Quotes on a signature on a phone

My GF (34) and I (33) have been together for 4 years. We have a son together. I have to highlight how loyal she has always been. She is a big introvert and I have NEVER been having any doubts about, nor have I ever been jealous... until now!About 2 years ago my GF got a new job in a company that has a lot of branches around in other countries. Due to this, she is travelling from time to time (lets say 3 times a year), and I have never had any reasons to be paranoid of insecure about it because of the way she is, she is not keen on the travelling because of the type of a person she is, she is not good at smalltalks or bonding with colleagues or people in general.
About 5 months ago she came to me telling me that her boss wanted her to go to (lets say) Paris for 3 days for a project that she had been working on since starting that new job. I knew she was working with a male co-worker on the project because that has never been a secret, she has always told me he was a very nice guy, very helpful and good at the job, but always assured that he was married with kids, and very not charming or her type at all. However, about 2 weeks before the trip I started noticing that her private phone became a lot more secret, but I wasnt sure if this was just myself telline me this, or if it was actually true because I would never expect something like this from her at all. She has very little friends, and she is barely ever on the phone (unless its family) and certainly not hiding it from me. I let it go until about 3-4 days before the trip. I was lying in bed reading when she got back home late (fitness class), she took her phone and sat on the couch in the living room and suddenly I could hear that she was texting with someone, like a lot (I know because she is one of those people who has the sound on when typing) for a long time (about an hour - 1,5) before I couldnt bare it anymore so I went out and confronted her asking who it was.
She almost jumped out of the couch almost as if I had just busted her in the middle of a murder, confessing that it was him, but that he was just a friend, saying he was not her type, he was married etc etc etc. basically defending herself. I was in shock and kinda blacked out so I dont remember much of that talk / discussion, but shortly after she "had" to urgently go for a shower, funny as she had been home texting with him for more than an hour, but suddenly shower couldnt wait. I was paranoid, insecure and afraid of what was actually going on. I couldnt believe it. next morning during work she wrote to me not to be worried and that it was just nice to have a "friend". I asked her if he was flirting with her, and she told me she did not feel like he was. I did not talk to her for 2 days after that before she came to me one evening saying that she missed me and that she was ready to have a second child with me (Something I have wanted for a very long time so that was a big thing for me) and suddenly everything had changed.
Monday morning she left for Paris and I didnt hear from her ALL day despite the fact that she knew exactly how worried I was. That evening around 8h00!!! pm ish she sent me a text saying she would call in 20 min. More of an "in 20 min, I have a bit of time so be ready!" in a very stressful way. We had a video call for about 20 min and I could sense immediately that she was tipsy if not drunk! and she told me they had just gotten back from work, and that they (according to her, another female colleague, the guy and herself). however, we spoke for about 20 min, she told me she missed me and loved me and it made me feel very good. I slept okay that night.
Next day (last full day in Paris) I didnt hear from her at all again. In fact I texted her during the afternoon that I felt a bit ignored, but again she told me they were busy and that I had nothing to worry about. That evening it was same story. around 8 pm she calls me, I didnt pick up because I was driving, and she asked me when I would be available for a call, again in a very stressful way, so I texted her asking why it was so urgent to which she answered and I quote "We worked so much all day, and I just want to see you because Im so tired I might fall asleep any minute".. AT 8 PM!!! on a business trip... I knew that was bullshit, but I chose to believe it. We had the call as I got home, and after 20 min she says the same, that she had to go to bed because she was so tired, lying on the bed in clothes.!
Next day she had to travel all day back home, this was on valentines day (very ironically), and again I barely heard from her all day. We had agreed long in advance that she would pick up our son and take him home before going to a fitness class (very expensive one that she had paid for in advance). Before arriving home I went for roses since it was valentines day. I got home just in time to see her before her class. She told me she had missed me and that she would never go back to that place, and that she would most probably dump that entire project. She went to her class, but left both her private and her work phone at home. I have never done anything like this before in my life because I had never had reason to do so. But my gut and my intuition told me that something was wrong. I opened the screen on her private phone and could see that she ofcourse had messages from him. I didnt manage to guess her pin code and instead I took her work phone, guessed the code first time and saw the very first message in their chat on Zoom. It was from the night she had told me about the second baby (only 2 nights before the trip) and I quote "Peace has been reinstated at home by a miracle, I will see you Monday"......... My heart pumped harder than ever before and ofcourse it caught my curiosity and I HAD to see more. For weeks, maybe months they had texted nonstop, all day during work via Zoom and evenings and weekends via whatsapp. Now, again my GF is not flirtatious at all so to her defence I would say most of her messages was simple answers which can be interpreted in both ways whereas he was very offensive, at one point very shortly before the trip she even asks him if he is flirting with her to what he is answering "I will let you decide that" and to which she replied "it doesnt bother me at all". I also found out that the night we had a video call when she told me she was too tired, while I was on her screen she had sent him a text sayin "ready to go"
She came home, I confronted her, she begged me to give her another chance assuring me nothing happened physically at all, and that they just had drinks. Next morning we both took off from work. I was exhausted and still in shock. That morning she called in sick, told him that she needed to talk to him in person and they had a call. She told him to stop texting her, and that what they have been doing was wrong and crazy and he agreed, but it didnt stick for long. Only a few days later he sent her messages saying that he missed talking to her and that it was all a misunderstanding, that nothing happened that can be considered cheating etc etc. I know that because she showed it all to me. She didnt reply to his messages.
Its been 4 months now, and I have had some really difficult days with bad thoughts and worries because they still work together which is really hard on me. We still talk about it from time to time when I need to share my worries. She keeps assuring me that they are strictly professional, and that they do not talk about anything but work. They have stopped communicated on whatsapp during evenings or weekends, that I know for sure, but about 1 months ago I felt so insecure that it got me to take her work phone again, and as I wanted to snoop I found that she had changed her pincode again which ofcourse sends me a signal that something is going on (at least in my head). What I CAN see are only the zoom messages on the start screen that he is sending to her (the notifications she is not removing from the start screen), but I cant read the messages she is sending back to him. I check the phone almost every evening since then, and funny enough she ALWAYS without exception has messages from him and it is very rarely something about work, it is not flirtatious either, but it is personal stuff that is not related to work which she promised me they wouldnt. For example her work requires her to work one weekend every 3 months and even saturday 10 pm he asks her if she needs any help and I know that he only does so to start a conversation with her, I mean 10 pm at night on a saturday you sit with your work phone in hand asking your colleagues if they need help?
I almost feel stupid for asking because, especially now that I have been writing it all down and read it through, it seems very obvious to me that I cant trust her, but I would like to hear your take on this. Should I be worried still? Can I trust her, should I leave her?
Should I confront her about the snooping ?

Hi world!
I'm in a big dilemma. I'm fairly new to the hi-fi industry but not at all to music. You can say that I have a fairly trained ear and I can distinguish everything related to music theory and music technology. In short, I need something more professional for listening to music. production-wise, I've had attempts in the past, and it's not excluded that in the future I'll "play" more but not at a professional level. I recently just bought a Sony WH-1000xm4 but I understand I can get more out of something wired and more studio oriented. So I think I'll refund them.
So [keeping in mind a fairly medium budget (DT 700 PRO X goes up to 230 Euro, so that can be the maxium budget only for the headphones)] - I have my eye on the models:

1. Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (32 Ohm)
   
2. Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (80 Ohm) (this model I understand has a slightly different sound signature)
   
3. Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO X (new model from 2024)
   
4. Beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X (a bit over my money, but if it's really worth it...)
   

I will use the headphones mostly on my PC, but it is not excluded to connect them to my phone (Samsung S21 FE - USB-C port). so I understand that even if there is no need for a DAC in terms of sound volume, because 32-80 Ohm are relatively ok without something external, a DAC itself would perform better in terms of sound and would help a bit the sound from these (great?! :) ) headphones.
As DAC, I'm looking at models (or at least these I found in stock at shops in my country and they don't exceed 60-70 Euro):

1. iFi Audio ZEN Air
   
2. iFi Audio UNO
   
3. iFi Audio GO Link
   
4. iFi Audio ZEN Air CAN
   
5. Fiio KA11
   
6. Fiio KA1
   

I understand that for some of the above models the word portability doesn't say much, but I prefer to choose something that can improve the sound and possibly in the future add something more portable to the arsenal if the above like Fiio KA11 or iFi Audio GO Link aren't too good.
Thank you all in advance!

A friend of mine had an accident in Alaska and fell 1000 or so feet. She somehow survived, and then went overnight before making it to the hospital.
She's now medically stable and steadily improving, but she's literally nearly all the way across the US. Her family has of course been on and off the phone no less than a million times at this point getting things covered. American insurance, being the delight that it is, has refused to cover costs for a flight from Alaska to Michigan, and they have been quoted anywhere from mid 5 figures to low 6 figures to be able to get her home, something not particularly attainable. Unfortunately, due to the brace she has to wear she needs to be reclined further than commercial flights are able to accommodate, taking that off the list of possibilities which REALLY jacks up the price of a reasonable trip home.
I'm trying to help find a way for her to get home, that won't cost a years salary+ so she can continue to heal around friends and family. Looking online I'm only seeing regional groups who do this kind of stuff. Any advise is appreciated!

First/Previous
Gemma was right about the sky’s open night, and I could sympathize with her recollection of the beauty, but for me it must’ve been a greater tragedy—the young woman had only ever enjoyed the stars in the pits of Golgotha; I could, long before, drink in the sky at leisure. Cruel memories.
The night the Rednecks died was one of viscera, but before that it was coolness on the breeze, a warmth by the fires while John played his guitar and we had only just taken two dozen kegs of lager (personal reserves) from the Atlanta despot—the man that kept his subjects as slaves and not a person among the camp was left without budding intoxication. No matter the age, everyone was invited to be merry; if it was that children too faced the plight of a bad world, then so too should they reap the moments of plenty—or so the camp figured.
John had taken a group by the fires where wagons were drawn in interlocking semicircles for cover and Jackson sat beside the picker. Jackson was a man which normally preferred quiet reflection over boisterous singing and nearly never wore the band on his throat, and yet there he was belting out the chorus at the top of his lungs, tankard in hand, red cloth blazed around his neck—it was a contagion and those drunk enough for easier embarrassment sang proudly along:
“There is power, there is power in a band of working folk!
When we stand hand in hand,
That’s a power, that’s the power,
That must rule in every land!”
I’d taken to the outlying shadows with my back pressed against the gas-powered caleche, my own tankard in hand. I loved the warmth of that great big family, truly, but even in those days—and maybe it was that queer youthfulness which longed for individualism that made me that way then—I remained as distanced as possible when I could. I sipped the lager, it was a fine drink and my brother Billy, nearly as old as I was when I’d first taken up in the infantry, swaggered to stand beside me just as quiet for minutes and we looked at the stars and he asked me what it was like to kill a man.
“Is it hard?” he asked.
I nodded, “Sometimes.”
“Killing monsters ain’t so bad. Don’t know if I could do it to a person.”
“You could if they meant to kill you; or if they meant to do it to someone you cared about,” I promised him. In those days, spry, energized, I held no time for staring into abysses; though I still wasn’t a man fully, I pretended as one. It was about family, and it was about doing what was right—what’s right seemed to change, or I changed. The world felt stark with good and evil and even later I’d feel that sentiment well up in me, but if that’s true, I know I stand more on the latter and so I intentionally obfuscated it—this I know. If not, it might be too much to bear. I was required to lie to myself and even in knowing I lied, it was better.
Billy tugged on the red kerchief around his throat and asked me how it looked on him.
“Looks good,” I said.
“Don’t think I look stupid at all?”
I smiled over my drink, “You always look stupid.” I sipped. “The neckwear’s fine.”
“Give me a break,” said Billy; he investigated his own cup, gave it a swish with his wrist, watching its contents swirl. “Aren’t you ever afraid you’ll die?”
“Sometimes—nights like this—I wouldn’t mind it.”
“Really?” my brother asked.
“There’s always a chance of it. Every moment, I guess.”
He smiled. “I wish I had that confidence.”
“You’ll get it,” I returned his smile; it was true that he would gain the fighting spirit. It came to us all with time and reminiscing on the early days, I recall the grit and the hatred—there was learning there too though. Besides, I’d seen the squalors of a stationary man. The stagnation of a place, an unmoving home.
John put his guitar away and laughter erupted from the crowd from something said and Sibylle, cowboy hat cocked funny, traipsed across the camp to the open keg for a refill; the man there, tending the cylinders, was a man named Tandy (a foreigner and one unknown besides the way he smoked a skunk pipe and told wild stories). My mother leaned over while Tandy opened the spigot mouth on the keg, and she froze there, and I could see her there cut out forever against the light of the fires; I watched, and it came so suddenly that I couldn’t be sure what’d happened at all. It was so sudden that I couldn’t find my weapon and I couldn’t find even the courage to fight because in those moments it wasn’t courage I needed, it was grounds to understand.
Sibylle came apart in two pieces immediately, torn completely through and dust erupted as her legs struck the ground while her torso spun through the air like a top, a trail of liquid trailed after, caught in the blue of night so it shone as black; she couldn’t scream. Tandy was a statue. Before anyone could react, more flesh, other bodies, went up and there was all manner of limbs which filled the ground, and it is astounding how quickly a red mist forms across the ground during a massacre. Perhaps the wails of my comrades started before, perhaps others fell before Sibylle, but I could not comprehend the goings-on till I saw her drop the way she did.
Frail human screams rose on the night; I slammed to the ground, tankard gone away and hands scrambling in the dirt; I reached up blindly and yanked Billy to my level and his expression was one of innocence, panic, tears even. Glancing around, I saw the demons bolt from the pitch-black darkness on the edges of camp, mutants taking the fore while greater creatures lurked further back, some hurled whips of gliding metal which writhed over their heads when they stretched them out for a strike—alien—and they sliced directly through soft human bodies. Not even a cry escaped me, but Billy let go with it and I slapped my cupped hand over his mouth hard to hold the screams. His voice would not have been alone anyway, not alongside that startling cacophony. Amidst the cries of people, there were the cries of horses, of our hounds.
We rolled across the ground, slipped beneath the raised body of the gas-powered caleche, remained quiet in the dark, peeked out between the wheels.
“What’s happening?” Billy whispered through my fingers; I removed my hand from him and caught a glimpse of him framed in a square of firelight through the wheels—we lay there on our bellies and the left side of his face was glazed with dirt where I’d pulled him down.
“Shh,” I told him, “Shh, please. Please.” Not another word came while I pleaded with him, pleaded with the world to make this all a nightmare.
Through the haze and the running silhouettes painted black, I saw what might have been Jackson; he stumbled and in the moment that it took me to gasp, his head was gone from his body, his torso slid on as he collapsed, came to rest mere feet from the motor wagon. I told myself that it wasn’t him, but it probably was.
Some mutants lumbered through the camp like animated corpses, some leapt with wild energy or sprayed noxious fumes which lingered in the air; others still were amalgams of humanlike limbs themselves—fiends—exhausting terrible sounds, producing smells of sulfur, glistening with whatever liquids excreted from their oblong alien orifices. Demons ran amok, chanted in devil tongued languages, laughed madly at the destruction—others still, those which displayed some greater intelligence, broke into a song I could never hope or want to replicate; it seemed a unified damnation.
“Please,” I repeated in a whimper and Billy hushed me this time and I realized we were holding hands, squeezing for dear life as figures walked the camp, speared those half-alive, elected others for twisted carnality.
In darkness, in fright plainly, we scuttled from the recess of our hiding place, kept quiet, held to each other, and went into the wasteland where nothing was—every shadow was a potential threat, every second could’ve been the last. We were holding hands; then we weren’t.
Only a glance—that’s all I afforded my brother and nothing more—what a joke of a person I am! What a coward I was. Always.
Something got him in the dark and instead of dying alongside those I cared about, I went on, heartbeat driving me till it was all that I heard in my ears and my muscles ached and my chest heaved and sweat covered me, chilled me in the breeze of the night—it was only once I’d accepted the dark completely, crawled into a hollowed space of rocks along a squat ridge that I watched the demolished camp; it seemed no larger than a spark, but the creatures, fiends and others continued their war cries; never before had I witnessed demons participate in such an attack.
I watched till the sun came, till the fires became smoke, then I watched the band of hell creatures disband. The smell of sulfur remained in the air—copper too—and I stumbled back to the camp in a dreamlike daze, totally unbelieving of the things I saw. Among those dead on the ground, I could recognize none; among those piked from rear to shoulder, standing like morbid scarecrows where they’d been steadied against the ground, I could not want to recognize.
Many of the wagons were overturned, including the gas-powered caleche and I went to it; the metal of its body was warped but I fell to the ground by it and pushed my back against the exposed undercarriage, remained frozen there while examining the bodies, the terrible strips of skin which rested places like wet sheets of paper, the piles of bones removed and smashed and piled.
I cried so deeply that oxygen became a memory, and the shakes couldn’t be contained.
It was like that for so long, knees pulled up, face pushed between, and the wails came unafraid of whatever attention they might garner; there was no rationale, but I imagine if there had been, I would’ve welcomed death in that misery. It was a deep wound that not even my own cowardice would overcome for the sake of survival.
Unaware of my surroundings, not wanting to look up from the ground between my legs, the noise which had started out as imaginary became real and I raised my head then to listen better and wipe my sore eyes; it was the sound of clip-clop horse hooves and I mildly wondered if any of the animals had been spared. I stood and pivoted around the dead camp and there it was, a man on a painted horse with golden hair; he leisurely drove the mount through the place, maneuvering around pools of blood, clumps of body parts and upon seeing me, he smiled and offered a languid wave, keeping one of his gloved hands on the reins.
The man wore white and swished his hair back upon arriving directly in front of me. Ahoy, he offered kindly, Did you happen to see the other riders?
I shook my head, feeling numb.
Ah, he said, I could have sworn four other riders, at least, passed me on my way. His gray eyes examined the carnage. Shame. He shook his head. You are?
“H-harlan.”
He nodded and nearly offered an expression of genuine condolence before descending from the horse; the animal gave a gentle grunt and wandered away from its master to inspect a nearby group of the dead. The man offered his hand, and I took it in a shake. Mephisto, said the man. He flashed a smile again before his face grew serious. I’ve come to you to deal.
I shot him a questioning look, one of bafflement.
I heard your calls from far off. He nodded, removed a white handkerchief from his breast pocket and swiped it down his face. Hot out. He shrugged then replaced the cloth in his pocket. This, he motioned to the disarray of vehicles, of bodies, I can’t fix all this—it’s too much—but there’s a person you love, I know. I could bring them back.
“Doctor?” In retrospect it was such a naïve question.
He shook his head.
“Angel?”
He grinned and nodded, Sure.
“Demon?”
Undoubtedly. His eyes—pits of gray in that radiant face—nearly expressed solemness; he daintily shook the hair from his face and looked at his steed which sniffed a corpse. What’s the word, Harlan? There are others calling and I must be on my way soon—I can’t dally. There was a sharpness to the words. Can’t dally. We must convene soon, or I’ll mosey on.
I snorted back the clog in my nose from the tears and wiped my eyes with my sleeves. “Okay.”
Deal?
I nodded, “Deal.”
Sleep tonight, said Mephisto, Sleep and you’ll be rewarded in the morning.
“You said it’s a deal.”
He nodded and scanned the carnage before we matched gazes and then he said, Yes?
“What is it you want from me?”
Nothing you need now. He called the horse, and it came, and he swept his feet quickly from the ground and settled into position atop the animal. Sleep, Harlan. You won’t be bothered. There are worse things still over the horizon.
I watched him go till he disappeared and once he was gone, I couldn’t cry anymore and instead rummaged through the wagons for what I might carry; along the way I found John, face twisted but corpse intact. The body from the previous night that I’d guessed was Jackson couldn’t be determined but I found him nowhere else. I slid Sibylle’s holster from her hips, fell hard onto the ground and found that I could sob more. I took her cowboy hat, placed it on my head and held her pistol in one hand and the belt holster dangled from the other while I searched the other bodies; there were so many, but I could not find Billy.
Waiting for darkness, I took the spot where I rested, back against the caleche’s undercarriage, watched the sky and felt the gun in my hand; it was heavy. I put it to my head, closed my eyes, and whispered affirmations to myself then I put the pistol between my splayed legs, watched it still in the dirt, and pulled the hat down over my eyes but it did little for the smell. Though the brim of the hat cut the sky out, I watched the ground and saw circling shadows form overhead and heard calls of turkey vultures; they came to pick over the bodies. I withdrew my knees to my chest there again and laid my forearm across them and bit into my arm while closing my eyes. I had thought I was a man and for a time, maybe I was, but there in that miserable pit of despair I became a child again and if I’d become more delirious, I’m sure I might’ve called out for Jackson like it was a bad dream.
Into a fading stupor of sleep in the sun I went and when I awoke again it was dark and chilly and I was tired and hungry but too sick to eat and hardly strong enough to move; I looked at the gun and put it into its holster and left it there by the caleche. In the light of the moon and stars, I moved to gather a bolt of canvas; I unfurled the fabric and created a leaning shelter against the overturned vehicle and crawled into it. There was a hole in the canvas, and I peeked out at the stars.
Weeping came again, but not so uproarious; I was stuck there letting go of whimpers, lying on my back, feeling the tears trace in lines from the outer corners of my eyes to collect along my earlobes. In time, I fell to sleep again on the hard ground because the mourning had taken all else from me.
A pinpoint of sunlight broke my eyelids and I jerked awake and reached for the holster, but it was gone. So was the hat. I crawled from the leaning shelter and there he was.
Billy stood plainly among the dried, congealed blood-soaked field and he looked on to the horizon and all shadows were long in the midday sun which hung up there in a soft blue sky. Whether it be a dream or a spell, I couldn’t care—I charged to him and spun him so he faced me and though his face was plain and expressionless, I wrapped him into a forceful hug. He placed his hands on my back and gave a gentle squeeze; when I pulled from him, my hands on his shoulders, I saw he held Sibylle’s hat in his left hand, pinched by the brim; he’d already tugged her holster belt around his hips—he could have it all. I shook while holding him then let go to wipe my face.
“You’re alive,” I nodded.
He nodded without speaking then looked at the hat in his hand and placed it on his head and firmly pressed it down.
“Billy! Hell, you’re alive!”
The corners of his mouth twitched upward for a moment then he nodded again. “Yeah.” His eyes curiously searched our surroundings like he meant to take each detail in forever.
I slapped him on the shoulder and almost squealed. “Goddammit.” I wiped my eyes again and could do little to keep the excitement from exploding from me. “Oh, we should go. We should go on and get somewhere safe.”
He nodded toward the horizon, “’Lanta?”
“Sure.”
We packed and it was a like an ethereal phantom remained among us beside the quiet dead; turkey vultures cawed to break the silence, pecked where they pleased on the bodies, and I couldn’t want to fight them. I kept sidelong eyes on Billy with the ever-present worry that he’d vanish. Perhaps he was the phantom.
From the rear of the caleche, I removed a few sentimental books Jackson liked, essential cookware, and sparse rations for the trek. The last thing I grabbed was my shotgun and a bit of ammo.
As we set from the dead place, the terrible silhouettes that were cut from there on the horizon behind us grew in my mind with every backward glance—I wanted to fall to pieces, but I saw Billy walk alongside me and although contented is not the right word, it is the nearest. The steps of our boots were all that was heard because I could not fathom to pierce the space between us with words for fear that it would all end. It was a dream, surely. I’d lost my mind. With my hands thumbed into the straps of my pack, I saw I my hands still shook, and they would shake a lot longer—years and with memories too. The crunch of earth underfoot became a rhythm and instead of looking at my brother, I watched his shadow on the ground.
“Everyone’s dead?” He asked.
“Yeah.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah,” I repeated.
“How ain’t I? How ain’t you?”
To say that it was luck would’ve been too morbid. Instead of saying anything, I shrugged, kicked a loose stone, watched my feet some more, and felt a queasiness come over me. For the moment, the immeasurable deaths of those I’d left behind were forgotten in the company of my brother and a sickness welled up inside of me so suddenly that I felt that I’d fall to pieces at the slightest provocation. Finally, I did speak again, but only after steeling myself to the troubles, “Yeah, how are you alive?”
Billy shrugged at me then stumbled up a hill which overlooked trash wood wilderness where sticks lay twisted and bare and further on the sight of Atlanta was visible and I cupped a hand across my brow and Billy did the same and we looked on at the shadows of the place out there where strings of smoke rose from the skyline as a signature for the desolation of the city; it was dead. I felt it in my bones.
My hands were light while my head was heavy, my throat was dry, and the entire world seized in moments of stillness or perhaps it was my own vision which construed the world in that way; I took to the small hill which Billy had climbed and sat there and stared at the place between my feet to steady myself.
“Fire,” said Billy.
I nodded and nearly choked.
Leviathan—till then I had no belief in dragons—glided over the broken city, its winged shadow little seen but its voice was deep across the scene, letting go of roars which shook the ground. We hid among the trash wood and moved down the hill and watched the creature thrash in the air as if it was angry for its abominable life. Whatever millennia it spent in the pits of hell seemingly thrust upon it a love of destruction and pain.
My brother moved with a more assured stride and kept a cool distance and upon fleeing from the wreckage, from the outlying area of Atlanta and the place we’d left our family, he spoke little and watched me strangely whenever I took to melancholic fatiguing. We lit no fires for fear of what it could draw from the night so in the dark I’d see him watching some far-off place, maybe seeing through the reality which surrounded us, and he’d snap from it, catch my eye, and disappear for minutes to scan the perimeter of whatever place we stayed. Being alongside my resurrected brother was lonelier than I could bear, and I hoped he’d disappear for good or that I could work up the courage to end my own life. It was like purgatory explained in books and for a time, it felt endless; upon witnessing the destruction of Atlanta, we pushed to Marrietta, and it was much the same. As was Chatanooga, Nashville, Knoxville, Louisville, Charlotte. The ocean had risen so that Fayetville was gone underwater, and the Florida leg disappeared completely as far as I’m aware. I understood later that Memphis was overlooked and more places further west were alive too, but when we’d exhausted the south, we moved north and found strongholds of families or traders or even small groupings of civilization, but by and large we found nothing much in the two years that we hoofed it from place to place; it was my doing mostly—I wanted to find a place untouched by the mayhem in the area my family had once patrolled.
In retrospect, I am certain that Billy only stayed by my side for convenience; there wasn’t any of my brother left in the man that was my travelling companion for that time. He was a ghost of a person and Mephisto had preyed upon my desire in the worst moment of weakness in my life. There were nights—maybe we’d taken up in a natural alcove for shelter or we’d locked ourselves in some ancient structure for sleep—I’d watch Billy lay where he was, Sibylle’s hat and holster lying beside him, and I’d think of putting him down but he’d stir and in a brief shadow I’d see my brother as he’d been and withdraw to bury my face in fake sleep to be met with images of the night the demons attacked where I’d shake, sweat, and bite my lips so hard I’d drink blood.
Two years we marched around the Appalachians and in that time, I felt myself wither and disconnect.
Upon moving further north we met Indianapolis—that’s what it was called back then—and it was run by an older woman called Lady Lazarus; I reckon her father, affluent and dead, was a fan of Plath. Indianapolis was fortified more than most with its high walls, and its wall men, and its underground facilities which produced substantial ammunition. We—me and Billy’s revenant—were travelling with a group of traders we’d taken up with from out west; they called themselves wizards and although they seemed of the occult, their spirits discounted whatever suspicions I might’ve had of them.
I remember first pushing through that big gate; the town kept with it an indisputable malaise and though we were greeted at the gate by the leader Lady Lazarus—her brothers came along with her—and her jovial demeanor carried a certain infectious quality, I could not help but notice that the regular denizens maintained a healthy distance from their leader (the guards which followed the Lady everywhere probably had something to do with this).
Lady Lazarus touched each of our hands in greeting with enthusiasm and I could not help but notice how soft they were, how vibrant her eyes were, how much she smiled, and how beautiful she was given her age; already her head was fully gray.
Upon meeting each of us, going through the wizard traders first, she came to me, and Billy and she shook my hand then pivoted to Billy.
“Welcome. You can call me Lady.”
Billy caught her hand in his, held it longer than she’d intended so that they held eye contact, and he smiled broadly, tipped the cowboy hat on his head back to expose his smooth forehead and said, “And you can call me Maron, mam. You are quite a sight for a tired man.”
Though Maron—as he’d named himself—was more boy than man, Lady took a disturbed liking to him immediately and we prolonged our stay in Indianapolis after the wizards departed to head west.
Under the rule of Lady, Indianapolis was a theocracy, with her addressing the huddled masses at the steps of her grand abode, she’d preach for hours on sin and strife and quote her favorite passages; though reminiscent of my time with the Rednecks, I never found any truth or sincerity or freedom in her teaching—hers was more trouble, brimstone, fire and I’d had enough of that for a lifetime. Public execution was common. As was torture.
Maron distanced himself further from me, but I remained to keep an eye on him—it was not sentimentality but rather I existed without purpose and conjured some from watching my brother.
Often, Lady invited Maron to her private rooms and though the rumors and speculation ran the full spectrum of perverse speculation, every denizen feigned ignorance at her pregnancy.
Upon giving birth, the infant was malformed with two heads—her brothers took this as an omen and killed the child, put their leader in the stocks for months, and stripped her of dignity while the denizens did to her what they pleased.
Maron rose through the wall men while Lady’s brothers assumed control of Indianapolis and called themselves Bosses; in the time since Lady’s reign, the place was renamed to Golgotha for its closeness to a messiah.
I went west but always found myself drawn back to Golgotha because of some emptiness in me. It was only with Suzanne that I wanted something more and knowing them, I almost believed in a world like the one that children dream about. The world that Gemma and Andrew chased after when they left home, like the one Aggie talked about in her mother’s books. There’s a hopelessness in me that I’ll never be rid of. In the interim between our initial arrival to Golgotha and that flight from that terrible city, I cannot know how many people I sacrificed in convening with demons because I refuse to know because the number would destroy me. That is the worst of it; I do not even have courage enough to face myself or the actions of my past in any substantive way.
Mephisto tainted me so that I could speak with his kind as a dealmaker and the disease grew.
Billy or Maron or whatever he is should have been reaped long ago or better, I should never have brought that abomination alive. Such a cruel world where a deep longing like that can be inverted, weaponized. Me and him should both die; me and him should have died a long time ago.
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Hi!
I really don’t know where to start with this one. It’s definitely going to be a long post as I don’t want to miss on any potentially crucial detail, hence apologies for posting something this long.
Here’s my best attempt at summarizing what happened without losing on any detail (feel free to ask for clarification if anything isn’t clear):

• I bought a proxmark3 rdv4 as part of a kit which also comes with several of its accessories from an online website selling these kinds of things.
• When I received it, I noticed several smudges on the device itself and the cards that came with it where scratched up to severely, which immediately alarmed me but I really tried to brush it off to just being caused by the manufacturing process.
• Three days after first receiving it, it completely died on me during usage. And showed no signs of life whatsoever.
• Naturally contacted the online website’s support and explained the situation, and they responded asking me to try some troubleshooting steps to try to isolate the issue and potentially fix it remotely, all of which didn’t work.
• Hence they offered to look into it themselves by having me send it back to them.
• However, I insisted on returning the full kit back for a full refund as it is no longer fit for purpose due to both being defective and the fact that I wouldn’t trust a replacement either to not fail the same way now that I experienced this. And since this was 3 days since receiving it, and even 4 days since placing the purchase, it was well within the 14 days period the Consumer Rights Act 2015 allows for. Hence I asked them to just return the full kit for a full refund instead.
• Yet they (or shoud I say he as it turns out this “company” is actually just one person) refused and said since I now opened it I am no longer eligible for a refund and kept insisting that sending it back for repaireplacement was my only option. (Which is nonsense as how was I supposed to even know it was defective if I didn’t open it!!!). They even went as far as stating their ToS also states that defective items aren’t eligible for a refund even if they are within the 14 day period (which is also nonsense as even their own ToS states that you can return faulty items for a full refund within 14 days. And either way the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives me this right regardless of what their ToS say).
• Then things started getting even more suspicious with this sellecompany. They started ignoring my emails stating my rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and just resending the same email asking me if I accept to return it for a repair or replacement. Obviously I was not going to say yes as then they will use that against me and say I accepted to not get a refund but have it replaced instead.
• So having paid by PayPal, it seemed straightforward. Just open up a dispute, explain the situation clearly and upload evidence. Which is exactly what I did.
• Then through the PayPal disputes seller-buyer chat you get when first opening a dispute to try to sort things out together first, the seller again insisted on this whole ToS nonsense and then asked for the item back and provided a returns address but wouldn’t provide a returns label unless I accepted not to get a refund (again, not going to say yes to that). So what I did was instead return it under my own dime through Royal Mail Special Guarantee so there’s clear evidence. And uploaded the tracking details to the dispute.
• Item gets delivered with proof of delivery and a signature and everything (because I thankfully decided to send it special guarantee), yet the seller kept asking for it back and not acknowledging that it’s already been delivered. (Even more suspicious!).
• And when I clearly stated even the tracking showing proof of delivery and everything, suddenly the story changed and the seller now has it back… and then things got even more interesting.
• The seller went above and beyond straight up making false statements claiming I damaged and modified the item (which I didn’t do). And the funny thing is, not only is what he was saying contradicting with the manufacturer’s own instructions, but his false allegations even contradict themselves! For example, he said the device outer cover is sealed and that I broke the seal and forced the cover open against the manufacturer’s usage instructions. Yet then claimed the tool which is INCLUDED in the box by the manufacturer specifically to open the casing showed signs of usage. Anyone with a brain without even knowing a thing about the device would instantly realize: Why would the manufacturer seal a device and not condone opening it yet include a tool specifically to do exactly that? And to add to that, the reason why you would open the outer casing is to access a SIM slot under there, which you then plug an also INCLUDED SIM-SAM adapter to that slot to use it… hence again, why would the manufacturer include an adapter in the box which can’t even be used without opening the plastic cover. And mind you all of these are part of the main device box, these aren’t the additional accessories that also came with the kit. Hence none of these could have possibly been aftermarket things not recommended by the manufacturer. See how even someone who doesn’t know anything about the device can instantly tell how these allegations conflict with each other? And to add to that, the seller also claimed that I admitted that I flashed aftermarket software to the device and that the device failed immediately after, and pointed towards one of my emails who he previously claimed he never received (again! Super obvious lie!). Yet that wasn’t what I even said, I said that I updated it to the latest version exactly as the manufacturer getting started docs instruct you to, and it was working fine (hence the failure did not occur after the update!) and the failure only happened 3 days later while I was just reading one of the included NFC cards (yes, one of the ones scratched). Hence again, more clear lies.
• So at that point I clearly explained exactly how his lies conflict each other and conflict with the manufacturer instructions and supplied proof as well with manufacturer documentation and the full terminal log showing all of the things I did and commands I ran with the device, and escalated the claim for PayPal to review.
• PayPal despite saying they will provide a verdict in 5 days, took weeks and them suddenly asked me to provide a police report. Yet when contacting the local police they said they don’t deal with these kind of things (which I expected), so now I am being asked for something that the police don’t even provide. Gave the PayPal customer service a call and explained that… and they rudely just kept repeating that I have to provide that or else my case will be closed in the seller’s favor.
• After looking around I found the action fraud website so reported the incident there and thankfully the report letter you get after submitting mentions it being a police service, hence that would definitely work. So I went ahead and supplied that to the dispute and again it said they will provide a verdict within 5 days. This time they took even longer than last time and after keeping me on my toes for possibly a month+ they just simply rejected the claim saying I modified/damaged the item effectively blindly siding with the seller despite the clear lies and despite the clear explanation and evidence I supplied showing that.
• So I appealed the decision and this time re-wrote the full explanation and evidence in case it wasn’t clear the first time and emphasized everything and made sure it was super clear with numbered bullet points and everything. Yet again they took their time and kept me waiting for weeks, eventually rejecting the appeal too for the same reason. (Clearly they couldn’t be bothered to even read a work I said nor even use any brain cells to see how obvious the lies are from the seller).
• Once your appeal gets rejected then there’s no way to re-open the dispute anymore nor create a new one. So rang the PayPal support again and explained the situation and after the agent looked at the dispute even he agreed that the sellers lies were as clear as day and that my explanation and evidence further proves that, and was confused as to why it got rejected. So he said he will escalate to their head office and I should receive a response in 3 working days. And I immediately asked him: They rejected it twice already and blindly sided with the seller, wouldn’t they just do the same? And he assured me that the head office is a different team from the team that handled the dispute.
• Over 2 weeks later… and I still haven’t heard back from anyone. So I gave them another ring. This time the agent that I got straight up started blaming me for “modifying” the item and saying the same nonsense and after straight up going over how all of them are lies (the same way I went over that twice already in my dispute and appeal, but this time I could actually say it verbally in real time to him as it was a phone call), he kept coming up with random nonsense excuses like saying PayPal disputes don’t handle defective items (which is nonsense) and then also went on saying that since the failure occurred 3 days after and not immediately it’s also not covered (again, nonsense), so I reminded him of my rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and he went on saying but that’s not what they PayPal ToS says, and I also reminded him of the signs of usage I also clearly mentioned in the dispute and appeal hence even the item wasn’t as described as it was advertised as new (which in itself entitles me to a full refund even if the device hadn’t failed) and I straight up told him PayPal operates in the UK and all UK laws apply to them and they can’t legally deny my rights regardless of what their ToS says (and by the way, nowhere in the ToS either was it saying anything this guy was claiming). So regardless of what I kept saying he just kept coming up with excuses and nonsense so I knew that phone call was going nowhere. He even went as far as saying that I should resolve this with the seller directly (AS IF I HAVENT BEEN TRYING TO DO THAT FROM THE BEGINNING TO NO AVAIL WHICH IS WHY I HAD TO FILE A DISPUTE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!).
• At that point I had reached a dead end as the seller wasn’t cooperating, PayPal was blindly siding with him regardless of what I did, and to top this off and I couldn’t even file a dispute with my bank as I had used my card from my home country, and apparently when I spoke to them they said they don’t even file disputes unless the item simply hasn’t arrived (which in itself is just stupid on top of all of the stupidity I have faced so far).
• So now I was out £509.99 for the kit, plus the £7.65 I paid out of pocket for postage to return it (which honestly I could have written off if I would have at least gotten the money for the kit refunded), and now I don’t even have the device nor the whole kit as that’s been returned to the seller. So I am out both the money and the kit. And the seller gets to keep the whole kit and probably scam someone else with it as well, plus gets to keep the money.
• So I now filed a case with the financial ombudsman as it been wayyyyyyyyyyyy over 8 weeks and PayPal still hasn’t resolved this nor even wants to (thankfully didn’t need a final response letter due to how long it’s taken otherwise that in itself would have been a nightmare to try to get from PayPal judging by my experience with them so far). But I am honestly not hopeful at all as I have never my life ever won an ombudsman case, as they always blindly side with the company (yes, the same way PayPal blindly sided with the seller), hence no wonder companies confidently refer you to them because they know you probably won’t win.

Hence all of that being said, what are my options now? I am guessing probably small claims court, but if I lose that too then I will also be out the fees for that on top of the already massive losses. Plus I am an international student hence won’t be in the UK over the summer and my schedule during the academic year might not give me time to attend the hearing. Plus I can’t speak legalese and I am generally terrible at communicating on the spot due to my ADHD, hence that also won’t be in my favor. And I can’t afford to have someone represent me either.
I am really sorry if I am sounding super negative, I just really don’t know how to handle this, especially considering how much money I lost now which in itself has been a nightmare.
Any advice would greatly be appreciated whether here or through DMs (my DMs are open if you don’t feel comfortable sharing advice here).
Thanks!

Bare with me as with might be a long and confusing story.
Was with my ex fiancé 25 male (I am 27 female) for almost 6 years. I gave birth to our beautiful daughter 2 years ago. I had many concerns about my ex fiancé since the first day when he called her a bitch in the hospital ( this is the day she was born) I remember feeling absolutely sick to my stomach. ( I will also add that he was not present for the birth of our daughter which I constantly feel guilty about; I had previously made jokes that I did not want him in the room I was not serious at the time but truthfully I already felt so violated I didn't want him seeing what i imagine was a horrific scene) I actually did kick him out of the delivery room but only because he was cussing at me and screaming at me about five minutes before I was about to push, this was the only time I ever cried during labor, and told him to please just leave.
He went to the waiting area and came back shortly after I had my daughter The first thing he said to me is how his mother and whole family said, I was crazy for not allowing him in the delivery room, note, his mom is extremely malicious, manipulative, psychotic narcissist, who demands control of everything if she doesn't get it, she loses her mind but we will get to that part later.
Fast forward to get home from the hospital and the first six months of my daughters life were hell only because of her father he would constantly threaten to break her legs or neck when she was crying. He rarely helped me. I stayed up every night all night when she was a reverse cycling . He constantly insulted me made me feel worthless. One day when we were having a fairly great day he randomly said to me no man would want to be with me because I had a child. He he wanted me to stay home, but as I wanted to contribute, I tried to go back to work a few months later. It was only about three days a week, this lasted for maybe a month his mom would come over during this period of time and his mom physically caught him one morning screaming "shut the fuck up bitch" at our then 3 month old baby.she texted me about it followed by delete this text. I was very naive since I actually deleted the text which i really regret as we are in a custody battle and this would have really helped me out. I know the most shameful part is I know I should've left much sooner I should've left the first time he her called her a bitch but I kept thinking if I continued to talk to him about it, he would get better but it only got worse Me and my daughter end up leaving for a few weeks after physical altercation with her father we stayed with my mom, but after a lot of convincing from her father. We were returned not long after. This did not last long as once again we left permanently about a month after this. From the beginning of us, not getting along and me leaving the first time his mother posted publicly to Facebook and tagged my parents in psychotic rambling post about how terrible a person I am she would send me actual novels number one through 20 of every single thing that's wrong with me
I usually don't stand up for myself but to her I did, I didn't care. She was so absolutely evil and such a narcissist, calling me the worst names I would clarify and correct her often Anyways, while at my mom's house I received a call from my daughters father in the middle of the night He said "you really fucked up this time" screaming you can tell he was in the car driving very fast I was terrified I repeatedly I called him and his mom I believed was coming to harm us and had no idea what he was talking about Turns out, he thinks I myself , or sent someone to his home, or the home we lived in previously to steal his guns, which I would never do I thought this is a just another way for them to continue harassing me even after I had left turns out investigators came to my house twice and I gave them the full story and even suggested his mom did it because I truly believe she did have part in that and wanted to try to get me in trouble anyway she could as is her motive Due to all the concerns I had I did file for primary not sole, but primary custody of my daughter with him having visitation Instead of responding to this one day when I dropped my daughter off on the two days a week, he would have her his mother and her attorney with held my daughter and wouldn't give her back until I signed what but feels like a blackmailing document just to get my daughter back in court this is referred to as under duress In this document, there were so many stipulations, but only to me he would get temporary split custody. Also, they listed my own family members in that could never be around my daughter, their own family. After a judge denied the order for emergency temporary custody they still refused to return her which is why I had to sign the document I hadn't been separated from my daughter, for maybe more than 36 hours in her life now at eight months old, she has been taken from me for more than a week. Signing that document was the hardest thing ever for me, but I couldn't stand to be a part for my daughter any longer His mom continued daily, if not more to make psychotic post about me, and my family post memes about me claiming I owed her money for a car that she bought for me 5 years prior And in five years no one had ever mentioned this car until she was angry. Made post about suing me for the car and I also responded Where are the documents? Where is the contract? I didn't sign anything. His family/mom has money, and she looks down very much and everyone else. In may the same year he was arrested for some very violent scary crimes. I won't go into detail too much, but assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill along with many other charges, kind of sums it up over a random road rage incident with an individual he did not even know.
His bond was very low and he was out within hours still had the same job We went to court for this and what the judge determined is not what happened his attorney, much like every trial would call the judge afterwards and get him to change his mind or send him a document to sign even after signing previous documents likely because this judge didn't care to read through anything His mother continued to make my life a living hell I just wanted so badly to be out of this no more stress no more mental and emotional decay. She actually sent messages to someone one of them was 20,000 words long about me breaking into his car, putting trackers in his car, breaking into his brothers car, smashing his mailbox, paying people to go inside of his job and tell him he was going to kill him , trying to get someone to run him off the road and my favorite hiring someone who he was in the road rage incident with
Obviously this never occurred because if it did, they would have a party to and call the police to get me in trouble as once again this is mothers main goal
During this time, she also sent fake screenshots of text messages allegedly from me to my ex fiancé. They were very obviously fake not the way either of us would ever text/ incorrect contact names no timestamps we also both have iPhones. The messages are green, but she kept insisting the person reviewing the text to " show me show me " a.k.a. harassment my attorney advised me not to say anything they would have her deposed then ask why she's doing this get her to say it on camera, and that was the best way however, after filing for deposition, she actually tried to file for a protection order from ME and no one went through with anything.
I know I can't actually blame this on her, but whenever I was driving without my daughter in the car of my brain would not stop. All I did was rack my brain of what her calculated motive was for sending these text messages they terrified me I thought she was going to murder me, my daughter or son After leaving my third day of a new job and I wrecked my car so bad it was totaled and I am lucky to be alive this same morning I recall telling my friend that morning at work that there's something wrong with me I couldn't sleep I couldn't eat this woman was actually tearing me apart and I thought I was going to get in a car accident. She would text me this whole time pretending to be her son from her sons phone number just crazy long harassing messages when I was at work, she pulled a million stunts trying to make me look bad just would not stop at all costs when was determined to take my daughter for herself. It was very clear she ruined her first child and she wanted another try After filing for her to be deposed, she is now suing me for allegedly over $30,000 which I do not have for the car that she claims I owed money on as well as back rent, which I never agreed to I would pay contributions whenever I could because her son paid nothing for rent or other expenses however there was never an agreement. Recently, during mediation for her suing me, she pulled out false contracts with many errors wrong address, wrong dates for example this car was totaled on Christmas day of 2018. Due to someone rear ending me, the contracts she falsified have a date of January 2019 but why would I sign contracts for a car that was already totaled and no longer in existence she also for forged signatures so terribly it was actually insulting
My attorney could already tell that that was a forged contract because the signatures we're not mine and I stated I would not be paying her a dime as I would like her to get in trouble for fraud, falsifying, documents, and forgery. I'll actually look forward to court even though it's wasting me a whole lot of time and money Which is exactly what she wants.
The worst part of this is a few weeks prior my daughters father has been kind of friendly, which was odd. He wanted to go to movies, I thought, as friends, and was kind of happy to be over with the hateful drama, but he didn't want to just be friends, and I very stupidly, went along with us not realizing in my heart I still had feelings for him After this mediation, which he knew was going to happen, and I knew I was going to make it clear I did not sign anything he got mad and said after promising multiple times and trying to convince me we just need to make rebuild our family trust each other again nothing else matters I foolishly believed him until the day of mediation when he got mad that I did exactly what I said, I was going to do, and said we should try this again when all the court stuff is done, I have never felt so stupid and angry and betrayed in my life I sent him a long text detailing everything that happened the fact that I was reluctant and said no and I resisted he was and he promised this was best for everyone to do and for our daughter to have her parents together and I just wanted my daughter have the best life possible
After ignoring him for a few days, he said he's gonna come over to talk and once again, couldn't make it has he's done many times in the past and said we could do it another day because he had to go to another boys night/meeting with his coworkers, but he was actually going to be drinking and getting fucked up couldn't even take an hour to come talk and see our daughter Fast fwd to tonight and while he was with these friends, I was so infuriated and beyond done I said to him several text messages explaining how terrible he had been a human being, and how stupid I was to actually believe him how we have never had a future after this, and I didn't know I had in my life ever again Embarrassingly they are very, very long text and I like quadruple texted. Haven't heard a word from him I don't think I will and once again the most embarrassing I feel I still have feelings for him, which makes me so angry. I wish he just left me alone and never tried to start anything again I was fine until I agreed to start this all over again I am so devastated and so sad, I wish I had never met him The only thing I'm grateful for is our daughter but I feel badly. Just want these feelings to go away. I'm so upset I've been crying I just don't understand how he could tell me how sorry he was and how much he loved me and just staring and holding me for hours to now three weeks later, going right back up his mom's ass as he will clearly always side with her and never me
This is my first Reddit Post- admittedly, it's very scrambled and this might b more of I fucked up situation or am I an asshole for actually giving him another chance. Keep in mind we still have to go to court for permanent custody and other things. What should I do? I want so badly to ignore him and to not have any feelings for him again but he is the only person I have ever truly loved He now has quite an ego currently of having the upper hand, as I believe he just wanted see if I would take him back and I did and that's all the validation he needed.

Metallica wrote in the 80s "hooked to machines that make me feel". In the 90s Tool released opiate and undertow, 2000s you had linkin park and eminem. We almost got accustomed to getting our news through music, but it has ran stagnant except for a select few bands. It took guts to say these things, but that is musical history. We need more world journalists like this . Ever read a book and was able to picture it and looked more like reality than what you see on the news today. An 80s horror movie is more based in reality than what we hear on the news. We need a journalist with the bravery and foresight of Patton, The know how to get dirty like a peaky gypsy, the unwillingness to stop and motivation of hitler to find the truth. Will this get you walked through death's door maybe, but death is just a gateway and on the other side you will be looked at through a history lense with a distaste or fruitfulness. Does this matter yes but does it discount what you know you physically, mentally, and spiritually did .This death can not accomplish. I may not be a journalist, but I won't walk quietly or peacefully into propaganda and lies. Yes the governments of the world may have power to keep things quiet, and as long as people stay comfortable it might get by, but If you shove the truth in someone's face like an atomic bomb going off in the 1920s with new phone lines. Then maybe people will wake up and start communicating the truth in politics and in journalism. I'm no journalist but i am a fan of Hunter S Thompson and to quote him " What we have is grit and were choke full of that"

TL;DR - How do you move a conversation/connection you made on reddit chat to text/social media? Is that safe?
So I'm in a another, much-smaller subreddit of people who to discuss dating/relationships given certain situations etc.. The point of the subreddit is to be more celebratory/ unifying but since the topics often run into dating-esque situations, we often have to do similar things as on larger subreddits like .
A while back (Like 6mo ago) I made a post about making OLD profiles. I ended up not really dating much over the past 6mo but apparently, this one girl on site noted that I was a similar age, and had seen one of my comments that mentioned that we both lived in a big US city. So...she sent me a message ("Shooting her shot" to quote her) that I of course didn't see for about 6mo.
I came back to reddit, responded to the message and we've been going back a forth a few times via reddit chat. However we're both not great at using reddit chat so things are starting to stall. She just messaged me saying that she wants to keep talking to me but is terrible about using the chat features. I also haven't been that quick on the response. I've thought about maybe moving this potential connection to text but...I'm worried about safety/ if I should do that with a random person I barely know.
Maybe just because it's reddit and not an OLD app but I'm worried about this being a potential scam? The biggest thing is that she responded to my initial response 2 days after not hearing back for 6mo. But even then she also told me her name already (It's just a first name tho) which was weird...I've never known anyone's name on reddit before! Lastly, although she's not been explicit, she has provided hints that she wants to talk to me in other platforms and/or meet up with me (She actually proposed really creative ideas based on not much info).
Remember that we're totally blind to each others' looks and/or relationship goals here too...so there's a lot that's up in the air. However...I'm considering maybe giving her my number or some kind of social media (I don't have Insta sadly...). Is that a bad idea? In the past my skepticism has made me give girls google phone numbers and that has weirdly blown up in my face...I could do that though to test the waters. What do you think is the best way forward? Should I let her know I'm giving her a google phone number and just move things there? Thanks for any advice!!

Long time lurker, first time poster. hello to whoever is reading this! Thank you in advance for taking the time. I've been on quite the journey of self-discovery the past several months, and in that time I learned the term demisexual, and have been feeling more and more inclined to identify somewhere between there and graysexuality.
I have been wanting to talk to people in this community, but I have been nervous that I will be viewed as inauthentic. the intention of this post is not for anyone to answer the question "is you-a-buggaboo demi" for me - I'm just hoping to share my life experience with a fairly new BPD diagnosis as well as my sexual experiences, and hopefully get some feedback from this community. maybe some validation, maybe some alternative perspectives which can assist me in assessing the best way to communicate... myself, I guess. maybe this experience isn't uncommon. maybe none of this is even what being demisexual is. I don't know, I think I'm just searching for community or something. I feel like even if I'm missing the mark here, you all will have some valuable input, likely being farther along in your journey than I am. I'm just having a wicked case of imposter syndrome.
I'm a 38 year old cisgender mother of a 1.5 year old (if any of that matters), and I've been in a monogamous relationship with my daughter's father for 6.5 years. we have been on the rocks for awhile as my sex drive has decreased over time, especially after giving birth. I have been to individual counseling, we have been to couples counseling, and about a year ago I was diagnosed with BPD. it's the "quiet" kind- the sort that goes unnoticed because all of that vitriol is directed at myself rather than others, so my relationships seem stable on the outside, but on the inside I just know they're going to leave me at any moment, so I try to be a "good girl" so they won't "abandon" me. I put those words in quotes because this is hyperbolic language to describe the feelings rather than what I actually believe the reality is.
anyway, when considering the diagnosis, although at first I thought my psychiatrist was a moron, I started to recognize more and more instances throughout my life that put me on that beautiful bastard that is the BPD spectrum. it's real. I fucking have it. this of course got me thinking about the role it's played in my current relationship, especially the fact that our biggest problem - like, for the last 4 years - has been that I am feeling an extreme lack of emotional intimacy, which is making me not want to have sex, and he experiencing a lack of sex, which is making it hard for him to be emotionally intimate with me. I initially thought that the abandonment issues associated with BPD were the cause of my excessive need for emotional intimacy, but he has suggested more than once over the last several years that maybe I'm asexual, so I began to look into it.
I balked at the assessment because I was promiscuous in my early 20s. every weekend my friends and I would go to the bar, flirt with random dudes to get free drinks, and maybe even make out or go home with one of them sometimes. I was never keen on one night stands, but I did have the odd one or two. sexual promiscuity is a hallmark of BPD. I was on dating apps and actively trying to meet people, and often I would be so giddy after a date that I would perform a sexual act as kind of a way to say "thank you for treating me so nicely tonight and showing genuine interest in who I am as a person. I really enjoyed your company." these dates never really blossomed into anything real, and I was always devastated, thinking that I somehow fell short, even though I did everything I could - including sexy time on the first date - to make them stay.
I think Leonardo DiCaprio is super hot. I was a giant Hanson fan for over 20 years and absolutely swooned over those dumb brothers from Oklahoma (not Isaac. ew.), and I think Katie Maloney from vanderpump rules is also a fucking beautiful specimen to behold. so was was the guy who came in to the Starbucks I worked at to order a grande iced coffee with soy milk everyday. just absolutely so nice to look at. what I'm saying is, I can look at another human and say "hot" or "not." my understanding is that this, combined with my promiscuity, does not place me on the asexual spectrum. and yet, I have rebuttals for all of it.
the following three paragraphs are the portion of this novel I'd like you to push back on for me. they are my rebuttals for all of it. I'm not sure if my brain is just desperate to fit somewhere, or explain my lack of sexual attraction to my partner, even though I find him incredibly gorgeous to look at, and even though I once really loved having sex with him.
I think I was promiscuous in my 20s when my friends were around in order to fit in. It wasn't peer pressure, it was pressure that I put on myself. I just kind of assumed my other girlfriends were at least a medium amount of weirded out by sex, especially with strangers. essentially, when they told me that they had really good sex, I thought they were lying because that's just what you had to say. I never had really good sex with someone I met one time, but I would certainly say that I did, because what was I supposed to say, the sex was terrible? Where's the street cred in that? anyway, my point is, in my 20s, what with my crippling fear of abandonment infecting every fucking moment of my life without me even knowing it, I performed sex in order to fit in with my friends.
for as many first dates I would go on and perform sex acts, there were equally as many dates where i had no inclination to "thank" them with sexual favors. the ones I did get physical with were the ones who I'd had great conversations with online, followed by great dates in real life. I believe that I form the emotional connection necessary to happily have some form of sex with very quickly, like sometimes within minutes or hours, and this makes me feel like an imposter in this community.
fast forward to my current relationship: we met at a time where I was vulnerable and needing a win, and he fought for me over the course of several weeks by befriending me, and then he chose me, after the man I thought would choose me, chose someone else (my best friend, but that's a trauma dump for another time), and so I loved him immediately. we had so much sex in the beginning, guys. and the reason I talked to him in the first place is because I thought he was cute. (I know. I don't belong here.) over time, though, the issues with our communication became harder for me to ignore, and so after awhile I started rejecting him for sex, and a bit after that I stopped initiating alogether, and a while after that he stopped initiating as well because the constant rejection is breaking his heart. I used to phone it in and just do the sex for the sake of his heart, but I swear to God it began to hurt and I would muffle my discomfort and disdain for what was happening into the pillow. Thank God we have a sound machine blasting in our room so he never heard me. no gynecologist could find a physical reason for my sudden symptoms. the last time we tried to have sex was an absolute disaster. I could never tell him because it would break him, but kissing him actually did physically repulse me. this interaction came mere days after I had admitted to myself, and then to my therapist, that I didn't think I was in love with him anymore. and then I learned what demisexuality means, and it all started to make sense. of course we were having sex in the beginning, I was so in love with this man who is so attractive and kind and fought for me and viewed me as the center of his universe. of course we aren't having sex now, because without an intimate emotional relationship I just have negative a billion interest in having sex.
anyway, to wrap up, I wasn't kidding when I said that I don't know what I'm looking for here. maybe there's an emperor of demisexuality who can officially induct me? jokes. but I am interested in your thoughts on this, especially if you are familiar with BPD as well. thank you so much for taking the time to read this; it has been cathartic writing this out and posting it, finally allowing myself permission to speak in this space, rather than just peek into it. I appreciate this community and its resources.

We are just wrapping up a month (April 19th to May 18th) in Playa Flamingo. We had a great time, and did less than 10% of what we had bookmarked before arriving, but that’s a good thing and just enjoyed a Pura Vida life for a few weeks. This experience is applicable if you’re staying in Brasilito, Conchal, Flamingo, or Potrero.

• MyTanFeet got it right and you should trust their advice. Especially the videos.
• If you’re a vigilant and alert driver and don’t mind swerving (duck, dodge, weave, go with the flow and hang loose man), you’ll be fine. If you are 10 and 2 and stay perfectly in the lines and must obey traffic laws, don’t drive here. (I ended up doing all the driving). There are only lines on 1/3 of the paved roads, and only highways (2 lane roads) are paved. The side streets are all dirt and rock roads with variable ruts and pothole conditions (just go slow until you’re used to it). Small SUV is fine for clearance, but get something with a beefier engine with sport mode for hill acceleration. The Hyundai Tuscan was perfect, the Suzuki struggled badly.
• Only rent from Adobe. We had people visiting us for a week at a time and they had bad experience with Budget (arguing about insurance) and Avis (ran out of SUVs and downgraded to Sedan that we couldn’t get anywhere off-road with). I stopped by the local Adobe office twice, once to replace a windshield wiper that was worn out before thunderstorms. 10 mins in and out with a smile on their face. The second time we had pulled on the trunk handle when closing it and the inside panel of the hatch came loose. 3 guys hustled out of their office to look at it, and after 10 mins of no success they drove me home, and brought me a new car (same model) an hour later with no fuss and all paperwork pre-completed.
• Rainy season starts like a light switch on May 1st +/- a few days. It was sunny and 95 with great visibility, then turned hazy and now in mid May it’s like a tropical rainforest and everything is lush and trees are blooming. We only got “wet” 3-4 times during the month unexpectedly. Lots of lightning, minimal thunder. Territorial views help to see it coming.
• There are plenty of resorts and all inclusive, but just go to Hawaii or Cancun for that. We rented a 3 bedroom AirBnb with territorial views on south hill of Flamingo. Having a view on the hill is wayyy better than being on the beach. Lots more to see. And less bugs at night from the beach.
• Booked sailboat with Serendipity Charters lucky 13 (mixed group, semi-private charter) for a sunset cruise out of Flamingo Marina. We loved it so much we went two more times, had the same crew and met the owner and made new affluent friends on each trip. We saw the catamarans with 40 people on them and shook our heads. It’s like taking a smaller adults only dinner cruise vs a Carnival cruise ship. You can book direct on their website for better pricing than TripAdvisor. Don’t let the weather forecast scare you.
• In this area, assuming you want to eat a bit more local and not “at the resort”, our favorites were Gracia Mar Vista (although they were only open 1/3 of the several times we tried to go), Gracia La Vid (amazing wood fired pizza). The Potrero Brewery and the food truck style park was great too. Coco Loco has a cool vibe but we’re disappointed with food price per value. Margaritaville is 2x the price and, is a typical resort if that’s your thing.
• Book a date night in advance (several weeks probably) for Road Less Traveled in Potrero for the Chef’s Choice 9 course meal for the private chef experience with 4 stools at their kitchen island.
• Great soda restaurant experience, frequented Azul and Soda Brasilito.
• $40/hr massages on beach in front of Margaritaville. Look for yellow towel tables. Amazing and better than home.
• We drove to Tamarindo a few times. It’s where the ladies wanted to go shopping for trinkets and casual dresses. Farmers market was meh.
• Grocery prices in Flamingo are pricey. Do a stock up trip once or twice a week to Mega Súper past Huacas toward Tamarindo.
• Super market here means mini mart, Mega Super, Maxí Palí, and Walmart (Liberia) will feel more like home. They have 1/3-1/2 of what we find at home, so you may get creative or stick to simple foods. The meats we had were all great, just expensive. Cheese here is weird and expensive, possibly not pasteurized. The groceries that last a week at home only last 3 days here. Don’t overstock. Fresh fruits everywhere and tons of sliced pineapple, watermelon, etc to be found. The prices at the soda are significantly cheaper than groceries. Get snacks for groceries and eat your meals out.
• Language Barrier: Very few speak English, unless it relates to money or a food menu. The Google Translate app on your phone in conversation tab is your friend. We managed just fine.
• Currency Conversion: 500:1 is hard. Simpler method is to see something in thousands, just drop the 3 digits to the right of the comma separator and double it. 10,000 C = 10, x 2 = $20 USD. 3,250 C = $6.40 USD.
• Paying in Cash: We used cards for anyplace we went that had a roof. Use cash for anyone you pay on the street. Everyone takes US $10s and $20 bills. Bring $300-500 for trinket vendors, massages, etc. We never hit the ATM, and only got a few colones bills back, just paid in USD.
• Credit Cards: Every business, grocery store, and restaurant uses the same BAC (Bank of Costa Rica) credit card terminal that has a tap card. There are no pins, signatures and tipping. Tap your card and go. We used our Amazon Prime credit card here with no hassles.
• Beaches: Spring break or California beach? Tamarindo. Boogie boarding or low key sandy beach? Flamingo. Other beaches are okay, just not as great and many don’t have easy access/parking. We hoped for better snorkeling but it was sub par. All of the boat trips will let you snorkel and get your fix, but go to the Caribbean side for the cool stuff it sounds like.
• Weather Forecast: The apps don’t work since they don’t have weather services down here (ex. No radar). It’s all based on satellite images of storm intensity. Use Weather Underground to play back what it did for the last few hours and if there is a yellow or red cloud in your vicinity, expect to get wet. If you Google search for Hawaii coconut forecast, it’s pretty much that. Just keep your eyes on the skies and territorial view.
• Activities: We found our one way driving radius was an hour and a half. Anything East of Liberia was too far. This is mainly since the top speed you hit out here is about 50mph on winding backroads as we describe them in the US and no fousix lane highways, so it just takes awhile to get anywhere. We could have stayed overnight out there but just ran out of time and motivation to do it. That eliminated many of our bookmarks. We just lived the beach life and chilled in the pool.
• Rain Jackets and Swim Suits: Yes, you need a rain jacket. More importantly, bring 3-5 pairs of swim suits. Several pair are always drying outside. The rain here is warm so it’s easier just to get wet while wearing swim gear than trying to stay dry. We swear by the boxer brief lined swim trunks now.
• Shirts and Sweating: As thin and light as possible. The Under Armour tech tees and Willit sun shirts were my go to. My Roblox shirt was too thick. Cotton is a no go.
• Plane Landing at night (LIR): It’s disorienting here on your first night. Get a room at Hilton Garden Inn when you land, and book your Adobe car to pick up at the hotel the next morning around 8:30-9:00. They will meet you in the lobby with no fuss. Ask for a late check out and hit a nearby waterfall first thing in the morning and come back and shower before driving to the beach towns.
• Power Outages: It happens once or twice a day, comes back on in 30 seconds or 30 minutes. You get used to it, no stress.
• Diamante: It was okay, depends what you’re looking for. Only 5 zip lines even though one is Superman. I like the 10-12 Zips in the rainforest and this is more hill peak to hill peak zig zagging down. You can take an ATV tour out of Potrero up there for added exhilaration.
• Road Trip to Nosara: We randomly decided to do a drive down to Nosara. We took Route 160 out and 150 back. You want a miserable pot hole mostly dirt road adventure, 160 is it. That must have been what the roads used to be. White knuckled for 2 hours of it. 150 is freshly paved and was a saving grace coming home. Wasn’t too much to see that we hadn’t already experienced. Just got some lunch and drove back home.
• Length of Trip: If you’re not traveling around, 7-10 days is perfect. We did a month to test if we like long term travel. After 29 days, we’ve found that 14 is a sweet spot for us. If you stay longer and have family and friends come in for a week at a time, you will have different vibes and activity interests to re-discover or re-explore and keep it fresh.
• Traffic laws? You mean suggestions. Just add a few speed bumps where we want you to slow down and yield signs on one lane bridges. In straightaways outside of the towns, it’s fine to go 15-20 kph over the limit (others will be too). Watch for speed bumps in any 40kph zone. There are 14ish speed bumps on the 1.5hr drive between Liberia and Flamingo and a handful of yield or stop signs. Doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. Never saw a stop light. Just pass whatever is on the road (dog, person, biker, horse, kid, dirt bike with 3 people) when you can see ahead of you, don’t need a passing zone or sign to do it. If something is up ahead that you’re slowing down for, throw your flashers on. Turn em off when it moves. The end.
• Buying Stuff: Just like camping at home, you need to bring it with you. There is no Walgreens, only 7-11 equivalent places. You can get a few things at the corner store but there are no malls here or Amazon or deliveries. It makes you appreciate living “off the grid” in a way.
• Pura Vida: The rules and laws that exist down here are mostly non existent or suggestions. Just live life, preferably in the slow lane. They don’t complicate anything down here. It makes me realize how consumeristic and hectic and scare too easy we are in the states. You do you, they do them. You’ll see some funny stuff and have some stories (walking your horse while holding rope out the car window, dirt bike wheelies, 3 people on mopeds, etc.)
• Local Resident Vibe: The primary industry here is tourism. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. You’re going to see low quality of living as you drive around (ex. Shanties), that’s just how they live here. We may call it poverty back in the states, but they are just living their life just like you are living yours. I never felt threatened or unsafe in any way. Only saw police twice in our entire trip, and they were just strolling around casually. The nicer the area, the more we avoided it. The more rustic it was, the more we were intrigued.

I hope it helps! Have a great trip!

This isn’t religious specific to blacknpeople, but I’m a black woman and my situationship (because it wasn’t a relationship) was a black man and I don’t know where to go with this.
I put it in quotes because atheism isn’t a religion, but it’s the word I could use.
My abuser was an atheist. That’s important because his atheism was how he tried to abuse me. I’m Christian and he took my family bible and burned it. It had been in my family for decades before I was born. When we got together, he wasn’t an atheist, or that was what he told me. But soon, he was doing things that were not godly.
He would walk in on my praying and tried to interrupt me and when I would complain he would go “what does it matter? God doesn’t exist.” He always referred to my faith as fairytales and he tried to isolate me from my church. When I could go to church, I felt so ashamed because I felt like I should have fought harder to be there. No one knew what I was doing through and when I told my family and pastor they started getting me out the house.
Before that, he deleted my gospel music playlist off my phone when I wasn’t paying attention. I used to play gospel much while cleaning on Sunday afternoons. He would isolate my family from me and my friends.
I would go “praise god” when he would do something amazing and he got mad, so I stopped and did it in reference of me. He would still get mad. He threw away my crosses. He would tried to get me to be busy when I wanted to fellowship with friends and family.
Other things happened, but whenever I talk about this, especially on Reddit, people say that I deserved it for being Christian or that it didn’t happen or that it’s not the same and I shouldn’t care because Christians have done worse.

I put it in quotes because atheism isn’t a religion, but it’s the word I could use.
My abuser was an atheist. That’s important because his atheism was how he tried to abuse me. I’m Christian and he took my family bible and burned it. It had been in my family for decades before I was born. When we got together, he wasn’t an atheist, or that was what he told me. But soon, he was doing things that were not godly.
He would walk in on my praying and tried to interrupt me and when I would complain he would go “what does it matter? God doesn’t exist.” He always referred to my faith as fairytales and he tried to isolate me from my church. When I could go to church, I felt so ashamed because I felt like I should have fought harder to be there. No one knew what I was doing through and when I told my family and pastor they started getting me out the house.
Before that, he deleted my gospel music playlist off my phone when I wasn’t paying attention. I used to play gospel much while cleaning on Sunday afternoons. He would isolate my family from me and my friends.
I would go “praise god” when he would do something amazing and he got mad, so I stopped and did it in reference of me. He would still get mad. He threw away my crosses. He would tried to get me to be busy when I wanted to fellowship with friends and family.
Other things happened, but whenever I talk about this, especially on Reddit, people say that I deserved it for being Christian or that it didn’t happen or that it’s not the same and I shouldn’t care because Christians have done worse.

for context: I literally just got off a call with an insurance company asking me about things I had no idea about. My dad had discussed changing my car insurance but never told me he was changing it at a specific time when I was working from home. The insurance company was asking me questions which were obviously based on answers that my dad provided online. Answers which I had no idea about. This was fucking pissing me off that dad had done all this behind my back and I went into a call with 0 context, information and no time to mentally prepare. My parents must think I’m joking or exaggerating when I say that I hate phone calls but this actually gave me anxiety. When I had a go at my dad he said “it’s just confirming your information” which isn’t true. They were asking me to make a decision on if I would accept the quote and all the other extras chucked in there which I had no idea about.
All I was doing was relaying information from my dad who was mouthing answers and writing some down on paper. Surely there’s a fucking option for him to talk on my behalf because I felt so useless. I wasn’t in the right head space for this call and now I’m expected to answer questions that my dad had already answered online (supposedly). My undiagnosed ADHD was going mental as I can only focus on one thing at a time. I was finding it so hard to focus on my dad’s mouthing, writing and on the phone call all at once. My parents hate it when I self-diagnose things and try to laugh it all off “oh you don’t have that”. They are supportive of mental health since I do some community work with it but when it actually comes right down to it, they don’t fully understand it and what my triggers are. They don’t understand the day to day things that happen and they seem to think it’s just depression and suicide. It just made me feel really uncomfortable but of course they don’t understand that because they went through so much worse and turned out totally fine 🙄 they put it down to me being so dramatic but anyone who knows me knows that I am the least dramatic person of all time. I’m super chill and easy going
Just to clarify - I love my parents. Theres no broken relationship. Some days they just really piss me off.

Manual, non-DCT
Haven't seen a price sheet, but i was quoted 12,429.14 over the phone after freight/setup/doc/tax (from $9549 MSRP) Going in tomorrow to take a look and also see if I can get a slightly better deal for it
This seems on the surface a way better deal than I was presented for a 2024 indian scout rogue that was around 11k sticker but jumped over 18k (even after i removed battery/tire service/lojack)
Should I pay full MSRP plus fees at $12,429? Or Should I counter with 11k to achieve something like 11.5k? Less?
Phoenix AZ area

tl;dr signed 6 mo contract, don’t have copy of original, requested a copy from gym, my wife and I are about 99% sure the contract we were given does not match what we signed (no highlighter marks, pen marks from where things were circled) but we don’t have evidence.
My (now) wife and I made the mistake of signing up for the LA Fitness personal training membership back in October.
We unfortunately did not get a copy of the contract we signed, huge mistake. It was late and the gym was closing and I think she said the photocopier was broken or something.
From what we remember, we signed a 6 month contract ($440 x 6 mo). We remember this because it was going to end about 2 weeks after our wedding. Everything I remember was 6 months, $2640, ends 4/19/24.
Fast forward to April 16th, we called to make sure our membership was canceled and the guy on the phone says we have one more month and offers us a buyout (50% of the remaining contract, $220). This seemed weird, but we figured we might as well use the remainder of our sessions and declined the buyout.
Yesterday we went into the gym and requested to cancel. The dude says it’s a $440 buyout because we have two months left. We requested our contract and he says the person with access is no longer there for the day.
Today we go in, pick up the contract and it looks different than the contract we signed. It legitimately looks like they scanned our contract, copied the signatures, and put them into a totally different contract template, which now says 9 months. We’ve called so many people and they will not let us see the physical copy we signed.
So I see three possible options here:
1) put a merchant block on the card and block the “remaining” two months and hope they don’t send to collections and ding our credit
2) eat the $440 and do the buyout, but I’m skeptical it will actually stop, especially if we do it online.
3) get a lawyer to request the original documents?

Sandoval Redemption Arc (Timestamp: 3:43) - Luke: Man, you did great this season though. I feel like there were a number of episodes that you absolutely carried, man. You did the dirty work at times that you had to do, 100%. - Schwartz: Luke, that is the hottest and only time I've ever heard a take like that in my life. I feel like I was kind of like a background character this season. - Kristen: No I don’t think so - Luke: You were absolutely essential to get through to people. You were the bridge that needed to happen. - Kristen: It's always your comic relief too. It's so refreshing. - Schwartz: On that note, Luke, to piggyback off or to continue that thought, I read the comments sometimes. For the most part, I stay out of the comments, but I like to see what's going on in there. And I saw a lot of people saying, we don't want a Sandoval Redemption story. - Schwartz: Ew, stop trying to shove a Sandoval Redemption story down our throats. And I don't know, man, maybe I'm too close to Tom or the whole situation. But I never saw this as a Tom Sandoval Redemption season. - Schwartz: I don't think he got a Redemption arc. I think he was just trying to reinstill a little humanity in someone that was like on the fucking edge of losing his mind. And I'm not here to evoke sympathy for Sandoval, but like I'm just saying, like the guy was on the edge. - Schwartz: He went to a very dark place. And yeah, I watched this entire season. I guess, I guess, I don't know, I didn't see it as a as Bravo trying to shove a redemption story down anyone's story at all. I thought it just trying to add some nuance and like a little civility to it. - Luke: There was nothing you could do. It was the story. You know, it's like it picked up so quick after the scandal broke. So what are you going to do? I mean, no one wanted to be around Tom about Sandoval. So I mean, it's kind of the real dynamic. And that's the whole point of it. - Kristen: For me, I think the quote unquote like redemption arc when I watched it, it wasn't about you. And at points, it wasn't even about Sandoval. I think it was the Lala of it trying to like, I don't know, it was like it just felt it didn't feel very authentic at times with Lala and kind of being Sandoval or like even Scheana. - Kristen: I know Scheana struggled a lot, though, but like, just certain times I felt like, because it wasn't you shoving Sandoval down people's throats, there were other people doing it and it felt like less genuine. But I don't think that you did. - Kristen: I think this is the first time not only on Vanderpump Rules, but really, since I've known you, that I've seen you kind of stand up to him and say like, this is like not you stopped sugarcoating shit. You weren't hurtful, but you just had to be more stern with him. - Schwartz: Well, there was some tough love. In order, it's like, dude, we put a hefty sum, you know, like I try not to think like this because it's not healthy, but you know, I could have bought a beautiful home, a nice appreciating asset and sat back and just chilled out. - Schwartz: But you know, I decided to open a bar and I'm taking ownership of it. But it's like when you do that, you put everything on the line for it, then all of a sudden, the brand name is, you know, severely jeopardized because of someone else's actions. It's hard not to be bitter. - Kristen: But of course, of course, but I think time does heal. And I think is from what I've seen, like there were definitely moments and I even said this on Watch What Happens Live when I was on it, like that I saw the glimpses of like a genuine old Tom who was really feeling his feelings. - Kristen: And even though a lot of people maybe didn't want to believe him, like I could see the difference and I genuinely believed his apologies and I do understand also that like it gets to a point where you do feel so beat down because I've been in that position obviously in the past, where it's like how many more times can I say I'm sorry? - Kristen: Where you kind of just get really frustrated, where it's like what the fuck else can I do? Do you want my firstborn child, like you guys, I'm eating shit a little bit. I just think the problem was Ariana wasn't ready and too many people weren't letting that go. And I think that's what it appeared to be. Like they're going to figure that out. She'll figure that out in her own time. - Kristen: I think when she has, I think this hiatus you guys are having is going to be really helpful for everyone to heal and move on and like live their own lives. - Kristen: So then hopefully you guys come back for a season 12 and we get to watch something more fresh, not like, okay, jump back in, no, we just did the reunion, but now a month later, we're going to keep talking about it again. Everyone's still kind of in the same place, you know?
The show taking a break (Timestamp: 8:15) - Schwartz: But yeah, I think that was beautifully stated. I think people need a little break. I think the show, I like that we're actually taking a little breather that is postponed. - Schwartz: I don't know what the future of the whole looks like, but maybe I'm delusional, but I feel like we're just gearing up for a whole new chapter. I don't know. I think the show needs to breathe a little bit. - Schwartz: There's some overexposure. I think there's some you know what of all fatigue, and it's like it got a little dark. Usually, the show has always been 100% authentic. Doute, you lived it with me. We were friends before the show. I think it was always more levity to it. It just got a little bleak, a little dismal for me the past few years. But I don't know. I think everyone's healing. - Schwartz: That was my mantra for the season, but no one wanted to hear it. Forgiveness is healing.
How the reunion was different (Timestamp: 9:04) - Kristen: At least for part one of the reunion, and I've heard some of you guys talk about this, I think the girls on Watch What Happens Live, that it wasn't as heated of a reunion as it has been in the past. It wasn't screaming and shouting and threatening to fight and things like that, which makes it so much more interesting because it's hard to hear. - Schwartz: I think so too. I love nuance and civil conversation. I'm intrigued by that. Of course, I like drama. I like a little blow up, a meltdown here and there, a mic rip, a signature Kristen Doute mic rip. - Kristen: Oh, totally. - Schwartz: But yeah, we had a pretty civil discourse. I don't want to make it sound boring because it was raw and intense. And I think just seeing some of the sentiment on Twitter and stuff, I think it's like you got to admire Lala's propensity to show up and do the work, do her job. - Schwartz: But at the same time, when you explicitly talk about it as if it's a job, it inherently detracts from the reality. So it's like Doute and Luke, you've been doing it long enough now. It's like an unspoken rule in the biz. - Schwartz: You have to be radically honest, remove your filter, and you have to bring it. But in talking about that and breaking the fourth wall, I don't know, lately I've been feeling like it's jeopardizing the authenticity of it. Because these are our real lives, we're not acting, we're not making up storylines. - Kristen: No, I agree with you about the Lala thing. And I think I've even maybe not explained it in the best way where I've said on our podcast recapping it, it felt like no one else wanted to talk about whatever the thing was like calling Rachel or certain moments or go have hot dogs with Jo. I guarantee that every other female cast member was like, hell no. - Kristen: And so Lala was like, I'll fucking do it. And so that's what I think to listeners, to you guys, like what we're trying to explain about reality TV. The job of it is being authentic and you can't have these conversations privately about Girl Joe or about this or that whatever. - Kristen: And then when the cameras are up, go, no, we're not doing that because essentially it means like, oh, the audience will rip us apart because we can't do that. You know what I'm saying? And so the job that Lala did is just saying the things that were already being said behind, like off camera. - Schwartz: Totally. - Kristen: So I do get her a lot of credit for that. - Schwartz: Me too. Lala brings it without a doubt. You know, she's a star on the show, but you know, it's like when you talk about it explicitly, I think, I don't know, in my mind, I worry that it jeopardizes the autisticity, but there's no doubt about it. Lala shows up. It does the work. - Schwartz: And it's like, the thing is a lot of those conversations are conversations you should have. They're like healthy, therapeutic conversations, ones that you would just rather put off. Let's talk about it a month, three months from now, maybe never, preferably sweep it under the rug, say la vie. - Schwartz: But like, you know, short term, it's like we live almost in a condensed time scale when we do reality TV. And it's as awful as some of those conversations are to have. It's like long term, they're usually therapeutic and probably healthy. - Schwartz: But like in Ariana's case this year at the reunion and everything, in like the grey walling and stuff, and just given that it was like this national global sensation, I think her not wanting to have that conversation with Tom at the end, I think it was earned. But you know, I also see other people's viewpoint, like, you know, we've all had to have such horribly uncomfortable conversations. But anyways, I think it seems polarized online. - Kristen: Of course it does - Schwartz: I think it was earned from Arianna, yeah.
What was it like watching the final act of the show together, live on stage, and then immediately having to talk about it? (Timestamp: 12:47) - Schwartz: I think I cried. It didn't feel like a finale finale to me, but it just it felt like a retrospective. And it got me, I don't know, got me feeling all kinds of nostalgia, you know, we've had like, we kind of even know some of us were in our 30s, we kind of grew up on television, you know, it's like, um, yeah, I don't know. - Schwartz: We really did. And like, we've forged really deep, meaningful friendships. Kristen, you're the second person I ever met in Los Angeles, you know, I love you. You're my family. - Kristen: Love you. - Schwartz: And yeah, it got me feeling a lot of feels.
What are going to do since you aren’t filming this summer? (Timestamp: 20:18) - Schwartz: I'm going to start sidequesting. You know what I mean? I don't know if you remember, Kristen, but before the pandemic, I was getting to the point where I was just confident enough to DJ in the bars. - Schwartz: I want to be able to DJ in my bars. I'm not trying to be like superstar DJ. I just want to be able to DJ in my bars. We're kind of relaunching our whiskey, which I'm super stoked about. We're going to be doing some bottle signings next week. We got distribution in California, which is cool. - Schwartz: I'm going to travel for the first time in my life. I'm planning on playing the World Series of Poker, Kristen, you know, I'm an avid poker player. - Schwartz: Also, this is another dream that I think is finally coming to fruition. I have property in Florida. I'm finally going to build a house for my family there and I have like this little pond. - Schwartz: I've been working out like every day eating healthier and I'm reading a little bit again. I stopped reading for like the past four years.
Jo (Timestamp: 30:25) - Kristen: And I don't want to give this too much attention because I feel like this clip as we're speaking is going to end up on an Instagram Live very shortly. But I just want to say that I, as of her last Instagram Live or whenever that was, you let me read your text to her in its entirety. - Kristen: And my frustration lies in that she was cherry picking bits and pieces and not reading the context behind these things, leaving out things that you said that were very kind, as well as leaving out things that you had to call her out on that frustrated you. And we're not going to say what those things are because that's between the two of you. And we're not going to pull out Jo by talking more about that. - Kristen: But I just want people to know that because everyone's like, well, what happened? What's the main thing? And why did it turn this way so quickly? - Kristen: So I think, is that fair to say that you explained yourself in a very lengthy way and said everything you had to say. And it was you that sent the text. - Schwartz: Yeah, it was firm, but constructive. And yeah, it felt like a major violation when she went and read that. And she cherry picked it to fit her narrative online. And like, I get it. She's going through some feelings, like she's hurt a little bit. You know, like, I know I'm very familiar with the feeling of being rejected. - Schwartz: But it's like, the reasons I pulled away from Jo are very valid and she has to respect those. Like she just, I mean, yeah, I'm not going to get into it because I don't want to do that to her. But like she's she's she's told some egregious lies that I found out and I've debunked and I've called it. - Schwartz: I've called her out on a few of them. But some of them are just so uncomfortable to bring up that I never addressed it. It just we were it just I knew at a certain point that I had to pull away from her. - Schwartz: And, you know, hopefully she can respect that I just it does feel like a violation when she goes on there. And it's like she's kind of spinning this narrative like she's a victim. I played her. - Schwartz: And it's like, poor Jo, I'm like, it's just I don't know, man. I get it that her feelings are hurt. But like if I was to talk about the reasons why I separated from her, which are very valid, I think everybody would be singing a different tune online and like, okay, my god, I'm sorry, I judged you Schwartz. - Kristen: And I will say some of those reasons are reasons why I would not redevelop my friendship with her. Like meaning I've been through some of the things, the lies that you've been through as well. So I just wanted to make that crystal clear for people that I think you handled it so incredibly well. - Kristen: You placed a very intelligent and healthy boundary for yourself, for your relationship, for your mental health, for your sanity, really, so you can have a really healthy, productive, awesome summer. You don't have to film. You don't need all this extra drama in your life. You're just trying to like move on to bigger, better, more positive ways of living, you know? - Schwartz: Yeah, I'm like I'm drama fatigued. And it's like, honestly, maybe it wouldn't have escalated to that. But like over the like while the show was airing, people were continually sending me clips and memes. - Schwartz: Oh my god, she was saying she's making me look bad. And people are rallying against you, you know, Team Jo. And I'm just like, I ignored it for so long. - Schwartz: And I think I just hit my breaking point that day. And there's some other things that happened with my family that I found out that I was very unhappy about. And anyways, anyways, so yeah, I just I cut her off. I blocked her. I don't harbor any resentment. I'm not like harboring ill. - Schwartz: I don't want, you know, I'm not sending bad vibes out there or whatever. - Kristen: Totally. It's just a boundary. - Schwartz: I wish her well, but yeah, she's not in my life in any capacity anymore and never will be. - Luke: Last question about on this topic. Have you seen Baby Reindeer? - Schwartz: No, I have not seen Baby Reindeer. - Luke: Are you familiar with what it is? - Schwartz Vaguely. - Kristen: You need to watch it though. - Luke: It's worth it. - Schwartz: I don't know. But anyways, I'll leave on a positive note, you know, anyways, yeah, no hard feelings no hard feelings at all.
Sandoval and Schwartz living situation (Timestamp: 45:30) - Schwartz: Well, listen, it's kind dynamic right now. I'm thinking about downsizing slightly, maybe a cool little lot. First of all, I've always wanted to live in a loft, a cool artist loft. - Schwartz: I found a really cool one in the valley. I was thinking about possibly downsizing while I build my house in Florida, just to cut costs a little bit. The optics of me moving in with Sandoval are not good for my personal growth and everything. - Schwartz: I also don't mind helping my friend out because I don't know exactly what's going to happen with the house, but I know his mortgage is going to be a lot more should he get to keep the house. I don't mind helping my buddy out either. It's like I'd rather give him some of my money, have a little backyard, a pool, and chill out there while I build my house in Florida, but it for sure wouldn't be anything long term. - Schwartz: As much as we love each other, and we've had very healthy conversations about this. We're like, dude, I don't really want to live with you. He's like, I don't want to live with you either, but I'm thinking it would be fun one last time before we get too old, we get hitched, have kids. Maybe it'd be fun to live together, but it's like, my god, the sentiment online is like, ew, don't do it, loser.
***end of recap

I received a letter from my property manager that they decided not to renew any leases due to wanting to sell all the rentals they have. In the notice it states “we understand that this decision may prompt you to leave earlier than you lease expiration. Should you choose to depart earlier, we kindly request you provide advanced notice (at least 30 days) to facilitate smooth transition.”
In a different subsection of this notice “Management company will work closely with you to address any concerns or questions you may have. We want to make this process as seamless as possible, and we are here to work with you in the release of your full term lease obligations, including final prorated rent through the end of your lease term (the lease expiration or the earlier termination date), any stated move out charges, and utilities.”
Then they turned off all the email addresses and changed their office location to a different city entirely about 45 minutes away. They signed the letter with the old address, which turned into the sales office for the neighborhood.
I gave my notice via their digital portal two days ago since I couldn’t make it to their office in person due to work hours. I ran into a maintenance guy today who told me he’d reach out to the office because he saw my work order but no one responded. He gave me a phone number, which I called.
The guy on the phone told me that submitting a work order to give notice didn’t count so it was 30 days from today and I would still be held liable for all costs through the end of my lease. I clarified with him and asked about the letter containing the quotes above, he stated that there was no commitment made in the letter they were just stating they would try? My lease is up 6/30 but paying rent only through 6/16 would save me $1k+. I gave the move out date of 6/14 because I’m getting married 6/15 and will be on my honeymoon through 7/1.. any advice is welcome. I already had to pay for movers due to having to travel for work the two weeks before my wedding and deposit/ rent/ overlapping utilities on the new place etc and I have a feeling they’ll fight me on getting my almost $3k deposit back as well. Any advice is welcome I’ve paid all my bills on time and have never had any complaints while living here.

Hi,
_____________________________ Edit : Cheap Website is kiwi. Insurer is Freely.
Itiinerary was : Adelaide, Dubai, London, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangkok, Singapore, Denpasar, Adelaide (unexpected sto in Jakarta between Singapore and Denpasar). Singapore to Denpasar was Batik/Lion air and onwards from Denpasar was Virgin but ended up buying a Jetstar ticket)
___________________________
(Sorry if this is a bit long)
TLDR; Being fobbed off by airline, flight website and insurance company after flight was cancelled causing next leg to be missed while on backpacking trip.
A family member who is based in Australia went travelling to Europe and Asia for 6 months or so. They booked flights through a cheap website that strung together multiple individual flights for each leg of their journey and supplied one itinerary.
There were multiple stops in various places, especially on the 5 or 6 weeks it was planned for the return to Australia. In the lead up to the first flight and during the trip, they sent multiple updated itineraries as the scheduled flights changed and at one point needed input to select an alternate flight for one part of the return leg. This is important.
On the home straight, my family member arrived in Singapore to be told the flight he was booked on (to Denpasar) had been cancelled some time before. He had not been informed of this and the flight on his itinerary simply didn’t exist any longer. The ground crew at Singapore for the airline did their best and got him on a flight to Jakarta and then one to Denpasar. Unfortunately, the flight to Denpasar from Jakarta (he wasn’t originally scheduled to go to Jakarta at all) was delayed and he missed the next flight (with a different airline) on to Australia. The airline for the flight to Australia simply weren’t interested. He had missed his flight and it was nothing to do with them.
He was stranded in Denpasar. He tried to contact the cheap website via their app and it would not work. The chat function logged him in then recycled him out back to the start page. He could not phone anyone. After spending the night in the airport wondering what to do, he booked the next available flight home and paid on a credit card. The cost him over $400 for a one way ticket.
The issue we have is trying to get someone to take responsibility. The cheap website where he bought the original flights is saying the airline should have told him the flight was cancelled (although they had informed and managed multiple other changes during the whole trip). They say he should have contacted them via the app or phone which he was unable to do when stranded.
His insurance company has rejected the claim as it is ‘additional expenses’ and ‘reasons’. The quoted various policy entries and exclusions but the position I would take is that he has incurred additional expenses due to circumstances outside his control and this is exactly why you buy insurance.
The airline has stopped responding and won’t explain the cancellation or the delay from Jakarta to Denapasar after multiple emails an being pushed from one department to the next.
Does anyone have any advice on the way forward here? It’s a lot of effort for not much return but it just feels wrong that these companies screwed up and can just wash their hands of it. If the cheap website had told him of the flight cancellation and booked him on another flight beforehand, it would have all been fine. He wasn’t on a tight itinerary.
The responses we get from the insurance company, cheap flight website and the airline are all just fob offs and don’t take into account the points made or accept any responsibility. Its infuriating!
Any ideas?

Hello I'm new to this sub and got recommended here from a car sub. So as the title say a mechanic worked on my car with out telling me. I had some transmission issues last year around November and i got it replaced by a shop. Transmission died on me a second time just last month in April, So i took it back to the same shop because I had a warranty through them. So i dropped it off and was told they'd give me a call the next day about it cause they were about to close but i didn't receive a phone call for about a week, so i called them. When i called they said that they were replacing they were replacing the transmission and I asked about the price because I'm still recovering from the last time. I was told that it is covered under warranty and was even told jokingly that "you could pay me if you'd like". A week later I got a call saying that my car was ready for pick up. When I arrived I was told that i would have to pay for labor and was told the price of 1363.04. I couldn't pay that and gave a little bit of fuss over saying that I couldn't pay and that i was told it was covered under warranty. I didn't sign and i left that day to try to find money to get my car back. I came back the next day and picked up my car. When i signed i left a note saying that "I wasn't quoted for this but i need my car" and took a picture, paid and left. I know that this illegal in my state of Washington but i don't know how to proceed.

My friend is a broker and sold a house to a relative a few years ago. The interest rate was very low. My friend just received an email saying the borrower (friends relative) didnt esign the documents and the loan needs to be paid off in full or refinanced by next month. Could this be real? It feels so scammy but the phone number and the lender check out. My friend is freaking out now and so is their relative.

Hi (name withheld), my name is (name withheld), and I work on the Sales Resolution Team at (mortgage company withheld). I tried to reach you by phone and left you a voice mail. We are trying to remedy a post-closing situation for the above mentioned file that closed in 2020. An investigation determined the IP address was traced to a location in (city name is correct) and confirmed the borrower did not e-sign the documents containing the borrower's signature.
At this time, we are requesting your help to contact the borrower and let her know that we need our loan paid off in full no later than June 16, 2024. This can be done as a refinance with another lender, or with other funds, including a sale of the home.
Please call me back at your earliest convenience at (phone withheld), or reply all to this email to advise of the status of this request. If you have additional questions, please let me know of a good day and time to talk.
Thank you.
Sales Resolution Team