Kevin gates 19 year old daughter

Lets set the record straight: I'm 19 and on a gap year I'm single I'm going to University in September
I've been porn free for 17 days now, I don't intend to slow down, I'm participating in Stay Clean June and it's benefiting me greatly.
I'm getting chores done around the house to preoccupy myself, I post here regularly whenever an urge arises, I'm learning guitar, running a half marathon in less than a week, going to a concert, all these things that AREN'T PORN.
but
at 19 years old, the sexual hormones flying off the charts. It's crazy, but I won't let those hormones make me watch porn or excessively masturbate, even if my mind screams at me sometimes.
So what are my goals? Well, the first one is obvious, beat this addiction, I'm 17 days going strong and although I had a few rough patches and closes calls where I nearly did turn on the phone for a quick session or accidentally bumped into a explicit image surfing instagram, getting the urge to scroll back, I won't let myself, I will not use porn to get off, I will use my imagination.
In regards to masturbation: Although this subreddit is not intended for not fapping or whatever, I'm not looking to eliminate masturbation entirely, it's just the level I was doing it when I was watching porn was ridiculous, at least twice a day, every day, for nearly 5 years!!!
With University approaching rapidly, kicking this addiction and cutting back on masturbation are my two goals for the summer, I tell myself I have the strength and power to do it, because I do, if I can go 17 days, why can't I do a month? If i can do Stay Clean June, what is stopping me from 2 months, 3 months, a whole year?
I've got this and so do you, stay strong guys and gals.

I'm a 15 year old girl. My girlfriend is 19. My girlfriend would randomly take off my pants or reach out my dress/skirt and start touching me. One time she beat me so badly I ended up throwing up. We have sex a lot. She gets me a lay on her lab just so that way she can get me completely naked. How do I get out? And the worst thing she has ever done was poor pepper in my vagina.

My dog (Simba) is 5 years old and a female, I have her since she's been 1 year old and she had already been reactive with people in some situations. I worked on it as I could and I ended up going hitchhiking and everything with her, we were traveling for the last few years and I always took care with her as best as I could and it seemed to have worked. 1 year ago I met my now girlfriend and 2 months ago we moved in together, shortly after simba fought with her 1.5 year old german sheparf (bitting on the neck hard) and he had to be brought into the vet. Since then we have talked to an animal behaviorist and we understood her condition much better (I had been quite naive as a dog owner, always thinking that she'd somehow "grow out" of those behaviors with enough training), I know that this can always happen again, and even though she can be quite intelligent and is not looking to cause trouble, she is very resource guarding about some things, especially food, which now made us especially afraid that something happens with my girlfriend's daughter (5 yo).
After all this time i don't feel like I can properly care for her any longer, we are both very busy people and she's most of the time alone in a little part of the house we sectioned out for her, she always wears a muzzle and otherwise mostly only gets to be outside in the garden on a big leash (she can jump the fence) and with a muzzle. I don't know where to start looking for someone new for her, and I am afraid to end up putting her in a shelter in autumn since in the winter I work a lot more and really don't have any time for her.
To anybody who has sucessefully re-homed their dog I'd love to know how you went about it. I am located in Austria/Portugal if you have even more local resources.

I'm 18 years old, and I'm about to go to college. I respect my physics teacher in grade 10 very much, because he always ignores all the mistakes of his students and creates conditions for those not taking Physics in college exams. He is very gentle, and generally speaking, he is like a second father. My sister(16F) is in his main class, and the teacher likes us both. In the first term, he was ill and had to absent from school, so I sent him a message to wish him good luck. From then on, he see me as his daughter :)) I plan to enter the physics major in national education university like him. He told me to try my best, pass the university entrance exam, then he will give his own textbooks and lectures to me, and let my sister enter the excellent student team. I told my parents, and they also went to his house and gave my teacher a present. Until last week, the teacher's short message "I miss you" frightened me. I don't know why my respected teacher would do such a thing. He probably pretended to help me and my sister for future use, which is probably se*ual assault. I told my mother and mother to stay away from the teacher and told us to be careful in school, especially when my sister was in the teacher's class. I will be away from school two weeks later so I don't care about the teacher's short messages, and then the teacher sent a lot of messages telling me to study hard and not care about anything, and I didn't answer. I forgot to go to his extra class today. He told me "why you didn't come to class" and said that" I will give the homework tomorrow". But I remember that in April, I was about to take an exam in my dream university and asked Physics teacher to teach me and give me references. He said that I would go to his private teacher's house and he will teach 1 student (me) , which is 7 kilometers away from my home. At that moment, I was afraid of traveling long distances, so I didn't come to class and told him to teach me online on Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, but he didn't teach me or gave me any references. Then he texted and told me to go to his house, and then asked me to stay in the classroom after school and asked me if I hated him for not coming to class. I was scared, so I had to say that I had a little accident on my way to his house, and I was afraid to go because I was going to college. In addition, he also raised my physics score from 9 to 10 so that I could have a high GPA and I can directly apply for my university. Is the teacher kind to me and my sister, or is he just manipulating our psychology?

We have been together 3 years. We were talking the other day and I mentioned how I may want to get braces again because when I had them before I never wore my retainer and my teeth grew back. He goes “ohhh yeah and wear pig tails too 😉”
I told him that was the creepiest shit ever, and that he was telling me he wants me to look like a child. He got really quiet and seemed embarrassed. I have not brought it up since then.
I was shocked to hear him say something like that. He is usually very very respectful and mild mannered. Literally the nicest guy I’ve ever dated. He does everything for me. During our entire relationship he has never said anything negative to me. He’s also fairly vanilla in bed as well. I’m just trying to paint a picture here so I can get some good advice. This event is truly the only negative thing I can say about our relationship at this point in time.
My thing is… maybe if it were just pigtails OR braces by themselves. A little creepy imo but whatever. But BOTH? I just don’t know what to think. Not to mention our age gap. However, he has only ever dated women his age before me. I pursued him so I don’t believe that is a factor.
ALSO, we have two 6 year old girls from previous relationships. I am over protective of my daughter to an extreme degree. I think that’s why this is bothering me so bad.
This is not something that I would end the relationship over, I think.
I just need some opinions. Am I over reacting? Should I talk to him about it? It’s such an uncomfortable topic but it’s bothering me.
Thank you!

Hi Everyone!
I'm finally pursuing my Master's degree. I'm 27 years old and have been working since I graduated uni at 19.
I recently got seeded with self-doubt when one of my friends mentioned that she hasn't seen anyone get anything for having a master's or PhD and someone told me about their mom living in debt despite having a master's from UOW. I definitely want to pursue this since it's been a personal goal to get a master's degree before I turn 30.
Maybe I'm not looking at this subreddit well enough but was wondering if anyone here has/knows anyone with a Master's degree and if it positively impacted their career in the UAE?

soo hello people of reddit, i am looking to talk to new people, listen to their experiences and share mine as well, im 19 years old, gamer, computer science student, indian ( just your typical avg guy ) .... i love to listen to people, read books, and listen to linkin park on repeat
​
thanks for reading my post, my dms are open, feel free to reachout to me :)

(English isn’t my first language so I apologise in advance for maybe some bad grammar etc)
Hiii I am 21 years old and got diagnosed with adhd when I was 19. So I still have a lot of things to learn about how this works and how to live my daily life.
I got diagnosed because my mom went to get tested and found out she also has adhd. And because I am very much the same as my mom she suspected the same for me. I was able to get through high school without too much struggle because I thrived on the routine I had. I had track and field 3 times a week which also helped a lot. I had my mom who could help me when it got rough at school so I had the support I needed.
But for the past year now I’ve been living on my own (3 hours away from my parents) because of my university and during this period of living alone I have been seriously struggling to do basic tasks (especially now since I am in between two schools because I quit the previous one). My whole routine is gone and it’s been really tough to get back in one. Yes I have had therapy but my sessions have all been used, so I can’t continue with the same person. In those sessions we have established that I am very capable of getting back in a routine, so I know I am able to do it. But this time it is taking very long.
So that’s why I want to try some (self help) books about adhd in women. But I don’t know which ones are the best or which ones are more fitting for someone my age. I also don’t know where I have to look for these kind of books.
Sooooo maybe you awesome people have some recommendations for me.
Thank you guys a lot. :)
<3

(English isn’t my first language so I apologise in advance for maybe some bad grammar etc)
Hiii I am 21 years old and got diagnosed with adhd when I was 19. So I still have a lot of things to learn about how this works and how to live my daily life.
I got diagnosed because my mom went to get tested and found out she also has adhd. And because I am very much the same as my mom she suspected the same for me. I was able to get through high school without too much struggle because I thrived on the routine I had. I had track and field 3 times a week which also helped a lot. I had my mom who could help me when it got rough at school so I had the support I needed.
But for the past year now I’ve been living on my own (3 hours away from my parents) because of my university and during this period of living alone I have been seriously struggling to do basic tasks (especially now since I am in between two schools because I quit the previous one). My whole routine is gone and it’s been really tough to get back in one. Yes I have had therapy but my sessions have all been used, so I can’t continue with the same person. In those sessions we have established that I am very capable of getting back in a routine, so I know I am able to do it. But this time it is taking very long.
So that’s why I want to try some (self help) books about adhd in women. But I don’t know which ones are the best or which ones are more fitting for someone my age. I also don’t know where I have to look for these kind of books.
Sooooo maybe you awesome people have some recommendations for me.
Thank you guys a lot. :)
<3

Like others, I'd like to repay valuable advice and info gleaned from this sub. Unlike many on Reddit, we're getting up in years (M 73, F 70). That didn't keep us from doing just about anything younger people might do. You might consider passing this report along to your parents or other older folks who might be hesitant about taking an independent trip to Japan.
Here are a few highlights before getting to more detailed info in Part Two.
Biggest surprises: The quiet. We never had a noisy hotel experience. People on subways and trains are famously silent and when a car honked near us in Kamakura, a tourist town south of Tokyo, it was a shock. The pace of change. For a country renowned for cutting-edge technology, it still clings to some traditional ways. That goes for more modern habits, like masking (still around 90% in Tokyo subways on our last day), and the bottles of hand sanitizer in every shop doorway, restaurant and other public places. Cash isn't king but we definitely needed it, even in Tokyo. Fortunately, getting it was extremely easy. Food was even better than advertised. We're not extreme foodies but we like a good meal; we never had a bad one in four weeks. The famously efficient transit system was even easier and better than imagined. Taking luggage on subways and trains was never a problem (though we were careful to avoid the worst of rush hour). We took fewer taxis than expected, though when we did they were lifesavers.
Especially for Geezers: Our main concession to age was avoiding late nights out.
We're in reasonably good health, though one of us has minor knee issues. Escalators and elevators eased our way, occasionally, in public transit, but there was no getting around the ubiquitous stairs. We logged up to 6-to-8 mile (or more) walking days, sometimes going non-stop from morning 'til evening.
Two pair of comfortable shoes are a good idea, though advice about wearing slip-ons or shoes that don't require tying the laces is perhaps overdone. I wore my regular Nike jogging shoes and my partner chose On (for the elastic laces).
Before leaving home, we took long walks. Don't forget to go up and down as many stairs as you can find.
If you do your homework, you can find your way around on your own. The awesome power of the smartphone and the proliferation of signs in English or Romaji, especially in cities, has vastly eased Japan travel for us gringos (and other gaijin).
Here's one tip I haven't seen here: Arguably the best of the old Japan guidebooks in English, "Gateway to Japan" (last published in the 1990s), is now available in a digital edition. I downloaded it (for $10US) to the (free) Kindle app on my smartphone and my iPad. It has all the usual guidebook stuff, including good, historical info and smart ratings on places to see, plus walking tours and shopping and eating advice. It has embedded links to Google Maps that ease navigation. But please note: it isn't updated as frequently as other sources, so be sure to double-check with Japan Guide (or other online sites) on opening times, fees, etc.
One other pre-trip tip: If you're like me, you may be resistant to absorbing often mind-numbing background on the history, culture and traditions of another country. Shogun, the 1986 bestselling novel by James Clavell (later a motion picture), is an easy way to fix that problem for Japan. Get a library copy or cheap used paperback online. It's very long, but a page turner. And except for a plot device or two, it's a remarkably accurate portrayal of a key turning point in Japan's development. If you take the time to read it--and you should--you'll be surprised to discover when you get to Japan that you have a useful understanding of the people and society of today's Japan.
Trip prep: We're fairly experienced international travelers, less so in Asia. I spent six months in the pre-trip phase--which paid dividends in cheaper hotel rooms and tickets to hard-to-get attractions.
I did minimal language prep (about 10 half-hour lessons of Pimsleur's basic Japanese, borrowed from the library) and wish I'd done more. But even that paid massive rewards. Don't be an Ugly American; learn and use the basic courtesy words and phrases frequently mentioned on this site. It's easy and goes a long, long way. My favorite party trick was Gochisōsamadeshita ("thank you for the meal"), which never failed to elicit a polite response--sometimes a giggle--from restaurant staff.
I'd also underscore three vital tips often found here: Keep your voice down, walk on the left and don't blow your nose in public.
To narrow our options, I browsed many recent, general guidebooks (from the library) and online sites like Japan Guide and this one. I used Google Docs to compile itinerary and background info (the main itinerary document was about 25 pages long). During the trip, Japan Guide was our go-to reference for up-to-date info and links to individual attractions.
What we brought or bought: A sling bag and auxiliary smartphone battery (Anker MagGo for iPhone). I usually ran out of juice on my phone by midday, so the extra battery was a godsend. A stack of old-fashioned cotton handkerchiefs came in handy, since paper products like tissues are quite thin. We bought tiny folding umbrellas at Family Mart and stashed them in our sling bags on rainy days, along with a plastic bag to protect them when wet; they never failed us.
What we brought or bought and didn't need: Yes, it's hard to find places to toss your trash (heed the warnings on this sub) but advice about bringing plastic bags with you seems unnecessary. You can get bags at konbinis and other stores (they may charge a few pennies); we ended up tossing excess plastic bags at the end of the trip.
We brought little cloth hand towels, widely used by Japanese people, since public toilets often don't have ways to dry your hands. But we never actually used them.
Best apps and websites for getting around: Japan Travel from Navitime, loaded before leaving home. Along with Google Maps and the built-in compass feature on the phone, it made getting around a breeze. We loaded the Smart-Ex app for booking bullet trains before leaving and got our first train tickets at a discount.
Best of all, an IC card. We put Suica in our Apple Wallet, loaded with some yen before leaving home, and loved it. Be advised: Suica and Smart-Ex sometimes conflict in real life, requiring help from station personnel to get you through the gate. If you want to avoid that, download and print the QR code for your train ticket.
The Japan Meteorological Agency website and Weather dot com offer very reliable, up-to-date forecast info.
Cellphones: For various reasons, we used a combination of Verizon's fairly new $100 International Monthly Plan (250 minutes of phone, 250 messages and unlimited highspeed data for first 20GB) and Ubigi's $17 eSim. The Verizon was a mixed bag; it did let me use my phone as a hotspot but the quality of the signal depended on the local partner; I counted at least three--SoftBank, au and Docomo. I switched between my cellular plans, depending on signal strength in a location. Using my phone exclusively for navigation and web searching, I never hit the Verizon limit and needed about half the Ubigi 10GB.
Getting there: We chose to fly Premium Economy for the first time, mainly for comfort on the 13-hour flight, and found it worth the considerable extra expense. We're also glad we went non-stop (ANA), even though it meant spending the first night in Tokyo before zipping off to Kyoto.
Expenses: About $15K (USD) for 28 nights, not including airfare to and from Japan. This was our first overseas trip in more than 3.5 years, due to the pandemic, so we splurged a bit.
We spent almost a month and only scratched the surface. How we went about picking places to stay, see or eat, and some of the ones we especially liked, will be highlighted in Part II of this report, coming soon.

Hi. I am the eldest son. Yup. They have a favorite daughter.
Its hard to argue with parents when you know shes the favorite and she is taking advantage of them.
What i am just trying to do is make her realize that our parents is spending tons of fucking money for us. She must be grateful and help parents out if possible. But nah she is selfish and shes just demanding that she deserves it. Wasting money like its hers. Shopping like she earned it. Were not even fucking rich. Hard earn money spent and wasn’t even appreciated at all. She wont even do house chores for fuck sake because she said she deserves a break and when I pointed this all out, all blame was on me saying that I am the lazy one. She can already work but nope, not in her fucking mind. Hell yeah im lazy. I work all day and the same time helping to have food in the table while she just sleeps all day and somehow called the ‘better’ one.
Parents would say that i am the eldest so i should be the only one to take responsibility in the house. Like what are we? 10 years old? Our age difference is only 3 years. We are already in our mid 20s, graduated already and parents still treat her like a fucking baby who cant do shit. Yup we old as shit but in our country, its still acceptable. I work to help the family out while she does nothing. They are praising her that her presence is enough in the house while I, working all day, is being demanded to work more and called lazy. How ironic. I am the black sheep of the family.
I wanna move out so badly so that they can see how spoiled she is. Without me, no one will do everything for them. I doubt they would notice it because again she is the favorite.
BUT, with all that being said, I love my parents. I dont wanna leave them because i know, without my help, they would be worse and i cant even depend on my sister to help them. What a family huh.
What are your thoughts in this situation? Am i the problem for not understanding her? Should i accept that she is spoiled and taking advantage of my parents? Like how are supposed to ignore this stuff. Or should i just move out.

I'm a 15 year old girl. My girlfriend is 19. My girlfriend would randomly take off my pants or reach out my dress/skirt and start touching me. One time she beat me so badly I ended up throwing up. We have sex a lot. She gets me a lay on her lab just so that way she can get me completely naked. How do I get out? And the worst thing she has ever done was poor pepper in my vagina.

I (19 year old male student) have a trial shift at a student accommodation I live near and was wondering what kinds of things to look out for when working.
The work is maintenance: Cleaning, handling students and their queries, tracking and reporting any kind of incidents or issues with the residences.
I haven't really done maintenance work, my previous work was a few shifts working behind a bar cleaning dishes and tables, and I am super focused on securing this job, so any advice or pointers to help me land this will be much appreciated.
[Edited to include my age and experience since I forgot to mention it]
​

Hiii everyone I’m Jaylen and I’m a 19 year old guy who lives in the UK (distance doesn’t bother me).. just a word of warning I am a dom top so sorry for my top guys out there.. I’m 5’10 athletic build and somewhat handsome.. I’m a very sporty person. Retired semi pro boxer, swimmer, runner to name a few.. that’s just a little taster if you wanna know a lil more than hit me up or send a message ( I don’t bite promise😅)

I was married 21 years and have 3 children. When my youngest was 14 months old I discovered my husband cheating. I was devastated and wanted to try and save our marriage. I asked him to go to therapy so we could save the marriage. He told me he didn’t want to save the marriage. 3 days later he moved out. 3 years later I filed for divorce. He was living with the woman he had an affair with. I was given physical custody of my 3 children. He was to arrange with my older 2 kids directly for visitation. My older 2 were 14 years and 16 years old. My youngest was around 3. We agreed on a schedule. Alternating holidays and he would get her every other weekend. From the start he never kept this arrangement. One weekend here, couple months later, another weekend. His hours changed where he worked so I agreed to change the arrangement. All I asked was for him to give me 48 hours notice when he wanted to get her. He would text me at 11pm Friday and ask to get her at 7am Saturday. I would not agree to this because most of the time I had plans already. In the next few years, he would see her like 3 times a year. Fast forward to 3 years ago, he completely stopped getting her. No reason, no text, nothing. He never even calls or texts on her birthday. A week ago his new wife texts me and asks if her daughter (who is his daughter, and my daughters half sister) can call my daughter. I have yet to respond. He now has 2 other children with this woman. I’ve met her like 3 times. I feel really angry about her contacting me when my ex hasn’t said a word to me or his 3 children in 3 years. He has not spoken, called, text my 2 older kids since the day he left. I feel like he has put no effort into contacting my kids. I’m angry that my youngest has had to grow up without a father. I don’t want him to come in and out of her life and continue to be a flake. I feel like HE should have contacted me. What would you do? AITAH for not responding and ignoring his wife?

Today my Google home just decided that I'm my 7 year old daughter even though I am a 42 year old man and has applied parental restrictions to all of my interactions. I have retrained my voice but it didn't help. I can't play half my podcasts? WTF Google?? The strange part is that I never set up voice match for my daughter.

Apparently this website has listed that the 18 year 100th anniversary bottles each has a total number of 2,000 bottles released. Anybody know if this has been confirmed?

When somebody suggests you commit arson together, your reaction is most likely to differ based on the identity of that person. If anyone else had asked me to come along to burn down a building, I would have assumed it was a joke. However, being aware of Frankie Preston’s barely suppressed murderous tendencies made me take his request quite seriously. Of course, three main questions presented themselves upon first consideration.
“What building?”
“A small developmental factory owned by FunFlair.”
“Do you plan on burning it while there are still people inside?”
“Only one, and that one deserves to burn alive.”
Shelving my thoughts on that answer for the moment, I inquired as to when he was hoping to go about this endeavor.
“The sooner the better. My sister—you haven’t met her—found out that they’re going to move sites in the near future, so if I want to take revenge on my old boss easily, I need to do it now. It won’t be too difficult. I know the layout of the place really well, they can’t have changed much these last three years. It’s small, hidden but unprotected. A bunch of containers in some woods a couple hours from here. The human I hate most in the entire world is there, every night, working all alone.” His shoulders twitched. “I drove by the place a couple times, and I kept thinking about doing it, but I was too scared. Having you there would make all the difference.”
“It would?” I echoed.
“Yes! Sunshine, you’re strong. Amazingly so. I don’t want you to feel like I’m using you, but the thing is, I can’t do this on my own. If you tell me to go away and never mention this again, I will. That I swear to God. Or whatever sadistic omnipotent being has put me on this world to suffer.” He briefly glanced heavenward, or rather at the ceiling, then back at me. “I can’t hurt anybody, remember?”
I nodded along slowly. “This person, your old boss… what did they do to you?”
“Simply put, she’s why I hate everything.” He spoke with an uncanny intensity, staring past me like he was miles away.
“Who is she?”
“Her name is Philomena Wallis. She’s the one who keeps sending people after me. She wants me back to do fuck knows what to me because she's still pissed I screwed her over." He paused. "She did—does horrible things. You'd want her dead, too."
"Why isn't she in prison?"
"Nobody gets taken to prison if they're rich enough. Either way, what she does isn't technically illegal… and no one knows about it either. It's a tricky situation."
I took a deep breath. “Do you have a plan?”
“I do. We’ll go there at night, I’ll slip in and make sure the door to Phil’s workspace is locked, and then we’ll douse the whole thing in gasoline.”
“Are you sure you’ll need me for that? It doesn’t sound like you’d be inflicting hurt directly. I mean, you wouldn’t have to actually raise a hand to your boss, not physically. Or can you not do that either?”
“The risk lies rather within what could happen if she finds me.” He rubbed his arm, a look of uncertainty crossing his features. “I’m different when I’m around her. I can’t help it, she… she can just walk all over me. She made me be this way. There’s nothing to be done about it, except to get rid of her once and for all.”
“I’m not following. She made you be this way? What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said!” he snapped, only to shrink back and raise his hands. “Sorry! I’m so sorry!”
I stared at him in silence for a beat. “You’re terrified,” I said.
He glanced at his chucks, then back at me, looking like he wanted to say something but didn’t know what.
“Sad, too,” I added. “Sometimes, I can’t tell what you think, so I apologize if I’m reading this wrong…”
“You shouldn’t have to guess what’s going on inside my head anyways,” he muttered. “I can’t believe what I’m trying to rope you into again. It’s like I didn’t hear myself talk for a minute there.”
“I’ll help you.”
He raised a skeptical brow. “I don’t want to force you. I swear I don’t. I will do this, and I’d feel so much better if you came with, but if this is something you’re gonna resent me for in the long run…”
“The long run?”
“I mean—” He started playing with his gum again. “Are we not doing this? You really like me, I think?”
“I think we shouldn’t be talking about this in the same breath as committing lethal arson.” I rubbed my nose before letting go of a long breath. “If I can’t stop you from doing this, I’ll at least make sure you come back out in one piece.” I wonder if this is how Nettie Peterson usually feels.
Frankie beamed. “You will? You’re absolutely sure?”
“Yes. Here’s the plan, I drop off what I bought for my savior human and then we can prepare; do what’s needed. I don’t want to put this off. The sooner it’s over, the better.”
“Definitely,” he agreed with an eager nod. “I’ll drive you right over.”
“Good. And Frankie… you know precisely how I feel about you.”
We got on our way the following morning. The car ride lasted several hours, most of which I spent fast asleep stretched out on the backseat. It was a wonderful nap; I hardly felt any of the vehicle’s movements, admittedly a credit to the server’s abilities as a driver. Eventually, the road was getting too bumpy to ignore, and I drowsily lifted my head to find us pulling onto heavily wooded terrain. Upon noticing I was awake, Fran gave me a fleeting, quite obviously forced smile. After a few more minutes, we came to a halt on a clearing. I got out and produced a canister of gasoline from the trunk, handing it to Fran after opening the door for him. He looked strangely absent, gazing off into the distance with a vacant look in his eyes. He grabbed the offered canister and clutched it to his chest, almost like he was hugging it.
“We’ll be going the rest of the way on foot, then?” I inquired.
He nodded wordlessly.
I couldn’t hide my frown. The air around us was warm and fragrant, the moonlight shining through between the branches that seemed to reach out for us as we began walking. There was not even a hint of a breeze, and yet, a chill ran down my spine. My companion’s demeanor was nothing short of uncomfortable; he seemed to suck the warmth out of the atmosphere around us, together with my initial confidence and the sweet scent of pine needles. His silence instilled in me a clammy sense of dread, and I couldn’t shake it no matter how hard I tried. Normally, I would have probably appreciated the perfect calm and serenity of the lush forest around us, but seeing him in such obvious, unspoken distress drove away all my idyllic thoughts.
“This seems like an odd place to hide a factory,” I remarked, trying to open a conversation once more.
“That’s the point. You wouldn’t go looking for a doll manufacturer in bum-fuck nowhere,” he replied.
“It’s strange to think about. What kind of shady stuff can a toy manufacturer even get up to? Don’t get me wrong, I trust you when you say they’re bad people, I just wish you’d give me a little more information. I feel like I’m not getting something here.”
He let out a low hum. “You… are really innocent.”
“No, I’m not,” I argued, affronted.
“Not in a bad way. I said innocent, not naive. I’ve been cagey again, I know that, but the thing is, you’ll see exactly what I was talking about when we get there. You’ll understand everything, and to be honest, I’m very afraid of what you’ll think once you do.”
We finally reached the building Fran had told me about. If it could indeed be called a building. It looked more like something that had been thrown together by a larva using Lego bricks. It was, as predicted, a bunch of containers lined up and stacked atop one another, small corridors and open metal staircases connecting them. It seemed to be almost entirely empty—all the lights were out, except for a single one. From behind a window on the upper floor, filtered through gray blinds, a cool, bright glow shone down upon us. It bathed Frankie in its surreal luminescence that seemed completely out of place given our raw, natural surroundings.
“You were right,” I stated, tearing him from his rigor. “Seems like there’s only one person in there.”
“That’s Phil,” he mumbled. “I’m certain.”
“Then let’s do this.”
Frankie detached himself from the canister, peeling it off his body like a piece of clothing. I took it from his hands while he walked over to the nearest door, reaching into his pocket to produce a set of shiny, slim tools. Despite the darkness, he set his fingers to work on the lock. It didn’t take long at all for him to let out a satisfied sound, straightening up as he held the now open door for me. “I’m very skilled at lockpicking,” he said lightly, by way of conversation.
I couldn’t hide the admiration in my gaze, and I gave him a proud smile that briefly caused his features to soften. I had not yet crossed the threshold when he grabbed me by the wrist, holding me back. “One more thing,” he whispered, his voice suddenly ringing desperate again, “you won’t like what we might see in there.”
“I know,” I answered. “It was implied.”
Stepping forth into the dark room, the smell of plastic and coffee instantly hit my nose. Fran fumbled for a lightswitch before thinking better of it and turning on the flashlight he’d brought. We were clearly in a breakroom; there was a table in the middle surrounded by chairs, an espresso machine in the corner and several calendars and posters taped to the walls. Unsuspecting. Frankie didn’t comment, immediately moving across the cube and towards the door on the other side. It led out into a small corridor, improvised using more corrugated iron elements, and into another larger container. There was a desk with a computer in one corner and an empty operating table in the center.
A large shelving unit occupied the entire left side of the room. A closer inspection revealed that it held all sorts of small parts, though what they were parts of was beyond me. Opening the plastic drawers at random, I glimpsed all sorts of metallic and silicone pieces, forming strange little… thingies.
“What is all this?” I asked Frankie.
He had been standing by the operating table, staring at it with unblinking eyes. His expression was once more perfectly vacant. Not even his jaw was moving around his bubble gum. He didn’t look up, and for a minute, I wondered if he’d heard me at all. “Doll parts,” he suddenly answered, his voice lacking any inflection.
I frowned, picking up one of the tiny metallic objects and inspecting it closely. I could see what he meant now—it appeared to be a very small joint, perhaps for a finger. “When you said FunFlair made dolls, I thought you meant these stiff little baby dolls. I didn’t know they made them this detailed.”
“Oh, they can be detailed alright.”
“Is this, like, a robotics thing? Can they move on their own, too?”
Frankie let out a sharp, mirthless laugh that was much too short. He fell completely silent again, and it felt as though the room had gotten colder. I bit my lip, placing the finger joint back in its box. I tentatively reached out to Fran and rested a hand on his upper arm, only for him to flinch, drawing away as if burned. “D-don’t touch me right now,” he pleaded.
“I’m sorry,” I breathed.
“No, I am. Don’t mind me, okay? Let’s—let’s just go on.”
So we did. Another makeshift corridor led us over into the next container. The beam of our flashlight cut through the darkness, revealing a sight that made me stop in my tracks. There were several bodies propped up in the corners of the room, bodies that I only realized on second glance were artificial. They were of roughly the same size as the average person, with fully formed arms, legs and everything. Their faces however were different. Most of them weren’t even fully complete, the skin-like material not fully covering their heads and leaving the mechanical structures underneath uncovered. Their eyeballs—sitting in hard plastic sockets and unframed by lids—stared out at us blankly, utterly void and expressionless.
Cold dread began to seep into my bones, paralyzing me for a second before I managed to break from my stillness. Taking a step towards one of the lifeless figures, I bent down to get a closer look. Keeping my distance, I reached out a single finger to trace along one of the countless delicate wires peeking out from the soft patches of facial material. It was cool to the touch, making my skin crawl. I pulled back, turning to Frankie in bewilderment. “Wh-what is all this?” I asked hesitantly.
“That’s them. That’s the dolls.”
“Well, yes, I can see that but this… this is really, really unnerving.”
He let out a strangled, mournful sound. “I guess it is,” he said eventually, his voice low and flat. He knelt down beside me, a little closer to the doll, and started fumbling around with the back of its neck, clearly looking for something. Finally, I heard a little click, followed by a whirring noise as the doll jerked up its arm. I squeaked, scrambling back on my hands and rear, only to find my back suddenly pressed up against the chest of another mannequin. I hadn’t done a thing, but it instantly sprang to life; robotic fingers clamping down around both sides of my nape. The painfully fierce touch wiped away every last bit of my composure, and I let out a shriek that seemed to tear apart the relative silence. Frankie spun around to fix me with the beam of his flashlight, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut. My heart was hammering against my ribcage, seemingly exploding when the hands started pulling me closer against the lifeless, yet animate body.
The next thing I knew was that Fran had leapt forward and removed me from the doll’s clutches with one swift, powerful yank. My chest was heaving and I couldn’t suppress a low whimper when I pressed myself to his side, frantically glancing about my surroundings. My fangs were bared, but my racing pulse was admittedly overtaxing me. I couldn’t seem to form any coherent thoughts. My flight-instinct was kicking in, further setting off my panicked response when I realized I might end up involuntarily jumping dimensions again.
Suddenly, I felt Frankie’s hand on my cheek, the gentle pressure tilting my head up to make me meet his gaze. “It’s alright,” he said, his voice equal parts firm and understanding. The fog in my head lifted just a little.
“They’re not going to hurt you,” he went on, his thumb stroking the curve of my outer ear. However he managed to convey such certainty when he himself had been so uneasy mere moments ago was beyond me, and yet, I found myself believing him. My breathing slowed and I hazarded a second glance at the doll I had bumped into.
It had stopped moving, its body having locked into an unnatural, almost feral-looking position. It was cowering on all fours, its torso lowered and its head up. Its neck was bent at such an extreme angle that it was approaching the comical.
“What the fuck was that?” I whispered, the curse word escaping me before I could stop myself.
“Some of them have to be activated manually, others can be turned on just by touch. I remember that,” Frankie replied. “There’s no need to be afraid of them, though. Even if it’s hard to believe considering… well.” He gestured at the oddly crouching doll at our feet.
“Something’s very wrong here,” I muttered, unable to tear my eyes off the lifeless, incomplete face. “I didn’t even know they made toys like that.”
“They’re not for children,” Frankie said, his eyes glazing over once more.
“Are they, like, robots? Do they know what they’re doing?”
“Not if they’re lucky, they don’t.” He paused. “They’re not made to think. Any awareness they might have would be unplanned for.”
“And you really used to work here? Did you help build them?”
“We can talk about that once we’re out of here.”
I swallowed. “Look, I’m freaking out. This can’t be a normal production site.”
“It’s not. I wish you didn’t have to see this. It… it only gets worse. And your instincts aren’t failing you, none of this is right. If you want to back out, I don’t blame you. This place shouldn’t exist.”
I took a deep breath. I wished I had insisted on knowing the full truth before coming here, but it couldn’t be helped now. Instead of prying further, I pointed at the canister of gasoline. “Then let’s remedy that.”
Despite himself, Frankie smiled.
Instead of mirroring the expression, I felt my own features suddenly derail. “Oh crap.”
“What is it?”
“Do you think she heard me scream?”
X
1
2: deadbeat roommate
3: creepy crush
4: relocation
5: beach concert
6: First date
7: Temp work
8: roommate talk
9: a dismal worldview
10: warehouse
11: staircase
12: explanation
13: hurt
14: hospital
15: ocean
16: diner
17: government work
18: something in the caves
19: shopping cart
20: olms and Jewels
21: long hair
22: recruitment
23: waitresses