Long story short : My boyfriend before we got into a relationship had asked my roommate out for a date, she accepted but on the day of the date she ghosted cuz she felt weird abt the hype. She never told him the reason. He moved on we(him and I) became really good friends and I fell in love wrote an anonymous letter but he found out it was me. He said he isn’t ready to be in a relationship I respected his decision then this roommate opened up to me that she likes him too which is why she agreed to go on a date, but didn’t know how to face him after she didn’t turn up. So I took her to his house and set them up for a date that didn’t materialize but another day she herself asked him, they went for a coffee date. Later he told me that he had no interest on intention over her and that he’s over her and after few days proposed to me and we got into a relationship.
Btw she knew I wrote a letter too I myself told her on the day she confessed she had feelings for him.
Now it’s been more than 1 and a half year since we’re in a relationship but I can’t help but think that they would have made a better pair. That he would be better off with her. That I came in between them. That he should be with her. My boyfriend is really sweet he always keeps reassuring me that it’s me who he fell in love with which is why he’s with me. I just cannot be in peace with this.

Long story short : My boyfriend before we got into a relationship had asked my roommate out for a date, she accepted but on the day of the date she ghosted cuz she felt weird abt the hype. She never told him the reason. He moved on we(him and I) became really good friends and I fell in love wrote an anonymous letter but he found out it was me. He said he isn’t ready to be in a relationship I respected his decision then this roommate opened up to me that she likes him too which is why she agreed to go on a date, but didn’t know how to face him after she didn’t turn up. So I took her to his house and set them up for a date that didn’t materialize but another day she herself asked him, they went for a coffee date. Later he told me that he had no interest on intention over her and that he’s over her and after few days proposed to me and we got into a relationship.
Btw she knew I wrote a letter too I myself told her on the day she confessed she had feelings for him.
Now it’s been more than 1 and a half year since we’re in a relationship but I can’t help but think that they would have made a better pair. That he would be better off with her. That I came in between them. That he should be with her. My boyfriend is really sweet he always keeps reassuring me that it’s me who he fell in love with which is why he’s with me. I just cannot be in peace with this.

This happened a while ago, but I’d love y’all’s feedback. I (18m) and my girlfriend (20f) went to visit a friend of ours from HS. Penny (22f) went to school a few states away in their capital and was staying for a summer term. She had a break before it began, no money to go anywhere, no friends left in town and wanted us to drive out to keep her company. We saved up some money, borrowed a car and drove 10 1/2 hours to get there. She was all excited to see us and said that she was taking us to a show that night at a club for driving all the way there. She said that we’d go dancing, so we brought one casual outfit to dance in, but she said it’d be fine for going to a show. She then told us that she couldn’t afford to feed us at all, so we were going to her grocery store to buy our food. She took us to the fanciest and most expensive food store that I have ever been in, even to this day. We got what we could afford and returned home kinda worn out by then, but she insisted we had to go to this show to that night. So she took us- and made us pay for the tickets ourselves. Apparently she thought that taking someone to a show was reserving tickets for them to pay for and Physically Taking Them To The Show. We were quite tired by the time the show ended kind of late that night and we had fun, but looked forward to bed. When we finally got home, she pulled out a big bottle of rum and magazines that she’d bought at the store and told us that we were going to make an anonymous threat letter to our old boss at a big box store we’d all worked at. She poured herself a drink and got to work looking for letters as we tried to stay awake. We weren’t offered any rum, or even water to drink while she got drunk over the TWO HOURS she spent threatening old Mr Carter. When she was finally done, Penny announced that we were all going to bed- and that her house rules were that me and my girlfriend were forbidden from having sex in her home. She went on and said she’d be able to hear it, that somehow she would be able to tell and that wasn’t something that grownups did - she simply wouldn’t stand for it and she would throw us out right away. With that she marched off to bed. We were both pretty shocked and I was just mad, not because we couldn’t sleep together but because she was ordering us around and would throw us out in the middle of the night. Mostly we were both offended because we weren’t the kind of people who would be tacky enough to obviously and intentionally have sex in a small apartment when we weren’t by ourselves.
Well, the rest of the time we had fun, believe it or not. I guess I’d forgotten how bossy Penny was, and Sam (my gf) was always deferential to her and she fell back in to that pretty fast, although it wasn’t sitting too well with her anymore and I was glad about that. This brings us to the end of the trip and our falling out: Sam and I were running out of money. We’d gone to a bunch of places, eating and drinking and shopping and had been pretty open and loud about our shrinking bankroll. We had enough for the gas to go home and an emergency fund which we weren’t going to use because we were responsible and realistic with money. Beyond that we had maybe $$25 for food or whatever on our way home. So it came as a shock when Sam came and told me on our last morning there that we were going out to dinner that night. Penny had told Sam that it was was customary for guests to treat their hosts for all their hospitality and either give them an expensive gift to complement their decor or treat them to a nice meal. Since she was renting, we were taking her out- and she had made the reservation weeks ago. I had never heard of this, but since my parents had no friends and hers didn’t entertain much, we honestly couldn’t say. I resented it from the beginning, because probably more than once a day, Penny had said this this smartass comment about how we should be really happy/thankful about her letting us stay at her place for free instead of having to pay for a hotel. Only, she wasn’t kidding, she meant it. As dinner approached, we realized that we’d have to blow all our money and probably a fair chunk of the emergency fund as well. We were waiting in our club clothes when Penny came out dressed up fancier than I had ever seen her except for senior prom. We both were immediately alarmed and wanted to know exactly where we were going. She said that it was just really the only nice place in town that the kids went to for nice dates, not that it was fancy. Sam asked about her dress and Penny said she just felt like looking nice for a change. Since she was a card carrying tomboy, Sam was sure we were under dressed. We both worked at upscale department stores and had killer wardrobes, so her not telling us that we were going to need a dress outfit was bullshit. On the way, Penny got more and more excited on the way there, telling us about how her friends had all been there and that she hadn’t because she couldn’t afford it. Alarm bells were now ringing in my ears and I was just about to say we shouldn’t go when she said that we’d arrived. She darted into the fanciest French restaurant in that state’s capital! Sam and I looked like Walmart wannabes while Penny flounced up and asked for her reservation. The walls were hung with silk, the chairs were gold leafed, and the prices were . . . I don’t know how to explain it. The menu looked normal on the left side that listed/described the extravagant food, but when I looked at what everything cost? It looked like a price list for diamond rings. Sam and I were stared at each other and quietly began discussing our options. I wanted to leave, just tell Penny that we couldn’t afford it either and that we’d take her somewhere else. Sam would not have that- she said that we’d be fine, spend the emergency money and move on. Penny had to have heard us saying all this, she had put down her menu and was looking at us when we looked up. Sam asked her what she was going to have, since we had realized that our options were based off of what whatever was leftover from her dinner. Surf and turf she said with a smile. The most expensive thing on the menu. Sam insisted that Penny get what she wanted for her dream meal; I insisted that Sam eat a meal, so she got the cheapest sandwich they had. I had a small side salad, Literally the cheapest thing they had. We had just enough for the bill and a miserable tip, which I still feel bad about.
I have probably never been so mad about a person doing something that they knew was wrong and did it anyway because they knew that they would get away with. I was done. That was it for me and Penny. I’m not able to hide my feelings about people who behave like this and she knew that I was angry. She felt that she had every right to be taken out to dinner and get whatever she wanted (I forgot to add that she purposely got the most expensive meal that was meant for 2 so she’d have food for days) and that I was being a bad guest for making her feel uncomfortable about it. She got all snarky about it towards me afterwards- like I cared- but it made trouble for Sam. It also probably made me and Sam end our 4 year relationship, too, or at least it started it. Which was a shame, really, but maybe for the best.
I still think that since she didn’t do anything for us- LITERALLY NOTHING- that we didn’t owe her shit. If she had fed us, at least once, given us something to drink, besides tap water, paid for our show tix, bought us drinks when we were out, Anything besides letting us sleep on her floor, which she kept making such a big deal about- saving us the price of a hotel. Well, we wouldn’t have needed a hotel if she hadn’t been so lonely and begged us to drive 21 hours and spend tons of money to amuse her. Yes we enjoyed it, but we would have had fun by ourselves at home with our friends, without repercussions for borrowing a car and would have had all that money to spend on things at home.

I got a letter today, my abuser applied for legal aid. They're also claiming I abused them. I'm trying to be vague in case one of their friends sees this, my luck.
I did a court application months ago, to try and keep them away from me; and to reduce contact with myself, as we have children. I just want to be left alone to parent our kids, not deal with constant abuse and our kids being weapons or being told I'm abusive if I won't speak to them (grey/yellow rock) and do as they say.
Police have said to keep reporting so I can get a non molestation order (restraining), and I have been. It's just not straightforward I guess.
I know it's to scare me, it's not true. I know I've had "reactive abuse" before (not proud), where they have intentionally antagonised until I pushed back.
I know it's lies and I shouldn't be worried. I know I reported them to police, never the other way around. Police were useless, "it's their word against yours", "they're not being nice but they've not threatened to kill you."
That creepy baby deer program hits it on the head, except think way more worse decisions where I went back over and over and over again; and my abuser isn't stupid, they're controlled. They'll claim they're lonely, that it's best for me to go back, that I'm destroying a family by leaving, that I'm sick and I need them, that they're depressed. I always went back, until they scared me enough I ran.
I know it's all fictional, they warned me they would do this if I tried to fight them.. now I am braving it.. I have to for our kids.. I'm scared though.
Has anyone else gone through this?
How do you cope, and how do you keep yourself from spiralling?
I would go into more detail but I want to try and remain as anon as I can.

“If the Browns were pioneers in their errand into a wilderness, they were also pioneers of forging friendly relations with people of different races. Owen’s childhood friendship with the likable African native Sam, along with his Christian Abolitionism, had rid him of racial prejudice. He forbade his family to discriminate against people of color.”(Reynolds 30)
“Unlike earlier Christian settlers from Columbus through Cortés to William Bradford, the Browns did not let feelings of so-called ethnic superiority poison their view of the natives. For them Indians were not savage “others” to be conquered but rather fellow humans to he respected.” (Reynolds 31)
“The Browns were unusual not only among previous explorers but even among their fellow whites in Hudson. Owen would later explain that his kindly attitude toward the natives was not generally shared: “When we came to Ohio the Indians were more numerous than the white People but were very friendly and I beleave were a benifet rather than injery there [were] some Persons that seamed disposed to quarel with the Indians, but I never had.” (Reynolds 31)
“Owen Brown was a rare instance of a white American completed to Christianity but at the same intent on not forcing his religion or customs on the Indians.” To the contrary, he had a mutually beneficial relationship with them. He exchanged meal and bread for the turkey, venison, and fish they brought him.” (Reynolds 31)
“Sensitivity to the experience of blacks was ever -present and instinctive with him. He not only taught his children to be kind to blacks; he urged them to be close friends with them and to be open to living with them." (Reynolds 56)
"In an 1834 letter to his brother Frederick he (John Brown), described two plans he had to help African Americans. One was to adopt "at least one negro boy or youth" and "bring him up as we do our own —viz., give him a good English education, learn him what we can about the history of the world, and above all try to teach him the fear of God." (Reynolds 56).
"On January 18, 1837, John Brown addressed a crow of Abolitionists and free blacks in Cleveland in support of a petition to the state legislature to repeal the black laws." (Reynolds 61)
"Brown took action not only against legal discrimination but also against discrimination on a more personal level. In the summer of 1836, just after the Brown family had moved to Hudson, the Western Reserve got what was perhaps its first exposure to a totally nonracist white person (even the abolitionists in the Reserve were known to accept the prevailing racial stereotypes of the era). (Reynolds 61).
Citations Reynolds, David S. John Brown Abolitionist: the Man Who Killed Slavery, And Seeded Civil Rights. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/nci/BA73848620

As the $1.2 billion construction innovation district planned south of the Gateway Arch moves closer to construction, the project's developer said it has met city requirements for financing of its $200 million first phase.
The developer, St. Louis-based Good Developments Group, has also added a local partner in the joint venture pursuing the Gateway South project: Robert Millstone, president of the Millstone Cos., a real estate and private equity investment firm, and the former CEO of the construction company now known as Millstone Weber.
The project’s initial phase would create a new construction-focused manufacturing site centered around the long-vacant and historic Crunden-Martin factory complex at 760 S. Second St. that spans South Second Street and takes up more than a full city block. The idea is to transform the area into an incubator for ideas for producing modular construction parts to streamline the building process and make housing and other projects more affordable.
In order to move forward, talks between the developers and the possible manufacturing tenants will have to move from letters of intent to signed deals, a process that is currently underway, Millstone said. The firm is not yet revealing details of any of the prospective tenants. Developers have previously said that two companies could locate manufacturing operations there, including a San Francisco-based firm.
An international student competition called the Gateway Decathlon will take place in October 2025 at the site for university teams from around the world to design possible modular housing styles at a riverfront site next to Crunden-Martin, the project team announced in November.
Future phases of a 10-year plan, as originally announced, could add an apartment building and a potential entertainment district to the riverfront district that runs south to Soulard. The properties involved are primarily industrial buildings and sites near the Arch and Busch Stadium that development officials consider underutilized compared to their location and potential.

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porch, port, portion, portrait, portray, pose, position, positive, possess, possession, possibility, possible, possibly, post, pot, potato, potential, potentially, pound, pour, poverty, powder, power, powerful, practical, practice, prayer, preach, precisely, predict, prediction, prefer, preference, pregnancy, pregnant, preparation, prepare, prescription, presence, present, presentation, preserve, president, presidential, press, pressure, pretend, pretty, prevent, previous, previously, price, pride, priest, primarily, primary, prime, principal, principle, print, prior, priority, prison, prisoner, privacy, private, probably, problem, procedure, proceed, process, processing, processor, proclaim, produce, producer, product, production, profession, professional, professor, profile, profit, program, progress, progressive, project, prominent, promise, promote, prompt, proof, proper, properly, property, proportion, proposal, propose, prosecutor, prospect, protect, protection, protein, protest, proud, prove, provide, provider, province, provision, psychological, psychology, public, publication, publicity, publish, publisher, pull, punishment, purchase, pure, purpose, pursue, push, put, qualify, quality, quarter, quarterback, quarterly, queen, quest, question, quick, quickly, quiet, quietly, quit, quite, quote, race, racial, radiation, radical, radio, rail, rain, raise, range, rank, rapid, rapidly, rare, rarely, rate, rather, rating, ratio, raw, reach, react, reaction, reader, reading, ready, real, reality, realize, really, reason, reasonable, recall, receive, recent, recently, reception, recipe, recipient, recognition, recognize, recommend, recommendation, record, recording, recover, recovery, recruit, red, reduce, reduction, refer, reference, reflect, reflection, reform, refugee, refuse, regard, regarding, regardless, regime, region, regional, register, regular, regularly, regulate, regulation, regulator, reinforce, reject, relate, relation, relationship, relative, relatively, relax, release, relevant, relief, religion, religious, rely, remain, remaining, remarkable, remember, remind, remote, remove, repeat, repeatedly, replace, replacement, reply, report, reporter, represent, representation, representative, Republican, reputation, request, require, requirement, research, researcher, resemble, reservation, resident, residential, resign, resist, resistance, resolution, resolve, resort, resource, respect, respond, response, responsibility, responsible, rest, restaurant, restore, restriction, result, retain, retire, retirement, return, reveal, revenue, review, revolution, rhythm, rice, rich, rid, ride, rifle, right, ring, rise, risk, river, road, rock, role, roll, romantic, roof, room, root, rope, rose, rough, roughly, round, route, routine, row, rub, rubber, rude, ruin, rule, run, running, rural, rush, Russian, sacred, sad, safe, safety, sake, salad, salary, sale, sales, salt, same, sample, sanction, sand, satellite, satisfaction, satisfied, satisfy, sauce, save, saving, say, scale, scandal, scare, scatter, scenario, scene, schedule, scheme, scholar, scholarship, school, science, scientific, scientist, scope, score, scream, screen, script, sea, search, season, seat, second, secondary, secret, secretary, section, sector, secure, security, see, seed, seek, seem, segment, seize, select, selection, self, sell, Senate, senator, send, senior, sense, sensitive, sentence, separate, sequence, series, serious, seriously, servant, serve, service, session, set, setting, settle, settlement, seven, several, severe, sex, sexual, shade, shadow, shake, shall, shallow, shape, share, sharp, she, sheet, shelf, shell, shelter, shift, shine, ship, shirt, shock, shoe, shoot, shooting, shop, shopping, short, shortly, shot, should, shoulder, shout, show, shower, shrug, shut, shy, sibling, sick, side, sigh, sight, sign, signal, significant, significantly, silence, silent, silver, similar, similarly, simple, simply, sin, since, sing, singer, single, sink, sir, sister, sit, site, situation, six, size, ski, skill, skin, skirt, sky, slave, sleep, slice, slide, slight, slightly, slip, slow, slowly, small, smart, smell, smile, smoke, smooth, snap, snow, so, so-called, soccer, social, society, soft, software, soil, solar, soldier, sole, solid, solution, solve, some, somebody, somehow, someone, something, sometimes, somewhat, somewhere, son, song, soon, sophisticated, sorry, sort, soul, sound, soup, source, south, southern, Soviet, space, Spanish, speak, speaker, special, specialist, species, specific, specifically, specify, speech, speed, spend, spending, spin, spirit, spiritual, split, spoil, sponsor, sport, spot, spray, spread, spring, square, squeeze, stability, stable, staff, stage, stain, stair, stake, stand, standard, standing, star, stare, start, state, statement, station, statistical, status, stay, steady, steal, steel, steep, stem, step, stick, still, stimulate, stimulus, stir, stock, stomach, stone, stop, storage, store, storm, story, straight, strange, stranger, strategic, strategy, stream, street, strength, strengthen, stress, stretch, strike, string, strip, stroke, strong, strongly, structural, structure, struggle, student, studio, study, stuff, stupid, style, subject, submit, subsequent, substance, substantial, substitute, succeed, success, successful, successfully, such, sudden, suddenly, sue, suffer, sufficient, sugar, suggest, suggestion, suicide, suit, summer, summit, sun, super, supply, support, supporter, suppose, supposed, Supreme, sure, surely, surface, surgery, surprise, surprised, surprising, surprisingly, surround, survey, survival, survive, survivor, suspect, sustain, swear, sweep, sweet, swim, swing, switch, symbol, symptom, system, table, tactic, tail, take, tale, talent, talk, tall, tank, tap, tape, target, task, taste, tax, taxi, tea, teach, teacher, teaching, team, tear, technical, technique, technology, teen, teenager, telephone, telescope, television, tell, temperature, temporary, ten, tend, tendency, tennis, tension, tent, term, terms, terrible, territory, terror, terrorist, test, testimony, testing, text, than, thank, thanks, that, the, theater, their, them, theme, themselves, then, theory, therapy, there, therefore, these, they, thick, thin, thing, think, thinking, third, thirty, this, those, though, thought, thousand, threat, threaten, three, throat, through, throughout, throw, thus, ticket, tie, tight, time, tiny, tip, tire, tissue, title, to, tobacco, today, toe, together, toilet, token, tolerate, tomato, tomorrow, tone, tongue, tonight, too, tool, tooth, top, topic, toss, total, totally, touch, tough, tour, tourist, tournament, toward, towards, tower, town, toy, trace, track, trade, tradition, traditional, traffic, tragedy, trail, train, training, transfer, transform, transformation, transition, translate, translation, transmission, transmit, transport, transportation, travel, treat, treatment, treaty, tree, tremendous, trend, trial, tribe, trick, trip, troop, trouble, truck, true, truly, trust, truth, try, tube, tunnel, turn, TV, twelve, twenty, twice, twin, two, type, typical, typically, ugly, ultimate, ultimately, unable, uncle, undergo, understand, understanding, unfortunately, uniform, union, unique, unit, United, universal, universe, university, unknown, unless, unlike, until, unusual, up, upon, upper, urban, urge, us, use, used, useful, user, usual, usually, utility, utilize, vacation, valley, valuable, value, variable, variation, variety, various, vary, vast, vegetable, vehicle, venture, version, versus, very, vessel, veteran, via, victim, victory, video, view, viewer, village, violate, violation, violence, violent, virtually, virtue, virus, visibility, visible, vision, visit, visitor, visual, vital, voice, volume, voluntary, volunteer, vote, voter, voting, wage, wait, wake, walk, wall, wander, want, war, warm, warn, warning, wash, waste, watch, water, wave, way, we, weak, weakness, wealth, wealthy, weapon, wear, weather, web, website, wedding, week, weekend, weekly, weigh, weight, welcome, welfare, well, west, western, wet, what, whatever, wheel, when, whenever, where, whereas, whether, which, while, whisper, white, who, whole, whom, whose, why, wide, widely, widespread, wife, wild, wildlife, will, willing, win, wind, window, wine, wing, winner, winter, wipe, wire, wisdom, wise, wish, with, withdraw, within, without, witness, woman, wonder, wonderful, wood, wooden, word, work, worker, working, workout, workplace, works, workshop, world, worried, worry, worth, would, wound, wrap, write, writer, writing, wrong, yard, yeah, year, yell, yellow, yes, yesterday, yet, yield, you, young, your, yours, yourself, youth, zone.

My fiancé (m27) and I (F25) got engaged in October of last year. Our wedding is August of this year. We have always planned on having a small wedding as we are paying for everything ourselves. We also want our wedding to be child free so everyone can relax for the day and because we have a lot of cousins and friends with kids so inviting everyone would increase the head count significantly.
We discussed who we wanted to marry us pretty early into planning and decided it would be nice if my aunt/godmother (f42) would do it, because she made me her maid of honor when I was younger because I was there with her and helped her through her through her cancer treatment. She was ecstatic when we asked her and said yes.
For context, I was very close with my aunt and grandparents on this side of the family growing up. We have drifted apart in recent years since me and my fiancé began dating and I moved out of my parents house at 18 with him. They wrote me letters openly expressing that they were unsupportive off my relationship when I moved out and stated that they “didn’t raise me to be like this” (they didn’t raise me) but we have moved past it in the past few years and started seeing them a bit more (usually once a year at Christmas.)
Anyways, after I sent the save the dates, ( my aunts was addressed to just her and my uncle and not their children since it is a child free event) my aunt texted me asking if her kids were invited. I responded “No, unfortunately, our wedding is going to be child free. I’m sorry!”
Immediately I got a call from my grandmother asking “why I’m doing this to our family.” I tell her our wedding is child free, my intention isn’t to hurt or target anyone. Basically tells me I need to stop being selfish and they won’t be able to come to my wedding because they won’t be able to find childcare. I told her I really hope they’ll be able to find childcare in the next 10 months because I would love for them to be there.
After I got off the phone with her, I texted my aunt apologizing for hurting her or the kids, explaining again that there are going to be no children at the event, and it had nothing to do with them in particular. I didn’t hear back.
I followed up with her 2 more times asking if she still was going to come to the wedding and marry us and I never heard back. I followed up a month later to let her know that because I never heard from her I found someone else to marry us. She called me a few hours later, but I wasn’t able to answer the phone. I sent a text saying we can talk on Saturday. I forgot to call her and she never reached out to me. We have not spoke at all since then.
I sent out my wedding invitations this week and my aunt RSVPed and declined their invitation. She also texted my mom and told her she isn’t coming to my wedding shower. I think it’s totally reasonable to have a child free wedding and to be selfish with who we invite. But maybe I’m missing something? Am I in the wrong for this?
UPDATE my grandparents have also declined

So as the SCP world grows larger, with ever more anomalies of all types found in all places and all times popping up, I've heard people question, how does the SCP foundation keep maintaining normalcy? Furthermore, why do they feel the need to at this point?
Well the real reason is of course a storytelling one. The "Masquerade" is a well worn trope. Magical worlds hidden behind a veil of secrecy within our own familiar world has a vast narrative utility, not the least of which that it gives the reader a sense that the fantastic world could be real, fantastic things being intentionally kept just out of sight, allowing them to more deeply immerse themselves into the narrative (I know there's kids out there who genuinely were disappointed when their Hogwarts letter didn't come).
But also, this trope was invented in a time where we didn't all have cameras in our pockets with the ability to instantly transmit anything we want to the whole world, which keeps progressively making the very idea of a hidden world ever more ridiculous. Frankly, it can feel like the only reason we still use that narrative device is because it's only been about a generation since society and culture changed in that way and we're still getting used to the idea and still in the process of trying to come up with new story telling devices that take it into account.
At this point, due to these changes in culture and technology, a lot of peoples suspension of disbelief is being stretched to the breaking point on the whole "Masquerade" thing, So I think we need a further explanation as to how and why one could be maintained in the contemporary world, lest we abandon it as a dead horse trope.
But before figuring out logical ways a masquerade could be maintained and why, the question I want to know is "How do the people of this world even know what 'normalcy' is?"
We know what normalcy is. It's just the world and it's laws of physics as they are. Gravity, electro magnetism, chemistry, etc. All studied, all replicable by the scientific method (if proper methods are being used). But in these other worlds, magic and the paranormal are baked into their laws of physics. So why don't they see those things as normal? How have they somehow coincidentally drawn a line in the sand that separates half of their universe physical laws onto one side called "paranormal", and the other half onto a side called "Normal", with the normal side somehow coincidentally lining up with our worlds laws of physics?
I think the answer to that could be the answer to the rest. And that answer is "Belief has power". The act of simply believing things has the ability to effect reality, generate energy, be used as a weapon, etc. It's normal for large and powerful governing entities having the desire to regulate dangerous and powerful things. In our world it's things like lethal weapons and nuclear energy, but in the SCP world "Belief" is the powerful and dangerous thing they need to regulate. The act of enforcing "Normalcy" is effectively recognizing that everyone is a reality bender on some level, and that their beliefs could be the equivalent of anywhere from a gun to a nuclear bomb. And so sets of beliefs have been devised by the powers that be, through trial and error, that when they are believed they don't result in the people who believe them developing unpredictable cataclysmic psychic/magical powers that could challenge those powers that be. And the version of "normalcy" they have invented, the set of ideas they brainwash the public into believing in order to minimize the growth of psychic powers within that population, happens to coincide with our realities laws of physics.
But maybe it's not all "Evil government wants to hoard all the power for themselves". Maybe there is an actual good reason to try and prevent widespread adoption of the power of "Belief". It's often shown that in the past, magic was more accepted, and in the modern world it's like magic is going away, and various explanations are given for this. But what if psychic energy is kind of like radioactive material? What if it's a matter of the SCP foundation trying to prevent a cataclysmic critical mass of psychic energy developing within the human noosphere? It was one thing when the human population was in the millions, but what has truly changed for humans in the last thousand years is that there is exponentially more of us by multiple orders of magnitude, but the earth is still the same size. The more humans are added to the noosphere, the more powerful it becomes, and there might be a certain threshold of humans in close proximity beyond which psychic criticality is reached, and the noosphere would essentially explode. So the options are either to genocide the population down to a level below criticality, or make sure most humans are implanted with beliefs that make them psychically inert.
This would also explain how the foundation can continuously maintain "Normalcy". They likely have the ability to track the noosphere, they might even have something like a digital heat map of the worlds psychic activity, such that if paranormal stuff happens in a certain area, and it causes people to start becoming more psychically active in that area, they will see that place start to light up on the map, and know they have to go in with some of that sweet sweet Eel juice, spraying it around until the psychic activity is brought back down to acceptable levels. In this scenario, they don't have to catch everybody who knows the truth, just enough to keep the noosphere a safe distance from reaching critical mass.

I was unemployed since 1.5 years now due to abrupt layoff from a SAAS company I was working on "X" Salary layoff wasn;t due to performance issue though, company has habit of laying off
I worked coupled of jobs for say 3 day and 1.5 months respectively in the unemployed tenure of 1.5 years I left then and there I did not liked toxic work culture and I back my decision till date as my mental peace is extremely important to me post abrupt layoff.
Was interviewed by Paypal last year 3 rounds just to be told that I am not from payments industry at end of 3rd round (wired)
Couple of weeks ago suddenly got call from Paypal recruiter for interviews - I raised about last ti e how it went
Again gave 3 more rounds of interview - this time selected but what they did was nothing less than rediculous

• BAse poay 15% lesser than last drawn (I am at all not happy about this one)
  
• Aggressive Variable (Hey I am in sales, but variable is variable)
  
• No negotiation on Base Pay
  
• Recruiter sent Letter Of Intent not offer LEtter with someones else's name !! Yes you rea that right
  

I wasn't hapopyw ith anyof this, I was only given 19 hours toa cceot this offer or offer lapses, I reluctantly accepted this offer for now, Not excited ,feeling cheated What next?

So I work for a school in California. I've been there now for 2½ years. This week, I put in a request for 7 hrs of my PTO, which is out of my 40 hours I have. The only time off was 12 hours out of 40 hours sick leave for a medical emergency when I had to leave after 2 hrs of working. After I put in the request for the 7 hours of PTO I received the approval email it was accompanied by a very stern and in my opinion threatening message that stated because of my attendance and the amount of absences the next request will result in the hours taken off my pay would be deducted accordingly and a letter of reprimand will be placed in my file. What I'm wondering is that even legal if I have the sick leave and PTO I know they can deduct the hours from me for not notifying them of my intention to use pto or not notifying them that I would be out sick but threatening to deduct my pay? While I have all those hours and my attendance has been exemplary, I even skipped family members' funerals and doctors/dental appointments to be at work. So my thinking is because of recent budget cuts many of my colleagues are being pink slipped luckily I was not but feel they might be looking for a reason to terminate me instead of going the pink slip route where I would be able to bid for an opening based on seniority or laid off allowing me to collect unemployment. Any and all assistance, advice and comment would be greatly appreciated. TY

Good morning.
TL;DR: I paid a contractor £1982.25 to handle property maintenance and gardening work on a rental property. The contractor repeatedly assured me that the work was complete or nearly complete, but property inspections and subsequent photo evidence contradicted these claims. Despite multiple excuses from the contractor, ranging from personal injuries to subcontractor issues, the work was never completed. After attempting various methods of communication without success, the contractor has become unresponsive. He has not finished the work, yet still holds my money, and I am now considering my options for recourse.
I have used a guy ("L") to do some garden works. Recommended by a work colleague he was personable and punctual when I used him for some gardening work when I had COVID. Since he told me that he did property maintenance and gardening and I was pleased with his work thus far, I booked him to do some work on my old house which I now rent out in Surrey; repainting some old water damage after a repair and replace an old brown wooden back door showing signs of wear and rot for a new uPVC one. He said yes and needed money for the work as the door was a large lump of the cost. As it was March 2023 I gladly paid him the whole sum (£1982.25) and on the 26th July he said that all the works had been done and just needed to finish the door but was having access issues with tenent but due to complete the works on the Saturday. All good. I asked him about the £300 of gardening, he said he would come over in August. Fine.
L then said that he was having mechanical issues with his van and could not attend the gardening. Me, being understanding, said get the van fixed and let's sort another date when he's back on the road. The property inspection report done by the estate agent came through on 23rd August and my wife noticed that in the photos the back door had not been completed. In fact, there was no evidence of any of the work having been done. I was suspicious that the works had not in fact been done.
I asked my property management company and they suggested that it was unlikely to show his work in the photos, since the inspection happened in June/early July time because the works were done after the date of the property report. It was possible, they suggested, that the report was sent was after the works had been completed but the inspection was done before that was why the photos didn't match what I was being told. Probably.
The property management company / estate agent I pay for my fully managed property confirmed this might have been the case but I was still suspicious myself and unsure. I attempted to reach out to him using WhatsApp on the 22nd January, our usual line of communication, but no response.
I learnt on 4th February from the cleaner at work who knows him and recommended him in the first place that he had been caught cheating on his girlfriend on Christmas day and was attacked by her with a broken bottle and now has an arm injury preventing him from working again. It was all in the news. There is an article in the newspaper about the event. She also told me that he had a new phone number which she gave me. She also told me that he had also been drinking heavily since his mother had been diagnosed with cancer last year and she was worried the he had turned into "a bit of a deadbeat". I was concerned so messaged him on both numbers I now had.
He responded on the same day on the new number only, saying that he had been embarrassed to tell me that he had not completed.
He said he was sorry and could we book in the work to get done. I replied that, as long as the work gets done on my rented house which is my main concern (as someone else is living there and paying for the house to be kept in good order), we can then talk about the £300 of gardening afterwards but I also asked for photos of the work when it was finally completed.
On 5th February we agreed for him to complete the work on the 14th February.
My cleaner friend, now mortified with him too, called him and he assured her that all the work had been done. I messaged him the following week to say I was thrilled and asked for the photos. Of course I trusted but wanted to verify for myself.
I asked for the photos on the 19th February of the works that had taken place; he replied that he had gotten sepsis and had been in hospital and just got home and he had just called "the guy" he sent out to do the works and he had not done it and he was "fuming". That he had "seized trading" [sic] but wanted to make sure "this was all sorted" and "all I can do is apologise" and hope that I would understand and had booked in Saturday to give him recovery time, and then told me Tuesday, which then became the following Saturday.
He assured me that "his guy" was now rebooked the Sunday 25th February 12pm and he would personally make sure it was done. I said this would have to be the last time as I need the work done and he had now had enough time and chances and was not telling me every time he had failed to get the work done. I asked for the photos on the 26th. He replied that the guy he sent to do the works didn't show up and "he was fuming" and was going to personally oversee that the work was done. He was now appearing to me to be simply more than just unlucky. He assured me that the Sunday he would get the work done. This would be 4th March.
I chased for photos 4th March. No response. I chased on 6th March via WhatsApp. No response. The next property inspection report was sent to me on the 8th March it is clear that there has been no works done in the photos and I had reason to believe that he has not completed any of the work and still has my money. In fact, I suspect that he has no intention of doing the work at all and simply keeping the money.
On the 14th March I asked for his contact details to write to him formally within 7 days. No response.
On March 20th I looked up his email which had the original quote on it and wrote him a letter and sent that, with his original quote asking for my money back plus 8% per annum calculated to 29th March 2024 for £2140.83 for additional inconvenience and expenses I have incurred in chasing for my money back for a year now. I also sent a hard copy of the letter to his address by recorded post (which got signed for) asking for the same and needed a response by 2nd April.
No response.
I don't know what to do now. I hear from my cleaner friend that he's moved house and ghosted everyone. I checked his invoice, he is not a LTD. He's in the wind. He's not responding to letters or emails or WhatsApps and he has around £2000 of my money and simply kept it.
I've tried renegotiating the works multiple times over the last year, I've tried contacting him and now he's just stopped replying. I think I've been reasonable and tried my hardest to make it work out and keep in touch but I just want my money back.
Have I lost my money or is there anything else I can do now? What are my next steps?

I was asked by a very good friend to write a letter of support vouching for her marriage to another woman whos in the process of getting her greencard/citizenship. Theyve both known each other since they were kids. Finally in 2016 they got legally married. Problem is... they arent gay, and i and them know that, because we talked about it in the past. My friend even sent me a text saying to word it so it doesnt look fake. Now i know its unethical, but i genuinely know them both to be otherwise very good people and her spouse wants a better life here.
I was only asked to write that i know them from X year to X year, and that i attended their wedding (which i did), and that they are kind hardworking people and then sign it and put my contact info.
Legal ethics aside, is there a legal risk for me to write a letter of support simply stating and affirming those simple facts? Because those facts themselves are very true. The intent behind them is another matter, but im not testifying to their sexual orientation or wether i think the intent behind the marriage is legitimate. Im only stating facts
I already made it clear that If i get asked by an immigration officer, if i believe the intent behind the marriage is sincere, i wont lie, and ill tell the truth that i dont believe its a sincere relationship. I want to help her have a better life here within reason but i wont put myself at risk. But if i admit that under questioning, can the immigration office then reason that i wrote the letter stating the simple facts, but with an intent to decieve, because i knew the truth to be different?
Would an immigration officer ask me if i think the marriage is a sham?
Also, how likely is the immigration office to pull text message records between me and my friend (who is getting married to the immigrant), and see where she casually told me to not make it look fake?
My friend only said dont make the letter "look" fake, not admitting that the marriage itself is fake. Is that ok then?
What sort of penalties can be expected in the worst case for me? I'd appreciated some answers to each of these questions because i want to be extra cautious here

This is what I think will happen and what I would like to happen in Winds of Winter.
North:
Stannis wins, but loses almost all his forces and in Winterfell there are no resources left, so he is forced to return to the wall leaving a few men in Winterfell. Ramsey had sent the false pink letter to provoke Jon, because Stannis used Theon and the false Arya as bait, making Ramsey go out with a few men to capture them (against the orders of his father Roose). Ramsey wanted to provoke Jon to make him leave Castle Black (knowing that Jon was his Lord Commander) and thus turn the Night's Watch against him. Ramsey eventually captures Theon and the fake Arya, but on his way back he finds the castle taken by Stannis, so he flees to Dreadfort. Jon is dead, and Selysse, upon learning of the pink letter, proposes to Melissandre to burn Shireen in order to help Stannis, and she accepts. By burning Shireen, Jon is resurrected. A second letter arrives, and this one says that Stannis has taken Winterfell but that he must return to consolidate the supply line (since Winterfell has no supplies to feed the survivors of his army). Jon, upon learning what has happened, with the help of the wildlings and those still loyal to him in the guard, imprisons Selysse along with all those who were part of his murder.
However, Jon decides to let Melissandre escape knowing that Stannis would kill her for what she did, and he does so because as much as it disgusts him that she burned Shireen, there is a power in her or her Red God or whatever that may be necessary for the war against the Others. Stannis returns and learns what has happened from Jon's words (I think this would be a very good moment to see Stannis in a moment of great vulnerability, to see a man like him break). Stannis decides to execute Selysse, and Jon executes all those responsible for his murder. Jon proposes to Stannis to join him this time as Jon Stark (leaving everything related to the Watch, including the Hardhome issue) to save Arya along with the help of the wildlings. Stannis accepts, knowing that the girl Ramsey has is not really Arya, omitting the truth out of interest. This time the North joins Stannis' cause for Jon Stark, and they march to Dreadfort. The battle of the bastards occurs, Jon, Stannis and Mance Ryder win handsomely saving Theon and Jeyne Poole (Jon realizing it wasn't Arya). This is when the wall is destroyed or the Others have somehow gotten through (as by Eastwatch freezing the sea itself). Jon realizes that he abandoned his guard and his brothers for nothing. (At this point the Iron bank funding comes to Stannis, but I doubt very much that it would do much good. Maybe for a large fleet in White Harbor, which would serve to evacuate the north to the free cities).

South:
Aegon conquers the Stormlands and marries Arianne Martell. The attempted coup of the Sand Snakes at King's Landing fails (Ser Robert Strong, the Mountain, protects Cersei and Tommen by killing the Sand Snakes). Dorne, the Stormlands and the golden company led by Aegon and Jon Connington invade Highgarden. Cersei asks Littlefinger for help in the Vale, and he accepts, but meanwhile Littlefinger agrees to an alliance with Aegon and swears allegiance to him if he makes him Warden of the East and Warden of the North through Sansa Stark, thus him marrying her (Robert Arryn dies in an “accident”). Aegon accepts because he knows about Stannis' advance in the North. Cersei opens the gates to the army of the Vale, and it sacks King's landing. Cersei talks to the pyromancer and tells him to burn the whole city while she plans to flee with Tommen. He obeys and begins the process. Then Arya (who has already had her development in Braavos) shows up and in some spectacular way from what she has learned in the Faceless Men kills the Mountain, and then Arya goes after Cersei and Tommen. Cersei begs Arya to spare Tommen's life, to kill her but not to kill Tommen. Arya then slowly kills Tommen in front of Cersei, and then kills her. The whole city starts to burn from the valyrian fire, but Arya escapes (She heard Cersei's orders she gave to the pyromancer being with another face, but she doesn't bother to stop him, she is totally indifferent about it). King's Landing ends up completely in ruins, exploding and burning everything and everyone who fails to escape. Aegon is left without capital and without an iron throne (Varys is also saved thanks to the secret passages).
Euron conquers Casterly Rock with the intention of plundering the gold and finds that there is nothing. In addition, Lady Stoneheart (Catelyn) kills Jaime in front of Brienne (who accepts because she swore to obey Catelyn, even knowing that Jaime had changed and still loving him, she does it out of honor). Catelyn leading the brotherhood without a banner kills and hunts down all the Freys, including Walder Frey, causing the riverlands to end in anarchy. Catelyn, for the intel she got from Jaime, goes to the westerlands to save Jeyne Westerling (Robb's Wife) in The Crag and Edmure on Casterly Rock (along the way she meets Brynden, the Blackfish). Once Catelyn saves Jeyne at The Craig she and her family tell her that they hid Robb's son in the riverlands, pretending that Jeyne had miscarried. She also learns that the Ironborn have captured Casterly Rock, where Edmure is. Catelyn is at the crossroads of going west to try to save her brother or going east to look for Robb's son.

Essos:
Barristan Selmy meets Jorah and Tyrion, and initially Barristan wants to kill Jorah for bypassing the exile but Tyrion intervenes and they focus more on finding Daenerys. The three go on an expedition in search of Daenerys (leaving the Unsullied and the Second Sons in charge of Meereen). Daenerys is trapped in the Dosh Khaleen, and Jorah, Tyrion and Barristan end up finding out somehow, so they plan to save her (Jorah knows the city will be deserted). After they are gone, Victarion and his fleet arrive in Meereen, and Moqorro sounds the horn after making sacrifices to R'hllor (thus avoiding his own death). Moqorro gains control over Viserion and Rhaegal. The Ironborn take over Meereen with the help of the dragons, and Victarion, not finding Daenerys, tells Moqorro that two dragons are enough and that they should return to Westeros. Moqorro objects, and then performs a ritual in his flames that makes him see where Daenerys is. Victarion, Moqorro and the Ironborn make an expedition to go after Daenerys to Vaes Dothrak.
The Dothrakis realize that there is an army heading towards Vaes Dothrak, so all the Khals go there to protect their holy city. Jorah, Tyrion and Barristan at first find the city completely deserted, but when the Khals arrive everything fills up and they must flee and hide. Then the Ironborn arrive, led by Victarion. The Dothrakis charge the Ironborn, and then Moqorro uses the dragons and the dragons burn them. In the midst of the chaos, Jorah, Tyrion and Barristan manage to reach Daenerys along with the other Khaleesis, but Drogon appears. Daenerys controls Drogon as best she can (he isn't under Morroqo's influence), and tells Jorah, Tyrion and Barristan to run away. Drogon then burns Dosh Khaleen along with all the Khaleesis. This is a catastrophe for all the Dothrakis, but then among the flames Daenerys appears. The Dothrakis consider this a prophecy, so all the khals prostrate themselves before her and join her army. Moqorro, Victarion and Daenerys meet, and then Moqorro gives the horn to Daenerys. Victarion objects, but being surrounded by Dothrakis and now without power over the dragons, he decides not to exert force also at Moqorro's persuasion. Moqorro tells Daenerys that death is marching on Westeros, that the wall has fallen. It is then that Daenerys decides to leave with the Dothrakis, the Unsullied and the Ironborn with Victarion's fleet to Westeros (it may be that the Dothraki went overland to the free cities and then embarked from there).
So, this would be in summary what I think would happen without reaching the end and skipping many things. Daenerys would take many months to reach Westeros, she would stop by other slaver cities to feed her great army. Meanwhile, the North led by Stannis as King, Jon Stark as guardian of the North and Mance Ryder leading the wildlings, would have to organize a massive evacuation of the entire North to below the neck. Thousands of ravens would fly. Jon, Stannis and Mance would be on the front lines fighting Aegon's army, being the golden company, dorne, the knights of the valley, what's left of the stormlands and probably also part of the tyrell (who I assume would eventually surrender to Aegon). Stannis' conquest to the south would not so much be a war as a desperate flight, Aegon would not believe anything about the others and would see Stannis only as the brother of the man who killed his father. Aegon's army is much larger, has far more supplies (the north is in ruins) and his army of far, far higher quality (the golden company and the knights of the valley are some of the best). So I would guess that Stannis would lose against the Vale and would have to decide to maneuver to the twins (which are abandoned by the passing of Lady Stoneheart). The goal would not be to win battles, but to flee from the Others. It would be like what Mance Ryder did beyond the wall but all the way north to the south. (I assume at some point Daenerys would land at Dragonstone and fight Aegon, a marriage between them would no longer be viable) Something I forgot about: I assume Davos would eventually find Rickon with Osha. White Harbor would be the most important place to evacuate the north, sending as many refugees as possible to the free cities. Now, I don't quite know what would happen with Bran really. He might be a good point of view from which to see the mass evacuation of the north, with him fleeing to the south as well. I think that the advance of the others should take over all of Westeros and even advance towards Essos through the sea of stepstones but frozen. Let it be a real massive apocalyptic event.

The garage door shut with a groan behind us, closing us in the gloom of the single bulb hanging over the car.
Mother took a drag off her cigarette and sighed as she exhaled, the smoke filled the cabin of the Ford and stung my eyes.
“You really disappointed me today, Julianne," she tapped her cigarette in the ashtray below the dash, "you embarrassed me in front of the other mothers at the Ice Cream Social, shoveling down seconds and thirds like a pig. I thought I raised you better than that.”
She took another drag, daintily holding the cigarette between her perfectly manicured fingers.
“I'm going to have to tell your brother about this," she continued, “he'll have to come up with a punishment fit for a pig."
I felt my stomach drop. My kid brother, Thomas, was only six, but could be exceptionally cruel. Mother seemed to encourage him and was deferring to him more and more frequently for how the house was run, especially concerning my upbringing.
"Mother, please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. I'm sorry I was a pig and ate so much ice cream. I promise I won't do it again, I'll never eat any ice cream again," I was pleading with stone, unyielding.
“Hush your mouth. Go to your room and wait for Thomas," she put out the cigarette and got out of the car, I had no choice but to follow.
It felt like walking to the gallows as I stepped inside the house and headed towards the stairs to go to my room. Thomas had grown fond recently of physical punishment, he obviously delighted in Mother whipping me with a belt or, recently, Mother had allowed him to start beating me with a wooden spoon. He would squeal and giggle like a normal child watching bubbles in the wind while I screamed. I was dreading whatever was going to happen tonight, I chastised myself for eating that ice cream, I should have known she would show up. My sins were always laid bare.
Down the hall, I could hear Thomas watching television in the den. I only got to watch TV for half an hour on Saturday morning and new episodes of Happy Days with Mother and Thomas. Thomas got to watch all the TV he wanted. He could listen to the radio and turntable as much as he wanted, as loud as he wanted. Thomas had an entire room just for his toys.
I entered my bedroom, it was a space I occupied, but it didn't feel like mine. Mother kept it spartan, white walls and white bedspread. A crucifix over the bed and a painting of Jesus over the door. I had my desk and chair and a dresser with some of the porcelain dolls Daddy gave me before he died that Mother let me keep. That was it.
I placed my book bag down and sat on my bed, waiting for Thomas. It was a while, sitting there with nothing but my own thoughts and staring at the open door. I felt humiliated, I was almost thirteen and my entire life was dictated by my brother. Mother kept the house in constant lockdown to keep Thomas a secret. No outsiders were allowed in. I couldn't have friends because she was afraid I would mention him or sneak a friend in to gawk at my brother and tease him for being different.
I would never make fun of him, I was terrified of him. Terrified of what he was and what he was becoming.
Eventually I heard his heavy footsteps coming up the stairs and I felt my heart start beating faster and my palms began to sweat. I kneaded my skirt in my hands, trying to calm myself and dry my palms. His slow arrhythmic footsteps came down the hall and I watched him as he entered the room.
I couldn't help but internally recoil at his appearance, even though I'd known him since he was born, I could never adjust to how unnatural he appeared. Thomas had been born at home and had never seen a doctor, but he was obviously unwell.
He was six years old and was barely over two feet tall, but very squat and wide. His skin was thick and gray, the whites of his beady eyes were yellow and his hair was wispy and white like an old man's, spreading out like a halo around his gargoyle face. A slight odor of decomposition hung about him, it reminded me faintly of garbage cans on a hot summer day. I hated when Mother made me help him with a bath, his skin felt like old brittle leather that flaked onto my clothes in gray flecks. His body was dense like concrete, I could barely lift him into the tub. Picking him up forced his hair into my face where that smell of rot would fill my nose, causing me to gag, silently, so as not to offend him and draw any ire from him or Mother.
Today, Thomas was wearing bib overalls with a red and green striped sweater underneath, reminding me of a grotesque doll.
“Mama says you acted like a piggy today at the ice cream social,” he spoke up to me in his unsettlingly high pitched, yet raspy voice, like a child that smoked as much as Mother, "you need to come down for dinner right now for your punishment for embarrassing Mama."
He turned and walked back down the stairs and I had no choice but to follow his toddling form downstairs to the dining table. We entered the kitchen and the table was placed with two settings. Mother was already seated and Thomas clambered up into his booster seat at his normal spot next to Mother. She took a drag off her cigarette and motioned vaguely to the floor without even looking at me.
Neatly situated on the linoleum was my dinner, not on a plate, but directly on the floor. A pork chop, scoop of mashed potatoes, and a small pile of peas. No utensils, either.
Thomas giggled with glee upon seeing my face.
“You have Mama's permission now to eat like a piggy, now. No hands! Piggies just use their face!” He stood up in his chair and reached out for Mother’s ash tray and flung it out over my meal, peppering my dinner with cigarette ash and butts.
"Oops! Piggies don't mind trash though, do they, Mama?” he giggled and the sound filled me with rage.
"No, they don't,” Mother replied coolly while maneuvering her ashtray back in place and carefully putting out her cigarette before saying prayer.
As angry as I was, I got down on my hands and knees and did my best at eating what I could without using my hands. I knew if I refused, it would be far worse. The whole meal, Thomas made pig noises and would reach down and poke me with his fork, making comments about what a fat piggy I was and how he wished he could roast and eat me. I doubted Mother would even object if he actually did kill me and eat me.
Gagging my way through another bite of ashy pork chop, I felt a warm splat over my head and heard Thomas giggling. I reached up and felt he had dumped mashed potatoes into my hair.
Choking down tears, I asked Mother if I could clean the floor and bathe. She rolled her eyes and excused me to clear the table for them as well while she changed Thomas into his pajamas. Picking him up, she walked out of the room and Thomas stuck his putrid little purple tongue out at me before they made it out the kitchen door.
I silently cried while I cleared the table and washed the dinner dishes. Tears splashed down as I mopped up the mess from my food on the floor. I hated how awful Thomas was. I hated how they treated me. Ever since Daddy died and Thomas showed up, I was their punching bag. I missed Daddy so much.
Mother was kinder then, too. She was still severe, but Dad kept her tempered. After he died, there was a change that came over her. I was only six, so I didn't remember her too much from before, but I did remember her gushing on and on when she was pregnant with Thomas. How the baby was a gift from Our Heavenly Father, that it was going to complete our broken family.
My sixth birthday happened right after Daddy died and I remember sitting on the patio crying while the house was full of people after the funeral, normally he would have gotten me a new doll and a chocolate bar, instead I was forgotten. No doll. No chocolate. Just funeral potatoes and a house full of cigarette smoke from the adults.
Nobody remembered. The closest thing I got was my dad's sister, Aunt Judy, sitting next to me on the patio step for a few minutes of comfortable silence before giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. I don't think she knew her brother was memorialized on my birthday. Next year, Thomas was born the day before my birthday, so it was completely eclipsed as Mother had just birthed her new love into the world…
I stopped mid mop as a lightbulb finally went off. I had never put much thought into the dates before.
Thomas was born a full year after Daddy died. He couldn't be his dad. Who was Thomas’ actual father?
Washing mashed potatoes out of my hair that evening, I ran over and over the timeline. No matter how I parsed it out, Thomas was only my half brother. Going to bed that night, I kept myself awake, going over and over again to make sure. I couldn't remember any men being around at that time, but that didn't mean much. Adults can easily hide things from children. Tension began throbbing through my head and I felt queasy. Mother had always known all of my secrets, able to sniff them out like a bloodhound out or using Thomas to spy. Now I had one of Mother's secrets and I didn't know what to do with it.
First I wanted to confirm it, but it would mean snooping, which was difficult in a house that was rarely left empty. I would have to try finding Mother's calendar book or journal to see if she mentioned any dates or men.
But when could I attempt such a daring maneuver? Thomas hardly left the house. As proud as Mother was of him, she was very cognizant and protective of his differences and didn't want to draw attention to herself or Thomas like that. Mother herself had few social engagements throughout the week and mostly stayed home to watch her golden child.
I finally decided I would take the risk and fake sick on Tuesday, grocery day, so I could stay home from school while she went shopping. All Thomas did all day was watch TV downstairs, so that should give me about an hour to look through her room for clues. I decided to tuck my head down, try to behave as best as I could to avoid their wrath, and wait for Tuesday.
That weekend limped along agonizingly slow. Thomas was in a fine mood and was constantly seeking out a reason to poke me, punch me, slap me… he'd laugh while calling me a piggy with his off-putting wide mouth. I tried to mostly stay in my room and it seemed like neither of them cared.
School on Monday was a relief, but my anxiety ramped up. The consequences would be dire if Mother caught on that I was faking sick to stay home. I didn't even want to imagine how off the leash she'd let my half-brother become in his punishment for that level of insubordination.
I stayed up all night, my stomach was in knots, but I was committed to my plan. Throughout the night, I screamed as hard as I could into my pillow. Screamed until my throat was raw and I could barely talk. It felt cathartic in a way. When it was close to school time, I put on my heaviest flannel pajamas and began doing jumping jacks until my face was flushed and my scalp was soaked with sweat.
Looking in the bathroom mirror before heading down to talk to Mother, I thought I looked pretty convincing, my skin was flushed and sweaty, my eyes had circles under them from lack of sleep, and my voice croaked like a frog.
Heading downstairs, Mother was already feeding Thomas breakfast. I hesitantly stepped into the kitchen and stood there awkwardly for a second, pawing with my pajamas to keep my nerves steady until she noticed my presence and looked up.
“Why aren't you dressed, Julianne?"
"I don't feel well. My throat hurts and my tummy hurts.” My voice graveled out more than I was expecting, I really had hurt my throat.
She strode over to me and placed a cool hand on my sweaty brow.
"You do feel warm. Take an aspirin from the medicine cabinet and go lay back down. I'll check on you later," with that she turned back and walked over to Thomas, who was frozen in place, glaring at me over a forkful of scrambled eggs. The sharp glint of malice in his beady eyes made me shiver before I shuffled out of the kitchen.
I laid in bed, trying my best to look miserable until I eventually heard the faint sound of the television playing in the den as Thomas settled in for his normal daytime routine and the garage door opened as Mother headed to the grocery store. I bounded out of bed and watched the car back out of our driveway and head up the street.
My heart began to pound as I tiptoed down the hall to Mother's bedroom, a place I rarely even caught a glimpse of, let alone entered. I very slowly opened the door, taking great care to not make any noise to alert Thomas downstairs that I was out of bed.
Creeping into the butter yellow room, I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my skull, this was the naughtiest thing I had ever done by far. I stepped onto the rug to help disguise my footsteps and slowly made my way past the brass bed and towards her desk. My hands shook as I opened the top drawer, I pawed through rapidly and found nothing. I checked the next drawer down and again found nothing of interest, just stationary and envelopes.
Finally, the bottom drawer was what I was looking for, a stack of journals from the past decade. I flipped through, trying to find entries relevant to when Daddy died and who Mother slept with afterwards.
I've never fully recovered from what I read.
July 6, 1968
Edgar died today. Car accident. I cannot believe this is real. My light, my life, my anchor... Dr. Benson gave me a sedative at the hospital and I feel so tired. So very, very tired. Why has my Lord forsaken me so?
July 9, 1968
I feel like I am in a very bad dream, I feel numb and disconnected. All the consolation and pity from everyone makes me feel sick. After the memorial, it took everything in me to not break dishes and to scream at everyone to get out of my house. Julianne was moping about crying and I wanted to throw her out, too.
If I hadn't seen my dear Edgar's body in the hospital and held his urn in my own hands, I wouldn't believe he was really gone. I still don't entirely believe it.
I have prayed to God every night asking him to show me why he took my husband from me and I have gotten no answer.
I skimmed over the next few months, as it was more or less similar sentiments repeated night after night. I finally got to an entry that caught my eye.
September 17, 1968
My battle with my faith has been fraught the past few months, but Hallelujah! I feel I can see the Lord again in all his glory and might, for he has given me a way to reconnect to my Edgar!
I was thinking about the night Julianne was born, right in this very home, it was a difficult birth and she struggled to breathe at first. Ingrid, my midwife, made a comment to me that if the baby had failed to wake up on her own, that Ingrid had ways to make sure she would have made it.
I remember asking if it was a medical methodology and she made it clear to me that in certain circumstances, it was a mystical property she used to bring the air of life into a struggling baby's lungs. She gently alluded to being a practicing member of the dark arts. At the time, I felt quite scandalized to have someone like that in my God fearing home. Now I see her as the answer to my prayers! My angel!
On a whim, I called her and asked if she still practiced such techniques. She hesitantly confirmed that she did. I asked, if she could turn breath into the lungs of a child without, could she turn breath into a child that did not exist? Could she magick into existence another child of my beloved Edgar? She told me she had to do some research and she'd be back in touch.
Ingrid just called back after a few hours and said there was a spell she found, but it was dangerous and might have unpleasant results. I said, yes, of course! I trust my Lord and I believe he sent this woman of blessed magick to me for this purpose.
She says we will have to do it soon, in a few days during the new moon. She has a potion to brew, but it is happening! Praise God!
September 23, 1968
The ceremony was last night, and Ingrid believes it was a success, but we will have to wait. It did not take long, only an hour or two. Ingrid lit my bedroom with many beeswax candles and she had me drink a thick and bitter tea that caused me to become quite relaxed and foggy.
From my inner thigh, she cut me and collected my blood in a chalice, with which she mixed quite a lot of Edgar's ashes and other ingredients which I could not glean from my supine position and groggy wits. Ingrid began to chant, calling upon a higher power, as I pleaded with my Lord to let this work. To give me any piece of my Edgar back. She came to the bed and worked the paste between my legs into my womanly chamber, which was very uncomfortable, but manageable with the numbing effects of the tea.
She continued to sit with me and chant, her hand placed over my womb, until she decided at which time it was complete. She left and I fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up this morning, I felt quite uncomfortable, my body ached and when I used the restroom, a yellow fluid like pus poured out of me, but no sign of any ashes or blood, which gives me hope it was absorbed into my womb.
November 3, 1968
Praise be to our Lord, Ingrid just confirmed for me that I am with child, I had been hoping so, I had not gotten my cycle in October, but I wasn't sure if that was because of the discharge like pus that was still coming. She told me that was common with this spell and a side effect that would stop after the baby came.
I feel like I am floating on air, for the first time since Edgar left, I feel-
I suddenly became very aware of the feeling of eyes on the back of my head. I had become too engrossed in what was written before me and I had lost track of my surroundings. Very slowly, I turned around and my heart began pounding again as I saw Thomas standing in the doorway holding his wooden spoon in one hand. How had I not heard him?
He pointed at me with his empty hand and screamed, just a pure guttural screech from somewhere deep inside his disgusting little body. He charged at me from across the room, his horrible feet thumping solidly along the rug. He began beating my legs ruthlessly with the spoon, causing my legs to buckle. I crashed down to my knees in front of him, and he began lashing at my face, pulling my hair with one hand while wailing away at my head with the spoon.
I had dropped the journal I was holding and was desperately trying to get a hand on the spoon or push him away. All I could hear was him screaming. My arms flailed and I reached around on Mother's desk and grabbed onto the first thing I found and sank it into Thomas’ neck.
The end of Mother's gold letter opener protruded under his jaw. He went silent and he looked at me with utter shock. He dropped the spoon and collapsed on the ground, clutching at his neck as his thick black blood oozed out from his wound, letting out a stupendous odor of rot that filled the room. He didn't really say anything or make any noise. He just twitched for a moment and I saw his eyes glaze over.
In shock, I stood over his little body for a moment and I watched as he seemed to mummify in just a few minutes, like an ash person from Pompeii dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt. Even his blood that looked like shiny oil a second ago became like potting soil on Mother's rug. Reaching out to touch his hand, it crumbled away like sand.
Panic ran through me like a rabbit caught in a snare. Not knowing what to do, I ran. I ran down the hall, changed my clothes, put an extra change of clothes in my backpack and the last doll Daddy had ever given me and I ran. Mother would absolutely never forgive me and I was genuinely afraid she would kill me in retaliation for taking her beloved Thomas away from her. Her precious gift from God. My feet flew over the pavement and took me away from that house.
I called my Aunt Judy from a payphone outside the five & dime, and told her Mother had kicked me out and asked if I could stay with her. She had always had a strained relationship with my mother and it didn't take much convincing that she had kicked out her “only” child. Only Mother, Ingrid, and I ever knew about Thomas.
She gave me a home and took care of me. She never beat me or humiliated me. Even with her love, I was far from okay. For years I would close my eyes and hear Thomas scream, then the sudden silence. I'd see him fumbling at his neck and turning to ash. But I would also remember all the ways he would hurt me and how bad he was becoming. I could never talk to anyone about it, especially not the silent relief I felt I refused to admit to myself. Over time, however, Thomas' screams became a whisper and his silence faded into dust in my mind.
I moved on with my life. I went to college and became a photojournalist, getting to travel the world and watch history unfold. By choice, I never married, but was quite blessed with many beautiful friendships for companionship over the decades. I found balance in my life and a sense of happiness, if not peace. I never could quite stomach mashed potatoes again, though, they always taste ashy to me.
Mother never made any attempts to reach out to me or find me, at least that I'm aware of. Ten years ago, I was contacted by a hospital and they said my mother had been admitted earlier after falling and was about to pass, so she must have kept some tabs on me to know my phone number for her emergency contacts. Apparently she had collapsed in the driveway and a neighbor called an ambulance. I got there and her only words to me were, “take care of him," as she placed a locket in my hand. I opened the locket, Jesus was on one side, Thomas on the other. I didn't say anything to her, just held her frail old hand with nicotine stained nails until she passed in the night. My mother was gone and I felt nothing except a vague sense of relief.
When I got to her house, it was like a time capsule. Other than a newer television, it was just like it was when I'd fled so many years ago. The smell of tobacco smoke hung like incense in the air. It felt oppressive, like a tomb.
I wandered the house in a bit of a daze. The one place I didn't want to go was upstairs. I didn't want to see my old room, or Thomas' room, or Mother's. Putting it off, I went to fix myself some supper, realizing I hadn't eaten in almost a day. I took a pause when I opened the fridge and saw a baby bottle on a shelf. Silently praying she had been babysitting for a neighbor, I fixed myself some toast with sardines and sat eating in the den watching TV. It had been almost forty years and it still felt rebellious not eating at the table and watching TV without permission.
My eyes grew heavy and I finally mustered up the gumption to head upstairs to go to bed. The stairs creaked in a familiar way under my feet and I was taken back to the feeling of dread hearing either Mother or Thomas climbing up. My old room was at the top of the stairs, I saw the door was nailed shut and had rambling quotes about Judas copied from the Bible in my mother's handwriting taped to the door. I sighed gently and turned from the door to head down the hallway, deciding Mother's room was probably the best place to sleep.
I passed by Thomas’ toy room and I heard a murmur from the room. I stopped, curiosity got the best of me and I entered. In Thomas' old toy room was a crib with joyful clown sheets. Dread swelled up inside me as I heard more murmurs and saw the sheets move. Approaching slowly, I peaked under the sheet and gasped.
Tucked inside was what looked like a baby gargoyle, gray and papery looking. Pus leaked out of its milky, bulbous eyes. I pulled back the blanket and saw it had no legs and its arms bent back, like wings on a bird. It was wearing just a cloth diaper, overflowing with tarry looking stool that took my breath away with its pungency, it smelled like Thomas’ blood, but somehow worse. My heart broke for this poor creature, Lord only knows how many years it has been in this crib suffering from its unholy existence.
So this is who Mother had wanted me to take care of…
Not knowing what else to do, I gently scooped him up. Like Thomas, he was shockingly heavy for how small his body was. Placing him on the changing table, I cleaned him and rewrapped his bottom in a clean diaper cloth. It was difficult, he fussed tremendously, crying and flopping around as much as his flipper-like arms would allow. I tried wiping off his oozing eyes and he snapped his mouth, which I saw was full of disturbingly square yellow teeth, trying to bite me. I carried him to the kitchen and rocked him while I heated up his bottle and he became furious with me, almost barking like a dog when my hand would get near his face.
He settled a bit as he fed, but he would still sometimes suddenly spit out the bottle and attempt to bite me. I laid him back in his crib, this abomination in a clown sheet, and I walked down the hall to Mother's room letting out a long sigh.
Combing through my mother's journals in the early hours of the morning, it looked like she tried the ceremony again shortly after Thomas died, but she either lacked Ingrid’s help or didn't have enough of my father's ashes left. Something went terribly wrong. She was vaguer than she had been about Thomas’ conception, but I suspect she had used some of Thomas' remains. The resulting birth she named Isaac.
Mother's journals told a sad tale of her and Isaac's suffering. She never mentioned me, but lamented the loss of Thomas and Dad relentlessly. She was hyper protective of Isaac, as that was all she had left. If her world had been small before, it became microscopic after he entered her life, requiring nearly constant care. According to Mother, he was blind and colicky, sometimes going years at a time without sleeping through the night. She had breast fed him for years, but she had to stop after he grew teeth and began biting her intentionally and feeding on her blood.
I spent a lot of time over the next few days pondering what to do. I had to get her estate in order, she had left me the house, in an obvious attempt to get me to continue caretaking for Isaac, but I didn't want it. I had my own cozy home an hour away from here, filled with happy memories and my possessions acquired traveling the world. Mother's home had a heavy energy I couldn't shake. Her and Thomas were both gone, but the memories of the scoldings and beatings hung in every corner, like cobwebs that would never sweep away.
So, I fed Isaac and kept him clean and tried to keep him company, although he seemed to hate me passionately. I took care of him, all the while thinking about what I was going to do. After a week, I felt resolute in what had to be done.
Gathering up all of Mother's journals in a tote, I made my way to Isaac and picked him up and carried everything to the living room.
The ancient logs in the fireplace meant for display ignited instantly. One by one, I fed the journals into the fire, burning away years of my mother's consuming sorrow. Isaac fussed and moaned next to me the entire time. When the last pages shimmered away into lacy ash, I took a throw pillow off the couch and gently cradled Isaac in my other arm. It didn't take long before he stopped struggling and I felt his little body relax after decades of suffering.
I gently wrapped up a bundle in a clown sheet and placed it in the fire. It burned furiously, like the paper in my mother's journals, and was soon gone. Nothing but ashes and embers.
“Don't worry, Mother,” I said purely for my own sake, "I took care of Isaac for you."
And finally, I felt at peace.

Welfare Fraud Investigation
Located in California, Santa Clara County.
My friend received food stamps for a calendar year. He concealed his second income/job from the beginning, ignoring the letters to report income. He understands that he’s committed welfare fraud. Over $3600 in overpaid benefits didn’t belong to him. The felony amount in California being over $950.
I’ve looked into intentional program violation (IPV), disqualification hearings, and what constitutes a misdemeano felony. It’s not looking great. Should he contact a lawyer or contact the fraud worker?
Even if he offers full cooperation, what are the chances of just disqualification and payment plan?
What are the real ramifications?
Thank you for your responses.
Disclaimer: This post is theoretical and does not advocate or encourage illegal activities.