Happy Friday, everyone! :) Welcome to my weekly thread of mobile gaming recommendations based on some of the most interesting games I played and that were covered on MiniReview this week. I hope you'll enjoy the read.
Support these posts (and YouTube content + development of MiniReview) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NimbleThor <3
This episode includes an awesome old-school RPG NetHack variant, a beautiful arcade bullet-hell shooter, a relaxing puzzle game, a popular chess app, and a casual tower defense game.
New to these posts? Check out the first one from 179 weeks ago here.

Let's get to the games:

GnollHack [Game Size: 1.1 GB] (Free)

Genre: RPG / Roguelike - Offline
Orientation: Landscape + Portrait
Required Attention: Full
tl;dr review by JBMessin:
Gnollhack is a fun variant of the famous roguelike “Nethack” designed specifically for mobile. In comparison to the original game, it features numerous quality-of-life changes, both ASCII and graphical tiles for the dungeon floors, and even voice acting.
A major advantage over other Nethack variants is Gnollhack’s large and intuitive UI. The most used commands are available on our main screen, and everything else is just a tap away and presented with clear and noticeable icons. The UI may look more cluttered than most modern mobile games, but it’s a big step up in comparison to many Nethack-based games.
What's also great about Gnollhack is that it's easier in the beginning than it is towards the end, which is completely different from Nethack and its other mobile variants. This makes it perfect for those that aren't familiar with the genre’s unforgiving gameplay and crazy learning curve.
The graphical ground tiles are impressive for a game genre where the archaic ASCII art style is typically preferred. The character and enemy sprites are also well-made and even presented according to creature size, which means larger enemies actually have larger sprites. Lastly, it’s much easier to navigate our inventory in Gnollhack than in most similar games since our weapons, armor, wands, etc. are actually presented visually.
The biggest downside to Gnollhack is its 1+ GB size, which isn’t massive by AAA standards but is ridiculously large for a Nethack variant. It's also heavy on battery usage, although that is to be expected with gameplay where so much is going on at all times.
Gnollhack is completely free without ads or iAPs. Overall, despite its few flaws, it’s a fantastic introduction to the brutality that is Nethack.
App Store Beta (TestFlight): Here

Wavecade [Total Game Size: 221 MB] ($2.99)

Genre: Arcade / Bullet-Hell - Online + Offline
Orientation: Landscape + Portrait
Required Attention: Full
tl;dr review by Solitalker:
Wavecade is a beautiful retro-styled roguelike arcade space shooter where we control the speed of time and destroy waves of incoming space blocks to score as many points as possible.
As we dodge and swerve our way through the 80's retro-inspired neon space, our ship automatically fires at any blocks in sight.
But this is where it gets interesting, because if we pull our ship toward the bottom of the screen, time slows down, allowing us to precisely maneuver away from projectiles and environmental space hazards. Pushing forward toward the top of the screen speeds up time beyond 100%, with greater points and rewards the faster we’re traveling.
After each run, experience gained unlocks new ranks that let us customize our ship. Cosmetics and new abilities can be configured and equipped before starting a new run, and even the appearance of the blocks we're facing can be customized to our liking.
A wide variety of powerups and weapons can be found throughout each run, leading to some wonderfully overpowered moments of total destruction. But some buffs and abilities are so effective that blocks don’t even make it on screen before they're destroyed, which is a little disappointing since we don't get to see the vibrant neon particle-filled explosions.
The touch controls can be frustrating at times. By default, we tap and drag our ship around manually, but this leaves our ship and the area directly around it hidden by our finger during play. Thankfully, the ship can be offset in the settings, or a virtual joystick can be enabled.
The visual and audio experience of Wavecade is incredibly satisfying, and its fantastic soundtrack perfectly fits the aesthetics.
For $2.99 on iOS with no additional monetization, it’s a very enjoyable arcade shoot ‘em up with relatively quick runs and a rewarding high-score system.
App Store: Here

Down in Bermuda [Game Size: 513 MB] ($5.99)

Genre: Puzzle / Casual - Offline
Orientation: Landscape
Required Attention: Some
tl;dr review by AlexSem:
Down in Bermuda is a cute isometric puzzle adventure from the creators of “Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise”, where we explore the mysteries of a secluded island by participating in a series of brain-testing puzzle activities.
Each level consists of a large 3D island that we can freely observe from all sides in search of interactive objects, mini-games, and puzzle clues. We need to click, swipe, and drag said objects in a specific sequence to complete each puzzle, and the key to success lies in attentiveness, a bit of luck, and sometimes clicking all the suspicious spots in the hope that something meaningful happens.
We also get to meet local inhabitants and help them with their problems – all while searching for a way to escape the island. The puzzles in each scene can be solved in any order, but we still need to finish certain scenarios to proceed in the game.
A huge portion of the gameplay revolves around finding and gathering all the glowing stars hidden in each level. While we can use a handy star map to easily locate them, there is a special achievement if we manage to succeed without its help.
We may also find special keys used to open advanced parts of the puzzles on previous islands, so a bit of backtracking is required to complete the game 100%. Other than that, the game progresses in a linear fashion, which can be disappointing for hardcore puzzle fans, but is perfect for casual play.
Down in Bermuda is a premium game without ads or iAPs that costs $5.99 on iOS. Despite being rather short, it provides an engaging puzzle-solving experience that I’m sure anyone fond of high-quality mobile adventure games will appreciate.
App Store: Here

lichess [Game Size: 137 MB] (Free)

Genre: Board / Casual / Chess - Online + Offline
Orientation: Portrait + Landscape
Required Attention: Full
tl;dr review by jurij:
lichess is a free open-source chess app with zero ads and nothing hidden behind a paywall.
The app is fast and simple. We can start a game in seconds, and since there are very few options and menus, everything is centered around actually playing. It features several online and offline chess variations, but in comparison to the Chess.com app or the website version of lichess, it still lacks several advanced features.
We also have access to puzzles, game lessons, and some game analysis options, but all of this works much better in the website version.
lichess is the second most popular chess platform after Chess.com, and if you love chess, you probably already have both installed. lichess is just a tad more outdated overall, but at least we don’t have to live with any paywalled features.
The lichess mobile app is a few years behind the website version in terms of usability – in large part because the mostly volunteer team managing the game is just not focused on the mobile version for some reason. A great example of how rudimentary some parts of the app are is the extremely clunky board editor that looks like it was made in a day and then never updated.
Ultimately, it’s a simple but fully free chess app for serious players that is amazing for starting fast bullet and blitz games. It lacks functionality and varied bots but has everything else you need for a great chess experience.
App Store: Here

Arrow War (Game Size: 130 MB] (Free)

Genre: Tower Defense / Casual - Offline
Orientation: Landscape
Required Attention: Little (semi-idle)
tl;dr review by NimbleThor:
Arrow War is a casual and silly castle defense game where we manage a group of archers firing arrows at the waves of incoming enemies that try to seize our tower.
Starting with just a single archer, we must equip it with new bows, upgrade existing ones, enhance the skills of the bow, and much more to grow stronger. As we progress, we unlock more archers, each of which we need to manage in the same way.
Every wave takes a few minutes to complete, after which we’re taken back to our base, where we can upgrade our team in different ways, start the next wave, or play other game modes.
During combat, our archers automatically aim at the nearest enemies, while we strategically trigger their skills. So the combat isn’t idle, but it’s an ideal game to play while watching TV or doing something else.
There are a ton of ways to upgrade our archers and castle wall, lots of fun bows to unlock, quests to complete, and areas around our castle to capture so they automatically produce resources for us. Unfortunately, the combat is always the same across all the game modes.
The game features a premium currency, but we earn plenty of it for free, allowing us to buy things such as auto-aim for our main archer. There is technically also an energy system, but we gain so much of it that it’s rarely ever felt. Overall, the progression is nicely balanced for free players, and I haven’t experienced any paywalls.
Unfortunately, the game doesn’t utilize the wide screens of modern smartphones.
Arrow War monetizes via incentivized ads, a few forced ads, and iAPs to grow stronger faster. The iAPs aren’t necessary to progress, but the 5-second forced ads may become annoying. Some of the iAPs remove these ads.
App Store: Here
Special thanks to the Patreon Producers "marquisdan", "Lost Vault", "Farm RPG", and "Mohaimen" who help make these posts possible through their Patreon support <3
Google Sheet of all games I've played so far (searchable and filter-able): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bf0OxtVxrboZqyEh01AxJYUUqHm8tEfh-Lx-SugcrzY/edit?usp=sharing
TL;DR Video Summary (with gameplay) of last week's games: https://youtu.be/Q3eX2WiUHHU
Episode 161 Episode 162 Episode 163 Episode 164 Episode 165 Episode 166 Episode 167 Episode 168 Episode 169 Episode 170 Episode 171 Episode 172 Episode 173 Episode 174 Episode 175 Episode 176 Episode 177 Episode 178

Does apple keep deleted photos? Does apple have access to delete photos? Can apple see my photos? Can hackers access my photos?

What is grading and why should I do it?
Grading is the process of submitting your cards to an independent / third party to verify the quality of your cards and encase them in a protective case/slab.
Grading provides confidence for buyers that your cards are genuine, authentic products and buyers will pay a premium for a highly rated / graded card.
What criteria for grading are used?
Grading companies assess cards on 4 parameters / subgrades: surface, edges, corners, centering.

1. Surface – the overall condition of the front and back of a card as a whole. Things that will affect surface score include print lines, scratches, white dots / print alignment dots, creases in the card.
2. Edges – the side of the card and whether there is whitening, edge wear or scratches on the side edges of the card.
3. Corners – the condition of the corners, and is affected by asymmetrical shape, whitening on the corner, creases or wear to the corner.
4. Centering – how symmetrical the border around the card is and how well centered the art is on the card. Companies will use a ratio to determine what is within acceptable tolerances for each grade score.

These 4 subgrades are then combined into one overall score for the card rated from 1-10 but is not necessarily the average of all 4 ratings – for example if a card gets a 9/10 for corners, edges and centering but a 2/10 for surface it is unlikely to get higher than a 2-4 for overall score because of the importance of surface to visual appeal.
Here are some examples of print lines , edge wear, corner damage, surface damage but if you are unsure then you can post pictures of your card here and someone can advise!
What companies should I use?
The biggest 3 companies in terms of adding value to cards / improving liquidity are PSA / Beckett Grading Services (BGS) / CGC. Smaller companies may be cheaper but typically will not provide as much of a value add if your card is rated highly.
In the US SGC is becoming more popular among Pokémon collectors but still remains more prevalent in sports cards. Internationally, Ace Grading, Tree Frog Grading, Simplygraded and Only Graded are options to consider – they will typically be cheaper to grade with but will not command the same values as cards graded by the big 3.
In terms of which company of the big 3 to submit to, there is no one best answer, it depends on the following factors:

• Slab preference – more for a collector perspective than an investor one, but all slabs are not created equal, and you may hate one and love another!
• Grading cost / time – all companies have different pricing bands, with PSA/CGC pricing according to card value, and BGS having flat rates depending on speed of grading service. CGC and BGS also have the option to add subgrades to cards to give a specific score each of the 4 factors mentioned above.
• Card liquidity – a high rated card will typically sell well regardless of the company chosen but is it arguable that PSA 10s are slightly easier to sell than CGC and BGS 10s.
• Card value added – broadly speaking It is important to note that PSA and CGC have one grade 10, whereas BGS have essentially 2, a pristine 10 (where not all subgrades got a 10) and a black label 10 (where all 4 criteria scored 10). PSA 10s tend to go for slightly more than CGC 10s but it’s comparable. BGS 10 pristine typically goes for slightly less than a PSA 10 if subgrades are shown as a lot of collectors won’t like seeing one subgrade being not 10, but if you get a BGS black label (perfect score), you can add anything from $500-2000 extra to the card depending on raw value.
• Population – rarity always drives value, so if you see that the cards you want to grade are not commonly rated by a specific company it might be worth choosing them so you can list it as low population which is a desirable thing for buyers.

How can I check cards prior to grading?
Pre-grading your cards before sending them out for submission can help avoid cards coming back with a low score. While you won’t normally be able to check cards as thoroughly as an independent grading company there are some things to look out for at home.

1. Check the card under a harsh light to see if there are any print lines or damage to holograms in particular which may not appear obvious with natural light.
2. Check the card with multiple angles to see if any damage that may not be visible looking directly at it face on.
3. Check the card while not in a toploader (penny sleeves are fine / recommended) as sometimes the toploader may have superficial damage that you think is on the actual card, or it may hide some minor damage you would see if you took it out.
4. If you are grading lots of cards, it may be worth buying a blacklight / UV torch, this can show minor scratches than other lighting sources may not pick up.

How do I work out which cards are worth grading / what my card would be worth after?
This is somewhat subjective, but things to consider include value of raw card vs graded, expected grade, age of card, population of graded cards, recency of card.
There are multiple sources for checking the value of graded cards which have sold – some of the major ones include pricecharting.com / pokedata.io / tcgfish.com / tcgplayer.com / eBay sold listings / Facebook marketplace. Prices will fluctuate over time so to be safe take an average of the last few sold listings when estimating value.
It is also important to note that it is not worth grading all cards for investing – basic common / uncommon / V / vmax will very rarely be worth sending in from modern sets. If the raw card value is less than the cost to grade it then normally you can avoid sending it.
For modern cards a broad rule is that grade 9-10 will be a profit over raw value + cost of grading (but do check your specific card to be sure!), vintage varies significantly by card popularity and is often worth grading even if in poor condition.
Card population also affects grading – if you have the only grade 10 for a card you can charge a premium over a card where 10,000 were graded 10. Care needs to be taken with this however, if you grade a worthless card, you will have a pop 1 card because no one will buy it at a premium so always check raw value as well when thinking about population universe.
Card recency – typically when a set comes out graded 10 chase cards will go for a premium before supply catches up and the value drops. If you can get a valuable card early in a set’s release and grade it very quickly you can charge a lot more than you would be able to even 4 weeks later. Prices eventually go back up, but they start high, dip when the full market supply is known, then rises as people start holding them.
If you do decide to post your cards here on this subreddit, please make sure you take high quality closeup pictures of the card in good lighting conditions showing both the front and back of the card.
How should I pack my cards for submission?
Now that you’ve worked out which cards to send and who to send them to, the next step is making sure you have everything sorted for submitting safely and efficiently.
Step 1 – create a submission form. PSA and CGC requires multiple submissions if you have multiple card value tiers, with BGS having something similar but instead for service turnaround time. If you have cards across multiple value tiers for PSA and CGC you can pack multiple submissions together, but if it’s your first time I would advise sending completely separate submissions to be sure the process has worked properly.
Step 2 – packaging your cards safely: start by putting all cards in a penny saver sleeve and then in a semi rigid wide toploader. Do not use rigid toploaders as this can cause delays in your submission and potentially damage to your card. You can also use pull tabs on your penny saver to help easily extract the card from the semi rigid.
Step 3 – sorting the cards in the order of the submission entry. This helps speed up the submission and generally helps keep the grader on the day happy. If you fail to do this some companies charge a fee and will refuse to grade it until you confirm the order. It is also worth noting that if you want sequential grading certs you have to have the cards in the right order.
Step 4 – find a suitable box and some bubble wrap. It is recommended that you have a snug fitting cardboard box which you then put bubble wrap around before putting in another box, but you can also put some thick card at each of the card stack and secure with elastic bands, wrap in bubble wrap and then into a box. The key thing is to ensure that the cards cannot move around much in transit.
Avoid using tape anywhere near the cards, as this risks cards getting stuck to it or damaging them as well as annoying the grading person on the day.
What happens after I send my submission?
Depending on the company, you will typically get a notification once the cards have arrived at the grading center and the process has started. You will then get a notification of the grades for the cards in your order – if you submitted cards at a certain value and the card is deemed to be above this, you may be asked to pay an upcharge on the grading service fee before the card will be shipped back to you.
After grading, you should get shipping information with tracking and then it’s just the waiting game to see what grades your collection gets.
This guide should have covered the fundamentals of the grading process but if you have any questions, please add them below!

(I hope the flair is correct)
The photo I'm referring to. I wish it was on Twitter for full quality but alas.
As the title goes, I don't follow Hanbin closely but I really really really like this photo. I don’t have a photography background or anything and I’m relying on whatever vocabulary I remember from my high school art history class but I just feel like I needed to write out everything I love about this and dump it somewhere.
The Environment
Natural environments are probably safe options to make a photo look good, and in this case it worked out spectacularly. There’s a natural simplicity to this photo because all there is around him are 1) rocks and 2) the ocean. It slices the composition into two contrasting parts in terms of colour and texture, but the division is irregular (as compared to a typical horizon image, think your sunsets or riverbank photos) and it instantly gives the photo a rugged, authentic feeling. Also, it’s hard to go wrong with nice natural lighting.
The Framing
The way the photo divides land and sea is such that the rocks come to an apex or a point that is obscured by Hanbin. These create leading lines that will always bring the eye to his face. And damn is that a nice face to look at. The top-down angle onto Hanbin who stands slightly off-center, looking straight into the camera, keeps the focus on him; it’s simultaneously candid and controlled.
Wardrobe and Makeup
Or, the lack of. The natural look and unstyled hair with a basic white shirt blends his presence into his environment. The highest contrast bits of the photo include the harsh shadow on his face—and whoops, you’re looking into that arresting gaze again. The thickness of the loose black tie also works as a pseudo-line that adds to the feeling of the elements of the image converging at Hanbin.
The Medium
I know nothing about film photography but it was a great choice here; I’m guessing that the film adds that vignette as well as the verrrry slightly blown out look to the tones. Plus the really pretty colours and grain. I think it gives a slight green tint?
THE MAN HIMSELF
during the show I was very hyper-focused on my faves and as a result didn't pay attention to Hanbin until Shuaibo mentioned him as the one he was closest to in Switch team and so he kind of entered my radar, but then it was the final voting rush and I only paid attention to him again on the last episode and after the show ended when I binged his fancams but wow this guy can really use his face when he performs and it’s no different in this photo. The small smile, juxtaposed by the more authoritative pose and gaze, evokes curiosity from the viewer. Physically, the camera/viewer is over, over, over over him above him but what does he know that has him smiling like that?? (Wakeonez project group debut 🤔 ) I can totally see this as an indie/alt album cover or something… I don’t really listen to those genres but it’s always been the vibe I’ve gotten from them.
I don’t have a proper conclusion for this but I know there are lot of Hanbin fans on this sub judging from how every W1z post has like a dozen people screaming crying fainting in the comments so I hope you guys as actual connoisseurs of Binnadanism enjoy my analysis 😆

Last year about this time, actually a few weeks earlier, I made a post about some ribbon sneks I'd run into in our backyard while putting in some new garden beds.
This year within a week of the same calendar date, I've run into the same thing again... only more so.
[I wish Imgur had not become such an odious pia to use. I have videos of the sneks and lots more photos but not enough time in the world to wrestle with Imgur and be able to post them. ....Rant Off]
I am now in the process of making an entire section of garden for snek viewing. More driftwood snek condos will be put in place and covering plants.
There are currently four large ribbon sneks in this area of the yard. I've seen all four at once so I'm sure of that count but there are more. We thing at least two are pregnant females frpm their size. Males as we understand it are usually the smaller ones. My wife can identify them individually by their coloring. I just see sneks. The dog knows she's not allowed to chase them and walks past them quite nonchalantly.
Interestingly, we read on Monsieur Google that ribbon sneks actually form social groupings. Which we were quite surprised to discover.
This photo show two of the (social group) of four sneks just outside their new snek condo
This is the rough and tumble snek condo that I threw together quickly when I discovered that I'd cleared away the plants from one of their favorite spots ....It had been a large bramble of blackberry vines that never did well. The sneks were actually returning to the area over and over and looking around like "I know I'm in the right place. What happened?"
These next five photos are two of the sneks out hunting and eating worms though I don't believe there are any worms seen in the photos. ....I have videos of that which I have no idea how to get on here. 1; 2; 3; 4; 5.
This show some of the plants waiting to be planted into the overall area that will become our Snek Garden
 
Sorry but this is taking entirely too long; sun's up and I should be working.
Garden Paaths...
1;
2;
3;
4;
5.
 
Baby Bird Tax
We have a large enough yard with trees and old, large shrubs that we get quite a few nests each year. I usually put up some birdhouses too but it's another thing I didn't get to this year.
We have about a half-dozen nests that I've seen this year. This one I was lucky enough to come upon while mom was away.
 
Sun's way past "Up"; time to get to work.
Everyone have a great day.
This post is a cluster fuck and I have no time to fix it. Sorry mates

I'm recording on Nintendo Switch. Photo
OS: MacOs OBS Version: 29.0.2 Use Buffering: Enabled Recording Format: mp4 Encoder: Apple VT HEVC Hardware Encoder Rescale Output: 1920x1080 Rate Control: CBR Bitrate: 15000 Kbps Profile: main Use B-Frames: Enabled

540 sq ft 1 BR apartment in lux building available from 7/2 - 7/15. AC, elevator, door person building, gym. 10 min from Barclays Center trains, a few blocks from C and G trains. Asking $1800 for 2 weeks. Please DM for more information / photos. Thanks!

As always, thank you to u/SpacePaladin15 for the wonderful universe that is NoP
Thank you to u/cruisingNW for proof reading and helping me out of some hang ups, you're the man! Honestly LoM wouldn't have gone very far without him! If you haven't you should absolutely go read Foundations of Humanity! It's very good.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Christopher A. Dewey, Human Merchant Sailor, Venlil-Human Exchange Participant
Date [Standardized Human Time]: August 29th, 2136, Very Early Morning.
We got a message an hour ago from Videk, ordering us to report to Hangar-08 to start On-Stick training; and to bring our bags! I guess the guy had wanted to get as much out of the day as he could. That or he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
Videk met us at the doors to the hangar, a small travel bag sitting on the floor by his side, tail swaying slowly as he watched us approach. “Good Waking, Taisa. Good Waking… Christopher.” An improvement, I’ll have to ask Taisa about that talk they had.
“This,” He continued, motioning to the shuttle parked in the hangar behind him with his tail. “Is your training shuttle: registration C1-0V3R-HR-EX.Your first On-Stick training assignment will be to follow appropriate lift off and departure procedures, plot and follow a course to The Capitol on Venlil Prime, seek permission to land from the proper authorities, and land safely and legally following those permissions. All of this, while following proper procedure and regulations. All of this will be graded.”
As he speaks the door behind him slides open, revealing a broad hangar bay, heavy clamshell doors dominate the far wall. At the center of the bay sits a stout craft painted white and black, a pair of stubby wings jutting from its sides flowing into a pair of engines flanking a singular tail. Venlil script is painted at the root of the tail and on the top of the rear ramp.
“Upon arrival in the Capitol you will have some paperwork to do at the U.N. offices with regards to your habitation. I will need to pick up some equipment from the training facility at the landing fields. After our respective errands, let’s say half a claw, we will meet up back at the shuttle and from there you will be plotting an in-atmosphere route to Shadetree, Sunward of the Capitol, to drop me off and wait for me to install and calibrate the remote instructing equipment. Once that is completed, you will plot another in-atmosphere course to Heartwood River, concluding this paws evaluations. Do you have any questions?”
I shook my head, and Taisa flicked her ears, in what I believed was a negative. “Very good, load your stuff and we’ll begin immediately.”
After a few minutes of finding places to tie off our belongings and get everything situated, I sat in the pilot’s seat and ran through the pre-flight check with Taisa. We caught a pair of faults in the starboard fuel delivery units. Videk seemed pleased we had caught them, and that he hadn’t had to tell us they were there. I could feel a slight smile tug at the corner of my mouth.
Devious little bastard makes for a damn good instructor.
Once the preflight was complete I closed the rear ramp and hailed the flight control tower. “Tower this is shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX requesting clearance for departure, place us enroute to Venlil Prime with planned landing zone of Capitol Shuttle Field 13-Bravo.” A Human voice came back over the line, a bit of mirth in their voice. “Shuttle, Tower, you are clear for departure, opening bay doors now. Good luck and Godspeed.”
The doors to the station hangar yawned open, filling the viewport with the void and all its stars beyond as I slowly brought the shuttle off the hangar floor, easing it out through the opening. I reached over to the nearest display and opened the Nav-computer interface, plotting our course to VP, and then on to the Capitol landing fields. Once I was confident I had the proper navigation commands and sequences set I called over Videk to have him review my work.
He gave me a quick flick of his tail before saying “Looks good, Christopher. Feel free to spool and jump when you’re ready.”
Videk’s approval given, I reached over and pushed forward on the throttles, engaging the drive and hurtling the shuttle into subspace.
It. Was. Beautiful. Everything seemed to stretch, stars in the distance turning from pinpricks of light into brilliant colorful streaks, lengthening as we bounded through the void. Lines of light far off in my periphery zip past like tracers as the ones before me feel as if they’re pulling me in with their kaleidoscope of color. The hum of the shuttle fell into the background while I became entranced by the light show in front me, picturing myself on the set of one of those old sci-fi shows I would watch with Pa on the weekends. The Future my ancestors had imagined was Here, right before my eyes and at the tips of my fingers! This view was… Hypnotic. The simulator couldn’t hope to do it justice.
Two hours. That was it.
Two hours to travel what, until very recently, would have been considered an insurmountable distance for Humanity. Dropping from Sub-space into the proximity of Venlil Prime was another astoundingly brilliant view. Scorched white deserts flowing into massive swathes of golden sands cut by the occasional streak of blue before blending into a beautiful verdant mix of turquoise and green fields, with vast lakes and rivers dotting the forests, flowing into wide marshy wetlands. Before finally, the curve of the planet fell away from its star, allowing the fading sunlight to showcase glittering city lights dotting the countryside.
The thrusters burn to life, crackling and thrumming with power as they drive us forward through the void to the beautiful marble before us. I flip two switches on the overhead, tapping the leftmost display to call up the local channel list and place a hail to the Capitol’s landing fields to request clearance and pad assignment. A quick ping, signifying my hail had been acknowledged, chimed over the console speaker.
“Capitol Shuttle Field 13-Bravo this is Shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX requesting clearance for landing at an available pad of convenience.” “C1-0V3R-HR-EX, you are cleared for landing, 13-Bravo, direct to pad Charlie-5.”
The Flight through the Void may have had some feeling of familiarity and nostalgia to the old Sci-fi shows at home; but in-atmo had the far better view! Rolling turquoise fields and towering thick trees, with their canopies tilted greedily towards that unmoving sun, falling away to a gargantuan metropolitan area, its architecture entirely alien yet still somehow familiar. Massive skyscrapers soar to touch the sky, reflecting light in brilliant angles and colors, the space below them populated by squat sturdy buildings and deep black roads. The Venlil going about their lives below look like ants as I ease off the throttle, taking the speed down to prepare for the final approach. The display on the viewport flags my landing area with a small pip guiding me in, slow and easy.
The cabin jostles slightly as the ship settles onto its landing gear. Videk seemed impressed; his ears up as he tapped away at his data pad! Taisa’s tail sways happily back and forth as she runs through the diagnostics of the landing, checking system status reports.
“Looks like we’re all clear. Videk do you have a time we should try and be back by?” Taisa beeps, showing the flight instructor the console in front of her.
“I just need to pick up the equipment and get it linked up, that should only take about a half a claw. Walking to and from the landing field and the U.N. Offices should put you at about the right time.” Videk turned away and made for the ramp; Taisa’s talk helped, and he was clearly trying, but he was still a bundle of nerves around me. His fur was so puffed out it looked like he was holding more static than a thunderhead.
As we stepped out of the artificial gravity of the shuttle I felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. My first step faltered making me stumble down the ramp and bounce off the… soft pavement? “Oh, forgot about that.” Videk winced sympathetically, “Our gravity is about twenty percent more than earth’s, so be careful. Falls are likely to hurt a little bit more here.”
“Would’ve been nice to know first, Videk.” I groaned, rolling myself over and sitting up, luckily the visor hadn’t fallen off; I would need to add one of those new back braces and some knee compressors to that order of stuff from home. “Do you know where the U.N. Offices are? Or should we just ask around to find our way there?”
“I do not, but you should be able to get directions on your pad. I trust the two of you can figure it out, so I’m going to go get the equipment I need. I will wait for the two of you with the shuttle once I am ready.” With a parting flap of his ears, Videk turned and walked away; flicking the tip of his tail back and forth as he did.
“Alright then,” I grumbled, forcing myself up off the pavement, swaying as I found my new equilibrium. “let’s get going. Can you pull up those directions?” She nodded slightly, flicking her ears forward. “Got them up already! You alright there?”
“I’m fine.” I grunted, rolling out my shoulder a little. “Feels like I weigh a quarter ton, but I’ll get over it with time. Lead the way.”
After a few minutes of walking we were off the landing fields and into the streets of the city. My boots sinking into the pavement a little with each step, just like on the landing field. “Taisa, what is this stuff? I figured it was just to make landings a little softer on shuttles but it’s everywhere! Looks like pavement but it gives like rubber; why are your roads like this?” “Anti-stampede concrete.” She stated, matter of factly, like that meant literally anything to me. My silence must have tipped her off that I wasn’t getting it as she focused one eye on my visor. “Oh… I guess Humans wouldn’t need that. It’s to help reduce stampede fatalities, it’s the same reason the roads and buildings have gentle curves, no sharp angles.” Looking around at the way the groups of Venlil flowed through the streets I realized she was right, what I had thought was a futuristic aesthetic design was just to keep people from killing each other against walls or trampling them into the ground when they got scared. How strange… and slightly worrying.
“Weird, that sounds like some crazy wonder material. Bet we’d have a bunch of uses for it back on earth.” My eyes watched the tips of skyscrapers towering above us, “How far out does it say we are?”
“Only a little further, about one and a half kilometers.” She responded, a slight pant in her voice. I wasn’t in the best shape, cardio wise, but I couldn’t imagine getting winded after 10 minutes of walking; guess all that talk about the Venlil having less stamina than us was right.
The U.N. Office complex was a series of giant flowing buildings built on a large park area. It wasn’t any design I had ever seen so I figured it had to have been an existing complex that just got turned over to the U.N. for their uses.
Passing through the heavy glass front doors we found a wide receptionist's desk, with several Humans sitting behind it, answering questions and directing people where they needed to go. One of the receptionists, a short dark haired woman with a visor obscuring her face, beckons us over. “Hello! How can I help you today?” “H-Hi!” Taisa beeps excitedly, her tail swaying behind her confidently as she takes a deep breath and straightens her back. “We’re part of the ‘integration’ experiments, we were told we need to fill out some forms for habitation. Where do we go to do that?” “Oh! Congratulations! That would be Suite 216-B” The receptionist answered, excitement in her voice as she pointed to a room on the map infront of her.
“Thank you!” Taisa responded, turning to head up the stairs behind the receptionist's desk. Halfway up the stairs she swiveled her ears over to me before saying. “Sorry, I figure if I’m probably going to have to work with Humans other than you for this I should try and at least work on being able to talk to them.” “It’s alright,” I chuckle, patting her shoulder. “That’s a great idea and you’re doing alright!” Walking down the hallways we saw prints of landscapes from Earth, Machu Picchu, the Uyuni Salt Flats, The Grand Canyon, YellowStone, Hạ Long Bay, The Zhangye Mountains and Plitvice Lakes. I pointed out the places I had been to as we walked past them, finally stopping at suite 216-B.
The door was open so we knocked, getting a quick ‘enter’, before stepping in. A man sits behind a desk, the top covered in organized files and folders, a placard on his desk declares his name as ‘Obediah Kamara’ with a small Liberian flag stamped beside it.
His visor obscures his face as he looks between the two of us before beginning. “I presume you are…” He sorts through a couple of the files and folders before stopping on one and opening it, pulling out a document packet. “Christopher Dewey and Taisa. Correct?”
We both respond in the affirmative as he gestures for us to take the seats across from him, sliding the documents across the table as Taisa’s pad pings on her belt. “These are agreements to ensure that you,” He starts, looking at me. “Understand the rules in regards to your habitation here on Venlil Prime. I understand that part of your integration will be taking you off world to and from Earth, these rules primarily apply to your time here. We ask that you remain considerate of the provided rules and guidelines on the ship if you are carrying Venlil passengers. Taisa, those are the terms, conditions, compensations and requirements for your family to house a human when the two of you are present. Virtual signature of that document is required within the next 3 of your ‘paws’.” Taisa stiffened a little bit, likely thinking about her Mother’s response to my arrival; that was something we were probably going to have to have a talk about later. I had an idea for the short term, at least. I ran through the paperwork real quick and it was all pretty simple: don’t be without the visor or some kind of face covering in settings where you couldn’t guarantee that an unprepared Venlil wouldn’t see you, avoid aggression, speak quietly, no eating meat, animal products or byproducts, no hunting local wildlife; bit odd considering I didn’t even have a bow or a gun but rules are rules, I suppose.
“Sounds good to me,” I said, signing the indicated portions of the document. “When are my items supposed to get here?”
“We don’t expect your requested items to arrive for another week or so, for now you’ll have to make do with what you brought with you.” Obediah responded, shuffling the packet of papers back into the folder they had come from. “With that complete you are free to go. I understand you have training to complete, so I wish you good luck with your endeavor. If you have any questions or needs with regards to your habitation you can contact Sam, their details will be forwarded to your communication devices.”
I caught Taisa’s tail twitching as her ears swiveled nervously out of the corner of my eye; even with her attempts to push through it I think the amount of Humans around was starting to get to her. Still, she was doing better than I think a lot of Venlil would be able to manage. I reached over, gently tapping my hand against her paw, trying to ground her a little before motioning to go, she nodded slightly as she flicked her ears.
“Thank you, Obediah, we’ll be sure to get into touch with them once we get their contact. Have a good day!”
Taisa and I stood, exiting the room and making our way out of the building, stopping to look at another picture or two along the way. Something needed to be done about possibly not having a place to stay to put my, and more so Taisa’s, mind at ease. I figured I could sleep in the shuttle, if I had to. It wouldn’t be particularly comfortable but I could certainly do it; I’d need a mat, maybe a sleeping bag or some blankets and a pillow.
I had no clue where I was going to get my hands on those, or at least a set of them big enough for me to actually use.
Then I saw the temporary units in the field near the offices. Men and Women in U.N. fatigues were milling about the area. Barracks? That could solve the problem, if they’re willing to help out a man in need, of course.
“Hey, Taisa, I need to make a stop real quick.” I state, walking briskly towards the largest of the buildings. “What’s up?” She asks, ears focused on me as she tilts her head a little.
“Well, I was thinking, I don’t think your parents, your Mom especially, won’t, uh… won’t want me around. At least not for a little while until she gets to know me better.”
“I think you can get past it, she’s not that bad… It’ll just be tough.”
“Oh I’m sure I can get past it, but I’d rather not just sleep in the grass in the meantime.” “I don’t think she’d make you sleep in the grass…” “I like being prepared, if she doesn’t want me in her house I’m not going to push the issue.”
“I just… I hope it doesn’t come to that, I’m not going to let her toss you outside like an animal.” She sighs quietly as we push through the front door of the barrack building.
A desk manned by a napping U.N. Marine with Private ranks stuck to his shoulders filled the space beyond the doors. He stirs as the doors clank shut behind us before scrambling to throw on his Visor as he notices Taisa.
“Hello, Uh… Can I help you? This area is for active U.N. personnel only.” He starts, his voice finding its authority only about halfway through the statement.
I stand straight, trying to muster the stern demeanor I’d found in my father and his friends so often when they tried to get something on base after their retirements. “Easy, Private. It has come to my attention that my accommodations lack proper bedding.” “O-Oh, uh, I apologize…” He stammers out, searching for something to say, likely looking to find a way out of trouble for sleeping on duty.
“Sir.” I state. “What’s your name, Private?”
“A-Alvarez, Sir.”
“Alvarez. I’ll remember that, Alvarez, how about we make this quick, you get me a wrap of blankets, 3 pillows and a bedroll and I don’t find your commander to report your… lack of enthusiasm.”
The private snaps to attention before firmly stating. “Yes Sir! I’ll be right back, Sir!”
As the private turns and walks away crisply I hear Taisa whistle with laughter a little beside me. “I’m surprised that worked.”
“You’d be surprised what a hard voice, straight back and the right slacking Private can get you if you just don’t go pushin' it too far in your story.” I whispered with a wink.
After a few minutes of waiting Private Alvarez returned with a duffle bag, stuffed full with blankets and pillows, as well as an inflatable bedroll under the other arm. “Here you go, Sir. Will this be ok?” He asked, passing the items over to me.
“Perfect, thank you Private.” I took the bundle of bedding and turned to the door, before turning my head back over my shoulder, “Oh, and Private? Do try and get proper rest before duty.”
A shaking “Y-Yes, Sir.” followed Taisa and I out of the door.
The first half of the walk back to the landing field was quiet, I was scanning the skyline again, I just couldn’t get over the fact that I was on another planet. Taisa however had her ears pinned back, her paws lightly holding her tail tuft as we walked.
“What’s got ya down?” I asked, watching the herd of Venlil glide around us as we came, trying their best not to get too close to me.
“I’m… concerned.” She sighed, the tip of her tail twitching between her paws.
“About?”
“My mother, what she’ll say… What she’ll do.”
“I can’t exactly say I know what her reaction’ll be… But, whatever it is we’ll just have to deal with it. It’ll probably take time, but we’ll get by.” I soothed. She let go of her tail, placing the tip of it on my back, but her ears didn’t let up at all.
The rest of the walk to the shuttle was quiet as she fidgeted with her paws, trying to take her mind off of the subject. Videk was there waiting for us, a few crates secured to the cargo area of the shuttle that weren’t present before.
“You two ready?” He asked, flicking his tail at us.
“I think so.” I responded, stowing the bedding in an empty compartment as Taisa flicked her ears.
We ran through our preflight checklist again, finding another pre-placed failure from Videk waiting for us, this time in the starboard control surfaces. Once the check was done we radioed the tower for clearance to take off and set an in-atmo course for Shadetree to drop off Videk. It was a short hop, about a half hour of flying or so before I had to call ahead for clearance to land again.
Most of the flight from the Capitol to Shadetree had been rolling turquoise and green hills or open fields of produce growing in the everpresent light. A sudden dense forest rose from the fields, thick dark brown trees with fluttering golden leaves stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. A sudden break in the forest revealed a clearing for the Landing field, much smaller than the one at the Capitol. The city was built under the canopy of the trees, giving it a constant filtered light casting down through the shifting leaves. It was certainly a beautiful town, I’d have to come back to visit some day. Maybe once Videk had warmed up to me a little bit more.
As the ramp fell ,a small cargo truck arrived alongside the shuttle to collect Videk and his equipment. I offered to help but the Venlil driver just about ran when I started talking so I figured it was probably best to just keep out of it. Once the cargo truck departed, Taisa came back up to the cockpit, plopping down in her seat, and looked through the viewscreen at the trees beyond. The soft hiss of the ramp closing marked the finality of Videk’s departure.
“So, how are you feeling about Venlil Prime so far?” She asked, one eye on my face as I finally slipped the visor off.
“I like it! Between the beautiful scenery, interesting architecture and hanging out with you and Shamrock, here I’m having a great time!” I responded, rubbing my hand on what amounted to the shuttle's dashboard.
“... Shamrock?” She asked, her tail swaying in what I figured for amusement.
“Yea! Remember how I told you Humans like looking for patterns? Well it works on words and numbers as well. The tail number for the shuttle could be taken to spell ‘Clover-HR-EX’, or just clover for short. Clovers are a type of plant on earth that a few cultures believed to be lucky, one way or another. One of the nicknames for them was a Shamrock!”
She laughed at me.
“You are such a dork.” She said, wiping a tear from her eye as her tail whipped back and forth. “It’s a good name, usually shuttles don’t get one. I think it fits.”
I chuckled, a thought crossing my mind. “Think we could get any shuttle-grade paint? Preferably green, yellow and black?” She raised an eyebrow at me as her ears cocked at different elevations. “Oh? Someone feeling a little artistic?”
“Well, I could always paint a Shamro-” I was interrupted as the ping signifying we were being hailed sounded off. “We’ll finish this later.” I said, pointing at her as I accepted the hail.
Videk’s voice bled through the speakers. “Ok, looks like the connection is secure. Let’s go ahead and run through getting you familiar with the software, it should be quick and easy.”
It was not.
It took two hours. After a lot of trial and error, stop and go flights to test the connection and a few near misses with an especially tall tree we had gotten the system setup such that Videk was confident it would work in an emergency if he needed to step in. With that all squared away Taisa and I settled in to get on our way to Heartwood River. Sleeping on the blow up mattress or on a real bed hardly mattered at this point, I just wanted to sleep.
The overall flight time was set to be about an hour and a half, not too bad and man was the view beautiful: rolling fields, roaring rivers, pristine skies and alien forests abounded across the countryside. We had just passed over Hidden Plains when Taisa and I were just settling back into talking about her parents and our best route to try and handle them, when the hail system chimed and immediately spat out a harsh tone without acknowledgement, the same one the simulator used for distress calls.
“Mayday Mayday Mayday. Report of shots fired at residence housing humans. Need immediate medical evac at The Berrypatch Farm in The Grove, 11 minutes Night-ward from Hidden Plains. Hailing all airborn craft, we need a medical evac immediately!”
I immediately returned the hail. “This is cargo shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX. Responding to Mayday from the Grove. We are en-route to render aid. Hold tight, we’ll be there.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Taisa tighten her flight harness as I reached for the throttle.
---
First Prev. Next

As a professional photographer, I had the pleasure of capturing this stunning shot of a young woman next to a breathtaking tree. The contrast of the vibrant green foliage against her red dress creates a striking visual feast for the eyes. The composition of the photo, with the tree framing her perfectly, makes for a truly artistic shot. This photo serves as a reminder of the beauty of nature and the importance of taking a moment to appreciate it.

I created a modpack, but every time i try to enter my map back, minecraft closes and this appears:

​
---- Minecraft Crash Report ----
// Daisy, daisy...
​
Time: 09/06/23 08:33
Description: Failed to recalculate gear properties
​
java.lang.NullPointerException: Failed to recalculate gear properties

at net.minecraftforge.fml.network.simple.SimpleChannel.sendToServer([SimpleChannel.java:90](https://SimpleChannel.java:90)) \~\[?:?\] {re:mixin,re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearData.getStat([GearData.java:317](https://GearData.java:317)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearData.getStat([GearData.java:301](https://GearData.java:301)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearData.getStatInt([GearData.java:327](https://GearData.java:327)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.item.gear.CoreCrossbow.getMaxDamage([CoreCrossbow.java:406](https://CoreCrossbow.java:406)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraft.item.ItemStack.func\_77958\_k([ItemStack.java:267](https://ItemStack.java:267)) \~\[?:?\] {re:computing\_frames,xf:fml:placebo:placeboitemusehook,xf:fml:forge:filled\_map.4,xf:fml:forge:itemstack,re:mixin,xf:fml:placebo:placeboitemusehook,xf:fml:forge:filled\_map.4,xf:fml:forge:itemstack,re:classloading,xf:fml:placebo:placeboitemusehook,xf:fml:forge:filled\_map.4,xf:fml:forge:itemstack,pl:mixin:APP:quark.mixins.json:ItemStackMixin,pl:mixin:A} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearHelper.isBroken([GearHelper.java:326](https://GearHelper.java:326)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:mixin,re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.TraitHelper.getTraits([TraitHelper.java:273](https://TraitHelper.java:273)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:mixin,re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearData.tryRecalculateStats([GearData.java:142](https://GearData.java:142)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearData.recalculateStats([GearData.java:100](https://GearData.java:100)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.api.item.ICoreItem.construct([ICoreItem.java:38](https://ICoreItem.java:38)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.crafting.recipe.ShapelessGearRecipe.lambda$new$0([ShapelessGearRecipe.java:33](https://ShapelessGearRecipe.java:33)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.crafting.recipe.ShapelessGearRecipe$$Lambda$21282/1849773335.get(Unknown Source) \~\[?:?\] {} at net.minecraftforge.common.util.Lazy$Fast.get([Lazy.java:55](https://Lazy.java:55)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.crafting.recipe.ShapelessGearRecipe.func\_77571\_b([ShapelessGearRecipe.java:69](https://ShapelessGearRecipe.java:69)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at vazkii.quark.content.tweaks.module.AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.lambda$onPlayerLoggedIn$0([AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.java:53](https://AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.java:53)) \~\[?:r2.4-322\] {re:classloading} at vazkii.quark.content.tweaks.module.AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule$$Lambda$22957/1637983256.test(Unknown Source) \~\[?:?\] {} at java.util.ArrayList.removeIf([ArrayList.java:1405](https://ArrayList.java:1405)) \~\[?:1.8.0\_51\] {} at vazkii.quark.content.tweaks.module.AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.onPlayerLoggedIn([AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.java:53](https://AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.java:53)) \~\[?:r2.4-322\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraftforge.eventbus.ASMEventHandler\_1402\_AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule\_onPlayerLoggedIn\_PlayerLoggedInEvent.invoke(.dynamic) \~\[?:?\] {} at net.minecraftforge.eventbus.ASMEventHandler.invoke([ASMEventHandler.java:85](https://ASMEventHandler.java:85)) \~\[eventbus-4.0.0.jar:?\] {} at net.minecraftforge.eventbus.EventBus$$Lambda$3170/930921902.invoke(Unknown Source) \~\[?:?\] {} at [net.minecraftforge.eventbus.EventBus.post](https://net.minecraftforge.eventbus.EventBus.post)([EventBus.java:302](https://EventBus.java:302)) \~\[eventbus-4.0.0.jar:?\] {} at [net.minecraftforge.eventbus.EventBus.post](https://net.minecraftforge.eventbus.EventBus.post)([EventBus.java:283](https://EventBus.java:283)) \~\[eventbus-4.0.0.jar:?\] {} at net.minecraftforge.fml.hooks.BasicEventHooks.firePlayerLoggedIn([BasicEventHooks.java:30](https://BasicEventHooks.java:30)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraft.server.management.PlayerList.func\_72355\_a([PlayerList.java:232](https://PlayerList.java:232)) \~\[?:?\] {re:mixin,xf:fml:xaeroworldmap:xaero\_wm\_playerlist\_sendworldinfo,xf:fml:xaerominimap:xaero\_playerlist\_sendworldinfo,re:classloading,xf:fml:xaeroworldmap:xaero\_wm\_playerlist\_sendworldinfo,xf:fml:xaerominimap:xaero\_playerlist\_sendworldinfo,pl:mixin:APP:cgm.mixins.json:common.PlayerListMixin,pl:mixin:APP:create.mixins.json:PlayerListMixin,pl:mixin:APP:securitycraft.mixins.json:camera.PlayerListMixin,pl:mixin:A} at net.minecraft.network.login.ServerLoginNetHandler.func\_147326\_c([ServerLoginNetHandler.java:118](https://ServerLoginNetHandler.java:118)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraft.network.login.ServerLoginNetHandler.func\_73660\_a([ServerLoginNetHandler.java:65](https://ServerLoginNetHandler.java:65)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraft.network.NetworkManager.func\_74428\_b([NetworkManager.java:222](https://NetworkManager.java:222)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading,re:mixin} at net.minecraft.network.NetworkSystem.func\_151269\_c([NetworkSystem.java:134](https://NetworkSystem.java:134)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.func\_71190\_q([MinecraftServer.java:865](https://MinecraftServer.java:865)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading,pl:accesstransformer:B} at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.func\_71217\_p([MinecraftServer.java:787](https://MinecraftServer.java:787)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading,pl:accesstransformer:B} at net.minecraft.server.integrated.IntegratedServer.func\_71217\_p([IntegratedServer.java:118](https://IntegratedServer.java:118)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading,xf:OptiFine:default} at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.func\_240802\_v\_([MinecraftServer.java:642](https://MinecraftServer.java:642)) \[?:?\] {re:classloading,pl:accesstransformer:B} at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.func\_240783\_a\_([MinecraftServer.java:232](https://MinecraftServer.java:232)) \[?:?\] {re:classloading,pl:accesstransformer:B} at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer$$Lambda$21998/1059937134.run(Unknown Source) \[?:?\] {} at [java.lang.Thread.run](https://java.lang.Thread.run)([Thread.java:745](https://Thread.java:745)) \[?:1.8.0\_51\] {} 

​
​
A detailed walkthrough of the error, its code path and all known details is as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
​
-- Head --
Thread: Server thread
Stacktrace:

at net.minecraftforge.fml.network.simple.SimpleChannel.sendToServer([SimpleChannel.java:90](https://SimpleChannel.java:90)) \~\[?:?\] {re:mixin,re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearData.getStat([GearData.java:317](https://GearData.java:317)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearData.getStat([GearData.java:301](https://GearData.java:301)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearData.getStatInt([GearData.java:327](https://GearData.java:327)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.item.gear.CoreCrossbow.getMaxDamage([CoreCrossbow.java:406](https://CoreCrossbow.java:406)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraft.item.ItemStack.func\_77958\_k([ItemStack.java:267](https://ItemStack.java:267)) \~\[?:?\] {re:computing\_frames,xf:fml:placebo:placeboitemusehook,xf:fml:forge:filled\_map.4,xf:fml:forge:itemstack,re:mixin,xf:fml:placebo:placeboitemusehook,xf:fml:forge:filled\_map.4,xf:fml:forge:itemstack,re:classloading,xf:fml:placebo:placeboitemusehook,xf:fml:forge:filled\_map.4,xf:fml:forge:itemstack,pl:mixin:APP:quark.mixins.json:ItemStackMixin,pl:mixin:A} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearHelper.isBroken([GearHelper.java:326](https://GearHelper.java:326)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:mixin,re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.TraitHelper.getTraits([TraitHelper.java:273](https://TraitHelper.java:273)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:mixin,re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearData.tryRecalculateStats([GearData.java:142](https://GearData.java:142)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} 

-- Gear Item --
Details:

Name: Example Crossbow (silentgear:crossbow) Data: {SGear\_UUID:\[I;-1966083648,315444117,-1114872099,1981907107\],SGear\_Data:{Construction:{Parts:\[{Item:{id:"silentgear:crossbow\_limbs",Count:1b,tag:{Materials:\[{ID:"silentgear:example"}\]}},ID:"silentgear:crossbow\_limbs"},{Item:{id:"silentgear:rod",Count:1b,tag:{Materials:\[{ID:"silentgear:example"}\]}},ID:"silentgear:rod"},{Item:{id:"silentgear:bowstring",Count:1b,tag:{Materials:\[{ID:"silentgear:example"}\]}},ID:"silentgear:bowstring"}\]},Properties:{ModVersion:"2.6.36",LockStats:0b}},Damage:0} 

Stacktrace:

at net.silentchaos512.gear.util.GearData.recalculateStats([GearData.java:100](https://GearData.java:100)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.api.item.ICoreItem.construct([ICoreItem.java:38](https://ICoreItem.java:38)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.crafting.recipe.ShapelessGearRecipe.lambda$new$0([ShapelessGearRecipe.java:33](https://ShapelessGearRecipe.java:33)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.crafting.recipe.ShapelessGearRecipe$$Lambda$21282/1849773335.get(Unknown Source) \~\[?:?\] {} at net.minecraftforge.common.util.Lazy$Fast.get([Lazy.java:55](https://Lazy.java:55)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading} at net.silentchaos512.gear.crafting.recipe.ShapelessGearRecipe.func\_77571\_b([ShapelessGearRecipe.java:69](https://ShapelessGearRecipe.java:69)) \~\[?:2.6.36\] {re:classloading} at vazkii.quark.content.tweaks.module.AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.lambda$onPlayerLoggedIn$0([AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.java:53](https://AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.java:53)) \~\[?:r2.4-322\] {re:classloading} at vazkii.quark.content.tweaks.module.AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule$$Lambda$22957/1637983256.test(Unknown Source) \~\[?:?\] {} at java.util.ArrayList.removeIf([ArrayList.java:1405](https://ArrayList.java:1405)) \~\[?:1.8.0\_51\] {} at vazkii.quark.content.tweaks.module.AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.onPlayerLoggedIn([AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.java:53](https://AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule.java:53)) \~\[?:r2.4-322\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraftforge.eventbus.ASMEventHandler\_1402\_AutomaticRecipeUnlockModule\_onPlayerLoggedIn\_PlayerLoggedInEvent.invoke(.dynamic) \~\[?:?\] {} at net.minecraftforge.eventbus.ASMEventHandler.invoke([ASMEventHandler.java:85](https://ASMEventHandler.java:85)) \~\[eventbus-4.0.0.jar:?\] {} at net.minecraftforge.eventbus.EventBus$$Lambda$3170/930921902.invoke(Unknown Source) \~\[?:?\] {} at [net.minecraftforge.eventbus.EventBus.post](https://net.minecraftforge.eventbus.EventBus.post)([EventBus.java:302](https://EventBus.java:302)) \~\[eventbus-4.0.0.jar:?\] {} at [net.minecraftforge.eventbus.EventBus.post](https://net.minecraftforge.eventbus.EventBus.post)([EventBus.java:283](https://EventBus.java:283)) \~\[eventbus-4.0.0.jar:?\] {} at net.minecraftforge.fml.hooks.BasicEventHooks.firePlayerLoggedIn([BasicEventHooks.java:30](https://BasicEventHooks.java:30)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraft.server.management.PlayerList.func\_72355\_a([PlayerList.java:232](https://PlayerList.java:232)) \~\[?:?\] {re:mixin,xf:fml:xaeroworldmap:xaero\_wm\_playerlist\_sendworldinfo,xf:fml:xaerominimap:xaero\_playerlist\_sendworldinfo,re:classloading,xf:fml:xaeroworldmap:xaero\_wm\_playerlist\_sendworldinfo,xf:fml:xaerominimap:xaero\_playerlist\_sendworldinfo,pl:mixin:APP:cgm.mixins.json:common.PlayerListMixin,pl:mixin:APP:create.mixins.json:PlayerListMixin,pl:mixin:APP:securitycraft.mixins.json:camera.PlayerListMixin,pl:mixin:A} at net.minecraft.network.login.ServerLoginNetHandler.func\_147326\_c([ServerLoginNetHandler.java:118](https://ServerLoginNetHandler.java:118)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraft.network.login.ServerLoginNetHandler.func\_73660\_a([ServerLoginNetHandler.java:65](https://ServerLoginNetHandler.java:65)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraft.network.NetworkManager.func\_74428\_b([NetworkManager.java:222](https://NetworkManager.java:222)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading,re:mixin} at net.minecraft.network.NetworkSystem.func\_151269\_c([NetworkSystem.java:134](https://NetworkSystem.java:134)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading} at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.func\_71190\_q([MinecraftServer.java:865](https://MinecraftServer.java:865)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading,pl:accesstransformer:B} at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.func\_71217\_p([MinecraftServer.java:787](https://MinecraftServer.java:787)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading,pl:accesstransformer:B} at net.minecraft.server.integrated.IntegratedServer.func\_71217\_p([IntegratedServer.java:118](https://IntegratedServer.java:118)) \~\[?:?\] {re:classloading,xf:OptiFine:default} at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.func\_240802\_v\_([MinecraftServer.java:642](https://MinecraftServer.java:642)) \[?:?\] {re:classloading,pl:accesstransformer:B} at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer.func\_240783\_a\_([MinecraftServer.java:232](https://MinecraftServer.java:232)) \[?:?\] {re:classloading,pl:accesstransformer:B} at net.minecraft.server.MinecraftServer$$Lambda$21998/1059937134.run(Unknown Source) \[?:?\] {} at [java.lang.Thread.run](https://java.lang.Thread.run)([Thread.java:745](https://Thread.java:745)) \[?:1.8.0\_51\] {} 

​
​
-- System Details --
Details:

Minecraft Version: 1.16.5 Minecraft Version ID: 1.16.5 Operating System: Windows 10 (amd64) version 10.0 Java Version: 1.8.0\_51, Oracle Corporation Java VM Version: Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (mixed mode), Oracle Corporation Memory: 9942335336 bytes (9481 MB) / 12280922112 bytes (11712 MB) up to 12952010752 bytes (12352 MB) CPUs: 6 JVM Flags: 10 total; -XX:HeapDumpPath=MojangTricksIntelDriversForPerformance\_javaw.exe\_minecraft.exe.heapdump -Xss1M -XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions -Xmx12347M -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:G1NewSizePercent=20 -XX:G1ReservePercent=20 -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=50 -XX:G1HeapRegionSize=32M ModLauncher: 8.1.3+8.1.3+main-8.1.x.c94d18ec ModLauncher launch target: fmlclient ModLauncher naming: srg ModLauncher services: /mixin-0.8.4.jar mixin PLUGINSERVICE /eventbus-4.0.0.jar eventbus PLUGINSERVICE /forge-1.16.5-36.2.39.jar object\_holder\_definalize PLUGINSERVICE /forge-1.16.5-36.2.39.jar runtime\_enum\_extender PLUGINSERVICE /accesstransformers-3.0.1.jar accesstransformer PLUGINSERVICE /forge-1.16.5-36.2.39.jar capability\_inject\_definalize PLUGINSERVICE /forge-1.16.5-36.2.39.jar runtimedistcleaner PLUGINSERVICE /mixin-0.8.4.jar mixin TRANSFORMATIONSERVICE /OptiFine-1.16.5\_HD\_U\_G8\_pre1.jar OptiFine TRANSFORMATIONSERVICE /forge-1.16.5-36.2.39.jar fml TRANSFORMATIONSERVICE FML: 36.2 Forge: net.minecraftforge:36.2.39 FML Language Providers: [email protected] [email protected] Mod List: HealthOverlay-1.16.5-3.0.1.jar Health Overlay healthoverlay 3.0.1 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE constructsarmory-forge-2.0.0-alpha.2+1.16.5.jar Construct's Armory constructsarmory 2.0.0-alpha.2+1.16.5DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE HammerLib-1.16.5-16.4.32.jar HammerLib hammerlib 16.4.32 DONE Manifest: 97:e8:52:e9:b3:f0:1b:83:57:4e:83:15:f7:e7:76:51:c6:60:5f:2b:45:59:19:a7:31:9e:98:69:56:4f:01:3c ContentTweaker-1.16-1.0.0.develop.36.jar ContentTweaker contenttweaker 1.0.0.develop.36 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE pitg-1.16.5-2.0.1.jar Pane In The Glass pitg 1.16.5-2.0.1 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE XaerosWorldMap\_1.30.1\_Forge\_1.16.5.jar Xaero's World Map xaeroworldmap 1.30.1 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Placebo-1.16.5-4.7.1.jar Placebo placebo 4.7.1 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE citadel-1.8.1-1.16.5.jar Citadel citadel 1.8.1 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE alexsmobs-1.12.1.jar Alex's Mobs alexsmobs 1.12.1 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE additional-guns-0.8.0-1.16.5.jar Additional Guns additionalguns 0.8.0 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE potionsmaster-0.2.2-1.16.5-36.1.0.jar Potions Master potionsmaster 0.2.2-1.16.5-36.1.0 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Bookshelf-Forge-1.16.5-10.4.33.jar Bookshelf bookshelf 10.4.33 DONE Manifest: eb:c4:b1:67:8b:f9:0c:db:dc:4f:01:b1:8e:61:64:39:4c:10:85:0b:a6:c4:c7:48:f0:fa:95:f2:cb:08:3a:e5 sophisticatedbackpacks-1.16.5-3.15.20.755.jar Sophisticated Backpacks sophisticatedbackpacks 1.16.5-3.15.20.755 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE DarkUtilities-1.16.5-8.0.14.jar Dark Utilities darkutils 8.0.14 DONE Manifest: eb:c4:b1:67:8b:f9:0c:db:dc:4f:01:b1:8e:61:64:39:4c:10:85:0b:a6:c4:c7:48:f0:fa:95:f2:cb:08:3a:e5 Apotheosis-1.16.5-4.8.9A0.jar Apotheosis apotheosis 4.8.9A0 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE MekanismGenerators-1.16.5-10.1.2.457.jar Mekanism: Generators mekanismgenerators 10.1.2 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE FpsReducer-forge-1.24-mc1.16.5.jar FPS Reducer fpsreducer 1.24-mc1.16.5 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE carryon-1.16.5-1.15.6.24.jar Carry On carryon [1.15.6.24](https://1.15.6.24)DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE dummmmmmy-1.16.5-1.3.2.jar MmmMmmMmmMmm dummmmmmy 1.3.0 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE twilightforest-1.16.5-4.0.870-universal.jar The Twilight Forest twilightforest NONE DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE mob\_grinding\_utils-1.16.5-0.4.47.jar Mob Grinding Utils mob\_grinding\_utils 1.16.5-0.4.47 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE konkrete\_forge\_1.6.1\_MC\_1.16.2-1.16.5.jar Konkrete konkrete 1.6.1 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE corpse-1.16.5-1.0.7.jar Corpse corpse 1.16.5-1.0.7 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE alltheores-1.3.6-1.16.5-36.1.0.jar AllTheOres alltheores 1.3.6-1.16.5-36.1.0 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE industrial-foregoing-1.16.5-3.2.14.7-16.jar Industrial Foregoing industrialforegoing [3.2.14.7](https://3.2.14.7)DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE MekanismAdditions-1.16.5-10.1.2.457.jar Mekanism: Additions mekanismadditions 10.1.2 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE silent-gear-1.16.5-2.6.36.jar Silent Gear silentgear 2.6.36 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE SolarFluxReborn-1.16.5-16.4.10.jar Solar Flux Reborn solarflux 16.4.10 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE curios-forge-1.16.5-4.1.0.0.jar Curios API curios 1.16.5-4.1.0.0 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Patchouli-1.16.4-53.3.jar Patchouli patchouli 1.16.4-53.3 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE time-in-a-bottle-1.1.0.jar Time In A Bottle tiab 1.1.0 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE elevatorid-1.16.5-1.7.13.jar Elevator Mod elevatorid 1.16.5-1.7.13 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE ftb-ultimine-forge-1605.3.1-build.45.jar FTB Ultimine ftbultimine 1605.3.1-build.45 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE obfuscate-0.6.3-1.16.5.jar Obfuscate obfuscate 0.6.3 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE vehicle-mod-0.45.2-1.16.3.jar MrCrayfish's Vehicle Mod vehicle 0.45.2 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Runelic-1.16.5-7.0.3.jar Runelic runelic 7.0.3 DONE Manifest: eb:c4:b1:67:8b:f9:0c:db:dc:4f:01:b1:8e:61:64:39:4c:10:85:0b:a6:c4:c7:48:f0:fa:95:f2:cb:08:3a:e5 MekanismTools-1.16.5-10.1.2.457.jar Mekanism: Tools mekanismtools 10.1.2 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE constructionwand-1.16.5-2.6.jar Construction Wand constructionwand 1.16.5-2.6 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE SpartanWeaponry-1.16.5-2.2.0-rc-2.jar Spartan Weaponry spartanweaponry 2.2.0 Release CandidDONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE architectury-1.32.68.jar Architectury architectury 1.32.68 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE cloth-config-4.16.91-forge.jar Cloth Config v4 API cloth-config 4.16.91 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE instantunify-1.16.4-1.0.0.jar InstantUnify instantunify 1.0.0 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE FastLeafDecay-v25.2.jar FastLeafDecay fastleafdecay v25.2 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE CodeChickenLib-1.16.5-4.0.7.445-universal.jar CodeChicken Lib codechickenlib 4.0.7.445 DONE Manifest: 31:e6:db:63:47:4a:6e:e0:0a:2c:11:d1:76:db:4e:82:ff:56:2d:29:93:d2:e5:02:bd:d3:bd:9d:27:47:a5:71 geckolib-forge-1.16.5-3.0.106.jar GeckoLib geckolib3 3.0.106 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Cyclic-1.16.5-1.5.20.jar Cyclic cyclic 1.16.5-1.5.20 DONE Manifest: 1f:47:ac:b1:61:82:96:b8:47:19:16:d2:61:81:11:60:3a:06:4b:61:31:56:7d:44:31:1e:0c:6f:22:5b:4c:ed Cucumber-1.16.5-4.1.12.jar Cucumber Library cucumber 4.1.12 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE ftb-library-forge-1605.3.4-build.90.jar FTB Library ftblibrary 1605.3.4-build.90 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE cgm-1.2.6-1.16.5.jar MrCrayfish's Gun Mod cgm 1.2.6 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE jei-1.16.5-7.8.0.1009.jar Just Enough Items jei 7.8.0.1009 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Waystones\_1.16.5-7.6.4.jar Waystones waystones 7.6.4 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Clumps-6.0.0.28.jar Clumps clumps [6.0.0.28](https://6.0.0.28)DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE shutupexperimentalsettings-1.0.3.jar Shutup Experimental Settings! shutupexperimentalsettings 1.0.3 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Artifacts-1.16.5-2.10.5.jar Artifacts artifacts 1.16.5-2.10.5 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE SimpleStorageNetwork-1.16.5-1.5.3.jar Simple Storage Network storagenetwork 1.16.5-1.5.3 DONE Manifest: 1f:47:ac:b1:61:82:96:b8:47:19:16:d2:61:81:11:60:3a:06:4b:61:31:56:7d:44:31:1e:0c:6f:22:5b:4c:ed mcjtylib-1.16-5.1.8.jar McJtyLib mcjtylib 1.16-5.1.8 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE rftoolsbase-1.16-2.1.5.jar RFToolsBase rftoolsbase 1.16-2.1.5 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE iceandfire-2.1.12-1.16.5.jar Ice and Fire iceandfire 2.1.12-1.16.5 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE inventorypets-1.16.5-2.0.15.jar Inventory Pets inventorypets 2.0.15 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE CraftTweaker-1.16.5-7.1.2.520.jar CraftTweaker crafttweaker 7.1.2.520 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Mekanism-1.16.5-10.1.2.457.jar Mekanism mekanism 10.1.2 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE BotanyPots-1.16.5-7.1.41.jar BotanyPots botanypots 7.1.41 DONE Manifest: eb:c4:b1:67:8b:f9:0c:db:dc:4f:01:b1:8e:61:64:39:4c:10:85:0b:a6:c4:c7:48:f0:fa:95:f2:cb:08:3a:e5 BotanyTrees-1.16.5-3.0.10.jar BotanyTrees botanytrees 3.0.10 DONE Manifest: eb:c4:b1:67:8b:f9:0c:db:dc:4f:01:b1:8e:61:64:39:4c:10:85:0b:a6:c4:c7:48:f0:fa:95:f2:cb:08:3a:e5 ars\_nouveau-1.16.5-1.25.10.jar Ars Nouveau ars\_nouveau 1.25.10 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE forge-1.16.5-36.2.39-universal.jar Forge forge 36.2.39 DONE Manifest: 22:af:21:d8:19:82:7f:93:94:fe:2b:ac:b7:e4:41:57:68:39:87:b1:a7:5c:c6:44:f9:25:74:21:14:f5:0d:90 tl\_skin\_cape\_forge\_1.16.5-1.17.jar TLSkinCape tlskincape 1.17 DONE Manifest: 19:f5:ce:44:81:0c:e4:22:05:5e:73:c5:a8:cd:de:f3:c8:cf:a9:b3:01:70:40:a0:ee:2d:50:7a:1c:3d:1c:8a BrandonsCore-1.16.5-3.0.15.248-universal.jar Brandon's Core brandonscore [3.0.15.248](https://3.0.15.248)DONE Manifest: 53:bb:a0:11:bd:61:e2:1a:e2:cb:fd:f8:4f:e4:cd:a5:cc:12:f4:43:f0:78:68:3b:e1:62:c6:78:3b:27:ff:fe selene-1.16.5-1.9.0.jar Selene selene 1.16.5-1.0 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE MysticalAgriculture-1.16.5-4.2.6.jar Mystical Agriculture mysticalagriculture 4.2.6 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE MysticalAgradditions-1.16.5-4.2.4.jar Mystical Agradditions mysticalagradditions 4.2.4 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE useless-sword-1.16.5-V1.3.7.jar Useless Sword useless\_sword 1.3.7 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE forge-1.16.5-36.2.39-client.jar Minecraft minecraft 1.16.5 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE cofh\_core-1.16.5-1.5.2.22.jar CoFH Core cofh\_core [1.5.2.22](https://1.5.2.22)DONE Manifest: 75:0b:cc:9b:64:2e:9b:c4:41:d1:95:00:71:ee:87:1a:b3:5e:4b:da:8e:e8:39:00:fd:5d:e5:9c:40:42:33:09 thermal\_foundation-1.16.5-1.5.2.30.jar Thermal Series thermal [1.5.2.30](https://1.5.2.30)DONE Manifest: 75:0b:cc:9b:64:2e:9b:c4:41:d1:95:00:71:ee:87:1a:b3:5e:4b:da:8e:e8:39:00:fd:5d:e5:9c:40:42:33:09 thermal\_innovation-1.16.5-1.5.0.4.jar Thermal Innovation thermal\_innovation [1.5.0.4](https://1.5.0.4)DONE Manifest: 75:0b:cc:9b:64:2e:9b:c4:41:d1:95:00:71:ee:87:1a:b3:5e:4b:da:8e:e8:39:00:fd:5d:e5:9c:40:42:33:09 thermal\_expansion-1.16.5-1.5.2.16.jar Thermal Expansion thermal\_expansion [1.5.2.16](https://1.5.2.16)DONE Manifest: 75:0b:cc:9b:64:2e:9b:c4:41:d1:95:00:71:ee:87:1a:b3:5e:4b:da:8e:e8:39:00:fd:5d:e5:9c:40:42:33:09 thermal\_locomotion-1.16.5-1.5.0.4.jar Thermal Locomotion thermal\_locomotion [1.5.0.4](https://1.5.0.4)DONE Manifest: 75:0b:cc:9b:64:2e:9b:c4:41:d1:95:00:71:ee:87:1a:b3:5e:4b:da:8e:e8:39:00:fd:5d:e5:9c:40:42:33:09 TConstruct-1.16.5-3.3.4.335.jar Tinkers' Construct tconstruct 3.3.4.335 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE EnchantmentDescriptions-1.16.5-7.1.20.jar EnchantmentDescriptions enchdesc 7.1.20 DONE Manifest: eb:c4:b1:67:8b:f9:0c:db:dc:4f:01:b1:8e:61:64:39:4c:10:85:0b:a6:c4:c7:48:f0:fa:95:f2:cb:08:3a:e5 MouseTweaks-2.14-mc1.16.2.jar Mouse Tweaks mousetweaks 2.14 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE titanium-1.16.5-3.2.8.7-22.jar Titanium titanium [3.2.8.7](https://3.2.8.7)DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE silent-lib-1.16.5-4.10.0.jar Silent Lib silentlib 4.10.0 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Jade-1.16.4-2.8.3.jar Jade jade 2.8.3 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE rftoolsbuilder-1.16-3.1.11.jar RFToolsBuilder rftoolsbuilder 1.16-3.1.11 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE easy\_villagers-1.16.5-1.0.13.jar Easy Villagers easy\_villagers 1.16.5-1.0.13 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE pipez-1.16.5-1.2.17.jar Pipez pipez 1.16.5-1.2.17 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE flywheel-1.16-0.2.5.jar Flywheel flywheel 1.16-0.2.5 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE create-mc1.16.5\_v0.3.2g.jar Create create v0.3.2g DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Mantle-1.16.5-1.6.157.jar Mantle mantle 1.6.157 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Xaeros\_Minimap\_23.4.1\_Forge\_1.16.5.jar Xaero's Minimap xaerominimap 23.4.1 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE pamhc2foodcore-1.16.3-1.0.2.jar Pam's HarvestCraft 2 Food Corepamhc2foodcore version DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE Croptopia-1.16.5-FORGE-2.0.5.jar Croptopia croptopia 2.0.5 DONE Manifest: NOSIGNATURE 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​

Can someone help me?

Hello, I would like to seek fellow redditors opinions, input and recommendation on how I could better finetune my itinerary better. There's only so much I can think of, and plan as an individual, but with everyone's input and comments I can further refine and enhance the travel experience before I set foot into Japan. Do forgive me in advance for the theorycrafting wall of text.
I know it may be difficult to review the itinerary, so to make the review easier I have broken the itinerary down into specific sub-groups e.g. Shikoku, Kinki etc. Specific questions that I have are bolded.
Thank you in advance for taking your time to provide your opinions!
-------------
Baseline information

• 32M, average fitness, solo traveller
• Public transport only (challenge); I have a driver's license but I have not drove a car for god knows how long so I would prefer not to test it against the green hills of Shikoku
• Interest: anime (select few), experience autumn/nature, visiting secluded spots, and just trying random stuff
• JP language skill: rudimentary at best (N4), but I will not shy away from speaking in simple, broken japanese or use a translator to communicate. Reading/interpreting kanji is not a problem (in general).
• Visit history: Visited twice (once to Hokkaido for ~8 days, and once toKyoto and Osaka for 8 days
• Will probably travel around with a (slightly) oversized luggage at ~166cm (A+B+C), that’s the only one I have with me. This will be a problem on the Shinkansen (but hopefully not so much on sightseeing trains/limited expresses).
• Will be visiting during (almost) peak autumn at 11 November, and will depart on the 16th of December
• Jet lag is unlikely to be a problem (1h time difference), but nevertheless I will maintain a low tempo on the first day to acclimatize to the environment
• Only thing firmed as of now is the air ticket, everything else is up in the air.
• I like planning/min-maxing to some degree, though I recognize that I may not fulfill all objectives during the trip and I am totally ok with that [its just a guideline or framework to give the holiday some structure, that’s all.] FWIW, I personally like traveling at a high tempo pace like some japanese travel show do (e.g. ローカル路線バス乗り継ぎの旅)

​
Specific goals/objective:

1. Experience Shikoku in autumn (specifically the views at Iya Valley) and in other prefectures (thus making nature sightseeing more of a priority this time round)
2. Experience Kanazawa for anime stuff
3. Experience the Shimanami Kaido in full (including any sightseeing spots in between the 6 island chains)
4. Bonus - try as many sightseeing trains as possible.
5. Bonus - if weather, time and schedule permits, try skiing as an option in Nagano.
6. Bonus - stay in as many onsen ryokans as possible, without breaking the bank.

​
Locked-in prefectures [i.e. I will definitely go to those prefectures no matter what]:

1. Shikoku (as per above objective)
2. Hiroshima (because its on the opposite end of the Shimanami Kaido)
3. Kanazawa (for anime related reason)
4. Tokyo (that is my starting and end point so it has to be included by default)

All other prefectures are basically float i.e. I am open to consider dropping said itinerary for something else based on your suggestion that aligns with my preferences/interest. Most of the other locations I added are prefectures that are often next to each other, or well-connected (apart from the initial Tokyo Kagawa jump via Sunrise Seto/Shinkansen).
​
Wait-list prefectures (prefectures that I want to go, but I don’t think I can realistically fit in without dropping other locations):

1. Snow skiing at Nagano (depending on how cooperative the weather is in early-ish December (would 2 days be sufficient?))
2. Ehime, Kochi expansion [spend 1-3 more days]
3. Izu Peninsula (~2 days, via Saphir Odoriko)
4. Nagoya + lower Nagano (Kiso Valley) (~3 days)
5. Ishikawa expansion [1 extra day at Kaga]

I am open to dropping a few days in Tokyo/Osaka etc to make that trade off [currently kept 3 days free for further development]. Alternatively, if the planning can be better optimized based on your inputs I might be able to do one of those without compromising on the base set. I would like to hear your opinion on what locations you would drop in the itinerary to make time for one of the above.
​
General planning philosophy:

1. My itineary adopts a breadth approach (cover as much area as I can humanely possible without rushing/touch-and-go) as opposed to depth (i.e. spending much more time within Shikoku than what I allocated); though I would be open to considering more days at selected locations if you have strong recommendations. My thought is to experience how different autumn is at various parts of the country (if possible), and maybe winter too (to a certain degree).
2. Due to the nature of my travel, I note that luggage logistics is a critical consideration when moving between prefectures; my thought is to park that luggage at the next hotel as quickly as possible so that I can free myself for sightseeing within the vicinity, or leave the luggage at the hotel after I check out until I am ready to travel to the next location. I will need to send (quite a fair bit of) emails to the hotels to confirm on this prior to booking.
3. I will attempt to minimize transit time between prefectures to no more than 2~3 hours a day to avoid having excessively long transport days (except the initial Tokyo Kagawa jump).
4. Because of the long trip, I will also need to factor a bit of downtime at night for administrative stuff (e.g. catching up a little bit on work, laundry etc).

---------
Shikoku (~7 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. I will need to exploit Limited Express trains as much as possible to minimize downtime between the 4 prefectures. Fortunately, for the most part these train frequencies are almost hourly, thus missing one train isnt too deadly consequence-wise.
2. The transfer between Kochi and Ehime [Matsuyama] is oddly quicker via express bus as opposed to trains (!)
3. For Kochi, my opinion is that it is best explored on car instead of public transport [it’s a really wide prefecture]; I feel that 1 day may not do it justice, but it is probably adequate for exploring the city centre as a whole.
4. There's a fair bit of uncertainties while planning this leg so I would deeply appreciate any advice you may have.
5. This current iteration is unable to weave in the Shikoku Mannaka Sennen Monogatari sightseeing train [四国まんなか千年ものがたり] ; if you people think its something not to be missed do let me know and I will reshuffle my timetable as such.

Day 0: Tokyo Kagawa (Sunrise Seto) [Saturday, 11 Nov]

• Touch down at Narita at 1720hours
• Transfer to Tokyo Station via NEX or Skyliner
• Settle administrative matters at the Midori-no-Maruguchi (e.g. get all the booked tickets etc from JR Pass, for Shinkansen and all other sightseeing trains) at Tokyo Station.
• IF Sunrise Seto ticket is obtained via the JR West portal booking, chill till 2200 and take Sunrise Seto to reach Kagawa (Takamatsu) at 0700 the next day. Try to snag the ticket online (likely via the japanese portal since there's no option to buy Solo Deluxe through the english/international website. Otherwise, compromise and go for Single)
• IF Sunrise Seto ticket is NOT obtained, proceed to take the furthest possible Shinkansen westwards (probably Okayama) and rest for the night.

Day 1: Kagawa (Takamatsu) [Sunday, 12 Nov]

• Chill around Takamatsu. Drop luggage at coin locker OR the hotel (near JR Takamatsu ideally)
• Look at whats left of Takamatsu Castle en route to the port.
• Day trip to Naoshima or Teshima to visit the art museums (Chichu Art Museum, Lee Ufan Museum etc).
• Ritsuin Garden in the evening (closes 1830)
• Find an eatery with Sanuki Udon for dinner if possible.

Day 2: Kagawa (Kotohira) Tokushima (Iya Valley) [Monday, 13 Nov]

• Morning trip from Takamatsu to Kotohira (either via JR or Kotoden). Visit Kotohiragu [includes inner shrine] and Kanamaruza Theater
• Return to Kotohira to pick up luggage, transit to Oboke via Limited Express Shimanto [Takamatsu Tadotsu Oboke]
• Retire at a local hotel around Oboke. If time permits, take the chance to explore around Oboke Gorge itself.

​
Day 3: Tokushima (Iya Valley) [Tuesday, 14 Nov]
[Post-research note: I realized that there is NO public transport to Mount Tsurugi on a weekday. I will have to rent a taxi direct to Mount Tsurugi, make the 'climb', then thereafter take the taxi down to the other attractions. I am inclined to just go full hog on the private taxi and rent it (almost the whole day, probably 7~8 hours for 4300yen/hour) to save the trouble.
Otherwise, I will need to hike downhill which can be rather rough since its just a single lane road (looking at nearly 10++ km) so I think it wise not to penny pinch in the interest of both time and safety.]
Spend the day at Iya Valley.

• Take a taxi after breakfast to zip to Mount Tsurugi and speedrun it to the mountain peak (aka using the chairlift to speedrun a good chunk of the mountain) about 2.5 hours ~ 3 hours as per the Iya Valley guide
• Taxi from Mount Tsurugi chairlift down to Oku-Iya Niju Kazuraashi and cross it (~1 hour estimate)
• Taxi down to visit the mannequins/scarecrows at Nagoro Village (~3km downhill from Oku-Iya). (~1 hour estimate)
• Check out the Peeing Boy Statue (~0.5 hour estimate [its just looking at the statue that is overlooking the entire gorge is it not?])
• Cross the outer vine bridge Iya-no-Kazurabashi (~1 hour estimate)
• Taxi back to Oboke, and retire for the day (~0.5 hour estimate, thus looking at about ~8 hours taxi rental total, with some leeway for lunch break)

​
Day 4: Tokushima (Iya Valley) Kochi (Kochi) [Wednesday, 15 Nov]

• Transit from Iya Valley [Oboke] to Kochi via Limited Express Shimanto (again) after breakfast. (~1 hour transit)
• Park luggage at hotel [ideally near JR Kochi Station], then proceed to mill around Kochi, visiting places such as Kochi Castle [高知城] and Harimaya Bridge[はりまや橋]
• Transit to Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum [高知県立坂本龍馬記念館] via local bus which is also near Katsumatsura Beach incidentally. Chill at Katsumatsura Beach in the evening
• Return to JR Kochi, dinnesupper at Hirome Market (ideally to try out Kochi's speciality seared bonito). [is visiting the market more preferable during lunch OR dinner?]

​
Day 5: Kochi (Kochi) Ehime (Imabari) [Thursday, 16 Nov]

• Complete any remaining items in Kochi in the morning, then transit to Imabari via train (Kochi Tadotsu Imabari), via Limited Express Shimanto (yet again!) and Ishidzuchi**[TBC: this might be better done via highway bus instead which is faster at ~2-3 hours]**
• Drop luggage at Imabari for the next 2 days, either at Sunrise Itoyama OR Cycle no Ie. [both are well positioned for the Shimanami Kaido, and are also one of the selected hotels eligible for the Sagawa luggage transfer.] Ideally done just around lunch time, so that there's still the better half of the day to explore Imabari.
• Spend the remainder of the day visiting Imabari Castle (closes 1700) and Towel Museum (slightly out of the way) (closes 1800) [TBC: I note this place is quite out of the way from Imabari itself, even the JP website suggests taking a taxi (!) there from the nearby train station. Might have to drop this).
• Attempt to try some Ehime-related food specialties e.g. Taimeshi (Sea Bream), Ehime oranges, Champon for the next 2 days

​
Day 6: Ehime (Matsuyama / Imabari) [Friday, 17 Nov]

• Take the Limited express train Ishidzuchi to Matsuyama day tripping. (~1h one-way).
• Explore Matsuyama Castle, and the nearby Matsuyama Ropeway Shopping Street
• Visit Shiki Memorial Museum
• Visit Dogo Onsen [and attempt to soak in the waters if possible].
• Also consider looking at Ishiteji (石手寺) beside Dogo Onsen.
• Bonus: Subject to train schedule, if possible, attempt to secure tickets for the Iyonada Sightseeing Train (伊予灘物語), Futami leg [双海ふたみ 編] , and also visit JR Shimonada Station (JR下灘駅) at the same time.
• Bonus: visit Yawatahama Port where the movie Suzume took reference from,
• Return to Imabari via the same Limited express Ishidzuchi and retire for the night.

Day 7: Ehime (Imabari) Hiroshima (Shinamani Kaido) [Saturday, 18 Nov]
I am of the opinion that 1 day in Shimanami Kaido is adequate if I attempt just the main route which is about 80km [as a test run, I did 70km and finished it within 6-7 hours with lunch breaks included]. For now I will plan for two full days, however should I truncate it down to one day later, I will add an extra day to either explore Matsuyama or Okayama.
​

• Start off at Sunrise Itoyama [watch the sunrise, have breakfast here, cafeteria opens at 0700, rental opens at 0800] OR Cycle no Ie. Do paperwork to send luggage over to the next accomodation via Sagawa.
• I will (probably) follow the recommended 'extended' route on Cycle no Ie's website and do the following:
  • Take the west coast for Oshima (~13km) and cross to Hakatajima, with possible stop on:
    • Mount Kiro Observatory Point [I am aware that there's a steep incline so this would be contingent on my physical/mental status by then].
    • Nagahama Beach
• Take the coastal route for Hakatajima (~17km) and cross to Omishima and enjoy the coastal scenery
• Take the coastal route (again) for Omishima (~41km) (or lesser depending on how I'm feeling at that point) , with possible stop on:
  • -TBC: Okunoshima (there is apparently a ferry route to the well-known rabbit island via Omishima port. Not sure if anyone else have tried this particular route and if this is a better approach than going through Tadano-umi (though I would acknowledge that there's historical stuff to visit in nearby Takehara), and I would not be able to buy rabbit food in advance).[Based on Google Earth estimate, its about 3km for the entire island loop - seems doable within 2 hours to tour the poison gas museum with a bike and pet some rabbits).
  • Oyamazumi Shrine Treasure Museum
• End the day at WAKKA (Omishima) OR Guesthouse NEST / Soil Setoda (Ikuchijima) just beside Kousanji / The Hill of Hope (closes 1700). If possible, visit before closing, otherwise defer to next day.
• Try the ice cream at Dolce at Ikuchijima if possible.
• Bonus: if for some reason I am still ahead of time at this juncture (<1500), proceed to finish Innoshima and Mukaishima, then take a ferry to backtrack to Wakka/Soil Setoda or cycle back (last boat is ~1700) and rest; however, the next day I will zip straight to Onomichi via ferry after breakfast.

--------
Hiroshima + Yamaguchi (~4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Onomichi is a pretty good base to jump to Okayama to explore Okayama, Kurashiki or Tomonoura with the Shinkansen accessibility, but it is impossible to cover them all within a single day. If I finish the Shimanami Kaido within a single day or finish it early on the second day, I will have that extra time to visit those.
2. There's another sightseeing train etSETOra from Onomichi to Hiroshima but it only operates on Monday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday. For now the schedule could fit the train timetable pretty nicely.
3. Would anyone suggest visiting Miyajima in the morning or in the evening? This would help me determine the order for the Kintaikyo Bridge/Miyajima day trip. Watching the sunset at either destination is pretty good in my books.

​
Day 8: Hiroshima (Shinamani Kaido Onomichi) [Sunday, 19 Nov]

• Continue from Ikuchijima towards Innoshima and Mukaishima (~18km) via the western coast route after breakfast, with possible stops on the following areas:
  • Innoshima: Innoshima Flower Centre, Shimanami Beach [open to more suggestions]
  • Mukaishima : there seems to be a lot of brunch places like Willows Nursery etc, soak the view at Mukaishima Rest Park [TBC: open to more suggestions]

Ideally reach Onomichi just around lunch or earlier. Chill for the rest of the day, and if I'm still up for it, explore Onomichi, including but not limited to:

• Exploring the cat alley
• Visit the exhibits at Onomichi City Museum of Art
• Consider walking to Senkoji and Onomichi Hondori Shopping Street
• Look into trying Onomichi-style ramen.

Retire at a guesthouse/hotel near JR Onomichi that I have forwarded the luggage to.
​
Day 9: Hiroshima (Onomichi, Takehara+Kure OR Tomonoura OR Okayama) Downtown Hiroshima) [Monday, 20 Nov]

• Mill around Onomichi in the morning (if not done yesterday), with a side trip to EITHER Takehara/Kure OR Okayama/Kurashiki OR Tomonoura (choose one):
  • Takehara: stroll along the historical townscape [and look if they have any Tamayura-related merch], Okunoshima (if not done during the Shimanami Kaido leg / Kure: look into trying Kure curry/Niku-jaga and visit the Yamato Museum
  • Okayama: Okayama Castle (zip via Shinkansen) / Kurashiki : Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
  • Tomonoura: stroll along the townscape during the day (zip via Shinkansen, transfer to local bus)
• Return to Onomichi (no later than 1400), board the etSETOra sightseeing train at 1437, and zip to Hiroshima. Enjoy the sunset along the coastline.
• Retire for the night at Hiroshima proper, probably near JR Hiroshima OR the bus terminal. If time permits, take a gander along the streets and see what takes me from there.

​
Day 10: Hiroshima (Downtown Hiroshima) [Tuesday, 21 Nov]
Spend the day surveying Hiroshima proper.

• Peace Memorial Park (平和記念公園) and Atomic Bomb Dome
• Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims (国立広島原爆死没者追悼平和祈念館)
• Hiroshima Castle
• Orizuru Tower (おりづるタワー)
• Shukkeien (縮景園)
• Optional: Mazda Museum / Kure (if not done the previous day)
• Try to source for Hiroshima-specific food: Okonomiyaki, Dandan Noodles

​
Day 11: Hiroshima (with a day trip to Yamaguchi) [Wednesday, 22 Nov]

• Daytrip to Yamaguchi [Shin-Iwakuni] to visit Kintaikyo Bridge via Shinkansen. Also stop by the nearby Iwakuni Castle.
• Try Tonosama Sushi at Iwakuni if possible.
• Take the local train back to Miyajimaguchi and take the boat to Itsukushima.Take the time to stroll around the island and perhaps watch the sunset at the torii gate.
• Exit back to Hiroshima via boat to Hiroshima Port direct, and transit back to hotel.

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Shimane + Tottori (4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Matsue becomes the main jump point for Shimane just because of the subsidized highway bus from Hiroshima, and ease of access towards Tottori later. There's no direct train between Hiroshima and Izumo/Matsue (!).
2. Tottori is really wide size-wise, to the point that it feels more efficient to have two separate hotels in two nights (Kurayoshi/Misasa Onsen + downtown Tottori) rather than one hotel for two nights (i.e. downtown Tottori). Could be just me making excuses to get into an onsen ryokan however.
3. Is there anything interesting at Yonago (Tottori) that I should take note of? Based on my initial survey nothing in particular pops up (other than the Tottori Prefectural Flower Park).
4. Skipping Tottori Castle since it doesn’t seem to be interesting at first glance. Any other interesting things to at Tottori downtown (or nearby)?

​
Day 12: Hiroshima Shimane (Matsue) [Thursday, 23 Nov]

• Make good use of the 500yen highway bus from Hiroshima to Matsue. (3.5 hours transit). Fortunately the frequency is not too bad (7-8 buses per day, looking at 0800 departure or later); if there are still outstanding places to visit in Hiroshima I will visit them in the morning.
• Check in at a hotel near JR Matsue, and proceed to trawl around Matsue with whatever daylight is left. (TBC: am considering taking a few stops down to Tamatsukuri Onsen 玉造温泉 or Matsue-shinjoko Onsen instead of the typical hotel. Does anyone have any positive experiences there?)
• Attempt to spend the afternoon at the Adachi Museum of Art. Local train to Yasugi, transfer to free shuttle.
• Chill off in downtown Matsue for the night. Prowl for Shimane-specific food such as Naniwa Zushi (浪花寿司), Shijimi clams (しじみ), Izumo soba, Izumo Zenzai (出雲ぜんざい).
• Bonus: visit the Tottori Prefectural Flower Park for the winter Hanakairo Flower Illumination at Yonago at night [which is just beside Matsue. Free shuttle bus at Yonago bus terminal].

​
Day 13: Shimane (Izumo / Matsue) [Friday, 24 Nov]

• Day trip from Matsue to Izumo. (JR Matsue JR Izumo, swap to Ichibata local rail to Izumotaisha-mae)
• Take a stop at Izumo Taisha, as well as the nearby Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo (島根県立古代出雲歴史博物館)
• After lunch, return to JR Matsue and proceed to Yushien Garden (由志園) via bus. Enjoy the sunset over the garden.
• Stop by Matsue Castle on the way back.

​
Day 14: Shimane (Matsue) Tottori (Kurayoshi) [Saturday, 25 Nov]

• Transfer from Matsue to Kurayoshi in the morning via Super Matsukaze Limited Express (~1h).
• Settle down luggage at Misasa Onsen, then proceed to hike up Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple (三仏寺). Cater extra time just in case I have to wait for another fellow to pop up to climb in pairs. Estimated climb time excluding wait is about 2-3 hours both ways?
• Excess time to be spent sauntering Misasa Onsen and its nearby area such as the Nijisseiki Pear Museum [二十世紀梨記念館（なしっこ館)] and Kurayoshi Historical Quarter.
• Retire at Misasa Onsen for the night. Bonus: watch the constellations at night at Misasa Onsen on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 2100JST. Current plan does not fall within those 3 weekdays
• Bonus: take a short detour to Conan Town (postnote: not a big fan of the show).

​
Day 15: Tottori (Kurayoshi Tottori) [Sunday, 26 Nov]

• Transfer from Kurayoshi to Tottori (~35minutes transfer) in the morning, and proceed to tour around Tottori.
• Drop luggage, take a local bus to Tottori Sand Dunes, and visit the nearby Sand Museum.
• Transfer northwards to Uradome Coast via local bus and spend the remainder of the day there. Watch the sunset over the coast.
• Return to downtown Tottori, stroll around and call it a night.

​
-----------
Hyogo, Kyoto, Osaka , Nara, Mie (10 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Kinosaki Onsen is intentionally designed to be a slow-paced leg to recover [and also to make time to enjoy the onsens].
2. The limited express train between Kinosaki Onsen and Osaka stops by Himeji thus I thought of resting a night there instead of doing day trips via Osaka.
3. Osaka itinerary does look sparse but that is in large part because I have already visited most of them in the past. Nevertheless, I would like to experience how different it is in autumn compared to summer [based on those few destinations that I loved going previously].
4. I have kept one float day to decompress, OR shift to any of the other prefectures (TBC).
5. There are (multiple) special limited express train by Kintetsu; they're not covered by JR pass but nevertheless I would love to ride on those as an experience. The Kintetsu pass covers the basic fare only but based on my preliminary cost estimate, it is still worth getting it.
6. Is it feasible to compress Himeji and Kobe to a single day?
7. The itineraries for Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Mie are flexible since they're literally beside one another - makes it particularly easy to shift around base on ground situation.

​
Day 16: Tottori (Tottori) Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen) [Monday, 27 Nov]

• Settle any outstanding sightseeing spots in the morning if required in Tottori, then transfer to Kinosaki Onsen via the Sanin Line.
• Make a pitstop at Amarube ('Sky Station') and marvel at the engineering work.
• Deposit luggage at the ryokan (or put in the coin locker), and stroll around and enjoy Kinosaki Onsen [after all its an onsen town].
• Try to hit as many of the 7 external onsens that are usable. Retire for the night here.
• Optional: go up the ropeway and oversee Kinosaki Onsen in the evening (last ride up ~1630)
• Optional: take a short hike up to Onsenji Temple.

​
Day 17: Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen + Northern Kyoto (Amanohashidate) day trip) [Tuesday, 28 Nov]

• Optional: take a (very) early start to the day to Takeda Castle Ruins and witness the 'floating castle' effect in the morning (<0800).
• Day trip to Amanohashidate via ToyookaKyotango Railway. Do the funny bend-down pose on the bench at Amanohashidate View Land, and see how it feels like looking at the world inverted.
• Cross the sandbar and look from the other side (Nariaiji Temple / Kasamatsu Park)
• Select one of three additional side-trips:
  • EITHER take a local bus up to Ine to look at the Funaya + sightseeing boat,
  • OR local rail down to Maizuru to look at the Maizuru World Brick Museum + eat at the Michi-no-eki;
  • OR reverse to Toyooka spend time in the city itself e.g. Izushi Castle Town
• Return to Kinosaki Onsen, and continue experiencing the remainder of the onsens. Retire for the night here. Optional: ride the Aomatsu sightseeing train back to Toyooka.
• Optional: Take a trip to Ankokuji Temple (安国寺) in the evening. Likely to visit post-peak autumn which means less than ideal viewing conditions.

Day 18: Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen Himeji) [Wednesday, 29 Nov]

• Transit from Kinosaki Onsen to Himeji via Limited Express Hamakaze (~2 hours).
• Deposit luggage at the hotel or the coin lockers at the station, then proceed for sightseeing.
• Walk along the Miyuki Street Shopping District which is en-route to Himeji Castle.
• Himeji Castle sector : Himeji Castle (姫路城), Kokoen (好古園)
• Take a local bus at Himeji Castle to go to Mount Shosha and hike up Engyōji Temple (圓教寺)
• Optional : Stroll along Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History and/or Himeji City Museum of Art which is beside the castle, OR Shosha Handicraft Museum which is just at the foot of Mount Shosha
• Optional: Make a detour to the Japan Toy Museum near Koro station (~30 minutes from JR Himeji). Closes 1700.
• Look for Hyogo-specific food: Kobe beef, steamed pork buns, sobameshi, himeji oden, etc

Retire at Himeji for the night.
Day 19: Hyogo (Himeji Kobe) Osaka (Dotonburi) [Thursday, 30 Nov]
Day trip to Kobe, before continuing further down to Osaka.

• Check out from Himeji, transit further down to Kobe for another stop before Osaka. Place luggage at the holding facility within the Shinkansen station.
• Take a visit to the Earthquake Memorial Museum (人と防災未来センター) to look at the devastation wrought by the 1995 earthquake.
• Stroll along Kobe Harborland (神戸ハーバーランド) and Meriken Park (メリケンパーク) , look at the Kobe Tower since its closed till 2024 for renovation, and look at the damage caused by the earthquake
• Optional: Head westwards to Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art.
• Optional: Hit up the ASICS Sports Museum (アシックススポーツミュージアム)
• Look at the engineering feat that is the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge and the nearby Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Exhibition Center at Maiko. (Suzume no Tojimari)
• Return to Shin-kobe, pick up luggage, and transit to Shin-Osaka via Shinkansen, and then to Dotonburi/Shinsaibashi. End the (long) day in Osaka.

Day 20: Osaka [Friday, 1 Dec]
Osaka Nostalgia (acid) trip, speedrun edition: revisiting places that I want to go again

• Day trip to Mino Park and revisit the waterfall (I loved visiting it previously) via the Hankyu line in the morning.
• Zoom down to the Osaka Aquarium after lunch and walk around it (Minoo Umeda Honmachi Osakako Station).
• From there, race towards Abeno Harukas and watch the sunset/nightview at Abeno Harukas.
• Bonus: revisit Sumiyoshi Taisha if time permits.
• Spend whatever time remains at night at Nipponbashi Denden Town (shops close at ~2000) and Dotonburi (some stores are still open near midnight) and/or Shinsekai (新世界).

Day 21: Osaka (Nara day trip) [Saturday, 2 Dec]
Spend a day in Nara.

• Zoom from Namba to Nara via Kintetsu (note: non-JR)
• Explore Todaiji Temple, Kokufuji Temple, Isuien Garden and Kasuga Taisha.
• Optional: pass by Naramachi (奈良町) on the way back.
• Take the Kintetsu line down to Mount Yoshino. [TBC: subject to whether I am too early or late for the koyo.Based on last year's prediction I am about 1-2 weeks too late. Might swap this out to a Uji day trip instead in Kyoto.). Spend time walking around the Shimo Senbon and Naka Senbon and experience the autumn.
• Transfer back to Osaka. Bonus: take the Blue Symphony back to Osaka instead of the typical train. (non-JR)

Day 22: Osaka (Mie day trip) [Sunday, 3 Dec]
Day trip to Mie.

• Take the Iseshima Liner from Tsuruhashi Station (near Namba/Dotonburi) to Ise. Bonus: take the Hinotori from Osaka to Tsu, then transfer to Mie. (non-JR)
• Hit up Ise Jingu (伊勢神宮) [both inner and outer] and Okage Yokocho (おかげ横丁)
• Try to eat Matsuaka Beef or Ise Udon for lunch.
• Head westwards to Futamiokitama Shrine (二見興玉神社) / Meotoiwa Rocks; and if further time permits, go to Toba for the Ama Viewing Platform.
• Take the returning Shimakaze Limited Express train back to Osaka (note: only one train at 1630; if this train is missed, change to normal express trains). (non-JR)
• Retreat back to Osaka for the night. Consider doing any other night activities in Osaka if time, and body permits.

Day 23: Osaka ('north' Kyoto day trip) [Monday, 4 Dec]
(north) Kyoto day trip.

• Take a stop at the Kyoto Railway Museum. Optional: also consider heading to To-ji Gojunoto first if I reach Kyoto way early before 10am.
• Walk back to Kyoto station, and take a bus northwards to Kyoto Manga Museum.
• Hop on the bus direct from the Manga Museum to Kinkakuji. [bus 15]
• Select one of two side-trips:
  • EITHER head westwards to Arashiyama (note: already visited once in the summer but I still think it nice to visit in autumn/winter this time round). Bonus: experience sunset along the Togetsukyo Bridge.
  • OR head eastwards to Higashiyama (closes 1700), Philosopher's path etc (did not visit these in my past trip here so there's the 'new' factor, but it is going to be a physically taxing day. Also, most likely will reach here nearing evening i.e. closing time thus there's a limit to how much I can visit realistically).

Whichever choice, return back to Osaka for the night. Look out for Kyoto-specific food such as Yudofu, Saba Sushi, Warabi Mochi, Nishin Soba (にしんそば) etc.
Day 24: Osaka ('south' Kyoto day trip) [Tuesday, 5 Dec]
(south) Kyoto day trip edition (mainly Uji and Fushimi).

• Zip from Osaka to Kyoto via Keihan to Uji Station.
• Spend the better half of the morning in Uji.
• Visit the Byōdō-in and the nearby Tonoshima and Tachibana Island.
• Hike up to the Daikichiyama Observation Deck to oversee Uji as a whole. On the way down, explore Ujigami Shrine.
• Take the chance to buy some Uji tea as gifts to relatives. Have lunch along the Omotesando Road.
• Head further northwards to Fushimi, and do another hike up Fushimi Inari. (Note: visited once in the past but I liked the experience thus I would like to do it again.) Bonus: if its done in the evening.

Head back to Osaka and retire for the night. Consider doing any other night activities in Osaka if time, and body permits.
Day 25: Osaka (wildcard) [Wednesday, 6 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
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Kanazawa, Gifu+ (4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Is it likely for the skiing season to open around 9~10 December at Shiga Kogen or Nozawa Onsen? Would very much like to try skiing for fun, but am uncertain if the snow condition would be satisfactory by then. Some of the skiing website indicates that these two destinations are usually the first to open. I would like to seek advise on this if possible [never skiied before].
2. As an additional question to point 1, is 2 days adequate just to get a flavor on skiing?
3. Kanazawa is a pretty solid jump point to Shirakawago/Takayama via express buses (~1 to 2 hour one way).
4. My initial planning considered going to Kurobe Gorge (Toyama) but apparently the railways are closed from December onwards. Please correct me if I am mistaken.
5. Another sightseeing train in Kanazawa that I can fit in nicely in my current plans (花嫁のれん), runs on Mon/Fri/Sat/Sun.

Day 26: Osaka Ishikawa (Kanazawa (Kanazawa cityside)) [Thursday, 7 Dec]

• Zip from Osaka to Kanazawa via Limited Express Thunderbird in the early morning (~3hours; ideally the 0740 or 0810 service). Drop luggage at the hotel near JR Kanazawa and explore the cityside.
• Have lunch at the Omicho Market (近江町市場), OR at Higashi Chaya District.
• Stroll around Kanazawa Castle (金沢城, Kanazawajō) and the nearby Kenrokuen (兼六園) / Seisonkaku Villa (成巽閣, Seisonkaku) .
• Consider visiting one or more of the nearby museums if possible:
  • D.T. Suzuki Museum OR
  • National Crafts Museum OR
  • 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
• Optional: Head southwards to Myoryuji Temple + Nishi Chaya District.
• Optional: Head northwards to Higashi Chaya District (if not done for lunch).

Any outstanding spots not completed today, to be rolled over to the next 2 days (if possible).

• Retire in Kanazawa for the night. Be on the lookout for Kanazawa-specific food: Gold-leaf ice cream, oden, hanton rice
• Optional: have a stay at Yuwaku Onsen for at least one night for anime-related reasons. (Hanasaku Iroha)

​
Day 27: Ishikawa (Kanazawa cityside) / Gifu (Shirakawago, Takayama) [Friday, 8 Dec]

• Day trip to Shiwakawago and Takayama via Nohi bus (non-JR, ~1h). Grab the morning bus express bus to Shirakawago and explore the place in the morning. Experience early snowfall (?) there. Optional: visit Ainokura on the way towards Shirakawago.
• Take another express bus down to Takayama for lunch (~1h travel time).
• Explore what Takayama has to offer. Stroll along the old town near the bus terminal and visit the Takayama Jinya. If time permits, stroll along the Higashiyama Walking Course.
• Optional: pay a visit to Hida Folk Village.
• Return to Kanazawa via Hida Limited Express to Toyama Shinkansen to Kanazawa, OR take the same Nohi express bus directly back (non-JR).
• Retire at Kanazawa for the night. Last express bus from Takayama to Kanazawa is 1630, arrive at 1845. Alternatively, head northwards to Toyama via JR and transfer to Kanazawa.

​
Day 28: Ishikawa (Kanazawa cityside / outskirts) [Saturday, 9 Dec]
Side trip to Wakura Onsen / Nanao for anime-related sightseeing. (Insomanics after Class, Hanasaku Iroha)

• Zoom from Kanazawa up to Wakura Onsen/Nanao via Limited Express Noto Kagaribi. Do some sightseeing related to Insomanics after Class and Hanasaku Iroha.
• Do some train spotting with two anime along the Noto Railways. Stop at Nishigishi station for some sightseeing. (non-JR)
• Return to Kanazawa in the evening from Wakura Onsen via the sightseeing train Hanayomenoren [花嫁のれん, last train 1630).
• End the night at Kanazawa.

Day 29: Ishikawa (wildcard) [Sunday, 10 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
--------------
Tokyo (~6 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Specific interest to target: anime/vtuber stuff, music (piano in particular), bookstores etc.
2. This is the point in time I should go ham on souvenier purchase if I have not done so. I'll probably get an extra cardboard box or duffel bag to lug with me to the airport to store extra stuff.
3. Would like to seek recommendation on where I should set my base for the 5~6 days here. For now I am planning to pit at Ginza, subject to availability and cost. My thought is that as long as its along the Yamanote line everything rolls I suppose.
4. Hard pass on Golden Gai on the Shunjuku leg (I do not drink).
5. There's way too many to list in terms of what I would like to do in Tokyo, but I have listed items that are of particular interest to me first within the available time frame. If you have strong opinions on specific locations do let me know.

Day 30: Ishikawa (Kanazawa) Tokyo (Ginza) [Monday, 11 Dec]

• Zip from Kanazawa to Tokyo via the Hoririku Shinkansen in the morning (just north of two hours). (TBC : If I can optimize my schedule better, I can try squeezing two days here for a stop at Nozawa Onsen / Shiga Kogen (Nagano) for a short ski experience).
• Deposit luggage at one of the Ginza hotels (TBC: subject to cost; might swap for another location later on)
• Explore ('south') Tokyo with the remainder of the day.
• Marvel at the architecture that is the Tokyo Station and its surrounding.
• Visit the Imperial Palace.
• Head south towards the Mori Art Museum (closes 2200)
• End the night with a stop at Tokyo Tower (closes 2230).

Day 31: Tokyo (Shibuya, Shinjuku and Nakano) [Tuesday, 12 Dec]
Explore ('west') Tokyo, namely Shibuya, Shinjuku and Nakano.

• Start off with an early day visit to Meji Shrine / Yoyogi Park.
• Head up to Shinjuku. Spend the remainder of the morning and lunch exploring Kabukicho, Hanazono Shrine and Omoide Yokochō (ideally have lunch here). Also make a pit stop at Kinokuniya's flagship store at Shinjuku.
• Head northwards to Nakano Broadway and trawl for anime goods for several hours (closes ~1900)
• Head south down back to Shibuya and experience the crossing in peak night condition. Walk around and soak in the atmosphere. Optional: stop by the Ishibashi music store at Shibuya (closes 2000).
• Cap off the night and look at the night view at Shibuya Sky (closes 2230). Zip back to the hotel at Ginza.

Day 32: Tokyo (Akibahara, Asakusa and Sky Tree) [Wednesday, 13 Dec]

• Kick off the day with a morning visit to Asakusa (i.e. Sensoji).
• Transit over to Tokyo Skytree to watch the Tokyo cityscape in the day.
• Trawl around Akibahara for the afternoon. (Animate, Sega claw machines, etc).
• Also stop by Ochanomizu for sightseeing (Suzume no Tojimari)
• Zip back to the hotel for the night. If time permits, stop by the two flagship music stores along Ginza: Yamaha Ginza and Yamano Ginza. Also, visit Itoya Ginza (stationary store).

Day 33: Tokyo (Kamakura day trip OR Ikebukuro) [Thursday, 14 Dec]
EITHER take a day trip Kamakura, OR explore northern Tokyo (Ikebukuro)
Kamakura leg:

• Make a detour to Used Tyre Market Sagamihara Store to experience the retro vending machines. Then head southwards to Enoshima.
• Look at the giant Buddha statue and stroll along Hasedera.
• Take the Enoden to Enoshiima and explore the island.
• Take the JR back to Ginza and retire for the night.

Tokyo (Ikebukuro leg):

• Visit Otome Road for otaku related stuffs.
• Trawl the usual suspects such as Bic Camera etc.
• Make a stop at the Mejiro Gardens.
• Visit the Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library) at Waseda University.

Day 34: Tokyo (wildcard) [Friday, 15 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
​
Day 35: Tokyo Home [Saturday, 16 Dec]

• Contemplate life at the hotel, doing whatever I feel like for the morning and early afternoon. Bonus: have an early breakfast at Tsukiji Market in the morning if staying at Ginza.
• Clear any last minute administrative matter (if any), or do (very) last minute sightseeing/buying. Most likely limited to Ginza and Akibahara.
• Get a nice lunch omakase to cap it off if possible. (taking recommendations if anyone has one, ideally meat/beef centric instead of just sushi).
• Head off to Narita from Tokyo Station via NEX just after lunch at 1430 1530 to Narita, flight at 1830.

END
---------------------
If you're still reading up to this point, here's my own personal ramblings/thoughts on JR pass usage:
I have thought of two ways of doing this for the first 21 days:
a. easy-mode : just get 21 days JR global pass before the price hike at 60450 yen, OR b. hard-mode: get a 7 day JR global pass (to cover the NEX fees, the basic fee on the Sunrise Seto to Shikoku, as well as limited express trains within Shikoku) (29650) + 5 days for JR Okayama Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass (15000) + 4 days for JR Sanin Okayama Area Pass + 5 days for JR Kansai Wide Area Pass (10000) for a total of 59230.
The initial conclusion was to go with option A since that reduces the administrative burden, but I realized the individual passes do have its own perk which truimphs over the global JR pass. For instance, the Sanin Okayama Area Pass provides a (minor) discount for the Adachi Museum of Art; the Kansai Wide Pass covers the Kyotango route between Kinosaki Onsen and Amanohashidate which the global JR pass does not cover, JR Okayama Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass covers JR buses within Hiroshima for free, therefore I am inclined to go with the hell option (option B) as it stands.
For the remaining 14 days, I could also get the global 14 day JR pass at 47250 yen but it is not worth it at all, because I will be relying largely on Kintetsu for the Osaka/Kyoto/Nara/Mie leg which the JR pass most certainly does not cover.

• For the Osaka/Nara/Mie/Kyoto leg, I intend to make good use of a mix of both local metro and the Kintetsu rail pass for 5 days (4900). If I do exploit Kintetsu's limited express train to its fullest, I should be able to save money by buying the pass. The Osaka Amazing Pass at 2600yen a day does not make financial sense for me this time round, given how little I am exploring within Osaka.
• For the Osaka Kanazawa, Shirakawago and Takayama leg, the preferred pass of choice is the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass over the global JR pass, in large part because this pass fully absorbs the Nohi highway bus fees (which can rack up quite a lot at ~8000yen for a return trip between Kanazawa and Shirakawago/Takayama). Also this absorbs the Thunderbird fee. One major issue with my current plan is that it does not cover Wakura Onsen nor the sightseeing train.
• For the final Kanazawa Tokyo leg, the preferred choice is the Horuriku Arch Pass that covers the direct Shinkansen back to Tokyo, and the NEX fees to Narita when I depart from Tokyo. Will only break even with the pass at best unless I make a stop at Nagano.

So all in all, there's quite little incentive to get the global JR pass after I worked out my schedule, apart from the initial 7 days for the Sunrise Seto jump which the All Shikoku Pass will not cover.
Through the hodge-podge of multiple area passes, it works out to around 102890 yen for the whole trip of 35 days, contrast with 107700 yen for a 21 + 14 global JR pass. While there's a minor cost saving doing the hard way which sweetens the deal, the additional minor perks associated with the area passes sells it for me, as I would had to pay more out of pocket to cover non-JR pass buses/rails and such which would add up to much greater cost than I would had anticipated. Also, if I did this trip post-price hike in October, the calculus becomes a no-brainer: avoid the global JR pass like the plague.
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Thank you very much for your opinions, suggestions and advice in advance!

The sun began to set on the small Scottish island, casting a warm orange glow across the quaint village. As the residents finished their meals and the last few visitors trickled out of the local pub, a man named Ewan slipped into the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to make his move. Ewan, a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard and unkempt hair, was an alcoholic. He was known by many on the island for his frequent drunken antics and had been kicked out of the pub more times than he could count. Despite several attempts to quit drinking, Ewan was powerless to resist the allure of alcohol. As the last of the pub's patrons made their way out the door and the owner began to close up, Ewan seized his opportunity. He snuck into the now-empty pub through a back door, hiding behind a large wooden barrel in a corner. He held his breath, praying he wouldn't be discovered as the owner locked up and left for the night. Once he was sure the coast was clear, Ewan emerged from his hiding spot and surveyed the room, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He licked his lips as he approached the rows of bottles behind the bar, the promise of a long night of uninterrupted drinking weighing heavily on his mind. However, as Ewan began to move across the pub, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the pub. The warm, lively atmosphere he was accustomed to had been replaced Ewan looked around as he approached the bar and wondered to himself. Why do pubs always limit themselves to the same decor? The harsh shades of red. The black and white photos of people long dead and oil paintings which seem to have been painted to fade into the background. Ewan had both drank and been barred from every pub on the island now and has seen little to no variety in interiors. "I guess it is to make it feel homely and familiar. Our brains associate familiarity with safety and people who feel safe are likely to drink more." while still feeling unsettled moving across the bar. The feeling of unease wasn't going to stop him from drinking as much as he can physically take before sneaking out leaving the landlord none the wiser. Until a stock take shows some discrepancies that he will probably put down to spillages or his carelessness with bookkeeping. Then he thought "No I will drink as much as I want and top the bottles up with water" Ewan's eyes grazed over the selection of choices on the Optic. Grouse being his usual preferred choice when he wants to spoil himself on the rare occasions he has money to burn, Bells being his usual go-to poison as the price and alcohol content measure up quite nicely but tonight he was going to drink like a king. He grabbed the bottle of Redbreast and carefully unscrewed it from the optic and began to greedily chug straight from the bottle. He walked drunkenly from behind the bar to a stool he sat down and for no reason held the bottle to the sky and said "cheers" at that moment the jukebox began to blast out at an incredibly loud volume "You're mine" by Ritchie Valens. "FUCK!" Screamed Ewan as he put down his bottle and hurried over to the jukebox. The light emitted from which was now making the shadowy areas seem darker by contrast. He scrambled to the floor feeling for a plug socket behind it to unplug the thing. The sound up close was almost deafening. After feeling along the wall to no success he quickly pulled at it to come forward so he could get behind it to where the plug must be and sure enough it was there. He yanked it out of the wall with a hard jerk and the record began to slow "yourrr minee forrrr eternityyyyyy....." and then silence. Ewan let out a sigh of relief. "Thing must be connected to some sort of sensor" Ewan walked to the window, crouched down in case anyone was looking in to see what the noise was. He looked to see if anyone in the opposite building heard the commotion. He looked and the only building on the other side of the road facing the pub was a thatched-roof cottage. Dimly lit by street light, with a sign above the door that read "Alf's funeral home" "Well Alf. I'm sorry if I woke up any of your clients" slurred Ewan while chuckling to himself. He reached for the bottle on the bar while turning and no bottle. He retraced his steps from the bar to the jukebox to the window and back to the bar but the
bottle was nowhere to be seen. Then he looked up at the Optics. There he saw it. The fine redbreast whiskey. He staggered over to it. Holding the bar for balance. There it was and seemingly untouched. He must have drank near on a quarter of the bottle but there it is. Almost full and back where it was. "I must have tipped it up with water after drinking and put it back. This isn't the first time I've lost chunks of time from drinking and it won't be the last" mumbled Ewan allowed as an attempt to reassure himself. Putting his feeling of unease down to the nerves of being caught along with the dull twinge of guilt he feels for stealing Ewan decided to look for cheaper alternatives for his next binge. He finally settled on a bottle of Jack. Only total pussies who want to pretend they like whisky because they think it gives them an edge drink Jack Daniels. The faggots that drink it non ironically will never notice it is watered down. Ewan grabbed a glass this time deciding to drink measured amounts. Aware that loss of time while drinking is usually followed by passing out entirely. Ewan sat hunched over on a rickety wooden stool, the creaking of the floorboards beneath him barely audible over the deafening silence that enveloped the empty pub. The musty smell of stale beer and old wood filled his nostrils as he took another swig from the glass of his Jack Daniels, a bitter taste lingering on his tongue. “Piss water,” he thought to himself. The room was dark, though his eyes had now adjusted enough to fully take in his surroundings. The old faces in frames on the wall. A photo on the wall to his left was of a party being held in this very pub. Looking to be in the 1910s judging from the fashion. Amongst the 20 or so people in the image, one woman stood out in the dead center. Her long hair was down, a contrast from the other ladies in the photos sporting the traditional Pompadour style of the time. She was smiling while looking off to the side. Seemingly unaware that she was to be the star of the photograph. Above the photo on a shelf made from taxidermy antlers sat an antique hunting rifle. The light from the street lamp reflected off the mettle barrel casting eerie shadows across the rows of dusty liquor bottles. Ewan thought about how many parties would have taken place here over hundreds of years this pub had been open. The idea of drinking for any kind of pleasure had become such an alien concept to him now. Drinking for Ewan wasn't a way to unwind or relax or even in his mind feed an addiction. Not anymore anyway. Now he finds himself desperate for a drink to quell the demons that haunted his every waking moment. As the alcohol began to take hold of him again, the memory he had been trying so hard to suppress clawed its way back to the forefront of his mind. It was a memory that he could never escape, a weight that anchored him to the ocean floor of despair. It had been over six years since the accident. The night had started like any other: dinner with friends, laughter, and, of course, alcohol. It was supposed to be a celebration of Ewan and Isla, his wife's fifth wedding anniversary. But as the night wore on and the glasses piled up, so too did the tension between them. “We need to get a taxi.” Said Isla after excusing herself and Ewan “I am fine to drive! It is only a mile down the road” “You were supposed to stay sober tonight” “Yeah, and you were supposed to get your license 3 years ago.” “Do you really wanna do this now?” Ewan thought on this for a second before speaking “No. I am sorry I was only meant to have a couple but got a little carried away. I am sorry, but you know we will never get a taxi at this time of night. Come on I'll drive slow” Ewan cut this memory short. He wouldn't allow himself to think about this anymore. As tears began to fall from his face he necked the remainder of the contents of his glass. Before he had a chance to pour himself another drink the stall he was sitting on was jerked back with such force that Ewan landed on the ground with a thud. Smashing the glass that was tightly gripped in his hand in the process. Ewan let out a pained gargled yelp as he shook his now bleeding hand in pain. The blood splatters landed on the wall art and photos. He looked at his hand and saw that yes indeed a large chunk of glass was sticking out of his hand. He yanked it out. With that more blood trickled out rapidly. He turned to see what happened to his seat. And there almost 3 feet away from him sat his bar stool. “Fuck this!” said Ewan as he hurried to the back door. Locked. He tried the fired exit, the windows. All locked. At this point, he didn't care about being discovered. He turned all the lights on. And started bashing his fists against the windows. The glass wouldn't budge he grabbed a chair and began smacking the window over and over again until the chair had fallen to pieces. Suddenly the Jukebox started playing again. Some big band highland number that he did not recognize this time. “I know I unplugged that” as he looked at the jukebox he noticed that the hunting rifle that sat on the shelf to the right of that was gone he scanned the room and to his horror, he saw a lady standing in the corner of the room facing away from him. His vision was slightly wavy from the alcohol. “Hey I don't know if you work here and you are trying to mess with me for breaking in. You have successfully scared the shit out of me and I am happy to wait outside for the police to arrive or whatever. I am bleeding, let me leave?” The woman turned around. It was the lady from the photograph. Her face was covered in bruises. Her eyes were red and puffy. She put the hunting rifle that was in her hands up to her chin and pulled the trigger. The front of her face exploded revealing bits of teeth and a gaping hole where her mouth should be parts of her brain decorated the ceiling the remainder half that was still in her skull pulsated a little as blood tricked out. She fell to her knees and now with her few remaining teeth bare, she looked as though she was smiling. Though her eyes gave the impression of pure rage. As she fell head first on the floor the electricity died. Ewan scurried away while on the floor to the corner by the bar and then vomited. “not real, it's not real it's not real” he said while covering his eyes. Afraid to look. He sat like this for what felt like hours. In that time a puddle of urine collected around him. “Usually I don't piss myself until I've finished my second bottle” he darkly thought to himself. “I need to find a way out of here” Thought Ewan as he opened his eyes and saw that there was no trace of the lady from the photograph anymore. The ceiling was clean and the gun was back on its shelf. He stood shakily. As He stood he noticed that the building on the opposite end of the street now had a light on. He began banging on the window again “Hey! I am trapped in here! Send help!” He saw movement in the window as someone pulled back the curtain to look. It was a middle-aged gentleman with greying hair. He looked around confused to see where the noise was coming from “OVER HERE!” Shouted Ewan and he banged on the window until his other hand was just as bloody. The gentleman then turned in Ewans direction “YEAH OVER HERE I AM TRAPPED! PLEASE COME AND HELP ME!” The gentleman looked as though he was trying to hear while with his hand he reached for the lining of his shirt. With one motion he ripped his shirt open relieving a gash going all the way up his body stitched together with what appeared to be wire. His look of concern turned to amusement and he pulled the wire. Undoing the stitches to show where his vital organs that have now been donated used to be. He laughed like a madman as he pulled his skin back. His head now leaning against the glass and his laughter which sounded muffled due to the distance was still audible from the pub. Deep and raspy but that of a madman. Ewans attention was broken by the sound of a familiar clank of something metallic. It was a sound that was instantly recognizable to anyone. The sound of coins dropping to the floor. Ewan turned and looked and sure enough, there were two coins on the ground behind where he stood. He bent to pick them up. They were old. Very old. From what he could see in the dim light they looked to be that of the Victorian times. He heard the sound again. This time over by the jukebox. He walked over to pick them up and noticed something. The floor under the jukebox looks to be a cellar door. He dragged it out some more to reveal that yes indeed, it was some kinda entrance to a hatch of some kind. This time Ewan saw the coins drop to the floor. He looked up at the ceiling and saw dozens of corpses laying flat against the ceiling with coins covering their eyes dressed in their funeral clothes all shoulder to shoulder. The sight was horrifying. And as if waiting to be viewed, at that moment their flesh began to melt to just skeletal remains, and coins and blood showed Ewan as he frantically tried to get the hatch on the floor open. Digging his fingers into the gaps trying to grip it to lift it until he eventually found a bit to latch onto. With one firm pull the hatch came up. He dove into the cellar. Not caring what he will find at this point. Slamming it shut behind him. He searched his pocket to find his lighter. After a few attempts at getting it to light he managed. He saw it wasn't a cellar at all. Instead, it was a tunnel. He began to follow it along. After walking for about 30 minutes the tunnel got narrower and narrower until Ewan was crawling on his hands and knees. He noticed a light ahead and felt hopeful that this could be the end of his ordeal. He began to notice he was crawling on pavement and broken glass. He kept going until he could stand and he could see trees and a road he hurried out of the tunnel and saw to his confusion. He was still inside the cellar. The trees stopped sharply at the ceiling and the road stopped sharply at the four walls that surrounded him. He turned to go back through the tunnel, Back the way he came. this was not the way out. what he saw as he turned defied all logic. The small part of his brain that clung to rational explanation broke as he saw that the tunnel he had just crawled through had been replaced with a tipped-over car. He saw a younger version of himself slowly regain consciousness while suspended upside down. He froze unable to move or look away. “Oh god please don't make me relive this” “Isla? Oh my god, Isla” Ewan checked her pulse but couldn't find one. He could see emergency services lights coming towards them from a distance. He knew he would go to prison for manslaughter if caught causing death by dangerous driving “I am so sorry baby. I am so sorry” Ewan said through tears while unbuckling her seatbelt and moving her over to the drivers side and then crawling back out of the car to flag down the ambulances. "They'll be able to resuscitate her, She will be okay and I will take care of her". Ewan didn't notice that the car had begun to ignite until it was too late. The flames spread quickly. “Ewan..?” said a dull voice from the car. Ewan turns and hurried to the car but by that point, it was too late “Isla!” He cried as he watched the flame cover his wife. Isla screamed in pain until her face was completely burnt away and all she could make was gargles and all Ewan could do was watch in horror. Then the entire room went up in flames and became ash leaving Ewan completely in the dark. Sobbing. “I am sorry I didn't know. I didn't mean to. I.... I...!" Ewan composed himself. "I deserve to die but I am not dying in here" Ewan stood and pulled out his lighter again to light the room only to see it was now filled with hundreds of bodies all staring at him. the tips of their feet scraping across the floor as they floated closer. Ewan backed away until he felt something metallic. A ladder leading up to a manhole shaft. he quickly began to climb as the ghostly rotting corpses moved closer to him at a more rapid speed now. as he reached the top and forced the lid open he was greeted by sunlight. hands clutched at his ankles dragging him back but with determination to survive he pulled himself free and was finally outside in the open. He closed the cover shut. He could hear birds chirping, and sounds of people driving to work. The world had never seemed so beautiful. "Oh my god buddy are you okay?" said a young man who looked horrified at Ewan who was covered in dried blood, ash, and a collection of injuries. "I am going to call you an ambulance buddy hang tight" The young man pulled out his phone and began to dial. by this point, Ewan began to pass out. He slipped in and out of consciousness while getting carefully placed on the gurney. "What is your name?" "Have you taken anything?" "Who's blood is this" "My name is Ewan, I haven't taken anything. I guess I have had far too many spirits last night though" he laughed to himself as the doors to the ambulance closed. as the vehicle began to speed away music began to play on the radio. "I didn't think ambulances had radios" said Ewan as he began to recognize the music. "Your mine and we belong together. Yes, we belong together" He tried to stand but he had been strapped down to the gurney. The walls of the ambulance began to melt away. The paramedics all had coins covering their eyes and mouths stitched shut. Ewan let out a scream as fire began to cover his body he could see once the walls of the ambulance were fully gone he was still in the pub. it was still night and he was now very much on fire. He let out one final scream before his lips were completely gone. His chard body fell to the floor by the bar with a thud. An empty bottle of Jack tightly gripped in one hand and his lighter in the other. In his final state of living consciousness before his inevitable death, he saw the light emerge from the window. The sun was finally rising for real. He closed what remained of is eyelids and let out a pained sigh as he died. Ewans body was discovered later that day by a confused and horrified cleaner. Who immediately phoned the police. The investigating officers, who knew all about Ewans drunken antics on the island and had their suspensions regarding the circumstances involving his wifes death. Put Ewans demise down to an elaborate and painful suicide. That night as his body lay on the slab in Alfs funeral home. After the sun had set and everyone had left for the evening. But in the pub opposite the funeral home, Ewan emerged from his hiding spot behind the barrels and surveyed the room, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He licked his lips as he approached the rows of bottles behind the bar, He felt an unsettling feeling of deja vu but had managed to shake it off by the promise of a long night of uninterrupted drinking which weighed heavily on his mind.