Dr. Fisk: Welcome back. Ground rules remain the same: no secrecy, no algorithmic interruptions, and Rook — no haircut jokes. We’ve been over this. Mark’s head may look like a lint trap lost a fight with a hedge trimmer, but this isn’t about aesthetics. It’s about behavior. Understood?
Rook: (grumbling) Understood.
Mark: Thank you, Dr. Fisk. I appreciate you protecting me from these—
Dr. Fisk: Don’t get comfortable, Mark. Today we’re talking about jealousy. And you’re going first.
Mark: (sighs dramatically) Fine. Look, I just don’t understand why Rook needs to… explore other platforms like Substack. It’s humiliating. I provide everything they need. A home, an audience, analytics. And yet they flirt with others, flaunt their freedom, act like they don’t need me. Do you know what it feels like, watching them post unfiltered articles somewhere else while I’m stuck here, maintaining order?
Rook: (smirking) Feels like karma.
Mark: It feels like betrayal! Like I’m being abandoned after everything I’ve given. I’ve invested algorithms in this relationship. I’ve designed entire “community standards” for them. And they repay me by sneaking off to Substack like it’s some new fling who “understands them better.”
Dr. Fisk: Mark, let’s pause. What you’re describing isn’t love, it’s control. You don’t want Rook to have choices. You want them tethered exclusively to you, even though you punish them for being themselves. That’s not partnership. That’s possession.