I’ve been using nothing but Walksnail in all of my quads for the last few months with no issues whatsoever. Up until a few weeks ago, I decided to try to add the Betaflight OSD into my goggles. I have been flying with just the basic goggle icons down at the bottom of my screen(Craft Voltage, VTX bitrate and Delay). I have a time running on my TX16S which actually works very well and typically land all of my quads at or around 3.6.
I have watched videos, read articles, followed instructions down to the T, and done complete chip erases and started all over, but no matter what I do, it seems nothing works to be able to get the OSD display in my goggles. MSP is enabled as well as the peripheral for the correct UART and I still have NOTHING.
Anyone have suggestions?

I’m using the Halo Bassinest cosleeper next to/tucked above the side of our bed for my youngest who is 3 months + 2 weeks old. It says on the thing (the warning label) to “stop use when the child is showing signs of being able to pull up, rollover, push up or sit up unassisted, or is able to move out of the security of the walled sleep area.” My baby is starting to twist around in almost a full circle and she rolls onto her side (ending up sleeping on her side) but not her stomach yet. I know it’s only a matter of time before she will likely fit the description of this label but it’s been a little while since my oldest was this age so I forgot how long I have. I know time flies though so I’m thinking maybe better be safer than sorry and just stop using this thing but the problem is we are moving shortly so already packed up her crib into our storage unit (thinking was just easier to make room that way). My baby is exclusively breastfed right now and the night feedings are just easier with this kind of cosleeper attachment and also she likes it better than her crib. Any thoughts and suggestions welcome please. For my oldest, he cosleeped at night with a foldable bassinet that went in between us on the bed for a while then would sleep in this expensive Swedish minimalist triangular roofed bassinet that did not attach to the bed before coming into our bed between us without anything (which was dangerous, inconvenient, and annoying) but he was way worse with night feedings. Anyway I mention all this because I don’t want my daughter to have dysfunctional sleeping, wondering what I can do for her for now to feel more safe about where she sleeps while the crib is in storage.

I’m using the Halo Bassinest cosleeper next to/tucked above the side of our bed for my youngest who is 3 months + 2 weeks old. It says on the thing (the warning label) to “stop use when the child is showing signs of being able to pull up, rollover, push up or sit up unassisted, or is able to move out of the security of the walled sleep area.” My baby is starting to twist around in almost a full circle and she rolls onto her side (ending up sleeping on her side) but not her stomach yet. I know it’s only a matter of time before she will likely fit the description of this label but it’s been a little while since my oldest was this age so I forgot how long I have. I know time flies though so I’m thinking maybe better be safer than sorry and just stop using this thing but the problem is we are moving shortly so already packed up her crib into our storage unit (thinking was just easier to make room that way). My baby is exclusively breastfed right now and the night feedings are just easier with this kind of cosleeper attachment and also she likes it better than her crib. Any thoughts and suggestions welcome please. For my oldest, he cosleeped at night with a foldable bassinet that went in between us on the bed for a while then would sleep in this expensive Swedish minimalist triangular roofed bassinet that did not attach to the bed before coming into our bed between us without anything (which was dangerous, inconvenient, and annoying) but he was way worse with night feedings. Anyway I mention all this because I don’t want my daughter to have dysfunctional sleeping, wondering what I can do for her for now to feel more safe about where she sleeps while the crib is in storage.

Timestamp: https://i.imgur.com/OICGZKS.jpg
Have some repro Diemaco pebble stocks for sale.
https://imgur.com/a/Q8H9Jfu
These were made by an enthusiast in Italy that couldnt get a real pebble stock. They are 3D printed from PA12 Nylon and have a rubber recoil pad made from a handmade mold.
I bought these for some friends that were planning on cloning some Canadian rifles but their plans fell through. I also wanted to compare them to my legit pebble stocks. I couldnt say how durable they’ll be under prolonged use, but they’re a great finishing touch for a foreign AR clone.
$85 shipped and insured. Happy to provide comparison pics to my real pebble stocks. Purchaser will need to source their own latch pin and hardware

Sincerely
Ba-doh, ba-doh, ba-doh, ba-doh-ba
Sincerely, oh yes, sincerely
'Cause I love you so dearly, please say you'll be mine
-The Moonglows
Part I - The End
This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. If I keep saying it maybe it will be true.
But it was happening. Tough times. Humpty Dumpty times. Out of gas in the desert with no bars times.
And, just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse than a Tijuana root canal; she walked in. Out of the sweltering Mexican heat, into the dim bar, she came; the only thing standing between me and the blinding light. I heard a couple of gunshots somewhere in the distance.
I still remember how the sun illuminated my 2pm rise and shine, shit-faced full of no caffeine afternoon after, hair of the dog; tequila shot and beer. Like I said, tough times on the Ponderosa, Hoss.
Every time I think of that moment, I stand transfixed in time. Unable to move, frozen in-place tighter than a suckered kid’s tongue to a Chicago lamppost in a February ice storm. Maggie had long ago won my heart’s devotion only to betray both me, and it, in ways still inconceivable to my sauce pan of a brain.
So, a couple of months ago, my life in post-apocalyptic ruin, I did what any red-blooded American would do; I flew across the border to CDMX to drown my sorrows in tequila and cheap living. And now, incomprehensibly, here she was; back, again like the September monsoon. Had the bitch air tagged me?
It seemed with Maggie my heart’s devotion was not enough. Everything she wanted and received soon became a dull knife; just ain’t cutting. Mags had to have it all, all the time. And I thought she had gotten all of me and more. Who’d think she’d want to pick at the carcass? But inexplicably, there she was like my constant migraine, the one that never really left the base of my skull.
Without a word Mags swooped in close like she missed me and now hadda kiss me.
Then, quicker than lightning showing off, she plunged her delicate-boned hand deep into my chest. She then removed it with even greater alacrity holding it high above her jet-black mane. She waved it for all the bar to see, my still beating corazón in it, color-coordinating against it’s will with her manicure, making what looked like vague Italian gestures.
Nobody in the bar paid us any mind.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t help but avert my horrified gaze into my now exposed chest cavity, only to witness darkness within darkness gazing back at me.
“Heyyyyyy,” a voiceless voice greeted and saluted.
I looked up at Maggie. She took the seat opposite mine. Then reaching over with her free hand commandeered my tequila and knocked it back quick. Her encore was to grab my beer and drain it with all the mud she could muster into my eye. Then, with a satisfied look she dropped the now emptied bottle on the wooden table hard enough to make a thud.
Maggie then met my stare. My cardia beating peripatetically in her freshly manicured right-hand she made an elaborate shrug, her face smug as a tyrant’s fart.
I remembered wondering what the fuck was keeping my cardio so vascular. It sure as fuck wasn’t clean living. Then, that voiceless voice had yet more to say.
“Now what, Spenser?” it asked.
Now, it was now my turn to shrug. Surprisingly, despite being a now certifiably heartless son of a bitch, I, too, had something to say. So, I said it.
“You’re fucking diabolical, Maggie.”
My words of judgment echoed clear, permeating deep into the abyss, then back again at Maggie. She caught my words easier than a kitten catches smiles. She just shrugged again. It was starting to get annoying.
“You ruined me,” I added just to be doing something.
The shrug undulated down from her tan and toned shoulder through her arm, finally coming to a full stop at her finger’s tips.
Waving my heart at me with more vague Italian gestures Mags asked, “How can you be so sure, Spenser?”
Part II – The Middle
Sincerely, oh you know how I love you
I'll do anything for you, please say you'll be mine
...
This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. My new mantra wasn’t working.
Six months ago, I thought Maggie was the answer to my dreams.
Swooping down like an angel to shower me with attention and affection. Dinners with wine. Hot sex. More hot sex. No strings attached. Getting to know you pillow talk.
Now, there’s one thing I need to add. I met her through a dating app but as it turned out we both worked for the same nonprofit. We didn’t know each other as it’s a fairly big company but it turned out I supported the code for both her projects. This turned out to be one of many coincidences.
We both hated our jobs. We both liked writing short stories but never could sell a thing despite writing dozens and dozens. We both could dance salsa, on 1 and 2 and loved to hablar en español que no era muy guapo.
We both wanted to run away to Mexico city and live the Bohemian life.
Coincidences like we both grew up in NYC and had issues with our respective families of origin. And while she was Chinese-American and I was Russian-American both our fathers were born in the same year and were obsessed with Woody Allen. We both had much younger siblings we didn’t speak to.
Yeah, we had both grown up with weak fathers and selfish narcissistic mothers in common. And worser still, we had both experienced unstable living situations in high school. In my case, I was kicked out of the house for smoking weed.
In Maggie’s case, I never really was sure what went down but the best I could get out of her was at 13 she got pissed at her mom for cheating on her dad and left the house with nowhere to go. She ended up with family friends or relatives but the details were always murky and I was not the nosey type.
Her words to me were, “My mother’s emotional IQ is low. I raised myself.”
Impressively, she had made it through the Ivy League and seemed to be someone down to earth I could spend time with. But truth be told from the minute I saw her profile picture I was hotter than a Texas chili sprout for her.
It was some kind of primal attraction I thought I was long past entertaining. It wasn’t lust. It wasn’t love. It was like the thought of coming home to a family I never knew I had or that even could exist.
This shit made old me feel like young me again. But, as oft is the case in life, there was a problem. I was old, broke and probably about to lose my job. I was in IT and I was having problems with my manager being a psychopath; for reals.
It wasn’t mere conjecture as he had a reputation of getting people fired, or worse, making their lives so miserable they would quit; even with no prospects. I had been the focus of his sabotaging efforts and it had been having a bad effect on my mental and physical well-being.
This had taken a turn for the worse and I was catching a lot of passive aggressive hostility on the project Maggie supported.
Anyway, she was the bright spot in my otherwise mostly solitary and emotionally bleak life. And she lived nearby. She had an ex and kids and shared custody but I never met them and she didn’t really talk much about it except to say once, “You should need a license to have kids.”
I never had quite known what to make of some of the things she said, but like I said, I was under her spell. And I liked it.
And the icing on top? I had a dominant kinky side and that was a fire Maggie poured gasoline on every chance she got. She was worse than an arsonist in Underoo Town.
One weird thing about Mags was her knitting habit. If we weren’t fucking or eating she was knitting. Even at restaurants and bars.
One day in November, with the sun golden in a sky so blue you thought you could touch it I asked, “What are you knitting?”
Maggie gave me a wry look. She got out of her chair and seemed to be examining my bald head which I had shaved just that morning.
“A hat,” she replied.
But as the holidays rolled around things started to change. One Sunday morning as we were having coffee Maggie looked around the crowded steamy café.
“Everybody’s hooking up for the holidays,” she remarked.
I didn’t really know what to do with that one so I let it be.
But as the days went on there was a change in the weather. Fewer texts. Less sex. Maggie going out of town to some vague destination. Sending me sexy pictures of herself in Santa outfits after I caught the flu during Christmas.
A few days after Christmas I got a text late one night.
“Is it okay if I come by?”
“Very okay,” was my reply.
Maggie showed up with chocolate, red wine and the hat she had been knitting. Orange Afghani wool softer than a golden retriever’s fur. She put the hat on my head and then removed all my clothes.
“Let’s celebrate Christmas, Spenser.”
And, we did.
When we were done and lying head-to-head, I said, “I love my hat.”
Maggie said, “I made it especially for you. No matter what, don’t lose it.”
It was another one of those weird Maggie things she said, like, “I used to shoplift,” and shit like that.
I nodded.
“Promise me you’ll hold on to your hat, Spenser.”
“I promise.”
Maggie observed my face, then nodded as if confirming something to herself.
“Okay.”
Then we did that thing again.
That was the pinnacle. Things quickly went downhill for no reason I could discern. Texts unanswered and when answered; kind of abrupt-like. Being unavailable. Stuff with her kids. Time away in Connecticut for some vague reason. After that I began feeling like the weakest card in a gambler’s hand.
But Maggie kept shoe horning me in at odd times, giving me just enough crumbs to keep me on the hook. And as we rode the roller coaster down everything always seemed to center around alcohol. And sex. More and more debauched sex. Finally, by New Year’s Eve things were getting straight-up weird no chaser.
“You know that thing we talked about?”
By her tone I knew what she meant. I nodded cautiously.
“You want to try it?”
Maggie dropped a smile on me that would have had the serpent in the garden applying for unemployment.
“Yes,” she said.
So, we did.
I thought I had been imagining things. I thought we were back at the pinnacle. I could feel the love drug course through my veins. Things couldn’t be better. Or, so I thought.
Oh Lord, won't you tell me why
I love that girlie so
The Following Monday
The next Monday I was called into what turned out to be the most fucking bizarre moment of my fifty-eight years on this planet; and I’ve had some bizarre fucking moments growing up in south Brooklyn in the 1970’s; believe you me.
The company’s CIO, compliance officer, head of legal, head of HR and my evil manager, Conte Rugen were all in attendance, cameras ROLLING.
It appears I was being dismissed after 8 years loyal service for sexual assault, extortion, harassment, hate speech, insults to farm animals and every fucking other offense against God and man one could commit in these holiest of holy United States of America.
And just who had I… who had I.. victimized? Who had I preyed upon? Harassed? Gone full nutso on?
Maggie.
They had the goods. Recordings. Video. Ropes. Whips. Chains. Bad Spanglish. Maggie screaming, “No, papi! No!!!!”
I believe I was, what is known in legal parlance as, summarily fucked.
Nobody wanted to hear my side. How things were taken out of context. Things we had mutually consented to out of exciting and bonding trust and exploration.
“Did I have consent agreement?” I parroted back in shock to the head of legal.
“Did you get one when you fucked your mother in the ass before she shat you out?” I added just to keep my mouth from puking.
I was in bombshell shock. Maggie was my angel. Our situationship was supposed to be fucking healing from our abused childhoods and here I am now some kind of Tarantinoesque, Mr. Fucking Rapist? And my fucking manager once bragging about throwing a cat out a window when he was a juvenile delinquent?!?
There would be charges pressed. I would need an attorney. I might be arrested.
And it all happened faster than you can say, “Blue Monday, How I hate Blue Monday”.
And then Maggie sued the company. Take no fucking prisoners, Maggie. Disco-fucking-inferno burn that mother down we don’t need no water let the motherfucker burn Maggie. I wondered if her ex had been left on food stamps after the divorce.
A few months and my life savings and retirement account after that the criminal case got pleaded down to misdemeanor assault and I was able to arbitrate with my employer and Maggie’s lawyer leaving me with some clothes, my passport and precisely enough plastic to fly into the sweltering Mexican heat. So, fly into it I did.
Part III – The Beginning
Sincerely, oh you know how I love you
I'll do anything for you, please say you'll be mine
Oh Lord, won't you tell me why
I love that girlie so
She doesn't want me
But I'll never never never never let her go
...
“I wish you’d stop waving that thing at me,” I said gesturing at my heart with my chin.
“You’re still upset,” Maggie said. It wasn’t a question.
“You fucking abused me. You fucking eviscerated me. Yeah, you could say I’m a little perturbed.”
“But you’re still wearing the hat,” she said smiling.
“It’s a bad ass hat,” I said. It was after all. Why cut off your nose to spite your face?
“I put a lot of time and thought into it,” she said. My heart continued to beat in her hand.
...
Oh Lord, won't you tell me why
I love that girlie so
She doesn't want me
But I'll never never never never let her go
...
“Look,” she said waving my heart at me.
“I really wish you wouldn’t wave that around like that.”
The voice in the abyss in my chest spoke. It said, “Wait for it.”
Maggie said, “Spenser, you poor fucking sap. You hate your fucking job. You try to do the right fucking thing and speak up and you get kicked around like a dog. You try to love hard and you get beat up and left in an alley. You try to write books and start businesses and you end up bankrupt or dead.
And now look at you! You don’t have a care in the fucking world. You don’t have a shitty job. You are in beautiful Mexico City with the girl of your dreams. You say your heart was hardened? Well, I say it feels pretty fucking soft and sweet to me. Like the hat I knitted you. With the pom pom. And you know what?”
“What?” I heard myself murmur?
The abyss in my chest said, “Yeah, what?”
“Well, one the fucking pom pom has a beacon so I knew where you were the whole fucking time you sap. So I can tell you this true. And I will. So here I am in fucking Mexico sweating my tits off. And I am telling you this," she said nodding at my cardio, "is a very good heart. And I am putting it back where it belongs.
There is nothing wrong with it and now nobody can hurt it again. And if you want to write a book now you have something, and someone,” she added with a wry smile, “to write about.”
Then lightning quick Maggie put it back in my chest and removing her hand made a quick flourish gesturing for the waitress.
“Botella de tequila, por favor!”
I looked down at my chest. Everything seemed to be the way it had been before she ripped out my heart. Only different.
I was about to speak. Maggie raised a hand.
The waitress appeared like a wraith and put down a bottle of Don Julio and two fresh shot glasses and two cold ones.
Maggie poured two shots and pushed one at me with the hand that had been holding my cardio captive. She then fished around in her pocket and found her phone.
“What the fuck, right," that's what your thinking, Spenser. Yeah, what the fuck is right. Look at this baby boy,” she said and then pushed her phone next to the shot glass.
I was looking at what appeared to be a bank balance that appeared ready, willing and able to face fuck an extraordinarily tall giraffe. I felt the migraine disappear like a bad dream.
Maggie gave me a wry smile.
She pushed the shot glass closer to me and picked hers up. I felt my elbow bending. It felt okay.
She tilted her shot at me and said, "Here's looking at you, kid," and took the shot. I drank mine.
We put our glasses down.
“You can negotiate anything," she said, then added, "sincerely.”
And then, then she kissed me.
Oh say you'll be mine
Oo-eee, oo-eee-oo, ooi-ooi-ooo
Sincerely

My boyfriend and I have been dating for about 9 months now. We’ve been long distant for 3 of those months. 3 weeks ago, he came to visit and we were having breakfast in a city not too far from where I live. He randomly brought up a certain viewpoint on human rights (won’t specify what) which led to us having a full blown argument for over an hour. I truly don’t know how I went through this entire relationship without talking about certain important topics.
In the beginning he had mentioned about his political views and I didn’t care much about it because I’ll be honest and say I’m not much into politics even though I feel differently than him. This recent argument we had made me realize how different we both are. Some of our fundamental core beliefs are so different from one another which I know can cause a problem in the future. After that argument, I did start to view him in a different light. But, I truly thought we could make it work despite the differences.
A week after, we were talking on the phone and I told him I’m scared of the differences we have on certain topics. But, he assured me that things will be fine and I just believed him. However, in the past couple of days, I’ve noticed him acting distant with me. We had barely talked then 3 days ago, he called me saying he thinks this isn’t working out because of the differences we have. I’d be lying if I said I was surprised to hear him say this because it was also in the back of my mind too. I am very attached to him so I think I was sort of overlooking the issue of that topic.
I know I need to think realistically about us. The thing that’s confusing me is when I had talked to him about being scared he completely reassured me saying we will be fine. That same day he was also asking me about my friends wedding I’m flying to in 2 months and that he wants to try his best to be there also. So, it almost feels out of nowhere he just suddenly thinks we won’t work out anymore. Unless he’s using that as an excuse to leave because he just simply does not want to be with me anymore. I did always feel like I had stronger feelings for him than he did for me.
The day he called me to say he thinks we won’t work out, we talked on the phone for more than 2 hours and he said we can talk more in person if I want. And that he wants to remain friends and stay in my life. In those 3 days after we had talked, we have still been texting and I made it clear to him that I still want to be together. But he still kept bringing those issues up. At this point, I don’t even know if it’s worth meeting up and talking about it. I don’t want to convince him to stay with me. But then I also feel like there are things I want to clear up with him in person. I don’t want to have regrets down the line that we didn’t get to talk about everything. I’m truly at an impasse here and don’t know what to do. Do I meet up with him to talk more or do I just tell him no I don’t want to see you and I don’t think we should be friends and officially end it?

Alright guys. I’m digging deeper into researching about the TT spindle swap for my mk4 (TDI), and I have three questions that I haven’t been able to find answers to on the forums.
question 1: were all mk1 TT spindles the same? I’m seeing recommendations for a few part numbers, specifically Left Spindle: 8N0 407 255E or 8N0 407 255B Right Spindle: 8N0 407 256B
On ebay I’ve found a left front spindle for a TT for sale, but it’s part number is 8N0 407 255H. Can I use this? What’s the difference?
I’m also finding a few right front spindles that do not call out a part number so I’m hesitant to buy. But if there was only one part number for the entire mk1 TT, then I should be safe, right?
question 2: hubs/bearings. My car is an ‘05 TDI, so I know I can’t use the TT hubs because the CV axle splines won’t match. So for the hubs I’ll either reuse my current hubs or purchase new TDI hubs from a parts store. The wheel bearing info has been unclear. Which wheel bearings should I use? I’ve read that the TT had a different wheel bearing than other mk4s, but haven’t been able to learn more than that.
question 3: lower control arm/sway bar mount point. I’m hoping to retain the use of my stock sway bar. People keep saying that some TT LCAs have the nub you can drill and tap to use a mk4 sway bar, while some don’t. but nobody talks about how I would purchase one vs the other. I’m planning to get the LCAs new from a parts store, but how would I know if they’ll have the sway bar nub until I buy them and open the box? Is it just a trial and error kinda thing?
Any help is appreciated, thanks a ton for all you guys do 👍

PICTURE PROOF: https://imgur.com/a/FiEA9sN
For sale!!
All prices include Media Mail shipping in the US. Only shipping within the US at the moment. Willing to upgrade to Priority at the buyer's expense. Please PM me with any questions.
PLEASE NOTE: Shipping is ALWAYS in a box with bubble wrap or other added protection. I'm a fellow collector and take this seriously. PM with any photo requests. Happy to take more!
Ticks – Used/Like New -- $30
Don’t Go in the Woods w/ OOP Slip – New/Sealed -- $30
Old Dracula w/ OOP Slip – Used/Like New -- $25
The Grave VSA – Used/Like New -- $18
Six String Samurai VSU – Used/Like New -- $35
Curse of the Blue Lights – Used/Like New -- $20
Devil Story – Used/Like New -- $20
Forgotten Gialli Vol. 2 – New/Sealed -- $65
Private Lessons – OOP Blu-ray – Used/Like New -- $70
Slashdance w/ Slip – New/Sealed -- $18
Drop Dead Fred – Blu-ray w/ OOP Slip – New/Sealed -- $28
Weird Wisconsin LE – New/Sealed -- $40
Robocop 4K Steelbook – Used/Like New -- $40
Night of the Comet – Blu-ray w/ OOP Slip – Used/Like New -- $35
American Horror Project Vol. 2 LE – Used/Like New -- $40
American Horror Project Vol. 1 LE – Used/Like New. -- $55
The Severed Arm – New/Sealed - $25
Blood Delirium – Used/Like New - $20
5 Films 5 Years Vol. 3: Golden Age Erotica – Used/Like New -- $60
Heavy Trip – New/Sealed -- $25
Society LE – Used/Like New -- $50
Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies – Used/Like New -- $20
Picnic at Hanging Rock Criterion – Used/Good - $15
Legend LE – Used/Like New -- $45

Alright guys. I’m digging deeper into researching about the TT spindle swap for my mk4 (TDI), and I have three questions that I haven’t been able to find answers to on the forums.
question 1: were all mk1 TT spindles the same? I’m seeing recommendations for a few part numbers, specifically Left Spindle: 8N0 407 255E or 8N0 407 255B Right Spindle: 8N0 407 256B
On ebay I’ve found a left front spindle for a TT for sale, but it’s part number is 8N0 407 255H. Can I use this? What’s the difference?
I’m also finding a few right front spindles that do not call out a part number so I’m hesitant to buy. But if there was only one part number for the entire mk1 TT, then I should be safe, right?
question 2: hubs/bearings. My car is an ‘05 TDI, so I know I can’t use the TT hubs because the CV axle splines won’t match. So for the hubs I’ll either reuse my current hubs or purchase new TDI hubs from a parts store. The wheel bearing info has been unclear. Which wheel bearings should I use? I’ve read that the TT had a different wheel bearing than other mk4s, but haven’t been able to learn more than that.
question 3: lower control arm/sway bar mount point. I’m hoping to retain the use of my stock sway bar. People keep saying that some TT LCAs have the nub you can drill and tap to use a mk4 sway bar, while some don’t. but nobody talks about how I would purchase one vs the other. I’m planning to get the LCAs new from a parts store, but how would I know if they’ll have the sway bar nub until I buy them and open the box? Is it just a trial and error kinda thing?
Any help is appreciated, thanks a ton for all you guys do 👍

If you don't know what a bottle deposit is, when you purchase a bottle of something like a soda or beer, you pay a deposit on it, usually 5 or 10 cents. When you return an empty bottle you get your deposit back.
It's an inconsequential amount of money to some but pretty substantial to others and this small incentive greatly decreases litter of this type as people tend to hang onto their 'trash' to return it instead of tossing it into the woods. There will still be litter, just less of it. When a deposit isn't returned, that deposit money can help fund cleanup efforts.
Let's apply the same type of effect to guns. When you purchase a gun from a registered gun dealer, the purchaser must put a huge deposit onto it (like 1k or 2k) that's paid at the time of purchase. This deposit is tied to the purchaser, the gun's serial numbers, with the funds being held by the state. The purchaser can sell or return the gun back to any registered dealer and get their deposit back.
You can sell a gun to another person and get your deposit back by both parties showing up at a registered gun dealer. Sell their gun to the gun dealer to claim the deposit. Then the second party can repurchase the gun and register a new deposit in their name instead. Effectively using the gun dealer as a legal notary for the sale.
If a weapon is sold without an associated deposit with the sale, it's breaking the law on both parties.
The state can finance execution of the program with the interest generated by investing the deposits.
So why bother with this?
If the purchaser sells their gun without a registered dealer, they lose their deposit. If they lose their gun or it gets stolen, they lose their deposit. This deposit puts a massive incentive for people to be a responsible gun owner and keep track of what they own and securing it. A deposit artificially makes owning a gun more expensive but owners at any time can get their deposit back by forfeiting or selling their gun back to a registered dealer. In turn this greatly inflates prices of weapons on the black market and secondary market. Effectively someone, somewhere, had to lose a huge deposit in order for a new gun to be jailbroken, so the price of unregistered and black market weapons should increase by about the same amount.
It also gives people a reason to get rid of their guns when they no longer have an active reason to keep holding onto them. Would you rather keep your panic purchased random 200$ pistol locked in a safe for the next decade or return it and get ~2,200 back?
This is a long term strategy. It's not an overnight fix for the gun epidemic but a long term 30 year strategy to curtail more loose guns from being created.

TLDR; Luffy's dream is creating a Pirate Kingdom, which is the same goal of the Ancient Kingdom and the People of D.
Just a (I hope) short theory about what Luffy's dream could be and why it connects the One Piece story altogether. I'll try to be brief and explain as clearly as I can, with reference images. Without further ado, let's start.
Luffy’s Dream and his significance for the entire story
The first time we hear about Luffy’s dream is in Marineford, when Ace is on the verge of death and is speaking his last words to his little brother. Then we jump into Luffy’s childhood flashback (chapter 585) and we have an hunch of what it could be. But most of all we get to see Ace and Sabo’s reactions to it.
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At this point we as readers understand that it seems to be something weird, childish and almost impossible to achieve. Now let’s move to Chapter 966, during the fateful meeting between the man who will be known as the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and Kozuki Oden. In this istance, Roger reveals his dream to Oden and Whitebeard, just like Luffy did to Ace and Sabo. But this time pay attention on how Roger’s full statement is presented.
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Roger talks about reaching the very last island, becoming the greatest pirate crew in the world and AFTER THAT Roger talks about carrying out his dream. To me, this means that you need to be the Pirate King to achieve this dream, although Roger would be called like that only after he finds the treasure. Becoming the greatest pirate crew pretty much carries the same meaning.
Let’s stay on the same track and jump forward to Chapter 1060, when Luffy reveals his dream to his crew for the very first time.
https://preview.redd.it/1mnu2tax214b1.png?width=1004&format=png&auto=webp&s=e75e8006715c4369e488ed6b18241a34d82c6822
The crew obviously looks amazed and somehow amused, but what is of the most importance is following the trail left by Roger’s words. Luffy states that he will have a shot on achieving his dream IF he BECOMES Pirate King.
Not long after that, Franky confirms that Luffy needs to be Pirate King to make his dream possible.
So now we have all the info we needed to try to figure out what Luffy’s dream could be. The key of it all lies in the title of Pirate King. And what would a Pirate King be without a Pirate Kingdom? That’s it. Luffy’s dream is creating a Pirate Kingdom. It may sound pretty straightforward but it makes so much sense for the entire story. Let me explain!
What is a Pirate to Luffy
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We know from page one that Shanks and his crew inspired Luffy to be a pirate. But what of course inspired Luffy the most is the fact that Pirates have freedom!
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He then proceeds on remarking that concept to Rayleigh, when asked.
So, knowing all this, we can assume that Luffy’s Pirate Kingdom is not your average Kingdom, but one in which the iron rule is freedom, since a Pirate, according to Luffy, is a being who is completely free. In his childish mind, he may expect that all the “citizens” of this Kingdom will become pirates and chase the freedom. After all, the D. people, whose letter Luffy carries, belong to freedom themselves.
Blackbeard’s dream
Speaking of D., there’s one individual whose dream was revealed to us recently and is similar, if not the same, of Luffy’s one, although the meanings are completely different from one another.
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We learn that Blackbeard’s dream is to make Pirate Island a full-fledged nation, thus creating a Pirate Kingdom. Sounds familiar? While most people at this point would discard this theory since Blackbeard’s idea is the same of the well concealed dream of Luffy, I think that the fact that both have almost the same idea should strengthen the theory.
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https://preview.redd.it/0dybxrut314b1.png?width=991&format=png&auto=webp&s=ce5af20120130e904c0411436ae6b3e7689d8768
They have the same dream, they just look at the opposite side of the coin. Just like the both of them ate the very same cherry pie back in Mock Town but their reaction to its taste was completely the opposite. Blackbeard, having most likely inherited Rocks’ will, is chasing the goal of becoming the King of the World, and the first step is making Pirate Island a nation affiliated with the government and creating the Blackbeard Kingdom. Luffy, on the other hand, will create a Pirate Kingdom which will involve the entire world and where the absolute ruler is freedom itself.
The Ancient Kingdom
It is indeed time to tie the Ancient Kingdom and Joyboy himself to the theory.
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https://preview.redd.it/adazvj76414b1.png?width=878&format=png&auto=webp&s=b125438ff1589f71a87bfe3c79fe6009515c2d00
The immense kingdom which existed in the past could very well be a Kingdom which comprehends the whole world united under the same flag, pretty much like what Luffy in my opinion intends to do: they’re the same Pirate Kingdom! Joyboy must’ve been a citizen of that kingdom, thus a pirate, with a specific purpose to carry out. More about this later tho.
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https://preview.redd.it/5c96w6r8414b1.png?width=884&format=png&auto=webp&s=a0bcdf80f0578fa5726f54f6bfd4e240ece3a583
Of course, the top of the world, the absolute rulers aka the World Government finds the very existence of a Pirate Kingdom who chases freedom to be very threatening to the status quo. Eventually, the will of Joyboy would be inherited by Roger first and then Luffy. Then Clover also states that, while the nature of the threat that the Ancient Kingdom poses is still unknown, the key lies in the name of the Kingdom itself. But what could it be?
The Will of D.
In the latest chapter, we learn a lot of things. Nefeltari Lili’s blunder and her real name, Nefeltari D. Lili. D., the same letter which Imu indeed confirms to be carried by his/her ancient enemies. The most important piece of information related to this theory lies in the letter left by Lili to future Arabasta’s rulers. We can hear Cobra speaking few words of that very letter, although they carry the utmost importance.
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“The Poneglyphs must be protected. Fly the flag that heralds the world’s eventual Dawn.”
Could the name of the Ancient Pirate Kingdom be the same of D? Could this name be Dawn? The Dawn Kingdom and the will of Dawn! The word dawn that by coincidence, sure, carries the almost same sound of DON. The will of Dawn is the will of pirates to chase freedom and to be united under the same Kingdom, the same Flag. Now obviously, every pirate crew needs its flag, which would eventually be the same of the Kingdom. And what could it be?
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https://preview.redd.it/6gemby6h414b1.png?width=852&format=png&auto=webp&s=0f303c5ebbd90999c799953e48fbff46453d815d
Nothing’s better that an old-fashioned goofy ass Strawhat crew’s flag. Or maybe the one that Bellamy is designing? Who knows. That leaves us with just one question. What was Joyboy’s purpose?
The Binks Sake
What I think was Joyboy’s purpose is delivering the Binks’ Sake to all the Pirate Kingdom, just like the song states, thus making everyone brothers. But at some point, he was forced to interrupt this mission, thus leaving it all in one place. Sounds familiar? That very place is Laugh Tale, and the treasure itself could be Binks Sake. Why the treasure would be sake of all things. Let’s head back to chapter 585, which at this point I think is one, if not the most important of the entire series.
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Right after mentioning Luffy’s mysterious dream, the next page is the one above, the one in which the three kids exchange the Sake cups and officially become brothers. In short, Chapter 585 might be telling us that Luffy’s dream is to create a Pirate Kingdom, thus using the Treasure to exchange Sake cups with every pirate, or “citizen” of the Kingdom, making everyone brother. Just like Joyboy was supposed to do but couldn’t, waiting for Luffy to do it in his place. Furthermore…
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https://preview.redd.it/mu1rugyn414b1.png?width=1004&format=png&auto=webp&s=d103810bd823eba18dd412b7bdb40cc2f12207b6
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This may be the biggest hunch, but the key could lie in the titles of chapter 999 and 1000. It doesn’t seem right to me that every time a new chapter goes out we get pretty much straightforward titles that anticipate what is supposed to happen in the same chapter. EXCEPT for this two chapters in particular. I believe this to be an hidden message of what the treasure is. It is to be read as a sentence. It’s like Joyboy speaking: “The sake I brewed to drink with you, Straw Hat Luffy.”
Conclusion
This is it. As you can see it is not a brainy and fanciful theory, but more a connection of some dots scattered in the story. Let me know what do you guys think about it!!!

“Hey Raz, I got one!” Raz’s voice was cut by static as he called back, “Great! …at quarry …die.” Well, that wasn’t ominous at all, I thought to myself as I adjusted the rear-view mirror to check on the operator I had just blown past. They were doubled over coughing, their gas mask swayed side to side on the ground next to their feet. I don’t know what compelled me to not flatten what I had thought to be an AQ soldier, but I’m glad I didn’t.
I slammed my hummer in reverse, coming to a stop next to the helpless operator. “Hop in bud, we can get you to final exfill yet.” He slowly hauled himself into the bed of my hummer, landing with a dull thud and a groan as he fell onto his back. We cleared the gas, and I was immediately put on edge as my passenger started to gain consciousness. If he was planning anything nefarious, there wasn’t much I could do about it now. “You good back there? Normally I’d stop to send an invite but given the situation that might have just caused more problems.” He leaned through the non-existent rear window, “Nah, I understand man. When we get further from the gas we can stop and squad up. Don’t need to risk lighting each other up if things get hot at the exfill.” I couldn’t help but chuckle, “I don’t think that would be much of an issue regardless. Hey, we didn’t leave any of your friends back there, did we? I know we peeled out pretty quick.” I saw him shake his head and point to our left in the rear-view mirror. “We got split up, but they were running for a car, so I wasn’t too worried.” I followed his finger, a white hatchback cruised along parallel to us, swerving through buildings trying not to eat too many AQ bullets. “Hey boys, Dutch here is gonna roll with us to final. We’ll squad up when we get there.” I was barely able to make out one of his squad mates call out “Tight!” over his earpiece.
“Hey, listen, I’ve got friend I’m rolling with. His name’s Raz, he’s gonna meet us at final. If you see a red, white, and blue LTV, don’t shoot alright.” Raz chimed in, his radio finally clear of the static, “That’s very kind of you to tell them not to shoot me Dutch.” Before I could respond, a black turreted LTV slid out of Said City ahead of us. “Is that your boy Dutch?” I wanted to give my passenger the benefit of the doubt, it is windy in the box after all, he might not have heard me. “Nah man, wrong colour, and he didn’t have a turreted LTV last I saw.” The black LTV continued North along the main road as we cut away into the quarry proper. “Raz, company is headed your way. Looks like it’s just a solo in that truck but you can never be too careful.” “Thanks for the heads up Dutch.”
I rolled to a stop at the base of the helicopter ramp, gently flattening a couple of AQ who were getting a little to close to the bird for comfort, just shy of the battery running dry. The other two operators in the hatchback slid to a stop just down the hill from us. I got out of the hummer, a tad worried that my good fortune was about to come to an end at the hands of these fellas. As they ran up the hill, the notification finally popped. I accepted and ran down the hill to grab the hatchback, breathing a sigh of relief. “Wait, where you goin’ Dutch?” One of my clients called out. “Raz and I will run interference while we wait for the chopper to take off. Any AQ or unfriendly operators are gonna have to go through us.” “You keep talking about this Raz guy, but I’ve yet to see anyone other than that black LTV.” Almost on queue, a black LTV flew up the hill narrowly missing my hatchback. My clients went into a frenzy. “Operators pushing us! Take ‘em down!” The LTV spun in the sand in front of me, a glorious and perfectly oiled moustache glinting in the Al Mazrah sun. “Hold your fire! It’s Raz!” I called from below my clients. I sent an invite to him which he had hopped out and accepted faster than any of these guys could pull the trigger. “You see the operator that was in that earlier?” Raz shook his head, “No, I pulled up on it and they were gone. Must be out on foot somewhere.”
With 5 seconds left on the clock, there wasn’t enough time to go find them, our clients now panicking as they realized we weren’t on the bird. “What are you two doing?!” They shouted from the air as we waved goodbye. “Al Mazrah is our home gentlemen. That bird was never meant for us.” I gave Raz a pat on the shoulder as the gas rapidly approached, another successful day had come to a close.
The clack of a Kastov charging handle was almost unmistakable. We both turned to see the operator from the LTV standing there, rifle honed on us. “Well shit.” Their rifle dropped towards the dirt as they looked back over their shoulder at the nearly out of sight exfill chopper. They pushed through us, wandering towards the North side of the quarry. Raz and I locked eyes, shrugging in unison. That was one of those moments where we really wouldn’t have blamed them for their decision, whatever it might have been. “We better get back to HQ, Compton said I.T dropped off something for you.” Raz said as the gas engulfed us.
“I’m going back to the island boss.” My hands were shaking as I gripped the file folder that I.T had left for me. “Twitch.” “He’s back, it took him a bit, but he’s managed to re-take the castle and hunker down since we last saw him. And if he’s back then we might finally be able to get some proper intel on those blue tracers, direct from the source.” I handed the folder to Raz. He took it, turning to no doubt address the rest of the crew. I grabbed his shoulder, stopping him before he could speak. “Not everybody, not this time. They’ve doubled the defences; we’d be walking into a slaughterhouse.” “Well, you can’t go in there alone, we look out for our own Dutch, you know that.” Raz’s brow tightened, I could tell he was already trying to figure out what my plan was. “I’m bringing Maze and Alex. They’ll provide sniper cover while I infiltrate the castle. I still have my old uniform. As long as they haven’t drastically changed up their callsigns, I should be able to get in undetected.” I could tell Raz wasn’t convinced. “Dutch, like you said, you’d be walking into a slaughterhouse. How does you going in solo make that any better.” “After what happened in the complex…I’m not putting anyone else at risk, I can’t. The Bomb Maker…Twitch, I’ve gotta face him myself. Look him in the eyes so he knows I crawled out of Hell to drag him back down there.” “Alright, I couldn’t really stop you if I wanted to, could I?” Raz shrugged. “No, not unless you shot me, and honestly, I’d take those odds.” I punched his shoulder and started heading for the breakroom to grab Maze and Alex. “You keep that up I’ll be moving you back out to that sea can of yours.” Raz smirked.
The locks took a bit of fighting to get open. While this footlocker had only been on Ashika Island for a few months, the constant spray of salt water had worn away what little integrity it once had. The black uniform, emblazoned with the Rook and Spade of Shadow Company, was still in excellent condition, save for a bullet hole just under where the plate carrier would sit. I paused for a moment, holding it up in the air, memories of the past flooding in. “Not a lot of fond memories in that uniform I take it.” Maze called out from the catwalk in our home away from home. “I think part of the problem is that there are good memories. It’s a little concerning that such fond memories can hide out amongst so much evil.” “We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of. Some of us just did things other people also wouldn’t be proud of either.” Alex chuckled to himself as he cleaned his rifle on the cot next to me. I grimaced, mostly because he was right. I slipped into the old black fatigues and strapped on my old plate carrier. My weapons were all still intact too, I pulled my Taq-56 out of the footlocker, running my fingers over the engraving in the side, ROOK-XLIV. I cycled the charging handle a few times before loading in a fresh magazine and setting it on the cot next to me. I pulled out a pistol belt, two pearl handled revolvers, one with an ebony Rook on the grip, the other, an ebony Spade. Umbra Catavae engraved along each barrel. Maze had come down from the rafters now, a look of mixed intrigue and concern on her face, “I take it those don’t invoke fond memories.” I had done a poor job of hiding my look of disgust. “No, unfortunately they do.” I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. “Each of these was given to me for completing outstanding performance in the field. I did things I’m not proud of, and I was rewarded for it, handsomely. Holding these in my hands, I feel the same pride I had felt when they were first handed to me. It makes me sick.” I strapped the belt around my waist. The pearl handles shining against my all black silhouette. Alex piped up again, “Hey, at least you are trying to make amends for your sins, not many can say the same.” I let out a long sigh, “I suppose you’re right. You both remember the plan?” “Get to the radio towers and start lighting the place up when shit inevitably hits the fan.” Maze grinned. “Close enough.” I pulled my balaclava up and headed for the door.
The guard at the gate didn’t immediately shoot me which gave me some spark of hope that this might work. “In position!” Alex and Maze called out almost simultaneously. “Jinx, you owe me a beer!” Maze rejoiced. “What? Why would I give you a beer for that?” Alex sounded genuinely confused. “Hey, cut the chatter you two, don’t need to give them any reason to not let me in alright.” The guard held up his hand. “I don’t recognize you, let’s see your I.D.” I held up my old I.D card. “Well I’ll be damned, look who crawled out if his grave.” He pulled my mask down to confirm. “You look pretty good for a corpse, though your I.D card is out of regulation. You might want to stop by the I.T guy to get a new one made.” “Thanks, I’ll head right over.” The first thought that came to my mind was Bob. There’s no way he still worked for these assholes, is there.
“You used your old I.D?! You mad man!” Maze cackled over the radio. “Ok, I’ll admit, this wasn’t my greatest plan. I honestly thought they’d just capture me after seeing who I was.” Alex cut me off, “Go with the flow I suppose.” “Spade-499 up one-two.” The local radio channel began to drown out my squad’s comms. “Rook-3468 down one-one” “This is some odd radio traffic Dutch.” Alex quipped. I watched as a Shadow Company mercenary approached a stairwell, each step primed and ready to pop a leg off whichever unfortunate soul chose to ascend. “Spade-5454 up one-two.” “It’s how they know to deactivate the traps.” I whispered into our secure line. I approached the same stairwell. “Rook-44 up one-two.” I could hear the traps audibly click off. The guard at the to put his hand out as I reached the top step. “Sorry, no ghosts allowed on the second floor.” “Ghost? What…” He bent over laughing. “I’m just messing with you man. They said you died holding off the ULF while Bob and Twitch escaped, going out in a blaze of glory. Clearly, they didn’t have their facts straight. Glad to have you back.” I’m glad I had the balaclava on because I was struggling to hide my confusion. Last I checked I was the scape goat for the largest backstab in Shadow Company history, not a hero. I was never a hero when I worked for them. “I take it you are going to see the boss, call up two-zero, we don’t want people to be just guess on the fly, just in case someone tries to sneak in.” If only he knew.
“We don’t have eyes up there Dutch. Whatever happens, you’re on your own.” I could hear a tinge of worry in Alex’s voice. “Just make sure whoever is in here doesn’t get reinforcements.” “You got it!” Alex and Maze both called out in unison. “Jinx, you owe me another beer.” “There’s free beer at headquarters, why would I owe you a beer for that.” Alex called back clearly still confused. “Radio silence please. I’ve got a rat to kill.” I took a deep breath, pulling my Bryson from its sheath, the chrome exterior brushed over with a dull grey to blend in. “Rook-44 up two-zero.”
“Well, well, well. I was wondering when I’d see you again after our last encounter. Urzikstan and Al Mazrah clearly hadn’t kicked your ass enough so you decided to come crawling back to me for another round.” The traps clicked off. “Come on up, I’ve been looking forward to this.” I slowly ascended, keeping my Bryson trained at the top of the stairs, my eyes scanning each stair for an actual trap. As I crested the stairwell, my eyes were immediately drawn to him. His back turned to me, Trophy Systems whirring and clicking around him. “I missed you Dutch. Well, the old you. The one that would shoot through a hostage just to prove a point, the one that would dangle captives from buildings by their collar until they squawked like a bird, and then still dropped them anyways. I miss the Dutch that smoked Keller because his gas mask worked and yours didn’t when we those crazy Russian’s tried to hit us with mustard gas. I still get a little nauseous when I think about you peeling his face out of there.” “I’ve changed Twitch, I’ve moved past all that. I found a calling that doesn’t require me to be a conniving bastard.” Twitch laughed as he turned around, his hands empty. I kept my Bryson trained on him. “That’s what you think I am huh? I prefer shrewd businessman, but if that’s what helps you sleep at night.” He walked to one of the barred windows. “You really think what you and those taxi driving hooligans are doing matters?” “Clearly it does, or you and the Chemist wouldn’t be working so hard to sabotage us.” I took a few steps towards him. “Well, I suppose it matters to one of us. The Chemist and Raz go way back, but you know that. What I care about is the money, and I get a lot of money for helping that crazy bastard try to wipe out your little band of Merry Men.” “And Women. This guy just loves the sound of his own voice. Can I remove his head already? He’s looking right at me, practically begging me to pull the trigger.” I could hear the contempt in Maze’s voice. Twitch always did love a monologue. “You can still fix your mistakes Twitch. Gives us what info you have on those tracers of yours and I might consider not killing you.” I snarled. “When you went soft Dutch, you lost any respect I might have had for you. We are long past the point where you can intimidate me. Besides, any info I did have, is with the Chemist. He paid a handsome sum to get the formula, and really, it was becoming a logistical nightmare to ship enough of those little blue gems across the sea. Better for everyone to have it made close to the front lines.”
“Spade-101 up two-zero.” Bob’s voice cut through the tension. “Well I’ll be, it looks like we are gonna have a little family reunion.” Bob’s head poked up the stairs, “Hey boss, another server bank has shorted out from the sea air, I told you we should invest in better waterproofing the housings but if you still…” He trailed off as I dropped my Bryson, the sling catching it just before it hit the ground, and drawing my two revolvers. “Oh, hey Dutch. Nice to see you too.” Bob stammered. I cocked the hammer on each one, keeping one trained on each of my old squad mates. “Really Bob? Really! I understand you sticking around the day of the heist. But now? After everything that Shadow Company has done to these countries. To its own people.” Before he could respond, a siren blared over the intercom system. “Defensive positions! Hostile operators have breached the perimeter.” “Dutch you’ve got six operators approaching the castle, I think it’s time to bounce.” Maze was drowned out by her own gun fire, her Signal .50 raining death into the courtyard. “Looks like our time is up here Dutch. Since you clearly don’t have los cojones to pull the trigger, you might as well see yourself out, and let me and my men handle this.”
“Fuck it.” The hammer of the first revolver slammed down, dropping Bob instantly. I turned to face Twitch, his face a mix of surprise and pride. “Maybe I was wrong, the old Dutch still lives.” I charged forward, tackling him through the window and off the roof. Both of us lay on the ground, groaning as the chorus of gunfire roared around us. He dove for one of my pistols, but unfortunately for him, I had managed to hold on to the other, putting a round through his arm just before he could grab the gun. He rolled out of the way of the second round, bringing his one working hand up to the radio on his chest. The explosion from the castle threw both of us across the courtyard, debris raining down around us. I felt like I was reliving one of the worst days of my life all over again. I hauled myself to my feet, Shadow Company mercenaries and operators wandered aimlessly through the ashes. Everyone seemed too disoriented to fight. “I think it’s time to leave Dutch.” “I second that.” Maze and Alex were barely audible over the ringing in my ears. “Regroup at the boat. If I’m not there in 5, go without me.” I never heard a response, even if they tried, they wouldn’t have convinced me to leave, not with him still breathing.
I combed through the smoke and fire, carefully checking every nook and cranny I came across but the slippery rat was nowhere to be seen. “Looks like you 3 aren’t thick as thieves after all, eh Dutch. Poor Alex here was left all alone on the beach, no boat to be seen.” Twitch was sucking in air between words, no doubt kept standing by adrenaline. “You lay a finger on him, and I’ll make you wish you had died in that explosion.” I spat into my mic. “Don’t make me wait too long.”
I limped over a hill towards the beach where we were supposed to regroup. “Alex! Where’s Maze?” I called out as I stumbled down the sand bank. Alex didn’t respond, his head held in a tight headlock by Twitch, my second pistol against his temple. “She abandoned you both, and now I get the pleasure of killing you both after yet another betrayal. When will you learn Dutch. This world is a cruel place. Only the strong survive, clearly Maze knew that.” Twitch cut me off before I could retort. “Save the fight me with honour B.S that I know you are gonna spew.” I’m gonna kill you and your buddy and salvage what little I can of this operation. Then maybe retire to Cuba. I do love a good cigar.” “Adios, pendejo!” Alex brought his arm down, the knife concealed in his hand connecting with Twitch’s thigh. Twitch let out a high-pitched yelp, letting loose a round from the revolver which narrowly grazed Alex’s hair. Alex dove into the sand right as Twitch’s shoulder exploded in a pink mist followed shortly by the unmistakable crack of Maze’s Signal .50. I squinted trying to see where the shot came from, all I caught was the glint from her scope in the sun, the boat hardly visible in the rolling surf.
I limped forward, Bryson in hand, chrome starting to show through the worn grey paint. I kicked the revolver away from Twitch, placing a boot on his chest and the barrel of my Bryson against his forehead. He began to mumble and cry, hardly able to string together an understandable sentence. “Save it, you’re gonna need your energy for what comes next.” Our boat slammed into the shore, Maze hopping off, rifle raised and ready. “Oh shit I actually hit that!” “I’m not gonna lie, I thought you’d actually just bailed.” I laughed as she helped Alex to his feet. “You still go those claymores?” I asked Maze as Twitch continued to writhe in panic under my boot. “You wanted the old Dutch, eh Twitch. Ask and you shall receive.” Maze handed me the claymores, while Alex kept sidearm pointed at Twitch. I planted 4 around him, just far enough away that they wouldn’t go off unless he moved. I drew one of my revolvers, popping the cylinder out and emptying all but one round. I gave the cylinder a spin before flicking it closed. I tossed the revolver at Twitch. “Don’t waste that on me. You’ll only regret it in about an hour.” I took my other revolver, and hurled it towards the sea, the pearl grip glinting in the sun as it spun through the air, disappearing into the crashing waves. “Good riddance.” I sighed, that chapter of my life finally ended. Twitch was silent, his whimpering now just deep, laboured breathing. I turned back before I stepped onto the boat, watching as his hand slowly moved to the pistol in the sand next to him. “Well played Dutch, well played.”

I'm really interested to hear of experiences doing overland travel on this less touristed span of countries. It's surprisingly affordable to get to Cayenne from Paris using miles, but the connectivity out of Cayenne is really bad. It seems like a great opportunity to head to the countries to the northwest, but there aren't a lot of reports of it.
I found this page for Georgetown to Paramaribo which suggests that it is surprisingly expensive, $70 for the ride plus the $35 tourist card: https://www.veryhungrynomads.com/how-to-get-from-georgetown-to-paramaribo/
There's also this account that didn't enjoy it much. The Suriname dollar has fallen dramatically so it seems like the listed prices are not to be trusted. https://www.livingthedreamrtw.com/how-to-travel-guyana-suriname-and-french-guiana
Here's a similar thread from a couple years ago without much engagement: https://old.reddit.com/travel/comments/npgjeo/advice_for_traveling_between_suriname_and_french/ and a suggestion that my normal level of winging it will go badly in Guyana https://old.reddit.com/travel/comments/7h4yv6/tifu_by_attempting_to_wing_it_in_the_guianas/
It seems most cost effective to go from Cayenne to Paramaribo and then just fly to Panama or Brazil, but it also seems unlikely that I'll ever be that close to Guyana again, so might as well go do it.
Anyway, I'm interested to hear if anyone has done any of this before, and if they would do it again, or if I should just head back to Europe.

Alright guys. I’m digging deeper into researching about the TT spindle swap for my mk4 (TDI), and I have three questions that I haven’t been able to find answers to on the forums.
question 1: were all mk1 TT spindles the same? I’m seeing recommendations for a few part numbers, specifically Left Spindle: 8N0 407 255E or 8N0 407 255B Right Spindle: 8N0 407 256B
On ebay I’ve found a left front spindle for a TT for sale, but it’s part number is 8N0 407 255H. Can I use this? What’s the difference?
I’m also finding a few right front spindles that do not call out a part number so I’m hesitant to buy. But if there was only one part number for the entire mk1 TT, then I should be safe, right?
question 2: hubs/bearings. My car is an ‘05 TDI, so I know I can’t use the TT hubs because the CV axle splines won’t match. So for the hubs I’ll either reuse my current hubs or purchase new TDI hubs from a parts store. The wheel bearing info has been unclear. Which wheel bearings should I use? I’ve read that the TT had a different wheel bearing than other mk4s, but haven’t been able to learn more than that.
question 3: lower control arm/sway bar mount point. I’m hoping to retain the use of my stock sway bar. People keep saying that some TT LCAs have the nub you can drill and tap to use a mk4 sway bar, while some don’t. but nobody talks about how I would purchase one vs the other. I’m planning to get the LCAs new from a parts store, but how would I know if they’ll have the sway bar nub until I buy them and open the box? Is it just a trial and error kinda thing?
Any help is appreciated, thanks a ton for all you guys do 👍