So the last 3 nights I’ve been at girls camp my first year going (my parents forced me) but also my last since I’m turning 18 soon. So the pros of going Ignore any spelling errors I’m dyslexic and sleep deprived 1. I didn’t have to deal with my parents for 3 days (the second I got my phone back and called them they started screaming at me😍) 2. My friend was thier who also dosent believe in any of this 3. I was a ycl so it was really easy to ditch Now the cons I’m not going to number bec it’s be way to many Day 1 I have ti wake up at 5 am to pick up my friend who was going drive the 60 miles to town and drop off my non-Mormon best friend at her house and be to the church by 7. Now we start going up the mountain and I can instantly tell it’s going to be cold the paper they gave us said the lows would be 55 and highs in the 90s (I’m guessing they put the towns temperature not the very top of the mountain) That paper also told us thier would be cabins but guess what, the cabins were for the prestod only we were in tents (but they did give us cots so we obviously should of all been so grateful after being lied to) The first meal they feed us is white rice that was severely undercooked and a mystery soup on top it was disgusting and cold basically prison food. Now the other people the ycls had gotten special permission to go a day early if they wanted (yay who dosent want to spend an extra day in the woods) but luckily I had my college orientation so I didn’t go early, but bec I didn’t go none of the other yvls knew me and they all moved into tents together to keep body heat and I was by myself in my tent that didn’t zip. And I forgot to mention the hail it hails practically the whole time. I don’t remember what dinner was but I just got the salad. Now I’m trying to sleep I’m in pain alone and freezing cold i started just silently crying myself to sleep into my pillow wanting to go home I think I got at most 2 hours of sleep the first night. Day 2. I woke up trying to plan a way to get out early maybey tell the nurse my leg was in the worst pain I had ever felt(witch wasn’t a lie if I was home I would of made my parents take me to the er for it it was so bad) or maybey I could make myself puke and get to go home that way. I get up and change then I went to breakfast and waited for my friend the second day was mostly classes with the levels you were over so I just sat in the back and zoned out. Then during grove time me and my friend went off somewhere and just messed around but bec nethire of us had a watch we “accidentally” ditched 2 of our classes but then her ycls saw us walking trying to find where to go when ppl were walking to the next activity’s so we got separated for about a hour. I was going with my level to the class when I saw them in a Ben h so I just joined them and a friend they made who also didn’t believe and we just talked shot for a hour before thier ycls were like we got this class now let’s go so I just went with my group then it was dinner and it was baked potatoes they gave everyone half of a small potato and one hawaiian roll. After dinner was the ward testimony meetings we sat thier for a hour with my ward and 2 others no one said anything one leader gave thier testimony at the beginning but we all just sat thier for a hour and then made s’mores. Then thier was a dance that was optional but they made you go they had leaders blocking the way to tents. Then they have the level awards and all I want to do is go to sleep but I can’t, at like 11:30 they finally let us got to bed I can’t sleep again and the pain is so much worse I had 5 shirts in and 3pants but still was freezing. Day 3 Finally the last day I pack my bags in the morning bec I couldn’t sleep not like I was going ti wake anyone up in my empty tent so I pack so I can take it to my friends tent to avoid walk-in g all the way up the steep hill. Breakfast is biscuits and gravy that have absolutely no flavor they give us basiclly 3 hours of free time so I just go with my friend to thier tent we just sit untill they do the skits and lunch is again flavorless itallian food and then we load up our bags and they had checked ycms off as fine but then they make all the ycls walk all the way back up to check the trash after almost 4 hours from the time we were supposed to leave we finally do drive back to town and then I take me and my friend for coffeee and subway and we get home While during the day the second and third it wasn’t completely terrible the nights were hell and I hated it not just bec it’s a shitty Jesus camp but bec we were lied to the food was ass and the living conditions were terrible. I told my parents how much I hated it and instead of the expected suck it up you need to be glad you went my mom actually apologized for making me go with shocked me and my best friend I think she’s only every apologized legitamenty like once or twice so that’s a plus but still it was hellish The cons turns into more just a schedule but oh well it was all a con Again ignore any spelling errors I’m tired and my keyboard is glitched out

So when i got to work today there was a basket of expired candy, some months old, some days.
Now im told it all goes in the trash bit i also grew up poor, and wasting good food is the biggest crime in my family. Can we not like, divy it up and make little gift bundles for the staff to take home or let a staff member who wants it buy it all at like, the same price as the grab bags wr make out of the old seasonal overstock? Cause honestly i would have bought all of it for dirt cheap just to have munchies in my kitchen since i have issues with eating normally anyway.
Or is there some stupid food law at play here because i sold one of those meltable things today for baking that "went off" in like, febuary, if we're taking the expired candy out, why not take those too?
Had i gotten there before the morning mod left i would have 100% been like "well why not?" Cause its chocolate, it doesnt go off for ages and best before dates are, in my opinion, a suggestion at best depending on the foodstuff.
I just dont think candy past its best before should be unceremoniously thrown out like that, let us take some home, or if you really wanna make a dollar, give it to staff for dirt cheap, especially if its been like, 2 days since.
Thank you for coming to me TEDtalk.

I'm recently engaged to a beautiful woman named Larissa who makes my head swirl. Looks, personality, and a similar taste in food, I mean she had it all. For my birthday last year I got to drive one of those Lamborghinis across the track, and fire a round out of an Abram tank. A tank round! I'm not much of a gun aficionado, but a tank round!
Which was all the worst, when 3 weeks before the wedding I had to tell my drop dead gorgeous fiancée that I needed to leave for a couple of days.
It's not an easy thing for a bride to swallow: juggling food prep, alterations, cancellations, seating arrangements, two sides of the family, busy bodies, food allergies, one aunt that won't stop calling, and another one that keeps asking if her wearing white to our wedding as she's sort of the matriarch of the family was going to be a problem (side note: we told her multiple times that it was not okay). The list goes on, trust me.
So when my fiancee asked for an explanation. I had to tell her the truth no matter how terrible it sounded. It wouldn't feel right knowing that the precursor to our marriage was a lie.
"Is it kids? Oh God, do you have a little Jimmy running around somewhere? No, Jim. I can't handle this right now."
"Lars, what? No. It's not a kid."
She was peeling and stamping invitations in our tiny 625 square foot apartment. "Well then what is it? I thought we agreed to no bachelor parties. I thought. We agreed that those were for people who were ready for a wedding but not the marriage. I don't care if it's tradition." She stamped the envelop extra hard.
"No, it's nothing like that. Trust me." I shuddered just thinking about it. "It's not any kind of thing I would be doing if I didn't have to."
She glared at me, "But you have to."
I nodded.
The table shook again. "Okay. So spit it out." She handed me a few envelopes. "If it's not a kid. And it's not a bachelor party. Then what is it?" She scoffed, "It's not like you're married right?" Her smile slowly started leaving her face, "Oh my God." She crumpled an envelop against her forehead. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Larissa..."
"Don't you Larissa me!" She looked me right in the eye, "Tell me I'm not the other woman Jim!"
"Well not technically."
"What does that even mean," she exasperated. "Go on, tell me how it's not technically."
So several years ago I was straight out of college. I could have worked some menial desk job and climbed the corporate ladder. But the idea of never leaving my home town ate me up.
So when an ad for native English speakers to come teach on some remote island presented itself to me. I jumped at the opportunity. Next thing I know I was booking a one way ticket to begin my new life as an expat.
In my head, I thought I was going to land, check into my hotel, enjoy the sights, and come the first Monday walk to the nearest English Cram school and get a job on my good looks alone.
On Monday, the school I went to, the hallways were packed with other Americans, British, Australians, and I think some Canadian was squishing himself into one of the tiny student chairs. All waiting for a job interview.
The next place was like that as well.
So was the next.
By the end of the first week I was beat. Tired and defeated, I thought my luck had run out. So I did what any 20 something would in a brand new city. I hit the bars. I hit them hard.
After the last place kicked me out as they closed I was stumbling around trying to make my way back to the hotel. Grumbling, groggy eyed and trying not to vomit all over the street. When something shiny caught my eye.
It was a silk red purse with gold embroidery tied with a thick yarn. There weren't many people out this late. But everyone who passed by it acted as if it wasn't even there. Like they didn't see it or something.
The bag alone looked like it was worth something. At the time all I was thinking was that, maybe someone would trade a drink for it, as my pockets were empty and all I wanted was for my head to be the same way.
I stumbled as inconspicuously as possible, or as much a drunk guy could finesse and made my way toward the bag. Looking around the entire time, making sure no one was running up claiming that it was theirs, or worse calling me a thief and have me thrown in jail in a different country.
And when no one did, I finally scooped it up and untied it. To my surprise, the bag was filled with money. Bright colorful bills with huge figures even at the current exchange rate. And there was even gold. Some rubies. I took one out and bit into it, almost breaking my tooth.
I couldn't believe how my luck had changed. I flipped through the cash and realized that there was enough to fund my trip for a few extra weeks. AND get me a plane ticket back home. The jewelry even, seemed sizeable.
There I was in one of the lowest, darkest moments. And a pot of gold seemingly dropped out of the sky for me. Thoughts of finding its real owner never even occurred to me.
I was quickly pocketing the thing and planning to high tail it out of there when a frail old man approached me from the shadows. Now I had learned some of the language before hand, but I couldn't understand what he was saying.
He kept smiling though and patting my shoulder, spouting words so quickly that if they weren't already gibberish to me, they would still make no sense in my drunken state.
I fumbled the bag around before juggling it into the crook of my arm, in order to reach my phone to help translate what the hell the old guy was trying to tell me.
The translation caught him mid sentence but all I needed was to hear one word back then and I regurgitated the last couple of hours all over the sidewalk and blacked out.
When I came to, I was back at the hotel with a killer hang over. I was wondering how I made it back when I remembered faintly of the old man helping me. That's when I remembered the pouch and my eyes darted around the room and to my relief, "It wasn't just a dream." The pouch was there, full and plump with a few bills sticking out from the throat.
Next to it was a note, that I would later translate to read about a woman who had turned 18 that year. The numbers 3 and 13 were inscribed as well. Her approximate height, which seemed weird. I mean, why would they go through all this trouble and not just tell me her actual height? Her name, her sign, and her address.
I was completely fucking baffled at all of this information, when I suddenly remembered my phone. I pulled it out and looked up the last thing still on my screen, which was a translation from Google. It read: my future son-in-law. I am so happy you've agreed to marry my daughter. Don't forget to come to the wedding.
No wonder I passed the fuck out.
I shook my head and checked the purse again. Yeah there must have been close to 5 grand in there. Not including the gold, the rubies, or a jade piece I found at the bottom.
Whatever was going on. I had no clue. But I sure as hell wasn't about to get married to some girl I didn't know. Even if I did need the money.
So I used a bit of the cash to get a taxi to the address. When I arrived, the old man saw me from his courtyard. He was smiling and happy, pointing and calling for someone inside the house. A few seconds later a short lively woman appeared. And she was just as happy to see me.
I didn't know what was happening but next thing I do know was they surrounded me in a hug. Happy and joyous, bouncing and wobbling, enough for me to almost hurl again, which I did, except this time I swallowed it.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I don't know what's going on. But the note says something about marriage."
The pair looked at each other and exchanged a series of phrases. "Marriage," the old man finally enunciated.
I nodded. Then shook my head. "No, not marriage."
We went back and forth in a similar manner for awhile before the woman ran off to get someone. When she returned with a young man about 14 or 15, wearing glasses and sporting a bowl cut, he explained to me about the pouch.
"It's a tradition in this area for a ghost dowry. I think that is how you say it."
"A ghost dowry?"
"Yeah. In our area. When a daughter dies really young, especially as an infant. THe parents will start saving money for her ghost dowry. Because we believe that when she turns 18, she'll return and ask to be married off."
"You've got to be kidding me."
"No, it's quite common. Mostly everyone knows about it. Which is why they don't pick up the pouch. Not unless they're really in need of money."
"I'm really in need of cash kid, but I'm not about to get married. I'm especially not getting married to some...girl that passed away." I handed him the money but he wouldn't even touch it. Avoiding it like some kind of plague. I even tried handing it back to the old man but he kept pushing the pouch back at me and shaking his head.
The kid shrugged, "You can't give it back. Those are the rules. Once you've picked it up, you've accepted the dowry and MUST get married."
"Why me," I asked rhetorically.
"She chose you."
"What? Okay. Listen kid. What if I don't get married? Are they going to report me to the cops or sue me?"
"No."
"So I can just walk away?"
The kid shrugged again, "You'll be back."
"What?"
"I'm not sure. But from the stories I've heard. The groom to be always comes back. It might take awhile, but he does. Sometimes it's because he's traditional himself and his family tells him he must do the right thing. Other times he comes back because the girl won't leave him alone."
"Won't leave him alone?"
"Yeah. They say that the bride will come find the man at the hour of her birth, haunting him until he returns and agrees to fulfill his end of the bargain."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. Sure. I'm sure that's it kid. Either way. I can't take this money knowing what it's for." I put it on the table. "Please tell him that I wish their family luck in fulfilling their tradition. Also, tell them that I'm sorry for using some of the money for the cab fare. I had no other choice to return what is theirs."
The boy shrugged a third time, "It's yours now. You should take it. What are you going to do? Walk all the way back?"
"That's exactly what I'm going to do."
"It'll be dark by then," he added. "She could come find you."
"I'll be fine. And plus what if she was born in the day time?"
"They only come at the dark time of her birth hour. If she was born in the afternoon. She'll come at midnight," he shouted after me as I left.
I tried not to think about everything that's happened to me this past week as I walked back. But it wasn't a rocks throw by any stretch. Which gave me plenty of time to think. About my maxed out credit cards, the hotel stay winding out by the end of the week, and of course the wedding.
By the time that I got back to the hotel I was a tired, hot mess. I was also hungry and my feet were swollen as they were unused to the tropical heat. But I was sure glad that the showers were already paid up. I took an extra long one before crashing into my bed. Snacking on a candy bar I had brought from back home.
I turned on some tv and tried not to let the impending doom of being kicked out on the streets bother me too much. As a plan began brewing in my head on who I'd call in a few hours when it was morning stateside. A few people still owed me favors back home, which I hoped they would be good for, which I hoped was good enough to get me back home.
Several times I dozed off as the tv buzzed in the background. Each time I woke up staring at the bright red alarm clock blaring its red angry dashes at me. By the third or fourth time my head jerked me awake as it fell to my chest. I looked up to see the time on the clock. It was 3:12. When something clicked in my head and I fished for the note still in my back pocket.
Su-ru Yen
18 this year.
3:13
I stopped reading and glanced back up at the clock. The little kids words reaing in my ear. "She comes at her death hour."
I waited, not realizing that I was holding my breath until I felt my lungs start to burn.
In a blink the clock changed and I glanced around as if waiting for something to happen. But nothing happened. My stomach suddenly growled, echoing in the empty room and I laughed, "Maybe I should have just taken the money."
*dak dak*
Came a knock from the motel door.
*dak dak*
My heart was caught in my chest. The main artery was constricted and wouldn't let go.
*dak*
I was shaking in my bed, too afraid to move or answer the door.
*dak dak* *dak dak* *dak*
It went on like this a full 4 minutes before it stopped. WHen it had finally stopped I tried getting out of bed, but I couldn't. For a second I was afraid to look down, afraid that her hand would be there holding me in place so that we could elope.
But it was just my hand clenching the bed sheets so tightly that I couldn't budge. I had to use my other hand to pry my own fingers off in order to creep slowly to the door and look into the eyehole.
It felt blurry as I blinked my eye, trying to clear it. Tears had welled at the corners without me realizing it. I wiped them away and slowly, reluctantly bent down and stared into the peephole.
No one was there.
But for the next 3 days. My door would knock. It didn't matter if I was on the bed, or in the bathroom. The closet was the worst as the knocking felt like it was right against my face. It didn't even matter if I ran outside, as no one would be around within eyesight. The knocking would always find me.
On the fourth and last day of my stay. The door knocked right on time.
*dak dak* *dak dak* *dak*
I felt the familiar twinge in my chest and my body was numb all over. But this time I was determined to take a look. And finally catch whoever or whatever it was that was playing this cruel joke on me.
*dak dak* *dak dak* *dak*
I tried gettoung out of bed but I couldn't. I was too scared. Several times I glanced from the clock to the door. Afraid to take my eyes off the door for too long, afraid that she would come through it if I did. Afraid that I would miss her and she would haunt me forever. And as the clock started ticking down. I kept whsipering myself. "She's only here for four minutes. She's only here for four minutes." And it was almost 3:17.
Seconds before the clock changed I jumped out of bed. Determined to end this thing once and for all.
*dak dak* *dak dak* *dak*
I didn't have time to look through the door. Even if I did I was afraid if I saw something there. I'd be too chicken to open the door. So I tore the band aid right off and swung the door open wide.
There was no one there.
But then from my corner cornea, something caught my eyes. A trail of something translucent was dragging away. I tried to take a step after it but my first step out of the door stopped me dead. My foot was drenched wet and it felt sticky beneath my sock. The coldness of it traveled up my spine, and to this day I can only describe it as the feeling of something metal scraping across my vertebrate. By the time I looked up, the wisps were gone. ANd the trail it left behind was already drying.
That night I couldn't sleep a wink. I waited until morning came and took to the streets. Desperate to find the old couple's house. Stopping several times to ask for directions and circling around streets and street signs that I couldn't read until I heard a familiar voice.
"I told you you'd be back."
"Kid," I grabbed him.
"Whoa. You look like you've seen a ghost." His eyes grew wide as he looked me over. "So the stories are true!" He didn't waste any more time. "Come on," he called after me. Leading me down the street and to the old couples courtyard. The pouch was still on the table outside where I had left it days ago.
The kid knocked on the door and shouted until the old man answered. He was still in his sleeping clothes when he saw my face, and his demeanor completely changed. He was so happy to see me. Opening the door wider and ushering us inside.
"Tell him I want it to stop," I told the kid. "Tell him I want her to leave me alone."
The kid translated but the old man shook his head before speaking. The kid looked at me and said, "He says then 'Marry her'."
"I can't do that!"
"Then she'll never leave you alone."
"She just going to keep knocking on my door? Forever?"
The kid turned to the old man and told him in their language what I said. The old man gripped his cane and tapped it once lightly on the ground, almost as if he were proud, before he told the boy who then told me, "She's a kind and gentle soul. He knew she would be. If she's only knocking on your door so far."
"So far? So far? Okay. What? Fuck. So then what? What happens if I marry her?"
The kid asks the old man and after a few words were exchanged he turned to me, "Then you will be wed."
"yeah. I get that. But what does that really mean?"
The kid clicks his tongue, "From what I understand. I think it means you'll have to honor her every month."
"Honor her? How? Like make a sacrifice? A blood sacrifice or something?"
The kid laughed, "No. Just Bai Bai. I don't know how to say it. Pray?".
"Pray to her?"
"Acknowledge her. Talk to her wooden nameplate. It's what serves as a gravestone for our dead."
"So just pray to her once a month, and that's it?"
The kid talks to the old man for awhile before turning back to me. "Yeah. That, and you'll be blessed."
"Blessed?"
"Yeah. Not sure about that one."
"Okay. Fine. What else. Like what if I want a girlfriend someday. Or get married. Have kids. Can I not do that? Will she haunt me? Haunt them?"
The kid asks the old man before turning to me, "Not if you ask for her permission. In a ghost dowry, you're allowed to have concubines. As long as she is consulted first and agrees."
I shake my head, "This is fucking crazy."
The kid shrugs. I seem to get the feeling he likes to shrug. "It's either that or she keeps haunting you."
I mulled that over in my head. "Shit." I stomped around the courtyard. "Okay. Fine. Fine! What do I need to do?"
The kid looks up at the sky. "We'll have to prepare."
"What? But it's already late. I want to get it over with as soon as possible. I don't want to wait another night of her coming to my door."
The kid smiles, "Don't worry. You won't. This kind of wedding can only happen at night."
For the next several hours I waited. Watched as neighbors and family. Cousins. Came to help. Food was brought in. Large round tables were set outside the courtyard. A tailor came and measured me up, twice. Decorations were strung and the sun began to fall.
When night came, the people who had gathered were tired but pleased with themselves that they had finished. I was asked to change into my wedding clothes and to wait outside the door of the couple's house until called. The lanterns behind me burning and the smell of food wafted in the air.
I waited until the doors finally opened.
Inside I saw the old man and the old woman start constructing something before a traditional wooden shrine at the back of the room.
They started with the legs. Sewn pieces of white cloth. The torso. The arms. And finally the head. When it was put together, the couple slipped on a white dress over the effigy they had constructed. Then the old woman went off through one of the side doors and returned with a box. From inside the box she withdrew a folded blanket. It looked faded but the edges were crisp and completely clean. The old man reach into the box and removed a sickly green thread that seemed to stick to his fingers, from it hung tiny strands of black hair, which he stuck gently to the back of the effigy's head.
The woman threw the blanket over its face, covering it.
Then the old couple turned to me and beckoned me forward. I looked behind me and none of the other guests moved.
Even the kid stood next to the door, unwilling to step inside as I entered.
I walked slowly up, next to the effigy until we stood side by side.
The old woman turned toward the shrine where a wooden plaque stood at the table. On it were three character words that I couldn't read. And she began to speak, the kid behind us translated in suit.
"Dear daughter. Mother is glad that you're finally being wed off. Though Mother will miss you as a girl. I am so glad of the woman that you have become. I am so proud of you. Please, continue to make me proud." She sighed. "When you were born I was so happy. Even if you only lived for a few short minutes. And I am sorry that the fates have been cruel to you. But I am thankful that they at least showed mercy enough to give you a husband. Take care my sweet girl."
"We love you," the father finished.
The old couple hands me a bowl. Inside are small boba looking balls swimming in a clear soup.
The kid behind me, "It's tradition to take a bite, and then feed your bride."
I looked at the old couple and they nodded at me, motioning for me to eat. I dipped my spoon in and took a mouthful. Chewing slowly. And swallowing.
Then they motioned for me to feed her.
I dipped my spoon again. And awkwardly raised it towards her. Slipping it under her veil to where her lips would be. Pretending to feed her.
Now I watched them put this thing together. Besides the creepy hair and the swaddling cloth for a veil. It was nothing more than cloth and stuff. I knew this.
At least that was what I thought until I heard it chew.
I could hear her jaws sticking as they moved up and down. The room was dark but signs of the veil moving completely terrified me. I couldn't even hear the people breathing behind me or the lanterns burning. All I could hear was her chewing.
When she finished. There was silence. Then everyone cheered.
After that, it was like any normal wedding I had attended. The guests poured in and I shook just about everyone's hand. Hugging complete strangers. My new parents. And even the kid.
Then we ate and drank, for almost a week. Someone was sent to get my things from the hotel and I stayed with my in-laws for the remainder of my stay. Which turned out to be several years. Because the following week I was offered as job as an English instructor at a nearby school.
I was told the principal owed the old couple a favor, but something told me that it wasn't the whole story.
I enjoyed my work at the school but didn't stay for long. As I started traveling to film a documentary about the local cuisine after a few of my YouTube videos mysteriously went viral as an expat who tried weird but delicious treats.
Eventually, my in-laws passed away. First it was mom. And four days later dad followed suit. I lived alone in the house for awhile, before I hit the jackpot at the weekly supermarket draw from one of my receipts. That, along with selling the house, was enough for me to go back to America and start a brand new life. Where I opened several shabu shabu restaurants that were met with great success.
"Eventually meeting you during one of my rounds."
My fiancée who had been listening to my story slack jawed the entire time couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Bull-fucking-shit!" She slapped me playfully across the arm. "You are such a good fucking liar!" She laughed. "I've always heard about guys not wanting to help out about the wedding arrangements. But this one takes the fucking cake. I'm going to post this in the group chat tomorrow. Bra-vo."
I laughed with her. "Yeah. That's it. It's just a great story."
"Now finish this up and let's go upstairs," she commanded. We stamped the last envelopes and went to bed. She was still laughing sporadically as I closed the door to our bedroom. "Knock knock," she joked.
I humored her, "Knock knock."
And we watched tv until she fell asleep.
I made sure she was sound asleep, before I gently crawled out of bed and put on my slippers. Softly opening the door and closing it behind me as I walked through the house. Down to the first floor. Then to the basement. Where I pulled the key I kept around my neck and slipped it into the lock.
Inside the basement was bare, except for two chairs and some boxes that I had taken from the old house, and the table, and the small wooden plaque that had my first wife's name inscribed on it in her native language.
"I'm going to get married soon," I told her. "She's a great person. Funny. Beautiful. And devoted. Kind of like you." I held the wood plaque in my hands. "I hope you approve." I waited as if she would answer. But she didn't. Never in all the years we've been married. "I can't go back home to ask for your permission. But I hope that this is enough." I looked at her name, almost longingly. As I had grown quite attached to our time together. "And I hope that this will be the last time we talk as I move on with my life. Thank you so much," I told her as I put her away."
Months flew by, and I never revisited the basement. Knowing full well that I had missed our visiting days. Though I'd often catch myself talking to her on some tough days. But nothing bad happened, by not seeing her plaque. Nothing bad at all.
Soon the wedding day was upon us. And it was a great party, as great as the best there ever was. Great good. Great company. And tons and tons of alcohol.
Larissa and I were giggling at the end of it, drunk as we stumbled upstairs from the venue to the presidential suite. Laughing all the way, kissing, barely able to keep our hands off each other as we got into our room.
My new bride pushed herself off me as we entered the threshold, and sprawled herself on the bed. Her legs rubbing against each other as her eyes invited me to come closer. I propped a knee on the bed to join her.
*dak dak*
We both shot our eyes to the door and then at the table side where the clock blared at us an angry red of 3:13.
Larissa looked up at me with a horrified look. I could see her bottom lip quivering.
"Hello," I called out. With my back to the door. "Sam? Bobby?" But no one answered. "Room service?"
*dak dak*
*dak*

Hello fellow shifters!
I hope this success story motivates you all and helps bring about great success in your own future experiences. Feel free to read the things you want to read first, no need to read in order. This was the first time that I shifted to a reality and then had unusual experiences upon returning. At least unusual compared to the usual normal for me ranging from food tasting so much better to new habits that stayed with me after leaving my DR. I scripted that would be the case, but never before has it truly been. Keep reading for the method and some notable moments in my DR, and then those unusual moments that followed.
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By the way, I've been taking a lot of time to edit this all together as I'm copy and pasting previous comments and posts and my notes because I followed a method but didn't put everything in one place. I'll likely make some edits to fix any confusion following the post.
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First off, a new method for you guys that I used successfully for this shift:
Instead of falling asleep like some methods require, I "create" a pocket dimension that I can jump to once I'm done scripting and visualizing the scripts taking place in that reality. Here's the the method I followed for the success I experienced, in a way that you can read and follow it too.
1. Relax and center yourself by breathing deeply and visualizing your energy, your essence all of your energy.
2. Next, visualize you're outside your energy, but that you're not your energy, you're just watching it.
There's quite a few ways I've learned to do this, to separate your consciousness from your body ranging from seeing yourself outside your body; to visualizing you're outside this universe watching yourself in 3rd person on a screen and there being a lot of other screens which are other possible realities; to the technique in my post.
3. Visualize you're in a void of sorts, you're outside this universe in a place where all universes are visible.
4. Next, visualize an egg. And in that egg is another reality that you can script however you desire with intentions or visualizing what you script.
5. Visualize your DR is on a movie screen that you are editing and rewriting how it plays out with you scripts and visualizing them all taking place in that reality within the movie screen.
I visualized the script taking place in my desired reality instead of in the egg. Later I basically copied the reality in the movie screen to the egg. This step is optional, but it makes it easier to visualize personally and may help you too.
5. Script what would happen once you get back.
For me, I visualized a second movie screen and every time I visualized the script taking place, I saw the moment I left the DR and went "back" to my CR. However, technically the CR you return to should be a slightly different reality upon arrival, at the very least least in the sense that in the CR you arrive back, you brain contains vivid memories. For example, I scripted my habits and such were to change and match what they came to be in my DR.
6. Visualize the movie screen that held my DR now exists in the egg, visible in an egg shape. Visualize that it is literally a gateway to and from that reality.
7. Finish up your scripts, and visualize the scripts taking place in your desired reality, within the egg/movie (whichever is easier, but knowing they are both the exact same reality.)
For me it took 1-3 hours of scripting and visualizing, but afterwards, I visualized the shift from my CR to my DR, every second scripted to be 10 years.
8. Set the time constraint such as anything from no time here passing, to one second being any number of years.
The first few times I shifted to a Pocket Dimension, I scripted no time would pass but immediately I would have memories from the time in the DR. In this Skyrim DR, I scripted every 1 second that passed here, 10 years would pass there. Ten seconds came and went quickly, and memories flooded my mind of my time there. I've spent at least 5-10 hours the past few days remembering my 100 years there, and there's a vast amount I've yet to take the time to revisit. While remembering the time, it truly feels like remembering moments in my life from the past.
9. Visualize your consciousness entering your DR. There's no need to sleep or for your body to be asleep.
Upon taking enough time to visualize and script to the point you know it will work, and you've seen moments in your visualization of you in you DR, time will pass as you intend for it to and your memories should come flooding back, even if you have to take time to remember them.
10. Take the time to remember your moments in your DR.
It may feel like the creative side of your brain is just making stuff up at first, but the moments it may feel as if it's making up feel real and seem like true memories. That's because they are real, did exist in that reality, and are true memories.
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I lived 100 years and those 10 seconds went by fast it seemed but I have vivid memories from the last 100 years while in this DR.
And so too can you do this too, and I hope by performing what I describe to you you have the same amount of success as myself.
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Now to the experiences:
Most know the "Hey you, you're finally awake" scene of Skyrim, and I scripted everything would play out like normal Skyrim besides the other scripts listed in the comments below.

• I came into the world beginning with hunting to make money. I would hunt deer and occasionally (and increasingly successfully) shoot them in the head or heart and would skin them, bag their leather and meat and sell what I didn't use for crafting and cooking.
• I ate a lot of Venison and bulked up, got big and muscular and made bigger and better armor to go with it. Heavy armor like iron was too much at first, but eventually was able to wear Ebony armor, and then Daedric near my last 30 years or so there.
• Scripted Bandoliers existed, and bought and learned how to make them from Adriana who I called Avenicci at the Forge in Whiterun, who agreed to a deal where she'd teach me how to blacksmith/leatherwork in exchange for materials. I learned how to make my own clothes, armor, weapons, and tools from her.
• Became leader of each of the guilds after scripting I would: Thieves Guild, Companions, Dark Brotherhood, Bards College, College of Winterhold.
• Scripted my spiritual teacher from another DR would be a teacher at the College of Winterhold. I spent countless years studying with him, learning from him, reading books from other realities, and the last place I visited before coming back was his classroom.
• I remember getting shot through the jaw with an arrow, it was the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced, by remembering in this CR I felt pain and tightness in my jaw. I drank a health potion mixed with blood gushing down my throat, ran towards the bandit so he could kill me and got stabbed in the neck. Woke up as scripted in the nearest Inn, with no damage and all my stuff.
• I had a wife, some of us know the woman in Riften, part of the thieves guild, Saphire. Well in this DR, she was an amazing person under the cold persona she displays in the game. I called her Saph after we started dating.
  • She would always call me Hon and I'd either call her Saph or honey. I met her in Riften and after getting to know the real her, I fell in love and she fell in love too. We got married when I was 29 and she was 32. We met when I was 20 and she was 23, and started dating when I was 25 and she was 28. I'm not 100% on those ages, but it's a rough estimate because it was almost 100 years ago for me in terms of memory.
  • She turned 40 and mentioned I haven't aged a day since I was 35. She asked me why, and I told her along the lines of "I've been wanting to tell you this for the longest time, but I've never been sure how. I feel it's about time" she asked if I was gay and if I had some magic anti aging from a secret lover in the College of Winterhold lmao since I would visit there a lot.
  • I told her no and ended up easing into telling her I'm from another universe but that she is real and exists in this universe and isn't just an NPC. Of course she asked, "NPC?" And, to skip some dialogue, I told her that she was a person and wasn't just a character in a game. She took it surprisingly well, like way better than I expected and told me this:
  • When she was 40 and I was mentally 37 but physically 35 Saph told me to script her as a younger age but with all her memories that she had at the time I left this universe.
  • We adopted two kids Hroar in Riften and Lucia in Whiterun and our first house together was Breezehome. I worked on Lakeview Manor, building everything by hand as scripted that I would have to (scripted no menus), and eventually built the main hall, a kitchen, children bedrooms, and a library/watchtower in the back by hand with help from Marcurio and Lydia after Marcurio died, and some help from Saph for gathering resources. I became Thane of Falkreath and got help from the House Carl there too, and made her my Steward.
• Before leaving to go back to this CR, after being there for 100 years, I visited my spiritual teacher. He showed me a mirror, and seeing myself for the first time in a long time besides in reflections in water, I was ripped and huge. He said I should take off my clothes and he'll look away, and I looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger but more tan and with a 35 yr old version of my face.

I scripted when I came back I'd take with me my DR's subconscious and consciousness 100% and I've noticed many unusual occurrences (unusual for me in this CR at least) upon arrival back here to this CR: - I had the strongest urge to brush my teeth with my electric toothbrush I've ever had - I enjoyed brushing my teeth so much as if I just hit a really good joint (I haven't smoked in almost 2 months tho so drugs aren't the cause). The euphoria was unreal - I seemingly manifested an opportunity to garden for my family even tho I've always hated gardening and they know that. I loved every moment of it and I was getting flashback type memories seeing myself working on my farm in Skyrim, vividly seeing my leather clothes and my surroundings while looking down at my regular jeans, gardening - I never have let myself garden in this CR to the point of sweating, I just hated it that much, but I was sweating beads down my face and on my lip and didn't go for a water break once like I used to do every few minutes before I would just go in the AC for a while - Before going to bed last night upon writing this, I had a memory of me doing 10 pushups every time before I'd sleep. I wasn't gonna do it because I was too tired, but I couldn't resist the memories just kept playing in my hand, and dropped down next to my bed and did 10 pushups, and that was the fastest I've fallen asleep in maybe over a year in this CR. I still remember how easily I'd fall asleep in Skyrim even though it's counterintuitive because you'd expect the blood pumping would keep me awake - The evening of coming back here, I sat outside for 1-3 hours enjoying the dusk and then the night. I NEVER sit outside for more than a few minutes, I've always hated the bugs and the heat outside. I'm sitting outside and have been for over an hour writing this 2 days later. Yesterday I spent a few hours just enjoying the night sky and the peacefulness outside. Each time I spend time outside past few days I remember and reminisce over the good times and the memories of sitting on my porch outside in Skyrim (I'm sweating and completely unusually for me, I don't mind one bit) - When I got back I showered and it was about just as euphoric as brushing my teeth was. I felt so much gratitude to have a fast stream of hot water and to not have to bathe under a waterfall or in a (heated) bath as I have many memories of doing both of, it was amazing and serene to wash myself with soap - I always use a scrubber when I shower in this CR but counterintuitively I used my hands for the first time in over a year. I don't know why, but it may have been to fully feel myself clean myself, not too sure about this one. Definitely scripting soap in next time, I used scents I made that were basically soap but I didn't have true soaps of any kind - also upon arrival back I went and walked on the grass barefoot in my backyard yard, which I never did because I hated the idea of bugs crawling on me. After sitting on a stump my bare feet on the grass, an ant crawled on my food and I didn't even kill it. I just brushed it off even though I always would kill them. It didn't even bother me one bit; I felt so at peace, calm, and still. - Unlike most of my memories, I can remember entire conversations for the most part in my DR even ones from 80+ years ago. But then there's still some things that are faded and I have to focus and try harder to remember if I can manage to. - I always bring a lot of stuff with me between my family's house and my place, at the very least a phone cord. But I packed lightly without thinking, bringing only my keys, wallet, phone, and earbuds. I later realized it was unusual for me and remembered what I learned in Skyrim, to pack lightly only the most important things. I always used to bring a cord at the least even though there's one over there, no clue why. - normal things feel nostalgic, like the taste of yogurt I used to eat every day and the smell of my house even - washing dishes is a piece of cake, it used to be something I put off or dreaded a bit, and now it's easy, I remember all the years I would wash dishes in the Inn before I bought it and in my houses - I'm realizing now that food tastes so much better as if I'm high on weed. At least processed foods like yogurt and granola bars so far, but it's very noticeable and it makes sense though. If you were to go 100 years without eating anything processed and you try it again and your body doesn't reject it, the amount of sugar and sweeteners and random other tasty junk is most likely going to taste a lot better than eating vegetables and meat and non pasteurized dairy for all those years. - I no longer feel the need I was unaware of before to have almost constant distraction. No matter what I used to be doing, I was either on a device or doing something like reading or working out. The only time I used to just think is in the shower or accidentally while meditating. I'm realizing that all changed since I came back. - The time I've been spending outside, at least 6 hours the past 2-3 days of writing this, most of it I'm not on my phone but instead just thinking, and I feel peace while thinking unlike normally. Even when not outside I've spent hours inside just thinking and looking back and remembering my lifetime in Skyrim - I've realized not everything needs a (long) response. However, unlike the times I've been more quiet in the past it's not because I don't have the energy to talk. For example, when my family was telling me what they needed done outside, my responses were either silence but eye contact and nodding or 1-3 word responses. I believe it's because previously I would fill the air with words because I was uncomfortable with silence - upon coming back I'm a lot more honest/blunt as in I don't feel a need to sugar coat my answer if I'm asked a question. - I have more confidence to share my experiences but I have a newfound skill of articulating them without sounding crazy (so far). For example, after debating on telling a member of my family (who didn't know about reality shifting and was skeptical) about shifting to another reality for 100 years, I warmed up to it. For the first part of it she was worried about me, understandably because she's a psychologist. Unexpectedly, she shared her own spiritual experiences, of which I didn't know she had any including her memories of a past life as a little boy and she's known how to sail her whole life because of those memories. She and I both agreed that shifting is closely related to other spiritual things like intuition and past lives in the sense that science can't explain them yet but they still exist. This was also after telling her that I spent 100 years in another reality, but I didn't get to the part where it was a reality where the events of Skyrim take place and exist. But I did tell her almost everything else including I had a wife and 2 kids. - In this CR, a girl I hadn't spoken to in years drove by as I was picking up some leftover branches from earlier's gardening outside the day before writing this. That was the first time in my life I talked to a woman smoothly without stuttering, got her phone number and her Instagram, and talked to her in my regular deeper voice instead of raising it higher pitch accidentally at all like I talk to my mom or when I'm really excited or when I'm flirting with a girl (in the past).
I told that member of my family, and she suggested it was possibly because my years as a married man before I said it myself. I was hoping she'd say something like that because I was thinking it had to do with my experience in this DR, so it's cool she felt so too.
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It was indeed quite surprising to see noticeable changes in who I am: my habits, thoughts, mindset, and speech. I know that was the plan and that I scripted it to be so, but to see it happen still brings about a new question: how much can these aftereffects be influenced and how much of a positive change can each of us make in ourselves with scripts for what happens when we come back.
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Anyway, I hope this is of help in inspiration and motivation for many of you out there, and that my experiences and method make a profound impact in even just one of you guy's lives.
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I wish you the best of success and much love,
A fellow reality shifter

Fireflies Over Stars
“You always had my best interest at heart, now I do with yours…”
Context: You are dating a lead guitarist in a rock band, really cool, right? Well…that is what most people would say. You are timid with intimacy, especially with someone so widely known. Thing is…you knew them before they made it big! What’s worse, is that he’s an absolute flirt! You meet your boyfriend, Liam Maverick, back at your apartment. You are stricken with worry over the relationship that you and Liam had started, so your expression is visible for him to see…He looks at you with worry in his eyes, he inches closer and wraps his hands around your waist…
Usage: This script is available! Recordings and the like are acceptable! Please let me know if any of scripts of mine are being used! I would love to see the process! Any YouTube or Patreon videos involving my scripts is to be credited!
*SFX: Footsteps behind the apartment door, the keys jingling before the sound of the door unlocking, his voice speaks as he steps into the room\*
*He sighs softly, happy to be home from a long day, exclaiming to the listener\*
Hey babe, I’m here! I made a quick stop to Louis’ Bar and Grill! Got your favorite, it’s nice and hot so you should come and get it before it gets—-
*SFX: running footsteps then cloth ruffle to indicate the listener running into them\*
*He makes an ‘Oomph’ sound, surprised but happy with the listener’s action, playfully flirting\*
Oof! H-Hey!~ *chuckles\* What’s with this greeting? Missed me too much, you just had to come running to me?~
*He chuckles before giving them a forehead kiss\*
*Pause\*
Well, I’m glad I can make you happy just by being here!
*He steps over to the kitchen counter placing the food: SFX: plastic bag ruffling\*
Come on, let's have dinner together. I’m starving and that pastrami is calling. my. name~
*Pause\*
*He sounds pouty as he speaks\*
Well, I’ve been strumming a guitar for hours non stop, you wouldn’t want this handsome body to look like skin and bones, do you?
*He notices a blush creep up on your face, he chuckles at this\*
I can never get over how cute your face looks!
*They space out for a moment, but he only furthers his playfulness\*
Awww…What’s wrong? So lost in how exquisite I look?~
*They suddenly stutter and immediately take their food to the dinner table, leaving you to only like their shyness\*
*Chuckles\* Alright, alright~ I’ll stop…for now…
*SFX: Clattered plates, scrapping from box\*
*He sounds happy up until he speaks about being away from them or home\*
My day? Oh, my day was eventful! A lot of people at the concert, more than I expected actually. I know that having concerts away from home is…tough on you, so I’m sorry I’m not home much…
*SFX: Silverware, eating\*
What about yours? I know you have that deadline for editing the script for that new movie coming up, I hope it wasn’t too stressful for you…
*Pause, His expression soon grows with worry\*
You know, it's ok to take a break every once in a while. I can even help out if you need it!
*Pause, He looks at them with a stern but concerned look\*
You aren’t usually like this…What’s going on? Like, really going on?
*Pause, His voice lowers, his concern hanging his words\*
You haven’t been eating…? Just working? *He sighs\* Honey…You know how important energy is for you. It breaks my heart to see you so low on yourself…
*He gently holds their hands, SFX is optional\*
We talked about this! You promised to eat more this week but you seem more reluctant than before. You also haven’t been sleeping well due to your workload! You are being burnt out without even knowing it! The worst part is, I'm not here to help you out as often as I should be, so I'm just worried about you even when I’m away from you. *He sighs longingly\* Come on, sit down. We can finish dinner a little later…I want you to tell me what’s going on, and don’t even think about trying to say “oh it’s nothing” or, “I’m just not feeling well.”
*He opens his arms, gesturing them to be held\*
Get in here.
*The Listener hesitantly shuffles and sits down on his lap, his arms gently embracing them. SFX is optional\*
Now, I want you to tell me. What’s going on through that little mind of yours? I can tell it’s not just not eating and sleeping enough. Tell me if I'm wrong, but you seem more worried about something else other than that…
*The Listener tells him of their troubles regarding his relationship with them, his voice hinted with sadness\*
Oh, hun…Why would you say that? I don’t think of you as annoying or too much to handle. If anything, you’ve given me so much! More than I could ever have…You know I love you, right?
*The listener becomes meek and the aura of depression seems to grow darker, he retaliates by lifting their head to have them look at him\*
You know I love you…right?
*The Listener nods softly, making him relax a little\*
*He sighs, SFX: cloth ruffle to indicate hug\*
I know I’m not here as much…and it pains me to see you like this…knowing that you have all these troubles to go through. But there is one thing to know, I’m here whenever you need me. Know that I will always love you, and that will never go away.
*The Listener tells him of their concern with being with them, his voice softens, a tender tone\*
I would never choose a different person, I fell in love with YOU. Not anyone else. *He sighs\* Remember that one time we went to the park when we were kids? And that you always were fascinated with insects and butterflies?
*Pause, he smiles softly and chuckles\*
Yes, exactly. We ended up playing with them and making little homes for them too!
*SFX: cloth ruffle to indicate pulling away and his face close to theirs\*
Remember when we were in middle school? And you stood up to that big kid who bullied me relentlessly? What was his name?...
*Pause, he realizes the name as if a light bulb came into his head\*
Ah! Yes! Henry! Remember how you decided to get back at him with a frog in his backpack *He tries not to laugh\* And that he yelped out and tried to get the frog out of it by jumping around like an ACTUAL frog?
*Pause, He is now laughing, he tries to compose himself\*
A-And- you went up to him a-and said, “I didn’t think a giant bullfrog could jump around as you did.”
*Laughing out loud\*
Ohh~ man! *He sighs\* That was the most memorable thing I could ever remember!
*Pause, He takes a couple breaths before answering The Listener’s question, his honesty and softness coming through\*
The reason why I’m bringing this all up is because…that’s how I came to love you. You were always brave, kind, smart…so much about you that I just…fell in love. So what I’m trying to say is…
*He leans in close to the listener, his tone soft and low\*
I love all of you…not just a part of you. I love all the flaws you have, all the scars you may carry…everything.
*Pause, he sighs\*
I will never replace you with someone else, whether they're better at whatever they are good at…I will always choose you, you always had my best interest at heart, and now I do with yours.
*Pause, He hears them sniffling, he coos them gently\*
Shhhh…it's ok, I got you ....I'm here.
*He continues to coo at them until the scene fades out\*
-To Be Continued-

My dog Brick is my soulmate im pretty sure. Hes a Lab Husky Mix I adopted as a puppy 2 years ago while my husband was stationed overseas to help me cope with the loneliness and he hasn't left my side since outside of road trips where is wasn't feasible to take him. He sleeps with me, stays at my feet when I eat, and is all around a really great dog. Loves people and is super gentle with small animals and kids. He was technically the first one to find out I was pregnant. (He was right outside the bathroom when I took the test and I had a mild freak out so he forced his way in and let me hold him.) And has been super duper gentle with me the whole time.
The problems started when my husband and I took a trip home for the holidays. We were gone for about 3 weeks, and usually when we take long trips like that we have a trusted friend stay in our house to pet sit. Brick has never had any issues prior to this trip. Usually our friends who stay with him love having him around so much and enjoy not having to stay in the barracks that they dont even ask for payment and will come take him on walks even after we return. Hes like a mascot at this point.
Before we left everything appeared to be fine. We did what we usually do, invite our sitter over a few times for dinner leading up to our trip to show him where all of the pet stuff is and help Brick get used to this new person and make sure they seem to get along if its their first time, like it was this guys. He works with my husband and I had met him plenty of times before and he seemed to be a good fit with our animals. We go on our trip, he gives us updates every few days, and this is where I notice behavior changes before we even got back.
Our sitter texted my husband that Brick had Dug out of the back yard and escaped, running around the neighborhood away from him until a neighbor managed to grab him by the collar and catch him. Brick has never, and I mean never, escaped a yard before. Hes never even dug or tried to get out , and Hes very good at recall. Not a single time has he run from me unless we were playing and if I called him back to me he always came and he does the same for most everyone. I figured He didnt know this sitter and chalked it up to him thinking they were playing, even though I knew he had never ever done that with any other person hes stayed with before.
When we got back My house was Destroyed. Partially from Brick chewing and tearing apart the living room, but also the housesitter being disgusting. There were beer cans and trash everywhere, He had been sleeping on the couch even though we had a guest room and when I cleared the blankets from the couch to try and get my house back in order I found Vomit, whether it was from Brick or the house sitter Im not sure but it was obvious it had been there awhile. The toilets had Urine in them like he hadnt been flushing them after he peed and for whatever reason he had moved the coffee table right up against the couch and had been using it like a bedside table even though we had couch side tables? I knew the guy was a little messy but holy crap you know? I was raised to respect peoples spaces and leave them cleaner than they were when I got there. I even strip the linens from beds when I stay in hotels to make it easier on housekeepers, so I was absolutely appalled at how dirty my house was. My husband and i went up to our guest room to strip the sheets, and when we walked in we were blasted with an overwhelming stale urine smell. When I turned to light on, My white Bed skirt was Soaked in dog pee. It was so bad the only foreseeable way I can see that happening is if he locked Brick in that room for hours at a time, possibly even days without letting him out. My carpets are permanently stained because of it. But honestly Im not mad about the mess at this point, im worried about my dog.
What I cant let slide is what Im worried he did to my dog. Ever since weve gotten back Brick has been a nervous wreck and insanely depressed. He tears the house apart if we leave for too long, pees all over the floors and poops on the carpet (Only when we aren't home, if were home he will come get us like he usually does, but its like all his housetraining goes out the window if were gone for more than 20 minutes) But the most concerning thing ive noticed is if he is laying down and something touches him he will jump up and growl like hes been hurt or like hes scared. Hes not injured, we made sure to get him checked out because I was worried maybe he had broken a bone or maybe sprained something but he has a clean bill of health. in the past few weeks hes been playing with my husband again and being energetic, but for a really long time it seemed like he just slept the whole day and night away and only got up and around if we were feeding him or taking him on walks. Another weird detail I noticed is that the extra bag of Dog food hadn't been opened while we were gone, and based on how much was still in the other one when we left it definitely should've been at least open and partially used. He didn't seem like he had lost a ton of weight, and I know that I had told the sitter that sometimes we cook the pets portions or meals when we have dinner and breakfast (all pet safe versions, like pancake mix thats specifically for dogs or unseasoned steak) So I thought maybe he had been cooking for Brick mostly instead of using the dog food, or possibly had bought a new bag while we were gone. His eating habits haven changed so I dont think he was starving him, but the food bag feels like an important detail for some reason.
It didn't cross my mind that maybe the sitter had done something to him (I can be a bit too trusting sometimes, seeing the best in people when I really shouldn't. Its a problem) until he came over for dinner one night with another one of my husbands friends. With the friend he had never met Brick was his usual sociable self. Playing with him and letting him rub his belly and just having a grand old time. But when the Sitter came in? Brick Hid behind me and wouldn't move away until he left. I even reached down to pet him and could feel him trembling like he was scared. I had never seen him do that before and It broke my heart to see. The sitter made a comment along the lines of "You know me, why are you hiding buddy?" and it clicked for me. He had only been acting like this since our trip home, and I had considered maybe he had some separation anxiety because we were gone for so long but even then, we had gone on longer trips without him and always came back to the same pup we had before, and he had never Ever Cowered away from anyone in the 2 years ive had him.
I kept my mouth shut during dinner and kept an eye on my dog, not letting anyone near him and letting him stay at my side while I was cooking when I usually dont let him in the kitchen because I can be clumsy and dont want to spill something on him. But while we were eating Sitter made a comment about how Brick slept at his feet the first few nights and then stopped.
Something about that comment makes me think he had been kicking my dog when he was at his feet, on purpose or not I dont care. I might be jumping to conclusions about that but ever since we got back Brick will jump away from us and yelp like hes been hurt if hes touched even lightly while hes laying down. I almost have to announce that Im about to pet him if hes laying down. Ive spoken with my husband about this, and weve come to the same conclusion that something definitely happened to my dog while we were gone and it has something to do with Sitter.
Ive made it clear hes not to be around our home anymore and Husband agrees, and that from now on we will stick with a sitter who we know loves Brick and who Brick trusts, and I will be asking for more updates from them that include pictures and what they did that day. But for now Im going to be taking him with us and doing road trips instead of flying until I can trust someone with him again. Weve been making strides towards getting him back to where he was. We recently got another puppy for my husband ( He wanted a dog that could bond with him like I was bonded to Brick) and since then weve seen some pretty serious improvements in his mood. They play together and I can tell hes getting his energy back. His eyes dont look as sad and just a few days ago he had the Zoomies in the back yard. He doesn't freak out when we touch him as much, but he still jerks away like hes scared. As far as the housetraining goes, We think its improved but honestly we cant tell the puppy mess apart from his sometimes so who knows on that front.
The amount of guilt I feel is overbearing. I love my dog, hes the one who got me through one of the hardest times in my life with my Husband being gone. Hes like my best friend and the idea that I Put him in a situation where he was mistreated and possibly abused has made me burst into tears. I dont understand how anyone could look at this kind hearted and sweet dog and be cruel to him in any capacity, hes such a fun and loving goofball. I feel like such a failure of a pet parent.

This sub has kept me sane over the years with living with my horrendous roommate. And I hate to even call her that because we have been friends since high school but she has been the worst person I have ever lived with. I don’t think anyone can top her and if they do I’m gonna loose faith in humanity. She has two cats. Doesn’t clean their litter box. She has a dog that’s not fully potty trained. The dog is a year old. The dog sometimes poops in the kitchen and she doesn’t clean it up. I have to clean it up. She takes her poor dog to go to the bathroom on our concrete back porch. I’m thinking of calling animal control when I move out honestly. That’s not even the worst of it. She leaves her vibrator on the couch for everyone to see and all of her clothes are everywhere. She’s turned the living room into her second bedroom. It’s pretty much trashed except for the kitchen which I keep clean for my own sanity. I don’t have people over because of how gross she keeps the place. It’s taken me three years to move out because of financial reasons and nothing affordable has popped up except for this year. I AM SO GLAD IM MOVING IN AUGUST.

Long time lurker, first time poster. English is my first language but forgive any mistakes due to nervous typing patterns. Trigger warnings ahead. If mentions of 'sewerslide' and OD will put you in a place that makes you feel scared or unsafe, I would very much like to ask you not to interact to protect your wellbeing. The last thing I want to do when asking for help is to put someone else into a painful spot. Also, this is going to be a novel but I know context is important and there's a lot of it.
I, (30 F), thought I had grown up in the most ideal situation as a kid of divorced parents. My parents never fought loudly if at all in any period of my childhood. Even after the divorce, while the romantic love had shattered, they still valued their friendship and communicated pretty well when it came to me and my younger brother. Now after incidents from Memorial Day weekend, I'm starting to relive moments growing up that I've begun to grow to resent instead of value as parts of my 'responsible' nature.
I guess it starts in childhood. My mom and dad were young parents. My mom was 19 when she had me and my dad was 17. He dropped out of school to work full time and my mom went back to school and worked so the first 6 years of my life I mostly remember being with my paternal grandmother. She was/still is a wildfire in my eyes. Not in a negative way. Even at 90 the woman could light the room ablaze with her joyous nature and just wants to enjoy what life she has left with humor and happiness. Once mom finished her degree and got work in her field/ had my little brother, it seemed to be the beginning of the failure of my parents marriage.
When I was 8 or 9, I came home from school for my mom to tell me that her and my dad were divorcing. She carefully explained what that meant I'm sure, I have very little memory of those days. She even got me with a therapist to help with the transition but according to the therapist, she told my mom I was actually coping well in the circumstances, likely due to my father's absent nature. I don't mean absent emotionally. I mean absent physically. While working for a national fast food chain, he was also travelling around and making money through music.
My N-Father has a talent for music. Even I can't deny that. Some of my fondest memories as a teenager was hearing him strumming away in his room while he recorded studio pieces he needed to complete for a deadline. Me already liking my solitary space, didn't mind the distance since I gave me room to explore my likes and wants for myself without interruption. Well, back to what caused the divorce. My N-Father cheated on my mom with one of his coworker. I'll call her SM1 (Step-mom 1). She seemed to be a kind woman with three kids I was quick to accept as my step siblings. Well, this is where one memory I used to praise as a moment of growing up, I realize was my first steps into parentification.
My younger brother, who's well into adulthood now with his own child (my niece is literally my world 2nd to my spouse), used to struggle with horrible growing pains. His legs would hurt so much from rapid development that my mom would crush up children's painkiller into his juice and set up a hairdryer to warm his legs to soothe the pain. Thankfully I was smart enough to watch her do this and during one of my N-dad's weekends I woke up to my brother's shrill crying. I was around 9 while my brother was barely 3 and if you've heard a toddler that age crying in agony, you know how scary it sounds as a child. I tried to wake up my father for nearly an hour with no cease to the crying. My step-brother (bless him) was doing everything he could to soothe my brother while me and my step-sisters were trying to wake our parents. With no hope of them hearing us, I rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the closest thing to juice they had, mountain dew. I found a ziploc bag and the ibuprofen and a spoon, crushing the pills as best I could and mixed it with the mountain dew. (I know. Dumb kid moment.) Finally after twenty minutes of giving my brother the drink, my step sisters succeeded in getting my father out of bed.
Let's just say he had just woken from a very 'intimate' nap and only covered his modesty in frustration of being woken up. Now that we've set the scene for the rest of this, it never ended. He divorced SM1, dated a woman fresh out of high school, broke up with her once her parents stopped funding his music, and then met SM2.
SM2 I still hold in high regards. She truly became a 2nd mom despite our 14 years age difference. She wanted children more than anything, but due to complications with her health, it wouldn't be an easy matter. What she didn't know either was my father had a vasectomy after my younger brother. So he played into her fantasy. She wanted a girl. At 12, who saw a woman who wanted nothing but a child of her own, I never held it against her. She always took me places with her and bonded with me while my father would play video games with little brother. No biggie. Father's and sons deserve bonding time at my brother's age at the time. I was 14, my brother around 7/8. One thing to mention, before they got married, my dad cheated on her too. With a coworker. Messed up, right?
Well, once that whole thing settled and they got married, things seemed to be great. All of my parents and step-parents were respectful to each other. I was happy, my brother was cared for finally, I could be a kid for once, right? No. After about 5 years, the marriage began to fall apart. My father revealed his vasectomy. Told SM2 is was irreversible. My poor SM2, so desperate to save her first marriage tried her damndest to be content with my brother and me. She never once made us feel unloved or unsafe and I don't think I could ever thank her enough for what she was to us. Well, her friend from school was in a rough patch. We'll call SM2's friend C. One weekend at our dad's, I was told my room was now being used to house C while she got back on her feet. Me, being my ever people pleasing self for my father's approval, just accepted the living room as my new bedroom.
I slept on that couch for almost a year until it came out C and my dad were getting too close. Dangerously close. Until a line was crossed. C was gone. I got my room back. But it no longer felt safe anymore. After my father was chased from the church he helped build up, he got caught flirting with the preacher's daughter at their new church. SM2 and my dad divorced, we maintained contact when we could and even met up for lunch as often as we could manage.
Things were quiet for a while until my wedding. In the weeks leading up the affair, my dad and I went on shaky grounds in terms of a relationship. I watched my mother go through a divorce from my N-Step-dad (a story that deserves its own post). SM2 calls me in fear. NDad broke down and cried about how he's having some (TRIGGER WARNING!!!!!)
"Dark thoughts".
Okay. I'm 20. I know those thoughts. I held some of my own for some time. But what she told me next I wasn't ready for. She tried to encourage him to stick around for me and my brother. Even after all this time, we were still her first priority and she hoped we were to him. We weren't. He only complained of how lonely he was. That we didn't need him. Given since he's alive and well, nothing happened, that was the first time I started to 'unlove' my father.
It only got worse from then. He and SM2 got back together, only dating, only to have it explode in chaotic fashion. According to Ndad, she tricked him to going to couples therapy with a therapist she was secretly sleeping with to coax him into giving her financial control. Which I now find funny considering my father had little money and since SM2 finished her degree, she was making bank. Sound familiar? Woman finds financial maturity and man gets to feeling small since he's not fulfilling his 'godly role' as the husband. And before you ask, yes, he's a pastor. Making me a PK (Pastor's Kid). If you know anything about that lifestyle, many of us would do anything to stay in our father's godly image to gain love and support even if we weren't fully understanding what we were selling away. Not to say there aren't PKs who fully love their place in God's eyes. That is not my place to stomp on. And not my relationship to ruin.
Well, I stopped talking to my father after he kept trying his damndest to make SM2 look bad in my mind, but after so much love and support she gave, I couldn't ignore that he was denying his wrong doing. So one long text later, I went NC with him at the age of 22. For two whole years, nothing really changed. Ndad never really called or texted anyways other than holidays and birthdays, which I did block him to avoid any temptations of caving to his lovebombing.
Then my younger brother was in the hospital. It's a point of disagreement on why he was really in there, but I believe my brother when he said he did it because he googled 'quick highs' on the internet and did something stupid with that information. My parents both think otherwise, but thats not the point. I had no way to get to my brother. My husband and I were sharing one car at the time and my mom was already at the hospital. So I had to do something I still hold shame for. I unblocked my father. I warned him my only concern was getting to my brother and that my asking for his help to get there was not a sign of my forgiving him. But if he agreed to do this for me, maybe we could start slow. (Important note: During those 2 years everyone, including SM2, were insistent I try to keep dad in my life. That he loved me, blah blah blah. But my brother wanted it more than anyone and as you can tell, I'm very protective of my brother.)
I let him talk the whole 2 hour drive to the hospital. I did listen, but never responded other than short answers. When we pulled up to the hospital and were entering the room, I won't ever forget the first words out of my father's mouth. My brother, who just overcame potential death, had his father, our father, spew out the words "You're so stupid." as his first words to him. I wanted to kick him out then and there, but my brother, doped up on painkillers, gave a weak chuckle and just said, "I know." So, I just let it be. Once I had a moment with my brother, my only concern was how he was feeling and all he said was, "It was nice to see you and dad entering together". That stopped the NC order for me and I caved to let my father back into my life.
By all means the chaos didn't cease, but since I was an adult, I was able to keep myself far away from my father's dating dramas. I think the worst one was SM 3, who I loved to call 'Evil Reba' because she looked just like Reba McIntyre but the woman had no room for disaggreeing POVs so I just ignored her since her and my father lived a state away. She started a Dating Psychos page for my father. And boy howdy, when I found it, I agreed with everything these women had to say. One of them even defended my brother and I from any backlash that may come our way. They were anonymous, but I hope they know I was/am happy to see someone else saw the truth before we did.
I became seduced by my 'new' dad. He was accepting of everything I was. An ally to our LGBTQ relatives, and even supported me when I came out as Pan a few years back. Even more recent, he was perfectly okay when he found out I'm a practicing witch. Something I hid from everyone for almost 11 years. I thought I was healing. My innerchild was revelling in her father's words of acknowlegement of all the bad things we went through. My inner teen was vilified when he told me he should've never had me moved onto the couch when C lived with him. He apologized and 'lovebombed' my brother and I with all the money he made from his 50/hour a week job. That should've been my clue it was about to go wrong.
When my father craves affection, he'll give money. Do everything he can to appear the provider for his kids despite us both being grown adults. What did warn me that it was about to go wrong was my mother telling me in one of my father's new druken stupors, he texted my Aunt who's hated his guts since the divorce. She'd be nice and civil if he was around but I wish I could explain the deep hate my aunt has at my father for hurting her baby-sister. Well, he brought up this photo she hates (sadly my aunt does not have the highest self esteem despite how gorgeous she is but that's besides the point). How he wished he still had that photo. The photo in question? A bikini photo from one of the big family vacations. My father was flirting with my MARRIED aunt, who's been with the same incredible but quiet man for over thirty years.
I want to make it clear, for about 5 years, there were no red flags in his passing relationships of him flirting with other women. He was ever forth right with all of them of his past.
So hearing that from my mother, who I think knew I needed to hear it from her first, I knew it was about to get bad again. So that weekend, last weekend, we went to my father's to have dinner and hang out. Something we've done before. Now, in the last two years, my father started as a Flat Earth sympathizer. I have my own feelings on the whole back and forth of it, but in the last few months my father seemed driven to convince my brother and I that the earth is flat and that airplanes are named because the earth is truly one flat plane. The UN's map of the world. You name it, he's used it. Even going as far as using the bible to justify this knowledge.
Well, before the next discussion of our perceptions of reality, he proposed we do something I already love doing. Grounding. The practice of walking barefoot in the grass or ground to reconnect with the energy of the earth. I find it peaceful and tend to treat that time as a form of meditation. But as I'm laying in the grass, enjoying the nice weather and getting to share this kind of moment with family, he goes off again trying to coerce us of flat earth. I don't know my brother's position on it, but that's not my journey. And I will respect his journey. So I did what I used to do. Agree with everything he says until he shuts up. Now I'm unaware of how much my father had drank. According to my husband it was definitely more than three, but I've seen the man drink a whole case of Natty Lites (Natural Light Beer) and function like a sober person. Given he's now obsessed with Mexican beers because of, wait for it, his GIRLFRIEND. I really like this woman. I really do. Her and her son are an absolute delight but my father has gone from calling them by their names to now calling them 'the Mexicans'. Don't worry, they are actually Mexican, and made sure to tell my dad not to call them hispanic as they do not like it. No biggie. Respect.
But everything out of my father's mouth that day in reference to anyone different than him sounded more like an inconvieniece than an actual term of validation or respect. I went from 'Wonderful Witchy Daughter' to just 'Witchy daughter' with a look of mild discomfort. Everything I confided in him about, was now inconvienet knowledge. I pretty sure he even forgot I was Pansexual even though I was making plans with a cousin from his side to attend my first Pride since I've never had anyone to go with and felt unsafe in large gatherings without a safe person with me. Well, as the evening went on, there was a discussion between my father, me, my brother, my brother's girlfriend (who I wish wasn't there to witness any of this but I'm glad she was with my brother for the ride home), my father's girlfriend (E), and E's son.
This is where it's going to sound confusing and a little crazy. We were discussing slang in the modern age and my brother called our dad a SIMP. When my father asked what that meant, my brother explained and we were all in agreeance being a SIMP isn't always a bad thing. Especially when it's being used to downplay someones adoration of their partner. Well, then my father began to question my brother's perspective of the world and why he chooses these new slang terms instead of just speaking his own words. Well, little brother told him the truth. He had no other words of equivalence to use, as that is usually where I pull an equivalent word from the dictionary in my brain. Never got to. My father began to push my brother more to get him to explain why my brother labels people in such a way while my brother was trying to explain he just doesn't how else to express himself since he hasn't really taken the opportunity to learn more.
Well, somewhere in there, my brother was trying to discuss his feelings and understanding all the while my father was getting more and more frustrated. Accusing him of not seeing 'reality'. I feel so much guilt for this, but I fell back into old habits. Trying to play both sides to keep everyone happy. Put my mask back on and just tried to play peacekeeper to stop the hurt feelings from growing in both of them. My husband, who has his own fair share of family trauma, stepped in on my brother's behalf. Told my father he wasn't actually listening to what my brother was really saying. Then my father went on a tirade of how he works 50 hours a week and is always on call to provide for his family and how he works hard with no complaints. (Note: My brother has been struggling to find employment since the birth of his daughter and if you know anything about applying for jobs right now, you know it's not easy.) So, essentially, he attacked my brother's weakest point. I know my brother's trying. But with his health problems due to past troubles, it adds an extra level of complications that I know only make my brother feel worse.
My husband, during this, was packing up all our stuff. The baby bag for my brother and his gf, all of my stuff, and doing everything he could to get us out of there. I was standing there feeling shock and having flashbacks to the last time it got this bad. (Spoilers: it got physical between my father a brother.) In my fear, once my husband returned and gave me the look of 'we gotta go' I hugged E, her son, and even tried to hug my dad in fear of if I didn't, I'd only make it worse. All the while, he was screaming at my brother "Is that tree green?!" over and over. Looking back today I realized I wasn't in my body while the fighting started.
While we were all piling into our respective cars, my dad was still screaming but at my brother and husband saying "I love you too, husband!" "I love you, brother!" in an almost effort to make them come back and hug him or verify the sentiment was returned or as a play to see if he had control over them I'm still not fully sure.
If you're still reading, I hope I haven't wasted your time since I know it's something we'll never get back. Once I was in the car and the door was shut, I decided to call my mom since my brother and his girlfriend are living with her until they can get back on their feet. It's only been 2 months since the move so this isn't a long term thing nor has it been. I told her footnotes while hubs explained what he remembered knowing I was shutting down quickly. We just wanted to let her know in case my brother showed up still angry or very quiet just to assure her she didn't do anything and that dad 'messed up again'.
She understood the assignment and was about to check on me when my brother called. So we paused our conversation so hubs and I could talk to brother. Despite my anxiety, my brother sounded less angry but almost confident in his next choice. My father gets sober, or he never sees my neice ever again. I 110% will have his back if it comes to that since that's all I wanted when I went NC. And while I trust my brother to handle his emotions as best he can, I'm finding it hard. He sounded so sure, so confident and in the days past I thought I was going through the stages of grief. Now I'm not so sure.
When I did call my mom back after we were certain my brother was good and had his own plans of coping and someone to talk to, I asked the question I never thought I'd ask of my mom. "Mama, is Dad a Narcissist?" Her first words to follow were, "I hate to say it but..." She didn't have to finish. I got my answer. My innerchild cried. My inner teenager wanted to break everything in sight since she never got the chance to. My adult self almost disappeared since the other two were unsure of where they stood after getting everything they wanted only to discover they may have only been props to make my father look good for the next woman who had the patience to put up with him.
I feel tricked. Lied to. Shamed. Maybe even numb. Even worse, I'm pretty sure I have PMDD and undiagnosed autism because this past week I've been acting and feeling in ways I don't recognize since it's been so long since I've been like that. Crying until I vomit. Feeling undeserved anger towards anything inconvenient. So I'm also trying to navigate my real feelings from what my hormones are making worse. Logically, going NC should be easy. My father rarely reaches out anyways so ghosting him should be enough to give him a clue. My husband is prepared to defend my if he tries to show up. But I think what hurts most is the day after the incident, the only person to recieve an apology was my brother. The one with a kid. The one who can take away everything my father wants "A second chance to make it right." I know my father craves to be a dad now. Which sucks.
Anytime he'd lie to SM2 about kids, he praised to urge for a daughter. SM2 only wanted a girl because she had a name she loved. Now she's with a good man who gave her exactly what she deserved. A loving marraige and a daughter that she could give the name to. He just wanted a 'second chance'. And even when my brother's gf, who I honestly prefer to call my sisteSIL but I don't want to make things more confusing, was pregnant he wanted to be a grandfather to 'get it right this time'. Some days I wanted to scream "I'm right here! We can still make it right! Just because I'm grown doesn't mean shit!" But it's not me now that he wants. He wants that little blonde daughter who didn't know better. Who was praised in Sunday School for such a 'loving heart and giving soul'. A prop in his life to show he's a good person. Just like I think his girlfriend is realizing. "I can't be racist. Look who I'm dating!" Yes. He truly said that. I tried to speak spanish with them just because I can tell it's easier sometimes, but I was called racist for doing that. And if that does make me racist, please tell me. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable because I overcorrect to make everyone comfortable.
I don't know what to do now. Yes. NC is definitely an option, but I want to move past these emotions. I want to move past this pain. It's so bad I can feel the toll it's having on my body. I won't go TMI but I know I'm not well. Sleeping, eating, even going to the bathroom, it's painful. My body is holding in all this stress and I don't know how to make it go away. My husband tries but he's even said he doesn't know how to help. He's so wonderful. He even scratched my back for me like my grandmother did when I was little to quell an anxiety/panic attack. How do I make it stop? What steps do I take? Therapy, while I know I need, is scary where I live. The local clinic doesn't have the greatest reviews but my brother had a good experience with one of their doctors but I feel weird requesting his old therapist. Anyone else in the area doesn't have many reviews and I haven't heard much good from Better Help. I want to do good by me. I want to be better. Not better good but better in wellness.
Anyone who's been through something like this, I'd love to hear your journey and how you cope/overcame these emotions. I'm tired of constantly feeling like my 14 year old self crying herself to sleep again. I just want to start healing and I don't know how to.
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TLDR: Just found out my father's a narcissist and don't know how to cope with the information and looking for tips to heal and grow from this.
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For the MODs: If I broke any rules, feel welcome to tell me bluntly. I tried to follow everything listed but I know I am human and will mess up.

Toxic Rats: B, Geoff, Scott, Leshawna, Sammy
Mutant Maggots: Anne Maria, Katie, Molly, Scarlett, Dave, DJ, Trent
Episode 03: Ice Ice Baby
"Previously on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!" Chris opened on the now-typical shot of the somewhat decrepit Camp. "We learned that although our campers are here to win," the recap montage began with the two recently-awoken team assembled before the host, "they're all losers in one way or another," Scott was shown fleeing in terror from a mutant wooly beaver during the flashback of his Chris Head hunt. "Really, really big losers," Chris added over shots of Fang chomping off the corner of the Rats' stand, and DJ admitting his secret of sleeping with a teddy bear.
"It was a psychological butt-kicking that quickly turned literal," Chris continued as Trent was shown sizing up the angle of his final swing into the Grand Slam, and Geoff got kicked forward by the Kick Start. "Then comical," the host added as Leshawna was shown painfully bouncing from one butt-shaped apparatus to the next, "then hysterical!" Chris finished with a laugh as Sierra's first try at the Grand Slam was shown, ending with the girl hitting the muddy floor.
"In the end, Sierra got the biggest boot of all," Sierra was shown in the bucket of the catapult. "Bye-bye," Chris added mockingly as the obsessive uberfan was flung into the night.
"I love my job," he said as the scene cut to him on the Dock of Shame, "Stay tuned as more things blow up! More contestants throw up, and some even try to hook up. Right here, on Total! Drama! Revenge of the Island!"
XXXXX
The episode opened on Camp Wawanakwa's lodge and mess hall, the camera panning to the left to show the communal bathroom and, more importantly, a cluster of bushes. The shot zoomed in as one of them began to rustle, and a mouse with a bulging, veiny head scurried out into the open. It paused as the shadow of a bird of prey fell over it, and looked up to see a bald eagle diving towards it with its talons out.
The mutant mouse's eyes glowed green, and a beam shot out of them and hit the approaching eagle. The bird froze in mid-air, then slammed back and forth as though in the grasp of some unseen hand. It was finally tossed off-camera with a squawk, and the mutant mouse scurried onward. It climbed the steps of the main lodge and crawled through a hole in the door, and the scene cut inside.
The camera, situated high on the right wall relative to the entrance, showed the two teams eating and the lodge itself in a state of near disrepair. The floor had become a patchwork of different colors and styles; one of the front windows had been broken and halfheartedly boarded up; there was a gaping hole in the roof over the other front window; a few planks were missing from the far left wall around the fireplace; and a bit of wallpaper was peeling on the partition dividing the kitchen from the rest of the lodge.
The seven members of the Mutant Maggots sat at the forward table, to the left of the camera, while the five Toxic Rats sat closer to the kitchen; and both teams had only logs to sit on.
Katie stuck a spoonful of the grayish food they'd been served into her mouth, cringed, and spat it out. "This is so nasty! Gruel really is cruel!"
The perspective inverted to show Dave's face covered in the food. "Sorry Dave," Katie said from off screen.
Confessional: Dave
Dave started his confessional with a heavy sigh. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather eat dirt than any more of breakfast."
Confessional Ends
The static changed to Molly and Anne Maria sitting together. Molly was coughing due to how much spray Anne Maria was using.
Anne Maria noticed her plight and stopped. "Sorry, retro. On the upside, now your lungs are waterproof."
"I'll make use of that," Molly coughed again.
The shot cut to B at the right end of the Rats' table. He picked a hair out of his spoonful, and threw it away uncomfortably.
The camera panned to the left to show Leshawna and Geoff in what looked like an eating contest. Just as they were really getting into it, Geoff accidentally swallowed his spoon and started to choke.
Leshawna finished her meal first before checking on Geoff. "Let me help you out with that." She smacked the back of his neck, allowing the spoon to come out of his mouth.
Geoff sighed in relief. "Thanks. I really needed that."
"Bad news, I finished before you," Leshawna teased Geoff in good fun.
"Awesome," Geoff said. "Back home, I'm the kind when it comes to food competitions with my buds."
"If you say so," Leshawna replied.
The perspective changed, now showing Sammy and Scott eating across from Leshawna and Geoff.
"I've eaten fruits and vegetables just to keep my body fit for cheerleading, but this is too gross!" Sammy winced and shoved her gruel away.
Scott, who had witnessed her complaint and finished his gruel, grabbed her bowl and helped himself to a second helping.
Confessional: Scott
Scott began his confessional by chuckling while whittling a wood stick with his shark tooth. "Wimps. I grew up on a dirt farm." He brought out a clod. "I can always chomp on a clod if I get the munchies.
He took a bite out of his aforementioned object and chewed on it for a few seconds. The dirt farmer then smiled for the camera, only for his teeth to shatter and fall to the floor.
Confessional Ends
The footage resumed to the Maggots' table as DJ scooped up a spoonful of gruel with a little antenna poking out of it. He didn't notice, but when he put it in his mouth, he began to choke. Clutching his throat, he got to his feet, and stood away from the table, gagging.
"Hang on!" Trent called out, rushing up behind DJ and pumping his stomach repeatedly. The force was enough to make him spit out whatever he was choking on. A little beetle flew out among bits of gruel, and bounced onto the floor before landing on Geoff's hat.
DJ awkwardly breathed. "Thanks for the save," he said.
"Don't sweat it," Trent replied. "We're teammates."
The shot cut back to Scarlett, who was looking down to the bulbous-headed mouse now sitting on their own table. "What is that Apodemus sylvaticus doing over here?" she remarked. Without warning the mouse's eyes began to glow green again, and to the horror of the brainiac it levitated into the air.
The scene moved outside the lodge as crashes and screams of terror filled the air. All the campers except Molly fled out the front door and a refrigerator was flung out after them. They paused to catch their breath, and it was then that Molly was finally tossed out to them with a scream of her own.
The whine of the intercom turning on caught their attention, and the camera cut to an upward shot of the loudspeaker. "Attention, players!" Chris announced. "Please head to the looming tragedy that is Mount Looming Tragedy!" The shot switched to a tall, craggy spire of rock in the distance, it's broad and flat peak seen only in silhouette thanks to a ring of ominous clouds. "Your race begins, NOW!"
He punctuated his broadcast with his blowhorn, and Scarlett immediately turned to her teammates. "Maggots, let us make haste!" she declared, and all twelve campers raced off.
\
A flash ahead showed the two teams arriving at the base of the mountain, all of them out of breath.
"Did we win the challenge?" Katie panted, doubled over with her hands on her knees.
Dave arrived last just then, clutching his stomach and groaning. He walked over to a bush, fell to his knees, and threw up.
"Not to judge, but you should exercise more, dude," Molly told the germaphobe as he stood back up and wiped the bile from his lips.
A sudden whistle interrupted any reply that may have come, drawing the campers' attention to the side. "Okay, mutant food," Chris greeted, standing with Chef next to a muddy jeep, "on with the challenge! Part one is an uphill battle," he explained, the shot moving to and upward pan of the rocky tower before them – it was covered with barbed wire, toxic waste barrels, and what looked like pipes of some kind. "You have to climb all the way up to that cliff," Chris explained, the camera coming to a rest at the broad, flat rock that topped the mountain; a dead tree and another toxic waste barrel were the only things to be seen on top. "First team to reach the top gets an advantage in part two."
"You can climb with your hands," the host continued as the shot returned to him, "or use whatever you find in the pile." He motioned over his shoulder, and the camera cut to a large mound of junk – appliances, furniture, pipes, tires, and other abandoned pieces of scrap. "But don't worry," Chris added, growing more and more excited, "this junkyard doesn't have a dog. It has a giant mutant beetle!"
On cue, a gigantic beetle similar to the one DJ had found in his gruel popped out of the junk pile and hissed at the humans; B, Sammy, DJ, Molly, and Trent all gasped in shock.
"Hahaha, big guy's a bit of a hoarder," Chris laughed. "His estate is full of useful crud," the beetle was shown picking up a paintball gun and a sewing machine from the pile and casually tossing them away, "aaaand disgusting crud." The beetle picked out a toilet next, and threw it at the humans with a hissing roar; B, Sammy, DJ, Molly, and Trent quickly ducked, and it crashed to the ground behind them. "That is, if you can get near it," Chris told them with an impish smile.
"One last thing before we start," the host announced. "Since the Rats are looking uneven, I'll need one member of the Maggots to switch over to their team. Who's it gonna be?"
"I'll move to the Toxic Rats," Trent shrugged.
Chris turned towards the mountain and gave a thumbs-up, and Chef – now on top of the cliff – blew on an alphorn, shaking the area. "It is on!" the host declared.
"Let's move Maggots!" Scarlett said as the campers started running.
\
The Maggots' logo appeared in the corner as Dave was shown struggling to pull himself up to a ledge. "Molly was right. I need more exercise." He fell off completely, and sighed as he laid on the ground.
"Don't give up Dave," Katie called out to him while hanging from a dead tree that was jutting out of the rock. "You can do it!" The branch broke and she started to fall with a scream, until a hand pulled her up to a higher ledge.
The camera panned up to show that DJ had saved her. "Thank you," Katie said happily.
"Anytime," DJ replied. The two looked into each other's eyes and smiled.
"Rock climbing," Molly yelled as the shot cut to her climbing the mountain, "was never on my bucket list!"
"You don't have to like it," Katie said. "You just have to help us instead of wanting to bail."
"It's not my fault I wanted to avoid being killed," Molly said, referring to the challenge last episode.
"Keep it together, Geoff," Scott called out as the shot cut to him and Geoff climbing another part of the mountain, the Rats' logo in the top-left corner of the screen. "At this rate, we'll be the ones winning for our team!"
"Don't worry about me!" Geoff advised. "This is no sweat."
Confessional: Geoff
"I'm a bit of a rock climber back home," Geoff said. "It makes me feel free and adventurous. I normally wear sunglasses just to prevent the rocks from getting into my eyes, but I didn't come prepared. Wish me luck."
Confessional Ends
The shot cut next to Anne Maria, still on the ground looking at her reflection in her hand mirror. "And will the lady be participating?" Chris asked in a mocking prim tone as he walked over.
"Have you seen my nails?" Anne Maria denied. "These are why I drive with my feet."
"I see," Chris said blankly. "What about you?" he asked, turning his head towards Scarlett – who was also still on the ground, looking up at the cliff.
"I will climb," Scarlett replied. "I'm just doing some calculations right now."
The camera panned over to the right, where Leshawna was trying to climb the cliff with Trent watching her failed attempts.
"And I'm coming back down," Sammy slid to the ground with a deadpan expression. "Practice doesn't make perfect, Trent."
"I was trying to prep you up," Trent admitted.
"Sammy, wait! I see B has a plan," Leshawna told Sammy as she saw B near the junkpile.
"Okay then. I hope it involves not climbing." Sammy said off-camera.
\
The scene cut back to Geoff lingering at a ledge with a few small, loose stones on it. He misstepped as he climbed, and accidentally kicked them off – they tumbled down the mountainside, catching DJ and Katie and knocking them off. The two crashed into Dave, who was making his own slow progress up the mountain, and all three landed on the ground in a heap.
Back down at the bottom, Scarlett stopped at the three that had fallen, who had still not made any move to get up.
"Are you all still able to function later?" Scarlett asked.
"We're fine," Dave said. "Thanks for asking."
Confessional: Scarlett
"I didn't immediately start climbing up the cliff," Scarlett explained her plan. "I wanted to see how everyone would go about it. That way, I can seek out any obstacles and how to avoid them."
Confessional Ends
Back over the junk pile, B attempted to grab a barrel, only to be stopped by the beetle breathing fire.
"It can breathe fire? Seriously?" Leshawna said, flabbergasted.
"Maybe we can distract this beetle," Trent suggested.
B held up a refrigerator door to prevent himself from getting burned by the beetle's fire, giving way for Leshawna to snatch a flute that was on top of the pile.
"Toss it over! I could give it a try," Sammy offered before Leshawna threw at her the flute.
Sammy's flute playing wasn't very good, and the beetle quickly breathed out another jet of fire, then curled up into a ball and rolled towards them as the intense challenge music resumed. Sammy stopped playing as she and Trent scattered, with the balled-up beetle only following the guitarist.
"Why are you going after me?!" Trent exclaimed as he ran from the mutant, Sammy and Leshawna watching from the junk pile. "I didn't use the flute!"
Dave, DJ, and Katie got back up from the fall and saw B dragging the barrel on the ground.
"The Rats have the right idea. We can take things from the trash pile so we can climb up," Scarlett said to the three as they went to the trash pile to pick up items while the beetle was jumping on Trent and smashing him to the ground.
\
The shot cut to the top of the mountain, where Chef was waiting with several large blocks of ice. Geoff was almost there, causing Chef to scowl – though he brightened up when his walkie talkie beeped. "You know what to do," Chris told him. "Ice 'em."
"We might just win this," Geoff said confidently. The shot cut up to Chef as he held out an ice block with a vicious grin. He let it fall, and Geoff looked up just in time to see it hit him. It knocked him off the cliff face, and he fell and knocked Scott off as well. The two fell past Molly, who watched in shock as they landed with a pained thud and groan.
Molly scowled upwards, and Chef was shown throwing more and more ice blocks down towards her. With a smirk, she dodged each one in turn. "Like I'm gonna get iced like that!" she taunted up at the man.
Anne Maria was still on the ground spraying her hair. "Nice hairspray, pouf head!" Molly taunted her. "Maybe if you used spray on style, it might be easy on the eyes!"
Anne Maria got enraged enough to crush her can with one hand. "What'd you say to me? Oh, it is on!" Anne Maria declared as she started her climb.
Chef threw an ice block in her direction, but it got shattered thanks to how hard her hair was.
"Hey! Quit it!" Anne Maria punched another ice block out of her way. "I'm coming for you, Pasty!"
Molly watched her with a bit of fear, but got over it. "She'll thank me later."
\
As Geoff and Scott got back up from their falls, the camera went over to Scarlett, Katie, DJ, and Dave ready to go back up the cliff again.
"If all else fails, just use whatever you have," Katie noted to her team. "I've done a lot of DIY projects that way."
"DIY?" Dave asked incredulously.
"It means Do it yourself," Katie pronounced before showing off her fingers that were wrapped with metal sharpened to resemble Wolverine's claws. She latched on to the cliff with them and started to climb. "Let's get climbing!"
DJ used a pair of plungers as his climbing method, Dave spun around a coil of rope before throwing it up so that he can climb on it, and Scarlett used a grappling gun she made out of metal in order to climb certain parts of the cliff.
Trent was now getting punched in the face by the beetle, who was wearing boxing gloves now.
Geoff watched with concern, until the beetle from earlier hopped out of his hat. He noticed this and swooped it up. "Wait! Is this why you're being so harsh?"
This attracted the attention of the larger one, who promptly dropped Trent. He hit the ground with a groan.
The smaller beetle jumped from Geoff's hand and scurried over to its parent, who picked it up with its forelegs, looked at it lovingly, and gave it a quick tap on the back so that it burped out a small jet of flame. Satisfied, the guard beetle scurried away and disappeared behind its horde.
"That was really touching," Geoff commented in a touched tone.
Confessional: Trent
"Beetles can put up one heck of a fight," Trent said with his bruises on display.
Confessional Ends
The camera quick-panned back down to the Rats. Several bottles and bags and electronic bits had been tied to the waste barrel, two long wires were leading out from them, and a couch was seated over it.
"Baking soda? A broken chair leg? We were chased by a giant, fire-breathing beetle so you could collect all of this?!" Trent said to B.
B motioned them to come sit down. Seeing that they're out of options, they complied and took a seat.
With everyone in, B intersected two wires together, instigating a spark and setting the couch to fly up to the sky.
"We're flying now!" Leshawna cheered out loud as they passed Scarlett, DJ, Dave, and Katie, who were still climbing.
Molly got to the top and hauled herself up with a triumphant cheer... just before the couch crashed down on top of Chef, Scott nowhere to be seen.
"You did it, B! We won the challenge!" Geoff congratulated the silent inventor, leading the Rats to cheer for their victory.
It was then that Scott finally landed on the mountain with a thud, leading the five Rats to look at him in shock.
Confessional: Scott
"Okay, seriously. Beverly the explosives expert mime has to go!" Scott stabbed his tooth into the wall angrily.
Confessional Ends
Chris arrived with his jetpack. "Slow your roll, Party Boy, I say who wins."
"Good enough," Molly smirked.
"The Rats, thanks to B!" Chris announced, earning a triumphant cheer from the six winners and a groan from the losers. "See how I do that better?"
"I got up here first!" Molly shouted while Anne Maria went up to her. "Doesn't that mean we win!"
"First team to the top wins. That means the whole team. You're still missing them." Chris enforced the rules.
"How swell," Molly moaned, and got slapped on her arm by Anne Maria. "What was that for?!"
"Nobody disrespects the hair or the spray," Anne Maria reminded her.
"Harsh, but true," Chris got in front of her. "Who else is heading for a fall? Find out after the break."
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(Commercial Break)
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My parents are overloading me with "Chores''. For context I quit my job not too long ago. As a daycare attendant because I didn't have transportation available. (I asked all our family members and they said they weren't available.) Then not too long after I quit my sister (f21) started to get rides from my cousins. Who was not available to drive me I later found out. It was because my mother called them and asked if they could drive my sister. Now they drive her but when I asked if she would help me she flat out said it wasn't her job so it wasn't her concern. Now for the overwhelmed bit. For 50$ of grocery money I clean the entire house. Every week if I want to eat I have to clean after my sister and the animals. Which is hard for me because I had to re-home my dog after my mother charged me a pet sitting fee when I had my job. So half if not my entire paycheck was going to my mother or my dog. Anyway my parents have 6 cats and 2 dogs. Then my sister has 1 kitten. For chores. I clean the bathroom: I scrub the toilet, countertops, mirror, sweep and mop the floor, clean under the cupboard (that's where one cat box is.)
For the living room

• Wipe down all surfaces including tv and stands.
• Move all furniture and sweep and mop under all. sweep and mop the main floor and pick up all feces and urine.

For the Kitchen

• Clean, organize the island, sweep and mop the floor, pick up trash, animal feces and urine. Clean off the table, coffee area, wipe down countertops, and stove.
• Feed and water cats and dogs.
• Clean and organize the brown shelf, black shelf and white self.
• For the living room
• wipe down all surfaces including tv and stands.
• Move all furniture and sweep and mop under all. sweep and mop the main floor and pick up all feces and urine.

Regular chores

• Re-bag trash, lug trash down to the dumpster.
• Wash, dry and fold laundry.
• Wash and rise and take care of dishes.

My sister does nothing, not chores, no nothing , not even when we both had jobs, it's how it always has been. I tell my mother and she asks"What do you expect me to do." I expect her to threat her or put the homes in a stable home. I expect her take off some of the load she placed on me. Then when one thing goes wrong because of my sister she says it's BOTH of our faults. That WE should fix it and WE should grow up when I'm the only one putting in any effort. I wasn't aware of how overwhelmed I was. Until, she told me to clean the camper on top of all of it. and I just fucking balled and I never cry I was wondering how I got so weak and sappy. If you look in my past post about my sister then you know they are not good people but I move out in August for school. This post is for advice on how to survive until then.

In December of 1983, the mummified body of 13-year-old Theresa Feury was discovered hidden in a crawlspace within an apartment in Paterson, New Jersey. Just as barbaric as Sylvia Likens’ horrific murder and even more bizarre, a horrific tale of torture and long-term abduction was uncovered in the investigation.
In the summer and fall of 1981, 35-year-old Marie Moore lived in New Jersey with her 12-year-old daughter, Tammy Moore; a 12-year-old daughter of a friend, Harriet Bayne; and 50-year-old Mary Gardullo, who had been a longtime friend of Marie Moore’s. Through that summer, multiple neighborhood children began hanging out at Marie Moore’s home daily, and she took them on beach trips, amusement parks, and was generally beloved by the group of unrelated children, who even called her “Ma.” These included 14-year-old Ricky Flores, who was dating Tammy Moore; 13-year-old Luis Mantalvo; and the victim Theresa Feury, who was 12 years old in the summer of 1981.
In September of 1981, Marie Moore told the children that her ex-husband was actually the famous singer Billy Joel. Marie told them that he was Tammy’s father, and that Billy Joel had recently contacted Marie to express displeasure at the way the household was being run. The children were confused, of course. During this announcement, Marie received a telephone call, which she answered in front of the children. Claiming the caller was Billy Joel, Marie stated that Billy Joel would now be stepping in to “straighten out” the situation. According to Marie, Billy had decided that 14-year-old Ricky Flores would be given control of the house, as a way to test his suitability to marry Tammy Moore one day. Marie said that Billy Joel would be passing along instructions and chores to the children, and any disobedience would cause Billy Joel to “set bombs off in the house.” In addition, Marie said that Billy Joel was associated with the mafia, and if the children told their families or any other outsider what was happening, men from the mafia would hurt the families. She then instructed them that they would be required to meet at the Moore house every day after school.
Despite the initial confusion, Marie Moore’s adult roommate confirmed to the children that Billy Joel was real and was involved with Marie. It is unclear exactly what had happened, but Mary believed she had actually met Billy Joel while in California with Marie Moore in the past. Of course, that was not Billy Joel, but whoever he was scared Mary Gardullo to the point that when she learned of the initial re-contact in 1981, she was visibly shaken. The children believed everything. The fact that they thought Marie was receiving calls also helped to convince them, but Marie had learned how to manipulate the phone lines in this way while she worked at a phone company in the past.
The patterns of abuse and torture began almost immediately. Every day when the children arrived at Marie Moore’s home, she would “receive” a call from “Billy Joel.” While on the call, she would have the children repeat instructions given by Billy Joel, and when they inevitably recited something incorrectly, Marie told Ricky Flores that Billy Joel wanted him to beat the children with a wiffle ball bat. After this beating, the children completed the daily chores and another prearranged phone call would occur. Marie would direct Ricky to check the children’s chores, and when he reported they did a good job, she would say that Billy Joel disagreed on the phone and then Ricky would say that yes, the children did do something incorrectly or inadequately. This was followed by further directed beating with the bat.
Unlike Sylvia Likens, the abuse and torture was not directed at a single child. In fact, eventually everyone was physically injured and tortured. Even 50-year-old Mary Gardullo was soon a target, with Marie claiming that Billy Joel said she was nosy and needed to be punished. This occurred when Mary attempted to interfere when Harriet was being beaten. Later, Marie Moore would claim that Billy Joel wanted her punished as well, and so Ricky dutifully beat her as instructed.
During this time, the only children who lived full-time in the home were 12-year-olds Tammy Moore and Harriet Bayne. Harriet was initially more abused than the other children due to the constant presence, but all the children were punished upon their daily schedules.
Eventually, Marie Moore became concerned that Luis Mantalvo’s parents would begin to get suspicious. He was coming to the Moore home daily, but would return to obey his parents’ curfews. In October 1981, Marie Moore claimed that Billy Joel wanted Luis to go home and never return. However, Ricky was instructed to give him a final beating as a reminder to never mention the crimes to outsiders. After leaving with a bloody nose, Luis never returned and kept his silence. At that time he was 13 years old.
Ricky Flores had caring parents and they began to worry about what their son was doing. Th ey discovered that he had not been attending school at all, and the school told them that Ricky’s ‘mother’ had called to excuse his absences, claiming that Ricky had injured his back. This was Marie Moore, impersonating Ricky’s real mother. In response, Ricky’s parents grounded him strictly and began taking him back and forth to school each day. Ricky’s mother later said that she would see Marie Moore following them.
After a couple weeks of Ricky being under his parents’ care, Marie Moore approached Ricky when he was alone and claimed that Billy Joel demanded that Ricky move in with Marie to help her with an addiction to drugs. Ricky believed this and ran away, moving into Marie’s home full time. Despite multiple attempts to visit and get her son back, Ricky’s mother ultimately failed to save him. She did report the situation to the police, who investigated with CPS. Unfortunately, every time they showed up to Marie’s home, she hid in a crawlspace and eventually the authorities closed any investigation.
During this time, the overall bizarre story becomes worse. Marie Moore claimed that Billy Joel had men kidnap her and give her an injection that would allow him to possess her body. This ended the faked phone calls. The victims would later report that Marie would change her voice while she was speaking as Billy Joel, and also some behaviors. The children and Mary Gardullo all fully believed this situation. In the meantime, the beatings became more vicious. Claiming that the bat was not hurting the children enough, Marie Moore said that Ricky Flores needed to use heavy medical textbooks. It was in this time period that she also began demanding Ricky punish her as well. While Marie Moore and Ricky Flores did not initially have a sexual relationship, eventually Ricky was instructed that he was not to be with Tammy Moore any longer, and they apparently began sleeping together.
In late November 1981, a couple months after the nightmare started, Harriet Bayne escaped the home after several failed attempts. She was found on the streets barefoot and without a jacket, so police interviewed her and took her to the hospital, where proof of extreme physical abuse required a week-long hospitalization. Eventually, Harriet told social workers and authorities about the home she had escaped, including the address and names of Marie Moore and Ricky Flores. The authorities went to interview Marie Moore, who claimed that Harriet was a profoundly troubled child and claimed that she was self-harming. For some reason, the authorities believed that Marie Moore’s calm demeanor was more proof of her innocence than the physical scars on Harriet’s body proved guilt. They decided to make a suggestion that Harriet not go back to the home, and then committed her for psychiatric evaluation in a 90-day program.
During that time, she reported more details to social workers, who simply advised Harriet should not return to the Moore house, and also sent Harriet to a 90-day program for diagnosis of potential mental disorders. The social workers had interviewed Marie Moore, and they were impressed with Moore’s calm demeanor while claiming Harriet had severe behavioral and self-harm issues.
After Harriet was removed from the home, Marie Moore told Ricky Flores that the girl had been run over by Billy Joel for her disobedience. Believing this, Ricky apparently thought it proved the reach of Billy Joel’s power and influence, and thus he became even more loyal to Marie Moore.
Two main victims remained in the home after Harriet’s escape, 12-year-old Theresa Feury, and 50-year-old Mary Gardullo. At some time in late 1981, the household moved to a new residence that was owned by a friend of Marie, Ferdinando Ragusa. Marie Moore claimed that Ragusa was Tammy’s grandfather.
The torture became more severe against Theresa and Mary. Sexual humiliation and torture were introduced. A common punishment would include “thumb cuffing,” where Mary and Theresa would be bound by tying their thumb to their big toe while laying on their stomach, and then left them laying nude for hours. Beatings continued with heavy books, a bat, kicks and punches, and even cigarette burns.
On Memorial Day, 1982, Mary Gardullo escaped by telling Marie that she wanted to work some extra time to provide more money to the household. Instead, she contacted her siblings, who came and got her, and then took her to the police. Detective Tom Kerwin from the Toms River Police Department interviewed Mary for several hours. He described her as being in very poor shape, “very distraught and emotionally destroyed" and that she was in "very, very poor physical condition." He convinced her to seek medical attention. She did tell the authorities of the torture she had endured under Ricky Flores, but named Marie Moore as someone who knew what was happening, and she did not mention Billy Joel at all. She also gave the address and alerted the police that Theresa Feury was still in the home and enduring torture.
The authorities eventually notified the Paterson Police Department, who were the jurisdiction of the apartment’s address. A social worker was assigned, who interviewed both Theresa Feury and Tammy Moore while they were in school. They both denied the allegations of abuse but did admit they had seen Ricky Flores at the Moore home. When the social worker interviewed Marie Moore, Marie denied the accusations and said that Theresa was her godchild and that she would never harm her. At first, she denied any involvement at all with Ricky, but did admit that he had been in the home sometimes after the social worker told Marie the girls had already told them about Ricky’s presence.
Police also attempted to visit the residence. On June 7, 1982, the social worker went to the home with police, and Theresa tried to escape when she saw them. They caught her and tried to question her again, but she again denied all the allegations of physical or sexual abuse. Eventually they convinced her to disrobe and show her body, which displayed multiple bruises and injuries. Expressing surprise, both Theresa and Moore claimed that they didn’t know how the injuries had occurred, but they must have happened that day at school.
The authorities interviewed Harriet again, who repeated her story. They interviewed Theresa and Harriet together. Eventually, Theresa did admit that there was abuse in the home, but put all blame on Ricky Flores and claimed that Marie Moore was entirely innocent of all allegations.
On June 10th, 1982, Marie Moore was again interviewed and again denied all claims of abuse. However, she was reminded of the statements Mary Gardullo had already made, and eventually admitted that she knew of some abuse, but that she was also a victim, not a perpetrator. After learning about Luis Montalvo, the police attempted to interview him as well. Unfortunately, they did not know that Marie Moore had already approached Luis and reminded him of the way Billy Joel would retaliate if Luis said anything at all about the household.
In this final period, Theresa was the final remaining victim. At first, she maintained the daily instruction to present to the home after school, but still technically lived with her parents. On June 9, 1982, she was examined by a doctor, who remarked on the obvious signs of abuse and torture she had been suffering.
It is unclear how it happened, or what Theresa’s parents or guardians knew, but she became an official permanent resident of the Moore home on September 22, 1982. Court reports say that Theresa’s grandmother called Marie Moore and told Marie that social services were contacting them and that they wanted to speak with Theresa. Somehow, Marie convinced the girl and her guardian(s) that she needed to live with Marie.
The torture continued and worsened. By September 1982, the household consisted of Marie Moore, Ricky Flores, Tammy Moore, and Theresa. During the days, Theresa was cuffed to a hook on the kitchen wall. At nights, she would be cuffed to the bathtub. In addition to sexual abuse from Ricky Flores, Marie Moore would also take Theresa to Ferdinando Ragusa and force her to perform oral sex on the elderly man.
They began to starve Theresa and also would not allow her to use the toilet. At first they would provide a pot, but later made her wear disposable diapers, which were the only thing she was allowed to wear.
Theresa died in January of 1983, at 13 years old. The day of her death, she had slipped into unconsciousness during the abuse. Feeling that she was faking when she began to have seizures, Marie told Ricky to thumb cuff her again and leave her. The next day, they tried to get her to stand up and move to the customary cuffing spot, but Theresa would not move. After dropping her so that she hit her head, they then “pushed” on her stomach, which made a sound like “going to the bathroom,” and they believed this noise meant she was dead. They sent Tammy to school and wrapped Theresa’s body in garbage bags and duct tape, eventually shoving her into the crawlspace of the wall. Later they would tell Tammy Moore that they had sent Theresa’s body to Billy Joel in Boston. It is unclear when Theresa died, but in mid 1983, the household moved again, and the body was transported to the new apartment, where it was hidden again in a crawlspace until the December 1983 discovery by police.
Theresa’s grandmother spoke with Marie Moore periodically during this time. The last known conversation was in September 1983, when Marie Moore asked Theresa’s grandmother if she had heard from Theresa.
In July of 1983, Ricky Flores was working at a job when he saw his brother, Philip. He tried to run, but his brother chased him after confirming it was indeed Ricky. Unable to catch him, Philip went and got his mother, who said she knew Ricky would be calling. She asked Philip to place a copy of a police report she had made against Ricky in the mailbox at Marie Moore’s home. The next time she saw Ricky was July 12, 1983, in the police station after the cops arrested him for the prior charges of abuse and assault. They found him hiding under the kitchen sink of the Moore home, and they arrested him and also took Marie Moore in for questioning.
Marie now claimed to the cops that she kept Ricky in her home only because Ricky would have his “mafia boss” named Don DeMarco threaten to harm her and her daughter. The detectives did not believe this.
Eventually Marie Moore admitted that there had been violence in the household, but claimed Ricky Flores was a sweet, innocent boy, and that Mary Gardullo had instigated the violence by interfering too much. She was questioned about Theresa, who Marie claimed no knowledge about, other than repeating how much she cared for the girl and hoped she was safe. For some reason, the detectives charged her with having a sexual relationship with a minor but did not pursue more serious charges and she was free.
Meanwhile, Ricky Flores went back to live with his family and ceased contact with Marie Moore. At first, she attempted to get him to come back, and then began to plan ways to ensure he would not talk about what had really happened. She somehow met others she was able to convince to move in with her, a couple named Jorge and Lydia, both 20 years old, and their two young children, ages two and one. Again, Marie began telling Jorge and Lydia about Billy Joel and started doing the telephone stunts again. This time she did not resort to abuse, but she did eventually tell them that she had received the injection that allowed Billy Joel to manifest in her body. Jorge did not believe this, but Lydia did, and Lydia’s sister eventually joined the group and also believed.
The new group began to help her make plans on keeping Ricky Flores quiet, but Jorge’s disbelief did not allow the situation to explode as before. Still, they did remain and later told police about overhearing the coaching that Marie would give to Tammy. She wanted Tammy to claim that she had witnessed Ricky Flores beat Theresa to death and also that he raped Tammy. Tammy did give a statement to the police with these claims, and the police searched the property owned by Ferdinando Ragusa. Moore and Tammy kept trying to point to a depression in the backyard, claiming it could be where Theresa’s body was buried. They did find evidence of lime and a strong foul smell, but did not find any body. They made plans to come again and search the yard on December 22, 1983.
However, when no one showed up, Ferdinando Ragusa called the police department and inquired about when they would be coming. Detectives told him that they didn’t think they would follow through and would probably be closing the investigation, which was a lie. In a few minutes, Marie Moore called the detectives to ask about whether they were closing the investigation into Ricky’s supposed murder of Theresa, and they said that they would, hoping to see if anything would happen. Marie Moore then showed up at the police department with a piece of bloodied insulation, and the detectives then went to search the property again.
During the search, Moore and Ragusa finally exposed the crawlspace where Theresa’s body was discovered.
Autopsy showed that Theresa’s fatal wound was the blow to her head, but that death was not instant. Instead, the blood and other physical evidence indicated she would have been comatose but alive for up to 8 hours after she had been wrapped and taped, slowly suffocating as her brain swelled. Though there was not enough soft tissue to prove beyond a doubt that the tape and plastic caused fatal suffocation, the medical testimony made it clear that it was very possible, especially with the signs of life beyond the initial blow to her head.
Many interviews were conducted with different attempts by Marie Moore to evade blame. She claimed Billy Joel was never real, but then claimed that he was a real personality that Ricky Flores would ‘bring out’ of her. According to her, “Billy” had no part in Theresa’s death, and had not appeared after Ricky Flores was out of her life. She repeatedly insisted that Ricky Flores murdered Theresa alone and without influence.
The detectives charged Marie Moore with the murder of Theresa Flores on December 28, 1983. A decision was made to charge Ricky Flores as a juvenile, with maximum prison sentence of only three years. In return for this, Ricky Flores agreed to testify fully against Marie Moore. In addition, the other surviving victims would testify about the events that happened under the control and influence of Marie Moore. This included Harriet Bayne, Luis Mantalvo, Tammy Moore, and Mary Gardullo.
Mary Moore was charged with murder and other violent offenses against all the victims. On November 19, 1984, the jury returned a sentence of death after deliberation.
In 1988, her death sentence was challenged and overturned and it seems like they were instructed to retry her on the charge of homicide. They left intact the charges against her for kidnapping, attempted murder, terroristic threatening, and aggravated assault, for which she had been sentenced to 87-1/2 years without possibility of parole.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar\_case?case=1844707577344773566&q=state+v.+marie+moore+new+jersey&hl=en&as\_sdt=6,50
https://apnews.com/article/db1329f67ec58a98a31557a8d08fd775

This story is true about what my husband experienced one summer in the mid 90’s while working as a grounds keeper at a camp for kids.
It was the early 90’s and at the time my husband, Eddie (just passed his 19th birthday) hadn’t yet decided whether or not he wanted to go to college. He had recently lost touch with most of his high school friends and as such, didn’t have much planned for the summer. So, when the offer to be a live-in grounds keeper at a children’s day camp came his way, Eddie was happy to take the opportunity. He lived in a rural area of Ontario so the camp, surrounded by trees and having it’s own small lake, was both secluded enough to have peace and quiet, but not so far away that he couldn’t manage a trip home on the off days.
While the seclusion wasn’t geographically extreme, once everyone left on Friday afternoons – all the children gone, the day staff back home to their families – the place was actually really eerie. This was magnified by the fact that at the time, Eddie didn’t have a car, and the only phone was about a 20 minute walk from his tiny cabin at the back of the property along a dark dirt path. This meant that most evenings and weekends were spent next to a camp fire or inside the cabin with the door locked listening to loud music and having a few drinks.
Usually, the property was really quiet and it would actually get boring out there with no one to talk to and nothing to do. Eddie once told me that he would pass time by canoeing around the tiny lake (which was more like a large pond) and catching every turtle he could find. He would place them in the bottom of the canoe( with some water and lily-pads so they were comfortable) then once he caught every one he could find, he would canoe to different parts of the lake and put them back one-by-one. So, obviously, there wasn’t much going on in the area.
It was one quiet night however, where despite how peaceful it seemed, there was definitely something evil happening out in those trees and fields.
The night started like any other. It was a warm Saturday in Ontario which meant that the bugs were biting and you could drown in the humidity. It was getting toward the end of the summer and Eddie had gotten into the weekly routine - cleaning and fixing things around the camp during the week days then wandering around the property on the weekends. This Saturday had started off no different that the others. Eddie had done a quick security sweep of the area in the morning to make sure nothing was amiss, then spent the afternoon paddling around the lake catching turtles. A few hours before sundown, Eddie was back at his cabin and had built a nice campfire. He always made sure to start the fire before dark.
On this Saturday Eddie had spent the evening cooking a meal over the fire and reading his favorite Stephen King novel The Stand. He had listened to the weather forecast on the little cabin radio earlier that morning and was aware there was a chance of some nasty thunderstorms that night. He was keeping a close eye on the wind and the clouds as night rolled in, knowing that even this far north, the heat and humidity was known to give rise to fearsome tornadoes every few years.
Not long after he finished his meal, the sky turned dark and the wind began to pick up. Eddie doused his fire and was starting to pack up his book and his dishes when he heard something moving through the brush. He stopped and listened for a moment. The rustling continued, but figuring it was a racoon or a deer, Eddie went about his business – more concerned with the approaching storm.
Once in the cabin, Eddie locked the door and felt a little more secure. He turned on the single, un-shaded light bulb that hung above the sink. The rickety cabin wasn’t much, it had no bathroom and no stove, just a mini fridge, sink, a hot plate, and musty bed. As rickety as it was, it still had a lock on the door and the only window was too small for a person to fit through without a struggle.
Soon, Eddie was getting settled back in with his book. It wasn’t long before the rustling sound he had heard outside returned, but this time it sounded like something was brushing up again the outside wall of the cabin. Still thinking it was just an animal, Eddie tried to keep his attention on his book. The curtains on the window were closed, so he couldn’t see outside, but he knew it was dark and thought he heard the distant rumbling of thunder. The rustling and brushing sound was right outside his door now. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he had heard the handle jiggle.
Suddenly the rustling turned to a crashing and it sounded like two or three people were running away from the cabin. This startled Eddie causing him to drop his book.
“Maybe that wasn’t just a deer after all”. Eddie thought out loud. He stood up and hesitated.
What was he going to do?
Part of his job was to watch out for trespassers and notify them that they had to leave if he found any. Usually this was an easy job. He was only run into this a couple times and both occasion it was a group of local kids taking a nighttime swim in the pond. Usually, he scared them more than they scared him.
Thinking this was probably the case – the local kids having found his cabin and decided to play a bit of a prank on him- Eddie grabbed his keys and his flashlight and headed for the door.
He could hear the wind howling and the rain starting to tap on the roof. Not quite a downpour yet.
He took a deep breath and opened was about to open the door when he heard a gentle tapping on the window. This was obviously not rain.
The hairs on his arms stood at attention. His blood ran cold even in the stuffy and sweltering heat of late July. He was frozen with his hand on the door knob. Not even breathing. Something in his stomach was telling his to remain completely still and whatever he did to NOT OPEN THE DOOR.
After a few minutes, the tapping hadn’t returned. The rain was coming down harder now and Eddie began to breath again. He let go of the door knob and immediately turn off the light. He quietly got under the covers, not even bothering to take off his shoes or put back the large, metal flash light, in case whatever it was that was out there came back. Eventually he fell asleep.
The next morning Eddie awoke and felt no sign of the eerie presence from the night before. He got up and immediately noticed that the storm had passed and the morning sun was shining through the curtains. Groggy and a bit shaken, Eddie splashed some water on his face and began to rummage through the fridge for something to eat.
He was just debating whether he wanted to cook his eggs and bacon over the fire or if the firewood was too damp when there were a loud knock at the door. Eddie jumped and almost soiled his pants. No one had even shown up unannounced way out here on a Saturday.
“Eddie, it’s Jim, your mom’s friend from work. Are you in there?”
Eddie recognized the voice. His mom worked in dispatch for the local police department. Eddie, being a bit of a trouble maker in a small town, knew the members of the force both from family BBQ’s and from his own personal run-ins.
Eddie let out a breath and relaxed a bit, but then it hit him – Why was Jim out here so early on a Saturday?
Thinking something might be wrong at home, Eddie rushed to the door and unlocked it.
“Hey Jim, is everything okay? Why are you out here?”
“Morning Eddie, everything is fine, but your mom sent me to pick you up and bring you home this morning.” Jim looked around the cabin. He was in his uniform and Eddie could make out his cruiser a few yards away. Eddie noticed Jim was subconsciously fingering his weapon.
“I think you’re mistaken Jim. I’m not supposed to be going home until next weekend and Mom said that she was going to come out to pick me up.” Eddie took a step back and watched Jim’s face as he surveyed the tiny cabin.
“I know that was the original plan, Eddie, but we all think it’s best that you get your things and come with me.” Jim stood in the door with the face of a man who was not to be questioned. The hair’s on Eddie’s arms stood up and he had no choice but to agree and begin to pack up his belongings.
As they packed the car, Eddie could have sworn he was a set of shoe prints that made a trail around his cabin.
After driving in silence for a few minutes Jim casually began asking Eddie what he had been up to last night.
“Did you go out at all or just stay by the fire?” Jim asked, his eyes watching Eddie through the rearview mirror.
“I was by the fire, but they went in side when it started to rain. That storm was starting, so I didn’t want to be caught out in it.”
“It must get a bit creepy out there all alone during a storm”, Jim said. That’s when Eddie remembered the tapping at the window and the strange rustling sounds.
“Actually, it’s usually fine, but last night I got a bit of a scare. Just as the storm was starting, I think an animal or something was walking around my site. Probably a coyote or a fox that smelled my supper.” Eddie’s eyes locked with Jim’s.
“Did you see anything?” Jim asked.
“No. At first I thought it was some of the local kids that I had kicked out of the lake a couple weeks ago. Thought maybe they were playing a bit of a prank on me in return, but the rain was starting to pick up, so I decided to stay in the cabin and pretend I didn’t notice.” Not wanted to sound like a wimp in front of one of his mom’s coworkers in the force, Eddie lied about the chills he had experienced.
“That’s probably for the better.” Jim said. “They usually go away if you ignore them”.
The rest of the ride was silent. Eddie drifted to sleep for a little while and when he awoke they were pulling into the driveway of his parents house. His mom was standing on the front steps when they got there.
“Eddie!” His mom called as he was getting out of the car. “Come inside, I have coffee and breakfast ready”.
“Thanks mom, just let me get my things from the trunk.”
“Just leave them for now. Jim is going to join us for breakfast. You can get your things after we talk.” His mom turned and disappeared into the house. A little confused, but hungry from having missed his morning meal, Eddie shrugged and walked toward the house. Jim locked the car and followed close behind.
Eddie sat at the kitchen table and was greeted with a plate of hot pancakes with bacon and a fresh cup of coffee. Eddie began to eat but noticed that Jim and his mom were only drinking coffee.
After a couple minutes of pleasantries Eddie was starting to get annoyed.
“Why did you pick me up early mom? And if you’re home, why did you send Jim out to get me? Mom, what’s going on!?”.
“Eddie,” his mother said his nice calmly yet firmly in the way only a mother can, as she rested her hand on this arm. He stopped and looked at her. What she said next still gives my husband a pit in his stomach to this day.
“Three people were found dead within a mile of that camp early this morning, just as the storm was clearing.” The words sounded distant in Eddie’s ears.
“What do you mean? Like a car accident?” Eddie was confused but starting to get nervous.
“A man was found dead at the bottom of a radio tower a half mile up to road. We don’t know how he got in there, but it looks like he tried to climb it and fell off.”
Eddie’s eyes widened.
“About a half a mile in the other direction, a young man and woman, about your age Eddie, were found dead. The woman was in the house and the man was found in the back yard. They were both stabbed to death. We found no evidence of a break in.” Jim told this part of the story. He watched Eddie to gauge his reaction.
Suddenly Eddie’s pancakes didn’t taste to good any more and he felt a knot build in his stomach.
“So, you came to get me because you were afraid I might be dead too.” Eddie said this slowly and looked at both his mother and officer Jim.
“Did you hear or see anything strange last night, Eddie?” His mother tightened to grip on his arm and looked into his eyes. He glanced at officer Jim who gave an emotionless stare back.
“Yeah. I was telling Jim that I heard what I thought was an animal rummaging around by the fire after I went to bed. It didn’t go away and I thought it might be some of the local kids. I was going to check it out, but the rain was heavy and I thought they would go away if I stayed inside and ignored them.”
“Thank god you did.” Eddie’s mom hugged him and tried her best to hold back tears. Eddie hugged his mom back. His breath shallow from the shock.
Had he almost been one of the victims of this murder? Had the murderer tried to hide out at the camp after brutally slaying the young couple up the road? If Eddie hadn’t gone inside when he did, would he have been murdered while he sat by his fire?
Eddie’s thought were spinning so fast that he didn’t even notice Jim get up and leave. It was a half hour later when his mother calmed down enough for Eddie to realize that Jim had driven off with his things.
“Mom, you need to call Jim, my things are in his car!”
“I’ll call the station and let them know”. Eddie’s mom didn’t seem surprised that Jim had left without saying goodbye. She just went to the phone and called the station.
“Hi Gale, it’s Penny. Eddie was wondering when Jim will be back with his bags.” At the time, Eddie didn’t notice that his mother hadn’t had to explain the situation to her coworkers in dispatch. Wouldn’t they be wondering why Jim had Eddie’s bags in the car?
Jim eventually came back on his way home after his shift. He dropped Eddie’s stuff off, gave him a squeeze on the shoulder, and said “take care of yourself, kid. It was smart of you not to open that door last night.”
It wasn’t until looking back on the incident 5 years later that Eddie realized Jim had come to pick him up for two reasons. Either, after receiving the call about the three deaths, they were all afraid that Eddie, out there alone in the food with no way to call for help, mate the same fate as the poor souls who lost their lives during that storm, OR, Eddie himself had been the one who had stabbed a young man and his wife to death in their own home before murdering a third victim near a radio tower in the field adjacent to the camp.
Eddie isn’t certain, but when he counts the story, he seems to remember when he got his bags back they weren’t packed in the same way he had left them. He is convinced that his mother and the officers thought that we had been the perpetrator of the terrible crimes committed that stormy July night in southwestern Ontario.
They never did end up finding the killer.

I had a 20 gallon trash can 3/4 full of sifted and nearly finished compost. I had a nice staff of earthworms in there helping to finish it. Lapse of judgment, I left it out exposed to the rain, and by the time I realized it, it had become partially waterlogged. It appeared that all of the earthworms inside (plus a thousand of those pill bugs) drowned in there. I then drained out some water, then emptied it all out onto a tarp to let it dry out for 2 days and then put it back in. A couple of days later, I don’t see any insects in there.
Question, so did I kill everything inside, including all of the microorganisms? If I just let it stand for a month or two will nature take care of it, or at this point since it all drowned, would it help to put anything into it, whether new greens, or some liquid substance (natural or less than natural), or recruit some more worms?

"Oh, Spy Fox? You're going to be busy on this rescue mission. Should I call the Spy Academy and tell them to cancel the weapons class you're going to teach?" "What? You're going to tell them that Spy Fox doesn't have class? They'll never believe you."
A spy working for Spy Corp, Spy Fox is one of several agents sent into the field to foil the schemes of supervillains, be they seeking to rid a certain food from the market, bring governments to their knees with an enormous robot dog, destroy the ozone layer so they can profit on incredibly strong sunscreen, or just thieves stealing cheese from a museum. Alongside the administrative help of Monkeypenny and the various gadgets of Professor Quack, Spy Fox inevitably saves the day while barely ever opening his eyes more than halfway or removing his hands from the pockets of his white suit.

Legend

1 - Spy Fox in: Dry Cereal
2 - Spy Fox 2: Some Assembly Required
3 - Spy Fox 3: Operation Ozone
CC - Spy Fox in: Cheese Chase
HtM - Spy Fox in: Hold the Mustard
Web - Spy Fox promotional content from the Humongous Entertainment website accessed through the Wayback Machine, accessible here

Strength

Striking

• Claims he normally karate chops doors open, but can't do it to one made of steel¹
• Knocks away a rhino and an elephant by spinning with skis as he passed them²
• Crumples the roof of a car by jumping onto it^CC

Lifting

• Lifts a large rooster over his head and swings him about¹
• Holds up a 'Really Big Award' at arms length³
• Holds an anvil, a safe, and an anchor at arm's length while falling¹
  • Also does this with a taxi cab and a small tank¹

Other

• Catches himself from falling with one hand before throwing himself into the air with that hand²
• Catches himself from falling by biting onto a platform³
• Ski jumps a great distance onto a passing plane²
• Unaffected by a net as he skis through it²

Durability

Blunt Force

• Is seemingly beaten up off-screen and thrown away¹
• Rides a rocket skateboard through a door³
• Launched through a ceiling, causing a large amount of clatter through other obstacles off-screen after²
• Repeatedly slammed against a table while having a massage²
• Bounces off of his head without reacting²
• Kicked high into the air by a robot and falls back to the ground¹
• Hit by a giant sticky object and is trapped to it while it bounces / rolls along with enough force to shatter stone pillars, before falling down the stone steps outside the temple³
• Repeatedly slammed by an enormous powder puff³

Falling

• Skis down a sheer surface, on a short roof, and along the ground without any reaction²
• Drops from a gyrocopter onto his scooter held within a dumpster^CC
• Jumps from cable car to the ground below, rolling down a hill as a snowball, before hitting the doorway of a cabin and emerging unharmed²
• Slides down a ladder from the mouth of a mech dog before jumping off at the end, landing unharmed²
• Falls down a great distance onto a caravan, crumpling it, and is unharmed^CC

Other

• Unaffected by his ice skates exploding while being worn²
• Gets whipped, folded into a paper airplane, and bundled into a ball while being given a massage²
• Blown back by sound without harm³

Speed

• Whisks his foot away before a snapping turtle can bite it¹
• Dodges a boxing glove defense system when the direction it would punch in wasn't clear until it fired²
• Dashes short distances quickly³
• In an instant runs from the Caped Cod, picks up a child fan, and runs back²
  • This is the distance he covered²
• Runs in the air to get back to land before falling in water¹

Skill

• Briefly juggles²
• Bowls a strike³
• Has the agility to flip about¹
• Balances on a tiny flying device²
• Flips a switch on the ground into his pocket²
• Somehow steals the remote for King Konglomerate's rocket while going straight from his ship to a lift into the rocket's room^HtM
• Using an instructional book, defeats a Cock-A-Doodle-Fu master with a counter move, then ties him up while holding him above his head¹
• Won the Spy Corp Freestyle Ski Jump Competition²
• Can dance the foxtrot, waltz, and tango²

Suit

• His suit has deep pockets, described as being able to hold 'a nearly unlimited number of items' in Operation Ozone³
  • Holds a small trash bag inside of it²
  • Pockets a jumpsuit¹
  • Pockets a frog suit, shown here in its full size worn by Spy Fox¹
  • Pockets a large venus fly trap and its pot, with some effort²
• One of his suits has a parachute in it¹

Spy Watch

• Allows him to contact and be contacted by Monkeypenny back at their mobile base¹
• Connects to a bug he placed in a cat's handbag as she speeds away in a sports car¹
• Records and sends a villain's monologue about his plan²
• Gets sent and stores coordinates¹
• Prints a three fruit code transmitted to it²
• Can play games²
• Also functions as a watch³

Spy Gadgets

Spy Fox can carry up to four of these at a time.
Combat-Focused

• The Spy Trap, a coin which traps explodes into a net to trap three or more enemies on the ceiling¹
  • Used here¹
• Sticky Stun Bun, which explodes to stun everyone within ten feet, "Leaving them dazed ad confused for weeks" according to the inventor³
  • Used here, sending the minions around it flying back into the air and trapping them against a wall with caramel³
• Bagpipes which spray a large amount of smoke. This smoke appears to have an adverse affect on people inhaling it, possibly stunning them, as Spy Fox dons a gas mask before walking through³

Wearables

• Duck Blind, a hat which renders the wearer invisible to ducks³
  • Used here, but it's destroyed after a period of use³
• Night Vision Shoe, a shoe that acts like night vision goggles¹
  • Used here¹
• Hush-Hush Moccasians, shoes which allow him to walk extremely quietly so even a room full of goons with 'oversized ears' don't notice him^Web
• Dehydrated Skis, a pair of skis inside a tiny pill which grow when put in water²
  • Used here²
• Spy Skates, a pair of ice skates which allow the user to perform any ice skating routine when their instructions are placed within the skates²
  • Used here, blowing up after use²
• Gopher Guise equipped with Extra-Strength Earth Moving Claws, letting him quickly dig through overhanging roots and caved in tunnels underground^Web
  • Is biodegradable^Web
• Suction Cufflinks, tiny suction cups for climbing across non-porous metal surfaces¹
  • Used here, increasing in size and letting Spy Fox climb across a sheer metal wall¹

Mechanical

• Alarm Deactivator, an elaborately described piece of equipment for ensuring alarms don't go off which is actually just two alligator clips connected by a wire²
  • Used here²
• Cheese and Safe Cracker Kit, which uses very scientific processes to determine the combination of a safe¹
  • Shown here¹
• Fingerprint Replicator Utensil Kit, a fork which copies the fingerprints of whoever wields it and sends them to the paired spoon²
  • Used here, working through a glove²
  • The spoon can be used on handprint identifying device²
• Spy Key Replicator Kit, a camera which takes a photo of a key, the photo being put into an oven to shrink and take the form of that key. If the wrong key is made, it can be inserted back into the camera and turned back into film, as it can only store one shot at a time²
  • Used here taking a photo, being baked, and the resultant key being used to open a door²
• Stealth Vac, a silent vacuum²
  • Used here, sucking liquid from a machine into it without alerting the supervillain right next to it²
  • Later blows the liquid into an identical machine equally quietly²
• Spy Toaster, which launches whatever spy is within it 20 feet into the air³
  • Used here³
• The Insta-Jack, a tiny red pill which turns into a hydraulic lift when thrown to the ground^Web
• The Artful Articulator device, which would allow him to understand a person muffled due to being trapped with cotton candy and maple syrup^Web
• Rocket Powered Origami Skateboard, which originally takes the form of a single piece of paper but with three simple steps folds into a skateboard propelled by a rocket with enough force to break a Spy Fox hole in a door³
  • Works over water, sending Spy Fox a great distance into the sky while going up a ramp, and has the wheels fall away to let him gently slide down a hill of sheep³
  • Crumples to nothing after a while³
• Spy Pearl Detector, which scans over a bed of oysters, the light on top flashing faster the closer it is to a pearl³
  • Used here, giving a camera view inside the oysters³
• Spy Bowling Ball, rolled towards a bowling pin to capture it and whatever's attached to it, bringing it back to Spy Fox³
  • Used here on a duck tied up to look like a bowling pin³

Destruction

• Laser Toothbrush and Minty Fresh Laser Gel, used together to cut through thick steel¹
  • Shown here, blowing up after use¹
• Termite Grenade, a grenade with termites for destroying a wooden object²
  • Used here, turning a wooden statue of a man to a large pile of dust in an instant²
• Rust Buster, a one-use spray can which makes whatever metal object it covers become rusted and brittle to the point of falling apart³
  • Used here, rusting four large saw blades and allowing Spy Fox to blow them away immediately after. Using it destroys the can³
• A drilling device made of extra-strength paper-mâché and coated with a hi-tech polymer, used to drill through multiple feet of ice^Web

Other

• Grappling Granny, a grappling hook which latches onto wood with a pair of false teeth³
  • Used here³
• Swiss Spy Knife, containing a fork, a toothpick, and a pair of chromium-alloy high tensile strength wire cutters that can cut through sheer metal³
  • The wire cutters easily snip through a steel net which the Swiss Spy Knife's fork snapped on³
• Spy Putty, used to create a perfect copy of whatever it's pressed against¹
  • Used to copy an invitation and get past a doorman after being inspected, when the original invitation had a golden edge, a wax seal, and was expensively embossed and hand written¹
• Beef Flavour X-Ray Gum which is held up against 'something beefy' to show inside it¹
  • Shown here¹
• Spy Heat, heat in a can²
  • Used here, making a giant thermometer read over 150 degrees Fahrenheit, but the can is destroyed after use²
• Canned Laughter, a grenade which fills the area its thrown into with laughter³
  • Used here³
• Handcuffs disguised as a large, frosty beverage^CC
• Hair growing cream^Web
• Extra-Glittery Ball o' Foil Stuffed with Catnip, an extra-glittery ball of foil stuffed with catnip used to distract a cat supervillain while syllables away from world domination^Web
• Spy Mint, a minty fresh mint which glows in the dark to light areas up, also working underwater³
  • Used here³
• Spy Ear, a glass which allows the user to listen through solid glass³
  • Used here³
• His organization used a device to create a smoke screen or mirage of a fake factory in front of every limburger cheese factory in the world, though it's unclear whether Spy Fox himself helped use it^Web

Pens

A variety of items potentially held within pens in the opening of Dry Cereal. He holds four in his suit pocket.

• Balloon filled with something that isn't helium¹
• A whoopie cushion which is thrown to the ground beneath him, allowing him to land without any injury¹
• A pogo stick, nullifying any harm from falling by landing on it, though it rockets back into the air once Spy Fox steps off¹
• A cake¹
• Fishing rod used to slow his descent by latching onto a nearby helicopter¹
• An anvil¹
• An anchor¹
• A safe¹
• A taxi cab¹
• A small tank¹

Other Items

• Owns Goldi-lock pickers, which he claims would let him easily open a locked metal door he'd find impossible to unlock without²
• A digital make up compact intercepted by Spy Corp, which displays the required response to a stated codephrase when the appropriate section is pushed down³
• A jackhammer, a crowbar, and a blowtorch³
• A rabbit and his Spy Corp I.D.³
• An oven glove²
• A Gyrocopter, flown by him and Professor Quack with a spotlight^CC

Spy Car

A car with a variety of functions driven in Dry Cereal and Operation Ozone.
Physicals

• Bounces off from a fall¹
• Drops from Spy Corp's mobile base after being repaired³
  • The distance it fell³
• Can drive between continents in a short span of time. Exactly how it does this is unclear, but it's seen dropping from the sky and driving directly vertically³
  • How long this takes also isn't known, but multiple trips to all continents is required and the game takes place over the course of several hours³

Forms

• Becomes a jet to fly off¹
  • Takes a similar form to boost himself up and across a gap¹
• Becomes a helicopter¹
• Becomes a boring machine with a drill appearing from the front, creating a tunnel through rocks blocking off a road¹
• Turns into a submarine, complete with periscope, before jumping out of the water¹
  • A similar form which just withdraws the wheels and creates propellers from the back³

Other Equipment

• A long arm to pick up and drop off Spy Fox¹
  • Rescues a falling Spy Fox using this³
• Inflates padding beneath it after falling off a cliff¹
• A parachute¹
• A radar which follows a trail left by another spy¹

Super Duper Spy Scooter

A multi-environment scooter which is initially stored within a dumpster before being used throughout Cheese Chase.^CC
Physicals

• Breaks wooden barriers by riding through them^CC
• Shatters fences by driving into them^CC
• Rides through barrels, shattering them^CC
• Badly dents metal pipes by hitting them^CC
• Knocks other vehicles about^CC
• Travels over whirlpools, just making the scooter spin a bit^CC
• Covers a notable distance after riding up a ramp^CC
• Quickly drives down a building and speeds from it into the foreground^CC

Forms

• Shifts from a land scooter to a speedbike^CC
• Turns from a jet ski to a snowmobile^CC
• Goes from being a snowmobile to a jet flying through the air^CC
• Transforms between its flying and scooter forms^CC

Weapons

• Can pick up from crates and fire forwards plungers, pies, and two bananas simultaneously. All of these are capable of the same strength feats^CC
• Topples over quad bikes^CC
• Sinks a small enemy ship^CC
• Buries twin tread snowmobiles^CC
• Takes down larger snowmobiles with a front ski and two large back treads, burying them in the snow^CC
• Shoots similar jets out of the sky^CC

M.E.S.S.

The Multiple Environment Spy Ship, a mobile ship Spy Fox uses to fly around in Hold the Mustard.
Blaster
The main weapon, capable of destroying large robots with a single blast.^HtM With a significant amount of blasts, it can destroy:

• A large metal transmitter^HtM
• A significant amount of stone^HtM
• The front of an airship^HtM
• The enormous metal jaw of a ship^HtM

Power Ups

• Homing missiles^HtM
• A shorter range blast which releases a burst of red energy around it, destroying all nearby robots^HtM
• Makes the ship invincible for a period, capable of running through robots without injury but still risking damage and destruction from walls^HtM
• One token fully heals the M.E.S.S.^HtM
• Extra lives^HtM

Other

• Highly maneuverable^HtM
• Bashes off of walls, but takes damage^HtM
• Can travel underwater, using air instead of fuel, which replenishes on breaching the surface^HtM
• Through booster rockets, can travel to and fly about in space^HtM
• Refuels by flying through floating gates^HtM
• On the ship's destruction, ejects Spy Fox in a floating capsule^HtM
• Had an upgrade, the Super M.E.S.S., which repeatedly bashes against a force field with seemingly no injury, has enough space for multiple agents, and is equipped with a can opener to cut open a space base³

Other

• Translates hieroglyphics from an ancient language, though what they translate to is rather self-evident¹
• Doesn't shift gears in his cars while in pursuit of bad guys because he can't be bothered with that sort of thing³
• Quickly changes outfits¹
  • Literally throws on and tears off a diving suit³
• Disguises himself as a tumbleweed, using it as cover to getting into the middle of an area without being seen and letting it blow off without him after³
• Is a terrible secret agent³
  • I mean seriously, he just tells everyone what he is³
  • This isn't even a spy thing in this universe, a Canadian spy tells him to cut out using her name too often²
  • He even was presented the highest award the President of the United States could give to him in a highly publicized and reported event, isn't that the exact opposite of what he should want¹
  • Even some slight competency stops him from foiling the villain's plans due to how he announces himself first how is this guy still hired³

"So Spy Fox, what's your next step?" "That's an excellent question. I'm already pretty good at the foxtrot, the waltz, and the tango, but I've always wanted to learn how to swing." "Hmm...how fortunate to the world that your crime fighting is better than your sense of humour."