Bought my GH in October 2023. Battery died on the key fob last month. Not too big of a deal as who knows how long that battery was in there. But my key fob died less than a month later after replacing it with a brand new battery.
What could be causing this??

Hey guys,
Ive got a few watches to change their batteries and another to resize as it's too big. Never done it before but I've seen the process on youtube. Just looking for a budget kit with all the right tools I'll need? Located in Australia happy to get online.
Never opened up a watch so thought I'd ask all you professionals 👌
Thanks in advance!

I started this current campaign with a small group near the beginning of covid - just me and three players, meeting once a week in my house. One player entered and one player exited, otherwise it's been the same people throughout.
Fool that I am, I expected it to fizzle out from schedules etc before it went too long. I thought it'd be a good opportunity to practice worldbuilding! So for the first time I did a fully homebrew setting, lore, pantheon, all of it. I had a seer give them a cryptically-worded prophecy with five different plot hooks so they could walk in any direction and find a villain. I also threw a couple off-the-wall sessions like "during a shared dream, you Mad Max across Avernus to deliver a pizza" because we're just screwing around! Why not have fun with it!
Fool.
The party is super into it. They take way better notes than I do. They remember the melon vendor in that one town they visited months ago, and by golly they want to know how his kids are doing. Some flavor text I threw in about "the war between dwarves and duergar has been going for a century" became a full story arc where they carefully established diplomatic relations with both sides and brokered a peace. They broke into the vault of D&D-Jeff-Bezos. They've gone hunting for moon rocks. The Avernus pizza run is established canon that they discuss in-character. They decided to observe traditional funeral rites for a dragonborn dignitary they recovered the remains of, which meant that I had to make up what that looked like!
They're excitedly asking me what I have planned to throw at them at level 20, and I'm outwardly smiling and inwardly panicking, because at level 14 they're already at the highest level I've ever DMed for. One of the players even started DMing for the first time to give me more session prep time and to let me recharge my batteries by playing.
(This post is about real anxiety that I'm having, but also I'm 90% sure that at least one of my players lurks on this subreddit and I wanted to give a shoutout for this absolute unicorn of a game group that I lucked into.)
Tl;dr: my party is way cooler than me and keeping up with their interest is a big anxiety.

Not much preface needed. I wanna see some big scary golden bois with fun rules. PDF here.
It's not complete yet, still have more to do (the list of plans listed out at the bottom. My guess is that we're leaning towards OP here, but I'm not sure how much. Very open to critique, criticisms, and suggestions!
Note: I'm not a competitive player, nor even a Custodes player (I play 'nids) but Custodes deserve fun rules and I like writing rules for games. Also want to shout out the custom detachments by superboyROC and pressST4RT, I took a few ideas (Enhancements and Strats) straight from them.

Changes

Bonus Army Rule: Aegis of the Emperor gives a 6++ vs MW and Dev Wounds. This rule is given to all "standard" Custodes Infantry (e.g. not Sisters)
New Ka'tah Stance: Kaptaris. Not the Index rule, but instead giving the option to force battleshock on an enemy unit (probably at –1). Fits a bit more with the fantasy of "trap the enemy and disorient them". Also quite good in Null Maidens.
Unit Changes:

• Allarus Custodians cost 65—>70 (ppm)
• Blade Champion cost 110—>125
• Custodian Guard cost 45—>50 (ppm)
• Custodian Wardens cost 50—>55 (ppm)
• Shield-Captains, All: Strategic Mastery wording changed to reduce the cost of a Stratagem to 0 if it is the target.
  • Note, this is primarily for interactions in the Talons of the Emperor Detachment
• Shield-Captain: Master of Stances reworded to select one additional Stance once per battle. Cost 140—>145
• Shield-Captain, Allarus: Wounds 7—>8. Cost 140—>155
• Shield-Captain, Jetbike: Toughness 6—>7, Wounds 7—>8. Cost 140—>170
• Vertus Praetors: Toughness 6—>7, Wounds 4—>5. Cost 75—>80 (ppm)

Auric Champions I put this one out there a month or so back, but I've made a few changes since then.

• Detachment rule replaced with passive buffs to solo Characters. Additionally, Shield Captains can use their Strategic Mastery ability on Epic Deed Stratagems.
• Blade Imperator Enhancement gives Fights First; previous function was turned into a once-per-battle ability. The unit cannot be attached to another.
• Inspirational Exemplar once-per-battle ability can increase OC and remove battleshock from all allied units in 12". Renamed "Voice of the Emperor"
• Slayer of Champions now just gives the old Detachment rule for a turn
• Superhuman Reserves no longer limited to Warlords, and the timing has been changed to be more flexible
• Emperor's Auspice changed to 1CPP FNP 6+ on Character units. Remember solo Characters get to add 1 to FNP rolls
• Earning of a Name redesigned, now giving a permanent buff to a unit that has killed a CharacteVehicle/Monster. (This may need a bit more juice behind it, open to suggestions)
• Vigil Unending now 1CP
• Shoulder the Mantle redesigned. If a Shield-Captain in a unit is destroyed, remove one model from the unit and replace it with the destroyed Captain with half-wounds remaining. 1CP
• Added two more Enhancements. The Noble Lance and old Slaves to Darkness detachments had 5, so there's precedent for >4 Enhancements in a detachment, and I can't think of a better place to break that rule than the Herohammer detachment

Shield Host The intent here was a flexible, all Custodes detachment primarily focused on durability

• Detachment rule replaced by Host Maxims, a Hyper-Adaptations-like "choose your rule" rule.
  • Magna Imperator: Once per phase for each unit, re-roll the Hit and Wound roll.
  • Gilden Guardians: While on an objective you control, –1S to incoming attacks. (This may need a bit more oomph)
  • Heralds of the Throne: Units can Advance+charge. In addition, 1/2/3 units gain the Scouts 6" ability based on battle size.
• Removed Vigilance Eternal and Archeotech Munitions
• Arcane Genetic Alchemy reverted to the Index effect. 2CP
• Avenge the Fallen now adds +1/+3 Attacks, instead of +1/+2
• Multipotentiality is a Battle-Tactic
• Added Esteemed Amalgam: select an additional Host Maxim for one unit, lasting until your next Command Phase
• Added Shield of Honour: give target Infantry Character Lone Op until the end of the phase
• Renamed Unwavering Sentinels to Aurite Wall
• Panoptispex replaced with Praesidius (Attacks subtract 1 from Wound rolls vs the bearer)

Emperor's Wrath I wanted to contrast the previous Shield Host with an offense-oriented all Custodes detachment

• Detachment Rule: Strategic Ka'tahs. Choose up to 3 units with the Martial Ka'tah ability; each unit gets one of the following Ka'tahs until your next Command Phase
  • Calistus: Re-roll Advance rolls
  • Conservai: Enemies in Engagement Range reduce OC by 1
  • Salvus: Add 4" to ranged weapon Range
• Arcane Genetic Alchemy: the Index effect. 2CP
• Martial Mastery: The Codex Shield Host rule, targeting one unit, used in the Fight phase. 1CP
• Charge of Golden Light: Cannot be targeted by ranged attacks unless within 12". 2CP
• Indomitable Guardians: Fights First. 2CP
• Archeotech Munitions: per Codex Shield Host. 1CP
• Fear Through Fury: After destroying enemy unit, all visible enemies within 12" must test battleshock (–1 if the destroyed unit was a Character)
• All-Seeing Annihilator: better mobility + Rapid Ingress
• Superior Creation: a slain model is not removed
• Wrath Victus: re-roll Wounds of 1 if target is below Starting Strength, full re-rolls if target is below Half Starting
• Panoptispex: per Codex Shield Host

What's Next:

• tweaking/redesigning Talons of the Emperor
• a redesign of Null Maidens
• rules for a few more Sisters models (probably taking from Horus Heresy—if they can make unit rules without models, so can I)
• a new bikers detachment
• maybe a Shadowkeepers Detachment? Or maybe I'll fold them into the Emperor's Wrath detachment.
• I've thought about maybe making a new strictly defensive Ka'tah stance, bringing up the Army Ka'tah list to 4, but I think that's starting to dip too high in complexity.

I'm a 30-year-old introvert who enjoys the quieter moments, but I also have a sense of adventure. I'm into traveling abroad, hiking through beautiful landscapes, and exploring new places. I have a short social battery, so I tend to recharge with some downtime, but with the right person, I can be a great companion. Ultimately, I'm looking for something serious and long-term. I would like to have kids someday and dream of building a home in a remote mountainous area where I can enjoy nature and peace.
I'm 5'11" with an average build, and I hit the gym regularly to stay in shape. I work full-time and also study part-time and recently have setup a business so I keep pretty busy. When I do find some free time, I like playing video games, especially puzzle-solving ones, and I also enjoy coding. I’m a big fan of Christopher Nolan, and my favorite movie is Memento, which I've wached so many times.
One of my favorite things to do is engage in deep conversations. I love thinking about big questions and discussing them with someone who’s equally intrigued. If you’re into that, I think we’d get along great.
I'm not into social media like Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, etc. If that's a big part of your life which you're also looking for in a potential partenr, I might not be the right person for you. I prefer to spend my time with people in person or through meaningful conversations over the phone or via messages.
I'm looking for someone who also enjoys deep discussions, likes adventures, and is either introverted or extroverted—it doesn't matter as long as you respect my need for occasional alone time. Ideally, you don't have kids, you don't smoke, and religion isn't a deal-breaker for you, as it's not a significant part of my life.
I'm open to a long-distance relationship but I'd like to meet in person regularly once we're both comfortable. To set expectations, I may not share a picture of myself with you until I'm comfortable with who you are.
If this sounds like you, I'd love to chat and see where things go. Let's start with a conversation and see if we share a connection that could lead to something special.

Previous Part
I woke up to the smell of sausage and eggs. Over by the side of my bed was a tray with a masterfully prepared omelet and sausage to match. That’s not what caught my eye though. What did that was the little note stuck to the side of they tray.
“Sorry for terrorizing you- R”
Was scrawled in barley legible hand writing, Rocco’s I imagined.
“So it can cook but not write?”
I muttered to myself as I got out of bed.
A fresh change of clothes was laid out for me and I decided just not to question it. The clothes fit perfectly and I tried not to let my mind wander as to why that was while I ate breakfast. Rocco’s omelet was outstanding, for a trash panda he made a great cook but I have no idea where he would’ve picked that up. After I finished I brought my dishes downstairs and ran into Stein in the kitchen.
“The clothes fit don’t they? My eyes aren’t what they used to be, I should’ve just sent Rocco up to ask your size.”
“No no, they fit fine, and please don’t send Rocco to do anything without telling me. I think that might just give me a heart attack on the spot. I’m still really not used to all… this going on”
I said gesturing to the raccoon who had wandered into the kitchen and was now flipping me the bird with both his paws.

Stein nodded to me with what I hoped was understanding. As much as Rocco seemed harmless (Maybe… hopefully?) I really didn’t want the furry little demon arriving anywhere near me unexpectedly. We already saw how that went in the basement yesterday. I finished washing my dishes in the sink as Stein ate his breakfast. He seemed so calm and normal, compared to the things I’d seen in this house so far. If you took one look at Bianca you say she looked too good to be true. Rocco is… well, he’s a talking raccoon, that’s immediately strange. But when it came to Frank and Stein you couldn’t tell there was anything off about them. Honestly I still had trouble seeing where they fit into this whole thing.
I was lost in this train of thought as I went through the motions of taking my groceries out of the refrigerator where someone had put them. I didn’t even realize Bianca was standing behind me till she tapped my shoulder. Jumping out of my skin I screeched out,
“Jesus Rocco what the hell!”
Bianca went from serious to laughing hysterically in no time flat.
“He really has you spooked after last night doesn’t he?”
She barely got out between bouts of laughter.
“I’m sorry really, oh and I’ve got this for you.”
Chuckled Bianca, handing me a wad of cash with a face that didn’t look remotely sorry for laughing at me.
“Just for that I’ll take it! But I’ve got to ask, how do you have this much cash just lying around, isn’t that a little risky?”
“You’d have to ask my unc… Frank or Stein.”
Bianca answered, stumbling on the apparently familiar lie. As she said this Stein stood up from the table and answered my question.
“Researching the supernatural isn’t always safe but Germany pays its scientists well, even if we don’t work for them anymore.”
“Germany? When did you work with the German government?”
I asked, a sinking suspicion settling into the pit of my stomach.
“1941, The Führer requested me specifically and I met Frank there. Oh don’t look at me like that! I didn’t support his cause, he simply wanted to look into forces outside his control and that was my specialty. It was business nothing more.”
Stein responded, pointing his finger at me and sounding a little annoyed.
“But that would make you… there’s no way you’re that old. Uh I don’t mean!”
“Think nothing of it, if anything, it means our serum worked. Distilled it from the DNA of a few pureblooded vampires and designed it to slow human aging to a crawl.”
Bianca cut him off,
“Stein, I think I can see steam coming out his ears. Can we maybe give the supernatural stuff a rest? I know you’ve been around it all your life but I think its a bit much for him.”
“Yes, I suppose your right Bianca. I’ll leave you two be then.”
Stein surrendered, as he turned and walked out of the room. Like he hadn’t just dropped yet another bomb on me.
I held myself together much better this time. After talking raccoons and succubi, learning vampires apparently existed in such an offhanded manner just didn’t surprise me as much. At this point I was just about ready to accept any supernatural entity I’d ever heard of existed in some capacity. In fact that might be the best policy moving forward.
“Hey you’re not going to pass out on us again right?”
Bianca asked turning back to me, genuine concern in her voice.
“No, I’ll be fine. The more I hear about this kind of thing the better I am at just accepting it. It’s a lot easier hearing it from one of you guys than having it drop out of the sky at me.”
I joked, walking with Bianca to the door. I noticed my poor attempt at a joke was the first time I said anything about Imalone without feeling like someone would call me crazy. I couldn’t dwell on that for too long right now though, I had to drop off the groceries that had taken me a full day to get. In hindsight though, I’ve had worst trips to the grocery store.
The next few days passed without any real issues, I got things set up in the house and ordered some furniture with the money I got from Bianca. On the second day I figured I should go out and explore the town a bit. I was getting bored being cooped up doing normal things and apparently I wanted to throw a wrench in all that.
“Maybe a bar” I thought to myself as I walked out the door just as the sun had started to think about setting, “Those are always a good place to meet people”.
This is where I tell you I may be just a little awkward. Even back home I didn’t really get out and meet new people much but I figured now is as good a time as any to start. I threw together a quick outfit with the clothes I brought with me from home. Hopefully I looked at least a little bit presentable in khakis and a red dress shirt. I walked out my door and immediately saw Bianca’s house peering out over the town. I considered dropping by to see if Bianca wanted to join me. I had told her about the reasons I ended up in Eagles Peak but I still knew precious little about her. I assumed her past wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I wanted to know what exactly drew someone like her to a sleepy little town like this. Maybe seeing if she wanted to join me would be a good opportunity to learn something about her? It’s entirely possible I just wanted to spend more time around her because she was drop dead gorgeous. Maybe it was because she was the first person I bumped into in town? I couldn’t put my finger on it and if we’re being honest I didn’t want to admit the real reason to myself.
That would have to wait for another day though. I had spent so much time thinking about it that by the time I snapped back to reality I was by the greyhound bus stop, well past her house. There was another bus stopped there and people were getting off of it. None of them looked like what I would call a local but its not like I’d really know what a “local” looked like here anyways. Still, this town couldn’t get this many visitors right? It was weird but probably had a completely reasonable explanation.
“The Eagle’s Roost” read the sign above the bar’s entrance, it was actually a pretty high class looking establishment. The fresh red paint gleamed against the faded whites and grays of the other buildings on the street. Inside, a well polished dark wood floor greeted me. The room was completed by a roaring stone fireplace and a well used set of stools by the counter.
“Hey there! Anyone home?!”
I called out into the empty bar.
“Give me a minute!”
Replied a deep gruff voice form the back room. Eventually a man emerged from the room, well I say man but what I mean was a mountain in human form. This guy had to be about 7 feet tall and built from solid granite. Seriously, the muscles on this guy would’ve put The Rock to shame.
“Little early to start drinkin’ isn’t it?”
The mountain grunted judgmentally.
“Well I’m new here I just wanted to see the town. I could come back later if you want.”
“New, why didn’t you say so! New here, I haven’t seen anyone new here in years! come sit down if you’ve got questions about this place I can probably answer them!”
The now elated giant boomed at me. He turned hospitable in an instant, offering me a drink on the house for his poor manners before. His name was Tucker and he’d come to the town years ago as a foreman for it’s mine. The mine dried up and the workers moved on but something about this town spoke to him and he decided to stay. He opened up this bar and the rest is history. Something about the way he talked about the mine did’t sit right with me though. He kept mentioning how it dried up like he was trying to convince me that was what happened. Plus a mine out here didn’t exactly make much sense to me.
“So you run this place alone then?”
I asked, more to be polite than out of genuine curiosity. We had started to run out of things to talk about after conversation about the mine dried up much like it apparently had.
“Never needed any help besides my wife’s, but most days I just run the place alone, yes. No sense in hiring help here, not many people looking for work outside of the ones working at that grocery store down the street. Anyways I should get back to work, its getting to be about time we actually open to the public.”
I turned my head to look at the sign I now realized was stuck to the door. “Eagle’s Roost Hours: 6PM-1AM every night”. I realized with embarrassment I had walked through the door an hour before opening. Tuck had been nothing but friendly though, and I almost felt bad for assuming the locals like him would want to shoo me away. After all, everyone I’d met so far had been nothing but nice, not including Rocco that is.
As I turned my attention back to my drink I thought about the mine again. I hadn’t seen any records of the mine Tuck mentioned in my internet searches of the town before I came here. Honestly it had been incredibly difficult to dig up anything on the town. I wasn’t necessarily the most thorough in my search, but mines tend to be a staple of the towns they’re located in. This mine in particular seems to be what the town was built on. I’m not sure what had me so worked up on this mine issue but I was sure it was important. I sat there at the bar, mulling it over and sipping on my drink when a hand slapped down on my shoulder.
The man it was attached to said something but I couldn’t catch it even if I wanted to. I was far to laser focused on the mark seared black into the mans hand, the exact same eagle that was burned into my back. I pushed him off and bolted for the door, all I heard behind me was the mans confused “What?” And Tuck shouting at him.
“Now what in the Blazes did you do to the poor kid Robert!”
I shot off into the street from the bar, no one was chasing me but the fact that the symbol was here had set me off like a deer running from a gunshot.
“What the hell happened to you?”
Called a now familiar, heavily accented voice from the alleyway.
“Rocco, what are you doing out here?”
I questioned, bewildered at finding him out in the open. I’d never admit it but seeing a familiar face, even Rocco’s, calmed me down a little
“I’m a raccoon in an alleyway, what do you think I’m doing, fishing? No, I’m rootin' around in the trash, Frank needs some lithium foil and he can’t be bothered to run out and buy some batteries himself, stingy bastard.”
He retorted, looking for all intents and purposes like a normal raccoon at the moment.
“Even if I were to guess I wouldn’t have even come close to that.”
“I live to surprise”
Rocco sneered, taking a bow dripping with sarcasm.
“Anyways Frank is back at the house right? There’s something I’ve got to tell him.”
I asked, turning and running as soon as I got a response in the affirmative.
“Yeah he is, what exactly is so importa…. And he’s gone”
I made it to their strange high house in record time and burst through the door like I owned the place. For some reason Bianca seemed completely unfazed as I crashed into the entryway without so much as a knock.
“You know, you don’t live here right?”
“Oh yeah, good to see you too Bianca. Anyways, were is Frank, or Stein for that matter I’ve got something to ask.”
“They’re in the basement.”
Bianca said pointing to the door without looking up from the book she was reading.
Her dismissive attitude didn’t even register to me as I made my way down the basement steps. I got to the bottom and an acrid scent assaulted my nostrils.
“Do I even want to know what that is?”
I called into the basement, announcing my presence. Frank emerged from a room to my side decked out in a full lab coat and goggles along with a hairnet to protect what little of his still remained.
“What do you need?”
“You guys seem to know a lot about the supernatural right? Well, does this symbol mean anything to you?”
I said pulling off my shirt and turning my back to show him the mark that woman had left me with. His reaction could best be described by the sound of shattering glass as he dropped the beaker he was holding as he saw the symbol.
“Where did you get that?!”
He yelled more than asked.
“Back in Imalone.”
“Imalone? What’s that supposed to mean?”
It dawned on me that I hadn’t explained it to him like I had Bianca, so I filled him in. I told him the whole truth this time, where the mark came from, what really drove me to Eagles Peak, all of it. Frank listened diligently looking more concerned by the minute, at some point Stein joined him. A similarly shocked look was plastered across his face. I swear he was turning white when he answered my question.
“It’s the mark of the Thunderbird, and from what you told us, you met… her in person.”
“So why do you look so worried about it?”
I asked, feeling a little worried.
“Well she’s marked you personally, most people that have that mark would’ve gotten it to show devotion or allegiance and it certainly wouldn’t have come directly from the Thunderbird.”
The way Stein talked about this “Thunderbird” made me think I may be in even deeper shit than I realized.
“So do you two actually know anything about the Thunderbird?”
I asked, hoping these two would know something considering their long study of the supernatural.
“Until recently I only knew of the native legends surrounding the creature. I heard of people marking themselves with that symbol so I assumed there must be some truth to the legends. But neither me nor Frank has ever seen the Thunderbird, much less seen it..er, her take a human form.”
Stein answered, sounding almost disappointed in himself. I got the sense that not knowing something like this really ate at him. Which was just further proven by what he said next, a grin suddenly appearing on his face.
“Frank, I think we have our next big research project on our hands then.”
“I’ll start pulling any records I can find of accounts like Keith’s here.”
Frank said, hurrying over to a computer in the basement corner that looked ancient.
“Yes and compare those to the various legends surrounding the Thunderbird.”
Stein responded, rifling through a row of cabinets against the far wall.
Those two seemed to be whipped into a frenzy by something they knew next to nothing about being dropped in their laps.
“Guys… Guys! Can we hold off on going full mad scientist mode for just a second I’ve got one more thing to ask!”
I yelled trying to get their attention. when they turned to me I could see the spark in both their eyes as they hastily responded in unison.
“Yes, what!”
“Have either of you heard about a mine in this town? Tuck at “Eagle’s Roost” mentioned it but I don’t remember seeing anything about it when I looked into this town.”
“Ah the mine, it’s out in the forest north of town somewhere. There was a collapse or something a few years after it opened and the town covered it up. It would’ve been very embarrassing for them to admit the screw up so they just… didn’t, that’s all there is too it.”
Frank answered, seemingly bothered by the mundaneness of that question.
“So the mine is still out there then?”
“Of course! What did you think it just walked away? No, leave us be we’ve got work to do.”
Stein snapped.
As I left the two to their business and made my way out of the house I ran into Rocco, several grimy batteries grasped in his paws.
“They uh… I don’t think they’ll need those batteries anymore bud.”
“God damnit! That’s what I get for trying to be helpful.”
Rocco yelled, as he threw the batteries against the wall. I had to chuckle at the absurdity of it all. Here I was walking past a talking raccoon on his way down to two scientists looking into a Thunderbird. That’s a real thing that’s currently happening to me. Just a few days ago simply seeing Rocco knocked me out almost immediately and now he was just a minor inconvenience. Could it be that I was actually adjusting to all the crazy things that had been happening around me? I sure thought so.
Upstairs, Bianca was still nose deep in her book at the kitchen table.
“Hey can I ask you something?”
“Yeah sure, what is it?”
“Ever been into the woods around town? There’s something I want to check out there.”
“I don’t usually leave the house all that much if I’m honest.”
Bianca answered, a touch of sadness in her voice.
“Do you want too? Leave the house I mean.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Well, I’m going to be headed out there tomorrow looking for the old mine.”
“And why are you looking for that?”
She questioned suspiciously.
“I have a feeling it has something to do with the mark that woman… and I forgot I didn’t tell you about that.”
Bianca looked up at me as she said with a smirk.
“I knew there was more to that story from the other night. Why didn’t you tell me?”
I’ll spare you the details but needless to say I told the story again. I really need to start bringing everyone together when I do these things, it would save me time.
“So that’s why you came here, and you think this mine has something to do with it?”
Bianca exclaimed excitedly. I could almost see the lightbulb going off over her head.
“Yeah that’s pretty much it, do you want to come with? I mean you don’t have to go but I”
She cut me off,
“You know what maybe I should go. Two sets of eyes gives us better odds right? And you have a bad history with forgotten places I seem to recall.”
Bianca said with a coy smile.
“That’s what we’ll do then, I’ll get some things ready and stop by tomorrow, we’ll leave from there.”
And before she had a chance to rethink her answer I left feeling pleased with myself.
My next stop was the hardware store on the other side of town. Of course I still had my travel bag from the good old Imalone trip but I figured I’d pick up some more tools that could come in handy.. I ended up with two heavy duty flashlights, some work gloves of various sizes cause I had no idea what size would fit Bianca, and a set of bolt cutters. It was only when I got up to the counter and the clerk gave me the stink eye that I noticed my mistake.
“You planning to break into something kid?”
Questioned the older guy cashing me out. I responded before my brain caught up with my mouth.
“I was planning on it but you guys didn’t sell balaclavas. So I guess I’ll have to wait.”
The man eyed me for a second then burst out laughing as he handed me my things. Which was good because I knew a few places back in Wisconsin where pulling that would’ve got me pulled into a backroom for questioning. Not a lot of people knew how to take a joke back home. Weirdly enough it was the first time I thought of home since coming here. Obviously I had family back there but we weren’t exactly close like I said before. I just found myself missing the familiarity of the area I had lived in for the past 24 years of my life. I think that’s why I came to the decision to call my mother when I got home later that night.
The whole walk home I had this strange feeling of being watched. No-one was there, I’m sure because I checked… several times. But even as I locked the door to my house and starting sorting out a bag of supplies for Bianca, the feeling didn’t go away. As I pulled out my phone to call my mother the feeling finally faded into the background as I got her familiar answering machine.
“Hi, you’ve reached Carla, leave your name and number after the tone.”
Straight and to the point as quickly as possible, that was the best way to describe mom and it showed even in her answering machine.
“Hi mom I bet you’re wondering where I ended up. Well I’m in New York now, in a sleepy little town. Its nice really, I already met some new people they’re… well they’re a bit strange but I think I might fit in with them. I’m still looking for a job but I had a really well paying temp thing the other day so I’ll be fine for a little while. Anyways, hope you’re doing well, love you.”
I teared up a bit as I ended the call, I hadn’t called my mother in at least a year. She never checked up on me and I never checked in with her. We’d see each other at family gatherings and talk but outside of that I didn’t really contact her much anymore. It was sort of a mutual agreement that we both had, we assumed the other was alright. But being this far from Wisconsin, this far from home, had finally caught up with me. I wanted to at least hear her voice, even if it was just a recording.
As I finished up packing for tomorrow I was quite proud of myself. I’d thought of just about everything, I dug some old hiking boots out for myself and some rope from my old travel bag. Several different sets of flint and steel and about three days worth of dehydrated food adorned the top pocket of both bags. I’d even found an old water purification kit that ended up in one of the duffle bags I brought from my apartment. In short, I was the most over prepared for an excursion like this I’d ever been. It did help push back the eyes I felt peering at me from somewhere over my shoulder, the feeling of being watched still not leaving me. Once I laid down and tried to fall asleep the feeling only intensified. Sounds of rolling thunder in the distance reminding me of my time in Imalone and the fury of the storm the Thunderbird brought. I felt strangely confident as well though, tomorrow Bianca and I may finally start to uncover some answers as to why I felt called to this town, and maybe even what this mark could mean for me.

I'm a 30-year-old introvert who enjoys the quieter moments, but I also have a sense of adventure. I'm into traveling abroad, hiking through beautiful landscapes, and exploring new places. I have a short social battery, so I tend to recharge with some downtime, but with the right person, I can be a great companion. Ultimately, I'm looking for something serious and long-term. I would like to have kids someday and dream of building a home in a remote mountainous area where I can enjoy nature and peace.
I'm 5'11" with an average build, and I hit the gym regularly to stay in shape. I work full-time and also study part-time and recently have setup a business so I keep pretty busy. When I do find some free time, I like playing video games, especially puzzle-solving ones, and I also enjoy coding. I’m a big fan of Christopher Nolan, and my favorite movie is Memento, which I've wached so many times.
One of my favorite things to do is engage in deep conversations. I love thinking about big questions and discussing them with someone who’s equally intrigued. If you’re into that, I think we’d get along great.
I'm not into social media like Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, etc. If that's a big part of your life which you're also looking for in a potential partenr, I might not be the right person for you. I prefer to spend my time with people in person or through meaningful conversations over the phone or via messages.
I'm looking for someone who also enjoys deep discussions, likes adventures, and is either introverted or extroverted—it doesn't matter as long as you respect my need for occasional alone time. Ideally, you don't have kids, you don't smoke, and religion isn't a deal-breaker for you, as it's not a significant part of my life.
I'm open to a long-distance relationship but I'd like to meet in person regularly once we're both comfortable. To set expectations, I may not share a picture of myself with you until I'm comfortable with who you are.
If this sounds like you, I'd love to chat and see where things go. Let's start with a conversation and see if we share a connection that could lead to something special.

LONG POST INCOMING: Sorry for the rambling, just wanted to get my thoughts out there.
Okay so I want genuine opinions on this if possible. I know the ally X hasn’t officially been announced yet and there are some pretty big controversies with Asus right now and because of that I probably won’t do this. But regardless I wanted to make a post because I wanted to know what everyone in the community through about it. I love my Legion Go. I’ve had it since launch and it has been fantastic. I really like the ability to remove the side controllers and even though it’s a bit of a gimmick I like FPS mode. Though with the announcement (pre announcement 🤨) of the Ally X it kinda got me thinking. For the ally, the screen is smaller and the x is going to basically have the same screen. The stuff that’s updates is basically going to be more ram, better form factory, and larger battery. This is where I start thinking. The Legion go is big. Like REALLY BIG but the screen is fantastic. Recently I got a GPD Win 4 and I gotta say I didn’t realize how large the legion was till I got that. I also like how the ally has a native landscape screen. That and it has access to AFMF. Though losslesscaling is fantastic so that isn’t much of a reason to switch from legion go to ally x. Honestly the main stuff that’s making me debate this is the size of the battery and form factor. Whenever I dock my legion I always take off the side controllers and almost never use a mouse or FPS mode. But the way I’d get around this is I have a couple Bluetooth controllers I could just use or connect a mouse so that option isn’t too bad or a game changer for me. Genuinely I just want to know what everyone thinks about the Ally X, cause like I said in the beginning Asus seems to be having controversy and I am even more hesitant to give the company my money with the issues that they have, but the much bigger battery and ram is enticing. I know there’s the argument to have a power bank with you which I do, but with that being said to carry that in addition to the already large legion go it’s alot. But yeah, would love genuine opinions and feedback.
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I'm pissed off at the so called justice system and need to rant and I figure plenty of other pod listeners have experienced what a bastard it is and might relate. Feel free to share your story in the comments and we can all commiserate and bitch together.
I work the front desk of a motel and I love it. The owner pays a living wage, and I'm not required to smile in the face of Karen nonsense.
For the most part, the property is safe and quiet, but we have been having issues with this one particular loiterer for a few years now. In general, we really don't want people who are not guests or here with guests to be hanging around the property. He did more than just hang around though. He actively bothered guests, trying to bum money, cigarettes, alcohol and rides off of people while stinking drunk. He'd bother anyone but women were his favorite. He'd hit on them and try to get their numbers, even staff members. It didn't matter how many times he was told to leave, he'd keep coming back. Usually this happened at night, but he'd show up stumbling drunk during the day as well.
He's not homeless. When we figured out his name, we were able to determine he lives in an apartment complex a stone's throw away. We learned his name after an employee saw his mugshot, and that he'd been charged with trespassing and indecent exposure at a nearby business. Looking up his past criminal history, he's no stranger to run ins with the police. Criminal Mischief, False Imprisonment Of Child Under 13 Yoa, Child Abuse, Battery, Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Disorderly Conduct, Trespass In Occupied Structure, Possession Of Cocaine all from one encounter with police. Others include another count of indecent exposure, assault on a female and breaking and entering.
When we learned all this, we realized he was more than just a nuisance and we needed to try harder to get him to stay the hell away before he hurt one of our guests or a member of staff. Then he ended up being gone for awhile anyway. Jail? Another state? We don't know and I'm not that good at reading court records.
But he came back with a vengeance toward the end of 2022 and started zeroing in on our night auditor who was a very pretty but naïve girl which I guess he took as an invitation. When we learned about this she was told to just call the police whenever he'd show up so we could finally get him trespassed. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to any of you that the police never showed up in time to get him on the property, so they kept saying they couldn't do anything about it. Months later the planets aligned and he was finally trespassed.
This kept him away briefly. The night auditor left and a new one was hired who was not aware of the loiterer. Unfortunately for her, he took an even bigger shine to her, escalating to very sexual comments. We hadn't seen him for a bit, so we foolishly thought having him trespassed would work and hadn't warned her about him. One day last summer she is telling me about a guy who keeps coming around on her shift, and she doesn't think he's a guest. As she's describing him I realize she's talking about the loiterer. I tell her next time he comes around, just call the police.
To make a long story short (too late), by November he'd been arrested on our property three times for trespassing. And one time for communicating threats when he came screaming at the night auditor demanding to know why the general manager was at the hotel in the middle of the night. Clearly having him trespassed was not a deterrent. We kept being told to just keep calling because it would build a stalking case against him. Private security options around here are a joke, so instead the night auditor's boyfriend was given a free room during her shifts because her stalker would stay away when her boyfriend was around. But he would watch the property from somewhere because if her boyfriend went to run an errand or was away from the desk long enough, guess who would come creeping?
Don't worry, we finally got stalking charges against him though. Early November I was working a 16 hour shift because I'm a workaholic and I like OT. I was also pet sitting for my parents so as my day drew to a close I was absolutely running on fumes. Guess who turns up on the property bothering our guests again? We do the same song and dance where I call the police and they don't show up on time. The night auditor he likes was working that night and she arrived without her boyfriend, long story but he couldn't be there.
I desperately needed to get out of there because I had to be back in 8 hours and also needed to take care of the dog, but I could not in good conscience leave her by herself when I knew her stalker was prowling around. Sure enough, as I'm about to leave we see him on the security cameras heading toward the desk. The lobby has big glass windows and he walked by them, presumably looking to see if she was alone, but he kept going because I was here.
Something in me snapped. If the law wasn't enough to deter him from coming around, we'd have to find alternative methods to discourage him. I grabbed the pepper spray we have because of him and went outside to confront him like a lunatic. I shouted "hey!" to get him to turn around and I pepper sprayed him in the face as he was eating a cheeseburger and then I did it again. I got his face and his cheeseburger and he was so drunk he kept eating it as he cursed me and called me a crazy bitch, which is a fair thing to call the crazy bitch who just pepper sprayed you even though you deserved it.
I had dialed 911 on the way out the door, so they got to hear me yelling at him and told me to stop following him and I lied and said I wasn't following him, I was just yelling at him. In reality I was doing both though I only followed him to the edge of the property. The reality of the situation hit me at that point because I absolutely just attacked him and called the police on myself. My biggest concern in the moment though was the fact that my parents were out of town and there was no one else to take care of their dog.
Anyway, cop shows up like ten minutes later to take our statements and whatever. My eyes are stinging because I'd walked through a cloud of pepper spray, so I recommend gel not spray because it apparently doesn't do that. Fortunately I did not get in trouble and the cop was like huh, if your reaction to seeing him is to just immediately pepper spray him, perhaps we have enough for stalking charges. Yay, finally. They didn't catch him that night though.
And it turns out pepper spray wasn't that good of a deterrent. He was back bothering people two days later. Fortunately his favorite target was off for a few days and the other NA was working and called the police. They showed up and talked to him AND DIDN'T ARREST HIM. They said they couldn't because he wasn't on property when they arrived, which is bullshit because all they need is proof he was here which we have because we have security cameras and he has been busted another time that way. They just didn't want to do their job.
I started bringing my gun to work at that point in case the stalker decided he wanted revenge for the pepper spray. But honestly his brain is so liquor cooked I'm not even sure he remembers I did that.
Over the next couple days we say him a few more times, learned he had a warrant out for his arrest on the stalking and trespassing charge, but the cops kept not showing up in time. Then we didn't see him for a few weeks. I'd check on the local arrest records to see if he'd been arrested, and he finally was about 6 weeks after the incident. He was bonded out a couple days later and bond conditions included staying away from the hotel as well as my coworker and I.
After that he stayed off the property, but would sometimes shout at the NA from the sidewalk out front, telling her he loved her and would never hurt her. He never stuck around long enough that she felt it was worth calling the police over.
He would still hang around the fast food restaurant parking lot next door and bother guests whose rooms faced that direction. There wasn't anything we could do about it and they weren't interested in doing anything about it. This changed at the end of March when he was arrested there for being drunk and disorderly. He bonded out on that charge as well. We didn't see him around after that but knew better than to celebrate.
End of April, he gets arrested again this time at the gas station across the road. Drunk and disorderly, indecent exposure, and resisting an officer. Bonds out again.
Just a couple days later, the other day shift person spots him hanging around the property though he didn't stay long. She warned night shift about him when she left that night. Sure enough, he turns up again IN THE FUCKING LOBBY. NA scares him off with the stun stick that was also purchased because of him and calls the police. As is tradition, they don't arrive in time. But we have proof of him violating bond, so we're hopeful that maybe he'll get locked up and give us a longer break.
But he wasn't done with his chaos for the night, the NA learned the next morning when the police came back to talk to her. He went to hang around the gas station where he'd just been arrested. He was loitering around with another guy, generally being suspicious and touching themselves. Then comes the escalation no one saw coming (/s). He and his creep buddy attempt to sexually assault a woman at the gas station. Fortunately they fail, unfortunately buddy gets away, fortunately stalker does not.
But you wouldn't know about any of that looking at his charges. All you would see is that he was trespassing at the gas station, had an open container of alcohol, damaged a police car, resisted an officer, did a disorderly conduct, and he pissed on an officer. Nothing about the sexual assault, or trespassing at the hotel and violating bond. Also apparently pissing on a cop is a felony.
On the bright side, his bail was set to $25k and I kept checking to see if he had posted bond and he hadn't. So we were enjoying a reprieve. I checked every couple of days for updates on that, and when doing so today I noticed the status of the stalking case had changed from pending to disposed.
I looked into that and discovered the stalking charge had been dismissed because the victims and officer had not shown up to court. Showing up to court is kind of difficult to do WHEN NO ONE TELLS YOU YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. There was absolutely no communication with any of us regarding the stalking charge. Everything I did know I knew from arrest and court records which I barely know how to decipher.
We've done everything we were supposed to do, but fuck us I guess right? We're having to take our safety into our own hands because the justice system doesn't give a fuck. He's not getting whatever help he needs to not be a predator because it doesn't give a fuck.
I'm so fucking angry right now. We're going to call the DA on Monday, for all the good that is likely to do. Maybe the owner can band together with other business owners in the area and get something done about him since money talks. I don't fucking know.
I'm not scared of him for myself, I'm scared of what he might do to a guest or one of my coworkers. He wouldn't be the first pervert to attack a housekeeper, thinking they're an easy target. One guy flashed his dick at a housekeeper a couple years ago and the owner chased him down and held him at knife point until the cops showed up. At least that cop had the good nature to claim not to have heard the owner when he said he was going to cut the guy's dick off.
The cop the stalker pissed on probably deserved it.
How has the justice system fucked you over?

Big thanks to u/French1966DeArfcom for directing me to this vendor on eBay!
I wanted to use my existing Argus strobe battery pack with an RPNVG but that’s a 4 pin Fischer to 4 pin LEMO interface. Nocturn sells such a cable but the straight LEMO connector creates a snag hazard with the port placement on an RNVG or RPNVG. I messaged the vendor with my request and 2 days later they sent me a new listing with a right angle Fischer to right angle LEMO in the desired length. Still extremely overpriced for what it is but cheaper than anything else I could find.
Hopefully this helps anyone with an L3 CWBP or Argus USBP who wants to pair with an RNVG/RPNVG/anything else with an awkward port position.

Looking for something slim and not too heavy with good charging speed and battery life. It doesnt have to be perfect by any means and its fine if it doesnt have all these things since i dont wanna pay a lot. Ive noticed the average js like 30 bucks which i dont wanna go over tbh. Recommendations? Just recently got one but it covers the camera of my iphone 15 pro which isn that big of a deal but just curious if theres something better out there

I own a MX Master Mechanical Keyboard and well, I normally keep in my laptop the both recievers from the mouse and keyboard even if I don't bring them with me because they are very small and I would lose them most likely, so they always stay pluggled. BUT one day Idk how i placed my laptop in my backpack that literally bent the 2 little
I tried to put them back in and luckily my mouse works as usual, but I can't say the same thing as my keyboard. It was a good product that meant for my economical level a somewhat big investment, and had good battery life and overall worked perfect but now I can't rely on it as it constatly makes ghosting and it completely stops connection with the computer all the time.
I can't play games. Imagine being in the middle of a match and suddenly your character keep moving to the front until your keyboard decides to behave and die or writing and a letter just keep witring or if you press backspace it deletes everything.
The worst parts are that my crappy laptop bluetooth has always had similar issues so it doesnt work well with bluetooth connection (I bought it carefully making sure it had usb reciever feature) AND this model in particular cannot work as a regular wired keyboard (wich bothers me as I tought all inalabric devices couldd be used optionally wired) as it states in the original keyboard, so now it no longer works to me wich is sad. I may try to sell it as the keyboard itself is working perfeclty or I'd like to know if i can buy a replaement USB receptor and link it to the keyboard.

I've got a laptop running windows 11, can handle most things just fine. Until yesterday, this included rimworld, but for some reason it suddenly decided that running rimworld means the fan has to suddenly run at the maximum setting, to the point that its loud enough to block out sounds the laptop is playing.
Variables - I've tested it with a couple other games I have installed, none trigger this weird fan thing, including games that have far higher system requirements. It also only happens when the laptop is plugged in, when running just on battery the fan doesn't activate.
Any ideas about what's going on? Again, this just started yesterday, seemingly out of nowhere. No big system updates or other big changes as far as I can tell

Hello, i cant decide between tab s9 plus and tab s9 fe. Budget isn't really an issue here, i can afford the s9 plus but i am concerned that it will be too big to carry around. I want to use it as a digital sketchpad, while also watch some media here and there, or read some books. I already have a laptop at home.
The reason i can't decide between s9 plus and s9 fe is, well, s9 fe has a very pretty teal color, has a very compact size, and lcd looks good enough for me. Also i am considering 256/8 version.
On the other hand, s9 plus has a monster processor, 12 gb ram, 4 speakers, amoled screen that looks brilliant but can also burn in (ghost image, since it is in the nature of amoled unfortunately) and it is just almost the size of an a4 paper. So i know it is much much stronger overall but is it portable enough?
You will wonder "why don't you consider the regular s9 then?" well the reason is in my country tab s9 is almost the same price as 12 gb s9 plus, like the difference is about 50$ and it would feel very wrong not to get the s9 plus with the bigger ram and bigger battery.
So i want some advice, is the plus version portable enough in a backpack? I will use it with a protector case, does it get too big with it, and is there a risk of bending or damage in a backpack since it is larger and thinner? Does the amoled screen burn in easily because of the white UI elements? Because i am planning to use it for digital art as well and usually that means the UI of the painting program is going to be running there in the same place for hours, possibly.
And about the FE, is the processor good enough to run the painting programs like Medibang, Krita etc without much input lag? Can it handle many layers with 8 gb ram? Obviously exynos 1380 is nowhere near sd 8 gen 2, but if there is a significant input lag on the s-pen when you compare it to s9 plus then that could be a deal breaker.
I know this was a bit long thank you for reading this far i am waiting for your comments on this.

Thank you in advance for any advice.
Hoping someone can shed some light on this subject for me. We have a 30' travel trailer (first time) and are buying our first generator. We do not need one for the house, our city has really good power and no issues with climate; so dual purpose is not necessary. This is really just to power our air conditioner at night in the trailer, rarely a microwave (which we can just turn off the AC) or anything else.
I recently purchased an Onan P4500i Cummins on sale for $1200 (usually $1500) from a local dealer. Got the thing home, setup and the battery was dead (manual said it came fully charged), no big deal I'll just run it for a couple hours to charge; wrong, it was dead dead. Worst part was the thing was really loud, but it's advertised as Super Quiet 54db. I could run this thing out front of my house and hear it from the very back of the house really clearly, hardly quiet with no load. It's possible it's just an all around bad unit but from the reviews on Reddit I don't think so; they seem to just be reliable, but loud.
I started looking at a Honda 2200, since I have an in law that has that same one and it's worked great for their AC in their trailer. I looked up a conversion online and it looks like it is very under-spec'd for an AC unit though, it should be at least a 3500 to reliably run an AC; albeit I have never had issues with their 2200 overloading, I'm just going by the book.
Recently a brother of mine recommended Predator as it's nearly identical to Honda at a lower price. My father in law has a Predator 2200 (same experience as the Honda to run their AC, no overload) and it is as dead silent as the Honda. So I started looking at Harbor Freight for the 3500 and 5000.
I'm looking at the Predator 3500 for the price point, quietness, and the fact that it should reliably run the AC at night. However, it doesn't come with remote start/stop and that would be really nice, I know that runs a couple hundred dollars and for almost the same price I could get the 5000 (runs at around 3900, 5000 is peak) which comes with remote start/stop already on it, and can do dual fuel.
A few questions:

1. Should I get the Predator 5000 (from Harbor Freight locally) since it seems to be the best deal with remote start and can reliably run my AC per the conversion, or should I be looking at something else?
2. Is the Onan P4500i Cummins loud for anyone else or did I just get a dud and should be looking at getting another one (4500 is peak, runs around 3900)?
3. Should I just get the Predator 3500 and add remote start instead of the 5000?
4. If I were to get the Predator 5000, why does anyone use propane rather than just use gas?

Edit: I returned the Onan already.

I always find these questions and answers entertaining.
Everyone tries to analyze what hes on etc.
It's easy to see that he has hit well above natural limits multiple times. as for what with and how much or often…. no one knows.
In reality he's taken the standard bodybuilder path (learn about Frank Zane - ‘the chemist' from the golden era).
Dwayne Johnston either cycles on and off — using testosterone bases and more than likely various other compounds at different times. generally what one can get their hands on.
No doubt he's tried, dbol, winstrol, anadrol, masteron, nandrolones (decca, npp), probably tren. he probably does constant hgh or cycles it as well. low doses too I'd say. eg. 2 to 10 iu per day.
If he doesnt do things that way. He just straight out blasts and cruises. eg. spending 3 months on 200mg testosterone cypionate/enanthate each week for 3 months give or take... then blast upwards of 500mg test cyp/enanth while messing with above mentioned compounds in conjunction. I'm betting hes blasted over 1000mgs of testosterone per week for months before while stacking other compounds.
its not like hes just always on one compound. like most people he'll have ‘go-to' gear. stuff that makes him feel good with minimal side effects and grow good too.
I imagine for movies. eg pain and gain he started pinning extra compounds and higher doses.
Then aftwards chilled. dropped doses. maybe hit a cruise (200mg testosterone per week). or perhaps cycled right off? possiblly utilizing hcg and/or clomid and/or nolva and/aromasin to get his testies kicking off.
Personally I'm not sure whether hes blasts/cruises or cycles on and off. and nor are any of you. but one thing is for sure. he ain't all natty bruh :-P
I've spent years around this shyte. This is how its done. It's no different because hes in movies or a super star.
If you walked up to me or one of.my jacked buddies and asked if we juiced. of course we would say no. if you interviewed us (camera or no camera) and asked if we juiced. we're definitely saying no. not only is it illegal just about everywhere. but the minute you admit to it. a shyte storm begins. including everyone going on “oh hes only big because hes on roids" and blah blah.
it does a total discredit to all the hours of hard painful work we put in at the gym. all the food we carefully plan and eat. everything that is involved. its not easy to get massive. even on steroids.
regards
Jimmy Jones

I am an avid Urban explorer, and have been to many, many places. Abandoned Kmarts, Schools, Malls and ESPECIALLY Police stations. You can find interesting stuff there if you look hard enough.
All the good shit is in the evidence and interview room. By chance you could find a phone, a knife and maybe even weed.
Look everywhere but BE CAREFUL, you could potentially set off security alarms.
Take at least 3 people with you just to be safe.
I’ll tell you something that happened around 11 years ago.
It was June, and the nights were hot and humid, most people were inside so we took the opportunity to explore somewhere riskier, as suggested by a friend.
F: “You think we can go somewhere new? I’m getting sick of the orthodox, boring stuff.
Me: “Sure, Where do you think we should go?”
F: “Somewhere risky, like an old abandoned police station”
Me: “Doesn’t sound too bad actually..”
Everyone agreed and so we went.
It didn’t seem to be guarded, but the power was still on.
We couldn’t back down now. We walked 10 miles to get there.
The interior felt dusty, and stunk of rotten wood. You could see that time has taken its toll; Exposed insulation from the ceiling collapsing. The odd few rat droppings and doors taken off their hinges.
Of course, graffiti was there, lots of it.
Everywhere was surprisingly pristine, and we walked In every room.
The custody cells were clean.
One thing to consider is that the place abandoned a good few years. (Around 2005)
My friend brought up;
“Hey, you wanna go into the kitchen? Wonder if there’s mold building up inside? I dare you to touch it!”
Me, getting startled by my friend’s eccentric voice abruptly cutting the silence, replied;
“Jesus, dude! The kitchen?”
F: “Yeah”
Me: “Sure, Why not?”
The kitchen was slightly dusty, and very empty, apart from a few utensils inside the sink.
From our prior experiences, we looked harder for random stuff. You never know what you can find in places like this.
Looking in the most obvious places first, I opened A drawer that was near a blender, its jug shattered into lots of pieces on the floor.
It was hard to get open, the drawer clearly sticky from the years it has been untouched, there were things inside as they rattled around, sounded like pens, pins and something more plastic.
With one big pull, it opened, and I saw paperclips, lots of pens, a few batteries and a dusty cassette tape.
We never found something like that before, my friend being an audiophile, was curious, so I wiped it.
“85102”, was written on the peeling off label.
It was getting extremely late at this point, so we walked home.
First thing we did, was get the cassette decl out, and play it.
tape starts
A: “Here’s a bag, for your uhhh… problems…”
B: “Thank you. sighs it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Everything you tried isn’t working”
A male and a female voice spoke, age related damage distorting the audio
A: “I don’t know what to say, at all. Is there anything that will work, EVER? I tried morphine, fetanyl, hydromorphone and even carfetanil, every opioid I can think of. And still, you say your body won’t stop hurting, maybe you have bone cancer?”
B: “It doesn’t help. It never helps. You only get me more hooked. And no, I don’t have bone cancer.”
A: “What do YOU think is the best option? You’re obviously in a lot of pain….. the only option sounds like suicide. It will get rid of the pain. Your body can’t move without you screaming. It’s practically eating you alive.”
B: “laughs oh you’re seriously going to say that. After all that, the tank experiment, you tried the femur peeling TO GET RID OF THE PAIN, YOU DID THINK THE PAIN WAS COMING FROM THERE. HOW DID YOU THINK THAT WAS GOING TO HELP, I WAS DRUGGED UP, you’re going to suggest I DIE, Just because you can’t fix this. You’re horrible”
A: “It’s the best option, the pain will leave you”
B:”yeah? Here’s some truth, it can never leave me. I’ve been dealing with this for FIFTEEN FUCKING YEARS! the audio distorts from the sudden yell
B appears to have snapped, and says something before getting cut off
B:You want to do the assisted suicide, FINE. BUT IT WOULD NOT WORK
B: “I AM ALREADY DE-“
the cassette cuts to some jazz music for the rest of side A
Click
F: “What the actual…… holy shit.”
I didn’t have the words to speak…. It was simply the most unnerving thing I’ve heard.
Everything was uncanny about it.
Despite the previous audio shaking us up pretty badly, I went to go and turn the tape over to side B. A sharp, intense feeling of pain surged through my head, my lungs losing their oxygen slowly. Fell on the floor, tried to get up by getting on the couch and did my best not to pass out and die as breathing was getting difficult now. I COULD NOT BREATHE.
My head was pounding , my right eye felt like a sharp wooden stick piercing my eyeball. I couldn’t scream. I kept coughing. I wheezed. And then everything went black .
Who knows how long later, I got up, the pain subsided, and the environment was extremely unfamiliar. There was just this river, an endless river, length and width, with a dark navy blue sky.
All that could be heard was the river.
I must drink, I need food. Was the impulse, there was nothing.
I tried to drink the river water, but I vomited this black gel. It felt like jelly, it smelled like jelly.
Had to continue on walking.
Around half a mile through, a whirlpool suddenly formed and sucked me down into a vantablack void.
Everything felt slow, and the impact of landing on a SHARP big rock, broke a rib and punctured one of my lungs.
Even more gel came up.
My lungs filled up with gel, even more came out, it was pouring as it hit the ground.
Then the atmosphere changed, the sound changed, to something familiar.
The vantablack changed into a beautiful jungle, everything was too real
the smell of the waterfall and plants.
The feel of the grass
I vomited again, again and again.
I was starting to choke. It wasn’t runny enough to swallow.
Couldn’t take any chances and ran to the white door that was open, coughing wildly, the “blood” stickying the soft cotton of my beige hoodie.
The door opened, it felt light. It WAS the embodiment of light.
And I entered it.
Everything went white, and I woke up at home.
F: “DUDE FUCKING WAKE UP!”
My friend doesn’t think we should listen to side B.
Should we call an exorcist, a paranormal expert? Please let me know.