I too am an early achiever, paid in full, and i've been quiet about all this until now. Not anymore. I completely agree that full action is needed if anything about the situation is going to change. I've been burned a few times by con artists/ narcissists and each time I've a made a point to further study the behavior of this type of person. Based on my past experience I am not hopeful about the situation with DP- the money is very likely gone. I really hope i'm wrong about this.

Jaap's behavior is of particular concern. Unfortunately he shows many of the classic signs of narcissism and I think it's possible that the whole company has been built using his skills of deception. It's kind of hard to believe but narcissists are so deceptive that they even believe their own lies! (Yes, POTUS). I think this stuff is pretty damn interesting and I hope this input is of interest to some. Here's a little overview of key points:

1. Grandiosity- throw big parties, talk a big game, trash other companies, make unrealistic promises, etc.
2. Charisma- with enough charismatic talking there is no need for action (because other people are too stupid to catch onto you).
3. Lies- People are too stupid to notice.
4. Inability to take responsibility- If someone calls you out, simply change the subject. Or better yet, pretend that you didn't hear.
5. Victimhood- play the victim and you may be able to convince people that you are not the perpetrator.
6. Inability to apologize- You see, i'm the one who has been wronged. They should be apologizing.
7. Inability to change course- Everyone else is wrong so they should change. I'm never wrong so need to change anything.
8. Emotional manipulation- "Don't be so negative" "Get excited about the new game!" "We care about fun"

Even with my past experience I was unable to associate Jaap with this personality type until the TPF talk. It is far less scary to be in denial about the situation and to just give the perpetrator the benefit of the doubt. At some point though it becomes impossible to keep cutting slack.

I really don't think DP ever meant to screw anybody over or to start a ponzi scheme to cover their own ass. But unfortunately that is now the case. The integrity of a person or company doesn't become apparent until the shit hits the fan. At that point it's valuable to observe behavior. Does the person have a sense of accountability or responsibility or do they blame others? Even if ARA is at fault it's still possible for DP to show that they understand that it's their own problem to deal with. Make a heartfelt apology to show some respect for their supporters rather than doubling down on lies. From my perspective DP is not only disrespectful to their supporters but they also consider us to be incredibly stupid.

We don't have much information about the dispute but what we do know is that DP is not aligned with the principles of honesty or integrity. If DP's own customers have been repeatedly lied to and manipulated then I can only imagine that ARA has experienced some of this as well. With what is now known I would be very surprised to find out that ARA has even less integrity than DP. In other words, i'm guessing that the dispute has more to do with DP's clueless business practices than it does with ARA. If DP really wants to find a way out of this it's time to dispense with the smokescreen and oilslick and start telling the whole truth. But as i've said before, i'm not sure if it's about willingness; they may not have the capability to step outside their own house of cards. That is why pressure from the screwed-over is important. Without pressure they may not have any incentive to take a look in the mirror.