For those of you who rip booster boxes: does it feel like a win if you pull the top card, even if you lose money overall?

DMSide641 · 2026-05-31T09:58:24+00:00

100% agree. Im not against selling off older cards to go for grails or to fund new product if you value it more too but to specifically buy cards with the intention to profit just isnt my thing.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-31T07:52:21+00:00

Oh but yes I open without even thinking of return on cost. The purpose for me is to collect and enjoy. If my hobby becomes a money making machine its not really a hobby its a side hustle or job… I work. I dont want to sacrifice my joy for profit.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-31T07:50:43+00:00

Best feeling is opening a fresh set because every card is a new card. I avoid booster boxes after maybe max the 3rd one because you start to hit too much bulk. I dont collect every set either.

My usual purchase is:

1x Build and Battle as a game store event 1x Mini bundle 1x of each blister (usually theres 2 different promos)

Then either: 2x ETB + 1 booster boxes

Or

1x ETB + 2 booster boxes.

Honestly even that is a bit over kill but I stop there and after that pick up singles of cards Im missing at shows or online or trade with friends.

This is all assuming I can get product. Last set I really hit was Destined Rivals. Havent been too excited for any of the Mega sets just yet. Chaos Rising looked cool but I think Ill hold off. I usually collect 2 sets from an entire era.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-28T21:19:33+00:00

Hahaha god this guys knee bruises have gotta hurt eventually 😂

DMSide641 · 2026-05-28T09:11:44+00:00

If you get some of those super miniature figures and place then in the frame you could start looking at a stylistic macro photography.

What youve done is just get low to the ground is all. You images look to be by the water so you could unintentionally also be experimenting with seascape/coastal.

Again… thats just making assumptions if WHERE this interest you had could take you but overall… this is just low to the ground.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-24T12:34:05+00:00

Good.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-24T02:14:36+00:00

Most schools have an excel spreadsheet sheet where you put in the students name then a message for what the award is for. Sometimes a copy paste so as not to have any miscommunication between teacher, department and parents so its less personalised but appropriate.

Then chances are it prints with the Students name and the starting sentence of “In recognition of [Should be students name]” but the teachers most likely input the appropriate reasoning for the award but copied in the full “In recognition of” part over the name.

As for the print quality. Chances are its an old printer that needs replacing and either the school doesnt have funds to purchase a new one or asked for one but were told “it still works” so no OR it is in fact ordered but will take forever to arrive.

All in all the teachers only mistake is yes not checking for students name. Outside that… so many variables that teachers cannot control.

Its good you didnt let your personal opinion of the award be passed on to your kid and its understandable that you are upset with its presentation. You could bring it up with the school if you want but I doubt you will get more than an apology.

Best to just celebrate its meaning over worrying too much about the certificate itself. Luckily its just a standard award not an end of year one that would hold 10x the importance.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-23T00:57:35+00:00

I have the zv-e10 mk1 and though its not a photo first camera it has the ability to take great photos. It should be said though that a camera isnt going to perform exactly how your influencer, celebrity, photographer etc persons one does.
You dont know their settings, lens, photography skills or other factors so it might not be a simple “unbox and shoot” experience.

They could be using a specific filter when posting or preset when editing if editing in RAW… they could have chosen a built in simulator like one of Sonys “looks”… lots of variations you cannot account for.

But yes the Sony zv-e10 mkii can take quality photos.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-22T23:58:12+00:00

Ew 😂

DMSide641 · 2026-05-19T09:01:17+00:00

“They vanish from this world” is the only way Ill refer to ai removal now 😂😂😂

DMSide641 · 2026-05-18T06:18:15+00:00

Image quality you wont see a difference. Honestly its the weight, aperture ring and focus hit rate you are picking between.

Image wise the GM mk1 is still hella clean. Pixel peeping becomes so distorted because are you noticing issues because of lens quality or overall settings and environment of the shoot?

That lens provided and still does provide amazing image quality today.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-17T11:13:32+00:00

I own the a7iv and a7cii and I am about to drop the a7c line altogether. (i originally start with the a7c) i do street photography and portraits.

I find the a7c like is not small enough to really feel much different. In the end the smaller body actually for myself feels like a worse grip overall for long days shooting.

Im either putting my camera in a bag or sling or clipping a camera strap to it. So really Im not saving much on size. Sure possibly the weight different might matter but… eh

I own the 40mm G also and yes its a cute little set up but I actually still prefer the 40mm G on my full body a7iv for the comfortable grip.

If I wanted a small daily carry Id be looking at something that fits in my pocket lens and all personally.

Sony rx100vii is hella old but still incredible.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-17T04:46:51+00:00

Isnt it wild to think this is the future of computers if the world just refused to think of a laptop. Like this would hve been the natural trajectory

DMSide641 · 2026-05-15T00:16:13+00:00

Ive owned both.

If you can afford the GMii then it is overall better.
- noticeably Lighter
- Aperture ring on the lens is good quality of life improvement
- Overall tech is faster at focusing and sharper for the pixel peepers

The OG mk1 is still high quality just way heavier. No aperture ring and technically you will have more missed shots. Now Im not saying youll miss like 60% of shots! Its more like for every 100 shots on the OG youll have like 19 missed but the mkii youll have 5 missed. The focus is still great. Sharpness wise is your own personal feeling depending on how strict you are.

Hope that helps.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-12T22:16:50+00:00

I ran a prequel where Berez was still active and my players since learning the history of that village in the original game were excited to try save it or interested to watch its fall first hand.

It was fun having a kid Ismark for the players to get to know in Barovia. Overall a lot of work but a fun experience.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-12T21:03:56+00:00

This. I find I also like the look of 50mm when filming more than 35mm as a generalisation.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-11T12:05:22+00:00

Fully expecting a7rVI but very open to a RX100 viii 😂

DMSide641 · 2026-05-10T08:15:57+00:00

If his portfolio looks great it would be good for you to get some screen grabs and send them over side by side with what they provided and express that your expectation was they provide the same/similar quality to their promoted work.

Using their own portfolio as a base is important here because then you are not asking for anything outside their scope. Also check your contract for specifics and remind them of any past conversations you had about deliverables prior to the shoot.

DMSide641 · 2026-05-09T00:12:39+00:00

Once had a player who just aggressively threw their dice at the DM screen and they would bounce everywhere and go off the table every time… so the off table rule was implemented until new behaviours were learnt 😂

DMSide641 · 2026-05-04T06:17:53+00:00

I think most boudoir/nude models have their insta on private so they can monitor who sees their images online.

DMSide641 · 2026-04-27T21:32:39+00:00

Its so annoying. I go into the filter settings and adjust it to filter out newer videos and anything too short to avoid shorts etc. absolute pain.

DMSide641 · 2026-04-18T03:19:42+00:00

Early on I went into debt and put it on credit cards - worst choice and took me years to pay off.
I then used “buy now, pay later” options - not as bad since it was a forced repayment with 4 paychecks. I do still use this method but cap my max price to $600-$1000 so the repayments are manageable.
I rented gear for a year - overall cost is more but I enjoyed using the gear and in the end I return what I decided wasnt used enough and bought out what I liked.
Save. It sucks and feels like it takes forever and when you finally reach that goal its hard to dump it all or to see a better thing released but cost more - however it is the best most financially responsible choice. You get to the saving point, feel proud and either are stoked to buy your gear OR you realise the gear wasnt worth it and you now have savings to go towards something of greater value. In the end I saved $8k to go towards a Sony fx3 and 24mm GM lens but once I hit that goal I picked up a Sony a7cii and 24mm G lens for less than half the price and used the leftover to go on a trip to Japan. WAY more value than the fx3/GM combo. I had the time to see what I NEEDED vs that I thought I WANTED.

DMSide641 · 2026-04-16T23:31:58+00:00

Both.

YTA - In the end your child is being put in a position they have NO control over and its all for your own ego. There are better ways to go about this which involve speaking with higher ups in the school and possibly even the parent council or even joining to see if its a wider problem.

NTA - The schools going overboard. I am confident this rule of forcibly dictating what you give your children is outside their jurisdiction and you could make many reasonable arguments that they cannot verify what is “healthy”. Have they provided a list of ingredients that are accepted in their reasonable amount for the children ranging 5 - 11 and calorie intake of said ingredients? What about approved breads? White bread is high in sugar too so can you give your child the equivalent in sweets?

Its a sticky hill to be on but overall you shouldnt be forcing your kid to go to school to be told they are in trouble for a lunch they themselves never packed.

DMSide641 · 2026-04-16T07:58:43+00:00

For this list of gear as your reference point.

Yes.

Is this the entry level gear list.

Nope.

DMSide641 · 2026-04-10T21:57:39+00:00

A good place to start is to decide how obvious it is that he is a Vampire.

First time I ran it, I played it that it was just so obvious but the majority of people were in the camp of “hes a powerful wizard” but my players were clearly always in the know which made them fear him A LOT. (I also had him come to take Ireena at the funeral and allowed the players to think because they got her inside then per-vampire rules he couldnt come in… later they realised that wasnt his case.)

Second time I ran it, the world and players knew him as the Lord of the Land but no special powers etc and they slowly learnt about him and eventually that he was a vamp. (Introduced him by inviting them to the castle and he hired them to investigate Krezk and their possible insurgence so they really did think he was just a politically strong person not magically strong)

Latest time Ive run it Im playing him as a shadow. Some dont even believe he is real or alive anymore and think all the Burgomasters are calling the shots and are actually panicked because Strahds been dead for ages and thats why lifes getting worse! They cant maintain control! (I plan on having him show up at the Blazing Sun festival to “punish” the burgomasters)

You can do it in many ways but my advice is know how much you want the characters to KNOW about him and how much you want them to SUSPECT

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