Welcome back, it's Wednesday and I'll just come out and say it - that Seiko is ugly... Change my mind.

What's new

1/
Seiko Adds Four Completely New Chronographs To The Prospex Collection And Four Limited Editions To The Presage Craftsmanship Series
In 1999 Seiko launched a limited edition they called the Sportura Kinetic Chronograph. It was a funky watch that used four subdials to display the time and chronograph functions. Just looking at it and you feel the angst of the end of the millennium and the cheesy futurism (not to be confused with neo futurism in architecture led by Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and Santiago Calatrava) that permeated industrial design of the time - from Oakley glasses to Jnco jeans. There’s no easy way to say this, but it’s an ugly watch. I can appreciate the experiment. But come on.
However, Seiko believes that the four dial layout of the Kinetic was pleasing to the eye. That’s why they decided to recreate it in four new solar chronographs that they are adding to the Prospex collection, marking the company’s association with the World Athletics Championships to be held in Budapest, Hungary, in August. Officially called the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph, all four watches sport a new movement with the Seiko Caliber 8A50, a 1/100-second chronograph with a +/- 15-seconds per month precision rating.
The Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph watch is 42mm-wide, 12.9mm-thick, and its lug-to-lug distance is 48.3mm. All four watches have the same case and bracelet design but in different executions and ever-so-slightly different prices and naming schemes. I could go on into detail about the dials and colors, but it’s all just a bit confusing. You can hop on over here if you would like to know more.
Two of the models will be limited edition of 4,000 each and two will be regular production models. The Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph watch prices range from 890 Euros to 970 Euros, and all four versions will be available from July 2023. Regular readers of the newsletter will know I keep things very chipper here and don’t pass judgement. But these new Seiko’s are just baffling to me. They look like those Diesel watches you buy at the mall. Am I wrong?
Thankfully, Seiko has another announcement for today. While they have shown these watches previously, they are now starting to sell these stunning Presage Craftsmanship Series watches. Marking the 110th anniversary of its first wristwatch, the Laurel, Seiko is putting out two pairs of these limited edition pieces, with each featuring a dial made by a dedicated artisan or craft workshop through a traditional Japanese decorative technique — enamel, urushi lacquer, Arita porcelain, and shippō enamel. All four models boast a new case shape, a fresh dial aesthetic, and an in-house automatic movement. And they are now hitting the market.
And despite Seiko’s price increases for recent releases, these new editions seem to align with their predecessors. The white enamel SPB393 retails for €1,650, the brown urushi SPB395 for €2,000, the ivory Arita porcelain SPB397 for €2,000, and the blue shippō enamel SPB399 for €2,250.
2/
Breguet Gives Us Two Redesigned Variations Of The Classic Chronograph With The Type XX And Type 20
Just the other day I linked to a great article on Type 20, the references issued by the French military in the 1950s. There were many brands who stepped up to produce these Type 20 watches, but the reference has stuck around to be synonymous with one brand in particular - Breguet. They have been making the Type 20 for years now, with occasional updates, but now Breguet is unveiling the new Type XX and Type 20 – a civilian and military-inspired take on the classic design - which is the biggest change to the line.
Despite at first glance looking like it’s two of the same watches with different dials, the Type 20 and Type XX are actually different watches. Both watches come in the same steel case that measures 42mm wide and 14.1mm thick with bidirectional steel bezels and matching lume pips. But this is pretty much where the similarities stop. The Type 20 has a military inspired dial with mint green lume and syringe hands, while the Type XX is a civilian version with a creamy yellow lume and alpha hands.
The Type 20 and Type XX both have a new self-winding movement, the Calibre 728 for the civilian version and Calibre 7281 for the military version. Each movement has a column wheel, vertical clutch, 5Hz frequency, and flyback functionality with 60 hours of power reserve, plus an inverted in-line lever escapement with a flat silicon balance spring for increased durability, longevity, and magnetic resistance.
Why two different calibers? The difference lies in dial layout and how useful it would be in military or civilian applications. On the military version, you only have two registers, with a 30-minute totalizer at three o'clock, now larger than the 60-second totalizer at nine o'clock. Meanwhile, the civilian version has a 15-minute totalizer at three o'clock, a 12-hour totalizer at six o'clock, and running seconds at nine o'clock.
This is not a cheap watch. It will run you $18,000. But it might just be one of the best vintage revivals we have seen in a year full of vintage revivals.
3/
French Watchmaker Yema Teams Up With Alpine French Racing Team To Mark The Most French Race With Five New Watches
One of the most legendary races in the world starts on Saturday and ends on Sunday. Yes, it’s the 24 hours of Le Mans. The race is, of course, one of the most recognisable french things, alongside the croissant and hating tourists. You know what else is very french? Alpine, the legendary car manufacturer that gained it’s fame with the quirky A110 and is currently doing really well (under Renault ownership) with its successor, also called the A110. Alpine will be present at the 24h of Le Mans With their Endurance Team. If only there was a watchmaker that could join in, making it a French hat trick. There is. It’s Yema. Yema has made five new watches to mark Alpine’s stint at Le Mans - the Yema Rallygraf A470 Limited Edition and four Rallygraf Alpine Endurance Team Automatic models of which one is mechanical while the other three are powered by the Seiko VK64 meca-quartz movement.
The Yema Rallygraf A470 Limited Edition takes all the right cues from 70s racing chronographs. The stainless steel case is 39mm wide and 12mm thick without the double-domed sapphire crystal. The solid caseback shows the Alpine Endurance Team logo and the limitation of the watch. The dial is finished in a gradient-blue colour, Alpine’s signature color, with a vintage dashboard-inspired bicompax layout and Alpine’s logo on the chronograph seconds hand. Inside the watch is the Valjoux 7753 and the watch comes on an appropriate black leather rally strap with a steel pin buckle. This watch will be limited to 470 pieces and can be pre-ordered for a price of USD 2,190 with delivery expected in September 2023.
This runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and delivers 48 hours of power reserve. The watch comes on a black leather rally strap with a steel pin buckle. Limited to 470 pieces, tying in with the car, it can be pre-ordered for a price of EUR 2,190 with delivery expected in September 2023.
Then there’s the meca-quartz variants. They take the same case as the Rallygraf and give it three variations - white dial with a blue outside minute track, a cream dial with a black outside minute track or a black dial with a cream outside minute track. All of these are also available for preorder now for EUR 399 and will be delivered in September 2023.
Yema also announced a second mechanical watch made in collaboration with Alpine, the Rallygraf Alpine Endurance Team Automatic. This will officially be unveiled this coming Saturday at the Circuit de la Sarthe, during the racing weekend of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although we don’t know all the details at this moment, we can see it’s made of stainless steel, comes on a multi-link bracelet or black leather strap and has a black dial. The bidirectional rotating bezel can be used to calculate speeds, in combination with the inner ‘Temps Ecoule’ flange in white and blue. It is powered by the in-house Calibre YEMA2000 and will cost USD 990.
4/
The Dan Henry 1970 44mm is back with new colours and the same, affordable price
You might know Dan Hendy as the microbrand that has been pumping out vintage inspired watches since 2016. What you might not know is that they made their name with the Dan Henry 1970 44mm Automatic Diver, the first of their watches to feature an automatic movement. While it might not seem like a big deal, it was for Dan Hanry and the shoppers in the sub $500 range. While Dan Henry serviced it’s customers by providing good value for money with quartz movements, the 1970 44mm Automatic Diver was the first time they offered a mechanical movement at such an affordable price. It sold out instantly and now, four years later, they are back with a limited edition of 1970 pieces.
It’s a very big watch. Very big. The heavy stainless steel super compressor style case measures 44mm in diameter and is 14.8mm thick with a 50.5mm lug-to-lug length. Despite these large dimensions, and with all other manufacturers fighting to go smaller, people still love this watch. They love it enough for it to go for over retail on the secondary market, which is not common for a watch in this pricepoint. Both of the crowns, one for rotating the inner-bezel and one for adjusting the time, screw into the case, giving it 200m water resistance.
The dials get a contrasting pop of color on the outskirts. There’s the black and orange, as well as the black and off-white with a black case and blue with white color combinations. Each version comes with its own colour-matching FKM rubber tropic strap. To keep the price low, the watches are powered by the Seiko NH35. Not the best movement in the world, but it gets the job done for an exceptionally low price.
The new Dan Henry 1970 44mm Automatic Diver is limited to 1,970 pieces, available from Dan Henry and costs $310.
5/
Bamford Teams Up With Land Rover For The LR002 Limited Edition
Somehere near the end of last year, Land Rover designed their first watch. They called it the LR001 and they turned to Bamford to put the watch into production. It was a great looking field watch made of titanium and all in shades of grey, with a decent price and limited to 100 pieces so they all sold out very fast. Now, Bamford London and Land Rover are bringing it back with an updated, equally limited, version in all black called the LR002.
The LR002 is pretty much the same watch as the LR001, except for the color. While not a fan of black watches, this isn’t a bad thing, as it gives you a chance to buy the sold out Land Rover watch. What is bad is the price, but more on that later. The case measures 40mm wide and 13.25mm thick, and is made out of DLC coated titanium. It has a shape that resembles a field watch but much more modern and has fixed bars. From photos, due to the thick case and fixed bars, this watch looks to wear much larger than it actually is.
The dial seems to be much more interesting than the case. It has a sandwich construction with the top part having a matte black surface and the underside being filled with white lume. And by alternating circular and oblong cutouts, there’s a dynamic look to the dial. Inside the watch is the same movement as in the LR001, the Selita SW200-1B, and it’s delivered on a leather NATO-style bracelet.
The LR002 will have a run of just 100 pieces that are exclusively sold through Hodinkee. At the time of writing there are still pieces available for sale at a price of $1,700. And that’s the biggest issue. The LR001 sold for about $1,300 and the only difference between the two watches is the DLC coating. Is it worth the price difference?
6/
The Casio A120 Is The Best Pairing For Stranger Things, But Do We Need It?
The immense popularity of Stranger Thing undoubtedly lies in it’s 80s nostalgia that reminded us all of our childhoods. While playing to our good memories, it also roped in new generations by picking the best the decade had to offer and presenting it as something cool. That’s why you have a bunch of kids out there listening to Kate Bush and Metallica, while wearing Casio watches and buying VHS tapes. So it only makes perfect sense that Casio would team up with Stranger Things for a limited edition watch, and what better reference to do it with then the A120. This is the Casio x Stranger Things A120WEST-1A.
The watch is a classic Casio A120, with a 33.5mm x 40.7mm rectangle case and since it’s plastic it weighs only 25 grams. It’s not filled with a bunch of functions, but it does have a chronograph, alarm and calendar and you get three years of battery life. There’s a number of Stranger Things references on the watch - there’s a silhouette of the series’ demogorgon monster beneath the digital display and the LED backlight flickers and rapidly blinks just like the surfacing of a demogorgon in the show. Once lit, you can see the watermark of an upside down Stranger Things logo.
Casio has not announced when the watch will be available or how much it will cost, but you can keep an eye out on it here. Is this a nice homage to a good TV show, or just another example of over-consumerism and corporate media properties slapping their name everywhere, without actually making a meaningfully authentic version of the watch?
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On hand - a selection of reviews

1/
A review of Monta’s current flagship dress watch, the Noble
2/
Hands on with the 39mm and 42mm versions of the Hanhart 414 ES Flyback
3/
A week with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore limited edition in pink gold and titanium
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Watch Worthy - A look at an offbeat, less known watch you might actually like

Dryden is a go-everywhere-do-anything watch with plenty of options
Great dials are always appreciated, but no matter how good the dial is, it doesn’t matter if the watch isn’t wearable. The excellent design choices found on the dial of the Heartlander follow through to the case. Crafted from stainless steel the 38mm-wide case has a lovely 46mm lug-to-lug distance and is only 11.2mm-thick from solid steel caseback to domed sapphire crystal. These dimensions are in the Goldilocks region for an everyday watch for me and my ~6.5-inch wrist. The cases are predominantly brushed except for a thin highly polished bevel that flanks each side of the lugs.
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People loved the Seiko Alpinist giveaway! That's why I'm doing a new one. This time, we're giving away four Hamilton Khaki Field Automatics in a color of your choice. Head on over to the newsletter if you would like to enter.
If you would like to receive some additional watch-adjacent content, as well as this news overview, every morning Monday-Friday in the form of a newsletter feel free to subscribe. However, there is absolutely no need for you to subscribe, as all the news from the newsletter is posted here. It is only if you want to receive a couple of daily links that are not strictly watch-related and want to get this news overview in your inbox.

I stared up at the magazine cut out of a Maxim model that was crudely pasted on the underside of the top bunk. Her pert breast shimmied ever so slightly as Pete tossed and turned above.
She was platinum blonde with legs long enough to wrap around me twice. Or so the camera angle made it seem. I felt a stirring below, that yearning for a woman’s touch… which I hadn’t felt in six years, three months, and eleven days.
I rolled to my side, stifling it. It was the wrong time to seek out an orgasm, and I knew after the release I’d just spiral into self-loathing anyway. I focused on a crack in the cinder block until my eyelids became heavy.
Static pushed the thought of women from my mind as I slipped into sleep. The smell of cigars and oil flitted through my mind in a memory. My dad’s repair shop. The one I was meant to take over, before the arrest…
------
“Aaaarrgghh!”
A cry echoing from somewhere deep within the prison startled me awake. My heart thundered in my chest like a rabbit thrashing against its cage.
I rolled over to see Pete crouching low, his face pressed against the bars.
“What’s going on?” I croaked.
“They’re taking Benny.” He whispered.
“Fuck, really?” I pulled myself to the top corner of my mattress, just enough to peer around the edge of the bars.
Two guards wrestled the young latino onto a gurney as a man in a lab coat watched from a distance. He fought against them but it was futile. Once the straps were locked in he screamed once more, pleading for help.
Dozens of eyes watched from dim lit cells, none of which stirring to offer assistance in the slightest. We knew there was no helping him. We knew what happened next…
His cries were muffled as the doctor jammed a syringe into the base of his neck. Benny’s muscles tensed and pulsed in the fit of a seizure, but then lay still. The cell block was silent once more as they wheeled him down the hall and into the catacombs.
I did a cross over myself but didn’t bother to pray. Once they took them, they never came back.
“A damn shame…” I muttered.
“Yeah, he was a good kid…” Pete stood and leapt back onto the top bunk.
A fire burned in my chest. I wanted to say something. To cry out about the injustice of what was happening to us. That committing a crime shouldn’t damn a man to whatever terrible fate they had instore for us below three feet of steel and a quarter mile of dirt.
But I didn’t… What good could it do? Other than drawing attention to me in a very negative way.
Once they took you to the lab, you were never seen again.
All you could do was hope that your number was never called, and that you got out of here before they visited your cell late into the night.
—-----
87…88…89…90…
My chest was on fire as sweat dripped from the tip of my nose. I couldn’t go back to sleep last night. Kept thinking about Benny.
91…92…93…
So began the push-ups. It was the only way to clear my head.
94…95…96…
My therapy.
97…98…99…100.
I rolled to my back, out of breath.
Three years, six months and change.
So much time left to go.
Benny had only been here for a little over a year. It made no sense…
None of us could figure out exactly why they took who they took. There seemed to be no method to the madness.
Just a couple weeks ago they took old man Tom Finch. He’d been here longer than any of us. A lifer on the account of premeditated murder back in the 70s. But they didn’t come for him until he’d served most of his adult life behind bars.
The red beacon suddenly swirled above. A buzzing sound hummed as the cell doors clicked and slid open.
Breakfast.
—----
I pulled my tray along the bar to be loaded with oats, powdered eggs and bread.
Meager rations.
I grabbed a small carton of milk and made my way over to sit with Pete. He was already nibbling on his toast while perusing a crossword puzzle.
We exchanged nods and I went to devouring the entirety of my plate.
Calories build muscle after all.
Which was something Pete had no interest in. He was a bookworm through and through. Rail thin too. When we’d met, I’d assumed it was from the drug problem he’d had on the outside, which ultimately landed him in incarceration. But come to find out it was just his metabolism and general lack of appetite.
“John…” He whispered.
I looked up from my feast.
He was looking to the corner of the cafeteria and I followed his gaze to see two men in lab coats surveying the crowd.
I grunted and squeezed the handle of my fork until my knuckles went white. The impulse of burying it into their throats was almost overwhelming.
“Their activity has been ramping up.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been seeing them much more frequently as of late. They must be close to a breakthrough.”
“Breakthrough of what?” I furrowed my brow.
“Who knows? Whatever it is they are doing down there. They’ve been taking us more often as well.”
Pete sighed at the twist of confusion on my face.
“Think about it… Benny last night, then Tom two weeks before that. Then Eric ten days before that, and Deonte maybe three weeks prior. It’s never been that close together. Until recently, they only came perhaps once every other month. Sometimes only once a season.”
Shit… he was right. I hadn’t realized it before.
“So what does that mean?” I asked, shoving another hunk of egg into my mouth.
“I have no idea. But I’d say our odds of survival have been reduced dramatically.”
—-----
Pete might as well have been an oracle, peering into our grim and desolate future.
Over the next several months we started seeing the lab coats weekly. Sometimes even more often than that.
The prison yard felt empty. Sure there were still plenty of us left, but our population had been noticeably trimmed. One gang in particular only had two members left, which didn’t bode well for them. The others slowly circled them like sharks. I had no affiliation with any of them and kept to myself. But still, I could see their fate a mile away.
Although, despite the business as usual dog eat dog atmosphere, there was an undercurrent of fear rippling through the general pop. You could smell it, like a scent of decay and desperation. Hard faces that had once promised violence, now almost flinched around every corner and jumped at each shadow.
The energy of a couple of hundred men that felt like an animal backed into a corner was palpable.
But what could we do?
I didn’t know but I sure wish someone would tell me… I threw myself into my workouts and Pete hardly ever looked up from a book. Escapism was our only reprieve.
I went to bed with a prayer on my lips, hoping I wouldn’t hear those iron bars moving in the late hours of the night.
—-----
A loud clanking followed by footsteps pulled me from sleep.
I squeezed my eyes tightly shut hoping it was the cell next to mine.
But it wasn’t…
Three guards hovered behind a fourth that was unlocking our cell. The bars clicked and began to slide open.
I jumped to my feet and backed up against the wall. I pulled my fists up into a boxing stance, I wasn’t going to go without a fight. My muscles tensed and flexed like coiled steel.
“In the corner inmate! We’re here for your cellmate.” A short and stocky corrections officer barked with his hand gripping the baton at his waist.
Pete squirmed into a ball at the corner of his mat and looked at me with wide, pleading eyes.
I put my face in the opposite corner as instructed. A mixture of fear and relief roiled in my gut, and I hated myself for it. It made me feel like a coward.
“No, no, no, no, no!” I heard Pete squeal from behind as guards flooded the cell.
I peaked over my shoulder and watched as they pried him from the top bunk. Pete tried to resist, but there was nothing to him. A bag of bones that they easily wrestled down.
That same fire ignited in my chest. Anger washed over me, cleansing away the cowardice. For God’s sake, he was my only friend.
All I could see was red.
I spun around bringing the back of my fist across a guard’s face, shattering the bridge of his nose. Blood spurted from it as he dropped Pete’s legs.
With a giant step forward I brought an uppercut into the portly officer’s abdomen, dropping him like a ton of bricks.
I shoved a third into the corner, pinning him there as I screamed for Pete to run. He scampered out the opening and the last thing I heard were his footfalls as a baton smashed across the back of my skull. Everything went black before I even hit the ground.
—-----
I spent a month in solitary.
The room was so small it should have been inhumane to house a human being inside of it.
Still… I made the best of it with dips, pushups and situps. Countless reps of them. It was all I could do.
Some mornings I’d wake up with horrible migraines. I assumed it was a slight concussion from the impact of the baton.
I only hoped Pete could have somehow made it out. But somewhere deep down I knew that would have been impossible. Hopefully he at least gave them some hell before they took him below.
I stopped praying before bed. It didn’t seem like it did any good.
If there was a God, he didn’t exist inside these walls.
We were abandoned.
The unheard.
—-------
When I finally got back to my cell it had been emptied of everything. Pete’s books, artwork from his niece and even my Maxim cutout.
Just like he’d never existed. My heart sunk at the sight.
Later that day I’d learned from others that he had been captured just moments after escaping the cell.
But our actions weren’t wasted in vain.
We were the first to fight back against the abduction and it sparked something in the others.
They started talks of an uprising a few weeks back. A prison riot.
They even had a guard on the inside. C.O. Matthews. He was a very religious man and was just as horrified by what was happening as we were and had been looking for a way to help.
“It’s going down tonight John, just before lights out. Be ready.” Jerry whispered at the picnic table.
I gave a nod that I understood and headed off for my daily jog around the courts.
It wasn’t about getting out. Getting free. That wasn’t going to happen. It was about sending a message.
I let my mind go blank, filling with static as I enjoyed what could be my last day outside.
—------
The beacon swirled overhead in the common area.
“Inmates to their cells. Lights out.” The intercom buzzed.
There were over fifty men in cell block B, and not a single one of us moved.
The voice on the intercom repeated himself angrily as guards began to shuffle in closer. Nods passed like dominoes from one inmate to the next. We were ready.
“Get to your cell inmate.” a guard growled as he clamped his hands down on my shoulders.
I threw an elbow behind me into his groin, he howled in pain as he hit the floor. The other inmates sprung to their feet and flew off from their leaning places to join in the brawl.
Fists, feet and batons flew wildly across the cell block as we engaged in war with the uniformed officers.
I grappled with one until I was able to submit him in a choke until he went limp in my arms.
I stomped another in the face, spilling blood and brains on the concrete floor.
It had looked like we were winning until they sent the special response team in. We formed a line, many of us battered and bloody, in front of the row of riot shields.
We waited for their charge for what felt like an eternity.
But suddenly they backed out from where they’d come and slid the cell block doors closed.
What the hell…
The red beacon swirled once again overhead as a clicking sounded out behind us.
The rear entrance that the lab coats had always used swung open. I spun around to see…
“Mary, mother of God.” I gasped.
It was Pete…
But there was something horribly wrong with him.
His skin clung loosely to his body and had a terrible jaundice looking hue to it. His eyes almost seemed to glow and his hands… they were impossibly large like contorted branches.
I held my hand up to my mouth in disbelief.
A scientist stepped out from behind him.
“As you can see, we have a few kinks left to iron out, but we are making great progress. Would you all care to see what he can do?” He looked into each of our eyes inquisitively.
“If you don’t, head back to your cells now. You have ten seconds and then I shall release him.”
It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. But a violent and hungry energy filled the room, emanating from what used to be my friend.
Suddenly, over half the remaining inmates bolted for their cells out of fear. Not that I could blame them, my knees wobbled and threatened to buckle just at the sight of him.
But I stood my ground, as did a handful of others.
“Very well then. Specimen 3-1-0, engage.”
A growl reverberated through the cell block.
“Everyone rush him at once! It’s our only shot.” I hollered.
And we did, but it didn’t matter. It happened so fast. It was over before I could even comprehend it.
He moved like an animal, picking each of us apart almost in unison.
I lay on my back, unable to feel my legs as I watched Jerry be disemboweled. He was trying to shove his intestines back inside the tear in his abdomen before the creature came back to finish him off.
I did a cross over myself but didn’t bother to pray.
As Pete stood over me, with dead eyes, I knew there was no God.
He didn’t exist inside these walls.
We were abandoned.
The unheard.

I stared up at the magazine cut out of a Maxim model that was crudely pasted on the underside of the top bunk. Her pert breast shimmied ever so slightly as Pete tossed and turned above.
She was platinum blonde with legs long enough to wrap around me twice. Or so the camera angle made it seem. I felt a stirring below, that yearning for a woman’s touch… which I hadn’t felt in six years, three months, and eleven days.
I rolled to my side, stifling it. It was the wrong time to seek out an orgasm, and I knew after the release I’d just spiral into self-loathing anyway. I focused on a crack in the cinder block until my eyelids became heavy.
Static pushed the thought of women from my mind as I slipped into sleep. The smell of cigars and oil flitted through my mind in a memory. My dad’s repair shop. The one I was meant to take over, before the arrest…
------
“Aaaarrgghh!”
A cry echoing from somewhere deep within the prison startled me awake. My heart thundered in my chest like a rabbit thrashing against its cage.
I rolled over to see Pete crouching low, his face pressed against the bars.
“What’s going on?” I croaked.
“They’re taking Benny.” He whispered.
“Fuck, really?” I pulled myself to the top corner of my mattress, just enough to peer around the edge of the bars.
Two guards wrestled the young latino onto a gurney as a man in a lab coat watched from a distance. He fought against them but it was futile. Once the straps were locked in he screamed once more, pleading for help.
Dozens of eyes watched from dim lit cells, none of which stirring to offer assistance in the slightest. We knew there was no helping him. We knew what happened next…
His cries were muffled as the doctor jammed a syringe into the base of his neck. Benny’s muscles tensed and pulsed in the fit of a seizure, but then lay still. The cell block was silent once more as they wheeled him down the hall and into the catacombs.
I did a cross over myself but didn’t bother to pray. Once they took them, they never came back.
“A damn shame…” I muttered.
“Yeah, he was a good kid…” Pete stood and leapt back onto the top bunk.
A fire burned in my chest. I wanted to say something. To cry out about the injustice of what was happening to us. That committing a crime shouldn’t damn a man to whatever terrible fate they had instore for us below three feet of steel and a quarter mile of dirt.
But I didn’t… What good could it do? Other than drawing attention to me in a very negative way.
Once they took you to the lab, you were never seen again.
All you could do was hope that your number was never called, and that you got out of here before they visited your cell late into the night.
—-----
87…88…89…90…
My chest was on fire as sweat dripped from the tip of my nose. I couldn’t go back to sleep last night. Kept thinking about Benny.
91…92…93…
So began the push-ups. It was the only way to clear my head.
94…95…96…
My therapy.
97…98…99…100.
I rolled to my back, out of breath.
Three years, six months and change.
So much time left to go.
Benny had only been here for a little over a year. It made no sense…
None of us could figure out exactly why they took who they took. There seemed to be no method to the madness.
Just a couple weeks ago they took old man Tom Finch. He’d been here longer than any of us. A lifer on the account of premeditated murder back in the 70s. But they didn’t come for him until he’d served most of his adult life behind bars.
The red beacon suddenly swirled above. A buzzing sound hummed as the cell doors clicked and slid open.
Breakfast.
—----
I pulled my tray along the bar to be loaded with oats, powdered eggs and bread.
Meager rations.
I grabbed a small carton of milk and made my way over to sit with Pete. He was already nibbling on his toast while perusing a crossword puzzle.
We exchanged nods and I went to devouring the entirety of my plate.
Calories build muscle after all.
Which was something Pete had no interest in. He was a bookworm through and through. Rail thin too. When we’d met, I’d assumed it was from the drug problem he’d had on the outside, which ultimately landed him in incarceration. But come to find out it was just his metabolism and general lack of appetite.
“John…” He whispered.
I looked up from my feast.
He was looking to the corner of the cafeteria and I followed his gaze to see two men in lab coats surveying the crowd.
I grunted and squeezed the handle of my fork until my knuckles went white. The impulse of burying it into their throats was almost overwhelming.
“Their activity has been ramping up.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been seeing them much more frequently as of late. They must be close to a breakthrough.”
“Breakthrough of what?” I furrowed my brow.
“Who knows? Whatever it is they are doing down there. They’ve been taking us more often as well.”
Pete sighed at the twist of confusion on my face.
“Think about it… Benny last night, then Tom two weeks before that. Then Eric ten days before that, and Deonte maybe three weeks prior. It’s never been that close together. Until recently, they only came perhaps once every other month. Sometimes only once a season.”
Shit… he was right. I hadn’t realized it before.
“So what does that mean?” I asked, shoving another hunk of egg into my mouth.
“I have no idea. But I’d say our odds of survival have been reduced dramatically.”
—-----
Pete might as well have been an oracle, peering into our grim and desolate future.
Over the next several months we started seeing the lab coats weekly. Sometimes even more often than that.
The prison yard felt empty. Sure there were still plenty of us left, but our population had been noticeably trimmed. One gang in particular only had two members left, which didn’t bode well for them. The others slowly circled them like sharks. I had no affiliation with any of them and kept to myself. But still, I could see their fate a mile away.
Although, despite the business as usual dog eat dog atmosphere, there was an undercurrent of fear rippling through the general pop. You could smell it, like a scent of decay and desperation. Hard faces that had once promised violence, now almost flinched around every corner and jumped at each shadow.
The energy of a couple of hundred men that felt like an animal backed into a corner was palpable.
But what could we do?
I didn’t know but I sure wish someone would tell me… I threw myself into my workouts and Pete hardly ever looked up from a book. Escapism was our only reprieve.
I went to bed with a prayer on my lips, hoping I wouldn’t hear those iron bars moving in the late hours of the night.
—-----
A loud clanking followed by footsteps pulled me from sleep.
I squeezed my eyes tightly shut hoping it was the cell next to mine.
But it wasn’t…
Three guards hovered behind a fourth that was unlocking our cell. The bars clicked and began to slide open.
I jumped to my feet and backed up against the wall. I pulled my fists up into a boxing stance, I wasn’t going to go without a fight. My muscles tensed and flexed like coiled steel.
“In the corner inmate! We’re here for your cellmate.” A short and stocky corrections officer barked with his hand gripping the baton at his waist.
Pete squirmed into a ball at the corner of his mat and looked at me with wide, pleading eyes.
I put my face in the opposite corner as instructed. A mixture of fear and relief roiled in my gut, and I hated myself for it. It made me feel like a coward.
“No, no, no, no, no!” I heard Pete squeal from behind as guards flooded the cell.
I peaked over my shoulder and watched as they pried him from the top bunk. Pete tried to resist, but there was nothing to him. A bag of bones that they easily wrestled down.
That same fire ignited in my chest. Anger washed over me, cleansing away the cowardice. For God’s sake, he was my only friend.
All I could see was red.
I spun around bringing the back of my fist across a guard’s face, shattering the bridge of his nose. Blood spurted from it as he dropped Pete’s legs.
With a giant step forward I brought an uppercut into the portly officer’s abdomen, dropping him like a ton of bricks.
I shoved a third into the corner, pinning him there as I screamed for Pete to run. He scampered out the opening and the last thing I heard were his footfalls as a baton smashed across the back of my skull. Everything went black before I even hit the ground.
—-----
I spent a month in solitary.
The room was so small it should have been inhumane to house a human being inside of it.
Still… I made the best of it with dips, pushups and situps. Countless reps of them. It was all I could do.
Some mornings I’d wake up with horrible migraines. I assumed it was a slight concussion from the impact of the baton.
I only hoped Pete could have somehow made it out. But somewhere deep down I knew that would have been impossible. Hopefully he at least gave them some hell before they took him below.
I stopped praying before bed. It didn’t seem like it did any good.
If there was a God, he didn’t exist inside these walls.
We were abandoned.
The unheard.
—-------
When I finally got back to my cell it had been emptied of everything. Pete’s books, artwork from his niece and even my Maxim cutout.
Just like he’d never existed. My heart sunk at the sight.
Later that day I’d learned from others that he had been captured just moments after escaping the cell.
But our actions weren’t wasted in vain.
We were the first to fight back against the abduction and it sparked something in the others.
They started talks of an uprising a few weeks back. A prison riot.
They even had a guard on the inside. C.O. Matthews. He was a very religious man and was just as horrified by what was happening as we were and had been looking for a way to help.
“It’s going down tonight John, just before lights out. Be ready.” Jerry whispered at the picnic table.
I gave a nod that I understood and headed off for my daily jog around the courts.
It wasn’t about getting out. Getting free. That wasn’t going to happen. It was about sending a message.
I let my mind go blank, filling with static as I enjoyed what could be my last day outside.
—------
The beacon swirled overhead in the common area.
“Inmates to their cells. Lights out.” The intercom buzzed.
There were over fifty men in cell block B, and not a single one of us moved.
The voice on the intercom repeated himself angrily as guards began to shuffle in closer. Nods passed like dominoes from one inmate to the next. We were ready.
“Get to your cell inmate.” a guard growled as he clamped his hands down on my shoulders.
I threw an elbow behind me into his groin, he howled in pain as he hit the floor. The other inmates sprung to their feet and flew off from their leaning places to join in the brawl.
Fists, feet and batons flew wildly across the cell block as we engaged in war with the uniformed officers.
I grappled with one until I was able to submit him in a choke until he went limp in my arms.
I stomped another in the face, spilling blood and brains on the concrete floor.
It had looked like we were winning until they sent the special response team in. We formed a line, many of us battered and bloody, in front of the row of riot shields.
We waited for their charge for what felt like an eternity.
But suddenly they backed out from where they’d come and slid the cell block doors closed.
What the hell…
The red beacon swirled once again overhead as a clicking sounded out behind us.
The rear entrance that the lab coats had always used swung open. I spun around to see…
“Mary, mother of God.” I gasped.
It was Pete…
But there was something horribly wrong with him.
His skin clung loosely to his body and had a terrible jaundice looking hue to it. His eyes almost seemed to glow and his hands… they were impossibly large like contorted branches.
I held my hand up to my mouth in disbelief.
A scientist stepped out from behind him.
“As you can see, we have a few kinks left to iron out, but we are making great progress. Would you all care to see what he can do?” He looked into each of our eyes inquisitively.
“If you don’t, head back to your cells now. You have ten seconds and then I shall release him.”
It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. But a violent and hungry energy filled the room, emanating from what used to be my friend.
Suddenly, over half the remaining inmates bolted for their cells out of fear. Not that I could blame them, my knees wobbled and threatened to buckle just at the sight of him.
But I stood my ground, as did a handful of others.
“Very well then. Specimen 3-1-0, engage.”
A growl reverberated through the cell block.
“Everyone rush him at once! It’s our only shot.” I hollered.
And we did, but it didn’t matter. It happened so fast. It was over before I could even comprehend it.
He moved like an animal, picking each of us apart almost in unison.
I lay on my back, unable to feel my legs as I watched Jerry be disemboweled. He was trying to shove his intestines back inside the tear in his abdomen before the creature came back to finish him off.
I did a cross over myself but didn’t bother to pray.
As Pete stood over me, with dead eyes, I knew there was no God.
He didn’t exist inside these walls.
We were abandoned.
The unheard.

So, umm, hi. I'm here (again). Great intro, eh?
- First, the post flair. Platonic and intimate aren't necessarily mutually exclusive (for me) since I can have an intimate relationship with a platonic friend, and I can also be intimate with someone without being sexual. Both can mean sex-free/less, but there's a part of me, although covered, who still wants to keep it open for that (the physical touch) in the future. I'm seeking, at the very least, someone with whom I can be my true self in a safe and accepting environment, and that requires a level of intimacy beyond the definition that either of these flairs encapsulates. But that's me... a stickler for word definitions, giving them room for nuance and interpretation, whilst also understanding that the words we choose can be quite impactful.
- That segues seamlessly into my second point, the "A" in looking for "anyone" is for NB, M, or FTM. I am looking for someone with the potential for something beyond an emotionally and intellectually connecting relationship, though it's not my first or even second priority. I just want there to be a possibility.
- My third point, if you identify as F and find yourself connecting to my words in a way that you feel compelled to reach out and communicate? Please do. I'm all for following someone's rules and guidelines, and I also know that I need to leave room for that nuance I mentioned. It's not easy for me, and I still know it's necessary I at least try.
On that note, I'm here, trying. Here's a bulleted run-down of the woman behind the words:

• This is my 18,036th username.
• I sometimes exaggerate (the quantity of) things.
• I love parenthetical expression (it just works); most punctuation can help me get my point across without ever opening my mouth.
• Laughing and cannabis are truly my best medicines, and I have a prescription for one; the other just needs more cowbell.
• If you can't talk comedy, we won't connect in the way I am seeking. It is in my veins. When I say "talk comedy", I mean I weave humor throughout my serious messages, I bring up comedians ALL THE TIME, I love watching and discussing stand-up specials, I listen to comedy podcasts (mostly Smartless and Conan), and I believe that in another life, I was a comedian because I just relate so much to so many comedians.
• On the note of relating, I'm Autistic. The spectrum isn't linear, it's everything and everywhere. I do have strengths. I just also have a lot of weaknesses. Additionally, I also suffer with ADHD. However, because of the other alphabet diagnoses I have (C-PTSD, MDD, GAD, and BordPD), ADHD medication didn't help me when we tried a couple of years ago, it made everything worse. So, see above, laughing and cannabis are the only things that give me relief. Keep in mind, though, I live with suffering daily. There's no "fixing" or "curing" me. If you aren't comfortable with a highly emotional, intense, angry, passionate, believe it or not, kind, f'ed up woman, then, well, that's okay... I wouldn't be either. :D Just maybe don't reach out as we'll both end up super disappointed.
• Oh, did I mention I'm also agoraphobic? I mean, come on, how are you not pushing "send message" already? The figurative line will be around the door once I press post, I'm sure of it. (But seriously, I have mild/moderate agoraphobia that was activated by the pandemic, then the protests after George Floyd, then the Jan. 6th insurrection, then the anti-progress movement, and of course, as a Jewish person, seeing Nazis disguised as Conservatives just pretty much running things because they have the most money for some f'ing reason. Ugh. I don't trust anyone anymore. I don't have friends. I haven't spoken to a family member in more than two years. I haven't had a hug in two years. I haven't gone out for entertainment in 3.5 years. I am essentially still living like some did in April/May of 2020... so, yah, it's bad.)
• But I'll refer back to my initial opener and repeat, "umm, hi. I'm here (again). ".
• Okay, I'm back.
• I love football (NFL) and have become a decent baseball fan in the last 7 years. Football has been a part of my life since I was 13 years old. It's a toxic place (nfl makes me want to punch air), but I can't stop because it's a part of my core, my special interest. If you know anything about Autism, the one thing that pretty much remains consistent is that a special interest can be a life saver! Also, though, many of us become hyper-focused (especially us ADHD people) and only be able to talk about that one thing. It's annoying to me, and it's also me. :D If you can relate to that, maybe we have a chance to connect. I'm a values-based person, so it sometimes pains me to know that one of my core interests goes against a lot of my core values (safety, duh). It's one of those both/and things for me... Like how I know I love someone and also hate them. What do you think about that theory? That love and hate are separate between a thin line... (philosophical talk around psychology and human behavior is a big interest of mine.)
• Where was I?
• Oh yah, I play fantasy football and baseball. I love it. I focus on it almost year-round.
• Cats. Period. (I am a silly lady who talks to them in a very specific cat voice, but also, that voice is used to talk to birds, squirrels, bunnies, spiders, bees, and the little gophers that live under the houses around here.)
• (Side note: I'm an omnivore, and also an animal advocate. If you can't handle someone both/and, well, that's okay, I can't handle a lot, either, so I get it. It's one of those things where removing a food group from my diet would be more harmful to me, though I fully subscribe to moderation and not eating animal products for every meal; the corporate world has tried to make us lowly citizens think we have any real "carbon footprint", but someone I met through here reminded me that's just capitalists trying to blame us so they can charge us more for "eco-friendly" shit that's probably not even eco-friendly. Ugh. Where was I?)
• Oh yah...
• Back to the agoraphobia for a second... I'm a fear-based person. Not because I want to be, I just am. I'd love to find more peace, and right now, that's not the case. However, I used to socialize. I did. I have pictures to prove it. I sometimes like to reminisce in what I used to do, but I don't do anything I used to. My identity crisis is real, and I get frustrated about it, often. I retreat. I avoid. I get defensive. And, then I reflect and try be as self-aware as possible while not projecting onto you, the proverbial you. Constant communication is necessary. If I say, "I'm having a bad day," and your reaction is to wait until I'm feeling better? Then, I'm not for you (or you're not for me?). I need someone who will figuratively sit with me through those bad days, even when I say, "I don't want to talk". I need someone who can be there, even if you're only there on the other side of the screen and you say something like, "I know you are hurting today. I know you don't want to talk. I know this is hard. I am here for you. You don't have to feel better, and I'll still be here. If you want to yell, cry, or do nothing or everything in between, I'm here." I say that in such detail because I know what I need, but oftentimes, I can't ask for it in the moment when I need it, if that makes sense? My ex-husband ended up feeling like my needs were unreasonable (I was with him before my diagnoses, so to him, I was just going to therapy and "not getting better"), and I was doing what I was taught, to ask for what I need, and he, along with many others (I read people's lists of red flags) thought that I shouldn't need so much.
• Well, I do.
• (Side note: I'm not pining for my ex; we've been apart for four years, but it was the last relationship I had, and I believe in learning from experiences and those lessons need to be communicated. If you can't handle someone talking about a previous relationship here and there, that won't work. A lot of my memories directly pre-pandemic are with him, so it will come up from time to time. I assume you've had relationships, and I'll want to hear about them, too! I just don't do ex-bashing. Not cool. I loved the guy, and he doesn't deserve all the blame for our relationship ending, and I know your ex doesn't, either.)
• I own an old home that's worth less than a lot of people's cars, I assume, and I'm not handy; you being handy would be the best thing so I could ask you about all of the things. :) I also own a cheap EV that doesn't go very far, but is there when I need it. I'm a pretty poor person who lives in poverty, but makes it work because I'm a fucking survivor.

You know, I think that's a great place to end this random list of words. I've posted here over the last few years, responded to posts, and sometimes I include a picture, but I'm not going to this time. It makes me upset not to share in advance, but I also think that I tend to get responses from people who didn't read my post and just looked at my picture. I want to be attracted to you aesthetically and vice versa, I just don't want you to see the aesthetics first and forget about the words. My outsides don't match my insides. My outsides are what contributed, I'm positive, to my Autism going undiagnosed. I'm partially disabled, but you can't see my disability unless I show it, and believe me, this entire post? That's me showing it a little...
On that note, I'll bid you adieu. Please think before reaching out. I mean it, if you are someone who is just looking to chat with someone out of boredom and are nowhere near the CDT time zone, please spare us both. Potential future meeting is something I know I want. I haven't done it yet, but man, that's the goal.
Okay, seriously, I'm going now. For real...
But wait, don't go yet, I prefer PM's than chat. The Reddit app sucks, and chat isn't on 3rd party apps, plus, I like the long form communication of a PM than a live chat as that seems more casual? I don't know. That's me. Perhaps one day we could move off here, but for now, PMs are my preference.
Okay, bye.

About Us
Founded in 1994, International Money Express (NASDAQ: IMXI) is a leading omnichannel provider of money transfer services. Offering the digital movement of money through proprietary technology, a network of more than 100,000 payer locations, company-operated stores, our mobile app, and the company website, we enable consumers to send money from the United States and Canada to 17 countries, including Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Intermex is headquartered in Miami, Florida and continues its four-year track record of exceptional earnings growth as a global public company and premium provider of money transfer services, with our customers coming first and being at the heart of what we do.
You Will
As Director, Regional Sales, Colorado you will drive sales and revenue through a team of eight District Sales Manager’s (DSMs) in the defined geography and opportunity zones to exceed the assigned gross margin.
* Drive regional revenue targets in alignment with a strategic framework and CRO as you cultivate and maintain a strong customer-focused approach.
* Develop DSMs to consistently achieve gross margin targets.
* Perform daily and weekly sales calls to discuss district performance, review information DSMs gathered during their visits and cold calls to identify barriers and review On-Site Business Reviews (OBRs)
* Prepare and complete action plans; implement production, productivity, quality, and customer service standards; resolve problems; complete audits; identify trends; define regional sales system improvements; and implement change.
* Recommend product lines by identifying new product or service opportunities and service changes, surveying consumer needs and trends.
You Have
* A demonstrated history of selling to SMB retailers within the assigned geo.
* Experience building business growth strategies to drive volume through new and existing customers.
* At least five years of experience developing B2B sales teams in a defined geo-delivering value-add solutions to SMB retailers.
* Proficient in CRM tools and Microsoft Office.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Bilingual Spanish is highly desired.
* Willing to travel within the territory more than 50% of the time.
* The position is remote, with a territory based in Colorado.
Our Perks
* Competitive base salary plus uncapped on-target sales commissions.
* Monthly car allowance plus gas reimbursement.
* Business casual dress code and paid time off.
* Free Employee Dental and Vision benefits.
* Medical benefits and 401K plan available.
* Employee Discounted Marketplace.
Our talent is our strategic differentiator. By bringing together diverse perspectives through our people and ideas, we foster an environment where people belong, all voices are heard, and everyone is vital and can contribute their best work. Intermex Wire Transfer, LLC is proud to be an Equal Opportunity workplace.
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Hi, wasn't really sure what to title this. Cut a long story short, I have a mate who needs a new daily. A few weeks ago his parked car was crashed into and written off. A few years before that he had another accident with it when the handbrake failed, though it was repaired that time.
He's 20 and with 2 previous accidents as you can imagine his insurance isn't too cheap. He had a Mazda2, was looking at a 1.0T Kia Cee'd until he got an insurance quote for 3k.
Can anyone recommend a nice new-ish car for max 13k that isn't really expensive to insure? Obviously insurance is a stats game so best to pick something 20 year olds don't normally drive, if anyone has any ideas that would be greatly appreciated

I was Having a dream about Ethan and we were care free running and laughing, joking and it felt so real. I woke to my 5 year old yelling from the hallway "mom Ethans here!!" The confusion of sleep slowly lifting as my mind processed and the reality slamming back into me with the absolute weight of the world as I realize the light in the hall is just flickering again. I don't say much about this, and I haven't because there are no words and nobody wants to hear it. But I do want to get into it a bit on a different level. We look at people and think they look like they have these perfect lives, they look happy. You don't see the problems just under the surface. I had an older gentleman at the gas station hold the door for me- he had to have been about 80. His face a map of where he had been, kind eyes that smiled with his mouth. I'm sure I looked shell shocked, a blank expression on my face, in a daze and there was no way he had of realizing I had just held my dead son in my arms and seen his brains through the top of his head and his chest loosely stitched together. I'd had to sign a waiver to see him, but I had to. My brother had asked to go look first and asked me to not go myself if he thought it was too bad. I let him go in first and heard him beg me please don't go when he walked back in the room. A marine war vet who I'm sure had seen worse, yet his face looked pale, his lips pressed tightly together and his eyebrows were furrowed together and his eyes wouldnt quite meet mine as he came out imploring me no, "Ethan would not want you to remember him like this please, dont go in. Just trust me." I asked my brother if it was bad- was his face gone? Thinking about a 45 hollow point entering someone's head and just decimating it. He shook his head and said his face was ok. I remember needing to see Ethan, it still wasnt really real to me- i mean maybe they had a mistaken identity or he wasnt really dead or it was all a sick prank. I just had to see and nothing would have stopped me from walking in the room and actually seeing it was him. It was finally my turn. When you are ready i was told. I thought to myself, when would i ever be ready? Who wakes up and says they are ready to see the little boy that they rocked to sleep, that they watched take their first steps, say their first words, smile for the first time, who could be ready to see them dead. I was not entirely sure what i was about to see. I started to walk through the door and he was there on the other side of the empty room. The room was bigger then the one they gave you at other viewings and he was against the opposite wall laying on a gurney with a blood drop splattered sheet covering him up to his chin. I think of it and the feelings come rushing back to me. The way my knees almost buckled and the way I felt dizzy with bile coming up in the back of my throat. The way I could only choke out the words "oh, bubba.. what did you do?" As i felt the oxygen suddenly sucked out of my body. The room suddenly hot, the air too thin the silence so loud you could hear it. I walked over to him reaching out to smooth his hair off of his face. His head seemed oddly misshapen and his eyes were sunk into his head. I remember hearing a sound that sounded like a hurt animal as i stared down, into the sight that greets me now everytime I close my eyes. vaguely being aware that I was making the sound and willing it to stop. Then I just felt overwhelmed knowing that absolutely nothing I could say or do, could get him to stand up and smile at me. That I was helpless and this was definitely my child. There was no mistake. I could see the top of his skull was gone and tried not to look at the gore where the top of his head was missing. I saw bone and brains yet, I didn't feel grossed out as I touched him. Just helpless. This was a booboo I could not slap a bandaid on. I flashed back to a few days before he died when he had come to work with me and cut his finger and i teased him as i put a bandaid on my brave little guy at the same time i had been grossed out and couldnt look at the scratch. He had laughed and looked at me semi amused and semi appalled. I walked around searching and not seeing the entry wound on him so I when a mortuary employee came to check in on me i asked her if she knew. she knew right where it was and reached out and turned his head and I was honestly kind of shocked because I thought dead people were always hard after rigor mortise set in- I'd touched dead people before but never tried to move them. His head turned with kind of a rubbery, heavy, unnatural look and there it was. Smaller then the hickey next to it he had had that last day I saw him. The size of the tip of my pinkie and pretty anticlimactic to what I'd thought it would be. Just a tiny almost bruised looking dot- having done less damage at the entry site then the exit. Pulling the sheet down a bit and seeing him loosely stitched across his chest and seeing the image of sewing a chicken breast back together when cooking (just add the jalapeños and cream cheese and cranberries and stitch it closed then bake at 350).... The rest of the visit is really between me, him and God. But back to the guy at the gas station.. who while well meaning, told me smile, it's not that bad. And it's funny because I in no way, feel that I am alone. I know so many of us have had moments that just rocked their universes. So many of us have had moments whether it be personally, or while at war, that just broke us. Yet, on the surface looking people would never know. This stranger just trying in his way to spread happiness had no idea that yes, it was that bad. For me today, yes it was that bad and worse. It's been several months, but my suffering didn't end there. I still had to watch the news reports read the comments of strangers opinions that didnt know me, didnt care if his family read their judgements, still had to field phone calls from the detectives, the Investigators. Still had to watch the video of my son dying (obsessively over and over trying to find a clue). I still had to receive his clothing he wore (and im slowly working on opening each of the 27 bags of evidence i was given), read reports and cremate him and make his urn, go to the scene where he died that was poorly cleaned up with chunks of blood and flesh strewn around (in a very public spot so that people were walking and stepping unknowingly on chunks of him that had been missed , read the autopsy report where it described cutting out his tongue and calling after hours to the coroner for about the 25th time, crying and questioning.. for the love of God, why? And choking back rage- how? How did you get it out? Did you give it back? Doing full on obsessive research learning our eyes turn black shortly after we die, watching cremation videos and staring at the clock as he was being burned and mashed up and then trying to process it all. Past that the dreams. I dont dream often that i remember, but the dreams lately are frequent and vivid. But on the flip side I have not had one day off to grieve. Not one full day of help with the kids to process. Not one full day of my phone not ringing for work or not having to make dinner and take care of 4 smaller kids who are counting on me. Honestly, things are compounding and the more time goes by, the further I am withdrawing and shutting down. The ability to deal with small stressors and something as simple as my phone ringing is throwing me back to the beginning where the voice on the other end started this nightmare with "ethans dead" . Logically I know that's not the case but I hear messages beep across, I hear it ring and anxiety and dread fill me and I just can't look. Nothing can force me to look. But it's funny how we have to be OK. NO one knows or wants to hear because it's too much, or they don't understand or it's been a week, a month... aren't you better yet? I see other people out there and know they've dealt with the same, and it changes you. You WANT to be OK. You would trade your life to have that particular situation not have happened. And I do. I want to be OK. I want to be the person people think I am. I want to be able to run my business or answer my phone but I can't be. I'll never be again and the dreams, nightmares and that hope as I wake up that it's not real, that will never fade. In some western cultures, after a death they will wear a black arm and to signify they are in mourning. I almost think it would be easier if we did that here. Then, maybe people would not be so quick to judge. You never should assume that just because someone looks normal that there is not a whole lot of trauma boiling up, I want to apologize to all my clients who haven't been able to make it through, that I haven't communicated well with and that don't or can't understand. This isn't a choice. This isn't what I want. This is what is pushed upon me and no words can change the fact that I am Stilll tired and confused and shocked at the loss of my son, and I am trying to be whole, I am trying to put on a smile and answer my phone and be the business people need but is it ever OK to be not ok? The answer I'm seeming to get is not during peak season its not! I'm processing kind of a lot and granted, I obviously need to work to pay my bills so am grateful for the work, on the flip side getting screamed at from a lady that our mow guy is a day late because it rained or the crew is not at their house we had said wed be there in the afternoon and its now 3:15, that compounds into me just staring blankly at the phone as it rings wondering how I can keep running a business if these small stressors are so debilitating right now, thinking of the past few years that my son worked for me as I realize I'm short staffed and how I started this company because of him. With him wanting to earn money so we shoveled together then he had people wanting weeding while he was at school so I jumped in and it went from there. So I am wondering what life I have now when such a huge piece of me is dead and I do blame myself because I didn't realize it at the time but my actions, parenting style and reactions had everything to do with his death and even though what I did made sense looking back- instead of calling the police on him when he showed me he had a gun- and knowing he'd run from his sober living, I just lectured him and told him I knew he'd make the right choice. I had a truck I wanted to give him but didn't because he had a gun and had run from sober living. If I'd given him the truck he would not have stolen the car. I could have traded gun for truck. If I'd called police they would have taken him to jail where he was safe. My version of natural consequences didnt factor in that I'd be the one alive to suffer them not him.

Hi everyone! I’m looking to buy my first car! I’m looking for a sporty car that I can daily drive it and to be somewhat reliable! Looking for a coupe or a sedan or even a suv.
I am a college student and recently involved in a car accident so I have some money from the settlement to buy a new car. I have decided to use 1/3 of it on my new car and the rest can go to me and my brother’s college tuition. Since the money is a one off so I was hoping for something that is relatively reliable and relatively cheaper to maintain, since I don’t have any reliable source of income to afford constant repairs.
I’m currently looking at early model year of Lexus RCF, early pre LCI BMW f80-82, any other recommendations or input?

I am really in need of advice, and maybe even a little encouragement or confidence boost. I’ll keep this as short as possible…
Read this and please try to raise awareness if you can: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/man-20-committed-suicide-because-1141230.amp
I have spent my life with a rare, mentally-debilitating condition called idiopathic craniofacial erethyma, which is a nervous system condition that causes chronic blushing and red face for any (- sometimes no- ) reason. There was actually a “House MD” episode on it. I have an extreme version of it where it happens daily almost constantly unless I’m at home alone relaxing on the couch or something.It’s very obvious , incredibly embarrassing , causes my heart to race and makes people uncomfortable . It’s basically my fight or flight response In total overdrive .
As a result of this I got into drinking/drug use to try and take away the anxiety. A decade of my life that ended up being a total waste. Some of it worked, but not for long and then I was going thru withdrawals and the nightmare of getting sober. I’ve tried many psych. Meds including off-label ones typically for blood pressure that make me dizzy and nauseous. None really are effective. I’ve tried therapy. I’ve tried so many things, including many different doctors. I have bad PTSD and childhoood trauma which only adds to its frequency and is probably a main cause of it . It’s not something I can control.
It’s to the point where I’ve limited myself in life tremendously, and spent a decade in and out of rehabs because of the methods I tried to treat it myself. Just imagine: Anytime someone walks up to you, speaks to you, or asks you a question you go bright red. You basically can’t keep any of your private thoughts private. One time I had a Manager confront employees about money being stolen. I turned bright red because I was worried that I would and then they’d think it was me when it wasn’t. My manager saw my reaction and I was almost fired. If they hadn’t found who it was on the cameras after days of going through footage, she might even had gone as far as to attempt to press charges, which she threatened to do. This is what I mean. It’s not some minor thing like every acts it is when I ask for advice they say “who cares don’t care what people think it’s no big deal “ it goes way beyond that.
Right now I work overnights as a front desk at a motel because I don’t interact with people much that way. But if only I didn’t have this condition I know I have the smarts to do more with my life. And I make shit money.
But I do have it. And unless I get a risky surgery that could leave me permanently mentally disabled if it goes wrong, I’m shit out of luck.
I feel like giving up and don’t see a viable solution. I feel cursed. My finances are complete shit, I have no social life, my mom died when I was young and my whole family is fucked up and can’t help me. It just feels like I’m in a dark hole with no way out.
To some it might not seem like a big deal1 until you are living with it. It’s not something I can take deep breaths and make stop. It’s not something I can always just make a joke about or brush off in conversation such as when that manager thought I stole.
I give up. Thx for any input you can provide…so much for “keeping it short”
if you actually read all this thank you so much and I hope someone out there has a good suggestion for me because I’m at my wits end at this point and bracing for having to go live in my car again lol.

As one of, if not THE most popular film franchise that's not part of a Superhero Universe, John Wick has been a central force in the name of Action Cinema since the first movie. An original, powerhouse universe of nigh unstoppable assassins, militarized Crime Families that have practically overtaken all systems of governments and public life centralized around their shadowy cabal of Marquis and High Table officials, centralized "sanctified" grounds for them to conduct their business and far more.
But what I'm theorizing is that this story of bloody revenge, underworld dealings and criminal carnage between cartels is NOT set in its own universe. Instead, I'm proposing that the film is set in ANOTHER universe of criminal dealings where centralized gangs fight both each other AND different factions of Mafia families for ground and access to the same avenues of finance and power they control.
So let me just get straight into it...
WHAT IF JOHN WICK IS SET IN THE SAME UNIVERSE AS 1979's THE WARRIORS?
Now, this theory automatically excludes the original novel from 1965, as the film is essentially "in name only" when you compare the two. This also isn't taking into account the spinoff material both properties have, including comic books.
But when you look at both The Warriors and John Wick closely, you start noticing some rather interesting similarities that end up going just past the mark of "nods" to other bits of Cult Cinema.
The first thing you have to look at is overall atmosphere, because both are dripping with Comic Book style environments and characterization. From the beginning of The Warriors, we see the gangs slowly gathering together for the event being hosted by the enigmatic leader of The Grammercy Riffs, Cyrus. Cyrus speaks in bombastic quotes, providing almost Shakespearean quotations as if he's Henry V proceeding to muster the spirits and convince the collection of colorful characters that proliferate each gang - The Warriors, The Furies, The Rogues, The Punks, The VC Rangers, The Electric Eliminators and so on - that are constantly fighting over "turf" and keeping each other from unifying against both the Police AND (in a very interesting detail) the varying Crime Families that have control over everything they live under. And in a weird way, the John Wick franchise has a SIMILAR character who speaks to the "lower common denominator" of criminal life - The Bowery King, who essentially leads all the "street level" gangs of the setting, who stands against what the Families have done, and stands as an untouchable figure when it comes to the areas that the Families have no power over.
The second thing we must look at is genre, which will be the simplest to explain - while John Wick has the additional tag of "Neo-Noir", BOTH properties share the Action Thriller moniker. Both films center on characters fighting for survival, coming across an assortment of interesting characters with unique style and ways they fight. Arguably the weakest element to the theory, but it has to be stated none-the-less.
Third is story elements. In the JW franchise, it's very interesting to see that while assassins and trained killers duke it out in public arenas, you notice that pedestrians and civilians seem to be utterly unphased by the battles happening around them. This makes it seem that such violence has become commonplace, almost like they have been trained in their daily lives to expect it to happen at any given moment. In fact, it seems like the Families of the High Table actively prepare people for such occasions, emptying out places when they can. Part 4 is probably the most egregious example of this, as entire apartment buildings are surrounded by signs of life and whatnot, but then a battle happens and every living space is unoccupied.
In direct comparison, The Warriors takes place in New York City in the late 70's. A bustling city that is known as THE nightlife center at the time. But then you look at how desolate the streets seem to be, how empty a lot of buildings happen to be, and it becomes a little unsettling. Like someone knew the Police raid at the Gathering of the gangs at beginning of the film would cause those who escaped to scurry away, leaving them exposed to getting jumped. The Warriors, in particular, are the victims of this as the Grammercy Riffs put out the call that they are to be taken out. In the language of John Wick's universe, they have been made excommunicado with the added bonus of a bounty being put on their heads.
Now, for probably the most obvious bit that ties The Warriors to John Wick... THE DJ. This is the piece that really cemented this idea in my head. In both The Warriors and John Wick part 4, a radio DJ is used to put out the hit in coded language. Both with sultry voices. Both using the exact same code phrases. Both using the EXACT SAME SONG, although covered by two different artists - this being NOWHERE TO RUN by Martha Reeves And The Vandellas. If you take this into account, it's more than a coincidence.
So, what does this all imply?
The High Table was behind the hit on Cyrus, who was a legitimate threat to their plans. Promising The Rogues exactly what each gang has been looking for to foment chaos, allowing the brutality of the police (who we see have been in the pockets of the High Table since the first film) to come in and dismantle a vast majority of New York's street level crime that had been a thorn in their sides. An extremely plausible tactic - using someone on the inside to cause damage and then using crushing force (which they are overly fond of using, given the scores of bodies and broken people in the various fight scenes) to finally supplant their power over the gangs. But what they didn't expect was for the gangs to go underground, as a new leader stepped up to unite them all under one banner.
The banner of the Bowery King. An outside force that, in the forty years since The Warriors aired, brokered a truce with the High Table. Negotiating some of the gangs' tactics and knowledge and collective strength in exchange for the freedom to act as free agents, all under the purview of the High Table and the criminal families that sit at it.
Is this theory perfect? No. Does this theory rely on coincidences? You could make that argument. But once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and anything three times or more is a pattern. And when there's a pattern, there's nowhere to hide.
Also, a coincidence involving both The Warriors and John Wick? The upcoming series centering on The Continental in New York City that's dropping in September of 2023 is oddly timed to fit within the limits of both The Warriors AND John Wick timelines.

See the previous posts: https://www.reddit.com/JurassicPark/comments/1419mpy/jurassic_world_the_hegemony_of_biosyn_dominion/ https://www.reddit.com/JurassicPark/comments/142b35e/jurassic_world_the_hegemony_of_biosyn_jwd_rewrite/

Act III - The Gathering of the Clouds

Mia Everett
Visually confirming Rainn's revelation, Victoria is shown in a cage inside Amelia Everett's lab, within Biosyn's Citadel. Mia does her best to comfort the scared and depressed Achillobator and her motivations are explored shortly after. It's revealed that due to her experience within the team who made the Indominus and the Indoraptor, Biosyn tasked her with reviving InGen's IBRIS program by breeding raptors with high obedience potential. However, none of the achillobators cloned by Biosyn proved to be trainable enough for the program's ambitions (even though they attempted to mimic Owen's experience by having keepers being there at the animals' birth), which displeased Dodgson and the other higher-ups, who are now favouring another research team, who focuses on a more intrusive way of controlling dinosaurs. Basically treated as a second-class researcher amidst a rather toxic work environment, Mia became desperate enough to hire poachers to capture Blue, which she intended to breed with their achillobators in order to finally have trainable individuals. As Victoria is not sexually mature, Mia is in front of a considerable setback and fears that Dodgson will pull the plug due to her lack of results, especially in this troubled period for Biosyn.
The tying noose
The next day, the intel collected by the UN agents (people involved in the Black Market, Biosyn's connections with it) are sent to the nearby countries, including Italy, where an arrest warrant is launched against Kayla.
On his side, Isaac Gibbon is contacted by Bigelow who tells him about the debacle of their mission in Malta, saying that Claire and Owen saved the grey guards from disaster. He orders her to stay in Italy for the moment and wait for new orders. Shortly receives, he receives a candidate for a desk job in the DSD: It's Franklin. Gibbon tells Franklin he heard about his bravery during the 2019 incidents and his past connection with InGen (Before the DPG, Franklin worked for it as an IT Technician), before asking questions about Claire as he is aware that she collaborated with him not only on some occasions in the past few years but also in the 2019 Costa Rican incident, where Franklin was the couple's companion while they were running from InGen's agents and the authorities.
Dubrovnik
The inhabitants and tourists of the Croatian seaside city of Dubrovnik are surprised when a Biosyn Quetzalcoatlus descends upon the old town and starts attacking people. As a joke similar to one in TLW with the Japanese businessman and his reference to Godzilla, some extra could yell in Valyrian "I left Westeros because of this!" or "By the Seven, not again!" (Dubrovnik was one of Game of Thrones' filming location).
Ramsay's email
In a manner similar to the Hawaii attack scene in Gareth Edwards' Godzilla, the Dubrovnik scene cuts just as the Quetzal swoops on the bystanders and we are now in the bar of Biosyn's employee village. Wu is watching the news of the Dubrovnik attack on the TV (there is even a declaration from Zoe Murdoch, in which she denies the pterosaur came from Auronzo's Sanctuary and was probably created by a rival company who somehow put their hands upon Biosyn Quetzalcoatlus DNA. In the bar, someone whisper that one of their Quetzals did escaped from the valley thanks to the temporary deactivation of the invisible fence system and that Dodgson has launched an investigation to know who's responsible) when he receives a mysterious email from Ramsay, which includes the name of some woman. Wu search it on the internet and ends up on IMDB where he discovers that the adult "Charlotte" on the videos is actually an actress who lives in London.
Arrest
In Rome, early in the morning, Kayla is arrested in her flat by the police as she is accused of illegal smuggling.
Viscontini
Following all the incidents in the Alps, the clash in the Sabine Hills and the recent Dubrovnik attack, people gets pissed at Biosyn and protests occur in several locations, including Rome. In the Italian Ministry of the Interior, Viscontini has an argument with Pazzi, declaring that they need to take severe actions against Biosyn but the minister retorts that taking large-scale actions against the corporation might trigger a whole deal of undesirable consequences, including deteriorating US-Italian relations due to the close ties between Biosyn and the US government. He won't risk that just because of some rumours, weak proof and small incidents. Viscontini retorts that soon, Biosyn might have an angry mob showing at its gates with the goal of driving it out of Italy.
Following Vuillier's instructions, Claire, Owen, Nyamu and Dougal leave Malta the same day and fly to the Eternal City, where they have to meet Viscontini in the AISI headquarters. There, they have a video call with Vuillier. He and Viscontini wants to send the trio of WDMC agents to Auronzo Valley so they can infiltrate Biosyn's facility, find compromising information and transmit them to the Italian authorities, hoping to finally convince Pazzi and the rest of the government to take action against Biosyn. However, one of the agents points out that they will need an entrance ticket as one doesn't simply walk into Auronzo, since the borders of Biosyn's lands are guarded and monitored while some people disappeared after going too close from the Sanctuary (anti-Biosyn activists, reckless adventurers, Grendel Corporation's spies, others from the AISI's and Austrian government). Viscontini declare they might have that ticket.
We cut to Kayla in her prison cell. The guard announces she has visit and she is brought to a room where Viscontini and Dougal waits for her. The head of the AISI and the WDMC agent then negotiate with her: In exchange for her freedom, she will bring Dougal, Claire and Owen to Biosyn's Sanctuary. However, Viscontini precise he'll have her hunted down if she ever betrays them.
Kayla raises the fact that she can't show up at Auronzo like this and needs a motive. Viscontini and Dougal then talk about the animals seized in Malta's black market.
Theo's Mission
That day, Wu summons Theo, explain the whole issue with the fake Charlotte and ask him to go to London, find the actress and question her about the videos so they can have proofs to show Maisie, who started to really become insufferable because of Dodgson's bad influence (in that part of the story, one of the few scenes where she's likeable is one where she and Drummond bonds over the common passion for dinosaurs). The ex-mercenary soon leaves Auronzo, taking a bus for Venice in the nearest village while Wu explains to Pellegrino and Dodgson that Theo had urgent family matters to deal with in the UK.
Leaving San Francisco
Desiring to supervise the Dolomites Crisis more closely, Vuillier fly to Italy.
Nine containers
As evidence of Biosyn's possible connections to the Maltese black market has been discussed on the news, Dodgson knows it's a matter of time before Vuillier, the Italians or the Austrians send people in Auronzo and expose Biosyn's misdeeds.
We then follow Pellegrino's POV as she oversees the exit of nine large mysterious containers from the Citadel and their departure from the airstrip just outside the valley. One of her subordinates asks what's inside and she answers that she has no idea, with Dodgson only giving her a series of instructions. They watch the containers being flown abroad.
The following day, Pellegrino speak about it to Wu and other employees with anti-Dodgson sentiments like Drummond. She notices that Wu is uncomfortable as they talk about it and realize he must be hiding something. Ramsay, who just arrived from the US in preparation for a big corporate event in the Citadel, almost surprise their discussion. As they're not sure if they can trust him or not, they pretend it's nothing. Wu then phones Theo and asks him about his secret mission's progress.
London
In London, Theo finds the actress from the videos and initially posing as a reporter, filming her in an interview, he then ask her questions about the videos and after some hesitations, she concedes to give him answers and reveals among other things that the shooting occurred a few months ago in some local warehouse, that the director of those videos is none other than Colin Trevorrow (who, desperate for a job after the debacle of the Jurassic World film, accepted to participate to that project, oblivious that Biosyn was behind it since a dummy company took care of the production).
AISI
Vuillier arrives in Rome and meets with his agents, Nyamu and Viscontini in one of the AISI headquarters' conference rooms, where a map of Auronzo Valley and its surroundings has been laid. Kayla is also there and offscreen, our characters talk about the plan.
At the end of the meeting, everyone but Vuillier and Viscontini leave the room. Both have a secret conversation during which the Italian say that the Grey Guard's Mediterranean Company, supported by the Austrians and secretly by him (as he fears that Biosyn has informers within the Italian government), are deployed in one of the villages near Auronzo, and is supposed to act as a Plan B should the Claire-Owen-Dougal trio fail, by taking a secret path through an old mine and a mountain pass before breaking into Biosyn's citadel. The WDMC agents don't know that and when Vuillier ask why, Viscontini answers that it's better that way (should the agents be captured ant tortured, they won't tell Biosyn that there is a second team) and that the secret path isn't safer as one of his spy was killed by some creature after taking it and arriving in sight of the valley. He thinks that a small dozen of grey guards have better chances surviving the pass' guardian(s) than three civilian agents.
To the Dolomites
The next day, in the middle of the morning, Kayla is preparing her plane in some airstrip near Rome and the seized creature from the black market is loaded in the hold (I have no idea which species to choose). Equipped by the Italians, Claire, Owen and Dougal say farewell to Vuillier, Nyamu and Viscontini. The Frenchman tells Claire that it's time to unleash the She-wolf upon Dodgson but Claire correct him by saying "Not the She-wolf. The Dragon." (in this AU, she has a particular connection with the dragon-like Indominus), implying she'll get the mission done whatever it takes. He and the other two men wish them good luck and the trio of WDMC agents climb aboard the plane. They soon take off.
Biosyn's aerial defense
Kayla's plane arrives in sight of the mountains which delimit Biosyn's Sanctuary. Informed of their mission by Vuillier and Viscontini, one of the grey guards is watching the plane through his binoculars as it passes over the village where they are staying.
Kayla is soon contacted by the Citadel's control room as they detected the aircraft on their radars and they ask her why she's coming. The pilot answer that she collected an animal which might interest them (she told the WDMC agents and the Italians that Biosyn doesn't have this particular species in their Sanctuary) and ask to land on their airstrip. While the Biosyn employees discuss, the plane is about to enter Auronzo Valley by the east, as that part of the sanctuary is the furthest from most of the buildings (while the airstrip is in the northernmost parts of Biosyn's lands, beyond the mountains with the frozen dam lake) and thus where Claire, Owen and Dougal has the best chances of landing unnoticed. The trio of agents take their parachutes and prepare to jump, but at the same time, Dodgson, who heard that Kayla was arrested by the authorities just a few days ago, fears that her plane is a Trojan horse and decides to activate the valley's "aerial defense". On the screen of one of the room's monitors, we see a group of dots heading straight towards the plane. It's actually a group of pteranodons, from the same toothed variant as those who appeared in Jurassic Park 3 (there is even at least one black male identical to the scrapped one from Johnston's film), and they just collide with the plane, crashing against the cockpit and getting turned to shred by the rotors' blades, damaging the plane (the scene is partly inspired by a cutscene from the Ninth Mission of Paraworld's campaign). Owen wonder why those pteranodons behave in a suicidal manner. Suddenly, the pteranodons retreat and as their window is shrinking, the agents know they have to jump now (they've reached the middle of the valley and their trajectory deviated northwards, towards the mountain dam). Claire jumps first but as Owen is about to jump in his turn, the plane is attacked by a Quetzalcoatlus and the Raptor Whisperer sees another and a few pteranodons chasing her fiancée, whose parachute opened. Claire shakes the pterosaurs off by disappearing into the valley's dense forest. As they will be grabbed by the attacking pterosaurs as soon as they leave the aircraft, Owen, Dougal and Kayla stay inside it and brace for the crash. The plane crashes down at the surface of the frozen lake by the mountain dam in the northern part of the valley.
Back in Rome, Vuillier, Nyamu and Viscontini are worried as they heard the agents and the pterosaurs' screams (they had an open channel all that time with Kayla's plane). They hope the agents will survive this ordeal and activate the beacons they were given before their departure.
Note: The fate of the animal they took with them is still unclear for me. It really depends on the chosen species. If it's something large and potentially dangerous, Kayla would probably want to drop it in the valley in order to have a lighter plane and not deal with it after crashing. But if it's a creature about the size of a small dog for example, they could free it as they leave the wreckage.
Gigantoraptor
We then cut to Claire hanging in the trees but instead of a Therizinosaurus (which already appeared in TRQ. Moreover, Claire had a small arc with this species in that story), she is threatened by a Gigantoraptor. The scene plays out much like the Theri scene from Trevorrow's version, with Claire hiding in a pond etc.. Once the Gigantoraptor walks away, Claire gets out of the pond and sees the fumes from the plane's crash in the distance, behind the mountain dam.
The dam lake
Before it sinks in the lake, Owen, Dougal and Kayla leave her plane and step on the ice. Under it, they notice a large shadow and know they better move away from the lake. They notice a ladder by the dam but as they head towards it, a Quetzalcoatlus or a Pteranodon lands on their way. They step back, moving towards an opening on the lake's surface. Suddenly, a giant 9-meters long temnospondyl (based upon an unnamed and fragmentary genus from Lesotho) burst out the water, almost killing one of the characters. Ensue a scene where our three protagonists have to evade both the pterosaur and the amphibian. The pterosaur ends up being dragged underwater by the temnospondyl but other pterosaurs arrive and to escape them, our trio climbs on the dam and rushes to its elevator, going down in the valley. Down at the dam's base, they notice it's dilapidated and Kayla tell her two companions that Biosyn sell some of its power to the nearest villages.
Note: The main doubt I have about this scene is having a temnospondyl living in the icy water of a mountain lake. It might be too much of a stretch so if you think it's not realistic at all, it will be scrapped from the scene (and perhaps be replaced by a juvenile Baryonyx or something like this, an animal which could be also the one our characters brought with them in the plane.
Plan B
Since the agents lost their beacons during the pterosaurs' attack and the crash, they couldn't tell Rome that they were still alive. Vuillier and Viscontini fear the worst and send a message to Laurenzo Cesare.
Droppings
Meanwhile, Claire started walking towards the dam, hoping to find her companions on the way if they made it out alive from the crash. When she hears a racket in the woods, she hides and a Biosyn tyrannosaur arrives. But it's not on a hunting mode and instead, it just leaves some droppings on a log near Claire's hiding place. After the predator leaves, she approaches the log and smears her face with the droppings, remembering her "Walk in the Park" with Owen when they searched her nephews during the Fall of Jurassic World (the droppings hide her smell, dissuading the other animals to investigate her).
Argument
An argument bursts out between Owen, Dougal and Kayla while they're walking south. The first wants to find his fiancée, the second says that their mission is more important, and Kayla is mad at both men since she lost her plane (and livelihood) because of the WDMC's mission. And unsure about her intentions, the two men distrust her but she tries to reassure them by saying that Biosyn can fuck off since they are also responsible for destroying her plane.
However, the Sanctuary's denizens remind them that they better be united or else it will be the failure of their quest.
At some distance, in the middle of the fog, they see the recognizable silhouette of a sauropod, that of an Argentinosaurus (the species was seen in the distance and mentioned earlier in the story. Instead of Argentinosaurus, it could also be another large titanosaur). However, this herbivore has the particularity of having a symbiotic relation with some small carnivore species within Biosyn Sanctuary (I'm more thinking about a pterosaur or a flying/semi-arboreal theropod than a strictly ground-dwelling predator. For now, the baboon-sized Variraptor is my candidate), with the Argentinosaurus letting those carnivores eat its parasites and the insects flying around it while the carnivores will let out an alarm call shall a large predator approach. It could be illustrated in a scene where an Acrocanthosaurus (the one from the Drive-in scene) is spotted by the carnivores as it passes by. The Argentinosaurus turns to face the larger predator, adopt a defensive posture, and as the acro hasn't yet moved, the smaller carnivores take off from the sauropod and flies straight to the acro's head. Harassed by those creatures, the Acrocanthosaurus retreats. Thus, if those small carnivores (which we'll call the Argentinosaurus' suite) are brave enough to attack a megatheropod, our three protagonists know they're not safe and that they better move away.
The Sanctuary's true nature
While still heading north, Claire's path crosses that of a bull Shantungosaurus. She move out of his way and stay still. She and the audience recognize the animal as he was already in the JW rewrite and TRQ (in the first story, he gained some scars after a fight with a few Metriacanthosaurus), where he was a secondary "character" (and a threat in a few scenes). Both have a peaceful scene where they make eye contact but that quiet moment is shattered when a gunshot resounds in the forest and the hadrosaur flees, badly wounded. Claire hides and in the distance, she sees a hunter, accompanied by a couple of Biosyn security guards and another employee which she presume is some sort of supervisohunting guide. Watching how the hunter is dressed and how he behave in the wild, she knows he's not a professional hunter but just a rich hobbyist and then realizes the Sanctuary's true nature: It's a hunting reserve. As the Shantungosaurus escaped them, the hunter express his discontentment at the guide, which promise to find him another quarry. They leave and following the blood trail left by the hadrosaur, Claire finds him by a stream. His wounds are too grievous and he's too weak to lash out at Claire, who kneels by his head, trying to comfort him in his last moments, up until his last breath. Watching another of her former park's animals dying fills Claire with not only grief, but also anger. She change her plans and heads back south instead of continuing northward, following the hunting party's track.
Note: It doesn't necessarily have to be a Shantungosaurus in the role of the animal shot by the hunters, but it have to be a recognizable animal from the previous installments for emotional impact and Claire's development (another candidate could be the Therizinosaurus from TRQ)
She later finds another hunting party. One of its members, a Biosyn guard, pulls out an item she recognize: a raptor resonating chamber. The guard use it like a bird call and soon, an Achillobator, arrive, believing it heard one of its kind. The poor animal is shot by the hunters, who scream in satisfaction before taking a picture with their quarry. They then brings it to the Biosyn vehicle waiting nearby but before they leave (after having a short conversation during they mention that another team captured the rex and is bringing it the paddocks), Claire deliberately attract the attention of one of the guards, the same one which used the resonating chamber, and he say to his companions he won't be long. He move away from the road and deeper in the woods, he fall into Claire's ambush. She kill him, loot some of his equipment (including the resonating chamber), hide his body and leave. Worried for his colleague, the other guard with the hunters orders the guide to drive them back to the lodge, and search his friend. But he too is murdered by Claire, who takes a small metallic box on him. Activating the box, she realize it's a sonic weapon she has seen before, in the hands of InGen Security's elite troops during the fall of Isla Nublar (it's like a weaponized version of the box Dodgson and his companions have in Crichton's TLW). She turns it off, take it with her and follows the hunters vehicle's tracks on the road, towards the lodge.
However, Claire ignores she's being watched, and not by human eyes...
Over hill
Cesare and his men leave their accommodation and head for the frontiers of Biosyn's lands. Leaving their vehicles near a ruined fort, the grey guards start their trek while the sun is setting behind the mountains ahead of them.
A bed in the trees
As walking through the valley at night would be too dangerous, Owen, Dougal and Kayla decide to find a resting place and climb in a tree. From it, they have a panorama on a nearby lake and notice they are approximately halfway between the dam and the Citadel. At this moment, we also have peaceful scenes with the valley's denizens at dusk (Pelecanimimus fishing in the lake, herbivores drinking nearby, the same Spinosaurus from the report at the beginning peacefully sitting on the bank like an oversized duck...).
Theo's peace
In the evening, just a few hours before his flight to Venice, Theo also passes by his former home, which he left years ago before joining Ken Wheatley's mercenary company. His ex-wife still lives here and noticing that she started a new life with another man and seems happy, he walks away in peace, leaving behind him the last picture he had of himself and her (earlier in the story, Theo is seen looking at said picture).
The secret path
Back in Italy, the grey guards find the entrance of an old mine and enter it, taking the path that will allow them to pass under the limits of Biosyn's lands.
Mercenaries
Mercenary troops land in Biosyn's airstrip and their leader is brought to the Citadel. He has a discussion with Dodgson behind closed doors.
Foes... or allies?
A few hours after nightfall, Claire finally finds a large old chalet with typical Tyrolean architecture: The Hunting Lodge (it's implied that it was built way before Biosyn bought those lands, when the area was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before WWI). Claire remarks it's surrounded by an invisible fence (identical to the one from Jurassic World Evolution 2's Biosyn DLC) which prevents the animals from getting too close. Aware that the lodge wouldn't be a shelter for her and that its occupants probably outnumber her, she turns away from it, continuing to wander in the woods. But just a few minutes later, she hears sound in the nearby bushes. Aware she might be hunted, she is ready to use the ultrasound box and fight for her life. A pack of Achillobators shows up, menacingly walking towards her. At the same time, it starts to rain.
Claire first thinks of using the box and running away while the predators would be bothered by the sound but she knows it will be useless in the long run as they could track her all across the Sanctuary. She then remembers the reports she read earlier in the story, and especially that of the 2001 incident on Sorna, where Alan Grant and his companions walked out alive and unharmed from a close encounter with raptors.
In dire straits, she makes up a desperate plan and carefully, she pulls out the resonating chamber she stole from the Biosyn guards. She uses it and due to their bad experience in the sanctuary with the resonating chambers' usual users, the raptors get agitated but their pack leader tells them to calm down as Claire doesn't seem to be a Biosyn guard or a hunter. The pack leader walks alone towards Claire and sniffs the dried blood on her hands and clothes, realizing it belongs to other humans. Nothing happens for a moment and then the pack leader lets out a bark. Behind Claire, two raptors move aside. Slowly walking backwards, watching carefully the raptors' moves, Claire exits the circle made by the surrounding predators and continues doing so until she's at a respectable distance. At the beginning, the raptors just watch her but as she's heading towards the Hunting Lodge, she hears them following her. However, she is aware that they would have already pounced on her if they wanted to eat her and knows that they're more intrigued. Meanwhile, the rain intensifies (there could also be a storm).
Claire reaches the invisible fence, crosses it, and searches for its power source. But as she's sabotaging it, the Lodge caretaker (a gnarly-looking old local man) spots her and frightened by her look, runs away towards the building. She is forced to catch him and, after a short struggle, kill him with her knife before he can raise the alarm. After showing some trouble due to killing a probable innocent, she resumes her sabotage and the fence is deactivated. The raptors cross it and see Claire entering the lodge. Near its entrance, she finds a sword hanging on the wall as a decorative element and noticing it's still sharp, she takes it along with its sheath and heads for the rooms. Behind her, the raptors open the door and silently enter in the lodge. In the hallway which leads to the rooms, Claire stays still when the raptors walk past her as they head to the rooms and grin as her audacious plan is working. Claire enters one of the rooms, raises her sword blade over a sleeping hunter and when the time comes, thrust it into his body. Meanwhile, the raptors open other doors and entering the rooms, they rush on the sleepers. Slaughter ensues and only those who locked up their doors have the time to wake up, grab a weapon and fight for their very survival. Some of the lodge's occupants offer some resistance in the lounge but there, Claire activates the sonic weapon she stole and an ear-piercing sharp sound comes from it. While the raptors back off behind her, their common enemies kneel and scream in pain and Claire (who put on some earplug) slashes their throats, deactivate the weapon, and let the raptors tear the hunters alive while she raids some items (stuff like snacks, water, a first-aid kit, a map...) and leave, disappearing in the woods.
A bit later, she finds a small cave whose entrance is high from the ground and rest in it, sleeping until mid-morning.
The mountain's pass
At the end of their night-long ascent, the grey guards arrive in a pass/cave where they found human bones, which they presume to be those of the AISI's spy Viscontini told them about, and the remains of a Biosyn drone. Soon after, they are attacked by the guardian animal(s) the corporation left there to kill any trespasser coming from that direction. (I haven't chosen any species yet). They manage to defeat it (or them) and dawn break out as they arrive at a vista point which overlooks the valley. The grey guards observe it, the eyes of Cesare stop on the Citadel for a moment, and they retreat back inside the mountain to rest a few hours before descending into the valley. They send a message to Vuillier and Viscontini, telling them that they're inside the Sanctuary.
Traces of a slaughter
During their early morning patrol, a security team discovers that a massacre occurred during the night in the Hunting Lodge. They find clues indicating that someone helped the raptors and participated in the killings. The control room check the Lodge CCTV footage and fear spreads like wildfire among the staff when they discover the culprit is a sinister-looking black-clad hooded woman. Seeing that one of the figure's hand is a prosthesis and that the other wear a silver ring with a red gem, they realize it's Claire and Dodgson pretty much start to crap his pants (partly because one of the hunters was a very wealthy and powerful foreign client whose disappearance won't go unnoticed). Since she made it out alive from the plane's crash, Dodgson fears that the other WDMC agents might have too. When asked about the slaughter itself, Dodgson orders his staff to cover it up for the moment, as he don't want to worry the board of directors who are set to arrive later that day for a big event he planned in the evening.
Theo's return
Theo returns to Auronzo and Wu, who just learned about Claire's presence in the valley, tells him that they must get Maisie out of the facility as soon as possible since disaster tends to follow Claire like a shadow.
Taking the gloves off
However, Maisie has meanwhile discovered that the videos were another lie, by recognizing one of the scientists from the video, who also work at the Citadel (and who didn't aged, even though the adult Charlotte's video was supposed to be taken fourteen years ago). Aware that the gentle method is no longer considerable, Dodgson decides to use the hard one and Doctor Lesser locks Maisie in a cell within her lab, to which Wu can't access. Lesser reveal that it wasn't Wu who told Dodgson that she was a clone but the spy he has among Lockwood Manor's employees, and that the only true part in the video was the one about the genetic disease: Charlotte did had it, just like her mother Elizabeth before that (she died in 1993 and it was because of her Lockwood and Hammond fell out), and had the car accident which took her life didn't happened, the disease would have killed her a few years later. As he wanted Maisie to have a long life, Benjamin Lockwood asked the scientists he hired (there is a whole subplot about what they became in TRQ) to cure it and they did find a way. As the scientists' notes were accidently destroyed, the solution is now within Maisie's body, and Dodgson wants it so he can put new drugs on the market.
Before it's too late, Wu and Theo, with Ramsay's help, start organizing Maisie's evasion. The geneticist mentions a secret trail from WWI in the northeastern mountains: It's their escape route. He then heads for his lab, planning something else.
Tracking Claire
Curious about Biosyn's movements around the Hunting Lodge, Owen, Dougal and Kayla investigate it after the departure of the security troops. They discover evidence of Claire's passage and Owen tries to follow her fiancée's tracks. Kayla and/or Dougal make comments about the slaughter of the hunters.
Bigelow's last chance
Isaac Gibbon gives Jessica Bigelow a new mission: Go to Auronzo and ensure the evacuation of Lewis Dodgson and Biosyn's most important research. The agent ask her boss why and he said that he just received news that Biosyn is compromised. He also precise that it's her last chance after the Malta fiasco. Bigelow leave her safe house in central Italy and goes north.
Shady preparations
Continuing south, Owen, Dougal and Kayla see mercenaries positioning some sort of moveable antenna on a ridge which overlooks the road which connects the Citadel to the valley's northern continue, as finding Claire and entering the Citadel is more urgent.
The gathering of the clouds
One of the control room's employees ask Dodgson to come. He shows him footage from the Biosyn lands's southern gate, near the employee village.
Before the gate, a group of Carabinieri stand, showing to the guards and the security cameras a search warrant: The government finally decided to act against Biosyn. But Dodgson refuses to open the gates for the Carabinieri and orders the mercenaries who arrived during the night to intimidate them. The Carabinieri move away from the gate, with their leader warning against the consequences of such an action. At a respectable distance from the gate, Vuillier, Viscontini and Nyamu watched the scene. Soon, other groups of Carabinieri are deployed along the other entrances to Biosyn's lands. The siege of Auronzo has started.
Hearing about the siege's situation, some employees leave their post and head for the metro (which connects the Citadel to the village. Another loop also connects the Citadel to the various facilities across the Sanctuary, including the seven towers and the dam), in order to go to the village and then hoping to be able to leave Biosyn's lands before things starts to get too ugly but Dodgson's has the metro's station locked and commands them to go back to their posts. Seeing their CEO starting to act like Hitler in his bunker, they are afraid.
​
End of Act III.
See you tomorrow for Act IV

Introduction
1) Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?

• First dog as an independent adult. I have experience in my early teens refining a senior lab's super basic obedience skills (sit, lay down, etc), and in my late teens/early 20s training a golden retriever from 8 weeks onward in obedience.

2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a reputable breeder?

• I'm a little torn on this. I would prefer to go to a breeder to know what I'm getting with temperament, health, know the parents, know what the first 8 weeks looked like, etc, and to get the dog at a young age so that I can be their primary training influence and acclimate them to my cat early. But I wouldn't be opposed to finding a unicorn rescue dog either.

3) Describe your ideal dog.

• A mostly calm dog that is loving and loyal. A dog that would be happy to go for long nature walks, play in the yard and house, and cuddle on the couch. I'd like them to be bonded closely with me. Protective but not aggressive. Low prey drive and/or socialized with my cat from a young age. A dog that is trainable, eager to learn and please, and enjoys having a job to do. I'm hoping to owner-train some psychiatric service tasks (will never be able to afford pro SD training) so it's important to me that the dog be in tune with me and my emotions and have the ability to occasionally be a grounding, bombproof presence. I'm also a big sucker for a fluffy dog.

4) What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?

• Medium to large dogs. I feel drawn to a large, sturdy dog. I'm looking for a breed that will not become/stay anxious if I am anxious. Some breeds I am interested in: Rough collie, German shepherd, golden retriever, Labrador retriever, Shetland sheepdog, cocker spaniel, beagle. I fantasize about having a St. Bernard, Old English sheepdog, or Bernese Mountain dog, but I don't think those are realistic options for me.

5) What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?

• Obedience, being able to walk calmly on a leash, travel well in a car, be calm when faced with other dogs or when faced with strange or new things. Owner-training psychiatric service tasks like interruption of anxiety behaviors, alerting to anxiety, deep pressure therapy. I would also love to try agility someday, but that's not a priority right now.

6) Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport?

• Maybe agility someday. I have no experience with it.

Care Commitments
7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?

• As much as it needs. I have a lot of time flexibility in my life right now, so I think I could dedicate as little or as much time as my dog would need. Training: it would depend on the dog, enough time to learn/reinforce training, but not so much that the dog gets overwhelmed and distracted. I'm open to whatever works best for the individual dog. Playing: however long it takes until the dog is all played out and happy. :) Interacting: I'm looking for a companion dog, so I would be interacting with it in some capacity most of the day, every day.

8) How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?

• It depends. I'm at a point in life where my schedule is flexible, so I can be flexible to my dog's needs. If a 30 minute walk a day and some time playing in the yard or house suffices, we'll do that. If the dog requires an hour long energy-burning walk and some more intensive play, I can manage that too. I don't see myself bringing my dog to a dog park. Chances are unless the dog is in my house or fenced yard, I would prefer them on a long leash at the very least.

9) How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?

• I'm willing to brush as often as the dog needs. Same goes for trimming hair, claws, cleaning ears. I'd be willing to pay a professional to do any grooming/maintenance I may find myself unable to do, but my preference is to figure out what my dog's needs are and then take care of my dog myself.

Personal Preferences
10) What size dog are you looking for?

• Medium or large. I'm not interested in small or toy breeds, and I don't feel equipped to handle a dog over 100 lbs.

11) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?

• Shedding: I have a black and white medium hair cat, I lost that battle long ago lol. I'm fine with hair and shedding. Barking: My preference would be less barking, or a dog that can be trained to be quiet/stop barking on command. Slobber: Would prefer minimal-to-none, but it's not a deal breaker.

12) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?

• Not important to me. I'd prefer my dog to either be in a secure area, or under my control on a leash.

Dog Personality and Behavior
13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?

• Absolutely a snuggly dog.

14) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?

• Eager to please.

15) How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?

• I'd like them to be aware of our surroundings and bark/alert to knocking or someone entering the yard. Greeting strangers: ultimately I want a dog that is not afraid of or aggressive towards strangers, but any reaction from aloof to happy go lucky meeting strangers is fine with me.

16) Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?

• No, this is something I would have a difficult time with. Some barking would be fine, but anything like reactivity or wanting to attack is not behavior I would be able to manage.

17) Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?

• Any behavior that would stress or endanger my cat like chasing or aggression. Also, I'm not equipped to deal with a reactive, very anxious, or aggressive dog.

Lifestyle
18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?

• Less than 3 hours at a time, around 2-4 times a week. I WFH, I'm looking forward to finding a dog I can have around me most of the time and bring with me when I go to visit family nearby.

19) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?

• I'm the only person in the house.

20) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?

• I have a 10 year old cat that is pretty mellow and affectionate. She basically thought my old golden retriever was her dog, they got along great.

21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

• No.

22) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?

• I own my home, n/a.

23) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?

• USA, no laws in my town banning breeds that I am aware of, but I am also not interested in the breeds of dogs that are commonly banned.

24) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?

• Summer, 85-95°F. Winter, 25°F.

Additional Information and Questions
25) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.

• Not interested in small, toy, or brachycephalic breeds, for the most part, although I'm open to hearing if you have one in mind that sounds like a good match. I am aware of the fab 4 when it comes to service dogs and have experience with a lab and a golden. Neither were trained for any SD tasks though.

26) Feel free to ask any questions below
*I am in treatment long term for anxiety and PTSD. I have wanted a dog consistently over the past 2 years, but I worry that introducing a dog into my life could be either a really good thing, or a really bad thing (fear of being unable to step up/push through my Stuff and care for the dog the way they deserve) so I am trying to think through every single angle of this before I commit and bring a dog into my home. I love animals and I know it would bring a light into my life right now to have a dog's unconditional, non-judgemental love and companionship again, and to get into a daily routine for the dog's sake, as I've been unable to do so for myself. I take better care of my cat than myself, and the same would go for a dog, absolutely. I feel the level of care a dog requires could benefit my recovery process, especially if I am able to train the dog to help me with my symptoms and be a reason to get out of bed/out of the house. So if anyone has experience-- positive or negative-- with getting and/or training their dog to help with your mental health issues, I would love to hear how it went for you. I'm also open to any general feedback, or gentle corrections if I am misinformed or misguided about anything I've written here. Thanks for reading!

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/RedDeadOnline Simple Questions & FAQ Thread.

If your question isn't answered below, leave a comment and a community member will try to help!
If there are any frequently asked questions missing, then please comment with that question & what the answer is. Please also feel free to improve on any of the answers below.
We'll be redirecting all simple/one liner questions to this thread in the hopes of reducing spam/repeat posts. Please report any you see under Rule 6, commonly posted question.

PC / Next-Gen / Stand-alone Questions

Q) If I buy on Rockstar Launcher, can I play with friends on Steam?

Yes, you can play with friends on PC regardless of what store they bought it from. Even Steam GTA, uses Rockstar to launch the game.

Q) Can we transfer our characters from PS4 and Xbox One to PC?

No, you cannot transfer characters to a different platform, e.g Xbox to PC. The game is cross-gen however, so if you play PS4 you can continue on PS5.

Q) If I buy a next-gen console, can I play with friends on old-gen consoles?

Yes! The game is backwards compatible on console, so you can play with friends on PS4/PS5 or XB1/XBX

Q) If I already own Red Dead Redemption 2, do I need to buy Red Dead Online again when it goes standalone?

No! Red Dead Online is still part of the RDR2 game.

Red Dead Online: General Questions

Q) What are the currencies in Red Dead Online?

Cash, the main currency in RDO that is earned through almost every activity.
Gold Bars, the premium currency in RDO that can be purchased using real money. You earn a small amount of gold for completing activities online.
Role Tokens, earned by levelling up in each role, used to unlock abilities & items for the five current roles.

Q) What is the Outlaw pass?

The Outlaw Pass is an in-game purchase using the premium Gold currency that allows you to earn items/rewards as you level up.
Outlaw Pass are only available for a limited time and once they finish, you can't access them again.

Q) What are Daily Challenges?

Every day at 6am UTC, you are given a new list of 7 daily challenges as well as 15 role daily challenges. They can range from hunting specific animals or finding certain herbs, to completing PVP/Freeroam events.
Initially, you earn 0.1 Gold per completed challenge plus a bonus if you complete all 7 regular challenges.
After completing at least 1 challenge per day for 7 days, you then earn a little more gold per challenge each week before your daily challenge streak resets after 28 days.
Your daily challenge streak will then reset, and you start the process again.
In addition to this, there are also 3 daily challenges for each role available and you can do a max of 9 role daily challenges. Daily challenges for roles will also differ depending on your rank within each role.

Q) What are Free-roam events (role/normal)

Every 45 minutes, you'll receive an invite to a free-roam event. Free-roam events can be activities such as fishing, horse racing, archery competitions, or PVP. You earn XP + cash for completing.
There are also role specific events that happen every 90 minutes, you need to be ranked up and enrolled in each role before you'll see invites for these activities.
You can see the schedule for free-roam & role events here

Q) What are ability cards?

Abilities in Red Dead Online are assigned to a character through Ability Cards. These are divided into two different types. Dead Eye cards that grant abilities only active during Dead Eye, while Passive cards add abilities that are always active, no matter what you do. Passive abilities are further divided into several different categories.
In Red Dead Online, it's not possible to assign all of the available abilities to the character, as there are only 4 slots available. One slot is used for a single Dead Eye card, while the remaining three slots are used for Passive abilities. ^Source.

Q) What are the playing styles online?

Defensive: Players in Defensive mode will be indicated by a shield icon, will take reduced damage from enemy players, cannot be lassoed, melee attacked, executed or targeted with auto-aim. Defensive players will also be excluded from being targeted in PvP-related missions such as Player Assassination. Those who attack Defensive players receive hefty penalties via the Hostility system, while players who initiate conflict while in Defensive mode will be instantly pulled out of Defensive mode and also receive similar Hostility penalties.
Offensive: The Offensive playing style is set as the default and is how most players traditionally interact in Free Roam – free to engage in hostile contact with other players if you are prepared to accept the potential consequences.

Red Dead Online: Other Questions

Q) How do I dual wield?

At rank 25, you can buy an off-hand holster which allows you to equip a second handgun.

Q) How do I change appearance

Press Left on the D Pad (Keyboard TBC) to bring the Online menu up > Scroll down to Online Options > Scroll down to Change Appearance

Q) How do I setup camp

Press Left on the D Pad (Keyboard TBC) to bring the Online menu up > Scroll down to camp options > Choose location for camp
Camps can be used to access wardrobes, collect items you've ordered via the catalog, craft & cook and fast travel if upgraded.
A small camp is suitable for 1-4 posse members and costs $1 per in game day. A large camp is suitable for 1-7 posse members and costs $2 per in game day.

Q) Where is the gun locker?

You unlock it through the trader role, then purchase it at Wilderness Outfitters in camp, and then it appears at your specific tent in camp.

Q) How do I buy a dog?

At your camp, head to Cripps and access Wilderness Outfitters, from there you can select the dog option.

Q) What can dogs be used for?

Looking cool at your camp and warning you of camp raids when you unlock the perk. Not really much else. (They're not companions like Dogmeat from Fallout 4)

Q) I saw an item, but can't find it on PC or Xbox One.

Some items are exclusive to PS4, so you may see things promoted by Rockstar that aren't yet available on your platform or it may be from an old Outlaw Pass.

Q) What is the best Horse

This post should help.

Q) What are the best Weapons

Captain Balrick's arsenal should help you decide

Q) What is the best ability card loadout

This post in the /RedDeadOnline mega-guide should help.

Q) What is the best way to make money/gold

This post should help.

Q) Where are the treasure maps located?

You can find them all here.

Red Dead Online: Roles

Q) Can I have more than 1 role active?

Yes! You can play in all roles concurrently.

Bounty Hunter Role

Q) What is the Bounty Hunter role?

Get started as a Bounty Hunter when you meet the Legendary Bounty Hunter in Rhodes and purchase the Bounty Hunter License. The standard cost is 15 Gold Bars.
Licensed Bounty Hunters can pick up work by visiting bounty boards located near law offices, post offices and train stations across the states. There is no shortage of criminals to be dealt with and the targets range in difficulty, from lone low-level petty thieves to notorious outlaws with armed protection details and a watchful eye. Taking on an armed gang or bringing multiple targets to justice is made easier with the help of a Posse, who will all earn a cut of the final bounty. And keep in mind, bringing in targets alive will yield a greater reward.
Reaching Bounty Hunter Rank 12 will open up the opportunity to take down other players with high bounties of $20 or more. Bounty Hunters will be notified through an invite about the opportunity to hunt down the wanted player when they’re nearby in a structured pursuit. The wanted player must escape (or surrender) within the allotted time and if captured, they’ll also have opportunities to escape and flee. If the Bounty Hunter brings the target in alive, they’ll receive an award while the criminal serves time.

Q) What are legendary bounties?

Legendary bounties are high-tier bounties, they usually involve a mini-story/cut scene. They're also much tougher than a regular bounty.
There are 10 legendary bounties that can be access as part of the Bounty Hunter role and 3 that can be accessed (when they've all released) by purchasing the Prestigious Bounty Hunter upgrade.

Trader Role

Q) What is the Trader role?

our trusted camp companion, Cripps, has long dreamed of starting a trading outpost and you’re going to help him make it happen - by becoming a partner in the fledgling Cripps Trading Company. Combining Cripps’ lifetime of working with animal materials and your skills at hunting and frontier security, you’ll have the perfect ingredients to develop a thriving business.
Once you agree to help Cripps, you can start turning your camp into a business by sourcing items for Cripps to convert into sellable goods. An investment of 15 Gold Bars to purchase a Butcher’s Table will get your business up and running.
Once you’re operational, you’ll provide Cripps with Materials through hunting animals – pristine pelts and carcasses will provide better yields. You’ll also take on Resupply Missions to acquire additional necessities through less than savory tactics. Once supplied, Cripps will begin turning the materials into sellable goods, which can then be sent out on low-risk local deliveries for payment or across greater distances for a premium.
Improve your hunting yields with a Hunting Wagon for larger hauls or upgrade your Delivery Wagons for larger sales. As business flourishes and your presence becomes known in the market, your competition may grow jealous of your success, so keep an eye out for raids on your camp. As your trade grows, you might consider purchasing a camp dog from Wilderness Outfitters. Not only are dogs great camp companions for all players, but a Trader of sufficient rank can teach their dog to warn of incoming attacks.

Q) Can I skip the medium wagon?

No, you need to buy the medium wagon, then the large wagon.

Q) What can I sell to Cripps?

You can sell carcasses & small animals (e.g squirrels). Along with some animal parts, e.g feathers.
Cripps does not accept meat, fish or skinned carcasses.

Q) How long does it take Cripps to make goods after resupplying?

Cripps requires materials and supplies to produce goods. You give him materials by donating carcasses and pelts. He uses two units of materials to produce one good. You either buy supplies or obtain them through resupply missions. Either way, that gives enough supplies to produce 25 goods. As long as both materials and supplies are available, Cripps produces 1 good every 2 minutes (1 in-game hour).

Collector Role

Q) What is the Collector role?

Seek out the mysterious travelling saleswoman Madam Nazar to acquire the Collector’s Bag and get started on the path of the Collector. It will cost 15 Gold Bars for access to collecting and selling rare items.
With Madam Nazar’s help, you will be able to explore the world finding valuable treasures, whether they’re discarded Tarot cards in abandoned camps, buried treasures unearthed with your trusty shovel, hidden family heirlooms and more.
Collect individual pieces and sell them off directly to Madam Nazar or collect entire sets for even more valuable sales. As you progress, you’ll unlock enhanced searching skills; more useful tools like a metal detector; benefits like increased carrying capacities; the ability for your horse to directly pluck and pass herbs to you while mounted, and more.

Q) Where is Madam Nazar?

Madam Nazar can be located by completing a map/collection for her. Her location is posted daily on /RedDeadDailies - She changes location at 6am UTC time each day.
You can also find her using https://madamnazar.io/

Q) Who is Madam Nazar?

Madam Nazar is the Collector role vendor, you can obtain maps, cosmetics & other items such as the shovel from her.

Q) Why is Madam Nazar?

...

Q) Where do you buy a shovel?

From Madam Nazar, it costs $350. If you need help finding her, check /RedDeadDailies

Q) Where do you buy a metal detector?

From Madam Nazar, it unlocks at level 5 and costs $700. If you need help finding her, check /RedDeadDailies

Q) Can you sell collector items individually or does it need to be a full set?

Yes, however you get far less money than you would if you sold a full collection

Q) Can you only have one collector map active?

Yes, if you try to open a second map, it may auto-close and almost looks like a bug, however, you should only try and activate one at any given time.

Moonshiner Role:

Q) I already met Maggie but I didn't buy a shack, now I can't find how to buy the shack?

In the options menu (left on the D-pad, or L on PC), select "Camp & Properties" → "Moonshine Shack" → "Shack Location".

Will be expanded upon soon...

Naturalist Role

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This thread will be posted reposted monthly on the 7th. We'll aim to update & add any additional questions in time for the new thread being posted each month

Newly moving to the US (24M), and need a used car.
Main use will be a ~4 mile daily commute, and similarly long grocery trips and whatnot.
I'm not too great on working on things without breaking it further so I do want a car that requires minimal or at least easy maintenance, and hopefully this car will last me at least 5~6 years.
I'm in Michigan so winters are an issue which means snow and rust issues are a thing, as are potential accidents, so safety is also a concern. I've heard things about AWD and people recommending Subarus and such but I'm not too too convinced.
I've been looking into Corollas, Civics etc. as most people with my budget and needs do, but I'm having trouble with finding the appropriate balance between year and mileage etc.

I am not The OOP, OOP is u/ThrowRA5998
I (32f) am invited to join a get together with 3 other women (f30+) and don't know how to behave/act
Originally posted to relationship_advice
Original Post Apr 4, 2023
Hello there
So I (32f) got invited to a get together with 3 other women (30+), their spouses (all m 30+) and their kids. Which sounds lovely, but is kinda my personal nightmare fuel right now.
3 years ago I moved in a very, very rural area for my soon-to-be ex-husband. Shortly after moving my car broke down and I didn't had the money for a new one. Since then I practically stayed at home all day. The only time I'm out of the house is to bring my son to kindergarten, bring him home or when I need some groceries that I can buy in the very small shop here in the village.
My social interactions were limited to some info exchanges with the teachers, sometimes another parent who wanted small talk or the lady at the bakery who likes to gossip. Making friends was hard as everyone here seems to always be busy.
6 months ago I met this woman who we will call Jane. I don't talk to her on a daily basis and we haven't exchanged numbers. She works at this small shop. Everytime I buy something there we would chat a bit and last week Jane invited me and my son to just have a fun day with her, 2 of her friends, their spouses and the kids. I accepted.
This get together is next week and I'm constantly going from excitement to panic to pure joy to mentally exhaustion. I've been kept locked up by my soon to be ex for 3 years. I have no clue how someone behaves around others. What are topics to talk about? What topics to avoid? Do you still shake hands when you meet someone new? Do I bring gifts? These and more questions are constantly on my mind.
I would love to have some friends and I don't want to ruin it. To be fair I thought I ruined it already a month ago. She did me a favor and as a thank you I baked her some cookies. I handed them to her while doing a bow like someone would bow to a princess and said "I couldn't do [favor], so the least I can do is bake". She smiled but I wanted to run away as fast as possible.
I'm so awkward and just don't know how to be normal anymore.
I appreciate every advice even if it's just a "don't pick your nose". I'm desperate.
Thank you for reading
RELEVANT COMMENTS
fraserfraser

You sound genuinely lovely and these people will be lucky to have you in their lives!
I find the best topics of conversation in social situations are often the most basic…you just ask people how their week is going and share stuff that's going on with you. It can seem awkward or banal at first but eventually you’ll find things that resonate.
Congratulations on leaving your ex who's kept you locked up(?!) and good luck with the next stage of your life.

OOP replied

Thank you so much! The basics sound good. I can do that without making awkward gestures. Should I ask her if I bring something? Baked goods or a salad or whatever? Or would that be rude since I was invited?
I don't know if locked up was the right wording. Turns out he had money on the side and could have helped me with a car. He also had always something planned when I wanted to meet someone. He basicly ruined upcoming friendships for me. And he insisted to buy groceries after work, so I couldn't even do the big grocery shopping and get a change of scenery. I'm glad he's out of my life

Update May 31, 2023
I don't know how to link to the original post. I'm sorry
Thanks to those who gave me advice. It helped me a lot!
I talked to my therapist about everything and she basicly said the same as the commenters "Be you. Be quirky. Who wants only boring friends when you could have someone who brings sunshine and fun into your day!"
So first things first: the get together was cancelled. One of the women broke her leg and everyone agreed to schedule it after she is fine again.
The day after my post I asked Jane if I could have her number. Still awkward I told her I won't call or write too much and I would contact her for the get together only. She laughed a sweet laugh and told me to contact her whenever I feel like to talk about whatever I want. She would be happy, because she conciders me a friend. In my head I was shrieking like a fan girl!
As we talked and texted for some days she asked me if she could give a friend of hers my number. This friend is the other women from their group (not the one with the broken leg). Shortly after agreeing an unknown number texted me and introduced herself as "Hanna". She didn't beat around the bush and asked me if I wanted to come to her WEDDING! I asked if she was sure about that, because a wedding is for family and friends. She wrote "I am married already, but we didn't have a party. It was in the courthouse. We want to say our vowes again and celebrate with loving people around us. Family and friends. And, well, maybe we could be friends"
We texted for a while and she told me how good Jane speaks of me, that Hanna herself is a bit quirky and she would love to have another quirky friend. I accepted the invitation.
She told me the wedding will be at her farm and she's looking forward to meet me and my son there. She also was very understanding of my sons ARFID and has no problems with me bringing some snacks for my son. I promised to bring more so he could share if another kid wants some.
All in all I'm happy to meet new people soon and maybe make some (more) friends. And the best part for now is texting with two lovely women whenever they have free time (they are both busy people).
I'm glad I posted on reddit. It kind of gave me a confidence boost and I was able to ask Jane for her number. All I've experienced since then was pure happiness and joy.
Thank you again for reading!
RELEVANT COMMENTS
mittenminute

I am so proud of you for putting yourself out there! I empathize with you, I have always struggled to know how to behave around other women, especially when I really want to befriend them. You have broken the ice beautifully and it sounds like Jane and Hanna are kind and welcoming people - I hope you enjoy the wedding and that these new friendships flourish!

OOP replied

Thank you so much! I still have a lot of work to do regarding myself. I still look at someone, think I would like to talk to that person and then beat myself up with thoughts like "They have enough friends already" or "Out of my friendship-league". Take my virtual hug. I'll cheer you on! You can do it!

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khantroll1

You have no idea how much this story of someone over 30 making friends made my day! Seriously a ray of sunshine! Congrats!

​

(There is absolutely no /s in this. As someone over 30, I firmly attest that making friends post college is difficult for the "quirkier" of us)

OOP replied

Thank you so much! It really is different. In school you see others almost daily and just decide it works. And now you have to schedule work, appointments, family etc on both sides to have time.

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OOP HAS GIVEN A LITTLE UPDATE IN THE THREAD
BORU mini update
Wow! I'm blown away that my posts really are on BORU.
Thanks again for all the nice words everyone has for me and my little journey!
The wedding is in 2 weeks and I'm currently shopping for an outfit for it. I promise I will update afterwards!
THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP

One thing that has been an absolute game-changer for my dog in the past year is using "magnet hand" as a form of active management. It has been amazing and my dog is like a brand new being lol. We can pass by other dogs with no reaction, no/minimal stress signals, and super fast recovery in the event that the other dog is barking/lunging at him and making him uncomfortable. He's even dog neutral himself in many environments now.
Usually, for our magnet hand I've just used his kibble, BUT the bad part for me is the SLOBBER and residue (especially in the winter time). In the past I purchased silicone tubes to avoid this, but I struggled making different mixtures that were 1) healthy enough for daily use 2) had the perfect consistency (being too thick/thin each presented with their own unique problems in a silicone tube) and 3) wasn't super time-consuming to make. Because of this, I just decided to stick with using kibble and dealing with the slobbery hands lol
The other day our local pet store gave me some free samples to try, and one of those was for a dehydrated dog food that is like a powder that you simply add water to. I thought that it would be worth a shot in my silicone tube, and it is amazing! I can add more/less water to get it to the perfect consistency, it's not time consuming at all (I just funnel the powder into the tube, add water, and knead/shake vigorously until it's mixed together, and we're ready to go! My dog loves it, and I don't have slobbery hands! AND within minutes my dog easily transitioned to eating from the tube versus my hand.
Another benefit is that I can use less of it. A 2.5 oz tube filled with the food and water lasts our entire 1 hour walk with plenty left to spare. This is not always the case as I always find myself having to be less generous by the end of our walks with 1 cup of kibble in fear of running out before we get back to the car.
Just thought I'd share in case it helps anyone else <3

Long story short 2-1/2 years ago I got in a car accident and have 3 breaks and 4 compound fractures between my neck and back I am also a mechanic and do a lot of strenuous work I have severe neck and back pain daily also get migraines a lot I have a lot of nerve damage and no doctor will prescribe me pain meds I guess because of my age I do have a trusted source that I get hydrocodone from not regularly but 2-3 10mg a week when the pain is too much to bear so I have a lower tolerance and definitely not dependent on them source also gets buprenorphine patches 15mcg and gave me a few I know nothing about them and am kind of scared to use them I don’t want to OD or anything or be intoxicated at work hydrocodone 10 mg eases my pain to a tolerable point but doesn’t mess me up I guess my question is are they worth trying or safe to try at that dosage with my tolerance level I really have no where to turn for advice and like I said I’ve been to many doctors and all I can get is ibuprofen 800 or meloxicam and neither touch my pain I am currently trying to get into a local pain management clinic but they require so many documents and copy’s of scans it’s gonna take me a while I work all during the week and it’s hard for me to get time off to get all that together any help is appreciated

Last few days have been rough on a search for a used car, and things have changed since my last daily driver search 10 years ago. I set out for a used luxury vehicle between $14k-$25k and it has been nothing but headaches. I’m curious if you guys have some advice as to how I’m handling these price negotiations, or even if there’s a platform I’m not considering.
I’ve also limited myself a bit, because I want to keep it RWD or AWD, somewhat lightweight, with a decent output motor. Something 6 cyl turbo or 8 cyl with mileage between 40k-80k. I’ve looked at and tested 335i’s, m235i’s, 435xi’s, Q50 3.0t’s, Q40 3.7’s, and a few others in between. In over a dozen cars I’ve come across, something always comes up. Frame damage, accident with airbag deployed, car used as rental vehicle and being sold by dealership at an exorbitant price. The list goes on.
Today I came close to a couple of them. Tested a m235i with decent miles. $23k price tag. Told him if we can get it $22k OTD, I’m sold and the deal is done. There was either a language barrier with the sales guy, or just an unwillingness to budge. He kept defaulting to generic sales terms on how long they’ve been in business and the ‘internet price listed’. I thought i was offering him a good middle ground, but later saw on vincheckup they had bought it for $26k and were losing money. Still, it had been on their lot for over 6 months with no takers. I will save you guys the full stories on the other BMW test drives with white smoke out of the hoods and gunky interior handles.
Then tested a Q50 3.0t listed for $20k and told them I would pay that price out the door since it was a previous rental car with a reported accident. This was from a mainstream dealership, so the managing salesman’s first step was to give me the ‘shock and awe’ treatment of a $29k price tag with all their ‘mandatory’ add ons. Having been in sales, I know how it goes with whittling that new stated price down to be the savior. Still, it left me with a bad taste that he’d print out a 29k OTD after listing it at $20k. Shook his hand, thanked them for their time and walked out. They texted me a whole bunch on my way home and offered $21.5k which might have worked had they cut the crap while I was there. It was over an hour drive to see that car, and I wasn’t about to go back.
Is there something I’m doing wrong in looking to negotiate a car to be lower or at listing price OTD? My last car was a 10 year joy to own, and I’m particular about getting my next long term vehicle at a price I can justify. Also, am I leaving any good platforms out of consideration when looking for a sporty luxury car in that price range?