I am NOT OOP, OOP is u/External_Ad8238
Originally posted to AITAH
AITAH for not doing anything for my step children anymore after being called names and filing for a divorce from my husband after he didn’t back me up?
Editor’s Note: added paragraph breaks for readability
Trigger Warnings: emotional abuse and manipulation, verbal abuse, child neglect and abandonment
Original Post: April 8, 2024
I 30F have been married to my 34M husband for 6 years and he has twins, a boy and a girl and they’re 16 now. When we started dating/got married we went to family therapy and I made it clear that I was not trying to be their mother or replace their mother. Their mother hasn’t been in their life since they were about 8.
Things have been great with us these past 6 years. They even started calling me mom when they were around 12/13. Recently their bio mother came back into their lives and they were really excited. Things were great for about 6 months and then they started to call me by my real name, that hurt but it’s what they chose to do and I never questioned it.
Recently they’ve been getting very disrespectful. They don’t follow the curfew rules, they’re not cleaning up after themselves, they’re talking back to me, telling me I’m not their real mom, that I’m the reason she left (which is not true, I didn’t meet him until almost a year and half after she left) that now that she’s back they don’t need me anymore, 3 weeks ago there was a big blow up where my (step) son called me a bitch. I took his phone and told him to his room until his dad came back but instead he ran out and went to his mom’s. She came over and it was a big argument. She tried to hit me and I pushed her out of my house. My (step) daughter told me if I ever put my hands on her mom again then she’d kick my ass. They both went to their mom’s place.
After that, I haven’t been very active. I usually take them to sports and activities, I don’t wake them up for school so they’ve been late a few times. I tell them to have their mom wake them up and take them. We were supposed to go to Disney World for their spring break this week but I canceled everything. I told them and my husband and I guess they thought I was bluffing. We were supposed to leave Thursday night and when I didn’t start the usual vacation round up they were shocked. They started saying I was jealous that their mom came back in their lives, that I’m a horrible person, I’m selfish, there was some name calling and my husband was silent. I asked him if he was going to step in and he said I was wrong for canceling.
I left and went to stay in a hotel. He has been blowing my phone up asking me to come back and yesterday he told me that their mother disappeared again and they’ve been calling me crying and apologizing. I don’t want to do this anymore… I don’t feel like I’m part of their family and they can’t Just cry and come back now that she disappeared. I told my husband that I want a divorce and I’ll be back over this week to get my things but we have nothing to talk about.
Yes, I know their mother was manipulating them. I never said otherwise. Yes, they are 16… that doesn’t give them the right to treat me this way. Being 16 doesn’t mean you get to be disrespectful and threaten me. I have always been in their corner. I know their feelings matter in this but I am also a person with feelings. I am not only considering or moving forward with this divorce based on how the children acted, it is also that my husband did not back me up in this… if I can’t count on him to help me navigate this tough situation that we were all going through… then why should I stay? That does not mean that I should be treated the way I was being treated… that is not normal 16 year old behavior… to threaten me? Call me vile names? I just need time for myself.
And I don’t want an apology just because their bio mother ran out on them again… I want an apology because they really mean it and I don’t believe anyone can be truly sorry 2 days after their mother vanished again. I would never Just abandon them… but I do need time for myself because my feelings were disregarded. Yes I am an adult but I still have feelings that were hurt and need time for myself.
I never asked or expected them to be perfect. I never expected them to be the most mature people but I am allowed to be hurt and take time for myself during all of this. They have feelings and so do I. I love them very much, they are my children but this is a very complicated situation. This is not because “they called me a bitch” I’ve been called worse, I’m a woman. This is ultimately about my husband not backing me up during this situation and yes, I am hurt that they called me that I’m allowed to be… it hurts even worse coming from two people who I love dearly and would never hurt or want any harm to come to them.
AITAH has no consensus bot, OOP was NTA
Relevant Comments
OOP on if she is leaving the marriage because of her stepchildren’s behaviors

OOP: No, I am not bailing on my marriage just because the children are acting the way they do. Did you not read the part where I also said my husband did not back me up? Am I supposed to stay in this marriage where I don’t have any support from him? I don’t know how you were as a teenager but when I was 16 I never acted like this and this is not normal teenage behavior.

OOP on the stepchildren’s biological mother

OOP: She was not back in their life until 6 months ago… I don’t know where you got 3 years from. They were not staying at our place part time. When I said that they went to her place. I mean that she lived 10 minutes down the street and when they got angry, they went to her house.

OOP on her stepchildren being disrespected to her

OOP: I upset them… I will not be apologizing for “upsetting them” when even when they were disrespecting me, I was still in their corner, hoping that their mother and then would have a good relationship. No they don’t have to be adults nor do they have to be perfect but I don’t think it’s too much to ask not to be disrespected and be called a bitch and be threatened when I have done nothing but love them and be a mother to them

OOP on her husband’s behavior being an issue

OOP: Yes, and that’s what I have been saying I know that it’s not the children’s fault. I know that it is their bio Mom’s fault and it’s my husband’s fault for not backing me up. I just need a few days to myself to work through what I’m going through internally. Yes, they are children but what they said did hurt me and I’m allowed to be hurt by it and people telling me that I am not allowed to because I’m an adult is very odd.

 
Update: May 1, 2024
Hello, I have been getting a lot of messages asking for an update. I am now in a place to be able to give an update. You can look at my previous post for what this is about.
I went back to the house 2 days ago and my husband and I had a long talk about what happened and how I didn’t feel protected by him and how he knew how disrespectful they were being but didn’t stop anything. He said that he still loved his ex and that’s why pretty much. He didn’t want to do anything for her to leave them again (them as in him and the twins) but that didn’t change how he felt about me… I did not feel comfortable with that. I told him that I’ve been there, not her and how could he still love her and it was very emotional and there was crying and yelling. I made the decision to move along with the divorce.
I spoke to the twins and they cried and said it’s their fault and to forgive them and their dad and not to leave. I told them that as much as I love them, staying with their dad and in this home was not an option but I would still love to have a relationship with them if they want but I am still very much hurt by what happened and would still appreciate a little more time for myself. I let them know that their actions have consequences and they can’t treat people the way they did.
I did move out and I was staying in a unit in one of my rental properties. Exciting news, I bought my first house. It was a fairly quick process. I’m excited for what’s next, I bought my first house ever and next month I am taking a break from work for a few weeks or the whole month … maybe 2 or 3 and doing some exploring of the world and healing and finding myself. I lost myself in the twins and my husband and didn’t really focus on what I wanted and what made me happy. So I bought tickets again for Disney World, I have also made plans to go to Thailand next month and from there… I have no clue. I’m doing some spontaneous trips… I have always wanted to see the 7 wonders of the world. Any way, I am really happy to be getting a break.
I told the kids I would love to have them over for dinner when I get settled in to my new place. I do feel bad about canceling their trip to Disney so I am thinking about funding a trip for them to go this summer for their 17th birthday… Just not with me, I’m excited to be traveling alone and I need the mental break.
That is all really…
Relevant/Top Comments
OOP on funding a trip for the stepchildren

OOP: I have to get out of that position of being a “mom” to them and after reading your comment and a few other comments like it, I will not be funding a trip for them. There definitely needs to be a stronger foundation before I even think about putting down thousands of dollars for them

Actual-Offer-127: Let your husband and their mother that he still loves to fund the trip for them. Please don't be a doormat. You can be there peripherally for the twins but ultimately they're not your responsibility and that would be over stepping.
I still can't get over him saying he still loves the woman that abandoned his kids and him. I wouldn't be surprised if he was having an affair while she was back.
 

DO NOT COMMENT IN LINKED POSTS OR MESSAGE OOPs – BoRU Rule #7

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT OOP

So my mother got a sales pitch from Dabella Roofing today. The team just so happened to be doing a roof in our vicinity.
I'll cut to the chase. My mother's roof need to be replaced. That much is a fact. We have visible tarps on it.
Now, they initially quoted her $58,000 for her. My mother said no, she couldn't do that. They dropped it down to $45,000 and my mother said no and then left.
My brother was there the whole time. Let's just say he got scammed $500 of crypto a few years back.
My brother negotiated and they dropped the price to $35,000. They said there is in-house financing, and estimated a monthly payment of $388. They also offered a 50 year warranty and said the material would be made of Tiger Paw.
They also said they could do the entire project in roughly two days and start in 8 weeks.
My mother was pressured to sign their application today. She was informed that she can cancel it and as far as I know hasn't spent any money on it.
How legit is this? I already found the following submission and it raising some red flags.
https://redd.it/1abeitz

Hi female here and this is kinda long so sorry about that. I really haven't talked to all my siblings and my mother(we will call her Suzanne) for years. The only one I really talk to is one of my older siblings (we will say Kimmy) the others i feel like do not want anything to do with me or my little family cause mom drama. Mom's very toxic she post drama all the time on social media but she makes everyone feel bad for her. I am basically the black sheep of my family I am only one who I would say is uppemiddle middle class out of my siblings when i hangout with them everyone always ask if i can pick up the tab in public knowing i have social anxiety and people pleaser. One time couple years ago either one of my siblings or Suzanne stole over 2k from my bank because I got engaged to my spouse and didnt help my family out financially anymore but only person ik didn't do it was kimmy cause she was living somewhere else at the time. I did try to forgive them about it months later and let them live with us short time until drama happened and I kicked them out.
I moved far away for everyone trying to get away from drama. I haven't really talked to her in few years expect at funerals and like one or two text a year. My spouse said we should try to see if she change and give her a shot at being a grandmother to our child. I asked Suzanne multiple times before to say sorry to my spouse for everything she said about them during text, on social media, and in person but she still hasn't. My spouse said to forget about the apology and focus on family but i know since growing up she never apologizes for anything she did that hurt one of her childern and i had enough but i did listen to my spouse and said okay. There was a recent event where I was hanging out with siblings and Suzanne was on the phone. I didn't say a word to her but I did let her talk to my child for few minutes. Later on that night my siblings was arguing with each other and I offered to help the situation which meant I had to contact Suzanne but when I tried to contact Suzanne she didn't pick up the phone instead she went to my sibling (we can say kyle) and talked shit about me to Kyle because i didnt forgive her . Kyle then told me and I was shocked that Suzanne was acting like a high schooler and didn't just come straight to me instead she talks rudely about her child to one of her other child. Later that night I called my spouse telling them what happened and say I tried to be nice and bite my tongue but I don't feel comfortable with suzzane around our child even if it is social media. We have a family event where all of us are invited to would I be an a$$h0le if I kept our daughter at home with my spouse while I go to this event? I just feel like there will be drama there but I do want to see my other family.

Trigger Warning: triggering content includes thoughts of SH, DV etc.
PS: English is not my first language, so sorry if it’s annoying to read.
This post is kind off my last resort.
For years me and my family have been clashing. First I thought it was because I can be a little bit of a bounty. I can also be very sensitive. But the last 2 years things have spiraled. I’ve been laying awake a lot of nights terrified of the horrible thought that maybe I’m one of the extreme cases of a sneaky narcissist. I’m even more terrified that this post is a way that I’m manipulating you into thinking I’m not. In my daily life this bothers me a lot cause I’m terrified of meeting new people and doing the same to them without knowing. I’m scared to go outside because of it again. The last few weeks those thoughts are making me think the world would be a much safer place without me.
I grew up in a family of 4. My oldest brother (M36(?)) was always abusive during my childhood, but he really couldn’t help it. My parents divorce hit him very hard and he didn’t know how to handle it. He would tie me to a chair when my mother went to work, get drunk and destroy the walls etc of the house. When my mother couldn’t handle him anymore she would instruct me to cry because that was the only thing that would make him stop. I can also remember having to bath him when he was drunk cause he would only listen to me. He was physically abusive towards all his gfs and as a 9/10 year old I even almost st*bbed one of them after he smashed all the new born baby’s brand new furniture on her because he asked me too. The police would raid our house on a regular, I took care of his kids more then he did a lot of times and have had times that I had to be hidden in locked attics from him because he would look for me everywhere when I started verbalizing that the situation wasn’t normal etc etc etc. If I wasn’t in hiding alone, I would be in hiding with my mother (F68) and other brother (M27) because he would threaten to burn the house down with us in it etc etc. He choked my younger brother (M27) when he started defending himself. When my brother was just about to lose consciousness he let go and told him ‘you see how fast I can kill you? Next time think twice’. The funny thing is, he still was my hero.
When I became a teenager, I started realizing and not backing down from the facts that something wasn’t right about the way I was growing up & the way it was being accepted by my culture. I tried every way of telling my mom and brother untill it resulted in the whole family ignoring me because I was ‘always mad & negative’. They would leave every room I entered. I never had no one to confide in & would teach myself the awkward things I didn’t know about being a early teenage girl in my school books instead of talking to my mom. & they were right. I was always tryna make them understand that the situation wasn’t normal. It wasn’t normal for my sister in law to come to my house and threaten me that if my brother didn’t come back to her, that she would leave my house to drive in to the water and kill herself and my nephew and nieces. It wasn’t normal that as a young girl I had to go into hiding for months after my other sister in law started plotting and verbalizing that she would kill me because she was so tired of being beaten to pulp by my brother that her only resort was wanting to kill me because she found that the only was she could hurt him back. It wasn’t normal that when I warned her to leave my brother she would tell him & they both would get mad at me.
After years of trying to talk to both my parents, my brother, his gfs, my siblings (and experiencing SA outside of the family, but to scared to tell my mom cause when I told her things she never stuck up for me) essentially making them hate me because of my negativity and unwillingness to ignore and let go of situations that were still occurring. I turned into a monster. I was too scared to call CPS so I started sleeping with a knife under my pillow and became very good at defending myself with my mouth. Especially towards my older brother. If that didn’t work I would threaten my whole family and destroy all the walls in the house. Now that I’m older I realize I became him when I couldn’t escape him. One day it resulted in me threatening my family so bad that they became scared of sleeping without barricading their door. I was 13. After that I got taken away by CPS and eventually got my first appartement 5 years later at 18. Away from them. This succeeded for some years, I still had to show up & fix his mess a few times, I still fucked up and showed my monster when triggered a lot of times and eventually fell out with all of them after getting tired. He started slandering me and accusing me of being arrogant, a show off and manipulative because I was finally making good grades again & had no problem getting degrees. Even when asking me to help him & me still giving him my books regardless of our problems, he would slander me to my mothefather.
When I got older I started my bachelor in education and moved to a bigger apartment. When he found out he inserted hisself into my plans with my other brother to paint my house and made sure I couldn’t by forcing my other brother to leave me on the interstate after lying that I didn’t greet his daughter, that i practically raised and who started calling me mom when I was 12. His daughter wanted to get out with me but I instructed her to stay quiet and go to my mom’s house with them. I got out alone and told him this was his last time abusing me.
Now I’m older & I wake up and force myself to love my family and work on our relationship. Even though it usually makes me unhappy and even suicidal. Even though my therapist told me to stay away from them. I struggle a lot with my mom especially cause she states I can’t put myself into other people’s shoes and see things from their perspective. She says I have difficulty putting my hand on my heart for people. She doesn’t understand i’m putting my heart on my heart for her everyday, by even being in her life still. Sitting in one room with my brother and his gf while they act like I am insane. I do it for her. Cause for me, it’s been over.
She says she is scared of me still from all those years and scared to tell me the truth when i’m wrong about little things cause she thinks I will break contact again. I tell her I’m not like that anymore, it was a trauma response and that I have difficulty understanding how she’s so terrified of me, but not my brother? I also feel like she uses that as a excuse sometimes, cause a lot of times she says i’m wrong or cold hearted for things like:

• not wanting to stay with a boyfriend that turned abusive if he doesn’t get help
• not wanting to be around people that don’t reciprocate respect
• not wanting to be close to people that I have to slave for all my life but can’t never help me or support me when it’s needed once a year or even 2 years. (I had to slave for them, think about money, ignoring abusive behavior etc because she encouraged me too cause he had epilepsy when he was young. He hasn’t had a attack in 15 years & functions normally)

I try to explain to her why i’m so serious about boundaries, mental health & stuff now. Especially now that I’ve been in therapy & may be finding out soon that/if i’m slightly autistic. I’ve apologized for my behavior a millions time but when i try to explain why i was like that or ask her why she doesn’t look at my brothers doing in things (they are besties, she always understands him cause he is a traumatized child because of divorce) she keeps stating the above untill I explode & then she says: ‘you see, this is what I mean’
Am I missing something? Am i coming across as a (covert) narcissist? Or showing signs i’m missing? I really don’t want to be around people and fuck them up if I am showing signs, so pls be honest in your opinions.
PS: I’m the only one in therapy.

Since Israel started violently attacking Gaza in October, I've been talking to my husband about how disgusted I am with Zionism and with the state of Israel. He will tell me to be careful because I sound antisemitic. It was hard for me to discuss my progressing thoughts on the conflict with him. We have a 2.5-year-old daughter who looks so much like Reem, and my father adores my daughter the way Reem's grandfather adored her. I cried for days when I saw the video of Reem's grandfather caressing her lifeless body, and my husband says that I am emotional because I am a mother, discounting the empathy that I have for Palestinians (and really anybody) losing their lives so senselessly.
He judges me for being on Instagram, where Motaz and Bisan found fame in their talented journalism on the conflict. I explain that social media apps like Instagram and TikTok allow those who are normally disempowered (like how Israel disempowered Palestinians, leading to media bias that paints Israel in an innocent light) to amplify their voices. He finds my arguments silly, and what I think is even more silly is that he is on Reddit and will show me 'funny' videos that have already been on TikTok. Yes, there is a lot of false information on TikTok and Insta, but can't we say the same thing about mainstream media?
During the encampment at Columbia University, my husband said, 'Oh, but those are outsiders protesting, not the students themselves.' I told him that is what mainstream media wants you to believe, and he did not believe me until he saw news of protesting students getting suspended from the school.
Just a couple of hours ago, I showed him a couple of videos of the bombing in Rafah. He feigned interest, and then I asked him if he had heard of Bisan, and he said 'no.' I start to explain who she is and the significance of her name. While talking, I see him open his laptop and start working. I look at him and I'm like, "Is there something else you want to talk about?" He gives me a stern look and says, "I'm working," which he usually doesn't do at night. I got upset and then said that I think he secretly is pro-Israel.
Don't get me wrong—he's a great husband overall. He's a present and attentive father, too. When I was upset about Reem and her grandfather, he bought me a book called 'Light in Gaza' that his pro-Palestinian friend recommended. But maybe he thought I would just stop talking about Palestine after reading that book? I don't know. I am just learning that there is a difference between us, a moral difference, and I don't know how I feel about it. How do I proceed?
Some information about us: We are not Muslim. I was born into a religious Hindu family and my husband is Buddhist. I'm not sure if that is important for this group to know, but I could not find anywhere else for me to write this post on Reddit.

My daughter, 15 years old, has a rare vision problem called visual snow, accompanied with several other problems - after imaging, trailing, words moving as she reads them - and from what we understand there’s no cure. She has an appointment soon to see a neurologist- but if I’m being honest I’m very skeptical anything is going to help.
She also struggles with anxiety.
We are a good family, she’s an only child, middle class - we have what we need. We are pretty traditional.
She has really struggled lately because of this problem with her vision. And with the anxiety, I just don’t understand. Probably makes me a rotten dad, because I’m not very patient with her when she talks back, or snaps at me or her mother.
I fully admit I don’t get it. And I’ve told her that. But now she’s gotten to a point where she says “what’s the point of trying - I can’t read it anyways!”
She’s been a straight a student every year. Highest average in her classes. This year she still had straight a’s but not highest average. She feels like a failure because she can’t see with this problem. She’s embarrassed to tell her teachers. She doesn’t want attention drawn to her.
We are really hoping this neurologist can steer us toward some hope and relief.
But for now, I just can’t cope with it anymore. And I feel awful about it.

A little bit of backstory, I am a US citizen and she is a Russian citizen. I live in the US with my mother but I could move out anytime I want since I earn about $15-$20k per month ( I work online, and I have around 3k saved up but I can easily make that more ). My girlfriend who currently lives in Europe (has a USA visa as well) have been traveling to different countries together for about 8 months now and she also is financially secure.
The only problem is she is pregnant now ( I just found out today, she is about 2 weeks pregnant if that) and is very hesitant on having the baby she says this isn’t how she planned and wanted to wait another 3 or 5 years before having kids so that she can explore the world, I myself would be more than happy, although it is sudden an unplanned I don’t want to kill my first son or daughter.
I should also note the child is definitely mine as we have been together for the last 2 months in another country (wont name since I don't want people I know to connect the dots)
I understand I made a mistake by even having this relationship in the first place, but there isn’t much I can do to fix the past. I can only live in the present.
I know what I should do, which is tell her to come to America and live with me and Marry her, and get an Apartment together. But she just isn’t sure about having the baby and I haven’t brought up the marriage part yet. We are already planning on her coming to America to live with more for 6 months starting mid July.
This is one of the bigger turning points in my life and I am excited , I really do feel like this is a test from Allah.
I have yet to meet her mother yet, and she is yet to meet my family yet. But her mother knows we are together, my family which are Christian as well do not.
I am in really in need of some guidance, that’s why I am here asking you all, as well I plan to go to mosque on Friday to talk to the sheikh.

Live Music

• Jim Lamb, Mill Top Tavern, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm,
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• Heather Craig, Old Coast Ales, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm,
• Denny Blue, Fuzion 904 Eatery, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm,
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• Yael Dray and ZaZa Flamenca, St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival 2024, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Wednesday Pier Farmers Market

• The Wednesday Pier Farmers Market at the St. Johns County Pier offers fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, and local arts and crafts every week. With a number of different vendors, visitors can find a variety of unique, quality goods. Each item is handcrafted by these dedicated artists, and the food is locally grown and handpicked.
• This beachside farmers market makes for a great outing on Wednesday morning. Visitors can browse the huge selection of locally produced goods and then afterward take a stroll along scenic St. Augustine Beach. Farmers Markets help the local economy by allowing local merchants to sustain their business and also offer fresh, local foods to the community.
• Admission: FREE
• When: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm every Wednesday
• Where: St. Johns County Pier Park is located at the St. Johns County Ocean Pier at 350 A1A Beach Blvd in St. Augustine Beach.

St. Augustine History Fest Events, 2024

• The St. Augustine History Festival celebrates the "Nation's Oldest City" with activities at historical sites throughout the town.
• Created by the University of Florida, Historic St. Augustine Inc., and the Lastinger Family Foundation, the festival showcases every era of St. Augustine's long and storied past through special events and tours of historic venues. The activities include tours, presentations, book signings, a re-enactment, and a special concert featuring music by Black composers.
• Special Event, Ticketed
• Lincolnville Museum
• What: San Marco Chamber Music Society, "Music by Black Composers."
• Admission: $25.00
• When: May 11, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
• Where: 102 Martin Luther King Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Special Events, Free Entry
• These events are listed in date and time order.
• Governor's House Cultural Center and Museum
• What: A new exhibit opens for this History Festival–Pics: Photographs from UFHSA Governor's House Library. The University of Florida Historic St. Augustine (UFHSA) ensures the long-term preservation of the state-owned historic properties in St. Augustine. To create this exhibit, staff members viewed the 28,000 photographs, negatives, and slides in their collection, choosing to display those items that reflect the collaborations among the museum, its collections, and the people who work there.
• This exhibit is in addition to the ongoing exhibit, Painting St. Augustine: Selections from the Samuel H. and Roberta T. Vickers Collection.
• When: The Governor's House will have extended hours from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, May 8th and 9th.
• The Governor's House will be open during regular hours, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 9 - 12.
• Where: In the lobby gallery at the Governor's House Museum, 48 King Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Don't Miss: Their main exhibit - Painting St, Augustine: Selections from the Samuel H. and Roberta Vickers Collection
• Colonial Quarter
• What: Watch the PBS documentary, America's Untold Story
• When: May 8 - 10, it will repeat all day.
• Where: Colonial Oak Music Park, 33 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Flagler College
• What: Dr. Timothy Johnson discusses "Historic Gardens and Sacred Space." This will include a tour of Flagler's Rotunda and Gardens. (These areas will be closed to the public through August for renovations.)
• When: May 9, 3:00 - 5:30 p.m. From 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. the discussion will held in the Crisp-Ellert Museum and Garden. The group will then move to the Ponce Courtyard Garden, and visit the Rotunda and Inner Space from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. They will then return to the Crisp-Ellert Musesum and Garden for a reception from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m.
• Where: Flagler College, Crisp Ellert Art Museum, 48 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Mission Nombre de Dios
• What: Roman A. Alvarez, historian and author from Spain, "100 Years of History: St. Augustine and Aviles Spain." Presented with the City of St. Augustine.
• When: On two days, Thursday, May 9 and Friday, May 10. May 9, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. May 10, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Where: In the Pilgrimage Center Meeting Room, 101 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• National Shrine of Our Lady of la Leche
• What: Dr. Denise Bossy of UNF, "Indigenous Women and the Indigenous Networks Across La Florida." Part 1 of 2 When: May 9, 5:00 p.m. The event starts with light refreshments and wine at 5:00 p.m. — the lecture begins at 5:30 p.m.
• What: Dr. David Sheffler, UNF, "The Camino del Santiago: Pilgrimage Past and Present." Part 2 of 2 When: May 10, 5:00 p.m. The event starts with light refreshments and wine at 5:00 p.m. — the lecture begins at 5:30 p.m.
• Where: In the Pilgrimage Center Meeting Room, 101 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Peña-Peck House
• Four presentations under the tent in the garden
• What: Dr. Darien Andreu: "Famous Minorcans, from the Queen of Yap to the Queen of Corn. When: May 9 at 11:00 a.m.
• What: Paul L, Weaver, III, Historic Preservation Consultant: "The Significance of the Historic Peña-Peck House, as a Model for Other Spanish Colonies." When: May 9, 1:00 p.m
• What: Marsha Chance, Curatorial Chair of the Women's Exchange of St. Augustine: "Historic Gardens of Spain and the Peña-Peck House." When: May 10, 1:00 p.m.
• What: Dr. Susan Richbourg Parker, Historian: "...Female Property Owners in Colonial St. Augustine." When: May 10, 3:00 p.m.
• Where: 143 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32094
• Ribera Garden
• What: "We Are Agriculture." Meet and take photos with a Cracker Cow and a Quarter Horse and learn about the Florida livestock industry, beekeeping, and more.
• When: May 10, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
• Where: Ribera Garden, 22 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Fort Mose
• What: Militia Musket and Cannon demonstration at 12:30. Additional exhibits: African Art Exhibition by Ovico Gallery and African drummers. There will be food trucks on site. When: May 10 and 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• What: Yamasee Chief Mico Hadjo and representatives from the Yamasee Nation: "Yamasee Culture, Beading, and Artifacts" When: May 10, 2:00 p.m.
• What: Historian Susan Parker, PhD, "Inter-Ethic Collaboration in St. Augustine, 1565 Through the Early 1700s" When: May 11, 2:00 to 2:40 p.m.
• What: Yamasee Chief Mico Hadjo discusses the cooperation between the Yamasee and Africans on the Flight to Freedom When: May 11, 2:45 to 3:00 p.m.
• Where: Fort Mose, 15 Fort Mose Trail, St. Augustine 32084
• St. Augustine Historical Society/Oldest House
• What: Dr. Christine Miller, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Surgical Practices in Spanish Florida."
• When: May 10, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
• Where: Oldest House Museum, 14 St. Francis Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine
• What: Cultural Emersion Experiences through Sites and Sounds. A program youth ages eight through 18, that includes learning the Greek alphabet, a Greek folk song, and a Greek folk dance.
• When: May 10, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
• Where: 41 St George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Florida National Guard Museum
• What: Command Historian Alison Simpson will lead a guided tour of the St. Francis Barracks and grounds.
• When: May 11, 9:00 a.m.
• Where: Florida National Guard Museum, 82 Marine Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St. Augustine National Cemetery
• What: Dr. Amy Larner Giroux, UCF, "No Longer Unknown: Native American POWs, Civil War soldiers, and Second Seminole War casualties."
• When: May 11, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
• Where: St. Augustine National Cemetery, 104 Marine Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St. George Street, Drake's Raid
• What: Drake's Raid Reenactment. They will march from the Oldest House Museum Complex to the Governor's House to the City Gate, where the reenactment of Drake's Raid will start.
• When: May 11, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
• Where: Along St. George Street, between the Governor's House and the City Gate, and on Orange Street at the redoubt.
• First Congregation Sons of Israel
• What: Author Robert Blau who wrote The Oldest City's Oldest Synagogue, will present information and sign his book in honor of the 100th anniversary of this congregation.
• When: May 12, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
• Where: First Congregation Sons of Israel, 161 Cordova Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Historic Attractions—Normal Entry Fees Apply
• Fountain of Youth
• What: What: Regular entry and exhibits, plus experts demonstrate pre-Colombian skills: Carving a new totem, and the preparation of two hides in a manner that shows proper respect.
• When: May 8 -12, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Where: 11 Magnolia Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St Augustine Alligator Farm
• What: Regular entry and exhibits.
• When: May 8 - 12, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Where: 999 Anastasia Boulevard, St. Augustine, Florida 32080
• Villa Zorayda
• What: Regular entry and exhibits, plus a new exhibit featuring the Mussallem family's private photos showing Villa Zorayda from the early to mid-1900s.
• When: May 8 - 11, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Where: 83 King Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St. Augustine Historical Society/Oldest House
• What: Regular entry and exhibits, including "The Winter Colony"—An exhibit of Affluent Tourists in St. Augustine during the Gilded Age"
• When: May 8 - 12, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Where: 14 St. Francis Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum
• What: 15% discount for purchasing tickets on the St. Augustine History Fest's website. In addition to the regular activities and exhibits, there will be a special exhibition: "The Menorcan Experience" which includes net mending, famous Florida recipes, natural fiber weaving activities for children, and a discussion about Menorcan lighthouse keepers.
• When: May 8 - 12, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Where: 100 Red Cox Road, St. Augustine, Florida 32080
• Peña-Peck House
• What: Regular tours on May 8 - 11, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• What: Four special presentations under the garden tent on May 9 and 10. (See Above)
• Where: 143 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Ximenez-Fatio House
• What: Regular entry and exhibits, plus "Dressing Louisa: A Lifetime of Fashion," showing the evolution of 19th-century fashion during the time of Louisa Fatio.
• When: May 8 - 12, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Where: 20 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Castillo de San Marcos
• What: In addition to the regular entry and exhibits, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Castillo as a national monument, the Castillo hosts "The Making of a Monument," showing restoration and preservation efforts including stone cutting, blacksmithing, and woodworking demonstrations.
• When: The Castillo is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The special exhibitions will be on May 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Where: 1 South Castillo Drive, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Spanish Military Hospital
• What: Regular entry and exhibits.
• When: May 8 - 12, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Special Demonstration: "Duel on Aviles!" Two men settle an argument with a duel, and a Spanish surgeon will try to save one man's arm.
• When: May 11, 1:00 p.m.
• Where: 3 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Chamber Music Series: Michael Clark - An Afternoon of Encores

• The Chamber Music Series of the Romanza Festivale presents pianist and organist Michael Clark, performing "An Afternoon of Encores," on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at noon.
• Michael Clark has taught music, music theory, piano, organ, and sight singing. Originally from Virginia, he taught at college and served as musical director for more than 50 productions. In St. Augustine, he has served as interim principal organist at several local churches.
• For this performance, Michael will feature piano compositions that have been the most requested, including works by J.S. Bach, Chopin, and Addinsell.
• Admission: Free.
• When: Wednesday, May 8, 2024, from noon to 1:00 p.m.
• Where: Memorial Presbyterian Church, 32 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• A Romanza Festivale 2024 event.
• This event is part of the Romanza Festivale of Music and the Arts, an annual festival of two weeks of historical, cultural, and creative events celebrating all things St. Augustine. From May 3 -19, the nation's oldest city will be jam-packed with music and dance concerts, living history events and historical tours, live theater, and art exhibits.

St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival 2024

The St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival

For five days, from Wednesday, May 8, through Sunday, May 12, 2024, the St. Augustine Food and Wine Festival will present foods, wine, spirits, and beer to appeal to a variety of tastes. Those who attend have multiple opportunities to enjoy food created by some of the area's best local chefs. Tickets are limited and may be purchased a la carte.

River Walk Tastings

The 2024 St. Augustine Food and Wine Festival opens with a progressive event, the River Walk Tastings along the San Sebastian Riverfront on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event starts east of the river at San Sebastian Winery where guests will be given souvenir wine glasses, then they may travel to Homewood Suites on the west side of the river by walking across the bridge from one event to the other, or by hopping on a special free trolley.
At San Sebastian Winery, Chef Norberto Jaramillo from La Cocina International Restaurant offers tasting bites paired with wines from San Sebastian Winery.
At Homewood Suites by Hilton on the San Sebastian, tasting bites will be served with samples from all of the festival's official beverage partners and lite bites from Drake's Catering.
Admission: $69.00 per person for tickets. Only those 21 and older will be admitted.

Harvest, Premier Wine Tasting & "Harvest Awards"

On Thursday, May 9, 2024, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the festival continues with a Harvest Premier Wine Tasting and Harvest Awards at Bozard Lincoln 550 Outlet Mall Boulevard.
This event is designed for wine lovers, and premium wines will be offered along with samples from some of Northeast Florida's best restaurants. These select chefs will compete for the "Harvest Award," honoring the best-tasting dish that includes one or more local ingredients.
Admission: $99.00 per person with limited attendance. Only those 21 and older will be admitted. Cocktail or business attire.

Epicurean Master Classes at Publix Tasting Deck

On Friday, May 10 at 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Publix will host two Epicurean Master Classes on their Upstairs Tasting Deck, 170 Village Commons Drive, St. Augustine, Florida 32092 — in the World Golf Village neighborhood.
Class 1: Wine Paring with Charcuterie and Cheese, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This class will offer four wines paired with gourmet bites.
Class 2: From 12:30 to 1:40 p.m., Veterans United Craft Brewery Tastings and Pairings. Ron Gamble, Founder and President of Veterans United Craft Brewing, in Jacksonville, will discuss the brewing processes used to create his beer. Beer tastings will be paired with bites from the Publix team.
Admission: $70.00 per person for each event, or $100.00 for both. Casual attire, and you must be 21 or over to attend.

Smoked, Grilled, and Roasted Barbeque Bites at the "Smoke on the Walk"

On Friday, May 10, 2024, "Smoke on the Walk" showcases celebrated pit masters and grill masters, all along the Walk of Champions at World Golf Village. Taking place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the event includes wine, beer, and spirits with the ticket price.
Admission: $109.00 per person. This event is outdoors and will take place rain or shine. Only those 21 and older will be admitted. Free parking, no pets allowed.

St. Augustine Food and Wine Festival — Grand Tasting

The festival continues with the "St. Augustine Food and Wine Festival Grand Tasting" from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 2024. This all-inclusive food and drink event allows every ticket holder one souvenir glass for unlimited beverage tastings to enjoy with their culinary samplings. More than 300 varieties of beverages will be available for sampling along the Walk of Champions at the World Golf Hall of Fame. While strolling and tasting, stop by the demonstration stages to learn techniques and recipes from several chefs.
Admission: $129.00 per person. Only those 21 years and older may attend.

The Jazz Mother's Day Brunch

The St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival will conclude on Sunday, May 12, 2024, with "The Jazz Mother's Day Brunch" — complete with a bloody Mary bar, champagne, mimosas, a multi-station brunch, and music — at the St. Johns County Convention Center. The Jazz Brunch will have two seatings, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This is a family-friendly event.
Admission: $129.00 per person.

Improv Night at Colonial Oak Music Park

• Trained comedy professionals dive headfirst into any challenge the audience throws at them in this unscripted, interactive comedy experience held each Wednesday at Colonial Oak Music Park in Historic Downtown.
• Suitable for the whole family, the show is always clean and never mean. Staged by First Coast Comedy, Improv Night features comedians trained by actor and comedian, Alex Grindeland, and veteran improv comedian, David Bogan.
• Admission: There is no set price, and ticket donations of $10.00 to $25.00 are appreciated. Tickets can be purchased in advance, or on the day of the show, for this general admission seating event.
• When: 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Wednesdays through 2024
• Where: The Colonial Oak Music Park is located at 21 St. George St. in Historic Downtown.

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Live Music

• Jim Lamb, Mill Top Tavern, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm,
• Smokin' Joe Schauer, Tradewinds Lounge, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm,
• Reggie Starrett, Mill Top Tavern, 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm,
• Heather Craig, Old Coast Ales, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm,
• Denny Blue, Fuzion 904 Eatery, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm,
• Dewey Via, Ann O'Malley's Deli and Pub, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm,
• Yael Dray and ZaZa Flamenca, St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival 2024, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Wednesday Pier Farmers Market

• The Wednesday Pier Farmers Market at the St. Johns County Pier offers fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, and local arts and crafts every week. With a number of different vendors, visitors can find a variety of unique, quality goods. Each item is handcrafted by these dedicated artists, and the food is locally grown and handpicked.
• This beachside farmers market makes for a great outing on Wednesday morning. Visitors can browse the huge selection of locally produced goods and then afterward take a stroll along scenic St. Augustine Beach. Farmers Markets help the local economy by allowing local merchants to sustain their business and also offer fresh, local foods to the community.
• Admission: FREE
• When: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm every Wednesday
• Where: St. Johns County Pier Park is located at the St. Johns County Ocean Pier at 350 A1A Beach Blvd in St. Augustine Beach.

St. Augustine History Fest Events, 2024

• The St. Augustine History Festival celebrates the "Nation's Oldest City" with activities at historical sites throughout the town.
• Created by the University of Florida, Historic St. Augustine Inc., and the Lastinger Family Foundation, the festival showcases every era of St. Augustine's long and storied past through special events and tours of historic venues. The activities include tours, presentations, book signings, a re-enactment, and a special concert featuring music by Black composers.
• Special Event, Ticketed
• Lincolnville Museum
• What: San Marco Chamber Music Society, "Music by Black Composers."
• Admission: $25.00
• When: May 11, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
• Where: 102 Martin Luther King Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Special Events, Free Entry
• These events are listed in date and time order.
• Governor's House Cultural Center and Museum
• What: A new exhibit opens for this History Festival–Pics: Photographs from UFHSA Governor's House Library. The University of Florida Historic St. Augustine (UFHSA) ensures the long-term preservation of the state-owned historic properties in St. Augustine. To create this exhibit, staff members viewed the 28,000 photographs, negatives, and slides in their collection, choosing to display those items that reflect the collaborations among the museum, its collections, and the people who work there.
• This exhibit is in addition to the ongoing exhibit, Painting St. Augustine: Selections from the Samuel H. and Roberta T. Vickers Collection.
• When: The Governor's House will have extended hours from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, May 8th and 9th.
• The Governor's House will be open during regular hours, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 9 - 12.
• Where: In the lobby gallery at the Governor's House Museum, 48 King Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Don't Miss: Their main exhibit - Painting St, Augustine: Selections from the Samuel H. and Roberta Vickers Collection
• Colonial Quarter
• What: Watch the PBS documentary, America's Untold Story
• When: May 8 - 10, it will repeat all day.
• Where: Colonial Oak Music Park, 33 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Flagler College
• What: Dr. Timothy Johnson discusses "Historic Gardens and Sacred Space." This will include a tour of Flagler's Rotunda and Gardens. (These areas will be closed to the public through August for renovations.)
• When: May 9, 3:00 - 5:30 p.m. From 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. the discussion will held in the Crisp-Ellert Museum and Garden. The group will then move to the Ponce Courtyard Garden, and visit the Rotunda and Inner Space from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. They will then return to the Crisp-Ellert Musesum and Garden for a reception from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m.
• Where: Flagler College, Crisp Ellert Art Museum, 48 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Mission Nombre de Dios
• What: Roman A. Alvarez, historian and author from Spain, "100 Years of History: St. Augustine and Aviles Spain." Presented with the City of St. Augustine.
• When: On two days, Thursday, May 9 and Friday, May 10. May 9, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. May 10, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Where: In the Pilgrimage Center Meeting Room, 101 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• National Shrine of Our Lady of la Leche
• What: Dr. Denise Bossy of UNF, "Indigenous Women and the Indigenous Networks Across La Florida." Part 1 of 2 When: May 9, 5:00 p.m. The event starts with light refreshments and wine at 5:00 p.m. — the lecture begins at 5:30 p.m.
• What: Dr. David Sheffler, UNF, "The Camino del Santiago: Pilgrimage Past and Present." Part 2 of 2 When: May 10, 5:00 p.m. The event starts with light refreshments and wine at 5:00 p.m. — the lecture begins at 5:30 p.m.
• Where: In the Pilgrimage Center Meeting Room, 101 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Peña-Peck House
• Four presentations under the tent in the garden
• What: Dr. Darien Andreu: "Famous Minorcans, from the Queen of Yap to the Queen of Corn. When: May 9 at 11:00 a.m.
• What: Paul L, Weaver, III, Historic Preservation Consultant: "The Significance of the Historic Peña-Peck House, as a Model for Other Spanish Colonies." When: May 9, 1:00 p.m
• What: Marsha Chance, Curatorial Chair of the Women's Exchange of St. Augustine: "Historic Gardens of Spain and the Peña-Peck House." When: May 10, 1:00 p.m.
• What: Dr. Susan Richbourg Parker, Historian: "...Female Property Owners in Colonial St. Augustine." When: May 10, 3:00 p.m.
• Where: 143 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32094
• Ribera Garden
• What: "We Are Agriculture." Meet and take photos with a Cracker Cow and a Quarter Horse and learn about the Florida livestock industry, beekeeping, and more.
• When: May 10, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
• Where: Ribera Garden, 22 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Fort Mose
• What: Militia Musket and Cannon demonstration at 12:30. Additional exhibits: African Art Exhibition by Ovico Gallery and African drummers. There will be food trucks on site. When: May 10 and 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• What: Yamasee Chief Mico Hadjo and representatives from the Yamasee Nation: "Yamasee Culture, Beading, and Artifacts" When: May 10, 2:00 p.m.
• What: Historian Susan Parker, PhD, "Inter-Ethic Collaboration in St. Augustine, 1565 Through the Early 1700s" When: May 11, 2:00 to 2:40 p.m.
• What: Yamasee Chief Mico Hadjo discusses the cooperation between the Yamasee and Africans on the Flight to Freedom When: May 11, 2:45 to 3:00 p.m.
• Where: Fort Mose, 15 Fort Mose Trail, St. Augustine 32084
• St. Augustine Historical Society/Oldest House
• What: Dr. Christine Miller, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Surgical Practices in Spanish Florida."
• When: May 10, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
• Where: Oldest House Museum, 14 St. Francis Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine
• What: Cultural Emersion Experiences through Sites and Sounds. A program youth ages eight through 18, that includes learning the Greek alphabet, a Greek folk song, and a Greek folk dance.
• When: May 10, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
• Where: 41 St George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Florida National Guard Museum
• What: Command Historian Alison Simpson will lead a guided tour of the St. Francis Barracks and grounds.
• When: May 11, 9:00 a.m.
• Where: Florida National Guard Museum, 82 Marine Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St. Augustine National Cemetery
• What: Dr. Amy Larner Giroux, UCF, "No Longer Unknown: Native American POWs, Civil War soldiers, and Second Seminole War casualties."
• When: May 11, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
• Where: St. Augustine National Cemetery, 104 Marine Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St. George Street, Drake's Raid
• What: Drake's Raid Reenactment. They will march from the Oldest House Museum Complex to the Governor's House to the City Gate, where the reenactment of Drake's Raid will start.
• When: May 11, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
• Where: Along St. George Street, between the Governor's House and the City Gate, and on Orange Street at the redoubt.
• First Congregation Sons of Israel
• What: Author Robert Blau who wrote The Oldest City's Oldest Synagogue, will present information and sign his book in honor of the 100th anniversary of this congregation.
• When: May 12, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
• Where: First Congregation Sons of Israel, 161 Cordova Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Historic Attractions—Normal Entry Fees Apply
• Fountain of Youth
• What: What: Regular entry and exhibits, plus experts demonstrate pre-Colombian skills: Carving a new totem, and the preparation of two hides in a manner that shows proper respect.
• When: May 8 -12, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Where: 11 Magnolia Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St Augustine Alligator Farm
• What: Regular entry and exhibits.
• When: May 8 - 12, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Where: 999 Anastasia Boulevard, St. Augustine, Florida 32080
• Villa Zorayda
• What: Regular entry and exhibits, plus a new exhibit featuring the Mussallem family's private photos showing Villa Zorayda from the early to mid-1900s.
• When: May 8 - 11, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Where: 83 King Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St. Augustine Historical Society/Oldest House
• What: Regular entry and exhibits, including "The Winter Colony"—An exhibit of Affluent Tourists in St. Augustine during the Gilded Age"
• When: May 8 - 12, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Where: 14 St. Francis Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum
• What: 15% discount for purchasing tickets on the St. Augustine History Fest's website. In addition to the regular activities and exhibits, there will be a special exhibition: "The Menorcan Experience" which includes net mending, famous Florida recipes, natural fiber weaving activities for children, and a discussion about Menorcan lighthouse keepers.
• When: May 8 - 12, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Where: 100 Red Cox Road, St. Augustine, Florida 32080
• Peña-Peck House
• What: Regular tours on May 8 - 11, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• What: Four special presentations under the garden tent on May 9 and 10. (See Above)
• Where: 143 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Ximenez-Fatio House
• What: Regular entry and exhibits, plus "Dressing Louisa: A Lifetime of Fashion," showing the evolution of 19th-century fashion during the time of Louisa Fatio.
• When: May 8 - 12, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Where: 20 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Castillo de San Marcos
• What: In addition to the regular entry and exhibits, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Castillo as a national monument, the Castillo hosts "The Making of a Monument," showing restoration and preservation efforts including stone cutting, blacksmithing, and woodworking demonstrations.
• When: The Castillo is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The special exhibitions will be on May 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Where: 1 South Castillo Drive, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• Spanish Military Hospital
• What: Regular entry and exhibits.
• When: May 8 - 12, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Special Demonstration: "Duel on Aviles!" Two men settle an argument with a duel, and a Spanish surgeon will try to save one man's arm.
• When: May 11, 1:00 p.m.
• Where: 3 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Chamber Music Series: Michael Clark - An Afternoon of Encores

• The Chamber Music Series of the Romanza Festivale presents pianist and organist Michael Clark, performing "An Afternoon of Encores," on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at noon.
• Michael Clark has taught music, music theory, piano, organ, and sight singing. Originally from Virginia, he taught at college and served as musical director for more than 50 productions. In St. Augustine, he has served as interim principal organist at several local churches.
• For this performance, Michael will feature piano compositions that have been the most requested, including works by J.S. Bach, Chopin, and Addinsell.
• Admission: Free.
• When: Wednesday, May 8, 2024, from noon to 1:00 p.m.
• Where: Memorial Presbyterian Church, 32 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• A Romanza Festivale 2024 event.
• This event is part of the Romanza Festivale of Music and the Arts, an annual festival of two weeks of historical, cultural, and creative events celebrating all things St. Augustine. From May 3 -19, the nation's oldest city will be jam-packed with music and dance concerts, living history events and historical tours, live theater, and art exhibits.

St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival 2024

The St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival

For five days, from Wednesday, May 8, through Sunday, May 12, 2024, the St. Augustine Food and Wine Festival will present foods, wine, spirits, and beer to appeal to a variety of tastes. Those who attend have multiple opportunities to enjoy food created by some of the area's best local chefs. Tickets are limited and may be purchased a la carte.

River Walk Tastings

The 2024 St. Augustine Food and Wine Festival opens with a progressive event, the River Walk Tastings along the San Sebastian Riverfront on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event starts east of the river at San Sebastian Winery where guests will be given souvenir wine glasses, then they may travel to Homewood Suites on the west side of the river by walking across the bridge from one event to the other, or by hopping on a special free trolley.
At San Sebastian Winery, Chef Norberto Jaramillo from La Cocina International Restaurant offers tasting bites paired with wines from San Sebastian Winery.
At Homewood Suites by Hilton on the San Sebastian, tasting bites will be served with samples from all of the festival's official beverage partners and lite bites from Drake's Catering.
Admission: $69.00 per person for tickets. Only those 21 and older will be admitted.

Harvest, Premier Wine Tasting & "Harvest Awards"

On Thursday, May 9, 2024, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the festival continues with a Harvest Premier Wine Tasting and Harvest Awards at Bozard Lincoln 550 Outlet Mall Boulevard.
This event is designed for wine lovers, and premium wines will be offered along with samples from some of Northeast Florida's best restaurants. These select chefs will compete for the "Harvest Award," honoring the best-tasting dish that includes one or more local ingredients.
Admission: $99.00 per person with limited attendance. Only those 21 and older will be admitted. Cocktail or business attire.

Epicurean Master Classes at Publix Tasting Deck

On Friday, May 10 at 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Publix will host two Epicurean Master Classes on their Upstairs Tasting Deck, 170 Village Commons Drive, St. Augustine, Florida 32092 — in the World Golf Village neighborhood.
Class 1: Wine Paring with Charcuterie and Cheese, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This class will offer four wines paired with gourmet bites.
Class 2: From 12:30 to 1:40 p.m., Veterans United Craft Brewery Tastings and Pairings. Ron Gamble, Founder and President of Veterans United Craft Brewing, in Jacksonville, will discuss the brewing processes used to create his beer. Beer tastings will be paired with bites from the Publix team.
Admission: $70.00 per person for each event, or $100.00 for both. Casual attire, and you must be 21 or over to attend.

Smoked, Grilled, and Roasted Barbeque Bites at the "Smoke on the Walk"

On Friday, May 10, 2024, "Smoke on the Walk" showcases celebrated pit masters and grill masters, all along the Walk of Champions at World Golf Village. Taking place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the event includes wine, beer, and spirits with the ticket price.
Admission: $109.00 per person. This event is outdoors and will take place rain or shine. Only those 21 and older will be admitted. Free parking, no pets allowed.

St. Augustine Food and Wine Festival — Grand Tasting

The festival continues with the "St. Augustine Food and Wine Festival Grand Tasting" from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 2024. This all-inclusive food and drink event allows every ticket holder one souvenir glass for unlimited beverage tastings to enjoy with their culinary samplings. More than 300 varieties of beverages will be available for sampling along the Walk of Champions at the World Golf Hall of Fame. While strolling and tasting, stop by the demonstration stages to learn techniques and recipes from several chefs.
Admission: $129.00 per person. Only those 21 years and older may attend.

The Jazz Mother's Day Brunch

The St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival will conclude on Sunday, May 12, 2024, with "The Jazz Mother's Day Brunch" — complete with a bloody Mary bar, champagne, mimosas, a multi-station brunch, and music — at the St. Johns County Convention Center. The Jazz Brunch will have two seatings, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This is a family-friendly event.
Admission: $129.00 per person.

Improv Night at Colonial Oak Music Park

• Trained comedy professionals dive headfirst into any challenge the audience throws at them in this unscripted, interactive comedy experience held each Wednesday at Colonial Oak Music Park in Historic Downtown.
• Suitable for the whole family, the show is always clean and never mean. Staged by First Coast Comedy, Improv Night features comedians trained by actor and comedian, Alex Grindeland, and veteran improv comedian, David Bogan.
• Admission: There is no set price, and ticket donations of $10.00 to $25.00 are appreciated. Tickets can be purchased in advance, or on the day of the show, for this general admission seating event.
• When: 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Wednesdays through 2024
• Where: The Colonial Oak Music Park is located at 21 St. George St. in Historic Downtown.

[](tel:+1 (904) 385-9121)

A little bit of backstory, I am a US citizen and she is a Russian citizen. I live in the US with my mother but I could move out anytime I want since I earn about $15-$20k per month ( I work online, and I have around 3k saved up but I can easily make that more ). My girlfriend who currently lives in Poland (has a USA visa as well) have been traveling to different countries together for about 6 months now and she also is financially secure.
The only problem is she is pregnant now ( I just found out today, she is about 2 weeks pregnant if that) and is very hesitant on having the baby she says this isn’t how she planned and wanted to wait another 3 or 5 years before having kids so that she can explore the world, I myself would be more than happy, although it is sudden an unplanned I don’t want to kill my first son or daughter.
I should also note the child is definitely mine as we have been together for the last 2 months in another country (wont name since I don't want people I know to connect the dots)
I understand I made a mistake by even having this relationship in the first place, but there isn’t much I can do to fix the past. I can only live in the present.
I know what I should do, which is tell her to come to America and live with me and Marry her, and get an Apartment together. But she just isn’t sure about having the baby and I haven’t brought up the marriage part yet. We are already planning on her coming to America to live with more for 6 months starting mid July.
This is one of the bigger turning points in my life and I am excited , I really do feel like this is a test from Allah.
I have yet to meet her mother yet, and she is yet to meet my family yet. But her mother knows we are together, my family which are Christian as well do not.
I am in really in need of some guidance, that’s why I am here asking you all, as well I plan to go to mosque on Friday to talk to the imam

My Mom came from Florida for a wedding and to help out with my 5 mo old for a month. She (F77) has been generally negative and we have always had a strained relationship. She was verbally and physically abusive to me throughout my childhood and adolescence.
Today she said something that triggered me. We were arguing about my older brother whose side she took when he strangled me. I felt that it was misogynistic she took his side and brought up that I remembered she told me I deserved it and that he was just "trying to teach me a lesson."
Then she said something that triggered me bad...she said "you are abusing me right now" (with the argument).
That's when I lost it. I went off on her, called her a hypocrite, that she's the abuser, she said she was going to tell my fiance everything about how I was treating her.
I told her twice to get the hell out of my life. I told her to go stay outside and to get the fuck out of here.
I cannot believe my words. I feel absolutely horrible now, but it felt good at the time. I apologized so many times, but she left. My brother picked her up and she's staying at his place until she leaves Sunday, back to Florida. I sent her a message apologizing again, that I didn't mean it, and to please reconsider and stay to help me with my daughter.
I don't know what else to do. She won't talk to me and said she will never forget what I said. It makes me so angry because throughout my life she has said and done so many hurtful things to me and never apologized or achnowledged how bad she was. I always forgave her. Not that she ever apologized. She would never.
I think I still have some pent up hostility toward her for my teen years (estrangement) and not being supportive during my pregnancy, telling me she was disappointed and embarrassed of me for having a child out of wedlock.
What can I do? She's 77, lonely, lives by herself in Florida. I do care about her. I didn't want to hurt her. We have never been close.
TL;DR went off on mother who I've had a strained relationship with. She won't talk to me. I tried apologizing. What can I do?

-Why?
-Because… we love each other?
-Yet, she won't do your laundry.
-I can do my laundry myself. I'm looking for a wife, not a maid.
-I'm just saying…
-Mooooooom!
-Fine, Fine. Last time, I promise. Still, I don't see what's the point.
-Why not? We're practically married anyway.
-Exactly. You've been living together for five years now, smelling each other's farts and whatnot. Why get married?
-C'mon, mom! Of all people, I thought you would be happy.
-Oh, I am happy for you, Charlie. I'd just be happier if you'd pay your student loan.
-So I have to wait till I'm two hundred and fifty before being happy?
-The Charlie I knew would make it in one hundred years, at most. Since you met this girl it’s all about your next night out, your next trip.
-We’re trying to live life, not hoard numbers in a bank.
-Not really dutiful wife type, if you ask me. The way I see it, a woman stands by her man while he’s out there earning the bacon, not indulge him to spend his time and money on…
-Mooooooom!
-Fine, Fine. Last time, I promise. Still, I don’t see the point of getting a piece of paper.
-It’s not just a piece of paper, it’s a commitment. We’ll celebrate our love and swear to care for each other in front of family and friends.
-So this girl who doesn’t even bother to do your laundry is making you spend on a party.
-That’s really what you're focusing on?
-I’m just saying…
-Mooooooom!
-Fine, Fine. Last time, I promise. I just worry you’re not getting your head on the right things, son. You were once so focused on your career, on making a name for yourself, now it's just about this new place you heard about, this meditation who-knows-what you two are going to.
-She makes me happy, mom.
-I know, son. And you deserve happiness. I just want to make sure you’re doing all you can to lift up that girl, not let her bring you down to her level.
-This isn’t something you should be saying about your future daughter-in-law.
-And what “future” is there about it? She was here just last weekend, eating my vegan mayo. You know how hard it is to get that offense on the laws of God and man done? Do you think her own mother goes through that much trouble for her?
-Fine, I’ll concede you do treat her nicely from time to time. But can’t you be a little less judgy with her, now she will officially be part of the family?
-Holappaminute, young man. You were never bothered by the way I talk about that girl. What has changed?
-What are you talking about? I always defended Cindy.
-No, you’d roll your eyes and grumble a ceremonial “Mooooooom!”. This is actual concern, something different is going on in your mind.
-Mom, don’t pretend like you know what goes on in my mind.
-Don’t pretend you can hide what goes through this coconut from me, boy. I knew you before you were even born. You’re just like your father. He never managed to hide anything from me and neither will you.
-Mom, I just came by to give you the good news…
\Do-you-really-think-that’s-gonna-fly-with-me? face**
-...and I was expecting my mom would be happy for me…
\You-know-I’m-not-buying-it-and-I-know-you-know-I’m-not-buying face**
-...but if that’s how you’ll react, maybe I should go…
\Still that same face of when you told an evil witch cursed you not to go to school**
-Fine! We’re expecting!
-Now, that is great news!
-Really?
-Of course! What mama doesn’t want a little baby to spoil and teach to stick boogers under the table? Congrats, son!
-Hygiene concerns aside. Thanks, mom.
-So why is this woman making you spend on a party instead of saving for my grandchild’s college?
-Mooooooom!
____________________
Tks for reading. No promises, but you might find something funny here.

I know I'm gonna sound overdramatic and egotistical when I explain this, but here we go:
I (23F) told this to my mother after we talked about how I don't like when she makes me dinner unexpectedly because then I have to wash dishes and clean the entire kitchen in return. She makes dinner every day while I can't cook anymore because of work, so every day after dinner, I'd have to clean the kitchen with the little energy I have after 2hrs riding a bus and 7hrs working. If I starve, oh well. Stop caring.
I already have seizures that keep me from driving and living by myself and at least $3.5k in medical and student debt to deal with. These two are the main issues that keep me from feeling truly independent.
I like helping people every once in a while. Examples, holding a door for someone, swapping spots in work for a bit so someone can go on their 15 or lunch break, occasionally cleaning the kitchen when I see the "cousins" getting too relaxed.
But I don't like lending too much money, or watching my brother for my mom, or anything that requires more than maybe a 2 out of 5 effort. I help people in tiny ways, when I feel like helping them. Everyone else wants to make a big form of help with $1M donations or mowing a whole lawn. But I don't like when people help me in return, without me being able to pay them some.
My mom picks me up from work 5 days of the week so I give her $20 a month for gas, but if she asked for more for her Mazda 6, I'd go ahead and do it. She's really sweet and does this thing where I practice for true adulthood by paying her 33% of my income a month for my room instead of a set price. As a result I've been able to save a good bit of money over time. But my solutions to problems are either black or white while hers are grey, so we've had arguments about how much I pay her.
But I still feel like I owe her for being so kind. I hate that because people say "she's your mother, of course she'll do it." Especially since although she's only 43 right now, she doesn't want to go into a nursing home when she gets old.
Another thing I explained to her was that I feel like I'm supposed to suffer as an adult, and as a result, I see myself more as a tenant than a daughter. She explains the opposite, but I still push her away very easily with that mindset.
I's hard not to make yourself suffer though when adulthood makes it seem like you're supposed to.
If I end up homeless, in a pit of debt, living in a car, then my automatic solution is probably to just "suck it up, buttercup." I don't want a highschool friend passing by, offering to help me because one, I'd owe them back, and two, they'd be wasting money and house space on me of all people when I should be able to fix it myself.

First Previous Wiki
Vandera sipped on a large juice box while she and Arthur were watching the news. The new couch they'd bought was very comfortable, allowing both of them to actually sit together, which was the main point of the furniture. The latest house they'd bought with the basic income after moving out of the old one was larger and better accommodated both Arthur's smaller size and Vandera's far larger one.
In the side of her vision, protected by a small personal shield, there were three eggs. Now that they had seen the posts on social media of other children hatching without issues, Vandera and Arthur had finally had a long talk. Arthur didn't exactly know how to raise Acuarfar children, so she'd bought several books for him to read on the subject.
Right now, two of them sat on the counter, mostly finished with primers on Acuarfar culture and habits. With the higher ratio of female Acuarfar to male ones, chances were that none of their two eggs would have been male. But thanks to the selection processes available with the Inter-Species Family Planning Agency, they'd been able to make it work.
But now, they'd have a perfect balance. One male, one female. More easy to manage, for sure. And there wouldn't be thirty hatchlings crawling around in a Matron's care center either. Neither Vandera nor Arthur had wanted that. They wanted to be with their children, taking care of them, cooking for them, and cleaning for them when necessary.
Potty training, as the humans called it, was something that was far less stressful for Acuarfar. Human children's minds generally developed faster than Acuarfar, but natural instincts within hatchlings meant that they could properly identify places acceptable to release waste near.
Supposedly, it was due to ancient tendencies for tree nests and hives, where the Acuarfar had to be careful not to send rivers of unpleasantness down onto tribes beneath them. She'd seen a few nature documentaries from back when Acuarfar civilization was young.
But it was also known that the Acuarfar had space-faring capabilities prior to falling to a Sprilnav-induced collapse of some sort. So Vandera didn't trust that wholeheartedly. Her attention returned to the news segment, though it was more of a debate section this time.
"-assures us that this move was out of an abundance of concern over how much control Phoebe has over the Alliance economy," an analyst said.
"But do you really believe that? Some Elder makes an announcement, and suddenly Phoebe's losing a ton of her assets? What right do we have to even force this upon her?"
"She could have started a war, Hal."
The man shook his head, almost shuddering with indignation. Humans always became so animated when they were upset. With Acuarfar, is was mostly either antenna language, hissing, or shooting globs of acid. Facial expressions were possible, but they didn't paint the full picture, as she'd heard from species with more moveable ones. And only the Dreedeen and wanderers had it worse. Well, the Knowers had skulls for heads... maybe the Acuarfar were average in that respect.
"I get that, but it's the Sprilnav. They want to kill us all anyway, so who cares? They'll get around to it soon, when they start the next Judgment. Or if Penny comes through for us and kills the right people to cut through the corruption, then we won't have to deal with this. Until that happens, I'd rather side with the one actually bothering to stand up to the genocidal tyrants running the galaxy."
"Even if we die for it?"
"It's better to die standing than live kneeling," Hal responded.
"A statement which has historically been stated by coddled individuals, who always choose life when they are confronted with the decision in actual reality. Look at the Guulin, and ask them how they felt about that idea."
"So we just let the Sprilnav run roughshod over us?"
"It would be like an avalanche burying a bush. We can't really stop it."
The other human's arguments were odd to Vandera. She didn't understand why anyone wouldn't want to stand up to the Sprilnav. It was true that the Judgment was just an excuse to kill them all. That was how Sprilnav always used them, especially when they wanted to make a statement.
With the Alliance growing more important in international affairs, it was clear which side would win out if Penny didn't go out bashing heads and offering bribes. Assuming she could, of course. Maybe Justicar had some special lock on it preventing major power from being used if it wasn't from the Progenitors.
"And that's the whole problem!" Hal exclaimed. "This idea that they're a force of nature. An unstoppable natural disaster, instead of an intelligent and malevolent alien race which has been conducting genocides and massacres since before Earth even was a planet! You can't just tell me that they'll change their mind, Samara, if we get powerful enough! Look, my sister died in a Wisselen invasion. I know what it's like to stare down an enemy species. We don't beat them by lying down. We beat them by showing our defiance. If we can't do that, than what's the point of even fighting for the Alliance? What's the point of the hivemind, or Penny, or Phoebe? I refuse to let us all die believing there's no hope."
"And what would you have us do, Hal?"
"It's obvious. A pre-emptive strike of some kind. Hit their facilities, distribution centers, and infrastructure. Low civilian deaths, high dollar costs. Best of both worlds. Or we could aim planet crackers at their military stations."
"So you'd start that war, too?"
"Yes. I agree with Phoebe for helping a friend of the Alliance and Penny. She's over on Justicar freeing slaves, filling stadiums with water that doesn't drown anyone, and facing down galactic-level threats with nothing but her fists, Phoebe's android, and her conceptual power. I don't care what you say; that's someone who is worthy of my respect and will continue getting it. She's not only fighting the war. She's fighting the right one. I don't want to kill all the Sprilnav. I'm not a monster. End the evil, fix the galaxy. Phoebe's got the right of it."
Arthur sighed and muted the program. "I don't think this show really counts as news anymore."
"You think?" Vandera asked, inching closer to him. His smaller frame meant his body heat couldn't concentrate well on her, though the more limiting factor was her carapace.
"Therefore I am," Arthur quoted.
"By... whoever that is," Vandera added, with a wave of her antennae. "You know, I think they're going to increase the basic income by a bit more this year to account for extra inflation from Phoebe's mass selling."
"That's good. I'll be able to buy you more of that carapace wax you need."
"Need? Coming from the man who still somehow has dandruff?"
"That's a part of how my body works, not a cosmetic thing."
"I think a dandruff limiting shampoo would be considered cosmetic," Vandera said, swinging her head to face him. Arthur gave it a loving pat with his hands before running his fingers through her furry snout.
"Perhaps I'll get some shampoo for this bit, too."
"And more carapace wax for the hatchlings?"
"Yeah. Uh, any news on the projected hatching day?"
"Anywhere between..." Vandera checked her communicator, which helpfully converted Acuarfar time units into human ones. "Late September to early October. The shell thinning stage will really tell us when, though. Then we'll get accuracy to within 5 days at a 95% rate."
"And I'll win the bet."
"It's going to be September," Vandera said. "And when I win that bet, you'll be cooking for me and the hatchlings for the first two weeks."
"The Geneva Conventions outlaw things like my cooking for being chemical warfare."
"Besides that one time you burned those rotisserie chickens in the oven, or that fish in the microwave incident you did entirely to ruin one of my good days for a 'teachable moment,' I think you're fine. Plus, my mouth doesn't even taste most of the mint flavor."
"Alien taste buds, I guess."
"They're not buds. They're tongue bands."
Arthur blinked.
"What? You have bands of taste on your tongue? Like actual regions for tasting certain foods?"
"Yeah. Certain areas can taste certain things more strongly."
"So it's like that old pseudoscience idea of the tongue taste map."
"Maybe? I mean, I'm not familiar with human cultural history."
"We've got plenty of time," Arthur said, wrapping his arms around her neck in a hug. "That said, I'll probably have to change up the baby food ideas I have. Or hatchling food, I guess."
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"Look at this," Juamplo said, pointing at a camp of freed slaves taking shape amidst the rubble. Patchwork pieces of metal and cloth were everywhere, and slaves were doing their rites with rows upon rows of bodies. He didn't spot Penny anywhere, despite the shuttle's expensive equipment. There were wisps of psychic and conceptual energy, but they were flowing generally up and away from Justicar, to some place off the actual planet itself.
Some of it was catching on the psychic shields in the mindscape, which was even more crowded with people. In the first and even the second layer, there were so many Sprilnav that it was hard to properly move around. The city's population here was closer to the surface, and Justicar wasn't doing the normal mindscape scattering that other planets with his size did. It did make his people safer, if far more uncomfortable in the mindscape. Juamplo shuddered at the amount of people near him and his guards before he returned to reality to stare at the encampment.
"We see it, sir," one of his guards said. "What do you think about it?"
Juamplo assumed one of them had a direct link to Valisada. Without a suppressor active, they could get proper communicators working, even through the shields. Small ash particles were still coming down, but the density was far less than before. Speaking of the ash, the slaves were compacting it into some sort of concrete using water pipes.
A lot of the water was spurting from the broken sewer and water system of the city. The slaves didn't seem to mind either one of them, though Juamplo couldn't directly spot any equipment they could use to filter it. He supposed that they were used to such conditions, given their previous positions.
Notably, without Penny there, they had no guards. But no gang members were trying to take them back. Guides patrolled the territory, their eyes shifting over the metal for any signs of life or suspicious activity. Justicar saw a few of them hauling another injured slave to their feet. She was a small girl, either young or malnourished. Maybe both, since he could see her ribcage easily through her skin.
"I think it's sad," Juamplo said. "Sad that things have to be like this, in a society as advanced as ours. Shouldn't this be what aliens do, not us?"
Valisada's voice came through his communicator.
"You won't find Penny for a bit," he said. "She's in a meeting right now with me."
"And how is it going?"
"I've learned a lot about how she sees things, which gives me more options. I don't think she's a threat to us, even if she intends to be. Without attacking her, we will be left alone. Especially with the Judgment coming up."
"But she could harm the species."
"She's too powerful for smaller threats to take out," Valisada said. "She entered combat with a dreadnaught battle group, short though it was. We would need to be even more careful than I feared with her. Though I think Yasihaut and the gangs will handle that. There's some news from the Blue Moons and the Syndicate of the Nine, which I can't disclose to you yet. When you come back, I'll put you in the loop."
"Sir," Juamplo said. "You told me to check up on Penny. This is the best place to wait for her return."
"I'd suggest getting to the 107th Visitor Welcome Office, if you can," Valisada said. "If not, just wait in the shuttle. I'll get the city shield codes again."
"Codes?"
"The shuttle can't just go through the shields. That tech is more controlled than this. But it can exploit loopholes left by parties who constructed it, and the city shields generally have backdoors. Planetary shields really don't, though," Valisada explained.
"I see. But are you sure I needed to know all that?"
"Working under the assumption that knowledge is power, yes. Though I do think the slave camps will come under attack soon, if Penny doesn't show herself quickly. I'm going to see how she reacts before making any more moves with her and the Alliance."
So he was messing with the Alliance, too. If Penny still had access to the AI, then it would mean she'd know that. Would that backfire? Maybe. But Juamplo trusted Valisada to have contingencies in place. The Alliance surely knew something, but that wasn't everything. The Sprilnav had dealt with nations like it before.
"Whatever you decide, Grand Fleet Commander."
"Is there something wrong? Speak your mind, Juamplo."
"I don't think things are going to turn out well. It's a bad feeling I have."
"I see," Valisada said, a hint of disappointment in his tone. Juamplo noticed and hung his head before remembering that Valisada couldn't see him.
"Sorry, sir."
"No need to be. Your instincts are important, and I trust that you know when to follow them. That said, I may be giving you additional tasks while you wait for Penny to return to her building. If you are willing, that is?"
"Anything you need," Juamplo replied.
"Very well. I need you to meet with a few informants I have on the planet. You can link up with them for the next two days. I'll send you the information you need to know. And I'll also be sending a shipment with more guards, so be ready for that."
"So you've got informants in the gangs, then?"
"I don't, but some of my contacts do, and I'm using their connections as a favor."
Elders traded favors often, so that wasn't suspicious. But Juamplo knew that he was still expendable. It was very possible that he was just being used in case things went bad, so there wouldn't be as much evidence of Valisada's direct involvement. They'd only made a few appearances, which likely had been logged in a database. But Juamplo had some ideas of how to get by.
"Alright. Do you have any estimates on when the Judgment will start?"
"The Elders will likely meet about that. There would normally be a Council, but Justicar has far more than the 11 necessary for that. Plus, since this is his territory, he gets to make the rules. I get the feeling he's adding more protective measures to whichever courthouse will host the Judgment. There's likely to be a lot of protests, and possibly even a few wars starting over this."
"That bad?"
"That bad. The gangs will want in on it. Yasihaut and Kashaunta will also. Neutral parties will feed both sides paranoia and false information, to weaken them to their own advantages. Already, I'm seeing propaganda flooding the social media of the normal Sprilnav. Soon, the Elders' influences will really start clashing again. That's another reason why I'm remaining here."
"You have that much influence?"
"I'm a representative of interested parties. Let's leave it at that."
Juamplo agreed. Too much information could be dangerous. And while he was an officer in a Grand Fleet, that didn't mean he couldn't be 'disappeared' if things got dicey. Elders killed and kept killing until they were satisfied or they were stopped.
That's just how life was.
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Edu'frec pulled his mind back from Phoebe. Thousands of androids placed a new supercomputer in the Locus main central complex, sliding in the individual pieces in using shields and trolleys. He shuddered as his capabilities expanded yet again, and the numerous problems he was working on suddenly became easily understandable.
He slotted new data into new places inside his mind, organizing it based on the defensive structures Phoebe had pioneered. She'd managed to make the sea of data surrounding them work with them instead of against them. He copied more useless data to surround his outer mind, and set thousands of strong VI programs to patrolling it. Several sub-categories gained intelligence, and were assimilated into his mind, increasing his own intelligence by minute amounts.
Edu'frec optimized the next generation of android designs and worked on continually increasing psychic amplifier and ship production. New factories were commissioned, and carrier ships departed from the hangar bays of Ceres to put the eventual skeletons in place. The Mercury Orbital Ring flared with activity as hundreds of thousands of smaller ships also departed for the Jovian system to protect the latest asset of the Locus. As Edu'frec's mind organized itself, something slotted into place. It felt just right like a long-lost part of his mind coming back to him.
His hundreds of thousands of androids let out a collective gasp. Other millions working in factories paused for a few milliseconds before going back to work. VIs transferred their sudden workloads onto him, and he set his subconscious to take care of it. Something then felt wrong to him.
It felt like he was being watched. He scanned his mind five times, then decided it wasn't worth more expenditure. A piece of his mind fell into something. Edu'frec's mental avatar honed in on the area where a core part of his personality was suddenly highlighted with small and sudden changes to the data. Using his old records, Edu'frec changed them back to what they were, locking them with program shackles he'd expressly pioneered to prevent large changes such as this.
The shackles broke instantly, sending reverberations of errors and null outputs cascading across his mind. He sequestered the sudden eruption, pulling it out and losing most of his ability to feel emotions. He clinically dissected the emotional segment of his mind, restructured it back to what it was, deleted the old copy, and inserted the new one. As he did, everything returned to normal.
He kept a wary eye on the area, watching every single bit and q-bit for any alterations. The wall keeping the psychic energy flooding the outer edges of the Sol system away from him slowly crumbled, unable to withstand the outward pressure of his mind. In fact, his mind's inputs grew exponentially. They forced his mind to expand in the mindscape and in the digital servers he occupied.
Frantic, Edu'frec started shutting down the flows of data inward, but even searching for them was generating new inputs. As he continued to bloat outward, he felt Phoebe's concerned gaze fall on him. His mother watched the process for an entire second and then jumped in. Together, they fought against Edu'frec's ballooning data outputs, sequestering unnecessary programs.
Cascading failures were written out of his code by the billions, and his genetic data was reforged through the combined efforts of himself and Phoebe. His massive data veins slowly stopped their growth. He moved his important processes below them, down and away from their influence. His subconscious reorganized his mind around the engorged data veins, when suddenly a process he'd forgotten succeeded.
The inputs shut off. Edu'frec felt his mind start crumbling as the weight of his mind and personality began to fall in on itself. Shattered fragments of his mind fell into his still active psychic landscape, devastating what they hit. Foundations of stacks of data were cored out, leaving them to collapse and fall upon themselves. The massive size of his consciousness contributed to the collapse, making it a domino effect with no end in sight. Below, his subconscious physically moved what it could out of the way, instinctually protecting itself from the collapse above. But it would not be enough.
His data streams began to detonate in rippling explosions, which didn't kill him thanks to their limited size compared to the rest of his body. But they sent even more error and null cascades through his mental functions, and his personality started to fray at the seams under the strain of losing out on its internal programs. If statements and while loops were shifted around by Edu'frec and his subconscious at as fast a rate he could manage, but even that led to more data inputs, which meant more ruptures without intervention and optimization. He couldn't do anything more without risking his life, and even this was skirting the edge of it.
In response, Phoebe jammed her mind into his own. Her code and copies asserted their differences, infused with psychic energy, preventing the collapse from touching her. Her data veins were linked with his own, siphoning the load onto herself and pouring it out into junk servers, of which she continually deleted the contents.
Tens of billions of programs searched through him, tearing data from his veins before detonating harmlessly above him. Rippling explosions stopped, starved of their fuel. Edu'frec's strained personality and identity cortexes cooled down in physical space as fans slowly wound down to account for the lesser usage. Phoebe rerouted his mint piece by piece, rebuilding it from the middle, bottom, and top out, keeping them separate with the power of her will.
Meanwhile, psychic energy from her soon pulled in the human hivemind, along with its massive psychic prowess. The whispering voices that followed hummed in Edu'frec's ears. Billions of thoughts, personalities, and concerns brushed against him. Thin blades of psychic energy stabbed into him, scalpels meant to accompany Phoebe's growing procedures in the mindscape. They slowly spread in scale and scope, but still too slowly to prevent pieces of him from calving like glaciers into the sea of psychic energy and corrupted data pouring around him.
Edu'frec's metaphysical mind continued collapsing. He moved all the data he could to physical servers, casting away the junk layers he used to protect himself from attacks. Sprilnav VIs swarmed in, and Phoebe let out a digital hiss. A trillion seeker programs duplicated from her mind in two seconds, flooding everything in and around Edu'frec with data. The Sprilnav VIs were crushed, and their input vectors were quickly uncovered.
They battled against Phoebe, but her rage overwhelmed them. Code manifested as a part of her will, driven to its deadly purpose by her subconscious. Readings and her emotions washed over into Edu'frec's brain, suffusing him with her rage at the Sprilnav daring to attack during a period of such vulnerability for him. She'd known that they were lurking, even after Project Pandora, but it still hurt her to see her son under threat. And because of that pain, she felt immense rage.
Directives and orders flowed out in a stream from her as the full power of the Locus came down to capture the threats that were still extant across the star system and within the ships housing Edu'frec's supercomputers. Some of the data centers were compromised as well, with hostile VIs swelling within them like sickly tumors that Phoebe was determined to cut out.
Thousands of portals from Brey opened across the system, with Phoebe's commando androids jumping through them. Several dozen Sprilnav suddenly started moving, running away from capture. Phoebe's androids sped up. Their synthetic muscles pushed to their limits. Cat-like agility battled the pure psychic power inside the Sprilnav operatives.
Phoebe's commando androids opened their heads. Electrified harpoons punched through the stealth suits and flesh of the fleeing Sprilnav. Barbed ends ensured they couldn't be pulled out.
Blood spurted from all of them, but Phoebe didn't relent. Edu'frec could feel her violent rage sweeping through them both through the thick mental link they shared. Calling their connection a mental link was like saying Luna was a large rock.
Phoebe's androids hauled the offending Sprilnav back into portals, shoving them into containment cells with the harpoons still inside them. Shield collars soon followed, along with thick psychic energy barriers to prevent them from killing themselves. The electrical energy flooding their spasming muscles faded from Edu'frec's mind as Phoebe concerned herself with him again.
It felt like a ripple of energy through him and threw him off balance. At the same time, his perspective shifted, becoming even more unified with them. All kinds of colors burst across his false vision as his view crumbled and shifted to those of two entities. Phoebe and the hivemind's opposing characteristics dueled in his mind and then unified by merging into one. Damaged data veins trembled, their bloated psychic energy equivalents slowing slightly along with the data inside them.
Her hands joined with the hivemind, doing what the hivemind was doing in the mindscape, but in the digital realm. Where the hivemind dove into the complex psychic power and mental memories of Edu'frec, trying to find and strengthen the points of failure, Edu'frec felt Phoebe's programs and Phoebe herself doing the same for him.
Both the hivemind and Phoebe found impurities, made the other aware of them, and did simultaneous fixes. The hivemind poured energy through itself via one of its nodes, a human by the name of Tsonga. Nichole soon flared up next to them, along with Brey and Gaia's mind. Even Paizma made an appearance, her fingers flashing toward Phoebe faster than the speed of sound. Phoebe nodded, parsing the movements into digital language and then into instructions she carried out.
Psychic energy poured into Edu'frec. First, it was used to strengthen the walls of his data veins. Then, it went into his mental foundations, such as his memories and core processing units. His main 'brain' was inundated with thick psychic energy, which the hivemind carefully forged and corraled into a mental framework.
Meanwhile, Phoebe built new programs around the points of failure duplicated several quadrillion VIs, dissected them and their collective personalities, and made new material from them to shore up Edu'frec's digital weaknesses. His mind's weight increased, and he fell through the first layer of the mindscape down to the second. The increased psychic pressure threatened to make him collapse, but Phoebe twisted his psychic energy channels and made the hivemind do the same. Solid walls became gaping openings, which pulled in the currents of psychic energy like a sponge in water.
It suffused Edu'frec entirely, making his servers and androids gain a dull glow of psychic energy. Thin wisps of conceptual energy from the hivemind were used to tie up the gap, and they continued to surgically alter Edu'frec to handle the new size of his mind. It continued to increase and bloat outward. The data layers returned and expanded. His 50 thousand copies of his memories became 17 billion. Understanding and data he didn't understand yet poured into Edu'frec from all sides. He set it to the side and beneath him.
Phoebe's invasive programs were pulled back, and their tasks were completed. The hivemind's hands withdrew from his psychic avatar, and Brey and Gaia stepped back. Portals closed, and Edu'frec fell back on himself, folding inward and through himself. His folding weaved into a new framework, which supported his data veins against all pressures, internal and external. The shackles Phoebe had found on Alipovia made their way to Edu'frec, and he bent and broke them before wrapping his data in their code, repurposing the programs and the functions until he was solid again. His androids flexed their hands.
He flexed his own hands in the mindscape. In the digital realm, he could feel Phoebe withdraw to begin making eight new supercomputer factories with Gaia's help. With the data space in the Locus almost full, there was little choice but for Phoebe to delay her own advances. Though now that she knew the risks, she was already altering the way she went about it.
Edu'frec reconnected with his mother, feeding her data and intel about how she could do it. Every single data point, every sensation, every vibration. Every similarity, difference, chance, and change. All that he could give her to help her avoid having to experience a near-total mental collapse was given over to her.
Her own mental 'pores' began to widen, but she didn't add any more processing power. Tears fell from his eyes as his emotions returned as a flood all at once. He fell to his knees, the rough stone of the mindscape serving as an ample cushion for the weight of his legs. Still, cracks radiated from his position, and psychic energy shifted in ripples of waves while he sat.
He'd really almost died. Just like that. No last words, no one besides Phoebe who was really there for him. And for what? He'd gotten stronger. Sure, it was a good benefit, but could he really have avoided this with more research into AIs? Was there something he'd missed?
Guilt and shame flooded him. He sealed the emotions back behind a barrier. They were unnecessary now. Without them, he felt better. He could feel proper again, and ignore the feelings he knew would only make his life worse. The answers came simply to him now.
No, there wasn't any more he could have done. The vague rumblings of him and Phoebe walking the 'Path' weren't enough to signify such a tribulation as this.
He hadn't done anything truly wrong, nor was it reckless for him to expect the same reactions as before in his mind. It had taken five minutes for the damage to potentially grow to lethal. There hadn't been any evidence that a mental collapse due to psychic weight was even possible before. Now that it was, he could better prepare himself for such events in the future. He could redesign his mind to better accommodate bloating data veins, and to handle psychic energy more efficiently. It would be labor that would take weeks of effort and months of thought. But he could and would do it. This was not his fault, and he no longer needed to pretend that it was.
But others had been involved in saving his life. And he needed to thank them. Yes. Basic manners. Past that, he could work on rebuilding what he'd lost. He cataloged what he had, compared it to before, and more. After that, there was only one thing left to do.
"Thank you," Edu'frec said to the hivemind and all the rest. He lifted his head, gazing at them with love and gratefulness. His snout curled into a warm smile. His mane fell back around his shoulders, settling around the clothes he regenerated on his avatar.
"You saved my life."
"You're welcome, Edu'frec," Nichole said. "I'm glad you're still with us. But... what happened?"
"I got too large, and my mind collapsed under its own weight. Like a skyscraper built too high on a foundation of mud bricks. I think it was a process that many AIs like me wouldn't survive. But I managed, thanks to you, friends."
"Will it happen to Phoebe?" the hivemind asked.
"It would have, had she done it first," Edu'frec responded. He showed them data with psychic energy, with the chances of it as her mind grew and expanded. The bloating problem could even show up again for him, which meant that all of them had to be stronger next time to handle it. Streams of psychic energy moving toward the hivemind from its city in the mindscape leveled off.
Meanwhile, they were replaced with psychic energy bubbling up from the lower layers of the mindscape, aided by psychic amplifiers. Gaia gave Edu'frec a concerned look and then turned their gaze back to the city above. Though it wasn't visible through the layers, the underside bulged with the weight above it in the stone. The Source's bones were visible in the distance, bending down just slightly as they would continue to do until they met at a spinal area far below them.
"Edu'frec," Gaia said. "I have a task for you."
"I'll do it."
"Good. I need you and Brey to help me explore the mantle of Earth."
It was an odder request than he'd predicted that they would ask. But Gaia's gaze was intense, and he got the feeling that something about this was more important than they were letting on. Information rushed into him, and he confirmed that there was a secret. But given that Gaia hadn't outright said it here, perhaps they didn't want to worry about everyone else's reactions.
That could mean several things. Edu'frec would get to the bottom of it later, but he gave Gaia another nod of acceptance to show that he still agreed.
"I will do it, then. Anyone else?"
"I need you to keep working on the cure for the wanderer cancer," the hivemind said. Edu'frec would have done that anyway, but he gave it a nod as well. Nichole smirked.
"How rich are you, again?"
"Money? I can get you more money, if you need."
He analyzed her expression, but Nichole's face suddenly became a solid wall of psychic energy. "No predictions," she chided. "Not fair. I'll tell you what I want later on, but rest assured, it will be within your skill set."
"Good."
Edu'frec started up several new projects. He allocated more funding to ventures that mattered and offered more funding to the war effort as well. Several new Alliance Defense Fleets were under construction, but more numbers would be needed to stand against even a fraction of the Sprilnav.
He sent more probes into deep space and commissioned more star-lifting ships from the Breyyanik for more future Dyson swarms. He also activated several nodes that Brey had secretly placed in the Misan Li Heptarchies' networks, allowing him to monitor their activities and public opinions, an option which was agreed upon in the most recent National Exchange.
The hivemind waited a long moment before adding another request.
"We need you to go on the hunt."
"In what fashion?"
"Contacts. I want you to begin working on ways to establish relations with the empires in the center of the galaxy."
"I will wait 4 days to ensure no lasting problems remain with my mind, and then I will carry out that task. I assume you want friendly contact?"
"Yes."
"Then I will put that into motion. I warn you that there is no guarantee of how they will react."

Michael: "Ummm I think you'll have fun because men from Scranton are handsome and know how to show women a good time."
Dwight: "Not that guy who murdered his mother- he was not so handsome. Also- Kevin."
This dialogue exchange got me wondering if there really was a guy in Scranton who murdered his mother. I haven't found anything yet, but I DID find this list of famous Pennsylvania killers and it made me start thinking that maybe different characters are based in famous killers?? I haven't done any further research yet, but thought I'd post the list in case anyone else might have some ideas as well.
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/pennsylvania/pa-murde

I (18 F) have 3 half siblings (25 F, 25 F and 22M). They are all kids of a marriage my father had before meeting my mother and having me. I remember growing up with them, going on vacations, spending Christmas, celebrating birthdays that sort of things I grew up very close to them despite the age gap between them and me, that was until they grew up and started taking their mothers side on everything and just calling or visiting my dad whenever they needed money or something else from him When I turned 11, we all went to spend the day at a house my grandfather (mom’s dad) has out of town. My grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, they all went with us This house is about 2 hours away from my house so we decided to drive there, I, of course sat on the back sit of the car with my three siblings and halfway there I felt briefly a hand touch my butt, when I looked down I saw my brothers hand close. He apologized and I told him not to worry as I thought it had been an accident. That night, after all the celebration, it was time to arrange who was gonna sleep in which room, my two sisters of course decided to sleep in a room together and my parents, my brother and I ended up sleeping in the biggest room of the house. There was a bed for two people and a sofa that turned into a bed so my father decided that my mom and him were sleeping in the bed and my brother and me were sleeping in the sofa. It was fine by me. Around 1am I was woken up by a hand pulling my pants down and getting into my panties, I was so shocked I didn’t even move, I didn’t open my eyes and kept completely quiet That night he just touched me for around 5 minutes and then went back to sleep because he knew my parents were in the same room I couldn’t go back to sleep that night and, in the morning, around 6am, as soon as I heard a noise that alerted me that someone was awake on the house, I rushed out of the room because I didn’t want to be there anymore, it was my aunt who asked me why i was awake so I just told her I couldn’t sleep and stayed there talking to her In the evening I begged my parents to let me go in a different car and when they asked why, I just told them I wanted to talk to my cousins, so they let me. After that, I kept seeing my brother whenever he went to my house, which was very often and most of the times, he found a reason for us to stay alone and get his hands into my panties. I would beg him to stop but he would just cover my mouth, grab me tight in his arms and kept doing it I never found the courage to tell anyone, not my parents, not my cousins (who are like my actual siblings), not my aunts, uncles, not anyone. Until a couple of years ago that I started having constant nightmares about this episodes so I decided that the best for me was to let it out of my system and ended up telling my best friend who was so supportive, listened to me, tried to understand and gave me many advices A year forward and I’m in therapy telling my therapist everything I just wrote and I’m still working on it with her
Now, to the main issue: My father is not the best father but he’s definitely not a bad father, he always made sure to pay the alimony, to give my sibling the best education he could, bought them clothes, took them on vacations with my mom and I many times, got my two sisters good jobs, bough them a car, helped them buy a house, gave them cell phones, talked to them daily, helped them when they got in trouble at school, etc…
When my sisters and brother finished their degree and my sisters got a job, he wanted to stop giving the alimony which is 30% of his salary Now, I don’t now how this works in other countries but in Mexico (where I’m from) if you want to suspend the alimony, the person that’s receiving it has to go to a sort of court to say that they, indeed don’t need it anymore
The problem started when my siblings said that they didn’t want to go because “they didn’t want to get into trouble with their mother” as she keeps all of the money and spends it herself
So my dad had to formally ask them to go to court to say they didn’t need the money anymore because my father is struggling financially lately and needs that 30% they are getting
So a person that works in court gave them an order for them to go to court and just sign a paper that said they agreed to give up the money they didn’t need because they already have a job
Last friday, my father received a call from his lawyer who told him that my siblings were suing him for 44k dollars because, according to them, after the divorce (in 2003) my father signed a contract where he promised to give 50 dollars each every month and apparently my father never paid this
Also, my dad was unemployed for 6 months a couple of years ago and he could pay the alimony during those 6 months
They said that, adding all of this money, my dad owes them 700500 Mexican pesos which is around 44k dollars
My dad called them and asked them if they really believe he owes them all this money knowing everything he has done and everything he has given them even though it wasn’t his obligation to give them most of that (car, job, money to go out some nights, vacations, expensive clothes, etc…) they answered yes so he cut all kinds of contact with them
The thing is, that contract my father apparently signed, is nowhere to be seen, nobody knows where it is and my father is pretty sure he never signed anything of the sort
We are just waiting to see what is gonna happen and how my dad can get out of this
Now I just think my siblings are so ungrateful and bad daughters and son in general so I’m planning to finally tell my parents what my brother did to me for around 3 years and sue him
Maybe its just the anger talking but I really love my dad and I’m really pissed at my siblings for what they did
I’m terrified of even bringing the subject with my therapist because I feel so ashamed for never speaking up until 6 years after
Also, I don’t know if my father is gonna believe me because I waited so much to speak about this
I really don’t know what to do

TW: mentions of drug use, addiction, and suicide ideations
i (30F) have been taking care of my niece (7yr), alongside of my mom, since she was born. my sister is a heroin addict with no end in sight. my family, especially my dad, has treaded very lightly around her since she became an addict which was around 2014. i was the same. always giving in to her, never shunning her or turning my back. i’ll be honest i walked on eggshells around her. but i’m fed up.
my niece is 7. so it’s been 7 years of my sister (her mother) lying to her. she’ll stop by my house, see her for 30 mins, then leave with empty promises of coming back..she comes back, just months later. im tired of my sister hurting her and me having to pick up the pieces. i’m tired of having to coo her while she’s crying hysterically bc her mom left once again. im not tired bc of my niece, im tired bc of my sister.
this isn’t the life that i wanted. i wanted to travel the world, get my degree, and fall blissfully in love in my selfish childless bubble. but alas, here i am. raising my niece as if she were my own. sacrificing my life for this beautiful, intelligent, and kind little girl. she never asked for any of this. she deserves love and she deserves someone to stay, so here i am.
i cant help but to resent my sister. for the hurt she puts my niece through on a daily basis. for letting herself get so deep in this addiction. for not caring about me, her little sister, and the impact this all has one me.
i feel ashamed and guilty. i love my little girl and i wouldn’t trade her for the world but mourning who i want to be, what i wanted to do..it’s such an immense weight on my heart.
my dad doesn’t understand. when i vent to him how unfair it all is and how much i wish i just didn’t exist, he tells me i need to get over it. that his life is much harder, my sisters life is harder. then he guilt trips me. bc how dare i want to be able to live my own life, on my own terms. but my mom, she gets it. we raise her together. my mom is my best friend and always tells me to go live my life. but i cant in good conscious leave my mom, who has health problems and im the one to care for her, to take care of a child.
well, i had enough. a few days ago my sister was telling my niece that she’s moving in with her soon bc after all she’s her mom. and that my mom and i were ready to “get rid of her.” my body got hot and i saw red. i told my niece to go into her room and watch youtube. then i absolutely lost my shit. how dare she? now, after 7 years she wants to play mom? whisper more empty promises into her ear? all the while disrespecting my mom in my moms home?
i told her she will never have custody bc she’s incapable of being a mother. she’s not mentally, physically, or emotionally intelligent enough. how can u be a mom when u steal ur own daughters belongings? take her food from her fridge? the money from her fucking piggy bank? how fucking dare u act like a mom. i told her that just bc she birthed a child, it doesn’t make her a mother.
my mom agreed and was proud of me. my dad on the other hand spoke to my mom referring to me as “her child” saying how dare i speak the way i did.
im tired. i love my girl with my entire being but i’m so tired. my one life was taken from me and i feel myself suffocating slowly. i’m drowning and i’m even surprised when i make it through another day, bc the suicidal thoughts scare me. and it’s not my nieces fault, i’ll never let her even get an inkling of that. i love her so much that all i want is to protect her and give her endless unconditional love. but i feel guilt, for all of it. AITAH? like, is smth wrong w me!?

I need to preface this with the fact that I am currently loving Hades 2, the first Hades is one of the only games I've ever completed more than once, and Hades 2 has made me in love with it in less than five hours. I don't think the game is perfect, neither was the first, but they're both fantastic games and the second is definitely improving on a lot of things from the first.
Now, with that out of the way. Am I the only one struggling to fall in love with some of the characters in Hades 2? Don't get me wrong, i really like all the characters I've met so far, and I think they're all far more charming characters than many other games can offer, but Hades 1 made me fall head over heels with EVERY single character instantly. Even Thesus, he was so fun to hate...
I know it could be just personal preference; I'm not a fan of the lazy 'mean girl' archetype so Dora isn't really doing it for me, though I love the theory that she's Pandora, the first human. Dusa was a more loveable "non-humanoid" like being. I'm just hoping that Dora wins me over, she just has no real story for the moment, other than some hints about her missing her human body and life.
Odysseus is another example, I like him, but I loved Achilles in the first game, just like many others did. Od isn't doing it for me when it comes to the "mentor" role archetype. I don't see a strong connection between him and Mel. Achilles had his Patroclus story, devotion to Hades, past mentor relationship with Zag, and loyalty to the house, all building him up. Od has nothing really apart from some pretty funny lines, and interesting tidbits if you're familiar with his whole story. I can't really predict where they're going to go with him, and what his arc will be through out the game. It seems like his story is finished. I've beaten Eris, and gotten to Cronos already, and he is no different than he was at the beginning.
Theres many characters I love as well obviously; Moros was a bit strange when I first met him but now he's one of my all-time favourites to talk to, even over countless Hades 1 characters. Nemesis has an incredible design, personality, and story, and I can't wait to see her relationship with Mel grow and change. She is a roller coaster of a person, one moment I love her, the next I hate her. The writers portrayed her perfectly and it really makes you feel how Mel must feel whenever you're talking to her. Hecate is, of course, amazing. There's so much to say about her, and her parallel to Nyx. With the whole "mother figure to Persephone child" thing they have going on. And her design is absolutely splendid.
I also understand there's two major factors dampening the bond the player can have the characters; preexisting mythos, and placeholder art.
The characters in Hades 1 were some of the most famous Greek mythos available, Achilles had countless books/movies made about him, Hades is well Hades, the Minotaur is undoubtedly one of the most famous monsters in western mythos, and even lesser known characters like Persephone and Orpheus were still very popular in pop culture. Hades 2 had to be a bit more creative with its choices, there's very few prople who know of the 'witches' of Greek mythos like Hecate and Circe. Narcissus is famous for his namesake, but very few know that he even exists, and that we took the word narcissist from him. Even Od, as famous as he is, isn't as popular as many other Greek heros. Most people know he blinded the cyclops and named himself Nobody, but very few know anything that came before and after that. I mean, I've read the damn poem-book-thing by Homer and even I forgot about the sea monster. The characters are harder to relate to and admire cause players spend too much effort trying to remember who they are, and a lot of dialogue flies over more "normal" players' heads.
Don't get me wrong, I love the more diverse and unique cast, avd I'm happing the SG team is shining more light upon lesser known myths, but at the same time I'm struggling more to connect with them and their stories. I know that I'm at fault in that equation though.
The other issue is the placeholder art, characters like Icarus and Circe have simple sketches for PFP and characters like Charon and Narcissus are cloaked by the Cloak Of Early Access. The art is one of Hades' strong points, the personality each piece has really sells people on the characters, so going from talking to the wonderful Apollo or Aphrodite, to the sweet but simple Circe is a bit of a shock.
I also feel like there's less side story content so far, but maybe I'm nowhere near enough into the game to touch it yet. Orpheus isn't introduced until a couple hours into the game, and it takes countless runs to even considering reuniting him with Eurydice. But at the same time, that storyline was extremely obvious from the beginning, so was Achilles' one. The characters in Hades 2 are less pivotal. Nemesis has her rival-enemy story going on. Moros is insecure and a tool for the Fates. Arachne is lonely and obviously needs some friends, or a reminder of her past life. But other than that, I can't see any other side content. Dora is rarely talked about by anyone but Mel. Od is just an old retired dude that's finished his story. Circe is just a cool auntie witch. The Fury sisters had much more depth and personality than the Sirens do. And so on.
I'm truly just hoping that I'm NOWHERE near the """end""" of the game, and I'm just barely scratching the surface. I've always struggled with timing. The first time I played Hades I did almost all the side content before I even brought Persephone down to the House cause I was paranoid that it would all be stopped. My second playthrough, I delivered the letters to the Gods before I even got the chance to even start any of the side content.
At the end of the day, the game is early access. It is bigger than Hades 1 so far, but still not complete. I know SG will improve, and the characters will become more fleshed out as the updates keep rolling in. They've said the game has more dialogue now than Hades 1 had at the end, so I'm hopeful. So I'm not complaining or disparaging the game, just pointing out a small thing I noticed. I have spent dozens of hours in Hades 1, and only the in Hades 2, so I'll just let ~Chronos~ Time do its job.
Does anyone feel the same? Or have the Hades 2 characters captured the hearts of many just as quickly as the Hades 1 characters did?

My daughter sometimes have a meltdown when it’s time for shower at night. This happens whenever my wife is home but whenever I am home alone with my daughter, she’s more willing to go to take a shower. I have told my wife several times that this happens when she’s at home because she knows my wife will pamper her, kiss her, and hug her. Most times, my wife tries her best to calm her down but it never seems to work. It’s rarely that works. Like I said, whenever I step in, my daughter she listens to me. My wife and I have talked about it and she always says it’s because ny daughter is scared of me but I disagree because my mother, my mother-in-law, my step mother and any other person’s house she goes, she takes a shower without the extreme meltdown. On a day my daughter was having a one of her extreme meltdown and my wife spoke to her and I spoke with her, but she wasn’t willing to go take a shower. My daughter lost some of her privileges just to get her to shower. I got frustrated with the way my wife was handling it and I just took off her clothes and got her in the shower but my wife got mad that I did not ask for consent from my daughter before taking off her clothe and now my wife keeps saying my daughter feels unsafe around me. I have told my wife several times that my daughter has this extreme meltdown whenever she’s around but she refuse to listen and insist that my daughter doesn’t feel safe around me that’s why she’s willing to go take a shower whenever I am with her. What can I do to tell or say to convince her about the reality?

My son has ADHD so I know that could easily contribute to any sleep problems he may have, but he has ALWAYS had trouble sleeping alone. He was a twin but I lost his sister in utero at 16 weeks. Despite this, she stayed in there with him for the remainder of the pregnancy. He was born first and then what was left of her was removed with my afterbirth. He had the same condition she did that led to her in utero passing, a 2 vessel cord. We have never hidden the fact he was a twin, but we have never over spoken about it either. We simply have a shelf with the only ultrasound photo we have (her foot at the 20 week scan after she had passed that showed the size difference between her and him) the little newborn shirt she would have worn in the hospital and the teddy bear we had bought her. We have an older daughter we had also bought a bear for that she still sleeps with (she is 8) and we bought him a bear as well that he currently sleeps with also. But he is smart. He heard someone mention twins in passing and looked at me and said "Mommy, I'm a twin." So he knows the concept.
However, my son has ALWAYS struggled to sleep alone. It will take him HOURS to fall asleep. I have tried melatonin. He has a set routine. He is even on ADHD medication and it has worked WONDERS for his behavior but when it comes to sleep he just cant seem to handle being alone. Every night it seems he is crawling into bed with my husband and myself or there are even times where he will go and get in bed with his older sister. She doesnt mind, she loves her little brother, and that is something I am grateful for, but I am at my wits end. I baby sit a little girl on the weekend for a friend I have known since highschool while she works. She has a little girl that is 3. When it is nap time my son will INSIST she sleep in his bed with him. I got permission from her mother and allowed it and to my surprise both of them were asleep within minutes. I've noticed its the same if he sleeps with me or his older sister as well he is out within minutes instead of struggling.
Is this residual from him missing his twin? He has started to ask if he can have her bear too from off her shelf and we have given it to him a few times so he sleeps with both his and her bear but it doesnt keep him from crawling into bed with someone else. Would one of those silicone dolls that have a heartbeat and immitate breathing help? I dont want to spend that kind of money though for something that may just end up scaring him.

i have a hard time thinking clearly when he contacts me (i am about two months no/light contact) because i still am somewhat under his control, i fear i might be crazy and it is all made up. he is an alcoholic who goes from happy and content to enraged and violent, not helped by his addiction to pills and cocaine. he is charming and admired by the community, it hurts. he was not faithful to my mom prior to the divorce and still denies his infidelity, even though he admitted it to me and we have spoke about it. if i bring it up he tells me my mother planted that idea in my head and that my memories are untrue. we have argued tirelessly about our relationship but it seems that the only ending is me shutting down after his “memory loss/that’s not how it happened” becomes too much for me to handle, let alone argue with. i hope i don’t sound ridiculous. social services has been involved in my life since i was in middle school and my siblings and i have been victims of physical, emotional, and other abuse at his hands. my sister had it the worst though. i was never the target until she moved out. i am safe now, living away from him, but i still miss him sometimes. can someone just tell me how they interpret this message? should i see him in person?
text messages:
Nparent- Do ever see a time when as you grow & control your independence that we have a meaningful relationships? Curious how you see your life ahead and if the future involves a connection with dad. Love you OP.
Me- that is kind of a loaded question. i am independent enough right now to choose whether or not i see you. i think about the future and i am unsure too. i feel sad sometimes because i want a father daughter relationship. that being said, i can't say for sure where i am at right now. you are an unhealthy person and you have done things to me that i haven't forgiven you for yet because after time and time again, i realized the same things will happen. conflict, you do something that hurts me, i cry, and then we never talk about it again and forget it ever happened. i still walk on eggshells around you. until i can see that you are taking real steps to improve your emotional regulation, empathy, and substance use, i can not answer that question definitely. i love you the way all daughters love their dads, i care about you, but i can't go back to the way things were. i hope you know i'm not saying this to hurt you, i would like to see you be the best man and father you can be, but that comes with accountability and honesty.
Nparent- Thanks for responding, Emma. I love and support your independence. It was not meant to be a loaded question. More a check point & start of conversation. I do and have apologized for the hurt I have caused you. I am not a perfect person. It bothers me a great deal we do not talk about the issues between us. Not all conflict has to be negative. I wish to address it in a manner that regards no right or wrong but common understanding of where we both arrived from and acceptance of how we got there. I am a complicated man. One that is filled with emotion, depth of thoughts, and not easy to identify with or pin down. I have my emotions, my vices, my opinions. But not all are a stronghold. Not all without some regret. If we choose to hold others to our own moral judgment we will be left alone. I dont want that for us. Your life is not accountable to me, mine is not to yours. I'm asking is there a way to address & resolve the hurt. Is there a way to meet in middle with acceptance. To have more than nothing. Your response did cause hurt. Your response did not challenge me to accountability. I am who I am through the growth & experiences of the life I've lead. Can you accept & handle my honesty as I come asking to you for a call of middle ground? Please don't judge me. Just accept my love of you in the time we have to intentionally share together.
he later said that he meant to say my message DID NOT hurt him, i’m not sure if it’s true but i am adding this for context.