1. GYOZA VEG (3 Pcs) (Japanese style Dumplings filled with vegetables, wrapped in thin dough. Steamed/Pan fried)
   
2. ROCK CORN TEMPURA (3 Pcs) (Corn with a savory botter deep fried till crisp and golden brown glazed with spicy mayonnaise or creamy)
   
3. YASAI KUSHIYAKI (2 Pcs) (Grilled Vegetables in a skewer brushed with teriyaki sauce.)
   
4. GYOZA CHICKEN (2 Pcs) (Japanese style Dumplings filled with minced chicken, wrapped in thin dough. Steamed/Pan fried)
   
5. TORI NO KARA-AGE (3 Pcs) (Dredged in flour and potato starch, deep fried chicken which is marinated in fresh ginger, garlic, sake and soya sauce to add amazing flavor & juiciness)
   
6. BUTA KHUSHI YAKI (2 Pcs) (Grilled pork in a skewer brushed with teriyaki sauce)
   

SUSHI (4 PCS)

1. MANGO ROLL (4 Pcs) (Sushi filled with mango pieces, cream cheese and avocado rolled to perfection covered with mango slices)

8.SUPER CRUNCHY ROLL (4 Pcs) (Sushi filled with Sweet shitake mushroom, cucumber and avocado rolled to perfection)
9.SAKE MAKI ROLL (4 Pcs) (Classic Japanese fresh Salmon & rice roll traditionally served with pickled ginger, soy sauce and spicy japanese wasabi mustard)

1. TEKKA MAKI ROLL (4 Pcs)

(Classic Japanese Fresh Tuna & rice roll traditionally served with pickled ginger, soy sauce and spicy Japanese wasabi mustard)
MAIN COURSE

1. KOFUKU CHEF'S SPECIAL CURRY WITH GOHAN (STICKY RICE)(VEG/CHICKEN/PORK)
   
2. JAPANESE CURRY RAMEN NOODLES (VEG/CHICKEN/PORK)
   

SAKE LIST

1. Born Gold Sake
2. Hakushika Amayagi
3. hakushika Dai Ginjo
4. Hakushika Junmai Taru Sake
5. Hakushika Namachozoshu sake
6. Hakushika Dry Junmaishu Yamadanishiki Silk
7. Hakushika YamadaNishiki Junmai Genshu
8. Hakushika YamadaNishiki Honjozo Sake
9. Hakushika Awayuki Sparlking sake 10.Hakutsuru Dai Ginjo Sake
10. Hakutsuru Draft
11. Hakutsuru Excellent Junmai Sake
12. Hakutsuru Tojikan Sake
13. Hakushika Junmai Dai Ginjo

TLDR: All Plotted on a map by ArathornLuro

Background

I've been compiling a list of "hidden gems" in the back of my mind for a while now. There are many "hidden gems" in Vancouver. To cover them all would be a whole book. To make things easier for a post I created a stricter set of criteria.
 
The purpose of this post is not only to share but also to uncover more "small family run hidden gems". There are many places that almost make it which I added to the Honorable Mentions section.

What constitutes a small family run hidden gem?

A tiny to small restaurant that's family and serves amazing food or beverages. These are the places that people who've been recommend to out of town guests. You go "wow" when you first discover the place.
 
The hidden part is covered by collecting data on posts/comments to verify the "hidden aspect". Although just because a business has low Reddit exposure, many of these places are well known in specific communities.

Detailed Criteria:

1. Small: Under ~10 tables, Ideally ~2 tables. Exceptions for Food Court Stalls
2. Family Run: Owner or a family member is always present. Bonus for family-run businesses with no employees.
3. Hidden (On Reddit): Under 40 comments where a post is worth 5 comments.
4. Gem: Arguably the best place to get a certain dish/cuisine in Metro Vancouver

The List:

Name	Rough Area	Cuisine	Known For (* = other things also good)	Comments	Posts	Reddit Exposure
Nine Ninety	Richmond	Chinese (Wuhan/Food Court)	Spicy Dry Noodles*	1	0	1
Adam's Crepes	South Burnaby	French	Crepes	1	1	6
Feast and Fallow	Oakridge	Cafe (Plant Based)	Coffee*	2	0	2
Lao Cai	West Vancouver	Chinese (Xi'an)	Dry Cumin Lamb Noodles*	2	0	2
Lully's Food Truck	Abbotsford (Canadian Tire Parking Lot)	American	Hot Dogs	4	1	9
Excellent Tofu	Richmond	Chinese (Dessert)	Tofu Pudding	6	0	6
Gateau de Henry	Kitsilano	Cakes	Cakes*	8	1	13
Oide	East Van	Cafe	Coffee Rotation	8	1	13
Tama Organic Mart	Burnaby	Japanese (Grocery Store)	Vegan Bento	8	1	13
Fat Boy Kitchen	Victoria - Fraserview	Chinese (Hong Kong)	Pork Chop Rice*	9	0	9
Klasik Inasal	Mount Pleasant	Filipino	Overall Filipino Food	10	1	15
Long's Noodle House	End of Main Street	Chinese (Shanghai)	Soup Dumplings + Drunken Chicken*	12	3	27
Mr Japanese Curry	Mount Pleasant (Cambie)	Japanese (Curry)	Japanese Curry	17	0	17
Sushi Bar Kilala	North Burnaby	Japanese (Sushi)	Homey Sushi	18	0	18
Sashimiya	Downtown	Japanese (Sushi)	Moderately Priced High Quality Nigiri*	20	3	35
Baby Dhal	Commercial	Trinidadian	Dhal Puri Roti*	24	1	29
Tandoori Palace	Commercial	Indian/Pakistani	Naan + Butter Chicken (Outside Surrey)*	26	1	31
Cafe Dang Anh	Victoria - Fraserview	Vietnamese (Northern)	Pho Bo Tai Lan*	27	0	27
Yama Cafe	East Van	Japanese (Cafe)	Meal Sets/Moffins (Mochi Muffins)	35	0	35
Merci Beaucoup Cafe	Commercial	Vietnamese (Bahn Mi)	House Special Sub	38	0	38​

Honorable Mentions:

Name	Rough Area	Cuisine	Known For (* = other things also good)	Comments	Posts	Reddit Exposure	Honorable Mention Reason
Bali Thai	East Vancouver	Indonesian (Food Court)	Overall Indonesian Food	45	2	55	Too Well Known
Barbara	Chinatown	Contemporary	Tasting Menu*	Unknown	Unknown	50+	Too Well Known (Michelin Star)
Carp	Mount Pleasant	Hawaiian	Ahi Tuna Poke	Unknown	5	50+	Too Well Known
Dragon Ball Tea House	Shaughnessy	Bubble Tea	Fruit Slush	Unknown	5	50+	Too Well Known
Hachibei	Fairview	Japanese (Assorted)	Miso Black Cod (Often Sells Out)*	18	0	18	Owner Status Unknown
Melo Patisserie	Mount Pleasant	French (Cafe)	Almond Croissant	14	1	19	Owner Status Unknown
Prototype Coffee	East Vancouver	Cafe	Coffee Flight*	75	13	140	Too Well Known and Owners not always Present
Unchai	Kitsilano	Thai	Overall Thai Food	59	10	109	Too Well Known​

Hidden Gems from Comments:

Name	Rough Area	Cuisine	Known For (* = other things also good)	Comments	Posts	Reddit Exposure
T-Bay Bistro	Marpole	Taiwanese		0	0	0
Bangkok City Cafe	Kitsilano	Thai		1	0	1
Rumi Rose Tea	North Burnaby	High Tea		1	0	1
Shine Valley Lamb Noodle	Richmond	Chinese (Northern)	Lamb Noodles	4	0	4
Szechuan Delicious	Richmond	Szechuan		4	0	4
Green Bamboo	Burnaby (Crystal Mall)	Vietnamese	Pho (Meat from top to bottom)	5	0	5
Nam vegan express	New West	Vietnamese (Vegetarian)		6	0	6
Veggiebowl Cafe	Renfrew - Collingwood	Vietnamese (Vegetarian)	Vegan/Vegetarian Pho	7	0	7
Puerto Mexico	Kitsilano	Mexican		9	0	9
Pho Lan	Richmond Center	Vietnamese (Pho)		16	0	16
Yagoto	Kitsilano	Sushi		10	2	20
Pho Tan	Kerrisdale	Vietnamese (Pho)		37	3	52
Indian roti kitchen	Cambie	Indian		43	2	53
Paul's Sub Shop	Metrotown	Deli		54	2	64
Sun Bo Kong	Kensington	Chinese (Vegetarian)	Oyster Mushroom/Hot and Sour Soup/Noodles	70	1	75
Lamajoun	Bridgeport	Lebanese		46	8	86
Manpuku	Chinatown	Japanese	Karaage	61	6	91
Northern Cafe and Grill	Mitchell Island	Diner		90	2	100
Hawker's Delight	Little Mountain	Malaysian/Singaporean		72	8	112​
Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine	Metrotown	Chinese (Shanghai)	Soup Dumplings/ Pan Fried Juicy Bun			100+​

 
Used this to make the tables: http://tableit.net/

Hello friends, got some stuff to let go of. Here's a timestamp
PRICES ARE OBO AND DO NOT INCLUDE SHIPPING.
Comment before PM
Keyboards

Maker	Model	ColoSpecs	Extras?	Price	Avail?
Zap Cables	Bumper	Aluminum built with Zealios on a Copper Plate	No	$350	Ye
CableCarDesigns	Angel	Black with PP plate	No	$450	Ye
iLUMKB	Volcano660	E-White built with Creams on a Brass plate	No	$800	Ye
Foxlabs	Time80 RE	Sky Blue with regular Aluminum Plate	No	$600	Ye
TX keyboards	TX60	Antique Copper built with Creams on an Aluminum plate	No	$700	Ye
Yoot	Calliope	Silver unbuilt with Poly plate	No	$700	No
Singa	Singa V3	Polycarb built with Alpacas on a Brass Plate	No	$750	Ye
Monokei	Tomo	Special Edition with extra badges	No	$800	Ye
LZ	Masterpiece	Silver built with Vint blacks on red Aluminum plate and hiney pcb	stock pcb included.	$3500	Ye

​
Artisans closeup

Maker	Sculpt	Colorway	Price	Avail?
Tokkipee	R1 Blank	Tidal Pistachio	$30	Ye
Nightcaps	R1 Blank	Neon Sherbet	$30 each	Ye
JAK	The Dude + R1 Blank	Big Apple	$40	Ye
Ono.Key	Naru	Shellbrain	$50	Ye
FRUMPZKEYS	Runeclack	Glory	$60	Ye
Tokkipee	Sakura	Various	$70	Ye
Ko Caps	Aerophant	Deadpool	$70	Ye
Ko Caps	Aerophant	Hyperfuse	$70	Ye
Ko Caps	Aerophant + R1 Blank	Flurry	$80	Ye
Sodiecaps	Jamjams	Moogle	$80	Ye
S-craft	Pokemon	Various	$90 each	Ye
CYSM	Ice Cube	Various	$100 each	Ye
JAK	Noodle	Ink Stained	$120	Ye
JAK	Cuddles	Ink Stained	$120	Ye
JAK	Birb	Ink Stained	$120	Ye
Nightcaps	Eggface v2	Island Wind	$120	Ye
Nightcaps	Eggface v2	420	$120	Ye
Nightcaps	Nest Egg	?	$150	Ye
Boop	Cosmo	Kind of Teal	$150	Ye
Boop	Keywok	Kind of Teal	$150	Ye
CYSM	Boba	Various	$150 each	Ye
Deathcaps	Bad Lucks	Various	$150 each	Ye
Hunger Work Studio	Popsi	Sweet Streak	$170	Ye
CYSM	Keyby	White Rabbit Candy	$200	Ye
Nightcaps	Bongoface	Blackstrand	$250	Ye
DC Caps	Astroboy	Pastel Lime	$300	Ye
CYSM	Olifus	Hanami Dango set	$500 for the set	Ye

Here's an artisan wishlist

TW: mentions of self-harm
Hello everyone. I'm a BSCE student from the Philippines, I'm afraid that I won't be 'site-ready' when I graduate. To give you guys some background, our country doesn't have the best educational system, and my current uni doesn't really promote a healthy school-life balance for the students. We have a lot of profs who never show up to lectures, their reason is that they feel lazy and we are supposed to know the topic beforehand without even teaching it to us, then they'd proceed to give us difficult assessment tasks expecting us to ace it. One professor even threatened us to not report them to the Dean of the school else we would automatically fail, so they are aware of what they lack but they don't realize their responsibility to us. The units that we were required to take for every sem are 25+ and classes start as early as 7:30 A.M. and some classes end as late as 9:00 P.M. There were cases where a lot of us exhibited symptoms of COVID but our department took a blind eye, I had to take an exam with fever and a congested nose and surprise surprise, I got a low score.
They basically force us to burn out yet after all of the hard work we were given no rewards. I've always gaslighted myself into thinking that maybe I'm not studying hard enough or I'm not trying hard enough, but I've sacrificed a lot, I've sacrificed sleep, my healthy eating habit (there were times I only ate instant coffee, and noodles for a week), enjoying special occasions and holidays, my social life and even my passion for arts. I know that I'm not super smart but I make that up by studying hard yet I feel like I'm always running out of time to study because there's an assessment every week (we basically have a high school type of schedule and there's an instance where we have to take quizzes and exams of different courses under a week).
I felt like I'm drowning with all of the overwhelming pressure that is put on me. It comes to a point where I feel guilty for taking a rest, and one instance where I'm studying while breaking down because I felt really exhausted, and yet I can't rest. I blamed myself for everything because I saw some of my acquaintances that also took up BSCE in a different university are able to juggle school, work, and personal responsibilities. I felt weak because compared to them, I'm only focused on school and yet I'm still not doing well. I blamed myself for everything, it got to a point where I cut myself due to the pain of too much pressure from myself, the school, and my parents. I've been clean for 5 years, and it's a shame that I fell back to it just because the school decided that our life would be miserable.
I'm scared that I would be a terrible engineer due to the results of my performance at school. Now that I'm in my 4th year, It dawned on me how the school gave me a poor foundation on the concept of engineering. Our course on construction materials and testing was done online without any laboratory testing, we never experienced using a theodolite, and any laboratory we conducted was poorly explained and even told us to "fake the results" so we never know what is the standard. As of now, our university changed its rules that put students in a very difficult situation, a lot of the students would be delayed due to the new rules so a lot of us are either transferring or trying to voice out our concerns to the students who will stay in the university, to ensure that they won't be taken advantage by the school rules.

Every region has their own traditional foods. These foods are connected with the root of that region. If you visit the UAE, you should try to know the Emirati culture. You should try the most traditional food in UAE when searching for Emirati food near you. When it comes to the traditional foods of the UAE, you can expect a rich culinary heritage that reflects the region's cultural diversity and Bedouin roots.

Here is some traditional food of UAE you shouldn't miss:

1. Shawarma: A popular Middle Eastern dish, shawarma consists of succulent slices of marinated meat (usually chicken or lamb) wrapped in a warm flatbread. It is often accompanied by garlic sauce, pickles, and tahini.
2. Harees: Harees is a traditional Emirati dish made with wheat and meat (usually chicken or lamb). The ingredients are slow-cooked until they turn into a porridge-like consistency. It's often enjoyed during special occasions like Ramadan or Eid.
3. Machboos: Machboos is a fragrant rice dish cooked with meat (such as chicken, lamb, or fish), onions, and an array of aromatic spices like saffron, turmeric, and cinnamon. It's a staple dish in Emirati cuisine and is known for its rich flavours.
4. Majboos: Similar to Machboos, Majboos is a spiced rice dish typically made with seafood (such as shrimp or fish) and an assortment of spices, tomatoes, and dried lime. It offers a delightful fusion of flavours.
5. Luqaimat: Luqaimat is a must-try Emirati dessert for those with a sweet tooth. These small, deep-fried dough balls are drizzled with date syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds, offering a delightful combination of crunchy and sweet flavours.
6. Balaleet: Balaleet is a sweet and savoury breakfast dish consisting of vermicelli noodles cooked in a mixture of eggs, saffron, cardamom, and rose water. It is often garnished with fried onions and served alongside a side of date syrup.
7. Ghuzi: Ghuzi is a traditional dish with a whole roasted lamb or goat, marinated with a blend of aromatic spices. It is served on a bed of fragrant rice and garnished with roasted nuts. Ghuzi is often enjoyed during festive occasions and weddings.

How can RestoraPOS help to get traditional UAE foods?

While RestoraPOS restaurant management software can't directly influence traditional foods itself, it can play a valuable role in helping UAE restaurants manage their menus, inventory, and customer orders effectively. With its features for streamlined operations, RestoraPOS can contribute to creating a seamless dining experience for both locals and visitors, allowing them to savour the authentic flavours of Emirati cuisine. So, whether you're exploring traditional Emirati restaurants or trying your hand at cooking these dishes at home, RestoraPOS can assist restaurants in delivering a memorable dining experience.

These are not in any particular order - some may have come a few weeks ago, some today.
But I do have good news: I did NOT work on cards at all this weekend, because I spent Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday all doing amazing fun things with my wife as we kicked off our celebration of Pride month. For those who don't know, we currently have two houses, in two different states, one where she mostly lives (in the U.S. Pacific Northwest) and one where I mostly live (in the U.S. Southwest, known as the Cactus Cathouse). We are gearing up to sell our northern outpost house and live together in the Cactus Cathouse, and this was sort of our "last hurrah" weekend before showings and whatnot really get started.
But now, I'm trying to get cardthings caught up so that I'm not trying to deal with them during the eventual relocation, starting with these thanks and hopefully progressing on to a request and an offer tomorrow as time permits.
Also, someone in this (long) list sent me a lovely, large rainbow snail vinyl sticker, but I couldn't tell whose mail it came from. (Maybe u/amyt13?) Anyway, whoever you are, I appreciate you immensely and I'm sorry for not organizing myself better.
Thanks to:
(First of all, thanks to the flair team, because yikes this is the worst and I'm very sorry!)
u/amabisca - This handmade purple card (my favorite color!) is amazing and was such an uplifting surprise. Thank you so, so much!
u/amyt13 (x2) - Thank you for the beautiful handmade collage card, the Oscar Wilde card, and all the extras! I hope you are able to find a good place to call home too - the one you were describing sounds like my kind of town, and I hope it works out. I'll cross my fingers for you!
u/AppleCritter723 - This cute botanical card/letter I an opening from you is dated in April. APRIL, friend. I am sorry. It is full of good news and cute stickers and I swear I will write actual mail and not just send weird envelopes of things to you and your "bigger little" soon. I hope your Memorial Day weekend travels weren't too bad, and that Gandalf the adventurer is letting you occasionally stay inside. You created a meow-monster!
u/awachob - Goose!! I can't believe I got to be the goose! Thank you so much for a fun offer. (And for the neat stickers!)
u/blue-wanderer-quartz - I am very late saying thanks for the Five of Pentacles cat tarot sticker reading, but it was incredibly appropriate to read about pooling resources as my wife and I re-combine households in part due to love but in large part due to, well, wanting to actually have disposable income! I think it's interesting that we both chose pentacles for each other! (And the cat postcard your reading is on is very cute, I don't want to forget that!)
u/bluedecemberart (x2) - I love the vintage VA hospital postcard from Maine... and we already chatted about the "not noticing the chores" thing but rereading the card as I went to post this made me sure again that we are somehow the same person. WEIRD, but COOL. And your New York skyline postcard is lovely, and now I want to watch A Crown of Candy!
u/championvilla - I adore this MarioKart card! My wife and I used to play a lot (right now, we have the game systems packed for house-showing). I hope that your husband is continuing to feel better (and that the cat finally decided to get off of him, lol!)
u/chiquita61 - The sloth mermaid dolphin thank-you card with penguin stickers is absolutely wonderful... and I am so happy you liked my "reject" sticker card in all its glory!
u/comingtogetyoubabs (x6) - This crystal ball card with Petit's ABSOLUTE WISDOM is just amazing, friend. (Also, did I get a little teary at "writer of hugs in card form" MAYBE). And the amazing goodies you included - the cat-yang patch, your beautiful handmade notepaper... there is no way I deserve the awesomeness that is you "buzzing" into my life. And then the second cat card and all the goodies, including the adorable bookmark...! And THEN I realized you had hand-drawn me three tarot cards that you wrote about, AND then I found your origami letter... I am in awe, friend. You are wonderful!
u/cswl (x10) - This is what I get for not keeping up with my thanks, I feel silly with how behind I am for you, my dear friend! (Both in thanking AND in writing back.) Thank you for the cute plant notecard (I do not do Informed Delivery because it will just make me sad, I think); the red fox postcard (did you go to Fogo, which is one of my favorite places ever??); the "sources of acid" postcard (I always feel better when I have time for myself too, and also always delay it too long); the absolutely delicious LouPaper charcuterie board postcard (I have both too many cards and somehow never the ones I really feel like I wish I had to send people); the postcard from The Lion King (yay garage sale days!); the Strange Planet vibrating cat postcard (so outnumbered, I have given up, they are in charge now); the two different New Yorker cartoon cards (you are 100% right - hard times are harder on the one holding down the fort in SO many ways, been there/done that, and also guilt trips suck and I'm sorry the person tried to send you on one); the cute bird saying hi card (the one-house thing was her idea first, and it will definitely be for the best, though I need to make sure I keep focusing on me too!); and especially thanks for "Content Lives Everywhere" collage you made - that is just wonderful. You are so great. I am sorry I'm such a bad postal pal but I'm trying to do better!
u/dazeyferry (x2) - My dear friend, this penguin with flowers card is AMAZING and I am so, so grateful that you thought of me when you saw it. And the little floral thank-you card addition was perfect as well. I love you and I am so glad we are friends! As far as bingeworthy shows - have you seen Ted Lasso? Schmigadoon? (Both on AppleTV.) Those are amazing. We also started watching Hello, Tomorrow, which is a bit sad sometimes but really good! I'll try to think of some more, too.
u/draconic_healing - I love this little tiny Polaroid-style postcard - it's adorable! Please pet the kitty for me - I couldn't tell if you wrote "Bear" or "Bean" but both are great names!
u/dwrfstr - This gold penguin card is amazing and adorable and I cannot believe your luck to find it thrifted! I picked up a set of hundreds of vintage postcards from an art reuse store that's near where we met up, and I ended up with, like, 16 of the same weird chapel at a church camp in South Dakota, so you definitely win...
u/fancayschmanzayyy - Your cat thank-you card was wonderful (as were the cool stickers!) And most of all, I very much appreciate you telling me about your act of kindness and I especially appreciate your caregiving nature. I cared for my mom for many years before she passed away and stories like the one you told will always be especially important to me. You make a difference and I am so grateful you exist!
u/Fancykiddens (x2) - I feel terribly, terribly guilty for how late I am thanking you for this amazing CARD-CEPTION package!! First, from the pengin section: the pengin family you drew me, how awesome are they?! You are so talented! I almost never keep envelopes but this one got immediately saved with my "penguin stash." Then there was your beautiful handmade Frida Kahlo card - exactly my vibe, I love it! The penguin goodie bag with the penguins and their fish snackles inside was adorable too. And then, moving to the "monsteroo" or cute monster section, I adored your Monsters Inc. letter and goodies as well! I especially liked hearing that, at the time you wrote it, you were feeling particularly well and accomplished, and I adored hearing how much carding has helped your outlook. SAME, FRIEND. So much so!!
u/feellikebeingajerk (x2) - Holly Hobbie card (the first, maybe?) has arrived! And yes, it brought back awesome memories. I didn't get a lot of "trendy" things growing up, as my parents and I didn't have a lot of money, but there was a discount department store near us, sort of an early version of a T.J. Maxx or Ross that was called Hills, and it would sometimes get slight misprints or seconds of things like bedding, which is, I am -positive-, how I came to be able to have Holly Hobbie. And I don't remember anything "wrong" with it, so, way to go, Mom of PinkPengin, for that find! LOL. Also, thanks for the cool Papyrus thank-you card from your random offer, and for the stickers!
u/fieldofcabins - This adorable bee thank-you postcard is so great (and the penguin as the stamp image, ahhh!) I am glad your dad is healing and please let him know I'm still thinking of him. (And of course I'm always thinking of you, too!)
u/GizmoDOS - Thanks for the solar system postcard, friend! I loved hearing from you. Life really has been hectic lately. I hope yours is moving in the direction of settling down. Mine is going to be rough briefly but then hopefully a lot smoother!
u/hermitcreature - I love this Studio Ghibli-themed card and all the great stickers and dragon facts from your book (and the amazing Zimbabwean owl stamp)! I hope you will like your card from me in exchange when it arrives - I just sent it this week, I am very sorry!
u/HexagonalRainbow - I loved your anime postcard but even more, I loved hearing about your concert!
u/isar-love (x2) - These cartoon owls with their hats and shoes on your card from March are AMAZING! (And the accompanying postcard with more behatted owls also made my day!) I agree with you very much that owl facial expressions are the thing that especially warms my heart to them. They seem so intelligent and curious and often kind (especially in illustrations) with their big eyes looking right at me! I have several little stuffed-animal friend owls, including two very special ones named Swoops (who is tan) and Fwoops (who is pink, though his name reference is from fuschia - he is a "Fuschia Swoops" - way better than a Pink Swoops, who I fear would have to be "Poops," LOL!) Thank you so much for your wonderful kindness and friendship and fun mail!
u/jaimekj - Thank you for the floral card, great stickers and most importantly your note and your friendship! I do like New Mexico (more than my part of the Southwest, honestly, but we had family reasons we picked where we did)! I'm crossing my fingers about an interest-rate drop. If I had my choice, I'd either like to find someone bigger in Washington, or move back to Pennsylvania, I think. There are ups and downs to both. And I will VERY much hate going back to snow, that's one thing I do love about where I am in the desert!
u/jvanct88 - I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have a letter from you with an update (and updated address), dear friend! In one way, I am VERY sorry for all the things you have been finding out, but in another way I am happy that you finally know the truth and I believe that knowing it will be very helpful in having closure and a good feeling as you move to a new chapter in your life. And I am VERY hopeful that your tattoo came out amazing! I am a big, big fan of tattoos and piercings. A funny story is that I got 2 new tattoos and several piercings when my wife and I were separated, including a nosering, which she always said she hated. (She didn't mind other tattoos and piercings generally.) When we got back together, she apologized for ever saying that, and said how good it looks on me. That was nice, but I very plainly also told her, "I wouldn't care even if you hate it, because I love it and I'm keeping it forever." LOL! Anyway, I love this dinosaur princess cactus card and I am very happy to hear from you and will write to you again soon!
u/KatDuq (x3) - My dear friend!! This butterfly card you made to thank me for MY card in honor of your new letter opener is beautiful (as are the included penguin stickers, which are beautiful, of course!) I also loved your separate letter talking about the things you make. I do journal, sometimes, but I suffer from the problem of all notebook and journal-havers... I hate to USE the beautiful books I have lest I "mess them up!" What really helped me get out of that mindset somewhat was actually the Happy Planner notebooks, because I felt like I could always remove pages and rearrange! And now I am getting into bookbinding and I feel like that helps too because I can more easily make things "modular" and not have the fear of ruining a whole gigantic book right off the bat. I know that's perfectionism talking and I am working on getting rid of that mindset altogether, but for now, baby steps. And HUGE congrats on what you've sold, you definitely have a customer in me if you get an online store set up! Finally, thank you for the lovely oracle reading, which (unsurprisingly) was just what I needed to hear now, tonight, as I write this! I specifically didn't look closely at it until now because I figured I'd see it when the time was right and... yup. I did. You are amazing and I appreciate you sharing your beautiful new deck with me. (And that logo stamp you got! SO worth it, it looks amazing!)
u/littlemermaidxx - Your Pride Is Everyday postcard is beautiful - thank you so much! I have Pride happy mail coming your way too.
u/maiiiu (x3) - WOW, you are way too kind to me!! What an adorable thank-you postcard, first of all. And I adored your wonderful handmade penguin collage thank-you card too, and loved hearing the good news about your summer trip plans. I hope it is a truly special time for you and your dear best friend! And then this custom penguin stationery... WOW. You are just amazing and I am very grateful! (Also, the way you attached your sticker gifts in your collage card was great, I might steal that method.)
u/melhen16 - Where did you find this amazing desert-post-office-style card? Did you make it? It's amazing! (And thank you for the beautiful stickers, too!)
u/mumbagoespainting (x3) - Your handmade hometown card is so beautiful, my friend! I loved hearing how you learned to say it. (I admit - I get that one wrong on the first try and have to correct myself every time, despite being from not terribly far south, where we heard it more than occasionally!) And your watercolor dragon is absolutely fabulous!! I loved hearing that we have very similar color tastes - purples, grays, teal! Seeing the dragon pick up those colors was perfect. Finally, your black-and-white abstract card with the glitter made me smile, though I was sad to read about why you had to miss the trip... I hope you are feeling better! And, of course, thank you again for all your stickers and other extras and most importantly for your kindness and friendship. I am beyond grateful for you!!
u/ninajyang - I like the crafty postcard from Pipsticks! And yeah... Hairspray... love the music, definitely not sure about some other things... sigh.
u/nirelleth - I absolutely adore this great penguin and fox postcard for our "wish" exchange! I hope you like yours when it arrives, too. (I just sent it last week, I am so sorry for the wait!) I think my favorite fact about penguins is that they are not all polar; in fact, some of my favorites are temperate ones. (I say, in fact, that I myself am a "temperate pengin!")
u/non_avian (x3) - I am VERY sorry this has taken me so long to write (and even to open and fully enjoy). Your handmade Scoffby postcard with my past-present-future reading was absolutely amazing and is going on my "display shelf" of some of my most treasured cards! I need to know how you made his crystal ball, which is gorgeous! Also, please tell Scoffby that I am very much food-motivated (in fact, I just bribed myself tonight with hibachi). So, his signature chant is VERY well-placed when directed at me. I also adored your letter and the cute paper it was written on, and I am thrilled about the Furby washi card and all the goodies, too! I had no idea that Furby washi even existed, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised... and the capy noodles sticker and adorable penguins and everything else... I am so grateful. I have some mail coming your way very soon; all the "parts" are ready, I just need to put them together and actually get it sent!
u/Peonynote (x2) - Your cat thank-you card was adorable and most importantly, I am so excited for all your travels (and I LOVED seeing your penguin friends together!) And the lovely rainbow card with penguin stickers and super-cute penguin sticky note, in honor of Pride Month, made my day! I hope your walking is going well, still, now that it's getting warmer and stickier.
u/ResidentComposer1939 - I loved your sweet bird notecard and your penguin drawing (it's WAY better than my drawings, let me tell you!)
u/SherlockLady (x3) - Your beautiful butterfly card was lovely as it was, and then I saw the cute mini-card with the reminder about being the happiest/healthiest version of myself, AND the special penguin painting from your young carding apprentice... and wow, I just felt so special! What an awesome gift.
u/soft_distortion - This Gender Is Such a Drag postcard is perfecttttttttt. I loved hearing about the drag brunches too!
u/thecalendonianrose - This square penguin card is amazing and I am so grateful that you thought of sending it to me! (And all the stickers are lovely, thank you!) My wife and allllll the kitties say hello back.
u/TigerLady13 - This is definitely a late thanks, I apologize! But I appreciated the vintage Continental Divide postcard and the "Peng-Win" pun... made me giggle!
u/TyeDyeAmish - I love this pufferfish card, and I have really enjoyed getting to chat with you recently! Most importantly, how was the book sale?! I'm fairly certain it's one I've been to in the past, based on the date you said you were going, and I miss it and a few others in the area so much!
u/umeshufan - Why, yes, this Cat Island postcard DOES look like my house, and yes, there are really 19 inside, and even funnier, YES, I am allergic to cats. The thing is, you do build up a tolerance to ones you are around regularly, but when I travel and then come back, it is truly a nightmare. Thankfully I almost never let any in my bedroom and never to sleep, so I can at least breathe overnight!
u/wabisabi_sf (x2) - My friend, I am in awe of these amazing pink-and-penguin-themed pieces of happy mail!! I had never seen these before and I am DEFINITELY going to be getting more. You are so wonderful to me!
u/welshfancy (x5) - Thanks for the Laughlin postcard (very belatedly)! Your trip to Long Beach sounds almost as multi-stop as my recent cards' journeys to you, though thankfully you didn't need your passport, at least?! And thank you also for the amazing handmade "blooms" collage card (which, as far as I'm concerned, is appropriate for spring OR summer, so it seems perfectly timed to me); the great cat mini-card that you wrote while either eating breakfast or getting your tires changed on your travels; the penguin-with-J-based-life-preserver doodle (which I thought was GREAT, so don't even say it's worse than your others, which I also liked!); and your lovely letter on penguin paper, plus of course the bonus stationery! You spoil me!! I'm thinking of you as you try to decide "what's next" locationally, too.
u/yetanotherblankface - I think your beautiful handmade card for the "Hometown" meta challenge is giving exactly the right vibes! It certainly made me feel cozy and relaxed, which is the feeling I'd most like to associate with home.
u/yviantics - Your hand-drawn Pink Party Penguin postcard with its lovely hat, and the great penguin sticker, absolutely made my day!! I do not draw well at all and I am always amazed when people who can will share their talent with me. Thank you so, so much! (And, by the way, I tried the bananas-and-barbecue-chips combo and was really surprised at how good it was, so thanks for that, too!)
u/56thorns and u/UseYourRuler - Thank you for the wonderful postcard from the "Falls!" My wife and I were there to ring in the New Year for 2019 and I've been a couple other times too. Such a lovely place for a getaway, and it sounds like you had fun!
u/todayisfab, u/sebisrude and u/KeenEvergreen - In my stack of not-thanked-yet mail I found my very own postcard from our meetup, and it made me smile all over again. Thank you all so much, again, for a fun day. And to whichever of you put penguin stickers on this along with the cacti - I am super impressed that you pulled that off without me noticing, they are WAY too cute.

Gonna write a 10-page essay for 2 comments and a 33% upvote rate but whatever
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It's true.
The Ace Attorney fanbase is generally more analytically intelligent than most other visual novel fanbases, so it's very disappointing to see so many people lulled by AAI2's cheap parlor tricks while failing to grasp the beauty of AAI. Truly the biggest L for this subreddit.
Let's start with the overarching story: AAI is about an international smuggling ring, and AAI2 is about a man who tricks people into committing murder. That alone should dictate which game is better, but everyone seems to love Simon Keyes because of how random and unpredictable the twist was. I fail to see why the smuggling ring is so slept-on; perhaps it's too realistic or down-to-earth and the community would rather have a final villain plotting to steal the moon? But more on that later.
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AAI has the biggest cases of "Seinfield is unfunny" in the series, because AAI2 is an unofficial translation and thus more accessible to people. On the other hand, AAI is only available as a DS cartridge (rather expensive), the only game not available on the 3DS eshop or Steam. Of course most people played AAI2 before AAI. SO MANY things got ruined by AAI2. I honestly think this is one of the reasons AAI2 did not get a localization.
EDIT FOR CLARIFICATION: Given all the discussion and media on AAI2, and lack thereof for AAI, the mass amounts of lurkers who don't comment will definitely have experienced (maybe played, maybe watched a playthrough) AAI2 before AAI. And those people vote on polls and decide by upvoting which opinions they like. So sure, more power to you if you played AAI before AAI2, but I still stand by my point that your 200 lurking supporters have never even played Ablaze and the overall community opinion is skewed by the mass exposure of AAI2 and the obscurity of AAI.
Let's see some of the highlights:
The Great Thief Yagatarasu - Hit the hardest by this. Kay Faraday parading around the fact that she is the Yagatarasu in AAI2 is vastly different from her doing the same in Kidnapped and Ablaze. In AAI, starting from the first case, the Yagatarasu is this mysterious thief that supposedly has a lot of intel on the smuggling ring and we only get to see his silhouette and calling card. And don't forget his theme, Yagatarasu - The Gentleman Thief, which really does set the mood and fit him perfectly during the fleeting moments it plays. Kay only pretended to be the thief in two cases. I think the scarcity of the Yagatarasu appearances is what really makes the reveal so intriguing.
Yeah, and the final reveal: be honest here. The twist of it being Byrne, Calisto and Badd would have hit much harder on everyone's first playthrough of AAI without knowing anything from AAI2. What really dampens the Yatagarasu is the fact that he is brought up too many times by Kay in AAI2 (and even just her soundtrack name). Also the fact that the Yagatarasu calling card is the inverted version of the smuggling ring leader's instruction cards, to send a message that the Yagatarasu was only a few steps behind the ringleader, was absolutely brilliant and a much better last-minute twist than anything else the series ever came up with.
Calisto Yew/Shih-na - She was with Lang for his first appearance, and every consecutive one. That's what made her reveal so impactful. After AAI2 came along, she was just another one-off character. To be honest, the twist that she was Calisto Yew was completely unexpected, although maybe I should have realized beforehand. I also think the way she is finally cornered is pretty awesome. Setting alight the coat to reveal the Bahbalese ink burning green, pretty symbolic of her smuggling acts finally brought to light.
Shi-Long Lang character development - I'm surprised how no one mentions this. It's on the same level as Sebastian's development, and I think the only reason it's so slept-on is because in AAI2, the cases are normally so dull that you have no other choice but to focus on the characters, while AAI Lang shares the stage with the rest of the plot. The way he goes from respectfully hating on prosecutors as a super serious officer to "Lang Zi says: ...just go already!" and supporting Edgeworth in his trial after the credits is super awesome. Him losing his position in Interpol is worse than Yuri Cosmos getting demoted after Turnabout For Tomorrow in terms of discomfort food. I feel like the way Lang is introduced in AAI2 really does discredit all his character development in AAI.
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Now let's compare all aspects of each game:
Case 1 (general): Visitor > Target. Visitor is the most underrated case in the series, and Target is a 3-hour long snooze-fest. Target is a case 1 yet fails to be an intro case and thus is not good, that's what it boils down to.
Case 1 (witnesses): Visitor == Target. Visitor brought back Maggey who is one of the blandest characters in the series, but Target's defendant wasn't any better. Target also managed to fumble de Killer's appearance into a very boring confrontation, so they are about tied.
Case 1 (culprit, single-case): Portsman > Knightley. The prosecutorial interactions were much more fun than that overconfident bodyguard.
Example --
Portsman: It's a possibility. Maybe your salary's been cut so much that life is getting a little too rough to handle...?
Gumshoe: I'll have you know that I eat three square meals every day, pal! ...OK, so all three of them happen to be instant noodles, but...
Portsman: Poor thing. What an evil prosecutor you were paired up with. And what a motive, no?
Case 1 (culprit, whole game): Knightley > Portsman. Sure. The case 1 culprit can have a huge impact on the overarching story. Knightley was one of the better plotwise characters of AAI2.
Case 2 (general): Airlines > Imprisoned. Airlines just edges out Imprisoned slightly, but I admit Imprisoned is the only AAI2 case that deserves all the praise it gets. But I think the twists and turns were just a bit better for Airlines, especially the final Logic flashback segment as Lablanc slowly fell over the railing.
Case 2 (witnesses): Airlines > Imprisoned. Zinc Lablanc carries the entire case, like Luke Atmey did. Rhoda Teneiro was also cool. Jay Elbird and Frank Sahwit can't compare, and even Keyes' performance in this case, even knowing that he manipulated Knightley's death, doesn't quite reach Airlines' level of beautiful simplicity here. Dogen was just a plot device in this episode.
Case 2 (culprit, single-case): Meele == Roland. Both had godawful motives and mild characters.
Case 2 (culprit, whole game): Roland > Meele. Of course, because Roland got a whole other backstory while Meele stayed the same.
Case 3 (general): Inherited > Kidnapped. Yeah, alright. Who knew that letting you play as Gregory Edgeworth in the events leading up to DL-6 would be more interesting for the audience than actually coming up with an original idea? F for effort, I guess.
Case 3 (witnesses): Inherited > Kidnapped. Mainly because Ema Skye was absolutely useless in Kidnapped. Lauren Paups was also pretty bad. Inherited only had some meh witnesses, nothing outstanding, but still better than Kidnapped.
Case 3 (culprit, single-case): Gustavia > Lance. Well, yeah. Lance did kill only in self defense, while Gustavia and Dover had a whole storyline going. I feel like Kidnapped was meant to be a breath of fresh air from the constant murder grind, like Stolen. Too bad neither case ended up being great.
Case 3 (culprit, whole game): Lance > Gustavia. Well, not quite Lance himself, but the effect it had by prompting Ernest Amano to forge evidence, get caught and questioned, and give up the evidence to the KG-8 incident was pretty impactful. Gustavia, while the first of many things that ticked off Keyes, was also the only part of his story that wasn't really carefully intertwined with anything else.
Case 4 (general): Reminiscence == Forgotten. Interestingly, the one case everyone seems to like in AAI is actually not that great, all things considered. Forgotten was a very slow case with boring investigation sequences all around, but Reminiscence had terrible character interactions and was paced horribly.
Case 4 (witnesses): Reminiscence > Forgotten. Detective Badd blows everyone else out of the water. The Judge was alright, and Gumshoe was pretty subpar. But still, better than whatever AAI2 was trying to do with Lotta Hart and Nicole Swift.
Case 4 (culprit, single-case): Calisto == Blaise. I can't really say one was better than the other. Calisto's double murder and escape managed to top the previous 3-4 for "best loose end", but Blaise was no slouch either.
Case 4 (culprit, whole game): Calisto > Blaise. Doesn't need an explanation.
Now for the opinion that will get me downvoted. Turnabout Ablaze is a better case than The Grand Turnabout, both as a finale and in general.
Firstly, Colias Palaeno was a better final plot device character than John Marsh. Palaeno was introduced as this very suspicious character, only to later become the most helpful witness in the entire series, and the only person who didn't lie, ever. Despite overdoing his coupon-dealing gimmick, it never really got old or tedious. And come on, he was just a cool guy all around. His interactions with Alba were also very interesting considering the history between their countries. Palaeno is the perfect example of how to write a compelling plot device character.
On the other hand, John Marsh never really made an impact and his edgy teenager persona was just meh. Him refusing to take revenge on Dogen in the end was cool, but he was still not as good a character overall. His kidnapping was mainly to develop Courtney's character, but even she was not that interesting in the end. And his twist of being the president's son was very underwhelming, if I'm being honest.
Every case 5 is traditionally the resolution of two different murders. For AAI, it was Ka-Shi Nou murdered in the Allebahstian embassy, and Manny Coachen murdered in the Bahbalese embassy on the same night. For AAI2, it was the body double's murder out of the blue and the real president's murder 12 years ago. Surely Ablaze has a much better premise already.
Ablaze is a very symmetrical, well-organized case with the themes of duality. Allebahst has strict migration laws and an old army general as the ambassador, who appears to be a kindly old man. Bahbal is a very lax tourist country with a young advertising ambassador who is suspiciously cheerful. And yet, Ambassador Alba is the villain behind the smuggling ring while Ambassador Palaeno is hopelessly clueless about his secretary Coachen. I really like the dynamic amongst the characters here. Even Coachen gets characterization from Palaeno's relationship with him and sadness at his death.
Honestly, I thought the premise of the country split in two was a very intriguing setup. Even for people who aren't super interested in history-esque topics, the case should provide a novel setting. The competition to see which embassy had the legitimate statue, the goodwill ambassadorship involving the Steel Samurai, the reuniting of Cohdopia, everything really felt like something big and exciting was happening.
How many people actually played Ablaze fully? I bet half the people who hate on Turnabout Ablaze here don't even know that the embassy was set on fire in the case. They only watched Alba's breakdown, went on the wiki to find out the two victims, and called it a day before formulating their opinion. They missed out on everything, like the safe-opening puzzle and the secret of the Yagatasaru key/"knife", and figuring out how the two statues and the body got transported between the embassies.
Unlike Ablaze's very uniform and straightforward setup, The Grand Turnabout is just a speed-rap of a case with very sporadic events that feel like it's just thrown at you randomly so you never get bored of one single topic. So right after exposing Blaise as the killer, you find the president of Zheng Fa is murdered. You go to question someone, but she is currently judging Roland's trial for the murder of Knightley. Then Blaise turns out to not get in any trouble for what happened in Forgotten. Then Marsh gets kidnapped and you decide to join the trial and help Sebastian. He then runs away and you stall for time until Marsh is found and Sebastian comes back and proves that Blaise tampered with evidence. So he gets arrested after all and Roland is guilty. Then you get a mysterious radio call telling you to go to an orphanage, where you find out that the real president (along with some other guy) was killed there 12 years ago. With a very tedious Little Thief investigation sequence. Now you trace back who called you on the radio and pin every single crime in the game onto him. And Dogen helped, a bit. The end.
There were zero compelling aspects of the case. It feels like the case was entirely written to showcase character development for half the cast, and the actual plot points are half-assed and not bothered with. The final reveal is just a cheap cop-out by going "oh actually A and B are connected. Wow!". I feel like The Grand Turnabout is actually the worst-written case of AAI2 in terms of sheer writing. Every event is random until the final reveal. The way the events proceed is also very weird and feels very unpolished. The investigation drags on way longer than Alba's confrontation does. No way people like this mess of a case more than Ablaze just because it has more rewarding/overstimulating moments at times and uses shock value.
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It's funny that AAI has the overarching plot be straightforward and each individual case have its twists and turns, while AAI2 is the exact opposite. Each case basically feels like the game just leads you along a long, drawn-out and boring path to the answer while the actual overarching plot is this convoluted, improbable steaming mess of a story.
I really don't think Keyes was all that special. Sure, there were minute hints scattered throughout the game before he is revealed to be the mastermind. Sure, he had a compelling motive. But in the end, it all boils down to "oh remember all that? well, the major twist is that they are connected!". Just a weak cop-out finale that manages to be flashy enough to woo half the audience. But what I really dislike about Keyes is the way he was caught. I personally think that final villains should try to not get caught. Keyes was so cocky that he was toying with Edgeworth on purpose. Kidnapping Kay and John, teasing Edgeworth over the radio, he basically flew too close to the sun and paid the price. Alba, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with Edgeworth or the rest of the cast.
I think half of what makes a compelling villain is how they try to avoid being caught. Alba managed to stay low and avoid detection for 10 years, while still running the smuggling ring. His confrontations felt very calm and collected, and just overall very professional at maintaining his innocence. Unlike Keyes who just keeps laughing at you and mocking you. Sure, both characters had high egos, but bottom line: Keyes got too cocky from a few successful manipulations while Alba maintained his confidence in his position which he has decades of experience in.
Yes, Alba was very stubborn and makes the final fight drag on, but that should be a good thing for his character. Shows he is very experienced and well-prepared for law enforcement. Honestly, my one complaint is that his fight didn't drag on even longer; I think that him losing his ambassadorship was a bit too easy and he should have put up more of a fight regarding that. People say Alba was too generically evil, but I think that he is actually unique in the way that he is the first pure villain as a final villain. Remember, von Karma and Gant were not full-time criminals; they were law enforcement who killed once and then were caught trying to cover up their crime. Engarde was an actor who only cared about publicity. Godot was, well, not exactly a criminal. Gavin was a lawyer who did anything to win his case and held grudges. Up until then, we never had a professional criminal as a final villain until Alba. Taking someone like him down should be expected to be difficult, long and tedious. Also his breakdown was much more rewarding than Keyes' getting beat up by animals, mostly because Keyes kinda deserved more than that. If Keyes had been punished harder, his breakdown might have been more satisfying than Alba's, to be fair.
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AAI also has a better soundtrack than AAI2, and you can fight me on that. AAI2 may have some earwormy tracks, but it's like this: AAIs soundtrack actually sounds like it was composed for the game. Tracks like the Yagatarasu's theme (not Kay, the actual Yagatarasu) and Torn Apart Countries fit the mood and set the grandiose atmosphere perfectly. AAI2s soundtrack is just the artist taking a picture of the character, showing it to a composer, and going "make a theme for him". The Man Who Masterminds the Game may be more catchy than The Enemy Who Surpasses the Law, but the latter definitely suits its respective character and confrontation as a whole more. And I just gotta appreciate a fitting theme more than an earwormy one.
Honestly, Objection 2009 was better than Objection 2011 just because it felt so much more satisfying in a calm, procedural manner, like "Okay, so we figured this out. Make a mental note of this for later". Objection 2011 is a TV-show opening for Edgeworth. It might be very catchy, but I honestly think it doesn't fit a single moment in which it is played and is just an overstimulation.
Also I will get ostracized for saying this, but Lying Coldly was a perfect take on how a pursuit theme for Edgeworth would sound, that Wanting to Find the Truth completely ruined in favor of sounding more like a generic pursuit theme. It may be a good song, but it has none of the charm that Lying Coldly had.
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AAI2s translation team, to be honest, did a pretty bad job. (Preface: yes I know criticism like this is mean and uncalled for but since AAI2 isn't even their game, I think it is fair to criticize their take on it after they imposed themselves onto Capcom's game.)
Let's start with the voicelines. Sebastian Debeste's voice actor was the only one who did a good job. Everyone else's voices were way too "high-quality sound" to fit AAs theme. Like, especially ProZDs take on Gregory Edgeworth, who sounds like a 20 year old with a smoking problem and a mouth that's 2cm in diameter. It especially contrasts von Karma's voice in Inherited and is clearly out of place. Sorry, but ProZD was an absolute garbage casting choice for Gregory. I don't care what you say, Courtney is not British. Knightley and Shields' voices are just too realistic and not AA sounding. Keyes and Blaise are the only other objections that almost fit the bill, almost.
Again, though, massive props to Sebastian's voice actor. He absolutely nailed his voiceclip.
On a related note, I think Alba and Calisto's objections are actually not bad because remember, they are (Alba definitely, Calisto I assume so since she works for him) foreigners who originate from Cohdopia. It makes sense for them to have an accent when speaking English, and with only one word to go off of, their accent sounds exactly like one would expect. It's surprising how most people can't make that basic connection and instead go straight to mindless hating. Ace Attorney's fanbase is supposed to be smarter than that.
Okay now back to the translation team, the overall dialogue for AAI2 feels much more dry. It's not as easy as you'd expect to capture the tones of each character during the translation, and the translation team kind of failed at that. The dialogue for the returning characters, especially Gumshoe and Kay, feel much more uniform and really lack the charm that AAIs official translation had. Try playing AAI and AAI2 in alternating cases side-by-side and the difference becomes clear as day.
Not just the dialogue in general, but also the quips and banter during the investigation sequences between main characters. Especially that one time in Inherited in which young Shields quotes Godot's "blacker than a moonless night" soliloque, for Gregory to think to himself "note: coffee has a bad effect on lawyers". If you really think about it, this took place before T&T and there is no way Godot would just quote Shields, so it's a really weird continuity plothole that both people say the same thing, like a 4th wall break. It's supposed to be a joke, but come on. Capcom wouldn't actually do something so unprofessional like that, and the translation team really had to make that weird joke a permanent part of Capcom's game. It's an official game so it's supposed to be more professional than using 4th wall breaks like that. This may seem nitpicky, but again - official Capcom game.
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Of course, people can like whatever they like. You may prefer a culprit that is over-the-top crazy more than a down-to-Earth one. You can like an unpredictable, convoluted overarching story more than a well-written one. But objectively, from a critical, unbiased point of view, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is a much better-written, higher quality work than Gyakuten Kenji 2. No amount of rose-colored glasses can change that, sorry.

In just under two weeks, ARMYs will descend upon Singapore to see SUGA!. Help an ARMY out and let them know about safety, how to get around, where to eat, tourist attractions, BTS-related things to do, or anything else that you think someone should know when they visit! (Special thanks to the mods for your input and feedback for this guide!)

BTS' Past Visits

Red Bullet Tour (2014 BTS Live Trilogy Episode II) at the The Star Performing Arts Centre (13 Dec 2014)

• Fancam
• Official photos by Hallyu Singapore
• Official photos of Hi-Five session by Hallyu Singapore. Session was for all Cat 1 VVIP ticket holders ($268), who got a Hi-Five Pass and Concert Poster. The first 100 VVIP ticket holders also got to go up on stage to get a "Dark & Wild" album autographed by BTS.

Music Bank performance (4 Aug 2017) at the Suntec Convention Centre

• Fancam
• Quiz game video
• Outing at the Merlion statue and Singapore flyer: Photos Set 1 Photos Set 2.

Love Yourself World Tour (19 Jan 2019) at the National Stadium
This made history as the first time a K-pop group held a concert at the venue (largest concert venue in the country) and tickets sold out in about 3.5 hours! (45,000 audience)

• Concert review
• Witty notice from the Singapore Police Force abt avoiding ticket scams (it uses the BTS song titles!)
• Bonus: Jimin picked Marina Bay Sands as his special spot in the BTS x Street Galleries collaboration with Google revealed on ARMY Day (July 9) 2022

Concert Venue

Do note that it’s currently the June school holidays too (26 May-26 Jun), so the Sports Hub and surrounding areas may be crowded with many other visitors besides the concert-goers. Please be mindful!

• Singapore Indoor Stadium, right next to the National Stadium (both are part of the Singapore Sports Hub) where BTS performed at their last concert here in 2019. In fact, the Indoor Stadium was then used as the waiting zone for the standing zone ticket-holders.
• Concert guidelines been posted yet (will update here when they are), but here are the general guidelines for events there (links opens a pdf)
• The nearest MRT station is the Stadium station, on the Circle line - here is a train map (with Stadium MRT circled out in light purple). You’ll know when you’ve arrived as the station design is quite unique! Go up the elevator and follow the signage - the path is sheltered.
• You can find Kallang Wave Mall right next to the venue, for a spot of shopping and dining before the concert (opening hrs:10am-10pm daily). There is another smaller mall Leisure Park Kallang located next to the carpark, which houses an ice skating rink, bowling alley and cinema alongside more food options. The open space in front of the MRT station and the two malls is where ARMYs are likely to gather to exchange fan support and stuff (latest info is that for recent concerts, fans have been prevented from gathering for fan support activities at the usual area, so many have moved to another open space nearby, the Stadium Riverside Walk, circled in this image).
• The nearest hawker centre (i.e the affordable street food) is Old Airport Road Food Centre, one of the oldest and largest hawker centres in the country. It is about 20 mins walk away from the stadium, or you can simply alight at the Mountbatten/Dakota MRT stations (one or two stops away from Stadium MRT station respectively); both are about a 5 mins’ walk away from the food centre. Here is a list of recommendations (unfortunately, not a lot of Halal food stalls here. Let me know if you need those).
• There is also a McDonalds’ & KFC near Mountbatten MRT if you want something more familiar, or potentially try whatever new promo is currently going on at these places.

Sightseeing/Activities

Non-exhaustive list (all prices are in SGD)

• National Gallery Singapore. There is a special Namjooning Tour as part of the Gallery Wellness Festival. Slots are fully booked for the guided tours on 25 & 30 June. You could try the self-guided tours instead, which start on 17 July. Gallery passes for general admission to the permanent galleries (needed to access the tour) cost $20 for non-Singaporeans aged 13-59. Closes early (by 3pm) on some weekends in June and July (see dates on website).
• National Museum Singapore. Has very interactive and engaging exhibits. Highly recommended (I used to be a volunteer docent there for abt a year). Tickets cost from $15 (for access to permanent galleries only)
• Singapore Zoo & adjacent parks (Bird Paradise, River Wonders, Night Safari). We have one of the best zoos in the world! Single park tickets cost $50. Multi-park options also available. .
• Gardens by the Bay. Pretty gardens with outdoor sections and 2 indoor air-conditioned conservatories - you may have heard of the supertrees that have been featured in the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" and K-drama "Little Women". Provides a welcome respite from the heat. It’s free to visit the outdoor areas, but it’s really worth it to pay for entry to the conservatories. There are various pricing packages, so best to check out the website yourself.
• Singapore Botanical Gardens is our first UNESCO World Heritage site, the first and only tropical botanic garden on the list. Admission is free.
• The Merlion and the Marina Bay area. I personally recommend going at night to see the famed cityscape of Singapore all lit up (the temperature’s cooler too!). Marina Bay Sands Mall has a light and water show every night. There is also the iLight Festival going on now until 25 June with artistic light installations (mix of free and paid attractions). Bonus: Yoongi wore a Merlion Singapore t-shirt in a travel-themed Lotte Xylitol ad!
• You can also ride the Singapore Flyer for an aerial view of our city like the boys did! Admission costs $40.
• Visit our ethnic enclaves, Chinatown, Little India, Kampung Glam and Geylang Serai to see old shophouses, shop for souvenirs and try ethnic food
• One of the fanbases here, BangtanSG, has teased an ARMY event from 11-13 June. Will update when more details are released.
• Sentosa & Universal Studios Singapore theme park - you can access the island via various modes of transport with varying admission fees. Transport within the island is free.
• If you don’t want to think too hard, the best airport in the world for 12 years running is also an attraction in itself! See the airport section below for more information.
• Singapore is also located in the centre of Southeast Asia - if you’ve never been in this oft-forgotten region of the world, take the chance to check out our neighbouring countries as well! Malaysia can easily be reached via bus, and Indonesia via ferry.

(Note: You may want to check out Klook for discount tickets/passes)

Dining

Singapore is a food paradise with various cuisines from the local ethnic groups, as well as international ones. For Muslims, there are a lot of Muslim-owned or Halal-certified options around (look for this certificate, or the label “Muslim-owned”), including most of the fast food chains like McDonald’s/KFC/Burger King/Subway.
Carrying some cash with you (~$10 per pax) is a good idea, especially if you’re venturing out to hawker centres; while many places now have an electronic payment system in place, cash is still king in terms of versatility, and anecdotally most hawker stalls prefer cash or will charge a credit-card payment surcharge.

Where to eat?

• Most of the malls have a good selection of dining options, ranging from the (relatively affordable) multi-stall foodcourts to fast-food restaurants, cafes, and more upmarket restaurants.
  • It can get crowded during lunchtime (12-2pm) as office workers come out for their break, so try to avoid those hours if possible, or make advance reservations.
  • If you are staying/shopping in Orchard Road, Far East Plaza (level 4 & 5) and Lucky Plaza (multiple levels) have relatively more affordable food options for the area..
  • There’s a myriad of other malls in the suburban areas outside of Orchard to be explored.
• Hawker centres: A “hawker” in Singapore refers to a street food vendor, and in Singapore they’ve been centralised into food centres to create an iconic Singapore dining institution. These places are generally not air-conditioned, but they are the most affordable dining option. If you see an item on a table even if it’s something innocuous like a tissue paper packet or name-card, it means the seat's been reserved (“chop-ed” in the local slang) by people who are off queuing for their food.
  • Look for stalls with the longest lines (the most popular stalls will have long queues all day long), but most stalls should have decent food.
  • Newton Hawker Centre (near Newton MRT station) and Lau Pa Sat (near Telok AyeDowntown/Raffles Place Stations) are probably the most well-known to tourists, but beware of touts and over-charging, especially at Newton.
  • Taking the MRT out to slightly less central areas like Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh, Kallang, etc. should bring you to other hawker centres that cater to locals.
• Order in: GrabFood and Foodpanda are the two most popular food delivery apps with extensive coverage all around Singapore. Deliveroo is also available. Just be prepared to pay upwards of $5 delivery fee during peak periods, and the listed online prices are usually higher than in-store. The apps also have pick-up available if you’d simply like to order in advance.
• The ethnic enclaves like Kampung Glam (Malay/Muslim), Chinatown and Little India have a higher concentration of the respective ethnic cuisines, but most places in Singapore have a good mix of different local and international cuisines

What to eat?

Breakfast (These are generally very affordable options that should cost you below $10 per person, particularly if you go to food courts/hawker centres)

• Tea/coffee with kaya toast and half-boiled eggs. Available at most hawker centres (usually at the drink stalls), and chains like Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Killiney Kopitiam in malls. Order tea/coffee like a local by referring to this guide.
• Among the fast-food chains, KFC offers the more local option of chicken porridge (congee)
• Roti prata, a south-Indian flatbread (also known as paratha in India, or roti canai in Malaysia), available at most hawker centres and Indian coffee-shops
• Nasi lemak, coconut milk-flavoured rice with a variety of side dishes (usual ones: omelette, fried chicken wing/fried fish, fried anchovies).
• Beehoon, rice vermicelli with a range of toppings like fish cake, luncheon meat (spam), chicken wings, veggies etc.
• Chai Tow Kway (“carrot cake” - it’s actually radish cake), Tau Huey (soya bean curd pudding) + Youtiao (chinese fried dough)
• Mee Rebus, a Malay noodle dish with thick & spicy potato-based gravy topped with hard-boiled egg, bean sprouts, fried shallots, tau kwa (fried beancurd) and spring onions

Lunch & dinner

• Chilli crab: I don’t have any personal recommendations, and it could be costly because the crabs are usually charged by weight, which may vary daily. The link gives a run-down of some popular places
• Hainanese chicken rice: Again, no personal recommendations, but you can find this in most foodcourts and hawker centres. You should be able to find one of these for $5 or less.
• Murtabak/Briyani: My favourite is ZamZam Restaurant (est, 1908) at North Bridge Road in the Muslim enclave of Kampung Glam, but there is a whole row of Singapore-Indian restaurants serving a similar menu there
• Everything under the sun :) Google maps & data coverage generally works well in most parts of Singapore, so search & explore! Some sites you can start at include Chope & Burpple.

Snacks

• A must try, it’s sold by any ice cream man you see roaming around with a popup like this
• We have a ton of bubble tea (boba) stores if you’re craving it, you’d probably find a bubble tea store or two within 20mins of walking anywhere. Koi/Gongcha/LiHo are quite standard options, and then there’s others like Playmade/Chichasansen with their own unique points. Here’s a list with 61 of them...
• There’re plenty of 7-11s and convenience stores around, as well as “mama shops” around public residential housing.

Getting Around

Singapore has a great public transport system. It’s really easy & cheap to get around on the MRT (mass rapid transit trains) and buses. Use Google Maps or the City Mapper app to navigate yourself and get route recommendations (the latter also has transport arrival timings and fare estimates. It also works in many cities globally, so is very useful for tourists). Various transport passes are available for tourists, but you can also use your contactless credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) to pay for the fares (no registration required).
In general, using the Circle Line (yellow) or Downtown Line (blue) should get you to most tourist attractions. Orchard Road (main shopping belt) can be accessed via the North South Line (red), between Orchard and Somerset MRT stations. Map for reference, with links to versions in Chinese/Malay/Tamil available for download.
Taxis and ride-hailing cars:

• We have Grab and Gojek in place of Uber.
• The largest local taxi fleet - the blue Comfort Cabs - also have their own ride-hailing app to compete, although they can also operate via the traditional meter & can be booked via phone call/flagged down as usual. Fares can be paid via cash post-ride or credit card for all these private car options.
• Ride-hailing tends to be very expensive. At peak periods, ride-hailing services could be even more expensive than taxis, but at least you know the price beforehand. All malls have a taxi stand where you can stand in queue and hop on the next available cab. Queues can be long at morning and evening peak periods, so avoid taking cabs then if you can.

General navigation
All signs are in English, and the locals - esp the younger generation - are able to speak English fluently. If you’re really lost, feel free to approach others to ask for help! People are generally friendly and helpful despite initial appearances :)
As a side note: in general, if Google Maps is asking you to circle around a building to get somewhere - don’t. You can cut through most places on the ground floor quite easily, even the residential buildings (unless they’re private properties like condominiums/landed housing). MRT stations are connected to a good number of places via sheltered corridors if they’re nearby enough. Enjoy the aircon & shade instead of walking outside in the heat if you can.

Shopping

• K-pop merch, CDs and DVDs: There is House of Kpop, multiple locations, the most central being at Singapore Post Centre, next to Paya Lebar MRT station (one MRT stop away fm the concert location), and Beadsofbullets at Level 2, Orchard Gateway. Popular Bookstore has a BT21 corner in some of their stores. The flagship store at Bras Basah Complex (near Bugist MRT) would likely hv the biggest selection (though really not that big). Kinokuniya Bookstore at Takashimaya Mall, Orchard Road, also has some albums, DVD sets and maybe even magazines (not sure if any BTS-member covers are available at that time). You can call ahead to ask if they hv stocks.
  
• Orchard Road is our main shopping belt, running from Orchard to Somerset MRT stations. You can find many shopping malls there, with collections ranging from upmarket to fast fashion. Check out Design Orchard, a retail space for fashion and lifestyle items by Singapore designers.
  
• For an old-style emporium experience drop by Mustafa Centre. It used to be open 24 hours but this was disrupted by COVID19 and now it is only open until 2am (best place for late night shopping!). It's not a glitzy mall, but has crowded aisles chock full of all manners of things, including snacks and souvenirs (avoid going on Sundays when it gets super crowded with migrant workers on their day off).
  
• Already mentioned above are the ethnic enclaves Chinatown, Little India, Kampung Glam and Geylang Serai with smaller standalone shops. Special mention for Haji Lane in the Kampung Glam area, a small street with cute boutiques.
  
• The many, many other malls scattered across the country - a brief list. For example, Paya Lebar alone (just another station up from Dakota!) is connected to several malls like Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ), PLQ 2, PL Square, Singpost centre, and a couple more within a 5-mins’ walk (Tanjong Katong Complex, City Plaza, KINEX etc.).
  

Weathewhat to wear

The weather is especially hot these days (max temp of up to 35 degrees celsius, or 95 Fahrenheit), with possible spurts of heavy rain at certain times of day, so dress light and carry an umbrella (most places do have sheltered walkways between buildings and bus-stops/MRT stations though, so don’t worry too much about getting around in the rain). Mall air-conditioning can be cold, so hv another layer (e.g. cardigan/wrap/scarf) on hand. Remember to hydrate frequently & avoid staying outdoors for too long!

Airport

• Singapore Changi Airport is often voted by travellers as the best airport in the world, with lots of shopping, dining and leisure options in the various terminals. BTS (except Jin who took a different flight) stopped over at Changi Airport on the way to New Zealand for Bon Voyage 4 (airport lounge scenes shown in Episode 1)! While you may not have access to the business class lounge like them, there are various other options to rest and hangout, like the many gardens (some even accessible from the public areas) and even a free 24h cinema (Terminal 3 transit area).
• Jewel Changi Airport which is attached to Terminal 1 is an attraction in itself. It's worth arriving 2-3 hours earlier than your flight check-in time to grab a meal and have a look around Jewel. A particular highlight is to take the skytrain between Terminals 2 and 3, cutting across the centre of Jewel, to get a spectacular view of the indoor waterfall. There is also shopping aplenty (Tip: Fairprice Finest supermarket at B2 Jewel has a nice selection of food and non-food souvenirs which are pretty affordable).
• There are various transport options for getting to the city from the airport. Public transport like MRT is convenient if you are travelling light, else there is a shuttle service to selected downtown hotels. Taxis and ride-hire cars can be expensive, especially with the airport surcharge.
• Sort of related, Yoongi gave a shout out to our national airlines (Singapore Airlines) for its great seat and amenities in business class in BV4! (He said: let's always fly Singapore Airlines in the future!). The airlines must have taken notice, because they recently announced that they would be adding BTS content like songs, MVs, LY New York concert, and Break The Silence docu in their in-flight entertainment system to commemorate BTS' 10th anniversary. An ARMY also spotted a write-up abt BTS in their in-flight magazine.

We’ve tried to achieve a balance between being succinct and informative, but certainly the above info is not exhaustive. So do feel free to ask in the comments below if the info you need is not here! Fellow SG ARMY, or those familiar with Singapore, feel free to chime in!

This is the last post for this campaign. I want to thank the LFG community so immensely for how supportive you've all been. D&D has become my passion to the point of (healthy) obsession. Hundreds of NPC's, thousands of elements, resources, gosh even fish that populate our next campaign region. And even in the last 3 posts I've made friends that will last forever. Genuinely, I'm so grateful. So from the deepest, most genuine corner of my heart - THANK YOU. 🙏 Your enthusiasm, your spirit, your shared love for D&D – it's been a beacon of light in the darkest dungeons, a guide in the most confounding mazes. See you in "The Stranger"! 🎲💕
Original post: https://www.reddit.com/lfg/comments/13gfsqa/online5eetutc4_the_stranger_cosmic_horro (graciously reviewed and approved by the subreddit mods)
This is Post (4/4), we're posting this four weeks in a row before making final picks.
Preface
This is a long post - crazy long even. That's because we care so much to find those just as impassioned as we are about this amazing hobby. We love high quality D&D campaigns, and we believe it takes effort and time to make it happen. If you take the effort to get through learning about us in this post, reading every word with care and interest, we will do the same with your application.
Our commitments:

• We will respond personally to each and every application, giving constructive feedback and/or move you to the next stage!

How to Apply

• Application Link: https://www.avarra.world
• Promo Video: https://youtu.be/RbfQWegafX8
• Sample session: https://youtu.be/FDNHxkNXM5Y?t=13120 (We're doing something new for the next campaign, and while not quite full-effort, this is a closer example of what we're going for)
• Ask a question about the lore or world in the comments! And we'll respond in character (from one of our many current character). Thumbs us up or down this post, interact to help us be visible!
• The rest are provided after application has been submitted.
• Need to get in touch privately? My discord is Wes#8045.

World Preface

In the enchanted realm of Avarra, where high magic weaves its intricate web through the fabric of existence, a burgeoning form of sorcery takes root. Secluded on the island city of Crowperch, the pursuit and mastery of void magic are richly rewarded, enticing arcanists from the farthest reaches of the world to unravel its mysteries. Yet, the enigmatic allure of Crowperch extends beyond the arcane; a diverse tapestry of industry, history, and craftsmanship entwines the island's very essence.
Beneath the surface, the island's riches reveal themselves: the mines and quarries, abundant with untapped potential, and the surrounding seas, offering bounties from the ocean's depths. Ancient archaeological sites whisper secrets of bygone eras, while artisans ply their remarkable skills on the bustling city streets. Tales of a long-forgotten, rumored treasure continue to captivate the imaginations of adventurers and sightseers alike.
But one must pay a steep price for this wealth of opportunity and intrigue. It is wise to avert one's gaze from the iron grip of autocratic rule and the unyielding scrutiny that looms over the island's denizens. For those who venture to Crowperch, a single obligation remains: seek your heart's desire, and then depart – for the island's enigmatic embrace is not meant to last forever.

Application Overview
In this sacred fellowship, we stand steadfast in the face of the dreaded D&D group killers. Our commitment to this game is unwavering, for it is not just a hobby, but a way of life - an appointment that must be kept at all costs. For us, the work does not end with character creation or worldbuilding. Nay, we strive for a deep understanding of each character, for their hopes and dreams, their fears and flaws, so that we may weave a complex and enthralling campaign that will leave you breathless. We implore you, dear adventurer, to show up regularly and with a burning passion in your heart. Let your excitement be infectious, let your dedication be unwavering.
Overview

• Game Day: Saturday
• Players: 6 (5 Regular, 0-1 Floating/Guest)
• DM(s): 2 (1 Regular, 0-1 Floating/Guest)
• Game Length: 3 Months mini-arc, then decide whether to continue. However accommodate for 1-2 years on your schedule.
• Start Date: First week of September (Yes, 5 months away)

Selection Criteria (In order of importance)

• Qualification: TTRPG Experience, RP/Improv Ability
• Questionnaire answers
• Participation in One-Shots & Community so we can get to know you.

Investment
This campaign is getting some big investment. All players will get custom commissions of their characters, animated. Additionally, we are commissioning all maps, tokens, flairs, and elements to make this truly something special.
Campaign Preface

As twilight descended upon the restless sea, the ancient ship, Her Royal Rose, creaked under the weight of its cargo. Its passengers, a motley assortment of scholars, fisherman, guard and others with business on the island of Crowperch, sit tightly in cramped quarters. Even as the tempestuous winds moaned through crevasse and open windows, the opportunities and tasks that beckon them to the island keep them going, a siren's call that drowned out the ocean's roar.The skies above were an oppressive tapestry of writhing clouds, their tendrils suffocating the last vestiges of daylight as if to obscure the path to the island. A shroud of mist swallowed the horizon, leaving the ship to navigate through a nebulous labyrinth, its destination only guaranteed by Captain Alaric Thorne.
As Her Royal Rose inched closer to Sove, the air grew heavy with mist and sea salt which deposited itself gradually on the railings, sails and masts. Little Henry Williams, the ship's messenger runs throughout the halls pattering on each door, "The captain has an announcement, all to the deck. The captain has an announcement, all to the deck." The clacking of his wooden foot pattering one after another with each step, a disfigurement he earned while working aboard Her Royal Rose.
Captain Alaric Thorne stood on the deck, the salty wind tugging at his weathered features. His voice rang out, its timbre heavy with authority and unease, as he addressed the gathered passengers."Ladies and gentlemen, I must bring to your attention an unfortunate turn of events. It seems the Saturation has arrived earlier than anticipated this year. As many of you know, this phenomenon causes an unnaturally heavy accumulation of salt in the air, resulting in deposits that weigh down our vessel."He paused, letting the gravity of the situation settle upon his passengers before continuing, "This unexpected occurrence has forced us to halt our usual schedule, for the safety of both the ship and her passengers. Once Her Royal Rose arrives, she will remain anchored at Sove until the Saturation clears, as navigating these treacherous waters under such conditions would be inviting disaster."
A murmur of concern rippled through the crowd, many who were on this voyage planned their departure prior to The Saturation. The captain raised his hand to quell their rising unease. "I understand this may cause you some inconvenience, but I assure you, we will resume our journey as soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, you may continue your research, tasks and exploration on the island. Sove is well stocked and very hospitable to travelers especially those displaced during our seasonal shifts."
With that, Captain Thorne turned away, leaving the passengers to ponder the implications of his words as the first tendrils of salt-laden mist began to coil around the ship, heralding the arrival of the Saturation.
In the dimly lit corners of their minds, the passengers could sense a truth they dared not confront: Their voyage to Crowperch was going to be a lot longer than they had hoped. As the ship drew nearer to the island, the shadows beneath the spires of the fortress atop the mountain loomed over the ship, casting a shadow over what little moonlight illuminated the darkness.

Technology

• D&D Beyond: We own ALL books on D&D Beyond, and all of them will be at your disposal for your campaign.
• Owlbear Rodeo 2.0: This new VTT is extremely promising, and has the customization ability for us to do VERY interesting unique things. We're switching here from Roll20.
• Discord: Voice chat & messenger for our campaigns. Video is required, however is not recorded. Offline RP included!
• Obsidian: How players track the world's expanding lore, and how we the DM's keep track of things. You don't have to use this, but it's a highly recommended tool for note taking.
• Recorded Sessions: Sessions will be recorded, edited and posted online. Proceeds from monetization will be used to level up our recording, roleplaying, technology and setup, get commissions, maps and such. Players will not be paid for participation, however this is possible for the future if we grow. Sessions are recorded using OBS.

Monetization
So we are still small, so monetization isn’t at the top of our list. That said, our goal is to

1. Play Excellent D&D
2. Donate to charity
3. Re-invest to make better content and
4. Compensate players to allow them to play more D&D.

How specifically that all happens is still obscured by the mists of time. By participating in this campaign players release all intellectual property created for the campaign to Roll for Impact and related brands. Please note that this is meaningless while we're still small, but consider this hopeful thinking for our success. The next campaign is getting SO much effort, so we want to stay safe.
Campaign Rules

• Backstory: Crafting a compelling backstory for your character is essential for a great adventure. By providing a reason for your character to be adventuring with others and offering plot hooks for the DM to work with. Rather than focusing on build concepts, take this opportunity to create a real, relatable character. Who knows what unexpected twists and turns your backstory might bring to the campaign? So, let's get to writing - your character's fate is in your hands!
• Stats: Ah, stats - the bread and butter of any adventurer's character sheet. But let's face it, nobody likes a Mary Sue or a Jim The Commoner. That's why we're going to be rolling 4d6 drop the lowest, but with a twist! Each player will only generate one stat, which will then be compiled into one array for everyone to use. That way, you still get the fun of rolling, but we won't have any lopsided parties where one person is carrying the whole team. Because let's be real, nobody wants to be stuck playing the equivalent of a wet noodle while someone else is shooting laser beams out of their eyes. So, roll those dice and let fate decide your fate!
• Starting Level: Starting our campaign at level 3 makes sense because many classes get their major features at level 3, avoiding the issue of players missing out on the fun stuff. This also prevents weird mid-game transformations that can come from certain builds and allows for multiclass combos right out of the gate. So, let's start the adventure with confidence and balance, knowing that we've got all the good stuff from the get-go!

Homebrew

• Free Feat: We're giving you an extra feat at first level, but with a catch - it must tie into your backstory or character design in a compelling way. By doing this, we hope to reduce the cookie-cutter nature of low level characters and encourage backstory development. Rather than just taking a feat because you need it, we want you to create a unique and interesting character from the get-go. So, let's spice things up and see what kind of story you can bring to the table!
• Healing Potions: Get the max benefit as an action, or use a bonus action to get the rolled benefit.
• Flanking: Flanking now grants a +2 to hit instead of advantage, and you can't flank someone if you're being flanked yourself. But that's not all - if three or more combatants are flanking a single enemy, that enemy is officially Surrounded, and you get a +5 to melee weapon attacks. So, let's get out there and show those enemies what it means to be surrounded by a bunch of hyped-up adventurers! (But remember, enemies get the same benefit too.)
• Zero HP & Exhaustion: Everyone takes the homebrew feat Battle Fatigue. This homebrew rule makes repeated downs more punishing on players in a campaign. You may be downed (Con Modifier) times before receiving one point of exhaustion. Each time this ticker fills up, reset it and add one point of exhaustion.
• Starting Common Magic Item: At first level, all characters get a common magic item of their choice. Similar to feats, this must be related to your backstory.
• Dual Wielding: RAW, DW doesn't allow you to add the modifier to the attack, so we add the modifier to the roll like a normal roll. You still get a weaker weapon, but now at least you get to get more power from the attack.
• Resurrection: (Modified Critical Role Rules) Resurrection isn't easy, folks - you'll need to pass a DC of 10 just to be brought back. But that's just the beginning. The party can all contribute to aiding in your resurrection with multiple ability checks, and even sacrifices in the deceased's name. The Dungeon Master determines the DC for each check and makes a final resurrection roll to see if the ritual is successful. The DC for this final roll depends on how many times the character has been resurrected before and how successful the contributions were. So, bring your A-game (and maybe a goat or two) if you want to make it back from the great beyond. Each resurrection adds +5 to the DC, before party contributed modifiers.
• Death Saving Throws: These are rolled privately to the DM.
• Slow Natural Healing: Characters don't regain hit points at the end of a long rest. Instead, a character can spend Hit Dice to heal at the end of a long rest, just as with a short rest. A long rest allows the use of up to half of your total Hit Dice, +1 for sleeping somewhere comfortable, +1 for having a meal/ ration. Order: The character regains half their hit dice, then they can spend their hit dice to recover hit points.
• Silvery barbs: Silvery barbs is a second level spell.

Table Homebrew

• Turn Time Limits: We're keeping things moving with turn time limits, folks. Pay attention on other player's turns and avoid flipping through your PHB or counting dice ad nauseam. Exceptions are made for new players or chaotic combat, but we want you to look up spells and rules off-turn whenever possible. Slow combat leads to mental check-outs and boredom, so let's keep things snappy. If your turn takes too long, someone else will jump in front of you. It's like musical chairs, but with spells and swords instead.
• New Homebrew: If you've got some hot new content you want to play with, I'm your guy. Just slide into my DMs and let me take a look. Now, I'm not saying I'm gonna approve everything - I mean, some of you are out here trying to create a race of sentient cheese wheels (looking at you, Matt) - but I'll do my best to give you clear, concise well informed ruling on it.

Scheduling

• Session Length: ~7 Hours
• Scheduling Firm Up: Sessions are scheduled concretely, but we will firm up every 4 weeks on the next month's schedule for conflicts. Exceptions are always made for life events or serious circumstances. Life happens, and we understand that sometimes we or you may need to cancel. This is always fine, provided it is not regularly occurring. Our schedules are made every 4 weeks in advance. If your game days are always difficult to schedule, this may not be the campaign for you. In regards to scheduling, you must be able to open a clear line of communication between the DM throughout the week, in case of any emergency schedule changes or conflicts. If you are a hard person to get in touch with every week, again, this may not be the campaign or group for you.

Session Structure

• Start: Everyone arrives to the table and calls in on Discord. Players should also take this time to open up all the required programs and have all their materials ready. We also suggest getting some snacks here too! Bonus points for a tasty beer as well!
• Recap & Warmup (30 min): After arriving and having all our materials prepared, we begin our first activity of the session: Player Recaps! We will do this every single week, and it should be a great tool for getting insight into each character’s head and getting us caught up. We may play warm up games, and roleplay challenges.
• Session (2.5 hours): Well, this is of course where the magic happens! We roll dice, we laugh, the DM laughs, the dice laugh, the dice are mimics, oh no…
• Break (30 min): These breaks do not include bio breaks or your need to use the restroom. If you ever need to run to the bathroom or refill your glass real quick, you’re good!
• Session Continued (2.5 hours): We’ll carry on through the second part of the session!
• Session Recap (30 min): We'll discuss what happened during the session, as well as what we plan to do next session, while we finalize session notes.

Playstyle

• Roleplay: Get ready for some serious roleplaying, folks, because that's what we're all about. We're looking at a 70/30 split of roleplay to combat, maybe even heavier on the roleplay. It's all about immersing ourselves in the world of Avarra and telling a great story together. Sure, there may be some deviations depending on the scenarios and encounters, but we're here to communicate and engage with each other and the world on a deeper level. So, let's put on our acting hats and dive headfirst into the magical realm of Avarra.
• Hyper immersion: We're not just here to hack and slash our way through this world - we're here to really get into the nitty-gritty details. I'm talking about the flavors in each mug of ale or wine at the local tavern (because let's be real, nobody likes a bland drink), cooking around the campfire under a tree during a cool and rainy night, and even delving into the plot of that book you just picked up on your way out of town. And let's not forget about forming real relationships with your fellow characters. After all, who wants to adventure with a bunch of strangers? We're here to create meaningful connections and really bring this world to life. And to all you hack-and-slashers out there - sorry, but this might not be the group for you.
• Note Taking: The pen is mightier than the sword! And let me tell you, if you want to get the most out of Avarra, it's better to be a note taker. Especially in this next campaign! We're talking about a world that's drenched in complexity and nuance, from the setting to the story to the characters that inhabit it. And let's not forget about those intricate and subtle webs that outline the machinations of the antagonists. Oh yeah, we're going deep. But here's the deal - nothing is handed to you on a silver platter in this campaign. You're gonna have to work for it. That means constantly paying attention, working with each other, and using those note-taking skills to uncover all the hidden secrets this world has to offer. And who knows, maybe you'll even uncover some secrets about your fellow adventurers along the way. (Hey, it's possible, right?) So grab your pens, folks, because we've got a lot of worldbuilding to do.
• Teamwork: teamwork makes the dream work! We're not just a bunch of individual characters running around doing our own thing - we're building a story together that encompasses every player and character. This isn't just your story, and it's not just the DM's story. This is OUR story, and we're all playing a crucial role in it. That means you need to be a team player and work together to overcome the challenges ahead. Trust me, you're gonna need each other to survive this campaign. And hey, who knows - maybe you'll even make some lifelong friends along the way.
• Immersion: If you can be in character, you should be in character! Roleplaying is all about improv, saying yes, and going with the flow. And let's be real, the best roleplay experiences can't happen if people are constantly breaking character for no reason. I mean, that's just not good improv, folks. So, here's the deal - we expect our players to remain in character as often as possible at the table. This is theater, after all, and we need to act like we're on stage. So let's embrace our inner thespians, folks, and get ready to bring this story to life like never before.
• Rules and Terms & Conditions: Excluding homebrew, the overall rules of “gameplay” are pretty standard and in accordance with RAW.
• Milestone Leveling: You'll level up according to the story. This means that we can focus less on the grind and more on a steady progression as the story builds. And let's be real, who wants to spend all their time grinding anyway? (Not me, that's for sure. #worldbuilding).
• Table Etiquette: Be willing to listen to others and grow. I mean, let's be real - part of growing close to others and forming real relationships is learning that you can't just have carbon copies of yourself. And let's face it, none of us are perfect. So, here's the deal - emotions might flare up, idiosyncrasies might arise, and sometimes, there might be a little friction. But that's all part of being human, folks. And to be a truly good friend and player, you must always be willing to listen to your peers and adapt accordingly. I mean, that's just part of being an adult. And who knows - maybe you'll learn a thing or two about yourself along the way. (Or maybe you'll just learn that you're really bad at listening. Either way, it's a learning experience.) So let's embrace our humanity, folks, and get ready to form some real relationships at this table.
• Communication: Poor scheduling and bad communication are like the kryptonite of D&D campaigns. And we don't want any kryptonite around here, do we? (No, we do not.) So, if you're part of this group, that means you've gotta keep those communication lines open. If you're someone who likes to manipulate your availability or you're just plain untrustworthy when it comes to communication, well, let's just say that you'll be removed faster than a married paladin in a brothel. (Okay, maybe that's not the best analogy, but you get the idea.)
• Showtime: Alright folks, it's time to shine! When we all arrive at the table, it's like the lights come on and the show begins! I mean, we take a lot of pride and care with our performance here, and we treat it like real theater most of the time. (No, we don't have an intermission or a concession stand, but we're working on it.) It's okay if you're not the best voice actor or you don't have a Shakespearean-level monologue prepared. (Although if you do, please share. We're always looking for some high-quality entertainment.) What matters to us is that you tried and put in the effort. Because at the end of the day, that's what makes this campaign special - the effort and enthusiasm that we all bring to the table.
• Pay attention: When someone's consistently getting distracted it's easy to derail the immersion and fun, it's like throwing a wrench in the whole machine. And let me tell you, it's not a fun sound. That's why we have specific policies in place to make sure everyone's time and effort is being respected. And listen, we all get it - sometimes the outside world can be pretty darn distracting. (Have you seen TikTok lately? It's a black hole, I tell ya.) But here's the deal - we hold each other accountable for paying attention and staying focused, because we all want to have a good time and make the most of this campaign.
• Spotlight: Do you find yourself hogging the spotlight/air every session? Are you someone who constantly talks over others? Are you selfish about the story and really only care about where your character is going every episode? Are you hoarding all the gold and being a murder hobo? This group isn’t for you.

What We Expect & Ask of You

• As the Dungeon Master, I want to make it clear that we're not just looking for players - we're looking for friends. Our aim is to build real, lasting friendships through this game. We've been playing together for a while and plan on playing for even longer. As we add more people to our community, we hope to grow together as a team!
• We don't want any satellite players here. We want active members who will contribute to the group beyond just showing up and playing.
• Honesty is crucial to us. We demand that everyone in our group has integrity not only for us, but for themselves as well. Whether it's scheduling conflicts, personal issues, or anything in between, we want friends who will be honest with each other. As the saying goes, "If you don't heal your wounds, you end up bleeding on others you might care for."
• Players are here to play, not watch. We want everyone at the table to engage with the world, the DM, and their fellow players. If you're taking up a seat at this table, you must actively participate in the story every session. You cannot sit back and listen to it.
• This campaign is meant to be challenging. It's supposed to be deep, confusing, and enthralling around every corner. There are no billboards telling you where to go next, no tutorials, and no easy modes. The intricate web being spun by the many powers of this story and world will take all of your combined minds to figure out. Our group wants a game that keeps us on our toes, so if you think you can just "fight" your way to victory, you'll be dead by morning light.
• Lastly, we love theory crafting. We want everyone to give their input and help us figure out the best moves for the group. Part of being an active player here is contributing to the campaign and helping us navigate this crazy world. So let's get ready to play and work together to make this an unforgettable campaign!

Timeline:

• Stage 2 Interviews: 5/29/23-6/22/23
• Public Applications Close: 6/12/23
• Stage 3 Interviews: 6/23/23-7/1/23
• Final Picks: 7/15/23 (or as soon as possible)
• Campaign Start Date: 8/5/23 or 8/6/23

I realize this might seem like a very intensive process, however we're being very thorough. Because we have gotten so many excellent applicants, we are going to have no choice but to make some hard decisions.
Picks:

• 1 Full-time Player
• 5-6 Guest Players; These will play notable NPC/PCs for dedicated sections or arcs. Arcs will be designed with YOU in mind. We might expand this list depending on how this goes with the first few people, and how many sessions it takes to close out an arc.
• (Maybe) some Alt/Guest DMs; These will voice one or more characters, recurring antagonists, etc.

Are you a dungeon master?
Making campaigns like these is our passion. We love going HIGH production value, HIGH quality. If this is something that you love too and you want to dungeon master in our world, we would LOVE to talk to you. As you can tell from this post, there's not enough dungeon masters out there doing this (clearly way overboard) level of effort.

New York City is renowned for its diverse and thriving culinary scene, offering a vast array of restaurants that cater to different tastes and preferences. While it's challenging to narrow down the options, here are some highly regarded and notable restaurants in New York City that are worth checking out:
Le Bernardin:
Address: 155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019
Cuisine: French seafood
Le Bernardin is an acclaimed fine-dining restaurant that specializes in French seafood cuisine. With three Michelin stars, it offers an exquisite dining experience with impeccable service and exceptional dishes.
Peter Luger Steak House:
Address: 178 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Peter Luger is a legendary steakhouse in Brooklyn that has been serving up mouthwatering steaks since 1887. Known for its classic, no-frills atmosphere and perfectly aged beef, it is a must-visit for steak lovers.
Russ & Daughters:
Address: 179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002
Cuisine: Jewish deli
Russ & Daughters is an iconic New York institution that has been serving Jewish deli specialties since 1914. Renowned for its smoked fish, bagels, and cream cheese, it offers a taste of classic New York flavors.
Momofuku Noodle Bar:
Address: 171 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003
Cuisine: Asian fusion
Momofuku Noodle Bar is part of the Momofuku restaurant group and offers a casual and vibrant dining experience. Known for its ramen and pork buns, it blends Asian flavors with contemporary techniques.
Gramercy Tavern:
Address: 42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Gramercy Tavern is a renowned restaurant offering contemporary American cuisine in a warm and inviting atmosphere. With a focus on seasonal ingredients and creative preparations, it provides a delightful dining experience.
Xi'an Famous Foods:
Address: Multiple locations throughout NYC
Cuisine: Chinese
Xi'an Famous Foods is a popular chain of restaurants known for its flavorful and authentic Northwestern Chinese cuisine. They serve hand-pulled noodles, spicy cumin lamb, and other delicious dishes.
These are just a few examples, and New York City offers countless exceptional dining options across various cuisines. It's always recommended to check the latest information, availability, and make reservations when planning to visit these establishments, as popularity and offerings can change over time. Exploring different neighborhoods in the city can lead to discovering hidden gems and unique culinary experiences.

My physique doing just pullups and dips
https://imgur.com/a/ZumcAHO
There's a lot more impressive physiques than mine on this sub, but I am very happy to know now that it is possible to bulk up with just pullups and dips!
That's basically the post, but if you are a beginner and want to get a physique like mine and eventually surpass it, feel free to read on.

1. Goal = lumberjack physique = wide back, big powerful chest, big arms.
   1. I used to have a skinny fit physique in my teens and early 20's, which only revealed itself when I took my shirt off, otherwise I looked like any other skinny guy. After getting a dad bod after marriage, I decided I wanted a bulked up physique this time that actually looked good with a shirt on.
2. Achieved goal? = No. About 70% of the way. Wife called me a gorilla the other day lol and actually wants me to slim down. So that's progress!
3. Training period = 23 months so far (and hopefully for the rest of my life)
4. Diet = Nothing special. I eat whatever (I'm a grad student in my 30's, so no income), just work out hard to compensate. White meat (chicken) with rice and veggies usually these days but I also eat instant noodles or takeout too. I also eat some protein after workout (eggs or yogurt or chicken).
   1. As I've been bulking up more, I've also been eating more calories.
5. Supplements = None. No protein shakes or creatine = too much money. No steroids (as you can tell in the photos LOL).
6. Routine = low reps x high sets = high total volume.
   1. I start my timer. 5 - 6 pullups. Next minute, 5 - 6 dips. Next minute, back to 5 - 6 pullups. Next minute, back to 5 - 6 dips.
   2. 60 minutes = 150 - 180 pullups and 150 - 180 dips.
   3. I do this for 2 days and then on the 3rd day I do a leg day (which I added after the recommendation of this sub). And then the 3 day cycle repeats. No rest days unless overly fatigued or in pain (which is different from soreness or discomfort), or if life just really gets in the way.
7. Progression = I've been training for just under 2 years. If I remember correctly, I started with something like 10 sets of 3 pullups, 3 dips. (If you are a beginner who cannot do pullups or dips, you can do bodyweight rows and pushups instead and get almost the same intensity workout and same results). I progress in 2 ways, by either...
   1. Working on mastering my form. Minimizing my kipping and making sure to do full range of motion with each rep. So for pullups, down position means elbows fully extended (locked out) and up position means chin fully above the bar. Also doing the movement under control rather than relying on momentum to half ass the reps. So even if the rep count stays the same or even decreases because I am stricter on my form, I am progressing.
   2. Increasing the rep count in each set. That is why I'm doing 5 - 6 reps in my routine right now. 5 reps per set got a bit easy (150 pullups and 150 dips), but doing 6 reps for 30 sets is really challenging for me right now (180 pullups and 180 dips). So I am in the transition phase of doing 6 reps per set until it gets too difficult and then dropping down to 5 sets for the remainder of the workout (usually about 40 minutes in).

And that's basically it.
Some people may think this is overtraining, but I slowly built up to this over the last two years, making sure to stop immediately if I experienced any joint pain at all and taking a rest day if overly fatigued from the previous day's workout. Listening to my body and differentiating between mild soreness and actual pain helped me avoid any injuries.
After 2 years of this, I've come to the conclusion that too many beginners worry about overtraining when they should instead worry about undertraining. The people who I've seen undergo incredible physique transformations are those who workout a lot, not those who workout only a little out of fear of overtraining. Our bodies are capable of a lot more physical activity than we give them credit for.
Even for myself, although I still have a ways to go, I am now receiving compliments on my physique regularly. My male classmates (who I've known now for 2 years) are now calling me swole and my female classmates are now complimenting my fit. What I wear didn't change over the past 2 years but my physique did...I bulked up and fill out my shirts now which looks better than a skinny body in a shirt.
That's basically the post. Thank you for reading a fitness beginner's post. If you are also a beginner, I encourage you to work out consistently to see results! I think consistency is the key to success. I also recommend bulking up so your physique looks good in a shirt, which is going to be 99% of the time. I am much happier with this physique than when I was skinny fit in my teens with a 6 pack.
** This post got a lot more attention than I expected! Thank you for stopping by for advice and productive discussions.
https://imgur.com/a/TxZLJnZ
^ as a redditor suggested, the 1st photo in that imgur link is the before photo from 2 years ago, before the bulk up process.

This week’s slightly belated vintage batch is smaller than usual but features 3 very special Vacumatics: 2 made by Parker and one a 51 reproduction demonstrator! The first is New Old Stock and stickered, the second is oversized with a Superflex nib, and the third is just wild! As always, all are fully restored and ready to write.
 
ALBUM & TIMESTAMP
 
Pastable link: https://imgur.com/a/5tymxIg
 
Condition (n.b.): All pens listed below have been disassembled, cleaned and restored with new sacs/diaphragms installed in the last couple months. Vacumatic fillers are something of a specialty of mine and I take pride in the amount of attention I devote to each. Any dried/coagulated ink is removed from feed channels. All remnants of thread sealant and ossified diaphragms are cleaned away. Threads are meticulously chased. Interiors of barrels are cleaned and polished to remove ink staining and restore transparency. Sections are sealed against leaks using Main Street Pens' rosin-based thread sealant. Each of these pens is guaranteed to fill and write as designed without leaks or other problems. Nibs have been adjusted when necessary to ensure that all lay down a smooth and consistent line.
THESE PENS HAVE NO CRACKS, CHIPS, PERSONALIZATIONS, LOOSE OR MISSING PARTS, BENT NIBS, MISALIGNED TINES, BROKEN/WORN OFF TIPPING, OR THREADING ISSUES.
 
Line Widths and Writing Samples: To provide buyers with as much information as possible, I have started to adopt the following line width standards: XXF (.1-.2mm); XF (approx .3mm); F (approx .4mm); M (approx .6mm); B (approx .8mm). Nib flexibility is determined by variation (max line width under pressure) and softness (amount of pressure). Flexibility designations based on variation generally run as follows for an XF/F nib: Semi-Flex (approx. 1mm); Flex (1.2-1.9mm); Superflex (>2mm). All line width measurements are taken with a digital caliper but should be considered approximations providing a general guide. Width may vary slightly depending on type of ink and paper used as well as amount of pressure applied. All writing samples are on Rhodia dot paper using Waterman Serenity Blue.
 
 
On Filling Vacumatics: Each of the pens with Vac filling systems below is made of celluloid with transparent barrel striations for viewing the level of ink, which is stored directly in the barrel. To fill, one simply removes the blindcap, submerses the nib, and depresses the plunger until the barrel is full.
 
1. NOS 1947 Parker Vacumatic Junior - Uninked w/ Stickers (Silver Pearl, celluloid, NPT, Vacumatic filler, 14k F nib). This full-sized model measures 5” capped and has the same proportions as a Major but lacks the Blue Diamond on the clip and features 2 thin cap bands as opposed to a single, wider chevron band. This pen is New Old Stock (NOS), apparently uninked, and stickered with original price ($5.00) and nib width (M) sticker as well. But it has been restored with a new diaphragm and filled with water for testing. Single black jewel on the cap and plastic plunger consistent with a 3rd generation Vac. 14k Parker Vac Arrow nib). Since I believe this pen has never been inked, I didn’t take a writing sample for sake of preservation. But a vintage Parker M usually corresponds to a modern F, which is what I designate as a F according to the standards above. If you’d like to buy this pen and don’t mind it being dipped, I’d be happy to test it out for you to confirm its smoothness and writing characteristics. But Parker’s nib-finishing dept was top notch and this one has been preserved as is from the factory. Condition: New Old Stock [N]. But for a touch of drawer to the clip, this pen has the appearance of having just rolled off the assembly line. Nickel-plated trim shows no brassing. Smooth, lustrous finish with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes – scarcely even any microscratches. Perfect color and transparency with no ambering (DETAIL PHOTO). Factory deep barrel imprint and date code are fully legible. NOS Vacs are pretty tough to come by these days and they don’t get much nicer than this one! Price: $270 SOLD
 
2. 1940 Parker Vacumatic Senior Maxima (black, celluloid, GPT, Vacumatic Speedline filler, 14k Two-Tone XF Superflex nib). This oversized model measures 5 3/8” capped. This 2nd generation, oversized Vac in black features a wide chevron cap band, double black jewels, aluminum Speedline filler, and blue diamond clip signifying Parker’s lifetime guarantee. Most Vac nibs are rather rigid. But once in a blue moon you get a surprise like this one. The commensurably oversized 14k Two-Tone Vac Arrow nib is Super-Flexible, laying down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx. 2.3mm) under light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Condition: excellent [B]. Gold-plated trim is clean with no notable wear aside from a sliver of brassing on the blind cap tassie and high-point slivers on the arrow of the clip. Celluloid has a smooth lustrous surface with no notable blemishes apart from some pin-sized marks on the plastic here and there and some cloudiness on the surface of the hard rubber section. Additional polishing could possibly remove it, but I wasn’t having any luck and I didn’t want to over-polish. The only other noteworthy issue is some cosmetic wear to the plating on the filler that does not affect function. Good transparency with some ambering but ink level fully visible (DETAIL PHOTO). Manufacturer imprint and date code on barrel are deep and fully legible. Price: $420 SOLD
 
3. 1990s Ariel Kullock Parker 51 Demonstrator Repro (transparent lucite, NPT, Vacumatic filler, Octanium XF nib). This full-sized model measures a hair over 5 1/2” capped. In the 90s and early-2000s Ariel Kullock was known as a prolific craftsman of vintage FP reproductions and customizations. He’s perhaps best well known for his custom Parker 51s, whose caps he adorned and engraved and whose barrels he offered in an astonishing array of colors and patterns. He also made custom demonstrators. Originally, a demonstrator was a pen made of clear materials or with cutouts to expose its internal workings. Parker did not sell demonstrators to the public. They were distributed exclusively to dealers, who used them to show the features of standard pens to customers. A genuine Parker 51 Vac Demonstrator is an unusual sight indeed and ranges anywhere from $700, for the most common, to $1,000s for the rarer ones. Meanwhile, Kullock ceased production of his repro demonstrators years ago, making them harder and harder to find as well. This one was his most ambitious: a full Parker 51 demonstrator for which even the cap is transparent (a feature Parker themselves never made for their demos). Pearlescent grey plastic cap jewel is original Parker as is the filler. The barrel, cap, hood, and blindcap are transparent and turned by Kullock. Whether capped or uncapped, this pen makes the ink visible wherever it is, be that in the barrel or in the transparent feed. For all the metal parts on the pen, Kullock chose original white metal. Nickel-plated original blue diamond clip, clutch ring, and original Octanium nib from a 51 Special. That nib lays down a smooth and consistent XF line (see WRITING SAMPLE). lCondition: excellent [B]. Nickel-plating is clean with no brassing – just some drawer wear to the clip. Cip has a bit of patina from being stored in a case, which patina I'll polish off before shipment. Celluloid is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other notable flaws. The only noteworthy demerit is some finishing marks on the interior of the barrel in a spiral pattern left over from the manufacturing process. A delightful pen to show people just how a Vacumatic 51 works! Price: $300 $270
 
 
 
Shipping: Pens purchased on the weekend are mailed on Tuesday. Otherwise they are mailed within 2 business days of payment. All pens that do not come with their original boxes are packaged in PVC or thick plastic tubes to protect them in transit. To CONUS locations the following shipping options are available:

• USPS First-Class with tracking for $5 Due to the delivery delays that continue under postmaster general DeJoy, I strongly recommend that the Priority shipping option be chosen. All packages will include full insurance (covered by me). Rest assured that a full refund is guaranteed (issued through Paypal) in the event of a lost parcel and you will not have to wait until I receive a reimbursement from the USPS.
  
• USPS Priority with tracking for $9
  

International Customers: Please contact me for shipping quote if located abroad (delivery confirmation required). (Note: due to the issues stated above, my international shipping options are currently limited. PM for more info). Please do not ask me to commit mail fraud by altering the declared value of a pen for customs. Not only am I registered as a business but shipping insurance is based on declared value.
New York Customers: For tax purposes, I am now required to add an 8% sales tax on any sale made in the state of NY. If your shipping address is in NY state, please let me know before payment to receive an adjusted total. Discounted shipping is included for NY State residents to help defray the extra cost.
Ordering: Pens are placed on hold for the first person to reply to the thread and PM me with firm request to purchase (no chat DMs please). A request with the words “I'd like to purchase [pen number]” would be best to avoid confusion), to which I’ll reply with payment details. Please note that a message inquiring into a price discount does not suffice to place a pen on hold. If I haven't received Paypal payment within 24 hrs after a hold is placed, then pen(s) may become available to the next person.
Payment, & Guarantee: Payment by Paypal only. All pens are guaranteed to be in the condition in which I've described them. If I've missed something objectionable or the filling mechanism is not fully functional, the buyer may contact me up to 7 days after receiving the pen for a full refund (issued once I receive the pen back in the same condition as sold). Buyer must ship the return no later than 2 weeks after it was delivered to receive a refund. I've sold pens online for over a decade. Please check my past listings here as well as on the classifieds and historical sales forums on FPN (username: Estragon) and FPGeeks (popcod) for some of my previous offerings.
 
 
OTHER OPEN LISTINGS:

• Sheaffer Juniors and Superflex Moore Shell
  
• Unbranded BCHR Superflex
  
• Wet Noodle Dip Pen Customized Wright-Weidlich Simplofiller and Superflex Sheaffer Ring Top
  
• Waterman Junior
  
• Superflex Waterman 15 Eyedropper w/ Keyhole nib, Aikin Lambert Capitol Cabinet
  
• Parker Vacumatic Major
  
• Salz "Wendy" Doll Head Pen
  
• Solid Gold Ring Top
  
• Conklin Enduras, Nozac
  
• Superflex, Stub Burnhams in Colorful Casein
  

Well A Hipster on a Segway has learned that unrequited love is too powerful for him and now he’s dead
An abandoned fairground stands as a backdrop to the next round of twisted metal of twisted metal
Name of Entry: Apez
Vehicle: A 4 seated Buggy with a Star on the front
Driver: Murdoc
Passengers: "2D", "Noodle" and Russel.
Special: Buggy lifts up to reveal 2 powerful Homing Missiles.
Backstory: They're an aspiring band looking for their big break. After many failed attempts at getting noticed, they decided enough is enough. They've entered the Twisted Metal Contest with the intention of finally becoming the music sensation they know they're meant to be.
Runt
Vehicle: modified amusement park Go Kart
Driver: Rito Stricker
Special: Frisbee fury- Shoots Saw blade like frisbees in any direction. Perfect for cutting tires
Backstory: This mysterious driver wears a helmet to hide his identity. He enters the contest for one reason, To be loved by someone
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