flirty lines in English — this rap features a production full of pop with R&B flourishes and, in my opinion, this is Chaeyoung’s bag. Also, the line rainbow bubblegum is so adorable and so Chaeyoung.
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I wanna wanna wanna take it to the Basics
da weonhae weonhae weonhae? seodureuji ma Baby
ppeonhae ppeonhae malhae mweohae da al tende
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah

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That chorus is pure pop with a Miami bass backing; you better be bopping your head to the melody, if not booty poppin' to the bassline. Chaeyoung loves rhyming in the first half of the chorus to enhance its catchiness and it's damn incredible: wanna, weonhae, and ppeonhae all create these imperfect rhymes that continue momentum without feeling repetitive.
After the very Boy With Luv-sounding ah yeah ah yeah, ah yeah ah yeah comes an 8-bar split half and half between Chaeyoung and Momo. Coming from the chorus, the production completely cuts out for the first 2 bars. This adds tension; the song yearns to have that bass beat thumping again and all we have in the audio space in those 2 bars is Chaeyoung spittin' and she delivered.
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taneun deut tteugeoun samak wie
yeppeuge pieonan jangmi gata
joshimseure naege dagaol ttae
nado moreuge jjilleobeoril tende

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Translating to:
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Above the hot, burning desert
It’s like a rose that bloomed beautifully
When you come to me slowly
I will prick you unconsciously

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The rap feels slick, effortless, and confident. Her diction remains sharp when enunciating each syllable but she doesn’t let the flow of her rap waver or build as her 4 bars go by, it’s just smooth consistency throughout. Even the lyrics possess an aura of laid-back collectedness that is just so her. The things Chaeyoung can do when given her pen.
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THE GOOD

• That sweet summer vibe of a chorus
• The spaceship post-chorus is killer
• Chaeyoung devoured this song
• Sure-footed, confident lyrics

Needs Work

• Perhaps an alteration of that ah yeah ah yeah line
• The way Jihyo did her pre-chorus line is good, but Mina’s is great

Core Memory

• After donating my hair, walking down the rainbow-coloured areas of downtown Toronto with this song playing was very… fitting

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This song is summer bliss distilled into 2:56. It’s dreamy, the raps are satisfying, and the ending is charming. I will say that although the second half of the song adds the stunning spaceship post-choruses and a floaty bridge with an incredible drumbeat drop into the final chorus, the raps of the song make it feel a bit front-loaded. And in an album stacked with awesome finishers, it feels more apparent.
With that said, it’s an 8/10 bop for me. This song is so easy to put on and it feels exactly what Chaeyoung would make if given the reins to produce a pop song all on her own. The lyrics are nonchalant but full of conviction, the wordplay is intricate, and the production playful but not too bombastic — it's just a nice vibe. Songs like Basics are the standard for good, simple, repeatable pop music and I’m happy that Chaeyoung got to test her pen in this genre.
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BABY WE’RE IN
TROUBLE TROUBLE
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Trouble 💃

Lyrics, vocal direction, and background vocals by Jihyo
Produced by Jihyo and earattack
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One of the most enjoyable songs I’ve heard in a while.
There is an underlying tension within the first 4 bars of the song, Jihyo and Nayeon confidently open it to a nondescript array of synths and then the stanza ends, Momo announces Let’s go, the beat drops and it hits you: this is a club song.
Dahyun's relaxed delivery contrasting with Jeongyeon's staccato flow, the wobbly synth beat mixed with a sprinkle of house piano, Sana dramatically slowing down the song only for Tzuyu to build it back up until the chorus drops,
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• Nayeon opens it using a breathy tone, with vocal chops serving as harmonies
• The blooming of the house piano takes centre stage and the song ascends into euphoria
• A random drum roll capped off by a cymbal crash
• Jeongyeon’s growling pronunciation of the word Trouble
• Chaeyoung slyly admitting I like this Trouble
• The entirety of Tzuyu’s tro~oh~oh~ouble yeah~
• Sana using her deep voice for the na~na~na~na
• Jihyo leading the vocals during the synchronized T W I C E chant

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This chorus is perfect. Toronto’s residential market needs this song injected into its veins because god damn this song has SO much house in it. And then, ANOTHER KILLING PART: this rap fucking slaps.
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gamchweo bwatja geugeon Fake
ppajin hamjeongeun Sweet cake

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During the first 2 bars, Chaeyoung is keeping it calm because that trip of a chorus just ended and the song needs a breather, but I don't think anyone expected her to SNAP this hard afterwards:
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You cannot resist this
Cannot miss this, such a bliss
Ima put it down down
Oh yeah, better kiss kiss

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Below is the structure of her this portion of the rap, I’m not that well versed in this technical aspect of music theory but I digress, this is all in the span of around 5 seconds where it’s:
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Triplet-triplet
Quadruplet-triplet
Quadruplet-doublet
Doublet-quadruplet

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Now, 25/5 = 5 syllables per second isn’t groundbreaking, but goddamn it these 2 bars sound so nice — if there is one part in this album that I always repeat, it’s this. The addition of that first quadruplet for cannot miss this in the midst of the triplets sticks out and accelerates the flow of the rap while the following doublets and quadruplets destabilize and slow the rap down as the verse closes. And can I just point out:
THE MAIN VOCALIST WROTE, DIRECTED, AND COMPOSED THIS SONG ‼
Chaeyoung of course delivered the fuck out of her verse but THIS is what you get when you have a member not only write the words they’re saying but also the melody and flow with which they sing it, when that member knows the others so well that when they write a song they know how to make the group exceed. This is what you get when the artists you stan love doing artist shit.
And. AND. That's not all — with how much I mentioned I love a good outro to close a song, this outro slaps as well:
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Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this Trouble be-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this Trouble bay-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this Trouble bay-beh
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this Trou-ble

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Like, come on, Nayeon’s imitating a police siren for crying out loud. And this is all after her ad-libs in the final post-chorus; after the pianist going full tilt and playing that piano as if it was their last chance to ever play; after that final T W I C E chant by all the members come these blissful 20 seconds at the very end. What a song.
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THE GOOD

• The theme of relishing in an uncontrolled love
• Sana and Mina’s melody in the pre-chorus
• Whole neighbourhoods full of house
• You cannot resist this, cannot miss this, such a bliss
• Wees and woos

Needs Work

• Mina’s line of falling down, falling down, falling down low in verse 2 feels a bit too abrupt of a change

Core Memory

• While writing Trouble's review I had this song on repeat for my whole subway commute and I must've been so distracting, just head-bopping and being so invested in my enjoyment

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Need I say more, easy 9/10. The only reason I place Talk that Talk above Trouble is because of what that song represents but besides that, this is one of the best “international” sounds they’ve put out. Actually, I haven’t listened to Eyes wide open in a while but this song is up there with one of the most sonically pleasing pieces of work they’ve done.
Clubbing TWICE has always been a thing since TT was birthed in 2016, and has been a staple of their discography since 2019’s Fancy You and Feel Special mini albums, but Trouble unapologetically dives into and fits the house genre so well you’d think that this is TWICE’s bread and butter sound.
Trouble is Jihyo’s magnum opus. What a song.
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BRAVE BRAVE BRAVE
FOR YOU
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Brave 💖

Produced by Slow Rabbit
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I first thought this was just a good song, then I read the lyrics.
Gentle guitar plucks, shimmering synths, a distant keyboard in the right ear, in the left a glockenspiel, the melodic oohs from the members — this song is PRETTY.
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The night that was unusually dark
Above this terrifying world, felt so lonely
The world has grown in the time of wandering
So hard to breathe

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Mina and Chaeyoung open the song with how they feel lonely, that it's hard to breathe and now suddenly the song feels bittersweet — I was not expecting the song to become this emotional. Brave describes a situation where the singer is in a darker place in life and it isn't until another person gives them hope by calling them Brave that they find the drive to keep going.
Once the chorus hits, the melodies pick up, more guitars get added — there’s even an electric guitar hidden in the mix somewhere, and the song drops the emotional front to reveal a mid-tempo pop song to dance to while crying in the club. The song as a whole still carries this melancholy feeling, but now with the added support of the chorus, acting as a light amongst the gloom.
Continuing on in the second verse there's this gorgeous, well-placed break in the song that just lets it settle after that chorus. Only a seasoned producer would risk this much empty space in a song and Slow Rabbit went to fill those shoes.
Back to the chorus, I'll take this moment to once again commend Slow Rabbit with the mixing of the song, because 4MIX undoubtedly sounds good in the chorus, and the interludes from Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Mina also sound really good, but the clear highlight of the choruses are these lines:
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Oh na na na neon nal naige hae
On and on and on
Brave Brave Brave for ya
Oh na na na neon nal sum shwige hae
On and on and on oh trust me babe

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Momo, Sana, and Tzuyu form this beautiful, surprisingly catchy, second half of the chorus accompanied by a guitar drop. It should not turn out this well with how conflicting the "na"s are with the guitar melody but it creates this gentle bopping ebb and flow that feels so lush and mellow.
Diving into the bridge reveals that the listener of the song is revealed not only capable of supporting the singer through direct words but also through their thoughts and dreams. As can be discerned, this can be a song interpreted to be about ONCEs, about how they push TWICE to be their best selves despite the breathless hardships they face. It's a very sweet and touching song.
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THE GOOD

• Special lyrics
• Pleasant sound to vibe out to
• That gentle break after the first chorus
• 3MIX poppin' off at the end
• Just very pretty vocals throughout

Needs Work

• Potentially hard to comprehend without translating the Korean lyrics

Core Memory

• Form of Therapy’s life motto revolves around the word “brave” — I don’t know where I got that from, but I remembered it right before watching his album reaction (yes, this is very random)

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I’m actually spoiled with the TWICE members’ easy-to-understand songwriting that when a song like this pops up where it's not written by a member and the thematic bits are mostly in Korean, I tend to put it aside in favour of the other songs on the album. And, especially for a song focusing on a theme like this where the English phrases don’t do the Korean lyrics enough justice, it does place a bit of a barrier on the listening experience, dropping it down to a 7/10 from an 8/10.
With that anecdote out of the way, this song is just such a vibe, man. I know that sounds super hippy to say but Brave is so mellow and smooth that I can’t help but sway a little when that chorus hits. And then I remember what the lyrics say and I tear up a bit on the inside. This song is so pure, raw, and full of heart — we need more songs like these where they just reminisce about life while putting up an upbeat front. Don't mind me just crying while dancing the night away.
With that said, this isn't the first time this theme has been sung by TWICE either, they've long trodden this path of supportive, confiding, up-lifting songs with Young & Wild, Rainbow, Queen, Go Hard, Depend on You, even this album's Queen of Hearts, and, of course, Feel Special. Brave just adds another on top of an already stacked lineup, unique with its mellow somberness.
Also now feels like a good time to get into my rating system:

• 7/10s are songs are ones that are simply good throughout or great songs with apparent flaws
• 8/10s are great songs with distinct killing parts
• 9/10s are borderline perfect songs where I sometimes can't comprehend how great they are
• And 10/10s are the best of an artist's discography, songs that encapsulate their ethos perfectly or expand upon them in a meaningful way

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I SEE THE LIES
ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE
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Gone 💨

Lyrics by Dahyun
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Who the fuck pissed off Dubu this time??
It’s getting quite rare to see TWICE pull off brand new sounds because, with now 190 original songs under their belt as of this review, they’ve done so many genres and sub-genres varying from hyper pop, to bossa nova, to whatever 2020’s Go Hard is. So it’s surprising to see they’ve still got tricks up their sleeves and Gone is one of them.
The song starts with strings swinging back and forth and vocal chops dancing from ear to ear, teasing what’s yet to come. Jihyo enters the song with a whisper and the song sets its pace. A stagnant drum pad moves the song along and typical song progression would have Mina continue the build, but — it doesn’t. The song simmers, adding a hint of high hat to the pot. And then Sana and Tzuyu come on and surely the buildup must boil over right?
Silence, until…
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I see the LIES on the top of your tongue

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The strings emerge again on full blast, the simmer rolls to a boil, and the anger of the song is revealed,
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All the fate I had towards you
Fades like a fog, Gone, Gone
Your flipping mind of doing this and that
I’m tired of it, it’s meaningless
In the beginning, it was hard to believe
With that, hatred increases

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The singer is so scorned and burned from this relationship that they reminisce about all the effort they’ve put in since the beginning, but their “partner” is so unconcerned that they’ve just about had enough of the relationship altogether.
This has been Dahyun’s thing since 2020’s Bring It Back, 2021’s Cruel, 2022’s That’s all I’m saying, and even 2023's Don't Blame It On Me — emotionally charged breakup songs that make you feel as if she’s survived through a dozen bad relationships. Dispatch, do try to do your job better.
Another highlight of the song is the post-chorus going into the bridge. This segment reiterates the structure from the first post-chorus — a barrage of drums supported by the rhythmic strumming of a bass guitar along with a consistent synth filling out the soundscape. But this time, it’s Dahyun and Chaeyoung on the rap:
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I can’t stand it anymore
My patience, invisible
I can’t find it, it’s all Gone
Even if I try to turn back, it’s too late
There’s no use anymore
It has left, it’s long Gone
You, with flipping mind, you are out
I know that you know what I’m talking about
Nothing you could say that could turn this around
I’m Gone

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Building upon the disrespected theme of the song, Dahyun notes that she’s finally had enough with Chaeyoung adding that there’s no point salvaging what love was once there. Momo and Dahyun round it off by telling the listener that there’s no point trying to reason with them or playing naive, they fucked up and there’s no coming back.
Can I just say, it's a bit of a shame that Chaeyoung’s rapping popped off in this album while Dahyun only has this one verse that she shares with Chaeyoung, but it just sounds so good how Dahyun eases in after the chorus with her light rapping tone transitioning into her singing. She even holds the Gone in a little crescendo for some added pizzazz.
And, there’s no way I’m not going to talk about Momo’s vocals in this bridge. Damned if she only got 1 line to use it in, her lower register is incredible. She sounds so smooth singing in this tone. All of TWICE do in particular and there is nary a weak vocal performance in this album.
To close the song off, a wash of synths gets to have their shine in the spotlight, showered with Nayeon’s belting, signifying the dramatic and drawn-out conclusion of this partnership.
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THE GOOD

• They’ve still got their surprises
• Thundering chorus
• 2nd rap and bridge combo
• A bitter, crumbling relationship theme

Needs Work

• I’m not a huge fan of the mixing during the first post-chorus, where Momo's vocals were fighting with the production, which is disappointing because Momo is capable of an insane flow
• The post-chorus in general, specifically the first one, can be a bit tiring on repeat listens

Core Memory

• Actually, I think this song sounds like a mix between GOT7's Not By The Moon, BLACKPINK’s Love To Hate Me, and Dahyun’s Bring It Back. I don’t know where I got this thought came from, but it stuck

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Going back to that point about the first post-chorus as a whole; songs that have the production continue unchanged into the post-chorus/2nd verse are very hit or miss for me — see TWICE's Don't Call Me Again for an overbearing example. The post-chorus going into the bridge contrasts Dahyun’s light tone nicely with the hard-hitting production, continuing the energy until it slowly fades into silence at the end of the bridge.
Back to the song as a whole, as much as TWICE has been experimenting with their sound for the past 4 years now, I’m happy they’re still finding new ways to explore what they’re capable of. And for that alone, even though I’m not a big fan of songs like these where they rely on sounding “big”, Dahyun’s lyricism and the thrill I receive every time I indulge myself in this song elevates it to an 8/10. Keep on breaking hearts, Dubu.
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INVINCIBLE
SUPERHEROES
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When We Were Kids 🧸

Lyrics by Dahyun
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Press play to reminisce, pull up lyrics to cry.
This song is so beautiful. I’m totally not writing this song review, crying on the bus reminiscing about my childhood, while just having turned 21. I don’t know if these are happy or sad tears but this song is so beautiful either way.
Warm synths, muted piano, a gentle high hat, the younger members starting off the song — this has to be up there for one of the softest TWICE songs ever. And as it should, it’s one of the TWICEiest songs ever. And then Nayeon comes in:
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Invincible superheroes, we wanted to be adults
To the higher, clearer world

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The chords start swelling, the high hat keeps pace, and the harmonies pour in.
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Remember When We Were Kids
When We Were Kids, we didn’t know
If we could go back
I will love it even more
Remember When We Were Kids

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Jihyo takes up the second half of the chorus as it drops, trading the strings for an almost R&B synth production — if choir R&B takes off, this song started it. The song relishes in this cacophony of warm sounds until returning to its sparse and peaceful verses.
This time, the hints of piano are louder, little twinkling synths begin to shimmer, the drum buildup comes and Jeongyeon drives the song straight into the chorus. No time for the strings to build like in Nayeon’s — this song loves its chorus so much.
And I'll just take this time to appreciate the amount and range of Jeongyeon vocals in this album. Her voice is so textured, stable, and projected — but also more tender and soft compared to the more pronounced tones of Nayeon and Jihyo.
The bridge comes in, repeating the phrase:
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I wish that I could meet
Could meet the younger me

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Giving the song time to rest, before building back up to the last chorus — this time led by Jihyo, completing the 3MIX trifecta. And interestingly enough, Chaeyoung follows up in the second half of the chorus, rather than another member of the vocal line. She really did pop off in this album.
As the last chorus begins to close, the percussion at its strongest, the harmonies on blast, the background vocals cranked up to their Sunday best, is the song going to end? Of course not! This is an album full of banger endings as if the songs don’t want to end, and When We Were Kids being the album closer very much indulges in that feeling.
After a brief refrain, accented by Nayeon’s high note with a touch of vibrato, the song almost dives back into a fourth chorus. Nayeon and Jeongyeon harmonize — a rare and heavenly moment. And the song repeats the bridge, reiterating that they want to meet their younger selves, this time with the lush chorus production before closing with silence, a few piano notes, and Tzuyu singing the last line of the song:
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Oh, we were kids

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Reflection, acceptance, hope. What a song.
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THE GOOD

• Heavenly vocals throughout
• Relatable, heartfelt lyrics
• Euphoric chorus
• Great closer to the album

Needs Work

• Refrain after the last chorus, Back When We Were Kids, could’ve been executed better

Core Memory

• For an album titled Between 1&2, I don’t think anything hits harder than finishing the song reviews, with this song in particular, during your 21st birthday

​
I wrote the first part of this review in November 2022. Then university, life, and other things got in the way of my headspace for me to feel confident about wrapping all of this up. In a way, I felt like I just didn’t want this review to end because of the joy that writing gives me — I didn’t want the happiness to end. And then it hit me, after watching a YouTuber rank animated movies and them placing Spirited Away at the top and explaining 'why' reminded me of just how important growing up is, and by extension this song.
This theme is important for both the rookie TWICE members in 2015 and the teenagers who would follow their journey and grow up with them, facing life’s obstacles along the way. Hardships that used to only involve family, crushes, and social media, evolve into work, commitments and all the struggles that adult life brings. Being a kid and enjoying the simple things in life is one of the most sought-after moments we want to relive because we took growing up for granted. The only thing we can do now is look back on ourselves with fondness and rose-tinted lenses.
TWICE’s original meaning was to resonate with people through their senses and their hearts. That was during their debut, and I think it still holds up today. In my opinion, touching people through their emotions is what TWICE does best and makes them one of K-pop’s all-time greats. It was never about having the best numbers — it was about being the best idols. And to think that this journey of maturation and growth would occur from 2015 all the way to this song, being a fitting nod to TWICE’s 7th anniversary, I don’t think anyone at the company nor the group would ever imagine that they would get this far. It’s these nine women or none — 9/10.
This song honestly deserves a 10/10 with how much I noticed other people reminiscing their childhoods after I heard this song, it is such a widely-relatable message, but I am determined to limit myself to one 10/10 song per album and if I were to pick between TTT and WWWK, I'd give it to the one's that's more repeatable — Talk that Talk just has this electric energy about it.
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Epilogue

And finally here is the end. If you made it in one sitting then I commend you, because I could not write this mess in one sitting. As alluded to, I started writing this album review sometime in October, after a series of edits the first draft was finished in March, and now here's the final draft in June.
I love this album. It got me through some important parts of my life, both good and bad, and it's just a wonderful listen throughout. Reliving this album again before finally completing the review has been an exciting journey. Brave hit me harder this time, after being overshadowed by the other gems of this album, and WWWK finally got me to tear up and not just be emotionally satisfied.
I feel like there's something for everyone on this album. From the exhilarating thrills of TTT to the anthemic euphoria of QoH, the clubbing dichotomy of Trouble and Brave to the blissful glee of Basics, and the sweet reminiscence of WWWK to the thundering anger that is Gone. Like Eyes wide open, I liken Between 1&2 to a pop music taste platter — there's such an eclectic mix of pop music in this album that there's bound to be a song that someone will love, like, and dislike.
Is this album perfect? I don't think so, but it's close — it was certainly my 2022 AOTY. Was this review biased? Absolutely. I've been a fan since 2019 and with the themes in this album, I also feel like it was biased towards me as a ONCE. And how would I rank the album in TWICE's catalogue? It's honestly at the top, at least with EPs — I also felt that way towards Feel Special but then this album was birthed so I'm excited for TWICE's future.
Ready To Be was also a stunning album and Eyes wide open frankly also deserved the spotlight that Formula of Love received so I might hit those next but no promises; this album took long enough to bake.
As for the performances, I've only seen Twitter clips (no fancams to not spoil myself) and I am SO EXCITED to finally see them in July. QoH was as glorious as expected, Brave was a delightful surprise, and WWWK, while not being the concert closer everyone expected it to be, paired up nicely with Crazy Stupid Love. And of course the bombastic addition of the dance break to TTT. But, this is not a concert review, and here is where this album review ends.
Feel free to comment with any thoughts regarding the album, other TWICE albums, and any suggestions for my writing in general. Congrats again on making it this far!
God, I love this album.

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/nTdBDS9
Happy Sunday,
First, old reliable, the 3080. Great card! Never overclocked, never mined, 3 years left on warranty. All original packaging included. I will also include a PCIe x4 Riser Cable in the deal. Always ran cooler than 60c playing Microsoft Flight Sim.
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I also have a MSI Gaming Trio X 4090 that is BNIB. I got a bonus at work, made the offer on eBay and he accepted while I also impulse bought a PNY Verto 4090 from another user here. The PNY cost me less and the eBay seller does not accept returns. I'll take a little bit of a loss here because of that but its all good.
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Local is 92211 (Palm Springs, CA)
Comment before PM
Thanks!

MSI Gaming Trio X 4090	$1600 Shipped/$1560 Local	SOLD to u/natdisaster
GIGABYTE 3080 12GB Waterforce	$480 Shipped	Used, 1 yr. old. Mint condition.

Cards
Hi all, putting my lot up! They are all based on TCG pricing, the Japanese cards are going to be based on eBay last sold, or an agreeable amount that we come up with.
Also, doing a small promo: Spend $3 and get any $1 card for free attached to your order!
The Scizor in the last photo has a crimp, we can come up to an agreeable amount for that one too.
Shipping is $5 BMWT or Free with PWE. PayPal only! (All previous orders have been shipped.)

Hi everyone!
I’ve noticed that being my 1000% self when dating has served me well.
I end up attracting more quality men who genuinely like me as I am.
I recently met one and I can’t believe he’s real because he loves my entire being! Keep in mind I’m dark skinned, feminine and somewhat plus size.
He’s different and doesn’t try to fit into today’s trends or beauty standards much like myself and we’ve been hitting it off.
Another strategy I used on dating apps especially, was to try to emphasise the traits about myself that the community will deem as “unattractive” and this strategy has been effective in weeding superficial people out.
I used pictures from 2 years ago when I was bigger, pictures that were not in the best angle and all and was quirky in my profile prompts.
When I got matches, along the conversation I’d send them current pictures of myself and my best pictures and they’d be shocked lol…(It’s very possible that some of them could be chubby chasers and only swiped right on me because they like em thick lol) but the fact they were still interested in me even though I looked a bit different from /skinnier in the photos they liked…this proved to me that they were more drawn to my personality and essence than my looks.
This is great because no one will ever look the same forever! If I was to gain the weight back, they’d still love me because the attraction at the foundation of our relationship was not just solely based on looks but rather personality and just compatibility in general, they were still interested in getting know me wether I was a bigger or smaller size.
Note that while this worked, you’d have to deal with the possibility of getting little to no matches because we all know how appearance focused the community is…but when that 1 person matches with you, I promise you that it’s worth the wait!
I knew I had to come up with a strategy when I was getting attention from the worst men who only loved my appearance and had no personality!😂
So yeah, I just wanted to share what worked for me since I’ve been seeing a lot of conversation surrounding the toxic dating culture in the community.

So I’ve been managing to take a legitimate shower to wash my hair and such about once a week at my moms house. My mom is in a domestic abusive relationship who she lives with so when I go over there, it’s only when he’s not there(I can’t be there when he’s there, let’s just say it wouldn’t be good if he found out I’ve been sneaking over there). But he owns his own company and works when he wants to so this way isn’t exactly reliable for a shower. I clean up in gas station bathroom sinks daily or every other day in between the actual showers. That being said, I need a more reliable way to get clean. I have two job interviews Tuesday and I can’t go into a shift not clean if I get hired. How’s showering at places like planet fitness? Do they seem to care if people use their membership just to shower? Would they even notice? What’s some other options? I’m located in Charlotte, NC

Gwzuc complained to his father for what felt like the 10th time about being pulled out of school for an entire week to travel to Demila, a backwater planet just so they could visit on a specific date . His father unrelentingly told him once again “This is an important date for myself and the humans, they call it Memorial Day, a day to celebrate and mourn those lost in the line of duty. Of which the humans have lost plenty in the War of Imperial Aggression. Hopefully you will understand once our day has concluded.”
Krlinn Vol'jin was a former Captain in the Federation Armed Forces, being medically discharged after the slaughter of Demilia which saw Federation ground forces being reduced to a mere 20% of what was sent to the planet in an effort to stop the Tuvili Empire from gaining a valuable stronghold in the fight for the Federations survival.
Krlinn and his son Gwzuc arrived at the memorials entrance and proceeded to a hallway immediately to their left, Krlinn already knew exactly where to go, having been here countless times before. Gwzuc on the other hand only got a quick glance around, the wings of the memorial seemingly dedicated species by species with Humanity’s being the largest.
On the way over Krlinn started to speak to his son using a tone Gwzuc was all too familiar with, it meant that his father was about to start one of his famous lectors and not even a charging Curbat could stop him, with nothing better to do Gwzuc listened while walking, his father choosing to not take the speed assist walkways in an effort to have more time to make his point before reaching their destination.
“Now son I know that you have heard all of this throughout your lifetime but I feel the need to reiterate it due to what you will see shortly. Humans arrived on the galactic scene a couple of centuries ago and ever since then have been an average species in our great federation, not the strongest, nor the most intelligent, no, Humanity simply exists in most aspects of life.” At this point they reach around the midway point where banners from Terra, the Humans homeworld are flown along with a statue, Krlinn stops them both and walks to the statue before looking his son in the eye. “But Son, do not be mistaken when you look a Human in the eye and see nothing but steely resolve looking back at you. Know in your deepest hearts that something somewhere should be terrified.” At this point Gwzuc looks confused at the statue, it appears to be a human male wearing firefighting gear he looks at the plaque in front of the statue which reads
“Dedicated to the brave men and woman, firefighters, police, and EMT’s who lost their lives while helping the citizens of Demila during the war, costing many of their own lives but saving countless others in the process.”
“But I don’t get it. Why die for others instead of saving themselves?” Gwzuc said quite frankly while looking at his father.
Krlinn sighed, the question being poised one he was expecting but was still hoping to all together avoid. “That question is what we are here to answer today. Humans are unique in the federation, most species have an instinct for self preservation, our many cultures only serve to reinforce that instinct. For that matter the human’s have that same instinct, the difference being they can turn it off. That steely eyed look I mentioned earlier? That’s how you know if the “switch” has been flipped in a human’s head.” Krlinn brought his son up to start the walk back down to get to the exhibit that was their goal. In the meantime he could see Gwzuc’s coils phasing in his head as he was slowly starting to understand why his father never talked about his experiences in the war.
“You know son, the humans almost never made it to front line combat units” Krlinn said to his son. His son looked at him surprised and asked “How? They make up almost half the Federation’s forces!” Krlinn replied “That came about partially because of the event’s here. For all the Federation’s upsides it’s bureaucracy is not one, most saw the humans lack of specialization and failure to excel at any one thing to mean that they were useless. While most humans in the Forces were relegated to backline support and logistics, or medical staff there were always a few every infantry company did see at least a few. Hell, one of the member’s on my headquarter’s staff was human.”
There was a long minute of silence following this, Gwzuc looked at his father who had the eyes of a person looking into the past remembering something Gwzuc knew better than to interrupt him when he got like this, after a minute they were at the front of the exhibit.
They had walked into a large hall with statues every 20 yards or so, while they hadn’t encountered anybody on the way to the hall due to them taking the non speed assisted path the hall was filled with people, while all species appeared to be represented it stood out to Gwzuc that the majority was of Humans which he thought odd, until he remembered what his father had told him. That this was a Holiday for the human’s one a day to remember and mourn those who had fallen.
“We could spend all day here looking at every memorial, but instead I want to focus on the Men and Women I personally knew and served with who helped me and others survive.” Krlinn said to his son, bringing him to the first statue, again without needing more than a second to gather his surroundings.
The first statue they came upon was of a woman saluting, the almost bronze statue was so detailed he could see the wrinkles around her eyes, evidently the picture this was molded after was taken of her facing that system's star. Krlinn tells Gwzuc “I will let the plaques do the talking, I didn't know the private well enough to add more information.” Gwzuc walked forward and saw two plaques starting with the one on the left having more and larger writing
“Here lies a remembrance to Private Livia Morrison, a medic who in the battle of Demilia at great risk to her own life ran across a battlefield in an effort to save two marines who were severely injured by an artillery shell. She ran over 300 meters while being actively engaged by combatants to reach the marines. At which point she provided life saving assistance and stabilized them. However after finishing her duties she heard cries coming from a short distance and while moving to provide them care she was hit by an artillery shell. Her bio-metric suit and helmet recorded her last words as “Get those Marines home” before shortly passing away from blood loss.” Gwzuc’s hearts were beating slightly just reading that, not imaging he could ever do something so dangerous. The second plaque seemed to be for information “Private Morrision received a battalion commendation for her heroic efforts. We thank her family for allowing her likeness to be used. It should be noted Morrision had only been stationed on Demila for two weeks when the attack began, it was her first posting out of training and her only.”
Krlinn quickly brought his son to another statue giving him barely enough time to absorb what he read before his father began to speak “This is Sergeant Rhett Dunlap, while I would not have considered us friends due to a myriad of reasons he was a good man, from what I hear those whose lives he saved donated the cost to get this statue built.” Gwzuc took a good look at the statue. It showed a short human male who one would call diminutive if not for the fact that his muscles made him look extremely stocky. The statue showed him in a kneeling position with a light machine gun in one hand, the other arm missing below the elbow, his uniform tattered and shrapnel sticking in all parts of him. Gwzuc started to read the quite long plaque
“Here lies Sergeant Dunlap depicted by request of his brothers in arms to show his final moments. The Sergeant was severely injured in an artillery blast resulting in his arm being blown off. It is noted when asked about it he told his superiors “Just a flesh wound” before laughing, A few moments later the imperials began another push and the Federation had to fall back or be enveloped. The Sergeant then picked up a machine gun and hoisted it onto a nearby wall before telling his platoon leader that he would cover the retreat. His platoon leader accepted, seeing no alternative. The Sergeant proceeded to hold off imperial forces single handedly for over 4 minutes resolution in his platoon making a full retreat with no casualties. For this Sergeant Dunlap was awarded a Titanium Novastar”
Krlinn put a hand on his son’s shoulder after seeing Gwzuc finish reading, startling his boy. His father spoke in an uncharacteristically quiet voice “I saw it you know. His final stand, we had a drone in the area to make sure the retreat went as smoothly as possible. He wouldn’t, couldn’t stop. Even when he ran out of ammo he pulled his knife out and used it. When we finally took that sector back his corpse was surrounded by imperial bodies. I shudder to imagine what he could have achieved without already being injured.” Come son there’s one more statue you need to see.
With that Krlinn brings his son to the final statue, which was also the largest and in place of honor in the middle of the room, it was a simple statue similar to the first one they went to showing a tall but skinny human male saluting, due to others in the room they must wait for a handful of minutes before being able to read this statue's plaque. This appears to be the only statue with an accompanying piece on display, it appears to be a name tag ripped off a military uniform that says “Saunders”. The entire wait, Gwzuc noticed his father had not said a word and appeared to be in his own world. Gwzuc read the plaque
“Here Lies lieutenant Caleb Saunders dubbed by many as “The Savior of Demila” whose actions caused a total rout of the Imperial forces on the planet during the Battle of Demila. While Federation forces were in a near collapse the lieutenant grabbed a targeting sensor and spent 12 hours sneaking into an Imperial Ammo facility in an effort to place the sensor in a way to be able to bring artillery accurately onto imperial lines from far off batteries. Helmet footage that was being transmitted to base showed that in the process of activating the sensors a patrol of Imperials found him. Instead of engaging the sensor and retreating he valiantly activated it while receiving multiple injuries, allowing said artillery to destroy the facility and cause a chain reaction destroying a large number of Imperial Assets at the cost of the Lieutenant’s life.”
Gwzuc quickly moved onto the second plaque his two hearts racing, a thought forming in his mind. “This statue was paid for and commissioned by the Federal Armed Forces. For them we thank the ability to remember Lieutenant Saunders. For his actions Saunders was awarded a Federation Star of the People, The federation’s highest military honor. We also thank Captain Krlinn Vol'jin for donating Saunders name tag. It is said he ripped it off before allowing Saunders to attempt the mission in an effort to ensure his sacrifice would not be forgotten.”
After reading the last sentence everything fell into place for Gwzuc who turned to his father, however before he could get a word out his father said “Some of the human’s have a term for this type of thing you know? That’s how damn common it is for them. They call it “Broken Arrow.”” His father motions his son to step away so others could read the plaque Gwzuc witnesses a sight so rare he forgot it possible his father was in tears. Full blown tears “Caleb was a damn good man you know. Had a wife and daughter, he was going to engineering school on the side, he had every reason to live. That’s how I learned about the human’s now famous look. That was the first time I saw it, you know? We were trying to set up a final line of defense, something, anything to slow the imperials down, buy time for civilians to evacuate, reinforcements to show, hell just praying anything would happen other than our deaths. All looked hopeless, we were in a staff planning meeting. When someone pointed out how close the ammo dump was to their motor pool. A glaring oversight but one an overconfident enemy makes. Saunders had made a comment that was true, if we could get one of our Targeting sensors on the building we could call in a strike to blow it up. The atmosphere and jamming made anything but direct positional targeting impossible, the device had to physically be at a location to be used. It made bombing near impossible for us and they knew it. Sadly we had no explosives to make use of.” Krlinn at this point took a minute to compose himself and finish his story. “We all agreed it would work, but no one would risk their lives like that, it just wasn’t done. Caleb finally said he would do it, I didn’t believe him however seeing the other human’s heorices I should have, and said ok to the plan thinking it was just bravado and he would back out. He just prepared his pack and sensor so I saw him off. When I saw that look in his eye, that look that meant he already knew he was dead and just waiting for it to happen, I thought for just a minute, maybe just maybe he would go through with it, so I took his nametag and sent him on his way. Not putting much stock into it succeeding goddess not even watching his helmet cam, that was until he broke comm discipline and his comm burst with the sound of gunshots and screams, until finally all he said with a grunt was “Standy for target acquisition”. Following that was one giant fireball a few minutes later…” Krlinn looked at his son after giving his son a minute to understand and absorb all of the information he was given. He felt guilty about being annoyed at his dad for taking out of school. After a while all he said was “I’m sorry” before they began to walk back down the hall, Gwzuc looking at every human present through a new lens, partially in awe, partially in fear of what they are capable of.
On the treadmill-like walkway back he heard his father say to himself a poem, but for the first time listening to the words and truly taking their meaning in.

“Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

His father finished his almost mechanical repeating of the poem before saying to his son “Human’s won’t throw their lives away, but they will sacrifice them if needed”
A/N This is my first time writing a short story like this since school, so I’m happy with any criticism. I do hope however you enjoy it! The end poem is not my own work as I hope you all know. All credit for that goes to Dylan Thomas the Poet.

Source: https://twitter.com/AnniTheDuck/status/1665442875876753408/photo/1
Translation:
Arwen, Mortal Queen {1}{G}{W} Legendary Creature - Elf Noble Arwen, Mortal Queen comes into play with an indestructible counter. {1}, Remove an indestructible counter from Arwen: Another target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Put a +1/+1 counter and lifelink counter on that creature and a +1/+1 counter and lifelink counter on Arwen.
2/2
The ability to add both a +1/+1 counter and a lifelink counter is intriguing, as it seems to fit right into [[Heliod, Sun-Crowned]] and [[Walking Ballista]] combo decks.
While the Heliod-Ballista 2-card combo is potent, it requires a non-insignificant amount of setup: - both cards have to be in play - the Ballista has to have at least 2 +1/+1 counters on it (i.e. cast it for {4} so X=2) - you need to pay {1}{W} with Heliod's ability to give the Ballista Lifelink - the Ballista can't be removed during any of this
While it is a 2-card combo, it is fragile in that ballista dies to literally everything and you need 6 mana to do it in a single turn without the opponent interacting.
I think that Arwen, Mortal Queen adds just a bit more redundancy to the deck to continue pushing it in the right direction. With Arwen and Heliod already in play you can play a Ballista for {2} mana (X=1), then use Arwen's ability for {1} to give it both the second +1/+1 counter and lifelink it needs to combo with Heliod. This is a total of {3} mana vs {5}{W} otherwise. Arwen seems good on her own by offering protection for non-Heliod combo pieces alongside being a psuedo 3-card combo with Heliod and Ballista.
Being 3cmc she fits right into [[Collected Company]] shells. You can throw in [[Spike Feeder]] for the infinite life combo with Heliod, and an [[Archangel of Thune]] which combos with both Spike Feeder and Arwen+Ballista.
Protection for combo pieces, easier combos with Ballista, and being a decent beater that is hit by Collected Company could be what helps put this deck back in the meta.

🌺MONDAY Fun pics: Please keep in mind: - Keep it light. No dark themes or sexy pics… 🌺This is for fun and to get to know each other a bit, to post those favorite pics that don’t usually fit our description such as pets, babies, houses, your latest hobby project, unusual dishes, fantasy, made to look unnatural, etc… - Original pics, please. You may still post a couple of “regular” pics as well.

• Only on Mondays, a max of two fun posts. (You can put multiple pics on a post.) We’ll have to remove and ask you to repost on Monday if you forget and post fun pics on other days.
  
• As far as time zones, just post when it’s Monday for you. - Keep it respectful, kind and comfortable. - Use the new flair for fun posts, other flairs for regular posts. 🌺
  

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🌺 ALL DAYS OF THE WEEK: Please follow our regular guidelines. Please submit original content and use the flair. Thanks.
For all days: original photos (please use the “original” flair): landscapes, waterscapes (ocean, river, lake, waterfalls etc), flowers, trees, wildlife… **Avoid signs of Civilization and its chaos and noise, this is a retreat from all of that. So - avoid all those buildings, houses, vehicles, pets, etc. (You can use them on a fun post.)
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Hi everybody, below is my list of anime, manga and light novels available for sale. Some new items have been added - anything that's in the timestamp but not listed below has been sold. - I've tried to address most potential questions below, but feel free to ask me any questions.
Please comment on the thread before sending me a PM or Chat message, especially given the new feedback system in place. Please make sure your shipping address is updated on your PayPal account before sending payment.
No holds for longer than 1-2 days and throw out the first offer if you want to negotiate, though prices are firm for some things.
I won't split any sets unless it's stated otherwise.
I'm a Canadian seller that is willing to ship to most places on this planet. Prices are based in Canadian dollars - the listed USD price is provided as a reference, as FX rates fluctuate slightly every day. (PayPal will automatically convert your USD/local currency to CAD when you pay.) Local pickup and payment can be arranged if you live in the Greater Toronto Area.
Timestamp

Anime:

Prices include shipping and tracking to Canada & the USA for anime. If you live anywhere else, I will need you to provide me with your postal code and country so I can provide you with a shipping quote.
Pics
Blood-C: The Last Dark (Blu-Ray+DVD, SAVE Edition) - $80 CAD / $61 USD
Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up Premium Edition (Blu-Ray+DVD) - $300 CAD / $230 USD
Occult Academy Premium Edition (BD) - $220 CAD / $168.50 USD
The Story of Saiunkoku Season 1 Complete Collection (DVD) - $230 CAD / $176 USD

Books:

Shipping costs for single volumes of manga or light novels:
Canada - starts at $11 CAD with tracking, but can increase depending on distance, whether you live in an area that Canada Post deems as rural, and weight. I may consider shipping via Canada Post Lettermail ($7 CAD, no tracking provided) for books at or below $25 CAD if it fits within the size limits. Please provide me with your postal code for an accurate shipping quote.
USA - starts at $11 CAD (around $8.50 USD) including tracking for 1-2 normal sized volumes. Price will increase slightly for 3+ books and depending on weight and insurance.
Europe - starts at $15 CAD for one normal sized volume to most European countries. Please provide me with your postal code for an accurate shipping quote.
Anywhere else - I will need you to provide me with your postal code and country, so I can provide you with a shipping quote.
Light Novels:
Pics
Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion Stage 2 - Knight & Stage 3 - Sword - $150 CAD / $114.75 USD (Will Not Split)
The Asterisk War Vol. 3 - $130 CAD / $99.50 USD
Manga - Single Volumes:
Pics
20th Century Boys Vol. 22 - $100 CAD / $77.50 USD
A Drifting Life (spine has creasing) - $40 CAD / $30.50 USD
Biomega Vol. 3 - $75 CAD / $57.50 USD
Black God Vol. 11 - $40 CAD / $30.50 USD
Blood Blockade Battlefront Vol. 2 - $30 CAD / $23 USD (partial set also available below)
Boys Over Flowers Vol. 19 - $55 CAD / $42 USD
Boys Over Flowers Vol. 24 - $55 CAD / $42 USD
Casino Lily (BL, Sealed) - $40 CAD / $30.50 USD
Cowboy Bebop Vol. 3 - $30 CAD / $23 USD
Dr. Slump Vol. 16 - $110 CAD / $84 USD
Freezing Vol. 19-20 - $85 CAD / $65 USD
Haganai: I Don't Have Many Friends Vol. 8 - $45 CAD / $34.50 USD
He's My Only Vampire Vol. 4 - $40 CAD / $30.50 USD
Hey Class President! Vol. 1 (BL, Sealed) - $60 CAD / $46 USD
Highschool of the Dead Vol. 2 - $20 CAD / $15.50 USD
Innocent Bird Vol. 3 (BL) - $85 CAD / $65 USD
Inu x Boku SS Vol. 2 (front cover is bent inwards, but no creasing except for a small one by the X) - $20 CAD / $15.50 USD
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3 Vol. 1 (Paperback release, no Stardust Crusaders subtitle on the cover) - $20 CAD / $15.50 USD
Judge Vol. 6 (G3 condition) - $70 CAD / $53.50 USD
Kannazuki no Miko Vol. 1 (Sealed) - $40 CAD / $30.50 USD
Lady Snowblood Vol. 1 - $50 CAD / $38.50 USD
Kill la Kill Vol. 1 - $35 CAD / $27 USD
Knights of Sidonia Vol. 15 - $60 CAD / $46 USD
Magika Swordsman and Summoner Vol. 5 (has black remainder mark on the bottom) - $25 CAD / $19.50 USD
Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter Vol. 6 - $75 CAD / $57.50 USD
Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol. 13 - $45 CAD / $34.50 USD
Nodame Cantabile Vol. 13 - $50 CAD / $38.25 USD
Private Teacher! Vol. 3 (BL) - $183 CAD / $140 USD
Red River Vol. 1 - $25 CAD / $19 USD
Stay Close to Me - $70 CAD / $53.50 USD
Stepping on Roses Vol. 5 - $52.50 CAD / $40 USD
Strike the Blood Vol. 6 - $50 CAD / $38.25 USD
The Testament of Sister New Devil Storm! Vol. 3 - $85 CAD / $65 USD
This Ugly Yet Beautiful World Vol. 1 - $40 CAD / $30.50 USD
To Love-Ru Vol. 5-6 - $60 CAD / $46 USD
Tokyo Babylon Omnibus Vol. 1 (G2-3 condition) - $35 CAD / $27 USD
Yowamushi Pedal Vol. 6 - $95 CAD / $72.50 USD
Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium World Vol. 1 - $20 CAD / $15.50 USD
Manga - Sets:
Prices for sets include shipping and tracking to Canada and the USA. Other countries, please inquire for a shipping quote. Sets will not be split up unless stated otherwise!
Pics
Blood Blockade Battlefront Vol. 1-3 & 5-7 (Vol. 1 has a black remainder mark on the bottom) - $600 CAD / $459 USD (Separate vol. 2 also available above)
Blame! Vol. 1-2 (Tokyopop release) - $100 CAD / $76.50 USD
Breath Vol. 1-5 (BL, Complete Series) - $500 CAD / $382.50 USD
Eyeshield 21 Vol. 1-37 (Complete Series, Vol. 21-22 are sealed) - $1300 CAD / $995 USD
Fruits Basket Vol. 16 & 18-21 - $95 CAD / $72.50 USD, Vol. 16 available separately for $25 CAD / $19 USD including shipping to Canada and the USA
Gunsmith Cats Revised Edition Vol. 1-4 and Gunsmith Cats Burst Vol. 1-5 (Complete Series) - $750 CAD / $574 USD
Hey Class President! Vol. 1-2 - $185 CAD / $141.50 USD
Love Com (Lovely Complex) Vol. 1-15 - $690 CAD / $528 USD
Madness Vol. 1-2 (BL, Complete Series) - $40 CAD / $30.50 USD
Monster Vol. 4-6 (singles) - $95 CAD / $72.50 USD
Monster Vol. 4-6, 12 and 15 (singles) - $135 CAD / $103.25 USD; Vol. 12 separately is $50 CAD / $38.25 USD including shipping to Canada and the USA; Vol. 15 separately is $50 CAD / $38.25 USD including shipping to Canada and the USA
Please Tell Me! Galko-chan Vol. 1-2 - $115 CAD / $89 USD
Rabbit Man, Tiger Man Vol. 1-2 (BL) - $195 CAD / $149 USD
Tegami Bachi Vol. 2-7 - $95 CAD / $72.50 USD
The Big O Vol. 1-6 (Complete Series) - $217 CAD / $160 USD
Tokyo Babylon omnibus Vol. 1-2 (Dark Horse release) - $175 CAD / $134 USD (separate Vol. 1 available)
Toriko Vol. 1-6 (Vol. 2 is in G3 condition) - $120 CAD / $92 USD
Triage X Vol. 1-11 (Vol. 11 is Sealed) - $550 CAD / $421 USD
Vagabond Vol. 3-12 (Single Volume release) - $440 CAD / $336.50 USD