With the uptick in posts trying to identify doorknobs, I thought I'd share a how-to guide on researching that will hopefully give others a starting point in identifying their own doorknobs. I love how this community has a wealth of knowledge, but I am sharing because I know from experience how satisfying it was when my research paid off and I was able to identify my doorknobs on my own
You're getting the abbreviated version; this is what I'd do if I were starting from scratch - prior to learning these tips I spent a long time trying to google my specific doorknobs. This worked for some odd unique ones, but was not very successful for my house's turn-knobs with decoration - partly because lots of knobs share the same motifs and partly because I didn't know how to adequately describe the motifs I was looking at.

1. Start with https://www.antiquedoorknobs.us/contents.html - this is an amazing resource with over 2800 different doorknobs in their collection, broken into 24 categories of patterns.
   
2. I will take the second photo from this post as an example. It looked a bit spiraly to me so I started by going to the spirals/swirls section and browsing through looking for a solid circular field surrounded by dots to quickly weed through the options.
   
   1. I didn't find an exact match so I studied the doorknob again and realized that it is not so much a spiral as it's exhibiting 4-fold symmetry, so I went to that category and was pretty quickly rewarded by finding the doorknob. The page tells maker, model, and catalogue information.
3. Here is where google is your friend - knowing the maker and name of the knob let me google until I found a catalogue containing the doorknob. I confirmed it as a match by comparing the elements of the escutcheon in the catalogue to those in the photo. Antiquedoorknobs does have a repository of catalogues to cross reference, but do note there's a charge. It's up to you if you want to spend the money for a copy of the relevant catalogue, try to find a digital version elsewhere online, or ask for help here or in any other online communities.
   

For the doorknobs in my house, the cost was cheap enough that I justified the $17 for a copy and eagerly awaited it in my email. A few days later I received it right before going out to dinner. I had a sneaking suspicion I'd confirm some other hardware in our house was part of a matching set, so I earned coolness points with my wife when I let slip I was excited to go home and look at my doorknob catalogue. I confirmed my suspicions about the matching hardware, which was super exciting.
I'm sure there will be exceptions that aren't in the website's catalogue, and maybe there are even better ways to go about researching that I don't know, but this is what worked for me! Hopefully others can chime in with their research tips and tricks. This isn't meant to discourage asking for help, just to shed light on this resource and help others have fun researching their homes!! Do share your doorknobs with us, whether you do need help or if you've had a successful search!

you know..... some strange things have happened to me after years ago when i was nine i was happy that my dad brought me a wii on christmas eve back in 2009 i tell my dad like hey dad can you turn on the wii but my dad was like yes son but i am busy at moment
so my dad was busy now so now i was playing games on my computer like minecraft roblox and more in my room untill my dad cames in and i turn off my computer because my dad was there so now he turned on the wii i am so excited that my wii is on
so now i go to the mii channel but untill there is this strange mii that his name is eteled but it just delete in backwards but he just standing here and smiling but he seems.... weird so i put him into the delete mii channel so now after i delete him
i go to the create mii button and started to create a new mii and i name it kyle because it my name but until i go the to mii channel and eteled is here again but i dont know how does he get here?
i tried to erase him again but untill the screen goes dark but i dont know why? and eteled is here floating here and he said kyle why would you delete miis? you know they have feelings right? but i said how does the mii talk but he then saids kyle im gonna give you one more chance if you erase miis again you know what will happen.. but the sign appears here and it saids wii have erased u but until i got mad and sad so i decided to turn off the wii and sleep
after the sleep i have wake up and worried that if my wii got shutdown so i decided to try to turn it on but it was normal now so i try to go to mii channel and saw eteled here but i will try my best to not erased him but i will just try to play other wii games with him so i go to the wii sports and i choose bowling because it was my favorite sport of the game
now i was started to get boring and all i have to do it to play the sports with one mii in this game but after i finshed i go to the mii channel again and i am now going to erase him again but then he teleport so fast but he just turn the menu into a glitchy place with some static and eteled appears more static and more creepy than he is before and he said
HOW MANY TIME I TOLD YOU DONT YOU DARE DELETE MIIS YOU DONT LISTEN TO ME SO NOW IM GOING TO DO SAME ON YOUR DEVICE
but now the wii have shutdown thanks to eteled now i dont want to tell my dad for this he will get mad at me so im going to hide my wii now in the closet and i go to bed and thinking i regret that
so yeah that was a weird story im telling but i dont know what happened to my wii now but i hope it works again so that it now bye here people

you know..... some strange things have happened to me after years ago when i was nine i was happy that my dad brought me a wii on christmas eve back in 2009 i tell my dad like hey dad can you turn on the wii but my dad was like yes son but i am busy at moment
so my dad was busy now so now i was playing games on my computer like minecraft roblox and more in my room untill my dad cames in and i turn off my computer because my dad was there so now he turned on the wii i am so excited that my wii is on
so now i go to the mii channel but untill there is this strange mii that his name is eteled but it just delete in backwards but he just standing here and smiling but he seems.... weird so i put him into the delete mii channel so now after i delete him
i go to the create mii button and started to create a new mii and i name it kyle because it my name but until i go the to mii channel and eteled is here again but i dont know how does he get here?
i tried to erase him again but untill the screen goes dark but i dont know why? and eteled is here floating here and he said kyle why would you delete miis? you know they have feelings right? but i said how does the mii talk but he then saids kyle im gonna give you one more chance if you erase miis again you know what will happen.. but the sign appears here and it saids wii have erased u but until i got mad and sad so i decided to turn off the wii and sleep
after the sleep i have wake up and worried that if my wii got shutdown so i decided to try to turn it on but it was normal now so i try to go to mii channel and saw eteled here but i will try my best to not erased him but i will just try to play other wii games with him so i go to the wii sports and i choose bowling because it was my favorite sport of the game
now i was started to get boring and all i have to do it to play the sports with one mii in this game but after i finshed i go to the mii channel again and i am now going to erase him again but then he teleport so fast but he just turn the menu into a glitchy place with some static and eteled appears more static and more creepy than he is before and he said
HOW MANY TIME I TOLD YOU DONT YOU DARE DELETE MIIS YOU DONT LISTEN TO ME SO NOW IM GOING TO DO SAME ON YOUR DEVICE
but now the wii have shutdown thanks to eteled now i dont want to tell my dad for this he will get mad at me so im going to hide my wii now in the closet and i go to bed and thinking i regret that
so yeah that was a weird story im telling but i dont know what happened to my wii now but i hope it works again so that it now bye here people

I need some guidance unravelling codependent patterns without leaving my partner feeling cut out and rejected.
In February I began a sexual relationship with my friend, Orange, and for better or worse this has made me very aware of some longstanding issues with my anchor partner, Apple. I'm grateful for the awareness, though I recognize it's not ideal to start working on old, big things with one partner just as NRE is in full swing with another.
I'm starting therapy tomorrow, my partner is aware of these issues, and our communication has been very open and transparent and loving. The things I'm going to talk about with my therapist are not the topic of this post.
Since I've started seeing Orange, Apple has been going above and beyond, buying gifts, doing all the grocery shopping and cooking when he comes over on the weekends, stepping up to make plans together (things I've been wanting him to step into, as I tend to be the planner, the prepper, the shopper, the cook, the driver...) He truly is amazing, when I say something needs work I don't need to mention it twice, he is helpful and responsive and puts in the effort.
He also wants to spend more time together, and both Apple and Orange have the same days off.
And all of this is occurring at a time when I'm wanting to examine our patterns of codependence and to encourage Apple to increase his social spheres of support, and when he's ready, to date others. I've told him that I want to support him in that, and he says he wants that too, but he isn't making space for that, and this new energy he is bringing feels panicked, clinging.
The effect is that it is making me draw back further - which is such a common thing I hear about, and it's heartbreaking.
I'm very committed to making our relationship work. He is my best friend and the love of my life. Orange is no substitute for Apple (names chosen with intention) and there's nothing certain about the trajectory of that relationship, so though it is shiny and new I'm not about to push Apple away for it.
But I do need space. I do need him to have supports besides me. For example, this weekend he asked if I want to go fishing this year. I do enjoy fishing, but I don't feel excited about a new project right now: acquiring gear, licenses, finding spots, etc... I asked if there's someone else he knows that would be interested in doing that with him. He seemed crestfallen at the suggestion. Theres so many interests he has and things he wants to do with someone else, and I feel terrible telling him I'm not interested, because I'm his only person he does things with.
I hate to knock the wind out of his sails when he is trying so hard, but it's not the direction of effort I need from him right now.
Have you navigated anything like this?

Or rather, in a dedicated repost, because silly me couldn't read the pinned post and wait a few hours before posting my text the first time.
​
After giving a proper rewrite to Ayano, it's now time to do the same for her love interest. But first, I must give my apologises. The title of my post is "Reworking Taro", but it's actually misleading because there was barely any work to redo to begin with. Ok, there was the easy jab at the original character. Reading my previous rewrite posts isn't necessary to understand this one, but would allow you to grasp the differences with the official game better. If you're too lazy to do so, just keep in mind that my rewrite is a bit more social-focused. Anyway, here's my full-fledged take on our senpai.

Just an ordinary upperclassman: Daiki Tanaka (田中 大樹)

Although Taro Yamada is a perfectly valid Japanese name, it's literally the Japanese equivalent of John Doe. This name just gives me the impression that nothing really matters about him, and that it isn't even worth the effort thinking about a proper name. That might have been the dev's intention, given Taro's characterisation in the game, but I personally can't consider being so lazy about the second most important character. So, rather than keeping this name that makes Senpai seem like some background character, I chose names that actually are very common in Japan in order to keep the "average guy" feeling. The most common Japanese surname is Sato (佐藤), but that sounded a bit too generic for me, so I opted for Tanaka (田中), another widespread name that you might already have seen in some anime. Surprisingly, despite also being common, Yamada (山田) doesn't even come close. For his first name, "Daiki" (written like this: 大樹) means "big tree". It's a fairly popular boy name during the last decades and doesn't refer to anything particular, except maybe the fact that he is a big brother.
Just like many other mediocre harem MC, the main problem with Taro is that he is extremely bland. There's literally nothing worth noticing about him. Now don't get me wrong, making one of your main characters an Average Joe isn't a bad thing in itself, and I know that a yandere having a crush on ordinary people is nothing uncommon in modern Japanese media. However, even the most boringly average person that you can think of still has defined personality, goals, and passions that makes them at least more interesting than a slice of stale bread. In our case, you could replace Taro with a random object and the story would still make as much sense, which usually isn't a good sign for a story meant to have a serious tone. Just like my name choice suggested it, I wanted my version of Taro to stay ordinary. However, I tried to flesh out the little characterization he originally has to make him stand out in his own way, so that the numerous girls' interest in him would feel a bit less unbelievable.
This is Daiki Tanaka, a 17-years old Japanese boy living with his parents and his little sister. Like many other Japanese high-schoolers, he goes to high school from Monday to Friday, attends classes, studies for his tests, and hopes he will be accepted in a good university. And just like many other teenagers, he is is having interrogations about what he wants to do after graduation, how his classmates view him, and whether he'll find himself a girlfriend. Clearly, he's just an average student. Among the typical students you can find in a school, Daiki is a hard-working one. Pressured both by his parents and himself to get the best opportunities he can to settle his future, he is self-conscious about his academic performances and is always trying to improve his grades. Thus, he preferred to remain clubless and spend his free time alone to focus on his studies. Most of the time, he is seen studying at the school library, or reading a book of classic literature next to the fountain. But behind this ordinary reserved bookworm loner appearance is a kind and cultivated boy with a strong sense of justice and a clear passion for the old texts he's reading, making him actually quite a charming person to spend time with for those who can see past his plain exterior. Ayano, of course, is one of those few people, but little did she know that she won't be the only one interested in her dear senpai.

Gameplay role

According to the wiki:

Gameplay-wise, Taro is more similar to a "moving obstacle" rather than a regular interactive student, as he cannot be interacted with normally.

And you see, to me, that's a big problem. You spend the entire game keeping rivals away from Senpai by killing them, making them uninterested in him, or ruining their reputation, and after all the bad experiences he had with those (rather) normal girls, you expect me to believe that the girl Senpai, the perfectly normal guy at all levels, ends up choosing is the creepy lonely student that he has barely spoken to? Nah, I don't buy it. This is why, in my rewrite, my Senpai would be (most of the time) considered as a regular student that you can actually interact with. That means, first, that Ayano wouldn’t get immediately flustered by him when approaching him. I understand that people, especially teenagers, can act shy, nervous, or a little clumsy when their crush are at sight, but seriously, the depiction of this behaviour in the game is completely ridiculous. So, in my hypothetical game, you will have a small amount of time where you will be able to act normally near Daiki and talk to him before your heart starts beating louder and the screen gradually turns pink. Past this point, things pretty much happen the same as in the official game, since Ayano is emotionally unstable. Naturally, the more you interact with Daiki, the longer you will be able to remain calm in his presence.
Now that Senpai can be interacted with, it’s time to explore the potential of this addition by giving him another feature regular students have: tasks. Even if you can withstand his aura a bit better than in the official game, most of the conversations you’ll have with him won’t be long due to Ayano’s shyness. So, if you want to befriend Daiki, those little errands are the key to increase your affinity with him. For a more immersive narration, Daiki's tasks won't be your usual fetch quests that you can accept or refuse, but small talk where you must pay attention and figure out what to do to by yourself. The tasks will be at first very simple, like bringing him his schoolbag that he forgot in his classroom or gifting him the book he wanted to buy. Then, as he feels more comfortable around you, he will start talking a bit more openly about his life and his preoccupations, naturally leading to more complex tasks with more vague formulations and less obvious solutions, such as helping him become less invisible among his classmates. What would be the point of doing all that, will you ask? Having a higher affinity with Daiki will allow Ayano to make him follow her if you need to tactically move him for one of your eliminations. He will also be more likely to reject the rivals’ love confessions in case you don’t have the time to deal with them yourself. Moreover, narrative-wise, I think having the main character interact with their love interest would be a more realistic and healthier depiction of romance in the story. Well, as “healthy” as a yandere can be. But of course, you could also completely ignore this mechanic and focus on eliminating if you want to.
Finally, I would like to improve the reactions he has regarding students' disappearances. Despite all those things happening near him, he is shocked for a bit and then just kinda... accept it like nothing strange happened? The second most important character of the game, ladies and gentlemen. I get it, Senpai is a loner, he is passive, and he is dense. But at this point, that's not being passive anymore, that's being a wooden plank. So, this is my take: Daiki's sense of justice and passion for literature gave him a natural curiosity for crimes because of its depiction in novels. When facing murder, he will mostly act according to the loner archetype. However, if too many deaths or disappearances near him stay unresolved by the police and his sanity is high enough, he will find the courage to take a more active role and investigate on the crimes himself. Obviously, Daiki won't be able to arrest anyone by himself, but he has the advantage of being directly at the crime place and closer to the people at school than the police. Thus, he could report them additional details that they might have missed, like a student acting stranger than usual, missing tools or places cleaner than usual. This could put you in trouble unless you cover your tracks very well, or just prevent him from investigating. And of course, I would also implement Senpai's sanity meter that has been promised for I don't know how much time (but honestly, are you still hoping for it to be implemented after all that happened?), although slightly reworked. Daiki's sanity would decrease with any person dying. The closer the person is to him, both physically and figuratively, the lower it would drop. The deaths that would affect him the most would thus be those of his sister, his childhood friend, or anyone murdered right in front of him. On the opposite, a random student dying at the other side of the school would barely have any effect. A low sanity would have various effects on Daiki depending on its value and the amount of time he has spent with the other students. Those effects could be taking private lessons due to his grades dropping, joining a certain club to feel safer, or shutting himself in at home in one of the worst scenarios. In any case, this would affect his routine. Just like in the official concept, he would be able to recover sanity with a long enough crimeless period or giving him gifts. Only now would the rivals also be able to use the later method to gain affection, making them act a bit more like romantic rivals. I hope you don't mind actually caring about your senpai's mental health.

Relationships with other characters

The rivals
Obviously, a reworked senpai means reworked dynamics with your main targets. Since detailing everything would be way too long for a single post, I'll just link here my take on the romantic rivals that I decided to keep in my hypothetical game, and here, what I'd do with the discarded ones. Since they are Daiki's closest people, and the most likely to affect his mood in the game, I'll still put here what I have in mind for my version of Osana and Hanako.
His sister
Just like his canon counterpart, Daiki loves his sister very much. A feeling that is reciprocated a bit too much. Unlike her brother who has a balanced lifestyle, the middle-schooler is a very clingy girl who can't imagine being away from him. She has the bad habit of leaving her school during lunchtime just to visit him, which greatly embarrasses Daiki. Even if he appreciates the time they spend together in the end, he knows that this behaviour is unhealthy, and hope that, one day, his sister will find the confidence to become more independent. In my rewrite, the little sister isn't a romantic rival, but someone that I'd call a "big obstacle", as her role is mainly to appear at random (or maybe not, I haven't decided yet) days during lunchtime and potentially mess up your planification for the day. You wouldn't want to kill someone in front of your crush's beloved sister, right?
His childhood friend
Daiki and his sister have known their neighbours' daughter for more than a decade. All three of them used to play together during their childhood. The neighbours' daughter is a brash and impulsive girl, whose personality clashes with Daiki's quieter nature. Despite frequently being at odds and arguing about trivial things, both of them deeply care about each other and would be the first person to help the other if they were having problems. Daiki and his friend didn't have many occasions to see each other since elementary school, until the girl coincidentally transferred to the same high school as him. Even if he is now more serious and reserved than before, deep inside, he is still the same kind boy that she knew. Now that they can once again spend much time together, the girl has come to realize she was in love with her dear friend, but her internal turmoil and her personality make it difficult for her to act sincere and confess her feelings. She stays otherwise pretty similar to Osana, except for the greater consequences when dealing with her by using lethal eliminations, and maybe the fact that she won't be the first rival to appear.
Budo (or whatever name I'll end up giving him)
Yes, you read it right. That guy that overshadows Senpai among the fans is one of his friends in my rewrite. Because even the most introverted individuals are able to develop relationships with people that aren't potential romantic interests. The leader of the martial arts club is an outgoing action-oriented boy who is pretty popular at school. Unlike Daiki, Budo always knew in his heart that his place would be in a dojo, and thus doesn't have much interest in academics. But despite having such different backgrounds and personalities, both boys share the same sense of justice and admiration toward heroes. When he's not attending classes, studying or reading, Daiki hangs out with Budo, and is sometimes invited to watch the martial arts club members practicing. If too many dangerous events happen around Daiki, Budo, as an aspiring hero and good friend, will propose to escort him at certain periods, becoming basically a part-time bodyguard.
Ayano
Nothing much to say here. Daiki unknowingly reminded Ayano, who has locked her heart for years, how great it is to have feelings when they first met, and now she wants to make sure nothing stands between them. How she will reach her ends is your decision. If she decides to spend time with him and do his tasks, he will think of her as a peculiar, but well-intentioned girl. Just like in canon, Daiki is oblivious to Ayano's feelings, but it's more due to the fact that they barely know each other.

Trivia

• Regarding his career choice, Daiki is hesitating between becoming an author, a lawyer or a criminologist.
• Like Taro, he also likes nature and gardening, but to a lesser extend.
• Sometimes, instead of a book of classic literature, you can see him reading the latest crime novel at the fountain. With a pen and a writing pad, because he's just that invested.
• Since he is friend with Budo, he sometimes feels too plain and boring compared to him regarding romance. If you use matchmaking to eliminate a rival, his self-consciousness will grow a bit stronger.
• He has never bought a panty shot from Info-chan, but honestly, do you really find this surprising, or even relevant? He has never even contacted Info-chan.
• I had quite the choice among popular Japanese boy names. Daiki could've been named "Yamato", "Daisuke", "Hiroto", "Yuto", "Yuu", or even "Satoshi" instead.
• In the official game, if Ayano commits a crime in his sight while wearing a mask, Taro will rip the mask off her face with no regard for his safety or his character consistency. I would like to get rid of this behaviour for Daiki, except for one specific circumstance.

​
And that was my full-fledged take on Taro. When you have an ordinary person as a character in the middle of very colourful ones, the key to make the public care about him is to give them tangible preoccupations that, even if they aren't always relatable, make this character at least feel like a real person with human struggles and dreams, and not just a barebone plot device. And that might seems obvious, but if you have to write a love interest, make sure you actually show your public what your main character likes about him. That's even more important in the case where many people are attracted to this character. I tried to take those two things into account when rewriting Taro, and I know it's far from perfect, so don't hesitate to tell me what I should improve. In any case, if you made it to the end, thank you for taking the time to read this long post. I hope I'll find the motivation to do the same with other characters.

TW: Domestic violence, miscarriage
First time on here. I am extremely fragile about this case, so please be kind. I am a female in my late twenties. I have changed a few things for anonymity. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions and can help or have a resource. I am located in the Carolinas.
To provide a brief overview of my situation, several years ago, I removed myself and my children from a domestic violence situation. Despite leaving, I have yet to receive any child support or financial assistance from my ex-husband. However, my main concern is the safety and well-being of my children, particularly my partially non-verbal severely autistic son, who requires specialized care and protection. I have done fine providing, but don't have much (if any) disposable income. My son is the only child he has rights to.
These events happened either in front of the children, or down the hall from them. My ex-husband has demonstrated a pattern of abusive behavior, including physical, mental, and emotional violence in front of the children. He has also made threats to kill me and kidnap the kids, and taken actions of harm towards me, and shown disregard and neglect for our son and his needs. Additionally, his abuse led to a miscarriage. I told him about the pregnancy, and I guess he decided it was his decision on if it was terminated or not.
Last year, I was not properly served with the divorce and custody papers, which were signed for at an address where I have never resided. I have diligently pursued legal avenues to ensure the safety of my children, including filing motions for dismissal and continuance to give me more time. I haven't heard back about the continuance. However, due to financial constraints, I have been navigating this complex legal process largely by myself. The final trial is coming up and while I am happy to be divorced, I have not had adequate time to prepare for the custody case. I have filed a Motion to Dismiss by Rule 12 which is set at the end of June 2024, as well as a Motion of Continuous for the custody trial, which was scheduled without my input for the end of this month, May 2024.
Recently, I was misled by an attorney who took advantage of my limited financial resources without providing meaningful assistance. Consequently, I find myself facing a final trial without proper legal representation. Despite my efforts to manage the paperwork and gather evidence over the past four years, I recognize the need for experienced legal counsel to navigate the complexities of this case effectively.
My children and I had an Order of Protection, and later a Show Cause. He was arrested at the time an incident happened between us requiring me to go to the hospital. During this order, I was required to communicate with him via email about my son, which I did, and even let him do video calls with him. However, once the Order of Protection expired, he became hostile with me, so I stopped reaching out due to my his behavior. Not to mention the mental harm it did on my children and I (PTSD). While I left open the main line of communication, I refrained from further contact out of fear for our safety and mental well-being.
I am deeply concerned about the well-being of my children, particularly my son, who has been subjected to neglect and emotional distress by the actions of his father, and the lack of his caring of what is best for the children, namely my son. He doesn't even know his birthday, and hasn't attempted to reach out in over a year. His family has never once tried to connect, and never particularly cared to begin with. I TRULY believe all of this is just to get to me because he knows that my children are the most important things to me, and as a true narcissist, doesn't care who is in the way, including young children.
I have diligently documented and compiled evidence to support my case, including copies of court orders and relevant documentation. I have prepared for this trial as though I will have to proceed alone. However, I recognize the limitations of my own legal knowledge and resources in securing a favorable outcome for my children's safety and welfare. I don't want this to come out badly for my son just because I don't have anyone. It's frustrating because I am providing everything for these babies, without help, and he is able to pay for an attorney no problem. Even if he couldn't, his family could.
I will take any comments on this that may help me. I have reached out to what seems like every legal aid group and countless attorneys. I am terrified...

Hi, folks. It's been a hot minute, but here's a PSA.
If you're being denied disability accommodation, particularly related to RTO:

• File a Civil Rights Department complaint ASAP.
  
• Get in touch with your union. Specifically, there's an attorney with SEIU who's putting together all these cases to demonstrate a pattern.
  

Hit me up via PM if you want his direct contact info; I have permission to pass it on, though I'd rather do it via PM just so he doesn't get too slammed. (MRC may be able to point you in the right direction too, if you ask for the attorney working on civil rights / disability cases. His name's Alan, and he's great.)
Ditto, if you filed for accommodation over a month ago and still haven't gotten a final answer, or if the accommodation offered was clearly insufficient - file with CRD and talk to your union.
Ditto, if you left your job because you were denied accommodation or your Hmanager dragged their feet for months - file with CRD and talk to your union.
And especially, if your issue is specifically with DGS... your complaint might be particularly useful.
It's taken a while to get the ball rolling, but the Civil Rights Department is very actively looking into this, and they can prosecute agencies if they deem it necessary. This is the time to speak up if we want them to act.
(And obviously, please, only do so if you actually have a disability which isn't being accommodated, or another issue related to membership in a protected class. I know we all hate RTO, but narrow focus on illegal discrimination is most likely to get results through this particular route.)
I have some inside information, and everything I have says that CRD is taking this quite seriously. No guarantees, but there's some movement happening behind the scenes.
If CRD declines to act, I'm planning to sue; I've got an attorney lined up and I've spoken to several lawyers specializing in disability rights who concur that I have a solid case for illegal discrimination and a hostile work environment. That's likely to take even longer, but hey, we do what we can.
(And if you happen to know a renowned expert in dysautonomia who's up for testifying in court, definitely hit me up, lol.)
Background info: Yes, I'm the guy who had the Sac Bee article in March written about him. I'm doing ok. Feeling way better physically after a couple months at home in the A/C, and I'm starting a new job Monday - outside state service, related to public health, and actually fully remote.
Best of luck to all of you still dealing with RTO.

Hello! I'm new to the sub and I saw something in the welcome message about doing an intro post, so I'll use this as that as well.
My name's Alex and I'm a high school senior, and next year I'll be majoring in government and international politics at university. I found this sub through the reccomendation of a friend since I want to read more of the "great books". I'm starting with the list here: https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/great-books-reading-list hence I'm looking for a good Oresteia translation. The one I started with is the 1907 one, but it reads really strangely imo and from a little bit of browsing, most of the others seem better.
I'm interested in history, mostly 16thC-18thC but I want to learn more classical history as well; philosophy, especially political philosophy; and linguistics. Currently I'm learning French, Russian, and Spanish, and I really want to learn Latin (although, I've started reading some Latin poetry, and it's shocking how much I can make out from similarities to French, especially once you've started to recognise some of the patterns in spelling changes).
Besides the Oresteia, feel free to recommend any other books that aren't on the list that you think would be good for someone trying to get a view of the scope of classical education.

I want to take my mother in law to a medium because she paid $20 for someone online to meet with her and it’s 100% a scam. I asked around and got the name of a contact who a family member confirmed has given them an accurate reading before. When I reached out this medium said she could do a zoom or telephone call. But I was specifically trying to get my MIL to a real person to avoid the “scam artist” promoting themself via zoom. Is it actually possible to do medium work for someone through a remote screen? I know it might be silly but it just feels like a higher margin of error to me? Appreciate the insight.

Chapter 1

Concept art for Sybil
Of Men and Ghost Ships, Book 1: Chapter 16
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As he made the Captain's case, Carter was staring down his...crew, for lack of a better term. "Listen, I'm not big on allowing some random people on our ship either, but according to the Captain of their vessel, this guy might not last until rescue gets here. You can quickly treat him while we're cannibalizing that pirate vessel, and then we'll put them back in their pod and be on our way. In return, they're offering us all the munitions on the ship they have a claim on. It's not a bad deal."
The vixen seemed to have already made up her mind. No surprises there. "Absolutely not! We don't owe these people a thing! They're already lucky you're letting them keep what you are!"
The girl adjusted her glasses. "I don't see any particular benefit to us in this either. What few munitions are left on that ship aren't likely in any condition to be of use to us unless we take them apart and put them back together again, costing us almost as much time and energy as just going out and finding more elsewhere. We've got more than enough resources from that nearly whole vessel at our disposal for the time being. It is an unnecessary risk with little payoff."
So, this time, it came down to the pirate. All three turned to him as he considered the options. "Well, I don't know about owning anyone anything or how well we'll get paid, but from the sounds of things, this lad got injured fighting against overwhelming numbers in an all-hope-is-lost kinda situation and managed to get not only himself but his companions out alive! That kind of heave-ho attitude deserves to be rewarded! Sides, the only one who'll really be at risk is our Captain. It's not like they can do anything to the ship if we don't let them!"
Carter was starting to suspect the supposed pirate was more of a softy than he let on but wasn't about to say anything to that effect. Instead, he just shook his head. "Even split, so I guess I get to use my tiebreaker authority to make the call again. Contact Captain Dimitri and let him know we'll be taking the injured man on board just long enough to stabilize him, but no one can take any weapons off the pod with them. If we see so much as a knife, we'll space the lot of them."
-
As Alen sat up, he noticed he was having trouble focusing. Vanessa was speaking with someone on their console. It might have been the Captain, but he wasn't sure. "Are you sure we can trust them? This is taking a considerable risk..."
The response didn't sound as confident as he usually did. "Honestly, no, I'm not, and from what I remember of this ship, it doesn't exactly have the best of reputations. However, they could have easily waltzed in here, killed us, ignored us, and/or taken everything they wanted. Instead, they took the time to say hi and even bothered with negotiations. Also, judging by what we just saw, they aren't any more friendly toward pirates than we are, so that's a mark in their favor. If the boy was in better condition, I'd say he could just ride it out, but you mentioned he's not doing very well, so this is his only option. Besides, it's not like the government would let us keep many of the munitions on board that ship. He's got no choice, and it's not really costing us anything, might as well."
Vanessa didn't seem particularly appeased, but she didn't argue other than to mutter low enough that the Captain probably couldn't hear her. "It might cost a couple of us something..."
At this point, Alen was reasonably sure they were talking about him. However, the world wouldn't stop spinning long enough for him to consider his own thoughts on the subject. Instead, he just closed his eyes and hoped things would work out for the best.
-
Carter watched from overhead as the pod docked in the ship's bay. It seemed so small compared to the cavernous room, but he knew appearances could be deceptive. For instance, he wasn't exactly prepared to put up much of a fight himself, as his handgun was still mostly empty, but he wasn't about to let them know that.
The Captain had warned him there were not one, but two aliens aboard the pod and that they were pretty intimidating to look at. Carter had to admit that it made him curious. Everyone knew about the Vitexrā by now; they'd made quite the galactic splash a couple hundred years ago, but he'd never heard anything about a second species being discovered and wondered where the hell this other guy had come from or even what he looked like.
The girl was beside him as usual. "We've begun cannibalizing the pirate ship. The process will take several hours, though we're prioritizing more important components first in case we're interrupted."
Carter nodded. "Sounds good."
As he watched their guests disembark the ship, Carter couldn't help but frown. The big alien he's been warned about looked like he could easily cause more than his fair share of trouble. Nodding in their direction, he asked the girl, "Any weapons you can scan on them? And how about the kid? Is he really injured?"
The girl shook her head. "No weapons, although those two are pretty much weapons in and of themselves. Even if you had a full magazine, I'm not sure I'd put any money on you in a fight. Luckily, now that we have a captain, you won't be alone. We have some ancillaries ready to escort our guests to and from the med bay. As for the injured party, he seems legitimately in trouble, and the wounds are from before we showed up."
With a sigh, Carter turned away from the observation screen. "Alright. Sounds like we might as well get down there and say hi."
-
Carter conceptually knew how large the alien he was greeting was, but when he first opened the door, he had to fight the urge to take a defensive step back. Standing in front of him was some sort of anthropomorphic, nearly eight-foot-tall cat lizard, which gave off a vaguely Viking aura as it grinned down at the much smaller human.
When it spoke, Carter noticed the alien had a thick accent, thick enough to make him somewhat hard to understand, even though he seemed to be speaking Basic. "You must be the Captain! Good to meet ya!" Then, he turned to the other alien, the Vitexrā, who would have been just as intimidating despite her smaller size if Carter hadn't already had some idea what to expect. "See? I told ya they wouldn't bother inviting us on just to space us!"
The alien gave Carter a grin he suspected was meant to be more friendly than intimidating, but it failed on that account. Still, with the two large robotic frames at Carter's back, he knew that if push came to shove, he stood a reasonable chance of getting out of this alive. "Yeah, well, I'm not in the habit of spacing people who just need some help. I'm Captain Carter, by the way, and so long as you don't make any trouble, you won't get any from us. With that said, welcome aboard the Sybil."
Carter wasn't exactly a medical expert, but he'd been around the injured enough to see that the human the two aliens were escorting was in rough shape. Blood loss and shock, at the very least, probably caused by some sort of traumatic injury. Hopefully, the out-of-date medical facility on this ship would be up to the task, though Carter guessed the odds were more fifty-fifty.
The large alien's grin somehow grew broader and more toothy. "Call me Erik. This is Vanessa and Alen. Any help you can offer would be welcome!"
Carter refrained from commenting on how weird it was to hear the alien use such a standard human name, and instead simply nodded. "Alright, then follow me."
With that, Carter turned and led the way to the med bay, with the two robotic frames walking between him and their guests. He was reasonably sure he remembered the way from here, and if not, Sybil could say something. He had to fight the urge to turn and get another look at the two aliens, though.
As he finally approached the door he'd been looking for, Carter triggered the lights and pointed to the table. "Alright, put him there, and Sybil will see if she can't fix him up. I have to warn you, though, our facility isn't the most up-to-date, and given his condition, I'd say his odds are pretty even at this point."
As the large cat/lizard put the human down, the Vitexrā looked around as if searching for something before she spoke up, surprising Carter with her unexpected English accent. "Are there no medical personnel around?"
Carter was so surprised by the accent that he hesitated answering just long enough for the vixen to pop into existence and answer for him. "As if I need some wasteful organic assistance to do my job. And not to contradict my Captain, but I'd say this boy has a more than seventy-three percent survival chance. Now, if you will all please leave the room and let me do my job, I'll see if I can't save this human despite your best efforts!"
Carter sort of wanted to say something about her bedside manner but decided to keep his mouth shut as it served no purpose at this point. Besides, as the various metallic articulated arms around the table came to life, he decided he didn't want to see what the vixen considered medical assistance and decided to do as she'd commanded and leave the room.
However, the Vitexrā, Vanessa, he reminded himself, spoke up. "I am able to not release biologically active micro lifeforms when I so desire. May I remain to observe your treatment of the boy?"
As the vixen seemed to consider for a moment, Carter prepared himself for the usual belittlement, but surprisingly, she nodded. "Very well, but please observe from the corner. It would be best if you did not get in my way."
Vanessa nodded. "That is agreeable."
Carter looked back and forth between them, then decided it wasn't worth getting involved. Instead, he led the way out the door, and Erik followed. "Well, if you like, I can show you our mess hall while we wait, though I have to warn you, the food options are somewhat limited... Can you even eat human food?"
Erik grinned, making Carter wonder if the alien had another expression, and nodded. "Yup, for the most part! Don't worry. I can smell if you've got anything troublesome in there, but for the most part, if you can eat it, I can eat it. Don't waste your time on anything sweet, though; I apparently can't taste sweet!"
Carter raised an eyebrow, wondering if he'd heard that right or if it was just the accent. Then,m after a moment's hesitation, he responded. "Well, how do you feel about mint flavors?"
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Next chapter, lets see how these folks hit it off!
My Wiki has all my chapters and stories, including the short series and stories that I write for an occasional change of pace or style!
If you like my work and want to support it, I do have a Patron! I also post short stories early there from time to time, so keep an eye out for those!

(Edit: Grammar)
Hello!
I just joined the sub to share this.
I found an old post talking about a macro they made for building colonies in the space stage but provided no link to it, only instructions to use with an unknown program, so I decided to post my own creation that I've done in about 30 - 40 minutes.
Cost per colony is 377.601.
This macro is used with Macro Recorder and is intended to use with maximized 1920x1080 screen (not full screen). I don't know if it will work correctly with another macro recorder or screen size.
If you don't like the layout it's pretty easy to learn how to modify commands although it can be a bit tedious.
To use this macro correctly:

• Have 1920x1080 screen (if you don't know, if you have a rectangular screen that is not widescreen you are most likely good, although you can check going to settings, system, display and seeing "Display Resoulution").
• Not have fullscreen, but maximized screen (tick fullscreen off and then click the button on the top left between "close" and "minimize", if your screen has a purple glitch create a shortcut to the spore.exe and set the "Run:" parameter to Maximized", launch the game from there and it should be ok)
• Place the space where I place my entertainment (the section that connects to the townhall and hase wide space) more or less between the name of the city and the "Next" arrow.

If you have any questions or I have not been clear enough/am breaking any rules please let me know! :D
mrf (macro) file:

"Window change";"SporeApp.exe, SPORE(TM)"; "Left mouse button Down";"120, 550"; "Mouse move";"120, 550 » 1075, 635"; "Left mouse button Up";"1075, 635"; "Mouse move";"1050, 650 » 125, 750"; "Left mouse button Down";"120, 710"; "Mouse move";"125, 710 » 885, 475"; "Left mouse button Up";"885, 475"; "Mouse move";"875, 510 » 125, 750"; "Left mouse button Down";"120, 710"; "Mouse move";"120, 710 » 1100, 390"; "Left mouse button Up";"1100, 390"; "Mouse move";"1100, 410 » 120, 750"; "Left mouse button Down";"120, 710"; "Mouse move";"120, 710 » 1250, 540"; "Left mouse button Up";"1250, 540"; "Mouse move";"1250, 560 » 125, 400"; "Left mouse button Down";"125, 400"; "Mouse move";"125, 400 » 760, 560"; "Left mouse button Up";"760, 560"; "Mouse move";"760, 560 » 125, 400"; "Left mouse button Down";"125, 400"; "Mouse move";"125, 400 » 760, 560"; "Left mouse button Up";"760, 560"; "Mouse move";"760, 560 » 125, 400"; "Left mouse button Down";"125, 400"; "Mouse move";"125, 400 » 760, 560"; "Left mouse button Up";"760, 560"; "Mouse move";"760, 560 » 125, 400"; "Left mouse button Down";"125, 400"; "Mouse move";"125, 400 » 760, 560"; "Left mouse button Up";"760, 560"; "Mouse move";"760, 560 » 125, 400"; "Left mouse button Down";"125, 400"; "Mouse move";"125, 400 » 760, 560"; "Left mouse button Up";"760, 560"; "Mouse move";"760, 560 » 125, 400"; "Left mouse button Down";"125, 400"; "Mouse move";"125, 400 » 760, 560"; "Left mouse button Up";"760, 560"; "Mouse move";"760, 560 » 125, 400"; "Left mouse button Down";"125, 400"; "Mouse move";"125, 400 » 760, 560"; "Left mouse button Up";"760, 560"; "Left mouse button Down";"110, 875"; "Mouse move";"130, 920 » 110, 875"; "Left mouse button Up";"700, 760"; "Left mouse button Down";"110, 875"; "Mouse move";"130, 920 » 700, 760"; "Left mouse button Up";"700, 760"; "Left mouse button Down";"110, 875"; "Mouse move";"130, 920 » 700, 760"; "Left mouse button Up";"700, 760"; "Left mouse button Down";"110, 875"; "Mouse move";"130, 920 » 700, 760"; "Left mouse button Up";"700, 760"; "Left mouse button Down";"110, 875"; "Mouse move";"130, 920 » 700, 760"; "Left mouse button Up";"700, 760"; "Left mouse button Down";"110, 875"; "Mouse move";"130, 920 » 700, 760"; "Left mouse button Up";"700, 760"; "Left mouse button Down";"110, 875"; "Mouse move";"130, 920 » 700, 760"; "Left mouse button Up";"700, 760"; "Left mouse button Down";"110, 875"; "Mouse move";"130, 920 » 700, 760"; "Left mouse button Up";"700, 760"; 

Example of the macro, it takes 10 seconds to place all the buildings, from second 4 (when the mouse appears) to second 14, when all buildings are placed.

I remember that day as though it were only yesterday. My species, the rulers of a vast and mighty interstellar empire, had discovered a primitive species tucked away in a remote corner of our galaxy. Naturally, we were excited to discover them, for a new species on the galactic stage could potentially bring with them many exciting new developments to keep us all entertained for a few millennia.
Our survey ships, vessels of unparalleled stealth and subtlety, flocked to the single star system with its four gas giants, a boon for any developing species, and set up shop in orbit of their homeworld. We were all so eager to see what works of wondrous art and civility they had created, and instead we watched as a planet spanning war erupted. Entire nations were consumed, millions died within the first few weeks and we were left horrified by what we saw.
Yet by our own rules we were powerless to intervene, if it was their destiny to eradicate themselves, then that is what would happen. We expected this war to end in nuclear annihilation, for we had detected vast nuclear arsenals the moment we entered orbit of that glittering blue jewel in the dark.
Yet no such cataclysm came, instead, one by one tensions cooled, warriors dropped their primitive slug throwers and went home, seeking the comfort and peace of familiar and safe surroundings. A new government was formed, a unifying body that kept the peace for the next five hundred years to the best of its ability. Yet even then conflict still raged in the far flung places of the world, and we were left to wonder…
What would happen when they leave their world?
The question terrified us to such a degree that when it became clear they were making concerted efforts to leave their world and venture out into the stars, we panicked. A species as violent towards itself as they are would surely take one look at the galaxy and its many peoples and attempt to see them struck down. Some amongst the ruling body were of the mind that such a primitive and savage species was little more than animals that deserved to be put down.
Unfortunately, they were the most influential faction of our esteemed government. So when the vote was passed for the extermination of the species, the most the rest of us could try was to make it as quick and painless a death as possible. To be kind. But yet again, the most powerful of us decided that wasn’t good enough. They said that such savagery be met in kind, and so a terrible weapon was developed.
Fear and an overinflated sense of superiority drove us towards our ultimate shame.
The Affliction was released upon their homeworld, and any intrasolar outposts that we found were subsequently wiped from existence with lightning fast attacks from weapons of mass destruction. The affliction targeted everything from birth rates to skin growth, causing patches of necrosis to form externally and internally, all while heightening nerve responses. Our leaders wanted them to suffer for their savagery. While the powerful patted themselves on the back for their valiant defense of the galaxy from a potential threat, the rest of us were left to worry, to ponder our failings and hope against hope that we could be forgiven for our ineffectual protests against this course of action.
Another five hundred years passed and the galaxy forgot all about the now extinct species, focusing instead on their own problems and several other primitive races we had discovered. But something had not forgotten us, something had lurked in the darkness and waited till the perfect moment to strike.
At first the only knowledge we had of this entity was the brief contacts our sensor nets had with some strange anomaly. We shrugged it off as little more than a mere glitch, yet over time some of us began to see a pattern as the contacts began to linger for longer periods of time before vanishing.
It was far too late to do anything, as we would soon discover, as our outer colonies came under sudden attack from an unknown enemy. An unstoppable force that seemed to sweep over our defenses with ease. Yet we received no reports of the world being razed, instead the enemy was content to occupy the world and move on, keeping the civilian populace calm and cooperative.
Of course that didn’t mean we wouldn’t fight them, just because they were being civil towards our civilians didn’t make them any less our enemy. And so we mobilized, preparing our defenses as best we could and attempting to deny the enemy strategic resources as well. But as we soon learned, our forces were outmatched even in space.
I remember when I first saw them, having been assigned to a defense post on the planet Dingalea. A tropical resort world, with vast oceans and many pristine beaches. It was a tactically unsound planet to invade, yet this foe was clearly interested in all our worlds, not just the strategically important ones. We figured it was meant to force us to commit the bulk of our forces to liberation efforts, spreading our armies and fleets thin in an attempt to reclaim every planet.
I had taken position in a bunker on a cliff overlooking one of the more popular beaches when we heard a booming sound from the sky. Our eyes turned heavensward, and I beheld what appeared to be spears of metal rain from above. They crashed down into the oceans many yektra (miles) away, yet so massive they were that we all could easily see the detailing upon their exteriors.
From where I was stationed I could only see four of them, but as I would learn later, four was all they would need for the coming battle upon our beach. Granted we had set up defensive positions further inland, but the enemy seemed content to land out at sea which led us to assume that they were mostly aquatic based. How wrong we were.
An aperture opened wide upon each of the spears and from them water based vehicles emerged, elongated and rectangular in form, bouncing over the waves as they fanned out and made for shore. We watched and waited, my gripping hands clutching all the more firmly at my plasma pulse rifle. Heavy emplacements warmed up with a whine of charging power packs, the large turrets turning to face our foe. New vehicles joined the first models, these ones clearly armored assault vehicles of a type that was unfamiliar to us, as so much about our enemy was at the time. They kept a staggered and wide formation with the other vehicles, even as air superiority fighter craft started to fill the sky. I felt something twist in my thorax, a pit of fear threatening to swallow me whole.
As I lowered my eye to the scope of my rifle, I watched as the ring around its edge shifted from red to purple, indicating my target was in firing range. The call to open fire rang out from the fortifications around me and all twelve of the hells was visited upon our foe. Plasma and beams of energy lanced out from our lines, boiling the waters and leaving burn marks upon the metal hulls that approached. Artillery began to pound, hoping to inflict more destructive results upon the invaders.
They succeeded in scoring direct hits on a few of the craft, sending burning wreckage to the bottom of the sea, but the rest simply continued on, unfazed by the death and destruction around them.
The craft reached the beach and ramps descended and what we saw made us shiver in instinctual fear. They were tall, bipedal and heavily armored. What flesh we could spot from this distance was unnaturally white, they had no hair and no features upon their heads either. Yet they sported different body shapes, perhaps indicative of sex? It didn’t mattered, they were the enemy and they needed to be destroyed. Our weapons seemed to do very little to their armor, but any hits to exposed flesh did massive amounts of damage, sending the beings falling or flying into the water and sand, pale blue blood pouring from their wounds.
Then they started to fire back, their rounds weren’t energy based, purely kinetic and yet with the speeds they were flying they were clearly being launched by some sort of rail system. The rounds would strike and bury deep before exploding, heat and shrapnel working their deadly trade. Yet the enemy seemed more intent on forcing us to take cover than actually killing us, as became clear as they took cover in craters and behind resort walls. Then the armored vehicles made it to shore and they became the focus of our efforts. Their booming cannons and spitting rotary guns threatened to destroy bunkers and crew weapons alike. Even the aircraft swooped down to strike at us, dropping bombs and firing their dogfighting weapons as well before climbing back into the sky.
For every ten of the infantry or vehicles we destroyed, another thirty was soon behind them. So focused on simply surviving were we that we almost didn’t notice the newest threat. This one walked out of the sea itself, hulking armored forms that were bipedal like the infantry but not showing a single kepti (centimeters) of flesh. These behemoths strode slowly, ponderously across the beach, waving hands at the entrenched beings who would stand and form up with their larger kin. Almost immediately the incoming fire became more intense and precise, causing us to take cover far too often.
The order to pull back to the next line was given and we did so, just as the first of the behemoths burst through a barricade, the angular helmet it wore turning back and forth quickly. It did moved unnervingly fast, but not fast enough to dodge a shot from an anti-vehicle weapon. It staggered backwards, the shot burning through metal and flesh along one side of the helmet. Yet it did not go down, instead a clawed hand rose and grasped what remained of the melting armor and tore it free, revealing a face that’ll haunt me till my dying day.
It was a face of pale flesh, black fur atop their head and around their mouth and jaw. That mouth was twisted into an angry snarl, the one remaining eye burning a cold blue. Yet it was what was on the other side of their face that haunts me. Flesh had burned down to bone, yet there was no bone to be seen, just gleaming chrome. It leered at me, silver teeth clicking as it worked that jaw and began to advance.
Hours later, the planet was theirs. I suppose they wanted to show us that even in a fair fight we were horribly outclassed. That was a few weeks ago now I believe, they’ve just taken the homeworld and are preparing some sort of galaxy wide broadcast. I wonder what they’ll have to say about all this, will they condemn us all to death for one reason or another?
The screen flickers, the normal view of our governmental building coming into focus as one of these horrible monsters steps up to a podium, our leaders cowering behind them.
“People of the Milky Way. We are humanity, a species that knew not what awaited them outside the bounds of their home system. We were hopeful that when we ventured out into the black that we could have found friendship, instead we were nearly murdered in our cradle. Your leaders sentenced us to death out of fear, sentenced millions of children, both born and unborn to agonizing deaths. Your fear led you down a path of atrocities you were all too eager to visit upon a people that couldn’t defend themselves.” The human spoke, their voice rich and booming, met with a deafening silence by audiences on every planet.
“You thought us eradicated, all traces of our existence mere dust on the wind. But you failed. For you see we are a stubborn species and we are also spiteful, spite encourages adaptation. And adapt we did, for five hundred years we suffered your manufactured plague, till it became little more than a reminder of who we were to hate. Yet while many amongst us do hate you and with good reason, we are not here today to visit the same horrors upon your peoples. Instead, you will suffer the authority of another. Our authority. For the next five hundred years you will work to make amends for all you have done and when that time is up, we shall leave you be. For we are not the monsters you thought we were, nor are we the monsters you inadvertently tried to make us. We are humanity, and we will show your people a new and better way.”
The feed shut off and I could only sit back and sigh, resting my head upon the pillow of my hospital bed, as more of these humans surrounded me and began to treat my wounds. I was left to wonder about the future. I wondered at what humanity could show us over the next five hundred years.
And so I closed my eyes, and dreamt of the future.

Here we go—I'm finally making a post!
So, after months of lurking (and a handful of half-written posts), I'm finally taking the plunge and giving this a shot. I know they say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but in my case, it begins with a single post. So, here goes nothing, right? Haha.
What am I looking for?
In a nutshell—authentic, meaningful conversation. A few days ago, a few other faculty members and I met up for an evening out to celebrate the end of finals. A few of us stayed pretty late, pontificating about life, talking about the most random topics, and basically just enjoying each other's company. I don't know about you, but in today's world (where so many of us are glued to Zoom screens and remote work), we need more of that sort of dynamic—just genuine, authentic, long-form discourse. I like to believe with the right sort of person (and the right sort of conversational skills), you can cultivate that sort of vibe in online conversation.
For example, when I think back to the past, one of my favorite memories was a lengthy conversation I had with a random stranger at a cozy little coffee shop in a small town in Upstate New York. We talked about everything from philosophy to the best type of coffee beans. That's the sort of conversation I crave!
A bit about me:

• I'm 34, male, and work in higher education.
• I finished my doctorate a few years ago (Finally! I can now add "doctor" to my name without having to prescribe anything or perform surgery, haha — although that dissertation was brutal, just sayin').
• I love the outdoors and often take local day trips to explore new trails and scenic spots.
• I have a passion for photography, always trying to capture that perfect shot (though my cat remains a stubbornly uncooperative model).
• Journaling and poetry are my ways of reflecting and expressing my thoughts, even if my poems often end up sounding like Dr. Seuss after too much coffee.
• Long hikes are my therapy. Nature has a way of putting things into perspective.
• I have a knack for making terrible puns. Consider yourself warned.
• I like to pretend I'm a trivia night enthusiast, though my knowledge of obscure 90s cartoons is more impressive than practical.
• I'm convinced that breakfast foods are acceptable at any time of the day. Pancakes for dinner, anyone?
• I’ve been known to binge-watch documentaries about anything from space exploration to ancient civilizations.
• I’m a coffee enthusiast and love experimenting with different brewing methods and beans.
• I’m secretly training for the “Olympics of Procrastination,” and I’m a gold medal contender.
• I pride myself on my ability to parallel park in one go – a skill I wish I could add to my résumé.
• My superpower is finding the perfect GIF for any situation.

So basically...
I'm hoping to find thoughtful interactions with folks who genuinely want to discuss all that life has to offer. I'm drawn to people with a natural zest and curiosity for life, who embrace a growth mindset, and who value emotional intelligence and strong communication skills. Whether we're delving into deep philosophical questions or sharing our favorite recipes, I'm looking for someone who appreciates the beauty of a well-rounded, engaging conversation.
If this sounds like you, send me a chat message! I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

I agree with Ross Rosenberg’s redefining of codependent behaviors as ‘self-love deficit disorder’. That seems to be a very accurate read of WHY people fall into codependency in certain relationship dynamics. Self-love deficit usually arises due to childhood conditioning in which the child was parentified, put on a pedestal for conditional approval, emotionally neglected, or directly abused.
In all of these cases, which are all forms of abuse (though it may be unconscious and unintentional), the child develops a distorted belief that he/she is not ‘good enough’ to just be loved and accepted for who they are and must either perform, obey, serve, or act inauthentically in order to get their needs for love and safety met. This attacks the child’s inherent self worth because they lack the emotional and physical maturity to understand that the parent is incorrect and not parenting well. Nor can the child meet their own needs or leave the home. Therefore, everything is directed inward and the child develops a deep sense of shame and low self-worth, believing that he/she must please the parent by being whatever version reduces conflict, lessens abuse, and provokes approval.
Although codependent people are often highly empathic, that empathy has unfortunately developed through hyper-vigilance and taking on other people’s feelings as our own (aka enmeshment). This results in habits of people-pleasing, walking on eggshells, being a chameleon, over-giving, and performing inauthentically for approval. What kind of person will be drawn to a people-pleasing over-giver with low self-esteem in certain vulnerable areas, who wants to avoid conflict, has poor boundaries, and is afraid to be disliked? Ding ding.
The child re-enacts this narcissist-codependent dynamic in romantic relationships and friendships because so far that is all they have known, so it seems not only ‘normal’ but that there is no other way to receive love and acceptance. I call this the pattern of self-negation and servitude. Anyone with low self-worth and a deficit of self-love will be highly vulnerable to emotional manipulation, because there is a desperate desire to be fully loved, admired, seen as attractive and worthy, and totally accepted for who they are, to finally be ‘good enough’.
This is exactly why codependent people are so taken in and susceptible to love-bombing and covert manipulation. If they run into someone who is very convincing at showering them with massive amounts of love, lust, attention, admiration, almost worship, it will feel like the greatest ‘love-high’ that they’ve experienced in their lives. They will feel they have finally found true love and a soul mate, and the intense joy and finally feeling ‘home’ with another person will make them extremely eager to reciprocate by being supportive, generous, helpful, romantic, you name it.
Now, with a healthy authentic person, this is actually what we should be looking for- but not so fast and so soon and so over-the-top. Healthy, authentic people do not ‘love bomb’ because they know it’s weird and creepy and unsafe to get too close to someone new too fast. That is normal restraint. Manipulators, borderlines, and pathological narcissists only know this tactic to draw someone in because they too are extremely deficient in self-love underneath their false surface. It becomes a two-way manipulation dance instead of a safe, healthy, growing attachment that can become a sustainable mutually-supporting relationship between two adults.
Those of us who have been through this know all too well that it feels worse than death when the fantasy ends and the loveboming is replaced by devaluation and abuse. The codependent wants to ride that breadcrumb rollercoaster forever in pursuit of that original high, that feeling of ecstatic connection, love, and acceptance. To let that go forever and realize it was never real and never going to last is the cruel deathblow that all codependents must face as their initiation into healing and individuation. To stop getting into those unhealthy, abusive dynamics is a sign of real progress and recovery.
It is very, very hard to break this cycle because it is one that has been inherited over generations. It did not start with you, you were programmed this way and it’s probably even in your DNA to some degree. But it is possible to completely transform yourself and heal so that you develop a healthier attachment style and a balanced relational frame. That’s what all of recovery is about- reclaiming your own heart, your own dignity, and your own hopes and dreams so that you stop being someone else’s sock puppet just to feel wanted and loved. It’s a truly awful way to live and I’m not exaggerating by saying it can kill you if you‘re not careful. It becomes a love addiction, a sex addiction, and even a sad abuse addiction. We were not put on God’s green earth to live that way or give up our own personal sovereignty for twisted people to abuse.
Unfortunately, very few codependents have the awareness or capacity to voluntarily give up their ways and heal. It is only a tremendous shock to their system in the form of that one evil relationship worse than anything they’ve ever experienced that forces them to reassess their lives and choose a better way. Much like the addict or alcoholic who has to hit rock bottom before they get sober for good, the codependent runs into a truly diabolical person or relationship and decides,” NO MORE!”
There may be relapses and it will likely not be a quick, linear road. But those who truly want to exert their will and their faith to align with their highest values and the uphold dignity of their own hearts will change themselves for the better. As difficult as it is to face this turning point and climb out of hell, I also know what an exciting journey full of redemption and potential greatness can be waiting on the other side.

TL;DR: I foolishly began dating my coworker who ended up lying to me several times. I finally ended up looking at her DM's and discovered what looks like plans to cheat on me and I don't know how to proceed.
Would really appreciate it if you read until the end where I have questions. Everything else is details & background.
I began casually dating a coworker who I caught feelings for. I've never been the type to have interest in more than one person so I voiced to her early on that I would like to know if she was dating other people. She reciprocated this feeling and assured me she wasn’t dating anyone else but would tell me if she did.
Things were great but we had a recurring argument about once or twice a month about how I was overstepping the casualness.
I will admit I took things too far sometimes but we also didn’t set boundaries either so the lines weren’t super clear all the time. For example, we formed habits like getting coffee in the morning, texting before bed, calling each other after work. So those habits created expectations and if there was a break in one of them, I would sometimes point it out and that would usually lead to an argument. It was mostly me who brought those things up but she would do this too, just not as much.
With a vacation coming up we both made plans to hang out before it but when the time came, she said she forgot. She had cancelled plans several times in the past and I was always understanding, but this time I expressed frustration.
I texted her that I was upset about it because I was really looking forward to spending time before the vacation. She thought I was being extremely unfair, that cancelling is normal, that we hang out all the time, etc. This led to our big talk.
We both agreed to go back to being coworkers. I said I did not want to immediately go back to being friends right away and that I wanted to keep some distance for now.
She immediately disrespected these wishes by stopping by my office to say hi the first day back (a one week vacation). I was confused but went along with it because we were at the office and I wasn't going to make a scene. A few days after that, she sent in a request for help with her workstation knowing that I was going to be assigned to it.
I didn't have time to help out that day but she showed up again at my office at the end of the day and confessed that she sent the request to get my attention and wanted to apologize. I said it's ok but that she needs to respect my wishes about keeping a healthy distance and only being coworkers.
The following week I went to help her with that issue and next thing I know we were flirting again. One of the strongest attractions was our good chemistry and that got us into trouble. So we agreed to sit and talk about things and decide what we want.
We both clearly had feelings for each other so we decided to continue dating. This was where she admitted that she had been dating other people on Hinge and out of fear of driving me away, she kept it from me. I felt betrayed and left. In hindsight, this probably should have been the end of things.
In the following couple of weeks, she apologized profusely and did a lot of thoughtful things in an attempt to make up for it. Eventually, I forgave her and tried to be understanding. I told her I would need time to rebuild trust and that if I were to move forward, I would need us to to be committed to each other to which she agreed.
Things were ok until I noticed that she was texting this one guy (bachelor #1) almost every day. So with a combination of her lying to me before and also myself having been cheated on in the past, I couldn't help but look at the locked phone screen and kept seeing his name. I also noticed a trend in the past that some of her contacts had “H” as their last initial which made me wonder if they were all people she met on hinge. Bachelor #1 had the "H" too and I asked if they met on hinge. She admitted to adding “H” to Hinge contacts but promised that bachelor #1 was not from hinge, just that she couldn’t remember his last name but knew it started with an H. I didn’t really believe her because she was incredibly vague about how they met. She says he's just a friend who they happen to have a ton in common with and talk almost every single day. I said it’s fine but asked if he at least knew that her and I were dating and he did not.
I know its normal for people to have close friends of the opposite sex but I found it odd that in all of their almost daily communication, I never came up. I couldn't help but think that it was intentionally being avoided.
I was puzzled and brought it to the table, and was told that it simply "never came up." I said I felt uncomfortable that he didn't know about me especially since I'm kind of still in this 'rebuild trust' phase. She understood and finally told him that she's "seeing some guy." So I guess I was ok with that. My 2 female friends know that I am dating her and I don't even talk to them half as much. After she told him, I let it go.
Then bachelor #2 enters the picture. This guy frequently hits on her and makes it extremely clear that he wants to fuck. I get it, guys are going to hit on beautiful women but I expect her to shut it down. And of course, the same is expected of me to shut down people hitting on me. However, with this friend of hers, instead of shutting it down, she accepts all of the compliments and allows him to continue making advances via DM's. He didn't know about me at all and only stopped once he found out because I went to the gym with her consistently enough to where he caught on that her and I were together (they go to the same gym sometimes).
So once again, it seems like she was hiding the fact that she's exclusive with someone. He stopped messaging her so I let it go but again, I'm annoyed that it was even a thing in the first place.
About another month had passed with no issues and we were doing surprisingly well so I asked her to officially be my girlfriend and she said yes.
We were both really happy but later that night, she was texting bachelor #1 right in front of me. I hate that I did this but I glanced over at her phone and saw they made plans to hang out but I didn't say anything, I didn't think too much of it. At the end of the night in bed and amid random conversation, she said she was planning to see her female friend on the day that she made plans to hang out with bachelor #1. She lied to me completely unprompted.
My chest started pounding and I said "You're lying to me" and she responds with "what? I'm so tired, go to sleep" Again I said "You are fucking lying to me." I started getting out of bed to gather my things and leave. She lunged after me, trying to grab me, asking me not to leave. I said I can't do this anymore and that I can't trust her. She started crying, apologizing, making excuses, etc. I couldn't listen to any of it so I left.
I woke up to a whole ass story of a text of how sorry she was and I didn't deserve that. She said she was just going on a walk with him and the dog she's fostering because he was thinking of adopting him. Her excuse for lying to me was that she thought it would ruin the night because I was sensitive about her friendship with him in the past.
She still went on that walk with him but she was texting me during it, called me after and invited me over for dinner. She talked to bachelor #1 about me a lot and said how much she wanted to be with me etc. They don't talk as much anymore and apparently he is now in a relationship with someone.
I bought the whole apology and continued with the relationship. I keep telling myself she didn't cheat on me and that she would never do that but I don't really know how I'm supposed to rebuild trust. I'm just kind of going with the flow at this point and trying to enjoy the time we spend together.
Once again things seem to be going ok until bachelor #3 enters the picture.
This dude lives in a different state but he sent her two free pairs of expensive-ass shoes. Normally, I would think that's pretty damn cool of him but at this point everything makes me skeptical. She told me a bit about him, that they used to work together and that he's married. Well, as of a week ago, we got into an argument about trust that started from me finding out that she doesnt ever post me on instagram. I accused her saying that there must be more people hitting on her in her DM's and she likes the attention so much that she doesn't want to broadcast that she has a boyfriend. She swore nobody was hitting on her and that doesn't happen at all. She said the only male friend of hers she talks to besides bachelor #1 was Bachelor #3. Then I asked her to show me the DM's with bachelor #3 and she said no.
I should not have done this but in the next few days I found a chance to go through her phone. This is what I saw and I have screenshots to prove it:
-He frequently hits on her saying she's hot and beautiful.
-She posted about muffins she made and he reacted with "When I visit, you'll have to bake me some" to which she ecstatically agreed.
-He then told her she should put 'baking' on her dating profile and her response was "when I make one, I will!"
(The fuck? Would this not be the time to say "I actually have a boyfriend right now"? )
-Then she asked if he was dating. He responded saying he avoids dating apps and rather meet in person and hook up from there.
(The fuck the fuck? Why are you asking a married man if he's dating?)
-Finally he asks if she's dating and she actually said yes but there was zero mention of me at all or that she has a boyfriend.
-He said he was going to be in town in June and asked her to get drinks with him. She says "Yes! Definitely!"
This is pretty damning, right? To me, it really looks like it's leading up to her cheating on me. Or am I somehow missing something?
What the fuck do I do, reddit?
I know that being in this pickle is 100% my fault and I blame no one but myself. But here I am and I would really appreciate advice on the best exit strategy.
I don't want things to end explosively and I prefer not to admit that I went through her DMs if possible. There's no possibility that she has a valid explanation for how she's speaking to Bachelor #3, right?
I've been trying to plan exit strategies and I'm thinking of simply telling her that I haven't been able to rebuild trust and that it's best to stop the relationship then leave it at that.
I'm extremely upset and hurt that she still lied to my face. Now, the vengeful part of me really wants to catch her in the act of lying to me when Bachelor #3 visits in June.
Major problem.
We still work together but in completely different departments. The working together may not last very long (she's been looking for another job). And I'm seriously considering it as well.
So here's what I need help with.
Do I allow her to explain what is going on with bachelor #3 or do I just say that I don't see myself being able to trust her again and leave it at that?
Do I wait to end things until one of us gets a different job?
Do I go for the more gratifying ending by calling her out on her bullshit and admitting that I went through her DM's or by waiting to catch her in the act when he visits?

My Mom has been apart of one MLM or another for as long as I can remember. She has gone into extreme debt more than once, and is heading there again. She's currently apart of Stampin' Up which is on the much lighter side of being an MLM. I have tried to explain why she loses money with MLMs, how they manipulate people into believing they can be successful etc. She is open to understanding, but isn't convinced.
Her big argument is often "but some people make so much money!" and names the trips she sees etc. I asked her what kind of trip she could go on if she had the money she had spent on stampin' up. It really made her think, and she responded "I could have gone around the world".
Stampin up is tricky because it's not as obvious as other MLMs. However, they are constantly pushed to buy the newest release of overpriced products (seasonal, I believe) to demonstrate and post all over socials, and they cannot sell any other brand (she can't even sell her used stamps from another maker, another way stampin up makes sure you only buy from them).
Help me help her before she finds herself in something worse. Can you suggest any documentaries that could help her understand how MLMs work? Especially that explain why some sellers seem to have such lavish lifestyles, but that won't make her feel like she is being shamed for participating?
*obviously, there are issues to address in these patterns that therapy would be best for. That will never happen, so I'm just doing what I can.

Content Warning:Mentions of Child Abuse & Gore
They called me a colic baby, meaning I was a seemingly healthy baby that was distressed for an unknown reason. The fits of crying mostly dissipated by six months, but they'd crop up every now and then into toddler-hood. When I became capable of babbling a few words, I would summarize my pain in a few words: belly hurt. Belly HURT!
My parents didn't have much money, but they took me to the doctor for a checkup anyway. After running a physical exam and blood test, they determined that I was merely an excessively gassy little girl and should probably eat a more gut-friendly diet. They also prescribed some medicine which would eliminate the gas and relieve my pain.
It was from that moment on that my parents gave me the nickname "Gas Girl" (which I despised). The name stuck for several years, and anytime I'd get a little stomach ache my mom or dad would say, "uh, oh. It's not Gas Girl returning, is it?" I'd glare at them with my arms folded and pout, saying, "I'm not Gas Girl. I'm Wonder Girl!" My parents would share a look, then burst out laughing. Just as I was about to shout a retort, my dad would open up his arms and bend down in that familiar pose which signaled liftoff, and all my childish rage detached like a racing sticker as I leaped into my dad's arms and he flew me around the living room shouting "Who is it? It's Wonder-girl! Here to save the day from Gas Girl!"
Anyway, just as the nickname wore off, the pain returned. I was about 7 or 8 when I had my first big episode. I was in second grade, and the class was cutting out shapes. The pain came on so suddenly I remember lurching back and falling out of my seat. The next few hours were a blur of adults: my teacher, the nurses, the principal, my parents. I remember how cold and alone I felt despite being surrounded by grown ups, and my stomach hurt so much I was crying pretty much nonstop.
My dad bought a bunch of OTC medicine to try and settle what he thought was a really bad gas episode. My mom laid at the side of my bed and did bicycles in the air with me. Hours passed in pain as my adolescent imagination conjured up images of an evil little elf blowing thousands of bubbles in my belly. I consciously pictured myself popping them, but every time I did, more were blown. My dad scheduled a doctor's appointment for the next morning, and my mom stayed at my side until I was able to fall asleep sometime late in the night.
I dreamed vividly a horrific nightmare. I was strapped to a black, metal box. A surgeon donning blue scrubs with white gloves and a mask entered the space in my peripheral vision. The air was cold but crisp, as if every bit of dust had been scrubbed out of existence. I could feel my breathing, my heartbeat, even my skin. The doctor stepped forward and I could see the distortion of a smirk in the folds of his mask. I expected him to say something, to tell me what he wanted, but instead he lifted my shirt so my belly was exposed. "It's cold", I said in a mumbly voice. He lifted his hand in the air, and I saw behind it off in the back of the room was what looked like the glass wall of an aquarium. I was confused for a second, but only a second. The surgeon plunged his hand into my stomach like a spear, splitting through the flesh as if it were the skin of a ripe fruit. The previously silent man began to cackle like a maniacal villain as I nearly passed out from the pain. I felt his fingers swimming through my guts like parasitic worms. My body shook as cold sweat and blood began to ooze from my pores. I wanted to scream but I couldn't make a sound. I could only lay there, paralyzed, as the evil doctor explored my insides.
Somehow I lost consciousness in the dream, but when I woke up, the memory came flooding back, and I screamed with all the force of a thunderstorm. My parents skipped the appointment and rushed me to immediate care, but by the time we arrived, the pain was gone. I explained my dream to the doctor, but he said it was normal to dream up reasons for the pain. They recommended a CT scan to screen out the possibility of an ulcer or internal bleeding. Despite my parents' scarce savings, they agreed to run the test. However, something deeply entrenched in my mind thought of the dream with the surgeon and I protested. "I don't want a test!" I screamed. "But, honey, how are we going to know what's wrong?" replied my mom. "Nothing's wrong now. I don't want a test."
Looking back now on my persistence, it should have been obvious that there was something wrong with me, but my parents, who were thinking of their finances, allowed themselves to acquiesce to my demands. The pain would continue into and throughout my teenage years, and the one benefit that I can credit to it was that it taught me how to endure pain and hide it well before puberty started. Compared to my childhood cramps, period cramps were around a B+. Very bad, but not end of the world bad. However, they'd stick around more reliably, and eventually the two began to combine until I could no longer discern between them. Occasionally I would have a nightmare and wake up with a pain that was a little higher in my stomach, almost approaching my chest, but it would always disappear by breakfast time, and the chaos of a teenage girl's life would once again reassert itself in the form of an outfit that didn't look quite right or the memory of every word of a conversation with a guy I liked or how my teacher was out to get me. Basically, I had become normal.
And then two weeks after I turned 16, my dad passed away from heart failure. Apparently the stress from a paycheck-to-paycheck life in sales added onto a bad diet and a penchant for alcohol was a recipe for disaster. He was only 49. I was crushed.
The weeks and months following his funeral were filled with teenage anger and resentment. I directed most of it at my mom, who I held accountable for not being strong enough to step up and help with the bills. One day, when I was searching the drug cabinet for some painkillers to deal with some bad cramping, I noticed a new prescription for a drug with a really long name. I looked it up. It was an antidepressant. From that moment on I stopped giving my mom shit, but I grew a bit distant from her. I started spending a lot more time with my friends. I became reckless, adopting a drinking habit and unsafe sex practices. I smoked a bit but I didn't really like it. I guess I was just trying to find a way to move on, as naive as it was.
Fast forward to my present situation, and I'm a college student. A junior to be exact. I ended up scrounging up enough money from working two restaurant jobs to see a therapist on my own dime, and managed to make peace with my mom before leaving. We both talked out all of our trauma and cried together, and from that moment on, I haven't had a drink. About six months ago I got on the pill. I was starting to see one guy consistently and I wanted to be safe, but also I wanted to know what it felt like to not have stomach cramps anymore. It was freeing. I remembered my dad lifting me up into the air as a child, and I figured it kinda felt like that. I still cry thinking about him, although I don't let anyone see.
Anyway, about a week ago I started having really bad pain again, but this time it was in my chest. I would wake up in my apartment (I share a 3-bedroom with some friends from the college) with heart palpitations. My heart felt like a snake had wrapped around it and was trying to choke it out. The pressure would give way to a burst of fast ba-dum's, then settle, then start again. I remembered my dad's prognosis and started to get really scared, so I scheduled an appointment with the on-campus doctor for the next day through the online health platform.
They told me that chest pain is no joke and scheduled to have me scanned at a nearby hospital. This was four days ago. My boyfriend, Kevin, drove me there even though I said I'd be fine going alone. I think I already knew our relationship wasn't going to work out long term, so I was kind of checked out. I felt bad about it though because Kev is actually a really good person, but our personalities just don't match. He's very introverted and doesn't like to go out, whereas I thrive in group settings. Anyway, he drove me and I ended up getting an X-ray. The doc came in to share the results and I was immediately put off by the dubious expression on his face.
"What do you mean the images are blurry?" I asked.
"Well, it's just… that. They're blurry. It's very unusual for this to happen unless you have a pacemaker or some other device implanted. Do you know if you have something like that?"
"No, never," I said with a quaver in my voice. For some reason I thought back on my childhood dream with the surgeon and felt the urge to vomit.
"Well, let's run a CT scan and see if we can make anything out." He soothed.
Normally the CT and MRI dock was booked for a week out but the doctor happened to have an open space for me that same morning, so I waited about an hour and then got in the big tube machine that took pictures of my chest and abdomen. He said he should have the results by Thursday. That was Yesterday.
I was driving onto campus for my 9AM class when I got the call.
"Hello, this is Dr. **** calling for Josie **** ." (names redacted for privacy reasons)
"Oh, yes, this is Josie," I said and fit the phone between my shoulder and ear as I tried to find a comfortable posture."
"Yes, hello," the male doctor said in grave way which made me feel like this wasn't going to be a short call. "I wanted to see if you were available to come in today for some more tests."
"More tests?" I asked. "What about the first ones?" Images of blocked heart valves and cancer presented themselves on my mental screen.
"Yes, well, I wanted to discuss the results with you in person. There was a bit of a … well, an inconsistency, and I didn't want to upset you—"
"Upset me!?" I blurted, my free hand flying out over the steering wheel, swerving my car toward the curb. I corrected, then lowered my voice, "sorry, I don't mean to be …" be, what? This is completely absurd. "Could you at least give me some indication of what's wrong with me? I'm just kind of panicking here."
The doctor was quiet for a moment, then returned. "Sorry, Josie, I didn't mean to spook you. Both the X-ray scan and CT scan are picking up interference which is unusual. It's possible it's just a flaw on our end, so that's why we wanted you to come back in—to do an MRI and really verify what the issue is. This one would be free of charge and we'd get you results same-day as we feel bad about the issues with the machinery. Do you think that would be possible?"
I took a deep breath. I still felt uneasy, but at least now there was some kind of explanation I could lean on. "Okay, yeah, I can come in. I have class until 9:50AM, but I can drive over after and be there around 10:15, 10:20-ish. Would that work?"
"That would work great. We'll see you then."
I spent the whole of my communications class thinking about what could be wrong with me, doodling my ideas down on a notebook. Heart disease. Cancer. Some kind of peptic ulcer. Maybe it was the pill? The drinking? Was this some kind of cosmic retribution? I didn't know.
An hour later I was back at the hospital. I expected to be ushered into the MRI prep room, but instead I found myself in one of the normal patient rooms, sitting upright on a bed. The nurse did the preliminary height and weight measurements and medical history. I asked about the MRI, but all she said was that the doctor will discuss that with me. Before she left, she handed me an assessment to fill out. It seemed to be a list of questions about the medical history of my family, specifically about our mental health. Does your family have a history of Schizophrenia? Have there been any instances of domestic abuse? Did you have vivid nightmares as a child? Etc. I marked the boxes, then set the clipboard down.
At last I heard the fated knock on the door, and my doctor came in holding an Ipad. The door was only open for maybe a couple seconds, but I could see multiple nurses and technicians peeking their heads in my direction, as if they were trying to catch a glimpse of me. That can't be good.
"Hello, Josie," the doctor said and clicked on the little TV screen. He didn't even look at me. I could see dried sweat along his hairline.
"What's happening? I thought I was going to get an MRI…"
"Well, actually we aren't sure if that's the best course of action." the doctor said as he clicked the screen and pulled up a series of images.
"Can you look at me, please?" I snapped.
The doctor raised his head and tilted it in my direction. His mouth was agape, his eyes wide as if only realizing I was here at that moment. "I'm sorry, Josie." He took a deep breath, preparing some kind of canned presentation, then let it out and said, "It's just easier if I show you." He pulled up the first global image from what I presume was my CT scan. It was a front-shot. I could see my organs as little geometric shapes and—
"Wait, what is that?" I asked, pointing at the screen.
"That—is the problem."
I spent the next minute just staring at it. Somehow, in between all of the organs, there was some kind of cylindrical mass—I thought it was my spine at first but quickly realized it was too wide and there weren't any vertebrae—and at the head of the mass was, very clearly, a hand.
"What the fuck is that" I said in a tone that was at once forceful and pointed.
"It appears," the doctor started, looking away again. "It appears that there is a mechanical hand in your chest cavity. It's attached to a piece of a forearm that begins at your stomach, here," he pointed, "and continues up until, well, it appears to be holding your heart."
Ten seconds passed in silence. Then I was hit with the equivalent of the laughing gas they give you at the Dentist's office. All the blood in my body surged to my forehead and I felt light as the very thin hospital air. "Hahaha!!! You expect me to believe that? What kind of fucking clown-show hospital is this? Am I at the circus?' I stood up and started toward the door. The doctor body blocked me.
"Please, Josie, that isn't it."
"Oh?" I said sarcastically. "Please, do tell."
"Could you have—oh, okay, okay,, let me explain."
I stood there with my arms folded, unrelenting.
"When we first had you do the X-ray there was a big blur. It was clear that something was blocking us from seeing the image. The CT scan was able to take some actual pictures of it. I know it seems, well, unusual—"
"Wait, what the hell is that?" I asked, gesturing toward the clipboard.
"What?" The doctor looked disoriented.
"Those questions. Are you trying to insinuate that my mom and dad implanted some kind of mechanical hand in my body?"
"No," the doctor raised his hands. "We were just trying to gather some more information… Josie," the doctor said as I once again headed for the door handle. "Please, there's more. From the blood test we conducted it seems that you're pregnant."
I was so done. "I'm on the pill, asshole." I sneered and swung the door open, ignoring the sets of eyes trained on me as I scurried to the end of the hall, ran outside, and climbed into my car. I expected to see a bunch of people in white coats running after me, but there was no one. I started the car as tears began to stream from my eyes. Fuck them, I thought and sped out of the parking lot.
I couldn't return to my apartment. I ended up driving for hours, working my way back to my hometown. I spent a long time thinking about all the things I had experienced growing up. The stomach pain, slowly working its way up to my chest. The vivid dream of the surgeon feeling around my guts. Was it really that crazy to think my body was trying to tell me something? Why had I decided against having a CT scan all those years ago? Why now? I didn't—couldn't believe what was happening to me. But was that just because I didn't want to believe it?
And then there was the pregnancy. I was definitely on the pill. I knew it wasn't Kev's, or at least I was pretty sure it wasn't. We haven't been having sex for a little over a month now. But did that mean that something else didn't impregnate me? My paranoia was at its peak. I considered the possibility that maybe it was me that was Schizophrenic. None of this made any sense. I wanted my dad. I missed him. I considered going to see my mom, but despite making up with her, I still didn't feel close enough to her to own up to everything. I wanted to be alone—needed to be alone.
I ended up getting a Motel about 10 minutes away from my house. It was around 1AM when I finally opened the door to my room and laid down on the bed. After hours of thinking, a single thought occurred to me like a kind of defense mechanism: if I really am pregnant, I'm not keeping the baby. I want it out.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard the notification sound go off on my phone, which was odd since I was sure I had set it to vibrate. I turned and grabbed it, unplugging it from its charging dock. I had received a text message from an unknown, 5-digit number: 66669. This is what it said.
66669: If you terminate my baby, I will crush your heart.
***
I haven't been able to sleep since. It's now 6AM and I've drafted this as a cry for help. Please, let me know what you think I should do. I'm too "in it" to see the details clearly. I feel alone and scared and paranoid. Someone or something is watching me. Maybe it has been my whole life.

~First~
(Got up Early to talk about the CPAP machine and such. Only to be given an appointment on friday. So yeah, in trying to solve a sleep issue I’m giving myself more of one. Incidentally Friday will be late due to well, the CPAP retrieval and tutorial)
The Pirates
“So, they’re here.” Agenda says contently as she finishes feeding her fussiest little girl.
“Yep!” Jingay chirps happily as her freshly hatched little children are happily playing on the glowing, shimmering platform that her rattle has brought to life. She can’t do anything complicated, but a soft shiny platform for her little slithers to play around in? She can do that, but it takes some focus. The tiny fluffy child of Vuni is cuddling the strong Jungle Nagasha tail that wraps around her own tail.
“How formal a call do you think we should make?” Miles asks in an amused tone.
“Not especially, after all the babes ensure it will never be properly formal, they’re too happy and healthy.” Agenda notes.
“I blame you for that.” Miles says and Agenda laughs.
“If you don’t want the blame I’ll take it.” Vuni remarks.
“You’re just as guilty.” Miles says and Vuni laughs in response.
“What’s going to happen?” Jingay asks and Miles is pensive for a moment.
“I don’t know.” He notes as his hand gently rubs the handle of his revolver. The constant rubbing had necessitated him re-burning the names of his family back into it. “But no amount of waffling about will let me know. So if you don’t mind. I’ve been... getting something a little ready.”
“Is this what you’ve been sneaking around to do for the last three days?” Agenda asks.
“Something like that. It’s a bit of a treat I wanted to give you girls so... care to join me?” He offers.
“What have you done?”
“Me and the boys got together a great big feast so that we can all talk The Inevitable at once. It took a bit of doing, but when the boys and I get moving, we really get moving.”
“Are you including Red Squadron and Biran in that?”
“And a lot of cadets too. Markus gave them a proper mission in setting up the area.” He says.
“How is that a mission?”
“It involves deploying a military force to secure and prepare an area for higher ranking officers to approach and remain there for a time.” Miles says before offering his hand. “There’s plenty of space for all our little ones, and for all our allies. Give them all a big impression. How does that sound?”
“Well, if you’ve been planning this for days.”
“I have. All of us have.”
“Then I suppose we HAVE to show up, don’t we?” Agenda says in a luxurious tone. “I’ll get my coat.”
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The hall that Miles leads them to is a massive refurbished hanger that has all kinds of carpets put down, tapestries hanging from the ceiling and tables upon tables of different treats of all sorts already out. The Undaunted Cadets are all rushing around putting down more meals and treats and between the richness of the carpets, the crystal bowls and platters and expensive drinks and foods. But the sort of... scrambled way it’s been put together by the cadets lends it an earnestness that bleeds through. More important though are numerous floating platforms where a child can be safely put down and be right beside their parent.
“Oh this is a treat. I haven’t even been one of you guys for long!” A four part harmony says as Moira walks in with little Liǔ Shù napping in the arms of the four bodies that didn’t speak. The toxic little girl not only has numerous of the protective pendents on her and woven into her clothing, but is in a dark jumper that lets her bright skin stand out as if for presentation.
“Well, as their novels say, all for one, and one for all.” A new voice says as a pair of Cannidors lead in their own family. More and more and more people pour in from all entrances, many in uniform, many of them her own girls. Some of them she barely recognizes. Every single one of them that notices her looking raises a glass, nods, salutes or somehow pays their respects to her.
Her little one squirms ever so and is softly comforted. For a moment there is almost a feeling of vertigo. There was a time where all this wasn’t even a dream of a dream. She could remember the feeling. How could she forget it? The sensation of something gripping your very mind and soul and stopping you from even thinking of disobeying. Then so long trying to get things right, trying to be in control of her own destiny, before finally achieving it and learning just how hard that was. How many sacrifices and concessions she made before what seemed to be one of her final concessions... turned out to be final in the best of ways.
“Alright! We have a connection to The Inevitable! Who wants to say hello to the next batch of humans in the galaxy?” Ryu calls out.
“My Lady?” Miles asks as he smiles up at her. She gives him a raised eyebrow at that.
“My lady is it? Well then, I better live up to it.” She says.
“Connect us!” She commands and there is a cheer through the room before a massive projector uses one of the tapestry covered walls as a screen. “Good Ship Inevitable! Can you hear me?”
“We can, you are on a friendly frequency.” A man of Asian Descent says sitting stiffly in his command chair. “I am Observer Wu, sent from Earth to conclusively determine what is going on outside our corner of the galaxy. Identify yourself please.”
“I am Duchess Agenda Lilpaw! I am the ruler of the Vucsa System an Undaunted World! I greet you, because I have long learned my lesson to stay on the good side of humans!”
“Have you now? If I’m not mistaken that is a fully grown human right next to you. You look like you could take him fairly easily.” Observer Wu says in an amused tone.
She looks down to Miles before shaking her head.
“I made that mistake once. My entire ship was not enough.” She says fondly before pulling him close. “Then I was offered a deal, and he used it to help make me a duchess. So you’ll forgive me if I think humans are a good thing to have around.”
“Did he now? I didn’t realize galactic conquest was the intent of The Dauntless and her crew.” Wu notes.
“Well, as one of the conquered, I would like to say I prefer this result. After all, being able to walk about the city without a bodyguard is a welcome change of pace.” Vuni says drawing attention to herself with a slight bow. “Ambassador Vuni Luxed at your service.”
“So this world prefers to be conquered?” Observer Wu asks.
“This world was a slum at it’s best. A hellscape at worst.” Mari Horny states as the Carib woman waves to the camera. “Mari Horny. I was here to witness it all. I’ve seen slaves freed, monsters hunted down no matter what kind of power or influence they have, be they person or beast. With them I’ve seen the children I worked so hard to protect grow stronger and thrive. Doom has come to this world time after time, and they met it each time. If you’re here to observe, then observe this room! Everyone here saved, aided or inspired by the people you’ve come to evaluate! There are ten pure blooded humans in this room, but beyond it is nearly a billion souls who will vouch for them from the first to last! And so will I!”
“No need to be so dramatic ma’am. I’m an observer, not a judge. I am here to see and hear without bias or illusions. Things are odd, and odd things have happened. The governments and officials back home need to understand clearly and without any doubt. So that is why I am here. There was confusion in the first message sent back. The second furthered the confusion due to multiple parties having separate interests. I have been tested, tried and guaranteed numerous concessions and payments for an utterly neutral perspective.”
“So your word is going to be how all is, then they decide if we committed treachery.” Franklin notes as he floats up with several bundles around him, many of them laughing. “Behold this then. My children. All healthy, with myself as the only human parent. My daughters take after their mothers, my son takes after me, but has his mother’s strength.”
“He is nearly transparent.” Observer Wu notes before Franklin gives the little boy a tickle and he flickers in and out of visibility while laughing. “Most interesting. This Vucsa world of yours, before I do my research upon it, is there something you would like to say about it?”
“This is a world on the edge of Wild Space. Which means that it’s often been used in the past as a place where experiments happened.” Miles says.
“Interesting. Such as?” Observer Wu asks.
“Such as my daughter here. I am Moira Octalliry, I will cut through the details and simply state that my anatomy allowed me to be experimented on a great deal.” She says and Observer Wu looks at her oddly.
“Are you one, or many?”
“I am one, but I am eight as one.” She says. “As is my daughter, I have named her Liǔ Shù. She was a piece of myself remade to produce a weapon. She and I were both rescued. I was forgotten in darkness for thousands of years, as was my daughter. Held in a single moment in time and left to rot.”
“And... is she a weapon?”
“I am told you have creatures similar to her new ability back on your homeworld.”
“We do? What is the name of this creature?”
“The Poison Dart Frog.” She says and Observer Wu’s eyebrows go up.
“Don’t forget about the fact that we fought off that robot witch!”
“Robot Witch?” Wu prompts.
“A weapon of war created by a very large, dangerous and expansive criminal family. A death robot known as Mother Massacre.” Moira says. “So consider that. Without them going... I don’t even know what to call it, I saw the contradicting orders, without them going sane for lack of a better term, I would still be in a slowly failing stasis capsule, buried and forgotten in the darkness.”
“And so, in summation, and from the mouths of those that clearly trust them what is your opinion of The Undaunted and the humans that make it up?”
“When I was brought to this world it was as a slave, my dignity ripped from me, my home destroyed and in less than a day I had my freedom, dignity and a new home.” One of the Erumenta that Agenda cannot recognize out of hand announces.
“And my own. My whole family, those that were enslaved are freed, those that were indoctrinated into that wretched way of life have been allowed time to recover.” Biran says grandly.
“They took me in.” A smaller voice says as Karim rises up. “I’m a Hlo’Shab. Death Born. I could have reasonably only expected to have my core shattered, or shunned for my entire life. Instead I have a home.”
“And... to be Death Born means what?”
“I am a Slohb. By blood I have only one true parent. I was broken off of them far too soon and they died as I survived. Death Born. Or... well, I don’t have blood but... you get the idea right?” Karim asks.
“I understand.” Observer Wu notes. “I have more calls incoming. Is there more from Vucsa for me to see or hear?”
“Over here!” A jubilant voice calls out and the room turns to see Hewhew standing on the shoulders of Heffer to tower over everyone with the Agela’s height added to his own. “Red Five calling it in! The Vucsa Defence Fleets fly fast and proud to keep our home safe!”
The crowd around him, pilots all, throw up their right arms and cheer along with Hewhew. “Welcome to the Galaxy Observer! We’re ten tons of awesome in a two pound bag! Let’s rock!”
Observer Wu smiles as he looks around. “I look forwards to discovering the truth of things.”
“That’s the fun part of the galaxy sir, it’s so absurd we don’t need to lie.” Miles states and Observer Wu turns back to him with a smirk.
“Well, we shall see, won’t we?” He asks. “Is there anything more?”
“I take it you’re not in the mood for a display of flight prowess? We’ve been working on a new routine.” Hewhew calls out.
“Perhaps later. I have numerous calls waiting.” Observer Wu states. “Now if you’ll excuse me...”
~First~ Last

New Features and enhancements
New AI-enhanced tools join Smart Tempo and the Pitch Correction plug-in to augment your artistry.
Bass Player and Keyboard Player join Drummer to complete a set of Session Players — all built with AI making it easy to create performances that respond to your direction.
Session Players can follow the same chord progression using Global chord track.
Add warmth to any track with ChromaGlow, an advanced plug-in with five saturation models designed to simulate the sound of vintage analog hardware.*
Separate a stereo audio file into stems for vocals, drums, bass and other parts with Stem Splitter.*
Session Players, ChromaGlow, and Stem Splitter also come to Logic Pro for iPad 2 — making it simple to move between projects created in Logic Pro for Mac.
Play any of six deeply-sampled acoustic and electric basses with Studio Bass.
Perform any of three meticulously-sampled pianos with Studio Piano.
Loops that contain chord tags will automatically populate the chord track when added to a project.
Three new Producer Packs are available: Hardwell, The Kount, and Cory Wong.
Original multi-track project of Swing! by Ellie Dixon available as in-app demo song.
Downmix and trim options allow custom mixing for non-Atmos channel configurations.
Exported ADM BWF files have been expanded beyond Dolby Atmos and can contain settings for stereo and other multi-channel formats.
Bounce in place adds automatic real-time recording for External Instrument regions or tracks that utilize external hardware using the Logic Pro I/O plug-in.
Route MIDI signals generated by supported software instruments and effects to the input of other tracks for creative layering during playback or recording.
Edit more efficiently using key commands for moving, extending, or resizing marquee selections.
The Nudge Region/Event Position key commands now also nudge Marquee selections.
The Transpose Region/Event key commands now also move or expand the Marquee selection up/down.
Pattern regions can now be created on Drummer tracks, and Drummer regions can be converted to Pattern regions.
New key commands include Trim Note End to Following Notes (Force Legato) With Overlap and Trim Note End to Selected (Force Legato) With Overlap.
Bounce in Place and Track Freeze can now be performed in real time, allowing for use of external instruments, I/O plug-ins, and external inserts.
Mastering Assistant analysis now can be performed in real time, allowing for use in projects that incorporate external I/O or instruments.
The Dolby Atmos plug-in now offers Downmix and Surround/Height Trim controls.
The Recent Projects list can now be configured to show up to 50 projects.
* Requires a Mac with Apple silicon.
Stability and reliability
Scripts with 1071 characters or more in Scripter no longer cause Logic Pro to quit unexpectedly.
Fixes an issue where creating a an event in a lane assigned to Note off in Step Sequencer could cause Logic Pro to quit unexpectedly.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could fail to launch with an Error Initializing Core MIDI message when the system is under heavy load performing other tasks.
Resolves an issue where Logic Pro could quit unexpectedly when a 64-bit floating point IR file is loaded into Space Designer.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could hang when opening a project while the Project Settings > MIDI window is displayed.
Logic Pro no longer quits unexpectedly when creating multiple Aux tracks with multiple existing Aux tracks selected.
Improves stability when bypassing control surfaces with Musical Typing open when EuControl software is installed.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could hang when quitting a project containing a large number of instances of Sampler.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could quit unexpectedly when replacing a playing Live Loops cell with another loop.
Performance
The UI is now more responsive when adjusting Flex Pitches directly on regions in Deviation mode.
Performance is improved when editing Transient Markers in Take regions with Flex enabled.
Performance is improved when making Flex Pitch edits in the Tracks area with a large number of selected regions.
Alchemy's Performance is improved.
Performance is improved when moving regions in projects with a large number of tracks and regions.
Projects containing a large number of flex-pitched regions now open more quickly.
Resolves an issue where loading a project saved with a Summing stack selected that contains Software Instruments that have no regions and/or with the tracks turned off could load the Software Instruments into memory.
Accessibility
VoiceOver now announces the state of Automation mode buttons on channel strips.
VoiceOver now announces the status of the Pause button in the LCD.
VoiceOver no longer announces hidden controls in the Smart Controls view.
VoiceOver no longer reads the values of pan knobs that are currently hidden in Sends on Faders mode.
VoiceOver now announces the state of the Details button and the Follow button in the Drummer Editor.
VoiceOver now announces left-click and Command-click Tool selections in the Control Bar.
VoiceOver now announces the name of the Time Quantize button in the Piano Roll.
VoiceOver now announces changes in value when the Next/Previous key commands are used to change Quantize values.
VoiceOver now announces state of key commands for Cycle, Mute, Track Solo, Input Monitoring, Track On/Off, and Lock/Unlock Track.
VoiceOver now announces the selection state of focused tracks.
Spatial Audio
Fixes an issue where adding a new 3D Object track for the first time to a Spatial Audio project could cause the Renderer to switch from the current model to the Apple renderer.
The Dolby Atmos plug-in now offers a 5.1.2 monitoring option.
Fixes an issue where setting a project to Dolby Atmos could output to 7.1.4 even when the mode defaults to Apple Renderer.
It is now possible to monitor Dolby Atmos projects directly via HDMI to a surround capable receiveamplifier.
The metering for Height channels now shows as post-fader on the Master channel as expected.
Loading a Master Bus channel strip setting in the 7.1.4 channel format now preserves the 7.1.4 channel layout as expected.
Session Players
Resolves an issue where loading a user-created Drum Machine Designer patch could set the input to a bus and fail to load the Drum Machine Designer instrument.
Using the Create Drummer Region command in a Marquee selection now creates a region that corresponds to the Marquee.
Smart Tempo
In cases where there is not an existing Smart Tempo Multitrack Set, selecting an audio file in the Smart Tempo Multitrack Set window and disabling the “Contribute to analysis” check box now causes the Update button to change to Analyze as expected.
Pressing the Space bar now immediately stops a Free Tempo recording.
Fixes an issue where projects previously open in the same Logic Pro session could unexpectedly affect “Contribute to Analysis” in the Smart Tempo editor.
Recording
Audio regions recorded to unnamed tracks now include the project name and track number in their name.
Mixer
The channel strip Stereo Pan control and the Pan menu now can be adjusted when Caps Lock is enabled.
Creating a single Multi-timbral Software Instrument in the New Track Sheet no longer creates two Software Instrument instances in the All view of the Mixer.
Resolves an issue where remaining tracks in a Multitimbral Software Instrument Track Stack could unexpectedly rename the channel strip.
Adjusting the activity status of a speaker in the Surround panner no longer causes the signal to unexpectedly mute.
Groups now immediately show as inactive when switched off for a selected set of channels in the Mixer.
Metering now correctly works on individual channel strips with plug-ins that send to more than two channels and are routed to a surround bus.
Option-clicking on a send in a selected group of channel strips now sets all corresponding sends to 0 dB as expected.
Fixes an issue where performing Undo after adjusting the fader values of grouped channels with Group Clutch enabled and then disabled could cause the faders to jump up to +6 dB when one member of the group is touched.
Setting multiple selected channels to No VCA now works as expected
Alchemy
The oscillator section in Alchemy offers a new Wide Unison mode.
All controls for Additive Effects now accept typed-in values as expected.
Values typed into parameters related to milliseconds (MS) in Acoustic Reverb are no longer interpreted as full seconds.
Resolves an issue where performance control destinations for modulation could show as duplicated.
Sampler, Quick Sampler, and Quick Alchemy
The Playback direction button in Quick Sampler now immediately updates when clicked.
The view now scrolls correctly when dragging the Trim marker in Sample Alchemy.
It is now possible to adjust the level of a group in Sampler up to +24 dB.
The Up/Down buttons for navigating zones in Sampler now remain available after adjusting the start or end positions of samples.
The general Zoom/Scroll key commands now can be used to trim the current view in Sample Alchemy.
Handles and Trim Handles in Sample Alchemy behave correctly when click-dragged, even when the plug-in window does not have focus.
The Ancient Vocal Chop and Baily Glide plug-in settings for Quick Sampler now open in Classic mode, as expected.
Plug-ins
The MIDI Scripter plug-in now shows in Logic Pro when running in dark mode.
Fixes an issue where clicking on Sampled IR in Space Designer could activate Synthesized IR mode unexpectedly.
Resolves an issue where repositioning the playhead could cause audio to cut out on channel strips that use Step FX.
The preset Note Repeater in Scripter now works as expected.
The wet/dry setting on Ringshifter is now always set to 100% wet when inserted on an Aux.
There's now a DI Delay Compensation switch in Bass Amp Designer to improve phase correlation when blending between Amp and Direct Box in the plug-in.
StepFX now includes presets using Sidechain.
The Beat Breaker preset called “Basic / 2 Slices, Speed 66%” no longer plays the slices at 50% speed instead of 66%.
Resolves an issue where ES2 could produce glitching sounds when using Sine Level or Poly Voice mode on Apple Silicon computers.
Mono > Stereo instances of Console EQ no longer can cause unexpected feedback.
Using the Delete all Automation key command while an Audio Unit window has key focus no longer causes the Audio Unit window to go blank.
The menu for the compression section of Phat FX can now be opened by clicking on the Up/Down arrows.
Beat Breaker now offers new default patterns divided evenly into 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 slices.
Mastering Assistant
There is no longer unexpected latency with bounces from projects that use the Clean or Clean + Excite mode in Mastering Assistant.
Mastering Assistant analysis is no longer incorrectly triggered in projects that contain no regions, but are previewing audio from Ultrabeat, etc.
Mastering Assistant no longer allows the -1 dBFS peak limit to be exceeded in certain cases.
Automation
The Consolidate Relative and Absolute for Visible / Automation menu item now only displays when automation types that support relative automation are active in the lane.
Region-based Automation is now pasted as Track-based Automation when pasted to an area of a track that does not contain regions.
Pitchbend now works as expected with zones in Sampler that do not have Flex Pitch enabled.
Selecting Region-based automation points on a region now deselects previously selected automation points on other regions
Disabling Region-Based Automation no longer dims the Power button for MIDI CC data lanes in the Piano Roll.
The movie window now updates to show the correct frame when moving Region-based automation points.
The Autoselect automation parameter now works as expected when clicking any plug-in control.
Automation of the Gain plug-in no longer exhibits unexpected latency.
Region-based automation is now drawn correctly when recorded into projects that start earlier than 1 1 1 1.
Automation lane views for all tracks are now maintained when switching into Flex view and then back to Automation view.
Flex Time and Flex Pitch
Flex Pitched notes now play as expected when clicked while Record or Input Monitoring is active on the track.
Flexed audio tracks using Monophonic or Slicing mode no longer produce clicks at tempo changes.
Takes and comping
Fade-ins are now applied when flatten and merge is performed on Comps.
Renaming a take that encompasses the entire length of an audio file no longer unexpectedly changes the file name.
Comps in Take Folders are now preserved when performing Cut Section Between Locators on a section that includes the end of one Take folder and the beginning of another, with a gap in-between.
Track Stacks
Record-arming a Track Stack now arms grouped audio tracks in a Track Stack it contains.
Dragging a subtrack out of a Track Stack that is assigned to a VCA now removes the assignment for the subtrack.
Fixes an issue where Track Stacks could sometimes be dimmed when some, but not all, subtracks are muted or off.
It's now possible to replace stacked instrument patches that are inside a Summing Stack with single track patches.
Track Alternatives
Loading a patch on a Summing Stack containing sub-tracks with Track Alternatives no longer causes inactive alternatives to be deleted.
Track Alternatives can now be created for the Stereo Output track.
Selection-Based Processing
Using Selection-Based Processing on a Marquee selected section within a Take Folder no longer creates an unexpected comp.
Selection-Based Processing on a comp now retains the comp.
Score
The spacing of notes is improved in cases where there is a dotted note on a line with the stem is pointing upward.
Command + Z to undo now works after deleting a Score Set.
Upward bends in TAB staves now display correctly.
Importing an instrument track no longer can cause Score Sets in the current project to disappear.
Imported Score Sets can now be deleted from a project.
Live Loops
“Join Region and Fill Cell” now works as expected.
Recording a performance in Live Loops now temporarily puts all tracks into Automation: Latch mode.
Fixes an issue where changing patches for a Live Loop track could cause the length of cells to change unexpectedly.
It's now possible to paste MIDI notes into a Live Loops cell.
Step Sequencer
It's now easier to use the disclosure triangle to open sub-rows in Step Sequencer.
Pattern regions now play back correctly immediately after being nudged.
Pattern Regions now immediately play as expected after using the Slip/Rotate tool to drag their contents to the left.
The “Separate pattern region by kit piece” command on Drum Machine Designer tracks is now applied to the correct area of the Pattern Region, in cases where the left border of the region has been moved to the right.
The length and number of steps of a newly created Pattern Region accounts for Time Signature changes correctly.
The maximum possible pattern length of a Pattern region is now 4 bars of the current time signature.
Step Sequencer now allows pattern lengths to be added based on 5/4 and 7/8 time signatures.
The Step Sequencer Inc/Dec controls now work in Loop Edit mode.
Fixes an issue where Pattern Regions on frozen tracks be edited unexpectedly.
Region-based automation now displays properly on Pattern regions in tracks that have been partially frozen, and on regions that have been frozen and then unfrozen.
It's now possible to assign MIDI channels per step in a Pattern Region.
MIDI
Reset messages for Software Instruments now work correctly.
Sustain messages are now sent correctly when playing back regions with Clip Length enabled in cycle mode.
There is now an “Internal MIDI in” setting in the Track Inspector to allow for recording MIDI from any other software instrument or External MIDI Instrument track.
The “Send all MIDI settings” key command now sends program changes to external devices assigned to empty tracks.
Resolves an issue where 3 bytes of random MIDI data would be sent when playing back regions containing SysEx data with MIDI 2.0 disabled
New 'internal MIDI in' feature allows recording of MIDI from other tracks, including MIDI FX plug-in output and 3rd party MIDI generators.
The “Delete MIDI events outside region boundaries" key command now correctly creates a starting CC event in the region to match the last matching CC of the same type in the track.
Fixes an issue where Chase could cut off notes that are preceded by notes of the same pitch on tracks with third-party instrument plug-ins.
Editing
The Humanize transform set now works as expected when the Randomize functions for Position, Length, or Velocity are set to very small values.
The menu item Delete and Move in the Event List is now only displayed if regions are displayed in the window.
When MIDI 2.0 is selected in the Settings, clicking on an Event in the Event List no longer plays events back with MIDI 1.0 resolution.
Fixes an issue where using the Cut command in the Audio Track Editor could switch the view to another editor.
When a region in the Project Audio window is double-clicked, the Audio Track editor now opens as expected.
The content link buttons for the Piano Roll and Score show the correct color as expected when toggled using the mouse.
The Event List correctly updates to reflect changes made by using key commands to select notes in other editors.
Resolves an issue where the Velocity tool in the Piano roll could affect the values of non-note events.
Fixes an issue where applying the Transform set Double Speed could cause the notes to disappear from the Piano Roll.
Step Input
Extending the length of note entered using Step Input now works correctly.
Global Tracks
Adding multiple audio Apple Loops of the same key to different tracks of a new project now changes the project key as expected.
Clicked in Tempo points are now placed at their correct positions in projects that start earlier than 1 1 1 1.
Share and export
When No Overlap is enabled, regions bounced onto existing regions no longer overlap them.
Audio files bounced from Logic Pro now include the proper Encoded Date in the metadata.
Fixes an issue where MIDI regions could be truncated when bounced in place.
Fixes an issue where audio files including Volume/Pan automation exported from mono tracks that use plug-ins could export as stereo files.
It is now possible to bounce sub-channels of multitimbral instrument tracks as individual files.
Import
Resolves an issue when dragging multiple audio files into a project, choosing the “Place all files on one track” option could create a second track and places the first file on one track, and the rest on the second.
Output channels in the Mixer can now be imported from other Logic Pro projects.
Apple Loops
The Loops browser now correctly shows the same enharmonic key an Apple Loop was tagged with.
Apple Loops now preview using the Key Signature active at the current position of the playhead.
It's now possible to add Aliases to bookmarks and untagged loops.
Dragging an Apple Loop from the loop browser to an existing track no longer changes the input for the track.
Fixes an issue where MIDI Apple Loops could jump to the start of the nearest bar position when dragged from the Loop Browser to the middle of a bar.
Video Support
A secondary screen that is running a full screen video with Show Animations off will no longer remain black after closing the project.
Key Commands
The “Increase (or Decrease) last clicked parameter” key commands now work for controls in the LCD.
The “Record off for all” key command now works on Software Instrument tracks in cases where one or more audio tracks are also record-enabled.
There is now a key command to add to the current selection of regions or cells that are assigned to a toggle solo group.
The Zoom Toggle key command now works in the Step Editor.
Compatibility
GarageBand projects that use Pitch Correction now sound the same when opened in Logic Pro.
Undo
If Undo is used immediately after creating a project, the New Track Sheet is displayed as expected rather than leaving a project with no tracks.
Undo/Redo now works as expected with Audio Unit v3 plug-ins.
Changing the Automation Mode, or changing a Track On/Off state now creates an Undo step.
Performing Undo after adding a surround track no longer corrects Drummer tracks in the project.
Logic Remote
Logic Remote immediately updates to show time and signature changes made in Logic Pro.
Control Surfaces and MIDI controllers
Controls on Control Surface devices that use Lua scripts now provide feedback when learning assignments for them in Logic Pro.
Illuminated buttons on control surfaces now show the correct state for Show/Hide Track Editor.
General
The LCD now displays the Cycle start and end times in both SMPTE time and Bars/Beats when the secondary ruler is displayed.
Search in the All Files browser now finds matching items in bookmarked folders.
Fixes an issue where the visible editor in the Main window could unexpectedly switch when rubber-band selecting regions.
Audio Take folders created in Cycle mode now loop as expected after recording when Loop is enabled in the Region Inspector.
It's now possible to create external MIDI tracks when Core Audio is disabled in Logic Pro.
Resolves an issue where deleting a Flex marker from an audio region while a Marker List is visible could switch the key focus to the Marker List.
Track information pasted into a text editor now includes the TIME position when the Use Musical Grid setting for the project is not enabled.
Input monitoring buttons are now displayed on audio tracks when Logic Pro has fallen back to an alternate audio device because the selected device is not available.
Previewing an audio region in the Project Audio window no longer causes it to jump to the top of the window.
Command+Option clicking on the On/Off button of a track now toggles the button for all tracks, as expected.
Copy/paste of regions now works when Automation view is enabled.
Right-clicking on a looped segment of a region now opens the contextual menu as expected.
It's now easier to see when black keys are depressed in the Musical Typing window.
The right arrow key now reliably moves the text cursor in the Bounce > Save As file name panel.
Groove Templates created from audio regions now work in Smart Quantize mode.
Dragging multiple regions from the same audio file from the Project Audio browser to the Tracks area now works correctly.
Audio regions are no longer moved to unexpected positions when trimming, if absolute Snap mode is on, and the region anchor is moved away from the start of the region
Fixes an issue where pasting a Marquee selection with No Overlap and Snap Edits to Zero Crossings mode enabled could delete a non-overlapping part of an existing region.
Autozoom now triggers when a region's upper right corner is dragged in the Main window, or the Audio Track Editor.
The Playhead no longer may briefly appear to be in the wrong position when zooming horizontally.
The Time Ruler now immediately updates to reflect changes made to the “Bar Position [bar position] plays at SMPTE” setting.
The File browser correctly shows the full path when using Save As.