Trying to be nice and easy going, doesn’t look high. Is she trying to turn the tables again and act all nice nice. She even told her stupid “it’s not a dick so don’t take it so hard,” and spelled out dick. Usually she just yells at it. Is she having consideration all of the sudden with the disgusting words and conversations she has around her kids. Here we go with her putting on a show. She is so boring and predictable.

I was having a private conversation with someone, and we were sat a little distance away from each other at right angles across a table. I was to his right, he was to my left. The conversation was quite serious, as we are having some problems/misunderstandings in our friendship. Whilst I was talking to them I said that I love them, I didn't elaborate I just continued on with my sentence ("... because I love you, but...") and immediately as I said this they leant forward in my direction, covered their mouth with their right hand, and put their right elbow on the table. The movement was sudden and drastic - I think that is how I remember it so specifically. What could this mean? Very happy to hear both ''negative' and 'positive' takes.

Usually every 2 weeks I make a post going over my initial reactions to the newest episodes of DCAS as they come out. This time however, I decided to do something a little different and talk about my thoughts on the first half of the season and not just the newest episode, which I'll also bring up here. DCAS has a lot of potential to be the best Disventure Camp season yet, but is that potential being utilized to the fullest? In this post I'll go over a few main things that stick out to me as a viewer in the few last episodes and I think are worthy of bringing up for a discussion as the season moves forward.

PART 1 - THE CAST

I don't have any issues with the cast chosen at all. There are a few characters I wouldn't call All Stars myself (Ashley and Connor mainly) but I can see why they made the cut over characters like Dan or Rosa Maria (+ Karol, robbed queens and king 👑). The production staff being combined from both seasons we've had so far is nice and I especially enjoy the addition of Emily. Let's talk about what this cast does in the actual season so far.

PART 2 - THE PLOTS

The great cast we have is given barely anything to work with. The merge is the perfect example of it as out of the 10 contestants who did make it to the merge without the comeback only half of them are involved in an ongoing storyline. I'll get into that in a bit but first let's talk about the premergers: - I'll cut James and Lake the slack as they're the first 2 boots coming into the season with no plot. Cutting them early set things up nicely and spared us from them floating through the game for no reason, - Miriam is also spared as despite being the third boot, she still served a purpose, didn't overstay her welcome and did exactly what she needed to do, which was expose the villains alliance, - My issues start with Hunter's elimination. He gets no closure. He comes back for another season with Ally who he has relationship issues with and doesn't get to resolve them. The show acknowledges this with Ally saying she wishes they could've talked things out in episode 6 and yet, this went nowhere right as it was beginning to be interesting. He opens up to Tess about it and so does Ally through confessionals and whatnot but once again, it went nowhere. Aside from that Hunter bullies Fiore, which while entertaining, isn't much. He was definitely cut earlier than he should've been, - Connor is a support character to Riya and just like majority of support characters this season, fails to actually help the character he's supposed to grow. Unlike Hunter, he gets closure. He cuts Riya off, is unceremoniously voted out by the villains alliance, gives a little speech and leaves. This closure feels rushed because this plot lasts 6 episodes and spends 2 (episodes 4 & 5), which are 1/3 of its time, on pause, then ends in the next episode out of nowhere. What was even the point of bringing back Connor if the one plot he gets isn't even going to get a satisfying conclusion? I mean, him cutting off Riya is satisfying don't get me wrong, but the way it went down is rather disappointing. Why do you think he's a top contender for the comeback amongst the community? - Fiore also didn't do much. She wasn't going to make it far, we all knew it, and yet, she feels wasted despite those low hopes. The one thing she had going for her this season was to reconcile with Alec. That's what people wanted to see and the show built it up and hinted towards that being the case from E2-E6 but they never do. I know they're on different teams but we saw them sneaking off to talk to each other, why did they not reconcile then? Why did Alec not even care when she got voted off despite helping her stay in the game all this time? The problem with Fiore this season isn't that she went too early, its that they built up her story for 5 episodes only to forget about it, eliminate her unceremoniously and forget she even existed. She had one job and she didn't even do that. At least she was funny, I guess. (I just saw that one Fiore greeting lol, guess the Alec reconciliation ain't happening 😭), - Ellie... What a waste. I don't even like her all that much but MY GOD did they do her dirty. The first half of the season built up the Gabbellie angst only for it to go nowhere. Ellie's story was cut short right when it was beginning to be interesting. When we finally get to see more of Gabbellie and have a possibility of an Ellie redemption arc or her going full villain or whatever, she's out the same episode, that mind you, she's not even the main focus of. She had arguably the most potential going into the season and I knew she'd be a premerge boot, but damn, it still sucks to see her be so full of potential just waiting for her 5 minutes to shine and never get it, - The last premerger, Tess, comes into the season with the intention of being a support character for Hunter & Ally who are on the other team. Instead she screws Ellie over in a failed attempt at being a support character for the Gabbellie duo. Her voting off Ellie makes sense for her character but ultimately not only cut Ellie's plot early but also justified Ellie's distrust in people. She's always sticking her nose in everyone's business in an attempt to help them out without knowing the full picture and ending up making things worse in the long run. I'm so glad Gabby called her out on it in episode 9 and didn't take every word spewed her way as gospel like everyone else. She was boring all season long and once again, like other premergers, she's eliminated in the same episode she starts to get interesting. I'm not sad that Tess is gone but she still could've done more interesting stuff with her screen time.
Now onto the production staff and merge cast: - Nina, Marcus and Oliver basically don't exist, - Trevor, Derek and Krystal also don't get much focus aside from the sidelined love triangle, - Emily got fired by both Yul and Krystal. I'm really interested in seeing how her plot goes and I hope she doesn't get sidelined or straight up forgotten, - Alec hasn't done anything since episode 4 and his story with Fiore was cut short for no reason when it could've been so easily resolved with a simple conversation, - Riya hasn't done anything at all other than be funny and give us glimpses of a redemption arc, which once again, is getting cut short for no reason, - Grett is getting fat shamed each episode by Yul and does nothing or talk with anyone outside of it, - Yul bullies Grett and is comedic relief which actually works. He's the best character this season so far as he does his job well without hinting at more then not delivering, - Gabby became relevant at all only 2 episodes ago so I won't be too harsh on her as she finally has something going on, - I can't stand Aiden. Episodes 7 & 10 were nearly as low of a point for him as S2E9. He actively takes away screen time with a plot he's completely unnecessary to at this point and is extremely annoying while he's at it. Is he supposed to be Tom's support character or something? If so, then he's not doing a good job and is ruining his own character by being associated with Tom. I don't know wtf they're doing with the entire love triangle trio and it includes the hypocritical skunk over here as well, - Tom outside of his exhausting plot with Jake has nothing. He does nothing this season to distract you from how awful he is at handling basically anything and it's so tiring to watch, - Jake is the main character and he's surely something. Is he carrying the season in the entertainment department? Yes, and am I happy to see him have more focus? Yes, but it's WAY too much. He has his bs with Tom (Im praying they dont get back together) and rivalry with Ally so he at least has plot so I can't complain too much about him. I do have to say tho, even as the biggest Jake stan and defender out there, I'm getting exhausted. Give him a breather episode or 2 and focus on someone else. The direction they're taking his character is extremely confusing as well but that's conversation for another day, - Ally was sidelined so hard after episode 6 it makes me sad. She was my favorite in the first 6 episodes and has so much potential that's not being utilized at all, - Ashley did nothing but pretend to give Jake good advice without ever actually helping him. Don't even get me started on her "revenge" on Fiore. That was so unsatisfying and she celebrated like she just defeated the devil with her bare hands as if Fiore wasn't in the worst position on the team since the beginning. She did basically nothing with twice as many episodes here than the 5 she got in season 1.
Let me do some math here. There's 25 characters and out of those: - 5 have no plots at all/dont exist (James, Lake, Oliver, Marcus, Nina) - 5 are support characters with nothing going on for themselves (Ashley, Tess, Connor, Aiden, Krystal) - 1 was a plot device (Miriam) - 7 have their plots either put on pause or cut short with no satisfying resolution (Alec, Fiore, Riya, Hunter, Ally, Ellie, Derek)
That leaves us with Emily, Trevor, Gabby, Grett, Yul, Jake & Tom being involved in plots that are actually making any progress, and said progress is slow as all hell. Do we need to see Grett be bullied for 7 episodes straight and just take it without standing up for herself? Surely this could've been wrapped up without dragging it out or at the very least bring something new to the table. It's the same thing over and over each episode.

PART 3 - THE EPISODES ARE REPETITIVE

Now that I mentioned it, I might as well expand. I noticed the episodes follow a certain formula: - Around 7 minutes of pre-challange character interactions we've seen multiple times already with rarely adding anything new to them, - A bit of trauma dumping from a few characters, - Production staff scene lasting around 2 minutes, - A boring and very quick challenge portion not even focused on the challenge, - Pre elimination scene where the big thing of the episode happens, - Elimination ceremony.
I know that's the show's format but switch it up a little! Have some fun with it! Give me a twist! A team swap, auto elimination, Jensen coming back from the dead, different locations, a gimmick shaking up the challenge, immunity idols, ANYTHING to keep it fresh and exciting. Watching 9 episodes going this exact same way gets repetitive.
The actual challenges themselves are something I want to see be more creative in general. The singing episode was a ton of fun, the triathlon was cool and even the first 2 challenges were fun because we got to see new stuff like animals and an underwater episode. But the recent challenges have been lackluster. We got pushing big beautiful balls down a hill, walking around a fake spaceship, slip and slide basketball and plain paintball. In episode 10 they just walk around and argue. The challenge is completely sidelined and for what?? There isn't even a spin to this one, it's literally just paintball. At least in S1 it was combined with capture the flag and there were more people to make it more chaotic but here? What a bore.

PART 4 - THE PACING

Adding to the bore is the pacing of the few plots that we do get to see actually move at all. Tom & Jake could've easily been wrapping up their bs by now, Grett & Yul also could've wrapped it up premerge and... That's basically it because those are the 2 plots consistently and actively getting any room to be explored leaving little screen time for the others.
Why were the Riya and Connor, Huntally or Gabbellie plots rushed but Jam and YulREGrett are allowed to go on for forever without making any progress? Literally only Jake is undergoing any sort of development out of the 4 and his narrative is all over the place making it hard to even get invested in his story if you're not already a die hard fan. It seems like the show itself doesn't know whether he should be seen as the one in the right or not in the entire love triangle and keeps flip-floping between wanting the audience to like & despise him. Same with Tom but I asked this question on another (flop) post. Gretts development is also taking forever and we all know Yul ain't changing.

PART 5 - OUTRO

I'm sorry if this came out way more negative than I intended it to be but I wanted to get my feelings about this out as it does make me a little worried for the rest of the season. It's not even that it's bad, far from it, I think it has potential to be the best DC season yet, but with the last 3 episodes (excluding episode 9) the season is losing its momentum. I'm hoping the quality picks up again and the second half ends up being amazing. Please don't crucify me for this lol. My opinion isn't important and I'm still enjoying the season quite a bit but certainly see ways it could feel more complete. Can't wait to watch the rest of it!
This is a repost because I made some embarrassing mistakes I needed to fix lmao.

It's been 2 days, so I think it's time for part 2- it's gonna be short. Don't wanna ruin my sleep schedule It's messed up already as it is, but we won't mention that.
I wanna take a moment to thank all of you reading this, I was honestly surprised at how well this was received. So thank you!
Lastly, all love to for having made such an amazing universe.
===---===
Memory Transcription Subject: Alan Voor-hein, UN Secretary-General.
Date [Standardized Human Time]: January 1st, 2300, 12:00
It's 12:00, and the meeting is about to begin. I had only arrived like 30 minutes ago, and took the remainder of my time to grab a quick bite (as I was unable too back home in my rush) and to freshen myself up a little. I only had gotten into my seat just a mere 10 minutes ago- and over the course of those 10 minutes, I was joined by various Diplomatic and Military advisors.
I was seated across the room from the door, having a chair at the far-middle-end of the circular table. Above me, as usual, was the symbol of the UN. The Symbol of the peacekeepers, the symbol of hope and peace. Underneath it, there was a smaller symbol, that smaller symbol replaced Earth with a Star symbol. This was done in order to placate the Colonies we have sprinkled around the Solar System. After all, the UN was now no longer just an Earth bound organization- hasn't been for a while now. So it felt fitting to slowly move over towards a newer and more relevant Symbol. On Earth we still use the Earth having logo, while on our colonies we use the Star having one.
To my right was the seat for General (John) Remau, an elderly French descending man at 60 years old. Short prickly grey hair, and a mustache to accompany him. Blue eyes. His experience is mostly based on Counter-Terror actions. But by the Gods, he is good at his job. He is the "tough yet caring" father type of guy, even the men he used to command gave him he nickname of "Father John".
To my left is the seat of Minister (Ayumi) Kamura, a younger Japanese lass, 27 years old. One of the youngest people in the room, and yet one of the most capable in her duties as Minister of Diplomatic Affairs. Long flowing black hair. Brown eyes. She started as an Intern roughly a year and a half ago, under me. Shy at first, but she quickly managed to move up thanks to her charm and intellect, and I offered her the job of MDA. And she has been killing it ever since.
These 2 are my most trusted advisors in their own field of expertise. There are many more seated in the room now, but these 2 are the ones I am on a first-name basis with.
And now.... time for the meeting.
...
There was a slight chaos among the entourage of advisors. None of them had any idea why this meeting was called, only my two trusted seconds had gotten messages with the most relevant details about all of the happenings surrounding the discovery. Gotta love the quick work of AI. Once everyone had sat down on their allocated seats, I stood up, all eyes glued to me, and began speaking.
"All of you may be wondering why I called you all here today. Earlier today, in the early morning hours, the drone we had ordered to be sent into the void...-" I took a second to think on how to actually bring this news to the others, but I knew there was no dancing around the issue. "- The drone has encountered Alien life."
The second those words left my mouth, the room erupted into whispering murmurs, some thinking it was a lie, other's in a show of disbelieve.
I began speaking again, not giving them anytime to start asking questions. "The drone arrived onto this new star system at 10:15, and it initiated it's automated surveying. It already detected something "grey-ish" above a tidally locked planet. At 10:35, the drone went into it's Warning signal mode, the drone went into Cloak and began sending details about it's discovery. The drone had laid it's eyes on an orbiting space-station."
While I was speaking, John, our General, was having his own conversation over the phone with- who I assume, is one of his goons. John said something along the lines of, "Alright. I'll tell 'em.", before taking a look at me and interrupting me in my speech. "Sir, with all due respect, I have just received a call from one of my guys, who I had put on it after I had gotten the AI's message. And uh.. I think this is interesting for all to see."
"Very well. -" I said, pressing the button in the table in front of me, lowering a screen from the ceiling of the room. The screen covered the southern wall of the room, opposite of me. "- Have the room, General."
"Thank you Sir." John walked up to the screen, scanning his badge on the nearby security system which was connected to the screen, it auto-logged John in. John proceeded into his classified filed stash, and pulled up a newly made folder labeled "Unknowns".
The first thing John showed on the screen was a picture taken by the drone, the picture that showed the drone spotting the weird "grey" blob above the planet, followed by a picture closer to the blob, clearly showing it to be a space-station of some kind. "This here, gentlemen and women-" John began with, "-is what this meeting is about. Here is the undeniable proof for all you naysayers in the crowd."
The ones who had more doubtful looks on their faces before, looked on now with curiosity.
"And the newest details I have gotten-" John went on, "-can be seen right here." John pulled up a video the drone recorded. The video showed the drone moving at insane speeds towards the orbit of this planet, which was shown to be quite earth-like, moving past the Station quickly. The drone was starting to slow itself down rapidly as it reached into the atmosphere of the planet. The drone hovered for a moment before resuming it's move.
Our lovely drone stayed as high as it possibly could, while not breaking sight of the ground in a clear camera view. It rapidly moved towards what looked to be a small rural town of sorts. The drone halted it's flight dead in the center of the sky, high in the air above the town, turning it's camera downwards and zooming in even further for more of a clear view of the town.
As it slowly zoomed in, smaller dots appeared on the screen. You wouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to tell that those would, most likely, be the natives of this planet, moving about in their daily life- however they may live it. It still wasn't clear how these Aliens looked like. The drone elevated itself lower, and kept zooming in more.
Once the drone's camera had fully zoomed in, we could finally make out what these Aliens looked liked...
...
...
Question began flowing through my mind. Fur- Knock-kneed hind-legs too? Are these not the natives, are these just their version of ...a Sheep?? If so, where are the actual natives... why would they let their cattle run around freely?
... There has to be natives on the planet.
The drone went on and on, going from town to town, and in all towns it was the same sight. These "sheep" walking around, and doing their own things. To say I was dumbfounded would be an understatement. Guess these ARE the natives of the planet then.
John spoke up again after closing the video- "As you can see, Gents. We've come across an Alien civilization. That's why we're here. - Sir, the floor is yours again." John nodded at me and sat back down at his seat.
...
Straight to the point like always, aren't we John?- "Right- .. Now, as General Remau has stated, we have encountered an Alien space going civilization. It's up to us to come up with a strategy on how to deal with this, and how we'll proceed from here."
The flock of advisors all looked at each-other, either not knowing what to say, or refusing to say anything on it - like always.
I spoke up again. "I propose a few options on how to proceed, we'll discuss all of them, and decide on the eventual future proceeding on this issue. We have a few options to choose from.

1. We'll spy on the native of this planet, try to find enough intelligence as we are able too, while also ramping up our military production tenfold, as we do not know if these aliens are friend or foe.
2. Isolate ourselves, and stay clear of them. Letting them live their lives, and hope they let us live ours.
3. Opening up communications right away, and see if we can befriend them.

The floor is now open to voting, click the link on your pads which you receive-" the sound of multiple pads receiving a notification can be heard-, "- now, and vote which option YOU think we'll have to go with. Understood?"
Everyone nodded, and the voting commenced as it always would. Unlike most situations, now the voting seemed to take longer, as everyone was truly thinking of all possible scenarios. One's we are all familiar with.
...
After 5 minutes the voting concluded, and the result were shown on the screen. 78% voted for option 1. Spying and intelligence gathering it is.
"Thank you all for voting. I, Kamura and Remau shall continue speaking on the best course of action regarding option 1. You're all dismissed. Keep in mind, this will be kept secret until we say so, understood?" Everyone in the room nodded once again- and began gathering their stuff to leave.
John and Ayumi walked over to me, and the 3 of us waited for the room to clear out of all occupants- apart from us. Once everyone left the room, the door locked itself shut. Allowing the three of us to speak undisturbed.
...
"Well, that's over-" John grumbled.
"You can say that again- I hate meetings as much as you do." I retorted back at him, giving a slight chuckle.
Ayumi perked up, "Come on guys, it wasn't that bad-"
"For you, yeah. You love 'em." I told her as I looked right at her. "They're like a party for you"
"That's not entirely true! .... for the most part-" She clapped back.
I gave her a smile. "Sure... back to the topic at hand- the best way to gather as much info on these sheep-ish people as possible. I propose sending more drones to the planet."
John let his own mind run with an idea, "What if we send one of our own guys to the planet with Cloaking armor, so he or she can do some ground work. See how they live, how they act, all that stuff."
"Wouldn't that cause political backlash?-" Ayumi spoke out in protest "-I mean.. sure, they will be cloaked, but what if they are discovered? We know nothing about their technology. For all we know, they surpass us in all fronts. Why not sent a "diplomatic" mission or somethi-"
"That's not going to work, Ayumi" I said, interrupting her. "-We can't let them know of our presence... yet..."
...
Minutes went by as we continued speaking on this- the three of us eventually decided on just sending a couple drone to the planet, and letting them do the work. Some drones would also be carrying probe droids. Tiny ones which can be hidden among furniture even, and the smallest cracks.
We are also going to increase our military spending and development. An order of 8K more ships will be placed later today- ... I honestly can't wait to get home soon. Just an hour more of chatting with these 2 nut cases- and I'm free. ... love 'em though.
...
===---===
Sorry for it being short, as said, gotta think of me sleep bois!
Prev Next

This is a long vent but i had to get my thoughts out there to someone who may listen.
(22m) My gf (23F) and I had a rocky start 3 years ago when we first started dating. We started from iffy circumstances but have since paid a lot of effort and attention into trying to make our relationship strong. When we first started dating I had trust issues (you can grill me in the comments for what i’m about to say i’ve heard it before) but I went through her phone. It was really early on the first time i did this (about 2-3 months into the relationship).
For context she had made a new friend at work and they had gotten really close (I worked with my gf in the same job at the time). By this point she forced me to cut off multiple friends I had made at work who were girls and it was a standard of hers that I don’t have any friends that were girls. My standards were the same for her in that if it was problematic for one of us to have friends of the opposite gender then that it’s problematic for each of us to have friends of the opposite gender. I had cut off a few friends who were girls after this agreement. She made this friend though, who she got super close to and who seemed to be mutually interested in her and he was a guy. She made every single defense for him as to why it was ok they were friends. No matter how uncomfortable it made me, from that point til the end of our relationship she had some excuse as to why it was ok. I could never convince her of why this was affecting me until at one point a mutual friend of ours confessed to me that this guy had been sexually/romantically into her the entire time. It was until then she agreed to cut ties with him.
As i previously mentioned, I went through her phone at the very start of our relationship before any of the weirdness between the two of them transpired. After she was asleep i went through her phone and saw at around midnight while we were still hanging out she had texted this friend “i miss you”. This fucked me up whether it was innocent or not. In my head i was thinking “she can barely handle the thought of me having a friend who’s a girl so why is she texting a GUY that she misses him at midnight”.
I knew i couldn’t confront her about going through her phone so the next morning I asked her “would you feel ok texting your friends that you miss them if they were guys”. I swear on my life to this day she replied quickly “No”. What followed was 3 years of weirdness between them. Light flirting that i’ve witnessed first hand, different treatment, and defense after defense for this friend of hers. To cement one of my insecurities; one time me and her friends (including this guy) went to the club and i saw her take him by the hand as we were dancing (him before me); and then quickly, after i could tell she forgot i was watching, grabbed my hand which was so visually clear to be inorganic and an afterthought.
I finally confronted her and asked her why she texted her friend that she missed him. For additional context I lightly grilled her throughout our relationship about this situation. She always replied “i text all my friends i miss them” and explained that she had no interest in him and that she really does text her guy friends she misses them while she’s in a relationship (even though she had made it deliberately clear for all of 3 years to me that this kind of behavior was never ok for either of us)
If i had done a fraction of anything they did during their friendship I would have been dumped by her so fast. She was way more friendly to this guy than she was to me, lied constantly about him, defended him even after it was apparent he was making advances at her. What was so weird is how easily she expected me to drop some of my nicest friends but how reluctant and refusing she was to drop this guy friend of hers. Besides her texting him that she missed him the moment i knew that something was weird between them was when I walked in on them prepping frozen food at work and they were standing shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip (when there was plenty of space to stand apart on the table) and their conversation went dead silent as soon as i entered the room. One time she wore a bandana to work and as a joke I asked to wear it and i got an instant “No” from her; 10 minutes later i see her guy friend wearing her bandana and the two of them laughing it up.
It’s all of this super weird minor and small stuff that I shouldn’t care about but added up over time. She pushed my boundaries too far with this guy and only decided to cut ties with him at the very end of our relationship.
Our relationship ended with her lying about texting him after we both found out he was interested in her as more than friends. By the end of our relationship I had cut off multiple friends who were girls (from work and school) and she had only cut off 1. We got back together and I agreed to move past this but it still really bothers me that whenever it does come up she denies she had done anything wrong.
I ultimately decided to stay with her and I never held her accountable for her actions so I understand it’s my fault and I put myself in this situation and just wanted a moment to write out my thoughts so i didn’t feel crazy.

I know I should have been ecstatic.
My mother’s eyes swam with gratitude and yet mine were always cast to the ground, burning holes into crayon-ridden patches of carpet we refused to clean. We’d barely dared to dream during those silent dinners without Willow, the jarring sound of clumsy cutlery echoing through our now too-empty house, conversation seeming pointless without her skipping around the dinner table begging for the attention I gave her too little of, thumbs ghosting over my phone instead.
I want to reach back in time and wrench my head from my shoulders when I think of her begging to show me a cartwheel, watching myself roll my eyes instead of grabbing her up and memorising her face because she would be dead soon. Days of torture turned to weeks and Willow was gone, lost to someplace only our terrible imaginations could conjure up. She was dead but we were ghosts, haunting our own house with pale apparitions of ourselves, eating to live and speaking only to fill the silence. She was colour and the world redrew itself in black and white for the three of us. Life was over.
Until it wasn’t.
The news she was missing had never really caught on outside the walls of our little town, so when the local policeman came to our doorstep, it was without fanfare. On the very first day she vanished, the officer leading the investigation found a small pair of gloves - her gloves - by the treacherous river that wound through the woods. To them, the investigation was over before it even began, no need to alert the press or sully the town with sad posters. The world chugged along without us, utterly unbothered, and we crumbled into thousands of pieces.
But, as the rain-soaked policeman uttered on a Tuesday evening, Willow had returned, found in a patch of woods smeared with mud and blood and asking to come back to our home. She led the police to this house, and as everyone yelled in unison, she's back. It’s what my parents choked out in desperate, relieved sobs I’d never heard fill our house up before. It’s what all the paperwork stated, endless days of making sure everything was above board.
It seemed I was the only naysayer staring into this girl’s eyes and knowing with every fibre of my being that this was not my Willow sitting cross-legged on our family sofa. She looked like her - eerily so. But it was off, it was wrong. Her chin a little too pointy, her gaze a little too cold. She was not my bright, bubbly little sister dressed head to toe in pink.
But she said she was. She said it with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, eyes which sparkled just a shade or two off Willow’s. Her voice was a semitone lower, but that’s because it’s been two years and voices change, my mother insisted. Her chin-length hair now flowed far past her shoulders in that same chocolate hue, a length Willow would gasp at if she saw. This stranger wandered straight into our house, pulled on my sister’s too-small clothes and played pretend, pulling the strings on everyone but me.
The first night was something out of a horror movie, the heaviest sense of dread settling like lead in my stomach. Bile rose into my throat as she skipped into the living room, settling herself in Willow’s seat and tugging impatiently at the hem of my sister’s favourite dress. I’d bought it for her on a spontaneous shopping trip, watching her eyes light up at all the little sunflowers lining the collar. She’d been giddy, and now a stranger’s fingernails dug into the fabric, leaving marks I’d never get rid of. No longer would that little dress smell like Willow, because it was going to smell like her.
“Come to the table,” my mother insisted in a too-jovial tone, eyes more alight than I’d seen them in years. My father nodded a silent agreement, perhaps a bit more muted than she was, and I had to swallow down my fury, my confusion. I had to. Six eyes bore into mine and the chair scraped as I sat down and this wasn’t my sister. She stared over her plate at me with a hollow smile, eyes devoid of any real emotion. Her fingers drummed on the mahogany, a disjointed rhythm I’d never heard despite sitting across from my sister for nine years.
“I missed you.”
Her words were sickly sweet, head tilted slightly to the side. Her gaze felt almost challenging, but my mother’s eyes brimmed with tears as she nodded vigorously, fork hanging in mid-air.
“Oh gosh, you wouldn’t believe-” she gulped her words down, overwhelmed, “you’ve dreamed of a family dinner, haven’t you, love?” she regarded me almost desperately, fingers trembling. And I had, of course. I’d cried a thousand tears for my baby sister, but the girl swinging her legs inches from mine sitting in my sister’s clothes was not the girl I’d sobbed for. When her foot brushed mine accidentally, thousands of goosebumps erupted over my skin because it was new, wrong.
“I’d love to hear where you’ve been,” I dared whisper into the silence. My mother gasped, fork clattering noisily onto her plate.
“Mr Matthews said-”
“Yeah, and if Willow ever turns up, I’ll keep quiet about it,” I snapped, eyeing this wild animal before me. She sucked in a mighty breath, and I swore I felt her gaze prickle me. But it was only seconds before her eyes became doe-like; wide and comical.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she uttered sadly, looking to my mother for reassurance. Her lip quivered, hands shook. It was almost laughable how overzealous her performance was and yet my father admonished me, snapping at me to leave while my mother gathered up the intruder in her arms, clutching at her so she’d never leave. I watched the family before me, new and being invented before my eyes.
As I left, she smirked right at me.
Nobody believed me. Not on the second day when I walked in and saw her doing perfect cartwheels in the living room, something Willow had been utterly hopeless at. She must have learned my mother chirped, scrubbing dishes so vigorously I swore she was leaving cracks. Nobody blinked on the third day when she locked herself in the bathroom and claimed to be too sick to head to the station to kickstart the rigorous medical testing. But it was the fourth night that haunted my dreams, driving me even closer to the edge I’d been dancing along. I’d largely managed to avoid her, other than the odd lingering gaze as we crossed paths in the hallway or a wry smile as we brushed shoulders.
Until there she was at 2 am, standing over me as I slept.
I didn’t scream. Didn’t startle her into dropping her soulless smile as she gazed upon me, staring straight down mere inches from my face. So close I could feel her hot breath on my nose, feel the animosity coming off her in waves. She didn’t move when I clocked her, didn’t take a step back or pretend to be doing anything other than pressing her face into mine in the dead of night.
“Why are you here?” I whispered, and we both knew I meant more than standing in my room. She laughed, a little giggle I’d never heard leave Willow’s mouth.
“I wanted to come home, silly,” she hissed back, breath tickling my cheek horribly. I swallowed, desperate not to show the fear which was beginning to course through me.
“You aren’t Willow,” I gritted my teeth and only then did she pull back a little, mock-hurt lining her features.
“That’s a shame,” she frowned, “You’re my favourite big sister.”
My hands trembled under the covers. “And how many sisters have you had?”
She paused then, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Oh. Lots.”
I don’t think I’ve ever felt as unsafe in my life as I did in that moment, watching her eyes glimmer with something truly evil, a sick sort of pride. I didn’t find my voice for a long time but when I did it was small and timid, a shadow of my confidence from only hours earlier.
“And what do you want with us?”
She thought on it for a moment, tilting her head back and forth as though the question was funny. Even in the dark, she looked wrong, as though someone had built her to look like my beloved Willow and misremembered her slightly, getting the angles and details wrong. She lay her fingers on my forehead, painfully drumming that same pattern on my skin as all those days ago. Shamefully, I was too scared to move, even as her fingers jammed into my skull.
“I like your Mum,” she mused, giggling childishly as she caught her mistake, “Our Mum. I think she’s going to like me more than your sister.”
But before I could react, she was gone, skipping towards the door in the wrong nightclothes, only turning back to casually ruin my life.
“She’s dead, by the way,” she murmured into the silence, shrugging, “It was painful, too. Sorry for your loss.”
And she left, leaving me aghast as I festered in my blanket, desperately grabbing Willow’s teddy bear from beside my bed and clutching it to my chest. I sobbed myself to sleep that night, face buried in her favourite toy and knowing for sure that she was never coming home.
It only got worse.
One day, I came home and my father wouldn’t speak, only managing to stare at his new daughter as she smirked at him from the shadow of Willow’s bedroom. He startled at me in the hallway, scurrying back into his study. When I called for him, he shook his head. “Hang out with your friends, go back outside,” he’d ordered, voice cracking. He slammed the door behind him and that was that. I was left to stare into Willow’s room, locking gazes with a pair of empty eyes sneering at me from under the bed, dark shadows only giving me a glimpse at her little limbs all cracked at the wrong angles as she twisted herself to fit where she shouldn’t.
When I tried to speak to my mother, she grew more and more irate, once physically covering my mouth with her hand.
“Mum, please see that she isn’t who she-” but she muffled my words out of existence with a trembling hand, sending me a subtle no with a quick shake of the head. She pleaded towards me with her eyes but I realised quickly that her steely gaze had fallen behind me. I didn’t need to see the parasite in my peripheral to feel her gaze burning holes into the back of my head. And I wasn’t imagining it - my mother was fearful, finally turning back to me with a steely resolve.
“Everything is fine,” she murmured, speaking a thousand words with only her eyes and voice dropping to a whisper, “we will make it work.”
That night, the stranger wearing my sister’s favourite bracelet gleefully pushed a piece of paper to the centre of the dinner table, eyes lit up with glee. “I drew us!” she cried, greedily watching for our reactions.
My mother gave nothing away, only visibly swallowing as she drank in the paper, white-knuckled grip on her spoon. My father stood from his seat, striding from the table and slamming the front door behind him as he left us, perhaps for the last time. I, however, dared pick it up, regarding every horrific line and frantic scratching before me.
It was us. Except the people labelled mummy and daddy were standing without heads, rivers of blood dripping down their torn torsos. My double sat in the corner of the paper, a pair of gouged-out eyes lying on the floor next to my terrified frame. Our stranger stood smiling with a large rake in her hand, head bent to the side and wearing my sister’s dress. But somehow, worst of all, was the picture of a little girl crumpled in the corner, a frown etched upon her face. Willow the scrawl above her stated, and I could hardly bear it.
I don’t remember much of it now, just the screaming and crying, lifting whatever wasn’t nailed down and hurling it across the room, watching it splinter into a thousand pieces. My mother cradling me as she dragged me upstairs, letting me bawl into her familiar sweet-smelling cardigan, clutching her as though she’d leave me too. The swirling wrongness engulfing our house, swallowing us back into the clutches of grief. But my all-encompassing comfort disappeared because when that horrible little thing downstairs called a desperate ‘mummy?’, my mother went rigid.
“You don’t have to go,” I pleaded through bleary eyes, but her sad smile told me that she did.
“I prayed two years for my baby girl to come home,” she’d said in a thick voice, clutching my hands as if begging me to understand. I’ll always wish I tried harder to keep her in that room with me, because the moment I loosened my grasp, I sealed her fate. The thing downstairs called and she offered me a sad smile, fingers brushing mine before she disappeared through the darkness of the door.
I never saw her again.
Before my eyes closed and sleep claimed me, I saw the head of Willow’s beloved bear discarded on the floor across the room, three feet from its body. My heart sank into my stomach and I drifted off into nightmares, feeling somehow, it was all over. When I awoke, slick with sweat and dread, she was there in the darkest corner of my room. Almost-Willow.
Nighttime shrouded her but I could see the blood, even in the dim light. Something glinted in her hand under the glow of moonlight, and her eyes blazed with something bigger than the both of us. Twelve minutes passed and she didn't move, her relentless, empty stare locked onto me as she swayed back and forth.
I knew that the second I moved she was going to lunge. Somehow, I knew that’s what Mum did. That’s why the room fell into such uneasy silence, because I was utterly alone, and when I held my breath, I swore could I hear the shift of fabric. Yes, she was definitely closer to me than she had been five seconds ago. If I squinted, I could see her feet shuffling towards me, in time with my erratic breathing.
I ran, of course, limbs jelly as I sprinted past my parents' room, practically choking on the stench of blood. She locked all the doors, sealed all the windows. I don’t even remember how I made it to the hospital, sodden and picking glass out of my skin as a kind nurse led me to a room, concern etched into her features as she promised to return for me as soon as she called the police. It’s hard to type with blood trickling down my phone, fragments of the upstairs window jammed into my flesh.
It’s over, I’m sure. But somehow, with every second that passes, I feel closer to my sister. The real one. Not the one with her face pressed into the third-story window of my hospital room, face contorted in bloody, evil glee.

Hello!
I'll be honest right off the riff so as to not waste anyone's time, I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for right now. I don't need anyone in my life, but I want some kind of companionship/intimacy. If we mesh really well, I won't say no to a long-term relationship, but I'm not rushing into one anytime soon. If you're OK with that, keep reading! If not, best of luck to you!
Rapid-fire facts, Go!: I'm a progressive liberal, atheist, and feminist. I'm also permanently child-free, having had a vasectomy. I have two dogs, a cat, and a bird. I own a house. Lastly, I can't smell.
 
In a nutshell, I'm a shy, introverted, hopeless-romantic dork with a big libido, a bigger heart, and a vernacular stuck somewhere between academic and dude-bro.
I'm passionate about games and music, as well as science and history. I spend way too much time watching videos on those topics on Youtube and I love learning constantly. I'll play just about anything with you and listen to whatever music you want to share. I'm currently playing Fallout: New Vegas, Armored Core VI and Elden Ring. I like prog-metal, jazz and synthwave music, just to name a few genres.
I'm definitely more of a listener than a talker, but I can go off endlessly given the right topic, and if you are enthusiastic about my blathering. I'm equally as capable of getting into deep, emotional, intelligent, and sensitive subjects as I am being a goofy clown or pervy deviant. No topic is off the table for me and there's no such thing as giving me TMI. I'm very laid back and I very rarely, if ever, get offended.
I appreciate a lot of different styles of humor, but it's hard to go wrong with "hur hur poopie go bbrrrpt". I'm pretty shy when I'm being myself, but I love getting into character and put on a performance. I live on making the people I care about laugh and being entertained, no matter how stupid I look. I also make random weird noises at times, so there's that.
I'm very much a homebody. My ideal day with a partner is playing games together, cuddling up watching movies/TV, doing some hobbies together (or apart), maybe going out to dinner, having a good bang or two, and more cuddling! That's not to say I don't enjoy going out doing adventurous stuff, because I absolutely do. It's just that 9 times out of 10, I'd vote for staying in.
As alluded to, I have a medium-high sex drive and I'm sex-positive, it's all very important to me. Touch is my primary love language, followed by verbal affirmation and time spent together. I'll admit, I like some clinginess from a partner, but not to the point of creating needless jealousy and tension.
I consider myself an "anti-asshole", politically speaking. It does not mean I'm above talking shit about conservatives, especially those in government and the far-right variety. I simply mean I'm generally against anyone and anything that tries to restrict the rights of ordinary people (no, that does not mean I'm a libertarian). I'm pro-LGBT+ rights, pro-abortion and women's rights, pro-union and work reform, pro-universal healthcare, pro-accessible education, etc.
I also want to promote honesty and clear communication, so I'm putting my full-self out here, flaws and all, hoping the right person appreciates it. Here we go…
I am in therapy and being treated for depression, anxiety issues, and OCD. I'm almost certainly on the autism spectrum, as I have trouble with reading subtlety and I tend to be more blunt and honest than tactful in a casual setting.
I am divorced. I know that matters to some people, but not particularly to me if you are or aren't divorced yourself.
I never finished my college degree, but I plan on finishing someday, when I believe it won't just be a money sink.
I must admit, I've -historically- been really bad at making the first move. I'm just painfully shy, but it's also out of courtesy and respect for others' space. I promise I'm a good conversationalist, I just need someone to give me a chance.
Also I'm 5' 10" (178 cm), bald and bearded, with a little extra around the belly, this is what I look like. I'd like to start a gym routine, but that's easier said than done.
 
So what do I like?
While I have physical and personal preferences like anyone else, I don’t like to pigeon-hole myself by saying "you should be this and this…", but I do value these traits/values, from most to least important:

1. Empathy & compassion
2. Intelligence
3. Honesty & authenticity
4. Sexual compatibility
5. Humor (dark, sarcastic, goofy, etc.)
6. Open and clear communication
7. Political views
8. Shared interests
9. Open-mindedness
10. Willingness to sing duets in the car

I only ask for three things when messaging me:

1. I'd like to swap pics from the get-go, or at the very least, early into our dialogue. You already know what I look like.
2. Tell me a little bit about yourself, help start a conversation. I've already told you a lot about myself, help me get to know you!
3. Please be around 27-37 years old.

…And you made it! I'd hope for your sake you actually read all this because you're interested. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Hi,
Reddit has introduced achievements and some of them involve posting daily in a community to get a winning streak - you're welcome to start more conversations about your theories and so on, but I'm also going to do a Weekly Round Table for people to chat in as well, to try to keep the place tidy.
So introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you do?

Hi all,
I have a commercially manufactured table top that a friend needs refinished. The clear coat was damaged with a cleaning solvent. I am not sure what was used on it - maybe catalyzed lacquer or conversion varnish or one of the UV coats... What I am wondering is if I can lightly sand to scuff the surface and go over the top with catalyzed conversion varnish? My concerns are if it will properly bond with the original finish or if I will crack or peeling. Does anyone have experience going over the top of existing like this?
I am not able to sand and re-stain the top. It looks like its a very thin veneer top not solid wood.

I tagged this venting but I'm also open to any support or advice.
I got triggered Sunday night. It was the first time in months. I tried to sit and journal Monday when I woke up. I went into avoidance mode and I left before my partner got home from work to do laundry. I left my notebook on the side table. I shouldn't have. I should have put it away or at least closed it, but I was panicking and I felt like I needed to run.
He read my Journaling. It wasn't for him to read, it was for me to unravel the knot of feelings I had. I was a fucking pinecone to leave it out. I keep going back and forth between kicking myself for leaving it where he'd see it and for writing it down on paper instead of using my phone.
It hurt him to read it. He's not ignoring me but he's been quiet and hasn't initiated conversation with me since then. I've apologized and tried to reassure him the best that I can, but I don't know it it matters. My trauma responses are flee and fawn and it's so hard to try to keep them under control. I want to be invisible or smother him and neither of those are good options.
It all happened because I skipped my Saturday dose of meds and I left myself vulnerable. I lost control of my emotions after doing so well for so long. I feel shitty. I feel so stupid. I keep wondering why I am like I am.
We're going to have a conversation tonight after we both get home. I keep telling myself that he's seen me be and do worse. He's not going to break off our engagement or leave me because of one slip-up. Our relationship is solid. But I'm still scared.
I wish I could just be better.

In the past I've tried to discuss any issues or difficulties that I've encountered with the iman at the masjid. But, he's been less than helpful and it's been a similar situation with everyone else that I've tried to talk to. So this is a "get it off my chest" rant and not a request for help. Perhaps, I'm hoping that a few Muslims will acknowledge the difficulties that converts/reverts have or, at least acknowledge our presence.
--- Rant Below ---
I've been told that Muslims owe more respect to converts that have had to go through the process by themselves and not taking Islam for granted because they were born into it.
Well...
That's never been true in my experience. Some Muslims do respect reverts but the vast majority don't. When they do talk to a revert it's mostly just to lecture us on our "deen" or to scold us for doing something wrong.
This is my situation...
Both my husband and I earn a living as athletes. He's a 5th degree black who does endurance running and strength training. Whereas, I engage in very high impact cardio and women's bodybuilding. We're each other's trainers and neither of us do anything close to a "normal" workout.
The problem for me is the hijab and the islamic exercise clothes is suffocating me. Once, I've literally given myself heat stroke. Before my conversion, I wore a unitard. (A once piece bodysuit which was similar to a one piece bathing suit.)
Here's the problems:

1. The only "female only" gym is 200 miles away. I can't drive every day 200 miles and they don't have the equipment that I require.
2. I train and compete at very high level. None of the "specialty" hijabs and Islamic workout clothes were made for a woman who does what I do. ( eg. I bench 200lbs and I can run a mile in apx. 4:30)
3. The fitness industry keeps a roof over our heads, food on our table and gas in our car.

I've had a long conversation with my husband and he supports my decision. I'm not going to wear hijab when I workout or compete because I'm going to end up hurting myself. It's just too hot and I can't breath.
This will sound terrible and I'm sure it's going to anger a few people.
All of us have to pay bills and we all have to do "what we have to do." But, when you're not the person with the difficulties, it's easy to advise others to make dua and to ask Allah (swt) for help. So, I'm not going to worry about Muslims who disagree with my decision unless they're offering me a job which pays similar to what I'm earning and I can wear hijab.

I'm having this email conversation with a preacher - I'd love to hear your thoughts & input.

Email Conversation with Preacher May 2024

From Layperson
God's Peace Preacher,
I had a few thoughts pop to mind after you spoke on Sunday and I thought I'd call you. I tried to call but my call could not be completed as dialed, so I'm sending you a quick email.
First - thank you for your sacrifice on the mission you recently returned from and for speaking on Sunday. I know it's not easy and I do not want to make it any harder for you, but I only want to speak to you out of love and concern for both of our souls.
You mentioned that we hear the complete truth here and we don't go outside of the Holy Bible - I totally agree with this philosophy of not going outside of the Bible - I think we're on the same page here! Do you feel sincerely that we don't go outside of the Holy Bible, and everything we teach can be found in scripture?
You also mentioned that if one of us was going astray, wouldn't we want to hear from another? I wholeheartedly agree with this. If I am going astray, I absolutely want you to let me know and teach me in the Bible where scripture is a rebuke to me and could set me back on the right path!
A few more thoughts that came to mind on a few things you mentioned:
The roots of this tree are in Swedish Lapland:
Can you point me in the right direction to find this in the Bible? One of the last times we talked you mentioned Revelation 12. Upon reading it, I didn't see any connection there.
This doctrine is repentance and forgiveness and it's so simple.
Where in the Bible does it talk about the doctrine being so simple and it's all about repentance and forgiveness?
Looking at Acts 16:30 where the question is asked what one must do to be saved, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house"
Was that a sermon of repentance and forgiveness? It seems like a sermon of faith in Jesus Christ.
And how about the thief on the cross? Was that a sermon of repentance and forgiveness, or was it a sermon of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord?
We would like to explain this Christianity but it is a matter of the heart and it must be seen, felt and tasted
Is that the same mindset that Jesus and the Apostles had about faith in Christ?
If they had felt that way, I don't think they would have spread the gospel very effectively.
How are we justified before God? Is it by faith in Jesus?
Do we believe John 3:16? For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Acts 4:12: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Romans 3:22: "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference."
Galatians 2:16: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
The Christianity is complete and perfect and we don't have any need to search for a better Christianity
After reading "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." you mentioned we have a perfect Christianity and we do not need to search for anything else.
Was the emphasis of this verse on the Lord, who is the Triune God, and not on the religion we believe in, which is Christianity?
Do you believe that the Lord is your shepherd, and is the shepherd of each person in the congregation?
Instead of saying "The Christianity we have is complete and perfect." Wouldn't we want to put the emphasis on Christ specifically rather than "the Christianity we have"?
To say "The faith we have in Christ is saving" and "Christ is complete and perfect" is putting the glory and honor where it belongs - with Christ himself. Since salvation can be found in no other name, why not emphasize that our salvation is in Christ, rather than in the OALC doctrine?
Putting the emphasis on "The Christianity we have" really is not the same as putting the emphasis on Christ.
Christ and the "Christianity" that we speak of really are two different things. When we speak of the "Christianity" we also mean all of the other synonyms we've associated with it:

• This Christianity
• This saving faith
• Living Faith
• This precious Doctrine
• The Old Apostolic Lutheran Church
• Our most Precious Faith etc.

Do we teach that believing on Christ is enough? Or must one also believe in the OALC doctrine - ie. "The OALC, and the living faith and doctrine taught in the OALC is the only saving doctrine we are aware of, and no other doctrines taught at other churches are saving. They are heresy, and dead faith, and are based on good works."
We say that our doctrine is based on the Bible, and can all be found in the Bible. Somehow those other churches end up adding to or removing from the teachings of the Bible and go into dead faith, but The OALC has never done that?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
With love,
Layperson
From Preacher
God’s Peace Layperson,
Jesus is found in his congregation, in the hearts of the children of God.
Our doctrine is all the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles.
We are sent out to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins. This is spreading the Gospel also.
The law is preached to awaken one to their sinfulness so to lead them to Christ.
A sermon of repentance can be a law sermon to an unbeliever.
God has hidden the spiritual meaning from the wise and prudent and revealed unto babes.
Lapland is where our mother congregation is. The prophesies contain this.
The thief on the cross confessed his wrongs and confessed Jesus before the world. A short order of grace.
The Christianity we have is living. We have a living knowledge of sin and a living knowledge of grace.
The Christianity is Christ’s own church and his bride which in marriage becomes one, so we can’t separate his church from him.
The Christianity is complete and perfect through the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
We must go through the order of grace which clearly says these are experiences of a new birth all the way to persecution. Justification and Sanctification.
So yes, our salvation is Jesus Christ, how do we know this without living faith in the heart?
The forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name and blood is needed to encourage us to strive to the end.
The Spiritual name of our church is the church of the first born. Hebrews 12
Old Apostolic Lutheran Church is our American name so to recognize it legally, but it is where the Children of God gather.
Faith cometh by hearing. How do we hear without a preacher? Romans 10
From Layperson
Hi Preacher,
In my previous email I mentioned
The roots of this tree are in Swedish Lapland:
Can you point me in the right direction to find this in the Bible? One of the last times we talked you mentioned Revalation 12. Upon reading it, I didn't see any connection there.
To that, you responded
Lapland is where our mother congregation is. The prophesies contain this.
Can you please provide me with the specific chapter and verses that you are referring to? I've had a hard time finding this.
You also mentioned
Jesus is found in his congregation, in the hearts of the children of God.
I'm wondering - is this the only place Jesus is found? Can Jesus be found in my own heart without being in the presence of another child of God?
I've heard it said that Luther says in order to find Christ you must first find his congregation. Have you seen that message in the Bible? If so, can you point me to this message in the Bible?
I've heard it said that this is shown in Luke since Mary, who represents the congregation, is listed first. Luke 2:16 "And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger."
However, in the gospel of Matthew, Mary is not listed first. Matthew 2:11 "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him"
I feel like if the order was very significant, the gospel of Matthew would have listed Mary first as well.
Are you aware of a spot in the Bible where it gives the message that in order to find Jesus, you must first find his congregation?
Thank you,
From Preacher
Swedish Lapland where LLL opened this last period of visitation has been likened unto a tree. It started like a mustard seed and has grown from there to us and we have become partakers of this same seed.
In Luke 2 it talks of the shepherds in Mathew 2 it talks of the wise men.
If we can't believe Luther or Laestadius and have the same experiences of a new birth Christ isn't living in our heart, he has died. When we are awakened we have seen this then we have been led to his congregation where the power to forgive sins has been left.
From Layperson
Hi Preacher
I'm still wondering about where the specific bible chapter and verse(s) are where I can find the prophecies that say "Lapland is where our mother congregation is" or "The roots of this tree are in Swedish Lapland" or "Swedish Lapland where LLL opened this last period of visitation..."
Can you share those verses with me?
Thanks!
From Preacher
Do you not believe that our mother congregation is in Swedish lapland?
From Layperson
Hi Preacher,
If God's word says it, I will believe it.
You mentioned that the prophecies say it, but you haven't specified where.
Can you help me believe that it is in God's word by showing me where in his word it is written?
If it's not written in God's word, can't we agree that it is a teaching that is outside of the Bible?
From Preacher
Zachariah 6, and Peter's vision of the sheet are a few.
From Layperson
Hi Preacher,
Thanks for sharing those verses.
I'm having a hard time seeing how God's word connects these verses to the mother congregation in Swedish lapland.
Regarding Peter's vision, I assume you're referring to this verse where the vision was repeated three times.
Acts 10:16 - This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
I've heard that Peter's vision means there will be three periods of visitation, but I haven't seen this elsewhere in the Bible.
It seems like Peter's vision is focused on Peter learning to accept all people, and not just Jews as is shown further on in the chapter where Peter summarizes the meaning of the vision
Acts 10:28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Is there another Bible verse that connects this verse or vision to our mother congregation being in Swedish lapland?
Regarding Zechariah 6, it seems like you're referring to the place where it mentions the horses that went north.
Zechariah 6:8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
In the Bible, the north often refers to the area of Babylon and Assyria that were enemies of Israel. Sending chariots to the north is said to symbolize God's judgment and control over these powers.
With Swedish lapland being over 2400 miles north and 700 miles west of Babylon, while Babylon is already over 500 miles from Jerusalem where Zechariah was prophesying, I'm wondering if you can point me to any Bible verses that connect this prophecy to the area of Swedish lapland?
Thank you!
From Preacher
These are deep places that have verified our Christianity which the order of Grace can only explain, when we experience it in our own heart. Our Christianity has answered
all these questions in our own heart and the Spirit reveals to us that it is true without doubt. There is no doubt that the highest light is in the mother congregation and in the humility and lowliness in which Christianity travels. Thomas traveled with Christ and still doubted unless he could see and feel the wounds of the resurrected Savior. Blessed are those that don't have to naturally see but believe by faith. I won't believe unless I see, but it is hidden from the intellect. That only comes after we believe.
People will debate the word all their lives and it never does them any good unless it brings them to the breaking of the heart, and there we are in the right condition to receive the blessed encouragement that our sins have been forgiven. This releasing is left in Christ's true church on earth made up of those reborn children that have experienced this in their own heart. There is our simple childlike faith and we need nothing more for our salvation. As we travel we need to be fed the pure Word by the preaching of repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Where have we confidence other than in this blessed faith when the labor is done in unity and love with the abiding Holy Spirit? God's Spirit recognizes the Spirit that is in us. So the Spirit has been tried, that it is of God not man.
From Layperson
Hi Preacher,
Thanks for pointing out that these deep places can be explained by the order of grace. In reading through the beatitudes in Jesus' sermon on the mount in Matthew 5, I'm not seeing a connection between the order of grace and Peter's vision of the sheet or the chariots going north in Zechariah 6.
Can you help me understand how the order of grace in Matthew 5 explains these deep places that have verified our Christianity by showing us
the mother congregation in Swedish lapland is the highest light? Is there any particular verse in the beatitudes that you feel ties these teachings together?
I want to have childlike faith in God's teachings, but not in the teachings of man. If I am to believe this teaching wholeheartedly, I need to first be sure that God has taught it in his word. Bible passages such as 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Deuteronomy 4:2, Revelation 22:18-19,Acts 17:11, Isaiah 8:20, and Proverbs 30:5-6 remind us that God's written word is sufficient, and we must not add to or subtract from his word and believe only teachings that are found in the Holy Bible.
If this teaching is a commandment of men and not of God, I think I would want to be wary of accepting it in a childlike way, because it would draw my heart away from God, as Jesus teaches in Matthew 15:8-9: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
Thank you!
From Preacher
When we go through the order of grace and experience this in our own heart all these questions are answered. We see clearly and know our mother. We know where we have received spiritual life. The intellect wants to understand before it can believe and that is why Luther says it needs to have its eyes poked out and neck wrung when it comes to spiritual matters. We read the word of God knowing that there is such depth to it and the Holy Spirit must interpret it for us. When the Disciples received the power of the Spirit they spoke; and people believed, only about 1 in 10 that first day. How are we to think?
From Layperson
Ok, thanks for sharing your thoughts! I agree that when we read the word of God we must read it with a prayer that the Holy Spirit will reveal the meaning to us.
It felt like many of these questions were answered for me until I started to read the Bible, and at that point it felt like some of my lingering questions were being answered, while different questions were coming up!
The spiritual mother has definitely been a big question. It feels like the Bible makes it clear that we have a father in heaven, but does not emphasize a mother congregation on earth.
One verse that stands out is Matthew 23:37, where Jesus laments over Jerusalem:"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
This verse shows Jesus' desire to gather and protect His people, like a mother hen gathering her chicks. This verse seems to point to Jesus as our spiritual mother more than it does Swedish Lapland. What are your thoughts on this verse?
Also, Galatians 4:26 says, "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." Here, Paul identifies the heavenly Jerusalem as our spiritual mother, indicating a heavenly, rather than earthly, origin for our spiritual roots. Let me know what your thoughts are on this!
Another question that has come up since I've started reading is about the intellect. It seems like the Bible encourages the use of the intellect in its right order, and does not promote a one sided view of the intellect as something that has no place in the life of a Christian.
It does appear Luther did condemn reason when he said "Reason is a whore, the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but—more frequently than not—struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God." (Table Talk, recorded by his students).

However, that was not the end of the story in regards to Luther's view on reason. He viewed it positively in many ways as well.

1. Reason as God's GiftLuther recognized that reason is a gift from God and has its place in understanding and managing earthly affairs:"Reason is the greatest gift of God to man; it is the 'alpha and omega' of all."Source: Luther’s Works, Volume 40: Church and Ministry II.
2. Reason in Theological StudyLuther acknowledged that reason has an important role in theological study and the interpretation of Scripture, although it must be subordinate to faith:"But the sure rule is that the more true faith a man has, the more firmly and freely he reasons."Source: Luther's Works, Volume 27: Lectures on Galatians, 1535.
3. Reason and ScienceLuther supported the use of reason and intellect in the pursuit of knowledge, including science:"The natural sciences should be cultivated and studied as the most valuable gifts and instruments of God."Source: Luther’s Works, Volume 44: The Christian in Society I.
4. Educational ReformLuther was a proponent of education and intellectual development, which included a strong emphasis on using reason:"I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the hearts of the youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt."Source: Luther's Letters, Volume 2.
5. Philosophical ReasonWhile critical of reason's limitations in spiritual matters, Luther did not entirely reject philosophical reasoning:"Reason is a necessary tool in its own sphere, and it is essential for daily living and governance."Source: Table Talk.

And likewise, the Bible has a positive view of the use of reason in the life of a Christian, and does not condemn it as Luther did.

Here are a few places where the Bible emphasises the importance of Reason, Wisdom and Understanding:
1 Thessalonians 5:21: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."Proverbs 2:6: "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."Proverbs 3:13: "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding."James 1:5: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."These verses emphasize that wisdom and understanding are gifts from God and are to be sought after and valued.

The Bible also contains warnings against Over-Reliance on Human Wisdom:1 Corinthians 1:19-21: "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent... Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?"Colossians 2:8: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."These passages warn against placing human wisdom above God's wisdom and the potential for intellectual pride to lead one astray. These verses are some of the most critical verses in the Bible against the use of reason and the intellect, yet they do not say that the intellect has no place in the life of a Christian. They make it clear that human wisdom should never be placed above the wisdom of God.
It seems like when we talk about reason and the intellect, we would be in safer territory to quote the Bible than a paraphrasing of Luther's most critical statements he's made about reason. What are your thoughts on that?
Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts on these matters with me!
From Preacher
As man is born from a mother and a father so is it with the new man as Christ has given birth to his congregation. The congregation is our
mother. The Lapland congregation is the mother congregation at this last period of time, as Jerusalem was in the Apostolic time. We know who are mother is from where we have received life and Spirit. Jesus gives this birth to the new man through the congregation when the power to forgive sins is in his disciples or the reborn children of God. When the highest light comes through the mother to explain the scriptures as the Holy Ghost reveals and unitedly this understanding comes forth, it is our helmet of salvation that protects us from our own intellect causing confusion. If there is confusion, we look to the united understandings that have been tried through the congregation. Our wisdom is when we understand this and can leave our own thoughts and accept the united thoughts. Self-knowledge is also a gift revealing we are weak and needy as King David felt. Self-righteousness will want to lead us away from this and demand more than a childlike faith. As Lapland has always gathered and never pushed away anyone so as the mother hen with a pure mother’s heart. So many signs of a true mother that has so much love for the children. If we can remain children.
From Layperson
Hi Preacher,
Thank you for your response. Here are a few thoughts in response to the thoughts you shared with me.
I also have some questions about where these ideas are found in Scripture - I'm hoping you can point me to places in the Bible to help me believe these ideas are supported by God.
"As man is born from a mother and a father so is it with the new man as Christ has given birth to his congregation."
The Bible describes believers as being born again through faith in Christ (John 3:3-7), not specifically through a congregation. Instead, believers are often described as being adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:15-17, Ephesians 1:5). Can you show me where the Bible says Christ has given birth to a congregation in this way?
"The congregation is our mother."
Scripture frequently describes the church as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27) and the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27), but it doesn't refer to the church as our mother. The Bible does use maternal imagery, such as in Galatians 4:26, which refers to "Jerusalem above" as our mother, symbolizing the heavenly city. However, this is a figurative use and does not specify an earthly congregation as a mother. Can you point me to where the Bible supports this idea?
"The Lapland congregation is the mother congregation at this last period of time, as Jerusalem was in the Apostolic time."
The New Testament focuses on the church as a whole, the body of Christ, which is not limited to any specific locations (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). It does not single out any particular congregation as the “mother congregation” in the last days. Where in the Bible does it mention the Lapland congregation or a future mother congregation?
"We know who our mother is from where we have received life and Spirit."
According to the Bible, spiritual life and the Holy Spirit come from faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:16-17, Romans 8:11). Can you provide a Scripture that identifies a congregation as the source of life and Spirit?
"Jesus gives this birth to the new man through the congregation when the power to forgive sins is in his disciples or the reborn children of God."
The Bible teaches that Jesus gives new birth through faith in Him (1 Peter 1:3, John 1:12-13). While the power to forgive sins was given to the apostles (John 20:23), it doesn't specify that this establishes a new birth through a congregation. Could you clarify where this idea is found in Scripture?
"When the highest light comes through the mother to explain the scriptures as the Holy Ghost reveals and unitedly this understanding comes forth, it is our helmet of salvation that protects us from our own intellect causing confusion."
The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is the one who guides believers into all truth (John 16:13), not necessarily through a specific congregation. While it’s true that the church plays a role in teaching and nurturing believers, the idea that the highest light comes exclusively through a particular congregation resembles the Catholic belief that the Pope has the ultimate authority to interpret Scriptures authentically. This concept of centralized spiritual authority is not supported by Scripture for any congregation outside of the foundational role given to the apostles and prophets with Christ Himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).
The helmet of salvation mentioned in Ephesians 6:17 is part of the armor of God designed to protect us from spiritual attacks, not from our own intellect. The Bible encourages believers to love God with all their mind (Matthew 22:37), which includes using our intellect to understand and discern His word (Acts 17:11, 2 Timothy 2:15).
The idea that we should rely on a specific congregation for ultimate understanding of Scriptures and protection from confusion is not supported by the Bible. Rather, believers are called to individually and collectively seek understanding through the Holy Spirit, study, and discernment (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 John 2:27).
Could you provide a biblical basis for the claim that the highest light must come through the mother congregation and that the united understanding serves as a helmet to protect us from our intellect?
"If there is confusion, we look to the united understandings that have been tried through the congregation."
Unity in the church is important (Ephesians 4:3-6), but the Bible also emphasizes testing teachings (1 Thessalonians 5:21, Acts 17:11). Additionally, James 1:5 assures us that if we lack wisdom, we should ask God, who gives generously to all. Where does the Bible instruct believers to defer to the united understanding of a specific congregation?
"Our wisdom is when we understand this and can leave our own thoughts and accept the united thoughts."
Proverbs 3:5-6 does indeed encourage us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding, which aligns with the idea of seeking God's wisdom over our own. However, the Bible also calls for individual discernment and testing of spirits and teachings to ensure they align with God's truth (1 John 4:1, Acts 17:11). This suggests that while we should be open to insights from the Holy Spirit and godly counsel, we are also responsible for personally verifying these insights against Scripture.
Accepting thoughts from God and the Holy Spirit is crucial (James 1:5, John 16:13), but the Bible warns against blindly following the teachings of men without discernment (Colossians 2:8, Mark 7:7-9). Can you provide a Scripture that suggests we should completely abandon our own thoughts in favor of the united thoughts of a specific congregation?
"Self-knowledge is also a gift revealing we are weak and needy as King David felt. Self-righteousness will want to lead us away from this and demand more than a childlike faith."
Recognizing our weakness is biblical (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), and Jesus praised childlike faith (Matthew 18:3-4). However, a childlike faith should be in Jesus, not in a congregation. Can you show me where the Bible instructs us to have childlike faith in a specific group of elders or a congregation?
"As Lapland has always gathered and never pushed away anyone so as the mother hen with a pure mother’s heart."
While Jesus does express a motherly care in Matthew 23:37, there is no specific mention of Lapland or any congregation as fulfilling this role. Also, all humans, including elders, are sinners (Romans 3:23), and only God is pure. Can you provide a biblical basis for Lapland having a pure mother's heart?
"So many signs of a true mother that has so much love for the children. If we can remain children."
Remaining humble and childlike in faith is biblical (Matthew 18:3-4), but identifying a specific congregation as a "true mother" is not found in Scripture. Additionally, God's love for us is unconditional (Romans 8:38-39), unlike a conditional love that would depend on congregants having childlike trust in the elders.
Lastly, you mentioned earlier:
"Where have we confidence other than in this blessed faith when the labor is done in unity and love with the abiding Holy Spirit?"
While unity and love in the Holy Spirit are important (Ephesians 4:3, Colossians 3:14), our ultimate confidence is in Christ alone (Hebrews 12:2, 1 Corinthians 2:5). Can you point me to a Scripture that suggests our confidence should be in a specific congregation rather than Christ?
I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to email me about these matters and look forward to understanding more about how these ideas align with the Bible.
Thank you,
Currently awaiting response from preacher

To start off, I am a 20-year-old male living in Virginia and have never been in legal trouble. I have no criminal history whatsoever. I am unfamiliar with the law, and the occurrence I am about to delve into has made it clear that I have much to learn. The entire situation is still ongoing and seems very shady to me. I'm at a loss as to what my next move should be and am hoping for advice.
Three months ago, I went to a public park early in the morning to jog on the track they have there. Before leaving, I used the bathroom and went on my way. A few hours later, a cop showed up at my house, asking me what I knew about vandalism that took place at the said park, to which I said no. He went on to say that there was graffiti in the bathroom, as well as a broken urinal divider, and that he knew I did it.
Every morning someone unlocks the bathroom, and according to them, it was all clear, and the cameras show that I was the only person to use the bathroom before the vandalism was reported. I told him that I didn’t see any graffiti and that the urinal divider was already broken when I got in there. Anyone could have missed it if they did a quick check because the graffiti was on the ceiling and the urinal divider was still attached to the wall. He, of course, did not believe me.
He asked to search my car for a red marker because that's what was used for the graffiti, which I allowed, but I refused to let him search my room. He said he would continue his investigation and get back to me that week, then left. We went to the park bathroom to take a look at the graffiti, which had already been removed, and there were workers there fixing the urinal divider. They told us that this was a recurring situation.
He never did get back with me, so I figured they dropped it due to lack of evidence until one day, a month later, the cop stopped me in my car. I was pulling out of the road leading to my home when he pulled up and blocked my path (he didn't turn on his lights). He then walked up to me and told me there was a warrant out for my arrest. I laughed in disbelief. He had a summons to court and told me I had to sign it or he would arrest me right then and there. I was being charged for a damaged urinal divider, and there was no mention of the graffiti. I told him I'm not going to sign it until I talk to someone and figure out what's going on, to which he responded by calling in for backup. Two more cops pulled up and surrounded me, preparing to pull me out of my vehicle, so I signed the paper agreeing to show up in court.
A few weeks later, I arrived at court, where I was appointed an attorney. We talked briefly, and she said she 100% believes me, and we’d be pleading not guilty. She told me to give her a call if I had any questions, and I left the court, with my next court date being about a month later. I planned to use this time to see if I could acquire any information that might help my case. I went to the town office where I live and asked if they keep logs of who unlocks the bathroom on a particular morning. I ended up talking to the head worker, who told me he’d look back at the cameras to figure it out and get back to me.
I also ran into the cop investigating me and had spoken to him for a minute. I asked if he still thought it was me and he of course said yes. I asked him if it was a 90-year-old man on camera if he’d be pursuing him and he said yes and that it was nothing personal against me. I told him I didn't believe him. He also changed his story and said that the urinal divider was completely off the wall, which is untrue. After that he tried shaking my hand which I refused (this may be petty) and went on my way.
In the days while I was waiting for the town office to get back to me, I talked to a police officer who came into my place of work, and I told him about the situation, which, to my surprise, he was already queued in on. He told me he was actually the officer who had locked the bathroom the night before the incident. He said that he had noticed a soap dispenser had been ripped off the wall, and when I asked him about the graffiti and urinal divider, he said, “I honestly didn’t pay enough attention to say one way or another.” He also told me that the officer investigating me used him as evidence, even though they had never communicated about it. He also said he wanted his comments off the record, but I planned on having my lawyer subpoena him.
The head town worker I talked to never got back to me, so I went in again a few weeks later, about a week before my scheduled court date. This time he told me he was instructed not to get involved and that he couldn’t give me a name. He also told me something happened to his computer, and he could no longer access the footage. This was a massive red flag for me. I asked if the police department still had the footage, and he said they should, so my next plan was to go talk to them, which I have yet to do. I told my lawyer about the situation and asked her if I should keep pressing them for the name of the worker so we could subpoena him, and she said yes.
A day or two later, someone asked me if I had a discovery that would contain the prosecutor's evidence against me. I figured it would also contain the name of the worker who unlocked the bathroom. I asked my lawyer how we would go about obtaining that, and she seemed to get offended. She replied by saying, “Will you please let me do my job? If you aren’t satisfied with me, you can have another lawyer appointed to represent you, or you can hire an attorney.” I didn’t expect that kind of response and simply apologized and told her I didn’t know what a discovery was until that day and thought it would have the name of the worker I was trying to get. After that, she said she just had a meeting with the Commonwealth attorney, and my court date was postponed until July 1st. This is frustrating for me because I am very busy over the summer, and this whole ordeal is adding a lot of stress to me that I just want to get done and over with.
A few days ago, following this conversation with my lawyer, I got a call from the court saying she had dropped my case and that I needed to come in the next day to get another lawyer appointed. I told her I was unable to come as I’d be busy, so we scheduled it for this coming Wednesday. Her dropping the case has made this even stranger and more stressful to me. I'm considering hiring a lawyer, but I really don't have the money.
I have been racking my brains trying to figure out why they are pinning it on me in the first place. I think it’s worth mentioning that a year ago I had an altercation with this same cop who came up to me and some friends at the same park. A friend of mine was lifting a picnic table like it was gym equipment, and the cop was very nasty and spoke to us like we were criminals. So I told him back then that I didn’t like his attitude and didn’t want to identify myself (I did end up identifying myself). He confirmed to me that he does remember that happening, so I believe that may be part of the reason he’s targeting me. I also have long hair, so it’s possible I'm being profiled. Anyone who knows me knows that vandalizing a bathroom is the last thing I’d do. I said to the cop when he pulled me over with the warrant that I'm a believer in God and have more integrity than he does, and that this is the last thing I’d do. I also told him that I didn’t like him and think he’s incredibly unprofessional. I also asked for a supervisor, and he said that he was the supervisor (he’s a corporal), which I told him was terrifying. Looking back on it, I probably said more than I should have.
That about sums it up. Does anyone else find any of this fishy or have any advice? Should I go to the police department and try and continue trying to get the workers name? Should I have not said certain things? Any help would be highly appreciated!

“It's me, Brianna. Not you.”
That's what my latest boyfriend told me before walking directly into the path of a truck. There was barely anything of him, just enough to peel off of the sidewalk. I thought our relationship was going well. It's not like I'm desensitised to my boyfriend's dying (or ceasing to exist), but it's almost become the norm.
Ben was my first boyfriend in high school, and my longest relationship to date. Fluffy haired Ben with his dimpled grin and freckles. He was the type of guy who should have been popular, but chose to keep to himself.
I met him in the principal’s office. Ben was being lectured for ‘sneaking around’ and I was handing in a late assignment. All he did was wink at me, and I fell.
Hard.
We dated for two years, and I really thought he was the one. Ben told me he loved me, and every Friday he introduced me to a new restaurant. I was in love. I loved *everything about him.
On the night before our senior prom, a drunk driver t-boned my boyfriend's car, killing him instantly. After his funeral, it's like he stopped existing. His parents left town, and every time I mentioned him, my parents would slowly tilt their heads and act confused when I brought him up.
My brother was the worst for it, considering he and Ben were best friends.
But he just looked at me with this weird fucking look in his eye, like his soul had been ripped out. Eyes are the windows to the soul, apparently, and my brother's soul was MIA. “Ben?” His expression crumpled. “Wait, who?”
Alex was my emotional support, who later became someone closer.
Funny Alex.
Blonde-but-not-quite-blonde, Alex.
I met him in group therapy. My boyfriend was dead, and he had just lost his mother. We didn't label it, because he had a girlfriend, and I didn't want to move on so quickly. I think we just found comfort in each other.
Eventually, though, Alex became something I wanted to label.
His sense of humor was a breath of fresh air. I didn't go to college because of Ben’s death, settling for a mediocre barista stop in town. Alex came in every day with fresh coffee and a sugar cookie. I think I loved him. I told him that. Half asleep, I told him I wanted to try and be something more with him. Alex looked taken-aback, but happy.
We spent the night together.
The morning after, I woke to my mother screaming.
Alex was dead in the bathroom, his blood splattering, staining pristine white. According to the first responders, he died of a self inflicted head injury. The exact same thing followed. I attended his funeral, and Alex’s family disappeared.
This time, I went back to his house. But according to a neighbour, his house had been abandoned for ten years. I had eaten pancakes in his kitchen just days earlier.
I broke in to see myself, but my neighbor was right. The hallway was piled with ancient mail and threats of eviction. Alex’s room didn't exist, instead, a storage room filled with boxes.
When I got home, my family had already forgotten Alex’s existence.
The town had forgotten him, and yet his blood still stained my bathroom.
Following Alex’s death, I was terrified of getting too close to people.
But Esme made it hard.
She was my third relationship. We met at a bar. I was extremely drunk and convinced I was cursed to kill all of my romantic partners. Esme. Cute Esme. Crooked teeth and smudged lipstick and warm Esme.
Do you know that person you meet and you instantly connect with them? The person you're sure is your soulmate?
That was Esme.
I told myself I wouldn't get close to her. But I was already talking to this girl, already pouring my life out to her. Esme sat and listened, her chin resting on her fist. She was a first year creative writing student, and she had a cat called Peanut.
I didn't remember much after that. We hit it off, and next thing I know we’re curled up in the back of her car watching Buffy on her iPad. I told her about my exes, and she nodded and smiled, but I don't think she was listening.
I told her all of my exes have died, and then been erased from existence.
Esme called me cute. She wanted to base a story around the concept, sitting up and grabbing her phone.
I have this memory of the girl I fell in love with at first sight.
She's nodding along to a Smith’s song spluttering from my car radio, typing on her phone. I can hear the tapping of her nails, her lips curving into a smile. I can see the exact moment she gets inspiration, pulling her knees to her chest. She's wearing fishnet tights that are torn, and a jacket that doesn't fit her.
She is fucking beautiful, and I don't want to lose her.
Alex was beautiful.
He had pretty eyes and brown curls that I liked running my hands through. Ben was beautiful. He made my heart swim, my stomach swarm with butterflies, when I first met him. Ben was my first love.
The realization woke me up one night, three months into dating Esme.
Both of them were dead, wiped away like they never existed.
And Esme would follow.
At first, I tried to break it off with her without sounding crazy. I told her it was me not her, and I wasn't in the mindset for a relationship.
Esme understood, but her eyes didn't. I didn't want to lose her. Esme lit up every room she entered. Her obsession with thrifted clothes and badly written poems, and her irrational fear of pandas, made her someone I wanted to be with.
So, I stayed with her. I told myself Ben and Alex were just coincidences that were nothing to do with me, and I wasn't indirectly fucking killing the people I fell in love with.
I avoided the ‘L’ word for as long as I could.
It slipped out on my way to work. Esme was driving.
I just said it, and her eyes lit up. She reached out and squeezed my hand.
At work, one of my colleagues, Jasper, caught my eye. When I twisted around to ask him to grab something, I glimpsed his phone screen. It looked like Tinder, though I didn't recognise the layout. It reminded me of Twitter, in dark mode. Jasper was leaning against the counter, his thumb hovering over a photo of Esme, chewing his bottom lip.
I watched his thumb prance across the screen, before he gave up and swiped left.
Finishing up the woman's coffee, I handed it over.
“Uhh, I asked for cream.”
Ignoring her, I sidled in front of my colleague, hyper focused on whatever app he was playing around with. “What's that?”
Jasper looked up, his eyes widening, lips parting, like a fucking goldfish.
“Clearly nothing.” Jasper side-stepped me, opening the refrigerator and pulling out milk. But he already had milk. The bastard was stalling. We had zero customers waiting, so it was the two of us, and a long, dragged out pause.
Jumping up and down on the heels of his feet, he shot me his usual grin, slipping his phone in his apron.
Jasper may have been smiling, though there was something twisted in his expression.
I couldn't stop myself. “Was that a dating app?”
“Dating app?”
“Excuse me, can I get what I ordered?” The woman demanded, waving her coffee in the air. “I asked for whipped cream.”
Jasper saw that as an excuse, an escape, and nodded, fashioning a grin. He saw an opportunity, and took it. “Of course, Ma’am! I'll get that for you!” He said, with a little too much sarcasm. The boy took her coffee with a spring in his step, ducking in the refrigerator for the whipping cream. Jasper added too much whipping cream, dumping the drink on the counter with a little too much force.
It was a good thing my colleague was marginally attractive guy with cropped blonde hair, and a deadpan voice that somehow attracted the ladies.
Jasper could insult someone directly to their face, and they would just blush and get all tongue tied. I had seen it happen in real time. A girl was flirting with him, and used a bad pick-up line, which was something along the lines of, “Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?”
He laughed, and her eyes brightened. She giggled along with him, nudging her friends.
But he wasn't laughing with her. I saw the gleam in his eye.
He was laughing at her.
Still laughing, Jasper plonked her milk latte down so hard half of it spewed out.
And, with that exact same charming smile, he deadpanned, “Did it hurt when you dropped out of a drainpipe?”
Yeah, my colleague was blessed with good looks.
Otherwise, he would have been punched in the face by now.
Presently, he was being his usual asshole self. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
The woman shook her head, pulling a face.
Jasper had, essentially, ruined her drink. It was more cream than coffee.
When she left the store, I situated myself in front of him when he was counting cash. “What were you just looking at?” I nodded to the guy’s phone sticking out of his pocket. “Was it like… a dating thing you were on?”
Jasper didn't even look at me, his lip curling.
“That's kinda rude,” he hummed, “I don't peek at your phone.”
“Esme Hope.” Was all I could hiss out. “Was she on that dating app?”
My colleague proceeded to stare at me like I'd grown a second head, before his half lidded gaze flicked behind me. Jasper’s expression brightened.
“Oh, Hanna is calling me!” He said, choking out a laugh. Hanna was not calling him. She was in the break room getting high. Jasper slowly backed away, maintaining his smile. “I'll be back in a sec, all right?” He grabbed that same carton of milk with a grin. “Don't you just love when your milk stays fresh?”
“What?”
“Fresh milk!” He grinned. “Mulberry Farm’s finest.”
Jasper was darting away before I could coerce a sentence.
After work, I texted Esme as usual. She was my ride on Fridays.
Esme didn't reply.
I texted her again, a little more panicked.
Hey, are you okay?”
When I called her, an automated voice told me she wasn't available.
Already feeling sick to my stomach, I drove to her place myself. I could see the flashing lights before anything else, blurred red and blue sending my thoughts into a whirlwind. It took me ten minutes to muster the courage to jump out of my car, and ask a pale looking deputy what was going on.
I tried to jump over the yellow tape, only to be politely pulled back.
“Carbon monoxide poisoning,” the deputy told me. “The whole family is dead.” he sighed. “Mom, Dad, and their daughter in college.” I think he was trying to be sympathetic, awkwardly patting me. But I was already on my knees, all of the breath dragged from my lungs. “Luckily, it's just like going to sleep. Monoxide is a silent killer.”
Monoxide is a silent killer.
Was that the same as, “I'm sorry. Ben was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
And, “Alex was silently suffering. He did what he thought was best.”
I didn't go to Esme’s funeral. Mom and Dad and Will had already forgotten her, just like the others. What I did do, several days later, when her name wasn't even a memory anymore– I bought flowers from the store. Roses were Esme’s favourite.
The seller was around my Mom’s age, a plump looking woman wearing a floral dress, long red hair tied into a ponytail. She was on her phone, humming to a tune on the radio.
The Smiths.
“I hope she likes them.” The woman said, wrapping the flowers in red ribbons. She had a strong southern accent that immediately annoyed me.
I took the roses, stuffing them in my bag. “What did you say?”
The seller cocked her head. “Hmm?”
“How did you know they were for my girlfriend?”
The woman sighed, placing her phone on the counter. I glanced at whatever she'd been so interested in, but the screen was faced down. “Esme came in here a lot,” Her lips broke out into a sad, sympathetic smile. I was quickly growing sick of them.
“Esme. She, uh, she told me you guys were dating,” She smiled, “Esme was always buying roses for her room. Sometimes she would stand in here for hours, and just stare at flowers. I think she found comfort in them.” The woman sighed, fixing me with what I could only describe as a pitiful pout.
Urgh.
“I hope you can find the same comfort,” she murmured. The seller handed me an extra rose, and I found myself reaching out for it, my eyes stinging. Fuck.
I hadn't cracked in at least fifteen hours, and that was a record. But now I could feel myself splintering, tears trickling down my cheeks. The Flower lady squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. If it makes you feel better, it's just like going to sleep. Monoxide is a silent killer.” Her words were familiar.
Exactly what the deputy said. Before I could speak, she dumped weed killer on the counter. “Did you know our plant killer is ten dollars ninety nine?”
Her sudden bout of energy took me off guard.
I tried to smile. “I don't want any plant killer.”
The seller nodded, handing me another rose. “Oh, of course, Darling! But it is five ninety nine! Just for today!”
Something pricked me, and I hissed out, wafting my hand.
Damn thorns. I could already see a single spot of blood.
I nodded, sucking my teeth against a cry. “Thanks. But I'll skip it this time.”
I took the roses to what used to be Esme’s grave. Now, it was an empty headstone with no name, no memories, no flowers, nothing. Just like Alex and Ben, Esme had been reduced to dirt under my feet. I stayed at her ‘grave’ for a long time, long enough for the sky to grow dark, and my thoughts darker. I tried to find a logical explanation for the sudden deaths of the people I got close to, but all I could think of was a curse.
So, I started googling curses, leaning against Esme’s headstone, my knees to my chest. Had I been cursed?
Was my family cursed?
According to Google, a cursed object connected with the curse itself.
Which could be anything. Though I didn't remember visiting any ancient ruins, or an old church. With zero answers, I headed home. I passed a guy playing The Smiths in his car. Then a group of older women wearing ripped fishnets.
Esme was following me. Just like Alex’s smell. Fresh coffee and rich chocolate.
Ben’s cologne filled my car last summer. His favourite band was playing all day on our local music station. I drove around with no destination, listening to each one on repeat, until I was losing him all over again.
The sweet aroma of flowers followed me all the way home, and I was tipsy on the smell, when I found myself face to face with a boy. Under the overexposed streetlight, this guy was almost ethereal, thick brown hair and freckles.
He reminded me of Ben. Which wasn't fair. I thought I was hallucinating him, before he came closer, bleeding from the shadow. I saw more of him, white strips of something wrapped around his head.
Wrong.
The word slammed into me when I glimpsed his clothes. Filthy. The guy was wearing a white button down, a single streak of bright red ingrained into the material. His white pants were torn, glued to his legs.
He was barefoot, the soles of his feet slapping on wet concrete.
I didn't realize he was in front of me, nose to nose, until he shoved me. Hard.
“Josie.” His voice was a whimper, despite his narrowed eyes, his lips twisted into a scowl. He was crying, and had been crying, every heaving son sputtering from his mouth. The boy shoved me again, and I staggered. His ice cold breath grazed my cheeks. “What the fuck did you do to my sister?”
“Sister?” I whispered.
Something wet landed on my cheek, suddenly.
Rain.
I wasn't expecting a downpour. The weather was forecasted to be clear.
To my surprise, the guy let out a harsh sounding laugh. The two of us were slowly getting drenched, but neither of us were making a move to get out of the rain. My hair was glued to the back of my neck, my clothes sticking to me.
But somehow, I wanted to stay in the rain. It was refreshing.
When a thought hit me, telling me to get out of the rain, it was shoved to the back of my mind. The guy spat water out of his mouth, shaking his head like a dog.
“Of course,” he muttered, “Drown me out with the rain.”
I found my voice, my gaze glued to intense red seeping through the bandage stapled to his head. He looked like he’d escaped an emergency room. “I don't know anyone called Josie,” I said, “I think you've got the wrong person.”
The guy’s eyes narrowed. He stepped closer, grabbing my shoulders, and I noticed how hollow his eyes were, empty caverns carved into his skull. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and this guy was completely soulless. “I'm only going to say this once,” he whispered, “What did you do to my sister?”
Before I could respond, the guy was being violently grabbed, and dragged back.
Figures who appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
“Let me go!” He cried out, struggling. “You fucking assholes! Let me go!”
His screaming became muffling, when his cries were gagged.
“You promised!” He yelled, his cries collapsing into a sob. “You said if you took me, she wouldn't get hurt! So, where is she?” he met my gaze, his expression crumpling, something inside him coming apart, splintering by the seams. “You can't take both of us, this wasn't in the agreement!” When he was dragged further back, I noticed a car parked at the side of the road.
The boy was pulled inside. At first, he refused, before an extra pair of hands shoved him. “You fucking– mmmphmmhphmmm!”
I heard his fists slamming into the windows.
“Don't take me back there! Please! Just let Josie–” His cries once again collapsed into angry muffle screaming, and I felt my hands moving towards my pocket for my phone. This was a kidnapping, right? I was witnessing a kidnapping in broad fucking daylight.
A shadow was suddenly in front of me, and I jumped, tearing my eyes from the car. Jasper, my colleague. He was still wearing his apron, and to my confusion, was swinging a carton of whole milk.
“Sorry, Bree,” He winked, speaking in a single breath. “As you can see, our friend here had a little too much to drink.”
I nodded, craning my neck. Jasper stepped in front of me, maintaining a grin.
“Who is he?” This time, I side-stepped away from him, only for him to copy.
“Just a guy.” He said. “As you can see, he's a little…” Jasper prodded his right temple. “Let's just say he's got a few too many screws loose.” Jasper laughed, staying stock still, blocking my way.
When I made a move to counter him, he stepped in front of me, his eyes hardening. “I heard he lost his family a while ago in a…” He pretended to think. “Oh, yeah, a car crash. Maybe a gas explosion, I’m not really sure.”
I could hear the car behind him, and once again I tried to dart past him. But he was quick to block my way. He was getting closer to me, very subtly backing me in the opposite direction.
“Anyway, this guy is kiiiiind of nuts. Dude still thinks he's got a sister.”
When I lost patience and shoved him out of the way, the car, and the guy, was gone.
“See?” Jasper rolled his eyes. He was still holding milk from work. My head spun. It was 8pm, we were in a suburban neighbourhood, and Jasper was holding half a pint of milk. His apron was stained with coffee, and when I really looked at him, I realized he was out of breath.
He was doing a good job of hiding it, exhaling in intervals, swiping at his forehead to clear sweat. When I noticed, he pretended to run his hands through his hair. “I, uh, I feel for him! Like, I'm sorry his family died, or whatever, but attacking random girls isn't cool, y’know?”
Instead of replying, I stumbled home. It was sunny.
At 8pm.
And when I took notice, I wasn't even wet.
Esme was my last straw. I made a promise to myself to not get close to anyone. The guys and girls I met were friends, and nothing more. Weirdly enough, the only guy I was getting close to was my colleague. I don't know if it was brain damage, or I was finally losing the plot.
But Jasper’s shameless cruelty towards customers, and that quirk in his lips when he made them cry, was kind of hot.
However, he was playing hard to get.
And I mean REALLY playing.
I was in storage trying to find vegan milk, and he was suddenly a fucking expert, spewing milk facts.
When I slammed the refrigerator door shut, he was inches from my face.
In the dim light from a single spluttering bulb, his eyes reminded me of coffee grounds. I thought maybe he was going to kiss me, judging from his softening expression. I felt his hands go around my waist, and I felt myself immediately melt.
I don't know what came over me. It's like, one minute I hated him, and the next… I was suddenly hot. Really hot. And I really wanted to take my clothes off. I thought that's what he wanted to do too.
I mean, his gaze followed mine, piercing, fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt. Before he leaned forward, his breath in my face.
“Did you know that Mulberry Farms is an award winning brand of milk?”
And suddenly, I was no longer hot and bothered.
“I didn't.” I said, ducking into a crouch to search the shelves. “Have you seen our vegan milk? We did have some.”
“Three time winner,” Jasper continued. When I jumped up, he stepped closer, and I felt my cheeks spark. His smile was rare. In fact, Jasper was only smiling when he was talking about milk.
“Mulberry Farms have the best pasteration. It's suitable for everything! Coffee, cereal, or maybe you just want a glass of fresh milk to yourself! Perfect for kids, too! Breakfast time is Mulberry Farms.”
“Are you having a stroke?” I whisper-shrieked.
“Nope!”
Jasper twisted around, shooting me a grin.
I left the storage, however, with butterflies in my gut.
There was no way I was falling for my asshole colleague.
Somehow, though, I was.
Just standing next to him filled me with electricity.
The way he talked down to customers, insulting me to my face… I was thoroughly, and disgustingly, in love.
I tried to stop myself.
I showered in ice cold water.
I ate (choked on) a ghost pepper.
I even asked my BROTHER for advice, who told me to go for it.
I told him Jasper had one (of several) flaws, but this particular one was off-putting.
“He’s obsessed with milk.” I told my brother.
Harry lifted a brow. “Is that a euphemism, or…”
He paused, for way longer than necessary. “So, your would-be-boyfriend has a milk fetish?”
I left his room before he could take that conversation further.
I wanted to say Jasper was the only one who acted weird.
But over the next few weeks, I noticed it in quite a few people.
I was having breakfast with Mom, and she lifted up the box.
“Choco Flakes.” She blurted, “Aren't they just the best?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah, Mom. They're great.”
I prodded the box with a smile. “Only a dollar ninety nine.”
There were so many townspeople on their phones. They walked around with groceries or briefcases, their eyes glued to whatever they were swiping through.
I was serving an old woman, when I caught her phone screen.
I could have sworn there was an image of Jasper.
She swiped right, and I had a hard time looking her in the eye.
The woman was at least in her 80’s. And I'm talking, can barely walk, and needs assistance.
Was she seriously hitting up 25 year old guys?
Walking home, everyone was on their phones.
I stopped at a crossing, stabbing the red light.
It started to snow the second I stepped out onto the road, white flakes dancing in front of me. It didn't even cross my mind that it was almost June. The snow was pretty, accumulating on the ground.
“Oh shit, sorry!”
Lifting my head, a guy was standing in front of me holding an umbrella.
I knew him.
But not from whatever was trying to pollute my mind.
I knew him from a while ago. I knew him from the rain. I knew the bloody bandages wrapped around his head, and soulless, seething eyes I couldn't understand. It was the boy who was dragged away three months prior.
He looked different, his hair was shorter, his face carved into a thing of beauty.
The white strips of gauze bleeding scarlet were gone, his filthy clothes replaced with a white shirt and pants, a trench coat flung over the top. I didn't remember him being this handsome. His dark brown hair had been tamed and curled.
It was his expression that sent shivers sliding down my spine.
His too wide smile and unblinking eyes made me suddenly conscious of two bright lights on the two of us.
So bright.
Something shattered in my mind, and I was aware of a lot of things.
The snow under my feet was too soft.
I glimpsed a single streak of red seeping from his nose, his hands trembling around a takeout coffee cup.
Behind me, people were staring. I could see a group of teenage girls giggling.
“It's him,” one of them squeaked. “It's the new love interest!”
“Bree?” His grin widened, snowflakes prancing around us. His teeth gritted together. I could tell he hated every word. “Holy shit, long time no see!”
He held out his hand, and I could see visible pain contorting in his eyes.
Help me. He was screaming through a twinkling smile.
“Don't you remember me? It's… it's uh, it's Sam!” he laughed. “From eighth grade!”
The lights blinked out, and the thought crashed into my mind. Static images filling my head. I shook them away.
Oh, yeah, it was Sam.
My childhood friend.
But I didn't reply. Instead of saying, “Sam? It's been so long!” I found myself walking, stumbling over to the girls.
Who were rapidly swiping left on their phones.
“What's that?” I demanded in a sharp breath.
I grabbed for the phone, only for Sam to step in front of me. He settled me with a smile.
Behind me, one of the girls fainted.
Sam’s smile didn't waver. Though he did side-eye the girl being carried away. “Why don't I take you out for coffee?”
Apparently, coffee was the code word for hooking up.
Sam dragged me into the nearest coffee store, straight to the bathroom.
When he shoved me into a stall, I didn't know what to say.
“Take off your shoes,” he said in a hiss, and after hesitating, I did.
Sam pulled off his jacket, shook snow out of his hair, and got real close.
“Look up.” He murmured.
I did, my gaze finding the ceiling.
“To your right, a camera is very well hidden, but can be seen with the naked eye if you catch what looks like a red laser,” Sam said. “To your left, another camera, as well as a vent that is currently pumping the stalls with aphrodisiacs. And right now, we are in the red zone. Meaning, you should be conscious.”
He prodded me, and I flinched.
“Mostly conscious.”
His words went right over my head, my mind was foggy.
I couldn't think straight.
I think I asked him what he was saying, but my mouth was filled with cotton.
“Snap out of it,” he said, “Like I said, they're making you feel like this.”
He shoved me against the door, which broke me out of my trance. Slightly.
“I hate what I'm going to say right now,” Sam groaned, tipping his head back. He was sweating, I noticed. Bad. I glimpsed beads of red pooling down his neck. He noticed me staring. “I'm okay, for now. I’m faulty, so the connection is severed. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I…think.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Sex.” He said, blinking rapidly. I wasn't going to comment on his slurring voice.
Sam stumbled, fresh blood dripping from his nose.
“We need to do the sex. Like…” His eyes rolled into the back of his head, but he managed to stabilise himself. “Nooooow.”
“What?!”
“Is everything okay in there?”
The voice was a woman. She knocked on the stall.
Sam’s eyes widened, coming back to life a little. “They're paranoid,” he whispered. When I could only stare at him, he pounded his fists into the door. “They think we’re fucking,” he hissed, “So, we need to make it believable.”
“They?” I mouthed.
He didn't reply, swiping at his haemorrhaging nose. “Just… move around against the door. That'll fool ‘em.”
I did, doing my best to shuffle around, slamming my back against the lock.
When the metal clanged, he shot me a look. “Sex!” He hissed, “Not murder!”
Sam jumped onto the toilet bowl. There was an open window above him.
“That's enough.” He mouthed, hoisting his way through.
He helped me through, and I expected to land on concrete.
What I did land on, however, was something… squishy.
Something wet sliding between my bare toes.
Looking closer, I recognised the beaded anklet.
Fishnet tights.
Something animalistic clawed from my throat. I was standing on Esme. Or what was left of Esme. She was just a torso and legs, the rest of her ripped away like doll pieces. I couldn't see her face. I looked for it, digging through what could only be old flesh and pieces of limbs.
I felt suffocated. I grabbed half of Ben’s face that had been ripped off, and then Alex’s tattooed arm. There was so much of them, piles and piles of the same heads, the same filthy and rotting clothes. I was screaming by the time I shuffled back on my hands and knees, trying to wipe them off of my skin.
They were all over me, staining me, painting me.
Sam’s hand slick with blood gently covered my mouth.
“Stay calm, all right?” He whispered. “I would tell you everything is going to be okay, but the truth is, it's really not, there's like, a 99.9% chance you're going to… understandably freak out.”
He pulled me to my feet, letting out a heavy breath.
Blinking rapidly, I could only see… pieces.
Pieces of people.
Legs and heads and torsos all piled into one mass of gore.
“We’ve got maybe five minutes before they realize we’re not doing the devil's dance,” Sam sniffled, “Maybe ten, before my brain short circuits and I bleed out.”
I didn't know I was hyperventilating, until I couldn't fucking breathe.
Closer towards the door, and I could hear… machinery.
I couldn't stop myself. Even when I was aware I was standing in congealing blood.
Rotten bodies.
The dim light led me into what could only be described as a factory. There were three levels, and we were on the highest. Sam stepped forward, gripping the metal bar in front of us. I felt my legs buckling, a thick, pukey slime filling my mouth.
“Soo, I guess it all started when Brianna Timberman was seventeen years old, and rejected by her childhood best friend, Sam Thwaites.”
Sam’s words collapsed into a low buzzing in my ear.
All I could see was a conveyer belt, filled with… people.
Boys.
Girls.
But most noticeably, Ben’s, Alex’s, Esme’s, and Sam’s.
But they start as Ben’s, Alex's, and Esme’s.
I could see regular people, their hair stripped away.
Their skin sliced into, cruelly moulding them into the exact same four faces.
When a large looming needle plunged into the back of an Alex’s head, I couldn't not watch. I waited for the guy to wake up, but I don't even think he was alive.
He stood, unblinking, letting this thing twist and contort his face. And it was then, when I realized these things weren't even human. I could see the mechanics built under their flesh, both living tissue and metal melded together. “Brianna’s father, who is a liiiitle on the crazy side, with too much cash and not not enough logic, took his daughter’s rejection a little too personally,” Sam continued.
“So, he promised his daughter he would find her the perfect match.”
I started to speak, the words coming out before I could stop them.
“My father would never–”
“I didn't say it was your father,” Sam said. His eyes darkened. “Anyway, as I was saying, the townspeople became unhealthily obsessed with who Brianna would choose. So obsessed, in fact, that the girl’s day to day life was broadcasted across town, while her potential love interests were ranked, week after week. First, there was Ben.”
Sam’s smile thinned. “Her high school boyfriend.”
Sam shrugged. “She grew bored of him. Also, he kinda did something unforgivable.”
He continued. “Then… Alex. She liked him, but sometimes, he was a little too unserious. The guy was a clown.”
I backed away, but he was quick to grab my shoulders.
“Finally? Esme. Who she truly fell for.”
I swallowed. “Esme is–”
He cut me off. “But I didn't mention that they hurt her, did I?”
Sam leaned against the bar. Behind him, I could see a figure in white pushing a gurney with a Ben strapped to it. “Ben tried to rape her, insisting she wanted it. Alex dumped her on her birthday. Esme ended their relationship with a one word text. Goodbye.” Sam mimed an explosion. “That was the nail in the coffin.”
I caught blood sliding down his nose. “You're still bleeding.”
Sam gingerly prodded his nose.
“Urgh. Yeah, it's an effect of the severing. I've been in the red zone too long. I should probably speed this up.”
He talked faster, his voice collapsing into a mumbled slur.
“Brianna couldn't take it. Her best friend was ignoring her. Everyone she had fallen in love with hurt her. Esme wasn't returning her calls. Ben was sleeping around right in front of her, and Alex was still being a clown. Brianna’s poor parents found her hanging from her bedroom ceiling fan.”
I shook my head, my thoughts screaming.
“No–”
He held a finger up to shush me. “Let me talk. Jeez.”
Sam folded his arms. “A grieving father would do anything to avenge his dead child, buuut… Mr Timberman took ‘finding a perfect match’ and ‘the show must go on’ a little bit too literally.”
His sickly smile found me. “Which also means going stark fucking crazy. The town wanted more of Brianna, and her life, so he turned his daughter’s failed love life into a town wide TV show, sending the entire teen and young adult populace into here,” he gestured around him. “To make the perfect suitors. Who wouldn't hurt his new Brianna.”
Something ice cold crept down my spine.
He cleared his throat. “Mr Timberman grew, let's say, obsessed, with getting revenge on these specific four people. So, he started killing them–” He coughed.
“Sorry. Us. Killing us for the funny ha-ha, ‘Look at how many times I can fuck with them!’ bit. And then recycling us into someone completely different. Our names are gone. Then our personalities. Finally, our bodies ripped to pieces and sculpted into Brianna’s exes.” Sam poked me in the cheek.
“The cycle continues. They reset your ticker and the town eats it up. They can bring back Esme, Ben, and Alex whenever they want and add curveballs. Like the bad-boy colleague who becomes the fan favorite.” Sam’s lips curved. “For… some fucking reason.”
His eyes flickered open. “However, Brianna will never find a suitor because her father is a fucking sociopath. To him and the town, his dead daughter’s pathetic love life is entertainment.”
He held out his arm.
“See?”
I tried really hard not to look through the makeup.
At noticeable skin grafts.
“I was a Ben.” He said. “Then I was an Alex, and then I was an extra.” His eyes found mine, sad, suddenly. “But who I was originally is kinda gone. All I remember is a deal to protect Josie. I gave myself up so they wouldn't take her.”
“Your sister.” I said.
Sam nodded.
His earlier words hit me. He was talking like Brianna Timberman was dead.
But I was Brianna Timberman.
I was rejected by Sam, yes, but I found Ben.
As if he could read my mind, Sam shook his head.
“Look at yourself.” He said, his voice shaking.
“And I mean really look at yourself.”
Sam stepped closer.
“Because, underneath all of that make-up and the prosthetics and surgery, and fucked up memories, you're just another recycled lump of flesh.” He prodded my temple. “Who thinks she is Brianna Timberman.”
His voice was slurring again, a fresh stream of scarlet seeping down his chin.
“Don't you want to know?” His eyes rolled to pearly whites.
Before he could finish his sentence, Sam dropped to the ground.
I remember warm arms grasping hold of me.
Shadows with no faces.
They pricked me twice in the back of my neck.
A familiar voice in my ear, almost a hiss.
Jasper.
“You are the worst fucking Brianna.”
When I came to, I was standing up, somehow.
At work.
I am Brianna Timberman.
The thought floated around in my head, my memory hazy.
“Hello?!”
A man was waving his hands in front of me.
“I asked for iced coffee, lady!”
Jasper was serving another customer. “Bree, wake the fuck up.”
They were trying to make me think I was hallucinating.
Which was crazy, because my fingernails were still tinted with Sam’s blood.
The marks he'd left on my wrist when he was yanking me, were still there.
Bruised on my arm.
“Bree!” Jasper snapped. “Snap out of it and make the dude his drink.”
“Right.”
The word slipped out of my mouth.
He caught my eye, winking, and Brianna Timberman internally squeaked.
I half wondered what he was. Was he recycled, or an unwilling performer?
Throughout the day, I was fully aware my words were not mine.
Like I was on autopilot.
But not just that.
My thoughts weren't mine, either.
I spent half of my shift staring at my colleague’s biceps.
During my break, I went into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror.
I am Brianna Timberman.
But even when I told myself that, my eyes were too blue.
My smile was too perfect.
My teeth.
Too white.
My shaking hands prodded at my face, at someone else's face.
So many faces, so many skin grafts.
The thought was violent, sending tremors through me.
How many people was I wearing?
I started to claw at my arms and legs, my face.
How many fucking people had I been?
I grabbed a knife and tried to slice at my face.
But there was no blood.
How could there be no blood?!
When I got home, I found my family waiting for me.
Mom, Dad and Harry, all of them beaming.
“Bree!” Mom stood up, her lips stretching into a grin.
My mouth was already moving, but they were not my words.
“Mom!”
I didn't know why she was smiling so much, until I saw Sam sitting at our dining room table. His smile was too big. His over-expensive shirt and pants did not suit him, and looked fucking gross, but somehow my brain thought it was hot. The worst part is, I couldn't and still can't tell which Sam he was.
Was he the guy who told me the horrific reality of my existence?
Or was he another recycled, mindless suitor?
“This is Samuel.” Mom said, and Sam slowly stood.
He took slow steps towards me, and kissed my hand.
I saw the slightest smudge of scarlet, but his eyes were blank.
In the corner of my eye, my ‘father’s’ eyes were glittering.
“Hello, Brianna.” Sam said, and I swore Now that I was awake, the walls were wolf-whistling. Laughing.
Ooohhhhhhhhh!”
My town is a blip on the map.
We’re so small, so insignificant, not even a Google search will find us.
I keep thinking if I tear at my skin, I will find who I am underneath. But I'm so fucking scared. I don't bleed. I don't think who I was still exists under so many layers. But even if this is just a cry into the void, please help us.
I don't want to be Brianna Timberman.

To start off, I am a 20-year-old male living in Virginia and have never been in legal trouble. I have no criminal history whatsoever. I am unfamiliar with the law, and the occurrence I am about to delve into has made it clear that I have much to learn. The entire situation is still ongoing and seems very shady to me. I'm at a loss as to what my next move should be and am hoping for advice.
Three months ago, I went to a public park early in the morning to jog on the track they have there. Before leaving, I used the bathroom and went on my way. A few hours later, a cop showed up at my house, asking me what I knew about vandalism that took place at the said park, to which I said no. He went on to say that there was graffiti in the bathroom, as well as a broken urinal divider, and that he knew I did it.
Every morning someone unlocks the bathroom, and according to them, it was all clear, and the cameras show that I was the only person to use the bathroom before the vandalism was reported. I told him that I didn’t see any graffiti and that the urinal divider was already broken when I got in there. Anyone could have missed it if they did a quick check because the graffiti was on the ceiling and the urinal divider was still attached to the wall. He, of course, did not believe me.
He asked to search my car for a red marker because that's what was used for the graffiti, which I allowed, but I refused to let him search my room. He said he would continue his investigation and get back to me that week, then left. We went to the park bathroom to take a look at the graffiti, which had already been removed, and there were workers there fixing the urinal divider. They told us that this was a recurring situation.
He never did get back with me, so I figured they dropped it due to lack of evidence until one day, a month later, the cop stopped me in my car. I was pulling out of the road leading to my home when he pulled up and blocked my path (he didn't turn on his lights). He then walked up to me and told me there was a warrant out for my arrest. I laughed in disbelief. He had a summons to court and told me I had to sign it or he would arrest me right then and there. I was being charged for a damaged urinal divider, and there was no mention of the graffiti. I told him I'm not going to sign it until I talk to someone and figure out what's going on, to which he responded by calling in for backup. Two more cops pulled up and surrounded me, preparing to pull me out of my vehicle, so I signed the paper agreeing to show up in court.
A few weeks later, I arrived at court, where I was appointed an attorney. We talked briefly, and she said she 100% believes me, and we’d be pleading not guilty. She told me to give her a call if I had any questions, and I left the court, with my next court date being about a month later. I planned to use this time to see if I could acquire any information that might help my case. I went to the town office where I live and asked if they keep logs of who unlocks the bathroom on a particular morning. I ended up talking to the head worker, who told me he’d look back at the cameras to figure it out and get back to me.
I also ran into the cop investigating me and had spoken to him for a minute. I asked if he still thought it was me and he of course said yes. I asked him if it was a 90-year-old man on camera if he’d be pursuing him and he said yes and that it was nothing personal against me. I told him I didn't believe him. He also changed his story and said that the urinal divider was completely off the wall, which is untrue. After that he tried shaking my hand which I refused (this may be petty) and went on my way.
In the days while I was waiting for the town office to get back to me, I talked to a police officer who came into my place of work, and I told him about the situation, which, to my surprise, he was already queued in on. He told me he was actually the officer who had locked the bathroom the night before the incident. He said that he had noticed a soap dispenser had been ripped off the wall, and when I asked him about the graffiti and urinal divider, he said, “I honestly didn’t pay enough attention to say one way or another.” He also told me that the officer investigating me used him as evidence, even though they had never communicated about it. He also said he wanted his comments off the record, but I planned on having my lawyer subpoena him.
The head town worker I talked to never got back to me, so I went in again a few weeks later, about a week before my scheduled court date. This time he told me he was instructed not to get involved and that he couldn’t give me a name. He also told me something happened to his computer, and he could no longer access the footage. This was a massive red flag for me. I asked if the police department still had the footage, and he said they should, so my next plan was to go talk to them, which I have yet to do. I told my lawyer about the situation and asked her if I should keep pressing them for the name of the worker so we could subpoena him, and she said yes.
A day or two later, someone asked me if I had a discovery that would contain the prosecutor's evidence against me. I figured it would also contain the name of the worker who unlocked the bathroom. I asked my lawyer how we would go about obtaining that, and she seemed to get offended. She replied by saying, “Will you please let me do my job? If you aren’t satisfied with me, you can have another lawyer appointed to represent you, or you can hire an attorney.” I didn’t expect that kind of response and simply apologized and told her I didn’t know what a discovery was until that day and thought it would have the name of the worker I was trying to get. After that, she said she just had a meeting with the Commonwealth attorney, and my court date was postponed until July 1st. This is frustrating for me because I am very busy over the summer, and this whole ordeal is adding a lot of stress to me that I just want to get done and over with.
A few days ago, following this conversation with my lawyer, I got a call from the court saying she had dropped my case and that I needed to come in the next day to get another lawyer appointed. I told her I was unable to come as I’d be busy, so we scheduled it for this coming Wednesday. Her dropping the case has made this even stranger and more stressful to me. I'm considering hiring a lawyer, but I really don't have the money.
I have been racking my brains trying to figure out why they are pinning it on me in the first place. I think it’s worth mentioning that a year ago I had an altercation with this same cop who came up to me and some friends at the same park. A friend of mine was lifting a picnic table like it was gym equipment, and the cop was very nasty and spoke to us like we were criminals. So I told him back then that I didn’t like his attitude and didn’t want to identify myself (I did end up identifying myself). He confirmed to me that he does remember that happening, so I believe that may be part of the reason he’s targeting me. I also have long hair, so it’s possible I'm being profiled. Anyone who knows me knows that vandalizing a bathroom is the last thing I’d do. I said to the cop when he pulled me over with the warrant that I'm a believer in God and have more integrity than he does, and that this is the last thing I’d do. I also told him that I didn’t like him and think he’s incredibly unprofessional. I also asked for a supervisor, and he said that he was the supervisor (he’s a corporal), which I told him was terrifying. Looking back on it, I probably said more than I should have.
That about sums it up. Does anyone else find any of this fishy or have any advice? Should I go to the police department and try and continue trying to get the workers name? Should I have not said certain things? Any help would be highly appreciated!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
The conversation with my dad about King Creole was the most heated I’ve ever had. Just mentioning his name to my dad was enough to send him into shock. He demanded to know where I had heard that name. I had to tell him everything about what had happened to me and my friends. About how we had been breaking into places to steal valuables and how it had all gone wrong the moment we entered the voodoo store.
“I can’t believe this,” my dad said as he buried his face into his hands and let out a shaky exhale. I didn’t know what to do as I watched my dad tear up. I rubbed my arm as he began to cry into his hands. I didn’t know if it was because his daughter had been reduced to robbing places to help keep us off the street or that both of us were now under the control of a psychopathic voodoo man.
“I’m sorry Dad…” I said as I left him to digest the knowledge I just dumped on him. I left out the part where I had been stabbed in the neck and nearly killed. I figured he could handle only so much terrible news. His deal with Creole was for a better-paying job and he had just been called for the opportunity to enter the management of one of the only remaining manufacturing plants left in town. Then I had to come and rain on his parade.
But knowing Creole, there had to be some kind of horrible strings attached to this wish granting. Nothing was ever straightforward with him. And as I pulled out the contract I signed with him I quickly began to realize that while this document guaranteed my dad and mom’s lives, it didn’t guarantee mine. Or for that matter, it didn’t guarantee their lives if something happened to me. In my fury and panic over my dad having made a deal with Creole I hadn’t been able to think clearly. Maybe I should’ve hired a lawyer to help me look over this thing.
While I was lamenting my lack of legal representation as if on cue, my phone began to ring. I already knew who it was and I didn’t want to answer it. But then I would have to explain to my dad who the undead bellboy was who had just shown up at our door looking for me. So begrudgingly I reached out and picked up the phone to answer it.
“My marvelous Mace! Could you come on over to the shop? Seems we have an issue that you need to help resolve.” Creole’s cheery southern voice was enough to make me want to punch a hole into my bedroom wall. I didn’t even bother answering him, simply grunting in reply and hanging up on him. If he wasn’t going to even be paying me for all this he was going to get the bare minimum of effort from me.
Bringing my usual items of lockpicking, a new can of pepper spray, and my phone, I applied more ointment to my invisible scar and headed downstairs. My dad was still at the kitchen table, staring forlornly at the table as I wordlessly left the house. I’m sure he could figure out where I was going, so it didn’t matter if I told him or not.
Walking down the street I was again lost in my mind thinking about how screwed I was. I was so focused I didn’t even realize that a limo had pulled up alongside me. And it wasn’t until some unseen force yanked me inside that I did realize that. Before I had a chance to reach into my pocket for my pepper spray, it was yanked away by an unseen slimy force. I couldn’t even let out a scream because that same slimy force quickly covered my mouth and filled my nostrils with a noxious and horrible odor.
“I’d rather not have you pepper spray me again, woman.” The familiar voice told me as my eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness inside the limo. As my eyes adjusted, the sallow face of Constantine Sinclair stared back at me with nothing but disgust in his exhausted eyes. I felt something heavy lean onto my shoulder and looked over to see the skeletal face of his shadow creature staring back at me with its pure white eyes.
“I’ll make this quick, the less time I spend here the better,” he said as he reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a cigar. I half expected him to pull out a gun and whack me like a mob boss or something. Instead, he calmly produced a cigar cutter and snipped the end off of his stogie. “Why were you in my mansion? More importantly, what were you doing with files concerning my mother?” he asked as he placed the cigar in his mouth. His shadow monster slithered away from me and removed its hand from my mouth. It then suddenly produced a match and lit the cigar of its master for him.
“Creole sent me there to gather them. I don’t exactly know why,” I told him, doing my best to not gag from the double whammy of the rotting smell of the shadow and now the cigar smoke. Sinclair huffed and blew out a bluish plume of smoke into the dimly lit limo. I wanted so badly to roll down the window but I figured that he had them child-proofed in the back.
“As I figured. Asshole was trying to get leverage over me,” he said as he took a drag from his cigar. He wasn’t focusing on me, but his shadow kept a close eye on me, its pure white eyes keeping an obsessive watch over me. “And I take it that you work for him now?” Sinclair asked after a moment more of thought.
“Unfortunately,” I answered, he nodded again and looked to his shadow who suddenly got a disappointed look on its face. “What are you going to do to me?” I asked him after a moment. I thought that maybe if he didn’t let me go I could use my tools for lockpicking as some sort of weapon if he tried something. But I doubted that I could fist-fight a weird goopy shadow monster.
“Nothing. For now. But if you ever set foot on my property ever again, I won’t hesitate to feed you to him.” His shadow unhinged its jaw and produced a gaping maw at me that sent a shiver up my spine. I wanted so badly to just be away from him. “And tell your boss, to keep his disgusting undead hands off of my property as well.” He shooed me away and on that cue, the doors to the limo unlocked. I quickly exited the limo and put as much distance as possible between me and him.
“Oh, one more thing,” he said as the window rolled down. I looked back and was suddenly hit in the forehead by the can of pepper spray. I let out a pained grunt and rubbed my forehead as the limo slowly drove away. I bent over and picked up the spray and watched as his limo slowly faded into the distance.
“Fucking asshole,” I mumbled as I shoved the pepper spray back into my pocket and continued on my way to the voodoo shop. A part of me wished that Sinclair’s shadow had eaten me. Because maybe then I wouldn’t have to do whatever it was that Creole was going to send me on. But I had a family to protect so I sucked in as much air as I could and entered the store, the sad rusty bell signaling my arrival.
“Mace! Just the woman I was expecting,” Creole greeted me with giddy excitement. I offered him a little wave as I approached the register. I was surprised to see that Jacob wasn’t there and it made me a little sad not to see him waiting for me there. But I did my best to hide my contempt for Creole, afterall I couldn’t let him get bored of me already.“What have you got for me this time, sir?” I asked with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. Creole was ecstatic with my minimal amount of effort and he quickly sprang up from the chair and sauntered over to me, quickly wrapping an arm over me and pulling me close to him. Clearly, he still had no concept of personal space.
“Well as it turns out, we need to clean up a mess the two of us made! Turns out that version of you that crawled out of that lil ol’ mirror I had you get is causing some amount of issues. So I need you to go and deal with it!” He framed it like it was as simple as going to the gas station and picking up some snacks or something.
“How…am I supposed to kill that thing? And if I kill it…her? Will it kill me?” I asked him. Cause if that was the case I would rather have her roaming around than have the two of us dying.
“Excellent questions, Mace! First, this is how you’ll beat the creature.” He reached into his suit and pulled out a small little golden bell. I stared at him in confusion. How the hell was a bell supposed to save me? He rang the bell and we both waited a moment. Then suddenly Jacob popped up from behind the register, saluting like some kind of superbly dressed soldier.
“Be a good boy and bring the dagger, Jacob my boy,” Creole told the happy bellhop, who quickly nodded and practically skipped over to us and presented a dagger to Creole. It was a simple knife in a ceramic sheath. Nothing fancy about it, and if anything it seemed like some kind of prop that a crappy high school play would use.
“I have to get close to her?” I asked him as I took the knife with apprehension. I unsheathed it and was greeted with…a normal-looking dagger. How was this thing any better than a regular pocket knife? And for that matter how was this going to kill that version of me?
“Well, you got plenty close when you stared at the mirror. I’m sure you can deal with it no problem,” Creole said with a smile letting me go and walking over to Jacob. “If it makes you feel better Jacob will be going with you. If things get too bad I’m sure he’ll be of some help.” Creole chuckled walking back over to the register and sitting back down. “Well, y’all better get going. No telling what that other Mace is up to.” He shooed us away. I sighed as I resheathed the dagger and stuck it into my pocket.
Jacob led me back over to the entrance of the voodoo store and reached into his pocket to pull out another skeleton key. Inserting it into the keyhole and turning the lock we both stared and watched as the door warped into the shape of the hotel’s main entrance. When it was done, Jacob pulled the key back out and opened the door for me, I thanked him and entered the abandoned hotel.
Already within the first couple of steps, I could tell that the hotel had changed. the already pitch-black hotel had gotten even darker. And Creole had neglected to give me any source of light this time around. As I fumbled around I stepped on something wet and squishy. I instantly had a bad feeling and quickly reached into my pocket to pull my phone out. Turning the flashlight on I looked down at where my foot had stepped. I had stepped on what looked like intestines.
“Oh fuck me,” I shivered as I quickly turned my flashlight off. Something told me that the dark would be much better than knowing what else I could be stepping on. I fumbled for a bit more until I walked straight into the front desk and knocked over whatever was on it. Cursing in the dark I was suddenly illuminated by a source of light behind me. Turning I saw Jacob standing there with two actual flashlights in his hands.
“Thanks, Jacob,” I said with a tired smile. I walked over, making sure to ignore the squishy noises that came from every step I took toward him. I took the flashlight from him and he nodded with that permanent smile he always had. Seeing the front desk he happily skipped over to it and took his place behind it. I figured this was where he was going to stay while I went me hunting.
I began making my way towards the door to the stairs, glancing at every corner with my flashlight and shuddering at the stains of blood and meat chunks strewn about everywhere. I figured that this was the ‘issue’ that the mirror me was causing that needed to be dealt with. Creole probably didn’t have much jurisdiction out here in Pennsylvania so an evil monster version of me running around and killing people probably wouldn’t fly very well.
As I approached the stairwell door, I took a deep breath. I knew what smell awaited me on the other side of the door. With sufficient breath to ensure that I made it up a couple of flights of stairs and away from the smell, I opened the door and shone my flashlight into the pile of corpses waiting for me at the bottom. Now having expected them, I had a chance to examine them. And what I was met with confused me to no end. Most of the bodies were long and gangly, just like the version of me that had crawled out of the mirror.
I made a mental note of that and quickly rushed up the stairs to escape the smell. Once I was far enough up the stairs I started breathing again, only getting a slight hint of rot and decay. Every step I took toward the 11th floor echoed throughout the stairwell and I had to take several pauses. I could've sworn that something was following me up the stairs. It was the same as the first time I had been here in the hall, it felt like there was something following me.
It took me several minutes of stopping and starting to make it up the stairs to the 11th floor. In my mind, I figured that mirror me would be hanging around near where the mirror had been. And if not I would just have to go floor by floor. Arriving at last at the 11th floor I entered into the hallway and closed to door behind me, happy to leave those strange echoing footsteps behind me. But now I was just in a familiar hell. I shone my light in every direction that mirror me might be in. Slowly I started making my way through the halls stopping every few seconds for any possible sound that may have been my target.
“This sucks,” I whispered to myself as I pulled out the knife and held it out in front of me. I felt like some protagonist in a shitty horror movie, and I made damn sure to check behind me every moment I got. As I neared the scene of our first chase I saw that the damage that mirror me had done was still there, meaning that I didn’t have to go room by room looking for her. She’d have most likely broken into any room so that was a silver lining. A microscopic one, but it was one.
I shone my light into the room where the mirror had been and waited to see if there would be a reaction. There wasn’t one so I took a deep breath and stuck my head into the room. Satisfied that she wasn’t in there I turned to continue down the hallway. That was until I heard something. Like nails scraping across metal. I flashed my light in several directions in an attempt to figure out where it was coming from but to no avail. But this wasn’t like the steps, they didn’t stop after a while, they continued.
I started walking again and the sound continued to follow me. It sounded like it was right on top of me. And that gave me the idea. I slowly turned my light to the ceiling. And staring back at me were the crazed eyes of my mirror version. I let out a surprised scream at seeing her hanging from the ceiling. She was crawling like some sort of bug on the ceiling with her nails dug into the roof. Her head completely rotated around like a fucking owl to stare at me. And upon making eye contact with her she grinned at me with eyes that screamed murder. Her mouth was coated in dried blood and I could already tell what she wanted to do to me.
I wasted no time after discovering her than booking it towards the nearest room. She let out a haunting laugh which turned into a screech as she began chasing after me. There was going to be no time for me to pick any of the locks so my best bet was heading towards one of the rooms that she had already broken into. And to my luck past the turn in the hallway was one of those rooms. I ran inside and quickly ran into the bathroom, slamming the door closed and locking it. She had been closer than I would’ve liked as she slammed into the door just as I locked it.
“Great, now I’m trapped.” I scolded myself, but in my defense, a life-or-death situation calls for quick thinking. And this was as quick as I could think. I shone my light around every inch of the bathroom to look for something to fight back with. A knife was nice but I needed something to keep her at bay as well. Unless she was allergic to soap or towels there wasn’t much in here that could get her off my back long enough to use this knife. Then I noticed the toilet.
Quickly I grabbed the lid off the back tank and waited for her to break through the door. She was relentless as she continued to bash her head against the door and it began to break and splinter. I backed up and stood on top of the toilet and readied like a baseball player ready to strike her the moment she busted into the bathroom.
Finally, the door split down the middle and she lunged into the bathroom. I swung as hard as I could at her. The lid shattered against her and she went flying into the bathtub, the shower curtain fell on her and quickly entangled her as she flailed around in confusion. I took my chance and quickly climbed on top of her and plunged the dagger into her. But to my shock, the shower curtain had bunched up just enough to dampen my stab so that it barely so much as nicked her.
She quickly let out a scream and kicked me off of her, sending me right into the bathroom mirror and causing it to shatter. Just what I needed, seven more years of bad luck. I let out a grunt and stared at the mirror me as she rose from the bathtub and the curtain fell off of her. She was so much more taller than me and she reached out to grab me by the head.
“You’re mine,” She hissed at me, in a voice that sounded like me if I had been smoking for the entirety of my life. She opened her mouth and leaned in to take a bite out of me. She had been so focused on eating me however that she hadn’t noticed me grabbing a shard of mirror and sticking her in the neck with it. She screamed again and dropped me, yanking the shard of glass out of her neck and attempting to stop the flow of blood. I fell to the ground in a thud and quickly started searching for the knife in all the chaos that was the bathroom floor.
Finally, I found it and instead of taking my chances I quickly put more distance between me and her. She was still busy dealing with her bleeding neck but upon seeing me starting to escape she quickly ignored it and got back on all fours ready to chase me. I quickly looked around for something else to defend myself with and landed on one of those old fat TVs. I rushed towards it and picked it up as best as I could, grunting with how heavy it was I quickly tossed it at her as she came running out of the bathroom.
It hit her with a loud crash and I quickly jumped on her again once she was dazed. This time for sure I plunged the knife into her back and drove it to the hilt. She let out a pained and gurgle-filled scream and before my eyes, she began to wither away. But before she completely did, her head spun around and she bent backward at almost a 90-degree angle and sank her teeth into my skull. At a sideways bite, she yanked out my left eye and chunks of bone and flesh along with it as she shriveled up and died like a spider.
I let out a pained scream and staggered backward before collapsing and screaming more in pain. The pain was so bad that I must have blacked out because before I knew it I had woken up in a different room in the hotel. One that happened to have power and was lit up. Jacob was sitting on the bed and gave me a little wave, I was so thankful to see him that I sat up in bed almost immediately.
“Is she…dead?” I croaked, my mouth felt like I had just eaten a handful of sand. Jacob nodded and quickly reached over to the nightstand next to my bed and offered me a glass of water. I quickly guzzled it down and let out a satisfied sigh. I then reached up towards the glaring lack of vision in my left eye, but before I could touch it Jacob quickly grabbed my hand and shook his head.
“It’s better if you don’t touch it. Quite the nasty bite.” Creole’s voice came from the bathroom as the tall voodoo man emerged from inside with a smile that threatened to rip all his stitches. “Seems that mirror creature got the last bite off on ya.” He chuckled as he shooed Jacob off of the bed.
“Nice to see you too sir…” I huffed as he carefully held my face in his gloved hands and examined the wound that mirror me had given me. He didn’t give off any indication of how bad it was, but considering I couldn’t see what he was doing on my left side it was safe to say that my eye was well and truly fucked.
“Well, we have some options for you, marvelous Ms. Mace,” Creole said as he let go of my face and patted my head. “I can give you a button eye,” He smiled and tapped his own. “Or a glass eye.” He offered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the two options he had presented me.
“You can’t just fix my regular eye?” I asked him as I quickly took the glass one. I wasn’t about to end up looking like him or Jacob if I could help it. Creole looked over at Jacob and then back at me.
“Well…If I still had the other eye it might be possible. Unfortunately, it seems that it was crushed in the creature’s jaw when it clamped down on you.” He shrugged and took the glass eye from me, rubbing it around in his gloved hands and presenting it to me, with a slight purple glow emanating from it. “But you’ll be able to see just fine with this one. Satisfaction guaranteed,” he said with that usual big stupid smile on his face.
I took the eye from him and looked down at it. I stood up from the bed and went into the bathroom. And I had to stop myself from screaming at the reflection I saw staring back at me. My left eye was gone and parts of my skull were visible. I fell to the floor and began crying uncontrollably from my remaining eye. As I lay there on the bathroom floor I felt arms wrap around me and pull me into a hug. I looked up and was greeted by Jacob’s smiling form looking down at me. I buried my face in his chest and cried my eye out.
After I sufficiently calmed down Creole helped me put my new eye into its home. Vision quickly returned to it and I looked around to make sure it was working correctly. I was still a sniffling mess and Jacob handed me tissues to wipe my nose.
“Well, that should do it! The ointment I gave you for your scar will also work on the area around your eye. Now, I’ll leave you two to finish up here. Can’t leave the shop unattended for too long after all!” He giggled happily as he exited the room and left me alone with Jacob. I looked over at him and then reached for the notepad and pen that were on the nightstand next to my bed. He looked at them and then at me with a quizzical look.
“Can you please help me escape him?” I asked him and handed him the notepad. He took it and looked at it for a minute as if he was trying to remember how to write. Then he scratched it with the pen a few times before presenting it to me.
It was a smiley face. I caught so off guard that I couldn’t help but snort and laugh. Both at my hopeless situation and at his response. Seemed that in the process of creating him, Creole had scooped out his brains. I was on my own. And this was the second time that I had almost been killed working for Creole.
Who knows when the time will come that I’m finally killed off?

I 22 F am dating K 26M for nearly 3 years now. For context my I met my current boyfriend k when i was dating his bestfriend let's call him jake . Back then i didn't have any crush on him nor found him attractive, even when we talked the conversations were about jake .( my boyfriend back then ) 2 years later circonstances happened and I ended up dating K and we soon moved in together. My boyfriend still feels guilty about breaking the bro code and dating me. His now bestfriend let's call him tahan expressed on several occasions that he doesn't like me because of what happened with my ex jake . I'm madly in love with my boyfriend , I would never cheat or do anything that might seem as flirting or anything disrespectful to him. Even with my male friends , I'm not touchy, I talk appropriately, do not sweet talk and do not text nor call unless there's something important. Me and tahan and my boyfriend work in the same place except that my boyfriend works 3 days a week remotely so technically he is in the workspace only 2times a week. I never interacted with tahan at work except for few time when I asked him to help me prepare a gift for my boyfriend last year. Last week , they took 12 of us , and moved us from the rest of the team in order to start working on a group project . Tahan was working from home and he came on Friday, we were talking in a friendly way nothing inappropriate, I remember telling him to save me a place next to him in the training ( im an introvert and got separated from all my friends and he is the only one left I knew ) Before continuing, I have exams so I attended the training only the after noon . The morning I wasn't here . Arriving the afternoon tahan was seated next to a girl i hate , so I took a place away from them , said hi to him , we made jokes about how he broke a promise and how we will settle it in a 1vs1. Later he asked me if I wanted a chewing gum , I said yes so he looked at me and ate it . Then distributed chewing gum to everyone but me and kept on teasing me. I took his phone from the charger and asked for a trade, then gave it back to him. Then in a break I came to him sat on the table in front of him , respecting his personal space and just talked End of interactions for that day . Yesterday, I came late I did not talk to him for the whole day ( just didn't happen) But I talked to his friend who is a coworker I said : hey , if there is not anyone next to u , can u please remove ur bag I would like to come closer the screen my eyes are hurting He said I don't want anyone to disturb my personal space. I was choked but thought he is just a rude person and ignored it Than when I couldn't follow due to not being able to read the screen. I asked the trainer If I could move seats and I switched just next to the trainer. 1 hour later my boyfriend called me told me we needed to talk . When I got home he showed me texts of tahan telling him that I'm a whole and everyone talking about me (not true) and I'm flirting with him and flirting with the other cowerker, and that I bended in front of him and tried to seduce him and bench of disgusting stuff. I yelled , cried , broke down , I was confused and didn't know what happened Told my boyfriend my pov and he believed me and calmed me down . I told friends about what happened what they think is : The girl that sat next to him is a psychopath ( really not comparing) and manipulated him into thinking that . Otherwise I don't see what could have happened. Any ideas ?

Was trying to make a farming simulator modpack for myself and was trying to work out which mods were incompatible with each other. I formerly had supplimentaries in this modpack as well but it was crashing as soon as the game was on the initial loading screen and wouldn't give me an error code. Anyways, it gave me this error code and I can't make heads or tail of it. Could someone help me with tryting to find what is incompatible with my mods? I have a suspicion that it may be one of the Create mods i have in here but i wanna make sure because I already spent a good 2 hours going through each mod to figure out supplimentaries was crashing my game of start up. Please let me know of any potential fixes that y'all may see!

---- Minecraft Crash Report ---- // Hey, that tickles! Hehehe! Time: 2024-05-23 13:39:53 Description: Rendering screen java.lang.NullPointerException: Cannot invoke "net.minecraft.class_1087.method_4710()" because "$$6" is null at net.minecraft.class_918.method_4019(class_918.java:256) at net.minecraft.class_332.method_51425(class_332.java:518) at net.minecraft.class_332.method_51424(class_332.java:511) at net.minecraft.class_332.method_51427(class_332.java:491) at com.simibubi.create.infrastructure.gui.OpenCreateMenuButton.method_48589(OpenCreateMenuButton.java:34) at net.minecraft.class_4264.method_48579(class_4264.java:37) at net.minecraft.class_339.method_25394(class_339.java:78) at net.minecraft.class_437.method_25394(class_437.java:120) at net.minecraft.class_442.method_25394(class_442.java:289) at net.minecraft.class_437.method_47413(class_437.java:110) at net.minecraft.class_757.method_3192(class_757.java:945) at net.minecraft.class_310.method_1523(class_310.java:1219) at net.minecraft.class_310.method_1514(class_310.java:802) at net.minecraft.client.main.Main.main(Main.java:250) at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.game.minecraft.MinecraftGameProvider.launch(MinecraftGameProvider.java:470) at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.Knot.launch(Knot.java:74) at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.KnotClient.main(KnotClient.java:23) A detailed walkthrough of the error, its code path and all known details is as follows: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Head -- Thread: Render thread Stacktrace: at net.minecraft.class_918.method_4019(class_918.java:256) at net.minecraft.class_332.method_51425(class_332.java:518) at net.minecraft.class_332.method_51424(class_332.java:511) at net.minecraft.class_332.method_51427(class_332.java:491) at com.simibubi.create.infrastructure.gui.OpenCreateMenuButton.method_48589(OpenCreateMenuButton.java:34) at net.minecraft.class_4264.method_48579(class_4264.java:37) at net.minecraft.class_339.method_25394(class_339.java:78) at net.minecraft.class_437.method_25394(class_437.java:120) at net.minecraft.class_442.method_25394(class_442.java:289) at net.minecraft.class_437.method_47413(class_437.java:110) -- Screen render details -- Details: Screen name: net.minecraft.class_442 Mouse location: Scaled: (267, 5). Absolute: (534.000000, 10.000000) Screen size: Scaled: (427, 240). Absolute: (854, 480). Scale factor of 2.000000 Stacktrace: at net.minecraft.class_757.method_3192(class_757.java:945) at net.minecraft.class_310.method_1523(class_310.java:1219) at net.minecraft.class_310.method_1514(class_310.java:802) at net.minecraft.client.main.Main.main(Main.java:250) at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.game.minecraft.MinecraftGameProvider.launch(MinecraftGameProvider.java:470) at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.Knot.launch(Knot.java:74) at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.KnotClient.main(KnotClient.java:23) -- Last reload -- Details: Reload number: 1 Reload reason: initial Finished: No Packs: vanilla, fabric, Moonlight Mods Dynamic Assets, diagonalblocks:default_block_models Recovery: Yes Recovery reason: java.util.concurrent.CompletionException: java.lang.NullPointerException: Cannot invoke "net.fabricmc.fabric.api.renderer.v1.Renderer.materialFinder()" because the return value of "net.fabricmc.fabric.api.renderer.v1.RendererAccess.getRenderer()" is null at java.base/java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture.encodeThrowable(CompletableFuture.java:315) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture.completeThrowable(CompletableFuture.java:320) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture$UniApply.tryFire(CompletableFuture.java:649) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture$Completion.exec(CompletableFuture.java:483) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ForkJoinTask.doExec(ForkJoinTask.java:373) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ForkJoinPool$WorkQueue.topLevelExec(ForkJoinPool.java:1182) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ForkJoinPool.scan(ForkJoinPool.java:1655) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ForkJoinPool.runWorker(ForkJoinPool.java:1622) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ForkJoinWorkerThread.run(ForkJoinWorkerThread.java:165) Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException: Cannot invoke "net.fabricmc.fabric.api.renderer.v1.Renderer.materialFinder()" because the return value of "net.fabricmc.fabric.api.renderer.v1.RendererAccess.getRenderer()" is null at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.util.RenderUtil.lambda$static$0(RenderUtil.java:33) at java.base/java.lang.ThreadLocal$SuppliedThreadLocal.initialValue(ThreadLocal.java:305) at java.base/java.lang.ThreadLocal.setInitialValue(ThreadLocal.java:195) at java.base/java.lang.ThreadLocal.get(ThreadLocal.java:172) at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.util.RenderUtil.getMaterialFinder(RenderUtil.java:60) at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.util.RenderUtil.findOverlayMaterial(RenderUtil.java:45) at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.processor.overlay.StandardOverlayQuadProcessor.(StandardOverlayQuadProcessor.java:65) at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.processor.overlay.StandardOverlayQuadProcessor$Factory.createProcessor(StandardOverlayQuadProcessor.java:386) at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.processor.overlay.StandardOverlayQuadProcessor$Factory.createProcessor(StandardOverlayQuadProcessor.java:382) at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.processor.AbstractQuadProcessorFactory.createProcessor(AbstractQuadProcessorFactory.java:49) at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.processor.AbstractQuadProcessorFactory.createProcessor(AbstractQuadProcessorFactory.java:13) at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.resource.CtmPropertiesLoader$LoadingContainer.toProcessorHolder(CtmPropertiesLoader.java:115) at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.resource.CtmPropertiesLoader$LoadingResult.createProcessorHolders(CtmPropertiesLoader.java:138) at me.pepperbell.continuity.client.resource.BakedModelManagerReloadExtension.beforeBaking(BakedModelManagerReloadExtension.java:45) at net.minecraft.class_1092.handler$bjl000$continuity$onHeadBake(class_1092.java:1059) at net.minecraft.class_1092.method_45883(class_1092.java) at net.minecraft.class_1092.method_45885(class_1092.java:92) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture$UniApply.tryFire(CompletableFuture.java:646) ... 6 more Stacktrace: at net.minecraft.class_6360.method_36565(class_6360.java:49) at net.minecraft.class_310.method_1587(class_310.java:2413) at net.minecraft.class_310.method_1514(class_310.java:821) at net.minecraft.client.main.Main.main(Main.java:250) at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.game.minecraft.MinecraftGameProvider.launch(MinecraftGameProvider.java:470) at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.Knot.launch(Knot.java:74) at net.fabricmc.loader.impl.launch.knot.KnotClient.main(KnotClient.java:23) -- System Details -- Details: Minecraft Version: 1.20.1 Minecraft Version ID: 1.20.1 Operating System: Windows 11 (amd64) version 10.0 Java Version: 17.0.8, Microsoft Java VM Version: OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (mixed mode), Microsoft Memory: 1168814280 bytes (1114 MiB) / 4596957184 bytes (4384 MiB) up to 17179869184 bytes (16384 MiB) CPUs: 24 Processor Vendor: GenuineIntel Processor Name: 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900KF Identifier: Intel64 Family 6 Model 151 Stepping 2 Microarchitecture: Alder Lake Frequency (GHz): 3.19 Number of physical packages: 1 Number of physical CPUs: 16 Number of logical CPUs: 24 Graphics card #0 name: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Graphics card #0 vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de) Graphics card #0 VRAM (MB): 4095.00 Graphics card #0 deviceId: 0x2482 Graphics card #0 versionInfo: DriverVersion=32.0.15.5585 Memory slot #0 capacity (MB): 16384.00 Memory slot #0 clockSpeed (GHz): 5.20 Memory slot #0 type: Unknown Memory slot #1 capacity (MB): 16384.00 Memory slot #1 clockSpeed (GHz): 5.20 Memory slot #1 type: Unknown Virtual memory max (MB): 37473.36 Virtual memory used (MB): 20079.06 Swap memory total (MB): 4864.00 Swap memory used (MB): 0.00 JVM Flags: 9 total; -XX:HeapDumpPath=MojangTricksIntelDriversForPerformance_javaw.exe_minecraft.exe.heapdump -Xss1M -Xmx16G -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:G1NewSizePercent=20 -XX:G1ReservePercent=20 -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=50 -XX:G1HeapRegionSize=32M Fabric Mods: ad_astra: Ad Astra 1.15.18 javazoom_jlayer: jlayer 1.0.1 appleskin: AppleSkin 2.5.1+mc1.20 architectury: Architectury 9.2.14 bakery: [Let's Do] Bakery 1.1.10 bclib: BCLib 3.0.14 wunderlib: WunderLib 1.1.5 beachparty: [Let's Do] Beachparty 1.1.5 betterdeserttemples: YUNG's Better Desert Temples 1.20-Fabric-3.0.3 org_reflections_reflections: reflections 0.10.2 betterdungeons: YUNG's Better Dungeons 1.20-Fabric-4.0.4 betterend: Better End 4.0.11 betterendisland: YUNG's Better End Island 1.20-Fabric-2.0.6 betterf3: BetterF3 7.0.2 betterfortresses: YUNG's Better Nether Fortresses 1.20-Fabric-2.0.6 betterjungletemples: YUNG's Better Jungle Temples 1.20-Fabric-2.0.5 bettermineshafts: YUNG's Better Mineshafts 1.20-Fabric-4.0.4 betteroceanmonuments: YUNG's Better Ocean Monuments 1.20-Fabric-3.0.4 betterstrongholds: YUNG's Better Strongholds 1.20-Fabric-4.0.3 biomemusic: Biome Music Mod 1.20.1-2.3 bloomingnature: [Let's Do] BloomingNature 1.0.7 botarium: Botarium 2.3.3 team_reborn_energy: Energy 3.0.0 brewery: [Let's Do] Brewery 1.1.8 candlelight: [Let's Do] Candlelight 1.2.12 cardinal-components: Cardinal Components API 5.2.2 cardinal-components-base: Cardinal Components API (base) 5.2.2 cardinal-components-block: Cardinal Components API (blocks) 5.2.2 cardinal-components-chunk: Cardinal Components API (chunks) 5.2.2 cardinal-components-entity: Cardinal Components API (entities) 5.2.2 cardinal-components-item: Cardinal Components API (items) 5.2.2 cardinal-components-level: Cardinal Components API (world saves) 5.2.2 cardinal-components-scoreboard: Cardinal Components API (scoreboard) 5.2.2 cardinal-components-world: Cardinal Components API (worlds) 5.2.2 carryon: Carry On 2.1.2.7 casualness_delight: Casualness Delight Fabric 1.20.1-0.4-FDR chefsdelight: Chefs Delight 1.0.3-fabric-1.20.1 cloth-config: Cloth Config v11 11.1.118 cloth-basic-math: cloth-basic-math 0.6.1 continuity: Continuity 3.0.0-beta.5+1.20.1 cratedelight: Crate Delight 2024.5.5-1.20-fabric create: Create 0.5.1-f-build.1417+mc1.20.1 com_electronwill_night-config_core: core 3.6.6 com_electronwill_night-config_toml: toml 3.6.6 com_google_code_findbugs_jsr305: jsr305 3.0.2 flywheel: Flywheel 0.6.10-2 milk: Milk Lib 1.2.60 dripstone_fluid_lib: Dripstone Fluid Lib 3.0.2 porting_lib_brewing: Porting Lib Brewing 2.3.2+1.20.1 porting_lib_models: Porting Lib Models 2.3.2+1.20.1 porting_lib_obj_loader: Porting Lib Obj Loader 2.3.2+1.20.1 porting_lib_model_loader: Porting Lib Model Loader 2.3.2+1.20.1 porting_lib_tags: Porting Lib Tags 3.0 reach-entity-attributes: Reach Entity Attributes 2.4.0 registrate-fabric: Registrate for Fabric 1.3.62-MC1.20.1 porting_lib_data: Porting Lib Data 2.1.1090+1.20 porting_lib_model_generators: Porting Lib Model Generators 2.1.1090+1.20 porting_lib_gametest: Porting Lib GameTest 2.1.1090+1.20 porting_lib_model_materials: Porting Lib Model Materials 2.1.1090+1.20 createaddition: Create Crafts & Additions 1.2.3 createdeco: Create Deco 2.0.2-1.20.1-fabric createfood: Create: Food 1.0.6 culturaldelights: Cultural Delights Fabric 1.0.0+1.20.1 mm: Manningham Mills 2.3 terraform-wood-api-v1: Terraform Wood API (v1) 7.0.1 cupboard: cupboard 1.20.1-2.6 delightfulcreators: Delightful Creators 1.1.8 diagonalfences: Diagonal Fences 8.1.4 diagonalblocks: Diagonal Blocks 8.0.5 doapi: [Let's Do] API 1.2.12 blue_endless_jankson: jankson 1.2.1 endrem: End Remastered 5.2.4 ends_delight: End's Delight refabricated-1.20.1-alpha-1.0 expandeddelight: Expanded Delight 0.3.1 omega-config: OmegaConfig 1.4.0+1.20.1 fabric-api: Fabric API 0.92.1+1.20.1 fabric-api-base: Fabric API Base 0.4.31+1802ada577 fabric-api-lookup-api-v1: Fabric API Lookup API (v1) 1.6.36+1802ada577 fabric-biome-api-v1: Fabric Biome API (v1) 13.0.13+1802ada577 fabric-block-api-v1: Fabric Block API (v1) 1.0.11+1802ada577 fabric-block-view-api-v2: Fabric BlockView API (v2) 1.0.1+1802ada577 fabric-blockrenderlayer-v1: Fabric BlockRenderLayer Registration (v1) 1.1.41+1802ada577 fabric-client-tags-api-v1: Fabric Client Tags 1.1.2+1802ada577 fabric-command-api-v1: Fabric Command API (v1) 1.2.34+f71b366f77 fabric-command-api-v2: Fabric Command API (v2) 2.2.13+1802ada577 fabric-commands-v0: Fabric Commands (v0) 0.2.51+df3654b377 fabric-containers-v0: Fabric Containers (v0) 0.1.64+df3654b377 fabric-content-registries-v0: Fabric Content Registries (v0) 4.0.11+1802ada577 fabric-convention-tags-v1: Fabric Convention Tags 1.5.5+1802ada577 fabric-crash-report-info-v1: Fabric Crash Report Info (v1) 0.2.19+1802ada577 fabric-data-attachment-api-v1: Fabric Data Attachment API (v1) 1.0.0+de0fd6d177 fabric-data-generation-api-v1: Fabric Data Generation API (v1) 12.3.4+1802ada577 fabric-dimensions-v1: Fabric Dimensions API (v1) 2.1.54+1802ada577 fabric-entity-events-v1: Fabric Entity Events (v1) 1.6.0+1c78457f77 fabric-events-interaction-v0: Fabric Events Interaction (v0) 0.6.2+1802ada577 fabric-events-lifecycle-v0: Fabric Events Lifecycle (v0) 0.2.63+df3654b377 fabric-game-rule-api-v1: Fabric Game Rule API (v1) 1.0.40+1802ada577 fabric-item-api-v1: Fabric Item API (v1) 2.1.28+1802ada577 fabric-item-group-api-v1: Fabric Item Group API (v1) 4.0.12+1802ada577 fabric-key-binding-api-v1: Fabric Key Binding API (v1) 1.0.37+1802ada577 fabric-keybindings-v0: Fabric Key Bindings (v0) 0.2.35+df3654b377 fabric-lifecycle-events-v1: Fabric Lifecycle Events (v1) 2.2.22+1802ada577 fabric-loot-api-v2: Fabric Loot API (v2) 1.2.1+1802ada577 fabric-loot-tables-v1: Fabric Loot Tables (v1) 1.1.45+9e7660c677 fabric-message-api-v1: Fabric Message API (v1) 5.1.9+1802ada577 fabric-mining-level-api-v1: Fabric Mining Level API (v1) 2.1.50+1802ada577 fabric-model-loading-api-v1: Fabric Model Loading API (v1) 1.0.3+1802ada577 fabric-models-v0: Fabric Models (v0) 0.4.2+9386d8a777 fabric-networking-api-v1: Fabric Networking API (v1) 1.3.11+1802ada577 fabric-networking-v0: Fabric Networking (v0) 0.3.51+df3654b377 fabric-object-builder-api-v1: Fabric Object Builder API (v1) 11.1.3+1802ada577 fabric-particles-v1: Fabric Particles (v1) 1.1.2+1802ada577 fabric-recipe-api-v1: Fabric Recipe API (v1) 1.0.21+1802ada577 fabric-registry-sync-v0: Fabric Registry Sync (v0) 2.3.3+1802ada577 fabric-renderer-api-v1: Fabric Renderer API (v1) 3.2.1+1802ada577 fabric-renderer-indigo: Fabric Renderer - Indigo 1.5.1+1802ada577 fabric-renderer-registries-v1: Fabric Renderer Registries (v1) 3.2.46+df3654b377 fabric-rendering-data-attachment-v1: Fabric Rendering Data Attachment (v1) 0.3.37+92a0d36777 fabric-rendering-fluids-v1: Fabric Rendering Fluids (v1) 3.0.28+1802ada577 fabric-rendering-v0: Fabric Rendering (v0) 1.1.49+df3654b377 fabric-rendering-v1: Fabric Rendering (v1) 3.0.8+1802ada577 fabric-resource-conditions-api-v1: Fabric Resource Conditions API (v1) 2.3.8+1802ada577 fabric-resource-loader-v0: Fabric Resource Loader (v0) 0.11.10+1802ada577 fabric-screen-api-v1: Fabric Screen API (v1) 2.0.8+1802ada577 fabric-screen-handler-api-v1: Fabric Screen Handler API (v1) 1.3.30+1802ada577 fabric-sound-api-v1: Fabric Sound API (v1) 1.0.13+1802ada577 fabric-transfer-api-v1: Fabric Transfer API (v1) 3.3.5+8dd72ea377 fabric-transitive-access-wideners-v1: Fabric Transitive Access Wideners (v1) 4.3.1+1802ada577 fabric-language-kotlin: Fabric Language Kotlin 1.11.0+kotlin.2.0.0 org_jetbrains_kotlin_kotlin-reflect: kotlin-reflect 2.0.0 org_jetbrains_kotlin_kotlin-stdlib: kotlin-stdlib 2.0.0 org_jetbrains_kotlin_kotlin-stdlib-jdk7: kotlin-stdlib-jdk7 2.0.0 org_jetbrains_kotlin_kotlin-stdlib-jdk8: kotlin-stdlib-jdk8 2.0.0 org_jetbrains_kotlinx_atomicfu-jvm: atomicfu-jvm 0.24.0 org_jetbrains_kotlinx_kotlinx-coroutines-core-jvm: kotlinx-coroutines-core-jvm 1.8.1 org_jetbrains_kotlinx_kotlinx-coroutines-jdk8: kotlinx-coroutines-jdk8 1.8.1 org_jetbrains_kotlinx_kotlinx-datetime-jvm: kotlinx-datetime-jvm 0.6.0 org_jetbrains_kotlinx_kotlinx-serialization-cbor-jvm: kotlinx-serialization-cbor-jvm 1.6.3 org_jetbrains_kotlinx_kotlinx-serialization-core-jvm: kotlinx-serialization-core-jvm 1.6.3 org_jetbrains_kotlinx_kotlinx-serialization-json-jvm: kotlinx-serialization-json-jvm 1.6.3 fabricloader: Fabric Loader 0.15.11 mixinextras: MixinExtras 0.3.5 farmersdelight: Farmer's Delight 1.20.1-2.1.1+refabricated porting_lib_accessors: Porting Lib Accessors 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_base: Porting Lib Base 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_entity: Porting Lib Entity 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_fluids: Porting Lib Fluids 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_mixin_extensions: Porting Lib Mixin Extensions 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_transfer: Porting Lib Transfer 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_utility: Porting Lib Utility 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_client_events: Porting Lib Client Events 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_config: Porting Lib Config 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_extensions: Porting Lib Extensions 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_attributes: Porting Lib Attributes 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_common: Porting Lib Common 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_lazy_registration: Porting Lib Lazy Register 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_loot: Porting Lib Loot 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_networking: Porting Lib Networking 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_recipe_book_categories: Porting Lib Recipe Book Categories 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_registries: Porting Lib Registries 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_core: Porting Lib Core 2.3.4+1.20.1 porting_lib_tool_actions: Porting Lib Tool Actions 2.3.4+1.20.1 festive_delight: Festive Delight 1.0.0 forgeconfigapiport: Forge Config API Port 8.0.0 herbalbrews: [Let's Do] HerbalBrews 1.0.7 iris: Iris 1.7.0+mc1.20.1 io_github_douira_glsl-transformer: glsl-transformer 2.0.0-pre13 org_anarres_jcpp: jcpp 1.4.14 org_antlr_antlr4-runtime: antlr4-runtime 4.11.1 jade: Jade 11.9.2+fabric java: OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM 17 letsdoaddon-compat: [Let's Do Addon] Compat 1.4.1 letsdoaddon-structures: Let's Do Addon: Structures 1.7.1 lithium: Lithium 0.11.2 meadow: [Let's Do] Meadow 1.3.14 mixinsquared: MixinSquared 0.1.2-beta.5 medievalmusic: Medieval Music Mod 1.20.1-2.1 minecraft: Minecraft 1.20.1 modmenu: Mod Menu 7.2.2 moonlight: Moonlight 1.20-2.11.28 moredelight: More Delight 1.2.2-1.20.1-fabric nethersdelight: Nether's Delight Refabricated 1.20.1-4.1.1 nethervinery: [Let's Do] NetherVinery 1.2.12 niftycarts: NiftyCarts 3.0.2+1.20.1 nutritionz: NutritionZ 1.0.6 oceansdelight: Ocean's Delight fdrf-fabric-1.0.2-1.20 presencefootsteps: Presence Footsteps 1.9.4+1.20.1 kirin: Kirin UI 1.15.6+1.20.1 puzzleslib: Puzzles Lib 8.1.19 puzzlesaccessapi: Puzzles Access Api 8.0.7 resourcefulconfig: Resourcefulconfig 2.1.2 resourcefullib: Resourceful Lib 2.1.25 com_teamresourceful_bytecodecs: bytecodecs 1.0.2 com_teamresourceful_yabn: yabn 1.0.3 seasonhud: SeasonHUD 1.7.17 seasons: Fabric Seasons 2.3+1.20 seasonsdelightcompat: Fabric Seasons: Delight Compat 1.0-1.3.9 seasonsextras: Fabric Seasons: Extras 1.2-BETA+1.20 sliceanddice: Create Slice & Dice 3.2.1 sodium: Sodium 0.5.8+mc1.20.1 storagedelight: Storage Delight 1.1.1-1.20.1-fabric travelersbackpack: Traveler's Backpack fabric-1.20.1-9.1.13 ubesdelight: Ube's Delight 1.20.1-0.1.5.4 vinery: [Let's Do] Vinery 1.4.19 xaerominimap: Xaero's Minimap 24.1.1 xaeroworldmap: Xaero's World Map 1.38.4 yet_another_config_lib_v3: YetAnotherConfigLib 3.4.2+1.20.1-fabric com_twelvemonkeys_common_common-image: common-image 3.10.0 com_twelvemonkeys_common_common-io: common-io 3.10.0 com_twelvemonkeys_common_common-lang: common-lang 3.10.0 com_twelvemonkeys_imageio_imageio-core: imageio-core 3.10.0 com_twelvemonkeys_imageio_imageio-metadata: imageio-metadata 3.10.0 com_twelvemonkeys_imageio_imageio-webp: imageio-webp 3.10.0 org_quiltmc_parsers_gson: gson 0.2.1 org_quiltmc_parsers_json: json 0.2.1 yungsapi: YUNG's API 1.20-Fabric-4.0.5 org_javassist_javassist: javassist 3.29.2-GA yungsbridges: YUNG's Bridges 1.20-Fabric-4.0.3 yungsextras: YUNG's Extras 1.20-Fabric-4.0.3 yungsmenutweaks: YUNG's Menu Tweaks 1.20.1-Fabric-1.0.2 zoomify: Zoomify 2.13.4+1.20.1 com_akuleshov7_ktoml-core-jvm: ktoml-core-jvm 0.5.1 dev_isxander_settxi_settxi-core: settxi-core 2.10.6 dev_isxander_settxi_settxi-kotlinx-serialization: settxi-kotlinx-serialization 2.10.6 Loaded Shaderpack: (off) Flywheel Backend: Uninitialized Launched Version: fabric-loader-0.15.11-1.20.1 Backend library: LWJGL version 3.3.1 SNAPSHOT Backend API: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti/PCIe/SSE2 GL version 3.2.0 NVIDIA 555.85, NVIDIA Corporation Window size: 854x480 GL Caps: Using framebuffer using OpenGL 3.2 GL debug messages: Using VBOs: Yes Is Modded: Definitely; Client brand changed to 'fabric' Type: Client (map_client.txt) Graphics mode: fancy Resource Packs: Current Language: en_us CPU: 24x 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900KF 

Title: "Fruitful Friendships and Fruity Endings"
Cold Open:
The episode opens with a shot of the Golden Girls' Miami home. Inside, the women are in the kitchen, with Blanche making a fruit salad. Rose is happily humming a tune.
Rose: (cheerfully) Oh, I just love fresh fruit! It's like a little piece of sunshine in every bite.
Sophia: (sarcastically) Yeah, until you bite into a sour one.
Dorothy: (smiling) Rose, sometimes I think you live in your own little world.
Rose: (grinning) Maybe I do, Dorothy. Maybe I do.
Scene 1: Living Room
The next day, Rose is at the grocery store, picking out fruit. She chooses a particularly shiny apple and puts it in her basket. Suddenly, she hears a small voice.
Apple: (whispering) Psst! Hey, lady!
Rose: (looking around) Who said that?
Apple: (cheerfully) Down here! In your basket!
Rose looks down to see the apple smiling up at her.
Rose: (wide-eyed) Oh my gosh! You can talk!
Apple: (nodding) Sure can! And so can my friends. Meet Barry Banana, Cherry Cherry, and Grapey the Grape.
The camera pans to show a banana, a cherry, and a grape in the basket, all with cheerful faces.
Rose: (giggling) This is amazing! I’ve never met talking fruit before!
Scene 2: Kitchen
Back at the house, Rose excitedly shows Dorothy, Blanche, and Sophia her new friends.
Rose: (excitedly) Girls, you won’t believe this! Meet my new friends: Barry Banana, Cherry Cherry, and Grapey the Grape!
Blanche: (laughing) Oh, Rose, you and your imagination.
Sophia: (smirking) Maybe you should lay off the fruit punch, Rose.
Dorothy: (raising an eyebrow) Rose, are you feeling okay?
Rose: (confidently) I’m telling you, they can talk! Watch!
Rose holds up the banana, but the fruit remains silent.
Sophia: (mockingly) Nice try, Rose. Maybe they’re just shy.
Scene 3: Living Room
Later, Rose is in her room talking to the fruits. They seem to only talk when no one else is around.
Barry Banana: (enthusiastically) Thanks for taking us home, Rose!
Cherry Cherry: (cheerfully) We love it here!
Grapey the Grape: (happily) Can we stay forever?
Rose: (smiling) Of course, you can! I’m so glad I have friends like you.
Scene 4: Kitchen
The next day, Rose tries to prove the fruits’ existence again. This time, she sets up a whole fruit conversation party.
Rose: (excitedly) Girls, come quick! The fruits are ready to talk!
Dorothy, Blanche, and Sophia enter the kitchen, looking skeptical.
Dorothy: (sighing) Alright, Rose. Let’s see this talking fruit.
Rose holds up Barry Banana, and to everyone’s shock, he starts talking.
Barry Banana: (cheerfully) Hi, everyone!
Blanche: (screaming) Oh my stars! It’s true!
Sophia: (wide-eyed) I need a drink.
Dorothy: (stunned) How… how is this possible?
Scene 5: Fruit Shenanigans
The women sit around the living room, talking to the fruits. They share stories, jokes, and even sing a song together.
Cherry Cherry: (singing) We are family!
Grapey the Grape: (singing) I got all my sisters with me!
Blanche: (laughing) This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen!
Sophia: (grinning) And I’ve seen a lot of crazy things.
Scene 6: The Smushing
Later that day, the fruits decide to explore the kitchen while the women are in the living room. They start playing around with the appliances.
Barry Banana: (excitedly) Look at me, I’m on the blender!
Cherry Cherry: (jumping up and down) Whee! This is fun!
Grapey the Grape: (rolling around) Look at me go!
Suddenly, Sophia walks into the kitchen, unaware of the fruits’ antics. She reaches for the blender switch to make a smoothie.
Sophia: (muttering) Time for my afternoon smoothie.
The fruits panic as the blender starts.
Barry Banana: (screaming) Oh no!
Cherry Cherry: (yelling) Help!
Grapey the Grape: (rolling) This is not fun anymore!
Sophia turns off the blender just in time, but the fruits tumble off the counter, causing a chain reaction. They roll, bounce, and splatter comically around the kitchen.
Scene 7: Aftermath
The women rush into the kitchen to find the aftermath of the fruit chaos. The fruits are smushed, but their faces are still visible, comically distorted.
Blanche: (laughing) Well, that’s one way to end a party!
Dorothy: (shaking her head) Only in this house would talking fruit get themselves smushed.
Sophia: (grinning) I think I’m going to miss those little guys.
Rose: (giggling) They were fun while they lasted.
Scene 8: Reflection
Later that night, the women sit around the kitchen table, laughing about the day’s events.
Blanche: (smiling) You know, Rose, you always manage to bring a little magic into our lives.
Dorothy: (nodding) Even if it’s in the form of talking fruit.
Sophia: (raising her glass) Here’s to Rose and her fruity friends!
They all laugh and toast, grateful for their unique and whimsical experience.
End Credits.

Kokichi and Himiko arrived at a maid café called, "Maid With Love" in Tokyo's Akihabara district. They took an elevator to the third floor and walked along a narrow corridor to an open area. There, they were greeted by a waitress in a maid costume with brown hair.

"Hellooooo!" she said, waving to them cheerfully. "Welcome back, Master! Princess!"
Ugh...this again, Kokichi thought to himself. He wanted to barf.
"Follow me! But, be careful not to trip on the step here!" The waitress walked in a careful, yet perky, manner up a single step into the café.
"Pfft...if I tripped and broke my neck, I'd be the luckiest guy on Earth," Kokichi muttered in Himiko's ear.
"Shh!" Himiko shushed, swatting his arm. Suddenly, their waitress rang a bell, alerting the other waitresses around.
"Everyone, the Master and Princess has returned!" she announced.
"Welcome back, Master! Princess!" the waitresses chirped. Kokichi shuddered in horror.
"Seriously, Himiko, I promise I won't be mad at you if you killed me right now," he whispered in Himiko's ear.
"Stop it!" she hissed at him. The waitress cheerfully flounced over to an area of empty seats.
"We have a couple of seats prepared for you!" she chirped. "Please, sit down and make yourselves comfortable!" Kokichi and Himiko settled down into their seats across from each other. "Welcome home from your long journey! I'm so happy to have you home!"
"Nyeh...thank you," Himiko replied with a polite smile.
"Are you happy to be home again?" the waitress asked.
"Yes, we are," Himiko replied. Kokichi rolled his eyes and wrinkled his face in disgust. Fortunately, the waitress was behind him, so she couldn't see his face.
"Ah! I'm so happy to hear that! Yaaaay! Heeheeheehee!" the waitress cried, clapping her hands. Then, she held out a couple of heart-shaped menus. "Let me show you the menu for today!" The waitress showed Kokichi and Himiko the different varieties of food and drink, which were not that different from the menu items in the lolita café.
"Oh, my gosh! How silly of me!" the waitress gasped after showing them the menu. She bounced in a cutesy way as she held her hands up to her face in embarrassment. "I've forgotten to introduce myself to you, Master and Princess! May I introduce myself?"
"Oh, I bet it's something reeeaaal cute!" Kokichi said, feigning excitement. The waitress giggled, completely oblivious to his sarcasm.

"Thank you! Heeheehee!" she said. Then, she cleared her throat. "Hi! I flew in on a bumblebee all the way from the Lollipop Fields! I'm Kureizi! Yaaay!" Kokichi puffed out his cheeks, trying to hold in a laugh.
You sure are! he thought to himself.
"Oh! Um...nice to meet you...Kureizi," Himiko said with a polite nod.
"Please, call me Kureizi-chan! Heeheehee!" Kureizi said, clapping her hands. "Hai! Master, Princess, please excuse me! I have to go take care of other things, but when you are ready to order, please, ring this little bell right here!" Kureizi placed a tiny, dainty bell onto the table. "Hai! I will be waiting for yoouuu!! Byyyeee!!"
"Haaii! Haaii! " Kokichi said, nodding as Kureizi left. "No-wan gibbs a faaahhhk!" he muttered under his breath as he turned his attention back to the menu. "God! If I hear 'hEeHeEhEe' one more time, I'm gonna lose it!"
"Kokichi!" Himiko said. "Stop that!" Kokichi looked at her with an impish grin.
"Nee-heehee...I can't help that our waitress is...crazy," he snickered.
"Ugh!" Himiko scoffed and rolled her eyes before picking up her menu. As she perused the menu, she looked up to see Kokichi peeking at her with that impish glint in his eye. She contorted her face as she tried not to smile. She raised the menu over her face so as not to let Kokichi look at her. Suddenly, she started shivering. She put her menu back onto the table and began rubbing her arms.
"Nyeh...it's freezing in here!" she mumbled.
"Hm? You're cold?" Kokichi asked, looking up from his menu. Himiko nodded. Kokichi removed his baggy hoodie and handed it to Himiko. Himiko smiled in awe at him.
"Aww, Kokichi!" she gushed, taking Kokichi's hoodie. She put it on and sighed contentedly, all bundled up in its warmth. "Nyeeeh...that's better! Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Nee-heehee! Sure! As long as Crazy is our waitress, I'll be a-okay!" Kokichi replied with a cheeky grin.
"Kokichi! Stop calling her that!" Himiko chided. "Her name is Kureizi! "
"Yeah, that's what I said," Kokichi said, grinning in a smart-alecky way. "'Crazy!' " Himiko sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Whatever," she muttered.
"Hey, are you done choosing what you want?" asked Kokichi.
"Nyeh...I think so," Himiko replied. "You?"
"Yuppers!" said Kokichi. "Ring the bell so Crazy the Slave can serve us already." Himiko gaped at him.
"She's not a slave, she's a maid!" she hissed. "And stop calling her Crazy! "
"Pffft...the way these waitresses have to put up with this crap, they probably do feel like slaves," Kokichi said. He reached for the bell and rang it himself. Kureizi came flaunting back over to them.
"Are the Master and Princess ready to order?" she asked them cheerfully.
"Yes, we are," Himiko replied. She and Kokichi told them what they wanted. Kureizi scooped up their menus.
"Thank you, Master! Princess!" she said. "I will be back with your order!" She was about to flounce away, when Kokichi gave Himiko a secret devious grin. As Kureizi passed behind him, he sneakily stuck his foot out, causing Kureizi to trip and fall on the floor, the menus skittering across the floor. Himiko gasped in horror and rushed over to her.
"Oh, lawd, hammercy! I'm so clumsy!" Kokichi said in mock surprise, rushing over to Kureizi. "Are you okay?!" Himiko looked at him with murderous eyes. Kureizi looked up at him angrily.
"Did you do that on purpose?!" she cried, dropping her cheerful act.
"Ooooo! You broke character!" Kokichi teased. Kureizi suddenly remembered where she was and stood back up, forcing a smile on her face.

"A-Are you okay?" Himiko asked her.
"Of course!" Kureizi replied. "I'm s-sure it was just an accident...like Master said!"
"A-Are you sure?" Himiko asked.
"Mm-hmm!" Kureize replied immediately. Her voice quivered, and her eyes began to water. "Please, wait while I come back with your order." Without another word, she dashed away.