Peoms to say she beautiful

I just need to put this out there. I find it really calming when I write down what happened to me. It helps me not spiral down.
We were together for two years and I guess those two years meant nothing to him. He met her and she knew he had a gf so she told him to leave me for her. He did just that. He told me she was his soulmate and has never felt this way about someone. The irony of it all; he said that to me almost exactly when we started dating minus the soulmate. He told me he never had feelings for me and was sorry he led me on all this time. 2 years! That’s a seriously long time to lead someone on and never have feelings for them. The strange part? We were seeing each other for months after we broke up while he was dating her. They were in an open relationship for 7 months. That’s how long he was seeing me while dating her. He told me he wanted to make me feel better, I was having a horrible depressive episode that was not his fault nor his problem. But somehow that justified his choices. My mental health is the reason why I was being mislead all this time.
He told me that he wanted to focus on his mental health when he broke up with me. When he suddenly wanted to get back together with me, unfortunately I fell into a depressive hole myself. All of what he had said til this point was a bold faced lie. I asked for the truth and I got the truth. He actually got with her shortly after, 2 months later a week after he begged for me back actually. She was smiling at me when he told me everything. How could you be happy, taking someone else from someone? Why does this bring you joy? She was so rude to me when I first met her. He introduced her as a friend to me. I didn’t think much of her and didn’t consider her a threat. I felt for what it was worth, I was better looking. She cornered me in the hallway when he wasn’t around. She started to pick on my beauty. Saying all sorts of things. Like how ugly I was and it was no wonder he left me how could he date someone so ugly and trashy like me. I remembered thinking, they can’t just be friends no one gets this sensitive over meeting an ex unless there’s something more.
He handed me a bag of all the things I’d given him. Pictures of me that he had up in his car and gifts I’d given him that I had scoured high and low for. When I refused to accept them back, he threw it in the trash. He told me he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He then said “I know, you think there’s still a chance of us getting back together and I have to tell you that I will never date you again. You were the worst mistake I’ve ever made and I wish we never dated” this whole debacle was a set up I didn’t know it was. You see, they wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t interfere with their relationship. The mental health thing for my own sake? That was a lie, he admitted he was using me on purpose so when he finally did tell me all my feelings for him would be gone. They planned this whole night together. I couldn’t believe it. Seriously, I still really don’t know how to process all of it. How could I get played so fucking hard? I tried to keep my distance from him,I communicated that if he wanted someone else he could end this situationship whenever he wanted. But that wasn’t enough, he wanted to see me torn down, on my knees sobbing. And that’s exactly what he got.
When I got mad and rightfully so, he hit me. Multiple times. He got mad that while I was a sobbing mess my fight or flight kicked in. My fight chose to make an appearance and tried to fight his gf. He slammed me into the wall and put his hands around my neck. Promising that if I laid my hands on her, he’d beat me. She found it hot that he was protecting her. Her eyes lit up when he told me she was the best thing he ever had and I meant nothing to him. He strangled me til I almost lost consciousness. I remembered screaming at him asking him why is he doing this to me? I’d only ever given him what he wanted. I thought back to all the times I supported his business held him through anxiety attacks and reassured him he would achieve his goals. Why did he hate me so much? I’m a lot smaller than him me being 5’0 and him being almost 6’5 I didn’t stand a chance defending myself. I honestly thought he would kill Me that night. He didn’t, but he SAed me while she watched.
I can’t look at people the same anymore. I don’t love the way I want to anymore. I don’t want love the same way. I don’t want it at all. It’s ruined me. The worst part of it all? That was the first relationship I had ever been in. The first time I allowed myself to let someone hold and kiss me. I don’t want it to be my last, but it probably will be for a long time.

This toxic family member is my own sister. She is not one bit sweet to me & constantly puts me down. I have been having a rough patch in my career & I am low in life still she doesn’t hesitate to put me down. She keeps ordering me to do stuff, keeps poking me & keeps telling me how I am a loser in life. Irony is she herself is nowhere successful. I am so done with listening to her poking & taunts all day. She has a badmouth & can say shit to any extent that hurts you, makes u breakdown & angers u like anything. How the fck do I live with her? All the time I see sisters sharing a beautiful bond & being bestfriends & mine is no where close to that.

Hey! I’m a 32 year old guy, based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. Wondering if Reddit can be the answer in helping me find someone for chats, dates and hopefully a relationship!
About me:

• A big fan of Movies/Series and love going to the cinema. I enjoy all the usual ‘geeky’ stuff (Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, Marvel, Harry Potter etc and the odd bit of anime e.g. Studio Ghibli movies and the occasional shonen series) as well as dumb comedies, romance and more serious sci-fi and drama movies. I haven’t seen all that many horrors, but if you’re a horror fan I’d happily watch them with you!
  
• I own all the consoles (Switch/Xbox/PS5) as well as a PC, but play far less than the cost of them warrants as I seem to default to Movies/Series/Youtube when I’m chilling (see above). Recently I've played a bit of Diablo IV. Co-op sessions with a loved one would be awesome though.
  
• I gym 3 times a week and I like to get outdoors. Walks at lunchtime, cycle rides at the weekend when there is nice weather etc.
  
• Music-wise I listen to pretty much anything from Pop to Dance to Hip Hop to Heavy Metal. In the car, one day you might catch me dancing along to Charli XCX (she is a bit of a guilty pleasure, her tunes always seem to be a bop?) on Radio 1, whilst on another I could be singing every word of System of a Down on a Spotify playlist of music from my teenage angst days.
  
• I enjoy travel - both city breaks as well as typical beach resort holidays. Previous destinations have included Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Egypt (twice). I was also lucky to visit South Africa and China as part of an old job.
  
• I am a parent. I see my son (9 years old) regularly every other weekend, he is awesome! I know this can sometimes put people off but I would say that I still have a lot of free time and a lot of love to give. And be reassured that I do not expect someone to take on mothering responsibilities, just being kind and a friend is enough! I am open to both having more children or not having more children in the future.
  
• I would say I pretty much have my shit together. I have a good career and am a homeowner. I can drive. I have good hygiene, try to dress well and am domesticated (I keep my home clean and tidy on my own no problems). Can cook a little and follow a recipe well enough. Just need someone to share life with now!
  
• Looks wise I’m 5’11”, slim/athletic build, mixed race, dark hair, dark eyes. See me here. And more on my profile here
  

In the future I hope to:

• Go further with my outdoor pursuits. I would love give a try to new activities e.g. hiking, scaling a mountain (nothing big, Snowdon perhaps?), bouldering, stand up paddle, learning to ski
  
• See more of the UK. I recently went to Scotland for the first time in my 32 years! I did some sightseeing around Edinburgh and walked up Arthur’s Seat. But I still have never been to Wales, Cornwall, the Peak District, the Lake District, the Highlands etc!
  
• Tick off a few dream destinations on the bucket list. Some of my top priorities would include Iceland, Walt Disney World/Universal Studios in Florida, Japan and a US Roadtrip.
  
• Find someone!
  

What I’m looking for:

• Someone kind, caring, affectionate. Ideally UK-based.
  
• Looking for a relationship with the potential for long term. Someone up for things like regular date nights, holidays/weekend breaks, cuddles in front of movies or series, cooking together. Celebrating the good times and successes together and supporting each other through the tough moments. And in the longer term living together, making a nice family life (pets, children - if you want that).
  
• Looks wise I’m very open to all races and shapes/sizes, my dating history has been quite a range! If you are quite feminine and like a lot of typically ‘girly’ things (think loving pink/pastel colours, cute animals/characters, baking, hair and beauty) then I do find that quite attractive, but wouldn’t say that is exclusively my ‘type’.
  
• A passion for outdoors/nature would be cool and if you already have an outdoor hobby such as climbing, stand up paddle, skiing etc and would be willing to introduce me to it, even better! Not essential though!
  

If you think we could be a good match then please do send a message. A bit of info about yourself or something we have in common would be a great starting point. Age range approx 25-35 so hopefully we understand the same cultural references and jokes although would open to considering out of this if you like what you read or think we have lots in common!
Hoping to hear from you soon!

Hey! I’m a 32 year old guy, based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. Wondering if Reddit can be the answer in helping me find someone for chats, dates and hopefully a relationship!
About me:

• A big fan of Movies/Series and love going to the cinema. I enjoy all the usual ‘geeky’ stuff (Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, Marvel, Harry Potter etc and the odd bit of anime e.g. Studio Ghibli movies and the occasional shonen series) as well as dumb comedies, romance and more serious sci-fi and drama movies. I haven’t seen all that many horrors, but if you’re a horror fan I’d happily watch them with you!
  
• I own all the consoles (Switch/Xbox/PS5) as well as a PC, but play far less than the cost of them warrants as I seem to default to Movies/Series/Youtube when I’m chilling (see above). Recently I've played a bit of Diablo IV. Co-op sessions with a loved one would be awesome though.
  
• I gym 3 times a week and I like to get outdoors. Walks at lunchtime, cycle rides at the weekend when there is nice weather etc.
  
• Music-wise I listen to pretty much anything from Pop to Dance to Hip Hop to Heavy Metal. In the car, one day you might catch me dancing along to Charli XCX (she is a bit of a guilty pleasure, her tunes always seem to be a bop?) on Radio 1, whilst on another I could be singing every word of System of a Down on a Spotify playlist of music from my teenage angst days.
  
• I enjoy travel - both city breaks as well as typical beach resort holidays. Previous destinations have included Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Egypt (twice). I was also lucky to visit South Africa and China as part of an old job.
  
• I am a parent. I see my son (9 years old) regularly every other weekend, he is awesome! I know this can sometimes put people off but I would say that I still have a lot of free time and a lot of love to give. And be reassured that I do not expect someone to take on mothering responsibilities, just being kind and a friend is enough! I am open to both having more children or not having more children in the future.
  
• I would say I pretty much have my shit together. I have a good career and am a homeowner. I can drive. I have good hygiene, try to dress well and am domesticated (I keep my home clean and tidy on my own no problems). Can cook a little and follow a recipe well enough. Just need someone to share life with now!
  
• Looks wise I’m 5’11”, slim/athletic build, mixed race, dark hair, dark eyes. See me here. And more on my profile here
  

In the future I hope to:

• Go further with my outdoor pursuits. I would love give a try to new activities e.g. hiking, scaling a mountain (nothing big, Snowdon perhaps?), bouldering, stand up paddle, learning to ski
  
• See more of the UK. I recently went to Scotland for the first time in my 32 years! I did some sightseeing around Edinburgh and walked up Arthur’s Seat. But I still have never been to Wales, Cornwall, the Peak District, the Lake District, the Highlands etc!
  
• Tick off a few dream destinations on the bucket list. Some of my top priorities would include Iceland, Walt Disney World/Universal Studios in Florida, Japan and a US Roadtrip.
  
• Find someone!
  

What I’m looking for:

• Someone kind, caring, affectionate. Ideally UK-based.
  
• Looking for a relationship with the potential for long term. Someone up for things like regular date nights, holidays/weekend breaks, cuddles in front of movies or series, cooking together. Celebrating the good times and successes together and supporting each other through the tough moments. And in the longer term living together, making a nice family life (pets, children - if you want that).
  
• Looks wise I’m very open to all races and shapes/sizes, my dating history has been quite a range! If you are quite feminine and like a lot of typically ‘girly’ things (think loving pink/pastel colours, cute animals/characters, baking, hair and beauty) then I do find that quite attractive, but wouldn’t say that is exclusively my ‘type’.
  
• A passion for outdoors/nature would be cool and if you already have an outdoor hobby such as climbing, stand up paddle, skiing etc and would be willing to introduce me to it, even better! Not essential though!
  

If you think we could be a good match then please do send a message. A bit of info about yourself or something we have in common would be a great starting point. Age range approx 25-35 so hopefully we understand the same cultural references and jokes although would open to considering out of this if you like what you read or think we have lots in common!
Hoping to hear from you soon!

This isn’t fully a diss or just a complaint, it’s a genuine question. It feels as though a lot of the audience (although it may just be a very vocal majority) simply does not like women. A few examples below:

• the treatment of the sidemen girlfriends, specifically Faith. It really confuses me because they seem to love each other lots and they literally have a child together. Why are people so keen on dissing her when Ethan begs people to stop
  
• the Tana Mongeau video, not regarding the incident that came out post the video, but the video itself is filled with hate and the Reddit is full of people saying how they would never watch a project she’s in and such when it genuinely is quite jokes… maybe that’s just me but it also feels a bit disproportionate
  
• the girl from kids brutally rate the sidemen that got massacred. Listen she was just a kid with a crush like she didn’t do anything horrible. People watch blind dating or tinder (which I love and find funny) and watch the guys say the most vile stuff to women, but god forbid a girl says something they dislike… she gets massacred! She’s just a kid
  
• and the most recent incident seems to be with Manrika. Listen what she said the Joe wasn’t cool at all, I think that’s an incredibly degrading to say (specifically just in the way and crudeness of how she said it). However, I understand that she didn’t handle it great, but I do wonder that if a guy had made this joke, would there be so much backlash? People take this one situation and use it as an excuse to flood the internet with the most vile messages that blow what she says out of the water. She’s actually been really great the past few episodes as well. It’s a bit ironic and it feels like more than anything, this was an excuse to say sexist and horrid things and nothing more.
  

And when this community does seem to like women, they have to fall into this category of exceptionally beautiful and quite docile. And they can be turned on at any time and are still generally viewed as very boring as they aren’t doing the controversial stuff that would get them hated.
So someone please explain to me genuinely. Why do you all hate women? It seems as though the sidemen themselves aren’t a fan of the views people have been carrying, having responded to most the of the above incidents amongst many. Is it a loud minority thing with most fans being really chill or is it a genuine big part of this community? I’ve been a female fan of the sidemen for years and it’s always confused me.

So the thing is that we often have conflicts over small things and yet I find it difficult to express myself or articulate the problem. Or maybe it's that he doesn't get it.
We are both software engineers and successful at work. He is a type A kind of person (I am too kind of but I have an interest in art as well) who spends his spare time working on a robot or watching sci fi. Eg: I write poetry, I have a great interest in old film songs. He is rather unaffected by all of it.
Eg: Today I showed him bits from 'La Belle et la Bete' (1946) as I felt it had a lot of beautiful aspects eg: excellent atmosphere, shots that look like paintings, the use of symbolism. He found it silly and didn't find anything admirable in it, saying I'm biased because I like anything associated with French stuff. (I am interested in learning French and maybe more than a little interested in the culture, but that's not why I found this film interesting.)
In the past (he is my first boyfriend) I have been too pushy occasionally in making him watch things I liked and he sometimes went along with it to minimize conflict. There have been some occasions when I have sulked because he didn't want to watch something with me. I have stopped such behaviour however and recognised that it was wrong. In my defense I was right out of college and a bit of a kid in many ways.
Today after some time I called him, since something had been troubling me for a while and which I have tried to verbalize before but failed. I mentioned that when it comes to art or writing, I do have some talent in the fields. I have been known for having pretty good taste. Even my friends or parents who didn't really get my interests sometimes always respected my interests and thought well of me. Eg: a friend who I shared my interest in some old movies though she verbally ribbed me had spoken extremely well of me to a third person, explaining that I had a unique perspective and excellent taste.
I mentioned that he could acknowledge that there is a possibility that there is something more to the things I appreciate than he can see. He was angry and said I couldn't make him like the things I liked. I repeatedly tried to explain that I'm not asking him to like the things I do or agree with me or anything. Just acknowledge that when we disagree there is a possibility that I could be seeing something of value in a piece of art or film or story that he hasn't. He said he did admit that I was biased which is the same thing, just like he likes Emma Watson movies blindly I am drawn to what I feel is 'culture' or something 'French'. He pointed out one of my actor crushes and how I like rewatching all his movies. I felt hurt, like he was minimising things as it's not the same thing to say someone is biased and to value their opinion even if you don't agree with it. He kept saying I couldn't force him to agree with me which wasn't what I was saying. He said he has encouraged me to follow my passions in the past which he has. I said he didn't do anything wrong, I just wanted him to understand my feelings and my pov. He said I'm making him feel horrible and closed the conversation.

-i (30M) moved to current city for ex-girlfriend (26f) -we broke up -still friends -hang out with both her and her sister a lot, the 3 of us -known them both about 2 years now -developed feelings for the sister (21F), signs that she has feelings for me -sister has a boyfriend but i legit can't tell if it's serious. Like there's signs that point both ways -lease is up soon, considering moving back home -would stay if the sister felt the same way about me -im 30 and she's 21. Her sister is my ex. She has a boyfriend. Obviously all very good reasons to not do anything. Yet every time i think of moving it feels like i could be walking away from something beautiful. -feels like staying without confessing feelings would just be passively hoping for something that might never happen. Like there's not much other reason to stay. -Should I say something, or move and get over it?
Tldr: need to decide between confessing feelings to my ex-girlfriend's sister who has a boyfriend and also there's an age gap, or just moving away

I've checked with my local Amazon but Cinnamonroll is over $100+ USD, while Pompompurin is nowhere in stock. Is it safe to buy it from a third party seller from Mercari, eBay or...
AliExpress...?
I'm slowly gaining a Sanrio collection but also I want to buy Amnesia Characters from the otome/Visual novel game from Amnesia Memories before it sells out for preorder!
However my shelf is super small, and I have a small Apartment! Another thing is...
Should I open them or leave in the box like a collector item??? I've only brought nendroid as an home accessory to my room but my room doesn't have a style, overall plain and messy organized with other stuffs that included my 3Ds/Switch game collection, then it has my random mix plushy from different fandom of anime and cartoon or gifted from my parents for my birthday or graduation from last year. It's inconsistent of Pokemon, bleach, Danganronpa, vocaloid, a stuffed white polar bear graduation plush that is wearing a picture frame, share bear plush *The 2020 cartoon version from Walgreens/Target plush, cardcaptor Sakura. A bad mix of plushies/keychains (I have a vapereon, sleeping Jigglypuff 30inch plush, Ichigo, Izuru, (Miku laying down and syaoran sega plush from Toreba app game I've won), Pokemon movie manga, Miraculous Ladybug manga. And a my melody PVC bank. And my Miku Hatsune Otamatone *39.99 USD one. Also it has my cat ashes and his paw printed on clay stone with samples of his fur. And it's a lil shrine of him with a picture.
I do want to note I can't have anymore shelves or a new one because my room is small and limited to what I can store. I don't want to put my stuff in a garage because I shared with a neighbor and rats are roaming in it, including other creepy crawlies. Yeah, I live in a small apartment where my landlord likes the idea to share a garage. Dunno why when they have a huge car that parks in the middle! ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯
Not sure if the package of my nendroid will affect the package inside because of a defect of the material that was seal in? I honestly don't care for value but what do you guys do with it? Do I keep the box after opening, don't open it? What do I do? Yes I'm new to this. I brought them last year and haven't open them. I think it's a bit dusty since I've haven't touch it, was too scared to clean it because I'm sure it will soak the beautiful box print. 💦
Please help me with this, should I open it, or leave it? I'm admitting I'm not a collector but I know a lot of my friends never open there's. My cousin is crying over to open it but I told her no. She asked me a reason why not, I can't tell because I don't know myself and that the only thing I've told her was, it wasn't a toy. Of come she got mad and told on me, but I didn't know if I should let her or not. 💦
Can you end this inner debate for me guys? I can't seem to make up my mind. I can store my stuff for more room, by shoving it in a container and slide it under my bed? Eh, whaddya I do...?
┐⁠(⁠´⁠д⁠⁠)⁠┌ Beats me, I guess. ┐⁠(⁠‘⁠～⁠⁠;⁠)⁠┌
VERY SERIOUS QUESTION AND WOULD YOU OR WOULDN'T YOU DO?
If I were to die, where will my collection go? Donate? Give it away? Or bury it with my body? This is a serious question that I want to know in case somethimg natural happen! What would you guys do if you have over $10k or more worth of nendroid and your gone one day? Would you leave a note saying to give it away, donate or bury it with ya?
All honesty, I don't always spend my money on this stuff, yet I carelessly spend it on video games or cheap bootleg quality merch from third party sellers like Amazon, Etsy, or sometimes Aliexpress. But it's because I really love the quality on the nendroid soo much, I can't believe it but is it really true it's handmade, the paint I mean? And I was hoping for a Precure Nendroid in the future~ I will waste all my money on Precure and go bankrupt/homeless. XD
Also, if you know a safest way to clean a nendroid box, please comment! I need answers without too much damage! Again, not a collector, just like to display for fun and comfort.

Hello all
I have been with my fiancé for two years , engaged since April of this year after we found out she was expecting. Ever since I have known her, she has an anger issue, which is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I recognize that she goes into these episodes and it is impossible to get through her. A very simple question can caste A very simple question can cast her into an episode, which can result in a fight for eight hours where she is beyond hysterical and I am not able to break through her. I have suggested couples therapy and individual therapy and she has turned them both down however, I clearly think she needs medication.
I do love her, but our fights have become more frequent, and I am at a breaking point. Here’s a little bit of history.

1. The day of our engagement it was a beautiful day and the night we got home she got absolutely furious telling me the ring was too small and saying that I wanted to save money.
   
2. we went on a vacation in February and there was a location that I did not bring her to that was not on the itinerary and she had a complete meltdown because I went in the past with one of my exes. I simply did not go this time because I’ve been before.
   
3. she was busy working one weekend I wanted to go out of town to hang out with friends for the day and she threatened to divorce me.
   

We are further along in our pregnancy and I am not sure what to do . I have been trying to tough it out as fast I have been trying to tough it out as much as possible for my future child is becoming extremely hard.
I’m not sure if I can keep fighting relationship and I know we will have another fight.
Should I stay and fight for this relationship or break up and co parent my unborn child?

Hi! I've been in the showbiz/digital industry for years now so I have worked with famous (and not famous haha) names directly.
I feel bad every time I gossip with my friends and lately I've been feeling like I really need an outlet to expose/talk about these Celebs/Influencers so I made this thread instead haha dami ko rin nakikitang speculations here and on TikTok na wrong info so I want to educate
Siguro starting with Youtubers/TikTokers

• David Guison: 200-300k per post. Sounds big but tbh David is one of the most humble influencers I have met, super deserve. Very hardworking, straightforward, and collaborative. Mejo big name din kasi management/agency niya kaya the price is like that, ofcourse they have a cut from his TF. GWAPO IN PERSON lalaking lalaki haha vs online kasi mejo may gay vibes siya but ayun ok na ok in person and again sobrang bait lagi. Sa events g lang siya with anything and hindi nagpaparequire ng special treatment
• Rei Germar: DIVA :( Kay Rei ko na understand ung saying na "never meet your idol in real life". She's very small in person but super taray vibes and tbh kinda hard to work with. Hindi nakakatulong na parang same sila ugali ng manager niya na si Mika, mataray din and not pleasant at all. 200-300k per post din si ate. In events laging kailangan special siya -- ayaw niya ka-area other influencers especially if hindi masyadong sikat :(
• Nana Silayro: 500-600k per post. Mejo disappointing to si ate girl kasi imagine half a million yung bayad tapos late lagi sa deliverables kahit months ago pa sinabi yung deadline. A bit demanding also and may diva vibes :( We reached out to her because we love her content thats why we wanted to work with her, but again nadissappoint lang ako haha but we always get her parin kasi laging requested ng brands. Never met her in person though siguro and SANA mas mabait siya
  
• Toni Sia: 200-400k per post. But si sis ay not trusted :( Haha joke I think she really promotes her personal recos, but you can also pay her to promote something she hasnt tried as long as the TF is big. Naloka ako because we reached out to her to review a beauty item pero syempre we wanted her to try it first, tapos yung reply niya sa team along the lines of "hi its okay i can post na agad by tomorrow as long as payment is 300k" grabeee tapos nagpasend nalang ng list of "keywords" to use. But ayun i think nga minimix niya, ,may genuine content and pero may talagang bayad lang din. Pero work aside, in person and in events i like her personality she's very pleasant! She says hi and talks to whoever talks to her tapos bubbly magtalk!
  
• Comment below an artista/influencer you're curious about! Chika ko if naka work ko na!
  

Original prompt from u/Soporificwig97 ————————————————————————
He remembers it was a moonless night when he arrives at the abandoned mansion.
Despite the incredible pain he felt all around his body, his tired eyes caught sight of the mansion among the clearing, in the middle of a graveyard.
There was no time for any hesitation, the hunters are gaining on him. His last saving grace is just a few feets away.
The rest was a bit hazy. He remembers limping to the deepest part of the mansion and conveniently, there were many open caskets in the depths of the place. Perhaps this was an old mortuary?
The vampire quickly entered the nearest open casket he could find and soundly fell asleep.
When he awoke, first thing he noticed was he felt a little bit better, just a little. The second thing was the number of shadows hovering above him.
“I think he’s from dad’s side.” Said a voice of a boy.
“I think he’s mother’s.” Replied a gloomy voice of a girl.
“Everyone! He’s waking up.” A raspy old woman exclaimed.
The vampire blinked into view, he met with two children, one chubby boy and one deadpanned girl. A bald hunchback, an old woman with insane look in her eyes, and a tall, lean and beautiful woman in black. They were all looking down on him with excitement, except for the little girl.
“COUSIN!!!” A man with kemp black hair and mustache yelled above him, making him recoiled backwards. Only to grunt in pain.
“Oh, my apologies, old chap. My excitement got the better of me.” The man sooth him as he helped him sit up. “I’m just happy to meet the new member of our familia.”
He looked around, confused. “What is this? F-familia?”
“Why of course!” The man replied with pride. “We are the Addams!”
The vampire gave him a blank look. “I… I have no idea who you people are-“
“Well, then-“
“Gomez,” the tall and dark woman interrupted him. “Do you think we should ask our new family their name?” She asked, somewhat seductively at her husband.
“Yes! Almost forgot. What is your name, cousin?”
With a bit hesitation, he hopes he won’t regret telling them who he is. The vampire muttered. “I am Killian Arterberry. But I’m not-“
“Well, then Killian, on with the introduction!” Without a beat, he yanked him out of the casket and shows off his family to him.
“My name is Gomez Addams.” He went to the children first. “These are my wonderful children. Wednesday,” he addressed the gloomy girl, “and Pugsley. Say hello children.”
“Be afraid, be VERY afraid,” they said in unison.
Killian was dumbfounded. “Are… are they greeting me?”
“They’re sweet, aren’t they?” Gomez moves to the old woman, “this is Grandmama, my mother.”
“Hi handsome~” The woman croaked, her mouth open to a crooked grin. Killian narrowed his eyes at her with digust and confusion.
“This is my brother, Fester.” Gomez draft his arms around the bald hunchback.
“How do you do?” Fester stretches out his hand to shake.
Killian grabbed his hand only to yank it off of him and blood flew everywhere.
Fester screamed in “pain”. “Ah! My hand! My cleaving hand!” He moans and weeps on his knees.
Killian was startled only for a moment. “These aren’t blood.”
Fester stopped suddenly and looked at him. “How did you know?”
Killian only opened his mouth, bearing his fangs for everyone to see. He expected to see fear and digust but they awed and clapped joyfully.
“Ahaha, of course that doesn’t fools you, mi amigo.” Gomez said while clapping.
“What?” Killian muttered.
“Which reminds me, Lurch?” He called out to a hulking, statue of a man. Lurch grunts at him.
“Bring the man his breakfast please?”
Lurch grunts again and walks away.
“Is that Frankenstein’s monster? I thought he perished under the frozen waters.” Killian asked.
“He’s called Lurch from now on.” Said the tall and dark woman. “He’s the butler in our house.”
“Finally, our last member.” Gomez got next the woman. “This, my dear cousin, is the love of my life.” He looked at her with a longing, love-sick eyes. “My Cara Mia, the dusts in my coffin, the thorns of my roses, the hilt of my sword!”
Killian raised an eyebrow at that. They do realise there’re kids here right?
The woman seems to enjoy it immensely though. Fluttering her lashes at him and let him smothering her hand with kisses.
Before he could say anything, Lurch came in out of nowhere and present him with a tray of blood on them.
“We notice you are wounded from your previous disengagement.” Morticia stated. “The hunters must have been cruel to you, my poor man.”
“But never fear, mi primo. You are with family and you are safe with us!” Gomez pat him on the back gently.
Grandmama went next to Lurch. “Which one do you like A, B, AB, or O?” She quickly giggled. “I prepared them myself.”
Killian was overwhelmed with the family strange hospitality, but he managed to blurted put a thank you.
“How did you know I was wounded?“ He was going to ask how they know he was hunted but dropped it because the answer was obvious. The vampire grabbed a bag and sunk his fangs into it.
Fester comes next to him. “We found you down here a while back when we were hunting mice for dinner. Sneaky little critters must of hid in one of the casket, I found you there while looking. I wanted to open up your skull and see your brains but Gomez said I should ask for your consent first.”
“I…I see,” Killian replied. What wrong with these people. They can’t be human.
“The blood was delicious, thank you.” He commented, hoping to change the subject. In truth, the blood does help as he can feel his body healing, he felt refreshed, lighter. “How did you obtain these?”
“Why, blood donors of course.” Gomez answered. “Anything to help our newest member.”
Perhaps Killian had looked at him suspicious because Fester clarified. “Don’t worry. All of them were willing.”
“Most of them,” Wednesday added.
Killian clears his throats, he dust himself off. “Well, my odd friends it’s been a pleasure, but now I must take my leave.”
“Leave? But we just met.” Gomez said.
“Yes but there seems to be a misunderstanding here. I’m not your cousin and I won’t bother you any further.”
The family looks at each other.
“Where will you go?” Morticia asked with concern.
Killian was silent at that.
“Ah, I remembered now, I no longer have a home. No memoirs. No love ones. Not even pets. Everything was destroyed because of the hunters. I have no where else to go. And I am alone. For eternity.” He stated as he sat down to lament.
The family listened to him, Gomez and Morticia looked at each other pitifully with adoration.
“Oh Gomez, his life was miserable. Tragic and depressing.” Morticia commented.
“He’s perfect.” Gomez grinned. He come over to Killain, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Killian, when I looked at you I knew you will be apart of this famous. This will be your home, if you so choose. We will happily welcome you as our own.”
The vampire looked at the strange family again. These creepy, spooky, mysterious people who has nothing to gain in helping him, all they wanted was for him to join them?
Maybe staying with them isn’t so bad.

A little bit of background
I was an IT Support Contractor for a company and there for six months. I obtained employee of the month recognition within my first three weeks on the job. I am very likeable Customer Service Focused and get work done quickly and with thrilled customers.
During the last seven days of my six-month contract ending several of the high-end Managers scrambled and pulled favors to extend the contract another four months (this company outsourced all their Information Technology needs so no direct hires for IT). These Managers were not involved with my role (not sure how to say it…. it is almost 4am and I am fading.) I did not have a direct Manager or Supervisor at the office. They worked in a different state. I am observant, so I do not think Management will put off renewing my contract until the last minute. They really like my IT Support/Responsive Customer Service focus. I have 15+ yr. experience in IT Support with Customer focus.
So, on my last two days of contract employment, I flirted with a female coworker (she was newlywed with past sixteen months I think). We have had a joking/easy going co-workeIT Supporter relationship with making snarky comments sending emojis through messenger, making fun of each other. I am a natural flirt but NEVER EVER take it too far. So, on my last two days of contract employment I was slowly saying Goodbye and sharing contact info with people, and I found myself and the female colleague alone in the hallway. I told her that it was my last two days and told her “You are really Beautiful” and then I went back to finishing my transfer of knowledge and updating the IT Service Tickets with all kinds of notes.
I sent her some more flirty chat messages but NOTHING beyond flirty. Hours later after work I received a phone call, and the Contract Company asked me not to go back to work because there is an Investigation. I forgot to mention that my contract was renewed for six more months, and I received a 15% salary increase.
Turns out that the female colleague made a complaint to HR regarding me and the chat messages. I was the Contractor, and she was the full-time employee, so I was terminated.
This was 4+ years ago.
I just heard the Company is hiring for a full-time IT Support position with my skillset (not the Contract company). Do you think I can reconnect with them regarding the position?
When I say “flirting” I do NOT mean anything sexual.

Well, this is not really a shout for help, someone posted to grieve it by sharing my story. So here I go, trying to grieve and hopefully stop crying everytime I think of him. He was the love of my life. You may think "nah, if he is then you'll still be together" No, I can't explain it but, he was and possibly is. Let's start then.
We met online, I was in Indonesia and he's in America. I was 21 and he was 20. We hit it off instantly and everything was perfect, even with our fights and our problems. He would call me everyday, spend time with me, and just try to be there for me even with our great distance. I still remember what we used to watch, the first series was superstore, it was super funny. Then we watched Brooklyn 99, the office, the 90's show, the witcher, and so much more. I also love watching him play games, my fav was watching him play elden ring. He's so good at it. He also has a beautiful cat, she is the best girl. She always make his phone flip over everytime we video call and she usually sits on top of his computer. Me and him also like to just listen to music or podcasts. He would send me so many instagram reels and memes. We like to play rock paper scissors and be competitive about it. It was silly, but it was fun. We laughed and were just so happy. I was the happiest girl on Earth atm. I feel loved, safe, and cared for. He thinks about my feelings, my safety, and my happiness as I do think about him the same. His mother also likes me and I think she's the sweetest woman ever. He was going to marry me. We were supposed to meet finally after I graduate. Words are not enough to explain how good that relationship was even with its imperfections.
Even after all that, I lost him. I let him go. After 2 years of our relationship, I broke up with him. Yes I am the dumper. How foolish I was to ever decide to to that, not knowing this is how we will end up. Him with another girl and me, thinking about him. To start, after COVID, I was really busy with university. I was in my final year and was preparing for my final research to graduate uni. I was working with bacteria and I was also a peer-tutor for some classes. We grew apart, the time we spent together decreased and he grew insecure. Our past problems start to come up again and we fought, grew distant, and well, the topic of breaking up came up. I grew cold and he became sad and angsty. That's basically it, our problems came up when we grew apart. It broke us apart. When we broke up, he tried contacting me and yes I answered. He asked me how did I move on so quick, basically I said "focus on yourself"
What bullshit was that. I was busy. I didn't move on. I just got so busy I pushed aside my feelings and forgot about it. I worked 7 days a week, from day to night. I didn't, and yeah you did. Then after 7 months, I got less busy as I was preparing to move countries. Every feeling hit at once. Atp I didn't know he has a partner. So I thought I could contact him after all this business is finished. Fast forward to 11 months later, I settled in my new country. "This is the time to contact him" How dare I thought of that, after I dumped you, how could I think you would wait for me even after so many months have passed. You found your new special person and I am just someone from a memory for you. I realized to late that when I go, I left my spark, my heart with you. So now, I lost my spark.
When I contacted you, when I heard you got a gf, I couldn't say everything that I want. I wanted to say I'm sorry for leaving you alone, I am sorry for not loving you properly when I was busy, I am sorry. But most of all, I miss you,
and I still love you.
Because I still love you, I know I need to wish you happiness, even if it's not with me. After all, "your happiness is my happiness" That's what I always say. I asked you how do I forget a certain person, you said "focus on yourself" How funny, I was the one that said that last year. Life spins, and I owed karma and had to pay it in full. So here I am, sitting, going through life, without you by my side, but with you haunting my mind. I am living with our memories and I can't seem to imagine how else the future will be. I got a cat to keep me company so it's alright, her name is Ash. She's 6 months old already and she's my baby now.
If I am not bullshiting thought, I wish I can call you rn and scream how much I love you and how I wish we can be together rn. But nah, your happiness and wellbeing above all. I can't destroy your relationship just to selfishly make you back mine. I don't know how the future will turn out, but for now I'm content and I wish you never see this post. I wish you're happy, my love, my sunshine.

I had always hated the sight of my own reflection. In fact, I hated myself and my reflection just reminded me of that fact but in visual form. My parents called it 'low self-esteem', my paediatric therapist called it 'an ongoing battle with myself and my future self.' I called it 'Hell on Earth.' Every compliment I had ever received felt like it came with a side of pity and sarcasm. Layers of foundation and blush were not able to plaster over the deep rooted loathing for my appearance.
My doctor had prescribed me Diazepam which was supposed to take the edge off the way I felt. Sure, it helped a little but this wasn't something a 10mg tablet taken twice a day could fix. Nobody could seem to understand that this wasn't just teenage hormones, social anxiety or a confidence issue. It was an illness that ate at me from the inside out like malignant cancer of the blood. Furthermore, just like a cancer patient I knew I required treatment before it was too late.
My phone alarm jolted me awake at 7AM which was my cue to hit snooze. I didn't press snooze for a few extra minutes of sleep like most people. I pressed it to have a few minutes in bed to practice self affirmation. It was something my therapist told me would make a subtle difference to my opinion on myself. Actually, it was one of the very few techniques I had learnt that did help to ground me. It was simple, quick and took little to no effort.
"Regardless of how you interpret compliments, you receive them often for your eyes and smile."
"Your friends are always there for you, no matter how much you think they hate you."
"There are bound to be at least a few people in the world that find facial acne tolerable."
That was my biggest insecurity by far. My acne. People would always tell me I had such clear skin and constantly asked me what my skincare routine was but I knew what they were really trying to imply. Whenever I heard one of these remarks, I would feel my face flush red with embarrassment and that would make my acne more apparent which would start a vicious cycle of distress which was frequently followed by a panic attack.
My alarm went off for the second time and that signalled the start of my morning. I was up showering late last night so I decided to stay engulfed in my blankets for a little longer and loaded up TikTok to ease myself into the day. My TikTok feed was filled with models, motivational feminists and self-help gurus. The first video that appeared on my feed was uploaded by one of my favourite influencers: Lisa Cramling. She was a 28 year old Swede who had been living in Thailand for the last year. She was also living proof that not all pretty blondes were dumb. Her content was usually based around self-improvement and this particular video explored a certain form of therapy. Exposure Therapy.
I was vaguely familiar with the concept so I watched on. Lisa explained that it is commonly used to treat phobias. She went on to describe the process of it and how it can be very overwhelming for the patient but the end result is usually effective and the process can be very quick in comparison to other methods. She explained that it was essentially facing your fears head on and letting the fight or flight reaction dissipate until you are relaxed in the presence of your fear. A caption popped up on the screen.
'This is not medical advice. Always consult a health professional to determine whether exposure therapy could be a suitable treatment for you.'
She stressed how important it was that this was done in a controlled environment to prevent the chance of the phobia becoming more potent. The comment section was flooded with virtual nods of approval and testimonies claiming that exposure therapy saved their lives. Despite the thousands of likers and commenters that had engaged with that video, it felt like Lisa was directly addressing me and my issues.
I closed TikTok and fled my blanket cocoon with a motivated burst of energy that felt foreign to my usually lethargic body.
I went to the bathroom to begin my morning routine. I kept a charcoal towel draped over the bathroom mirror which permitted me to wash without being disconcerted by the sight of myself. I confirmed that the shower knob was set to the coldest setting and I began undressing. I took cold showers ever since Lisa said there were countless benefits (both mentally and physically,) to bathing in cold water. I was also made aware by another Tikoker that not drying yourself instantly after showering could lead to fungal infections such as athlete's foot. For this reason, I always kept a towel on the rack besides my shower cubicle so I could dry off quickly after my wash.
I remember my first time ever taking a cold shower. I channelled all of the grit and determination I could scavenge and I stepped into the cascading, piercing water. I think I lasted about four seconds before jumping out and wrapping myself in the warm embrace of my towel. As weeks went by, I started becoming comfortable in the frigidity of my shower cubicle. I guess it was a form of exposure therapy in itself and cold showers were now nothing more than a mundane chore to me.
As the last of the water droplets hit my body, I reached my dripping hand out to reach for the towel rack to begin drying. To my surprise I didn't feel the fluffiness of cotton fibre, but rather the resistance of solid steel. My hands searched the surrounding area and I came to the realisation that after my shower last night, I had forgotten to place the towel back onto the rack. My heart sank.
As the water travelled it's way down my legs and onto my feet, I could feel the skin on my soles begin to smoulder with fungi. I scrambled out of the shower in desperate search of something that I could use to dry myself off. I pawed at the toilet roll holder expeditiously before coming to the realisation that there was barely enough tissue to dry my hands and feet, let alone my entire body. My eyes sped around the bathroom looking for a solution and came to a sudden stop at the charcoal towel.
I paused momentarily and then yanked it from the mirror, keeping my eyes sealed shut. I could see Lisa's Tiktok looping in my mind. In almost no time, I had dried myself and I stood still completely blind. I started thinking that maybe this whole ordeal was a sign that things needed to change and they needed to change now. I knew that phobias were irrational and there was no logical reason to be afraid of the mirror, but knowledge is futile in the face of fear.
I sat down on my bed and leant over to my bedside table. I clutched the white bottle sat atop it, removed two pills of Diazepam and placed them under my tongue before laying my head down for a moment. I then sat up and pulled a large post it-notes and a red marker from my bedside drawer. I thought back to Lisa's video and how she had mentioned that exposure therapy patients usually worked their way up to facing their fears. My plan was to cover the features of my reflection using numbered post-it notes and slowly peel them back revealing a new feature once I felt comfortable exposed to the previous one.
I walked over to the mirror taking caution not to view it directly and placed post-it notes all over the mirror to cover it completely. Level one of the therapy would be to look at all of the parts of the mirror that didn't show my face at all. I scrawled a one over all of the post it notes on the perimeter of the mirror. Level two would be my eyes. I repeated the same process, scribbling the number two on any parts that would be covering my reflection's eyes. Level three would be viewing her hair. Level four would be viewing her lips and I labelled all of the remaining post-it notes with the number five. Five levels of exposure therapy.
I told myself that no matter what happened, I must not turn away from the mirror as the mere thought of this phobia growing any stronger was enough to make my life completely unliveable. I knew it would be intense but I felt I was ready. I was starting to feel the effects of the Diazepam already and felt my shoulders relax and fall to my sides. I locked my bathroom door and started the process.
I began by slowly removing all of the post-it notes labelled with a one. This revealed the reflection of the walls and surfaces behind me and I felt completely fine. I wanted to make sure I did this properly so I really took the time to stare into the reflection and be conscious of the way I was feeling. I started whispering out phrases of self affirmation.
"Your reflection is beautiful."
"Your reflection is pretty."
"Your reflection is drop-dead gorgeous."
Despite the fact I was only looking at a reflection of my surroundings, I was not anxious and I was ready to move on to level two. I placed my hands over both post-it notes labelled with a two and simultaneously peeled them from the shiny surface. I saw my reflection and I was now making eye contact with her. I welcomed my eyes into hers but she did not reciprocate the act as she was staring at the ceiling. I felt a tsunami of warm blood flood from my chest to my extremities. I tensed my face and forced my eyes to close. I knew what I was seeing wasn't real. Of course my reflection was looking back at me but my fear was so strong that my mind was playing tricks on me to get me to safety.
The words of Lisa echoed in my head, "Exposure therapy can be very overwhelming however withdrawing from the treatment too early can lead to dire consequences." Suddenly, those words were interrupted by the fluttering sound of pieces of paper hitting the floor. The post-it notes had began falling. My eyelids served as protection from the monstrosity that was to be revealed in due time.
"I can do this!"
I retracted my defences and what I saw was petrifying. Her head was abnormally small in comparison to the bulbous eyes protruding from her ghastly eyelids. They were suffocating within the very sockets which they were caged. Her wired hair stood straight up, in messy spikes like the teeth of a disfigured headlice comb. Her face was the colour of gravel. The folded wrinkles and cavernous scars on her face intertwined to create a clamour of chaos and commotion. Her cracked lips were pursed together and stretched across the the breadth of her jaw which produced a psychotic smile. Her jaw was low hanging and seemed to be unhinged from one side with a clump of skin dangling from that same side. The bridge of her nose was pencil-thin and revealed her peculiar bone structure. Punctured deep into her skin were a cluster of red spots, with each individual one roasted purple at the tip. As soon as my eyes fell to the spots, her skin began to darken and the capillaries in her eyes became visible along with the network of veins buried belowthe surface of her her translucent skin. Her head suddenly began to violently vibrate and the spots on her face became geysers bursting open one by one and expulsing pus through the holes in her face.
My knees gave out under me and I stumbled into the towel rack behind me. I bent down and grabbed a razor from the cabinet and began slashing wildly at the mirror whilst holding my palm over my face to block my vision.
Some Time Passes
A nurse gently shook me awake.
"Hey, how are you feeling? Could you hold your hand out for me?"
She twisted the canular valve on my hand shut and sat at the foot of the bed I was laying in.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"You're in hospital." She replied gently.
"Why? How did I get here?"
"Do you really not remember?"
She turned her head to the side as if I was supposed to remember exactly what had happened.
"The police were called to your address after a neighbour down the street heard shattering glass. Due to the time of night, they told the operator they assumed it was a burglary. The police made their way into your home and heard distressing noises from the bathroom. The door was locked so they kicked it down to find you on the floor with a razor in your hand.They say they saw blood everywhere and hair all over the floor."
I touched the top of my head and winced in pain as I noticed it had fresh cuts all over it and it was completely bare.
I felt sick at the thought of being bald and my face must have visually showed it as the nurse was soon handing me a metal bowl with one hand and rubbing on my shoulder.
My vision blurred and I began vomitting into the bowl. After the contents of my stomach (mostly bile) had been extracted into the bowl, she reached out to take it from me.
"I'll just replace this and be back in a minute."
I felt exhausted. I lay my head down onto my pillow and watched the nurse leave. I looked over to the bowl grasped between her gloved fingers. I could see a faint reflection in the curvature of the bowl. My reflection was perked up in the hospital bed like a mannequin, completely still with the same psychotic smile draped across her jaw.

My cat, Tee-Tee, is a boy born on July 12, 2023. He has 2 sisters & a brother, but we gave away the oldest, so he lives w/ his mama, Oreo (~1.5y/o tuxedo), his sister Rolo (I think might be a Turkish Van?), & his brother Beebs Jr./B.B. (also maybe Turkish Van, I think they have a different daddy than Tee-Tee). My family also has 3 other cats we've had much longer than them, Callie (~9y/o tortoise shell), Beebs (~12-14y/o), & Arthur (~13-14y/o Maine Coon-Long Hair mix). I'm the youngest human in the house, I have an older sister, & we live with our Grandma & Papa. My whole family loves animals, especially cats. Right now we have 7, my Aunts' have 5-6 cats, 2 dogs & 10 rabbits, & I couldn't count all my cousin's pets on all my limbs. Animals always favor my sister or grandma over me (we call my sister the cat whisperer becuz no matter where we live strays will always find us), but for the first time, I was a cat's favorite to cuddly with, Tee-Tee's. I promise I don't have a favorite, but he does require more attention & jumps up in my bed to cuddly with me, while most of the cats dislike or are indifferent to being held or cuddled with. To make a long story short, over the summer we took in an obviously pregnant stray, Oreo, & she had 4 beautiful babies, Tee-Tee was the 2nd-born. Tee-Tee's always been a handful (his name was Tweety until we started calling him Trouble/Troublemaker, which turned into Tee-Tee). When he was born, Oreo struggled, & my grandma had to help pull him out. When he was finally out, my grandma was crying out of fear he wouldn't make it. We're pretty sure the kittens were born a little late, but there's no way of knowing. When they were all born they were a little bigger than other litters, my grandma said, we assume it's because they got extra baking time. Because Oreo was a "sort of" a stray & there was a big problem with all the "strays" outside kept getting pregnant, so there's a possibility that at least Tee-Tee, if he does have a different dad than his siblings (which is possible, & even in humans too, tho is very rare), is inbred. We even had a problem w/ Beebs Jr. getting on top of Oreo when she was in heat, until we got him fixed. It was so frequent that I even had a nightmare about the chance of inbred-kittens. His health problem could be related to the possibility, but other than that him & his siblings r completely normal, silly cats that love to play & cuddle together (the boys r also massive pigs, tho Rolo doesn't eat very much wet food). Tee-Tee's also never used the litter box, we've tried swapping out litter for chips, we have 2 boxes in the living room, one covered one not, & he's still never used it on his own even now. That's unrelated, but thought that maybe someone could give tips on that as well? Anyway, when Tee-Tee was about 6 months old, he got fairly bad eye-crusties, nothing too severe, tho my anxious ass worried about it frequently. Those eventually went away, but in December he started getting this green-ish blue goop or mucus from his eyes. Half a year later & it's still bad. It starts with his right eye getting gooped-up, but then after a while his left eye will get goopy, then both eyes will get leaky w/ a orangey-red color (I don't think it's blood??), & the left eye will get even worse. On the right the mucus is typically a blue-ish green, but on the left it's more of a green-ish yellow color, same texture & consistency tho. Around his left eye will get stained, since that's where his fur is white, & it'll have this orange-y color around it, & get a little puffy, but not excessively. We wipe his eyes with clean tissues, clean toilet paper, or clean & damp paper towels. We took him to the vet a while back, & the vet prescribed him w/ oral antibiotics (the kind you administer with a syringe inside the mouth) & eyedrops. They seemed to help him, though admittedly we didn't give him meds as frequently as we should have becuz we're quite busy, with me & my sister's school, Papa's work, & my sister's job. Plus, my grandma has chronic pain & sleep problems, so she can't give him meds by herself. When we give him meds, we wrap him up/swaddle him into a towel or blanket, then while I hold him & his arms down so he doesn't fight, my grandma shoots the oral antibiotics into his mouth (carefully, not aggressively, becuz we don't want to scare him). Then she pulls his eyes open (which he heavily resists), & give him 3 drops per eye (prescribed dose). Then we unwrap him & give him a treat or extra food (he really likes Boinker's cat lollipops, highly suggest, 5/7 cats approve). After that he usually runs off. After a while he starts getting skittish becuz he doesn't want to get meds, so we make sure to give him plenty of love & treats when we're not giving him meds so he won't run away from everyone all the time. He's very social normally, & very, VERY stupid, but I love him. The vet said that once we finished all the meds, the eye problems should have disappeared. Soon, though, they reappeared after we ran out of the oral meds. The eyedrops don't help nearly as much. We took him to get fixed & again to get his eyes checked out, & the vet prescribed more oral antibiotics, 2 types of eye drops, & my grandma bought this maple-flavored thing to put on cat's paws for them to lick, it's supposed to support their immune system. Once again, it worked, & we would switch up w/ eye drops we gave him. We ran out of the orals, & one type of eyedrops. We're worried sometimes, though, the eyedrops might burn becuz of how resistant he is? Anyway, guess what's back!? The whole thing starts all over: the right goops, the left goops, they leak, his left is all orange-y, his left eye also looks kinda red, the transparent layer on the eye that opens kinda vertically?? Idk what it's called. We're poor, & have 4 humans & 7 cats to take care of. We can't afford to keep buying him meds (I want to get a job over the summer to help pay for Tee-Tee's vet & to get Oreo spayed). My Grandma & Papa keep bringing up getting his eyes removed, & while it sounds like they're half-joking, my grandma assured me they're seriously considering it. Idk if they can get his eyes removed, how expensive that'd be, etc. All I know is I don't want Tee-Tee to be hauled back to the vet, be but under anesthesia, then wake up scared & lonely becuz he can't see anything or anyone. I'm worried about how he'd navigate through the house, interact & play with his siblings & the other cats, etc. He's a sweety & I can't stand the idea of it. I love him more than anything, & I know cat owners always say that, but I would kill & die for my cats if I needed to. They're the most important thing in the world, & the best thing that's ever happened to me. I start crying looking up what the hell the problem could be with his eyes, which is understandable. Who could look at all these pictures of cats w/ uncomfortable-looking eye conditions, yet none of them match my kitten's eyes enough. All these charts & descriptions of different cat eye discharge & infections & illnesses, but none match. One eye's discharge (right, surrounded by black fur) is a blue-ish green color with a mucus-like texture & consistency, not sticky tho. The other eye (left, surrounded by white fur) gets green-ish yellow goop, same consistency. It's typically in the outer corner of his eyes, inside the lid, but it builds up quickly. We wipe his eyes multiple times a day to keep his face from getting messy, or possibly obstructing his vision, or whatever. When he was little we thought he got scratched in his right eye playing with his brother, but when the left eye started acting up I guess we scrapped that theory. I'm so desperate, begging anyone's assistance, advice, support, comfort, please. Getting rid of him or any of the cats isn't an option. I'll try attaching a picture of him here, but I don't have any of his eyes "gooped up". If you think it'd help to take & add some here, I'll try to take some though. Thank you for the help, I'm desperate. He's been extra skittish & weird lately, tho maybe that's just him being a silly little baby weirdo like he always is.

I know alot of people will not agree with what I am about to say but I just needed to get this off my chest somewhere.
I (41m) have been with my wife (39f) for 24 years total and 14 yrs married. We have had our ups and downs and both made mistakes. I will always love this woman and I'm not here to bash her.
In the last 3 years there has been a huge disconnect between us I have overly tried to fix. I have been vocal about how I feel but it's been like talking to myself. I am 100% emotionally checked out at this point. I have recently been going to individual consoling to identify things about myself outside of just the marriage. The more I have gone the more confident I have become. The more we talk the more I'm realizing yes I have a part I own in this but no I'm not deserving of the disrespect.
We have two absolutely beautiful super smart kids. A 16f and 12m. These two are my absolute world. I am extremely close to both of them and generally spend most of my free time with them in some way. I refuse to turn their world up side down. This is their home and they deserve to feel safe and secure. My wife and I don't yell or fight, we still communicate about things we have to, it's just dead in all other areas. She has shown me for years she doesn't care and I'm done trying. I will always love this woman but I'm realizing I don't deserve to be neglected, demeaned, and ignored.
I have 2 years with my beautiful daughter and 6 years to get my boy up to his fullest potential and prepare him for his future. The kid is super smart so I'm not worried. Wish me luck!

hi guys.
i have been considering reconciliation with my ex girlfriend. we dated for 3 years and have lived together for 2 years. she is the most sweet, loving and caring woman i have ever met; even after the affair- i still think very highly of her. she is intelligent, beautiful, has always showered me with love, affection, and kindness. but she struggles heavily with mental health issues and is very emotional at times. she had a very bad childhood. before we dated, she was in a very emotionally and physically abusive long-term relationship with a narcissist. he was a serial cheater (7+ discoveries) and has caused her severe trust issues to this day. she tells me everything this man did to her, and it makes my blood boil.
this has led to a lot of anger outbursts and irritability as she is still healing from the damage he caused her. i still can’t believe she told me she has forgiven him. she told me she had to forgive him because she couldn’t live with the fact he was getting what he wanted by scarring her.
she has gotten a lot better with managing her anger and i am happy to see her finding her peace. we have a lot of assets together and i was thinking of marrying her before i figured out about her online affair.
dday was around 2 months ago.
i felt my bp draw away from me for a bit, 2 months or so. these past 6 months she has been very stressed about us moving into a new apartment together, she was the one who managed all of our bills, appointments, and has always been the breadwinner in our relationship.
(this was her first time living away from family) and about a lot of recent changes in her life. her mother had a stroke when she was a child and as a result my bp has taken care of her mother and her brothers since she was around 7 years old. this has really been a big part of who she is today. she is strong, independent, and valuable and i have never met a woman as sweet as she is.
she has told me the stress of her feeling like she “abandoned” her family has began to eat her up. i would often see her crying and i ask her what is up. she tells me she is okay, just missing her family.
she found out a month before dday that her mother has began confabulating and was diagnosed with dementia. she lost it. she completely withdrew from me and did not want to do much of anything. i have a hard time comforting people and i really didn’t know how to help her. i felt horrible for not being able to.
she began spending a lot of time alone on her computer. she would stay up later than normal and began being snappy to me. at night, her phone got a lot of notifications. i know its wrong, but i felt the urge to know what she was doing. i looked through her phone and to my surprise, i discovered that she had been sexting a man on discord for the past week.
i was shattered. i do not know much about ap besides his name. i do know that he lives halfway across the world. i know they never met up in person (we have life360). i did not tell her i found out. later that night, she told me she felt like what she had been doing was very wrong. i asked her, “is it about AP?” she went silent, and said, “yes, and i blocked him.” she sobbed and told me she did not want to hurt me anymore. she broke up with me that night.
the next day, i started packing up my things to leave and she called me when she was at work. i told her i was leaving and she broke down sobbing. she told me she didn’t want me to leave, and that she would be home soon to discuss what happened further because she felt it was not right and it was eating her alive. she told me the right thing to do was to break up with me because she had hurt me, but that she didn’t want to see me go.
she arrived at our house and my family was there helping me pack my stuff. i told them she had cheated on me with a man online and they were furious. my family began verbally attacking my bp, and calling her names and i was afraid they were going to hurt her.
my bp told them that they were not going to harass her in her own home, and that this was a matter between her and i. she admitted to cheating on me to them, but said she was not going to be discussing this further with them at the moment.
my bp broke down and begged me not to leave. that she was sorry for cheating on me, that it was her fault and not mine, and that she did not understand why she would hurt me so badly. i left anyway. we kissed, hugged and said i love you before we departed. i told her i couldn’t get past it. she was heartbroken.
my bp left me a message that night apologizing for what she did and that she is mortified that she has hurt me so badly with her actions. she apologized to me basically every week. she told me she is hurting because i am hurting.
i ignored her for a while. but i was really worried about her. i was worried about her mental health. she was suicidal during our relationship. she was managing all the bills alone and without my additional income, she was struggling really badly. i sent her money during this time to assist her.
she asked me if we could meet in person and talk things through. i was reluctant at first, but eventually we agreed on a meet up. we met up a month after dday and she told me a lot.
she told me she was attending therapy to figure out what is wrong with her, and has began reading the bible. she told me how much she loved me, wanted me to be happy, with or without her. she told me that she wouldn’t be angry if i hated her. i told her, no, i could never hate her.
she asked me if she could hug me. we hugged, and she told me that she missed my hugs. she sobbed for a while and apologized to me for crying, that she did not want to cry but she could not hold it in. that night she and i ended up being intimate and having sex. i still felt very connected to her.
we regularly have met up for the past month, going on dates, continuing our intimacy. we still say i love you, call each other pet names, and we basically text all day long when she and i aren’t busy. she apologizes to me every day for cheating on me, and continues to shower me with love and affection, constantly reassuring me that i am amazing, that it was her fault, not mine; and that she will never want to ever hurt me again.
we have on and off days. i can’t stop thinking about her ap. i tell her this, and she tells me that he is no longer in her life and that she has only ever truly wanted me, and no one else. she tells me she was selfish for destroying our relationship for validation, that she was hurting inside and that ap was nothing but a fantasy in her mind to escape from reality. she tells me that there are no excuses for what she did, that it was always the wrong choice. that she should have never let him into her life the way she did, she should have gone to me for validation, that she wishes she could go back and stop everything. she has told me she has plans to apologize to my family and friends, because they trusted her and she betrayed them as well.
she apologizes to me a lot and i can tell she has a lot of remorse. i believe that she would never do it again. everytime we hang out, i can tell that she wasn’t the same bubbly, weird-but- cute girl she used to be.
even when we aren’t talking about it, she occasionally brings it up that she is sorry for cheating on me. that she is sorry for causing me such a pain, that she knows exactly how i feel and she can’t believe she would hurt me like that.
i want things to work out with her, but i still can’t believe that she would ever do that to me. i think about her ap a lot. why did she choose him like that??
i want her to be happy. i want, but i also don’t want to be with her. my emotions are everywhere.

I'm trying to do more data collection instead of just asserting what I feel to be the truth, or expressing truths which 'speak for themselves' in a way. Reason being, I just gave my first public speech on "how to calculate the day of the week for any day in the current year" using a system I developed myself a year back so I wouldn't get in trouble for being on my phone at [insert popular retail company] when I had to date expired products. No one understood what I was talking about, but I spoke eloquently, so I was heralded as a sort of 'genius' by my teacher and some of the students. Really, inferior Fe go BRRR and I felt dumb for not being able to express myself... I want people to find utility in what I'm discussing. You're not smart if you're in a public speaking class and speak incomprehensibly, you're just an idiot who doesn't know how to adjust their topic or presentation for an audience.
I felt very misunderstood because I was being molded into this "smart guy" character again who I don't want to be - I just want to find a girl whom I'm compatible with and part of my attraction game is finding beauty in complexity - and as a result of the corresponding lapse in attentiveness I had a near-fatal accident on the way back from this speech about three nights ago. I wasn't paying attention and totaled my car by slamming into a giant pickup truck head-on, but I was unscathed except for airbag burns. Everyone who saw the accident said I was extremely lucky, as was the other driver who is MIA. Anyway, I'm just glad neither of us had any physical injuries and I feel ashamed for not paying attention, but this is 1ish compensation for feeling almost entirely unaffected by the experience, even though I almost lost my life for being a dazed & confused head-in-the-clouds idiot.
I met a girl at my public speaking class who I liked. She asked if I watched "A Beautiful Mind" and said I reminded her of the character. Then she said I was probably too young to know about that film (she is probably about 27). I told her I watched and liked it pretty well, trying to overcome this shitty/projected 'young and inexperienced in love' mold. I asked her if she had seen "The Theory of Everything" or "Social Network" which I think are better films and have a similar concept for 'Stephen Hawking' and 'Mark Zuckerburg,' respectively. At this point, she seemed to have lost interest in the conversation, presumably because I'm engaging with the topic instead of her...? I don't know. She might not be interested but she keeps doing subtle maneuvers to get attention such as toying with her hair and 'posing'. Anyway, I'm tired of being the 'young guy' because I like older women, and have had rodeos with women who are anywhere from my age-28, with the majority being in their mid-20s. She said she'll talk to me whenever she needs help with math, even though I told her I'm more creative than smart or talented... this sounds like some sort of ploy to get me frustrated at being placed in an impersonal box for some 'insignificant hobbyist purpose', this happens all the time. I think more direct interest (checking her out or otherwise being captain obvious) is expected after this, but I don't play those kinds of games. I want to have a good conversation, evaluate my options, then I will make a decision. It's supposed to be vague, ambiguous, and relaxed at first.
She's really interesting, she has a lot of hobbies and is probably another 7 - she's an art director who snowboards, surfs, does motorcycle races and so on.
I was listening to the Big Hormone podcast "Antipositive Outlook", and now I want to reframe my experiences in light of the idea that nines experience a sort of... retroactive harmonizing.
After the accident, I had the presence to check the street for oncoming traffic before I crossed over to the sidewalk, ears still ringing. I sat down while witnesses were calling the cops, trying to identify the other driver (who drove off), and generally viewing the accident as a scene of sorts with 'heroes' and 'villains.' I let them spin their own narratives of what happened, going along with each one even though in some ways they directly contradicted each other. I knew exactly what happened and just waited for police so I wouldn't have to waste energy explaining myself. Still, I did so cordially, fed the preexisting narratives whenever I could (everyone thought I was the victim), let others think what they wanted to think since I feel completely powerless to change first impressions.
Anyway, this was my attempt at unveiling some of my 9 narcissism as discussed in the podcast:
9 // positive outlook

• · Repressed anger chronic low-level depression
• · Less positive valence than 2 and 7, neutralized “it’s fine” valence, “no issues here”
• · Even when depressed, impulsively say “I’m fine”
• · 9s find it threatening to be specifically located, prefer dispersion, anti-individuating
• · Sensitive to others’ experiences / cognizant of others’ experiences
• · Some 9s want to be seen despite their dispersion, want to be seen without having to own up, “can you still see me through this?”, “do you care?”
• · Not often overtly positive – compared to twos and sevens
• · 9’s brand of narcissism (sometimes cocky about their knowledge)
• · Harmonizing with everything in the universe, physically, “I’m connected to everything,” I know [realm of instincts] intuitively
• · Perpetual “Deja vu” in the realm of instincts
• · Retroactively reconnect everything in their minds, seeking reunion
• · Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde / compartmentalization

There’s only so many times I can say, “I wouldn’t go back to him even if he begged!”, before the people around me call my bluff.
My love, what we had was nothing short of special. Every kiss, every touch, every moment where, for just a second, your scent lingered in the absence of your presence. Even the “bad” moments. The arguments, the fighting, the PASSION. The pure connection between us that felt so right, it could only be chalked down to the fact that it was “meant to be”. My mind, heart and soul were finally at peace, and were safe in your presence.
The way I felt for you, I have never felt for another.
How am I supposed to forget about what we had, and what could have been. Oh, my love, what we could have been. My love, how am I supposed to forget about you and move on with another, when you never leave my mind. Every good, bad, happy and sad moment has me waiting to share it with you. Every notification on my phone… for a split second I believe it is you. Every. Time.
I went on a date last night. She was beautiful, warm, kind, and someone from my past. We are compatible, and she fit the criteria of who I look for in a partner! When we fell asleep, we fell asleep in each other’s arms. I was so happy! I wanted to tell you all about it, as i do all memorable moments throughout my day.
“He’s not coming back”. Those words echoed through my brain. I ignored them, for they were not true. It was as if a toddler were trying to gain the attention of their caregiver by misbehaving. “If you ignore it, it’ll go away”, they say. They face the other way in hopes that their child will stop the negative behaviour and finally settle. But the longer they ignore the child’s behaviour, the louder the child becomes, finding more bold ways to convey their message. Just as the toddler, the voice in my head “he’s not coming back” continued to get louder and louder until I could not hear anything else.
He’s not coming back.
This isn’t another break. He’s not going to change his mind, we’re not going to work things out, we’re not going to have our happily ever after.
My love, I would let you break my heart into a million pieces as many times as you like. I’d let you discard me, leave me heartbroken in bed unable to eat or sleep for days, as many times as you like. I would let you break me as many times as it takes you to stay. As many times as it takes you to realise where you belong. For, every moment spent with you is a blessing. If I had the opportunity to have my heart broken by you again, I would cherish every second spent by your side. I would make every kiss last just that little bit longer. I would make a conscious effort to memorise the way in which you breathe. I would trace your face with my fingers for just a few seconds longer than necessary. I would tell you that i love you one last time.
My heart will long for you, and will continue to call your name. It won’t be forever, but the uncertainty of knowing the end date is breaking me. How long will I long for you? How much longer will this pain have to last? How do I continue working towards my future when YOU were supposed to be my future.
“If he came back to me, I wouldn’t go back to him. He hurt me too much and I would be putting myself through all of that agony and pain again. The trust is broken, it wouldn’t last”… is what I tell others in an attempt to convince myself. But, my love, I would return to my place in your arms without hesitation. You know me, always looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses. I will continue to convince myself that it wouldn’t work, but there’s always going to be a part of me that KNOWS it could have… hadn’t you been so foolish as to throw our love, trust and commitment away. How could you do that? You left me, twice. How could you do that to someone you love? How could you do that to me? You knowingly caused me so much heartache and pain. How could you?
You were supposed to be my forever, but you won’t even be my tomorrow.
I miss you my love. Please come home.

Hello I'm a random person in this world who made a commitment to watching through a bunch of Kyoto Animation's works this year and I just finished watching season 1 and 2 of Chunibyo. You can ignore this blabbering if you want. Also I haven't watched as much anime as probably most anime fans have, so the troupes or cliches still feel fresh to me.
I got into season 1 expecting it to be just a comedy (I don't look too much into the descriptions of the show so as to avoid being spoiled too much), but it slowly started to turn into a more serious show as the season progresses. Rikka's situation having to cope with the loss of her father and dealing with it by having these delusions of magical powers was fascinating. When Yuuta told Rikka to take the eye patch off and the next episode came in, she just acted like a normal person, which somehow felt wrong, as if this wasn't the real person. The episodes slowly started being about how Rikka was disregarding her own feelings and instead to behave in a way that other people want her to be, and once Yuuta finally realises what he had done, he brings her back. The scene where Rikka says farewell to her dad was incredibly moving. By the end of the first season it made me reflect on its themes.
The term "Chunibyo" as how I understand it from the show is about a childish act that people put on to pretend they're a special character in some delusional space. As Yuuta tries to grow out of it because of embarrassment, he is then reconnected to it because of Rikka, although not completely. I see those moments and thought that although it does seem embarrassing, I don't think it's right to completely suppress these child-like imaginations, I believe there's something beautiful about it, and losing it could meaning losing a part of yourself. Also side note I absolutely love Nibutani as a character. Even though she was sorta introduced as the popular girl and the one that Yuuta tries to get closer to, their relationship form in the most unexpected but cool way. Nibutani ends up being an excellent support character who actually cares a lot for her friends, despite her trying her hardest to get rid of her past. She's the best wingwoman a person could have.
Now in season 2 after the two characters are established as a couple, we get introduced to Sophia. The initial impression I got was that she was going to be the smug rival of Rikka, especially since she was close friends with Yutta since middle school. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much I actually liked her as a character. When things are clarified, Sophia is actually quite a considerate person and knows to respect Rikka as Yuuta's girlfriend, and even does her best to wave away any misunderstanding and eventually become good friends. The season shows her struggling with her feelings for Yuuta, and she tries really hard to put up the impression of how strong she is mentally. The scene when she's fighting with her inner self when she asks Yuuta these questions and then ends up crying almost made me cry, I felt really bad for her. She's trying her best to move on knowing she doesn't have a chance to be Yuuta's lover and the show really shows it, I can never stop applauding how well KyoAni animates those emotional scenes. It's the kind of drama in a show where nobody is really in the wrong, and more than anything Sophia tries her best to get rid of these emotions that she can't control. When Yuuta realises after that night about why Sophia was asking these questions, he's unsure of what to do. And then Nibutani (praise her as being possibly one of the best characters in the show for me) offers her support to Sophia given that she also knows her. The season does eventually end on a positive light, which I was relieved more than anything (I had nightmarish thoughts on what might've happened with Sophia).
So overall, I really liked the show. Despite its appearance, the show could come off as being weird, but I think there's a charm in it. I quite liked all the characters of varying degrees, though I did find it weird Yuuta was the only main male character with the occasional Isshiki appearance. But yeah thank you for coming to my ted talk, I'll be bringing this up to my friends later as well.

I am 29f and I already know that I am bi since I was 8. I have not experienced troubles with coming out or being open about etc. Currently I am in a very happy relationship with a guy for almost 6 years. (Extra context I am living abroad for a year and going back home in a few days)
But why do I hate being bi at this moment...
Well I met this girl and I already thought she was very beautiful and got a harmless crush on her, her boyfriend is also pretty cute btw. To keep it short fast forward and I became really good friends with both of them. I could say I had maybe have a crush on both. But sometimes you get a friendship crush when you meet new amazing people. It confused me already a little but I could handle it. BUT NOW MY HEART HURTS and I hate being BI.
Because I am leaving soon we shared presents and a letter. I try to focus my letter on both of them instead of writing a letter about her and how amazing I think she is. Because that would be a little weird maybe. But she wrote a heartfelt letter about me and showed so much love an cried and I cried etc. Already saying our goodbyes.
The line between friends and having a crush and being in love are so thin right now! It makes me confused and my heart aches. I don't know what to do with myself.
Do you have some tips please.