Married at first sight australia olivia
Married at first sight Australia
2019.02.25 08:23 lalasmooch Married at first sight Australia
Reddit's destination for Married at first sight Australia
2014.07.17 13:41 Ohzz Married At First Sight
Strangers getting married! Season 16 in Nashville, Tennessee now airing Wednesday nights at 8pm EST on Lifetime and streaming on Prime Video, Google Play, VUDU, and iTunes. -- "Tennessee based singles embark on a journey to meet the love of their lives during this 23-episode season, where they'll marry a complete stranger, travel to their honeymoons and then move in together as husband & wife." -- We are a fan run sub with no affiliation to Lifetime or its constituents.
2021.04.29 16:46 Rory_the_dog MAFSuncensored
Your safe space for the controversial takes you get downvoted for posting on MarriedAtFirstSight ;)
2023.03.25 02:07 Logan966 "Strange Incidents at Theater Ten"
Dear Mayor Thompson,
You'll probably stop reading, crumple up this letter, and throw it in the trash, but I implore you to keep reading. Founded in 1970, Theater Ten revived downtown, and provided a safe, fun place for the people of Burningham to enjoy. Unfortunately, over the years, the theater has transformed into a source of anguish. The disappearance of movie-goers of Theater Ten is still fresh in everyone's mind. My sister, Joan is among the twenty-three missing; she attended the screening of Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors with her boyfriend. After Joan disappeared, I couldn't eat or sleep for days. There's a hole in my heart that can't be filled; it's been five years, but it still doesn't feel real. I feel like I’ll get a phone call from Joan, or she’ll pull into my driveway with her beat-up blue station wagon and take me hiking; I miss her every day.
I understand this theater is a historic landmark, and you don't want to demolish it. You either don't understand or don't care that people feel unsafe visiting or working at the theater. Lest we forget about what happened after Theater Ten closed? Several people have survived incidents at Theater Ten, and fortunately, I’ve been able to track down several of them, including a few who were willing to report what they’ve witnessed.
1975: A customer complained the butter dispenser dispensed pus into his popcorn.
1978: A young married couple visited the theater to watch Halloween. The wife got up in the middle of the movie to use the bathroom; she was gone for an hour, and the husband got worried and searched for her. On the way to the bathroom, he brushed past a paunchy woman with swollen, crusted eyes and cheeks stained with yellow vomit. He found his wife in the bathroom
dead—Facedown in a pile of yellow bile.
1979: An employee discovered human fingers in the popcorn machine.
1980: During a sudden blackout, a little girl disappeared from the arcade. Staff discovered her locked inside one of the arcade cabinets, insisting she was sucked into the game.
1982: Several customers complained about bombastic patrons covered in bruises, scabs, and rashes, ruining their movie experience by talking during the film, chucking popcorn at them, and kicking the back of their seats. When asked to stop their obnoxious behavior, they responded by coughing on or scratching them.
1983: An employee went on their smoke break behind the theater and was found headless, cigarette in her hand still lit, body leaning against the brick wall behind her. Even stranger, guests of Theater Ten claimed Cujo cut out, and footage from behind the building played on screen. The footage was a young woman smoking, then two hands emerged from behind her and tore her head off.
1988: A group of teens broke into Theater Ten. According to the witness, this is what happened: “The auditorium smelled like stale vomit. Sores and blisters covered the other patrons. Coughing and sniffling bounced off the walls, and the audience guffawed at the static on the screen. My friends sat down, and the seats snapped shut on them as a Venus flytrap closes on a fly. I felt like I’d pass out, and I couldn’t breathe. The patrons sprang up from their seats and chased me from the theater.”
1989: Two brothers broke into Theater Ten to steal movie posters; while exploring the building, a man in a torn black usher uniform accosted them. According to the witness, this is what the usher looked like: “Yellow ooze leaked from lesions on his cheeks and sores on his lips, blood spilled down from boils on his forehead, black carbuncles were behind his ears.” The usher scratched the other brother during their escape, and he died a few days later.
The disturbing nature of these incidents proves something very wrong is happening, and Theater Ten is not safe for the general public! I’m aware that I’m not the first person to write to you concerning the theater. It’s a source of pain for so many people. Others may not have been as tactful as me. I’m sure you’ve had several letters cross your desk accusing you of accepting bribes or certain favors in exchange for reopening Theater Ten. For everybody’s sake, including your own, this theater must be destroyed!
-Anonymous
submitted by Logan966 to DarkTales [link] [comments]
You'll probably stop reading, crumple up this letter, and throw it in the trash, but I implore you to keep reading. Founded in 1970, Theater Ten revived downtown, and provided a safe, fun place for the people of Burningham to enjoy. Unfortunately, over the years, the theater has transformed into a source of anguish. The disappearance of movie-goers of Theater Ten is still fresh in everyone's mind. My sister, Joan is among the twenty-three missing; she attended the screening of Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors with her boyfriend. After Joan disappeared, I couldn't eat or sleep for days. There's a hole in my heart that can't be filled; it's been five years, but it still doesn't feel real. I feel like I’ll get a phone call from Joan, or she’ll pull into my driveway with her beat-up blue station wagon and take me hiking; I miss her every day.
I understand this theater is a historic landmark, and you don't want to demolish it. You either don't understand or don't care that people feel unsafe visiting or working at the theater. Lest we forget about what happened after Theater Ten closed? Several people have survived incidents at Theater Ten, and fortunately, I’ve been able to track down several of them, including a few who were willing to report what they’ve witnessed.
1975: A customer complained the butter dispenser dispensed pus into his popcorn.
1978: A young married couple visited the theater to watch Halloween. The wife got up in the middle of the movie to use the bathroom; she was gone for an hour, and the husband got worried and searched for her. On the way to the bathroom, he brushed past a paunchy woman with swollen, crusted eyes and cheeks stained with yellow vomit. He found his wife in the bathroom
dead—Facedown in a pile of yellow bile.
1979: An employee discovered human fingers in the popcorn machine.
1980: During a sudden blackout, a little girl disappeared from the arcade. Staff discovered her locked inside one of the arcade cabinets, insisting she was sucked into the game.
1982: Several customers complained about bombastic patrons covered in bruises, scabs, and rashes, ruining their movie experience by talking during the film, chucking popcorn at them, and kicking the back of their seats. When asked to stop their obnoxious behavior, they responded by coughing on or scratching them.
1983: An employee went on their smoke break behind the theater and was found headless, cigarette in her hand still lit, body leaning against the brick wall behind her. Even stranger, guests of Theater Ten claimed Cujo cut out, and footage from behind the building played on screen. The footage was a young woman smoking, then two hands emerged from behind her and tore her head off.
1988: A group of teens broke into Theater Ten. According to the witness, this is what happened: “The auditorium smelled like stale vomit. Sores and blisters covered the other patrons. Coughing and sniffling bounced off the walls, and the audience guffawed at the static on the screen. My friends sat down, and the seats snapped shut on them as a Venus flytrap closes on a fly. I felt like I’d pass out, and I couldn’t breathe. The patrons sprang up from their seats and chased me from the theater.”
1989: Two brothers broke into Theater Ten to steal movie posters; while exploring the building, a man in a torn black usher uniform accosted them. According to the witness, this is what the usher looked like: “Yellow ooze leaked from lesions on his cheeks and sores on his lips, blood spilled down from boils on his forehead, black carbuncles were behind his ears.” The usher scratched the other brother during their escape, and he died a few days later.
The disturbing nature of these incidents proves something very wrong is happening, and Theater Ten is not safe for the general public! I’m aware that I’m not the first person to write to you concerning the theater. It’s a source of pain for so many people. Others may not have been as tactful as me. I’m sure you’ve had several letters cross your desk accusing you of accepting bribes or certain favors in exchange for reopening Theater Ten. For everybody’s sake, including your own, this theater must be destroyed!
-Anonymous
2023.03.25 02:04 Logan966 "Strange Incidents at Theater Ten"
Dear Mayor Thompson,
You'll probably stop reading, crumple up this letter, and throw it in the trash, but I implore you to keep reading. Founded in 1970, Theater Ten revived downtown, and provided a safe, fun place for the people of Burningham to enjoy. Unfortunately, over the years, the theater has transformed into a source of anguish. The disappearance of movie-goers of Theater Ten is still fresh in everyone's mind. My sister, Joan is among the twenty-three missing; she attended the screening of Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors with her boyfriend. After Joan disappeared, I couldn't eat or sleep for days. There's a hole in my heart that can't be filled; it's been five years, but it still doesn't feel real. I feel like I’ll get a phone call from Joan, or she’ll pull into my driveway with her beat-up blue station wagon and take me hiking; I miss her every day.
I understand this theater is a historic landmark, and you don't want to demolish it. You either don't understand or don't care that people feel unsafe visiting or working at the theater. Lest we forget about what happened after Theater Ten closed? Several people have survived incidents at Theater Ten, and fortunately, I’ve been able to track down several of them, including a few who were willing to report what they’ve witnessed.
1975: A customer complained the butter dispenser dispensed pus into his popcorn.
1978: A young married couple visited the theater to watch Halloween. The wife got up in the middle of the movie to use the bathroom; she was gone for an hour, and the husband got worried and searched for her. On the way to the bathroom, he brushed past a paunchy woman with swollen, crusted eyes and cheeks stained with yellow vomit. He found his wife in the bathroom
dead—Facedown in a pile of yellow bile.
1979: An employee discovered human fingers in the popcorn machine.
1980: During a sudden blackout, a little girl disappeared from the arcade. Staff discovered her locked inside one of the arcade cabinets, insisting she was sucked into the game.
1982: Several customers complained about bombastic patrons covered in bruises, scabs, and rashes, ruining their movie experience by talking during the film, chucking popcorn at them, and kicking the back of their seats. When asked to stop their obnoxious behavior, they responded by coughing on or scratching them.
1983: An employee went on their smoke break behind the theater and was found headless, cigarette in her hand still lit, body leaning against the brick wall behind her. Even stranger, guests of Theater Ten claimed Cujo cut out, and footage from behind the building played on screen. The footage was a young woman smoking, then two hands emerged from behind her and tore her head off.
1988: A group of teens broke into Theater Ten. According to the witness, this is what happened: “The auditorium smelled like stale vomit. Sores and blisters covered the other patrons. Coughing and sniffling bounced off the walls, and the audience guffawed at the static on the screen. My friends sat down, and the seats snapped shut on them as a Venus flytrap closes on a fly. I felt like I’d pass out, and I couldn’t breathe. The patrons sprang up from their seats and chased me from the theater.”
1989: Two brothers broke into Theater Ten to steal movie posters; while exploring the building, a man in a torn black usher uniform accosted them. According to the witness, this is what the usher looked like: “Yellow ooze leaked from lesions on his cheeks and sores on his lips, blood spilled down from boils on his forehead, black carbuncles were behind his ears.” The usher scratched the other brother during their escape, and he died a few days later.
The disturbing nature of these incidents proves something very wrong is happening, and Theater Ten is not safe for the general public! I’m aware that I’m not the first person to write to you concerning the theater. It’s a source of pain for so many people. Others may not have been as tactful as me. I’m sure you’ve had several letters cross your desk accusing you of accepting bribes or certain favors in exchange for reopening Theater Ten. For everybody’s sake, including your own, this theater must be destroyed!
-Anonymous
submitted by Logan966 to DrCreepensVault [link] [comments]
You'll probably stop reading, crumple up this letter, and throw it in the trash, but I implore you to keep reading. Founded in 1970, Theater Ten revived downtown, and provided a safe, fun place for the people of Burningham to enjoy. Unfortunately, over the years, the theater has transformed into a source of anguish. The disappearance of movie-goers of Theater Ten is still fresh in everyone's mind. My sister, Joan is among the twenty-three missing; she attended the screening of Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors with her boyfriend. After Joan disappeared, I couldn't eat or sleep for days. There's a hole in my heart that can't be filled; it's been five years, but it still doesn't feel real. I feel like I’ll get a phone call from Joan, or she’ll pull into my driveway with her beat-up blue station wagon and take me hiking; I miss her every day.
I understand this theater is a historic landmark, and you don't want to demolish it. You either don't understand or don't care that people feel unsafe visiting or working at the theater. Lest we forget about what happened after Theater Ten closed? Several people have survived incidents at Theater Ten, and fortunately, I’ve been able to track down several of them, including a few who were willing to report what they’ve witnessed.
1975: A customer complained the butter dispenser dispensed pus into his popcorn.
1978: A young married couple visited the theater to watch Halloween. The wife got up in the middle of the movie to use the bathroom; she was gone for an hour, and the husband got worried and searched for her. On the way to the bathroom, he brushed past a paunchy woman with swollen, crusted eyes and cheeks stained with yellow vomit. He found his wife in the bathroom
dead—Facedown in a pile of yellow bile.
1979: An employee discovered human fingers in the popcorn machine.
1980: During a sudden blackout, a little girl disappeared from the arcade. Staff discovered her locked inside one of the arcade cabinets, insisting she was sucked into the game.
1982: Several customers complained about bombastic patrons covered in bruises, scabs, and rashes, ruining their movie experience by talking during the film, chucking popcorn at them, and kicking the back of their seats. When asked to stop their obnoxious behavior, they responded by coughing on or scratching them.
1983: An employee went on their smoke break behind the theater and was found headless, cigarette in her hand still lit, body leaning against the brick wall behind her. Even stranger, guests of Theater Ten claimed Cujo cut out, and footage from behind the building played on screen. The footage was a young woman smoking, then two hands emerged from behind her and tore her head off.
1988: A group of teens broke into Theater Ten. According to the witness, this is what happened: “The auditorium smelled like stale vomit. Sores and blisters covered the other patrons. Coughing and sniffling bounced off the walls, and the audience guffawed at the static on the screen. My friends sat down, and the seats snapped shut on them as a Venus flytrap closes on a fly. I felt like I’d pass out, and I couldn’t breathe. The patrons sprang up from their seats and chased me from the theater.”
1989: Two brothers broke into Theater Ten to steal movie posters; while exploring the building, a man in a torn black usher uniform accosted them. According to the witness, this is what the usher looked like: “Yellow ooze leaked from lesions on his cheeks and sores on his lips, blood spilled down from boils on his forehead, black carbuncles were behind his ears.” The usher scratched the other brother during their escape, and he died a few days later.
The disturbing nature of these incidents proves something very wrong is happening, and Theater Ten is not safe for the general public! I’m aware that I’m not the first person to write to you concerning the theater. It’s a source of pain for so many people. Others may not have been as tactful as me. I’m sure you’ve had several letters cross your desk accusing you of accepting bribes or certain favors in exchange for reopening Theater Ten. For everybody’s sake, including your own, this theater must be destroyed!
-Anonymous
2023.03.25 02:01 kp-- Douces Séparations
Sailesh sat listlessly watching the rain drops just lazily slapping the window pane he was next to. He'd just arrived from a flight not long ago. Not only could he still feel the strain the long flight had on his knees, he was yearning to perhaps, stretch them out. But an Asar in Kathmandu doesn't relent. The downpour was vicious, often making it difficult to have any fun time. Forget hiking, he'd be lucky to even get past the hotel without getting soaking wet. As he took another long swig of his cigarette, he contemplated the life choice that led him to the place he was currently. Surely, it'd mark a closure, perhaps seal the old wound. He'd relish this.
As his breath clashed with the pane, and fog slightly formed, he was interrupted by the host,"So brother, what will you be having today?". He impatiently waved him off, angry that the waiter had interrupted his train of thoughts. The waiter, rather meekly said,"So will you have anything else, sir? This is your 6th peg, Mother was wondering if you'd like anything else". Sailesh softly chuckled before replying "I'm waiting". As the waiter gave him a knowing nod, and gently faded away, he took another swig of the whiskey he was drinking. Cheap shit will always be cheap, in this shithole, he thought to himself. Still, anything to get that familiar burn down your throat, with the slight buzzy sensation in your temple. For the money he was tossing at it, he couldn't possibly complain. It would be that he dearly missed his scotch - his favorite poison. He rapped at the table impatiently, she hasn't changed a bit, had she? Always taking her sweet time. As he could make out the silhouette of a woman with a child through the foggy glass, he grew excited: "She came, she finally did!". Not only that realization made him jerk back from him day dreaming, he proceeded to straighten up, and pull his hair back. After taking a few moments to compose himself, he hailed the waiter silently to take away the glass and empty his ash tray. As the entrance door slowly opened, he could make out his once love of his life, slowly approaching him with a kid, his, presumably. Aakanshya was a woman of sophistication, and absolute grace. The moment she walked towards you, you'd feel a gentle breeze on your forehead, whilst the back of your throat dried out, and you just wanted to steal a gaze from her, as long as time allowed. Her full lips often made you aware that even despite not smiling, she had a soft, gentle curve that made her face anything but hard. Suffice to say, Sailesh felt a cocktail of emotions within him growling, as he looked at a woman he once loved over anything else.
As she sat down with the kid, Sailesh gently motioned towards her. After a brief eye contact, he felt as if they were pulled down, away from it. Perhaps he still had feelings for her. Perhaps he was here to find out why things happened, the way they did. Still, he could feel the pangs of that same constricting pain in his heart, as if someone, or something, held it. It took an effort breathing in. And thus, he started, "So Aaku...". Aaku gently smiled back, that same smile he now knew he yearned for more than 5 years. As she waved, the kid chimed in, "Is he the uncle you were talking about, mummy?". Aakanshya slowly nodded, then proceeded to speak, "Yes, Sailesh uncle here is my best childhood friend. We practically grew up together, just like you and Saakshi". "Eww, Momma grew up with a boy? That's so funny hahaha". "No Arya, uncle here was very good at tying my ribbons! Firstly, say hi to uncle, will you, dear?" Arya suddenly shouted, "Namastey Sailesh uncle!" in a manner that could only be described as being contagious. It was impossible not to have your heart melt right there and there, this some five odd years old brat, speaking in the cutest manner possible. Sailesh extended his hand "I'm Sailesh, how old are you?". Arya looked puzzled at the hand offered to her, promptly looking towards her mother for clues on what to do. As Aakanshya motioned Arya to shake his hand, Arya followed suit. Sailesh hasn't shook a hand that was more tender, warm in a while. As he dismissed her hand, he directed his gaze towards Aakanshya. "How long has it been, again?" he said, words slightly slurred. Perhaps the whiskey finally hit. As Aakanshya drew a long breath, Sailesh leaned back, reaching for his zippo. That's when he noticed her hard gazed, the same stone cold, disappointed pair of the most beautiful doe eyes one could imagine, staring through him. As he followed her gaze to Arya, it hit him that perhaps lighting a cigarette in front of a child, wasn't the best of decisions. Arya chortled,"Look momma, uncle smokes too, just like Daddy!". As Aakanshya frowned,"Momma are you about to shout at uncle?", with the most innocent of eyes. Sailesh bit his lips in a mixture of embarrassment, and restlessless. Yeah, fucking A man, fucking A, light a cig right in front of the kid.
"So how have you been?" Sailesh said, huffing after his own silliness. Aakanshya answered,"I'm doing great, Sailu, how are you doing?". "Doing fine. Company offered me a vacation plan, I rejected, caught the very first plane from Cali straight here so I could perhaps go visit old friends. But with this weather...", Sailesh chuckled. Aaku sighed, "Well, that's a nice change I suppose. You always were the overworker". As Sailesh motioned the waiter yet again, he asked Arya, bored, "So what will you have, Arya?" Arya took the menu, and immediately pointed at what she wanted : An icecream. Well, she was certainly her mother's child, this girl. Once the orders were placed, Sailesh spoke "So what are you doing these days?" Aakanshya slowly turned her head towards Arya, and said "Well, mostly taking care of Arya. Housework was much more difficult than I imagined", she smiled softly. "How long are you staying?" Sailesh sighed,"Hard to tell. I can return anytime, but I was looking to meet old faces here. Suffice to say that's nigh impossible at this weather. So I'm probably going to get holed up in a hotel till I get back home". "And how are your parents, how's Aunty doing?" "You know they're dead, Aaku. Why must you ask?" Aakashya's eyes widened,"When?". Sailesh bitterly replied,"It's been what, 2-3 years?" "I'm sorry, Sailesh, I didn't know that". Sailesh's lips curved ironically, as he smiled and retorted,"Well, it's none of your business anyway, so there". Before those words were barely out, he regretted saying it. "But I do care. And I'm sorry." Sailesh could see hints of tear well up in her eyes. "Sorry I wasn't there for Aunty and Uncle". Sailesh whipped back, "Well they'd not count on it, after all, you abandoned me". Aakanshya look at Sailesh, with a look of surprise, speechless. Arya, startled, looked at Aakanshya, "Mommy, are you crying? Are you about to have a fight with uncle, just like daddy?" Sailesh asked, opportunistically, "Do mommy and daddy get in fights often?" "Yes, daddy shouts at mommy, and mommy shuts the door and cries. It's really sad, you know -" Aakanshya interrupted Arya's monologue, and quietly motioned her to hush. So Sailesh went into brooding, before letting out his next question, "You're happy with him, aren't you?" He could feel Aakanshya visibly disturbed, silent. Perhaps blaming her from the get go wasn't the best of ideas. At the same moment, the orders were served, and that was the end of that. As mere small talked, veiled in pain were exchanged on both sides, Sailendra couldn't help but walk down back the memory lane.
It was that night, that had been their last. They had sneaked out of their friend's wedding together, got to his apartment, then started making love. Intimacy with her was a special time, he'd only been vulnerable with so many women. As they rolled over the bed, he had gotten up to look at the moon-lit fields across the window. He had sat down in the arm chair, contemplating the difficulties ahead in life. He was but merely deep in thought, when she had rolled over, glistening in sweat beads, whilst gently being caressed by the moonlight. That's when she'd said, "Sailu, we should get married, na?" He had but merely scoffed, looking at her saying, "Babe, I'm hitting the states next week, I won't be back for at least 4 years, you seriously think I'd be able to take care of myself, let alone you?!" Whilst running his fingers on her playfully, he'd find her smiling slightly, then turning over, pulling the blankets. And that was the exchange they had, before she abruptly called Sailesh a week after he landed on states, stating she was getting married soon. And him, in a foreign land, feeling utterly dejected, and betrayed. Why did she choose this banker, over him? What possibly could that bald jerk give her, that he couldn't?
As Sailesh was wading through the free fall of his thoughts, reality struck when Arya tugged at his jacket. "Uncle, will you come home? I'll show you my doll". Sailesh, frowning, shook his head. Suppose it was time to part ways. The visit had been extempore, after all. He had called her on messenger right as he landed, perhaps to make peace with himself. Though how exactly this meeting ended up making him any less disturbed than he already was: He wouldn't know. All he knew was the ship had sailed, and he was left out in the rain. As the bills were paid, and they stood in front of the restaurant under umbrellas, Sailesh said "Well, guess this is it then. Take care, alright?" As Aakanshya turned after nodding, he could have sworn he saw her back shake.
As he stood there, questioning himself, all the while lighting his cigarette, he couldn't help but kick himself for being an ass. Perhaps he went too hard on her. After all, she did come, didn't she? And yet, he was right there, in the same spot she left her, 6 years back. As the gentle pitter patters of droplets onto the puddle singed but meekly, he looked at the mother-daughter slowly walking away from her. He was but just there, looking at her, then her daughter, a spitting image of her, going away, engrossed in conversation. As he scratched his nape, he couldn't help but spot a familiar birthmark on little Arya. Something he had grown accustomed to, often bemoaned about for being unsightly. Then it dawned him, that perhaps, this would be the last time he'd see her, as he couldn't possibly face himself after today's charades.
Not after what just happened, not after what he said to her.
submitted by kp-- to NepalWrites [link] [comments]
As his breath clashed with the pane, and fog slightly formed, he was interrupted by the host,"So brother, what will you be having today?". He impatiently waved him off, angry that the waiter had interrupted his train of thoughts. The waiter, rather meekly said,"So will you have anything else, sir? This is your 6th peg, Mother was wondering if you'd like anything else". Sailesh softly chuckled before replying "I'm waiting". As the waiter gave him a knowing nod, and gently faded away, he took another swig of the whiskey he was drinking. Cheap shit will always be cheap, in this shithole, he thought to himself. Still, anything to get that familiar burn down your throat, with the slight buzzy sensation in your temple. For the money he was tossing at it, he couldn't possibly complain. It would be that he dearly missed his scotch - his favorite poison. He rapped at the table impatiently, she hasn't changed a bit, had she? Always taking her sweet time. As he could make out the silhouette of a woman with a child through the foggy glass, he grew excited: "She came, she finally did!". Not only that realization made him jerk back from him day dreaming, he proceeded to straighten up, and pull his hair back. After taking a few moments to compose himself, he hailed the waiter silently to take away the glass and empty his ash tray. As the entrance door slowly opened, he could make out his once love of his life, slowly approaching him with a kid, his, presumably. Aakanshya was a woman of sophistication, and absolute grace. The moment she walked towards you, you'd feel a gentle breeze on your forehead, whilst the back of your throat dried out, and you just wanted to steal a gaze from her, as long as time allowed. Her full lips often made you aware that even despite not smiling, she had a soft, gentle curve that made her face anything but hard. Suffice to say, Sailesh felt a cocktail of emotions within him growling, as he looked at a woman he once loved over anything else.
As she sat down with the kid, Sailesh gently motioned towards her. After a brief eye contact, he felt as if they were pulled down, away from it. Perhaps he still had feelings for her. Perhaps he was here to find out why things happened, the way they did. Still, he could feel the pangs of that same constricting pain in his heart, as if someone, or something, held it. It took an effort breathing in. And thus, he started, "So Aaku...". Aaku gently smiled back, that same smile he now knew he yearned for more than 5 years. As she waved, the kid chimed in, "Is he the uncle you were talking about, mummy?". Aakanshya slowly nodded, then proceeded to speak, "Yes, Sailesh uncle here is my best childhood friend. We practically grew up together, just like you and Saakshi". "Eww, Momma grew up with a boy? That's so funny hahaha". "No Arya, uncle here was very good at tying my ribbons! Firstly, say hi to uncle, will you, dear?" Arya suddenly shouted, "Namastey Sailesh uncle!" in a manner that could only be described as being contagious. It was impossible not to have your heart melt right there and there, this some five odd years old brat, speaking in the cutest manner possible. Sailesh extended his hand "I'm Sailesh, how old are you?". Arya looked puzzled at the hand offered to her, promptly looking towards her mother for clues on what to do. As Aakanshya motioned Arya to shake his hand, Arya followed suit. Sailesh hasn't shook a hand that was more tender, warm in a while. As he dismissed her hand, he directed his gaze towards Aakanshya. "How long has it been, again?" he said, words slightly slurred. Perhaps the whiskey finally hit. As Aakanshya drew a long breath, Sailesh leaned back, reaching for his zippo. That's when he noticed her hard gazed, the same stone cold, disappointed pair of the most beautiful doe eyes one could imagine, staring through him. As he followed her gaze to Arya, it hit him that perhaps lighting a cigarette in front of a child, wasn't the best of decisions. Arya chortled,"Look momma, uncle smokes too, just like Daddy!". As Aakanshya frowned,"Momma are you about to shout at uncle?", with the most innocent of eyes. Sailesh bit his lips in a mixture of embarrassment, and restlessless. Yeah, fucking A man, fucking A, light a cig right in front of the kid.
"So how have you been?" Sailesh said, huffing after his own silliness. Aakanshya answered,"I'm doing great, Sailu, how are you doing?". "Doing fine. Company offered me a vacation plan, I rejected, caught the very first plane from Cali straight here so I could perhaps go visit old friends. But with this weather...", Sailesh chuckled. Aaku sighed, "Well, that's a nice change I suppose. You always were the overworker". As Sailesh motioned the waiter yet again, he asked Arya, bored, "So what will you have, Arya?" Arya took the menu, and immediately pointed at what she wanted : An icecream. Well, she was certainly her mother's child, this girl. Once the orders were placed, Sailesh spoke "So what are you doing these days?" Aakanshya slowly turned her head towards Arya, and said "Well, mostly taking care of Arya. Housework was much more difficult than I imagined", she smiled softly. "How long are you staying?" Sailesh sighed,"Hard to tell. I can return anytime, but I was looking to meet old faces here. Suffice to say that's nigh impossible at this weather. So I'm probably going to get holed up in a hotel till I get back home". "And how are your parents, how's Aunty doing?" "You know they're dead, Aaku. Why must you ask?" Aakashya's eyes widened,"When?". Sailesh bitterly replied,"It's been what, 2-3 years?" "I'm sorry, Sailesh, I didn't know that". Sailesh's lips curved ironically, as he smiled and retorted,"Well, it's none of your business anyway, so there". Before those words were barely out, he regretted saying it. "But I do care. And I'm sorry." Sailesh could see hints of tear well up in her eyes. "Sorry I wasn't there for Aunty and Uncle". Sailesh whipped back, "Well they'd not count on it, after all, you abandoned me". Aakanshya look at Sailesh, with a look of surprise, speechless. Arya, startled, looked at Aakanshya, "Mommy, are you crying? Are you about to have a fight with uncle, just like daddy?" Sailesh asked, opportunistically, "Do mommy and daddy get in fights often?" "Yes, daddy shouts at mommy, and mommy shuts the door and cries. It's really sad, you know -" Aakanshya interrupted Arya's monologue, and quietly motioned her to hush. So Sailesh went into brooding, before letting out his next question, "You're happy with him, aren't you?" He could feel Aakanshya visibly disturbed, silent. Perhaps blaming her from the get go wasn't the best of ideas. At the same moment, the orders were served, and that was the end of that. As mere small talked, veiled in pain were exchanged on both sides, Sailendra couldn't help but walk down back the memory lane.
It was that night, that had been their last. They had sneaked out of their friend's wedding together, got to his apartment, then started making love. Intimacy with her was a special time, he'd only been vulnerable with so many women. As they rolled over the bed, he had gotten up to look at the moon-lit fields across the window. He had sat down in the arm chair, contemplating the difficulties ahead in life. He was but merely deep in thought, when she had rolled over, glistening in sweat beads, whilst gently being caressed by the moonlight. That's when she'd said, "Sailu, we should get married, na?" He had but merely scoffed, looking at her saying, "Babe, I'm hitting the states next week, I won't be back for at least 4 years, you seriously think I'd be able to take care of myself, let alone you?!" Whilst running his fingers on her playfully, he'd find her smiling slightly, then turning over, pulling the blankets. And that was the exchange they had, before she abruptly called Sailesh a week after he landed on states, stating she was getting married soon. And him, in a foreign land, feeling utterly dejected, and betrayed. Why did she choose this banker, over him? What possibly could that bald jerk give her, that he couldn't?
As Sailesh was wading through the free fall of his thoughts, reality struck when Arya tugged at his jacket. "Uncle, will you come home? I'll show you my doll". Sailesh, frowning, shook his head. Suppose it was time to part ways. The visit had been extempore, after all. He had called her on messenger right as he landed, perhaps to make peace with himself. Though how exactly this meeting ended up making him any less disturbed than he already was: He wouldn't know. All he knew was the ship had sailed, and he was left out in the rain. As the bills were paid, and they stood in front of the restaurant under umbrellas, Sailesh said "Well, guess this is it then. Take care, alright?" As Aakanshya turned after nodding, he could have sworn he saw her back shake.
As he stood there, questioning himself, all the while lighting his cigarette, he couldn't help but kick himself for being an ass. Perhaps he went too hard on her. After all, she did come, didn't she? And yet, he was right there, in the same spot she left her, 6 years back. As the gentle pitter patters of droplets onto the puddle singed but meekly, he looked at the mother-daughter slowly walking away from her. He was but just there, looking at her, then her daughter, a spitting image of her, going away, engrossed in conversation. As he scratched his nape, he couldn't help but spot a familiar birthmark on little Arya. Something he had grown accustomed to, often bemoaned about for being unsightly. Then it dawned him, that perhaps, this would be the last time he'd see her, as he couldn't possibly face himself after today's charades.
Not after what just happened, not after what he said to her.
2023.03.25 01:57 crazygrumpy Forex Today: Mixed week for the USD; is it time for some consolidation?
Here is what you need to know for next week:
After a week with the focus on central banks, economic data will be back at the center, surrounded by the ongoing banking crisis. The DXY finished the week lower, but looking stronger, resurfacing even as US yields tumbled, helped by a deterioration in market sentiment.
A new market season started on March 8 with the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. In the most recent episode, more central banks decided to raise rates showing determination to bring inflation down despite banking jitters. Developments in the banking sector will continue to be critical for sentiment and monetary policy expectations. It has tightened bank credit standards, doing part of the central bank's job. Next week, central bankers will probably stay close to the recent guidance next week.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve (Fed) raised rates by 25 bps as expected, signaling a dovish pace of future hikes. Initially, markets reacted by selling the US Dollar, and Wall Street cheered timidly. That day, markets heard from Fed officials for the first time since the banking system crisis.
Wall Street finished the week with modest gains, and the VIX dropped sharply. Still, regional bank stocks remain under pressure and with the potential to damage confidence significantly. During the weekend, market participants will stay alert on potential banking news. Also, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen could be preparing some surprises.
Potential movers for next week:
EUUSD finished the week higher, pointing lower, and momentum fading quickly. The pair dropped 200 pips from the 1.0930 area to close around 1.0750, still above the 20-week Simple Moving Average. The preliminary PMIs on Friday showed overall positive figures. The preliminary March inflation numbers next week will be critical. European Central Bank officials continued to speak about the need to do more. Expectations about more rate hikes supported the Euro, which was among the top performers.
GBP/USD ended the week virtually flat around 1.2220, after being unable to hold above 1.2300. The Bank of England (BoE) raised the key rate as expected to 4.25% (7-2 vote). The bank could rise further if inflation does not surprise to the downside in March. Next Friday, Q4 GDP data is due.
The Japanese Yen benefited from the decline in US yields, outperforming most of its G10 rivals. USD/JPY dropped for the fourth consecutive week, ending above 130.00, an area that seems poised to be tested again over the following sessions.
USD/CAD reached monthly highs above 1.3800 and pulled back. Next Tuesday, the Canadian government will present the budget. January GDP will be out on Friday.
AUD/USD's run from monthly lows ended at the daily 200-SMA near 0.6760, and now it is up to the Dollar to decide how low it goes. Australia will report Retail Sales on Tuesday and critical inflation numbers on Wednesday. Those figures could cement the decision of the Reserve Bank of Australia that will have its meeting on April 4.
The Mexican peso was the biggest gainer among the most traded currencies, making a solid comeback after plunging during the previous two weeks. USD/MXN lost more than 2%, falling below 18.50. The Bank of Mexico will announce its decision next week. It is seen raising rates further but at a smaller pace than in February, when it hiked by 50 bps. Core inflation is finally coming down in Mexico, with the half-month print at 8.15%, down from 8.21%.
Note to traders: Daylight saving time in Europe. On the morning of Sunday, Europe will turn the clock forward by one hour.
submitted by crazygrumpy to ForexStreet [link] [comments]
After a week with the focus on central banks, economic data will be back at the center, surrounded by the ongoing banking crisis. The DXY finished the week lower, but looking stronger, resurfacing even as US yields tumbled, helped by a deterioration in market sentiment.
A new market season started on March 8 with the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. In the most recent episode, more central banks decided to raise rates showing determination to bring inflation down despite banking jitters. Developments in the banking sector will continue to be critical for sentiment and monetary policy expectations. It has tightened bank credit standards, doing part of the central bank's job. Next week, central bankers will probably stay close to the recent guidance next week.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve (Fed) raised rates by 25 bps as expected, signaling a dovish pace of future hikes. Initially, markets reacted by selling the US Dollar, and Wall Street cheered timidly. That day, markets heard from Fed officials for the first time since the banking system crisis.
Wall Street finished the week with modest gains, and the VIX dropped sharply. Still, regional bank stocks remain under pressure and with the potential to damage confidence significantly. During the weekend, market participants will stay alert on potential banking news. Also, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen could be preparing some surprises.
Potential movers for next week:
- Regional bank stocks
- US Treasury Secretary Yellen
- Eurozone inflation numbers
- US Core PCE
EUUSD finished the week higher, pointing lower, and momentum fading quickly. The pair dropped 200 pips from the 1.0930 area to close around 1.0750, still above the 20-week Simple Moving Average. The preliminary PMIs on Friday showed overall positive figures. The preliminary March inflation numbers next week will be critical. European Central Bank officials continued to speak about the need to do more. Expectations about more rate hikes supported the Euro, which was among the top performers.
GBP/USD ended the week virtually flat around 1.2220, after being unable to hold above 1.2300. The Bank of England (BoE) raised the key rate as expected to 4.25% (7-2 vote). The bank could rise further if inflation does not surprise to the downside in March. Next Friday, Q4 GDP data is due.
The Japanese Yen benefited from the decline in US yields, outperforming most of its G10 rivals. USD/JPY dropped for the fourth consecutive week, ending above 130.00, an area that seems poised to be tested again over the following sessions.
USD/CAD reached monthly highs above 1.3800 and pulled back. Next Tuesday, the Canadian government will present the budget. January GDP will be out on Friday.
AUD/USD's run from monthly lows ended at the daily 200-SMA near 0.6760, and now it is up to the Dollar to decide how low it goes. Australia will report Retail Sales on Tuesday and critical inflation numbers on Wednesday. Those figures could cement the decision of the Reserve Bank of Australia that will have its meeting on April 4.
The Mexican peso was the biggest gainer among the most traded currencies, making a solid comeback after plunging during the previous two weeks. USD/MXN lost more than 2%, falling below 18.50. The Bank of Mexico will announce its decision next week. It is seen raising rates further but at a smaller pace than in February, when it hiked by 50 bps. Core inflation is finally coming down in Mexico, with the half-month print at 8.15%, down from 8.21%.
Note to traders: Daylight saving time in Europe. On the morning of Sunday, Europe will turn the clock forward by one hour.
2023.03.25 01:55 Obvious-Parking-9943 Have you ever experienced love at first sight? Share your story.
Have you ever experienced something truly paranormal or supernatural?
submitted by Obvious-Parking-9943 to u/Obvious-Parking-9943 [link] [comments]
2023.03.25 01:55 PessimisticPapa Hoping to see the other side quickly. Any advice?
After years of being unhappy together, my daughter's mother recently moved out.
We had been together 10 years, engaged for 5, but never married. When we met, she had a 4 year old daughter. After a year of dating, they both moved in with me. At the time, I was a bartender and she was a bank teller. Wanting to provide a stable family environment, I began looking for more traditional jobs.
After struggling to find a career as opposed to a job, I decided to go back to school and obtain a masters degree. At the same time, my fiancee went back to school as well (had dropped out after less than 1 semester the first time). I worked a full time day job, waited tables at night and on the weekends and helped her with her school work. She graduated four years ago. She is now waiting tables (only part time).
We had a child together in 2016. It was my hope that this would be her incentive to work harder to provide the nuclear family I wanted so badly for my child. Instead, I took on a ton of debt, provided probably 90% of the financial support for a child who is not mine biologically, and found myself constantly asking for more of a contribution either financially or from a day to day parenting perspective.
Problems really began to arise when my daughter (her 2nd) was born. The day she was born I overheard grandma telling fiancee's bio daughter that "he will never love you as much as he is going to love your sister." 1st daughter's bio dad was a bit of a deadbeat, so it wasn't so much of a red flag when she would talk crap on him openly, but using a different name (being young, I didn't recognize the attempts at parental alienation). She now does the same thing to me. My fiancee is so traumatized from being abused by this woman (fiancee's dad was never around), that she is, at the age of 37, unable to even confront her about abusing daughter 1 emotionally. It became my mission to protect daughter number 2 from the same abuse.
From the time we've been together, it's basically been what's mine is ours and what's hers is hers. She promised so many times to start being accountable. In an act of desperation, I enlisted her aunt's help to explain fiancee's behavioral issues. Privately, aunt told me I should leave her and take daughter 2 far away from the generational abuse.
Aunt's sons have been a part of my life for most of the 10 years we've been together. They are aspiring "rappers", both without a father figure in their life. It was not uncommon for them to come to my house after a dispute at home and stay for a few days until things calmed down. Both are adults who still live with mom. Recently, one came to the house again. When I asked what had happened, he responded that he and his brother had robbed someone for marijuana directly in front of their mothers house. Knowing that his "friends" had accompanied him to my house for family events on more than on occasion, I explained (in maybe a less than friendly manner) that he was not welcome to hide out at my house after committing crimes and that I did not want that type of behavior around my kids.
I had reached out to a therapist for couples counseling and fiancee and I were on the waiting list (the demand is sad). For years, I've been asking her to find work that would allow her to be available to the kids after school on a regular basis. For most of our relationship, I have spent at least 2-3 nights a week alone while she worked until 10 or 11 pm. She claimed that she was staying on top of things and for some reason I believed her. She was supposed to pay our rent for the first time in ten years on April 1 (I've avoided buying a home where we live because I didn't want my daughter to grow up here).
Last weekend, her car got repossessed (I had no idea payments weren't being made). I lost my shit (as I have often done out of frustration, desperation, etc.). She is now staying with her aunt in a house where drug crimes are being committed, one of the residents is fresh out of rehab on a fentanyl overdose, and there's an aggressive pitbull.
She's always been good at pretending to be a sweet, caring person to those who aren't close enough to see through it (something she learned from her mother). Daughter 1 doesn't want to be there and daughter 2 has expressed fear of the aunt and her dog. Fiancee is regularly hanging out with two women who cheat on their husbands (one with a cocaine dealer). When I ask if she thought she would like me to behave this way, she says "you obviously don't know who I am". I don't know if she is doing drugs but I have my suspicions.
I work 60 hour weeks, she works 20. I gave her daughter a better life than she could have, while she refused to improve her circumstances. Daughter 1's bio dad is dead, so I've been her primary caretakeprovider for ten years. She doesn't like me very much because of the conflicts I've had with mom and grandma, but she knows I am there for her.
This week I also found out that daughter 2 had been referred to family court for truancy issues. Wife wasn't reporting absences properly, took kids on 5 day vacation on a whim (when bills were presumably going unpaid), and is habitually late to everything. Daughter 2, who is now six says "I'm always the last one to school" and is late regularly. Fiancee did not inform me that school had even expressed concern.
I feel like I've been used and abused, but I'm not without fault. My frustration and concern for my daughters safety has led me to lash out verbally on many occasions. However, I think fiancee blaming this for her shortcomings is a cop out. It's just that no one sees or hears about her neglect towards her family.
Daughter 1 is 14 now. Her mom is more of a sister to her than a mother. I practically had to beg fiancee to get her into therapy. When she needs something, she knows she can't count on her mom. She regularly says things like "mom only cares about herself." I don't say negative things to her about her, but I also don't disagree with these things.
Daughter 2 begged me last week to beat mom to school pickup so she could be with me. She and I are more connected than she and mom.
I live in a state where 50/50 custody is assumed. CPS has been notified of my daughters fear of her aunt and her dog (she expressed it at school). I'm talking with a lawyer and it seems I'm going to spend a ton of money just trying to force mom to be accountable and on time.
What's really fucked up is that somewhere in my head, I still want it to work. I do love her, but she's not a good partner and she's not been a good mother to the girls. I think she has a victim mentality and is not able to be honest with herself about her behavior.
I feel fiancee is delusional (I'm told she's a victim of enmeshment, emotional incest, etc.) in regard to her view of herself. She talks of a future that isn't attainable given her current circumstances and behavior. She talks of travelling when she is older, but made 21K last year. There's almost zero chance she will ever even be able to retire. She's going to need someone to support her financially forever. When I point out that she's not behaving in a way that aligns with what she says she wants, she says "you're just negative".
I'm scared for both girls well being because I know mom doesn't pay much attention to them. She's either smoking weed, texting her friends, or playing with her hair.
I know that I'm supposed to try and be my best self and try to smile while eating the shit sandwich I've been served. But I've felt like I had three children for a number of years now.
I can't tell if I still want a future with her or if its even remotely plausible. I feel like she hangs around people who are worse off than she is to boost her ego and I've had to put a number of them in their place as it relates to their interactions with my kids. At this point, I've got quite a few middle aged waitresses who hate my guts. I watched one scam daughter 1 out of her birthday money with counterfeit goods (at the birthday party, minutes after she received her gifts, and mom did nothing). Grandma and aunt now hate my guts too. Fiancee no longer spends time with old friends who are actually thriving. I'm guessing this is, in part, due to shame over how she is behaving.
I feel like I just want my kids to be safe and be around people who are doing positive things with their time. Apparently, my not wanting my kids around drug activity and emotional abuse, makes me someone who "thinks he's better than everyone else". Depending on the situation, I'm either a negative person who doesn't believe in himself or I'm an arrogant jerk. Fiancee also says I have abandonment issues, though she's been told by others that she has abandoned me in our relationship (I feel she just never showed up).
For the better part of the last 3 years, I've been struggling to make ends meet while she tries to "find herself". She says she has to put herself first to be the best she can be for our girls. While I don't disagree with this, I don't think that it means what she thinks it means.
I feel like I'm the only one who has to see who fiancee really is.
My emotions desperately want things to be fixed, but I'm fantasizing about a person who has never existed.
I don't feel like I've done anything to deserve not being with my daughter every day. I may be a lot of things, but I've been a great dad to her. She loves me like crazy and we have a fantastic bond. I'm so scared to lose it.
I truly feel traumatized by this relationship. Does anyone have a similar experience? Any advice on either one last ditch attempt to save what is probably an irreparable relationship? Any idea how to expedite the grieving process and come out on the other side?
I feel like she is gaslighting me and I'm scared it's working.
I realize that I'm rambling and that this is reflecting on me poorly. CPS, truancy court, and the pitfalls of restaurant industry relationships are things that I just couldn't have fathomed being part of my life at this age.
I think my ultimate fantasy is that she would show up and say "Hey, I'm going to go do my thing. I'll leave both the kids with you and I won't be back."
I'm not even sure why I wrote this.
submitted by PessimisticPapa to Separation [link] [comments]
We had been together 10 years, engaged for 5, but never married. When we met, she had a 4 year old daughter. After a year of dating, they both moved in with me. At the time, I was a bartender and she was a bank teller. Wanting to provide a stable family environment, I began looking for more traditional jobs.
After struggling to find a career as opposed to a job, I decided to go back to school and obtain a masters degree. At the same time, my fiancee went back to school as well (had dropped out after less than 1 semester the first time). I worked a full time day job, waited tables at night and on the weekends and helped her with her school work. She graduated four years ago. She is now waiting tables (only part time).
We had a child together in 2016. It was my hope that this would be her incentive to work harder to provide the nuclear family I wanted so badly for my child. Instead, I took on a ton of debt, provided probably 90% of the financial support for a child who is not mine biologically, and found myself constantly asking for more of a contribution either financially or from a day to day parenting perspective.
Problems really began to arise when my daughter (her 2nd) was born. The day she was born I overheard grandma telling fiancee's bio daughter that "he will never love you as much as he is going to love your sister." 1st daughter's bio dad was a bit of a deadbeat, so it wasn't so much of a red flag when she would talk crap on him openly, but using a different name (being young, I didn't recognize the attempts at parental alienation). She now does the same thing to me. My fiancee is so traumatized from being abused by this woman (fiancee's dad was never around), that she is, at the age of 37, unable to even confront her about abusing daughter 1 emotionally. It became my mission to protect daughter number 2 from the same abuse.
From the time we've been together, it's basically been what's mine is ours and what's hers is hers. She promised so many times to start being accountable. In an act of desperation, I enlisted her aunt's help to explain fiancee's behavioral issues. Privately, aunt told me I should leave her and take daughter 2 far away from the generational abuse.
Aunt's sons have been a part of my life for most of the 10 years we've been together. They are aspiring "rappers", both without a father figure in their life. It was not uncommon for them to come to my house after a dispute at home and stay for a few days until things calmed down. Both are adults who still live with mom. Recently, one came to the house again. When I asked what had happened, he responded that he and his brother had robbed someone for marijuana directly in front of their mothers house. Knowing that his "friends" had accompanied him to my house for family events on more than on occasion, I explained (in maybe a less than friendly manner) that he was not welcome to hide out at my house after committing crimes and that I did not want that type of behavior around my kids.
I had reached out to a therapist for couples counseling and fiancee and I were on the waiting list (the demand is sad). For years, I've been asking her to find work that would allow her to be available to the kids after school on a regular basis. For most of our relationship, I have spent at least 2-3 nights a week alone while she worked until 10 or 11 pm. She claimed that she was staying on top of things and for some reason I believed her. She was supposed to pay our rent for the first time in ten years on April 1 (I've avoided buying a home where we live because I didn't want my daughter to grow up here).
Last weekend, her car got repossessed (I had no idea payments weren't being made). I lost my shit (as I have often done out of frustration, desperation, etc.). She is now staying with her aunt in a house where drug crimes are being committed, one of the residents is fresh out of rehab on a fentanyl overdose, and there's an aggressive pitbull.
She's always been good at pretending to be a sweet, caring person to those who aren't close enough to see through it (something she learned from her mother). Daughter 1 doesn't want to be there and daughter 2 has expressed fear of the aunt and her dog. Fiancee is regularly hanging out with two women who cheat on their husbands (one with a cocaine dealer). When I ask if she thought she would like me to behave this way, she says "you obviously don't know who I am". I don't know if she is doing drugs but I have my suspicions.
I work 60 hour weeks, she works 20. I gave her daughter a better life than she could have, while she refused to improve her circumstances. Daughter 1's bio dad is dead, so I've been her primary caretakeprovider for ten years. She doesn't like me very much because of the conflicts I've had with mom and grandma, but she knows I am there for her.
This week I also found out that daughter 2 had been referred to family court for truancy issues. Wife wasn't reporting absences properly, took kids on 5 day vacation on a whim (when bills were presumably going unpaid), and is habitually late to everything. Daughter 2, who is now six says "I'm always the last one to school" and is late regularly. Fiancee did not inform me that school had even expressed concern.
I feel like I've been used and abused, but I'm not without fault. My frustration and concern for my daughters safety has led me to lash out verbally on many occasions. However, I think fiancee blaming this for her shortcomings is a cop out. It's just that no one sees or hears about her neglect towards her family.
Daughter 1 is 14 now. Her mom is more of a sister to her than a mother. I practically had to beg fiancee to get her into therapy. When she needs something, she knows she can't count on her mom. She regularly says things like "mom only cares about herself." I don't say negative things to her about her, but I also don't disagree with these things.
Daughter 2 begged me last week to beat mom to school pickup so she could be with me. She and I are more connected than she and mom.
I live in a state where 50/50 custody is assumed. CPS has been notified of my daughters fear of her aunt and her dog (she expressed it at school). I'm talking with a lawyer and it seems I'm going to spend a ton of money just trying to force mom to be accountable and on time.
What's really fucked up is that somewhere in my head, I still want it to work. I do love her, but she's not a good partner and she's not been a good mother to the girls. I think she has a victim mentality and is not able to be honest with herself about her behavior.
I feel fiancee is delusional (I'm told she's a victim of enmeshment, emotional incest, etc.) in regard to her view of herself. She talks of a future that isn't attainable given her current circumstances and behavior. She talks of travelling when she is older, but made 21K last year. There's almost zero chance she will ever even be able to retire. She's going to need someone to support her financially forever. When I point out that she's not behaving in a way that aligns with what she says she wants, she says "you're just negative".
I'm scared for both girls well being because I know mom doesn't pay much attention to them. She's either smoking weed, texting her friends, or playing with her hair.
I know that I'm supposed to try and be my best self and try to smile while eating the shit sandwich I've been served. But I've felt like I had three children for a number of years now.
I can't tell if I still want a future with her or if its even remotely plausible. I feel like she hangs around people who are worse off than she is to boost her ego and I've had to put a number of them in their place as it relates to their interactions with my kids. At this point, I've got quite a few middle aged waitresses who hate my guts. I watched one scam daughter 1 out of her birthday money with counterfeit goods (at the birthday party, minutes after she received her gifts, and mom did nothing). Grandma and aunt now hate my guts too. Fiancee no longer spends time with old friends who are actually thriving. I'm guessing this is, in part, due to shame over how she is behaving.
I feel like I just want my kids to be safe and be around people who are doing positive things with their time. Apparently, my not wanting my kids around drug activity and emotional abuse, makes me someone who "thinks he's better than everyone else". Depending on the situation, I'm either a negative person who doesn't believe in himself or I'm an arrogant jerk. Fiancee also says I have abandonment issues, though she's been told by others that she has abandoned me in our relationship (I feel she just never showed up).
For the better part of the last 3 years, I've been struggling to make ends meet while she tries to "find herself". She says she has to put herself first to be the best she can be for our girls. While I don't disagree with this, I don't think that it means what she thinks it means.
I feel like I'm the only one who has to see who fiancee really is.
My emotions desperately want things to be fixed, but I'm fantasizing about a person who has never existed.
I don't feel like I've done anything to deserve not being with my daughter every day. I may be a lot of things, but I've been a great dad to her. She loves me like crazy and we have a fantastic bond. I'm so scared to lose it.
I truly feel traumatized by this relationship. Does anyone have a similar experience? Any advice on either one last ditch attempt to save what is probably an irreparable relationship? Any idea how to expedite the grieving process and come out on the other side?
I feel like she is gaslighting me and I'm scared it's working.
I realize that I'm rambling and that this is reflecting on me poorly. CPS, truancy court, and the pitfalls of restaurant industry relationships are things that I just couldn't have fathomed being part of my life at this age.
I think my ultimate fantasy is that she would show up and say "Hey, I'm going to go do my thing. I'll leave both the kids with you and I won't be back."
I'm not even sure why I wrote this.
2023.03.25 01:54 ThrowRA_drifting Husband (m42) is dismissive, objectifying and passive aggressive but doesn’t understand why I (f37) have little interest in intimacy.
I have been with my husband for almost two decades, we have a child and both work full time.
When we first lived together the house tasks were relatively shared but I found I did more because I wanted them done a certain way. He was also very sweet and understanding and so respectful. It’s why I married him. When I was a SAHM while our child was new, we took on the more traditional gender roles. I did more of the house duties and he worked.
When I went back to work he took a little while to realise we needed to shift back to sharing but he did a little bit here and there. I was still also doing a majority of meeting the needs of our child, particularly emotional, which wasn’t really seen as having an impact on me by my husband. I mostly brushed it off because I accepted that he is not super strong in the emotional intelligence space or on par with the parental affection I think I still give to our child.
At one point I ended up struggling with my mental health quite badly and put what energy I did have into my child. The house duties suffered. He did get cranky with me a few times but eventually got back to sharing a few things, although I still don’t feel it’s balanced.
I’ve been working with a therapist for quite some time and have been improving, though still have ups and downs. Husband also went through some things and went to his own counseling for a few sessions. He stopped after a very short period and while I feel like we were in a really good space when we both were getting help he refused to go back saying he “didn’t need to” and that his “coping mechanisms are fine”.
I don’t think he shared much with his counselor and certainly didn’t share how much he leans on me to help him when he gets low. Not only to I have to reassure him about his concerns but he also gets really handsy and expectant of intimacy to help him relax. I used to be far more interested in finding comfort in each other but lately I just can’t.
When I’m having low periods and want to talk he pretends to listen for a bit, then quickly changes the conversation away or states firmly that he doesn’t want to talk about it because it’s making him uncomfortable. But if he’s raising something similar that’s creating a low in him, I listen and try to help even if it’s awkward to me or I’m drained.
He “gives me compliments” on my appearance but they’re said in the same way every time so feels disingenuous and generally habitual. He constantly tries to press his pelvis up against me when we hug or I’m at the counter, or any opportunity he gets. I can barely wake up in the morning before he’s reaching for my chest or between my legs. When I prevent him from doing so (which is almost every time now) he shows his obvious frustration and says I really need to get better because I have no interest in any of that and it’s not good for our relationship. He refuses to see that he’s not actually trying to initiate things in a respectful way and that it’s really off putting.
He’s been making passive aggressive side comments to our child but within earshot of me about “all the things he does for us” and that I don’t do much”. He frequently outlines my “failings” or at least things I “need to improve” to me directly but I can’t recall when I’ve given any “performance review” style feedback to him because that would just make him feel awful.
I’m not sure what to do to help him see his behavior towards me is incredibly hurtful and makes me feel worth very little to him. He has moments (usually for a few days, maybe a week) after we’re intimate where he is the sweet person I chose but it never lasts that long and he reverts back to this shallow somewhat sexist seeming guy.
Does anyone have any ideas?
submitted by ThrowRA_drifting to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
When we first lived together the house tasks were relatively shared but I found I did more because I wanted them done a certain way. He was also very sweet and understanding and so respectful. It’s why I married him. When I was a SAHM while our child was new, we took on the more traditional gender roles. I did more of the house duties and he worked.
When I went back to work he took a little while to realise we needed to shift back to sharing but he did a little bit here and there. I was still also doing a majority of meeting the needs of our child, particularly emotional, which wasn’t really seen as having an impact on me by my husband. I mostly brushed it off because I accepted that he is not super strong in the emotional intelligence space or on par with the parental affection I think I still give to our child.
At one point I ended up struggling with my mental health quite badly and put what energy I did have into my child. The house duties suffered. He did get cranky with me a few times but eventually got back to sharing a few things, although I still don’t feel it’s balanced.
I’ve been working with a therapist for quite some time and have been improving, though still have ups and downs. Husband also went through some things and went to his own counseling for a few sessions. He stopped after a very short period and while I feel like we were in a really good space when we both were getting help he refused to go back saying he “didn’t need to” and that his “coping mechanisms are fine”.
I don’t think he shared much with his counselor and certainly didn’t share how much he leans on me to help him when he gets low. Not only to I have to reassure him about his concerns but he also gets really handsy and expectant of intimacy to help him relax. I used to be far more interested in finding comfort in each other but lately I just can’t.
When I’m having low periods and want to talk he pretends to listen for a bit, then quickly changes the conversation away or states firmly that he doesn’t want to talk about it because it’s making him uncomfortable. But if he’s raising something similar that’s creating a low in him, I listen and try to help even if it’s awkward to me or I’m drained.
He “gives me compliments” on my appearance but they’re said in the same way every time so feels disingenuous and generally habitual. He constantly tries to press his pelvis up against me when we hug or I’m at the counter, or any opportunity he gets. I can barely wake up in the morning before he’s reaching for my chest or between my legs. When I prevent him from doing so (which is almost every time now) he shows his obvious frustration and says I really need to get better because I have no interest in any of that and it’s not good for our relationship. He refuses to see that he’s not actually trying to initiate things in a respectful way and that it’s really off putting.
He’s been making passive aggressive side comments to our child but within earshot of me about “all the things he does for us” and that I don’t do much”. He frequently outlines my “failings” or at least things I “need to improve” to me directly but I can’t recall when I’ve given any “performance review” style feedback to him because that would just make him feel awful.
I’m not sure what to do to help him see his behavior towards me is incredibly hurtful and makes me feel worth very little to him. He has moments (usually for a few days, maybe a week) after we’re intimate where he is the sweet person I chose but it never lasts that long and he reverts back to this shallow somewhat sexist seeming guy.
Does anyone have any ideas?
2023.03.25 01:50 ObjectiveBrief6838 [F] The Gate of Molech: The Wolf King
The Emperor of Mankind stood resolute, his gaze fixed upon the swirling vortex of the Chaos gate on the planet Molech. He was more man than god then, but his mind was already a raging tempest of unfathomable psychic power, vast and deep as the ocean's abyss, unconquerable and unyielding to the tumultuous storms that raged upon the surface of its waves. His will was a beacon of hope amidst the seething darkness, shining with a brilliance that rivaled the radiance of the stars.
He had come to Molech seeking ancient powers, to help him in his quest to reunite humanity and forge a new Imperium that could endure in the harsh reality of the far future. But as soon as he stepped towards the gate, he felt the gaze of the four Chaos gods upon him, their malevolent presence an ever-present threat.
"You dare to enter our realm, mortal?" Khorne boomed, his voice a thunderous roar. "You will suffer for your impertinence!"
The Emperor stood firm, his unwavering gaze piercing through the tempest of Chaos. "I come seeking knowledge," he declared, his voice calm and steady. "And I seek access to the primordial warp, before it was tainted by your corrupting influence. I know of the Prime Archeos that once reigned over the warp before the War in Heaven."
The Chaos gods were taken aback by the mortal's knowledge. They murmured among themselves, wondering what this human could possibly know of such ancient and powerful beings.
"And what do you offer in return for our aid, mortal?" Tzeentch asked, his eyes glittering with the promise of arcane knowledge.
"I offer you my power," the Emperor replied. "My psychic might is strong enough to rival even yours. But I also offer you the chance to benefit from my success. I know your dominion over this place is limited. The destruction of the Prime Archeos would give you complete control of this dimension.”
Nurgle cackled, his bloated form quivering with mirth. "You are a bold one, mortal. But what makes you think you can slay these beasts? They are quite formidable."
The Emperor's eyes burned with an unquenchable fire. "I have my ways," he declared. "It is not for you to know how I will accomplish my goals. But know this - I will stop at nothing and I will not be deterred by any obstacle."
The gods of Chaos fell silent, their cacophonous laughter and snarls of derision fading to a hushed whisper as the gates' swirling vortex began to calm. With each step the Emperor took, the air crackled with psychic energy, his formidable presence radiating outwards. With a sense of purpose that bordered on the divine, he strode forward into the heart of the warp, determined to claim the power he sought and bring about a new era for humanity.
As the Emperor stepped through the Chaos gate on the planet Molech, a sudden surge of raw energy coursed through his body. He felt an intense disorientation and was momentarily blinded by a blinding white light before everything went black.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on an icy mountain top, surrounded by a swirling vortex of unbridled psychic energy. The landscape was eerily familiar, harkening back to the mountains of his youth during a long-forgotten era on Earth. He knew immediately that he had entered the primordial part of the warp, the last bastion of untainted energy that the four Chaos gods had yet to corrupt.
As he surveyed the area, he noticed a scene of destruction in the distance and set his sights on investigating. As he got closer, the bodies of Khorne's daemons lay before him, their twisted forms frozen in death. Whatever had killed these daemons had given them a true death, a feat not easily accomplished.
As he searched the area for any clues, he saw something shimmering in the snow. It was pure, uncorrupted warp energy, leading up the mountain beyond his sight. With his senses heightened, the Emperor followed the trail of raw power with caution, maneuvering through the treacherous terrain. The psychic energy grew stronger with every step, and he knew he was getting closer to his destination.
Rounding a bend in the mountain path, he came face to face with the first of the Prime Archeos, a being of immense psychic energy that took the form of a great wolf. The beast had been attacked by a powerful force, leaving it weakened and vulnerable. Despite its injuries, the wolf king remained unbroken.
The Emperor approached the wolf king, his senses on high alert for any signs of danger. The beast snarled at him, unsure of what to make of the newcomer. The Emperor, however, reached out with his own immense psychic power and began to heal the wolf king's wounds. As he worked, the Emperor felt the beast's energy flowing into him, a potent and fierce force that threatened to overwhelm him. But he persisted, determined to see the wolf king restored to its full strength.
He could sense other beings in the area, watching him with hostility and suspicion. Still, the Emperor pressed on, mending the wolf king's broken spirit and body, his own psychic power pouring into the creature.
With every passing moment, he could feel the bond of loyalty and protectiveness between the two beings growing stronger, encompassing all of space and time. When the wolf king was finally healed, it relaxed its stance and began to wag its tail, gazing at the Emperor with fierce nobility.
For a long moment, the Emperor and the wolf king regarded each other, recognizing in one another a kindred spirit, a powerful force for good in a universe consumed by darkness.
submitted by ObjectiveBrief6838 to 40kLore [link] [comments]
He had come to Molech seeking ancient powers, to help him in his quest to reunite humanity and forge a new Imperium that could endure in the harsh reality of the far future. But as soon as he stepped towards the gate, he felt the gaze of the four Chaos gods upon him, their malevolent presence an ever-present threat.
"You dare to enter our realm, mortal?" Khorne boomed, his voice a thunderous roar. "You will suffer for your impertinence!"
The Emperor stood firm, his unwavering gaze piercing through the tempest of Chaos. "I come seeking knowledge," he declared, his voice calm and steady. "And I seek access to the primordial warp, before it was tainted by your corrupting influence. I know of the Prime Archeos that once reigned over the warp before the War in Heaven."
The Chaos gods were taken aback by the mortal's knowledge. They murmured among themselves, wondering what this human could possibly know of such ancient and powerful beings.
"And what do you offer in return for our aid, mortal?" Tzeentch asked, his eyes glittering with the promise of arcane knowledge.
"I offer you my power," the Emperor replied. "My psychic might is strong enough to rival even yours. But I also offer you the chance to benefit from my success. I know your dominion over this place is limited. The destruction of the Prime Archeos would give you complete control of this dimension.”
Nurgle cackled, his bloated form quivering with mirth. "You are a bold one, mortal. But what makes you think you can slay these beasts? They are quite formidable."
The Emperor's eyes burned with an unquenchable fire. "I have my ways," he declared. "It is not for you to know how I will accomplish my goals. But know this - I will stop at nothing and I will not be deterred by any obstacle."
The gods of Chaos fell silent, their cacophonous laughter and snarls of derision fading to a hushed whisper as the gates' swirling vortex began to calm. With each step the Emperor took, the air crackled with psychic energy, his formidable presence radiating outwards. With a sense of purpose that bordered on the divine, he strode forward into the heart of the warp, determined to claim the power he sought and bring about a new era for humanity.
As the Emperor stepped through the Chaos gate on the planet Molech, a sudden surge of raw energy coursed through his body. He felt an intense disorientation and was momentarily blinded by a blinding white light before everything went black.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on an icy mountain top, surrounded by a swirling vortex of unbridled psychic energy. The landscape was eerily familiar, harkening back to the mountains of his youth during a long-forgotten era on Earth. He knew immediately that he had entered the primordial part of the warp, the last bastion of untainted energy that the four Chaos gods had yet to corrupt.
As he surveyed the area, he noticed a scene of destruction in the distance and set his sights on investigating. As he got closer, the bodies of Khorne's daemons lay before him, their twisted forms frozen in death. Whatever had killed these daemons had given them a true death, a feat not easily accomplished.
As he searched the area for any clues, he saw something shimmering in the snow. It was pure, uncorrupted warp energy, leading up the mountain beyond his sight. With his senses heightened, the Emperor followed the trail of raw power with caution, maneuvering through the treacherous terrain. The psychic energy grew stronger with every step, and he knew he was getting closer to his destination.
Rounding a bend in the mountain path, he came face to face with the first of the Prime Archeos, a being of immense psychic energy that took the form of a great wolf. The beast had been attacked by a powerful force, leaving it weakened and vulnerable. Despite its injuries, the wolf king remained unbroken.
The Emperor approached the wolf king, his senses on high alert for any signs of danger. The beast snarled at him, unsure of what to make of the newcomer. The Emperor, however, reached out with his own immense psychic power and began to heal the wolf king's wounds. As he worked, the Emperor felt the beast's energy flowing into him, a potent and fierce force that threatened to overwhelm him. But he persisted, determined to see the wolf king restored to its full strength.
He could sense other beings in the area, watching him with hostility and suspicion. Still, the Emperor pressed on, mending the wolf king's broken spirit and body, his own psychic power pouring into the creature.
With every passing moment, he could feel the bond of loyalty and protectiveness between the two beings growing stronger, encompassing all of space and time. When the wolf king was finally healed, it relaxed its stance and began to wag its tail, gazing at the Emperor with fierce nobility.
For a long moment, the Emperor and the wolf king regarded each other, recognizing in one another a kindred spirit, a powerful force for good in a universe consumed by darkness.
2023.03.25 01:49 valiumandcherrywine British TERF driven out of her own rally by kiwis not at home for her bullshit
This dreadful creature whose name is Kellie-Jay Keen and who goes by Posie Parker as her online handle is a TERF trying to tour her hateful nonsense through NZ right now. She has connections with the Proud Boys in the States, and in Australia literal neo-nazis turned out to support her.
(Pro-tip - if the people supporting you are nazis, you should reconsider your choices.)
Since trans rights are human rights, a bunch of people showed up to disagree with her at her first public rally in Auckland. The disagreed with her with a community magic so musical, artistic, vehement and inclusive - and LOUD - that she fucked right off without having a chance to taint the air with her anti-trans rhetoric.
posie and the no good very bad terrible awful day
Have a good sisters, in all your forms and glory.
submitted by valiumandcherrywine to WitchesVsPatriarchy [link] [comments]
(Pro-tip - if the people supporting you are nazis, you should reconsider your choices.)
Since trans rights are human rights, a bunch of people showed up to disagree with her at her first public rally in Auckland. The disagreed with her with a community magic so musical, artistic, vehement and inclusive - and LOUD - that she fucked right off without having a chance to taint the air with her anti-trans rhetoric.
posie and the no good very bad terrible awful day
Have a good sisters, in all your forms and glory.
2023.03.25 01:47 NoahWence Parental alienation
I'm a single man and I live in Indiana. I've worked a full time job since I was 17 and am drug free. I have my own car and place I rent. I live in Indiana. My ex and I split 3 years ago. She has been alienating my children for the length of those 3 years. We were never married. I hired a lawyer in the first year, he was an older man and I had hired him in previous issues, but inevitably he was simply getting to old and was out of touch with technology making this alienation case difficult. I fired him, and hired a new lawyer days later. This woman has done an extremely minimal amount of work. I am supposed to have a court date for the custody battle at the end of April. This current lawyer wanted me to set up a meeting to make plans and exchanges thoughts about said date. After I called, the secretary made it apparent I would need to bring my last 5 paystubs and my W-2 to recalculate my child support. I have been paying 640$ a month for my two daughters that have been alienated and have only seen them 4 times in 3 years due to me paying for supervised visits. To wrap up the story, I find all of this absurd. I have a strong notion of firing this lawyer come the 27th when we have this meeting and hiring someone out of Indianapolis because this current lawyer has done nothing but set up those visitation dates, and cost me more on child support.
Is there anyone who can help or point me in the right direction? Again there is 0 issues with my daughter's wanting to see me, or me wanting to see them. We would like to just have our family back.
Any questions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I just miss my kids.
submitted by NoahWence to MensRights [link] [comments]
Is there anyone who can help or point me in the right direction? Again there is 0 issues with my daughter's wanting to see me, or me wanting to see them. We would like to just have our family back.
Any questions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I just miss my kids.
2023.03.25 01:46 orbdotcom Human Courage, Part 2 - Loss of Humanity
Unfinished and turns into writing guidelines, but I just wanted to get this out there for anyone who was interested in where this was going.
Tkk, shhhhh- Thunk.
A chorus of clinks and taps as armor hit the ground and grind in movement sounded a few moments after the dropships started opening.
Clink, click.
In one dropship, two rows of soldiers click their harnesses into place. Slick, gunmetal and azure blue suits of armor in all different shapes and sizes exchange glances as the ship’s pilot starts the countdown to departure.
“Hope you all aren’t expecting a bumpy ride!”
“I would prefer it if no one was.”
“Hahaaah… Yeah…”
The ship itself is silent, private and group lines being used to converse.
“Everyone pay attention to the mission?”
“Get in, find the problem, resolve, and leave.”
The mission report for this group was lacking, compared to others. Through no fault of their superiors, information of the situation was limited. A jumbled SOS, of sorts, was received. It was cut off before anything meaningful could be gathered, other than an unknown threat killing every member of the crew it came across.
“Gotta say, this all sounds alot like the reports of the Things.”
“Tell me about it. No info, prevented SOS. No one left alive.”
One soldier, a scaled bipedal with four arms, Tk’Wrath, casts a concerned glance at the shorter human beside him, mumbling incoherently through their helmet.
He, after a moment's consideration, casts a private line request through the holoscreen on his gauntlet. Just checking on them. Afterall, they’re all in this pit together.
It takes a moment for the smaller teammate to snap out of their reverie, but they do accept it.
“Something the matter?” comes the human’s voice through his helmet. It’s higher than he expected.
“You were talking to yourself. Sounded like you were lost, or something to that degree.”
“Ah- My apologies. Just a mantra I learned a long time ago. Bit weirded out, is all.”
He hums for a moment. Repeating mantras isn’t uncommon to his people, each family has their own unique one they teach the young ones, or those joining the family.
The human’s voice sounds through the connection again.
“What did you say your name was, again?”
“I didn’t.”
“Well, that-” a huff. “I mean, what’s your name?”
“Tk’Wrath. And yours?”
“Iris.” They take a moment, before asking, “How do you feel about this?”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, it’s just that.. Something about this feels… off. And I don’t just mean that whole thing with the SOS. Something’s just… Wrong with this mission.”
“Mm. I can’t say I don’t know what you mean. Anything in particular?”
“It… I can’t talk about it. Legalities, you understand? Tech, and all that.”
“...Ah. You think you know who might’ve done this.”
Iris doesn’t respond, only giving a slight shrug. Tk’Wrath can’t help but wonder who the human suspects. The galaxy’s been pointing fingers forever, but nothing’s come up. How could one report, missing half the usual data, give a clue? Or does Iris know more than they let on?
The ride is spent talking about any and everything the crew can think of to pass the time. On the secondary channel, he hears others joking about the report, calling the name “The Things” stupid, among other things. Tk’Wrath notes that Iris lightens up as time goes on, but never brings up their previous conversation.
“Nah, nah, nah - ‘Things’ is so stupid! Like, there’s nothing intimidating about that.”
“Oh whatever. The mystery is what makes it interesting.”
“How about- Hear me out, how about Voids?”
“That is so much worse.”
“You’re just jealous you can’t-”
“Will you lot please drop this? We’re supposed to be planning what to do upon arriving.”
“Oh yeah? With what information? We don’t- we don’t even have sights on the wreck yet!”
Tk’ sighs. This was going to be a long-
“Actually, we did - if you bothered to check the main channel! Ship’s… intact. Surprisingly. Huh.”
“...okay, well. That wasn’t in the original report. That- that doesn’t even look like a wreck. Everyone just get up and leave?”
His hearts drop at that. Tk’ hadn’t checked the main, either. He hears Iris interject;
“Yeah… Place looks… picked clean. Not sure I like that.”
“No kidding.”
“Well, we won’t know until we get inside. Everyone ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be for ghosts, I guess.”
A chorus of similar responses comes from the rest of the crew, and the rest of the ride is spent much quieter. Everyone’s retreated back to private channels, but he can tell they’re talking about the ship. Everyone’s glancing at their holoscreens for more information every few seconds, and most shift uncomfortably in their harnesses.
He occupies the rest of the ride playing music in his helmet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The alert to prepare for insertion cuts off his music as the carrier nears the patrol ship.
“Take a walk, you lot.”
There’s the tell-tale woosh of air being vacuumed out into the void that marked the back of the ship was opening up.
Thhhhhr- clk
The vacuum eats the rest of the noise.
[Group is dispatched on the outside of the ship]
“Bust the door.”
“Attaching the connector.”
After the large, half-barrel, half-[insert something here later] is attached to the entrance, [sequence of entering the ship and orienting themselves to the dormant ship’s floor with magboots]
[Group bust their way into the ship, and find no power. They make their way through the ship, Tk and Iris taking up the rear, using lights on the ends of their guns to scan the hallways.]
[Captain directs to restore power to the ship, preferably lights first, life support second.]
[intermission things of them sweeping the ship and finding only traces of blood, but barely any, and no bodies or anything]
Iris steps up to the door panel, connecting their holopad to the interface and manually ordering it to open, and the captain sends an electrician inside with Tk’. He scans the area, gun held at the ready, carrying the electrician’s excess supplies in his lower arms.
[repeat above note, with banter, preferably avoiding the topic between Tk and Iris]
[Fallen Division people are encountered on the ship, also sweeping the place]
[Iris, excited to be with other humans again, but curious as to why they were dispatched as well, tries to strike up conversation, which devolves into an argument over the others’ seeming bio-phobia]
[it devolves into the argument because Division starts rounding up the rest of the crew and tying them up.]
[Iris, at this point, is gesturing wildly and looks like she’s shouting, but can’t Tk’ tell because of the helmet]
[all from the perspective of Tk’Wrath, still]
[something something If You’re Not With Us, You’re Against Us, but Tk can hardly make it out]
[he can hardly hear it because there’s glass between the crew and Iris and the Division.]
[While the whole If You’re Not With Us thing is being said, that soldier is raising his Space Glock before blowing Iris’ head off, painting the glass red.]
[fade to black as Tk closes his eyes against the gun now pointing at his head, covering his view of the glass, as he repeats a mantra to himself.]
[bang.sfx]
He feels a sharp pressure-
He’s gone.
[FIN]
-------------
Yeaaah... So, it's been awhile, huh? So much for just 2 weeks! I've had part 3 written for ages, but wanted to get out part 2 before posting it, but... I'm stuck. I can't bring myself to finish this. If anyone wants to step in and fill this out and continue the story/use the setting, feel free! I just can't bring myself to write anything anymore.
"Fallen Division" is explained in, well, Fallen Division, which I'll be posting after this.
Part 1
submitted by orbdotcom to HFY [link] [comments]
Tkk, shhhhh- Thunk.
A chorus of clinks and taps as armor hit the ground and grind in movement sounded a few moments after the dropships started opening.
Clink, click.
In one dropship, two rows of soldiers click their harnesses into place. Slick, gunmetal and azure blue suits of armor in all different shapes and sizes exchange glances as the ship’s pilot starts the countdown to departure.
“Hope you all aren’t expecting a bumpy ride!”
“I would prefer it if no one was.”
“Hahaaah… Yeah…”
The ship itself is silent, private and group lines being used to converse.
“Everyone pay attention to the mission?”
“Get in, find the problem, resolve, and leave.”
The mission report for this group was lacking, compared to others. Through no fault of their superiors, information of the situation was limited. A jumbled SOS, of sorts, was received. It was cut off before anything meaningful could be gathered, other than an unknown threat killing every member of the crew it came across.
“Gotta say, this all sounds alot like the reports of the Things.”
“Tell me about it. No info, prevented SOS. No one left alive.”
One soldier, a scaled bipedal with four arms, Tk’Wrath, casts a concerned glance at the shorter human beside him, mumbling incoherently through their helmet.
He, after a moment's consideration, casts a private line request through the holoscreen on his gauntlet. Just checking on them. Afterall, they’re all in this pit together.
It takes a moment for the smaller teammate to snap out of their reverie, but they do accept it.
“Something the matter?” comes the human’s voice through his helmet. It’s higher than he expected.
“You were talking to yourself. Sounded like you were lost, or something to that degree.”
“Ah- My apologies. Just a mantra I learned a long time ago. Bit weirded out, is all.”
He hums for a moment. Repeating mantras isn’t uncommon to his people, each family has their own unique one they teach the young ones, or those joining the family.
The human’s voice sounds through the connection again.
“What did you say your name was, again?”
“I didn’t.”
“Well, that-” a huff. “I mean, what’s your name?”
“Tk’Wrath. And yours?”
“Iris.” They take a moment, before asking, “How do you feel about this?”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, it’s just that.. Something about this feels… off. And I don’t just mean that whole thing with the SOS. Something’s just… Wrong with this mission.”
“Mm. I can’t say I don’t know what you mean. Anything in particular?”
“It… I can’t talk about it. Legalities, you understand? Tech, and all that.”
“...Ah. You think you know who might’ve done this.”
Iris doesn’t respond, only giving a slight shrug. Tk’Wrath can’t help but wonder who the human suspects. The galaxy’s been pointing fingers forever, but nothing’s come up. How could one report, missing half the usual data, give a clue? Or does Iris know more than they let on?
The ride is spent talking about any and everything the crew can think of to pass the time. On the secondary channel, he hears others joking about the report, calling the name “The Things” stupid, among other things. Tk’Wrath notes that Iris lightens up as time goes on, but never brings up their previous conversation.
“Nah, nah, nah - ‘Things’ is so stupid! Like, there’s nothing intimidating about that.”
“Oh whatever. The mystery is what makes it interesting.”
“How about- Hear me out, how about Voids?”
“That is so much worse.”
“You’re just jealous you can’t-”
“Will you lot please drop this? We’re supposed to be planning what to do upon arriving.”
“Oh yeah? With what information? We don’t- we don’t even have sights on the wreck yet!”
Tk’ sighs. This was going to be a long-
“Actually, we did - if you bothered to check the main channel! Ship’s… intact. Surprisingly. Huh.”
“...okay, well. That wasn’t in the original report. That- that doesn’t even look like a wreck. Everyone just get up and leave?”
His hearts drop at that. Tk’ hadn’t checked the main, either. He hears Iris interject;
“Yeah… Place looks… picked clean. Not sure I like that.”
“No kidding.”
“Well, we won’t know until we get inside. Everyone ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be for ghosts, I guess.”
A chorus of similar responses comes from the rest of the crew, and the rest of the ride is spent much quieter. Everyone’s retreated back to private channels, but he can tell they’re talking about the ship. Everyone’s glancing at their holoscreens for more information every few seconds, and most shift uncomfortably in their harnesses.
He occupies the rest of the ride playing music in his helmet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The alert to prepare for insertion cuts off his music as the carrier nears the patrol ship.
“Take a walk, you lot.”
There’s the tell-tale woosh of air being vacuumed out into the void that marked the back of the ship was opening up.
Thhhhhr- clk
The vacuum eats the rest of the noise.
[Group is dispatched on the outside of the ship]
“Bust the door.”
“Attaching the connector.”
After the large, half-barrel, half-[insert something here later] is attached to the entrance, [sequence of entering the ship and orienting themselves to the dormant ship’s floor with magboots]
[Group bust their way into the ship, and find no power. They make their way through the ship, Tk and Iris taking up the rear, using lights on the ends of their guns to scan the hallways.]
[Captain directs to restore power to the ship, preferably lights first, life support second.]
[intermission things of them sweeping the ship and finding only traces of blood, but barely any, and no bodies or anything]
Iris steps up to the door panel, connecting their holopad to the interface and manually ordering it to open, and the captain sends an electrician inside with Tk’. He scans the area, gun held at the ready, carrying the electrician’s excess supplies in his lower arms.
[repeat above note, with banter, preferably avoiding the topic between Tk and Iris]
[Fallen Division people are encountered on the ship, also sweeping the place]
[Iris, excited to be with other humans again, but curious as to why they were dispatched as well, tries to strike up conversation, which devolves into an argument over the others’ seeming bio-phobia]
[it devolves into the argument because Division starts rounding up the rest of the crew and tying them up.]
[Iris, at this point, is gesturing wildly and looks like she’s shouting, but can’t Tk’ tell because of the helmet]
[all from the perspective of Tk’Wrath, still]
[something something If You’re Not With Us, You’re Against Us, but Tk can hardly make it out]
[he can hardly hear it because there’s glass between the crew and Iris and the Division.]
[While the whole If You’re Not With Us thing is being said, that soldier is raising his Space Glock before blowing Iris’ head off, painting the glass red.]
[fade to black as Tk closes his eyes against the gun now pointing at his head, covering his view of the glass, as he repeats a mantra to himself.]
[bang.sfx]
He feels a sharp pressure-
He’s gone.
[FIN]
-------------
Yeaaah... So, it's been awhile, huh? So much for just 2 weeks! I've had part 3 written for ages, but wanted to get out part 2 before posting it, but... I'm stuck. I can't bring myself to finish this. If anyone wants to step in and fill this out and continue the story/use the setting, feel free! I just can't bring myself to write anything anymore.
"Fallen Division" is explained in, well, Fallen Division, which I'll be posting after this.
Part 1
2023.03.25 01:44 Only-Shop-4453 AITA For Not Visiting Or Starting a Relationship with my Newborn Niece due to Childhood Traumas?
Hi, I am in desperate need for some outside input on if i am in the wrong in this situation because it has been putting me under immense stress and worry.
I, (20F) have a stepsister (20F) who has just given birth to her newborn baby in February of this year. Our blended family has always been close ever since my mom married in 2017. This is why, it is such an issue that I have not even once visited or seen my newborn niece, and I do not really plan to.
Some context as to why this is the case… My stepsister is 20 years old, and her now husband and baby daddy, is 47 years old. He is older than her own dad. Even more upsetting, is that this man used to be my stepsister and I’s science teacher in MIDDLE SCHOOL. The two of them got together whenever my stepsister was 19, and she soon got pregnant and married to him within a year. This man also kicked out his own wife to move my stepsister into his house, and has two daughters, one of which is older than my stepsister (22).
At first, my family was shocked at the two of them dating. My stepdad, her father, was furious. Eventually over time, things sort of simmered down, it was a situation where they end up saying, “She is a legal adult and can do whatever she pleases.”
I, however, have been completely and utterly uncomfortable with the entire ordeal since the very beginning. I was a victim of childhood trauma from the ages of 7 to 11, from a male who was at the time was in a position of power over me. And it would be an understatement to say that seeing my old science teacher from middle school dating, impregnating, and then marrying my stepsister who is the same age as me, has been very emotionally painful. It was disgusting to me, and I was even more upset at the fact that even today, this man STILL teaches middle schoolers.
All of this has lead me to never interacting with my stepsister who I used to be close with, never seeing her or talking to her. And, not meeting or starting a relationship with my newborn niece. I can’t bring myself to do it, because I cannot be around that man, and I know it isn’t the baby’s fault but it is impossible for me. This has caused a lot of drama within my family, especially my stepsister who has told other family members that I am a horrible person for not visiting her or her baby, that I wouldn’t ever be considered an aunt to her child.
I feel like I am a complete asshole, I feel so bad that the baby will grow up and I won’t even know how to feel about them. I have no idea what to do, I wish I were close enough with my stepsister to tell her how I felt but that’s an issue whenever the problem is her own husband.
submitted by Only-Shop-4453 to AmItheAsshole [link] [comments]
I, (20F) have a stepsister (20F) who has just given birth to her newborn baby in February of this year. Our blended family has always been close ever since my mom married in 2017. This is why, it is such an issue that I have not even once visited or seen my newborn niece, and I do not really plan to.
Some context as to why this is the case… My stepsister is 20 years old, and her now husband and baby daddy, is 47 years old. He is older than her own dad. Even more upsetting, is that this man used to be my stepsister and I’s science teacher in MIDDLE SCHOOL. The two of them got together whenever my stepsister was 19, and she soon got pregnant and married to him within a year. This man also kicked out his own wife to move my stepsister into his house, and has two daughters, one of which is older than my stepsister (22).
At first, my family was shocked at the two of them dating. My stepdad, her father, was furious. Eventually over time, things sort of simmered down, it was a situation where they end up saying, “She is a legal adult and can do whatever she pleases.”
I, however, have been completely and utterly uncomfortable with the entire ordeal since the very beginning. I was a victim of childhood trauma from the ages of 7 to 11, from a male who was at the time was in a position of power over me. And it would be an understatement to say that seeing my old science teacher from middle school dating, impregnating, and then marrying my stepsister who is the same age as me, has been very emotionally painful. It was disgusting to me, and I was even more upset at the fact that even today, this man STILL teaches middle schoolers.
All of this has lead me to never interacting with my stepsister who I used to be close with, never seeing her or talking to her. And, not meeting or starting a relationship with my newborn niece. I can’t bring myself to do it, because I cannot be around that man, and I know it isn’t the baby’s fault but it is impossible for me. This has caused a lot of drama within my family, especially my stepsister who has told other family members that I am a horrible person for not visiting her or her baby, that I wouldn’t ever be considered an aunt to her child.
I feel like I am a complete asshole, I feel so bad that the baby will grow up and I won’t even know how to feel about them. I have no idea what to do, I wish I were close enough with my stepsister to tell her how I felt but that’s an issue whenever the problem is her own husband.
2023.03.25 01:44 curiousbydesign Never thought I'd make it here but wanted to. Changed flair today.
My wife and I, along with our MC, agreed that I needed to leave the subreddit. I shall return and search topics when I need help. I did, absolutely, need the subreddit after D-Day. At one point, I wanted to stop existing. No drugs. Booze. Gun to my head. Nothing. I wanted to be erased and have never felt. But now, scrolling through Reddit during a slow brunch can trigger me. It's been over a year. We got through D-Day a year later. Honestly, I forgot even though we had worked with our wonderful MC to prepare for the day.
I tried to hang on here to support those new. And now. For my marriage, I must put us first. I tried to leave advice for those here and there. To give back in return for those that guided me. Going to summarize a few things and be on my...marry way. Feels awesome to be here. We learned a lot – monogamy or bust for us. If there is a next time, either one of us, we are calling it quits. I hope we don’t get there and will not focus on it; however, those are our rules moving forward.
Nuggets
Sometimes when my light gits dim. I channel Positive Phil from “Modern Family.” And I think, well, if we want to grow old together, better not let the light go out. Bright and shiny my friends. This little light of mind. I’m going to let it shine.
Best of luck. Thank you. And Godspeed to BSs and WSs. May peace be upon you both.
submitted by curiousbydesign to AsOneAfterInfidelity [link] [comments]
I tried to hang on here to support those new. And now. For my marriage, I must put us first. I tried to leave advice for those here and there. To give back in return for those that guided me. Going to summarize a few things and be on my...marry way. Feels awesome to be here. We learned a lot – monogamy or bust for us. If there is a next time, either one of us, we are calling it quits. I hope we don’t get there and will not focus on it; however, those are our rules moving forward.
Nuggets
- I am glad I did not sleep with someone to get back, was told I could, but deep down, I knew it would not help, and would hurt the person I knew I could do it with
- I am a heavy drinker, drinking makes this 10X harder to overcome
- I am a gun owner, I did grab a gun in anger one night, I went to load the clip, I stared at myself in the mirror, and told myself, you are not this person, the clip was not meant for my wife or I, small man syndrome, do not be like me
- MC saved our marriage before, during, after, and we will continue to do it every 2-4 weeks hopefully for the rest of our long lives
- Anger, yelling, name calling, badmouthing, although feels good in the moment, you end up regretting it and feeling horrible, not to mention, damaging progress
- I read on here, someone told me, they would tell themselves, when they were getting overwhelmed, they would say, “I forgive you,” that worked well for me in the beginning
- STOP: Stop, take a few deep breaths, observe yourself from third perspective, proceed with a plan (when feeling overwhelmed, great habit)
Sometimes when my light gits dim. I channel Positive Phil from “Modern Family.” And I think, well, if we want to grow old together, better not let the light go out. Bright and shiny my friends. This little light of mind. I’m going to let it shine.
Best of luck. Thank you. And Godspeed to BSs and WSs. May peace be upon you both.
2023.03.25 01:39 Breezy64267 Mexico to France Immigration
Hey there conseiljuridique, it's my first time posting here! So, for a few years now I've been hanging out with this awesome Mexican chick (F21) (I'm a dude, M24). She lives in Mexico, we're not married or anything, and we ain't got no plans for that, for now. Anyway, she wants to come live in Europe, preferably in France. I tried to figure out the different types of visas she could get, but honestly, I'm not good at this admin stuff, it's all so confusing! I really wanna help her out and support her in her dream, so I was wondering if any of y'all could tell me what her options are for getting French nationality, either short term or long term. I appreciate your time, thanks in advance!
submitted by Breezy64267 to conseiljuridique [link] [comments]
2023.03.25 01:35 babyxxpigeon17 A Niagara vacation
It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark, when out of the blue, my wife called me at work. "We're going to Niagara Falls for the weekend. I got us an awesome deal!"
We had both been working at our first "full-fledged" jobs for a year and had reached that moment after graduation when you suddenly realize you can't make that impact on the world your student enthusiasm once promised. At first, I just sighed. It was the dead of January, and I had already expended all my energy on a week of inconsequential stress. I just wanted to collapse on the couch for two days. Sarah felt a similar weary exhaustion. I could tell. Her tone was more hopeful than excited, but she had dreaded the routine we were sinking into and was trying her best to pull us free.
I looked to the ceiling and adjusted my telephone headset. At that time I was working at Stats Canada on the tele-query desk. I took a deep breath and, as convincingly as possible, said, "Sounds good." I don't think she bought it, but we went nonetheless.
This was Niagara Falls before the casinos when there was a very distinct off-season. When we got to the hotel, we were given the details of our "lovers' special". One dinner to be used either Friday or Saturday, two breakfasts, a roll of tokens for the arcade, 10% off some "4D" movie ride experience, and a 2-for-1 coupon to Max Tussaud's. I guessed it was Madame's nephew? We also got a bottle of sparkling wine in our room and chocolate treats on our pillows. I was impressed. It sounded good.
When we got into our room and saw the "bottle" of wine - basically an aeroplane-sized glass and half - and the chocolates - "fun wrapped" Oh Henry's left over from Halloween - we both started to laugh. The tone for two wonderful days had been set. We decided to cash in on our dinner coupon right away.
The restaurant off the lobby had hopes of being better. There were huge panoramic windows that promised a view of the gorge. Unfortunately, they had some winter moisture problems that day, and it felt like we were defrosting amid the dripping streaks and foggy patches. The decor was your standard booths and tables though the "romantic" lighting was unique. Dollar store battery-powered tea lights were lodged inside thick tumbler glasses and shed a muted pleasantness in a "what a great idea for a craft" sort of way. I had a feeling they were created by our waitress since she was the one who always seemed to be fussing with them. Only one other couple was in the dining room, so she attended to us immediately.
"Can I get you something to start?"
"Sure." "Thank you, that would be nice." We both responded simultaneously.
"And what would the lady like this evening?"
Sarah smiled at the flattery. "I think I'll have a glass of white wine." She glanced over at me to see my reaction. This was a subtle cue of the mood to follow. Diet Coke was usually the beverage of choice. She didn't normally drink alcohol. One glass numbed her nose and made her giggle far too easily. When she did drink, however, it meant she was comfortable with my company and open to anything to follow. I raised my eyebrows in a debonair way.
"And for the gentleman?"
"Do you have Foster's on tap?"
"Yes we do."
"I'll have a pint please."
Sarah smiled at the happy memories I invoked. At university, Foster's was my signature beer. It was at a time when Crocodile Dundee was a known name, and Australia was inexplicably cool. 15 cent buffalo wings and a pitcher of Foster's was the Tuesday night special at the London Arms pub. There the Classics Club would meet and, as a group, circle the wagons and drink ourselves into extroverts.
As soon as the waitress left, Sarah smiled at me. She reached out and held my hand across the table. With my gaze on hers, she slipped her foot from her shoe and slowly began sliding it up my pant leg.
"I got a pedicure this morning." She announced seductively.
I nodded and pretended I didn't notice her invitation. "What colour?" I asked.
"I'm not telling." She teased. "You'll just have to find out later." Her devious little smile was gorgeous.
"Mmmm. I can't wait."
When the waitress returned with our drinks, we immediately retreated to our personal spaces as if we had been discovered by the chaperone. Sarah opened the menu and began to salivate at the variety.
"Can we add an appetizer to the package dinner?" Her question seemed innocent enough.
"You're on the package?" Our friendly waitress disappeared, and we were no longer a lady or a gentleman. She ripped the menu out of Sarah's hand and took mine before I had even opened it. She then scurried to her podium and brought back a tattered, grease-stained, photocopied page that we had to share. We both burst out laughing.
The waitress was flustered that we were not as bothered as she was. "The drinks are NOT included!"
"What choices do we have?" I asked, expecting the usual chicken or fish. I had been on many packages before with my parents.
"Coffee or tea." The waitress snapped.
Sarah and I looked at each other in amused disbelief.
"I'll have coffee please." I didn't even flinch at the ridiculously limited package. I was eager to get my order in early.
"And I'll have the tea!" Sarah followed my lead. "Can I have some milk with that?"
"Yes." The waitress snarled.
"Fantastic!" I enthused.
"Yes, great! I'm glad we got the package, Honey." Sarah joked.
The waitress stormed off and returned sometime later with our lettuce-only salads drowned in Kraft's Italian dressing and our chewy chicken dinners, which she had thoughtfully allowed to cool. She tossed the plates on the table and left us to peacefully devour our deal. We didn't see her again until we requested the bill. For some reason, we found it amusing to leave a generous tip, which of course, defeated the purpose of the package, but we didn't care. It was fun.
The rest of the holiday was marred with similar off-season products and services. The wax museum was only half open, so we couldn't see the pop stars of the seventies. I didn't think it was a problem, but Sarah pouted playfully. She really wanted to see young Bowie. Meanwhile, the arcade was particularly stingy about spitting out coupons. So much so that Mike, the scraggly-haired repair guy, ended up escorting us from game to game and repairing the devices on demand. In no time, he was acting like an old drinking buddy. He joked and laughed, then, out of the blue, revealed that working at the Niagara Falls Fun Centre wasn't his career choice, that his dream was to be part of a travelling carnival. He desperately wanted to see more of the world, he explained and socialize with a greater variety of "wildlife." Mike winked at Sarah to punctuate his meaning, then began advising her on which games to play.
Sarah was partial to Skee ball and clearly had career potential in the sport, but Mike quickly pointed out that the token-to-coupon payout was not the best. In a furtive whisper, he revealed that The Storm Stopper was your best bet, provided the arcade had left it on its original factory settings. He assured us the ones here were "cool." The game had lights that ran around the outside in opposite directions and you had to hit the button at just the right spot to win. It looked impossible, but Mike was right; if you calculated tokens in versus coupons won, it was the best deal. It only took a little practice to win a minor jackpot every 5 or 6 times.
We would cheer each win as if Toronto had won the Stanley Cup. I would give a quick fist pump and a full lung "Yes!" while Sarah would jump up and down screaming, "WhoooHooo!" Of course, in the end, when we cashed in, "Mike's secret" only bumped us up from a key-chain flashlight to a "deluxe" nail beauty set. Mind you, it did come complete with clippers, scissors, a file AND a cuticle scraper. Not only that, it was all neatly packaged in a paisley-patterned pink and green plastic vinyl case. Mike was so pleased to give us our prize and to be honest, we were thrilled to win it if only to see his broad chicletted smile. It was more of a trophy than a grooming set.
That night, I made reservations for us at a fancy Chinese food restaurant - the Bamboo Garden. When we arrived, we had half-expected renovations of some sort. Instead, the place was immaculate. Gentle pools teeming with goldfish highlighted the epic black and red Ming dynasty decor. Real candles flickered on crisp white tablecloths. Again, the restaurant was virtually ours. The reservations on my part were entirely unnecessary. In fact, as soon as we entered, they knew us by name and guided us directly to our table. A live lounge piano caressed the air, its notes danced vaguely around familiar harmonies until finally, as if prompted by our presence, a song emerged immediately accompanied by the velvet voice of oriental karaoke. It was our song remastered
submitted by babyxxpigeon17 to Tik_tok_stories [link] [comments]
We had both been working at our first "full-fledged" jobs for a year and had reached that moment after graduation when you suddenly realize you can't make that impact on the world your student enthusiasm once promised. At first, I just sighed. It was the dead of January, and I had already expended all my energy on a week of inconsequential stress. I just wanted to collapse on the couch for two days. Sarah felt a similar weary exhaustion. I could tell. Her tone was more hopeful than excited, but she had dreaded the routine we were sinking into and was trying her best to pull us free.
I looked to the ceiling and adjusted my telephone headset. At that time I was working at Stats Canada on the tele-query desk. I took a deep breath and, as convincingly as possible, said, "Sounds good." I don't think she bought it, but we went nonetheless.
This was Niagara Falls before the casinos when there was a very distinct off-season. When we got to the hotel, we were given the details of our "lovers' special". One dinner to be used either Friday or Saturday, two breakfasts, a roll of tokens for the arcade, 10% off some "4D" movie ride experience, and a 2-for-1 coupon to Max Tussaud's. I guessed it was Madame's nephew? We also got a bottle of sparkling wine in our room and chocolate treats on our pillows. I was impressed. It sounded good.
When we got into our room and saw the "bottle" of wine - basically an aeroplane-sized glass and half - and the chocolates - "fun wrapped" Oh Henry's left over from Halloween - we both started to laugh. The tone for two wonderful days had been set. We decided to cash in on our dinner coupon right away.
The restaurant off the lobby had hopes of being better. There were huge panoramic windows that promised a view of the gorge. Unfortunately, they had some winter moisture problems that day, and it felt like we were defrosting amid the dripping streaks and foggy patches. The decor was your standard booths and tables though the "romantic" lighting was unique. Dollar store battery-powered tea lights were lodged inside thick tumbler glasses and shed a muted pleasantness in a "what a great idea for a craft" sort of way. I had a feeling they were created by our waitress since she was the one who always seemed to be fussing with them. Only one other couple was in the dining room, so she attended to us immediately.
"Can I get you something to start?"
"Sure." "Thank you, that would be nice." We both responded simultaneously.
"And what would the lady like this evening?"
Sarah smiled at the flattery. "I think I'll have a glass of white wine." She glanced over at me to see my reaction. This was a subtle cue of the mood to follow. Diet Coke was usually the beverage of choice. She didn't normally drink alcohol. One glass numbed her nose and made her giggle far too easily. When she did drink, however, it meant she was comfortable with my company and open to anything to follow. I raised my eyebrows in a debonair way.
"And for the gentleman?"
"Do you have Foster's on tap?"
"Yes we do."
"I'll have a pint please."
Sarah smiled at the happy memories I invoked. At university, Foster's was my signature beer. It was at a time when Crocodile Dundee was a known name, and Australia was inexplicably cool. 15 cent buffalo wings and a pitcher of Foster's was the Tuesday night special at the London Arms pub. There the Classics Club would meet and, as a group, circle the wagons and drink ourselves into extroverts.
As soon as the waitress left, Sarah smiled at me. She reached out and held my hand across the table. With my gaze on hers, she slipped her foot from her shoe and slowly began sliding it up my pant leg.
"I got a pedicure this morning." She announced seductively.
I nodded and pretended I didn't notice her invitation. "What colour?" I asked.
"I'm not telling." She teased. "You'll just have to find out later." Her devious little smile was gorgeous.
"Mmmm. I can't wait."
When the waitress returned with our drinks, we immediately retreated to our personal spaces as if we had been discovered by the chaperone. Sarah opened the menu and began to salivate at the variety.
"Can we add an appetizer to the package dinner?" Her question seemed innocent enough.
"You're on the package?" Our friendly waitress disappeared, and we were no longer a lady or a gentleman. She ripped the menu out of Sarah's hand and took mine before I had even opened it. She then scurried to her podium and brought back a tattered, grease-stained, photocopied page that we had to share. We both burst out laughing.
The waitress was flustered that we were not as bothered as she was. "The drinks are NOT included!"
"What choices do we have?" I asked, expecting the usual chicken or fish. I had been on many packages before with my parents.
"Coffee or tea." The waitress snapped.
Sarah and I looked at each other in amused disbelief.
"I'll have coffee please." I didn't even flinch at the ridiculously limited package. I was eager to get my order in early.
"And I'll have the tea!" Sarah followed my lead. "Can I have some milk with that?"
"Yes." The waitress snarled.
"Fantastic!" I enthused.
"Yes, great! I'm glad we got the package, Honey." Sarah joked.
The waitress stormed off and returned sometime later with our lettuce-only salads drowned in Kraft's Italian dressing and our chewy chicken dinners, which she had thoughtfully allowed to cool. She tossed the plates on the table and left us to peacefully devour our deal. We didn't see her again until we requested the bill. For some reason, we found it amusing to leave a generous tip, which of course, defeated the purpose of the package, but we didn't care. It was fun.
The rest of the holiday was marred with similar off-season products and services. The wax museum was only half open, so we couldn't see the pop stars of the seventies. I didn't think it was a problem, but Sarah pouted playfully. She really wanted to see young Bowie. Meanwhile, the arcade was particularly stingy about spitting out coupons. So much so that Mike, the scraggly-haired repair guy, ended up escorting us from game to game and repairing the devices on demand. In no time, he was acting like an old drinking buddy. He joked and laughed, then, out of the blue, revealed that working at the Niagara Falls Fun Centre wasn't his career choice, that his dream was to be part of a travelling carnival. He desperately wanted to see more of the world, he explained and socialize with a greater variety of "wildlife." Mike winked at Sarah to punctuate his meaning, then began advising her on which games to play.
Sarah was partial to Skee ball and clearly had career potential in the sport, but Mike quickly pointed out that the token-to-coupon payout was not the best. In a furtive whisper, he revealed that The Storm Stopper was your best bet, provided the arcade had left it on its original factory settings. He assured us the ones here were "cool." The game had lights that ran around the outside in opposite directions and you had to hit the button at just the right spot to win. It looked impossible, but Mike was right; if you calculated tokens in versus coupons won, it was the best deal. It only took a little practice to win a minor jackpot every 5 or 6 times.
We would cheer each win as if Toronto had won the Stanley Cup. I would give a quick fist pump and a full lung "Yes!" while Sarah would jump up and down screaming, "WhoooHooo!" Of course, in the end, when we cashed in, "Mike's secret" only bumped us up from a key-chain flashlight to a "deluxe" nail beauty set. Mind you, it did come complete with clippers, scissors, a file AND a cuticle scraper. Not only that, it was all neatly packaged in a paisley-patterned pink and green plastic vinyl case. Mike was so pleased to give us our prize and to be honest, we were thrilled to win it if only to see his broad chicletted smile. It was more of a trophy than a grooming set.
That night, I made reservations for us at a fancy Chinese food restaurant - the Bamboo Garden. When we arrived, we had half-expected renovations of some sort. Instead, the place was immaculate. Gentle pools teeming with goldfish highlighted the epic black and red Ming dynasty decor. Real candles flickered on crisp white tablecloths. Again, the restaurant was virtually ours. The reservations on my part were entirely unnecessary. In fact, as soon as we entered, they knew us by name and guided us directly to our table. A live lounge piano caressed the air, its notes danced vaguely around familiar harmonies until finally, as if prompted by our presence, a song emerged immediately accompanied by the velvet voice of oriental karaoke. It was our song remastered
2023.03.25 01:31 sillysazzz I (27f) was ghosted by a guy (27m) and I’m pretty sad.
I know that being sad comes with the territory. I also know i’ll get over it in a couple of days and that I’m being silly, but for right now I can’t help but be sad. I met this man on a dating app. It started slow and then it seemed to all speed up at once. he said he liked me first, etc. well he slowly stopped telling me he liked me and kept delaying when he was coming to visit because he had family in town. no big deal I totally get wanting to hang out with family.
I know it’s silly to fall for someone in the span of two weeks but I did. so stupid I know. up until he ghosted he was consistently texting, facetiming, and just in general contact with me. he told me he was excited to see me this weekend and we planned to go to the rodeo and for him to meet my friends. well I woke up to no good morning text and immediately knew something was wrong. and I was right. he blocked me on everything. definitely hurts and I’m upset but if he had told me he wasn’t feeling it anymore I would’ve understood.
I think I scared him off honestly. I had said my end goal was marriage. he had been married before and said his first marriage was a disaster. I told him that doesn’t mean any marriage after that one has to be the same way. whatever. it is what it is. I’m sad but I know i’ll get over it. I’m on antidepressants and I see a therapist so I have outlets I can use. i decided to take a step back and focus on myself and surrounding myself with friends. but maybe some friendly advice would be nice. I keep thinking there was someone else and in this generation dating is literally a game. can I please have some friendly advice and words?
tldr: was ghosted by a guy and I’m pretty sad. we had been seeing eachother for two ish or more weeks and had constant communication and then suddenly I was blocked on everything and he ghosted me. i’m on antidepressants and see a therapist and have creative outlets i use when i’m sad or upset. would like some friendly advice.
submitted by sillysazzz to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
I know it’s silly to fall for someone in the span of two weeks but I did. so stupid I know. up until he ghosted he was consistently texting, facetiming, and just in general contact with me. he told me he was excited to see me this weekend and we planned to go to the rodeo and for him to meet my friends. well I woke up to no good morning text and immediately knew something was wrong. and I was right. he blocked me on everything. definitely hurts and I’m upset but if he had told me he wasn’t feeling it anymore I would’ve understood.
I think I scared him off honestly. I had said my end goal was marriage. he had been married before and said his first marriage was a disaster. I told him that doesn’t mean any marriage after that one has to be the same way. whatever. it is what it is. I’m sad but I know i’ll get over it. I’m on antidepressants and I see a therapist so I have outlets I can use. i decided to take a step back and focus on myself and surrounding myself with friends. but maybe some friendly advice would be nice. I keep thinking there was someone else and in this generation dating is literally a game. can I please have some friendly advice and words?
tldr: was ghosted by a guy and I’m pretty sad. we had been seeing eachother for two ish or more weeks and had constant communication and then suddenly I was blocked on everything and he ghosted me. i’m on antidepressants and see a therapist and have creative outlets i use when i’m sad or upset. would like some friendly advice.
2023.03.25 01:30 spidermom4 In light off all the thirst traps
I'll add my two cents. I'm a trad wife. My husband and I are eachother's firsts. We waited until marriage to live together. We have been together 12 years and married 9. We have four kids and I'm a stay at home mom. I garden, have chickens, bake, and make home cooked meals every night. We have what all these alpha guys talk about.
Except my husband has the privilege of having me as a wife because he is kind, loving, compassionate. If he gets off work and the house is messy, instead of getting mad at me for "not doing my duty as a wife" he pitches in knowing how difficult having little ones at home can be. And he knows how difficult it is because he does just as much of the nitty gritty parenting stuff as me. He treats me as an equal in every way.
These alpha guys are always going on about the difficulty of finding their trad wives in a sea of thots. They can't find a trad wife not because society doesn't make them, but because we are married to guys with empathy who treat us as partners, not possessions.
submitted by spidermom4 to h3h3productions [link] [comments]
Except my husband has the privilege of having me as a wife because he is kind, loving, compassionate. If he gets off work and the house is messy, instead of getting mad at me for "not doing my duty as a wife" he pitches in knowing how difficult having little ones at home can be. And he knows how difficult it is because he does just as much of the nitty gritty parenting stuff as me. He treats me as an equal in every way.
These alpha guys are always going on about the difficulty of finding their trad wives in a sea of thots. They can't find a trad wife not because society doesn't make them, but because we are married to guys with empathy who treat us as partners, not possessions.
2023.03.25 01:25 Total_Difference5193 [22m][21f] need best advice you can offer
I consider any form of cheating as a deal breaker, physical or emotional etc.
Long story: Gf had a friend from Tinder, they hung out once (6 months before we got together) and apparently it was awkward ASF and they never hung out again. One day I asked her if she had spoken to him or if they still talked and she replied "no, we haven't really talked in months". Well long story short I end up checking her phone for a different reason and discovered he texted her 2 weeks after we got together and said "if you're ever in Atlanta, you should visit me" - to which she replied "HELL YE I WILL" and another week after that he drunkenly texted her how much of a great friend she is and she replied "huh what" and that was the last time they spoke. And that was the end of the conversation. The last time before that they spoke the day before our first date and she was telling him how excited she was to hangout with me (also the next day we started dating after the date because we really hit it off)
Well, I check her phone because of a misunderstanding (which was my fault) and discovered those texts. Anyway (she doesn't know I seen those) I point it out to her his chat icon on insta and she's just like "oh that's my friend so &so, we used to hangout". Well then because of the misunderstanding we had last week she ended up deleting the chat without me knowing, and so I make her read back everything to me and she skipped over the " if you're ever in Atlanta you should visit me" , and I freaked out and told her how inappropriate that was and she ended up blocking him and apologizing to me. ( Also when ever I asked what happened to the chat she told me truth and said she deleted it because we were together for only a month and said she didn't know my boundaries so she got scared and deleted it, but had no I'll intentions.
This made me overthink and check her Snapchat while she was away. I then discovered someone added that wasn't appeared on the Snapchat feed so I accused her of adding and deleting the chat to which she says she has never done that because she "understands it hurt my feelins last time and she wouldn't wanna put me through that again". I have seen her Snapchat glitch beforehand and have someone who was already added appear on the recently added but not show up before, but the snap score wasnt there, but added? . ( But this guy had a snap score, but when I check their conversation history and seen 0 interactions between them). I then downloaded her data and seen *delete and add" for that user, but, the initial friendship was from 2021 so I think it may have been a glitch, or maybe he readded her and that's why it appeared??? And reappeard on recently added without the chat box? Well come to find out it was an old highschool acquaintance - who used to date one of her friends in highschool, but she says she thinks shes never spoken with him or texted him before. Whilst looking at her data I also discovered she blocked 6 guys in the first month we were dating... But I only knew of 4 of them..
My gf have been together 8 months and after we got together I found a something written that said "I'm glad we me, we started talking again" but it had a different guys name, i know it was written before we started dating but it still kinda hurt.
Then a few days later I found the dudes Instagram and they weren't following each other but I found a like on a post of his ( from 10 days before we got together) and I kinda flipped out on my gf and told her a bunch of things, I said she was a lair, accused her of possibly cheating, and how I was probably just a little rebound and how she probably was just using me, and that she better not have messaged him at all while we've been together...
As long as it was before we were together I don't care, she says that she unfollowed him before and hasn't talked to him ever since we got together or was just in the talking stage.
But now I'm accusing her of talking to him and deleting the chat while we're together because I've never seen the chat with them.
I have have no evidence she texted him, I don't even remember seeing a text chat from him. But it was 10 days before we got together so I accused her of deleting the chat so I asked to see her Instagram data to which she replied "yeah", ( she was at work ) then when we see each other she was like " you didn't even listen OR consider how I felt during all those awful things you said" and bursted out crying lecturing me on how badly I hurt her feelings and how I need to be more considerate and how she didn't like me comparing her to my ex and how she was mad at me and how "toxic" it was to request this of her. I told her it was sus that she would call it toxic.
She then explain why it's disrespectful to her even though we have an open phone policy for this. Said it reminded her of her dad and mom's toxic relationship of what I did.
We get home and basically she locked herself in the bathroom and vomits cause she so "stressed". So I threatened to message the guy if she didn't let me see and she came out and said I was being unnecessary.
And I was like oh so you must be hiding something then we had a huge conversation about how she doesn't want to be toxic and wanted me to be the man she married one day, but what I was doing was toxic and she was scared of that and explained she lost a bit of respect for me and that she doesn't wanna break up but for me to reflect on my actions and treat her better for what I did and how I should just trust her. I then said yeah I trust you and she was like " no you think you do, but you really don't or else you wouldn't be asking something toxic like this.". I never ending up looking at it because I started to feel bad...
She always is eager to give me reassurance and is always calm about it to, but she says I can ask her for reassurance as much as I need. Says she's never hurt me, or ever have done anything that can be deemed as trustworthy, and we talked about it and she said everything I've assumed has been untrue and it hurts her feelings and just wants me to think logically instead of emotional. I told her today *I don't know if I can trust you" to which she replied calmly " that's okay, it's gonna take time but I love you so much and we'll get there one day "
TL;Dr I just need advice
submitted by Total_Difference5193 to Advice [link] [comments]
Long story: Gf had a friend from Tinder, they hung out once (6 months before we got together) and apparently it was awkward ASF and they never hung out again. One day I asked her if she had spoken to him or if they still talked and she replied "no, we haven't really talked in months". Well long story short I end up checking her phone for a different reason and discovered he texted her 2 weeks after we got together and said "if you're ever in Atlanta, you should visit me" - to which she replied "HELL YE I WILL" and another week after that he drunkenly texted her how much of a great friend she is and she replied "huh what" and that was the last time they spoke. And that was the end of the conversation. The last time before that they spoke the day before our first date and she was telling him how excited she was to hangout with me (also the next day we started dating after the date because we really hit it off)
Well, I check her phone because of a misunderstanding (which was my fault) and discovered those texts. Anyway (she doesn't know I seen those) I point it out to her his chat icon on insta and she's just like "oh that's my friend so &so, we used to hangout". Well then because of the misunderstanding we had last week she ended up deleting the chat without me knowing, and so I make her read back everything to me and she skipped over the " if you're ever in Atlanta you should visit me" , and I freaked out and told her how inappropriate that was and she ended up blocking him and apologizing to me. ( Also when ever I asked what happened to the chat she told me truth and said she deleted it because we were together for only a month and said she didn't know my boundaries so she got scared and deleted it, but had no I'll intentions.
This made me overthink and check her Snapchat while she was away. I then discovered someone added that wasn't appeared on the Snapchat feed so I accused her of adding and deleting the chat to which she says she has never done that because she "understands it hurt my feelins last time and she wouldn't wanna put me through that again". I have seen her Snapchat glitch beforehand and have someone who was already added appear on the recently added but not show up before, but the snap score wasnt there, but added? . ( But this guy had a snap score, but when I check their conversation history and seen 0 interactions between them). I then downloaded her data and seen *delete and add" for that user, but, the initial friendship was from 2021 so I think it may have been a glitch, or maybe he readded her and that's why it appeared??? And reappeard on recently added without the chat box? Well come to find out it was an old highschool acquaintance - who used to date one of her friends in highschool, but she says she thinks shes never spoken with him or texted him before. Whilst looking at her data I also discovered she blocked 6 guys in the first month we were dating... But I only knew of 4 of them..
My gf have been together 8 months and after we got together I found a something written that said "I'm glad we me, we started talking again" but it had a different guys name, i know it was written before we started dating but it still kinda hurt.
Then a few days later I found the dudes Instagram and they weren't following each other but I found a like on a post of his ( from 10 days before we got together) and I kinda flipped out on my gf and told her a bunch of things, I said she was a lair, accused her of possibly cheating, and how I was probably just a little rebound and how she probably was just using me, and that she better not have messaged him at all while we've been together...
As long as it was before we were together I don't care, she says that she unfollowed him before and hasn't talked to him ever since we got together or was just in the talking stage.
But now I'm accusing her of talking to him and deleting the chat while we're together because I've never seen the chat with them.
I have have no evidence she texted him, I don't even remember seeing a text chat from him. But it was 10 days before we got together so I accused her of deleting the chat so I asked to see her Instagram data to which she replied "yeah", ( she was at work ) then when we see each other she was like " you didn't even listen OR consider how I felt during all those awful things you said" and bursted out crying lecturing me on how badly I hurt her feelings and how I need to be more considerate and how she didn't like me comparing her to my ex and how she was mad at me and how "toxic" it was to request this of her. I told her it was sus that she would call it toxic.
She then explain why it's disrespectful to her even though we have an open phone policy for this. Said it reminded her of her dad and mom's toxic relationship of what I did.
We get home and basically she locked herself in the bathroom and vomits cause she so "stressed". So I threatened to message the guy if she didn't let me see and she came out and said I was being unnecessary.
And I was like oh so you must be hiding something then we had a huge conversation about how she doesn't want to be toxic and wanted me to be the man she married one day, but what I was doing was toxic and she was scared of that and explained she lost a bit of respect for me and that she doesn't wanna break up but for me to reflect on my actions and treat her better for what I did and how I should just trust her. I then said yeah I trust you and she was like " no you think you do, but you really don't or else you wouldn't be asking something toxic like this.". I never ending up looking at it because I started to feel bad...
She always is eager to give me reassurance and is always calm about it to, but she says I can ask her for reassurance as much as I need. Says she's never hurt me, or ever have done anything that can be deemed as trustworthy, and we talked about it and she said everything I've assumed has been untrue and it hurts her feelings and just wants me to think logically instead of emotional. I told her today *I don't know if I can trust you" to which she replied calmly " that's okay, it's gonna take time but I love you so much and we'll get there one day "
TL;Dr I just need advice
2023.03.25 01:17 ThuReRed i asked chatgpt to write a story about wubbox, toe jammer, mammott, and fwog
Wubbox had always been curious about the world beyond the boundaries of his island home. So when his friends Mammott, Toe Jammer, and Fwog suggested a road trip, he eagerly agreed.
The four friends piled into Mammott's beat-up old van and set off on their adventure. Wubbox, with his imposing size, took up most of the backseat, while Toe Jammer and Fwog squished together in the middle. Mammott drove, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music blasting from the radio.
As they drove, the scenery changed from rolling hills to winding roads through dense forests. They stopped at roadside diners and gas stations, taking turns buying snacks and souvenirs. Wubbox couldn't help but marvel at the sights and sounds of the world beyond his island, his deep voice rumbling with excitement.
But as the days went on, the journey began to wear on them. Mammott's van broke down twice, and they were forced to spend long hours waiting for repairs. Toe Jammer and Fwog bickered over music choices, and Wubbox found himself getting restless and bored.
One evening, as they sat around a campfire, Wubbox confessed his doubts. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this kind of thing," he said, his deep voice tinged with sadness. "I miss my home, and I don't know if I'll ever feel truly comfortable out here in the big wide world."
His friends listened sympathetically, and Toe Jammer spoke up. "It's okay to feel homesick, Wubbox. But remember why we came on this trip in the first place - to see new things and have new experiences. It might not all be easy, but that doesn't mean it's not worth it."
Wubbox considered his friend's words, and after a moment, he smiled. "You're right," he said. "I might not be cut out for the road, but I won't let that stop me from trying new things and seeing what's out there. Thanks, guys."
The next morning, they hit the road once more, Wubbox feeling a newfound sense of determination. They drove through mountains and deserts, over bridges and through tunnels. They visited strange and wonderful places they'd never seen before, and through it all, Wubbox found himself feeling more and more at home in the world beyond his island.
When they finally arrived back at their starting point, exhausted but exhilarated, Wubbox knew that he'd grown and changed in ways he'd never have thought possible. And he knew that he had his friends to thank for showing him the way.
submitted by ThuReRed to MySingingMonsters [link] [comments]
The four friends piled into Mammott's beat-up old van and set off on their adventure. Wubbox, with his imposing size, took up most of the backseat, while Toe Jammer and Fwog squished together in the middle. Mammott drove, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music blasting from the radio.
As they drove, the scenery changed from rolling hills to winding roads through dense forests. They stopped at roadside diners and gas stations, taking turns buying snacks and souvenirs. Wubbox couldn't help but marvel at the sights and sounds of the world beyond his island, his deep voice rumbling with excitement.
But as the days went on, the journey began to wear on them. Mammott's van broke down twice, and they were forced to spend long hours waiting for repairs. Toe Jammer and Fwog bickered over music choices, and Wubbox found himself getting restless and bored.
One evening, as they sat around a campfire, Wubbox confessed his doubts. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this kind of thing," he said, his deep voice tinged with sadness. "I miss my home, and I don't know if I'll ever feel truly comfortable out here in the big wide world."
His friends listened sympathetically, and Toe Jammer spoke up. "It's okay to feel homesick, Wubbox. But remember why we came on this trip in the first place - to see new things and have new experiences. It might not all be easy, but that doesn't mean it's not worth it."
Wubbox considered his friend's words, and after a moment, he smiled. "You're right," he said. "I might not be cut out for the road, but I won't let that stop me from trying new things and seeing what's out there. Thanks, guys."
The next morning, they hit the road once more, Wubbox feeling a newfound sense of determination. They drove through mountains and deserts, over bridges and through tunnels. They visited strange and wonderful places they'd never seen before, and through it all, Wubbox found himself feeling more and more at home in the world beyond his island.
When they finally arrived back at their starting point, exhausted but exhilarated, Wubbox knew that he'd grown and changed in ways he'd never have thought possible. And he knew that he had his friends to thank for showing him the way.
2023.03.25 01:13 KnackMan420 Anxious about whether my dog bit the postman or not lol
I'm scared my dog bit my postman when I'm not at home. My granny had dementia and by the looks of it opened the door for postman. Usually she slightly opens the door to not let the dog out but I'm scared she let him out.
My dog has never bit another person before and only barks at them. One time my uber came through the back and he only barked his head off him hut the uncertainty is killing me. As far as I know Australia doesn't kill dogs off first attempts but I'm still scared.
submitted by KnackMan420 to Anxiety [link] [comments]
My dog has never bit another person before and only barks at them. One time my uber came through the back and he only barked his head off him hut the uncertainty is killing me. As far as I know Australia doesn't kill dogs off first attempts but I'm still scared.
2023.03.25 01:06 NightCities13 1 Victor-Game 102-Reapings, Visits, Train Ride, Apartments
(Focuses are 2, 4, and 13. District 13 will always be a focus, alongside two other original Districts.)
The reaping for District 13, which included the rest of the world, including South America, Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa, was the largest District. Hence, it was decided to reap from a different country each time, and put the slips of paper back in the bowl every five years, but unused countries would have more names in the bowl. A reaping square was built in each country.
President Isadora Gaul reached into the bowl of countries, removing a slip of paper. She read aloud the country of France. Many were excited to see how France would compete in the Games. France currently had 57,493 youths between 12-18 living in France, which was still a lot.
Due to District 13 not having a previous victor, a young 26 year old Swedish woman named Maja Ahlquist. Maja was a young lady who was strong with weaponry, and had led Sweden during the takeover the year prior. All war leaders had been spared from prosecution, but had been warned not to rebel, and signed contracts stating that they wouldn’t.
Agrippina Billings (victor of the 101st Games) stood on the stage in front of the crowd of French youths. Several three finger salutes were seen, and those youths were quickly tased. Agrippina wished the odds be in each youths favor, before reaching into the female bowl.
She removed a slip of paper and read aloud the name of fifteen year old Antoinette Gauthier. A scream of horror was heard as peacekeepers entered the crowd. Several other fifteen year old girls attempted to block the peacekeepers, but upon having guns pointed at them, they dejectedly moved out of the way. A shorter girl with golden blonde curls and ocean blue eyes was dragged to the stage, where she shook Agrippina’s hand.
Agrippina then reached into the male bowl, removing the name of eighteen year old Roy Cloutier. A boy with dark brown hair and brown eyes showed a three finger salute as he was dragged to the stage. He shouted obscenities at the peacekeepers dragging him, and even at Agrippina. He refused to shake her hand, and was ultimately left alone.
The two were taken into the town hall for visits with family.
Antoinette was visited by her parents and two older brothers. She cried a bit as they comforted her, before being taken straight to the hovercraft.
Roy was visited by his older brother and older sister. All three spoke rebelliously, before Roy was taken away.
Once on the hovercraft, Roy and Antoinette were taken straight to Maja. Maja applauded Roy on his rebellious behavior, before turning to Antoinette, who looked like she might cry. Maja sighed before showing her tributes how to throw knives and use spears. Antoinette seemed better with the knives, while Roy was better with the spear.
After a relatively short nine hour ride, the two were taken straight to the limo by Maja, who muttered rebelliously under her breath.
Once back at the apartment, Maja showed her tributes some old Games. They rested and watched old Games, and on the day before the parade, they were visited by their stylist, Angelique Fontaine. Angelique was from one of fifty families selected from each country in District 13 and each other District to move to the Capitol.
Angelique chose to dress them in a look she called “French chic”, which included black sweaters, white fur pants and skirt, black fur lined boots, and black berets.
Just as she was finishing up the look, Maja flipped the television on to District 4’s reaping.
Agrippina stood in front of the female bowl. She wished the odds be in each youth’s favor, before reaching into the bowl. She read the slip of paper within, smirking, before reading aloud the name of seventeen year old Oceania Carter. A scream was heard as Mayor Carter of District 4 collapsed to the ground. A girl with red curls of hair and green eyes was taken to the stage, where she shook Agrippina’s hand. Oceania was a descendant of Rea Carter from the 88th Games’s cousin.
Agrippina then reached into the male bowl, removing the name of fifteen year old Hurley Thomas. A medium sized boy with ebony skin and curly dark brown eyes walked to the stage, and nervously shook Agrippina’s hand. Both tributes were then taken into the town hall for visits with family.
Oceania was visited by her father, mother, and three older siblings. She promised to make an effort to return, and not die like Rea had, causing her father to cry, as shortly after Rea’s death, her father, his brother, had killed himself. Shortly afterwards Oceania was taken to the train.
Hurley was visited by his mother and younger sister. He told them he would try to make them proud. He also told his mother where he had hid some money, before being taken to the train.
Hurley and Oceania entered the train and were greeted by their mentors, Sandy Sellick (victor of the 93rd Games) and Limerick Manx (victor of the 88th Games). Sandy asked Oceania what weapon she was best with, and Oceania showed off her strong trident skills. Hurley was decent with throwing knives, but not amazing. Limerick helped him improve his skills.
Once the train arrived at the station, Oceania was happy to pose for photos, while Hurley was a bit nervous at first, but gained some personality after a while. Both were then taken by limo to the apartment.
They were visited by their stylist, Riveria Bluestar, an original citizen of District 4 who was one of fifty families to be moved to the Capitol. Riveria dressed Oceania and Hurley in aqua outfits with small bubbles filled with water all over their outfits.
Sandy turned on the television to show a reshowing of District 2’s reaping.
It was now decided that District 1 and 2’s academies would pick one male and one female to compete each year to become tribute after a series of tests. The winners would of course become tributes. The mud pits were one of District 2’s tests.
Agrippina was at her final reaping, as each Victor’s district would be the final one reaped as to allow the victor to mentor. Agrippina introduced the chosen female tribute as seventeen year old Aurelia Spangler. A tall, slender girl with long, straight blonde hair and blue eyes walked out of the town hall, and cheered loudly with excitement. She shook Agrippina’s hand.
Agrippina introduced the chosen male tribute as eighteen year old Crispus Cox. A tall, muscular young man with ebony skin and a large afro of hair walked to the stage, and shook Agrippina’s hand. Both had already said goodbye to their families, and were taken directly to the train.
Aurelia and Crispus met their mentors, Agrippina Billings and Rubius Dalton. Aurelia was good with spears, while Crispus was good with a sword. After a two hour ride, they arrived at Snow Station.
Aurelia and Crispus both stepped off the train, and were greeted by excited Capitol citizens. Agrippina was surrounded by them calling her by her nickname “Queen of Snakes.” Agrippina, Rubius, Aurelia, and Crispus signed autographs, before being taken by limo to the apartments.
They met their stylist, Carlotta Crimp, who was styling for the first time this year. Carlotta was originally from District 2, but was from one of fifty families moved to the Capitol. Carlotta chose to dress them in gold rags, that melted into gold body paint and matching undergarments
submitted by NightCities13 to christianblanco [link] [comments]
The reaping for District 13, which included the rest of the world, including South America, Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa, was the largest District. Hence, it was decided to reap from a different country each time, and put the slips of paper back in the bowl every five years, but unused countries would have more names in the bowl. A reaping square was built in each country.
President Isadora Gaul reached into the bowl of countries, removing a slip of paper. She read aloud the country of France. Many were excited to see how France would compete in the Games. France currently had 57,493 youths between 12-18 living in France, which was still a lot.
Due to District 13 not having a previous victor, a young 26 year old Swedish woman named Maja Ahlquist. Maja was a young lady who was strong with weaponry, and had led Sweden during the takeover the year prior. All war leaders had been spared from prosecution, but had been warned not to rebel, and signed contracts stating that they wouldn’t.
Agrippina Billings (victor of the 101st Games) stood on the stage in front of the crowd of French youths. Several three finger salutes were seen, and those youths were quickly tased. Agrippina wished the odds be in each youths favor, before reaching into the female bowl.
She removed a slip of paper and read aloud the name of fifteen year old Antoinette Gauthier. A scream of horror was heard as peacekeepers entered the crowd. Several other fifteen year old girls attempted to block the peacekeepers, but upon having guns pointed at them, they dejectedly moved out of the way. A shorter girl with golden blonde curls and ocean blue eyes was dragged to the stage, where she shook Agrippina’s hand.
Agrippina then reached into the male bowl, removing the name of eighteen year old Roy Cloutier. A boy with dark brown hair and brown eyes showed a three finger salute as he was dragged to the stage. He shouted obscenities at the peacekeepers dragging him, and even at Agrippina. He refused to shake her hand, and was ultimately left alone.
The two were taken into the town hall for visits with family.
Antoinette was visited by her parents and two older brothers. She cried a bit as they comforted her, before being taken straight to the hovercraft.
Roy was visited by his older brother and older sister. All three spoke rebelliously, before Roy was taken away.
Once on the hovercraft, Roy and Antoinette were taken straight to Maja. Maja applauded Roy on his rebellious behavior, before turning to Antoinette, who looked like she might cry. Maja sighed before showing her tributes how to throw knives and use spears. Antoinette seemed better with the knives, while Roy was better with the spear.
After a relatively short nine hour ride, the two were taken straight to the limo by Maja, who muttered rebelliously under her breath.
Once back at the apartment, Maja showed her tributes some old Games. They rested and watched old Games, and on the day before the parade, they were visited by their stylist, Angelique Fontaine. Angelique was from one of fifty families selected from each country in District 13 and each other District to move to the Capitol.
Angelique chose to dress them in a look she called “French chic”, which included black sweaters, white fur pants and skirt, black fur lined boots, and black berets.
Just as she was finishing up the look, Maja flipped the television on to District 4’s reaping.
Agrippina stood in front of the female bowl. She wished the odds be in each youth’s favor, before reaching into the bowl. She read the slip of paper within, smirking, before reading aloud the name of seventeen year old Oceania Carter. A scream was heard as Mayor Carter of District 4 collapsed to the ground. A girl with red curls of hair and green eyes was taken to the stage, where she shook Agrippina’s hand. Oceania was a descendant of Rea Carter from the 88th Games’s cousin.
Agrippina then reached into the male bowl, removing the name of fifteen year old Hurley Thomas. A medium sized boy with ebony skin and curly dark brown eyes walked to the stage, and nervously shook Agrippina’s hand. Both tributes were then taken into the town hall for visits with family.
Oceania was visited by her father, mother, and three older siblings. She promised to make an effort to return, and not die like Rea had, causing her father to cry, as shortly after Rea’s death, her father, his brother, had killed himself. Shortly afterwards Oceania was taken to the train.
Hurley was visited by his mother and younger sister. He told them he would try to make them proud. He also told his mother where he had hid some money, before being taken to the train.
Hurley and Oceania entered the train and were greeted by their mentors, Sandy Sellick (victor of the 93rd Games) and Limerick Manx (victor of the 88th Games). Sandy asked Oceania what weapon she was best with, and Oceania showed off her strong trident skills. Hurley was decent with throwing knives, but not amazing. Limerick helped him improve his skills.
Once the train arrived at the station, Oceania was happy to pose for photos, while Hurley was a bit nervous at first, but gained some personality after a while. Both were then taken by limo to the apartment.
They were visited by their stylist, Riveria Bluestar, an original citizen of District 4 who was one of fifty families to be moved to the Capitol. Riveria dressed Oceania and Hurley in aqua outfits with small bubbles filled with water all over their outfits.
Sandy turned on the television to show a reshowing of District 2’s reaping.
It was now decided that District 1 and 2’s academies would pick one male and one female to compete each year to become tribute after a series of tests. The winners would of course become tributes. The mud pits were one of District 2’s tests.
Agrippina was at her final reaping, as each Victor’s district would be the final one reaped as to allow the victor to mentor. Agrippina introduced the chosen female tribute as seventeen year old Aurelia Spangler. A tall, slender girl with long, straight blonde hair and blue eyes walked out of the town hall, and cheered loudly with excitement. She shook Agrippina’s hand.
Agrippina introduced the chosen male tribute as eighteen year old Crispus Cox. A tall, muscular young man with ebony skin and a large afro of hair walked to the stage, and shook Agrippina’s hand. Both had already said goodbye to their families, and were taken directly to the train.
Aurelia and Crispus met their mentors, Agrippina Billings and Rubius Dalton. Aurelia was good with spears, while Crispus was good with a sword. After a two hour ride, they arrived at Snow Station.
Aurelia and Crispus both stepped off the train, and were greeted by excited Capitol citizens. Agrippina was surrounded by them calling her by her nickname “Queen of Snakes.” Agrippina, Rubius, Aurelia, and Crispus signed autographs, before being taken by limo to the apartments.
They met their stylist, Carlotta Crimp, who was styling for the first time this year. Carlotta was originally from District 2, but was from one of fifty families moved to the Capitol. Carlotta chose to dress them in gold rags, that melted into gold body paint and matching undergarments
2023.03.25 01:01 GayPoison My sex addiction story 30yo gay male
I have been struggling with sex addiction for 5 years now. I am also married to a man who had no idea what was going on... We had been dating in our home country but then I moved away to Europe for a job, the plan was to bring him there too after I had saved a little. It went for over year though but we still wanted to be together. My experience in my new life was very challenging to say the least. Different language, different culture and I was completely alone, no money, no friends nor family. The job was also demanding and since it was my first job, I didn't really have much experience plus the language barrier made it more difficult. I was also harassed by a coworker who would always tell me how shit I was at work and complaint about me for anything. One day I had to go to another city to do some paperwork and I was waiting for the train at the station and a man approached me asking if the train was going to X city to which I confirmed, I noticed he did looked at me a certain special way and I felt good about it since really I had not felt that in a long time, quite the opposite. I sit in the same wagon as him and couldn't get out of my head that this person might just like me and it felt really nice to feel desired by a stranger. I tried to engage in conversation to which he was open about. Then I decided to test it a bit further and I started touching my body (not so obvious) and he was looking, he then stood up to ask me what time it was and then threw himself at me and grabbed me, I was shocked but couldn't stop it, I was trapped in the adrenaline. He touched me, told me he loved me, kissed me and asked me to get down the same station as him and give him my phone number, I refused to do both and he got out. The rush feeling sticked with me. I decided not to tell my partner about the experience because I told myself it was a weird moment and it would never happen again and reasummed my life normally.
After a year at my work I decided to go to a bigger city, I got a new job as a waiter and well, it was also a struggle and stressful, I felt very shitty about myself and selfworth since I was not as quick as the others. My partner and I still had plans to be together and get married. In that city I discovered a sex shop that also had a gay movie-theater. I was very intrigued by this since where I was from this was not a thing. Curiosity got the best of me so I went in. I must admit that my heart was pounding... after a few minutes of being there a man sat near me and he started well... to please himself and he started making eye contact with me, he then approached and invited me to touch him which I hesitantly did and then let myself go... I didn't engage in penetration though since I really was afraid of STDs and couldn't bring myself to betray my partner like that. However, that nice feeling of feeling desired and wanted by a random man had poisoned me. Needless to say, I went down a rabbit hole of cruising experiences (Cruising is sex in public places like cruising specific bars, saunas, public parks, etc...), mostly oral sex, very very rarely anal sex with protection since I was afraid of stds. I never shared any personal information, it always remained totally random and straight to the acting out. My partner finally arrived and I decided to stop it since I was going to get married with him, I did for a while but found myself again acting out, even when I was constantly telling myself not to do it but my body would just almost move itself there. I learned to compartmentalize my secret with my love life with my husband. I always saw it unrelated and that since it was just sex (almost like rolling a porn film) and never anything else, to me I was not "truly cheating" and my heart was always his anyways but couldn't bring myself to tell him since I did not want to hurt him with the truth. We then moved to another country in Europe and I saw it as a chance to finally end it all since I would not be surrounded by the same stimuli from before. My husband had to unfortunate leave again for 3 months so I was there unemployed, in a tiny appartment, alone and also no internet (it hadn't been installed and took a long time for it to be done). Soon enough I found the new cruising panorama in the city, including public restrooms, sauna, parks and bars. This time I spiraled down badly. I was now having unprotected anal sex and using drugs too... My husband came back again and I tried to stop it again but I never could controlmyself.... This went on for about 4 years... then one day I noticed an anal discomfort, I thought I had a fissure and decided to give it some time but after a few days my husband shows me he is having genital discharge... I panicked but tried to remain calm outside and booked him an urology appointment... this was on the weekend so we had to wait until monday for him to go. That weekend... it was so terrible... he was mostly calmed, a bit worried but not accusing me of anything... I remember telling myself to enjoy this last weekend with him as much as you can, hug him, kiss him, hold him, love him... because it is all soon going to be over... The day came and he went to the doctor and he ordered a swap test, it took a week... In the mean time I also had really bad discomfort and bloody discharge but didn't tell my husband anything. The day they told him they had the results and he could and pick them up he asked me again "Did you cheat on me...?" and I broke in tears and told him yes, I did... however I did not tell him the whole truth. I told him I had an encounter with a stranger on the street and he seduced me and we went to the appartments basement and had a little penetration there...(It was a half-truth since I had also done that before but I am sure I got the STD from the sauna)... He got very mad and went out to search the results... He came back and gave me the results to read them, it was positive for gonorrhea. He asked my why I did it... all I said was I don't know... I lost control of myself... I couldn't bring myself to tell him the whole truth, that all our years of marriage I had being cheating compulsively and I couldn't help it. I went and did my swap tests too, while waiting on the results I also started to develop a rash that began on my arms, my hands and then my torso, inner thighs... I did a blood test too... I was diagnosed with gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis, all three at once... (it was treated) My husband did not leave me, he stayed... but needless say it has been a lot, a lot of work... we went to couples therapy and in a private session I told the therapist the truth, what was going on with me... My plan was to treat this without my husband knowing so he never had to deal with such hurtful truth. The therapist treated us together as if I had only cheated once but treated me separately for my addiciotn... he said he didn't think it was a real addiction but that I had self-steem problems, he gave me tips to just avoid going near crusing spots... We worked on that but after about 3 months I relapsed... we stopped going to that therapy due to financial issues and my husband did not like the therapist either after once couples therapy the therapist just went completely silence after my husband talked about his pain... My relapse started slowly... like checking out public restrooms just to see if there was movement... then walking past the sauna and staying outside trembling with anxiety asking myself whether going in was a good idea or not... eventually I gave into my desires... I would always feel big regret and shame after acting out... I had promised my husband that I would never hurt him again and he was giving me that chance, that trust again and I just did it again... I was so convinced at myself when he first found out that I would turn my life around, that I would leave my bad ways once and for all, that I had done enough suffering already... I really did convince him and myself...
I spiraled down once again... drugs, unprotected sex... after a year I feel that I have discomfort in my anus so I try not to have sex with my husband... I secretely test and test positive again for gonorrhea and clamydia!! omg I felt like the worst piece of shit in the world and at this point I know I cannot hide it anymore and that I should get help... I get secretly treated too and also get medicine for my husband just in case he shows symptoms... he told me when I got the positive results he was feeling funny in his genital again... After I get treated I decide to come out with the whole truth and face all consequences that come my way. I pictured myself being alone, secluding myself from everyone and dying on the street like the street rat I was. I also could not have sex with him for months since I had to test for HIV in like three months and I did not want to take the chances of infecting him with that (was negative thank God). So I come home and tell him that I never told him the truth about what happened... I warned him first that the truth would be devastating and he said he wanted it anyways. Well... he was shocked, so shocked he acted normal... We were being EXTREMELY open and sincere about everything, I took him and showed him my usual crusing spots... went to the sauna to show him I know the guy who works there... it was all very... surreal to say the least. He took a STD test and was negative. He thanked me for my honesty but he did not know what to do... He is a very sexual person and we had previously gone to a sauna on vacations where we had a threesome (I acted like it was my first time in a sauna). I actually want to write about how he felt about the whole thing but I probably cannot truly describe it... He felt betrayed, he felt like a fool... however he still saw something on me worth saving, even when I did not... We decided to have an "open relationship" so we went to the sauna together... (Mistake number 1...) We went a couple of times and it was fun... I however completely controlled myself and only did stuff with him and some guy we could find attractive,but nothing crazy. However the third time we went he did not like any guys and I was really craving my addiction... So he put me to the test and said I could do what I wanted and he left the steam room... I let loose and start engaging in oral sex with whatever guy really... he saw me being out of control and rushes out... we talked and he said he doesn't feel loved by me (of course, how could he...) I apologized for it and admit again that I really have a problem... The dynamic was a roller coaster of emotions in the relationship... one moment we would be fine, the next he would have panic attacks and we would have to talk for hours and hours, staying up till dawn... One night he has a mental breakdown and tries to jump out of the window... I stop him, try to calm him down but he loses it... he grabs a knife and tries to hurt himself, tries to drink detergent... I struggle with him so he doesn't jump out of the window... I manage to call emergency number and inbetween stopping my husband, crying and yelling they bring help... Police officers and ambulance personal come into the appartment and take my husband to the hospital... At this point I feel completely hopeless... I brought my husband to the point of him wanting to take away his life... the police officers offer me a ride to the hospital and I accept. Thinking about it I feel it was very on point... I was driving in the back like a criminal. I arrive at the hospital and they wouldn't let me see my husband, I just had to wait... I call my sister and told her what happened and confess to her my sex addiction... she was very supportive and told me I had to get help and my husband probably should get interned for a few days just to control him... I arrived at like 2 am at the hospital and waited until 10am... I decide to go back home to take a quick shower and bring him fresh clothes and something to eat but when I'm at home he calls me saying they let him go and that he was coming back... His experience in the mental ward was very intense... he was secluded with people who had real bad mental problems. He decided he did not want that for himself and that he would not want to have a suicide episode again (He has been struggling with it even before me). Honestly his determination has also inspired me a lot.
I found a therapist who is specialized in addiction so I have been going to him... I was diagnosed with depression, dysthymia, anxiety and very low self-steem... There are many reasons why I turned out to be what I became... childhood violence, struggling with being homosexual, acceptance issues, school bullies, extremely bad relationship with my father... We all have trauma but we cannot let it define us and we have to break the cycle, trust me, I know it is hard but we have to keep trying.
It's been 4 months and we are still working together to be better together. I have also confessed to my mom what happened and now she calls me everyday to see how we are doing.
The recovery has been hard, I admit I have what my therapist calls "Consumption memories" and I have been in very dark places like telling my husband to please leave me that I am just a worthless piece of shit and that all I can do is go into my addiction and rot in doom because I keep having these consumption memories. He also has moments inwhich he feels furious, vengeful, hateful, depressed, insecure and what we do is talk about it, talk how we feel and give each other hope.
I have not yet forgiven myself, it is very hard. I also struggle a lot to see life in a happy scope... I have consistent nihilistic thoughts that really schackle me from enjoying life in fullest. I do not have a good perception of myself at all... I have analyzed a lot why I did what I did alongside my therapist and it is just to have that feeling of acceptance, unconditional desire, just wanting me, just taking me, appreciating me... even if it is empty not true, it doesn't matter in the moment. I am learning to identify those feelings and counteract them with self-love thoughts and control thoughts that I have built with my therapist.
I really do not know why I am telling my story, I guess I want to reach out for more support and help and also help others too.
I must ultimately just give a huge THANK YOU to my amazing husband who despite all the shit has been there by my side. You are truly my inspiration and I want to help you and see all your dreams come true. You are a hero and the love of my life.
submitted by GayPoison to SexAddiction [link] [comments]
After a year at my work I decided to go to a bigger city, I got a new job as a waiter and well, it was also a struggle and stressful, I felt very shitty about myself and selfworth since I was not as quick as the others. My partner and I still had plans to be together and get married. In that city I discovered a sex shop that also had a gay movie-theater. I was very intrigued by this since where I was from this was not a thing. Curiosity got the best of me so I went in. I must admit that my heart was pounding... after a few minutes of being there a man sat near me and he started well... to please himself and he started making eye contact with me, he then approached and invited me to touch him which I hesitantly did and then let myself go... I didn't engage in penetration though since I really was afraid of STDs and couldn't bring myself to betray my partner like that. However, that nice feeling of feeling desired and wanted by a random man had poisoned me. Needless to say, I went down a rabbit hole of cruising experiences (Cruising is sex in public places like cruising specific bars, saunas, public parks, etc...), mostly oral sex, very very rarely anal sex with protection since I was afraid of stds. I never shared any personal information, it always remained totally random and straight to the acting out. My partner finally arrived and I decided to stop it since I was going to get married with him, I did for a while but found myself again acting out, even when I was constantly telling myself not to do it but my body would just almost move itself there. I learned to compartmentalize my secret with my love life with my husband. I always saw it unrelated and that since it was just sex (almost like rolling a porn film) and never anything else, to me I was not "truly cheating" and my heart was always his anyways but couldn't bring myself to tell him since I did not want to hurt him with the truth. We then moved to another country in Europe and I saw it as a chance to finally end it all since I would not be surrounded by the same stimuli from before. My husband had to unfortunate leave again for 3 months so I was there unemployed, in a tiny appartment, alone and also no internet (it hadn't been installed and took a long time for it to be done). Soon enough I found the new cruising panorama in the city, including public restrooms, sauna, parks and bars. This time I spiraled down badly. I was now having unprotected anal sex and using drugs too... My husband came back again and I tried to stop it again but I never could controlmyself.... This went on for about 4 years... then one day I noticed an anal discomfort, I thought I had a fissure and decided to give it some time but after a few days my husband shows me he is having genital discharge... I panicked but tried to remain calm outside and booked him an urology appointment... this was on the weekend so we had to wait until monday for him to go. That weekend... it was so terrible... he was mostly calmed, a bit worried but not accusing me of anything... I remember telling myself to enjoy this last weekend with him as much as you can, hug him, kiss him, hold him, love him... because it is all soon going to be over... The day came and he went to the doctor and he ordered a swap test, it took a week... In the mean time I also had really bad discomfort and bloody discharge but didn't tell my husband anything. The day they told him they had the results and he could and pick them up he asked me again "Did you cheat on me...?" and I broke in tears and told him yes, I did... however I did not tell him the whole truth. I told him I had an encounter with a stranger on the street and he seduced me and we went to the appartments basement and had a little penetration there...(It was a half-truth since I had also done that before but I am sure I got the STD from the sauna)... He got very mad and went out to search the results... He came back and gave me the results to read them, it was positive for gonorrhea. He asked my why I did it... all I said was I don't know... I lost control of myself... I couldn't bring myself to tell him the whole truth, that all our years of marriage I had being cheating compulsively and I couldn't help it. I went and did my swap tests too, while waiting on the results I also started to develop a rash that began on my arms, my hands and then my torso, inner thighs... I did a blood test too... I was diagnosed with gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis, all three at once... (it was treated) My husband did not leave me, he stayed... but needless say it has been a lot, a lot of work... we went to couples therapy and in a private session I told the therapist the truth, what was going on with me... My plan was to treat this without my husband knowing so he never had to deal with such hurtful truth. The therapist treated us together as if I had only cheated once but treated me separately for my addiciotn... he said he didn't think it was a real addiction but that I had self-steem problems, he gave me tips to just avoid going near crusing spots... We worked on that but after about 3 months I relapsed... we stopped going to that therapy due to financial issues and my husband did not like the therapist either after once couples therapy the therapist just went completely silence after my husband talked about his pain... My relapse started slowly... like checking out public restrooms just to see if there was movement... then walking past the sauna and staying outside trembling with anxiety asking myself whether going in was a good idea or not... eventually I gave into my desires... I would always feel big regret and shame after acting out... I had promised my husband that I would never hurt him again and he was giving me that chance, that trust again and I just did it again... I was so convinced at myself when he first found out that I would turn my life around, that I would leave my bad ways once and for all, that I had done enough suffering already... I really did convince him and myself...
I spiraled down once again... drugs, unprotected sex... after a year I feel that I have discomfort in my anus so I try not to have sex with my husband... I secretely test and test positive again for gonorrhea and clamydia!! omg I felt like the worst piece of shit in the world and at this point I know I cannot hide it anymore and that I should get help... I get secretly treated too and also get medicine for my husband just in case he shows symptoms... he told me when I got the positive results he was feeling funny in his genital again... After I get treated I decide to come out with the whole truth and face all consequences that come my way. I pictured myself being alone, secluding myself from everyone and dying on the street like the street rat I was. I also could not have sex with him for months since I had to test for HIV in like three months and I did not want to take the chances of infecting him with that (was negative thank God). So I come home and tell him that I never told him the truth about what happened... I warned him first that the truth would be devastating and he said he wanted it anyways. Well... he was shocked, so shocked he acted normal... We were being EXTREMELY open and sincere about everything, I took him and showed him my usual crusing spots... went to the sauna to show him I know the guy who works there... it was all very... surreal to say the least. He took a STD test and was negative. He thanked me for my honesty but he did not know what to do... He is a very sexual person and we had previously gone to a sauna on vacations where we had a threesome (I acted like it was my first time in a sauna). I actually want to write about how he felt about the whole thing but I probably cannot truly describe it... He felt betrayed, he felt like a fool... however he still saw something on me worth saving, even when I did not... We decided to have an "open relationship" so we went to the sauna together... (Mistake number 1...) We went a couple of times and it was fun... I however completely controlled myself and only did stuff with him and some guy we could find attractive,but nothing crazy. However the third time we went he did not like any guys and I was really craving my addiction... So he put me to the test and said I could do what I wanted and he left the steam room... I let loose and start engaging in oral sex with whatever guy really... he saw me being out of control and rushes out... we talked and he said he doesn't feel loved by me (of course, how could he...) I apologized for it and admit again that I really have a problem... The dynamic was a roller coaster of emotions in the relationship... one moment we would be fine, the next he would have panic attacks and we would have to talk for hours and hours, staying up till dawn... One night he has a mental breakdown and tries to jump out of the window... I stop him, try to calm him down but he loses it... he grabs a knife and tries to hurt himself, tries to drink detergent... I struggle with him so he doesn't jump out of the window... I manage to call emergency number and inbetween stopping my husband, crying and yelling they bring help... Police officers and ambulance personal come into the appartment and take my husband to the hospital... At this point I feel completely hopeless... I brought my husband to the point of him wanting to take away his life... the police officers offer me a ride to the hospital and I accept. Thinking about it I feel it was very on point... I was driving in the back like a criminal. I arrive at the hospital and they wouldn't let me see my husband, I just had to wait... I call my sister and told her what happened and confess to her my sex addiction... she was very supportive and told me I had to get help and my husband probably should get interned for a few days just to control him... I arrived at like 2 am at the hospital and waited until 10am... I decide to go back home to take a quick shower and bring him fresh clothes and something to eat but when I'm at home he calls me saying they let him go and that he was coming back... His experience in the mental ward was very intense... he was secluded with people who had real bad mental problems. He decided he did not want that for himself and that he would not want to have a suicide episode again (He has been struggling with it even before me). Honestly his determination has also inspired me a lot.
I found a therapist who is specialized in addiction so I have been going to him... I was diagnosed with depression, dysthymia, anxiety and very low self-steem... There are many reasons why I turned out to be what I became... childhood violence, struggling with being homosexual, acceptance issues, school bullies, extremely bad relationship with my father... We all have trauma but we cannot let it define us and we have to break the cycle, trust me, I know it is hard but we have to keep trying.
It's been 4 months and we are still working together to be better together. I have also confessed to my mom what happened and now she calls me everyday to see how we are doing.
The recovery has been hard, I admit I have what my therapist calls "Consumption memories" and I have been in very dark places like telling my husband to please leave me that I am just a worthless piece of shit and that all I can do is go into my addiction and rot in doom because I keep having these consumption memories. He also has moments inwhich he feels furious, vengeful, hateful, depressed, insecure and what we do is talk about it, talk how we feel and give each other hope.
I have not yet forgiven myself, it is very hard. I also struggle a lot to see life in a happy scope... I have consistent nihilistic thoughts that really schackle me from enjoying life in fullest. I do not have a good perception of myself at all... I have analyzed a lot why I did what I did alongside my therapist and it is just to have that feeling of acceptance, unconditional desire, just wanting me, just taking me, appreciating me... even if it is empty not true, it doesn't matter in the moment. I am learning to identify those feelings and counteract them with self-love thoughts and control thoughts that I have built with my therapist.
I really do not know why I am telling my story, I guess I want to reach out for more support and help and also help others too.
I must ultimately just give a huge THANK YOU to my amazing husband who despite all the shit has been there by my side. You are truly my inspiration and I want to help you and see all your dreams come true. You are a hero and the love of my life.