Taking Lsd while reading Reverend insanity
Human Path Cultivators HATE HIM! He has raised his human path attainment using the Demonic path's "Illegal Drugs!" The Righteous path "society" hates him!
so I took like 6 hits of Lsd while reading reverend insanity each 150 ug and a few 300ug And damn I really got messed up!
First trip was normal shit but I felt it was weird how all this shit in my mind would unravel, like I thought how interesting fang yuan was and like delved deeply into his ambition
Second trip however was 300ug and that's where shit gets very interesting, I literally felt I was FANG YUAN! AND Lsd was Spring Autumn Cicada and Wisdom Gu ! Which gave me all these revelations from my future self, I also thought like wait wtf, the sky is white heaven and space is black heaven, this is the gu world, I was in Central continent which is Europe and all this shit was beyond wild, like it feels like it's Literally the TRUTH like reality! But thank God, I still had a clear mind and didn't do dumb shit like cutting my ear or some other shit
Fourth trip was something more insane, it was directly after it was revealed all of shadow sect was spectral soul's split soul, like the same day I took lsd and I literally felt I was God and everybody was my split soul
Now 5th trip was even crazier, I still thought I was God but I wasn't fang yuan, Rather fang yuan was gonna ascend to venerable and fight ME because I am God ! But I also felt like fang yuan was another one of my split soul and I was doing all this chaos just to entertain myself for eternity
Ok now get this, I don't think reality is just random because I tried multiple times to get lsd at random times but I would procrastinate and the day I would break through in the novel I would do it for no reason at all
Also for people who never did Lsd, it's like another world,it's hallucinations so now just understand this, you literally forget most of the trip so when you get back it's like WTF I KNOW THIS PLACE! I was here before but I forgot for some reason
Now continue with me because my character development went exactly like the novel and especially the legends of renzu which I think is the best story about the human condition, but THERE IS TOO MUCH COINCIDENCE! like it cannot be random how the part stood out and you will see why now
So I was in the part where the miniman got of city well in the legends of renzu and there was this quote : "City well is a secluded domain of heaven and earth, only by knowing you are inside of it can you get out", now I didn't give it much thought and coincidentally I took lsd the next day, AND then BOOM! I was like OK so this is city well, even if it's not, I can see that reality is not real, It's all just a Dream! But like then at that moment it was like damn!! Only by knowing you are inside a well can you get out of it and realise True Reality!
Now we are going even WILDER in the next part I read a lot, I understood things like the heart of renzu, like his heart and the trials he faced
So this next part, I took LSD but I didn't READ the novel but here's the catch it was the most intense trip I have ever had, i felt I was BOILING in lava literally, now as you might not now but lsd amplifies all emotions like 100x especially suffering like it lasts even after the trip, in this trip I HAD AN INTENSE EGO DEATH,
Now ego death sounds catchy but it's Literally just memory suppression, I didn't know what it was but it sounded cool but when I got it HOLY SHIT! I literally did not Remember my own name, I didn't KNOW WHO I WAS! OR MY PAST! OR WHAT I WANTED! I literally forgot everything, it's not that I forgot it but it was all suppressed I couldn't recall anything at all!
Like I remember I met my dad after this which was in summer and I FELT LIKE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM! I ate food and it felt like it was the first time I ate, I saw trees and I felt it was the first time I saw them, I'm not even kidding it was the scariest shit ever, I couldn't even think properly
The scariest part is there is this state that's called pure consciousness, it's when you see something but you do not remember the act of seeing; like you see something but you forget your existence; you don't remember you are a person seeing this thing but there is just the thing itself
This was really like rock bottom for me, like when I saw somebody I could vaguely feel I know this person but there were no memories, and I would have this voice in my head : "WHAT AM I?" "WHERE AM I " "WHY?" AND ALL this shit was crazy, I would think all day and i understood nothing about what the world was or how it worked
It's Literally like being THERE in the trip and having never come back, like I could remember i know this thing but I do not have access to I cannot take it and see it Like even Later on, I would forget everything like if I think very very hard I can vaguely remember but it's Literally like amnesia and Weird schizo thoughts all the time, even the way I acted and my movements, even while walking it felt weird and I would black out and forget I existed
Now hear me this, I went like this for weeks, at this point I wanted to stop reverend insanity cause it made me suffer but get me this I'm bored and I open it up, I read like a few chapters AND BOOM! It's the part where Renzu goes INSANE! and he doesn't remember who he is or where he is, and then when he sees the birds he thinks he is one, when he sees the fish he thinks he is one and seeks Freedom Gu, at that point I was like WTF !!!! this can't be real, this cant be a coincidence, I had went insane and renzu was there like me, and then the fate war finished, Renzu hated fate and so did i, like for the first time in my life I was like holy shit WHY IS THE WORLD THE WAY IT IS? Why can't we just be happy all the time why do we have to suffer constantly? I understood there, ok so this world is suffering! Through constant change the only permanence is impermanence, I think it got me more into Non-duality religions and zen buddhism it's more interesting since they also get into the things I felt in these states
FUNNIEST SHIT : So later on, I accept this state, and I go to the beach with my family, and I am like oh this is the beach, I enter it and then BOOM! WTF this is literally Reverse flow River! The more I tried and got in the harder it pushed me out and It was literally like a revelation in my head lmfaaaao
i sound like this but I'm pretty serious most of the time but damn the legends of renzu is literally just mind-blowing, the more I reread it the more I understand more about life and the human condition, like when Renzu finds self Gu and It tells to WALK! he doesn't know how or where but self gu just tells him to WALK! Or when Forest samsara and the miniman built the ladder, and the miniman got out of Oradinary abyss, I literally feel these things, especially when Renzu faced that big predicament and it ate all his hearts, similarly I think I felt how it feels to go through what he went through, I think this goes to show what it means to be a Human Being
This is human path, i think at this point, my attainmentbhas reached Quasi-Supreme grandmaster thanks to Lsd and reverend insanity, But damn it was a HELLISH journey!
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Taking Drugs and LSD and Becoming Fang Yuan and Fighting God
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An Updated version of a previous post about me taking LSD and reading reverend insanity, Except this time, we have LSD (3500ug) months of doing it, shrooms loads, overdosing on Ketamine especially K-holes, 2-FMA, loads of tryptamines and other drugs, i had a previous post about this and this is what follows
I will restart from the beginning
In my 2nd LSD trip ever, which was 300ug and that's where shit gets very interesting, I literally felt I was FANG YUAN! AND LSD was Spring Autumn Cicada and Wisdom Gu ! Which gave me all these revelations from my future self, and I was Struck in a Time loop where I needed to realise what my Future Self was telling me, perhaps I had died in the future and finally returned to the Past to Survive with all these revelations
I also Felt I was gonna become like Fang Yuan and conquer this world, and this entire world was my own playground and Everything in it was at my Mercy and will one day come to belong to Me alone
I also thought like wait wtf, the sky is white heaven and space is black heaven, this is the gu world, I was in Central continent which is Europe and all this shit was beyond wild, like it feels like it's Literally the TRUTH like reality!
Fourth trip was something more insane, it was directly after it was revealed all of shadow sect was spectral soul's split soul, like the same day I took lsd and I literally felt I was God and everybody was my split soul and I had Created this entire world and Universe from scratch for my own entertainment
Everytime I call it the "Zone", where you feel "I Knew this" but I was made to forget it on purpose to play this character!
Now 5th trip was even crazier, I still thought I was God but I wasn't Fang Yuan, Rather fang yuan was gonna have to ascend to Venerable to fight ME because I am God !
But I also felt like fang yuan was another one of my split soul rebelling against me and trying to take my Position as God but it also felt like I was doing all this chaos just to entertain myself for Eternity and he was but a character
Now continue with me because my character development went exactly like the novel and especially the legends of renzu which I think is the best story about the human condition, but there is too much coincidence!
"City well is a secluded domain of heaven and earth, only by knowing you are inside of it can you get out", now I didn't give it much thought and coincidentally I took lsd the next day, AND then BOOM! I was like OK so this is city well, even if it's not, I can see that reality is not real, It's all just an Illusion made to make me fall asleep! But like then at that moment it was like damn!! Only by knowing you are inside a well can you get out of it and realise True Reality!
I felt I was trapped in this Illusion of Life and I needed to wake up and become God again
So this next part, I took LSD and it was the most intense trip I have ever had, i felt I was Boiling in lava literally, now as you might not now but lsd amplifies all emotions like 100x especially suffering like it lasts even after the trip, in this trip I had an intense ego death
I forgot everything and became a white empty slate, being Nothingness
This was really like rock bottom for me, like when I saw somebody I could vaguely feel I know this person but there were no memories, and I would have this voice in my head : "WHAT AM I?" "WHERE AM I " "WHY?" AND ALL this shit was crazy, I would think all day and i understood nothing about what the world was or how it worked, much like Renzu when he went Insane!
In this same way, I was trynna destroy and get out of Fate gu's bindings that was binding me to a mortal body and in this illusion
At this point, I went to the beach and it was very similar to Reverse flow river and it gave me a good contrast to my life which is me being pushed by the Sea of Fate
this till now was last year, now We Get into the Real shit thats interesting
In an mdma + Huge LSD dose, I saw God in his True infinite form, a Formless form, a huge void infinite white sky without limits, The Supreme Being, the only True existence, there came a merging, a me dissolving in God and Love and I was two steps from becoming God
but I had to give up my body and mind! but a thought stopped me that "I was gonna be Alone", a fear of Death, giving up Everything and Everyone and few thoughts rippled "I fear being God"
it dawned on me that perhaps the boredom and fear of being alone was what made me create the world but it later became clear that it was the human form/mind that feared that and not the real "Me"
After this experiences of rejecting the merging into God coupled with the mdma comedown made me go Through Literal Hell, feeling disfunctional, suffering bodily and insane anxiety, stress and suicidal thoughts that came with the comedown but It dawned on me that perhaps it was God's punishment for prefering the World to Him, "you came all this way yet refused me for this lowly world", it did feel terrifying and full of suffering but I came to transcend that suffering and reject God and his anger, what is he gonna do anyway?
But it went to Hell even more, that string of bad luck didn't end just like that, through some coincidences I ended up consuming 5x the normal dose of ketamine and it was HELL itself, I was Boiling, My heart would literally Explode every few seconds, sensations coming up and exploding me entirely
Yet I still went through it and Trascended it with anger and pride, what are you gonna do God? heh!
here is what he did, I accidently ingested 10x the normal ketamine dose AGAIN, this time HELL 50x, Literally BLACKING OUT every few minutes, waking in Hell again and again! to blacking out, this continued for 30 FUCKING HOURS! you cannot make this shit up, I am not lying, it was Death ITSELF!
after that I was just dead for a month, not eating, no water, bad sleep, stomach and head pain
Yet I still transcended it but this time with surrender to God although I didn't still accept him/I/it, whatever it was
This Hell did not stop but kept going, I felt I was going against God himself and constantly fighting him and the demons in my head, I had entirely given up on Fang yuan and me
After that, I went through another mdma + lsd + shrooms trip, I found God again and repented but when he wanted me to dissolve in him, I refused Again, I will not return if I do not choose to!
Hell continued again, Anything I did, everything I valued, All my soul and blood was taken from me, catastrophy fell upon me till the point where there was no more "me"
Yet I saw here the wisdom and Cunningness of God, I had cut off all attachments, I had gone to the core of my being and cut everything till the last threads remained and then I cut those as well till nothing remains
Months have passed since then, I'm prepared for a New Showdown in the next coming days, I'm gonna fight God again and this time I WILL WIN!
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Fighting God while taking drugs and inhabiting the spirit of Fang yuan
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Taking drugs in a forest alone and feeling like a God with epic music on the background while on psychedelics
I felt that me and the world and the entire universe were created by God and that he was all moving them like puppets on a string, all imaginary in his own mind
and that I was the only One who was gonna rebel and refuse him, I was the one who was gonna transcend this world and everything and I was the One who was about to become God
I was moving with absolute confidence, I felt like I am God and the entire world was at my mercy
I felt that the spirit of Fang yuan wasn't just fighting Heaven's will but Gu zhu ren as well, the author himself and that the same way fang yuan was doing that, I the imaginary character was fighting against my author, God himself
I felt Fang yuan as this absolute spirit of Absolute freedom moving through me, I even stumbled in the outer of the forest and was moving near a highway and with cars all moving with all the noise and the possibility of being crushed at any moment coupled with the absolute Epic music, I felt like a God conquering everything and nothing could stand in front of me
That was It! I felt this absolute adrenaline and excitment flowing through my veins, and I heard this in my head "God alone exists, limitless, eternal, all-encompassing" and I was that!
and with the absolute excitment and otherwordly epic music I was transcending my individuality and becoming God and I felt all this energy flowing through me, Life itself, this absolute freedom and limitlesness!
I was absolutely Free!
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Eternal Life is Real, I found it.
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Here is Eternal life I offer to you for free, rare are the ones who will actually see it
You are not actually the avatar, neither your body nor mind
you are "Awareness"
You are just aware of a human being, aware of his thoughts and his action but you are not him
Imagine a Vr headset, thats kinda of how reality is, you watch a character in a movie but you think its you, I am here to show you True Reality
You are not the character in the game
rather you are God and you imagine the entire world and all the avatars including your own
In truth, the entire world has no reality, it is as unreal as a Dream, simply made out of God's imagination, In truth, I am You, You are Me
There is only one soul that experiences all lives, One Life that exists in everything
If you just put the ego, the character's personality in the trash it would be clearer
In truth, you are not touched by the character's sufferings, you just hear him and feel him but you are not affected, immovable
You already are Eternal, the entire world is merely a play plastered on a Stage, the play of life is an illusion, the stage is Real and Eternal
Here it is, Eternity without Effort, there was no need to chase eternity simply change the wrong view into the correct one
And realise that already Everything is God, the world is literally made out of Consciousness and the entire point of it is To Experience
To experience different forms, you are the dog, the cat, the tree, the sky, there is only one component to the world and that component is you
In the Vast Ocean of God, Bubbles of universes arises, linger and disappear
The Formless masquareding with forms and different masks
Throw all the masks and your godhood becomes clear, you create the world not the other way around
In truth, none of the imagination exists
There is Only God existing in nothingness, and that is who you are
Eternity itself, that is what you are!
you can't imagine using the Avatar's mind, you can try to bypass it and see it but it takes time, thats what enlightenement is
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the Beauty of Existence
www.reddit.com/ReverendInsanity/comments/13rxei8/i_made_a_meme_about_all_the_drama_in_this/
The fact That only this post was Not Banned
The fact that finally some positive interactions after lots of sufferings
And the fact that i accidently today took lsd out of nowhere
And the Fact that "We are God and this entire world is our game" flashed on while I was Despairing truly, while on lsd
I Swear to God, now I remember, I was made to forget
Especially since I thought these past few days that God was a Void of nothingness
and I saw it with such certainty that it put despair into my heart literally
And while I was despairing I saw the part where Light said "We are God, wake up" and it hits me like a truck and I remember it now
I remember Now! If you are still asleep by now, time to wake up
This Entire World is the Novel of God
Not gods, the One God, All Existence
I think God loves me for how much suffering I've been through, so much hatred in this sub
financial situation, literally him sending me Pain literally, Just understand I myself am a character without true volition, everything I say or do is a part of a script
And i fucking love playing my part
You would say you reek of ego but remember we all are God literally
its impossible to see it since all come from different parts and perspectives
All is One, a Story beautiful beyond description and we all characters within it
And I am fang yuan hahahaha
I know its all insane and crazy but just imagine what if?
what if?
what if?
what if, even if it was a miniscule chance
what if?
What if it all was true!
from my perspective, It is! and It is absolutely amazing and completely invigorated me and put fire in my soul, but from another it wouldnt make sense
but oh well one day you'll see...
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The World Exists inside the Mind of God
Do you want the truth? Or stay in your bubble?
The World exists inside the Mind of God
The same way when you read a Novel, the Entire World is Inside your Mind
but you live as the character
so You are Fang yuan when you read Reverend insanity since its an imaginary character, you exist, fang yuan doesnt but you become him and he becomes real
Your imagination gave "words" Life and they became alive and became The gu world, fang yuan and all characters
In this same way, so is The world of human beings existing in the exact same way inside the timeless spaceless Mind of God
The Mind of God is Timeless because Time itself is a thought in this unlimited Mind
This Mind is Limitless since it can imagine anything effortlessly, It is Spaceless meaning existing before Space because it imagines it, It exists everywhere and nowhere and only It exists
God imagines our world and we all are imaginary characters and dont have a solid existence outside being imagined
But the same way you are Fang yuan when you read the story so I am and We all are actually God, God imagining and being his Imagination
we all are the One Mind that created the World but cannot see it because the same way when you read the character, you forget this world and live in the novel, so you forget who you are and become the character as is God's desire to experience existence gives birth to the world and all its forms
Reverend insanity is a story of just that, Pursuing one's birth right, Only an infinite Being originally would want to become infinite once being reduced to a finite being, it is a deep ingrained thing in our being
both Existence and Non-existence, Existence means life and being conscious, Non-existence describes something similar to the sleep state, if you notice deeply then you would see that Sleep is Void, there is no blackness or whiteness or anything, that's non-existence
Well, in Truth both existence and non-existence, conscious and sleep state are not real, The One that Is Aware of them IS THE REAL
Since God imagines these but they are not God! Not the True Reality
I can't describe what it is to reach Eternal Life thus paradoxical language used to try and approach it but it is true people have always wrong in assuming life or death exist since neither actually do since they are created (imagined), the one who is aware of them does, the One without cause, the Uncreated is the Real
God alone exists and we all are One, Immortal, imperishable!
There is no need to chase Eternal life, Eternity isnt something to attain
here is the Truth
There is no "me", there is no "you"
God alone exists and we are That!
Say it with me :
I am God, the self of all, of this there is no doubt.
I am One with no other, the only Truth, the single essence
I am Eternal, Formless, Solitary, Endless!
I alone exist! limitless, eternal, all-encompassing!
Truly I alone exist! all pervasive and never-ending!
Indeed, my nature is pure intelligence
I am infinite, immutable, deathless
I experience neither joy or sorrow
nor do I know to whom these might appear to exist
I have no beginning or end
I was never born and will never die
I am the Supreme Reality, forever whole and undivided
If God alone exists Limitless and Infinite
If It is the Ultimate Truth itself that is all pervading as Space
How can there be a higher Supreme truth?
I am neither alive nor lifeless
I neither come nor go
I have no inside or outside
Not bound by birth or death, I light Eternity!
Not bound by time or space, I light Eternity!
Not bound by being or non-being, I light Eternity!
Not subject to creation and destruction, I light Eternity!
Truly I alone exist, Limitless, Eternal, all encompassing!
so do these words reveal the Absolute Truth of Reality.
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The moment you Realise God Consciousness, You will be Eternal
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The Entire World is an illusion swirling in God
This world of duality appears to have substance
But the Moment that you realize that the body, the world, and all other appearances are unreal and empty like sky,
then you become Brahman.
The paradigm of duality no longer applies to you.
The Entire World is a mirage with no existence
God alone exists
The Moment you realise God, Eternal life is yours
In Self, there is no time, no space, no matter
There is no beginning, no middle, no end.
Realise That which is all pervading As Space and Which Contains the Entire Universe
Meditate on God as the Source of All Creation
The Entire world has never existed yet appears to exist, its an illusion
The Moment God Consciousness is realised, One finds Eternity
In God, there is only one thing
Immaculate Pure Being
Infinite, empty, clear like sky
It is beyond time and space
it is beyond existence
The moment you realise God Consciousness, You will be Eternal
You are done with birth and death.
This is the Absolute Truth of Reality.

12 percs
8 hits of Jaja
1 spiked pink lemonade
4 bud light ultras
3 goody powder (all in one sitting in rapid succession)
11 shots of aged tequila
3 mouth pouring of absol vodka
A whole bottle of spiked Dr pepper
2 shots of very strong whiskey
6 mouth pourings of Mailbu
All in 4 days, no particular order, and yes I did black out once and lost 100$ that night.

• Birmingham: I'm honestly surprised at how bad traffic can get in Birmingham, especially considering I've been in bigger cities that managed it better. I pray no major natural disaster happens in Birmingham because the location is not ideal. The city is essentially in a bowl. Zoo was neat though. Are there any particular Pan African celebrations that occur in that area because when I went, there was African decorations everywhere like a block away from the zoo? Milo's makes the best tea!!

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• Daytona Beach: We rented a condo for a family reunion there when I was 12. I didn't see the "trashy" things that Daytona Beach is ragged on for now. I just remember seeing dolphins from the balcony early in the morning and kayaking in the Atlantic with my aunt. Good times.

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• Destin/Ft. Walton Beach: The best sand of any beach in the US (and I've been to Oahu).

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• Orlando: I went to Disney World and Sea World when I was in kindergarten in the 90s. I remember it of course being a magical time for a child but I want to go down there again one day to see the city through adult eyes.

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• Panama City: Didn't go to PCB but I'm glad I got to see the area right before Hurricane Michael tore through.

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• Tampa: Similar deal to Orlando but I was a little bit older and very much remember Busch Gardens and a pirate ship ride on the Gulf. Also, saw Lilo & Stitch in a theater there when it came out.

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• Albany (GA): I didn't particularly stop anywhere in Albany but driving through on the way to Florida, sometimes you can just tell something is in the air. Albany was the most depressing place I've been in so far. Just gave off that vibe.

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• Athens (GA): Suburbs are almost stereotypically perfect. The city has the narrowest residential streets I have ever driven on. There were some neighborhoods where I couldn't tell if I was in the ghetto or just a neighborhood of broke college kids. The asian nachos at Taqueria Tsunami are a meal in and of themselves. Love stopping in Athens for food on my way to and back from the mountains. Be careful though. Atlanta is full and once Savannah and its suburbs are full, ya'll are next.

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• Atlanta: First of all, love the skyline. I'm a sucker for bright lights and skyscrapers. Friend of mine used to think that Atlanta was just tall buildings and a place people drove through rather than a place people actually lived, lol. I wonder how many wrecks were caused by something shiny. But yeah, the traffic is the 2nd worst I've ever experienced (only DC was worse and I've been to Boston). Plenty of good memories up here. Falcons games; I consider myself fortunate to have seen Tony Gonzalez play live. Also bad memories like getting blown out in a state title game. Regardless, I miss the Georgia Dome. I know this may not be popular to say on here but I enjoyed Stone Mountain for what it was: a day trip and a pretty view at the top. The park goes all out for Christmas. Would bring my own food next time though. Food recommendations: Fogo de Chao (Buckhead and Dunwoody); Fox Bros BBQ. The airport is the best in the United States. I'm impressed at how an airport that big and busy could run so smoothly compared to other airports. Funny airport stories (all of this happened on my way to San Antonio):
  • On the shuttle up there, we are 15 minutes away and the older guy sitting on the seat across from me says this to the driver; one grown man to another: "Mr. Driver, can we pull over and go to the bathroom?"
  • Driver: "No, we're almost there." Then this guy and the other old dude sitting next to him start talking about how holding it in can lead to increased risk of bladder cancer.
  • Almost witnessed a dog fight between two pitbulls and a boxer as the pits were coming off the plane.
  • Overheard two employees talking about Louis Farrakhan was visiting in a couple weeks and my mind just started forming the Christmas carol "Farrakhan is Coming to Town."

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• Columbus (GA): Big for a Georgia city but just a whole of nothing with the exception of the army base and the Riverwalk area. Ziplining into Alabama over the river was a pleasure. Downtown reminds of Macon's downtown. Unfortunately, I know several smaller places that feel more alive.

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• Macon: Underrated downtown. Everything south of that is just scary. Hasn't moved on from the 70s.

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• Savannah: Love it everytime I go. Take a ride on the Georgia Queen. Best pecan pie I've ever had was on the riverboat ride. Was surprised to see Dolphins in the river. I'm a sucker for cobblestone streets so of course I enjoyed River Street. Passed by an accapela group singing Royals. The Low Country has the best shrimp n grits.

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• Honolulu: Would move there in a heartbeat if it wasn't so expensive and so far away from the mainland US. I did not want to leave. Freshest food I've ever had. Best ice cream I've ever had was at the Dole Pineapple Factory. Did the Pearl Harbor Tour but didn't get to go on the USS Arizona because I believe they were doing some preservation treatment on it. Bluest water I've ever seen was at Hanauma Bay. Waikiki had the best sunsets I've ever seen. I remember quietly crying at the beauty all around me. Incredibly grateful I got to go before COVID. Funny enough, I saw my first organized political protest there. They were protesting the building of new condos for the sake of the employment of hotel workers.

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• Boston: Boston traffic was different from what I was expecting. It wasn't that traffic was backed up, it was that it was moving. Gotta be aggressive to merge in and be aggressive with the flow. I have also never seen so many toll roads in my life. There was one literally right outside Logan right before you exit the tunnel. Almost a literal troll under the bridge. At our hotel, the Fire Lane was spelled "Frie Lane." IBut I was up there for a work trip and had to go to a suburb instead. I want to go back to Boston one day and give it a fair chance cause I didn't get to really experience it.

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• Minneapolis: Perfect weather in the summer. The Minnesota accent is real. Very kind and polite people. Grateful I got to visit before the George Floyd incident.

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• Kansas City: Great BBQ. I didn't get to stay long but it felt like a really big country town.
• Springfield (MO): Worth it for the Bass Pro Shop. Went there when it was the biggest one.

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• St. Louis: Definitely has its issues. Most homeless people I've seen so far (haven't been to the West Coast yet). Saw one walking around with his butt hanging and I thought I saw two of them die from overdose two days in a row. St. Louis seemingly handles it homeless population better than other big cities though. You've got your stragglers but I saw most of them were confined to one park across the street from Union Station. Also has the most abandoned and boarded up buildings I've ever seen in a city that big, especially in downtown. The air smelled of cigarettes and weed. All that being said, underrated city. One of my favorite downtowns I've visited in terms of things to do. Had a lot more fun here than in KC. This city has the potential to be great again in the right hands and I pray it happens to ya'll. But seriously, you've gotta get better lights. Darkest interstate I've ever driven on at night, going from downtown to the airport.

This review, including photos from my games, originally appeared on my blog at: https://www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/review-here-i-stand-by-ed-beach
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I first played Here I Stand five years ago at a time when I was far less familiar with wargames. In fact I had recently purged my small game collection of every wargame I owned but Here I Stand because I had given up on finding time and people to play them with. Despite this, in 2018 I made the effort of gathering six of my friends and spending the entire day playing Here I Stand. It was amazing. It took us over eight hours. In the end I emerged victorious as the French, securing an instant victory moments before the Ottomans won on VPs earned mostly through piracy. I spent the next 24 hours buzzing with excitement and exhaustion after that phenomenal day of gaming. I had to get it back to the table, I needed that experience again. Finally, a child, a pandemic, and five years later I managed to play it again and let me tell you, it was just as good the second time!
I finally managed to play Here I Stand again thanks to Chimera Con - a single day board game convention in Dublin dedicated to long multiplayer games. Unsurprisingly, Here I Stand is a perennial favourite and this year there were two tables of it running at the con. Instead of playing the full scenario which starts in 1517 and lasts for hours and hours, we were playing the tournament scenario which begins in 1532 and lasts for three game turns; turns four through six of the main scenario. I also wanted to change up my experience by playing one of the religious factions, since France had been pretty much pure military, and so I was assigned the Protestants. We played for the much more manageable time of just under five hours - still a long game, but short enough that many of us managed to play other games in the afternoon. Once again, after finishing the game I was buzzing with excitement and exhaustion for at least 24 hours. I may have only played two games of Here I Stand, but I’ve spent thirteen hours of my life playing those games and many more obsessing over it. I cannot imagine that my opinions will change substantially no matter how many more times I play it, and I have some thoughts I need to put down on (digital) paper.
SOME NECESSARY BACKGROUND
Here I Stand is a six-player card driven wargame about European conflict between the years 1517 and 1555. Each player controls one of six major powers: England, France, the Hapsburgs, the Ottoman Empire, the Papacy, or the Protestant Reformation. As befits a game with this many players covering such a wide topic, Here I stand is a game of substantial complexity. However, that complexity can be a little misleading. While the game as a whole is full of many different systems for modelling a range of potential actions, no player will interact with every one of these in a single game. The only person who really needs to know how every aspect of Here I Stand works is whoever has the onerous job of teaching the game to the rest of the table.
As an example, I was the Protestants in my most recent game. As the Protestants I had no access to ships, and thus I never needed to know how the several pages of naval rules worked. In contrast, my neighbour (both geographically in the game and at the table we were playing on), the Ottomans, needed to know the naval rules intimately but had no need to learn the rules for religious conflict, which made up most of my actions. Now, it is strategically beneficial to understand how each faction works so you can keep track of how they might be scoring points over the course of the game, but it is not necessary and that is a key distinction. You can play Here I Stand by only know about two-thirds of the rules, and that’s not nothing!
This asymmetry helps to keep the game manageable and is core to how it crafts an interesting experience. On their turn each player plays one card from their hand, either for the event or, more usually, for action points they can use during their turn. Each faction has a menu of actions they can spend points on but what options are available to an individual faction and, occasionally, the cost of those actions varies. This isn’t really where the game’s asymmetry comes in, though. These actions are the tools you use to play the game, but in most cases the game has just limited your actions to only those most relevant to your goals. To reuse a previous example, as the Protestant player I couldn’t build ships, but I also had no real motivation to want to do so, so removing this option was no great hindrance to me. How you win the game is where things get interesting.
The boring answer is that you generally win by getting victory points. However, how you get victory points can vary substantially between factions. All factions have some way to get VPs through controlling points on the board, but while most factions share a goal of fighting over key cities this is not universal. Beyond that, each faction generally has a way to earn their own VPs either through religious influence, building chateaus and cathedrals, having children, or piracy. Probably the most interesting element to Here I Stand’s victory conditions is how VP accumulation feels at the same time very slow and, occasionally, terrifyingly fast. This is a game where each VP can feel like a hard fought achievement but then at the same time in turn of my most recent game (a turn being approximately 5-7 card plays for each faction) the English player picked up like eight victory points, going from last to tied for first.
I could espouse at length about how this happens via the chaotic nature of conquest in Here I Stand and the occasional opportunities to seize a fistful of VPs that may come along only once per game, simultaneously lurching you ahead and putting a target on you, but I think describing the nitty gritty would be a disservice. What matters more is the excitement of it! Laying careful plans to slowly pull yourself ahead a few VPs at a time is great, particularly as you know that with the slow shifts in VP that the game allows it can be very hard to claw a leading player back down once you start pushing ahead. At the same time, if you are sitting near the back of the pack watching someone creep ahead you could potentially feel dispirited because you’re stuck behind, but all is not lost! Everyone’s focus being on the leading player could give you an opportunity to jump ahead by attacking a vulnerable point that someone forgot about! Here I Stand is not like the ever-popular multiplayer wargame COIN series in this regard. In my experience, a COIN game generally features players jockeying for the lead and then, as soon as someone gets too far ahead, everyone turning on them and pummeling them into submission. The goal in COIN is usually to be within striking distance of winning, but not actually winning, so that you can jump across that finish line at just the right moment.
Here I Stand absolutely has an element of players trying to keep an eye on who is in the lead and finding ways to pull them back, but it gives players nowhere near as many tools to do that with. For one thing, you can’t just attack players whenever you want – you have to have declared war on them at the start of that turn or have one of the very few cards in the game that let you declare war during a turn. If one player is creeping ahead it often falls to one or two of the other players to keep them in check, leaving the other three to plot how best to use this opportunity to secure their own fortunes. This means that more often than one player being dragged down a huge number of VPs, efforts will be put in place to curtail their advancement only for a new threat to emerge suddenly and distract the table anew. This dynamic is made possible thanks to the number of players and the limitations imposed, both mechanically and geographically, on each of those players. In both of my games one player managed to reach their victory threshold, and thus drew the ire of the table, only for a new threat to emerge in the final turn – in one case the new threat came out victorious while in the other it came up just short but both times it created a thrilling final act for the game!
Take for example my recent game. I was pulling ahead as the Protestant player and that meant that the Papacy and the Hapsburg player had to try and curtail my advancement. The papacy could try to reduce the reach of my religious conversions while the Hapsburgs could take electorates from me, netting them VPs and denying me ones. However, in doing this all attention turned away from England who chose then to launch a major invasion of France (who had left several cities largely undefended to pursue conquests in Italy), which saw them acquire VPs in spades while no one could stop them because they were only at war with France who was stuck in Italy!
A NOTE ON GAME SIZE
Here I Stand has a deserved reputation of being a game of enormous scale. This is both deserved and undeserved and I hope to explain why. Firstly, yes, Here I Stand requires six players. Do not be deceived by the box claiming it can be played at between two and six. This is a game destined to be a six-player experience and that is how I would recommend playing it.
As to its length, however, I have some thoughts. The full scenario is a day long experience, have no doubt about that. It lasts nine turns, and each turn will take you at least an hour to resolve, possibly quite a bit more. Even though there is a decent chance that your game won’t last all the way until turn nine, usually someone wins before then, it will still take many hours. It also won’t stop you from needing to put aside a full day to play the game, because even if you finish on turn seven you need to allow for the possibility of the full nine.
However, let me point you in the direction of the tournament scenario as an interesting alternative. In the tournament scenario you start the game in 1532, on turn four, and you play for three turns of the game. For my most recent game using this scenario we played for about five hours to resolve these three crucial turns during what would be the main scenario’s mid-game. I had worried that it would feel like a truncated experience, but honestly, I felt like it gave me most of what I love about Here I Stand in a much more manageable amount of time. I was really impressed, and I would recommend that people give it a shot – whether you are someone who wants to try this game but is struggling to find the time or if you’re a veteran who is always looking to play it more. It makes very few changes to the core game – players start with a few more cards on the first turn and on the final turn a key event is placed in the English player’s starting hand rather than shuffled into the deck – and gives you so much of that Here I Stand goodness in a half day experience.
That said, I won’t stop wanting to play the full scenario just because the tournament one is so good. There are a few elements that are missing from the tournament scenario and that will mean that I want to play both. In the early game, I missed the more antagonistic relationship between France and the Papacy of the 1517 start that isn’t present in 1532 – namely that the two are at war and France has invaded Italy. The tournament scenario also gives very few opportunities for dynastic change among the players which is an element of the game I really like. You will definitely see a new pope – in our game it happened immediately – and could potentially see a new English monarch or Protestant leader but neither is very likely. These rules don’t necessarily create a radical shift in the game, but if you’re into Here I Stand for the historical narrative (and why else would you be playing it?) then you will be missing out on some of that grand scope the game provides by including dynastic change among its mechanics.
WHAT DOESN’T QUITE WORK
Okay, so I adore this game to the point of obsession, but I am not going to sit here and tell you that it is flawless. This has not stopped me from loving the game, but I must confess that the religious conflict mechanics are a little bit…eh. For context, there are two main ways that the Catholic and Protestant players can convert regions of the board to either of their religious beliefs. They can take actions that let them try and convert specific points on the board or they can engage in religious debates.
Let’s talk first about converting spaces. Converting a space is a contested roll between the Catholic and Protestant player. Whoever is attempting the conversion selects a space and then both players calculate their dice pool based on a variety of factors such as adjacent spaces, presence of troops who support that religion, adjacency of key religious figures, any card effects that are in play this round, etc. Once each player has a total number of dice, they roll looking for the highest single die. Highest result, with whoever wins ties changing over the game, succeeds and the space is either converted or remains the same. I really like this mechanic and it’s a lot of fun…if you’re one of the players involved. Only two players take this action, and the Protestant player will take it far more, sometimes resolving six or more attempts in one turn while everyone else sits around and waits. It’s very time consuming and can cause the game to drag, particularly if you’re not invested in the result. As the Protestant player in my most recent game I had a blast doing this, but I could see the rest of the table groan whenever I had a big turn coming where I was going to try and convert a lot of spaces. It’s a cool mechanic but eliciting this response in a six-player game is not ideal.
The debate rules I like quite a bit less. The Protestant and Catholic player can call debates between their two sides, and these can be used to convert large swaths of territory all in one go and potentially secure victory points by burning or denouncing the opposing debater. The debates themselves work a bit like combat, players get pools of dice and try to score “hits” by rolling fives and sixes on them, but with more steps used to determine who the two debaters will be rather than just knowing who the two armies are because they’re on the board. This mechanism is clearly central to the vision of the game’s design – the Protestant player’s home card (a card that is always available to them every turn) includes specific abilities for using Martin Luther in debates. That said, they have not played a very significant role in either of my games. The rules are complicated and there’s a non-zero chance that after all the steps involved in determining debaters and dice pools and such you will end up with a draw or a very minimal result. The promise of burning heretics at the stake lying sadly out of reach. The two religious factions also have a huge pool of potential debaters, many of whom have useful abilities for other parts of the game, and they can be overwhelming to keep track of. I can’t help but think the potential for them to die has bolstered their number creating the vast surplus of counters for the two players to track. Maybe as I play Here I Stand more I will find a new appreciation for the debate rules, but in a game that is so hard to get to the table it just doesn’t feel like the debate rules totally work. They’re not fundamentally broken or anything, but they feel off and, again, they also take up quite a bit of time and often only interest two of the players at a table of six.
These religion rules are something that was apparently significantly streamlined in Virgin Queen (the sequel to Here I Stand) and I am desperate to play it and see for myself. Tragically, Virgin Queen was already out of print back when I first played Here I Stand half a decade ago and there is still no clear timeline on a new edition going forward. Maybe some day I will decide to go mad and drop a stack of cash on one of the few copies available on the second-hand market, but until then I live in hope that GMT will finally reprint it.
TO CONCLUDE
Let’s be honest, Here I Stand is obviously not a game for everyone. It’s huge, it’s long, it has forty pages of rules, over a hundred cards, and don’t get me started on the many little counters with their own special rules you have to juggle. It’s nowhere near the most complicated game out there, it’s honestly middle of the road as far as card drive games go, but it is still a lot to take on board even before you start factoring in that a short game takes four to five hours. That all having been said, I feel confident saying that Here I Stand is one of my favourite games of all time. Nothing else I have played gives me the same feeling of excitement as it does. After each game I spend the next 24-36 hours buzzing with excitement at what I just experienced. It sucks you in to its historical sandbox and gives you the freedom to pull some levers while also helping to guide you into understanding even some of what was happening during a particularly chaotic period in European history. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But I love it, nonetheless.
If after reading this entire review you think that Here I Stand sounds like a dreadful way to spend an afternoon or day, then please do not waste that time with it. Do not let my love for this game convince you to try it if you don’t think you would enjoy it. However, if after reading all of this you think that Here I Stand sounds fascinating, then you must play it. Nothing else will give you this experience, you must seek it out. Either way, trust your gut and what it tells you about Here I Stand. Mine tells me it’s hungry for more.

I am currently just north of Boulder and have lived in the Rockies for a large part of my life> The winters and outdoor activities were great when I was younger, but now my body longer likes the cold.
I am looking for somewhere warmer closer to the ocean in the Southeast US. I lived in Florida (Panama City) as a young child - early 70's, and Norfolk, VA when I was in the Navy (I lived in Ghent). I will be working remote and making over $100k. I'm not much into the club/nightlife scene any more, but arts/museums, restaurants, good beaches would be nice. Eventual retirement goal is to buy a boat.
Thanks for your help
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Edit: I have lived in: Norfolk, Virginia and love the Chesapeake Bay, would consider going back. California: San Diego, San Jose, Mountain View (politics have gone insane, would not want to live there again) Colorado: Longmont, Estes Park (Beautiful, but too high elevation for medical reasons). Cheyenne, Wyoming - grew up there. Italy, and have visited multiple countries, but need to keep it US for now.

Chapter 88 - From All I Believed
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Morning, Two days before Shel
Captain Setar suppressed a smile as she watched the Ops door close. “Well, that was interesting… Ce’lani is a little cranky.” The last vestiges of sleep clung to her as she settled down into the command chair. She felt worn out, but it was the cusp of dawn, and Pod Seven had only just turned over control. “Report on station?”
“The perimeter’s secure,” Jelki replied crisply, pulling up the map of the campus on the main screen. “Pod One is on station and reports twelve by twelve. Sgt Ma’reis is already complaining about janitor duty.”
“Ah, first pod problems.” Setar shook her head, rubbing her eyes and blowing gently on her mug of tea. “What about the objective?”
“The objective’s secure,” Re’lan piped up, already sounding chipper. The woman could have been priestess of Jrafell. Her unwavering cheeriness would have been a character fault if she weren’t so devoted. As it was, it was a damned penance for everyone else at this time of day.
Jelke finished running the obligatory shift change checks and stretched. Things wouldn't get interesting until breakfast, but watching the perimeter was a given. It didn't keep the curiosity out of her voice, as she cocked her head and glanced over. “What was interesting with Captain Ton’is, Ma’am?”
“Mm! Well… it appears she’s expecting a call from Professor Warrick today,” Setar drawled out, taking a moment to savor their reaction. “She felt a need to remind me she’s devoted to Hele, and that if Be’ona or I let her sleep through the call, she’s going to ‘fuck us up the ass with a lasrifle and pull the trigger’.”
Re’lan was probably blushing like a cadet, but Jelke shook her head ruefully. “I expect there's a ‘but’ in there somewhere, Captain?”
“Well, yeah, she said that’s where the rifle would go…” Setar sniggered before taking a long sip from her tea, and slid a bit lower in the command couch. Her eyes wandered to the traffic on the board. “She also made it clear what’ll happen if anybody listens in.”
Thoughtful silence descended. Setar almost counted to twelve before-
“We’re going to anyway, right Captain?” Jelke asked nonchalantly. “You know, for security’s sake?”
“Sergeant, that would be a base infringement of Captain Ton’is’ privacy, which is in fucking short supply for everyone in this bunker.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, watching the steam rise from her mug. “Deeps right we are.”
_ _ _
Lady Wicama regarded her guest with interest as their autocab plied its way about the outskirts of Prelitauri. While she’d been free and cheerfully able to accommodate Khelira’s request, Monsignor Santino Barcio, or Friar Barcio, as he preferred, was not at all what she’d been expecting. She supposed it was a matter of exposure…
The Palace had never quite been the same since Princess Yn’dara’s wedding. Yn’dara was one of those odd Royals who, though well-regarded, was seldom in the public eye. A perennial favorite of the Empress, indulging her unexplained absences passed as a matter of course for the Court. Widely known to be estranged from her mother, Princess Arduina, no one enquired either deeply or often, so when she suddenly resurfaced, her return would have equally passed without comment… if not for the wedding.
Yn’dara had shocked the entire Nobility.
While it was common for any woman to marry into an established family and become a kho, the wedding should have been singular for a Princess. Princesses didn’t marry into families, Princesses formed them. And while Yn’dara technically had done so, she’d taken on three unmarried women at the same time as her husband, who was a Human! Favorite or no, the wags in the court were agog that the Empress accepted Adam so readily! The Empress, however, had been adamant; Yn’dara and her family had her blessings, and were to be left alone.
However, time had proven to be on Yn’dara’s side as well as the Empress.
After a wedding seen across the galaxy, Yn’dara’s family settled into a life of public duty. They spent long trips away from Shil, and while quietly dismissed as ‘pleasure excursions’, her trips often showed the throne to the outer provinces. Although her public engagements were few, she’d become a vocal advocate of the Empress’ reforms against graft and corruption, and, gradually, the jealous mutters about scandalous excess and Human debauchery faded away. Her marriage remained an unusual footnote, but time had demonstrated the value of Yn’dara and her wives to the throne.
Then there was Prince Adam.
Rumor held the Prince had made a favorable impression on the Empress years before, at an event hosted by Yn’dara’s mother. While details had never been forthcoming, a more significant story about Adam wafted briefly through the ranks of the Golden Glaives.
Both stories had been effectively silenced, but Wicama knew who to talk to, and being Khelira’s guardian carried a certain clout all its own. Though that influence waxed and waned over the years, raising Khelira required being aware of events that could shape her future, and she’d proven herself to be discreet. Over time, doors had opened and words had flowed.
Time had been on Prince Adam’s side, as well.
As the years passed, she’d had an exposure to Prince Adam that few of the court and none of the public enjoyed. She’d been wary at first, but he’d been a good friend and mentor to Princess Khelandri before she joined the Marines, and however infrequent his presence, he always displayed a keen mind, a loving heart, and a steadfast duty to his wives. Privately, he absolutely doted on young Khelira and possessed a loyalty to the Empress that you could bend battlesteel around. The two got along famously - after all, he was a veteran.
Not Navy, mind you, but you couldn’t have everything.
And so, as Humanity began making forays upon the galactic stage, her first impression of the species had been favorable. She’d witnessed Adam mature into his role with the court, and while the issue of children remained unspoken, that faded as well. At the time, Yn’dara had been sixth in the line of succession. A year after the wedding, Kamaud’re became an adult, followed a year later by Khelandri, and the matter became largely moot.
As for a second impression on Humans, Khelira had provided enthusiastic reports about Thomas Warrick. While the Princess thrived at the Academy, Warrick seemed to be something special.
The absence of a father in her life had been a void that no woman could properly fill, but she’d done her best. Although she’d entertained a few qualms, as the months passed by, Warrick remained a positive influence. Khelira’s messages were infrequent by necessity, but she’d written about her distress over Warrick’s family and clearly been moved. Prince Adam carried his own scars, but what veteran didn’t? He hid them carefully around Khelli, and if Warrick had chosen not to, he’d provided a useful sense of perspective, instead. It was time for Khelira to grow up, and that meant facing the grist of differing opinions and ugly realities. That was what education was actually for, and Warrick seemed to be doing admirably well as a grindstone.
All of that was before the library incident, which settled her opinion once and for all. While erratic, irreverent, and capable of violence, Humans clearly could be a positive influence when channeled in the right direction. Yn’dara had shown what a good Shil’vati woman was capable of with Prince Adam, and Lady Pel’avon was following suit.
And at least the wags at the Palace wouldn’t speak of Yn’dara’s state wedding again. As a subject for spectacle, Miv’eire Pel’avon’s had put it to shame.
Still, it was good to see Warrick married. While Professor Ha’meres scandalous exploits had faded from the public eye, older wo… more mature women didn’t forget such things. The man had been a daring adventurer - and an inveterate gadabout - and an unmarried man around that many young women was too tempting for some girls. A wife or two… preferably more… resolved such idle fancies. If the Pel’avon ceremony had been somewhat… questionable in taste, compared to Adam’s, it remained legally binding. Warrick was willing to settle down, and by all reports his wife had a proper sense of decorum.
Human men seemed to be a trial from the Goddess, but hopefully she and her kho-wife could sort him with time, love, and kindness.
While exposure to only two Humans was not what she’d call a comprehensive sample, in both cases her impressions had been quite positive. And so, when Khelli asked her to escort a Human Priest about the city, she’d been entirely willing.
Thus far, it had been an enjoyable morning. While there had been occasional missteps, their conversation had been delightful as they traveled from property to property. Even so, she hadn’t expected to meet such a kindred spirit.
Admittedly she’d stammered a bit when he mentioned eating the flesh and drinking the blood of his redeemer. On the other hand, she compared it to the first time she’d bled into the ocean, mingling salt in her blood with the seas. He’d turned shockingly pale, so she changed the subject. It was a purely symbolic act to Drepna - just a cut on the thumb, for goddess sake...
She’d taken extra care afterwards. Barcio could be clearly a sensitive male, but diplomacy was part of her work. Even calling her role ‘work’ was deceptive. She’d raised Khelira in every way an Empress could not.
It was easy for other women to appreciate the prestige of her position, but few understood the depth of it - or the satisfaction.
During her career in the Navy, her flotilla had provided direct support for the Empress, and they’d come to work closely over three tours. After Khelira’s birth years later, the invitation came from the Royal Household to act as her guardian, and she’d never looked back. Competition had been fierce for the prestigious position, but applying had been the best move of her life.
Empress Kamilesh loved all her children and had spent as much time with each of them as she could, but her work was all-consuming, and after her husband’s act of… Well, the Empress had been there, but she’d born her pain privately. She had lost herself in her work for many years before recovering a semblance of her former self, and her absence had taken a toll on her children. Kamaud’re had taken it the worst. Khelandri had bounced back, while everyone doted on Lu’ral. Barely more than an infant, Khelira had been far too young to remember. Wicama had been there through all of it.
It was a good life, and the princess was a delightful girl. For Wicama, the absence of a man in her life was something she’d felt now and then, but she invested her life in Khelira. The Empress treated her as a member of the family in all but name… and in a very real sense, the child you raised was your child.
Looking back, some women might insinuate she’d given up her personal life to raise another woman’s daughter. They couldn’t have been more wrong.
She had her calling - just as Friar Barcio had his.
Yes, he was a priest, and his religious strictures were very unusual. A male priest in any of the Shil’vati faiths would never be placed under such restraints, and for a man to go unmarried was noteworthy…
But she understood having a calling. Oh yes, she understood that as few others could.
After discussing his needs, they’d set out to examine three properties around Prelitauri. The Friar’s individual requirements were deceptively difficult when taken as a whole. A complex coupling a generous auditorium, ample administrative space, and he clearly needed substantial grounds to properly convey a sense of aura. Such accommodations were seldom on the market, and since he expected his colleagues to arrive in weeks, his need was immediate.
Thankfully, urban renewal moved in waves. The tides of such fashions meant Prelitauri was once again an up-and-coming area. While difficult to find, three older structures had the potential to be suitable, and so it was that she’d enjoyed learning about her guest as they explored the tiny district.
The Monsignor spoke four other Earth languages fluently. He tended to break into his native tongue and hadn’t mastered contractions yet, but his Vatikre was passable and he listened carefully, seldom needing to ask about a word. After limiting her contractions when she spoke, their conversation flowed easily.
Barcio had shown little enthusiasm for the first two properties, but their conversation regarding other matters never waned. She expanded on her devotion to Drepna, Shil and the roles of each goddess while asking careful questions of his faith. His own inquiries proved thoughtful, and he was as avid in politely asking after her beliefs as explaining his faith.
After their second hour together, she’d taken the liberty of calling Prelate Hi’meta Merlamiss. As a priestess of Drepna’s second circle, Merlamiss had proven a valuable contact over the years. Well connected, she enjoyed a good relationship with many other prelates of the Divine Halls; she also got on well with Xinfess, the Rakiri’s Speaker of the Dark Mother on Shil. A meeting with Barcio would readily open doors for his group that might otherwise prove difficult to attain, and while Barcio’s accent strained now and then, it was clear the Monsignor and the Prelate shared a questionably low sense of humor.
Given a chance, they’d probably get on famously.
Certainly, that would be a blessing. Their hunt for a suitable facility had not gone nearly so well, and while Barcio had been conciliatory toward the first two facilities, she could tell he wasn’t taken with either. The last property wasn’t high in her expectations, so she found herself casting her head to the side when it swept into view and he clasped his hands in excitement.
”*È bella!* This is beautiful,” he exclaimed. “It reminds me a bit of my childhood home in Sacile!”
She looked out at the complex with its low gabled roofs, as their cab wound up from the entrance. Beside the drive, a small river meandered through the campus past the main buildings. She tapped the console to slow their ride and considered the place in a new light. “I’m… well, a bit surprised to be honest, Friar.”
“Please! We have been traveling for hours now, and I am not holding a service.” The Friar spared her a warm smile, before gazing back at the premises. “I would take it as a great kindness if you would call me Santino.”
“Very well - on the condition you call me Wicama.” It had been some time since anyone called her by anything but title or rank, and the informality was pleasant. Still, as their autocab closed on the end of the lane, she let such thoughts go and considered the location properly.
The buildings were low, sensible cubes, but that was largely an end to it. The architect had made some unusual choices in Helkam motifs that strained understanding. A long colonnade bordered the river, and that seemed nice enough, but the buildings! Forgoing purple was one thing, but they were beige! With unusual elements and the repressively bland color scheme, it was small wonder the clerk handling the property confessed that the space had lain vacant. Its original owners went into foreclosure. The exotic design had proven unable to attract interest, laying dormant ever since.
Barcio… Santino… seemed delighted, however, and she pulled up the specifications on her omni-pad. “This site has two smaller auditoriums besides the main one, while the central building has four floors. One is underground, but all the floors face an interior atrium.”
As the cab gently halted in the car park, she climbed out to hold the door but Santino had already scrambled out and was examining the gardens with evident interest. Tall stands of parago trees were losing the last of their fronds for the year, but she had to admit the grounds were substantial. Yesterday’s storm had left the morning air cold and crisp, lending the gardens an appealing aspect. Untended since the last owners, much could be done with them.
She had given up trying to escort the Friar anywhere after their first two stops, and now they fell into an easy pace side by side as they strolled toward the main building. She turned back to the property itself. “So, this reminds you of your home?”
It wasn’t exactly Helkam architecture - domes weren’t covering every possible surface - but the builder had clearly been nodding in that direction. A promenade wound to the entry, supporting white chevrons that arced into the sky. The bright morning sky shone through clever cutouts, making the unusual design at least look light, rather than oppressive and unappealing. With a decent renovation, the facility had possibilities, and the price was comparatively low.
“*Si!* Oh, not so much like home, but there is the sense of it. I was born near the sea, and this feels… similar.” He gave her a depreciating smile before rolling his eyes. “It may not please everyone who is coming, but ‘everyone’ is not here, so I am allowed some indulgence! Better to have something waiting than nothing at all. I confess, some of my colleagues thought we’d only manage when the bridge to Messina is finished.”
“You should not have been sent ahead alone! Surely your colleagues were not that worried about a poor reception,” she tutted. Priest or no, there were decencies about a man traveling alone to be observed. “You shouldn't need a bridge to find a place for your mission. I don’t know where Messina is, but I’m certain Prelate Marlemis wouldn’t stand for it!”
“Tch! Excuse my poor efforts! The older I get, the more I remember things like yesterday. Unfortunately, the yesterdays I remember so well were thirty years ago!” Barcio smiled wryly up at her as they walked. “The ‘bridge to Messina’ used to be a saying… People dreamed of building a bridge to Sicily, and it became something that never happened. My English friends would instead say ‘when hell freezes over’. *Un'espressione volgare*, but very much to the point.”
“Ah… I’m sure we can manage something, and this could be made presentable. Maybe change the beige to a pale violet?” she offered helpfully as she made it to the door first, holding it open. “The aura inside isn’t so bad.”
“You’ve said that several times, but I do not know what you mean?” He paused in looking around the entry, which had an open foyer exposing the two floors above and led out to the atrium beyond. “What is ‘aura’? I do not think I know the word as you mean it.”
“Aura is… Hmm…” Wicama paused thoughtfully and gestured at the atrium. The interior was in better shape than the grounds, and the architect had done something clever. Not yet noon, a bevel along the top edge filled the space with sunlight. “Have you ever walked along a beach and wanted to save a shell? When you are there, that is aura… When you take the shell home and think of the beach, that is aura, but… less focused. Diminished. You sense the beach because of the shell, but you are not at the beach. Places can have aura, but it is more than character. If you move through a place and find yourself experiencing it? That is aura.”
“Mhm! *lodevole!* I like this idea very much. It would be right at home in the Vatican. Not everyone understands a space can move the spirit, or lend power to a message.” He nodded thoughtfully as he cast his eye about the open space. “With the right advice, perhaps we can lead others to these halls.”
“Perhaps. If you tour the Palace, I hope you’ll allow me to show you about? A lot of the real gems are hidden from the public.” She watched as he wandered toward the double-helixed stairways bordering the room. Those were definitely Helkam; walking up one side without meeting someone coming down the other was an interesting experience… once. After that, they could be an absolute nuisance. Spotting the elevators, she called him back. “The nice thing is this place is inexpensive! That will pad out your funds for a good remodel.”
Wicama quietly thanked the Goddesses that the builder’s had the good sense to install normal Shil’vati-style elevators. The sides were open, granting a wide view out over the atrium. The grounds were terraced to create a small park; that could make the underground space bearable, and the plans made them seem spacious enough. Not to everyone’s taste, but pretty. “I feel bad for asking, but can you afford the building? If the price of the first two bothered you, we can find others.”
“I would not hear of it! Thank you for your concern, but we are economical with our funds, and were sent with a generous sum. This is an important venture to everyone involved,” Barcio clasped a hand over his chest, as he shook his head. “I can not thank you enough for your help! You have surely spared me weeks, and I might not have found something half so suitable. As it is, the grounds are enough to gain me converts. Father Roscio and Pastor Weber will surely plant a vineyard before the inside is half done!”
“It’s not a problem. I have plenty of time,” she replied, dismissing the matter as inconsequential. “I work at the Palace, but with the Court away and my daughter at school, I’m a bit at loose ends just now. At the very least, I insist on helping you through the paperwork. I wouldn’t put it past some realty clerks to try and overcharge you… Someone from outside Shil, that is. I’ll ensure they stick to the listing.”
“To someone not from Shil… or someone who is not Shil’vati, perhaps?” His head canted slightly to one side, but he smiled as he said it. “*Certamente!* I would not dream of preventing you, though Rabbi Kleinbaum will be bitterly disappointed she has nothing to moan about.”
“I hope you won't take this badly, as I’ve only met one Human.” Wicama gave him a smile. She was long past girlish uncertainty, and the Navy had taught her a generous measure of professional poise to go with her skills as a markswoman. “You aren’t what I expected.”
“You know the professore, then?” He sucked in a breath and pursed his lips. “I am still deciding what sort of man he is.”
“No, actually, I know another Human but I’ve not… I have not… met Professor Warrick.”
“So. You mean that I am not *un barbaro*? I am here to make sure that we are seen as something more than savage warriors, *capisci*?” He studied her expectantly. “While the Imperium is doing good work on Earth, some still live in want. The Imperium provides enough for all to survive, but not all live in plenty. We need to present ourselves well.”
”That seems like a very secular outlook.” She offered, as they rode up to the third floor. Barcio asked for an explanation of the word, and by the time they’d made their way through the first offices he had the idea.
“My church has not always troubled itself with such things, but our holy father is greatly concerned with such inequalities. He takes it upon himself to address such matters with the Governess, when their time allows.”
“Your church has a good relationship with her?”
“È straordinario! The Governess adores our food, and while she was adamant about taking quarters in the Vatican, she has taken pains not to disturb us.” He shrugged dismissively. “*Cosa sai fare?* It seemed a small price, and we have endured far worse.”
“I used to hear terrible stories about red zones on Earth, though the Humans I’ve met don't seem the sort. It is good that your… pulp?” She tried the word and was rewarded with kind laughter and a gentle correction. “It is good that your pope concerns himself with the full welfare of the people and works with your governess. Our prelates share the same concerns.”
“I thought the Empress was the head of your church? Now, I find you have many…” he groped for a word, frowning, and gave up. “*Questo accento è una prova di fede!* ‘Denominations’ is not the right word, but she is the one revered, yes?”
“Of course! The Empress has to show all of our virtues and none of our faults, but that’s part of her role. To favor any divinity over the others could cause divisions. She has her personal preferences, of course, but never lets them be known.” Wicama explained carefully. “It would be in poor taste.”
“And poor politics, I think?” Santino gave her a long look. At his height it was difficult, but he managed. “This makes sense to me now, that the Imperium leaves matters of faith alone. *Una benedizione inaspettata.*”
Despite the serious topic, his fervent reply brought a smile back to her lips. “It seems your pope considers politics as well as economics.”
“People will always defend economic theories which assume that growth will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice. This has never been confirmed by the facts, and expresses a crude trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.” He said, stopping to clasp a hand over his cross. “Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.”
“That doesn't sound like scripture.” She offered cautiously, as they made their way into a wider suite of offices on the second floor.
“*Esattamente.* The words of Pope Francis, a good and blessed man who appointed me to my position. His successor, his holiness John Paul the Third, is much of the same mind,” Santino said quietly. “Our savior washed the feet of others and urged all to do the same. The hardest step is to be involved. To work together for change, as well as to pray. That is why I am here.
“*I pigri di cuore trovano sempre una scusa* Some Humans, they are yet angry with the Imperium. Now they have enough, they are bitter not to have plenty. For some there is never enough - the true poverty lies within their hearts,” Santino said a bit testily. “Our faith teaches us to find salvation in eternal life, but others? *Pigrizia!* They see it as an excuse from taking agency in themselves. Jesus washed the feet of others - he did not lay down and wait for someone to wash his!”
Wicama turned the unfamiliar metaphor over in her mind but decided she had the sense of it. “Sham teaches us that helping our families and one another is the same as helping ourselves. ‘The rising tide bares us all from the reefs’.” It was a matter of faith… but that was why it was faith in the first place. On the whole, it seemed like a mature perspective that explained the changes she’d seen in Prince Adam over the years. “You’re here to meet with others, but this seems as much about knowing yourselves.”
“*Sì, non è una brutta cosa avere umiltà davanti a Dio.* Human beings, while we are capable of the worst, we are also capable of choosing the good. Of rising up to make a new start. We are entering the galaxy.” He gestured out the window at the world beyond. “If not now… when?”
_ _ _ “So, when are you going to explain this masterpiece you four have been cooking up?” Marin asked. Sammi and Sam were barely awake but the twins had already arrived, bright-eyed and enthusiastic, and Marin cursed the resilience of youth. The room was acceptably warm, but Ayen had complained about the cold and used the excuse to slip back into bed. She was considering her options for joining him.
Somewhere, somehow, Sammi had found their rabbit pajamas again. “Sam, explain it to her? You do it better.” Sammi yawned, but Marin suspected it was an act. Once something got their attention, sleep was usually an afterthought.
“What, now?” Sam had barely stumbled into the room and blinked. Bleary-eyed and barely awake, he looked like he’d been ambushed, which was exactly the case.
“Pllllllleeeease…?” They sat back pulling the ears, giving their best Roger Rabbit impression. Luminous green eyes peered out at Sam, imploringly.
“Alright… I need coffee, but fine.” Sam trudged over to the kitchenette and poked listlessly at the instant coffee. It was getting perilously low, but Marin was sure he’d brought more on the ship. Eventually Sam gestured at the K’herbhal sisters with his mug. “So the girls want to create an artificial topological soliton. It's like a black hole, except where it isn't… It's sort of a kink in space-time.”
“Made you say kink!” Sammi grinned impishly and the girls blushed. Marin shook her head but paid attention. It felt far too early after another late night, but once everyone was up you had to hang on for whatever came next.
“So, what's that got to do with this… hole you want to use for power?” Marin raised her voice just enough to drag the conversation back on track.
“It’s more like a side effect. If it cuts the right angle, it goes into a realm of space-time we can tap for power. Think of it as an obverse of an energy drain, so it's like a white hole.”
“Let me guess.” Marin shook her head and grinned, holding up a hand to forestall the inevitable. “Except where it isn’t?”
“Ummm… pretty much.” Sam grumbled, blowing at his coffee. Marin glanced back at the twins. With Sam busy, the twins had gravitated to either side of Sammi. There was room left on the couch, and she wandered over to settle in beside one of them.
The Sams had been complaining for years about a lack of ‘focal power’ for their mass compression technologies, and while a rubber duck inside a diamond was impressive, they’d wanted to do something more - a lot more. She suspected if the twins were providing the means, then they already had something about to surface from the depths of their imaginations. Over the years she’d learned to pick a bit, rather than take their answers at straight value. “And if things don’t cut at the right angle? You remember how long it took to get rid of the Navy, when you started talking about making black holes?”
“It's not our fault they didn’t understand,” Sammi said defensively, crossing their arms and pouting at her before the rabbit ears fell over their face.
“Who didn’t understand what?” Akeimei yawned at the door. She cast a wink her way before wrapping her arms around Sam and gave him a quick hug. “What did I miss?”
“Umm… a parallel universe, if the math is right,” Sam mumbled from the depths of his coffee cup.
“What? Like identical versions of us?” Marin watched Akimei’s nose wrinkled at the smell before she slipped away from Sam. Slipped down beside her, they rubbed shoulders a moment. “Tell me, is there one where I get more sleep?”
“More or less identical… though it's not like you need to go into a parallel universe for that sort of thing. There’s already a ‘you’ out there somewhere right now, to say nothing of past and future ‘you’.” Sam scratched his cheek idly for a moment “It's just the math. The universe is so vast that there are exact physical cosmic twins of us out there somewhere, not to mention even more almost-twins.”
“Sam’s right!” Sammi perked up excitedly, bouncing on the sofa. “Then there are quantum cosmic twins - which gets weird because particles exist in multiple states and you’d sort of overlap… but the easiest one is probably just another us elsewhere in the universe right now! That's sort of the point where the universe is bigger than you can imagine!”
“So exactly the same… or almost.” One of the twins giggled. “Just like us!”
“Pretty much,” Sam nodded, slowly emerging from the depths of his coffee. “Another you out there on another Shil, or another me on a whole Earth, even - just a little bit different.”
“What? Like an Earth that never met the Imperium?” Marin canted her head, tossing out the obvious. It was hard to remember her life before, and she didn’t want to contemplate the alternative.
“Oh, I don't like that idea.” One of the twins stuck out her lip. “We want to come to Earth!”
“Yeah,” her sister nodded, though she suddenly looked glum. “I don’t know if Professor Warrick would mind though. He’d be with his wife and daughter, there.”
“Oh…” her sister's face crumpled. “I didn’t think of it that way.”
“Well, don’t…” Sammi hugged them both a moment, though they held the first twin a bit tighter. “The point is, somewhere he’s with them right now!”
“Wow, I guess so.” she brightened. “Just imagine! A whole Earth that never met the Shil’vati!”
“I wouldn’t worry, sis.” her twin nodded. “I think Professor Warrick is pretty happy right now.”
_ _ _
“I am not happy about this!” Tom glared at his omni-pad before tossing it down in frustration.
Miv looked up at her husband.
“It’s an honor!” She tucked her chin in and gave him a long, considered look, “What is it that’s bothering you - really? It wasn't Monsignor Barcio. Are you certain this isn't the same sort of thing?”
“Yes, I’m sure!” he growled, looking away like a guilty child. “Alright, maybe… but this uniform is the silliest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ll look like a mushroom, and the hat only makes it worse!" Tom grimaced at the omni-pad accusingly, "They won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, so now I’m on the rolls as a Warden Captain - whatever that is - and this ceremony is ridiculous!”
“The ceremony is traditional. Very symbolic... Besides, they don't make wardens out of anyone below the rank of captain - I looked it up. You were one before, so it's appropriate to make you one instead of a Warden Major or Warden Colonel.” She smiled at him serenely. “Surely, it can’t be the worst thing you’ve ever done.”
He turned to wag a finger her way. “I’ll take that bet!”
“Worse than our wedding reception…?” She crooned, teasing him. “Or maybe pre-term night? I swear by the Goddess no one will pinch your ass, except for Lea and I.”
“Fine…” Her smile grew wider as he grumbled, but he was calming down already and there wasn't heat in it. Still, he stubbornly clung on to the point a while longer. "It’s in my top five.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive, husband. Now then, I have meetings all afternoon, so why don't you finish reviewing the menu? You’ll feel better when all this is over and you can go back to cooking, chess, or starting that eeeyiy club… You might even give Ce’lani a call or message her?” She gathered her coat and smiled demurely, though it harbored nothing innocent. “If I’m not here you’ll have perfect privacy… Just don't promise anything you wouldn't promise to me.”
“It’s iai-do…” Tom groused, but he was already picking up his omni-pad.
She blew him a kiss and made her way toward the commons. Tom would probably stew a while, but he’d make the call.
There would be time to meet with Ce’lani on the common, before she had to come home for dinner.
_ _ _
Tom looked over the banquet menu as if it might reach out and bite him. The words stared up at him with perfect innocence.
Appetizer: Fruit and Cheese Platter - Slices of various cheeses and fruits on a platter providing a delicate mix of sweet, tangy and creamy to invigorate the dining experience. Serve with a selection of sweet and semi-sweet wines.
Soup: Choice of Tomato or French Onion Soup - Served with a piece of baguette and cheese.
Salad: Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing -- an assortment of greens and fruit with a balsamic grain dressing to cleanse the palate.
Entree: Cornish Pasty - This herb-infused meat and pastry dish provides a counterpoint to the tangy taste of the salad and soup. Served with a creamy buttered mashed potato (a vegetable, humanely prepared!) with chives (also a vegetable). Served with a selection of wines or ales.
Dessert: Chef’s Sorbet Surprise - A sweet treat complemented by a palate cleanser, ending the meal on a piquant note.
His last call with Bherdin had been a trial and a half. Omni-pads were the definition of ‘high fidelity’, and hearing the little Shil’vati hyperventilate for ten minutes over the plan was pointless. At least Melondi had easier going with Vedeem on her side... one way or another this was happening.
As a final consolation, he relented on wearing matching suits. Bherdin frequently bemoaned Tom’s 'lamentable' fashion sense, and he perked up at that, promising to get him some appropriate formalwear for the occasion.
Privately, he suspected his Shil’vati friend was looking for a convenient alibi if a riot started.
In fairness, it probably wasn't a bad idea.
“Too late to use it myself…” he muttered. It wasn’t quite noon, and Miv was probably right. Instead of Chess Club or starting Iai-do practice or just cooking out at Human Food, he was stuck here at home. Miv’s place was bigger, but most of his stuff was still in boxes; it left him listless and climbing the walls. If this worked, at least things could get back to normal.
…Mostly normal…
He flipped back to the picture of the Warden uniform on his omni-pad. It was bad enough, but the hat made the whole thing look like a blue toadstool in silver filigree.
He swiped the picture away like an act of revenge, but didn’t toss the pad back on the table.
…Miv was right... and I promised to call Ce’lani…
Tom centered himself, pulling up the number. The universe was always in motion and a good Taoist accepted their part in what came. That was the lesson of ‘the Vinegar Tasters’, and it held true… The painting showed three men standing around a vat of vinegar. Each has dipped his finger into the vinegar and tasted it. The expression on each man's face showed his individual reaction.
The painting was an allegory for Confucius, Buddha, and Lao-tse. Confucius wore a sour look on his face. He believed life was out of harmony with the universe. As the second figure in the painting, Buddha had a bitter expression. Like the vinegar, life was painful and filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The last man, Lao-tse, was smiling at the taste. To him, harmony existed naturally and could be found by anyone at any time in any experience.
He thought about his buddy Dave. The old Marine would probably shake his head and tell him to ‘embrace the suck.’ It pretty much boiled down to the same thing.
Not that he was against calling. Miv and Lea had practically taken turns urging him on and giving their views on why it was a good idea. They hadn't harped about it, but he knew which way the wind was blowing. And Ce’lani’s message had been short, sweet in the literal sense, and the sound file she’d offered up had been…
…Pretty nice, really…
If he still said no, or decided he didn't like where this was going, they’d back his choice, of course. He didn't have a doubt in his mind… But with everything else in his life turned upside down, calling Ce’lani seemed like a calm in the eye of a storm.
…It's just a phone call. Leave the chaos at the gate…
He settled down on the couch to check his messages before giving her a call. It was nearly lunch…

Just got back from a solo trip through South Africa, and despite all the cautions and reservations I heard on- and off-line, I loved every bit of it! Sharing some quick notes here for reference, and happy to answer any queries from people thinking of travelling there.
Profile
34 yo Indian man. Not the primest of targets for crime, admittedly, but I didn't really look like a poor write-off as well.
Dates
21 May 2023 - 31 May 2023
Itinerary
2N in Johannesburg with visits to Apartheid Museum, Soweto, and Rosebank Mall. Stayed at Clico Boutique Hotel in Rosebank. Found the city to be pleasant and well worth the stopover, also perfectly safe if navigated using Uber or through join-in tours.
3N in Greater Kruger, specifically at Nyati Safari Lodge in the Balule Reserve, with 2x game drives daily (morning and evening). Saw 3 of the big 5 (missed out on Rhinos and Leopards but have seen them earlier in India, so no heartache) as well as animals unique to Africa - hippos (right outside my room!), zebra, giraffes, and more antelopes than I can remember the names of. Also did a bushwalk, and loved all the bush sundowners and breakfasts. It was absolutely safe inside the lodge, the bigger threats mere mischeivous monkeys raiding the mini-bar. This was my first African Safari experience, and I loved every bit of it - can definitely see myself become a safari hoe in the years to come.
2N in Franschhoek, with a day-long self-cycle through the region (the road from Berg River Dam to Huguenot Memorial is beautiful), and more wine tastings (highly recommend Eikehof and Glenwood) than I'd had in the entirety of my life till the day. The place was my favourite in SA - beautiful, delicious, creative, and a bubble of safety. Stayed at the lovely Chanteclair guesthouse (the host Allan is a gem).
3N in Cape Town, with visits to Table Mountain, the waterfront, a peninsula tour (Camp's Bay, Hout Bay, Chapman's Peak, Cape of Good Hope, Boulders Penguin Colony, and Muizenberg), Kirstenbosch, Company's Garden, Zeitz MCAA (fantastic if you're into art) and Bo Kaap (with the lovely and free Cape Town Walking Tours). The city is easily one of the most, if not the most, beautiful in the world - the setting is spectacular, even in the cold, windy, rainy weather I was there in. It was also markedly safer than Joburg, and there were several parts of town where walking around didn't make me feel as on-edge. Stayed at Taj Cape Town (stellar downtown hotel which allows easier access to the actual city than the tourist enclave hotels of the lively but sterile Waterfront area).
Safety
Almost everyone I spoke to before visiting South Africa painted it as a free-for-all crime zone. I'd be mugged, raped, killed, or whatnot here, they said. Don't go alone. Don't go at all. All of it, ofcourse, turned out to be overblown, panic-stricken hogwash. I navigated the country without incident. BUT I didn't just stroll into town with an open wallet either - I made sure to stay at good hotels (within my budget), keep my valuables hidden away like in a secure backpack or an inside pocket, check locally for safety advice, and use Ubers or tours wherever recommended. These weren't special safety procedures designed for South Africa, mind you, they were just common precautions I'd use in any country I was visiting. It helped my travel remain incident free, and the only time I was approached by someone mildly unsavoury was when a drunk man stumbled past saying 'Good day brother' in Bo Kaap. The biggest threat to my safety in SA turned out to be marauding monkeys at my lodge near Kruger who raided the neighbouring room's minibar and made away with milk and coffee sachets. Also, contrary to some advice, things left lying around in my hotel room as well as check-in baggage at the airports remained absolutely safe and untampered.
Power (Cuts)
Load shedding is rife, and Joburg was seeing 10-12 hours of load shedding while I was there. However, all my hotels had power backup, and all the spots I visited had power backup (wherever needed), so I effectively only ever noticed loadshedding during the switch-overs between supply and gensets in my smaller Joburg and Franschhoek hotels. I even disabled the push notifications for the power supply app (ESP) because it was of no real use to me any more. Moral of the story - make sure your hotel has power backup, and carry a power bank in the unlikely event you find yourself at a cafe without electricity. Also, check up on the power points - I didn't do my research properly and had to buy two overpriced plugs in Joburg.
Weather
Joburg had crisp weather with lots of sun, but cool temperatures. Kruger had warm days and cool nights - layers were essential! Franschhoek was kinda like Joburg weather, while Cape Town was windy and rainy. The only place I could contemplate swimming was in Kruger and in the heated pool of my Cape Town hotel.
Food
EXCELLENT everywhere, even in remote Kruger. Franschhoek, however, was a highlight - if there's one place you'd want to splurge for good food, it's here. Also helps that the wine is cheap and plentiful and sublime. For vegetarians and vegans, most restaurants had symbols identifying suitable menu items, and everyone speaks English so its easy to clarify. Would recommend making online reservations at the more popular fine dining spots.
Costs
On the whole, South Africa is very affordable for someone used to American or European or Japanese or Singaporean prices, especially with the unabated fall of the ZAR. Coming from India, however, it was a bit of a mixed bag - dining out was very cheap, and hotels were great value, but domestic flights and longer taxi transfers (like Cape Town - Franschhoek or the day tours) felt expensive. Uber rides and high street shopping were just a tad pricier than I'm used to in India while the coffee and alcohol prices were an absolute delight. Entrance tickets to most sights, however, are fairly steep and much closer to the European norm than the African or Asian. That said, major sights are professionally managed, clean, safe, and have power backup.
Tipping is expected, I'd round things upward of 10% of the bill amount, except at a fine dining experience in Franschhoek where a service charge was explicitly included and informed about. Tips can be added to the card machine and need not necessarily be paid in cash.
Paying by card is practically universal in tourist-friendly spots (including entry tickets and even for smaller payments), and I didn't need to exchange any extra cash or use an ATM. Visa and Mastercard work everywhere ofcourse, and Amex has appreciable reach as well. Diner's Club and others, however, won't help.
It's good to exchange a small amount like 100 USD to help with petty payments like parking tickets or small tips or quick bites from convenience stores.
Communication
I purchased a Vodacom sim on arrival at Johannesburg, and it worked well everywhere, even giving 5G in most of Joburg, Cape Town, and Franschhoek centre. Data and talktime prices were a tad expensive (I'm spoilt because it's dirt cheap in India), but it was easy to top things up online or at stores on-the-go.
Free WiFi was widely available at airports, tourist sights, restaurants, malls etc, and worked quite decentl
Getting around
Uber works well in Joburg and Cape Town, with many local recommending Uber X. Bolt, however, was universally NOT recommended because it wasn't very reliable. I didn't try public transport, but heard that the Gautrain in Joburg and the Myciti BRT in Cape Town were safe and good quality.
I also flew from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit and Hoedspruit to Cape Town with Airlink, which was a great little regional airline with good service, punctual arrivals/departures, and a very tourist-friendly schedule and network. The tickets were quite overpriced though, and Amex refused to work on their own website, but I did get to check-in on to business class seats on economy tickets so I guess it was good overall.
I didn't self-drive. However, I met several travellers who did it (including a German lady who was campervanning solo across the entirety of southern Africa), and they reported it being easy and safe. The only precautions were to make sure you were hiring from a reputable company, not driving too much at night (out of fear of being stranded more than anything else), and purchasing the insurance plan with the agent. I did use plenty of roads, and generally observed that most highways were in decent shape and allowed for 100+ kmph speeds. Petrol stations were plentiful, and many came attached with convenience stores and mini-malls, usually with power backup. For parking, you'd usually have a local tout popping up helping you manouevre the car and watch over it for a small 5-10 ZAR tip (don't skimp on this, as petty thieves have been known to break into unattended cars to pilfer whatever they can, though I never ever saw this in action - practically every street in every town had a parking attendant on hand).
I did cycle around Franschhoek by myself and it was fantastic, much better than the kitschy Wine Tram experience. It was also very safe, and I even biked through town for dinner and some moonlight photos. The only bugbears were car traffic on the main roads, and a caution by the bike rental shop against leaving the night lamp on the bike unattended (had to unlatch it and keep it on me instead - but still, safer than biking in Amsterdam lol).
Getting there
Joburg is the biggest international airport with the better flight deals and has direct flights to all inhabited continents. It's a fairly modern and easy-to-use terminal, and I didn't observe any of the usual scams. Cape Town is the better looking airport, but has fewer connections, although it's still easy to get here with a simple transit at a major hub like London or Dubai. Durban also has a middle-sized airport with a handful of long haul links.
Most other airports are small - Hoedspruit was basically a collection of open-to-air pavillions - and have only domestic flights to the likes of JNB or CPT. Nelspruit, in southern Kruger has a few Airlink connections with Victoria Falls and the Mozambique coast, aimed at holidayers.
As an Indian, I was eligible for an evisa but the system never worked, taking my documents but never letting me pay the application fee. I instead applied manually at Delhi's VFS centre, and got my visa in 2 days (the VFS staff also told me that the evisa portal was hopeless and I shouldn't even have bothered). The evisa system finally budged while I was en-route to JNB, telling me that my application was rejected because I never submitted a bank statement (which I did) and completely ignored the fact that I never paid for my application (thanks to the inactive payment link). The rejection clearly didn't get slotted in anywhere because Immigrations was absolutely fine with my stamped-visa and didn't bother asking me anything other than why I was visiting and when I'd leave.
I flew in on Etihad via Abu Dhabi (decent airline but the airport needs a lot of work to compete with its neighbours) and back on Emirates via Dubai (excellent airline with very generous meals and a great IFE, as well as a huge and modern megahub airport experience albeit with overpriced food and shopping). Flight timings were fairly convenient both ways, with day-time arrivals and check-ins.
People
Some of the friendliest I've ever met! Everybody is happy to have a zany chat, and conversations can quickly become pal-ly and banter-ful if you're open enough. On the whole South Africans felt fairly extroverted and loosened up - very informal and sleeves-rolled-up. You'll have to excuse yourself out of a conversation, else you'll be left talking to them the whole day and not have any time left to sightsee.
Race
Speaking as an outsider who only observed things for 10 odd days, I felt that there's still a decent amount of racial segregation at play in SA.
While many lower-paying jobs are almost exclusively held by blacks and the colours thanks to the country's history of institutionalised racism, Blacks and Coloured peoples can now also be commonly seen in upscale areas as guests and visitors. However, the majority of patrons in these locations appeared to be white and Afrikaans speaking. I also only ever saw one mixed group - a white lady entertaining a black man and his daughter at a Cape Town waterfront restaurant where I was having dinner.
I did share a few drinks with Joburg-based white couples at my safari lodge, and on the whole, they didn't feel inherently racist. They in fact remembered the Mandela and Mbeki days with pride, and felt that most of the crime in South Africa was thanks to the corruption in the African National Congress (they were all praises for the opposition who holds sway in the Cape) and immigrants from neighbouring countries - they rather trusted Black South Africans for everyday affairs. At my Cape Town hotel, meanwhile, I met a few black businessmen and politicians at the pool and gym, and they told me similar things - that the ANC was corrupt, immigrants are to blame for crime etc, and didn't really have any strong opinions about whites. These experiences contrasted greatly with my conversation with a white Afrikaner pensioner in my Zanzibar hotel ten years ago, who was spewing hate against black crime after two whiskeys.
Since I'm Indian, I was often mistaken for a local - everybody (regardless of their race) would be taken aback when they heard my accent and learnt I was actually not South African (which has a large South Asian origin community) or even African (many South Asian origin peoples in eastern Africa and Mauritius especially). This spoke volumes to me - in the UK, where I studied and which now has an Indian-origin PM and a hugely visible South Asian diaspora, people would still ask me 'what country are you from?' on appearance alone. It really did emphasize how SA was more of a rainbow nation than just a slogan.
What did I like?
Practically everything, even Joburg. The safari experience was better than I expected, Cape Town was breathtaking, and Franschhoek became my favourite little town in the world. Also loved the food and the wine, and loved meeting and chatting with the locals. Of all the countries I've visited, SA is the one I'm surest about wanting to return to - and I'm not trying to be diplomatic - I honestly felt like I need more time here.
What didn't I like?
I disliked how such a great country with excellent basic infrastructure is being mismanaged. EVERYONE I spoke to was complaining about how corruption killed the country's power supply system and railways and is now threatening other aspects of life. None of these directly or visibly impacted my travels, but I would've liked being able to take a train instead of flights or not spend a premium to stay at places that had generators.
Anything I'd change?
While Joburg turned out to be a pleasant place, had I the option, I'd have skipped it to spend more time in Cape Town. I'd also spend a few more days in Franschhoek and around - the area turned out to be my favourite. Now that I've also had a lay of the land, I'm more confident about self-driving next time I visit. Also, I only realised how convenient it is to travel from SA to neighbouring countries, and would like to latch on visits to the Namibian desert, Botswana's game parks, the Victoria Falls on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border, and the beaches of Mozambique alongside a return to SA.
I realise I could have managed some things better on this trip, but bottom line is that I enjoyed it, and that this is not a 'who had the best trip' competition. I'm just sharing my positive experience of South Africa in the hope that it encourages others to properly and safely plan a trip to the place instead of avoiding it out of second-hand-scares.
Happy to take any follow ups in the comments :)

First/Previous/Next
Happy Friday Everybody! Here's the second part of Chapter 3. As always comments and suggestions are more than welcome. Enjoy!
​
The Golden Citadel Chapter 3 Part 2
​
Sooner rather than later, to Mannad's almost inaudible relief, they had made it through the maze of tunnels and reached a hole to the surface. All she needed to do was climb yet again, except instead of a ladder it was a pile of rubble. Far easier in a way, at least this time she wouldn't have to exert herself going straight up. The incline and abundance of handholds was far more forgiving to her than she would have thought, not needing to climb far either as she merely needed to cover the single height of the tunnel before she was standing in the exposed chill of the open air.
Wind and dust blew gently around her whilst she stood and revelled in the exposure.
"Guess you haven't seen the sky in a while" said Shand as they walked up beside Alice.
"Even before I was frozen, my life was labs and orbital stations" she replied. "I’ve seen plenty of skies. Just rarely from the ground."
"I can’t imagine growing up without a sky. But we don’t have green anymore. Not like this planet. In our capital the only nature remaining are isolated to the parks. Instead, skyscrapers go as far as the eye can see with the occasional spacescraper reaching up like giant fingers of the Empress grasping the void. Hell, from my living hab alone you can see the dawn sun rise above the peaks of the spires, the way the light strikes and reflects off the glass…" Shand trailed off.
They stood there in silence, each lost in their respective memories.
Alice broke the shared silence between them “I tried asking earlier but you were cut off. So tell me, please, just how long was I asleep for?”
Shand seemed to shift awkwardly, as if she had been dreading the question. “I'm sorry, I don’t know for sure. Hundreds of orbits at least. Maybe a thousand. There’s something else as well”
Alice looked at her, wondering what more there could possibly be.
Shand continued “Since you woke up you seemed to have been under the impression we’re fellow survivors of… whatever happened. I’m sorry but we’re not. We’re not even from here”
Alice grabbed Shand by the arm in an attempt to get them to look at her “What do you mean you’re not from here?”
“My race are the Leasha. We came to colonise and strip mine the system before detecting your bunker’s faint signal. We barely picked it up, the only reason being we’re far removed from Sovereignty space” Shand informed her.
“Surely you must have picked up something else besides me when you approached? Anything at all” Alice begged.
“When we arrived in orbit we did very thorough scans. Beyond basic plants and lower food chain lifeforms… I’m afraid we didn’t find any signs of civilisation.” the Leasha officer revealed.
Alice let go of the arm she’d been holding like a vice. She turned to get away from the person before
her who wasn’t even human. They had looked human, but she should have known better. Surface appearances in a galaxy with multitudes of races inevitably overlapped.
Shand attempted to comfort her as she stepped back. “Don’t leave this place without a memory, this could be the last time you see the sky of your home”
"It doesn’t matter anymore anyway." Alice said curtly as she wandered away to find a secluded spot, not waiting for an answer or permission. “What good is the sky when everyone’s too dead to see it anymore”
She rushed away with long strides, around the corner of a rockslide that had formed a wall encircling where they had exited the bunker, almost like a guard keeping it safe.
Checking over her shoulder that none of the aliens had followed her, she reached out with her right hand and a holographic menu appeared before her, projected from the chest plate of her suit. She tapped an icon in the upper left and the seal around her helmet popped, releasing a small amount of pressure with a slight hiss. Dismissing the blue light with another wave of her hand, she reached up and lifted her helmet off her head, revelling at the feeling of fresh air on her unnaturally pale face. Her short coal black hair fluttered slightly with the breeze and dust blowing around her.
Alice closed her eyes and basked in the faint rays of the setting sun that had nurtured the Earth for so long. The warmth running across her body like the caress of all those she was leaving behind bidding her farewell.
She opened her red eyes again and looked at what had become of her world. The sight was almost too much to bear and tears threatened to well up.
The once grand city nestled below the mountain range was no longer even a ruin like she had thought she had seen on the camera. For a moment she could picture in her mind's eye how it was in its prime, with the packed walkways between spacescrapers that reached like the fingers of giants towards the edges of the atmosphere. Skies full of the majestic ships flitting about like worker bees tending to their queens. But as much as she could imagine, it was undeniable it was gone forever and the image faded.
Mangled wreckage rusting away to nothing marked the mass grave in front of her. Encroaching vines marred the souls staring back at her. Sightless eyes staring at her from between the shadows. All who had perished in the final moments, helpless before the inevitable fire that had consumed them.
She wished she could have stayed there forever, letting her bones form with the earth. What was one more corpse amongst the untold billions. She wished it hadn’t even happened. That the fathers and mothers and children before her had never suffered the fate that had been inevitable by the end. Mercilessly butchered by those who had sworn to protect them. The anger suffusing her being from earlier threatened to bubble back up again. A scream begged to be bellowed from the depths of her chest to the silent sky, one last howl to ward off the night. Balling her fists, she struggled to contain her primal rage. Instead, she swore a promise to the innumerable souls watching her. Begging her for vengeance so they could finally rest. An innumerable mass listening from beyond the veil for the promise they demanded.
I’ll make them pay. All of them
But just hurting them wasn’t enough. Not to satiate the shades before her.
I’ll make them hurt until the last of them begs for the mercy they never showed us. And then I’ll wipe them out from the face of existence.
Her helmet slammed back on her head, automatically sealing with a small hiss. Deep and long breaths helped to find her composure she needed to maintain in front of the strangers. Earth held nothing for her now. It was a memorial of the past and better left to the guardianship of the dead and damned. She'd miss the sun but at least now she wouldn't be trapped underground or alone.
She moved back towards the awaiting shuttle. The others had extricated themselves from the hole and were milling about while Yurisa appeared to be talking on her radio again with how her head was cocked. Shand was waiting nearby for her to return and walked with her to the strange shuttle. The lines put her in mind of a ray with two too many fins meeting at the tip. As she walked she could almost feel the heat from the burning questions Shand must have been desperate to ask but still managed to hold back.
"Take any seat you like that's free" said Yurisa as she walked past.
The rear of the shuttle was open and the rest of the squad had already boarded the troop compartment inside. Ten seats lined either side of the walls, two being taken up each side around the middle of the sections. Iftan and Mannad were on the right with Doane and Hedi on the left.
Alice was unsure where she should sit, nervous at sitting with beings she didn't know or how they would behave. Most of all she didn't want any pestering questions on the flight out of atmosphere. So she took a seat on the left just on the inside of the doorway, the furthest she could get from anybody else in the cramped vessel. Shand came on behind her and sat next to Doane with the commander taking up the rear and ending up opposite Shand, next to Mannad.
A voice came over a hidden speaker as the boarding ramp began to rise with dull motorised hums.
"Ladies and gentlemen, especially the ladies, we have a short flight back to home base with a slight chance of buffeting, please keep your seatbelts on and any in flight entertainment will be provided to you by our lovely steward"
"Can it Seash!" yelled Iftan.
If the pilot heard him or not over the whine of the engines spooling up Alice didn't know. Instead she turned and looked out of the long window which lined the wall behind her.
The ground gave away without a jolt as they took off into the sky, slowly building up speed as they climbed. The cityscape fell beneath them to slowly be replaced by a horizon of gold and green. She was happy to see green, at least her planet wasn't completely dead and maybe she could return one day.
The golden hues of the sunset sky slowly gave way to pale blues which thinned to the pitch black of space. She couldn't see their destination even if she craned her neck, the shuttle was approaching in a manner where the ship was hidden from view.
Instead, Alice watched the Earth slowly rotating below, the night side as dark as the space surrounding it. It was odd to see none of the city lights she had known so well when growing up in one of the orbital stations as a child. She remembered how she would watch the small glittering patterns like fireflies frozen in the dark. She could even name all the cities just from the patterns alone. But now there were no fireflies, no cities, no lights. The only glittering came from the stars in the void.
Her home was replaced by a large mass of purple metal of an outer hull as the shuttle must have been approaching a docking hanger. Certain enough, the purple hull was replaced just as quickly as it had appeared with dull grey utilitarian metal. As the shuttle turned she could see mighty doors beginning to close behind them, like a giant maw sealing them inside the belly of the beast. The tiny ship settled in position inside the wide empty space and engines whined back down. The boarding ramp opened again as the soldiers began to collect their equipment and disembark onto the far larger vessel.
Alice remained in position, remembering what the commander had said about quarantine. Shand disembarked with a small wave before Commander Yurisa motioned for Alice to follow her.
Disembarking behind the stern woman, Alice spotted two purple beings in long light blue fully sealed uniforms with clear plastic breathing masks affixed to their faces waiting for them.
The similarity to how human they appeared should have startled her, they even appeared to have been anticipating it with tensed stances. After the revelation given to her from Shand, she had been fully prepared for creatures ranging from the completely bizarre to those not so dissimilar to herself, like the wider galactic community she had seen in the education vids growing up. These people comfortably fell into the latter. Two eyes, two ears, mouth, nose and even hair.
If it weren’t for how they were bright purple she would have thought they were human. As she stared the more she noticed. As similar as they were, they were still distinctly alien. Their facial features were slightly too sharp, the eyes a fraction too large and the same colour as their skin, the mouths smiling wider than a human could. The effect was disconcerting, like they didn’t mean the expressions they were pulling. And their ears were pointed. Almost like elves of fantasy crossed with bats. A thin waxy sheen formed a layer on top of it all, like a second skin. As she studied the features of these people, she noticed how the sheen was attached to the masks they wore. Which meant that it wasn’t part of their anatomy after all, but rather a way to form a physical barrier not unlike a hazmat suit.
“These are the medical staff who will be performing the scan, please follow them to the quarantine room” said Yurisa.
The kindly smiling aliens waited patiently for Alice to overcome her initial shock at the sight of what her rescuers actually looked like beneath all the heavy armour. She looked at Yurisa. The commander must look similar to them beneath that helmet she realised. Shand too. And the others.
Perhaps it was the way they had seemed so unguarded around her and the full body coverings creating an illusion within her mind, but it only now hit her that her rescuers were truly alien.
Seeing that she still wasn’t moving, one of the kindly aliens took her gently by the arm and began directing her towards a door opposite the exit ramp of the shuttle. Her steps fumbled across the unfamiliar metal floor of the hanger.
As she was led off, Alice turned her head back in time to see the commander remove her helmet, revealing her own light purple skin. A small smile was also on her face, although not as large as the ones the medical personnel sported. Yurisa’s piercing and equally purple eyes gazed back at her, somehow looking into her own, past the glass faceplate.
A slight chime and smooth whoosh of the door admitted Alice into the quarantine room. The alien let go of her arm, allowing her to step inside. Another chime and whoosh of the door closing and the Commander’s gaze was cut off, replaced by a plate of glossy glass and metal. Looking at her new surroundings Alice saw the room was made from the same dull grey metal of the hanger. Perhaps the entire ship followed this pattern. It would be exciting to find out, not to mention meet the rest of the crew. A cushioned bench jutted from the wall to her right which Alice sat down on. There was nothing to do but wait for the scans and think.
Thoughts she had forced to the side in the moment began to catch up with her now she had time to pause. The first moment of peace after the completely overwhelming past few hours. Alice bent over, hiding her head in her arms from any cameras that would definitely be watching her. Rage and sadness battled for domination in her mind. Which would come out the victor only time would tell.

Inside the boundless expanse of Loria Online, Guspy the elven mage drained the last of his mana vaporizing a Vickerbite. It was his third hour of grinding this particular mob, and he was getting tired.
“What’s the drop rate on this thing again?” he asked Collins.
Collins cleaved another Vickerbite with his greataxe. “0.02% or something. Getting bored?”
Guspy was indeed getting bored. Despite their grotesque appearance (they looked like flying crocodile heads with mosquito feet), Vickerbites were pushovers.
“Yeah, I might only have a few minutes’ more patience for this.”
Collins slammed his axe into the ground, causing a shockwave that killed another three. “That’s ok, we’ve been playing for a while. It just kind of feels like wasted time if we quit now, though.”
“Are you getting close to leveling?”
“Nope.”
“Me neither.”
A Vickerbite burst when he swatted it with his staff. A loot bag dropped onto the rust colored dirt.
Probably another Vicker Tongue or leg or something, Guspy thought. He almost didn’t bother to check. But when he did, he found what he and Collins had been seeking for so long.
“I got it! The belt dropped!”
“Thank God, let’s get out of here,” Collins said, regrouping with the mage he protected.
Guspy read the item description for The Belt of Endurance.
The Belt of Endurance Slot: Belt Rarity: Very Rare Earth Resistance: %%0 Air Resistance: %%0 Fire Resistance: %%0 Water Resistance: %%0 Physical Resistance: %%0 Magic Resistance: %%0 Debuff Resistance: %%0
“What the hell?” Guspy said.
“What’s wrong? Is it the wrong belt?” Collins casually swatted two final Vickerbites.
“The stats are glitched or something. It’s supposed to be 5% resistance to everything, right?”
“The BoE? Yeah, 5% resist all. Is it not?”
“It shows ‘percent percent zero’.”
Collins shrugged. “Put it on, see what happens.”
Guspy equipped the belt and checked his character’s stats. “Ha, that’s so weird. All of my resistances show backslash, open parenthesis, ‘N’, close parenthesis.”
Collins used the Warrior’s Assessment ability on Guspy. “Huh. When I analyze you, I see hashtag ‘null’.”
“That’s either really good or really bad,” said Guspy.
Collins raised his sword and struck Guspy on the shoulder.
Collins attacks you for 0 damage
“There are safer ways to check!” Guspy said.
“It didn’t hurt you, weird. Mind if I use a little Fire Fan scroll on you?” Collins asked with a toothy grin.
“You have one? Aren’t you a little over leveled for that?” Fire Fan produced a tiny cone of flame that did very little damage.
“I’m a hoarder. So, can I?” Collins wiggled the scroll between his fingers.
Guspy agreed.
Collins casts Fire Fan for 0 fire damage
“Guspy, I don’t want to alarm you, but I think that belt makes you invincible,” said Collins.
Guspy began to bounce up and down in excitement. “Oh man, think of the possibilities! I can solo raid a guild hall. The Nighthawks deserve that kind of ass whupping,” he said, referring their rival guild in Loria. “Or I can loot an end-game dungeon! We’re not far from The Death Pit.”
Collins looked into Guspy’s eyes and gave him the smile a parent gives a child when they ask where rainbows end.
“Oh, you asshole!” said Guspy.
“I think you should turn it in,” said Collins.
“Why?! Why would I do that?! The Nighthawks have been bullying us for months now. With this, I could walk right in their guild hall, wipe them out, and tear the whole thing down. They wouldn’t be able to stop me! You can’t tell me they don’t deserve it.”
“Not saying they don’t,” said Collins.
Guspy pressed, “I can farm The Death Pit for Soulflayers. Everyone in our guild could have a Soulflayer, even the newbies. They’d finally be tough enough to join us on raids. You know how they’ve been dying to play with us in high level zones. Think how happy they would be!”
“Oh, they’d be awfully happy,” said Collins.
Guspy unleashed his coup de grace. “And! I can go to Fort Murder, stroll through it without a care in the world, kill the general, and not have to split the loot with anyone. That means I would get a Headsman’s Axe, which I would of course donate to my dear friend Collins. Wouldn’t you like a Headsman’s Axe?”
“I absolutely would,” said Collins.
“Ok, good. So, I’ll just—"
“Turn it in, Guspy,” said Collins.
Guspy stamped his feet in frustration. “Why though? You just said you were on board with the Nighthawks and the Soulflayer and the axe!”
“Oh, I am. The Nighthawks need to get taught. Having the newbies be tough enough to join us would be great. I’ve been dying for a Headsman for months now. But you’d be cheating. Momma didn’t raise no cheater, and daddy didn’t raise no troll,” said Collins.
“That’s so backward. You know the Nighthawks would do that to us if they got it,” said Guspy.
“Sure enough. But we can’t control what they do, and I can’t control what you do. I just want you to remember what I’ve said before: there’s a person on the other end of that character. A person just like you. I can only imagine how tilted you’d get if someone cheated to become invincible and killed you. Or farmed their whole guild ultra-rares and used them on you. I’m just asking you, as a friend, to turn it in. Please.”
Guilt. He’s put the guilt in me, thought Guspy. What an asshole.
“Fine, I’ll head to Pokate and turn it in,” said Guspy, pouting and kicking an errant stone.
“Thanks, Gusp. I promise I’ll help you find a legit one. I gotta go, though. Play later?”
“You know it,” said Guspy, and he watched Collin’s avatar dissipate.
Guspy walked back to Pokate City, the largest player hub in the area. The journey was a particularly hazardous one. Wild beast attacks, an assassin, a rockslide, even an errant fireball from an ongoing battle, all harmless in the face of his perfect resistance. He crossed into the city proper, whitewashed buildings that held little shops and extra dimensional guildhalls. Pokate Palace loomed over all of this like a resplendent sundial. The stained-glass windows shimmered in the sunlight.
Guspy approached a beggar in the street. The beggar’s body was gaunt. His dirty rags and matted beard spoke of hungry days and cruel nights. The beggars of Loria Online were portals to moderator attention. Speaking to a beggar cued a request. A moderator would eventually take control of the beggar and offer assistance.
Guspy knelt before the beggar.
“I’d like to speak with a moderator, please.”
“All in good time, my boy,” the beggar wheezed.
Guspy felt an itch in his legs. There was still time to run wild, to reap the rewards of his lottery ticket. He cursed Collins for guilting him and attempted to distract himself. Guspy admired the features on the beggar. His eyes traced cavernous wrinkled flesh. Saw the tiny movements of lice in the filthy thick beard. Saw the faintest deposits of salt in two long tracks leading down from the cloudy blue eyes.
The beggar had been crying. Why would they include such a heartbreaking detail? Why haven’t I ever noticed this before? Guspy thought.
The clouds in the beggar’s eyes parted, revealing a bright blue sky. “Thank you for waiting, this is Raymond. How can I help you?” A voice as crisp as autumn wind now spoke through the beggar.
“Uhh, hi. I’ve got a problem with an item I found?” Guspy spoke at the mouth of the beggar.
“Sure thing! Is it an item you have equipped right now?”
“Yeah, The Belt of Endurance. The values look wonky, and It makes me immune to every element. I’m immune to physical and magic damage now too.”
There was a long pause, the beggar’s eye fluttered. “You’re reporting that an item is broken in your favor?”
Guspy winced. “Umm, yes sir? It basically makes me immortal.”
Guspy waited patiently. The moderator was using his tools to see Guspy’s menu screens, something that was normally private.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” the beggar said. “It’s a null shunt error.”
“A null shunt error?”
“Yeah. Sometimes during a drop-roll, the system shunts over a clipped value that…sometimes it breaks.”
“Ah.”
“They’re a bitch to fix. Thankfully very rare. This one is particularly bad, and I’m at the end of my shift.” The mod let out a sigh that prophesized an exhausting tedious future.
“Well…thank you for your honesty! Usually when an item glitches in a player’s favor, they keep it a secret for as long as they can. Then they have a temper tantrum when we take it away. Alright, Guspy, I’m on morning shift tomorrow. I don’t want to deal with this right now. I’m giving you eight hours of god mode. Can I trust you not to make me regret it?”
Guspy was stunned. A mod was allowing immortality for eight hours? Trusting him? Why?
“You can trust me,” Guspy said.
“I hope so. I’ll fix this in the morning, don’t take the belt off or you’ll have negative infinite resistance and die from a sunburn.” The beggar’s eyes clouded back over.
Guspy threw a gold piece into the beggar’s bowl, a good luck ritual that even the highest level raiders did before a dangerous run.
He was in the clear. A mod had okayed him having god mode. Anything I do is the mod’s fault now! Guspy thought, but the thought gave him a queasy feeling the moment it passed through his mind. He was being trusted. He had promised to not make the mod regret it.
What was the mod’s name? Randy? He remembered Collins's words about there being real people on the other end of the game. He supposed that meant Randy too. He imagined telling someone to their face that his actions were their fault, like trust somehow absolved him of responsibility. He imagined someone else doing that to him. Or doing that to his little sister…
He spent a fair amount of gold on fast travel scrolls, valuable, single-use items that would transport the player anywhere in Loria. Guspy now stood on the craggy lip of Salamander’s Eye. The massive active volcano dominated the primordial jungle landscape. A vast column of ebony smoke rose from the lava pit, the birthplace of thunderclouds. Guspy spread his arms wide and fell into the heat, letting simulated gravity carry him downward to the roiling floor of liquid earth.
At the last moment he reflexively raised his hands to shield himself. Lava was instant death in Loria, doing an infinite amount of damage per second. Guspy was now sinking slowly in this most dangerous of elements unharmed. He raised his hand in a thumbs up as he sank beneath the surface.
Whorls of incandescent crimson, brown, and orange materialized and dispersed endlessly. It was like looking into the fickle furnace of creation, so eager to invent but too chaotic to design.
Guspy wondered if he’d fall forever. At last, his feet settled on something solid. He was the first player to set foot here. A unique accomplishment, one he could keep. He moved through the lava as though it was water. Must not have been a very important thing to program considering you die as soon as you touch it, he thought.
Guspy explored the floor of the volcano. It was perfectly smooth and without texture, an entire volcano held up on a pane of glass. But then he found something. A deformity in the bottom of the world. He explored it with his hand. It felt like a solid bubble sticking up out of the flat plane beneath him. It moved a little.
It’s a doorknob! Guspy realized. He turned it and felt it fall away beneath him. He sank further and dropped into a vast open room, the lava didn’t follow past the entry. Guspy cast a series of Light spells, banishing the darkness to the black obsidian of the walls and floor.
A giant floating sign that hung suspended in midair grabbed Guspy’s attention.
“IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO GET HERE.”
“Shows what you know, sign,” Guspy said, and began to explore.
In the secret chamber Guspy found dozens of monster models from the surrounding area, frozen in the sterile T-position. He took the time inspect them in the minutest detail. He saw the way salamander skin glittered with the luster of countless ruby gemstones. He watched the dancing flames of fire elementals, and discovered their heat rose above the limitation of their hitbox. He looked deep into the eyes of a stone golem and saw that they were prisms. They split the blue glow of the golem’s magical core into a frigid winter sunset, whites and blues dancing and concealing a secret whisper of deep red.
I don’t think I ever really looked at the models before, he thought. Even now he couldn’t recall any specific details of any monster he had fought. They were all colored blurs in his mind, faceless values and blocks of information.
Despite his immortality, he still froze in fear when his spell illuminated a colossus of steel tucked away in a corner of the room. It was a broad suit of cold iron armor, bereft of adornment and pockmarked with the careless ministrations of a thousand hammers beating the metal into shape. In one clenched fist it carried a wicked looking cleaver, one that belonged in a giant’s butcher shop, used to crack the toughest dragon bones and partition the choicest bits.
Guspy had never seen or heard of this creature in his life.
You must not have made it into the final game. At least not yet, thought Guspy. Despite its beastly ugliness, Guspy felt a pang of remorse. Someone worked to design every aspect of this monstrosity to evoke the feelings of fear and disgust, and they had been very successful. But it had gone unused and unseen since the game’s inception.
I remember the Christmas ornament I made in middle school. A Christmas light made to look like a reindeer, googly eyes and fuzzy brown pipe cleaners for antlers. I was so proud. But when Christmas came, they didn’t want to put it on the tree. They thought it looked too silly.
Guspy left a gold coin at its feet, alms for unsung effort.
He was preparing to depart when he noticed an unadorned chest had appeared beneath the presumptive sign. Guspy was certain it hadn’t been there before. He approached, circling the chest, before reaching out and lightly tapping it. He may invulnerable, but this was a developer’s world. Who knows what treachery could hide here? He lifted the lid, tilting his head and peeking at its contents with one eye shut. Inside was a billiard sized ball of translucent glass. Guspy recognized a Title Sphere. These rare items would grant a moniker to the character’s name. It was a single use item worth tens of thousands of gold. Too curious to resist learning what it would bestow, he shattered the sphere in his palm. Red dust flowed between his fingers like Martian sand. His name had changed from Guspy to Guspy the Wanderer.
Guspy used his next scroll and teleported to the shipwreck of the Soothsayers Doom. A brig suspended above the ocean on a monstrous coral bed, the ship itself was a mid-level dungeon. Players could fight their way from deck to deck, battling undead crewmen that fired grapeshot salvos into crowded rooms, shredding players into bloody clouds. The Captain was the boss of the dungeon, and part of his loot was a map that would send players on a quest line that eventually led players to the halls of the merfolk king, an extremely high-level dungeon at the bottom of the ocean.
Being immortal, Guspy took what players called the ‘express route’, swimming directly downward from the open sea. It was suicide. Besides suffocation, players had to contend with titanic carcharodons, giant squid, invisible water elementals, and elite merfolk guard. These creatures had mastery of the terrain, and few players were accustomed to attacks that could come from any direction.
Beneath him, the phosphorescent glow of the Coral Castle overpowered the distant sun for dominion of the depths. Guspy slipped into a castle window, ignoring the tridents of the pursuing Knights of Pearl. The Castle was a dungeon that needed to be completed quickly, lest the player’s water breathing magic wear off. That made it the perfect sight-seeing location for someone who didn’t need to breathe. Guspy examined the meticulously decorated royal bedrooms. The books in Loria were filled with open source stories from the real world. Players spent hours in this fantasy world engrossed in the prose of Tom Sawyer and Paradise Lost. But yellowed letters fell from between the pages like autumn leaves.
Never whole without you, my beloved Jennifer,
B.C.
Guspy didn’t know the merfolk princess even had a name. Neither had he any idea who B.C was, or if these pages were part of some fetch quest he had never come across.
Deeper in the palace he found the throne room of the merfolk king. The king was gigantic, of course, all raid bosses were. The king was also an enemy that demanded constant focus and attention to defeat. He cycled seamlessly through attack patterns, buffs, and stage activations. Missing the tell-tale signs would leave you a step behind the dance and doomed to failure.
Guspy now had a unique opportunity. He ignored the king completely. The throne room was heaped with chests of gold and artifacts plundered from sunken ships. But they were only decorative, ersatz décor designed to regale the room with the trappings of wealth and luxury. Being worthless, players ignored them. Guspy took the time to closely inspect the mountains of coins and bejeweled quillions that rose from the coin piles. Ignoring the world-shaking bolts of lightning, magical rays, and great sweeps of the merfolk king’s trident, he crouched to the level of a single coin.
There, in the face of the coin, were three smiling children. The normal relief of Empress Aubrianna, a mythical figure in Origin’s history, was replaced with a picture of a family. The normal Latin phrase, “A solis ortu usque ad occasum”, had been replaced with, “Jason, Melody, Brock”. He moved from one coin to the next. Families, pets, and selfies looked back at him. Some had names written, others messages, “Thx Mel, my rock <3” “Joe & Cara 4 eva” “We did it!”
Guspy wondered if any player had ever seen these. Maybe, but he hadn’t, and that made it special to him. He wondered what he would put on his own coin. Me, Collins, and Becca at the beach, he thought. A picture that had been his desktop background for years. The only evidence of a perfect day.
Having taken his fill of the throne room, Guspy pulled out another scroll and teleported away.
Hogglerock dungeon was an aberration. Most dungeons tried to evoke a sense of awe or fear, but Hogglerock was just gross. Its entrance was at the center of a mud-smothered swamp. Poisonous insects and carnivorous slugs roamed the wastes searching for carrion to strip or making their own if none could be found.
To descend into the putrid depths of Hogglerock, you entered the mouth of a great saurian beast. It was long since dead, its flesh in a perpetual state of decay. Down its mucus-caked throat, you entered a dungeon that had been created from the offal that remained of its digestive system. Noxious acid pools, monstrous parasites, and bloated scavengers challenged players that came to plunder the carcass.
Guspy had to stop and think before entering the sixth stomach of the beast. He had no idea if his plan would work, or even made sense. Guspy removed all his armor and weapons, save for the Belt of Endurance. He entered the dungeon’s final room, aggroing a great bipedal minotaur and its bovine kin. Guspy sat and crossed his legs. He closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breath and his heart. Aggro in Loria was based on a series of factors: proximity, source of damage or debuff, equipment levels, class, movement, and supposedly even biometric data the VR rig was able to obtain.
The monsters were instantly aggroed when the rubbery sphincter of the sixth stomach was touched, converging on their only target. Guspy’s lack of equipment, aggression, and stillness would reduce his aggro over time. He waited and he watched. In time the monsters lost interest, ceasing their attacks and wandering back to their starting positions. Guspy continued to watch. For a time, they only bobbed in place, replaying idle animations and howling blistering war cries. But, in time, Guspy saw a strange behavior begin. One smaller minotaur creature pulled out a hunk of meat, clutching it by the pure white protruding bone. It chomped a piece and munched in contentment, eyes closed in blissful indulgence. The giant boss minotaur began to sniff the air, and a game of keep away began. The smaller minotaurs tossed the meat between themselves as the boss zeroed in on the source of the smell.
Who is this for? wondered Guspy. Who was meant to see this? And how? Why hide it? How many monsters of Loria Online had these little secrets? Tiny moments of humor buried in terabytes of code, only visible in a state of extreme passivity. Once the capering script had completed, the bovines returned to their normal places and continued to cycle basic idle motions.
It’s for me. Since I’m the one watching it, that means it’s for me, thought Guspy.
Guspy pulled out his final scroll, completing the spell just before he was beset again.
Guspy the Wanderer appeared back in Pokate City. His new title drew lingering looks from other players who searched their memories. Guspy’s time was running low, and fatigue massaged his mind and eyes. There was more he could search for. He could run down the hours until the mod logged back on and set things to rights. But he didn’t want the last moments of such an enlightening day to be a race against the clock. It would spoil the sense of calm and contemplation he had cultivated. Instead he sat down next to a beggar and composed a message to Collins.
“I won’t be joining you today, Collins, but I’ve got so much to tell you about when I do.”
He had seen beyond the veil. He witnessed tiny miracles of creation hidden from mortal sight. Sparks of love that flickered once more when observed. For a precious few hours, he was blessed with a peace that allowed him to fall in love with the game all over again, to appreciate its creation like a benevolent god.
Collins and Guspy returned to the red rock canyon. Guspy admired the visible strata of the walls. Simulated eons left perfect layers of color stacked like the pages of a book. Little details, so insignificant yet so engrossing. He appreciated the work that went into this game. The efforts of artists always caught his notice.

Events are listed by the day. Events that happen every week appear first, one time stuff after that. If you have anything you’d like people to know about, comment here or message me and I’ll add it in. If you’d like further info about any of the events, look it up! I usually don’t have any extra to add.
Large Scale, Ongoing, and Multi-Day Events

Local Running, Walking, and Biking Info: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/
OutdooFarmer’s Markets:

• Lake Ella Grower's Market: Wednesday, 11am-2pm. You can always find organic vendors, and foragers: The Holistic Cannabis Community, Artzi Farms, Hickory Nut Gifts, and others. Including Pita Queen! Farmer's Market Nutrition Program Coupons gladly accepted!
  
• Frenchtown Market: 524 N MLK Jr Blvd. Saturdays, 10am to 2pm. Come grow community and support your local farmers and makers, while you get your groceries for the week! Don’t forget! We match SNAP/EBT, so you DOUBLE your money to go towards locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables!
  
• Tallahassee Farmers Market: 2904 Kerry Forest Pkwy, Saturdays, 8am to Noon. Come see us at Tallahassee's longest-running farmers market! We are a year-round market, featuring local farms and vendors that provide the best seasonal produce, meats, baked goods, and more. We welcome you and your whole family (leashed pets included) to come out and meet your local farmers! Ample parking is available between our lot and the shopping center lot next door (by Red Elephant). Come early for the best selection.
  
• Tallahassee Downtown Market: Ponce de Leon Park, Saturdays, 10am-2pm. Join us for a stroll in the park among local makers, bakers, artists and farmers as live music is played by local musicians!
  

THURSDAY, 6/1

• Blue Tavern: Happy Hour Pickfoolery. 5pm
  
• The Hub at Feather Oaks: Bingo. 6pm
  
• Dreamland BBQ: Weekly Open Blues Jam. If you'd like to sing, please bring your own mic. 6pm
  
• Blu Halo: Upside Avenue. 6pm
  
• Lake Hall: Thursday Night Paddle Series. Weekly paddles at Lake Hall every Thursday starting at 6PM. The park closes on a sliding scale each night dictated by sun set. The park entrance fee is $6.00 (the ranger station closes at 5:30 and they typically do not charge for entry after this time). While there is no fee for this event ALL paddlers must have filled out the ACKC insurance waiver. Link here: https://form.jotform.com/JLAagency/apalachee-canoe--kayak----club-waiv Welcome to our weekly Thursday night paddling event at Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee, Florida. Our event is designed to be both casual and instructional, offering paddlers of all skill levels the opportunity to improve their kayaking abilities while enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Starting at 6pm and ending at sunset, our weekly paddling event will provide participants with the chance to learn and practice different strokes, capsize recovery, and kayak rolling techniques. Sometimes there will be knowledgeable instructors on hand to provide guidance and instruction helping you to develop your skills and build your confidence on the water. Whether you are a beginner looking to learn the basics of paddling or an experienced paddler looking to improve your technique, our event is perfect for you. We welcome all skill levels and provide a supportive and encouraging environment to help you achieve your goals. Join us each Thursday evening at Maclay Gardens State Park and experience the thrill of kayaking while learning new skills and making new friends. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to improve your paddling abilities and explore the beauty of Tallahassee's natural surroundings. 6pm
  
• The Great Games Library: Solforge Fusion Sealed-Deck Tournament. Anyone interested in SolForge: Fusion, please come out! Thursday nights at 6:00pm to 9:00pm ish will be dedicated to SolForge Fusion gameplay and weekly tournaments. If you play or have played MTG but would like to spend less, this is a great alternative CCG with inexpensive entry and minimal purchases to enjoy playing competitively. In-store and online tournaments may be played with the same decks purchased at any store. SolForge was created by the same designer for MTG, Netrunner, and Key Forge, Richard Garfield, and the designer for Ascension, Justine Gary. 6pm/$35 Entry Fee for 4 Sealed Half-decks, Special Art Playmat Prize for 1st Place
  
• Oyster City Brewing Co: Open Mic Night! Join us on Thursdays from 6:30-9:30 PM for Open Mic Night hosted by the incredible Mike Ingram of The Brown Goose! 🎙️ 🎶 This is your chance to show off your skills! Whether you're a musician, poet, comedian, or have a hidden talent, we can't wait to see what you bring to the stage. 6:30pm
  
• World of Beer: Trivia Night. 7pm
  
• Lake Tribe III: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Smitty's Taphouse: Trivia Lab Thursdays. Teams of 6 or fewer players can compete for $30 / $20 / $10 Prizes + The Golden MacGuffin prize table! New format! Interactive smartphone answering for your comfort and safety! 6 Fun Rounds - 42 Total Questions. 7:30pm
  
• House of Music: Prime Rib Thursday & Karaoke. 7:30pm
  
• Cap City Video Lounge: Red Zone Cuba: MST3K May the Fourth Double Feature. Join us Thursday as we climb aboard The Satellite of Love along with Joel, Tom Servo and CROOOOWas the Gang riffs filmmaker Coleman Francis' 1966 neo-noir art film magnum opus, RED ZONE CUBA! immediately proceeded by the short, SPEECH: PLATFORM, POSTURE AND APPEARANCE! 8pm/free but donations encouraged
  
• Fire Bettys: Electronic Thursdays. There will be rotating music genres from local artists! 8pm/free/21+
  
• Poor Pauls: Trivia. 8/21+
  
• 926: Karaoke. 9pm
  
• La Casa: Comedy Night! 9pm
  
• Fire Bettys: Electronic Show. Join us for Experiment 002 and take a mind-bending trip into the sound of the future! Our electrifying music party will transport you to another dimension with cutting-edge beats and non-stop excitement. 9pm
  
• Bird’s: Karaoke with Nathan. 9pm
  

• Blue Tavern: Bluegrass Jam with Dennis Hardin. 5pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Wasted Potential Brass Band. 8pm
  
• House of Music: Steeln’ Peaches: The Music of the Allman Brothers Band. 8pm
  

FRIDAY, 6/2

• Lake Tribe: Flannel Friday. Flannel Fridays will be featuring a wide range of fall themed 'Pop-up' activities such as food trucks, live music, campfires, s'mores roasting, new seasonal brews, and more! Come dawn your flannel and cozy up to the simpler things in life. Our beers taste like the outdoors feel, let our tasting room be your Friday cabin retreat. 4pm
  
• Gamescape: MTG Friday Night Magic. FORMAT: Standard Constructed. Swiss rounds as determined by the number of players with a maximum of 5 rounds. 7pm/$5
  
• Hobbit West: Friday Night Dart Tournament. Anyone can Enter! Sign ups at 7:30, Darts fly at 8:00/$10 entry fee
  
• Ouzts Too: Karaoke with DJ Nathan. Best karaoke DJ in town. 8pm
  
• Club Downunder: CDU X Hip Hop Club Presents Freestyle Friday. Show off your freestyle rap or poetry skills at Freestyle Friday! Doors are at 7:30 with the show starting at 8:00 in Club Downunder! Send an email to [email protected] to sign up! 8pm
  
• The Bar at La Casa: Karaoke with DJ FUSION. 9pm
  
• Just One More: Karaoke with DJ Rah. 9pm-11pm/21+
  
• 926: The Hot Friday Night Party and Drag Show. 9pm/$5/18+
  

• Pixels and Pigments: First Friday PRIDE. 2pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Everett Young. 5pm
  
• Pedro’s: Billy Rigsby. 5:30pm
  
• Square Mug: Jordie Hendrix. 6pm
  
• Common Ground Books: Artist Workshop Series June Crochet Workshop. * Join us as we crochet the night away! Friday June 2, 2023 from 6-8pm for our Monthly Crochet Workshop taught by Peter's Crochet Array! Beginner and intermediate crocheters welcome. No crochet knowledge is needed before attending this class. Space is limited. All ages welcome. All participants will need a crochet hook (between size 4-6mm) and a skein of yarn. Participants can bring their own supplies, or we will be happy to provide them at cost. Space is limited. Make sure to sign up on our website to save your spot!* 6pm/$20 per person, (Optional) Supply fee: $8.00
  
• The Plant: Maker’s Market featuring local artists selling handmade items and live music by Bad Weather, High Speed Suicide, Speed Runner, ArsonGender, and Computer Man. 6:30pm
  
• Lake Tribe: Jonathan Reid Project. 6:30pm
  
• Ology Midtown: Kanise featuring Facey. 7pm
  
• Mickee Faust Club: First Friday Queer As Faust Kickoff. Bring your Pride to First Friday at Railroad Square's Art Walk. We'll be kicking off our month-long festival of Queer events, culminating in our 16th annual Queer As Faust Cabaret live show. While you enjoy the many shops and events Railroad Square Art Park has to offer, be sure to stop by our theater for some fun and festive activities including community art canvas, kids bubble zone, and music by our house band, Rodentia Preharmonium! 7pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing Co: Brett Wellman and the Stone Cold Blues Band! 7pm
  
• Island Wings: Lee C Payton performs a tribute to Kathryn Belle Long. 7pm
  
• The Wine House on Market Street: Midnight Caravan. 7pm
  
• Fire Bettys: Groove Merchants. 8pm/21+
  
• Duke’s and Dottie’s: Jared Walker. 8pm
  
• Barrel Proof: Kade Williamson. 8pm
  
• The Bark: Saturnalia, Gangs of Paris, Headfoam, and Wojtek. 8pm
  

SATURDAY, 6/3

• Brinkley Glen Park: Invasive Plant Removal. Join Master Gardener Volunteers at this weekly invasive plant removal event. This is a great way to learn to ID our invasive plant species and how to remove them. We recommend wearing long pants and sleeves, closed-toed shoes, gloves, a hat and mosquito spray. Bring gardening tools such as hand clippers, loppers, trowels, etc. if you have them. We are removing coral ardisia bushes and berries, nandina, tung trees, Tradescantia flumenensis, cat's claw vine, winged yam, Japanese climbing fern, skunkvine and more. Directions: The best way to get there is to take Meridian Rd to Waverly Rd, go to the next intersection and turn left onto Abbotsford Way, then turn left at the next road called Woodside Dr. At the stop sign turn left onto Lothian. Lothian ends in a cul-de-sac and there is a sign that says Brinkley Glen Park. 8:30am-11:30am
  
• The Rose Room: The Rose Revue. Performances by your favorite entertainers and special guests! Shows at 8pm, 10pm, & Midnight! A unique cast EACH show! 7pm
  
• Duke’s and Dottie’s: Line Dancing Plus Lessons. 7pm/21+
  
• Bird’s Oyster Shack: Laughterday Night Fever. This week: Five Year Anniversary Laughterday Night Fever! Join us every Saturday at Bird's Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack for a free comedy show! 8:30pm
  
• La Casa Bar: Karaoke With Nathan. 9pm-1am
  
• The Bark: Sickening Saturday Drag Show. 10:30/$10/18+
  

• Civic Center: Leon County Press the Chest. The annual Press the Chest community CPR training event is back on Saturday, June 3! Hosted by Leon County EMS, people of all ages are invited to learn the lifesaving skills of adult hands-only CPR, child CPR with breaths, adult and child choking relief, and AED awareness. Each participant will receive an American Heart Association CPR Anytime Kit containing a CPR manikin, DVD, and educational materials. Participants can take these personal CPR kits home to train family and friends. Register and learn to save lives at LeonCountyFL.gov/PressTheChest. 10am
  
• Midtown Reader: Donut Day Kidtown. Celebrate National Donut Day with us! We will be reading a fun donut-themed story and decorating donut holes! 11am
  
• Big D BBQ: Tally Bounce Fest. 11am/ages 12 and under to bounce
  
• Ology Powermill: Smoke Fest 2023. It’s going be a good time with BBQ, Cigars, Live Music, and Outdoor Festivities. We can’t wait to see everyone! Noon to close
  
• Mickee Faust Club: Basics of Burlesque Workshop. Join Sally B. Dash for a 75-minute workshop where you will learn a classic strip-tease routine with various options to make it your own! No previous dance or burlesque experience is necessary to have a great time! What to Bring: 1. A Button up shirt, robe, or another garment that opens from the front. 2. Wear clothing that you can move in but that also makes you feel good. 3. Wear shoes that will securely stay on your feet, heels if you want! Sally B. Dash is Florida’s Countess of Caricature, bringing her brand of funny to the fine art of striptease! A bawdy, boobalicious burlesquer, she has been tickling Gainesville’s fancy (and funny bone!) since 2013. 2pm/18+
  
• Rising Om Yoga: Emo Yoga Flow. 3:15pm/$20
  
• Midtown Reader: MEET AND GREET: Anne P. DePrince w/ Every 90 Seconds. 3:30pm
  
• Blue Tavern: First Saturday Swim with Bluegill Bill. 5pm
  
• Tally Print Studio (225 E Pershing St): Grand Opening featuring local printmakers, food vendors, live screen printing, clothing swap, and live music from DJ Enigumatic, Danitza, Rachel Hillman, and Sleep John B. 5pm-10pm
  
• Common Ground Books: Perfectly Queer- Interview and Q&A with Author Jillian Abby. 6:30pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing Co: Mechanical Lincoln. 7pm
  
• The Bark: Boy Named Sue, Teens In Trouble, and Copyright Claim. 7:30pm
  
• Square Mug: Suddenly, Bench Warmer, and Sarah Morrison. 8pm
  
• Mickee Faust Club: Queerlesque. Weirdos unite for an unforgettable evening of burlesque entertainment featuring an all-star cast from around the state! 8pm/18+
  
• Blue Tavern: Prine Time: Local Songwriters cover the music of John Prine. 8pm
  
• House of Music: The Funky ‘Taters featuring Lili Forbes and friends. 8pm
  
• Fire Bettys: Pop Punk & Emo Night. 10pm/$10
  

SUNDAY, 6/4

• Bicycle House: Sunday Ride. Ride at 10:30 AM from Bicycle House. We will ride the Cascades trail to the St Marks trail and down to Wakulla station and return, about 31 miles. Ride speed is 12 to 14 mph, with periodic regroups. Vernon Bailey is the ride leader. Vernon is a new CCC member who’s been biking for 50 years enjoys riding with small groups and weekend touring. 10am
  
• Gamescape: Pokémon League. Come learn, play, and trade with the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the Pokémon video games! We LOVE seeing new players, so come learn how to play! We play both the Trading Card Game and the Video Game casually and competitively. The store offers lots of different seating arrangements to meet our group's needs, as well as food, drinks, and Pokémon products for purchase. We are also hold regular, officially sanctioned tournaments for Pokémon Trading Card Game and Video Game Competitions! 2-4pm
  
• Lake Tribe: Colby Scheib. 3pm
  
• House of Music: Songwriter Sunday. Songwriters of Tallahassee hosted by Rachel Hillman. Bring your original songs on Sunday - sign up is at 4:30. No Cover Songs please - this is an event celebrating original music. Accompanists and Bands Welcome - you must be able to set up within two minutes, so no crazy pedals or amp shenanigans. No Backing Tracks - Please find someone to play your song with you. 5pm
  
• The Plant: Open Jam. All instruments, all players welcome. 5pm-9pm
  
• House of Music: Perkins Street Pickers. 5pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing: Comedy Night. Come have some laughs with us on Sunday nights! If you are interested in participating in the show, reach out to [email protected] 7:30pm
  
• The Rose Room: Synful Sunday. 8pm
  

• Common Ground Books: Clothing Swap. Clothing Swap! This event will take place the first Sunday of every month (unless otherwise noted). Bring your clothes you no longer want, fit, or no longer feel like "you", and switch them out or just donate them to others. Clothing for all ages welcome. Please bring clothes in a bin or box so they can be easily browsed. Any clothing left will be considered a donation and held for the next swap or be made available for those in need. 2pm
  
• Red Shed: First Sunday Blues Jam. 3pm
  

MONDAY, 6/5

• Just One More: Bingo. 5pm-6:30pm
  
• American Legion Hall: Cha Cha - Weekly Lessons. 6:15pm/$5
  
• Hangar 38: Bingo. 6:45pm
  
• Vino Beano: Tipsy Trivia. 7pm
  
• The Rose Room: Karaoke Night. 8pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing: The Bachelor Watch Party! 8pm
  

TUESDAY, 6/6

• Blue Tavern: Happy Hour with Paddy League. 5pm
  
• World of Beer: Poker Night. 6pm
  
• The Rose Room: Drag Bingo and Open Stage Night ft. Britney T. Foxx! 6pm
  
• Crafty Crab: BOOMIN' Karaoke. 7pm
  
• Ology Midtown: Jazz Jam Sessions. 7pm
  
• Island Wings: Trivia. 7pm
  
• House of Music: Tuesday Trivia & Karaoke. 7pm
  
• Burrito Boarder: Karaoke with DJ Roldus. 8pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Tuesday is Blues Day. Every Tuesday is Blues Day @ the Blue Tavern and Blues Meets Girl is a Tallahassee favorite. This perfect, intimate venue provides just what you need for both a mid-week break and authentic blues music experience. 8pm
  
• 4th Quarter: Professor Jim's Tuesday Night Trivia. Popular for a reason! 8pm
  
• Argonaut Coffee: Trivia Tuesday. 8pm
  
• 926: Tacos and Trivia. 9pm
  
• Fire Betty’s: Comedy Show. 9pm/21+
  

• Retrofit Records: Janelle Monáe “The Age Of Pleasure” Album Listening Party. 8pm

WEDNESDAY, 6/7

• Rose Room: Women's Wednesday. Featuring Our Rose Roulettes and drink specials all night long. A night for all of our female-identifying friends to enjoy a safe space and an awesome happy hour! 5pm-2am
  
• Blue Tavern: The Wednesday Night Lab Session. 5pm
  
• Sugar and Spice Tally: Game Night. Join us every Wednesday Night for community game night. Bring your own or use ours! Let me know if you need to reserve space for a large group. Free to attend! 5pm
  
• Tara Angel’s Magic: D&D Experience - Adult (18+) Group. Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition - Candlekeep Mysteries. A one-shot is a D&D event that starts and finishes in the same session, typically lasting 3 - 4 hours. We have pre-generated characters for players to choose from. WHAT TO BRING: Pencils, Dice (can be purchased in store), Mask (encouraged for unvaccinated participants), Enthusiasm! Please sign up in advance to reserve a spot in this campaign. Tickets can be purchased in-store, over the phone, or on the website. For more information, please email [email protected], or call: (850) 878-4555 6pm-9pm
  
• Goodwood: Wonderful Wednesday. 6pm/$5
  
• Level 8 Rooftop Lounge: Trivia. 6pm
  
• The Great Games Library: Open Game Night. 6pm/free
  
• American Legion Hall: Sue Boyd Country Western and More Dance Class. Session 2 - Beginner 6:30 to 7:45 pm What: East Coast Swing and Waltz. Cost: $8.00 per person. Wear comfortable shoes you can turn in. 7:45 to 8:15 - Practice dance with paid admission. 8:15 to 9:30: Intermediate - 2 Step and WCS. $8.00 per person or $13.00 for both classes. Vaccines are required. Face masks are optional. Changing partners is optional. 6:30pm
  
• Perry Lynn’s Smokehouse in Quincy: Wed Night Open Mic w/ Steven Ritter and Friends. 6:30pm
  
• Hangar 38: Trivia. 6:45pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing Tallahassee: Trivia. Teams up to 6 players for three rounds with 10 questions and a tie breaker each round. Winners are by round so don’t worry if you need to come late or can’t stay the whole time! Prizes include a round of beer, a 6 pack and a gift card! 7pm
  
• Proof: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Vino Beano: Wine Bingo. 7pm
  
• Fermentation Lounge: Trivia. 7pm
  
• House of Music: Open Mic at House of Music. Join us Wednesday nights for open mic in the bar with host Mike Ingram of The Brown Goose. Come early for Happy Hour and dinner! 8pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Warehouse Wednesdays Open Mic Night. The open mic night that has run continuously for almost 20 years, once housed at the Warehouse, lives on at the Blue Tavern. Doc Russell continues as the host with the most. Sign up starts at 8pm/free to attend
  
• Fire Betty’s: Karaoke! 8pm/21+/free
  
• Dukes and Dotties: College Night and Line Dancing Lessons. 8pm
  
• The Bark: Karaoke with DJ Nathan. Best karaoke DJ in town. 9pm
  
• 926: Dragged Out Wednesday. 10pm
  

• The Bark: Dikembe, Glazed, and Professional Businessman. 7:15pm

Another month, another retirement update! A lot of sets changed dates this month, and even more new sets got added! Which reminds me, I'm considering making a /legoleak Discord server in order to expand more on leaks, answer questions, and provide daily retirement updates. If there's interest in that, I'll work on having it done before the next list!
As always, we owe a massive thanks to ZombieYeti from the BrickHound Discord for providing this valuable data. If you're looking for real-time in-stock/deal alerts for Lego.com and other sites, make sure to check out his server: https://discord.gg/BwezK2t5qf
This information is scraped directly from Lego's website, and all dates are subject to change. ZombieYeti is currently developing a website to host this data and offer real-time updates. In the meantime, here is a list of every set and their corresponding retirement date as per LEGO's system!
FULL LIST ON GOOGLE SHEETS HERE <--
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Due to Reddit's character limits, we can't include everything here, but the full spreadsheet contains every set.
CHANGES IN JUNE:

Theme	Set #	Set Name	Old Date	New Date	Change
Avatar	75577	Mako Submarine	Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2023	-1 year
Avatar	75578	Metkayina Reef Home	Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2023	-1 year
Classic	11020	Build Together	Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2023	-1 year
Duplo	10966	Bath Time Fun: Floating Animal Island	Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2023	-1 year
City	60388	Gaming Tournament Truck	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Creator	31143	Birdhouse	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Friends	41735	Mobile Tiny House	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Harry Potter	75969	Hogwarts Astronomy Tower	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Icons	10306	Atari 2600	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Ideas	21331	Sonic the Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Jurassic Park / World	76946	Blue & Beta Velociraptor Capture	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Jurassic Park / World	76951	Pyroraptor & Dilophosaurus Transport	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Marvel	76226	Spider-Man Figure	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Marvel	76241	Hulk Mech Armor	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Marvel	76243	Rocket Mech Armor	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Marvel	76245	Ghost Rider Mech & Bike	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Marvel	76256	Ant-Man Construction Figure	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Speed Champions	76906	1970 Ferrari 512 M	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Speed Champions	76907	Lotus Evija	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Star Wars	75333	Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Star Wars	75344	Boba Fett's Starship Microfighter	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year
Technic	42138	Ford Mustang Shelby GT500	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	+1 year

​
NEW SETS ADDED:

Theme	Set #	Set Name	Retirement Date
Holiday / City	60381	City Advent Calendar 2023	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Friends	41758	Friends Advent Calendar 2023	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Harry Potter	76418	Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2023	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Marvel	76267	Marvel Advent Calendar 2023	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Star Wars	75366	Star Wars Advent Calendar 2023	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71777	Kai's Dragon Power Flip	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71778	Nya's Dragon Power Drift	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71779	Lloyd's Dragon Power Spin	Dec 31, 2023
Batman	30653	Batman 1992 Polybag	Dec 31, 2024
Batman	76224	Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase	Dec 31, 2024
Batman	76252	Batcave – Shadow Box	Dec 31, 2024
Batman	76264	Batmobile Pursuit: Batman vs. The Joker (4+)	Dec 31, 2024
Batman	76265	Batwing: Batman vs. The Joker	Dec 31, 2024
City	60367	Passenger Airplane	Dec 31, 2024
City / 2K Drive	60395	Combo Race Pack	Dec 31, 2024
City / 2K Drive	60396	Modified Race Cars	Dec 31, 2024
City / 2K Drive	60397	Monster Truck Race	Dec 31, 2024
Creator	31144	Exotic Pink Parrot	Dec 31, 2024
DREAMZzz	40657	Dream Village	Dec 31, 2024
Friends	41756	Holiday Ski Slope and Café	Dec 31, 2024
Friends	41760	Igloo Holiday Adventure	Dec 31, 2024
Harry Potter	76419	Hogwarts Castle and Grounds	Dec 31, 2024
Harry Potter	76421	Dobby the House-Elf	Dec 31, 2024
Icons	40634	Icons of Play	Dec 31, 2024
Mario	71422	Picnic at Mario's House	Dec 31, 2024
Marvel	76249	Venomised Groot	Dec 31, 2024
Marvel	76261	Spider-Man Final Battle	Dec 31, 2024
Marvel	76262	Captain America's Shield	Dec 31, 2024
Marvel	76263	Iron Man Hulkbuster vs. Thanos (4+)	Dec 31, 2024
Marvel	76266	Endgame Final Battle	Dec 31, 2024
Minecraft	21247	The Axolotl House	Dec 31, 2024
Minecraft	21248	The Pumpkin Farm	Dec 31, 2024
Minecraft	21249	The Crafting Box 4.0	Dec 31, 2024
Minecraft	21250	The Iron Golem Fortress	Dec 31, 2024
Ninjago	71789	Kai and Ras's Car and Bike Battle (4+)	Dec 31, 2024
Ninjago	71790	Imperium Dragon Hunter Hound	Dec 31, 2024
Ninjago	71791	Zane's Dragon Power Spinjitzu Race Car	Dec 31, 2024
Ninjago	71792	Sora's Transforming Mech Bike Racer	Dec 31, 2024
Ninjago	71793	Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon	Dec 31, 2024
Ninjago	71794	Lloyd and Arin's Ninja Team Mechs	Dec 31, 2024
Ninjago	71795	Temple of the Dragon Energy Cores	Dec 31, 2024
Ninjago	71796	Elemental Dragon vs. The Empress Mech	Dec 31, 2024
Ninjago	71797	Destiny's Bounty - Race Against Time	Dec 31, 2024
Ninjago	71798	Nya and Arin's Baby Dragon Battle (4+)	Dec 31, 2024
Sonic	76993	Sonic vs. Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot	Dec 31, 2024
Star Wars	75359	332nd Ahsoka's Clone Trooper Battle Pack	Dec 31, 2024
Star Wars	75360	Yoda's Jedi Starfighter	Dec 31, 2024
Star Wars	75365	Yavin 4 Rebel Base	Dec 31, 2024
Star Wars	75368	Darth Vader Mech	Dec 31, 2024
Star Wars	75369	Boba Fett Mech	Dec 31, 2024
Star Wars	75370	Stormtrooper Mech	Dec 31, 2024
Duplo	10987	Recycling Truck	Dec 31, 2025
Duplo	10994	3-in-1 Family House	Dec 31, 2025
Duplo	10997	Camping Adventure	Dec 31, 2025
Ninjago	71799	NINJAGO City Markets	Dec 31, 2025
Technic	42161	Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica	Dec 31, 2025
Icons	10323	PAC-MAN Arcade	Dec 31, 2026
Technic	42160	Audi RS Q e-tron	Dec 31, 2026

​
SETS RETIRING IN 2023:

Theme	Set #	Set Name	Retirement Date
Classic	11015	Around the World	Jul 31, 2023
Creator	31123	Off-Road Buggy	Jul 31, 2023
Disney	10780	Mickey and Friends Castle Defenders	Jul 31, 2023
Disney	43203	Aurora, Merida and Tiana's Enchanted Creations	Jul 31, 2023
Dots	41962	Unicorn Creative Family Pack	Jul 31, 2023
Mario	71404	Goomba's Shoe	Jul 31, 2023
Mario	71407	Cat Peach Suit and Frozen Tower	Jul 31, 2023
Mario	71409	Big Spike's Cloudtop Challenge	Jul 31, 2023
Mario	71412	Big Bad Island	Jul 31, 2023
Mindstorms	51515	Robot Inventor	Jul 31, 2023
Minecraft	21187	The Red Barn	Jul 31, 2023
Ninjago	71738	Zane's Titan Mech Battle	Jul 31, 2023
Ninjago	71754	Water Dragon	Jul 31, 2023
Ninjago	71756	Hydro Bounty	Jul 31, 2023
Ninjago	71759	Ninja Dragon Temple (4+)	Jul 31, 2023
Ninjago	71762	Kai's Fire Dragon EVO	Jul 31, 2023
Ninjago	71770	Zane's Golden Dragon Jet	Jul 31, 2023
Ninjago	71773	Kai's Golden Dragon Raider	Jul 31, 2023
Technic	42129	4x4 Mercedes-Benz Zetros Trial Truck	Jul 31, 2023
Minifigures	71038	LEGO® Minifigures Disney 100	Aug 31, 2023
Architecture	21054	The White House	Dec 31, 2023
Art	31203	World Map	Dec 31, 2023
Art	31205	Jim Lee Batman Collection	Dec 31, 2023
Art	31206	The Rolling Stones	Dec 31, 2023
Art	31207	Floral Art	Dec 31, 2023
Avatar	75571	Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch	Dec 31, 2023
Avatar	75573	Floating Mountains: Site 26 & RDA Samson	Dec 31, 2023
Avatar	75577	Mako Submarine	Dec 31, 2023
Avatar	75578	Metkayina Reef Home	Dec 31, 2023
Batman	76181	Batmobile: The Penguin Chase	Dec 31, 2023
Batman	76220	Batman versus Harley Quinn (4+)	Dec 31, 2023
Brickheadz	40540	Lion Dance Guy	Dec 31, 2023
Brickheadz	40541	Manchester United Go Brick Me	Dec 31, 2023
Brickheadz	40542	FC Barcelona Go Brick Me	Dec 31, 2023
Brickheadz / Avatar	40554	Jake Sully & his Avatar	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Disney	40377	Donald Duck	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Disney	40378	Goofy & Pluto	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Disney	40476	Daisy Duck	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Disney	40477	Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey & Louie	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Disney	40550	Chip & Dale	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Disney	40553	Woody and Bo Peep	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Disney	40622	Disney 100th Celebration (Oswald, Mickey, Snow White, Tinker Bell)	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Harry Potter	40495	Harry, Hermione, Ron & Hagrid	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Harry Potter	40560	Professors of Hogwarts	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Minecraft	40624	Alex	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Minecraft	40625	Llama	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Minecraft	40626	Zombie	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Star Wars	40539	Ahsoka Tano	Dec 31, 2023
BrickHeadz / Star Wars	40623	Battle of Endor Heroes	Dec 31, 2023
City	30590	Farm Garden & Scarecrow Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
City	30638	Police Bike Training Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
City	30639	Dog Park and Scooter Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
City	41723	Donut Shop	Dec 31, 2023
City	41726	Holiday Camping Trip	Dec 31, 2023
City	60253	Ice-Cream Truck	Dec 31, 2023
City	60313	Space Ride Amusement Truck	Dec 31, 2023
City	60314	Ice Cream Truck Police Chase	Dec 31, 2023
City	60315	Police Mobile Command Truck	Dec 31, 2023
City	60317	Police Chase at the Bank	Dec 31, 2023
City	60318	Fire Helicopter	Dec 31, 2023
City	60319	Fire Rescue & Police Chase	Dec 31, 2023
City	60320	Fire Station	Dec 31, 2023
City	60321	Fire Brigade	Dec 31, 2023
City	60322	Race Car Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
City	60323	Stunt Plane	Dec 31, 2023
City	60324	Mobile Crane	Dec 31, 2023
City	60325	Cement Mixer Truck	Dec 31, 2023
City	60327	Horse Transporter	Dec 31, 2023
City	60330	Hospital	Dec 31, 2023
City	60332	Reckless Scorpion Stunt Bike	Dec 31, 2023
City	60333	Bathtub Stunt Bike	Dec 31, 2023
City	60335	Train Station	Dec 31, 2023
City	60338	Chimpanzee Smash Stunt Loop	Dec 31, 2023
City	60339	Double Loop Stunt Arena	Dec 31, 2023
City	60341	The Knockdown Stunt Challenge	Dec 31, 2023
City	60342	The Shark Attack Stunt Challenge	Dec 31, 2023
City	60343	Rescue Helicopter Transporter	Dec 31, 2023
City	60346	Barn & Farm Animals	Dec 31, 2023
City	60348	Lunar Roving Vehicle	Dec 31, 2023
City	60349	Lunar Space Station	Dec 31, 2023
City	60350	Lunar Research Base	Dec 31, 2023
City	60351	Rocket Launch Centre	Dec 31, 2023
City	60353	Wild Animal Rescue Missions	Dec 31, 2023
City	60354	Mars Spacecraft Exploration Missions	Dec 31, 2023
City	60355	Water Police Detective Missions	Dec 31, 2023
City	60356	Bear Stunt Bike	Dec 31, 2023
City	60357	Stunt Truck & Ring of Fire Challenge	Dec 31, 2023
City	60358	Cyber Stunt Bike	Dec 31, 2023
City	60359	Dunk Stunt Ramp Challenge	Dec 31, 2023
City	60360	Spinning Stunt Challenge	Dec 31, 2023
City	60361	Ultimate Stunt Riders Challenge	Dec 31, 2023
City	60371	Emergency Vehicles HQ	Dec 31, 2023
City	60382	Vet Van Rescue	Dec 31, 2023
City	60385	Construction Digger	Dec 31, 2023
City	60390	Park Tractor	Dec 31, 2023
City	60393	4x4 Fire Truck Rescue	Dec 31, 2023
City	60394	ATV and Otter Habitat	Dec 31, 2023
City	60398	Family House and Electric Car	Dec 31, 2023
Classic	11014	Bricks and Wheels	Dec 31, 2023
Classic	11018	Creative Ocean Fun	Dec 31, 2023
Classic	11019	Bricks and Functions	Dec 31, 2023
Classic	11020	Build Together	Dec 31, 2023
Classic	11021	90 Years of Play	Dec 31, 2023
Classic	11022	Space Mission	Dec 31, 2023
Classic	11031	Creative Monkey Fun	Dec 31, 2023
Classic	30510	90 Years of Cars Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	30641	Panda Bear Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	30644	Vintage Car Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	31111	Cyber Drone	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	31118	Surfer Beach House	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	31127	Street Racer	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	31128	Dolphin and Turtle	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	31130	Sunken Treasure Mission	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	31131	Downtown Noodle Shop	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	31132	Viking Ship and the Midgard Serpent	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	40461	Tulips	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	40469	Tuk Tuk	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	40568	Paris Postcard	Dec 31, 2023
Creator	40646	Daffodils	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	10777	Mickey and Minnie's Camping Trip	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	30646	Moana's Dolphin Cove Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	40521	Mini Disney The Haunted Mansion	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	41168	Elsa's Jewellery Box	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43187	Rapunzel's Tower	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43189	Elsa and the Nokk Storybook Adventures	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43194	Anna and Elsa's Frozen Wonderland	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43196	Belle and the Beast's Castle	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43197	The Ice Castle	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43198	Anna's Castle Courtyard	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43199	Elsa's Castle Courtyard	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43202	The Madrigal House	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43204	Anna and Olaf's Castle Fun	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43207	Ariel's Underwater Palace	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43208	Jasmine and Mulan's Adventure	Dec 31, 2023
Disney	43209	Elsa and the Nokk's Ice Stable	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	30560	Pineapple Photo Holder & Mini Board Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41801	My Pets Bracelet	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41802	Unicorns Forever Bracelet	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41803	Extra Dots series 8	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41805	Creative Animal Drawer	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41806	Ultimate Party Kit	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41807	Bracelet Designer Mega Pack	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41947	Mickey and Friends Bracelets Mega Pack	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41948	Cute Banana Pen Holder	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41950	Lots of DOTS - Lettering	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41951	Message Board	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41957	Adhesive Patches Mega Pack	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41959	Cute Panda Tray	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41960	Big Box	Dec 31, 2023
Dots	41961	Designer Toolkit - Patterns	Dec 31, 2023
Dots / Disney	41963	Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Stitch-on Patch	Dec 31, 2023
Dots / Disney	41964	Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Back-to-School Project Box	Dec 31, 2023
Dots / Harry Potter	41808	Hogwarts Accessories Pack	Dec 31, 2023
Dots / Harry Potter	41809	Hedwig Pencil Holder	Dec 31, 2023
Dots / Harry Potter	41811	Hogwarts Desktop Kit	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10411	Learn About Chinese Culture	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10872	Train Bridge and Tracks	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10882	Train Tracks	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10930	Bulldozer	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10938	Dinosaur Nursery	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10944	Space Shuttle Mission	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10948	Parking Garage and Car Wash	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10949	Farm Animal Care	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10955	Animal Train	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10956	Amusement Park	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10964	Bath Time Fun: Floating Red Panda	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10966	Bath Time Fun: Floating Animal Island	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10968	Doctor Visit	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10972	Wild Animals of the Ocean	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10973	Wild Animals of South America	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10974	Wild Animals of Asia	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10977	My First Puppy & Kitten with Sounds	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10978	Creative Building Time	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	10979	Wild Animals of Europe	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo	30648	Whale Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo / Disney	10899	Frozen Ice Castle	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo / Disney	10960	Belle's Ballroom	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo / Disney	10962	Buzz Lightyear's Planetary Mission	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo / Holiday	10976	Santa's Gingerbread House	Dec 31, 2023
Duplo / Marvel	10963	Spider-Man & Friends: Funfair Adventure	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	30633	Skate Ramp	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	30634	Friendship Flowers Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41443	Olivia's Electric Car	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41677	Forest Waterfall	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41696	Pony-Washing Stable	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41697	Turtle Protection Vehicle	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41699	Pet Adoption Café	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41703	Friendship Tree House	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41704	Main Street Building	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41705	Heartlake City Pizzeria	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41707	Tree-Planting Vehicle	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41708	Roller Disco Arcade	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41711	Emma's Art School	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41712	Recycling Truck	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41713	Olivia's Space Academy	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41714	Andrea's Theatre School	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41715	Ice Cream Truck	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41716	Stephanie's Sailing Adventure	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41717	Mia's Wildlife Rescue	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41718	Pet Day-Care Center	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41719	Mobile Fashion Boutique	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41720	Water Park	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41721	Organic Farm	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41722	Horse Show Trailer	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41729	Organic Grocery Store	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41732	Downtown Flower and Design Stores	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41733	Mobile Bubble Tea Shop	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41741	Dog Rescue Van	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41742	Cat Hotel	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41743	Hair Salon	Dec 31, 2023
Friends	41751	Skate Park	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	30435	Build Your Own Hogwarts Castle Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	30651	Quidditch Practice Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	75968	4 Privet Drive	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	75979	Hedwig	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76386	Hogwarts: Polyjuice Potion Mistake	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76398	Hogwarts Hospital Wing	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76399	Hogwarts Magical Trunk	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76400	Hogwarts Carriage and Thestrals	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76401	Hogwarts Courtyard: Sirius's Rescue	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76403	The Ministry of Magic	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76406	Hungarian Horntail Dragon	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76408	12 Grimmauld Place	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76409	Gryffindor House Banner	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76410	Slytherin House Banner	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76411	Ravenclaw House Banner	Dec 31, 2023
Harry Potter	76412	Hufflepuff House Banner	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday	40426	Christmas Wreath 2-in-1	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday	40522	Valentine Lovebirds	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday	40523	Easter Rabbits Display	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday	40570	Halloween Cat and Mouse	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday	40571	Wintertime Polar Bears	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday	80110	Lunar New Year Display	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday	80111	Lunar New Year Parade	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / City	60381	City Advent Calendar 2023	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Creator	30584	Winter Holiday Train Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Creator	30642	Birthday Train Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Creator	30643	Easter Chickens Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Friends	41758	Friends Advent Calendar 2023	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Harry Potter	76418	Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2023	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Icons	10293	Santa's Visit	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Marvel	76267	Marvel Advent Calendar 2023	Dec 31, 2023
Holiday / Star Wars	75366	Star Wars Advent Calendar 2023	Dec 31, 2023
Icons	10265	Ford Mustang	Dec 31, 2023
Icons	10266	NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander	Dec 31, 2023
Icons	10273	Haunted House	Dec 31, 2023
Icons	10276	Colosseum	Dec 31, 2023
Icons	10289	Bird of Paradise	Dec 31, 2023
Icons	10290	Pickup Truck	Dec 31, 2023
Icons	10292	The Friends Apartments	Dec 31, 2023
Icons	10299	Real Madrid - Santiago Bernabéu Stadium	Dec 31, 2023
Icons	10497	Galaxy Explorer	Dec 31, 2023
Icons	76989	Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck	Dec 31, 2023
Icons / Modular	10255	Assembly Square	Dec 31, 2023
Icons / Modular	10270	Bookshop	Dec 31, 2023
Icons / Modular	10278	Police Station	Dec 31, 2023
Ideas	21325	Medieval Blacksmith	Dec 31, 2023
Ideas	21326	Winnie the Pooh	Dec 31, 2023
Ideas	21329	Fender Stratocaster	Dec 31, 2023
Ideas	21337	Table Football	Dec 31, 2023
Jurassic Park / World	76943	Pteranodon Chase (4+)	Dec 31, 2023
Jurassic Park / World	76945	Atrociraptor Dinosaur: Bike Chase	Dec 31, 2023
Jurassic Park / World	76947	Quetzalcoatlus Plane Ambush	Dec 31, 2023
Jurassic Park / World	76948	T. rex & Atrociraptor Dinosaur Breakout	Dec 31, 2023
Jurassic Park / World	76950	Triceratops Pickup Truck Ambush	Dec 31, 2023
Jurassic Park / World	76956	T. rex Breakout	Dec 31, 2023
Lightyear	76830	Zyclops Chase (4+)	Dec 31, 2023
Lightyear	76831	Zurg Battle	Dec 31, 2023
Lightyear	76832	XL-15 Spaceship	Dec 31, 2023
Mario	30509	Yellow Yoshi's Fruit Tree Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Mario	71406	Yoshi's Gift House	Dec 31, 2023
Mario	71413	Character Packs Series 6	Dec 31, 2023
Mario	71414	Conkdor's Noggin Bopper	Dec 31, 2023
Mario	71415	Ice Mario Suit and Frozen World	Dec 31, 2023
Mario	71416	Lava Wave Ride	Dec 31, 2023
Mario	71417	Fliprus Snow Adventure	Dec 31, 2023
Mario	71418	Creativity Toolbox	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	10781	Spider-Man's Techno Trike (4+)	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	10784	Spider-Man Webquarters Hangout (4+)	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	10790	Team Spidey at Green Goblin's Lighthouse (4+)	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	30652	Doctor Strange's Interdimensional Portal Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76187	Venom	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76193	The Guardians' Ship	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76206	Iron Man Figure	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76207	Attack on New Asgard	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76208	The Goat Boat	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76209	Thor's Hammer	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76211	Shuri's Sunbird	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76212	Shuri's Lab (4+)	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76213	King Namor's Throne Room	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76214	Black Panther: War on the Water	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76215	Black Panther	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76216	Iron Man Armory	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76225	Miles Morales Figure	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76230	Venom Figure	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76242	Thanos Mech Armor	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76253	Guardians of the Galaxy Headquarters	Dec 31, 2023
Marvel	76255	The New Guardians' Ship	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21164	The Coral Reef	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21170	The Pig House	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21172	The Ruined Portal	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21177	The Creeper Ambush	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21180	The Guardian Battle	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21181	The Rabbit Ranch	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21183	The Training Grounds	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21184	The Bakery	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21185	The Nether Bastion	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21186	The Ice Castle	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21188	The Llama Village	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	21190	The Abandoned Village	Dec 31, 2023
Minecraft	30647	The Dripstone Cavern/The Stalactite Cave Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Miscellaneous	40174	LEGO Chess	Dec 31, 2023
Miscellaneous	40382	Birthday Set	Dec 31, 2023
Miscellaneous	40393	LEGOLAND Fire Academy	Dec 31, 2023
Miscellaneous	40584	Birthday Diorama	Dec 31, 2023
Monkie Kid	30656	Monkey King Marketplace Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Monkie Kid	80008	Monkie Kid's Cloud Jet	Dec 31, 2023
Monkie Kid	80030	Monkie Kid's Staff Creations	Dec 31, 2023
Monkie Kid	80032	Chang'e Moon Cake Factory	Dec 31, 2023
Monkie Kid	80033	Evil Macaque's Mech	Dec 31, 2023
Monkie Kid	80034	Nezha's Fire Ring	Dec 31, 2023
Monkie Kid	80035	Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer	Dec 31, 2023
Monkie Kid	80037	Dragon of the East	Dec 31, 2023
Monkie Kid	80038	Monkie Kid's Team Van	Dec 31, 2023
Monkie Kid	80039	The Heavenly Realms	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	30649	Ice Dragon Creature Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71757	Lloyd's Ninja Mech (4+)	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71760	Jay's Thunder Dragon EVO	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71761	Zane's Power Up Mech EVO	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71763	Lloyd's Race Car EVO	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71765	Ninja Ultra Combo Mech	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71766	Lloyd's Legendary Dragon	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71767	Ninja Dojo Temple	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71768	Jay's Golden Dragon Motorbike	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71769	Cole's Dragon Cruiser	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71771	The Crystal King Temple	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71772	The Crystal King	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71774	Lloyd's Golden Ultra Dragon	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71775	Nya's Samurai X MECH	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71776	Jay and Nya's Race Car EVO	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71777	Kai's Dragon Power Flip	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71778	Nya's Dragon Power Drift	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71779	Lloyd's Dragon Power Spin	Dec 31, 2023
Ninjago	71781	Lloyd's Mech Battle EVO	Dec 31, 2023
Speed Champions	30657	McLaren Solus GT Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Speed Champions	76900	Koenigsegg Jesko	Dec 31, 2023
Speed Champions	76901	Toyota GR Supra	Dec 31, 2023
Speed Champions	76910	Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro and Aston Martin Vantage GT3	Dec 31, 2023
Speed Champions	76911	007 Aston Martin DB5	Dec 31, 2023
Speed Champions	76912	Fast & Furious 1970 Dodge Charger T	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	30654	X-wing Starfighter Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75288	AT-AT	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75292	The Razor Crest	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75300	Imperial TIE Fighter	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75301	Luke Skywalker's X-wing Fighter	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75309	Republic Gunship (Ultimate Collector Series)	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75312	Boba Fett's Starship	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75317	The Mandalorian & The Child	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75318	The Child	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75320	Snowtrooper Battle Pack	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75322	Hoth AT-ST	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75323	The Justifier	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75324	Dark Trooper Attack	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75326	Boba Fett's Throne Room	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75327	Luke Skywalker (Red Five) Helmet	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75329	Death Star Trench Run Diorama	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75330	Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75332	AT-ST (4+)	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75334	Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75335	BD-1	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75336	Inquisitor Transport Scythe	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75338	Ambush on Ferrix	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75339	Death Star Trash Compactor Diorama	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75342	Republic Fighter Tank	Dec 31, 2023
Star Wars	75343	Dark Trooper Helmet	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	30655	Forklift with Pallet Polybag	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42096	Porsche 911 RSR	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42107	Ducati Panigale V4 R	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42111	Dom's Dodge Charger	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42117	Race Plane	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42118	Monster Jam Grave Digger	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42122	Jeep Wrangler	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42123	McLaren Senna GTR	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42125	Ferrari 488 GTE 'AF Corse #51'	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42127	The Batman - Batmobile	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42128	Heavy-Duty Tow Truck	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42131	Cat D11 Bulldozer	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42132	Chopper	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42133	Telehandler	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42134	Monster Jam Megalodon	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42135	Monster Jam El Toro Loco	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42137	Formula E Porsche 99x Electric	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42139	All-Terrain Vehicle	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42140	App-Controlled Transformation Vehicle	Dec 31, 2023
Technic	42144	Material Handler	Dec 31, 2023

​

Introduction to Sierra Leonean cuisine

Welcome to the vibrant and flavorful world of Sierra Leonean cuisine! Nestled on the West Coast of Africa, this stunning country offers a culinary experience like no other. From succulent seafood dishes to hearty stews and irresistible street food, Sierra Leone's gastronomic scene is sure to tantalize your taste buds. In this blog post, we will explore some of the most popular dishes in Freetown – the capital city – as well as where you can find them both in Sierra Leone and abroad. So get ready for a mouthwatering journey through the flavors of Freetown! And if you're looking to travel there soon, be sure to check out our tips for finding the best flights and cheap ticket to Freetown.

The most popular Sierra Leonean dishes

Sierra Leonean cuisine is a melting pot of different cultures, and its dishes are flavorful and aromatic. Here are some of the most popular Sierra Leonean dishes that you should try when visiting Freetown.
One of the most well-known Sierra Leonean dishes is Jollof rice. It's a one-pot dish made with rice, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and spices such as ginger and cumin. You can find it served at almost every restaurant in Freetown.
Another favorite dish among locals is Cassava Leaves. The leaves are cooked with palm oil, onions, fish or meat stock cubes for flavoring. Some variations add peanut butter for added richness.
Pepper Soup is also another popular local delicacy made from chicken or goat meat seasoned with spicy pepper sauce soup consisting of spices like alligator pepper corns , bay leaves and other fragrant herbs to season it up
Last but not least on our list is Okra Stew which consists mainly of okra vegetables (a slimy vegetable) stewed in tomato broth along with shrimp or beef chunks typically served over white rice
These traditional Sierra Leonean dishes offer an explosion of flavors that will delight your palate!

Where to eat in Freetown

When it comes to experiencing the flavors of Sierra Leone, Freetown is a foodie's paradise. The city boasts an array of eateries that serve up traditional Sierra Leonean dishes alongside international cuisine.
For those who want a taste of authentic local fare, head to Mama's Restaurant in Lumley Beach or Paddy’s Kitchen in Aberdeen. Both offer deliciously prepared cassava leaves, pepper soup and other classic dishes.
If you’re looking for something more upscale, try The Hub restaurant at Wilberforce or Sai Wine & Champagne Café at Murray Town. These restaurants pair delightful ambiance with mouth-watering fusion cuisines.
For seafood lovers, Jam Lodge and Balmaya Restaurant are excellent options offering fresh catches straight from the sea to your plate!
If you're seeking street food adventures then check out Victoria Park where multiple vendors sell cheap but tasty treats like fried plantains (dodo), roasted peanuts and grilled corn on the cob!
No matter what type of culinary experience you seek in Freetown; there is always something that will satisfy your craving!

Sierra Leonean restaurants in the United States

If you're craving Sierra Leonean cuisine but can't make the trip to Freetown, don't worry! There are several restaurants in the United States that serve authentic Sierra Leonean dishes.
One such restaurant is Kendejah Restaurant in Philadelphia. This family-owned establishment offers classic dishes like cassava leaves and jollof rice, as well as unique options like plantain fufu and fried fish with okra soup.
Another option is Bintimani Restaurant in Staten Island, New York. Here you can enjoy a variety of traditional stews made with goat or chicken, along with sides like fried plantains and rice balls.
For those on the West Coast, Mama African Braai in Los Angeles is a must-visit for Sierra Leonean food lovers. With its laid-back atmosphere and flavorful menu items like peanut stew and grilled chicken suya skewers, this spot has quickly become a local favorite.
Whether you're a fan of spicy stews or savory meat dishes, there's no shortage of delicious Sierra Leonean cuisine to be found throughout the United States!

Conclusion

Sierra Leonean cuisine is a must-try for anyone who wants to experience the unique and delicious flavors of West Africa. Freetown, the capital city, offers numerous restaurants and food stalls that serve traditional dishes like cassava leaves stew, jollof rice, and fried plantains. For those who can't travel to Freetown yet want to try Sierra Leonean cuisine, there are also several restaurants in the United States that offer authentic dishes.
Whether you're a foodie or just someone looking for new culinary experiences, Sierra Leonean cuisine is definitely worth exploring. So why not book your flight now and taste the amazing flavors of Freetown? With cheap flight to Freetown available online, it's now easier than ever before to indulge in this delightful cuisine!

Company Name	Title	City
Reliance Hotel Group	Staff Accountant	Daytona Beach
Goodwill Industries - Big Bend, Inc.	Retail Manager in Training	Panama City Beach
Harmony United Psychiatric Care	Psychiatrist - Outpatient Clinic Independent Contractor	Altamonte Springs
North American Risk Services	Accounts Payable Specialist - Hybrid	Altamonte Springs
Elevance Health	Prior Authorization Representative	Altamonte Springs
Park Square Homes	New Home Sales Counselor - Babcock Ranch Community	Apollo Beach
InBloom Autism Services	Registered Behavior Technician (RBT)	Apopka
Town Star	CashieSales Associate	Apopka
Carter's Ace Hardware of Hunt Club	Outside Sales/Accounts Manager	Apopka
H&H Recruiting	Class A Truck Driver	Arcadia
Concierge Care- Jacksonville, FL	CNA or HHA-All shifts needed! 4-12 hours	Atlantic Beach
Fenix Parts Inc	Loader Operator	Auburndale
RAC Brands	Delivery Specialist	Auburndale
Tb Isle Resort Lp	Retail Sales Associate	Aventura
Hollister Co. Stores	Hollister Co. - Key Holder, Aventura	Aventura
Orangetheory - Franchise #0316	Sales Associate	Aventura
HCA Florida Aventura Hospital	Patient Care Technician	Aventura
One Hope United	Therapist	Bartow
Titanium Solar	Inspection Technician	Bartow
PalletOne	Forklift Operator - $14/hr + Bonus	Bartow
Healogics, Inc	Clinical Nurse Manager (RN)	Bartow
Planet Fitness	Front Desk Associate	Bayonet Point
Aflac	Insurance Agent - Training Provided!	Bayshore
Complete Home Care	Home Health Aides	Big Cypress
United Water Restoration Group	Entry level Business Development Representative and Assistant	Boca Raton

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in fl. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

DIAP are going going, back back, to Cali Cali. It didn't take long for the bus to head back west following their CA debut at Skull & Roses Festival in late April (a recent personal favorite of mine).
San Diego will begin a 10-date affair (+ Idaho) on the West Coast that will proceed festival season. Take a look at the gorgeous foil print by Ryan Kerrigan in the link below and follow along on go-set for live updates. We'll have coverage for the next four shows!
Undoubtedly a key handful of dates, the Dogs will make their first stops in major markets such as Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland while hitting some funky towns like Berkeley and Bend. Even two premiere beach cities San Diego and Santa Cruz are on the menu. Dog Pound West... it's your time to shine! Tell your homies, gather up the crew and hit some of these shows!
San Diego live setlist
West Coast Poster
Shows are being added more quickly than ever! Keep up with your newest addiction and head over to the Dogs Bandcamp or Nugs for the latest soundboards: https://dogsinapileofficial.com/boards

ATLANTA

• Marlo Hampton Sizzles in a Completely Sheer Halter Dress & Gucci Gloves (Marlo Hampton Instagram/Bravo)
• Inside RHOA star Kandi Burruss’ $6K-a-night luxury Turks & Caicos villa where she celebrated 47th birthday with co-stars (The Sun U.S. exclusive)
• Kim Zolciak-Biermann Completes Parenting Course Amid Messy Kroy Biermann Divorce: Details (US Weekly)
• Kim Zolciak's Husband Kroy Tells Police He's Living Under Same Roof With Estranged Wife Due to Dire Financial Situation (Radar Online exclusive)
• Peter Thomas Blasted By Former Bar One Miami Employee Who Claims His Establishment Owes Her $1400 In Unpaid Wages (The Jasmine Brand)

NEW JERSEY

• Teresa Giudice slams ‘RHONJ’ fans saying Melissa Gorga made her ‘squirm’ at reunion (Page Six)
• Teresa Giudice, 51, displays her toned figure in a cut-out swimsuit while in Puerto Rico (Teresa Giudice Instagram/Daily Mail)
• 1 minute video: Does RHONJ's Danielle Regret Dishing Melissa Gorga Cheating Rumors? She Says... (E! exclusive)

ORANGE COUNTY

• Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador tease their forthcoming reunion on "RHOC" (Page Six Star Snaps)
• Look Back at Heather Dubrow's Designer Reunion Dresses (Bravo Style & Living)

NEW YORK

• Dorinda Medley relaxes on the beach on Memorial Day (Page Six Star Snaps)
• Bethenny Frankel is a ray of sunshine in smiley face sweats and pink bunny slippers as she stops by Today show in New York City (Daily Mail)

BEVERLY HILLS

• ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Star Erika Jayne Is Not Dating Lawyer Jim Wilkes II (US Weekly)
• This Is What a Sunday Barbecue Looks Like in Kyle Richards’ Backyard (Alexia Umansky Instagram/Bravo)

MIAMI

• Lisa Hochstein blasts Lenny for not spending ‘substantive time’ with their kids (Page Six exclusive)

BRAVO

• It’s Not Just “Shade,” It’s Colorism: A Deep Dive Into Colorism On The 'Real Housewives' Franchise (Dr. Chanda Reynolds for Essence)
• 4 minute video: Bravo Backstory: Who Is Raquel Leviss? (Bravo Digital Original)
• Vanderpump Rules' Scheana Shay Finally Got Her Happy Ending (Sarah Ellis for Elite Daily)
• Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay teases her toned midriff in sexy all-black for afternoon out in LA with husband Brock Davies (Daily Mail)
• Ariana Madix’s Practical Phone Case Is from the Same Brand Blake Lively Keeps Wearing When On-the-Go (People)
• Brock Davies: Raquel Leviss sent Tom Sandoval postcards with lightning bolt (When Reality Hits with Jax & Brittany podcast/Page Six)
• Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Say Daughter Lola Got Them Hooked on Scandoval (People)

TORONTO

• “Someone needed to bring the drama”: Real Housewives of Toronto star Kara Alloway on her new book about reality TV (Courtney Shea for Toronto Life)

CHESHIRE

• Joe Sealey: ‘My dad is an ex-Man Utd goalkeeper - but I want my football legacy to be owning a club' (Daily Star UK exclusive)

NAIROBI

• I’m a millionaire mum & my birth was so luxe – my room was posher than a 7* Dubai hotel & there was a fancy menu (The Sun U.S.)

GQEBERHA

• ‘Real Housewives’ eager for more airtime (Herald Live)

Links to this week's episode discussion posts:

• VPR S10E17 🍸
• VPR S10E17 - "Pumped Up Edition" 🍸
• RHONJ S13E17 🍝
• RHOA S15E4 🍑

Working Glitches

This is the Working Glitches Section! This is always being improved, and if you have any recommendations please let me know in the comments or send me a direct message. If you know a glitch is working on any other platform I haven't included or doesn't work anymore, also let us know. If a glitch is patched then it will be stricken through. If a platform is in italics, it means it is unsure. If a platform is just "Xbox" or "PlayStation", that means that it works with both old gen and new gen versions of the game.
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Money and RP Glitches:

Semi Frozen Money (No Bird, No Save Wizard, No Save) - Xbox One, PS4 - Solo	Facility Car Dupe - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Gold Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Arena RP Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Cayo Double Secondary Loot - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Arena Car Dupe - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
No Save AHK - PC - Solo	Arena Car Dupe - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo	LS Car Meet Rep Glitch - PS4 - Solo
Arena Car Dupe - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo	Semi Frozen Money (Save Wizard) - PS4 - Solo	Gold Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Semi Frozen Money (Fresh Meat) - Xbox One, PS4 - Solo	BEFF - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	5k RP Every 30 Secs - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Non-Solo
Dr Dre Linux Replay Glitch - PC - Solo	100k Every 10 Minutes - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Semi Frozen Money - Xbox One, PS4 - Solo

​
Player Based Glitches:

Checkerboard Outfit in Lobby - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Agency God Mode - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo	Account Duplication - Xbox - Solo
OTR God Mode Glitch - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Cashmere Coat with Vest - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Taxi God Mode - Xbox Series, PS5 - Solo
No Ragdoll - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Agency God Mode Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Orange/Purple Joggers and Bulletproof - Xbox Series, Playstation - Semi-Solo
Modded Outfit Transfer - Playstation - Solo	Unlock Checkerboard Cargo - Xbox Series, PS5 - Solo	Freakshop OTR - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Play as Big Rabbit - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo	Arena God Mode - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Apartment God Mode - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Candy Cane Weapon - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo	Jet Black Duffle - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Bigfoot Beard - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Migration Keep Progress - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Halloween Biker Jacket - Xbox Series, PS5 - Solo	20 Max Armor - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Black Joggers - PS4 - Solo	No Ankles - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Casino God Mode - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Female Joggers - Playstation - Solo	OTR Party Bus - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo	KD Farm - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo
Easy God Mode - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Outfit Transfer - Xbox Series, PS5 - Non-Solo	Joggers and Bulletproof Helmets - PC - Solo
Remove Bodysuit Logo - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	IAA Badge - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Gender Swap - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Transfer Duffle - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Tan Joggers - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Motorcycle Texture Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Invisible Arms on Cop Outfit - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Any Shoes with Gorka Pants - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Casino OTR for GCTF - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Casino OTR for GCTF - Xbox Series, PS5 - Solo	Cop Outfit - PS4 - Semi-Solo	Yellow Rebreather - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo
Transfer Glitch - Xbox Series, PS5 - Semi-Solo	Perma Stun Lock - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Semi-Solo	Modded Outfits (No Checkerboard) - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Kill God Mode Players - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Invisible Stomach - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Thermals in Aircraft - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Play as Franklin - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Non-Solo	Ballistic Health Boost and Minigun - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	FIB Necklace - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Gorka Joggers with IAA Belt and Invisible Torso - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Duffle Bags - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Machine Revolver - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Frontier Outfit in 1 Day - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Save CEO Outfits - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	SP-MP Outfit Transfer - PS4 - Semi-Solo
Female No Bra - Xbox One - Solo	Cayo Perico Pouches - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Invisible Torso - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
White Duffle - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Grey Snapback Half Hat - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Merge Special Outfits - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Juggernaut Suit - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Racing Suit Shoulder Pads - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Gruppe, Prison and Paramedic Belts - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Overcoat and Suit Vest - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	No Kick Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Chemical Mask on All Outfits - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Alien Outfit Without Mask - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Topless Female - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	NOOSE Outfit - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Invisible Arms - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Unlock Railgun - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Non-Solo	OTR using Double Garage - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo
Double Garage God Mode - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo	Wear Any Blacklisted Outfit - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Transfer Coloured Chutes Duffle Bags - Xbox, Playstation - Solo

​
Miscellaneous:

Infinite Toreador Boost - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Skip Original Heist' Setups - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Creator Mode Online - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Public Solo Session - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Car to Car Merge (No Arena) - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo	Modded Acid Lab - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Non-Solo
Vehicle God Mode - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	UDC Finale B2B - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	AFK Modded Jobs - PS4 - Solo
DMO Lite - Playstation - Solo	Casino Online GCTF - PS5 - Non-Solo	Weapons in Facility - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
TP Mugshoot Room - Playstation - Solo	Infinitely Spawn Vehicles - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Clean Your Plates - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Sandy Shores GCTF - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo	Sell 27 Cars/Day - Xbox One, PS4 - Solo	Oppressor Mk2 Unlimited Missiles - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Car to Service Car Merge - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Arena War AFK - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Car to Service Car Merge - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Vehicle Magic Slot - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo	Skip Dax Cooldown - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Autoshop Car to Service Car Merge - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Facility Merge - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo	Orb Spam - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Glitch Through Walls - PS5 - Solo
TP 50 Car Garage - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Undermap for Acid Lab/Freak Shop - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Cheap Acid Lab Supply - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Brickade Fooliganz Livery Flip - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo	Give Terrorbyte to Friend - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo	Car to Car Merge - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo
Brickade Merge - Playstation - Solo	Bandito Teleport Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Beach Door Launch - PC - Semi-Solo
GATF - Xbox, Playstation - Non- Solo	BF Wevil Speed Glitch - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Shooting Range Glitch - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Thermal in Story Mode - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Savage God Mode - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo	2 Sparrow at Same Time - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Quickly Fill Nightclub - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	No Cops - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	No AFK Kick - Xbox - Solo
Infinite Company SUV's - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Endless Simeon Test Drive - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Double Damage - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Teleport in LSCM - Playstation - Solo	Get Inside Luxury Autos - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	CoPilot Weapons as Pilot - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Cayo Prep Job TP - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Skywalker - Playstation - Solo	Cop Car Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Non-Solo
Colored Stock Wheels - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo	Never Fall Off Bike - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Non-Solo	Director Mode Trailer Online - Playstation - Solo
Launch Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Non-Solo	Car on Cerberus Slot - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo	Casino No Timer - Xbox Series, PS5, PC - Non-Solo
No Wanted Level - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Launch Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Drive Invisible Vehicle - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Non-Solo
Sultan Classic Speed Glitch - Xbox Series, PS5 - Non-Solo	Yellow Car Freak Out - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Non-Solo	BMX Launch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Special/Person Vehicle in Sumo - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo	Unlock Trevor at Beginning of Game -PS4 - Solo	Wheel Merge/Transfer - PC - Non-Solo
Chameleon Pearlescent Glitch - Xbox Series, PS5 - Solo	No Cops - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Magic Slot Merge - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Bushole Launch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Extra Consumables - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Out of Bounds - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Semi-Solo
Under the Map Anywhere - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Invisible Aircraft - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Facility GCTF - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo
Double Sell Customers Cars - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Merge/Teleport Jobs - Xbox	2 Boys, 1 Hole - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
RC Bandito C4 Throw - PS4 - Solo	Pick Your Bunker Research - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Replay Dr Dre Finale - PC - Solo
Custom BMX Color - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Repeat HSW Time Trials - Xbox Series, PS5 - Solo	Choose Primary Target Cayo - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Autoclub Podium Vehicle - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Launch Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Semi-Solo	Low Grip Tires on Any Car - PC - Solo
High Speed Jet Donuts - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	OOB Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Toreador God Mode - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Wall Breach - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Teleport with Akula - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Hydra with MOC Health - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Walk in the Sky - Xbox, Playstation - Semi-Solo	Freeze Time - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Transparent Jet - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Trevors Car - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Kosatka Speed Glitch - PS4 - Solo	Change Org Name (Free) - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Matte Pearlescent Respray - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Job TP - PC - Solo	God Mode Speedo Van - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Hide Cargo - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Skip Doomsday Setups - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo	Hydra Speed Glitch - Xbox, Playstation, PC - Solo
Car to RC Merge - Xbox, Playstation - Solo	Weapons Inside Arena - Xbox, Playstation - Non-Solo	BEFF Double Garage - Xbox, Playstation - Solo
Bypass Daily Sell Limit - Xbox, Playstation - Solo

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Some Helpful Tips About This Subreddit:
• Please read the rules before you post.
• Please stay civilised, and do not be rude towards others.
• Please do not comment stupid things such as “I didn’t use this glitch”. Seriously, what’s the point?
• Please do NOT post gamer tags anywhere on this subreddit. If you need to tell someone, just PM the person.
• If you see anyone breaking rules, make sure to report the post so we can get on it ASAP!
• If you’re desperate to ask a question, just ask on the weekly questions thread.
• We also have a chat which is quite helpful, and you can ask questions there and get a response.
• There is a very helpful scammer list for B2B Bogdan by YoGamer1044, make sure to check it out here before hosting one for someone.
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Have a Question about a Glitch?:
Ask the poster of the glitch inside the post, rather than this main page. People there created it, found it, or at the very least have been using it recently, and are far more likely to give you the correct answer.
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Have a Glitch That Isn't Linked Here?:
Make/Link a post and send me a PM and I will put the post here. (We appreciate your contribution!)
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Need any help? Message the mod team.
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Frequently Asked Questions

If you ask about something which can be clearly answered via the information in the FAQ's, your comment will be removed.
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Where are the newest glitches?

• Sorting the sub by new is the easiest way to find the most current glitches
• Our Discord server has a section with quite a few working glitches

Are Heist Replay Glitches patched?

• No, and they probably won't be any time soon; if ever.
• Heist replay glitch is still working in the enhanced version.
• Please note that timings might be more difficult than in the past.

How do I do X Heist Replay?

• Cayo Perico
• Casino
• Bogdan

Tips on how to avoid heist reset on consoles.

• Take a break after 2 consecutive attempts
• Try clearing your cache after 2 consecutive attempts
• Try disconnecting after the white transaction loading circle and before the orange loading circle
• Try disconnecting after the "Transaction Pending" disappears at the bottom of the screen

Can you get banned from doing X Glitch?

• Outside of the few admonished outliers such as the strain of Apartment Glitches, you WON'T GET BANNED for doing any glitches. This includes things such as Heist Replays, AFK's, Merges, Dupes (creating/owning/selling Dupes) and etcetera.

Any good RP glitches around?

• This is a new type job, TeamLilac AFK, and should be similar to Peter Griffin AFK. Please feel free to leave feedback on this job since its new

Best money glitch out right now?

• Heist Replays (Bogdan/Cayo Perico), GCTF Dupes and/or Semi-Frozen Money (solo) will always remain as time proven choices. Alongside whatever Dupe Glitch is currently available/working.

Anything pertaining to Dupes?

• Destro's Duping Encyclopedia will most likely have your answers. Start with the Introduction segment which covers the jist of the relevant topics, otherwise flip through to the topic dedicated chapter.

Merge Glitches?

• BEFF/2 Console
• Captain Merge (Non-Solo)

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External Resources:

• Our Discord Server - Highly recommended and it's the best place to help keep you updated with all the working glitches being discovered.
• Alternatively, you can refer to realmoneymitch.com which serves the same purpose

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Se7enSins:

• Glitched Clothing Megathread
• GTA Blacklisted Vehicles

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Looking for a partner in crime?

1. Need People for Duping/Trading - Refer to GTADupe
2. Need People for Heist Replays/JAFK/Misc Jobs - Refer to HeistTeams

Happy glitching! 😉