MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️ mention of various forms of abuse including SA, mention of suicide in some detail, mention of death
PREFACE
I understand this is the internet and I cannot expect people to have grace or mercy on me for any of this. All I can do is ask that if you’re going to give me your input, that you try and be as kind as possible. My heart is hurting and I really don’t feel I am in a place to hear that I need to entirely -drop- this therapist right now. My background of abuse and trauma will hopefully explain why that is, but I am not ready to let go. I am mostly posting this to vent, but also hoping that if anyone does have any advice that could help me even just in the short term with coping, that it will be gently shared.
BACKGROUND
I will try and keep this as short and sweet as possible but there’s a whole lot of history here. I am 27F, and I grew up in an unimaginably abusive home. Sex trafficking, severe physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from my father and my older brother (very patriarchal family), and a slew of very complicated and scary health issues including a liver disease and cancer. My family set me up to never be able to move out or live independently because they genuinely have viewed me to be their property. The severity of this can hopefully be summed up in just a few example:

• Was never allowed to even get myself a glass of water in the kitchen or learn to cook • Was not potty trained and had to rely on my mom to go to the bathroom into my teenage years • Drinking only from sippy cups until teenage years • Location monitored on my phone • Every credit card transaction / finance watched closely • Could not move away from college 

My brother was allowed and able to do all these things, but I was not. My entire life, teachers and “adults” that were supposed to catch these things did not even bat an eye. They instead placed me in remedial classes and ESL assuming that I just had a learning disability or a language barrier (which I do not). When I told teachers in the past about my abuse, it was handled extremely poorly and no authorities ever got involved. My life felt worthless; meaningless. Like I could scream from the rooftops of my school that I was being abused and no one cared.
This past January, I did the unthinkable. I left my family and got my own apartment. Friends, therapists, coworkers, everyone who remotely knew me has been pushing me to do this for years and I genuinely thought I would die in my situation. I developed severe Stockholm syndrome so a huge part of my lack of leaving was due to my own internal thought patterns. I did it through the help of my current therapist, which is my… fourth? therapist that’s attempted to help. The last ones took advantage of how naive I was and hurt me (one of them has been arrested). This therapist, however, invested everything to get me out. He really wanted to see me free. And I am forever grateful for him.
MY CURRENT THERAPIST & BACKSTORY
I started seeing this therapist early in 2022 when I was still living with my family. I became severely bedridden and could not even go to the bathroom without my mom or dad escorting me. My anxiety and panic were at an all time high. I was on a leave of absence from work, and this therapist was the only reason I had for HAVING to get out of bed and forcing myself to drive, and most days I couldn’t even do that. He was patient, compassionate, and was willing to go to great lengths to help. Though mostly irrelevant, he’s 45M. He got into school for counseling later in life so when I started seeing him, he was just an intern under the director of the practice. At the time, the director of the practice was seeing an old time friend of mine (who happened to recently become my coworker). My friend had gotten concerned about why I wasn’t showing up to work and why I was struggling so much. I didn’t want to open up to her about it because I couldn’t open up to anyone at the time. However, my friend asked the director of the place if she knew anything about me. The director broke into my therapist’s file under the guise of “he is my intern, I can look at his stuff” and then relayed all of that information to my friend. It became an entire case against the state board and I fought tooth and nail to get that director in trouble. In the end, nothing was done and in retaliation, the director fired my therapist and I had to wait until my therapist found a new job in order to see him (he was pre-graduation by just a few weeks so he couldn’t ethically talk to me until he had another practice). During the worst moments of my life, I was without my therapist (no fault of his, and he checked on me frequently), but it was really only for a few weeks. To me that was a lot since I had been going 2-3 times a week, sometimes 4 because of my situation.
THE CRYSTAL AND THE SAGE
My therapist had gone out of town briefly and came back with a crystal he got. He told me when he purchased it he knew he wanted to give it to someone. And he said that it made him think of me and he wants me to have it. He said he wants it to be a reminder that he cares and others care and that it represents my truth to hold close. Months later, he went on another trip and said he got sage that someone gave him that was super special and he wanted me to have it. He was very invested in making sure I felt like he cares and has my back. I was never into spirituality in the same way as him so I respectfully accepted his kindness but kind of scoffed at him. It became more of a joke.
HOW MY BROTHER AND MY THERAPIST STARTED TEXTING
The director of the previous practice had tried to harass me with a fake number, as well as to my therapist. She wanted to try and get us to drop the case, I guess? When I continued to get texts from fake numbers, my therapist asked me to give him the number that was blowing up my phone. It turns out, timing was absolutely terrible. My brother (who moved out of state) was the one who started harassing me. My parents/brother allowed me to go to therapy to “work on my panic attacks” but they began hating the fact that my therapist was helping me become independent. My brother was outraged and texted me anonymously to kill myself. Because I still thought at the time that it was the director of the place, I went ahead and shared the number with my therapist. And that’s how it all began.
THE VIDEO THREATS FROM MY THERAPIST
Things got out of hand over the months. My therapist felt extremely protective of me and a “savior complex” kicked in. The reasoning for this is worth noting / important. My therapist lost his sister to suicide when they were young, and he also lost his father shortly after. His sister apparently had also been assaulted and my therapist had mentioned to me before how he views me as a friend, someone to protect, like a sister. He admitted his struggle with transference and said his main and only concern was to get me to move out of my family’s house. To take a leap of faith. He was desperate to do that. He offered to help me get an apartment near him so he could help me out, he offered to babysit my dog for me (my golden retriever is my emotional support animal that my parents have used as a bargaining chip), he offered to see me in therapy 5 times a week if I just moved. I just wasn’t ready. But my brother would not relent.
My therapist still does not know that I know this, but my brother showed me some of the videos my therapist sent him. Three separate threatening videos. In them, my therapist was shirtless with a ski mask on saying he was part of the FBI and that if my brother didn’t behave himself, that he would have his people come after him. My brother said that I was threatening him and that if I didn’t get this man to stop, it would be trouble. My therapist got extremely activated and decided to take it as a challenge.
My therapist also at some points asked my brother “how to assault me” because he wanted to know what my brother did/wanted him to admit it. But if an outsider saw the texts, it would seem like my therapist was asking to participate in assaulting me. It looked HORRIBLY incriminating.
THE MOVE OUT
I got the courage one night. Drove my dog over to my therapist’s house and moved in with a friend while I apartment hunted. My therapist was incredibly proud of me and poured so much love and care into my dog. I truly felt hopeful and optimistic and I eventually applied for my own apartment and got approved. Because of severe Stockholm syndrome and lack of knowing how to do ANYTHING, I would end up visiting home (somehow, they allowed that and I did not die!)
THE ASSAULT
Long story short (I am not super comfortable going into this part), people from the temple I was sex trafficked in (linked with my family), showed up and assaulted me at gun point in a van. I told my therapist. He was extremely upset on my behalf and called the police. He told me it was essential that I get restraining orders and that I stop going over to my parents house even if I have Stockholm syndrome. He said he could no longer be patient on that because I was actively being attacked. I told him I was still too nervous to go no contact and I could tell he was frustrated with me.
WHEN MY THERAPIST SECRETLY SAT OUTSIDE MY APARTMENT*
My brother / someone from the temple decided to start things up once he figured out the person he was texting earlier was in fact my therapist. He threatened my therapist and challenged him to meet up. My brother was bluffing but my therapist took it seriously. My therapist arranged to meet him outside my apartment at 9pm that night. I had a weird gut feeling so I texted my therapist that night and asked him not to do anything stupid, but I had no idea what he had up his sleeve. Without telling me, my therapist sat outside my apartment waiting for my brother (who never showed) to meet him. Why my therapist chose to meet him RIGHT OUTSIDE my new residence was extremely irresponsible.
I went to take my dog out to the bathroom that night and my friend and I were hanging out. She noticed a dark car with someone sitting and staring with a mask on. We walked closer and it was my therapist. I yelled at him because I was so worried he would’ve gotten shot or attacked and that he would get hurt as a result of trying to fight. My therapist apologized and was so embarrassed. He awkwardly said “you weren’t supposed to know about this…” and drove off full force. We hopped in my friends car and followed him to wherever he tried to run off to. He then promised me he would leave. About 20 mins later, my friend and I decide to go out to get food and we see him sitting in another part of my apartment complex still ready to fight. I was so upset that he lied to me multiple times and that he was risking his life. What would’ve happened if he got attacked? But my therapist apologized again and said “I just need to look him in the eye” implying he was ready to kill.
THE DREAMS ABOUT MY THERAPIST’S LATE SISTER
As my therapist had told me, his sister had passed away from suicide when they were young. He admitted to have transference in a way where he viewed me in a sisterly way. For a while, I continually had dreams about his sister and it was very weird. I told him I don’t believe in a lot of things like crystals or burning sage but that these dreams felt incredibly vivid. In the dreams, her sister was assuring me that my therapist was sent in my life to be the brother I couldn’t have. That he was sent to me as a brother, and I to him as a sister.
THE HOSPITAL
Just within the span of days after he showed up to my apartment, I was hospitalized due to complications with my liver, and I reached out to my family for help. My therapist was upset with me for interacting with my family at all. My therapist even visited me in the hospital and said that I don’t need to call my family for help and that I have him and my other friends who will have my back. After I was discharged from the hospital, I asked my therapist if I could take my dog back for at least a weekend (he took my dog in while I went to the hospital in order to help me. He said he would hang onto him while I recovered and caught up on rest). So when he gave me my dog for the weekend, out of guilt, I took my dog with me to visit my family. I just felt the need to run back. My dad manipulated me a lot about missing my dog so I felt obligated.
MY THERAPIST’S FRUSTRATION
I admitted to my therapist that I had taken my dog to my parents for the weekend (after I already gave him my dog back). My therapist was so upset about it. He had put so much love and time into my dog and helping me, and then I took him back to the hands of my abusers. This is when him pulling back began. He felt like he was doing all of this extraneous stuff for me and I was just taking steps back.
THE SUICIDE METHOD
As he got over his frustration a little bit, I became very suicidal to the point where I purchased a rope and planned it out. I made him the beneficiary of my bank accounts as a thank you to him for everything. He told me he would do what he could to help me. He said I could bring my dog back to him if I just need a life break. He didn’t know I had the rope but he knew I was thinking suicide. When I went back to drop my dog off, I admitted I had a rope. I gave it to him. He realized I was genuinely going to kill myself and was so grateful I told him the truth. He told me he would be there for me to help me through it. Showed me grace and compassion and everything.
THE MAJOR PULLBACK
No warning. No indication. My therapist immediately pulled back. Hard. He told me to call him later that week (I usually have therapy 3x a week but he was out of town), and so I did as he said and called him to update him. He immediately flipped out. “Ugh, I cannot be in anything extra to your therapy space. I am going through things on my own and I need to pull back. I can’t take calls any hour of the day anymore. I can’t take your dog. You don’t even listen to me anyway. You do what you want and go to your parents. So, I don’t know what to say. I am committed to you as your therapist but that’s it. If you feel suicidal outside of that, go to a hospital and get sedated.” I was absolutely crushed and felt so awful and guilty like I did something wrong. I didn’t want to bother him. I didn’t want to lose him. He made me feel loved and cared for (platonically, as a brother) and I felt so safe with him. Until this moment. He was very hung up on the fact that I kept going home to my family despite his efforts.
After calming down he explained how he feels like he needs to step back because his emotions shouldn’t affect my therapy and that he’s doing it to help me. But it felt very selfish. He over exerted himself by showing up to my apartment and sending threatening videos when I never asked for it, all because HE wanted to. And now he pulls back because HE wants to. None of his decisions were based on what I would feel, but what would best serve him.
THE RELAPSE AND THE DREAMS
Because my therapist stepped back so hard, I relapsed and said “screw it” / went back to my parents. I still had my apartment but I backslid majorly.
During this time I was so distraught. This therapist made me feel supported. And no, I didn’t attach onto him in an unhealthy way where he became my only hope. But he did feel like the brother I wished I had, and he felt like such a deep and important part of my life and I was devastated.
I started having dreams again about his sister and I cried. I felt like I was given this gift and then it was taken away.
THE BACK AND FORTH
My therapist began telling me that he thinks I should have additional support in this season especially while he “takes a break from extraneous stuff” with me. He said when he was younger and going through things, he had two therapists.
A week later I told him I found a second therapist and he said: “ummm I don’t know. I feel protective over that. Maybe don’t get a second one. Find a support group but I don’t want you seeing another one.”
I stood my ground and said I might still find one and he said “well then make sure the other one is a woman and is closely in touch with me.”
It felt very wishy washy and he did a lot of similar things like this for a while.
But when I listened to him and decided against a second therapist, he pulled back again. He said he wouldn’t take any more texts or calls outside of session once again and made me feel like an obsessed freak when I wasn’t even really doing much at all. Or asking for anything.
VISITING MY THERAPIST’S LATE SISTER’S GRAVE
My therapist is a famous author and singesong writer. Online, it’s very easy to find his sister’s name and I did some digging and found out where her grave is located. I was feeling really awful, like I was grieving the loss myself which is so incredibly psychotic. I know. But it more so felt like I was grieving the loss of this brotherly love I once felt from my therapist. But it’s been a couple months at this point and he still refuses to take texts or calls, and is very argumentative and angry in sessions. And I just wanted to take some flowers to the grave in private, not tell him, and just accept that he can’t be what I needed him to be for me.
MY FAMILY FINDS OUT
When I went to the cemetery, the place was huge. So I had to go into the office and ask for the location of his sister’s grave. They gave me a piece of paper with her name and grave location on it and I eventually just threw it in my wallet. My dad stumbled upon my wallet while I was at home one of the days and noticed the last name and asked me if I was still seeing my therapist. They don’t like him for obvious reasons. But I admitted to my parents that I do still see my therapist and that he’s more like family than they’d ever be. They abused me. But I stood in my truth. At the end of the day I will not deny that my therapist DID help me immensely and if that means I have to be abused for the truth, I’ll do it.
MY THERAPIST INSISTS ON INFORMATION
He knew that I was hiding something. I told him my family was abusive again but I didn’t say why. He spent an entire session saying he needs to know what happened. I said no multiple times and that I didn’t want to talk about it. He used language like “you have to tell me before you leave my office” and “if you care so much about me you’ll tell me.” He even told me he was going to take my hand and promise me that he won’t react. He held it and looked me in the eye and promised he’d meet me with compassion. I refused. He then asked me if I’ve been lying to him. Deceptive. It broke me and I felt like it was just such an insult. But I stayed strong and he apologized for bothering me about it.
Last week comes around and it feels like such a hindrance. He’s continuing to be short with me and not answer my texts, not taking emergency calls, and just… is continuing to be cold. I even texted him that I was genuinely feeling suicidal and he told me he can’t help me outside of session. Period.
So then after my latest session, I told him I’d text him what happened because I was too uncomfortable to say it. I told him I visited his sister’s grave, about the dreams, everything. I said I felt really hurt at his pullback and how it felt selfish.
He responded by gaslighting me endlessly and it absolutely crushed me furthermore. He responded as follows:
“Ok crystals and dreams? I don’t believe in them. I don’t believe that was my sister. I don’t know how I feel about you visiting her grave. I am not your brother and I can’t be your brother. And yes it was a nice gesture I guess but clearly you are focusing on the wrong thing. Let’s not talk about the weeds and the details. Let’s focus on you.” And completely shut down any further conversation about it.
In the past I have insisted and begged him to process him showing up at my apartment with me because I am still shaken up. He just always says “I never should’ve gotten involved like that but we are NOT going to talk about this ever again” and has always refused to hear how I felt about it.
He went back on vacation this past weekend and refused to take my call when I needed help, refused to text me, or anything. I called off work two days in a row because I was so devastated at his anger toward me and the gaslighting. It felt so unfair. I wanted to talk to him over the weekend because I was genuinely so hurt and felt like I truly lost him. He didn’t care.
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?
I had an appointment in person tonight. First in person one since I told him about everything. I am embarrassed and feel so guilty that I visited his sister’s grave behind his back. It makes me feel psychotic. But at least I was honest and didn’t wait until I got caught / did not gaslight him.
I have a major surgery tomorrow and he won’t help me with my dog. I’ve gone back to my parents for now until I am recovered.
I want to tell him how hurt I am but I have tried that. He never understands. I miss him. As a brother.
I ended up going to session and he asked me why I feel off in therapy. He literally said “other than me slightly having to pull back right now what have I really done?”
I don’t know if I ever can get him to see my side or my pain in this.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Again I know the majority of people will want to come at my therapist or me for doing wrong things. I know it doesn’t seem like this, but he really isn’t intentionally manipulative or gaslight-y, he’s just trying to regulate himself.
I have grace for him. And for myself. So please, please try and respond with compassion. I don’t want to lose him. But I feel like I kind of am.
What are your overall thoughts, in the most gentle way possible? Was I wrong for telling him the truth about the grave?

Luffy's dream probably is to become Pirate King and once he has made his world tour, to have the biggest dinner party ever, bringing all the friends he made on his journey. This goes well with luffy's character, the fact that he so easily become friend and helps the people he meets in every island because it's part of his dream, that why every vilain is on his path and not the other way around (ie doflamingo fight) It also goes well with the reaction of everyone he told it to, Nami, Usopp, Franky... This is something Roger or joyboy could say too, it's silly but heartwarming, so shanks crying is also not surprising. It is probable luffy would want to invite them all on laughtale, the last island on his adventure, the place where he will learn about joyboy's first try and failure, the whole Island is the one piece, already prepared to welcome everyone for the party. If the dream comes true then all the friends he met on different islands along the way will be as one piece, having fun and eating good food on laughtale. Listening to joyboy's story would explain why he needs to break redline somehow, in order to let them through safely, and they would probably go if luffy ask them, with his influence as a D and protection as the pirate king.
Now as it' s the same goal as joyboy but he somehow didn't success, though he was probably the most powerful on earth at the time, we can suppose that what probably stopped it all is the murder of the last mermaid princess before he could do it, because it was now impossible to move all the fishmen on the surface. Since Redline was populated before the void century by the lunarians, it's probable that a alliance of kingdoms including the 20 actuals ones and all the allies of joy boy went to battle with them in order to gain freedom, and they won together. But they were betrayed at that moment, maybe by the last Nefertari princess, who might be the one who committed the horrible crime of killing the mermaid princess. At that moment or maybe later, and that would be why she never came back or why the Nefertari family never went to Maryjoie, someone in joy boy side made something to her as alike sugar power, transforming her and rightly condamning her to support a city for the minks, a nation of people with animal characteristics out of all, as the crime she committed started all discrimination later on. As of Imu who commanded the weapon, in the last chapter, she might me saying the word Lilith with a taint of regret? We can imagine joyboy was forced to run away, too shocked to fight, and that the 20 or 19 kingdoms who betrayed them took control of redline instead of destroying it after the victory. It would explain why the letter to the last princess exist, written in the form of a poneglyph, she was already dead.
Also Redline is huge, but since there is a tree capable of growing on it, bringing light down below, his roots are probably forming a huge downward semi circle in the rocks since there has been hundred of year passing by, weakening it as plants do to concrete. Destroying that plant maybe the key to break Redline and the way it will happen. I imagine zoro cutting it and luffing punching the trung down with all his might, destroying redline in a nice shape.
So protecting laughtale once it's position is shared along his way back and destroying redline to let his friend go through will be to different goals for luffy, and he will have time to prepare while they arrive again to marijoie. We can imagine that the weapon that destroyed lulutia will be sent to laughtal, and the people in the sky, maybe even Enel and Uroughe might have something to do with it. So a part of the straw hats would go there, maybe bringing the weapon of wanokuni along the way, while luffy, zorro and sanji and their allies, and maybe the revolution will fight the marine, the cpo, the 5 elders and blackbeard in marijoie. The same battle as 800 years ago will take place will happen, blackeard seeking control of the see, luffy wanting freedom. About baggy and the company, its probable that they will go to laughtale, maybe zorro will never fight his master of 2 years, and become the number 1 another way. The strawhats will make it, save the island and destroy redline, maybe luffy and sorry will not survive, but there will be a huge dinner party anyway,
Here was some thoughts on one piece, maybe it's gibberish

Hello, I haven't been able to find any info on this and I am curious if any of this is against any rights or not. I felt very disrespected, but I wasnt sure if I have anything to stand on...
First, my Landlord did a round of tours of my current place overtime, without any communication to me about needing this overtime. I was out of town that week for work, and I said I would be returning the evening of the day that they wanted to do the tours. They said the tours would only be until 3pm that day, so I thought there were no problems. I got home at 6pm and to my surprise (and her's, based off her startled expression), the Landlord was still in the condo. I was asked to leave for 30 mins cause the prospective tenant hadn't shown yet.
I had cleaned the condo prior to leaving for the week and made sure it was in a good condition, as I had a hunch my landlord would want to tour while I was away since it's that time of the season.
So, I looked around the condo quickly before I left for the requested 30 mins, and eventhough it's a furnished condo, most of my personal belongings were hidden or rearranged from how I had them. I didn't know how to process this. I wasn't sure if this was awful, or I was overreacting.
So I left, got dinner, and returned when it was ok to..
After I was told I could return and they (both prospective tenant and landlord) had supposedly left, the Landlord was actually still in my condo upon my return unfortunately. They took a bag of my empty cans and bottles cause they said they would attract vermin, but I assured her that they were all sugar free drinks so it wouldn't be a reason or an attraction. She took them anyway.
I spent part of the night finding or putting back my things to where I had them, and couldn't help but feel something felt wrong about this whole encounter, but I didn't know if there was technically anything I could do about it. All I could do was laugh when I found my high grade speakers in my recycling box for instance, or my scale under the tub, seeing my electric piano moved across the room etc.
She may want to tour again this weekend. If this is against anything I can stand on, what do you suggest I do proactively in order to use my rights so she doesn't move all my stuff again, take my refundables, or tour much later than communicated?
Thank you.

It really annoys me when people jump in the comments to have a go at another fan with an opinion. Can the fact that this sub still exists and people still regularly post on it be enough to assume that everything we talk about was made in the name of good tv? Why shut people down for discussing aspects that made them happy or annoyed them or criticise their content?
The gilmore girls sub is full of pretentious bitter surly killjoys like that who contradict and shut down other fans they deem unworthy of contributing to the sub. Well get fucked.
This is the free Internet and anyone can have any opinion they want to. If you dont like it, feel free to write your own post about it or better still not comment on it at all. They're not hurting anyone, so why are you pissing on their fun?

First Prev
Memory transcription subject: Professor Tevest, FTL Researcher
Date [standardized human time]: November 10, 2136
“They said 10:00 am. Do you think they’re still coming?” Virnix asked from the seat next to me.
I leaned my head against the car window. “It’s only 10:07, they’re just running a little late.”
“Maybe something happened to them. Or they forgot.”
“I messaged them. They know we’re here.”
“Then why didn’t they respond? The car drives itself, what could they be doing?”
I didn’t have an answer to that. I went back to silently wishing they would show up. We’d been waiting in car in the corner of the parking lot for over fifteen minutes. I’d honestly thought we’d be the ones late today given how long it took to get Dwlin to go to the bathroom and Kover not being able to find his data pad.
My pad buzzed. ”Sorry we’re late. We just parked and will be waiting for you out front” I read aloud.
Virnix looked to the back seat. “Everybody stick together. Stay within arm’s reach at all times. Got it?”
We got out of the car and began walking to the front. “Hold my paw Dwlin,” Virnix said, stress and worry seeping into her tone. Her eyes kept jumping around as if an arxur was going jump out from behind one of the parked cars. Was I that nervous my first day out? I grabbed her free paw and gave a reassuring squeeze.
Kover glanced over at us. “I’m not holding hands. Don’t ask.”
“Hey!” A voice yipped out between the cars. Virnix’s grip tightened at the noise, then tightened again further when a yotul jumped out between parked cars in front of us.
“Come on! They’re over here!” Sock yelled out, waving someone over. Following Socks, Kyle and another human woman I didn’t recognize appeared.
The woman smiled, stepped forward with a hand outstretched. “Hi, my name’s Catherine. Pleased to meet ya.” Virnix’s claws began to dig into my paw as she stared in terror. She looked to be on the verge of bolting.
“It’s good to meet you too,” I said grimacing over the pain in my paw. “My name’s Tevest.”
The human woman must had taken notice at my tone in my voice because she took a look at my wife and took a step back. “Sorry about that,” she said, her smile dropping. “You guys got a thing about teeth and stuff. I’m guessing the one on your left is Mrs. Tevest?”
Mrs. Tevest? “Yeah. This is my wife Virnix. Why don’t you introduce yourself Virnix.”
“H-hello. I’m Virnix,” my wife voiced with a robotic stutter.
“It’s great to meet you Virnix,” Catherine said turning her attention to Dwlin. “And what’s your name?”
“Dwlin.” The little gojid said proudly.
“Dwlin, that’s a nice name. Is that your uncle over there?”
“Uncle?” Dwlin said confused. Virnix’s paw went limp. I followed the woman’s gaze to where it landed on my son.
“The tall gojid over there.”
I burst out laughing. “That’s my son Kover!”
Human woman’s smile returned. “I guess I walked into that,” she said with a chuckle.
Virnix looked more confused than I’ve ever seen her in her life. “We’re like over twice his age, how can you not tell?” Virnix asked dumbfounded.
“Hey, I’ve never met a gojid before. The extent of my knowledge is that you guys have spikes and were gene-modded to be herbivores.”
Kyle looked up at Kover. “How old are you kid?”
“Fourteen,” he replied simply.
“Damn….”
“If you guys are done talking, can we go shopping now? I need more frozen burritos,” Socks interceded. “I’m Sokvous by the way.”
---
We walked through the sliding doors and into a brightly lit store with rows and rows of aisles. Soft music played overhead. If there was meat in the store I couldn’t see or smell it yet. I heard a crash to the side as Socks yanked carts from a receptacle.
Virnix huddled closer to me. “Tevest, I don’t like that look,” she whispered with as she pointed to the humans in the lines near the front. They had a look I was all too familiar with.
“Relax. That look doesn’t mean I’m hungry and want to eat you. It means What is a gojid doing here? Why did the gojid come to where I am. Should I talk to the gojid? Just look at what they’re doing.” Several humans in the lines were whispering to one another and others were taking pictures. “It’s not hunger, it’s interest.”
Socks handed me a cart. “You get used to it. Mostly. At least you have spikes. Last time I was here people kept trying to touch me.”
“Touch you?”
“Grab the tail. Sneak up behind you and stroke your fur. Real annoying stuff.”
Catherine led the way into the store. “So, what’s on your shopping list?” She inquired.
“Fruits and vegetables at the very least.” Virnix responded. “I liked whatever those orange tubers were called….”
“Sweet potatoes,” Kover said helpfully.
“That’s it, sweet potatoes. They weren’t half-bad after boiling.”
“How’d you season them?”
“Salt?” Virnix said confused.
Catherine looked like she just heard we ate dirt. “You just boiled them and used salt? That’s not dinner, that’s a food crime. Whatcha gotta do is to toss them in brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans and roast those suckers. If your feeling real frisky you put a touch of ginger in them too. What else you looking for?”
“Whatever the red smushy ones were called. I think the package said tomatoes.”
“Another good choice, great in all kinds of things. Soups, casseroles, pasta, sandwiches…”
She kept going on like this. Virnix would mention something she wanted to get and the human would expound on it. Sweet potatoes, tomatoes, oranges, onions, among other fruits and vegetables were added, including a few that weren’t at the home when we arrive.
“You sure this one’s edible?”
“Wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t. You just got to slice it open. Don’t let me forget, we need to get you some spices before you leave. What else do you need?”
“Juice! I want juice!” A few humans turned to the noise my daughter was making.
My wife pointed a claw. “Dwlin, use your indoor voice.”
“But I want juice!”
“Then don’t yell and ask nicely. If you want people to listen, then speak like a sapient.”
My daughter’s demeanor softened a touch. “Can we get some juice now please?”
“Better. Do you know where the juice is Catherine?”
“Down past the refrigerated section by the meat section. I’ll show you.” Dutifully we followed woman. The meat section. Whatever you do Tevest, don’t panic. If you panic then Virnix panics, then its trouble. Just don’t make a scene… We walked down, and down the aisle and it came into view.
Behind glass encased freezers there was flesh within, packed within plastic wraps. I couldn’t tell what kind of creatures these had once been. Did I even want to know? Virnix looked like she wanted to get away from here as soon as possible. Kover loomed over one of the freezers, peering in. Sokvous walked up to a freezer, grabbed several bags and handed one to me. “You guys need to try this, it’s delicious”
I dropped the bag. That’s it, I’ve lost it. The herbivore is buying meat. I’m stuck in a nightmare. The humans corrupting us wasn’t paranoia. Protector protect me, wait, no, oh god, wh-
“You okay Tevest?” Sokvous asked. My legs swayed and I began heading to the floor. Halfway down something grabbed me by the arm. “Geez man, get a grip.”
I sat on the tile and stared at the man who had a hold of me. “M-meat?”
Sokvous let go of my arm. “It’s not meat. Read the damn package.”
I slowly sat up. Not meat? I pointed my visual translator at the bag on the floor.

Plant-based meatballs. 30 count. Now with new and improved flavor!

“What?” I said confused.
Kyle offered me a hand. “It’s plant-based meat. It means that it’s plants that are processed to taste like meat.”
“Why?” I asked, still confused.
He grabbed my paw and me to my feet. “Because sometimes people like the taste of meat, but can’t or don’t want to eat the real stuff. Reasons vary from religious, to health, to environmental. The real stuff’s better, but with the war going on and the cattle exchange it’s hard to get.”
“So why are you buying it Socks?”
“Because it tastes good,” the marsupial replied roughly. I opened my mouth, but was cut off. “And before you ask no, I do not have predator disease. The Venlil, the Zurulians, and all those other Federation stooges can shove that fucking diagnosis up their ass. It’s a goddamn flavored plant. Besides, eating plants didn’t stop the Kolshians from assassinating diplomats. Where was the predator diagnosis on Nikonous you damn quacks!”
Where’d that come from? I picked the bag off the floor and looked at it. “I’m… not quite sure I’m comfortable with eating this.”
“I’d be willing to try it,” Kover said. “I wouldn’t tell anyone. Besides, even if they do what are they going do? Banish us to Earth?”
Virnix took the bag from my hands and shoved it back into the freezer. “I think we’re good. Let’s get your juice Dwlin.” She looked down only to find an empty space beside her. “Dwlin?”
My stomach dropped. Did we lose her? A moment later I spotted her at the far side of the section by the juice.
Which was on the topmost part of the shelves.
The shelves she was in the process of climbing.
I started dashing over. Nope nope nope nope nope nope.
This was going to be a long day.
First Prev

I am an independent contractor currently contracted with a delivery company. My company (Corporation) that I personally own, is located in Virginia. The company I am contracted with provides delivery services to a big box retailer through third party contractors, like myself. I deliver appliances & household goods for a particular retailer. I have an agreed upon price of $50 per stop/delivery in my contract. Recently, I was told that if my customer survey satisfaction percentage fell under 70%, that I would be docked $2 per stop/delivery. (My rate would go down to $48) I never agreed to this deduction in my original contract & no new contracts have been sent out or signed by myself or any other contractors & quite frankly, us contractors consider it wage theft. I've done a fair amount of research, but can't seem to figure out if what the company I contract with can legally do this or not. Basically, what I'm asking is....Is the company I am contracted with allowed to withhold wages from myself & all other contractors solely based on customer satisfaction survey results? I have no idea who came up with this rule, where the deducted money goes, or if it's even legal. Us contractors are literally being docked pay, or could be docked pay, due to the fact that customers aren't giving us all 5 stars. I am paid to deliver, that is it. I always try to make the retailer's customers happy & generally always do, but I get paid to do a service. Now I'm being told that my agreed upon pay will be docked if this particular retailer's customers aren't giving me stellar reviews, despite the fact that I provided their delivery service. Can a contractor who performs a service for an agreed upon amount have wages taken away from them in this manner in the state of Virginia? I'm so angry right now & need someone to point me in the right direction. I know independent contractors are a whole different ballpark than employees, but I'm not too keen on anyone taking money out of my pocket. Thanks! Sorry if this is the wrong section, feel free to tell me to kick rocks if I should have posted this somewhere else.

MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️ mention of various forms of abuse including SA, mention of suicide in some detail, mention of death
PREFACE
I understand this is the internet and I cannot expect people to have grace or mercy on me for any of this. All I can do is ask that if you’re going to give me your input, that you try and be as kind as possible. My heart is hurting and I really don’t feel I am in a place to hear that I need to entirely -drop- this therapist right now. My background of abuse and trauma will hopefully explain why that is, but I am not ready to let go. I am mostly posting this to vent, but also hoping that if anyone does have any advice that could help me even just in the short term with coping, that it will be gently shared.
BACKGROUND
I will try and keep this as short and sweet as possible but there’s a whole lot of history here. I am 27F, and I grew up in an unimaginably abusive home. Sex trafficking, severe physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from my father and my older brother (very patriarchal family), and a slew of very complicated and scary health issues including a liver disease and cancer. My family set me up to never be able to move out or live independently because they genuinely have viewed me to be their property. The severity of this can hopefully be summed up in just a few example:

• Was never allowed to even get myself a glass of water in the kitchen or learn to cook • Was not potty trained and had to rely on my mom to go to the bathroom into my teenage years • Drinking only from sippy cups until teenage years • Location monitored on my phone • Every credit card transaction / finance watched closely • Could not move away from college 

My brother was allowed and able to do all these things, but I was not. My entire life, teachers and “adults” that were supposed to catch these things did not even bat an eye. They instead placed me in remedial classes and ESL assuming that I just had a learning disability or a language barrier (which I do not). When I told teachers in the past about my abuse, it was handled extremely poorly and no authorities ever got involved. My life felt worthless; meaningless. Like I could scream from the rooftops of my school that I was being abused and no one cared.
This past January, I did the unthinkable. I left my family and got my own apartment. Friends, therapists, coworkers, everyone who remotely knew me has been pushing me to do this for years and I genuinely thought I would die in my situation. I developed severe Stockholm syndrome so a huge part of my lack of leaving was due to my own internal thought patterns. I did it through the help of my current therapist, which is my… fourth? therapist that’s attempted to help. The last ones took advantage of how naive I was and hurt me (one of them has been arrested). This therapist, however, invested everything to get me out. He really wanted to see me free. And I am forever grateful for him.
MY CURRENT THERAPIST & BACKSTORY
I started seeing this therapist early in 2022 when I was still living with my family. I became severely bedridden and could not even go to the bathroom without my mom or dad escorting me. My anxiety and panic were at an all time high. I was on a leave of absence from work, and this therapist was the only reason I had for HAVING to get out of bed and forcing myself to drive, and most days I couldn’t even do that. He was patient, compassionate, and was willing to go to great lengths to help. Though mostly irrelevant, he’s 45M. He got into school for counseling later in life so when I started seeing him, he was just an intern under the director of the practice. At the time, the director of the practice was seeing an old time friend of mine (who happened to recently become my coworker). My friend had gotten concerned about why I wasn’t showing up to work and why I was struggling so much. I didn’t want to open up to her about it because I couldn’t open up to anyone at the time. However, my friend asked the director of the place if she knew anything about me. The director broke into my therapist’s file under the guise of “he is my intern, I can look at his stuff” and then relayed all of that information to my friend. It became an entire case against the state board and I fought tooth and nail to get that director in trouble. In the end, nothing was done and in retaliation, the director fired my therapist and I had to wait until my therapist found a new job in order to see him (he was pre-graduation by just a few weeks so he couldn’t ethically talk to me until he had another practice). During the worst moments of my life, I was without my therapist (no fault of his, and he checked on me frequently), but it was really only for a few weeks. To me that was a lot since I had been going 2-3 times a week, sometimes 4 because of my situation.
THE CRYSTAL AND THE SAGE
My therapist had gone out of town briefly and came back with a crystal he got. He told me when he purchased it he knew he wanted to give it to someone. And he said that it made him think of me and he wants me to have it. He said he wants it to be a reminder that he cares and others care and that it represents my truth to hold close. Months later, he went on another trip and said he got sage that someone gave him that was super special and he wanted me to have it. He was very invested in making sure I felt like he cares and has my back. I was never into spirituality in the same way as him so I respectfully accepted his kindness but kind of scoffed at him. It became more of a joke.
HOW MY BROTHER AND MY THERAPIST STARTED TEXTING
The director of the previous practice had tried to harass me with a fake number, as well as to my therapist. She wanted to try and get us to drop the case, I guess? When I continued to get texts from fake numbers, my therapist asked me to give him the number that was blowing up my phone. It turns out, timing was absolutely terrible. My brother (who moved out of state) was the one who started harassing me. My parents/brother allowed me to go to therapy to “work on my panic attacks” but they began hating the fact that my therapist was helping me become independent. My brother was outraged and texted me anonymously to kill myself. Because I still thought at the time that it was the director of the place, I went ahead and shared the number with my therapist. And that’s how it all began.
THE VIDEO THREATS FROM MY THERAPIST
Things got out of hand over the months. My therapist felt extremely protective of me and a “savior complex” kicked in. The reasoning for this is worth noting / important. My therapist lost his sister to suicide when they were young, and he also lost his father shortly after. His sister apparently had also been assaulted and my therapist had mentioned to me before how he views me as a friend, someone to protect, like a sister. He admitted his struggle with transference and said his main and only concern was to get me to move out of my family’s house. To take a leap of faith. He was desperate to do that. He offered to help me get an apartment near him so he could help me out, he offered to babysit my dog for me (my golden retriever is my emotional support animal that my parents have used as a bargaining chip), he offered to see me in therapy 5 times a week if I just moved. I just wasn’t ready. But my brother would not relent.
My therapist still does not know that I know this, but my brother showed me some of the videos my therapist sent him. Three separate threatening videos. In them, my therapist was shirtless with a ski mask on saying he was part of the FBI and that if my brother didn’t behave himself, that he would have his people come after him. My brother said that I was threatening him and that if I didn’t get this man to stop, it would be trouble. My therapist got extremely activated and decided to take it as a challenge.
My therapist also at some points asked my brother “how to assault me” because he wanted to know what my brother did/wanted him to admit it. But if an outsider saw the texts, it would seem like my therapist was asking to participate in assaulting me. It looked HORRIBLY incriminating.
THE MOVE OUT
I got the courage one night. Drove my dog over to my therapist’s house and moved in with a friend while I apartment hunted. My therapist was incredibly proud of me and poured so much love and care into my dog. I truly felt hopeful and optimistic and I eventually applied for my own apartment and got approved. Because of severe Stockholm syndrome and lack of knowing how to do ANYTHING, I would end up visiting home (somehow, they allowed that and I did not die!)
THE ASSAULT
Long story short (I am not super comfortable going into this part), people from the temple I was sex trafficked in (linked with my family), showed up and assaulted me at gun point in a van. I told my therapist. He was extremely upset on my behalf and called the police. He told me it was essential that I get restraining orders and that I stop going over to my parents house even if I have Stockholm syndrome. He said he could no longer be patient on that because I was actively being attacked. I told him I was still too nervous to go no contact and I could tell he was frustrated with me.
WHEN MY THERAPIST SECRETLY SAT OUTSIDE MY APARTMENT
My brother / someone from the temple decided to start things up once he figured out the person he was texting earlier was in fact my therapist. He threatened my therapist and challenged him to meet up. My brother was bluffing but my therapist took it seriously. My therapist arranged to meet him outside my apartment at 9pm that night. I had a weird gut feeling so I texted my therapist that night and asked him not to do anything stupid, but I had no idea what he had up his sleeve. Without telling me, my therapist sat outside my apartment waiting for my brother (who never showed) to meet him. Why my therapist chose to meet him RIGHT OUTSIDE my new residence was extremely irresponsible.
I went to take my dog out to the bathroom that night and my friend and I were hanging out. She noticed a dark car with someone sitting and staring with a mask on. We walked closer and it was my therapist. I yelled at him because I was so worried he would’ve gotten shot or attacked and that he would get hurt as a result of trying to fight. My therapist apologized and was so embarrassed. He awkwardly said “you weren’t supposed to know about this…” and drove off full force. We hopped in my friends car and followed him to wherever he tried to run off to. He then promised me he would leave. About 20 mins later, my friend and I decide to go out to get food and we see him sitting in another part of my apartment complex still ready to fight. I was so upset that he lied to me multiple times and that he was risking his life. What would’ve happened if he got attacked? But my therapist apologized again and said “I just need to look him in the eye” implying he was ready to kill.
THE DREAMS ABOUT MY THERAPIST’S LATE SISTER
As my therapist had told me, his sister had passed away from suicide when they were young. He admitted to have transference in a way where he viewed me in a sisterly way. For a while, I continually had dreams about his sister and it was very weird. I told him I don’t believe in a lot of things like crystals or burning sage but that these dreams felt incredibly vivid. In the dreams, her sister was assuring me that my therapist was sent in my life to be the brother I couldn’t have. That he was sent to me as a brother, and I to him as a sister.
THE HOSPITAL
Just within the span of days after he showed up to my apartment, I was hospitalized due to complications with my liver, and I reached out to my family for help. My therapist was upset with me for interacting with my family at all. My therapist even visited me in the hospital and said that I don’t need to call my family for help and that I have him and my other friends who will have my back. After I was discharged from the hospital, I asked my therapist if I could take my dog back for at least a weekend (he took my dog in while I went to the hospital in order to help me. He said he would hang onto him while I recovered and caught up on rest). So when he gave me my dog for the weekend, out of guilt, I took my dog with me to visit my family. I just felt the need to run back. My dad manipulated me a lot about missing my dog so I felt obligated.
MY THERAPIST’S FRUSTRATION
I admitted to my therapist that I had taken my dog to my parents for the weekend (after I already gave him my dog back). My therapist was so upset about it. He had put so much love and time into my dog and helping me, and then I took him back to the hands of my abusers. This is when him pulling back began. He felt like he was doing all of this extraneous stuff for me and I was just taking steps back.
THE SUICIDE METHOD
As he got over his frustration a little bit, I became very suicidal to the point where I purchased a rope and planned it out. I made him the beneficiary of my bank accounts as a thank you to him for everything. He told me he would do what he could to help me. He said I could bring my dog back to him if I just need a life break. He didn’t know I had the rope but he knew I was thinking suicide. When I went back to drop my dog off, I admitted I had a rope. I gave it to him. He realized I was genuinely going to kill myself and was so grateful I told him the truth. He told me he would be there for me to help me through it. Showed me grace and compassion and everything.
THE MAJOR PULLBACK
No warning. No indication. My therapist immediately pulled back. Hard. He told me to call him later that week (I usually have therapy 3x a week but he was out of town), and so I did as he said and called him to update him. He immediately flipped out. “Ugh, I cannot be in anything extra to your therapy space. I am going through things on my own and I need to pull back. I can’t take calls any hour of the day anymore. I can’t take your dog. You don’t even listen to me anyway. You do what you want and go to your parents. So, I don’t know what to say. I am committed to you as your therapist but that’s it. If you feel suicidal outside of that, go to a hospital and get sedated.” I was absolutely crushed and felt so awful and guilty like I did something wrong. I didn’t want to bother him. I didn’t want to lose him. He made me feel loved and cared for (platonically, as a brother) and I felt so safe with him. Until this moment. He was very hung up on the fact that I kept going home to my family despite his efforts.
After calming down he explained how he feels like he needs to step back because his emotions shouldn’t affect my therapy and that he’s doing it to help me. But it felt very selfish. He over exerted himself by showing up to my apartment and sending threatening videos when I never asked for it, all because HE wanted to. And now he pulls back because HE wants to. None of his decisions were based on what I would feel, but what would best serve him.
THE RELAPSE AND THE DREAMS
Because my therapist stepped back so hard, I relapsed and said “screw it” / went back to my parents. I still had my apartment but I backslid majorly.
During this time I was so distraught. This therapist made me feel supported. And no, I didn’t attach onto him in an unhealthy way where he became my only hope. But he did feel like the brother I wished I had, and he felt like such a deep and important part of my life and I was devastated.
I started having dreams again about his sister and I cried. I felt like I was given this gift and then it was taken away.
THE BACK AND FORTH
My therapist began telling me that he thinks I should have additional support in this season especially while he “takes a break from extraneous stuff” with me. He said when he was younger and going through things, he had two therapists.
A week later I told him I found a second therapist and he said: “ummm I don’t know. I feel protective over that. Maybe don’t get a second one. Find a support group but I don’t want you seeing another one.”
I stood my ground and said I might still find one and he said “well then make sure the other one is a woman and is closely in touch with me.”
It felt very wishy washy and he did a lot of similar things like this for a while.
But when I listened to him and decided against a second therapist, he pulled back again. He said he wouldn’t take any more texts or calls outside of session once again and made me feel like an obsessed freak when I wasn’t even really doing much at all. Or asking for anything.
VISITING MY THERAPIST’S LATE SISTER’S GRAVE
My therapist is a famous author and singesong writer. Online, it’s very easy to find his sister’s name and I did some digging and found out where her grave is located. I was feeling really awful, like I was grieving the loss myself which is so incredibly psychotic. I know. But it more so felt like I was grieving the loss of this brotherly love I once felt from my therapist. But it’s been a couple months at this point and he still refuses to take texts or calls, and is very argumentative and angry in sessions. And I just wanted to take some flowers to the grave in private, not tell him, and just accept that he can’t be what I needed him to be for me.
MY FAMILY FINDS OUT
When I went to the cemetery, the place was huge. So I had to go into the office and ask for the location of his sister’s grave. They gave me a piece of paper with her name and grave location on it and I eventually just threw it in my wallet. My dad stumbled upon my wallet while I was at home one of the days and noticed the last name and asked me if I was still seeing my therapist. They don’t like him for obvious reasons. But I admitted to my parents that I do still see my therapist and that he’s more like family than they’d ever be. They abused me. But I stood in my truth. At the end of the day I will not deny that my therapist DID help me immensely and if that means I have to be abused for the truth, I’ll do it.
MY THERAPIST INSISTS ON INFORMATION
He knew that I was hiding something. I told him my family was abusive again but I didn’t say why. He spent an entire session saying he needs to know what happened. I said no multiple times and that I didn’t want to talk about it. He used language like “you have to tell me before you leave my office” and “if you care so much about me you’ll tell me.” He even told me he was going to take my hand and promise me that he won’t react. He held it and looked me in the eye and promised he’d meet me with compassion. I refused. He then asked me if I’ve been lying to him. Deceptive. It broke me and I felt like it was just such an insult. But I stayed strong and he apologized for bothering me about it.
Last week comes around and it feels like such a hindrance. He’s continuing to be short with me and not answer my texts, not taking emergency calls, and just… is continuing to be cold. I even texted him that I was genuinely feeling suicidal and he told me he can’t help me outside of session. Period.
So then after my latest session, I told him I’d text him what happened because I was too uncomfortable to say it. I told him I visited his sister’s grave, about the dreams, everything. I said I felt really hurt at his pullback and how it felt selfish.
He responded by gaslighting me endlessly and it absolutely crushed me furthermore. He responded as follows:
“Ok crystals and dreams? I don’t believe in them. I don’t believe that was my sister. I don’t know how I feel about you visiting her grave. I am not your brother and I can’t be your brother. And yes it was a nice gesture I guess but clearly you are focusing on the wrong thing. Let’s not talk about the weeds and the details. Let’s focus on you.” And completely shut down any further conversation about it.
In the past I have insisted and begged him to process him showing up at my apartment with me because I am still shaken up. He just always says “I never should’ve gotten involved like that but we are NOT going to talk about this ever again” and has always refused to hear how I felt about it.
He went back on vacation this past weekend and refused to take my call when I needed help, refused to text me, or anything. I called off work two days in a row because I was so devastated at his anger toward me and the gaslighting. It felt so unfair. I wanted to talk to him over the weekend because I was genuinely so hurt and felt like I truly lost him. He didn’t care.
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?
I had an appointment in person tonight. First in person one since I told him about everything. I am embarrassed and feel so guilty that I visited his sister’s grave behind his back. It makes me feel psychotic. But at least I was honest and didn’t wait until I got caught / did not gaslight him.
I have a major surgery tomorrow and he won’t help me with my dog. I’ve gone back to my parents for now until I am recovered.
I want to tell him how hurt I am but I have tried that. He never understands. I miss him. As a brother.
I ended up going to session and he asked me why I feel off in therapy. He literally said “other than me slightly having to pull back right now what have I really done?”
I don’t know if I ever can get him to see my side or my pain in this.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Again I know the majority of people will want to come at my therapist or me for doing wrong things. I know it doesn’t seem like this, but he really isn’t intentionally manipulative or gaslight-y, he’s just trying to regulate himself.
I have grace for him. And for myself. So please, please try and respond with compassion. I don’t want to lose him. But I feel like I kind of am.
What are your overall thoughts, in the most gentle way possible? Was I wrong for telling him the truth about the grave?

Hi people,
I am writing here to gather information on how to best help my dad and his girlfriend with their worries concerning my little sister (without harming her more). My little sister (let's call her Josie) is 10 years old, and alike to me, she has a strong build (she is always the tallest of her friend group, etc). My father mentioned to me tonight that he is worried about her behaviour. She has been restricting her eating; insisting on not eating certain meals; talking about her weight; and generally eating a lot less than usual. He also mentioned that he witnessed her bingeing and making herself throw up (because she felt too full), in this case on watermelon... I already knew she had a tendency to binge certain things (because her parents are very restrictive on some food, like, sugar, for instance). I have told my step mother before that she shouldn't talk about her daughters weight in front of her (or even her own weight and body for that matter), and I know that in the past years, she has been on every type of diet possible to reduce her bloating and that she talk about it constantly.
Anyways, I am pretty worried about my little sister, it seems very young to me to develop an ED... I would appreciate recommendation of ressources for girls in ED prevention. FYI we are in Canada, therefore most services should be free, so there is no concern for that.
Thank you in advance for your help!

Chapter 18

Another tightly interwoven chapter this time around, with Erikson's pacing and plate-juggling kicking into overdrive. I'll slightly disentangle them for summary/observation pacing and coherency, but as always, the effect is wonderful in narrative prose form. We finally get a reunion between the Captain and the Bridgeburners, some major revelations regarding the background machinations of the former 2nd, and the Tyrant is awakened. Additionally, this chapter had a few loose ends (hopefully) click for me, as well as provide several "file for later" moments. So without further ado...

Epigraph

Another excerpt of The Conspiracy and continues the tradition of excerpts of ostensibly the same work sharing nothing of their formatting in common. It also continues the tradition of Blind Gallan ruining my life by being by far the most cryptic author quoted. There is a reference to an "eight-limbed Paralt-" so whom or whatever that is is likely the same as the spider mentioned in the previous Conspiracy Epigraph. It also helps that they're/it's explicitly referred to as a spider, lol. But to my recollection I have no knowledge of who or what a Paralt is, but am on high alert for the term moving forward. Most interesting is that it "dives home Power's//gentle balance" The capitalization of Power seems significant, but again IDK what to make of it.

The Chapter Itself -

- begins with Sergeant Whiskeyjack on edge, awaiting the upcoming fights, increasingly aware of the mounting complications and still wrestling with his forced ambivalence. The other Bridgeburners are preparing as well, Fiddler and Hedge inspecting and tweaking an arbalest, Quick Ben attempting and failing to scry (the presumably dead) Sorry, and Kalam doing everything in his power to accelerate the healing process. The ex-Claw is preparing for one last ditch effort to draw out and contact the cities assassins, but it's a long shot. To do so, he will enter the same Inn as before. If this doesn't pan out, they'll default back to plan A with the intersections. Given the situation, Whiskeyjack is as desperately callous as ever, and Fiddler calls him out on this. While encouraged, WJ does not regain his optimism on a dime. He sees Kalam out, and orders the others to get back to work; not without some good humor.
Coll, meanwhile, is getting worse by the second, his leg swelling and seeping blood. Considering what we learn later regarding the severity of his injury, it's a wonder Coll manages to endure as long as he did. The former lord and Captain received some small measure of help, but far, far less than Coll needs. As they approach Worry Gate Coll informs Paran of the need to reach the Phoenix Inn. When they reach the gate itself, Coll has gone comatose, and Paran rejects their offer of a surgeon, trusting Coll's request. One of the guards recognizes Coll, despite the city's records insisting he's dead, and is thus able to order a cart for the dying man. We don't get any indication of who this guard is, other than the fact that he's one of Coll's former guards.* Getting Coll onto the cart, he notices a flash of movement along a distant, square platform. In a moment, the movement subsides, and Paran moves on. They quickly rush to the Inn, getting observed by Irilta on the way in. Paran then sends for a medic and sits down to eat. Upstairs, Meese, guarding a sleeping Crokus and Apsalar, is informed of the development. Irilta notes Paran's good looks and abnormally good Daru, but can't make much sense of the man. The two converse about things getting tense, even for the Eel, and oddly, complain about catching glimpses of individuals within their periphery. I'll get back to that note in a moment.
* I'd entertained the idea that this was Circle Breaker, helping even after his duties were technically done. The gate is incredibly close to Despot's Barbican, per the map of Darujhistan, so it's not inconceivable that the gate is one of the last stations along his rounds. Additionally, if Kruppe is the Eel, it would fit that he'd recruit from Coll's staff. So while we, again, get no indication either way, I'd like to think so. The biggest point against this, however, is CB's history as a privateer, so there's likely a narrow window wherein that'd even be possible.
The flash of movement Paran observed was the clash between Rallick Nom and Ocelot. Rallick had climbed up the back (or depending how you look at it, the front) way, draining most of his strength to even approach the Clan leader. This drain winds up being a critical weakness in the upcoming fight. The sorcery of Ocelot and the exhaustion of RN manage to open a window for the Clan leader to retaliate. Fortunately, the powder Baruk gave still works, and the conjured bolt dissipates on contact. The two knife fight, quickly adapting to one another's counter strategies, and each receiving fatal wounds. Even with all of his magics, and RN's weakened state, Ocelot losses, or perhaps the fight ends in a draw with him succumbing first. As RN fades out, the blood spilled in the temple once again invigorates K'Rul. Between the Elder god's attention and the now proven potency of the "changes you" powder, there is some hope for RN's survival, but it is unlikely to be pretty.
Speculation Time: Could it be possible that the battle K'Rul is preparing for is against the Jaghut Tyrant? Is Oppon steering the nearly-impotent elder god towards the Tyrant? While that sounds like a fantasticaly dumb idea, if Rake, the Cabal, and K'Rul were to come out swinging, none of the three parties could come out seriously weakened, rendering Laseen's three-birds-one-stone strategy worthless. Or worse yet, the Tyrant subsumes K'Rul, someone he remembers as immensely powerful, but is suck with a weak thrall and one with cultivated weaknesses and exploits. One produced as a "back door" of sorts to get at the monster. I'll admit, this is likely my least grounded guess yet, mostly because it's pure motive speculation, but at the very least, I feel good guessing K'Rul is on a collision course with the Tyrant.
Meanwhile, Serrat got jumped, preventing her interfering with the Coin Bearrer's escape. We don't learn who did so, only that it was unlikely to be a god and especially unlikely to be Oppon. I'll just shelve this for now, but find it interesting that, in the chapter, it's revealed immediately after blood is spilt within the temple.
Paran sits eating and drinking in the Phoenix Inn, contemplating his options. He suspects his luck has turned, as foretold by Anomander Rake, but is unsure of what to do with that information. He notices a chance spill of beer dripping into a crack in the counter, and wedges Chance within it, resolving to destroy the blade. He fears that despite being freed from Oppon, Chance is a sufficent conduit to the Twins that they're continuing to shape him, destroying and alienating those he loves. Live a life the gods don't notice. Just as he reaches for the sword, Kalam enters the room. He catches a glimpse of of the Captain, and intercedes before the blade can be destroyed. He somehow managed to peice together what it was Paran intended to do, speaking to his experience. I'm not quite certain how he managed it, but I can speculate. One such clue was a series of sensations being observed, "four times in quick succession." Either it was repeated glances from Oppon, or four individuals. If I had to guess, its the Twins, along with Meese and Iralta, still watching the street from the attic. How he picked up on two of them being gods, (or one composite god?) I still don't know.
Paran, once he recognizes the corporal, demands he fetch Mallet. He then moves upstairs, with the surgeon the Inn retrieved being unable to save Coll. For whatever reason, I found the interaction between the surgeon and the Captain particularly affective. "Why, nothing, sir. I failed." Says so much in so little time, particularly when we find out how poor of a physician he is. In a story with dozens of hypercompetent characters, seeing someone profess their mediocrity stands way out. Ganoes then rests by Colls bed, practically willing the man to hang on for a few more minutes.
Eventually, Whiskeyjack, Kalam, and Mallet barge in. Coll is so far gone even the healler breifly mistakes him for a corpse, then shoos them into a distant corner. They debrief each other on their goings on, and asses how dire things are. After getting Paran's version of events, Whiskeyjack uses a K'chain Che'Malle relic to page High Fist Dujek Onearm. Dujek provides an update for the Bridgeburners (and the audience) regarding the goings on in Pale. Tayscheren is practically self destructing trying to catch up with the plot, Hairlock apparently killed someone in Nathilog (for reasons or lack thereof I cannot even begin to speculate) and Laseen is growing more intense in her attempts to undermine Dujek. He'll likely be moved to Seven Cities to put down the brewing rebellion mentioned earlier. It's to late, however, as the situation on Genebakis has deteriorated so far that anything could set off what little remains of the 2nd, likely the disbanding of the Bridgeburners. Whiskeyjack vouches for Paran, and we get some updates on Toc and another hint that Dujek and his father were close. It seems to be accepted that he died from Hairlock's attack. I'll hold my reservations for meta reasons, but I really don't have any method or explanation to anticipate his survival.
It is accepted that no one present could accept the continued authority of Laseen, and while Dujek hints at some potential openings, things aren't looking good for defection either. The Crimson Guard continue to make headway, the formerly free cities are on the verge of revolt, and something is eroding the Moranth alliance. What's worse, the Pannion Seer* is some big looming threat, preparing to make moves of their own. The conversation ends, and while I didn't bring it up, it is noteworthy that GP chose not to mention Silverfox. Paran defers command of the BBs to WJ, experience superseding rank via necessity.
*Who's been mentioned maybe twice, if we don't count the map. Like I literally keep forgetting this guy exists.
Kalam asks Whiskeyjack what had changed the High Fist's mind on revolt, and WJ points out that it was obvious someone intends to torch the Genebakis campaign to do away with the remainder of the Old Guard. This doesn't quite jive with Laseen's current needs for certain members of the OG, so I'm curious as to who. WJ convinces Paran that Lorn needs to survive at the very least long enough to draw out the Jaghut Tyrant and waives away the Captain's concerns regarding their use of explosives in a gas powered city. (On a review, Paran doesn't even know that much, and I can see why the Sergeant would like to keep him in the dark) Paran leaves to retreive Chance once he learns Coll is safe, and refrains from updating the BBs regarding Sorry.
We end the chapter with a brief update in the Barrow. Tool explains to Lorn that she needs to find what's called a Finnest, efectivly a "self contained Warren" because that's a thing that makes sence. I'm growing increasingly sympathetic to the template model of Warrens. Any Warren built like Omose Phellack is Omtose Phellack. She finds it, in the form of an acorn, betraying once again the Jaghut's pacifism. Tool admits that they had to be goaded into warfare and self destruction. They quickly leave as the Tyrant stirs.
And there we go, one more chapter and we're likely in the climax proper. No where to go but further into the tightening mess, waiting eagerly to see how it all unfolds...

Transmission
by Brian Martinez
Let me start my story by telling you something about me, the most important thing, in fact: I find things, and I fix them. That’s who I am. If you don’t know that, you don’t know me.
I’m a second-generation auto mechanic, born-and-bred. I’ve been repairing cars since before Ford Pintos were blowing up, when cars were made of steel and Route 66 wasn’t just something for the cartoons. These days I’m fortunate enough to own a shop downtown between two of those chain coffee places. It’s small, sure, but it has a reputation for saving cars so far-gone no one else will even touch ‘em. So if you live in the area, and you’ve ever been stuck with the sourest of lemons, or maybe your kid drove your minivan into the pool, we just might have crossed paths, you and I.
That reputation is what led to me getting a phone call from a guy I’d never met, saying he had something that might interest me. His name was Burt and he’d apparently just purchased a piece of property that sat unowned for the better part of twenty years. I knew of the area he was talking about. It’s out in the hills, where there isn’t much to look at. Most of the land there went to weed years ago; acres and acres of old woods and burnt-down barns just waiting for nobody in particular to see the value in them. And, well, it seems Burt was that nobody in particular.
I honestly didn’t know what Burt’s purchase had to do with me, and told him just that, figuring he must have had the wrong number. But the next words out of his mouth told me he knew exactly who he was talking to.
Apparently when old Burt started walking around his new property, digging around in the dirt, so to speak, he made an interesting discovery. So interesting, in fact, that it got me to grab my keys, hop in my truck, and drive up into the hills without so much as a pause to wash my hands.
Some things, you see, don’t wait for a man to look presentable.
As I drove up into the hills to meet Burt, I started to think about my father and the drives he used to take me on. He liked to get a feel for whichever car he was working on, and those drives, they always ended with a detour into the hills. ‘Nothing tests a vehicle like elevation,’ he used to say, and I have to admit, I still agree with that statement. All those long inclines, sharp turns and fast descents- not to mention the occasional slam on the brakes- really put a car through its paces.
Dad knew a thing or two about cars, even if he knew nothing about how to raise a family.
Other than maybe a slight fear of commitment, the main thing I got from my father was a passion for restoring old cars in my spare time. It’s a hobby of mine, and I do it in the garage at my house. I’m especially a sucker for rare cars, and the rarer the better. That little hobby of mine, more so than my day business, was why I ended up driving out to the middle of nowhere with dirty hands and a head full of ideas.
The road up was just as long and winding as I remembered. I almost missed the entrance for the property, a hidden driveway marked with little more than a broken mailbox and a rotting signpost. The private road got smaller and smaller by the minute until I swore the trees were going to swallow me whole and spit the bones back out.
When I finally reached what could pass for a clearing, a guy with a face like a junkyard dog was waiting for me next to the newest, cleanest Ford pick-up I’d seen outside of a dealership. He introduced himself to me as Eddie, an associate of old Burt. I told him I’d been expecting to meet Burt himself, but Eddie explained that Burt didn’t like to meet new people, and rarely came out in the cold weather. It was a bit raw, I had to admit, so I dropped the whole thing and let Eddie get down to the business at hand.
We left our cars behind and Eddie led me into the woods, where the walking was slow-going on account of the overgrowth of vines and dead branches. I’m not one to spook easily, but the more we walked the creepier those woods got, until I was fairly sure Eddie was going to use that French Mastiff face of his to tear my throat out. But just when I was thinking about turning back and saying screw it to the whole thing, I caught sight of what we’d come for.
The very first car I saw was a white, 1974 Pontiac Trans-Am. It was missing its door and tires, and it was buried under a layer of dead vines, but the body shape was unmistakable. Under the rust I could even see what was left of the telltale Firebird emblazoned across its hood in blue.
I couldn’t believe a car like that was just sitting out in the middle of the woods, waiting for anyone to come along and find it. As I got closer, though, I saw just how bad the condition of the car was. The insides were rotted out from rain and mold, and the floor was so eaten up by rust it was ready to fall out.
Before my brain could process the loss of such a beautiful machine, I caught sight of another car. This one was a Datsun 210 with a tree growing right through the hole where its trunk used to be. Wet leaves and newspaper filled the back seat, and the dashboard was an abandoned nest that crawled with leggy insects.
Old Burt hadn’t been pulling my leg: those woods were a graveyard for abandoned cars. From what I could tell, about three acres of woods were absolutely littered with the corpses of old autos. Some were in pieces, most were covered in dead leaves and rust and all the other things that happen when anything is left outside for years and years, but they were there. The sight of so many classic cars in one place, virtually unknown to anyone, both excited and saddened me.
For close to an hour I walked around random piles of tires and glass to stare at rusted-out Range Rovers and Jeeps with their headlights hanging out like popped eyeballs. Finally, like I’d woken up from a spell, I asked Eddie what Burt expected from me. And that’s when he told me the strangest, most interesting offer he could have told me in that moment.
He said if I could make every, single one of those cars disappear in three day’s time, at no cost to old Burt, I could keep them.
The words nearly knocked me off my feet. I’d have to call in every favor to every salvage yard and tow truck operator I knew, but it was possible. Still, nearly all of the cars I’d seen were beyond repair, even for a guy like me. At most I saw some parts that could be salvaged. Maybe a few of the newer, less damaged ones could be saved. I knew a few guys in my circle who might be interested, and I figured if I played my cards right I could make a few bucks out of the deal to boot- or at least land a good trade or two. Still, there weren’t any cars that I was interested in for myself.
Until, at the edge of the property, tucked away in a spot I’d nearly overlooked, I saw it. It was as if I’d been drawn there. Like I was meant to find it.
The car was familiar-looking, yet like nothing I’d ever seen. Cross a Chevelle Malibu Classic SE with the modern retro feel of the ‘97 Plymouth Prowler, add the large rear spoiler and flared wheel arches of a ‘99 Nissan Skyline GT-R, and you still won’t come close. It looked like something one of the big three manufacturers had made and yet I’d never seen or heard of its like ever before. It had no logos, no hood ornament, no identification of any kind. I practically ran around to the back of it to look for a name, a logo, something to identify it, tripping over hidden rocks and broken glass to do it.
But there was nothing. Nothing to betray the make and mark of the strange car in front of me. I even asked Eddie if he knew what it was. He only shrugged, clearly wanting to wrap up our little outdoor meeting. I half-heartedly agreed. It was later than I’d realized. Between the dwindling sun and the discovery I’d made, I’d started to get a chill I couldn’t shake. I had a bad tooth I’d been neglecting, and even that was starting to hurt from the cold.
So I agreed to Burt’s deal. I shook Eddie’s hand on it and got out of there, giving one last glance at the strange car in the woods on the way out.
The next day, after making more phone calls than a politician on election night, a swarm of flatbeds, wheel-lifts and salvage trucks descended on those woods. For two days they scooped out every piece of metal and glass in the place, while I oversaw the operation like a choir conductor from hell. I directed trucks this way and cutting crews that way. They snipped and cut and tore out every dead tree standing in the way so the truck crews could do the rest. I even got in there myself with the old chainsaw when it was needed.
It was an exhausting two days, but I managed to keep my word to Burt and clear every abandoned car off his property with about an hour to spare. Some of the cars went to the junkyard, others to various garages I’d made arrangements with.
I was dead on my feet by the time I got home. I was ready for a shower and a bed, in what order I wasn’t sure. And yet a crackle of energy went through me when I saw what had been dropped off in my garage.
My mystery car. Without the shadows of the woods hiding it, I could see it had been painted silver before the rust took over. It had been a fast sucker once, like a bullet to a werewolf’s chest. That had been a long time ago, and yet I sensed there was still some life in the old girl. I wanted so badly to start digging around under the hood, to see what I could find out, but my legs were ready to collapse and my eyes could barely focus. Intending to wake up early and hit the garage, I stumbled off to bed.
You know that feeling you get when you realize someone’s been talking to you for the past minute, thinking you’ve been listening, and you only just figured it out?
That’s the feeling I woke up to.
I sat straight up like a vampire rising from his coffin. My bedroom was still dark, which meant it was the middle of the night. In my half-sleep I tried to make out the clock on my nightstand but couldn’t read the numbers, so I fumbled for my glasses and shoved them on. It was just past two in the morning: way too early, even for me. No way was I getting up, strange feeling or no.
I was about to take my glasses off and lay back down when I heard the reason I’d woken up.
Whispering.
A man was in my room, whispering in the dark. I lunged across my bed and turned on the lamp, nearly knocking it over. I didn’t have a weapon, but if I could see the intruder I could do something about it. I spun back, back to the whispering, to see who it was, to shout at them or jump on them, whatever I had to do to save my life from the psycho in my bedroom.
But the room was empty. Just me and a pounding heart.
I was so confused, I jumped out of bed and tore around the room, making sure no one was hiding, but I didn’t find anyone. I was alone.
Then I heard it again, and I knew: the whispers were coming from down the hall.
With bare feet I followed it, trying to make out what it was saying, but it was too low to understand. I grabbed a knife as I passed through the kitchen and held it in front of me with sweat beading on my face despite how cold I kept the house.
I followed the whispering to the garage. The overhead light flickered on, lighting up the strange car in my garage. In my half-sleep, half-terror I’d nearly forgotten about it. But there it was, like a bear hibernating in its cave, waiting for the end of winter. It felt alive somehow. Not dead, just asleep and dreaming.
And it was whispering.
I knew how crazy that sounded, how crazy that was, but I swallowed hard and approached the car, knife first. The blade shook in front of me. The whispering got louder the closer I got, and yet I still couldn’t understand the words it was saying. Was someone hiding inside the car? Had I inherited a homeless man when I’d had it towed to my house? If so I had to get him out of there. Get him help, sure, make sure he had a place to sleep, but he couldn’t stay in my garage, whispering through the night. No way.
With my free hand I yanked on the driver’s side door. It didn’t open. Rusted shut. I slowly walked around to the passenger side and yanked again. It opened.
The whispering was louder now, louder but not clearer, like an old television tuned between channels, like a frequency not being picked up, like a…
Like a radio.
The whispers were coming from the radio. I laughed under my breath, realizing how ridiculous I’d been. But then I remembered there was no way the radio could be working. The car wasn’t turned on. If it even had a battery under the hood, it was probably little more than a square pile of rust and battery acid.
I clutched the kitchen knife tight, and with the other hand I slowly reached out to turn the volume knob. I needed to know if the whispers were coming from the radio, and if they were, I needed to know what they were saying. My temple throbbed as the whispers grew louder and louder, louder and louder, louder and-
The moment my finger touched the knob, the whispers stopped.
I felt like I was going crazy. I looked around the inside of the car, noting the strong smell of mildew and animal with a tinge of rotten leather. Other than my own breath echoing back at me, it was silent.
No whispers. No nothing.
I went back to bed, but I barely slept.
The next day was the day I usually took off from the shop, which was a relief since I woke up almost as tired as when I’d gone to bed. As I ate my breakfast, the night before still sat fresh in my mind. But the more I went over it, the more I thought it had been a bad dream, brought on by exhaustion and an imagination run wild. I had to admit the mystery car sitting in my garage had gotten my mind racing faster than a Formula 1.
I’m the kind of guy who likes a simple explanation, something I can touch and feel and, yes, fix, so I started to think that I could have picked up some kind of rogue radio transmission from a trucker, or even a passing plane. The police scanner I owned in my younger days had certainly picked up its share of random broadcasts, and when it comes to working on junkers I’ve learned to expect the unexpected.
After I’d eaten my breakfast and downed my coffee I got right to work on the car. I wanted to clear the air of whatever had happened, and I was dying to see what that baby had going on under the hood. The mystery of who the hell had made the thing was still heavy on me.
But the enigma only deepened the more I looked. Under all that rust and dirt and oil I couldn’t find one damn mark that told me who’d made the car. I almost wanted to say it was a custom build, but the work was too precise, the system too well-planned out to be an after-market job.
I worked on it all day, so wrapped up in it I forgot to eat lunch. I ate dinner like a raccoon digging through a dumpster. Then I worked on it some more.
I was just crawling into bed when I heard it again.
The whispering.
This time I ignored it, hoping it would go away on its own. But it didn’t stop. Not until I got up, walked across my house, went into the garage, and touched the radio. Then, it stopped.
I decided right then and there not to go to the shop the next day. There was just too much work to be done.
I’d been working on the car for four days straight before I got it started up. Four days of stripping and cleaning and rebuilding. Four nights of whispering. I was even starting to hear it during the day, but low, barely audible, like a television playing somewhere in the house.
After I got the engine started, the first thing I did was pull my code reader down from my tool wall and hook it up to the dashboard input. I’d been pleasantly surprised to find an input on the car, even though I was fairly certain it had been built after '96. To my shock the screen filled up with a bunch of random trouble codes I’d never seen before, then went blank. I tried to get it powered up again but apparently the connection had completely overloaded the device.
I’d had the reader for years and it had never given me a problem. I put it down and got back to the car, deciding to stick to the old-fashioned way and get a feel for what was wrong with it. Just like dad used to do.
With my foot on the gas I revved the engine good. It sounded better than I’d expected, like a beast waking up from deep sleep. But there was also something rattling around under the hood, something loose knocking around inside the carburetor or possibly even the manifold.
I tried a few options, opening up this and that, until I narrowed it down to something completely unexpected: the transmission.
With considerable force I managed to open up the transmission, and sure enough I found something inside. Something dark and red. I pulled it out and studied it under the light. It looked like a small rock covered in old transmission fluid. How it got in there I didn’t have a clue. But I decided to clean it off and get a better look at it, in case it pointed to a bigger problem. As I walked it to the slop sink, I noticed the whispering, usually a dull static during the day, had started to grow louder. I could almost make out individual words now. But I ignored it and ran the small rock under the faucet, watching the dark red fluid swirl down the drain.
That was when I discovered something I wasn’t prepared for. The thing in my hand wasn’t a rock- it was a tooth.
A human tooth.
The whispers had grown so loud I could barely hear myself think, barely feel the disgust rising in the pit of my stomach. With the whispers practically shouting in my ear I dropped the tooth and it bounced and clattered inside the sink, coming to a rest near the edge of the drain.
The whispers grew quiet again. A dull roar tickling at the back of my skull. I stared at it, the tooth in the sink, the impossible tooth from the impossible car. I had the urge to throw it out. To get it out of my house and never see it again. But I didn’t do that. I couldn’t tell you why not.
Maybe because that meant touching it again.
Maybe something else.
Feeling like I should give the car a rest, I worked on getting my code reader working again, otherwise I’d have to run to the store and buy a new one. I changed out the batteries and gave it a good, solid whack. A few seconds later I was happy to see the screen turn on. I thought I’d have to do a factory reset to use it again but I was surprised to find it worked perfectly fine. Not only that, the trouble codes it had read off the car were still stored in its memory.
There were pages and pages of codes like I’d never seen in my life, more than I think are even in the tool’s programming. In fact I couldn’t find a single one of them anywhere in the manual. I figured they were probably just random numbers, and yet there was something strange about them, like they had a pattern to them. I dusted off my old computer and typed in the problem codes, figuring if I could get a better look at them I might be able to figure out their meaning. If not, I could at least print them out and show them to somebody who could.
After twenty minutes I’d barely made a dent in typing up all the codes. I gave up on the idea that I could copy them all. I pushed away from my computer and stood up, rubbing my eyes from the strain. Between the glare of the old screen and the noise in my ears, my head was killing me. It all felt so pointless. So inconsequential.
Just before I shut the computer down, I happened to glance one last time at the screen. And when I did, I noticed something that made my skin go cold.
The codes. The pattern. The numbers and letters and spaces between them. They were starting to form a face. A human face, with two eyes and a screaming-
I shut the computer down as fast as I could, then unplugged it to be safe. Then I marched to the garage and disconnected the radio, practically ripping it out of the car.
The whispers stopped.
The house was quiet.
But not for long.
For three days I told myself to get rid of that car, tow it out of my garage and dump it somewhere no one could find it. Maybe even drench it in gasoline and light a match. For three days I ignored the whispers and the doorbell and the phone calls from my shop asking when I was coming back. For three days I buried my head under the hood and worked and worked and worked.
On the fourth day, when the whispers from the radio had grown louder than my own thoughts, louder but still unclear, without words I could understand, I lost it. I threw my wrench at the tool wall, knocking down chisels and socket wrenches and a dozen other tools clattering to the ground. I pounded on my ears, cursing them, willing them to go deaf and stop hearing the whispers.
But they didn’t stop hearing. And the whispers didn’t stop. So I decided. I decided that if I couldn’t stop hearing them, I at least needed to know what they were saying.
I went back to the slop sink. The tooth was still there, perched near the edge of the drain. I’d prayed for it to slip down and wash away on its own but there it was, round and sharp and real as ever. So I picked it up, and the whispers grew louder. Clearer. But still not clear enough to hear. Not enough to make out what the radio was saying. To understand what it wanted from me. It was like a broken antenna, only tuning in half the frequency.
The garage was a mess. I was a mess. Rancid grease stains everywhere. A hole in my tool wall where the wrench had struck it, the ground littered with hammers and screwdrivers and …
Pliers.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed the pliers from the ground, shoved it onto my mouth, got a good hold of my bad tooth, and ripped it out. It was easier than I expected, but it still hurt, and it bled a lot. But I didn’t hesitate. I pushed the tooth I’d found in the transmission into its place.
The moment I did, it was as if everything came into focus. As if the radio was inside my skull. No, as if my skull was the radio, and I was the antenna. I could hear the transmission clear as day now, a man’s voice inside my head.
Whispering to me.
Telling me where to find the rest of him.
I told you all of this, not because I expect you to believe me, but because I’m about to walk out my door and do something I might not come back from. And if that’s the case, if I don’t return today or any other day from this thing I need to do, I want people to know why.
Because I find things. I find things and fix them. If you don’t know that, you don’t know me.

Hey all. I tried posting this on like 2 other general university subreddits but my posts arent even showing up so I said, screw it I might as well be direct and ask here.
Also, I know I'm an idiot, slacker, whatever, you don't have to remind me of the bad morals of it, what's done is done and I just need advice/input now.
Copy pasting what Ive already written out:
I'm a graduating grade 12 student and a piss poor writer. Long story short I got a friend who is very good at writing to do all my supp apps for me, free of charge. Yes I know it's stupid to make someone write a short application for me when I could have just sucked it up but I felt desperate, stressed from trying to keep my grades up, and trusted them to handle it for me. You can lecture me about the morals/ethics of the situation but I truly do know it was stupid. I just need advice going forward.
Anyway, I got into the schools I wanted and accepted an offer (at UofT). However I've since fallen out with that person and due to something I heard "through the grapevine" I'm feeling paranoid that they will rat me out to the admissions dept and get my offer revoked before the year even starts. I don't know what kind of proof they have that they wrote my essays - I suppose texts where we talked about it, documents they shared with me, etc? I never thought it would come to this so I never thought to cover my tracks either. Very stupid again I know.
My question is, if this person were to like, email UofT with some sort of proof that they wrote my supp app, am I going to be kicked out (or as close as you can get to being kicked out without enrolling yet)???? Is there a chance that they will just put me on probation or brush it off since it was a few relatively short essays/descriptions of my ecs??? Is it made better by the fact that I didnt actually pay them to write it?
I would honestly appreciate anyones input on this. University or high school student or professor or whoever lurks on here. I just don't know what to do and I feel like I'm screwed. Thanks.

I'm not sure why I'm posting this. I've talked with two people about this but I guess I'd like to know if anyone's had a similar experience and how they've handled it. Even just more thoughts of other people might help me. Okay, so this is what happened and what my thoughts are. (Feel free to read and comment/chat/DM me if you feel like it :) )
I met a guy on Bumble (BFF mode) in April and we've only met twice IRL. I felt like we connected really well and this was the start of a beautiful friendship.
However, things very much changed after our 2nd meet-up. We were soon planning a 3d meet-up, for which he was suggesting things we could do. He asked me if I was available on a certain date but then shortly after he replied to his own message saying couldn't meet because he had to work. On that day a few days later I happened to have an appointment very close to his work place and texted him that I just passed by the restaurant he worked at. He replied that he wasn't working bc it was his usual day off, so I obviously got confused and asked him why he told me that he had to work. He explained to me that he had started dating someone and it was all very intense (apparently this started shortly after we met up for a 2nd time (purely friendship-oriented)) and he found it hard to talk about his dating life. I told him that he could share anything he liked to share but also mentioned that it's totally fine for him to keep things private. I wished him the best with his hopefully beautiful love story and didn't ask any question about his dating story. I asked him if he wanted to meet up again or if this was kind of the end of our friendship that had only just started, and he replied that it wasn't necessarily the end and that we'd still grab a coffee some time. He was just very pre-occupied suddenly and didn't want to make plans right away (and I respected that). I did express that I would find it difficult to suddenly go from making a lot of plans together to not being sure when (and maybe even if) we would see each other again and mentioned that losing people/connections is something that I've always been afraid of. Maybe that was TMI/selfish, but the fact that he lied to me and this sudden change made me anxious. We ended this chat on a good note and he said something like "we're just a bunch of introverts who don't know how to deal with all these feelings". He also assured me that this change had nothing to do with me and all with him, and that we had a really good start together, so he knew this was kind of a weird switch that I might take personal. He really wanted to prevent that. I said "alright, talk to you soon" and we wished each other good night.
Unfortunately, we never had a single conversation, either online or IRL, after this chat. I gave him space but did kind of miss him and decided to message him 3 weeks later (just a simple "hey, how's life?). I didn't feel like I was being pushy after messaging him weeks later, also bc he assured me it wouldn't be the end of our friendship. It's now more than 3 weeks later and he still hasn't replied to my message (and hasn't read it). I haven't sent any follow-up message bc I don't know what he's going through and want to give him the space he might need (even tho this ghosting behavior hurts). However, last weekend I noticed he had suddenly unfollowed me on Instagram, and it felt like this happened shortly after I'd posted a holiday pic. When I noticed this I started struggling even more with the ghosting. He didn't remove me from his followers and he also didn't block me on Instagram and WhatsApp. It really hurts bc it feels like an immature way to tell me he's not interested in me anymore. At the same time I have no idea what is actually behind his behavior.
Some of the options I've been thinking about: - He doesn't want to be friends with me for whatever reason but is avoiding any sort of confrontation. - He's going through something difficult and doesn't want to open up about it. - He might have unfollowed me bc it's difficult for him to be confronted in some way with the person he's ghosting. - He's now in a relationship and has no time for (relatively) new friends (basically has other priorities) and for some reason doesn't feel the need to just be honest.
Some of my thoughts on this: - I know ghosting is immature and that this shows he doesn't respect me. In theory I shouldn't want to be friends with someone who lacks basic communication skills, and there is no point in thinking about possible reasons for why this is happening. - I was thinking about sending him an honest message. That I'd respect if he doesn't want to be friends with me, that I'm there for him if he's going through something, but that I'd also respect if he doesn't want to open up to me. I didn't send the message, bc I'm afraid I'd feel worse if he keeps ghosting me. I'm also giving him more attention by doing that while maybe I should just be moving on. - It's rare to have such a good platonic connection with someone after having met them just twice. It really hurts to be left in the dark like this. Rationally, I know that I don't deserve this kind of silent treatment and that I should move on. However, it's still difficult at this point.
Didn't expect to write all of this down, but it really helps. Not really expecting anyone to read this, but thanks to anyone who has lol. Apologies for any typos/mistakes, I haven't done a spelling check.

I know that universities can kick you out for any reason they want but I am asking specifically whether they will (are likely to) for this particular offense.
Anyway, I'm a Canadian student going to a Canadian uni in September, but I'm asking here bc it is more active than my own province's subreddit and my post doesnt seem to be showing up there anyway. Also, I assume the standard procedure for this kind of thing is probably similar across the board, which is what I'm trying to find out.
To copy paste what I said over there:
I'm a graduating grade 12 student and a piss poor writer. Long story short I got a friend who is very good at writing to do all my supp apps for me, free of charge. Yes I know it's fucking stupid to make someone write a short application for me when I could have just sucked it up but I felt desperate, stressed from trying to keep my grades up, and trusted them to handle it for me. You can lecture me about the morals/ethics of the situation but I truly do know it was fucking stupid. I just need advice going forward. Anyway, I got into the schools I wanted and accepted an offer. However I've since fallen out with that person and due to something I heard "through the grapevine" I'm feeling paranoid that they will rat me out to the universitys admissions dept and get my offer revoked before the year even starts. I don't know what kind of proof they have that they wrote my essays - I suppose texts where we talked about it, documents they shared with me, etc? I never thought it would come to this so I never thought to cover my tracks either. Fucking stupid again I know. My question is, if this person were to like, email my university with some sort of proof that they wrote my supp app, am I going to be kicked out (or as close as you can get to being kicked out without enrolling yet)???? Is there a chance that they will just put me on probation or brush it off since it was a few relatively short essays/descriptions of my ecs??? Is it made better by the fact that I didnt actually pay them to write it? I would honestly appreciate anyones input on this. University or high school student. I just don't know what to do and I feel like I'm fucked. Thanks.

I hope I am not gonna get too much hate for this but here it is: I am torn right now. I have a Husky male that is very reactive. Rescue him 6.5 yrs ago he is around 9yrs old. I live on a 66acres he is free, well fed and loved but in the last year he has bit way too many people (10)(including myself twice) during the time having him he probably bit me 7 or 8 times. Most of the time were reactive bites where he would come and put his head between my legs and could tell he was sorry. A couple times it was vicious and once needed stitches. He also scared my ex pretty bad he attacked her once and even said she wasn’t sure she could handle him. I adopted him with her and she use to manage the dog shelter where we got him so she is experienced with dog with all different types of behaviours. One time about a yr Hurt a guy pretty bad that was trying to brake up a dogfight and lucky the guy hasn’t came back with legal actions. My vet told me she is supportive 100% to euthanize him and if I read between the lines correctly was the best things to do. What i am struggling with is the fact I know there is a way to keep him alive (isolate myself, keep visitor to a minimum always on leash/museled when off the property) but I am not willing to go the extra mile for him. I made a commitment went I adopted him and now I am failing him. I was acting or wishing like I had a “normal” dog or thinking he will change eventually and what he needed is to be managed differently and I didn’t provide that to him which led to him being into situations that triggered him and made him react in an agressive way. All and all, I can clearly see now that most of those bites could of been avoided if I had handled the situation better and I take most of the blame for the consequences that occurred. It is not fair for him. 99% of the times he is a sweet and good boy, peaceful, joyful. He doesn’t deserve this. He still has a lot of good yrs left in him. Some Have given me good perspective, I said I was feeling that I was taking the “easy way out” by putting him down but someone told me the easy way out is to not take the decision yourself and let someone else putting him down for you in the eventuality that he hurts someone else’s. I might regret posting this but at this point Im struggling so much with guilt. My vet as proposed to come tomorrow at my house and do it here which is the best way I could see him cross over the rainbow

(Shoutouts to u/TheSlyKoopa for the match concept!)
Scenario: Isla de Piedra, Somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea — 11:44AM
Dédalo Viatger, adventurer, archaeologist and explorer extraordinaire, had filled his travelog with countless exploits on his never-ending quest to uncover the secrets of the ancient world. Following the trail of the lost civilization of Pieduro was proving to be his lengthiest entry yet. Armed with powerful Pieduron artifacts known as the Temples, Dédalo and the Pieduron entity ｢Perdida｣ had forged a path across the Mediterranean, getting ever closer to solving the mystery of their disappearance.
With assistance from Cullinan Dwarf Star, Patron of the House of Muses, Dédalo and Perdida were on the verge of discovering the final piece of the puzzle. Their journey had come full circle, and Dédalo and Perdida’s adventure would end where it began; on the island of Isla de Piedra.
Situated between the coasts of Southern Spain and North Africa, Isla de Piedra had been uninhabited for all of recorded history, though not for lack of trying. The dense forests and greenery that covered every square meter of the island made it a ripe target for logging companies and greedy colonists to strip it for all it was worth. None had succeeded—their abandoned camps had long since been reclaimed by the forest.
The only other sign of human life on the island was the ancient Pieduron outpost where Dédalo’s journey first began, and where it would now hopefully end. The trek to get there was as difficult as the first time—but he didn’t have to do it alone now. At his side were his ever faithful companion Perdida, the inquisitive swordswoman Ninian, the extraordinary android 2095, and the illustrious ice skater Electra (although he didn’t call them that out loud).
Dédalo led the party up a long, winding stone staircase, pointing out the many partially-disabled traps along the way. He and Ninian had long been in contact, and the latter could personally vouch for her +1s—2095 one of the few Bastards she could trust and Electra having earned her trust in for her actions against Enyalius & Enyo Pharmaceuticals in San Battista.
“...and here’s a wall of spikes that shoot out when you pass over that threshold,” he pointed out with a tour guide’s enthusiasm. “I managed to jam up the mechanism with some cloth, but we should probably tread carefully around here.”
Electra rolled her eyes, even though Dédalo couldn’t see the gesture. “Should have just blown it up,” she muttered, annoyed. While her experiences in San Battista had somewhat melted her frosty demeanor, it had still been a long, hot, exhausting trip to get here, and old habits died hard.
“Watch your tone, miss,” Perdida said from behind her ear, making her jump. “My people’s architecture is not something to “blow up”.”
“And it might not have worked,” 2095 chimed in. “If this outpost could survive all those centuries of wear, I doubt a mundane explosion would do much damage to it.”
“The Piedurons built everything to last, from their treasures to their traps.” Dédalo gingerly ducked under the blade of a massive pendulum axe that jutted out from the ceiling. “Fortunate in some ways, unfortunate in others.”
At last, they reached the center chamber. Carved from stone and coated with moss, it appeared just as untouched as the rest of the outpost—save for the podium in the middle of the chamber and the conspicuously empty space on top of it, where the moss grew a little bit thinner.
“Ah, this brings back memories,” Dédalo chuckled. “This is where Perdida and I first met. The El Cor Terra necklace lay in this very spot at the heart of the chamber. When I unfastened it, poof! There she appeared in all of her resplendent glory. We hit it off right away.”
“He tried to cut my head off with a machete.”
“In self-defense!”
“Ok, move it along, lovebirds,” Electra huffed. “Where’s the thing we were looking for? It’s somewhere in here, right?”
Brushing past the “lovebirds” comment, Dédalo retrieved a piece of parchment from his explorer’s pack marked with the symbol of the House of Muses. “According to Cullinan, the hidden door should be right over on that wall.” He pointed over 2095’s shoulder at the northern wall of the chamber. “The question is…how do we open it?”
2095 gave the room a once-over. Aside from the layer of moss and vegetation covering the chamber, it was pretty bare. Its only noticeable feature seemed to be the podium.
“Perhaps the podium could offer some answers.” The party gathered around the stone podium—a stone cylinder, atop which stood a carving which vaguely resembled the neck and collarbone area of a human, with a thin groove running where a necklace would hang. Perdida instantly recognized the Cleria stone inlays around the circumference of the podium.
She traced a finger along the length of the groove, and the Cleria stone beneath it glowed—and, at a volume only audible to 2095’s mechanical hearing, it began to hum.
“Keep going, Perdida,” she whispered. Perdida closed her eyes, feeling herself attune to the place where she lay dormant for thousands of years. The Cleria stone grew brighter and brighter, the hum getting louder and louder.
Suddenly, the room shook. Electra leaped back, expecting another trap. Instead, she watched as the north wall slid open like the doors of an elevator, revealing two hallways; one leading up, the other leading down, both with Cleria stone markings along the walls that pulsed with a gentle light.
“Thank goodness,” Dédalo sighed. “I was worried the real treasure was going to be the friends we made along the way.”
Dédalo and Perdida continued to trek up the hallway, climbing what was likely the control tower of the outpost. Ninian dutifully followed behind them, ready to draw her blade at whatever might strike from the newly unknown section of the outpost. The sound of exhaled breath made her jump...but it was only a sigh from Dédalo. “A shame you came aboard so late, Ninian; our journey’s almost up.”
Ninian’s confusion spiked to alarm as the explorer motioned to lean against the wall. “Watch out-”
Dédalo made contact and nothing happened. He tilted his head to the end of the corridor, a doorway just a few meters away. “We’re far enough in that we’ve most likely avoided the worst of the traps. Besides, I don’t think the Piedurons would have placed many traps so close to a place of importance.” He wistfully rubbed his arm, massaging the strain of adventures and injuries in equal measure. “Feels almost bittersweet. So many months of travel and turmoil, and the end of our journey is in sight.”
“Hey, don’t say that yet. We still need to find a way to get my human body back.” Pedida gently punched him in his shoulder. Still, her pout eventually softened as she looked back towards the final chamber. “I guess you are correct, though. The answer to the Pieduron collapse lies beyond those doors. What comes after…nobody knows”
“Quite right,” Dédalo nodded, and the group moved onwards. “I hope that Electra and 2095 are doing okay down there, in any case.”
“I hope that the rest of the outpost is okay,” Perdida frowned. “They didn’t seem to appreciate how precious this place is—I don’t want to lose another one.”
“I don’t think we have to worry too much about losing them,” A grin of cat-like mischief unfurled on Ninian’s face as hoarse laughter echoed on a draft. There were adventures to come and to be seen, but one to reach its conclusion here and now, and the anticipation made Ninian’s hair stand on end.
The group carefully entered the room, and Perdida flickered out of existence. Before any of them could respond, the control room flickered to life. The stone walls that extended higher and higher suddenly turned “on” as if they were screens, but these were more akin to slabs whose light-emitting runes and rocks flickered and changed in the appearance of Perdida—Perdidas, in fact. All of them, on the many screens, acted in unison as Dédalo rushed forward. “Dédalo, what’s going on?”
“We’re figuring it out,” he shouted as he and Ninian raced to the panels below, trying to decipher the text streaming by. Soon, however, one message displayed on a readout screen:

MYSTICALLY AUTOMATED KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM 0 DETECTED
RESUMING RING FUNCTIONALITY

Meanwhile, having taken the outpost’s lower path, 2095 and Electra entered into a large atrium. Like the rest of the outpost, the walls and floor were composed of the usual, teal stone that seemed impossibly durable. The fact that they could use it to form buildings, carve intricate murals, and keep it all hidden was impressive, but they craned their heads upwards towards the skylight that would let rain and sun in. Through the overgrown foliage, they could see a massive flat ring of Cleria floating above the ground in stubborn defiance of the laws of physics. Gravity-defying gyroscopes of stone spun and swirled in the air above, rotating with the same slow grace as the ancient gears that whirred to life around them. The glow of the Cleria blended together with the light of the noonday sun; the hum of power permeated the entire chamber.
“...shit,” Electra murmured, not sure what else to say.
2095 scanned the rest of the atrium, but ultimately found nothing beyond a discolored, glowing pad on the floor by the opposite wall, outcroppings on the walls that resembled benches, and the remnants of what appeared to be ancient drinking fountains. Rest now before it’s too late, the room seemed to scream.
“I believe we should wait for the others before we go deeper,” 2095 announced. “We could retrace our steps and explore the previous areas, in case we missed another hidden passageway or an undiscovered treasure. It would be a shame to proceed not knowing whether we’ve left every stone unturned-”
“Not a chance,” Electra huffed. “I’m not letting us get killed because of your FOMO. Come on.”
She grabbed 2095 by the wrist and began to drag her over to the pads. 2095 let her—partly because she weighed significantly more than Electra did and she didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to pull her by force, but partly because she was right. She could feel the air buzzing with energy, intensifying by the second. Something big was about to happen.
The two stepped onto the floor pad and immediately felt themselves being shunted into a different space as the teleporter activated. When their vision cleared, they found themselves standing on top of the Cleria ring itself. Electra could smell the ozone in the air and taste the prickling on her tongue. This ring was the key to the whole mechanism—either it was powering the outpost…or the outpost was powering it.
2095 gazed in awe at the machinery surrounding them. It reminded her of the technology from her time; except instead of steel and chrome, it was made of rock and crystal. What secrets died with the Piedurons when they disappeared?
She turned to Electra to express her wonder and nearly screamed when she saw the vantablack vines burst out of her shadowed face, ready to smash the ring to pieces.
“What are you doing?!” 2095 yelled, ｢Yours Truly｣ appearing at her side, tentacles raised.
“I’m destroying this thing, duh,” spat Electra. “I know a superweapon when I see one, and I’m not about to let some dipshit corporation get their hands on it after we leave.”
The chamber shook, bits of rocks and dust falling from the ceiling. “B-but we don’t even know whether this is a superweapon! Aren’t you acting a bit rash?”
“Rash? Seriously? You have no idea what some people in Dead Drop Bay would do for an artifact like this.” Electra remembered what she saw in San Battista—the monster that she had to put down, fuelled by a desire to abuse the remnants of the past for her own gain. “Farewell to Kings, Dead Man’s Hand; hell, even my own company. They’d sink this island to the bottom of the ocean for the chance to have this thing for themselves. This way, I’m solving the problem before it has a chance to start.”
“And risk destroying the legacy of an entire civilization?!” 2095 felt anger boiling in her metallic chest. A part of her resonated with the Piedurons in this moment—she knew what it was like to be a relic of an era far from the present, the last remaining piece of a time nobody would ever know. “What gives you the right to decide what to do with an artifact of this magnitude? To bury what could be the last hope of Pieduro to be remembered as anything but a footnote in history?”
The chamber shook again—this time, both 2095 and Electra felt the ground shift under their feet. Without warning, walls of stone burst out of the ground around them, tearing through centuries-old roots and vines to surround the ring on all sides. Slabs of Cleria stone with deep divots carved into the top of them emerged from the ring itself and floated just above its surface like a magnet levitating atop another.
In the control tower below them, Dédalo and Ninian scrambled from panel to panel, desperately trying to decipher what was going on. Dédalo could see the two other members of the party facing off inside the ring—but before he could call out to them, he heard Perdida’s voice resonate from every screen.
“The Temples…I can see them.”
Ninian watched the panel in front of her light up, displaying a holographic map of the Mediterranean, hundreds of glowing blue dots scattered across the projection.
Dédalo rushed to the nearest screen and grabbed it. “Perdida! Are you alright?!”
“Y-yes, I’m fine.” Perdida blinked hard, putting a hand to the side of her head. “I can feel every Temple in the Mediterranean. I…I think I can gain access to them from here.”
“Access? Like…you can turn them on?” Ninian asked.
“Yes. All of them.” Before Perdida could say any more, the chamber shook once more. In the room below, the ring glowed even more brightly, the two would-be explorers now utterly trapped within it by the sloped walls surrounding it.
“See what I mean?!” Electra clenched her fists, snapping flytrap jaws emerging from the shadow underneath her. “We need to put this entire place in the ground. For good. And like hell am I going to let you stop me!”
Suddenly, all across the surface of the ring, crackling orbs of energy sparked to life, both 2095 and Electra just managing to avoid them. The orbs spun in a circle around the ring, accelerating rapidly until they were nothing but a blur. 2095 recognized the movements of the orbs immediately; it looked like a particle accelerator.
“I hoped we could resolve this peacefully, Electra.” 2095 flicked the silver locks out of her face. “But now I have to convince you in the only language you seem to understand—the language of violence. Don’t hold back.”
The age-old machinery around them hummed to a crescendo. If either of the two combatants wanted to see their convictions through, they would need to survive the full power of Pieduro first.
OPEN THE GAME!
Location: On Isla de Piedra, (Shoutouts to u/TheSlyKoopa for the match art) inside the Floating Ring. The arena shown here has Electra on the north side and 2095 on the south side represented by their character tokens. The players are in the area inside the ring and have no way to exit with sloping walls on all sides.
The ring has a diameter of 60 meters and the internal width is 15 meters; the entire structure is A Durability.
The brown rectangles inside the ring are Pieduron Temples that resemble short, knee-tall minecarts made out of stone slabs.
Goal: RETIRE your opponent!
Additional Information: Over the course of 10 minutes, the ring will spawn 6-inch diameter orbs of light that will accelerate and move in an orbit around the ring at A Speed. Each orb takes 4 seconds to spawn-in, glowing in place and translucent, before it becomes a solid orb.
Trajectory of the orbs move completely along the curvature of the ring, counterclockwise (denoted by the arrows on the map) and can be spawned anywhere inside the ring. When they hit something solid, they will detonate at C Power—powerful enough to destroy vines and ink left by ｢Venus Fly Trap｣ and tentacles from ｢Yours Truly｣—and cause another orb to spawn where the original one started. The orbs have a blast radius of half a meter and other orbs exploding around them will not trigger them to detonate.
Orbs will complete one revolution around the ring anywhere from 3 seconds (inside track) to 6 seconds (along the rim).
Assuming you are standing still, the rough number of orbs that pass by will be 5 orbs per second at the first minute mark, 10 orbs per second at the second minute mark, and so on until the maximum of 50 orbs per second at the ten minute mark.
Starting near each player and around the map are Pieduron temples that resemble minecarts. Each kart can comfortably fit one person, have a handle on either side, and a single rudder-like steering peripheral. The wheels of the kart will always stick to the ring, but they can drive just fine along the walls or even the ceiling of the ring. Karts move at up to B Speed and players intuitively have a 4 in driving them. At max speed, karts can complete one revolution in 4 to 8 seconds (4 seconds on the inside track and 8 seconds on the rim).
All karts have three other special features that can be activated when a driver is steering it, the Turtle, the Spider, and the Crab:

• The Turtle is a forcefield-like shield that can cover the kart and anybody riding inside it. This forcefield only protects against the fast moving orbs and their explosions and is intangible to everything else. It lasts up to 2 seconds and has a 6 second cooldown before it can be activated again. It can also be set to automatically activate if the minecart is about to hit or be affected by an orb, otherwise it can be manually activated by the driver.
  
• The Spider is a net-like shield that functions somewhat similarly to the forcefield the Turtle. The main difference is that instead of blocking orbs, it catches them and converts them into an inert palm-sized orb that is stowed inside the minecart. This shield does also block explosions produced by orbs, but will not produce an inert orb in those cases. The Spider lasts up to 1 second and shares a cooldown with the Turtle. Inert orbs are orbs that can be converted back into fast moving orbs by being thrown with force and intent. They can be made to move exactly in a straight line or along the curvature of the ring when thrown. Inert orbs have no other special properties, other than being A Durability.
  
• The Crab is a fast sideways dash up to 8 meters, with a minimum distance of 1 meter. Once the dash is finished, the kart will resume moving in the direction and speed it had before initiating the dash, making it useful for dodging without turning or changing the direction the kart is going in. This feature has a stamina bar where the longer your dash distance is, the more stamina will be used up. It takes 4 seconds for the stamina bar to fill up from empty.
  

The cooldowns and stamina bars are tied to the person, not the karts themselves.

Team	Combatant	JoJolity
Anvil Procession	Electra Heart	"I need to master this Spin..." Have a good plan for how to avoid and deal with the orbs spinning around you!
Bastards of Barcas	10538-2095	"The secret to the Steel Ball is the search for infinity..." Have a good plan for how to avoid and deal with the orbs spinning around you!

Link to Official Player Spreadsheet
Link to Match Schedule
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Please use this thread to ask any questions you have about the game. Please search though the comments section as your question may have been answered already or through the search bar.

General Resources

• General Database - Good for seeing Stats of Students, Drop Rate, Raid Stats
• Gameplay Help Overview - Great for New Players
• Min-Turn Stage Guide - Text Version, Japanese Website
• Min-Turn Stage Guide - YouTube Video Version
• PvP Guide -
• Raid Guide - More in-depth description on each Raid's Mechanics
• Raid Character Guide - Recommended Students for each Raid
• Unique Equipment Guide - More detailed stats number for Equipment
• Upcoming Banners
• Student Skill Level Up Priority - More in-depth guide for Student's skill level up
• Midokuni's Student Insights - General Overview of Students
• Global Event
• Gameplay Overview (Legacy Content)
• Upcoming Banners (Legacy Content)

REMINDER: Bind your account!

Please remember to bind your accounts and take note of your UID, member code, server location, and any information related to your account (e.g. amount spent, student roster, etc). If anything happens to your account (e.g. losing access, unauthorized access), you will need to provide as much info as you can to Nexon's customer support email. Guest accounts that are unbound will be extremely difficult to recover, perhaps impossible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[01] When does the server reset?
For global, dailies reset at 19:00 UTC and weeklies reset on Sunday.
[02] Should I re-roll this account?
This will depend on your priorities with PvE, PvP, or both, but you can generally see the “ideal” units as Iori, Hibiki, and Tsubaki for most content, while Shun and Haruna are great for PvP.
[03] Who should I spend my elephs on? Who should I mystic unlock?
At the start, prioritize spending your blank elephs on getting Serina to 2-star for the increased healing stat, Tsubaki to 3-star for the extra tankiness when she is reloading. It is generally advised not to spend your elephs on increasing characters to 4-star and 5-star ratings, since there is only a stat increase and the amount of elephs needed is quite high.
[04] What do my support students’ stats do?
Aside from increasing the stats of their own skills, support students will provide additional stat boosts to your striker team. The specific increase(s) can be viewed by clicking on “Support” on the right side of the team formation screen.
[05] What should I buy in the shop?

• Credit Shop - Buy out the bottom row of materials, then the first two tiers of enhancement stones as needed. Feel free to buy the higher tiers of enhancement stones if you feel that you have an excess of credits, which is very common.
• Eligma - This will depend on you, can reference question [03].
• Total Assault (raid) - Prioritize Maki’s elephs (until you unlock her) and save the rest of your currency for future updates that will add more low-rarity students to the shop, meaning you can unlock mystic for them without spending your eligma. You can also purchase the skill discs/blu-rays depending on your needs.
• Tactical Challenge (PvP) - Buy out the energy drinks as needed (warning: they are instantly consumed, they won’t be moved to your inventory). Many suggest to save these for events in order to buy drinks, refresh the shop, and repeat.

[06] What does the “leader” position do?
This is purely cosmetic, as it changes which student’s chibi shows up on the map.
[07] What benefits are there to joining a club?

• 10 AP are given daily and deposited automatically on teacher's mailbox, upon checking in.
• A maximum of two assistant can be set for Total Assault and Joint Firing Drill respectively.

1. Students assigned to assist with TA cannot also be selected to assist with JFD.
2. 20 credits are rewarded every minute by setting assistants.
3. The specific unit that is borrowed can be only used once a day.
4. There's a fee of 40,000 credits, when borrowing a assistant student.
5. The donor receives 50,000 credits instead; even though the fee is 40,000 credits.
6. The fee can only be received 20 times a day.

• It can be unlocked after clearing Mission 3 Act 4

[08] How does the pity system work?
You need to pull, at a minimum, 200 times in order to get 200 recruitment points that are redeemed for the character you want. The recruitment point system does not carry over from banner to banner, it is only shared between banners that are concurrently running.
[09] Why can’t I find my friend’s club?
While the servers’ updates are separated from JP and global, the global servers are separated further into smaller divisions. You need to be on the same server as your friend, which you can check from the home screen: top-right menu button > account > version info. The server must be the same.
[10] When is X banner coming? Should I save for X student?
We never know for sure, due to the fact that global servers are on an accelerated schedule compared to JP. Please refer to this guide for some more info.
[11] Should I use Pyroxenes to refill my AP?
If you want to prioritize progression, the first three daily refills are decently valuable, this is because the Pyroxene cost of refilling will increase for every three refills. If you are focused on character collection or future banners, you should be saving your Pyroxenes.
[12] Why can’t I buy X student’s eleph in the shop?
You can only buy elephs of students you own.
[13] What should I craft?
At the start, prioritize crafting cafe furniture until your comfort is maxed out, then students’ gifts, then whichever upgrade materials you need. The crafting system is the only way to get furniture and gifts at the moment.
[14] What is the “Anniversary” in account settings?
This is your birthday, used for characters to wish you happy birthday.
[15] When will the beginner guide missions for Nonomi end?
This is a permanent addition, so feel free to take your time with the tasks.
[16] What is the best place to farm EXP?
You can run any map to farm EXP, as the EXP gain is equal to the amount of AP spent (i.e. 10 AP spent = 10 EXP gained). You should be looking at the stages that drop the equipment upgrade materials that you need.
[17] What is the “Secret Tech Sheet” in the Total Assault shop?
This is used to upgrade a student’s (non-EX) skill to level 10.
[18] Is it worth doing a raid if I can’t pass X difficulty level?
It is always more efficient to clear the highest difficulty you can finish instead of failing/forfeiting a higher difficulty.
[19] Can I claim the Limited Students through exchanging Expert Permits? How often does the Expert Permit shop resets?
You cannot get the limited students via this method. You will still need to pull for them. There's no specific mentioned but it's expected to be monthly.

OthePast Megathreads

• Daily Questions
• Weekly Club Recruitment
• Weekly Kivotos Lounge
• Weekly Storytelling Plaza
• Technical Issues

Please have patience with other members of the community and be as polite as possible. Everyone has to start somewhere!

How to Start a YouTube Automation Business: The Step-by-Step Guide for Setting Up a Cash Cow Channel in 2023
How I make $13K per month
If you’re looking for an online business model that generates passive income, a YouTube automation business may just be your best option after local lead generation
. YouTube automation channels have been gaining traction for a few years as a legitimate way to make money online and it’s no surprise why. A quick search using the global analytics tool, Search Blade, reveals that many of these channels, like Bright Side, make hundreds of thousands in revenue every year. That’s some serious cash flow for not having to show your face or even be involved much at all in the operations of the business.
If you want to start your own YouTube cash cow channel to make a passive income, then this YouTube automation business step-by-step guide is for you! In the following article, we look at the YouTube automation business model, go over some of the major pros and cons, highlight 4 key metrics to understand, break down each aspect of the business you need to outsource in order to automate the work, list out the 5 main steps to start your automation channel, and some major mistakes to avoid. Plus, 8 additional strategies to monetize your YouTube automation business beyond the YouTube Partner Program so you can set up multiple income streams and maximize your profit potential!
What is YouTube automation?
YouTube automation is an online business model that employs outsourcing and automation tools to create a YouTube channel that operates and generates money independently (mostly) of the channel owner. As the YouTube channel owner, you build a team to handle the entire content development process, from research to content creation and video publishing. A successful YouTube automation channel pays for itself through the revenues it produces and leaves the owner with a solid profit after all expenses.
YouTube automation channels do not incorporate a YouTube influencer in the content like the videos by many other successful channels, such as Mr. Beast
videos. Instead, these are faceless YouTube channels that rely heavily on stock footage or animations with voiceovers.
Should you start a YouTube automation channel? The pros and cons
Is a YouTube automation channel right for you? Here are some of the main pros and cons of the business model to help you decide.
Passive income
Passive income is the ability to make money without having to be actively involved in the operations that generate the cash. You outsource all aspects of your YouTube automation channel to your team, so the money you make is passive income. Most business models, like a social media marketing agency
, do not generate passive income. Passive income is a major advantage of a YouTube automation business, as it allows you to engage in the things you enjoy instead of working.
Not constrained by channel creator
Unlike traditional YouTube influencer channels that rely on the availability of a single person, the content output of a YouTube automation channel is unconstrained. For example, Mr. Beast needs to be involved and available for every video his channel produces, resulting in around just two videos per month to be published, while a YouTube automation channel can publish content at a much faster rate because it's not dependent on the creator.
Multiple income streams
With a YouTube automation channel, you aren’t limited to just a single source of income for your channel, like ad revenue. There are many ways you could potentially monetize a YouTube automation channel, which we’ll discuss in more depth later in the article.
Establishing a successful channel takes time
According to HubSpot, it takes an average of 22 months for a YouTube channel to reach just 1,000 subscribers. Well, if you want to make a decent income with your YouTube channel, you’ll need closer to 100,000 subscribers at least! Although YouTube automation channel growth rates vary dramatically, expect to spend around two years publishing consistent, high-quality content before the channel performs well.
Need capital to invest
Although you can start a YouTube channel for free by making your own content, your channel won’t be “automated” until you can hire out a team to handle the work for you. According to YouTube automation expert Joey Gaule, you can get simple videos made for around $30 to $50 if just using stock footage and voice overs. However, if you want to develop high-quality videos that incorporate animation, you’ll be looking at closer to $100+ for each video.
YouTube is extremely competitive
There is a ridiculous amount of content already on YouTube. In fact, according to Zippia, approximately 500 hours of new videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute! No matter which niche you choose, there’s no avoiding at least some competition.
An alternative passive income online business
U can make use of a text to speech software to create your videos by inserting text and and it will generate human like speech within seconds
A YouTube automation channel can be a great investment for someone who is looking for passive income a few years down the road. However, the extended waiting period before you make money is not for everyone. If you're looking for a much faster way to generate passive income, a local lead generation business is an alternative online business model that could be a better fit. With a local lead generation business, you can start earning passive income in a matter of a few months.
Local lead generation involves ranking a website on the first page of Google for a local business niche and then selling the leads the website generates to a local business for hundreds to thousands of dollars each month. Learn more about starting a local lead generation business here
.
4 Key metrics to know for a YouTube automation channel
RPM
RPM, or revenue-per-mille, is a metric that tells you how much you’ve earned on average per 1,000 video views.
CPM
Watch time
CTR
What aspects of a YouTube automation channel do you need to outsource?
Research and optimization
If you want your faceless YouTube channel to be a highly successful money making machine, you’ll need someone to do the necessary research to find video ideas and optimize the title and description of the video for YouTubes algorithm. A YouTube SEO expert will use the right keywords so that the most people possible can find your video content through YouTube search.
Script writing
A good script writer may be the most important hire for your automation channel. The script writer finds interesting points to keep the audience engaged throughout the video and really sets the tone of your videos. A professional script writer knows how best to present information to the audience to make sure they keep watching the video as long as possible and, therefore, plays a major role in your channel's watch time. Plus, if you hire a voice actor, you need to tell them exactly what to say in the video.
Voice over
Ever notice how some voices are able to demand your attention more than others? That’s the power a good voice over actor can have on your YouTube content. For channels that don’t use YouTube influencers in the video content, a high-quality voice over actor is an essential component to creating content that maintains attention.
Video editing
Obviously, if you want to make videos but automate your role as a YouTube creator, you’ll need someone with access to top-notch software and editing skills to handle your video editing. A good video editor finds the right clips and puts them together in a meaningful way to provide proper visual context.
Thumbnail
You won’t grow your channel unless you get YouTube viewers to choose your videos over the millions of other options available. That’s why having someone on your team who understands YouTube marketing trends with the skills to create captivating thumbnails is crucial to the success of your channel. The thumbnail is the first visual information people see before deciding whether they should watch your video, so it needs to grab their attention and coerce them into clicking the video.
Channel management
Aside from automating the content creation aspect of your YouTube channel, you can also outsource the actual management of the channel if you want to make it completely autonomous. A YouTube channel manager manages your channel from within the YouTube studio, scheduling videos and keeping track of the YouTube analytics to suggest content adjustments to the team when applicable.
5 Steps to set up a cash cow YouTube automation channel
1. Select a YouTube niche
The first step in starting your YouTube automation channel is deciding which YouTube niche you want to create content in. Not all niches are equal. Some niches are substantially more competitive than others, and those are usually the niches with the highest RPM payouts as well. High value niches like “personal finance” or “how to make money online” are one's advertisers will pay a lot to run YouTube ads in, so channel owners benefit from larger paychecks if monetizing through the YouTube Partner Program.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed in those niches, it just means it will be harder. You can certainly find a micro niche or a unique angle for your content that sticks to establish your space within the niche. Check out this comprehensive list of YouTube automation niches with long-term profit potential
.
2. Create a branded YouTube account
With just a personal Google account, you’re able to like videos and subscribe to channels on YouTube. However, if you want to create your own channel and publish content for the public, you need to create a YouTube channel. You have the option of creating a personal YouTube account, or a branded account for a business. For a YouTube automation channel, you’ll want to set up a branded YouTube account because it allows multiple users to access and manage the account. Also, a branded YouTube channel keeps your personal information private. Here’s how to create a branded YouTube account.

1. Go to YouTube

• Click “Sign in” in the upper right corner if you aren’t already logged into a Google account. If you’re already signed into a Google account, click on the account icon and choose “Switch account”, then “Add account”.
• Select “Create account” and choose for “My work or business”. Then, complete the basic info for your new automation channel to set up your branded YouTube account.
• Once the channel is set up, you can add other channel managers

1. if you wish.

📷
Once your channel is set up, you'll need to add channel art like a branded logo and banner to show your audience that your channel is legit. You can create these yourself with free tools like Canva
, or outsource it to a professional like you'll do with most of your channel tasks.
3. Build a high-quality automation team
You may have to do much of the work yourself in the beginning if you’re trying to start a faceless YouTube channel on a small budget. However, if your goal is a YouTube automation channel, you’ll eventually need to put together a team to create your videos and manage the channel. Fortunately, there are many available freelancer websites you can use to hire high-quality and affordable remote workers for your business. Some of the best freelancer websites to hire talent for your YouTube automation business include:
4. Use tools to automate processes
In order for your team to work together efficiently, you need to put the necessary structure and processes in place. In 2023, modern teams can leverage a variety of workflow management tools like Asana
, Trello**, or** Clockify
. These tools enable your YouTube automation channel to effectively assign work, track project hours and progress, and organize a content schedule.
Beyond workflow management tools, you should also use at least one YouTube automation tool to improve your business operations. The two best YouTube automation tools are Tube Buddy
and VIDIQ
, both of which offer a variety of free and paid tools to help grow your YouTube channel by automating data analysis, research, video editing, and video optimization.
5. Monetize your channel
Once your YouTube automation channel starts to attract a decent amount of YouTube views and subscribers, it’s time to monetize your YouTube business. The standard method for YouTube automation channels to monetize is by letting YouTube ads run on your content through the YouTube Partner Program. Requirements for a channel to be eligible for the YouTube Partner Program include:

• Over 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months
• At least 1,000 subscribers
• Live in a country where the YouTube Partner Program is available
• Have a linked AdSense account
• Adhere to all YouTube monetization policies
• Free of active community guideline strikes

However, the YouTube Partner program isn’t the only way you can monetize your YouTube Automation channel.
8 Alternative ways to monetize a YouTube automation channel

1. Super chats - For channels that live stream their videos, a super chat is when a viewer pays to have their live chat message pinned. Super chat amounts range from $1 up to $500!
2. Print on demand - With a print on demand service like Printful

or Printify

• , you can create branded merchandise with your channel logo and custom designs to sell to your audience.
• Brand deals/sponsorships - Brand deals and sponsorships can be an extremely lucrative aspect of a YouTube monetization strategy. According to Thought Leaders, YouTube sponsors pay between $0.01 and $0.10 per video view.
• Selling digital products - Digital products like eBooks and online courses can be very profitable with minimal hassle. You can sell unlimited copies because there are no physical limits and you don't have to deal with packaging and shipping.
• Offering services - You can use your automation channel to promote the consulting or coaching services of your business.
• Affiliate marketing
• - Many successful YouTube creators incorporate affiliate marketing into their YouTube monetization strategy. YouTube automation affiliate marketing is referencing the brand's products in your content to get your audience to use your custom affiliate link to interact with or buy from the brand.
• CPA marketing - CPA marketing and affiliate marketing are very similar. With CPA marketing, you get paid for a broader range of actions that your channel drives for the brands you work with.
• Exclusive memberships - With membership platforms like Patreon

1. or OnlyFans, you can offer your audience access to exclusive channel content in exchange for a recurring subscription fee.

YouTube automation mistakes to avoid
Reuploading
Some people are misled that YouTube automation is just taking already published content and reuploading it on your own channel without any real work. Unfortunately, reuploading another creator’s content may work on other social media platforms like TikTok, but on YouTube, you’re likely to receive a copyright strike.
Using copyright music
If you use copyright music in your YouTube automation videos, YouTube will flag your video so it can’t be monetized when you upload it. Therefore, you are not able to earn from the YouTube Partner Program when using copyright music in your video. Fortunately, there is tons of royalty free music available on the internet that you can use in your videos, but it just won’t be any mainstream