I am not The OOP, OOP is u/ThrowRA74fttf5
I'm[f36] getting really lonely, but hubby[m34] doesn't want to change our open relationship rules.
Originally posted to sex
Original Post Dec 30, 2022
Originally opening up our marriage was my idea. When presented with the idea hubby was strongly against it, however after just one night of thinking about it he changed his mind and was enthusiastic about it.
I have set up rules and borders. To keep everything private, family and friends are off the table, use protection... Hubby was OK with those. The only rule that he added is that we do not have to fulfil each other sexual/romantic/emotional needs anymore. I was OK with that.
I took a very "classic" approach to an open marriage and just started going out with other men.
Hubby took a very alternative approach.
He had built a huge man cave in the basement and practically moved into it. It's his room now, he sleeps there too. Doesn't want to watch movies with me, cuddle or anything. Also he started going to the gym with his coworker, they go out together, spend a lot of time in his mancave, she even sleeps over sometimes. However hubby insists that they are just friends and he is not bringing his lover to our house and I believe him, she seems gay.
Our daughter spends a lot of her time with them. They play videogames, billiard, music. Sometimes they order takeaway food and eat down there. She doesn't spend a lot of time with me. The rest of the house seems deserted.
I broke one rule and have asked my husband about his sex life. He says that sometimes he hires an "escort girl", and that experience can last him for a month or two. I wanted to share but he didn't want to know anything about my sex life.
So all in all he has managed to set up his life just fine within the borders and rules we had set up. He had "compartmentalised" every need in his life. He gets sex from sex workers, they do not complain, company and emotional support from his friend, which doesn't complain, I guess we are partners in finances and parents of our child.
They made a plan to make a huge tour of Europe together, hubby asked me is it OK to take our daughter this summer to tag along with them.
I wanted to tag along. He declined :/
I asked my daughter does she want to travel with me this summer, she said that I am boring and want's to go with her dad. :/
I'm starting to feel really lonely. Hubby is not interested in deeper conversations, touches, cuddles, even sex initiations. He is only interested in doing "fun" stuff.
I talked with my hubby about changing the rules of our relationship, so that we can get atleast one day per week of us time. He said that he is OK about changing a rule about being emotional with our partners. So I can find a lover which is emotionally supportive and wants to spend time and travel with me.
I tried doing that, but it turned into a proper shitshow. I made plans to spend this Xmas with my lover, and ended up spending it alone.
So I resorted to using an ultimatum. I placed divorce on the table. Hubby said that we are financially much better off together, but if I want one he is not going to make it hard for me.
Now what?
THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP. DO NOT CONTACT THE OOP OR COMMENT ON THE ORIGINAL POST

"I wanted to nab the thief while Exbo here wanted to get his buddy back. Although it was our first meeting, we fought together. That guy may have escaped, but we've decided to battle together from now on. Even if I meet new Pokemon along the way, I will still treat them the same way, because to me...Pokemon are my partners! We work alongside for the same goals, because...we are partners!"
Gold was raised around Pokemon, his home having so many it was known as the Poké House to those in the community. But after a chance encounter leads to his Pokemon being stolen and being the sole witness to a boy stealing Professor Elm's Totodile, Gold gives the police a false description of the thief before setting out with a Pokedex and a Cyndaquil to hunt him down himself. Along the way, Gold demonstrates a deceptive fighting style, often using his cue to send Pokeballs in strange directions and using other members of his team to hide the key play another Pokemon is performing, as well as an ability to nurture the full potential out of any Pokemon from as early as them being in an egg, earning him the moniker of 'the Hatcher'. With these skills, Gold would prove a key player as he faced off against the likes of a revived Team Rocket, a masked man seeking to rewrite time, and even Arceus themselves.
All feats are tagged with the chapter they appear in.

Gold

Physicals

Strength

• Shattered the Masked Man's mask with his cue¹⁷²
• With Silver, holds back a large metal boulder⁹⁸

Durability - Blunt Force

• Kicked in the face by Crystal⁴⁶⁰
• Struck in the back by Whitney's Miltank¹⁰⁵
• Kicked away by Sapphire while in a suit of armour³²⁸
• Hit back by the Masked Man¹⁷²
• Slammed into the ground by Ho-Oh¹⁶⁶
• Sent flying back from Arceus hitting the ground near them⁴⁵³
• Hit away by Arceus⁴⁵⁴
• Kicked by Arceus⁴⁵⁹

Durability - Other

• Thrown about by water as an island sized water construct strikes the Battle Tower³²⁹
• Sent flying into a distant wall by Guile³³⁴
• Bitten on the hand by Silver's Totodile⁹⁸
• Falls a distance onto a beach after his Mantine was struck out of the air by Lugia¹⁴⁸
• Struck by Masked Man's Deliberd's Icy Wind¹¹³
• Caught in Masked Man's Deliberd's Blizzard¹¹³
• Seemingly caught in Jirachi's Doom Desire³³⁴
• Seemingly knocked back by a beam from Arceus⁴⁵⁹

Speed

• Dodges an attack from a group of Bellsprout⁹⁷
• Dodges a beam from a Gyarados¹¹²
• Dodges a beam from Arceus⁴⁵³
• Dodges a spike trap suddenly appearing from a wall⁹⁸
• Saves a girl from an Ursaring strike¹⁰¹

Skill

Cue Shots - Regular

• Curves a Pokeball behind an opponent⁹³
• Hits Aipom's ball to the top of a tree, where they're then released⁹¹
• Hits a fleeing Pokemon with enough force to relocate its jaw¹⁰¹

Cue Shots - Ricochet

• While being swept away in a river in a storm, hits Exbo's ball so it rebounds off of two surfaces and gets him safely to shore⁹⁵
• Bounces a pokeball repeatedly between the walls, ceiling, and floor of a room with a single strike to make several Yanma dizzy¹⁵⁴
• Ricochets a Friend Ball repeatedly around two Pokemon before hitting a Heavy Ball at their two feet, sending both pokeballs to Gold's and Silver's hands respectively¹⁰¹

Other

• Throws his cue to block a pair of shutters from closing on Emerald³²⁸
• Drops a distance onto a board on a rough sea, maintaining balance for a short distance due to it being 'not so different' from skateboarding¹⁴⁶

Intelligence

Battles

• On numerous occasions has used a Pokemon as a distraction while a second Pokemon enacts his actual strategy in secret¹¹¹
• Returns Aibo before curving his ball around an opponent, allowing him to strike their behind⁹³
• Has the other Pokedex holders withdraw their Pokemon before having Aibo ride his skateboard with them at Guile Hideout, allowing all the Pokemon to be released directly on top of him³²⁹
• Throws Aibo in front of a charging Donphan before he uses his tail to pull himself to safety, in that brief moment successfully confusing the Pokemon and causing them to charge into a wall⁹⁶
• Goads a team of Bellsprout into stacking on top of each other, allowing Cyndaquil to take them all out at once⁹⁷
• Has a school of Remoraid attack Lugia's mouth, stopping the legendary from closing it and being able to use Aeroblast¹⁴⁸
• Calculates how long a Pokeball could endure a Dragonite's Hyper Beam, uses the fact that said Hyper Beam is not changing direction in midair to tell that its trainer isn't present to give it orders, and uses this to get the Dragonite to attack in a specific direction and allow Togbo to attack them from behind⁴⁴⁴

Deception

• Drops a straw doll from a tree as a decoy, allowing him to get behind the Masked Man to attack him¹⁰⁴
• Disappears in a smokescreen, intending to drive the Masked Man into pursuing him through a forest, while he had actually climbed a tree so he could climb back down when the coast was clear to save a trainer and his Pokemon¹⁰⁴

Other

• Modifies his skateboard with bike parts¹⁰⁵
• Hits Aipom's ball up a tree to release him before using a heavy pack as a counterweight to lift him up⁹¹
• Uses the fact Yanma have 360 degree vision in a plan to make them dizzy and have one drop a baby¹⁵⁴
• Has Aipom strike the centre of a stack of blocks, allowing the rest of his team to easily smash through the entire stack while they previously were only able to break through a few, winning him the round against a Machamp which could easily smash through stacks on his own⁴⁴³
• Memorizes all the obstacles on a course by going along it the wrong way on his skateboard, allowing him to guide his Togepi around it flawlessly when the Pokemon was blinded⁴⁴²
• Had the foresight to hold onto Emerald's broken mechanical hand, causing Archie to grab hold of it and allowing Gold to let him drop³³⁵

Gear

Pokedex

• His Pokedex shows a Pokemon's strength and attacks⁹⁵
• Identifies four Pokemon at once¹⁰³
• Identifies an attack as the Pokemon is lunging towards him¹⁰³
• Can perform trades with other Pokedex owners¹⁰⁹
• Is capable of tracking the energy of a specific Pokemon the owner has made contact with¹⁴⁹
  • Can't do this if the Pokemon's been caught by someone else⁴⁹
• When three Pokedexes in possession of their true owners are close to each other, all of them make a noise¹⁴⁶

Pokeballs

• Pokemon are held in pokeballs, which have a translucent top which Gold can see Pokemon through⁹³
• They and their Pokemon can return to Gold's hand as he wishes⁹³
• Protect Pokemon from attacks, though they can be destroyed⁴⁴⁴
• Pokemon can move their balls from the inside¹⁰⁷

Cue

• A cue, which he uses to perform trick shots with his pokeballs⁹³
• Clashes with Guile Hideout's sword³²⁹
• Used to quickly change his direction on a skateboard⁹⁶
• Throws it to stop metal shutters from closing on Emerald³²⁸
• Is collapsible³²⁸
• Holds it in his clothes, not his bag¹⁴⁵

Other

• His pokegear allows him to make and take calls⁹⁵
• A pair of goggles, used to protect him from the likes of Exbo's Smokescreen⁹⁸
  • Protect him from Sunbo's Flash¹⁰⁰
• Carries rope to climb up a pagoda⁹⁷
• Uses a skateboard to get around⁹⁵

Other

• Is given the title of 'The Hatcher' by Professor Oak, with him causing a Pichu egg to hatch the instant he touched it¹⁷⁸
  • This ability was developed due to him having lived with Pokemon he considered his family all his life, and allows him to draw out the full potential of a Pokemon¹⁸⁰
  • A Pokemon will have its personality influenced by the emotions felt by Gold as they hatch¹⁷⁹
• Guides his team into winning the Skill, Jump, Stamina, Speed, and Power Pokeathlon courses^442-443
• Despite all his skill, still cheats at pool at a games corner¹⁰⁷

Aibo the Ambipom

As An Aipom

Physicals

• Breaks a block with his tail⁴⁴³
  • When deliberately placing cracks on the centre of the top tile, Aibo could smash through ten plates at once⁴⁴³
• Holds up Gold while clutching a branch with his tail⁹¹ https://imgur.com/a/0NPzvXW
• Lifts up and throws an enormous Snowball⁴⁴²
• Thrown about by water as an island sized water construct strikes the Battle Tower³²⁹
• Struck away by a Donphan's Horn Attack⁹⁶
• Catches a nearby Sunkern in his tail so that Gold can catch them⁹⁹
• Reacts fast enough to catch Gold after the floor's broken beneath them⁹⁷
• Rapidly spins Gold's cue with his tail to enhance Exbo's fire³²⁸

Moves

• Scratch - Aibo repeatedly scratches a foe⁹¹
• Swagger - Confuses a Hoothoot, causing it to attack its trainer instead of falsely calling out that a timer's up⁹²
  • Is briefly in front of a charging Donphan before getting pulled away, with the Donphan getting confused and crashing into a wall⁹⁶
• Double Team - Creates an illusionary duplicate, allowing him to dodge an attack¹¹³
• Agility - Greatly increases Aibo's speed¹⁷²
• Baton Pass - Passes stat increases, such as that gained through Agility, to another of Gold's Pokemon¹⁷²
• Double Hit - Allows him to attack opponents on opposite sides of him at the same time with his tail, and immediately causes him to evolve⁴⁴⁸

Other

• Hears the sound of Unown through a wall in some ruins¹⁰⁰
• Has the ability Run Away⁴⁴²

As An Ambipom

Physicals

• Sent flying back from Arceus hitting the ground near them⁴⁵³
• Poked back by Arceus⁴⁵¹
• Hit by a beam from Arceus⁴⁵⁹

Moves

• Double Hit - Strikes a foe with his tails⁴⁵¹

Other

• Is level 83 and has the Technician ability⁴⁵⁶

Exbo the Typhlosion

As A Cyndaquil

Physicals

• Breaks through a wooden floor⁹⁷
• Gets bitten and scratched by Silver's Totodile⁹⁸
• Intercepts an attack which is about to hit Gold¹⁰³

Moves

• Ember - Shoots a tall pillar of fire from his back, burning Silver's hand while he's hanging on to a tall branch⁹⁴
  • Knocks out a tower of Bellsprout at once⁹⁷
  • Hits back a Primape while boosted by Sunbo's Sunny Day¹⁰⁸
  • Rapidly heats a large metal boulder, allowing Totodile to cool and shatter it with Water Gun⁹⁸
  • Creates a ring of fire around Silver to stop him from escaping⁹⁴
  • Breaks through a wall in a ruin¹⁰⁰
• Tackle - Exbo charges into an opponent⁹⁸
• Smokescreen - Covers an area in obscuring smoke⁹⁸

Other

• Used to cook food for Gold, though he increases the heat and quickly burns it¹⁰⁰
• Can't emit fire while bound up¹⁰⁰

As A Quilava

Physicals

• Alongside Silver's Croconaw and Crystal's Bayleef, stops Lugia's wing from crushing their trainers and hold it up before evolving¹⁴⁸
• Struck by Silver's Croconaw's Water Gun¹¹¹

Moves

• Ember - Works alongside Silver's Croconaw and Crystal's Bayleef to slightly deflect Lugia's Aeroblast¹⁴⁷
• Double Team - Creates an illusory duplicate, making Croconaw bite down on nothing¹¹¹
• Flame Wheel - Creates a wheel of fire around him, catching several Pokemon¹¹⁴

As A Typhlosion

Physicals

• Breaks three blocks with a punch⁴⁴³
  • When Aibo deliberately placed cracks on the centre of the top tile, Exbo could smash through ten plates at once⁴⁴³
• Alongside Silver's Croconaw and Crystal's Bayleef, continues to hold up Lugia's wing to stop it from crushing their trainers¹⁴⁸
• Thrown about by water as an island sized water construct strikes the Battle Tower³²⁹
• Sent flying back from Arceus hitting the ground near them⁴⁵³
• Hit by a beam from Arceus⁴⁵⁹

Moves

• Blast Burn - A stream of fire which, alongside eleven other Pokemon, destroys an island-sized water construct^335-336
  • Seems to knock back Arceus' head⁴⁴²
• With an unnamed fire attack enhanced by Aibo rapidly spinning Gold's cue, creates a powerful blast of fire which knocks back Guile Hideout³²⁸

Other

• Is level 84 with the ability Blaze⁴⁵⁶

Sunbo the Sunflora

As A Sunkern

Physicals

• Bounces extremely high, bringing Exbo's Pokeball up close to a flying Skarmory⁹⁹

Moves

• Flash - Emits a bright light which blinds several Team Rocket grunts and their Pokemon¹⁰⁰
• Growth - Presumably increases Sunbo's strength, though its effect has not been clearly shown¹⁰³
• Mega Drain - Presumably absorbs energy from an opponent, but it's not seen in use¹⁰⁴
• Sunny Day - Increases the power of nearby fire-type moves¹⁰⁸
• Giga Drain - Absorbs the energy of a Magcargo and a Sloking alongside Crystal's Parasect¹⁶⁴

As A Sunflora

Physicals

• Sent flying back from Arceus hitting the ground near them⁴⁵³
• Hit by a beam from Arceus⁴⁵⁹

Moves

• Sunny Day - Increases the strength of Exbo's fire attacks¹⁷²
• Solar Beam - Used off-screen⁴⁵⁹

Other

• Is level 75 with the ability Chlorophyll⁴⁵⁶

Polibo the Politoed

As A Poliwag

Moves

• Water Gun - Sends a Donphan flying back with a stream of water¹⁰⁸

Other

• Draws water from underground while using water type moves¹⁰⁹

As A Politoed

Physicals

• Breaks a block with a punch⁴⁴³
  • When Aibo deliberately placed cracks on the centre of the top tile, Polibo could smash through ten plates at once⁴⁴³
• Alongside Red's Poliwrath, breaks apart Archie's armour³³⁵
• Struck with Guile's knee³³⁵
• Sent flying back from Arceus hitting the ground near them⁴⁵³
• Hit by a beam from Arceus⁴⁵⁹
• Struck by Masked Man's Deliberd's Icy Wind¹¹³
• Caught in Masked Man's Deliberd's Blizzard¹¹³
• Dodges a beam from a Gyarados¹¹²
• Dodges a beam from Arceus⁴⁵³

Moves

• Water Gun - Harms Tyranitar with a stream of water, possibly shooting three streams at once though this could simply be representing how fast Silver's Murkrow is moving to block it¹¹¹
• Whirlpool - Creates a whirlpool at the Lake of Rage to stun a Gyarados¹¹²
  • Uses the destroyed rubble left behind by a giant Piloswine to defeat it, with Silver reasoning that it can do so because the Piloswine's earthquake shockwaves made the solids act like liquids¹¹⁰
• Double Slap - Repeatedly hits an opponent¹¹²
• Dynamic Punch - Polibo lunges forwards with a powerful punch¹¹³
• Hypnosis - Puts a crowd of Pokemon to sleep at once¹⁶⁶
• Perish Song - Instantly knocks out Masked Man's Delibird, but also knocks out Polibo himself¹⁷²
• Bounce - Used off-screen⁴⁵⁹

Other

• Is level 80 with the ability Water Absorb⁴⁵⁶

Sudobo the Sudowoodo

Physicals

• Lifts up a large piece of rubble¹⁶⁶
• No-sells Whitney's Miltank's Tackle and Exbo's Ember¹⁰⁵
• Sent flying back from Arceus hitting the ground near them⁴⁵³
• Hit by Silver's Ursaring's Fury Swipes¹¹¹
• Bitten by Ho-Oh¹⁶⁶
• Hit by a beam from Arceus⁴⁵⁹

Moves

• Focus Punch - Strikes a Rhydon, knocking it out¹⁰⁶
• Low Kick - He extends his leg forwards at crazy angles, tripping up an opponent¹¹¹
  • Seemingly used fast enough to create afterimages⁴⁵⁵
• Dynamic Punch - Lunges forwards with a powerful strike which breaks stone¹¹¹
• Mimic - Sudobo uses the move his opponent's most recently used, allowing him to trade Fury Swipe blows with Silver's Ursaring¹¹¹
• Mud Slap - Throws up mud in a failed attempt to hold off Ho-Oh¹⁶⁶
• Flail - After being bitten by Ho-Oh, sends the legendary flying away¹⁶⁶
• Rock Tomb - Used off-screen⁴⁵⁹

Other

• Is level 78 with the ability Sturdy⁴⁵⁶
• Is capable of growing to create a highly convincing tree disguise, shrinking when revealing himself¹⁰⁶
  • Tricks a Gligar into landing on him like this in order to catch it¹⁰⁷

Togebo the Togekiss

As A Togepi

Physicals

• Immediately after hatching knocks Gligar back a short distance before getting hit away¹⁰⁷
• Seemingly endures part of a Dragonite's Hyper Beam after the Pokeball took the brunt of the attack (with said beam being able to destroy stone), then takes out the Dragonite with an attack to the back of the head⁴⁴⁴
• Struck away by a Dotrio⁴⁴²
• Sent flying back from Arceus hitting the ground near them⁴⁵³
• Struck away by Arceus before being hit point-blank by a beam⁴⁵⁹
• Hit by a beam from Arceus⁴⁵⁹

Moves

• Metronome - Uses a random move, in its debut appearance hitting a Gligar with a beam strong enough to knock them out¹⁰⁷
• Double Edge - Pierces into a Tyranitar's foot, taking it down¹¹¹

Other

• Is level 81 with the ability Hustle⁴⁵⁶
• Runs at full pelt around an obstacle course, following Gold's commands to dodge obstacles⁴⁴²
• Is a delinquent from birth due to Gold taking them to Game Corners while they were still an egg¹⁰⁷

As a Togekiss

Physicals

• Flies carrying Gold⁴⁶⁰

Moves

• Double Edge - Charges into Arceus, staggering them⁴⁵⁹

Tibo the Mantine and 20 Remoraid

Moves

• Water Gun - The Remoraid all blast Lugia with streams of water, forcing its mouth to stay open¹⁴⁸

Other

• Flies through the air with Gold hanging on with his cue¹⁴⁷

Pibu the Pichu

Moves

• Enhanced by Raikou's power, releases a powerful electric blast dubbed Super Rising Thunder to attack Pryce¹⁸⁰

In most relationships, the last thing a couple intends to do is part ways with their partner. After making an in-depth decision, taking numerous risks, and asking yourself tough questions about your feelings and how you two plan your future together, who would have wanted to break up? As most couples do, they've had highs and lows in their relationship. However, if the worst were to happen, their bond may shatter, and they would go completely separate ways. The most devastating period after a breakup is the morning after—well, given my experience. You can literally feel the emptiness in your soul, and as the day passes, you'll gradually feel the heaviness of the way the thought that it's over finally sinks in.
I have an ex-girlfriend whom I shouldn't name. We were blockmates, and she was the first friend I made before attending college. We shared comparable viewpoints and sentiments even before we developed a deeper connection. And I knew. When I first saw her, I knew she was going to be mine. I liked her the first time I saw her in person. I like how soft-spoken she is, how she listens to my stories, and everything she does has become special to me. To cut a long story short, months after college began, that little happy crush feeling grew deeper, to the point where I mustered the courage to take the biggest risk of my life. I confessed. Surprisingly, she confessed too, and it only took us a week to make it official. It wasn't the healthiest relationship in town, and I'm not sure whether it was genuine for both of us. But I knew I loved her more than anything. We never took the relationship thoroughly, given that it was both of our first relationships. By this, we only lasted three months. We started dating in the month of September, and she ended things with me shortly after the new year.
The first breakup aches like hell. Given that we were blockmates, I was able to survive months in a very suffocating environment. It hurts to see her invest energy in others that she hasn't given to me. It hurts to see how she treats her friends as opposed to how she treats me. We still talked at the time, but only when it was convenient for her. When it was months later and we still had a connection, things became complicated. Another girl entered the picture. The moment I found out about this, she and my ex-girlfriend had already separated. I attempted to distance myself after learning the information, but because I was a fool for her and couldn't say no when she suggested that we go out alone to complete our tasks on a specific subject, I agreed. This was the day I decided to take a chance again if she gave me signals. I tried to disregard what happened to the other factors that got involved in our complicated relationship.
We started dating again after nearly five months of being separated.
We were supposed to be in our eighth month when she broke up with me, and she merely gave me one reason: she got bored with our relationship. I asked her if there was anything wrong with me, and she responded no. During those months, I attempted to give my all without demanding anything in return, even though I believed I deserved more than she contributed to our relationship. I tried to be pleased as a low-maintenance girlfriend, but lowkey craved constant reassurance, "just because" presents, random compliments, and other things I do for her. And here I thought we were growing while pushing each other to be the best possible versions of ourselves. I noticed her improvement over the first few months of our relationship, but as we went on, she relapsed to her old nature, similar to my first ex-girlfriend, who broke up with me after a three-month relationship. At first, I felt I could still fix what we had, but when she begged me to let her go, it was a sign for me to stop.
And as I was writing this, it was only the morning after she broke up with me for the second time. I'm writing this to help me move ahead and to express the things that have been on my mind since the time I woke up. I'm trying to persuade myself that I did nothing wrong and that I wasn’t the one who ruined our relationship.
She never sincerely asked for forgiveness, but I knew that even before she could apologize, I had forgiven her. Perhaps it was because of love. We may never forget the pain that they caused, but love will be the reason we forgive them. However, I still wanted to thank her for loving me for an extended period of time. I will continue to cherish the time we spent together, and I will never regret that I once called you mine.
was written last february and finally decided to post it here now that I've moved on. :))

i would add examples but it takes like 30 minutes to get anything to load on DTI so if yall have a pet with these things i would love to see it

• aishas with lipstick
• transparent or zombie pets with frilly cutesy backgrounds
• basic colored pets with markings/ makeup
• Smiling Eyes
• wings on bipedal pets
• any background that’s like, a room inside of a neohome. idk it looks cozy
• “stoner” customs. dont post any here tho bc ppl will snitch to tnt
• royal boy/girl crosspaints with other base colors
• that one filter with the strawberries
• any of the blushes or freckles

what are your favorite custom things? please i wanna know and i wanna talk about something on here other than the daily quest prizes lol

So I was in Goa for a week with my friends and instead of staying in the hotel or resort we decided to rent BnB. In the beginning we were 5 people in 2 bedroom, hall, kitchen and there was a room upstairs inside the apartment. Stairs are from the hall area and it was basically a small space with bed and good view above the hall (it was like a balcony). So in the beginning we didn't notice small things like around midnight halls light starts fluctuating.. one night one friend was not there and other one was in the room downstairs and we 3 girls were upstairs and he felt that someone is wandering outside (we didn't came downstairs and nobody else was in the apartment). He left after two days due to some emergency at work and we three girls left in the apartment. There was something off about the apartment, in the first room, near balcony in the corner, it feels like someone's watching.
So, we went to Dudhsagar fall that day left early morning and came home late. My two friends were picking some essentials and I have to go to pee urgently so I decided to came in the apartment and I was covered in sand so decided to took shower. In the washroom, as soon as I starting taking shower and my face was covered in the soap I felt somebody's there. I was washed my face and opened my eyes, I saw a girl of 15-16 years old, black hair, fair complexion and very eerie smile. She was wearing skirt and white shirt and jewelry. She was looking at me and smiling, I literally screamed but nobody was in the apartment.
Thankfully my friend came back at that very moment and started ringing doorbell, I looked away and she was not here, I grabbed towel and ran outside. I told her everything.. that night we stayed together in another room and left very next day.
P.S. we were in North Goa. If anybody has similar experience.. feel free to share in the comments.

You see like most young men raised in a traditional Christian household I was taught that the man is the breadwinner and it is the mans job to provide for the wife. I say wife in singular because I was taught this by my late father long before I discussed my decision to pursue polygany.
But as such I have this deep instilled mindset I guess one could say, that it is my job as the man to carry the weight of providing to all my wives. However realistically speaking unless you are some rich oil prince, or a doctor who makes a truck load of money, in the modern day and age one would never be able to support the whole family solely on the shoulders of the man alone.
You often hear that one of the benefits of polygany is that your wives can work alongside you thus lifting or at least easing the burden of providing for the family. Thus the responsibility of breadwinner do not lie solely on the shoulders of the husband.
And it does make sense. More people working together but also sharing a household means more available incomes to share on expenses, and less expenses as everyone shares a home means you can stretch your available income further. It is the same principle any young adult college boy/gal learned while rooming together in college/uni.
But I still struggle between the mindset of "the man is the breadwinner and should carry the responsibility of providing." vs "your wives can help carry the weight of providing."
Now in a homesteading lifestyle it can be argued that the man will do the brunt of the farming and food production and the wives only aiding were necessary. However, even so if you are trying to achieve a fully self sufficient farm, producing all your food on the farm, that includes chickens for egg's, cattle for milk, and meat, vegetables, wheat for bread etc. That is a lot of work to be done by one man alone, especially if you have a large family. Now of course you can get your sons to help out but they still need to go to school and there is also your children's infant stage to consider. As such it is almost a given that most of the breadwinning would actually be done by your wives. But if that is the case then you as the man are not actually stepping up to your role as breadwinner as you are not carrieng the weight of providing.
Please share your thoughts. Ladies please share your views on this aswell.

So me and my girlfriend are a couple for almost 2 years and I has her first girlfriend ever (she had been in multiple relationships with men). We shared a room in the college dorm we lived in and we slowly started to like eachother (lots of sexual tension and teasing) and then we finally got together. She was the first girl I ve had sex with so for some time I was kinda anxious and the sex wasn't that reciprocated (I was the one that was doing the things to her) but we really enjoyed it (I enjoyed it more psychologically).
Fast forward, I got more comfortable with myself having sex and after that, the sex was simply amazing, reciprocated and all that good stuff (we also got a strap on). The things between us were just great and we found out that sex was a really important aspect in our relationship.
In our second year of college we stayed in separate dorms and we both stayed in rooms with other people so we couldn't have that much intimacy (for sex but also for just cuddling and so on). The sex frequency lowered (once every 2 weeks or so) but it didn't felt like the end of the world because we were sometimes sexting or idk just talking about sex and imagining how good it would be to have sex.
Recently we both went home for the easter break and then when we came back to uni we entered a complicated period consisting of many big exams etc, etc just a very stressful period. I realised we haven't had sex for like a month, we haven't sext, we basically ”forgot” about sex. I was like ”ok maybe it s because of all that stress”, but when we got the chance to actually have sex (last week), it just wasn't the same. I ve had an orgasm (unusually quickly) but for her it wasn't as enjoyable. She wasn't as wet and she couldn't continue because it became painful so we stoped of course. Besides this, for some time she also isn t moaning like she used to (and she used to do that a lot in the past) and I begin to think that she maybe got comfortable with the fact that we don't really have that much sex.
The thing is that I have some attachment issues and some fear of abandonment so I may be overthinking the situation, but im really not sure what to think about this chain of events. If sex is such a big thing for us how can she not like it? Or maybe because of the fact that we don't have the same level of physical intimacy we entered the monotony phase?
Any advice?

FOR MODS: I know I said I was a beginner in the earlier version of the post but I feel like this question is advanced enough to not break the rules. I see tons of questions at this level on the sub anyway
Hey guys, I was wondering what people's feelings were about switching the groove of the tracks during a mix
A lot of the sets I see seem to fall into two categories; either the DJ plays a whole bunch of different grooves and energies sort of at random, with effort only on whether you can go from one song to the other somewhat smoothly. The Zack Fox elevator set is the last example I saw: https://youtu.be/iVZkcDOal7w?si=lGZirKx6wg7QPywg
The other category is the kind of consistent groove in most sets that stick to a single genre seem to have. There seems to be the same rhythm over the whole set, which gets kind of repetitive but there's a consistent build up of energy. The Calibre boiler room is a good example: https://youtu.be/LuB29bL2kyI?si=ZY6AseAa4TZWDBYR
Personally I try to build up the energy consistently throughout but switch up the groove by changing genres throughout. For context I mostly play UK music: DnB, 140, Garage, Grime. I was wondering what people's advice was on how to keep the crowd engaged and connected throughout the set and perhaps which contexts favor which type of set
Also for context: I mostly play college gigs, so I don't know the serious "genre based" gig scene too well

Hi I just came across a novel, chosen by the moon novel by izabella W. Its on pay by chapter websites, I've opened and read a few chapters but I can't seem to find any free version or chapter version anywhere. Please help. If anyone has read it I'm willing to take spoilers. Here's the advert I found below of it on Facebook.
Lycanthrope species is a disgusting race. And I, Delan Riley, am nothing more than a human scum in their eyes never expected those species would turn my world upside down. Since when the lycans managed to penetrate our town, like in the early 1900's we have a hierarchy, upper class = the lycans, middle class = mated humans, and lower class = the normal humans, who were basically considered scum. I endured their torment day after day, vowing to run away from them one day, until that day came and everything changed.
Dylan POV "Humans," I scowled at the principal's words from tannoy. "The Alpha twins will be celebrating their birthday tomorrow, as such, festivities are in order." Oh great, the Alphas twin children. Adrian and Arya are the worst lycans alive. I swear just because they are the alphas kids they literally get away with everything. If their birthday is tomorrow, then the wolves are going to be worse than ever. "All students will be present to greet them, two lines will be made, with humans on the left and the lycanthrope on the right. Any mated human will be at the front of the line for their year, you will all also be in order of your school year. That is all." Chat broke out the minute the tannoy was finished. "We haven't had a school gathering since the alpha king visited three years ago, before his sons coronation." Nick was right, the last time we all gathered like that was for the king and queens visit, when he decided to let the world know that he was to renounce his title to his only child, son Josh. "That sick bestard, he wants to make sure everyone is there so those idiot twins can find their mates." Yes I was mad, my fists connected with the table in front of me once more as I thought about how disgusting the situation was. You see the twins will be turning 17, so it's very possible someone in our school could be their mate, finding a mate is sacred to a wolf, the minute they say that one word your fate is sealed. They will turn your mind, morph you into being a lover of their kind, and then you'll give in.

That won't happen to me, I'm growing old to see the world as it once was, and I'm going to choose who I'll be with. No one will take that dream away from me.

Once dinner was finished, I just wanted to sleep. I'd had a very long tiring day, I quickly sat down on a small stool my mother kept in the storage closet and removed my shirt while my brother Freddy sat at the table to do his simple homework. It wasn't long before my mother came in with a large bowl of warm salt water and some cotton, this was going to sting I just knew it. She was here to help me with the wounds caused by wolves yesterday. She slowly began to unwrap the bandage from around my torso and slowed down drastically when it came to the final layer, I felt it peel off every wound and my fists clenched in pain. "Jesus!" I heard my mom exclaim once the dressing was completely removed. The air on my back was nice though and I sighed as my arm covered my once again exposed brests. "This is more than 15!" I began to hear sniffles coming from her and sighed turning round to look at her face, only to notice tears streaming down it. "Mom I'm fine, it's alright." She shook her head. "It's not alright, I'm your mother I shouldn't let these things happen. I'm so sorry. Your father would have..." here she goes again. Every single time something happened she'd always bring up dad, it really annoyed me because no matter how much we all wish he was here, he just isn't. My father was kiled by THEIR kind, almost 5 years ago when they actually managed to take over. When the lycans managed to penetrate our town my father rose up with some people from the neighborhood, to defend our livelihood, it was futile to say the least. We lost many people and I watched as my dad was ripped apart by two fully shifted wolves, I ended up shoting him to stop his suffering before they dragged me to the courtyard, i was the person to receive the first lashing of the town when I was 12! The wolves have been pretty strict with me since that day. "Stop being stvpid!" Was I harsh? Definitely! Did she need to hear it again, absolutely. "Dad is dead, we don't know what he'd do because he never knew this life. He never knew this world." I know what he'd have done, most likely attacked the guy who held the whip and got himself kiled in the process. "The best thing you can do for me, is stop crying and help me, next time don't insist on helping if you can't handle it." She began to wash my open wounds with the warm salt water causing loud winces to leave me, I knew it was necessary to prevent infection, but my god it hurt like a betch. "Some of these are really deep Dylan!" She sniffed again and my eyes rolled in my head. "I told you, I'm fine, just wrap me back up so I can get to bed." My mom was obviously more impacted by my injuries than I was, I suppose that always the case though. When it's happening to you, you've just got to get through it but when it's happening to someone you love, you just want to take their pain away. She quickly placed a fresh bandage around my waist and chest and wrapped it tightly for compression. The bowl of water that was used was now red in color, I guess from the blood my back was dripping with. "Can you keep your head down please? At least just this week. You can't take any more lashings." I simply nodded before standing up away from the stool, I walked over to Freddie and ruffled his hair in affection. "Good night squirt." He giggled and fixed his hair slightly. "Night Dilly." I smiled walking upstairs to my little bedroom, as soon as I was inside i shut the door and flopped down on to my bed on my stomach and I took a minute to cry to myself at the pain in my back, what my mom did was important but it hurt, not that I'd ever tell her. My hand covered my mouth quickly to muffle any noise I might be making. I couldn't tell anyone, I had to be strong because more and more people were crumpling these days, and my mom would break if she knew how much I was suffering. Sleep followed me shortly after, she was right though about me needing to keep my head down for the time being, I could not take another lashing! After a long night and an even longer morning, we were all finally stood in the hallway at school waiting for the twins to arrive. "Mine!" Everyone that was stood in the hallway tensed up, as we were seniors, me and Nick were stood towards the very back of the human line. All the mated people were situated directly opposite their wolf mates in their years. We stayed silent and still as Arya walked down the hall and stopped directly in front of Nick. His eyes widened in fear, unsure of wether to look up or keep his head lowered. "Look me in the eye, mate." He glanced at me slightly as if asking what he should do. "I said, look me in the eye." He slowly moved his eye line up to look at her face. I took a glance myself to see her eyes pitch black with lust. "I... can't... I mean... erm." Before he was able to mutter anything else, two wolves from opposite, grabbed him out of the line and dragged him behind Arya. "Hey!" My head shot up before I could stop myself. My mouth also forgot its place as I jumped out of line. Everyone's head shot to me as my eyes widened in realization at what I'd done. Adrian, the other twin, walked up to me before punching me right in the stomach, I doubled over instantly. Feeling the sting in my slightly healed back. "I know you... You were publicly flogged only two days ago." God I hate this guy. "I also have it on good authority, that you openly spoke out against our rules and regulations in yesterday's class." My head shot down the line slightly to see Erin, looking a little frightened, her mate, the beta to be was looking at her, nodding his head in reassurance. "You traitor, you grassed on your own kind?" I yelled at her before feeling a fist connect with my cheek. My head whipped to the side from the force, while my class members gasped. I'm so done with this treatment, right then, I wasn't in charge of my actions. My fists curled up and my stance became a lot more defensive. My head snapped up to the alpha to be, and I looked him in the eye. "You don't know the meaning of the word disrespect." I suddenly hurled my fist towards his head, which he easily dodged, but my foot came up and kicked him instead. He stumbled backwards from the force with wide eyes. "You... you Actually hit me!" He didn't even sound annoyed, more shocked. Everyone in the hallway was watching, waiting for the alpha to do something but instead he simply stood up straight, regaining his composure. "I think everyone should get back to class." He began to walk away, following his sister when I called him back. "What about Nick?!" "Simple, He's my sisters mate. He now belongs to her." Argh, he's not an object. "He's not her property." A chuckle left his mouth, before turning his back to me again. "All humans are property." A short while later everyone made it to science class, our teacher Mrs Mathews is mated to the lycans pack doctor, she also now has a four and two year old with him. She was one of the first humans to be cohered into a false relationship. "What were you thinking young lady?" I rolled my head at her before looking at the empty seat next to mine. Nick was with that stvpid wolf girl right now. Being changed, I'm so angry it's ridiculous. "I was thinking, this guy is being a prick. Did you hear him? 'All humans are property.' It's bull shet." I looked up and the whole class looked at me like I had three heads. Talking shet about wolves is one thing, but talking about an alpha is punishable by death, attacking an alpha is an even worse offense. There was then a knock at the door and in walked Erin and her band of mated bestards. "Sorry we're late Mrs." "Erin, how are things between you and bata Monroe?" She blushed, the traitor actually blushed at the mention of his name. "He spoke to me last night about trying for a baby. We need a good strong boy to take over as beta." I scoffed looking at her as she took her seat. "You guys are actually pathetic, why can't it be a girl? Those mutts are basically Neanderthals" I voiced my opinion and saw all the shocked faces around me. Calling the lycans mutts, is the same as them calling us scum. After lesson had ended the entire school was called into the hall for assembly. This is where any human who has been found to have broken the rules were punished, usually 10 lashings were goven out or something similar. "Welcome to the school assembly, congratulations to the alpha twins for finding both your mates. Now on to the business at hand, as the 5 year anniversary of the new world is coming up, we have been informed that the alpha king will be visiting our district next week, this is very exciting news. We want you all to look your absolute best, she wolves and mated females will wear exemplary dresses made by seamstress. Male wolves and mated men will wear tailored suits. Anyone who doesn't comply will be reprimanded." The Alpha King?! No one has met him yet, he took over the throne three years ago when he turned 18. He really didn't make any appearances though, great, this month is going to be a nightmare. "As for the humans, you will be given a new uniform to wear for the visit, these are to be neatly ironed and worn to the highest standard. As for the following humans, based on your attitude this past week, you will be coming to the front and facing punishment. Tony summerset?!" Tony's head shot up as he looked around, he was in the year below but he shared my views when it came to the lycans. He slowly walked up to the front of assembly, almost instantly his top was t0rn in two and he received 10 lashings. A girl named Kara was next and she too received 10 lashings. A few more people went up slowly accepting their fate then suddenly my name was called. "Dylan Riley." Inside I was terrified but I simply shrugged my shoulders, I guess I did kind of expect this. Although I'm not sure if my back can take any more damage. "You attacked an alpha, correct!" His eyes bored into mine as I bowed my head submitting to his authority. "Technically, no." Everyone in the school gym looked on in fear, as my head moved to the front row of the wolf side. Adrian sat, with a werewolf girl in the year below, her name was Jana, I guess he found his mate. Nick and Arya were no where to be seen though. Adrian gave me a shrug as if to say he didn't tell, before smirking at my comment. "He hasn't officially taken the alpha title yet, so he's just..." i looked at the principle and noticed his eyes black and his claws out, he was in what lycans call a half shift, triggered when the subject has become angered. He turned to two security wolves and gave them a nod, Almost immediately i was forced onto my knees, my arm was slammed on a table and held in place by one wolf, while my body was held in place by the other. "Ok, I don't think this is needed, I have alpha blood, a stvpid human girl can't hurt me." My head snapped to Adrian who had stood up in front of the school to stop what was happening. "Nevertheless, humans need to know their place." With that the pressure on my arm increased as our principals hand pulled my sleeve up before a long claw punctured my skin. The searing pain shoting from the fresh wound had my eyes scrunched and my fist clenched, I bit the inside of my cheek hard instantly tasting blood, however no sound left my mouth. He continued to write, using my skin as a canvas and his claws as a marker, it went on forever, my vision blurred slightly at one point as I turned my head away. After minutes of torture, he was done and the pressure on my arm eased, instantly I snatched my arm away, hissing through my teeth at the pain. I was about to scurry off stage, when I was roughly grabbed yet again, my arm being held in the air by the principal while my feet were inches off the floor, blood dripped from the wound and the pattern he had made was on show for everyone to see. Loads of people gasped, even the wolves looked slightly horrified at what had happened. "This is what happens when a human decides to speak out. I can promise, anyone who so much as says one word about our way of life, will have the same punishment." My arm was starting to seriously ache from being held in the air for so long, and the lack of blood flow to my suspended arm was causing me pins and needles, still I refused to make a sound. I held the tears back and I bit my cheek harder causing more blood to fill my mouth. "That's enough Bradley!" Adrian growled, he was still stood up and looking at the scene in front of him. His eyes hard as he stared at the principal a low warning growl erupted from his chest which had the head teacher gulping, he quickly let go of my arm causing me to crash to the floor. A small cry left my mouth as I hit the hard floor. Immediately I scrambled away, my foot just missed the high step leading to the stage and I fell, waiting for the impact of the ground, but it never came. Two strong arms wrapped around me catching my weak body causing me to look up, my eyes widened as I noticed Adrian had caught my falling form. "This isn't part of the human punishment program!" Adrian growled causing me to tense in his grip, I pushed him away from me before fixing my uniform top. The room was deadly silent, taking in the scene in front of them, while I stole a glance at my forearm. Carved into my skin by his devastating claws were two words, words that would most definitely scar my body for life. 'Human scum' "Lessons must be learned, she received lashing merely two days ago, and clearly it had no effect on her." Another growl left Adrian's chest as he stepped on to the stage, I wasn't bothered though, you would think I'd be ashamed but I simply smiled slightly. I fixed my sleeve a little so it wouldn't rub on the fresh wound before speaking. "It doesn't matter," the whole room looked at me shocked by my attitude. "I would rather be labeled human scum, than have any resemblance to your kind. I'm proud of what I am, how many of you can say that?" After my amazing little speech, I walked right down the middle between the humans and lycans and out the door. No more compliance, I'm going to get away with as much as I can without getting into too much bother. There will come a day when the lycans power will fizzle out. When it does I'll be ready, I'll be waiting for the day we take our world back. As for the best part about my plan...

No one can stop me.

"Ouch, not so hard." I seethed as the school nurse cleaned my new wound with antiseptic. "If you had of just kept your mouth shut, this wouldn't have happened." I turned to my right looking out the window at the few clouds that were floating in the blue sky. "Like I said, I'm proud to be human, and now everyone knows what I am." I clenched my fist together as the nurse began wrapping a bandage around my forearm. It had been a good few hours since the incident in the hall, and I had been forced to come to the nurces office after I had tried to clean my wound by splashing it with water from the tap, it also refused to stop bleeding. "You are impossible. Can you please just try and stay out of trouble? For one day, that's all I ask." Our school nurse is a wolf, she's one of them. However she hates the way they treat us mere humans, she thinks we should all just live in peace with equal rights. Like that would ever happen. "All I've done is stay out of trouble, but you are just going to humiliate me anyway, so what's the actual point?" "The pack were discussing a public execution, Dylan. You need to walk on egg shells from now on, not just for you but for your family as well." No ones been publicly executed in over 4 months, I'm flattered they're considering it. They only execute people who they believe are the biggest problems to society. "Well then... I'm flattered." I chuckled, before looking at the patch job. 'Huh, not too shabby.' I quickly stood up from the human nursing station and pulled the sleeve of my shirt down covering the evidence of ever being hurt. "This is serious!" I just gave her a blank look before leaving the room. On the way out I heard her call back to me. "Please just think about it." I gave a clipped nod as I walked away wondering how I'm going to tell my mom about this. Later in the evening... "Dilly why you say that?" Freddie looked up at me with a mouth full of bread. "Don't speak with your mouthful!" My mom scolded him as a bashful blush made its way to his cheeks. "Sowwy mommy." His reply was muffled as he swallowed the last chunk of food. "I said it Freddie, because it's the truth. The wolf race are a pathetic excuse for..." my mom cut me off with an extremely stern look. "Dylan! They have ears everywhere, one more word out of you and it's your room." I scowled, my hatred for the Lycan kind growing stronger as each day passes. "What more can they do to me, lash me? Beat me? Brand me? They've ran out of options." I stated slamming my hands down, then severely regretting it as sharp pain shot though my wound. "What was that?" My head shot to regard my mothers worried expression. Her eyebrows were raised and her eyes were dull and judging as she looked at me. "Nothing, it was nothing." I quickly took my plate in my hand and began to walk to the kitchen. "I'm not really hungry, and I have homework to do!" My mom caught hold of my forearm causing me to drop my plate suddenly, I watched it slowly fall before shattering on the floor. I retracted my arm quickly and turned to Freddie. "Stay there and don't move until it's cleaned up ok sport?" He just nodded with wide eyes, I turned back to my mom and noticed her curious stare on my arm. Her grip shifted to the other side as she turned it around before pulling my sleeve up. The bandage was showing and a bit of blood was seeping though after the wound had been disturbed. "What the hel happened?" My moms eyes widened as she began to fumble with the bandage. Before she could unravel any of it I snatched my arm away. "I had an accident at school. No big." I began to gather the large pieces of the broken plate up ready to put them in the bin. "What did you do Dylan?" She looked at me with pure worry and only then did I realize what the wound must look like to someone who didn't know. "For gods sake! I didn't do it to myself! I got publicly punished at the assembly alright? It's no big deal." Her face dropped instantly and she stepped towards me, causing me to step backwards. "Mom, I'm ok. So back off will you." "What did you do? I've never known them to cut someone's arm as a punishment." Her shock and accusation was evident in her voice and I sighed heavily. "I spoke against the alphas son." I may have hit him too, but I wasn't going to divulge that part to her. "It's not one big cut, mom, it's a brand, 'human scum' carved onto my arm." "They've branded you now too?!" My eyes rolled at her hurt tone as I went to get the dustpan and brush. "You're so much like your father." A sigh left her mouth as she spoke, running a hand through her hair, while I quickly swept up the little pieces of the broken plate. "You've had a new uniform delivered. It's laid out on your bed. Dylan, Please just try and stay respectful in the future, I don't want my daughter to be completely mutilated. Although you're not far off." "Gee, Thanks." I then walked over to my little brother Freddy before blowing a kiss into his neck and hearing him giggle. "So sport, how's school going?" "It's ok." He shrugged before going back to coloring a dinosaur picture in. "Well that's good, stay out of trouble, ok little man?" Heading upstairs and into my room, my thoughts wandered to the permanent graffiti scar very slowly healing on my arm. Disgusting beasts. Think they own the world because they're faster, stronger and can shift. Pah. If you ask me they are not all that.

The second I walked into my room my mouth dropped open. On my bed was some grey pants laid out neatly, which wasn't the surprising part, no, what shocked me was the grey high neck no sleeved button down shirt, every single set of uniform had sleeves except this one. They've done this on purpose those, mutts. They want the world to see my arm and know what a disgusting creature I am. They want the world to know that I, Dylan Riley, am nothing more than 'human scum'.

During the last week, I've been horrible, in class I've been loud in voicing my views, I've insulted at least everyone to some degree, I didn't care about the consequences, and I certainly didn't think about them. I haven't seen Nick at all since he was claimed, and to make matters worse today was the royal visit. Oh yes, werewolves and mated humans alike were spending every waking minute preparing themselves to meet his royal majesty, king of the wolves. Unclaimed Humans however would rather stick pins in their eyes. "Dylan, get down now... you're going to be late." She was right, I was dawdling this morning, I really couldn't be bothered today, I gave myself one last look in the small mirror and sighed when my eyes met my newly uncovered brand. It had bad bruising around the letters, and was still extremely tender to touch, it was definitely healing now though. I made my way down the stairs and came face to face with my mother who was seeing to Freddie, she was helping my brother get his coat on when she turned to me. "You ready sport?" Freddie nodded his little head at me and smiled while I quickly slid my shoes on. "Just Remember, the alpha is bad enough, Dylan, please, please don't do anything to anger the king." My mother stopped us from walking out the door to tell me something she had been telling me continuously for the last couple of days, it was almost as if the entire human population of our district was expecting me to do something stvpid. "Try and have a good day." I rolled my eyes but nodded, even I know not to push the king, he could kil me in the hallway like it was nothing. In fact I plan on staying out of his way for the entirety of the day. "We will see you tonight mom." I stated before me and my brother began our walk to school, his little hand clutched my own tightly as we went. Usually Nick would be with us, as he lives next door, well he used to, now he's residing in the main pack house. I quickly dropped Freddie off at his school and watched him get the wolfsbane neutralizer before walking into him building giving me a small wave before he went in. With my new scar on complete show, and my figure being complimented by the skin tight shirt I was wearing, I sauntered down the street to school, I gave my name and year in and took the wolf's bane neutralizer injection with no problems at all. It was finally getting into school that the problem occurred. Walking through the halls I was met by many looks, some of pity some of disgust. You see every single non mated human in the school was wearing a long sleeved version of the uniform I was given. All the Wolves and mated couples were scattered around in fancy floor length dresses or tailored suits. As I turned the corner I noticed a couple, now this couple happened to catch my eye the most out of all of them because it consisted of Arya and Nick, eating each other's faces off. "What the hel!" Nicks head shot to me as his eyes widened. He too was dressed in a tailored suit, a navy blue tie hung on his neck to match Aryas dress. Why was this happening all the time? It's always my friends that get completely brain washed. I shook my head in disbelief before turning my back on him. I heard his fast footsteps behind me as I rounded the corner. "Dylan?!" He ran right in front of me, stopping me in my tracks, making me drop my bag off my shoulder and almost causing me to bump into him. "Let me just explain..." "Has she marked you?" I mean you could almost see it in his eyes, she had marked him, and knowing the way life goes he's probably even mated with her. "Actually... Don't even answer that." I aggressively picked my bag up off of the floor and stormed off down the hall. "Dylan, just listen to me, Erin was right, it's so hard to resist your soulmate, and Arya is actually ok once you get to know her." I just kept walking, he caught up to me walking beside me but it didn't matter, I completely ignored everything and everyone. 'I'm so not in the mood today' getting into class was good though, I said hello to Mr Foley and took my usual seat. Nick sighed then took his bag off ready to sit next to me, but I snapped before he had the chance. "Traitors and mated idiots sit on that side of the room." I didn't look him in the eye as I pointed to a seat right at the front of the classroom on the opposite side. His eyes widened as he turned his attention back to me. "You can't be serious Dylan." I gave him a blank look before grabbing my book out of my backpack, I placed it on the desk then began to write the date on the top line. "I've sat in this seat for as long as I can remember." I ignored him, his voice sounded sad and shocked. "Dylan? Wait! What is that?!" Before I could react Nick had grabbed hold of my branded arm and turned it to see the letters. "Oh my God! What happened?" I snatched my arm away from him and shrugged as I continued to write in my book before grabbing my water bottle out of my bag. "The principal happened, it was my punishment for speaking out against Adrian and Arya. I wear it with pride." He just held a complete look of disbelief. "You spoke out against them?" I shrugged, what did he think I'd do. "It's no secret that I despise this stvpid new world and the mutts that control it. You were my friend, I wasn't going to let them just take you without saying something, although that is exactly what you seem to have done. Enjoy the view from your new seat!" "Don't be like that, Dylan, I'm your best friend, I'm sorry about your arm, but..." my eyes rolled inside my head at my friends words. "Anything with the word 'but' in, isn't an apology, it's a rationalization." I took a drink of water from my bottle and kept my eyes facing forward, ignoring his every attempt to try and talk to me. "Dylan?.. Dylan?... Do you know what? Erin is right, if you push us all away you won't have any friends left." He huffed before walking over to the empty seat and sitting down, I could feel him glancing up at me every now and again but I didn't respond. "Good morning class, please settle down." He looked at me then at Nick and frowned, we've never sat apart, we were friends before the new world even began. I just shook my head telling him to forget it. "So... as you know the king will be arriving in a short while, but until then lessons will go on as normal." Its funny seeing teachers in the same uniform your wearing, mr Foley and his wife are the coolest. Human teachers and doctors only have slightly more respect than we do. Because of Mr Foley's status him and his wife have better access to food and drink, Mrs Foley is cool, sometimes she even makes sure mr Foley brings some in for me. Ya know, coz I'm their favorite student. It's not in a weird way, it's just they were friends of the family before the new wold took effect. Mr Foley and my dad were buddies from high school, so it goes without sayin really. "All the mated humans will be at the front of each years line again, after that you will all be placed in status, Nick, as your mated to Alpha Arya, you'll be at the front of your line. Dylan as you have been branded..." his voice trailed off as he looked at me. "Yeah yeah, I'll be at the back of the line behind everyone. I get it." I huffed, moving my sight towards the window once more. "I am sorry." I turned to face Mr Foley again, he looked genuinely upset and that look of pity wasn't something I wanted to see. I gave him a clipped nod then turned away again. "Anyway, on to the subject matter, 'Of Mice and Men, page 64, Nick why don't you start us off with the reading."

"Of course sir." Nick began reading the book but I switched off, today is going to be a long day. After almost an hour and a half of reading comprehension, the bell chimed signaling lunch. I shot up and out of the classroom before anyone could say anything. Today, I was avoiding drama like the plague.

I wandered the corridors straight to the lunch hall. All the people I would normally hang out with we're all mated so I grabbed my lunch quickly, and sat down at the end of the human table. Let me lay the lunch hall out for you. On one side of the room you have two long rows of tables, with simple benches that make it look like prison, on the other side of the room you have multiple round tables with fancy chairs. Yup you get it. The humans sit at the prison tables and the wolves and traitors sit on the fancy tables, they get fancy food, fancy drink and most importantly they get pudding. what I would give to have some pudding. "Dylan can we just talk?" Nick quickly took the spot next to me as he set his lunch tray down. I looked at his food which had been placed on a ceramic, circular white plate. God that looked good. I sighed knowing he was going to talk anyway. "Fine, you have two minutes." I used my fork to take a bit of pasta off his plate and shoved it into my mouth. God that was good. "After I left school, I was taken to the pack house with Arya, and I really got to know her. It took a few days for me to finally accept being with her, but ever since life has been ok, and the sax... well that's a whole other story." Eww, I didn't need that mental image in my head. "I'm glad your happy." I stated before deciding I had no appetite. His face held shock before he sighed in relief. "That means a lot Dylan, I mean you know that your opinion matters to me." I cut him off before he could say anything else. "I said I was glad your happy. I didn't say I approved of what you've done. You've basically turned into one of THEM, I can't ever forgive you for that." He looked hurt, but I couldn't care less about his feelings. He placed his hand gently on my arm and went to open his mouth when a growl sounded out. All heads whipped to where it came from, Arya was stood holding a glass of soda and a plate, she was looking right at me and Nick and I would totally be dead if looks could kil. Nick quickly retracted his hand, his whole face fell and you could see sorrow flood his irises. "You sit with me now, get away from that, that... scum!" Wow, Nick was such a lucky guy. NOT. "You heard her. Get away from me, go sit with your new friends. I'm happy for you, and I understand where your coming from, but don't come up to me again and pretend you didn't betray your own kind. Don't pretend you didn't betray me." I shoved a little bit of food into my mouth before standing up and walking out of the cafeteria, leaving my tray on the table. I was walking through the hallway to the classroom, you see I decided to spend lunch with Mr Foley in his room, when I happened to hear voices in the corridor. "Is it wise for her to actually be present when the king arrives? Surely she could be placed in the dungeons, it might actually teach her some respect?" My principal was speaking to the alpha of our district, huh, if I stayed and listened do you think they'd notice, maybe they could smell me?! "Everyone is to be present, if the Riley girl does one thing out of line she will be dealt with severely, child or not. That girl has been a blight to the district since day one, she's dangerous, if she puts one hair out of place I will personally break her into submission." Oh shet, they were talking about me specifically, and they mentioned the dungeon, that's not been used in months. Normally I would have listened in more but something about the entire situation didn't sit right with me, all of a sudden, I was on edge, and simply wasn't interested in the slightest in hearing how my misery was to be enhanced. I backed up slightly before turning around and bumping head first into one of the hottest man I had ever seen. I lost my balance immediately and fell straight on to the floor letting out a small grumble in the process. His eyebrows knitted together quickly and his breath hitched in his throat as he looked upon my fallen state and gasped. "Mate!" He whispered, his eyes fixated on mine. Now, I had seen and heard that many times to know what that means, I gasped before taking a step back. 'No, no, no, no, no. This can not be happening.' He growled slightly before stepping towards me. Oh Shet!

City lights+cold room + indie music Wahhhhh! Wish to share a good coffee or hot chocolate with someone. Talk about adulting and life (or anything in between). Good convo and laughs.
So If you're,
M, Single (non nego), 24-34, cutie/confident, working (non nego), madaming chika but knows how to listen, within metro manila, funny, independent (non nego), can host/drive
Pm me bb 🤍
About me: cute chubby baby girl, qc, 5'2, freelancer, confident, honest, good listener
Ano pa? Message me na. ✨ (We can exchange pics agad) ❤️

Hi girls and guys! I’m putting my x pole pro up in my room today. I’ve checked my ceiling for joists already; it’s a plaster ceiling (not a false one, it doesn’t sound hollow anywhere) and sounds the same everywhere but the joist finder is able to find wooden joists in several places at around the same interval. My question is this, when the joist finder says “100%, center”, is that the place you’re supposed to put the pole under? Or should you find the center between two of these points and put it in between ?
Thank you so much!!

Jessie loved photography. When her high school formed a new photography club, she eagerly joined. One day, Mr. Thompson, the club advisor, announced a special project: documenting the town’s history. Jessie was assigned the old, abandoned mansion at the edge of town.
Excited, she grabbed her camera and headed out after school. The mansion, with its crumbling facade and air of mystery, had always fascinated her. As she approached, she felt watched. Shaking off the eerie feeling, she pushed open the creaky gate and stepped into the overgrown garden.
Inside, the mansion was a photographer's dream. Dust motes floated in beams of sunlight filtering through broken windows. Jessie snapped picture after picture, moving from room to room. In an upstairs bedroom, she found an old, dusty mirror. It was cracked but still reflected the room behind her. As she raised her camera, she froze. In the reflection, she saw a figure standing behind her. She spun around, but the room was empty.
Heart pounding, Jessie convinced herself it was her imagination. She continued taking pictures but felt uneasy. As she finished, she decided to take one last photo of the grand staircase. Focusing her camera, she saw it again—the figure, now at the top of the stairs, staring down at her. This time, it was a young girl in an old-fashioned dress, eyes hollow and dark. Jessie snapped the photo, and the flash seemed to make the girl vanish.
She bolted from the mansion, not stopping until she was safely home. That night, she developed the photos in her darkroom. The images were stunning, capturing the mansion's haunting beauty. But in every photo, the same girl stood in the background, watching her.
Terrified, Jessie brought the photos to Mr. Thompson the next day. He examined them, his brow furrowing. "These are incredible, Jessie. But the girl... she looks familiar."
He pulled out an old yearbook. "This is Emily Sinclair. She lived in that mansion and disappeared over fifty years ago. They never found her."
Jessie's blood ran cold. "So, what does that mean? Is she... a ghost?"
Mr. Thompson shook his head. "I don't know. But there's something you should see." He led her to a locked cabinet and pulled out old, yellowed photos. "These were taken by students in the photography club over the years. Look closely."
Jessie flipped through the photos, her heart sinking. In each one, Emily Sinclair was in the background, always watching. "Why didn't anyone say anything?"
"They did," Mr. Thompson replied grimly. "But no one believed them. Everyone thought it was a trick of the light."
As Jessie stared at the photos, she felt a chill run down her spine. She looked up at Mr. Thompson, but he was gone. The room was empty, except for her and the photos.
Suddenly, the door slammed shut, and the lights flickered out. Jessie felt a cold hand on her shoulder and turned to see Emily Sinclair, her hollow eyes filled with sadness and rage.
"You've seen me," Emily whispered. "Now you belong to the house, just like all the others."
Jessie screamed, but no sound came out. The darkness closed in around her, and she felt herself being pulled away, her camera slipping from her grasp. The last thing she saw was Emily's ghostly face, inches from her own, before everything went black.
When the lights came back on, the room was empty. The photos lay scattered on the floor, and Jessie's camera was gone. She was never seen again, just another victim of the mansion's dark history, forever captured in its haunting photographs.

I have 2 beautiful daughters, Joy(16) and Mia(15).
While I believe Joy is the most beautiful girl, not everyone agrees with this. She has red hair, pale skin with a lot of freckles and is a bit overweight and is a B- student while Mia has blonde hair, fair skin and is tall and slim and is an A+ student. Because of this, most of the boys at school like Mia while ignoring Joy.
There is a boy in Joy's class that she has a crush on but he doesn't seem to notice her.
Last week I came home and found the girls fighting. Apparently the boy asked Mia out and she said yes even though she knows how much Joy likes him. I tried to stop them from fighting but they kept yelling at each other. At one point Joy called Mia a whore. I told her that what she said was not nice and she needs to apologize. Then Mia told her something along the lines of "You are fat and ugly and dumb and it's not my fault that no one will ever like you so just get used to it".
I told Mia that what she said was horrible so I punished her and grounded her for a week and told her she has to do all of Joy's chores in this week and will not get an allowance for a month.
She called me an asshole and went to her room crying. Now she is refusing to talk to me and has stopped calling me mom and instead uses my name. My husband also thinks I was wrong here.

This post is about both me and my fiancé, who confronted our MOH due to her lack of genuineness and presence throughout the wedding planning process thus far. I posted about this in a wedding sub and got completely slammed so I'm bringing it here too because I was not expecting anyone to side with her at all. Maybe I didn't provide enough details in the original post.
I (20f) got engaged to my fiance (19m) about two weeks ago. We've known each other for six years and have dated for four. We've also known our MOH (19f) for six years, and our GOH (groom of honor, 19m) for four years.
When I asked our friend, we'll call her Kristie, to be our MOH, I told her that I would like her and the GOH to help us plan our wedding. We're not having a bachelobachelorette party or a bridal shower, just the wedding ceremony and reception itself. The two of them were supposed to provide their insight on suits/dresses, the guest list, and other difficult decisions or small tasks. We collectively decided to meet once a week to plan, and sometimes we'll include the other bridesmaids and groomsmen when needed. The MOH happily agreed.
For a while, the set day was Fridays. Then, the MOH stopped showing up. And not for good reasons, either. Here are some examples:
"I can't come, my mom asked me to do xyz task" "I have to work at 9pm tonight" (when we text her at like 3pm) "My family wants to go to the zoo" (Girl I think you have more important things to tend to right now) "Some guy I've never met wants me to fly out to a different state and he already bought the tickets" (Not only flaky and rude, but incredibly dangerous, we talked her out of that one)
After two weeks of this, we talked to her about it and said that we needed her around more. She freaked out and said that she was going through stuff (college, difficulty with other friends, home stuff, etc) and we told her that we completely understood and we'd help her in any way we could. We've given her money for college, picked her up when her parents were fighting, listened to her complain about her other friends, etc. We also changed the day of the week to Saturday, because she said that would work for her better. The situation didn't improve.
Yesterday, she messaged the group chat to cancel on us again. And her excuse was very lousy, again. By this point, we've been dealing with this for a month and a half, so we got fed up and my fiancé chewed her out. He told her that she needs to stop changing plans that have already been set in place, and that she needs to step up. The MOH responded by saying that she doesn't want to be a part of the bridal party anymore because it's stressing her out too much and she "has other things to worry about".
She doesn't really work (less than 15 hours a week, if that) and she lives at home. The whole bridal party does since we're all very young adults, me and my fiance included. Therefore, we're not buying the "I'm just going through stuff" bit, because we all are, and we don't use that as an excuse to be garbage friends. We would (and have) dropped what we're doing if she needed us, but she can't even carve out a few hours on a set day of the week? I call BS.
However, when I posted this in the Weddit sub, I was called entitled for putting a demand on her time. So, AWTA's??

So I (M 36) have been seeing this girl (29) for a couple of times now, I think it going pretty good between us: 1st date dinner then coffee, we talked alot, she said she really like it, 2nd date dinner and movie, then 3rd we went to my house to cooked, a day later back again at my house and this time we getting more touching, cuddle, she on her period so we not have sex yet. That was like 2 week ago, because after that I have to travel for business then she have to. We been keeping messaging daily, it been really good! So we begin to mention about getting serious, about becoming boyfriend & girlfriend, but she says (half joking, half serious) that I will need to give het a gift in diamond if I want her to be my girl friend, she really like diamond, even have a tattoo in diamond shape on the back. So my question is this girl serious about wanting a relationship between us or she is just into material/gold digger? Or she already into me but need me to prove it by give her a worthy gift? So girls, what are your opinions on this? We are planning a getaway 2 days next week, I already book a room for us

dating #advice

Going into childbirth, I (thought) I was prepared for everything, but I realized I had not prepared myself for a possible unplanned c section. I had looked up all the tips and tricks for vaginal birth but I wish I had prepared myself more for the possibility of a c section.
My due date was 5/9, and during my 40w appt, my cervix was still quite hard and barely dilated even 1cm. I was scheduled an oral induction on 5/11. I went into L&D, got the induction. pill, was monitored for an hour then sent home to see if anything happened. I went about my day as normal, got some very small contractions but nothing close enough to go back to the hospital. The next day, I went back to get checked again and got yet another pill, another hour of monitoring and then sent home again. I was so impatient at this point 😪. I really thought I’d have my baby by then - it was 5/12 and Mother’s Day and thought my baby was just waiting for that day, lol.
Again, nothing happened. We went back the next morning and this time was just fully admitted into my delivery room. I had only dilated 2cm at this point and my cervix was barely softening. So they gave my the inserted induction pill this time and I sat in bed waiting. About 4-6 hours later, I was progressing a little bit but still not enough, so they chose to do a Cook’s catheter plus a foley ballon. Wowee those were uncomfortable to feel being put in. After this, I started dilating to about 5cm but my water hadn’t broken yet. A couple hours later, they chose to break my water for me and had me on the peanut ball to keep my progress going. By around 8-9pm, they gave me pitocin through IV, then the contractions really started kicking in. Those contractions were so hard to breathe through but I managed a few hours until I asked for some morphine so I could get some sleep. I got about 3-4 hours of sleep until it wore off and I awoke with such pain from the contractions again. The nurse gave me more morphine but it wasn’t doing anything at this point so I asked for the epidural. It was 5am at 5/14 at this point (also my birthday🥳).
Epidural was much easier than I anticipated. The hardest part was staying still and hunched over while I was still actively getting contractions about a minute apart. I finally got numb and got more sleep. I woke up and in the late morning/earlt afternoon I had progressed to about 6cm. I got up to 7cm with that dang peanut ball still between my legs until the later afternoon then I started getting a fever, so they gave me some Tylenol. By 8pm, I started getting the labor shakes, uncontrollably shaking and could barely speak. At this point, my midwife looked at me in the eyes and said that this was going on for too long and that it would be best to try and get a c section since I had stopped dilating at 7cm, and baby’s head was looking up, making it harder for her to drop and would be harder for me to push out. My husband and I talked it over and with a lot of tears, I finally said yes and they prepped me for surgery.
I get into the surgery room and they start prepping me and draping me, etc. Right before my husband comes in, i start to feel super hot and flush; I managed to flag down a nurse and told her i was feeling really hot and itchy in my face. Turns out I was having an allergic reaction. My husband walks in and i can immediately see in his face that I looked unwell. He talked to the anesthesiologist and he ensured him if be better as soon as I got Benadryl, but it would make me drowsy. I was in and out of consciousness after this and everything felt so hazy. I remember my baby being born and crying after hearing her cry and seeing her face. I remember my husband sitting next to me holding her and holding her face to my face. But it was all a blur. After they closed me up, I was wheeled to the recovery wing and finally got to hold my baby girl and breastfeed her before going to my PP room.
We ended up staying for 4 days in the hospital after getting PP preeclampsia and my BP getting elevated. Fast forward to today, I’m almost 3 weeks PP and baby is healthy and so am I, but damn I really never expected my birth to be so traumatic and so long. I am so grateful to be alive along with my baby being so healthy. I couldn’t have done it without my loving husband. And now I share a birthday with my baby girl!!! 5/14/24
To all my c section mamas, we are such warriors and it is unbelievable what we go through to finally be able to hold our babies. If you made it to the end of this post, thank you so much for reading🤍

I just finished rewatching EA S2 and I had forgotten that they had lost the escape room challenge. Now I’m wondering what will happen in the seasons to come.
I think it has potential to become another NJTW. I was reading another thread somewhere and a commenter mentioned that the repetitiveness of NJTW is why it got boring (going to a random country and getting the dragon balls and all of that jazz). While I enjoyed all of the seasons of NJTW and even the spin offs, I do agree that it did get a bit stale. In comparison, EA feels like a breath of fresh air.
I don’t want that to happen to EA because I think we need more women led variety shows and while I like Kang Hodong (to an extent), his character is a bit stale. The relationships in EA feel more natural and although they have traits that repeat obviously,
it doesn’t feel like a bit. It’s just who they are as people.
So I’m thinking that next season will open with them having to do a part time job (hopefully this takes up an episode max) They work and then Torong will make mess of things and blame it on them. This will lead to the Jade Emperor basically telling them that if you don’t catch Torong then you’ll have get whatever penalty. This will lead to them having to go another country to catch Torong.
I think this will give it a bit of a boost. They can also get someone to play the Jade Emperor and use that to make his character more popular. Maybe they could rent a rice cake shop for a day and say it’s a branch store of the one of the moon and the girls will have to work.
I’m going to organize this post later. Anyways, what do you guys think?

I'm fairly new to the game (13 hours). After losing around 7 characters I'm finally getting the hang of the game and I'm currently in my LONGEST playthrough yet which is day 6.
Here's whats going on: I'm in Rosewood and I've got a temporary base set up in the closest house to the fire station. After watching a bunch of videos on zombies and loot knowledge I've finally gathered the courage to kill zeds only when I absolutely need to. For days 1-5 I killed ONE single zed and almost had a panic attack while doing so. But on day 6 (9am) I found an umbrella followed by a crowbar and shakily killed 14 in one hour.
Then I built up enough courage to go to the fire station. I killed 4 zeds outside, and the bottom floor of the building was completely zed free.
HERE'S WHERE THE FCKED UP PART COMES IN. I had 1 room and the locker area left to clear upstairs. After almost getting a heart attack from a jumpscare of one zed in the bunk room, I went to the lockers and found a firefighter jacket! I was so hyped to put it on because along with the firefighter pants and hardhat I found, (literally 2 minutes ago). This was the best protection gear I've ever had in project zomboid. I quickly went to the bathroom to organize inventory. And the second I put the goddamn jacket on I hear the faint sound of the dreaded helicopter.
My heart was already racing like crazy from the most eventful 3 hours of my in game life. I immedietly quit to desktop and my hands are shaking. Like the title says I'm a total coward and the first time I manage to take a TINY step out of my comfort zone I get smacked down by the helicopter.
I'm still hiding in the bathroom tightly gripping my axe and trying not to pee in these new firefighter pants. None of the windows have covers. I'm absolutely terrified of the thought of stepping out. Will the zeds break into the fire station? Will I be swarmed? Should I be expecting them standing outside this bathroom door when I go to open it? What to I do??

looking for a hygienic girls pg near the central campus. I've already checked Serenity but want to explore more options. - Affordable - Within 200-300m of the campus - Meals included - Well ventilated rooms Kindly mention the approx. rent with your recommendations

I’m in desperate need of advice and someone to listen. I’m writing this at 5am because I can’t sleep without this off my chest. I’ve been dealing with suicidal thoughts again since I got out of college for the summer. My depression was so crippling that I missed enough classes for me to be dismissed from school. This alone made me feel worthless but on top of that, I don’t have a summer job, I don’t impress my family at all, and I’m so depressed I don’t do much all day anyway. I increased my mental health meds but I only feel worse. I keep telling myself when it gets bad enough I’ll just end it and I think I might be there now. In a last ditch effort to prove that my friends love me and need me here I started planning a party with my bff because her dad is out of town. She asks me to invite a ton of people. So I do, and I know them from all different places too so none of them know each other. My dumb ass doesn’t think of that. Well pretty soon before the party my friend chickens out about having the party at her place and says we need to have it at the beach instead. I understand it and we go to the beach. We all meet up and about 6 people that were supposed to come couldn’t show up. On top of that, pretty much everyone didn’t bring the weed/ alcohol they promised to bring, the alcohol we did have tasted AWFUL, it was way colder than forecasted, there was a cop on our ass all night, AND my friend locked her keys in her car. It was the most awkward event I’ve ever attended and I was the host. I couldn’t keep a good conversation going with anyone and I kept misreading the room leading to weird situations. I gave my friends an awful night and proved to everyone why they don’t need me around. Everything feels like a sign that I need to end it. I just need advice. If you read the whole thing you’ve earned a place in my heart. :) thank you

I was her number one fan.
I subscribed to YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
And I messaged every day saying how much I loved her content.
Crikey Moses, the excitement I’d feel when she was unboxing the latest gadgets.
Eventually, I was blocked by the content moderators for 'spam.'
Those Moderators!
And Business managers!
Parasites!
I had all her merchandise.
The collab she did with Mattel (Little Miss Barbie Starshine) and the Amazon Prime line.
She released an autobiography, saying how much she valued hard work, and I knew in my very bones she was being exploited; I could see it in the circles under her eyes.
She needed saving from the vultures ‘taking care’ of her.
Her whistle-stop book tour passed through the mall where I was a cleaner.
The event was scheduled to last four hours.
Those goddamn hyenas.
Eventually, she’d have to use the bathroom, so I waited, and sure enough, some big oaf opened the door and said to holler if she needed anything.
The brute didn’t know there was a storage cupboard leading to a fire exit.
And I grabbed her.
Freedom.
…
‘Little Miss Starshine, oh little Miss,’ I said.
She looked at me groggily.
‘Who are you?’
‘I’m your number one fan… We’re gonna do our own unboxing videos from now on.’
‘Wh, wh, Where’s my Mom?’ she said.
‘Your handlers? Those bottom feeders? Well, they’re on the news, but forget that.’
She started crying.
First sobs, then screams, and, finally, a full-blown tantrum.
I don’t know if you’ve ever had to quieten an 8-year-old girl, but it is a tricky business.
I took her by the arms, the mouth, and finally the neck, squeezing.
She fell limp.
‘Little Miss Starshine?’
I prodded. Her ivory face was frozen, her glassy big blue eyes still.
...
It affected me deeply.
I took to my bed and left her in the next room.
Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.
I began to collapse in on myself, and so did she.
What was left?
And it dawned on me.
Revenge.
Her parents had caused this tragedy.
They’d exploited her. Those scavengers.
The force of retribution was a powerful prime mover.
Tying the bow atop the package and mailing, I imagined her Mom and Dad(those cretins) as they opened it up and saw that sweet girl’s blonde locks on a head removed from a torso.
Little Miss Starshine’s final unboxing.

Area events calendars: Clare, Farwell, Harrison, Mt. Pleasant
Library events calendars: Clare (PMDL), Farwell (STPL), Harrison (HDL), Mt. Pleasant (CRDL), Coleman
School events calendars: Clare, Farwell, Harrison, Mid Michigan College, Central Michigan University
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Date	Time	Event	Location
01	10am-12pm	Paint the Pavement	Art Reach of Mid Michigan, 111 E Broadway St, Mt Pleasant
05	1pm-3pm	Beat the Heat: Summer Kickoff Celebration	Yost Park, 206 S Henry St, Mt Pleasant
05	2pm-4pm	Virtual Reality at the Library	Coleman Area Library, 111 1st St, Coleman
05, 12, 19	9am-12pm	Plein Air: Paint Our Preserves	varies
06	3pm-4pm	Make & Take Craft: Lava Lamps	Coleman Area Library, 111 1st St, Coleman
06, 13, 20, 27, Jul 11, 18, 25, Aug 01, 08, 15	7pm-9pm	Introduction to Wood Carving (10-week course)	Art Reach of Mid Michigan, 111 E Broadway St, Mt Pleasant
07	11am-2pm	Fun Day in the Park	Shamrock Park, 221 Wilcox Parkway, Clare
08	10am-12pm	Kids & Culture: Vintage Games	Bohannon One-Room Schoolhouse, Corner of W Preston Dr & W Campus Dr, Mt Pleasant
13	1pm-3pm	Gouache Mushrooms painting class	Art Reach of Mid Michigan, 111 E Broadway St, Mt Pleasant
14	1pm-3pm	Farm Fresh Watercolors painting class	Art Reach of Mid Michigan, 111 E Broadway St, Mt Pleasant
15	9am	CMU Summer Surplus Auction	275 W Bellows St, Mt Pleasant
15	10am-3pm	Book Sale	Veterans Memorial Library, 301 S University, Mt Pleasant
17-23	varies	Summerfest	Clare
22	9am-4pm	City Wide Garage Sales	Harrison
24	11am-12pm	Magnificent Maple Syrup presentation	Pere Marquette District Library, 185 E 4th St, Clare
24, Jul 01, 08, 15	11am-1pm	Creative Writing: Short Stories (4-week course)	Art Reach of Mid Michigan, 111 E Broadway St, Mt Pleasant