Where do I begin. For the purpose of this post, I will use fictious names and locations as it is ongoing, and out of respect (even though she doesn't deserve any)
My name is Daniel. I am 35 years old, and i am dying. I have a disease called systemic sclerosis. I am currently on a supplemental disability plan, until I get approved for SSI (social Security). Until then, my income is about 4K a month. I own a home but after child support and bills, NOT INCLUDING gas, food, haircuts, medical appointments, and or emergencies like my fridge just broke. (which i never go out) I am left with $260 that has to last me a month. I also have three children who I have to take care of half the time per the 50/50 agreement.
Recently, I found out my oldest, (who is 13) is not biologically mine. I decided to look into it as I had concerns for a while since my divorce as her cheating was very rampant. I also had caught her in 2017 with a man in my house, which is what prompted the divorce. But FL being a no fault state, doesn't matter. I also had to pay child support since the beginning and WHILE LEGALLY Married since 2010 because she had applied for financial support like food stamps and government assistance then. I know what your thinking. Why didnt you stop it then? I tried. You cant take yourself off child support. I also never grew up with a father and wanted that two-parent household. I don't run from responsibilities, like he did. Its how I was raised. Anyways, I married her, tried to do the right thing, she lied numerous times. she never worked, and I worked 90 plus hours a week. To look into her cheating, was impossible at the time as I was never home. and to busy providing for my family.
fast forward to now. My disease started to become worse and over three years; it didn't reveal itself until last year fully to actually pinpoint what this was. for instance, I had in 2019 pain behind my eyes and horrible headaches to the point that I thought I had MS. following year, I had trouble swallowing for 3 months. next year itching in the skin for three months. But prior, I had visited various doctors to see what was going on, each time a flare up then would last 3 to four months, which again, when you don't understand what's going on, you need to take time off to go see doctors, run tests, but this illness was and still is very elusive. with that being said I had 5 jobs since its first flare up till last year to continue to support my family and to pay child support. as of last year. I'm having trouble moving on certain days, breathing and acid reflux and muscle atrophy. (disease progression) especially when this is going on, it worsens everything as this is flared up. I was working under the table to try and make ends meet as I was paying child support still. I should add that the child support with 50/50 custody was $1029 for three kids cause I was making six figures at the time of divorce in 2018. Last year however, I couldn't work anymore, and filed for disability.
In june of last year, I had asked Susan, to get the children school supplies, (which she never does) as I was still paying at the time $1029 in child support. She said she didnt have the money despite now making 70k and her new BF living with her and is working whom she cheated on me with. With me working under the table, I bought them clothes, haircuts, school supplies (ive done every year) but then, I noticed she went on vacation to puerto rico and got a giant leg tattoo. At the time, I had already known what I had, and I asked myself why the heck am I doing this? So i turned to an attorney to get it modified. Again, this is June 20th to be exact of last year. My lawyer, stated that this was only going to be a 90 day turn around for the temporary modification then we will go for the final.
Since then, I have gone for a DNA test. I had to know. I am dying. I wanted to know. And you may judge me for this. but i have filed for disablement for paternity, meaning I am removing myself from the birth certificate. However, in the state of Florida, a mother can deny this and so can the courts. before you judge me, I have many reasons none of which have to do with him other then his mental disability (Aspergers) This illness, as days go by takes more and more from me. As previously aforementioned, I am left with 250 a month. I cannot go get a drs appointment pay for groceries or start planning my funeral which I will start making payments on soon. He also eats three times the amount that we all collectively do (Not his fault) but I have paid enough both mentally and financially. He also has trouble communicating as my suspicions is, that he was born of incest (gross) which is why I was 'chosen' to be his father at the time. Before you ask how do you know? Lets just say she had an uncle 'leave' during that time.
anyways, in February, I had the temporary modification hearing for child support and needless to say it was a circus. My doctor was subpoenaed to be there by my attorneys request to better my argument, even though I felt we didn't need her, she advised me to have my doctor there. Well, he attorney attacked my doctor and me for an hour and 40 mins when the court case was only supposed to go for an hour. He said "you saw another dr Max so and so and they said it was all in your head" (again I had flare ups on a illness that hadnt revealed itself correctly since last year). So there argument was that I was doctor seeking to avoid child support. After I have paid for 13 years never missing a payment. Her lawyer also targeted people who are living with me. Now I'll admit that I said they were friends which is true but how else can I pay for my attorney? Cant work, cant sell drugs, cant rob a bank? So they want to take there income into consideration. BS. She also hired a private investigator to watch me exercise outside and stated that because I can exercise, I can work..... Ok. Where's the 23 hours of the rest of the day watching me in pain. or when do you have me on video of a flare up from this terminal illness? (that's what I wanted to say)
Although I was granted the temporary modification, of $209, I left the court thinking wow, this woman can cheat, commit paternity fraud, not give two craps about our children, live with her mom in a section 8 home, and here I am doing whatever I can and I've done nothing wrong but be lied to and this is how my government, my country treats me? No wonder men my age dont have children this is insane. The paternity issue wasn't even brought up they said that this isnt the place for this and that the disestablishment will be another trial for those wondering. My lawyer only spoke for 5 mins. Asking her about her income cause thats the only thing that has changed since 2018 since she didnt work at the time. Other than that, it was an attack on me and my disease arguing my ability to work.
after leaving that, I didnt eat for 96 hours. I have since been crying nonstop. Compilating suicide. I am already heart broken about my son not being mine. Sure does a terminal illness make me said, no question everyday. But a life wasted on another? Cause I decided to be a man and take up responsibility? thats soul crushing. And to say "well, there is a big chance the courts will deny your request' thats BS. If i go to prison because I was accused of a robbery for 13 years, and DNA evidence proves I wasnt there, I get out of jail and can sue. This is no different. If anything, DNA evidence needs to be more of a factor in family law than in almost every court of law if not as equally important. My bad for not investigating her infidelity not only in the beginning but also in the end. How about not being a POS. sorry rant over
gets better. Her mom and dad smoke in the section 8 house, kids reek of cigarette smoke and marijuana, all day. they dont take showers there, they were hand me down clothes, they live in the garage shared with there mother, that isn't air conditioned. and he makes only a few thousand less than I do a month. She stated in court that she pays her mom $500 in rent which is BS, she is only doing that now so that she makes herself look bad. I know she is doing pills, like oxy and what not. Id love to prove it.
after the temp hearing, in april, I had to go to court to contest my drivers license suspension as I hadn't paid child support since, august of last year. again, there is no way, I can pay my bills, feed my children, go to the doctor, pay my lawyer to end all of this BS and pay the current child support amount. and again, this final hearing is still not set yet. So they intercepted my tax return, even though the temporary modification was approved, the final is what gets it retro backed to the date of filing, so they took, a much needed 5500 tax return from me. I needed that cause one of the issues I failed to mention as well, hurricane Ian has destroyed my home and I'm still going through that process too. not to mention I am on payment plans with Mayo clinic and other various medical facilities. (no one cares) but the interest that accrues, makes it impossible to catch up. also, Florida department of rev is overstepping I feel, and asking for medical info to be sent to them as well as updated doctors letters to be sent saying that I am still on disability.
a few weeks ago, I got an email from my lawyer having a withdrawal notice from her lawyer. in the withdrawal, he stated that he cannot represent her, due to something she may have withheld or lied about (more or less wasn't worded like that but you can tell). In feb court appearance they never produced the PI report, or videos, they had medical info they shouldn't have had, and they had very outlandish comments about my lifestyle. So my lawyer filed immediately a motion to compel. meaning, we want to see everything you have on my client. this was filed almost immediately after court appearance on feb 20th. Susan has failed to provide any updated info requested by my attorney so on june 18th, we have that upcoming hearing.
in the mean time, I have sent my lawyer, a very heavily requested topics, such as "where did they get my medical records, if those were lies, what are the consequences if any"? What did exercising have to do with any of this despite various drs saying he has to or he will get worse.
I know wat you must be thinking, what about your oldest, how can you do that to him. Please listen. This woman has taken everything from me. And i mean everything but the roof over my head. I am seeing a therapist to help with the suicidal thoughts. it isnt enough. the reality of it is, I chose to be loyal and it bit me in the butt. This disease will rob me of everything, my teeth will fall out ( I had 5 cavities last time I went to the dentist) I haven't had a cavity since I was 30 and even then I was suspicious. And I am brushing 5 time s a day to save them. My skin is tightening, and my arms and muscles are wasting. I will literally be left with nothing. My organs will also start to harden, and I will have to start getting around the clock care.
I forgot to mention they (child support) recently, sent a letter to SSI (social security) saying that they would garnish my SSI before I even got it, totaling $1029. the incorrect amount. I sent this to my lawyer and she is looking into it. But it shows that child support will overstep and breaks every law or freedom you may think you have. I DO take care of my children. if they need a haircut i do it, school supplies clothes, anything I do it. And I do it, cause she wont. What I want to leave you with, is that woman can be dead beats too. Child support was designed to have woman off of government subsidized programs like section 8 food stamps and what not. Also to make the man pay for their children man or woman I should say, I know this. I am not running from my obligation. I just want Susan, to have to pay for what's she's done to me and the kids.
I would like to hear your thoughts on this, please comment and share, all names are fake, but everything else is unfortunately real. I know it was wordy, but I wanted to provide as much backstory as possible. And please. Respect my descions. When you are end of life, I hope someone would be kind enough to respect yours. You may not agree and that's ok, but I am asking you to respect them. Thank you for reading.

Back in 2012, I started the process of leaving my abusive ex husband. While his abuse was mostly verbal and emotional, during the divorce, he got physical.
I had filed for default in the divorce and this set him off. He called the bank and had my bank account frozen and then came to my house to take things. I went in the garage to try and stop him and he hit me in the face. I called the cops and he was arrested. I went down to the court house the next day and got a restraining order.
During this time, child support opened a case. This enraged him even more and he made contact via a third party, claiming I was psychotic. I documented the restraining order violation with a police report and went about my life.
A few weeks later, I was out with the kids on the 4th of July, when I got a call from the Sheriff’s Dept. My ex had called them and claimed I was suicidal. They looked and saw I had a restraining order against him so they were calling to check on me. I told them I was fine and I was out watching fireworks with my kids. They said to have a good night. I thought that was the end of it.
About a month later, I had taken an Ambien, but instead of laying down, I did the dishes. Then I couldn’t remember if I had taken my pill or not, so I took it again, not realizing I had already taken it. I was looking over old messages in my email and found an email from my ex. I felt bad about how things were between us. I texted him, “I’m not gonna bother you anymore. Let’s just try to be amicable from now on.” . I put my phone down and fell asleep.
A short while later, I saw flashlights in my bedroom window. I got up to find the Sheriff’s Dept at my door. I opened the door and they told me that my ex had called them and said I was suicidal. I told them I had a restraining order against him. They asked to come inside and I let them in. A fatal mistake.
I explained that things were very stressful between us and that I had texted him I wasn’t going to bother him anymore and requested that we try to be amicable. I showed them my phone. I told them that I had taken an Ambien and went to bed. They asked to see my pill bottle. I gave it to them. They counted the pills and that’s when it was discovered that I took 2 pills instead of 1. The Sheriff wanted to take me to the hospital to get checked out. I cooperated with them.
They called my ex to come and get the kids, but his phone was off. I had to give them his room mates number. I told the Sheriff, “If he really thought I was suicidal, why would he turn his phone off after calling you out here? He is just harassing me.” They got ahold of him, he came and got the kids and they drove me to the hospital.
The hospital counselor comes and talks to me. I explain that I have a restraining order against the person claiming that I’m suicidal. I took the extra Ambien by mistake. It was an accident. I’m not suicidal. I’m under the care of a therapist as my divorce is very stressful. She refuses to call my therapist and instead places me on a 5150 psych hold. Now I am terrified. I’m being locked away at the request of someone I have a restraining order against.
They put me in an ambulance and ship me two hours away to the looney bin. Because it is Saturday, I didn’t see the psychiatrist until Monday. I spent that two days in utter shock. My abuser made me disappear and he used the Sheriffs to help him do it.
Monday comes. I see the psychiatrist. I explain that I have a restraining order against the person claiming I’m suicidal. The Ambien thing was an accident. My therapist can verify everything. He tells me if my therapist backs my story, he will end the hold and send me home. He calls my therapist. My therapist demands that they release me immediately. Psych tells me he will work on getting me out of here.
I used the phone at the nurses station to check my voicemail. I have a vm from my ex’s attorney saying that my ex filed for sole custody of the kids and the hearing was tomorrow. That’s when it hit me. He had me locked away on a 5150 to get the kids in his possession to file for custody to get out of paying child support. I played the message for the nurse. They got my discharge done and got me out of there within an hour.
I showed up to court the next day. His attorney approached me and asked if I would be willing to sign custody over to my ex. I stared at him until he backed away from me. When they called our case, it turned out the filing fees weren’t paid so the court refused to hear the case. We were rescheduled to the next day.
I left the court house, got a letter from my therapist and copies of all police reports. I came back the next morning and provided everything to the judge. The judge refused to give my ex custody and referred us to mediation. He instructed my ex to return the kids to me immediately. My babies were home that night.
After this incident, I was afraid to pursue the restraining order. If he was able to weaponize the Sheriff’s Dept against me in my own home with a restraining order in place, I would never be safe in this town. I had to find a new plan. I had to find a way to leave town.
6 months later, after giving away everything I owned and moving out of my place, I showed up to the court house on a crisp spring morning where I was granted permission to leave the state of California with my babies. We walked out of the court house, got in the car and drove away. We reached Las Vegas by midnight. That wasn’t our final destination, just the first part of our journey. And that is the story of how I escaped my abuser.

This is a rather unique situation. Im in the middle of a chapter 13. Converted to a 13 in march. My confirmation will be in July.
In 2019 I left my DOD civilian job. Due to a technicality, I could not terminate my coverage with my insurance. Someone somewhere in HR needed to send a form to the insurance provider letting them know to terminate my coverage. So the insurance carrier kept paying bills even after years of telling them not to pay. They knew what was going on. It was out of their hands. Out of mine. Trust me it's a cluster***k.
Fast forward to 2023, they finally terminate my coverage. They have guaranteed me they will not come after me for the overpayments based on the fact that I did everything I could to tell them not to pay the bills. I even told my medical providers not to bill them. To bill my current insurance. The insurance even sent me a letter I am not liable for the overpayments. That's great!
So now they're going after the providers to pay them back. im being copied on the letters to my medical providers demanding payment. So now that has me concerned, because providers can also turn around and ask me to pay them back.
So assuming the medical providers want me to pay them, can the debts be added to my case? I know the debt did not exist pre-filing, but the service dates are all before the filing date.
TLDR: Can medical overpayments from service dates before filing bankruptcy be added to my chapter 13 case since the debt did not technically exist when I filed?

Hi there, I'm M25, looking for some solutions here. For context, I'm living in British Columbia, Canada. I think the situation can be viewed from the light of any country though. I've taken on about 60,000 in federal debt from the covid times, in addition to currently owing about $15,000 in back taxes, plus an additional $7,500 or so once I finally get around to filing my taxes from the 2021 year.
The last couple of years I haven't worked much. I was self-employed, and never taught about taxes. In fact, my education about taxes, from my non-educated, high school drop out father, was basically, "taxes are theft," "earn your money in cash," and "the only thing you'd need to file taxes for is if you want a loan for a house, car, business, etc." I still agree with many of his sentiments today, and I know he's not the only one with these ideas. Frankly I find it hard and very frustrating to have to give my money to the government, considering I know they're just unlimited printing money and the limited amount of money I have right now isn't going to make even a small dent in the national debt.
The $60,000 from the federal government is currently accruing interest at a nominal rate of 5% per year. $3,000 per year in interest.
The reason I haven't worked much, is largely because of some mental health and physical health issues. Now, I find myself in a situation where I owe roughly $80,000 to the federal and provincial governments. In addition, I have now racked up an additional $30,000 in student loans [also, from the federal/provincial governments][no interest for now, thankfully, not overly concerned about it.]
There's $110,000 in total debt to the government. I have also, an additional $25,000 approximately in personal loans from friends/family.
I have high hopes for myself, always have. I'm fairly sure, I could win some pretty large contracts with enough grit, or expand an existing business with someone I know, at the end of this summer. Both options have a good potential of coming true in the long-term, I think. But in the meantime, I have considerable debt which I'm not sure what to do about, and, frankly, it's depressing.
If I filed for bankruptcy, I'd lose the option to keep getting student loans, and the federal grants that go along with it [free money]. It's not clear if this happens if I file the consumer proposal. I thought about just continuing to run up the student loans, and then declare bankruptcy later, but, frankly, the whole idea of the debt hanging over my head during that time is very anxiety provoking, even if it's not 'immediately due.' I just want it out of my hair.
I have concerns that this becomes public record, and if I entered into politics later in life, that this might come back to burn me, but I'm honestly starting to get to the point where I think it might be there best option. There's also an element of feeling like a moral failure, if I have to take either of these options.
In summation:
What would you do in the scenario, and why?
What kind of mindset shift should I adopt around taxation?

[FIRST][LAST]
Atlantis Commission
Officer Report - Lieutenant Colonel John Shepard
CLEARANCE LEVEL 5
Well this had definitely been a very interesting couple of hours. This dimension and its people had very odd opinions and ideas. Apparently the prey species of this dimension were all obligate cowards, whose instincts compelled them to be non-violent and run from threats. At least according to themselves. There were apparently some of them who were “predator diseased” as they called it, a disease which often resulted in increased violence, aggression, lack of empathy, and unheard like behavior. It sounded to me like some form of infectious psychopathy, but the venlil assured us it shouldn't affect us since we were predators, which didn’t really ease my fears, but hopefully it was something we could figure out when we got home if it ever became a problem.
Gotta love mandatory quarantine periods woo hoo!
As scary as this odd disease sounded, my main concern at the moment was to try and turn a professed coward into someone who could at the very least defend themselves.
I looked down to the table of gear ahead of me and then over to the mostly naked Venlil to my side, and then even farther to Tiel’c who thought It would be a good idea to help oversee Farva’s rapid fire training course. I fiddled with the bluetooth earpiece which was rigged up to one of our handhelds to run a translation program to speak directly with the captain. A big step up from our unknowingly one sided communications earlier.
I stepped on the other side of the plastic table and placed my hands down upon it and looked on at my new student..
“Welcome Captain Farva to our very impromptu accelerated course on Human arms armor and basic infantry tactics.” I said gesturing to the hodge podge gear we had managed to assemble for the good captain. “Are we ready to begin?”.
She flicked her ears, somewhat nervously by the looks.
“I’d take it that's a yes then?”
“Oh yes sorry”
“Alright then, well given that most of our crew is human and the only other alien struts around naked all the time, the only gear we have on hand is for humans, So you're going to be running size smalls and it's all going to fit all a bit big” I say as I toss her the tactical vest. ”Here try this on, we can try to tighten it up if it's a bit loose anywhere”. The captain wrestles with the buckles a bit, and Teal'c helps her tighten up some of the top straps, as the Venil’s shoulders weren't as broad as humans. Farva gave Teal’c an odd look, but seemed appreciative none the less.Once finished, she grasped the vest in her paws with interest. “This armor seems quite lightweight, which is nice, weight is often an issue that causes us to forgo armor, since heavy armor would hurt our running ability.” Farva remarks. “Also the sheer amount of pockets seems quite excessive, what do you need all these for?”
“Well for starters it's currently missing these '' I hand Farva one of the armor plates which she looks over. “That is a depleted Naquadria ceramic composite plate. It’s designed to stop bullet impacts and dissipate energy weapon blasts. It slots into that chest compartment in the front and back of your armor.”
“This isn't quite what Id imagine for the armor of your kind”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well judging by your ships I would have imagined you would put more emphasis on defense Your predatory nature would make you less likely to run away from conflict allowing for more encompassing armor to cover more than just your chest, since you have less need to run.”
She would put it like that.
“Well there are a number of reasons for that, a lot to do with those excess pockets you mentioned. For starters you will not be carrying the same amount of gear that the standard infantry unit would normally be carrying, we are preparing you for a quick in and out op. Normally us expedition teams need to be deployed into unknown territory for extended periods of time, we need to carry everything we might need with us from food, bullets, weapons, to comms gear, sensors, repelling equipment etc. The weight from all that gear adds up fast; In order to stay sufficiently mobile and combat effective; we only carry enough armor to protect our vitals, head and torso, anything else can hopefully be patched up by a field medic.”
Tielc gave his piece as well. “It is important to know when to run both towards and aways from one's foes, not every battle can be won through strength alone, but by strategy and cunning. Being able to reposition oneself quickly is therefore highly advantageous”
Farva seemed to freeze at Teal'c's statement, not out of fear I think, she instead had a distant look in her eye. To snap her out of her slump I handed her a standard ballistic helmet.
Seeming to get the idea she looked at it oddly and tried it on. It confirmed to her head shape decently well but depressed her ears to either side of her head, kind of resembling what one might imagine a sad bunny rabbit to look like “I don't think this will be something I can bring with me” she said ” I can't use ear signals and this will muffle my hearing.”
“Why don’t you keep it on for the time being, I think any extra hearing protection might be useful considering what we are about to try next.” I hand Farva some ballistic ear protectors, slightly modified and somewhat ramshackle. “One of the corporals worked closely with Nurse Fila to get an idea for safe decibels levels for your kind, we were also able to get these earbuds molded to fit into your ear canal better”
Farva took them and slipped them in. “These are a bit uncomfortable, what do I need these for?”
“You'll need them for this” I say as I unsnap the clasps on the weapons case revealing its contents.
The content seems to capture Farva’s interest, getting a slight tail wave.
“Okay So this here is a p90, It carries a 50 round top loading magazine of teflon coated armor piercing ordnance. With a cyclical rate of fire of 900 rounds per minute.”
Farvas ears perk up at this. “This seems like an efficient design, I take it these are a flashlight and laser sight for accuracy?” She asked, pointing to the top of the weapon.
“Yes we also have holographic and acog optics which will help line up targets from farther away.” I look on as Farva picks up the weapon and inspects it, testing the weight as I note that it will weigh a fair bit more once loaded. But she doesn't seem to be struggling with the weight. I can't help but notice good firearm safety as well, she keeps her finger well off the trigger and takes care to keep her weapon pointed aways from anyone else.
“This seems like a solid design but I'm not sure how useful those weapon optics would be, as they are not designed for my side facing eyes”
“I'm sure our master at arms can figure something out, why don't we give it a test fire first tho, before we send it off to make adjustments.” I instruct her on how to load the weapon and turn the safety off. I warn her of the sound it makes. And while definitely taken aback by the recoil and sound at first, she quickly gets the hang of it, she has some respectable shot groupings in both single fire and in short bursts. And keeps the rounds reasonably centered while firing in full auto.
She did a whole lot better than I would have initially suspected given her performance in the hanger bay a day before.
“The rate of fire seems useful” Farva spoke “This would be useful for our soldiers, our accuracy falters when we are panicked, and the increased shot count should guarantee some hits based on volume of fire alone” she finished with a dejected expression.
She quickly places the weapon back in its case, as if it burned to touch.” I don't know if I should be armed for this mission, at least not with that weapon, I don't want to miss and hit one of you in the back!”
“What? Nonsense, you are a great shot, and this is just a precaution in case we get separated or flanked and need some covering fire. If our guys are doing their job right you shouldn't need to fire a single round anyways.”
Captain Farva’s breathing started to hasten, earlier I might have thought it was fear, but I was starting to get an idea of what the captain's issues were. I’ve seen this before.
“I.. I can’t be trusted with this responsibility, every time I am left in charge of something, every time people put their lives in my paws I ....”
“Farva, don’t you start with me now you hear.” I said sternly, swiftly capping off her inevitable spiral of self doubt.
“But.. no.. you don’t understand”
Stopping her again I spoke. “But nothing, what happened before on that ship, and back at that colony is in the past. I don’t know your whole situation, but from what I have gathered from the crew It was nothing good. You feel responsible and it's eating away at you, and frankly it doesn’t matter if that's true or not. Accidents happen, people make mistakes, and when that happens we need to learn, take those lessons to heart, and don't let it stop us from helping people in the present. If you let guilt, or fear of mistakes stop you, then bad guys have already won, all without having to have fired a shot”
Farva is quiet for a short time, I was hoping I got through to her, I'm not the best and pep talks and this certainly wasn’t your typical weapons demo, if only everyones could go as smoothly as Ronan’s.
Farva spoke quietly, arms pressed up against her chest, she looked so sad, defeated, and small. Well more than usual anyways. “We can't be strong like you humans, we are too emotional and when we are scared we run away or we lock up and...”
“And that is clearly not the case with you captain Farva” Teal’c finally reentered the conversation having heard enough. “You have shown courage with every action you have taken so far, your actions have saved the lives of many of your crew, every time you have been threatened you acted not just to protect yourself but others as well. You attempted to contend with beings many times your size without even thinking about it, all in the effort to protect others, and this is only in the time we have known you, this speaks nothing of your actions over the colony. You are a warrior of admirable courage Captain Farva, your self doubt is unearned.”
A single tear rolled down Farva’s eyes which she quickly wiped away. “That was very nice of you to say, but I'm not brave like you say, I was terrified out of my mind the whole time.”
Teal’c looked puzzled. “I did not call you brave, I said you were courageous.”
Farva shot back with the little venlil one up one down ear flick I had very quickly learned was confusion.” I'm confused you just said brave twice”
“Hmm it appears your language does not contain the word I am using, I apologize I am not used to speaking through a translator” Teal’c relented “ There are two words I am using admittedly in slightly different forms, bravery and courage. Bravery or to be brave is to lack fear, to not be afraid to begin with. Courage tho, Is a trait far more admirable. Courage is to be afraid, to have fear, to worry about one's own mortality and personal safety. It is to acknowledge risk, danger, to feel fear, but to act in spite of it.”
“Had I not met your kind before I would have thought predators don't feel fear.”
“Everyone fears feel Farva, It is how we overcome it that determines our worth as warriors”
Teal’c picks up the p90 and returns it to Farvas hands.
“Your people need a warrior Farva, a warrior who protects the innocent and guides the lost to safety. You have shown how collected you can be in the heat of battle, You have already proven your worth in our eyes Farva, now you must do the same in your own. The greatest enemy lies not without” Teal’c places his hand firmly on the venlil’s chest “But within”.
After Action Report - Venlil Colonial Defense Force
Subject : Chief Engineer Donu
I fiddled with my holopad, Its small surface area proving to be a consistent source of annoyance in my current endeavor. Gone was the large workspace afforded to me by my holotable back in my office. Instead I had to work with the scaled down portable holotablet I was just fortunate enough to have strapped to my person when I was beamed away from our last ship. I was stuck with its smaller keyboard and slower rendering speeds.
An annoyed smooth skin alien looked over my shoulder at my device, attached to it was a jury rigged fiber optic cable, slotted into a terran silicon to crystal patch cable, which would convert the electrical signals broadcasted by my tablet into a bandwidth that the terrans crystalline based computers; which they used for highly complex tasks like hyperdrive and transporter systems; could use, and then It was patched again in a even stranger connector to patch into the odd asgard computer stones.
All in all it looked like someone tried to plug a regular computer into some crystal construct like you would find in a fantasy holonovel, and again plugged that into a harchen heat rock sauna lounge. Finally branching out from this conglomeration was a simple copper based wire that connects to a computer terminal at which currently sat the late Doctor Rodney Mckay. A title upon initially hearing led me to believe he was a medical doctor, which led to a flurry of medical questions that he had absolutely no means of answering.
While this odd alien nomenclature was interesting, what intrigued me more was his actual area of expertise, theoretical astrophysics, as well as a number of other diverse specialties and fields. Not to mention not only was he a great scientist who had he been raised in the more civilized portion of this galaxy, would have knowledge and aptitude that would put him alongside some of Aafas greatest minds, but he was also an engineer without peer, at least in this galaxy. His interactions with general Samantha Carter hinted at her possibly being his match if not more. For a species that was supposed to glorify violence the decision to have a scientist be arguably the most senior member of what was by their admission a military vessel spoke to their commitment to knowledge and understanding, a very noble prey-like goal.
I looked warily at the lines of code at my screen, the asguard translation program had earlier scanned our ship and was able to parse written languages, but complex files, like images and 3d design schematics were harder to encode and decode from our perspective systems. As is stands we have 3 completely separate computer architectures, the asguard can talk to human computers and the venlil computers can talk to the asguard computers, It sounds like we would have everything we need to get a human C.A.D schematic into a venlil holotablet right? Wrong! And you're stupid for entertaining such a idiotic notion! Parsing text from raw binary is relatively straight forward, you're just looking for patterns, repeating bit combinations that might infer letters and then iterating them over millions of times looking for patterns, letters, words, and then with a bit of help from some undecoded analog audio transmission, spoken language. This is a far cry from actual procedural communication protocols,the ones that allow for file transfers, exactly what we needed if we were to get Rodney's redesigned part schematics into a format and medium that can be plugged into a suitable fabricator. Assuming one still exists, which I can reasonably assume it does.
Speaking of which, I have just made something of a breakthrough. For upon my screen appears a simple geometric hydrogen cube, we’re talking vertices, planes, material data, everything we need for a usable design file.
I let out an excited pent up yip, the culmination of hours of frustrating software integration work. Unfortunately I startled Rodney, who lets out a panicked gasp and clutches his chest pelts with one of his paws.
“Oh god…..” He gasps, pointing at me “Please.. don’t do that”
“Sorry!” I say a bit meekly. I slowly approach him so as to not make him unnecessarily uncomfortable and show him my work.
“I got the file exchange set up, all we need from you is to finish any modifications to your part, upload them to my holopad, and then we can print away at any class 3 or above fabricator we can scrounge up on Brayga colony.”
“Ok.. um.. got it, I'm almost done i’m just you know” He points a lone grasping appendage at his screen,”Running some simulations, making sure everything is up to spec.” keeping his response kurt. “Sorry for freaking out there.”
I nod my head in the human display of affirmation and return to my workstation to further bug check my work, to test potentially problematic edge cases for when he finishes. Tho Rodney's continued odd behavior intruded on my thoughts.
I should have felt empowered, being able to intimidate this ‘massive beast’, but I didn't. I didn't like being feared, his people have been nice to me, Rodney himself courteous to a fault and desperate for positive attention.
I thought I could expect predators to be fearless but that clearly wasn't the case, rodney was fearful, nervous, had I not known better I would say defective, and while it annoyed his crew, they didn't berate him for it, or attempt to assert dominance, they encouraged it even with placating words and tried to help him through it, they encouraged and supported him like a proper herd, even if sometimes it took the form of what the human would call a playful ribbing. I supposed I could help him as well.
I approached him again, careful to make my approach known to him, making sure to approach from within his limited field of vision. He looks up at me with a wide eyed glare, had I not known him I might have assumed it was hunger, but I did and knew it to be concern.
“Uh high Donu.. um whats up?”
“Why are you afraid of us rodney?”
“Wa-What, me afraid?” he gives out a panicked laugh ”uh no no, I'm not afraid, you know just a bit weirded out I'm just getting used to you all, it's not a fear thing it's a a…. Just getting used to new aliens thing, ask Hermirod we went through this whole song and dance right buddy”
Hermirod furrowed his brow and gave an irritated sigh from across the room.
I reached out to take Rodney by the paw.
His whole body flinched at my mere touch, I quickly withdrew my paw.
“Oh.. um.. I didn't…”
“Rodney! It's okay, your crew doesn’t seem to care when you show fear, and neither do I. Why are you afraid of us? You are almost twice our size and surely double our strength, most venlil would scream and run in terror at the mere sight of you. What's wrong?”
Rodney let out a sigh. “Oh its, we don't have to talk about this, I can deal with this, I deal with scary situations all the time, it's fine, I'll be fine.”
“Rodney, my people are a very emotional, empathic people, we are open with our feelings and with our fear, and the fear of the one can affect the herd, please let me help you. I don’t know what to expect from your society but I promise I wont judge you for your fear or emotions, I mean look at many of my crew mates, we are no one to judge”
Rodney shot back “You didn't seem to be so bothered”
“I’m too old to care, I was about to retire, hell I was about to die as far as I knew, Brayga colony was supposed to be a quiet place to lay back, work on some hobbies, plant a garden and pester the young men of my colony until I either dropped dead of boredom or got lucky” I joked.
That seemed to raise Rodney's mood somewhat. He sighed and seemingly relented.
“It’s… a dumb story, I don't even know why it affected me so much, I come from a place on earth called Canada, people don't usually believe me when I say I am from there, us Canadians are notoriously friendly and I guess I haven’t exactly filled that mold for a lot of my life, but hey I'm working on it, people like me, I have lots of friends back at Atlantis” He says the last sentence in a way as if it isn't me he's trying to convince.
“I'm sure you do, Rodney, You seem like quite the charming individual when you're not cowering!”
“Ha ha thanks, maybe you could come and visit sometime. Tell that to doctor Becket, really nice guy, smart man, he would love to meet you, he loves investigating new species. But back on topic, oh boy, so me and my sister Jeannie were on a family trip to rural Vancouver to visit my grandpa's farm, he kept a lot of goats, not for eating or anything, they were essentially pets that he would use for milk”
“Wait hold on? You drink milk from other animals! Do your females not produce enough milk for their young?”
“Oh um no, we just sort of drink it or ferment it into cheese!”
“Ferment? You mean spoil?
“Yeh”
I reeled from this plasma blast of a statement, I like any right minded venlil had a number of nightmares about being an arxur’s cattle before, especially when I first learned about those things in primary school, but never once had it crossed my mind that we could be used for something so weird. What the speh was I supposed to do with that information?
“Maybe you should get back on topic”
“Yeh sorry about that uh.. Anyways the momma goat had just had a litter of babies, and their real cute when their little, so late in the day when my grandpa was asleep we snuck out to the pens so we can play with the little baby goats, our grandpa told us not to but you now how kids are.”
At this I think back to a young Nyan, as I teach him the inner working of the hyperdrive, I tell him he’s not cleared yet to operate in this engine compartment alone, but I could tell from the occasional caught black hairs and dropped writing implements, there had been a number of curious unauthorized expeditions into its inner workings, he didn't really listen either.
“My sister as always was trying to be the voice of reason, wanting to take it slow. If I was paying attention I might have noticed the angry moma goat who didn’t appreciate the strange human messing with her children.”
The color seemed to drain from his face.
“I uh…” He began to stutter again ”I screamed, a lot, it was rather undignified, she ran right at me, thank god it wasn't a male goat, one with horns, I tired to run but I was hit in the back and knocked over and kicked real good in the head, like wake up in the vet clinic a quarter mile down the road kind of bad”
“This goat was a prey animal?”
“That would be what your kind focuses on”
“Oh sorry”
“Anyways It seems dumb but I have just never been good with animals since then, especially ones that look like you; no offense; I'm getting better but when I first saw you guys in the hangar bay, I was just that dumb kid again, getting in way over my head, scared for my life. I guess there is something to be said about childhood trauma. I really should be over this, I'm getting better with it I swear it’s just”
I take his paw again, he doesn't flinch this time.
“I'm a venlil, a prey animal, I know fear, I know what it is to live in fear, It rattles your brain, it turns your paws to wet grains. It takes great strength to overcome it, to push it aside just long enough to protect the herd. Your herd relies on you Rodney and you are doing a great job in spite of your fear, in spite of having to work with those you fear. You have achieved intellectual feats that rival the greatest minds of the federation and all that while struggling with a traumatic experience. Fear isn’t dumb and there is nothing wrong with you for feeling it.”
“Thank you” Rodney says “That means a lot, I won't be like forever I promise, I just need some time.”
“We will laugh about this someday,” I assured. “Nothing as big and intelligent as you should be afraid of anything”
“Are you calling me fat?” Rodney exclaimed with fake offense.
We both chuckled.
My kind words had resulted in a more upright posture, and a more cheerful demeanor from the human, almost like when I congratulated Nyan on his work, and it got me a look at that happy snarl of his, that I was starting to grow quite fond of.
After Action Report - Venlil Colonial Defense Force
Subject : Apprentice Engineer Nyan
Oh wow! I get to write a report for this mission! I never get to write reports, Donu says they're too boring, but there’s so many interesting things going on all the time. Sometimes I sneakily write my own! Just for fun of course, nobody sees them, which is probably for the best as I sometimes get excited and embellish them slightly. One of the reports I wrote was about the time Donu used nothing but a wad of electrical tape, a bottle of high grain venlil alcohol and a pocket knife to repair a venlil medical ship just in time to get out of the way of a big scary space predator, with glowing red eyes and a million tentacles!
Anyways Im not sure If im suppose to write these In present tense first person or past tense. I asked the captain and she said it's whatever so long as I make sure any pertinent dialogues are properly quoted(“”).
“Nobody usually reads these things anyways.” She said, but this one is surely going to be so exciting, who could look away!
I mean who's gonna scoff at a chance to read about friendly predators from another dimension! A dimension of friendly predators who give warm head scratches and hand out yummy strayu not strayu treats called donuts, that are somehow fluffier than strayu, and have a nice moisture to them. I asked for the recipe but Samantha said we wouldn't have the ingredients back on Venili prime to make them, and Teal'c said the recipe is an old family secret. Its weird predators would be so protective of their plant snacks.
There are so many weird things about these predators, they have nurturing instincts that make them find us cute. They stay perfectly balanced even if they don’t have tails, swinging their arms and body all over the place to keep upright like a lopsided gyroscope, it's pretty funny looking!
They also wear artificial pelts all the time, which I thought was weird, I thought maybe the ships temperature was set by the angry gray alien since he’s the only crew member beside the venlil who walks around naked all the time, maybe he had a fit when it was to warm, and the humans obliged him cause they were worried they would make him even angrier, and wore clothes to make up for the cold. I thought this made sense, a lot of their technology does seem to come from the Asguard, maybe he has more say in the goings on of the ship because of that. But apparently humans just like wearing pelts all the time. They feel uncomfortable without them and don’t like it if you try to remove them or look up their upper artificial pelts they call shirts.
The humans are so weird, I don’t even have to embellish my reports to make it more interesting. Like that time with the big tentacled space predator. That may sound real compared to this stuff but it Isn't, Ha! I bet you fell for it at first, hook line and sinker! Like the humans would say. I think I used that saying right, I'm not sure what it means, but Shepard brought it up when he was telling a story about the wraith.
The humans are so nice, instead of exterminating their predators they try to cure them! Their doctors are working to modify the wraith so they don't have to eat humans anymore, so they can be friendly predators too.
Anyways I should probably get to the actual report part of this report. Farva says I should start after I went off with Samantha to work on some special astrophysics equations she said I would be good at. I kind of wanted to go with Donu to help Rodney get the new parts they needed, or Farva to help rescue our people, but the humans and even the angry gray alien got really weird when Farva mentioned taking me on the mission. Samantha seemed to want me to help her really badly so I didn’t mind. Samantha says I have the most important part to our mission. She's teaching me about how humans communicate through subspace, and about stellar drift equations. We are working on what she calls the exit strategy.

Please don't judge me or be harsh or trolling. I can't handle it at this point in time right now.... I am just moments close to ending everything because I just can't handle it anymore. please if you judge me just keep it to yourself please..
I am on ssi and ssd getting 158 on the first and 805 on the 3rd. the ssd is after both my parents passed they put me on my dads disability drawing off what he earned working but I was originally on ssi to begin with.
I get about 963 a month total to live on. Right now I am in major debt with credit cards since covid broke out. I had to use them to live on.
I moved in with my aunt who is living in apartments based on income but they are not section 8 but they accept section 8. When i moved in, i was told by the manager i didn't need to put my income since i was a cotenant. that was 10 yrs ago. come to find out. i had to put my income now i am being sued by the housing authority for 10k, i owe two more years. my aunt and i pay 220 a month to them. they don't care what happened they just want their money.
i owe one credit card company 4.5k, another 1.8k another 600 and another 700. when i applied for them, it was 3 plus years ago. i put that i made around 700k a year when i applied to them but i was on ssdi at the time making around 11k a year. i went on the websites 3 months ago fixed the right info.
I live in a small town where nothing is available for the next 20 plus miles and have no transport. my aunt won't take me anywhere. her son who si in his late 30's lives with us and works. my aunt is on disability. I get food stamps right now worth a 130 a month which goes to my aunt even though its for me. i pay her 450 a month rent incl internet lights and 130 in food. if i don't give her the food stamps then i have to pay her another 130 a month i can't afford since all my stuff is going to her and credit cards. i legit have nothing left each month right now with having to buy myself instant mashed potatoes, oatmeal top ramen soup, noodles and spaghetti sauce. i live on that through the month.
when she buys food with the food stamps it feeds her son, me and her. but it is only enough to last a week, then for the next 3 weeks i am starving barely eating because i can't afford much when i do buy stuff that i can put in my bedroom to eat on.
past week now, there has been no food, her son has been taking his mom and him out to eat all week not bringing anything home for me. im so hungry. the nearest food bank is 4 miles away one way, but i have no way to get there my aunt won't take me they don't deliver and when i tried getting medicaid transport to take me they said they don't schedule rides except to and from the dr's.
I have no other family, I have no friends. I have no vehicle. been trying to get a minivan so I could live in it. I am sometimes bed ridden due to my bad joints/back/knees/feet/right leg nerve damage. I also struggle from morbid obesity I am around 500 lbs and funny thing is, with how little i eat. i should be losing weight but its the complete opposite.
I will be 47 yrs old when I am out of debt with the credit card companies, I tried filing bankruptcy no one will touch me being under 10k in debt with the credit card companies. i contacted legal aid, the attorney who called me back said he can't help me because its under 10k. but told me how to file but chances of me filing and getting it are slim to none esp without legal help he said.
im thinking of ending my life next month when my aunt and her son leave for a week. I just can't keep living like this. if i had a minivan I could stay in it, do door dash for extra money, I could get around trying to find an aparment based on income. I bene accepted a few times to low income places but had no way to get there and now with all the debt I wouldn't be able to afford having my own place with the credit card debt.
if i stop paying the cards, and the debt collectors come after me, they could take me to court and if they do, they could show the judge i said i made 700k a year and i didn't make that much and was on disability at the time and making only 11k a year. i found out while looking into bankruptcy that it is fraud and i could face prison time.
i just don't know what to do anymore. i really don't know what to do anymore other than ending things next month to get out of this situation i put myself in with my aunt, debt, etc. I just can't do it anymore esp without a vehicle. esp since I am bed ridden half of the day here and there due to my bad joints and weight that i have carried around for 30 yrs destroying my joints and causing nerve damage to my right leg. I can't just get up and go on the streets and live on the streets not with how badly im in pain every day esp just walking to the corner store. just a simple walk to the corner store and back and i am bed rested for an entire day barely able to move.
i can't do it anymore...

Please don't judge me or be harsh or trolling. I can't handle it at this point in time right now.... I am just moments close to ending everything because I just can't handle it anymore. please if you judge me just keep it to yourself please..
I am on ssi and ssd getting 158 on the first and 805 on the 3rd. the ssd is after both my parents passed they put me on my dads disability drawing off what he earned working but I was originally on ssi to begin with.
I get about 963 a month total to live on. Right now I am in major debt with credit cards since covid broke out. I had to use them to live on.
I moved in with my aunt who is living in apartments based on income but they are not section 8 but they accept section 8. When i moved in, i was told by the manager i didn't need to put my income since i was a cotenant. that was 10 yrs ago. come to find out. i had to put my income now i am being sued by the housing authority for 10k, i owe two more years. my aunt and i pay 220 a month to them. they don't care what happened they just want their money.
i owe one credit card company 4.5k, another 1.8k another 600 and another 700. when i applied for them, it was 3 plus years ago. i put that i made around 700k a year when i applied to them but i was on ssdi at the time making around 11k a year. i went on the websites 3 months ago fixed the right info.
I live in a small town where nothing is available for the next 20 plus miles and have no transport. my aunt won't take me anywhere. her son who si in his late 30's lives with us and works. my aunt is on disability. I get food stamps right now worth a 130 a month which goes to my aunt even though its for me. i pay her 450 a month rent incl internet lights and 130 in food. if i don't give her the food stamps then i have to pay her another 130 a month i can't afford since all my stuff is going to her and credit cards. i legit have nothing left each month right now with having to buy myself instant mashed potatoes, oatmeal top ramen soup, noodles and spaghetti sauce. i live on that through the month.
when she buys food with the food stamps it feeds her son, me and her. but it is only enough to last a week, then for the next 3 weeks i am starving barely eating because i can't afford much when i do buy stuff that i can put in my bedroom to eat on.
past week now, there has been no food, her son has been taking his mom and him out to eat all week not bringing anything home for me. im so hungry. the nearest food bank is 4 miles away one way, but i have no way to get there my aunt won't take me they don't deliver and when i tried getting medicaid transport to take me they said they don't schedule rides except to and from the dr's.
I have no other family, I have no friends. I have no vehicle. been trying to get a minivan so I could live in it. I am sometimes bed ridden due to my bad joints/back/knees/feet/right leg nerve damage. I also struggle from morbid obesity I am around 500 lbs and funny thing is, with how little i eat. i should be losing weight but its the complete opposite.
I will be 47 yrs old when I am out of debt with the credit card companies, I tried filing bankruptcy no one will touch me being under 10k in debt with the credit card companies. i contacted legal aid, the attorney who called me back said he can't help me because its under 10k. but told me how to file but chances of me filing and getting it are slim to none esp without legal help he said.
im thinking of ending my life next month when my aunt and her son leave for a week. I just can't keep living like this. if i had a minivan I could stay in it, do door dash for extra money, I could get around trying to find an aparment based on income. I bene accepted a few times to low income places but had no way to get there and now with all the debt I wouldn't be able to afford having my own place with the credit card debt.
if i stop paying the cards, and the debt collectors come after me, they could take me to court and if they do, they could show the judge i said i made 700k a year and i didn't make that much and was on disability at the time and making only 11k a year. i found out while looking into bankruptcy that it is fraud and i could face prison time.
i just don't know what to do anymore. i really don't know what to do anymore other than ending things next month to get out of this situation i put myself in with my aunt, debt, etc. I just can't do it anymore esp without a vehicle. esp since I am bed ridden half of the day here and there due to my bad joints and weight that i have carried around for 30 yrs destroying my joints and causing nerve damage to my right leg. I can't just get up and go on the streets and live on the streets not with how badly im in pain every day esp just walking to the corner store. just a simple walk to the corner store and back and i am bed rested for an entire day barely able to move.
i can't do it anymore...

Seems that forums are visited in waves by different demographics so perhaps not everyone is easily finding certain info.
Want to try to have a simple post that we can summarize what's up and what to do. I'll try to update with suggestions and as appropriate info comes available.
Updated as of 5/19/24 9:48 PM CST

• ETA on us getting our funds?
  • None provided.
  • There is this X post for consideration: https://x.com/sankaet/status/1791728405940994068?s=46&t=jCX9YAEMJQvgvF1HC9K2lQ
• What are they doing for us?
  • Judge has limited powers due to docket scope.
  • Monday there will be "meet and confer" between Synapse and Evolve.
  • Likely not know anything until Friday's hearing unless one of the parties updates via social media/press release.
• Is there any work around or back door to get our funds?
  • Highly unlikely - frozen means frozen.
  • Failed attempts may lead to returned ach fees. Attempt at your own risk.
• Is our money gone?
  • Not exactly but no guarantees can be made because of the murkiness of the situation.
• Do we know what occurred, and why?
  • Mostly speculation outside of Evolve's comments from the hearing and their recent social media release.
  • Shorthand, Synapse needs to provide settlement records/reports/ledgers in order for Evolve to consider unfreezing funds and transactions.
• What should I do?
  • File new direct deposit with your employer to a different account if you're depositing directly to these accounts.
  • Document everything, save emails and chats you've had with your platform. Compiled a list of known news links at the bottom of this post.
  • Download your statements for proof of your balances. Consider also a custom statement if your platform allows it for YTD.
  • Contact lenders and whomever you make payments to. Make them aware - though many will say nothing can be done until after billing (after fees and interest are charged). They are usually set up to reimburse, not prevent.
  • For credit score damage, you'll be providing the same documentation in credit history disputes. However, like your lenders, they are setup to deal with it after the fact. Not much can be done except prepare your argumentation / documentation in advance.
  • Seek financial advisor / coach for budgeting to help you make a plan to recover and limit the damages. The majority of your recovery will be your responsibility, however frustrating that may be.
• Lawsuits?
  • Right now, Synapse is in bankruptcy court - the judge is not able to help us outside of the meet and confer order. So don't count on the hearings going on right now to solve all of our issues.
  • To my knowledge, no one has filed a suit yet (I am seeking an attorney personally, but probably too early to file anything). The number of impact statements from reddit users may make a great case, but consider that most cases are intended to make you whole, not rich. So if funds are made available, your ability to sue may be limited. Speak with your attorney.

Template I used for my communications - can modify and will update with appropriate suggestions:
I bank with [Yotta/Juno/Copper]. This is actually a type of fintech which is a front end platform (not a real bank). They use other companies to provide the actual banking services behind the scenes. One of which is called Synapse. Synapse primarily parks funds in other banks such as Lineage, AMG, Evolve. This past week, at least one of those banks, Evolve, put a freeze on all funds and transactions. Synapse is in bankruptcy court and made some poor decisions - not providing settlement records, reports and ledgers so that postings of daily transactions can continue that satisfy Evolve's needs.
There is, unfortunately, no major news coverage other than a few articles listed below and a very active Reddit board as of the last week or so since the freeze has occurred.
At this time, I would appreciate if [LendeCompany] would be merciful in regards to missed payments and related consequences (fees/interest/negative reporting). This is entirely out of my hands. The funds are there to make my payment, but frozen for a reason outside of my actions and control. I have no way of paying bills, paying for groceries and rent outside of leaning on credit cards while I try to rearrange future funds and recover my budgeting.
I appreciate you being a helpful and understanding partner during this time.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilymason/2024/05/14/judge-says-up-to-20-million-fintech-depositors-are-at-risk-from-synapse-bankruptcy/
https://fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/p/theres-a-bank-run-thats-going-to?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2k65kb&triedRedirect=true
https://www.reddit.com/yotta/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilymason/2024/05/17/federal-bank-regulators-wont-rescue-fintech-customers-caught-in-synapse-bankruptcy/
https://www.getevolved.com/about/evolve-responds-to-fridays-court-hearing/
https://medium.com/synapsefi/addressing-evolves-misleading-press-release-8e8b77850a7a
https://www.axios.com/pro/fintech-deals/2024/05/14/mess-synapse-evolve-yotta

Hello Fellow Apes,
I just want to take a quick moment to revisit the Nasdaq's rules and how it would pertain to Clover Healthcare's delisting procedure. I want to do this for two reasons: 1) I want to get ahead of the short sellers' FUD thesis, and 2) I want to revisit the post I made a month ago called "Nasdaq's rules and procedures pertaining to Clover Health." https://www.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1bx2eeg/nasdaqs_rules_and_procedures_pertaining_to_clove
Currently, retail short sellers do not have a basis to spread FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) about Clover Health (CLOV). Additionally, my recent post has highlighted the coordinated efforts to short the stock and brought attention to the fact that a group of us has been reporting activities on the Clover Health subreddit to the SEC and Clover's Investor Relations.
https://www.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1ctvrx7/clov_as_a_meme_clovs_reddit_and_andrews_recent/
In short, our filings with these entities revealed a high correlation (R = 0.97 with a P-value of 0.001) between the "dog whistle" share price and the actual share price of the stock after running statistical tests. Our dataset covered several months. An R value of 0.97 in a correlation test indicates a very strong positive linear relationship between the two variables.
Additionally, contrasting this with the recent meme stock frenzy fueled by figures like Roaring Kitty and Ryan Cohen, hundreds of thousands of people have lost substantial amounts of money due to the activities of retail short sellers. Unlike institutional traders, there are currently no sufficient laws or enforcement mechanisms to regulate these retail short sellers. This lack of oversight prompted us to start documenting and collecting data on Clover Health (CLOV). Our goal is to contribute to the end to such predatory market manipulation behaviors. Companies such as AMC and GME are doomed to fail. However, the case with Clov is different because the company is profitable, sustainable, and gearing up to expand and address the changes to healthcare.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/17/gamestop-shares-fall-after-it-files-to-sell-securities-says-first-quarter-sales-declined.html
I know what you guys are thinking, "Why are you bringing this up again?" Do you guys remember one of the procedures for Nasdaq's delisting that I wrote a month ago?
"When a company listed on the Nasdaq stock market receives a notice of noncompliance, it means that the company has failed to meet one or more of the Nasdaq's listing requirements. The timeline for potential delisting following a noncompliance notice varies depending on the specific rule that has been violated. Generally, companies are given a compliance period during which they can regain compliance with the Nasdaq's listing standards. This period can range from 30 days to 180 days, or sometimes even longer, especially if the company decides to appeal against the delisting decision or if the noncompliance is related to financial or reporting issues which have specific cure periods.
After the compliance period ends, if the company has not regained compliance or has not made satisfactory progress towards compliance, as determined by the Nasdaq, the exchange may issue a delisting notice. The company can appeal this decision, which may further extend the process. Currently, Clov has several good reasons and evidence to further extend the process. However, I cannot speak on this because of two reasons:

1. It's uncertain whether Clover Health's Investor Relations (IR) team will instruct their legal team to formally present their reasons for noncompliance to Nasdaq. They have legitimate reasons, including being targeted by retail short sellers, but I'll not delve into those details in this post.
2. Considering Clover Health's financial situation, as evidenced by their 10-K reports and their operational runway, it's possible they may not need to utilize the full 180-day grace period before appealing Nasdaq's notice. Moocao plans to conduct a detailed analysis (DD) of their financial statements, which suggest the company is in a strong position. The launch of their Software as a Service (SaaS) platform and the anticipation of approximately $100 million in revenue could potentially disrupt the strategies of retail short sellers, possibly leading to their financial downturn. However, the outcome of the first quarter's earnings report (Q1 ER) remains to be seen, presenting Clover Health with two potential paths forward. I'm only speculating SaaS contracts because why would you hire SaaS staff, request to generate more shares to pay those staff, and not have work or activities for them to do right now? This is a lot of money to spend on something that have no contracts. Therefore, I speculate they will announce their SaaS the same way that they announced their home care last year."

Looking at the current situation, Clover Health has ample time to comply with Nasdaq's regulations for several key reasons--almost unlimited:

1. Strong Financial Health: The company is performing exceptionally well and is far from facing bankruptcy. Despite this, short sellers have excessively shorted the stock, pushing it to levels suggesting financial distress, and they have coordinated efforts to sway public sentiment negatively. https://www.reddit.com/Healthcare_Anon/comments/1cp786f/clover_q1_2024_earnings_analysis_earnings_call10q/
2. Proactive Measures: Clover Health is actively working to enhance shareholder value, including implementing a share buyback program.
3. Prepared for Appeals: We have already prepared the necessary reports for Clover Health to file an appeal with Nasdaq, should it fail to meet compliance standards within 180 days. However, given the company's current trajectory, it's unlikely that an appeal will be necessary as we anticipate Clover Health will regain compliance soon.

It's important to note that the likelihood of Clover Health facing delisting or needing to perform a reverse stock split is minimal. In a somewhat ironic twist, we owe a debt of gratitude to the retail short sellers. Their consistent manipulation of the stock has inadvertently provided crucial evidence. If they hadn't driven the stock price below bankruptcy levels and engaged in aggressive trading strategies against market-making algorithms, we might not have identified key areas to focus on. As the saying goes, sometimes not getting what you want can indeed be a blessing.
I'll provide a more detailed write-up later, but for now, I wanted to reassure you that the potential for Clover Health's delisting or reverse stock split is very low. The delisting and reverse stock split are the only kind of theses I anticipate the brigades can make. Otherwise, the only thing that they have are memes.

I (M, 29) am looking into filing chapter 7 bankruptcy. I feel I'm in an inescapable pit due to a combination of my own decisions and circumstances. I suppose that's true of everyone.
I was laid off from a job a few years ago that paid too poorly for me to have savings. I had maxed out credit cards while trying to stay afloat. I started a new job, rebuilt a bit, and then moved to a city where I've met the love of my life.
Things were rough but manageable, and I was happy. I then began struggling with a sleep disorder called idiopathic hypersomnia. I have narcolepsy or another neurological dysfunction. I was unable to complete full shifts and began losing income and performing poorly. I was unmedicated for several months, and this severely impacted my income and personal life.
I applied for short-term disability through my employer's insurance program. I was told by my employer that partial disability wasn't covered, but then told by the insurance company that it was. They gave me a lump sum payment for the time I was unable to work, and I used this to pay bills and rent right away. I asked how taxes were handled and was told there would be a deduction and that I could select a percentage to hold as well. I held the minimum recommended amount since there was the additional deduction.
I was then laid off along with my entire department. I applied for unemployment but didn't receive it for several months while the state investigated my income due to the disability payment received. They also wanted to be certain I could still work.
During this time, I received my W2s for my former work and for the disability payment. The disability w2 showed around $3000 more income than I had received, which was listed as 'deduction' on the paperwork from the insurance company. I assumed and was told this was for taxes, but I now was being taxed for the $3000 deduction, and would not be receiving it.
I called and was told they'd investigate, and then received a call from my former employer asking why I received a partial disability payment and that it wasn't standard. I double-checked the policy and found it was included, but I haven't heard back regarding the deduction other than a statement that it was 'part of the policy'. I've asked for clarification on what the deduction was for and how I can be taxed for it if I haven't received it, and was told it's standard policy and that I had agreed to that by using their insurance.
So I now owe income tax for an additional $3000 of income, as well as income tax for something I thought was already covered. I owe several thousand in taxes, in addition to having several thousand in credit debts and a restructurement loan since I had to rely on these cards while waiting for unemployment and food stamps.
It took around 150 applications and 4 months to land a new job. My new job pays around the same as my old, but I am not making enough to be able to pay the taxes in time, while still paying all of my debts, while still paying rent.
I want to marry my girlfriend. I love her dearly. I'm almost 30. Bankruptcy wouldn'tfall off until 40. Could I ever get a home in that time? Would that impact her if we get married?
I don't have money to fight this weird legal battle with these insurance companies, and the companies that hold my debts (not yet in collections) are completely inflexible about payments. I don't qualify for any kind of financial assistance due to my income.
I feel like I'm drowning, and bankruptcy seems like a horribly double-edged sword.
For the first time in my life I have something so precious, I want a family and have never felt this way before, but I don't want to ruin her life with all of these problems. I don't know what to do.
I have around $20,000 in debt for loans and cards, and owe another $4000 for taxes.
I make $78,000/year before taxes and insurance, realistically around $4000/month. My rent is $2200 after utilities and parking. My car is $350/month with insurance. Internet is $80/month. Phone bill is $100/month. My dog is around $100/month. Groceries and household items are around $400/month. I'm regularly paying insurance copays for various tests and treatments at $40/visit. My medication at any point in time could start costing $900 or more per bottle if the coupons I'm using suddenly disappear or stop working. I need maintenance done on my car. I'm always late on rent because of this cycle and timing, so I'm always paying an extra $200 for rent.
It feels like there's no end. How long do I have before I get thrown in jail because I was told I had taxes set aside and didn't? I applied for a 180-day payment deferral on the IRS site, but time is ticking and I can't save money, and that doesn't deal with the state taxes owed. I'm constantly bombarded with calls from the debt collectors for the credit card payments I'm juggling every month, and being eaten alive by late fees and interest.
I've sold a bunch of my belongings to try and make some cash back. I took a risk and bought options contracts and profited, but that's too risky and terrifying to be a consistent strategy.
I don't know what the right decisions are, and I do not have friends or family to turn to. The only person I have is my girlfriend, and she can tell I'm always stressed and struggling because of these things. I would never ask her for money, and know that she wouldn't be able to provide significant help with her income. And again, I don't want her finances to be impacted long term because of my stupidity and misfortune.
I know I should get legal assistance with some of these issues, but that's significantly more money than I can find right now. Is there a way out of this, or should I be filing bankruptcy?
tl;dr
I was given a lump-sum short term disability payment, and was told some was deducted for taxes. The amount deducted was instead for 'policy', and I now owe that amount in taxes plus tax for that amount as income. I do not have money for legal services.
I have significant debt, and it's impossible to manage while juggling rent and bills. I am running out of time to pay the taxes I owe.
I want to marry my girlfriend. I want to live in a small home with a yard with her. Can I buy a house with a bankruptcy? Will my bankruptcy damage her finances and credit if we marry? Should I even be filing bankruptcy? What are my options?

Where do I begin. For the purpose of this post, I will use fictious names and locations as it is ongoing, and out of respect (even though she doesn't deserve any)
My name is Daniel. I am 35 years old, and i am dying. I have a disease called systemic sclerosis. I am currently on a supplemental disability plan, until I get approved for SSI (social Security). Until then, my income is about 4K a month. I own a home but after child support and bills, NOT INCLUDING gas, food, haircuts, medical appointments, and or emergencies like my fridge just broke. (which i never go out) I am left with $260 that has to last me a month. I also have three children who I have to take care of half the time per the 50/50 agreement.
Recently, I found out my oldest, (who is 13) is not biologically mine. I decided to look into it as I had concerns for a while since my divorce as her cheating was very rampant. I also had caught her in 2017 with a man in my house, which is what prompted the divorce. But FL being a no fault state, doesn't matter. I also had to pay child support since the beginning and WHILE LEGALLY Married since 2010 because she had applied for financial support like food stamps and government assistance then. I know what your thinking. Why didnt you stop it then? I tried. You cant take yourself off child support. I also never grew up with a father and wanted that two-parent household. I don't run from responsibilities, like he did. Its how I was raised. Anyways, I married her, tried to do the right thing, she lied numerous times. she never worked, and I worked 90 plus hours a week. To look into her cheating, was impossible at the time as I was never home. and to busy providing for my family.
fast forward to now. My disease started to become worse and over three years; it didn't reveal itself until last year fully to actually pinpoint what this was. for instance, I had in 2019 pain behind my eyes and horrible headaches to the point that I thought I had MS. following year, I had trouble swallowing for 3 months. next year itching in the skin for three months. But prior, I had visited various doctors to see what was going on, each time a flare up then would last 3 to four months, which again, when you don't understand what's going on, you need to take time off to go see doctors, run tests, but this illness was and still is very elusive. with that being said I had 5 jobs since its first flare up till last year to continue to support my family and to pay child support. as of last year. I'm having trouble moving on certain days, breathing and acid reflux and muscle atrophy. (disease progression) especially when this is going on, it worsens everything as this is flared up. I was working under the table to try and make ends meet as I was paying child support still. I should add that the child support with 50/50 custody was $1029 for three kids cause I was making six figures at the time of divorce in 2018. Last year however, I couldn't work anymore, and filed for disability.
In june of last year, I had asked Susan, to get the children school supplies, (which she never does) as I was still paying at the time $1029 in child support. She said she didnt have the money despite now making 70k and her new BF living with her and is working whom she cheated on me with. With me working under the table, I bought them clothes, haircuts, school supplies (ive done every year) but then, I noticed she went on vacation to puerto rico and got a giant leg tattoo. At the time, I had already known what I had, and I asked myself why the heck am I doing this? So i turned to an attorney to get it modified. Again, this is June 20th to be exact of last year. My lawyer, stated that this was only going to be a 90 day turn around for the temporary modification then we will go for the final.
Since then, I have gone for a DNA test. I had to know. I am dying. I wanted to know. And you may judge me for this. but i have filed for disablement for paternity, meaning I am removing myself from the birth certificate. However, in the state of Florida, a mother can deny this and so can the courts. before you judge me, I have many reasons none of which have to do with him other then his mental disability (Aspergers) This illness, as days go by takes more and more from me. As previously aforementioned, I am left with 250 a month. I cannot go get a drs appointment pay for groceries or start planning my funeral which I will start making payments on soon. He also eats three times the amount that we all collectively do (Not his fault) but I have paid enough both mentally and financially. He also has trouble communicating as my suspicions is, that he was born of incest (gross) which is why I was 'chosen' to be his father at the time. Before you ask how do you know? Lets just say she had an uncle 'leave' during that time.
anyways, in February, I had the temporary modification hearing for child support and needless to say it was a circus. My doctor was subpoenaed to be there by my attorneys request to better my argument, even though I felt we didn't need her, she advised me to have my doctor there. Well, he attorney attacked my doctor and me for an hour and 40 mins when the court case was only supposed to go for an hour. He said "you saw another dr Max so and so and they said it was all in your head" (again I had flare ups on a illness that hadnt revealed itself correctly since last year). So there argument was that I was doctor seeking to avoid child support. After I have paid for 13 years never missing a payment. Her lawyer also targeted people who are living with me. Now I'll admit that I said they were friends which is true but how else can I pay for my attorney? Cant work, cant sell drugs, cant rob a bank? So they want to take there income into consideration. BS. She also hired a private investigator to watch me exercise outside and stated that because I can exercise, I can work..... Ok. Where's the 23 hours of the rest of the day watching me in pain. or when do you have me on video of a flare up from this terminal illness? (that's what I wanted to say)
Although I was granted the temporary modification, of $209, I left the court thinking wow, this woman can cheat, commit paternity fraud, not give two craps about our children, live with her mom in a section 8 home, and here I am doing whatever I can and I've done nothing wrong but be lied to and this is how my government, my country treats me? No wonder men my age dont have children this is insane. The paternity issue wasn't even brought up they said that this isnt the place for this and that the disestablishment will be another trial for those wondering. My lawyer only spoke for 5 mins. Asking her about her income cause thats the only thing that has changed since 2018 since she didnt work at the time. Other than that, it was an attack on me and my disease arguing my ability to work.
after leaving that, I didnt eat for 96 hours. I have since been crying nonstop. Compilating suicide. I am already heart broken about my son not being mine. Sure does a terminal illness make me said, no question everyday. But a life wasted on another? Cause I decided to be a man and take up responsibility? thats soul crushing. And to say "well, there is a big chance the courts will deny your request' thats BS. If i go to prison because I was accused of a robbery for 13 years, and DNA evidence proves I wasnt there, I get out of jail and can sue. This is no different. If anything, DNA evidence needs to be more of a factor in family law than in almost every court of law if not as equally important. My bad for not investigating her infidelity not only in the beginning but also in the end. How about not being a POS. sorry rant over
gets better. Her mom and dad smoke in the section 8 house, kids reek of cigarette smoke and marijuana, all day. they dont take showers there, they were hand me down clothes, they live in the garage shared with there mother, that isn't air conditioned. and he makes only a few thousand less than I do a month. She stated in court that she pays her mom $500 in rent which is BS, she is only doing that now so that she makes herself look bad. I know she is doing pills, like oxy and what not. Id love to prove it.
after the temp hearing, in april, I had to go to court to contest my drivers license suspension as I hadn't paid child support since, august of last year. again, there is no way, I can pay my bills, feed my children, go to the doctor, pay my lawyer to end all of this BS and pay the current child support amount. and again, this final hearing is still not set yet. So they intercepted my tax return, even though the temporary modification was approved, the final is what gets it retro backed to the date of filing, so they took, a much needed 5500 tax return from me. I needed that cause one of the issues I failed to mention as well, hurricane Ian has destroyed my home and I'm still going through that process too. not to mention I am on payment plans with Mayo clinic and other various medical facilities. (no one cares) but the interest that accrues, makes it impossible to catch up. also, Florida department of rev is overstepping I feel, and asking for medical info to be sent to them as well as updated doctors letters to be sent saying that I am still on disability.
a few weeks ago, I got an email from my lawyer having a withdrawal notice from her lawyer. in the withdrawal, he stated that he cannot represent her, due to something she may have withheld or lied about (more or less wasn't worded like that but you can tell). In feb court appearance they never produced the PI report, or videos, they had medical info they shouldn't have had, and they had very outlandish comments about my lifestyle. So my lawyer filed immediately a motion to compel. meaning, we want to see everything you have on my client. this was filed almost immediately after court appearance on feb 20th. Susan has failed to provide any updated info requested by my attorney so on june 18th, we have that upcoming hearing.
in the mean time, I have sent my lawyer, a very heavily requested topics, such as "where did they get my medical records, if those were lies, what are the consequences if any"? What did exercising have to do with any of this despite various drs saying he has to or he will get worse.
I know wat you must be thinking, what about your oldest, how can you do that to him. Please listen. This woman has taken everything from me. And i mean everything but the roof over my head. I am seeing a therapist to help with the suicidal thoughts. it isnt enough. the reality of it is, I chose to be loyal and it bit me in the butt. This disease will rob me of everything, my teeth will fall out ( I had 5 cavities last time I went to the dentist) I haven't had a cavity since I was 30 and even then I was suspicious. And I am brushing 5 time s a day to save them. My skin is tightening, and my arms and muscles are wasting. I will literally be left with nothing. My organs will also start to harden, and I will have to start getting around the clock care.
I forgot to mention they (child support) recently, sent a letter to SSI (social security) saying that they would garnish my SSI before I even got it, totaling $1029. the incorrect amount. I sent this to my lawyer and she is looking into it. But it shows that child support will overstep and breaks every law or freedom you may think you have. I DO take care of my children. if they need a haircut i do it, school supplies clothes, anything I do it. And I do it, cause she wont. What I want to leave you with, is that woman can be dead beats too. Child support was designed to have woman off of government subsidized programs like section 8 food stamps and what not. Also to make the man pay for their children man or woman I should say, I know this. I am not running from my obligation. I just want Susan, to have to pay for what's she's done to me and the kids.
I would like to hear your thoughts on this, please comment and share, all names are fake, but everything else is unfortunately real. I know it was wordy, but I wanted to provide as much backstory as possible. And please. Respect my descions. When you are end of life, I hope someone would be kind enough to respect yours. You may not agree and that's ok, but I am asking you to respect them. Thank you for reading.

Just thought I would share this:
Evolve Bank & Trust Responds to Synapse Bankruptcy Hearing
Evolve Bank & Trust supports today’s (Friday, May 17, 2024) United States Bankruptcy court rulings regarding our motion and maintains unwavering dedication to safeguarding the security of all end user funds. Since the unfortunate necessity of freezing certain transactions, our teams have been tirelessly working to guarantee account accuracy, enhancing security measures, and ultimately restoring access to funds for our valued customers.
Today’s rulings and Judge Martin R. Barash’s remarks serve to validate what we have steadfastly asserted all along: Synapse’s abrupt shutdown of essential systems without notice and failure to provide necessary records needlessly jeopardized end users by hindering our ability to verify transactions, confirm end user balances, and comply with applicable law. Evolve’s position is further corroborated by the U.S. Trustee’s emergency filing, which warns of Synapse’s “gross mismanagement” in deciding to cut off access to its computer systems over a weekend.
As a robustly well-capitalized FDIC institution exceeding the capital thresholds for the highest category of capitalization under PCA (“well capitalized”), our primary focus is on ensuring the protection of end user funds. This becomes paramount when essential reporting and information necessary for transaction processing are not forthcoming from our critical service provider.
Evolve operates in accordance with federal regulations governing financial institutions. Any insinuation suggesting that Evolve has intentionally mishandled or withheld funds is entirely false and defamatory.
As we move forward, Evolve Bank & Trust reaffirms our commitment to collaborating with financial industry partners with the shared goal of providing customers access to their funds. We are dedicated to addressing any challenges that arise with agility and efficacy, ensuring the integrity and security of all customer funds remain paramount.
For media inquiries please email: media@getevolved.com.
If you’re a customer and have questions, call our Customer Care Center, 866.395.2754.
Source: https://www.getevolved.com/about/evolve-responds-to-fridays-court-hearing/
Evolve has facebook, twitter and instagram..They have turned off the ability to comment on their instagram posts or facebook posts

I have a couple questions stemming from a small claims case I currently am apart of in Eastern Washington.
1) how much time are the courts required to give in regards to change of date?
2) why are they not required to provide proof that they sent you a copy in the same manner as I was about having served the opposing party a minimum of 10 days prior. How is a regular, non certified letter and a supposed phone message proof of service?
3) who would I file a complaint with against the judge and the court staff over their flippant behavior and general attitude unbecoming of the judicial system.
I had a court date for small claims against an ex landlord two weeks ago. On the day that we were supposed to appear we were no on the docket. I asked the court clerk about it and they said “the opposing party asked for a continuance. We granted it and mailed the notice on Monday. You can try and talk to the judge but he won’t talk to you”. Keep in mind it takes a minimum of 3 days for a letter to get across town, usually 4 to 5. I waited until the end of the proceedings before I asked if I could speak with the judge. From the get go he had a very flippant attitude and was generally disrespectful when I asked two questions. One about providing proof of notice to myself and one about scheduling. I went back to the clerk (in a different room) and both her and the judge were acting as if I was a major inconvenience for asking for a different court date since the one they set without consulting me was not going to work.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Creole dangled that final favor over my head for a few weeks. He didn’t summon me or even contact me as if he was dragging out my final task until he truly felt like doing so. While it annoyed me, I eventually found it to be a blessing. It allowed me to process everything that had happened to me and recharge my batteries. I also did my best to avoid mirrors after my hotel ordeal with my corrupted reflection. Every time I even passed a mirror it felt like at any moment she burst through the mirror and rip me into pieces.
After almost 3 weeks of silence from Creole, I was sitting home alone, having agreed to help my parents fill out their taxes while they continued to work themselves to the bone. I didn’t exactly know what I was doing but I figured that no one ever really knows what they’re doing when they fill out a tax form. I was in the process of chewing the end of my eraser when our doorbell rang.
Now I’m usually the type of person who never answers the door when the doorbell rings. If I don’t know that you’re coming over beforehand then I ain’t answering the door. But something about this doorbell felt different. And after all, I wasn’t getting anywhere with my parent’s tax forms; other than the feeling of dread with how badly we were faring even with both of them working two jobs. So I stood up from the kitchen table and made my way over to the door.
“Jacob?” I asked with surprise and a bit of shock when I saw the bellboy standing at my door. He waved to me happily and then reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, handing it to me. I took it from him and was greeted by the familiar handwriting that Creole’s notes carried. “Why didn’t he just call me?” I asked Jacob, forgetting that Creole’s bellboy was now a mute. He simply pointed at the envelope. I looked down at it, opened it, and began to read.
“Mace! So sorry that I’m not able to call you. I’m currently out of town on a business trip. But this is the perfect opportunity for your final favor! Jacob is here to lead you to the shop where I’ve left further instructions. And don’t worry about anyone seeing y’all. Not like anyone will believe ya if you told em. Best regards, K.C.”
That last sentence felt like a threat. It was something that existed constantly in the back of my mind. Especially after I found out that Creole had the police in his pocket. It was best to just grit my teeth, get this final favor done, and never have to think of Ol’ King Creole’s Half Priced Voodoo Store ever again.
“Just give me a minute to get my things,” I told Jacob. He nodded quickly and gave me a thumbs-up. He was such a different person now that it was scary. I hadn’t known Jacob well in high school but seeing him like this caused me to feel sorry for him. He certainly didn’t deserve this, it wasn’t his fault that I had gotten stabbed by one of his customers. And yet it was my fault that he was now a servant of the same monster that held my own life in his gloved hands.
I allowed Jacob into the house while I headed upstairs, followed by the thoughts that filled me with guilt over what had happened to him. I applied more of Creole’s ointment so that my scar and stitches would continue to be hidden. I gathered my lockpicking tools and my pepper spray and finally joined Jacob downstairs. He was busy looking at the pictures hung up on my wall and when he noticed me he quickly spun on his heels and gave me a salute, a cheery smile on his stitched-up mouth.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I told him, barely able to stand his overly cheery demeanor. He nodded and followed me outside. I locked the door and followed him as he led me toward the voodoo store. As I followed Jacob, I took the letter he had given me and started reading it again. Something was bothering me.
“Where the hell does he need to go to be on a business trip?” I asked Jacob, again as if the mute bellboy could answer me. He shrugged his shoulders as he continued down the sidewalk. I looked back down at the letter and suddenly got a terrible feeling about something. Were there other freaks like Creole? If one freak exists, it only makes sense that others also exist. This horrible line of thought was abruptly halted when I walked into Jacob. I was about to get pissed at him but then I realized that we’d arrived at the voodoo shop.
“Oh,” I said, my cheeks getting warm with embarrassment. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts that we’d arrived in record time. Jacob just smiled and opened the door for me, I mouthed a quick thanks and entered the shop hoping to leave my embarrassment outside. Every voodoo doll quickly turned to look at me as soon as I entered. I quickly held my hands up to show them that it was me, and Jacob entering the store behind me put them all at ease. I guessed that they were some sort of security system for when their boss was away.
Jacob led me to Creole’s office and as we passed the basement door whatever was down there quickly began pounding at the door. It surprised me so badly that I screamed and quickly rushed past Jacob toward the office, putting as much distance as I could from the creature in the basement. I entered Creole’s office and quickly sat myself down on the comfy chair where I had received my life-saving surgery from Creole. Jacob followed after me and closed the door behind us.
He went behind Creole’s desk and began searching for something. I meanwhile finally took full notice of Creole’s office, since the last time I had been there I had been on death’s door. His office was filled with photos with a grand majority of them being scratched out in some way. All except one on his desk. I reached out and grabbed the picture frame to look at it. It was an old black-and-white photo of a man and a woman.
“Is that…” I held the photo closer to my eyes to examine it. The man was tall with messy black hair. “Creole?” I whispered to myself as the figure in the picture was a dead-ringer for Creole. Of course minus the button eyes and stitches across his mouth and neck. Just as I was about to examine the woman, the photo was suddenly snatched from my hands. I just about had a heart attack thinking that Creole had somehow returned and taken it from me. But it was only Jacob with more of my directions.
“Right, sorry,” I told him as I accepted the couple of pieces of paper he handed to me. There were Creole’s usual doodles of what I had to retrieve though these were the strangest ones yet. Though thinking back now it certainly seemed hard to top a clock that caused you to decay and a mirror that creates a horror version of yourself.
Creole wanted me to steal some sort of file and a porcelain doll. The porcelain doll made sense, the wall of voodoo dolls was enough to prove Creole’s obsession with dolls. But the file was what interested me more. What exactly did he want that for? Was it some sort of haunted file or something? I looked at the next page which was another letter. Why he couldn’t have just told me everything in the first letter was lost to me.
“Mace! By now Jacob should’ve given you the target of my current desire. After you’ve finished reading this and are ready to begin your final favor he’ll take you to your target. And I’m sure you’re dying to know where it is. It’s in a lovely Massachusetts mansion! The owner rarely ever goes there anymore so it should be a walk in the park for you! Just this last favor and you can finally go free.” He didn’t bother signing this one, but I could care less. The third paper appeared to be completely blank, so I just shoved that into my pocket with everything else.
“Well, I guess I’m ready,” I told Jacob as I stood up. He nodded and reached into his pocket. He rummaged around in there for a moment before he pulled out a key. The bow of it was a skull, which probably meant that it was a skeleton key of some sort. I’m sure Creole had gotten a kick out of it for that reason. The bellboy inserted the key into Creole’s office door and turned it. Before my eyes and Jacob’s buttons, the door began to morph and change into a much more ornate and fancier one. The golden initials CS were stamped onto each door and Jacob swung the door open for me.
“Wish me luck,” I said as he handed to key to me. I assumed so I could make a quick escape if the situation called for it. He held a thumbs up and waved goodbye to me as I stepped through the doors.
I had to blink my eyes furiously after entering the mansion as I was blasted with natural lighting that blinded me when compared to the dimly lit voodoo shop. This place was massive, from a giant chandelier above my head, to massive windows that let in plenty of sunlight into the mansion. But even despite its grandeur it felt, cold. Both in temperature and in feeling. It was the beginning of fall but even so, there wasn’t any reason for it to be this cold. Cold enough to see my breath. I shivered as I took my few steps forward into the mansion.
Right at the entrance next to the grand staircase was a giant family portrait of who I at first assumed were the owners of this massive palace. But judging by the clothes the woman was wearing and the style of suit the older man was wearing I quickly judged that they must be some kind of ancestors. The woman and man both had their hands on the boy in front of them. The mother and I assumed her son both had blonde hair, while the father had thick brown hair with a giant mustache.
“Where would this file be?” I wondered to myself after a moment of staring at the giant portrait. I reached into my pocket to try and find something in Creole’s notes. And to my surprise, the previously blank sheet of paper had suddenly transformed into a map of the mansion. To my surprise the file wasn’t located upstairs but in a downstairs office. Armed with this knowledge, I started making my way towards it, checking the map every so often so that I wouldn’t become lost in the maze of hallways and rooms that this mansion possessed.
The cold started getting to me as I shivered uncontrollably and vapors of breath poured from my mouth. The quicker I got this over with the better, not only as my final favor but because I wasn’t about to have myself catch a cold over this. Finally, I made it to the correct door. I tried to turn the knob and found it locked. I half expected this to just be a snatch-and-go, but I supposed that there was a reason Creole sent me.
Getting on my knees and warming up my hands with my breath, I quickly went about trying to pick this lock. What immediately struck me was how old this lock was. Not like rusty and about to fall apart old but in design old. I’d never come across a lock like this and I had to figure out how to actually go about picking it. My shaking hands and body also added to my struggles and I dropped my tools on more than one occasion.
Finally, after ten minutes of fumbling, cursing, and giving up once, I finally managed to open the door. “Let’s fucking go!” I shouted in excitement. Covering my mouth quickly as my voice echoed throughout the mansion. I quickly entered the room and closed the door behind me. I was surprised to see that it wasn’t an office, but more like a storage room with a few boxes and filing cabinets. He really wasn’t going to make this easy on me, was he?
I opened a few of the filing cabinets and found many of them empty, which sped up the process of finding the file I needed. It was the second to last one that finally yielded results. The only problem was that this cabinet was full of files. Just as I was about to try and steal all of them, one of them caught my eye. I was flipping through them and cursing Creole with every file that I flicked past when one felt different from the others. Mostly because it had a paperclip attached to it and a photo. I pulled this file out and looked down at it. The picture was of a woman who looked exactly like the woman at the entrance of the mansion. Opening it I read through it a little.
Abigail A. Sinclair.
Fell into deep and uncontrollable hysteria after the death of her husband, Cornelius A. Sinclair, and the return of her son from the war. Her son has seen fit to place her under the care of the Boston Psychopathic Hospital. Her son has requested that he not be informed of her progress or if she passes away in our care.
“Jeez,” I said as I flipped through more of the file. The most striking were two photos, one was of Abigail when she was mentally well and the next was her locked in a straight jacket and completely a shell of her former elegant self. Her hair was wild and her face was twisted into a look of intense fear and sorrow. I reached into my pocket to consult my magic pages and found that the map had now turned into a simple phrase.
“That one,” was all it said now. I looked back down at the file and stared at the haunting eyes of Abigail. I felt horrible for her, and I could only wonder what Creole wanted this for. But it was better for me not to think about that. I closed the file and tucked it under my armpit. The paper now changed back to a map and was leading me back towards the main entrance. Walking down the hallways was quicker now that I had an idea of where I was going, and I was back at the main entrance in no time.
The paper now told me to head up the grand staircase upstairs into one of the bedrooms. I assumed to Abigail’s room since judging by her file and the massive portrait she didn’t have a daughter. So I started making my way up the stairs, each of my footsteps echoing throughout the halls. At the top of the stairs, I was greeted by a different portrait, one of a tired-looking man in a suit. He had deep bags under his eyes and perfectly combed blonde hair.
“This must be the son,” I said as I approached the portrait. His scowl was enough to send a chill up my spine. It felt like his angry hazel eyes were staring deep into my soul. I shivered hard and quickly moved past the portrait. I reached Abigail’s room and was happy to see that it was open. The room was pristine and perfect in every way. It felt like it had been deliberately kept this way and I was intruding on a museum piece.
There, sitting on the bed, was the doll. A small little porcelain one. I was going to have to be careful lest I end up accidentally dropping and shattering it. I walked to the bed and carefully picked her up. All I had to do now was make it back to the office and I would never have to deal with shit like this ever again.
I exited the bedroom and headed towards the stairs, passing the portrait of the son. Just as I did I was suddenly and violently grabbed by the throat. In my surprise and shock at being suddenly attacked, I dropped everything I was holding to grip the mystery hand that was choking me. I watched in terror as the porcelain doll began to fall to the floor. Instead of shattering into a million pieces though it was caught in midair by something.
“May I ask what you’re doing here?” A deep voice asked me. I looked up toward the portrait and stared at it as it seemed to come to life. The son stepped right out of the portrait and continued his death hold on me while the doll floated up next to him. I don’t exactly know how he expected me to answer him, but he gave me an opportunity after he dropped me to the floor.
“Wh-” I gasped as I tried to suck in air only to be met with a skeletal goopy form staring at me from the floor. I let out a croak that was supposed to be a scream before falling backward and almost falling down the giant staircase.
“That freak sent you here, didn’t he?” The man asked as he looked down at me on the floor. The strange goopy creature slithered around him like some kind of snake before perching itself on his shoulder and letting out strange gurgles from its bright white mouth. Two beady white eyes stared down at me along with the exhausted eyes of the man who had just stepped out of a painting.
“C-Creole?” I asked him, standing up and reaching into my pocket, rubbing my thumb across my pepper spray. I didn’t know if it would do anything to him, but I needed some sort of protection and this was all I had in that department.
“Yes, that bastard,” he said as he took the file from the creature as it lifted it towards him. He took it and the moment his eyes saw the picture of his mother I could tell he wanted to kill me right there. “Why the fuck would he want this?” he asked me, his creature slithering over to me and opening its giant white maw.
“I-I don’t know! He just told me to get these things!” I told the son, quickly holding my hand up and uncapping my pepper spray. The creature stopped just before it could eat me and then quickly slithered back over to its master. I lowered my hand and watched as the creature morphed into the shape of his shadow.
“Sending a woman to do his dirty work. I knew he was pathetic but not this pathetic,” he hissed and I could immediately tell that he saw me as less than a parasite. His tired eyes were burning with rage as stared at me. I figured he was trying to figure out what to do to me. And I wasn’t going to let him think that over. I pulled my pepper spray out and quickly sprayed him with it.
That caught him off guard and he let out a pained shout, quickly covering his eyes with his arm. That summoned his creature back from his shadow, in fact as I saw him emerge once again it was obvious that the thing was his shadow. I had gotten the spray’s fumes in my own eyes and they began to sting and tears started streaming from them. I took this opportunity to sprint down the stairs. It's some miracle that I didn’t fall and break my shit.
I made it to the main entrance and quickly fished in my pocket for the skeleton key. I shoved it into the keyhole and turned it. I watched and waited for the door to finish morphing and when it did I flung the door open and slammed it shut behind me. I panted and sniffled as now my nose began to run uncontrollably along with the tears in my eyes. I felt a pair of hands hold my face up and suddenly cold water being poured onto my face.
“Jacob?” I asked as the pain and tears began to subside. His pale smiling face was more comforting to me than anything else could’ve been. I shoved my face into his bright red uniform and hugged him tightly. The floodgates opened, I don’t know if it was from the pepper spray or my latest near-death experience but I began to cry uncontrollably into Jacob’s chest. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a soft hug.
“Macedonia.” Creole’s voice broke this brief comfort session. I looked up from Jacob’s chest and whimpered softly upon seeing him there staring back at me. “I take it, that it didn’t go well?” Creole asked with a smile still on his face. I shook my head and gripped Jacob as if he was going to save me in some way.
“I-I’m sorry sir…he…he came out of the painting and..who was that?” I asked as my thoughts ran at a million miles an hour. Jacob produced a napkin from his pocket and offered it to me. I took it and wiped my eyes and blew my nose.
“That would be a lovely associate of mine. Constantine Sinclair. He doesn’t take too kindly to my antics I’m afraid. Unfortunate that you weren’t able to get those items. I would’ve loved to have that kind of information to hold over his stupid blonde hair.” Creole sighed as he sat down behind his desk.
“Where even were you?” I asked as Creole looked at me. He smiled at me and watched as Jacob continued to comfort me. He seemed to watch us for a moment as he digested the question that I had just asked him.
“I was at a lovely dinner with my other associates and Sinclair. It was going just about as well as it normally does when Sinclair suddenly stood up from the table and immediately headed towards the door. I take it you must have tripped some kind of alarm.” Creole said with a laugh as he began to drum his fingers on his desk.
I stared at him for a moment as I tried to figure out in my head where he could’ve possibly had some sort of alarm. Then I remembered the painting. Was there something about it that he could see through it? Was that how he had been able to see me inside his mansion?
Jacob helped me stand back up and bowed to the two of us before leaving the office. Creole stared at me with those giant buttons for what felt like an eternity. I was sure that he was going to do something horrible to me for this second failure to complete a task for him.
“Welp, a deal’s a deal, Mace.” He shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back in his chair. “You’re free to go.” He shooed me away as he looked down at his desk. I stood there in shock. Surely it wasn’t going to be this easy, was it? Just as I turned to leave though he stopped me.
“There is one more thing though.” The tone in which he said this sent a chill up my spine. He was giddy with excitement and also ominously followed by low chuckles. “Your daddy came to visit me the other day.”
I spun on my heels quickly and stared at him. He was resting his head on his hand and smiled at me. The smile was one of superiority over me.
“He begged me to help with his financial situation. And I’m inclined to help him. Of course, if he doesn’t think his wish over thoroughly. I’d hate to see a repeat of your friends and Jacob.” He threatened me as he drummed his fingers on his desk.
“Stay away from my family,” I warned him, even though I had nothing to back it up with. He giggled at that and stood up from his chair.
“Or what? You’ll call the police? You’ll kill me?” He hummed and shook his head. “How about a trade? I spare your father, and your mother for good measure. And you become my permanent errand girl.” His gross yellow smile sharpened into fangs as he stared at me.
I clenched my fists tightly. I had no choice. He had every good card in the deck. He had a royal flush and I had a one-of-a-kind. I wanted nothing more than to rip his head off. Maybe even go back and try and work for the blondie. But I was stuck here now in this moment.
“I want it in writing. I don’t want you changing the deal.” I demanded. He nodded quickly and reached behind his desk to produce a contract.
“Feel free to read it.” He slid it across the desk toward me. I walked over to it and looked down at it. It was everything he had told me beforehand without any fine print for me to read. He offered me a pen and twirled it around his fingers as I stared at it in thought.
“How long for?” I asked him as I took the pen from him.
“Until I get bored with you,” he said with a smile. I stared at him and then down at the paper. I love my mom and dad more than anything in this world. Including myself. So I signed the paper. I watched as my signature melted into the paper and turned into gold letters on the page.
“Wonderful! You’re free to go home. Don’t worry about Sinclair either. I’ll handle him.” He shooed me away as he rolled the paper up and caused it to disappear from his gloved fingers. I silently left his office in complete defeat. Jacob was waiting at the door for me and he opened it for me.
“Thanks…” I mumbled to him as I left the shop and started my way home. This was my life now. Stuck in a contract with a horrible voodoo monster with no possible way out until he got bored with me. I had no way of escaping this. All I had going for me was that for now, my family was safe. And really at the end of the day. That’s all I wanted.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville Florida letter (signed by the minister, board president, and Article II Task Force Co-Chairs, and approved by the Board of Trustees) explaining the reasons for the congregation's overwhelming vote of No.
Link to letter: letter to congregations.5.13.2024.pdf - Google Drive
The text:
May 11, 2024
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF JACKSONVILLE
[Address redacted]
Dear Congregation Leadership and Members,
After more than 12 months of engaging our congregation in research, in-depth discussion and discernment, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville has voted with an overwhelming majority for our delegates to vote to reject the amendments to Article Il at the upcoming Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly.
From its beginnings, Unitarianism has attracted individuals who seek to examine their relationship to the transcendent and have engaged in exploring their connection to spiritual practices in matters of faith. What many of these individuals have in common is the invitation Unitarian Universalism extends to them to bring their questioning minds, and their reasoning to a beloved community that values diversity in its fullest meaning (theology, religious background, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, financial status, political preferences, etc.); and to share with others their expansive hearts ready to practice unconditional love.
The Beloved Community sustains individual belief systems and practices and provides the seven principles and six sources as the glue that bonds individuals to the whole. The seven principles illuminate the path of moral and ethical living, foster personal responsibility and accountability, and call for promoting universal justice, impartiality, interdependence, and the democratic process. The six sources provide wisdom of the ages, from voices from the millennia to our current voices, that open the heart and demand action for eliminating unjust practices wherever they may be. That is why we will continue to be guided by the seven principles and six sources of wisdom.
As a matter of practice, Unitarian Universalism does not create, require, or enforce creeds or dogmas. There is no centralized seat of theological order. The absence of a hierarchical governance structure allows congregations to draft locally meaningful mission and vision statements; to choose its governance structure and practices; to hold its members accountable to its covenant; and to design justice-focused action plans focused on community needs.
We believe the proposed Article Il changes could pose grave consequences for Unitarian Universalism. We do not judge people's intentions; we look only at the facts. The change in the first line says it all. The current Article lI states, "We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association..." The proposed change begins with, "The Unitarian Universalist Association..." It is evident that there is an ideological movement to pivot the Unitarian Universalist Association from being an umbrella service body of the member congregations, to becoming a governing body that imposes its positions on congregations with consequences for those congregations and members that don't adhere to its edicts.
What we do know is our congregation and the Unitarian Universalist Association have been at the forefront of opposition to racism in the fight for racial justice. We are constantly reflecting and learning to ensure continuous improvement. However, there are accusations of being inherently racist to such a degree that we must reject our past, discount our history, and abandon the underpinning spiritual and ethical principles that guide us; replacing them with a set of nebulous values that anyone would be hard-pressed to recite, let alone define.
We are seeing concerning glimpses of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Board plans to define the new values and to impose severe sanctions for congregations and individuals that don't adhere to them. Here are just three examples:
* Even before the upcoming vote, the UUA Board is setting up procedural policies of congregational accountability requiring congregations deemed to not be "doing the work" as defined by the UUA, to be in-need of some type of consequence.
* At the 2023 General Assembly, the delegates voted to remove the sentence "We will work to repair harm and damaged relationships" from the proposed amendment, but it was re-inserted by the UUA board, negating the vote of the General Assembly.
* The new value of "discipline of LOVE," as addressed by the Article Il Study Commission, is shorthand for "Doing the Work." According to the Commission on Institutional Change, that means focusing on fighting racism and oppression, and upholding multi-culturalism at the possible expense of other justice issues needing advocacy.
Our congregation has voted to reject the proposed amendments because the proposed changes:
* Use language that is divisive, and espouses practices based on blaming and shaming.
* Introduce a creedal approach to which all members would be required to adhere for a congregation to remain certified by the UUA.
* Expect that only individuals who share the UUA values may be welcome to join a congregation.
* Focus the reason for being a Unitarian Universalist solely on fighting racism and oppression, and upholding multi-culturalism, at the expense of other justice issues needing advocacy as determined by congregations.
* Dissolve the seven principles and six sources which have been the core of Unitarian Universalism and replace them with language that equates Unitarian Universalism to a socio-political organization rather than one that serves as a source of spiritual guidance.
* Reject an individual's right of conscience, the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large, and the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
* Imply an authoritarian, hierarchical governance structure with UUA leadership at the top with the authority to judge congregations and declare congregations to be out of covenant setting up procedural policies of congregational accountability with consequences for congregations deemed to not be "doing the work."
* Conflict with congregational polity and the rights of congregations to democratically choose their mission, covenant, their minister, and governance structure.
The importance of your congregation's discernment regarding the proposed changes to Article Il cannot be overstated.
Sincerely, Meg Rohal President Peter Racine Lay Minister Marge Powell Article II Task Force Co-Chair Fresie Tessie Bond Article Il Task Force Co-Chair