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Wealth Formula Episode 371: Ask Buck June 2023
2023.06.03 21:57 Buck_Joffrey Wealth Formula Episode 371: Ask Buck June 2023
Catch the full episode: https://www.wealthformula.com/podcast/371-ask-buck-june-2023/
Buck: Welcome back to the show, everyone. And today it's just me. Like old times. And we're going to take questions from the audience. There's actually no audience here in my room, in my office here. But I'm going to take questions from you. And we'll start with the question from Mike. Mike, here you go. Hello, Buckets. Mike Kaye from Melbourne Beach, Florida.
Mike: I was wondering if you were looking at any opportunities out there in regards to investing in distressed assets. I've noticed that rates have gone up in a lot of operators like Western wealth aren't cash flowing and are actually looking for more capital because they've got themselves into trouble. And if rates stay higher than expected, there could be some some pretty good deals as far as bailing folks out.
Buck: So I wanted to get your thoughts on if you were looking for anything out there as far as funds or whatever it may maybe create some opportunity here. Thanks, Mike. Thanks for the question, Mike. The answer well, let's start with this. Obviously, there's a lot of distress in the system right now. Interest rates have gone up a the steepest slope in American history.
And as you might expect, that has not been good for operators, particularly those who relied heavily on floating debt. You know, and this is important, I think, to understand what's going on a little bit, because you might be wondering why in the world would you use floating debt anyway? Well, if it's a long term hold, it never would really make sense to do that kind of short term debt.
However, and with these larger assets, the problem is fixing debt. If your plan is to, you know, ultimately sell. And, you know, 18 to 24 months, you are going to end up with an extremely high prepayment penalty. And so in those situations, the extremely short hold are the shorter hold models, you know, generally ran on floating rate. So if you're again, your business model is to get in and out in 18 months, it doesn't make sense to lock in the rates.
So obviously now they would be better off if we had. But everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Right. That is from Mike Tyson, not from me. But that's that's kind of what's happening across the board here, especially for floating rates. And as for looking into creating this fund, which, you know, maybe you got a rescue fund or something like that, that the answer was whether I, I think that that's potentially something to do is, well, yeah, it's certainly something to consider.
And I have thought about it. These are essentially these sort of preferred equity positions, essentially become the lender. So there's not like any tax benefits or anything like that. But so, you know, I have thought about this, but but before doing anything like that, I want to make sure, you know, the economics makes sense for everyone against, again, perhaps one of the most appealing parts of this fund might actually to be getting into some second positions and maybe be first in line if the property fails and you know it or is distressed, it needs to be taken over.
But I really need to think about it because I also want everyone to have as much dry powder as possible. And because, again, it is no fun to be in this environment and those people who are going to make money are going to be the ones that have like nerves of steel that, you know, are okay to feel like, okay, I'm losing some money on one hand, but there's an opportunity to buy distressed assets on the other side.
And that's where real money is made. And again, it's a psychological thing that happens in every cycle. And the key is to try to keep your wits about you and learn, you know, learn whatever lessons you have to learn and move on and deploy. I certainly am not one who is not learned from this experience. Myself, I absolutely have, and I think it'll make me a better investor going forward.
Unfortunately, we're still in the midst of this mess right now. But anyway, bottom line is the answer is yes, potentially. I've thought about it. And I think like those kinds of preferred equity, essentially debt being in the second position behind the main lender, that is that's potentially appealing. And certainly as an investor, I think it's appealing because essentially you're you're in a lending position. You're not you know, you're not in an equity position, so you're superior to the equity position. Hopefully that helps. All right. Let's go on to the next question here. So it's from John.
John: Hi, this is John Valentino. I listened to your excellent podcast every Sunday morning on my run, walk and find them uniquely interesting and helpful amongst a sea of podcasts that aren't.
Buck: Yesterday you mentioned Terry Loughlin and your late in life swimming experience. I'm 68 now and at 55 I decided to learn to swim. I researched all of Terry's stuff and ended up using a local swimming coach here in Fresno, California, who knew Terry and who had a lot of experience. He had me swimming, breathing and flipped, turning very quickly.
Four years ago when we visited Maui, I did a two mile ocean swim with some master swimmers. I now swam about a mile and a half every Sunday with which the swim coach they taught me. And I do that. I listen to your podcast. I'm sure we could get you swimming and breathing properly very quickly. He Fresno's not too far from Montecito. Good luck with your swimming and let me know if you'd like me to hook you up with Rich. The swim coach.
Buck: Well, John, thanks for that. That makes for a lighter moment in this sea of despair. Ha ha ha. That's funny, kid at sea of despair. He's swimming. Anyway, for those of you who don't know what John is referring to, I'll just take a minute because, you know, taking questions from all kinds.
All types of questions here is back in 2016, I think it was 16, I listened to Tim Ferriss podcast about how he spent his whole life trying to swim and unsuccessfully, I'd say, met up a guy, met up with a guy named Terry Loughlin, who taught his total immersion technique or tie. So I decided, well, gosh, you know, basically Tim Ferriss was talking about my story, like he spent his entire, like, you know, didn't learn to swim as a little kid and then all this and trying to catch up and no one could teach him.
And that was kind of where I was. I do like him numerous, like tries added back in my twenties and thirties, and then I kind of had given up. Then I contacted Terry. He was in New York, upstate New York. So he actually flew out there. I was in Chicago at the time and he taught me to swim in about 2 to 3 hours and it was really unbelievable to me.
And the only thing I didn't learn how to do during that visit was to breathe. And unfortunately, that was so that was like I was there for like a day and a half. And that was the part I didn't get to. So now I can swim, but only as long as I can hold my breath because I can't seem to, you know, I can't breathe and swim at the same time.
Unfortunately, Terry had, end stage cancer. When I saw him and I believe I was his last student before he died a couple of months later, and he'd actually stopped teaching for a while, you know, before I got to be the lucky one that he decided he had enough strength to go back for. So lucky for me. So but yeah, I would love to, you know, John, shoot me an email, you know, where I am and I get well for Malcolm Connect me to your guy.
And I think Fresno might be a little far, but if he's as good as Terry, maybe I could. Maybe I could learn to breathe in a day, too. So, hey, anyway, thanks. Thanks for that. Let's go on to the next question here. All right. This one's from I think it's Garima.
Garima: I am looking to become a real professional on studies. We've been doing real estate for a little bit but wanted to do this. I really need help. If you can guide me well and see.
Buck: Well, I don't know. I can do my best about that, Garima. And first of all, I have to preface this as I always do, that what I'm about to say is not legal or any kind of tax advice. I'm not a tax professional. My degree is in medicine. I'm a former board certified surgeon, but that doesn't qualify me for much. And this in this arena, it's just my understanding of the tax law, which, you know, I spent a fair amount of time thinking about. So it's not like what I'm saying should not be listened to, I think.
But on the other hand, the liability issues, I have to make very clear consult with your own tax professional before anything anyway. So again, probably the best thing I can do in terms of guiding is tell you what I know about the qualification as real estate professionals status. And by the way, I should also point out that the benefits that I'm going to talk about, there's a lot of this similar benefits without having the status in short term rentals.
And that episode, I believe, is 354. So go back and listen to that one. It's I thought that was a pretty interesting episode. But why is agreement talking about this RFP short for a real estate professional So everyone is on the same page? What is the real estate professional designation? Why is it useful? Well, a real estate professional is not the same thing, is in a real estate agent or a real estate broker, which are basically involved with real estate transactions.
They're involved as like the middleman. Right. That's not really the business of real estate. The real estate professional is someone who is who is materially involved with the business of owning and operating business. And the reason that this is important, we'll get to in a minute, but I'm going to go into the qualification parts of this. And again, I'm not giving you advice and basically telling you what I can gather from the IRS website And basically the material participation is one of the first things.
So you can't you can't be a limited partner in a bunch of real estate and call yourself a real estate professional. You have to have some activities that are truly owning and, you know, operating real estate. I mean, you have to be involved in the management operations of your rental properties, right? So the level of involvement is different than obviously if, you know, even if you have a propertyif you have a property manager or whatever, it's still going to be more active than if you're just a limited partner.
But another one of the things that you have to qualify for is you have to spend more than 50% of your total working hours in real estate activities. So in other words, if you know, if you've got a full-time job, you can't really qualify as a real estate professional. There has to be more hours than any other profession. Right? Your participation in real estate activities has to exceed anything else that you're doing in terms of business and employment. There's also something called the 750-hour test, which you must spend at least 750 hours per year on real estate activities. And some of these things that you can do include property management or rent collection or maintenance or advertising, other related issues, acquisitions, underwriting, etc.
I mean, there's a lot of things that, you know, once you own real estate, you can be an active owner, right? So anywhere that's... So why would you want this designation? Because it sounds onerous to go and try to make sure you've got all these things if you're not already doing it. Well, as you may know, the real estate income itself, that real estate income itself is considered passive income.
Right. And similarly, the losses from real estate in the form of depreciation are considered passive losses for most people. Those passive losses cannot be applied to any active income, right? So if you have an income of $500,000 and you happen to have $500,000 of depreciation or paper losses, you couldn't use those losses to offset your personal active income.
The reason is that one is active and one is passive. So you can't do that. And unfortunately, unless maybe you or your spouse, rather, with whom you file jointly is a real estate professional. So in this case, what would happen is those passive losses from real estate would become activated, in other words, their active losses. And you can, you know, you can offset anything with active losses, right.
And even W-2 income. So that's the idea. So, again, theoretically, check with your legal, you know, and tax people and hopefully they know what they're talking about. But see, if you're a C, if you're a doctor, you're making, again, $500,000. And let's say your spouse, who's a real estate professional, generated maybe $50,000 in income, but $300,000 of paper losses, you can deduct that $300,000 from the salary, that is earned income on the doctor's side.
So basically, that is what the huge, big deal is about this real estate professional status. And again, I'm not a tax professional, but this is something that a lot of people in our group do, and it is, you know, following the tax code, that's the key. So Garima, bottom line is I don't know how else I can guide you other than to give you information.
But, you know, I guess what I would do if I were you is, you know, try to figure out how you can actually, you know, get yourself qualified as a real estate professional and make sure that, you know, you fit those criteria and talk to your tax person about it. Okay. Next question is from Mark Hammons. Mark's question deals with tax law, and I'm not sure it's appropriate for this forum.
Feel free to pass on if you feel like addressing it. Well, it's another question. Well, you know how I feel about that. I'll tell you what I think. But
don't take it as tax advice in any sort of way. But okay, so here's the question Mark says. He says, I'm a partner in an LLC that was formed for residential development.
Our project is nearing completion, and this year it will take business income to be taxed at a 20% LLC rate. I will receive income from the sale of raw land and taxed as long-term capital gains. I'm a full-time physician and not actively involved in the business of land development. Can I offset any of this income with accumulated passive losses and leases?
Thanks, Mark, for all you do. Thank you, Mark. And well, as you may have gathered from the previous question and the answer that I gave Garima, you are a full-time physician, my friend, and therefore you do not qualify as a real estate professional, and therefore you cannot use those passive losses against your active income as a physician, and you are stuck in that stratification of income hell, which is that you've got these great-looking losses on the passive side and this great income on the active side, and you cannot do anything about it.
So now, if your wife was doing this real estate stuff and qualified as a real estate professional based on the criteria I mentioned earlier, then you would theoretically be able to apply those passive losses to active income, and boom, all of a sudden, you would have what it is you are hoping for. And anyway, but I do have people in our group who are literally, you know, with that spouse set up.
Well, that's why I brought it up, right, where they literally had a spouse quit their job so that they can switch to real estate professional status. And although their cash flow may constitute a theoretical pay cut from their job, the generated losses, paper losses, are being applied to the larger active income stack. There, in many cases, justifies that because they may make a total gross amount of income that's less.
But because of those passive losses, they actually get to keep more. So that's a complicated answer to a simple question. In my non-professional opinion, Mark, you are kind of screwed. Can't do that anyway. All right. So the next series of questions is from Terry. And let's see, let's start with the first one. Is this one. My understanding is there are U.S. dollars held overseas in the United States.
What would be the impact to the value of the dollar if the overseas cash had to be converted to CBDCs, which is central bank decentralized coins? Well, I'm no expert on this, but from what I know, I'm not sure it would have a material effect on anything overseas because as I understand, CBDCs is a little more than using distributed ledgers instead of central ledgers for digital money, right?
Because the thing is, you have to remember that 90% of the U.S. dollars are digital-only already. They do not exist in the physical world already. So what difference does it make if it's on a single ledger or if it's on a distributed ledger? I'm not sure that it does. As I understand it, the idea would be essentially to make it into like a software update almost, right, where the new digital currencies would be CBDCs.
But of course, I could be wrong, and my understanding of the plan that the U.S. has there is it could be wrong. I'm sure there's a larger plan eventually to use this as a way of maximizing tax revenues and tracking people's spending and that kind of thing. But in the short term, I don't really see how it has repercussions for money overseas.
But if somebody knows of something that would cause that, certainly email me. But I don't know that. Okay. This question is also from Terry. He says, "Rising interest rates have had an impact on existing multifamily operators, and it seems like part of the multifamily model relies on interest rate value being lower than cap rates." That's correct. "Combined with the multiplier effect of low cap rates for value-add projects, do you see cap rates going up until interest rates come down?"
How high can cap rates go before the value-add model is no longer viable? Are rents still rising fast enough to offset interest hikes? Okay. So yes, I do see cap rates going up. Remember, in order for debt to make sense, the interest rates must be lower than the cap rate. So if your borrowing rate is 5%, then your cap rate needs to be above that in order to have positive cash flow.
Otherwise, you're amplifying your losses. That said, often, you know, you may have seen in some cases operators buying things and they'll consider buying things like that. If there's an obvious thing that's going to drive up net operating income pretty quickly. But right now we are seeing rising cap rates. Now, as for the value-add model being viable, I would say that yes, the value-add model is viable in all interest rate environments and with all cap rates because remember, folks, real estate was not people didn't just start making money on value-add.
This has been around for some time, right? There are plenty of people who got rich off of value-add real estate in the eighties despite double-digit interest rates in double-digit cap rates. So what has created so much distress in this system is not the absolute interest rates. It's the pace at which the interest rates went up.
They're the moving goalposts. You see, every time you underwrite a property, you have to model in interest rates and reversion cap rates. And if rates are not stable, it's very difficult to underwrite. And that's why these real estate markets right now have been so illiquid. There really are no stable variables to underwrite with. Rightly, you got to have the goalposts, you got to know where the goalposts are so you can play the game right.
Once you have that stability, though, you can underwrite again, and in value-add real estate, the money isn't made based on interest rates being high or low, but it is made by ultimately creating a positive delta in the net operating income. And that can happen in all interest rate and cap rate environments. So I don't see it being an end to value-add real estate at all.
In fact, one could argue that if you're, say, you're buying real estate, which hopefully we are in the fall, and you're getting great deals on it, you know, the rates are high, but the numbers are making sense. You do your normal net operating income, you do your normal value-add program, you try to increase NOI, and you get lucky.
And by the time you're ready to sell, interest rates have actually come down. Well, in that case, you're going to actually probably get, you know, more for your property than you would otherwise if rates were stable. So I actually don't see this as something that is ending anything. In fact, I think those who, again, take advantage of a higher-rate environment and buy into assets that make sense at high interest rates could seriously make money in the next, you know, several years.
So let's see, the last question from Terry is, "What are your thoughts on portfolio allocation between real estate stocks, cash value insurance, gold, crypto, and cash?" Well, I might not be the best person to ask about portfolio allocation because I think my portfolio would make most money managers think, right? I'm about 75% real estate, maybe 5-7% crypto, mostly Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the remaining investments are things that I believe are uncorrelated.
The most stable thing is, you know, I'm a big fan of cash value life insurance in part because, I mean, it is so stable. I mean, seriously, it is incredibly stable. If you look at the environment that we're in right now, it makes you, again, think you should be buying more cash value life insurance. It's extremely stable.
And this is why it was such a big deal during the Great Depression. People lived through the Depression and had no faith in anything except for cash value life insurance, which is what they were buying. But anyway, I think, in particular, I'm talking about these strategies that we're calling, well, formula banking or various leverage dials, wealth accelerators, things like that.
So there's that. I'm also obviously into other things that we have in our group. We're involved with like ATMs, which, you know, don't seem to have much correlation with the economy per se because people who use that still needed it. Good times or bad and did well even through COVID. You know, there's also things that we're doing, like I'm invested in things like, you know, cargo ships that are delivering essential oil and gas to the country, things like that, where again, it's not something that is significantly correlated with the rest of the markets.
And I think that's one of the things to really make sure that you're not... I mean, listen, I guess in my case, being 75% real estate, I mean, it's not a good time to be 75% real estate right now. Right. I probably... I mean, if I did the numbers, I'm probably less than 75% real estate now because I probably lost quite a bit of value in the real estate.
But I'm not even going to look at that right now for this purpose. But ultimately, though, you know, listen, personal finance should be personal. I don't own stocks, although I'm not against stocks. I'm just, you know, not a guy who really owns stocks except for some big, really, you know, asymmetric plays in the energy space, you know, through Mercatus and things like that.
I don't own any physical gold, although again, I've talked about possibly wanting to do that. I don't really want to right now, but I'm hoarding cash right now because I think there are going to be tremendous buying opportunities in real estate with distressed assets, and I think that's going to be the name of the game in Q4. So but again, I do not think it's a good idea to listen to me about portfolios.
I think I think it's if you want those kinds of things, you probably should, you know, talk to others, talk to, talk to, you know, our RIA's, things like that. But to me, again, personal finance is really personal. And for me, I'm, you know, I'm pretty aggressive on some of the things that I have a lot of belief in.
So, okay. Well, I guess that's my last question. Before I go, I want to remind you that there's another actually, there's actually another podcast that I do now, which is, you know, it's kind of just taking something that I was spending a lot of time learning about and and and trying to process myself and turning it into another show so that I could share with you.
The show is called CPO, CPO. You can find it on pretty much all of the ways that you find this show and
hopefully on YouTube soon too. We haven't quite gotten to YouTube, I think, but the show is, I think, very interesting because, you know, we talk about wealth on the show, but I mean, you know, what do what is more what's more coveted than, you know, actually having health because then your wealth is actually useful.
So a lot of Sabio is really about various types of longevity and wellness type stuff on the science that we know out there. Really interesting stuff to me and would love for you to check it out again at Sabio with Buck Joffrey. Check it out and let me know if you like it. Give me a positive review. That's it for me.
This week on Wealth Formula podcast, this is Buck Joffrey signing off.
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Buck: Welcome back to the show, everyone. And today it's just me. Like old times. And we're going to take questions from the audience. There's actually no audience here in my room, in my office here. But I'm going to take questions from you. And we'll start with the question from Mike. Mike, here you go. Hello, Buckets. Mike Kaye from Melbourne Beach, Florida.
Mike: I was wondering if you were looking at any opportunities out there in regards to investing in distressed assets. I've noticed that rates have gone up in a lot of operators like Western wealth aren't cash flowing and are actually looking for more capital because they've got themselves into trouble. And if rates stay higher than expected, there could be some some pretty good deals as far as bailing folks out.
Buck: So I wanted to get your thoughts on if you were looking for anything out there as far as funds or whatever it may maybe create some opportunity here. Thanks, Mike. Thanks for the question, Mike. The answer well, let's start with this. Obviously, there's a lot of distress in the system right now. Interest rates have gone up a the steepest slope in American history.
And as you might expect, that has not been good for operators, particularly those who relied heavily on floating debt. You know, and this is important, I think, to understand what's going on a little bit, because you might be wondering why in the world would you use floating debt anyway? Well, if it's a long term hold, it never would really make sense to do that kind of short term debt.
However, and with these larger assets, the problem is fixing debt. If your plan is to, you know, ultimately sell. And, you know, 18 to 24 months, you are going to end up with an extremely high prepayment penalty. And so in those situations, the extremely short hold are the shorter hold models, you know, generally ran on floating rate. So if you're again, your business model is to get in and out in 18 months, it doesn't make sense to lock in the rates.
So obviously now they would be better off if we had. But everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Right. That is from Mike Tyson, not from me. But that's that's kind of what's happening across the board here, especially for floating rates. And as for looking into creating this fund, which, you know, maybe you got a rescue fund or something like that, that the answer was whether I, I think that that's potentially something to do is, well, yeah, it's certainly something to consider.
And I have thought about it. These are essentially these sort of preferred equity positions, essentially become the lender. So there's not like any tax benefits or anything like that. But so, you know, I have thought about this, but but before doing anything like that, I want to make sure, you know, the economics makes sense for everyone against, again, perhaps one of the most appealing parts of this fund might actually to be getting into some second positions and maybe be first in line if the property fails and you know it or is distressed, it needs to be taken over.
But I really need to think about it because I also want everyone to have as much dry powder as possible. And because, again, it is no fun to be in this environment and those people who are going to make money are going to be the ones that have like nerves of steel that, you know, are okay to feel like, okay, I'm losing some money on one hand, but there's an opportunity to buy distressed assets on the other side.
And that's where real money is made. And again, it's a psychological thing that happens in every cycle. And the key is to try to keep your wits about you and learn, you know, learn whatever lessons you have to learn and move on and deploy. I certainly am not one who is not learned from this experience. Myself, I absolutely have, and I think it'll make me a better investor going forward.
Unfortunately, we're still in the midst of this mess right now. But anyway, bottom line is the answer is yes, potentially. I've thought about it. And I think like those kinds of preferred equity, essentially debt being in the second position behind the main lender, that is that's potentially appealing. And certainly as an investor, I think it's appealing because essentially you're you're in a lending position. You're not you know, you're not in an equity position, so you're superior to the equity position. Hopefully that helps. All right. Let's go on to the next question here. So it's from John.
John: Hi, this is John Valentino. I listened to your excellent podcast every Sunday morning on my run, walk and find them uniquely interesting and helpful amongst a sea of podcasts that aren't.
Buck: Yesterday you mentioned Terry Loughlin and your late in life swimming experience. I'm 68 now and at 55 I decided to learn to swim. I researched all of Terry's stuff and ended up using a local swimming coach here in Fresno, California, who knew Terry and who had a lot of experience. He had me swimming, breathing and flipped, turning very quickly.
Four years ago when we visited Maui, I did a two mile ocean swim with some master swimmers. I now swam about a mile and a half every Sunday with which the swim coach they taught me. And I do that. I listen to your podcast. I'm sure we could get you swimming and breathing properly very quickly. He Fresno's not too far from Montecito. Good luck with your swimming and let me know if you'd like me to hook you up with Rich. The swim coach.
Buck: Well, John, thanks for that. That makes for a lighter moment in this sea of despair. Ha ha ha. That's funny, kid at sea of despair. He's swimming. Anyway, for those of you who don't know what John is referring to, I'll just take a minute because, you know, taking questions from all kinds.
All types of questions here is back in 2016, I think it was 16, I listened to Tim Ferriss podcast about how he spent his whole life trying to swim and unsuccessfully, I'd say, met up a guy, met up with a guy named Terry Loughlin, who taught his total immersion technique or tie. So I decided, well, gosh, you know, basically Tim Ferriss was talking about my story, like he spent his entire, like, you know, didn't learn to swim as a little kid and then all this and trying to catch up and no one could teach him.
And that was kind of where I was. I do like him numerous, like tries added back in my twenties and thirties, and then I kind of had given up. Then I contacted Terry. He was in New York, upstate New York. So he actually flew out there. I was in Chicago at the time and he taught me to swim in about 2 to 3 hours and it was really unbelievable to me.
And the only thing I didn't learn how to do during that visit was to breathe. And unfortunately, that was so that was like I was there for like a day and a half. And that was the part I didn't get to. So now I can swim, but only as long as I can hold my breath because I can't seem to, you know, I can't breathe and swim at the same time.
Unfortunately, Terry had, end stage cancer. When I saw him and I believe I was his last student before he died a couple of months later, and he'd actually stopped teaching for a while, you know, before I got to be the lucky one that he decided he had enough strength to go back for. So lucky for me. So but yeah, I would love to, you know, John, shoot me an email, you know, where I am and I get well for Malcolm Connect me to your guy.
And I think Fresno might be a little far, but if he's as good as Terry, maybe I could. Maybe I could learn to breathe in a day, too. So, hey, anyway, thanks. Thanks for that. Let's go on to the next question here. All right. This one's from I think it's Garima.
Garima: I am looking to become a real professional on studies. We've been doing real estate for a little bit but wanted to do this. I really need help. If you can guide me well and see.
Buck: Well, I don't know. I can do my best about that, Garima. And first of all, I have to preface this as I always do, that what I'm about to say is not legal or any kind of tax advice. I'm not a tax professional. My degree is in medicine. I'm a former board certified surgeon, but that doesn't qualify me for much. And this in this arena, it's just my understanding of the tax law, which, you know, I spent a fair amount of time thinking about. So it's not like what I'm saying should not be listened to, I think.
But on the other hand, the liability issues, I have to make very clear consult with your own tax professional before anything anyway. So again, probably the best thing I can do in terms of guiding is tell you what I know about the qualification as real estate professionals status. And by the way, I should also point out that the benefits that I'm going to talk about, there's a lot of this similar benefits without having the status in short term rentals.
And that episode, I believe, is 354. So go back and listen to that one. It's I thought that was a pretty interesting episode. But why is agreement talking about this RFP short for a real estate professional So everyone is on the same page? What is the real estate professional designation? Why is it useful? Well, a real estate professional is not the same thing, is in a real estate agent or a real estate broker, which are basically involved with real estate transactions.
They're involved as like the middleman. Right. That's not really the business of real estate. The real estate professional is someone who is who is materially involved with the business of owning and operating business. And the reason that this is important, we'll get to in a minute, but I'm going to go into the qualification parts of this. And again, I'm not giving you advice and basically telling you what I can gather from the IRS website And basically the material participation is one of the first things.
So you can't you can't be a limited partner in a bunch of real estate and call yourself a real estate professional. You have to have some activities that are truly owning and, you know, operating real estate. I mean, you have to be involved in the management operations of your rental properties, right? So the level of involvement is different than obviously if, you know, even if you have a propertyif you have a property manager or whatever, it's still going to be more active than if you're just a limited partner.
But another one of the things that you have to qualify for is you have to spend more than 50% of your total working hours in real estate activities. So in other words, if you know, if you've got a full-time job, you can't really qualify as a real estate professional. There has to be more hours than any other profession. Right? Your participation in real estate activities has to exceed anything else that you're doing in terms of business and employment. There's also something called the 750-hour test, which you must spend at least 750 hours per year on real estate activities. And some of these things that you can do include property management or rent collection or maintenance or advertising, other related issues, acquisitions, underwriting, etc.
I mean, there's a lot of things that, you know, once you own real estate, you can be an active owner, right? So anywhere that's... So why would you want this designation? Because it sounds onerous to go and try to make sure you've got all these things if you're not already doing it. Well, as you may know, the real estate income itself, that real estate income itself is considered passive income.
Right. And similarly, the losses from real estate in the form of depreciation are considered passive losses for most people. Those passive losses cannot be applied to any active income, right? So if you have an income of $500,000 and you happen to have $500,000 of depreciation or paper losses, you couldn't use those losses to offset your personal active income.
The reason is that one is active and one is passive. So you can't do that. And unfortunately, unless maybe you or your spouse, rather, with whom you file jointly is a real estate professional. So in this case, what would happen is those passive losses from real estate would become activated, in other words, their active losses. And you can, you know, you can offset anything with active losses, right.
And even W-2 income. So that's the idea. So, again, theoretically, check with your legal, you know, and tax people and hopefully they know what they're talking about. But see, if you're a C, if you're a doctor, you're making, again, $500,000. And let's say your spouse, who's a real estate professional, generated maybe $50,000 in income, but $300,000 of paper losses, you can deduct that $300,000 from the salary, that is earned income on the doctor's side.
So basically, that is what the huge, big deal is about this real estate professional status. And again, I'm not a tax professional, but this is something that a lot of people in our group do, and it is, you know, following the tax code, that's the key. So Garima, bottom line is I don't know how else I can guide you other than to give you information.
But, you know, I guess what I would do if I were you is, you know, try to figure out how you can actually, you know, get yourself qualified as a real estate professional and make sure that, you know, you fit those criteria and talk to your tax person about it. Okay. Next question is from Mark Hammons. Mark's question deals with tax law, and I'm not sure it's appropriate for this forum.
Feel free to pass on if you feel like addressing it. Well, it's another question. Well, you know how I feel about that. I'll tell you what I think. But
don't take it as tax advice in any sort of way. But okay, so here's the question Mark says. He says, I'm a partner in an LLC that was formed for residential development.
Our project is nearing completion, and this year it will take business income to be taxed at a 20% LLC rate. I will receive income from the sale of raw land and taxed as long-term capital gains. I'm a full-time physician and not actively involved in the business of land development. Can I offset any of this income with accumulated passive losses and leases?
Thanks, Mark, for all you do. Thank you, Mark. And well, as you may have gathered from the previous question and the answer that I gave Garima, you are a full-time physician, my friend, and therefore you do not qualify as a real estate professional, and therefore you cannot use those passive losses against your active income as a physician, and you are stuck in that stratification of income hell, which is that you've got these great-looking losses on the passive side and this great income on the active side, and you cannot do anything about it.
So now, if your wife was doing this real estate stuff and qualified as a real estate professional based on the criteria I mentioned earlier, then you would theoretically be able to apply those passive losses to active income, and boom, all of a sudden, you would have what it is you are hoping for. And anyway, but I do have people in our group who are literally, you know, with that spouse set up.
Well, that's why I brought it up, right, where they literally had a spouse quit their job so that they can switch to real estate professional status. And although their cash flow may constitute a theoretical pay cut from their job, the generated losses, paper losses, are being applied to the larger active income stack. There, in many cases, justifies that because they may make a total gross amount of income that's less.
But because of those passive losses, they actually get to keep more. So that's a complicated answer to a simple question. In my non-professional opinion, Mark, you are kind of screwed. Can't do that anyway. All right. So the next series of questions is from Terry. And let's see, let's start with the first one. Is this one. My understanding is there are U.S. dollars held overseas in the United States.
What would be the impact to the value of the dollar if the overseas cash had to be converted to CBDCs, which is central bank decentralized coins? Well, I'm no expert on this, but from what I know, I'm not sure it would have a material effect on anything overseas because as I understand, CBDCs is a little more than using distributed ledgers instead of central ledgers for digital money, right?
Because the thing is, you have to remember that 90% of the U.S. dollars are digital-only already. They do not exist in the physical world already. So what difference does it make if it's on a single ledger or if it's on a distributed ledger? I'm not sure that it does. As I understand it, the idea would be essentially to make it into like a software update almost, right, where the new digital currencies would be CBDCs.
But of course, I could be wrong, and my understanding of the plan that the U.S. has there is it could be wrong. I'm sure there's a larger plan eventually to use this as a way of maximizing tax revenues and tracking people's spending and that kind of thing. But in the short term, I don't really see how it has repercussions for money overseas.
But if somebody knows of something that would cause that, certainly email me. But I don't know that. Okay. This question is also from Terry. He says, "Rising interest rates have had an impact on existing multifamily operators, and it seems like part of the multifamily model relies on interest rate value being lower than cap rates." That's correct. "Combined with the multiplier effect of low cap rates for value-add projects, do you see cap rates going up until interest rates come down?"
How high can cap rates go before the value-add model is no longer viable? Are rents still rising fast enough to offset interest hikes? Okay. So yes, I do see cap rates going up. Remember, in order for debt to make sense, the interest rates must be lower than the cap rate. So if your borrowing rate is 5%, then your cap rate needs to be above that in order to have positive cash flow.
Otherwise, you're amplifying your losses. That said, often, you know, you may have seen in some cases operators buying things and they'll consider buying things like that. If there's an obvious thing that's going to drive up net operating income pretty quickly. But right now we are seeing rising cap rates. Now, as for the value-add model being viable, I would say that yes, the value-add model is viable in all interest rate environments and with all cap rates because remember, folks, real estate was not people didn't just start making money on value-add.
This has been around for some time, right? There are plenty of people who got rich off of value-add real estate in the eighties despite double-digit interest rates in double-digit cap rates. So what has created so much distress in this system is not the absolute interest rates. It's the pace at which the interest rates went up.
They're the moving goalposts. You see, every time you underwrite a property, you have to model in interest rates and reversion cap rates. And if rates are not stable, it's very difficult to underwrite. And that's why these real estate markets right now have been so illiquid. There really are no stable variables to underwrite with. Rightly, you got to have the goalposts, you got to know where the goalposts are so you can play the game right.
Once you have that stability, though, you can underwrite again, and in value-add real estate, the money isn't made based on interest rates being high or low, but it is made by ultimately creating a positive delta in the net operating income. And that can happen in all interest rate and cap rate environments. So I don't see it being an end to value-add real estate at all.
In fact, one could argue that if you're, say, you're buying real estate, which hopefully we are in the fall, and you're getting great deals on it, you know, the rates are high, but the numbers are making sense. You do your normal net operating income, you do your normal value-add program, you try to increase NOI, and you get lucky.
And by the time you're ready to sell, interest rates have actually come down. Well, in that case, you're going to actually probably get, you know, more for your property than you would otherwise if rates were stable. So I actually don't see this as something that is ending anything. In fact, I think those who, again, take advantage of a higher-rate environment and buy into assets that make sense at high interest rates could seriously make money in the next, you know, several years.
So let's see, the last question from Terry is, "What are your thoughts on portfolio allocation between real estate stocks, cash value insurance, gold, crypto, and cash?" Well, I might not be the best person to ask about portfolio allocation because I think my portfolio would make most money managers think, right? I'm about 75% real estate, maybe 5-7% crypto, mostly Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the remaining investments are things that I believe are uncorrelated.
The most stable thing is, you know, I'm a big fan of cash value life insurance in part because, I mean, it is so stable. I mean, seriously, it is incredibly stable. If you look at the environment that we're in right now, it makes you, again, think you should be buying more cash value life insurance. It's extremely stable.
And this is why it was such a big deal during the Great Depression. People lived through the Depression and had no faith in anything except for cash value life insurance, which is what they were buying. But anyway, I think, in particular, I'm talking about these strategies that we're calling, well, formula banking or various leverage dials, wealth accelerators, things like that.
So there's that. I'm also obviously into other things that we have in our group. We're involved with like ATMs, which, you know, don't seem to have much correlation with the economy per se because people who use that still needed it. Good times or bad and did well even through COVID. You know, there's also things that we're doing, like I'm invested in things like, you know, cargo ships that are delivering essential oil and gas to the country, things like that, where again, it's not something that is significantly correlated with the rest of the markets.
And I think that's one of the things to really make sure that you're not... I mean, listen, I guess in my case, being 75% real estate, I mean, it's not a good time to be 75% real estate right now. Right. I probably... I mean, if I did the numbers, I'm probably less than 75% real estate now because I probably lost quite a bit of value in the real estate.
But I'm not even going to look at that right now for this purpose. But ultimately, though, you know, listen, personal finance should be personal. I don't own stocks, although I'm not against stocks. I'm just, you know, not a guy who really owns stocks except for some big, really, you know, asymmetric plays in the energy space, you know, through Mercatus and things like that.
I don't own any physical gold, although again, I've talked about possibly wanting to do that. I don't really want to right now, but I'm hoarding cash right now because I think there are going to be tremendous buying opportunities in real estate with distressed assets, and I think that's going to be the name of the game in Q4. So but again, I do not think it's a good idea to listen to me about portfolios.
I think I think it's if you want those kinds of things, you probably should, you know, talk to others, talk to, talk to, you know, our RIA's, things like that. But to me, again, personal finance is really personal. And for me, I'm, you know, I'm pretty aggressive on some of the things that I have a lot of belief in.
So, okay. Well, I guess that's my last question. Before I go, I want to remind you that there's another actually, there's actually another podcast that I do now, which is, you know, it's kind of just taking something that I was spending a lot of time learning about and and and trying to process myself and turning it into another show so that I could share with you.
The show is called CPO, CPO. You can find it on pretty much all of the ways that you find this show and
hopefully on YouTube soon too. We haven't quite gotten to YouTube, I think, but the show is, I think, very interesting because, you know, we talk about wealth on the show, but I mean, you know, what do what is more what's more coveted than, you know, actually having health because then your wealth is actually useful.
So a lot of Sabio is really about various types of longevity and wellness type stuff on the science that we know out there. Really interesting stuff to me and would love for you to check it out again at Sabio with Buck Joffrey. Check it out and let me know if you like it. Give me a positive review. That's it for me.
This week on Wealth Formula podcast, this is Buck Joffrey signing off.
2023.06.03 21:32 100pushups_100situps [WTS] ASEs, Libertad, Panda, Slabbed Morgans, Iowa Commemorative, 1957 Proof Set
Can currently only accept venmo for payment
Proof pic: https://imgur.com/a/wFqTqqb
WTS the following:
2021 T2 BU ASE in capsule, W mint - $40
2020 ASE in capsule, very minor toning - $35
1984 BU Libertad in Capsule - $40 Sold
2015 Panda BU in capsule - $32
1884 O Morgan : NGC 65 - $185
1884 O Morgan : Binnion Collection - $65 Sold
1946 Iowa Commemorative - Blast White NGC 66 - $135
1957 Proof Set in capital plastics holder (IMO unattractive toning on Rev of Half and Quarter with spotting on Obv of Dime, please see pictures) - $30
Please add $5 for first class and $9 for priority shipping.
I am happy to use a middleman if desired.
*If middleman elected, the buyer is responsible for shipping from middleman and tip.
Willing to ship first to high feedback users at my discretion.
Pricing is generally firm but please let me know if you see something way out of line.
Items will ship out on Monday. Once item has been scanned at the post office it is the responsibility of the buyer.
Please use PM for faster responses.
Payment: can only accept venmo at this time, please use F&F with only an emoji or '.'
Please let me know if you need more pictures
submitted by 100pushups_100situps to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]
Proof pic: https://imgur.com/a/wFqTqqb
WTS the following:
2021 T2 BU ASE in capsule, W mint - $40
2020 ASE in capsule, very minor toning - $35
2015 Panda BU in capsule - $32
1884 O Morgan : NGC 65 - $185
1946 Iowa Commemorative - Blast White NGC 66 - $135
1957 Proof Set in capital plastics holder (IMO unattractive toning on Rev of Half and Quarter with spotting on Obv of Dime, please see pictures) - $30
Please add $5 for first class and $9 for priority shipping.
I am happy to use a middleman if desired.
*If middleman elected, the buyer is responsible for shipping from middleman and tip.
Willing to ship first to high feedback users at my discretion.
Pricing is generally firm but please let me know if you see something way out of line.
Items will ship out on Monday. Once item has been scanned at the post office it is the responsibility of the buyer.
Please use PM for faster responses.
Payment: can only accept venmo at this time, please use F&F with only an emoji or '.'
Please let me know if you need more pictures
2023.06.03 21:26 VoiceOfTheVoiceless_ Decided to go for A4 B9 - looking for purchase tips!
Not too long ago I asked about A4 reliability because mechanic I visited to fix up my current car talked a whole lot of smack about the reliability of A4's. This community helped me a lot so I got over that fear of buying one and I'm sticking to it! Thanks to everyone who took the time to talk about their experiences and help me.
Now that I'm set on an A4 B9 Quattro Sedan, I'm looking for tips about different trim levels, engine options, some extras that I should have on the car I will eventually get, stuff I need to check/ask from the owner for receipts about etc.
Engine options - There are a lot of options, at first I thought they only come with either 2.0 Diesel or 2.0 Petrol, however, the vast majority of replies said that 3.0 is much more reliable than 2.0 when it comes to Audis. I managed to find 3.0 engine options on the marketplace(not a single YT review mentioned they come in 3.0 engine options so I'm a little confused). There's two options:
3.0 160kw(215hp) Diesel and 3.0 200kw(268hp) Diesel
Read somewhere it's pretty much the same engine just slightly modded or something and someone mentioned, that they have different gearboxes, but I'm not sure exactly. Which one is the better option?
Mileage - Obviously lower mileage is better, but at what point should I stay away? Lowest mileage options is 70,000km(44,000 miles), next best is twice as much - 140,000km(87,000 miles) and worst mileage on my shortlist is pretty much 200,000km or 125,000 miles. People mentioned buying cars with 7k miles or 15k miles on them, nobody mentioned buying options with more mileage.
Trim levels and extras - I know there's like 3 trim level options(I think I know at least), however there's more extras that you can get separately, so what exactly should I be looking for to get? Not many 3.0 engine options have a sunroof for example, something I noticed. Currently those are the things I'd like:
Keyless - I think think it's on every single A4 B9 Android Auto - From my research it should also be available on all of them Sunroof - Not a must, but I never had a car with sunroof, so why not Steering wheel - I want the one that's like cut off from the bottom, not many have it though 360 parking camera - I think some only have parking sensors, that would be a no no Seats - Some cars have Alcantara seats I noticed, that would be sick, but also not a must S-Line - People recommending S-line, not sure exactly what changes other than sportier look and suspension, but I'd pick S line over non S line Virtual Cockpit - Is it just a gimmick? Is it actually useful? Looks nice, so kind of want this as well.
Nothing else currently comes to mind atm, if there's any extras that I MUST look for to have the best experience with the car, please let me know!
There's a good amount of A4 B9's on 3.0 engines for sale, however there's only 2 Sedans, there's two more on 2.0 petrol engines, however I'm currently looking at the 3.0 options:
Option 1 (One I currently like the most) Initial reg. 10/2016 Engine: 3.0 V6 TDI 160kW, diesel Mileage: 73,000km or 45,000 miles Color: Matador Red Listed Price: 25,800 EUR or a little over 27,000 dollars
Likes: S-Line, beautiful color, tinted windows, 3 zone climate, 360 parking camera, Virtual Cockpit, lower mileage
Dislikes: Normal steering wheel(not flat bottom, no S-line markings for whatever reason as well), Seats seem to be the lowest trim level, no sunroof
Option 2
Initial reg. 02/2017 Engine: 3.0 V6 TDI 160kW, diesel Mileage: 145,000km or 90,000 miles Color: Brown-ish/Gray-ish Listed Price: 24,500 EUR or a little over 26,275 dollars
Likes: Alcantara seats and interior, Virtual Cockpit, 3 zone climate,s line, tad bit lower price. Dislikes: No parking camera, higher mileage, boring color, I checked its history, last change of ownership was on 20.04.2023, which is less than 2 months ago, I find it weird.
There's a decent amount of touring A4's and even though I prefer a sedan, I will consider touring if it's perfect in terms of looks and trim options. However those two I mentioned are the only sedans, red one is a big big favorite for me.
Thanks a lot for reading and taking your time to help me on my purchase decision!
submitted by VoiceOfTheVoiceless_ to Audi [link] [comments]
Now that I'm set on an A4 B9 Quattro Sedan, I'm looking for tips about different trim levels, engine options, some extras that I should have on the car I will eventually get, stuff I need to check/ask from the owner for receipts about etc.
Engine options - There are a lot of options, at first I thought they only come with either 2.0 Diesel or 2.0 Petrol, however, the vast majority of replies said that 3.0 is much more reliable than 2.0 when it comes to Audis. I managed to find 3.0 engine options on the marketplace(not a single YT review mentioned they come in 3.0 engine options so I'm a little confused). There's two options:
3.0 160kw(215hp) Diesel and 3.0 200kw(268hp) Diesel
Read somewhere it's pretty much the same engine just slightly modded or something and someone mentioned, that they have different gearboxes, but I'm not sure exactly. Which one is the better option?
Mileage - Obviously lower mileage is better, but at what point should I stay away? Lowest mileage options is 70,000km(44,000 miles), next best is twice as much - 140,000km(87,000 miles) and worst mileage on my shortlist is pretty much 200,000km or 125,000 miles. People mentioned buying cars with 7k miles or 15k miles on them, nobody mentioned buying options with more mileage.
Trim levels and extras - I know there's like 3 trim level options(I think I know at least), however there's more extras that you can get separately, so what exactly should I be looking for to get? Not many 3.0 engine options have a sunroof for example, something I noticed. Currently those are the things I'd like:
Keyless - I think think it's on every single A4 B9 Android Auto - From my research it should also be available on all of them Sunroof - Not a must, but I never had a car with sunroof, so why not Steering wheel - I want the one that's like cut off from the bottom, not many have it though 360 parking camera - I think some only have parking sensors, that would be a no no Seats - Some cars have Alcantara seats I noticed, that would be sick, but also not a must S-Line - People recommending S-line, not sure exactly what changes other than sportier look and suspension, but I'd pick S line over non S line Virtual Cockpit - Is it just a gimmick? Is it actually useful? Looks nice, so kind of want this as well.
Nothing else currently comes to mind atm, if there's any extras that I MUST look for to have the best experience with the car, please let me know!
There's a good amount of A4 B9's on 3.0 engines for sale, however there's only 2 Sedans, there's two more on 2.0 petrol engines, however I'm currently looking at the 3.0 options:
Option 1 (One I currently like the most) Initial reg. 10/2016 Engine: 3.0 V6 TDI 160kW, diesel Mileage: 73,000km or 45,000 miles Color: Matador Red Listed Price: 25,800 EUR or a little over 27,000 dollars
Likes: S-Line, beautiful color, tinted windows, 3 zone climate, 360 parking camera, Virtual Cockpit, lower mileage
Dislikes: Normal steering wheel(not flat bottom, no S-line markings for whatever reason as well), Seats seem to be the lowest trim level, no sunroof
Option 2
Initial reg. 02/2017 Engine: 3.0 V6 TDI 160kW, diesel Mileage: 145,000km or 90,000 miles Color: Brown-ish/Gray-ish Listed Price: 24,500 EUR or a little over 26,275 dollars
Likes: Alcantara seats and interior, Virtual Cockpit, 3 zone climate,s line, tad bit lower price. Dislikes: No parking camera, higher mileage, boring color, I checked its history, last change of ownership was on 20.04.2023, which is less than 2 months ago, I find it weird.
There's a decent amount of touring A4's and even though I prefer a sedan, I will consider touring if it's perfect in terms of looks and trim options. However those two I mentioned are the only sedans, red one is a big big favorite for me.
Thanks a lot for reading and taking your time to help me on my purchase decision!
2023.06.03 20:20 shinbreaker Even Twitter's lawyers confirm Twitter Files was bullshit
https://twitter.com/bradheath/status/1664634500343529472
Also, about the government paying money to Twitter as a bribe:
submitted by shinbreaker to BreakingPoints [link] [comments]
Twitter's lawyers told a federal court yesterday that nothing in the "Twitter Files" cited by Donald Trump actually show that the social media platform was a tool of government censorship.In the end, it was all just PR for Elon done by hack "journalists."
Also, about the government paying money to Twitter as a bribe:
Third, Plaintiffs are also wrong (Ex. 1 at 12-13) that Twitter became a state actor because the FBI “pay[ed] Twitter millions of dollars for the staff [t]ime Twitter expended in handling the government’s censorship requests.” For one thing, the communication on which Plaintiffs rely in fact explains that Twitter was reimbursed $3 million pursuant to a “statutory right of reimbursement for time spent processing” “legal process” requests. Pls.’ Ex. A.34 (emphasis added). The “statutory right” at issue is that created under the Stored Communications Act for costs “incurred in searching for, assembling,reproducing, or otherwise providing” electronic communications requested by the government pursuant to a warrant. 18 U.S.C. § 2706(a), see also id. § 2703(a). The reimbursements were not for responding torequests to remove any accounts or content and thus are wholly irrelevant to Plaintiffs’ joint-action theory.
And, in any event, a financial relationship supports joint action only where there is complete “financial integration” and “indispensability.” Vincent v. Trend W. Tech. Corp., 828 F.2d 563, 569 (9th Cir. 1987) (quotation marks omitted). During the period in which Twitter recovered $3 million (late 2019 through early 2021), the company was valued at approximately $30 billion. Even Plaintiffs do not argue that a $3 million payment would be indispensable to Twitter
2023.06.03 20:03 Classic_Tune_9895 4 weeks tomorrow...
Wow wow wow. I can't believe how fast 4 weeks has pretty much went by. The only symptom I really have now is just the vivid dreams. I stopped hacking up black crap in my mucus by the 2nd week, but I noticed over the past 2 or 3 days its been happening again. My lungs are probably working extra hard to get all of that deep inbedded gunk out. For funsies I decided to do the math to see how much money I've saved in the past month as well.... now this ranges a bit because I'm sure I would have caved in and went to the dispensary upstate at least once if I was still smoking, so I'll add that in too.
I was going through an eighth at least every 4-5 days, which means my tolerance would have made that closer to the 4 day mark by now. So let's say 30 divided by 4... thats 7.5 times I would have bought in just the past month already. Now... lets consider this, if it was through friends I would be paying $35 each time. So right there, I already saved $262 and some change. Now, thats not including if they happened to be out and I went to the dispensary. Considering that... I saved well over $300 cause I likely would have spent at least $120+ dollars easy to just re-up which would last me barely a week and a half.
In another month, when I hit 2 months sober, that meant I will have saved at LEAST $600... and that is NOT including the gas money spent and wear and tear on the car. Not to mention any potential speeding tickets in a rush to get there. That was actually one of the straws that broke the camels back. I was in such a rush to get it the last time, that I got a speeding ticket. I normally drive slow, but this time, I sped because I was in a rush to go. How lame. I have a good driving record and now have court on the 14th to pray that it gets reduced. So not worth it. I'm so glad to be sober. Health and financial benefits... its a win win.
submitted by Classic_Tune_9895 to leaves [link] [comments]
I was going through an eighth at least every 4-5 days, which means my tolerance would have made that closer to the 4 day mark by now. So let's say 30 divided by 4... thats 7.5 times I would have bought in just the past month already. Now... lets consider this, if it was through friends I would be paying $35 each time. So right there, I already saved $262 and some change. Now, thats not including if they happened to be out and I went to the dispensary. Considering that... I saved well over $300 cause I likely would have spent at least $120+ dollars easy to just re-up which would last me barely a week and a half.
In another month, when I hit 2 months sober, that meant I will have saved at LEAST $600... and that is NOT including the gas money spent and wear and tear on the car. Not to mention any potential speeding tickets in a rush to get there. That was actually one of the straws that broke the camels back. I was in such a rush to get it the last time, that I got a speeding ticket. I normally drive slow, but this time, I sped because I was in a rush to go. How lame. I have a good driving record and now have court on the 14th to pray that it gets reduced. So not worth it. I'm so glad to be sober. Health and financial benefits... its a win win.
2023.06.03 18:37 onedeep [WTS]/[WTT]: Saturday sale-bration! Coffee, coins, bullion & jewelry +++ free gift w/ BIN!
Happy Saturday y'all! I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day and 4 day week! Today I've got a variety of excellent pieces for your viewing pleasure! 👌🏽
Grab your coffee and come get some awesome deals on good quality items!
🚚 all items will be shipped Mon June 5th 🚚
▪︎ BIN anything in the post and I'll include 1 freebie! This may be a physical item (wheat cent, UNC $1 clad coin, buffalo nickel, etc) or free/upgraded shipping. Limit: one freebie per person.
📦 brand new genuine Air-Tite capsules for 1oz bars 🇺🇸 : $1.50/ each for 1-10 $1.25/each for 11-25 $1.10/each 26-50 $1/each 51-100+
💰 payment: zelle (preferred), cashapp, venmo, crypto (+ 1%) friends and family -- no notes! 🍒 use an emoji if note is needed 💰
♤ shipping: $1 risky, $5 first class & $10 priority (CONUS). insurance add 1% ♤
• I ship within 24 business hours of sale. I package well and use a lot of layers and tape. Should an issue arise with delivery, I will do my best to make you whole.
• coins: I try to show detail and describe them but I am not a coin dealer or grader. all coins are as found none have been cleaned by me.
🤑 thanks for stopping by!
submitted by onedeep to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]
Grab your coffee and come get some awesome deals on good quality items!
🚚 all items will be shipped Mon June 5th 🚚
▪︎ BIN anything in the post and I'll include 1 freebie! This may be a physical item (wheat cent, UNC $1 clad coin, buffalo nickel, etc) or free/upgraded shipping. Limit: one freebie per person.
□□□□□ proof □□□□□
◇👽- I do accept trades. Whatcha got? -👽◇
¤¤¤ US silver coins🍴 ¤¤¤
$1.05 mixed constitutional 90% - includes (1) semi-key quarter and (1) F-XF WLH, (2) rosies & (1) merc..... $24pending- 2002-S Kennedy 90% half dollar proof UNC..... $20
- 2001-S North Carolina 90% quarter proof UNC..... $10
- (3) Fine Ladies: 90% Morgan dollars PL XF-AU; amazing luster 👌🏽 •1879 •1881-s •1882-s ☆ $85 + ship each or $250 shipped for all 3 🙀
♧♧♧ .999 bullion ♧♧♧
- 2016 30th Anniversary ASE PCGS MS-70 First Strike..... $60 shipped 🇺🇸
FFC-Texas poured 1oz 💀- very rare, limited production....I can't find any comps!..... only $45SOLD(2) vintage Scottsdale 1oz bars in airtites..... $74SOLD
📦 brand new genuine Air-Tite capsules for 1oz bars 🇺🇸 : $1.50/ each for 1-10 $1.25/each for 11-25 $1.10/each 26-50 $1/each 51-100+
💖💖💖 jewelry 💖💖💖
- 🎗
14k yellow gold ID bracelet w/ (2) gorgeous 3mm diamonds..... $462pending 🆔️ - ⚜ 14k white gold fleur-de-lis earrings w/ diamonds.... $265 ⚜
- 🌬 14k white gold J hook earrings w/ brilliant channel-set diamonds... quite possibly the nicest earrings I've ever seen! Pics and vids do not do them justice, but here's some gifs: left right $386 💎
♤ shipping: $1 risky, $5 first class & $10 priority (CONUS). insurance add 1% ♤
• I ship within 24 business hours of sale. I package well and use a lot of layers and tape. Should an issue arise with delivery, I will do my best to make you whole.
• coins: I try to show detail and describe them but I am not a coin dealer or grader. all coins are as found none have been cleaned by me.
🪐 other[worldly] bundles, PM or chat 🪐
👀 stay tuned more stuff being added daily!🤑 thanks for stopping by!
2023.06.03 17:48 john_1216 [WTS] PCGS Reverse Proof ASE and Pre-65 US Constitutional
Hello. Please Chat or PM! Thanks for looking!
I was informed that someone is trying to scam under my name as john_1216 so please be on the lookout. I WILL NOT ask for alternative forms of payment.
-2021 W PCGS PR69 Silver Eagle Rev PR Type 1. Price $90.
-$5.5 Face Barber Quarters. All different dates! X25.5 face @ $140.
-$10 Face Washington (28) and SLQ (12) mix. Many different dates and mint marks. Very few duplicates. X21. Price $210.
Shipping: CONUS only. First Class $5 and Priority $10.
Payment: Zelle, PPFF no notes (G and S +3%), and Venmo.
**Once the package is dropped off at the post office, I can no longer be responsible for it, but I will help in any way with issues. I package securely and discretely. I will send you the tracking number. Once we have agreed on the sale, the package will ship no later than the following business day (Friday sales will be dropped off at post office on Saturday) once payment is received. Happy to accommodate additional shipping needs at buyers expense.
https://imgur.com/a/Vk517QL
submitted by john_1216 to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]
I was informed that someone is trying to scam under my name as john_1216 so please be on the lookout. I WILL NOT ask for alternative forms of payment.
-$5.5 Face Barber Quarters. All different dates! X25.5 face @ $140.
-$10 Face Washington (28) and SLQ (12) mix. Many different dates and mint marks. Very few duplicates. X21. Price $210.
**Once the package is dropped off at the post office, I can no longer be responsible for it, but I will help in any way with issues. I package securely and discretely. I will send you the tracking number. Once we have agreed on the sale, the package will ship no later than the following business day (Friday sales will be dropped off at post office on Saturday) once payment is received. Happy to accommodate additional shipping needs at buyers expense.
https://imgur.com/a/Vk517QL
2023.06.03 17:45 REDLINE-007 [WTS] 300 Designer & niche fragrance brand names decants/samples (decant)
For sale fragrance decants/samples, prices are listed below in US dollars. All atomizers come in black plastic spray bottles with a lid & individually marked with labels. Shipping Canada $10 USD, USA $13 USD: first class airmail with tracking. I accept PayPal G&S (please pay any associated fees to PayPal) or Interac (Canada Only no fees), Local Pickup in Vancouver, BC, Canada is also possible, please pm/chat me if you are interested.
Feedback, Photos & Fragrantica Page:
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/fragranceswap/search/?q=redline-007&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&type=comment
eBay: https://feedback.ebay.ca/fdbk/feedback_profile/silver.*.star
Photos: https://imgur.com/a/Vlhetr8
Fragrantica Page https://www.fragrantica.com/membe1450019
The Price list is in USD and updated on 06.03.2023
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - 9.50, 10 ML - $17.50
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO Eau de Parfum 2022 - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - 10.50, 10 ML - $18.50
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO ABSOLU 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profondo 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profondo Lights 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profumo 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger with You 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger Intensely 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger Absolutely 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI City Glam 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Si Fiori 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
ARMANI Si Passione 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
ARMANI Code Feme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
AZZARO Wanted By Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $13.50
AZZARO The Most Wanted EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
AZZARO The Most Wanted PARFUM 2022 - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
Atelier Cologne Ambre Nue 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Atelier Cologne Clementine California 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Atelier Cologne Bois Blonds 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Amouage Interlude Black Iris 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Amouage Interlude Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Amouage Meander 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Enclave 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Lyric Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Boundless 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Memoir Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Dia Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Jubilation XXV 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Beach Hut Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Epic Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Reflection Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Beloved Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Aedes De Venustas Grenadille d’Afrique 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Atelier des Ors Rose Omeyyade 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Intenza 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Bergamotto Di Calabria 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Chinotto Di Liguria 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ACQUA Di PARMA OUD EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Leather 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia MIRRA 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
ACQUA Di PARMA FICO di AMALFI 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua di Parma Arancia di Capri 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Colonia Club 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Quercia 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Acqua Di Parma Mandorlo Di Sicilia 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Mirto Di Panarea 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Essenza 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ARIANA GRANDE Cloud 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $20
Anna Sui Flight of Fancy 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $16
Al Haramain L’Aventure 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Al Harmain L’Aventure Blanche 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF CDNIM 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF CDNIM Parfum Version 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
ARMAF CDNIM Milestone 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
ARMAF Tres Nuit 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF Derby Club House 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
BURBERRY Mr. Burberry 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
BURBERRY Mr. Burberry EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
Bond 9 New York Nights 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50, 10 ML - $25.50
Bond 9 Chinatown 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML- $15.50, 10 ML - $25.50
BVLGARI Goldea The Roman Night 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $17.50
BENTLEY INTENSE Eau de Parfum 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
BERDOUES Collection Perfumes GRAND CRU Eau de parfum made in FRANCE:
MILLÉSIME OUD WA VANILLIA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
MAASAÏ MARA - 2 ML - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
SOMEI YOSHINO - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
PÉNG LÁI - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
AZUR RIVERA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Banana Republic ICON COLLECTION Eau de Parfum:
Tobacco & Tonka Bean - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Gardenia & Cardamom - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
83 Leather Reserve - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Dark Cherry & Amber - 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML- $17.50
Neroli Woods - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
17 Oud Mosaic - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
78 Vintage Green - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Peony & Peppercorn - - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Linen Vetiver - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
90 Pure White - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
06 Black Platinum - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Cypress Cedar - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
CARNER BARCELONA Botafumeiro - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $9, 10ML - $17.50
CARNER BARCELONA Ambar Del Sur - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $9, 10ML - $17.50
CHANEL Gabrielle Essence 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
CHANEL Allure 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport Cologne 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Egoiste Platinum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Pour Monsieur EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Creed Aventus 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $20.50
Creed Aventus 10th Anniversary 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Aventus Cologne 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Aventus For Her 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Viking 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Viking Cologne 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed EROLFA 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Neroli Sauvage 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Millesime Imperial 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Original Vetiver 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Original Santal 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Green Irish Tweed 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Oud 2 ML - $14.50, 5 ML - $33.50
Creed Himalaya 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Tabarome 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Bois du Portugal 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Virgin Island Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Silver Mountain Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Maifair 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Princess Oud 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed Pure White Cologne 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed Jardin d’Amalfi 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed White Amber 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Carolina Herrera Saffron Lazuli 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50, 10 ML - $45.50
Carolina Herrera Bad Boy 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
CARTIER Pasha Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
CHOPARD Amber Malaki 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML - $10.50
COACH New York Eau De Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
COSTUME NATIONAL Soul 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Calvin Klein ETERNITY 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Calvin Klein Truth 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Calvin Klein Truth for Her 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
COTY ASPEN 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
DIOR Fahrenheit EDT 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
DIOR Fahrenheit Le Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
DIOR Homme 2020 EDT 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
DIOR Homme Le Parfum 2020 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50 (RARE)
DIOR Homme ORIGINAL 2021 EDT - 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50 (NEW & RARE)
DIOR Homme Cologne 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
DIOR SAUVAGE EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR SAUVAGE Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
DIOR EAU SAUVAGE PARFUM 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR EAU SAUVAGE EXTREME 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR Jadore EDT 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
DIOR Addict Shine 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana The One EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G The One INTENSE EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $18.50
D & G Velvet Amber Sun EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Dolce & Gabbana K (KING) 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Dolce & Gabbana K (KING) EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana INTENSO EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue For Her 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G Light Blue Eau Intense 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G Light Blue Intense For Her 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
DIESEL Spirit of The Brave 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Demeter Pineapple 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14
Elizabeth & James White Nirvana 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Etat Libre d’Orange You or Someone Else 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9.50, 10 ML - $17.50
English Laundry Windsor 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
English Laundry Notting Hill 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.25, 10 ML - $48
Francis Kurkdjian L’Homme A la Rose 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $22.50
Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 - 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood EDP 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Petit Matin EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Vitae 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Guerlain Oud Essentiel 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50, 10 ML - $20.50
Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50, 10 ML - $19.50
Guerlain Mon Guerlain EDP 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50, 10 ML - $19.50
GUCCI Guilty EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
GUCCI Guilty Pour Homme EDP 2020 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Guilty OUD 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $14.50
GUCCI Guilty Love Edition 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Made To Measure 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Bloom Profumo 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $4.50, 10 ML - $8.50
Giorgio Beverly Hills Wings 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
HERMES Terre EDT 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $10.50
HERMES Terre Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
HERMES H24 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $10.50
HERMES TWILLY Eau De Parfum - 2 ML - $5
HERMES Rhubarbe Ecarlate - 2 ML - $5
HERMES D'Orange Verte - 2 ML - $5
HERMES Un Jardin Sur Le Toit 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Intense 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Infinite 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Hugo Reversed 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS FEME 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $15.50
INITIO Oud For Greatness 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Side Effect 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Atomic Rose 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Musk Therapy 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Rehab 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
ISSEY MIYAKE Pulse Of The Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
ISSEY MIYAKE L'Eau d'Issey Noir Ambre 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
ISSEY MIYAKE L'Eau d'Issey For Man 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML -$10.50
ISSEY MIYAKE FUSION D'ISSEY 2020 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male SnowGlobe 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
JOHN VARVATOS OUD EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
KILIAN Let's Settle in the Bedroom like Adults 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $10.50
KILIAN Angel's Share 2 ML - $12.50
LACOSTE L.12.12 EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
LACOSTE L.12.12 EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
LACOSTE Inspiration 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
LACOSTE Touch of Pink 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
Lattafa Oud For Glory Bade Al Oud (Initio Oud for Greatness Clone) 2 ML -$3, 5 ML -$7,10 ML $14
Lattafa Velvet Oud EDP (Tom Ford Ombre Leather Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
Lattafa Woody Oud (Tom Ford Oud Wood Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
Lattafa Alhambra Rose Petals EDP (Tom Ford Rose Prick Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML -$14
Lattafa Khamrah (Killian's Angels Share Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
L'Aventure Blanche Al Haramain EDP 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Lalique Encre Noire 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Lalique Encre Noire A L'extreme 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
LANCOME Hypnose 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
LANCOME La Vie Est Belle 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Mancera Aoud Lemon Mint 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Cedrat Boise 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Black Intensitive Aoud 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Instant Crush 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Martin Margiela By the fireplace 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Martin Margiela Sailing Day 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Martin Margiela By the Lemon Trees 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
MONTBLANC Explorer 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
MONTBLANC Legend EDP 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MONTBLANC Legend Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MONTBLANC Individuel 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MOSCHINO Toy Boy EDP 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MUGLER A*Men Pure Havane 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $11
MUGLER Cologne 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 10ML - $17.50
Mercedes Benz Club Black 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Mercedes Benz SELECT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Marc Jacobs DECADENCE 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Miu Miu Miu Miu 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
NAUTICA Voyage 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $13.50
Narcisco Rodrigues For Her EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $11.25
Nasomatto Black Afgano 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Baraonda 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Pardon 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Duro 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Ormonde Jayne Tolu 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $15.50
PACO RABANNE XS 2018 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Penhaligon - The Favourite Eau De Parfum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Greenley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Kuhuyan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Akaster 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Percival 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Kalan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Darley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Nisean 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Habdan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Pegasus 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Pegasus Exclusif 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
Parfums de Marly Layton 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Layton Exclusif 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
Parfums de Marly Oajan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Sedley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Shagya 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Godolphin 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Galloway 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Carlisle 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Herod 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada Marienbad 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada Day for Night 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada L’Homme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada L’Homme INTENSE 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada Luna Rossa Carbon 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada Luna Rossa OCEAN 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
PINO Selvestre Original 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
ROCHAS Moustache EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Reyane Tradition Insurrection II Pure Extreme 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML - $11.50
Ralph Lauren POLO BLUE EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML-$15.50
Ralph Lauren POLO RED 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Ralph Lauren Blue 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Revlon Charlie Red 5 ML - $2.50, 10 ML - $5.50
Revlon Charlie Gold 5 ML - $2.50, 10 ML - $5.50
Serge Lutens Chergui 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Serge Lutens Clair de Musc 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Serge Lutens La Couche du Diable 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
SHISEIDO Relaxing Fragrance 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $22.50 (Discntd/hard to find)
Swiss Arabian Royal Mystery EDP 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
SEAN JOHN Unforgivable 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $16.50
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Teo Cabanel Barkhane 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Tiziana Terenzi Ursa 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Tiziana Terenzi Chimaera Extrait De Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
TOM FORD Ombre Leather EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Grey Vetiver EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Beau De Jour EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Black Orchid Parfum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD NOIR EDP 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $19.50 NEW
TOM FORD NOIR EXTREME EDP 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $19.50 NEW
TOM FORD NOIR EXTREME PARFUM 2022 EDP 2 ML - $11.50, 5 ML - $23.50 NEW
TOM FORD OUD WOOD EDP Private Blend 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
TOM FORD Tuscan Leather EDP Private Blend 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
TOM FORD Venetian Bergamot Private Blend Discntd. 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA EDT 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA 2021 EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA EDP Private Blend Discntd. 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $21.50
STERLING JUST JACK COLLECTION by ARMAF Eau De Parfum (Clones of Tom Ford fragrances):
TOBACCO LEAF (TOBACCO VANILLE Clone) 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
NEROLI (NEROLI PORTOFINO Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
HOMME NOIR (NOIR Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
NOIR ENDURANCE (NOIR EXTREME Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
BLACK IS BLACK (NOIR DE NOIR Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
OMBRE SUEDE (OMBRE LEATHER Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
FANTA FAB (THE Fuckxxing FABULOUS Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
ITALIAN LEATHER (TUSCAN LEATHER Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
Tommy Bahama Set Sail St. Barts 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Torry Burch Torry Burch 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Usher UR 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb Extreme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb Infrared 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf FlowerBomb 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
VERSACE Man Eau Fraiche 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML - $15.50
VERSACE DYLAN Blue 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Pour Homme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE EROS EDT 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9
VERSACE EROS EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE EROS FLAME 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Pour Homme OUD NOIR EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Bright Crystal 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Ambre Impérial Van Cleef & Arpels 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Erba Pura 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Naxos 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Lira 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Y EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL L’Homme EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $9.50
YSL La Nuit de L’Homme EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $9.50
YSL L’Homme Le Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL La Nuit de L’Homme Le Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL LIBRE EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL Tuxedo 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Caban 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Trench 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL 37 rue de Bellechasse 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
ZARA Denim Couture 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $8
4711 Original Eau de Cologne 4711 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
submitted by REDLINE-007 to CanadianFragranceSwap [link] [comments]
Feedback, Photos & Fragrantica Page:
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/fragranceswap/search/?q=redline-007&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&type=comment
eBay: https://feedback.ebay.ca/fdbk/feedback_profile/silver.*.star
Photos: https://imgur.com/a/Vlhetr8
Fragrantica Page https://www.fragrantica.com/membe1450019
The Price list is in USD and updated on 06.03.2023
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - 9.50, 10 ML - $17.50
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO Eau de Parfum 2022 - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - 10.50, 10 ML - $18.50
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO ABSOLU 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profondo 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profondo Lights 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profumo 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger with You 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger Intensely 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger Absolutely 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI City Glam 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Si Fiori 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
ARMANI Si Passione 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
ARMANI Code Feme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
AZZARO Wanted By Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $13.50
AZZARO The Most Wanted EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
AZZARO The Most Wanted PARFUM 2022 - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
Atelier Cologne Ambre Nue 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Atelier Cologne Clementine California 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Atelier Cologne Bois Blonds 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Amouage Interlude Black Iris 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Amouage Interlude Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Amouage Meander 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Enclave 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Lyric Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Boundless 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Memoir Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Dia Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Jubilation XXV 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Beach Hut Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Epic Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Reflection Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Beloved Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Aedes De Venustas Grenadille d’Afrique 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Atelier des Ors Rose Omeyyade 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Intenza 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Bergamotto Di Calabria 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Chinotto Di Liguria 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ACQUA Di PARMA OUD EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Leather 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia MIRRA 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
ACQUA Di PARMA FICO di AMALFI 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua di Parma Arancia di Capri 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Colonia Club 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Quercia 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Acqua Di Parma Mandorlo Di Sicilia 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Mirto Di Panarea 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Essenza 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ARIANA GRANDE Cloud 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $20
Anna Sui Flight of Fancy 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $16
Al Haramain L’Aventure 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Al Harmain L’Aventure Blanche 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF CDNIM 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF CDNIM Parfum Version 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
ARMAF CDNIM Milestone 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
ARMAF Tres Nuit 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF Derby Club House 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
BURBERRY Mr. Burberry 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
BURBERRY Mr. Burberry EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
Bond 9 New York Nights 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50, 10 ML - $25.50
Bond 9 Chinatown 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML- $15.50, 10 ML - $25.50
BVLGARI Goldea The Roman Night 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $17.50
BENTLEY INTENSE Eau de Parfum 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
BERDOUES Collection Perfumes GRAND CRU Eau de parfum made in FRANCE:
MILLÉSIME OUD WA VANILLIA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
MAASAÏ MARA - 2 ML - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
SOMEI YOSHINO - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
PÉNG LÁI - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
AZUR RIVERA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Banana Republic ICON COLLECTION Eau de Parfum:
Tobacco & Tonka Bean - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Gardenia & Cardamom - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
83 Leather Reserve - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Dark Cherry & Amber - 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML- $17.50
Neroli Woods - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
17 Oud Mosaic - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
78 Vintage Green - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Peony & Peppercorn - - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Linen Vetiver - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
90 Pure White - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
06 Black Platinum - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Cypress Cedar - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
CARNER BARCELONA Botafumeiro - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $9, 10ML - $17.50
CARNER BARCELONA Ambar Del Sur - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $9, 10ML - $17.50
CHANEL Gabrielle Essence 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
CHANEL Allure 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport Cologne 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Egoiste Platinum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Pour Monsieur EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Creed Aventus 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $20.50
Creed Aventus 10th Anniversary 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Aventus Cologne 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Aventus For Her 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Viking 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Viking Cologne 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed EROLFA 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Neroli Sauvage 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Millesime Imperial 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Original Vetiver 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Original Santal 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Green Irish Tweed 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Oud 2 ML - $14.50, 5 ML - $33.50
Creed Himalaya 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Tabarome 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Bois du Portugal 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Virgin Island Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Silver Mountain Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Maifair 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Princess Oud 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed Pure White Cologne 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed Jardin d’Amalfi 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed White Amber 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Carolina Herrera Saffron Lazuli 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50, 10 ML - $45.50
Carolina Herrera Bad Boy 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
CARTIER Pasha Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
CHOPARD Amber Malaki 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML - $10.50
COACH New York Eau De Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
COSTUME NATIONAL Soul 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Calvin Klein ETERNITY 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Calvin Klein Truth 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Calvin Klein Truth for Her 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
COTY ASPEN 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
DIOR Fahrenheit EDT 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
DIOR Fahrenheit Le Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
DIOR Homme 2020 EDT 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
DIOR Homme Le Parfum 2020 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50 (RARE)
DIOR Homme ORIGINAL 2021 EDT - 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50 (NEW & RARE)
DIOR Homme Cologne 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
DIOR SAUVAGE EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR SAUVAGE Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
DIOR EAU SAUVAGE PARFUM 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR EAU SAUVAGE EXTREME 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR Jadore EDT 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
DIOR Addict Shine 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana The One EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G The One INTENSE EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $18.50
D & G Velvet Amber Sun EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Dolce & Gabbana K (KING) 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Dolce & Gabbana K (KING) EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana INTENSO EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue For Her 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G Light Blue Eau Intense 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G Light Blue Intense For Her 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
DIESEL Spirit of The Brave 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Demeter Pineapple 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14
Elizabeth & James White Nirvana 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Etat Libre d’Orange You or Someone Else 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9.50, 10 ML - $17.50
English Laundry Windsor 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
English Laundry Notting Hill 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.25, 10 ML - $48
Francis Kurkdjian L’Homme A la Rose 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $22.50
Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 - 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood EDP 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Petit Matin EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Vitae 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Guerlain Oud Essentiel 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50, 10 ML - $20.50
Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50, 10 ML - $19.50
Guerlain Mon Guerlain EDP 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50, 10 ML - $19.50
GUCCI Guilty EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
GUCCI Guilty Pour Homme EDP 2020 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Guilty OUD 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $14.50
GUCCI Guilty Love Edition 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Made To Measure 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Bloom Profumo 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $4.50, 10 ML - $8.50
Giorgio Beverly Hills Wings 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
HERMES Terre EDT 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $10.50
HERMES Terre Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
HERMES H24 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $10.50
HERMES TWILLY Eau De Parfum - 2 ML - $5
HERMES Rhubarbe Ecarlate - 2 ML - $5
HERMES D'Orange Verte - 2 ML - $5
HERMES Un Jardin Sur Le Toit 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Intense 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Infinite 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Hugo Reversed 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS FEME 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $15.50
INITIO Oud For Greatness 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Side Effect 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Atomic Rose 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Musk Therapy 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Rehab 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
ISSEY MIYAKE Pulse Of The Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
ISSEY MIYAKE L'Eau d'Issey Noir Ambre 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
ISSEY MIYAKE L'Eau d'Issey For Man 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML -$10.50
ISSEY MIYAKE FUSION D'ISSEY 2020 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male SnowGlobe 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
JOHN VARVATOS OUD EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
KILIAN Let's Settle in the Bedroom like Adults 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $10.50
KILIAN Angel's Share 2 ML - $12.50
LACOSTE L.12.12 EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
LACOSTE L.12.12 EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
LACOSTE Inspiration 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
LACOSTE Touch of Pink 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
Lattafa Oud For Glory Bade Al Oud (Initio Oud for Greatness Clone) 2 ML -$3, 5 ML -$7,10 ML $14
Lattafa Velvet Oud EDP (Tom Ford Ombre Leather Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
Lattafa Woody Oud (Tom Ford Oud Wood Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
Lattafa Alhambra Rose Petals EDP (Tom Ford Rose Prick Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML -$14
Lattafa Khamrah (Killian's Angels Share Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
L'Aventure Blanche Al Haramain EDP 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Lalique Encre Noire 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Lalique Encre Noire A L'extreme 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
LANCOME Hypnose 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
LANCOME La Vie Est Belle 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Mancera Aoud Lemon Mint 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Cedrat Boise 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Black Intensitive Aoud 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Instant Crush 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Martin Margiela By the fireplace 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Martin Margiela Sailing Day 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Martin Margiela By the Lemon Trees 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
MONTBLANC Explorer 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
MONTBLANC Legend EDP 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MONTBLANC Legend Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MONTBLANC Individuel 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MOSCHINO Toy Boy EDP 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MUGLER A*Men Pure Havane 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $11
MUGLER Cologne 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 10ML - $17.50
Mercedes Benz Club Black 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Mercedes Benz SELECT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Marc Jacobs DECADENCE 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Miu Miu Miu Miu 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
NAUTICA Voyage 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $13.50
Narcisco Rodrigues For Her EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $11.25
Nasomatto Black Afgano 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Baraonda 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Pardon 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Duro 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Ormonde Jayne Tolu 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $15.50
PACO RABANNE XS 2018 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Penhaligon - The Favourite Eau De Parfum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Greenley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Kuhuyan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Akaster 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Percival 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Kalan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Darley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Nisean 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Habdan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Pegasus 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Pegasus Exclusif 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
Parfums de Marly Layton 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Layton Exclusif 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
Parfums de Marly Oajan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Sedley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Shagya 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Godolphin 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Galloway 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Carlisle 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Herod 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada Marienbad 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada Day for Night 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada L’Homme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada L’Homme INTENSE 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada Luna Rossa Carbon 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada Luna Rossa OCEAN 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
PINO Selvestre Original 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
ROCHAS Moustache EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Reyane Tradition Insurrection II Pure Extreme 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML - $11.50
Ralph Lauren POLO BLUE EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML-$15.50
Ralph Lauren POLO RED 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Ralph Lauren Blue 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Revlon Charlie Red 5 ML - $2.50, 10 ML - $5.50
Revlon Charlie Gold 5 ML - $2.50, 10 ML - $5.50
Serge Lutens Chergui 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Serge Lutens Clair de Musc 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Serge Lutens La Couche du Diable 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
SHISEIDO Relaxing Fragrance 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $22.50 (Discntd/hard to find)
Swiss Arabian Royal Mystery EDP 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
SEAN JOHN Unforgivable 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $16.50
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Teo Cabanel Barkhane 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Tiziana Terenzi Ursa 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Tiziana Terenzi Chimaera Extrait De Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
TOM FORD Ombre Leather EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Grey Vetiver EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Beau De Jour EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Black Orchid Parfum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD NOIR EDP 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $19.50 NEW
TOM FORD NOIR EXTREME EDP 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $19.50 NEW
TOM FORD NOIR EXTREME PARFUM 2022 EDP 2 ML - $11.50, 5 ML - $23.50 NEW
TOM FORD OUD WOOD EDP Private Blend 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
TOM FORD Tuscan Leather EDP Private Blend 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
TOM FORD Venetian Bergamot Private Blend Discntd. 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA EDT 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA 2021 EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA EDP Private Blend Discntd. 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $21.50
STERLING JUST JACK COLLECTION by ARMAF Eau De Parfum (Clones of Tom Ford fragrances):
TOBACCO LEAF (TOBACCO VANILLE Clone) 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
NEROLI (NEROLI PORTOFINO Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
HOMME NOIR (NOIR Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
NOIR ENDURANCE (NOIR EXTREME Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
BLACK IS BLACK (NOIR DE NOIR Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
OMBRE SUEDE (OMBRE LEATHER Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
FANTA FAB (THE Fuckxxing FABULOUS Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
ITALIAN LEATHER (TUSCAN LEATHER Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
Tommy Bahama Set Sail St. Barts 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Torry Burch Torry Burch 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Usher UR 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb Extreme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb Infrared 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf FlowerBomb 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
VERSACE Man Eau Fraiche 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML - $15.50
VERSACE DYLAN Blue 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Pour Homme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE EROS EDT 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9
VERSACE EROS EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE EROS FLAME 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Pour Homme OUD NOIR EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Bright Crystal 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Ambre Impérial Van Cleef & Arpels 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Erba Pura 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Naxos 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Lira 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Y EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL L’Homme EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $9.50
YSL La Nuit de L’Homme EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $9.50
YSL L’Homme Le Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL La Nuit de L’Homme Le Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL LIBRE EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL Tuxedo 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Caban 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Trench 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL 37 rue de Bellechasse 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
ZARA Denim Couture 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $8
4711 Original Eau de Cologne 4711 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
2023.06.03 17:45 REDLINE-007 [WTS] 300 Designer & niche fragrance brand names decants/samples (decant)
For sale fragrance decants/samples, prices are listed below in US dollars. All atomizers come in black plastic spray bottles with a lid & individually marked with labels. Shipping Canada $10 USD, USA $13 USD: first class airmail with tracking. I accept PayPal G&S (please pay any associated fees to PayPal) or Interac (Canada Only no fees), Local Pickup in Vancouver, BC, Canada is also possible, please pm/chat me if you are interested.
Feedback, Photos & Fragrantica Page:
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/fragranceswap/search/?q=redline-007&restrict\_sr=1&sr\_nsfw=&type=comment
eBay: https://feedback.ebay.ca/fdbk/feedback\_profile/silver.\*.star
Photos: https://imgur.com/a/Vlhetr8
Fragrantica Page https://www.fragrantica.com/membe1450019
The Price list is in USD and updated on 06.03.2023
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - 9.50, 10 ML - $17.50
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO Eau de Parfum 2022 - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - 10.50, 10 ML - $18.50
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO ABSOLU 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profondo 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profondo Lights 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profumo 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger with You 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger Intensely 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger Absolutely 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI City Glam 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Si Fiori 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
ARMANI Si Passione 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
ARMANI Code Feme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
AZZARO Wanted By Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $13.50
AZZARO The Most Wanted EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
AZZARO The Most Wanted PARFUM 2022 - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
Atelier Cologne Ambre Nue 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Atelier Cologne Clementine California 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Atelier Cologne Bois Blonds 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Amouage Interlude Black Iris 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Amouage Interlude Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Amouage Meander 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Enclave 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Lyric Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Boundless 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Memoir Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Dia Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Jubilation XXV 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Beach Hut Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Epic Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Reflection Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Beloved Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Aedes De Venustas Grenadille d’Afrique 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Atelier des Ors Rose Omeyyade 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Intenza 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Bergamotto Di Calabria 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Chinotto Di Liguria 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ACQUA Di PARMA OUD EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Leather 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia MIRRA 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
ACQUA Di PARMA FICO di AMALFI 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua di Parma Arancia di Capri 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Colonia Club 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Quercia 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Acqua Di Parma Mandorlo Di Sicilia 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Mirto Di Panarea 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Essenza 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ARIANA GRANDE Cloud 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $20
Anna Sui Flight of Fancy 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $16
Al Haramain L’Aventure 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Al Harmain L’Aventure Blanche 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF CDNIM 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF CDNIM Parfum Version 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
ARMAF CDNIM Milestone 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
ARMAF Tres Nuit 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF Derby Club House 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
BURBERRY Mr. Burberry 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
BURBERRY Mr. Burberry EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
Bond 9 New York Nights 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50, 10 ML - $25.50
Bond 9 Chinatown 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML- $15.50, 10 ML - $25.50
BVLGARI Goldea The Roman Night 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $17.50
BENTLEY INTENSE Eau de Parfum 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
BERDOUES Collection Perfumes GRAND CRU Eau de parfum made in FRANCE:
MILLÉSIME OUD WA VANILLIA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
MAASAÏ MARA - 2 ML - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
SOMEI YOSHINO - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
PÉNG LÁI - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
AZUR RIVERA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Banana Republic ICON COLLECTION Eau de Parfum:
Tobacco & Tonka Bean - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Gardenia & Cardamom - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
83 Leather Reserve - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Dark Cherry & Amber - 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML- $17.50
Neroli Woods - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
17 Oud Mosaic - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
78 Vintage Green - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Peony & Peppercorn - - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Linen Vetiver - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
90 Pure White - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
06 Black Platinum - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Cypress Cedar - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
CARNER BARCELONA Botafumeiro - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $9, 10ML - $17.50
CARNER BARCELONA Ambar Del Sur - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $9, 10ML - $17.50
CHANEL Gabrielle Essence 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
CHANEL Allure 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport Cologne 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Egoiste Platinum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Pour Monsieur EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Creed Aventus 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $20.50
Creed Aventus 10th Anniversary 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Aventus Cologne 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Aventus For Her 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Viking 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Viking Cologne 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed EROLFA 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Neroli Sauvage 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Millesime Imperial 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Original Vetiver 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Original Santal 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Green Irish Tweed 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Oud 2 ML - $14.50, 5 ML - $33.50
Creed Himalaya 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Tabarome 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Bois du Portugal 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Virgin Island Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Silver Mountain Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Maifair 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Princess Oud 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed Pure White Cologne 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed Jardin d’Amalfi 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed White Amber 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Carolina Herrera Saffron Lazuli 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50, 10 ML - $45.50
Carolina Herrera Bad Boy 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
CARTIER Pasha Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
CHOPARD Amber Malaki 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML - $10.50
COACH New York Eau De Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
COSTUME NATIONAL Soul 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Calvin Klein ETERNITY 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Calvin Klein Truth 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Calvin Klein Truth for Her 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
COTY ASPEN 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
DIOR Fahrenheit EDT 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
DIOR Fahrenheit Le Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
DIOR Homme 2020 EDT 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
DIOR Homme Le Parfum 2020 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50 (RARE)
DIOR Homme ORIGINAL 2021 EDT - 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50 (NEW & RARE)
DIOR Homme Cologne 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
DIOR SAUVAGE EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR SAUVAGE Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
DIOR EAU SAUVAGE PARFUM 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR EAU SAUVAGE EXTREME 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR Jadore EDT 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
DIOR Addict Shine 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana The One EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G The One INTENSE EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $18.50
D & G Velvet Amber Sun EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Dolce & Gabbana K (KING) 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Dolce & Gabbana K (KING) EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana INTENSO EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue For Her 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G Light Blue Eau Intense 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G Light Blue Intense For Her 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
DIESEL Spirit of The Brave 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Demeter Pineapple 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14
Elizabeth & James White Nirvana 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Etat Libre d’Orange You or Someone Else 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9.50, 10 ML - $17.50
English Laundry Windsor 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
English Laundry Notting Hill 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.25, 10 ML - $48
Francis Kurkdjian L’Homme A la Rose 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $22.50
Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 - 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood EDP 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Petit Matin EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Vitae 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Guerlain Oud Essentiel 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50, 10 ML - $20.50
Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50, 10 ML - $19.50
Guerlain Mon Guerlain EDP 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50, 10 ML - $19.50
GUCCI Guilty EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
GUCCI Guilty Pour Homme EDP 2020 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Guilty OUD 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $14.50
GUCCI Guilty Love Edition 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Made To Measure 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Bloom Profumo 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $4.50, 10 ML - $8.50
Giorgio Beverly Hills Wings 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
HERMES Terre EDT 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $10.50
HERMES Terre Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
HERMES H24 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $10.50
HERMES TWILLY Eau De Parfum - 2 ML - $5
HERMES Rhubarbe Ecarlate - 2 ML - $5
HERMES D'Orange Verte - 2 ML - $5
HERMES Un Jardin Sur Le Toit 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Intense 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Infinite 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Hugo Reversed 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS FEME 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $15.50
INITIO Oud For Greatness 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Side Effect 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Atomic Rose 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Musk Therapy 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Rehab 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
ISSEY MIYAKE Pulse Of The Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
ISSEY MIYAKE L'Eau d'Issey Noir Ambre 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
ISSEY MIYAKE L'Eau d'Issey For Man 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML -$10.50
ISSEY MIYAKE FUSION D'ISSEY 2020 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male SnowGlobe 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
JOHN VARVATOS OUD EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
KILIAN Let's Settle in the Bedroom like Adults 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $10.50
KILIAN Angel's Share 2 ML - $12.50
LACOSTE L.12.12 EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
LACOSTE L.12.12 EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
LACOSTE Inspiration 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
LACOSTE Touch of Pink 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
Lattafa Oud For Glory Bade Al Oud (Initio Oud for Greatness Clone) 2 ML -$3, 5 ML -$7,10 ML $14
Lattafa Velvet Oud EDP (Tom Ford Ombre Leather Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
Lattafa Woody Oud (Tom Ford Oud Wood Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
Lattafa Alhambra Rose Petals EDP (Tom Ford Rose Prick Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML -$14
Lattafa Khamrah (Killian's Angels Share Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
L'Aventure Blanche Al Haramain EDP 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Lalique Encre Noire 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Lalique Encre Noire A L'extreme 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
LANCOME Hypnose 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
LANCOME La Vie Est Belle 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Mancera Aoud Lemon Mint 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Cedrat Boise 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Black Intensitive Aoud 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Instant Crush 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Martin Margiela By the fireplace 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Martin Margiela Sailing Day 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Martin Margiela By the Lemon Trees 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
MONTBLANC Explorer 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
MONTBLANC Legend EDP 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MONTBLANC Legend Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MONTBLANC Individuel 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MOSCHINO Toy Boy EDP 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MUGLER A*Men Pure Havane 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $11
MUGLER Cologne 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 10ML - $17.50
Mercedes Benz Club Black 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Mercedes Benz SELECT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Marc Jacobs DECADENCE 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Miu Miu Miu Miu 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
NAUTICA Voyage 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $13.50
Narcisco Rodrigues For Her EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $11.25
Nasomatto Black Afgano 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Baraonda 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Pardon 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Duro 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Ormonde Jayne Tolu 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $15.50
PACO RABANNE XS 2018 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Penhaligon - The Favourite Eau De Parfum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Greenley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Kuhuyan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Akaster 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Percival 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Kalan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Darley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Nisean 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Habdan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Pegasus 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Pegasus Exclusif 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
Parfums de Marly Layton 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Layton Exclusif 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
Parfums de Marly Oajan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Sedley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Shagya 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Godolphin 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Galloway 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Carlisle 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Herod 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada Marienbad 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada Day for Night 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada L’Homme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada L’Homme INTENSE 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada Luna Rossa Carbon 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada Luna Rossa OCEAN 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
PINO Selvestre Original 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
ROCHAS Moustache EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Reyane Tradition Insurrection II Pure Extreme 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML - $11.50
Ralph Lauren POLO BLUE EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML-$15.50
Ralph Lauren POLO RED 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Ralph Lauren Blue 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Revlon Charlie Red 5 ML - $2.50, 10 ML - $5.50
Revlon Charlie Gold 5 ML - $2.50, 10 ML - $5.50
Serge Lutens Chergui 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Serge Lutens Clair de Musc 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Serge Lutens La Couche du Diable 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
SHISEIDO Relaxing Fragrance 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $22.50 (Discntd/hard to find)
Swiss Arabian Royal Mystery EDP 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
SEAN JOHN Unforgivable 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $16.50
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Teo Cabanel Barkhane 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Tiziana Terenzi Ursa 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Tiziana Terenzi Chimaera Extrait De Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
TOM FORD Ombre Leather EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Grey Vetiver EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Beau De Jour EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Black Orchid Parfum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD NOIR EDP 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $19.50 NEW
TOM FORD NOIR EXTREME EDP 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $19.50 NEW
TOM FORD NOIR EXTREME PARFUM 2022 EDP 2 ML - $11.50, 5 ML - $23.50 NEW
TOM FORD OUD WOOD EDP Private Blend 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
TOM FORD Tuscan Leather EDP Private Blend 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
TOM FORD Venetian Bergamot Private Blend Discntd. 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA EDT 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA 2021 EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA EDP Private Blend Discntd. 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $21.50
STERLING JUST JACK COLLECTION by ARMAF Eau De Parfum (Clones of Tom Ford fragrances):
TOBACCO LEAF (TOBACCO VANILLE Clone) 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
NEROLI (NEROLI PORTOFINO Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
HOMME NOIR (NOIR Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
NOIR ENDURANCE (NOIR EXTREME Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
BLACK IS BLACK (NOIR DE NOIR Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
OMBRE SUEDE (OMBRE LEATHER Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
FANTA FAB (THE Fuckxxing FABULOUS Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
ITALIAN LEATHER (TUSCAN LEATHER Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
Tommy Bahama Set Sail St. Barts 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Torry Burch Torry Burch 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Usher UR 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb Extreme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb Infrared 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf FlowerBomb 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
VERSACE Man Eau Fraiche 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML - $15.50
VERSACE DYLAN Blue 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Pour Homme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE EROS EDT 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9
VERSACE EROS EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE EROS FLAME 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Pour Homme OUD NOIR EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Bright Crystal 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Ambre Impérial Van Cleef & Arpels 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Erba Pura 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Naxos 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Lira 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Y EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL L’Homme EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $9.50
YSL La Nuit de L’Homme EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $9.50
YSL L’Homme Le Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL La Nuit de L’Homme Le Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL LIBRE EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL Tuxedo 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Caban 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Trench 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL 37 rue de Bellechasse 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
ZARA Denim Couture 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $8
4711 Original Eau de Cologne 4711 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
submitted by REDLINE-007 to fragranceswap [link] [comments]
Feedback, Photos & Fragrantica Page:
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/fragranceswap/search/?q=redline-007&restrict\_sr=1&sr\_nsfw=&type=comment
eBay: https://feedback.ebay.ca/fdbk/feedback\_profile/silver.\*.star
Photos: https://imgur.com/a/Vlhetr8
Fragrantica Page https://www.fragrantica.com/membe1450019
The Price list is in USD and updated on 06.03.2023
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - 9.50, 10 ML - $17.50
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO Eau de Parfum 2022 - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - 10.50, 10 ML - $18.50
ARMANI Acqua Di GIO ABSOLU 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profondo 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profondo Lights 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Profumo 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger with You 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger Intensely 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Stronger Absolutely 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI City Glam 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
ARMANI Si Fiori 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
ARMANI Si Passione 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
ARMANI Code Feme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
AZZARO Wanted By Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $13.50
AZZARO The Most Wanted EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
AZZARO The Most Wanted PARFUM 2022 - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
Atelier Cologne Ambre Nue 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Atelier Cologne Oud Saphir 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Atelier Cologne Clementine California 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Atelier Cologne Bois Blonds 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Amouage Interlude Black Iris 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Amouage Interlude Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Amouage Meander 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Enclave 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Lyric Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Boundless 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Memoir Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Dia Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Jubilation XXV 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Beach Hut Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Epic Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Reflection Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Amouage Beloved Man 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Aedes De Venustas Grenadille d’Afrique 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Atelier des Ors Rose Omeyyade 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Intenza 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Bergamotto Di Calabria 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Chinotto Di Liguria 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ACQUA Di PARMA OUD EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Leather 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $16
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia MIRRA 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
ACQUA Di PARMA FICO di AMALFI 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua di Parma Arancia di Capri 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Colonia Club 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Quercia 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Acqua Di Parma Mandorlo Di Sicilia 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
Acqua Di Parma Mirto Di Panarea 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
ACQUA Di PARMA Colonia Essenza 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50
ARIANA GRANDE Cloud 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $20
Anna Sui Flight of Fancy 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $16
Al Haramain L’Aventure 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Al Harmain L’Aventure Blanche 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF CDNIM 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF CDNIM Parfum Version 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
ARMAF CDNIM Milestone 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
ARMAF Tres Nuit 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
ARMAF Derby Club House 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
BURBERRY Mr. Burberry 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
BURBERRY Mr. Burberry EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $15.50
Bond 9 New York Nights 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50, 10 ML - $25.50
Bond 9 Chinatown 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML- $15.50, 10 ML - $25.50
BVLGARI Goldea The Roman Night 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $17.50
BENTLEY INTENSE Eau de Parfum 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $18
BERDOUES Collection Perfumes GRAND CRU Eau de parfum made in FRANCE:
MILLÉSIME OUD WA VANILLIA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
MAASAÏ MARA - 2 ML - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
SOMEI YOSHINO - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
PÉNG LÁI - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
AZUR RIVERA - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Banana Republic ICON COLLECTION Eau de Parfum:
Tobacco & Tonka Bean - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Gardenia & Cardamom - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
83 Leather Reserve - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Dark Cherry & Amber - 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML- $17.50
Neroli Woods - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
17 Oud Mosaic - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
78 Vintage Green - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Peony & Peppercorn - - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Linen Vetiver - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
90 Pure White - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
06 Black Platinum - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
Cypress Cedar - 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML- $13.50
CARNER BARCELONA Botafumeiro - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $9, 10ML - $17.50
CARNER BARCELONA Ambar Del Sur - 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $9, 10ML - $17.50
CHANEL Gabrielle Essence 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Bleu Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
CHANEL Allure 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport Cologne 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Egoiste Platinum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
CHANEL Pour Monsieur EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $16.50
Creed Aventus 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $20.50
Creed Aventus 10th Anniversary 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Aventus Cologne 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Aventus For Her 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Creed Viking 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Viking Cologne 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed EROLFA 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Neroli Sauvage 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Millesime Imperial 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Original Vetiver 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Original Santal 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Green Irish Tweed 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Oud 2 ML - $14.50, 5 ML - $33.50
Creed Himalaya 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Tabarome 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Bois du Portugal 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Virgin Island Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Silver Mountain Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Maifair 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Water 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Creed Royal Princess Oud 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed Pure White Cologne 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed Jardin d’Amalfi 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Creed White Amber 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Carolina Herrera Saffron Lazuli 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50, 10 ML - $45.50
Carolina Herrera Bad Boy 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
CARTIER Pasha Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
CHOPARD Amber Malaki 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML - $10.50
COACH New York Eau De Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
COSTUME NATIONAL Soul 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Calvin Klein ETERNITY 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Calvin Klein Truth 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Calvin Klein Truth for Her 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
COTY ASPEN 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
DIOR Fahrenheit EDT 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
DIOR Fahrenheit Le Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
DIOR Homme 2020 EDT 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
DIOR Homme Le Parfum 2020 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50 (RARE)
DIOR Homme ORIGINAL 2021 EDT - 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50 (NEW & RARE)
DIOR Homme Cologne 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
DIOR SAUVAGE EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR SAUVAGE Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
DIOR EAU SAUVAGE PARFUM 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR EAU SAUVAGE EXTREME 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
DIOR Jadore EDT 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
DIOR Addict Shine 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana The One EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G The One INTENSE EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50, 10 ML - $18.50
D & G Velvet Amber Sun EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Dolce & Gabbana K (KING) 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Dolce & Gabbana K (KING) EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana INTENSO EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue For Her 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G Light Blue Eau Intense 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
D & G Light Blue Intense For Her 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
DIESEL Spirit of The Brave 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Demeter Pineapple 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14
Elizabeth & James White Nirvana 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
Etat Libre d’Orange You or Someone Else 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9.50, 10 ML - $17.50
English Laundry Windsor 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
English Laundry Notting Hill 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.25, 10 ML - $48
Francis Kurkdjian L’Homme A la Rose 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $22.50
Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 - 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood EDP 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
Francis Kurkdjian Oud Silk Mood Extrait 2 ML - $12.50, 5 ML - $30.50
Francis Kurkdjian Petit Matin EDP 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Vitae 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $18.50
Guerlain Oud Essentiel 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50, 10 ML - $20.50
Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50, 10 ML - $19.50
Guerlain Mon Guerlain EDP 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $11.50, 10 ML - $19.50
GUCCI Guilty EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
GUCCI Guilty Pour Homme EDP 2020 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Guilty OUD 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $14.50
GUCCI Guilty Love Edition 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Made To Measure 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
GUCCI Bloom Profumo 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $4.50, 10 ML - $8.50
Giorgio Beverly Hills Wings 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
HERMES Terre EDT 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $10.50
HERMES Terre Parfum 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
HERMES H24 2 ML - $5, 5 ML - $10.50
HERMES TWILLY Eau De Parfum - 2 ML - $5
HERMES Rhubarbe Ecarlate - 2 ML - $5
HERMES D'Orange Verte - 2 ML - $5
HERMES Un Jardin Sur Le Toit 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Intense 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $17.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Infinite 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Bottled Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS Hugo Reversed 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
HUGO BOSS FEME 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $15.50
INITIO Oud For Greatness 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Side Effect 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Atomic Rose 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Musk Therapy 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
INITIO Rehab 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
ISSEY MIYAKE Pulse Of The Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
ISSEY MIYAKE L'Eau d'Issey Noir Ambre 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
ISSEY MIYAKE L'Eau d'Issey For Man 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML -$10.50
ISSEY MIYAKE FUSION D'ISSEY 2020 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male SnowGlobe 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
JOHN VARVATOS OUD EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
KILIAN Let's Settle in the Bedroom like Adults 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $10.50
KILIAN Angel's Share 2 ML - $12.50
LACOSTE L.12.12 EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
LACOSTE L.12.12 EDP 2020 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
LACOSTE Inspiration 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
LACOSTE Touch of Pink 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
Lattafa Oud For Glory Bade Al Oud (Initio Oud for Greatness Clone) 2 ML -$3, 5 ML -$7,10 ML $14
Lattafa Velvet Oud EDP (Tom Ford Ombre Leather Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
Lattafa Woody Oud (Tom Ford Oud Wood Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
Lattafa Alhambra Rose Petals EDP (Tom Ford Rose Prick Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML -$14
Lattafa Khamrah (Killian's Angels Share Clone) 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $14
L'Aventure Blanche Al Haramain EDP 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
Lalique Encre Noire 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Lalique Encre Noire A L'extreme 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
LANCOME Hypnose 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
LANCOME La Vie Est Belle 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Mancera Aoud Lemon Mint 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Cedrat Boise 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Black Intensitive Aoud 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Mancera Instant Crush 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 5ML - $17.50
Martin Margiela By the fireplace 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Martin Margiela Sailing Day 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Martin Margiela By the Lemon Trees 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
MONTBLANC Explorer 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
MONTBLANC Legend EDP 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MONTBLANC Legend Night 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MONTBLANC Individuel 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MOSCHINO Toy Boy EDP 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50
MUGLER A*Men Pure Havane 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $11
MUGLER Cologne 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10.50, 10ML - $17.50
Mercedes Benz Club Black 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Mercedes Benz SELECT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
Marc Jacobs DECADENCE 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Miu Miu Miu Miu 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
NAUTICA Voyage 2 ML - $3, 5 ML - $7, 10 ML - $13.50
Narcisco Rodrigues For Her EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $11.25
Nasomatto Black Afgano 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Baraonda 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Pardon 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Nasomatto Duro 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $23
Ormonde Jayne Tolu 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML - $15.50
PACO RABANNE XS 2018 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $12.50
Penhaligon - The Favourite Eau De Parfum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Greenley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Kuhuyan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Akaster 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Percival 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Kalan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Darley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Nisean 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Habdan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Pegasus 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Pegasus Exclusif 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
Parfums de Marly Layton 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Layton Exclusif 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
Parfums de Marly Oajan 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Sedley 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Shagya 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Godolphin 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Galloway 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Carlisle 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Parfums de Marly Herod 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada Marienbad 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada Day for Night 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Prada L’Homme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada L’Homme INTENSE 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada Luna Rossa Carbon 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Prada Luna Rossa OCEAN 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
PINO Selvestre Original 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $13.50
ROCHAS Moustache EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Reyane Tradition Insurrection II Pure Extreme 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML - $11.50
Ralph Lauren POLO BLUE EDP 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10, 10 ML-$15.50
Ralph Lauren POLO RED 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $7.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Ralph Lauren Blue 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Revlon Charlie Red 5 ML - $2.50, 10 ML - $5.50
Revlon Charlie Gold 5 ML - $2.50, 10 ML - $5.50
Serge Lutens Chergui 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $13.50
Serge Lutens Clair de Musc 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Serge Lutens La Couche du Diable 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
SHISEIDO Relaxing Fragrance 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $22.50 (Discntd/hard to find)
Swiss Arabian Royal Mystery EDP 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5.50, 10 ML - $10.50
SEAN JOHN Unforgivable 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $16.50
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $10
Teo Cabanel Barkhane 2 ML - $5.50, 5 ML - $12.50
Tiziana Terenzi Ursa 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Tiziana Terenzi Chimaera Extrait De Parfum 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
TOM FORD Ombre Leather EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Grey Vetiver EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Beau De Jour EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD Black Orchid Parfum 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD NOIR EDP 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $19.50 NEW
TOM FORD NOIR EXTREME EDP 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $19.50 NEW
TOM FORD NOIR EXTREME PARFUM 2022 EDP 2 ML - $11.50, 5 ML - $23.50 NEW
TOM FORD OUD WOOD EDP Private Blend 2 ML - $10.50, 5 ML - $25.50
TOM FORD Tuscan Leather EDP Private Blend 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $20.50
TOM FORD Venetian Bergamot Private Blend Discntd. 2 ML - $8.50, 5 ML - $18.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA EDT 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA 2021 EDP 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
TOM FORD COSTA AZZURRA EDP Private Blend Discntd. 2 ML - $9.50, 5 ML - $21.50
STERLING JUST JACK COLLECTION by ARMAF Eau De Parfum (Clones of Tom Ford fragrances):
TOBACCO LEAF (TOBACCO VANILLE Clone) 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
NEROLI (NEROLI PORTOFINO Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
HOMME NOIR (NOIR Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
NOIR ENDURANCE (NOIR EXTREME Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
BLACK IS BLACK (NOIR DE NOIR Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
OMBRE SUEDE (OMBRE LEATHER Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
FANTA FAB (THE Fuckxxing FABULOUS Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
ITALIAN LEATHER (TUSCAN LEATHER Clone) - 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $6.50, 10 ML- $12.50
Tommy Bahama Set Sail St. Barts 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Torry Burch Torry Burch 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50
Usher UR 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $8.50, 10 ML - $14.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb Extreme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf SpiceBomb Infrared 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Viktor & Rolf FlowerBomb 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
VERSACE Man Eau Fraiche 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9, 10 ML - $15.50
VERSACE DYLAN Blue 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Pour Homme 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE EROS EDT 2 ML - $4, 5 ML - $9
VERSACE EROS EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE EROS FLAME 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Pour Homme OUD NOIR EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
VERSACE Bright Crystal 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
Ambre Impérial Van Cleef & Arpels 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Erba Pura 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Naxos 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
Xerjoff Lira 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Y EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL L’Homme EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $9.50
YSL La Nuit de L’Homme EDT 2 ML - $3.50, 5 ML - $9.50
YSL L’Homme Le Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL La Nuit de L’Homme Le Parfum 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL LIBRE EDP 2 ML - $4.50, 5 ML - $10.50
YSL Tuxedo 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Caban 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL Trench 2 ML - $6.50, 5 ML - $15.50
YSL 37 rue de Bellechasse 2 ML - $7.50, 5 ML - $17.50
ZARA Denim Couture 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $4, 10 ML - $8
4711 Original Eau de Cologne 4711 2 ML - $2.50, 5 ML - $5, 10 ML - $9
2023.06.03 17:32 HeadOfSpectre The Soldier
"Think of this as a chance at revenge," Sweeney said.
Revenge.
What a moronically quaint idea.
This jumped up little shit had come into my home, interrupted my retirement and here he was talking to me about revenge, as if he knew the first thing about what I’d seen, what I’d been through, why I’d quit.
Looking into his eyes, I knew he didn’t understand. I knew he couldn’t.
I've been hunting vampires for most of my life. I've killed more of them than I can count. But Clementine Di Cesare was no ordinary vampire. Hell, none of the Di Cesares were ordinary vampires, but even among them Clementine was… unique. She was the one all the others quietly feared. The one who was even spoken of with reverence by the Di Cesares masters, those twin Immortals who could not be killed by any weapon of this world. Seeking revenge against her was like seeking revenge against death itself.
“Revenge?” I repeated, with a dismissive scoff.
“You’re really going to tell me that after what she put you through, you don’t want revenge?” Sweeney asked.
“If you knew what she did to me, you’d know why I don’t want revenge,” I replied.
“Really? Sorry Franklin, but I don’t buy that. Look, I get it if you’re reluctant to jump back into the fight. I do. You of all people know just how dangerous the Di Cesare’s are. Especially ‘La Morte’.”
I looked over at him as he said that name. It rolled off his tongue so irreverently. To him, it was just a name. An alias assigned to some vampire he’s only heard of stories. He didn’t utter it with the respect it deserved, and I almost couldn’t be bothered to correct him. Any words spent on this small minded glory hound were probably wasted.
“Yes, I do know.”
“Which is why I need you,” Sweeney said. He almost sounded as if he were pleading with me. “Think of this as an opportunity to set things right… to put that vampire bitch in the ground where she belongs, and save God only knows how many lives in the process!”
I sighed.
He just didn’t get it.
“Mark my words, Mr. Sweeney, if you chase after Clementine Di Cesare, you’ll end far more lives than you save. She didn’t get a name like ‘La Morte’ for nothing. She earned it. Purchased it with the blood of the tens of thousands she’s sent screaming into the maw of Hell. She is not something you chase, Sweeney.”
“She’s a vampire,” Sweeney said dismissively. “She’s another enemy to destroy.”
“That’s what George Bundy said,” I replied. “Then not too long after, he died.”
“I’m not George Bundy,” Sweeney said.
“No. You sure as hell ain’t,” I agreed, before looking the kid in the eye.
He thought he was an up and comer, climbing the ranks of the Brethren. He probably thought of himself as some sort of badass vampire hunter too, when in reality he could never have so much as dreamed of holding a candle to the likes of Bundy… or hell, any of the men who’d died in Brazil.
“You should watch your tone with me,” Sweeney warned.
“Or you’ll do what?” I asked, “You ain’t going to frighten me with vague threats, boy. I’ve walked through Hell, trying to kill the Devil. What have you done?”
Sweeney bit his lip but didn’t respond.
“There’s nothing you can say or do that will intimidate me,” I said, before lighting myself a cigarette. I stared at the road outside of my porch, old memories flooding back to me before looking over at Sweeney again. He sat in his chair beside me like a sulky child. This was the man who wanted to destroy the Di Cesare family? Pathetic.
“Exactly how much do you know about the Brazil Job?” I asked.
“I know it was a failure. Clementine Di Cesare killed most of the men the Brethren sent out… all except for you. You were the only one good enough to beat her.”
“Good enough…” I repeated with a huff, “Hardly… whatever picture you’ve got in your head of some glorified battle, throw it away. Trust me, the Brazil Job was anything but glorious. It was a two hour long trek through Hell. And I didn’t beat Di Cesare at the end of it. I survived her. They’re two different things entirely.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Sweeney said.
“You wouldn’t, would you?” I sighed and took another drag on my cigarette.
This kid wasn’t going to leave until I made him understand… so I told him my story. I told him everything even though I knew he’d learn nothing from it.
***
I’d joined up with the Brethren Knights of St. Fontaine back in the 1980s to hunt monsters. Back then, it seemed like the best use of my skills. I’d done my tours with the army, but even after I got out, I was still looking for an enemy to fight. So naturally, once I found out that vampires were real, I set my sights on them. It seemed like the most sensible thing to do at the time.
The Brethren Knights fancied themselves the descendants of the Knights Templar, and they insisted that their God given mission was to protect mankind from the things that lurked in the shadows. I didn’t really have much love for God at the time, but if the Bretheren were the ones fighting the monsters, then I was happy to tolerate the Jesus freaks in their ranks.
It was 1988 when we first heard whispers of the Imperium. A supposed cabal of vampires, trying to get them organized. At the time, it’d seemed too crazy to be true. Vampires generally went their own way, in my experience. At most, they might have a partner but other than they they didn’t really socialize with their own kind. But supposedly someone out there had the big fucking balls to keep them in line, and whoever they were, they scared the shit out of the Brethren.
They’d started targeting high profile vampires, trying to find someone who was involved in this ‘Imperium’, hoping that maybe they might get someone to talk. And it wasn’t long until they found someone who did.
From my understanding, the vampire they captured didn’t seem to know much about who was actually running the show. But they knew who their second in command was… and that was when I first head about the Di Cesare family.
The name was familiar to some of the higher ups in the Brethren, and I’d heard some stories. Not sure which were true, but the long and short of it was that the Di Cesare’s and the Brethren shared a bloody history, and didn’t particularly like each other too much.
George Bundy explained it to me like this at one point: ‘The Di Cesare’s are an old family. Most of them used to be witches, up until their Matriarch turned them into vampires. Now they’re a whole new kind of nasty. Far as I know, the only time anyone’s actually managed to kill one was about 200 years ago. Anyone who’s tried since has ended up dead, so most folks don’t even bother anymore.’
I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising they’d be involved in the Imperium, but the mere mention of their name ruffled some feathers higher up on the chain of command, and eventually they put out a kill order on them. Most of the Di Cesare’s were generally pretty hard to track down, but the top brass had a pretty good line on their matriarch, Bianca Di Cesare. Supposedly, she’d been spotted near the family’s private estate in Brazil and rumor had it that most of her daughters were there too.
Normally, the brass wouldn’t have sanctioned any kind of attack on them. The Di Cesare’s were already considered off limits, and attacking them at their private estate was considered damn near impossible. The estate was located in a small mining town outside of Manaus called Refugio de Julia, or just Julia for short. The town was fairly remote, being only accessible from a few backroads and most folks tended to avoid it, claiming they’d had various strange encounters in the area. Their accounts described unsettling pale figures with dark hair and large green eyes working in the mines, although some of the more disturbing stories we heard involved sightings of other creatures in the jungle surrounding the town. Massive spiders with humanoid faces, tending rotting corpses filled with stinging bees, giant howling beasts who tore through the forest, hunting prey, and beautiful women who would appear in the nearby towns, betwitching men into coming away with them only to reveal themselves as monsters who fed on the blood of their victims. Some had even claimed the Di Cesares themselves were such beasts… although those claims weren’t taken quite as seriously.
A skeptic might say the stories that surrounded Julia seemed like little more than just local superstition… but the Brethren had been dealing with the supernatural for long enough to recognize when something was probably real, and when it was probably fake and they knew damn well that most of the stories about Julia were probably true. None of them had ever dared set foot in Julia to find out for sure, since doing so would probably be suicide, but the theory was that the Di Cesares had created Julia as something of a refuge for other creatures. Other vampires, werewolves, arachne, karah and all sorts of other hellspawn. They offered them a home and safety in exchange for their labor in the mines. Hell, the name of the town more or less spelled it out.
Refugio de Julia
Julia’s Haven.
Julia had been the name of the only member of the Di Cesare family that the Brethren had ever killed, so I guess it was only fitting they named the town after her.
I honestly think using other creatures like them as a workforce was a bit inspired… since it made Julia damn near impenetrable. Reaching their estate at the far side of the town would have been impossible without being noticed by every creature of hell living in that town, and odds are they’d tear anyone apart long before they even reached the gates of the Di Cesare estate. And if one had the bright idea to approach the estate from another angle, they’d be trudging through miles and miles of rainforest to do so, only end up face to face with a massive stone wall that kept the rainforest out.
In effect - the Di Cesare estate was a fortress. Getting in would be no easy feat, to say nothing of confronting the vampires within. But with the fear of the Imperium gnawing at the back of their minds, the Brethren had finally set their minds to trying.
George Bundy had been the one in charge of planning the operation out.
I’d known Bundy before I’d joined up with the Brethren. Hell, Bundy was the whole reason I’d joined the Brethren. He’d been my CO a number of years back, and he’d earned his reputation as a hardass just about ten or twenty times over. Bundy was a gruff looking man with a bushy moustache and intense eyes. During the years I knew him, I don’t believe I ever once saw him so much as crack a smile. He only ever seemed to speak when he felt there was something he needed to say. Otherwise, he was usually dead silent.
He was somewhere in his late fifties back in 88. By all rights, he ought to have retired years ago. But he refused.
“I’m a soldier,” He said, when I asked him about it once. “That’s all I am. I don’t know what else to be.”
Bundy’s initial plan had been to hit the Di Cesare estate from the air. Come in fast and loud with a couple of helicopters and see how those vampires stood up to some good old American flak. The idea got shot down pretty quickly, so to speak. Apperantly, most if not all of the Di Cesares had cursed their own bodies, causing whatever wound one inflicted on them to appear on whoever it was who had wounded them. Going in guns blazing would have ended in a bloodbath… and not for them. There were also some concerns about drawing attention from Julia. With no conclusive data on just what they had living in that town, there was no guarantee we’d be safe in the air. A few eyewitnesses had described seeing giant nests in some of the trees in the jungle, supposedly consistent with the nests made by harpies.
Flying in guns blazing was out. So Bundy went back to the drawing board and what he came back with… well, it was ballsy, but it almost seemed like it just might work. During his reconnisance of the Di Cesare’s estate, he’d noticed a large but shallow tributary flowing into the amazon river that led right through the Di Cesare’s estate. Along the tributary was an abandoned water mill, that connected to the Di Cesare estate.
He’d suggested using the water mill to gain entry to the grounds, and from there, move on the Di Cesare’s. That plan had been approved, and Bundy had been allowed to handpick his team for the operation. He’d chosen fifteen men, all of them ex military, most of them having served under him before.
He’d told us we would be dividing into three teams of five men each. We would leave Manaus by boat, and land at three different areas near the tributary before making our way to the mill on foot, where we would regroup, before moving on the Di Cesares. The reason for the division was to ensure that if any of our teams ran into trouble upon making ground, the entire operation wouldn’t be compromised.
Team 1, led by Bundy himself would depart first and land to the west of the tributary. Team 2, led by a man named Ferdinand Hernandez would make land about fifteen minutes later near the mouth of the tributary and Team 3, to be led by me would land fifteen minutes later to the east.
On the day of the operation, I sat in my boat, watching as the other two left. It was twilight when we set out, and I remember that as my team and I carried out our final checks on our equipment, the only thing I felt was a familiar anticipation.
I’d hesitate to call it fear. Fear is what came later. Anticipation is the better word. I knew we could be walking into a tough situation… but I trusted Bundy. I trusted he’d run a smooth op. God knew, he’d done it a thousand times before.
The team assigned to me wasn’t anything particularly special. They were competent enough, but none of them would’ve been my first choices. Jack McMullen, for instance, who was about the same age as I was at the time. We’d both served under Bundy before, although while I respected Bundy, Jack was wholly devoted to him. I swear, if the man had told him to stuff a live grenade up his ass, Jack would’ve done it without a moments hesitation. I dunno if Jack simply saw him as the father he’d never had or what, but he damn near worshipped Bundy.
I can’t quite say the same for the other guys we had with us, though. One of them, some greenhorn by the name of Pearce Wilson struck me as an airheaded pretty boy who’d never actually had his boots on the ground before, while the other one, Scott Barber had left a bad taste in my mouth last time we’d worked together. Barber was capable… but he was violent. This was a kid with a hell of a chip on his shoulder, and it looked a hell of a lot like that Confederate flag patch he wore on his jacket. He wanted an excuse to shoot something, and I don’t think he cared what. Under most circumstances I’m not sure I would’ve fully trusted him with a gun.
The last one though, Joseph Feng… him I trusted. Feng was the one I knew the least about, and he didn’t seem much for conversation. But he handled himself competently enough and seemed to know when to sit down and shut up.
When Team 2’s boat was far enough away, we got the radio signal to follow. Barber was the one steering the boat, so I gave him the order to cast off and we ventured out into the twilight, unaware of just what was waiting for us out there.
***
We landed in our designated area fifteen minutes after Team 2 confirmed they’d touched down at theirs. Our landing was fairly uneventful. Feng, Barber, and I secured the boat before we radio’d Bundy to let him know we were in position. After that, it was just a matter of making it to the tributary.
As we ventured into the jungle, the world around us was quiet. There was wind, the whisper of the river behind us, and the sounds of animals. But little else. The river fell away behind us as we moved in single file toward the tributary, maintaining radio silence as we did.
It was about a half hour before we heard the gunshot.
Just one, echoing through the twilight. But it was enough to give us pause.
“The fuck was that?” I heard Barber ask. Immediately, the kid was on high alert, with his gun raised as if he were expecting every monster in Julia to come charging at us from all angles.
I just listened, waiting to hear if there was anything else. I half expected my radio to come to life, but it didn’t.
“Team 1, status?” I asked.
The radio crackled with static, but there was no response.
I tried it again, but still with no success. The radio was working, that much I was sure of. Something had to be blocking the signal.
“What’s going on?” Feng asked.
“Dunno,” I replied. “Comms are down.”
“Down?” Wilson asked, “So we’re flying blind out here, then?”
“More or less,” I replied.
“What do we do? Do we go back… if the comms are down…”
“Just because something’s jamming our signal doesn’t mean we’re made,” I said. “Relax. We keep moving for now. You keep your eyes wide open, and your head on a swivel. We’ll make it to the tributary and see if we can’t meet up with the other teams.”
I could tell Wilson wasn’t a fan of my answer, but I didn’t much care. We had a job to do, and I aimed to do it.
I pressed on without a further word and the others followed. Up ahead, I could hear the sound of running water and picked up the pace. I figured the tributary had to be close… and I was right.
I emerged from the brush into the stream, only to pause when I saw what was waiting for us in the water.
In the dying sunlight, it was impossible to mistake the bodies sprawled out on the rocks as anything else… and all I needed to do was look at their uniforms to know they were our people.
“Jesus…” I heard Wilson say under his breath. He froze up, lingering by the bank as I cautiously approached one of the bodies.
It belonged to a somewhat heavyset man with a thin mustache who I recognized as Hernandez. His eyes were still open, although lifeless and staring in different directions, and there was a clean hole in his forehead where a bullet had ended his life. The gunshot we’d heard earlier had likely been the sound of his death.
Looking at the bodies around him, I knew they had to be the rest of Team 2… although it was a little harder pinning down their cause of death. Some sort of bladed weapon, perhaps, judging by the state of them. I realized the odds were that they walked into some sort of ambush.
“What about Bundy and Team 1?” Jack asked, “Any sign of them?”
“No,” I said. “These bodies are all from Team 2… Bundy could still be ahead of us.”
“Then we need to keep going!”
Jack turned, heading up the stream and Barber was right behind him. Feng paused for a moment, thinking this over before following. Only Wilson remained.
“How do we know we’re not walking into a trap?” He asked.
“We’ll deal with that when we get to it,” I said before moving to follow the others.
“With all due respect, Sarge… that doesn’t sound like the best course of action!” Wilson argued, finally following me. “It sounds just like a good way to get killed!”
“Yeah?” I asked, “I’m gonna tell you an ugly truth, kid. That’s the job. Make your peace with it, and it’ll go a lot easier.”
Wilson didn’t like that answer either and trailed off behind me, watching as I continued upstream. For a moment, I half expected him to go back to the boat… but no. I dunno if he found his balls or just didn’t want to get left behind, but he started to follow us again.
I kept trying to raise Team 1 on the radio while we walked, although I still had no luck. The light above us slowly faded into darkness as we trudged through the water in silence, guns sitting comfortably in our hands and mosquitos biting at our necks.
It wasn’t until we lost Feng that I heard anybody so much as make a sound, and when we lost Feng… it happened almost instantaneously. One minute, he was at the head of the group, walking just ahead of Jack and I. The next, he was gone, only barely having the time to let out a scream as he fell into the river ahead of us.
The rest of us paused. Jack seemed to freeze and I pushed past him, calling out for Feng as I did. As punishment for my compassion, I almost went down after him. I only barely stopped myself from stepping on the slippery rocks that had helped send him to his demise.
I could see Feng’s body in the water, and I could see the blood pouring out of him. He twitched a few times, but I knew he was dead. The sharpened wooden spikes jutting out of him confirmed as much.
“What the hell…” Jack said under his breath, staring at Feng’s corpse in disbelief. “That’s a fucking spike trap!”
Yeah.
It was indeed a fucking spike trap.
I could see other spikes jutting out of the water ahead of us, just past a small dam of rocks that were just slippery enough to make it difficult to stop yourself from falling. Some of those spikes had other bodies on them… likely members of Team 1. I only counted two, although that still didn’t exactly bode well.
“They put a fucking spike trap in the goddamn stream…” Jack said, “Who the hell does that?”
“Somebody who’s expecting us to use the stream,” I replied.
“So they know we’re coming?” Barber asked.
“Clearly…” I replied. “And they’ve got a good idea on what our route is too.”
“Yeah, no shit!” Barber snapped. “Christ… let’s get the fuck out of here. There’s probably more fucking traps upstream!”
“Bundy’s orders were clear!” Jack argued.
“Bundy’s probably dead by now!” Barber replied, before looking at me. “Sarge, come on. You have to know this is suicide!”
“Suicide was part of the job description, was it not?” I asked.
“The job is to kill those fucking vampires, not to die in the goddamn process! We need to get out of the stream and into the woods!”
“Judging by the fate Team 2 met, I’m not sure the forest is someplace we want to be right now,” I replied.
“Excuse me?” Barber asked, “What the hell are you talking about, Sarge?”
“Five men dead, but only one gunshot. How did the rest die?”
Barber didn’t seem to be able to answer that.
“By now… yes. It’s clear we’ve walked into a trap. And yes, I understand that it makes sense to try and leave that trap… but I don’t know if we’ll be safer in the jungle. Something jumped Team 2. Cut them apart, and then shot Hernandez as a warning. They didn’t have to shoot him. They did it so we’d hear.”
“Your point being?” Barber asked.
“I don’t think this is just a trap, Barber. It’s a game. Stop playing, and you might just end up like our friends downstream.”
“A game?” Wilson asked, “Sarge, you can’t be serious!”
“From where I’m standing, we have a better chance of surviving in the stream,” I said. “Look, we’re at least halfway to the rendezvous point, and there have to be at least two members of Team 1 left. The safest thing to do right now is to follow them.”
“You’re off your fucking rocker, Sarge,” Barber spat, locking his eyes with mine. For a moment, I thought the boy was going to try and fight me. But no. He was wise enough to stand down.
“If you wanna get yourself killed, go right the fuck ahead. Just leave me out of it! Wilson, come on,” Barber said before trudging over to the edge of the stream. Wilson didn’t even hesitate, just looking back at Jack and I quietly before he disappeared into the forest with Barber.
“You’re not gonna stop them?” Jack asked.
“No,” I replied. “God willing, there’s a chance that pigheaded asshole is right… dunno how much of a chance, but a chance.”
“Then how come we’re not following him?” Jack asked.
“There’s also a chance he’s wrong.”
I turned, before making my way around the spike trap.
“Keep a slower pace,” I said. “Watch for traps.”
Jack hesitated for a moment, but he followed me without any further questions and we walked in silence for a little longer.
We heard nothing from the trees. Nothing that told us about the fate of Barber and Wilson. I wasn’t sure if that was good news or not.
In fact, I don’t think we heard a thing until about a half hour later, when we heard the explosion.
It came out of almost nowhere, but ahead of us I could see a flash of light and hear the screams of men. On instinct, I found myself picking up the pace and could hear Jack behind me. In the low light, I saw a shape float past me in the stream. It took me a moment to realize that it was a severed human arm.
In the water ahead of us, I could see a figure clinging to one of the rocks and trying to pick himself up. I recognized him as George Bundy.
Jack was at his side almost immediately, trying to help the old man to his feet.
“Sir! Are you alright?”
Bundy just wheezed, before his legs gave out from under him. I helped Jack drag him to the shore so he could sit and rest for a moment.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, looking back at the stream.
“Grenade trap… I think…” Bundy panted, “Fucking tripwire… Popkov tripped it, I think…”
Popkov… odds are he was one of the two mangled corpses lying in the river a few feet away from us. It seemed they’d taken the brunt of the explosion, although Bundy still had some shrapnel in his arm that Jack was tending to.
“Christ… whole fucking ops gone to shit…” Bundy spat. “Team 2 got taken out just about as soon as they landed. Someone killed them and dumped them in the goddamn river. Lost half my boys to the fucking spike trap and half to this…”
He looked up at us, before spitting onto the ground.
“Guess you two haven’t done much better.”
“Hard to say,” I replied. “Two of ours took off into the woods, trying to avoid the traps.”
“Then they’re dead,” Bundy replied. “I’ve seen her watching us… always just up ahead, always from a distance… she’s seeing how far we’ll go. How much we’ll take…”
“She?” I asked.
“La Morte. Should’ve figured she’d be the one to greet us.”
“La Morte?” I asked.
“It’s Italian. Supposedly, she earned that name around the time the Di Cesares fled Venice. It’s funny, the Brethren like to act like the Di Cesares leaving Venice was some big victory of theirs, since before they did, they finally killed one of them… hard to call it a victory though, considering how many corpses they made before they fled. And most of them came from La Morte…”
Bundy winced in pain as Jack bandaged his arm before he continued talking.
“See… when the Di Cesare’s left Venice, one of them stayed behind. Clementine, the Scorpio sister. Guess she was unwilling to leave the fight unfinished… and according to the stories, the death toll she personally amassed in the years after the Di Cesare’s left Venice make the bodies they claimed during the Venetian Massacre a hundred and fifty years prior look like a pittance. The Brethren still occupying the city started to call her La Morte. Death. Cuz wherever she went, death followed in her wake… and it seems we’ve walked right into her open arms, haven’t we, boys?”
“You’re sure it’s her?” I asked.
“She’s a Di Cesare… and the shit we’ve seen out here… I don’t see any other Di Cesare setting those traps. It’s her. I’m sure of it. She’s watching us. Seeing how far we’ll go. Seeing if we’ll turn tail…”
“Should we?” Jack asked, and Bundy finally seemed to acknowledge him.
“Excuse me?” He asked.
“Should we? Look, sir… I’d follow you into the mouth of Hell, but right now, we’re down from fifteen men to three. Can’t say I’m optimistic about our chances right now. If this woman is half as bad as you’re saying she is, maybe it’s time we took a step back!”
Jack looked at me, hoping I might back him up, but I remained silent.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Bundy asked.
“What I’m hearing here, is that as of right now, the vampire out there could kill us at any time. She hasn’t. Far as I’m concerned, that’s mercy. Maybe we should be taking it while it’s offered.”
Bundy stared at him, before chuckling. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen him laugh.
“Just walk away, then?” He asked.
“Walk away, and come back better prepared!” Jack corrected.
“Walk away,” Bundy said again. “We walk away now, and there won’t be a chance to come back better prepared. We get one shot at this. One. Failure is not an option. We go in there and we kill them or we die. End of discussion.”
“And how exactly are we even supposed to kill them?” Jack asked, “That curse they have… bullets aren’t gonna do shit, sir!”
“Yours won’t, mine will…”
Bundy pulled his pistol from his holster. I noticed some sort of pattern crudely engraved on it.
“I’ve been doing some research… studied the curse they put on themselves… and I think I’ve found a way to break it. Not sure if it’ll work yet… but we get one chance to test it.”
Jack stared at the gun, then back at Bundy.
“Sir… do you hear yourself?” He asked quietly, “You can’t be serious… right now, even with that gun we don’t stand a chance in he-”
The gunshot echoed through the forest and made me jump. Jack’s voice died in his throat as he hit the ground.
Bundy stared at him for a moment, before huffing and holstering his pistol again. He draped his coat over his shoulders, before looking over at me.
“No room for failure, Frank,” He said calmly.
I didn’t know what to say to that. I stared down at Jack’s body, my mouth hanging open slightly. When I looked back at Bundy, he was already back in the stream.
There was a tense silence between Bundy and I as I followed him along the final stretch of the tributary. He trudged on ahead, covered in sweat and straining with every step, but I could sense the quiet determination he had to see this through. Looking at him, you could’ve told me that George Bundy could wipe out the Di Cesare’s all by himself and I would have believed it in a second.
The night around us was full of sound, and each one drew my attention. I watched the forest, expecting to see some sign of La Morte watching us. But I saw nothing, except for what she wanted me to see.
“Mill’s just up ahead,” I heard Bundy say as we pressed on, although I noticed his steps faltering as he seemed to notice something in the trees above us. I stopped behind him, looking up before seeing what he saw, and when I saw it I felt my stomach turn.
I’d seen death before.
But what Di Cesare had left out for us… that was something else.
Pearce Wilson and Scott Barber weren’t dead.
But if they could have spoke, I’ve got no doubt they would have begged us to kill them. Wilsons pretty face was covered in blood and his pouty lips were parted as more trickled out of him. His curly blond hair was matted and I could see crimson there. Tree branches portruded from his ribs, while the loops of his entrails dangled out of his opened stomach. And Barber was in just about the same state, only he seemed to at least have the ability to turn his head to look at us.
I think he might have tried to speak, but the only sound he seemed to be able to make was a pained whimper.
“Jesus Christ…” I said softly.
“He had nothing to do with this,” Bundy replied. He took one last look at the two dying men hanging from the trees, before moving on.
“We should put them out of their misery, sir,” I said.
Bundy paused, before looking back at me.
“Don’t waste the ammo, Frank,” He replied. “They’re already dead.”
“Not yet they’re not!”
“Give them time. They chose to go into the woods. They can live with the consequences… for however long that lasts.”
With that, he left them. If I were a more compassionate man, I would have put them out of their misery. But no. Bundy moved on and so did I.
He approached the water mill, before examining it. It was an old building, made of stone that had long since been overgrown by moss, and sat right on the wall that separated the Di Cesares estate from the amazon. It hardly looked secure, even if the only entrance hadn’t just been an old wooden door secured with a padlock, finding a way in wouldn’t have been difficult. And it didn’t take much for Bundy to break through that door. All he needed was a couple of well placed kicks and it swung right open.
Drawing his gun, Bundy strode inside and I followed him.
“The Di Cesare’s will be in the main house,” He said. “We should find a way in through the back, try and catch them off guard. Main target should be the matriarch, Bianca. Her we should prioritize keeping alive… the rest are expendable.”
“Much as you are, I’m sure.” A voice called from deeper in the mill, and both Bundy and I froze.
I noticed movement on the floor above us, and through the shadows, I saw a tall woman watching us. She was dressed all in black, with blond hair tied back in a ponytail and the intense eyes of a soldier.
This had to be Clementine Di Cesare.
Bundy aimed his pistol at her, although she only barely seemed to notice.
“Only two of you left… I’m not sure the odds are in your favor,” The woman said. Her voice was low, calm and quiet.
“Only one way to find out,” Bundy growled.
“And only one way to walk out of this place alive,” Di Cesare countered. “You can put the gun down, turn and walk away. I won’t stop you. There’s no shame in living.”
“All the bodies you’ve left in your wake… that’s rich,” Bundy said.
“I don’t relish what I’ve done. I simply don’t know how to do anything else,” She replied. “Think about this, Bundy. Over my lifetime, there have been countless thousands who have come to kill me. All of them are dead, but I am not. Even if you could kill me… you could not kill my sisters. Not all of them. Not before they came for you.”
“Just you, would be enough…” Bundy said, before pulling the trigger.
I knew he’d hit her. I knew the bullet pierced her shoulder. But that woman… she didn’t even flinch. She simply dove out of the way before he could shoot again, taking cover and avoiding his next shot.
“Frank, upstairs!” Bundy snapped, “Flush her out!”
I went, trudging up the old wooden steps with my rifle drawn. Only to see Di Cesare vaulting over the railing and back down to the ground floor as soon as I made it up there.
Bundy shot at her again, only to miss for a second time. I saw Di Cesare’s arm move, and heard him cry out in pain. In the low light, I could see a dagger protruding from his shoulder. He stumbled back a step, leaving himself open for only a split second.
That second was all it took for Di Cesare to raise her own gun and fire just one shot.
George Bundy hit the ground without so much as a final scream. There was just a simple hole in his skull where she had shot him.
I felt my heart start to race faster. My eyes settled on Bundy’s gun, and I ran for the railing, vaulting it and dropping to the ground below with a thud. Di Cesare shot at me, and I felt the bullet tear through my leg. I reached out for the fallen gun and grabbed it before turning it on Di Cesare, only to find myself staring down the barrel of her own pistol. My finger rested on the trigger, but I didn’t have the guts to pull it.
"Kill me, and you will not see the sun tomorrow." She said, her voice still cold and calm.
“Killing you is part of the job…” I replied, but my finger still couldn’t squeeze the trigger.
“And is it worth your life?” Di Cesare asked. “You fail your mission either way.”
“And die with some goddamn honor…”
“There’s no such thing as honor. There is alive and there is dead. Choose.”
I knew what I was supposed to choose.
But my hands were shaking, as I stared into the face of death. My finger couldn’t squeeze the trigger.
The gun collapsed to the floor and Di Cesare kicked it away from me, before huffing and lowering her gun.
“Do not return,” She said softly. “Or next time, I will unleash a hell upon you that will make you beg for simple traps.”
She picked Bundy’s gun up off the ground, and then she was gone. After I finally picked myself up off the ground, I was gone too.
As I walked back along the stream… I passed the corpses of the men we’d left behind. Barber and Wilson, Jack, Feng, Hernandez, and his team. The flies were already feasting on them. Animals had already torn at them. And as I looked down at their cold corpses, I knew I had made the right choice.
I filed my report with the Brethren. Told them that Di Cesare had wiped us out, and a few months later I quietly retired. I never looked back.
***
“You walked away from her?” Sweeney asked in disbelief, “You had her dead to rights and you walked away from her?”
“I chose to live,” I replied. “Can’t say I regret the decision either. Because of the choice I made, I met my wife and had my kids. I’ve lived the life I had because I chose not to throw it away on some vampire.”
Sweeney just shook his head.
“You could have gotten the first confirmed kill on a Di Cesare in two centuries, and you threw it away you fucking coward! I could execute you for that!” I noticed his hand hovering over the gun on his hip.
“You could.” I replied, before quietly unholstering the pistol I kept at my side. I aimed it at Sweeney’s head.
He stared at me like a slack jawed idiot.
“Would you like to give it a try?”
“W-what…?”
“Would you like to give it a try, Mr. Sweeney? Or would you like to see the sun tomorrow?”
He stared down the barrel of my gun, and I already knew what his choice would be.
Sweeney took a step back. I saw his hand move away from his holster, and I lowered the gun with a huff.
“Thought so,” I said.
Mr. Sweeney left me without another word.
I knew he would not return.
submitted by HeadOfSpectre to TheCrypticCompendium [link] [comments]
Revenge.
What a moronically quaint idea.
This jumped up little shit had come into my home, interrupted my retirement and here he was talking to me about revenge, as if he knew the first thing about what I’d seen, what I’d been through, why I’d quit.
Looking into his eyes, I knew he didn’t understand. I knew he couldn’t.
I've been hunting vampires for most of my life. I've killed more of them than I can count. But Clementine Di Cesare was no ordinary vampire. Hell, none of the Di Cesares were ordinary vampires, but even among them Clementine was… unique. She was the one all the others quietly feared. The one who was even spoken of with reverence by the Di Cesares masters, those twin Immortals who could not be killed by any weapon of this world. Seeking revenge against her was like seeking revenge against death itself.
“Revenge?” I repeated, with a dismissive scoff.
“You’re really going to tell me that after what she put you through, you don’t want revenge?” Sweeney asked.
“If you knew what she did to me, you’d know why I don’t want revenge,” I replied.
“Really? Sorry Franklin, but I don’t buy that. Look, I get it if you’re reluctant to jump back into the fight. I do. You of all people know just how dangerous the Di Cesare’s are. Especially ‘La Morte’.”
I looked over at him as he said that name. It rolled off his tongue so irreverently. To him, it was just a name. An alias assigned to some vampire he’s only heard of stories. He didn’t utter it with the respect it deserved, and I almost couldn’t be bothered to correct him. Any words spent on this small minded glory hound were probably wasted.
“Yes, I do know.”
“Which is why I need you,” Sweeney said. He almost sounded as if he were pleading with me. “Think of this as an opportunity to set things right… to put that vampire bitch in the ground where she belongs, and save God only knows how many lives in the process!”
I sighed.
He just didn’t get it.
“Mark my words, Mr. Sweeney, if you chase after Clementine Di Cesare, you’ll end far more lives than you save. She didn’t get a name like ‘La Morte’ for nothing. She earned it. Purchased it with the blood of the tens of thousands she’s sent screaming into the maw of Hell. She is not something you chase, Sweeney.”
“She’s a vampire,” Sweeney said dismissively. “She’s another enemy to destroy.”
“That’s what George Bundy said,” I replied. “Then not too long after, he died.”
“I’m not George Bundy,” Sweeney said.
“No. You sure as hell ain’t,” I agreed, before looking the kid in the eye.
He thought he was an up and comer, climbing the ranks of the Brethren. He probably thought of himself as some sort of badass vampire hunter too, when in reality he could never have so much as dreamed of holding a candle to the likes of Bundy… or hell, any of the men who’d died in Brazil.
“You should watch your tone with me,” Sweeney warned.
“Or you’ll do what?” I asked, “You ain’t going to frighten me with vague threats, boy. I’ve walked through Hell, trying to kill the Devil. What have you done?”
Sweeney bit his lip but didn’t respond.
“There’s nothing you can say or do that will intimidate me,” I said, before lighting myself a cigarette. I stared at the road outside of my porch, old memories flooding back to me before looking over at Sweeney again. He sat in his chair beside me like a sulky child. This was the man who wanted to destroy the Di Cesare family? Pathetic.
“Exactly how much do you know about the Brazil Job?” I asked.
“I know it was a failure. Clementine Di Cesare killed most of the men the Brethren sent out… all except for you. You were the only one good enough to beat her.”
“Good enough…” I repeated with a huff, “Hardly… whatever picture you’ve got in your head of some glorified battle, throw it away. Trust me, the Brazil Job was anything but glorious. It was a two hour long trek through Hell. And I didn’t beat Di Cesare at the end of it. I survived her. They’re two different things entirely.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Sweeney said.
“You wouldn’t, would you?” I sighed and took another drag on my cigarette.
This kid wasn’t going to leave until I made him understand… so I told him my story. I told him everything even though I knew he’d learn nothing from it.
***
I’d joined up with the Brethren Knights of St. Fontaine back in the 1980s to hunt monsters. Back then, it seemed like the best use of my skills. I’d done my tours with the army, but even after I got out, I was still looking for an enemy to fight. So naturally, once I found out that vampires were real, I set my sights on them. It seemed like the most sensible thing to do at the time.
The Brethren Knights fancied themselves the descendants of the Knights Templar, and they insisted that their God given mission was to protect mankind from the things that lurked in the shadows. I didn’t really have much love for God at the time, but if the Bretheren were the ones fighting the monsters, then I was happy to tolerate the Jesus freaks in their ranks.
It was 1988 when we first heard whispers of the Imperium. A supposed cabal of vampires, trying to get them organized. At the time, it’d seemed too crazy to be true. Vampires generally went their own way, in my experience. At most, they might have a partner but other than they they didn’t really socialize with their own kind. But supposedly someone out there had the big fucking balls to keep them in line, and whoever they were, they scared the shit out of the Brethren.
They’d started targeting high profile vampires, trying to find someone who was involved in this ‘Imperium’, hoping that maybe they might get someone to talk. And it wasn’t long until they found someone who did.
From my understanding, the vampire they captured didn’t seem to know much about who was actually running the show. But they knew who their second in command was… and that was when I first head about the Di Cesare family.
The name was familiar to some of the higher ups in the Brethren, and I’d heard some stories. Not sure which were true, but the long and short of it was that the Di Cesare’s and the Brethren shared a bloody history, and didn’t particularly like each other too much.
George Bundy explained it to me like this at one point: ‘The Di Cesare’s are an old family. Most of them used to be witches, up until their Matriarch turned them into vampires. Now they’re a whole new kind of nasty. Far as I know, the only time anyone’s actually managed to kill one was about 200 years ago. Anyone who’s tried since has ended up dead, so most folks don’t even bother anymore.’
I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising they’d be involved in the Imperium, but the mere mention of their name ruffled some feathers higher up on the chain of command, and eventually they put out a kill order on them. Most of the Di Cesare’s were generally pretty hard to track down, but the top brass had a pretty good line on their matriarch, Bianca Di Cesare. Supposedly, she’d been spotted near the family’s private estate in Brazil and rumor had it that most of her daughters were there too.
Normally, the brass wouldn’t have sanctioned any kind of attack on them. The Di Cesare’s were already considered off limits, and attacking them at their private estate was considered damn near impossible. The estate was located in a small mining town outside of Manaus called Refugio de Julia, or just Julia for short. The town was fairly remote, being only accessible from a few backroads and most folks tended to avoid it, claiming they’d had various strange encounters in the area. Their accounts described unsettling pale figures with dark hair and large green eyes working in the mines, although some of the more disturbing stories we heard involved sightings of other creatures in the jungle surrounding the town. Massive spiders with humanoid faces, tending rotting corpses filled with stinging bees, giant howling beasts who tore through the forest, hunting prey, and beautiful women who would appear in the nearby towns, betwitching men into coming away with them only to reveal themselves as monsters who fed on the blood of their victims. Some had even claimed the Di Cesares themselves were such beasts… although those claims weren’t taken quite as seriously.
A skeptic might say the stories that surrounded Julia seemed like little more than just local superstition… but the Brethren had been dealing with the supernatural for long enough to recognize when something was probably real, and when it was probably fake and they knew damn well that most of the stories about Julia were probably true. None of them had ever dared set foot in Julia to find out for sure, since doing so would probably be suicide, but the theory was that the Di Cesares had created Julia as something of a refuge for other creatures. Other vampires, werewolves, arachne, karah and all sorts of other hellspawn. They offered them a home and safety in exchange for their labor in the mines. Hell, the name of the town more or less spelled it out.
Refugio de Julia
Julia’s Haven.
Julia had been the name of the only member of the Di Cesare family that the Brethren had ever killed, so I guess it was only fitting they named the town after her.
I honestly think using other creatures like them as a workforce was a bit inspired… since it made Julia damn near impenetrable. Reaching their estate at the far side of the town would have been impossible without being noticed by every creature of hell living in that town, and odds are they’d tear anyone apart long before they even reached the gates of the Di Cesare estate. And if one had the bright idea to approach the estate from another angle, they’d be trudging through miles and miles of rainforest to do so, only end up face to face with a massive stone wall that kept the rainforest out.
In effect - the Di Cesare estate was a fortress. Getting in would be no easy feat, to say nothing of confronting the vampires within. But with the fear of the Imperium gnawing at the back of their minds, the Brethren had finally set their minds to trying.
George Bundy had been the one in charge of planning the operation out.
I’d known Bundy before I’d joined up with the Brethren. Hell, Bundy was the whole reason I’d joined the Brethren. He’d been my CO a number of years back, and he’d earned his reputation as a hardass just about ten or twenty times over. Bundy was a gruff looking man with a bushy moustache and intense eyes. During the years I knew him, I don’t believe I ever once saw him so much as crack a smile. He only ever seemed to speak when he felt there was something he needed to say. Otherwise, he was usually dead silent.
He was somewhere in his late fifties back in 88. By all rights, he ought to have retired years ago. But he refused.
“I’m a soldier,” He said, when I asked him about it once. “That’s all I am. I don’t know what else to be.”
Bundy’s initial plan had been to hit the Di Cesare estate from the air. Come in fast and loud with a couple of helicopters and see how those vampires stood up to some good old American flak. The idea got shot down pretty quickly, so to speak. Apperantly, most if not all of the Di Cesares had cursed their own bodies, causing whatever wound one inflicted on them to appear on whoever it was who had wounded them. Going in guns blazing would have ended in a bloodbath… and not for them. There were also some concerns about drawing attention from Julia. With no conclusive data on just what they had living in that town, there was no guarantee we’d be safe in the air. A few eyewitnesses had described seeing giant nests in some of the trees in the jungle, supposedly consistent with the nests made by harpies.
Flying in guns blazing was out. So Bundy went back to the drawing board and what he came back with… well, it was ballsy, but it almost seemed like it just might work. During his reconnisance of the Di Cesare’s estate, he’d noticed a large but shallow tributary flowing into the amazon river that led right through the Di Cesare’s estate. Along the tributary was an abandoned water mill, that connected to the Di Cesare estate.
He’d suggested using the water mill to gain entry to the grounds, and from there, move on the Di Cesare’s. That plan had been approved, and Bundy had been allowed to handpick his team for the operation. He’d chosen fifteen men, all of them ex military, most of them having served under him before.
He’d told us we would be dividing into three teams of five men each. We would leave Manaus by boat, and land at three different areas near the tributary before making our way to the mill on foot, where we would regroup, before moving on the Di Cesares. The reason for the division was to ensure that if any of our teams ran into trouble upon making ground, the entire operation wouldn’t be compromised.
Team 1, led by Bundy himself would depart first and land to the west of the tributary. Team 2, led by a man named Ferdinand Hernandez would make land about fifteen minutes later near the mouth of the tributary and Team 3, to be led by me would land fifteen minutes later to the east.
On the day of the operation, I sat in my boat, watching as the other two left. It was twilight when we set out, and I remember that as my team and I carried out our final checks on our equipment, the only thing I felt was a familiar anticipation.
I’d hesitate to call it fear. Fear is what came later. Anticipation is the better word. I knew we could be walking into a tough situation… but I trusted Bundy. I trusted he’d run a smooth op. God knew, he’d done it a thousand times before.
The team assigned to me wasn’t anything particularly special. They were competent enough, but none of them would’ve been my first choices. Jack McMullen, for instance, who was about the same age as I was at the time. We’d both served under Bundy before, although while I respected Bundy, Jack was wholly devoted to him. I swear, if the man had told him to stuff a live grenade up his ass, Jack would’ve done it without a moments hesitation. I dunno if Jack simply saw him as the father he’d never had or what, but he damn near worshipped Bundy.
I can’t quite say the same for the other guys we had with us, though. One of them, some greenhorn by the name of Pearce Wilson struck me as an airheaded pretty boy who’d never actually had his boots on the ground before, while the other one, Scott Barber had left a bad taste in my mouth last time we’d worked together. Barber was capable… but he was violent. This was a kid with a hell of a chip on his shoulder, and it looked a hell of a lot like that Confederate flag patch he wore on his jacket. He wanted an excuse to shoot something, and I don’t think he cared what. Under most circumstances I’m not sure I would’ve fully trusted him with a gun.
The last one though, Joseph Feng… him I trusted. Feng was the one I knew the least about, and he didn’t seem much for conversation. But he handled himself competently enough and seemed to know when to sit down and shut up.
When Team 2’s boat was far enough away, we got the radio signal to follow. Barber was the one steering the boat, so I gave him the order to cast off and we ventured out into the twilight, unaware of just what was waiting for us out there.
***
We landed in our designated area fifteen minutes after Team 2 confirmed they’d touched down at theirs. Our landing was fairly uneventful. Feng, Barber, and I secured the boat before we radio’d Bundy to let him know we were in position. After that, it was just a matter of making it to the tributary.
As we ventured into the jungle, the world around us was quiet. There was wind, the whisper of the river behind us, and the sounds of animals. But little else. The river fell away behind us as we moved in single file toward the tributary, maintaining radio silence as we did.
It was about a half hour before we heard the gunshot.
Just one, echoing through the twilight. But it was enough to give us pause.
“The fuck was that?” I heard Barber ask. Immediately, the kid was on high alert, with his gun raised as if he were expecting every monster in Julia to come charging at us from all angles.
I just listened, waiting to hear if there was anything else. I half expected my radio to come to life, but it didn’t.
“Team 1, status?” I asked.
The radio crackled with static, but there was no response.
I tried it again, but still with no success. The radio was working, that much I was sure of. Something had to be blocking the signal.
“What’s going on?” Feng asked.
“Dunno,” I replied. “Comms are down.”
“Down?” Wilson asked, “So we’re flying blind out here, then?”
“More or less,” I replied.
“What do we do? Do we go back… if the comms are down…”
“Just because something’s jamming our signal doesn’t mean we’re made,” I said. “Relax. We keep moving for now. You keep your eyes wide open, and your head on a swivel. We’ll make it to the tributary and see if we can’t meet up with the other teams.”
I could tell Wilson wasn’t a fan of my answer, but I didn’t much care. We had a job to do, and I aimed to do it.
I pressed on without a further word and the others followed. Up ahead, I could hear the sound of running water and picked up the pace. I figured the tributary had to be close… and I was right.
I emerged from the brush into the stream, only to pause when I saw what was waiting for us in the water.
In the dying sunlight, it was impossible to mistake the bodies sprawled out on the rocks as anything else… and all I needed to do was look at their uniforms to know they were our people.
“Jesus…” I heard Wilson say under his breath. He froze up, lingering by the bank as I cautiously approached one of the bodies.
It belonged to a somewhat heavyset man with a thin mustache who I recognized as Hernandez. His eyes were still open, although lifeless and staring in different directions, and there was a clean hole in his forehead where a bullet had ended his life. The gunshot we’d heard earlier had likely been the sound of his death.
Looking at the bodies around him, I knew they had to be the rest of Team 2… although it was a little harder pinning down their cause of death. Some sort of bladed weapon, perhaps, judging by the state of them. I realized the odds were that they walked into some sort of ambush.
“What about Bundy and Team 1?” Jack asked, “Any sign of them?”
“No,” I said. “These bodies are all from Team 2… Bundy could still be ahead of us.”
“Then we need to keep going!”
Jack turned, heading up the stream and Barber was right behind him. Feng paused for a moment, thinking this over before following. Only Wilson remained.
“How do we know we’re not walking into a trap?” He asked.
“We’ll deal with that when we get to it,” I said before moving to follow the others.
“With all due respect, Sarge… that doesn’t sound like the best course of action!” Wilson argued, finally following me. “It sounds just like a good way to get killed!”
“Yeah?” I asked, “I’m gonna tell you an ugly truth, kid. That’s the job. Make your peace with it, and it’ll go a lot easier.”
Wilson didn’t like that answer either and trailed off behind me, watching as I continued upstream. For a moment, I half expected him to go back to the boat… but no. I dunno if he found his balls or just didn’t want to get left behind, but he started to follow us again.
I kept trying to raise Team 1 on the radio while we walked, although I still had no luck. The light above us slowly faded into darkness as we trudged through the water in silence, guns sitting comfortably in our hands and mosquitos biting at our necks.
It wasn’t until we lost Feng that I heard anybody so much as make a sound, and when we lost Feng… it happened almost instantaneously. One minute, he was at the head of the group, walking just ahead of Jack and I. The next, he was gone, only barely having the time to let out a scream as he fell into the river ahead of us.
The rest of us paused. Jack seemed to freeze and I pushed past him, calling out for Feng as I did. As punishment for my compassion, I almost went down after him. I only barely stopped myself from stepping on the slippery rocks that had helped send him to his demise.
I could see Feng’s body in the water, and I could see the blood pouring out of him. He twitched a few times, but I knew he was dead. The sharpened wooden spikes jutting out of him confirmed as much.
“What the hell…” Jack said under his breath, staring at Feng’s corpse in disbelief. “That’s a fucking spike trap!”
Yeah.
It was indeed a fucking spike trap.
I could see other spikes jutting out of the water ahead of us, just past a small dam of rocks that were just slippery enough to make it difficult to stop yourself from falling. Some of those spikes had other bodies on them… likely members of Team 1. I only counted two, although that still didn’t exactly bode well.
“They put a fucking spike trap in the goddamn stream…” Jack said, “Who the hell does that?”
“Somebody who’s expecting us to use the stream,” I replied.
“So they know we’re coming?” Barber asked.
“Clearly…” I replied. “And they’ve got a good idea on what our route is too.”
“Yeah, no shit!” Barber snapped. “Christ… let’s get the fuck out of here. There’s probably more fucking traps upstream!”
“Bundy’s orders were clear!” Jack argued.
“Bundy’s probably dead by now!” Barber replied, before looking at me. “Sarge, come on. You have to know this is suicide!”
“Suicide was part of the job description, was it not?” I asked.
“The job is to kill those fucking vampires, not to die in the goddamn process! We need to get out of the stream and into the woods!”
“Judging by the fate Team 2 met, I’m not sure the forest is someplace we want to be right now,” I replied.
“Excuse me?” Barber asked, “What the hell are you talking about, Sarge?”
“Five men dead, but only one gunshot. How did the rest die?”
Barber didn’t seem to be able to answer that.
“By now… yes. It’s clear we’ve walked into a trap. And yes, I understand that it makes sense to try and leave that trap… but I don’t know if we’ll be safer in the jungle. Something jumped Team 2. Cut them apart, and then shot Hernandez as a warning. They didn’t have to shoot him. They did it so we’d hear.”
“Your point being?” Barber asked.
“I don’t think this is just a trap, Barber. It’s a game. Stop playing, and you might just end up like our friends downstream.”
“A game?” Wilson asked, “Sarge, you can’t be serious!”
“From where I’m standing, we have a better chance of surviving in the stream,” I said. “Look, we’re at least halfway to the rendezvous point, and there have to be at least two members of Team 1 left. The safest thing to do right now is to follow them.”
“You’re off your fucking rocker, Sarge,” Barber spat, locking his eyes with mine. For a moment, I thought the boy was going to try and fight me. But no. He was wise enough to stand down.
“If you wanna get yourself killed, go right the fuck ahead. Just leave me out of it! Wilson, come on,” Barber said before trudging over to the edge of the stream. Wilson didn’t even hesitate, just looking back at Jack and I quietly before he disappeared into the forest with Barber.
“You’re not gonna stop them?” Jack asked.
“No,” I replied. “God willing, there’s a chance that pigheaded asshole is right… dunno how much of a chance, but a chance.”
“Then how come we’re not following him?” Jack asked.
“There’s also a chance he’s wrong.”
I turned, before making my way around the spike trap.
“Keep a slower pace,” I said. “Watch for traps.”
Jack hesitated for a moment, but he followed me without any further questions and we walked in silence for a little longer.
We heard nothing from the trees. Nothing that told us about the fate of Barber and Wilson. I wasn’t sure if that was good news or not.
In fact, I don’t think we heard a thing until about a half hour later, when we heard the explosion.
It came out of almost nowhere, but ahead of us I could see a flash of light and hear the screams of men. On instinct, I found myself picking up the pace and could hear Jack behind me. In the low light, I saw a shape float past me in the stream. It took me a moment to realize that it was a severed human arm.
In the water ahead of us, I could see a figure clinging to one of the rocks and trying to pick himself up. I recognized him as George Bundy.
Jack was at his side almost immediately, trying to help the old man to his feet.
“Sir! Are you alright?”
Bundy just wheezed, before his legs gave out from under him. I helped Jack drag him to the shore so he could sit and rest for a moment.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, looking back at the stream.
“Grenade trap… I think…” Bundy panted, “Fucking tripwire… Popkov tripped it, I think…”
Popkov… odds are he was one of the two mangled corpses lying in the river a few feet away from us. It seemed they’d taken the brunt of the explosion, although Bundy still had some shrapnel in his arm that Jack was tending to.
“Christ… whole fucking ops gone to shit…” Bundy spat. “Team 2 got taken out just about as soon as they landed. Someone killed them and dumped them in the goddamn river. Lost half my boys to the fucking spike trap and half to this…”
He looked up at us, before spitting onto the ground.
“Guess you two haven’t done much better.”
“Hard to say,” I replied. “Two of ours took off into the woods, trying to avoid the traps.”
“Then they’re dead,” Bundy replied. “I’ve seen her watching us… always just up ahead, always from a distance… she’s seeing how far we’ll go. How much we’ll take…”
“She?” I asked.
“La Morte. Should’ve figured she’d be the one to greet us.”
“La Morte?” I asked.
“It’s Italian. Supposedly, she earned that name around the time the Di Cesares fled Venice. It’s funny, the Brethren like to act like the Di Cesares leaving Venice was some big victory of theirs, since before they did, they finally killed one of them… hard to call it a victory though, considering how many corpses they made before they fled. And most of them came from La Morte…”
Bundy winced in pain as Jack bandaged his arm before he continued talking.
“See… when the Di Cesare’s left Venice, one of them stayed behind. Clementine, the Scorpio sister. Guess she was unwilling to leave the fight unfinished… and according to the stories, the death toll she personally amassed in the years after the Di Cesare’s left Venice make the bodies they claimed during the Venetian Massacre a hundred and fifty years prior look like a pittance. The Brethren still occupying the city started to call her La Morte. Death. Cuz wherever she went, death followed in her wake… and it seems we’ve walked right into her open arms, haven’t we, boys?”
“You’re sure it’s her?” I asked.
“She’s a Di Cesare… and the shit we’ve seen out here… I don’t see any other Di Cesare setting those traps. It’s her. I’m sure of it. She’s watching us. Seeing how far we’ll go. Seeing if we’ll turn tail…”
“Should we?” Jack asked, and Bundy finally seemed to acknowledge him.
“Excuse me?” He asked.
“Should we? Look, sir… I’d follow you into the mouth of Hell, but right now, we’re down from fifteen men to three. Can’t say I’m optimistic about our chances right now. If this woman is half as bad as you’re saying she is, maybe it’s time we took a step back!”
Jack looked at me, hoping I might back him up, but I remained silent.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Bundy asked.
“What I’m hearing here, is that as of right now, the vampire out there could kill us at any time. She hasn’t. Far as I’m concerned, that’s mercy. Maybe we should be taking it while it’s offered.”
Bundy stared at him, before chuckling. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen him laugh.
“Just walk away, then?” He asked.
“Walk away, and come back better prepared!” Jack corrected.
“Walk away,” Bundy said again. “We walk away now, and there won’t be a chance to come back better prepared. We get one shot at this. One. Failure is not an option. We go in there and we kill them or we die. End of discussion.”
“And how exactly are we even supposed to kill them?” Jack asked, “That curse they have… bullets aren’t gonna do shit, sir!”
“Yours won’t, mine will…”
Bundy pulled his pistol from his holster. I noticed some sort of pattern crudely engraved on it.
“I’ve been doing some research… studied the curse they put on themselves… and I think I’ve found a way to break it. Not sure if it’ll work yet… but we get one chance to test it.”
Jack stared at the gun, then back at Bundy.
“Sir… do you hear yourself?” He asked quietly, “You can’t be serious… right now, even with that gun we don’t stand a chance in he-”
The gunshot echoed through the forest and made me jump. Jack’s voice died in his throat as he hit the ground.
Bundy stared at him for a moment, before huffing and holstering his pistol again. He draped his coat over his shoulders, before looking over at me.
“No room for failure, Frank,” He said calmly.
I didn’t know what to say to that. I stared down at Jack’s body, my mouth hanging open slightly. When I looked back at Bundy, he was already back in the stream.
There was a tense silence between Bundy and I as I followed him along the final stretch of the tributary. He trudged on ahead, covered in sweat and straining with every step, but I could sense the quiet determination he had to see this through. Looking at him, you could’ve told me that George Bundy could wipe out the Di Cesare’s all by himself and I would have believed it in a second.
The night around us was full of sound, and each one drew my attention. I watched the forest, expecting to see some sign of La Morte watching us. But I saw nothing, except for what she wanted me to see.
“Mill’s just up ahead,” I heard Bundy say as we pressed on, although I noticed his steps faltering as he seemed to notice something in the trees above us. I stopped behind him, looking up before seeing what he saw, and when I saw it I felt my stomach turn.
I’d seen death before.
But what Di Cesare had left out for us… that was something else.
Pearce Wilson and Scott Barber weren’t dead.
But if they could have spoke, I’ve got no doubt they would have begged us to kill them. Wilsons pretty face was covered in blood and his pouty lips were parted as more trickled out of him. His curly blond hair was matted and I could see crimson there. Tree branches portruded from his ribs, while the loops of his entrails dangled out of his opened stomach. And Barber was in just about the same state, only he seemed to at least have the ability to turn his head to look at us.
I think he might have tried to speak, but the only sound he seemed to be able to make was a pained whimper.
“Jesus Christ…” I said softly.
“He had nothing to do with this,” Bundy replied. He took one last look at the two dying men hanging from the trees, before moving on.
“We should put them out of their misery, sir,” I said.
Bundy paused, before looking back at me.
“Don’t waste the ammo, Frank,” He replied. “They’re already dead.”
“Not yet they’re not!”
“Give them time. They chose to go into the woods. They can live with the consequences… for however long that lasts.”
With that, he left them. If I were a more compassionate man, I would have put them out of their misery. But no. Bundy moved on and so did I.
He approached the water mill, before examining it. It was an old building, made of stone that had long since been overgrown by moss, and sat right on the wall that separated the Di Cesares estate from the amazon. It hardly looked secure, even if the only entrance hadn’t just been an old wooden door secured with a padlock, finding a way in wouldn’t have been difficult. And it didn’t take much for Bundy to break through that door. All he needed was a couple of well placed kicks and it swung right open.
Drawing his gun, Bundy strode inside and I followed him.
“The Di Cesare’s will be in the main house,” He said. “We should find a way in through the back, try and catch them off guard. Main target should be the matriarch, Bianca. Her we should prioritize keeping alive… the rest are expendable.”
“Much as you are, I’m sure.” A voice called from deeper in the mill, and both Bundy and I froze.
I noticed movement on the floor above us, and through the shadows, I saw a tall woman watching us. She was dressed all in black, with blond hair tied back in a ponytail and the intense eyes of a soldier.
This had to be Clementine Di Cesare.
Bundy aimed his pistol at her, although she only barely seemed to notice.
“Only two of you left… I’m not sure the odds are in your favor,” The woman said. Her voice was low, calm and quiet.
“Only one way to find out,” Bundy growled.
“And only one way to walk out of this place alive,” Di Cesare countered. “You can put the gun down, turn and walk away. I won’t stop you. There’s no shame in living.”
“All the bodies you’ve left in your wake… that’s rich,” Bundy said.
“I don’t relish what I’ve done. I simply don’t know how to do anything else,” She replied. “Think about this, Bundy. Over my lifetime, there have been countless thousands who have come to kill me. All of them are dead, but I am not. Even if you could kill me… you could not kill my sisters. Not all of them. Not before they came for you.”
“Just you, would be enough…” Bundy said, before pulling the trigger.
I knew he’d hit her. I knew the bullet pierced her shoulder. But that woman… she didn’t even flinch. She simply dove out of the way before he could shoot again, taking cover and avoiding his next shot.
“Frank, upstairs!” Bundy snapped, “Flush her out!”
I went, trudging up the old wooden steps with my rifle drawn. Only to see Di Cesare vaulting over the railing and back down to the ground floor as soon as I made it up there.
Bundy shot at her again, only to miss for a second time. I saw Di Cesare’s arm move, and heard him cry out in pain. In the low light, I could see a dagger protruding from his shoulder. He stumbled back a step, leaving himself open for only a split second.
That second was all it took for Di Cesare to raise her own gun and fire just one shot.
George Bundy hit the ground without so much as a final scream. There was just a simple hole in his skull where she had shot him.
I felt my heart start to race faster. My eyes settled on Bundy’s gun, and I ran for the railing, vaulting it and dropping to the ground below with a thud. Di Cesare shot at me, and I felt the bullet tear through my leg. I reached out for the fallen gun and grabbed it before turning it on Di Cesare, only to find myself staring down the barrel of her own pistol. My finger rested on the trigger, but I didn’t have the guts to pull it.
"Kill me, and you will not see the sun tomorrow." She said, her voice still cold and calm.
“Killing you is part of the job…” I replied, but my finger still couldn’t squeeze the trigger.
“And is it worth your life?” Di Cesare asked. “You fail your mission either way.”
“And die with some goddamn honor…”
“There’s no such thing as honor. There is alive and there is dead. Choose.”
I knew what I was supposed to choose.
But my hands were shaking, as I stared into the face of death. My finger couldn’t squeeze the trigger.
The gun collapsed to the floor and Di Cesare kicked it away from me, before huffing and lowering her gun.
“Do not return,” She said softly. “Or next time, I will unleash a hell upon you that will make you beg for simple traps.”
She picked Bundy’s gun up off the ground, and then she was gone. After I finally picked myself up off the ground, I was gone too.
As I walked back along the stream… I passed the corpses of the men we’d left behind. Barber and Wilson, Jack, Feng, Hernandez, and his team. The flies were already feasting on them. Animals had already torn at them. And as I looked down at their cold corpses, I knew I had made the right choice.
I filed my report with the Brethren. Told them that Di Cesare had wiped us out, and a few months later I quietly retired. I never looked back.
***
“You walked away from her?” Sweeney asked in disbelief, “You had her dead to rights and you walked away from her?”
“I chose to live,” I replied. “Can’t say I regret the decision either. Because of the choice I made, I met my wife and had my kids. I’ve lived the life I had because I chose not to throw it away on some vampire.”
Sweeney just shook his head.
“You could have gotten the first confirmed kill on a Di Cesare in two centuries, and you threw it away you fucking coward! I could execute you for that!” I noticed his hand hovering over the gun on his hip.
“You could.” I replied, before quietly unholstering the pistol I kept at my side. I aimed it at Sweeney’s head.
He stared at me like a slack jawed idiot.
“Would you like to give it a try?”
“W-what…?”
“Would you like to give it a try, Mr. Sweeney? Or would you like to see the sun tomorrow?”
He stared down the barrel of my gun, and I already knew what his choice would be.
Sweeney took a step back. I saw his hand move away from his holster, and I lowered the gun with a huff.
“Thought so,” I said.
Mr. Sweeney left me without another word.
I knew he would not return.
2023.06.03 17:26 HeadOfSpectre The Soldier
"Think of this as a chance at revenge," Sweeney said.
Revenge.
What a moronically quaint idea.
This jumped up little shit had come into my home, interrupted my retirement and here he was talking to me about revenge, as if he knew the first thing about what I’d seen, what I’d been through, why I’d quit.
Looking into his eyes, I knew he didn’t understand. I knew he couldn’t.
I've been hunting vampires for most of my life. I've killed more of them than I can count. But Clementine Di Cesare was no ordinary vampire. Hell, none of the Di Cesares were ordinary vampires, but even among them Clementine was… unique. She was the one all the others quietly feared. The one who was even spoken of with reverence by the Di Cesares masters, those twin Immortals who could not be killed by any weapon of this world. Seeking revenge against her was like seeking revenge against death itself.
“Revenge?” I repeated, with a dismissive scoff.
“You’re really going to tell me that after what she put you through, you don’t want revenge?” Sweeney asked.
“If you knew what she did to me, you’d know why I don’t want revenge,” I replied.
“Really? Sorry Franklin, but I don’t buy that. Look, I get it if you’re reluctant to jump back into the fight. I do. You of all people know just how dangerous the Di Cesare’s are. Especially ‘La Morte’.”
I looked over at him as he said that name. It rolled off his tongue so irreverently. To him, it was just a name. An alias assigned to some vampire he’s only heard of stories. He didn’t utter it with the respect it deserved, and I almost couldn’t be bothered to correct him. Any words spent on this small minded glory hound were probably wasted.
“Yes, I do know.”
“Which is why I need you,” Sweeney said. He almost sounded as if he were pleading with me. “Think of this as an opportunity to set things right… to put that vampire bitch in the ground where she belongs, and save God only knows how many lives in the process!”
I sighed.
He just didn’t get it.
“Mark my words, Mr. Sweeney, if you chase after Clementine Di Cesare, you’ll end far more lives than you save. She didn’t get a name like ‘La Morte’ for nothing. She earned it. Purchased it with the blood of the tens of thousands she’s sent screaming into the maw of Hell. She is not something you chase, Sweeney.”
“She’s a vampire,” Sweeney said dismissively. “She’s another enemy to destroy.”
“That’s what George Bundy said,” I replied. “Then not too long after, he died.”
“I’m not George Bundy,” Sweeney said.
“No. You sure as hell ain’t,” I agreed, before looking the kid in the eye.
He thought he was an up and comer, climbing the ranks of the Brethren. He probably thought of himself as some sort of badass vampire hunter too, when in reality he could never have so much as dreamed of holding a candle to the likes of Bundy… or hell, any of the men who’d died in Brazil.
“You should watch your tone with me,” Sweeney warned.
“Or you’ll do what?” I asked, “You ain’t going to frighten me with vague threats, boy. I’ve walked through Hell, trying to kill the Devil. What have you done?”
Sweeney bit his lip but didn’t respond.
“There’s nothing you can say or do that will intimidate me,” I said, before lighting myself a cigarette. I stared at the road outside of my porch, old memories flooding back to me before looking over at Sweeney again. He sat in his chair beside me like a sulky child. This was the man who wanted to destroy the Di Cesare family? Pathetic.
“Exactly how much do you know about the Brazil Job?” I asked.
“I know it was a failure. Clementine Di Cesare killed most of the men the Brethren sent out… all except for you. You were the only one good enough to beat her.”
“Good enough…” I repeated with a huff, “Hardly… whatever picture you’ve got in your head of some glorified battle, throw it away. Trust me, the Brazil Job was anything but glorious. It was a two hour long trek through Hell. And I didn’t beat Di Cesare at the end of it. I survived her. They’re two different things entirely.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Sweeney said.
“You wouldn’t, would you?” I sighed and took another drag on my cigarette.
This kid wasn’t going to leave until I made him understand… so I told him my story. I told him everything even though I knew he’d learn nothing from it.
***
I’d joined up with the Brethren Knights of St. Fontaine back in the 1980s to hunt monsters. Back then, it seemed like the best use of my skills. I’d done my tours with the army, but even after I got out, I was still looking for an enemy to fight. So naturally, once I found out that vampires were real, I set my sights on them. It seemed like the most sensible thing to do at the time.
The Brethren Knights fancied themselves the descendants of the Knights Templar, and they insisted that their God given mission was to protect mankind from the things that lurked in the shadows. I didn’t really have much love for God at the time, but if the Bretheren were the ones fighting the monsters, then I was happy to tolerate the Jesus freaks in their ranks.
It was 1988 when we first heard whispers of the Imperium. A supposed cabal of vampires, trying to get them organized. At the time, it’d seemed too crazy to be true. Vampires generally went their own way, in my experience. At most, they might have a partner but other than they they didn’t really socialize with their own kind. But supposedly someone out there had the big fucking balls to keep them in line, and whoever they were, they scared the shit out of the Brethren.
They’d started targeting high profile vampires, trying to find someone who was involved in this ‘Imperium’, hoping that maybe they might get someone to talk. And it wasn’t long until they found someone who did.
From my understanding, the vampire they captured didn’t seem to know much about who was actually running the show. But they knew who their second in command was… and that was when I first head about the Di Cesare family.
The name was familiar to some of the higher ups in the Brethren, and I’d heard some stories. Not sure which were true, but the long and short of it was that the Di Cesare’s and the Brethren shared a bloody history, and didn’t particularly like each other too much.
George Bundy explained it to me like this at one point: ‘The Di Cesare’s are an old family. Most of them used to be witches, up until their Matriarch turned them into vampires. Now they’re a whole new kind of nasty. Far as I know, the only time anyone’s actually managed to kill one was about 200 years ago. Anyone who’s tried since has ended up dead, so most folks don’t even bother anymore.’
I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising they’d be involved in the Imperium, but the mere mention of their name ruffled some feathers higher up on the chain of command, and eventually they put out a kill order on them. Most of the Di Cesare’s were generally pretty hard to track down, but the top brass had a pretty good line on their matriarch, Bianca Di Cesare. Supposedly, she’d been spotted near the family’s private estate in Brazil and rumor had it that most of her daughters were there too.
Normally, the brass wouldn’t have sanctioned any kind of attack on them. The Di Cesare’s were already considered off limits, and attacking them at their private estate was considered damn near impossible. The estate was located in a small mining town outside of Manaus called Refugio de Julia, or just Julia for short. The town was fairly remote, being only accessible from a few backroads and most folks tended to avoid it, claiming they’d had various strange encounters in the area. Their accounts described unsettling pale figures with dark hair and large green eyes working in the mines, although some of the more disturbing stories we heard involved sightings of other creatures in the jungle surrounding the town. Massive spiders with humanoid faces, tending rotting corpses filled with stinging bees, giant howling beasts who tore through the forest, hunting prey, and beautiful women who would appear in the nearby towns, betwitching men into coming away with them only to reveal themselves as monsters who fed on the blood of their victims. Some had even claimed the Di Cesares themselves were such beasts… although those claims weren’t taken quite as seriously.
A skeptic might say the stories that surrounded Julia seemed like little more than just local superstition… but the Brethren had been dealing with the supernatural for long enough to recognize when something was probably real, and when it was probably fake and they knew damn well that most of the stories about Julia were probably true. None of them had ever dared set foot in Julia to find out for sure, since doing so would probably be suicide, but the theory was that the Di Cesares had created Julia as something of a refuge for other creatures. Other vampires, werewolves, arachne, karah and all sorts of other hellspawn. They offered them a home and safety in exchange for their labor in the mines. Hell, the name of the town more or less spelled it out.
Refugio de Julia
Julia’s Haven.
Julia had been the name of the only member of the Di Cesare family that the Brethren had ever killed, so I guess it was only fitting they named the town after her.
I honestly think using other creatures like them as a workforce was a bit inspired… since it made Julia damn near impenetrable. Reaching their estate at the far side of the town would have been impossible without being noticed by every creature of hell living in that town, and odds are they’d tear anyone apart long before they even reached the gates of the Di Cesare estate. And if one had the bright idea to approach the estate from another angle, they’d be trudging through miles and miles of rainforest to do so, only end up face to face with a massive stone wall that kept the rainforest out.
In effect - the Di Cesare estate was a fortress. Getting in would be no easy feat, to say nothing of confronting the vampires within. But with the fear of the Imperium gnawing at the back of their minds, the Brethren had finally set their minds to trying.
George Bundy had been the one in charge of planning the operation out.
I’d known Bundy before I’d joined up with the Brethren. Hell, Bundy was the whole reason I’d joined the Brethren. He’d been my CO a number of years back, and he’d earned his reputation as a hardass just about ten or twenty times over. Bundy was a gruff looking man with a bushy moustache and intense eyes. During the years I knew him, I don’t believe I ever once saw him so much as crack a smile. He only ever seemed to speak when he felt there was something he needed to say. Otherwise, he was usually dead silent.
He was somewhere in his late fifties back in 88. By all rights, he ought to have retired years ago. But he refused.
“I’m a soldier,” He said, when I asked him about it once. “That’s all I am. I don’t know what else to be.”
Bundy’s initial plan had been to hit the Di Cesare estate from the air. Come in fast and loud with a couple of helicopters and see how those vampires stood up to some good old American flak. The idea got shot down pretty quickly, so to speak. Apperantly, most if not all of the Di Cesares had cursed their own bodies, causing whatever wound one inflicted on them to appear on whoever it was who had wounded them. Going in guns blazing would have ended in a bloodbath… and not for them. There were also some concerns about drawing attention from Julia. With no conclusive data on just what they had living in that town, there was no guarantee we’d be safe in the air. A few eyewitnesses had described seeing giant nests in some of the trees in the jungle, supposedly consistent with the nests made by harpies.
Flying in guns blazing was out. So Bundy went back to the drawing board and what he came back with… well, it was ballsy, but it almost seemed like it just might work. During his reconnisance of the Di Cesare’s estate, he’d noticed a large but shallow tributary flowing into the amazon river that led right through the Di Cesare’s estate. Along the tributary was an abandoned water mill, that connected to the Di Cesare estate.
He’d suggested using the water mill to gain entry to the grounds, and from there, move on the Di Cesare’s. That plan had been approved, and Bundy had been allowed to handpick his team for the operation. He’d chosen fifteen men, all of them ex military, most of them having served under him before.
He’d told us we would be dividing into three teams of five men each. We would leave Manaus by boat, and land at three different areas near the tributary before making our way to the mill on foot, where we would regroup, before moving on the Di Cesares. The reason for the division was to ensure that if any of our teams ran into trouble upon making ground, the entire operation wouldn’t be compromised.
Team 1, led by Bundy himself would depart first and land to the west of the tributary. Team 2, led by a man named Ferdinand Hernandez would make land about fifteen minutes later near the mouth of the tributary and Team 3, to be led by me would land fifteen minutes later to the east.
On the day of the operation, I sat in my boat, watching as the other two left. It was twilight when we set out, and I remember that as my team and I carried out our final checks on our equipment, the only thing I felt was a familiar anticipation.
I’d hesitate to call it fear. Fear is what came later. Anticipation is the better word. I knew we could be walking into a tough situation… but I trusted Bundy. I trusted he’d run a smooth op. God knew, he’d done it a thousand times before.
The team assigned to me wasn’t anything particularly special. They were competent enough, but none of them would’ve been my first choices. Jack McMullen, for instance, who was about the same age as I was at the time. We’d both served under Bundy before, although while I respected Bundy, Jack was wholly devoted to him. I swear, if the man had told him to stuff a live grenade up his ass, Jack would’ve done it without a moments hesitation. I dunno if Jack simply saw him as the father he’d never had or what, but he damn near worshipped Bundy.
I can’t quite say the same for the other guys we had with us, though. One of them, some greenhorn by the name of Pearce Wilson struck me as an airheaded pretty boy who’d never actually had his boots on the ground before, while the other one, Scott Barber had left a bad taste in my mouth last time we’d worked together. Barber was capable… but he was violent. This was a kid with a hell of a chip on his shoulder, and it looked a hell of a lot like that Confederate flag patch he wore on his jacket. He wanted an excuse to shoot something, and I don’t think he cared what. Under most circumstances I’m not sure I would’ve fully trusted him with a gun.
The last one though, Joseph Feng… him I trusted. Feng was the one I knew the least about, and he didn’t seem much for conversation. But he handled himself competently enough and seemed to know when to sit down and shut up.
When Team 2’s boat was far enough away, we got the radio signal to follow. Barber was the one steering the boat, so I gave him the order to cast off and we ventured out into the twilight, unaware of just what was waiting for us out there.
***
We landed in our designated area fifteen minutes after Team 2 confirmed they’d touched down at theirs. Our landing was fairly uneventful. Feng, Barber, and I secured the boat before we radio’d Bundy to let him know we were in position. After that, it was just a matter of making it to the tributary.
As we ventured into the jungle, the world around us was quiet. There was wind, the whisper of the river behind us, and the sounds of animals. But little else. The river fell away behind us as we moved in single file toward the tributary, maintaining radio silence as we did.
It was about a half hour before we heard the gunshot.
Just one, echoing through the twilight. But it was enough to give us pause.
“The fuck was that?” I heard Barber ask. Immediately, the kid was on high alert, with his gun raised as if he were expecting every monster in Julia to come charging at us from all angles.
I just listened, waiting to hear if there was anything else. I half expected my radio to come to life, but it didn’t.
“Team 1, status?” I asked.
The radio crackled with static, but there was no response.
I tried it again, but still with no success. The radio was working, that much I was sure of. Something had to be blocking the signal.
“What’s going on?” Feng asked.
“Dunno,” I replied. “Comms are down.”
“Down?” Wilson asked, “So we’re flying blind out here, then?”
“More or less,” I replied.
“What do we do? Do we go back… if the comms are down…”
“Just because something’s jamming our signal doesn’t mean we’re made,” I said. “Relax. We keep moving for now. You keep your eyes wide open, and your head on a swivel. We’ll make it to the tributary and see if we can’t meet up with the other teams.”
I could tell Wilson wasn’t a fan of my answer, but I didn’t much care. We had a job to do, and I aimed to do it.
I pressed on without a further word and the others followed. Up ahead, I could hear the sound of running water and picked up the pace. I figured the tributary had to be close… and I was right.
I emerged from the brush into the stream, only to pause when I saw what was waiting for us in the water.
In the dying sunlight, it was impossible to mistake the bodies sprawled out on the rocks as anything else… and all I needed to do was look at their uniforms to know they were our people.
“Jesus…” I heard Wilson say under his breath. He froze up, lingering by the bank as I cautiously approached one of the bodies.
It belonged to a somewhat heavyset man with a thin mustache who I recognized as Hernandez. His eyes were still open, although lifeless and staring in different directions, and there was a clean hole in his forehead where a bullet had ended his life. The gunshot we’d heard earlier had likely been the sound of his death.
Looking at the bodies around him, I knew they had to be the rest of Team 2… although it was a little harder pinning down their cause of death. Some sort of bladed weapon, perhaps, judging by the state of them. I realized the odds were that they walked into some sort of ambush.
“What about Bundy and Team 1?” Jack asked, “Any sign of them?”
“No,” I said. “These bodies are all from Team 2… Bundy could still be ahead of us.”
“Then we need to keep going!”
Jack turned, heading up the stream and Barber was right behind him. Feng paused for a moment, thinking this over before following. Only Wilson remained.
“How do we know we’re not walking into a trap?” He asked.
“We’ll deal with that when we get to it,” I said before moving to follow the others.
“With all due respect, Sarge… that doesn’t sound like the best course of action!” Wilson argued, finally following me. “It sounds just like a good way to get killed!”
“Yeah?” I asked, “I’m gonna tell you an ugly truth, kid. That’s the job. Make your peace with it, and it’ll go a lot easier.”
Wilson didn’t like that answer either and trailed off behind me, watching as I continued upstream. For a moment, I half expected him to go back to the boat… but no. I dunno if he found his balls or just didn’t want to get left behind, but he started to follow us again.
I kept trying to raise Team 1 on the radio while we walked, although I still had no luck. The light above us slowly faded into darkness as we trudged through the water in silence, guns sitting comfortably in our hands and mosquitos biting at our necks.
It wasn’t until we lost Feng that I heard anybody so much as make a sound, and when we lost Feng… it happened almost instantaneously. One minute, he was at the head of the group, walking just ahead of Jack and I. The next, he was gone, only barely having the time to let out a scream as he fell into the river ahead of us.
The rest of us paused. Jack seemed to freeze and I pushed past him, calling out for Feng as I did. As punishment for my compassion, I almost went down after him. I only barely stopped myself from stepping on the slippery rocks that had helped send him to his demise.
I could see Feng’s body in the water, and I could see the blood pouring out of him. He twitched a few times, but I knew he was dead. The sharpened wooden spikes jutting out of him confirmed as much.
“What the hell…” Jack said under his breath, staring at Feng’s corpse in disbelief. “That’s a fucking spike trap!”
Yeah.
It was indeed a fucking spike trap.
I could see other spikes jutting out of the water ahead of us, just past a small dam of rocks that were just slippery enough to make it difficult to stop yourself from falling. Some of those spikes had other bodies on them… likely members of Team 1. I only counted two, although that still didn’t exactly bode well.
“They put a fucking spike trap in the goddamn stream…” Jack said, “Who the hell does that?”
“Somebody who’s expecting us to use the stream,” I replied.
“So they know we’re coming?” Barber asked.
“Clearly…” I replied. “And they’ve got a good idea on what our route is too.”
“Yeah, no shit!” Barber snapped. “Christ… let’s get the fuck out of here. There’s probably more fucking traps upstream!”
“Bundy’s orders were clear!” Jack argued.
“Bundy’s probably dead by now!” Barber replied, before looking at me. “Sarge, come on. You have to know this is suicide!”
“Suicide was part of the job description, was it not?” I asked.
“The job is to kill those fucking vampires, not to die in the goddamn process! We need to get out of the stream and into the woods!”
“Judging by the fate Team 2 met, I’m not sure the forest is someplace we want to be right now,” I replied.
“Excuse me?” Barber asked, “What the hell are you talking about, Sarge?”
“Five men dead, but only one gunshot. How did the rest die?”
Barber didn’t seem to be able to answer that.
“By now… yes. It’s clear we’ve walked into a trap. And yes, I understand that it makes sense to try and leave that trap… but I don’t know if we’ll be safer in the jungle. Something jumped Team 2. Cut them apart, and then shot Hernandez as a warning. They didn’t have to shoot him. They did it so we’d hear.”
“Your point being?” Barber asked.
“I don’t think this is just a trap, Barber. It’s a game. Stop playing, and you might just end up like our friends downstream.”
“A game?” Wilson asked, “Sarge, you can’t be serious!”
“From where I’m standing, we have a better chance of surviving in the stream,” I said. “Look, we’re at least halfway to the rendezvous point, and there have to be at least two members of Team 1 left. The safest thing to do right now is to follow them.”
“You’re off your fucking rocker, Sarge,” Barber spat, locking his eyes with mine. For a moment, I thought the boy was going to try and fight me. But no. He was wise enough to stand down.
“If you wanna get yourself killed, go right the fuck ahead. Just leave me out of it! Wilson, come on,” Barber said before trudging over to the edge of the stream. Wilson didn’t even hesitate, just looking back at Jack and I quietly before he disappeared into the forest with Barber.
“You’re not gonna stop them?” Jack asked.
“No,” I replied. “God willing, there’s a chance that pigheaded asshole is right… dunno how much of a chance, but a chance.”
“Then how come we’re not following him?” Jack asked.
“There’s also a chance he’s wrong.”
I turned, before making my way around the spike trap.
“Keep a slower pace,” I said. “Watch for traps.”
Jack hesitated for a moment, but he followed me without any further questions and we walked in silence for a little longer.
We heard nothing from the trees. Nothing that told us about the fate of Barber and Wilson. I wasn’t sure if that was good news or not.
In fact, I don’t think we heard a thing until about a half hour later, when we heard the explosion.
It came out of almost nowhere, but ahead of us I could see a flash of light and hear the screams of men. On instinct, I found myself picking up the pace and could hear Jack behind me. In the low light, I saw a shape float past me in the stream. It took me a moment to realize that it was a severed human arm.
In the water ahead of us, I could see a figure clinging to one of the rocks and trying to pick himself up. I recognized him as George Bundy.
Jack was at his side almost immediately, trying to help the old man to his feet.
“Sir! Are you alright?”
Bundy just wheezed, before his legs gave out from under him. I helped Jack drag him to the shore so he could sit and rest for a moment.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, looking back at the stream.
“Grenade trap… I think…” Bundy panted, “Fucking tripwire… Popkov tripped it, I think…”
Popkov… odds are he was one of the two mangled corpses lying in the river a few feet away from us. It seemed they’d taken the brunt of the explosion, although Bundy still had some shrapnel in his arm that Jack was tending to.
“Christ… whole fucking ops gone to shit…” Bundy spat. “Team 2 got taken out just about as soon as they landed. Someone killed them and dumped them in the goddamn river. Lost half my boys to the fucking spike trap and half to this…”
He looked up at us, before spitting onto the ground.
“Guess you two haven’t done much better.”
“Hard to say,” I replied. “Two of ours took off into the woods, trying to avoid the traps.”
“Then they’re dead,” Bundy replied. “I’ve seen her watching us… always just up ahead, always from a distance… she’s seeing how far we’ll go. How much we’ll take…”
“She?” I asked.
“La Morte. Should’ve figured she’d be the one to greet us.”
“La Morte?” I asked.
“It’s Italian. Supposedly, she earned that name around the time the Di Cesares fled Venice. It’s funny, the Brethren like to act like the Di Cesares leaving Venice was some big victory of theirs, since before they did, they finally killed one of them… hard to call it a victory though, considering how many corpses they made before they fled. And most of them came from La Morte…”
Bundy winced in pain as Jack bandaged his arm before he continued talking.
“See… when the Di Cesare’s left Venice, one of them stayed behind. Clementine, the Scorpio sister. Guess she was unwilling to leave the fight unfinished… and according to the stories, the death toll she personally amassed in the years after the Di Cesare’s left Venice make the bodies they claimed during the Venetian Massacre a hundred and fifty years prior look like a pittance. The Brethren still occupying the city started to call her La Morte. Death. Cuz wherever she went, death followed in her wake… and it seems we’ve walked right into her open arms, haven’t we, boys?”
“You’re sure it’s her?” I asked.
“She’s a Di Cesare… and the shit we’ve seen out here… I don’t see any other Di Cesare setting those traps. It’s her. I’m sure of it. She’s watching us. Seeing how far we’ll go. Seeing if we’ll turn tail…”
“Should we?” Jack asked, and Bundy finally seemed to acknowledge him.
“Excuse me?” He asked.
“Should we? Look, sir… I’d follow you into the mouth of Hell, but right now, we’re down from fifteen men to three. Can’t say I’m optimistic about our chances right now. If this woman is half as bad as you’re saying she is, maybe it’s time we took a step back!”
Jack looked at me, hoping I might back him up, but I remained silent.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Bundy asked.
“What I’m hearing here, is that as of right now, the vampire out there could kill us at any time. She hasn’t. Far as I’m concerned, that’s mercy. Maybe we should be taking it while it’s offered.”
Bundy stared at him, before chuckling. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen him laugh.
“Just walk away, then?” He asked.
“Walk away, and come back better prepared!” Jack corrected.
“Walk away,” Bundy said again. “We walk away now, and there won’t be a chance to come back better prepared. We get one shot at this. One. Failure is not an option. We go in there and we kill them or we die. End of discussion.”
“And how exactly are we even supposed to kill them?” Jack asked, “That curse they have… bullets aren’t gonna do shit, sir!”
“Yours won’t, mine will…”
Bundy pulled his pistol from his holster. I noticed some sort of pattern crudely engraved on it.
“I’ve been doing some research… studied the curse they put on themselves… and I think I’ve found a way to break it. Not sure if it’ll work yet… but we get one chance to test it.”
Jack stared at the gun, then back at Bundy.
“Sir… do you hear yourself?” He asked quietly, “You can’t be serious… right now, even with that gun we don’t stand a chance in he-”
The gunshot echoed through the forest and made me jump. Jack’s voice died in his throat as he hit the ground.
Bundy stared at him for a moment, before huffing and holstering his pistol again. He draped his coat over his shoulders, before looking over at me.
“No room for failure, Frank,” He said calmly.
I didn’t know what to say to that. I stared down at Jack’s body, my mouth hanging open slightly. When I looked back at Bundy, he was already back in the stream.
There was a tense silence between Bundy and I as I followed him along the final stretch of the tributary. He trudged on ahead, covered in sweat and straining with every step, but I could sense the quiet determination he had to see this through. Looking at him, you could’ve told me that George Bundy could wipe out the Di Cesare’s all by himself and I would have believed it in a second.
The night around us was full of sound, and each one drew my attention. I watched the forest, expecting to see some sign of La Morte watching us. But I saw nothing, except for what she wanted me to see.
“Mill’s just up ahead,” I heard Bundy say as we pressed on, although I noticed his steps faltering as he seemed to notice something in the trees above us. I stopped behind him, looking up before seeing what he saw, and when I saw it I felt my stomach turn.
I’d seen death before.
But what Di Cesare had left out for us… that was something else.
Pearce Wilson and Scott Barber weren’t dead.
But if they could have spoke, I’ve got no doubt they would have begged us to kill them. Wilsons pretty face was covered in blood and his pouty lips were parted as more trickled out of him. His curly blond hair was matted and I could see crimson there. Tree branches portruded from his ribs, while the loops of his entrails dangled out of his opened stomach. And Barber was in just about the same state, only he seemed to at least have the ability to turn his head to look at us.
I think he might have tried to speak, but the only sound he seemed to be able to make was a pained whimper.
“Jesus Christ…” I said softly.
“He had nothing to do with this,” Bundy replied. He took one last look at the two dying men hanging from the trees, before moving on.
“We should put them out of their misery, sir,” I said.
Bundy paused, before looking back at me.
“Don’t waste the ammo, Frank,” He replied. “They’re already dead.”
“Not yet they’re not!”
“Give them time. They chose to go into the woods. They can live with the consequences… for however long that lasts.”
With that, he left them. If I were a more compassionate man, I would have put them out of their misery. But no. Bundy moved on and so did I.
He approached the water mill, before examining it. It was an old building, made of stone that had long since been overgrown by moss, and sat right on the wall that separated the Di Cesares estate from the amazon. It hardly looked secure, even if the only entrance hadn’t just been an old wooden door secured with a padlock, finding a way in wouldn’t have been difficult. And it didn’t take much for Bundy to break through that door. All he needed was a couple of well placed kicks and it swung right open.
Drawing his gun, Bundy strode inside and I followed him.
“The Di Cesare’s will be in the main house,” He said. “We should find a way in through the back, try and catch them off guard. Main target should be the matriarch, Bianca. Her we should prioritize keeping alive… the rest are expendable.”
“Much as you are, I’m sure.” A voice called from deeper in the mill, and both Bundy and I froze.
I noticed movement on the floor above us, and through the shadows, I saw a tall woman watching us. She was dressed all in black, with blond hair tied back in a ponytail and the intense eyes of a soldier.
This had to be Clementine Di Cesare.
Bundy aimed his pistol at her, although she only barely seemed to notice.
“Only two of you left… I’m not sure the odds are in your favor,” The woman said. Her voice was low, calm and quiet.
“Only one way to find out,” Bundy growled.
“And only one way to walk out of this place alive,” Di Cesare countered. “You can put the gun down, turn and walk away. I won’t stop you. There’s no shame in living.”
“All the bodies you’ve left in your wake… that’s rich,” Bundy said.
“I don’t relish what I’ve done. I simply don’t know how to do anything else,” She replied. “Think about this, Bundy. Over my lifetime, there have been countless thousands who have come to kill me. All of them are dead, but I am not. Even if you could kill me… you could not kill my sisters. Not all of them. Not before they came for you.”
“Just you, would be enough…” Bundy said, before pulling the trigger.
I knew he’d hit her. I knew the bullet pierced her shoulder. But that woman… she didn’t even flinch. She simply dove out of the way before he could shoot again, taking cover and avoiding his next shot.
“Frank, upstairs!” Bundy snapped, “Flush her out!”
I went, trudging up the old wooden steps with my rifle drawn. Only to see Di Cesare vaulting over the railing and back down to the ground floor as soon as I made it up there.
Bundy shot at her again, only to miss for a second time. I saw Di Cesare’s arm move, and heard him cry out in pain. In the low light, I could see a dagger protruding from his shoulder. He stumbled back a step, leaving himself open for only a split second.
That second was all it took for Di Cesare to raise her own gun and fire just one shot.
George Bundy hit the ground without so much as a final scream. There was just a simple hole in his skull where she had shot him.
I felt my heart start to race faster. My eyes settled on Bundy’s gun, and I ran for the railing, vaulting it and dropping to the ground below with a thud. Di Cesare shot at me, and I felt the bullet tear through my leg. I reached out for the fallen gun and grabbed it before turning it on Di Cesare, only to find myself staring down the barrel of her own pistol. My finger rested on the trigger, but I didn’t have the guts to pull it.
"Kill me, and you will not see the sun tomorrow." She said, her voice still cold and calm.
“Killing you is part of the job…” I replied, but my finger still couldn’t squeeze the trigger.
“And is it worth your life?” Di Cesare asked. “You fail your mission either way.”
“And die with some goddamn honor…”
“There’s no such thing as honor. There is alive and there is dead. Choose.”
I knew what I was supposed to choose.
But my hands were shaking, as I stared into the face of death. My finger couldn’t squeeze the trigger.
The gun collapsed to the floor and Di Cesare kicked it away from me, before huffing and lowering her gun.
“Do not return,” She said softly. “Or next time, I will unleash a hell upon you that will make you beg for simple traps.”
She picked Bundy’s gun up off the ground, and then she was gone. After I finally picked myself up off the ground, I was gone too.
As I walked back along the stream… I passed the corpses of the men we’d left behind. Barber and Wilson, Jack, Feng, Hernandez, and his team. The flies were already feasting on them. Animals had already torn at them. And as I looked down at their cold corpses, I knew I had made the right choice.
I filed my report with the Brethren. Told them that Di Cesare had wiped us out, and a few months later I quietly retired. I never looked back.
***
“You walked away from her?” Sweeney asked in disbelief, “You had her dead to rights and you walked away from her?”
“I chose to live,” I replied. “Can’t say I regret the decision either. Because of the choice I made, I met my wife and had my kids. I’ve lived the life I had because I chose not to throw it away on some vampire.”
Sweeney just shook his head.
“You could have gotten the first confirmed kill on a Di Cesare in two centuries, and you threw it away you fucking coward! I could execute you for that!” I noticed his hand hovering over the gun on his hip.
“You could.” I replied, before quietly unholstering the pistol I kept at my side. I aimed it at Sweeney’s head.
He stared at me like a slack jawed idiot.
“Would you like to give it a try?”
“W-what…?”
“Would you like to give it a try, Mr. Sweeney? Or would you like to see the sun tomorrow?”
He stared down the barrel of my gun, and I already knew what his choice would be.
Sweeney took a step back. I saw his hand move away from his holster, and I lowered the gun with a huff.
“Thought so,” I said.
Mr. Sweeney left me without another word.
I knew he would not return.
submitted by HeadOfSpectre to HeadOfSpectre [link] [comments]
Revenge.
What a moronically quaint idea.
This jumped up little shit had come into my home, interrupted my retirement and here he was talking to me about revenge, as if he knew the first thing about what I’d seen, what I’d been through, why I’d quit.
Looking into his eyes, I knew he didn’t understand. I knew he couldn’t.
I've been hunting vampires for most of my life. I've killed more of them than I can count. But Clementine Di Cesare was no ordinary vampire. Hell, none of the Di Cesares were ordinary vampires, but even among them Clementine was… unique. She was the one all the others quietly feared. The one who was even spoken of with reverence by the Di Cesares masters, those twin Immortals who could not be killed by any weapon of this world. Seeking revenge against her was like seeking revenge against death itself.
“Revenge?” I repeated, with a dismissive scoff.
“You’re really going to tell me that after what she put you through, you don’t want revenge?” Sweeney asked.
“If you knew what she did to me, you’d know why I don’t want revenge,” I replied.
“Really? Sorry Franklin, but I don’t buy that. Look, I get it if you’re reluctant to jump back into the fight. I do. You of all people know just how dangerous the Di Cesare’s are. Especially ‘La Morte’.”
I looked over at him as he said that name. It rolled off his tongue so irreverently. To him, it was just a name. An alias assigned to some vampire he’s only heard of stories. He didn’t utter it with the respect it deserved, and I almost couldn’t be bothered to correct him. Any words spent on this small minded glory hound were probably wasted.
“Yes, I do know.”
“Which is why I need you,” Sweeney said. He almost sounded as if he were pleading with me. “Think of this as an opportunity to set things right… to put that vampire bitch in the ground where she belongs, and save God only knows how many lives in the process!”
I sighed.
He just didn’t get it.
“Mark my words, Mr. Sweeney, if you chase after Clementine Di Cesare, you’ll end far more lives than you save. She didn’t get a name like ‘La Morte’ for nothing. She earned it. Purchased it with the blood of the tens of thousands she’s sent screaming into the maw of Hell. She is not something you chase, Sweeney.”
“She’s a vampire,” Sweeney said dismissively. “She’s another enemy to destroy.”
“That’s what George Bundy said,” I replied. “Then not too long after, he died.”
“I’m not George Bundy,” Sweeney said.
“No. You sure as hell ain’t,” I agreed, before looking the kid in the eye.
He thought he was an up and comer, climbing the ranks of the Brethren. He probably thought of himself as some sort of badass vampire hunter too, when in reality he could never have so much as dreamed of holding a candle to the likes of Bundy… or hell, any of the men who’d died in Brazil.
“You should watch your tone with me,” Sweeney warned.
“Or you’ll do what?” I asked, “You ain’t going to frighten me with vague threats, boy. I’ve walked through Hell, trying to kill the Devil. What have you done?”
Sweeney bit his lip but didn’t respond.
“There’s nothing you can say or do that will intimidate me,” I said, before lighting myself a cigarette. I stared at the road outside of my porch, old memories flooding back to me before looking over at Sweeney again. He sat in his chair beside me like a sulky child. This was the man who wanted to destroy the Di Cesare family? Pathetic.
“Exactly how much do you know about the Brazil Job?” I asked.
“I know it was a failure. Clementine Di Cesare killed most of the men the Brethren sent out… all except for you. You were the only one good enough to beat her.”
“Good enough…” I repeated with a huff, “Hardly… whatever picture you’ve got in your head of some glorified battle, throw it away. Trust me, the Brazil Job was anything but glorious. It was a two hour long trek through Hell. And I didn’t beat Di Cesare at the end of it. I survived her. They’re two different things entirely.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Sweeney said.
“You wouldn’t, would you?” I sighed and took another drag on my cigarette.
This kid wasn’t going to leave until I made him understand… so I told him my story. I told him everything even though I knew he’d learn nothing from it.
***
I’d joined up with the Brethren Knights of St. Fontaine back in the 1980s to hunt monsters. Back then, it seemed like the best use of my skills. I’d done my tours with the army, but even after I got out, I was still looking for an enemy to fight. So naturally, once I found out that vampires were real, I set my sights on them. It seemed like the most sensible thing to do at the time.
The Brethren Knights fancied themselves the descendants of the Knights Templar, and they insisted that their God given mission was to protect mankind from the things that lurked in the shadows. I didn’t really have much love for God at the time, but if the Bretheren were the ones fighting the monsters, then I was happy to tolerate the Jesus freaks in their ranks.
It was 1988 when we first heard whispers of the Imperium. A supposed cabal of vampires, trying to get them organized. At the time, it’d seemed too crazy to be true. Vampires generally went their own way, in my experience. At most, they might have a partner but other than they they didn’t really socialize with their own kind. But supposedly someone out there had the big fucking balls to keep them in line, and whoever they were, they scared the shit out of the Brethren.
They’d started targeting high profile vampires, trying to find someone who was involved in this ‘Imperium’, hoping that maybe they might get someone to talk. And it wasn’t long until they found someone who did.
From my understanding, the vampire they captured didn’t seem to know much about who was actually running the show. But they knew who their second in command was… and that was when I first head about the Di Cesare family.
The name was familiar to some of the higher ups in the Brethren, and I’d heard some stories. Not sure which were true, but the long and short of it was that the Di Cesare’s and the Brethren shared a bloody history, and didn’t particularly like each other too much.
George Bundy explained it to me like this at one point: ‘The Di Cesare’s are an old family. Most of them used to be witches, up until their Matriarch turned them into vampires. Now they’re a whole new kind of nasty. Far as I know, the only time anyone’s actually managed to kill one was about 200 years ago. Anyone who’s tried since has ended up dead, so most folks don’t even bother anymore.’
I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising they’d be involved in the Imperium, but the mere mention of their name ruffled some feathers higher up on the chain of command, and eventually they put out a kill order on them. Most of the Di Cesare’s were generally pretty hard to track down, but the top brass had a pretty good line on their matriarch, Bianca Di Cesare. Supposedly, she’d been spotted near the family’s private estate in Brazil and rumor had it that most of her daughters were there too.
Normally, the brass wouldn’t have sanctioned any kind of attack on them. The Di Cesare’s were already considered off limits, and attacking them at their private estate was considered damn near impossible. The estate was located in a small mining town outside of Manaus called Refugio de Julia, or just Julia for short. The town was fairly remote, being only accessible from a few backroads and most folks tended to avoid it, claiming they’d had various strange encounters in the area. Their accounts described unsettling pale figures with dark hair and large green eyes working in the mines, although some of the more disturbing stories we heard involved sightings of other creatures in the jungle surrounding the town. Massive spiders with humanoid faces, tending rotting corpses filled with stinging bees, giant howling beasts who tore through the forest, hunting prey, and beautiful women who would appear in the nearby towns, betwitching men into coming away with them only to reveal themselves as monsters who fed on the blood of their victims. Some had even claimed the Di Cesares themselves were such beasts… although those claims weren’t taken quite as seriously.
A skeptic might say the stories that surrounded Julia seemed like little more than just local superstition… but the Brethren had been dealing with the supernatural for long enough to recognize when something was probably real, and when it was probably fake and they knew damn well that most of the stories about Julia were probably true. None of them had ever dared set foot in Julia to find out for sure, since doing so would probably be suicide, but the theory was that the Di Cesares had created Julia as something of a refuge for other creatures. Other vampires, werewolves, arachne, karah and all sorts of other hellspawn. They offered them a home and safety in exchange for their labor in the mines. Hell, the name of the town more or less spelled it out.
Refugio de Julia
Julia’s Haven.
Julia had been the name of the only member of the Di Cesare family that the Brethren had ever killed, so I guess it was only fitting they named the town after her.
I honestly think using other creatures like them as a workforce was a bit inspired… since it made Julia damn near impenetrable. Reaching their estate at the far side of the town would have been impossible without being noticed by every creature of hell living in that town, and odds are they’d tear anyone apart long before they even reached the gates of the Di Cesare estate. And if one had the bright idea to approach the estate from another angle, they’d be trudging through miles and miles of rainforest to do so, only end up face to face with a massive stone wall that kept the rainforest out.
In effect - the Di Cesare estate was a fortress. Getting in would be no easy feat, to say nothing of confronting the vampires within. But with the fear of the Imperium gnawing at the back of their minds, the Brethren had finally set their minds to trying.
George Bundy had been the one in charge of planning the operation out.
I’d known Bundy before I’d joined up with the Brethren. Hell, Bundy was the whole reason I’d joined the Brethren. He’d been my CO a number of years back, and he’d earned his reputation as a hardass just about ten or twenty times over. Bundy was a gruff looking man with a bushy moustache and intense eyes. During the years I knew him, I don’t believe I ever once saw him so much as crack a smile. He only ever seemed to speak when he felt there was something he needed to say. Otherwise, he was usually dead silent.
He was somewhere in his late fifties back in 88. By all rights, he ought to have retired years ago. But he refused.
“I’m a soldier,” He said, when I asked him about it once. “That’s all I am. I don’t know what else to be.”
Bundy’s initial plan had been to hit the Di Cesare estate from the air. Come in fast and loud with a couple of helicopters and see how those vampires stood up to some good old American flak. The idea got shot down pretty quickly, so to speak. Apperantly, most if not all of the Di Cesares had cursed their own bodies, causing whatever wound one inflicted on them to appear on whoever it was who had wounded them. Going in guns blazing would have ended in a bloodbath… and not for them. There were also some concerns about drawing attention from Julia. With no conclusive data on just what they had living in that town, there was no guarantee we’d be safe in the air. A few eyewitnesses had described seeing giant nests in some of the trees in the jungle, supposedly consistent with the nests made by harpies.
Flying in guns blazing was out. So Bundy went back to the drawing board and what he came back with… well, it was ballsy, but it almost seemed like it just might work. During his reconnisance of the Di Cesare’s estate, he’d noticed a large but shallow tributary flowing into the amazon river that led right through the Di Cesare’s estate. Along the tributary was an abandoned water mill, that connected to the Di Cesare estate.
He’d suggested using the water mill to gain entry to the grounds, and from there, move on the Di Cesare’s. That plan had been approved, and Bundy had been allowed to handpick his team for the operation. He’d chosen fifteen men, all of them ex military, most of them having served under him before.
He’d told us we would be dividing into three teams of five men each. We would leave Manaus by boat, and land at three different areas near the tributary before making our way to the mill on foot, where we would regroup, before moving on the Di Cesares. The reason for the division was to ensure that if any of our teams ran into trouble upon making ground, the entire operation wouldn’t be compromised.
Team 1, led by Bundy himself would depart first and land to the west of the tributary. Team 2, led by a man named Ferdinand Hernandez would make land about fifteen minutes later near the mouth of the tributary and Team 3, to be led by me would land fifteen minutes later to the east.
On the day of the operation, I sat in my boat, watching as the other two left. It was twilight when we set out, and I remember that as my team and I carried out our final checks on our equipment, the only thing I felt was a familiar anticipation.
I’d hesitate to call it fear. Fear is what came later. Anticipation is the better word. I knew we could be walking into a tough situation… but I trusted Bundy. I trusted he’d run a smooth op. God knew, he’d done it a thousand times before.
The team assigned to me wasn’t anything particularly special. They were competent enough, but none of them would’ve been my first choices. Jack McMullen, for instance, who was about the same age as I was at the time. We’d both served under Bundy before, although while I respected Bundy, Jack was wholly devoted to him. I swear, if the man had told him to stuff a live grenade up his ass, Jack would’ve done it without a moments hesitation. I dunno if Jack simply saw him as the father he’d never had or what, but he damn near worshipped Bundy.
I can’t quite say the same for the other guys we had with us, though. One of them, some greenhorn by the name of Pearce Wilson struck me as an airheaded pretty boy who’d never actually had his boots on the ground before, while the other one, Scott Barber had left a bad taste in my mouth last time we’d worked together. Barber was capable… but he was violent. This was a kid with a hell of a chip on his shoulder, and it looked a hell of a lot like that Confederate flag patch he wore on his jacket. He wanted an excuse to shoot something, and I don’t think he cared what. Under most circumstances I’m not sure I would’ve fully trusted him with a gun.
The last one though, Joseph Feng… him I trusted. Feng was the one I knew the least about, and he didn’t seem much for conversation. But he handled himself competently enough and seemed to know when to sit down and shut up.
When Team 2’s boat was far enough away, we got the radio signal to follow. Barber was the one steering the boat, so I gave him the order to cast off and we ventured out into the twilight, unaware of just what was waiting for us out there.
***
We landed in our designated area fifteen minutes after Team 2 confirmed they’d touched down at theirs. Our landing was fairly uneventful. Feng, Barber, and I secured the boat before we radio’d Bundy to let him know we were in position. After that, it was just a matter of making it to the tributary.
As we ventured into the jungle, the world around us was quiet. There was wind, the whisper of the river behind us, and the sounds of animals. But little else. The river fell away behind us as we moved in single file toward the tributary, maintaining radio silence as we did.
It was about a half hour before we heard the gunshot.
Just one, echoing through the twilight. But it was enough to give us pause.
“The fuck was that?” I heard Barber ask. Immediately, the kid was on high alert, with his gun raised as if he were expecting every monster in Julia to come charging at us from all angles.
I just listened, waiting to hear if there was anything else. I half expected my radio to come to life, but it didn’t.
“Team 1, status?” I asked.
The radio crackled with static, but there was no response.
I tried it again, but still with no success. The radio was working, that much I was sure of. Something had to be blocking the signal.
“What’s going on?” Feng asked.
“Dunno,” I replied. “Comms are down.”
“Down?” Wilson asked, “So we’re flying blind out here, then?”
“More or less,” I replied.
“What do we do? Do we go back… if the comms are down…”
“Just because something’s jamming our signal doesn’t mean we’re made,” I said. “Relax. We keep moving for now. You keep your eyes wide open, and your head on a swivel. We’ll make it to the tributary and see if we can’t meet up with the other teams.”
I could tell Wilson wasn’t a fan of my answer, but I didn’t much care. We had a job to do, and I aimed to do it.
I pressed on without a further word and the others followed. Up ahead, I could hear the sound of running water and picked up the pace. I figured the tributary had to be close… and I was right.
I emerged from the brush into the stream, only to pause when I saw what was waiting for us in the water.
In the dying sunlight, it was impossible to mistake the bodies sprawled out on the rocks as anything else… and all I needed to do was look at their uniforms to know they were our people.
“Jesus…” I heard Wilson say under his breath. He froze up, lingering by the bank as I cautiously approached one of the bodies.
It belonged to a somewhat heavyset man with a thin mustache who I recognized as Hernandez. His eyes were still open, although lifeless and staring in different directions, and there was a clean hole in his forehead where a bullet had ended his life. The gunshot we’d heard earlier had likely been the sound of his death.
Looking at the bodies around him, I knew they had to be the rest of Team 2… although it was a little harder pinning down their cause of death. Some sort of bladed weapon, perhaps, judging by the state of them. I realized the odds were that they walked into some sort of ambush.
“What about Bundy and Team 1?” Jack asked, “Any sign of them?”
“No,” I said. “These bodies are all from Team 2… Bundy could still be ahead of us.”
“Then we need to keep going!”
Jack turned, heading up the stream and Barber was right behind him. Feng paused for a moment, thinking this over before following. Only Wilson remained.
“How do we know we’re not walking into a trap?” He asked.
“We’ll deal with that when we get to it,” I said before moving to follow the others.
“With all due respect, Sarge… that doesn’t sound like the best course of action!” Wilson argued, finally following me. “It sounds just like a good way to get killed!”
“Yeah?” I asked, “I’m gonna tell you an ugly truth, kid. That’s the job. Make your peace with it, and it’ll go a lot easier.”
Wilson didn’t like that answer either and trailed off behind me, watching as I continued upstream. For a moment, I half expected him to go back to the boat… but no. I dunno if he found his balls or just didn’t want to get left behind, but he started to follow us again.
I kept trying to raise Team 1 on the radio while we walked, although I still had no luck. The light above us slowly faded into darkness as we trudged through the water in silence, guns sitting comfortably in our hands and mosquitos biting at our necks.
It wasn’t until we lost Feng that I heard anybody so much as make a sound, and when we lost Feng… it happened almost instantaneously. One minute, he was at the head of the group, walking just ahead of Jack and I. The next, he was gone, only barely having the time to let out a scream as he fell into the river ahead of us.
The rest of us paused. Jack seemed to freeze and I pushed past him, calling out for Feng as I did. As punishment for my compassion, I almost went down after him. I only barely stopped myself from stepping on the slippery rocks that had helped send him to his demise.
I could see Feng’s body in the water, and I could see the blood pouring out of him. He twitched a few times, but I knew he was dead. The sharpened wooden spikes jutting out of him confirmed as much.
“What the hell…” Jack said under his breath, staring at Feng’s corpse in disbelief. “That’s a fucking spike trap!”
Yeah.
It was indeed a fucking spike trap.
I could see other spikes jutting out of the water ahead of us, just past a small dam of rocks that were just slippery enough to make it difficult to stop yourself from falling. Some of those spikes had other bodies on them… likely members of Team 1. I only counted two, although that still didn’t exactly bode well.
“They put a fucking spike trap in the goddamn stream…” Jack said, “Who the hell does that?”
“Somebody who’s expecting us to use the stream,” I replied.
“So they know we’re coming?” Barber asked.
“Clearly…” I replied. “And they’ve got a good idea on what our route is too.”
“Yeah, no shit!” Barber snapped. “Christ… let’s get the fuck out of here. There’s probably more fucking traps upstream!”
“Bundy’s orders were clear!” Jack argued.
“Bundy’s probably dead by now!” Barber replied, before looking at me. “Sarge, come on. You have to know this is suicide!”
“Suicide was part of the job description, was it not?” I asked.
“The job is to kill those fucking vampires, not to die in the goddamn process! We need to get out of the stream and into the woods!”
“Judging by the fate Team 2 met, I’m not sure the forest is someplace we want to be right now,” I replied.
“Excuse me?” Barber asked, “What the hell are you talking about, Sarge?”
“Five men dead, but only one gunshot. How did the rest die?”
Barber didn’t seem to be able to answer that.
“By now… yes. It’s clear we’ve walked into a trap. And yes, I understand that it makes sense to try and leave that trap… but I don’t know if we’ll be safer in the jungle. Something jumped Team 2. Cut them apart, and then shot Hernandez as a warning. They didn’t have to shoot him. They did it so we’d hear.”
“Your point being?” Barber asked.
“I don’t think this is just a trap, Barber. It’s a game. Stop playing, and you might just end up like our friends downstream.”
“A game?” Wilson asked, “Sarge, you can’t be serious!”
“From where I’m standing, we have a better chance of surviving in the stream,” I said. “Look, we’re at least halfway to the rendezvous point, and there have to be at least two members of Team 1 left. The safest thing to do right now is to follow them.”
“You’re off your fucking rocker, Sarge,” Barber spat, locking his eyes with mine. For a moment, I thought the boy was going to try and fight me. But no. He was wise enough to stand down.
“If you wanna get yourself killed, go right the fuck ahead. Just leave me out of it! Wilson, come on,” Barber said before trudging over to the edge of the stream. Wilson didn’t even hesitate, just looking back at Jack and I quietly before he disappeared into the forest with Barber.
“You’re not gonna stop them?” Jack asked.
“No,” I replied. “God willing, there’s a chance that pigheaded asshole is right… dunno how much of a chance, but a chance.”
“Then how come we’re not following him?” Jack asked.
“There’s also a chance he’s wrong.”
I turned, before making my way around the spike trap.
“Keep a slower pace,” I said. “Watch for traps.”
Jack hesitated for a moment, but he followed me without any further questions and we walked in silence for a little longer.
We heard nothing from the trees. Nothing that told us about the fate of Barber and Wilson. I wasn’t sure if that was good news or not.
In fact, I don’t think we heard a thing until about a half hour later, when we heard the explosion.
It came out of almost nowhere, but ahead of us I could see a flash of light and hear the screams of men. On instinct, I found myself picking up the pace and could hear Jack behind me. In the low light, I saw a shape float past me in the stream. It took me a moment to realize that it was a severed human arm.
In the water ahead of us, I could see a figure clinging to one of the rocks and trying to pick himself up. I recognized him as George Bundy.
Jack was at his side almost immediately, trying to help the old man to his feet.
“Sir! Are you alright?”
Bundy just wheezed, before his legs gave out from under him. I helped Jack drag him to the shore so he could sit and rest for a moment.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, looking back at the stream.
“Grenade trap… I think…” Bundy panted, “Fucking tripwire… Popkov tripped it, I think…”
Popkov… odds are he was one of the two mangled corpses lying in the river a few feet away from us. It seemed they’d taken the brunt of the explosion, although Bundy still had some shrapnel in his arm that Jack was tending to.
“Christ… whole fucking ops gone to shit…” Bundy spat. “Team 2 got taken out just about as soon as they landed. Someone killed them and dumped them in the goddamn river. Lost half my boys to the fucking spike trap and half to this…”
He looked up at us, before spitting onto the ground.
“Guess you two haven’t done much better.”
“Hard to say,” I replied. “Two of ours took off into the woods, trying to avoid the traps.”
“Then they’re dead,” Bundy replied. “I’ve seen her watching us… always just up ahead, always from a distance… she’s seeing how far we’ll go. How much we’ll take…”
“She?” I asked.
“La Morte. Should’ve figured she’d be the one to greet us.”
“La Morte?” I asked.
“It’s Italian. Supposedly, she earned that name around the time the Di Cesares fled Venice. It’s funny, the Brethren like to act like the Di Cesares leaving Venice was some big victory of theirs, since before they did, they finally killed one of them… hard to call it a victory though, considering how many corpses they made before they fled. And most of them came from La Morte…”
Bundy winced in pain as Jack bandaged his arm before he continued talking.
“See… when the Di Cesare’s left Venice, one of them stayed behind. Clementine, the Scorpio sister. Guess she was unwilling to leave the fight unfinished… and according to the stories, the death toll she personally amassed in the years after the Di Cesare’s left Venice make the bodies they claimed during the Venetian Massacre a hundred and fifty years prior look like a pittance. The Brethren still occupying the city started to call her La Morte. Death. Cuz wherever she went, death followed in her wake… and it seems we’ve walked right into her open arms, haven’t we, boys?”
“You’re sure it’s her?” I asked.
“She’s a Di Cesare… and the shit we’ve seen out here… I don’t see any other Di Cesare setting those traps. It’s her. I’m sure of it. She’s watching us. Seeing how far we’ll go. Seeing if we’ll turn tail…”
“Should we?” Jack asked, and Bundy finally seemed to acknowledge him.
“Excuse me?” He asked.
“Should we? Look, sir… I’d follow you into the mouth of Hell, but right now, we’re down from fifteen men to three. Can’t say I’m optimistic about our chances right now. If this woman is half as bad as you’re saying she is, maybe it’s time we took a step back!”
Jack looked at me, hoping I might back him up, but I remained silent.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Bundy asked.
“What I’m hearing here, is that as of right now, the vampire out there could kill us at any time. She hasn’t. Far as I’m concerned, that’s mercy. Maybe we should be taking it while it’s offered.”
Bundy stared at him, before chuckling. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen him laugh.
“Just walk away, then?” He asked.
“Walk away, and come back better prepared!” Jack corrected.
“Walk away,” Bundy said again. “We walk away now, and there won’t be a chance to come back better prepared. We get one shot at this. One. Failure is not an option. We go in there and we kill them or we die. End of discussion.”
“And how exactly are we even supposed to kill them?” Jack asked, “That curse they have… bullets aren’t gonna do shit, sir!”
“Yours won’t, mine will…”
Bundy pulled his pistol from his holster. I noticed some sort of pattern crudely engraved on it.
“I’ve been doing some research… studied the curse they put on themselves… and I think I’ve found a way to break it. Not sure if it’ll work yet… but we get one chance to test it.”
Jack stared at the gun, then back at Bundy.
“Sir… do you hear yourself?” He asked quietly, “You can’t be serious… right now, even with that gun we don’t stand a chance in he-”
The gunshot echoed through the forest and made me jump. Jack’s voice died in his throat as he hit the ground.
Bundy stared at him for a moment, before huffing and holstering his pistol again. He draped his coat over his shoulders, before looking over at me.
“No room for failure, Frank,” He said calmly.
I didn’t know what to say to that. I stared down at Jack’s body, my mouth hanging open slightly. When I looked back at Bundy, he was already back in the stream.
There was a tense silence between Bundy and I as I followed him along the final stretch of the tributary. He trudged on ahead, covered in sweat and straining with every step, but I could sense the quiet determination he had to see this through. Looking at him, you could’ve told me that George Bundy could wipe out the Di Cesare’s all by himself and I would have believed it in a second.
The night around us was full of sound, and each one drew my attention. I watched the forest, expecting to see some sign of La Morte watching us. But I saw nothing, except for what she wanted me to see.
“Mill’s just up ahead,” I heard Bundy say as we pressed on, although I noticed his steps faltering as he seemed to notice something in the trees above us. I stopped behind him, looking up before seeing what he saw, and when I saw it I felt my stomach turn.
I’d seen death before.
But what Di Cesare had left out for us… that was something else.
Pearce Wilson and Scott Barber weren’t dead.
But if they could have spoke, I’ve got no doubt they would have begged us to kill them. Wilsons pretty face was covered in blood and his pouty lips were parted as more trickled out of him. His curly blond hair was matted and I could see crimson there. Tree branches portruded from his ribs, while the loops of his entrails dangled out of his opened stomach. And Barber was in just about the same state, only he seemed to at least have the ability to turn his head to look at us.
I think he might have tried to speak, but the only sound he seemed to be able to make was a pained whimper.
“Jesus Christ…” I said softly.
“He had nothing to do with this,” Bundy replied. He took one last look at the two dying men hanging from the trees, before moving on.
“We should put them out of their misery, sir,” I said.
Bundy paused, before looking back at me.
“Don’t waste the ammo, Frank,” He replied. “They’re already dead.”
“Not yet they’re not!”
“Give them time. They chose to go into the woods. They can live with the consequences… for however long that lasts.”
With that, he left them. If I were a more compassionate man, I would have put them out of their misery. But no. Bundy moved on and so did I.
He approached the water mill, before examining it. It was an old building, made of stone that had long since been overgrown by moss, and sat right on the wall that separated the Di Cesares estate from the amazon. It hardly looked secure, even if the only entrance hadn’t just been an old wooden door secured with a padlock, finding a way in wouldn’t have been difficult. And it didn’t take much for Bundy to break through that door. All he needed was a couple of well placed kicks and it swung right open.
Drawing his gun, Bundy strode inside and I followed him.
“The Di Cesare’s will be in the main house,” He said. “We should find a way in through the back, try and catch them off guard. Main target should be the matriarch, Bianca. Her we should prioritize keeping alive… the rest are expendable.”
“Much as you are, I’m sure.” A voice called from deeper in the mill, and both Bundy and I froze.
I noticed movement on the floor above us, and through the shadows, I saw a tall woman watching us. She was dressed all in black, with blond hair tied back in a ponytail and the intense eyes of a soldier.
This had to be Clementine Di Cesare.
Bundy aimed his pistol at her, although she only barely seemed to notice.
“Only two of you left… I’m not sure the odds are in your favor,” The woman said. Her voice was low, calm and quiet.
“Only one way to find out,” Bundy growled.
“And only one way to walk out of this place alive,” Di Cesare countered. “You can put the gun down, turn and walk away. I won’t stop you. There’s no shame in living.”
“All the bodies you’ve left in your wake… that’s rich,” Bundy said.
“I don’t relish what I’ve done. I simply don’t know how to do anything else,” She replied. “Think about this, Bundy. Over my lifetime, there have been countless thousands who have come to kill me. All of them are dead, but I am not. Even if you could kill me… you could not kill my sisters. Not all of them. Not before they came for you.”
“Just you, would be enough…” Bundy said, before pulling the trigger.
I knew he’d hit her. I knew the bullet pierced her shoulder. But that woman… she didn’t even flinch. She simply dove out of the way before he could shoot again, taking cover and avoiding his next shot.
“Frank, upstairs!” Bundy snapped, “Flush her out!”
I went, trudging up the old wooden steps with my rifle drawn. Only to see Di Cesare vaulting over the railing and back down to the ground floor as soon as I made it up there.
Bundy shot at her again, only to miss for a second time. I saw Di Cesare’s arm move, and heard him cry out in pain. In the low light, I could see a dagger protruding from his shoulder. He stumbled back a step, leaving himself open for only a split second.
That second was all it took for Di Cesare to raise her own gun and fire just one shot.
George Bundy hit the ground without so much as a final scream. There was just a simple hole in his skull where she had shot him.
I felt my heart start to race faster. My eyes settled on Bundy’s gun, and I ran for the railing, vaulting it and dropping to the ground below with a thud. Di Cesare shot at me, and I felt the bullet tear through my leg. I reached out for the fallen gun and grabbed it before turning it on Di Cesare, only to find myself staring down the barrel of her own pistol. My finger rested on the trigger, but I didn’t have the guts to pull it.
"Kill me, and you will not see the sun tomorrow." She said, her voice still cold and calm.
“Killing you is part of the job…” I replied, but my finger still couldn’t squeeze the trigger.
“And is it worth your life?” Di Cesare asked. “You fail your mission either way.”
“And die with some goddamn honor…”
“There’s no such thing as honor. There is alive and there is dead. Choose.”
I knew what I was supposed to choose.
But my hands were shaking, as I stared into the face of death. My finger couldn’t squeeze the trigger.
The gun collapsed to the floor and Di Cesare kicked it away from me, before huffing and lowering her gun.
“Do not return,” She said softly. “Or next time, I will unleash a hell upon you that will make you beg for simple traps.”
She picked Bundy’s gun up off the ground, and then she was gone. After I finally picked myself up off the ground, I was gone too.
As I walked back along the stream… I passed the corpses of the men we’d left behind. Barber and Wilson, Jack, Feng, Hernandez, and his team. The flies were already feasting on them. Animals had already torn at them. And as I looked down at their cold corpses, I knew I had made the right choice.
I filed my report with the Brethren. Told them that Di Cesare had wiped us out, and a few months later I quietly retired. I never looked back.
***
“You walked away from her?” Sweeney asked in disbelief, “You had her dead to rights and you walked away from her?”
“I chose to live,” I replied. “Can’t say I regret the decision either. Because of the choice I made, I met my wife and had my kids. I’ve lived the life I had because I chose not to throw it away on some vampire.”
Sweeney just shook his head.
“You could have gotten the first confirmed kill on a Di Cesare in two centuries, and you threw it away you fucking coward! I could execute you for that!” I noticed his hand hovering over the gun on his hip.
“You could.” I replied, before quietly unholstering the pistol I kept at my side. I aimed it at Sweeney’s head.
He stared at me like a slack jawed idiot.
“Would you like to give it a try?”
“W-what…?”
“Would you like to give it a try, Mr. Sweeney? Or would you like to see the sun tomorrow?”
He stared down the barrel of my gun, and I already knew what his choice would be.
Sweeney took a step back. I saw his hand move away from his holster, and I lowered the gun with a huff.
“Thought so,” I said.
Mr. Sweeney left me without another word.
I knew he would not return.
2023.06.03 16:54 Proletlariet Kamen Rider Ichigo - Main Body
Takeshi Hongo, Kamen Rider Ichigo
"Rider… Henshin!"♫ Let's Go!!! Rider Kick ♫ - ♫ Kamen Rider no Uta ♫
Takeshi Hongo was a genius biochemist and motorcycle racer working at Johnan University in Tokyo when he was kidnapped by the evil secret organization Shocker. Hongo was transformed into a cyborg intended to serve Shocker as a super soldier in their quest for world dominance. Rebelling against his would-be masters, Hongo takes the moniker of Kamen Rider and vows to fight for justice, a promise that takes him across the world and inspires generations of successors to follow in his footsteps.
Feats will be marked with the source.
Note for scaling: Shocker Combatmen are humans who have been enhanced by Shocker cybernetics, though not to the extent of the elite Shocker cyborgs like Kamen Rider or the various kaijin he fights. The Kamen Rider Official Zukan says that they have several times the physical ability of regular humans.
Untransformed
While superhuman thanks to Shocker's cybernetics, Hongo can't access his full power without transforming.Strength
- Breaks a stone pillarV33
- Seemingly breaks a headstoneE78
- Snaps out of chains
- Tears out of manaclesE53
- Accidentally rips off a sink knobE1
- Breaks out of restraintsV34
- Swiftly takes down two Shocker CombatmenE53
Durability/Resistance
Blunt
- Takes several hits from Ambassador Hell who can swing and throw a cyborg and damage the ground
- Takes hits from Canarycobra's Cobra Hand, which breaks an I-beam and reinforced concrete in halfE89
- Takes hits from Spiderond, who can burrow through the groundE57
- Takes a long fall off of a cable carE71
- Shrugs off getting hit by a carE95
Other
- Immobilized but otherwise unaffected by a Gel Shocker trap that lowers his temperature to absolute zeroE97
- Hardly slowed down by nerve gasE4
- Recovers from sleeping gas 10x faster than a normal humanE6
- Withstands soundwaves that damage his apartment and blow apart a Shocker CombatmanE64
- Has his blood sucked by Mosquilas, who can drain a normal man down to a skeleton, and is still in fighting shapeE72
- Unaffected by Roseranga's rose, which contains a potent poison that knocks out and mind controls its victimsE75
- Unharmed after being shocked with 100,000 volts by JellywolfE82
Speed/Agility
- Dodges Cicadaminga's soundwavesE64
- Dodges Spider Man's dartE1
- Ducks Gilliera's dartE56
- Dodges finger-mounted darts from a group of Shocker CombatmenE1
- Swats away a thrown knifeE4
- Swats away a thrown swordE83
- Dodges a knife thrown by an unseen foeE78
- Dodges a ring thrown by Worm ManE59
- Dodges Fiddler Crabking's explosive foamE73
- Dodges Ratcondor's attacks with damaged eyesE90
- Dodges attacks from NamazuguillerE61
- Dodges attacks from GuilgarasE52
- Dodges Sea Dragon I's lashesE76
- Dodges a whip strike from Ambassador Hell then jumps up to a balconyE56
- Avoids Shocker Combatmen trying to hit him with motorcycles then jumps to the top of a hillE53
- Jumps to the top of a hillE93
- Jumps over Cockroach Man onto a carE55
- Jumps from his motorcycle to the canopy of a truck he's chasingE64
Skill/Misc
Combat
- Defeats a group of Gel Shocker Combatmen armed with swordsE83
- Defeats Destron Combatmen armed with spearsV33
- Defeats Gel Shocker CombatmenE95
- Defeats a group of Gel Shocker Combatmen on motorcyclesE83
- Even while he's sick and in his 60s he can throw down with human goons and Shocker CombatmenKO
- Throws a sword into a Gel Shocker Combatman's heartE83
Biochemistry/Science
- Performs surgery on Shiro Kazami to turn him into the cyborg Kamen Rider V3V1
- Analyzes a mysterious powder and identifies it as scales from a foreign butterflyE56
- Analyzes a thorn of Roseranga's rose and creates an antidote for the poison it containsE75
- Creates a vaccine for a plague engineered by Gel ShockerE90
- Analyzes coffee to determine what kind of poison was in itV1
General
- Has 600 IQ and superb athleticism according to ShockerE1
- Decodes a Shocker messageE54
- Correctly deduces that a man was killed with a lightning bolt after examining a piece of his clothes that was left behindE82
- Sennin says that his spiritual presence complete dwarfs Kamen Rider Ghost's and he is able to instantly tell that Ghost is deadKO
- Hears an electric current emanating from a manE82
- Uses his lighter and some money to destroy a cache of poison capsules while stuck in a cellE56
- Sneaks up on a Shocker Combatman, takes him out, then infiltrates the group while disguised as himE6
- Sneaks up on a Gel Shocker Combatman E86
- Somehow escapes a room filled with poison gasJT
- Escapes a Gel Shocker trapE80
- Stops his breathing to play deadE82
- Climbs Mount FujiJT
- Prepared landmines in a dune just in case Shocker planned to ambush himE79
Original Form
Kamen Rider's original form from early in the series.Stats Page (Kamen Rider Official Zukan)
Strength
Rider Kick
- Kills Spider Man with his first Rider KickE1
- Kicks a hillside, knocking down rocksE13
- Breaks rock with a kickE3
- Kills SarracenianE4
- Kills Mantis ManE5
- Kills Bee WomanE8
- Kills Cobra ManE9
- [Lightning Rider Kick] Kicking with both feet, which he says should double the power, shatters a rockE13
- [Lightning Rider Kick] Kicks the bomb Tokageron kicked back at himE13
- Kills Rider World alongside Kamen Rider Blades' finisherSZ
Throwing
- Throws Shocker Combatmen off of buildingsE2
- [Rider Throw] Kills Bat ManE2
- [Rider Throw] Kills Cobra ManE10
- [Rider Scissors] Kills Scorpion ManE3
Other
- [Rider Chop] Kills Chameleon Man after hitting him with a Rider KickE7
- Tears out of iron chainsE1
- Runs straight through a wall in a Shocker baseE13
- Leaps through the ceiling of Shocker's laboratoryE1
- Leaps through the ceiling of a Shocker cellE7
Durability
- Hit by a rock kicked at him by TokageronE13
- A revolver bullet bounces off his chestE7
- Unharmed by a bomb set off next to himE5
- Unharmed after stepping on a landmineE9
- Tumbles down a hill untransformed and reappears at the top unscathed and transformedE3
- A large amount of electricity is channeled through his body with no damageE1
- Heals a wound on his hand quicklyE8
Speed/Agility
Dodging/Movement
- Dodges multiple shots from the Danger Light, a laser weaponE12
- Ducks a thrown knifeE4
- Catches a boomerang thrown by a Shocker CombatmanE12
- Dodges a rock kicked at him by TokageronE13
- Dodges a snake arm strike from Cobra ManE9
- Dodges Cobra Man's fire breathE10
- Dodges attacks from Shocker Combatmen
- Runs towards a group of Shocker Combatmen, who then lose sight of him before he reappears behind themE3
Agility
- Leaps a very far distance to engage Shocker minionsE1
- Leaps up to a platform to cut off Man Spider's escapeE1
- Leaps to the roof of an apartment building from the streetE2
- While training, leaps ~49 mE3
- Leaps up and down a hillE3
- Jumps up to grab a tree branchE7
- Jumps up several stories of a buildingE9
Skill/Misc
Combat
- Defeats the Revived Monster Corps, made up of 13 revived Shocker cyborgs he had previously killed, all at onceE13
- Defeats a group of Shocker CombatmenE1
- Defeats a group of Shocker Combatmen all armed with bladed boomerangsE12
- Beats Bee Woman in a swordfightE8
- Defeats a group of Shocker Combatmen with a sword
- Leaps onto the shoulders of a Shocker Combatman then takes him downE3
Accuracy
- Throws a sword to pin a man's arm to a treeE7
- Throws a sword to cut off Bee Woman's wingE8
- Throws a sword to hit a Shocker Combatman in the stomachE8
Senses
- His hearing is many times better than a normal human'sE6
- He can hear sounds from 4 km in all directions, which he uses to track an enemy moving undergroundE9
- Hears a conversation inside a hospital from outsideE6
- Tracks the sound a device is emitting back to its sourceE8
- He can hear higher frequencies than humansE8
General
- The transformation into Kamen Rider occurs so quickly that a bomb going off in front of him activates his belt before the explosion can hit him in his untransformed stateE5
- Accurately takes down Shocker Combatmen who are hiding beneath the sandE3
- Figures out where Chameleon Man is standing while he's invisible in order to hit himE7
- Dug up Hitler's secret treasure, emptied it into the ocean, then hid himself in the box and somehow buried it again in order to ambush ShockerE7
Sakurajima
Kamen Rider's upgraded form that he used temporarily, named after the region of Japan it first appeared in. From this form on, Kamen Rider no longer required a wind source to transform and could do so at will.Strength
Rider Double Kick
All performed with Kamen Rider Nigo- Kills SnowmanE40
- Kills GhostarE41
- Kills IsoguinchackE49
- Kills UnicornosE51
- Kills ZanjiohVS
- Kills GuilgarasE52
Other
- Beats Arigabari to deathVS
- [Rider Hammer Kick] Kills PranodonVS
- Punches out Shocker CombatmenE52
Durability
- Takes several hits from Kamen Rider Nigo during their fight, including his Rider KickE41
- Takes several hits from Ghostar, who's strong enough to lift and throw a large rockE41
- Takes hits from DokuganderVS
Speed/Agility
- Dodges blasts from DokuganderVS
- Dodges attacks from IsoguinchackE49
- Jumps to the top of a hillE40
- Jumps into and out of a ravineVS
- Performs the Rider Wheel with Kamen Rider NigoE49
Skill/Misc
- Defeats groups of Shocker Combatmen with a swordE41
- Has a telepathic link with Kamen Rider Nigo, which Nigo uses to free him of Shocker's mind controlE41
- Disguises himself as a professorVS
New Kamen Rider Ichigo
Kamen Rider's most used and most iconic form, an upgrade over his previous forms.Stats Page (Kamen Rider Official Zukan)
Strength
Rider Kick
- Album of killing monsters and making them explode but not causing any significant collateral damage
- Rhinogang says that the Rider Kick is 10x stronger than his own imitationE66
- Defeats Kamen Rider KivaHS
- Hits Kamen Rider Gaim, pushing him back and breaking the rock beneath him until his guard is brokenHS
- Kills the Nazca Dopant L3FO
- Kills Spiderond, causing an explosion that destroys a nearby buildingE57
- Breaks Bearded Dragon's tongue, which broke steel barsE58
- Kills Worm Man, causing an explosion that destroys Shocker's underwater baseE59
- Worm Man was given the characteristics of a creature that survived hydrogen bomb testingE59 (personally, I believe this is in reference to an ability to withstand radiation rather than meaning it's durable enough to survive a nuclear explosion but I would be remiss not to include it)
- Kills Namazuguiller, causing an explosion that destroys a large mirror array and causes Shocker's underground base to cave inE61
- Kills Gillercricket with a knee, causing an explosion that destroys a nearby buildingE69
- Kills Armadig, who withstood Skyrider ramming him with his motorcycle, which can drive through metal doorsGO
- Kills Spiderbaban and Golden Jaguar at the same timeSO
- Destroys a group of Badan CombatroidsHS
- Breaks off Franken Bat's wingFR
- Kicks Eaglemantis' blade back at him, cutting him in halfE86
- Kicks Catgecko, somehow curing him of the brainwashing/cyborg surgery Gel Shocker performed on himE88
- [Rider Screw Kick] Breaks through a barred windowE69
- [Rider Lunar Kick] Kills Crowox who withstood a mineE95
- [Rider Double Kick] Kills Rattlander, launching him back hard enough to carve two small trenches in the groundDS
- [Rider Double Kick] Overpowers Shocker Greed's blasts, launching him hard enough to damage stone and killing himLG
- With the other Seven Legendary Riders, knocks over a giant monsterK54
- Joins all Kamen Riders up to Decade in performing a barrage of Rider Kicks that destroy Dai-Shocker's castleDS
Rider Punch
- Album of killing monsters and making them explode but not causing significant collateral damage
- Shatters a window that can withstand a bazooka blastE65
- Punches Rattlander into a cave wall hard enough to make a craterLG
- Punches through a concrete wallE85
- Overpowers Moreyurtle's shell attack, which broke a treeE85
- Breaks off Mantiskid's hornJT
Misc Striking
- Destroys a box truck with NigoBT
- Punches the ground, blowing away the Shocker Combatmen surrounding himBG
- Punches out Gel Shocker Combatmen, when one is still conscious after an explosion that destroys his motorcycleE80
- Punches Moreyurtle's head, causing it to explodeE85
- Breaks Canarycobra's cobra armE89
- Breaks a machineE54
- 2V1
- Breaks manaclesE58
- Breaks a bear trap Taki was caught inE86
- Breaks chainE66
- Breaks Crowox's hornsE95
- Chops off Cactusbat's fingersE96
- Sends a Shocker Combatman flying with a kickE56
- [Rider Crush] Stomps through the roof of a Shocker baseE60
- [Rider Chop] Breaks the remote control in Squidevil's headE68
- [Rider Flying Chop] Kills SpiderlionE87
Throwing
- Album of killing monsters and making them explode but not causing significant collateral damage
- [Rider Head Crusher] Throws Jaguarman over a hill, causing him to explodeE53
- [Rider Hammer] Throws Owl Man to the top of a hillE60
- [Rider Drill Shoot] Throws Mantiskid, causing an explosion that destroys the Shocker graveyardE66
- Throws Hedgehozuras up a hillE62
- Throws Mosquilas a great distance onto a bridge from the river belowE72
- Throws off the Shocker monsters and Combatmen that dog pile himE66
Other
- Pushes a bus uphill against Rhinobeetron pushing itE65
- Kills Crabbat by jumping into himE80
- Overpowers Canarycobra's Cobra HandE89
- Catches and pushes back Gaim's swordHS
- With Kamen Rider Nigo, runs through a door that withstood their punchesE98
- [Rider Head Crusher] Slams Bearded Dragon's head to the ground and causes him to explodeE58
- Jumps off of a cliff with Centigerpede, slamming him to the ground and killing himE91
- Says that he can easily break metal spikes as he rips two out of the floorE87
- Swings a stake attached to a rope into a cliffsideE70
- Cuts off Moreyurtle's head with a swordE85
- With Nigo, tears a metal door out of its frameS38
- Contributes to the [X Rider Super Five Kick], which results in Franken Bat being kicked onto a pile of monsters that all blow upFR
Durability
Blunt
- Takes hits from Neo-Shocker's Great Leader, whose strikes make earthquakes that affect TokyoK54
- Takes hits from Centigerpede, who overpowers the Rider Kick with a punchE91
- Takes hits from Shocker Rider 1, who matches him in strengthE92
- Takes hits from Rattlander, who downed Kamen Rider DiEnd with one strikeDS
- Takes hits from Rhinobeetron, who is strong enough to push a busE65
- Takes hits from Kamen Rider Sango, who punched a hole in a shipping container and a concrete wallGP
- Takes hits from Sawsharkus, who can punch through a stone wall, while suffering the effects of a gas designed to destroy cyborgsE67
- Takes hits from Mantiskid, who punches through a concrete floorJT
- Takes hits from Bearded Dragon, who breaks through a wallE66
- Gets thrown down a hill and kicked by Squidevil, who burst through the groundE68
- Tanks punches from Sea Snake ManE54
- Takes some blows from SpiderondE57
Piercing
- Slashed by Kamen Rider GaimHS
- Gilliera's dart bounces off his chestE56
- Uncut by Sea Dragon II's sword armE76
Energy
- Blasted by Shocker's Great LeaderLG
- Blasted by giant Ackdos Gill and Warz GillSH
- Blasted by Grand Zairus' eye beams that destroy fighter jetsR44
- Blasted by Shocker Greed, who destroyed a wood towerLG
- Takes Owl Man's x-ray attack which reduces normal humans to skeletonsE60
Heat
- Designed to withstand temperatures of several thousand degreesE60
- Hit by OOO's Latorahta combo heat blastLG
- Unharmed by Urchidogma's flamethrowerE78
Explosives
- Withstands Turtle Bazooka blowing up Destron's base with him insideV1
- Takes a bomb that blows up a bridge and is fineS38
- Gets blasted by KingdarkDS
- Tanks a barrage of bombs from Taiho Buffalo that kills all of the cyborgs he was fightingDM
- Takes one of Hegehozuras' needles which completely destroys a manE62
- Either escapes or withstands a Shocker building explodingJT
- Either escapes or withstands Gel Shocker's underwater base explodingE98
Other
- Takes a point blank nuclear explosion,V2 then contacts V3 to tell him that he's fine and in AustraliaV21 and shows up perfectly fine laterDM
- Hit by Grand Zairus in fireball form, which is over 1000º and destroyed an artificial island
- Fine after being hit by meteorites called down by Shocker, which blew up an observatory and burned a man to deathE68
- Gets shocked by Namazuguiller, who was enhanced from his base electrical charge of 100,000 voltsE61
- Shocked by JellywolfE82
- Withstands Badan's Space Break System, which obliterates people and buildingsBT
- Bearded Dragon's venom only makes his body numb where it melts normal peopleE58
- Takes extended soundwaves from Gillercricket, which can blow up CombatmenE69
- Withstands Newtgeth's tongue, which reduced a woman to ashE77
- Jumps off of a cliff and reappears unharmedE62
- Jumps off a cliff with Centigerpede, causing it to explode, then shows up fine later
- Falls from a great height inside an ambulance that explodes and emerges some time later stunned but otherwise unharmedE95
Speed/Agility
Reaction/Dodging
- Dodges Owl Man's x-ray attackE60
- Jumps out of the blast zone of an explosion as the bomb goes off in front of himE84
- Dodges gunfire on CycloneGP
- Dodges Cicadaminga's soundwavesE64
- Dodges Gillercricket's soundwavesE69
- Dodges attacks from Kamen Rider GaimHS
- Dodges Moreyurtle's smog while chained to a cross, somehow freeing himself and jumping to the top of a nearby cliff without being seenE85
- Dodges Turtle Bazooka's missilesV1
- Dodges Crowox's finger missilesE95
- Intercepts Shocker Greed's blasts before they can hit Den-OLG
- Dodges Hedgehozuras' needlesE62
- Dodges Rinhogang's flamethrowerE63
- Dodges Sawsharkus' flamethrower and appears on a ledge above himE67
- Dodges Anemonaguar's poisonE84
- Dodges Squidevil's attacksE68
- Dodges Rattlander's attacksE79
- Dodges an attack from Sea Snake ManE54
- Dodges Jellywolf's attacksE82
- Dodges Bearded Dragon's tongue attacksE58
- Swats away Worm Man's ringsE59
- Catches a grenade thrown by a Shocker Combatman and throws it backE59
- Dodges Rhinobeetron's foam sprayE65
- Dodges Louscule's acid sprayE74
- Dodges lasers and electricity in order to prepare for a fightR42
Movement
- Jumps across a rooftop to kick a knife out of Cockroach Man's hand before he can cut a ropeE55
- Jumps to catch a poison capsule thrown by Gilliera before it can hit the waterE56
- Appears from out of nowhere to stop Bosgun mid-swing before he can kill RXR44
Agility
- Jumps a far distance inland from the coastE61
- Jumps to the top of a damE56
- Jumps to the top of a waterfall after being thrown offE54
- Jumps onto a helicopter in mid flight
- Jumps around the giant Delzer Great Leader's mountain bodyS39
- Jumps from the bottom of a ravine to a bridgeE58
- Jumps from a bridge to a boat in the river belowE72
- Jumps to the top of a hillE61
- Jumps on top of a buildingE69
- Jumps a fair distance to the top of a mansionE75
- Jumps up a few stories
- Jumps up to a platformE70
- Jumps off of a building then backflips back up a few stories as soon as he hits the groundE76
- Flips out of the grasp of some Shocker CombatmenE54
- Jumps onto Sea Snake Man's shoulders, then jumps both of them into the air, transitioning into suplexing himE54
- Leaps into the air after Gilliera, transitioning into a rider kick to hit herE56
- Jumps while being constrained by Anemonaguar's tentacles, kicking off of him to free himselfE84
- Jumps between motorcycles while fighting a group of Shocker CombatmenE63
- Jumps out of the way while tangled up in rope from Gel Shocker Combatmen, causing them to crash into and kill each otherE84
- Jumps over a fence out of the way of a carE55
- Jumps to grab a balloon that's floating awayE55
- Leaps to grab Taki after he's thrownE90
- Leaps to grab a vial thrown by Shocker Rider 1E92
- Leaps onto a car that's driving away from him
- Jumps onto a roller coasterE98
- Catches a man that fell from the skyE95
Skill/Misc
Combat Skill
- Defeats 6 revived monsters he previously killed, all at onceE66
- Defeats a group of Shocker Combatmen with a staffE55
- With a swordE56
- Defeats a group of Gel Shocker Combatmen with a swordE83
- With a staffE96
- Defeats a group of Gel Shocker CombatmenE87
- Beats up some DustardsFO
- Fights off a group of Shocker Combatmen on horsebackJT
- Defeats Ratcondor while not being able to seeE90
- With Kamen Rider Nigo, tricks the Shocker Riders into destroying each otherE94
Stealth
- Escapes a Shocker trap without being seen by the Shocker forces presentE62
- Either escapes or withstands a Shocker building explodingJT
- Either escapes or withstands Gel Shocker's underwater base explodingE98
- Sneaks behind Marshal Machine and frees Kamen Rider Stronger without being seenS38
- Sneaks into Gel Shocker's school and switches out the drug they were going to feed some kids with flour without being caughtE91
- Sneaks up on Destron CombatmenV1
General
- Claims that he is always growing strongerE88
- Has 20x better vision that humans, allowing him to see the footprints left behind by Spiderond, which were invisible to humansE57
- Throws a sword precisely to destroy a transmitter in Gillercricket's headE69
- Throws a stake to stab into a monster that he threw into the airE70
- Uses his scarf to grab onto a window and pull himself up to kick itE69
- Hits Leechameleon after he turns invisibleE98
- Can make his eyes glowE79
- Speaks telepathically with V3 alongside Nigo, giving V3 advice in a fightV2
- Has a secret base in ArizonaR41
- His and Nigo's presence clears the other Kamen Riders of Shocker's brainwashingGP
- Once he used something called Rider Power to break a ring he was not able to break with his regular strengthE59
Rider Combinations
Kamen Rider can join his power with other Showa Riders to- Performs some kind of move with Nigo to paralyze Turtle BazookaV2
- Joins power with the other Seven Legendary Riders to enter into the giant Delzer Great Leader's mountain bodyS39
- Joins power with the other Seven Legendary Riders and Skyrider to carry a giant monster and a bomb into spaceK54
- Performs Rider Synchro with the other Seven Legendary Riders, Skyrider, Super-1, and ZX to stun Ambassador Darkness and destroy Badan's Space Break SystemBT
- Performs Rider Synchro with the Showa Riders to change a picture and let a ghost visit his parents before returning to the land of the deadHS
"As long as evil exists in this world… Kamen Rider will be there to fight for justice!"
2023.06.03 12:20 Ok-Advertising4418 1 yr review 7 seater
So far my experience has been great no major issues so far. The car is noisy no doubt about it, and to be fair I don’t know if is in part caused by not having an engine constantly making noise.
Pros
I charge a home which is a big plus, supercharging is expensive when you compare it to home rates. On trips I spend usually less than 20 dollars in CA for about 60% charge, at home will cost around half of that.
I have only supercharge during family trips and so far I’ve had an excellent experience. We usually spend 15 to 20 min at the super chargers which is barely enough time to get snacks and use the restroom.
I don’t worry about the cost of gas anymore!!!! (Yeah sure on a macroeconomic level everything is tight to transportation cost, don’t start a crusade on this one)
The 7 seater is good enough to take my 2 nephews in the back, not really meant for tall persons. I would say 5’ and below is doable.
Is incredibly fun to drive, the updates of the car software are just an incredible experience.
The basic autopilot makes long drives a breeze, I usually don’t get to my destination all tired from the driving
Cons- no cons j/k
The glass roof is beautiful however in summer the car feels like an oven! That means the a/c use is a must. I bought the cover for the roof for this reason and it helped more than I thought it would.for summer I recommend getting it.
In winter the windshield fogs up which means you will have to use the heater to defog it. ( both instances winter and summer means you use the battery more, it’s not terribly bad but on a long trip you will notice it)
I refused to pay for ppf and after 18k miles I have had a couple of paint chips in the front bumper which it was to expect after all that paint is taking all the road debri. If you are picky and want to see your car in mint condition get the ppf. Also the amount of bugs I have had to take off this bumper….🥴
I made the mistake of taking it to an automatic brushless car wash and got the rainbow discoloration on the black trim around the doors. There are plenty of post about this, so be aware!!!
From an Economic point of view with the gas savings you end up recouping the difference from buying a comparable ice car in about 5 yrs. Im assuming about 15k to 20k extra for the pure EV. (And no I have not run numbers on this is a rough number based on my experience)
Overall these are the main points from my experience. Do I recommend the car absolutely, is expensive but I think is worth it. I would’ve regret buying an ICE car instead of the tesla.
And if you live in CA expect a 760 registration renewal fee!!!! I wonder when the u-hauls are going to be available again 😂
submitted by Ok-Advertising4418 to TeslaModelY [link] [comments]
Pros
I charge a home which is a big plus, supercharging is expensive when you compare it to home rates. On trips I spend usually less than 20 dollars in CA for about 60% charge, at home will cost around half of that.
I have only supercharge during family trips and so far I’ve had an excellent experience. We usually spend 15 to 20 min at the super chargers which is barely enough time to get snacks and use the restroom.
I don’t worry about the cost of gas anymore!!!! (Yeah sure on a macroeconomic level everything is tight to transportation cost, don’t start a crusade on this one)
The 7 seater is good enough to take my 2 nephews in the back, not really meant for tall persons. I would say 5’ and below is doable.
Is incredibly fun to drive, the updates of the car software are just an incredible experience.
The basic autopilot makes long drives a breeze, I usually don’t get to my destination all tired from the driving
Cons- no cons j/k
The glass roof is beautiful however in summer the car feels like an oven! That means the a/c use is a must. I bought the cover for the roof for this reason and it helped more than I thought it would.for summer I recommend getting it.
In winter the windshield fogs up which means you will have to use the heater to defog it. ( both instances winter and summer means you use the battery more, it’s not terribly bad but on a long trip you will notice it)
I refused to pay for ppf and after 18k miles I have had a couple of paint chips in the front bumper which it was to expect after all that paint is taking all the road debri. If you are picky and want to see your car in mint condition get the ppf. Also the amount of bugs I have had to take off this bumper….🥴
I made the mistake of taking it to an automatic brushless car wash and got the rainbow discoloration on the black trim around the doors. There are plenty of post about this, so be aware!!!
From an Economic point of view with the gas savings you end up recouping the difference from buying a comparable ice car in about 5 yrs. Im assuming about 15k to 20k extra for the pure EV. (And no I have not run numbers on this is a rough number based on my experience)
Overall these are the main points from my experience. Do I recommend the car absolutely, is expensive but I think is worth it. I would’ve regret buying an ICE car instead of the tesla.
And if you live in CA expect a 760 registration renewal fee!!!! I wonder when the u-hauls are going to be available again 😂
2023.06.03 06:10 theradarts [For Sale]Animal Collective, Digable Planets, Neutral Milk Hotel, Okkervil River, Panda Bear, Broken Social Scene, Ween, Pavement super deals!
For every 60 dollars spent, take 5 dollars off of your purchase.
Thanks in advance for your time. I would prefer to sell items bundled. I discounted most bundled below. You all are appreciated!
Selling the Neutral Milk Hotel collection (original) with Live at Jittery Joes as a separate included album since the original collection did not include this. mint straight through! 135 shipped.
Pavement: -Terror twilight Deluxe Mint sealed 40
Digable planets blow out comb vg+ small indent in bottom left will provide pictures 30
Avalanches wildflower vg+ and their latest album vg+ 35 and 23 respectively and 50 for both
Ween Painting Town Brown Mint 40
Broken Social scene you forgot it in people 40 and forgiveness rock record mint sealed 25
Mott The HOOPLE Golden age of rock and roll 35 mint sealed
Akron family: set ‘em wild, set em free, sub verses, cosmic journey and birth, self titled 30, 30, 30, 40 115 for all
Swans: castration album SIGNED 50
Blind Melon - Blind Melon w/ Sippin Time sessions 40
Mac Demarco - salad days (25) vg+ and 2 (35) sealed
destroyer from vg+ to mint: thief 25, streethawk 25, trouble in dreams 30, ken 30, have we met 25 city of daughters 25 155 shipped
Animal Collective- Feels 35, Sung Tongs 35 free shipping for the pair
Panda bear - tomboy, buoys, young prayer 30 each 88 shipped
Can — Tago Mago double black repress 35 shipped
Katana Zero OST — 65 shipped
Okkervil River — Two Decades of Okkervil River Live 50 shipped
submitted by theradarts to VinylCollectors [link] [comments]
Thanks in advance for your time. I would prefer to sell items bundled. I discounted most bundled below. You all are appreciated!
Selling the Neutral Milk Hotel collection (original) with Live at Jittery Joes as a separate included album since the original collection did not include this. mint straight through! 135 shipped.
Pavement: -Terror twilight Deluxe Mint sealed 40
Digable planets blow out comb vg+ small indent in bottom left will provide pictures 30
Avalanches wildflower vg+ and their latest album vg+ 35 and 23 respectively and 50 for both
Ween Painting Town Brown Mint 40
Broken Social scene you forgot it in people 40 and forgiveness rock record mint sealed 25
Mott The HOOPLE Golden age of rock and roll 35 mint sealed
Akron family: set ‘em wild, set em free, sub verses, cosmic journey and birth, self titled 30, 30, 30, 40 115 for all
Swans: castration album SIGNED 50
Blind Melon - Blind Melon w/ Sippin Time sessions 40
Mac Demarco - salad days (25) vg+ and 2 (35) sealed
destroyer from vg+ to mint: thief 25, streethawk 25, trouble in dreams 30, ken 30, have we met 25 city of daughters 25 155 shipped
Animal Collective- Feels 35, Sung Tongs 35 free shipping for the pair
Panda bear - tomboy, buoys, young prayer 30 each 88 shipped
Can — Tago Mago double black repress 35 shipped
Katana Zero OST — 65 shipped
Okkervil River — Two Decades of Okkervil River Live 50 shipped
2023.06.03 05:29 KoanicSoul Ukraine has allegedly sabotaged Zaporizhia like Chernobyl, to stop Russia and draw NATO in. Biden can't afford another Kabul.
Table of Contents
- Russo-China rejects Biden
- ZNPP as potential Chernobyl
- Biden's Ukraine is desperate enough for scorched-earth tactics
- Battle of the Bulge at Bakhmut
- Fresh meat
- Teixeira leaks
- BRICS vs NATO
- ZNPP's weak point is diesel fuel
- Ukrainian saboteurs caught by ZNPP
- BB / Red Skull / Inb4source / Q
- BB sent Q
- BB warns Zaporizhia is pivotal
- RS gives ZNPP sabotage warning
- Ukraine HVT: Nuclear tit for tat
- Inb4source / Red Skull 4chan posting history
Summary
Ukraine has allegedly sabotaged Zaporizhia to melt down like Chernobyl, to stop the Russian invasion and justify NATO peacekeepers.Here's Biden's plan to avoid another Kabul:
- NATO operators sabotaged the ZNPP backup diesel generator fuel storage, causing it to leak.
- NATO is targeting diesel fuel shipments. See captured Ukro saboteurs with NLAWs.
- When diesel reaches zero, Ukros will shell the lone power line, breaking it for the 8th time.
- Up to 6x Chernobyl meltdown ensues. Territory Russia captured is ruined.
- NATO establishes "no-fly zone" and sends "peacekeepers".
Russo-China rejects Biden
"Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to fuck things up." – Barack ObamaClearly we underestimated him. Americans can hardly believe that Biden blew up Nord Stream 2, essentially attacking our
Normally Russia endeavors to cooperate with the sitting US president. However, Russian state media has begun airing the Hunter Biden laptop images, of Hunter engaged in drugs and pedophilia with preteen girls. This is retaliation for Biden crossing Russia's red line by repeatedly trying to sabotage Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). That's why Russia is willing to assist in the impeachment of a sitting US president, which is obviously an extreme step to take between two countries with enough nukes to blot out the Sun.
Rumor has it that China has also turned on Biden, which would make sense: China's economic backing allows Russia to survive US sanctions. China wants Taiwan, and Russia wants East Ukraine. They would be stupid not to cooperate.
- SHOWTIME FORMOSA; SMART MONEY IS SELLING TAIWAN EDITION pol BB May 17
- China Calls Biden a Fake President and Lloyd Austin a Fake Defense Secretary Michael Baxter May 30
- China declines US request for a meeting between defense chiefs Reuters May 30
- Xi Jinping tells China’s national security chiefs to prepare for ‘worst case’ scenarios CNN June 1
ZNPP as potential Chernobyl
A Redditor explains:Kawaii-Gopnik Russia really needs that powerplant without any leak, to provide industry of surrounding regions with energy, but very few people understand contexts of the current situation: Soviets built complicated and very well ballanced energy system, including not only NPP, but also cascade of hydro power plants. Donetsk, Dnepr, Zaporozhe and Kharkov regions are just one big power hungry plant. NPP itself is reliant on hydropower and quality of water in Dnepr river. In case of really bad "accident" Russia will forget about development of the newly accuired regions, lack of energy produced by NPP is significant, nearly 30-40%. Accident will affect south of Ukraine with russian majority. It will also be also disaster for ecology of the WHOLE Black Sea. Rose of winds will spread nuclear dust to the West - Poland, Romania, Czechia and further. Nuclear zone will stop russian army from further territorial expansion. This will be border formed by Dnepr and nuclear zones.The basic facts are documented by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Even while shut down, ZNPP needs external power grid or diesel to prevent its reactors from overheating.
Russia controls ZNPP. A nuclear "accident" would give NATO pretext to intervene, so Ukraine keeps trying to cause one.
How bad is this? Well, Chernobyl is in Ukraine. That was a 1k MW reactor. ZNPP has six. It is the 9th largest NPP in the world.
Hopefully the containment response would be much better than Chernobyl's, but that's hardly something to count on during WW3. Russia's nuclear doctrine includes pre-emptive strikes; who knows what they'd do. The USSR nearly launched twice during the Cold War.
Imagine if China assisted Texas in seceding from the USA to rejoin Mexico, and then caused a reactor meltdown at Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant when the USA retook it. A lot of Southerners would want to lob a few nukes back at China. They might demand it.
It is foolish to assume WW3 will not happen because it hasn't happened yet. One should look instead at the historical record of continual warfare, and the difficulties in preventing WW3 so far:
- List of nuclear close calls Wikipedia
- WW3: Historical close calls Wikipedia
Even if there is a major radiation leak, it will occur in Russian-annexed separatist territory, and help Ukraine defend her new border. Scorched earth is a valid tactic, whether the fire is conventional or nuclear. Ukraine survived Chernobyl and knows it can survive ZNPP too.
Biden's Ukraine is desperate enough for scorched-earth tactics
Battle of the Bulge at Bakhmut
"We have been working on the counter-offensive with Ukraine for 4-5 months." – Victoria NulandWhy is Ukraine so desperate?
Ukraine depends on NATO aid to fight Russia. NATO aid depends on Democrat willingness. Democrat willingness depends on US public support. Therefore the illusion must be maintained to the American public that Ukraine is winning. For this reason, Ukraine has committed its reserves to a costly failed counter-offensive. Bakhmut fell regardless.
James A. Donald summarizes the strategic picture:
So, bright new plan. "The Greatest Ukrainian Offensive". The Ukraine would build up a big reserve of fresh troops, then suddenly hurl large chunks of them at particular points on the front. They would, the Americans planned, cut through a point in the front lines, penetrate to Russian rear areas, wreak havoc on those areas, and force Russian troops in danger of being encircled to hastily retreat from territory that had been slowly gained at enormous cost in grinding attritive warfare. I do not know how big the Ukrainian strategic reserve was, but if it was two hundred fifty thousand, they have now committed most of them to grinding attritive warfare, and cupboard is looking as bare of men as it is of artillery and rockets.The USA expected to break Russia economically; China's economic support prevented that. Despite PMC Wagner's heartfelt complaints, Russia is unlikely to run out of convicts anytime soon. Russia is rotating divisions through Ukraine, seasoning reservists for a looming WW3. Russia's historical appetite for losses is much higher than its current losses. This is essentially a civil war, and the Russia bear considers being carved up an existential threat. By underestimating Russia's resolve, NATO is repeating the error of Napoleon and Hitler.
Despite having plenty of weapons, Ukraine's military manpower is exhausted and demoralized. Raw conscripts are thrown at the front lines with minimal training. Medvedev predicts that the Ukraine will cease to exist; half its people have already fled.
Anonymous Sat 27 May 2023 04:59:49 No.428438077 Report 428437208 Yeah, the killing has been excessive since they pretty much destroyed 95% of Azov fags and assorted true believers in the first 200k dead, now they overshot it by 100%. About 12% of the non-Russian speaking population's prime military aged men in Ukraine are dead or crippled. 12-20% of the same demographic has fled the country. It's over, desu. They are seeing much more of the polish and romanian mercs now, since they literally lack the manpower.Western mass media wrongly assumes that Russia is losing because it does not take the entirety of Ukraine in a blitz, as the USA did to Iraq. However, Russia does not want West Ukraine; the people there do not like Russians. Russia has captured the territory it wants, and is now using the rest of Ukraine as a kettle or cauldron, in which to conveniently destroy whatever NATO wishes to send. This is a good way for Russia to gradually learn how to fight NATO armies in a low-risk environment.
The Spartans had a rule never to war too often against the same enemy, lest they train up a nemesis. It was foolish of NATO to believe that Russia had forgotten the lessons of attrition warfare that it learned so recently in Afghanistan.
Nehming Names 9h Russia's prudent caution in directly engaging the West is bringing dividends in perhaps unexpected ways. Russia is gaining strategic knowledge of the actual capabilities and weaknesses of our weapon systems and military tactics, with our supply of munitions draining to militarily unsustainable levels, as it engages allied forces in Ukraine. Russia is aware of the continuing progress of the Great Awakening in the West, that is, the knowledge that Western governments, military, and institutions are run by an elite hostile to their heritage populations, and therefore expects to see declining support of Western governments by their citizens. Russia can also see the precipitous decrease in every societal metric in the West: social cohesiveness, general morality, public health, financial stability, military readiness, etc.With these three degradative processes in play, the most strategic thing Russia and China can do is to bide their time, as time itself will act to sap the strength of the West to militarily engage their foes.
Fresh meat
Russian conquest of Kiev would air Biden's dirty laundry to the world, from Burisma kickbacks to pedophilic field trips and worse. This would result in US "regime change". A distant Chernobyl is a small price to pay, for top Democrats to avoid the hangman's noose.Poland is itching to invade. Victoria Nuland is scheduling NATO air exercises. USAF propaganda asserts that Russia's air force is a joke. The question is, do Americans still believe Biden's false prophets of victory?
If not, they just need a little "encouragement": 9/11, Gulf of Tonkin, Pearl Harbor, Lusitania, Remember the Maine… Keep those rural Whites busy lest they make trouble at home!
Most Americans cannot find Ukraine on a map. (To be fair, it hasn't been on the map very long.) However, the architects of Biden's Ukraine policy, such as Victoria Nuland, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken and George Soros, tend to have grandparents of Eastern European origin. I am sure for them it feels important. There's no place like home.
A Redditor explains:
tinglevibestoo I listened to a former CIA agent talk about Ukraine the other day. He said that Ukraine is running out of time. It's not that they don't have the weapons. We've sent them a ton of weapons. It's that they don't have enough troops and they're running low on troops. That's how Russia will win. Ukraine can't sustain the manpower. It totally makes sense to use a nuclear false flag as a reason to bring in the extra manpower. Everyone would deem it justified too because it's a threat to the neighboring nations and it'd be an environmental (climate change) catastrophe.
Teixeira leaks
Some will bring up the US intelligence leaks by Jack Teixeira to support the idea that Russia rather than Ukraine is desperate. Unlike Snowden, Teixeiera was obviously a major security risk for patriotically-motivated leaking, with numerous red flags in his previous and ongoing behavior. Therefore Teixeira was probably a deliberate leak by US intelligence, using a patsy to generate the initial leak and then add whatever extra info they wanted released in the resulting confusion.- Jack Teixeira Wikipedia
- Discord member details how documents leaked from closed chat group Washington Post
- Allowed the mainstream media to walk back their false forecasts of Ukrainian victory.
- Provided a right-wing scapegoat for Ukraine's defeat.
- Justified increased social media monitoring and censorship.
The 4chan leaker BB/Inb4source asserts Teixeira was a patsy.
BRICS vs NATO
The foundation of the US empire is the petrodollar, which allows the USA to tax the world via digital debt seignorage. This is why the creation of BRICS as an independent financial and trading system rendered war between NATO and BRICS inevitable, as Kim Dotcom predicted. The US republic is a thalassocratic empire as arrogant as democratic Athens, and it is addicted to financial plunder. The Empire cannot afford to lose the USD's reserve currency status.Reserve currencies and empires both have lifespans, and the USA has reached the end of both. It is at the stage where hubristic foreign misadventures prove fatal, and Ukraine and Taiwan will prove too much for the American eagle to handle. This is no longer WW2; the USA cannot win a two-front war against BRICS.
- Gold Reserve Fiat Currencies Monetary Gold
- World Reserve Currencies last on average 100 years. The US dollar has been the reserve currency for 76 years. Satoshi Chris
The fact that none of this is common knowledge speaks volumes about who controls public schools and owns mass media corporations.
ZNPP's weak point is diesel fuel
The situation at ZNPP is tenuous and grim, workers report:Europe’s largest nuclear power station is on the frontline of the Ukraine war. SkyNews Twitter
The fact that the backup diesel reactors have not been maintained is particularly concerning, considering they have already been used 7 times.
UN nuclear chief raises alarm over Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant Al Jazeera
Ukraine keeps trying to force a crisis at ZNPP to justify NATO intervention. In other words, Ukraine keeps shelling ZNPP to cut the one power line that still connects it to the grid.
AtlasThis is extremely dangerous, external power is required for reliable cooling of the reactors and pools containing spent nuclear waste. Western media spent months last year pretending Kiev wasn’t shelling ZNPP.
Notice that the Russian side keeps ZNPP connected to the power grid, while the Ukrainian side pretends it cannot until the Russian invasion ends:
- Update 153 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine 2023 April 13
- Update 159 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine 2023 May 22
- Russian nuclear terrorism in action: ZNPP switches to emergency generators for the 7th time Ukrainian World Congress
- Kiev blocked all IAEA’s initiatives on ZNPP security — Russian Foreign Ministry
- Grossi says Zaporizhzhia principles 'step in right direction' IAEA
(This is how perverse incentives work. A little ally with nothing to lose can start a world war. It's almost like dividing the world into two hostile nuclear alliances is a bad idea.)
When ZNPP loses external power, huge diesel generators automatically switch on to keep the reactors cool. How much diesel does this consume? Truckloads per day:
Anonymous Sat 27 May 2023 05:18:50 No.428439721 Report Quoted By: >>428463646 428436425 Still easy to transport diesel enough to keep them going In what? If NATO ops and Mercs are sabotaging trucks coming in, what do you think they are gonna carry diesel in to the plant? Is Russia gonna pack in rotopack Jerry cans on their back. Fill a truck up with 5 gallon cans and hope they make it past the snipers and sabotage? Do you have any clue how much fuel those big generators suck down in a day? Those generators to run the plants during shut down or failures are huge 500kw or bigger they are the size of whole 18 wheeler trailers. Those things will drink 50 gallons an hour. You gonna haul in 2.5 gallon rotopacks one at a time to keep it going?Nuclear power plants have tough shielding. Allegedly the diesel generators are hidden underground. However, the diesel fuel supply is still vulnerable.
Normally the diesel generators have enough fuel for 10 days. However, ZNPP's diesel stockpile recently dipped to 4 days, according to 4chan leaker Inb4source.
Ukrainian saboteurs caught by ZNPP
On May 27, Ukraine accused Russian of planning to cause a leak at ZNPP:OSINTdefender The Main Directorate of Intelligence for Ukraine has announced that the Russian Military is preparing for Large-Scale Provocation in the coming hours at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Southern Ukraine that will reportedly Simulate an “Accident” at the Plant causing the Emergency Leak of Radioactive Substances which will be Blamed on Ukrainian Forces.Then Russia announced it had caught saboteurs (presumably Ukrainian) in ZNPP's city:
Saboteurs who were preparing terrorist attacks on the NPP were detained in Energodar. They had with them maps and schematics of the nuclear power plant with marks for strikes that could lead to a nuclear catastrophe. The suspects are involved in collecting and transmitting information about the facilities of the Zaporozhye NPP on the instructions of the Ukrainian authorities. To communicate with the curators, they used foreign satellite systems, as well as foreign weapons for strikes and equipment for conducting reconnaissance and sabotage activities.
- Translated source message is from Telegram group Slavyangrad Chat.
- Original source message is in Russian from Telegram group WarDonbass, sent May 28 at 23:12.
Some object that the footage is "staged". Of course it is staged. The primary consumer of the helmet-cam footage is Russian military intelligence. The evidence shot was staged for their benefit. The short edited video that was released to the public has distorted voices, and avoids showing any faces. Thus even if the footage is authentic, it is still "staged".
The ZNPP maps displayed in the video don't appear to match the announcement text. The maps could simply show where diesel fuel trucks need to go. Russia does not wish to advertise the specific nature of ZNPP's vulnerability.
The saboteurs appear to be 3-man team, equipped with 3 rifles and 3 NLAW missile launchers.
The saboteurs had 5 frag grenades. Normally soldiers carry 2 or 3 grenades, but heavy weapons soldiers don't have to. The three smooth grenades are RGD-5s, a cheap outdated Russian model. The Russian troops removed the fuses from the grenades on the evidence table to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Some object that Ukrainian saboteurs wouldn't be so careless as to have printouts of the reactor map. However, the saboteurs' presence in Enerhodar already makes their target obvious. Presumably multiple teams were sent to intercept Russian diesel shipments.
The Enerhodar saboteurs would've been notified when satellites spotted their target. Until then, they should hide in the safehouse behind blackout curtains to avoid detection. The fact that these saboteurs were caught napping suggests a degree of incompetence, compared to other teams who presumably either avoided detection or fought back. One can assume that Ukrainian specops have suffered extreme casualties.
BB / Red Skull / Inb4source / Q
BB sent Q
Qanon has lost a tremendous amount of popularity, as patriots grew disillusioned with the slow pace of the promised Great Awakening. They did not understand that Q is subordinate to a higher power with an agenda that does not necessarily include their survival.Q aimed to help Trump save the USA. Q was sent by "Burning Bush", whose agenda is judging humanity, on the eve of WW3 and runaway de-terraforming. BB's personas started posting to 4chan's pol by 2016, whereas Q started in October 2017. (4chan is like the wild west of the Web: The world's spooks congregate there to exchange intelligence.)
BB goes by several nicknames; he began posting anonymously as "Inb4source" in 2016. A recent message implies the USA/Israel is Babylon the Great, and God (meaning him) has returned to judge her:
The world has turned it's back on *od now *od Is turning His back on the world. He Who Lets has been REMOVED. THE ANGEL OF DEATH HAS COME THE HARVEST OF THE TARES HAS BEGUN. And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. (Earthquake Lights) And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. (nothing ever happens) Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, inb4sourceBB claims responsibility for the historical pendulum swinging rightward, via figures such as Elon Musk. His method of influence is the butterfly effect.
"Burning Bush" claims to be God. One can think of him as the God of the Old Testament, or as a pagan god like Zeus, or as merely a transcendent extraterrestrial. However, he also claims to inhabit a human-looking body, lives on a ranch in the USA, has children, caught COVID19, etc.
Whatever one's theology, the relevant portion of BB's message is that the USA did not sufficiently embrace the opportunity offered by Q. Anyone who has read the Old Testament knows what happens next: Ignore the prophet, reap the consequences. Thus Q's slogan "Nothing Can Stop What Is Coming" should be understood in the Biblical sense, like Noah's flood: The Ark is optional.
(As far as I know, Q is still posting to Truth Social. I don't follow that site.)
Paul Furber is the chief priest of BB. Before that, he was a major early proponent of Q. See Furber's book for many verifiable examples of fulfilled predictions and proven scoops.
BB normally identifies himself by the unique image hash of his burning bush picture. (Nobody can generate that hash unless they possess the original image.) However, BB also posts as an anon users nickname "Red Skull", for his signature images of red skulls. As Red Skull, BB avoids the extravagant Biblical claims of BB, but the style and modus operandi and interests are obviously the same – as are his implied godlike powers.
I recommend focusing on facts and trying to prevent nuclear WW3, rather than getting hung up on theology. BB is not asking anyone to worship him or sacrifice chickens. He does prescribe prayer and a life of action governed by virtue.
I certainly do not recommend taking everything anonymous spooks say at face value. If you are, like most people, unable to think in shades of gray between binary true and false, this essay is above your reading level.
BB warns Zaporizhia is pivotal
BB has repeatedly warned that keeping Zaporizhia intact is critical to the survival of NATO citizenry:the Ukrainians attacking the Nuclear Power station in the hands of the Russians spewing radiation over enough territory that the Russians will turn Kiev into a furnace.– BB 2022-9-24
Find other warnings by searching for keyword "nuclear".
Those who find it difficult to believe that nuclear weapons would be used in WW3 as in WW2 should note that COVID19 is already a bioweapon WMD deployed for WW3.
RS gives ZNPP sabotage warning
On the morning of May 27, BB's persona Red Skull leaked that NATO specops had sabotaged external power to ZNPP.His scenario is plausible and severe enough to warrant investigation.
Here are relevant posts, datestamped 2023 May 27 0300-0500:
it's a little less than ten days… Until Nato SpecOps melt down the Uke Nuke plant and blames it on you.He continues:
Nato SpecOps have sabotaged power to the nuke plant. As of this posting, 6 days of diesel fuel remain to provide power to pumps to cool the plant and spent fuel pool. Diesel shipments are being targeted and terminated.He adds:
So now I need to tell you Russia intends a pre emptive strike if nuclear capable F16's are delivered.On the evening of May 27, Red Skull updated:
Doesn't look good at Nuke Plant. Russia has 4 days to get more fuel to the generators. They are working on clearing a flight path. Ukraine will try to stop them on orders of U.S. Uniparty.Sounds like a severe leak, to lose 2 days of fuel in under 24 hours.
Ukraine HVT: Nuclear tit for tat
On 28 May Red Skull asserted that:- Ukraine just did an underground nuclear bomb test in a borehole, to contain the radiation.
- Russia may retaliate with a pre-emptive strike at any time, against 1-2 high-value targets.
- West Ukraine may be reduced to the stone-age.
Nuclear warheads that USA/UK sent. Specifically for the purpose of being exploded in Ukraine. The false flags will never stop until all out WW3 is declared, or until you root out the pedophile demon cult that is running the show and sending you monkeys to war. War for really no good reason at this point. The cities are destroyed, just withdraw. Ukraine is a kettle right now, a kill box. Do you understand what that means? And it was created on purpose.On May 30, Putin announced that Russia had destroyed the Ukrainian military intelligence headquarters. Photos confirm the damage.
- Putin confirms strike on Ukrainian military intelligence HQ RT
- Putin Strikes Back - Destroys GUR Bunker? Simplicius
Inb4source / Red Skull 4chan posting history
Inb4source has posted on 4chan since 2016, but he doesn't always use an image hash identifier, making it impossible to verify the identity of all of his early posts. As his popularity grew, others began adopting his catchphrase ">inb4source".18016 posts on pol contain ">inb4source".
The first page of results suggests Inb4source is a pro-Trump military intelligence officer. He began posting in Aug 2016, before Trump's inauguration.
Another early Inb4source catchphrase is "I AM The Source." This has a double meaning, both theological and journalistic.
The catchphrase doesn't appear in every Inb4source post. Searching for it yields 437 results, too many of which are irrelevant results.
Searching for both phrases together yields 50 results that look to be mostly legitimate. One could then search for additional posts by each unique ID from a session.
Searching for image hashes is a reliable method of ID verification, assuming no one else has the image. I know of two such images that Inb4source/BB uses: both are red skulls, giving him the nickname RS.
- 325 results
- 314 results
When evaluating his warnings and predictions, remember that publishing info about ongoing events can affect the outcome, and is often intended to do so. Unlike the concept of Biblical prophecy, the future is mostly probabilistic. However, he is certainly good at scooping the news.
Someone else can do an in-depth Q-proof style analysis of his accuracy; my focus here is Zaporizhia.
Read original with links here.
2023.06.03 04:49 DidoGrace "Happy birthday, your skills are worth nothing"
I'm turning 27 tomorrow, but never in my life have I felt more like there's no reason to celebrate or even, dare I say it, live any longer.
Just a month ago, I finally got two interview requests for jobs I'd applied to. After months on end of sending out countless applications with literally no response in return (not even a rejection letter for most of them), these interviews gave me hope. Finally a chance at living in a proper apartment instead of camping out at Airbnbs (can't live at home because family is abusive), finally a chance at a crumb of financial stability that would maybe allow me to get a real adult life started. Right? Wrong.
I did my best despite having little to no time to prepare for either interview, maybe one to two days at most. The first was a job assessment consisting of a writing task, an editing task, and a coding task (think R, Stata, Python, etc.). The writing and editing tasks went fine, but the coding was more of a struggle than I expected, but I tried to tell myself that coding might be easier to learn on-the-job than writing or editing, which are more soft skills. Only two days later had a standard Q-and-A interview which I really should have prepared more for but struggled to answer without stumbling because I hadn't had any interviews in so long and didn't know if I'd ever get another interview request from any other job ever again. They ended by saying we'll tell you within two weeks if you move forward.
Well, the first job (the one with the job assessment, which I wanted more tbh) sent me a rejection letter the day after a sudden family death, so that was fun. This is the second family death in a year and a half. I've been on giga-grief mode for the past 2-3 weeks. And the second job I interviewed for sent me a rejection letter just now, after 3-4 weeks of not getting back to me.
Doesn't help that I made a scammy $231 purchase in a desperate attempt to fix some really horrible stretch marks that have infested my body over the past year or so, and when I asked for my much-needed money back they just flat-out said "no." Really could've used that money
Perhaps I should just be glad that these jobs got back to me at all, but god I feel like shittiest of shit. I genuinely don't think I'll ever get a job again. What's so wrong with me that isn't wrong with all my classmates on LinkedIn that have paying jobs and promotions and accomplishments? Is my resume just smeared with shit no matter how much I tailor my application to each and every job application, using multiple ATS tools? And I have to start repaying thousands of dollars of loans in a month or two. I may have to start a GoFundMe just to pay bills, even if it pisses off my family.
Sorry for the rant, I just really hate life right now. All I want for my birthday is money and a paying job. Is that really too much to fucking ask of this cursed world?
Edit: For context I have a Bachelors' from a shitty religious school (that I ended up at because my pre-college education was also shit, very long story) which didn't teach me any marketable real-world skills, plus (as of this past May) a Masters' from a bettesecular school, but that I feel like I performed worse in academically. I feel thoroughly fucked over.
submitted by DidoGrace to Unemployed [link] [comments]
Just a month ago, I finally got two interview requests for jobs I'd applied to. After months on end of sending out countless applications with literally no response in return (not even a rejection letter for most of them), these interviews gave me hope. Finally a chance at living in a proper apartment instead of camping out at Airbnbs (can't live at home because family is abusive), finally a chance at a crumb of financial stability that would maybe allow me to get a real adult life started. Right? Wrong.
I did my best despite having little to no time to prepare for either interview, maybe one to two days at most. The first was a job assessment consisting of a writing task, an editing task, and a coding task (think R, Stata, Python, etc.). The writing and editing tasks went fine, but the coding was more of a struggle than I expected, but I tried to tell myself that coding might be easier to learn on-the-job than writing or editing, which are more soft skills. Only two days later had a standard Q-and-A interview which I really should have prepared more for but struggled to answer without stumbling because I hadn't had any interviews in so long and didn't know if I'd ever get another interview request from any other job ever again. They ended by saying we'll tell you within two weeks if you move forward.
Well, the first job (the one with the job assessment, which I wanted more tbh) sent me a rejection letter the day after a sudden family death, so that was fun. This is the second family death in a year and a half. I've been on giga-grief mode for the past 2-3 weeks. And the second job I interviewed for sent me a rejection letter just now, after 3-4 weeks of not getting back to me.
Doesn't help that I made a scammy $231 purchase in a desperate attempt to fix some really horrible stretch marks that have infested my body over the past year or so, and when I asked for my much-needed money back they just flat-out said "no." Really could've used that money
Perhaps I should just be glad that these jobs got back to me at all, but god I feel like shittiest of shit. I genuinely don't think I'll ever get a job again. What's so wrong with me that isn't wrong with all my classmates on LinkedIn that have paying jobs and promotions and accomplishments? Is my resume just smeared with shit no matter how much I tailor my application to each and every job application, using multiple ATS tools? And I have to start repaying thousands of dollars of loans in a month or two. I may have to start a GoFundMe just to pay bills, even if it pisses off my family.
Sorry for the rant, I just really hate life right now. All I want for my birthday is money and a paying job. Is that really too much to fucking ask of this cursed world?
Edit: For context I have a Bachelors' from a shitty religious school (that I ended up at because my pre-college education was also shit, very long story) which didn't teach me any marketable real-world skills, plus (as of this past May) a Masters' from a bettesecular school, but that I feel like I performed worse in academically. I feel thoroughly fucked over.
2023.06.03 01:26 RDV_SAL [WTS] Remaining World Silver from Germany, China, Hungary and more. Larger discounts on larger purchases
DMs only, no Chats Please
Proof and Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/UfbNUQO
Grouped up some stuff by region to clear them out for new coins.
Germanic $1,000 shipped
1826 Duchy of Nassau 6 Kreuzer $15 Some scratches on both sides
1796 Schleswig-Holstein 2 1/2 Schilling $20 Some gunk on the obverse
1849 Wurttemberg 3 Kreuzer $20
1863 Bavaria 1 Kreuzer $15 Low AU I think
1798 Bishopric of Salzburg 20 Kreuzer $25 Some scratches on reverse
1841 Frankfurt 1/2 Gulden $25 Old cleaning I think
1864 Frankfurt 1 Kreuzer $20
1758 Wurrtemberg 1 Kreuzer $10 Billon coin, in pretty good shape for it's age
1727 Hamburg 1 Schilling $5
SOLD 1751 Bavaria 1/2 Escalin $5 SOLD
1806 Wurttemberg 6 Kreuzer $10
1792 Prussia 1/3 Thaler $30 Less common denomination and type
1791-H Austrian Netherlands Half Kronenthaler $40 Old cleaning
1860 Kingdom of Prussia One Vereinsthaler $65
1862 Prussia One Vereinsthaler $65 Couple rim dings, otherwise good details with some nice patina
1616 Spanish Netherlands-Duchy of Brabant Patagon $450 Antwerp Mint Large coin at 41mm and almost 30g, a mostly strong strike
1893 Bavaria 2 Mark $20
1913 Prussia 2 Mark $40 I want to say it's low MS but probably AU
1913 Prussia 3 Mark $35 100th Anniversary of Napoleon's defeat Light or old cleaning
1913 German Empire-Prussia 3 Mark commemorative $60
1752 Free Hanseatic City of Lubeck 48 Schilling $325 KM#168.6 revised arms; bottom of shield reaches between "JJ" and "J" Retoning with some nice blues forming. Possible ex-jewellery mark or a mint defect on the rim
Hungary $80 shipped
1907 Hungary 5 Korona $65 Second lowest mintage of the series, 800k lower than the next highest date. Good details but likely cleaned at some point
1977 Hungary 200 Forint $25 Commemorating the life of Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka with the design of the coin based on a self portrait of his
Latin America $30 shipped
1916 Ecuador One Decimo $5
1953 Panama 1/4 Balboa commemorative $5
1973 Paraguay 300 Guaraníes $25 Commemorating the 4th Term of President Stroessner
Misc Countries $250
322-185 B.C.E. India-Mauryan Empire Karshapana $20
1842 Denmark 4 Rigsbankskilling 1 1/4 Schilling $5
1810 France 10 Cent $5
1789 Dutch Provinces-Holland 2 Stuivers $25 Good looking lion but worn on the reverse
1795 Sardinia 20 Soldi $30
1932 China-Republic Yunnan province 20 cent $110
1939 Ireland Florin/2 Scilling $20 Possible cleaning
1865 Papal States 5 Baiocchi $80 UNC-Details with beautiful color and a fair bit of luster
:whale2:Option: Discounted prices comes to $1,360 take it all for $1150 shipped flatrate
Payment
I have Venmo and Cashapp currently though if you dont have those message me and i'm sure we can figure something out.
Shipping
If not stated shipping is $5-6 for the continental United States depending on the distance, Hawaii and Alaska will cost more. International will be at cost, tracked in a flat-rate envelope is $26 outside of the United States
Trades
Cash preferred but open to the following in silver;
Pre-Victoria British
Napoleonic France and Bonaparte ruled countries
Prussia pre-1873
Saxony-Albertine pre-1873
Wildman designs
China imperial and republic
Russia and their territories
Persia 1930s and older
Afghanistan
Japan 1870-71 and Samurai coins
Ancient Greek and Roman silver in fine styles
Military medals, insignias, items that would have been awarded/given to soldiers in silver
Miscellaneous world crowns and crown-sized coins I don't have in XF-AU+ condition preferably pre-1945 and European
submitted by RDV_SAL to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]
Proof and Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/UfbNUQO
Grouped up some stuff by region to clear them out for new coins.
Germanic $1,000 shipped
1826 Duchy of Nassau 6 Kreuzer $15 Some scratches on both sides
1796 Schleswig-Holstein 2 1/2 Schilling $20 Some gunk on the obverse
1849 Wurttemberg 3 Kreuzer $20
1863 Bavaria 1 Kreuzer $15 Low AU I think
1798 Bishopric of Salzburg 20 Kreuzer $25 Some scratches on reverse
1841 Frankfurt 1/2 Gulden $25 Old cleaning I think
1864 Frankfurt 1 Kreuzer $20
1758 Wurrtemberg 1 Kreuzer $10 Billon coin, in pretty good shape for it's age
1727 Hamburg 1 Schilling $5
SOLD 1751 Bavaria 1/2 Escalin $5 SOLD
1806 Wurttemberg 6 Kreuzer $10
1792 Prussia 1/3 Thaler $30 Less common denomination and type
1791-H Austrian Netherlands Half Kronenthaler $40 Old cleaning
1860 Kingdom of Prussia One Vereinsthaler $65
1862 Prussia One Vereinsthaler $65 Couple rim dings, otherwise good details with some nice patina
1616 Spanish Netherlands-Duchy of Brabant Patagon $450 Antwerp Mint Large coin at 41mm and almost 30g, a mostly strong strike
1893 Bavaria 2 Mark $20
1913 Prussia 2 Mark $40 I want to say it's low MS but probably AU
1913 Prussia 3 Mark $35 100th Anniversary of Napoleon's defeat Light or old cleaning
1913 German Empire-Prussia 3 Mark commemorative $60
1752 Free Hanseatic City of Lubeck 48 Schilling $325 KM#168.6 revised arms; bottom of shield reaches between "JJ" and "J" Retoning with some nice blues forming. Possible ex-jewellery mark or a mint defect on the rim
Hungary $80 shipped
1907 Hungary 5 Korona $65 Second lowest mintage of the series, 800k lower than the next highest date. Good details but likely cleaned at some point
1977 Hungary 200 Forint $25 Commemorating the life of Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka with the design of the coin based on a self portrait of his
Latin America $30 shipped
1916 Ecuador One Decimo $5
1953 Panama 1/4 Balboa commemorative $5
1973 Paraguay 300 Guaraníes $25 Commemorating the 4th Term of President Stroessner
Misc Countries $250
322-185 B.C.E. India-Mauryan Empire Karshapana $20
1842 Denmark 4 Rigsbankskilling 1 1/4 Schilling $5
1810 France 10 Cent $5
1789 Dutch Provinces-Holland 2 Stuivers $25 Good looking lion but worn on the reverse
1795 Sardinia 20 Soldi $30
1932 China-Republic Yunnan province 20 cent $110
1939 Ireland Florin/2 Scilling $20 Possible cleaning
1865 Papal States 5 Baiocchi $80 UNC-Details with beautiful color and a fair bit of luster
:whale2:Option: Discounted prices comes to $1,360 take it all for $1150 shipped flatrate
Payment
I have Venmo and Cashapp currently though if you dont have those message me and i'm sure we can figure something out.
Shipping
If not stated shipping is $5-6 for the continental United States depending on the distance, Hawaii and Alaska will cost more. International will be at cost, tracked in a flat-rate envelope is $26 outside of the United States
Trades
Cash preferred but open to the following in silver;
Pre-Victoria British
Napoleonic France and Bonaparte ruled countries
Prussia pre-1873
Saxony-Albertine pre-1873
Wildman designs
China imperial and republic
Russia and their territories
Persia 1930s and older
Afghanistan
Japan 1870-71 and Samurai coins
Ancient Greek and Roman silver in fine styles
Military medals, insignias, items that would have been awarded/given to soldiers in silver
Miscellaneous world crowns and crown-sized coins I don't have in XF-AU+ condition preferably pre-1945 and European
2023.06.03 01:25 RDV_SAL [WTS] German silver galore, from 1600s Austrian-Netherlands to 1913 Prussian commemoratives with some other miscellaneous World Silver included
DMs only, no Chats Please
Proof and Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/UfbNUQO
Grouped up some stuff by region to clear them out for new coins.
Germanic $1,000 shipped
1826 Duchy of Nassau 6 Kreuzer $15 Some scratches on both sides
1796 Schleswig-Holstein 2 1/2 Schilling $20 Some gunk on the obverse
1849 Wurttemberg 3 Kreuzer $20
1863 Bavaria 1 Kreuzer $15 Low AU I think
1798 Bishopric of Salzburg 20 Kreuzer $25 Some scratches on reverse
1841 Frankfurt 1/2 Gulden $25 Old cleaning I think
1864 Frankfurt 1 Kreuzer $20
1758 Wurrtemberg 1 Kreuzer $10 Billon coin, in pretty good shape for it's age
1727 Hamburg 1 Schilling $5
SOLD 1751 Bavaria 1/2 Escalin $5 SOLD
1806 Wurttemberg 6 Kreuzer $10
1792 Prussia 1/3 Thaler $30 Less common denomination and type
1791-H Austrian Netherlands Half Kronenthaler $40 Old cleaning
1860 Kingdom of Prussia One Vereinsthaler $65
1862 Prussia One Vereinsthaler $65 Couple rim dings, otherwise good details with some nice patina
1616 Spanish Netherlands-Duchy of Brabant Patagon $450 Antwerp Mint Large coin at 41mm and almost 30g, a mostly strong strike
1893 Bavaria 2 Mark $20
1913 Prussia 2 Mark $40 I want to say it's low MS but probably AU
1913 Prussia 3 Mark $35 100th Anniversary of Napoleon's defeat Light or old cleaning
1913 German Empire-Prussia 3 Mark commemorative $60
1752 Free Hanseatic City of Lubeck 48 Schilling $325 KM#168.6 revised arms; bottom of shield reaches between "JJ" and "J" Retoning with some nice blues forming. Possible ex-jewellery mark or a mint defect on the rim
Hungary $80 shipped
1907 Hungary 5 Korona $65 Second lowest mintage of the series, 800k lower than the next highest date. Good details but likely cleaned at some point
1977 Hungary 200 Forint $25 Commemorating the life of Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka with the design of the coin based on a self portrait of his
Latin America $30 shipped
1916 Ecuador One Decimo $5
1953 Panama 1/4 Balboa commemorative $5
1973 Paraguay 300 Guaraníes $25 Commemorating the4th Term of President Stroessner
Misc Countries $250
322-185 B.C.E. India-Mauryan Empire Karshapana $20
1842 Denmark 4 Rigsbankskilling 1 1/4 Schilling $5
1810 France 10 Cent $5
1789 Dutch Provinces-Holland 2 Stuivers $25 Good looking lion but worn on the reverse
1795 Sardinia 20 Soldi $30
1932 China-Republic Yunnan province 20 cent $110
1939 Ireland Florin/2 Scilling $20 Possible cleaning
1865 Papal States 5 Baiocchi $80 UNC-Details with beautiful color and a fair bit of luster
:whale2:Option: Discounted prices comes to $1,360 take it all for $1150 shipped flatrate
Payment
I have Venmo and Cashapp currently though if you dont have those message me and i'm sure we can figure something out.
Shipping
If not stated shipping is $5-6 for the continental United States depending on the distance, Hawaii and Alaska will cost more. International will be at cost, tracked in a flat-rate envelope is $26 outside of the United States
Trades
Cash preferred but open to the following in silver;
Pre-Victoria British
Napoleonic France and Bonaparte ruled countries
Prussia pre-1873
Saxony-Albertine pre-1873
Wildman designs
China imperial and republic
Russia and their territories
Persia 1930s and older
Afghanistan
Japan 1870-71 and Samurai coins
Ancient Greek and Roman silver in fine styles
Military medals, insignias, items that would have been awarded/given to soldiers in silver
Miscellaneous world crowns and crown-sized coins I don't have in XF-AU+ condition preferably pre-1945 and European
submitted by RDV_SAL to CoinSales [link] [comments]
Proof and Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/UfbNUQO
Grouped up some stuff by region to clear them out for new coins.
Germanic $1,000 shipped
1826 Duchy of Nassau 6 Kreuzer $15 Some scratches on both sides
1796 Schleswig-Holstein 2 1/2 Schilling $20 Some gunk on the obverse
1849 Wurttemberg 3 Kreuzer $20
1863 Bavaria 1 Kreuzer $15 Low AU I think
1798 Bishopric of Salzburg 20 Kreuzer $25 Some scratches on reverse
1841 Frankfurt 1/2 Gulden $25 Old cleaning I think
1864 Frankfurt 1 Kreuzer $20
1758 Wurrtemberg 1 Kreuzer $10 Billon coin, in pretty good shape for it's age
1727 Hamburg 1 Schilling $5
SOLD 1751 Bavaria 1/2 Escalin $5 SOLD
1806 Wurttemberg 6 Kreuzer $10
1792 Prussia 1/3 Thaler $30 Less common denomination and type
1791-H Austrian Netherlands Half Kronenthaler $40 Old cleaning
1860 Kingdom of Prussia One Vereinsthaler $65
1862 Prussia One Vereinsthaler $65 Couple rim dings, otherwise good details with some nice patina
1616 Spanish Netherlands-Duchy of Brabant Patagon $450 Antwerp Mint Large coin at 41mm and almost 30g, a mostly strong strike
1893 Bavaria 2 Mark $20
1913 Prussia 2 Mark $40 I want to say it's low MS but probably AU
1913 Prussia 3 Mark $35 100th Anniversary of Napoleon's defeat Light or old cleaning
1913 German Empire-Prussia 3 Mark commemorative $60
1752 Free Hanseatic City of Lubeck 48 Schilling $325 KM#168.6 revised arms; bottom of shield reaches between "JJ" and "J" Retoning with some nice blues forming. Possible ex-jewellery mark or a mint defect on the rim
Hungary $80 shipped
1907 Hungary 5 Korona $65 Second lowest mintage of the series, 800k lower than the next highest date. Good details but likely cleaned at some point
1977 Hungary 200 Forint $25 Commemorating the life of Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka with the design of the coin based on a self portrait of his
Latin America $30 shipped
1916 Ecuador One Decimo $5
1953 Panama 1/4 Balboa commemorative $5
1973 Paraguay 300 Guaraníes $25 Commemorating the4th Term of President Stroessner
Misc Countries $250
322-185 B.C.E. India-Mauryan Empire Karshapana $20
1842 Denmark 4 Rigsbankskilling 1 1/4 Schilling $5
1810 France 10 Cent $5
1789 Dutch Provinces-Holland 2 Stuivers $25 Good looking lion but worn on the reverse
1795 Sardinia 20 Soldi $30
1932 China-Republic Yunnan province 20 cent $110
1939 Ireland Florin/2 Scilling $20 Possible cleaning
1865 Papal States 5 Baiocchi $80 UNC-Details with beautiful color and a fair bit of luster
:whale2:Option: Discounted prices comes to $1,360 take it all for $1150 shipped flatrate
Payment
I have Venmo and Cashapp currently though if you dont have those message me and i'm sure we can figure something out.
Shipping
If not stated shipping is $5-6 for the continental United States depending on the distance, Hawaii and Alaska will cost more. International will be at cost, tracked in a flat-rate envelope is $26 outside of the United States
Trades
Cash preferred but open to the following in silver;
Pre-Victoria British
Napoleonic France and Bonaparte ruled countries
Prussia pre-1873
Saxony-Albertine pre-1873
Wildman designs
China imperial and republic
Russia and their territories
Persia 1930s and older
Afghanistan
Japan 1870-71 and Samurai coins
Ancient Greek and Roman silver in fine styles
Military medals, insignias, items that would have been awarded/given to soldiers in silver
Miscellaneous world crowns and crown-sized coins I don't have in XF-AU+ condition preferably pre-1945 and European
2023.06.03 00:09 Sin-God Favorite Generic Cartoon World Item?
It's been a minute since I've talked about GCW, but it's time again for me to do that. So this time, instead of asking for everyone's favorite perks from Generic Cartoon World, I wanted to ask about items.
The items in GCW are often underrated, especially early on for baby jumpers or just in general when it comes to themed jumpers. There are a lot of GOLDEN items in this jump, and as one of the main cheerleaders of this bad boy, I don't often get to gush about the neat STUFF you can get here.
As the undiscounted price for the items begins to hike you start to see the FUN stuff. From the largest movie theater in-setting, to a colony of microscopic toons who help you think *better*, the 200-400 CP items are starting to be a bit more drastically powerful & recognizable.
My personal favorite item in this jump... and possibly ever, in any jump, is the 800 CP theme park item. This absolute unit of an item is phenomenally powerful hence its GIGANTIC price tag (and it's not even the most expensive undiscounted item!).
This bad boy confers ownership over a hilarious number of massive theme parks that spread across the settings you visit, and the theme parks are both profitable and self-sustaining. They come with all sorts of world-class amenities, rides, and resources, and are honestly just so good that a jumper could, in the right setting, spend a WHOLE jump in the theme parks and not be bored. Also, a really sick aspect of this item, for baby jumpers who don't have super speed or infinite money yet, is the fact that you can easily take advantage of the infrastructure that connects the different parks, especially if they are on different continents.
In a modern setting, such as any of the mundane generic jumps, Chronicle, Levage, or the big sitcom jump, this is potentially world-shaking technology (especially since it's said, in-jump, that the infrastructure can be opened to the public, even though it doesn't start off that way by default). This is an incredible, world-class item. It's also actually something you can get FOR FREE if you do one of the scenarios.
The silver screen item is really cool, and if you aren't into its esoteric items it makes for a great personal home theater movie screen and a sick-ass shield. It's just neat.
That said, probably the best QoL item in the whole jump, partially due to its low cost (there's an item in the Human origin that's this, but with SLIGHT modifications that are usually improvements), is A-Hole-in-the-Wall (AHitW). This portable apartment is fantastic. It's just REALLY good. I think this item REALLY shines in barebones survival worlds, like Minecraft, or post-apocalypse jumps, but honestly, it's so tremendously good ANYWHERE that I can easily picture jumpers, especially baby jumpers, living in this item full time. The Toon Medical Kit item is also extremely good and is a fantastic basic medical item that's a handy catch-all.
The three big boys of this origin's items are all powerfully unique items. Touch The Toon Sky(scraper) is a massive skyscraper that is, effectively, the skyscraper version of the monstrous movie theater item from the undiscounted line of items. It's a big building, and if you want to know what you could do with a big building here's a link to the website of the real-life Woolworth Building. This item is chonky, it's alive, and it's just neat.
The context-sensitive bag is just a little thing that lets you grab funny stuff. If you're in a situation that's life or death but saving your skin would be funny, well... This bag's probably got your back.
The capstone item for Toons is a personal Acme Acres pocket dimension and this item is SICK. I always go for the upgraded version of this item (which requires the Hammerspace Specialist toon perk), but even the base item is incredible. This is one of those pocket dimension items that, in the right hands, can save entire species and/or civilizations, but is also just really fun. This is a great purchase, that's also potentially free if you do a scenario. There's lots of uses for this one and really maximizing it will take creativity on your part, but it's cool as heck.
The Toon Vehicle is exceptional, it's true that it's more expensive than AHitW, and doesn't have a portable mailing address, but in every other respect this item is the bigger, better brother of AHitW. This is a living vehicle that is, externally, potentially the same size as a mundane, real-world car, but can fit hundreds of people, and has multiple bedrooms & two bathrooms. If you're not into LIVING items that's a mark on this one that isn't present on AHitW, but other than that, and a lack of a mailing address, this really is just an improvement on AHitW. It can even drive itself! This is dope.
The 400 CP item is interesting but weird. It's Joe's. Ah, Joe's. This is a neat item. Basically, this is a QoL item that gives you some money, but the way it works is weird. Until you find Joe's, in-jump, or create an entrance to it, this just gives you the ability to make entrances to a massive greasy-spoon restaurant. Once you've made an entrance to Joe's, which you do by seemingly just finding an appropriate place and WILLING it to happen, the area you've targeted with this power becomes the newest entrance to the restaurant. You can live in the employee section of the restaurant (in a nice, condo-style apartment), and you passively get paid by Joe. Presumably how much you get paid depends in part on how actively you do, and how good you are, at your job, but you'll always get paid a little.
Tall Tale Heart is a nice little booster to your physical abilities that hits harder if your human but is still not bad if you're a toon or half-toon. If you're a baby jumper and take the human origin in this jump this is great for physical stuff.
Acme Studio Factory Lot is the animation studio version of the monstrous movie theater or skyscraper items. Which means it's really fucking good. And also that it's alive. But if you want to have an artsy jumper who makes a living doing entertainment stuff, this is the item for you.
The baby tier items, the 50 & 100 CP items, are amusingly diverse. From a catalog of items you can order that will be instantly delivered to you (and the ability to buy stuff from PAST JUMPS! That's crazy! It's only stuff that would be sold in stores and restaurants, but god can you imagine going to a prehistoric jump and ordering one hundred rifles and bucket loads of bullets?!), to an eraser that at a glance looks mostly comedic until you remember the "Not so funny anymore" half toon perk and realize you can suffocate people by erasing their mouths with that perk's effects active, this is a RANGE of items that can be endlessly amusing.
The ink pen item confers some of the effects of the human perk "Eraser Immunity" and is a good, permanent ink pen. Ink & Paint Job lets you do what acme acres does to buildings in it (immediately, not what it does to them over long periods of time), anywhere you want, so long as its an inanimate object you want to hit.
The Spanner in the Works is a really, really solid creation & destruction item. In the context of creation using this and working on making something is about the same as having twelve people work on something. Where it really shines, though, is destruction. When you hit a building or a piece of complex machinery with this it breaks apart. No limits are stated on this, by the way, so someone could imagine that this would work on the Death Star, a space station and superweapon, which is certainly complex. That said, this part of this item is JUST powerful. It's a VERY good destruction item.
Now for the capstone item for Half-Toons... Congratulations on your Rule-Of-Funny item. This is an item run by the rule-of-funny, which can ABSOLUTELY be weaponized, so long as you attempt to be funny about it first. It's great, and I mean that unironically. The Rule(r) of funny is a size-expander, a funny super-device, and a ruler all in one. It expands the internal dimensions of stuff its put in, it helps make jokes, and you know the dimensions of stuff you see when you're using it.
The Rule(r) of funny is a weird item because to REALLY maximize its use you'd need something like the capstone from the trickster origin over in Germanic Norse Mythology (which makes it so that you get three of any item purchased with CP), because its three uses are so different from each other that it often feels like using it one way prohibits it from being used in other ways, at least simultaneously. If you use it outside of a place you want to make bigger (say, AHitW's actual square footage), then it's not making the place bigger, even though it can be great for dealing with an enemy with an annoying immunity, as you can temporarily shut off the immunity so long as you use the ruler and make a joke. But if you have more than one... Well, you can do the neat stuff you want to do, while keeping one in the space you want to make bigger.
What are your favorite Generic Cartoon World items? I love all of them, but some of these babies are just... they are just magical, gang.
submitted by Sin-God to JumpChain [link] [comments]
The items in GCW are often underrated, especially early on for baby jumpers or just in general when it comes to themed jumpers. There are a lot of GOLDEN items in this jump, and as one of the main cheerleaders of this bad boy, I don't often get to gush about the neat STUFF you can get here.
General Items:
The undiscounted items are actually some of my favorites. We start off with some baby-level quality of life items that are just fun, like Chester: a good boi hammerspace chest you can put goodies in, and Jeeves, a skilled butler & administrative buddy who can run a household as skillfully as any professional butler can.As the undiscounted price for the items begins to hike you start to see the FUN stuff. From the largest movie theater in-setting, to a colony of microscopic toons who help you think *better*, the 200-400 CP items are starting to be a bit more drastically powerful & recognizable.
My personal favorite item in this jump... and possibly ever, in any jump, is the 800 CP theme park item. This absolute unit of an item is phenomenally powerful hence its GIGANTIC price tag (and it's not even the most expensive undiscounted item!).
This bad boy confers ownership over a hilarious number of massive theme parks that spread across the settings you visit, and the theme parks are both profitable and self-sustaining. They come with all sorts of world-class amenities, rides, and resources, and are honestly just so good that a jumper could, in the right setting, spend a WHOLE jump in the theme parks and not be bored. Also, a really sick aspect of this item, for baby jumpers who don't have super speed or infinite money yet, is the fact that you can easily take advantage of the infrastructure that connects the different parks, especially if they are on different continents.
In a modern setting, such as any of the mundane generic jumps, Chronicle, Levage, or the big sitcom jump, this is potentially world-shaking technology (especially since it's said, in-jump, that the infrastructure can be opened to the public, even though it doesn't start off that way by default). This is an incredible, world-class item. It's also actually something you can get FOR FREE if you do one of the scenarios.
The silver screen item is really cool, and if you aren't into its esoteric items it makes for a great personal home theater movie screen and a sick-ass shield. It's just neat.
Toon Items:
Two of my favorite items in the whole jump are in the toon line, but all of these items are bangers. Everything from the gloves to the assorted toon items & endless explosives are great, but if you purchase the half-toon perk "Not so funny anymore", associated toon items & endless explosives TREMENDOUSLY shoot upwards in power. They become NASTY strong, which is the best kind of strong. Lots of people will have a bad time dealing with a jumper who can make cartoon antics decidedly deadly, and infinite, human-scale explosives or a homing, flying safe that hits with all of the power of a mundane safe, are not jokes.That said, probably the best QoL item in the whole jump, partially due to its low cost (there's an item in the Human origin that's this, but with SLIGHT modifications that are usually improvements), is A-Hole-in-the-Wall (AHitW). This portable apartment is fantastic. It's just REALLY good. I think this item REALLY shines in barebones survival worlds, like Minecraft, or post-apocalypse jumps, but honestly, it's so tremendously good ANYWHERE that I can easily picture jumpers, especially baby jumpers, living in this item full time. The Toon Medical Kit item is also extremely good and is a fantastic basic medical item that's a handy catch-all.
The three big boys of this origin's items are all powerfully unique items. Touch The Toon Sky(scraper) is a massive skyscraper that is, effectively, the skyscraper version of the monstrous movie theater item from the undiscounted line of items. It's a big building, and if you want to know what you could do with a big building here's a link to the website of the real-life Woolworth Building. This item is chonky, it's alive, and it's just neat.
The context-sensitive bag is just a little thing that lets you grab funny stuff. If you're in a situation that's life or death but saving your skin would be funny, well... This bag's probably got your back.
The capstone item for Toons is a personal Acme Acres pocket dimension and this item is SICK. I always go for the upgraded version of this item (which requires the Hammerspace Specialist toon perk), but even the base item is incredible. This is one of those pocket dimension items that, in the right hands, can save entire species and/or civilizations, but is also just really fun. This is a great purchase, that's also potentially free if you do a scenario. There's lots of uses for this one and really maximizing it will take creativity on your part, but it's cool as heck.
Human Items:
The first four of these items are neat, career-based, items. There's a toon-gun that fires... slighty-toonier bullet-bills, and writing & art items. And when you hit the 200 CP tier you get the one QoL item that's almost on par, and actually in some ways, better than AHitW; the Toon Vehicle.The Toon Vehicle is exceptional, it's true that it's more expensive than AHitW, and doesn't have a portable mailing address, but in every other respect this item is the bigger, better brother of AHitW. This is a living vehicle that is, externally, potentially the same size as a mundane, real-world car, but can fit hundreds of people, and has multiple bedrooms & two bathrooms. If you're not into LIVING items that's a mark on this one that isn't present on AHitW, but other than that, and a lack of a mailing address, this really is just an improvement on AHitW. It can even drive itself! This is dope.
The 400 CP item is interesting but weird. It's Joe's. Ah, Joe's. This is a neat item. Basically, this is a QoL item that gives you some money, but the way it works is weird. Until you find Joe's, in-jump, or create an entrance to it, this just gives you the ability to make entrances to a massive greasy-spoon restaurant. Once you've made an entrance to Joe's, which you do by seemingly just finding an appropriate place and WILLING it to happen, the area you've targeted with this power becomes the newest entrance to the restaurant. You can live in the employee section of the restaurant (in a nice, condo-style apartment), and you passively get paid by Joe. Presumably how much you get paid depends in part on how actively you do, and how good you are, at your job, but you'll always get paid a little.
Tall Tale Heart is a nice little booster to your physical abilities that hits harder if your human but is still not bad if you're a toon or half-toon. If you're a baby jumper and take the human origin in this jump this is great for physical stuff.
Acme Studio Factory Lot is the animation studio version of the monstrous movie theater or skyscraper items. Which means it's really fucking good. And also that it's alive. But if you want to have an artsy jumper who makes a living doing entertainment stuff, this is the item for you.
Half-Toon Items:
If for whatever reason you are reading this and have never seen the half-toon perks in this jump... They are decidedly less comedy based than the toon perks are, and among other things can let your jumper do things like bring objects to life, de-humode-funny toon abilities, and even do long-range only-slightly-slower-than-instant teleportation! The half-toon items, in keeping with that trend, are also not quite as focused on comedy though there's plenty of funny stuff about them.The baby tier items, the 50 & 100 CP items, are amusingly diverse. From a catalog of items you can order that will be instantly delivered to you (and the ability to buy stuff from PAST JUMPS! That's crazy! It's only stuff that would be sold in stores and restaurants, but god can you imagine going to a prehistoric jump and ordering one hundred rifles and bucket loads of bullets?!), to an eraser that at a glance looks mostly comedic until you remember the "Not so funny anymore" half toon perk and realize you can suffocate people by erasing their mouths with that perk's effects active, this is a RANGE of items that can be endlessly amusing.
The ink pen item confers some of the effects of the human perk "Eraser Immunity" and is a good, permanent ink pen. Ink & Paint Job lets you do what acme acres does to buildings in it (immediately, not what it does to them over long periods of time), anywhere you want, so long as its an inanimate object you want to hit.
The Spanner in the Works is a really, really solid creation & destruction item. In the context of creation using this and working on making something is about the same as having twelve people work on something. Where it really shines, though, is destruction. When you hit a building or a piece of complex machinery with this it breaks apart. No limits are stated on this, by the way, so someone could imagine that this would work on the Death Star, a space station and superweapon, which is certainly complex. That said, this part of this item is JUST powerful. It's a VERY good destruction item.
Now for the capstone item for Half-Toons... Congratulations on your Rule-Of-Funny item. This is an item run by the rule-of-funny, which can ABSOLUTELY be weaponized, so long as you attempt to be funny about it first. It's great, and I mean that unironically. The Rule(r) of funny is a size-expander, a funny super-device, and a ruler all in one. It expands the internal dimensions of stuff its put in, it helps make jokes, and you know the dimensions of stuff you see when you're using it.
The Rule(r) of funny is a weird item because to REALLY maximize its use you'd need something like the capstone from the trickster origin over in Germanic Norse Mythology (which makes it so that you get three of any item purchased with CP), because its three uses are so different from each other that it often feels like using it one way prohibits it from being used in other ways, at least simultaneously. If you use it outside of a place you want to make bigger (say, AHitW's actual square footage), then it's not making the place bigger, even though it can be great for dealing with an enemy with an annoying immunity, as you can temporarily shut off the immunity so long as you use the ruler and make a joke. But if you have more than one... Well, you can do the neat stuff you want to do, while keeping one in the space you want to make bigger.
What are your favorite Generic Cartoon World items? I love all of them, but some of these babies are just... they are just magical, gang.
2023.06.02 23:22 goarmy007 [WTS] All US Mint, Silver Eagle Proofs Many Years, Apollo 11 1oz Silver, Many 5oz America the Beautiful National Park Silver
Proof: https://imgur.com/a/DYy1Yid
All US Mint (all silver eagles and Apollo 11 coins include box/COA):
2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Silver Proof 1oz - $55 each - 1 available --- Photos show both sides, this is a concave design coin with astronaut footprint on one side and Apollo lander on other side.
2013 West Point 2-Coin American Silver Eagle Set With Proof & Reverse - $210 each - 1 available
2012 San Francisco 2-Coin American Silver Eagle Set with Proof & Reverse - $170 each - 1 available
2008 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 2 available
2010 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 2 available
2011 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 1 available
2012 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 4 available
2013 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 3 available
2014 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 3 available
2016 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark (30th anniv.) - $70 each - 2 available
2017 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 2 available
2018 Silver American Eagle Proof S Mark (San Fran Mint) - $70 each - 3 available
2018 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 4 available
2019 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 3 available
2020 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 4 available
2021 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark (Type 1) - $70 each - 2 available
2021 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark (Type 2) - $70 each - 1 available
Slabbed 5oz America the Beautiful Silver Coins PCGS/NGC (FirstStrike/Early Releases) - some have toning, let me know if interested and I can send more close ups
SOLD - 2010 ATB Grand Canyon PCGS FirstStrike Choice BU 5oz - $200 - 0 available
2010 ATB Yosemite PCGS FirstStrike Choice BU 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2010 ATB Mount Hood PCGS FirstStrike MS68DMPL 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2010 ATB Mount Hood PCGS FirstStrike Choice BU 5oz - $200 - 1 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Yellowstone PCGS FirstStrike Choice BU 5oz - $200 - 0 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Yellowstone PCGS FirstStrike MS68DMPL 5oz - $200 - 0 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Yellowstone PCGS FirstStrike MS68PL 5oz - $200 - 0 available
2010 ATB Hot Springs PCGS FirstStrike MS68DMPL 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2010 ATB Hot Springs PCGS FirstStrike Choice BU 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2011 ATB Glacier NGC Early Releases Gem Uncirculated 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2011 ATB Gettysburg NGC Early Releases Gem Uncirculated 5oz - $200 - 1 available
5oz America the Beautiful Burnished Version US Mint Box w/ COA Coins - some have toning, let me know if interested and can send multiple photos of both sides.
2010 ATB Yosemite Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Yellowstone Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 0 available
2010 ATB Hot Springs Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2010 ATB Mount Hood Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Grand Canyon Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 0 available
2011 ATB Gettysburg Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2011 ATB Olympic Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2016 ATB Theodore Roosevelt Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2014 ATB Arches Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2014 ATB Everglades Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2019 ATB War in the Pacific Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
5oz America the Beautiful in Plastic Capsules Uncirculated (originally from Apmex)
SOLD - 2010 ATB Yosemite 5oz - $180 - 0 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Grand Canyon 5oz - $180 each - 0 available
Will accept Zelle or Venmo (FF, no comments in remarks). Will only ship first class if less than 2 SAE Proofs for $5 or equivalent weight, otherwise will ship priority for $10.
Insurance extra, buyer to cover cost if desired.
Will provide tracking and ship promptly after receiving payment.If any additional questions at all, please ask below or chat.
Please comment below before chat/PM.
Willing to ship first to high feedback buyers only.
submitted by goarmy007 to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]
All US Mint (all silver eagles and Apollo 11 coins include box/COA):
2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Silver Proof 1oz - $55 each - 1 available --- Photos show both sides, this is a concave design coin with astronaut footprint on one side and Apollo lander on other side.
2013 West Point 2-Coin American Silver Eagle Set With Proof & Reverse - $210 each - 1 available
2012 San Francisco 2-Coin American Silver Eagle Set with Proof & Reverse - $170 each - 1 available
2008 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 2 available
2010 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 2 available
2011 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 1 available
2012 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 4 available
2013 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 3 available
2014 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 3 available
2016 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark (30th anniv.) - $70 each - 2 available
2017 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 2 available
2018 Silver American Eagle Proof S Mark (San Fran Mint) - $70 each - 3 available
2018 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 4 available
2019 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 3 available
2020 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark - $70 each - 4 available
2021 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark (Type 1) - $70 each - 2 available
2021 Silver American Eagle Proof W Mark (Type 2) - $70 each - 1 available
Slabbed 5oz America the Beautiful Silver Coins PCGS/NGC (FirstStrike/Early Releases) - some have toning, let me know if interested and I can send more close ups
SOLD - 2010 ATB Grand Canyon PCGS FirstStrike Choice BU 5oz - $200 - 0 available
2010 ATB Yosemite PCGS FirstStrike Choice BU 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2010 ATB Mount Hood PCGS FirstStrike MS68DMPL 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2010 ATB Mount Hood PCGS FirstStrike Choice BU 5oz - $200 - 1 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Yellowstone PCGS FirstStrike Choice BU 5oz - $200 - 0 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Yellowstone PCGS FirstStrike MS68DMPL 5oz - $200 - 0 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Yellowstone PCGS FirstStrike MS68PL 5oz - $200 - 0 available
2010 ATB Hot Springs PCGS FirstStrike MS68DMPL 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2010 ATB Hot Springs PCGS FirstStrike Choice BU 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2011 ATB Glacier NGC Early Releases Gem Uncirculated 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2011 ATB Gettysburg NGC Early Releases Gem Uncirculated 5oz - $200 - 1 available
5oz America the Beautiful Burnished Version US Mint Box w/ COA Coins - some have toning, let me know if interested and can send multiple photos of both sides.
2010 ATB Yosemite Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Yellowstone Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 0 available
2010 ATB Hot Springs Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2010 ATB Mount Hood Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Grand Canyon Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 0 available
2011 ATB Gettysburg Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2011 ATB Olympic Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2016 ATB Theodore Roosevelt Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2014 ATB Arches Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2014 ATB Everglades Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
2019 ATB War in the Pacific Burnished with Box/COA 5oz - $200 - 1 available
5oz America the Beautiful in Plastic Capsules Uncirculated (originally from Apmex)
SOLD - 2010 ATB Yosemite 5oz - $180 - 0 available
SOLD - 2010 ATB Grand Canyon 5oz - $180 each - 0 available
Will accept Zelle or Venmo (FF, no comments in remarks). Will only ship first class if less than 2 SAE Proofs for $5 or equivalent weight, otherwise will ship priority for $10.
Insurance extra, buyer to cover cost if desired.
Will provide tracking and ship promptly after receiving payment.If any additional questions at all, please ask below or chat.
Please comment below before chat/PM.
Willing to ship first to high feedback buyers only.
2023.06.02 22:58 Joadzilla America Is Headed Toward Collapse
History shows how to stave it off.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/us-societal-trends-institutional-trust-economy/674260/
How has America slid into its current age of discord? Why has our trust in institutions collapsed, and why have our democratic norms unraveled?
All human societies experience recurrent waves of political crisis, such as the one we face today. My research team built a database of hundreds of societies across 10,000 years to try to find out what causes them. We examined dozens of variables, including population numbers, measures of well-being, forms of governance, and the frequency with which rulers are overthrown. We found that the precise mix of events that leads to crisis varies, but two drivers of instability loom large. The first is popular immiseration—when the economic fortunes of broad swaths of a population decline. The second, and more significant, is elite overproduction—when a society produces too many superrich and ultra-educated people, and not enough elite positions to satisfy their ambitions.
These forces have played a key role in our current crisis. In the past 50 years, despite overall economic growth, the quality of life for most Americans has declined. The wealthy have become wealthier, while the incomes and wages of the median American family have stagnated. As a result, our social pyramid has become top-heavy. At the same time, the U.S. began overproducing graduates with advanced degrees. More and more people aspiring to positions of power began fighting over a relatively fixed number of spots. The competition among them has corroded the social norms and institutions that govern society.
The U.S. has gone through this twice before. The first time ended in civil war. But the second led to a period of unusually broad-based prosperity. Both offer lessons about today’s dysfunction and, more important, how to fix it.
To understand the root causes of the current crisis, let’s start by looking at how the number of über-wealthy Americans has grown. Back in 1983, 66,000 American households were worth at least $10 million. That may sound like a lot, but by 2019, controlling for inflation, the number had increased tenfold. A similar, if smaller, upsurge happened lower on the food chain. The number of households worth $5 million or more increased sevenfold, and the number of mere millionaires went up fourfold.
On its surface, having more wealthy people doesn’t sound like such a bad thing. But at whose expense did elites’ wealth swell in recent years?
Starting in the 1970s, although the overall economy continued to grow, the share of that growth going to average workers began to shrink, and real wages leveled off. (It’s no coincidence that Americans’ average height—a useful proxy for well-being, economic and otherwise—stopped increasing around then too, even as average heights in much of Europe continued climbing.) By 2010, the relative wage (wage divided by GDP per capita) of an unskilled worker had nearly halved compared with mid-century. For the 64 percent of Americans who didn’t have a four-year college degree, real wages shrank in the 40 years before 2016.
As wages diminished, the costs of owning a home and going to college soared. To afford an average house, a worker earning the median wage in 2016 had to log 40 percent more hours than she would have in 1976. And parents without a college degree had to work four times longer to pay for their children’s college.
Even college-educated Americans aren’t doing well across the board. They made out well in the 1950s, when fewer than 15 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds went to college, but not today, when more than 60 percent of high-school grads immediately enroll. To get ahead of the competition, more college graduates have sought out advanced degrees. From 1955 to 1975, the number of students enrolled in law school tripled, and from 1960 to 1970, the number of doctorate degrees granted at U.S. universities more than tripled. This was manageable in the post–World War II period, when the number of professions requiring advanced degrees shot up. But when the demand eventually subsided, the supply didn’t. By the 2000s, degree holders greatly outnumbered the positions available to them. The imbalance is most acute in the social sciences and humanities, but the U.S. hugely overproduces degrees even in STEM fields.
This is part of a broader trend. Compared with 50 years ago, far more Americans today have either the financial means or the academic credentials to pursue positions of power, especially in politics. But the number of those positions hasn’t increased, which has led to fierce competition.
Competition is healthy for society, in moderation. But the competition we are witnessing among America’s elites has been anything but moderate. It has created very few winners and masses of resentful losers. It has brought out the dark side of meritocracy, encouraging rule-breaking instead of hard work.
All of this has left us with a large and growing class of frustrated elite aspirants, and a large and growing class of workers who can’t make better lives for themselves.
The decades that have led to our present-day dysfunction share important similarities with the decades leading to the Civil War. Then as now, a growing economy served to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. The number of millionaires per capita quadrupled from 1800 to 1850, while the relative wage declined by nearly 50 percent from the 1820s to the 1860s, just as it has in recent decades. Biological data from the time suggest that the average American’s quality of life declined significantly. From 1830 to the end of the century, the average height of Americans fell by nearly two inches, and average life expectancy at age 10 decreased by eight years during approximately the same period.
This popular immiseration stirred up social strife, which could be seen in urban riots. From 1820 to 1825, when times were good, only one riot occurred in which at least one person was killed. But in the five years before the Civil War, 1855 to 1860, American cities experienced no fewer than 38 such riots. We see a similar pattern today. In the run-up to the Civil War, this frustration manifested politically, in part as anti-immigrant populism, epitomized by the Know-Nothing Party. Today this strain of populism has been resurrected by Donald Trump.
Strife grew among elites too. The newly minted millionaires of the 19th century, who made their money in manufacturing rather than through plantations or overseas trade, chafed under the rule of the southern aristocracy, as their economic interests diverged. To protect their budding industries, the new elites favored high tariffs and state support for infrastructure projects. The established elites—who grew and exported cotton, and imported manufactured goods from overseas—strongly opposed these measures. The southern slaveholders’ grip on the federal government, the new elites argued, prevented necessary reforms in the banking and transportation systems, which threatened their economic well-being.
As the elite class expanded, the supply of desirable government posts flattened. Although the number of U.S. representatives grew fourfold from 1789 to 1835, it had shrunk by mid-century, just as more and more elite aspirants received legal training—then, as now, the chief route to political office. Competition for political power intensified, as it has today.
Those were cruder times, and intra-elite conflict took very violent forms. In Congress, incidences and threats of violence peaked in the 1850s. The brutal caning that Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina gave to Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts on the Senate floor in 1856 is the best-known such episode, but it was not the only one. In 1842, after Representative Thomas Arnold of Tennessee “reprimanded a pro-slavery member of his own party, two Southern Democrats stalked toward him, at least one of whom was armed with a bowie knife,” the historian Joanne Freeman recounts. In 1850, Senator Henry Foote of Mississippi pulled a pistol on Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri. In another bitter debate, a pistol fell out of a New York representative’s pocket, nearly precipitating a shoot-out on the floor of Congress.
This intra-elite violence presaged popular violence, and the deadliest conflict in American history.
The victory of the North in the Civil War decimated the wealth and power of the southern ruling class, temporarily reversing the problem of elite overproduction. But workers’ wages continued to lag behind overall economic growth, and the “wealth pump” that redistributed their income to the elites never stopped. By the late 19th century, elite overproduction was back, new millionaires had replaced the defeated slave-owning class, and America had entered the Gilded Age. Economic inequality exploded, eventually peaking in the early 20th century. By 1912, the nation’s top wealth holder, John D. Rockefeller, had $1 billion, the equivalent of 2.6 million annual wages—100 times higher than the top wealth holder had in 1790.
Then came the New York Stock Exchange collapse of 1929 and the Great Depression, which had a similar effect as the Civil War: Thousands of economic elites were plunged into the commoner class. In 1925, there were 1,600 millionaires, but by 1950, fewer than 900 remained. The size of America’s top fortune remained stuck at $1 billion for decades, inflation notwithstanding. By 1982, the richest American had $2 billion, which was equivalent to “only” 93,000 annual wages.
But here is where the two eras differed. Unlike the post–Civil War period, real wages steadily grew in the mid-20th century. And high taxes on the richest Americans helped reverse the wealth pump. The tax rate on top incomes, which peaked during World War II at 94 percent, stayed above 90 percent all the way until the mid-1960s. Height increased by a whopping 3 inches in roughly the first half of the 20th century. Life expectancy at age 10 increased by nearly a decade. By the 1960s, America had achieved a broad-based prosperity that was virtually unprecedented in human history.
The New Deal elites learned an important lesson from the disaster of the Civil War. The reversal of elite overproduction in both eras was similar in magnitude, but only after the Great Depression was it accomplished through entirely nonviolent means. The ruling class itself was an important part of this—or, at least, a prosocial faction of the ruling class, which persuaded enough of their peers to acquiesce to the era’s progressive reforms.
As the historian Kim Phillips-Fein wrote in Invisible Hands, executives and stockholders mounted an enormous resistance to the New Deal policies regulating labor–corporate relations. But by mid-century, a sufficient number of them had consented to the new economic order for it to become entrenched. They bargained regularly with labor unions. They accepted the idea that the state would have a role to play in guiding economic life and helping the nation cope with downturns. In 1943, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—which today pushes for the most extreme forms of neoliberal market fundamentalism—said, “Only the willfully blind can fail to see that the old-style capitalism of a primitive, free-shooting period is gone forever.” President Dwight Eisenhower, considered a fiscal conservative for his time, wrote to his brother:
Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things … Their number is negligible and they are stupid.
Barry Goldwater ran against Lyndon Johnson in 1964 on a platform of low taxes and anti-union rhetoric. By today’s standards, Goldwater was a middle-of-the-road conservative. But he was regarded as radical at the time, too radical even for many business leaders, who abandoned his campaign and helped bring about his landslide defeat.
The foundations of this broad-based postwar prosperity—and for the ruling elite’s eventual acquiescence to it—were established during the Progressive era and buttressed by the New Deal. In particular, new legislation guaranteed unions’ right to collective bargaining, introduced a minimum wage, and established Social Security. American elites entered into a “fragile, unwritten compact” with the working classes, as the United Auto Workers president Douglas Fraser later described it. This implicit contract included the promise that the fruits of economic growth would be distributed more equitably among both workers and owners. In return, the fundamentals of the political-economic system would not be challenged. Avoiding revolution was one of the most important reasons for this compact (although not the only one). As Fraser wrote in his famous resignation letter from the Labor Management Group in 1978, when the compact was about to be abandoned, “The acceptance of the labor movement, such as it has been, came because business feared the alternatives.”
We are still suffering the consequences of abandoning that compact. The long history of human society compiled in our database suggests that America’s current economy is so lucrative for the ruling elites that achieving fundamental reform might require a violent revolution. But we have reason for hope. It is not unprecedented for a ruling class—with adequate pressure from below—to allow for the nonviolent reversal of elite overproduction. But such an outcome requires elites to sacrifice their near-term self-interest for our long-term collective interests. At the moment, they don’t seem prepared to do that.
2023.06.02 22:52 doogs_xyz What are doginals? How DRC-20 is changing the cryptocurrency landscape.
 | Hello everyone, I'm doog and I run The Bone. I know many of us are still in the dark as to what doginals and DRC-20 really is, so I thought I would make a short post on where this stuff came from. submitted by doogs_xyz to dogecoin [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/r6r6vacb3o3b1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=13c4e7b61ddd3ca549ed080bb853a6fc5d7d8c35 What are doginals? An introduction to DRC-20.Doginals - a word you may have heard recently, but what are they really? Where did they come from and why did they come about? I'm here to help break that down, but first, to understand Doginals, we first need to take a short look at their cousin, Ordinals.Ordinals have become a popular trend in the Bitcoin community as of late. Similar to NFTs, Ordinal Inscriptions are digital assets inscribed onto satoshis, the smallest denomination of Bitcoin. This became possible through Casey Rodarmor’s “Ordinal Theory”, which created a system for individualizing satoshis and giving them unique identities. Similar to how Ordinals inscribe information onto the smallest units of a Bitcoin, Doginals inscribe information onto the smallest units of Dogecoin, named shibes. You see, each shibe can store a very tiny amount of information via a process we call “inscribing”. By keeping track every shibe in circulation, a normally fungible token like $DOGE can be inscribed with data, tracked, and transferred amongst collectors, speculators, and enthusiasts. How the heck is any of this done?By using a tool called an indexer, which is just a fancy word for a platform that acts as a ledger for all of the data being written onto every single shibe in existence. Armed with an indexer, users can now create token and image collections on blockchains that wouldn’t normally have the capacity to natively map this type of information.Plain and simple: Doginals came about as a spin on Bitcoin’s Ordinals. Because Dogecoin is a fork of Bitcoin, they both have the capability to utilize Ordinal Theory. Amongst the hype of Bitcoin’s Ordinals spawned a handful of other mirrored systems, including Doginals on Dogecoin and Litecoin Ordinals on, uh, Litecoin. So how did Doginals specifically come about?In February 2023, a developer named "Apezord" introduced the Doginal standard by launching the first Shibescription (shown below).Shibescription 0 This sparked the formation of a community where numerous Shibescriptions were created, ranging from texts to images to even gifs. During this time, someone also introduced the inaugural DRC-20 token, $DOGI, with a maximum supply of 21 million “tokens”. Progress in the DRC-20 space has faced its fair share of obstacles, mainly due to the challenges posed by Dogecoin's random block rewards (that’s a topic for another day). Projects have thus far faced difficulties in establishing a reliable indexing infrastructure which means sometimes your collection would be recognized as one thing in one place, and entirely different attributes in another. But, despite this, leaps are being made within the doginals community, and DRC-20 trading has been off the charts. On May 22nd, transactions on $DOGE skyrocketed, marking a new all time high of over 719,000. For reference, Bitcoin’s transactions for the day - in the midst of Ordinals season still, mind you - was 566,000. Similar to Bitcoin’s Ordinals, Doginals began to rapidly gain interest from the wider cryptocurrency community. The low fee structure of Dogecoin allowed many participants to begin minting all sorts of DRC-20s without too much overhead or risk. Plus, you know, being early to the next new thing in crypto never hurt. Not Everything that glitters is gold.Doginals have not been without their challenges, however - and there’s been contention both inside and outside of the community when it comes to DRC-20.For example, one Dogecoin core developer voiced his skepticism, saying: “Something like this cannot become a real ‘feature’ because it has not had enough thought given to it… Sustained and growing pressure on Dogecoin will cause this to die off quickly.” -Patrick Lodder Coincidentally enough, a similar sentiment was shared by Luke Dashjr, one of the leading Bitcoin Core developers, in relation to BRC-20. He went so far as to say that immediate action needed to be taken to stop the Ordinals trend. If you’ve attempted to transact with Bitcoin recently, you may have noticed the elaborately high fees. In case you need a quick refresher, as competition for block space increases, so does the cost to transact on the network. Case-in-point: Dogecoin network’s transaction fees increased three-fold between May 10th and May 22nd. Thankfully, the fees are still relatively cheap due to the nature of Dogecoin’s blockchain, but you get the picture. What’s Next?That’s the million dollar question now isn’t it? I’m afraid the only answer I can confidently say is: Who knows?Ordinals are still new enough that we’re seeing exorbitant volume on Bitcoin’s blockchain, so we don’t even have much to compare the current state of affairs to. Maybe doginals will fade away into the annuls of crypto history. Or maybe, just maybe, DRC-20 is the next evolution of $DOGE history. But, for a chain built on community, memes, and having fun, some might say doginals is just what the shibe ordered. |