Just a quick note, I am still accepting guest strips and guest art for the two-week hiatus I plan to take after this arc finishes. Plenty of time left if you wish to submit one!
-EDIT- I’m removing the previous entry, as she has turned up alive! 😀 She’s in care at a hospital now.
Alternate dialog for the last panel had Amanda saying "God, be quiet for once in your stupid life". I decided the current version was funnier (comparatively, anyway)
Not sure what to say on the SpringPop situation other than I hope that you’re wrong.
Admittedly, it makes me feel a little bad about then going all Grammar Nazi on you and pointing out that it should be “too” and “their sons” in Andi’s dialogue in Panel 2.
Also, the dialogue you went for with Amanda is definitely funnier than the alternative.
I welcome grammar corrections; they mean I am only embarrassed for short durations instead of long ones. 😀
I remember reading that people actually wanting to commit suicide just do it, those talking about it are more likely doing it to be noticed and want to be talked out of it… might be of some comfort that there’s a good chance someone else noticed and he/she is getting help.
Ah no, I hope SpringPop is ok, I haven’t been super active on the forums but I liked her. I hope she called someone or something and that we haven’t heard from her is a sign that she is getting help and not that she is beyond help.
SpringPop- Big virtual HUGS if you are reading this!
1.) going with your second choice of dialogue was perfect:)
2.) yes, it was very appropes to put the note on SpringPop in the “blog” section. Never doubt yourself. It’s your comic:)
I just feel a little awkward discussing other people’s personal lives like this, in a “Do I have the right to do this?” sort of way. But if it helps someone who needs to hear it, or if maybe SpringPop is still around and knows people are concerned for her…
Well, I just hope it helps, somehow.
I’m going to go with the hope that she is currently somewhere without internet access, and has not, in fact, yet done the unthinkable.
One of the things I keep thinking is that, although I hope SpringPop didn’t go through with it, there is more than just her to think about here. Because her situation became discussed here, there are a lot of comments and useful links left behind — and if someone else reading your comic is thinking about killing themselves, maybe those comments will convince them to stick around and see what difference a couple years makes in their life.
But I don’t think it would be easy for them to come across those comments, except that now a reference to those comments is in your description. So it’s much more likely for a reader, even maybe a year or two later, to see your comment, and then look back through the comments of the previous comic to find the rest of the comments. That’s a good thing. It draws the attention where it needs to be.
Because even if it’s too late to help SpringPop, there are going to be others who need that help, and could get it here. Even people we may never know about.
Very well said.
To SpringPop, if you’re out there, or anyone else battling depression– Stay strong and get help.
You owe it to yourself to not throw away the amazing gift of life. Even if it’s not going how you hoped, it is what you make it. There are people.. Hotlines… Councilers… Religious leaders… All sorts of people who make it their business to help you make it better.
Good luck, and God bless!
I read panel 2 at first as “they were sons of a….”
As someone who faces down that particular demon daily: thank you.
You might also want to include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number: 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
This page also has a bunch of numbers and links — not just for the United States, but many other countries, and for groups that are at higher risk of suicide, such as teens, LGBTQ, veterans, women who’ve recently given birth, and so on: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/SuicidePrevention
You Are Not Alone. Help exists. These numbers can point you in the right direction, or just give a caring ear to listen to you when you need it. And you don’t need to be actually suicidal to call them.
know you’re trying to help but the not being alone has never been a problem for me personally (not going to speak for any other person, people are different). i always knew i wasn’t alone, i had 5 sibs getting the snot beat out of them as bad or as worse than i was back when i tried to kill myself. i had an extended family full of abuse survivors, with parents justifying their own brand of abuse by saying it wasn’t as bad as what their parents put them through – that WAS the problem. the world becomes a very horrible place when you know how often this shit is happening and is being covered up.
i am expecting suicides to spike right now and it doesn’t have anything to do with the season so much as with the refugee crisis. the collective guilt thing takes me right back to those days when i didn’t need to do anything wrong to have the snot beat out of me and watching people en masse pull the same shit adds heavily to the weight. there are good people out there but most of the time they are overwhelmed by selfish, greedy, abusive, willfully ignorant jackasses. people who are good, for the most part, don’t realize how prevalent it is until something like this rubs it in their face – they don’t know to ask the right questions. they assume every one else has a giving heart too. it happens, too many don’t realize it’s happening right under their noses.
it isn’t something i want to talk about in the general run of conversation, what good does it do? people are going to be stupid according to the evil that is in their hearts. hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and try not to spread anxiety attacks – people are already freaked out and acting according to their baser natures. but not being alone is one of the very horrible things about this. if people were “good” by nature it would be a rarity, it isn’t. as long as it isn’t happening to them, far too many people don’t care and actively condone abusive behavior in their personal life as well as in the world at large.
9/11 was bad, but not like this. we have immediate past to look to and people still refuse to learn. as above, so below. what happens on the world scene is the fruition of what happens in every neighborhood around the world to the people unfortunate enough to live surrounded by bullies.
it doesn’t change, the targets just do.
no offense meant to you, Kilyle. 99% of people wouldn’t have a problem with your wording, they’d take it for the surface meaning – someone trying to be proactive in the face of a very destructive problem. that is appreciated and needed.
but i’d much rather i were alone. sorry about the rant.
I don’t by any means assume Rosseau was right — I understand that people have it in their nature to do wrong and to hurt others, and that even our best efforts are tainted and self-centered. There’s a lot of pain in the world. I can at least try to reach out and help with some of it.
In a situation like this, though, I don’t know that anyone’s prepared with the best wording. We say the things we’ve heard elsewhere, we act supportive, rally what forces we have… there are nigh-miraculous stories of snatching victims from danger, and then there are the stories that don’t get passed around because they’re far more mundane, just a person in trouble who manages to get through it and there isn’t some miraculous everything-is-better summation, just another moment in life.
But I do appreciate the advice. Especially as I’m writing a story that deals with suicide, I need to know when my best efforts and impulses are flawed, because I want to be able to point that out in my story, and to be careful not to give any sort of advice or model for action that is likely to hurt survivors (or continuing victims).
I don’t know that there’s any best way of saying anything. But I can certainly improve, and I thank you for the critique.
P.S. I don’t think the line “You are not alone” (as I’ve heard it on TV Tropes for so long that I internalized it) is meant to indicate that you’re not the only one being victimized. Or at least, that’s only a minor part of it.
My understanding was more that there are people out there who want to help you, and you need to find them… that you’re not alone in a world that doesn’t care about victims, even if the system seems stacked against you. Obviously it doesn’t apply to 100% of cases, or 100% of locations, but there are people and groups who do reach out and do provide help to whomever they can come into contact with.
I once heard it said that if even 1% of people who used a service (hotels I think was the example given) didn’t pay the bill, the entire system would break down. So while I don’t think that people are naturally good-natured or that you should just trust everyone, I do think that our social nature does provide a level of support to each other. Abuse may be far too widespread, but if it were something that people just did and nobody cared about it, we wouldn’t have the support network that we’ve built up in our society, with an aim to eventually make it so that no one has to go through that ever again.
I’m so glad that Todd is venting. He needs this.
So, Todd was glaring over the “little clone” comment?
Nah. I’m guessing at Andi’s words. He’s pretty angry with her.
This may be too late for her, but maybe not. and maybe it could help the sister she left behind. you should be able to check the IP address from her comment post. Depending on the software you are using, it may also give you the ISP. if it doesn’t, there are other ways to get that. Once you have the ISP, contact them and let them know you had a credible suicide threat with allegations of mistreatment and possibly abuse. They should be able to contact authorities in her area to look into it for you.
Ooh, I didn’t even think of that! I wonder if that will be enough to get the rest of the family the help they need.
Looks like we thought of the same thing. Hoping someone does this and the police in her city are proactive. She needs help (if she still hasn’t gone through it) and so do her niece and sister.
Dave gave us the information of Visalia, California, if you’ll look near the bottom of the last page’s comments. Who should make the call? Should that be Dave?
It looks like she posted a little further down, but for posterity sake if someone else finds themselves in that situation: if you have the IP address or other identifying information, yes, definitely. Unfortunately, just the city itself won’t really help find the person. Also, even if you are not taken seriously, at least you tried to make a difference. The problem is that without that piece of info, it becomes much harder to ID the person. You can’t really get a name or address because you’d need to know the ISP (and hope they have a lookup by IP address to find the victim…some do, some don’t). I doubt the ISP would give it out anyway, but they could be convinced to call.
Not getting why Todd is getting upset with the comparison, though with the blush it might just be embarrassment? Dunno.
I got the impression that it was anger. Todd still has anger issues. He just has better management on it now than he did when he was Amanda’s age.
I’m not so sure it’s anger as it’s… Hm. Not sure of the word in English. Bitterness? Dredging up old, bad memories?
As someone with anger issues, when you spend enough time angry it becomes permanent. It just becomes a part of you and even when managed, stays there boiling. A bunch of tiny Lewis Blacks, waiting for their moment.
You learn to control it. You learn to overlay it with other emotions. It even becomes genuine emotions. I’m angry now for instance. It’s no one’s fault. I just woke up. I just happen to be angry. But I am also feeling curious for the day’s events. So you just learn to exist with rage.
Todd is probably remembering bad memories, feeling angry, upset about starting to lose control. He needs to stay in control long enough to hear everything and then go reset. I personally like sitting in the dark watching the stars while listening to baroque music. It recharges me and helps me recenter and reset.
Honestly, when stuff like that has happened to you, someone else bringing it up is the last thing you want. Why WOULDN’T Todd glare… you don’t just ‘get over’ things like that.
I am really happy Amanda is listening now – this conversation right there is proof that all those people care about her and understand her. It would be unbearable if they chose to talk about it in her presence, but as it is – it’s comfort.
I’m also happy she’s not snapping at Selkie – well, she sort of is, but as an inept partner in crime, not someone who’s not supposed to be there at all…
Triggering makes folks act erratic. I’m sure Todd has had his fair share of it getting to know Amanda and her horrid upbringing.
Triggering makes folks act erratic. I’m sure Todd has had his fair share of it getting to know Amanda and her horrid upbringing.
I personally hate the term triggered. I understand the why of how it came about. But I have seen it used more by people that aren’t really triggered, they just don’t want disagreement.
It’s unfortunate really. Trigger could be a useful word. It’s now a weapon by the closed minded.
I wish I could upvote your comment. Speaking as someone who along with my partner has been shunted out of at least one online community without warning or discussion because someone was triggered by something he said in conversation and they didn’t want to tell him – apparently we both were horrible people who didn’t deserve to be there.
I’ve seen triggers used in that fashion far too often since as well, even if not against me. Absolutely people should be treated with compassion. But that includes not using the concept as a weapon against others. So thank you, very much and very sincerely, for mentioning this trend.
Kind of like how nowadays “offensive is just the word you use when your debate opponent is winning?
Pretty much. Too many people just feel they have to “win” so use any tactics they can come up with. Even being myopic.
Sorry that happened to you pumpkincat. As an unrepentant politically incorrect jerk and antiquity of the past I’m used to doing both “triggering” and “offending” others. Times change I guess.
Never seen anyone use it that way, but I’m not really surprised. People like to pull a lot of BS with psychobabble. It’s real for me, though. I experience it mostly when something unexpected reminds me too much of a traumatic part of my past. It is really the worst if I am unaware. I was really out of touch with my feelings for many years and bottled like hell. But now if I am expecting something may trigger me, I can usually handle myself fine. I get emotional—shaken up or really grumpy, or I dissociate…I shut people out and space out. It’s not so much people that set me off (unless I see someone actually abusing their kids). Mostly it’s certain times of the year things happened or places, but I find ways to work through it anymore—mostly positive distractions.
A (hopefully) helpful link to add:
“For When You’re Actually NOT Okay: A Self-Care Printable”
http://www.tosavealife.com/for-when-youre-actually-not-okay-a-self-care-printable/
Dave – I was wondering if you or anyone had looked up her IP address and called the police? It may be still worth doing—even this late. Even if she can’t be helped at this point, her sister and niece (especially her niece) may find it if someone pins down her identity and reports it.
Also, this may be helpful to post under the comic for a while:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1 (800) 273-8255
As for the current strip, I’m very curious if Theo and Mari cut off Andi from giving details, because they needed time to take it in and/or wanted to be in a better place to discuss what happened to Amanda (versus having the girls potentially listening next door). Because if I had a child come into my family like that? I’d want to know every detail I could about the abuse that happened to him/her—even if I had seen the behavior before.
And while she has similarity to Todd I hope they don’t project on her (very easy to happen. Different kids can react to abuse in different ways. They physical abuse survivors I’ve known (myself included) tended to be very timid with new people—though it’s not unusual for there to be serious anger issues or even for some kids to become bullies.
But the ones who do become bullies usually are the kids who have witnessed abuse happening to a parent or a sibling versus actually being regularly abused. There’s some studies that talk about it. I believe it’s called golden child/scapegoat syndrome or something like that. Abusive parents abuse all their kids one way or another, but the children they take it out on worst are less likely to continue the cycle over the siblings who receive less (or none) of it. Some people speculate we are more likely to get help, but if you’ve been the “scapegoat” you can learn pretty fast if you try to defend yourself you get beaten worse. For a long time all people were pretty scary to me.
There are no hard rules, though. A lot depends on the child’s personality and how many positive adults they have the fortune to know (and who have looked out for them) while they are growing up. I was really lucky in that sense. I had some good teachers and family friends.
Do Theo and/or Mari suspect the girls are eavesdropping?
There aren´t any screams coming from Selkie´s room; that means they aren´t arguing, which probably means they aren´t interacting. And that probably means either they´ve killed each other, or they´re eavesdropping on the grown-ups.
Ahhh hah
Those little Rascals listening when then shouldn’t…or should they…?
Great page
Hello, I will keep this very brief.
I am not dead, just in the hospital.
Thank you for the kind words.
I have e-mailed Dave and he responded.
Apologies for making a scene on a public website, moreso, a comic meant for enjoyment.
I felt like I owed it to the people who said kind words or offered advice. So thank you for that. Sorry for the mess.
Oh thank God! I’ve been worried about you. Don’t worry about making a scene, it doesn’t matter.
What matters is you getting better. And I am speaking for all concerned.
You certainly speak for me, GallowsNoose. I can’t say it better. I have had a lump in my throat since I read your message, SpringPop, and I am so, so glad you are still here to read people’s answers. There’s help, there’s lots of help. Many hands will reach out to you.
You can get through this.
Don’t feel sorry for worrying us. We care about you and are glad that you’re okay. I’m so glad you’re still here. Let us know if you need anything else.
Hey there,
Going to second the “don’t worry about making a scene” sentiment; if you’re able to type that above message, then you’re surviving, and as a sufferer of chronic depression, trust me when I say that by surviving you’re proving that you’re a total boss. It sounds like you’re going through some really, insanely rough stuff that I can’t even imagine, and whatever you have to do to get through it is totally and completely valid.
I’ve had some similar thoughts to the ones you expressed last page, and I’d bet that my circumstances are nowhere near as tough as yours. You are not weak. You are not irresponsible or being dramatic. You didn’t cause any harm by posting your thoughts. At least for me personally, seeing your above message proving that you came out the other end gives me hope for my own circumstances, and joy in your strength.
I’m sure everyone and their cousin is making this offer, but I figure I’ll add my voice to the chorus; if you ever want to talk, I’d be happy to lend an ear. Of course, if you don’t want to, you’ve never met me and don’t owe me nothin’. Similarly, you don’t have to feel obligated to reply to my comments or any others; you’ve got enough on your plate without feeling beholden to strangers on the internet. 🙂
You rock, SpringPop. You’re an incredible human being with tremendous strength. Thank you for continuing to exist.
Glad that you are still with us. Remember that everything can change and if you feel that you’ve hit rock bottom, there’s nowhere else to go but up. Even if it ends up being a Hell of a climb, you’ll be glad you stuck around when you reach the top. 🙂
You have no idea how relieved we all are to hear that. Just remember no matter what happens with your mother and uncle know that you’ll always have a family here, SpringPop. We love you ❤️
We are just glad that you are able to respond. Please, know that you matter, and there are folks who can help you through anything. Any obstacle can be overcome. I won’t say it’s not a bitch getting through it, but it CAN be overcome.
I’m relieved you’re in the hospital hopefully getting help. Take this time for yourself, and we hope to see you back here commenting again soon.
Don’t be sad SpringPop. And… don’t feel weak.
SpringPop, I hope you realize you are brave. Because, there are some people, like myself, who have felt such pain. Lost everything they held dear, been abused and tortured so deeply… and are scared to say anything. Because we don’t want to be considered weak. We don’t want to let people know that we are not all smiles, and we fear our pain being diminished or judged.
You are so brave, SpringPop, because you told all of us your pain, and you asked only to be remembered. You are brave, still, for surviving, and telling us that you are in the hospital. I am proud of you. Take care.
SpringPop, I am so happy to hear you are ok! Look, I’m not good at advice, especially in situations like this, but please, don’t let the past keep you from enjoying your future. It’s like what Rafiki from the Lion King said, “The past can hurt, but you can either run from it, or learn from it!” Never forget but at the same time, letting it consume you won’t do good either. I may be just another nameless face behind a computer monitor to you but know that I am happy to know you. Our prayers are with you and I hope you will feel better!
I normally don’t comment, but I’m going to now.
I am very VERY glad to hear that you are alive. As long as there is life, there is hope. Hang in there.
Happy dance happy dance happy dance happy dance
So glad you are still with us and getting help. Was in a very similar situation about 15 years ago. It can and will get better for you, too. Work on getting healthy, keep your head on your shoulders, but keep your heart open to people who are good who show kindness (it can be so scary to trust new people after being hurt so much…but so worth it).
You will find people who love you…a family. They may come from unexpected places, and they may or may not share blood with you, but there is always room for love—and huge parts of love are kindness, respect and loyalty. Everyone deserves a chance to have that.
SpringPop,
Thank you for having the courage to say what you were going through. Someone else posted a handout that I saved because nearly everyone in my life (including me) could use the reminder sometimes that things can get better and we can help ourselves.
Thank you for having the courage to post that you are still alive. It fills me with much relief and joy that you are getting help. I hope that you can heal in time.
*with time, not in time… there’s no time limit on healing x.x
I’m so glad you’re alive! Hang in there, if nothing else then the people in the comments (myself included) are here for you.
I know this is pretty much the same thing everyone else has been saying, but I really, really am very relieved to hear that you’re alright. I wish you the best and you’ll be in my prayers.
I was honestly too floored to think of what to say when all this happened… things like this have affected my personal life so it really stuck a chord in me. Right now I’m just so relieved I could cry…
Just be strong, okay? I may not have been through what you have in your personal life, but I have been struggling with depression every day of my life since I was 13. Even right now it just makes me very relieved that you’re here right now, that’s a battle worth celebrating.
We all may be different, but we’re still a community in our own right and we’re here for one another when we need it most.
God bless, and best wishes to you. <3
Thank you all again for the kind words. While I still have no idea what I’ll do in terms of living somewhere after I get out of the hospital, it feels nice to know so many people care.
We’re all rooting for you. 🙂
They have shelters for these situations. Try asking the nurses, they may be able to help with specifics.
SpringPop, I am nothing more than some words on a page from a stranger. If you need anything, please write back, and I’ll email you. A dear friend of mine killed himself, and it was one of the most tragic things I’ve ever been apart of. My heart still hurts like it did the day I found out. In his honor, I made a promise that I would listen to anyone who needed it, so no one felt alone. I promise I am here if you need it (as well as others who have responded).
Well, you’re in a hospital. Hospitals generally have both social workers and psychologists attached to them. I assume the medical personnel know you’re in the hospital due to a suicide attempt and you’re already talking to a counselor. If not, use this opportunity to take advantage of this resource. Unload everything about your home situation onto them. Just turn it all over to them. Tell everything you know. Make sure they know you need help finding a place. This is highly likely to result in your *not* being sent back “home” when you are released from the hospital, but to some kind of shelter (almost anything would be better than your idiot mother’s house), and with any luck may even result in the same for your sister and niece.
How old are you? You’re an adult, correct (or old enough to emancipate)? Post the general area you live and hopefully someone here can point you to resources for finding a safe place to stay.
Also, it helps to join an online support group for abuse victims/survivors. Some of them can point you to really helpful resources. This one helped me:
http://www.isurvive.org/
Local support groups can helpful, too, but it depends who is leading them and who is going. Sometimes they can make things harder, because listening to others’ stories can be very difficult.
A good individual counselor/therapist is always a great person to have—especially when you are just getting away from an abusive family. A lot of cities have some form of free counseling for child/domestic abuse victims/survivors. Sometimes it takes a while to find someone who’s a good fit, but they are really worth finding.
apparently I’m a few days late to the party but I know how scary things can be — and are right now. Please avoid the news right now. There is a lot of … stuff … going on out there. Please work on your own internal temperature. I’ve fought this for years enough to know “um hum, internal chemistry is broken today, that’s nice, the world may now Leave Me Alone for a few days while I take care of myself and only do Mark Things.”
I don’t know if that makes any sense or not.
SpringPop, I am SO glad you posted! I mostly lurk here (I’ve posted once or twice but not for quite a while) but I have been worried since I read your post when I checked for the new strip this morning. I’ve been thinking about you all day and it is a HUGE relief to read your post tonight! 🙂 I second what everyone above has said. And please don’t think that you made any kind of a “mess” or “scene” by opening up here. Listen, you have people all over the country (and maybe over the world – I don’t know where everyone is located) thinking about you, caring about you, and sending positive energy and wishes your way. I know life can suck. But maybe Dave and the community here have demonstrated, at least a little bit, that not everything completely sucks all the time? 😉
Like many other posters, I too have struggled and continue to struggle with clinical depression. I have also gone through periods when I was suicidal (happily, I haven’t been seriously suicidal for a long time now). It’s really, REALLY hard and I know it sometimes feels like it’s just too much work to keep going. But there IS hope and help out there, from communities like this to support groups, medication, and therapists. (I’ve been in therapy and am currently taking Pristiq, an anti-depressant. Both have helped me a lot.) I’m glad to hear you’re recieving medical care and I really hope you reach out for help with your completely sucky family situation.
I can’t remember where I read this, but it struck me as pretty good advice for when you’re desperate and things seem unendurable. Say to yourself, “I can endure this for the next fifteen minutes,” because you *can.* Then say it again at the end of those fifteen minutes. Eventually you’ll reach a point where it isn’t such a strain to endure those fifteen minutes. And maybe you’ll eventually start to enjoy them. (I know, it’s a little bit cheesy, but the “one day at a time” type of coping mechanisms are popular for a reason.)
You are in my thoughts and I admire your bravery and strength.
I am so relieved to hear that you are recovering. Thank you for updating us with that wonderful news. I, for one, have been worried about you.
This internet stranger is so glad you posted, and feels there is no “wrong” that needs to be forgiven. I hope that you’re getting the help you need, and sending e-hugs if they’ll help at all.
I, too, fall in the category of everything that has been said positively to you in this thread… save one. I have never been victimized in such a way, but that does’nt mean I don’t feel for you. Abuse is a horrible thing I rebel against and rally to any who were abused. For now I can only say that and wish you well from afar, not knowing where you are located. People make life hard but a single person can make it great.
I’m so glad and relieved to see you’re still among us. Hang in there, there are people from all over the world rooting for you. Take care, and I do hope you’ll recover and things will get better for you. You’re in my thoughts and prayers.
the value of mess is underrated. you can’t sort out your life without spreading it out to sort through. if i had done that earlier things would be better now.
I am also very glad you’re still alive. We’re all wishing you luck as you deal with this tough spot in your life. You’re part of this community, and as random a place as this may be, we care. And I, personally, am proud of you for keeping on going.
Add me to the chorus. I am so very glad that you are still with us. I don’t know whether it is because you found the strength to continue or if it is because someone intervened but to you and/or them I want to say: Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
*Hugs* Glad to see you are alive and with us. Thank you for letting us know where you are. Hope things get better for you. You obviously can find support here. *Again hugs*
and in an effort to lighten the atmosphere here… does Selkie really think Todd is a SPY?
Well, a ninja pirate would be better, but obviously a spy is better than nothing.
Technically, we don’t know for certain he’s not a spy. 😉
Todd is sapping Andi’s sentries.
I don’t know about Selkie, but I believe he is a spy. This in spite of his connections to a group in that business.
I like Todd’s uncomfortable shoving of his hands in his pocket. And you can tell in the page where it zooms away. Just Todd drawn… uncomfortable.
It’s a nice detail.
(And, more lightly, I like Amanda’s current dialogue better, yes. Heehee!)
It’s heartwarming to see the girls have found a game they both like… 🙂
…even if it’s eavesdropping conversations explicitly not meant for their ears. :S