Last night someone requested that we put together a list of evidence for both Dotun and Joey as F1 to compare them. I also put together a list that points to evidence against each one as F1. If anything was missed, please feel free to add it in the comments.
🚨Also - we are NOT counting out Xavier (who was sleuthed out to have made the final 3). We focused on just Dotun and Joey because Xavier’s list doesn’t have a substantial amount yet and he was the last of the final 4 to go public (a week ago) so he hasn’t been sleuthed for much time to generate a longer list yet. As more info about Xavier gets out, I can make another post that includes his growing evidence.
And yes - Charity will probably see this post and switch things up to make it harder to sleuth but we are almost 2 weeks out from the premiere with no official F1 confirmation so at this point…let’s just lay out the evidence.
DOTUN F1 CLUES:

• Two 1-1 dates back to back (1 in week 4, 1 in week 5)
• Positive body language during week 5 1-1
• Producers may have rented super nice car for his hometown.
• Spotted in Fiji
• He is 6’7”
• Went public on IG a couple days after 1st suspected SHV weekend.
• Both use 🫶🏾 emojis
• deleted a song by Fireboy, a Nigerian artist (Dotun is Nigerian) from her “Mickey and Minnie” playlist before the playlist was discovered by redditors. The playlist itself was never played by her during the weeks after it was created, but she quickly deleted it once someone here announced they found it.
• “Why are you excited to meet Charity?” written response sounded romantic/F1 vibes.
• Romantic speech in “meet the men” tikTok.
• Has similar traditional/religious family like Charity’s.
• Dotun has family in law enforcement (does Charity have a military family background? Someone please verify if you can).
• Liked a bunch of the posts on the Bachelorette IG page.
• Nehemiah followed Dotun on IG
• Charity followed the Mount Hood Railroad IG account (Dotun possibly had his 1st 1-1 in that area)
• Charity followed the artist Tems. Dotun already followed Tems. No success finding Dotun’s spotify to sleuth more of his music, unfortunately.

JOEY F1 CLUES:

• Group date roses in weeks 2 and 4
• Audience reported romantic chemistry during kissing group date and Barbie group date.
• Kiss during kissing group date was reported by multiple people as “too intimate to watch”.
• He received the first 1-1 date of week 5, typically given to F1s.
• Charity’s most recent ex was white
• Given “competitive” edit in “meet the men” tikTok.
• Seen with Charity in a lot of the promo footage.
• Massive IG clean up right after getting home and going public on IG. A lot of IG models cleaned up.
• Massive IG cleanup done by his sister on IG.
• Appears to have stayed on the mainland for three weeks post filming before going home to Hawaii (would line up with possibly staying until the 1st SHV happened).
• About 2-3 days after getting home, he added a profile picture (the same as his IG one) to his spotify and went private for his listening. Making some think Charity could have told him to do that, as generally speaking the men focus on cleaning IG, Twitter and don’t really make changes to their Spotify (unless they are a “music head”).
• Charity (although she had just 1 single John Mayer song across all her Spotify playlists) followed John Mayer on IG during Joey’s birthday, proceeded to add two John Mayer songs to her playlist after the first SHV. Joey is a big JM fan and goes to his concerts.
• Both use 🤠 emojis
• During each suspected SHV weekend, Charity has seemingly switched from her typical worship/pop/r&b music to play John Mayer, James Bay, artists Joey listens to.
• Joey appears to only post to his story showing he’s in Hawaii during SHV weekends.
• The song with very specific “flying to LA” lyrics.
• Joey’s mom following Nehemiah then going private after we realized.
• Joey’s mom liking posts that specifically feature Charity and no one else.
• Nehemiah followed Joey, unfollowed (as if he might have slipped) and then refollowed him.
• “White boy on my roster” tikTok made days after filming wrapped. (Area codes song).
• Charity posting the barbie date footage of her and Joey close up, then deleting the story.

AGAINST DOTUN AS F1:

• 2 back to back 1-1s. While this was listed as a point for being F1, an argument can be made that this show historically doesn’t have this happen with F1s. The rare occasions that it has happened has been with F2s (Becca T, Lauren).
• Waited a long time to go public on IG. This definitely could be disputed as a point foagainst him, but generally speaking in the last few seasons, he stayed private longer the way Greg, Bri, Jason A did.
• Still to this day hasn’t deleted his FB post about the mentally challenged people he worked with. Charity and her friends are very online and definitely didn’t miss the numerous times it was brought up here. As someone working in her field, it’s assumed she would have asked him to delete it at this point. His FB cleanup was shoddy at best which could mean she didn’t help with it.
• Changes were made to Dotun’s fitness website prior to the end of filming in the middle of FS week.
• Charity trying to prove how she got the time square billboard photo instead of just letting us believe Dotun sent it to her.
• The few of Dotun’s friends that are public didn’t follow any of the BN fan pages or follow Charity to track his journey/get familiar with Charity.
• So far, has a “hidden” edit in promos. The last real hidden F1 was Rachael K, as generally speaking the F1 does get some screen time in promos. But perhaps this clue could be disputed too.

AGAINST JOEY AS F1:

• Joey’s arrival home for a family wedding cuts it very close to when filming wrapped. Usually F1s stay a couple days longer on location post-filming. This could mean he didn’t win.
• Never spotted in Fiji
• Lots of screen time in the promos (was used as a point for F1, but could be disputed too) it might mean he is being pushed as the next lead.
• The only white guy in all black top 4.
• Perhaps Charity wouldn’t choose someone who lives so far away in Hawaii.
• Added “Love Goes” by Sam Smith (a breakup song) to his playlist the week he got home.
• People said body language looked more “tense” during their 1-1 date. It was later found that they had their hands interlocked the whole time in the photos so that could be up for debate.
• Charity’s “when they’re all over 6 feet” IG comment. Joey is 5’11”.

Damion Dayski is about to see his wife’s sister, Brandy Renee, for the first time since his wedding night. What Damion’s wife doesn’t know, though, is that Damion and Brandy secretly fucked right before they tied the knot. With an epic reunion in the works, Damion is in the near impossible position of trying to sneakily fuck Brandy again and keep it all hidden. After Brandy immediately comes onto Damion in the main entrance, Damion walks in on her in the shower, giving Brandy the idea to send him some sexy selfies of her perfect tits and juicy ass. Although Damion gets caught masturbating to the pictures, his wife doesn’t clue into the fact that he was jerking off to Brandy. Punishing Damion by sending him to sleep on the couch actually creates the perfect opening for sneaky sex with Brandy, leading to Damion’s wife being the architect of her marital destruction."

Context: I (23F) have posted on this subreddit before (re: AITA for not wanting my sisters to be in my bridal party?), so this is sort of like a part two. Recap: I told my sisters they were not going to be in my bridal party and that I would rather it just be my close friends. My sisters did not take it well at all, even though they were both still welcomed to be guests at the wedding.
Since then, my oldest sister (33) has threatened to physically fight my MOH and other bridal party members (She actually would too, she is a felon twice over). My other sister (28) has basically said nothing and is siding with my oldest sister. I have reiterated time and time again that I feel justified in not having them as bridesmaids because my sisters have consistently teased and bullied me for my entire life. However, my mom entirely disagrees with me and keeps trying to guilt trip. I have gotten so many messages about how I need to apologize to my sisters, and how my mom wishes that all of her children would just get along, etc. There is no blame on my sisters for their responses - just on me.
At this point, I don't want to invite any of them. Not even my mom. If I invited my mom but not my sisters, my mom would just be full of grief the entire day and she would likely just give the address and the details to my sisters anyway. I do not want to just invite them all because I know that problems would happen. Even if they do not say anything to my bridal party or to me, there would be constant snickering or, after a few drinks, it would all come out.
I just feel like my hands are tied. My entire side of the family on my dad's side is dead. Now, I don't even feel comfortable inviting my other family members to the wedding. I feel like it would just ruin the day. I'd rather just have my friends and my fiancé's family be there. The downside would be that it would be very obvious that I had no family there (my fiancé has a very large family that takes up most of the guest list). It's just a hard position to be in at the moment.
So, WIBTA if I did not invite my family members at all?

I am consistently aware of the fact that I am a woman in this country , everything else that I am comes secondary to the fact that I am a woman . Because I wake up and decide what to wear and that is being a woman , deciding to wear something comfortable and gender neutral is a political move , wearing something girly is pandering to the male gaze OR EVEN WORSE "empowering" i mean What The Fuck is empowering about wearing a skirt?? or a shirt with a little cleavage? also WHY IS MY BODY INHERENTLY SEXUALISED FOR WEARING A SKIRT OR SHOWING A LITTLE OF MY CHEST???? Wearing something Traditional is conservative and sati savitri ,,, I DONT WANT TO BE ANY OF THESE THINGS!! I DON'T WANT TO BE TRADITIONAL, I DON'T WANT TO BE AN EMPOWERED FEMALE AND I DON'T WANT TO BE ALTERNATIVE . Why!??!? is everything a woman does categorized as something? we're cute nerds or hot goths or pure virgin trad wives or ugly unfuckables for being fat or having unconventional beauty ,, and what also is this obsession with beauty?? If I'm fat I'm still supposed to be pretty if I'm skinny I'm still pretty if I'm not dressing cool i can Be Pretty with a little effort WHY SHOULD I EVER BE PRETTY? I DON'T VALUE BEING PRETTY I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT BEING PRETTY.
Men in the internet have the audacity to bitch and moan about how hard it is to be a man because they're expected to be bread winners and can't get custody of children and there's false rape allegations and women keep lying and making up shit to destroy mens lives. Let's fucking talk about why these systemic failures exist in the first place ,, because Women weren't and most places in india still aren't allowed to work , Men are historical terrible caregivers to children and most false rape cases in india are perpetrated by FAMILY MEMBERS not the girls themselves. Higher class families trying to ruin the lives of lower class men because that's still a thing :D !!!! I don't hate men , but I am fucking sick of some of you pretending that women have it better for any reason And I am so routinely dissapointed with women in this country . Especially the well educated , financially secure metro city dwelling lot of you all. Dissapointed for the way that you continue to protect and cover for bad men . Cover for your families for their "traditional" ways when they demand dowry or expect the women to eat after the men or when your brothers beat their wives or make them change their lives after marriage and you fucking say nothing to them but go on the internet and claim you're a feminist. Female infanticide is still a thing in this country, did we forget? And can we talk about how India is rated as the number 1 most dangerous place to be a woman by the reuters foundtion , literally NUMBER ONE !!! 😂🤩 WOW WE BEAT NORTH KOREA AND FUCKING AFGHANISTAN!!!
What do we have to be patriotic or proud about??? this is a country and culture that hates us. that automatically treats us as second class citizens and we just take it and excuse all this shit because in some religions we're considered goddesses and we're "allowed" to work and vote and We had a woman president and prime minister as if that says anything about the state of women in this country. Put on a pedestal and treated like dolls when we're upper caste and fair and virgins degraded and trampled when were anything else . , If we dare to have our own ideas and emotions beyond happy to serve and obey at all times. Why the fuck aren't we rioting every single day?????? We are weak cowards . Who are complacent in the system , the us who are fortunate and at the top and able to read english and use the internet we are the most complacent because we know better but this indifference settles in our bones because we arent as affected on a daily basis . The worst of it is i cant wear the clothes I want outside and my family expects me to cover up when men come to the house and I have to clear up and help in the kitchen when we visit other family and my boss treats my opinion like it doesnt matter till a male colleague says the same thing which is my privilege!!! Which is nothing compared to the reality of most women in this country who are susceptible to so!much!worse! Doemstic violence is still fucking rampant !! atleast there's one thing to join us between classes and castes :D hey! we're all getting beaten up by our husbands and families ! we have so much in common !!!
I feel nothing these days when I hear about the latest woman whos body has been desecrated and chopped up by her angry lover. I feel nothing. Dissapointed but not surprised. give it a week theres going to bw another one. This violence against us , why have we started to accept it??? i see so many comments saying " hey this is the reality of women in india we must accept it" WHY WOULD I ACCEPT IT??????? WHEN THAT COULD BE MY MOTHER OR MY BEST FRIEND TOMORROW?????????
I am sick of us , our complaceny , I want so much more for us. Real justice and equality but fuck. I don't know how to get it when no one else cares enough to be angry.

Sorry for the long post in advance, but I need to vent. My fiance and I got engaged back in November, and we have been trying to figure out what we wanted to do for a wedding. Neither of us have ever dreamed of a big wedding, but we did explore a similar option because we were interested in having a private ceremony with a large party after (appetizers, drinks, yard games, etc.).
My parents offered up a little bit of money which was nice but it wasn't much (wouldn't even cover appetizers with the way inflation is right now). My mother and his mother demanded more and more people be invited, sending our guest count from 50 to over 100 - needless to say this got WAY too expensive for us with the demands of our mothers. We don't want to spend tons of money on putting a show on for others, we would rather save for a house and such. Needless to say, their demands were not in line with the amount of money they were contributing. We were also getting a lot of unwanted input on how we had to spend our day from the mothers (down to fighting weekly about the wedding colors, the people invited, where it was going to be, etc.) We scrapped that idea due to the amount of issues it was causing both families because in our eyes, it is not worth the stress.
We ended up proposing the idea of eloping to the families, and both gave us the ok. We originally planned on going to Yellowstone for a weekend (aiming for 5.5.24), but we recently admitted to ourselves that what we want would get expensive quickly and we weren't necessarily comfortable spending all of that just to get married (good photographer, place to stay, flights). We are best friends, we want the marriage, not the wedding.
Well, in the past couple of weeks, we got notice that my wedding band is almost done and I am being laid off. We saw these as signs that we should just go and do it! I have tons of time to get everything together with planning, a dress, a photographer, etc. Since my band is almost done, it feels right! We decided we didn't want to do Yellowstone anymore, so why wait any longer?! We got super excited and have 90% of planning done. We are going to take a quick trip to NH and get married by the Kancamangus for the scenery.
THEN, we decided to tell my parents. My mother threw the largest tantrum and started crying about how we must hate her since we didn't invite her. Her initial reaction was 'you're just marrying him for benefits because you're getting laid off'. Ummmmm ouch - we have been engaged for a while and didn't know how we wanted to get married. The timing seems right for us, and yes, it would be great to have his health insurance, but I might have a job by next month and not even need it. Keep in mind, we got the ok from both sets of parents before we planned this. We then explained that if we invited them, we would be obligated to invite my sister, brother in law, and my fiance's family as well. This turns into exactly what we didn't want due to all of the harsh opinions from others about the wedding. I asked my mother if she would be able to have a positive attitude the day of our wedding since it's not going to be 'traditional' and she said 'I can't promise I won't piss you off'.
We ended up breaking and saying that immediate family can come, but that's it. We will go to lunch with them after, but then we are going our separate ways. I am VERY worried due to my mother's behavior at my sister's wedding. For context, my sister had a quick ceremony by a lighthouse, then dinner after with about 50 people. My mother was an absolute monster the entire day because she was mad it wasn't a church wedding (neither my sister nor I are baptized), mad that she didn't get to sit down at the 10 minute ceremony (there were no chairs), mad that she didn't have her own table at the reception (the bride and groom had their own, then everyone else was at two very long tables). Ten minutes before my sister got married, my mother asked her 'Do you really want to marry this asshole' - my mother and brother in law work together. She said this because he pranked her about 6 months before the wedding by leaving a fake mouse by her desk. These are only a FEW of the things that happened there. It was a mess.
I love my mother, but she has grown into the most intolerable person to be around. If it isn't about her, then it's a problem. I am doing my best to compromise so everyone is happy, but she has shoved her way into our plans that were supposed to be intimate. I am hoping that I can just get ready alone with my future husband, then meet them at the location, then do a quick lunch. I am so disappointed, frustrated, and manipulated into doing what I don't want to do. I wish my mother could just be happy for us, but unfortunately she can't and I am not ready to end the relationship with her yet.
If you could offer any words of encouragement or support, that would be very helpful. I am so upset that this isn't just a happy time for us, as it should be. Feeling hurt.

So I’ve been thinking lately, when jaidyn was pregnant with her daughter chrisean swooped in and started dating blue leaving Jaidyn alone most her pregnancy without her family. Now chrisean is pregnant with blues baby and he decides to go back to his first family? Can we really be mad at Jaidyn for wanting her family back? I mean two kids on her from blue I can only imagine the emotional rollercoaster she’s been on with him. Of course the way she goes about it rubbing it in Chriseans face isn’t the best look. However didn’t chrisean rub her and blues relationship in jaidyns face when she was literally carrying his second child? Jaidyn was with him first, and she’s been baby moms for awhile now. Not saying chrisean took blue but I mean I can understand Jaidyns frustration.
Idk this situation is so weird they might as well become sister wives at this point. I wanna feel bad for them but they both got themselves in these relationships knowing how he is. Does anyone have any opinions on this situation? Just looking at the situation I’m not mad really at Jaidyn for wanting her family back. she’s prob so happy rn thinking her family is back together even though we all see that may not last and blue doesn’t care. At the end of the day the person we should be pointing our fingers at is blue. He’s an awful guy to deal with. He manipulated these women so bad and has abused them. It’s all just so sad and imagine what their kids will think when they are old enough to see how all this played out on the internet :/

My sisters and brothers in Christ, I am sharing this novena prayer with you all as I just completed its 9th day recently and now began its first day. I invite you all to join me for any burdens, worries, and/or fears, that you want to give to Jesus.
I am also sharing this to give testimony to a recent blessing Jesus has done for my family. My Uncle has been sick for some time with medical conditions. Unfortunately due to stress and a myriad of other factors, he wound up in the emergency room. My family was in extreme distress and the medical report was not looking good at all. We were afraid he may have turned for the worst and would not bounce back! However, by the grace of God through our faith, I thank Jesus that he was able to quickly leave the hospital healthier. This occurred just before the 9th day of this novena, praise God! Now I begin this prayer again in hopes that my uncle’s health will improve ten fold and better than ever before, along with the rest of his immediate family to be safe.
Please join me in this 9 day novena. Don’t lose faith, have faith like a child! And please share if this resonates with you. God bless.
PRAYER:
DAY 1 ***:
O Sweet Child Jesus,here at Your feet is a soul that, conscious of its nothingness,turns to You, who are all.
I have so much need of Your help.
Look on me, O Jesus, with love,and, since You are all powerful,help me in my poverty.
Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...
By Your Divine Infancy, O Jesus, grant me the the grace that I now ask:PRAYER REQUEST<--
....If it is according to Your will and for my true good.
Do not look upon my unworthiness,but rather on my faith,and show me your infinite mercy.
AMEN.
DAY 2:
O Splendor of the heavenly Father,in whose face shines the light of the divinity,I adore You profoundlyand I confess You as the true Son of the living God.
I offer You, O Lord, the humble homage of all my being.
Grant that I may never separate myself from You, my highest goal.
Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...
By Your Divine Infancy, O Jesus, grant me the the grace that I now ask:PRAYER REQUEST<--
....If it is according to Your will and for my true good.
Do not look upon my unworthiness,but rather on my faith,and show me your infinite mercy.
AMEN.
DAY 3:
O Holy Child Jesus, in gazing upon Your face,from which comes the most beautiful of smiles,I feel myself filled with a lively trust.
I hope for all from Your goodness.
O Jesus, shed on me and on those dear to me,Your smile of grace,and I will praise Your infinite mercy.
Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...
By Your Divine Infancy, O Jesus, grant me the the grace that I now ask:PRAYER REQUEST<--
....If it is according to Your will and for my true good.
Do not look upon my unworthiness,but rather on my faith,and show me your infinite mercy.
AMEN.
DAY 4:
O Child Jesus, whose head is adorned with a crown of thorns,I accept You as my absolute sovereign.
I do not wish to serve the evil one, my passions, or sin any longer.
Reign, O Jesus, over this poor heart,and make it all Yours for ever.
Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...
By Your Divine Infancy, O Jesus, grant me the the grace that I now ask:PRAYER REQUEST<--
....If it is according to Your will and for my true good.
Do not look upon my unworthiness,but rather on my faith,and show me your infinite mercy.
AMEN.
DAY 5:
I gaze upon You, O Most Sweet Redeemer,dressed in a mantle of purple.
It is Your royal attire.
How it speaks to me of the blood You have shed for me and for all of humanity.
Grant, O Child Jesus,that I may respond to Your great sacrifice and not refuse,when You offer me some difficulty,to suffer with You and for You.
Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...
By Your Divine Infancy, O Jesus, grant me the the grace that I now ask:PRAYER REQUEST<--
....If it is according to Your will and for my true good.
Do not look upon my unworthiness,but rather on my faith,and show me your infinite mercy.
AMEN.
DAY 6:
O Most Lovable Child,in contemplating You as You sustain the world,my heart fills with joy.
Among the innumerable beings that You sustainI also am one.
You look upon me,uphold me at every instant,and guard me as Your own.
Look after me, O Jesus,and help me in my many necessities.
Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...
By Your Divine Infancy, O Jesus, grant me the the grace that I now ask:PRAYER REQUEST<--
....If it is according to Your will and for my true good.
Do not look upon my unworthiness,but rather on my faith,and show me your infinite mercy.
AMEN.
DAY 7:
On Your chest, O Child Jesus,shines a cross.
It is the standard of our redemption.
I also, O Divine Savior, have my cross, that,although light, very often weighs me down.
Help me to bear my cross as You did Yours,and may the carrying of my cross be fruitful.
You well know weak and worthless I am.
Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...
By Your Divine Infancy, O Jesus, grant me the the grace that I now ask:PRAYER REQUEST<--
....If it is according to Your will and for my true good.
Do not look upon my unworthiness,but rather on my faith,and show me your infinite mercy.
AMEN.
DAY 8:
Together with the cross,I see on Your chest, O Child Jesus,a little golden heart.
It is the image of Your heart,which is truly golden on account of its infinite tenderness.
You are the true friend who generously gives Himself,for the one He loves.
Continue to pour out on me, O Jesus,the enthusiasm which Your love inspires,and teach me to respond always to Your great love.
Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...
By Your Divine Infancy, O Jesus, grant me the the grace that I now ask:PRAYER REQUEST<--
....If it is according to Your will and for my true good.
Do not look upon my unworthiness,but rather on my faith,and show me your infinite mercy.
AMEN.
DAY 9:
How many blessings, O Little Child,has Your almighty right hand poured outon those who honor You and call upon You.
Bless me also, O Child Jesus,in both body and soul.
Bless and help me in my necessities,and grant me what I now desire.
Listen with compassion to my prayersand I will bless Your Holy Name every day of my life.Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be...
By Your Divine Infancy, O Jesus, grant me the the grace that I now ask:PRAYER REQUEST<--
....If it is according to Your will and for my true good.
Do not look upon my unworthiness,but rather on my faith,and show me your infinite mercy.
AMEN.

Let me preface this with this is going to long, and how our relationship is currently. We are currently incredibly healthy, strong, and honest with one another. Now, the history. We have been together for a decent amount(not getting overly specific), but the first 6-9 months of our relationship were based on lies. We met on a dating app, and clicked immediately. I was hesitant to call it love, because I had just gotten out of a horrific marriage with a covert narcissist. But my bf hid his addiction. He is an alcoholic(sober for a long time in the present), and his self-loathing, untreated mental illness, and childhood trauma were all carefully hidden. But as soon as we’d have a drink together, it was like an entirely different person. He treated me awfully while drunk, projecting a lot onto me, and it got to point where I put my foot down and told him I was not drinking with him anymore. He then went on a trip to his sisters wedding, and our communication went south. The distance seemed to make him feel safer to be shitty, and as soon as I dropped him off at the airport, he got drunk and downloaded bumble. We had arguments over the phone each time he called, because he was always wasted with his family, and his mother(his abuser) was causing a lot of crap(I could hear her in the background). When he got back, we had a serious talk. He admitted to treating me poorly to get me to leave him, because he didn’t want to break things off himself. I came to the conclusion with my therapist, that I would stay but on the condition that he would go sober. I know he has to want it, but I could not think of anything else, and I didn’t want to leave him. But then he started acting strange. Hiding his phone, the usual signs. I trusted my gut, and asked him point blank to his face if he had been cheating on me. He said no, and I dropped it. The next day, I came to his place to drop something off, and he was passed out in piss on the couch. I picked him up, dragged him to the bed, cleaned him up, and tucked him in. Looking back, I did this with my addict mother when I was a child, and it’s probably why I was so willing to tolerate everything going on. He had no Tylenol for the potential hangover, and I didn’t want to leave him alone like that, so I picked up his phone to use his doordash as I had before his trip. Then I saw the texts, I saw the apps, and I connected the times over everything to every conversation we had. I was angry, i woke him up in a rage. I wish I hadn’t, but I did. He was as callous and defensive as he usually is when wasted, but I wasn’t hearing it. I dragged him to my place to sober up, and refused to speak to him until he was. He did, we talked. I spoke to my therapist about it, she said it was ultimately up to me to decide. I stayed with him, but took several steps back in our relationship. We treated it like we had started dating all over again, because to me, the thing we had before was dead. Several months later, I find out that he had been secretly drinking, and hiding it from me. I logged into his Snapchat from my phone, and checked it. He was messaging a girl again. This time, I was done. Went back and forth through texts so I’d have evidence you cant really get with a heated phone call. Told him I’d help him pack the things he had at my place, but we were done. He came over drunker than I’d ever seen him, and I decided to record the conversation. He never fully believed how he would talk to me when drunk, and I was past the point of saving his feelings. At the end of the fight, once he realized how serious I was, he broke down. He quietly whispered that he didn’t want to lose me. I grew up in a horrifically abusive home, so maybe the survivor in me was too forgiving, but I accepted it. I took him back. But the first thing I did when he sobered up was show him the recording. He was horrified, and the first time in our entire relationship(and according to him and his dad, the first time since he was a child), he broke down crying. I told him I was not giving another chance. That I would not heal or forgive any time soon, but I would not hold it over his head to punish him. He felt genuine remorse, and that’s what makes or breaks a relationship healing from infidelity. We put accountability rules in place, started therapy together, and up to this day he has been nothing but consistent, honest, and loving. But I still get nightmares about him cheating on me and the way he’d talk to me when drunk. I just woke up before deciding to post this, from the worst fucking nightmare in my life, and it was about him relapsing. I’m going to talk to my therapist about it, but I needed to get this off my chest. I let him know I had a nightmare, but since he’s at work, I just honestly told him that I was not in the emotional or mental space to talk about it with him.

Shiv's wedding dress was horrible

2nd dog is killing our relationship (I think) l've been with this girl for 4 years. She has a chihuahua x pug which I adore, she's very low maintenance and she has always slept in the bed with us. She was also there before me. We've always struggled for intimacy with the dog between us every night, but l've learnt to manage it and I have said before it's effecting our relationship so we've addressed it and we try and make more time for each other. Last year we got engaged, then about 5 months after she decided to get a rescue Yorkshire terrier. She asked how I felt about it and I said do you really think this is a good idea? Voicing my concerns. She went ahead and brought it home. I thought to myself I love my fiancé and our chihuahua to bits I'll just have to get over this and love her the same. I love this Yorkie she's great, but she has completely taken over our lives. We can't go anywhere anymore unless it's suitable for her, she's incredibly barky and high maintenance, we don't do anything for ourselves just the 'girls'. I could deal with this too, but we now have separate duvets to allow for a better night sleep. We have Zero sex life unless we stay away in hotels or we're drunk. My fiancé has brought her wedding dress and she's so happy, we've planned the date (Even with financial constraints) but I'm now a solid 3rd place in this relationship. I feel like my fiance will do exactly what she wants, regardless of how I feel and when I do say how I feel, she says I just moan all the time and I need to get on with it like she does. I know if I break up with her she'd be devastated but it sounds pathetic but I feel replaced. Not necessarily just me but our relationship has been replaced. I know her previous relationship broke down for the same reason. But with the chihuahua x pug that was with my partner when we started seeing each other. This isn't the only problem in our relationship, we have a few. This just feels like the root cause for most of them. I don't really know what I'm asking, I think I just want to know if anyone has been in a similar position and the route they took. The problem I have is I love her. I know I have to talk to her about this I'm just scared

Hi everyone!
My sister will have her wedding next month and I would like to get a longwear foundation which is good for the skin condition. Some foundations make it look worse while the makeup is on, some are making it worse afterwards.
Is there anything that worked for you?
Thank you!

Sir David
Sir David suppresses a sigh. He couldn't say he hadn't been expecting a conversation like this. He gestures to a nearby bench and sits down, leaving Ariane room to scoot in next to him.
"Well firstly, I'd say you're my wife now. My surname does sound nice on you. A bit faster than I wanted to move perhaps, but let's call it a battlefield promotion."
Ariane offers him a half hearted smile. "Except I fled that battlefield like a little girl with her tail tucked between her legs. If I am your wife then my place is next to you. I can fight. You know I can fight David."
"Darling, in the end I'm the trained combatant in the family, and getting you out of the line of fire was my absolute first priority. This isn't to doubt your abilities, I think you're perfectly capable of defending yourself, but you don't have an Undaunted brand for thermal protection against a race known for fighting with fire, or any other covert protection. Nor are you an adept. You're immensely physically strong, far stronger than me even at your reduced size... but you're not a killer my dear... and I am."
Sir David sighs for real this time, but doesn't move his gaze from Ari's eyes. He had to meet her head on with this sort of thing. Take wife by the horns if you will.
"I don't want you to be a killer. It's my profession, I have no shame in it, for I end the lives of wicked people so good folk can sleep soundly at night. I did so on Earth, I do so now. I put myself at risk to protect the people I care about. My children. My grandchildren. My wife... and now my wives."
Sir David gently takes Ariane's hand, their fingers interlacing naturally.
"So if given a choice to ensure you're as safe as you can be, even if it means putting me at more risk... I'll always take the option that means you are as safe as possible. Even if that costs me my life. That's my promise. My oath. My duty was to Queen and country, and now to the Undaunted... but I took those oaths for Mary, my children... and now you."
Ariane nods softly, clearly still a bit upset.
"I ah... I understand, I think. I suppose I'm a bit upset with myself more than I'm upset with you. I was just... so scared. Even as I was incredibly, violently angry I was terrified... and the relief I felt when I ran was... shameful to a degree. Leaving you to die maybe. It hurt me a lot, like a razor was tearing at my guts. I just thought about what I'd do if you died or got hurt because I wasn't there and I-"
Tears start to well up in Ariane's eyes just a touch and David wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in a bit closer.
"There, there. I didn't die. Nor was I going to. Not to trash like that. Nor is fear a shameful thing. Fear is a natural response. I get scared. Captain Bridger gets scared. Even Cannidor get scared at times. Usually of me or Captain Bridger in my experience. Anyone who says they feel no fear is a liar, a fool, or psychotic. Or quite possibly all three. Soldiers train to overcome their fear to accomplish significant things... but you my dear aren't a soldier."
David caresses Ariane's back, stroking down her spine and drawing a sigh from her as she relaxes a bit, tension bleeding out of her body.
"You need to master your fear just enough to flee smartly, summon help, barricade yourself, or as a last measure, fight. Which you did today. Just like you did on the Talasar Spire when you saved all those children. You're quite the heroine from just doing those things you know? You don't need to do more. Nor, if my preferences at all matter, would I wish you to. You're a beautiful soul to me Ari. I adore how fresh and bright you are about the things in the world you love. I want you to focus on that. Focus on being a joy to this galaxy... and to me. Instead of worrying about the profession of arms that is not your own."
Ariane sniffles a bit, then plants a kiss on David's cheek. "You know, you play the hard, tough, man, with that almost piratical swagger of yours... but you're just an old softy aren't you?"
"Guilty as charged my dear."
"I uhm. I think I'd still like to learn how to shoot. Or something. Just be better able to defend myself... and our children."
"Heh. Well I think we can take care of that... though I'll note that wasn't at all subtle Ari."
Ariane leans over again and kisses David hard on the mouth this time, her tongue briefly tangling with his and leaving him breathless.
"No. That wasn't subtle. I fully intend to reward my knight for gallantly protecting me, and you'll see just how unsubtle I can be David Forsythe."
"I'll look forward to it then. To close the loop on our previous conversation though. You know that if you had been even a talented markswoman with a pistol I'd have still sent you running at the earliest circumstance right?"
Ariane nods, nearly knocking one of her horns against David's head.
"I understand."
David gives her another gentle kiss on the cheek.
"Capital. Like I said, even if you're capable, your best defense is avoiding a fight entirely. You should only fight if you absolutely must. That's why I fought in the court yard. Not because I could win, but because we didn't have a clear or safe avenue of escape. As soon as we had such an avenue I got you out, and were I alone I'd have fought a fighting retreat to follow you in hopes of moving to a more defensible location. Or getting help from the wardens of the Inner Shrine."
"Which is exactly the type of behavior I have to beat into new recruits." Comes the now familiar smoky voice of Miri'Tok, as the click of her heels on stone announce her return to the room.
"I'm terribly sorry about the wait, police procedure is tedious, even for clear cases of self defense. David I'm told you have a bounty hunting license, so you'll be receiving some credits for their heads. Not extremely bad girls, save the boss, but bad enough to be worth some money. The local police are paying out a bonus for the living ones. That blue haired girl apparently won't shut up; she's rolling on her old boss so enthusiastically they had to bring a synth in to transcribe it all. It's going to be a busy couple of days for the capital district police force."
David nods. "Take half for yourself would you? I hardly need the credits and you did the lion's share of the dangerous work, I just had a little target practice."
Miri'Tok laughs. "Ah the sheer gall on your husband Ariane, a little bit of target practice he calls it. Some of the cleanest shooting I've seen in years with gangsters with rap sheets that combined stretch from here to orbit and it was just a bit of target practice! Hah!"
Ariane and David join in the laughter this time, the room returning to a hospitable warmth as Miri'Tok seats herself on a bench near the couple.
"I must compliment you as well Ariane." Miri'Tok says, orienting herself more squarely to the Agela.
"Me? What did I do?"
"You kept your head in a dangerous situation and didn't go to pieces like a great many women would have. This is a great deal of credit to your name. Even Apuk civilians, socialized to violence from birth, can go to pieces when real violence is forced upon them."
David nods.
"More or less what I was saying dear, you did a splendid job getting us help. If things had gone a bit more poorly, it's help we would have direly needed too."
Ariane's smile returns to her face like dawn for David, warming the room up even further as she snuggles a bit closer to him.
"Well if you're both telling me that, who am I to argue?"
Miri'Tok chuckles, and rises. "I'm afraid I must actually return to my duties, I've lingered longer than I intended. I'll take you down the hall and leave you with the Wardens in their ward room. Nar'Jan and the girls have been preparing an impromptu victory party for you both. Just a little toast, then one of the girls will give you the full tour of the war shrine. You're both welcome in the Inner Shrine whenever you please, so please come back while you're on Serbow and they'll gladly receive you."
Miri'Tok turns to leave, only to be stopped by Ariane tugging on her sleeve. When the Apuk warrior turns, Ariane holds up her communicator.
"Before you go let's exchange contact information. I really enjoyed our time with you, and I know David did as well. Perhaps we can meet again soon? Without another fight preferably."
"Oh!" Miri'Tok gets that same dusky tone that David associates with a blush in Apuk.
"I uh. I'd like that. Perhaps dinner or something? I know some great places to eat in the city."
"Sounds wonderful, I'll send you David's contact information later once I have a minute."
"I ah. Thank you. I'll look forward to it."
Miri'Tok offers a bow from the waist and quickly hurries away, the echo of her heels fading down the corridor.
David raises an eyebrow and looks over at Ariane.
"You know, when you said you were going to show me how unsubtle you could be, I was expecting something a bit more... intimate shall we say."
"So let the knowledge that things can get even more forward make you wonder at what tonight holds when we get back to the Tear."
David chuckles, caught entirely off guard with the sexual aggression from the normally demure Ariane.
"You're showing me all sorts of sides of yourself today Ari. Still, that really was a bit too forward wasn't it?"
Ariane cocks her head, giving David a slightly confused look.
"What? She's an excellent candidate for a third wife. Better to preempt her asking a bit so we can take the time to discuss it, and it doesn't hurt to put the welcome mat out when to my eye she's so accomplished and so obviously interested. Plus she'd be a good recruit for the Undaunted from her decorations. She's a very skilled warrior even if she's not a battle princess. Though she might be a princess. You never know. She's not wearing a crown, but apparently a lot of the battle princesses in service to the Imperial military skip the crowns outside of formal occasions, instead only going by their ranks."
Another eyebrow raised, a common thing when Ariane was in the mood to surprise David it seems. "Where did you learn all that? I haven't the foggiest about how to read Apuk decorations."
Ariane shrugs. "When I finished that book about your unit back on Earth, Eastern Approaches, I read a book or two on contemporary Apuk martial culture. I thought it might come in handy."
"So what does your reading tell you about Miri'Tok?"
"Well as she said she's an Apuk Imperial Marine. She started as an enlisted woman, and has done a century of service at least. She's done at least a dozen combat deployments, and numerous space deployments. The difference being specifically going to a conflict zone, and floating around on an Apuk Imperial Navy vessel looking for trouble.”
Sir David doffs an imaginary cap. “An activity I heartily approve of.”
Ariane rolls her eyes with a smile before continuing.
“She has five wound medals, an even dozen valor medals in varying grades and has been named as a member of an Imperial martial order. Knights for lack of a better word. Not all that dissimilar from you really if you'd had another forty years with the Royal Marines and SAS. Then there's a variety of competence awards that aren't as important. Suffice to say, Miri'Tok is very good at what she does."
"Hmmm. Yes I could see that in the fight, and you think she's interested in me?"
Ariane rises, and saunters the step or two to David slowly, placing her hands on his shoulders and leaning down to kiss him deeply.
"Darling, from her axiom she's single. From what she tells us about how her family treats men and views sorcerers, you're literally one in a billion... and she got to fight alongside you. I've heard Ghorza Bridger crowing about getting to fight side by side with the Captain at a bar on the promenade after the Talasar Spire with the same enthusiasm most girls save for a once in a lifetime present or getting pregnant. I also could tell that her shield sisters were green with envy. Well. Greener than normal anyway. If Miri'Tok wasn't interested, I'd be worried she'd hit her head in the fight. Plus her body always seemed to be facing you, except when she was speaking directly to me."
Ariane stands back up and tucks some of her hair back into place, with an exaggerated attempt at a glamorous, flirtatious pose..
"Well, with such a gifted potential candidate it wouldn't exactly be a hardship to share. I'll just have to take solace in the fact that I'll always have a bigger rack than her."
David's eyes naturally drift downwards from her face, considering the rack in question, only for a slightly embarrassed Ariane to stick a finger up to direct his attention back upwards before covering her reddened face with her hands.
"My horns David. I meant my horns. I have bigger horns than she does."
It takes every fiber of discipline he's ever possessed for David to suppress the cheeky grin that desperately wanted to plaster itself across his face, and to tame the school boy giggle fit he so dearly wanted to have. He stiffens his upper lip like a proper British gentleman and manages to dryly respond.
"Well my dear, let's not talk about other women. You have a fantastic rack and I look forward to appreciating it later tonight."
Ariane shoots him a look, clearly over acting her slight embarrassment into mock outrage, playing along with her husband easily.
"Now you're doing it on purpose!"
"Yes, but you're cute when you're flustered."
"You're impossible David Forsythe!"
"That I am Mrs. Forsythe."
Ariane chuckles, and leans over, planting another gentle kiss on his lips.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way."
First Last

This thread is for individual style questions that you may have, especially those that don't warrant their own thread. We all want a diversified opinion, so feel free to answer any questions (of which you know the answer).
To get the best responses, please include any relevant details such as your budget, where you live, and what stores are available to you.
Example questions:

• Are there any basic crewneck white t-shirts that are opaque and do not have cap sleeves for <$25 available in Australia?
• Is this dress and shoes suitable for an evening wedding with a cocktail dress code taking place in a [venue type]?
• If I like the outfits in this [imgur album / pinterest board], what are some specific items I can look into to start dressing like that, and brands with this look that carry plus sizes?
• Does this outfit look neater with the pants cuffed or uncuffed?

If you'd like to include a picture, you can now post pictures directly in the comments, without having to link an imgur album.

Hi :) I am not entirely sure if I am doing this correctly because I have never used reddit before. I have written a little under half of an adult fantasy novel, and I am looking for feedback. I will take any and all feedback, but I am mostly looking for unbiased parties to tell me if I have an potential at all with this story/as a writer. Honestly I am mainly looking for peers/friends. I am happy to read your work in return (though I am mostly only familiar with fiction/fantasy work)! If you are interested, comment below or chat me (IDK how that works but I shall figure it out hehe).
Content warnings: So far the story is not spicy but I do intend to take it there. I am 22 and the characters are around 20 so I am looking for older readers, not minors. I wouldn't be comfortable discussing that sort of things with younger readers though you are still ofc welcome to read it! There is very minor violence but nothing too grim. There is also some LGBTQ+ rep so bigots stay away!
Disclaimer the first chapter is only one of the main characters, but I do have to say, once they meet there is some wonderful witty banter so I swear it gets more intriguing.
First chapter:
Chapter 1: Bearnas The innate driving force of human nature is vengeance. This was a certitude I had come to realize from a young age, and it was a concept I relied on as I got older. Vengeance was the primary motivator for my people. It was our currency. The way we managed to survive. I didn’t stop to consider the morality of this outlook. I didn’t like to contemplate the state of my existence. Found that to be a waste of time. I focused on the here-and-now. The mutable present. It was simply the way the world was, so I had to deal with it like a man should. This was an ideal my father had instilled in me since the time of my birth. I was the son of a victorious warrior. Osgar Nieva was a well-respected war lieutenant during the Great Slaughtering. He never let me forget that I had a legacy to uphold. I knew my father hated me. I figured his disappointment began from the moment I received my name. In Dolag, tradition dictates that the father names their son. Names were believed to be prophetic. Osgar had a strong name-befitting of a warrior. His name meant “divine spear.” My grandfather claimed he could sense that Osgar would be a brave warrior from the moment he was born. So he was prophesied to be graced by the luck of God in battles. Typically, women were only allowed to name the baby if it was a girl. I was the exception. The process of my birth brought my Mother to her deathbed. The doctor was certain that she wouldn’t recover. As she lovingly admired the newborn baby boy in her arms, her attention was drawn by a bird pecking gently on the window. Tears streamed out of her eyes as it took off soundlessly into the winter dawn. “Wren.” She’d muttered softly, still gazing peacefully out the window. The room of family members and midwives stood in puzzled silence. The world seemed to pause in wait for her next words. She turned her head back to meet Osgar’s eyes. “He shall be named Wren. He will be gentle. Beautiful. Free.” She reached down to caress her baby’s face. “And he will be loved.” Despite my Father’s protests, the council voted to accept the name. The wishes of the dying outweighed naming traditions. Only my Mother never died. Doctors considered her survival a miracle. She returned back to full health only a few months later. She and I have paid for her decision every day since. Osgar refused to call me Wren. Anyone who referred to me as such, other than my Mother, was punished accordingly. To the rest of the world, I became known as Bearnas Nieva. Bearnas was the name Osgar would have chosen for his son if he had been given the opportunity. Bearnas. Meaning bringer of victory. My father did everything in his power to ensure that I would fulfill this destiny, whether it was the result of prophetic nomenclature or resolute determination. The story of my name was all I could think about as I prepared for my sendoff. I was tightening my last bootstring when a small hand clapped me on the back with a force intended to knock me off balance. “The famed Bear Nieva preparing for his grand expedition. What luck I must possess to witness you in all your glory.” I was grateful for El’s arrival, despite the copious amount of sarcasm she brought with her. My sister's presence was probably the only thing that could pull me out of my thoughts right now. “Using mockery as a mechanism to cover up your total despair about my departure, I assume.” I tried to keep my tone light, but in truth it was myself I was worried about. El held the chief role in keeping me sane throughout the later part of my life. She was my only tether to my true self. I worried about how I would stay grounded on my Hunt without her there to tease my worries away. El flopped on my bed with feigned anguish. “Yes, whatever will I do without my idiot older brother around to hog all the scrambled eggs at breakfast. Oh, how I will miss the putrid scent you plague the house with after training all day. Your constant nagging about my lack of tidiness will be missed most ardently.” I swatted her gently with my leather gloves. “Speaking of, get your disgusting outdoor shoes out of my clean bed immediately.” I shooed her out of my room, and chased her towards the door, nearly colliding with my father as a result. “This isn’t befitting behavior for a man about to begin his First Hunt” Osgar admonished. “Elowen, go to the kitchen and help your Mother tidy up before we head to town.” El skirted around our father into the hallway. Safely out of his eyeline, she directed one last mocking tongue in my direction before slinking away. “Are you ready to go?” He raked his disapproving gaze over my gear, searching for any flaw he could call attention to. “Yes, sir.” I responded. I did feel ready. This was the moment I had been preparing for my whole life. My body was honed by years of workouts and my skills were unquestioned. I had graduated top of my class in my training group. I was certainly ready to leave the house, as I wanted nothing more than independence. Besides my Mother and sister, I had nothing keeping me here. Not anymore. So I grabbed my bag and walked out the door. When my family was all ready, we began the walk to the edge of town where the sendoff was taking place. There we would eat, drink, dance and say our goodbyes. I spent my time standing on the outskirts of the group, hoping my stern face would signal everyone to leave me alone. I didn’t have any desire to get my ego fluffed by a bunch of people who just wanted to get in the good graces of my Father. I just wanted to leave. The one person I actually wished had come to bid me farewell had decided not to show up, not that I could blame him. Eleven other men would be sent off at the same time as me. We were all being sent in different directions, but we were all given the same instruction: go kill a witch. That is exactly what I intended to do. Success rates had been much lower over the past few years. After the Great Slaughter fifty years prior, there were only so many witches left to kill. In fact a witch hadn’t been successfully hunted in around 4 years. Most hunters came back many months after their departure unable to track any down. The people of Dolag figured the warriors of the Great Slaughter had ushered the witches into near extinction. The only evidence we had that they weren’t entirely eradicated were the cases of the men who never returned. Every once in a while, there was a man who was assumed to have met his demise at the hands of one of the remaining witches. So the Hunts continued on. After a few hours of festivities, it was time for us to set off. I was ready to say my goodbyes. I knelt down so El could wrap her arms around my neck. Her hot tears dampened the fabric covering my shoulders. “Promise me you will come back,” she said. I squeezed her a little tighter. “Don’t worry, you’ll get a few months of the stench free, scrambled-egg-filled, only-child experience and then I will be right back to boss you around.” El released me from her grip in order to look me in the eyes. “I’m not kidding around Bear.” Her piercing gaze mirrored the intensity of her voice. “Promise me.” Even though I knew it wasn’t something I could realistically guarantee, I hugged her once more and said “I promise, Elly.” After a moment, I stood up and ruffled my little sister’s hair. Then I turned to my Mother, who watched with watery eyes. The hair that had escaped from her tight bun was wisping around her face in the gentle breeze. The sun shining behind her produced an effect reminiscent of a halo. She embraced me with a level of care only a Mother could deliver. “I love you, Wren. You will always be my darling songbird,” she whispered into my ear. I released myself from the hug, and smiled one last time at my adoring Mother. I nodded once before forcing myself to turn to my Father. “Don’t disappoint me, son.” He stuck out his calloused hand and I shook it begrudgingly. It felt like cold leather in my grip. That was it. That was my final farewell from my Father. ‘Don’t disappoint’. No good luck, no I love you, nothing of the sort. Only a damn handshake. I knew I shouldn’t have expected anything different, but it still put me in a sour mood. What a great start to my expedition. I looked one last time at my sister and Mother in an effort to preserve some positive thoughts about my home. When I cemented this image in my mind, I omitted the withering glare of my Father beside them. I spun around and started down the path towards Deirtalamh. I marched towards witch country without so much as a glance over my shoulder. I was days into my trek when I came across the cabin. Being the son of Osgar Nieva gave me claim to the most promising Hunt. My journey was actually mapped to this location, whereas the rest of my group had to resort to aimless meandering. I heard the gentle melody of a person humming drifting out from within the house. How odd. My superiors swore it was a witch that lived here. A hunter from a few years prior reported catching a glimpse of a cabin before he was suddenly lost in the woods. Who could be humming so pleasantly within this peaceful home so deep into witch territory? I maneuvered my head to look through the open window and saw the source of the cheerful noise. She appeared like the sun incarnate. Her dark skin contrasted beautifully against the pale yellow of her clothes. Her hair curled unbound around her face. She stirred a pot of stew as she swayed softly to her own music, the fabric of her dress swishing mesmerizingly around her thighs. Beautiful suddenly seemed like an insufficient word to describe someone of her standing. I knew she was not the witch I had come to hunt. Of course I was no fool, I was aware that witches could glamor themselves to be beautiful. But their false beauty was always like that of a succubus, unnatural and deadly. No witch would have been able to conjure up the effortless and soft beauty of the woman in front of me. I was sure of it. Never mind the fact that if she were a witch, I would most certainly be dead. She would have sensed me coming from the moment I stepped foot onto her land, and she would have been ready to strike. If I had let myself get distracted for this long in the presence of a witch, I would have paid for my mistake in blood. I wondered how she had come to live in Deirtalamh. I’d heard tales of villagers who’d tried their luck here out of desperation, choosing to brave the dangers of witch territory rather than living in the impoverished slums of Dolag. I’d also heard of extreme cases where dangerous criminals were exiled here. This woman looked neither criminal in nature nor desperate to survive. She looked content. Regardless, I must get her to safety. I walked briskly over to the door and entered the cabin.

This is mostly a vent. Supportive comments needed, advice is appreciated.
​
These days I'm so dismayed at my situation and find myself wondering 'What the fuck happened?'
I came from a well-off middle class family. I'm now 22 and struggling with housing and work. I had to start living on my own a couple of months ago and now have no choice but to move somewhere else or flatshare in order to survive, and even that is proving difficult. I have good qualifications but can never keep a job for more than a few months because I'm on the Autism Spectrum. I'm having top surgery in a few weeks (I'm trans), and while I have friends to help me recover I have no family to keep a closer watch on me.
Future is looking a bit bleak.
So how the fuck did I end up here and where did things go so wrong....? That's what I find myself asking.
My mom was always an abusive narcissist and never wanted me in the first place. That's where it all started. Dad and rest of family were passive enablers, plus my autistic traits.......All that did not mix well, for me or my brother. Childhood wasn't very good. From 12/13 I developed clinical (and I mean Clinical with a capital C) depression/anxiety and also gender dysphoria, and as I mentioned I'm on the spectrum as well. I did great in school but in literally everything else I was abysmal and thought constantly about suicide etc. Despite attempts to get help and teachers urging my parents to get me help they ignored all of it completely. At 14 my brother began retaliating violently against my mother's abuse, and over the next few years gave my parents Hell by assaulting them and causing thousands in property damage.
I kept my trans feelings at bay until I got my degree, after which I started dressing and acting like my true self. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. After months of further abuse by my mother, my grandmother let me stay with her. But eventually even my grandmother's actions took a toll on my mental health and I had to live on my own. Then recently I had to block contact with most of my family because of their anger and intolerance over my upcoming surgery.
I'm in contact with social workers to try and get some government help. I constantly feel like I'm an imposter or lazy, that I don't deserve any government help or resources at all. Technically I haven't consumed any government resources yet, it's just that my case has been followed for a long time now.
I feel so bad that I will likely have to make use of government services in my life due to my situation. And seeing other families stick up for each other and help each other when in need makes me feel bitter and upset.

• I know one young man who was born with a few medical complications and is half-blind and has trouble with depression, jobs and school. And his family really care for him. In contrast to me (ok I'm not half-blind), where any legit medical problems that were affecting my day-to-day living were just blamed on me or attributed to a weak mental state.
• I know some trans people and plenty of lgbt people who are accepted by their parents. And with trans issues especially, leaving dysphoria unchecked can really cripple us. In the meantime, my family didn't even accept me wearing the clothes that I felt comfortable in.
• The girl I'm dating is autistic and a lesbian and always had the full support of her family and a government program for her executive functioning problems. She was fully accepted and helped for her autism while my parents attempted to hide my diagnoses and pretend it never happened and continued treating me in a way that's not even acceptable for neurotypical kids.
• My brother is a violent, debatably dangerous shithead and he still gets to live with my parents rent-free.
• Then again, I do know someone with an IQ deficiency who is dependent on the government to live and looks to have been entirely abandoned by his family.

I don't want to get to a point where I would need government housing, but my entire family literally won't accept me living with them. One of my grandmother's has a sizeable house, but is so disgusted by my transness that she can't even look at me and constantly insults me. My other grandmother has a large house but constantly cries and argues over my transness. My aunts and uncles value their private space too much to take me in. I can't go back to my parents because my mother is abusive, does shit like throw away my clothes and stuff and my dad won't stop her.
I grew up in financial security, in a well-off middle class family. I had a computer at 6 years old, we had 3 TVs and my dad tried to put an AC in practically every room in the house, my dad would spend 400$ on just a casual food trip and 'treat' us at restaurants. As kids my grandparents would take us lots of places and treat us, and we'd all go on holiday every 2 years. And all of that never made me happy, and I'd have happily traded all of those material items for a loving family. Scratch that: even just one person who would have acted like a proper parent to me.

This is mostly a vent. Supportive comments needed, advice is appreciated.
​
These days I'm so dismayed at my situation and find myself wondering 'What the fuck happened?'
I came from a well-off middle class family. I'm now 22 and struggling with housing and work. I had to start living on my own a couple of months ago and now have no choice but to move somewhere else or flatshare in order to survive, and even that is proving difficult. I have good qualifications but can never keep a job for more than a few months because I'm on the Autism Spectrum. I'm having top surgery in a few weeks (I'm trans), and while I have friends to help me recover I have no family to keep a closer watch on me.
Future is looking a bit bleak.
So how the fuck did I end up here and where did things go so wrong....? That's what I find myself asking.
My mom was always an abusive narcissist and never wanted me in the first place. That's where it all started. Dad and rest of family were passive enablers, plus my autistic traits.......All that did not mix well, for me or my brother. Childhood wasn't very good. From 12/13 I developed clinical (and I mean Clinical with a capital C) depression/anxiety and also gender dysphoria, and as I mentioned I'm on the spectrum as well. I did great in school but in literally everything else I was abysmal and thought constantly about suicide etc. Despite attempts to get help and teachers urging my parents to get me help they ignored all of it completely. At 14 my brother began retaliating violently against my mother's abuse, and over the next few years gave my parents Hell by assaulting them and causing thousands in property damage.
I kept my trans feelings at bay until I got my degree, after which I started dressing and acting like my true self. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. After months of further abuse by my mother, my grandmother let me stay with her. But eventually even my grandmother's actions took a toll on my mental health and I had to live on my own. Then recently I had to block contact with most of my family because of their anger and intolerance over my upcoming surgery.
I'm in contact with social workers to try and get some government help. I constantly feel like I'm an imposter or lazy, that I don't deserve any government help or resources at all. Technically I haven't consumed any government resources yet, it's just that my case has been followed for a long time now.
I feel so bad that I will likely have to make use of government services in my life due to my situation. And seeing other families stick up for each other and help each other when in need makes me feel bitter and upset.

• I know one young man who was born with a few medical complications and is half-blind and has trouble with depression, jobs and school. And his family really care for him. In contrast to me (ok I'm not half-blind), where any legit medical problems that were affecting my day-to-day living were just blamed on me or attributed to a weak mental state.
• I know some trans people and plenty of lgbt people who are accepted by their parents. And with trans issues especially, leaving dysphoria unchecked can really cripple us. In the meantime, my family didn't even accept me wearing the clothes that I felt comfortable in.
• The girl I'm dating is autistic and a lesbian and always had the full support of her family and a government program for her executive functioning problems. She was fully accepted and helped for her autism while my parents attempted to hide my diagnoses and pretend it never happened and continued treating me in a way that's not even acceptable for neurotypical kids.
• My brother is a violent, debatably dangerous shithead and he still gets to live with my parents rent-free.
• Then again, I do know someone with an IQ deficiency who is dependent on the government to live and looks to have been entirely abandoned by his family.

I don't want to get to a point where I would need government housing, but my entire family literally won't accept me living with them. One of my grandmother's has a sizeable house, but is so disgusted by my transness that she can't even look at me and constantly insults me. My other grandmother has a large house but constantly cries and argues over my transness. My aunts and uncles value their private space too much to take me in. I can't go back to my parents because my mother is abusive, does shit like throw away my clothes and stuff and my dad won't stop her.
I grew up in financial security, in a well-off middle class family. I had a computer at 6 years old, we had 3 TVs and my dad tried to put an AC in practically every room in the house, my dad would spend 400$ on just a casual food trip and 'treat' us at restaurants. As kids my grandparents would take us lots of places and treat us, and we'd all go on holiday every 2 years. And all of that never made me happy, and I'd have happily traded all of those material items for a loving family. Scratch that: even just one person who would have acted like a proper parent to me.

If you’re reading this I am begging you to believe me. Especially if you have children. My name is Leon and I have been investigating strange disappearances for four years. I am not an official investigator or a journalist. Before I started this whole thing I did not believe in ghosts or the paranormal. For me to believe in something I had to see it with my own two eyes! Everything had to be factual and everything had an explanation.
At least this is what I used to believe until my wife was murdered four years ago. They found her at work completely skinless. She was drained of blood and was missing all of her nails. They told me the precision required to accomplish this was not heard of yet. I waited months for answers and they never came, so I decided to go get them myself. I had no idea where to start or who to speak to so I went back to the store to try and dig up as much information as I could find.
Her manager eventually told me that she had gotten into a fight with a customer that day and that he assumed she went home on time. When her body was found in the employee break room he was shocked. He had no idea she was still in the building. He said he told me exactly what he told the police. I asked him if there was any footage of the man she was arguing with but he told me the security cameras were not working that day. I vividly remember wanting to punch this guy in his damn face. He was no help and I was determined to solve my wife's murder.
I ended up searching for the guy for months. I asked every one of her coworkers if they saw the argument and a couple of times I even had a run-in with the cops. They insisted that I should let them do their jobs and that they had everything handled. There was no chance I was going to listen to them. I had to take time off from my investigation to attend her funeral and make sure I got all of the preparations right. In hindsight, I was not growing properly and I really should've taken some time to reassess.
So fast forward another month and I finally get a lead. Something I assumed the cops didn't have, this meant I could finally get some answers before being stonewalled again. I ended up finding this guy, Will Brookes at a fucken motel off of the highway about three miles from where my wife worked. I waited for two days before I saw him leave his room to get ice. Once I knew what room to find him in I knocked until he opened the door. He was rightfully pissed but not as pissed as I was. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to not kill him on the spot.
“Why did you kill my wife?!” I snapped as I forced myself into the room and slammed the door behind me. He looked shocked.
“I did not kill her!” He screamed and tried to move around me. So I grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him into the wall next to the tv. This guy was not very heavy and not very strong. At that moment I was wondering how he could kill anyone.
“You were the last person to be seen with her alive!” I barked. I wanted to push his body through the wall. I wanted to crush him.
“I was bringing her the papers she requested for a job offer she accepted in a place called LittleBrooke!” The man said. He was shaking so I put him down and pushed him to the side. “Show me the papers,” I demanded. My wife had told me twice that she had gotten a new job offer. I was extremely excited! I work from home and would be happy to live wherever she wanted. All she had to do was say the word and we could’ve left as soon as possible. But she never made it home to tell me the news.
I watched as the shaking man handed me a stack of papers and even a suitcase. “Here, take it and please leave me alone!” He shouted. “Okay.” I left the motel room and went right to my car. I put everything on the passenger seat and went home. Once I got there I sobbed in the driveway for over an hour before finally getting out and heading inside. I never got to see her body and I never got to say goodbye. Being in this house felt like I was walking into a damn shallow grave of sorts.
I went right to the master bedroom and packed up as many clothes as I could. I even took some of her favorite items, I don’t know why. I took a couple of pillows and two blankets, and after that, I went around to search the rest of the house. Once I had finished in the master bedroom I went and grabbed all my items from the bathroom. After that, I went into the nursery. We were planning on trying to have a baby once she got her new job. I looked around the nursery and took some stuffed animals and blankets, nothing too crazy. I also made sure to grab our family photo album. Finally, I made sure to grab all of the savings from the jar we had plus anything I kept in the safe. I also made sure to grab our wedding video and once I had everything I thought I could need I left the house. On my way out I made sure to tell the building goodbye.
Once I got back into my car I decided to drive a bit. No way in hell was I going to the same motel as that guy so I drove until I hit a hotel far enough away from my house. I did not end up checking in though. Once I got close enough I backed up and just kept driving. I eventually hit a truck stop after a couple of hours and decided to rest my eyes for a while. I was exhausted and there were way too many questions rushing through my head. I knew if I kept driving in that state I would probably crash or something.
After sleeping for four hours I decided it was time to look through the papers and figure out what I was going to do next. I took the first paper from the stack and started to read it. For the sake of time here I will only tell you guys what I found that was interesting.
Paper One: You have been accepted to work as a store manager! Please review your employee packet for more information.
So as I am going over this first paper a couple of things stick out to me. Whoever wrote this was trying not to be specific. The whole paper was one big announcement for a new store opening up in a place called LittleBrooke. There was no state mentioned anywhere on this paper, I would later find out that this place was supposed to be in Washington D.C.
I decided to dig around and eventually found the employee packet. She accepted a job at a mega-store called BrightMarketZ. I thought it was a pretty weird name but what stood out to me was what they were offering to pay her. $22.00 an hour! I couldn't believe it. No wonder she said yes and didn’t bother to ask any questions.
Paper Twenty: To find LittleBrooke please enter [REDACTED] into your GPS device. You will be staying inside apartment 307. All rent for your first month in LittleBrooke is covered by your employer. Please note that all apartments are two-bedroom only. If you have a larger household please speak to Sydney May at Town Hall for bigger accommodations.
After reading this I decided to just go to LittleBrooke and get answers. I was assuming that I would find out what the hell happened if I just went. I wanted to know what my wife died for and I wanted to know why this was some big secret in the first place. I went back to bed and as soon as the sun came up I put the information into my GPS and headed for LittleBrooke.

Year One in LittleBrooke

It took me three weeks to reach LittleBrooke and I could tell that something was wrong the moment I found the town. If I wasn't so damn desperate for answers I would've turned around as soon as I saw the library. The building itself wasn't big but the two huge lions on either side of the staircase gave me the creeps.
After that I passed a mechanic, the whole place looked run down as hell. There wasn't a single car to be seen but the sign said open. The man standing outside of the building waved to me so I gave him a slow wave back. He looked weird. At the time I couldn’t place my finger on why but now I know it’s because he was not human.
The theater was kind of cool to look at in a vintage kind of way. They were not showing anything when I drove by and I made the decision early on to stay out of the theater altogether. After the theater, I saw a small building that said LittleBrooke Press. If anything else I figured I could write for the paper.
As I approached the apartment building a woman was standing outside. Her face was weird as hell. It looked like she had far too much plastic surgery like her face was threatening to pop at any moment. “Hi, can I help you?” she asked me. Her voice was shrill, it was gross to even hear her speak. It sounded like she was putting on a fake voice just to speak to me. “Hi, my wife accepted a job offer. Unfortunately, she has passed away. I would still like to claim the apartment left to us. I can work at any place that currently has an opening.” I offered.
“LittleBrooke Press has space for two more writers!” She smiled and handed me the keys to the apartment. She never asked my name and she knew exactly where I wanted to go. I thought it was weird but I didn’t argue. Instead, I took the keys and thanked her. I spent that whole day getting settled into the new apartment. A couple of things, the front door had four different locks on it. I thought that was pretty weird. I also did not see or hear any other people until my third night in the apartment. I called the LittleBrooke Press about a potential job and they told me to email my submissions. There was no need for me to come in person and honestly, I liked this deal a lot.
For the first few months, I spent my time writing about whatever came to my mind. After that, I would send it in and get my money back. The editor never told me what to do and they never requested anything. It was sweet. As December rolled around I could feel myself slipping into a seasonal depression. At that point, I had made no progress in any of my investigations. I did not know the town well enough and frankly, I felt like I was wasting my time. That night I decided to check out the local bar. It was pretty hidden, you had to drive further into LittleBrooke to find it. Once I got there I was shocked! The place was packed. I sat down at the bar and ordered a drink.
The bartender was hot as hell, too hot. She was so even looking so perfectly symmetrical that it made me extremely uncomfortable. There wasn’t a single hair out of place. “So are you new in town?” She asked me. “Yeah, I just got here a couple of months ago. My now-deceased wife accepted a job offer here.” I said bluntly and dryly. I wanted to finish my drink and go. It was like the bones in my body were screaming at me to leave. The woman looked shocked. “Tell me, does that happen often? Do people accept a job offer in LittleBrooke and turn up dead a couple of days later?” I hissed. It was a genuine question but she did not take it too kindly. She took my drink from my hands and told me to leave.
As I made my way back to my car I could hear someone coming up from behind me. I turned around as fast as possible and had to take three steps back. It was the bartender, but she did not look the same. Half of her face was weighed down like she had no bones at all. Her eyes were bulging out of her head. She gurgled at me. “You need to leave!” She finally snapped and swung her arm in my direction. I moved back before she could hit me. As her hand hit my car window it shattered like it was made of ice. I watched as her arm popped and clicked. I could see it slowly getting longer. Before I knew it her arm was dragging on the pavement! She lunged at me so I punched her in her stomach. She gurgled again and sunk her teeth into my jacket. I screamed for help as we hit the pavement. She was trying fucken eat me! I grabbed her by her hair and threw her backward as hard as I could. As I scrambled to my feet and looked at her I screamed again. Her skin was pulled back. Now hugging the bones on her face. Her eyes were completely exposed! I turned and dove into my car as fast as I could. I slammed the door behind me and sped out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.
The next morning I received a letter under my door. “Sorry, you had problems last night! Please accept our sincerest apologies.” -Mayor Brookes. There was $300 included with the letter. Now, I thought about leaving but decided I had to stay. Something was going on here and I had to find out what. I removed my jacket to see if the woman had injured me, she didn't but the experience was still terrifying. For the first time in a very long time, I was scared. But I also felt closer to the truth than I have ever been before.

Year Two in LittleBrooke

I spent all of January writing about the women who attacked me. I even contacted the police. I quickly learned that the police were going to be completely useless. My editor never sent the story back so I had assumed it was published.
At the end of the month, I left to shop for some supplies. Let me tell you, the grocery store in LittleBrooke is something else. They don’t have any brands you’ve ever heard of and at first, that drove me nuts. However, I quickly came to fall in love with the food here. It was comforting to have something to enjoy. Like always, I made sure to shop for two to three months at a time. Shopping was easy, I used the self-checkout to make sure I didn’t have to speak to anyone.
Once I got home I put everything away and decided to look around the apartment building. My whole floor started with 301 and went all the way to 310. The first floor was 501 to 509. There was a technical second floor but none of the doors were labeled. It looked like someone was renovating the place.
I got to see some of my neighbors too. An older woman, two men, and I were living next door to a lady the whole time. I had never seen or heard from these people before. It seemed like everyone wanted to keep to themselves too. I wanted to try and talk to someone but every time I approached them they turned and walked away. For what it's worth they looked completely normal.
So I left the apartment building and ventured around the property. There were no other apartments anywhere close to the one I was staying at, or so I thought until I found one about thirty minutes away. It was so out of the way you wouldn't find it unless you were looking. Against my better judgment, I opened the doors to the building and walked right inside. The place smelled like rust and soot.
I went to explore the first floor and was shocked to find blood trails on the floor and the ceiling. I followed the trail and made sure to look at the numbers on each door. This floor was numbered 1-10. Most of the doors were locked and I wasn’t going to try and knock anything down. I opened the door to apartment 10 and walked right inside. There was just enough light from the sun to illuminate the place. It looked like the whole place had been ransacked. I checked the tables and cabinets before heading into the bedroom. I searched the dresser and under the pillows before finally checking under the bed. When I looked under I spotted a black box. I grabbed it and that is when I got the feeling again. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt something sharp dig into my shoulders.
I screamed as loudly as I could, my face slammed off of the carpet and I clenched the box with one hand. Before I could figure out what the hell was happening I was tossed backward. I went into the bedroom door and rolled a couple of times until I reached the torn-up couch. I slowly lifted my head and to my horror what I was looking at was way too far from human to be real.
It looked like a dog ape thing. It was mostly skinless aside from some skin on its torso and face. The creature had thick, long claws and was standing on its hind legs. It barked at me. Its fangs were huge! I quickly scrambled to my feet and rushed out of the door as fast as possible. I could feel the blood running down my back. Never once did I consider letting this box go.
“Help!” I screamed as I burst through the apartment complex doors and started to run back to the main road. My heart was pounding, I could feel my chest getting tighter with each step. I could hear the beast behind me, it was screeching. I thought I was going to die for sure, there was no way I could continue to outrun this beast. That’s when I heard a car and before I knew it I could see it! A woman was waving me over, she was just up ahead! I had to push a little harder. I had to be just a little stronger.
When I felt the embrace of the car door I ripped it open and dove inside. She sped away and I looked out of the window. The beast did not follow us any further. “Are you insane!” She snapped at me. That’s the last thing I remember before passing out.
When I woke up I was laying on my stomach on an extremely comfortable couch. I could smell someone making pasta with meat sauce. My stomach was going insane. Everything hurt though, especially my back and my left side. I figured I had hurt my side when I was tossed across the room.
At this point, I did not dive into the box yet. I could barely move. “Hi.” I heard a woman say from the kitchen. “Thank you,” I replied before trying to sit up. I was so concerned that this woman would be another monster. When I saw her though I knew she was normal. She didn't look so damn perfect and that was a breath of fresh air.
“What's your name?” She asked me as I watched her prepare two bowls of food.
“Leon,” I said before closing my eyes. “You heard me screaming?” I asked her seriously.
“I did. I’m pretty sure everyone in our building did. You got hurt pretty badly, I did my best to patch you up.” She paused and laughed. “My name is Ashley.”
So I ended up crashing at her place. During this time I tried to focus on recovering. Sleeping became hell, I was having constant nightmares. I also spent a lot of time working on articles. I ended up giving Ash the keys to my apartment so she could get my laptop. It was a big move to trust anyone here but I am glad I did.
​

Year Three and Four in LittleBrooke

During my recovery, I spent most of my time writing. I wanted to write about everything I have seen and experienced. I had a lot of questions and way too much time with my thoughts. Ash and I got to know each other too.
I told her about how my wife had died mysteriously. I eventually opened up about her being skinned and drained of her blood. Ash told me she had come to LittleBrooke with her older sister. Her sister went to work one day and never came back. She was working at the theater. Ash had told me that she was stuck here, she didn’t feel right leaving with her sister still missing. Every time she would try the cops would meet her at the town line.
It was during this time that we both shared that we had never seen a police station. We talked about the monsters too. Her first run-in with one was at the grocery store. I told her about what happened to me at the bar. She told me that she heard rumors of the beast living beyond the apartments. The first time she saw it was when it was attacking me.
As I started to recover more we discussed a couple of things. First, the neighbors here suck. She could hear me screaming and came to help but no one else did. Second, neither of us has seen any families since we moved here. It was at this point I decided I wanted to leave and I offered to take her with me. We could both get out come hell or high water. She agreed but there was something I had to do first.
I showed her the box I had taken from the apartment.
“You almost died for a box?” Ash asked me. “Yes,” I said seriously.
I opened it and blinked. I found a picture of a girl with black hair and bright green eyes. It read, Stephanie. I found a missing persons report too. This girl had been missing a year before I got here. I decided that my last article would be about her. I had written about a couple of missing people before this. For example, the old lady in our building vanished and her apartment was rented out two days later.
I also found a badge inside the box. It read F.O.P.P. and there was a name! Jack Bridges. We tried to look up the organization's name but we came up empty-handed. I ended up writing the story about Stephanie and the next day Ash and I got packing. We decided to take my car since the cops know what hers looks like. I packed up the essentials all over again and we piled into the car. “We should check the other direction. Before we leave.” I suggested. Ash knew about the bar already but neither of us knew what was beyond that point: This suggested changed the course of our lives forever.
So we started driving in the other direction. We passed the bar where the woman had tried to eat me, we passed a convenience store I didn’t know this town had and we just kept driving. Eventually, I could hear Ash speaking to me, “Holy shit! The police station.” she pointed out. I couldn’t believe it either. I did not stop driving though but I wish I did.
Eventually, we saw a sign that read, LittleBrooke High. Go Bears!
I started to slow down a bit until the school was in view. The place looked run down as hell. There were holes in the walls and leaves growing up the side of the building. The parking lot was massive and full of buses. I pulled the car into the parking lot and told Ash to get into the driver's seat.
“You’re not serious?” She asked me. I could tell she wanted to go but I said, “This is it! This is the last place of note in this fucken town. Just take the wheel and I will be right back.” I said as I jumped out of the car and went to look around.
As I approached one of the buses I grabbed the doors, they were already open a crack. I pulled them open and was hit with a horrible stench. I had to step back and puke and no I am not going to describe what I saw in that fucken bus. At that point, I decided I had seen enough and it was time to fucken go.
“Help!” I heard someone cry from a couple of buses over. “Please!” I heard again. I wanted to slap myself because I knew better. I had already decided it was time to leave but I went to investigate anyway. I went to the bus and pulled the doors open. It smelled like stale piss and blood. “Back here!” A girl screamed out to me. I made my way to the back of the bus, stepping on school jackets and over backpacks. That is where I found them. Two teenagers are tied to the leg of a bus seat. They looked horrible, caking in blood and sweat. They were both injured. “Stephanie?!” I exclaimed as I bent over to free them. I recognized her face the moment I saw it.
“Can you move? I asked the blonde girl.” As I started to let her go. “Everything hurts.” She told me. I opened the emergency exit and called for Ash to pull the car over. It took her a second to hear me but she came as fast as possible. “I am going to get you guys in the car and we are going to get out of here, okay?” I told them. I wanted to tell them everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't. It felt like that would be a huge lie.
Ash stepped out of the car and helped get the girls into the backseat. As I stopped to look around I could feel the bus shift in weight. I turned around and inhaled sharply. Standing before me was a creature wearing a jacket that said COACH on it. He looked sickly, and pale, and his veins were protruding from his face and hands. As he ran at me I jumped out of the emergency exit door just in time to feel something slam off of the back of my head. I looked down to see a barbed football. I could feel blood trickling down my neck, I stumbled forward and felt a hand grab my arm. Ash was shoving me into the car. She slid over me, closed the passenger door, and backed the car up. I thought she was moving like lightning.
At this point, everyone was screaming. My heart was threatening to jump out of my fucken chest. I was so sure we were all going to die here, just like everyone else I had seen on the buses. But no, Ash sped out of the parking lot. The coach chased us to the school limits but for some reason, he did not follow us anymore.
I know we should've stopped to see if the kids could find their parents but we didn't. Instead, Ash just kept driving. Eventually, we could hear the cops behind us but that did not stop her. It took us six hours to finally see the You Are New Leaving LittleBrooke sign! I couldn’t believe it. This place was not that big at all.
So listen, if you’re invited to take a job in LittleBrooke. Don’t take it. It’s not worth your life.

If you’re reading this I am begging you to believe me. Especially if you have children. My name is Leon and I have been investigating strange disappearances for four years. I am not an official investigator or a journalist. Before I started this whole thing I did not believe in ghosts or the paranormal. For me to believe in something I had to see it with my own two eyes! Everything had to be factual and everything had an explanation.
At least this is what I used to believe until my wife was murdered four years ago. They found her at work completely skinless. She was drained of blood and was missing all of her nails. They told me the precision required to accomplish this was not heard of yet. I waited months for answers and they never came, so I decided to go get them myself. I had no idea where to start or who to speak to so I went back to the store to try and dig up as much information as I could find.
Her manager eventually told me that she had gotten into a fight with a customer that day and that he assumed she went home on time. When her body was found in the employee break room he was shocked. He had no idea she was still in the building. He said he told me exactly what he told the police. I asked him if there was any footage of the man she was arguing with but he told me the security cameras were not working that day. I vividly remember wanting to punch this guy in his damn face. He was no help and I was determined to solve my wife's murder.
I ended up searching for the guy for months. I asked every one of her coworkers if they saw the argument and a couple of times I even had a run-in with the cops. They insisted that I should let them do their jobs and that they had everything handled. There was no chance I was going to listen to them. I had to take time off from my investigation to attend her funeral and make sure I got all of the preparations right. In hindsight, I was not growing properly and I really should've taken some time to reassess.
So fast forward another month and I finally get a lead. Something I assumed the cops didn't have, this meant I could finally get some answers before being stonewalled again. I ended up finding this guy, Will Brookes at a fucken motel off of the highway about three miles from where my wife worked. I waited for two days before I saw him leave his room to get ice. Once I knew what room to find him in I knocked until he opened the door. He was rightfully pissed but not as pissed as I was. It took every ounce of willpower in my body to not kill him on the spot.
“Why did you kill my wife?!” I snapped as I forced myself into the room and slammed the door behind me. He looked shocked.
“I did not kill her!” He screamed and tried to move around me. So I grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him into the wall next to the tv. This guy was not very heavy and not very strong. At that moment I was wondering how he could kill anyone.
“You were the last person to be seen with her alive!” I barked. I wanted to push his body through the wall. I wanted to crush him.
“I was bringing her the papers she requested for a job offer she accepted in a place called LittleBrooke!” The man said. He was shaking so I put him down and pushed him to the side. “Show me the papers,” I demanded. My wife had told me twice that she had gotten a new job offer. I was extremely excited! I work from home and would be happy to live wherever she wanted. All she had to do was say the word and we could’ve left as soon as possible. But she never made it home to tell me the news.
I watched as the shaking man handed me a stack of papers and even a suitcase. “Here, take it and please leave me alone!” He shouted. “Okay.” I left the motel room and went right to my car. I put everything on the passenger seat and went home. Once I got there I sobbed in the driveway for over an hour before finally getting out and heading inside. I never got to see her body and I never got to say goodbye. Being in this house felt like I was walking into a damn shallow grave of sorts.
I went right to the master bedroom and packed up as many clothes as I could. I even took some of her favorite items, I don’t know why. I took a couple of pillows and two blankets, and after that, I went around to search the rest of the house. Once I had finished in the master bedroom I went and grabbed all my items from the bathroom. After that, I went into the nursery. We were planning on trying to have a baby once she got her new job. I looked around the nursery and took some stuffed animals and blankets, nothing too crazy. I also made sure to grab our family photo album. Finally, I made sure to grab all of the savings from the jar we had plus anything I kept in the safe. I also made sure to grab our wedding video and once I had everything I thought I could need I left the house. On my way out I made sure to tell the building goodbye.
Once I got back into my car I decided to drive a bit. No way in hell was I going to the same motel as that guy so I drove until I hit a hotel far enough away from my house. I did not end up checking in though. Once I got close enough I backed up and just kept driving. I eventually hit a truck stop after a couple of hours and decided to rest my eyes for a while. I was exhausted and there were way too many questions rushing through my head. I knew if I kept driving in that state I would probably crash or something. After sleeping for four hours I decided it was time to look through the papers and figure out what I was going to do next. I took the first paper from the stack and started to read it. For the sake of time here I will only tell you guys what I found that was interesting.
Paper One: You have been accepted to work as a store manager! Please review your employee packet for more information.
So as I am going over this first paper a couple of things stick out to me. Whoever wrote this was trying not to be specific. The whole paper was one big announcement for a new store opening up in a place called LittleBrooke. There was no state mentioned anywhere on this paper, I would later find out that this place was supposed to be in Washington D.C.
I decided to dig around and eventually found the employee packet. She accepted a job at a mega-store called BrightMarketZ. I thought it was a pretty weird name but what stood out to me was what they were offering to pay her. $22.00 an hour! I couldn't believe it. No wonder she said yes and didn’t bother to ask any questions.
Paper Twenty: To find LittleBrooke please enter [REDACTED] into your GPS device. You will be staying inside apartment 307. All rent for your first month in LittleBrooke is covered by your employer. Please note that all apartments are two-bedroom only. If you have a larger household please speak to Sydney May at Town Hall for bigger accommodations. After reading this I decided to just go to LittleBrooke and get answers. I was assuming that I would find out what the hell happened if I just went. I wanted to know what my wife died for and I wanted to know why this was some big secret in the first place. I went back to bed and as soon as the sun came up I put the information into my GPS and headed for LittleBrooke.

Year One in LittleBrooke

It took me three weeks to reach LittleBrooke and I could tell that something was wrong the moment I found the town. If I wasn't so damn desperate for answers I would've turned around as soon as I saw the library. The building itself wasn't big but the two huge lions on either side of the staircase gave me the creeps.
After that I passed a mechanic, the whole place looked run down as hell. There wasn't a single car to be seen but the sign said open. The man standing outside of the building waved to me so I gave him a slow wave back. He looked weird. At the time I couldn’t place my finger on why but now I know it’s because he was not human.
The theater was kind of cool to look at in a vintage kind of way. They were not showing anything when I drove by and I made the decision early on to stay out of the theater altogether. After the theater, I saw a small building that said LittleBrooke Press. If anything else I figured I could write for the paper.
As I approached the apartment building a woman was standing outside. Her face was weird as hell. It looked like she had far too much plastic surgery like her face was threatening to pop at any moment. “Hi, can I help you?” she asked me. Her voice was shrill, it was gross to even hear her speak. It sounded like she was putting on a fake voice just to speak to me. “Hi, my wife accepted a job offer. Unfortunately, she has passed away. I would still like to claim the apartment left to us. I can work at any place that currently has an opening.” I offered.
“LittleBrooke Press has space for two more writers!” She smiled and handed me the keys to the apartment. She never asked my name and she knew exactly where I wanted to go. I thought it was weird but I didn’t argue. Instead, I took the keys and thanked her. I spent that whole day getting settled into the new apartment. A couple of things, the front door had four different locks on it. I thought that was pretty weird. I also did not see or hear any other people until my third night in the apartment. I called the LittleBrooke Press about a potential job and they told me to email my submissions. There was no need for me to come in person and honestly, I liked this deal a lot.
For the first few months, I spent my time writing about whatever came to my mind. After that, I would send it in and get my money back. The editor never told me what to do and they never requested anything. It was sweet. As December rolled around I could feel myself slipping into a seasonal depression. At that point, I had made no progress in any of my investigations. I did not know the town well enough and frankly, I felt like I was wasting my time. That night I decided to check out the local bar. It was pretty hidden, you had to drive further into LittleBrooke to find it. Once I got there I was shocked! The place was packed. I sat down at the bar and ordered a drink.
The bartender was hot as hell, too hot. She was so even looking so perfectly symmetrical that it made me extremely uncomfortable. There wasn’t a single hair out of place. “So are you new in town?” She asked me. “Yeah, I just got here a couple of months ago. My now-deceased wife accepted a job offer here.” I said bluntly and dryly. I wanted to finish my drink and go. It was like the bones in my body were screaming at me to leave. The woman looked shocked. “Tell me, does that happen often? Do people accept a job offer in LittleBrooke and turn up dead a couple of days later?” I hissed. It was a genuine question but she did not take it too kindly. She took my drink from my hands and told me to leave.
As I made my way back to my car I could hear someone coming up from behind me. I turned around as fast as possible and had to take three steps back. It was the bartender, but she did not look the same. Half of her face was weighed down like she had no bones at all. Her eyes were bulging out of her head. She gurgled at me. “You need to leave!” She finally snapped and swung her arm in my direction. I moved back before she could hit me. As her hand hit my car window it shattered like it was made of ice. I watched as her arm popped and clicked. I could see it slowly getting longer. Before I knew it her arm was dragging on the pavement! She lunged at me so I punched her in her stomach. She gurgled again and sunk her teeth into my jacket. I screamed for help as we hit the pavement. She was trying fucken eat me! I grabbed her by her hair and threw her backward as hard as I could. As I scrambled to my feet and looked at her I screamed again. Her skin was pulled back. Now hugging the bones on her face. Her eyes were completely exposed! I turned and dove into my car as fast as I could. I slammed the door behind me and sped out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.
The next morning I received a letter under my door. “Sorry, you had problems last night! Please accept our sincerest apologies.” -Mayor Brookes. There was $300 included with the letter. Now, I thought about leaving but decided I had to stay. Something was going on here and I had to find out what. I removed my jacket to see if the woman had injured me, she didn't but the experience was still terrifying. For the first time in a very long time, I was scared. But I also felt closer to the truth than I have ever been before.

Year Two in LittleBrooke

I spent all of January writing about the women who attacked me. I even contacted the police. I quickly learned that the police were going to be completely useless. My editor never sent the story back so I had assumed it was published.
At the end of the month, I left to shop for some supplies. Let me tell you, the grocery store in LittleBrooke is something else. They don’t have any brands you’ve ever heard of and at first, that drove me nuts. However, I quickly came to fall in love with the food here. It was comforting to have something to enjoy. Like always, I made sure to shop for two to three months at a time. Shopping was easy, I used the self-checkout to make sure I didn’t have to speak to anyone.
Once I got home I put everything away and decided to look around the apartment building. My whole floor started with 301 and went all the way to 310. The first floor was 501 to 509. There was a technical second floor but none of the doors were labeled. It looked like someone was renovating the place.
I got to see some of my neighbors too. An older woman, two men, and I were living next door to a lady the whole time. I had never seen or heard from these people before. It seemed like everyone wanted to keep to themselves too. I wanted to try and talk to someone but every time I approached them they turned and walked away. For what it's worth they looked completely normal.
So I left the apartment building and ventured around the property. There were no other apartments anywhere close to the one I was staying at, or so I thought until I found one about thirty minutes away. It was so out of the way you wouldn't find it unless you were looking. Against my better judgment, I opened the doors to the building and walked right inside. The place smelled like rust and soot.
I went to explore the first floor and was shocked to find blood trails on the floor and the ceiling. I followed the trail and made sure to look at the numbers on each door. This floor was numbered 1-10. Most of the doors were locked and I wasn’t going to try and knock anything down. I opened the door to apartment 10 and walked right inside. There was just enough light from the sun to illuminate the place. It looked like the whole place had been ransacked. I checked the tables and cabinets before heading into the bedroom. I searched the dresser and under the pillows before finally checking under the bed. When I looked under I spotted a black box. I grabbed it and that is when I got the feeling again. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt something sharp dig into my shoulders.
I screamed as loudly as I could, my face slammed off of the carpet and I clenched the box with one hand. Before I could figure out what the hell was happening I was tossed backward. I went into the bedroom door and rolled a couple of times until I reached the torn-up couch. I slowly lifted my head and to my horror what I was looking at was way too far from human to be real.
It looked like a dog ape thing. It was mostly skinless aside from some skin on its torso and face. The creature had thick, long claws and was standing on its hind legs. It barked at me. Its fangs were huge! I quickly scrambled to my feet and rushed out of the door as fast as possible. I could feel the blood running down my back. Never once did I consider letting this box go.
“Help!” I screamed as I burst through the apartment complex doors and started to run back to the main road. My heart was pounding, I could feel my chest getting tighter with each step. I could hear the beast behind me, it was screeching. I thought I was going to die for sure, there was no way I could continue to outrun this beast. That’s when I heard a car and before I knew it I could see it! A woman was waving me over, she was just up ahead! I had to push a little harder. I had to be just a little stronger.
When I felt the embrace of the car door I ripped it open and dove inside. She sped away and I looked out of the window. The beast did not follow us any further. “Are you insane!” She snapped at me. That’s the last thing I remember before passing out.
When I woke up I was laying on my stomach on an extremely comfortable couch. I could smell someone making pasta with meat sauce. My stomach was going insane. Everything hurt though, especially my back and my left side. I figured I had hurt my side when I was tossed across the room.
At this point, I did not dive into the box yet. I could barely move. “Hi.” I heard a woman say from the kitchen. “Thank you,” I replied before trying to sit up. I was so concerned that this woman would be another monster. When I saw her though I knew she was normal. She didn't look so damn perfect and that was a breath of fresh air.
“What's your name?” She asked me as I watched her prepare two bowls of food.
“Leon,” I said before closing my eyes. “You heard me screaming?” I asked her seriously.
“I did. I’m pretty sure everyone in our building did. You got hurt pretty badly, I did my best to patch you up.” She paused and laughed. “My name is Ashley.”
So I ended up crashing at her place. During this time I tried to focus on recovering. Sleeping became hell, I was having constant nightmares. I also spent a lot of time working on articles. I ended up giving Ash the keys to my apartment so she could get my laptop. It was a big move to trust anyone here but I am glad I did.

Year Three and Four in LittleBrooke

During my recovery, I spent most of my time writing. I wanted to write about everything I have seen and experienced. I had a lot of questions and way too much time with my thoughts. Ash and I got to know each other too.
I told her about how my wife had died mysteriously. I eventually opened up about her being skinned and drained of her blood. Ash told me she had come to LittleBrooke with her older sister. Her sister went to work one day and never came back. She was working at the theater. Ash had told me that she was stuck here, she didn’t feel right leaving with her sister still missing. Every time she would try the cops would meet her at the town line.
It was during this time that we both shared that we had never seen a police station. We talked about the monsters too. Her first run-in with one was at the grocery store. I told her about what happened to me at the bar. She told me that she heard rumors of the beast living beyond the apartments. The first time she saw it was when it was attacking me.
As I started to recover more we discussed a couple of things. First, the neighbors here suck. She could hear me screaming and came to help but no one else did. Second, neither of us has seen any families since we moved here. It was at this point I decided I wanted to leave and I offered to take her with me. We could both get out come hell or high water. She agreed but there was something I had to do first.
I showed her the box I had taken from the apartment.
“You almost died for a box?” Ash asked me. “Yes,” I said seriously.
I opened it and blinked. I found a picture of a girl with black hair and bright green eyes. It read, Stephanie. I found a missing persons report too. This girl had been missing a year before I got here. I decided that my last article would be about her. I had written about a couple of missing people before this. For example, the old lady in our building vanished and her apartment was rented out two days later.
I also found a badge inside the box. It read F.O.P.P. and there was a name! Jack Bridges. We tried to look up the organization's name but we came up empty-handed. I ended up writing the story about Stephanie and the next day Ash and I got packing. We decided to take my car since the cops know what hers looks like. I packed up the essentials all over again and we piled into the car.
“We should check the other direction. Before we leave.” I suggested. Ash knew about the bar already but neither of us knew what was beyond that point: This suggested changed the course of our lives forever.
So we started driving in the other direction. We passed the bar where the woman had tried to eat me, we passed a convenience store I didn’t know this town had and we just kept driving. Eventually, I could hear Ash speaking to me, “Holy shit! The police station.” she pointed out. I couldn’t believe it either. I did not stop driving though but I wish I did.
Eventually, we saw a sign that read, LittleBrooke High. Go Bears!
I started to slow down a bit until the school was in view. The place looked run down as hell. There were holes in the walls and leaves growing up the side of the building. The parking lot was massive and full of buses. I pulled the car into the parking lot and told Ash to get into the driver's seat.
“You’re not serious?” She asked me. I could tell she wanted to go but I said, “This is it! This is the last place of note in this fucken town. Just take the wheel and I will be right back.” I said as I jumped out of the car and went to look around.
As I approached one of the buses I grabbed the doors, they were already open a crack. I pulled them open and was hit with a horrible stench. I had to step back and puke and no I am not going to describe what I saw in that fucken bus. At that point, I decided I had seen enough and it was time to fucken go.
“Help!” I heard someone cry from a couple of buses over. “Please!” I heard again. I wanted to slap myself because I knew better. I had already decided it was time to leave but I went to investigate anyway. I went to the bus and pulled the doors open. It smelled like stale piss and blood. “Back here!” A girl screamed out to me. I made my way to the back of the bus, stepping on school jackets and over backpacks. That is where I found them. Two teenagers are tied to the leg of a bus seat. They looked horrible, caking in blood and sweat. They were both injured. “Stephanie?!” I exclaimed as I bent over to free them. I recognized her face the moment I saw it.
“Can you move? I asked the blonde girl.” As I started to let her go. “Everything hurts.” She told me. I opened the emergency exit and called for Ash to pull the car over. It took her a second to hear me but she came as fast as possible. “I am going to get you guys in the car and we are going to get out of here, okay?” I told them. I wanted to tell them everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't. It felt like that would be a huge lie.
Ash stepped out of the car and helped get the girls into the backseat. As I stopped to look around I could feel the bus shift in weight. I turned around and inhaled sharply. Standing before me was a creature wearing a jacket that said COACH on it. He looked sickly, and pale, and his veins were protruding from his face and hands. As he ran at me I jumped out of the emergency exit door just in time to feel something slam off of the back of my head. I looked down to see a barbed football. I could feel blood trickling down my neck, I stumbled forward and felt a hand grab my arm. Ash was shoving me into the car. She slid over me, closed the passenger door, and backed the car up. I thought she was moving like lightning.
At this point, everyone was screaming. My heart was threatening to jump out of my fucken chest. I was so sure we were all going to die here, just like everyone else I had seen on the buses. But no, Ash sped out of the parking lot. The coach chased us to the school limits but for some reason, he did not follow us anymore.
I know we should've stopped to see if the kids could find their parents but we didn't. Instead, Ash just kept driving. Eventually, we could hear the cops behind us but that did not stop her. It took us six hours to finally see the You Are New Leaving LittleBrooke sign! I couldn’t believe it. This place was not that big at all.
So listen, if you’re invited to take a job in LittleBrooke. Don’t take it. It’s not worth your life.