Follow-on to the Part 24 posted over the weekend. This is a short turnaround for me, so maybe this installment is not as structured as the previous ones, but trying to get some important content out there prior to the auction.
​
(1) Farce of a KEIP
Senior leadership of a company in Ch 11 proceedings wants to make sure they are ‘incentivized’ for a few weeks leading to an auction?! Did they ever spell out what would be their incremental effort?
Let’s break it down: They operate in a regulated industry in which everything hinges on trial results and approvals. Trials cannot be sped up; all dependent on patient outcomes. Approvals cannot be sped up unless filed with a priority review voucher right at the start that they conspicuously did not do. What is left is the auction itself. There again, all you do is make a data room available (so all parties have a level field), and let them make their conclusions. What exactly will the head of human resources do in the few weeks of being incentivized?? Feverishly stack and unstack paper on their desk?!
These are America’s best and brightest, scrounging like beggars in full public view. Responsible management takes pay cuts; here instead, the grift goes on. Pat may have thought that this is hush money, but the problem is that the ‘hush’ cannot be documented or enforced. Nothing prevents this cast of characters to both take their payout and then turn on Pat at the opportune time.
(2) Crooked Pat and the Athena FDA bungling
If you were a CEO with limited cash runway, your dilution attempt turned down, and a long delayed Athena result, would you not aim for the fastest FDA approval possible? Keep everything ticked and tied to run with a filing, possibly even with a priority voucher? Here’s what happened instead: On Mr 31, 2022, Athena results came out. Since it barely made the quarter, Pat likely got some bonuses out of it. The FDA filing happened IN THE SEPTEMBER TIMEFRAME, a full six months later. Can you believe it??
This was to get the approval that will dramatically increase their TAM and compete with the other two PARPs in front-line. Here we are, a full year later, awaiting FDA to work it through. Also, notable was that in 3Q 2022, when FDA made noises about ODAC, Clovis was conspicuously silent. We have seen other biotechs express confidence about making their case, but here they act completely cavalier and complacent about approval.
Gillian Ivers-Read was a founder of CLVS with Pat, and the head of Regulatory Affairs. She resigned/ was fired prior to the BK filing. In a deposition we can find out all her points of disagreement with Pat on the Athena filing process. Did Pat directly or indirectly cause a slow-walk since the trial results?
(3) Malfeasance during BK proceedings
It has been clearly pointed out on the message boards that there was no need to file a liquidation plan until after the auction. Since Pat has no idea of the auction outcome, it is a premature filing that only serves to inform investors that they should expect to be fully impaired.
With the DATA AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME, Pat concluded that priority classes 1 thru 5 will get to vote, but 6 thru 8 would be keep out since they are fully impaired.
Now, follow very closely what happens next! FAP goes uncontested for a total of $680 mn. If your preclinical asset has crossed the half-billion mark, then shouldn’t your double indication double approved Rubraca should be at least worth that much? Are we seeing the outlines of these two assets combined taking us to the ‘third checkbox’, the one that is from 1 bn to 1.5 bn.??
Then, March 21 was the bid deadline. If the highest bid on that day was anything more than $200 million, then the assets have gone into the 1 bn plus range. 680 + 200 Rubraca + 200 inventory. The DATA AS OF MAR 21 may have indicated to Pat that classes 5 thru 8 may not be impaired at all!
With this data available to him, it is incumbent on him to revise the liquidation plan so that equity would have some representation in the auction. He does not do that, and we are already on the day prior to the auction.
In effect, Pat is going into an auction where he knows that Equity is likely not fully impaired, but having not communicated this to the court or taken any steps to have some form of equity representation, which is the RIGHT of equity.
He is going into an auction with a malicious intent of excluding equity who should actually have a say in the proceedings. Please go right ahead!! This decision of yours will be nailed to you Pat, ‘fully, non-revocable, forever’ with no option of an opt-out!
(4) Framework for bid evaluation
As I pointed out in the previous part, Pat in his interest of damaging shareholder interests would want to declare a bid winner when it has the largest percent of CVRs and the smallest percent of cash. This will allow him to push out any recovery out into the future, definitely causing a subset of retail to not wait out for the long-run. He would put on his cross-eyed cretin face saying “In my foodooshary duty, I have picked the highest value bid” conveniently omitting that it is actually not in the best interest of investors.
Here is a proposal for a more sophisticated framework for bid valuation: Consider five points in time: t, t+3, t+6, t+12, and t++
t is the cash component of all bids, t+3 is the cash plus any CVRs that are expected to mature in the next three months, t+6 is the cash plus any CVRs that are expected to mature in the next six months, and so on.
t++ is the combined total cash and all CVRs however distant those may be. As an example, the $680 mn for FAP would correspond to t++.
Now in this framework, all the final bids for Rubrca after auction will be presented as these five data points. It is very unlikely that the same BP will pop-up at all five points. One BP would be winning at one time point, another at a different one.
It is ONLY EQUITY representation that will decide which time point to choose for equity recovery. Based on that chosen time-point the appropriate BP gets selected who gets to buy Rubraca. Pat will not decide it for us, given his history of running acting against shareholder interests.
Once the creditors are made whole, ONLY EQUITY gets to decide from that point on. Creditors cannot have influence on how the share upside is captured.
(5) Calling all whistle-blowers
Oh, those poor Clovis employees! Pat sold them a story, his past history of selling companies, and how they are getting equity in Clovis as their performance rewards. Well, with the liquidation plan, Pat is laughing at you and telling you that your shares are worthless! In effect, he is flat out evaporating one component of your rewards.
As I have said previously, if you have ANY information of a clinical, regulatory, financial, or commercial nature that supports the argument that Pat and other senior leaders have acted against their fiduciary duty, then you can bring those claims forward to the recovery group, and it can be evaluated for further action by BM.
Please know that you don’t need to have a watertight case; your information may be combined with information from some other whistleblowers, and then there will be the discovery process also available.
The recovery that is being attempted is for all investors, and that includes employees. Consider doing your part to arm the recovery process; it will benefit all investors.
(6) Sunlight is the best disinfectant
As I have mentioned previously, this is a crime in slow-motion that Pat is unfolding in front of us. Fortunately for us, with the representation that BM is providing us, Pat’s original agenda is defeated.
He very confidently thought that he would enter into a maze and go from Point A to point B. Well that original exit is now blocked and not sure if he had a plan B. The rat is in the maze, waiting for the punishment that equity is going to hand out!
Any of the readers here, if you have a good investigative journalist contact that can do a piece, please make that connect. Publications like WSJ, NYT, Wash Post, Barrons, Slate, Rolling Stone, you get the drift. Let’s blow this up!
There is an HBO documentary worth watching ‘Gaming Wall Street’ which is about a retail short squeeze. We could be in the middle of effecting a retail take down of a biotech CEO, worth some investigative journalism or a movie down the road, who knows?
But the sheer corruption here, of an attempt to prevent the return to investors for a very strong drug in Rubraca, WILL NOT go unchallenged or unpunished.
(7) One-two punch
The way I see it, the first objective is to make sure the auction is broad and fair and obtains the maximum possible value for our assets. Once that is done, at some point CLVS as an entity will cease to exist. Remember that when Pat was fined for Roci, the money came out of Clovis cash. Well, when the company ceases to exist and the shareholders have their returns and their CVRs we can then go after Pat and all other people in a fiduciary capacity.
There will be enough material to take civil and criminal proceedings forward. And when the squeeze is put on the other officers, if they can provide incriminating information about Pat, there can be leniency extended to them. As the founder CEO of Clovis, it is Pats scalp that we are after considering the damage that he has done to investors. His Napoleon Complex will come back to bite him.
With the help of whistle-blowers and other parties we can take Pat to the poorhouse and the jailhouse. We’ll take him for all he has so he can contemplate, in a confined space, his version of ‘Breaking Bad’.
(8) Endnote
We all need to appreciate that capitalism works with certain guardrails. All participants in the capital structure have their part to play, and have a unique mix of risk and reward. When those guardrails are breached and investors are unfairly looted, please be prepared for their white-hot rage to be turned against the perpetrators.
Pat needs to resign himself to get the stuffing litigated out of him. As the company assets get sold, let him make choices that do not put himself into a deeper hole than he already is in. Choose wisely!
###
I am here until CLVS is acquired. And for you, my only recommendation is: Choose wisely!
Poster: Jacaranda Bloom
Reddit user ID (bookmark or follow): Timely_Huckleberry97

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The new decade has everyone feeling a little bit reflective, including fans of video games. The NPD Group, Inc. recently released a ton of information about the gaming market over the last ten years. This information included the best selling games of 2019 and the best selling games between 2010 and 2019. Grand Theft Auto V was the best selling game of the decade across all platforms, but the Call of Duty franchise truly won the 2010s.
The NPD Group, Inc. is a New York-based market research company that tracks twenty different industries. Mat Piscatella, a video games market research analyst, recently posted on Twitter the information that the company has gathered both over the last year and over the last decade. Grand Theft Auto V, with an estimated 110 million copies sold. However, the Call of Duty franchise may be the true MVP of the decade. Ten out of the fifteen most popular games in the 2010s were Call of Duty games. This includes the most recent addition to the franchise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The best selling Call of Duty game was Call of Duty: Black Ops. The game was originally released in November 2010 for Microsoft Windows, the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, and OS X and was later released on mobile. There may even be a reboot in 2020.
Play
Several of the other best selling games of the decade are not a surprise. These games include Red Dead Redemption II, Minecraft, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Mario Kart 8, Battlefield 1, Battlefield 4, Destiny, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Star Wars Battlefront 2015. All of these games made a splash in the 2010s and some even inspired memes and their own cult followings.
The NPD Group, Inc. also released information about consoles. The Playstation 4 was the best selling console of the 2010s, while PS4 Dualshock 4 wireless controller in black was the best selling accessory. However, the Nintendo Switch dominated 2019. It was the best selling console of the year and Switch Pro controller was the best selling accessory.
call of duty modern warfare gameplay Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
The best-selling games of 2019 were a little more shocking. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was unsurprisingly the best selling game of 2019, but it was followed by NBA 2K20 and Madden NFL 20. They beat out games such as Borderlands 3, Kingdom Hearts III, and the Outer Worlds which were games that were generally better reviewed and received more hype.Games from series like NBA 2K and Madden NFL appear to have a strong, consistent fan base.
What can the numbers from the 2010s tell us about the video game industry? There have been a variety of interesting games that have come out in the last decade, but the most popular genres appear to be first person shooters and action adventure games. It also seems that many video game fans were drawn to the “open world” concept. Will these preferences continue to reign throughout the 2020s? NPD Group, Inc. reported that that video game spending in general declined in 2019, but it is still a major industry. What do you think HotHardware readers? What video game trends will be the most popular in the 2020s?

Me and my boyfriend have been dating for 9 months and we have good times, but there is constant arguing between us about petty things or the past. As much as it hurts, I like opening up and sharing my feelings so he knows how I feel. And I live in the moment, so I don’t think about what I say. And it may lead to a break. I also have major anxious attachment between him, so if he does decide to have a break then I cannot cooperate. However, for the past 5 weeks I’ve been improving and working on myself. I’ve reconnected with friends and loved life more then ever. However, his friend is always creating us having debates and tears are made. I despise his friend, let’s call him X. X is rude, he kicks my boyfriends shins randomly throughout the day as a joke. Even after my boyfriend pleads him to stop. X also constantly uses my boyfriends hotspot (Which is money being wasted, not to mention my boyfriends dad is a newly single dad and his income isn’t so great) and not getting anything in return. My boyfriend also provides and feeds X, and he doesn’t receive a thank you or anything back. My boyfriend reassures me that they’re just boys, but surely there’s greed and selfishness between them. I worry for my boyfriend and I try to supply him with things he may want, but I’m not so great with money either.
I see my boyfriend every Saturday, and he’s a whole different person. He seems more serious and affectionate about our relationship. We’re both alone in our own world. He isn’t what he’s like around X, and I like that. I know that’s selfish, but if you understood what I have to deal with then you’ll have an idea. But, you see, it isn’t always happiness on the weekends. We usually argue over the phone, messaging. But when it’s something big, we talk face to face. I say what I say but he doesn’t talk at all. In fact, over the phone he becomes selfish and rude. But he’s never able to say it to my face. I worry that he has a lot more to say, but can’t say anything yet. Or scared to. I just don’t want to force him into a relationship he isn’t happy in, so I try to tell him that but I’m other words. However, once again… arguments. Somehow it always leads or mentions X a few times, not always but from what I remember. I try to leave him alone whenever we argue but I always have to share my thoughts and reply. I can’t not do so. Not to mention, my boyfriend shares our information between X and him. So I need to stop and be careful with what I say about X.
However, fortunately X has recently got a new girlfriend. They’re still in the early stages but I hope once they’re out of that X understands what it’s like having a girlfriend and leave me and boyfriend alone. Or, able to be with each other more. Maybe my boyfriend will realise how much of a selfish idiot X was to him, X may also possibly change throughout his relationship. I can’t wait, but unfortunately from how it’s going between them it might not be that long. Especially with what I’ve recently done…
Me and his girlfriend were friends, we bunked school a couple of times and tried to speak regularly. This was because my boyfriend persuaded me to be friends with her. But all our conversations lead to X and her asking the same questions about him. It came to the point where I couldn’t speak to her and wanted to become deaf everytime I hear about X. I came to the conclusion where she was using me for information, and I was right. A few days ago I was scrolling through my gallery looking at my boyfriend and came across a photo with X and my boyfriend in it. They both were making a funny face and X’s girlfriend saw it and told me to crop out the photo with just X. And I did, would you? After I cropped it, I sent it to her as she wished and told her to not tell X she got it from me.
A couple days past and X finds out I sent the photo, X involved my boyfriend and told him to message me saying why. Although X has my number. I tell my boyfriend why and he obviously chooses sides, which was X. I told them both X’s girlfriend thought it was funny and cute which is why I sent it but apparently I was in the wrong. I apologised to X and my boyfriend, and aired X’s girlfriend. I told my boyfriend that this is why I have no friends, since nobody is trust worthy. But he gaslighted me and said he told me to speak to her not become friends. So I got upset. Not only did I lose a friend but my boyfriend was also mad at me for sending the photo.
And I despise my boyfriend airing me all morning because of something so small. I just want to become a rock and hide away. I only tried bonding with X’s girlfriend so my boyfriend can have a life. But obviously not.

I think most Star Fox fans know about Bear Noguccini and Desla Koba and their reconnaissance-type Arwings, the M-Scouters, from the Introduction and Flight Recorder sections of the Japanese-only official strategy guide for Star Fox, the Mission File Printout. But I noticed some things in the Flight Recorder pages that don't get discussed as much, and thought there might be a lot more obscure lore hidden away in the rest of the guidebook. As far as I knew, only the Introduction, developer interviews, and parts of the Flight Recorder pages had been translated. Sorry if anything I think is unknown or obscure is well-known or found elsewhere in the manual or game. I figure at least some of it has to be new.
I've gone through almost the entire Mission File Printout, using Google Translate to get rough translations. Any "fact" I share could be suspect thanks to how I translated it, but the broad strokes shouldn't be wrong. Please share corrections if you can.
I'm sure this would be more readable with pictures, but in lieu of that I'll link to a PDF of the Mission File Printout on Internet Archive and you can look along based on the page numbers. (The numbers on the physical pages, not on Internet Archive's reader.)
The SFC Star Fox continuity has an in-universe calendar system.
Star Fox fans don't construct timelines based on in-universe calendar systems, like the Universal Century (UC) of Gundam or Before the Battle of Yavin/After the Battle of Yavin (BBY/ABY) dates in Star Wars. They've been stuck with the fan-coined Before Lylat Wars/After Lylat Wars (BLW/ALW) calendar. But at least for the SFC continuity, there's been an official one forgotten all this time.
The Flight Recorder sections on pages 26, 42, and 60 all give dates for Fox Senior, Bear and Desla's final transmissions. Fox Senior disappeared 238.04.20 in the Asteroid level, while Bear and Desla disappeared on the same day, 244.03.17, despite Bear being in Sector Y and Desla in Asteroid. I get the sense the game takes place within a month or a few months after 244.03.17. The calendar system is 宇宙暦 in Fox and Desla's entries and 宇宙歴 in Bear's, both read "uchū-reki", "space calendar" or "space history". For comparison, Anno Domini or Common Era is 西暦 in Japanese, "seireki", "Western calendar".
(I seriously wonder if that 238.04.20 date isn't a reference to Hitler's birthday of April 20, since "Andolph" was likely named after "Adolph" and it was Andross who created the Black Hole that killed or disappeared Fox Senior.)
The images in Bear and Desla's Flight Recorder sections are timestamped "C.C.244.03.17". This suggests 宇宙暦 is "Cosmic Calendar", or perhaps "Cosmic Century" if they take a cue from Gundam. (Universal Century is 宇宙世紀, uchū-seiki, not -reki, but the Correct Century of 1999's Turn A Gundam would translate the reki in 正暦 as "Century" rather than "Calendar", so it's conceivable.)
(The C.C.244.03.17 timestamp is also used on photos throughout the walkthrough sections. It would have been fun if they had given different dates for each level, but presumably Star Fox didn't defeat the Androssians in a single day, on the same day Bear and Desla disappeared and General Pepper printed out their scouting reports.)
This also might imply things about the long-term history of Corneria. Does C.C.000.01.01 or C.C.001.01.01 correspond to some space travel milestone? Has Corneria only been spacefaring for 244 years?
The SFC continuity's equivalent of the Cornerian Fighter has an official name, the X-Fighter.
Page 26 describes the model of aircraft (搭乗機種, the translation of which I don't quite understand, "Boarding Model"?) Fox Senior disappeared in as the "Xファイタ–(コーネリア第VI期主力戦闘機)", "X-Fighter (Corneria Phase VI Main Fighter)".
I presume this is the same model that's seen being blasted by the Attack Carrier in the game's pre-title intro, and the Cornerian aircraft seen in the Benimaru Itoh comic. Page 7 has a wireframe model of a "former Corneria main fighter", noting it lacks a G-Diffuser System, and it looks like what's in the intro and comic.
Could "X-Fighter" be a reference to the Game Boy game X being a predecessor to Star Fox?
Does "第VI期" mean the X-Fighter is the sixth in its line? Or does it mean it's in the sixth generation of this world's space fighters? I doubt the latter, since the Japanese Wikipedia article for Fifth-generation fighter uses "第5世代".
There is a Sector N.
This one could be a typo for Sector X, Y or Z... on the guidebook's part, not my own. I swear! Check page 26 on the PDF yourself, it's an N, not a Z.

…現在第7中隊はセクタ―Nでの宇宙海賊を撃滅、コーネリアに帰投中、5つに連なった隕石群を発見した…
…Currently, the 7th Squadron has destroyed space pirates in Sector N, and while returning to Cornelia, they discovered a series of 5 meteorites…

In SF64, Sector Z has a history of space pirate activity, and the wreckage there is from decades-old battles between the CDF and space pirates. Maybe that idea evolved from this little bit. But I don't see anything else about space pirates and Sectors XYZ in any material, certainly not in the Mission File Printout itself. The Route 3 Asteroid level is on the way back from Sector Z, but the "laughing moon" where Fox Senior disappeared is on Route 1, with no in-game Sectors between it and Venom.
Perhaps the writer did intend a fourth Sector, and went with N for Nintendo.
The boss section entry for Andross implies the final boss is a computer, and that Andross himself doesn't need to be controlling it or anywhere near it.
On page 62:

アンドルフ皇帝に代わって全軍の総指揮を行なっている、超巨大コンピューター。テレキネシスという強力な念力で物体を自由に動かし攻撃してくる。顔のような外壁の中にあるメインコンピューターを攻撃しないかぎり破壊不可能。機械でありながら独自の意志を持っており、アンドルフ皇帝が直接操作していないと思われる。
A gigantic computer that takes over command of the entire army on behalf of Emperor Androff. It attacks by moving objects freely with the powerful power of telekinesis. Indestructible unless attacking the main computer inside the face-like outer wall. Although it is a machine, it has its own will, and it is believed that Emperor Androff is not directly controlling it.

This is reinforced elsewhere in the guide, where Star Fox is tasked not with defeating Andross but with destroying his "Great Brain". Page 13:

グレートブレイン内部にある超次元空間動力機関を破壊し、アンドルフの野望を阻止してほしい。
I want you to destroy the hyperdimensional space power engine inside the Great Brain and stop Androff's ambitions.

Of course, maybe the idea is that Cornerian intelligence just hasn't realized that Andross fully transferred himself to this mechanical computer, like how Andross becoming an organic giant brain in SF64 is a surprise to Fox. Or maybe they really meant for Andross to be separate from his computer to bring him back in sequels. I've always assumed Andross's cyborg design in SF2 was due to injuries sustained in the final boss battle of the first game. But maybe he just cyborgized himself despite no injuries, or maybe he was injured in the chain-reaction destruction of the Venom base.
(Or, maybe the intention was to imply that Star Fox makes their way from Corneria to Venom three times, destroying a rebuilt Great Brain each time. Page 45 says something about it being impossible to hold on to Venom if the Great Commander ship isn't destroyed.)
Regardless, it's odd to think of an AI computer capable of telekinesis.
Some readers probably won physical versions of the Corneria Airforce patch on the front cover in a raffle.
Before the Introduction:

QUIZ! “スターフォックス特製ワッペン"プレゼントクイズ
QUIZ! “Star Fox Special Patch” Present Quiz
Q. セクターYで、アトミックレイを10匹撃つと出てくる動物は？
Q. What animal spawns when you shoot 10 Atomic Rays in Sector Y?
クイズの正解者の中から抽選で100名様に、コーネリア防衛軍のワッペンをプレゼントします。ご希望の方は、八ガキに、答え、住所、氏名、年令、職業(学年)を書いて、下記の宛先までお送りください。
A Cornelia Defense Force patch will be presented to 100 people who have answered the quiz correctly. If you wish, please write your answer, address, name, age, and occupation (grade) on the sheet of paper and send it to the address below.

This would suggest there were once 100 Corneria Airforce patches floating around. I wonder if any remain. Image searching "スターフォックス特製ワッペン" didn't bring up anything other than some SF64-based patches, though.
General Pepper's first two initials are "Z. Z.".
This one isn't so obscure. But it's worth repeating.
The guidebook is peppered with in-universe scientific justifications for gameplay mechanics.
It keeps referring to special "coatings" used by the Androssian military to reflect blaster fire. Page 45 says this coating (or at least one type of it) is mined from asteroids around Corneria.
On page 9, I think it's explaining why spinning deflects laser fire...

【ローリングディフェンス】
[Rolling Defense]
レーザーやオーバルビームなどアンドルフ軍のさまざまな光学兵器に対抗し、機体に電磁バリ アを張って光学、6兵器を反対防御する装置か開発された。しかし多量のエネルギーを消費するためにG.D.Sの作動エネルギーがもっとも少量となるクイックターンの間だけ作動するように改良されている。
A device was developed to counter various optical weapons such as lasers and oval beams of Andorph's army, and to put up an electromagnetic barrier on the aircraft to defend against the optical weapons. However, since it consumes a large amount of energy, it has been improved to operate only during quick turns, when the activation energy of G.D.S is the smallest.

...and why defeated enemies leave behind Supply Rings and such and how the Arwing can use them:

【エネルギー変換システム】
[Energy Conversion System]
長期間の作戦活動に備え、アーウィンには敵の機体が破壊されたときに放出する、残存エネルギーを機内に取りこみ変換する装置が搭載されている。変換されたあとはシールドの補給、武装の強化、機体の修復などさまざまな目的に利用される。
In preparation for long-term operations, the Arwin is equipped with a device that captures and converts the residual energy released when an enemy aircraft is destroyed. After being converted, it can be used for various purposes such as replenishing shields, strengthening armaments, and repairing aircraft.

I love when they explain dumb game stuff like that. I don't recall that from the manuals or anything.
The goal of the Route 1 level in orbit above Venom is to destroy jamming satellites so that the location of Andross's base on the surface can be found.
Page 13:

また、本作戦の最終目的地であるアンドルフ軍の本拠地・グレートブレインは、ベノム軌道上を周回する軍事衛星の妨害電波によって正確な位置が惑星上からわりだせないようになっている。軍事衛星をコントロールする空間浮遊ロボットを撃破して、敵本拠地を発見すること。
In addition, the final destination of this operation, the base of the Andros army, the Great Brain, is unable to determine its exact position from the planet due to jamming signals from military satellites orbiting Venom. Find the enemy base by destroying space-floating robots that control military satellites.

I don't know the actual game well enough to know if there were specific jamming satellites you see in gameplay. Is Phantron is controlling them from a distance?
The Black Hole in the game was created by Andross's experimental antiproton bomb.
Page 26:

わがライラット系には、Dr.アンドルフが６年前に行なった反陽子爆弾の実験でできた“すべてを飲みこむ宇宙の穴"、ブラックホーが ある。
In our Lylat system, there is a black hole, an "all-encompassing cosmic hole" created by Dr. Androff's antiproton bomb experiment six years ago.

So it was probably detonated in C.C.237 or early C.C.238, not long before Fox Senior fell in in C.C.238.04.20.
Compare this to the Benimaru Itoh comic, where Fox Senior was carrying Andross's experimental bomb in his Cornerian fighter when it detonated creating the Black Hole. The comic calls it a "gravity bomb". I wonder if Benimaru Itoh's script didn't have "antiproton bomb", and a Nintendo Power translator chose to localize it as "gravity bomb" since antiprotons have no obvious connection to black holes?
(I've always been curious as to how the comic was translated; I presume Itoh's English writing isn't fluent, based on an email reply he sent to a fan I've seen, and the comic's humor has a rather Saturday-morning Western bent to it. It's hard to imagine "hyper-twinkies" having been Japanese coinings. Do the Nintendo Power issues credit a translator? Was there an original Japanese script, deep in a Kyoto basement?)
The giant bird in Asteroid 3-2 is called Unidentified Object A, codenamed Silver Phoenix, and the space whale in Sector Y is called Unidentified Object B, codenamed Space Whale.
Pages 42 and 60.
Bear disappears after seeing the Space Whale after Desla disappears while seeing the Silver Phoenix, but on the same day. The guide repeats the Benimaru Itoh comic's connection of the creatures to the other dimension, which is also connected to "超次元空間動力機関", a "hyperdimensional space power engine" constructed by Andross, which is also connected to the Great Brain (see page 13; Google translations imply this engine is "inside" the Great Brain, but I wonder if the Great Brain isn't inside it, hence the boss battle seeming to take place inside a colorful pocket dimension).
The Attack Carrier was originally a battleship, modified into an aircraft carrier.
Page 62.
Phantron was designed as an anti-Arwing weapon.
Page 64.
Professor Hanger was probably originally a Corneria-controlled machine on their resource mining base, before being modified by Andross... with a bioweapon?
Page 64:

もとはタイタニア量の資源発掘を運営するコンピューター。本体下部のハッチから改造されたバイオウェポンを出撃させ、自分はシャドートラッシャーという特殊攻撃を繰りだす。膨大なエネルギーを持つタイタニア星の資源開発システムと直結しているため、何度でもシールドの回復が可能。
Originally a computer that manages the excavation of Titania's amount of resources. A modified bio-weapon is dispatched from the hatch at the bottom of the main body, and he performs a special attack called Shadow Trasher. Since it is directly connected to the resource development system of Titania, which has a huge amount of energy, it is possible to recover the shield any number of times.

So did Andross put something biological and gooey inside the machine? Like something out of Simon Stålenhag?
Plasma Hydra is a mechanical lifeform.
Page 65.
In my personal opinion, the Galactic Rider is being assigned too many tasks to be effective at its job.
Page 65:

アンドルフ軍総指令部グレートブレインへと続く中央幹線道路を守る警備マシン。内部にエアバイカーを多数搭載しており、攻撃目標に向かって次々発進させる。外部はブラスターをはねかえす特殊コーティングがされている。ハッチが開いたときに見える内部を狙うしか攻撃手段はない。
A security machine that guards the central highway that leads to the Andolf Army General Headquarters [or General Command Department?] Great Brain. Equipped with a large number of air bikers inside, it launches one after another toward the attack target. The exterior has a special coating that repels blasters. The only way to attack is to aim at the inside that can be seen when the hatch is open.

Its job is to guard that central highway, but presumably it's piloting the Metal Smasher satellite up in orbit full-time until Metal Smasher is destroyed. Can't something else pilot Metal Smasher? Anything whose job isn't to guard the main highway on the surface? Is Andross that confident nothing will threaten him on the surface unless Metal Smasher is destroyed?
Monarch Dodora is a cyborg.
Page 66.
Kind of a disappointment to me, since I didn't like Dodora's seemingly fully-mechanical design in Star Fox Zero. I much prefer the fully-organic, and visibly dodo-inspired, Monarch Dodora of the Benimaru Itoh comic... although I guess that one's technically a cyborg too, since Andross had a mind-control device on it. Maybe the level of cyborgization here is similar.
One Fortunan flying enemy is the Dodo Seagull, who were somehow created by Monarch Dodora.
Page 74.
Can't tell if this is implying the Dodo Seagulls are young Dodora that could grow into Monarch Dodora, birthed by it, or if they're created in some other manner.
Monarch Dodora has an attack called "Dodoshīgaru".
Page 66.
I presume this is some pun, but I can't figure what it might be.
Ships of the Venom Air Force were intentionally designed to be weak.
Page 68:

スペースアマダを主力とする宇宙部隊。武装に威力の弱いレーザーやリングレーザーなどが多いのは、宇宙空間での戦闘を劣え機動性を重視した設計のためと思われる。
A space force whose main force is Space Amada. It seems that the reason why there are many weapons with weak power such as lasers and ring lasers is that they are designed to be inferior in combat in outer space and emphasize mobility.

The Battle Butterfly is a fighter craft, while the Dark Butterfly is an organic creature from Fortuna the Battle Butterfly was modeled after.
Pages 68 and 74.
Interesting choice, makes the world feel more real and interconnected. I would've thought they were just two versions of the same fighter craft.
Does anyone else think the Micro Base enemy looks like you can see a rodent piloting it?
Page 69.
On second thought, I can see how it looks like a lizard. Still weird.
The Androssian military has an inferior counterpart to the G-Diffuser System, the Antigravity Hover System.
Page 71:

欠点とされていた機動性の低さも、反重力ホバーシステムの開発（G―ディフューザーシステムよりは低出力）により、最新機種では大幅に解消されている。
The low mobility, which was considered a drawback, has been largely eliminated in the latest models due to the development of the anti-gravity hover system (lower output than the G-Diffuser system).

The Bee Fighter is the staple prey of the Death Dragonfly.
Page 74.
Only female Fortune Serpents attack the Arwings. The males are all gentle, even after being modified by the Androssians.
Page 74.
And finally...
...Bear Noguccini and Desla Koba were named after two editors of the guide, Yukata Noguchi and Hitoshi Kobayashi.
Page 80.
I'm guessing these two wrote a lot of the guide, making them the real-world analogues of Bear and Desla, scouting out the game world and writing up their reports for the players. I thought it'd be pointless to translate the credits at the back of the book, but if I hadn't I wouldn't have made this cute discovery.
Also, Shigesato Itoi of Mother is credited as Supervisor.
​
I haven't included anything from the Introduction of the development team interviews, because GlitterBerri translated them here and here.
Well, anyways, thanks for reading, I hope it was somewhat interesting.

A thread for new collectors to ask basic questions of the community.
Frequently Asked Questions below!
A longer version of the subreddit rules is here.
For questions specifically concerning bootlegs or vendor legitimacy, please ask in the Bootleg Megathread.
NSFW & Spoiler Guidelines

• For Self Posts: include a bolded NSFW note next to links in that post.
• For Links to sites/images: If the figure is NSFW, or the website has any NSFW content (including ads) be sure to tag your post NSFW and use the appropriate link flair.

Bootlegs
Any collection posts containing bootlegs, comments advocating buying bootlegs, or links to sites selling bootlegs, recasts, or unlicensed merchandise will be removed.
People often ask about the legitimacy and/or safety of a number of websites which sell large resin statues. The more commonly-asked of those deal primarily in resins from studios which do not have a license from the Japanese IP holders to produce merchandise. Therefore links to those sites are not permitted here. Another sign is if MyFigureCollection doesn't list the either the statue, its manufacturer, or the shop it's being sold on.
MyFigureCollection
My Figure Collection is like MyAnimeList... but for figures! Their database includes thousands of items which been produced during the last couple of decades, along with reviews of shops and other helpful articles. One can also list their own collection and post gallery photos.
Shops

Retailers:
AmiAmi HobbySearch Mandarake (sells rare figures) Good Smile Company Online Shop (often has exclusives) Good Smile Company US shop Crunchyroll Shop Hobby Link Japan (aka HLJ) Solaris Japan (MFC partner) BigBadToyStore (MFC partner, US retailer) Big in Japan (also has proxy service) Tokyo Otaku Mode Right Stuf FigureHaven Archonia (EU) Yorokonde (EU) Figuya (EU) Dekai Anime (UK) Gamersheek (UK) Jungle
List of retailers on MFC
/AnimeFigures' List of Retailers
Community Guide to Shopping in Japan

Blogs/News:

Nekomagic (News/Previews) NyaaFigurines (Reviews/Releases) Kahotan's Blog (News/Reviews) Figma Blog (JP)

Buying & Shipping

1. What’s the best place to buy my anime figures from?
That’s going to depend a lot on what works for you, but most people around here buy them from Amiami, Big in Japan, Hobby Search, HobbyLink Japan, or Tokyo Otaku Mode. If none of those work for you for whatever reason, there’s a list of reputable retailers in the sidebar that you can check out at any time. Be extra careful when ordering figures from websites like Amazon or ebay, as there are a lot of bootlegs on those sites. Don’t be afraid to ask in our Bootleg Megathread if you’re unsure.
2. What differences are there between the shipping options I get from most Japanese shops?
Below is a rundown of the main shipping choices you’ll get at most retailers. Keep in mind that if an order is large enough you will be forced to use one of the more expensive options, as SAL shipments have lower size and weight restrictions.

• Unregistered SAL: Sometimes referred to as uSAL, is usually the cheapest method. It does not come with any tracking or insurance. Usually takes up 2-4 weeks for delivery.
• Registered SAL: Sometimes referred to as rSAL, is insured for the declared value up to 6,000 yen. It comes with a tracking number and usually takes 2-4 weeks for delivery.
• EMS: This method of shipping is much faster than either SAL options, usually arriving within a week of shipment. EMS shipments are insured for the declared value up to 2,000,000 yen.
• Airmail
• E-packet
• Surface: Shops don't offer this very often. It's an actual cargo ship and slow as a result.
  
• DHL: Becoming more available as an alternative to EMS on AmiAmi and other sites. Can be less expensive than EMS and of comparable speed, but may be more reliant on the specific geographical area being shipped to. The price is also determined by the size of the box. Offers their own tracking.
  

3. I placed two+ orders for figures at different times. Will my items be shipped together, or will I have to pay shipping twice?
Most shops will ask you to pay shipping on a per-order basis, but here are some that will allow combined shipping:

• Amiami: You can combine orders here, as long as the orders ship in the same month. It doesn’t matter if the item is new or preowned. Any preorders that are set for that month can also be combined with other orders for that month. However, be aware that if the preorder gets delayed, Amiami will remove that item from that month’s shipment and place it on a new order. To combine orders on Amiami, use the “Combine Orders” feature under “My Account”.
  
• Hobby Search: Hobby Search will let you combine orders that release in the same month, but you cannot combine in stock items with preorders. If you want to combine multiple preorders, or multiple in stock items, you can do so using the “Order Recombination” feature on your account page.
  
• HobbyLink Japan: At HLJ, you have the option to send paid orders to their “Private Warehouse”, where you can store them for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to ship the items, you simply select which items to ship and HLJ will combine them into one shipment for you. To use this, just select the “Private Warehouse” option as shipping when you order.
  

If you’re unsure about whether or not a shop we haven’t listed will combine your orders, please refer to their individual FAQs.
4. When will I get charged for my preorder?
Most Japanese shops charge you once the item is in stock and ready for shipment. When that happens, they will send you an email asking for payment. Some shops (mostly overseas ones), will allow you to pay for the item up front though, if you’d like. A few with that option are:

• Big in Japan (Japanese store)
• Tokyo Otaku Mode
• Anime Island
• Crunchyroll

Keep in mind that overseas stores will likely get the figure a few months after Japanese ones, so pay attention to the release date stated on the website you are buying from so as to avoid that confusion.
5. Should I expect to pay customs fees when importing figures?
That depends on where you live. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Australia: 10% GST is now assessed up front.
• Canada: Minimum declared value for charges is around CAD$20 for regular shipments, and CAD$60 for gifts (gifting something only seems to lower the declared value by about CAD$40, not deplete it completely). When using Amiami, try their Small Air Packet option. It comes with tracking, gets there in about the same time as EMS, and is better at avoiding customs.
• European Union: As of 1st July 2021, VAT has to be paid on all goods imported from outside of the EU. Retailers are supposed charge VAT for purchases under €150, however many Japanese retailers currently do not, so VAT will be charged when your order arrives in the EU. Orders that are >€150, VAT and duty will be charged by your local customs.
• UK: As of 1st January 2021, VAT is to be charged by retailers for orders <£135. However, customs isn't currently charging VAT on parcels valued at <£135, even if the VAT hasn't been paid. Goods >£135 will have their VAT and duty calculated and charged by customs.
• Mexico: Minimum declared value for customs fees is USD$300 for shipments by post, and USD$50 for shipments by courier.
• United States: A shipment has to have a declared value of USD$2,000 before customs starts hitting you with fees, so you most likely won’t have to worry about them at all.

6. The figure I want is an exclusive, how do I go about ordering one outside of Japan?
You have three options for this:
A. Big in Japan is known to stock exclusive figures and ship to other countries. Usually the price is higher because they build in their proxy fees, but it’s easier than worrying about using a forwarder or proxy service. If you live in the US, Crunchyroll, Right Stuf, and Tokyo Otaku Mode also get exclusives sometimes, but out of the states the shipping can get expensive.
B. Forwarding Services: A forwarder is someone who you ship an exclusive item to so that they can forward the package on to you, usually for a flat fee + shipping. When using a forwarder you still make the purchase yourself, and enter their address into the shipping field. When the box arrives at the forwarder they will then stick your address onto the package and send it on its way.
Some popular forwarders are:

• Big in Japan
• Tenso

Be sure to read each sites instructions on forwarding carefully!
C. Proxy Services: With a proxy, you tell them what the item you’re looking for is and they will purchase it in your stead. This is handy for when a company doesn’t accept foreign credit cards, or you’re having trouble navigating a Japanese website.
Some popular proxies are:

• Big in Japan (Won’t proxy for Yahoo Auctions)
• From Japan

Again, be sure you thoroughly read through each sites proxy instructions.
7. I see a bunch of really cheap figures that ship from China on ebay. Are those okay to buy?
Generally, no. They’re most likely bootlegs. If you want a second opinion on that, feel free to ask in the Bootleg Megathread that’s always stickied at the top of the sub.
8. What’s a bootleg, and how can I avoid buying them?
A bootleg is a counterfeit figure often made using rejected molds of the official product. They are usually priced significantly lower than the genuine article, and in order to make their profit, bootleggers use lower quality materials and have less attention to detail- resulting in a substandard figure.
The Bootleg Megathread that I mentioned in question 7 is a great tool to avoid buying any bootlegs. It has a few tips and tricks to avoiding them to begin with, and a few more on how to spot them if you’re worried you might already own one.
9. Does anyone know when figure X is going to be released? How do I know if it was delayed?
My Figure Collection (sometimes referred to as MFC) does an excellent job of staying on top of information like release dates and delays. If you’re curious about an upcoming figures release date, check there first. This information can be found directly under the “Releases” section on a figure’s entry. If you only see a month and a year in that section, it means the release date has not yet been announced by the manufacturer, and there is still a chance the figure could be delayed.
If you make an account on MFC you can also subscribe to comments, changes, and pictures via a checkbox on the right hand side of a figure’s listing. Subscribing to any of these things will allow MFC to send you an email anytime the subscription in question updates. Subscribing to “changes” is a great way to keep up with release dates and delays, among other things.
10. The figure I want is long sold out at normal retailers! What’s the best place to pick it up in the aftermarket?
A list of reputable retailers can be found under the “Shops” section of the /AnimeFigures sidebar. They all sell legitimate products, and many of them also sell figures second hand. However, the most frequently suggested second hand sites are Mandarake and Amiami- who has a preowned section that they update every night save Sundays and Japanese holidays around 1PM JST and again around 6PM JST.
AmiAmi grades their pre-owned items on a letter scale. The general consensus from buyers is that their ratings are conservative, so unless the item and/or packaging is specifically indicated as having significant flaws, pre-owned items from them are usually in at least as good a condition as their rating suggests.
Note: When you search Mandarake, you’ll get the best results by using the Japanese characters for whatever you are searching. If you don’t know them, you can find them on MFC by clicking on any of the “details” in that figure’s listing.
11. Amiami has a figure I’m interested in labeled as “For sale in Japan only”. Does this mean I can’t order it without a proxy or forwarder?
No, you can still order it. Amiami’s English site has that warning on many items, and it’s mostly meant to inform you that this product was made for a Japanese market, and as such, will have Japanese speaking/writing in it- so don’t expect any instructions to be in English. If Amiami doesn’t want foreigners buying a certain product, they won’t even list it on their English site.

Displaying Your Figures

12. What display cases do you recommend?
If you live near an Ikea try out one of these:

• Detolf *
• Klingsbo
• Billy (Often used with Morliden doors and glass shelves.)

*If you decided on a Detolf, you might find that there is a lot of wasted space. Here are a few tutorials on raising the shelves or and adding extra ones in.

• Using metal clips
• Using acrylic supports and PVC pipe

If you don’t live near an Ikea, Amazon has a few display options, though they are more expensive. Also keep an eye on your local Craigslist (or your country’s equivalent) and stores near you that are closing up.
13. What lighting do you guys recommend?
Ikea’s Dioder LED strips were discontinued after a long run. A current version is the Vattensten, if you're inclined to buy your case and lights at the same time.
LED strips have become very commonly available in recent years; most hardware and home furnishing stores carry a selection now. Just make sure that the lights don’t get too hot!
14. What are those clear plastic boxes that I see under everyone’s figures in their collection posts, and where can I get them?
Those are called risers. Most of us use standard acrylic risers like these. Some other, easy to find things that have been suggested are:

• Plastic picture cubes
• Card Deck Boxes
• If you’re feeling adventurous, try making your own!

Check your local hobby store for the first 2 options, or your local hardware store if you want to make your own.
Another common suggestion is to visit The Container Store if you have one near you. They have a lot of things to choose from that can suit a variety of needs. Be sure to check out their standard acrylic risers, their Amac boxes, and the various display cases they sell (baseball cases, mini car cases. hockey puck cases, etc).
15. Should I keep my figures sealed?
That is, of course, up to you really, but here are a few things to keep in mind when debating this question:

• Keeping it sealed can actually damage your figure. PVC figures usually have something called plasticizer in them, and that plasticizer needs to be able to breath. If a PVC figure isn’t exposed to oxygen, after a period of time the plasticizer starts to break down and form a sticky substance on the surface of the figure. Simply opening your figures and taking them out of the box prevents this from happening. If you happen to find plasticizer goo on one of your figures, Kahotan has a handy guide for dealing with it.
• Unlike some other figure markets, keeping an anime figure sealed won’t raise its value by a whole lot. In fact, because of the plasticizer problem mentioned above, your figure could actually be in better condition if you open it versus keeping it sealed.

Finding the Right Figure(s) for You

16. What are "scales" and "prizes"? What is the difference between them?
Those are classifications for figures based on a few factors.

• "Prizes" are generally more simply produced figures which are intended to be given as prizes for playing arcade games such as claw machines. They are inexpensive and lack the detail of scale figures, though some prize figure lines have standouts which may approach lower-end scales in quality. That is uncommon and often depends on the individual figure.
• "Scales" are called such because they are nominally designed to be proportional to the dimensions of the character which they are based on. They are generally of much better manufacture and materials than prize figures, allowing for more detail in painting, accessories, or complex poses.
• "Trading" figures appear in gashapon machines or as blind boxes on shop counters, often as sets which include multiple characters. As suggested by the class name, the randomness encourages trading. They are usually very inexpensively-produced, though as with prizes, some series are better than others.
• "Non-scale" encompasses a variety of other categories. It is often used to encompass poseable figure lines such as figma (which actually do fit inside a broad scale classification) and Nendoroids.

In recent years producers such as Good Smile Company have attempted to further bridge the gap between prize quality and scales by introducing figure lines which are intended to be moderately-priced while retaining a higher level of detail than the typical prize figure.
17. There are so many figure companies! Who makes good figures?!
Obviously this is a very subjective question, but as a general starting point, here are a few well renowned figure companies:

• Alter
• Max Factory
• Good Smile Company
• Kotobukiya (usually hit or miss for people. Use your best judgement based off of the prototype)
• Flare
• Stronger

18. I really love “series X / character X”- how can I check if any figures were ever made for it?
My Figure Collection can be your best friend here. Simply do a search on the name of the series or character using the search bar located at the top right of the screen, and all associated figures pop up!
Alternatively, if you’re looking at a figure’s MFC entry, most of the text under the “Details” section can be clicked on and used to run a search.
19. How can I commission a custom figure?
None of the major figure companies (Alter, Kotobukiya, Good Smile Company, etc.) will take a commission for a single figure. This thread has a few websites in it that you can check out, or you can look into garage kits. Some kit painters would be willing to resculpt, frankenstein together, or otherwise modify kits for the right price.
If you're looking for help completing a garage kit, /brushforhire may be useful.

Keeping Up with New Announcements

20. How can I keep up with figure news (announcements, updates, etc.)?
Most people use a MFC combined with any or all of the following news sites:

• Neko Magic
• Alter’s Blog (In Japanese)
• Kahotan’s Blog (Only GSC and their sister companies)

Many figure companies are active on Twitter, so following them there is recommended for quicker news.
To use MFC for this I’ll quote question #9.

If you make an account on MFC you can also subscribe to comments, changes, and pictures via a checkbox on the right hand side of a figure’s listing. Subscribing to any of these things will allow MFC to send you an email anytime the subscription in question updates. Subscribing to “changes” is a great way to keep up with release dates and delays, among other things.

Most companies have one or more Twitter accounts. Some examples: Good Smile Company sales, Good Smile's USA branch, Max Factory, AmiAmi Hobby News.
21. Everyone’s excited about something called Wonfes….. what the heck is that?!
WonFes (short for Wonder Festival) is a biannual figure expo where many figure producers (both large and small) show off new sculpts and updates to figures already under way. Most companies save their most exciting announcements for WonFes, so we all look forward to the expo whenever it rolls around! Winter Wonder Festival is usually held in February, while Summer Wonder Festival is usually in July. The event has also spread to Shanghai, in the late spring.
22. One or two (or 15) figures were announced at WonFes that I’m really excited about! How can I keep track of their progress once the event is over?
MFC is always really quick about getting new WonFes announcements (or any others throughout the year, for that matter) listed in their database, so we suggest using that. To find a figure from the event you can search any number of things, including the name of the character or the name of the show. You can also use the tag search to search “WonderFestival 20xx_[season]” to see all items announced at that event.

Hello again everyone, I bring you another installment of my Living with WeskerBeard tales. There's a few new pop up characters, they aren't a major part of the story, I'll mention them as and when they turn up.
Last time I had managed to get WeskerBeard to tidy most of his room and the cupboard under the stairs. It was nice to sit, on the uncomfortable bed, and look across the room at the work we had done.
I turned and watched WB as he rapidly jabbed buttons on his PS controller. I again aimed to spark up a conversation with him as he stared at the screen.
Me: This looks kind of interesting, what is it?
WeskerBeard stared at the screen not answering me. I waited a little before asking again.
Me a little louder: WeskerBeard... WB: Oh, yeah, what is it babe?
Me: I was wondering what you was playing? It looks kind of interesting with the Greek Mythology stuff going on in it.
WB: It's God of War 3... he said trailing off as a QTE took his attention.
I watched as he fought with Gorgons and Minotaurs, the game did catch my interest, I love Mythological stories and the beasties.
WB excitedly: The Medusa don't wear any tops and they come at you with their boobs out and freeze you. Come to think of it you might not like the game, there's a lot of boobs in it babe.
Me: Well they are in ancient Greece where its warm, and in Mythology they're usually depicted without, so the lack of tops isnt that much of a bother to me.
WB: I thought you didn't like that sort of thing.
Me: I said I didn't like unnecessary nudity and/ or sex in things.
Before WeskerBeard could continue the door to his room opened. Without a knock, in walked JudgyBeard holding his own PS3 game.
JB: This isn't a bad time is it?
WB: No I was just telling Sapph about God of War 3 wasn't I babe.
Now readers you might be thinking that I am exaggerating with the amount of times he says 'babe' to me in these stories, but I really aren't. WB was like a discount Duke Nukem from Wish. He called me it to the point I was concerned I would one day turn into a pig. Any way I digress,
JB: I was wondering if you wanted to play Dark Souls now, but if you're playing that I can leave it for now.
WB: No, I'll play it now, I just saved my game.
I scooted further towards the foot end of the bed as JB sat down and made himself comfortable between us. I grabbed my laptop and started browsing and talking on Facebook.
Again the bedroom door opened and in crawled ManiaBeard. He looked over at the three of us, scowling as he pulled himself onto his bed. He turned on his TV and almost as if he was competing, turned up his volume.
WB: Turn that down, I can't hear my game.
MB: I can't hear my show.
WB: Turn. It. Down ManiaBeard.
MB: I'll turn mine down When you turn yours down.
JB: You two don't need to argue, WB yours is a little loud, maybe turn it down a little bit? I'm sure when you do ManiaBeard will turn his down... (getting cut off).
Again the door opened, this time it slammed against the wall near the foot of ManiaBeard's bed. Ragebaby stood seething in the doorway.
RB: ManiaBeard turn that TV down, I can hear it in my room.
MB whining: I can't hear it over WB's TVeeee.
WB to MB: I can't hear my game over your stupid TV. You're the one who came up here and started being lou...
RB: Both of you turn the f*cking things down, or I'll smash them myself.
WeskerBeard, while glaring at RageBaby, reluctantly turned down his TV. I looked over the top of my laptop screen, catching ManiaBeard smirking like he had won something. The smirk soon disappeared as RB took a step closer to the foot of his bed.
RB: Well are you going to turn it down?
Hog shouting from downstairs: What's all the banging and shouting about?
RB shouting: These two won't turn their TVs down.
WB whining while shouting: I have turned mine down, it's ManiaBeard who won't turn his down.
MB: I can't hear my shoooooow, WB's game is too loud.
WB: I already turned it down.
Hog shouting again still downstairs: ManiaBeard, WeskerBeard turn your TVs down. RageBaby get out of their room and stop banging and shouting.
Ragebaby stood in the doorway as Maniabeard finally jabbed the volume down button on his controller. Once he was satisfied he turned, walked out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
ManiaBeard sat sulking on his bed, glaring at WB and JB when ever they talked about the game. As JudgyBeard would tell WeskerBeard what was coming up next in the game.
WeskerBeard's idea of playing Dark Souls was to unalive the minor enemies, reach a challenging part, get his behind handed to him and then...
WB handing over the controller: You're better at this sort of thing then I am.
JudgyBeard looked at the controller and interlocking his fingers, cracked his knuckles before giving them all a wiggle, like a crappy imitation of Jack Sparrow. He seemed to do this when he played his games, it was like a strange little pre-game ritual he had. Once this 'ritual' was complete, he took control of the character that he had made for WeskerBeard. After the hard part or boss had been dealt with, the controller was handed back and WeskerBeard continued playing until the next difficult part, rinse and repeat.
Dark Souls wasn't my cup of tea at the time, so I carried on chatting on Facebook. At the time I had a lot of Furry friends, I was introduced to furries when I was at school. I found them unsual but interesting and some were really nice to chat with, and online chatting helped build some confidence. It was just nice to talk to someone in general about things other than gaming and movies. (These will be referred to at a later date).
After a while JudgyBeard left the room and WeskerBeard went back on GoW3. Bored I decided I was going to go to bed.
The next morning I woke up and avoiding Satan's bathroom, went to use the toilet downstairs. The door was open so I carried on down towards it, but I stopped dead on the fourth step.
Not to digress, but to give you an idea of how small this room was. The room was approximately 2 maybe 3 ft wide, and about 6 ft long. Only the toilet and a small basin sat in there.
So back to where I was, frozen on the fourth step. I tried backing away slowly, but just like the Trex on Jurassic Park, my movements caught her attention.
Hog walked out of the small room completely naked. Her large drooping stomach hanging low... not low enough though as a whispy nest of grey, matted hair poked out from under it. I was at a complete loss for words. She made NO attempt to cover anything, she just stood in the doorway looking at me on the stairs, her nose scrunched up, which pulled up her top lip.
Hog: I thought I heard someone out there.
Me scramblingfor words: I... Sorry... I thought the toilet was empty... The... I saw the door was open.
I kept trying to look in any and all directions as she held her weight against the doorframe.
Hog coming out into the hallway more: I'll be done soon, I'm just having a strip wash. Is someone in the bathroom?
Me: No, I'll just... I said backing up a few more steps.
As I walked off upstairs I turned around hearing a noise. I wish I hadn't turned, as what I saw was Hog's behind, her almost grey coloured skin wiggling with every shuffling step she took into the kitchen.
Hog: Trotter, come scrub my back, I can't reach.
Trotter from somewhere in the other room: Give me a minute.
I mortified and defeated, retreated to the bathroom upstairs, avoiding sitting on the seat as best I could.
Later that day, around afternoon time the house emptied of most of its residents, it was payslip day for half of the residents. WeskerBeard was feeling amorous and used the fact the others had gone out to his advantage. I said if he cleaned his equipment before use I would be willing, so at the idea of getting something out of cleaning, he did.
As he was doing his thing the door to his room, without a knock, opened. I was quick enough to not be seen, but WeskerBeard was caught member in hand. Lodger's friend, Weedy, backed out apologising as he closed the door. Mood completely dead and red in the face I told WB to leave it.
WB: Buuut baaabe no one's in...
Me: I'm not continuing when people just barge in.
WB in a huff got his stuff together before going out and seeing what Weedy had wanted. He had wanted to borrow a PS3 game, and had gotten more than he'd bargained for.
WeskerBeard skulked off out the room again, his footsteps disappearing downstairs. After a few minutes he came back up and handed me a letter.
The letter was from the Job centre, they had found me a place of work at a charity shop, not far from where I lived.
WB: What's that?
Me happily: The Job Center found me a placement.
WB: You got a job?
Me: Yeah it's at X shop in NP shopping centre.
WB: I had a job in NP shopping center.
I was a little surprised by this statement, he had never mentioned it before. I looked at him and asked,
Me: You did? Which shop?
WB: Home Bargins, I only worked there for a day.
Me: A day?
WB: Yeah I quit because they wanted me to turn cans so the brand name was facing outwards.
He said this imitating himself quarter turning an imaginary can, as if to give me a visual demonstration as to what he was asked to do.
Me: But that's easy...
WB: It was boring, I could be home playing games but they wanted me to do that?.... No thanks.
Me: Well I start next week for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I might get something out of the end of it.
WB: I wouldn't bother but if you want to I can't stop you babe.
The week rolled on fairly uneventfully as was the norm. Hog tried to tell me I was allowed to help myself to food from the cupboard or drinks from the fridge, but if I attempted to, RageBaby would accuse me of stealing, so I never did and would often ask WeskerBeard to fetch me something if possible. If he was caught he was 'stealing' too.
I eventually started my placement at the charity shop, doing some work experience. On WeskerBeard's paydays he would come to NP shopping centre and visit the Grainger Games that was in there before haunting near the shop I worked in.
One day he came in, I wanted the floor to swallow me whole there and then. As WeskerBeard walked I noticed his toes, they were poking out of the bottom of his shoes. I looked at him as he wandered around the shop.
Me: WeskerBeard... what are you doing?
WB: Just looking at these old PS1 and 2 games you have out on the shelf.
Me quietly: Why don't you go and look at the shoe section, there's some nice cheap ones over there.
WB: I don't need shoes, you probably don't have my size in either babe.
Me: Yours are literally falling to bits, I saw your feet as you walked in. I'm sure there's some in your size.
WeskerBeard grumbled putting down the PS1 Who Wants to be Millionaire game down. He mooched over to the shoes. Lo-and-behold like I had said, he found a nice neat set of shoes in his size. He bought them and put them on.
Me: Do they fit OK?
WB: Yeah, they fit great thanks babe.
Me: Great now you can bin your old ones.
WB: What?
Me putting out other items: Theres a bin out there, you can put them in.
WB: Oh okay if I have too...
Me: They're knackered, just get rid of them.
WeskerBeard reluctantly did so, he lurked a little while longer before heading off home for the day.
I preferred to work upstairs in the storage room away from the people on the shop floor. It was nice and quiet, and another benefit was because I was sorting out the bags, I was allowed to set items of interest aside to buy for myself before it got to the floor.
Eventually after a few weeks, my time there was drawing to and end and WeskerBeard reminded me of the fact. I told him I was planning on staying on, if they'd let me. They did. WeskerBeard seemed shocked that I would ask to stay on. It didn't seem to compute with him that I was happy to work there.
WB: You don't need to go in now though.
Me: I know, but I want to. I like working in the storeroom...
I was cut off as the door opened and in walked Animeboy. He came in and sat himself on WB's bed.
WB: Hey AB I didn't know you was coming today.
AB: We talked about it the other day.
WB: I remember now, yeah I said you could stay over if you wanted to do some videos, the computer rooms been tidied up.
It came upto teatime, and although AB had been a regular at the house and they knew he was there, they left him without a meal. I know they weren't obligated to feed a guest to the house but this is a semi important note for later.
They watched some Let's Play videos, some more Bleach and other random stuff until later into the night, when AB mentioned he was feeling hungry.
WB: The take out is still open if you want to go there.
AB: Yeah, I might do I haven't eaten since dinner.
WB with a stupid laugh: I'll walk up there with you, never know when we get back Sapph might have a 3 way with us.
I glared at him snapping: I don't think so.
WB: OK babe, calm down I was just joking.
Me: You better be...
WB: I was. I'm going to Milo's pizza shop with AB, I won't be too long.
Me still annoyed by what he'd said: Fine, I'm going on my laptop, do you mind if I use that memory stick I found while we were tidying the other day?
Joking or not, WeskerBeard wasn't getting the 3 way he mentioned. I had no interest in that, especially with AB. He, 1) at the time had a girlfriend and, 2) bragged about going out with'multiple' girls he'd been with before, he was a real catch that one.
WB heading out: No you can use it if there's nothing on it.
I loaded up the laptop and stuck in the stick to check it out. There was things on it. Adult things. As Mick mentioned in his 2nd story one of the pictures was Gwen from Ben 10 looking barely legal if at all. I removed the stick and waited.
WB eventually coming back in: Hey baaaabe... what's up?
Me holding up the stick: What the Hell is this crap?
WB: A memory stick?
Me: Why the hell do you have Gwen on it?
WB: Oh that? It's an old picture and it's not like she's a kid in the picture.
Me: Delete it.
WB: But...
Me: Now, all of the pictures.
WB: But babe, some pictures I won't be able to find again.
Me: It goes or I go, I don't know where to but I will.
Weskerbeard took the stick and put it into the already loaded PS3. I watched as he removed everything from it.
AB: He must really like you, some of them pictures were rare.
Me: I don't care.
WB removing the stick: There, they're gone.
I took the stick from him and formatted it on my laptop for good measure. I put the stick to better use, I kept my stories I wrote on it until I got one with more room. I'm no top selling author but, I like to write its an nice little escape for me.
Now remember when I mentioned AB didn't get offered anything at teatime? Not long after he sat down to eat his pizza WB helped himself to a slice. The smell also drew in Ragebaby. He walked in to the room;
RB: If you don't eat all that, let me know.
AB: I probably will eat it, I was telling WB that I haven't eaten all day.
Ragebaby skulked off like the overweight vulture he was, disappointed that AB wasn't going to be giving him his food.
WB and AB eventually disappeared to do their videos. I stayed upstairs typing away until I ran out of ideas. I decided as it was getting late, I would go to bed.
I woke up later on as WB and AB came back into the room. WB lay down in front of me and I looked over as AB lay at the foot of the bed, his feet near WB's head.
Me: What are you doing?
WB: Going to bed, Animeboy usually sleeps up here.
Me: There's no room, why didn't you sort him somewhere to sleep?
AB pulling the blanket over himself: I'm OK like this.
This was a single bed. Cramped was an understatement. I was too tired to argue with them over sleeping arrangements. I rolled onto my side pushed against a wall and went to sleep again, uncomfortably. By the time I woke up in the morning AB had already left the house.
Well, I think I'll leave it here for now. Got to save some of that cringe for another day, and after living in the nest for around 2 years I still have some stored away for another day. Bye for now, and I hope to see you in Part 6 when I get around to it 😊

In the last two books, everyone is already compromised, especially Control, but they don't know it yet.
The honey smell is a tip off.
The plant from the beginning of book 2, is of course from Area X. There is such an emphasis on rationality about containing Area X. And emphasis on the politics and scientific nature of the circumstances by the main characters, yet these obvious holes they can't see.
There is an intense focus on rationality and scientific etc, which just compounds the crazy as a reader as you know that 1 + 1 ≠2.
As a reader, this comes to a head as when Whitby peels himself out of a bookshelf, and Control, while horrified in the moment, doesn't act rationally after the fact.
The horror of the Whitby scene, with the acceptance vy Control as if it isn't important to his investigation is for me the craziest and most horrifying part of the books.

I (31NB) had been seeing Collin (25M) for a few months. He has a long-term partner Liam (40sM) apart from me.
Collin was the first person I started dating after 3 years of not being involved with anybody. Previously I was in an abusive relationship that messed me up. I spent those 3 years working on myself, going to therapy, basically trying to figure myself out. I did a good job but right now I'm realising I still have a lot of healing to do. I've got lots of trust issues and I get triggered fairly easily.
At some point in our relationship we started having arguments. I felt we were able to work them out but now it seems like Collin felt differently - he wouldn't address it though and instead, he was getting cold and avoidant. At this time Collin started seeing George (30sM), someone he met on a hookup app. Btw, I was always supportive of Collin hooking up with people from the internet. He likes it so I was happy for him.
However, his new relationship with George started affecting our relationship. We started having arguments about it in which Collin was defensive and not acknowledging that he's neglecting me and our relationship because of George. We were in the same room, I was with him but he wasn't with me because he was glued to his phone, all red and smiling and texting with George. We would hangout but he was not present, as if he was passing time before he could meet George. He inverted his attention towards him almost entirely.
This situation was going on for ages, we were arguing every few days for a month. He was dismissive and avoiding the problem, getting defensive each time. I started feeling very depressed, not appreciated, not valued and not wanted. It influenced my self-esteem. Basically, from my perspective, Collin's relationship with George destroyed our relationship. That's how I feel about it even now. I don't blame George (I never met him), I blame Collin. He insinuates that our arguments pushed him into getting closer to George. I see his point but to be honest, I feel like it was his avoidance that was the main factor in that, and he's not taking responsibility for that. I tried ending the relationship a few times but always found a way to convince myself that it can still work.
Throughout our relationship, I was caring and providing emotional support to Collin even when he would rarely do the same for me. Even when myself I was running on empty. So it feels like he wanted to keep me around to be still receiving my support while progressing his relationship with George. I'm pretty sure he was meeting up with him behind my back.
Eventually, Collin had a conversation with Liam, his long-term partner who "helped him reframe this mind" (his words). Basically Collin realised he fucked up and owned up to the hurt he caused me. We had a chat that seemed promising. He told me he wants to prioritise our relationship and that George is, I guess, just a fling even though they got closer. He told me that he "took distance" from George after explaining the situation to him. I think he knowingly let me believe that he cut George off.
It was really hard for me but I care about Collin so was trying to look at it from a place of empathy. I agreed to try and work this out, knowing it will take time, it won't be easy and I won't be over it anytime soon. We talked about it so Collin was aware of that, too.
Three days later, we were hanging out and Collin suddenly tells me that he has to be honest with me and that him saying that he took distance from George doesn't mean they're not in contact. They're still texting and he is intending on continuing this relationship. My heart sank: this thing was nearly the reason why we split up, it was the reason of immense heartache for me, the reason why we argued non-stop for a month, it made me depressed so much I had days where I couldn't get out of bed, made me feel worthless. And he expects me to be over it because he owned up to it once. And expects me to be okay with him meeting George because he owned up to it three days before.
We argued and I was heartbroken but eventually reached a compromise: I told him that of course I can't forbid him from seeing George but I will need a lot of communication about it and that I will ask him to not meet him for the time being, until our relationship feels more secure. He agreed.
In the morning though, he came on me guns blazing that he cannot be with someone who tries to control who he is seeing. We ended up going on a break that I know means a breakup. We had a discussion over text after that, after which I blocked him and we're not in contact for the past two days. I intend to keep it that way even though I've got so many doubts and of course I miss him.
I get his point but if he says he wants to prioritise relationship with me, he should not put me again in a situation that is triggering and made me so miserable. Of course, in the end he will do whatever he wants and I can only decide for myself. And I did - I decided that I can't be around that again, that it would destroy me. I lost so much trust for him, I don't believe it would be different this time round, I've got no reasons to believe aside from his empty words. I'm at the point where even hearing the name of his lover makes me uncomfortable. He can date literally any other person on the planet and I will be supportive of it - why does he have to date someone who brings so many bad memories for me? I feel like he has no empathy for me whatsoever. Especially because it's not been months or years, it's been literally days. For me, it feels like he chose George above me.
I'm pretty sure I'm not being unreasonable or controlling but I'd like to know people's opinion, maybe I need a fresh take on that. Would love some advice, too.
In the meanwhile, I'm realising we're really not aligned in terms of values - I want to be in a relationship in which I can trust he wouldn't do anything to hurt me or the relationship. I think he wants to party and move from one fun thing to another without any responsibility or consideration for other people's feelings. I'm actually really devastated because I have strong feelings for him. But luckily I also have quite a lot of self-respect.
Thanks for reading. x

Billy🔥🔥🔥

y’all i need some investigators to help me out on this one. it’s a mandolorian x reader (or maybe x oc) and in the middle of it there’s a few chapters where mando makes a bet with reader that he can catch her within x amount of days. a bunch of stuff happens but she joins a convent, goes to a festival, and then there’s smut with mando in the chapel. but i cannot for the life of me remember the name!!!!!

I post this every cycle to get you all going on your personal statements...you can do this!!
Disclaimer: I am not an adcom and this isn't meant to replace professional advice you may have gotten, but it's a decent place to start. It's a compilation of ideas from different resources mixed in with my own thoughts. There's no one way to tackle the PS, but you have to get going, so here are some ideas from the pushy docto-mom!

• The PS is like the first chapter of a novel...you want to engage the reader so that they want to continue on. It doesn't need to be some kind of masterpiece - it's your whole app that counts, but it is a first impression. You don't want it to stand out in a bad way, where the adcoms just want to close the book and be done. So rule #1 is not to put anything that could be off-putting: don't put yourself down, don't sound arrogant, and don't get into controversial subjects (more on all this below). Your goal is to sound reasonable and compelling.
• What are you trying to answer? Basically, you are sharing your story of how you became interested in medicine. You want to explain why you want to become a doctor out of all the possible choices that's out there for you. What sparked your interest? How did it develop? What confirmed this for you? What makes you ready? How is medicine a fit for your goals? It's your chance to describe your journey to medicine (and becoming a doctor specifically).
• An adcom on SDN said that 92 percent of personal statements are decent enough to move on, 1 percent are amazing, and 7 percent are awful - with your job being to avoid the awful category. That sounds about right! Very few are outstanding - they either involved an extraordinary circumstance or there was something deeply moving and meaningful that's hard to replicate. Basically, you want yours to Pass Go and not make ad-coms roll their eyes. If you're not a creative writer, this isn't the time to start. Be careful of humor, too - it could really fall flat.
• You only have room for a few personal stories and this is what takes time - deciding which ones you want to use. This is where you play around and experiment. The same person can create multiple personal statements using different anecdotes and they would all be fine - it is a matter of seeing what works best to highlight your story and your positive attributes. I think 2-3 stories that go into depth seems to fit the best - any more than this, it begins to read like a resume.
• You don't need one "aha" moment. Instead, you can build up your narrative step by step, to the point where at the end you have shown that medicine is the right path for you. It is often hard to get started, but just begin writing. Some people say open up a bottle of wine (or whatever), loosen up, and just get down some thoughts. Maybe something inspired you early on, or maybe you were involved in an activity that eventually paved the way for medicine. Maybe you have a family story/background that was meaningful. There is no right or wrong on how to start, but I feel you should eventually describe some kind of clinical experience to lend validity to the idea that you want to be a doctor.
• Your PS can include your life's experiences before college (some people have said their advisors have told them only to include life after HS). Your background is something that makes you unique and not interchangeable with a zillion applicants. If it's relevant to your "why medicine" story, you can include it, and then move forward to include more recent experiences. What you shouldn't include is a childlike idea based on fantasy notions of becoming a doctor...your ideas should have substance. Discussing how you dressed up as a doctor when you were a toddler won't cut it (yes, I have seen this).
• Think about what qualities you want to show - you can look at the AAMC Core Competencies for ideas and pull a few from there: https://www.aamc.org/admissions/dataandresearch/477182/corecompetencies.html. Some forward thinking premed-redditors have gone through this list and have highlighted for their LOR writers the areas they want emphasized. (See point below: Coordinate your PS with the rest of your app.)
• "Show, don't tell." You may have heard this before, but what does it mean? It is fundamentally about tone. Telling is when you are instructing/teaching the reader. For example, saying "Being an empathic person is important in medicine" is telling. "I showed a lot of empathy when I talked to the patient" is telling. Instead, you want to describe a story and share your thoughts along the way. Here's an example of showing a quality (in this case, empathy) without telling it (which actually happened when I was an intern!): "Mr B tearfully explained to me that none of his siblings were a compatible bone marrow match. As I pulled a chair over to talk with him, I thought about the trust he placed in me with something so personal. I felt compelled to make this better - and frustrated that I couldn't. However, spending time with Mr B, I learned that medicine is not always about cures, or even finding the right words to say; listening and presence can also be powerful forces." With this, I am setting the scene and giving you my thoughts/realizations. I'm sharing an experience that shows reflection and growth. Here's more on this idea expressed in a very direct way by u/aspiringsocialepi: https://www.reddit.com/premed/comments/blhfog/psa_adcoms_do_not_want_to_hear_you_say_im/
• It makes sense to show that you can connect with people - this is the humanistic side of medicine. They will read your stats and accomplishments in the app; they need to know you are trustworthy and care about people.
• If you're talking about a patient, do not use their real name (due to privacy/HIPAA concerns). Say, the patient, who I will call...., or put a name in quotes, or just say "the patient."
• Showing your ability to care about people is super important, but also think about other doctor qualities to add to your story. Remember you are building the case for "why physician," not simply "why healthcare professional" (or other position). Again, you can review the AAMC core competencies list. Some attributes to consider are scientific curiosity, depth of knowledge, problem solving, teamwork, leadership, teaching, and research. Don't simply say you've observed these qualities and that's what you want to do - think about something that shows these traits in yourself. For example, if you say that you saw leadership in Dr. X and you value leadership in becoming a doctor, you can support that idea with some kind of personal leadership example.
• Have a strong conclusion - this is where you can be more direct...now you can tell! You can point out the role of a physician and how it resonates with you. You can say what qualities physicians have and how your experiences make you feel ready. You can say what you'd like for your future. Stylistically, you can bring in the theme from the opening paragraph and make a quick reference to it. Don't say how great you will be (yes, I have seen this) - keep this about service to others. Think of the conclusion as your TL;DR of the personal statement - make it easy for them to understand your whole why medicine story.
• Coordinate your PS with the rest of your application. You will need to write 3 "most meaningful" essays as part of the primary; you'll have secondary essays; you'll be getting LORs. Think about the activities you're highlighting and build that theme. For example, if global health is important in your why medicine story, have that in the PS, add a most meaningful essay that doesn't repeat but complements the PS, talk about it in the secondaries/interviews. Having an angle (without being repetitive in content) can help to set yourself apart. If you don't have a unique aspect - no worries. Think along the lines of personal qualities - maybe you're a good communicator or a good teacher, for example. Know your strengths and let that come through. For more on this, read u/LuccaSDN's advice: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/n-1-how-to-make-sense-of-and-communicate-your-narrative.1368855/
• A word about form: Don't have 1-2 long, drawn out paragraphs or 9+ mini-paragraphs. I think around 5-6 work best (including opening and concluding paragraphs). Don't make the opening paragraph overpowering, leaving the following paragraphs with less substance. It should just be an opener, and it doesn't need to be overly dramatic - just something engaging. Don't put in anything too graphic...you don't need that. That story about how the blood was oozing all over as the transplant surgeon grabbed the heart doesn't work (yes, I have seen this). Be thoughtful - it's not an adrenaline race. Your "regular" stories are interesting - get into them! Explain why you did xyz, describe something absorbing, and reflect back your thoughts/meaning.
• Try not to view this as drudgery. Have a little fun with it. Have people read it through along the way and stay open to suggestions, but in the end go with what feels right for you. In the end, you should feel proud of your story - you are amazing for getting to this place!

ADDITIONAL THINGS TO AVOID:

• Be careful when criticizing doctors or medical care in the US - you don't want to come off as judgmental or that you're wiser than the people who have been part of the system for years. If you want to talk about ways to change healthcare, make sure you have demonstrated background knowledge in the area you're discussing.
• Use common sense when discussing religion or politics. You don't know who is reading your PS and what their beliefs are. Don't offend anyone.
• Exercise caution when bringing up serious mental illness - keep in mind adcoms view themselves as the gatekeepers, wanting to make sure that you'll be able to make it through the hardships of an intense workload and stressful clinical situations. They don't want it on their heads that they put someone in a pressure cooker and the person got sick as a result.
• Make sure that the humanitarian trip you've discussed is a legitimate one and doesn't represent "voluntourism" (where the programs end up not benefiting, and even exploiting, the people they are trying to assist). Here is a guideline by the AAMC: https://www.aamc.org/download/181690/data/guidelinesforstudentsprovidingpatientcare.pdf
• Don't bring up specific grades - there will be other places in the app to discuss academic inconsistencies. If it's important to you to describe an academic struggle, keep the emphasis on how you have grown and are now ready.

ADDITIONAL INFO (links):
Here are u/Arnold_Liftaburger's thoughts on writing the PS (from premed FAQs): https://www.reddit.com/premed/comments/5l5m55/the_personal_statement_and_my_thoughts_on_how_to/
Personal Statement Tips from u/tinamou63: https://www.reddit.com/premed/comments/fmjzkx/personal_statement_tips_a_general_guide/
Here are u/holythesea's ideas on how to write a narrative: https://www.reddit.com/premed/comments/5l69ap/personal_statements_how_to_write_stories/
Check out the advice from u/word_doc73: https://www.reddit.com/premed/comments/be424f/advice_for_writing_personal_statements/
And here is a helpful thread from SDN: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/youre-doing-it-wrong-part-1-your-personal-statement.1247362/
A thread on finding online personal statements: https://www.reddit.com/premed/comments/8lmcrc/what_are_some_good_personal_statement_examples/
More PS advice: https://www.reddit.com/premed/comments/847cjn/whats_your_best_personal_statement_advice/
Here are more examples of of personal statements provided by u/HeyHiHello99: https://www.reddit.com/premed/comments/edtnt5/links_to_sample_personal_statements_online
Many people use Dr. Gray's resources - I've seen some of the videos and I think they are very helpful. Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWwo90Vy9fA
List of SDN reviewers who will help edit your PS drafts: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/official-personal-statement-guide-and-reader-list-2022-2023.1458306/

The new decade has everyone feeling a little bit reflective, including fans of video games. The NPD Group, Inc. recently released a ton of information about the gaming market over the last ten years. This information included the best selling games of 2019 and the best selling games between 2010 and 2019. Grand Theft Auto V was the best selling game of the decade across all platforms, but the Call of Duty franchise truly won the 2010s.
The NPD Group, Inc. is a New York-based market research company that tracks twenty different industries. Mat Piscatella, a video games market research analyst, recently posted on Twitter the information that the company has gathered both over the last year and over the last decade. Grand Theft Auto V, with an estimated 110 million copies sold. However, the Call of Duty franchise may be the true MVP of the decade. Ten out of the fifteen most popular games in the 2010s were Call of Duty games. This includes the most recent addition to the franchise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The best selling Call of Duty game was Call of Duty: Black Ops. The game was originally released in November 2010 for Microsoft Windows, the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, and OS X and was later released on mobile. There may even be a reboot in 2020.
Play
Several of the other best selling games of the decade are not a surprise. These games include Red Dead Redemption II, Minecraft, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Mario Kart 8, Battlefield 1, Battlefield 4, Destiny, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Star Wars Battlefront 2015. All of these games made a splash in the 2010s and some even inspired memes and their own cult followings.
The NPD Group, Inc. also released information about consoles. The Playstation 4 was the best selling console of the 2010s, while PS4 Dualshock 4 wireless controller in black was the best selling accessory. However, the Nintendo Switch dominated 2019. It was the best selling console of the year and Switch Pro controller was the best selling accessory.
call of duty modern warfare gameplay Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
The best-selling games of 2019 were a little more shocking. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was unsurprisingly the best selling game of 2019, but it was followed by NBA 2K20 and Madden NFL 20. They beat out games such as Borderlands 3, Kingdom Hearts III, and the Outer Worlds which were games that were generally better reviewed and received more hype.Games from series like NBA 2K and Madden NFL appear to have a strong, consistent fan base.
What can the numbers from the 2010s tell us about the video game industry? There have been a variety of interesting games that have come out in the last decade, but the most popular genres appear to be first person shooters and action adventure games. It also seems that many video game fans were drawn to the “open world” concept. Will these preferences continue to reign throughout the 2020s? NPD Group, Inc. reported that that video game spending in general declined in 2019, but it is still a major industry. What do you think HotHardware readers? What video game trends will be the most popular in the 2020s?

If you follow Stocktwits I have already posted it there. This is from Rob Cobb who is sitting in for all of us watching the Pretrial Hearing in Texas. He is there.
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203 Samsung Motion to strike Opinion of Michael Bragioli. There was a lot of interaction between Judge and Samsung here. Rob said Michael Rosen argued for Netlist and Judge Gilstrap appeared to agree with him.
Judge Gilstrap Completely Denied this Samsung Motion and there is a FIREWORKS statement from the Judge to Samsung.
This is a Netlist Witness For Damages!! Here is an excerpt from the doc 373 which is Netlist Rebuttal to this. The Damages associated flow from this reference.
“Materials Evidencing Notice of the Patent Families in Suit. As to App’x A ¶¶ 19, 30, 320; App’x B ¶¶ 3, 5, 14, 62-66, 468-469, 471; and App’x D ¶¶ 88, 692, Samsung raises an entirely new argument in its reply, stating that these paragraphs encompass documents specified in L.P.R. 3-2(a). Dkt. 294 at 1-2. This section of the local rules relates to disclosure of “the claimed invention prior to the date of application for the patent in suit.” None of the documents in these paragraphs fall into L.P.R. 3-2(a). The motion is an over-reach that appears to be premised on an assumption that the Court will not look at actual paragraphs.”
Samsung started out stating to the Judge that Just this Expert Testimony represented 10’s of Millions of Dollars in Damages but as they proceeded further the Samsung attorney stated that in Dr Mangione Smith’s opinion that if Netlist “Increased the Speed by 1.2 % Then Damages Should also be increased by 1.2%!!!!
Then the Samsung Attorney went on to complain that this would results in HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGES!!!!!!!
Judge bantered back and forth then Samsung attorney said “The entire Damage Calculation is “ONLY 10 PAGES”!!! At this point Judge Gilstrap responded to Samsung with the following statement, (LOL This is Beautiful)
Judge Said
“The Gettysburg Address was only 271 Words and It Got The Point Across”!!!
Mic Drop….. LOL HaHa