Hello ! I am in a bit of an annoying situation. I got a bus ticket 8 months ago because my phone was dead late at night and couldn’t show the ticket. The person told me to take the ticket and then contact the bus company. I went to their office and explained everything , they treated me like shit to be honest and just tried to throw me somwhere else because they don’t want to even talk without making you feel like you are annoying. I did send a paper with the problem explained, later I get the ticket home. I then asked the office again and this time we sent an email, they said that they have to respond even if they don’t trust the evidence. And now , 8 months LATER ! , I get a letter from the police and need to fill papers for court. Anybody had the same situation and what would be the best thing to do here ? I have bank statements proving I paid for the ticket that month ( Deutschland ticket) and emails from DB, problem there is that the ticket just renewed on that month and email doesent show that unless you cancel and buy again. Thanks for the help!

Writer's Block? Befriend the Blank Page: How to Turn Creative Stagnation into a Goldmine

Ah, writer's block. That looming specter that haunts every wordsmith, from the wide-eyed newbie to the grizzled veteran. But fear not, fellow wordslingers! For even in the face of this dreaded foe, opportunity lurks. Yes, you heard that right. Writer's block, that seemingly insurmountable obstacle, can be your secret weapon, a springboard to unleashing your most creative work yet. Let's delve into the minds of seasoned scribes and discover how they turn their blank pages into bestselling goldmines.
Embrace the Block:
First things first, ditch the self-flagellation. Writer's block is normal, even expected. It's a sign you're pushing boundaries, exploring uncharted territory. So, instead of panicking, befriend the block. See it as a pause, a chance to step back and reassess. As Jodi Picoult wisely says, "Writer's block is a wonderful time to catch up on your reading." Immerse yourself in other authors' work, let their voices spark your own. Remember, inspiration can strike from anywhere, so keep your eyes and ears open to the world around you.
Befriend the Unconventional:
Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Forget the usual "go for a walk" or "stare at a tree" advice. We're talking about weapons-grade creativity here. Here are some battle-tested techniques from the pros:

• Automatic Writing: Channel your inner James Joyce with a stream-of-consciousness freewrite. Set a timer, ignore grammar, and let your subconscious take the wheel. You might be surprised by the hidden gems you unearth. Bonus: Do it in public for maximum awkwardness-induced inspiration.
  
• The One-Sentence Challenge: Craft a single sentence that encapsulates the essence of your story. Then, spend the next hour fleshing it out, exploring every possible avenue. This tightens your focus and forces you to think outside the box.
  
• The What-If Flip: Take a familiar trope and flip it on its head. Think Romeo and Juliet as zombies, or a superhero origin story where the hero is actually the villain. This forces you to break free from cliches and explore new possibilities.
  
• The Sensory Safari: Describe a scene using only one sense. For example, write a scene solely through the sounds your protagonist hears, or the textures they touch. This jumpstarts your imagination and forces you to paint a vivid picture with limited tools.
  
• The Random Object Prompt: Pick a random object (spork, stapler, rubber ducky, anything!) and write a story centered around it. This forces you to think creatively and find connections where you least expect them.
  

Embrace the Insane:
Now, let's unleash the real wild cards. Here are some downright insane prompts that might just spark your next bestseller:

• Write a love letter from a houseplant to its owner.
• Craft a news report from the perspective of a goldfish.
• Compose a grocery list that doubles as a murder mystery.
• Write a children's book about the existential dread of adulthood.
• Pen a sonnet from the point of view of a rogue punctuation mark.

Remember, the key is to embrace the absurd. Don't be afraid to be silly, outrageous, even downright nonsensical. Sometimes, the most unexpected ideas lead to the most brilliant work.
Final Words:
Writer's block is not a dead end, but a detour. By using these unconventional techniques and embracing the insane, you can turn it into a springboard for your most creative work yet. So, the next time you face the blank page, don't despair. Befriend the block, unleash your inner weirdo, and watch your imagination take flight. Remember, the greatest stories often begin with a touch of madness. Now, go forth and write something truly magnificent, even if it involves a spork-wielding goldfish detective. The world awaits your words!

Hello Redditors! To clarify the title, I have had penpals in the past and one that lasted several years but I cannot guarantee a letter or email every x days. I can say though I do always eventually get to responding! I also don’t care if you’re male, female, nonbinary. I do prefer someone around my age. Country or state does not matter either.
A little bit about me, I love to make colorful letters and sometimes send tiny trinkets I’ve made or gathered from trips. I’m a sticker and washi tape hoarder. As far as the content of my letters, I will talk about anything. I especially like outdoorsy stuff such as hiking and gardening. I’ve traveled to several European countries and have limited experience in Ecuador and Kenya. At home I love to watch anime and play some PC games. I also enjoy reading when I have the time. Most recently I read Dune. I have yet to see the movie. Nonfiction, fantasy, and Sci Fi are my favorite.
Other random things, I love winter and skiing, rock climbing, haunted houses (not horror movies), dogs (I have a 3yr old doodle mutt), occasionally 5ks, mythology, and musicals.
Favorite musical is Wicked, Book is Speaker for the Dead or Gone with the Wind, song is Paradise by the Dashboard light by Meat Loaf, movie is The Lobster, and anime is Tokyo Ghoul.
I have been thinking it would be interesting to analyze movies, books, poems, or song lyrics with people.
Anyways, excited to meet you future penpal(s)!

I use the kindle scribe to annotate A4-pdf files of scientific papers or student records. They often are densely written and without much margin.
Annotations work very well, using the send-to-kindle feature of the website. I can then read the pdf, make annotations and export back via e-mail to send my review or to make changes in LaTeX.
However, I encountered three problems with annotations:

1. There is often not enough space to write text between lines or on the side. It would be great to increase margins or use the big blank space in the "note" view. At the moment, I add a margin with a pdf-tool efore sending the pdf to kindle.
2. Annotations are difficult to see. Black annotations and grey highlights on black font is not easily visible. Color comes back to the pdf using the export-to-email feature, but since the layers are flattened, there is no list of annotations. I'm currently using the margin for a classical "" to indicates my annodation in the textline.
3. I would like to combine sticky notes with handwritten annotations. Sometimes you want to give examples, references or explain something, and at other times you want to mark spelling mistakes or draw arrows. Currently, I make a footnote in the pdf and attach a textfile/comment to the E-Mail/folder for reviews.

Is there a better way with the kindle scribe to tackle these problems?

First of all, thanks for the amazing replies yesterday, I got some amazing advice, even though I just wanted to vent about the situation.
I have a small-ish update, since I've got a reply on my email to the office today, they work so fast it's crazy. I'll translate the emails (She refers to what I wrote about yesterday):
Adm: "Dear Santa's-Claws89.
I'm really sorry to hear that.
I forwarded the complaint to the municipality, who's responsible for the refugees, and they apparently took the complaint very seriously and made contact to them immidiately. If you experience anything similar, please contact the police right away about threats, which they indeed were.
Love, Adm"
Santa's-Claws89:
"Thank you so much for your reply. It went so fast (referring to the actions the municipality took), and I am absolute surprised by it. Direct Neighbor and Friend is here if anything happens."
Adm:
" Dear Santa's-Claws89.
You need to contact the police with even minor threats.
I have forwarded your mail from this morning, to the municipality. They have to do something.
We have, this morning, sent out rules of order and houserules in their language to all the refugees.
P.S. If anything happens, even the smallest thing, please send a mail to me, preferably where everyone in your block co-signs, then the municipality will be required to find another housing for them outside of this area. This is not acceptable."
I seriously love that woman. She's a Godsend, and she's very motherly to everyone. The mail before the "P.S." section, I hadn't even read before I began to translate, since I just woke up after an all nighter (my get had to get to the E.R. in the middle of the night, don't worry, she's PERFECTLY fine, sigh)
I have had my doubts about this whole scenario, since I'm a recovering people-pleaser, and I don't want to cause any harm or discomfort for anyone, especially people who have had a traumatic experience. Besides, I'm perfectly fine not being seen or noticed, since attetion can be extremely overwhelming for me, even when I post on SoMe.
So I'm rightfully nervous now, because I'm no longer invisible, I have used my voice, and every action has a re-action, but it will be fine, I'm fine, even my bloody cat is fine.
I don't think this is concluded though, I have that gut feeling, so I'll keep in touch if anyone is interested.
Love, a very sleep deprived cat mom

my mother have been separated from grandma since she was 6 years old. and even though my grandma move to Taiwan and my mother stayed in Indonesia they still send letter to each other. But the address no longer working when my mom around 20-21 years old. the letter was returned because the receiver (my grandma) no longer lived there. Within the time when they exchange letter my grandma mention she remarry and had a son. He's my mother's little brother, they never met.
My mom's name is Thio Chen Chen, born in 1976 before leaving indonesia. Grandma's name was Thio Giok ing she's born in 1950 Searching for my uncle named Gu/go/gou ngo kang OR pao pao (we don't know the exact spelling its been so long) She only knows that long ago he lives in Taiwan.
My Mandarin is terrible and my mom is often cried about it. Ive tried google nothing turned up. Everyone i do beg all of you any kinds help will be appreciated.
Thank you for your time, please tell me what i can do.

I (14F) hate my 'best friend' (15F).
In year six I met her, she was new to the school, and we became friends quickly, she'd always gossip and spread rumours about other people, i'd never engage, one of our mutual friends told me she was shittalking me and I brushed it off, still being her friend.
Then lockdown happened and we slowly drifted apart, I stopped going to school because of an anxiety and I never talked to her again, until last year.
She added me on snap, and I was confused cause it wasn't an account many people she would be connected with are on, she started talking to me and i was talking back, and i thought that we were all chill, and we were!
Then , after a few hang outs i realised she was still the same, gossiping, lying person. I ignored it, because of anxiety i started doing online school, and I had literally no friends, I was also in a really bad place, but she was there, and as far as I knew she wasn't shit talking me.
We started hanging out more, getting closer as we both did a form of homeschool, we'd talk, i'd engage in the gossip, have sleepovers every weekend and we got really close.
Then, she and her best friend who was also in my year 6 class started fighting, I supported Millie through it all and backed her up on everything, because I didn't know the other girl's side of the story.
Fast forward to january this year, She started talking to a guy, I was going back to in person school. I knew this was gonna be a big change, so I tried to hang out with her more, so she didn't feel I was abandoning her because I was her only close friend. Her parents are really strict, so she needed me to go along whenever she'd go out with the guy. I had recently gotten back from a family holiday, and we were planning on going to the movies together, we were facetiming one night, and she said, and i quote. "We have a special guest joining us tonight!" and added the guy, she didn't ask me, I'd never met him, and it was so awkward, an hour later, still on call, she messaged me 'Can (blank) come with us to the movies, he's pretty cute'. I didn't want him to come, but I said yes.
The entire time at the movies he was mean to me, calling me a f^ggot because i'm bi, saying that she was prettier (she is, she's gorgeous) and that I was annoying. Millie ignored it. First red flag.
We kept hanging out and he'd keep coming along, being mean to me every time, eventually, a month or so later, some sense got knocked into her because she stopped liking him, stopped bringing him to hang out, and i started at school.
I'd made a friend at orientation, and made more friends fast, i started to become more occupied with them, although still trying to talk to Millie, she'd get pissed when I'd leave her on delivered (even though I was at school), then she'd go periods of messaging me constantly, then ignoring me, she'd brag about her other friend (singular), and would always send me photos of them hanging out. A month or two ago, we were at the movies, talking about previously mentioned best friend who ditched her, and Millie said; "She used to shittalk you, you know." And that set it off for me, I almost went off in the movie theatre. The thing is, someone doesn't shittalk someone they haven't talked to since primary school unless person (Millie) who hangs out with said person (Me) said something to encourage that, and then i figured out she was still shittalking me.
And that truly upset me, I knew she was always shit talking other people and she'd get pissed when I didn't engage, but her shittalking me was the most heartbreaking thing ever, I viewed her as a sister, and she completely ruined it all.
I started focusing more on my other friends, leaving Millie on delivered or opened, sometimes not even intentionally, and we're slowly drifting apart.
I feel like i'm the asshole here, maybe she wasn't even bad mouthing me and I was just overreacting? I'm not sure, i'm a teenager and i know nothing about social relationships.

Bit of a long post but I need to get it off my chest because honestly I don't know what to do. I've never been in this type of situation, therefore any advice from someone whos been through something similar would be helpful. Anyway, bit of backstory.
My gf (20) and I (23) met early December last year and we really hit it off. The problem was that she was in a relationship then, but they broke up not long after ( I honestly think it wasn't because of me, they had problems long before we met) and we started talking and hanging out more often. We either texted or talked on facetime entire day because I am in Switzerland and she is in Croatia. It got to a point where she told me point blank that she had feelings for me but she wasn't ready for a relationship just yet, which I was ok with (keep in mind this was a month and a half after they broke up). Anyway, we started planning to go on a trip for a couple of days as soon as I got back home. I asked her where she wanted to go and picked the best place to stay and planned the entire thing perfectly, I even offered to take some of her friends with us just so she could feel more comfortable (in the end her sister and her boyfriend went with us). The two of us were holding hands and were next to one another entire time, we slept in the same bed, we even made out and had sex when we were alone one night (no alcohol or something similar, just passion I think). And honestly I liked that because we were each others little secret at the time. She even stayed at the house I rented for 7 days because we wanted to spend as much time as we could together. It started to feel like a beginning of a relationship but we didn't wanna say it at the time, we just wanted to be together entire time. Call it honeymoon phase if you will, but we both knew we had feelings for one another. I even met her family and her friends and had dinner with them. It was almost perfect.
This is where magic stops and reality hits. A couple of days ago she wanted to go through my phone, which I was fine with because I have nothing to hide, no porn, no other girls, no ig models, nothing. Just my dogs, family, friends and work, so I said fine as long as I can go through yours, which she reluctantly agreed. And that's when I saw it. Not only has she been texting some other guy, she's been actively seeing him and telling him how much she needs him, but she slept with him the same night and day I was driving 1200km just to see her and take her and her sister on that trip that we planned for so long. But that's not even the best part. At the same time we were planning our trip, that guy booked some cheap ass apartment and texted her the date saying I will see you then. ON THE SAME NIGHT I WAS DRIVING JUST TO SEE HER. And she responded with "I can't wait". But what bothers me is that that guy put in so little effort. I remember on Valentines day we wished each other happy Valentines, and I even sent her a bouquet of roses, just to show her that I really do care about her and I wanted to be there with her right now but can't because of work, she asked him that same fucking day if he wanted to go for a walk. And he said "no, I'm going to play games with my friends, I told you we will meet on the 22.". AND SHE WAS HEARTBROKEN BUT SHE STILL CHASED HIM. HOW PATHETIC DO BOTH OF THEM NEED TO BE? And the entire time she was texting him and going out with him, she was telling me how much she misses me, and how she can't wait for me to come. Entire time while I was there for her, spending days and nights talking and laughing with her, sending her flowers every week ( FLOWERS THAT SHE SHOWED HIM), that guy was putting in so little effort and reaping all the rewards. What's funny is after they slept together she bragged to all of her friends and said how they fucked twice and no protection cuz duh. Same friends that she introduced me to, that said that they are all cheering for me. They all knew, they all saw how much I cared for her and nobody said a thing. Then when I put the phone down and asked her to explain herself, only thing she said was "that was before we were official, and it was just for one night". The same girl that sent me a checklist of her perfect boyfriend where it stands "NEEDS TO BE LOYAL" does something like that and then says it was before we were official. She didn't even show a little bit of remorse, only thing she said was "you need to get over it". How???
I'm sorry for this long post, but my mind is just going crazy right now. I just needed a place to vent, a place where I can get some advice on what to do. Thank you for any advice😅
TL;DR; : Am I getting played? Or was that really a mistake on her part?

Good morning all.
I am in the process of finishing my UC50 form and have an evidence question. Firstly, can i send off my PIP award form? It shows all the things that affect me but I do understand that PIP is awarded slightly differently to LCWRA...but I figured it wouldn't harm my application.
Secondly...What actual medical evidence do they want? I have Addison's disease as well as mental health issues but getting any letter from my GP is always difficult. For my PIP application, I screenshotted my NHS app which showed my conditions....but this form requires printed evidence. I do have a letter from my psychologist which confirms my mental health issues.
I haven't got long to send it back...I stupidly forgot to get it done earlier and now I am running out of time.
Many thanks

My (30m) twin is in a shitty, dangerous situation in his relationship and wants me and our family to just overlook the severity of it in hopes that everything will just be peachy.
He started talking to a girl over Instagram while living with my parents getting his life back together after a very messed up situation he put himself in with our older brother where he was in danger. My older brother is crazy, controlling, and can physically harm family but needed help and my twin thinks he’s here to help everyone.
This girl (Sally) was verbally, mentally, emotionally abusive before they had even met in person. My mom got to hear them fighting constantly but he’d defend her when anyone would ask or show concern. He shared many very worrying details with me like her telling him he’s basically a loser, and many things she didn’t like about him. He’s already so into her at the time and believes it’s a challenge to overcome that he wants to prove himself. He’s constantly sending these letters and flowers confessing his love.
They finally met where she lives multiple states away. She’s told him multiple times since then in different ways if he didn’t do these trips he couldn’t afford, that she would stop talking to him and that happened any time she’d get mad at him.
She also got him to work for their family business for almost nothing, building their website, selling, communicating with customers online. She didn’t want to keep doing it because she has her own business in shitty art you’ve seen on Instagram a thousand times. But people buy it so good for her, I guess.
When her parents and her happened to be going by where my parents live on a business trip, she asked him to get my parents to lie to hers about their relationship and pretend they were just business partners. My parents were obviously appalled and didn’t agree. They never met.
He eventually moved to her state after maybe 6 months of randomly meeting/dates and her parents being told a lie about the development of their relationship. She refused to stay at his apartment until he had furnished it. This whole time we’re warning him that these are serious red flags and sometimes he would tell her he’s not ok with them. She’d say she has trust issues and when he moved that would go away or some other insecurity or she’ll stop something, but she always got what she wanted.
His lease runs out and they end up getting a pretty expensive place together, plus he’s put a bunch of furniture and a car on credit that he can’t afford because she also tells him if they don’t on enough dates she’ll leave him. She had him get the car because she didn’t drive. You name it. So he’s drowning in debt constantly now for the first time in his life.
Then we start hearing really weird shit. He has to get a new work laptop because he spilled water on it. When my brother finally gets to see me, she tells him she doesn’t trust me and doesn’t leave him alone starting drama the entire trip. They break up and I’m getting verbally abusive messages about how I’m a loser and my relationship will never be as good as theirs. Then veiled threats through apology texts when they get back together. Turns out she poured water on his laptop. She’s been verbally abusing him, calling him a “beta cock loser”…she screamed that he was running her over when she wouldn’t let him drive away, threatened to tell police he was abusing her, he later told me they’ve become physically abusive towards each other.
One day he calls me and tells me to keep a recorded phone call he had with her. She was threatening him, telling him he needed to leave the apartment or something bad was going to happen to him. She threatened other things including using her brother’s connection with the cartel to hurt me and my girlfriend’s family in Mexico where we’re living.
This was the final straw for me and my parents. She’s been blocked everywhere and will never be near us again.
My brother, however, even forgave her for this and kept trying to work on the relationship. Later he did temporarily leave and stayed at my parents house but after she kept calling using different numbers and even emailing him telling him she’d bought self help books, he fell for it and went back.
I quit working with my brother and resigned from our company we started, and have since barely spoken to him except when he texts me he loves me. He thinks we can have a normal relationship and even forgive her too. He thinks everyone should believe her that she’s changing. They went to one therapy session. She barely started one of the audio books (I saw the progress on audible).
I feel like he has no self respect or respect for his family or my girlfriend’s, who loves him by the way. I think he’ll end up in jail, hurt, or continuing with her feeling like a loser and being abused. We’ve tried to help and been there for him countless times but he never chooses us. That’s actually something he’s been doing his whole life.
TLDR: My twin brother is being abused and is ruining his life but thinks he’s in love.

I’m an international student who has already accepted an unconditional offer and have just received my CAS letter. I am currently about to start on my student visa application.
My passport expires in June 2025 and as my university is far from my country’s consulate in London, I would prefer to renew my passport in my home country before I start my course.
However, my CAS letter already states my current passport number. If I renew my passport I would get a new passport number and get my uni to send me another CAS letter which would take more time. Furthermore, I have been told that the British consulate in my country might hold my passport for up to a month while they process my visa and my new passport may also take up to 3 weeks to arrive. I am worried that the passport renewal and visa process may take up too much time as it is already May.
Here are the two options I am considering:
a) Renew my passport now. Wait for my uni write me a new CAS letter when my new passport arrives and then apply for a student visa (long route)
b) Go through the visa process with my current passport and CAS letter. Renew my passport after I have received my visa and travel to the UK on my new passport (shorter route but not sure if its allowed)

A few months ago (maybe half a year by now) I started using an external HDD port (SABRENT USB Type C SATA 2.5” & 3.5” Dual Bay Hard Drive Docking Station) because storage was running low on my PC. Inside I put two Western Digital 2tb drives (WD20EURS).
Although they both worked perfectly fine until recently, I'd say about a few weeks or so when occasionally one of the drives would suddenly be unable to be opened, stating that the disk is missing or that the location is unavailable, something along those lines. Originally it happened so rarely that I would just restart my computer or replug the USB-C and it would be fine. However, as the days kept going it would only get worse and worse, to the point that now both disks will have the mentioned error almost as soon as they are connected to the computer.
Now, I attempted some troubleshooting with online videos and articles, and had no luck. I also did some testing to search for the problem and found out the following:

• Although both drives have the same problem, attaching a different drive of the same model (it's a blank drive with nothing on it) would still allow me to access it.
• When plugging the port into my laptop instead of my PC, it seemed to work fine for a bit until it gave me the error again while I was transferring some of the files over to a different drive as a backup.
• When I was experimenting with solutions I found online, I ended up swapping the letter assigned to the drives, going from the original E:\ and F:\ to G:\ and H:\. I also went to Properties > Security > Edit and ticked Full Control. I did this for both drives, and halfway through both it would eventually stop, alerting me that some files permissions were unable to be changed.

This ended up being a half solution, as some files were accessible yet others were not. It's fairly random which files work or not afaik, and I don't know if it means those files are corrupted or not. I'm also not sure if changing the file permission was the actual cause for the working files to be working.
If it matters, I'd also like to note that both drives are nearly full, with less than 100gb left in each.

A bit of backstory i lived in a 20 square meters apartment since high school because my parents house was too small to fit all 5 children and because im the eldest i had to move out first.I mean its not a big deal and i find a good job and rented this small apartment.After 2 years of hard work i get promoted to a new state and i earned 200000$ in the next 5 months so i was happy to finally be able to buy i house.I found a house in a nice neighborhood for a good price and it has 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms,kitchen and big garden in the fornt.
When I moved to the new neighborhood, I was filled with optimism and hope. The house was exactly what I was looking for - peaceful, with a beautiful garden and enough space for my favorite hobby, gardening. The first few weeks everything was wonderful. My neighbors seemed friendly, except for the neighbor next to me who will call Karen.
At first I didn't pay much attention to her unfriendly looks and comments. But over time, things started to deteriorate. Karen was clearly not happy with my presence and never missed an opportunity to show it. It started with complaints about the smallest things - noise from my lawnmower when I cut the lawn, my flowers that "disrupted the aesthetics" of the neighborhood, and other such ridiculous claims.
One day, while I was working in the garden, Karen came over and started yelling that I was disturbing the peace of the neighborhood. I tried to calm her down and explain that I was just doing my job, but she wouldn't listen. This was the first sign that she was not going to be easy to deal with.
Soon after, Karen began calling the police with false accusations. He claimed that I was in my house illegally and that I was probably a criminal. When the police came, I showed them my title deeds and explained the situation. They quickly realized that Karen was making false accusations and warned her to stop complaining.
But that didn't stop her. She started sending letters to the municipality, organizing neighborhood meetings to complain about me, and spreading rumors that I had a criminal record. All this became so unbearable that I decided to take more serious measures.
One night, after Karen called the police again with false accusations, my patience ran out. I waited until late in the evening when everything was quiet. Then I approached her house and saw that she was still awake, sitting in the living room watching TV.
I knocked on her door. Karen opened the door with a smile, expecting another neighbor to complain about me. But instead, she faced me. Before she could say anything, the rage and frustration that had been building up in me was unleashed and I hit her.
Karen fell to the ground, shocked and scared. I leaned over her and told her in a low but firm voice that it was high time she stopped trying to harm me. I made it clear to her that I would not tolerate her harassment any longer and that if it continued I would go to the authorities and file a formal harassment complaint.
After this incident, Karen changed her behavior. She no longer engaged with me and even avoided contact with me. I went about my life in peace and enjoyed my garden. Although I did not condone violence, I realized that sometimes people like Karen need to be put in their place to understand that they cannot act with impunity

Hi all, currently experiencing a bit of trouble regarding employment in VIC. I've asked around for some assistance and currently running into a dead end and looking for some guidance on what to do next. For the sake of anonymity, I've left the names of all parties involved vague.
So I (34 m) was referred by my partner (32 f) to the company she is currently working for at the tail end of Feb. The role is an entry-level position and is right up my alley in terms of work background. I was invited for an interview and received positive feedback. However, I was informed a few days later that my inability to commence immediately (I needed 2 weeks notice for the company I worked for at the time) resulted in the role being filled by another candidate. Unfortunate but understandable and was informed that they'll keep me in mind should there be another position available in the future. Was bummed out for a little bit but that's just how life is sometimes.
A few weeks later, in March, one of the managers contacts my partner after work hours asking if I was still interested in working for the company for a similar role. Of course, I accepted immediately and waited for their HR team to contact me with the official offer via email. Late March, I received an email from the company stating that the initial role I applied for in March has opened up once again. Ecstatic, I emailed them back accepting the role. They then mentioned that they will begin the onboarding process and that I should provide my references to which I promptly did.
Its important to mention that I firmly believed that I was going to be hired at this point since they specifically mentioned the role in the email and that they will begin the onboarding process. Learning from the previous experience with the hiring procedures, I turned in my resignation letter to the company I was working for. Luckily, my manager at the time allowed just one week of resignation period since they were happy I was moving into the industry I wanted to be in. My last day at that company was the last day of March so it all kind of worked out.
April comes around and I advised my new employer that I am able to start as early as the first week and they replied saying that they will proceed with the onboarding process and send the necessary paperwork to be filled in (referral forms, contracts etc.). A week goes by, they let me know that there was an internal delay but eventually they inform me that the referral forms have been sent. A few days later they receive all the forms they needed and confirmed it with me. I eagerly await for the employment contract to be sent to me as I assumed that was the next step.
This brings us to mid-April. The HR manager mentions that there have been some changes internally and they will contact me via phone. They call me, apologizing letting me know that the company is unable to continue with my application due to a change of requirements. The initial role has switched to a more demanding one which I am not qualified for. They informed me the very last minute, leaving me with the feeling of being misled, my time wasted, and unemployed. Not to mention the distress I've experienced.
I've taken the following weeks to reach out to Fair Work, Job Watch and Consumer Vic. I was advised to file a formal complaint to the company using the complaint template on the Consumer Vic site as they said that they have violated section 31 of the Australian Consumer Law.
I have drafted the complaint but I am not sure what to do next. Do I contact a lawyer before doing this? Does my partner need to move companies? Do I reach out to the company and have a formal discussion? I am currently at a loss. Can anyone offer any advice regarding my situation?
Tl;dr: company rescinded job offer after leading me on for weeks leaving me unemployed and stressed

Apologies in advance for the big wall of text!
I've owned a freehold property in England for the last 2 years (bought as a new build) that has a shared private parking area that is managed by a Management Company set up by the developer, and currently still managed by that developer. Part of the sale included being required to pay a service fee to that management company. I was ok with this because part of the TP1 the agreement was that the ownership of the parking area would be transferred to the management company, and the residents made managing directors of the company. This happened happened yet, however, since the remaining plots haven't yet been sold.
After 2 years of sending no invoices for the service charges, they've suddenly sent 3, for the 2 previous years and a year in advance.
For at least the first year, the management company was officially dormant on companies house.
After I sent a letter in response to the invoices asking for accounts of what work had been carried out, which as part of the TP1 they were supposed to have compiled each year and sent to us (which they didn't), I received a response saying they wouldn't send the accounts, followed the next day by a final reminder and a threat of court action.
The day after that day, the company was dissolved by Companies house for not filing required documents.
The charges are £500 per year, which is excessive for a small parking area. However, I'm aware that as a freeholder I don't have the same rights as leaseholders to contest the charge itself. I also know there's legislation on the way to remedy this. I've also seen information about them being able to forcibly convert my freehold property into a leasehold, but I'm unsure about the conditions under which they can do this!
I'm pretty sure that right now I do have to pay the charges, but I don't know:-

• Should I be paying for the period the company was dormant? Would I be able to contest that at court?
  
• Should I pay a now-dissolved company? What happens to the money I send?
  
• Can the now-dissolved company actually take me to court?
  
• Is there anything lawful I can do to delay this until the new legislation (the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill) comes into effect at which point I could contest the charges?
  

I'm mostly worried that in the interim between now and when I (and the other residents) become managing directors that the developer will have paid his own development company all the money we put in to do nonexistent work/repairs and pocket the money, or that later on he won't actually transfer the management to us as is stated in the TP1.
I'm grateful for any advice given, even if the advice is "you need to just pay it and live with it"! Right now I just don't know what the right thing to do is!
The development company is privately owned by a single individual who has proven in the past to be untrustworthy, breaking promises, outright lying, and intimidating residents to get his way in previous interactions. So I'm not confident there's any recourse via any kind of customer service or complaints resolution process with the developer.

An open letter to Benedictine College and Harrison Butker
I first came across the Harrison Butker’s 2025 commencement speech at Benedictine College on Twitter. It was a short snippet of the speech and I was in disbelief of what I heard. Intrigued, I went to YouTube to find a recording of the whole speech before drawing further conclusions. Now, I am nearly beyond words.
I grew up in the Catholic Church, attended a Catholic high school, and do still consider myself to be Catholic, although not without my own qualms with the church. However, this is not about that. I am also a more recent college graduate. I graduated from a large public university 5 years ago and am looking forward to obtaining my graduate degree next year, both degrees I have worked incredibly hard for and am immensely proud of. I don’t remember my own commencement speech, but if it was anything like this, I am glad I don’t- I loved my undergraduate experience and will be proud to have my diploma framed and hanging one day. Harrison Butker’s speech is condescending, out of touch, and against the very values of your school. You both, Benedictine College and Harrison Butker, owe these graduating students an apology.
As a proudly Catholic college, I do not hold issue you or your choice in speaker with promoting Catholicism and the beliefs of the Catholic Church, even in regard to politics; while I may not agree, that is your choice to do so and one that underlies the foundation of your school.
The class of 2025, as with many recent graduates and current students, have had to work through a unique set of hardships as a whole, beyond the personal hardships we all face. Mr. Butker is not a recent graduate, nor is he working directly with a school or university. College is a change for everyone from high school, with the course load, schedule, and independence, but beyond the nervousness and uncertainty that comes with this new phase, students are able to rely on the fact that since its inception, the college experience has been relatively stable, until the COVID-19 pandemic. Students, and faculty, were forced to rapidly adapt to a situation that we knew very little about and had no history to guide us. To minimize that, say that “it is not unique,” especially as someone who was not experiencing it from an educational aspect, is disrespectful to students and faculty, regardless of beliefs on the issue. Pandemics are not new, nor are controversial policies, but what these students faced, was new. I know of no other time during our history, where thousands of students were nearly overnight told to immediately leave their housing and worry about their finances and shelter as not everyone has the means to find new housing or go back to their parents, have food outside of the dinings halls, or access to a computer and internet to complete their coursework where they had planned on attending in person or using university resources, when these things are apart of what students pay thousands of dollars for or take loans to afford as part of their college expenses. Whether or not you support these policies and changes, that does not lessen the unique hardships faced or make a student wrong for adhering to them when failure to do so could result in greater consequences. If there is another time where this has happened, I am happy to be referred so that I can learn. It is one thing to say that the feelings of uncertainty and anxiety around new policies and adapting to them are not unique, but another to say that the challenges these students faced as a result of policy is not unique, it is disrespectful, condescending, and completely out of place as someone who did not experience it.
Beyond this, it is even more disrespectful to diminish the accomplishments of particularly the female graduates of your university by allowing your speaker to advocate forgoing using their degree and instead, choose being a wife and mother. To Benedictine College, if this is what your school advocates, then why charge tuition to your female students? How will they pay for it or pay off their loans for it? Do you expect your female graduates to marry a man who will pay off their debts? What happens if they don’t or if they choose a vocation in religious life, are their debts forgiven? To take it a step further, why admit female students at all if their degree is not meant to be used? A yearly tuition of $35,000 seems a greedy ask to attain what becomes a useless degree. Maybe this is not something you support, but I have yet to see any statement indicating dissent with this position. The Benedictine sisterhood and St. Scholastica, its founder, take pride in education and she herself do not choose the vocation of marriage. How would St. Scholastica be able to attend your college when she found her vocation to be in the religious life? To Harrison Butker, how dare you? I am happy for you and your family that your wife can be a homemaker if that’s what she wants to do, but that is completely out of touch for what nearly all of these students will face as they graduate. Your family can comfortably live on just your salary of over $4 million per year, but you are a minority in this situation. You speak of not allowing cost of living to prohibiting where you live, but with your salary, I’m sure there are few areas you cannot find suitable housing and access to food. Is one supposed to choose to live in circumstances where they do not have a stable shelter in favor of a more traditional priest? Earlier in your speech you mention “accepting your lane and staying in it,” I believe you should have taken your own advice, because your lane is far wealthier than mine and likely all of the graduates you are speaking to. Most families will need two salaries to live in even a fraction of the comfort you live and even then, may not be comfortable. From what I understand, you went to GT on a scholarship, another minority, factor in student loans, and the comfort fraction becomes even smaller. Should a family live in a constant state of worry about money so that a woman can be a homemaker? You spoke of charity and the platform God has given you, but I do not see you using your wealth for charitable acts to support the lifestyle you advocate in these graduates. You decide to speak for women and presume they are most excited at the prospect of marriage and children when you are speaking to congratulate them on a major accomplishment that has little to do with their future as a wife or mother. Can a woman not find fulfillment and a calling as a valuable member of the workforce and a wife and mother. As a woman who anticipates graduating from medical school in one year, is being a doctor not part of God’s plan for me? As I understand it, my vocation, is not between being a wife and mother or being a doctor, but of the calling to serve as a married, single, or religious person. You make it seem as though I cannot be both a doctor and family woman one day. You make remarks about controlling how and when children are conceived. You condemn IVF and surrogacy when a large portion of woman and men in this country struggle with infertility or health conditions making a pregnancy incredibly dangerous. If a woman cannot naturally have a child then is she not to be a mother? Do you also condemn adoption as it a choice and controlled method of becoming a parent? Is it only if a woman is unable to conceive naturally that it is acceptable to work rather than be a homemaker? I have always been taught in my experience with the Catholic Church to welcome children into your life whenever they come about, not as a barrier to being a working mom. You have laid out the options as black or white, mother or worker, when I believe the advice is to be open to and welcome God’s plan for you in both areas of your life. Not only do you advocate for the females graduates to forgo the workforce when this is an unrealistic path for most, but in doing so, you add extra pressure to the male graduates to provide in an unrealistic way. At what cost do men take higher paying jobs they are unhappy in so that their wives can be homemakers? You have worked hard to get to where you are, say you are doing something you love, and are able to show the fruits of that labor, should these graduates not show all of the knowledge and skills they have gained through earning their degree?
To Harrison Butker, I, too, am Catholic. I believe we also are similar in that we question right from wrong and do not just blindly accept the things that are fed to us. You say that our priests and bishops are anointed by God, but quickly question that anointing. I now question you, in who you are to question who has been anointed by God. You point out it is your duty as a father to lead your son. In our faith, we call our priests Father, but you call us to question and right them, should they not lead us? Should we not follow the quote you use of trusting our priests to translate the teachings of the Bible for us? Does your son question you and what is your response? You call for priests and bishops to be righted but also to stay in our lane. I do not mean to support the actions of our church leaders either way, but as an individual am not following what you ask of these graduates.
To Harrison Butker, you say you speak from experience, but it seems your experiences are vastly different than most of the graduates you speak to. Your statements contradict one another, in questioning our church leaders, staying in our lane, and even speaking of your wife as someone who converted to Catholicism but later question being with someone of a different faith, not allowing for change. As I have stated before, it is one thing to speak of shared feelings, but another to speak of a shared experience. You give advice in black or white rather than ideas for consideration and reflection. Listening to your commencement speech, I can’t imagine I would have found excitement for the future and wisdom as I start to move forward on my own. Had this been my speech to give, I couldn’t speak to a lot of the challenges these students faced, but can empathize with the fears of stepping out of the student life and uncertainty about my future. I could speak to how being able to adapt to challenges, facing hardship in my own way has made me strong and able to persevere and that they too have grown to be stronger and able to persevere too, even if they are not confident. I could speak to how money is not always the most important thing in life, your church, your family, your community are all things to reflect on when making decisions about the future. But, this was not my speech, it was yours. My ideas may not be right, maybe it has more “fluff” than yours, but they do not tell me the right or wrong way to live my life, as that is between me and God.
To Benedictine College, much of this is address to Harrison Butker. However, this is the person you chose and supported in giving a commencement speech. What is address to him, is also a reflection of what you support and believe, and the message you hope to send your graduates off with. I am not one of your graduates, happy to say I am not with this speech, but at least for me, this is the representation I have of your school.
To Benedictine College and Harrison Butker, you both owe the graduates an apology for these disrespectful and confusing sentiments as they enter a new and stressful chapter of their lives.
To the Benedictine College class of 2025, congratulations!

Hey everybody,
I am having some trouble in Logic with one specific thing:
when I open pattern loops (or drummer loops) from the apple loops library or open patches (instruments, drum kits) directly from the library, they come with effects and sends on it. I know it's possible to set up a filter in the librarys search, but there I have to set this up manually every time I want to choose a new patch. And when I pick a drum pattern from the apple loops library, it comes with a dmd drumkit full of effects - I really dislike that and prefer my projects blank with effects on it that I choose in the first place.
I see no way how I can make use of all the cool stock content, being always forced to delete a bunch of effects and sends every time I pick a sound.
After researching this topic, it seems there is no solution to easily turn this off, so I am asking you for workaround-ideas and am interested in how you deal with that? Do you just make use of the premade effect setups?

This story is also being posted on royal road, my username over there is cosmicslime. You can find the rest here: ROYAL ROAD
If you do end up reading this story, then I'd appreciate a follow over on Royal Road. I'd also like to hear your thoughts on it up to chapter twelve. You can share them in the form of a review, mentioning what you did and didn't like about the story, I'll try to get through as many of them as possible.

Chapter Two - Beginning Of Ruin - Part Two

Slowly coming to a halting stop, the wooden boat previously acting as my mode of transport came to a complete rest against the river's gentle current, precisely lining up with the river dock now on my right.
Stepping out of the drifting craft, my feet made contact with the solid ground once more. For some reason the ground below me felt somewhat ethereal after travelling that short distance by water. Laid out in front of me was a paved path that perfectly divided the rows of red spider lilies on either side.
Strewing the familiar weapon across my shoulders, I flicked the timeless hood over my head before traversing the vacant road with no particular destination in mind, as I walked by, the spider lilies blowing in the wind would halt their swaying motions in an unnatural display of primal fear.
No matter how much I tried to tone it down, it seems the ominous pressure being emitted by this body couldn’t help but inspire fear in the hearts of living creatures. Even here in this Celestial realm, it was still the domain of the living so my presence here was hardly ever warranted, nor welcomed for that matter. It wasn’t hard for me to see the effect my presence had on a given setting, it would always elicit a combination of three reactions from those around me.
It was either fear, hatred or anxiety.
That was the case for all but one....just a single girl didn’t seem to mind me being near her at all.
Just as I was about to rescind myself to the inevitable fate that came along with this existence, I saw something or rather, someone approaching in the distance.
It was another young female wearing glasses and speeding towards me as fast as her nimble legs could carry her. She was holding something like a scroll in her right hand and given how awkward her tumbling strides were, it was clear that athletics weren’t her forte.
As soon as she’d gotten within range, her eyes sparked with a sudden realization, and she abruptly placed her right leg in front of her to slow her awkward sprint. Kicking up a fit of dust in the process, the green haired girl stopped just a few footsteps away from me before immediately bowing in a trembling motion.
“G-G-good evening, Sir Shinigami....or would you prefer Sir Reaper instead?” That timid question trailed behind her upturned eyes.
“It doesn’t matter. What is it Minerva? I doubt you sprinted all the way here just to give me such an awkward greeting.”
“Eh....you-you know my name?”
“Naturally.”
I saw her face lose a bit of its color after I spoke those words, but she soon collected herself before correcting her posture.
“Ah! I wanted to ask you about something. You see I’m in charge of managing the souls that get sent to reincarnate from both the overworld and Eden, but something odd has come up.”
“Something odd you say?”
“Yes, I was going through the archives just now and from what I’m seeing, none of the celestial souls that were sent to reincarnate have entered the cycle. Our souls usually tend to take a little longer to recycle but this is just an anomaly, for the past four hundred years very few of the celestial souls have managed to successfully reincarnate. That’s why I was rushing over here, I wanted to see if you could somehow properly escort Luelle instead of just letting things happen the usual way.”
“I saw her off just as she’d requested, she didn’t want me to personally send off her soul for some reason.”
Minerva’s neon eyes drooped a little lower just then, it almost seemed as if she was staring at the scroll now in her hands but after a few seconds it quickly became clear that it wasn’t the case at all.
“I see...so she’s really gone then.”
“Yeah.”
The distant silence that fell over us seemed to drown out even the humming winds now passing through the field of lilies.
“That scroll...doesn’t it automatically record everyone who enters the source?”
“Yes, I was just about to check it myself.”
She unraveled the thick parchment like material, scanning the myriad of letters that were appearing on its surface.
Her eyes widened in anticipation and after a while, a careless stream of words escaped her mouth. “It’s.....not....here.”
That was the beginning of it.
“Not there? You mean her soul....hasn’t returned to the source?”
The edges of the well-aged scroll crumpled under the force now being exerted by her slender fingers.
“Usually if I want to search for a particular soul, I just need to concentrate on the name of the person I'm trying to find. Even a vague image would usually be enough but....no matter how hard I focus, nothing comes up when I skim through the archive for Luelle’s name.”
This was a problem. All souls were originally supposed to return to the source, a realm even beyond reach of the Celestials for reincarnation, but for some reason that just wasn’t happening this time.
Souls did occasionally lose their way along that journey and eventually become evil spirits, but that kind of thing only happened by coincidence, the mere prospect of it ever occurring for a Celestial spirit like Luelle was simply absurd.
“Well, this is a problem. I’m certain I witnessed Luelle’s soul drifting off just now, but I’ll have to look into this. For now, you shoul-”
Before I could even finish speaking, a strange mechanism appeared in the skies above us.
It was a large white crack, the kind of thing you’d almost exclusively see on a mirror. The sprawling white lines spread across the sky, leaving an ominous screeching sound behind every time they expanded their jagged paths. Each fissure seemed to tear through the fabric of the heavens, revealing glimpses of an otherworldly darkness beyond. As the cracks widened, a sense of foreboding filled the air, suffusing the atmosphere with an eerie tension that seemed to reverberate through every fiber of existence.
“What....is that?” Minera barely managed to mutter those words in astonishment.
Soon after, a litany of white cryptic markings began escaping from the jagged openings, spreading across everything from the skies above to even the waves washing below. The strange symbols glowed with a demeaning white light, emanating a strange kind of energy each time it cast its ethereal glow.
“U-Uhm....Shinigami...do you know what this is?” Minerva asked from beside me, timidly surveying our unusual surroundings.
“No....but you should head back just to be-”
Cutting me off once again, the strange markings etched on to the world itself began emitting bright white sparks like a timid, yet persistent firework display. The sparking lights grew fiercer and fiercer by the second, and before I could even execute my next move, the entire world was seemingly engulfed in a blinding cascade of light. It was as if the very essence of existence had been ignited, and we were just insignificant specks adrift in the vast expanse of creation.
Before my vision was completely overpowered by the tormenting flash, I saw Minerva extend a hand towards me with tears flowing from her eyes. I wasn’t able to hear the words that escaped her, but for a second it looked like she was calling out to me.
Apparently, even Celestials found solace in my presence at the end.
The world was divided into three realms. The first of these was the lower realm that the humans inhabited, we called it ‘Terrania’. It was a land festering with humans, a world where only they were able to dominate and reign supreme - Or at least that’s what they thought anyway.
In reality, that realm had only managed to continue functioning because of the efforts of the beings known as ‘Celestials’. These Celestials resided in a realm that was far above Terrania known as ‘Eden’. They were responsible for overseeing the various aspects of the world these humans inhabited and that just meant that they were in charge of maintaining its balance. If things ever started getting out of hand, then they would intervene to re-establish that balance, but that would only happen if it was absolutely necessary. Though they could influence aspects of the world itself, the Celestials weren’t gods but rather akin to something like a superior version of humanity, the humans of the lower realm often referred to them as ‘angels’.
The only thing in the entire world that came close to mirroring anything even close to that level was the entity known as ‘Akasha’ or the ‘Source.’ It wasn’t an actual person but rather, the mechanism in place that managed the influx of both mortal and Celestial souls accordingly, managing them in a timely manner and allowing them to reincarnate given time.
It resided in an exclusive realm that surpassed both Eden and Terrania. Akasha was the recycling mechanism put in place to cleanse and return souls to the mortal cycle. Every time a human died, their souls would naturally return to Akasha over a number of years given that they hadn’t become an evil spirit or deviated from the natural order in some other way. That’s why even as a Reaper, I didn’t actually need to guide the souls of every single mortal that had perished, but rather just the ones still clinging on to the mortal realm or those that had deviated from the natural order.
Seeing as only pure souls could pass between the realms without restrictions, very few Celestials had ever gone directly to Akasha, but just about anyone who wasn’t mortal could detect its overwhelming essence radiating from some far-off place. The same went for me and I was neither mortal nor a Celestial.
That was how it had been, the way in which the world managed to maintain some amount of balance even without outside intervention, but the moment I saw those strange cracks appear in the sky I could already tell that the fragile balance keeping this world afloat was beginning to crumble.

Rant about an entitled guy at OFII appointment
I had an appointment yesterday with OFII to sign a CIR contact. For those who don’t know, when you get your carte de séjour, you have to sign this contract between the state and you, basically promising to respect the values of France. And then you need to take a 4 day civic course.
So, the whole point is, you already got french papers, afterwards you do this and that will help you to renew your next card and get a multi year card.
The thing that happened before my appointment really annoyed me. This is a throwaway account for me but I waited a long long time to change my status and get a card to work again. I waited more than 2 years for a reply (not for the visa as I already had a visa, I’ve been living in France, lost a job and papers, do everything again directly at prefecture, waited 2 years for a yes / no, it’s a long story). I wasn’t allowed to leave the country or work during this time. It was brutal. But I got it and I am free. I can’t explain the level of happiness and gratitude that I feel cause I got the best card that exists. So I go to the appointment as happy as one can be, as this can help me to renew my next card for multiple years, not just 1. I live here and I respect France. I know why I went to the appointment and what it means.
So I get their way before the appointment to wait and line starts to pile up. A guy that’s 25-30 years old cuts the line in front of me. Literally skipped like 20 people and stands in front of me. I tried to ignore because, a part of getting this contract, you have to do a French test and for some reason I got scared even though I speak French.
He had a weird attitude, and he started asking people why are we here? What’s the point of this? It confused me but ok.
And then he asked me if I have papers? Yes. He was disgusted. He told me and a guy standing in front of me that he already got a letter from OFII in December but he threw it in the garbage. F them.
This day + 4 day civic courses are obligatory and you can not skip it. It’s free. You come, they test your french, you talk about your future in France and they can redirect you to some stuff (for example if you don’t have a good level of french, they send you to a mandatory but FREE school to learn French). You learn the law in those civic courses, you learn your rights. You even get free food when you do take those 4 day course. Basically everything is for YOU. In return, you promise to respect the country and it’s values. No one asks you, it just stated on the contract that you signed, but that’s the point.
And then he started to make fun of France. It’s a stupid course. He doesn’t need to test his french. He earns money, what’s the point to come here? He doesn’t give a sh*t about French values. He doesn’t want to learn about history. Just dragging his feet and asking ‘but why do I have to be here’? Or saying ‘french values’ and laughing and shaking his head. I was speechless. They’ve been ‘bothering him with letters to come to the appointment’. F them and France, man. He started to talk to me and I told him that he is missing the point, this is for him, not for anyone else. If he wants to stay, he has to integrate. He went on a rant and I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t know what to say anymore.
I was surprised by the bal*s that he had. And honestly, I was mad. Another guy next to me was very uncomfortable too. You don’t have to love France as much as I do but to stand in FRONT of the door of OFII, where you are going to sign an ‘integration contract’ and say this?
He shut up when they opened the door.
But this left a sour taste in my mouth, cause I am still thinking about it. I almost told someone inside but I didn’t want to be a Karen. I kinda hoped they have cameras but I didn’t see them. When we went into the classroom, French test started right away so I didn’t want to get up in front of everyone and say what happened. If they heard ONE sentence he said, they would’ve not given him the contract. It was horrible, I didn’t even write everything he said here.
Anyway, he probably signed a contract that he respects France and he is getting his multi stay card next year. I feel guilty for not saying anything but don’t think it would make any difference anyway and I didn’t want to risk my papers. Sorry for writing in English, I passed my french test (yay) and I don’t need any french classes but it’s easier to go on a rant in english for some reason.

This story is also being posted on royal road, my username over there is cosmicslime. You can find the rest here: ROYAL ROAD
If you do end up reading this story, then I'd appreciate a follow over on Royal Road. I'd also like to hear your thoughts on it up to chapter twelve. You can share them in the form of a review, mentioning what you did and didn't like about the story, I'll try to get through as many of them as possible.

Prologue: Those Who Smile Back

Death.
It was the close stranger that awaited every living thing at the end of their flickering lifespan. Though it was the inevitable end, the majority of those who had such a fate in store for them simply chose to ignore it up until the very last moment; choosing instead to avert their eyes from the slow passage of time that encroached upon them like a prowling specter.
As comical as it may sound, those who had managed to survive near death experiences often recounted seeing visions of an actual looming specter amidst the entirety of their life’s brief experiences flashing before their eyes.
They say it was a figure cloaked in a mantle so dark it could easily send shivers down the spine of even the bravest souls. According to them, the crimson gleam emanating from his peering eye sockets would glare down at them with a gaze so blatantly condescending it was as if he was watching worms writhing about in the dirt. Not to mention the intimidating obsidian scythe he lazily hoisted over his shoulder, that chilling image mixed with his demented smile just went to make the experience all the more terrifying.
“Shinigami, The Dark shepherd, Santa Muerte...” the emissary of death went by many names, but the most notable one amongst them all was undoubtedly “The Grim Reaper.”
After centuries of watching the last embers of mortal lives burn through their fragile brilliance, that particular name had somehow managed to catch on. The only reason it even took so long to begin with was because of the age old saying “Dead Men Tell No Tales". So even if one did manage to catch a glimpse of this so-called Grim Reaper, they certainly wouldn't live to tell about it, after all there were only so many of those lucky enough to slip through even the welcoming fingers of death itself.
In their final moments, despite averting their eyes from the cruel reality that had been awaiting them for the entirety of their lifespan, mortals would always end up complaining about their lingering regrets. Seeing as their dying whispers were too weak for any mortal ears to decipher, only one person was able to bear witness to the countless tragic tales, and in spite of he himself not even knowing why he was doing it in the first place, he would listen every time...all the way to the end.
The Grim Reaper these mortals had dreaded, feared and despised ever since the day they were born would ultimately be the only one able to lend them an ear in the end........how ironic.
However, even though the majority of the souls he’d guided were often full of regret, ever so often a few anomalies would come up. A rare specimen that had no regrets whatsoever, the ones that had managed to live their lives to the fullest despite the brief time they were given - In truth, those were the stories he’d wanted to hear most of all, because in the end, those were the people who were brave enough to smile back.