F24 had been charged with a class C misdemeanor (minor assault) when my dad’s gf attacked me and I defended myself. It was just the 3 of us and of course he lied for her so she didn’t get charged.
Before going back to court I’ve called asking if there was any way of doing community service and I was told no.
I was sick prior to being charged and don’t have health insurance. My paychecks went to medical bills, I never seen a penny of them. I ended up losing my job due to the charge 2 months after. I haven’t been able to find another one due to the charge.
I had to go back to court today (06-10-24) because I didn’t have the fines paid off. I knew he was already in a bad mood because a inmate got loose and was starting trouble. He calls me up and he starts reading everything off. I explained the medical bills, losing my job, not being able to find one, and having no income. I wasn’t acting or doing anything to give him any impression that I was on something.
He asks if I would pass a drug test and I thought he said if I took one. I said I didn’t know I had too. He repeated his self and I said yes because I’m not on anything. He looked me up and down in what can only be described as disgust. He goes so what are you on? I said nothing because I’m not on anything.
He sent me back to take the test. 2 females and a male came in with handcuffs at the ready to arrest me if it come back positive because they was convinced I was on something, what happened to innocent until proven guilty? I don’t even take ibuprofen or Tylenol. I asked if the man could leave because I didn’t feel comfortable and I had been raped a few years ago. They just laugh. They then made me expose myself in front of him.
I peed in the cup and of course nothing came back positive. They was mad and upset, to the point one of them stomped off. They started accusing me of doing something to pass because I ended up having a panic attack. They started trying to force me into a false confession of being on something after having a passing drug test in their possession.
They took me back out to the judge and he rolled his eyes saying I don’t believe it but I’m going to give you the benefit of the debt. He then gave me 5 days of community service to wave the fines. I was already in tears and a full blown panic attack at this point due to the male cop being in the bathroom while being exposed. I wanted to report it but it would be my word against theirs because they wasn’t wearing body cams and there was no cameras in the bathroom.
When I got home I self harm and went deeper into a panic attack. I’ve never felt so dehumanized and humiliated in my entire life.

Hi AskDoc’s,
I’m 36 year old male that has started working out after a couple year hiatus (Irish twin children took for focus off of me for a bit). I took a good look at myself in the mirror for the first time in forever and to my shock i noticed I was a bit slanted.
I feel awkward sharing this picture, I dont take pictures of my body for Reddit lol, but I think I have Torticollis and would love any feedback anyone may have.
I noticed my face was slanting a bit for a while but I thought that was from weight gain.
So my question is, what type of doctor should I see about this? Thank you

I (16F) have been dating my bf (16M) for 8 months now and he has a ex (16F) whom he only dated for 2 weeks who is still on our dicks messaging us all the time this girl has tried to get a 18 yr old male to fight me over my bf. She has also called me tons of names including but not limited to: whore, slut, bitch, cunt, etc. she has also linked/talked to 3 other people I don’t associate with due to conflict (she linked up w my opps) she has told me to k¡ll my$elf, made fun of my body among other things such as texting my bf that she thinks I’m cheating. My point now is we were just in a call and he said she texted him “happy birthday” and he said he was gonna respond in a hour. Im like probably wrong for my reaction here but I told him j yell at her to get the point across that we don’t wanna speak to her again (he doesn’t know that I argued with her last month again and she agreed to never text us again) and he said no he won’t do that and started talking to his friend about what he was gonna do and mentioned cracking jokes ;now me personally if someone said all that abt him i would not acknowledge when they say happy birthday. So I did what any other Dominican woman would do I said “alr imma handle this” which did not help he said he’s gonna be extremely mad at me if I text her anything and I’ve been ignoring him since bc i don’t know how to bring the topic up please help But like hypothetically I wouldn’t be wrong if I wanted to just get even w her

My name is Jason, and I am majoring in electrical engineering at an engineering school in the United States.My major is a very interesting and challenging field.The more I study, the more I am exposed to new technologies and innovations every day, the more I admire the country of Korea.This is something that can only be experienced in a higher education institution called a university. Especially when I see students from Korea who are majoring in software beyond the mechanical and electrical fields I am studying, I admire their academic passion and achievements. They study with a study load that would be overwhelming for me, and when they play, they play well while having fun.
Witnessing engineering students from Korea get good jobs here in the U.S. after studying all three pillars of engineering together, or finding good jobs in Korea, has made me realize that while it may not be easy to study all three pillars of engineering, it is not just a fad, it is a necessity. It has been known for a long time that there are trends in academia, but in Korea, I realized that these trends are directly related to the real industry, which in turn leads to the competitiveness of the country.For a small country like Korea, with such a big position in the world and high level of statistics, it really sounds true and I think it is true that Korea is and will be a country built on human resources.
As a military enthusiast, I am very interested in various military equipment and strategies, even though I have not been in the military.I think this is a common interest among male students in engineering schools, and depending on the magnitude of the interest, it can become a hobby.Speaking of men, isn't everyone a natural military enthusiast? For some reason, when I started talking about military topics, most of my Korean friends would smile with a relaxed smile and tell me expert military stories.Naturally, my personality matches theirs, so I can say that I have the most friends from Israel and Korea.
One day, I invited my Korean friends and Israeli friends together for a party because I wanted to hear more about my Korean friends' reluctance to talk about the army in front of girls, because my Israeli friends are more confident to talk about the army in front of girls, and my Korean friends are a little bit reluctant to talk about the army.
So I made up a party where I told my Korean friends who were embarrassed to talk about their military stories that I would open up the floor to them so that they could talk about it, even if they had more questions. I remember talking about military stories all night long, and we had a party with a bunch of guys who had been in the military or liked the military. One difference between my Korean friends and my friends of other nationalities was that they were very proud of their country's military products, and more precisely, the atmosphere was a little different from that of my Israeli friends with military experience.
The first thing that came up was the Korean self-propelled howitzer Kaynak, which is recognized worldwide for its high mobility and powerful firepower. It has a range of more than 40 kilometers and is equipped with an automatic loading system that allows it to fire at a high rate of fire. I still can't believe that most men in Korea have been in the army and are used to using military products and military necessities, but these guys, who are living a normal college life, used to put camouflage cream on their faces, train in the dark, fly in the sky, and shoot artillery shells with incredible lethality.
We also talked about South Korea's electronic warfare equipment, the Hyunmoo missile, which is highly accurate and destructive, and plays an important role in further strengthening South Korea's military defense system.
Compared to its giant neighbor, China, South Korea is by no means technologically inferior in the army, and in fact, it has an overwhelming advantage in many areas, especially thanks to its advanced weapon systems such as missiles, self-propelled artillery, and tanks.
The K9 is considered to be one of the most capable self-propelled artillery pieces in the world, with a 52-caliber 155mm cannon and a range of over 40 kilometers. It can drop shells in very precise locations, and if it is spotted within 40 kilometers, it's game over. The K9 is also highly maneuverable and can move quickly across a variety of terrains, increasing the flexibility of the battlefield.Thanks to its automatic reloading system, the K9 is capable of firing at a high rate of six rounds per minute, which is an important advantage in combat situations.
Next, we learned more about South Korea's Hyunmoo missile series.The Hyunmoo missile comes in different versions, including the Hyunmoo 2 and Hyunmoo 3, which are divided into surface-to-surface and cruise missiles, respectively.The Hyunmoo 2 is a ballistic missile that boasts high accuracy and destructive power, with a maximum range of 800 kilometers, which gives it the ability to cover the entire Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas.The Hyunmoo 3 is a cruise missile with a maximum range of 1500 kilometers, allowing it to deliver precision strikes on key enemy targets.These missile systems further strengthen South Korea's defense capabilities.
The K2 Black Panther is also one of the most powerful tanks in the world.The K2 is equipped with a 120mm glide cannon, which provides a high rate of fire through an automatic reloading system.The tank is also equipped with an active defense system, which allows it to detect and intercept enemy anti-tank missiles.The turret and body of the K2 are protected by composite armor, providing high defense, while its powerful engine ensures excellent maneuverability.These characteristics make the K2 one of the most powerful tanks in the world.
These advanced weapon systems do more than just bolster our defense capabilities, they provide us with a tactical edge that ensures victory on the battlefield.South Korea's missiles, self-propelled artillery, and tanks, in particular, are no slouches when compared to China's, and in many areas, they are overwhelmingly superior.This is a result of South Korea's advanced technology and constant research and development, which is undoubtedly highly regarded in the global military market.
South Korea's military technology is constantly evolving, which contributes greatly to the country's position as an important military power in the international community.This technological advantage allows South Korea to play an important role in contributing to international peace and security beyond its own defense.
South Korea has even miniaturized its defense systems to shoot down missiles flying at tanks, and these technological advancements are further strengthening their defense capabilities.In recent years, South Korea has also been focusing on building fighter jets, and it's no secret that they are no match for the Chinese stealth fighter jets that were unveiled a few years ago.South Korea's fighter jets incorporate the latest technology to provide superior stealth and combat capabilities, and are highly regarded in the global market.
My Korean friends were very patriotic about their country and seemed to know that their country was strong, which was quite different from my Israeli friends, who were also very patriotic, but they didn't think their country was that strong, and they thought that they absolutely couldn't do without the help of the U.S. No country is perfect without the help of the U.S. militarily, but Korea's ability to perform independently is higher, so my Israeli friends were a little less confident.
When I heard about Korea, I realized that Korea is leading the world in various fields, not only in the military field, but also in various industries.When I learned about Korea's history, I realized that it is a very scientific and progressive country.It is unfortunate that Korea did not catch the industrial revolution that started in England, otherwise it would have been very advanced.
There was a sense of pride that Koreans are not afraid of great powers and that there are many areas where they think they can catch up, or have already caught up, and I thought that was great.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, my Korean friends went to engineering schools in the United States, where they studied a lot, and while taking classes in mechanical or electrical engineering, they took additional software classes outside of their major field, or electrical engineers showed interest in mechanical engineering and took classes, so they were studying the three elements of engineering: mechanical, electrical, and software.
The mechanical part is the skeleton and muscles, the electrical part is the nerve bundles that make the muscles move, and the most important intelligence, which is the brain, is the software. Even if you make something as small as a drone, these three elements of engineering are essential, and nothing can be left out, which means that you need at least three majors to make a drone, but Korean friends are trying to combine knowledge in other fields, not just specialized knowledge in one field, and the advantage is that if you have enough knowledge in two or three fields, in any case, the understanding of the design is high, and all the design projects can be carried out quickly.
In the past, if you were good at one thing, you could get a job, but now there are more and more people who know how to handle both, so it is essential to strengthen competitiveness in the job market.The trend started with Korean friends.
This positive perception of Korea made me want to learn more about the country, hear real-life stories and look up information about Korea. I was curious about what drove Korea's development and how they were able to get to where they are today.
There are many factors, but if I look at Korea from an engineering student's point of view, first of all, Korea has been recognized worldwide for its IT industry. Large companies such as Samsung and LG have a great influence in the global market, and small and medium-sized enterprises in Korea are also attracting attention with their outstanding technology. I've never been to Korea, so I don't have first-hand experience with it, but it's said that Korea has a high-speed internet network that covers the entire country, so you can get fast and reliable internet anywhere you go.It makes sense, because I've been on family trips to off-the-beaten-path natural scenery, and I've had many experiences of being cut off from the outside world, and in the U.S., there are many cases of people going missing and dying while exploring the backcountry, and I think it's because of the lack of internet communication.
Some say this is due to the size of the country, but I think that's a misjudgment based on the economic rationality of not investing in unproductive areas. To put it another way, Korea has a lot of mountains, and there are a lot of things that can interfere with the radio waves, so we need more repeaters.We can come to the fact that Korea is not physically in a better position to lead the IT industry, but it is the result of Korea's determination and effort to foster the industry.
Korea is also a highly educated country, with students studying from an early age in fierce competition and boasting high academic achievement, which helps the country produce world-class talent in a wide range of fields.
Korean pop culture, such as K-pop, K-drama, and K-beauty, is loved all over the world, which is an important factor in strengthening Korea's soft power.Korean culture is a blend of tradition and modernity, giving it a unique charm.I realized that Korea has so much to offer.Koreans also tell me interesting facts. When I was living in Korea, I had doubts about what was good about Korea, and I kept hearing people around me, especially adults, say that Korea is a good place to live, and that other countries are hard, but when they said that, I said, “Where is such a thing?” They said that a small country like Korea can't have anything special, but when I went abroad, even in the United States, the world's most powerful country, I realized how good Korea was. Even in the U.S., when they meet and talk to people of many nationalities and get to know each other's upbringing, they all realize in hindsight that Korea is a strong country in their minds and that they have nothing to lack.
Korea's politics and economy are stable, with a well-established democracy and a growing economy. Korea's economic power is now among the top 10 in the world, and it is the foundation for Korea to play an important role in the international community.
South Korea's military strength is also globally recognized, as it has the ability to develop and produce its own military equipment, enabling it to self-defend itself.South Korea's military technology is highly advanced, giving it the power to defend itself against external threats.
As such, South Korea is a world leader in many fields.South Koreans have a strong sense of pride in their country, which drives them to develop further.
I have to admit that there is a strange aura that emanates from the Koreans, a sense of pride that is unflinching in the face of so many powerful nations, especially Japan, which many people of various nationalities consider to be a country with overwhelming economic, military, and technological power, but to the Koreans, Japan is just a mere opponent.
If you dig deeper, it is said that Korea and Japan have a symbiotic relationship that is indispensable to each other. In order for Korean finished products to be released, they need to cooperate with each other in many areas such as Japanese components and precision industries.
Of course, I'm here to tell you more about it.Korea's manufacturing industry utilizes Japanese components and materials to produce finished products that are highly regarded in the global market.Japan has long been a supplier of high-quality components and materials, which have played an important role in Korea's electronics, automotive, shipbuilding, and other industries.For example, key materials from Japan, such as photoresist for semiconductor manufacturing and fluorine and polyimide for OLED displays, contribute to the high quality of Korea's high-tech products.
It is interesting to note, however, that Korea is utilizing these Japanese components and materials to create finished products with its own technology and innovation, and these finished products are achieving great success in the global market.Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are leading the world in smartphones, televisions, and home appliances, while Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors are gaining a large share of the global market with their high-performance vehicles.
South Korea's finished products utilize high-quality components from Japan, but add their own technology, design, and innovation to achieve greater success in the global market.This is an important factor in South Korea's ability to outperform Japan in the global market by increasing the competitiveness of its finished products while relying on the supply of parts and materials.
And in the military arena, Korea's ability to compete with the established European brands of tanks and self-propelled artillery, and even the great American weapon systems, is awe-inspiring.
The possibility of South Korea surpassing the U.S. and European military technology capabilities in the future is worth considering for several reasons, and I will present some evidence to support it.
First, South Korea's rapid technological advancement and R&D investments.South Korea has experienced rapid growth in high-tech sectors over the past few decades.The country has world-class technology in semiconductors, IT, and electronics, and these technologies are also applied to military technology.For example, South Korea's self-propelled K-9 self-propelled artillery and Hyunmoo missile series have world-class performance and are actively exported.South Korea's defense industry continues to invest heavily in R&D, which is likely to result in more innovative military technologies in the future.
Second, South Korea's self-defense strategy and international cooperation.South Korea is striving to become self-sufficient in military technology with the goal of self-defense.The recent KF21 Boramae fighter jet development project is a prime example of South Korea's ability to develop its own fighter jets.This project signals the country's potential to become a global aerospace power.South Korea also has a strong alliance with the United States, which allows it to import advanced military technology and develop it into its own.
Third, South Korea's economic strength and industrial base.South Korea is one of the top 10 economies in the world, and with its economic strength, it can afford to develop large-scale military technologies.In addition, world-class companies such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai are involved in military technology development, so the convergence of civilian and military technologies is flourishing.
Last but not least, I would like to emphasize Korea's excellent human resources. Korea has a highly educated and talented workforce, which is a favorable environment for the development of advanced technologies. These talented individuals are making great contributions to military technology development and will continue to create innovative technologies in the future.
For these reasons, there is a good chance that Korea will surpass the U.S. and Europe in military technology in the future.Of course, there is a long way to go in some areas, such as fighter jets, which are just starting to develop, but it is not impossible given Korea's current development speed and efforts.I look forward to seeing how Korea's military technology will develop in the future.
I think Koreans are funny and amazing at the same time, and I would like to learn more about Korea and visit Korea one day to experience the culture firsthand.I would also like to take the time to examine whether all these ideas that I have gotten from meeting Korean friends are really true in Korea and whether they are wrong.
I am having a variety of experiences and expanding my thoughts here in college that I could not have had in high school, and being amongst proud Koreans has allowed my thoughts to grow.I am very grateful that a country as scary as Korea is a close ally of the United States.
And as one of the citizens of an ally, I also wish for the development of Korea.

I (18f) have always been an incredibly talented opera singer, artist, and person in general. My craft is as sacred a ritual to me as the Sun's delicate dance with the Moon in our terrestrial sky.
Much like the rain that falls from the penthouse of angels, nourishing our Mother Earth's soil, so too does my voice nourish the heart and mind. I truly have a gift, an incredible power to feed the very souls of all who are fortunate enough to be in range of my chords of pure silver.
BUT NOT FOR MEN!!!
For this, dear reader, is incredibly dangerous. You see, if my enchanting siren song were to fall on the ears of an unsuspecting male, great and terrible power could be wrought on this earth. Famine would spread as the harvest would be struck by blight, plague would scourge the earth, mothers would weep over their starving babes, and a thousand years of despair would darken the kingdom. Our Elders have foreseen it.
From birth I trained in their great temple on the highest peak of Mt. Chungus, in the ways of the Sacred Song. Locked in a stone room, with no danger of a passing man to hear, for years I perfected this ancient rite. Only when I was ready was I finally permitted to enter your realm and perform wherever there was great need. You may have seen me at the Palace of Charles Entertainment Cheese, where I was an esteemed guest of great honor.
However, it seems that my boyfriend (a poor, unwitting 39m) never quite grasped the importance of my oath. Time and time again, I reitirated how imperative it was that my virgin song never be heard by a male of your race, lest we wed, for matrimony was the only chance to break the spell.
Yet just moments ago, he nearly tried to force my tongue. We sat as honored guests at his grand-niece's seventh daughter's aunt's half-brother's piano teacher's massage therapist's wedding. The ceremony was lovely, and we were each given a pure white rabbit to keep. I was enjoying myself, enchanting the guests with my radiant presence until the fateful moment arrived.
The bride rushed to our table, dropped to her knees and clasped my hand in both of her's. She gazed into my eyes and said, "O great one! I have heard legend of your talent! You simply must perform, and bless my union with your pure heart's song!" My boyfriend insisted I indulge right away. When I firmly said no, the bride turned and ran, weeping as she disappeared amongst the onlookers. My boyfriend's expression turned sour, but he said nothing else while we were there.
On the ride home he was acting strange. His body trembled mightily, and his grip tightened on the steering wheel, so much so that it shattered in his grasp. He began to breathe heavily, and smoke plumed from his nostrils. His eyes turned a crimson red, and his shoulders twisted as black leathery wings tore through his skin. He also grew huge black horns.
I thought he was bit hot so I asked if he wanted me to turn up the ac. That was when, out of nowhere, he blew up.
"YOU FOOLISH WENCH! YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU DISOBEYED THE DARK ONES!! WE SHALL DESTROY YOUR KIND AND TURN THIS PLANET TO ASH!! YOU WILL BEG FOR MERCY BEFORE THE LORD OF PESTILENCE AND HE SHALL GRANT YOU MERCY IN THE FORM OF AN AGONIZING DEATH!!!!"
A swarm of locusts flew out of his mouth and he burst through the roof of our Subaru. I texted him later that day saying we were over, and now an army of imps and orcs have arrived at my door calling me an AH. I was just defending my sacred oath, and by extension, all of mankind. So AITA?
https://www.reddit.com/AITAH/comments/1dbz32a/aita_for_breaking_up_with_my_boyfriend_because_he/

With this new evidence we now know a little bit about RHs methods. He took them to his home, he knocked them out, he tortured them for days then mutilated their bodies and dumped them. We don’t know why his disposal MO changed, but we all have theories. I really feel like Peaches and her baby are not part of his murder spree. Her baby would have been too much trouble for him. Her death really feels more domestic to me. Plus, where her body was found was way at the top of the beach. As for Asian male doe. I don’t know. There’s a bit of homosexuality mentioned but not a lot. It’s not completely ruled out, just becoming more unlikely. I know there was the internet search but my search history doesn’t reflect who I am. We all look up random stuff. Doesn’t mean it’s who we are. Also I feel like this new evidence completely eliminates Shannan Gilbert. She wasn’t dumped. She died on the beach. Whatever the circumstances are surrounding that, does not coincide with RHs way of doing things. Karen Vergata? I’m actually a bit surprised there hasn’t been a connection. She’s still in the possible category. And they’ve pretty much said they think Valerie Mack was his victim.I feel like there has to be another dumping ground. Or more than one. What happened between 1993 and 2003? 2003 and 2010? 2010-2023? I know serial killers have been known to take breaks but somehow, I don’t really think that’s the case here. So many bodies all over Long Island and the surrounding area.
Sandra Costilla- November 1993 Jessica Taylor July 2003 Maureen Brainard Barnes- July 2007 Melissa Barthelemy - July 2009 Megan Waterman -June 2010 Amber Costello- September 2010 *Valerie Mack- Summer 2000 (I bet it was July) *Karen Vergata- February 1996 Didn’t they arrest him because they thought he was going to take another girl? Would have been July…. Again. I’m willing to bet he killed every 2-3 years. He may have taken a hiatus, but where?

So firstly, I’m a 20 year old woman and I’m also very alternative. I do lots of alternative makeup and dress in styles like corporate goth, casual emo kind of style, or coquette style.
I am extremely grateful to have any supporters at all. I have lots of listeners and followers but I’m nobody big yet. Every supporter of mine has my complete heart and there’s nothing that makes me feel more blessed and grateful than someone listening to my music/watching my music videos. But I am curious. Why do I seem to attract a majority male audience?
On YouTube, my audience is 80% male and 17% female.
On Spotify, my listeners are 61% male, 25% female, 9% nonbinary and 5% not specified.
On tiktok, I do livestreams and I have tons of guys/men join them almost exclusively. There is barely any women or non binary people, it’s usually all cisgender males talking to me and interacting and following.
I don’t post sexual content. I have big breasts but I don’t show them off and I can’t help it that I have them lmao. I cover them majority of the time as well. If men are connecting with me, I’m very happy that they are! But I can’t help but feel confused. I follow artists similar to myself and their audiences are majority female or lgbt/non binary. I make videos baking cookies and showing off my outfits. I make videos painting and talking about music. Please don’t get me wrong, I love all of my male supporters, but I can’t help but wonder where they’re all coming from?? I feel like the content I make would generally attract a less male audience.
Also, a very large amount of these men sexually harass me and tell me I’m attractive. So that could be a factor, but if men find me attractive, is that why women are less likely to stay for my content? :(
I swear, my content isn’t sexual. I’m a grown woman and I’m allowed to be sexual, but I keep it mostly clean unless you count me having big boobs. I can’t change my body bruh. Also, I do cry and whimper in my songs sometimes but I sing about my experiences with abuse mostly. It’s not like moaning 😭 and it’s not meant to be hot. It’s my real pain.
If it’s just that men see and hear me as a pleasant thing, I’m still honored and I appreciate that. But I was wondering if anyone has any other ideas on why this is. Do you think the social platforms I post on push my content towards males? I’m not a stereotypical looking girl tbh. My makeup is very out there and recognizable and I thought majority of men like more natural looking makeup. I’m super emo.
Thanks for any help in advance

I recently moved back to my hometown. My wife, Helen, and my kids, John and Mary were driving with the rest of our things. And would arrive tomorrow morning.
If I was being honest staying in the new house alone wasn’t my ideal idea for my first day in the house.but it was what it was i thought.
I grab one of the boxes from my backseat. I leave the car door open since I had more boxes to get.
I walk up on the white wooden steps of the porch. I fumble through my pockets for the little single key to the house.
I unlock the door as I walk in with the box. I sat the box in front of the stairs. As i was walking out to get another box something fell on my head.
A little single note with the words monster in red ick. It looked a little sloppy my 10 year old son had better handwriting then this I thought.
Must of been something the previous owners left behind. I continue to get the rest of the boxes. After I was finally finished I decided to relax on the couch we had moved here a few months ago.
But as I make my way to my new living room I see a newspaper on the couch. I pick it up Flipping it to the front page. I saw a picture of a girl on the main cover who didn’t look older than 13.
Vivian Myers
I knew exactly who she was. She was murdered back in 26. Her murder quickly became famous. Even the big city folk knew her story.
This newspaper was even from 1927. A year after her death. It didn’t make sense why it was here as it was 1946 now.
I just chopped it up to the previous owners leaving it. I throw the newspaper aside and I lay my head down on the couch.
I unexpectedly fell asleep after a minute. The drive here plus carrying the boxes exhausted me.
I was having a nice calm dream. But I was soon lead to a more eerie and vivid dream. I was in the middle of the woods.
I was quite familiar with these woods. I used to come here with my pa after school. We used to hunt animals for dinner.
But I felt like I wasn’t myself in this dream. I heard a voice in the distance calling somebody’s name but I couldn’t quite understand it. It was like it was muffled out
I began to run I felt fear all over me like I was scared for my life. It felt like i knew I was gonna die soon. But somehow I knew deep down that these weren’t my memories but someone’s else.
It was like the dream was controlling me. I continued to run. I was running like a wild cat in different directions and turns.
I was desperate not to let this thing get “me”. I began to feel dizzy. I slow down and I suddenly stop. My vision was hazy and my chest was pounding at the same time.
I felt like I was dying. I fell on the ground lucky not hitting my head. But the pain in chest got more severe. And my vision was more hazy. I also started to see black dots.
I lift my head up. Desperately trying to get up but I couldn’t. I started to cry I knew all hope was lost I suddenly feel an awful feeling of dread and fear.
I have never felt this scared. It felt so real this whole dream felt so real. I see a pair of boots right in front of me. I then feel my hair get yanked up. I look at the person who yanked me. He was muffled out to. I couldn’t see a single damn detail on him.
He then says a few things as I stay silent. But like him and the name he called out his voice was also muffled out.
I couldn’t understand a damn word he was saying. Shit i didn’t even know if he was a he.
He takes out a knife from the back of his pants. his grip on my hair still tight. I could see the knife clearly. it was not muffled out.
Which made me have more fear. I try to run but he yanks my hair back. I try to shake and scream for help. But he was way stronger than me. And my voice was also muffled out. I felt hopeless. I start to cry.
Which wasn’t muffled out. I felt the knife touch my throat it felt cold. At that moment I stop moving. I just froze.
It was like a very sharp hunting knife. Before he could kill me though i awoke as I darted up and breathing heavily. I was sweating all over and felt goosebumps. I hear a loud knock on the door. Along with my children’s excited voices.
Were they already here?. Did I really sleep through the rest of the afternoon and the whole night. I open the door as my kids come running in hugging me.
“Welcome to your new home children” my wife Helen says walking in the door.
“John you get the room up stairs on the right and Mary you get the room up stairs on the left understood?” I say to my children
They nod and both say yes. Right after they run up stairs to their new bedrooms. I walk up to wife hugging her and kissing her forehead.
“How was the drive here?” I ask my wife who looked awfully tired
“The kids…. William they won’t listen to me” my wife says you could tell she was exhausted by the tone of her voice.
“I’ll take care of kids, you get some sleep you look tired Helen” I say as I take her hand leading her to the couch.
“I’ll go get one of Mary’s blankets you just lay here” I say as I leave and headed up the stairs.
I turn to the left where Mary’s room is. I was about to enter until I heard her voice.
“Hello…. I’m Mary what’s your name”
I fling the door opened. I look at Mary who is just sitting Chris cross on her bed. No body else was in here.
“Mary who were you talking to ?”
Mary looks around with a confused look on her face the Shrugs and looks down.
“I don’t know… no one I guess” she says quietly. I almost couldn’t hear her.
I was a little confused I would sworn i heard Mary talking to someone. I then remembered my wife who was without her blanket .
“ Mary your mother needs one of your spare blankets” Mary nods in response and gets one of her blankets out from one of the boxes.
Mary runs up and hands it to me. I take the blanket and I head back downstairs to my wife. When I got there she was already asleep. I put Mary’s blanket over her.
I go to my wife’s car to get the rest of the boxes. After a couple hours my wife wakes up to make the kids and I dinner.
August 4th 1946
The new house was nice. The new school that the kids attended was also pretty nice. The neighbors were as nice and welcoming as everything else. I think I’m gonna like it here.
I had just came home from work when my wife came storming towards me with tears.
“Me and you need to have a conversation” she said grabbing my hand and taking me to our bedroom locking the door behind her.
She was crying and shaking like she was terrified.
“Helen what is the meaning of thi-“ before I could finish my wife interrupted me
“Our daughter said she made a friend and this friend apparently lives here in our home William.” My wife starts to take deep breath’s from crying as she continues.
“Mary said her name is Vivian. And get this Vivian said you’re a bad man. MARY SAID YOU KILLED THAT LITTLE GIRL A FIVE YEAR OLD DOESN’T MAKE THAT UP WILLIAM”
I just stood there looking down with a confused expression wondering where my daughter got this information from. And then I remembered the newspaper and thought maybe she saw it and picked it up.
“She probably got this from a newspaper that was left here about that little girl Vivian” I say trying to calm my wife down
“William I’m worried about her ever since we moved she has been talking about that girl” my wife says with tears.
I walk over to my wife to embrace her and comfort her as I stroke her hair.
“Don’t worry love I’ll have a talk with her I’ll take care of it” after comforting my wife I head down to the kitchen where the back door is. Mary always comes to the backyard after school it’s like her daily routine.
As I open the main door I look through the screen door to see Mary wasn’t alone. Mary was sitting on the ground playing with some grass. And there was a girl sitting next to her with her hand on her back. She was facing the other way so I could only see her back. but she was way older then Mary I mean it wasn’t hard to tell.
I open the screen door which caused the girl to give me a side glare. I could now see one side of her face. It was decayed and grey and her face had cracks and her eyes….
Her eyes were fully black. They had no color to them at all. I could feel her glare it was strong it almost frightened me. The only thing normal about her was her dark brown hair.
“MARY COME INSIDE SWEETIE”
Mary looks up at me and says okay. I only look at my daughter as I try to not look at that girl. Mary runs in the house past me.
I look at Mary as she past me then I look back at the girl. She was now standing looking straight at me with her black eyes. Her hair and dress were getting blown by the wind.
She was wearing a dark blue polka dot dress with black slippers. Her glare was pure evil. it sent me goosebumps.
I knew who she was but it was impossible. It was that 13 year old dead girl back in the 20s. It was Vivian Myers
I closed my eyes and shook my head a little. And when I opened them she had vanished.
Was I seeing things or was my daughter really talking to this dead girl. I was confused.
So confused that having a talk with my daughter slipped my mind completely. I just needed to lay down and rest it was probably just stress from work I thought.
I went up to the bedroom to take a nap and get some stress off. Like before I was having a good dream but then I was back to the dream I had when we first moved.
I could hear the voice but this time it wasn’t muffled out.
“VIVIAN, VIVIAN”
He called out by his voice I could tell he was male. I started to run just like before. I started to feel dizzy again. No no no I thought. I couldn’t feel dizzy not this time.
But like before I fell. I attempt to get up but failed I try again and failed. That’s when I see a the same pair of boots walk towards me. He yanks my hair up making me look up at him.
It was me a younger version but definitely me.
“You really thought you could run from me Vivian?” I say as I giggle
“No no no Vivian no one runs from me” I say as I smile “and if they do they don’t make it far just like yourself” I say with a chuckle
“ and to think all you had to do was accept my damn hand in marriage but no you can’t do that since I’m 20 years fucking old” I say loud and with anger
“AGE DOESN’T MATTER WHEN ITS TRUE LOVE YOU BITCH” with that I take out my hunting knife my pa gave me and I slit the girls neck.
I could feel the pain. It felt so real. Vivian struggled to breathe as she held her neck to stop the blood. I couldn’t take it. It was torture. It felt too real
I look at the myself as vivian says her last words.
“I’ll… be ….. back” and then vivian fell unconscious.
I wake up breathing heavily. I could still feel the pain from the dream for at least 5 seconds. After I calm myself down I look at myself in the mirror.
Why, why now is that memory hunting me. Yes I killed that girl 20 years ago and that little bitch deserved it.Then another note fell on the ground. I picked it up and turned it to see what it said.
I kept my word didn’t I :)
I rip the note and throw it. There was no way that bitch was back she was dead. I then began to hear giggling behind me. I turn around quickly to see no one. I hear it again behind me and I turn to see no one.
I began to hear the giggling everywhere around me. I cover my ears and close my eyes but not even that can stop it.
“STOP FUCKING WITH ME AND SHOW YOURSELF YOU LITTLE BITCH”
Then everything fell quiet. I thought it was over I took a deep breath until I hear a whisper directly in my ear. The voice was Like an echo.
“Okay” with that I get yanked off the ground by my feet making me hit my head hard on the hard wood floor.
My vision starts to get hazy but before I fell unconscious I saw her. Vivian standing over me with a sinister grin on her face as I could hear her giggle.
September 15th 1946
I woke up with a bright light almost blinding me and a throbbing headache . Once I was able to adjust my eyes I realized I was in a hospital with my wife beside me.
“honey you’re finally awake oh the kids are gonna be so happy” she says as she put her hand on top of mine. She had a smile on her face and looked relieved.
“Helen…what happened” I ask with an exhausted voice. Helen puts her hand on my cheek as she puts a fake smile on.
“You fell and hit your head on the hardwooden floor. You were in a coma for a month” she says with a worried expression.
I sit up as I look at my surroundings. Was all that real?. Did I really see Vivian or was it all a dream. I was confused and didn’t know what to think.
Helen told me that the kids were getting babysat and were at the house. After we signed some paperwork for my release we were in the car on the way home.
The ride home was silent. When we pulled in the driveway way I felt shivers go down my spine as I gulped a little. Something about it didn’t seemed welcoming at all.
Once we entered I was greeted by my kids. They were happy and had wide smiles on their faces.
“How about you get some rest upstairs honey” my wife says as she puts her hand on my cheek.
All I could do was nod and walk upstairs. I was starting to feel a little tipsy. As I walked up with every step I started to feel more and more dizzier.
I finally make it up the stairs now desperately trying to get to my bedroom. My vision starts to blur and even though I knew I was close to my bedroom it was like it was getting farther away from me.
I start to panic and adrenaline kicks in for a little second which was enough time for me to get to my bedroom and pass out in bed. But at least I’m safe now.
September 16th 1946 12:00AM
It was night. I still had my eyes closed but I could tell it was late. I slowly peeled open my heavy eyes when I feel a sharp pain in my stomach.
I could feel the blood flowing out my body and my gasping for air as…..Vivian chokes the life outta me.
She looked different from the last time I saw her. Her skin still looked very grey and decayed. And her eyes were still solid black. It was her jaw it was dislocated to the right side bad.
Just like when I stomped on her face with my hard boots with all my force until her jaw dislocated.
She was looking right in my eyes as they widened. Her giggles sounded sinister like she was gasping for air and giggling at the same time.
She puts the knife down and turns my head to the side. I see myself just laying there passed out. Then it clicked Helen.
As soon as I make the connection Vivian reaches in helens open wound and starts to pull out her organs while laughing.
Like she knew I was witnessing this and feeling the pain as well. I heard Helen’s screams as she tries to hold on to life.
But she failed and died right there. I go in to a silent mode as I just see darkness for felt like forever.
Until I finally did wake up. I peeled my eyes open as I hear giggling. I already knew who it was. Vivian tearing my wife’s guts out as my kids were tied to the end of the bed.
screaming to no use as they had duck tape over their mouths. Vivian must have noticed I was awake as she turns her head to me all the way around along with a loud crack.
She laughs menacingly just this time her jaw wasn’t dislocated. I began to pass out from shook and enter that silent mode again for a while.
September 16th 1946 3:00AM
When I woke up again I was still tied to my bed. this time my kids were no where in sight. I turn my head to Vivian’s backside as she played jump rope with my dead wife’s organs.
I was disgusted at the scene as she giggled. Then she stoped and it was like her body went lump. She drops the organs and turns her head to me and smiles.
“Oh you’re finally awake!” Vivian says with joy as she giggles.
Her voice was strange it was like an echo. She turns around and we make eye contact. I froze as I knew she was waiting for me to say something but I was scared. More frightened than I’ve ever been.
“Y-you’re j-j-“ i mumbled before Vivian interrupted me.
“Oh my jaw you mean this”Vivian says as she dislocates her jaw with her hands.
I screamed at the sight as she was laughing with her disfigured jaw. She soon puts it back in place and stops laughing which made me go quiet as well.
“I’ve wanted 20 long years for this William now it’s my turn to have some fun, with you…and you’re pathetic family” she says as she starts to laugh again.
My eyes widens as i remember about my kids. It was like she could read my mind as she instantly stop laughing.
“Let’s play a little game”she says in a quiet tone which made it more sinister. “I’ll be back” she laughs as she says those words.
The last words she said to me before I slit her throat. I tried to get free from the rope before I realized it was chain. I was pulling as hard as I could but it wouldn’t budge.
I heard footsteps and my bedroom door open as I stoped moving. As soon as Vivian came in sight I saw she had my two kids holding them by their collar.
“Pick William, which one lives and which one dies” Vivian says as she laughs.
“NO LEAVE THEM OUT THI-“ I yell out before I’m interrupted
“Oh no no no we can’t have that then what would be the point of the game”she says giggling but then stops
“so choose which one lives and which one dies” she said in a quiet but more serious tone.
“P-please” I say as I start to sob
She smiles and pushes Mary down on the floor and holds John in front of her.
“Little Johnny it is then” she says as she picks up her knife and stabs the back of his head to the point you could see the knife poking out his mouth.
She pulls it out and starts to laugh. I saw Mary screaming on floor. I started to pull on the chains again to no avail.
“YOU SON OF A BITCH IM GONNA KILL YOU” Vivian immediately stop laughing after I yell that. Her body goes limp again as her head is down.
Then she starts to giggle quietly. “ kill me hehehe YOU ALREADY HAVE” as Vivian yells a gust of wind flows in the room knocking down picture frames and decorations.
Vivian starts to giggle as she starts to float up with her body still limp. The higher Vivian gets the louder her giggles become. Then wind picks up in the room as her giggles turn into laughter.
And then she reaches the top. She lifts her head up and opens her arms out. Her laughter turns menacing. And the wind is so strong that the windows are shattered and glass is flying everywhere.
Both the nightstands smashed into the wall one almost hitting Mary. Mary was screaming and crying as she had to watch this horror unfold. Vivian was still in the air laughing menacingly as she looked at me.
“HOW ABOUT WE THIS OVER WITH OKAY!”Vivian says as she continues to laugh. She floats down and walks beside me. She puts her lips close to my ear as she was gonna whisper something. And she did.
“Don’t worry I’ll let little Mary live” she whispers I start to paint as I know what was about to happen to me.
Vivian gets on the bed and stomps my jaw and with only 3 kicks she dislocates it. I tried to scream but I couldn’t. Saliva coming out my mouth as much as blood.
Vivian then lifts my head up by my hair smiling and giggling in my face. Looking at me eye to eye with satisfaction. She brings the knife to my throat as I realized it was the hunting knife my pa gave me.
The same knife i killed her with. She slits my throat with the knife and starts laughing. I fall back down on the bed as I try to stop the blood but my hands were chained.
It was like the dreams was only a fraction of the pain I felt right now. I gasping for air as I heard Mary crying and screaming along with Vivian’s laughter.
I died as my little girl tried to help me but failed. I guess you won Vivian

You say I can’t have issues with my body image. You call it impossible. Impossible for me to loathe what I’m unable to see in the mirror. But I don’t need the aid of my reflection to despise the skin I’m in. I feel the folds of my skin touch each other when I slouch in my chair. I smell the repugnant, greasy sent of fatty foods in my sweat. I hear myself take loud breaths through my mouth when I cease my exercise routine. I taste the sourness of my breath in the morning when I’m being less restrictive with my diet. I may not be able to see you, but I see myself just fine. My breasts are like broken chandeliers when I bend over. They sway like pendulums, threatening to comatose an undiscerning victim that gets to close. Do my ears hang low? More like do my tits hang low, do they wobble to and frow. I could tie them in a knot, or tie them in a bow. My ass spreads across my chair more thoroughly than melted butter spilled on the counter. The crevice between my ass cheeks and thighs collect sweat like squirls collect nuts. The sag of my ass is evident whenever I walk. Fuck your powwow drum. You can find the beat right here. Wanna pop a feel? It’ll feel like you’re trying to palm the entire globe. If only my ass could make me rich. I’d love to have an ass of affluence. Or should I say assfluence? And then there’s my stomach. Good god. Guess what guys, I’m pregnant. Impregnated by gluttony. Who needs a male to ejaculate in you when you have mayo? Forget fertilization. My embryo is formed by Burgerville milkshakes, Dominos pizza, and Heroes Café French fries. So, fucking tell me it’s impossible to have a negative body image. I fucking dare you. If you try, I’ll slap these vivid descriptions onto your face. I’ll spit my self-deprecating words in your mouth. I hope the bitterness I feel towards myself assaults your pallet. I hope you gag like Stormy Daniels gagged on Donald Trump’s cock. I hope, for the brief moment you bothered to hear my point of view, you fucking learned something.

i (21f) have recently snooped my bf’s (26m) phone. i know i know i know. i usually never snoop my partner’s phones, even though my current bf and i discussed how we would be fine if the other ever decided that they did want to.
the other night, my bf fell asleep and i had the really strong urge to go through his phone so i did. i know that is on me and my mistake, but the two of us have only began living together one month ago and i have never been in a relationship that i have not been cheated on in some type of aspect.
when going on his phone, i saw that he had a fake instagram account with fake pictures. i went through the dms, and there were literally hundreds of dms asking to make a $300 offer to receive feet pictures and videos as to his request. Some of the girls did not respond, while some did. He had some very specific requests, and even asked a girl via twitter dm to be his personal foot model. he would call these girls “love,” use words like “gorgeous” and “adorable,” and it just was all really weird. his camera roll also was full of videos and photos of feet taken by girls that he either did or did not pay to receive. (some of the girls he ended up not paying, making excuses as to why he has to wait, and ghosting them.)
i also found out that after we began talking (an considering each other to be exclusive) he made an irl agreement with a girl to meet up to do foot stuff and take pictures/videos in exchange for money due to her needing money. he does not talk to this girl anymore, but they’ve had a couple non-sexual text interactions after this occurred.
we talked about it the next day, and he told me that he would delete the instagram and stop purchasing content. we also discussed how he had real life interactions with a girl to engage in this fetish after we were talking for about a month (unsure of when this “offer” was made.) he didn’t really have much to say and just talked about how buying content has been something he does for the last several years, and how he didn’t know if i would want to date him (despite me expressing that i very much did so at this time) so he continued with the offer. he also claimed that he has to distance himself from people he’s talking to because he’s been ghosted often.
i really don’t know where to go from here, i’ve had a constant pit in my stomach for the last couple of days and feel really terrible about my body and myself in general. i have been willing to and expressed my desire to do fetish stuff with him, so it kind of bothers me how he wouldn’t just go to the girlfriend that he lives with instead of random girls online. i’m making this post in order to ask for opinions because i am just so stumped. i’m not sure if im just insecure and overreacting? or if this is a form of cheating?

They called us The Middleview Four.
Initially, it was just me and the mayor's son, Noah Prestley. We were the first two members. In the second grade, the two of us hated each other. He pulled my hair during naptime, and I scribbled on his drawings when he wasn't looking. When a dastardly crime hit our class, a milk thief, we reluctantly threw aside our differences and came together to catch the evil doer.
Spoiler alert, it was Jessica S.
After a nap time stakeout when we were supposed to be asleep, Noah and I caught her red handed– literally. Jessica's palms were still stained crimson from arts and crafts. Her plan was fool proof: Wait until we were all sleeping, and then drink all of our milk.
Noah and I were hailed heroes.
Well, no.
We actually got in trouble for not sleeping, but our teacher did quietly thank us for catching Jessica before her evil crimes could continue. After the milk incident, Noah Prestley didn't seem that bad anymore. I didn't have any friends.
Instead of playing with the other kids, I spent the entirety of recess examining the dirt on the playground for unusual footprints. Jessica S had been sternly reprimanded for stealing milk, but I had a feeling there were still criminals out there– and I would be the one to find and catch them. Mr Steven’s, the janitor, looked suspicious before lunch. I saw him crouched behind a dumpster with his head down. I thought he was pooping, until I saw the small bag in his hands.
Hiding behind a wall, I watched him open it up and stare at it for a while, before another teacher yelled his name.
I ran away before he could catch me, but I was sure the janitor had run across the playground. Studying the dirt in front of me, I was sure the footprint belonged to Mr Stevens. I had already checked his shoes. Mr Miller, our teacher, asked me to collect everyone's workbooks from the faculty room. I couldn't resist.
After an incident involving a faculty member trailing in animal poop from outside, all students and teachers had to take off their outdoor shoes and wear indoor ones. The janitor’s outdoor shoes were neatly placed under his desk. Before I could hesitate, I checked the bottom of them, memorising their pattern. Swirls and C’s.
Stabbing at the footprints in the dirt, I idly traced the exact same swirly pattern.
“What are you doing, weirdo?”
Noah Prestley knelt next to me, his curious eyes following my fingers that were digging into the dirt. I wanted to trace the footprints with my fingers. Mom told me to keep my dress clean, but it was already filthy, my cheeks smeared with dirt. I didn't look up from my clue. Noah was a good sidekick, admittedly. But he did eat all the snacks during our stake out– and he got distracted easily.
We were almost caught when he freaked out over a moth. “Investigating crime,” I said, grabbing a stick and tracing the shoe pattern for the hundredth time.
The footprint was too blurry, I could barely see any swirls.
Noah sighed, snatching the stick off of me. “You're doing it wrong,” he grumbled. Before I could speak, the boy jumped up, prodding the dirt with the stick. “You need to look at the patterns on the shoe, and then see if they match.”
“Whose shoe?” I said, coughing over my panicked tone. He was onto me. “That's what I've been doing!”
The boy’s lip curled into a smile. He was the mayor's son, so I was careful around him. Even when we worked together to catch the milk thief, I kept my distance. He folded his arms, giggling. “The janitor’s shoe. I saw you spying on him while he was eating white powder.”
I stepped back. “I wasn't spying.”
Noah followed me, mocking my backing away. Another step, and he was standing on my shoes. “You were too. I saw you hiding behind the wall before recess. You were spying on the janitor.”
Urgh. I stuck out my tongue. Boy cooties.
Leaning away from him, I pulled a face. “No I didn't, and you can't prove it.”
“Yes I caaaaan,” he sang. “I can also prove that you were playing with the janitor’s shoes during class time.”
I dropped the stick, stepping on it.
“You wouldn't.”
He danced back, laughing. “I would!”
Noah patted his jeans pocket where a phone was nestled inside. He was the only kid allowed a phone in class, due to him getting special treatment for being the mayor's son. The boy had two incriminating videos that would get me in trouble— maybe in even more trouble than the milk thief. The first one was a clear shot of me playing with the janitor’s shoes in the teachers lounge, and the second exposed me in perfect detail, on my tiptoes trying to peer behind the wall.
Immediately, I tried to grab the phone off of him, but Noah Prestley had an ulterior motive. “I want to help you,” he said, pocketing his phone. When I could only frown at him in confusion, he lowered himself into the dirt. “Old Man Critter is hiding something,” he murmured, tracing the dirt with his fingers. Noah lifted his head, peering at me through dark brown curls hanging in his eyes. His smile was mischievous– definitely not the type I was used to. The mayor's son was more interesting than I thought. “So, let's find out what it is.”
“Old Man Critter?” I questioned.
Noah shrugged. “He looks like a cockroach.”
The mystery white powder was cocaine.
Obviously.
However, to two seven year olds, this so-called white powder was a mind controlling substance, or maybe even something that could end the world.
After all, per Noah’s detective skills, he saw the woman in public, and she was acting a little strange. Noah and I uncovered our janitor's evil plan, after stalking him for weeks, writing our findings in crayon, and staking out his house when we were supposed to be playing in the park. I became a regular visitor to the Prestley household, and Noah’s father wasn't as bad as I thought.
He gave me cookies when I stayed over.
Look, we were seven years old, so our findings weren't exactly concrete.
But we still managed to uncover the clues leading to catching the janitor. There was a strange woman who met up with him outside the school gates at lunchtime. After some digging, we concluded she was buying the white powder from him. We managed to get a picture. Noah told the principal, presenting the evidence, and the janitor was fired for the possession of foreign substances. Noah and I were also reprimanded (again) for sticking our noses into business which wasn't ours.
The adults tried to tell us the white powder was not bad, and was in fact candy. My parents were called, and Noah’s father did not look happy to be there, sending Noah scary death-glares across the principal's desk.
My mother stood up and apologised for my behavior, blaming my imagination on the cartoons I was watching. In front of my Mom, I brought up the argument that a teacher wouldn't be selling candy to a woman. I received the look in return, but I didn't back down.
She shook her head stubbornly, refusing to believe we were onto something, gently grabbing my hand and pulling me into my seat. I was threatened with zero dessert for a week, and no cartoons, which did shut me up eventually.
There was no way I was missing Saturday morning Adventure Time. The adults seemed to have won this silent battle, and the principal began a speech which was basically, Children tend to have vivid imaginations, but will grow out of it…
That was until a bored looking Noah jumped out of his chair and grabbed the seized baggie of white powder, ripping it open, his mouth curling into a grin. “Well, if it's candy, I can eat it, right?”
Following a loud cacophony of, “No!” from the adults who really thought a seven year old was about to down half a pound of cocaine, and my mother almost fainting, our disgruntled parents finally agreed to take our claims seriously.
The principal searched the janitor’s locker, and sure enough, he pulled out multiple bags of white powder.
Old Man Critter had an audience of kids and faculty when he was being led away. Noah and I stood at the front. I remember him twisting around, teeth clenched in a manic snarl, saliva dripping down his chin. “I'll get you! You little brats! I'll fucking find you!”
That was the day we found our third member.
I opened my mouth to shout back at him, but my mother was quick to shut me up.
May Lee, who was standing between me and Noah, nudged me, and then elbowed him hard enough to get a hiss out of the boy. May was half Korean, a tiny girl with orange pigtails who knocked Johnny Summer’s out during reading time for poking her in the face.
May scared me. She scared Noah too, judging from the fearful look he shot me. I had a vague memory of her pigtails hitting me in the face during recess, and were somehow sharp enough to bruise my eye. May’s gaze trailed our school janitor being violently dragged outside. “Do you two even know how to catch bad guys?”
“Yes.” Noah mumbled under his breath. “Obviously.”
He let out another hiss when she hit him again.
“Ow!” Noah shoved her back. “Your elbows are pointy!”
“Well, you're not very good,” May teased, “I can help you catch bad guys.”
He snorted. “Oh, yeah? What makes you think you can help us?”
May proved herself a few weeks later when we were on our second official case. Who stole Mrs Johnson’s award winning carrots? I turned eight years old on the day May officially became part of our gang. We were supposed to be celebrating my birthday in the park, but of course we had work to do.
Mrs Johnson’s award-winning carrots were still missing, and we were determined to find them. After tracking down the missing vegetables to a seedy house at the end of my block, Noah had stupidly decided to check out the inside for himself, leaving me alone with zero help. This was the first time I felt genuine fear striking through me, the first time I wanted to run and crawl under my bed.
The carrot thief was in fact the crazy old woman who screamed at cheese in the store– the one Mom told me to stay away from. Using my dad’s ancient binoculars and my mediocre lip reading skills, I watched the crazy lady hold Noah hostage in her kitchen, armed with an old World War 2 grenade she swore she would detonate.
It's not like I could follow him, I was in danger of getting caught too. Hiding behind the wall in front of her house, I had a perfect view of her kitchen window, and my friend awkwardly sitting at her table eating cookies. Had he switched sides!? my attention flicked to the chocolate cookie in my friend’s hand, my hands growing clammy around the binoculars. Could those cookies be forcing Noah to join the side of evil?
When Noah pointed toward the window, right at me, I ducked, slamming my hand over my mouth, stifling a cry.
I was so close to proving my Mom right, that I was putting myself in danger with this investigative hobby, and calling for her help, when no other than May Lee stepped out of the crazy old woman's house, hand in hand with an embarrassed looking Noah. Immediately, I hugged him. Then I hit him.
“Why did you sell me out, stupid head?!” I yelled. “What did she do to you?”
The boy blinked at me through thick brown hair. “She gave me a cookie.”
“What? But it could be controlling you!”
Noah pushed me away when I tried to check his ears for mind control devices. “Stop hitting me, I was telling her I had a friend waiting for me outside,” he grumbled. The boy refused to look at his rescuer, hiding under his hood. “She wanted the carrots to feed her bunny.”
A proud looking May held up the stolen carrots with a grin. “I snuck in the back window.” she shoved Noah with a giggle, “Sorry, what did you say about not needing me, Mr Know It All?”
Noah groaned, his gaze glued to the ground. Noah Prestley was stubborn. “She was like a thousand years old and was feeding her bunny when you attacked her. She didn't even tie me up, and besides,” he stuck out his tongue. “I didn't even need rescuing. She made me cookies and I got to hold Sir Shrooms.”
“Sir Shrooms?”
Noah giggled. “Her bunny.”
May folded her arms. “Say thank you, dumb butt.”
“I already said thank you!” Noah’s cheeks were burning bright. “You need to clean your ears!”
“No you didn't, I would have heard you.”
“Thank you.” Noah muttered under his breath.
The girl snickered. “What did you say, Noah?”
“I said thank you!” The boy ducked his head and I couldn't resist a giggle. He still refused to acknowledge being rescued by a girl. “You're still stupid.”
Despite Noah making it clear he did not want another member joining our secret gang, we welcomed May into our group with our ritual, which was a chocolate cupcake and pushing her into the town lake. (I did the same to Noah, and the tradition kind of stuck). May wasn't just valuable to us for her fighting skills.
She could talk her way out of a situation too. Noah and I got stuck in the principal's private bathroom investigating a small case of a stolen phone from a classmate. Our prime suspect was the principal himself, who had been the last person with it. I was convinced he'd stuffed the phone in his bathroom trash, after accidentally breaking it. We found numbers for phone repairs on his laptop.
Noah and I were searching the trash when he came back from lunch early. If May wasn't there to interrogate him on his favorite video games, we would have been caught.
That year, we were rewarded a special Junior police award at the Christmas parade for solving the mystery behind the disappearing holiday decorations (a teenage girl, who wanted to ruin Christmas for everyone). I still remember Mom’s scowl in the crowd.
She really did not like my obsession with finding and bringing Middleview criminals to justice.
Starting fourth grade, we became a trio of wannabe detectives, and even earned a name for ourselves. The Middleview Three. Mom tried to keep me inside, but by the age of ten, we were getting tip offs from the sheriff's daughter. We found missing cats, tracked down stolen vegetables, and even found a baby.
When our names started to appear in the local gazette, Mom grounded me for two weeks, and Noah’s father threatened to send him to private school.
May’s mother was strangely supportive, often providing snacks for stake outs, and when Noah cut his knee chasing a run-away dog, stitching him back up, and not telling our parents. We were on our fifth or sixth case when a new kid joined our class halfway through the year.
I wasn't concentrating, already planning out our stakeout in my notebook. It was our first serious case. All of the third grade had gotten food poisoning the previous day, and I was already suspicious of the new lunch lady.
I swore she spat in my lunch, and May came down with the stomach flu after eating slimy looking hamburger helper.
The new kid didn't get my attention until he ignored our teacher’s prompt to tell us three interesting facts about himself, and proudly introduced himself as the fourth member of the Middleview Four.
Noah, who was sitting behind me, kicked my seat, and May threw her workbook at me. They had a habit of resorting to violence when I was daydreaming.
Lifting my head, I blinked at a private school kid standing in front of the class with far too much confidence, a grin stretched across his mouth. Rich, judging by his actual school uniform and the tinge of a British accent. The kid had dark blonde hair and freckles. “My name is Aris Caine,” he announced loudly, “And I want to join The Middleview Four.”
“Middleview Three.” Noah corrected with a scoff, when fifteen pairs of eyes turned to us. I turned in my chair to shoot him a warning look. His death glare was typical. “We don't need anyone else,” he said through a pencil lodged between his teeth. The Mayor’s son had grown fiercely protective of our little gang.
I could already sense his irritation that some random kid was trying to join us.
Our confused teacher ushered the new kid to a seat, but he kept talking. “I was the smartest student in my old school,” Aris folded his arms. “I want to help you with your current case.” the boy cocked his head when I feigned a confused expression. “The food poisoning case?”
He nodded at my notebook. “I'm not stupid, I know you're already working on it.” Aris strolled over to Noah’s desk and pulled out the boy’s notes from under his workbooks. Noah had been studying the footage we salvaged from the faculty lounge. “You're looking at the wrong piece of footage,” he announced. “If you let me join, I'll lead you to the culprit.” he stabbed at Noah’s notes. “Not bad. But you're missing something.”
Noah leaned back on his chair. “Like what, new kid?”
Aris knew he had an audience of intrigued eyes. I think that thrilled him.
“You've been searching in the place most likely to have clues,” he murmured, “Which is the scene of the crime.”
Aris was right.
We were going crazy trying to find anything incriminating in the cafeteria– but all we had found was old custard and a scary amount of recycled pasta. Aris prodded at Noah’s notes again. “Why not look in the place least likely to hold a clue? You might be surprised.”
Something in Noah’s expression lit up, his eyes widening. “The teachers lounge,” he said, just as the thought crossed my mind, May audibly gasping.
“Mr Caine,” Mrs Jacobs was red faced. She had already seized several of our phones, and some earphones Noah had been using to listen to a potential culprit on a missing cat case. “Please take your seat and stop talking about things that do not concern children.”
She put way too much emphasis on the latter word.
I felt like telling her we were ten years old, not six. But that counted as talking back– and my Mom would be informed. So, I kept my mouth shut.
Noah, however, suffered from the doesn't think before he speaks disease.
“Well, maybe if the cops actually did their jobs,” he spoke up, “a group of children wouldn't have to help them.”
“Mr Prestley–”
“You know I'm right, Mrs Jacobs,” he said, with that innocent and yet mocking tone. “We put our old janitor in jail when we were in the second grade,” he laughed, and the rest of the class joined in. “It's not our fault the sheriff is totally incompetitant at his job.”
The laughs grew louder, but this time the class were laughing at him, not with him.
Mrs Jacobs pursed her lips, her hands going to her hips. “I believe the word you are trying to say is incompetent, which makes sense because you are failing at basic English. Perhaps if you focus on actual school work and not your juvenile Scooby Doo fantasies, you might be able to speak basic words.” the teacher’s eyes were far too bright to be mocking a ten year old.
Twisting around in my chair, Noah’s gaze was burning into his desk. The teacher’s attention turned to Aris, who was frowning at Noah. Not with sympathy or pity. No, he was disappointed that a member of the famous Middleview Three, who were known to go against adults, had backed down to a teacher with no snarky remark.
“Aris Caine.” Mrs Jacobs raised her voice. “Sit down.”
Aris slumped into his seat and pretended to zip his lips, before leaning over my desk and dropping a memory drive into my pencil case. “Here is the real footage,” he murmured, shooting Noah a grin. “Thank me later.”
“We’re not going to thank you, because we don't know you,” Noah spat back.
However, the footage the new kid provided was just what we needed, the puzzle piece that put everything together. We were right. The new lunch lady had rushed into the office before lunch time, grabbed a vial of something from her bag, and disappeared back through the door. We had been too busy studying the camera footage from the kitchen, to realise our clue was in fact inside the teachers lounge.
When the four of us stepped into our principals office, he regarded us with a scowl. I wasn't a stranger to his office. I had even picked my own seat, the fluffy beanbag near the door. The Middleview Three were in his office every week.
Usually for breaking into classrooms and the time Noah tried to jump into the vent because he saw it on TV. Principal Maine was drinking something that definitely wasn't coffee or water. His desk was an avalanche of paper, and I swore I could already see steam coming out of his ears.
“You three.” The man leaned forward, raising his brow at Aris, who looked way too comfortable at a school he had just joined. “And you've dragged the new kid into your antics! I can't say I'm surprised when I've been on the phone with four separate reporters who want details on this Middleview Three garbage.”
Noah’s eyes lit up. “Wait, really? What did you tell them?”
Principal Maine’s eyebrows twitched. “I told them the truth,” he leaned back in his chair. This guy had some serious stress-lines. “You are three stubborn children with zero respect for authority, who have broken multiple rules and are very close to acquiring criminal records before reaching the age of eleven. Which, might I say, is a first! The youngest person in this town to get a criminal record was Ellie Daley, back in the 80’s. She was thirteen years old.”
“We haven't broken any rules,” May said, “We’ve been catching bad people.”
The man’s lip curled. “We have a full force of officers whose jobs are to find bad people,” he said. “Middleview does not need the protection of three children who are barely old enough to know right from wrong,” his eyes found Noah. He was always the punching bag for our teachers, and I never understood why.
Like there was this on-going joke between the adults to point fun at him.
“Or left from right for that matter! Mr Prestley has demonstrated that several times. Which is why you are in school, why you three should be learning, instead of playing Sherlock Holmes.”
He shook his head. “Get on with it. Why are you here this time?”
I hated our principal’s condescending tone. He was angry. But I didn't think he'd be this angry. “Go on!” he urged us. “What did you solve this time?”
Principal Maine inclined his head. “Let me guess,” he said. “You've found the Zodiac killer. Well, that's quite the achievement.”
Noah opened his mouth to speak, and the man’s expression darkened. “Choose your next words very carefully, Mr Prestley. Your father may be able to cover up your detective games but I will happily lose my job over suspending you from this school.”
Noah’s eyes widened. “But that's not–”
“One more word.” Maine said, emphasising his threat by picking up his phone, like he was about to make important phone calls. My mom did that too when I refused to shower, or didn't eat my broccoli. “Do not test me.”
The new kid surprised us by stepping forward, the flash drive clutched in his fist.
“It wasn't them, Principal Maine, it was me.” he placed the evidence on the desk. Aris was a good actor. He was playing the innocent kid pretty well, I almost believed him. Until he winked at us. “I went to the Middleview– I mean, to these three because I didn't want to come and see you alone because I'm scared she'll poison me too.” Aris dramatised a sob, and in the corner of my eye, Noah’s eyes rolled to the back of his head.
May, however, was entranced, her eyes wide. The performance was award worthy. The shaking hands, the slight stutter in his words that was subtle enough to be noticeable– but not enough to be faking it.
Aris Caine was already our fourth member, and all of us knew it.
Principal Maine took the flash drive, a frown creasing his expression. He inserted it into his laptop, and just from studying his expression as he watched the footage, widening eyes and slightly parted lips that were definitely stifling bad words— I knew we had him. Aris made sure to give a commentary, which wasn't necessary, but I did enjoy the look on our principal’s shell-shocked face.
“That's the new lunch lady,” Aris pointed out. He started to lean over to prod the screen, but seeing the visible veins pulsing in our principal's forehead, the three of us dragged him back. Aris stumbled, and we tightened our grip.
I was already smiling, and even Noah was trying to hide a grin. This kid was definitely a member of the Middleview Three. “I haven't met her. But as you can see, she is putting something into the third grader’s food.”
“Poison,” May nodded. “Or, according to the police report–”
Maine went deathly pale.
“Salmon Ella.” Noah finished with a smirk.
The man didn't react.
But he did shut his laptop and excuse himself, immediately calling the cops.
I was grounded again after the food poisoning case. Worse still, I got sick for two weeks and was bedridden, so I missed out on two cases involving stolen birthday decorations. Noah was insistent that the new kid was not joining us. I received a multitude of texts cramming up my Mom’s notifications. She ended up muting him.
Hes NOT joynjng
I don't cre now smart he is I don't like him and Im teknicly the first member
May is being stoopid we can talk when your better get well soon OK???
Two weeks later, I stepped into class, and Noah had taken the seat next to Aris, the two of them enveloped in the mountain of pokémon cars on Aris’s desk. May was trying to play, but apparently she needed Pokémon cards to join. When I questioned them, Noah looked up with a grin. “Aris is cool now!”
His announcement stapled our fourth member.
Entering teenagehood made me realise Middleview was not a good town–and its people had masks. Even the ones I thought I knew. At twelve years old, we hunted down a child killer, a sadistic man who turned his victims into angels.
It didn't take us long to realise the people we put away as little kids wanted revenge. And in their heads we were old enough to receive proper punishment. Mom told me we would regret our so-called fame as the town's junior detectives, and I thought she was wrong.
I had spent my childhood chasing bad guys, so I was sure I could catch the real bad ones too. I was fourteen when we ran into our first real criminal who specifically wanted us. Danny Budge was the reason why Noah started going to therapy at fourteen, and why Aris refused to go near the edge of town.
May had taken time off to go see her family abroad, and I was put under house arrest. Seven year old Maisie Eaton had disappeared from her yard, and after searching for her for two nights, alongside the police who had learned to tolerate us working with them, we found her tied up inside an old barn.
Sitting cross legged on a pile of hay, was Maisie.
Awake. I could see her eyes were wide.
But she wasn't moving or struggling, it didn't make sense to me.
“Wait,” I nudged May. “She's not moving.”
Aris rushed forward to untie the little girl, only to trip on a wire, which was connected to a Final Destination style contraption. Aris lifted his head, pointing above him. One more step, and he would have sent a sharpened spear directly through the little girl’s head.
“Fuck!” Aris hissed, already freaking out. He was frozen. “What do I do?!”
“Stay calm,” Noah said from my side, the rest of us hiding behind an old car. The mayor's son had become our unofficial leader. Ever since hitting puberty, he was now our brawn alongside May. Noah jumped forward, watching for trip wires. “I'll save the kid. May! You help Aris.” before I could get a word in, he was dragging me to my feet. “Marin, you're with me.”
I nodded, stumbling in the dark, keeping my flashlight beam on the ground.
“You know what this means, don't you?” Noah said in heavy breaths, his fingers wrapped around my arm. “Maisie was innocent. There was no motive. She was just a distraction.” Noah let out a hiss. “Or even a lure.”
I did. But I didn't want to say it out loud, because then my Mom would be right, and I was admitting that there were multiple people trying to kill us.
Luckily, we saved Maisie. Her kidnapper, Danny Budge turned himself in with no word or explanation.
Later, we would find out he was related to our elementary school janitor.
The little girl was taken back to her mother, and the four of us stayed behind, peering up at the murder contraption specifically made to butcher us. Aris nudged me, and I almost jumped out of my skin. “You should probably keep this… quiet,” he said in a breath, his gaze glued to the long rope expertly tied to the ceiling.
“From your mother,” May added softly. She squeezed my hand. “Your Mom will kill us before they do.”
“We’re going to fucking die,” Noah said in a sing-song. “And I'm not even sixteen.”
He was right.
One year later, our most gruesome and horrific case hit us like a wave of ice water, and I admitted we were just four kids completely out of our depth.
Three townspeople had been found murdered in piles of bloody string.
The photos from the scene made me sick, and I was still recovering from our old janitor’s measly attempt at punishing us for ruining his life. We were stupidly blindsided by the string murders, and thought we were following a clue. The next thing I knew, I was tied up back to back with Aris in my old janitor’s basement while he caressed my cheek with a knife. “Am I supposed to be here?” Aris whispered, struggling in his restraints. “Did he just call me Noah?”
I knocked my head against his. “Don't tell him that! Idiot. What if he kills you?”
Funnily enough, Aris was right. Old Man Critter had mistaken Aris for Noah. The two of them were sandy blonde and reddish brown, one built like a brick wall while the other more wiry. However, to an old man with debilitating sight, I guess I could see it. Maybe if I squinted. So, after an hour or two of empty threats and knife play, Noah and May came to our rescue, tailed by the police, and… my mother.
I think I would have rather been tied up with Old Man Critter than face her wrath.
I was supposed to be at the library studying.
I shot Noah a death glare, and he offered a pitiful, almost puppy-like frown: Sorry! he mouthed. She made us tell her!.
Fast forward to when the others really needed me to investigate the string murders, and I was stuck inside.
Mom had gone as far as taping up my windows to make sure I didn't sneak out. I think me being kind of kidnapped, but not really by Old Man Critter, really set her into panic mode. I did tell her that he didn't hurt us at all, and just wanted to scare us. But Mom was past angry. She was impossible to talk to. May texted me halfway into a horror movie I was forcing myself to watch that another body had been found. Turning on the local news, she was right. This time it was a kid.
May told me to get my ass out of the house.
I knew where Mom hid the door keys, so at midnight when I knew she was sleeping, I snuck out and rode my bike to the rendezvous we had agreed to meet.
May was already there, a flashlight in her mouth, fingers wrapped around her handlebars.
“The boys?” I whispered, joining her.
“They're already there,” she said through a mouthful of flashlight. “Let's go!”
Aris was 99.9% sure we would find a clue inside the old string factory, so that's where we headed. Noah and Aris were already waiting outside, armed with flashlights. The two of them were quieter than normal. They didn't greet me or tease my absence from the gang.
“Okay, so here's what we're going to do,” Noah announced. His voice swam in and out of my mind when I tipped my head back, drinking in the foreboding building in front of us. A shiver crept its way down my spine, and suddenly I felt sick to my stomach, like something had come apart in my mind. I stumbled back, but something pulled me forwards, my mouth filling with phantom bugs skittering on my tongue.
I really didn't want to go in there…
I could sense my body was moving, but I wasn't the one in control. Looking up, there was something there at the corner of my eye. It was above me and around me, everywhere, sliced in between everything. But I couldn't look.
I couldn't look.
I wasn't allowed to look.
“Marin?” Noah twisted around to me, and his face caught in the dull light of the moon. “Hey, are you coming?”
Blinking rapidly, I nodded, despite seeing it with Noah too.
I couldn't look.
I wasn't allowed.
“Dude, are you good?”
My vision was blurring, and a scream was clawing its way up my throat. I took a step back, my eyes following his every movement. “Noah.” I didn't realise his name was slipping from my lips, a rooted fear I didn't understand setting my body into fight or flight.
Why…
I choked back tears. Why do you look… like that?
I held out my own hands, hot tears filling my eyes.
I looked up into the sky, at criss-crosses that didn't make sense.
“Yeah, I'm coming!” my mouth moved for me, and I joined the others, pushing open the large wooden door. I didn't remember anything past the old wooden door we pushed through. Going back to that memory over and over again, all I remembered was pushing the door.
I was found three hours later, inconsolable, screaming on the side of the road, my fingers entangled with…string. It was everywhere. Mom said I blocked out a lot, but I strictly remember blood slicked string covering me, damp in my hands and tangled in my hair.
There was no sign of the others.
Mom put me into the back of her car, and I slept for a while. My mother drove us far away from Middleview. I asked about my friends, but Mom told me they weren't real, that Middleview was a fantasy I had dreamed up as a child. She told me I was in a traumatising incident as a child, and mixed up reality and fiction.
Cartoons and my own life.
But they were real.
No amount of private therapists spewing the same shit could erase my whole life. I was strictly told that I had a head injury, that I imagined The Middleview Four like my own personal fantasy. I didn't start believing it until I grew into an adult and was prescribed some pretty strong meds, so I began to wonder if they were in fact delusions.
Mom’s job was a mystery I couldn't solve, even as a twenty three year old.
So, I followed her one night, hopping into my car when she left our driveway.
Her job was behind a ten foot wall surrounded by barriers.
Security guards were checking a car in, so I took my chance, and slipped through on-foot. What I saw behind the barrier was Middleview. The town I thought I hallucinated. I was immediately blinded by flood lights illuminating the diner from my childhood. Middleview. I took a shaky step forward, my stomach twisting.
It was a TV set.
No, more of a stage.
Inside, bathed in the pretty colours I remembered from my childhood, were my friends sitting in our usual booth, frozen at fifteen years old. The Middleview Four, minus me, were exactly the same as when I left them.
They were even wearing the same clothes.
May. Her orange pigtails bobbed along with her head. Aris was hunched over like usual, picking at his fries and dipping them in his shake. Except how could I take any of this seriously when they were surrounded by cameras?
Noah slammed his hands down on the table with a triumphant grin. “We are so close to cracking this case!”
I noticed his lips weren't moving with his voice.
I started toward them slowly, even when the truth dangled above me, below me, everywhere. I stepped over it, blew it out of my face, reaching shaky hands forward to pull them aside.
Aris laughed, and something moved above him.
“We were kidnapped last week. We are not close. You're just painfully optimistic.”
May nudged him, giggling. “Let him have this. He thinks he's our leader.”
Noah punched the air, and there it was again. Movement. “I am our leader!”
Closer.
I found myself inches away from my best friend, and my blood ran so cold, so painful, poison in my veins. Noah stood up, and I could see the reality of him in front of me. The reality of want I wasn't allowed to see. His head wobbled slightly when he smiled, mouth opening and closing in jerking motions. If I looked closer, his lips had been split apart to perfectly replicate a smile. I forced myself to take all of him in. All of Aris, and May.
The back of Noah had been hollowed out, a startling red cavern where his spine was supposed to be, where flesh and bone was supposed to be. Now, I just saw… strings. Looking closer, I could finally see them. Strings tangled around his arms, his legs, puppeteering his every move as he danced from string to string.
I grabbed Noah’s hand, and it was ice cold, slimy flesh that was long dead. He didn't move, but his eyes somehow found me. Noah’s expression flickered with recognition, before his strings were tugged violently, and he screamed, his eyes going wide, lips twisting.
“Marin?” His artificial eyes blinked, and he slowly moved his head.
“You… left… us.”
Noah’s lips curled, a deep throated whine escaping his throat. “You… left us!”
He twisted around, his lip wobbling.
“Why?!” his frightened eyes flicked from me to his own hands. All those inside jokes our teachers had, I thought dizzily. Was this what it was for? Was Noah Prestley nothing but comedic relief?
“Why… am I… cold?” Noah mumbled.
“Cut!” someone yelled.
I staggered back, words tangled in my throat. Noah opened his mouth, but he was pulled back, this time violently, his strings above jerking, tangling together.
“Allison!” a man shouted from behind me. “Why is your daughter on the stage? Get her out of here!”
I was paralysed, still staring at the hollowed out puppet who had been my best friend, when my mother’s arms wrapped around me so tight, I lost the ability to breathe. I was still staring at the strings cross crossed above me, Noah’s strings pulling him back. Aris’s strings forcing him to laugh. May’s strings bobbing her head in a nodding gesture.
“Marin,” Mom whispered into my back. “You cannot be here.”
“They're here,” was all I managed to whisper.
Her sobs shook against me. I didn't realise my mother was crying until I felt her tears wet on my shoulder. The words were entangled on my tongue, but just like the string above me, they were knotted and contorted. They were here. All this time they were here, and you made me think I was crazy?!
What did you do to them?
What did you DO?
“No, sweetie. No, they're not.” Mom’s voice was breaking, her grip tightening around me. The world was spinning and I was barely aware of myself kicking and screaming while my Mom struggled to shout over me. “I was going to expose them to the world,” she hissed out, dragging me away from Noah– away from his jerking, puppet-like mouth.
I couldn't comprehend that he existed as that, as a conscious thing that had been carved of its insides. “You were the property of an evil and very powerful little girl who owns this town and everyone in it,” my Mom spat in my ear.
“They made me keep my mouth shut, so I begged them to save one of you. Just one. I had to cut one of you down before I went crazy.”
I was still screaming when she calmly dragged me to my car, slipping a shot into the flesh of my neck. I remember the rain pounding against the window, my mother’s pale face shining with tears, her stifled sobs into the wheel.
“And I chose you.”
I woke up the next morning with what was supposed to be a wiped memory.
But I wasn't lucky enough to forget.
I am terrified of her finding out I remember her exact words from the car-ride home. I'm scared she (or her work) will make me forget them for real.
Mom told me that I once had strings too.
Strings that cut through me, cruelly entangling around me, suffocating my mind and controlling my every move. Strings that would soon pierce through me and turn me into a little girl’s doll.
But she saved me, cutting me down, when I was still human.
And now I guess I am a real girl.

Young Male, Twenties, History of ADHD/Anxiety/Extreme Depression
I know I should go to the Doc! But in this economy I have to focus on food and my car insurance first because without those things there is no movement towards getting help.
All symptoms I list I feel have relevancy due to reading other post/or researching myself online. I would like some ideas just so I can appease the thoughts that keep me up at night.
I have a small, Firm Quarter Size Bump behind my jaw under my ear lobe. Some common physical occurrences that may help are that I experience popping in my ear when I speak certain words and a certain pitch, it plays that note in my ear louder than anything around me. I experience tightness in my throat consistently, like a hand is wrapped around the front of my neck.
I have chronic dry patches that form on my hands, and thick, but somehow brittle hair? I can see it becoming extremely brittle in the front along the crows peak. Since being off of self-medicating from chronic thoughts and pain to test my strength, I’ve experienced irritability that I’ve had since a young age, extreme irrational thoughts during the day about myself and others, constant sense of “doom” anxiety, and restlessness in my body (As if there is electric in my skull). Same instances I go from that to extremely tired, & yawning. Regardless I wake up around 3-4Am every couple of nights.
I have extremely low body weight for “my size and age” so much that random people comment. Even though I am fit/active and walking six-eight miles every day that I have free time. Could also due part that my appetite is sporadic, & extremely inconsistence in calories, though doesn’t stop the buzzing energy.
I have an extremely low-sex drive that switches for a couple days out of each passing month.
Honestly, just needed to vent cause the Health Anxiety is killing me. I know it’s a lot, Comments that provide no insight, or effective communication is unnecessary.
Thanks for your time.

Hi, I have attached my current client contract. One edit: Spa Day consists of the following: create a spa like environment (binaural beats in the background, lower the lights) I shower the client, do a scalp massage, do a facial, massage the clients feet and legs. Also I apply lotion to the clients body)
Meals- are gourmet macro based meals- plus homemade desserts
Client Condition: Debilitating liver disorder.
My background: I am introverted, Single (I am not dating or conversing with anyone other than other redditors on app.)
I have 1 child who is 7 male- he stays in the room with me, doesn’t run through the house, is generally quiet unless he is talking to his online gaming friends. We both stay in our room and do not encroach the home.
Payment: I do not receive any additional payment. The client covers the home expenses. So I maintain my own bills (groceries, cellphone, car note etc) the cost breakdown in the contract was to show the client - realistically how much is spent per day in the home for the total monthly expenses - in comparison to how much work I do.
I knew the home exceptionally clean- the kitchen is always deep cleaned- including pulling appliances out to clean behind them, everything is laundered often, the pets are cared for as well. I also assist the client with organization tasks. I’ve eliminated most cluttered areas in the home.
We spend the evenings together since the client sleeps during the day, usually watches TV, or chit chat about things on the news.
Again there is no stipend/ allowance spend that most caregivers get. The client has a few mental health issues but they aren’t too bad. More maladaptive than anything.
DAILY the tasks as far as cleaning and cooking go- take about 2 hours 30 minutes. I do not include the companionship stuff within the time.
Am I doing enough ? What types of things do you all do with your client in the home as far as enrichment goes? Thanks. I’ll post the contract in the comments since I can’t upload a photo of it.

Tw: for sexual mentions between me and my abusebiological mother. I’m not sure where else to post this and I need help understanding what has happened to me. If anyone is willing to help, it will be appreciated

• She is physically jealous of my body, especially my areas considered to be “more sexual” because it’s biggebetter than hers. She “play fights” with me, tries to size me up and “take me down” prove to me that I’m stronger than her.
• would randomly come in and be affectionate with me, like cuddle me when she had never done that before and it even made me as a kid uncomfortable.
• she walks around naked all the time with no care or consideration for other people in the house.
• She asked me if I knew what sex was randomly after coming out of a movie theater on my 12th birthday and when I told her yes she proceeded to get mad at me and ask me if I watched “videos”.
• When I asked her for a personal item, she acted off about it, was concerned for me and then agreed. She took me on a walk and talked to me about it acting like it was fine, and then when we came home, she threatened me to give her my phone and had her husband come down and scream at me to give her the phone. She installed spyware on it because she was convinced I was watching pornography (I wasn’t).
• When I was a little kid I had a tablet that could take photos and I took a photo of her without anything on in her bathroom (nothing inherently wrong with that because I was 6-7 and didn’t know any better) she treated it like it was a game and thought it was funny, chased me around the house for the tablet. I don’t know if that was a learned behaviour on my part because it seems unusual that I would do that as a child.
• I don’t know if I should mention this as well but she would bathe/wash me with just her hands, and would have me shower with her frequently (which I don’t think is necessarily sexual but I’m unsure).
• She lets her own sexual abuser who has hurt her around me freely without any care for what he might do because he’s never gotten any help for it.
• She acts jealous of friends, members of my family, and other people, even romantically that I have liked.

This is c-ptsd related because this has caused me ptsd attacks, panic attacks. It has caused me to be uncomfortable towards her sexually when I’m not sure if she has done anything to me because I can’t remember. I would just like to know if these are any “warning signs”

I can't help but feel ugly as hell. I still remember how people in middle school would call me ugly. My mom called me ugly when I was a teen. After transitioning, people say I'm very attractive and I often get catcalled. Both men and women would approach me to talk at clubs. I still can't help but feel I'm really ugly. The guys and girls I date tell me I'm attractive - I can't help but feel like they're just saying it to make me feel better. However, whenever I see photos of myself, I feel like I want to die.
I have some pretty bad body dysmorphia and it apparently runs in my family. My mom admitted to me that she wanted face surgery when she was a teen so she can look pretty and that it's painful for her to look into the mirror. My sister and I think she's objectively the most attractive out of all her friends. I confronted my mom again two weeks ago and she said "believe me, you're not ugly." It's just not satisfactory.
I feel like FFS is not an option for me because I don't want any surgical intervention other than bottom surgery - I detransitioned when I was 19 due to lack of support and social pressure and I'm 31 now. I started transitioning again at 25. Back when I was 18, all I needed was HRT and bottom surgery then I'd be okay and the thought of needing FFS really hurts my childhood self. And given my mom's experience, maybe this isn't even the move.
Like, this is different from passing. As crazy as this sounds, I would much rather be hot and clocky than plain or ugly and passing. If I don't look like an Instagram model, I feel like I want to crawl into a hole and die.

https://imgur.com/a/K3036QW
Selling a Sony A7III body.
Comes with two Kastar batteries and a charger. Shutter count is 20173.
Excellent in low light, one of Sony's most well rounded bodies they've ever made.
There is a very small mark that appears when the LCD is on that I documented. This is nearly inivisible when the camera is on and obviously doesn't affect any photos.
Price: $915 with insured shipped in the USA. Payment via PayPal FF or Venmo. Add respectivefee's if using G&S or Invoice.
Local pickup available, $900 to 55044.

My cat just finished eating dinner and he came out to snuggle and I noticed his pupils were different sizes. This happened suddenly. Image here. - *Species: Domestic Feline - *Age: 4 Years - *Sex/Neuter status: Male, Neutered - *Breed: Tuxedo, Short Hair - *Body weight: 12 lbs - *History: Born outdoors, rescued at ~7 weeks, has had roundworms a few times & was promptly treated, has had URIs a few times too, is a generally anxious cat so his Pupils are normally large. - *Clinical signs: Smaller Pupil is D shape, so that is the abnormal Pupil. Something is causing constriction. The white of that eye is very red. - *Duration: Just started about 10 minutes ago, still the same. - **Your general location: New York City, but he was born in Michigan
Do I need to take him to emergency vet right now or can I have his regular vet see him tomorrow?

TW BDSM.
There's probably stuff I've missed out
I'm gonna try and keep this as passive as possible so here's the story in my head
Me and my ex were together for 2 years split up for one and here's a time line
When we met for the first time she offered her submission. And I accepted it
Part of this was her need for pain to release screams
I hadn't done that before
She had a Rigger and sadist who had tried to collar her That we had a discussion about removing from the relationship as he was in love with her
I approached this with you don't need pain to release screams and attempted soft things to create saftey But she needed pain
So we agreed that she'd let me scene with her
We got halfway through the scene when she broke down crying and I swapped to aftercare At somepoint I shut down Which was an issue
As we were lying in bed. She told me that she was gonna hit the streets looking for the people who were harassing me so she could get gangbanged Which led to her getting a chokey fucking as
"Sometimes I just need choked out and fucked" "When are those times" "Figure it out"
Safe to say that wasn't the right time Neither was the other time I tried that
She still needed pain So I tried being present with her on the phone when she paddled herself under my instruction
There was no aftercare. That wasn't right
She wanted her sadist to do it
But for the reasons outlined in the conversation we had about him being in love with her And it being a backdoor to fuck her I didn't want that
I offered her to do a scene with me so I could understand her She hit me twice with a leather strap before my fight reflex went up and the scene ended
I had gotten a job so i could save money to move But I was "running from the work of knowing myself "
One day whilst at work I got a call from her Saying he was coming round to beat her I was mad at him but not her
"Your not doing the work , you're too far away "
So I moved in with her ( and her kids ) to bridge the physical distance And "do the work"
She continued to push the relationship with him Despite me wanting to scalp him
And organised a dinner which led me to heavy catastrophise Am I gonna let her go to dinner with this guy who I don't trust Or go with her and get over it But she didn't want me there anyway
In the midst of catastrophising she ziptied me and beat me
When we went to dinner with him I wanted to get it overwith And she got mad that I went through a gate with the wrong energy / couldn't be fucked tying up my boot laces when I was going to take them off when we got to his
I offered her 3 days of submission. So They arranged a rope session. I tried to bring some boundaries around that. To which I was told " it's my body it's my choice you have no say in this "
The scene went .... I nearly came alive in it But ultimately all the boundaries I tried to lay down got ignored I'll tie the crotch ropes If its not prenegotied it doesn't happen
Afterward the tie. She insisted we go back to his which was not part of the plan. So my mood soured. And I was the problem because of this
I drink Pepsi. Which isn't water So in an effort to drink more water. I let her hide it One day I bought 2 bottles She tipped one down the sink The rest of the day happened And the second got hid When I asked her where it was as I was frustrated with looking She said she down the toilet. and that was the staw that snapped. And I knew I was gonna lash out ..... I tried my best to pull them but ...
Eventually she kicked me out of the house And we agreed to spend a few weeks not taking
The next day She sent me a photo of her youngest with a bump. And a request that I take them to school
A few weeks later we reaffirmed were gonna spend time not talking
She went to his house. For an extended period She sent me a photo of her tied and naked In a cage so that I would see her
Followed by a request that I come save her as he wanted to fuck her and she didn't want him too
So off I went
We did a scene that went well up until he gave her a vibrator whilst we talked outside That wasn't part of the plan
When there was an apology kiss. He stuck his tounge in her mouth
These paired with the nicotine withdrawals I was being made to go through Led me to punch the fuck out of the caravan I was sleeping in The next day I helped him put walls up In his cow shed
The final part to the relationship involved me "overstepping my boundaries " when her youngest asked to be picked up
And we got into a fight
I asked her what her boundaries were for those things. As this was the second time I'd crossed them "I don't see why I should tell you"
We didn't speak for a week. And the first thing I heard from her was her being tied up in his house naked
When we broke up I gave her a letter for each of the kids Which only proved that I cared about them more than her. So they got given back
We've been split up for a year The agreement was. He would be the conduit For messages.
The only one I received from him. Was him asking for my permission to fuck her
The emails I received from her were bipolar at best.
Up until she cultivated a relationship with my other old ex "for closure" but actually served as proof that i hurt them both the same way
And has pretty much started a smear campaign saying I abused her without consent
She came into my hobby. And told me to shut the fuck up or shed tell people what I'm like
She was asked not to return
The next week she turned up again and waited for me I the carpark
Saying she'd learned the things from my old ex. And was willing to work with me on them
A shouting match then ensued
The last thing i heard from her is that she's sorry for being a people pleaser
I've seen / heard some of the things she's been saying about me online. Like its borderline slander like " I go after vulnerable young women " ...... she's older than me
I'm almost certain I'm missing my some of my behaviour
Like she needed towels to be done a certain. And when she tried to show me I laughed I've got better things to be doing than spending an hour folding towels And B) it doesn't fucking matter if they're rectangles or squares it'll have been used by tommorow
But yeah I maybe just needed to vent. So this might get deleted