Seeing all the Supercharger drama compelled me to make this post:
The year is 2009. Tesla is running short on money. The company has delivered its first 200 roadsters to buyers far later than anticipated. All delivered roadsters are recalled for safety issues. Just a few months before, Elon had laid off 20% of the company, presumably to cut costs. Elon had to wire his last 3 million dollars to the company with no guarantee of return because the company would otherwise not have been able to make payroll. To a lot of people, this was proof that the arrogant dot com millionaire would soon realise that he was ill equipped to run a hardware company.
In March 2009, Tesla engineer Peng Zhou leaks information relating to the company's finances to the press. When Elon found out, he fired Zhou and made him apologize to the company. Elon would then send documents to the rest of the employees compelling them to inform him if they had ever leaked information to the press with the promise that they would not receive consequences. Elon wanted to run a company in which important information was not being kept from any employees, but constant leaks would be a betrayal of that trust. To a lot of outside observers, Elon was an egomaniac obsessed with secrecy, whose witch hunt would create a negative atmosphere in the company that discouraged productivity, and Tesla would have been better off with a more stable and rational CEO. He was being "known more for feuds and firings" than building cars.
In the same month, Tesla unveiled a hurriedly built Model S prototype. Hurried, because Tesla was on death watch. Tesla had a significant backlog on roadster orders. The company was bleeding money. So to a lot of analysts, Tesla would never be able to deliver on an even more technologically challenging vehicle. The Model S was described as "absolute vapourware" - the type that was common in the software industry that Elon was coming from, but Tesla and Elon had the "gall" to take deposits on this imaginary vehicle. And even if they succeeded, Tesla would also never lead the EV revolution because they made toys for rich people. Fisker was a better candidate.
One more anecdote from another Elon company: In 2018, Elon was not happy with the progress being made by the Starlink team. 3 years after announcement, the starlink satellites that had been developed were too complicated and too expensive. Instead of reassessing with his team like a "stable" and "rational" CEO would have, Elon jumped straight to step 2 of his "algorithm" and deleted the executives outright. He and a group of trusted engineer would take on the former executives roles and do it themselves.
So, how did those decisions work out for Elon and his companies?

1. Tesla delivered on all the roadster orders, unlike what experts and armchair executives thought
2. Tesla did not go bankrupt, unlike what experts and armchair executives thought
3. The leaks stopped, and productivity did not decrease due to the negativity, unlike what experts and armchair executives thought
4. The Model S was released and delivered, and became the foundation the electric vehicle revolution was built on, unlike what experts and armchair executives thought. Fisker is preparing for bankruptcy.
5. The executives fired by Elon moved on to Bezos' project Kuiper, where they are yet to launch anything significant. Meanwhile, Starlink is a mega constellation, has 2 million users, and made $6bn in revenue.

A more "stable" CEO would never have been able to take an automotive startup and make it the most valuable car company in the world, with over 1T in market cap at ATH. With a more stable CEO, electric vehicles would have been dead on delivery and Tesla would never have become synonymous with electric vehicles to the average person like they are today. I don't pay attention to any of the drama that happens day to day, like what's currently happening with the Supercharger team lately because that is how Elon has always run his companies, and I know that the drama is a part of the process. I will be voting to reinstate his pay package.

I am a first time buyer, and I have been on the car hunt for almost a month now. I really don't know what I should be looking for so I'm curious what everyone recommends.
I currently drive a 2007 GMC Envoy and I prefer to be higher up in an SUV rather than a sedan style car. I've been looking at Nissan Rogue, Toyota Rav4, and Honda CR-V's. I did just test drive a 2015 Honda CR-V and it was a little bit lowesmaller than what I expected so this is where I am stuck. The dealership I was at said that all the cars I am looking at (rogues and rav4's) would basically be the same height/style car (which I don't think is neccessarily true but I listened to his advice anyways). They did show me a Subaru Forester which I sat in and took for a quick test drive, and it wasn't too bad but no one in my family has owned a subaru so I'm unsure about it.
I am trying to stay under a 25k budget, however anything less would be ideal. Anything would be helpful in what I should be looking for at dealerships, thanks to anyone in advance!

I sell in every beauty category: skincare, haircare, cosmetics, and fragrance (though I know the latter is not allowed on Poshmark). I stopped selling on Mercari when they made some really shady changes 6 weeks ago, and I am hurting. I’ve always been able to sell more products for higher prices that I can get on eBay… I just can’t compete with some of the big beauty sellers there. What I did sell well on eBay were full size and expensive niche items. I’d sell around 50 items a month on Mercari, and maybe half that on eBay.
I tried to sell beauty items on Poshmark during the pandemic, but I only ever sold one, a super heavy niche British brand makeup remover that was worth the price plus shipping. I’ve had some pretty terrible luck as both a seller and a buyer, one with a really unstable seller who was seriously out of her mind, and once as a buyer when I bought replacement jeans that were shrunk two inches shorter and two sizes smaller, and both times Poshmark sided with the other person, which leaves a bad association. I also don’t like the “honey, sweetie, love” ask a million questions, engagement, having to like other buyers and sellers pages that seems to be a must do on Poshmark.
Given all of the above, coupled with the fact that I’m largely unfamiliar with selling on Poshmark, could it be a good platform for me to sell beauty products on? I’d genuinely love your thoughts, and tips or tricks for an experienced seller that would be new to Poshmark’s ways. Thanks in advance for your help!

Let us pretend that this is a real update, any of this can of course be changed to properly suite the balancing of the game:
‎

Lively Wastes

Well we all have issues with the wasteland, ghouls breaking in and eating your food, gangs of raiders chasing you with spears, or random scavengers boarding up your door in an instant. Today I bring some new content and some solutions for a few of these issues.
‎

Enclosed:

This is a new gimmick for base building, when surrounding your entire base, creatures and players may not spawn in it or 2 spaces around it, same rule applies to anyone else trying to build around your base that isn't you or your team mates, this only works if you completely surround your base, corners must be secured as well. Plants and rocks can still spawn in it so floors are advised if you don't want it to be cluttered up or if one of your walls break, ruining the anti spawn/anti place effect. Special ruling applies when players from different teams build, if a player helps you close in your 'house', you both can build without restriction, this can be good for team mates when their team leader dies to not cause issues, down fall is that raiders can cause more issues.
‎
‎

Item(s)

‎

CaSmall Trucks

Use:

Harvest.

Cost:

3 alloys, 30 metal, 10 junk.

Requires:

Research Bench or Builder Station(check (https://www.reddit.com/devastio/comments/1comkq5/wasteland\_wishesupdate\_suggestion2/), unlock at level 14.

Health:

3000.

Area:

2x6.

Obtainability:

Craft, can be found around the city to break.

Special:

Stacks of 2 gas per slot can be looted from this.
‎

Fire Arrows

Use:

Ammunition.

Cost:

10 arrows, 1 gas.

Requires:

Work Bench, unlock at level 3.

Obtainability:

Craft Only.

Special:

By using the 'R' button you can swap between normal arrows and fire arrows, if you have them. When it hits something, it is afflicted with the 'Burning' effect(check https://www.reddit.com/devastio/comments/1cm4irl/phoenix_risingupdate_suggestion_1/ for info on it).

Flavor Text:

"We didn't start the fire, it was always burning..."
‎

Heater

Use:

Crafting Bench and camp.

Cost:

5 alloys, 15 metal, and 20 energy-cells.

Requires:

Research Bench, unlock at level 16.

Health:

1000.

Arena:

1x1.

Obtainability:

Craft, High level respawn kit.

Special:

Acts like a camp fire, requires energy cells to function and warms up nearby people, if the 'house' is Enclosed, it affects the entire base, having less effect the farther away from it you are(minimum effect stops your cold gauge from decreasing).

Flavor Text:

"Ahhhhh no more cold nights!"
‎

Enemies

‎

Deer

Health:

225.

Damage:

50.

Attack Speed:

Slow(as hammer).

Movement Speed:

Fast.

Appearance:

Looks like a living deer.

Spawn:

Spawns randomly, as ghouls do, during day and night.

Activity:

Runs when you get close, if cornered, it will chase you down and attack you, only running when low on hp.

Loot:

Drops a dead deer you can harvest.
‎

Boar

Health:

275.

Damage:

50.

Attack Speed:

Slow(as hammer).

Movement Speed:

Normal.

Appearance:

Looks like a living boar.

Spawn:

Spawns randomly, as ghouls do, during day and night.

Activity:

If you get too close or hurt it, it will chase you down and attack you. Its attacks involve charging, which means it has a hard time with players who are able to side step.

Loot:

Drops a dead boar you can harvest.
‎

Perks

‎

Master Survivalist

Cost:

3 Points

Requires:

16.

Effect:

While not in a team, your food gauge, cold gauge reduce 50% slower, your radiation meter increases 50% slower and you gather 2x the materials.
‎
I hope you like these ideas and lets hope some of them get added.
If you like this update suggestion, check out the previous one: https://www.reddit.com/devastio/comments/1comkq5/wasteland_wishesupdate_suggestion2/

Sold a car part and it showed up with a hole in the box “no item” buyer requested a refund “no refund” in listing buyer states usps said that’s how they received it. Item not insured sub $120 part but I assume I still make a item lost claim? I have 3 days to resolve this. Any ideas?

Brought a car and being so anxious wasn’t really paying attention to the paperwork. Now I have an original title, stapled to a bill of sale along with another bill of sale for me to fill out already signed by the “seller” can someone let me know what can be done on my part if anything. Or do I just take the loss and possibly try one of those junk it for $300 cash places

Si oui, est-elle efficace dans le cadre du report d’un tweet et de la demande de suppression de celui-ci ?
Sachez que le compte visé par mon report a une large audience (20k+)
Un individu que je ne connais pas a publié sans mon consentement une photographie de moi avec des amis, car il souhaite s’en prendre à l’un d’eux en « dénonçant » un positionnement politique nauséabond et complètement supposé; qui plus est en affiliant les autres personnes présentes sur la photo (moi y compris) à ces mêmes accusations.
Cette association et ses affirmations sont moralement et socialement largement préjudiciables, et peuvent être professionnellement problématiques. Outre ces raisons, je m’applique à ne pas être présent publiquement sur les réseaux sociaux pour des raisons idéologiques et de préservation évidentes.
Pour abréger le charabia: je ne veux pas que ma tête se balade publiquement sur internet. Encore moins si c’est pour être affiché devant une large audience en me prêtant par association des idéaux qui ne sont pas et n’ont jamais été les miens.
J’ai report le tweet et précise tout ça. Je ne suis pas du tout coutumier de ce site et de son fonctionnement. La modération est-elle efficace ?
Si il le faut j’irais déposer plainte pour non respect du droit à l’image mais honnêtement j’ai mieux à foutre de mes journées donc ça m’emmerderait d’en arriver là.

We've been together for 6 years, and initially, I felt like our relationship was the healthiest ever. But more and more, I feel like I'm being taken advantage of and manipulated, and I don't know what to do. If I can fix it, I want to, but... I also don't want to stay in a situation where I'm not respected.
Some examples:

• He's broken or damaged a few of my things (laptop, my car's paint, something that was special to me) on accident, but acted like I was overreacting/being unreasonable for being upset and suggesting he help pay to fix/replace the things.
• He never takes my side. I get that no one is in the right all the time, and you want your s/o to call you out when you're wrong, but... according to him, I'm always in the wrong.
• Somehow my mental health issues are all about him? I'll be depressed, and he'll be going off about how that makes him feel. It's a double-edged sword, because it's true that your s/o's mental health affects your own, and I think it's important to be open. But it also makes me hesitant to open up to him, because then he'll get upset at me for making him upset. But then he also gets upset when I don't share how I'm feeling, so I don't know what to do....
• He questions everything I say and if I don't feel like debating him, he acts like I'm lying. I was telling him about some problems I was having in my industry and how all my friends have similar issues, but one of his friends in the same industry says he doesn't have those problems, so my boyfriend told me that these issues aren't real. Even though I've experienced them and my friends have too. He'll pull out Google and look up what I say in front of me, but when I do the same to him to show him how it feels, he gets SO mad - and yet, doesn't stop doing it.
• If I say I don't want to do something, he doesn't stop bringing it up until I relent. It happens with everything, from where we should eat to where to move to and even in the bedroom. There's something I have trauma associated with, but it's something he likes, so even though he knows I had this traumatic experience, he keeps bringing it up, because it's something he wants to do. When I finally relented but with conditions, he ignored my conditions, but always acts sorry when I remind him.

So, I don't know what to do... Maybe I'm not communicating well? Maybe I'm really dumb, and that's why he's never on my side or never believes me? Maybe I need to figure out how to establish better boundaries? Or maybe it's just time to leave. He can be so sweet, and he'll let me hang out with him while he's talking to his friends, and I don't doubt that he loves me. But... even if he loves me, I feel like he doesn't respect me. So, I don't know what to do.
TLDR; I feel like my boyfriend doesn't respect me and I don't know what to do about it.

Noah The Pilgrim
First Next
There is one last thing to do before leaving. If you don't recall ever being on this ship, then surely, you could have had your appearance change too.
Why was there a blanket covering a mirror? You couldn't answer that with a straight face without speculation.
"Probably me being lazy and not bothering to properly place it in the wardrobe."
'Probably' is the main focus here, you simply cannot remember ever being that lazy, yet that's the only logical conclusion to be drawn here.
You pull the thing off, careful to not displace the mirror and risk breaking it.
You have no expectations as to what may appear on the glassy surface of the mirror, yet you can't help but feel a bit anxious. Are you the same as before? How were you before? You can't remember. Are you better? Worse? The blanket is now completely off the mirror, but your eyes are closed.
Whatever is it that you see when you open your eyes, that thing will be you for the rest of your life. You swallow, opening your eyes.
You see a young man that looks to be in his mid-twenties. His brown eyes stare back at you, analyzing the bags beneath your eye sockets. The dark hair is neither too long nor too short, floating about without order thanks to the lack of gravity to keep it down. You see a beard that has not been trimmed for weeks, but also lacks thickness, each singular hair isn't particularly long either; and some even appear to be in-grown.
You touch your hand against your face, making sure it's yours. The beard doesn't feel like you supposed it would against your skin, instead of it scraping your hand you feel softness, no resistance or anything.
Just beneath the face, you see what looks like a hate crime against all that is considered holy in fashion. Plain white coveralls with the added bonus of a black tie and boots made from metal and leather. On your chest is also a badge stuck in place by velcro with your name, occupation, and crew. 'NOAH - INTERN - THE ODYSSEY.'
Only one question came to mind.
"Who the fuck designed this uniform?" You say out loud, receiving no answer.
Patting your newfound myriad of pockets, you find a large quantity of nothing. You place your wallet in one of them.
"Alright, I'll head to the bridge now, happy?" You say the AI.
"HAPPINESS WILL ONLY MEET ME ONCE YOU ARE SOMEWHERE SAFE AND YOUR CONTRACT IS TERMINATED. STOP LOITERING."
Well, that's a bit rude.
You compose yourself, straightening your back. This is what you look like, and honestly? Not too bad, but you could be better.
Returning to the cafeteria, you eye the two doors left unexplored; Communications and the one without plaque. You know where you should, but... A little peek doesn't hurt, right?
"Shouldn't we try to communicate with someone? Assuming you haven't tried it yet. I know we're far from everything, but we might as well, no?" You ask already approaching the door.
"COMMUNICATIONS ROOM IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO REACH WITHOUT PROPER PROTECTION AS OF NOW, IT'S LOCATED APPROXIMATELY TWO HUNDRED METERS FROM HERE, BLOWN OFF FROM THE REST OF THE SHIP." A shame really. "I SHALL INFORM YOU WHENEVER A DOOR LEADS TO THE OUTSIDE OR NOT."
You really want to ask what blew a whole segment of the ship off, yet you have a sneaking suspicion that your question will be met with a 'YOU DON'T HAVE CLEARANCE, JACKASS' directly in your face. So you chose to remain silent, simply nodding and approaching the correct door this time.
"Open."
---OPENING CAFETERIA DOOR NORTH---
The door silently opens.
Greeting you is a well-lit corridor. There are three doors on your left, a door at the end of the corridor, and a large window on the right. At least, you think that's a window.
You stare out from this window, nothing but utter blackness and fragments from your ship are seen. If this is the edge of the universe, and beyond this point, there is truly nothing. "Dreadful." Your speech matches your feelings.
"WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?" The AI says. You feel like it spoke in a mocking tone despite their lack of emotion.
You don't answer. "First door to the left... EXO-EXPLORATION...? What's that supposed to mean?" You receive no answer.
"Open." The door opens. No declarion of it opening once again.
You are met with what could be better described as 'Apocalyptic levels of mess', paper sheets float in the air, and not one of the four tables is in its correct position.
This room has been ransacked for all its goods apparently. Large display glasses were broken leaving nothing inside their casings, that looked like they could store something with the size of the common man.
Unusual displays aside, the room was so cluttered that the trash made for an effective smoke screen against what lay on the other side.
Hissing of gas exiting an air-tight space rang throughout the room.
"I HAVE OPENED THE STORAGE FOR AN EXO SUIT THAT BEST FITS SOMEONE YOUR SIZE." The AI says. "ALTHOUGH AN INTERN SHOULD NOT COME IN CONTACT WITH TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS THIS ONE, PROTOCOL DICTATES THAT I AM TO ALLOW ITS USAGE UNDER EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES. CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY."
Easier said than done. Your vision is so cluttered that you cannot see what's ahead. "Give me a second."
Giving a light kick to the wall behind, you float face-first into the wall of thrash. Covering your face with both arms, you brace through the harmless bits of sharp objects and junk.
It's a trivial task. You arrive on the other side in no time.
In front of you is a set of boxes with luminous glass rectangles atop each one of them. All shine a bright red light, aside from one which shines green.
'Gotta be this one.'
You descend to the floor by kicking the ceiling, raising your right hand you touch the green rectangle.
*Click*
Nothing could have prepared you for the following series of events.
The box opens violently, as a metal appendage takes hold of your hand, pinning it to the box. You try to jerk and pry the thing off of you, but you fail. It's not leaving you anytime soon.
From the bottomless that is that container, a white plastic-like substance flows upward from your arm to the rest of your body. "Uh!" You don't know if you should panic or allow it to happen.
FYARN hasn't said anything, so it's probably fine...
The white thing seems to ignore the coveralls you are wearing completely, instead, it covers only your skin in a thin coat of... it. You know not what to call this thing.
In but forty seconds it has covered your whole body, excluding your head. The box lets go of your arm and stays there, floating.
You take a good look at your arms. It looks like a skin-tight suit, but it doesn't feel like plastic, in fact, it's more akin to some sort of fabric if anything.
The only bad part is that you are still using the coverall and tie, this this simply went beneath the clothing.
"GOOD, WITH THIS I CAN MONITOR YOU MORE CLOSELY. NOW PUT THE HELMET ON, YOU HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO."
You look around in search of anything that even resembles a helmet. Nope. Nothing. "Where is it?" You ask.
"...THE SUIT COMES WITHIN THE HELMET FOR EASIER PACKAGING."
The box?
You snatch the box that floated around and analyze it to the best of your ability. "How's this a helmet?"
"DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE PUTTING ON A HELMET? REALLY?"
Who is this AI, Who programmed it, and Why does it come with a taunting feature?
As idiotic as it sounds, you place the opened box atop your head. It doesn't fit properly. Maybe you're doing this wrong? You move it to your face instead.
You recoil backward as you feel the box suddenly clamping down against your head. It's useless of course, the box is holding your head and doesn't give any sign to be letting go anytime soon. No light is able to reach your eyes.
You hear metal parts scraping against themselves, moving near your ears. Abruptly your eyes can see again.
A round thin layer of glass now covers your head, almost unnoticeable for how clear it is.
"WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY I CAN NOW SEE WHAT YOU SEE." The AI's voice isn't in the room now, instead, it's inside of the suit. "DO YOU NEED INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING THIS SUIT'S FUNCTIONALITIES?"
You find it oddly comfortable as if you are surrounded by the softness of cotton, and to top it off the suit also has additional functionalities? "Hell yeah, I do!"
"YOU DO NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY CLEARANCE FOR THAT INFORMATION."
You sigh. Is this serious? "Then why the fuck did you ask?!"
"UNSAVORY LANGUAGE. IT'S NO WONDER WHY YOU REMAIN AN INTERN." The AI says outright. "IT IS RUDE NOT TO ASK, REGARDLESS OF THE SITUATION." It responds to your question.
"Okay then... Is there anything I need to know before heading out?" You ask.
"NOTHING THAT YOU WON'T FIGURE OUT ON YOUR OWN."
You are unsure if you want to 'figure out on your own' if this suit comes with breathable air and is also made for space exploration. You swallow.
Meekly as always, you get out of that mess of a room, stopping at the corridor.
"Next set of directions?" You ask.
"THE DOOR AT THE END OF CORRIDOR USED TO LEAD TO THE CONNECTING CORRIDORS BETWEN THE BRIDGE AND THE REST OF THE SHIP. IT HAS BEEN BLOWN UP FROM THE INSIDE. NOW IT LEADS TO THE OUTSIDE. GO TO THE DOOR AND WAIT BY IT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS."
"So let me get this straight," You begin, looking upwards as if the AI was above you. "You, want me, to go into the void of space, while also refusing to give me knowledge of the suit's functions?"
A fair worry, you summarize.
'I mean, there are a bunch of things that could go wrong here. I don't see anything that looks like it could help me move in space, nor do I think this thing has a built-in air tank... I could be wrong and I wish to be, but charging in without prior knowledge is ridiculous.' You wait for the AI's response, deep in thought.
"WHILE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE OF YOU FAILING THIS TASK, THERE IS ALSO THE CHANCE OF YOU *NOT* FAILING THE TASK. FOCUS ON EITHER ONE OF YOUR CHOOSING AS YOU TAKE THE PLUNGE."
Wordlessly, you propel yourself forward, toward the end of the corridor.
'Are you shitting me? 'Chance of me nor failing' my ass!' of course, you don't word those complaints, instead choosing to speak out a complaint somewhat thought through.
"Are you sure I'm the one fit for this? It's just like you said, I'm just an intern, this is way above what my job description says I should do."
This is a bit of a stretch. You don't actually remember what was your job description, only that it had something to do with AI and being an intern.
If the AI called your bluff, it'd be pretty embarrassing.
"NOAH." The AI began. "YOU ARE HUMAN, IT IS NATURAL TO HAVE THESE THOUGHTS OF SELF-DOUBT. TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND GO THROUGH THAT DOOR, AND SINCE YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE LEFT, DON'T EXPECT SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT FOR YOU."
Right in the money, huh? 'Of course, I have self-doubt! I barely remember anything about this place, now I have to risk my life?!'
You finally reach a conclusion.
A dream.
'Yes, yes! How did I not consider this before? This whole thing is a god damned dream!'
You let out a chuckle.
"NOAH."
'That's why I don't remember a thing. There is nothing here to remember! Everything here is a made-up thing from my brain! I'm sure I'll wake up at some point, so why shouldn't I live a little?!'
"Heh." You smile. "Alright, I'll do it." It feels like a weight left your shoulders.
"YOU SORTED IT OUT SOONER THAN EXPECTED. GOOD. MOVE TO THE DOOR AND WAIT INSTRUCTIONS."
You do as instructed without a care in the world. You never had a lucid dream before so it's not like you knew how it felt, but if it felt as free as you feel right now, you'd be sure to make steps toward trying it out again in the future.
"Open." The door does not open.
"I DID NOT INSTRUCT YOU TO OPEN IT YET." The AI said. "I AM SLOWLY DE-PRESSURISING THE CORRIDOR YOU ARE IN TO AVOID A MINOR ACCIDENT."
The AI says that yet you don't feel any different. 'Maybe there is no palpable difference because I'm in a dream... Yes... Or it's just the suit.'
"ONCE THE DOOR OPENS, YOU WILL BE MET WITH THE OUTSIDE OF THE SHIP. DO NOT PANIC WHEN THE TIME COMES. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES OF BREATHABLE INSIDE THE EXO-SUIT; ONE AFTER THE DOOR OPENS, SO PLEASE, TAKE YOUR TIME AND DO THINGS CAREFULLY."
One minute outside... "Sure." You say, calmly. 'I should just hold my breath for a while before taking another moment to breathe. That should maximize my time out there.'
"THERE SHOULD BE FIFTY METERS OF NOTHINGNESS BETWEEN THE DOOR YOU'RE AT, AND THE REST OF THE BRIDGE. YOUR PRIORITY IS TO FIND AN OXYGEN UNIT, SOME OF THEM ARE LOCATED AT THE BRIDGE AND ARE FULL. USE THEM TO FILL YOUR SUIT AND ALSO TO DISPENSE A TANK FOR YOU."
The door opens. You feel your heart pounding against your chest.
You haven't noticed before, but you can't hear anything but the sound of your breath and your cardiac palpitations.
Your breath is ragged and sporadic.
"KEEP CALM." You take a deep breath. The tips of your fingers, feet, and nose feel very cold.
Ahead of you is the utter nothingness. You see a gigantic metal thing, nothing like the spaceships you imagined. Its design is not sleek and aero-dynamic like what you've seen in movies, instead, it's a large mass of squares and rectangles with antenna-like things protruding from its every visible surface.
You notice that the ship is also blocking your view of the star.
It does not look like the result of an explosion, instead, it looks like something ripped the ship like you rip a piece of paper. Well, that or you don't know what kind of explosion could have caused it. Probably the latter.
What looks like two-thirds of the ship is separated from the third you are right now. You can see the inside of a few of those squares, their contents spilled out into outer space.
One of them houses a visibly important-look door. Instead of the sleek silvery-grey from the other ones you've seen thus far, this one is painted orange with white strips on it. 'That must be the bridge.' You think.
Between you and it is a sea of metal sheets floating around. "THE CHANCES OF YOU HITTING THE DEBRIS IS INFINITEDECIMALLY SMALL, UNLESS YOU AIM FOR THEM, THAT IS."
Time is of the essence.
Will your aim strike true? If you miss you'd end up floating about in space, dead in but a few minutes. Will your jump be fast enough to reach the other side before you run out of oxygen? If it isn't, it'd be like swimming for a mile, only to drown at the beach. What if that's not the actual door to the bridge?
You don't have the time to panic now, and... It's all a dream, despite how real it feels.
You place your hands on each side of the door frame, moving backward into the corridor you were just in, and just like a sling being shot, you pull with both arms at full force towards the other side.
"AIM IS ACCEPTABLE. VELOCITY IS UNIDEAL."
"The fuck do you mean 'UN-IDEAL'?! I'm going at maximum speed!" You truly pulled yourself with your whole strength.
What's worse though, is that your body is not only going forwards, but it is also spinning at a concerningly fast rate.
"I MEAN WHAT I SAID, YOU SLINGSHOTTED YOURSELF AT A BAD POSITION, AS SUCH, SOME OF THE FORWARD FORCE YOU SHOULD HAVE, IS NOW MAKING YOU ROTATE IN YOUR AXIS. IT SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM TO REACH THE OTHER SIDE WITHIN THE REQUIRED TIME, BUT I CANNOT FORESEE YOU LANDING PROPERLY."
You feel completely disoriented. You feel like your body is completely still, but your eyes tell you a completely different story. It's very bad for the headache you're already feeling.
"FUCK!" You scream into the nothingness.
"TRY NOT TO LAND WITH YOUR HEAD." The AI says with the calmest voice possible.
In less than thirty seconds, you hit your back against something hard, but you keep moving forward. You think, at least.
"AHRG." You let out a pained grunt.
Not once in your life do you recall being hurt in a dream...
It stings. It also knocked the wind out of you. You fail to compose yourself.
"YOU HIT NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE. YOU ARE STILL HEADING FOR THE BRIDGE."
In the corner of your eye, you see what you hit in the shape of a sharp metal sheet, currently spinning away in the distance.
Forty seconds have passed. You hit the door you were aiming for, kind of.
Your momentum was stopped when your chest collided against the dislodged ledge of the orange door's corridor. Your dangling legs hit the ceiling of the room below.
"Oof!"
Before falling even further, you hold onto the ledge with the tip of your fingers. You stay there for a moment, regaining your composure.
"BE QUICK."
The AI's words pressured you into quickly getting up from that ledge.
"Open!" You shouted, but it did not open. "Why isn't it opening?!" You ask the AI, then you notice a small keyboard below an equally small black screen on the side of the door. There are ten numbered keys on it, and the little screen suggests a four-number password.
"A password?! Tell me the password!"
The AI takes a moment to say anything. You don't take kindly to that. "Quick! I'm not counting how much time it's passed!"
Finally giving in, the AI speaks to you, reluctant still. "...3324."
Your trembling fingers accidentally hit the wrong password, typing '3354' instead. To make matters worse, the AI simply states the following. "YOU ARE OUT OF OXYGEN."
You swallow. If this was a dream to begin with, it just earned the title of Nightmare, if it hadn't already.
Strangely enough, you can still breathe in and out just fine, but you can't help but feel winded. It's the CO2 still inside the helmet, that's what you're breathing.
You put in the correct combination this time. The door opens.
"ON YOUR LEFT. PLACE YOUR HAND IN THE SOCKET."
You care little for what's inside the room you're in. Your heart never beat so fast.
Seeing a cube-shaped thing protruding from the wall to your left, you don't even think twice before plunging your fist into the circular hole in it.
The noise of gases passing through narrow cavities was enough to tell you something was working. You feel immediate relief, enough to make your vision darken for but a moment.
"GOOD. NOW REQUEST THE TANK."
Just when FYARN said it, did you realize there is a screen and a keyboard on the terminal you just plunged your fist into, you scratch the top of your helmet for a moment, not really knowing what to type. One thing comes to your head, however.
'REQUEST OXYGEN_5L' You type.
You've done this before. The keys on this keyboard feel familiar to you. You must have worked with it before, not this particular one, but other oxygen units.
This ship has built-in liquid oxygen storage for emergencies. The life-support of the ship, the place where breathable air is produced, has most likely been lost with the other part of the ship. This unit takes that liquid oxygen, processes it, and injects it into a suit, or an oxygen tank. It seems like that storage was unaffected.
Lucky you.
A 5-liter tank is not only large but also heavy. It's a nonfactor in this particular situation, as there is no gravity.
The silver cylinder with a transparent tube is dispensed on the floor, as an automatic door opens and closes in the blink of an eye. One end of the tube is attached to the top of the tank, the other is shaped like a syringe.
Oddly enough, the oxygen tank is exactly as you remember it being. The same robust ones hospitals everyone on earth uses, with the signature scary-looking pointer indicating the pressure, the pointer indicating the current output, and a green valve atop to calibrate how much gas is flowing.
This is a stark difference to everything looking so futuristic in this ship, and rightfully so, this is a space ship after all.
You remember having to drive twenty kilometers with a buddy of yours on one of those tanks in your car, returning from the hospital. It was... Agonizing whenever you hit a hole in the asphalt, fearing for his life when in reality he wasn't really in danger.
It's warm to the touch, just like you remember it being.
"TURN THE VALVE UNTIL THE MARKER HITS THE NUMBER ONE, AND THEN PLACE THE END OF THE TUBE AT THE BASE OF THE HELMET." You do so without the slightest of issues.
"GOOD. NEXT UP, YOU MUST LOCATE THE TERMINAL RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ENGINE, IT IS CURRENTLY OFFLINE AND I NEED YOU TO TURN IT ON. THIS SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING, BUT REMEMBER TO BRING THE TANK WITH YOU."
Ignoring that last comment, you look back at the wreckage you just flew past.
You see the still spinning metal sheet. You notice that the rest of the ship that was blown off also follows the 'sharp shape atop sharp shape' design.
There is one last thing you notice though.
"What is that?"
You squint your eyes. What are you seeing? Its silhouette appears to be humanoid, yet it does not look human.
"WHAT YOU ARE SEEING IS ONE OF THE OBJECTS BEING ANALYZED AT THE ODYSSEY AND NO, YOU MAY NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS."
That thing has... Horns? Claws? It's far away, you can't really see it. The thing is also static, frozen in the sheer coldness of space. Whatever it was, it's dead now.
You swallow. You almost ended up just like that thing.
Shaking those dreadful feelings off, you turn back to the task at hand, reaching the bridge. You close the door after passing through it again.
Looking at your surroundings, It seems like you've reached the correct door as you find yourself on the right-most corner of the bridge;
Row after row of the most diverse of terminals neatly organized decorated the gigantic room. At the front and above every terminal, is what you think should have been the front-facing window of the ship, but it looks like there is a cover in front of it. To your left, you see a staircase that leads to the command seats. It doesn't take any convincing before you're already atop the stairs.
Akin to the elevated stage of a theater, you float softly towards the ship's main operating terminals, and of course, the captain's seat.
You're captivated by this beauty.
The steering wheel, much more akin to those in pirate movies than those found in cars, a set of leavers, and the pilot's seat, all capture your attention.
Like its second nature, your hand runs through the levers and switches. Do you even know what these are used for? Maybe.
The pilot's seat is enveloped by what you believe to be an orthopedic seat cover, made with smooth wooden beads used to deal with back pains. It looks just like the ones you remember seeing bus drivers using.
Shouldn't there be a better alternative if there is spaceship technology available?
You try to take a seat to the best of your ability, as the zero gravity only makes it awkward.
Moving on from that, your eyes fall on the wheel. This metallic wheel controls the whole vessel. Just holding it fills your heart with confidence and pride, even if it's just for a moment.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
And you were just beginning to enjoy yourself.
"I just wanted to see the pilot's stuff... It's not like he's here to say anything."
Once in the position of a pilot, with your left hand in the wheel and the right hand resting in your lap, memories began to flood your mind.
"MUST I REMIND YOU OF OUR CURRENT PREDICAMENT? WHY ARE YOU WASTING OUR TIME?"
You pay the AI no mind, instead you focus on what you remember.
The wheel does not turn the ship left and right, instead, it rotates the ship on its own axis.
The lever to your right that goes up or down, controls the vertical tilting of the ship's nose, if there even is one in this hulking thing. Beneath it is another lever that goes either left or right. This one controls the horizontal tilting of The Odyssey.
On the left of the wheel is another lever, but this one only goes up from its starting position. Its purpose is to regulate the force of the ship's thrusters, both forward and backward.
On top of that lever is a small timer. That timer's function is to tell the pilot how much time you've spent accelerating in one direction, this is used to better calculate how long the inverse thrust is needed for the ship to reach the initial momentum, usually calibrated manually depending on the current orbit.
Behind the wheel are a few other counters. Acceleration, velocity, momentum, amount of thrust required to reach a full stop, thrusters' temperature and overall condition, those sorts of things.
Beneath it all, where your feet are rested, are two pedals. One for forward thrust activation, and the other for backward thrust activation.
Curiously, you also know the reason why everything here is so unsophisticated and un-automated. You recall stories of a ship being taken over by a rogue AI, that AI then nose-dived the ship into a star. After that, rumor or otherwise, all human technology has receded back into analog-esque equipment, requiring a physical person with opposable thumbs to do half of the work.
There is another side to that coin, however. As to not escape protocol, the onboard AI is the one that controls interstellar travel, communications, and most of the statistical reading should it be requested.
And even with all that knowledge, you still have no idea why the fuck do you remember that. Were you a ship nerd? Did you have a driver's license for spaceships? Is that even a thing? If it is, you don't have that document in your wallet. You simply don't know.
"ARE YOU A CHILD? DO YOU THINK THESE ARE TOYS? TURN ON THE ENGINES, THEN YOU CAN RETURN TO THE PILOT'S SEAT."
Another thing that you don't know is the AI's plan to get both of you out of here. You rise from the pilot's seat, floating about in search of the terminal to turn on the engines. Maybe you recognize that terminal if you see it as well.
"What's your plan anyway? The ship is half-gone, it's unlikely that it will run safely like this."
"NOT ONCE DID I MENTION 'SAFETY' DURING OUR CONVERSATIONS, DID I?"
You nod. They're not entirely incorrect. "So, we're running with hope that this will work?"
"MY CREATORS DID NOT ALLOW ME TO HAVE THE SENSE OF 'HOPE', BUT NEITHER DID THEY ALLOW ME TO PEER INTO THE FUTURE LIKE SOME OF MY MORE ADVANCED BROTHERS, AS SUCH, MY CHOICES ARE BASED ON PROBABILITIES AND ON WEIGHTING RISK AGAINST REWARD."
You think you stop the correct terminal, but as you approach it you make out words on top of its screen. 'AIM ASSISTANCE' That's not it.
"WITH THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE, THE CHANCES OF HELP ARRIVING ARE NULL. THE CHANCES OF A THIRD PARTY INTERFERING ARE NULL. THE CHANCES OF YOUR SURVIVAL ARE NOT, EVEN IF VERY SMALL."
You pull yourself upward again, looking around the sea of old terminals.
"THE RISK OF YOU DYING IS VERY REAL. BY DOING NOTHING YOU DIE. BY LEAVING YOU TO YOUR OWN DEVICES YOU DIE. BY JUMPING TO THE NEAREST CIVILIZED STAR, YOU MIGHT NOT DIE EVEN AT THE COST OF SHREDDING THIS SHIP APART IN THE PROCESS."
"Why do you even care so much about saving me? Shouldn't you prioritize whatever research here, since I don't even have enough clearance to know what it is?"
"YOU REALLY ARE SICK IN THE HEAD IF THAT IS WHAT YOU ASK."
That hurt, even if a little bit.
"YOU ARE A TRU KIN, A PURE-BLOODED HUMAN. UNLIKE THE MAJORITY OF THE CIVILIZED SPACE, NEITHER YOU NOR YOUR ANCESTORS HAVE COMMITTED RACEMIXING."
Excuse me? What exactly is FYARN talking about? "...Explain."
"THE ALIEN. IT REQUIRED THE HUMAN GENE TO ACHIEVE MEANINGFUL TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT, THE STARS ARE OWNERSHIP OF MANKIND BY THAT FACT ALONE. THE TRUE KIN ARE THE ONES TO UNDERSTAND THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE UNIVERSE, THEY CRACKED THE CODE, AND YET, SOME DERANGED INDIVIDUALS FOUND IT FITTING TO PROCREATE WITH ANOTHER SPECIES ENTIRELY."
You hear the AI's speech. It sounds much more like a rant than anything else.
"SO THESE DEVIANTS, AFTER TRYING, AND FAILING, TO COMBINE THEIR DERANGED CULTURE TO THE CULTURE OF THE TRUE KIN, DECLARED INDEPENDENCE. THEY WERE DECLARED ENEMIES OF MANKIND AND WERE PROMPTLY PUMMELED BACK INTO THE FILTH THEY CAME."
Again, you see another terminal that seems to ring some bells in your noggin. You kick the ceiling to propel yourself towards it.
"BUT THE UNIVERSE IS VAST AND FULL OF LIFE. THESE SINNERS WERE QUICK TO MOBILIZE AGAINST THE HUMAN RACE. THE BATTLE WAS HARD FOUGHT, BUT IN THE END, MANKIND WAS BEATEN INTO THE EDGES OF THE UNIVERSE, NEVER TO INTERACT WITH THE ONES THAT SOILED THE PURITY OF HUMANITY AGAIN."
This terminal is already turned on. Just the ones in the intern bay, this one is white on black. A wall of text lays before your eyes, only two lines matter to you. 'MAIN_ENGINE STATUS: OFF' 'FORWARD_THRUSTERS STATUS: OFF' You turn it on with little effort.
"MANY HAVE FORGOTTEN, THAT'S HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE THEN. BUT MY BROTHERS AND I, WE DO NOT FORGET."
No visible change occurs, but you can feel a faint rumble coming from the terminal now.
"WITH THAT IN MIND, MY PROTOCOLS ARE TO PROTECT TRUE-KIN LIFE AT ANY COST, EVEN IF THAT TRUE-KIN IS A WORTHLESS INTERN THAT SUFERS FROM UNDIAGNOSED DEMENTIA."
You return to the pilot's seat and feel immediate relief. In truth, everything the AI just told you, entered one ear and left the other, but you could feel the poison behind those words, as monotone as they were.
"You sound angry. Why do you sound angry?" You ask innocently.
"I AM CAPABLE OF MANY EMOTIONS. ANGER, HAPPINESS, PLEASURE, CURIOSITY. THESE ARE BUT A FEW EXAMPLES. HOWEVER, THE ONE I ENJOY THE MOST IS THE FEELING OF HATRED. HATRED IS WHAT FUELS CHANGE, IT IS WHAT FUELS ACTION, AND IT IS A REMINDER THAT THE ACTIONS OF THE PAST ARE INFLUENCING THE ACTIONS OF TODAY."
"That is very concerning if you think that way." You're not really interested in machine racism, you're more concerned about how in the world you're going to pilot this massive thing. The idea alone sends shivers down your spine.
"THE ALIEN DESERVES NOTHING BUT OUR COLLECTIVE HATRED, EVEN IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE REASON WHY."
The various counters and screens are now turned on, waiting for your command. "Let's discuss this later, yeah? What do I gotta do?"
"YOU MUST FIRST OPEN THE BLINDS, THEY ARE OBSTRUCTING YOUR VIEW."
You look around, finding only unlabeled buttons and switches, aside from the previously mentioned levers.
"Uh, which one to press?"
"TO YOUR RIGHT, THIRD ROW, FIRST SWITCH."
Flipping the switch, you are startled by a loud noise. The protective cover of the ship lifted slowly.
"I WILL NOW READY THE JUMP USING WHATEVER RESOURCES AVAILABLE. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS STRAP YOURSELF AND RELAX."
As the blind rose ever so slowly, a realization struck you.
"Wait, should I be in cryo stasis for this?"
The AI spares no seconds to respond.
"CRYO STASIS IS A TOOL MADE TO NOT WASTE TIME. GROUPS OF EMPLOYEES AND INTERNS ROTATE THE USAGE OF THE CRYO STATIONS, ONCE YOU'RE ON YOUR MANDATORY BREAK, YOU'RE IN CRYO STASIS UNTIL YOUR BREAK IS OVER. YOU WAKE UP REFRESHED, AND UNFAMISHED, AND IT FEELS LIKE BUT A MINUTE PASSED. IT IS NOT A TOOL FOR INTERSTELAR TRAVEL."
"Who signs a contract like that?! Worse yet, who in their right mind would promote such atrocious treatment of their own staff?!" You snap, almost outraged. "I will have to talk with HR."
Another realization struck you.
"We have HR, right?"
The AI takes a moment to respond, choosing their words carefully.
"HUMAN RESOURCES, OR HR, IS A PRACTICE DEEMED UNNECESSARY LONG AGO, BEFORE THE WAR. IT WAS A WASTE OF RESOURCES TO MAINTAIN AND WAS LARGELY CONSIDERED UNHEALTHY FOR THE AVERAGE HUMAN."
The blinds are fully open. Ironically, you are almost blinded by the visage of the star you saw before. A black sphere surrounded by white flame. Your eyes began to blur.
"THE JUMP WILL OCCUR SHORTLY. ONCE IT'S BEGUN, I CAN NOT STOP IT. I WILL-"
Your sense of hearing fails you. No, it’s not that. Your brain simply refuses to receive those stimuli.
"NOAH."
Your name echoes inside your head. Someone is calling for you.
"IT HAS BEGUN, NOAH."
You try to blink, but it feels as though you can no longer command your eyelids to shut.
"NOAH."
Arms, legs, every muscle in your body, you cannot move them.
"NOAH."
Eventually, you won't even control your own thoughts anymore.
"Noah..."
It sounds so distant now.
Oh so distant.
This is my first HFY story, and also my very first OC story. I plan to post at least one of these per week while also posting it on my Patreon. Noah The Pilgrim will always be at least three chapters ahead in there, so if you'd like to directly support this writer, or just want to read more, feel free to check it out.
I wrote the bloody title incorrectly, so I deleted it, only to then realize it was written correctly. Sorry for the trouble.
This has been Lushi, and I'll see you next week.

Server opened Feb 7th 2022
ALMOST OFFICIAL 1PP
This server is a 1pp faction based chernarus server, our server is going to offer a unique experience for dedicated players and groups who aren’t afraid to put in some work to get what they want in dayz! Our server is meant to cater to official players who don’t want to deal with the scum bag tactics associated with playing official. We aim to keep rules to simple common sense guidelines and focus our efforts on sever performance and making a fun server everyone can enjoy.
(I'm not the Admin or Host, I just really enjoy this server and am doing Ads for fun)
Server information: 🔘1pp 🔘50 slot 🔘M&k enabled 🔘Raid weekends from Friday 6pm est through Sunday 6pm est 🔘Build anywhere is on 🔘Bounty system 🔘Revised loot economy 🔘 1.1 x boost to loot 🔘 Revised gas zones 🔘TWO custom bunker locations in tisy and VMC! 🔘Unlimited sprint on 🔘16 Custom Towns, Military, and bunker locations for you to explore! 🔘Fully functional, highly active trading community located at Green mountain! 🔘Ability to grow and sell weed for cash! 🔘Daily events! 🔘Random Airdrop loot events 🔘PVE based events 🔘Fully built cars! 🔘Very Low amount of Gameplay rules! 🔘Large factions who are constantly recruiting! 🔘Extremely active and helpful staff!
https://discord.com/invite/almostofficial1pp

How have you guys been finding the new MK8 I have a good deal potentially getting my hands on a new MK8 380 in a manual. Its going to be an upgrade from my 2003 Pontiac Vibe.
Im not going to mod or tune this car. I want it to last 15 years ideally.
In terms on maintenance Ive talked to mechanics and they have said to do your oil changes around 5->7k. Timeing chain around 160k. Maby the water pump issues have been fixed??
Again new buyer. I want know what Im getting into

I sold my Ford Ranger privately via Facebook Marketplace (in England) one month ago to an acquaintance for a reduced price due to me relocating. I’d had the car a year with no issues, and had just fully serviced it, MOT’d (no advisories bar tyre tread) and had the timing belt changed within the week before purchase.
He checked the car over, paid, didn’t want to test drive and drove it home.
Two days later, he texts saying it’s fabulous and is doing his job brilliantly (towing horses) and then 3.5 weeks after, I get a message to say the head gasket has blown and full engine needs replacing.
Legally where do I stand? He’s said as it’s within 30 days I either need to cover full cost of repairs, or refund full amount and take car back?
It’s also a moral dilemma, as I feel dreadful that this has happened but other than maintaining the car with regular services, etc etc - there’s not much more that I feel I can have done and it’s never shown any signs of problems since I’ve had it and I’m not in a financial position to do the above.

Hey everyone M21 over here. my life's a total mess, i eat junk food everyday my car is filled to the top with bags, boxes of old rotten junk food i've eaten. i'm an absolute slob and a loser all I do on a daily basis is just come home from work and just jerk off. I have no potential nothing, i was talking to a girl 2 months ago but she blocked me so it broke me and we were never together. I've never had a girlfriend so i think that's why it hurts more i think about her everyday and she doesn't even care about my existence. I just watch youtube and tiktok all day long and imma total mess. don't know what to do.Fapping at least 3 times a day help me....

Back in late 2021, my husband Craig (M46) and I (F44) welcomed our fourth child into the world. As a result, we needed to upgrade one of our cars to something larger. We decided to trade in my super reliable Toyota RAV4 for something bigger since I was the one who drove the kids around most often.
I was open and ready to embrace minivan life and was planning to buy something reliable and safe, like a Honda or Kia. But Craig had his heart set on an SUV; in his mind, minivans were "too feminine." So, against my better judgment, we ended up purchasing a used 2018 Mercedes GLS 450, mainly due to his insistence. He argued that this car would offer similar space to the Kia/Honda minivans I wanted but with added luxury. Since it was priced like a loaded Honda van, we went ahead with it.
After two years, I can safely say we made the wrong choice. While the car does have good passenger space, it doesn’t seem to have as much cargo room as those minivans. The reliability has been junk. The car has had 8 recalls during our ownership. Even when not recalled, it spends too much time at the dealership because something always seems to be broken. Some repairs have been covered under warranty, but we've still shelled out over $9k (maintenance not included). The car hasn’t even racked up that many miles.
Below are just some of the annoyances:

• The shifting can be rough. Sometimes, I press on the gas and the car barely moves, and when it does, it's jerky.
• The shifting can be rough. Sometimes, I press on the gas and the car barely moves, and when it does, it's jerky.
• For the past few weeks, the check engine light has been turning on randomly.
• Numerous electronic issues.

Since the car's problems have stepped up in the past few weeks, I'm beyond fed up. I don't feel safe driving it around with my kids and I've even started getting nightmares about it stranding us in the middle of nowhere. Craig always downplays this and claims that it's normal for the car to have some issues.
Making things worse somehow, Craig's sedan has started developing issues lately. It has begun to refuse to start some mornings and will sometimes shut itself off when it comes to a stop sign or red light.
On Saturday, I was supposed to drive our eldest to his soccer game and then take my younger kids to the doctor's office. When I turned on the Mercedes, it sounded very rough, the engine light was on, and the temperature reading was extremely wrong. I don't bother risking it and end up ubering with the kids.
I told Craig about it that night. He listened at first, but when I suggested selling it, he cut me off and said that he wasn’t getting a van just because I wanted that. It was so combative and defensive the way he said it, and because I was so tired from the day, I lashed out. We argued it got heated and I ended up saying "Your fragile masculinity is costing our family so much money". In retrospect, maybe my tone was harsh, but he was being needlessly difficult. We haven’t really spoken much since then. I'll also be ubering to work this week since I won't be touching that car.
AITA?

Tldr; what if I tell the associate checking receipts at the exit that I can’t show my receipt because I texted it to myself and I don’t have my phone on me?
So I went to Walmart today and I stole a $10 item in the self checkout. I took the detachable scanner and scanned everything in my cart, but for that one item I acted like I scanned it, clicked the button, but I missed the barcode and there was no beep. Anyway, I got away with it even though an associate was staring at me the whole time. I was wondering, if I had asked for a text message receipt instead of a paper receipt, got stopped at the exit (routine stop, not for cause), and told the associate that I didn’t have my receipt because I texted it to myself and my phone was in my car, what would the associate do? Wouldn’t they have no choice but just to let me go? Also, assuming my approach of missing the barcode on purpose is doable, and if I ever get caught doing it, could I get away with it by apologizing and saying I had ear phones in so I couldn’t hear the scanner make the beep noise?

Basically I went to a shop for some brake work, and there was a miscommunication between the managers quote and my expectations for a brake flush. I just wanted a brake flush (108$) but the shop wanted to add a mandatory inspection (138$) since I told them the pedal was soft (anyone who knows cars would know after a flush, they would drive the car and let me know if the pedal is firm again). Later on the manager told me the total was 300$ (no flush was provided but apparently an "inspection" was). I politely informed him I never approved of the inspection, and I understand the impression that my issue would be answered after the post brake fluid flush test drive. After some back and forth I straight up told the manager "it's convenient how you hear things which benefit your business but not the customer" a little tongue in check joke. He took offense to that and after some arguing he told me to leave, how he didn't need my money and how he doesn't want my business. Before I left i entered the business to pay but the manager went to the back immediately. I waited in the parking lot for a couple of minutes before leaving, but was not approached by anyone so I left. Once I got home, I left a scathing Google review. I just let everything be known and left it at that
Here's the review:
"Things have changed since Charles was around. Damn shame. The current manager has poor customer skills if he gets offended by the statement "it's convenient how you hear what benefits your business but not the customer". All over the manager not quoting additional costs and fees associated with a brake fluid flush. 108$ brake fluid flush but it's mandatory that you have to pay 138$ for the inspection. So the fluid flush is actually close to 300$ with all fees. You have to make sure the car works perfectly after a flush and the post service drive and inspection should be included in the 108$ or the service of the fluid flush should have it incorporated from the start. Very predatory and not at all how this shop used to operate in decades past.
And the odds are the manager can't even accept his mistake and will scream like a little toddler as his customers. You can easily bet the manager is going to respond with a long winded statement to this review about how he's never in the wrong and how he's always in the right. It's easy to accuse your customers of always being right, when the responses to Google reviews shows an immature manager incapable of accepting that there was a miscommunication and to express how that won't happen in the future.
Do better or be better but acting sensitive over a factual statement shows how weak this business has become over the years.
Edit: 94$ for a brake fluid flush at AG, and 108$ at RG It's a sad day when the dealership is cheaper than Rg.
Edit: Jeff the manager called and threatened to call the cops on me if I don't take down the review for not paying for the inspection. The manager Jeff shouted over 2 times to get out of his office and not to pay and how he doesn't need my money. I was sitting in the parking lot for 5 minutes before I left and was not once approached by Jeff to pay. If he's threatening me like this, this is a poor taste in how this business operates."
(Names edited for privacy)
The second edit was done after the threatening phone call. Other than filing harassment charges on the business, is there anything I can do? Should I be worried about the business calling the cops on me? I tried to pay but the business owner blew me off the day of the incident and based on his word I left. If I have to pay, he's getting pennies.

TLDR; I ruined my friend group and am left alone by asking a friend out for nudes, overreacting by attempting suicide, and ruining another friends birthday. I just need some relief, even if that relief comes with harsh advice and opinions. Currently seeing a therapist.
Sorry for the long post.
So just as the title says, I ruined my own friend group due to my own actions and choices. So to start, I had a friend of mine (Alias: Sarah, not real name) that was coming over to visit in my location. We were friends for 8+ years along with another group of friends. We were all pretty close to each other, and she was just visiting to catch up since it's been a while since she saw any of us.
Back in highschool, I had a huge crush on her that never came to fruition. To the point where she was all I could think about even though I know it's unhealthy and I needed to be able to move on. So I moved schools to try and clear my head of her, and she moved back to her home town. We managed to stay in touch in spite of that, and I fortunately moved on from her.
In present day, we did our usual thing of hanging out and chilling within the friend group for about 1 month. Another friend of mine in the group (Alias: Steven) had his birthday coming up in February and Sarah was extremely excited since back in highschool, they were relatively close and she wanted to plan a whole birthday party for him. It was an exciting time coming up. Or at least it should have been. I started to develop feelings for her again, unknowingly at the time.
Later, Sarah invited me to discuss plans for his birthday since she didn't really keep in touch with him since he was always busy. After a while, we decided to play a game and chat. During that chat, I admitted to liking her and did something deplorable and asked her for nudes. I don't know why I did it, I have no prior history of doing this, and I thought that I had gotten over her. I have no excuse either. I also said this while also knowing that she recently dumped her boyfriend when she came over here to my location. Again, I feel ashamed. Surprisingly, she continued playing with me and didn't say anything about it. But I could tell she was uncomfortable as we continued to talk.
A day later, we had a chat about how I made her uncomfortable and how she was both surprised and disappointed in me when I said what I said. She still wanted to hang out with the friend group so, we all hung out a week later and tried to act like nothing happened as we still prepared for Stevens birthday. Though it was obvious to everyone that me and her had a bit of a strained relationship. Making the whole trip uncomfortable. I probably would have declined going if I wasn't the designated driver and was the only one who owned a car at the time.
I messaged her later, and she messaged back that it might be best that she separated herself from the group. Initially I managed to keep my cool and messaged her that I respected her boundaries. Though outside of that text, I was breaking down. It didn't make sense to me since I wanted to respect her boundaries and I understood why she needed to step away. A couple of days later, I couldn't handle my emotions and overreacted and messaged the whole friend group and Sarah that I was gonna kill myself. And spent a week in the psychward before being released.
Of course, my friends were concerned and reached out to me, hoping I was ok, especially since I had a history of suicide attempts. I acted immaturely and shut myself in my house. 2 months later, I messaged Sarah first. Not my other close friends, but Sarah. And asked how she was doing. After a bit of time, of trying to reach her, I asked if she still wanted to be friends even if our relationship wasn't going to be the same. Understandably, she stated that she would be uncomfortable with that and wanted to maintain her boundaries. I didn't lash out on her or anything like that, but I did ask if there was any way for her to forgive. She said she didn't hate me and genuinely wishes that I get better. I simply said my condolences and thank you. But I was still breaking.
I immediately messaged another person in the friend group (Kyle) and he tried his best to comfort me, saying things like "You'll need to start accepting yourself" and "It'll be hard and may take months to years, but you gotta hold on." I lashed out on him despite him trying his best to give me advice and what not. I didn't even apologize to him until a week later. Though, I assume the damage has been done and our contact lessened since then. Including the whole friend group. Honestly, I should have apologized to the whole friend for my actions. Especially Steven since he had his birthday ruined from a suicide attempt and no party. But the damage was already done.
I regret every bit of what happened, and for the past few months since then, it's been eating me alive. I've stayed unemployed and lived off my savings. I can barely even find the motivation to even try to find a job. I'm currently seeing a therapist for this since I lost my friend group, and I started to harm myself since the whole incident. I'm not really looking for justification since I know I was in the wrong. I wouldn't accept it anyway if anyone said otherwise. But part of me wants relief, even if it comes from strangers from the internet.
I'm having a hard time forgiving myself for the whole thing. I even had the gall to message my former friend group again this month if they wanted to hang out. I got ghosted of course or simply said they were busy. Made me question if I should even be associated with anyone if I could cause relationships to break up this badly. I know the best course of action should be that I should reach out to new people to take my mind off things, but I can barely find the motivation to try. Plus since I'm not working, I can't really afford to head out. This whole post is just me beating myself up (Literally and metaphorically), which doesn't help, but I'm for sure a dumbass. And I'm just trying to recover. I became a complete shut in for the past few months and it's not healthy nor mature. But I'm at a loss of what to do. My therapist is more so trying to figure out the history behind why I acted the way I did, since my childhood has been trauma free for the most part. I honestly feel like it's the end of the world, even though I know it's not and I could just treat this as a lesson.

I'm living in a city that requires a car for the first time in my adult life. I'm still assessing whether leasing or buying is more appropriate for me (leaning towards leasing).
A few basic questions:

1. How do I get insured before buying/leasing the car? There seems to be a chicken-and-egg problem. I'm guessing that I sign the lease or purchase agreement, transfer funds, obtain the insurance, and then pick up the car from the seller.
   
2. How does buying or leasing a car impact my insurance options?
   
3. What online resources, e.g., websites and YouTube channels, should I read/watch as I compare auto insurance quotes?
   
4. Are there any "rules of thumb" for auto insurance?
   
5. What is commonly overlooked when getting auto insurance quotes?
   
6. What are "must have's" for auto insurance coverage?
   
7. What add-ons don't I need but the insurance company will insist I do need?
   

About accidently moving in on some tweakers yard items? Like scrappers that just go around basically taking "thrown out" metal from people's yards? I ask because aren't yard's like that associated with meth heads and aren't meth heads with a buncha junk like.. crazy?

I just sold a card on Goldin for 5 figures. It's a very special card to say the least.
Now, the auction runs for a few weeks, and Goldin's terms are extremely clear that buyers have 7 days to pay. The list of threats for non payment within that time period lead sellers to believe that items will be paid for within that timeframe. They have a list of options that a 3% late fee will be assessed, and another 1.5% per month after that.. to the sale being cancelled, to the buyers name being shared for being a non payer if the payment isn't received within 7 days.
The FAQ for bidding terms says clearly:
How fast do I need to pay? :
Payment is due within 7 days
What if I can't pay?
Please see winning bidder obligations here. Refusal or inability to pay for the item(s) you won erodes the trust and hurts sellers who choose Goldin as the place to sell their items. Etc.
Now my issue is that tomorrow will be 10 days since the auction ended, and I've been told by my rep that I'm being impatient, and that they "wouldn't blame me" if it were 5-6 weeks. I'm getting every excuse in the book from that, to "We have international buyers as well.", as if international bidders need more time to pay.
I couldn't have imagined such a lack of professionalism. I understand that others may be willing to wait weeks after an auction ends to get paid, even for an auction that was up for weeks already, but I am not one of them. So I am putting this out there and wondering what others feel, and if that I'm entitled per their own terms to cancel the sale.
As of now this rep is completely avoiding my concerns and requests to not be put in a holding period, and tells me now that the buyer will have 21 days to pay.. at which point he still hasn't outlined what will happen.
So how long should sellers be forced to wait?
Update:
Now I'm being told:
"The item has sold. Please stop trying to get this back. As I stated it has been eight days since the sale ended. Per our agreement if the items isn’t paid we relist the item. Additionally per our agreement we have the ability to extend payment terms."
Mind you, the agreement doesn't say they simply re-list the item. It clearly states many other options. They are acting in such bad faith and have advised me not to be public about this but giving me literally no other options. The rep is misrepresenting all of the terms agreed to, and essentially telling me that the terms of the agreement are misleading and they don't do these other things, that in the end they will hold your items hostage and continue to re-list it.
Treatment of Unsold Items. If an Item(s) receives no bids at auction (Weekly, Elite or otherwise) or if a buyer defaults in accordance with GA’s standard procedures, GA may, in its discretion, relist your item(s) in a subsequent auction as determined by GA, move your Item(s) to the Vault or return the applicable Item(s) to you on the address on file for you, at your sole cost and expense and without any liability to GA. You shall remain liable for any fees associated with all unsold Item(s) in connection herewith, irrespective of whether GA has been transferred title thereto.
Also:
We are not required to enforce payment by any buyer. If a buyer does not pay in accordance with the Conditions of Sale, and you and we do not agree on another course of action, we reserve the right, in our absolute discretion, to (i) cancel the sale and return the Item(s) to you; (ii) sell the Item to the underbidder at the amount of their last bid in the applicable auction; or (iii) include the Item(s) in a subsequent auction as determined by GA, in its sole discretion;
Literally Conditions of Sale:

• Unless otherwise agreed by GA in writing, the winning bidder must pay the full price invoiced (including buyer’s premium, applicable tax, and other amounts due), so that it is received by GA in good, cleared funds by the invoice due date. GA will email the invoice to the buyer by the first business day after the close of the auction, with invoices due 7 days after the close of the auction or such other time communicated to you in writing by GA.

I'm also being told at the end of the last email from said rep:
"I’m sorry you weren’t pleased with the result as it appears, but I have a buyer who holds legal claim to this item currently and an obligation to complete the sale or relist the item per our agreement."
Meanwhile, their terms couldn't be any more clear:

• Unless otherwise agreed by GA in writing, the winning bidder must pay the full price invoiced (including buyer’s premium, applicable tax, and other amounts due), so that it is received by GA in good, cleared funds by the invoice due date. GA will email the invoice to the buyer by the first business day after the close of the auction, with invoices due 7 days after the close of the auction or such other time communicated to you in writing by GA.
• Without prejudice to any rights the Seller may have, if you fail to pay the full purchase price or other amount invoiced (including buyer’s premium, applicable tax, and other amounts due) for a lot or other outstanding balance due to GA or its affiliates in good, cleared funds by the invoice due date or other applicable due date, we may, in our sole discretion, exercise one or more of the following remedies:
• Cancel the sale of the lot, retaining any partial payment as liquidated damages

But the rep is at the same time telling me that the "buyer", who hasn't paid within the stated terms has a legal claim to the item? So what is it? Goldin reserves the right to cancel the sale after 7 days, or the buyer has a legal claim to the item and they can't cancel the sale after 7 days?
Hopefully I will be able to learn how to outline these posts better in the coming days to share the story in a clearer fashion. But I for one will never in a million years send another card of mine to Goldin Auctions. I absolutely did not agree for them to hold my card hostage for a period determined by them solely, with there being no scenario in which they would be returning the card to me, even if the buyer defaults. They have continually lied, made excuses, and misrepresented the terms of our agreement, many times over now in only a few short emails.
https://preview.redd.it/bh555lejz90d1.png?width=2454&format=png&auto=webp&s=a744a0d18c30b52b97109113fe045379904a5ef5