Do you spend a lot of your time day dreaming what life would be like with your perfect match? Would that life consist of lots of quality time spent together, shared hobbies, travelling together, supporting each other and sharing not just the good times? Are your passions a weird conglomerate of sciency and artsy topics? We might just be a match. No, this is not an infomercial.
What makes finding my match somewhat difficult i,0s that my personality is all over the place, I can't really be put into a box and I dream of finding someone I'm deeply compatible with. I have a PhD in physics/math and work in a related field, involving IT and programming. My take on life is rather critical, rational and I'm not religious. BUT I'm also very by morals, emotional in certain aspects and my biggest aspiration in life is having a happy, fulfilling relationship where we are inseparable, each others best friend and more. A soulmate sorta thing if you wish, even though souls obviously don't exist...right?
Soo what are my passions that we could hopefully share together? I have to get the cliché out of the way first, I'm really big on films/tv shows/video games/manga and some books. It's not just something I consume to overcome boredom though, I'm extremely interested in stories and the art of story telling. My tastes are varied and something that would be fun to discuss, some of the things I like:

• weird, obscure horror movies that sometimes make me wonder if anyone else on the planet has ever seen them (spoiler: yes they have). Also horror movies in general.
• "artsy, deeper" movies without bordering into pretentiousness, a line that is entirely subjective but I shall still defend as if an objective truth. Kubrick I really like, also Disney.
• big sucker for romantic comedies and enjoy some goofy comedies as well.
• mostly story driven, single player games, Life is Strange would be an example of a game that had a deeper impact on me, wowser.
• would enjoy getting into multiplayer games together, I consider it a fantastic way to bond. Mario Kart (GoldenEye?) should be obligatory for a couple, friendly trash talking included (or not so friendly, if you're into that). LoL? Yes please (even though I hate it)
• I already feel like it's getting too long (that's what she said) but I enjoy the Harry Potter books and don't like when people call them children's books. They contain more wisdom about life than most literature classics.

The point being, talking about stories, analysing movies together or writing our own video game plot (don't worry I already have an amazing idea, but not so good at writing dialogue)/short stories is a big thing I'd like to share in a relationship.
Still with me? Some other things I enjoy:

• music, especially older stuff rock, pop, some metal, classical and soundtracks!
• photography, especially nature & architecture. Going on a hike or exploring nature with the intent of taking pictures gives you a whole new outlook on things.
• running, that would be a really fun activity to share together as well.
• cooking and every now and then baking. Let me cook a romantic dinner for you?
• travelling! I've somewhat dipped my toe into the digital nomad thing in the last year and loved it. Exploring a new city/country is super exciting to me. My style of travelling is definitely more adventurous. I like being out and about all day and see as much as I can in the time I'm there, doing a moderate but not too crazy amount of research beforehand about attractions. I like a certain degree of spontaneity and some days where we would just walk wherever the wind carries us. Long... really long walks on the beach are the best, especially at night. That being said, I also enjoy a day laying at the beach, café hopping, exploring restaurants or a mall haha. My favourite place so far has been Japan for sure (not a weeb I swear)(lot's of malls here!). If you're a solo traveller let me know. If you're younger or haven't travelled so much, this is not a deal breaker. As long as you're curious and open minded with a sense for adventure.

Phew ok, not done yet. I need to say something about the type of romantic connection I'm desiring as it's somewhat off the norm. I want to spend a lot of time with my partner. A lot. That doesn't even mean constantly engaging with each other, but just being around each other, checking in on each other, leaving little notes, generally what they would call being clingy. Maintaining a happy relationship should be the number 1 priority in your life, as it would be for me. I would never neglect you in favour of other people or obligations and expect the same in return. Location wise would be great if you're in Germany of course, but really doesn't matter that much to me. This would just be an awesome motivation for me to travel somewhere and as I'm very flexible in my day to day life, I would make a visit happen sooner than later.
Appearance wise, 183 cm, caucasian, slimish/fitish/averageish build, short dark brown hair and eyes. Finally, I'll finish off with an arbitrary list of traits that describe me and I'm simultaneously seeking out in a woman: sense of humour (did that come across...like, at all? Writing this post I felt like it was all rather serious at times, because I take this seriously, but my style of communication is more light hearted, being silly together, not taking everything too seriously, but being able to talk maturely should the situation require), responsible, curious, reliable, trustworthy, loyal, honest to a fault, dedicated, creative, self-aware, honest again because it's important, thoughtful, caring, kind but not a pushover, enjoys arguing/debating, romantic, sweet. If you have a (very?) k1nky side that would be the cherry on top, but it's not a must and all in due time.
Have a virtual cookie for making it this far. Now don't be shy and send me a PM already, telling me what's on your mind. If you send a chat and I don't reply, send a little PM as a follow up in case the chat didn't work.

Hello , this is my fourth submission after getting some rough but honest feedback from the third attempt. I spent several hours working on this version, and I'm sure it's not perfect but hopefully it's heading in the right direction?? Before I was trying to summarize the entire manuscript, but kept it to the Act 1 and the first half of Act 2 so I think that helped a lot.
I would love some more feedback so I know if it's still garbage or if I'm on the right track. I hope to start querying asap, so please don't hold back, I'm open to any and ALL criticism and feedback. Thank you in advance!
[First Attempt](https://www.reddit.com/PubTips/comments/1b2oprl/qcrit_adult_science_fiction_god_particle_111k/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
[Second Attempt](https://www.reddit.com/PubTips/comments/1b8cxqn/qcrit_adult_science_fiction_god_particle_111k/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
[Third Attempt](https://www.reddit.com/PubTips/comments/1cr7k53/qcrit\_adult\_science\_fiction\_god\_particle\_111k/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button)
QUERY
[Dear Agent]
Asaju is a skilled detective whose authority is absolute. Nothing happens in New Nauru she doesn’t know about. Or so she thought. After spotting hackers ID scrubbing in real time her fear of death is brought to life when this simple arrest turns into a blood bath. Her cybernetic enhancements keep her alive long enough to meet their leader.
Helel, known to a handful as the devil of Nauru, prefers to speak in languages lost to time. When hearing Asaju speak Latin he spares her for her interest in the past in a world where everyone is obsessed with the future.
Asaju is recruited by the Intelligence Division to join the hunt for the man that now haunts her nightmares. During her investigation she learns the world is not what she thought it was. Corporations control everything. Murder is swept under the rug, and terror attacks are reported as accidents, all to maintain the illusion of a perfect world.
For centuries Helel has engineered a plan to save humanity from itself. To this end, Helel is willing to undertake great evil, for a great good. Hijacking a new station he promises to change the world in six days. Asaju and the Intelligence Division move in but find themselves ensnared in his trap. Asaju sacrifices herself so the others can escape, but the devil always gets his due.
Asaju is drugged with a mind altering hallucinogen that leaves her questioning everything. Who is she? What’s her role in this? Are these thoughts even her own, or is she just clay being shaped by the hand of the devil? As she struggles with her own sanity and tracking down Helel, Asaju realizes there are fates worse than death.
GOD PARTICLE is an adult science fiction novel in the cyberpunk subgenre complete at 110,000 words. It combines the futuristic world of (insert comp I'm still looking for, I may just pick up a cyberpunk 2077 No Coincidence, but at someones suggestion I have to go over books 1 & 2 of the Murderbot Diaries as they may fit quite well. I forget where book 1 ends and 2 starts though so I need to reread them), and the mind bending and detective elements of Blake Crouch's, Recursion.
I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Cinema with an emphasis in Screenwriting from [insert uni name] before I transitioned to writing novels six years ago and am so exciting to be sharing my debut novel with you. (insert brief reasons why I think they would be a good fit to represent God Particle).
Thank you for your time and consideration.
FIRST 300:
Detective Asaju watched a kaleidoscope of colors dance above the street. The glittering holos moved against each building trying to entice partiers inside with every attraction imaginable. Asaju secretly envied these people. To her the swirling mosaics were beautiful, but unappealing. She once heard a spaced raver describe them as “unicorn barf,” which perfectly summarized how she felt about them.
She stood beneath the holo of a shield that read, DigiSafe, behind a neon green phrase, NOT SAFE ENOUGH, and a laughing face. No one paid it any attention. Here in the entertainment district it was normal for everyone to be in their loudest outfits wearing the flashiest augments money could buy. Graffiti or not, the holo was too tame to be noticed by anyone. Ironically, it was Asaju who garnered the most attention. In a sea of color her plain gray jacket, dark jeans, and black shirt couldn’t have stood out more. Thankfully no one paid her more than a cursory glance before continuing on their way.
“How we lookin, Garcia?” she asked scanning the crowd with her thick rimmed police issue EyeDent glasses. The lenses brought up the ID of every face that walked by. Almost everyone’s tag above their head was green, with only a few yellows sprinkled here and there. Most were unpaid tickets for overtuned cybernetics or unregistered solicitation. None of it worth the paper work or hassle of bringing them down to the station. Seeing nothing of interest, Asjau rubbed her wrists as she watched a woman with an augmented chest that looked like it had been dipped in a vat of pink satin walk past.
“Wired in now,” Garcia shouted over the crowd.
“I’m counting on you to find something I can follow up on,” Asaju said looking down at him.

I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet, since there are enough details in this story to bore almost anyone not directly involved.
In December of 2023, I had a reputable company come out to install a brand new mini split heating/cooling system in my home. I paid in full, in cash upon completion of the installation.
The system includes four indoor units, heating/cooling four different rooms of my home. I live in the desert Southwest, so I only turned the system on for heat during a few cold nights at the height of winter. At that point, everything seemed to work alright. In mid-April, I turned the a/c on for the first time. Immediately I could tell that something wasn't right. The system blew room-temperature air for a short period of time before displaying an error code on each of the indoor units. I called the company and just over a week later a technician came out to investigate the problem.
Once again, I'm going to skip over a lot of details here. Suffice it to say that this company has sent technicians out about six times over the past month. What has been achieved thus far is that two of the four indoor units blow cold air, but if I try to turn the other two on, they work for a short period (maybe twenty minutes to an hour) before the whole system shuts down and displays an error code. Over the past few days, one of the two "functioning" units has also begun to leak large quantities of water--like over a pint at a time if I had to estimate. It's happened three times in about four days. That unit is now turned off, so I currently have one functioning mini split unit out of the four that I paid to have installed as daytime temperatures in my area are approach 100 degrees.
Furthermore, this series of events has been punctuated by some truly bad customer service. I've been told multiple times to expect calls back that have never come. A technician has missed an appointment; on another occasion two technicians came out at the same time, confused as to why the other was there. One morning a technician arrived unannounced shortly after 7 AM and began stomping around on the roof, scaring my toddler awake. This is all to say that, after over a month of this process with no end in sight, I'm beginning to lose patience and faith in this company to repair this HVAC system.
Recently I've begun documenting everything in writing and with time-stamped photos and videos, which I've been sending directly to the owner of the company via email. I really hope it doesn't come to this, but I'm beginning to consider some sort of legal action against this company. I paid in full (nearly $10,000) for an HVAC system that doesn't work, and I feel at this point that I've given the company ample opportunity to remedy the situation.
I guess what I'm asking is, am I responding in a reasonable way? And at what point would you escalate this sort of situation with a lawyer, in small claims court, etc.? If anyone has ever experienced a similar situation, I'd love to hear your story. Thanks for any guidance or advice.

!
Manifesting our desires is the process of bringing our thoughts and desires into reality. It is the power of the mind that can turn our thoughts into reality. In simple terms, manifesting means making something happen in our lives by using the power of our thoughts, feelings, and intentions.
In this article, we will discuss a guide to manifest our desires.
Identify your desires The first step towards manifesting our desires is to identify what we want. We must be clear about what we want to manifest in our lives. We should write down our desires, goals, and dreams. It could be anything from a new job, a healthy relationship, financial abundance, or good health.
Believe in yourself Belief is a powerful force that can make our desires a reality. We should believe in ourselves and have faith that we can manifest our desires. We should let go of any doubts or limiting beliefs that may be holding us back.
Visualize your desires Visualization is a powerful tool that can help us manifest our desires. We should close our eyes and imagine our desires as if they have already come true. We should feel the emotions associated with our desires, such as happiness, gratitude, and excitement.
Use affirmations Affirmations are positive statements that we repeat to ourselves to reinforce our beliefs and intentions. We should create affirmations that align with our desires and repeat them regularly. For example, if we want to manifest financial abundance, we could repeat affirmations like "I am worthy of financial abundance" or "Money flows to me easily and effortlessly."
Take inspired action Manifesting our desires requires taking action towards our goals. We should take inspired action, which means taking action that feels good and aligned with our desires. We should take small steps towards our goals every day, even if they seem insignificant.
Gratitude Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can attract more of what we are grateful for into our lives. We should practice gratitude by being thankful for what we have in our lives. We should also be grateful for the things we are manifesting, as if they have already come true.
Let go of attachment Attachment to our desires can create resistance and block our manifestation. We should let go of any attachment to the outcome and trust that the universe will bring us what we desire in the perfect time and way. We should focus on feeling good in the present moment, regardless of whether our desires have manifested or not.
Trust the universe The universe is always working in our favor, even if we cannot see it. We should trust that the universe has our back and will bring us what we desire at the perfect time and in the perfect way. We should let go of any fear or doubt and trust that everything is working out for our highest good.
In conclusion, manifesting our desires is a powerful tool that can help us create the life we want. We should identify our desires, believe in ourselves, visualize our desires, use affirmations, take inspired action, practice gratitude, let go of attachment, and trust the universe. By following these steps, we can manifest our desires and create the life of our dreams. Remember, the power to manifest our desires is within us, and we can create anything we want in our lives.

I was really excited to finally try Arc when it comes to windows as people seemed to love it and it always looked interesting and clean to me. Here I will write a short review of what i've noticed with using it a few days.
I won't touch so much on the subject on side tabs, Spaces, "bookmarks", these are not really issues and are definitely subjective and different, some people might like the new approach, some dont.
Here's a quick summary of my thoughts on the most notable "features" (Sidenav, Spaces, Different Logic for Bookmarks)

• I personally like the side nav, i like how easy it is to see everything and is forcing me to use my keaboard more for navigation (Ctrl+S, Ctrl+T, Ctrl+W), which i enjoy. It also looks great
• Spaces, and similar features like it in other browsers, is something that's not a part of my workflow typically. I like everything in one place and don't like unnecessary overhead. However, i see great potential in this for people who want to separate personal life and work, or multiple different works in an organized way.
• I don't use bookmarks as heavily as some people either, but it definitely feels weird having them act as tabs, maybe I could get used to it.

I just wanted to mention those obvious and biggest selling points of Arc; however, these are subjective features and changing the way people think about browsers and navigation, I don't want to talk about this atm. Each person should decide if they like what Arc has to offer when it comes to these "breaking" changes.
I also don't want to talk about any early Windows bugs, I'm sure those will be sorted out soon.
What I primarily wanted to talk about is some missing features. Sadly, at this point in time, Arc feels like a downgrade. Many features are missing or abstracted in a very weird way, and its not clear why, most of the things I'm about to talk about would not impact the "nature" of Arc, so I'm not sure why they were left out or not implemented.

1. Favourites (Quick access, or h/e you wanna call it)

When I started using Arc, considering that there is no way to customize the default home page, I was disappointed to see that theres no way for me to quickly open up some my most visited places. Then i found the Favourites, and i was pleasantly surprised, they looked clean, were accessible at all times, didn't take up too much space, perfect. That's what i thought until i was disappointed again.
The way favourites behave is just dumb, i have no other way of putting it. Its horrible and mostly unusable.
Example: Let's say I favorite Netflix. I click on it to open it, it's not gonna create a new tab, its just gonna open it in favorites. I play a movie and navigate off. There is NO WAY for me to tell that Netflix was ever even opened, that I have an entire movie playing in the background, i would have no idea where its coming from, what is playing, or anything about it, until i finally click on it to see whats going on. It's a horrible experience.
This somewhat intertwines with the way current "bookmarks" behave, except that this type of behavior is never expected from a quick-access menu. Atm these are just glorified tabs, but worse since they have no title, no indicators for being opened or playing audio, nothing.
To fix this simply make clicking on this open a new tab, I don't see how the current approach is better.

2. Titles

I can't for the life of me figure out why this is the case, but some webpage titles are overridden. Most notably I noticed Gmail, but I think i saw other cases as well.
In other browsers the title bar would show something like: Inbox(5) - [myemail@gmail.com](mailto:myemail@gmail.com)
In Arc it shows: Gmail
Just why? A very useful piece of information coming from the third party website itself is overridden for a worse user experience.

3. Multi-monitomulti-window support

For this part it might be important to notice the difference between Windows and Mac users. Correct me if I'm wrong but Mac seems typically focused on one monitor (considering the product), and the workflows for MacOS apps are built with that in mind. I'm not saying that all windows users use multiple monitors, in fact most don't, but it seems more common to have those types of customizability.
Now that Arc is on Windows the "Mac way of doing things" seems to remain, and everything feels slightly off.

• Technically you can have multiple arc windows, but the only way to make them is to drag and drop tabs. However, this creates an entirely new unnamed new space, and I'm not sure if that is what i would want.
• Creating new windows lacks the UX compared to Chrome, where you can just drag it out anywhere and it works natively the way a windows app is expected to.
• Middle-clicking the Arc icon in the taskbar doesn't do anything (should open a new window). And Right Click->New window opens the original Space with the same tabs,it feels very off and buggy, I don't see the benefit.
• Splitting is probably the closest I found to match the way I typically use a browser. However these are also not very intuitive, its hard to navigate, replace/add/close tabs, theres a weird white border, you cant split vertically

4. Settings

I couldn't wait to dive into the settings and personalize my Arc experience to fix all of these "issues" I was having. Only to find that settings pretty much don't exist. There is nothing.
(I'm not talking about chromium settings, these need to exist. But even these are impossible to find for an average user)
Here are all the available options

• Change the Theme between the two (they seem exactly the same)
• Change default search engine
• Setup when tabs are archived
• THATS IT, those 3 settings are the only ones that exist.

In such an "innovative" browser I expected intinitely more options to tweak things around. The way it currently is, if you don't like Arcs very opinionated way of doing things, you can't do anything about it. This is probably one of my biggest downsides.

5. Why?

• Opening a URL/Search window always shows "The Browser Company" youtube channel as one of the option? At least disable it when opened once, or put more rows in this menu, you remove an entire space for most recently opened places for an ad.
• Navigating off a page playing a puts a video in a small window over your other stuff. Maybe 1/20 times i watch a video I might want this to happen, the rest of the time, its a music video, podcast, something to listen to, you just navigated quickly off of it, etc. At least add an option to remove this. (As I was writing this i found a way to disable the "picture in picture", I will leave the section to show my initial thought, but im pleasantly surprised i was able to fix this and im willing to give other features a try the same way)

Conclusion

I will still be using Arc for a while to see if I can get used to some of my current pain-points and to give it a better shot, as well as wait for potential upgrades.
Let me know what you guys think and if you found a workaround for some of my issues. Or have any other benefits to Arc that i filed to notice.
Thanks for reading

Apologies if i have posted in a wrong thread not sure what else to do.
Hey everyone. so i recently moved to denmark and been using Lunar bank as i did not have a chance to setup a proper bank account from get go, which i have done now.
About 3 weeks ago Money was spent from my account in Copenhagen, although i live in Aarhus. i called the bank right away, followed the steps (close bank account, change MitID etc. ) Filed a police report, filled out they dispute.
They got back to me saying i am at fault, and since the amount is below 8K they are not required to pay me. Now i moved from London where scams are part of daily life. I found it odd you have to write your address on CV, cause that is something we dont give out lightly let alone share bank details. This is what they sent me after i asked how they reached their conclusion so fast.
The transactions have been approved with ApplePay, where personal security measures have been used. You explain that you have not carried out the transactions yourself, which means your card must therefore be connected to another device. A payment card can be linked to a new wallet on a new device in two different ways.

1. Via the Lunar Bank app, where you log in to your bank app, either with MitID, Biometric login or by entering your 4-digit code. Inside the Lunar Bank app, you will be able to press a button under the card section, which adds the card to the device you are logged in with. When this happens, you will be asked to enter the code for your phone to confirm the connection to the wallet.
2. You enter card information in your wallet app on your phone, after which you will receive an activation code via SMS, which must verify that you want to connect your card to a wallet.

I have Lunar on my personal apple wallet, but how that translate to another device i do not understand. i have not given anyone my details. Have never been to Copenhagen. I feel stuck, i lost 4k they used it in 7/11 at DSB Copenhagen at 10pm.
What can i do? Is this a hard lesson learned and move on or can i fight this? Would appreciate any advice. I have already opened an account at Dansk Bank.

Yesterday I subbed in a 6th grade class and one of the students was extremely loud/disrespectful from the moment he stepped into the classroom. When the bell rang he pretended to fall on the floor and refused to get up for about 2 minutes. After he refused I just ignored it and went on to introduce myself and tell the class the plan for the day. Afterwards I walked over and helped him up. I told them to answer the quick write question I'd written on the board and that while they were doing that I would be taking roll using their seating chart, and that they should make sure to be in their assigned seats if they didn't want to be marked absent. After this the one student was still on the ground giggling and I walked over and offered him a hand and helped him up.
Of course the kid who "fell" went to a seat that wasn't his and proceeded to pretend to have a different name. I could tell he was lying right away because of the face he was making, and one of the other students said "_____, just go to your seat dude."
Then I put on some video from the history channel and this kid was just talking full volume across the class to his friend. I walked over to him and gave him a warning, saying if he continued to be disruptive I would have to send him to the office. He was quiet for the next 10 minutes during the video.
This next part is where I'm wondering if I crossed the line. After the video I handed out a worksheet and while I was giving them directions this kid started talking loudly again, this time to the person behind him. I walked over and asked him if he heard the directions. He didn't answer and just started telling me about some nonsense he was talking to the person behind him about. I cut him off after like 3 seconds and said "Hey _____, guess what? I don't care."
The class laughed and there were a bunch of "Oohhhh"s and kids saying he got skibidi sigma'd or something. He looked really embarrassed and I felt bad. Just wondering if what I did was over the line or appropriate based on how disrespectful the kid was being.
Thoughts?

The Sonic franchise had a large gallery of villains, both the original saga and the Archie Comics and IDW comics, there are many to choose from to adapt them in the movies or series of the Sonic cinematographic universe.
Let's talk about what villains I could or would like to see in the future of SCU
One of my favorite things about the Archie and Idw comics is their excellent variety of villains outside of Eggman.
in Archie: we have warlords, wizards, dark gods, alternate universe doppelgangers, aliens, a corporate mastermind, and then some.
IDW: we have two traumatized cyborgs and a group of criminals
Scourge :I love because, well, could anyone resist taking such an inherently good character, and turning him evil? I love the dynamic he and Sonic shared, being able to get into each other's heads, but ultimately staying themselves. It is true that it would be super repetitive to have a hedgehog that is an evil counterpart to Sonic, let's go (let's have Shadow) of course it can make Scourge see that unlike Sonic, he was not afraid, even so he used his powers to obtain power and control in his planet it would be perfect to see more hedgehogs than just being limited to sonic, amy, shaodw and silver
dr Finitevus :I always loved him; he wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, although he had unique abilities and intelligence. It was his knowledge of the world that allowed him to pit the world against the heroes or the heroes against each other. When he didn't need to be somewhere, he just wasn't there. He fought proxy wars by recruiting other characters to, knowingly or unknowingly, carry out his orders. It was a refreshing change of pace from Sonic's usual bad boy.
It will be an excellent way to get more out of the echidna lore, what a bad taste the knuckles spinoff left in our mouths, this tribute already deserves to adapt its entire arc in the comics to the SCU since it would be great to see more echidnas and give it a try. the treatment you deserve
Enerjak: a character full of energy and creativity with a cool and creative design, I always liked this character and he generated some pretty good plots and conflicts. It would be another option along with finitrevus to be a personal threat to Knuckles and the others on how Knuckles should confront one of his species and prevent him from following the steps of going astray.
Mammoth Mogul:I like his powers, his suit and his elegant way of speaking. But I don't think he has much personality. and he is conceited, he keeps escaping from justice and causes problems for Sonic, a mafia lord would be perfect in a detective plot either with the chaotix or with sonic it is also related to the chaos emerald of course they could change this that He looks for them because they are a legend
metal sonic :Its design needs no explanation.When he is in control, he can be as smart as Eggman and as terrifying as one of Sonic's god-level villains.
His rivalry with Sonic has a lot of depth. Thematically they are natural rivals of the franchise, nature versus machine, but also in terms of characters, one is a free soul and the other is in a prison of multiple things.
Metal has very personal problems derived from his rivalry with Sonic. His identity is built around the idea that he is the best version of Sonic, he is the real Sonic, but every loss shows him otherwise and all he can do is face it and try to say that Sonic is the copy and Metal is the real one. . But no matter how strong he is, how fast he is, even if those traits are more than what Sonic is capable of, he loses. That's the tragedy of him, he's in a cycle of not accepting reality and he's punished for it and so far we've gotten great ways to show that character. We got healthy parts of his character, scary parts, interesting parts and sad parts.And the good thing is that, unlike other rivals, he is a villain, not an antihero or a redeemed character, a villain who can be explored without being the good guy.He's also had some amazing boss fights over the years.This would be a perfect character to take on Eggman's legacy and use it for your own benefit.
Dr. Starline: Amazing villain that you love to hate, he played his role to perfection and left lasting effects long after his death in the form of the equally good Surge and Kit. What I like most is that he could have easily been like everyone the other sidekicks and try to one-up Eggman, but instead he still idolized him and was ultimately used to cement how good Eggman is as a villain.
He would be another perfect candidate to take Eggman's place and he is a thousand times better than Agent Stone or any generic Eggman assistant who only exists to provide a moment of comedy that is not funny.
The metarex and the dark oak (sonic x)
I think the writers did a great job creating a new arc for sonic x
It's a fun sci-fi take on Sonic that gives us a galaxy-spanning adventure. You still have individual episodes that are reminiscent of your weekly episodes of Star Trek or whatever that have their own independent stories on individual planets, but also the overall story of the season is still moving forward. I feel like this is the best way to do episodic television.
I love the idea that we have a planet full of animals, but in Sonic's universe there are also plants.
The plot twist of Metarex being formerly plant people (Seedrians, if I remember correctly) turns them from this vague threat into a completely personal threat, as we've had plenty of time up to that point to see Cosmo become part of the Team Sonic. .
It's always good to have that underlying message that plants and animals can get along despite their differences. In today's world, many people have yet to discover the real-life equivalent.
Plus, you have the entire Tails and Cosmo arc and the culmination at the end. Don't lie, you always cry too!
prefect official as the final boss of the sonic franchise
Merlina :Merlina doesn't understand that death is a natural part of life, which is why she is afraid of it. This is a real fear called thanatophobia, but it is a fairly extreme case. Anyway, after defeating her, Sonic consoles her by telling her to make life worth living with the time she has, thus resolving her internal conflict and also ending her character arc. This type of deep writing is something that Sonic Adventure to Black Knight excel at.
Well, that was all, write in the comments which villain from the Sonic franchise you would like to see adapted into SCU in the future. Leave your opinions in the comments. I would love to read them.

My husband decided to sell an used generator in Facebook Marketplace he had that we didn't get to use more than 3 times. We also bought it used. He had some guy come and test it out and he liked it and took it home, about an hour away from where we live. I was there to translate for my husband as he doesn't speak English. About 24 hours later he messaged us saying it had 4k hours on it and if he had known he wouldn't have purchased it. We didn't know it had that many hours as we're not very savvy with those things and it said 75 hours. Like I said, he came and checked it out and took it home. He said he was going to report my husband to the police and came on very threatening and said he was going to come to our home and get his money back. He was very aggressive and I explained to him through text that he was not allowed to come onto our property because we have our kids at home and if he did I would call the cops on him. Honestly, I think that because my husband is Mexican and doesn't speak English, he felt powerful by threatening him to the cops. My husband was clearly scared and offered him money back but purchaser said no, he wanted a full refund. We don't know if he messed something up or tampered with it after 24 hours. Usually when you go to a thrift store or purchased used items, there's a no refund. You take it, it's yours. I really don't know what to do! I wish I could post screenshots on how he came in agressive.
At first, we offered money back and he didn't want to take it. We don't know if it was tampered with or if he messed with it. Now he wants money back but after all the agressive comments, I don't believe he should be entitled to it.

Delete if not allowed. I just have so many questions for the avid movie goer for these AMC Screen Unseens.
For starters, my first time experiencing a ASU (I think that's what yall call them) was 05/20, I loved it. It was a little off brand for the typical movies I liked but it was actually a date for my boyfriend and I before we have our baby (I'm due in July), so maybe I enjoyed it a bit more because of what the movie was and my life at the moment and the jokes were just spot on.
Anyways, we both agreed this may be our new date night routine. Like a dinner, and then a movie. Specifically the ASU, unless we have a movie we'd like to see. But it def saves time on the "what do you wanna watch" or the "but I don't like that genre.."
So. My questions: 1) how do you know so many movies you can guess what movie it may be? 2) is there a certain list of movies you're guessing from? Like are they indie movies? Are the trailers for these movies previews for the next possible ASU? 3) do these movies ever release on streaming platforms? Or to regular theatre times? I'd really like to see Babes (if that's what it was called) again. 4) how often do they do them? 5) is this something new or was I living under a rock this whole time? Because I genuinely liked the experience. 6) what if I don't like the movie, are refunds possible if I decide to walk out?
And I think that's all my questions off the top of my head. I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go to get these answered.

So I've posted a lot of times on this subreddit, and a part of that is because I haven't fully fleshed out the details of my world; I had a basic idea of what I wanted my world to look like, the types of magic I wanted to be there, and the world in which I wanted that magic to occur. I'm someone who likes grinding down on my magic system until it makes sense, so I haven't really been able to focus on writing my actual story, although in fairness I've tied up a few plot threads. Now, I think I have a genuine final product and can actually start writing my story. So here it goes.
FUNDAMENTALS
The three fundamental forces in my universe are Dream, Spark, and Sacrifice. Dream is the product of the underworld, Sacrifice resides in the domain of the living, and Spark is the energy that binds and separates the two worlds. I'm very fascinated by the idea of making a sacrifice, or the spilling of blood in many cases, being necessary for dreams to come true.
Dream, in this context, is imagination, memory, past, future, desire, fear, all that does not yet exist but existed or has the potential to exist. The fuel of Dream is memory, because a dream that is not remembered, even subconsciously, is one that ceases to exist, and Dream tends to absorb memory.
Sacrifice, in this context, has a more neutral meaning than we're used to; it only means a change in the mortal realm, mental or physical, that initiates the coming to life of a dream. Think of a mother, who sacrifices or is made to sacrifice her body for 9 months to give birth to the dream of a child, the possibility made real by the change in the mother's physical circumstance. Or an empire; someone dreamed of it, but they needed to spill blood to bring it into fruition. The blood and death, not the action, is the sacrifice, and that sacrifice brings life to a dream.
Spark, broadly, is energy. From a metaphysical perspective, it is the energy that carries out a sacrifice and, using that sacrifice, brings Dream into existence. Two people needed to perform the action of intercourse for the mother who gives birth to a child to have made a sacrifice; the act of intercourse induces the sacrifice, which is the state of pregnancy. To go back to the empire example, you need to perform the act of stabbing or shooting a bunch of people, or if you're not into all out war, the act of slitting the throat of the king, for instance. The act induces the sacrifice, which is death, which enables the dream to come true. But more broadly, spark is literally energy, the force that makes the planet move, the sword to swing, the fire to burn.
The child of Dream and Spark is Will. Will is consciousness, the ability to make something happen, to manipulate energy to accomplish a purpose, to make the dream come true.
The combination of all three, Dream, Spark, and Sacrifice, is what creates life, a physical manifestation of the Will; this is what makes life special above all other things. When in your physical body, the Will is bound by that body because the body created by Dream, Spark, and Sacrifice creates a barrier that the Will cannot cross, which is why almost no one can manipulate energy on their own. Once you die, you either cross into the Underworld, the land of dreams, or a Sacrifice in the form of emotional connection interacts with the Will to block it from returning to the Underworld, binding you to the Mortal Realm, making you a ghost, a will that exists in the Mortal Realm but without a physical body usually cannot perceive the world except for other Wills, trapping spirits stuck in the Mortal Realm in their own memories unless they can use the body of another as a host.
The exception to the binding of the Will to the body is through Dream; when you dream, your Spark transfers your will to the Underworld, where all dreams live. Spark has a natural magnetism towards the Underworld, and the Will has a natural attraction to Spark, meaning when you're asleep, Spark is no longer bound by consciousness and is able to take the Will to its natural home before waking. As I said before, dreams are fueled by memory, so when you dream, the Underworld is slowly taking memories from you until you wake up, meaning that most people forget most of what they dream about.
The Mortal and Immortal Realms are separated by a substance in the air known as Valin Steel, which has the effect of cancelling out any binding effect of a sacrifice, detaching Spark energy from the physical form it is bound to, causing it to by default return to the Immortal realm. When Spirits are summoned from the Immortal Realm to the Mortal Realm, that creates a disturbance which causes Valin Steel particles to form into visible chunks of a metallic substance stronger than normal steel. Valin Steel is particularly dangerous because of its combustibility, with only a small amount of exposure to fire being sufficient to cause explosions that can level neighborhoods if not cities with just a few pounds of material.
One other reaction is that of the Will interacting with the physical world. The Will generates Spark, and when it is not bound to a physical body but is still bound to the Mortal Realm, that Spark, when a spirit uses it to manipulate the Mortal world, sinks into and irradiates any material under it, which creates a substance called Emanation, which contains certain levels of Spark, which means it can be combined with other ingredients to induce specific magical effects when the solution makes contact with something; Emanation is thus the basis for all magical potions.
MAGIC
As I said, the Will of a living being cannot cross past or alter that body, but when a living thing dies, while most go to the Underworld, some are trapped here, without a body to bind the Will. Unbound, a spirit's Will allows them manipulate the Spark, and this forms the source of all magic in this world; the key to using magic, therefore, is developing some type of relationship or having a pre-existing relationship with a spirit. Without any sacrifice, spirits can use telekinesis, lightning generation and manipulation, and thermokinesis. Because Spark forms the basis of cognition, spirits can enter your brain and steal your thoughts and memories, share thoughts and memories by imparting them to the being they're passing through, essentially able to impart "suggestions" that, in their strongest form, can act as a form of hypnosis.
Spirits can also briefly possess creatures, but bodies are generally not equipped to handle two sparks in a single host. A spirit possessing a body would cause every part of that body to want to move, and having two sparks in one body can end up killing the host because without constant movement the extra spark ends up just absorbing oxygen from the air for stimulation. This is why when possession occurs it is usually only for brief periods, like a minute or so. The exception is if people learn certain war dances which allow them to use their whole bodies, they can be possessed, therefore possessing the power of spirits, for a much longer time; they have to keep dancing to maintain the stability, and this form of magic use has given birth to multiple martial arts styles based on encircling and constantly barraging your opponent; some of the arts are called Sand-Dancing, Water-Dancing, and Mud-Dancing, all based on using bouts of telekinesis to quickly harness easy to manipulate materials to overwhelm opponents (the inspiration for these martial arts styles would be Capoeira; Capoeira is extremely effective and allows for constant movement).
So the biggest fuel for my magic system is the issue of perception. Most people can't remember visiting the Underworld, most people can't see beyond their bodies, most people cannot see ghosts in the Mortal Realm, and most ghosts cannot see the Mortal Realm because they don't have a physical body with which they can perceive. This creates a situation where, while anyone can use magic because most people can develop some type of connection with spirits, it is difficult in practice for most to do so.
But some people are born with, or in rare cases develop, a unique bond with dream, giving them some or all of these abilities. Really creatives, people with certain mental disorders, or people born from uniquely difficult circumstances that required sacrifice, usually on the part of the mother, that is greater emotionally or physically than what would otherwise be expected, are more connected to Dream, and are therefore more able to perceive it beyond just their physical senses. This represents around 10% of the population; a strong sign of one of these abilities is lucid dreaming, because it means you are able to navigate the Underworld while not having your memories stolen, meaning you can essentially access the dream world whenever you sleep, or if you're trained whenever you want. Seeing spirits in the mortal realm is rare; around 2% of people have the ability, and it's really useful because spirits have the ability to manipulate energy but can't perceive the world around them, meaning that you can make a deal with a spirit for them to lend you their services in exchange for lending your body to them. Another rare ability is astral projection, which comes hand in hand with the ability to perceive the Mortal Realm as a spirit because both involve the ability to perceive the world beyond your physical body. So these ghosts, unlike others, are under normal circumstances essentially autonomous because they can perceive the world around them, meaning they can interact with the world without the constraints of a physical body. These are usually the deadliest types of spirits.
In order to change the nature of something, you need a sacrifice and a spirit must provide the spark necessary to activate that sacrifice. There are three different types of sacrifices:

1. White Sacrifices, which are made by causing mental anguish or connection. This sacrifice is necessary for two purposes; to create and bind someone to a magical oath which makes it so such an oath cannot be broken as long as the person bound to the oath remains bound, or to create a magical bond between two or more beings, allowing those bonded with each other to communicate telepathically, to perceive events through each other’s eyes, to share memories, and when one dies, to share a living body.
2. Red Sacrifices, which are made simply by spilling blood. This sacrifice is necessary to transform the physical form of one thing into another form. For instance, to transform an inanimate object into another inanimate object, one must coat that object with their own blood, and have a spirit activate that blood sacrifice by using their spark. Typically, Red Sacrifices involve shedding one’s own blood to change their physical form; when Red Sacrifices are activated, their form changes. When transforming into a form larger than themselves, the spell will cause a person to absorb the soft matter (water, sand, dust, mud, etc.) around them to gain mass, and when transforming into a form smaller than themselves, they shed mass in the form of “Formsand”, which they can then use to transform into their original form. This sacrifice can be permanently imbued as an ability to change into a specific form and back using tattoos made from emanation; the process of tattooing spills the blood necessary for a blood sacrifice, and the specific ingredients, the placement of the ink, and the Will of the tattooer and the tattooed determine the specific form they turn into. Descendants of those who shape shift inherit some of the characteristics of the altered forms of their parents.
   1. Some animals have also evolved ways of using Red Sacrifices to give themselves enhancements, such as the ability to breathe fire.
3. Black sacrifices, which are made by taking a life. This sacrifice is necessary to bind spirits of the dead to a physical form. The target spirit can perform or activate the sacrifice, but if the target spirit is one that the magic user wishes to control, another spirit has to make and activate the sacrifice. This can be used for a variety of purposes, including permanently binding spirits to a physical object and forcing it to do the bidding of the user, and permanently binding a spirit to a dead corpse, giving them new life in a new body.

Spellcasting is the act of giving spirits you are bound to instructions to perform an action. Basically, spirits recognize certain words as commandments to perform an action based on what they've learned; the more people that recognize a specific word as a specific command, the more potent that spell becomes. Spellcasting in the context of telepathic acts is often performed with songs or poetry, with certain phrases being used as a form of hypnotism as the melodic effect coincides with the spirits placing ideas in your head; this also happens to act as a sort of work-around to the requirement of possession for mind control because the spirit doesn't need to channel their energy through the whole body, just the mind, and they don't need to completely enter the person's body to influence them; this allows some magic users to cross the line from hypnotism into genuine mind control.

So, I'm not entirely sure what my goal is with this post. One thing I know for certain is that it will be very long, and probably sort of jumbled and frantic, more stream of consciousness than anything. I guess I just sort of wanted to share some of the important realizations I've had in recent months, and see if: 1. Other people think that they're fair or "correct" realizations, and I'm not becoming, like, delusional or something. 2. Maybe my sharing these perspectives will help or inspire someone else who has struggled in ways similar to me.
So, here's the basic background of things. I've always been a really reserved and quiet person, ever since I was a little kid. Add in being skinny and nerdy for most of my life, and maxing out at a height of 5'9", and I'm not exactly a hot product for the average girl my age (19, turning 20 in a few weeks). In fact, I'd never had a relationship until this past year in college, but I'll get more into that in a minute. Hell, I hadn't had so much as a first kiss until this past year, either.
And, at the beginning of this past school year, being my second year of college (as a commuter student, so socializing is pretty difficult), I began to really get down on myself for having never been in a relationship, never kissed a girl, being a virgin, etc. It started to really take a toll on my mental health, because I believed that there was something intrinsically wrong and unlovable about me. Whereas a lot of young men who struggle socially romantically seem to be directing their sadness, frustration, and anger outward toward the world, especially toward women, I instead found myself directing those feeling toward myself. I was convinced that, on a basic level, there was some vital component to who I am as a person that disqualifies me from being worthy of love or affection. After all, that's what 19 years of evidence suggest, right?
Looking back, I think a large component in this was how I had been struggling, and still struggle to a degree, with my identity as a young man. I'm naturally a pretty progressive person, and I make an effort to be open to the perspectives of other groups and listen to their stories. Unfortunately, as we all know, a lot of people have been harmed by the men in their lives. And I know, I know: if I'm not doing anything wrong myself, then I shouldn't take any of these stories personally.But I guess, given the poor mental state that I was already in, I took it as validation that there was in fact something intrinsically wrong about me, and that thing was being a man. I started to avoid people on the street, especially if they were a woman or presented as feminine. At work, I avoid going anywhere near female customers, out of fear of making them uncomfortable. I'd keep my head down walking from class to class on campus, worried that I might make someone uneasy with my gaze. It wasn't that I thought I was a threat; in fact, I knew that I was not. But I also knew that the people around me didn't know that. In their eyes, maybe they have to assume that I'm a creep or that I'm a dangerous type of man. And it hurt to realize that, and I realize now, like I said, that I took it as validation that there was something intrinsically wrong with me.
Due to that, as well as other factors, such as stress and exhaustion from overworking (I'm a full-time student and work about 30 hours a week, which is a lot for me, might not be for others, I admit), I experienced some of the worst periods of depression I've ever had, since being diagnosed with it and anxiety in 2021. I tried going to therapy. I went to a few sessions, then gradually started missing more and more due to a lack of time, until my therapist cancelled all of our scheduled future sessions. It was on me. I wasn't committed.
I lost my passion for my hobbies and interests, like creative writing, which had previously been an important emotional outlet for me. A lot of nights would be spent lying in bed, listening to a playlist filled with sad music and hugging a pillow, wishing it was someone who loved me in the way that I thought, or hoped, love would work.
At the behest of my friends, to whom I only presented my issues as being a little down about never having been in a relationship, I started messing around with dating apps. At first, I felt good about making some sort of effort to put myself out there. Like I said, I've always been insanely reserved, so doing something like making a dating profile felt like an accomplishment. Of course, nothing much came of it. Over the five or so months that I was on the app, I maxed out at about six likes on my profile, and only matched with two people.
But one of those two people was a girl who went to the same college as me, and we seemed to have a lot of interests in common. And I mean a lot. To the point that it was almost comical. Of course, I realize now that having some hobbies in common isn't enough to form a good relationship with someone, but I realize now that I was just desperate for someone who I could convince myself halfway-tolerated me. She and I started to go out, and after a while, we decided to make things "official." My first kiss. My first relationship. My first girlfriend.
It lasted for only a few months. After a while, something felt off. I wasn't as excited to see her as I had been before. It was hard for us to make time for each other, between my working and her being involved in extracurricular stuff around campus. Car rides and dates began to be filled with longer and more frequent stretches of awkward silence, as I tried to think of something to say or talk about, only to come up empty-handed. As we got to know each other better, I realized that we didn't have as much in common as I first thought. She was a little more conservative, not necessarily in a political sense, but more in terms of "status", if that makes sense. I learned that financial success was very important to her parents, and I could tell that it was important to her, too. She avoided telling her parents that I was an English major, instead opting to tell them that I was getting a degree in computer science, as that was my minor at the time. It seemed to me that the status of a relationship was more important to her than the quality of the relationship (pot calling the kettle black, yes, I realize). For example, there was a dance on campus that she wanted to go to, pretty much just to take pictures of the two of us together so she could show them to friends and family. But as for the dance itself, it was more of the same that had been happening before: awkward silence, short conversations, lots of looking around at anything other than each other.
After a while, I decided that, for both of our sakes, I needed to break things off. I didn't want to waste her time when I knew that my heart wasn't in it anymore. So, at the beginning of April, I drove over to her dorm, and we talked it over in my car for a while. At the end, we hugged one last time, and I haven't seen her since.
I think a key component in the decision I made is the fact that I reconnected with some old friends from high school, who are still local, even though they are going to another university. Over Christmas break, I hung out with them for the first time since the pandemic as, during that time, I ended up having a falling out with them over some dumb high school drama and political differences. To my surprise, they had changed a lot, and had managed to pull themselves out of the incel trajectory that I had seen them beginning to fall down during high school. They were kinder, more accepting people. My surprise was matched only by my pride in them. I had feared and assumed the worst of them, and I couldn't have been happier to be proven wrong. Since then, I've been invited back into their group chats, and I see them in-person with some regularity, when our schedules allow it.
I think having that connection made me feel more comfortable with the idea of being single again, and since the break up, I've been able to rely on them for support, laughs, and just feeling like I have somewhere I belong. Before, I found myself desperate for any kind of connection and fell into a cycle of denying myself that connection because I was convinced that, since it didn't just present itself, I wasn't worthy of it.
And maybe it has something to do with that, but on the drive home from my now-ex's dorm (though I still wonder if I should/could really call her an ex. Sure, we agreed to make things "official", but we still only dated for a few months), I felt my perspective on, well, at the risk of sounding over-dramatic or overly romantic, everything, being to change.
And I guess that's what the title of this post is about. The things I've begun to realize in the time leading up to and following that break-up.
Above all else, I've realized the importance of connection. If I didn't have a stable friend group again, I don't know where I'd be. Probably still in a stale relationship, clinging on and trying to convince myself that I'm not feeling the way that I'm feeling. I have people to talk with again, to confide in when I feel stressed or depressed. I go out and do things again, which I didn't realize I hadn't really done very much since the pandemic.
But I know that for a lot of people who are/were in the position I had been in, finding friends is difficult. If it weren't for my unique circumstances of being reunited with an old, estranged group of friends, I would absolutely be in the same position. I still really struggle with social anxiety, and talking to new people is a huge struggle for me. So, I've also had some realizations that don't have as much to do with the friendship side of things, and I hope that these can be of some use to people who also struggle with social anxiety.
I know that the idea of "working on yourself" is cliche and overused, so I won't frame it exactly like that. In my opinion, saying it like that makes it sound too daunting and tedious, and having been in those dark, dark places myself, I know that it was the last thing I wanted to hear. So, instead, I like to think of it this way. It's more like living in spite of your circumstances. Over the course of this past year, I essentially shut my life down, because I was so convinced that there was no point, because I felt that I knew that I would never be loved or accepted. Now, I feel an urge to go on living for myself, almost in direct spite of the fear that I may be forever alone. It's a fear that I still deal with, and who knows, maybe things will end up that way.
And, I suppose, that leads into my main realization, which is sort of an extension/restatement of the last one, now that I think about it. I now feel the desire to accumulate enough in my life, to reach a point where I am satisfied enough, that I can rest knowing that I will be okay, with or without a relationship. Before, my self-worth was almost entirely attached to my relationship status, and my lack of romantic experience. Now, I realize that a relationship can only come when I don't need it, or at least don't feel that I need it. Being a huge nerd and a writer, I think a lot about quotes from books, shows, movies, and games that have stuck with and there's one from God of War: Ragnarok that comes to mind here (by the way, I actually highly recommend playing or watching a playthrough of God of War 2018 and Ragnarok if you've struggled with masculinity in the same way I have, the music and cutscenes from those games have actually helped to pull me out of some mental spirals about my self-worth and identity as a man). It comes from a scene in which Kratos confronts his younger self, and is trying to decide if he is willing/ready to be a god again:
"Should I lose everything and everyone, will there still be enough left inside so that I do not become you? I do not know. But I have hope."
It's a quote that resonates with me now more than ever (even though it's from a DLC that just came out around Christmas, lol). I know now that I want to get to a place where there is enough left inside me that I know I'll never fall into that dark mental state again.
Something else that I've noticed has happened is the return of my passions for my hobbies and interests, especially for writing. I don't want to sound too arrogant, but I think I've begun to realize an important goal for my writing. If I'm lucky enough, I want to be able to write and release stories that explore masculinity and isolation, and, if I can, I want to create stories that can help guide other young men and boys who have struggled in the way I have and continue to do. I want to create characters who serve as positive male role models, who are emotionally strong, intelligent, and kind. I want to write stories of personal redemption, and show that no one is truly ever too far gone to be able to recover. If my writing could help even just one person who is struggling, then I would consider my career to be a success.
At the risk of being too cheesy, I'd like to end this very long-winded post with another quote, this one from a YouTube channel I recently discovered, and one I would highly recommend to just about anyone: Cinema Therapy. It's from their video about "A Silent Voice", which also happens to be one of my favorite movies, and one of my main inspirations when it comes to the kinds of stories I want to tell.
"Depression doesn't go away, doesn't lift for most people. But there's a capacity to feel again. There's a capacity to feel joy. The cure for so many things is connection. And we may think 'no one want to connect with me.' But we just need to find the right people."
I think the only thing I would add to that is that, in my opinion, the connection can also be with yourself.

(LOL long post and more verbal barfing than a rant but I need to put it somewhere.)
What a week lol. I finally got my consult scheduled with a doc from the list. The only time they had available for me was Monday at 8am so I got my happy ass up at 5:30am to make the drive. Rural living amirite? Drive wasn't so bad and I actually got there 20 minutes early, which was nice because I was so lost in that huge hospital. Thankfully a very nice receptionist walked me to the correct area. It felt very weird sitting in a waiting room full of mom and baby stuff whilst hoping to be sterilized. The nurse that came in to get my vitals and medical history was very friendly and didn't judge at all when I told her what I was there for. The doctor was also very funny and nice. Absolutely zero pushback when I said I'd like to be surgically sterilized. She explained every possible form of birth control, and went into depth about the ones I'd be interested in (IUD and surgery). Gave me informative pamphlets for both. She said when she was my age she felt the same way but changed her mind as she got older. I didn't deny the fact that could happen to me as well, but my opinion also isn't something likely to change with this. She said okay, cool, then the only issue is your insurance won't cover this kind of surgery till you're 21. I said that was fine because it gives me time to really think about it and make sure it's what I want. Conveniently they're booked out for surgeries until November, my 21st birthday is in September. All I have to do is call and set it up with her nurse. Sweet. I've been thinking about it nonstop since then.
Yesterday I had to make another long drive, 5 hours one way, with my mom to get her dream car in a different state. Mom and I were talking about life and stuff. She's in an online book club and they were taking turns writing a story, like one person writes a paragraph then the next person writes one and so on. Someone from the group messaged her and asked if she'd ever written before. She dabbled in it when she was young but never sent anything in. He asked if she'd like to try it again and send it to his publishing firm. She looked absolutely thrilled while she was telling me this and I could tell it really boosted her confidence to have her creative work get taken seriously.
It made me think. Would mom have already bought her dream car and been a published author if so much of her time didn't go to us kids? She worked through all three pregnancies. She decided to stay home after my little brother and take care of us while dad made money. She started working again the moment they wanted a divorce and she hasn't stopped since. She paid for everything since my dad turned out to be pretty unreliable. She did all this for us. I tried thinking of myself in that situation and I just couldn't see it. Maybe it's because she wanted to be a mom and I don't. She doesn't regret us. But if I were in her shoes, I would. I would mourn the life I couldn't start until my kids grew up. Now I'm watching her finally go and do what she wants with life and I've never been more proud and happy for her. I just wish it could've happened sooner. She deserved to have it happen sooner.
Idk. I'm getting all emotional thinking about it. I should probably schedule that surgery. I love my mom. I hope we both get the lives we want.

Here we are again in the shit stew that is the Fallowveil trailer park. We’ve got soul eating strippers, jobs that kill us, and plenty of weirdos, both the trailer trash and the potentially paranormal variety. It’s the place where even your own computer sometimes threatens to kill you. I can’t tell if I should be worried, or annoyed that all my neighbors have such irresponsible web habits. I know it’s not me that brings in all these machine wiping viruses.
So even though I got a system error that literally said “you’re useless and you should die” I’m less interested in that. Stupid thing. Like I don’t already know I’m useless. That’s not what I’m depressed about.
Well… I suppose it's tangentially related.
I hope anyone reading will forgive me. I’m feeling the sting of rejection right now. It was really stupid of me to ask. Especially now. Nobody here really likes me. They’ve only been nice to me as a courtesy because I was almost involved in a god damn shootout. And my idiot self decided that was the perfect time to push one of my few friends all the way away. Never ask your friends out on dates. It ruins everything.
So there’s this woman. I’ve talked about her in the past. Trista Ramone. She lives in the far back corner of the trailer park. You can instantly tell which unit is hers because she’s covered every square inch of the property with gardens and a rabbit hutch. The place usually has beads and colorful flags hanging on its walls as well. She’s kind of a right winger’s nightmare. I know some of those flags represent various lgbtq plus communities.
She and I have been friendly in the past. We’re both night shift workers. We crossed paths quite a bit going to and from work so we struck up a friendship over the years.
Let’s just ripped the band aid off. Recently I’ve started thinking I had… stronger feelings for Trista. I got stupid and decided to tell her about them. She wasn’t interested. I get why. We have very different lifestyles. I like meat, and she thinks the meat industry is murder. I’m not willing to give up meat, and she’s not willing to give up her beliefs. It's as simple as that. Now things are incredibly awkward with one of my closer friends and I’m still spiraling into self loathing, where I belong.
She swore up and down that she absolutely still wants to be friends with me, but I’m not sure I believe her. The look she gave me when I told her I’d like to ask her out. It looked like sadness, but a small part of me is convinced it was pity, or worse, disgust and loathing, and that small part gave me ever shuts the fuck up. But anyway, she gave me permission to write about her.
She is one of the creepy fixtures of our little neighborhood after all. She told me to make her seem as insane and scary as I possibly could and that she should get to kill me at the end. She also handed me a few of her high school yearbooks, advised me to chat with another neighbor of ours who she went to school with, and to only use creepy rumors for the rest.
Part of me is really willing to describe her as awful, but that’s just my anger. I don’t like that part of me. Trista’s not a bad person at all. She’s just weird and she doesn’t want to date me. God damn it, Petunia’s right. I need therapy.
So, I’ve told the story of the sexy, scary lady living in a polycule here in the trailer park. I think she’s got a bigger heart than she lets on. I’ve talked about the stories surrounding the Schroeder Slaughterhouse. Now let’s talk about the hippy everyone thinks is a vampire.
She’s a taller woman, maybe five-seven or eight, and she’s skinny. Her typical wardrobe is… interesting. Try to imagine your typical new-age hippy/stoner girl, wearing colorful sarongs, crop-tops, beanies, baggy sweaters, T-shirts with colorful sayings on them, sandals, boots woven from some sort of exotic plant, beaded necklaces, bracelets, a few too many piercings and some intricate tattoos. Can you picture that kind of person? Well, take that and dip them in “goth” dye. Everything is black, and contrasts to her pale white complexion, her eyes are this unusual violet color, and then make the woman wearing all that seem kind of depressed about something. That’s the look Trista has going on. Like if Wednesday Addams was forced to dress up for Hippy Day.
I’ve heard people call her an emo vampire, but as a former emo myself, she doesn’t fill out all the criteria. She doesn’t typically wear any super tight pants or cake on the eyeshadow. I guess she’s just Trista. It might sound weird (and it is) but the whole thing suits her. Her style, tattoos, and complexion all create this image of skinny vampiric waif with a mysterious past and a freaky sarcastic attitude and I found the whole thing… kinda hot.
Trista keeps to herself. She’s made the most out of her little corner of the trailer park. Like I said, she decked out her unit with garden squares, and a Rabbit pen. No idea why she’s allowed to do that. A lot of these places don’t allow pets. I heard she was also trying to put in a beehive too, but her neighbors are fighting her on that one. Our park is a bit too condensed for bees. She has a permit to grow hemp, but of course it’s not for recreational use. She treats it and uses it to weave things like handbags, clothes, and other stuff. There’s a consignment store in town that sells all kinds of things Trista has crafted herself. So she’s handy and self sufficient too. She paints, she carves wood, she weaves, she crochets, she sews, and who knows what else. She’s so good at her little crafts that apparently she’s able to support herself just selling them and working part time at the Moonlight Inn outside of town.
She’s also relatively friendly. I almost feel bad calling her weird, but here’s the thing, I’ve seen some REALLY weird shit. People jokingly call her a vampire, and she seems to embrace that, but part of me seriously wonders. The big clue is, like I mentioned, she’s completely nocturnal. She’s always asleep during the day, and every blind and curtain is drawn tight. The one time she came out during the day, she had on this full body suit with a helmet with UV glass and everything. Even then, she only showed up to give Petunia a hug, before leaving again.
That was the first time I saw Trista, come to think of it. I was kind of intrigued. It was kind of hard not to be when someone shows up to a community cookout in a freaking astronaut suit. I approached Petunia after she left.
“Who the heck was that?” I wondered.
“MASON! I’m so glad you could make it! You’ve been here about three months now! How’d that job interview go?”
“Oh. It went well. I might be doing janitorial work soon.”
“Night shift?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure.”
“If it’s the night shift, you’ll definitely meet the person who just left. That’s Trista. She’s the girl with the rabbits in the far corner. Poor girl. She’s got a really bad skin condition. Can’t let sunlight touch her.”
“Oh. Is she like… albino or something?”
“No, she’s got pigment. I don’t remember what the condition is called. I guess it started in high school or something. You’d have to ask her. And hey! If you work the night shift, you’ll probably get to chat with her!”
Petunia wasn’t wrong. I started working as a nighttime janitor for a number of local businesses. That was when I first started noticing the pale goth hippy. She rides around on a moped, with her dark hair and her sarong barely billowing behind her. I couldn’t see her face through the helmet, but she waved to me as she passed by.
The next time I saw her, she was jogging, but here’s where it gets weird. When I first stepped outside, all I saw was a blur. It actually startled me as I whipped toward it, but then there was this skinny tattooed pixie, somehow still looking like a stonehippy/vampire in jogging gear. I swear she was moving inhumanly fast when I first noticed her. That was when we introduced ourselves. She actually jogged over to say hello.
“Hey! You’re the new guy right?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. My name’s Mason!” I reached out to shake the pretty girl’s hand, like an awkward loser. She smirked and shook my hand. Her grip was weirdly strong, and a bit cold.
“I’m Trista. I’m the weirdo in the back with the rabbits.”
“Trista… oh, are you the one who has a thing with sunlight? I think Petunia mentioned you.”
“Yup! That’s me. Xerodoma pigmentosum. Sunlight hurts. I hate that it hurts.” She lamented.
“That’s gotta be rough,” I said sympathetically.
“You get used to it. You work at night?”
“Yeah. Works better for me.”
“I get that.”
And so on and so on. She’s pretty cool, with a bit of hilarious snark in there. And she secretly procured recreational weed she was willing to share. I kept working the night shift just hoping for another chance to talk to her and possibly buy a joint. Eventually she invited me over to share a joint. The inside of her place was actually pretty sparse and spartan compared to the outside. Though she was a fan of hanging beads. Most of the main room was taken up by her various crafting projects and supplies. Hemp weaves, some paintings, and even a wood carving of what I think was a rabbit, but it wasn’t anywhere near complete.
I followed her to her kitchen where she reached into the very back of her pantry and pulled out a shoebox. Inside was her stash, but there was something else which I found very strange. It was a pack of syringes and a thing I assume is to sterilize syringes. I know what you’re thinking, and that was my first thought too. It’s a poor neighborhood, the woman already smokes weed illegally, it’s not that big a shock that maybe she was involved in other drugs too. I decided not to ask at the time. We shared our joint, and we laughed, a lot. She made fun of me for being a lightweight, while I got completely hypnotized staring at the patterns of a shawl she had woven.
Months went by and we got closer, but I couldn’t forget those syringes. After a while I got worried. I’ve seen what heroine does to people. So the next time I went over to smoke and eat (vegan) pizza with her, I asked.
“Trista? Are you using anything other than weed?”
“Drugs?”
“Yeah.”
“No. Why?”
“You can tell me if you are.”
“Mason, sweetheart, I’m a stoner. I don’t fuck around with anything else and I never have.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Okay. Can I ask what that set of syringes are for?”
“Oh. In my stash box? Those are… part of my condition. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh. Is it like… embarrassing?”
“Yeah. So don’t ask. Can we just watch a movie?”
So I don't ask anymore. But I still have no idea what she does with those syringes. Based on what I read about that Xerodoma Pigmentosum thing she says she has, I have no clue what she would need to inject herself with.
Another time she asked me to check on her rabbits for her during the day, as her usual “sitter” had something come up. All I had to do was chop up the lettuce and carrots she left out. As I was enjoying the adorable fluffy faces, one of Trista’s neighbors, a woman named Bridget, poked her head outside her door.
“Hey. Do you know what Trista injects those rabbits with?”
“I… what?”
“I’ve seen her use syringes on those rabbits. She said she was just giving them medicine, but I swear I see her inject them every week.”
“I… I wouldn't know. She just asked me to feed them.”
“I love Trista, but that always seemed so weird. She has to know vaccines are a hoax!” I tuned the woman out after that one. My mind was on that set of syringes. Why would she be using them on rabbits? These things were her pets.
I was starting to crush on her by then. But I couldn’t help feeling weirded out by that. I was actually going to confront her, but the next time I came to visit, she was literally inside the Rabbit hutch, on her back, squealing with delight as her rabbit friends nuzzled and played with her.
“Bonnibelle! That tickles! Marcy! No chewing. Finn? Watch where you’re sticking that foot! Jake? Where are you? EEEEE Lumpy! Not the neck!”
It was as silly and adorable as it sounds. She was forced to whip herself upright when two of her little friends tried to burrow under her dress. She finally stood up with a laugh, cradling a rabbit in her arms and cooing at it.
There was just no way in hell this woman was doing anything that would hurt these animals. Bridget is a paranoid antivax weirdo anyway. If Trista was using syringes on the rabbits, I was convinced it was only for their benefit.
So life went on. I got more and more reclusive over the years. Petunia, Trista, and my next door neighbor Fred were the only things keeping me remotely connected to the outside. And so we get to now. So let’s see. What are the stories about the weird vampire woman?
Well, there’s the fact that she jogs at night, solo, in a poor neighborhood. Petunia keeps the shitty people contained and behaving for the most part, but I still wouldn’t exactly call it safe, especially for a young skinny woman. But she does it without a care in the world.
There’s one strange event that some people like to connect to this. I never knew this guy, but from what I hear he was a total weirdo who leered at anyone even remotely female. And this is despite the fact he was married. His name was Josh.
I remember him a bit. He’s the guy that Petunia chased away from one of her barbecues. Supposedly he was heard saying inappropriate things to the groups of ten year old girls that were playing in the bounce house Petunia rented. Telling them how pretty they were. Trying to coax them to take off their jackets. Police reports were filed but ultimately nothing could be proven. The guy's wife, Carole, always defends him for some reason.
But anyway, I remember hanging out with Trista one night a little over a year ago. She hadn’t gone jogging like she normally did. I asked her what was up with that.
“That weirdo, Josh has started catcalling when I pass his place. It weirds me out.”
“There aren’t other people who do that at night? I’m still shocked you jog alone.”
“Not like this. I can flip off a wolf whistler. But this guy… he keeps trying to get me to stop and talk to him, and when I don’t? He shouts about my ass. I’m gonna have to talk to Petunia about that shithead, if anybody can reign him in, it’s her.”
I’m gonna guess she never got a chance. Two days later, the whole town was awoken by sirens. I was getting ready for my shift when I heard them. I walked down the road a bit to see if I could figure out what was going on. The cops were heading toward the other side of the park, so I couldn’t see much. But I did notice Trista, in her jogging gear, skulking in the shadows. I wondered if she was in trouble. But before I could call out to her, she sprinted straight to Petunia's house and banged on the door. Petunia welcomed her inside, and that was all I saw. I still wasn’t sure what was going on, so I just shrugged and headed to work, figuring I’d text Trista later.
I didn’t learn till later that Josh was found dead. He was lying prone, face down, partly hidden by bushes at the edge of the park. His neck was cut open. He’d bled out rapidly. He had a knife in his hand, and officially it’s believed he fell on it and accidentally killed himself. There was a cocktail of drugs in his system so most people accept that explanation. But others swear they saw Trista out for her jog around the same time Josh would have been bleeding to death. She got questioned, and she swore she didn’t see anything. Without evidence, there was nothing else that could be proven.
Trista’s a friend. I know that guy was being creepy to her. So I’m happy to take her word for what happened, even if my seeing her going to Petunia’s pokes a bit of a hole in that. I can’t be sure it was Trista though. So I’m not saying a word. But if a certain creep attacked a certain lady who is rumored to be a vampire, it’s not that surprising to me that he ended up dead after bleeding to death. I’m not all that broken up about it.
I’m not the one spreading that story. Josh’s wife was the one who started the rumor. So now some people are even more convinced that the weird nocturnal hippy chick is secretly a vampire.
She’s no killer. No matter what they say. She would only have defended herself.
So that’s all the stories I’ve heard that have any credibility to them. There’s more people who swear she and Petunia perform weird rituals, and people who saw her moving “inhumanly fast” and such.
But now I have to share what I found in the yearbooks Trista gave me. I wasn’t really expecting much. I checked her senior yearbook out first. She looks about the same. Pale, goth, hippy, and sort of sad. She kind of looks even sadder in these photos if I’m being honest, but that’s high school for you. She graduated in the top half of her class, no sports or extracurriculars. I’m left wondering how she managed to go to school at the time of sun was so bad for her. I’ll have to ask her about that. So nothing really new there.
It was the yearbook from her junior year where things got really interesting. I was in shock when I found her. Trista is somehow impossible to miss, but unrecognizable all at once. She’s full of color! She wore more typical tie dye hippy attire. Bright vibrant pinks, reds, blues, greens, and yellows, in every photo, and holy shit was she busy. Captain of the soccer team, first chair flutist, president of the “green living” club and the “vegan alliance,” top ten in her class, it was all incredible. I think the main reason I didn’t recognize her was her skin. It was tan, as though she were out in the sun a lot. Furthermore there were photos of her playing sports and standing outside in bright sunlight.
It was like her disease wasn’t there, which confused me. She told me it was something called Xeroderma Pigmentosa. But that’s a genetic condition. She would have had that from birth.
I sent her a text, wondering about this.
- Hey! Just went through your yearbooks. What happened? You had color? Did you discover Linkin Park?
- My disease happened. Right at the end of Jr. year. That’s why I wasn’t there for the final class photo.
- But your disease is genetic… isn’t it?
- I guess it was dormant in me.
- So it just… happened?
- Pretty much.
- I’m sorry.
- I got over it. Mostly. It was hard. My parents were both hardcore vegan naturalists and we lived in a place that was all natural light and such, so I had to live in a shed for a bit while they built a space for me. But in my family? We kinda lean into whatever life throws at us. It took months of depression to come to terms with it. All of a sudden I couldn’t be out in the sun, and I had new dietary needs that absolutely required non-vegan sources. So I leaned into it. I was a vampire now. I can dig dark colors and “vampire style.” I could make it my own by avoiding leather. And I’d be as vegan as I possibly could.
- You’re kind of awesome.
- Damn straight. So I learned to love the night too and now, here I am.
I gained new respect for her after that. Frankly I feel kinda shitty about making fun of her for being a vampire. There might not be anything paranormally weird about her after all.
She sent me one more text telling me I should talk to a guy named Frankie. She’d gone to school with him. He’s a decent enough guy. Works in the Bicounty mall in town.
I had to wait a day or two for another of Petunia’s get togethers to talk to him.
“Hey!” I said awkwardly as I tried to figure out how to strike up conversation with someone I haven’t really spoken to in a long time. “Frankie, right?”
“Oh. Yeah. Been a while. How are you Mason? You okay after that whole thing at Red Nights?”
“I’m trying to be. Look, I’ll cut to the chase. You went to school with Trista Ramone, right?”
“Ol’ Boho Ramone? Yeah. We were sort of friendly. But I was a jerk to vegans back then. Why do you ask?”
“I’ve been hanging out with her. She’s being all mysterious.” He chuckled at that. “She said I should talk to you to learn more about her… weirdness? Everyone thinks she’s a vampire now.”
“She’s totally a vampire. I have no idea what else to call her?”
“Why do you say that?”
“What did she tell you about school?”
“Nothing. She just showed me two yearbooks. Between Junior and Senior year she went from colorful club president, to lonely vampire, because of her disease.”
“Nah man. I don’t want to talk bad about her. But she was kind of a bitch, junior year. She wasn’t just a colorful vegan. She was one of those “holier than thou” types who scoffed and talked down to anyone who dared to eat meat. Her “hippy” thing meant she never hung out with the popular girls but still, she acted like she owned the place at times. I was friends with this weird guy named Steven Jones. He was just kind of a weirdo. Skulking around in the background, you know? He HATED Trista. For a while I totally understood. I thought she was kinda stuck up. But this guy was like… irrationally enraged by that girl’s existence. I guess he tried to ask her out when he was a freshman and she politely declined. But he took that shit personally.”
“Huh. So like… why’s that matter?”
“Because Steven kept saying to anyone who gave him a second look, that he was gonna ‘ruin’ her. Never elaborated. But then the last month of school rolls around, Trista gets assaulted by an unknown assailant and a week later she’s got this new disease. Meanwhile, Steven spent a week strutting around the school looking smug, and saying ‘she got what she deserved.’ Then he disappears too. Teachers said he moved away.”
“She was assaulted?”
“Yeah. Someone in a face wrap tackled her while she was at one of her protests at the meat factory. The dude freaking BIT her.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah. I was there. I came to the protest. I’ll admit I was trying to hit on Trista or one of the other girls there. But yeah. Dude dressed in all gray with a face wrap just charged in and went right for Trista. Knocked her down, bit her like a freaking zombie, then ran away before anyone could stop him. Didn’t even take his face wrap off. It was freaky, man.”
“What the actual fuck.”
“That’s what we all said. Trista needed a stitch. But while she was at the hospital, I guess she started getting more symptoms. She was out for the rest of the year. From then on, she was like she is now. Total vampire.”
“Was Steven a vampire?”
“I dunno. Probably. Little dickhead is what he is. Must have been him that attacked Trista, but nobody could prove it. Bite mark didn’t match or something. So why are you asking? You hang out with her at night right? You asking her out or something?”
“Oh. No. Just a friend.”
That was all I really learned from Frankie. It’s quite a story, and it’s full of unknowns that Trista refuses to explain. So I guess I’ll let readers be the judge. Is she a “real” vampire? Or just a weirdo? All I know is, she’s totally standing behind me right now and now I’m dead. Bleh.
I did come back to life to talk to Trista once I finished writing this. She enjoyed it. I may as well include that interaction.
I went to her place on my night off. She read my take on her and what the neighbors thought and she grinned. “Ha! I’m a total monster!” She chuckled. “So. What do YOU think, Mason? Am I a vampire?” She cocked an eye and playfully gnashes her teeth at me, making a pleasant little click.
I sighed. “No idea. You’re Trista. And… you’re my friend. I’m sorry if I made things awkward.”
She looked surprised by that. “Aw. Thanks Mason. You’re my friend too. It’s okay. I’m flattered.”
“You don’t have to explain.”
“So we’re cool?”
“Absolutely not. We’re both weird shut ins.” She laughed. It was good to hear her laugh. It made me happy.
“Yeah but I got the ‘mysterious vampire’ thing going.”
“You have dirt in your hair from rolling around with bunnies. And you’re a vegan.”
“Bite me.”
“Says the vampire.”
“You know, if I were a vampire, I could have bitten you when we both went to the slaughterhouses a few weeks ago.”
“That just makes me stupid.”
“You’re not stupid, Mason. You’re not a loser either.”
“So. You know of any other good spooky town stories that I can do next?
“Oh, sure. You ever heard the tale of Salome? She was a witch who would mash up the seeds of a Sinapis Alba plant to make a diabolical potion she’d dump on herself. They called her the ‘Witch of the Sands.’”
I’m embarrassed to admit it took me four days to realize Trista was just fucking with me. I only figured it out when I looked up Sinapis Alba and learned that mashing the seeds just makes mustard. “Salomi the sand-witch.” Well played, vampire hippy…
Sexy Neighbor
Haunted Slaughterhouse

Me and my girlfriend moved in to a new apartment together at the 1. March. As usual, I needed my Debt Collection Information (Betreibungsauskunft). I bought this on the website of die Post. Here I ordered the online DCI (Debt Collection Information) for CHF 22.90. It mentions that you will order this from their partner. The name of that company is Tilbago AG. So I ordered and as promised, I received my DCI in 1 day. Everything good, so I thought.
4 days ago I suddenly received an email from an Debt Collection Company (EOS Schweiz AG), that I haven't payed a bill dating from 31.01.2024. This was from a company called CRIF AG. Since I did not order anything from that company, I gave them a call. They told me that I have ordered a Credit Certificate (Bonitätszertifikat) through them with a third party website credittrust.ch, which is not true. So I asked them, who gave them that order to do so, because clearly that wasn't me. The woman on the phone said the order came from a company called Emonitor, another company I have never heard of. I could tell, that the woman on the phone didn't believe, that I wasn't the one who ordered the Credit Certificate, because the only way to order the certificate is with your ID details (probably a copy). She told me if I scroll down on the website of Emonitor, I can see that they have a partnership with credittrust.ch, which leads to CRIF AG. I noticed that this women won't be any further help to me, since she doesn't believe me + the fact that the company sold the bill to the Debt Collection Company (EOS Schweiz AG) and I have to deal with them. (yes, I know I'm not obliged to pay there bullshit fees, so I do not really care about them).
So, I'm still looking at the Emonitor website and click on the 'all partners & interface', and who do I see: Tilbago AG, the third party company of die Post, I ordered my DCI with. So I just went through the whole ordering proces again here. Since it has been a few months, I forgot what information I had to put it. On the third step, you have to upload the front- and backside of your ID. Can I conclude, that these people ordered something, without my knowledge and without my approval, a certificate which I have to pay? I looked at the General Terms and Conditions. I couldn't find anything them stating they gain the authority to do such a thing, by me signing the contract.
I payed for there services of Tilbago AG by TWINT. Now, the thing is: I tried to call them, but nobody is answering the phone (of course). I looked at their google review rating, and I don't have the feeling they will ever reply by phone, nor will they be very helpful by e-mail. The company is based in Luzern. I am able to visit them in person and ask them what happened in this situation, but I'm not sure if a) they let me in, or b) this will bring me in trouble.
So my question is, what can I do, other than hire a lawyer, which doesn't make sense for the original amount of CHF 27.90 I need to pay? It's about the principle. I didn't order, I shouldn't have to pay for it.
_________________________ Since I couldn't copy a link:

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1. The Bat in the Belfry - 3/5 (In terms of a Batman introduction episode, this does a decent job. It skips the origin story because superhero cartoons are allergic to them for some reason. But this at least vaguely alludes to Bruce's parents being gone, on top of introducing the struggle of being both a famous playboy and the Batman. As a result, the story is fairly generic though. Joker wants to release a laughing gas across Gotham. Gee, I haven't seen that one a dozen times. That said, this iteration of Joker has a really unique and wacky design. Along with zany acrobatic moves that are fun to watch and a great performance from Kevin Michael Richardson, it more than makes up for the subpar story. I also liked the side focus on Bennett and Fa Mulan- Sorry, Detective Yin. They're fun characters.)
2. Call of the Cobblepot - 3/5 (Penguin is quite acrobatic for a pudgy little guy. Alongside Rupert Thorne doing parkour in the previous episode, it seems the show wants to sell me on the idea that these chubby guys are just as combat capable as the Batman. And did they really have to give him the Danny DeVito hands? That's not a mandate anymore! I liked Alfred getting involved in this episode, though he doesn't really do much besides go to the Cobblepot manor. But it's funny that he does so in search of a tray.)
3. Traction - 4/5 (Colorful iteration of Bane. Why is his skin all red? He looks like a monster. But it's a cool twist on the character, so whatever. Although his motivations don't match up to the rad design, since after getting paid to destroy the Batman, all he wants to do is "take over Gotham", which he apparently thinks will be accomplished by just wreaking havoc. What is this, The Spectacular Spider-Man? I did like Alfred having to come and rescue Bruce, and the cute flashback where Alfred comforts him.)
4. The Cat and the Bat - 3/5 (This one's good, but mostly for the action setpieces. I think the rugged artstyle lends itself very well to snappy action, particularly the final scene with the Batman and Catwoman against the Yakuza. And the stuff before with Batman having to catch up to Selina messing with his Batmobile controls was neat too. But I can't say Catwoman leaves much of an impression on me in this one.)
5. The Man Who Would Be Bat - 4/5 (Kirk Langstrom as a character works pretty well as a kooky old man. I liked the visuals for his echolocation. As for the actual story...I mean it's just a typical Man-Bat story. Langstrom becomes the Man-Bat and goes crazy, so Batman stops him. But I did like the larger inclusion of Bennett and Yin, as I like their additions in this show as foils-yet-vaguely-allies to Batman.)
6. The Big Chill - 3/5 (So in this show Mr. Freeze is just another generic jewel thief. Not that I want this series to just copy paste Batman: The Animated Series, but simplifying the villains like this makes it less compelling by default. In fact here, he was always a criminal, he just happened to get ice powers. That said, his design is actually quite rad, and I did like the addition that he has a vendetta against the Batman. Plus it's funny that he took revenge on a random hobo, just for being in his way a few years ago.)
7. The Big Heat - 4/5 (Gee, I bet the writers thought they were hilarious putting these two titles next to each other. I'd say what this episode does slightly better than the others is showing the "struggle" of balancing the Bruce life with the Batman life. And actually giving the villain a narrative connection to it, instead of his schemes just serving as a vague lesson to learn. Firefly himself had a pretty cool looking suit, and the sky action was pretty nifty. Plus it was cathartic when Batman took him down to ground level and stomped. Nitpick: They forgot to animate Batman's mouth in the reflection of the puddle. I hope somebody got fired for that blunder.)
8. Q&A - 4/5 (Bruce listening to hiphop in his earbuds at a classical music theatre... Yeah this sure is a unique Batman. This is the first episode where I was genuinely interested in the story and villain. For starters, since they didn't immediately show me who it was, I got to remain curious about the kidnappings. Then I appreciated that they were connected to a personal vendetta rather than just wanting to steal jewels. I think Batman discovered the mystery a bit too quickly though. He didn't research the victims connections, he just clicked a button and the Batwave did it for him. But I enjoyed Cluemaster. Funny design. He's HUGE. I chuckled at Batman casually walking into his his moms house and her thinking she's his friend. And I thought it was fun how he defeated Cluemaster by asking the Batman's identity. Side note, that is an enormous basement.)
9. The Big Dummy - 4/5 (Wow, it's Homer Simpson! Well actually, Scarface sounds more like Krusty the Clown when he's yelling. That aside, we're back to villains just wanting to steal stuff for profit. Yeah, sure, whatever. Scarface trying to slap Batman was funny, though. And I found the idea of making him a huge puppet where Wesker himself takes the puppet position by the giant arm a funny twist on the character. The vague subplot about Bruce having a date with some Becky chick feels kind of tacked on and unnecessary, but I digress.)
10. Topsy Turvy - 4/5 (First "villain comes back for revenge" episode. Joker's plan is unfortunately fairly generic, but his zaniness still makes it fun. Not to mention seeing the Batman locked in an Arkham cell and dressing up as Joker. Why did Batman lock in the guard when leaving though? Rude for no reason. Also, I'm glad the fake Joker in this episode had to stay quiet so he won't be found out, unlike in The New Batman Adventures where a goon dressed up as Joker can just perfectly imitate his voice.)
11. Bird of Prey - 4/5 (Okay, I'm just gonna say it: Stop showing front facing Alfred! Without that little patch of visible hair, he looks completely bald, and it's weird! That aside, I guess after the series of villain introduction episodes, it's time for a batch of sequels. This is the better sequel than the Joker one, since I liked that Penguin had a clear cut motive. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but Penguin's zaniness was more amusing. No doubt helped by Tom Kenny's performance. Him wreaking havoc around Wayne Manor and harassing Alfred was just funny. And it made Alfred hitting him with a chair in the end better. I thought his rooftop battle with the Batman was pretty creative, and I liked that Alfred dressed up as Batman to fool the journalist. Also how he intentionally kicked their video tape into the fire.)
12/13. The Rubber Face of Comedy/The Clayface of Tragedy - 4/5 (The cops literally have Joker at gunpoint but they let him proceed with his slow getaway. I'm starting to understand why Batman keeps one-upping them. Great two-parter though, but part 1 is really nothing but setup for the real meat which is part 2. Part 1 is just about Joker causing chaos again, except the tone is more dramatic on account of this being meant to be more serious than the average episode. And while Joker's antics are fun, given how little it had to do with part 2 other than him being the cause for Bennett becoming Clayface, they didn't really need to spend a WHOLE episode for just that setup. It results in part 1 being just good, while part 2 is fantastic. Sadly, combined, I can't give them 5/5. But part 2 gets that honorary score for itself. You could have cut Joker's generic havoc-wreaking in half and have the Clayface transformation start around the 10 minute mark of part 1, leaving you with about 30 minutes to develop it further. But then they couldn't have that cliffhanger, now could they?
As for the actual story... Depressing. I'd say it's a bit early to change the status quo of Bennett since while he is a good character, we haven't really seen MUCH of him, so it's not a huge blow to suddenly make him a villain. But it's a pretty good, genuinely saddening twist regardless. And while the emotional moments feel a little hurried (hence why you could have cut some Joker nonsense) I think they're effective enough. Yin crying, etc. And Bennett's transformation itself is genuinely horrifying stuff, so you really feel the fear he must be going through.)
14. The Cat, the Bat, and the Very Ugly - 3/5 (And now we're on villain team-up episodes. Except they're still just generic stories about them wanting to steal stuff! Well, okay, I guess Penguin DOES want to use the relics to... I don't know, blow stuff up? It just isn't very riveting is all. I do find Batman and Catwoman being stuck to each other interesting in theory, but they don't really do much fun with it. And why did Batman lie to Yin about it? I guess he's worried he'll look suspicious if he's with Catwoman, but also, he could have just told the truth? The lie just incriminated him more. I also question this because the episode ends with Yin TRUSTING Batman, which makes no sense if she literally caught him in a lie the FIRST time she called him about a case.)
15. Riddled - 3/5 (That's certainly a unique version of Riddler. I respect it, simply because it's fun that the show dares to completely revamp characters like this. But the episode itself is mostly just decent. Yin and Bats going across town solvring riddles is mildly fun, but the actual confrontation with Riddler is just okay. I did like the 20 questions game, but couldn't Batman easily get out of that by not answering? I found it funny how dense the Police Chief was to understand even the simplest riddles, especially with how bluntly Yin had to explain the last one. Side note: Riddler uses the term "brainiac" in this. But that term exists because of the Superman character. So has a Brianiac attack on Metropolis happened here and been made publicly known or what?)
16. Fire & Ice - 4/5 (Gee, with a title like that, I sure was scratching my head wondering which two villains it could be about. I'd say while this episode is good, it felt a bit thinly set up as nothing but "what if ice villain with fire villain??". I did find it amusing that they turned on each other near the end and the conflict just became Heat vs. Cold. That scene with Yin yapping about knowing Bruce's secret though... Give me a break. Even if they WERE gonna have her find out his secret identity, that's most certainly saved for a Serious:tm: season finale or something with heavy stakes, not a random Firefly episode.)
17. The Laughing Bat - 4/5 (Golden concept for an episode. Joker trying to imitate the Batman is unhinged and hilarious. And Penguin being caught in the crossfire completely discombobulated by the switcheroo was great. Praise aside, I was a little disappointed that Batman turning into Joker didn't go further than...he can't stop laughing. Couldn't have Joker-ified him any more? White skin? ANYTHING else to have him also vaguely look the part? Overall I also felt there was too much focus on Bruce laughing as opposed to Joker being the Batman, when that was the best part.)
18. Swamped - 3/5 (While I appreciate that this is a villain introduction episode that goes beyond them being a jewel thief", Croc wasn't too interesting. He wants to flood Gotham because he likes water, but then Batman stops him. Although I liked the way he did it by forcing him to stay in water. :ohgood: Also neat that this episode introduces the Batcave "museum". This series gradually introducing all of these iconic aspects of Batman lore as opposed to having it all pre-established is fun.)
19. Pets - 4/5 (Season 2 really IS the season of villain team-ups. I was rolling my eyes at the prospect of another generic Penguin episode of him wanting to steal stuff, but got my excitement back up when they showed Langstrom. Although they could have devoted some more time to Langstrom actually being aware of Penguin's scheme and wanting out instead of just... One. And overall, it IS just another episode where Penguin tries to steal stuff, so yeah.)
20. Meltdown - 4/5 (Wow, this was JUST like the Batman Beyond episode "Meltdown". While a good episode, I have to say the Bennett-Clayface conflict feels a bit forced at times. Him repeatedly getting into encounters with Joker, the very man who caused him to become Clayface, and struggling with not morphing to take his rightful revenge? Valid. Understandable. But him randomly being willing to kill Batman and become an outlaw on a whim? I don't know. His fight scene against Joker on stilts was pretty fun though. That said, Bennett is a good guy and all that, so I'm hopeful for a redemption arc where in the end he becomes a superhero with his powers.)
21. JTV - 4/5 (It's another Joker shenanigans episode. What is there to say? Not that that's a bad thing, since Joker shenanigans ARE fun. He concocts some nutty TV show-themed scheme, and then Batman stops him. Cash was a bit of an annoying inclusion though. Did he even serve any narrative purpose? I guess he vaguely emphasizes how well Yin and Batman work together, by him working badly with her. I did like the "animated" JTV promo. But who even made that? I guess one of Joker's henchmen can animate.)
22. Ragdolls to Riches - 4/5 (Oh boy, the umpteenth episode about a villain stealing some jewels. Wait, it's TWO villains this time. Wow, this changes everything! Jokes aside, it actually kind of does, because Ragdoll is entertaining enough on his own. His costume is cool and unique in its simplicity, and his distorting body leads to some very expressive movements and action which make for a fun watch. And if that wasn't enough, his rivarly with Catwoman and repeatedly trolling her on purpose was pretty darn amusing. Though despite being the titular character, the episode is mostly about the Bruce/Batman/Selina/Catwoman mystery. It is fun seeing the "4" of them interact and not realize who the other is. Especially when Batman, the world's greatest detective, believes Selina's blatant charity scam and hands her a huge check. It's funny seeing Bruce be this oblivious.)
23. The Butler Did It - 3/5 (Another flipping jewel thievery episode! At least there's a mystery element to it this time, in that you initially don't know who the villain is. And when you do find out it's Spellbinder, there's the twist that he swaps his mind control targets from butlers to their employers. And it was really fun to see Alfred be the one to figure this out and escape the room he put himself in to save Batman's ass. I liked the bit where Batman hesitated to punch Alfred. And I think some of the hallucinations were fairly creative. That said, it was still a jewel thievery episode! Get some new plots, show.)
24. Grundy's Night - 4/5 (While I did have thoughts on this version of Grundy, those feel irrelevant when it turns out he was just Clayface in disguise anyway. That said, props for making a twist I could genuinely not predict. However, the reason I couldn't have predicted this is because after all that development of Bennett and his descent into Clayface, I wouldn't have expected his next appearance to just be him doing something generically villainous that Batman must put a stop to. It comes off as a bit awkward, because you'd think this would be more emotionally significant considering he was Bruce's best friend. But not only do we not even see his Bennett form in this episode, Batman doesn't even refer to him as such, just "Clayface". And then he goes home all cheery as if he stopped any ol' twerp. Huh?)
25. Strange Minds - 4/5 (While this episode falls into "Joker shenanigans" territory again, at least the focus here is less about just stopping him and instead delving into his mind. It leads to the zaniness being cranked up more, which is fun to see especially with how expressive Joker is in this show. Although I feel like they could have been a bit more creative with the visuals. I liked the flying fish, Joker as the moon, and the normal Joker managing the idea vault. But other than that it doesn't get more wacky then just a crowd of Jokers. But I liked the solution of how Batman made him disclose the information by making him think they had exited his mind. Cliché, but clever. It's a bit weird how Hugo Strange spots Batman in Joker's mind and immediately assumes it's the actual guy, though. For all he knows that could have been mentally conjured up by Joker. Batman would likely be on his mind a lot. Also, Harley Yin.)
26. Night and the City - 4/5 (Woah, TRIPLE villain teamup? Daring today, are we? I liked that Penguin didn't even know who Riddler was. And despite that, he's clearly stomping both Penguin and Joker in this contest. He came up with the idea to catch Batman in the first place, had the most elaborate bat-bait AND was the last guy standing in a fight against him. Joker and Penguin just followed Batman and quickly fumbled. I guess with Commissioner Gordon and the Bat-Signal being introduced in this episode that this marks the end of Batman being an enemy of the GCPD. Not that I mind, since while I liked the development of it, with Bennett gone and Yin already on his side, there wasn't a lot further you could push it. It's a shame this is Yin's last appearance, though. I don't really understand why, since while she's fired in this episode (for like what, a few hours?), she gets the job back and everything goes back to normal. Frankly it would have been more interesting if she WAS fired and then became a vigilante herself/sidekick to Batman as referenced in this very episode.)
Movie: The Batman vs. Dracula - 3/5 (Starting the story with Joker and Penguin? Yeah, this is a The Batman movie alright. They really can't help but spam these two villains. That said, decent movie, but I'm really scratching my head as to why they thought Dracula was the ultimate villain they could utilize for it. There is some thematic connection with him being able to transform into a bat, obviously... But that's as deep as it goes. And the few bits of Bruce recalling the death of his parents was like, come on, you really felt a need to rely on that as a plotpoint in a movie about Dracula?
The film, much like the show, is fairly barebones. Dracula rises and wants to take over Gotham, so Batman must stop him. The side story of Bruce having a romance with Vickly Vale feels very tacked on and pointless since not only was she not much of an interesting character, just a dime a dozen love interest, but she doesn't even appear in the series going forward. So, what? Also, did Bruce really need to hastily steal someone's lipstick and a platter to write "Alucard" and mirror it to figure out it spells Dracula backwards? Just rearrange the letters in your head.
The most interesting thing about the movie is it gets slightly more visually grim. Stuff Penguin bleeding in the beginning alone was a surprise, as tame as it was, because that's not something I would have thought the censors would allow. Of course I quickly realized it was plot relevant, but then they immediately go on to show Dracula "killing" a guy. Which, while I know having finished the movie that he was cured, the way the scene initially portrays it is obviously supposed to make you think that's what happened. There's also Joker practically bathing in blood and Dracula literally being burned alive in the end. Sheesh. So much for Batman's code. Vampire Joker is probably the best part of this movie. That blood bank scene is really cursed [good thing], and KMR's performance of Joker starving while Batman has him locked up was great. I mean Batman having to feed Joker his own blood just so he doesn't starve is a fairly unique plotpoint. Also his reaction to being un-vampire'd is pretty funny. "Where's Dracula?" "I'm looking at him".)

I just remembered one of the most embarrassing times of my life that if I could go back in time, I would stop myself.
I was used to be bullied in my primary school for the whole 6 years I have spent there. I still am processing most of those years and putting my self esteem back together. But this one incident just comes back from time to time to haunt me.
I was like 10 or 11 years old, you know the age when kids starts to have little crushes. That first crush, yeah. I was known to be the "fat" girl in school. (Later realised I was chubby and thick boned but still got bullied)
I had this crush at a boy one year below my grade, he was actually awful to me, and we went to tennis lessons after classes in the same group. But for some strange and stupid reason I was gooshing over this guy, and Valentines day was approaching in school.
This was actually one of the first ever occasion that the whole school took it seriously by introducing the Secret Crush letter service.
The point is, you had to write a love poem by yourself, put it in an envelope and with name and Grade given on the front, put it in a box.
I don't know why I did it, I was stupid and should have known that I shouldn't have done it as its just causing me problems in the long run.
One of my classmates who was bullying me here and there asked who did I write the letter for as she noticed me putting a letter into the box. I was reluctant to answer and here is where I made my mistake.
She pressured me saying "she won't tell..." Kids will be kids, so innocent. I told her, who it was and in 10 minutes the whole school knew.
The boy I had a crush on came to the classroom, had such a disgusted face saying he doesn't want a poem from me, and that I am gross. My classmates made jokes about it the whole day, and he was joining in the mockery, even laughing his arse off.
Needless to say my crush faded instantly and exchanged with hatred. The next day when he received the letter,, he didn't came to the classroom, not even after, people kept mocking me the entire month but then found something else to mock me about and forgot about it.
My past is a big part of who I became now sadly, but I can say I made progress on my life for the better. I am soon to be married (not to the guy who I wrote the poem to) to the love of my life and I can't wait to see what my future holds. I think if I was much stronger back then, I would have been able to stand up to my bullies, but I don't blame anyone anymore. Kids will be kids, some grew out of their manners, and some won't.
Thank you for reading this post, if you had similar encounters, I send you a big hug and my condolences. Keep your chins up babies!
Btw my wedding is on 11th of July this year! Wish me good luck! ❤️❤️❤️

I am a guy in my early 30's. I'm an International Student in the country where I live. I got a match on CatholicMatch with a girl just 6 months older than me who lives 158.3 km away in the same country, it would take me 4.5 hours to get there by train. She was beautiful. Not a supermodel, but she has a pretty face and gorgeous eyes. She is 6 months older than me, from a similar culture, and we speak the same language. We both accepted the match in November 2022.
We started chatting and the conversation was pleasant. She told me that she lived with her older brother, she worked as a babysitter and that she didn't have a visa. The conversations were a bit slow, because we both took our time responding, but it was pleasant. I often mentioned that she was busy studying and doing my homework. Actually, by looking at old messages, I could see that it was me the one who took longer took longer to respond. Sometimes, because I didn't know what to say and others times because I didn't notice her replies. I suggested her that when I had some free time, we could we could go and explore a town together. I thought we could meet in the capital because there should be lots of fun things to do and it's kind of in the middle for both of us. She seemed happy, but when I suggested a date, she didn't respond in time. In early February 2023, I gathered some courage, found her on Facebook, and sent her a friend request. She accepted it. I looked at her photos and realized that she came from a lovely family and that in 2015 she wanted to be a nun and she went through the Discernment period for five years (2 years with vows). I felt more attracted to her after that. We started chatting and she said she was glad that I found her there. I suggested going to see a cultural site. She responded that her immigration and financial situation was not the best and that it would not be wise for her to get out of town for a date. She said that she would like to meet me, but that to do so she would have to travel to where she was.
Maybe I sabotaged myself because I responded that I would like to be friends with her and chat on Facebook and that I could go there, but that she would take me a little longer. I She responded that getting to a woman's heart requires some sacrifice and that she wasn't doing it on purpose to test me. I said she understood. What I meant was that I would like to start as friends and that I would be willing to go whenever I have free time. She doesn't know it, but I was dealing with a serious procrastination and anxiety problem. I tried to message her again after that, but she seemed a little distant. I even wished her a happy Valentine's Day and she responded with just a smiley face but no words. The last time I texted her was in August for her birthday. But there wasn't much conversation. Months passed and communication cooled down, it went through some academic research challenges as well, but I kept hoping to resume communication at some point after I graduated. I just didn't know how to do it.
In December of last year, she posted a photo on Facebook with her new boyfriend. I felt sad, but I tried to understand it. Because I was curious, I checked her boyfriend's profile and found out he is from her hometown but lives in this country, and his a dad. She also posted a picture with him again one momth ago and this time it did affect me. It doesn’t make sense that something I already knew could affect me so much. Just in case you are wondering I taking therapy, and I also have ASD, so it’s hard for me to let things go.
I know this is not serious love, because we never got to meet each other, and it's not good to idealize people or 'building castles in midair', but I still feel like I was a jerk and not a real gentleman to her. I'm just writing this as a form of catharsis. but I feel better now after writing this and talking to my therapist.

Have you totally lost the ability to concentrate on your work, studies, or even while watching a movie? Maybe you feel you never had this ability to begin with. Either way, you've started to realize how much it's impacting your life.
But it's not your fault. You were never taught how to pay attention. It was just taken for granted that you could do it. And before the advent of the internet, this seemed to be the case.
But things are different now.
There's a war on for your attention.
Today's distraction-driven world makes it nearly impossible to concentrate—even on the things that are important to you. Billions have been spent developing sophisticated, neuroscience-based products and services designed to steal your attention.
It's why millions of us, young and old, are feeling the dramatic effects of being unable to focus: poor memory, anxiety, brain fog, and a general malaise as we go about our days.
Yet at the same time attention is becoming increasingly scarce, it's becoming increasingly valuable. The ability to apply your innate human creativity to difficult problems for long periods of time is exactly what’s needed to stand out in a crowded world of people and robots. If you can't focus, you won't matter.
In fact, concentration is the key skill required to develop any other skill. It’s the bedrock of learning itself. Of writing. Of reading. Of listening. Without concentration, you can't do anything else well. You can't read a book, listen to a conversation, understand a lecture, or stick with a task.
The skill is essential to decision making, evaluating options, solving problems, staying on time, and moving through the world safely. Concentration is important to relationships, because if you can't pay attention to people, those interactions can only go so far.
Even traits such as motivation, assertiveness, and grit require concentration to develop, refine, and apply.
Attention is the most important ingredient we have to living a good, productive life.
And the ability to do deep, meaningful work is a superpower.
And I’ve learned it’s something that can be developed.
Five years ago I began noticing how much I was struggling to get the things done I needed to. It felt like I just didn't have enough time in the day. I used to be able to do it all, but now everything was such a struggle.
I realized that while I was still working the same 8+ hours each day growing my business, my output had diminished. Was it because I just wasn't passionate anymore? Was I simply getting older?
I began paying closer attention to my work. I noticed that for every hour I worked, 90% of it was spent doing short, shallow tasks: answering emails, responding to Slack messages, jumping in and out of meetings. And the remaining 10% of my time that I set aside to do 'deep work' - work that required total quiet and concentration - I'd be unable to focus for more than 5 minutes without getting distracted and checking email.
At home it was no different. I'd spend so much time scrolling social media, skimming news articles, hopping from one Youtube video to the next.
I realized these two things—productivity and attention— were related. All the time I spent rapidly context-switching from app to app (whether at work or home) rewired my brain to crave this type of stimulation. And when I'd actually try to concentrate, it would be very uncomfortable. I'd get anxious; I'd reach for my phone to numb myself.
So I had two options: work longer hours to get done what I needed to or figure out how to take back control of my attention and spend each minute working with the intensity and focus I used to have.
As someone who's interested in working fewer hours rather than more, the path to me was clear.
But I had no idea what attention was or how it worked, so I read everything I could about the topic. I learned concentration is like a muscle that gets stronger with training. I tried all sorts of techniques and exercises, some effective and some not.
I changed my environments at work and home, testing out new systems and workflows to limit external distractions.
I learned that the majority of distractions come not from the external world, but our internal one. Thoughts, feelings, memories, impulses. These are what cause discomfort and compel us to reach for distractions.
So I worked on developing psychological flexibility to help me accept and sit with discomfort in the present moment, while still taking actions that move me closer to what I value in life.
My life has changed dramatically. I'm nowhere near a guru and don't claim to be, but I can now work uninterrupted for long stretches. I don't feel the pull of my phone like I used to. I can be bored. I can listen better. My memory has improved. I’m less anxious. I've taken up writing and other new hobbies that I didn't previously have time for (or so I thought).
And I work less, not more. I'm able to do better work in less time, freeing me up to focus on what truly matters to me (hint: It's not work).
I'm still learning, and I've found the best way to continue improving is to document and share my experiences.
There are some great subs I was able to turn to for advice like productivity and nosurf, but none that were specifically focused on cultivating concentration. That's what I created attentioneering.
What is attentioneering? I describe it as the art and science of eliminating distraction and cultivating concentration to live a more meaningful life.
It’s dedicated to helping anyone improve their concentration and by extension, their life. You might be a knowledge worker or student or just someone who's noticed how a diminishing attention span is having a negative impact on your relationships.
I'm sharing everything I've learned and tried (and continue to learn and try), both what worked and what didn't. I encourage you to do the same and I hope we can engage in some great conversations to help each other improve.
In the near future I’ll be hosting some free workshops and guided deep work sessions where you can actually put into practice everything you’ve learned. If this interests you, leave a comment or PM to let me know.
In the meantime, subscribe, post about your experiences, add your comments, and let's go deep together.

This year I've made it my goal to deepen all of my relationships. I have an amazing network of friends and acquaintances and I'm practicing skills that foster better connection and cultivate a sense fulfillment. The results thus far have astounded me. It's amazing how people respond when they are being actively listened to and how they shine when they are encouraged to express themselves just as they are.
In that same vein, I'm also looking to add one or two new connections to my life via writing. Either email or snail mail works for me.
About me: * I have a collection of fountain pens and wax seals that I'm happy to use * I work in STEM and I'm a scientist by education * I'm learning Japanese. お元気で！ * I'm big into self improvement. I'm always trying to learn new skills and master what I already know. * I read frequently and enjoy primarily non-fiction and fantasy. * I love hiking and being out in nature. I don't know if there is anything quite so relaxing and cleansing as feeling your feet planted on the bare Earth, listening to bird song, and watching trees dance in the breeze. * I love learning about all sorts of topics. In no particular order, philosophy, neuropsychology, chemistry, physics, history, anthropology, and more. * I enjoy board games, TTRPGs, and video games * I enjoy weight lifting and fitness in general. I appreciate being healthy. I try to be grateful every day for that because I know it won't be forever.
What I'm looking for: * You just as you are!
I'm extra interested in the following: * Someone passionate about something * A penpal that might enjoy reading a book together and discussing it together * A penpal willing to language exchange or practice Japanese with * Writing medium length snailmail letters or long emails * Short check-ins if we are delayed in responding. "Hey got your letter! I'll respond next week when things calm down over here" * Honest and open communication, and mutual respect * A conversation partner that will build something with me. I'll give you plenty to work with, ask equations, and offer details in my responses. It feels nice when that is reciprocated.
Well I think that's about it. I hope to hear from you! If you do reach out to me please say more than just "hey". Take care!

Hi everyone! This is my story about how I found out that my boyfriend is still in love with her dead ex. I am Ana (F27), and I have a boyfriend (M27). Me and my boyfriend have known each other since kindergarten. We grew up together since we’re both in the same village, and we've been going to the same school since high school. I cannot totally say that we’re best friends, but we literally grew up together. We've already been together for two years now, and I can say that he’s a great guy. He takes care of me and even loves me despite my flaws. We have our fights, but we still manage to communicate them, even if they are hard to talk about.
Those fights that we’re talking about are always about her. His ex-girlfriend. I met her ex-girlfriend once; they were high school sweethearts; they’ve been together since they were 15, and they literally grew up together as well. His ex-girlfriend was really pretty; you can’t deny that she’s pretty. She’s not hot pretty, she’s like angel pretty. She’s half-Chinese. She’s petite, chinita, very white and has flawless skin. She’s very smart and looks polite. She is well-spoken, and she’s graceful. Everything you can imagine. She is that girl. I can’t deny that when I met her that time, she was literally like a breath of fresh air because she was kalog and very kind.
Unfortunately, his ex died due to suicide when they were 24. They were 10 years already. She died the same month my boyfriend was supposed to propose to her. When his ex died, I was the one who was there for him. I comforted him as a friend, and I never imagined that I would fall in love with him. I confessed to him after 5 months after her girlfriend died, and he immediately kissed me. And that’s the start of our relationship. For almost 2 years of our relationship, I never felt the same treatment that his ex-girlfriend felt, especially towards his family. Even on the day of our second anniversary, we visited her grave. While I was looking at her grave, he got something out of the car. He bought flowers, and I thought it was for me. But he put it in her grave and said, “I hope you like it; it's your favorite flower." That was when I knew he still loved her. But despite what I’ve been feeling, I kept myself quiet first and tried to enjoy our anniversary. We checked into a hotel, and after I saw him sleeping. I decided to look at his phone, which I don’t normally do because I respect and trust him. The first thing that I opened on his phone was his messaging app, and I never saw anything. Then I opened his gallery, and I never saw anything that would interest me, not until I saw a hidden album. I opened it with his face ID. And there it was. There are thousands of videos and pictures of her. Pictures show that he looks so happy and alive. I never felt so jealous and frustrated in my whole life, not until I saw his smile with her. Videos of her laughing and him telling her how much he loves her and how much he wants to marry her. Videos that I never thought would give me so many reasons to hate him. Those words are the things I wish I had heard. I was fighting for my spot with a dead girl. Then I realized that his heart never belonged to me but always to her.