DISCLAIMER
I almost didn’t post this. Not because I think it’s too wild or doesn’t make any sense. In fact, quite the opposite. The information I present here, which is the result of countless hours spent re-watching videos, listening to audio, and cross-referencing official information, is something that now seems to me to be far too viable not to be correct. I have actually tried to prove this theory wrong and… well basically I can’t. So, please bear this in mind as you read. This could end up being one of those rare occasions when we’re actually onto something. Either way, I hope you enjoy the post.
First point; this is going to be a long post. Given the subject matter, it needs to be. Second point; I have not added any images or videos directly into the post but have instead included a great many links embedded within the text itself. This should ensure that the post is no longer than it needs to be but should still allow you sufficient opportunity to fully scrutinize every part of my theory, so that you can determine for yourself whether or not you think it holds weight.
I have organised all of the information under specific headings designed to make everything more accessible. Each section focuses on a particular aspect of the main theory. Even if you think that some of what you are reading may not be relevant, I can assure you that everything written here has been included as an important part of a much larger puzzle, and so I would advise that you patiently make your way through the entirety of the post. In an effort to ensure that your time invested here is appropriately rewarded, and in the spirit of preserving the scientific method, I have tried to keep flavor text and blind speculation down to an absolute minimum.
Note that I will be listing various aspects of this post as being confirmed correct or incorrect as and when we have official information to verify such facts. So here we are, after five long years of waiting, the inevitable release of Starfield, like the event horizon of some nearby black hole, is almost upon us. With the Showcase now a mere 24 hours away, it is time for us to take a look at what makes this particular game so special, as well as discovering just how we will be given the means to fly among the stars.
And so, without further ado, let us begin.
Hitchhiker's Guide
From watching gameplay footage, and also listening to various devs talk about Starfield, we know that at some along the early part of the story, we will find ourselves on board a Constellation Starship, which is appropriately named Frontier. With us on the ship is VASCO, an adorable robot assistant who will eventually become one of our possible companions. But how did we even end up on this ship? Well firstly, I do not believe that Frontier is our ship, or at least not at first. And so, we’re probably here in the capacity of a ‘guest’ of some kind, or more likely, a hitchhiker.
If we take a look at this scene, we first hear a male shouting “that’s the Crimson Fleet!” and then a female saying “Everybody get ready!” After this, we can see that the group we are with is attacked. We already know that we uncover some kind of unknown artifact whilst mining for ore near the beginning of the Main Quest, and that the aforementioned Crimson Fleet is essentially an organised collective of space pirates. But what we don’t know is why they attacked us. This is not something I will be diving into in this particular post, although I do have some theories about this. But the relevance of the series of events here described cannot be understated, as they seem to be the launching point for our entry into Constellation and the adventures that follow.
Next, if we look a little further, we can see that this seemingly-important member of Constellation is not with us when we arrive at their Headquarters on Jemison, which suggests that he may have been killed during the above mentioned attack. Also note that, in-spite of not having a voiced protagonist this time round, we can clearly hear somebody talking over Frontier’s comms system, which means that there must be a designated pilot. Given the fact that we don’t see anyone who is confirmed as being the pilot (although it may actually be this person), it is safe to assume that this designated individual was with us during the flight but was first injured in the attack on the planet’s surface and was then taken to Medical Bay after we successfully land on Jemison.
It is my belief that, after perhaps being exposed to some kind of energy pulse from a grenade or something similar, the first member of Constellation we see was outright killed (hence why we are then asked to join up ourselves, perhaps to take over his role). The pilot, however, clearly survived as we can hear him talking to Control over the comms system during what is actually an extended two-way conversation, but I think that his vision was somehow compromised so that, even though he is able to speak, he is temporarily unable to see. The good news about this most unfortunate situation is that it opens the door for us to quickly step into the hot seat and, with the pilot acting as our guide, we will experience our very first Starfield flight tutorial.
Radio Chatter
If you listen to the beginning of both the Official Teaser Trailer and Official Gameplay Reveal for Starfield, you will hear both halves of the radio conversation I have referenced above, or at least the parts of it that Bethesda have given us so far. The first of these is spoken by somebody being referred to as Control, and the second by Frontier’s pilot. I previously posted a link to an audio I made and put up on Soundcloud, which gives us all of the confirmed parts of this conversation carefully spliced together and enhanced for clarity. Note that some of the audio, despite these enhancements, is a little hard to make out.
The final, in-game conversation is going to be a fair bit longer than what we have here and will be based on the specific processes that are required before attempting a Grav Jump. I don’t think we will hear this conversation every time we perform a Jump (especially given that our protagonist does not speak), but the first time we experience this early step-out moment, a detailed and appropriate pre-launch conversation will only serve to enhance what I’m sure will be an awe-inspiring experience.
Note that, at the end of this post, I have provided a link to a written transcript detailing what I think is being said in the full version of the above conversation. In the meantime, here is a breakdown of the confirmed parts of this audio. This is slightly different from the version I previously posted, due to new evidence clarifying exactly what is being said here. I have left line-spaces to help show where the missing parts of the audio will eventually go:
PILOT: "Control this is Constellation Starship Frontier."
CONTROL: "Constellation Starship Frontier, we have you on scanners."
PILOT: "We're ready to start on your signal."
CONTROL: "Performing Road Systems check. Helium-3 tanks, check. Seals are intact."
PILOT: "Maintaining Exit Vector course, Steady 'till Ready."
CONTROL: "We are still go."
PILOT: "Coordinates input, plotting Jump course."
CONTROL: "We read you Constellation."
PILOT: "Sky-Bus is converged, we're looking good."
CONTROL: "Jemison route looks good."
PILOT: "Allocating Auxiliary Reactor Power."
CONTROL: "Prepare for departure. Graviton Loop Array Spool, check."
PILOT: "System checks are green across the board."
CONTROL: "Your space Lane is clear."
PILOT: "Grav Jump commencing in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
Road-Trip
At first, this seems like a typical, albeit futuristic version of an Air Traffic Control conversation. After all, much of what is being said does sound very familiar, and the rest seems appropriate to Starfield’s apparent Hard Science Fiction theme. But it’s only when you start digging a little deeper that you realize that something else is going on here as well.
Note the following terms taken from the above transcript: Road, Exit, Course, Coordinates, Bus, Route, Departure and Lane. All these words share a very noticeable common theme. They are all in some way related to Road Networks. Note also the phrase “green across the board," which sounds like it could also be a reference to Traffic Lights.
Zooming Along
Next, let’s look at this map, which features the home of a certain Software Development Company you may have heard of. If you zoom out a fair bit, you will see two large Cities, namely Washington and Baltimore. Zoom out a little more, and you can now see the cities of Richmond to the South and Pittsburgh to the North-West. Zoom back in over any of these four major cities, and you will see that there are many more smaller locations within each of the city limits.
Now scroll the map over to any of the areas outside of these cities, and you will find a multitude of other important locations. These include residential areas, airports, medical facilities, sports and leisure facilities, research facilities, manufacturing facilities, tech companies, supermarkets), hotels, places of worship, and many others. All the above locations are important in one way of another to the continued functioning of our society, and all can be placed within two distinct categories. These are Population Centers and Infrastructure.
You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
Now imagine that there has been some kind of catastrophic flood in this area, and all these locations, although somehow miraculously intact, are now separated from each other as a series of individual islands in the middle of a newly formed ‘ocean’. Suddenly, the existing Road Network, along with any cars, busses, and other road vehicles, would become useless. You would need to use a completely different system, one designed to properly accommodate these changes, which would of course have to incorporate such elements as harbors, shipping routes, and vehicles capable of travelling along a waterway.
Now let’s zoom out again, this time further. Much, much, further. Each location has now been transformed into either a planet or a moon, spread across various star systems covering a vast region of space. Each one of these planets and moons will have its own individual features, resources, possible inhabitants, and infrastructure requirements. With such a quantum leap in terms of scale, if we now wanted to travel between these locations, which could in many cases end up being several light years apart, we are going to need something far bigger in terms of scale, complexity, and technology.
Shown In 60 Seconds
During the first ever 60 seconds of Starfield footage we all saw, shown in the form of the Official Announcement Teaser at the end of BE3 on June 11th 2018 (which redditor InToddWeTrust2023 has very nicely referenced here), we were given some surprisingly important clues which now form the cornerstone of this theory. Not only have these clues stacked up with every consecutive trailer released, as well as many of the other official videos and various other snippets of information, but their sheer level of consistency places them well outside the realm of possible coincidence.
Some of these additional clues were given to us in the two videos referenced above which contain the comms audio. The second of these two videos, namely the Official Gameplay Reveal, dropped, as would be expected, at the end of last year’s Showcase on June 12th 2022. Some of the most crucial information we have been given to date regarding my theory is actually contained in the 70 seconds shown before Todd even begins to speak. We will discuss the relevance of all of this a little further on in the post.
Lo-go/no go
First, some Space related terminology. In Mission Control speak, a Launch Status Check, also known as a go/no go poll, is part of a very carefully designed system implemented by US Space Agencies to ensure maximum safety and the best possible survival chance of both the ship and its crew prior to launch. This, or something similar, will undoubtedly form an integral part of the pre-launch, or rather, pre-Jump procedures incorporated into Starfield, especially given what we know in relation to its specific influences, attention to detail, and focus on realism.
But let's look for a moment at a different type of launch. Let's look at the process of carefully managing the flow of information when you are launching a long-awaited, multi-million-dollar triple-A video game and you happen to be a major player. With the combined might of Bethesda, Zenimax, and now Microsoft, there is clearly a great deal of scope in terms of how they were able to execute all of the steps involved in this process. One critically important factor, and one that has been masterfully implemented in the promotion of Starfield, is the use of familiar iconography.
If we look at the iconography seen during the promotion of Starfield, we can see that there are two main elements. These are the circular Starfield logo, first unveiled in 2018, and of course the recently updated Bethesda Games Studios logo, which has existed in various iterations since around 2006. Both of these share a common, simplistic yet effective design, and the BGS logo in particular is now light years ahead of its original design as seen on box art and in promotional materials for The Elder Scrolls VI Oblivion. At the time of Oblivion’s release, the long-term use of this particular logo, which incorporates the now familiar Fallout Vault Door, was a little uncertain due to restrictions with the associated licence (more on this below). But once this matter had been resolved, it would make a lot of sense that they would then develop this logo into the much sharper, more modern version we see today.
Licenced to Fly
Way back in April of 2007, Bethesda realized one of their biggest long-term business goals by finally securing the full rights to the highly acclaimed Fallout series. Prior to this, in 2004, they had been granted limited rights which would allow them to develop Fallout 3 and then two additional games, but they clearly wanted full and unrestricted access to the franchise and all of its assets. Since this time, in addition to Fallout 3, we have seen the release of Fallout New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76, as well as a number of smaller projects, including Fallout Shelter. This is all the proof you need to confirm the fact that, in-spite of some initial setbacks, Bethesda’s insistence on going the extra mile with regards to securing the full franchise, was most definitely worth it, and was seen by many as a landmark achievement.
Looking at the most recent entry to this ever-expanding series, namely Fallout 76, I would like to draw your attention to two of this particular game’s trailers. First, we have the Fallout 76 Official Trailer from 2018, and then The Pitt Story Trailer from 2022. In the first of these two trailers, at around the 35 second mark, we see the new BGS logo once again, and then near the end of the video we see a smaller version, neatly tucked away over on the left-hand side of the usual copyright notice. If we then look at the second trailer, at around… Hold on a second, let me rewind that a bit… wait, what?
This is where things start to get really interesting.
One Small Step
Okay, going back to the Fallout 76 trailers, although the smaller version of the BGS logo can be seen at or near the end of each of these, only the first incorporates the larger, ‘splash-screen’ version. “But why is this even important?” you may ask. “They may have simply forgotten to include this detail in the second trailer.” I can assure you that this is most certainly not the case. In fact, I am one-hundred-percent confident that this was quite intentional. I would even go as far as saying that this one, seemingly insignificant detail, actually brings us a step closer to unlocking the secrets of Starfield. Essentially, Bethesda have taken full advantage of how we all think we remember certain details, and as such, this is an example of truly expert-level hidden marketing on their part. I also believe it will form the basis of at least one of the big reveals during the showcase.
One Giant Leap
Let’s go back one more time to the Announcement Teaser and the Gameplay Reveal for Starfield. Look at how drastically different the BGS logo is in both of these videos compared to any of those used in promoting Fallout 76. What will really blow your mind here is the fact that all four of the trailers mentioned above were first shown to us during the same two Showcases we have just been discussing! In other words, the first of these videos for both Fallout 76 and Starfield were both unveiled at the 2018 Showcase, and the second of each at the 2022 Showcase. And yet each respective pair make use of drastically different versions of what we all thought was the exact same logo. This means that Starfield has been designed, from the ground up, to be viewed and experienced in a totally different way than, and completely separate from, any of Bethesda’s previous titles.
To clarify this point, after extensive research, I can confirm that this new, animated BGS logo, with the vault door rolling off to the left and then ‘opening up’ just before the text appears, has never been featured anywhere in an official capacity that is not directly related to Starfield. It is completely unique to this specific IP. This fact ties together everything we have looked at in the post so far. It also lets us see things from a completely different ‘orbital’ perspective. For example, I believe that this information gives us the real reason why Bethesda worked so hard to secure the full rights to the Fallout franchise in the way that they did. Not only did they wish to create awesome games set within the Fallout universe, but they also needed total freedom to make use of a specific part of this franchise that so that they could then incorporate it into their next, very very big, space related IP.
For Mankind
Okay. This is the part you’ve all been waiting so patiently for. This is the big reveal. For months now, perhaps even years, we have all been drip-fed the idea that Starfield is essentially “Skyrim in Space.” The reason I think that we have been told this is to misdirect us away from an intrinsic, interwoven connection between Starfield and Bethesda’s other major franchise, which is of course Fallout. But just to put your mind at rest, I do not for a nanosecond believe that the reveal will be, “We fooled you all, it’s actually Fallout in space!” no matter how cool that might at first sound.
What I do believe is that Starfield will be so different and so unique when viewed alongside anything else that Bethesda have published, that it will quite literally take your breath away. This game, the spark of which was first ignited 25 years ago, is Todd Howard’s true passion project. Everything else was simply the path he took to finally get here. This is the story he has always wanted to tell, the story of Mankind’s true legacy. And it all starts, just as it did when Interplay released the original Fallout) game back in 1997, with a familiar, but staggeringly different Vault Door.
The Vault
There is a very special and completely unique hidden Vault in Starfield. Not only is this particular Vault unlike anything you have previously seen anywhere within the Fallout universe, but it is also unlike anything you have seen in any game. Period.
This hidden Vault is actually the key to both interstellar and interplanetary travel. And it also happens to be the single biggest construction project in human history, extending across a span of almost one-hundred light years. And it is not even close to being completed, even after more than two-hundred years of construction.
This Vault is, by its very nature, completely invisible and shielded away from view. It is quite literally hidden in plain sight, and it can only be accessed through one of its specially crafted Vault Doors. But what does all of this mean for gameplay, and how does something like this even work? I’m glad you asked! Let’s strap in and prepare for launch, because we’re all in for an incredible ride.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen... to The Starfield
Entering The Starfield
The following is my own interpretation, based on scientific reasoning and a huge amount of detailed analysis, of exactly how I think this system works. It is, as ever, backed up with several links throughout, as well as additional evidence for which I shall provide a separate link at end of the post. I am expecting perhaps some differences in terms of specific details once we get hold of the final release of Starfield, but I am confident that I am at the very least well within the ballpark with all of this. Okay, here goes.
The Science Behind the Magic
Starfield is the name given to a vast network of interconnecting tunnels, spanning the entirety of the Settled Systems, providing us with a very fast and highly practical means of travelling between different planets, and even different star systems. These tunnels exist within a localized, folded state, known as Tunnel-Space. The construction of the Starfield is made possible thanks to a technological breakthrough which allows gravitational waves (or Gravitons) to be woven together to form something known as a Gravity-Tunnel, which is then stretched out and connected between any two existing stellar objects, such as two planets in a given system, of even two stars from different systems.
In order to maintain the integrity of each tunnel, it is wrapped in a special type of Exotic Matter known as Superfluid Helium. This has a number of highly unusual properties, including negative energy density and negative energy pressure. This essentially makes it the physical-space equivalent of time going in reverse, meaning that it is capable of counteracting the effects of any conventional physical force, including the gravitational pull of a black hole. As such, it will hold the structure of the Gravity-Tunnel together for an indefinite period of time over a potentially infinite distance through space.
Within the Starfield are a large number of Nodes and Junction Points. Nodes are used to connect together all of the planets in any one Star System, and Junction Points then connect different Star Systems together, making use of much larger Gravity-Tunnels that are the equivalent of Interstate Highways. Note that all flight between any given planet and any or all of its moons is handled locally, outside of the Starfield.
Because all of the stars, planets, and moons in the Settled Systems are in a constant state of flux, by which I mean their relative distance and positions) are constantly changing in respect to each other, the tunnels within the Starfield have been designed to be able to expand and contract almost infinitely so that they can accommodate any changes in these two factors depending on when, where, and how you travel.
Although the main tunnels are designed to transport people, resources, waste, and other items directly relating to either Population Centers or Infrastructure, I believe there is also a sub-system) that will allow much smaller objects, such as probes, to carry data-packets that can be upload at one location and then downloaded at another, effectively solving the problem of inoperable delays in communication between remote locations.
Inside of each Gravity-Tunnel is a bi-directional singularity, which can be switched between two opposite polarities whenever required with the help of the surrounding Exotic Matter, allowing for two-way traffic inside what is essentially a one-way system. This means that, as long as you are able to ensure the correct polarity of all connecting Nodes and Junction Points along your route (as in “Sky-Bus is converged” and “Jemison route looks good”), you will be able to travel, in theory at least, from any point A to any point B, as long as all of the required interconnections exist within the system.
When travelling through the Starfield, you will set a specific route, known as a Sky-Bus, which is a specified pathway that runs from your staring location to your destination. You will then, with the help of Starfield Control, access the tunnels using a Gating System which I will explain below. Incidentally, I believe that the accepted in-universe name for the actual transit network that we are making use of within the Starfield is the Sky-Bus Tunnel System.
Each tunnel in this system actually has two separate ‘Lanes’, one on the left for outbound traffic, and one on the right for incoming traffic. As I have explained above, each of these tunnels can only accommodate a single direction of traffic flow at any given time. And so, a safety measure had to be incorporated to prevent any accidental attempts to travel the wrong way down a tunnel and destroying yourself and your ship.
At each end of any given Node or Junction Point is a Gate. These are the ‘Vault Doors’ I have been referring to. The Gate comprises of a gigantic metal outer-ring connecting to an inner Vault Door. This Vault Door will either be at the center (closed position), or the left (open position) of the outer ring. The open/left position will allow outbound traffic to leave the orbit of the current planet they are in proximity to. To allow inbound traffic, the entire outer ring, with the Vault Door locked in place, will rotate clockwise through 180 degrees to the open/right position to allow access to the inbound Lane. When the outbound Lane is then once again required, the structure then continues to rotate in a clockwise motion until it reaches the open/left position once again. When required, the Vault Door will return to the neutral position at the center of the ring, and the tunnel will be locked.
Regarding Grav Jumps: Whenever you wish to perform a Grav-Jump, you must first request permission from Starfield Control, who will guide you through the process. Once the route is set and your Exit Gate is locked in place, by activating your ship’s Grav-Drive, along with it’s incorporated spooling system, you will first lock on to the front of the tunnel entrance.
Next, using a system similar to an Aircraft Catapult, you will be pulled into the tunnel at great speed, where the Graviton Loop Array will hold your ship in-place inside the tunnel, and will also ensure you don’t accidentally go down the wrong path. At the other end, the spooling system described above then acts as an Arresting Cable, slowing you down over a very short distance.
If all of the above is actually correct, especially the last part, then I think I will be having this on repeat in the background before Grav-Jumps!
Finally, here is the link to my additional supporting evidence and other materials, including some stuff I haven’t had a chance to really go into yet. Feel free to throw any questions at me, and I’ll do my best to answer them. In the meantime, Showcase will commence in 24 Hours…

Hi
I’ve had more bad ideas than good. Well probably the idea is good but the execution is half hearts. I get an idea, usually buy the tech/equipment etc and then get bored pretty quick. Half baked things I’m running
Got 75 btc miners running in a factory, with another 20 needing new control boards, need to get the figure out on that.
Bought SMS gateway hardware to run a proxy server business and bulk sms sending service, man, the tech support and free trials kills me. 3 sales this month, subscription
Got a A3 digital printing press left over over from a bad joint venture, 3 years left on the lease, it’s doing nothing. 2 sales this month
I bought 1000 mini mixtiles style photo frames to start a mixtiles clone. Think I bought the domains as well. 0 Sales this month
Bought wireless phone chargers to make personal/branded charges, photochargers.com was setup. 0 sales ever lol
My latest thing is https://app.trust-signals.com as SEO tool that analyses a website to check from trust elements, currently 180 free users, 0 paid
But I’m enjoying doing it and I’d do them all again.
During Covid I setup clubsnoods.com and turned over £500k in 8 months, all these failed ideas will eventually lead to something new
Todays idea, an automatic knowledge base using chat gpt, already sort of tested it. Say your an Audi garage and want Audi content, this knowledge base will generate an article every 10 minutes about Audi, will work great for SEO

I am a 61yo male. I have had trouble sleeping my entire life but it has seemed cyclic. I was diagnosed with MVP in the mid 1980's and took a beta blocker until 2000 when I got off of it to have some allergy testing done. I did so well off of it that my Dr. told me to just leave it off. Have suffered with severe anxiety and depression all my life which got worse in2007 when my partner took his life and my guilt got really bad. I had a sleep study done in 2010 that was normal. In 2018 I had another one done and it was horrible. Was prescribed CPAP and could not tolerate it. I lost about 30 pounds and cleaned up my diet a bit and started sleeping with my head elevated. Thought the problem was a lot better but started having panic attacks last Fall. Generally started feeling like crap. Doctors said it was anxiety. Tried a few medications and no relief. A few months ago I started having more palpitations than normal. Started having more dizzy spells and leg pain, arm pain, tingling...everything that can be either heart or anxiety. Doctor ordered two week Holter monitor, CT Scan, Echo and Carotid Doppler. Got fitted with the Holter on Monday and Tuesday morning got a call that the cardiologist wanted to see me. I had a really long heart pause during the night. Went to the appt and he asked if I had ever been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I told him the story and he said that is what he suspects. He is sending me for tests. Haven't had the other tests done yet. I have slept very little since being fitted with the monitor. Last night was particularly bad. Every time I would doze I would jerk awake. Crazy thoughts that would not settle down and just feeling horrible. Went from bed to chair back to bed. Could not get comfortable at all. I used to be able to lay on my right side and sleep a bit but the palpitations are too bad for that now. I am just beside myself. I started to go to the hospital last night but from what I've read they won't do anything about a problem like this unless you are in pain and experiencing breathing problems when you present. Also I live in a very small town. I have Ativan but am terrified to take it. Every time I think I may be able to doze off the choking feeling comes back and the cycle starts again. Part of me thinks if it was really bad the heart monitor people would have alerted me by now. I don't want to die but just don't know how much more of this I can take. I'm not going to do anything bad but just wanted to know if anyone else has dealt with something like this and do you have any pointers for even a tiny bit of relief. I even got the old CPAP machine out but can't get it to work as it has been in non-temperature controlled storage since 2018. I'm really sorry for sounding like a big baby but I just have no hope right now. I honestly feel like this will be the end of me before I can get any help. Thank you from the bottom of my palpitating heart. Take care.

Jenna sighed as she lay on her bed, feeling restless and unsatisfied. She had just come back from another failed date with yet another man who couldn't satisfy her needs in the bedroom. As much as she tried to be patient and understanding, it was getting harder and harder for her to hide her frustration.
She needed something more than what these men were offering her. Something intense, something that would push her to her limits and leave her begging for more. But where could she find such an experience? And who could provide it for her?
As she lay there, lost in thought, her eyes landed on a photo of her best friend Reese. They had been friends since childhood, but over the years their relationship had evolved into something deeper and more intimate. Although they had never crossed the line into a sexual relationship, Jenna often found herself fantasizing about what it would be like to be with Reese.
Reese was everything Jenna wasn't - pale-skinned, red-haired, and adventurous. She was always up for trying new things and pushing boundaries, which is why Jenna knew that if anyone could give her the experience she craved, it would be Reese.
But how could she ask her best friend for something so intimate and potentially destructive to their friendship? What if Reese rejected her or worse, laughed at her? The thought of being vulnerable and exposed like that was terrifying, but Jenna knew she had to take the risk.
Steeling her nerves, Jenna picked up her phone and texted Reese. "Hey, can we talk?"
Reese responded almost immediately. "Sure! Everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just need to talk to you about something important."
A few minutes later, Reese arrived at Jenna's apartment, looking concerned. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"
Jenna took a deep breath before speaking. "I...I have something to tell you. Or rather, something to ask you."
Reese nodded encouragingly. "You can tell me anything, you know that."
Jenna swallowed hard. "I want you to torture me."
There was a moment of stunned silence before Reese burst out laughing. "Wait, what? You're joking, right?"
Jenna shook her head. "No, I'm serious. I need this, Reese. I need someone who can push me beyond my limits and give me the intensity I've been missing."
Reese looked skeptical. "And you think I can do that?"
"Yes," said Jenna firmly. "I trust you, and I know you won't hurt me. Please, just hear me out."
Reese hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing. "Okay, go on."
Jenna explained her desires in detail, describing the kinds of sensations she wanted to experience and the ways in which she hoped Reese could help her achieve them. As she spoke, she felt a sense of relief washing over her, knowing that she was finally able to express her true self to someone.
Reese listened carefully, taking in every word. When Jenna finished talking, she paused for a moment before responding. "Wow, I didn't realize you were feeling this way. I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to share this with me."
Jenna let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you're willing to listen."
Reese smiled. "Of course. So, what exactly are you looking for here? Do you have any specific requests or preferences?"
Jenna thought for a moment before answering. "Well, I'd really like to explore some foot worship and domination. I've always been fascinated by feet, and I'd love to feel your hands on mine, worshipping them like they're gods."
Reese chuckled. "Gods, huh? Well, I can definitely make that happen. Anything else?"
Jenna bit her lip nervously. "I'd also like to try some bondage and spanking. I've always been curious about those things, but I've never had the courage to try them until now."
Reese nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense. Those can be great tools for building anticipation and control. Anything else?"
Jenna shook her head. "Not really. Just whatever you think will work best to get me to that next level of pleasure."
Reese grinned mischievously. "Alright then, consider it done. I'll bring everything we need tomorrow night. Get ready for the experience of a lifetime."
The next day passed slowly for Jenna, who spent most of it anxiously waiting for Reese to arrive. Finally, when the clock struck 8 pm, there was a knock on her door. Her heart racing, Jenna opened it to see Reese standing there, holding a large bag in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.
"Hi," said Reese, giving her a coy smile. "Ready for our little session?"
Jenna swallowed hard. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Reese stepped inside and set down the bag, pulling out several items including rope, nipple clamps, and a paddle. Jenna couldn't help but gulp at the sight of them, her excitement mixed with a touch of trepidation.
"First things first," said Reese, pouring two glasses of wine. "Let's start with a toast."
They clinked glasses and took a sip, letting the sweet liquid calm their nerves. Then, without further ado, Reese began the process of binding Jenna's wrists and ankles with intricate knots, leaving her lying face down on the bed.
Once Jenna was securely tied, Reese moved behind her and started massaging her shoulders and back, working out the tension from a long day at work. Jenna closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation of Reese's strong fingers digging into her muscles, relaxing her body and mind.
After a few minutes, Reese moved down to Jenna's legs, tracing circles around her calves and thighs before moving up to her inner thighs. Jenna squirmed involuntarily as Reese teased her sensitive skin, lightly brushing her fingers against her folds.
Then, without warning, Reese grabbed the paddle and smacked it hard against Jenna's bottom, making her yelp in surprise. Before she could fully process what was happening, Reese continued raining blows down on her ass, each strike eliciting a sharp gasp followed by a low moan.
Despite the initial shock, Jenna found herself enjoying the sensation of pain mixed with pleasure, her body reacting instinctively to the stimulation. She arched her back, begging for more, and Reese happily obliged, increasing the pace and force of the spanks until Jenna's entire body was throbbing with desire.
When Reese finally stopped, Jenna was left panting and drenched with sweat, her skin flushed and tingling. Reese leaned down and kissed her neck, whispering hotly in her ear. "How does that feel, baby? Are you ready for more?"
Jenna could barely speak through her heavy breathing, but she managed a weak "Yes" before collapsing back onto the bed.
Reese chuckled softly. "Good girl. Now, let's move on to the main event."
She reached for the nipple clamps and expertly attached them to Jenna's tender buds, causing her to writhe in ecstasy. Next came the foot worship, with Reese kneeling at the end of the bed and reverently kissing and caressing Jenna's feet, praising them as if they were divine artifacts.
Jenna reveled in the attention, closing her eyes and savoring the sensation of Reese's lips and tongue dancing across her skin. She wriggled her toes, delighting in the way they seemed to come alive under Reese's ministrations.
Before long, however, Reese switched gears again, removing the nipple clamps and replacing them with clothespins, sending waves of agony and arousal coursing through Jenna's body. She bit her lip to stop from crying out, loving the way the pain heightened her sensitivity to every touch.
Reese continued to play with Jenna's breasts, alternating between gentle caresses and brutal pinches, driving her wild with lust. By the time she moved on to sucking and biting Jenna's neck, Jenna was a quivering mess of raw emotion, desperate for release.
Finally, Reese climbed on top of Jenna and positioned herself above her mouth, rubbing her wetness against Jenna's lips. "Lick me," she commanded, thrusting her hips forward.
Jenna eagerly complied, diving into Reese's folds with abandon, tasting her sweet nectar and reveling in the sounds of her pleasure. Reese bucked and thrashed beneath her, riding the wave of bliss, until finally she exploded in a frenzy of gasps and moans.
Jenna lay back, exhausted but satisfied, as Reese untied her bindings and pulled her into her arms. They lay together in contented silence for a while, basking in the afterglow of their shared passion.
Eventually, Reese broke the stillness. "So, did you enjoy your experience?"
Jenna smiled. "More than I could have imagined. Thank you for giving me this."
Reese pressed a kiss to her forehead. "My pleasure, sweetheart. Anytime you need it, just let me know."
Jenna snuggled closer, already dreaming of their next encounter.

(If this post is still up, I'm still looking!)
Hey there. I really want to develop a female led/slight gentle femdom relationship with a special guy.
When a lot of men see the term "female led relationship," they think, "Oh, the woman will make all the decisions with no input on what I think/want."
Are there dynamics like that? I'm sure there is. Personally, I'm not looking to be "the boss" or "above" you in any way. I want us to be equal... but have you give up control to me in a few other ways. :)
What do I mean? Keep reading on!
● ABOUT ME ●
You can call me Dreamer for now. (I'll tell you my real name once we get to know each other) Please do NOT call me Miss, Master, Dominatrix or Ma'am.
I'm 25 years old and an INFJ-T. I live in Nashville, Tennessee, USA (AKA Music City) and I'm on Central Standard Time. I'm a Black woman and I stand 5 feet, 7 inches tall. My eyes are brown and I wear glasses. I don't have any tattoos or piercings at the moment.
One thing I want to mention is that I'm plus size, AKA a bigger girl. I'm undergoing a vertical sleeve gastrectomy in two months to lose the excess weight I have in a sustainable and permanent way. I'm ready to regain my body and be healthy and confident again. I'd love to have you by my side throughout my journey!
As far as personality goes, I'd describe myself as empathetic and sweet. I like to help others as much as I can. In person, I tend to be rather shy at first. People tend to mistake that for weakness or gullibility. I'm anything but; my strength lies in introspection and quiet observation. I notice every nuance of a person's actions, words, body language, vibe... my intuition hasn't steered me wrong yet!
● INTERESTS ●
I won't go into detail on every single interest that I have but I'll talk about my biggest ones that you'll likely hear me mention the most.
✨️Writing✨️
I've been writing since I was six years old, but I started taking it seriously around 13 years old. All in all, it's been 19 years. As of right now, I primarily write Fanfiction but in the past, I've written short stories, poetry and I even tried to learn how to write screenplays at one point.
I wrote my first full-length book in 2018/2019. I started the sequel in early 2020, but I'm still working on it. I lost a LOT of inspiration during the pandemic but I'm finally writing for it again.
If you also enjoy writing, I'd love to "talk shop" with you and maybe we can exchange some of our past works.
✨️Music✨️
Music has gotten me through a lot over the years. Yeah, yeah, I know everyone says that. But it truly has. It's shaped my life and introduced me to a lot of things and people that I probably never would've done or met otherwise.
There's no point in saying I like xyz genre because I've listened to pretty much everything. The only ones I truly hate are country and gangster rap. If you want specifics, though... I've been a HUGE twenty one pilots fan for 9 years. (I have more merch, stickers and other random shit than I care to admit to lmao) I also love other artists like Amber Run, Purity Ring, Phantogram, Daughter, Lorde, OneRepublic... plus tons more.
I've always had this dumb idea of a guy and I confessing to each other through playlists with songs that make us think fondly about each other...
God, I'm single.
✨️Photography✨️
I've been into photography for 10 years and I've had my DSLR for eight years. (It's definitely the camera version of 'Ol Reliable) I enjoy nature and portrait photography. I'd love to show you some of my work and get your thoughts on it.
✨️TV/Movies✨️
TV genres I like: Animation (like Spongebob), comedy, drama, documentaries (disaster and crime ones are my favorites), true crime (like Forensic Files), old sitcoms (like Sanford and Son) and cooking and baking competitions/reality TV (like Kitchen Nightmares US and UK, Hell's Kitchen, Master Chef, The Great British Baking Show, etc)
Movie genres I like: Animation, drama, comedy, action, psychological thrillers and science fiction. I thoroughly loved The Greatest Showman so one could say I like musicals but it's the only one I've seen so not sure if that really counts. Comic book movies are pretty alright too, but I really haven't seen anything past the first Avengers movie lmaooooo.
I say this as unpretentiously as possible, but I haven't seen most popular TV shows or movies that your average person likes. I think the last "popular" thing I watched was that Jeffrey Dahmer series on Netflix. (mainly out of morbid curiosity because everyone was freaking out about it... and because I think Evan Peters is a cutie) I only saw a few episodes and then forgot to watch the rest of it, but it wasn't as horrific as everyone was saying. Maybe I've watched too much Forensic Files and I'm desensitized lmao.
✨️Video and computer games✨️
Video game genres I like: Adventure, action-adventure, RPGs & JRPGs, Strategy... basically anything that is relatively fun and not horror related.
Some of my all-time favorites: Kingdom Hearts II, Ratchet and Clank, Journey, Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X.
As far as computer games, the only thing I play on a regular basis is The Sims 2 and The Sims 4. As a kid, I loved simulator and time-management games; some old favorites are the RCT series, Simcity: Rush Hour, the first four Diner Dash games, the Delicious series and Burger Shop 2 (which I still have on my computer actually lmao)
✨️Other random interests✨️
Art, traveling, people watching, researching random topics on Wikipedia and watching YouTube, especially channels with old shows and movies.
☆ CAREER ☆
My last position was working nights at a psychiatric hospital. I'm looking for something new at the moment.
☆ SCHOOLING ☆
I'm officially a college student at 25. Yay! Feel free to ask me more about it, I'd love to talk.
☆ ET CETERA ☆
I really love dogs and cats. I have three cats and they're little demons but I love them to death. I also love small animals like ferrets, bunnies and snakes!
My main love languages are words of affirmation, quality time and gift giving/receiving. To be honest, though, there's elements of each language that I enjoy or relate to in one way or another.
I don't smoke and I drink every so often. Otherwise, I'm vaccinated and DDF.
● ABOUT YOU ●
I'm looking for a guy between the ages of 23-33 years old. I might be willing to talk to someone within two years in either direction (so 21 min and 35 max) if you meet all my other preferences/wants. If you're younger than 21 or older than 35, though, please don't contact me.
Please be single and emotionally available. I won't interact with anyone already in a relationship or married (even if you're separated or in a "dead bedroom," you're STILL married) and I'm especially not interested in poly/ENM. I'm 100% monogamous.
Hair is super important to me! I prefer medium length to long hair, something I can stroke and play with a lot lmao.
I have a REALLY big soft spot for blue and/or doe eyes, but don't let that deter you. If you have kind eyes, I'll fall in love with them, no matter their color!
I tend to like softer facial features and even softer personalities. Are you super masculine in public but a total softie in private? Lovely! Are you less masculine but a little more feminine? Great! Are you androgynous or otherwise fall somewhere in between? I can dig it!
Key traits that I like in a guy include, but are not limited to: Being sweet, gentle, empathetic, considerate, an active listener, exceptional at communication and willing to go the extra mile for those that you love, be it family, friends, your partner, etc.
With that being said, it's important that you have time for me. I'm not expecting us to talk 24/7 but if you're always too busy to talk to me, this won't work. At some point, I'd like for us to also talk on the phone as our schedules permit, of course.
As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, please be from the USA/North America and willing to meet and get to know each other in person ASAP.
● WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR ●
It's important to me that you're an active listener; what I mean is that you'll make an effort to listen to what I have to say and respond to it accordingly. If I tell you my thoughts on a matter or ask you a question or give you a compliment etc etc, please respond to it. It makes me feel so sad and small if I feel like my thoughts or opinions are not important/relevant.
I can tell pretty quickly if someone is genuinely interested in me or not. Like I said before, I notice everything lol.
I mentioned earlier how one of my love languages is words of affirmation. One of the ways I enjoy that is through compliments. I'm not looking for you to worship the ground I walk on, but being told "You look beautiful" or "When you do xyz, that makes me really happy" makes me feel SO seen and appreciated.
It's incredibly frustrating to send a picture of myself and get a lukewarm response in return. :(
Affection is also super important to me. Holding hands, hugging, kissing, cuddling, touching... all the cute couple shit. I want you to touch me, not in a pervy way, but in an affectionate way. I want to stroke your hair while I hold you close... little things like that make me incredibly happy.
Keep in mind, everything I want from you, I'll give to you in return. I'll always listen and acknowledge you, give you compliments, shower you in affection, plus whatever else makes you feel wanted and appreciated as a person and in a relationship.
● OUR DYNAMIC ●
I always want you to have a choice and be able to voice your opinion. I will never degrade or boss you around in general, but especially when it comes to your personal choices. I'm a switch that used to be a predominant sub and believe me, I've had doms tell me before, "I make the decision on what you wear, what to eat, who you hang out with, etc etc... because I'm your dom and what I say goes."
Some people may like that. More power to them. But I'm not like that. I want you to feel free to express yourself. If you want my opinion, I'll give it to you, of course. But my job is to build you up and support your decisions, no matter how small!
Again, I'm not looking for you to kiss my ass. I'd love for you to take the lead on most decisions (with my input, of course). But I want you to also have a "service" attitude; whether that's helping out with household chores or surprising me with a massage after work or giving me flowers "just because" or helping me paint my toenails lol... just to name some examples. The sky's the limit.
That extends to "the bedroom" as well. I want my pleasure to be just as important to you as yours is to me.
In short? I just want to feel doted on and taken care of. I want to be the most important person in your life and you be the most important person in my life. I want to make you feel special and praise you and tell you how much you mean to me. And I want the same in return. 💓
● "KINKS" ●
This is inevitably gonna come up at some point. I'll say when it comes to my "kinks" (if you want to call them that) I like:
Teasing, edging, telling you when you can cum and begging me for it (I believe it's called orgasm control/denial), moaning, praise, blindfolds, eye contact, body worshiping (you and me), breast worship, oral, fingering and using toys on you.
Been a little curious about pegging someone one day. We'd have to build up to it, of course, because I don't want to hurt you. If you're not into that, though, don't worry! It's definitely not a requirement.
Things I do NOT like (or hard limits) are:
Humiliation, degradation, anything that causes you or me physical, emotional and mental harm, blood, pee, scat, vomit, diapers, CNC, ageplay, raceplay, hitting, slapping, choking or anything else illegal, unethical or otherwise unloving.
● IN CONCLUSION... ●
If you read all of this, good job! Here's a cookie, hope you like chocolate chip. 🍪
Seriously, though, I can't name every little thing I want. Despite the length of this post, I'm not trying to play Build-A-Boy. I realize you have your own caveats and that's totally fine. Let's get to know each other and see what happens. All I ask for, again, is that you want a serious, longterm relationship and not view me as just some sort of "kink dispenser."
Chats or DMs are fine. When you send me a message, please include the following...
• Name or alias • Location • Age • Height, body type, hair cololength, eye color • Your interests/hobbies • Whether you're a sub or a switch • What you're looking for out of a relationship and something (or things) you really enjoyed about my post • A clear, SFW picture of yourself • Your current favorite song (so I know you actually read through all of this) • Whatever else you want to add to catch my attention. The more you can match my "detailed energy," the better.
I won't reply to those who ignore my preferences or the message requirements above. If you send me nudes/dick pics/sexting or FWB requests/rude messages, you will be blocked and reported.
Thank you so much for reading this, and I hope you have a good night!

• Dreamer

(P.S. I don't use Snap, Kik, Telegram, WhatsApp and whatever else. I use Discord and I only give my cell number out to people that I'm comfy with.)

DD free Half Chinese the other half German Irish, brown eyes/hazel eyes, Black Brown (now grey) hair, board shoulder build, somewhere between endomorph (70) and a mesomorph (30) body type. Although I wouldn't claim I was athletic; back in my mid 30's I was able to complete both the P90x, P90x Doubles and Insanity programs. No family history of cancers, diabetes, heart disease and all that fun stuff. Not 19 vaxed nor have I caught it, despite being mostly active during that time. I was part of a clinical trial but received the placebo. Don't get sick often and not on any drugs, prescription, non-prescription, OTC, or from the dude at the corner of the street. Used to have better than 20/20 but now that I'm older it's just 20/20, I thought I needed glasses but apparently this is how people with 20/20 see. College educated and often accused of being smart, I tend to think differently, but I'm not sure if that's nature or nurture, both my parents were intelligent in their own ways. On my mother's side (Irish German) males stand around 6'2" big frame, females 5'2" small frame on my father's side ( Chinese) males 5'7" female 5'2" small frames. I stand at 5'7" with a 6' arm span, usually those are close to a 1:1 proportion but as stated above I have pretty broad shoulders.
That's enough about me, let's talk about you...in relation to me: As a Sperm Donor with little to no involvement after(40% interest) the only thing I'm looking for is that you are DD free and capable of caring for a child, single or multiple times, anonymous or unanimous is workable just state the preference.
As a kink or lifestyle (20% interest) this is pretty much a play by ear, I'm pretty open to a lot of things be it risk play, cuckolding, swinging, or whatever. I'm not overly interested in this option but I'm not going to rule it out either. Fun is fun right? Average hung, unless you believe that Asian stereotype, in which case I guess I'd be well hung.
If you're interested let me know which option tickles your fancy.
*** The excessive information below doesn't really pertain if you're looking for what's listed above, read on if you're looking for something more****
As a relationship (35% interest) looking ideally for someone with intelligence, a good attitude and sense of humor, in good health, a little to a lot of quirky, and honorable. A pretty face, blonde or red hair with blue, grey, or green eyes, small but curvy (voluptuous) frame. Some shared interest in: learning, reading, movies, horror, gardening, health and fitness, haunted houses (amusement type), travel, philosophy, psychology, mythology, theology, investments. Love language expression physical touch or quality time.
As co-parenting (5% interest) I'm not particularly interested in this option but won't rule it out either. Financially intelligent, mentally stable, and physically healthy, no addictions, the ability to raise a child. Since I travel a lot for work I could be a background game day dad visiting whatever set times, or we can do a split custody.
So that's the breakdown on a scale of 100 of what I'm looking for, notice "game playing" didn't get any points...
So aside from being wordy, I shift between being talkative and quiet. Single with no kids, I have a place in Pahrump NV and Frederick MD. Although I call Pahrump home I grew up in Jersey. I'm a pretty self sufficient and self reliant person, with a general proficiency in most things be it labor or intellectually intensive, pretty resilient and extremely adaptive. I'm told I'm too funny but have yet to get a girl to laugh so hard that her clothes fell off and was teleported to my bed, although funny enough to have her pants peed in. I appreciate most forms of humor, but let's face it I'm looking to up my dad joke game here, so if you're horny for corny... I tend to enjoy dark humor to a potentially disturbing level, at least that's what the people locked in my basement keep saying, actually that's not true I don't have a basement. I enjoy audio books (for entertainment or learning) as well as actual books (for learning) , I don't have a genre specific music I like just specific songs but if I'm just listening I'll usually listen to EDM, dubstep, 60's - 90's, or ridiculous (parody or amusing) music. Big movie fan can spend all day in a theater, but enjoy at home streaming as well. I also enjoy video, board, and the occasional card games. I hate to say I enjoy working out or going to the gym because it doesn't feel true but it's also not untrue. I also walk my two dogs a lot which they enjoy way more than I do. Overall I'm a pretty laid back, patiently understanding temperament, seemingly going with the flow, blend in with the normal kind of guy. Which balances out (as all things should be)with my very out of the ordinary perspectives, weird thinking, and just plain strange situations I get in.
Despite the large amount of info here this is just a fraction of one of my multiple personalities, so if you want to know more shoot me a note.

On my newest throwaway again because my partner knows my main and my first throwaway and I’m going through a lot, this account has basically become my main lol. This is long and rambly like all my posts because I feel like I’m spiralling and I just need to get it out. I’m 28 f he’s 30 m. There’s no question that my relationship is going through a rough time (we’ve been together just shy of 7 years). You can look at my post history for a bit more depth if you want, but basically we’re dealing with porn addiction and post abortion resentment (from me) and a hell of a lot of curveballs and shit that life has thrown at us that I haven’t even gotten into. About a year, maybe a bit longer, ago my partner told me he wasn’t attracted to me anymore (I had asked, exactly this hurting my own feelings shit I can’t seem to stop doing). I had noticed that our sex life had dwindled down to nothing, he wasn’t kissing me, complementing me, initiating anything, or even grabbing my ass randomly like he always used to do so I confronted him about it and asked. There’s no denying it, I had definitely let myself go, I had been through 3 surgeries in 2 years and was really struggling with health issues to the point my dad basically had to stay at our house off and on for 2 years to help me take care of my child so that my partner could keep working. I gained 100 pounds because even walking around the house was exhausting and on top of that I was dealing with major depression with the reality of how much my new health issues were going to impact my future. I wasn’t styling my hair, I was in leggings and hoodies all day every day, I didn’t even touch make up, Etc. I’m finally doing a bit better, I’ve started being more active, I’m doing more around the house, managing life a bit better, I’ve lost 55 pounds and I’m continuing to work on it, I’m styling my hair everyday, I’m wearing makeup once and a while, I always shave and get my nails done, I’m really trying with my appearance. He has a porn problem, and what really hurts the most is the porn he watches is NOTHING like me, he’s an “ass guy” so his porn is all of the camera angled at asses while being rammed doggy or reverse cowboy style. I personally really like doggy style, and he just flat out refuses to do it with me, he says it’s “not comfortable because we don’t line up right”. Turns out it’s actually because he hates my ass. I’ve begged for counselling. Back to the original problem, I have this obsession with asking him to be honest with me when I KNOW the answer is going to hurt my feelings, but I just can’t stop. And then I get super hurt and bummed out and can get a little snappy with him which he then turns around and says “well maybe I just shouldn’t tell you the truth then”. But I want him to tell me the truth, that was one of the things that hurt me the most was that I could feel he wasnt attracted to me anymore and he never even told me until I begged him to be honest. I really struggle (have since I was a teenager) with body dysmorphia and this weight gain has made it 100000000x worse. I stupidly asked him out of all the neighbours wives, what order he would put them in (including me) based on physical appearance alone. I WAS SECOND TO LAST, ONLY “beating out” A 50 YEAR OLD. So I asked him, when he first met me, (he used to compliment me non stop, tell me I was “intoxicating” and so sexy, he literally made me feel like the most stunning person in the world, HE ONLY MOVED ME UP ONE SPOT. So basically even when we first got together he wasn’t even that into me?! WHAT THE FUCK. There’s absolutely no way in hell that out of the 6 neighbours I was including in this that are all a big friend group that 4 out of the 6 other women are top of the fucking pyramid for looks in this world. I’m bisexual and lean towards women so I KNOW an attractive female, and yes they’re all good looking but I WOULD NOT place myself in 5th when we first met?!?! SO IF I WASNT EVEN HIS TYPE WHEN WE FIRST MET AND I WAS HOT THEN WHAT DO I EVEN HAVE GOING FOR ME. I’m so heart broken over this, and it’s my own fault. But man it stings, and why can’t I just stop ducking doing this to myself by asking these questions where I know the answers will hurt my feelings. FUCK. What’s wrong with me! I’m trying so hard not to be bitchy with him right now but I’m so sad and angry and he can tell somethings wrong and I don’t want him to stop being honest with me to “save my feelings”, because I honestly want to know the truth, apparently I just have this sick need to destroy my self confidence and self worth.

FALLOUT 5
Fallout 5 will take place in the Dixie Wasteland, in the ruins of Charleston, South Carolina in 2322. It will be the first fallout to take place in the South. The only nuke to hit the region was a defective US nuke that detonated as soon as it was launched.
Character Building:
You start with 35 special points, making it so you have a more specialized build or a jack of all trades. The old skill system makes a return, with you choosing a perk every 3 level ups. Skill checks are frequent, and can vary from Special stats to perks. You get to choose a special perk when you start the story, like Small Frame or Kamikaze. Karma has three tiers: Evil, Neutral, and Good.
Mutations and Radiation: Mutations will occur like in 76, but you can become a super mutant if you dip yourself in a vat of FEV. Your strength and endurance will increase dramatically, but many factions and cities won’t let you in without a huge hassle. Radiation makes you mutate more, but if your mutation level is too high you will turn into a mindless Behemoth. Too much radiation will turn you into a ghoul, which makes you immune to radiation and raises your endurance. If you get too many rads while ghoulified, you become feral.
Weapons & V.A.T.S:
Makeshift weapons are far more prevalent in this game, but they are more diverse and realistic than those in Fallout 4. Normal weapons are more powerful and rarer, selling for more at stores. More real guns will be added alongside the retro-futuristic fallout guns, including the 9 round and 1 shotgun shell LeMat revolver. Weapon customization exists alongside a wider variety than of weapons. Dual wielding makes its first entry to the series, allowing for dual wielding of small melee weapons, pistols, and smgs.
Higher Agility levels makes dual wielding more accurate. V.A.T.S will return to freezing the game instead of the slowed down time in Fallout 4
Settlements:
There will be 3 buildable settlement locations that you discover on your own, and 5 customizable player home locations.
World: The Dixie Wasteland is a mix of civilized and Wild. The Western section of the map is the most dangerous, full of raiders and animals, despite that the town of Magnolia is in the west. The Northeast is the city of Charleston, the city of Civitas Ferro is set up within eastern Charleston. The South of the map is controlled by the Brotherhood of Steel as well. The middle of the map is a bunch of small towns mixed with the wildness of the west. The eastern side of the map is swamps, and the west is forested hills. A large lifeless crater exists in the in the middle of the map, simply known as the Hole.
Enemies: Some animals return, such as bloodbugs, deathclaws, ferals, bloatflies, and Yao Guais, Mirelurks, and Gatorclaws. New animals include Raddlesnakes, Giraffe Dogs (coyotes with long necks), Snappers (huge turtles), and Prowlers (mutated bobcats). Raiders are in named groups again, with three main bands terrorizing Dixie. The tribe known as the Confederates who enslave and sell rather than pillage, the Beastmasters who tame mutated animals and attack with them, and the Vaulties who were former vault dwellers. Generic raiders can also be found. Super Mutant bands have moved south from the Capital Wasteland, and continue their sackings in Dixie. Enemy robots are occasionally found, especially from the RobCo factory in the city. The last kind of enemy is the main factions if you piss them off, as they send death squads out to gank you if you have a bad reputation.
Dixie history: The Carolinians united the eastern coast and Charleston together as a large scale civilization in 2190, but by the year 2291, the Brotherhood of Steel invaded. They pillaged, plundered, and took control of the east coast and the capital of the Carolinians. Their despotic rule has causes several factions in the wasteland grow rebellious, and tensions are reaching a high in 2322.
Themes: The game has a southern theme, with the radios playing country and bluegrass music. Characters have southern accents, as do the robots.
Radio Stations:
Magnolia Radio - Swing and Jazz hosted by a charismatic ghoul named Darren Dixie. Darren will comment on the events that occur throughout the wasteland.
Hoedown Capital - A country and bluegrass station hosted by Mr. Hillbilly, a DJ Mr.
Handy. He still believes the year is 2077, and only tells news relating to events that happened leading up to the Great War.
Brotherhood Military Channel - Updates troops about tech locations and orders patrols around.
There are plenty of side quests and random events, including side quests for each faction.
Factions:
There are 5 factions in Fallout 5, and you have to side with one of them to complete the story. The Tribal ending is the wild card ending. The reputation system makes a return, with the New Vegas pictures.
Brotherhood of Steel: The Brotherhood of Steel has turned into nothing short of a jingoistic military dictatorship, developed by Elder William Garrick. The Brotherhood abandoned Maxson in the commonwealth, as Garrick lead a silent coup in the Capital wasteland. The Brotherhood has grown colossally in size, and now spans the East Coast unchecked in power. Not only do they seize military technology now, they also seize stuff like pre-war small arms, Auto-docs, pip-boys, robots, terminals etc. They’ve ruled over Atlanta for the past 2 years with an iron fist, forcing settlers into giving up their crops and crippling the wasteland and infrastructure of the Dixie Wasteland. They control a large city inside Atlanta called Civitas Ferro, with their headquarters in the center. Despite your hatred for them initially, you can join them and defeat all the rebels.
Carolinian Revolutionary Army- The Carolinians are the remnants of the former largest nation in the Dixie Wasteland called the Free Federation of Charleston. It was a democratic civilization based on the old state of South Carolina, with elections and rights for any human or quasi-human. Although it was weak and corrupt, it was better than the alternatives. When the Brotherhood rolled in, the Carolinians resisted their raids, so the Brotherhood overthrew them in a scorched Earth campaign. The Carolinians are the remnants of their military, dedicated to rebelling against the Brotherhood’s tyranny, and have the endgame goal of bringing Democracy back to Dixie. They grow steadily by the day, but they suffer from bureaucratic issues and corruption. You can join the Carolinians as an agent, and you help them lead a rebellion against the Brotherhood.
Greylock’s Hand: Greylock’s Hand are a band of violent raiders and mercenaries, who likewise want the Brotherhood of Steel gone, but instead desire an anarchic survival of the fittest wasteland. They are lead by a profane, wild ghoul named Greylock. They are basically terrorists, but their raids and ambushes against the Brotherhood are effective. They reside in a secret underground missile launch site, completed two days before the war. Even the Brotherhood knows nothing about it aside from rumors. The missiles, however, are not finished. You can join Greylocks Hand after getting kidnapped by them, and after you help them build part of the missiles.
Magnolia: The last joinable faction is Magnolia, a large settlement in and around the former plantation home. The city is ruled by a group of Mister Handys who escaped from a crashed truck driving to Charleston the day of the Great War. They saw the magnolia plantation and went their to clean, doing so and repairing it for 150 years, eventually realizing what was happening in the world around them.Their newfound “sentience” allowed them to create a settlement, inviting wastelanders and tribals to live and trade under their protection. Their elected leader is a specialized Mr Handy that has economic programming. The robots have defended themselves from several Brotherhood attacks, and after some convincing they allow you to become an honorary robot and join their faction.
Tribal: Instead of choosing any of the four main factions, you can instead unite the smaller settlements, tribes, and factions into New Dixie. You are assisted by an intelligent Supermutant from the Capital Wasteland named Spider, acting as your loyal second in command.
Minor factions:
The Network: A secret underground trading organization that sells and trades equipment that would normally be confiscated by the BoS. You can rat them out to the BoS, or you can join them.
Wasteland Marshalls: A paramilitary organization that patrols highways and hunts raiders, based on the US Marshals of the past. You can join them or convince them to join the brotherhood.
Catawbas: The descendants of the old native tribe from South Carolina, they specialize in the creation of makeshift weaponry to sell to wastelanders. You can convince them to join the rebellion, or you can convince them to join the Brotherhood.
Abolitionists: A militia of borderline terroristic anti-slavers, based on the conquests of the radical abolitionist John Brown. You can join them or eliminate them.
Plot:
South Carolina: 2322. War, war never changes.
The main character is a tribal living southeast of Charleston. The tribe has to pay a toll to local raiders, and it’s left their tribe starving. In the first part of the game, the Tribal, their sibling and their friend are searching for food for their tribe, when they stumble across an old sunken West-Tek storage depot. In it is a prototype suit of power armor called the AX-01, which is a large tank-suit with back missiles and two hand laser rifles, built for ease of use. You learn how to pilot it from a terminal, and you take it back to the tribe; the raiders and their leader are there demanding their payment. You kill the raiders with the power armor, and the tribe is free from their subjugation. Weeks later, 4 Brotherhood of Steel paladins arrive at the village. After the tribals refuse to give up their power armor, the BoS execute everyone in the village and burn it to the ground (including your sibling), seizing the suit and flying away on a vertibird. Only the Tribal remains.
Act 1: The Tribal picks up a broken pip-boy as soon as they leave the town, and they hunt down the paladins North to Charleston, you kill all 4 of them while adventuring across the map. By the end of the first act, the Brotherhood declares you an enemy of the Brotherhood.
Act 2: Due to the deaths of several Paladins and the constant rebellion from the region, a Brotherhood blimp appears. The brotherhood frequency states that if the Tribal visits the ship, they will be absolved of their crimes. The Tribal is also invited to secret meeting of between Carolinians and robots from Magnolia. You also get kidnapped by the Greylocks 2 days after this meeting. From there you can choose between the rebels or the Brotherhood, and do their specific quest lines. For the Greylocks, you have to find parts to build their rockets. Whereas for the other groups you have to find a way into their base.
Act 3: All questlines end in the ultimate battle and raid on the Greylock base. If you side with the Greylocks you repel the attackers. The end of the story is where you fire the missile array at the Brotherhood’s home base and their airship, chasing them out of Dixie. If you side with the Brotherhood you secure the missile array and fire the rockets at the fleeing rebels, crushing their numbers.
Each ending depends on your karma and what side you chose, potentially turning a “good” faction evil or an “evil” faction good.
Your actions have consequences throughout the story, and no character is essential except for potential companions.
The Tribal:
The tribal is the name of the 28 year old protagonist, and you can choose between you or your friend to be your character. One is male, the other is female. The protagonist is silent, but the character you don’t choose has voiced dialogue. Their default names are Sammy and Cora, but you can change them. Speech is back to the chart with full responses. Their personality is determined by the player, allowing for better roleplaying opportunities.
Companions:
There are 10 companions, 3 non human and 7 human. The affinity system returns, and each companion has a personal quest. They also have comments for the main quest and other miscellaneous events. Companions have specific likes and dislikes, and have different karmas. You can recruit companions outside of your karma if you pass a speech check. Any positive affinity progression while not in their karma has a 1.25 multiplier. Companions are romanceable regardless of gender.
The Tribals Friend (Sammy/Cora):
The friend you don’t choose is available to become your companion. They know your name, and revert to their original appearance and name once you choose your character. Cora is originally white with blonde hair and blue eyes, and Sammy is originally a latino with curly black hair. have good karma, and hates the BoS, but are okay with the other factions. They are 28 years old, the same age as the tribal. They wear a tribal cloak and uses a makeshift bolt action rifle. They are Romanceable.
Benjamina Pavlova - A hired gun and part time technician working for the Network, you can recruit her whenever you hire her at the Network. She has good karma, and hates the BoS and the Carolinians, but likes Greylocks hand and the Magnolia Robots (hired guns were illegal in the FFC). She is white, and has curly black hair and green eyes. She is 29 years old. She wears a confederate cavalry hat and her combat armor with road leathers, she uses a .44 trail carbine. She is romanceable.
Captain Baker Springfield - A soldier for the Carolinian Revolutionary Army, you can recruit him if you save his platoon from a super mutant attack. He has good karma, and hates the BoS and Greylock’s hand, but loves the Carolinians. He is 32 years old. He is white, has brown hair and stubble, and wears a Carolinian soldier outfit; he uses a .308 Combat rifle.
Dina Qian A vault dweller from Vault 52, you have to free the vault from a band of raiders who have cracked into the vault to recruit her. Dina is asian and has black hair in a ponytail. She has neutral karma, and hates all raider groups, including Greylock’s Hand, she is indifferent to the other groups. Dina is 25 years old. She uses two 10mm pistols and wears an armored vault suit. She is Romanceable.
Louie - Louie is a ranch hand at a farm outside of the Hole, you can recruit him if you get his family’s brahmin back from the Beastmasters. He has neutral karma, and hates Greylock’s hand, but likes The BoS due to their law bringing policies. He is 36 years Louie is white, and has a buzzcut with a mustache. He wears a ranch hand outfit and a stetson hat with leather armor, he uses a makeshift pump action shotgun.
General Ulysses Grant: A securitron made specially for the RobCo factory owner, a civil war buff. You have to repair him after clearing the RobCo factory to recruit him. His karma is dependent on how you program him, and he hates the brotherhood but loves the magnolia robots. He is a deep blue and gold securitron with General grant on the tv screen. He is a pre-war robot. He uses the 9mm smg, laser rifle, and rockets depending on what you tell him to use. He is not romanceable.
Uriah Lincoln - A respected raider within Greylock’s hand, you can recruit him whenever you join Greylock’s hand. He has evil karma, loves Greylock’s hand, and hates the Brotherhood and the Carolinians. You can change his karma in his personal quest. Uriah is 23 years old. He is black and is bald, with a bandana covering on of his eyes. He wears Greylock makeshift power armor and carries a plasma rifle. He is romanceable
Senior Scribe Weatherby - A former scribe turned ghoul by radiation, you can recruit her from the BoS after she is kicked out. She has evil karma, hates the BoS and the other factions. After her personal quest she can either rejoin the brotherhood or be open to other factions. She is 39 years old. She is a ghoul and has wears red hair wig. She wears a scribe outfit and uses a laser rifle. She is romanceable.
Belle - A Mrs Nanny built by the robots at Magnolia, you can recruit her after joining the Magnolia robots. She has neutral karma, and likes Greylock’s Hand and the Magnetic robots. Belle is 60 years old. She wears a straw hat with a flower on it, and has a light purple chassis; she uses a minigun and a sawblade. She is not romanceable.
Hambone - A golden retriever with one blue eye and one brown eye. He doesn’t care about what you do, he’s a good boy. You can have him alongside any other companion.
This is what I’ve got, feel free to add anything.

​
What is ashwagandha?
The ashwagandha plant is one of the most powerful herbs. Various parts of the ashwagandha plant are used for medicinal purposes, with ashwagandha extract mainly being used in supplements. Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, a natural agent that reportedly helps the body cope with stress. As a result, it’s believed to be effective at helping reduce levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. It may also therefore potentially help with anxiety and depression too.
What does ashwagandha do?
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Ashwagandha is known to help reduce stress and anxiety. One way it does this is by reducing levels of cortisol, a hormone that is released in response to stress. Additionally, ashwagandha has been shown to improve mood and cognitive function, both of which can be negatively affected by stress.
Enhances Cognitive Function
Ashwagandha has also been shown to improve cognitive function. One study showed that it improved memory and reaction time in healthy adults. Another study found that it improved task performance in people with ADHD. Additionally, ashwagandha may help prevent age-related cognitive decline.
Boosts Energy Levels
Ashwagandha has been shown to boost energy levels. One study showed that it increased stamina and reduced fatigue in people with chronic fatigue syndrome. Additionally, ashwagandha may help improve exercise performance.
Additionally, ashwagandha may also help improve sleep quality and reduce inflammation. These effects can all contribute to enhanced energy levels.
Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
Ashwagandha has been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels. One study showed that it improved insulin sensitivity in people with type II diabetes. Additionally, ashwagandha may help reduce fasting blood sugar levels and improve symptoms of diabetes.
Additionally, ashwagandha may also help lower cholesterol levels and protect against heart disease. These effects can also contribute to improved blood sugar control.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Ashwagandha has been shown to help lower blood pressure. One study showed that it improved blood pressure in people with hypertension. Additionally, ashwagandha may help reduce stress and anxiety, both of which can contribute to high blood pressure.
Is ashwagandha safe?
Ashwagandha is generally considered safe for most people. However, it can cause side effects such as stomach upset, diarrhea, and vomiting in some people. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, it's best to avoid ashwagandha.
What happens when you take ashwagandha daily?
As a sleep aid, ashwagandha may help people get to sleep faster and stay asleep for longer. It is also used to promote male potency. Ashwagandha has a variety of health benefits, including reduced blood sugar levels, inflammation, mood, memory, stress and anxiety relief, as well as an increase in muscle strength and fertility. Depending on your requirements, dosages vary from 250 to 500 mg per day for at least one month.
When it comes to stress relief, ashwagandha may be as effective as some prescription medications. A 2010 study found that the herb was just as effective as lorazepam (Ativan) in reducing stress and anxiety. click the link below to learn more about abhwagandha, and its real health benefits.
CLICK HERE

When you're rich enough, you get perks you can only dream of. Literally. But somehow, my paradise turned into hell.
Have you ever had a dream so amazing, you wished you could relive it? Explore it? Relish it? Well, when you're rich enough, you don't have to wish. It's a reality thanks to dream banks. You may have heard of them and their pricy services, which include recording, saving, and projecting dreams.
For example, if you'd like a dream recorded, you can book one of their luxurious suites for the night, where the dream techs will fit you with a special helmet and leave you to rest. The next morning, they'll replay the recorded dream for you via the helmet and ask if you want to shell out the extra bucks to save it. If you don't, they'll delete it and you can pay to book for another time to try again.
If you do decide to save it, you must select an item within the dream that will act as the exit key. (This will come in handy during projections.) While still wearing the helmet, you must touch the item, and the dream techs will label those electric signals as the key.
Afterwards, everything is saved under your name, and you can now relive your dream at any time by booking a suite for three, five, or eight hours. Unlike recordings, during projections, you don't have to wait for sleep to come. After you enjoy a snack of your choice, the helmet is fitted and you're immediately transported to your dream, where you have free will and can enjoy it at your leisure. And if you ever need to leave early, this is when you touch the key, which will shut down the helmet right away.
In my case, the key is the stegosaurus leather rug I have hanging on the wall of my throne room. I never have a reason to touch it otherwise, making it a perfect key. I've also never had to touch it. Experiencing life as an all-powerful, worshipped being who lives on my own planet and hunts dinosaurs in my spare time, I relished my dream to the last second.
Yes, the fees are exorbitant, but at the time, I felt it was worth it. The techs were skilled, the system was sleek, and the dreams were private. Each could only be unlocked by the unique brainwaves of the dreamer.
Or so I thought.
My literal nightmare began when I booked a five-hour projection on a rainy Friday afternoon. After taking a sip of champagne to wash down the cranberry brie bites, I settled into the cool silk sheets with a smile. My usual dream tech smiled back as she fastened my helmet, and the last thing I heard was her wishing me pleasant dreams before I was plunged into darkness.
I waited for the split-second adjustment from reality to the dream world, and my confusion grew when I didn't find myself on my throne surrounded by fawning gods and goddesses.
Instead, I found myself in the middle of an endless street. Alone. There were no cars, no life, not even wind. Towering street lamps lined the sidewalk as far as I could see, arcing over the road and tinting everything an eerie red. Behind them, identical buildings stood side by side, silent, their dark, narrow windows hollow.
My pulse spiking, I whipped around. The other direction was just as endless. Uneasy confusion prickled beneath my skin. This had to be someone else's dream. The techs must have made a mistake. I didn't know how it was possible, but there was no other explanation.
My unease piqued as my situation sank in. I was in a stranger's dream and I didn't know the key. I was stuck here until my five hours ran out. Or until the techs realized their mistake. I was ready to rip them a new one once I was out, but until then, I had no choice but to wait.
I studied my surroundings with a frown before I walked over to the curb and sat down, and that was when I noticed I couldn't feel anything. I also noticed I was naked. It didn't matter. There was no one here, and none of this was real anyway.
Time passed, and I tried to distract myself from my nettled offense by humming, but no sound came out. Sitting up, I took a deep breath and screamed. Not even a squeak was heard. I slapped my hand against the ground. Nothing. This place was like a black hole of the senses.
Sighing, I lay down on my back and stared at the red light above me, wondering if I could fall asleep in a dream. I tried, but the more I wished to escape this silent, crimson prison, the more it seemed to come into focus. Soon, the utter lack of noise and movement grew from slightly unnerving to completely intolerable.
There was no way I could wait. I'd go insane. I had to get out of here. I had to find the key.
Jumping up, I ran to the nearest building and wrenched open the door, and a pitch black void greeted me. I gasped, and gasped again as it felt like my very breath was being suctioned out of my lungs. Panicking, silent wheezes rattled in my chest as I struggled to yank myself out of the vacuum, jerking my limbs and bucking my body until I toppled over backwards on the sidewalk.
Gulping in fitful breaths, I scrambled to my feet and ran down the road without looking back, my wide eyes scanning the horizon for salvation. I just wanted out of here, but the hellish path stretched on forever, making me feel like I was running in place as every identical building and street lamp mocked me. Even my silent stomping and mute panting served to draw insanity closer.
And then, a person showed up.
There, in the distance.
With my hope spurred, I raced towards them, desperate. I didn't care who they were. I needed to break this monotony.
As I got closer, hope morphed to confusion, and then to despair. The person was me. It was a mirror, propped up across the entire street.
Sweat-soaked, I slowed down to a jog before I stopped right in front of my reflection. It was me alright, naked, exhausted, and frustrated. But the eyes, something was off about the eyes. With an anxious frown, I stepped closer, staring into them, and they stared back …
… until they glanced behind me.
I gasped and jumped away, and so did my reflection … before it glanced over my shoulder again.
A chill trickled down my spine. My reflection had nothing behind it but the empty street, so I gulped and turned around, and my mouth fell open in a silent scream as a lovecraftian behemoth barrelled its way towards me. With its slick shell gleaming red beneath the lights, it slammed down one spiny tentacle after the other as its five mouths bared their dripping, concentric fangs.
Drenched in undiluted horror, tremors gripped my body as I stumbled away until my back was against the mirror. I knew death was a foolproof key in a dream, but I didn't know if this creature would kill me right away or leave me to suffer in agony until my five hours were up.
With it only inches away, I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed myself into the mirror, and my stomach flipped as I fell backwards. I opened my mouth to gasp, but there was nothing for me to draw in. Floating in an airless void, I flailed and thrashed, my wild eyes scanning the darkness for answers as I began to spin around.
Although death would free me, one of my greatest fears was suffocating. On one of my weightless rotations, a red, glass cube passed me by, and I grabbed it, hoping it was a breathing device. I brought it close to my face, and I gawked at what it held within.
Me.
Surrounded by identical buildings and red street lamps while a lovecraftian behemoth tore me apart.
Horrified, I threw the cube as far as I could and increased my efforts to escape this void. Yet all the flailing and thrashing was for naught as the darkness revealed no end. My eyesight began to go red as my lungs spasmed, and I clawed at my throat as my pulse stuttered in my chest.
The red kept growing and growing until it engulfed my entire vision, and I gave up. There was nothing to do but face my fears and die. With my straining heart lumbering, I let myself go limp as I stared at the red and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
I wasn't dying.
In fact, I could breathe just fine.
Frowning, I opened my eyes, and intense unease spread through my core. Above me, a red moon had taken up the entire sky, each one of its craters crystal clear, like eyes watching me. I turned my head away, and I realized I was in a park, laying down on the grass. Sitting up, I blinked in surprise at the pond right beside me, its opaque water reflecting the moon's red light. Ducks were swimming in a circle across its surface, their movements smooth with nary a splash.
Trees surrounded us, so dense I couldn't tell when one began and the other ended. It was mind-numbingly quiet here as well, and I still couldn't feel anything or make any noise, but at least the ducks were moving. This place seemed more tolerable than the last, and I was willing to wait out my five hours here. I hoped at least an hour had passed already, but with dreams, one never knew. All I knew was that I was too exhausted to search for the key. And too scared. I didn't know whose dream this was, but they had to be masochistic if they saved this nightmare.
Curling up beside the pond, I worked on calming myself down as I watched the ducks swim in their systematic circle over and over and over. I tried counting the rotations the way one would count sheep, but that still didn't lull me to sleep. I wished I'd chosen the three-hour projection, but at least I hadn't chosen the eight-hour one.
Distorted circus music crackled around me and I jolted up, my heart ricocheting in my chest. There was finally sound, but the last thing I wanted to hear was a cliche horror movie soundtrack. Gulping, I looked around. The music was coming from the trees, and my stomach dropped when I spied a shadow behind one of them. Then another. And another. They emerged into the crimson moonlight, and my blood turned to ice.
Clowns.
I whipped around, trembling to the rhythm of my frantic pulse. They were surrounding me. Dozens of them. As classic as any clown could be. Colorful clothes, big shoes, silly hair, exaggerated makeup. I wasn't scared of clowns, as long as they were where they belonged. And they didn't belong here, staring at me with big, empty eyes and yellow, toothy grins.
I tried to convince myself that they weren't dangerous since they didn't have weapons and didn't seem monstrous, but when they took a step closer in unison, I jumped back, nearly falling into the pond. The ducks remained oblivious, still swimming in their circle. The distorted circus music got louder, and my hair stood on end when I saw the grass ripple in front of each clown. They were sending something my way through the ground.
Panicking, I jumped into the pond, and I screamed as I sank right in. There was no bottom. There was no water either. The pond was filled with red, translucent spheres, each the size of a tennis ball. Still able to breathe, I began swimming through the spheres with clumsy breast strokes, just hoping I could end up as far away from the clowns as possible.
After swimming for what felt like enough time, I tried to swim up, until I realized I had no idea which direction I was facing. Remember a trick for those stuck in avalanches, I spat, but my glob of saliva just hovered in front of me. Before panic could set in, I noticed what looked like an office desk floating amidst the spheres in the distance. After blinking a few times to make sure it was really there, I swam towards it, desperate for any change in my situation.
It was an office desk, a wooden one with carved borders and locked drawers. Tucked beneath it was a stool, and the moment I pulled it out and set it under my ass, an office replaced the red spheres.
I grunted as gravity returned, and I looked around in bewilderment at the cluttered bookshelves and grimy floors. Dust was floating everywhere, highlighted by the red light filtering in through the blinds behind me. I jumped as a clock hanging on the wall chimed. Its glass was too dirty for me to tell the time, but I was glad I could hear. I coughed at the dust. And I could make noise. I dusted my hands. And I could feel. I could even smell, which I now wished I couldn't as I wrinkled my nose at the faint stench of rot.
After failing to read the spines of some of the books on the shelves, I studied the shadowy corners of the room. A slack-jawed skeleton hung in the far end, and a faded poster with anatomical diagrams curled off a cupboard. This had to be a doctor's office. Was the creator of this dream a doctor?
A silhouette slid in front of the frosted glass door, and I gulped as the knob began to turn. A hand reached in, gripping the edge one finger at a time, and my heart dropped as I knew this horror cliche was only going to be followed by another. Having no time to think, I slid off the stool and crouched beneath the desk, my hand over my mouth as cobwebs clung to me.
Praying spiders wouldn't swarm me, I peeked through a small slit in the wood, and I froze when an emaciated nurse walked in the room. Layers upon layers of blood coated her scrubs, so much so that I couldn't even tell what color they originally were. She had no shoes. No feet either. Just ankle stubs, and my stomach turned as I heard bone clunk against the tiles.
A surgical mask covered her face, as bloodstained as her scrubs, and grimy lab goggles obscured her eyes. I was grateful, because judging by the pus leaking out of her scabbed, balding scalp, I didn't want to know what her face looked like. The closer she got, the stronger the stench of rot became, and I struggled to keep myself from retching.
She stopped halfway into the room, and I gawked at her hands. They were transforming. Her fingers elongating into razor-edged blades. She then began to hunch over, and I cringed as her spine cracked and popped until she was as bent as a candy cane, her face staring at her pelvis.
As if that wasn't unsettling enough, her head creaked as it spun around 180 degrees, now facing the front, upside down. Right after, her arms shot to the ground, and I watched with increasing dread as she bent them at the elbows and wrists so they flanked her head like distorted T-Rex arms.
She spread her fingers out and took a few more steps towards me, and I held my breath, hoping she couldn't hear my rabid heart or smell my fear. Her ankle bones clicked and clacked against the tiles as she made her way around the desk, and I cowered as my frantic eyes searched for a weapon. I found none, but I did spy a brass button beside my head.
With her legs now an arms distance away, I had nothing to lose as I jammed my thumb into the button. The back of the desk flung open, and I scrambled to my feet and dashed out from my hiding place, screaming in response to the nurse screeching behind me. Bursting through the door, I held up my fists and began punching like a maniac in fearful anticipation of a horde of nurses swarming me.
Except I was no longer in a hospital. I was in an outdoor parking lot. Alone. And judging by the roiling red clouds, a storm was brewing. After a second to collect my bearings, I dove into the closest car, thankful it was unlocked. The moment I slammed the door shut, lightning blinded me as thunder cracked and the downpour began. Sighing in relief, I tried to shake away my adrenaline, but the bloodshot eyes in my rearview mirror reignited my panic.
Before I could react, a belt snapped over my neck, pinning my head back against the headrest. With a frightened wheeze, I clawed at the leather, and I flinched as hot, heavy breath wafted across my ear. Gagging at the putrid smell, I reached over, desperate to scratch my strangler's face or poke their eyes out.
I felt their greasy hair and tried to pull it, but my fingers refused to hold on. I tried again and again, using my nails for purchase, but the strands just kept slipping out of my weak grip. Shifting focus, I tried to claw at their eyes, but it felt as though I was moving through molasses as my hand slid down their face. Once I felt a wet, bulbous eye, I tried to scratch it, but I didn't have enough strength to do anything damage.
My frustration clashed with my terror and I tried to punch them, but my arm swung back in slow motion and merely prodded a stubbly cheek. Tears welled in my eyes as I writhed and gasped, my strangler's laugh adding insult to injury. Despite knowing death will set me free, fear and self-preservation rummaged through my mind, searching for a solution. And they found one.
Hoping I had enough grip and energy, I reached down and found the reclining lever. Wrapping my fingers around it tight, I jerked it up and heaved my body back, and I gulped in a deep breath as I fell backwards, the belt now slack. Not at all prepared to face my attacker, I slipped out from beneath the belt, flung open the door, and zoomed out into the storm.
Sheets of rain obscured my vision, but not enough for me to see that the keys were left inside a red convertible. After making sure no one was hiding in the back, I jumped in, started the engine, and took off, the wheels squealing through the puddles. A sole street curled down a hill, and I took it, adrenaline pumping in waves through my quivering body.
This rush was a confusing mixture of exhilaration and apprehension. I wanted out, but I wasn't giving up. I made it this far, and I was going to survive every cliche this masochist dreamed up. Sharks? Snakes? Zombies? Bring it on. And afterwards, I was going to detail every single trial and tribulation I went through as I sued the dream bank for all the trauma they caused me.
Up ahead, the road curved, and I gasped as it ended in a cliff. I slammed the breaks, but they didn't do anything. Breaking out in a cold sweat, I slammed them again and again as I yanked the hand break as far as it would go. The car refused to slow down, and I cursed myself for not anticipating this cliche. In a move of desperation, I swerved, but it wasn't enough as the car careened over the edge and took me with it.
My heart hung in my throat as I hung on to the steering wheel, my knuckles white, my screams frozen in my lungs, the raindrops like needles. An endless body of water spread below me, and I knew sharks were my next challenge. I screwed my eyes shut as I awaited the inevitable plunge …
… and I gasped as the car crashed against the surface.
I lurched forward, and I cried out as I bashed my forehead against the wheel. Groaning, I leaned back, my ears ringing as I looked around, disoriented. I was still in the convertible, but we were right side up, having crashed into the concrete wall of an indoor garage. Blood trickled down my face and I reached up, only to feel around my head in shock.
I was wearing the helmet.
Why was it in the dream?
Or had I made it out?
I looked down. I wasn't naked. My pyjamas were plastered to my sweat-soaked skin. I was out. I looked around at the broken glass and mangled metal in confusion. But if I was finally out, why was I in a car and not between silk sheets?
I removed the helmet, and a yell from behind made me jump. I turned to see one of the dream techs running towards me. Was she always that skinny? And why were her scrubs red instead of the usual blue?
She made it to me, panting as she took the helmet out of my hands, and I wrinkled my nose at her unpleasant breath. She said I'd had a nightmare and began sleepwalking, and I'd left the dream bank and stole a car from their underground parking before she triggered a wake-up signal in the helmet, which made me crash.
I stared at her, not believing what I was hearing. I told her I'd booked a projection, not a recording, and she gave me a concerned frown and claimed the opposite. Anger replaced my confusion, and I called her a liar and accused them of misconduct, and she reminded me that dreams can only be unlocked by the dreamer.
Furious, I cursed at her as I tried to get out of the car, demanding to see my file. She was quick to tell me not to move in case I made my injuries worse as she pulled out her phone and said she was going to call an ambulance.
While I sat there and waited, fuming, I glimpsed my reflection in the dangling rearview mirror. Unease rippled beneath my skin and I sat up, grabbing the mirror and angling it to show my neck.
There was an angry red mark across it.
As though I was recently strangled.
Trembling, I tilted the mirror up.
Cobwebs. Stuck in my hair.
Dumbstruck in utter stupefaction, I scanned the rest of my body. My pyjamas were dirty and there was black under my fingernails, but the rest of my examination was cut short by tinny circus music. A chill jolted down my spine and I whipped my head to face the dream tech. That was her ringtone. She smiled as she answered the call, and I drew back at her yellow, toothy grin.
What was going on? I was out of the dream, I knew I was. Had everything been real? What had the dream bank done with me? Done to me?
Ambulance sirens wailed as they entered the underground parking, and the flashing red lights reflecting off the walls triggered my recent traumas. With terror-fueled adrenaline flooding my veins, I jerked my legs free of the wreck, jumped out of the car, and booked it, the dream tech's yells merging with the screeching sirens behind me.
SR

Summer's right around the corner and temps are already rising! Come get some smokin' deals on good quality stuff! I've got a variety of great pieces for y'all this weekend 👌🏽
🚚 all items will be shipped on Mon 6/12 🚚
▪︎ BIN anything in the post and I'll include 1 freebie! Freebie may be (at my discretion) a physical item (wheat cent, buffalo nickel, $1 clad coin, etc) or free/upgraded shipping. One freebie per person.

□□□□□ proof □□□□□

◇👽- I do accept trades. Whatcha got? -👽◇

¤¤¤ US 90% silver coins🍴 ¤¤¤

1. 1923 Peace dollar proof-like, excellent details..... $50 🙀
   
2. 1922-S Peace dollar low relief, great condition for a yeamint combo notorious for weak strikes... some dings & scratches..... $35
   
3. 1952 Booker T. Washington/George Washington Carver commemorative half dollar - high AU..... $25
   
4. $6fv Franklin half dollars, all readable dates..... 24x fv @ $144 pending
   
5. $2fv mercury dimes, all readable dates..... 23x fv @ $46 pending
   
6. 1991 USO commemorative silver dollar - 0.76 ozt silver..... $35
   
7. 1904 Barber half dollar..... $20
   

💖💖💖 jewelry 💖💖💖

1. ⚜ 14k white gold fleur-de-lis earrings w/ diamonds.... $265 ⚜
   
2. 🌬 14k white gold J hook earrings w/ brilliant channel-set diamonds... quite possibly the nicest earrings I've ever seen! Pics and vids do not do them justice, but here's some gifs: left right $386 💎
   
3. 💍 size 6 14k yellow gold & platinum ring with five drop-dead 2mm diamonds..... $275
   
4. 💓5/8" 10k white gold heart pendant with three pink sapphires & three gorgeous round diamonds..... $145
   
5. 💠 3/4" 10k white gold pendant with a lovely 3.2mm solitaire diamond..... $175
   
6. 🌟 1/3" yellow gold (unsure of gold purity) pendant with lustrous 3.25mm diamond..... $195
   
7. 🔗 18" Sterling silver .925 double chain link dainty necklace, 1.8mm thick..... $20
   

add-on ONLY to any purchase:

📦 brand new genuine Air-Tite capsules for 1oz bars 🇺🇸 : $1.50/ each for 1-10 $1.25/each for 11-25 $1.10/each 26-50
$1fv Washington quarters, readable dates..... 21x fv @ $21 pending
$0.40fv Barber dimes, readable dates..... 24x fv @ $9.60 pending
💰 payment: zelle (preferred), cashapp, venmo, crypto (+ 1%) friends and family -- no notes! 🍒 use an emoji if note is needed 💰
♤ shipping: $1 risky, $5 first class & $10 priority (CONUS). insurance add 1% ♤
• I ship within 24 business hours of sale. I package well and use a lot of layers and tape. Should an issue arise with delivery, I will do my best to make you whole.
• jewelry: all stones have been tested unless otherwise stated; all color and clarity statements are my opinion and have not been verified by a gemologist. all stated sizes are approximate.
• coins: I try to show detail and describe them but I am not a coin dealer or grader. all coins are as found none have been cleaned by me.

🪐 other[worldly] bundles, PM or chat 🪐

👀 stay tuned more stuff being added daily!
🤑 thanks for stopping by!

Hello everyone,
Unrelated to 'linuxaudio', I recently switched from Windows to Linux and frankly it's been great. I don't favour any distros (yet), but I'm currently using Mint 21.1 because I like the look of it.
As for audio, I've been using Fruity Loops on a Windows machine sporadically for about 8 years. FL worked and it was enough, I suppose, but now that my heart is set on Linux (I never want to go back to windows!) it's not gonna be an option anymore, is it?
I have a Scarlett 6i6 1st gen and I was actually able to use it with my Linux machine, but I think it broke recently. Not long after successfully testing the interface with PulseAudio, I switched to PipeWire completely and haven't been able to use my beloved Scarlett since. I tested it on my old windows machine and while FL detected all the inputs and outputs, it was super super laggy and weird and there was no real signal.
PipeWire, on the other hand, does not detect most inputs and none of the outputs, but the inputs it does detect actually work (mic/instrument on the front).
I went to my local music equipment store and they also think it's probably a hardware malfunction. They let me test my PipeWire setup with a Steinway interface and we were able to find all the I/Os using qpwgraph.
Well, I tend to be a bit hasty, so I bought a new interface (Arturia MiniFuse 4) as it has pretty much the same I/Os as the 6i6 did. I initially ignored the usual installation instructions (for obvious reasons, I hope) and plugged it right in. In the sound settings I found analogue and digital inputs and outputs, but in qpwgraph some line and the midi I/Os are not shown.
This was when I looked at the online instructions and realised that I needed to activate the product to get additional control software and such to use all the features... and of course the software is not available for Linux.
It all kind of demotivated me, but I see three things that I could do from here:
- This comment suggests that by activating the MiniFuse 4 I might be able to install the latest firmware, which might solve my problems. On the other hand, I don't know if I can return it if it doesn't work.
- I could also try to find someone to fix my old interface, but I don't know about that. It's quite old and it might not even work in the end.
- I found out about reverb.com and this list and I could try to get a good deal for one of the interfaces from the list marked 'gold'.
However, I don't feel like making that decision today and this post is already quite long and, most importantly, for all of you who have made it this far, I appreciate your time <3<3<3. Please feel free to comment on anything mentioned in my post, I really feel like I can learn from others no matter the perspective.

This subreddit has been an amazing resource for my solo trip prep over the last few months so now it's my turn to give back. I did not have a set budget in mind since I save diligently for my trips. I am fairly well-traveled, a late 30s, solo traveler. This was my first time in Japan and my goals were a mixture of eating, exploring history, enjoying some theme parks, and enjoying experiences that only Japan could offer.
Total USD Spend: 17 days (2 travel days) came out to about $4200 USD total: * Flight: $1050 * Accommodations: $1400 * Food and Snacks: $1000 * Transportation (IC card, buses, trains): $250 * Theme Park & Novelty Experiences: $400 * Misc (souvenirs, shopping): $200 I typically budget out about $5K USD for my trips and Japan was definitely on the higher side of the budget, but again, I splurged on some fantastic restaurants, premiere entry at Universal Studios Osaka, along with numerous day trips. As others have mentioned here, I also averaged between 25K-30K steps a day. I’m in decent shape but walking 10-15 miles everyday definitely took its toll and my body shut down for a day.
Day 0: Landed in Osaka in the late afternoon and ended up wandering Dotonbori for a few hours since my hotel was located a block away. Ended up eating some very mediocre ramen at a stand in Dotonbori which was pretty disappointing, but the carbs were enough to knock me out. Day 1: Woke up early to walk around Dontobori at 5am and then headed out to few unique temples, including Namba Yasaka Jinja. Hopped onto the subway to enter Ueno Sky Tower, and overall, it was meh, I didn’t stay long just taking a few pictures and walked around Ueno for a few hours before heading to the Pokemon Cafe in Shinsaibashi. As others have noted, the food was very mediocre, but it was a fun experience nonetheless. Spent the rest of the evening getting drinks in Dotonbori before calling it a night.
Day 2: A full day at Universal Studios Japan to experience Super Nintendo World. I splurged on the express passes that gave me full access to a bunch of rides. SNW is pretty fucking awesome and I had a blast riding the Yoshi and Mario Kart rides, all the while taking taking in the atmosphere. The premiere pass also gave me access to a few additional rides including Harry Potter, Doraemon VR, and Jurassic Park. Had a late dinner at Kyushu Ramen getting their famous chashu ramen and it did not disappoint.
Day 3: Spent most of the day exploring Kuromon Ichiba Market, the local malls, and Dotonbori trying some street food. Went back to my hotel room and just relaxed for the rest of the day since jet lag was still bothering me. Watched some sumo matches on random Japanese tv before calling it a night.
Day 4: Took a day trip to Himeji to see the Himeji Castle. What a fantastic piece of history! I spent hours just taking in the sites and the nearby garden also highly recommended. Afterward, I had my first taste of Kobe beef in the form of a beef bowl at Kushiyaki Kobe Beef. Fantastic little hole-in-the-wall place with some really nice people working the counter. Took the train from Himeji directly to Nara where I was planning to stay the night. Day 5: Spent the entire day playing with the thousands of deer and checking out some local temples, including Todai-ji. I didn't do anything in Nara that hadn't been mentioned enough times here, but as others have said, a day trip or one day is more than enough time in the area. Took a late train to Kyoto. Day 6: Woke up in the early morning to beat the crowds to enjoy Fushimi Inari. Hiked the entire loop (about 2-3 hours) with only a fraction of the crowds, enjoyed some macha soft serve at the peak of the hill, and took my time going back down right rwhen the army of tourists and tour groups arrived. Grabbed an overly expensive Kobe beef stick from one of the food stalls by the temple gates and then spent an hour at a cute coffee shop called Rickshaw Cafe just people watching before grabbing an early dinner at Ramen Sen-no-Kaze. The food was solid, but it took 90 minutes to get a table. Not worth it and in hindsight I would have left.
Day 7: Woke up early again to check out the highly overrated Arashimyama bamboo forest. It was pretty underwhelming, but I did get a few nice photos before the crowds arrived. Strolled through the park and really enjoyed walking along the Katsura River seeing the catfish waiting to be fed and seeing the fishing boats tied up. A very tranquil place. After the nice long stroll, I walked back-and-forth the Togetsukyo Bridge and Kimono Forest (meh). The highlight of the morning was really Tenryu-Ji and the amazing zen garden. After a few hours taking in the peacefulness and silence, took the city bus to Kinkaku-ji, and the crowds were in full swing. Still totally worth seeing in person although it didn’t last very long. Day 8: A full day experiencing the Philosopher’s Path on a gorgeous sunny day. Too sunny since I got some pretty bad sunburns! I visited too many amazing temples, including Kiyomizo-dera, along with old Gion, although I thought the area was bit overhyped. I preferred the smaller, more peaceful temples away from the mass of tourists. Some of my favorites during my day exploring old Kyoto included Eikan-do, a more secluded temple up in the hills, Nanzen-Ji, with its beautiful aqueduct, and just walking the streets aimlessly for a few hours. Went to Nishiki Market and ate some amazing oysters at Daiyasu. If you love oysters, this is the spot to try it! Spent too much money on oysters and decided to go cheap and ate at Kura Sushi. The food was mediocre by Japanese standards, but blows away the quality and cost of the Kura Sushi restaurants in my hometown of Los Angeles.
Day 9: Took an early morning train to Kanazawa. Enjoyed my first ekiben while taking in the sights from the comfort of the Thunderbird Limited Express. Spent the rest of the day visiting the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (meh) and Kenrou-ken, probably the most beautiful garden in the Kanda province. Wrapped up the day by visiting the D.T Suzuki Museum and wow, the tranquil pool area was amazing. Do yourself a favor and stand on the corner and just stare at the water. You’ll feel like the entire world is moving along on a plane and you’re the one that is frozen in place. It was pretty trippy. Ate well at Mori More Sushi Omicho and stopped by the Pokemon Center to pick up the exclusive Pikachu Kimono figure only available in the Kanazawa store.
Day 10: Torrential rain the entire day but I powered throughit with my trusty umbrella. Enjoyed breakfast and snacks at the Omicho Market, enjoying a tuna-don at one of the stalls, fresh uni, and more oysters. Not cheap but fresh! Walked around the Higashi Chaya District, doing a bit of window shopping and ate some gold leaf macha soft serve at Kaikaro, spending more time people watching. Walked around the Kanazawa Castle Park in all its empty glory as well as the Oyama Shrine. The castle was pretty underwhelming esp. after seeing Himeji so I probably would have skipped it in hindsight. Wrapped up the day visiting the Naga-machi District, probably my favorite part of Kanazawa. Had more sushi at Sushi Rekireki Omicho, an enjoyable omakase.
Day 11: Took the Shinkansen to Tokyo eating the most expensive ekiban I could find, and spent the rest of the entire day in Asakusa in Tokyo. Walked around Senso-ji, had a few beers in Hoppy Street, and finally tried Ichiran. Called it an early day since I would be doing DisneySea in the early morning.
Day 12: Took the express bus from Tokyo Skytree to DisneySea. Thanks to the early forecast of rain, the park was barely 50% full? The longest wait for most rides was under 20 minutes so I was lucky enough to ride everything at least once. My meals consisted of a bunch of unique Dsney parki food: gyoza hot dogs, alien mochi, Mike watermelon bread, etc. Stayed until the fireworks and went straight back to the hotel and crashed. That was a 40K step day!
Day 13: Visited Akihabara, spending way too much money on crane games, browsing retro games, and looking at figures. Headed to Shibuya to eat breakfast for lunch at A Happy Pancake (meh). Went to the Nintendo Store in the PARCO mall, only to be disappointed to find out that all of the Nintendo World store t-shirts were sold out. Actually everything semi-interesting was sold out. Went up to Shibuya Sky to watch the sunset, spending a few hours just watching the day slowly turn into night. Did the Scramble a few times and then headed to Shinjuku where I’d be located for the last few days.
Day 14: Another torrential rainstorm sadly ruined my plans of visiting Shinjuku Gyoen, Meiji Jingo, and Harajuku. Maybe next time. I was hoping to buy Tokyo Giants tickets but they were all sold out so I ended up going to the Tokyo National Museum. I won’t lie, I was pretty bored, and in hindsight I wish I went to the neighboring National Museum of Nature and Science instead. After strolling Ueno Park in the rain, I was craving tonkatsu and googled Tonkatsu Yamabe. Good decision as it was the best tonkatsu I had in Tokyo. Went to a nearby Taito Game Station wasting more money on crane games before heading back to Shinjuku. The area is insane and in hindsight, I would probably pick somewhere like Shibuya or Ueno, somewhere slightly more chill. Day 15: One of my favorite days in Tokyo! Teamlabs Planets lives up to the hype but ONLY if you can get first admission at 9am. It was glorious to be among the first people in the exhibits as I could take in experience the way it was intended. There were only a few people in each room giving each space such a great, peaceful, and chill vibe. Headed to Ginza to the Michelin-rated Sushi Toyama, where I had a chance to finally experience bluefin toro (worth it!). Probably the most expensive lunch ever but it was quite the experience. A sunny and beautiful day, I bought a bunch of souvenirs and clothes (a 12-story Uniqlo with its own coffee shop, Muji Ginza, Ginza Six), checked out my favorite Toy Story in Japan, Hakuhinkan Toy Park, intricate stationary stores like Itoya, and went to a very popular Ginza Starbucks to people watch. Spent the evening in Shinjuku exploring Golden Gai getting swarmed by Nigerian dudes. Wanted to try a hole-in-wall ramen spot in the area but the line was stupid long so I ended up just going to Kyushu Ramen and was satisfied enough. A good day.
Day 16: With the break in clouds the day before, I decided to call an audible and set up a last minute day trip to Mount Fuji. Took an express bus from Shinjuku to Fushiyoshida and got dropped off in front of Chureito Pagoda. It was cloudy for most of the day, but for the last several hours I saw Mount Fuji in all its glory. It was a gray day but no complaints — it was nice to cross another bucket list item from the list.
Wow, this was much longer than I anticipated. Well if you got this far, feel free to ask any questions! In the meantime, I'll be planning my next trip to Japan soon!

According to a national study on child abuse conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in India with the support of UNICEF, Save the Children and Prayas, it was discovered that child sexual abuse is a widespread problem affecting both boys and girls in the country. The study found that boys also face significant sexual abuse, as more than half of the respondents who reported abuse were boys:
​

A questionnaire was administered to 12,447 children belonging to the five different categories of children in family environment, children in schools, children in institutions, children at work and street children in 13 different states. The major findings of this survey were:
• Out of the total child respondents, 53.22% reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Among them 52.94% were boys and 47.06% girls.
• The age wise distribution of children reporting sexual abuse in one or more forms showed that though the abuse started at the age of 5 years, it gained momentum 10 years onward, peaking at 12 to 15 years and then starting to decline. This means that children in the teenage years are most vulnerable.
• The significant finding was that contrary to the general perception, the overall percentage of boys was much higher than that of girls.
• In fact 9 out of 13 States reported higher percentage of sexual abuse among boys as compared to girls, with states like Delhi reporting a figure of 65.64%.
• Out of the total child respondents, 20.90% were subjected to severe forms of sexual abuse. Out of these 57.30% were boys and 42.70% were girls.
• 76% children were subjected to other forms of sexual abuse. Out of these 53.07% were boys and 46.93% were girls.
• Assam reported the highest incidence of sexual abuse among both boys and girls. 62.55% boys and 51.19% girls from Assam reported facing one or more forms of sexual abuse, which was highest amongst all the 13 sample states. This was followed by Delhi with 54.66% boys and 22.54% girls and Bihar with 35.89% boys and 30.40% girls reporting high incidence of sexual abuse. The Goa figures of 2.55% boys and 2.17% girls do not seem to be in line with the general perception.
• Across the country, every second child was being subjected to other forms of sexual abuse and every fifth child was facing severe forms of sexual abuse.
• Children on streets, children at work and children in institutional care reported the highest incidents of sexual abuse.
• 77% children did not report the matter to anyone.
• 50% abuses are persons known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility.

(https://www.legalserviceindia.com/legal/article-4985-child-sexual-abuse-in-india.html)
​

The questionnaire relating to young adults looked at sexual assault in two forms: one penetration of anus and vagina by objects, and second penetration by penis and oral sex. Out of the 2324 young adult respondents, 10.33% reported having been subjected to sexual assault of one or both forms. When looked separately, 9.2% of young respondents reported penetration by penis and 7.4% by objects. The high percentage of young adults reporting penetration by an object is a reflection of the brutality perpetrated on children. The gender break up of all young adult respondents having faced sexual assault during childhood revealed that more males (58.33%) faced one or both forms of sexual assault as compared to females (41.67%).

​
Boys are vulnerable to victimization by both male and female perpetrators, and they usually don't understand that they were sexually abused:
​

Other interesting findings included that in India, some of the boys in the sample study were abused by women too, which was not found in other participating countries. The India report went further with the narrative of physical strength to include independence and knowledge about how to have sex. Or only in India did some of the respondents state the expectation for men to know about 'how to have sex'. What was suggested in all the reports was that boys do not appear to understand that boys can be sexually abused. They could give examples of sexual abuse, but the focus always appeared to be the abuse of girls. That is, many of the male respondents did not know what they had experienced was abuse, and often what is legally defined as abuse was described by a boy as experimentation or even as transactional.

(https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2022/04/13/decade-after-pocso-campaign-aims-to-highlight-male-sexual-abuse.html)
​
Furthermore, there's a harmful stigma associated with male child victims of sexual abuse. While cases of sexual abuse faced by girls are vastly underreported in India, the NCRB data reveals that cases involving boys are substantially more underreported, despite the enactment of gender-neutral child sexual abuse laws:
​

“Crime in India” 2019 report by The National Crime Record Bureau revealed that registration of cases under the POCSO Act has increased by 18.9 per cent. While, of the 26,192 cases filed under POCSO Act that has rape charges, 25,934 were girls, and only 258 were boys. Even after the implementation of POCSO (gender-neutral law), it can be seen that there is a very low rate of reporting and help-seeking among victims of sexually abused boys in India.

(https://childsafetyatwork.com/minor-boys-sexual-abuse-an-ignored-reality-in-india/)
​
The phenomenon of male sexual abuse isn't just confined to the domain of children, either. Delhi-based Centre for Civil Society found that approximately 18% of Indian adult men surveyed reported being coerced or forced to engage in conjugal relations. Of those, 16% claimed a female perpetrator and 2% claimed a male perpetrator.
Source: A Case for Gender-Neutral Rape Laws in India
While we can't say much about the accuracy and conclusions of such surveys, we don't have any official data regarding adult male victims of sexual crimes in India to work with, on account of the failure of our rape and sexual assault laws to recognize them. For a multitude of reasons, there exists a serious scarcity of information about this topic.
​
Moreover, while discussions on this topic typically center around women, it's worth acknowledging that men also face sexual harassment in significant numbers, as highlighted by the The Economic Times-Synovate Survey:
​

In an interesting new trend, a substantial 38% of the respondents agreed that in today’s workplaces, even men are as vulnerable to sexual harassment as women. In Hyderabad and Mumbai, 55% of the respondents agreed to this point. Many of the corporates and PSUs ET spoke to agree to this new trend and point out that many male employees do not come out in the open and file complaints because they feel they will not be believed, considering India’s social beliefs. They usually seek a transfer to get out of the situation or find a new job.

And, in contradiction to prevailing notions, it's not just men who sexually harass; the survey found that female perpetrators of workplace sexual harassment were as prevalent as male ones.
​
Some more indications:
​

During Ungender’s brainchild ‘Project Jagruk’, a sensitization and awareness drive regarding the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 conducted in Police Stations of South Delhi, many Police personnel wished to know if the act to applied to men as well. Many male victims of sexual harassment had approached them with complaints. When these police personnel were told that the act specifically applied only to women, they wished to know when men would also be protected from sexual harassment.

(https://www.ungender.in/why-india-inc-needs-to-protect-men-against-sexual-harassment-at-workplaces-in-india-case-for-gender-neutral-policies)
​
This article on The Hindu depicts several instances of sexual harassment faced by men including stalking, sexual harassment at workplace and sexual assault.
​
In India, the issue of sexual harassment against men is customarily overlooked, with a lack of public awareness and recognition of male vulnerability. Moreover, the absence of comprehensive legal frameworks contributes to the culture of silence surrounding male victimhood:
​

The issue is so entirely neglected in men that even our legal system is obsolete of laws protecting men from sexual harassment. The sexual assault laws of our country have been devised such as that they clearly state their existence exclusively for women. The sections 354, 509, and 376 of the Indian Penal Code which deal with sexual assault, namely, outraging the modesty of a woman, eve teasing and committing rape of a woman, all assume that men cannot be subjected to these crimes. The Vishakha guidelines which aims to prevent sexual harassment in work places are also just limited to women.
“According to the Indian law, modesty, if at all, exists only in women,” says ex-IPS officer Uday Sahai on the issue of male sexual harassment. “The only form in which a wrong sexual advancement on a man is recognized as an offence is as sodomy under the 377 section of the IPC. Apart from that there is no law to punish a person for molesting a man,” he further explains.

(https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sexual-harassment-of-male-a-reality-but-remains-a-taboo)
​
Some factors that discourage men from speaking up about their encounters:
​

The fear of not being taken seriously is not the only reason which prevents men from reporting sexual harassment cases. The fear that a female perpetrator may, in fact, use sexual harassment laws to wrongly implicate the male victim (by alleging that it was the man who sexually harassed her) has led many male victims of sexual harassment to not formally complain.
. . .
The idea that a woman can sexually harass a man is still considered inconceivable in the Indian society. What makes it even more difficult for men to speak about such incidents openly is the tendency of others to perceive male victims of sexual harassment as "feminine" or "weak". The disbelief surrounding sexual harassment of men by women in India can also be attributed to the absence of data/statistics on this issue. This, in turn, becomes a vicious cycle where the fear of being disbelieved may cause a male victim of sexual harassment to not report such incidents, leading to further lack of statistics in such matters.

(https://www.firstpost.com/india/vijay-nair-sexual-harassment-case-rising-incidents-against-men-emphasise-need-for-gender-neutral-laws-in-india-3452286.html)
​
In 2016, the University Grants Commission issued regulations stating that sexual harassment is a gender-neutral issue, recognizing that male students are equally susceptible to various forms of sexual harassment, just like their female and transgender counterparts. Although this is only applicable to institutions of higher education, it's still a positive development. Additionally, Wipro Technologies and Infosys in Bangalore have gender-neutral complaint committees. It's also worth noting that around 77 countries have already embraced gender-neutral laws. Given the international progress, it's long overdue for India to follow suit.
​
As a final note, I feel strongly about this subject because, as a male, I've personally been a target of sexual misconduct. I've come across many other men who have reported similar experiences, and I hope that more men feel comfortable sharing their stories so that the distorted narrative of sexual abuse can eventually be challenged.

I’ve posted about this other places, but figure I’d ask one last place before making a final decision.
Long story short, we are both travel nurses, I’m [33 F] he’s [32 M]. We met at work, really really hit it off. We were joined at the hip for 2 months. However his contract ended, he tried to get a job in the area, however was unable to due to the market demands. My contract is still going until the end of July. The way he treated me didn’t feel like the way someone treated someone they just wanted to use for sex or just have fun with while you were here. I’m happy to elaborate if you feel you need more information in the comments or PM.
He and I both don’t talk about feelings well, it’s not our strong suit. So when he left a few days ago, and didn’t say anything about what happens next for us, in my gut I felt it as a rejection. However, there’s that nagging part of me that’s hopeful… a part that’s saying “well, you didn’t say anything and let him leave, maybe he’s in the same mindset and wants what you want but just didn’t say it”
My gut is telling me to bow out gracefully, but my friends and my heart want me to speak up. Any and all input would be appreciated.

For the last 5 years life has been hell. It started with my now ex (also kids father) attempting to beat me to death. Then two months later our house and everything we owned burned down due to faulty wiring. So me and my kids moved to a new city and started over. Things were great until I was bitten by a brown recluse. I didn’t realize it had also became infected with MRSA. I ended up going septic and luckily was at the emergency room when my heart gave out. Since I was in ICU I couldn’t work, which meant I had to have someone move our stuff into storage. The apartment manager assured us everything was taken care of and not to worry. I only had a month left on my lease at that point. We have lived in motel rooms since I was released from the hospital. I have done everything I can to get us into a home of our own. It is incredibly difficult to save any money when I am paying for our room too. Then I kept getting turned down everywhere I applied. Remember when I was trying not to die well that apartment manager placed an eviction against my record. I can’t afford to apply to very many places as I Dont have the money but every place I have applied automatically denies me. I have taken papers showing what happened. I paid the months rent that was owed. My youngest turned 9 last month and all she said she wanted was her own room and a house that she can have friends over to play. I sold plasma for two weeks so I could apply to a house that the owner assured me he would work with me. I just got the denial email. I Dont know what to do. I work 2 jobs and I try to be a good person. I Dont have the heart to tell my babies we didn’t get the house. They’re such good kids and they deserve a home and a normal life. I can’t afford to keep staying in this motel and I can’t get anyone to rent me a home. The government housing has a three year waiting list and it hasn’t opened for new applicants in a few years. I have no family and I don’t really know anyone in this city. I just want my kids to be able to be kids. Honestly they’re the only reason I keep fighting to survive. I Dont know what to do at this point.

I am a 34 year old female who lives in the Philippines. I am the breadwinner of my family, and always felt happy to be able to help so much. I work in a call center and don't make a lot, but for my situation here in Davao City Philippines, it has been sustaining me and my family.
Well, ever since our main E-Wallet of the Philippines called GCash allowed for easy conversion of pesos to crypto, there has been some acquaintances on Facebook that claimed how easy it was to make money from crypto, and ignorantly and perhaps a bit desperately, I converted some of my pesos to crypto and then to the online casino. It's deceptive at first because it allowed some easy winning, but over time it slowly starts to suck all my money and I panicked, trying to win it back.
After too many times, I realize that it not only has stolen my money, but my happiness also. As I realize that the money I lost was supposed to pay fir my family's food for the week, I began to cry and lose my senses. I feel like I am killing not only my own self of happiness and well being but also my family. I just want to go to sleep. I hate what I've done, and u want to destroy my phone, and never use casino again in my life.
I am drowning in despair, and I cannot even even stop my tears so that I can sleep. I feel like a fool.
If any sympathetic soul will have any desire to help me feed my family this week in between my working to restore what I've lost, please kindly send to Bitcoin address that I have on my gcash app. My name is Abby btw. Thank you for giving me your ear 😭😨
My bitcoin address:
bc1qdvxx5sdetwlpkt5tzx4nxlgrfh90feugv2ry9e

I am a 34 year old female who lives in the Philippines. I am the breadwinner of my family, and always felt happy to be able to help so much. I work in a call center and don't make a lot, but for my situation here in Davao City Philippines, it has been sustaining me and my family.
Well, ever since our main E-Wallet of the Philippines called GCash allowed for easy conversion of pesos to crypto, there has been some acquaintances on Facebook that claimed how easy it was to make money from crypto, and ignorantly and perhaps a bit desperately, I converted some of my pesos to crypto and then to the online casino. It's deceptive at first because it allowed some easy winning, but over time it slowly starts to suck all my money and I panicked, trying to win it back.
After too many times, I realize that it not only has stolen my money, but my happiness also. As I realize that the money I lost was supposed to pay fir my family's food for the week, I began to cry and lose my senses. I feel like I am killing not only my own self of happiness and well being but also my family. I just want to go to sleep. I hate what I've done, and u want to destroy my phone, and never use casino again in my life.
I am drowning in despair, and I cannot even even stop my tears so that I can sleep. I feel like a fool.
If any sympathetic soul will have any desire to help me feed my family this week in between my working to restore what I've lost, please kindly send to Bitcoin address that I have on my gcash app. My name is Abby btw. Thank you for giving me your ear 😭😨
My bitcoin address:
bc1qdvxx5sdetwlpkt5tzx4nxlgrfh90feugv2ry9e

everyone's newest favorite superhero spider(wing)man! he'll steal your hearts and your girl as well.
https://i.imgur.com/vAA9HQl.png

So it looks like I'm going to be continuing with this after all.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memory Transcription Subject: Kalva, Kratotl Retired Predator Disease expert
Date [Standardized Human Time] : 27th September 2136
ERROR: NEURAL CONNECTIONS PARTIALLY DAMAGED. MEMORY TRANSCRIPTION PARTIALLY CORRUPTED. CONTINUE? [Y/N]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My wings ache.
A lot of my body has been aching ever since some years ago.
But I suppose thats what {Corrupted Data} a scholar for much of your life.
I was not a particularly active person. Sure I did fly but flying anywhere in Venlil Prime was incredibly hard even for the strongest of all Kratotl living. Not that I would be flying here any time soon.
The slightly elevated slopes of Riverford would have been promising to me but I had been of course too busy studying on Predator Disease to do much about flying.
I've been an expert on the subject for many decades now. Helping identify patterns of non-sapient predators whenever they popped, providing advice for new Exterminator pods and assisting in trials of predator-diseased peoples across the belt. I've kept a impressive track record ove{Corrupted Data}.
I yawned and stretched my wings as I stepped out from my favourite cafe onto the nearly empty street. It was a fairly isolated place that has seen plenty of Riverfords elderly visitors and scholars throughout its long life, myself included. And personally I would rather keep its isolated nature like that.
I walked over to where my car was and opened its door. Some would say tha{Corrupted Data} but I liked this model and I would be rather be long in Inatala's embrace before I even change cars now.
As I entered the car, I heard something drop onto the floor of the car, and quite close to me too. I craned my aching neck over to the right car seat to see a weird cylindrical object of some kind. Curiously, I picked it up. From visual observation, this was a cylinder with some metal bits on one end with a hole and a rough exterior, presumably for grabbing-
​
[TRANSCRIPTION ENDS. REASON: INSTANT DEATH OF TRANSCRIPTION SUBJECT. CAUSE OF DEATH: POINT-BLANK EXPLOSION AND MULTIPLE MAJOR SHARPNEL WOUNDS. POST-MORTEM WOUNDS: 3RD DEGREE BURNS FROM IGNITED ELECTRONICS OF VEHICLE]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memory Transcription Subject: Tavr, Venlil Exterminator
Date [Standardised Human Time]: 10th November 2136
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I removed the helmet and placed it on the public bathroom's counter, checking the fur on top of my head. It was a soft pastel white with rather nice curls which I've been trying to keep on whenever I was on duty. As usual, it got ruffled by the helmet so I decided to put some water on my wool to see whether it would retain the shape.
Letting my fingers plap and flatten the wool into the shape I wanted it to be, I was reminded of my pod-on-duty eating Second Meal. None of us had our breakfast and Valim had bought us all hefty meals as a treat to make up for our dour moods.
Ah well, I suppose I can take my time with this and surprise them all with my new wool-style.
A toilet behind me flushed as whoever it was began to clean themselves up. I paid not much mind to the person in the cubicle as I bent down and applied more water to my wool.
When I looked up back into the mirror, I saw the following things:
Myself.
A Yotul in all black.
A set of white, sharp, predatory teeth in the center of their chest.
And a wire tied in a circle in one of their hands.
I turned around, feeling the grip of the Yotul on my fire-proof suit and the circular wire go around my neck as he violently threw me into the cubicle that he was hiding.
My jaw collided with the toilet, sending a shock of pain through my jaw. I did not have time to recover from this as the Yotul pulled the circular wire and my throat and began to strangle me.
I tried to get up, but the Yotul placed his weight against me to the point where I couldn't leverage my body to get an angle to push him off, neither could I call for anyone to help me from this predator-diseased primitive as his wire continued to tighten against my throat.
I squirmed around, flailing my limbs as I tried to grab at the Yotul to no avail, my vision starting to blur as I kept flailing. I barely even registered the cubicle door closing when the Yotul lifted me up and pulled me towards him.
I was getting desperate now. I was gonna blackout now and die to this Yotul here and now in this cubicle. I was hoping for anything, for my pod-members to come in and here the struggle, for anything!!
Then I remembered the knife I had in my boot. I had used it only once during my entire service to the Guild but it had saved before. It can save me again now!!
Desperately, I forced myself against the wire noose, constricting me even further than it already had and I swore I felt my eyes bulge out. But it did give me the angle needed to get to the concealed sheath in the boot and-
There was a firm hand on my wrist.
"Not today, you fuck!" said a grizzled, phlegmy voice.
And with that sentence, the angle that I was in was kept fixed as the Yotul pushed his foot against my back, now sealing my fate.
"I already faced that trick once before. Fool me once, but I'll make sure you'll never fool me twice!" he snarled at me as my vision went black.
[TRANSCRIPTION ENDS. REASON: EXPIRATION OF ALL BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES. CAUSE: PROLONGED STRANGULATION. POST-MORTEM WOUNDS: DEEP CUTS AND GASHES TO SUBJECTS THROAT]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Next]