I think the day Shane sits down and actually unravels the extent to which Ilya's family was, essentially, extorting him for money since he was out of juniors, he is going to be gripped by a wave of pitch black fury so intense it manifests as a physical feeling, a clenching in his throat his chest his stomach. He is going to remember Ilya at twenty nineteen seventeen, smooth faced and still so heart stoppingly handsome, and he is going to feel so deeply enraged on behalf of that kid. That kid who didn't have a mother to sit him down at the dinner table at fourteen and meticulously explain financial jargon to him until it all stopped flying over his head and the gibberish actually started to mean something. He didn't have that same mother set an alarm for three in the morning so she could make a call with Reebok and negotiate a deal on his behalf, and then do it again for Tim Hortons, Gatorade, Calvin Klein, CCM. He didn't have a father who always sneakily paid the bill at every restaurant they went to as a family no matter what because he didn't want Shane spending his money on them. A father who carefully set aside a college fund for Shane, just in case he decided hockey wasn't what he wanted. Shane thinks of that kid, navigating the jabbering of some accountant in a second language he barely understood, giving him advice on spending habits and credit scores and barely masking their condescension about the stumbling accented responses they'd receive, and Shane literally has to bend over and grip his office desk, white-knuckled and trembling because it's not fair it's not fair it's not fucking fair someone should have been there someone should have noticed someone should have stepped up and said something why why did nobody fucking do anything!!
I think Shane's going to straighten up after the wave passes over and through him and he's going to think Okay. Enough. And then he's going to drag Ilya from where he's been lounging on their couch, resplendent in his sweats and baggy tee, and he's going to make him sit down and read through his mom's probing emails about possible brand deals that would suit Ilya's image and he's going to ignore Ilya's performative whining and he's going to make him talk through every one and the whole time he's thinking Never again, I'll never let it happen to you ever again.
Your blog helps me through so much, and clearly it helps other people too. So thank you so so soooo much for all you do, fish!
So, I found out recently that my parents are essentially breaking the fucking law! :) They are financially extorting me, an autistic adult, for all of my money and more to repay them for whatever they claim to do for me, even if I do not want it. I am currently opening a secret bank account to start saving up without it looking like I am hiding money from them. I am excited to finally have money they can’t take away from me!
I’d like to do more to make money faster, but currently they have been getting butthurt that my new job is resulting in me not being in the house to do random chores and get yelled at. When I am home though, it’s a nightmare as my adult younger sister has the same transactional and resentful relationship rules in her mind as my parents do. I apparently owe them for NOT being there to help all the time??? I thought they wanted me to find a JOB???
That is disgusting, I'm enraged and grossed out for you. Who fucking does that? Taking money from an autistic adult, it's so clearly a crime and illegal thing to do. You owe them nothing, absolutely nothing, they decided to have a kid, they take responsibility for that decision, only thing you have to do is live. They're such scammy scumbags, trying to extort money from their own child. It's disgusting.
I'm also sorry for how much stress they're bringing into your life, and how horrible you have it at home. You never deserve to be yelled at, or have anything taken from you, or held accountable for paying back the money that was supposed to be given to you as a part of a family. I'm so glad you're going to be able to save your own money from now. I hope your parents get outed and sued for what they've done to you. Hang in there.
The move is aimed at providing relief to followers of the controversial Unification Church and their family members who have been left in financial ruin.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet approved a new bill Thursday that will ban organizations from using fear to solicit donations, including the use of "spiritual inspiration" as way to push followers into giving funds.
Though the move is aimed at providing relief to followers of the controversial Unification Church and their family members, some of whom have been left in financial ruin due to donating large sums of money, the legislation covers nonreligious groups as well.
"The purpose of the legislation is to provide relief and prevent a recurrence of unjust soliciting of donations," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said in a news conference Thursday. "We've done our best to make it as effective as possible under the current legal framework."
Opposition lawmakers and lawyers supporting victims of the religious group, however, claim that a large portion of the victims would not be covered by the legislation because of its strict criteria, and have said its scope needs to be expanded.
"It wouldn't lead to quickly providing relief, or prevent issues from recurring," said Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Tomoko Tamura during a parliamentary session on Thursday.
The bill bans organizations from taking advantage of followers' fears to compel them to make a donation. This would, for instance, ban a religious group from telling a follower that evil spirits are preventing a disease from being cured, and that a donation would make it go away.
The bill will also prohibit groups from soliciting donations that would require the donor to take out a loan or mortgage their house.
If a group does not comply with the new legislation, members who have solicited donations through means that violate the new rules could face up to a year in prison or a ¥1 million ($7,300) fine.
If donations are made in ways that are banned under the new legislation, donors will be able to cancel their donation and get a refund. Alternatively, spouses and children of the donors would be able to ask for a refund that is equivalent to the amount they receive in spousal or child support, or the amount they spend on their daily necessities.
A point of contention has been whether to ban donations based only on the actions of the organization or whether to factor in the mental state of the victim — whether they are subject to what is termed "mind control" in Japanese — with opposition lawmakers arguing that their psychological state should be considered. But this was not included in the bill out of concern that it would be hard for a third party to judge an individual's state of mind and whether or not they were manipulated.
Instead, it includes clauses covering things that groups need to be mindful of, though they do not not include prison terms or fines:
Refraining from placing the donor in a state that would compromise their ability to make free and sensible decisions.
Refraining from placing the donor and their family in a financially difficult situation.
Clarifying the group’s name when soliciting donations and not misleading donors on how their contribution will be used.
The ruling coalition hopes to pass the bill, as well as another set of revised legislation that will restrict “spiritual sales” tactics, in the current parliamentary session, which ends Dec. 10. But lawmakers will be racing against the clock to pass the bill within that time frame.
The new bill was drafted after the Unification Church’s aggressive donation-seeking practices were put in the spotlight following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July. Tetsuya Yamagami, who was arrested on suspicion of shooting Abe, has reportedly told police that he held a grudge against the politician over his ties to the church. Yamagami’s mother was a church follower who gave away ¥100 million to the group, leaving her family bankrupt, according to news reports.
A survey released by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations on Tuesday showed that there are still many people who are facing hardship as a result of activities of the Unification Church.
The survey found that the three bar associations in Tokyo handled 309 legal consultations in September and October for past and ongoing issues involving the religious group, which is now formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.
There were 253 cases involving financial damages. About 40% saw damages of ¥10 million or more, while 17 cases involved damages of over ¥100 million, according to the survey.
New NYRA Webpage Published: Parental Financial Exploitation
Learn about financial exploitation of youth by parents, common in child actors & child influencers. Ways to protect youth from exploitation while protecting youth financial autonomy
Financial exploitation of youth by parents, common in child actors & child influencers. Protecting youth from exploitation & protecting yout
Cliff Potts, editor-in-chief, WPS NewsBaybay City, Leyte, Philippines — May 2, 2026 — 4:05 p.m.
It usually begins the same way.
Fast affection.Instant connection.Future promises in the first week.
“You’re different.”“I feel safe with you.”“I want to visit.”
Speed is the first clue.
Real relationships build slowly. Extraction builds quickly.
Then comes the first request.
“I just need help…
