Sunday, September 30, 2018

Report on my first solo trip ever! 3 weeks in Italy

Hey all, this was my first solo trip ever, and the longest I’ve ever been outside of the United States, and I used this subreddit A LOT when planning and preparing for my trip, so I figured I’d post my experience and hope that some first time travelers will get some use out of it! Please take into account that I’m a 26 year old male from the United States that, when tan, looks vaguely Italian, so any comments I make on safety or social interactions may not exactly hold true for you, but this was just my experience.

*****

Time: 3 weeks

Cost: ~$3000 

Including flights, but not including pre-trip gear (of which I had basically none), nor the additional $800 for missing my flight out of Rome (although I don’t really regret that night, because I ended up in an Italian night club for the first time and it felt like I was in a movie)

Location: Italy - Venice, Riva del Garda, Verona, Bologna, Florence, Sorrento, Rome

Organized so that I never had to really backtrack, and travel between each city was no more than 4 hours.

Accommodations: 70:30 AirBnB/Booking.com:Hostels - average ~$50/night

Although fairly social, I like my privacy and prefer to have a room to myself, so that’s why I leaned towards more single rooms on this trip. Although on future trips I’ll probably split it more along the lines of 50:50, because I did meet some great people when I stayed in hostels. Surprisingly, cost wasn’t really a factor, since everywhere I could find the price would have come out to about the same whether I did all hostels or all AirBnBs.

PREPARATION 

In the past I’ve been a chronic overpacker, and always brought too much shit with me that I didn’t even need. A few things really helped me pare down what I brought with me. First, I made sure to get a bag that was small enough so that I’d never have to check it and it could always be with me. For my big pack, I got the 40 L Hynes Eagle Pack and it was absolutely AMAZING. The ability to stow away the backpack straps made storing it on planes, trains, and buses a breeze. It looks great, and it’s pocket layout was completely logical and clearly designed by someone who has traveled quite a bit in the past. For a daypack, the New Outlander Foldable Pack was fantastic. Super light, stylish, and folds up to a little bigger than the size of my fist.

 

Packing Method: What I did to really cut down on stuff, was I packed up everything I thought I needed, then proceed to get rid of at least 30% of it. Anything that I thought to pack “just in case” got the boot. I did that process three times, and cut my initial amount down soooo much, and I could have gone even further.

Here’s some examples of what I got rid of:

  • Physical books
    • way too bulky, even thin paperbacks, I put everything I wanted to read on my Kindle app on my phone, and ended up falling in love with that app over the course of the trip
  • Rain jacket
    • figured I could just get a poncho or umbrella if needed
  • Crewneck & Sweatpants
    • too bulky, took hot, brought super thin dri-fit shorts and one pair of long socks as PJs instead (and that was a great decision)

The philosophy was to use colors that I could mix and match together in any combo, and would allow me to feel comfy while still looking good (and not like I’m living out of a backpack).  

Packing List

Clothes - September in Italy, where it was on average 80F (27C)

  • Jeans x 1
  • Shorts x 3 (jean, linen, dri-fit)
  • T-shirts x 3 (black, green, white)
  • Collared shirt x 2 (short sleeve & chambray button down)
  • Socks x 7 (6 ankle, 1 long)
  • Jacket x 1 (bomber)
  • Belt x 1
  • Watch x 1
  • Shoes x 2 pairs (vans, dressier pair)
  • Underwear x 4
  • Swimsuit x 1

Gear

  • 40L backpack
  • Daypack
  • Money belt
  • Micro-fiber towel
  • Small journal
  • Pens
  • Phone
  • iPad
  • Camera (RX100)
  • Camera case
  • Camera tripod
    • ​This was hands down the smallest professional grade tripod I could find, and it worked perfectly. Folds down to less than a foot long and takes up so little space in your bag. And the segmented screw legs made it really flexible to use on uneven terrain)
  • Camera charging cable
  • Phone charging cable (get a long one so you can plug in anywhere! Mine was 10ft.)
  • Outlet adapter (only need one)
  • Mini carabiners
    • Used these to clip my zippers together on my bag to prevent anyone trying to slyly unzip it. Don't know if they actually prevented anything, but I felt more secure with them attached
  • Headphones
  • Sunglasses
  • Portable charger (the most important item on this entire list)

Documents (these were all backed up with both digital copies on my phone and a paper copy each in my bag)

  • Passport
  • US Driver License
  • International Driving Permit
  • 2 debit cards
  • 2 credit cards
  • Health Insurance Card
  • AAA card
  • Emergency card with basic info

Health: assuming that you know what toiletries you need, I’d also specifically recommend a lighter (buy when you arrive), tweezers, nail clippers, athletic tape, band aids, and isopropyl alcohol or a similar disinfectant. I had to pop so many blisters in the first week (my feet were calloused as hell by the end of the trip) and all those items were vital to performing some basic surgery on myself without risking infection or having one of those pop in a dank, sweaty sock halfway up a mountain trail.

Here is stuff that I did not need to pack, and could have left behind:

  • Money belt – never used, although apparently I looked like a local until I opened my mouth, so maybe that made a difference. I had my wallet in my back right pocket and phone in my front left pocket like I do at home. The only time I felt like I had the potential to be swiped was when an African dude selling jewelry gave me a handshake and slyly slipped a bracelet and necklace in my hand (which I ended up giving him $20 for, eh). Pay attention and act like you would in any big city, and you’ll be fine.
  • Extra pair of “nicer” shoes – I wore them once and felt weird. My vans worked fine and fit with every outfit combo I had.
  • iPad – thought I would want it for reading or making music, ended up using my phone the whole time instead Vitamins – if they’re not vital to your survival, trying to pack 21 days worth of pills that you will just forget to take isn’t worth the space

Useful apps (in rough order of frequency of use)

  • Kindle: ditch the physical books, they take up too much space
    • Check out the books If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler and The Solitude of Prime Numbers
  • Maps.me: offline apps were great for spotting where I wanted to go and tracking where I had been. There’s no restaurants on the offline version
  • Google Maps: great when you have data or wifi, but I found the offline maps to be a bit buggy (I had downloaded them beforehand)
  • Google Translate: you can save phrases, so I now have an account of nearly all the words and phrases worth remembering I used on the trip \
  • 1password: password management app in which you can securely store all vital info, numbers, and documents
  • Couchsurfing: the hangout function is great! You’re definitely not guaranteed to meet up with anybody on a certain night, but the times I did hang out with people through it was really fun
  • Amazon prime video: download movies onto phone, good for planes and trains
    • Check out Suburra and La Grande Belleza
  • AirBnB
  • Booking.com
  • Specific Airline apps: for mobile boarding passes and flight status
  • All my bank account apps: so that I could easily check the status before withdrawing

Here’s a general rundown of the stuff I’d recommend to do before you leave to make sure that you can have some peace of mind on your trip:

  • Get your phone plan straightened away, data is critical to moving around, as the wifi can be hit or miss in places
  • If you’re a US Citizen, register in the STEP Program https://step.state.gov/step/ with the embassy in case you get kidnapped or a revolution occurs
  • Tell people your general path, and have at least one or two people know the exact places you’re staying if you already have them booked
  • Make both physical and digital backups of all your important docs that you can access offline
  • Take screenshots of everything (make this a habit on your trip as well), you don’t want to have to use data or shoddy wifi to try to access a vital webpage twice)

CITIES

Venice

One of my favorite cities on the trip. First night I stayed in Mestre, which is on the mainland about a 30 minute bus ride away, and then the other nights were on the island. I would highly recommend staying on the island, as the streets are an absolute maze, and everything you do will take longer simply because you are bound to get lost. I’m not a fan of large crowds, I was in St. Mark’s Square and around the Doge Palace for about 30 minutes, but that’s all I could stand. The real charm comes in just taking the streets at random, and wandering wherever your fancy leads you. I stumbled upon one dead end that lead to a dock right on this super busy section of the Grand Canal, so I got to chill and drink there for a while and really felt like I had the city all to myself. I really had to pee and this random fossil museum I came across said I could go there as long as I bought a ticket and checked out the museum. Honestly I think Venice is extremely well-suited to solo travel, especially if you’re on the more introverted side, as you take two turns and are off the beaten path completely, and there are so many tiny hole in the wall restaurants, cafes, museums and small piazzas that you have an endless amount of (non-awkward) places to eat.

Lago di Garda (Riva del Garda, Lago di Ledro, Saló)

A very touristy resort town, but the real magic here lies in the hiking and biking trails around the lake. I rented a mountain bike from Happy Bike in Riva del Garda and did the Sentiero del Ponale trail, followed by the Pieve di Ledro trail and a loop around Lago di Ledro (~50km total but uphill the whole goddamn way). At the end of the Sentiero del Ponale trail there is a restaurant with a great bar overlooking the lake. Keep going up the trail and then go to the right at the fork if you want to continue on the trail to Lago di Ledro. The one to the left seems to go on but just leads up to a viewpoint about a kilometer up. There’s so many more trails to cover, so if you wanna see as much as you can, I’d definitely choose a bike over hiking. The town of Riva del Garda itself felt very plastic and touristy to me, but the surrounding neighborhoods and much calmer and beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Maui. I rented a car to get out there, so if you’ve got the time, take the scenic route and drive around the perimeter of Lake Garda. The views are absolutely stunning, and if you stop off at the town of Saló on the western side of the lake, you can see where Mussolini moved the Fascist Party’s capitol to in the last days of WWII. Grab a gelato and walk through a town that is straight out of a fairy tale.

Verona – Bologna

Combining these as I only stayed a night in each. I definitely recommend to at minimum stay two nights in a town, as you move too quickly with one night stands. Verona and Bologna were both a little grittier than the other, more historic cities. These are modern cities through and through, and a little more industrial, but I never felt unsafe or threatened. Plus I got offered hash from various guys on bikes with backpacks, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you know who to look for. In Bologna it was 85F (29C) and absolutely pouring. I was so tired, exhausted, and miserable after getting soaked that I ended up getting to my room and sleeping for about 14 hours. The best meal I had in all of Italy was steak tartare (the Ozzy) at the Jukebox Café.

Florence

My favorite city by far. I absolutely adore this town. There is so much history packed into a single block of this place, plus the kebab is killer. I met up with a local one of the first nights and he took me to some really cool and low-key bars and cafes on the southern side of the Arno, in the Oltrarno(?) neighborhood. La Cité was my favorite café in all of Italy, and I went there at least once every day I was in Florence. I’d recommend getting the Firenze Card, if not for the ease of use alone. For the especially popular museums (Uffizi and Accademmia specifically) I’d go either first thing in the morning 15 minutes before it opens, or at night about 30 minutes before they close the doors. I went to see the David at 11am and I would have been in that line for hours. Went back at 6pm the same day and I walked right in. I recommend taking a pasta making class. The Palazzo Pitti and surrounding Giardino di Baboli was my favorite site. The Piazzale Michelangelo is packed around sunset, but the view is absolutely worth it, and I shared some beer and had a great conversation with an English couple standing next to me.

Sorrento

A beautiful town, and had a great experience hitting the bars with a guy from Zürich through Couchsurfing hangouts. The Corso Italia is the main street, and you’ll have to get used to cars and scooters cruising by within inches of you if you’re walking. Same thing in Rome. Just remember to walk confidently and predictably. If you’re beginning to cross the street, look the oncoming driver in the eye, do not hesitate, and do not stop. Cars and scooters will move around you as long as they can predict where you’re going. I did laundry here and met a couple who lived a few blocks away from me back home (it’s a small world). Kontatto was my favorite restaurant here, as it was outdoors and felt the most like an American sports bar (that taste of home provided some familiarity and really helped me to relax). Also, don’t let you’re phone die, without a backup map on you. Please don’t. I learned that the hard way…

Rome

What can I say that hasn’t already been said. The Colosseum is awesome, the Vatican is a fucking zoo (and there was just something that rubbed me the wrong way about it). I definitely recommend a tour for the Colosseum, but maybe not the Vatican, as I found the most interesting part of the museum to be the modern art section, yet our tour group zipped through there in order to get the more famous pieces. Rome is another city like Venice where just wandering will do you tons of good, as I felt very safe the whole time, even walking around at 4am. I stumbled upon both the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain (most underwhelming site in all of Italy) this way. I highly recommend the Etruscan Museum, as it’s a really interesting look into western Italy before the Romans conquered it all. Then you can stroll the huge Villa Borghese Park. Ostia Antica was a nice day trip. Stumbled upon a bar/club called the Nag’s Head on my last night, which led to me missing my flight the next morning! I stayed at the RomeHello hostel. The staff is fantastic and I met a few really cool people, but on the whole I found most of the other guests to be standoffish and not as approachable as I’ve experienced in other places. Oh and definitely get a Metro pass, as it’s cheap ($7 for 24 hours) and efficient, so you don’t have to do as much walking as you’d think.

Transportation

I rented a car through Hertz for the Lake region, as public transportation there is way too much of a hassle, and the views on the highways are incredible. Driving the Autostrada is maybe the best highway driving I’ve ever experienced. So smooth, efficient, clean and Italian drivers know how to act on the highway.

Trenitalia is the shit. I had heard so many stories of how inefficient the transit system is in Italy. I never had to pre-book, I just walked into the station and ordered from one of the kiosks (be aware that many of them only accept card). Usually never had to wait more than an hour for the next train. And most of them are only half full, so you’ve got space to stretch out. If I was checking out of my room but still wanted to explore a city, I would drop my bag off at the Ki Point Left Luggage inside the train station I was departing, buy tickets for a train departing 5-6 hours later, then be free to explore the city. That $7 to leave my bag was so worth it. Be aware that if there’s a long line when you return, that’s usually just for people depositing bags. If you have a ticket, you can cut to the front and grab your bag immediately. Remember to snap a photo of your ticket in case you lose it!!

Language

I had a fair grasp of the basics using Coffee Break Italian and the Rick Steves Phrase Book before I came here. I attempted to use Italian as often as I possibly could. It received mixed reactions, which were usually one of the following: 1. They responded in English and acted like they could give less of a fuck about me 2. They responded as if I was fluent, but then seemed disappointed and switched to English when they learned I wasn’t 3. They were genuinely happy I was trying and were patient with me and would help with my phrasing and pronunciation. As the trip progressed, interactions started to move from #1 more towards #3, which was pretty encouraging.

In terms of vocabulary, the most important to functioning I found were – basic greetings and recurring phrases (bene, cosí, scusi, buongiorno, prego, allora, etc – if you don’t know what to say just say prego or allora), money and food (banconote, monete, posso, vorrei, etc), directions and prepositions (dov’é, c’é, sul, in, verso, per, tra, etc), adverbs (dopo, adesso, qua, lá, per di qua, qua vicino, etc.), common verbs and their past participles. Keep it simple, and learn the vocabulary most applicable to your situation. You’re gonna be having many of the same conversations over and over again, so note words and phrases that you hear most often. If someone responds to you, pick out the key words that you recognize that might give you the gist of their question. Use Google Translate and save all the phrases that you hear, and review them throughout your time.

​ Things I learned

  • Don’t take things personally. It was hard for me to let go of the need for acceptance, but I think I made big strides. Chalk up a rude interaction to cultural differences. Have a sense of humor.
  • No one is watching over you and judging your trip. Whatever you want to do, it’s only you who get to say whether you should do it, that’s one great perk of traveling alone isn’t it? Push yourself out of your comfort zone, but don’t choose to do or not do something simply because that’s what you’ve been told.
  • Dress well, but dress however you want. Why the hell did I read so many posts saying “Italians don’t wear shorts” before I left? It’s hot as balls. Unless you wanna be uncomfortable all day with swamp ass and dripping in sweat, wear shorts. Don’t worry about looking like a tourist. You are a tourist. So what. As long as you’re not an asshole no one cares, and if they do that’s their problem.
  • Get used to having a layer of sweat on you at all times
  • Change into a new pair of socks halfway through the day. You’re feet are gonna sweat and this helps prevent all that slipping that can cause blisters
  • If you’re feeling depressed and lonely, check your physical health first. I felt like absolute shit in Bologna. I didn’t want to see the city, didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was seaty, soaked and grumpy, and ended up sleeping for 14 hours. In retrospect, I had slept in 3 different towns in three different nights, had walked almost 50 miles in the last 3 days, and had averaged 4-6 hours of sleep on those nights (not counting the alcohol and cigarettes on top of that), not to mention I had been doing my best to constantly speak and think in a new language. No wonder I was exhausted! Emotional regulation uses up a lot of calories, so if you find yourself angry, lonely or sad, you might just be tired, thirsty, and hungry.
  • Don’t stress about shit that’s gonna happen anyway. I found I wasn’t as stressed about getting things done over there, because there was a certain inevitability to everything. Like if I was lost and my phone was dead and I didn’t have a map, I couldn’t stop until I found my way back to my room. What other choice did I have? Instead of milling over what I should or could do, I just did it. Same with working through my fear of eating alone (though that still needs a lot of work)
  • Keep a written journal. It’s good to get stuff off your chest, work through what your feeling, record what you did, etc. It’s a nice extension of your brain, and a way to offload and release the over-stimulation that you’re gonna be feeling
  • If you want to feel like you have the city to yourself, wake up just before sunrise and go to any of the major sites you want to visit. Seeing the orange light of the sunrise hit the Duomo in Florence in a completely empty piazza while only the occassional food delivery truck passing by was surreal.
  • Learn as much of the language as you can before you go. Seriously. I found it helped improve my experience and made me feel less alienated as I progressed. It’s like slowly removing a veil as you learn more, and the strange starts to become familiar, and what was a gibberish glob before you can now understand is made of individual parts. You hear conversations in passing and can pick out a few words. And it’s just a respectful thing to do as a guest.

Anyway, that post was super long, and reads more like a diary now that I look at it, but as someone who didn’t know jack shit when I booked this trip, I tried to include all the things that I wanted and needed to know consolidated into one post. I hope it helps someone!



Submitted October 01, 2018 at 08:27AM by BassCulture https://ift.tt/2NTOjNd

Oil Painting

Was hoping to see if someone knew whether this painting could potentially be valuable and if I should pursue an art appraisal. It's not a print and the nails seem to indicate an older painting?

https://ibb.co/gOqmKK

https://ibb.co/m1mhte

https://ibb.co/kFcBmz

https://ibb.co/kyQxRz



Submitted October 01, 2018 at 07:20AM by kron1116 https://ift.tt/2OocqTD

Nail Art and Nail Enhancement Courses Institute in Delhi - Euro Chroma

https://ift.tt/2Oocp21

Submitted October 01, 2018 at 07:23AM by eurochroma https://ift.tt/2P1YfAP

Bindings look cool



Submitted September 29, 2018 at 04:29PM by Grimpeace https://ift.tt/2zG4ZPn

What are some controversial nail art you've seen?

No text found

Submitted September 30, 2018 at 04:54PM by katrinie https://ift.tt/2NSWaL2

A few questions about minipainting

I'll get straight to it:

  1. I've been struggling with freehanding and for the longest time I could not understand how people do it. Then, just for fun, I used my girlfriends brushes she has for her nail art and it was absolute night and day. It was like freehanding with a pencil, and I've realized I've simply been handicapping myself before. Still, I don't understand how people make this. Is there something else I should know of, or is a stiff brush all there is to it (and lots of skill)?
  2. Continuing from above, I felt that my Winsor & Newton 000 sable brush was not up to the task for freehanding, at least not to me. Can anyone recommend any brushes that are great for freehanding?
  3. Do people that make showcase minis ever varnish them? I've been experimenting with gloss varnishes and thinning them a lot before painting them on. It makes it a bit more vibrant, but I'm not convinced yet.
  4. Does anyone ever come back to old minis and improve on them?
  5. Does anyone feel there's a discrepancy between real life and photography? Just the other day I finished the best miniature I've ever painted, I was so proud, but by the time I got around to the photos to show them off, I was extremely disappointed. So many flaws and it looked like I had spent an hour on it, rather than almost 20. Very disillusioning.

Thank you.



Submitted September 30, 2018 at 05:21PM by DivinityInsanity https://ift.tt/2OkMgRK

The Great OAV Watch Episode 65: Judge and Fantastic Adventures of Yohko: Leda

I'm a big dumb dumb and forgot to flair it so this is a reupload! Sorry peeps!

For those of you who don't know, this is my ongoing project to watch and write about all the OAVs on my plan to watch list. This is a very very very long list, it has been over 1 year already! Anyway, I have a twin score rating system. The standard 1-10 is how good I think a show is while the letter score is how much I enjoyed it, whether that is in the way the show intended or not. The letter gradings are as follows:

  • A=I enjoyed the hell out of it
  • B=I quite enjoyed that
  • C=Yeah, I enjoyed that
  • D=I'm fairly neutral on it
  • E=I didn't find it all that enjoyable
  • F=I didn't enjoy that
  • G=I hated every single moment of time I had to watch that

Now on with the show!

  • Judge (1991: Animate & J.C. Staff) 1/1 ep.

This is one of those shows that isn’t really for you or I, dear reader. Instead, it is for the Japanese salary man. This features everything a salary man could want: a nerdy office worker who is constantly harassed by his boss, the hot shot ‘jock’ who receives his comeuppance, and the nerdy guy taking his revenge upon his boss. It is an escape for the salary man who spends all hours working for a boss who he hates and who receives little in return for his work.

The plot of this one is a bit weird so hang on tight. Ohma is a put upon salary man who is constantly taking shit from both his boss and the up and coming hot shot of the company. Ohma’s girlfriend, who serves no purpose at all, wishes he stood up for himself a little bit more and then they have the totally unnecessary sex scene that every OAV must have by divine law. I suppose the girlfriend’s narrative purpose is supposed to be that she provides some kind of wry smile from the viewer when Ohma’s reveal happens but honestly she seems to be in the show mostly so they could have the sex scene. Meanwhile, the company hotshot, Ryuichi, is having an affair with Yamamoto from Accounting. He is kind of a dick so he is getting her to cover up the fact he is embezzling the company despite her protestations. This embezzlement eventually comes to light and Yamamoto gets the blame. She ends up killing herself, though is quite obvious that Ryuichi killed her. This is where Ohma comes back into play as he dons a crazy outfit and does his hair up like he is Vegeta. It is revealed that he is secretly The Judge of Darkness! He crashes Ryuichi’s car with a swarm of crows, sticks a nail through Ryuichi’s tongue, and then kills Ryuichi by making him jump of a cliff while wrapped in an American flag.

Now this all may seem like spoilers but we are only 17 minutes in and the real story is about to start. So, at the beginning of the OAV there is a scene of a dude being shot in the jungle. This dude is part of Ohma’s company and so Ohma and a load of people go to his funeral. At the funeral Ohma begins to suspect it was his boss, Kawamata, was the one who killed him. Ohma confirms this with magic and starts to hunt Kawamata. But Kawamata meet up with the Attorney of Darkness who aims to defend him against Ohma! This is where the real story beings and it just gets weirder from here.

I don’t think Judge is very good. The art is laughably bad, the animation is even worse, and the narrative is so ridiculous that you can’t help but giggle at it. That last part is important because I actually quite enjoyed this show. The magic of the OAV era was the unfettered freedom that led to extremes in quality never seen before or since. Judge is extremely bad but it is that good kind of bad that leaves your jaw on the floor, due to how silly it is, and keeps you constantly engaged trying to figure out what the hell is going to happen next. I mean, this is the show that has a parrot that copies the sex noises of Ohma and his girlfriend because why the hell not? This is just a great example of the pure insanity that is seinen and I love it for that. If Hiroshi Negishi had tried to make Hosono Fujiko’s manga more sane then it wouldn’t be a fun experience. It would have been a boring sludge that nobody would want to watch. But as it is we have a crazy haired dude with a demon bird citing kaws from a book at a guy and his attorney whist in the court full of demons. What could have really made this a genuinely good show?

Final score: 1C

Leda is one of those OAVs that doesn’t seem all that odd whilst you are watching it but the moment you sit down and try to explain what you just saw it quickly becomes clear that this thing is pure insanity. Yohko is a school girl with a great side ponytail and a burning love for some dude. In order to build up enough courage to confess to him she composes a piano piece. One day, whilst listening to said piece on her Walkman, she runs across her love in the park. Sadly, she can’t tell him and walks past him instead. As she reflects on her cowardice she is suddenly transported to another world. She wanders through this weird forest and accidentality loses her beloved Walkman. Luckily a dog returns it to her…a flying talking dog called Lingham. He tries to explain where she is to her when a gang of baddies on awesome speederbikes, that transform to also have legs, turn up and demand her Walkman. It turns out that her Walkman has something to do with Leda’s Heart and is the key to shifting between world, Leda being a God. The gang try to kill Yohko while they’re at it but she gets eaten by a plant and transforms into a powerful magical warrior, complete with skimpy armour. The baddies retreat to their base to give Leda’s Heart to their master: Zell. Yohko and Lingham chase after them and eventually team up with a priestess of Leda called Yoni who gives them some handy tools that will aid them in their fight against Zell. Hen all three of them head off to go fight Zell and stop his nefarious plans.

While not quite as rampantly bananas as something Like Crystal Triangle there is still plenty in there that is super weird, and of course I did leave quite a few things out. However, as I pointed out earlier you just don’t think about how weird it is whilst watching it. Instead it just comes off a fun adventure romp with some really fantastic animation that brings it all to life. The story is fairly plain but it works given the fact that this is little over an hour long and really seem to be more focussed on being a fun adventure than being a thrilling bit of narrative storytelling. While on the topic of visuals, I really have to give Matsumi Inomata a lot of credit here as her character designs are so absolutely on point that it hurts and the fact that she was also the chief animator means that whole lot of the enjoyment I got from this OAV is directly due to her.

Something interesting that Mike Toole pointed out was the connection to The Vision of Escaflowne. I didn’t think of it when watching Leda but upon reading this the dots immediately connected in my mind. I would love to know if anyone has ever actually asked Kawamori about this as there are just too many overlaps for it to be coincidence. This is not to say that this is a bad thing as I would say that Escaflowne built very smartly upon the things that it may have lifted from Leda. But we should give some credit to the Kunihiko Yuyama (Windaria and Goshogun: Time Estranger) as he did direct Leda after all and if he is any way even a little bit responsible for Escaflowne then he deserves even bigger props than he already gets for his many excellent productions.

Overall, Leda is just a fun time. The story and the characters are dead simple and it doesn’t really have anything greater to say but it is executed with such exuberance that you can’t help but be swept along by it and have fun with it. Yes it is weird but it is never jarring, which means you are never taken out of the experience. None of this would have been possible though without the lively and beautiful animation and art design which holds everything together. This is unlikely to become anyone’s all time favourite but it is a really fun way to spend an hour.

Final score: 6B

117 OAVs down!

Also, I have a blog version of this! I still haven't transferred everything across but I am working on it, really I promise I am. Please subscribe, share, and all that jazz!



Submitted September 30, 2018 at 06:08PM by babydave371 https://ift.tt/2ItfdFw

What Taiyang's Advice To Yang in Volume 4 Actually Meant

You know, one thing I see a lot of people misunderstanding about RWBY is Taiyang's talk to Yang in Volume 4.

They take it as Taiyang explaining the virtues of tactics and strategy when Yang has already shown to be tactical in her fighting. They decry it as a retcon, a shallow attempt at developing the fighting ability of the best fighter in the show. But that's not the point Taiyang is trying to get across.

The point he's trying to get across is that Yang has a tendency to let her emotions rule her actions, a tendency that makes her actions predictable. Not that she's not thinking enough about how to punch people, but that she should be thinking more about whether to punch people.

Look at the fight with Neo in Volume 2. When Neo starts dodging her attacks, Yang switches up her strategy twice. But the problem isn't "How do I punch this person". She didn't need to win the fight. All she had to do was stop Neo from interfering with Weiss and Blake. And even if she wanted to win it, maybe she should've thought of dealing with the purely melee fighter at range. But she didn't think of that, because she was annoyed, and wanted the satisfaction of punching Neo.

Or the fight with Mercury in Volume 3. When Emerald tricked Yang into thinking Mercury made a sneak attack, she could’ve done anything else. Blocked, dodged, anything. But they predicted she’d be angry, predicted she’d want to counterattack, and successfully demonized her in the eyes of the world.

Or the fight with Adam in Volume 3. He baits her by hurting Blake, she rushes in to punch him, and he takes her arm off.

Yang is very, very good at punching people. Figuring out how to punch people best. How hard to punch people.

But Taiyang isn’t trying to say she isn’t good at punching people. He’s trying to say not every problem is something to be punched.

Much like the old saying, Yang is very good at using a hammer, but she can’t treat every problem like a nail. Especially when she has so many more tools to use other than a hammer.

The advice ultimately culminates in the Volume 5 finale, where instead of punching Raven, Yang calmly takes apart her justifications and leaves her mask shattered, revealing her as the broken human being held up by lies that she really is. It's the best fight in the series, in my opinion, and not a single punch is thrown, and that is the whole point.

The one physical action that Yang takes in that fight is shoulder-checking Raven as she walks past. And Raven, the Spring Maiden, the leader of the ruthless bandit tribe, trained Huntswoman, one of the best fighters of her generation... puts up no resistance. Yang won the battle well before she landed that blow.

And that’s the fundamental difference between what Raven did in the Vault, and what Yang did. All Raven’s schemes, from Vernal to tricking Cinder into getting Qrow and our heroes involved, was based around making sure she had the upper hand when the time to fight came. Meanwhile, Yang used her knowledge of Raven and what she was able to figure out about the situation to end the fight before it even started.

As Sun Tzu says in The Art of War, “For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”



Submitted September 30, 2018 at 10:11AM by Luimnigh https://ift.tt/2P0ZLDa

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Varina, Lich Queen Lore?

Currently running her as a commander, and can't seem to find any lore on her. Art is hard to nail down; the closest look seems to be Esper but there's not enough filigree for that to match. Anyone know anything?



Submitted September 30, 2018 at 06:56AM by solid_mist https://ift.tt/2N8QOpL

Serial Killer Club (Part 2)

Part 1 - https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/9jqgkw/serial_killer_club_part_1/?utm_source=reddit-android

Serial Killer Club Rule #2 - Fellow members of the club are not to be judged or discriminated against for their killing methods.

"Ok. Take your seats, ladies and gents!" As he picked his arm up off my shoulder and headed for the table.

Andromeda patted the side of her chair signalling me to go over to her. The room seemed like your average hotel room, except the fact that the area where the beds usually are was replace by a large round table that somewhat resembled a poker table. And odd aroma struck my nose as I took my seat, though I couldn't what it was.... maybe fresh paint or something.

Andromeda stood up. "Here. Sit with me."

I nodded and sat, followed by her instantly sitting on my lap. Now I know that this isn't something to get worked up about... but like... just imagine for a second. Imagine being a quiet, basically invisible guy your entire life then one day a ridiculously attractive girl takes interest in you. Keep in mind you've barely even talked to girls except when required.... and suddenly you've got this beauty squished up against your -ahem-. Nevermind.

Everyone had taken their seats and the meeting began. My heart pounded furiously, not just because of Andromeda but also because everything felt so surreal. Here I am in some hotel room in California with a bunch of people I've never met before. Excited would probably be to simple of a word to describe how I was feeling.

"Alright then." The man that had entered with me announced. His voice sounded like it belonged on the news channel. Enthusiastic and charming.

"We'll start with introductions. Now I know some of you are already acquainted but we're gonna quickly this part out of the way. So please state your code names. I'll start and we'll go clockwise."

Everyone seemed so calm. It was like I was child sitting at the adult table for the first time.

"I'm your admin and founder of the SKC, 'Endless Laughing Inferno', but you guys can call me Eli"

My attention peaked. So, that's him. The leader of the SKC. He didn't look anything like I'd imagined, though taking another look around none of them resembled my expectations.

Eli was about average height for a guy. Despite him wearing a leather jacket you could tell he worked out. His broad shoulders and overall robust figure made him look taller than he was. Judging by his style I'd guess he was into motorcycles and stuff like that but his demeanor seemed more like that of a nerdy teacher.

Next up was Doctor. An equally charming and empathetic figure. He kept his red hair slicked back and had peculiarly high pitch voice for a guy. He kind of looked like a warrior of off "Braveheart".

Sitting to his left, kneeling on the chair was Squealer. His massive eyes and messy hair made him look like he'd just escaped a mental asylum. He also had quite an annoying whistle in his voice and whenever he pronounced the letter "s" it lasted like longer than it should've.

Daddy and Greyskull followed up. One look at those guys and you'd think twice about throwing a punch in their direction. Daddy looked about 7 feet tall and must've weighed a tonne. The guy was huge, like some man-bear hybrid. His face on the other hand hadn't even gone through puberty yet. Greyskull was also quite tall, maybe 6'4 or something around that. Even for his height his arms seemed abnormally long and his finger nails were practically nonexistent. He'd chewed them up to the point of almost having none.

Introductions moved by steadily. Shini Gami, Bluebird and Andromeda were the only females in the group. They seemed pretty normal, personality wise. Andromeda kindness and motherly nature stood out, whereas Bluebird's most defining feature was a electric blue hair and sharp facial features. She would've been perfect for an acting role as superhero. At least that's what comes to mind when I look at her.

Then there's Shini Gami. Not to be mean or anything, but something about her just really rubbed me the wrong way. Unlike Squealer who just looked weird, her presence was... how should I say... "off-putting". After every thing she said she'd glance over at me and snicker. Not to mention it took her an eternity to find her words. Draped in all black with pentagram t-shirt, black nails and two nose piercings on each side, her appearance was anything but inviting. The fringe of her hot pink that half covered her eyes was also oddly unnerving. Felt like I couldn't see her face properly.

Abyss and Moonhorn were the only normal looking ones. And by normal I mean, there simply wasn't anything worth mentioning about them. They both seemed quite young as well. Definitely not older than 20. Abyss did keep playing with a yoyo nonstop, though I wouldn't necessarily consider that odd. Maybe he was just a fidgety person.

27 on the other hand was eratic and excessively flamboyant. His flailed all over the place whenever he spoke and he'd purposely change the tone of his voice at almost every new sentence, like he was being possessed over and over again by different people.

And then there was Headhunter. If I had to describe him in as few words as possible I'd say.... surfer boy. And although he looked like the spitting image of Zach Morris, and kind of acted like him as well, he was probably the most approachable one, even moreso than Eli, Doctor and Andromeda. Calm and down-to-earth are the adjectives I'd use for him.

I was up last. With a little push from Andromeda and the encouragement of Doctor, I managed introduced myself. I didn't mention anything personal about myself as the others had done tge same as well. Which I found kind of strange. I mean, this was a social meeting after all, right? Isn't talking about one's self kind of the point?

And why did we all use our code names? Wouldn't it be better to use our real names when getting to know each other?

I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but as the meeting progressed and the night grew older things began to take a turn. That's when my body froze.

"All right. Enough with the chit chat, it's time to get down to business, boys and girls." Eli's voice shifted from playful to serious.

I hadn't noticed at first but lying beneath everyone's chair was a black bag. In fact, now that I think about it that strange smell got worse as the night went on.

"You okay?" Abyss asked me.

My eyes refused to turn to him. The bile in my throat wouldn't allow me my words.

Heads. Severed heads. All placed on top of the table.

"Has everyone brought their entrance fee?" Eli questioned looking at counting the severed heads under his breath.

"Hey!" The obnoxiously sudden shout slammed against my right ear, waking up my muscles.

"Why doesn't Grimm have to pay the fucking entrance fee! THE FUCK IS WITH THE SPECIAL TREATMENT."

Shit. Greyskull went absolutely berserk at me. Legitimately one of the last guys I'd want to get mad.

"Is it because he's pretty. I bet it's because he's pretty. I fuckin' hate pretty boys!!" The anger in his voice kept elevating and soon everyone was in a frenzy. Andromeda got up to confront him and more back and forward shouting commenced.

"ENOUGH!" Eli's hand struck the table like a gunshot.

Silence. Complete silence. Everyone sat back downa and we continued. Andromeda explained that she'd forgotten to tell me about the entrance fee and all was forgiven. Though Greyskull didn't seem too ecstatic about me being let off the hook.

The atmosphere in the room changed as I kind to a cruel realization. All those stories, all those fantasies... well, they simply weren't stories and fantasies. Serial Killer Club. Yes, that's right, even her. Even my dear, sweet Andromeda.

I was in open water circled by sharks. Serial Killer Club? This wasn't some random social group. These people, they were actual murderers. They'd actual taken the lives of others.

Sick to my stomach with a looming headache, if weren't for Andromeda's soft hands wrapping around mine I would've bolted. How could they all be so cheerful and act so normal with a bunch a freakin' severed heads on the table!?!

And then Eli had Doctor lay out the basic "Hunting Rules".

Every month 3 targets are announced to all members of the SKC. Gold, Silver and Bronze. Each target was worth a certain amount of points relative to the estimated difficulty of the kill. "Gold Stags", as they were referred to, ranged in between the point range of 70-100. Silver stags were worth anywhere between 20-70 points, whereas the max you could get for a bronze was 20 points. After 6 hunts, which would be the equivalent of 6 months, a meeting like this would be held, here in the Kruger Hotel in room 333.

Everyone's points would be tallied and the final leaderboard scores would be put to paper. All of this may sound absolutely insane and inhuman, but that wasn't even the worst of it. There was no reward for third, second or even first place. Maybe bragging rights and a pat on the shoulder as Doctor so eloquently put it. However, last place wouldn't be so fortunate as the rest. Whoever placed last by the time the final leaderboard stood, would become the "The Green Hare". And as nice as that moniker sounds, you'd be damned to have it bestowed upon you.

"For one week, all members of the SKC are tasked with capturing and killing 'The Green Hare'. Whichever member accomplishes the task will be given a 100-point advance for the next Hunt." Doctor's words left his mouth without hesitation. And while cowered, sweating uncontrollably under my clothing, the others were like kids at a candy shop.

"Of course, if the Green Hare manages to survive the week, he or she will be awarded the 100 points instead."

Leaving the building and finally being back out in the open felt like I'd just escaped captivity. The many sounds of night time happenings in the city brought to center stage by the warm lights of all its attractions set me at ease. The meeting was over and I was free again.

Andromeda had left right after the announcement of the targets. A kiss on the cheek, a hug and she was gone. After that everyone else started leave as well and for some reason beyond my comprehension I ended up being one of the last ones to call it a night.

The targets - Jake Winks, Texas. Bronze Stag. 8 Points. Riley Henderson, Wisconsin. Silver Stag. 65 Points.

And finally. Susan Heming. Gold Stag. 99 points.

I couldn't really understand how they came to the decision of each target's worth, considering I blacked our for the latter half the meeting. But I didn't care all too much at this point. All I knew is that I didn't want to go back there. I didn't want to have to see those people ever again. And yet something in me kept telling me this wouldn't be resolved easily.

I didn't want to strain my mind on the matter, so I'd decided to just head to my motel and get a good night's sleep in preparation for the long drive that awaited the following morning. And then...

"Yo, Grimm!" A voice called, Headhunter's to be exact.

Fuck. I'll just pretend like I don't hear him and walk in a different direction. Of course, that didn't work.

"You already headin', grampa?" He joked, I wasn't amused. "You know, there's this really cool bar not far from here. Come grab a drink with. I'll pay!"

I couldn't refuse even if I'd tried. Headhunter's positive vibe was like a fish hook reeling me in. How the hell can such charming people exist?

Before I knew we'd downed a more than a couple shots of God knows what and were talking like a pair of reacquainted besties. He was so easy to talk to.

"You and Andromeda, huh. You guys an item or what?" Headhunter asked, his voice as sharp and happy as ever. Like the alcohol had no effect on him. "You guys seem to get along pretty well."

I shrugged. "I guess. We're just friend though, ya know?"

Headhunter laughed. "So, what's your reason? Why'd you join?"

"Why'd I join?" I responded perplexed by the sudden seriousness in his tone.

"Yeah. I mean everyone's got a reason, right?"

"Not sure. And you?"

"Me? Hmmm, I guess.... I guess you could say I like the rush of the hunt." He paused, staring at his now empty glass.

"Although, it's probably just 'cause I'm a fuckin' psycho." We both laugh at his out of the blue remark and I take another sip of my drink.

"However... at least I'm not as crazy as some of the others." He continues, almost relieved by the fact.

"Not as crazy?"

"Yeah. Some of the others are real nutcases." He stressed the enunciation of "real", letting me know this was no joke.

"How so I?" I asked, slightly curious.

"Well, for instance- Ok. Change of approach. What type of killer do you think I am?"

I take a good look at him, but I can't see it. Killer? The guy looks more like the kind of friend that would drive to a different state at 3 in the morning just to pick you up because you texted him that you'd lost your wallet.

"I don't know. I mean, no offense but you don't really strike me as the killing type."

Headhunter chuckles at my answer. "Hahaha. Right? But that's just it, you see. I'm what's known as the 'Charmer' or the 'Charming Killer'. Think Ted Bundy. In fact, I'm one of the most dangerous types. Hard to spot and even more difficult catch."

The passion with which Headhunter talked was proof of what he'd said and the more he talked and explained the more I began to understand. I'd never given any thought to the intricacies of serial killers. Mainly because that kind of thing never really played a role in my life. All the different types of killers, the various ways in which one could kill, hunting people down. All of it was so interesting. I had been introduced to a entirely new world. A world that overlapped with mine without me even being aware of it. I found myself being pulled into the depths of a crude yet hypnotising conversation.

He went on about how "hunting" was a process. Killing was no easy deed, it required not only careful planning and observation of one's target, but also a particular state of mind. Naturally, depending on the target preparation would vary. Observation and tactful wit were essential. Those that truly respected the art of the hunt, those that had a real and longing passion for it, were a special breed of human.

And that's what the SKC was. We weren't just a bunch of random killers, we were artists. Expressing our self in the most primal of art forms. Stalking, torture, killing, you name it. Those things were stricken with complexity.

"So, what would you say is the scariest type of killer?" I asked raising voice, so as not to be drowned out by the surrounding noise.

"Scariest?"

"Yeah. Or like most dangerous, ya know?"

Headhunter remained still for a moment in contemplation as he ran his finger around the edge of glass.

"Scariest, huh?" A wide smile lached onto his face.

"Well, that's easy." His slow responses had me clinging to my seat in anticipation. He'd mentioned and even gone into detail about a bunch of different types killers, some of them disturbingly gruesome. And so, I couldn't help but be curious as to which he personally considered the worst of the worst.

"I'd have to say - and this without second thought - the scariest and most lethal is the Yandere. Those fuckers are the purest form of crazy, I tell ya."

"Yandere? What's a Yandere?"

"It's a Japanese term. Don't ask me for the literal translation. Though, it roughly translates to 'messed up mega-psycho you most definitely do not want the misfortune of encountering'."

Headhunter's genuinely scared expression made laugh. To think this guy who could explain all the things he did would be so afraid of something.

"What do they do that's got you so freaked?" I giggled in response.

"Well, for starters they're absolutely demented. And when I say absolutely demented, what I mean is, there's a special floor in hell exclusively for them."

"Do they have a cruel method of killing?"

Headhunter chuckles as if to point out my innocence.

"Killing? The killing ain't the worst part, brother. That's what makes them so fucked up and so terribly unique even amongst us serial killers. A Yandere isn't a killer like how say me or you are killers."

Well, just you actually.

"Yandere's are become obsessed with a specific person. I won't go into detail about how their obsession develops, we'd be here for the rest of the year. However, what I fo know is that once they've lached on, they don't let go. They do not let go."

That last sentence sent an uneasy chill through bones. I could feel the goosebumps rising as my skin tightened.

"I'm guessing you're speaking from personal experience."

"OH, GOD, NO." he interrupts before I can even think to take my next breath.

"I wouldn't be hear if one of those freaks ended up in my life. Word to the wise, if you ever see one, run for the fuckin' hills, brother."

"How would I know if they're are Yandree or yeah... a-" I messed up the pronunciation in my curiosity and impatience to sate said curiosity.

"Pretty obvious to recognize. You have to remember those fuckers are obsessed. Like seriously obsessed. They'd be jealous and would do whatever they could to make sure their 'beloved' doesn't give too much attention to anyone else. Of course, what's worse is if you're their 'beloved'."

"How so?"

"Because. If it's you then you can kiss freedom good-the-fuck-bye, my dear child"

There was no humor in Headhunter's tone of voice. No passion, no sparkling charm when he spoke about that type. What's more, even I was now nervous. The effects of the alcohol seemed to wear out sluggishly. The bright-eyed was gone.

Headhunter paid the tab and we headed out. I checked my phone to see the time. 2:57 AM.

"Well. Thanks for the drinks, Headhunter."

"Ahh, no problem, man. And call me Hunter. It's what everyone else calls me."

We both shook hands and turned to head on our respective ways. Before I could get, however, Hunter stopped me.

"Oh. One more thing."

"What's up?" I said as I turned back around to him, continuing to walk backwards.

"You know, Shini Gami? The goth looking chick."

"Yeah, what about her? She's pretty hot if you take a closer look. Got a really nice rack as well." I answered louder than needed to be. Though probably due to the alcohol making taking a second swing at me.

"She's one." He said.

"Okey dokey!" I joked and turned back around, too drunk to for seriousness.

From that point on I remember nothing. I jolted out of bed drenched in cold sweat.

Fuck, How much time has passed? That was the first question popped in my head. I quickly jumped out of bed and raced to my car. The drive home was going to be long and I really didn't want to stay in here any longer. Plus, my feet were killing me for some reason. Probably a side effect of drinking too much. I can't really hold my liquor, if I'm being honest. It's the main reason why I rarely go out for a drink.

I got to my car and reached in my pockets for the keys. All I grabbed was skin. The skin of my thigh. It was then that I saw my reflection in the car window.

Where the hell are my clothes? Why am I only wearing underwear?

I turned around to the motel but the motel wasn't there. Instead I was looking at my small two-story apartment complex.

My legs began to tremble but not because of the cold. The pores in my skin closed up and insides dropped. My brain couldn't keep up. I couldn't even force myself to think of a possible answer. Of reasonable answer. A rational explanation. There simply wasn't one...

"How the fuck did I get home?"



Submitted September 30, 2018 at 04:38AM by ochyspaton https://ift.tt/2NbA8hc

[SELL] [US > WORLDWIDE] NEED EVERYTHING GONE ASAP!! make me offers! MAC, Too Faced, NYX, theBalm, Laura Geller, Becca, ABH, Colourpop, Kylie Cosmetics, YSL, Jeffree Star, Tarte, Lorac, MUFE, Hourglass, Skindinavia & more!!

verification verification 2

price of shipping will depend on where you live. I will ship internationally, but it is more expensive. PayPal f&f is preferred, but will do g&s/invoice if buyer covers the fees.

help me get rid of EVERYTHING. I need it all gone ASAP

all items are BN & have not been used unless stated otherwise.

no link means it has been sold

I am open to other offers on every product & will combine shipping if you're buying multiple items. please don't low ball me.

willing to swap, but prefer to sell so try me on lists

really looking for J* products, Kylie velvets/crème lipsticks, MAC x Influencer collabs (Samantha Ravandahl, Laura Lee, Patrick Starrr, etc.) & MAC x Cinderella products


HUGE MAC BUNDLE:

take it all for $170 shipped (full retail value is well over $200) prefer to bundle, but willing to separate

MAC Cosmetics full size pigment in the shade "Old Gold" (in LE packaging) - $25

MAC Cosmetics mini eyeshadow pigment in the shade "Gift O' Glamour" - $10

MAC Cosmetics veluxe pearl eyeshadow in the shade "Expensive Pink" - $12

MAC Cosmetics single eyeshadow in the shade "Jest" - used 1-2x - $8

MAC Cosmetics Mineralize Skin Finish in the shade "Soft & Gentle" - $30

MAC Cosmetics Mineralize Blush in the shade "Warm Soul" - $28

MAC Cosmetics LE/Rare MAC x Kelly Osbourne lipstick in the shade "Strip Poker" - $20

MAC Cosmetics LE/Rare Giambattista Valli lipstick in the shade "Tats" - $20

MAC Cosmetics LE/Rare MAC x Patrick Starrr collab lipstick in the shade "She Betta Werrrk" - $18

MAC Cosmetics LE/Rare Viva Glam Rihanna lipglass in the shade "Viva Glam Rihanna" - $18

MAC Cosmetics LE/Rare MAC x Patrick Starrr collab lipglass in the shade "She Betta Werrrk" x2 - brand new, but the lettering on the tube has worn off of one - $17

MAC Cosmetics LE MAC x Patrick Starrr collab lipglass in the shade "Mama Starrr" - brand new, but the lettering on the tube has worn off - $17


SKINCARE:

3 BN Danielle Creations ERASE YOUR FACE make up removing washcloths - $5 each or all 3 for $12

Clinique 3 piece acne solutions set - $15 each or $40 for all 3 - has about 80% each left

Comes with one Clinique acne solutions cleansing foam (Step 1)

one Clinique acne solutions clarifying lotion (Step 2)

one Clinique acne solutions all-over clearing treatment (Step 3)


BRUSHES:

Make Up Academy professional angled liner/brow brush #211 - $3

Beauty Blender micro.mini & mini blendercleanser solid - $6


LIP PRODUCTS:

Ulta matte lipstick in the shade "252" - about 50% left - $3

NYX Lingerie liquid lips in the shades "Lace Detail" "Embellishment" "Baby Doll" & "Satin Ribbon" - $3 each

MODELco lipstick in the shade Kitty - $3

Revlon lip conditioner I believe the shade is Revlon Moon Drops - $3

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush flavored lip gloss in "Razzberry Ice" - $5

theBalm Meet Matt(e) Hughes liquid lipstick in the shade "Committed" - $5

DS Anastasia Beverly Hills lip gloss in the shade "Kristen" - $6

Colourpop Lux Lipstick in the shade "LA Lady" - swatched once - $7

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush color shine gloss in the shade "Illuminating" - $10

DS YSL Rouge Volupte Shine lipstick in the shade "49" - $10

AVEDA lipstick in the shade "252 Sutra" x2 - about 75% left each - $10 each

Kylie Cosmetics lip gloss in the shade "Like" - $10

LE/Rare Nudestix Creator's Palette LE/Rare Nude(Art)ist Box in the shades "Joyce" "Baby K" "Go Girl" & "Sonoran" - $10 each, all swatched 1x (I also have the tin they came in if someone would like that)

Jeffree Star lip ammunition in the shade "Celebrity Skin" - swatched once - $18


FACE PRODUCTS:

Seraphine Luminude skin illuminated - $2

Maybelline Master Prime blur & redness control primer - $3

Colourpop super shock cheek in the shade "Lunch Money" usage shown - $3

Wet n Wild highlighters in the shades "Precious Petals" & "Crown of My Canopy" - $4 each

Essence pureNUDE highlighter in the shade "be my highlight" - used 1-2x - $4

Maybelline MasterBronze bronze & highlight palette used the lightest shade 1-2x - $5

DS Tarte Cosmetics brazilliance maracuja self tanner - $5

Milani highlighter in the shade "Strobelight," used 1-2x but it's too dark for my skin tone - $6

DS Cover FX custom enhancer drops in the shade "Moonlight" - $6

LORAC TANtalizer Baked Bronzer - $7

CoverGirl + Olay Simply Ageless anti-aging foundation primer - $8

Colourpop super shock cheek in the shade "Teasecake" - brand new - $8

Makeup Revolution "Love The Revolution" eyeshadow & highlight palette - $12

Laura Geller baked gelato highlighters in the shades "Peach Glow" & "Gilded Honey" - used GH 1-2x and didn't like it - $13 each

Make Up For Ever step 1 skin equalizer smoothing primer (mini 0.5 oz) - $15

Too Faced Born This Way foundation in the shade "Warm Nude" - $15

theBalm Cindy-Lou Manizer highlighter - $20

Hourglass No. 28 primer serum (mini 0.27 oz) - $20

Skindinavia the Bridal Makeup Finishing Spray x2 (one sold) - $25

Too Faced Tutti Fruitti It's Bananas setting/brightening powder in the shade "Banana Cream" - $23

Becca Hydramist setting powder - brand new - $30

brand new Natasha Denona blush duo #8 in the shades "02 toutou" & "03 peach" - $30


EYE PRODUCTS:

Dirty Little Secret (dls) single eyeshadow in the shade "Sangria" - $2

3 Morphe single shadows in the shades "Pink Silk" "Crystal" & "Crème Brule" - $3 each

em Cosmetics "The Life" palette mini - $5

MODELco brand new eye define crayon liner in black - $5

Ulta Birthday Gift DS IT Cosmetics Superhero mascara - $5

Benefit Cosmetics high brow - lightly used - $10

Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion in the shades "Sin" & "Minor Sin" - $10 each

Shiseido eyelash curler - brand new, no box - $13


BROW PRODUCTS:

Soap & Glory archery sculpting 2-in-1 brow sculpting & setting pencil in the shade "Love is Blonde" - $10


MISC. PRODUCTS:

Formula X for Sephora nail polish in the shade "Galaxy" - $5

Nuance Salma Hayek texturizing salt spray - $5

Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom body spray. usage shown - $5

DS Gucci Guilty perfume - $5

Tarte purple snakeskin print makeup bag - $5

Laneige pop socket - $5 or FWP over $20

Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction spray. usage shown - $8

CharmingCharlie pink shimmer dusting powder - $10

KL Polish nail polishes in the shades "Snickerdoodle" $7.50 - used 2-3x

Bed Head curling iron. used 1x, didn't like - $20



Submitted September 30, 2018 at 05:08AM by captain_smores https://ift.tt/2xI1KWr

11 Halloween Nail Art Ideas | Halloween Nail Art Ideas for 2018

https://ift.tt/2DCKpn4

Submitted September 30, 2018 at 12:04AM by Foodyfactory https://ift.tt/2xKJlZ2

20 Halloween Nail Art Designs & Ideas

https://ift.tt/2DIJIIX

Submitted September 30, 2018 at 12:04AM by Foodyfactory https://ift.tt/2xNYoBn

[JP]Justice for the Dragoon Rat

Good evening, morning, afternoon everyone.

You may have seen the recent character released in JP, Freya. From FFIX, she is part of this game that changed my mind about my whole vision of fantasy RPG. She redefined what is a good fantasy character, what is a good backstory and many other aspect of a game. But let’s get back to the main subject.

Her model is wrong, untrue to the original character, to not be crude and to not say disgusting. Breaking her identity as a slender, agile humanoid rat we all remember and loved when we first played the game.To anyone who thinks her model is actually correct:

Please do not downvote and angry-comment in a hurry, take your time and explain why you think her DFFOO model is alright in the game. Every opinion matters.

In this post, I will explain why, in my opinion, the model is wrong and why the development team should take a closer look to it and make it right. You can find the comparison between the DFFOO model and the IX model here).

1. The hat

You may have noticed it, and if you are a long time player you will remember it, the original hat was made with a dragoon helmet in mind. Pointy, conical and slender, remember those three concepts, they are repeated a lot in Freya’s original design. Her original hat fits and define the dragoon rat model, it is the first thing you see when she appears in the game, along with her coat.The hat start the theme of “Dragoon” and “Soldier”. Along with the spear, they give the player the feeling of an agile character, steady and balanced like the dragoon, disciplined like a soldier. She is a trained, powerful character with a shard mind. Until today, this is probably one of the most original and efficient headwear design, encapsulating the whole character’s thematic.

In comparison, the DFFOO version starts as the usual, pointy and conical. But the slender part is brutally interrupted with the flat base. With this farmer hat, the whole theme is breaking down. Along with this loss we also lack the helmet form that defines both Dragoon and Soldier. In other words, most of the character is lost starting from the hat which is the first element seen in the whole model. It also looks like the sorting hat from Harry Potter, making her resemble some weird Red Sorcerer variant in a misleading way.

Later on, this bad modelled hat might be a problem for her potential Trance form for many reasons. But this last one is my own opinion about the development and is irrelevant in the context, but you should really check her Trance form. You can find it here, as you can immediately see, it’s a full plated Dragoon Armor.

2. The coat

One of the most prominent part of the model is obviously the coat, more than half of the whole character. Like the hat in the original game, it sends back a feeling of a slender figure, an agile fighter. A large escutcheon decorated with Burmecian colors, bringing once again the theme of Soldier and Discipline on the table. The blue scarf/tie also reinforce the aspect of an educated, well-behaved character, while it adds a bit to Freya, this part of the clothing is mandatory today but not necessary to mention and analyze further. Finally, the buckles on the upper arms adds more to the Soldier aspect that is missing quit a bit in the coat. But overall, the theme is well balanced, neither too armored, neither not enough armor… This is a light armor, perfect for an agile fighter. The pointy part? Not forgotten! You will notice that the base of the coat is larger, as you go up, it is finer and finer until it align itself perfectly with the hat.

But this is not even the final main point of the whole outfit. The whole upper part, coat and hat is triangular and her feets are slender, the theme returns once again. Personally, it reminds me a lot of an arrow, isn’t it perfect to represent the Dragoon? A Flying warrior, straight to the skies, falling onto his enemies. Piercing the flesh, slaying the beast, victory comes to the faster, smarter one.

The DFFOO version is respecting pretty well most of the part but lacks an important one. The slender aspect, once again. When you look at Freya’s whole model in the original game, you get the cone shaped character. The coat here is too wide at the lower part and disform the whole cone shape. It is also slightly too thick, sacrificing a bit of the slender theme, probably to avoid clipping issues.The coat is okayish, it’s not a priority, but could be improved to stay true to the original character.

3. The Hands

Now that’s some big paluche (hands) she got there. You may argue right away that every DFFOO character hands are big but, Steiner hands are among the biggest in the game. Yet, Freya outsize the Alexandrian soldier hands by around 20%. This fact alone should be a wake-up call for every player. This part will be short, there is not much to say about her giant hands.Those things are off and breaks the whole theme. Slender? Conic? Pointy? Well we have the nails but it isn’t worth losing 2 of the main part for a single, little one. What’s more apart losing the feminine aspect of the character?

Because of those giant hands, the spear is now a toothpick only fitting between her fingers. I personally have no idea what was the point of making it so big. The only thing I can think about is the weapons being a problem, or the winning/battle pose making it hard for the development team but the model was rushed and lost too much compared to the incredible art we got.

4. Minor feedback

The hair seems off for a small amount of player, but a feedback is a feedback. It looks too rigid and dirty compared to what we had previously. Tifa is a early character with nice looking hair, a more recent character would be Deuce or Agrias.

The face is cubic and the texture makes it worse. You might think this is nitpicking, but Gilgamesh got a complex model with a crazy amount of detail and the model is true to the original design from Final Fantasy V! The problem wasn’t technical, it was a lack of time.

The Conclusion

Freya means as much for me as Steiner means for Macilento. And to see her model released in this state, a work-in-progress, and that we may have to stick with this until the game ends it both rings an alarm and makes me personally feel uneasy. The worst part is that it might happen again if the community ignores those slips from SE.Her animations are true to the character, her voice is perfectly fitting to her loyal character. But the model need a rework. It might be fine for some people, but you all know they can do better. Look at Gilgamesh, look at Lulu, Rinoa, P.Cecil. Those got great models and since a month or so, the Development Team is recycling Meteors, releasing questionable characters such as Laan&Reynn, released in their chibi form without any impact on their gameplay.It’s been a rough month for SE and the content so far and it’s easy to understand why. They work on tight schedule and a single mistake will be visible on the content. But they don’t build the game each month for themselves, they build it for the community, funding the game. We have a voice, if we wish for quality, we can get quality in exchange of something else. They can make this right if the community ask for it.

Remind yourself that being forgotten is worse than death. And Freya’s character was forgotten.

TL;DR: Freya model is not true to FFIX original character. Her hands are bigger than Steiner’s, her hat breaks the whole character conic form. The model is still a work in progress and the Development Team should take another look at it.

While we're at it, please enjoy some amazing Fanart embracing perfectly her character:



Submitted September 30, 2018 at 12:42AM by Shinnyo https://ift.tt/2xLxkmg

[SELL][US] Nail Art Stamp Set, Estée Lauder, etc.

Picture Album

  1. Konad: Nail Art Stamping Set $8
  2. Estée Lauder: Nail Lacquer in Smashed $4
  3. Nails Armor: in New York $2
  4. Freebies: separators and tips

Take all for $12

  • Shipping is $4 flat. I ship via USPS in the US only!
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  • I typically sell on apps so if you want reviews lmk
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Submitted September 30, 2018 at 01:52AM by serienity https://ift.tt/2xXmhWg

D20x5 Dubious Drugs

D20 This Drug Is Derived From...
1 The urine of horses that have licked deposits of a rare sort of salt.
2 The greyish-red amber of a now-extinct species of trees, dug out of the ground or found washed up on certain beaches.
3 A failed attempt at alchemically transmuting gold.
4 Carnivorous slime mold scraped off cave ceilings.
5 The yolk of a songbird’s egg that’s been fertilized by a fish and incubated by a serpent. Incubating serpents often need to be muzzled so they don’t eat the egg.
6 Slag produced from smelting magical alloys.
7 The crushed stamens of a night-blooming flower which grows from the ears of sleeping mammals.
8 The webs of a fatally venomous spider. Its webs contain a recreationally lower dose of its venom.
9 Juices wrung from the brains of elves.
10 Aromatic woods burnt by dragonfire, platonic flames, or something of a similar heat.
11 A hideous shade of green refracted through blasphemous crystals.
12 Unknown pigments scraped from a prolific, maverick painter’s works.
13 Exquisitely complex fractal patterns. The more layers the fractals repeat through, the more potent the resulting drug.
14 Ghoul bile.
15 Tea steeped from the needles of evergreens from the uttermost north of the world.
16 Pus from the pustules that sprout on sufferers of an uncommon affliction.
17 Mist filtered off a pond host to particular starlight-eating worms.
18 Seeds of berries crossbred with infernal varieties.
19 The roasted spores of a truffle that can only be found by the truly paranoid.
20 Rootworked solutions that must be cooked for months under a pile of decomposing guano.
D20 This Drug Is Most Effective When Taken By...
1 Mixing it into gum and chewing it.
2 Packing it into your ear canal.
3 Dripping it in your eyeballs.
4 Suppository.
5 Insufflation, like getting a buddy to blow it up a pipe and into your nasal cavity.
6 Grinding it into splinters and sticking it under your skin.
7 Boiling it in vinegar and inhaling the fumes.
8 Applying it to your nail beds, most often with needles.
9 Sprinkling it on food like spice. Downsides of drug are much more intense if taken on an empty stomach.
10 Working it into a poultice and absorbing it through the skin.
11 Spreading it onto your lips and eyelids like makeup.
12 Pressing it into paper then rolling and smoking that paper.
13 Baking it into bread and eating the bread.
14 Injection it into the underside of your tongue.
15 Dripping it into a trepanation-hole drilled right through to your brain.
16 Rubbing it onto a fresh bruise.
17 Cutting a slit in the bottom of your belly-button and stuffing it with the drug.
18 Smoking it through long pipes, as the drug combusts hot enough to burn the lips and lungs if too close.
19 Dissolving it into a bath then soaking in it.
20 Steady intravenous drip.
D20 When You Take This Drug...
1 Every muscle you’ve got tenses like the onset of dengue fever. Teeth grind like continents. Your body feels as though it’s tearing itself apart, could tear apart the world. You automatically succeed at the next feat of strength you attempt if it’s vaguely within the realm of human achievement.
2 The crown of your skull feels as though it’s blossoming to the universe. Impossible ideas-like-bees buzz about and dance across the folds of your brain. While under the drug’s effects you cast spells as though you’re a higher level. If you can’t cast spells you gain the ability to cast a random spell.
3 Your irises bleed through with golden light. Perfect satisfaction seems just within reach. Things of monetary value begin to glow in your vision, even through chests and walls, while cheap things appear offensively ugly.
4 Lightning jolts rush up and down your fingers and every nerve. Every second stretches like chewed taffy. There is no movement so precise that you may not now perform it.
5 Easy, leaden numbness settles in your flesh. You become a stoic mountain, able to endure anything with inert amusement. You suffer no penalties, for pain, hunger, sleep deprivation, etc., while under the drug’s influence.
6 Veins throb and nerves burst with sensational sparks. Anything that feels good feels ten times better. Anything that feels bad kind of feels good at the same time. You gain the energy and the urge (though not the friction-resistance) to fuck for days.
7 Awareness falls away. The end of your body and the end of the earth become coterminous, simultaneous. For a slice of a heartbeat, eternity is you. When you come back to, you’ve beheld one piece of information, not necessarily one you knew you wanted, but one that will turn out to be useful.
8 Parallel possibilities flow flood-like fast in your mind’s eye. Countless deadly decisions are made, appreciated with phantasmic sadomasochism. While on the drug you’re primed to detect dangers that you’d have no way of knowing about sober. Ambushes, hidden traps, cursed objects, and the like are felt in imagined fatalities before they can catch your real self.
9 Tendons twitch in time to staccato celestial music, always building up to but never reaching an apocalyptic crescendo. You can move with blinding, clumsy speed. The first time you die on the drug you rush back to screaming life.
10 Your world creases into itself like solipsistic origami. Sight becomes introspection, your self reflected back and forth across a million facets. No outside influence can touch your mind while you’re affected, not magic, or psychic blasts, or mundane intimidation.
11 You feel like time-lapse forest soil. Roots and worms and hyphae wiggle down through your bones. All that you are dies, is born again in countless refreshing cycles. You gain a lingering regenerative ability while under its influence.
12 Sweat beads cool and dew-like, pores shudder, moan faintly across your skin. An intense body-high like being flayed without the pain, or melting into the air. You gain a touch attack that (1d6: 1, burns/ignites; 2, corrodes; 3, puts to sleep; 4, paralyzes; 5, tickles to incapacitation; 6, petrifies) for the rest of the trip. Touch attack affects everything organic you come into contact with.
13 Spit, phlegm, and spew dribble from your mouth like an oozing cornucopia. Theirs and everything else’s taste becomes distractingly intense yet with fulsome bands of nuance. Your stomach clenches itself into a crucible. Some crumbs and muddy water could sustain you as a day’s rations, and potions (and poisons) can take full effect with only a sip.
14 Angles and edges begin to lean at contradictory perspectives. Your sensory homunculus roils with swelling gout, making the backs of your knees or wherever else feel as big and important as your fingertips. While on the drug you become (1d4: 1, larger; 2, smaller; 3, elastic; 4, harmlessly inside-out).
15 Reality and imagination blur at the edges. You interact with illusions as though they’re real, and with an exertion of will can treat a real thing as though it were an illusion.
16 Thinking and memory become like carving stone where before it was grasping vapour. Recall is perfect, learning is rapid, baroque schemes can be crafted and held in the mind.
17 Body and mind crack cathartically. Limiting beliefs seem to shatter. So do your bones. They push up through your skin, making armour and barbed weapons, sinking back and reassembling when the dose wears off.
18 You are oil floating immiscible on the stream of time. Tragedy becomes comedy with this newfound perspective. Even after the drug wears off, your lifespan has been extended.
19 Flaws melt away, features mold to primordial ratios, bliss sweetens the space behind your eyes. You become beautiful to everything, able to charm with the right pose and words.
20 Your blood feels as though it’s champagne-bubbling. Everything is buoyant, buoyed by everything else, troubles lie massless on your shoulders. You can carry much more without being encumbered, fall too slow to be hurt, and leap wuxia distances.
D20 This Drug’s Downside Is...
1 It’s incredibly addictive. Even one dose is enough to induce withdrawal if you don’t keep it up.
2 Each use induces cumulative mutations. Subtle at first, unmistakable in long-time users.
3 It’s toxic. “Safe” doses only minimize the chance that it’ll kill you. Some damage is inevitable.
4 Your judgement is significantly impaired while on it.
5 That by obscure legal tradition, possession of it is punishable by being made to fight to the death with others convicted of the same crime.
6 It builds up in the tissues. Long-time users can smell it in each other, and feel tempted to devour the narcotic flesh.
7 It might animate one of your organs and cause it to slither out your mouth while you’re unconscious.
8 It’ll turn you into a demented ghost when you die.
9 Thoughts randomly transmit between yourself and other users who’re on it.
10 Using it risks converting some section of your body into more of it.
11 You’re harassed by lingering hallucinations after you take it. The hallucinations become more real the more you take the drug.
12 It wears away at memories you made while not on the drug.
13 It induces lasting insomnia.
14 It can react violently if mixed in the body with other drugs, potions, enchantments, and suchlike.
15 Using it attracts the attention of airy alien spirits.
16 It requires larger, more expensive doses each time.
17 It’s cursed with a multi-level-marketing scheme that will compel you to buy more and sell it to others.
18 Dosage of it is a sensitive thing, and disabling overdoses are a severe risk if you don’t take the time to cross-reference all the factors involved.
19 It induces crippling nausea while on it. Keep a bucket handy.
20 It fucks up your everything with repeated use. Teeth, skin, eyes, genitals, etc.
D20 This Drug Is Most Popular Among...
1 Young nobles without a care in the world.
2 Ecstatic zealots seeking enlightenment.
3 Overworked labourers after a long day.
4 Artists chasing inspiration.
5 Students of the arcane arts.
6 Long-lived gladiators.
7 Hunters of rare beasts.
8 Sacred prostitutes, holy whores, hierodules.
9 Wealthy gentleman-farmers.
10 Widely-traveled merchants.
11 The wives and husbands of warriors occupied in foreign wars.
12 Orphans raised in state institutions.
13 An inbred and extensive aristocratic clan.
14 Bandits, brigands, and other violent criminal types.
15 Fiery rebels and political deviants.
16 Burnouts who look much older than they are.
17 Crusty sailors.
18 Middling craftsmen.
19 The hopelessly destitute.
20 The inhuman and those touched by the same.


Submitted September 29, 2018 at 10:59PM by semiurge https://ift.tt/2NNYFOC

Question about painting fake nails

Hi friends! I love doing nail art and want to share the love/maybe chill on doing full blown intricate full sets on myself every night. I always have a million ideas coursing through my head. I am interested in painting designs on plain fake nails to give to my friends (and maybe sell someday, but that's probably a long way off). Can you recommend a few products for me?

  1. Cheap and good plain fake nails - bulk would be awesome
  2. Some sort of apparatus to paint on, so I'm not holding one nail at a time in between my fingers. I'm envisioning some sort of thing I can stick the nails to, like a piece of clay but reusable. Does this exist??

I'm hopped up on cold meds so hopefully my wording makes sense. Mods, please delete if not allowed.



Submitted September 29, 2018 at 07:42PM by oklettucehead https://ift.tt/2xYftrx

Does Long Distance Even Work? (Fucking My Dorm Mate)

​ I'm Hunter and I'm 18, just about to finish off my freshman year in college. So, to give some background on this story that happ...