Is there a way to hack the app store to get free money

This is for my startup SaaS B2B appointment app. There’s typically around 400-500 bookings per business per month. This appointment type is highly specialized. Discussion is between charging business (monthly fee) or users who use the business (per booking technology fee).
Current competition: -Only one company in space that does this specialized type of booking (other companies offer generic booking app, but leaves businesses frustrated) -This company works with about 1500 businesses. -Currently does Monthly fee starting at $70 a month charged to the business. Users who use the business to book only pay the booking price and tax.
My startup: -website/app a few months away from ready to sell B2B. -considering technology fee approach to be a differentiator. Something like 59 cents + 1% per booking charged to user (typical booking cost is around $20, but can go as high as $200 in some cases).
Assumed benefits: -businesses I work with would pay nothing. -potential to make more money (if 400 booking around 80 cents a booking, will be $320 a month). -more performance based, so if customer business has slow month, I’d make less. Encourage me to make app as good as possible.
Assumed risks: -Competitor can exploit image of users being charged more per booking. -User may not like it, although in my experience, small fees under a dollar aren’t an issue. -competitor has guaranteed monthly revenue. -Would be easiest for businesses I work with to use app, but some may write down bookings meaning I wouldn’t get technology fee. Note though, the booking requires complex scheduling, and nowadays few businesses do this scheduling on paper.
Given this, do people think I should go with monthly fee approach or technology fee approach, or maybe offer each business the choice to choose? The idea is to offer differentiators from my established competitor.

This post will be sort of an update, to my last post from 3 years ago.
But in case you don't want to read that, the necessary context is just that I've been selectively mute for many years now, and barely been comfortably verbal with anyone other than my mom. Up until recently.
My boyfriend of nearly 3 years recently came to visit me, from across the Atlantic, and for this whole time, he has only heard me speak on the phone to my mom, or heard me say 1-3 words on some rare occasions, for the most part.
So the day arrives, where I meet him at the train station, and I couldn't get a single word out, so I resorted to typing on my phone, and letting him read it. While communicating this way, we agreed to walk off to a bench, somewhere slightly more secluded, where he just sat with me for 15-20 minutes until I was ready to get a few words out.
Throughout the week that he spent here with me, he helped me so much without even trying, and I quickly became comfortable enough to speak verbally with him, more than anyone else (except my mom), and it was amazing to finally feel ''normal''.
Once he went home, I was sadly back to being mute, but only a few days later, he got us both webcams to make it easier for me to keep the verbal flow going, and amazingly it worked!
I've been talking to him verbally on call, almost every day since, and have even managed to expand by calling a few friends as well, and it's going so much better than I could ever have imagined!
I still have some way to go, as my ''verbal circle'' is still quite small, but I believe that it's going to finally get easier from here on out!
Bonus progress: Taking the bus to and from the train station, when meeting, and dropping off my boyfriend there, was also a first for me! First time I've taken the bus alone, and I did it!
It's such a freeing feeling, to finally start being able to do these little things, that I assume is just trivial everyday stuff to the majority of others. I can't express the amount of weight that feels like is being lifted off my shoulders, and I feel so lucky to have a significant other who has been supporting me through all of it, and helped me get to this point when I was finally ready to. 💖

When you were a kid, and you saw a rainbow, did you ever want to try to get to the end of it? I bet you did. I did, anyway. It wasn’t the mythical pot of gold that tempted me. Wealth was too abstract of a concept at that age to dream about, and leprechauns were creepy little bastards. I just wanted to see what the rainbow looked like up close, and maybe even try to climb it.
Of course, you can’t get to the end of a rainbow because not only is there no end, but there isn’t even really a rainbow. It’s an illusion caused by the sunlight passing through raindrops at the right angle. If you did try to chase a rainbow down, it would move with you until it faded away. That’s why chasing rainbows is a pretty good metaphor for pursuing a beautiful illusion that can never manifest as anything concrete.
I bring all this up because I think it was that same type of urge that compelled me to chase down the Effulgent One. It’s not a perfect analogy, however, considering that I did actually catch up to the eldritch bastard.
I first saw the Effulgent One a little over two years ago. My employer – who happens to be an occultist mad scientist by the name of Erich Thorne – had tasked me with returning a young girl named Elifey to her village on the northern edges of the county. The people of Virklitch Village are very nice, but they’re also an insular, Luddite cult who worship a colossal spectral entity they call the Effulgent One. I saw this Titan during my first visit to Virklitch, and more importantly, he saw me. He left a streak of black in my soul, marking me as one of his followers. I can feel him now, when he walks in our world. Sometimes, if I look towards the horizon after sundown, I can even see him.
This entity, and my connection to him, is understandably something my employer has taken an interest in. I’ve been to Virklitch many times since my first visit, and I’ve successfully collected a good deal of vital information about the Effulgent One. The Virklitchen are the only ones who know how to summon him, and coercing them into doing so would only earn us his wrath. He’s sworn to protect them, though I haven’t the slightest idea of what motivates him to do so.
Even though I can see him, I usually try not to look, to pretend he’s not there. The Virklitchen have warned me never to chase after him. Before Virklitch was founded, the First Nations people who lived in this region were aware of the Effulgent One, though they called him the Sky Strider. Any of them that went chasing after him either failed, went mad, or were never seen again.
I was out driving after sunset, during astronomical twilight when the trees are just black silhouettes against a burnt orange horizon, when I sensed the presence of the Effulgent One. He was to the east, towering along the darkening skyline, idling amidst the fields of cyclopean wind turbines. I could see their flashing red lights in the periphery of my vision, and I knew that one of those lights was him. I tried to fight the urge to look, but fear began to gnaw at me. What if he was heading towards me right now? What if I was in danger and needed to run?
Risking a single sideways glance, I spotted his gangly form standing listlessly between the wind turbines, his long arms gently swaying as his glowing red face bobbed to and fro.
I exhaled a sigh of relief, now that I knew he wasn’t chasing me. That relief didn’t even last a moment before it was transformed into a dangerous realization. He wasn’t just not chasing me; he wasn’t moving at all. He was still. This was rare, and it presented me with a rare opportunity. I could approach him. I could speak with him.
This wasn’t a good idea, and I knew it. The Effulgent One interacted with his followers on his terms. If I annoyed him, he could squash me like a bug. Or worse. Much worse. But he had marked me as his follower and I wanted to know why. If there was any chance I could get him to answer me, I was going to take it.
“Hey Lumi,” I said to the proprietary AI assistant in my company car. “Play the cover of I’m Always Chasing Rainbows from the Hazbin Hotel pilot.”
With the mood appropriately set, I veered east the first chance I got.
Almost immediately, I noticed that the highway seemed eerily abandoned. Even if anyone else had been capable of perceiving the Effulgent One, there was no one around to see him. I got this creeping sense that the closer I drew to him, I was actually shifting more and more out of my world and more and more into his. The wind picked up and dark clouds blew in, snuffing out the fading twilight and plunging everything into an overcast night.
The Effulgent One didn’t seem to notice me as I drew closer. He was as tall as the wind turbines he stood beside, his gaunt body plated in dull iridescent scales infected with trailing fungus. The head on his lanky neck was completely hollow and filled with a glowing red light that dimly bounced off his scales.
Seeing him standing still was a lot more surreal than seeing him when he was active. As impossibly large as he is, when he’s moving it just naturally triggers your fight or flight response and you don’t really have time to take it all in. But when he’s just standing there, and you can look at him and question what you’re seeing, it just hits differently.
It wasn’t until I started slowing down that he finally turned his head in my direction, briefly engulfing me in a blinding red light. When it passed, I saw that the Effulgent One had turned away from me and I was striding down the highway. Even though his gait was casual, his stride was so long that he was still moving as quickly as any vehicle.
Reasoning that if he didn’t want me to follow him he wouldn’t be walking along the road, I slammed my foot down on the accelerator pedal and sped after him.
That’s when things started to get weird.
You know how when you’re driving at night through the country, you can’t see anything beyond your own headlights? With no visual landmarks to go by, it’s easy to get disoriented. All you have to go by is the signs, and I wasn’t paying any attention to those. All my focus was on the Effulgent One, so much so that if someone had jumped out in front of me I probably would have killed them.
I turned down at least one sideroad in my pursuit of the Effulgent One. Maybe two or three. I’m really not sure. All I know for sure is that I was so desperate not to lose him that I had become completely lost myself.
He never looked back to see if I was still following, or gave any indication that he knew or cared if I was still there. He just made his way along the backroads, his bloodred searchlight sweeping back and forth all the while, as if he was desperately seeking something of grave importance. Finally, he abandoned the road altogether and began to climb a gently rolling hill with a solitary wind turbine on top of it. I gently slowed my car to a stop and watched to see what he would do.
I had barely been keeping up with him on the roadways, so I knew I’d never catch him going off-road. If he didn’t stop at the wind turbine, then that would be the end of my little misadventure. As I watched the Effulgent One climb up the hill and cast his light upon it, I saw that the structure at the summit wasn’t a wind turbine at all, but a windmill.
It was a mammoth windmill, the size of a wind turbine, made from enormous blocks of rugged black stone. It was as impossible as the Effulgent One himself. No stone structure other than a pyramid or ziggurat could possibly be that big, and the windmill barely tapered at all towards the top. Its blades were made from a ragged black cloth that reminded me of pirate sails, and near the top I could see a light coming from a single balcony.
When the Effulgent One reached the hill’s summit, he not only came to a stop but turned back around to face me, his light illuminating the entire hillside. Whether or not it was his intention to make it easier for me to follow him up the hill, it was nonetheless the effect, so I decided not to squander it.
Grabbing the thousand-lumen flashlight from my emergency kit, I left my car on the side of the road and began the short but challenging trek up the hill.
I honestly had no idea where I was at that point. Nothing looked familiar, and the overgrown grass seemed so alien in the red light. The way it moved in the wind was so fluid it looked more like seaweed than grass. The clouds overhead seemed equally otherworldly, moving not only unusually fast but in strange patterns that didn’t seem purely meteorological in nature.
With the Effulgent One’s light aimed directly at me, there was no doubt in my mind that he had seen me, but he still gave no indication that he cared. The closer I drew to him, the more I was confronted by his unfathomable scale. I really was an insect compared to him, and it seemed inconceivable that he would make any distinction between anthropods and arthropods. He could strike me down as effortlessly and carelessly as any other bothersome bug. I approached cautiously, watching intently for any sign of hostility from him, but he remained completely and utterly unmoved.
The closer I got to him, the harder I found it to press on. From a distance, the Effulgent One is surreal enough that he doesn’t completely shatter your sense of reality, but that’s a luxury that goes down the toilet when he’s only a few strides or less from stomping you into the ground. His emaciated form wasn’t merely skeletal, but elongated; his limbs, digits, and neck all stretched out to disquieting proportions. His dull scales now seemed to be a shimmering indigo, and the fungal growths between them pulsed rhythmically with some kind of life. Whether it was with his or theirs, I cannot say. There were no ears on his round head. No features at all aside from the frontwards-facing cavity that held the searing red light.
As I slowly and timidly approached the windmill, he remained by its side, peering out across the horizon. I turned to see what he was looking at, but saw nothing. I immediately turned back to him and craned my neck skywards, marvelling at him in dumbstruck awe. I’d chased him down so that I could demand why he had marked me as one of his followers, but now that I had succeeded, I was horrified by how suicidally naïve that plan now felt.
Many an internet atheist has pontificated about how if there were a God and if they ever met Him, they would remain every bit as irreverent and defiant and hold Him to account the same as any tyrant. But when faced with a being of unfathomable cosmic power, I don’t think there truly is anyone who wouldn’t lose their nerve.
So I just stood there, gaping up at the Effulgent One like a moron, with no idea of what to do next.
Fortunately for me, it was then that the Effulgent One finally acknowledged my presence.
Slowly, he turned his face downwards and cast his spotlight upon me, holding it there for a few long seconds before turning it to the door at the base of the windmill. I glanced up at the balcony above, and saw that it aligned almost perfectly with his head.
Evidently, he wanted to meet me face to face.
Nodding obediently, I raced to the heavy wooden door and pushed it open with all my might. The inside was dark, and I couldn’t see very well after standing right in the Effulgent One’s light, but I could hear the sounds of metal gears slowly grinding and clanking away. When I turned on my flashlight, the first thing I was able to make out was the enormous millstone. It moved slowly and steadily, squelching and squishing so that even in the poor light I knew that it wasn’t grain that was being milled.
The next thing I saw was a flight of rickety wooden stairs that snaked up all along the interior of the windmill. Each step creaked and groaned beneath my weight as I climbed them, but I nonetheless ascended them with reckless abandon. If a single one of them had given out beneath me, I could have fallen to my death, and the staircase shook back and forth so much that sometimes it felt as if it was intentionally trying to throw me off.
When I reached the top floor, I saw that the windshaft was encased in a crystalline sphere etched with leylines and strange symbols, and inside of it was some kind of complex clockwork apparatus that was powered by the spinning of the shaft. Though I was briefly curious as to the device’s purpose, it wasn’t what I had come up there for.
Turning myself towards the only door, I ran through and out onto the upper balcony. The Effulgent One was still standing just beside it, his head several times taller than I was. He looked out towards the horizon and pointed an outstretched arm in that direction, indicating that I should do the same.
From the balcony, I could see a spire made of purple volcanic glass, carved as if it was made of two intertwining gargantuan rose vines, with a stained-glass roof that made it look like a rose in full bloom. The spire was surrounded by many twisting and shifting shadows, and I could perceive a near infinitude of superimposed potential pathways branching out from the spire and stretching out across the planes.
The Effulgent One reached out and plucked at one of the pathways running over us like it was a harp string, sending vibrations down along to the spire and then back out through the entire network. I saw the sky above the spire shatter like glass, revealing a floating maelstrom of festering black fluid that had congealed into a thousand wailing faces. It began to descend as if it meant to devour the spire, but as it did so the spire pulled in the web of pathways around it like a net. The storm writhed and screamed as it tried to escape, but the spire held the net tight as a swarm of creatures too small for me to identify congregated upon the storm and began to feed upon it. But the fluid the maelstrom was composed of seemed to be corrosive, and the net began to rot beneath its influence. It sagged and it strained, until finally giving way.
A chaotic battle ensued between the spire and the maelstrom, but it hardly seemed to matter. What both I and the Efflugent One noticed the most was that the pathways that had been bound to the spire were now severed and stained by the Black Bile, drifting away wherever the wind took them.
The Effulgent One caught one of them in his hand and tugged it downwards, staring at it pensively for a long moment.
“That… that didn’t actually just happen, did it?” I asked meekly. I waited patiently for the Effulgent One to respond, but he just kept staring at the severed thread. “But… it’s going to happen? Or, it could happen?”
A slow and solemn nod confirmed that what he had shown me had portended to a possible future.
“That’s why you marked me as your follower then, isn’t it?” I asked. “You needed someone, someone other than the Virklitchen, someone who’s already involved in this bullshit and can help stop it from deteriorating into whatever the hell you just showed me. If Erich had picked anyone else to go to Virklitch that night, or hadn’t asked me to stay for the festival, it wouldn’t have been me! It didn’t have to have been me!”
His head remained somberly hung, and I hadn’t really been expecting him to respond at all to my outburst.
“Elifey liked you,” he said in a metallic, fluid voice that sounded like it was resonating out of his chest rather than his face. “I would not have chosen you if she hadn’t.”
He twirled the thread in between his fingers before gently handing it down to me like it was a streamer on a balloon. I hesitantly accepted the gesture, wrapping as much of my hand around the spectral cord as I could. The instant I touched it, a radiant and spiralling rainbow shot down its length and arced across the sky. When it reached the chaotic battle on the horizon, it dispelled the maelstrom on contact, banishing it back into the nether and signalling in biblical fashion that the storm had passed. The other wayward pathways were cleansed of the Black Bile as well, and I watched in amazement as they slowly started to reweave themselves back into an interconnected web.
“But… what does this mean? What do I actually have to do to make this a reality?” I asked.
The Effulgent One reached out his hand and pinched the cord, choking off the rainbow and ending the vision he had shown me.
“A reality?” he asked as he held his palm out flat and adjacent to the balcony. “It’s already a reality. All you need to do is make it yours.”
It seemed to me that I wasn’t likely to get anything less cryptic than that out of him, so I accepted the lift down. He took me down the hill and set me down gently beside my car before setting off out of sight and beyond my ability to pursue him.
Even though my GPS wasn’t working, the moment I was sitting in the driver’s seat the autopilot kicked in and didn’t ask me to take control until I was back on a familiar road. I know that windmill isn’t just a short drive away, and I’ll never see it again unless the Effulgent One wants me to. I don’t think I can say I’m exactly happy with how that turned out, but I suppose I accomplished what I set out to achieve. I know what the Effulgent One wants of me now, and why he chose me specifically. If it had been all his decision I think I’d still be feeling kind of torn about it, but knowing that I’ve been roped into this because of Elifey makes it a lot easier to bear.
And… I did actually manage to catch a rainbow. I just needed a giant’s help to reach it.

A few years ago, I downloaded a free mobile app from the Play store that involved a very unique combination of game mechanics (compared to the games that I've played).
You played as a basic white triangle rocket that had limited fuel. If I recall correctly, you could recharge by finding a safe platform to land on. You moved by slinging the rocket around through pulling and releasing, rather than having a joy stick or arrows. The background was either fully black or black with stars, and the very bottom of the map was lava. There were walls, various portals and puzzles to navigate through, and lots of upgrades you could purchase with points (such as damage, points earned through kills, health, etc).
I can't remember if your goal was to shoot "enemies" or ram into them to damage them, but the "enemies" were either squares, circles, or some other geometric shape. They changed colour depending on what level they were, but otherwise they were very basic shapes with little to no detail. Some of them could kill you if you weren't a high enough level to defeat them when you rammed into them. They could also shoot you with projectiles, but I'm not sure if all of them did or only some of them.
I think the most unique thing about the game were the two bosses. On both the far left and right sides of the map, there were boss enemies you could fight to win achievements. The first was a large square, and the second was a large circle. Both spoke to you with dialogue, which was completely new for the game as the rest of the gameplay was completely void of text dialogue. Their boss battles were very bullet-hell-esque.
I want to say the name of the game was something akin to "Triangles Hate [Geometric Shape]", but the more and more I dig with that prompt, the farther I get from finding this game. Thank you in advance if you're able to help.

In 2024, all the world's major cultures and societies are sexually and amorously repressed. Their very shape seems designed for this; they simply cannot fit large quantities of love without being destroyed. This is why the average person more often than not is frustrated and disappointed by the dating scene, why so many of us are lonely. We were born into this.
Those who are successful in these matters tend not to be average: they got rich; they learned how to become very, very popular; they made a positive difference in the lives of people. Whatever it was, it made them stand out—it changed the game—though not on enough of a major scale to change it for the rest of us. The rest of us are at a loss.
Whether you're traditional or not, want one lover or ten lovers, chances are that you're frustrated. You're looking up dating advice and setting boundaries and making rules and going to therapy but nothing seems to work, and if and when you finally find someone it usually comes at the cost of something, a piece of you you sacrificed down the road to get here. Later on you find out it wasn't worth it.
So what do we do about this? Well you see, I'm not a dating coach and this isn't that kind of post. I'm not going to tell you what to do. In fact, I think the root problem with the state of modern love is our belief that there is any problem to begin with. To put it in another way, we are concerned with what we will get back for our efforts. We tie ourselves up in knots over this, but have we never heard that "It is more blessed to give than to receive?"
You see, our societies and cultures are amorously repressed, but that is our fault, your fault, my fault. You are the one plugging up the pipeline. The flow of love is within each one of us, it is abundant, and it is perfectly within our power to allow that love to find expression or not. If you will recall from deep within yourself the spiritual agreement to this life, you will remember that it includes free will for all beings. To break this agreement is to fall from grace, to become fearful, to worry whether anyone will ever love you.
Well you worried for nothing, because I do love you.

This is my first time posting on Reddit so if I've made any mistakes in content or formatting, please let me know. Also, this is my first time writing an ASMR script, so please feel free to add any comments or feedback (but please be nice about it, I’m a sensitive soul lol). I really appreciate any help or suggestions the community can offer.
A note on my story formatting: … indicates a pause where the listener’s dialogue would be. Additional pauses and breaks in the conversation are marked as (Pause). Actions/direction are written out in the following formatting; [Speaker runs away].
However you want to add SFX, ad-libs, and additional breaks is up to you. All I ask is that you keep any changes small and SFW.
I'm fine with anyone using this script for recording and/or monetization but please do not reupload this script anywhere. If you use this script, please make sure you credit me in the description of your video or post. And, if possible, please link the content under this post.
Thanks bunches!
***
[Speaker knocks on a door. There is no answer. Sigh. Try the next door, no answer, sigh again. Finally knock on a third door and it opens after a brief pause]
“Hi! I’m so sorry to bother you so late. I swear I wouldn't normally do this but it’s kind of an emergency. Well, not a real emergency, sorry, it’s actually a (Pause) baking emergency. I live a few doors down the hall and this is gonna sound so silly but could I borrow a few cups of flour?”
…
“Yeah, I made it halfway through a recipe before I realized I was forgetting the most important part. Hard to bake a cake without flour, you know? I’d run out to the store and get it myself but everything around here’s closed and I don’t even know if the buses run this late. Sorry, I shouldn’t even be knocking on doors at this time of day, I probably woke up half the floor.”
...
“Seriously? You’d do that? Thank you so much, you are a lifesaver. The last thing I wanted to do was have to start googling those nonsense flour-free cake recipes, you know? Not that there’s anything wrong with those, obviously, just… Not what I was hoping for.”
…
“I’m [Insert name here], by the way. Sorry, I didn’t even introduce myself. What’s your name?”
…
“It’s really nice to meet you. I think you’re actually the first neighbour I’ve really met face-to- face in the building.”
…
“It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I’ve lived here for about a year, actually. What about you?”
…
“Hey, look at us, twins. And somehow I don’t think I’ve ever bumped into you in the elevator before.”
…
“Oh. Are you sure that’d be okay? I don’t want to come in if it might make you uncomfortable.”
…
[Laugh] “I promise I’m not a serial killer. Here, pinky promise.”
…
“Don’t laugh at the pinky promise! That’s unbreakable, it’s like the law. And I’ll have you know I always follow the law. I don’t even jaywalk. (Pause) Most of the time. (Pause) Alright, I did a few days ago but there was an ice cream truck across the street and work really kicked my butt and I swear there weren’t any cars coming.”
[Speaker walks in and closes the door behind them.]
“Wow.”
…
“Sorry, we have almost the exact same apartment layout but yours is so… I don’t know, it’s just so much nicer. It feels like a proper home in here.”
...
“It does! You should see mine. I still haven’t unpacked half of my stuff since a year ago, it probably looks like no one even lives there.”
...
[Speaking under their breath] “Huh? Is that an invitation?” (Pause) [Stammer] “Oh! You mean, I guess, I mean, maybe if you, I, Yeah. Yeah, it could be.” [Laugh]
….
“What? I’m not blushing!”
…
“I’m not! I’m just… warm, I guess. Is the heat on in here? It feels like the heat’s on in here. It’s warm.”
…
“Aren’t you supposed to be getting the flour, not teasing me?”
…
“Oh, you like to tease? [Stammer] That’s, you, okay.” [Laugh]
….
“Shut up, I’m not blushing! Ah!”
…
“You know, you’re lucky you’re cute.”
…
“Yeah. Yeah, I did. I called you cute. What are you gonna do about it, huh?”
…
“Oh, now who’s blushing? Not so high and mighty anymore, are you? Now that the tables have turned. That’s what I thought.”
…
“Don’t blame me, you started it.”
…
“Gosh, who knew I lived down the hall from such a menace?”
…
[Laugh] “Alright, alright, truce?”
…
“Good. Let’s seal it with another pinky promise.”
…
“It’s not dumb, come on. Pinky up.”
…
“There we go, thank you.”
[Listener collects flour for the speaker, pots and pans and kitchen supplies clatter]
…
“Hm? The cake? Oh, it’s for me.”
…
“Yeah, I guess it is for a bit of a special occasion. I mean, not that special.”
…
“I’m not being cryptic. Maybe you’re just being nosey.”
…
“No, no, it’s okay. Sorry, I’m just teasing. Not that I’m a tease! That’s your job.
…
“Tomorrow is actually my birthday.”
…
“Thank you. You’re the first person to wish me a happy birthday this year. It’s a little early but much appreciated.”
…
[Sigh] “I don’t think I’ll do much. Probably just go to work, maybe buy a bottle of wine, have my cake.”
…
“My friends? Nah, they’re all busy. I mean, I guess I didn’t really ask. I do have friends, I swear. But they’ve all got partners and kids and fancy careers. They’re busy, you know? I don’t want to bug them with my stuff.”
…
“It’s fine, really. I usually just stick to myself for my birthday. And hey, you know what, I’m spoiling myself. It’s not everyday I eat a whole double chocolate fudge cake by myself.”
…
“It’s even more delicious than it sounds. If I ever get my flour.” [Laugh]
…
“Pardon? (Pause) You want to try it?”
…
“I think that sounds like a great idea.”
…
“Don’t even start, I am not blushing! I don’t blush!”
…
“If you keep teasing me, I’m withholding delicious, ooey gooey cake from you.”
…
“Ooo, now see, that got you, didn’t it?”
…
“No, don’t blame me, you started teasing me again first, you betrayed the pinky promise before I did. All heck’s broken loose at this point.” [Laugh]
...
“The important thing is now I know I can use treats to bribe you into behaving yourself.”
…
“Oh you always behave? Is that so? I only just met you and I already know better than to believe that.”
...
“Yeah, I do.”
…
“You’re gonna prove me wrong? I’ll believe it when I see it. How about you prove me wrong tomorrow night? That’d be quite the birthday surprise.
…
“Alright, it’s a date. [Stammer] I mean, a deal. It’s a deal. I definitely said deal.”
…
“I’ll the bring cake, I promise.”
…
“Yes, and the wine. See? Just can’t behave at all. Bossy.”
…
“Okay. I will see you then, yeah?”
…
“Cool. (Pause) Oh! The flour! I almost forgot” [Laugh]
…
“Thanks. I’ll see you soon. Goodnight.”
...
[Speaker closes door]
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ End ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

In 2024, all the world's major cultures and societies are sexually and amorously repressed. Their very shape seems designed for this; they simply cannot fit large quantities of love without being destroyed. This is why the average person more often than not is frustrated and disappointed by the dating scene, why so many of us are lonely. We were born into this.
Those who are successful in these matters tend not to be average: they got rich; they learned how to become very, very popular; they made a positive difference in the lives of people. Whatever it was, it made them stand out—it changed the game—though not on enough of a major scale to change it for the rest of us. The rest of us are at a loss.
Whether you're traditional or not, want one lover or ten lovers, chances are that you're frustrated. You're looking up dating advice and setting boundaries and making rules and going to therapy but nothing seems to work, and if and when you finally find someone it usually comes at the cost of something, a piece of you you sacrificed down the road to get here. Later on you find out it wasn't worth it.
So what do we do about this? Well you see, I'm not a dating coach and this isn't that kind of post. I'm not going to tell you what to do. In fact, I think the root problem with the state of modern love is our belief that there is any problem to begin with. To put it in another way, we are concerned with what we will get back for our efforts. We tie ourselves up in knots over this, but have we never heard that "It is more blessed to give than to receive?"
You see, our societies and cultures are amorously repressed, but that is our fault, your fault, my fault. You are the one plugging up the pipeline. The flow of love is within each one of us, it is abundant, and it is perfectly within our power to allow that love to find expression or not. If you will recall from deep within yourself the spiritual agreement to this life, you will remember that it includes free will for all beings. To break this agreement is to fall from grace, to become fearful, to worry whether anyone will ever love you.
Well you worried for nothing, because I do love you.

To put it simply, this app needs to be remodeled completely. There's so much wrong with it, it's actually unreal.
First of all, you've got servers that go down EVERY SINGLE DAY. I used to use Character AI back in its prime days, and it used to only go down like once a month and only for an hour. As a person who studies computer engineering and software, it's really not that difficult to just upgrade your hosting plans, especially considering the fact that you're earning tons of money daily from addicted users.
Second, the devs are sensitive--and I say this in the most respectful way possible. How about instead of deleting your users' posts, you actually take the time to read them and figure out what you're doing wrong? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in this reddit decided to start a riot.
Third, you need to fix the programming behind the bots. I can't express how irritated I am because the bots keep repeating the same exact phrase despite how many times I swipe. If you need to have pinned messages because your bots keep forgetting everything, there's an issue. And as the devs, it's your responsibility to fix it.
Fourth, how about setting an age limit for users? Maybe instead of adding a barrier that prevents bots from indulging in “violent” content because you're afraid of getting sued by little kids’ parents, make sure all of your users are 13+. Maybe then you would actually have bots that don't have a one-sentence introduction, and users who like to roleplay can actually have fun.
Thanks for reading my 6 paragraph rant about how Character AI needs to be fixed. I wouldn't be surprised if this post goes down because “I wasn't being respectful,” And if it does, well then that just explains how shitty the app and this subreddit is–freedom of speech anyone? Devs, please take our advice 🙏 Thanks and have a great afternoon.

What's Way to Watch Argentina & Messi vs. Ecuador live FREE online? Hey fellow Soccer viewers. As I’ve been watching Soccer for quite a few seasons now, I've done some digging to access the trusty Argentina vs Ecuador Soccer streams. I pirate everything: sports, movies, TV Channels, and even made my own plex server. But lately I have gotten really into Soccer and haven't found a great way to watch Argentina vs Ecuador live for free...
What app/website are you using to watch the Argentina vs Ecuador live? ... I'm not 100% it's basically a live stream of the Argentina vs Ecuador soccer streams.
I pirate everything: games, movies, software, and even made my own plex server. But lately I have gotten really into Soccer and haven't found a great way to watch Argentina vs Ecuador for free live.
I don't care if there is a small delay or anything, but it needs to be at a good bitrate at 1080p or it isn't worth watch for me. Also preferably I would want a way to watch it on a smart TV in some way but im expecting to sacrifice that luxury honestly.
ESPN, ABC or Boxing Network. I'm sure you can stream as well as way to watch it but I want to see what you guys recommend.
The Argentina vs Ecuador for this 2024 international friendly match is scheduled for this Sunday, June 9, at 7:00 PM (ET).In the United States, the friendly game between Argentina and Ecuador can be seen through Fubo (free trial). Other options: FOX Sports, TyC Sports Internacional.

Hello fellow travelers, hoping to get some direction on how best to maximize the use of some points. I have gone through the wiki and recent threads on here and haven’t settled on how best to handle this
I followed all the guidance this sub’s wiki had to offer to book my first award flights next year from DFW-HND J class on JAL through Qantas airlines, by transferring CO miles.
I currently have 282k MR points, 158k UR points, and 32k CO reward miles banked up.
I am going on my honeymoon to Japan next year, so my dates and airports aren’t super flexible, and im okay with paying the points premium on booking this far out with relatively set dates and airports.
I will eventually need to book my flights home, and am hoping to use as much of my leftover points after that for hotel stays in Tokyo and Kyoto. I have 300k HH points and 15k Marriott points. Planning to use my HH points and my FNC to stay at the Conrad in Osaka.
My question is this: what is the best way to maximize value for the remaining points? Considering I need to book 2 flights that will eat up 209k of CO+UR.
Here is how I am having trouble deciding: my plan has been to transfer my 32k CO and 177k MR points to Qantas to book 2 J tickets HND-DFW (209k total) as soon as reward bookings become available for my selected date 360 days in advance - and then try to use the rest for hotel stays. Doing this would take away most of my points left, leaving me with 100k MR and 158k UR.
I have not seen another way to book JAL award J class flights 360 days out besides Qantas. Unfortunately, my JMB account on JAL is too new for me to transfer and book flights directly to (need to wait 60 days).
My preferred hotel transfer partner is Hilton, which I can transfer my remaining MR points to (would add about 200k HH points with 2:1 transfer ratio) and that leaves me 158k UR, which cannot transfer to Hilton for hotel nor Qantas for flights.
I could transfer the 158k UR to Marriott, which has a 40% bonus right now, which would give me roughly 221k Marriott points. However, I have heard that Marriott point redemptions for stays are really weak, and it’s looking like that may only cover 1-2 nights at a solid Marriott in Japan, which to me doesn’t seem great for the amount of points, but I could be wrong (please tell me if I am 😄)
I could always transfer them to Hyatt or IHG, but those are a 1:1 transfer from chase giving me 158k points with one of them.
Is there a different way I should be thinking about using my remaining points? Any transfer partners or other ideas I am not considering?
Ultimately getting 2 more J seats on JAL, plus a few free hotel nights out of these remaining credit card points will be great, but would love to get more than just a couple free hotel nights if possible (outside of the already planned Conrad Osaka stay through HH)
Thank you for the help on this! This sub has completely changed my outlook on travel and has made it possible for my fiance and I to go on the honeymoon of our dreams, so I appreciate all of the thought and participation put into this sub. And apologies for being such a noob and adding to all of the “help with Japan trip” posts.

That’s a really great look for someone that says they are trying to be a monetized TikTok Shop creator. You know what I don’t see??? I don’t see others with that title sitting in bed with hair that hasn’t been brushed since who knows when in the same clothes for days on end looking like a psych patient. Heads up Tabitha nothing is going to change in a couple weeks or so, we are ALWAYS going to be here to stop your scamming behavior. You need to really let the G and Pickle thing go. From what I’m seeing he could careless about your pickle dream and you do realize if he stole your dreams of making pickles than so have millions of other people to because canning pickles isn’t inclusive to just you Tabitha. So does that mean you have stolen the dreams and prophecies of all the people that already have pickles for sale on the TikTok shop and stores??? GTFOH with your birds nest bullshit. The ONLY things that you’re really upset about are 1. You the con were conned 2. G doesn’t want you and 3. G is making money and you aren’t. By the way it’s still illegal to send those pickles through the mail because knowing you made them pay for them. Have you checked all the jars because the one I saw was cracked??? Until next time have the day you deserve and go get some damn help or a damn J-O-B Tabitha!!! P.S. Your positive affirmations are not working you’re still a crappy human

Hi, I'm Herman, owner of ChallengersOnly and I've hit Challenger jungle and Master tier on all roles on EUW. I have 10+ years of teaching experience and have been full-time coaching for the past 3 years.
What can we teach you? We will look at how you gather information and how you interpret things that lead to your actions, both on a macro and micro scale. One of our goals is to make you aware of your own thought processes. We will give you clear and concise advice on what to focus on going forward. That way you can improve long after you have received coaching. In addition you receive some unique tricks and ideas used by challenger that can't be obtained from free resources.
How does the coaching work?

• We schedule an hour+ to meet on Discord (or Skype/Twitch)
• Every session starts by answering your questions and reviewing your match history
• We watch your first person perspective through screenshare (other coaching methods are available upon request) with minimal live coaching, especially in the first session.
• Afterwards we'll go over the game in detail, with visual annotations.
• The entire session is recorded and sent to you afterwards.
• There's follow-up support on Discord indefinitely

If you are high elo, we have other challengers avaiable for different roles and champions.
Check out the video to get an idea of what a coaching session is all about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9LkEFxiec0)
discord: challengersonly or Reddit DM
payment goes through Paypal or Stripe (€7.50 this week only)
https://challengersonly.gg/lol-coaching
https://discord.gg/3q5FNjFcx8

Hi, I'm Herman, owner of ChallengersOnly and I've hit Challenger jungle and Master tier on all roles on EUW. I have 10+ years of teaching experience and have been full-time coaching for the past 3 years.
What can we teach you? We will look at how you gather information and how you interpret things that lead to your actions, both on a macro and micro scale. One of our goals is to make you aware of your own thought processes. We will give you clear and concise advice on what to focus on going forward. That way you can improve long after you have received coaching. In addition you receive some unique tricks and ideas used by challenger that can't be obtained from free resources.
How does the coaching work?

• We schedule an hour+ to meet on Discord (or Skype/Twitch)
• Every session starts by answering your questions and reviewing your match history
• We watch your first person perspective through screenshare (other coaching methods are available upon request) with minimal live coaching, especially in the first session.
• Afterwards we'll go over the game in detail, with visual annotations.
• The entire session is recorded and sent to you afterwards.
• There's follow-up support on Discord indefinitely

If you are high elo, we have other challengers avaiable for different roles and champions.
Check out the video to get an idea of what a coaching session is all about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9LkEFxiec0)
discord: challengersonly or Reddit DM
payment goes through Paypal or Stripe (€7.50 this week only)
https://challengersonly.gg/lol-coaching
https://discord.gg/3q5FNjFcx8

So my cat became very lethargic and stopped eating and drinking. I was able to get her to eat a couple of churus while waiting 24 hours for an emergency vet to become available. Eventually got to the vet. Blood tests come back, it's high bilirubin levels. So the liver enzymes and levels were normal and red blood count levels were also normal. Possibly an obstruction from eating something. We do X-rays and ultrasound and it comes back negative.
She also had gone to the bathroom besides peeing once, but of course as soon as we get to the vet she pees in my car on the way there and takes a very nice solid poop right into the vets gloves hand ( honestly funny situation I was so relieved and also embarrassed 🤣 ).
So we get home yesterday with antibiotics and Mirataz to boost appetite. She ate a tiny bit of churus, but still no water. I woke up at 5am PST this morning to give her, her medicine she drank a small amount of water on her own and licked a tiny bit of wet food and peed, but since then she's gone back to her bed and hasn't gotten out since.
She won't eat churu anymore and she won't drink any water. I just want to know what the next move is and I do want to know what else to look for, for worsening signs. I'm hoping the antibiotics work soon and she gets more energy and appetite. Luckily I don't have to work until Thursday so Im able to keep an eye on her.
Oh and I should mention, the vet suggested we COULD give her a marker that we can trace through the digestive track just in case there is a blockage that the X-ray and ultrasound didn't pick up, but she gave it less than a 5% chance that it would find anything so I trusted her and didn't go through with the tracer. just wanna put it out there, money is no object with helping my kitty. Non of my decisions are based off saving money.
Thank you for any help I really appreciate it

I have a 1988 bmw 325ic and I was originally planning on doing a bumper tuck by drilling holes into the shocks to save money instead of doing a conversion. I now have new information that the 88 and newer models don’t contain the shocks like the older ones. Is there any way I could still do a bumper tuck, possibly by getting a shorter mount or something?

How/Where to watch Argentina & Messi vs. Ecuador live free streams? Hey fellow Soccer viewers. As I’ve been watching Soccer for quite a few seasons now, I've done some digging to access the trusty Argentina vs Ecuador Soccer streams. I pirate everything: sports, movies, TV Channels, and even made my own plex server. But lately I have gotten really into Soccer and haven't found a great way to watch Argentina vs Ecuador live for free...
What app/website are you using to watch the Argentina vs Ecuador live? ... I'm not 100% it's basically a live stream of the Argentina vs Ecuador soccer streams.
I pirate everything: games, movies, software, and even made my own plex server. But lately I have gotten really into Soccer and haven't found a great way to watch Argentina vs Ecuador for free live.
I don't care if there is a small delay or anything, but it needs to be at a good bitrate at 1080p or it isn't worth watch for me. Also preferably I would want a way to watch it on a smart TV in some way but im expecting to sacrifice that luxury honestly.
ESPN, ABC or Boxing Network. I'm sure you can stream as well as way to watch it but I want to see what you guys recommend.
The Argentina vs Ecuador for this 2024 international friendly match is scheduled for this Sunday, June 9, at 7:00 PM (ET).In the United States, the friendly game between Argentina and Ecuador can be seen through Fubo (free trial). Other options: FOX Sports, TyC Sports Internacional.

Help my headset isnt working
Hi so I have a Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset with the gamedac. Im having a problem with no sound. When i try to google my problem I cant find anything hence the post.
When my pc volume mode is selected to "Steelseries sonar - gaming" i cant hear any sound. computer shows it having sound. and the headset makes sound if i click buttons on it, but the actually computer sound wont go to the headset. But if I switch to "Headphones (2- Arctis Nova Pro Wireless)" Then i do have sound, but it is no longer in sonar mode so i lose the capabilities of chatmix and mic.
The problem started after I restarted my pc. It was working fine before i restarted. I have had this problem before though and I got it to go away by randomly switching around which slot the usb was plugged into on the back of the pc until it decided to work. And i noticed how it only worked if the gamedac displayed the sonar icon. And another time I couldnt get it to work i opened the sonar app and that fixed it.
second post edit: it stops working after a restart my pc or turn it back on from being off or in sleep. i cant find any way to fix it other than literally just waiting for it to randomly start working again. also now the sound isnt working at alllll. not even a trade off anymore. someone pleassseee help me.
But now neither of those things are fixing it and there is nothing on google to help.
Any ideas anyone? Please?
Also id like to add that my pc is very old and doesnt work the greatest. also windows 10.

I feel I had lots of ideas and dreams when I was younger about where life would go, granted some were probably quite idealistic but some I feel were achievable (and I hope still are). I grew up around a mum with chronic depression and a dad with a brain injury. There were many good things about my childhood but i also remember a heavy emotional burden of trying to make sure everyone (particularly my mum) was happy. Most of my 20s were spent doing jobs that directly involved caring for others. I'm now in a relationship where I feel I almost have to parent a bit, my partner also has a chronic injury which is quite restrictive for us both, and I think in general is quite fearful of making decisions and taking action to improve life. I just feel there's this whole world out there and life hasn't really turned out the way I would have liked, and I'm starting to lose hope that it will. I feel selfish for wanting more and then guilt sets in and I get stuck. Is it unreasonable that i want to have more adventures, go abroad for a year or even a few months with my partner for example? I just feel life is wasting away a bit. I'm early 30s, a woman and would like children some day but I feel time is running out to really live and have fun before doing this, and having yet more caring responsibilities (much as I like the thought of having a family!). Has anyone experienced this sort of feeling before and how did you find balance, or free yourself a bit more without feeling so much guilt?

They found just enough of my best friend's body to mark him down as dead, not missing. The rest of his family wasn't as lucky. They found pieces of Wyatt, Emily, and Alice Forrester—teeth strewn across the parents' bed, strands of the girl's hair caught in the latch of her bedroom window—but there supposedly wasn't enough evidence to determine whether the rest of the family was dead or alive.
After the discovery, my town entered an unofficial, unspoken lockdown. Any peace of mind gained from Fred's arrest was shattered by the realization that, even if he was guilty of grave robbing and killing animals, there were far worse criminals operating in our community. I talked a big game in my last post, saying that I'd put down whatever entity I'd unleashed like some kind of wannabe ghostbuster. In reality, all I did for days was sit in my room, imagining the terror and pain Liam must have felt in his final moments. I submitted an application to visit Fred through the county jail's website, but it took a while to get approved.
Just over a week ago, I received an unexpected visit from Liam's girlfriend, Eleanor. When I answered her knock at my door, she instantly pulled me into a hug and burst into tears, so I figured, despite the two of us not being close, she'd come to commiserate over our shared loss. Not sure what else to do, I invited her inside.
In some ways, it was nice to have someone else who felt the same pain that I did, but in others, seeing her cry just made me feel guilty. She'd come all this way to confide in me, not knowing the role I played in her boyfriend's death. At one point my grandma came in from her garden and made Eleanor some tea, which helped calm her down a little.
It occurred to me that if I was supposed to be investigating the thing that killed Liam, Eleanor might be a good place to start. As gently as I could, I asked her if she'd noticed anything strange about Liam before the discovery.
She shook her head and told me: "He was the same as ever. I just can't see Liam or the rest of his family having any enemies. His parents owned a bakery—that's like the most innocuous job ever. And Alice, I mean, she was only twelve. The only person I might've suspected was your creepy boss. But he was already in jail by that night."
After a minute of silence, she sighed, saying, "That asshole is real bad news. I practically begged Liam not to take that job. We hardly ever disagreed on anything, but we fought about that stupid job all the time." Eleanor started tearing up, so I refrained from asking any follow-up questions. When she composed herself again, she set the teacup down and excused herself, so I walked her out to her car.
I didn't think much about it at the time, but when Eleanor talked about Fred, she seemed really upset. A lot of people in my town have long been wary of Fred, but Eleanor seemed particularly bitter, like there was a painful history between them. Who knows, maybe I'm not the only one who witnessed him messing with dead bodies. I'll have to ask her more the next time I see her.
Before I made it back inside the house, my grandparents appeared on the porch, dressed for an outing. My granddad let me know they were going to The Home Depot for a new raccoon trap, since apparently there was an issue with our current one. He said, "Every morning I find food everywhere and an open trap door. Either the thing's broken or the coyotes have grown opposable thumbs."
After that, they left me alone with the unpleasant notion that something other than coyotes had gotten into the trap. I walked to the edge of our front yard to investigate, and sure enough, the trap door was open and the dog food we used as bait was scattered all over the grass. It looked like someone had reached an arm inside just to knock over the dog food bowl, and yet when I looked closely, I saw a small clump of fur caught in a bottom corner. At some point, there had been an animal in that trap, but something else had opened the door for it. Whether they had done so out of compassion or because they wanted the trapped animal for themselves, I didn't know. I did know that after a week of doing nothing, I finally had a plan.
I spent most of last Saturday gathering supplies, hitting up most of the hunting and camping stores in our small town. My itinerary included four traps in total: two for raccoons; one for mice and other, smaller animals; and one bear trap. I also bought dog food and peanut butter to bait the raccoon and mice traps accordingly. Finally, I bought a pack of four trail cameras. All together, I spent so much that I practically blew through all the money I'd earned at Sundae Central, but I was hoping that it would be worth it.
On Sunday, I set up the traps. My grandparent's house, like all the others on this side of our street, borders a canyon. We've got a nice plot—a huge fenceless yard, at the edge of which sits a greenhouse that my granddad built for my grandma's 50th birthday. Beyond the flat portion of the backyard is a long, gradual decline to the arroyo below, not quite sheer enough to be called a cliff, but too steep and full of trees and boulders to do anything with.
I set up the first trail camera to point to the newly-replaced raccoon trap in the front yard, dedicating the area as Site A. Next, I placed the mouse trap next to the greenhouse, propped up the second trail camera against one of the greenhouse's shelves, and designated it as Site B. I set up the remaining raccoon traps at sites C and D, which lay right at the bottom of the hill and at the very edge of our property respectively. The bear trap, for the time being, I kept in reserve.
Nothing happened on Monday night. I stayed up late, watching the trail cams on my laptop, until I got bored and fell asleep. The following morning, I watched the sped-up recordings, and was both relieved and disappointed to see that nothing had paid the traps a visit.
Site B caught a mouse on Tuesday night. It crawled into the trap near the greenhouse at around 3 AM, but nothing else came to investigate. I released it into the woods the next day. The Site D camera caught something moving in the distance just before dawn, but the trail cam's night vision quality is so bad that I have no idea what it was. From the way the brush swayed in its wake, though, it was something big.
Wednesday night was when things started to get weird. At around midnight, I was sitting at my desk. I've been asked to speak at Liam's funeral, so I was fruitlessly attempting to draft a speech when I looked up at my computer screen to check the cameras. Clicking through the four feeds, I saw that the trap at Site C had caught an opossum. I full-screened the Site C feed and watched the animal scurry around inside the trap for a while. I sat there for a long time. When an hour passed and nothing else happened, I was ready to throw in the towel on the whole stupid operation and just go to bed.
And then, all of a sudden, the trap door slid open.
The opossum was still huddled in the back corner of the cage; the door seemed to have opened all on its own. Cautiously, the creature approached the exit, slowly making its way out of the metal cage. It took a few steps out into the night, and then it stilled. Its head turned to the side, its glowing eyes fixed on something that I couldn't see. I squinted at the video feed. For a moment, I thought I saw depressions in the grass, like something was walking next to the trap.
I blinked, and the opossum disappeared.
I've played back that footage so many times now, and I just can't make sense of what I saw. One second, the creature was standing there in the grass, and the next, it was simply gone. The next morning, when I investigated the area, I saw no trace of the opossum or any other animal. For reasons I still can't comprehend, the thing that's been taking our local wildlife isn't showing up on my cameras.
I focused my efforts on Site C. On Thursday evening, just before dusk, I swapped the dog food in the raccoon trap in favor of a slab of bloody, raw meat I'd bought from the butcher. I also hauled the bear trap down the hill and set it up in front of the raccoon trap, chaining it to a large tree and disguising it as best I could with leaves and dirt. Finally, I sprayed some bear and raccoon repellant around the surrounding area. I've never used a steel-jawed trap on an animal before—I've only ever used humane, catch-and-release-style traps for pest control and I'd like to keep it that way. It was my hope that the repellant would deter the animals from getting too close.
I stayed up the entirety of Thursday night for nothing. No animals graced the trail cam feed, nor did any monsters.
Friday night was similarly slow. I spent so many lonely hours struggling to write my speech and staring at grainy trail cam footage. Maybe I was going a little crazy from my self-imposed isolation, but I kept thinking I saw something moving in the background of Site D.
Last night was when everything went to hell. The slab of meat had been so thoroughly ravaged by flies that I swapped it out for a new one on Saturday evening. Then, I returned to my room to wait. At 3 in the morning, long after my grandparents had gone to sleep, something in the Site C camera caught my eye. Movement in the brush. Depressions in the grass, so slight I never would've seen them if I wasn't looking for them. I held my breath …
And then the bear trap snapped shut.
I stood up from my desk, ecstatic that I'd finally caught my prey and terrified that I'd finally have to confront it. With shaking hands, I quickly tied my shoes and fitted a headlamp over my forehead. As I prepared to leave, the bear trap thrashed around on my screen, presumably as whatever entity it held fought for escape. The last thing I grabbed before I jogged into the night was my granddad's rifle from his gun safe.
Once outside, I made my way towards the bottom of the hill. The weight of the gun in my hand gave me some reassurance as I descended, but I was still more scared than I'd like to admit. Eventually, I drew close enough to the trap to hear the clink of the metal chain. I clicked on my headlamp to see what I'd caught.
There was a woman sitting on the ground, her back towards me. Her hair was blonde, her frame was thin, and she wore a black dress similar to the one I'd seen on the woman outside of Sundae Central. The sight of that dress made my heart sink—instantly, I knew that I was dealing with more than one enemy.
The woman turned around to look at the source of the light, and as she did so, she released her leg. She'd been holding her trapped foot up to her mouth with both hands, and from the look of the gaping wound below her calf, she'd been trying to bite through her leg to free herself. The sight of all that gore made me sick to my stomach. When she saw me, she rose to her feet, though how she could possibly stand in such a state I couldn't fathom.
I pointed the rifle at her. Her lips and chin were completely stained with blood, but I could get a good look at the rest of her face—at her reddish-brown eyes and straight nose, at her freckles and pale skin. Unlike the dark haired woman I'd seen before Liam's death, this woman seemed more corporeal. There was none of the dizzying, distorted effect I'd gotten from looking at the other woman for too long. This woman also seemed younger. She shouldn't possibly have been older than 25.
"What are you?" I asked. She didn't respond, nor did she move at all. Blood dripped off of her chin and pooled on the forest floor beneath her.
"What are you doing in my town?" No response but an unblinking stare and an apathetic expression. I asked her a few more questions, though what exactly I said I can't remember, before finally asking her about Liam.
"My best friend was murdered two weeks ago, for no reason at all. Did you kill him? Did your friend?"
At that, the woman lowered her gaze. Her lips parted, revealing two sets of teeth—a row of normal, human teeth in front, and a row of jagged, shark-like teeth behind them.
"I didn't kill him, but I'm sorry he had to die." Her voice was surprisingly soft, but her words were difficult to make out. It seemed difficult, almost painful, to talk around so many teeth.
"What do you mean 'had to die'?"
"He interfered. He saw too much. And now so have you." Her tone carried no malice and her expression looked almost remorseful. I kept the rifle trained on her, but I took a few steps forward, studying her face. I noticed that she had two beauty marks, one under her left eye and one above her left eyebrow. The weird thing is, I'm pretty sure I've seen a girl with those exact birthmarks before. In fact, the longer I looked at her the more familiar she seemed, but I couldn't for the life of me put my finger on where I'd seen her before.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked her, and she looked surprised.
"I don't …" She started, and then trailed off. She turned away from me, peering intently into the dark woods. I heard something faint, like boughs snapping in the distance, and a familiar feeling settled in my gut. I felt like I was back in the car outside Sundae Central, face to face with the thing that would eventually kill my best friend. Whatever I'd seen that night, I got the sense that it was approaching.
The blonde woman looked back towards me. "You should go," she said, and I didn't have to be told twice. I took one last look at her, trying to take in every detail of her face, and then I turned around and ran for my house.
By the time I was halfway up the hill, I was certain that I was being followed. I could feel a presence behind me, yet I heard no one: no heavy breathing, no snapping of twigs underfoot. Figuring that I couldn't hear my pursuer because they were too far behind me, I risked a glance backwards and failed to stop the scream that escaped me.
Less than five feet behind me was the dark haired woman I'd seen outside the ice cream shop. I have no idea how she got so close behind me without making a sound. Though I only caught the briefest glimpse of her face, I saw that her lips were torn at the corners, allowing her to open her mouth unnaturally wide. Like the blonde girl I'd spoken to, this woman's mouth was cluttered with a double-row of jagged teeth. Figuring I could run faster without my rifle, I threw my it at the woman and put everything I could into that final sprint towards my house.
I didn't stop or look behind me until I was inside with the door shut and locked. I couldn't believe I'd made it in one piece. Hurrying to the back window, I looked out across the backyard and saw, at the very edge of the property, the faint shape of the dark-haired woman. She was perfectly still, staring in the direction of the greenhouse, though at what exactly I'm still not sure. After a few minutes, she turned around and disappeared past the treeline. Her long, black dress swayed around her ankles and made her look like she was floating instead of walking on two feet.
The recording from Site C ended abruptly after I left the scene. When I returned to the scene in the daylight this morning, I found the camera in pieces at the base of the tree it was once hanging on. I also found that the bear trap itself was nowhere in sight. The chain I had used to tie it to a nearby tree was now connected to nothing, leaving me to wonder if the dark-haired woman bit clean through the metal links in order to free her friend.
It's Sunday now, and while I'm in desperate need of some sleep, I wanted to make sure I wrote everything down before I forgot all the details. Though I've learned a lot from my experiment, every new revelation has resulted in more questions. I know that I'm dealing with more than one creature, but I don't know what they are or what they want. I know that Liam was killed for "interfering", but with what exactly I have no clue. The blonde woman's face is still fresh in my mind; maybe I should draw a sketch or something before I go to sleep. She seems so very familiar, and I feel like if I figure out where I've seen her before, I might be one step closer to unraveling this whole fucked-up mystery. I also finally got cleared to visit Fred this week, so hopefully he'll shed some light on what we're dealing with.
Until then, I just have to pray that no sharp-toothed women kill me in my sleep for "seeing too much." I hate that they know where I live now, and that I have no clue how many of them there are. Whatever the case, I'm going to do my best to get to the bottom of it, and try to keep you all updated as I do.
Wish me luck.

My bf and I officially got together 2/1/24. He had always been trustworthy, hands me his phone for random reasons with no problem, gave me his password in our dating stages and I never felt the need to actually go through it until a few weeks ago. I only found instagram messages with a girl (we’ll call A) that looked 18y/o.. the messages were all “how are you, wyd” he stopped responding to her when she started asking for his age and to send pictures. These ended 2/10/24.
I dropped it, never told him about it. My bf works all day and all his free time he spends with me. He has given be manipulation vibes before but the way he speaks and acts has also given me the feel to trust him.
On Thursday night we got into a disagreement, we called it a night without resolving the issue so Friday morning. He didn’t text me good morning, and because I initiated the disagreement, I reached out and apologized and explained why I was upset. He dismissed me and stopped answering my messages… I called him about 5 times within 4 hours with no answer. I texted him a “?” And he said we can talk in person that he didn’t want to deal with it over the phone, which is fair but everyone I try talking in person he stays quiet and says “I’d rather stay silent than offend you or say the wrong thing.”
We set up a time to meet and he kept delaying, started at 9PM and we didn’t meet until 11:30. I can confirm he was with his cousins because he initially told me to come over and they were all drinking outside. I waited outside for 30mins until they left. When he got in my car he was DRUNK. All giggly and acting like nothing was wrong. He had his phone out and opened a message when I looked at the screen to read a girls name (we’ll call B), when he noticed I glanced over he HID the screen… i asked if I could see his phone in a joking tone and he REFUSED.
I babysat him got him food before going home. He usually sets all his belongings on my desk before bed, that night he slept with his phone in his hand. I couldn’t sleep, everything in me told me to go through his phone, so when he naturally let go, I did.
I go to the messages with girl B and the conversation is gone.. only his last message that stated
“well when you come you’ll see”.
I go onto Instagram and go through messages with girl A and new messages over the last few weeks with again casual conversations.
I log onto messenger and find messages with girl C that are all “how are you, how old are you, where are you from” she’s from a different state.
The second last message from him stating “let’s see when you come to Vegas” and his last message being deleted.
During breakfast we talk over our argument and when we get to the car I ask to look through his phone. He refused and says he doesn’t understand why I’ve been acting weird, I explain my suspicions about his actions last night and he laughs saying he doesn’t get why I’m being doubting his loyalty. So I ask if he’s cheating, planning to cheat, or talking to other girls. He says he’s not flirting with anyone, that he has talked to girls but casual talk, no nudes. Says he’s innocent. I ask him if he’s planned to meet with them and he says no.
I cry because I have pictures of the messages… I know.
so I tell him, if I tell you I went though your phone would you say the same? he stayed quiet and just says “what messages did you read?” says there’s a girl on Instagram that is a distance cousin or something, which I know is a lie because WHY would she ask for pictures and age?? So I tell him I read everything on his phone and know that he was planning to meet with women. He immediately says “you’re talking about messages with girl B right?” Tells me she’s a girl from church that moved out of state, who is coming to visit. I mention girl C and he says she’s a rando that messaged him, made it seem like she engaged everything although I know he did.
He made it out to be like he was innocent, truth is there were no flirting messages aside from an open meeting up texts but not knowing the context.. but this shows that the thought and capability is there.. right? he never gave me his phone, says he’d never asked to see mine.
I talked about it again last night, about boundaries and how I don’t want him talking to them, that it’s inappropriate and I shouldn’t have to tell him, but now that I’m away my mind is racing.. is this breaking up worthy…? Am I being gaslit? He’s always said he doesn’t believe in friendships and never confirmed that he’d stop talking to these girls..I’m losing it rn.

Not drinking. Almost 3 years sober but damn things are a mess right now.
How do you deal with unmanagability?
All financial responsibilities are on me, I’ve put a significant portion of our money into my own new business and it’s very scary, but exciting. I’ll know if this succeeds or fails within about 8 months.
Married father of three with kids ranging from 2 to 10 years old, wondering if we have made the right decisions with them in mind for their futures (surprise, we have not and much of that is on me and my previous drinking habits).
I think I have too much on my plate and it’s hard as hell not to compare our family to others and keep up with the Jones’.
Also why the hell are all my friends getting divorced? Seems around ages 37 to 45, divorced with kids, maybe the luster has worn off? Getting out early before they waste the rest of their lives with someone they don’t love? I love my wife but we definitely have our issues, nothing I think would come close to irepairable harm and I have made amends, something that is easier said than done.
I think stress is getting to me which then prompts me to examine my own self and be pretty critical. I could be drinking right now. There is no one who can stop me from driving to the store and buying a case of beer and bottles of wine, but I am not going to.
Not drinking today.

First of all, Tami and Cami are so fucking obnoxious. They’re annoying and entitled.

1. Tami has the fucking nerve to walk into the Gallaghers house and criticize the way they live. They’re piss poor and broke as fuck, with an alcoholic dad and druggy absentee mom, they fend for themselves. Their dad lived off of welfare checks that he used on fucking oxi. Tami was a shit mom and girlfriend. She makes all the fucking decisions and Lip gets no say. She’s so ungrateful.
   
2. I liked Brad in the beginning. But he needed to man the fuck up. The fact that Cami controls of everything and he won’t do nothing about it. Or when Cami fires Lip because he won’t move to fucking Wisconsin, and Brad doesn’t do shit about it. If Lip moved to Wisconsin, the rest of the Gallaghers would be homeless. He pulls most of their weight. Or when they’re not allowed to say what they want or their opinions at the Tamiettie’s meetings. For fucks say, that’s just bullshit. He needed to grow the fuck up and leave her.
   
3. Tami expecting the Gallaghers to pay for her sisters baby’s heart surgery. Her family is more financially stable, and why she expects them to help is beyond me. She’s knows their broke as shit, that’s why she lives in a fucking RV. I can’t fucking stand Debbie, but her expecting Debbie to sell her truck is insane. Or her expectation that they should be pulling their weight, and make sacrifices, her words, is unbelievable. Just like Lip said, Liam and Carl, a 10 year old and 20 year old, still share underwear. Like the only thing they can sacrifice is what’s left of their dignity.
   
4. Where does Tami pulled her weight? She cuts hair for a living, but Lip is always taking care of the expenses, house renovations, which yes was his idea, but bills, care and basic necessities for Fred. Like she’s completely useless. And the nerve of her to try and take Fred to Wisconsin just cause she’s pissed at Lip for not wanting to leave home. What the fuck is he supposed to do in Wisconsin. Yes it’s a free house, but it’s away from his siblings who need him, and how is he going to find a stable job. He was always there for Fred more than her. She always expects him to do everything she says no matter what and it pisses me the fuck off, especially when she uses Fred against him.
   

I just can not fucking stand them. Lip could have ended up with anyone but her.