Sorry to be this person but I think I lost my wallet this morning between roughly 10-10:30am somewhere in downtown JC in the areas around the pedestrian plaza. 🤦‍♀️ Unfortunately my path was indirect - last time I used my wallet was at Dames on 3rd St and Jersey Ave, then walked through pedestrian plaza to Uncle Momo on Grove St, then west on Mercer to the library on Jersey Ave and south through the farmers market in Van Vorst Park. Initials are LK and address on the license reads York St if there's a snowball's chance in hell it's found. Thanks in advance for any help!

Has anyone seen some abandoned buildings on White Pond Rd in Athol MA? Lol I Its right near South Athol United Methodist Church at 65 Morgan Ave, Athol, MA 01331

So yeah...
I've decided to make a sizable investment in the REIT considering the quality of it's portfolio, the looming UDC sale, it's current AFFO/FFO payout ration, and long term trends that I think are being misaprehended by critics of office real estate amid work from home (WFH) sentiment.
My main concern is North America's lag in the return to office. I think that sub par public transportation infastructure, housing inaffordability and elevates child care costs are among the biggest culprits
(all of which were not meaningfully addressed during the pandemic. Consider the fact that the Crosstown LRT project is still not complete after the City was shut down and construction labour was deemed essential and continued...)
Notwithstanding, I don't think WFH is a realistic expectation, especially for employees in sectors where onboarding requires in-person interaction for integration and learning.
As a yonger person working in legal administration, I don't like the idea of working remotely. I currently work at a small law practice and I get a lot of helpful lessions and tidbits from our principal and other experienced staff. I can also simply walk over to others from time to time and ask questions about various legal matters and get a lot of tips and feedback. The experiemce has been so good, I've decided to write the LSAT later this year.
I don't like interacting through screens/screen share all the time. I feel more engaged when I'm sharing physical space with others (is that odd?).
I also have smaller living quarters and I don't like being home all the time. I feel like the among the biggest critics of the office are contract workers with better living spaces (a big suburban house, with a dedicated room). I live in a somewhat dingy apartment building in Toronto. I don't want to be relegated to this space in perpetuity.
Granted I'm not in a cubicle. I have a decent office space with a big window. There's lots of light and a nice view of Danforth Ave. Lot's of beautiful women on the Danforth btw... 😄
I tend to agree with the outgoing CEO of Allied, Michael Emory. I know he can come off as sort of an old fogey, but he has a point. Higher quality buildings, with good airflow, natural light, high ceilings and integration with local amentities are definitely a draw for me.
Although I can't recall the specific source, I heard a lot of employees in Europe, China and South America have returned to the office and that NA is the main laggard due the the foregoing reasons I mentioned earlier.
In my severely underqualified opinion, I think Allied is likely a solid buy at these levels (alrhough it could drop lower this year, if something else breaks in the economy amid higher rates).
Any thoughts? I think that long term, They'll be some hybrid, some wfh and some dedicated office positions.

This is my translation of the episode of Ongaku Bakudan with Miku Kobato and Saiki on May 18, 2023.

• Image
• Video

Cookie is a comedian with the style of the ’80s high school bad boys. His rough language is part of his act.
Related discussions:

• Miku & Saiki on TikTok 20230515 (Interview after shooting of TV program 音楽爆弾 (Ongaku-Bakudan, On-Baku) to be aired on May 17th)
• Another TV Show appearance?

​

• Hosts: Cookie, Rossy (Yasei Bakudan)
• Guests: Miku Kobato, Saiki (Band-Maid)

00:07 Narrator: Ongaku Bakudan.
00:08 Narrator: Tonight’s guest is a hard rock band in maid outfits that attracts the world’s attention, Band-Maid!
00:16 Narrator: They have been doing solo concerts in over 10 countries mainly in Europe and the US! Their US tour last year drew in more than 20,000 people!
00:30 Narrator: This year, they are going to be the first Japanese female musicians to perform at Lollapalooza, one of the largest outdoor festivals in the world!
00:40 Narrator: The global band active not only in Japan but also overseas makes their first appearance in Ongaku Bakudan!
00:55 Rossy: So, please welcome today’s guests, Band-Maid!
00:58 Cookie: Wow! Thank you for coming!
01:00 Rossy: Thank you very much for coming!
01:01 Kobato: Thank you for inviting, po.
01:03 Kobato: Thank you for inviting, po!
01:04 Rossy: Oh, you say “po”, right? You’re saying “po, po”, though.
01:08 Cookie: It comes out like “po, po, po, po”? “Po” comes out naturally?
01:10 Kobato: It comes out naturally, po.
01:10 Cookie: Uh-huh.
01:11 Rossy: Is that the pigeon’s “po” because you are Kobato-san? [Note: “Kobato” means “small pigeon” and “po” means the pigeon’s “coo”.]
01:13 Kobato: Oh, that’s right, po. I’m Miku Kobato, so I’m half-small-pigeon half-human, po.
01:18 Cookie: Because of the merger with the pigeon?
01:19 Kobato: Oh, you’re right, po.
01:20 Cookie: Are you the only one in Band-Maid who’s mixed with a pigeon?
01:23 Kobato: Oh, I’m the only one, po.
01:23 Saiki: Oh, she’s the only one.
01:24 Cookie: Is anyone else mixed with anything? I mean the other members.
01:26 Saiki: Oh…
01:27 Kobato: They are not mixed, po.
01:28 Saiki: This… this is our limit.
01:29 Cookie: What do you mean by your limit?
01:30 Kobato: (laughs)
01:31 Cookie: Does it come out at your limit?
01:31 Saiki: No… no more of this kind…
01:33 Cookie: (laughs)
01:34 Rossy: That would be confusing.
01:35 Cookie: Uh-huh.
[Highlights]
01:38 Cookie: Po po po po po po po po po po po po…
01:39 Cookie: Po po po po po po po po po, po po po po po…
01:40 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
01:41 Narrator: Cookie is infected too!! Today is the Po Po Po Festival!… or not…
01:46 Nesmith: Off stage, she doesn’t say it.
01:48 Cookie: That’s not good.
01:49 Narrator: Nesmith of Exile reveals a suspected fabrication of “po po po”!
01:55 [Caption] World rockstars’ favorite Osaka specialties!
01:55 Narrator: And Osaka has restaurants that world rockstars loved!
02:00 [Caption] Reporter: Ioka of the world
02:00 Narrator: The reporter is that guy who knows the world!
02:05 Kobato: He doesn’t say a single word, po.
02:07 Cookie: Once his wife came.
02:10 [Opening] Ongaku Bakudan
02:13 Rossy: Now, we’d like to dive deeper into Band-Maid… po!
02:18 Kobato: Po!
02:19 Cookie: Yes, thank you for your support.
02:19 Saiki: Thank you so much.
02:19 Kobato: Thank you for your support, po.
02:20 Rossy: Here is the Bakudan Board.
02:21 Cookie: Oh, po po po po po po po po, po.
02:23 Rossy: This is great. Let’s see what it’s going to be like.
02:23 [Board] Let’s take a listen to their signature song, po! A tip-off from Exile, po! World rockstars’ favorite Osaka specialties, po! The world champion and Jun-ichi Sumi, po! Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi-san, waiting for you, po! Next week is Mayonaka Ichiba, po!
02:26 Cookie: Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi-san… is waiting for you, po.
02:28 Kobato: Is he waiting for us, po?
02:29 Rossy: We made him an offer.
02:30 Cookie: This is a little too much…
02:31 Kobato: Is that true, po? (laughs)
02:32 Rossy: [Note: the lower 3 items] Honestly, these below here are, um, our directors and writers’ jokes.
02:36 Kobato: Oh.
02:36 Saiki: Oh (laughs), I see.
02:38 Rossy: These are, po, jokes.
02:39 Saiki: OK, I see.
02:39 Kobato: Are they jokes, po?
02:39 Rossy: Sorry, up to here.
02:42 Narrator: Our staff’s joking aside, first of all, let’s take a listen to Band-Maid’s signature song, po!
(Thrill)
02:53 Cookie: Are maids only in Japan?
02:54 Kobato: Well, maids like this are part of Japanese culture…
02:57 Cookie: Like… like lolita fashion?
02:58 Kobato: Oh, yes, po.
02:59 Cookie: Uh-huh, Japanese culture. Uh-huh.
03:02 Narrator: Over 170 million views on YouTube! Their most popular song is this, Thrill!
03:12 Narrator: Band-Maid are highly acclaimed overseas, and the comments section is like this!
03:19 Cookie: Oh, wow, awesome!
03:20 Kobato: Yes, it’s awesome, po.
03:21 Rossy: I can’t read them at all. Do you know those languages?
03:23 Kobato: No, I mean, there are so many comments in languages I don’t know, po.
03:26 Rossy: It’s like a foreign country.
03:26 Cookie: Aha, I get it. It’s from Mexico.
03:28 Kobato: Not only in English.
03:29 Rossy: Great.
03:36 Cookie: Oh? You have a lot of vocalists.
03:38 Kobato: Oh, us two, po.
03:39 Cookie: Oh, just two. Oh, the two of you.
03:40 Kobato: Well, it was quite a long time ago, so…
03:42 Saiki: It was long ago.
03:43 Kobato: … um… our faces look a little different, po, right?
03:46 Cookie: (laughs)
03:49 Rossy: How long ago was this?
03:50 Saiki: It was… 8 years…
03:50 Kobato: It was… about 8 years ago…
03:54 Rossy: Oh, it was quite a long time ago.
03:55 Saiki: Yes.
03:56 Saiki: That’s the song that started it all.
03:58 Cookie: Uh-huh, so that’s where it all started.
04:00 Kobato: Yes, exactly, po.
04:01 Rossy: Did you say “po, po” at that time?
04:03 Kobato: At that time, our manager didn’t allow me to do so, po.
04:06 Cookie: Uh-huh, even though you wanted.
04:07 Kobato: In the beginning, um, I said it, po, but he told me to really stop it, so I stopped… I was forced to stop it for some time, po.
04:14 Rossy: But now they love it all over the world, right?
04:16 Kobato: Yes, po, then our managers changed…
04:19 Cookie: “Hooray!” Like “Hooray!”
04:20 Kobato: Like “I will say it from now on, po”.
04:21 Cookie: Liberation of self.
04:22 Kobato: I liberated myself, po.
04:23 Rossy: Wow, that’s amazing.
04:23 Kobato: (laughs)
04:24 Cookie: So, um, I don’t have much to do with maids…
04:27 Kobato: (laughs) That must be so, po.
04:28 Cookie: I’ve seen them only in porns.
04:29 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
04:31 Kobato: Rather, you have something to do with them there, po, right?
04:32 Saiki: Your recognition, though.
04:33 Cookie: How far… I’m wondering how far I can talk.
04:34 Kobato: Uh-huh, I see, po, I see, po.
04:35 Saiki: (laughs)
04:36 Rossy: How many years have passed since your formation?
04:38 Kobato: We will have our 10th anniversary this year, po.
04:39 Cookie: Oh, congratulations (applause).
04:40 Rossy: Uh-huh, it’s just around the corner.
04:40 Saiki: Thank you so much.
04:41 Kobato: Thank you very much, po.
04:43 Rossy: How did you all meet?
04:45 Kobato: How we met is this. I, Kobato, originally used to work part-time at maid cafés, po, in reality.
04:48 Rossy: Oh, really? I see.
04:50 Kobato: I used to work also in Akihabara, po, but I also liked bands at the same time, so I ended up forming a band called Band-Maid by combining the two things, and I started to gather other members, po.
05:02 Rossy: Did you take applications?
05:04 Kobato: Um, our guitarist, Kanami-chan, posted cover videos and the like, um, on YouTube, and I found her there, po.
05:12 Cookie: Uh-huh.
05:13 Kobato: Then, Kanami invited our drummer Akane…
05:16 Cookie: Oh, I see.
05:17 Kobato: Then, our drummer Akane invited our bassist Misa, who went to the same music school as her…
05:23 Cookie: Uh-huh.
05:25 Kobato: When the four of us started like “All right, let’s go, po”, we were like “It sounds a little too bright with just Kobato’s voice, po”…
05:30 Cookie: Uh-huh, your voice was too pop.
05:31 Kobato: That’s right, po. I thought “I want a cooler voice too”, and then in our company, um, they found Sai-chan, who was alone doing nothing at all… (laughs)
05:39 Cookie: It’s not that she did nothing at all, right?
05:39 Rossy: No kidding.
05:40 Saiki: There was something I was doing.
05:41 Cookie: You were like this, you were wandering in the office like this.
05:42 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
05:44 Cookie: You did something then, right?
05:44 Saiki: Yes, I did something.
05:44 Kobato: Just something.
05:45 Saiki: I was working alone (laughs).
05:46 Kobato: By herself (laughs).
05:47 Cookie: Uh-huh, I guess so.
05:49 Cookie: Anyway, going overseas is beyond imagination for us… us from the island tribe who hang out around Lake Biwa.
05:56 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
05:59 Kobato: The video of Thrill you have just watched, was, um, our first MV, po, and about a half year after we released it, we suddenly had a huge increase in access from overseas, po.
06:10 Cookie: What?
06:11 Rossy: Uh-huh.
06:12 Saiki: There was a Facebook page that introduces Japanese pop culture to overseas people, and it was posted there (laughs).
06:20 Cookie: Oh, I see.
06:22 Kobato: No one in our company knew anything about it, po.
06:23 Saiki: No one knew.
06:24 Rossy: Oh, you didn’t know. Such a strange thing happened to you, right?
06:26 Cookie: Like “Look, cute maids are singing cool”…
06:27 Kobato: Oh, that’s right, po.
06:28 Cookie: Someone posted it with a pop and everyone started watching it.
06:30 Kobato: With a bang.
06:31 Saiki: Yes.
06:31 Cookie: Whoa, awesome.
06:32 Kobato: Po.
06:32 Cookie: I’m jealous.
06:34 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
06:36 Cookie: In my case I’m determined to wear only a gakuran [note: old-style Japanese school uniform, typical of the ’80s bad boys]…
06:38 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
06:39 Cookie: But I’ve got no overseas reaction at all (laughs).
06:40 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
06:42 Rossy: How are Japanese gakuran going?
06:44 Cookie: Japanese gakuran are no use.
06:45 Rossy: Let’s go on to the next.
06:46 Kobato: Po!
06:47 Rossy: Next, a tip-off from Exile, po.
06:47 Cookie: You’re awesome, indeed.
06:49 Rossy: This is great. Who among them? Let’s check it out.
06:54 Narrator: A tip-off about Band-Maid is from…
06:56 Rossy: Who?
06:58 Kobato: Po.
06:58 Saiki: (laughs)
07:00 Nesmith: Uh, you two of Yasei Bakudan, and Band-Maid’s, uh, Kobato, and Sai-chan, good evening! I’m Exile Nesmith.
07:05 Cookie: Awesome.
07:06 Rossy: Nesmith-san. Great.
07:07 Kobato: Po.
07:08 Narrator: What a surprise, he is a vocalist-performer of Exile and Exile The Second, Nesmith!
07:16 Narrator: The maid style and the urban guy style might seem opposite at first glance…
07:19 [Caption] There seems to be no connection
07:21 Cookie: I don’t think there’s any connection. What is it?
07:23 Nesmith: Well, Kobato is, uh, from the same hometown of Kumamoto as me…
07:26 Cookie: Ah, that makes sense.
07:28 Nesmith: I met her in Kumamoto before she came to Tokyo, and I was a little shocked like “What? Is there a girl this cute in Kumamoto?” when I saw her… That was my first impression.
07:39 Cookie: Whoa.
07:40 Saiki: (laughs)
07:44 Nesmith: She was thinking of moving to Tokyo, and, um, she was interested in working in the music industry like this, but she didn’t know anyone there, so she couldn’t decide what she should do…
07:57 Nesmith: So I was like “Well, at least I’m there, so why don’t you move there?” (laughs) She was like “OK, I understand, I’ll go to Tokyo” and then she came to Tokyo, and that’s how it all started, kind of.
08:14 [Caption] Without Nesmith, Kobato wouldn’t have become what she is now
08:15 Kobato: Crazy, this scene is crazy. A crazy scene.
08:17 Cookie: What the hell is “Mehhh”? (laughs)
08:21 Saiki: Oh, the “pyon” is used (laughs).
08:22 Cookie: (laughs)
08:24 [Caption] We asked him about “po”
08:32 Nesmith: Well, I also have a kind of music program, and I often have the opportunity to interview the two of them, and, um, Miku Kobato talks like “po po, po po” there, so I think “Oh, she’s so consistent”… (laughs)
08:50 Saiki: “Consistent” (laughs).
08:51 Cookie: What does “consistent” mean?
08:52 Nesmith: There are a lot of moments when I think “Awesome, she’s a pro”.
08:57 Nesmith: Off stage… off stage, she doesn’t say it.
09:01 Cookie: That’s not good.
09:02 Kobato: (laughs)
09:03 Cookie: This is bad news.
09:03 Nesmith: She sometimes talks naturally in the Kumamoto dialect.
09:09 Nesmith: She sometimes says “Nan’ya” or “Nannanbai” (laughs).
09:13 Kobato: That’s what Nes-san says, po.
09:15 Nesmith: She’s like that, quite opposite of “po” (laughs).
09:20 Cookie: [Note: I can’t hear well]
09:23 Nesmith: Uh, you two of Yasei Bakudan, if there’s any chance, uh, please kindly invite me to your show Ongaku Bakudan!
09:30 Cookie: Your fee is too high (laughs).
09:31 Nesmith: Well then, that’s all from Exile Nesmith, po!
09:34 Cookie: Po.
09:34 Nesmith: Thank you very much, po!
09:35 Cookie: Thanks a lot!
09:36 Rossy: Great.
09:37 Kobato: Didn’t he say only insane things just now?
09:38 Rossy: Yes, because it’s a tip-off, you know.
09:40 Saiki: It was really a tip-off.
09:41 Saiki: No, she does say it backstage…
09:45 Kobato: I’ll get lectured, po (laughs), if I say it.
09:47 Saiki: You’ll hate it if she says it outside, you know.
09:49 Kobato: (laughs)
09:50 Rossy: Of course.
09:50 Cookie: That makes sense.
09:51 Saiki: Yeah.
09:52 Kobato: I get lectured, po, so often.
09:53 Saiki: You know, you’ll absolutely look at her like “Hmm?”
09:55 Rossy: Yeah, yeah, you’ll look at her.
09:57 Saiki: So, um, I don’t want them to think we’re in the same group (laughs).
10:03 Kobato: When I say “po” in front of Nes-san, he laughs sooo much, po.
10:06 Cookie: Uh-huh, also because you’re from the same hometown.
10:08 Kobato: He teases me a lot about it…
10:09 Cookie: So, uh, can you do this? Um, for example, instead of putting “po” here and there seriously, what if you said “po po po po po po po po po, po po po po po” beforehand…
10:16 Kobato: Oh, that might have been better, po.
10:18 Cookie: Like “Just a moment, Nesmith-san, po po po po po po po po po po po po”…
10:20 Kobato: Po po po po (laughs).
10:22 Kobato: Po-pooling!
10:23 Saiki: What… (laughs)
10:23 Cookie: Yeah, po-pooling, po-pooling.
10:23 Kobato: Aha, po-pooling! I see, po. I’ll do it from next time on, po.
10:25 Saiki: Like a withdrawal symptom from it (laughs).
10:26 Cookie: If you say so, um, if you do it, I think he will be like “Whoa!”
10:29 Kobato: Good point.
10:30 Rossy: All right, let’s go on to the next.
10:31 Kobato: Yes.
10:31 Rossy: The next one is this.
10:31 Kobato: Po.
10:31 Rossy: World rockstars’ favorite Osaka specialties, po. I wonder what this is.
10:35 Kobato: Po.
10:36 Cookie: Ah. But, you know, aren’t you guys pretty particular about your food? Are you OK with this? Do you eat ordinary food, like, katsudon?
10:42 Kobato: Oh, yes, po, we eat it, po. Oh, the day before recording, you eat a katsudon…
10:45 Saiki: I eat a katsudon the day before.
10:47 Cookie: No, why, that’s lame.
10:49 Saiki: To win. [Note: Japanese people wish good luck with the pun of katsudon and “katsu” (“to win”).]
10:50 Cookie: That’s exactly why it’s lame!
10:51 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
10:51 Cookie: It’s freaking lame.
10:52 Rossy: You dare to do it.
10:53 Saiki: And, also, I eat udon on the day of recording.
10:56 Cookie: What for?
10:56 Rossy: Uh-huh.
10:57 Saiki: Um, to wish my voice will be elastic and long.
10:59 Kobato: (laughs)
11:00 Rossy: What, no one does such a thing (laughs).
11:01 Cookie: That’s freaking lame, right?
11:02 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
11:03 Cookie: Don’t use your low-pitched voice to slowly say a lame thing.
11:04 Saiki: Wishing good luck… I like wishing good luck.
11:10 Narrator: Band-Maid, active around the world, should definitely know about world rockstars’ favorite Osaka specialties we introduce now, in order to keep spreading their wings to the world!
11:13 Cookie: Wow, awesome.
11:23 Narrator: Our reporter is…
11:25 Cookie: Oh? It’s the WBC.
11:26 Kobato: I see, po.
11:28 Ioka: Hello, Yasei Bakudan and Band-Maid. I’m Hiroki Ioka. Nice to meet you.
11:34 Saiki: Oh?
11:35 Rossy: Hold on.
11:35 Kobato: Does he pronounce it right, po?
11:36 Cookie: No, he doesn’t.
11:37 Kobato: (laughs)
11:38 Narrator: A man who knows the world just like Band-Maid. Chairman Ioka!
11:42 Cookie: I… I want subtitles for all his words.
11:46 Narrator: A former WBC minimumweight world champion and former WBA light-flyweight world champion, and now the chairman of Ioka Boxing Gym!
11:47 Cookie: Awesome jabs. He was a strong champion.
11:50 Kobato: Awesome, po.
11:56 Narrator: Now, let’s go!
11:57 Saiki: Outside?! (laughs)
11:59 Ioka: “Ioka the Man goes around the corner”.
12:01 Kobato: She was weirded out a little, po.
12:03 Cookie: (laughs)
12:04 Narrator: The first one is a taiyaki shop near Nakazakicho Station.
12:07 Cookie: Taiyaki.
12:07 Narrator: Which rockstar of the world visited here?!
12:11 [Caption] Osaka Naniwaya, Nakazaki, Kita, Osaka
12:11 Ioka: Uh, hello. I’m I… Ioka.
12:13 Taiyaki cook: Hello.
12:13 Cookie: “I’m I… Ioka”.
12:14 Taiyaki cook: Wow, your belt is great.
12:15 Ioka: I just put my champion belt on.
12:17 Taiyaki cook: They have been active at the forefront since the ’80s…
12:21 Ioka: OK.
12:22 Taiyaki cook: A five-piece group.
12:24 Ioka: A five-piece group?
12:25 Taiyaki cook: Yes. Who do you think they are?
12:27 Ioka: Godiego.
12:28 Cookie: He’s so fast.
12:29 Taiyaki cook: They are Americans.
12:31 Ioka: America?
12:31 Saiki: Oh, Americans.
12:32 Taiyaki cook: Armageddon… made them famous.
12:35 Ioka: Ultraman.
12:37 Cookie: This is hopeless.
12:38 Ioka: Wrong?
12:39 Taiyaki cook: They are Something-Smith. Who are they?
12:40 Cookie: Name Americans (laughs).
12:42 Cookie: Oh, great.
12:42 Ioka: Jun-ichi Sumi [note: an announcer in Osaka].
12:44 Cookie: So, why Sumi-san?
12:45 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
12:45 Taiyaki cook: That was a quick answer.
12:47 Ioka: Wrong?
12:48 Taiyaki cook: That’s a wrong answer.
12:50 Narrator: Chairman, you seem a little dizzy from a punch in the past.
12:53 Cookie: Hey, don’t say such a thing (laughs).
12:55 Ioka: Do you have a picture or something?
12:56 Taiyaki cook: Oh, yes, I do.
12:56 [Caption] The correct answer is
12:57 Taiyaki cook: I have a picture on display.
13:00 Ioka: OK.
13:00 Taiyaki cook: The correct answer is Aerosmith.
13:03 Ioka: Oh, Aerosmith?
13:05 [Caption] Steven Tyler
13:05 Kobato: He has such a tiny face, po, right?
13:07 Cookie: I didn’t know his face is that tiny. He looks almost like Naoko Ken [note: a female Japanese singer in the ’80s].
13:10 Kobato: (laughs)
13:11 Taiyaki cook: They were at a concert venue in Osaka, near the South Port, and asked me to bake, so I brought this whole taiyaki machine there and cooked between the dressing room and the stage like catering service.
13:24 Ioka: Wasn’t that hard work?
13:26 Taiyaki cook: Yes, it was. There were Aerosmith and their staff, over 200 people in total.
13:30 Ioka: Uh-huh.
13:31 Taiyaki cook: So, um, Steven Tyler-san loves taiyaki so much that he ate one before going on stage, and ate another one after coming back from the stage all sweaty.
13:32 Kobato: Oh, awesome, po. He’s pinching the tail, po.
13:42 Ioka: Uh-huh.
13:43 Taiyaki cook: And he was going back to the US right after that, so thankfully he took ten of them with him.
13:47 Ioka: Uh-huh.
13:48 Taiyaki cook: Well, um, it looks like they flew on their private jet…
13:50 Ioka: A private jet?!
13:51 Taiyaki cook: Yes.
13:52 Ioka: That’s awesome.
13:52 Taiyaki cook: I guess he ate taiyaki again on the flight.
13:54 Ioka: Oh, of course, I’m sure he ate it like “I’m sooo hungry”.
13:59 Cookie: There’s no way he said so.
14:00 Saiki: (laughs)
14:02 [Caption] Taiyaki 200 yen
14:02 Ioka: So, now I’ll have a taiyaki Aerosmith had.
14:05 Rossy: Looks delicious.
14:07 Saiki: Crispy?
14:10 Ioka: Mmm, delicious.
14:13 Saiki: Really?
14:13 Ioka: It’s mildly sweet, or rather, it’s not too sugary, and it’s easy to eat, so I would eat 3 or 4 of them. It’s really like that.
14:23 Ioka: I’m on a diet for a while so I can’t eat a lot, but if I weren’t, I could probably eat about 10 of them.
14:28 Saiki, Kobato: Wow.
14:29 Ioka: 8… I could eat about 8 of them. It’s a piece of cake to eat 8 of them.
14:32 Cookie: 8 pieces.
14:34 Kobato: 2 pieces are gone, po (laughs).
14:35 Staff: To be honest, how many pieces do you think you can eat if you try?
14:38 Ioka: 9 pieces.
14:39 Kobato: (laughs) Hold on!
14:41 Ioka: “Ioka the Man goes around the corner”.
14:45 Narrator: The second one is an okonomiyaki shop in Grand Front Osaka.
14:46 Rossy: He’s in a great place. Is he all right?
14:50 Narrator: The world rockstars who visited here are…
14:51 [Caption] Omoni Grand Front Osaka, Ofukacho, Kita, Osaka
14:55 Okonomiyaki cook: Something and Something.
14:58 Cookie: What?
14:58 Kobato: Aha.
14:59 Ioka: “And”?
15:00 Okonomiyaki cook: “And”.
15:00 Ioka: “And” reminds me of Tadao Ando-san.
15:03 Kobato: No (laughs). It’s in the middle, po.
15:03 Okonomiyaki cook: Bzzt.
15:05 Okonomiyaki cook: “And” is in the middle, OK?
15:06 Ioka: Uh-huh, in the middle.
15:08 Okonomiyaki cook: Something and Something.
15:10 Ioka: Uh-huh.
15:13 Ioka: Uh, Highheel & Momoko.
15:16 Okonomiyaki cook: She’s not a rock band, OK?
15:17 Cookie: No, no, she’s Highheel Momoko [note: a Japanese comedian].
15:17 Ioka: Is that wrong?
15:18 Okonomiyaki cook: She’s not a rock band.
15:20 Okonomiyaki cook: They came to Japan in 2017, to perform in Osaka, at Kyocera Dome.
15:30 Ioka: So they did a concert there and came here, right?
15:32 Okonomiyaki cook: Yeah, exactly.
15:34 Narrator: Chairman Ioka is about to be knocked out! Miku Kobato-san, we have no choice but to ask you to answer in place of him!
15:42 Kobato: I got it this time, po. Guns N’ Roses.
15:46 Cookie: Wow.
15:47 Kobato: Po.
15:49 Kobato: He goes on and on. Pretty intense.
15:53 Cookie: After finishing it, what the hell is this?
15:54 Kobato: (laughs)
15:54 Okonomiyaki cook: The correct answer is Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose-san.
16:02 Ioka: Oh. Axl Rose-san.
16:03 Okonomiyaki cook: Did you get it?
16:04 Ioka: Yes.
16:04 Okonomiyaki cook: Did you get it?
16:06 Narrator: The correct answer is Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose!
16:10 Kobato: I knew, po.
16:11 Narrator: He enjoyed okonomiyaki and yakisoba to the fullest with his wife and a few staff members.
16:16 [Caption] Signature Omoni-yaki (pork, squid, shrimp, scallop, egg) 1,500 yen
16:16 Narrator: He seems to have liked it so much that his staff took the same dish to the concert venue the next day!
16:21 [Caption] Special Champon (beef tendon, kimchi, green onion, cabbage) 2,000 yen
16:21 Cookie: Looks yummy.
16:22 Saiki: Looks delicious.
16:23 Kobato: Wow, it looks delicious, po, this champon.
16:25 Ioka: Mmm! It’s soft and delicious!
16:30 Ioka: This is really yummy.
16:32 Okonomiyaki cook: We use almost no flour in it.
16:34 Cookie: Uh-huh.
16:35 Kobato: Uh-huh.
16:35 Okonomiyaki cook: With a lot of cabbage.
16:36 Ioka: This cabbage.
16:37 Okonomiyaki cook: Yes, it is. Also, you can’t have this yakisoba anywhere else, absolutely.
16:43 Okonomiyaki cook: This is a rare one with both udon and soba.
16:46 Ioka: Oh, you’re right.
16:46 Kobato: Really? Oh, right.
16:47 Okonomiyaki cook: Yes, it is.
16:48 Staff: Can I ask you to do a food report by comparing it to boxing moves?
16:49 Cookie: Oh, that’s why it’s named champon. [Note: “champon” means “mixed together”.]
16:50 Kobato: Oh, I see, po!
16:51 Ioka: Yes.
16:53 Ioka: Uh, the lef… the left is very important… the most important thing, in boxing. There’s a saying that “He who rules with his left rules the world”.
17:01 Ioka: So, a left jab, a left uppercut, a left hook, three in a row, knocked you out.
17:07 Okonomiyaki cook: …
17:08 Saiki: (laughs)
17:08 Ioka: It’s delicious.
17:09 Cookie: This is insane.
17:12 Kobato: This is insane, po.
17:13 Ioka: Ioka the Man. Of this report, I have no regrets! [Note: a reference to Raoh.]
17:19 Cookie: Of course you have no regrets in this.
17:19 Narrator: The last one is this fashionable ramen shop.
17:22 Cookie: “Ramen War”.
17:23 Kobato: Oh, this is a ramen shop, po.
17:24 [Caption] Ramen Daisenso Senba-Shinsaibashi, Minami-Kyuhojimachi, Chuo, Osaka
17:24 Ioka: This is such a cozy shop. It doesn’t look like a ramen shop, right?
17:25 Cookie: Oh, is it like this?
17:28 Ioka: Right? What’s this?
17:29 Emi Ioka: It’s so fashionable. Kind of American, in the New York style?
17:31 Cookie: Don’t know who she is.
17:33 Emi Ioka: Um, I’m Ioka’s wife. I’m Emi.
17:35 Cookie: Oh, is she?!
17:35 Kobato: His wife!
17:37 Ioka: Yes, today is her first time shooting.
17:39 Ramen cook: Yes.
17:39 Emi Ioka: Um, I’ve heard a rockstar visited this shop frequently.
17:42 Cookie: His wife keeps the show going.
17:43 Saiki: He suddenly stoppped talking!
17:44 Kobato: Seriously, po?
17:44 Cookie: So his wife is his coach.
17:45 Ramen cook: Yes. Bruno Mars-san visited here.
17:47 Saiki: Whoa?!
17:49 Emi Ioka: Bruno Mars. Awesome.
17:49 [Caption] He visited here at the time of his shows at Kyocera Dome Osaka in October last year
17:52 Emi Ioka: That’s wonderful.
17:54 Cookie: Ioka is silent (laughs).
17:56 Kobato: He doesn’t say a single word, po.
17:58 Cookie: Once his wife came (laughs).
17:59 Kobato: Yeah.
18:00 Ramen cook: I think he performed for 3 days, and he visited us 4 times or so.
18:05 Emi Ioka: What?
18:06 Saiki: 4 times?
18:07 Kobato: Awesome, po.
18:08 Ramen cook: There was even a day when he visited us in the morning and again in the evening.
18:10 Kobato: Oh?!
18:10 Saiki: Whoa?!
18:11 Rossy: Great.
18:12 Ramen cook: I guess he visited us really just by chance, but when I saw people waiting in line first thing in the morning, I was like “Oh? There’s a foreigner waiting in line”.
18:19 Cookie: Whoa?!
18:20 Emi Ioka: Bruno Mars was waiting in line?
18:22 Kobato: Whoa, that’s awesome, po!
18:23 Rossy: Great.
18:24 Saiki: Awesome.
18:25 Ramen cook: He waited in line all 4 times.
18:26 Saiki: What?!
18:27 Ramen cook: Bruno Mars-san had a ramen named “Pistol”…
18:32 Kobato: “Pistol”?
18:32 Ramen cook: We named it so because we can serve it as quickly as a pistol bullet.
18:35 Kobato: Uh-huh.
18:38 [Caption] 3 minutes later
18:41 Rossy: That’s great.
18:42 Cookie: She gets her hips in properly.
18:43 Saiki: Properly.
18:43 Kobato: Sure. She’s solid, po.
18:44 Emi Ioka: Oh, here it comes! Thank you so much.
18:48 Emi Ioka: Wow, awesome!
18:49 Saiki: Awesome!
18:50 [Caption] Kansai-dashi shoyu ramen Pistol 810 yen
18:50 Emi Ioka: It also has a vibrant appearance.
18:51 Kobato: It looks so beautiful, po.
18:52 Emi Ioka: Great for Instagram! It looks delicious.
19:00 Emi Ioka: It has a clear taste. Not too heavy.
19:05 Ramen cook: We use rare-cooked char siu…
19:06 Emi Ioka: Rare-cooked char siu.
19:06 Ramen cook: Yes. We import it all the way from Italy.
19:09 Emi Ioka: It’s delicious. What did Bruno Mars-san say?
19:14 Ramen cook: He kept saying “Arigato, arigato” in broken Japanese and left, and he also did something like this for us when he was about to leave.
19:23 Ioka: Thank you very much.
19:24 Emi Ioka: Arigato (laughs). [Note: said with an English accent.]
19:28 Emi Ioka: Bruno Mars said that, so I tried to do an impression of him (laughs).
19:33 Narrator: Now we have an urgent announcement!
19:35 Kobato: I wonder what this is, po?
19:36 Narrator: What a surprise, the two of them made their CD debut the other day!
19:39 [Caption] Kawachiya Kikusuimaru & the Iokas, The Hiroki Ioka Story: The Road to Glory, Childhood Chapter now on sale!
19:40 Narrator: Good-bye with the great song, broadcast on TV for the first time!
19:41 Kobato: Duet?!
19:46 Cookie: This is tough to see (laughs).
19:53 Kobato: Does “Childhood Chapter” mean they will continue, po?
19:54 Cookie: They will continue. They will keep on and on like a road movie, probably?
19:57 Kobato: (laughs)
19:57 Saiki: (laughs)
19:58 Cookie: From his childhood.
19:59 Kobato: It’s quite…
20:00 Rossy: How was that? Was there any place you want to visit?
20:01 Cookie: Oh.
20:01 Kobato: Oh, at any rate, I was sooo interested in them all, po.
20:04 Kobato: You know, I really would love to visit there, but we have to go overseas so often that it’s hard to find the time… [Note: this is a joke.]
20:13 Cookie: Just eat f**king taiyaki. Buy them and share them with your mates, without saying “po, po”.
20:19 Cookie: Go buy them if you have time to say “po”.
20:21 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
20:24 Cookie: Who’re you… Stop showing off!!
20:25 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
20:27 Cookie: You little brats, I’m gonna kill you!
20:28 Saiki, Kobato: (laughs)
20:29 Rossy: Like “the world”.
20:30 Cookie: What the f**k is the world… I don’t care if you say “flying around the world, po”, but I’m doing this in my military uniform! [Note: gakuran looks like a military uniform.]
20:36 Cookie: [Note: I can’t hear well]
20:38 Rossy: No, no, never talk about the world.
20:41 Cookie: So outrageous.
20:42 Rossy: Is there anyone like this?
20:43 Saiki: Whoa, it’s huge! (laughs)
20:44 Rossy: You guys got on his bad side.
20:46 Kobato: Whoa, insane, it’s as huge as a cigar, po.
20:49 Rossy: This is insane.
20:50 Cookie: I don’t care about “po, po”.
20:50 Saiki: This is insane.
20:52 Cookie: Stand up.
20:52 Kobato: What?!
20:53 Rossy: This is insane.
20:53 Kobato: I… I stand up, po?
20:54 Saiki: Do we stand up?
20:54 Cookie: Hey, get your forehead out.
20:55 Saiki: She has such… such…
20:56 Kobato: My forehead? My forehead?
20:57 [Caption] An astonishing fact revealed!?
20:57 Narrator: It’s time for our routine cigarette execution… or not!
21:02 Cookie: (laughs)
21:05 Narrator: What happened to Cookie?! … But before going on to it.
21:13 Narrator: The Blu-ray/DVD of their solo concert at Tokyo Garden Theater held in January this year is now on sale!
21:26 [Caption] Takuto Onuki, Ongaku Bakudan DJ
21:26 Onuki: The audience was like that, even though with masks…
21:28 Kobato: That’s right, po, yeah.
21:28 Onuki: OK.
21:28 Saiki: That’s right. Cheering for the first time in a long time.
21:31 Kobato: It had been a long time.
21:33 Saiki: We were like “We were not alone” (laughs).
21:34 Kobato: Exactly, po. Um, we had the COVID pandemic before then. I, Kobato, tried my best but the audience didn’t cheer back, you know, po.
21:39 Onuki: Exactly, you’re right.
21:40 Kobato: So it was like doing a failed comedy all by myself, po.
21:42 Onuki: (laughs)
21:43 Saiki: A failed comedy (laughs).
21:45 Kobato: Um, it was the first situation in a long time where they cheered back, so that made us…
21:50 Saiki: Tearful.
21:51 Kobato: We were tearful, po.
21:54 Onuki: Well, sorry to interrupt you, but you are on a tour now…
21:56 Kobato: Po.
21:56 Onuki: And you will keep going. Will you come back to Kansai again?
21:58 Kobato: Yes.
21:59 Saiki: Yes.
21:59 Onuki: OK.
21:59 Kobato: We’ll come back here again, po.
22:00 Onuki: You will perform at Namba Hatch too. And your finish line is awesome, right?
22:01 Kobato: Yes.
22:04 Kobato: At Yokohama Arena.
22:05 Onuki: That’s truly amazing!
22:08 Kobato: For example, we have written a song that would be nice to sing along with all of them at Yokohama Arena…
22:16 Onuki: Wow!
22:17 Kobato: It’s going to come true, po, right?
22:19 Saiki: Yeah.
22:20 Onuki: Great. You had the COVID pandemic, but your five-year goal will finally come true…
22:24 Kobato: Yes, po.
22:25 Onuki: I’m impressed you are working on making it come true. Great.
22:31 [Caption] An astonishing fact will be revealed soon, po!
22:32 Rossy: You’re a half-bird half-human.
22:35 Rossy: This is an astonishing fact.
22:36 Cookie: What the hell? What?
(Commercials)
22:39 Cookie: Hey, get your forehead out.
22:40 Saiki: She has such… such…
22:40 Kobato: My forehead? My forehead?
22:41 Saiki: A tiny forehead.
22:41 Kobato: My forehead? But I have no forehead, po.
22:43 Cookie: Show it to me.
22:44 Kobato: I really don’t have a forehead, po (laughs).
22:46 Saiki: (laughs)
22:47 Rossy: You really have no forehead.
22:49 Cookie: Hey, are you Koji Kikkawa?
22:50 Saiki: (laughs)
22:52 Cookie: I’ve never seen such a… tiny forehead. Go home.
22:55 Kobato: I’m relieved, I was saved because I have no forehead, po.
22:57 Saiki: You were saved.
22:57 Cookie: You were saved, right?
22:57 Kobato: I was saved, po.
22:58 Cookie: But you want some forehead, no?
22:59 Kobato: Actually I want some forehead, po.
23:01 Cookie: Do your best. Save money and, um, go to Takasu Clinic [note: a well-known plastic surgeon].
23:03 Saiki: (laughs)
23:03 Kobato: Oh, yes, po. Um, I sometimes… shave it, po.
23:07 Cookie: (laughs)
23:07 Rossy: So you’re doing your best.
23:09 Cookie: Sorry for making you show your weird part.
23:10 Kobato: (laughs)

Hi everyone,
I am a working border collie trainer and competitor. My dogs work sheep, cattle, goats... you name it.
I'm writing this post because on June 16-18th I am part of a team putting on a sheepdog competition in Southern Alberta (30 minutes south of Cardston, ~75 minutes south of Lethbridge). It's completely free to come spectate and most sheepdog trials don't really get a lot of spectators... which is a shame because they're a lot of fun to watch and you can get pretty into it when you start rooting for a given dog/handler (maybe i'm biased).
Anyway, here's what you need to know if you're interested in maybe stopping by.
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WHAT IS IT? A sheep dog trial is where a handler and their dog have to move a group of sheep around a large field (putting them through some panels, into a pen and even splitting groups of sheep in the advanced levels). A judge scores each run based on how precise, controlled and smooth the sheep were moved through the course. It's basically like Babe if you've seen that classic flick except you won't see any pigs taking home the top prize this time around.
There will be multiple levels of competition from the most advance (called Open), to newer and less experienced handlers/dogs (Novice, Pro Novice etc.).
WHAT DOES IT COST TO COME ? Nothing, it's completely free to come watch.
We'll have a box set up for folks who want to donate to the trial prize pool on-site, but it's totally voluntary.
WHEN IS IT? June 16: 8am-8pm+ June 17: 8am-8pm+ June 18: 8am- around 4pm
WHERE IS IT? The trial will take place in a large pasture (generously donated by Boss Feeds and Nish Charolais) located 30 minutes south of Cardston.
It's pretty easy to get to. Take AB 501 south east out of Cardston, turn right onto HWY 40 then continue straight onto Range Road 240a.
Also, here is a Google Pin for the exact location if that's easier.
WHO IS COMPETING? Many of Canada's top sheep dogs and their handlers, and a few great teams from the US, will be competing over the course of the 3 days. Including two dogs from Canada's 2023 World Team that will be going to compete internationally in Ireland this August (basically the Olympics for sheepdogs).
WILL THERE BE FOOD/DRINKS? Yep, The Ranch House restaraunt (based out of Cardston) will be onsite selling food and drinks.
HEY, THAT SOUNDS INTERESTING. I WANT TO SPONSOR THIS THING MAYBE? This trial is completely non-profit (all money after expenses goes straight to the prize/payout pool for contributors), but it also has been helped out hugely by a few key sponsors. Chief amoung them Boss Feeds and Nish Charolais. And a few others.
If you have a company, or just want to support our event, don't hesitate to let me know. We'd love any and all support.

Now, I love Lou, but had to think of something to get two certain characters to Ericson to help save his life. One of them is a relative to one of the kids as the school. And after this chapter, Clem, will start to loosen her prejudice over Maya when they start to bond and work together to save Louis's life. She will start to look at Maya, and sees what Violet sees in her.
Over the next couple of days, Louis's pain in his lower right abdomen started to burn and hurt like hell. He thought it was hungry pains and found himself not hungry. Or it was weird after-sex pain that lasts several days after having sex the first time. Louis ignored the pain and eased up for quite some time when he, Aasim, and Willy were out hunting.
Louis fought through the pain of taking the rabbit out of the snare and held his side. Louis has a cold sweat now forming on his brow. Am I getting sick or something? Better not be. I am needed for hunting. Louis must be kneeling for quite some time as Aasim comes back hauling two rabbits.
"Dude you're okay?" Aasim looks at his friend.
Louis slowly rises and holds his right side. "Yeah...just...heartburn."
Aasim's eyebrows raise in concern, "Lou, you're not fine. You're sweating and it is freezing out."
"Let's just get the rest of the traps set for Thumper to run into them if they ever come out." Louis waves off Aasim's concern.
"Still think you should see Ruby." Aasim looks at him.
"Will you stop worrying about me? I'm fine, I don't need—" Louis pauses as he feels his stomach turn. Louis starts to gag and runs to a side of the tree and pukes.
Aasim drops the kills and tends to his friend. Aasim approaches Louis and sees him turning a different shade of color, "Come on, let's get you back home. Willy and I will set the traps later. You need to see Ruby now. Vomiting is not an indicator of fine Louis," Aasim spoke.
Louis nods and holds his right abdomen, as the pain steadily worsens. Willy finishes catching a rabbit and looks as Aasim walks close to Louis and sees Louis's pale brown now, "What is wrong with him?"
"Louis is sick. Taking him back to see Ruby. Take what we caught to Omar, and you and I will reset the traps later this evening." Aasim said.
"It is just the stomach bug, Aasim," Louis spoke, trying not to make it a big deal.
"Maybe, but let's have Ruby verify it first, okay." Aasim walks with him.
"Okay... I think you are wasting your girl's talents on something silly as the stomach bu—" Louis then felt a sharp pain now in his lower right side as it causes him to fall to his knees with a thud.
"Louis!" Aasim rushes to his side and sees his friend holding his side. "Shit.."
Willy looks to Aasim, "What is happening to him? Stomach bugs usually don't make people faint, do they?"
"No, they don't. Come on, I need your help." Aasim instructs Willy on what to do, and the rest of the way back Aasim carries Louis on his shoulder.
Violet is on watch duty when she sees Aasim carrying Louis, and she rushes down from the watch tower to open the gate. Once Aasim and Willy are through the gate, Violet asks, "What happened?"
"I don't know. We need to see Ruby ASAP. Something majorly is wrong with Louis." Aasim told Violet.
"She's in the greenhouse with Clementine." Violet pointed in the direction of the greenhouse.
Aasim nodded, "Willy, go fetch her and meet me in the nurse's station. Violet go to the library and find a medical book, any medical book."
"Why a medical—" Violet started to say.
"Because I think we are going to need it to find out exactly what is wrong with Louis," Aasim spoke. He heaves Louis up the stairs to the admin building. It was a long tiring climb but he laid Louis down on a soft bed in the nurse's station.
Violet comes in first with the book Aasim requested and didn't take long before Clementine and Ruby are at the door. Clementine rushes to be at her lover's side. She felt Louis's head as he breaks out in a cold sweat, and he looked pale. Clementine looks at Aasim, "What happened? What is wrong with him?"
Aasim rubs the back of his neck, "I don't know. He was acting strange when we were hunting and trying to reset the snares when Louis started to vomit, and then as we were walking back, he fainted and hasn't woken up since. He was favoring his right side."
Ruby stands by Louis and touches his forehead, "He's got a fever, that is for sure."
Clementine looks into Ruby's blue eyes, "Stomach bug?"
Aasim shook his head, "Stomach bugs don't make people faint. Or have severe lower abdominal pains"
Violet reaches for the book Aasim requested and asks Aasim to list off Louis's symptoms, "Aasim give me Louis's symptoms again."
Aasim looked at Violet and started to list off his symptoms, "He has a fever, vomited out in the woods, and been holding his lower right side. And fainted."
Violet looks to Clementine who is near Louis's right side, "Clem lift up Louis's shirt and lightly feel around where his hip is."
Clementine looks at Violet and does precisely what she instructed. When she touches the tender spot on Louis's stomach Louis groans, and his fist slams the bed, and he hugs his body. Violet looks and finds what is wrong with him, "Fuck...his appendix ruptured."
Clementine looks at her, "How do you know that?"
"A girl who used to live here, Maddy. Her appendix ruptured, and Ms. Martin had to take her to the hospital." Violet spoke.
Violet handed the medical book to Ruby and pointed the medical term out to her. Clementine looks at Louis and then back at the two girls, "Okay...what do we do? Pain meds."
Violet eyes Aasim and Ruby, and Ruby is first to speak, "Clem, Louis needs more than just medicine. He needs surgery."
Clementine eyes widen, "Surgery?! But we don't have that option around here." Clementine took her gaze off the two girls and looked at Louis, who looked to be in pain. She closes her eyes and is afraid to ask this question to get an answer she is afraid to hear. Clementine reopens her eyes and looks at Ruby, "What happens if Louis can't get surgery?"
Ruby reads what would happen if the appendix is not removed in time, and she is afraid to answer Clementine. Clementine looks to her as the only medical person in this school who know this stuff, "Well?"
Ruby swallows hard, "Louis could die Clem."
Clementine face falls and she holds his hand, and her eyes squeeze shut. She reopens them and looks at Ruby with tears in her eyes, "Can you do it? Or look it up somewhere on how to do it?"
"Clem...I...I know little about this kind of stuff. I didn't go to med school, I could make it worse." Ruby's voice broke.
"You're the best bet I have, Ruby!" Clementine raises to her feet.
"I'm not a surgeon, Clem. I only know basic medical knowledge of what Ms. Martin told me." Ruby looks at Clementine with empathy and wishes she knew more, but she doesn't.
The whole time when Clementine and Ruby are talking, Violet eyes Louis. Maya! Maya knows how to heal people. Maybe she can help Louis. Violet fixes her eyes on Clementine, "Maya might know how to help Louis."
Clementine and Ruby both turn to look at Violet. Clementine crosses her arms and eyes, Violet, "And how will your girlfriend know how to fix him? He needs a surgeon Vi, not an herbalist."
"Clem, Ruby needs help, and Maya knows some medical knowledge here that can help save Louis. It is not like we got a choice here in picking doctors here. I know you have trust issues with Maya, but she can help Clementine." Violet ignores the comment on her girlfriend, which Violet had every right to tell Clementine off but chooses not to as Louis needs her help more than her feud with Clementine.
Ruby looks to Clementine, "I can use another set of hands from a healer. And she is right. We don't have many options to choose from if we want to save Louis. If Violet can bring Maya here, the better."
Clementine looks to Ruby and then to Violet, and then her gaze rests on Louis, whose life is hanging in the balance. Clementine closes her eyes to think as she doesn't have much of an option but to take up Violet's offer and bring Maya here to inspect Louis and work with Ruby to save him. Clementine sighs, "Fine. But take Aasim with you. I don't want anyone from her group to come and know about this place, got it? Especially Arvo and Bonnie." Violet turns to her friend, and the two of them leave the nurses' station.
...
Violet and Aasim walk in the woods as Violet leads him down the pathway she takes to meet Maya. Aasim told her, "I am surprised Clem is being civil on this matter."
"Louis's life is on the line. So, she doesn't have much choice to hold onto her pride." Violet murmurs. "She loves him, and people will do anything to keep the person they love alive. I would have done the same thing if Maya was like this." Violet admitted.
Aasim looks at her, "Speaking of which, how do you know where she will be? Or know her whereabouts in her camp?"
Violet looks to him and then her eyes forward, "We worked out a coding system of leaving messages close by an opening in the wall by her tent in her group's camp. How she treated my shoulder a few days ago. Ruby is good, but the stuff Maya uses is better." Violet admitted. "Don't tell Ruby I said that. I'm grateful for her skill of taking care of me and everyone, but something about the stuff Maya uses...it is better, and feels like there are some magical healing properties."
Aasim holds out his hands, "I won't, and pretend I didn't hear you prefer your girlfriend's stuff over Ruby's."
Violet smiles a little, then focus on getting to Maya to help Louis. They are nearing Maya's group encampment, and she signals to Aasim to be quiet and follow her lead. They didn't get far into the caravan's territory when Violet pulled Aasim behind a bush for cover as they saw a red hair woman, Maya, and Aniya. Aasim whispers to Violet, "How are we going to get her away from those two."
Violet watches her girlfriend and notices they just come back from hunting. She looked and thought of a way to get her attention, "Stay here,"
Aasim looks at her, "Violet. No, this is suicide. We will wait for her to be alone."
"Louis may not have that kind of time, Aasim. Every minute counts, and Louis needs that surgery, now!" Violet hisses. "I will go and get her attention. Wait here, please!" Violet inches closer and closer behind the three females as the redhead is carrying a small bore and two rabbits. Maya had a bow and a quiver of arrows.
Maya looked back and halted in her tracks as she heard footsteps behind them or nearby. Bonnie notices her slight absence, "Something wrong, Maya?"
Maya peers through the trees as she holds up a finger to her leader to stay quiet momentarily. Maya zeros in on the sound and looks to see Violet. Her eyes widened, and she had to think of something, "I thought I heard something back there. But I guess it was a bird or a walker. There are those still around." Maya turns back, and with her foot, she writes a one and an m in the dirt for Violet to see. It was a subtle motion that Bonnie or her sister never saw what Maya did with her foot. Maya turns back and follows Bonnie and her sister up the trial that led to their encampment.
Violet waited until the three of them were out of sight, and she went to the spot where Maya paused, and in the dirt, she wrote one m. Violet took that to mean one moment or one minute. Violet nods and goes to where Aasim is hiding. "Okay, she saw me and wrote a message in the dirt. She will be with us momentarily. She needs to find a way to sneak away from her group. Give her a few minutes." Violet spoke.
"But you said." Aasim started to say.
"I know, but I also don't want us or her to get in trouble here," Violet answers him. "I'm going about this in a smart way where we don't have spilled blood. Just trust in her, okay." Violet grips the tree with her hand.
They waited five minutes or so when Violet heard Maya's sweet voice calling her, "Vi? Violet?"
Violet peers out from the bush and motions for Aasim to get up with her, "Maya over here."
Maya comes to Violet and hugs her. Violet melted in her embrace and loved the soft touch Maya brought in her warm hugs. Violet holds onto Maya longer than she planned, but her heart got in the way. Aasim saw the love Maya and Violet shared with each other and kindly made his presence known to them. Violet snaps out of her love moment and pulls back from Maya. Maya sees Aasim, and she looks at Violet, "Okay..this is new. You brought a friend with you."
"Clementine's idea, not mine. I will cut to the chase. Louis needs your help, Maya." Violet spoke gently to her.
Aasim looks to this Indian girl, "Violet says you are good with medicine and are knowledgeable with medical procedures. is that right?"
"Yes on some, what is this about?" Maya looks at the two of them.
"We need your help in helping Louis. His appendix ruptured, and he needs surgery. Clementine said you won't be a help because you are an herbalist, but I know you can help him." Violet urges her girlfriend.
Maya looks into Violet's eyes with sympathy, "Vi, I love you, and great you have faith in my skill as a healer. I hate to agree with your leader Clementine here, but she is right. I, too, don't have any knowledge of surgical procedures. I never was trained to be one, not even out in Jackson when studying to be a healer in my Tribe."
Violet looks into her lover's eyes, "So you can't help us?"
"I didn't say that entirely. I am not a surgeon, but I know someone who is or used to be one. Someone in my group was one before the zombie outbreak happened. I can go get him." Maya looks at Aasim and Violet. Maya eyes Aasim, "If that is okay?"
Violet looks at Maya and nods, "Go."
Maya nods and heads back down the pathway she came from. Aasim watches her go and leans to Violet, "Vi, we came to get Maya not bring others to the school."
"Maya knows her group members, and one of them just happens to be the miracle Louis needs. We are going to bring them back to the school rather Clem likes the idea or not. Not like we can go ask anybody else here if they know surgery." Violet spoke.
Aasim heaves a sigh, "I just don't know how I feel about this, Vi."
Violet looks at him, "I'm doing this to save Louis. And this person in Maya's camp is our only option." Violet sighs, "I won't lose another friend when we can have a shot at saving him. I won't lose someone else I care for. Not you, Louis, Clementine, Tenn, or Maya., not today not ever."
....
Maya enters through the hole and she secretly sneaks out. Maya sees Bonnie by the campfire and Alberto chopping away at some fresh kill. Aniya was playing with Alicia keeping her occupied as Maya zeros in on Robert's tent. Maya sneaks in and finds him snoozing on his cot. With a deep breath, Maya approaches him, "Robert. Robert, I need you to wake up." Robert was still in a deep slumber and groaned a little.
Maya then goes by his arm and pinches him hard to get him awake. Robert sprung up, "Son of a bitch! Who the Fu—" Robert looks at Maya, "What are you doing?"
"I need you," Maya spoke.
"With what? You don't look to be injured or need medical treatment." Robert eyes her.
Maya took a deep breath, "I need your skills as a surgeon, Robert. And I need you to come with me to my girlfriend's camp. Louis needs your help."
When Maya mentions Louis's name Robert sits up, "What happened to my son?"
"His appendix ruptured. He needs a surgeon, and he needs an operation, like now, he needs you." Maya looks at him.
Robert closes his eyes. "Maya, I can't." Robert looks away, "I..."
Maya goes and kneels down to him and places her hands on Robert's knees. "I know this pain you caused runs deep."
"It is not that Maya, I can...I can possibly kill him. I haven't been in the OR since the outbreak happened. And I don't have the equipment if things go south. What if I.." Robert shakes his head, "There is a reason surgeons are not allowed to do surgery on our own families or be near the operating room. We get too involved."
"Robert, Louis needs you now more than ever. I have seen how you tried to care for Mike after he got bit. But the difference between Mike and your son Mike was already too far gone to be fixed, where there is still time to save your son. You can do this, Rob." Maya squeezes her pressure on his knee. "Rob, Louis doesn't have much time. If you want that reunion with your son, you need to step up here. Otherwise, you might not get another opportunity. Please."
Robert lets out a sigh and then raises his gaze to look at Maya, "Okay. Take me to him."
Maya raises to her feet and heads out of his tent. Robert comes after her shortly, and when Maya starts to head to the opening where she sneaks out, Robert pulls her back, "We need a better plan to get out of camp. Because of this outing we are doing Maya, is going to raise questions. Especially Arvo and Alberto."
"Okay, doc, you have any ideas?" Maya eyes him.
Robert looks at the gate and then at his medical tent, "Actually, I do. Wait here." Robert goes to his med tent and grabs the supplies he needs for surgery. Maya paces in the sandy dirt while she waits. It took several moments as she watched Robert approach Bonnie and started talking to her. Maya couldn't make out their conversation, but she was surprised when Bonnie gave the okay. Robert then nodded and walked back to Maya. "Okay, all set, let's go."
Maya had a confused look as she followed Robert to the main gate. Arvo peers over the ledge and yells out, "Where are you two going?"
Robert looked at Arvo and calmly said without a nervous tone back at him, "Maya and I will be going into that small town little ways down the river looking for more medical supplies. I am running low on bandages and drugs. We will be back sometime this evening or late in the night. I cleared it with Bonnie."
Arvo eyes Maya suspiciously, "And why do you need her?"
"To watch my back in case I run into trouble with walkers," Robert said. "And to help me carry supplies back for the group."
Arvo sneers, "Think it is a waste but fine. Go."
Robert nods and motions to Maya to get a move on. Once they were away from the main gate, Maya looked up at him, "You really need supplies Rob, or was that a lie to cover up what you will help me with."
"Well, I still have bandages left, and some drugs, but will not have enough for our group after when I perform this surgery on my son. So in a way, it wasn't a total lie. Just won't be going to that town but to Ericson." Robert told her with his eyes forward.
Maya looks at him and can't believe he went against his own instincts and kind of lied to Bonnie. Just comes to show her how much Robert cares for his son. Maya then leads Robert to where Aasim and Violet are hiding. Maya looks at Robert, "Before you meet them, they are not too keen to have adults in their camp, and don't argue with them to pose you are a threat. Listen to everything they say, as we are on their turf, got it?"
Robert looks at her, "Why so hostile? Do they not have any adults?"
"Violet told me all the adults left when the world turned to shit and left the children at the school you sent your son to, to fend for themselves. So yeah they have trust issues with adults and do not take kindly to them. Promise me you will remain calm and not threatening." Maya advises Robert.
Robert nods, "Okay I promise." Maya nods and takes Robert down the path to the brush where Violet and Aasim are at.
Once Maya comes to the spot Aasim and Violet are shocked when a man in his early 40s comes with Maya. Aasim looks to Violet and Violet looks back at him. Maya looks back at them, "Okay I brought the only person I know who can help Louis. Led us to your camp." Aasim eyes Robert and Maya and before he can say anything, Violet urges them to head toward Ericson.
...
The walk to Ericson was tense as Maya felt the tension of Aasim's stare. The only thing keeping her somewhat calm was looking and gazing at Violet. She can sense she is worried for her friend as she keeps her distance a little bit from her. Maya half wanted to walk side by side with her lover to have Maya be her rock, and for Violet to help ease Maya's stormy seas.
The sun was just a little past noon when they walked into unfamiliar land that Maya had never seen before. They walk across a bridge and strange markings in the trees with ropes hanging down. Maya steals a glance at Robert as he looks back at her. The last time he saw this place was when it was still functional. So seeing the condition of the school now was a foreign concept to Robert. Up ahead Maya sees the iron gates she saw in her vision of Violet's past. And the walls and the towering building structures that lie beyond that gate.
As they got closer to the entrance to the gate of the school, Maya saw a sign that read 'Don't Fuck with Us!' next to a dead man tied around a tree whose body was half decomposed. Maya looked to the right on the edge of the school wall was a cart of some kind. She was distracted as the little boy named AJ shot a warning shot at them. Aasim comes up from behind Robert and Maya and yells, "No, AJ, don't shoot! We need them."
AJ comes down as Willy and Ruby usher in the new guests and Violet and Aasim. Ruby looks to her boyfriend, "I thought we were just getting Maya, not a fucking adult."
Aasim looks at her, "She says he is a surgeon Ruby."
"And you think bringing an adult man to school is a good idea, Aasim?" Ruby asks.
"What choice do we have. Louis needs a surgeon, and this guy is the best we got," Aasim admitted.
Ruby heaves a sigh, "Alright, Clem will not be pleased about this."
Violet talked with AJ to stand down and not threaten Maya and Robert, as Aasim talks with Ruby. Violet glances a worried glance at her girlfriend for bringing her inside her group's walls. She longed for this moment to happen, but not in this way.
Ruby and Aasim come back to Robert and Maya, "Take it one of you is the surgeon?"
Maya nudges Robert, as Robert comes forward, "Yes...I was told someone in your group needs medical treatment."
Ruby then orders, "Follow me."
Maya nods for Robert to follow the redhead with a southern accent as Maya awkwardly awaits by the walls of Ericson. Maya sees the weird looks of a boy Maya has never seen before with short brown hair. Another little boy with a burn scar across the right side of his face. And another teenage boy with puffy afro hair by a campfire staring at her. So this is where Violet lives. Huh, not what I envisioned. Maya looks around the structure. Sees good strong walls, and almost feels like home a little. And another strange feeling, Maya almost sees this is an excellent place to bring her sister, and they no longer have to feel threatened by walkers or any adult figure threatening them. It is the home Maya longs to give her little sister and to have a future with Violet.
Maya stood there and was about to sit by the stone wall of the gate when Violet came and stood next to her, "Come on, you don't have to be so standoffish, and look suspicious."
Maya eyes her girlfriend, "I get looks from your group members that they don't trust me, and I want to earn their trust some and not pose a threat."
"Standing by the gates, Maya is kind of sending a weird message. And we've been through a lot, so bringing anyone new into our walls, my group is hesitant about. Besides, Aasim told me to have you sit at a picnic table while your friend—is talking with Clementine." Violet said in a soft voice to ease Maya's anxieties. She then takes hold of Maya's hand and leads her to a picnic table close to the admin building, as they wait on the news of Louis.
....
Clementine holds Louis's hand as she waits for Violet and Aasim to return with Maya for help. She heard a knock on the door as Ruby came in with a person she least expected to see. Clementine got worried, and before she had a chance to speak, Ruby explained the situation, "Clem, before you start, this is Robert. He has come to help Louis. That is it."
Ruby nods for Robert. Robert nervously came forth as Maya was not kidding these kids had been through hell. Robert had seen this girl before, the prosthetic foot girl several weeks back who let Alberto, Aniya, and him go. Clementine was just as shocked to see him again too. Clementine slowly spoke, "You're a surgeon?"
Robert nods, "Been one for the past 24 years. Maya told me you have someone that has a dire need for surgery."
Clementine was still shocked and speechless this man was kind and not threatening to her, which was the first she saw in an adult figure that was not trying to fuck her over. And in some odd way, he has the same gentleness as Louis. Clementine looks to Ruby and then to this humbled man. "Louis is over here."
Clementine led this man of about 40 years of age by the bedside of the small nurses' station. Robert's blood runs cold as he sees his son looking so sick. And he felt like he was going to vomit. He doesn't want to give away to his son's girlfriend that that is his son, but Clementine is already starting to make some connection that this man is related to her boyfriend.
Robert examines his son's abdomen, and Maya's diagnosis is right on the money. Robert turns to the two girls standing at the end of the bed, "Okay, I am going to need assistance here. Out of the two of you, who has more medical care skills and is not afraid of blood and guts? If both of you aren't, I am going to need Maya's help."
Clementine looked to Ruby, and Ruby came forth, "I am the healer here."
"That counts for something." Robert looks at the young redhead. "What's your name, kid."
"Ruby." Ruby offered out her name.
When Clementine heard Robert speak the word kid, had the same wavelength as Louis's voice. Clementine looks at her boyfriend and then at the man standing over him. Same eyes as Louis, even down to the same kind of freckles around his nose, cheeks, a little bit of his chest, and hands. Clementine looks at Robert and ponders. No, he can't be. Louis had a falling out with his father. Why would his father come to him now? What broke Clementine's thoughts was a soft touch of Ruby's hand on her arm, "Clem, we need you to vacate the room."
"No, I am not leaving him, Ruby. I love him. What if something happens, and I am not there in his last moments." Clementine protests. "He is the love of my life Ruby!"
Ruby held onto her leader's cheeks, "I promise to come to get you, but Clementine, we need this space to work and save Louis's life here. Please wait outside. I will fetch you when he is through. Please."
Clementine closes her eyes and reopens them to look back at Robert and then at Louis, and she slowly exits the room with a thorn in her heart. She knows Robert heard her calling Louis the love of her life.

Just saw a fully naked dude walking south along 127th st at 167 Ave eating peanuts and grinning ear to ear.
Now imma bleach my brain

Interceptors! The front line defense unit that has higher evasion to provide a defensive wall along the front. These here are my thoughts on the various units within this role
Strengths:
Higher Evasion: On a point per point basis your evasion will be higher then most.
Generalist: Like it’s close role Battler most Interceptors are along the lines of generalists. You’ll be able to shoot and fight decently enough
Actions: There is a surprisingly high number of lower cost units that have 2+ actions enabling interesting strategies.
Weaknesses:
Generalist: Unlike Battler this is worse off for Interceptor. For their better evasion they tend to give something up whether armor, weaker weapon or less weapons, or weaker melee.
Shields: The high evasion comes at cost. Most units here do not have shields or free blocks.
Federation:
GM Light Armor: 90 points with a Tier 1 pilot. The GM light armor is a bite sized interceptor with a few weaknesses. Armed with a Stripped Beam Rifle and Beam Saber it is a rather close range GM. The Stripped beam rifle only has a max range of 16” but with overwatch II and a nice shot rate and above average armor pen it does quite well for itself though beware it only has accuracy 7. With 4d10 Melee dice the Beam Saber can threaten a variety of battlers and others especially if you get the charge off. While it does have a +4 evade it only has 400 HP so be wary about getting within auto hit weapon ranges or else you’ll be torn down by Machine Gun fire. It’s a delicate balancing act with how short your own range is, but thanks to Untouchable and its free blocks and higher Skill Defense shots it can ensure your survival.
GM Intercept Custom: 150 points with a Tier 1 pilot. The Intercept is the big brother to the line armor in upgrades. Armed with Beam Spray Gun and a Beam Saber the Intercept is an upgrade on the Light armor in most ways. The Beam Spray Gun is a classic GM weapon, but comes out with average Pen compared to the SBR and at 5d10 Melee dice the Beam Saber is optimal for dealing with close threats. However the Intercept is more of a bully with Practiced Professional, dealing free hits against Tier 0 pilots. This does make it even more fragile then the light armor as without untouchable you’ll have to spend more precious momentum dealing with auto-hit weaponry and at 400 HP you’ll feel the heat soon enough even with Evade+5.
GM Custom: 200 points with a Tier 1 pilot. The stats keep climbing. Armed with Assault Rifle, Shield, and Beam Saber this one has some good upgrades on the Intercept. With Accuracy 9 and 900 HP the assault rifle is put to good use either in RF range or from range. The Shield provides an excellent defensive bonus and with the Immortal trait you gain your team more M and have better defenses against those within 16”. The Immortal 4th team is aptly named and it will take a bit to put this one down.
Ace GM Custom (Lt South Burning): 250 points with Tier 2 pilot: Not too much to say. It has Pilot Instructor and an Ace Pilot on top of the GM Custom’s other things.
GM Custom RGM-79-N-Fb: 200 points with a Tier 0 pilot. Almost the same stats as the GM Custom, however trading in a skilled pilot for pure speed with a movement of 18” and a Beam Rifle instead of an Assault Rifle. The enhanced range and speed of the RGM lets it pick battles it wants to choose easier. The Beam Rifles higher damage and above average gives it an overall more powerful output of power.
GM Intercept Custom (FB) [S]: 240 points with a Tier 1 Pilot. This thing is a beast of firepower. Armed with TL Hyper Bazooka, 2 TL Micromissiles, a Beam Spray Gun, and a Beam Saber. The output of this GM is not to be denied coming in with 2 actions to fire two weapons per turn. With Hyper Bazooka outputting high damage and the BSG providing good Pen up close it’s got a weapon for every occasion especially with the Practiced Professional letting you destroy grunt units even better. However with +5 evade you’ll learn that all of that power comes at a cost of only 400HP. Autohit weapons and melee will quickly become a bane as without the chance to dodge you’ll falter quickly without spending momentum.
G-Line Light Armor (Hughes Courand): 250 points with a Tier 1 pilot. A surprisingly durable model from the Interceptors. Armed with Heavy Beam Rifle (U) 2 TL Missile Pods, a Shield, and Beam Saber. This is a surprisingly durable interceptor. 1500 health, +1 Arm saves, and shield with a +4 evade means that this unit can shrug off effects far easier then one would expect. It’s range lets it pepper enemies from afar with Missiles and its rifle shots are quite effective against all models. With Entwined with Tragedy it makes it a more effective pilot hunter going after more skilled pilots. Good speed and durability makes the Light G-Line quite powerful.
GM Night Seeker II: 250 points with a Tier 2 pilot. This unit is fast! Armed with a Stripped Beam Rifle (U) and Beam Saber its a very sparsely armed unit. Between its traits Dynamic Entrance and Ambusher you’ll quickly get on top of someone to do quite a bit of damage. With Practiced Professional on top of that you’ll be striking with +3 hits against a Tier 0/1 pilot without even firing a shot already! However it’s short range combined with Elusive means that in optimal damage range for it makes it become more threatened by those it wants to hunt.
Full Armor 7th Gundam (Hughes Courand): 350 points with a Tier 2 pilot. You could be mistaken for thinking this was a Firepower unit. Armed with Beam Cannon (U), 7th Beam rifle (U), TL missile pods, Grenade Launchers, Shield, and Beam Saber. With 5000 HP and +2 Evade its surprising this is an interceptor, but with two actions you’ll quickly overwhelm the enemy with long range firepower. With Entwined with Tragedy letting you deal free hits to Tier 1+ pilots and Driven giving you stronger return fire and M+1 when attacking with melee the enemy will learn to fear this units power. The Beam Cannon will provide good long range fire while the Rifle provides powerful consistency.
Zephyranthes GP01 (Kou Uraki): 350 points with a Tier 1 pilot. This unit is a beast. Armed with Assault Rifle, Beam Rifle, Shield and Beam Saber this unit has a tool for every situation. It’s stats are quite powerful for what you’d expect. 8D10 means most units will fear its melee, and with +2 Save, 4500 HP, and +5 Evade and 14” movement means you’ll have a tough time taking it down or even evading its speed. Between the Assault Rifle providing auto hits up close and the beam rifles penetration you’ll have a decent toolkit for dealing with others and with Mechanic Expert you’ll even be able to give Assault Rifle Penetration to avoid shields and otherwise give it and the saber more power for what you need.
Zephyranthes GP01 -Fb (Kou Uraki): (Shouldn’t this unit be space only?) 450 points with Tier 2 pilot. The unit is mostly similar to the standard model but removes the Assault Rifle. However it adds +4 movement and several new traits. With Fuel hungry giving even more speed to the unit it means that it will be able to traverse most boards without issue, though later on it’ll lose the power. Sudden Decoupling gives a very powerful melee attack as it can now avoid shields and gain crits in melee combat against its rival units. With Hunting for a Rival on top of that it now gains free hits against Tier 1+ so it has become quite deadlier then before. You won’t be able to outrace the GP01.
7th Gundam (Hughes Courand): 400 points with Tier 2 pilot. The 7th Gundam is a true generalist. Armed with a 7th Beam Rifle (U), Shield, and Beam Saber. The unit has strong stats for its cost. Powerful 7d10 melee, 10 accuracy, +1 Save, and 4000 HP with Evade +5 means its got strong melee and shooting capability. With the Rifles long range you’ll be able to shoot across the board as needed and its melee capability means that it’ll do quite well, and with Driven and Entwined with Tragedy means you’ll want to put both effects to good use.
Gundam Alex (Chobham) (Chris Mackenzie): 650 points with Tier 0 pilot. Thanks to it’s rule Custom Newtype unit you can never raise this units pilot skill. A relatively slow moving Interceptor, but the only Federation one with +2 Save. Armed with the Alex Beam Rifle (P) and Beam Saber it’s a relatively versatile unit. Good shooting and melee ensures that you can deal well with things, but the most important aspect to this is when you reach 1500 and below.
Gundam Alex: 250 points with Tier 0 pilot: Upon reaching this form the armor is stripped and the Alex gains a TL Gatling Gun and amazing speed at an impressive +6 evade. While much more fragile now the movement is boosted by a good +7 and the evasion shoots up. With the Gatling providing good auto hits and the Rifle good range you’ll have something for everyone you fight.
Zeon:
Recon Zaku: 60 points with Tier 0 pilot. A Zaku built for long range support. Armed only with the Long Barrel M.Gun (U) the Recon is meant for long range support but its main benefit comes from it Camera Gun trait. It’s effect basically gives every unit shooting at the target +1 accuracy, making them much easier to deal with. You don’t want to be close up with the Recon and thanks to its long barrel and Sensor range it can do its job effectively from a distance.
Acguy: 70 points with Tier 0 pilot. Everyone’s favorite adorable amphibious suit. Armed with Mega Particle Gun, Large Rocket Barrage and Iron Nail. A surprisingly large range with the Rocket Barrage, but one needs to remember it only has Accuracy 7 so against high evade suits it will have problems. With Stealth and Amphibious it has a lot of options for approaching the enemy and choosing when it will be targeted early on, but its best at closer range as the MPC gets a powerful 6 shots up close, and it’s Iron Nail is one of the more amazing melee weapons, the ability to blindside another unit is not to be taken lightly given the free Critical hit and ability to bypass shields just allows for a lot more power then one expects even for the M+1 cost.
Zaku Flipper: 80 points with Tier 0 pilot. The Recon Zaku’s big brother suit. With a better shooting accuracy, melee, and instead armed with the Giant Bazooka the Flipper is a much more dangerous foe on the field. It is also much more difficult to deal with on the first turn thanks to the Stealth Trait though you will want to use it earlier so that its useful Camera Gun can provide its benefits to your team. The Giant Bazooka is an effective damage tool that could even defeat most low level Zakus in one shot.
Act Zaku: 170 points with Tier 0 pilot. The advance of the Zaku line. The Act Zaku is armed with Quad Machine Gun (P) and Beam Saber. With a higher hp and evade the Act Zaku provides a hefty amount of close range damage. The Quad Machine gun loses out on range but with an amazing 8 shots base and boosts up to +4 autohits in 8” range means that you can do quite well, and with the Beam Saber and above average melee dice means that it can hold its own when it comes to close range. It’s a surprisingly well rounded suit that overall will do you fine so long as you can get in range.
Cima Gelgoog Marine (Cima Garahau): 280 points with Tier 2 pilot. The Custom Commander Cima. Armed with Repeating Beam Rifle (P), shield, and Beam Saber the Gelgoog is a dangerous long range threat. With a 40” beam rifle it does not matter you’ll be able to match most threats and with a speed of 13” you will likely dictate many matchups in your own favor early on. With Ambusher and Headhunter you’ll have a free +1 crit and +1 hit on any Tier 1 pilot of your choice on the first round and if any gets into your range you become even more of a threat thanks to Overconfident giving you a boost to defenses and the +4 to your shots will ensure that most threats disappear.
Act Zaku (Mallet Sanguine): 300 points with Tier 2 pilot. The Same statline as the Act Zaku. While the statline hasn't changed the loadout certainly has. Armed with Beam Rifle and Double Heat Hawk it becomes a much more generalist with its much longer range. The power has risen thanks to the Beam Rifles above average penetration and with the DHH giving a free hit in melee and rerolls it allows for much more effective power. Though it does best it gradually evolves towards melee with its Limiter Release, and should it become half health or a tier 1+ pilot falls in combat it becomes a massive powerhouse in melee as it now gets 3 autohits and blocks 2 hits per M as it’s strength becomes a berserker rage, but do not forget its Beam Rifle as it’ll still provide effective power no matter what your skill in melee is.
Gundam Wing:
Wing Gundam: (Heero Yuy): 500 Points with Tier 2 pilot. Everyone’s favorite Voltorb. The Wing Gundam is a powerful ranged suit armed with Buster Rifle, Great Shield, and Beam Saber. None of his weapons are below Pen 8 and he starts with an amazing 64” range. The Buster Rifle is a 64” 3 shot weapon that in RF range grows to 8 shots at 500 damage. This weapon is powerful, and with a high investment of M-3 it becomes a 3” line shot for clearing hordes, terrain, and whatever you point it at. Don’t think you can avoid it first turn either as thanks to Neo Bird Mode it gains +5” and ignore elevation in the first turn, and defensively it has a +2 Save, high HP, and it doesn’t even need to roll saves for Pen7 and below attacks as it just ignores them outright. Getting a free focus for being on its own and increasing M for activating it can gain M+2 per turn. Melee won’t save you from it either as it has a 7d10 melee with its beam saber still being able to cut through others. Be wary if you spot Heero on the field as you’ll need to keep an eye out where it’ll be able to shoot you from.
G Gundam: A bit of a mention is that a shared trait is the Mobile Trace System. For those without the higher tier version they lose -1 action if they fail an armour save.
Rising Gundam (Rain Mikamura): 450 points with Tier 1 pilot. A long ranged suit. Armed with the Heat Naginata (U) and Rising Arrow (U). The Rising Arrow is a long range weapon of destruction at 48”. Though its best to treat it as a sniper weapon as when in RF range it loses attacks its high Pen of 8 makes it deadly when it hits. Though one shouldn’t count out her melee ability as the Naginata gives +1 hit and +1 block in melee with defensive rerolls and an average pen. Though once per game she can enhance her [CC] with This Hand of mine like Domon to get +3 hits and +3000 finisher that increases its penetration with each hit. Overall she does best in either range, but her weakness is midrange as she does not want to be in RF range so she wants to either be close for melee or long for best shooting.
Neros Gundam (Michelo Chariot): 500 points with Tier 2 pilot. A lot of range! Armed with TL Beam Cannon, Silver Legs, 2 Satyricon Beams (P), and Killer Knuckle. A ranged attack for every occasion, giving yourself more actions through pilot actions gives you amazing power as you only have one action to start with. All your ranged is at least 32” so don’t be afraid to use what you need to. Whether you need to clear crowds with Silver legs, the overall power of the TL beam cannon and the rapid fire attacks of the beams means you can do quite well especially with Gunner Expert giving you a free hit or even longer range. Melee range with the Killer Knuckle gives blindside, which given the high melee means you’ll bypass any free shield blocks and gives an additional crit. You can’t go wrong at any range with the Neros.
Neros Gundam DG (Michelo Chariot) Neros infested with the DG cells. The only changes here are traits. Gaining Headhunter for dealing with Tier 1+ pilots, and Menancing Visage which now gives M+1 for additional use. Along with Spectrum Beam Kick which now gets an additional +3 hits with Silver Legs for increased power. Overall take whatever you desire as both are good.
Cobra Gundam (Chandra Shijema): 500 points with Tier 2 pilot. A subtly suitable short ranged suit. Armed with TL Flamethrower, Constrict and Immobilize and Assassin Beam Saber (P) this suit is best fitted for short range. With Constrict being able to immobilize suits from afar you have the variety on attack thanks to its autohits. The Flamethrower provides a lot of aggression against grunt suits with it coming with AoE naturally, and having 5 autohits in RF range makes it even deadlier even against evasive suits. The suit itself comes with 3 free focus actions per turn and a M+1 if far enough away from allies, and you’ll likely be using that for its powerful ability to blindside on any melee it chooses with its decoupling. It’s assassin saber comes with an additional +2 finishing blow so managing to get finishing blows with it will be as strong as two full pens so go for it if you can. The Cobra will sneak up on any that it can to finish them off in a subtle way.
Pacific Rim:
Otachi: 500 points with Tier 1 Kaiju. An effective, fast flyer with some powerful tricks! Armed with a Deadly Tail and Torrent of Acid Otachi is our first Super Heavy unit on the lit. Otachi’s main defense is a bunch of health that allows it to tank a lot of firepower, it wants to be within close range to fire off its acid for good pen before charging in with its deadly tail. The tail itself is a very powerful weapon as it gives +2 hits and for every crit it gains +1 pen, making its Pen 4 a Pen 5 by default. It’s most powerful trait is its Stratosphere drop which requires it to transform into winged mode which gives it more movement & ignore elevation but makes its melee defense worse. After dealing damage you are allowed a disengage and a 10d10 on 5+ that does 300 damage, potentially finishing off enemies. With the new Havoc abilities you can cause extra damage through Impact to force them through terrain or units, or fight two units in one turn and with how Stratosphere is worded you can do it two units in one turn and Kaiju throw lets you fling an enemy into another for a proper ranged attack instead of torrent of acid.
Gaogaigar:
Big Volfogg: 300 points with Tier 2 pilot: Our first Gaogaigar entry! Armed with the Murasame blade, Whirling Shield, Rocket Anchor, and 4000 Magnum its a midrange interceptor with a variety of interesting traits. With two actions and two free focus actions it has a lot it can do with its turn. Melee its rather defensive compared to normal with the Blade giving rerolls on defense and an average 5d10 melee means it must be wary around more offensive oriented weapons but with the Rocket Anchor letting it drag enemies out of position or itself to them it can be quite disorientating. It's power is in its defense compared to its offense as its [M] cost options allow it to gain blindside and +2 block per enemy weapon outside of sensor range, which with its strong Magnum will cause devastating hits that will bypass shields and grant tactical advantage and Separating Machines gives +3 blocks and blindside on melee counterattacks. Make sure to use it outside the range of allies for that [M+1] gain as its defenses are very [M] hungry and a good way to wear down the rest of your armies value.
Evangelion, Mazinger, Getter Robo, Big O, Escaflowne: Nothing yet!
This one took a bit longer thanks to GBO2 and other things pulling me away! Good to see Gaogaigar and a new edition going on well.

I'm subleasing a spot in a furnished double (2b/2b) at 747 Gayley Ave (awesome location in Westwood) between June 18th and Sept 18th (dates are super flexible)! You'll be living with 3 other dudes (that will be in and out of the apt throughout the summer and are very respectful/chill). You'd be paying for rent as well as wifi, water, and electricity utils.
Rent is $1000/month right now, but I am down to negotiate, so please message me if you are at all interested!

Me personally I’m going with a
Large pizza from Hungry Howie’s Half pineapple half cheese garlic herb crust Rice, Beans, Palomilla Cuban steak, and fried plaintains Half chocolate half vanilla cake 6 softly baked cookies Strawberry ice cream McDonalds Fish filet with large fries and honey
What would you be watching?
I’d being watching South Park and Family Guy while dining on this final dinner

Okay, I'll try to keep this short but give as much info as possible. My brother just called me, he lives in South Carolina. He asked me about some loan stuff with banks and then asked me if 500% interest was normal. I have never seen a loan with 500% interest. His credit score was in the 600s when he got the loan. The original loan amount was for $1900 and he has paid over 6k to them so far, $400 payments every 2 weeks. Less than $50 has gone to principle. He got the loan through Credit Karma.
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I have some screenshots he sent me of his loan agreement and payments through their app. The LA looks super fishy, definitely doesn't look like loan agreements I have had in the past. If I can post the screens in a comment, then I can do an imgur link. Not sure if that's allowed.
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The company is listed as:
AWL II, Inc.
3910 W. 6th Ave, Box 277
Stillwater, OK, 74074.
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I have no idea what to do or what to tell him. A loan like this seems predatory. Can he report this to someone? Or do anything about it, besides paying if off in one fell swoop, which he said they wouldn't let him do or said he couldn't do that right now. Any info would be appreciated. We are kinda in a panic over this. He admitted to me that he wasn't keeping track of stuff bc it was all autopay. And now we are wondering if he can do anything about it?
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Edit/Update: So far we have determined that it is a tribal loan, and that the AWL company is a native american owned business that offers payday loans at extremely high interest rates.
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My brother has contacted his bank and cancelled future payments. We are going to sit and wait to see if they try to collect the other $4k that the agreement says he owes. If they do then we will ask them to show proof of debt and go from there. If they prove or we otherwise can't figure a way out then we will just pay off the balance and then we will see what can be done about the $6k in payments he has already made. He found his whole loan agreement and as far as he can tell there isn't a penalty for early payoff. But he wants me to read over it to make sure. He has filed a complaint with the CFPB, not expecting it to go anywhere but will update here just in case someone else finds this and can use the info.
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Thank you to everyone who offered advice and information. Very much appreciated. We had no idea where to even start. I will still be reading comments so if there is anything that anyone else can share it would still be appreciated. The more we know, the better.

☭ Welcome Comrade! ☭

We’re looking for EU/US Members to join our corp! Come and join our growing ranks of battle-hungry pilots. If you’re looking for a vast blue donut of a null bloc, we’re not that. You’re recognized and valued here, not just an F1 monkey. Want to make your name in Industry, Mining, PVE, or PVP? We’ve got a home for you.

What we can offer you

• Newbro training - we love helping newer pilots start their journey.
• RL First, casual players, fly what you want to fly, experiment, we love the color RED!
• Based in the South, living in our own constellation.
• PVE, Mining, Industry and PVP are all viable
• Buyback Program.
• Local production and reprocessing structures.
• R64 and R32 moons.
• Angel Krabbing.
• Regular PVP fleets.
• Local Market.
• Tight-knit community of pilots who have played together for years.

What we expect from you:

• Friendly attitude.
• Train into our Doctrines.
• Submit an Alliance Auth background check.
• Active - we hope you'll join us on fleets, but it's not required.
• Play your way. PvE, mine, explode our enemies. It’s up to you.
• We like people that are social, as it helps create camaraderie, but if you’re a shy capsuleer we’re happy to wait for you to come out of your shell too.

We will consider pilots/corps from any walk of life in EvE. We’re a very social and laidback group, RL comes first mentality and not overly focused on our Zkill - play your way.
Join our Public Channel: CMR4D Pub OR Join our discord!! https://discord.gg/87Azcbb5Xu Join Now!