Son sleeping in underwear

I’m over it and I just exploded on my husband. Since our son was born, my husband has slept in until 11 am- noon every single weekend. I’ve forced myself to become a morning person bc I have no choice. Several times I have woken him up bc I’m not doing this on my own. Every time I get an attitude.
Our son is almost 2 and I’m 9 weeks pregnant with our second. I’m exhausted. I explained to him last week that it bothers me that he gets to sleep in and I’m expected to wake up and handle everything. Yet last night at 11pm he sent me a text saying he didn’t want to wake me up but he’s heading to his friends house down the street to smoke. I didn’t wake up and see the text until 1 am.
I was furious. So you get to go out and hang out with your friends in the middle of the night, not come back until 2 am and then sleep in until whenever you want?
I went and told him it was time to wake up at 11:15 in the morning….. and got an attitude. He didn’t get up. I ended up taking my son to him and saying “if you’re not going to get up then here, figure it out”
He told me I haven’t been doing anything around the house (I’m 9 weeks pregnant and keeping up with a toddler 24/7 on my own) and I’m TIRED. But before I was pregnant I would do EVERYTHING around the house.
I lost it. I got so mad and told him god forbid I take a break bc I’m pregnant and exhausted. Not to mention two of my good friends just passed away in the last month and I’m feeling depressed.
I slammed a door so hard to the point it broke. But I’m feeling like I’m living with a teenager and I’m so sick of prying him out of bed every weekend.

I took a week off of work and college had started their two-week break before the next semester. I took my chance and cleared my calendar and booked a trip to the town where my grandfather stayed while he was a journalist. The greyhound ride was a good time for me to figure out my approach, while the busy cityscape outside my window slowly faded into Southern African wilderness, nothing but trees and empty kilometers of road before I reached my stop, a homely town that seemed well connected to the rest despite the distance. It had been many years since my grandfather had set foot in this town, yet I could feel his influence. The roads were now cracked and showed their wear, shops and residences had been renovated and upgraded, looking more modern and slightly out of place.
The hotel my grandfather stayed at while on the investigation was now a more comfortable looking lodge, with a view over the rolling foothills of the Drakensberg and the surrounding cities, one of which I could see my home, vaguely. The sun had begun to set and I still needed to get my information from the residents. I unpacked my things after booking my room and set out, like a tourist with a pen and notebook in hand asking anyone what they may know. To no one’s surprise, they mostly looked at me like I was insane or a knock off Leon Schuster trying to get them to react in a funny way. I had almost given up completely until I sat near one of the social areas where they would light a fire and residents at the lodge would sit and relax while watching the sun go down. I was alone there and just sat drawing the distant landscape dreading the silence for the next week while I waited for the next bus to arrive and I’d return home. Two days passed in mainly silence.
That was until a man sat near me, dressed in weathered jeans and an old top with work boots covered in dust and dirt, his face obscured by a large hat covering his face, his hands in his pockets even as he sat but his arms almost looked skeleton like, his long white hair flowing from either side of his hat.
“Can I help you?” I asked, feeling like he was trying to get my attention.
“No, but I can help you. You cause quite a lot of noise, trying to get the people to talk about something that scares them.” He said, his voice didn’t come across as harsh, more like cautious. The first person who decided to talk to me in a casual manner since a couple days ago. He wanted to tell me what I wanted to know.
Without any hesitation I turned to the page I set aside for notes when the man chuckled.
“Something funny?” I asked.
“You’re going to need more pages than that.” He said, flicking his hat up slightly while he sat back and got comfortable.
“Trust me, this is all I need.” I said feeling like I had to tiptoe around the subject as to not let the opportunity slip, but I also felt overwhelmingly anxious, almost like someone else was watching us. I felt my gaze shift every so often over my shoulder trying to find the entity that was staring a hole through me, apart from a quiet street crossing and some pedestrians; nothing.
“Something there?” Asked the man, as I shook off the feeling. I started getting a bit annoyed by the short answers and questions.
“Just feel like-, never mind. If you’re ready to help give me some information, what should I call you?” I asked as the man took a moment.
“Call me ‘Farmhand’. Since it’ll sound better than my real name, you’ll find that out in time.” Said Farmhand as I wrote that down in my notebook and began phrasing the question in my mind as to get the proper answer. Furiously tapping my pen on the page.
“Just ask, I already know what you want to know.” He said, I looked up from the page, slightly irritated by the confidence.
“How can you be so sure, Farmhand?” I blurted.
“You aren’t the first person to go on this goose chase. The Lady in White is very particular in her targets.” Farmhand explained, I wrote down everything.
“What’s her story, like the true story; why does she haunt this stretch of road?” I asked. Farmhand chuckled.
“She doesn’t haunt, she’s simply looking for a lift.” He said in the distinct Afrikaans twang that so many white South Africans have, it’s by no means ominous, more of a conversation encouragement than anything else.
“A lift? To where?” I asked. I heard so many different types of tales, from her being hostile to men, a companion to young women and a bit of both to younger males. But the main part that stayed the same was that they were alone.
“Her matric dance, my seun.” Farmhand said, the only other person to call me ‘Seun’ was my dad, the Afrikaans for son.
“What exactly happened?” I asked, pen at the ready.
“The legend goes far back, but the main story that my pa always told me was that she was with her boyfriend in the car, they went along this road and broke down; one of the worst places to break down since around eight is when the busses shut down and the last train has departed from the station. She chose to try down the street, bearing in mind how dangerous that is these days, it was a little bit less so then.” Farmhand said as he took off his hat, keeping his gaze at the setting sun.
“How much less dangerous?” I asked.
“Snakes, though the venomous Boomslang doesn’t go out of its way to kill you, no Black Mamba’s live up here. No, we have jackals and caracals, they hunt in packs and pick you off in the dead of night.” Farmhand explained.
“Is that how it happened, how she died?” Farmhand chuckled lightly.
“Nope, she saw a car in the distance and flagged them down, asked them to help take her to town or help her boyfriend. The man took her up the road and when they started to approach where she had broken down, the boyfriend tried flagging them down. Her joy turned to terror as the stranger sped up and before the boyfriend knew it, the car had hit him. The last she saw of him was him tumbling down the hill among the trees.” Farmhand said. Placing his hat on his chest, closing his eyes and bowing his head. After a short silence, I asked:
“What happened next?”
“Well, the girl was hysterical, the car was still speeding up and she yelled at the man to stop, and kept pleading for him to let her go. Eventually the man had stopped, the girl got out and started calling to the boyfriend to see if he had somehow survived, as she did, the stranger hit her on the back of her head and had his way with her.” Farmhand said, provoking a sour taste in my mouth, a sheer sense of guilt welled up in my stomach.
“Now I understand why no one was willing to tell me the story.” I said, slightly defeated. The man put a hand on my knee like my grandfather used to and looked me in the eye. For the first time I noticed his wrinkled but kind face, he smiled.
“It’s not a story everyone can stomach. Come, let’s finish this so you can write your story.” Farmhand said as he sat back on the couch, a thought struck me; was I so obvious that he knew I was a journalist writing a story? Because I don’t remember ever disclosing the fact I was a journalist. Regardless, we continued.
“After the stranger- did the act, what happened?” I asked uneasily, feeling sick to my stomach.
“He put her in his car, and drove back to the spot where they broke down, but a half a kilometer away she woke up and he pushed her out of the car at high speed. She should’ve died there, but she crawled, half her body scratched, scraped and broken. She died slowly and alone. Before she died she heard her boyfriend calling for her.” Farmhand continued.
“Did he ever find her?”
There was silence, even the birds had stopped chirping and the street had gone quiet.
“No, I don’t believe he did. Whether or not he died looking is another story, but that’s not what you’re here for.” The Farmer said as he stood up, placed his hat on his head and began to walk off, before he passed me, he put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it.
“Promise me one thing; be careful. Can you do that for me, Alex?” Farmhand said before he patted me on the shoulder and walked off without waiting for my answer. I turned to confront him but he was gone, it couldn’t have been more than a second, but it was like he vanished into thin air. I was left confused and bewildered. The notes were real, the pen marks solid and clear. The events I was informed of felt vivid, yet the silence that fell around me felt otherworldly. I was feeling lost and exhausted before, now I was more awake than I had ever been.
Around eight that night, the sun had set and the mountain had cast a chilling shadow over the down I stayed, sleet had been reported near us and snow on the mountain. If I was going to get the answer I so desperately wanted, I was going to have to earn it. I walked to my car, steam cascading from my nostrils as the cold air turned frigid with even the slightest of breezes. I got in my car and drove to the first rest point along the mountain to gather some supplies: Some water and snacks, a couple of pre-charged battery packs for my recorder as I don’t want to stop every fifteen to twenty minutes to write down my experience. This would also prove if I was going insane or not, when asked by a couple of the staff at the store, I told them my intentions and they sounded interested for the first time. When I left I tested the packs and sure enough; fully charged and my recorder was clean and ready to be used.
I approached the entrance to the mountain pass that had been the setting for this ghost story that has latched on to me since childhood. No street lamps, no signs, yet the road itself was painted brightly and every so often a glowing marker was placed to ensure you knew when to turn and when to slow down. The threshold felt like a portal, the point where light didn’t reach and would not pass, even down to the road, where it was light, it looked traveled on, occupied and used; the mountain pass looked pristine; almost as if it hadn’t been touched for decades. As I looked beyond the pass, far below what was called the foothills of the Drakensberg, a large highway was built, the lights from the cars, the lamps and signs glowed for kilometers in the distance. After delaying for twenty minutes, I turned my car on, flicked on the high-beams and began my journey.
Every few minutes I would check my recorder, to make sure it was on and still functioning, it lay on the passenger seat in plain view, I could see some bright lights giving me the information if the screen was somehow obscured. It was a long while before anything happened. Maybe it was paranoia, maybe it was anxiety, whatever it was wouldn’t stop me from exploring this legend. Worst thing that could happen is I travel sixty kilometers and nothing happens and it turns out my grandfather was just trying to scare me. I turned again after a lengthy passage of time and I got my answer.
I don’t remember stopping, I don’t even think I saw anyone on the side of the road, maybe it was while I was looking at my recorder, but I felt a cold presence behind me.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Asked a voice, a quiet but feminine voice. A chill erupted throughout my body; a violent sense of panic coursed through my mind because I knew where the sound came from. It came from behind me. My hands began to shake but I dared not take my hands away from the wheel.
“Do you?” It asked again. The answer got caught in my throat, I found myself unable to speak.
“No, not really.” I managed though my voice felt hoarse.
“You seem to know what you want.” The voice said again, it sounded curious. I stayed silent, the road twisted and wound around the mountain in a chaotic and frantic fashion.
“Are you scared?” She asked again, the voice coming from next to me. I turned to look but a cold hand kept my eyes glued to the road.
“Keep your eyes on the road, enough people have died here.” She said, as my nerves calmed slightly.
“Who are you?” I asked, my eyes focused and the world around me much less than an echo.
“Why do you want to know?” She asked, sounding more like she was in a void, her voice had more of an echo than anything else.
“I want to know what happened here. The true story.” I said after taking a breath and gathering my nerves, the road seemed to calm down, from sharp uphill turns to moonlight sweeping curves that allowed my gaze to rest as the shadow of the trees passed us by.
“Can I trust you?” She asked, the question rang through my head as I remember what Farmhand said, how she trusted a stranger who took advantage of her.
“Yes. Yes you can.” I said after a while. The figure turned to me; I could feel her eyes scrutinize every inch of me.
“You’re not like him?” Her questions kept hammering into me, I felt a mix of fear and guilt, knowing who she was referring to.
“I won’t hurt you. I want to help.” I said after a while, gathering a fragile sense of courage as my hands shook furiously. The road seemed to twist and turn, harsh rising hills. Sharp corners told the tale of her many victims as my headlights passed by, the scrapes and dents of hard hits leading to a drop that seemed to have no end, not a single tree could be seen and the moonlight from high above could not pierce the dark veil that lingered joust over the edge of the road. After a while, she spoke again.
“Alright, I trust you.” She said as I allowed my eyes to wander, the figure relaxed in the passenger seat for a while, my recorder on the center console as I saw her blue skin, almost emitting a frozen chill as I saw her dress, torn and tattered, my stomach felt uneasy when I saw bruising and swelling near her inner thighs. Her hands crossed in her lap as I saw the scratches and what looked like deep cuts on her arms and exposed shoulders from the straps on her dress. I could not see much of her face as it seemed her face was bleeding.
“What happened that night?” I asked, concentrating on the road again. My passenger stayed quiet for a while, quietly shuddering and sniffing before she spoke again.
“I was happy, a man I loved decided I would be his date for the matric dance. We’d known each other since we were children. My best friend. We were driving along this road to get to the lodge, where the dance was being held.” Her voice sounded sourly-joyful, her hands didn’t move from her lap much, so as to not distract me with her hand movements.
“It was a while before town, the car started shaking. I thought the tire had blown, but smoke came from the front. We stopped nearby.” She pointed and I could see the flashing of hazard lights and the smell of smoke invaded my nostrils.
“I thought I’d get some help, he said he’d be fine and that I should hurry back. I walked for a while; it was a cold night still. I walked for, I don’t know how long. But I managed to get an old man to stop. He said he’d help; we just need to get my man and he’d sort out the car.” She said as the road began to crack and fall apart at the edge.
“Do you know what he did?” She asked me, I assumed it was a test to see if I was listening.
“He deceived you.” I answered. She nodded, looking down for a short while before continuing.
“He asked why I was alone on this road. I told him I wasn’t, that I was on my way to town with my man, and I told him about who he was, what he meant to me. I was overjoyed when I saw him, my joy turned to confusion, to horror as he sped up and ran him over. I saw his body roll into the trees, I thought for sure he was dead.” She pointed to the part of the road that had a piece of cloth swaying in the breeze, marking where her man was hit and last seen by her.
“After I witnessed my childhood innocence be ripped from me, he finally stopped, that butcher! I blacked out with a sharp pain, when next I woke, I couldn't feel my legs and my fingers were numb. Just before I said anything, he pushed me out of his car. I remember falling, the road was like ice, all I could do was crawl.” She said, her anger translating to the road shifting and breaking apart, turning violently uphill only for the sheer drops and sharp turns that threatened to throw me off the edge. I barely managed to keep the car on the road as the road shifted again, it was so silent that I could hear the tires screeching like a distant wail.
“I’ve searched for years, if he’d ever return, I’d make sure he never left like he left me.” She said as the note my grandfather left in his books, the man who was panicked and sketchy, had his autopsy reveal that he was of the elderly group. I felt a slight pang of guilt as I realized that the man who did this to her was probably dead for a while. I weathered her storm of rage as the stretch of road became calm, as did she.
“I’m sorry you suffered like that; I wish there was something I could do.” I said unconsciously. I felt her gaze soften to me; her rage calmed as she went back to her neutral position.
“He was called ‘Farmhand. Because he was trustworthy, kind and reliable..” My eyes widened as the realization crashed on my face: He lived.
“If you aren’t like how he was, then you don’t deserve to leave this road.” Her voice was harsh, the road began to fall apart, the cracks forming as parts fell away like they had been falling apart for years, though my body was fatigued, I kept the car on the road. As uncomfortable as the ride was, the road soon turned into dirt paths, completely unlit and unpredictable. It felt like hours before it returned to normal, albeit slowly, my hands still shook relentlessly. I understood her outrage. I couldn’t imagine the trauma she experienced, the sadness.
“If you would like, I can take you back to town.” I asked. In retrospect, that was a stupid question.
“I don’t know.” She replied, unsure and confused.
“No rush, we have time.” I said as I turned around and began my long drive back to town. The road swerved and waved calmly, completely different to the approach. I drove to the point where The Lady in White was last seen, after a while I parked my car near the spot and looked to my side. The woman wasn’t there. I looked at my watch and my recorder. The sun had begun to rise over the hills, the air was crisp and fresh, I stayed for a while to just take in the sight of a calm morning before turning my recorder off and driving back.
I returned to my hotel room and after placing everything on the desk, I fell onto my bed and fell asleep, my body was exhausted and my mind was fatigued beyond words. I fell into a dreamless sleep and woke up in the afternoon. Having something to eat I went over the events from last night, pen and paper at the ready, I prepared to hear myself talking to nothing and no one. The doubt set in before I even hit the play button, after a while of convincing myself that I have some concrete evidence, I pressed play. To my surprise, it sounded like there were two people in the car, me and a woman, although the woman’s voice was covered by static. I wrote down all I could, that is what you’re reading.
The next couple of days went by and nothing special happened, I kept to myself most of the time. While analyzing everything I captured. It all seemed like a dream, an incredibly vivid dream. The last note I made during this investigation was: if something like that exists here, surely more stories remain in this part of the world. As the trees faded into the distance as the bus trundled along the trail back, the forest retreating as I returned back to the concrete and steel, it wasn’t long before the questions I had before, followed me home.

So this is a combination rant/advice. Marriage is over, no need to get into the nitty gritty on that again as I already did a while ago on this sub. Since, however, my XW almost seems to be taking advantage of the idea that she knows I hate my family being broken apart and am actively pursuing reconciliation while making it clear that nothing I do is with the expectation of it.
For our 8 years together, a fair estimate would have me covering ~ 90% of our living expenses, which was never a problem or a point of contention or superiority/inferiority issue or anything of the sort. As far as I was concerned we were a team, yes I sometimes got on her about reckless spending but not because of a 'my money' type thing but because we were actively building life and she could easily spend a couple thousand dollars a month and not even know what she spent it on at a time where we were actively saving for a house, more reliable vehicles, etc. The fact is I had a growing business that was capable of supporting us while continuing to grow and she was kind of still figuring out what she wanted professionally in life, which was no problem.
Shortly after our son was born she declared that she wanted to join the military, something she had brought up a couple years prior but didn't follow through on. I was immediately supportive of the idea because she sounded excited and it could be something that is truly hers. She left last October, and in December found out that after her training her first assignment would be an unaccompanied tour in Korea for a year, meaning she'd have to be away from my son and I for the year while she's there. Sucks, but I was handling the being a single parent of sorts while still taking care of my business, I hadn't been losing any money. Bought her a super nice big screen laptop because she was talking about getting one and we like to play old computer games with each other to unwind and this way she'd still be able to on the other side of the world. That computer would actually be used against me when the divorce came flying out of nowhere with a claim that she felt like she had to sleep with me when she came home on Christmas and it was basically SA (which is its own whole discussion but long story short while I feel absolutely horrified and sorry that in her mind she believes that happened, Christmas was absolutely no different from any other point in our marriage and there was no quid pro quo and I will take any lie detector to support that).
I'm getting a little sidetracked, but the computer thing feels like it does matter a little. One of the big things out of the divorce was a feeling of hating the idea of owing me anything. Again not something I was aware was something that was happening but that is easily partially my own fault. While she's been enlisted, all of her payroll including ~ $2500 that she gets tax free each month purely because my son and I exist, has gone straight to her bank account. It was not a problem, I actually told her to do it that way when we were married because it didn't really matter as all of our money was going to the same pool anyway and I had already been taking care of all the family expenses for years so it was easier rather than having her split up her pay and send some of it to my account, because we were a team right?
Since the split, she still gets that money, actually more now I believe now that she's overseas. It all still goes to her personal account which she no longer wishes to share any details as to how much money she does or doesn't have, which is fair because everything is independent now. In the split I didn't pursue anything from any of her accounts or any alimony/child support. But the key is she is still receiving a couple thousand dollars a month tax free because of her family over here in the states and has no problem with that going in her pocket while I pay for all of those associated family expenses.
At the same time, yesterday we were talking and she wants a new cell phone because hers is slowing down. She's still getting used to her new base and new area so I volunteered to stop at the Apple store, there's one near where my son and I go for a little day trip every Tuesday anyway so it's not even out of my way. I told her to let me know the model/colosize/etc that she wants and I can put it on my zero interest card and have them mail it to her. She thanked me and then was immediately insistent that I get a receipt and let her know exactly what everything costs to the penny because everything is separate and she doesn't want the feeling of owing me. That there is what irked me a bit. Like yes is there's no reconciliation I want to be paid back, at the same time its not something I'm doing for reconciliation or would be holding over her, she's gone for the next 12 months and the phone makes it easier for her to talk to her 2 year old and yeah it's not even an inconvenience for me to go get it where it would be quite challenging for her to do herself. I appreciate that she wants the independence and wants to pay me back right away but the harshness of the tone just really got me, and combined with the fact that while she's been in she's made ~ $20k tax free purely because my son and I exist, ~ $5k of it since splitting up, and none of it has made its way to any of our still combined bills, really does feel like an icky way to pick and choose when to be strong and independent and on the other hand saying yeah the extra money I'm getting is because of you but its from the government so it doesn't count so its mine.
The definite problem is that I do still love my XW. I unfortunately have to live with the feeling that over our years together this is the first time she's made enough money to truly not NEED me in her life and took the out and in doing so made some claims that honestly hand on bible never happened anywhere close to how she suddenly remembers.

Son is almost 6 months (next week) and EBF. Born full term and have had no complications. Has always been a really good feeder and for the first 3 months was gaining 300g per week and then at 4 months 200g per week. We hit the 3.5 month sleep regression and its been about 12 weeks of minimal sleep and 1-2 hourly wake ups. During this time he also became harder to feed, getting distracted etc the usual. The last 2 weeks he's slowly refusing to feed on the left side. I offer it to him every feed and he'll latch for 1 minute at most. I weighed him today and he's only gaining 80g per week and he should be gaining minimum 100g per week. I'm now extremely worried about my supply. What can I do to increase it? I'm feeding every 2-2.5 hours and feeding 10 times in 24 hours which include 4-6 overnight feeds. The last few days I've also started trying to pump a few times a day (finding it difficult due to being home alone with my baby all day and he will only contact nap). Is there anything I can do to encourage him to feed on the left side? I'm so sleep deprived and don't have any family nearby or support aside from my partner. I'm worried lack of sleep is causing a drop in supply (coincides with lack of weight gain) but I don't know how to get more sleep. Could this also be causing my baby to sleep poorly? Sorry if this post is all over the place I'm so stressed and sleep deprived!!

Waldo could feel the tension in his body. He hated breaches. He used to be a general in the armada. Waldo had not figured out exactly what happened but in a few weeks leadership had changed all across the galaxy. Waldo had sensed something was different and Waldo had changed his identity adding himself to a low level unit while he tried to figure out what had caused the change. However, his contracts slowly disappeared and he was having a hard time cultivating new ones. Waldo had heard the name Bastion a lot in the changeover and Jonah seemed to have fallen off his radar, which Waldo found very distressing. So now he was just a lower level grunt Waldo had to follow orders and keep his identity hidden. That meant he saw lots of action thus why he was on a breaching team. All the prep in the world never made him feel safe on a breach and they had no prep time for this one. Toby slammed the charge on the handle of the Iron door and deftly ran the blasting cord around the frame, in a single smooth motion. Waldo felt Juan tense in front of him as they prepped for entry after the blast. Waldo would be second in on this one having lost the coin toss. Not that he really minded due to the lack of information. Juan would be going right, Waldo had the left, and Brett would be going down the middle. Juan, Waldo, or Brett always led the breaching team; they were their units cowboys. At least, that is what they called themselves. Their lieutenant Frank called them his lovely ladies but everyone was a girl to Frank. Waldo didn’t care about it, Brett would get angry with Frank out of combat, and Juan only ever laughed over it. Waldo was pretty sure Brett was putting up a show as he had caught Brett offering to be a bottom to a guy at a bar three months ago, which had led to him swearing secrecy over it. Waldo found himself smiling as Frank started into it.
“Lovely ladies, Juanita, Betty, and Wilma. Tina is spreading her legs in three.” Frank said loud enough for the breaching team to hear as he raised his hand holding up three fingers starting a countdown to Waldo’s 4th breach of the day. As the door blasted in they moved smoothly forward like a well rehearsed dance. Juan moved through the door into a hallway with Waldo close on his tail. Waldo saw it a second too late as Juan had completely missed the tripwire. Waldo grabbed Juan a hair too slow as Juan’s foot hit the wire tripping whatever the trap was. Waldo felt the magic in the blast before he heard the tremendous roar. Waldo felt himself pushed back by Juan while trying to pull him. Waldo felt certain he had Juan’s pack firmly gripped as he fell back. Suddenly, there was nothing in his hands. The air felt cool and instead of the hot sun beating down he felt a warm glow off to his left.
Waldo rolled to his feet and spun, assessing the room, but everything was wrong. He had lifted his rifle up to sight as he spun but it was missing so instead in the middle of the spin he drew his side arm. However, as he finished his spin his arm fell loosely to his side. Waldo stood in the middle of three empty round tables. In what, he would call the common room of a themed bar or restaurant. He saw humanoid creatures standing near a long wooden bar with 4 patrons seated at it and another dozen or so scattered around the room with more on the two levels above him. Off to the side of a warm glow that Waldo realized there was a fireplace with a fire happily burning in it and there was a stage. Waldo would have loved to hear the music from the group on stage with their odd assortment of instruments but it was at this moment Waldo realized the blast had deafened him. Waldo felt certain no one would attack him, having noticed an odd assortment of humanoids. Waldo saw gnolls, tabaxi, and maybe lizardperson. Waldo holstered his side arm but in looking down he noticed a growing pool of blood at his feet and saw a piece of rebar sticking out of his arm. Waldo saw the enchantments engraved in the rebar and part of him said magic wasn’t real then something else said that humans were the only intelligent race. Waldo pushed those back knowing better. He had seen lots of races and humans were just one of them. Waldo felt more than one voice trying to take control and he pushed back, calming his mind. Waldo attempted to quiet his mind as he was flooded with memories and thoughts he did not recognize as he pushed against them he felt someone or something help him in quieting his mind.
Waldo had not noticed the pain of his injury because of how much adrenaline was pumping through him. Waldo examined the rebar seeing the blood running down his arm. Waldo estimated he had ten minutes before blood loss would start to impact him if it did not clot on its own. Waldo glanced around the room seeing a few gnolls who had noticed him but no one seemed to care and decided he could care for the wound. Waldo grabbed the quick releases on his backpacks shoulder straps letting his bag fall onto a table he positioned behind him. Waldo quickly turned to face the bag and flipped it over so he could easily access it. Waldo grabbed a strap on the pack and deftly released it. Wrapping the loose strap above where the rebar was sticking out of his arm. Waldo smoothly grabbed his folding knife, flicking it open and cutting the sleeve away. Waldo placed the sleeve on the table and checked to see if it was all there or a piece was missing. Waldo grimace realizing a piece of sleeve is probably in his muscle. Waldo flicked the knife closed and placed it next to the sleeve. Waldo pulled out a bottle of water, a small bottle of rubbing alcohol, a healing tonic, and a sealed bandage for once it was clean. Waldo was so focused on what he was doing at the table he had not noticed the small group that had gathered behind him.
“I don’t think he can hear us.” Strisk, a large drake, said, preparing to tap the strange human’s shoulder to get his attention.
“Really, Strisk. You don’t think the guy bleeding on the floor that I shouted at can hear us?” Lydia, the only human in the commons, asked angrily, placing her hands on her hips.
“I think he is going to pull that piece of metal out of his arm.” Kna, the gnollish innkeeper and owner of the establishment, said surprised. Watching Waldo’s back tense as he stretched his arm out to the table. Grabbing the rebar in his other hand.
“Sir! Don’t!” Lydia screamed as Waldo ripped the 4 inch piece of rebar stuck halfway in his arm out.
“Fuck!” Waldo yelled as the piece of metal came free. Waldo looked it over for cloth finding a small piece that he carefully removed from the end of the rebar and placed in the hole of the sleeve and frowning seeing there was still more. Waldo screamed as the onlookers watched him shove his fingers into the hole in skin.
“Strisk, help me stop him.” Lydia said. Grabbing Waldo’s arm. Strisk hesitated. A moment before grabbing Waldo’s other arm.
"Stop! There is more fabric in my arm!” Waldo screamed as the two strangers forced his arms apart. Waldo looked at the sleeve. Unsure if they could even understand him. The strangers released Waldo as he attacked the problem again.
“Aer, go get me water. I will clean this up once he is done” Lydia said, to a gnoll barmaid nearby, deciding to stay next to this stranger.
“I’ll get the mop and some rags to help.” Kna said not wanting to watch anymore and stepping away.
Waldo pulled out a piece of fabric and placed it in the sleeve. Smiling now that he could account for all of the sleeve. Waldo grabbed the water bottle using his teeth to remove the lid and poured it down his arm. Followed by the rubbing alcohol to which he could not help but scream again as it burned.
“That looks bad.” Strisk said, fingering a potion at his hip. Seeing Waldo was prepared to heal the slow way. Strisk was trying to decide whether or not to help the stranger out by giving him the healing potion he carried as a city guard.
Waldo was looking at the hole in his arm knowing it would take time to heal even with the help of the tonic. He estimated it would be a day or two. Waldo looked back at the lizard person standing behind him in armor. Waldo grimaced as he drank the healing tonic. Waldo looked at the only human girl in the commons. Waldo instantly recognized her but could see she did not recognize him. Waldo hated this feeling but took his time looking over her sandy blonde hair and the gentle curves of her face. Waldo let his eyes wander across her chest and down her legs to the floor even though there was not much to see since she wore a high neck dress that was rather plain. Waldo expected she worked here and was not one to take crap from the patrons. However, Waldo knew her face and her shape as just as he remembered her, he did not need her clothes off to tell this. Waldo turned back to the table and opened the bandage and applied it to his arm. “He took his time looking you over.” Strisk said, eying Lydia himself.
“At least, he seems to know not to touch.” Lydia said, without looking at Strisk. She had been rebuffing advances from him and other drakes like him since she took the job. She hated the drakes, which was not unreasonable as they had burned her home to the ground, killed her parents, her betrothed, and enslaved her for five years. Lydia had fled to the nearest city not under drake control once she was freed. Lydia knew that not all drakes are slavers but getting over somethings are easier than others.
“Do you think he can hear us?” Strisk asked, ignoring the jab not wanting to be thrown out by Kna again. Strisk still was fingering the healing potion not having decided on whether or not to offer it. The human seemed to be taking things to remedy his condition. Strisk stood over the two humans by about a foot when he extended to his full height at the moment he was hunched down a bit so he did not tower over them. Strisk thought he looked good this evening having cared for his bronze scales before coming to Kna’s inn. Waldo rolled up the sleeve and piece of rebar and placed it in his pack then pulled out a healing tonic with a dropper on it and a tin a bit larger than his hand slipping the tin into a pocket. Waldo used the dropper to put a few drops of his second healing tonic down each of his ears. Waldo knew it would take a minute for the tonic to kick in and heal enough damage to restore hearing. Waldo returned the spare tonic to the pack and turned around letting his eyes meet Lydia’s. Waldo thought he saw her eyeing him and she had a small smile on her face as their eyes met. Her face made various emotions flare inside him and it had to focus to stay in control feeling a bit like someone else was trying to take control. Waldo felt his hearing return as the sounds of the room washed over him.
“Hello.” Waldo said, smiling at the woman ignoring the large lizardperson or dragonkin. Waldo could not really tell but he knew getting it wrong would probably offend them.
“Hey, I am guardsmen Strisk.” Strisk said. Waldo glanced at the drake and then looked back at the woman. She crossed her arms and her smile turned to a frown. Waldo could not help but think crossing her arms only accentuated a certain feminine feature of her form.
“Any chance I could get your name?” Waldo asked, meeting the woman’s eyes.
“Lydia. Why are you bleeding on our floor and where did you come from?” Lydia asked, feeling her pulse raise with the way he was looking at her. Lydia had not been in the presence of a human male for ten years. Lydia had not been avoiding them there just weren’t many humans in the city she had fled to and she would not risk going back to drake territory as much as part of her wanted certain things, saving up to get off his continent had been her focus. Human also from what she had seen human men did not survive long under the abuse the drakes applied to there slaves in the nearby Xalas empire. “I am Waldo Winter.” Waldo introduced himself looking at Lydia. “As for why I am bleeding, I think it was an explosion of some kind. The shockwave knocked out my hearing. I am from Halcyon. I was in an outlying district at the time of the explosion and the wood in this room tells me I am not there anymore.” Waldo stated calmly.
“So you entered Protham via an unauthorized teleport?” Strisk asked, trying to sound official.
“One I did not initialize or agree to but yes. Are you going to arrest me?” Waldo asked.
“I will have to report it. I will let someone else decide if you should be arrested. Assuming you don’t cause additional trouble.” Strisk said.
“It is an honour to make your acquaintance Strisk. Thank you for not arresting me.” Waldo said, giving Strisk a smile before turning back to Lydia.
“Why were you caught in an explosion?” Strisk asked the strange human, smiling back at him since he was being respectful.
“Well that is a little difficult. I was entering a suspected criminal's residence just before finding myself standing in this lovely room.” Waldo said deciding to omit details since it would be simpler than explaining. “There was an explosion of some kind and then I was here. I have to assume the hunk of metal hit me before I appeared here somehow.”
“Sounds like a teleport spell gone wrong.” Lydia said, allowing herself a moment to look over Waldo since he was not causing trouble. She could see the muscles in his arm and thought she recognized his jawline but knew that could not be the case since she had no idea where Halcyon was.
“I wouldn’t know much about that. I can only hope my brothers are alright. Can one of you tell me where I am?” Waldo asked, masking his face, wondering if he had died. The blast had been strong enough to rupture his ears. Waldo was not sure he could have actually survived, even with Juan in front of him. Waldo expected he had died and this was some sort of reincarnation. Waldo knew he could not return home if the was an arrival on this planet as a child of Halcyon he had heard of this experience but this was his first time. As he thought about this he realized he did not want to go back even if he could. He had been in hiding and now he was probably well outside of the problems he had and doubted anyone hunting him would keep it up after death if he had died. If not then he was incredibly lucky he had landed in a place where he did not die instantly. Looking at Lydia something told him that someone powerful had intervened but Waldo could not imagine who. Jonah had abandoned him and Waldo could not think of another player with enough power to do anything who would also care about him.
“Spriggan Inn, in Protham.” Lydia said, looking carefully at Waldo. Aer walked over carrying a rag and pushing a bucket of steaming water. Kna walked over with a mop and an empty bucket to wring the mop out.
“Oh, thank you.” Waldo said, taking the mop from Kna and starting to clean up.
“Protham is nowhere special, Lydia. We are a weeks travel from Neakar City. Neakar is the district capital here and a port city.” Strisk said, looking at Lydia.
“You don’t have to do that.” Kna said, as Waldo deftly cleaned up the blood on the floor. “Just let him. He is probably in shock.” Strisk said, as they watched Waldo clean the floor easily.
“Just a bit.” Waldo said after a moment, having finished mopping and given the mop back to Kna. Waldo used one of the rages Aer had to clean the table his pack had been on ending by wiping the drying blood from his ears. Waldo looked down and realized he was a mess.
“How far did you travel?” Aer asked, frowning having heard the conversation.
“Far enough, those names mean nothing to me.” Waldo replied.
“So you are gonna need work.” Strisk half asked and half told Waldo.
“Seems like that would be wise.” Waldo said, placing the rag over the edge of the bucket holding the dirty water from Waldo’s cleaning efforts.
“Protham needs good city guards.” Strisk said, smiling. “I can get you an interview tomorrow. I will come by tomorrow morning and get you. If you are interested?”
“I’ll need some training on your laws, but sounds interesting to me.” Waldo said, sticking out his hand to Strisk. Strisk looked at it a moment then realized he was supposed to grab it and did with his clawed hand.
“Thanks, for your help Strisk.” Waldo said, firmly shaking Strisk’s hand.
“Sounds like you want a room for the night. Unless, Strisk is offering to pay. Do you have any money?” Kna asked, frowning at Strisk.
“You can put one night on my tab, Kna.” Strisk said.
“Only if you pay your tab off tonight.” Kna said, feeling a bit bad but knowing Strisk’s tab was getting out of hand.
“Do you accept silver?” Waldo asked, before Strisk could reply to Kna.
“Yes, take a seat and I will get my scales.” Kna said, having heard enough to know she was going to need to calculate an exchange.
“I am glad you happened to have some coin on you.” Strisk said, frowning at Kna’s back.
“Yeah, my dad was big into carrying certain things every day. Good thing, I listened to him cause I bet my country's paper money is worthless here.” Waldo said, pulling the tin out of his pocket and carefully opening to make sure it was the right one then closing it again.
“Well, your bag is probably worth quite a bit. I have never seen anything like it. Fine craftsmanship.” Aer said, examining his pack.
“I would rather not part with it if possible.” Waldo said sitting down at the table his bag had been on since he moved it to the floor beside the table in cleaning the table. Strisk sat down across from him as did Aer with Lydia sitting close and she was still looking at him.
“Lydia, you are being weird.” Aer said, quietly.
“Looks like Lydia wants to bed the man.” Strisk said, frowning at Lydia.
“Watch it, Strisk.” Lydia said to Strisk with an edge in her voice. “Waldo just reminds me of someone.” Lydia followed up with a softer tone.
“Good memories I hope. I think I’d like to get to know you.” Waldo responded, not looking away from Lydia. “You remind me of… Someone.”
“Well, be nice and maybe we can share some memories.” Lydia replied, not breaking his gaze. Waldo felt there were some additional implications in her words.
“Is there a price?” Waldo asked, before he could stop himself. Waldo was not entirely sure where the words had come from in saying them they just burst from his lips like someone else was running the show. The words had sent Lydia’s hand flying. Waldo easily caught it mid air. “I will take that as a no, which is nice. A woman with a price isn’t a woman worth having.” Waldo said, speaking again without being sure where the word came from. Waldo wondered if he was going mad but something told him he was not. Waldo edged closer to Lydia as he thought this and realized he seemed to be of multiple minds in this moment. Words and actions happening that he was not sure were all him. Aer and Strisk were watching in surprise. “Maybe I misinterpreted your words.”
“If you can pay for your room. I am willing to let the words go. Now if you would let me go.” Lydia responded, carefully feeling the strength in his arm and seeing the ease with which he caught her slap. She had used a skill to hit him, one that had landed on Strisks and other guardsmen when they got out of hand. She felt he could be dangerous and even though he had caught the slap and was easily holding her arm in place he was not hurting her. In fact once she relaxed, from making the slap, she realized how relaxed he was in stopping her slap. She saw him considering letting her go. She met his eyes letting her anger show at being held in place. Lydia realized how close he had come moving a little to block her slap and left him close enough she felt his breath on her face. Lydia realized she was breathing on him too and something in his eyes seemed to be enjoying the closeness they were sharing.
“I want a taste.” Waldo said, kissing her before she could react and sliding his hand along her back. Lydia wanted to struggle but part of her had been aching for this for years and she did not put up a fight. After a moment she found she was kissing him back for a moment and just as she was about to pull away. He did first. Waldo had been wanting to kiss her since he had laid eyes on her and at least this time he was sure that was him. “Well, that was… special.” Waldo felt a memory tug at him in the back of his mind. One of a girl that looked just like this woman.
“Maybe, for you.” Lydia said, trying to hide how much she enjoyed it. Waldo released her hand and turned looking for Kna. Waldo watched Kna approach with the scales. Waldo quickly opened the tin, pulling out a bundle of five carefully wrapped gold coins before closing it again and placing the tin back in a pocket.
Waldo unwrapped the coins asking “What exchange rate can you offer on these?” Aer gave a quiet gasp at the sight of them. Waldo feared he had made a mistake. As kna set the scales on the table.
“You have gold?” Strisk asked. Kna seemed unphased as Kna placed the coins on one side of the scale and started to carefully weigh them.
“Just a little. For an emergency.” Waldo responded.
“That should be enough to live here for a month.” Strisk stated, watching Kna carefully.
“You underestimate my rates. This will buy you three weeks.” Kna stated, as the scales balanced.
“What? That is highway robbery!” Strisk said.
“I have to take them to a blacksmith to get them minted in local coinage, they will need to be paid. Or I will have to take them to a money changer, who will also take a cut.” Kna stated.
“What would that include?” Waldo said, realizing his hand had wandered from his leg and found Lydia hand grabbing it tightly. Waldo felt Lydia tense as Waldo grabbed her hand but noticed she did not pull away from the sudden contact.
“A room, hot bath every day, standard laundry service, the common breakfast, and dinner daily with one pint of house ale. You will have to pay for lunch if you come here to eat.” Kna said, listing from memory the services she included in her standard room offering.
“Sounds good to me.” Waldo said smiling and looking out the window confirming it was dark. “I assume we are in the middle of dinner?” Waldo asked, hopefully.
“Yes.” Kna answered.
“May I take dinner in my room? I would like to wash myself before bed. It has been a surprising day.” Waldo asked Kna.
“Yes! I will grab you a plate and show you to your room.” Lydia said, releasing Waldo hand and standing. Waldo let her hand go as she stood. Kna at Lydia with what Waldo expected was motherly concern. As Lydia turned away to get the room key and a plate of food.
“Is there running water in the room?” Waldo asked Kna.
“Yes, but I cannot recommend using it for anything other than bathing.” Kna said.
“It is fine I can purify water. Can I get this filled with water?” Waldo asked, holding out a metal canteen.
“Yes. Aer go fill this and bring it back.” Kna said, handing the canteen to Aer who quickly walked off. “Leave Strisk. I would have a word alone with this man.” Kna growled at Strisk looking angrily. Strisk knew better than to argue with Kna when she gave him this look.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Waldo.” Strisk said standing to his whole sevenish feet of height stretching as he walked away. Waldo only now realized how small he was compared to Strisk.
“Indeed.” Waldo said to Strisk and turned back to Kna.
“I have never seen Lydia take to a man as she has to you. Have you cast a spell on her?” Kna asked Waldo. Waldo burst out laughing, taking a moment to control himself.
“I have no skill in that kind of magic. If you know how to test one for magic I would happily submit. I suspect I know why she has taken to me but there is nothing magical about it.” Waldo said, having gained control of the strange urge to laugh at magic.
“Why?” Kna asked, eyeing him coldly.
“Now why should I answer you?” Waldo asked. “What do you care for, of freed slaves? Or are you not her enslaver?” Kna drew back surprised.
“You said you knew nothing of this place?” Kna replied.
“I have never heard of this city in my life or this land, but I have eyes. Lydia is the only human here beside me. You are a gnoll and Strisk is one of the scaled people’s. I never been around any of them long enough to learn to tell them apart. Lydia clearly has some aversion to Strisk which seems to be unconscious on some level. That suggests it is not that she does not simply dislike him but something more than that. It is obvious to me that she does not belong here and would choose another home, but something prevents that. When I kissed her I ran my hand down her back. I felt the cursed marks of a whip. Is she a free woman or do you own her?” Waldo said, sliding his hand to the knife attached to his lower back.
“My people do not enslave others. She is free. I did not know she hated it here.” Kna said going from angry to crestfallen. “I did not know she had been a drake's slave.”
“You will say nothing of this. If you value your friendship with her. I did not say she hated it here. She works for you, which I expect is because you are not a drake and probably more than that. I get the sense she misses her people. How long has she been here?” Waldo replied, smoothing his voice.
“Several years.” Kna said, drifting in her own thoughts.
“If she hated you she would have left. You must make her feel safe in a dark place so she does not wander from your light.” Waldo said.
“All the more reason to not let her be abused.” Kna said, gauging Waldo.
“You misunderstand something. I will always respect Ma laska.” Waldo said, changing languages without thinking and looking to where Lydia stood talking to Aer as a memory flooded over him for a moment. Waldo felt the other part of him pushing forward for a moment. “Good help you have. Deftly slowing Lydia while we talk.”
“What is ma laska?” Kna asked. Waldo hesitated, surprised by Kna's words, then realized he had called Lydia by accident. Waldo knew what it meant somehow but decided he better not translate it directly.
“A woman’s right.” Waldo said, choosing a lie over the truth. “Or at least that is a close enough translation in this context.”
“So that is another language?” Kna asked.
“Yes, one from my a place long ago.” Waldo answered. “Have we not strayed topics at this point?”
“I think I have made myself clear and you have made yourself clear now.” Kna said, glancing at Aer and making a low growl. “I will let Lydia make herself clear as she chooses. Now that I do not think you will take something Lydia does not freely offer.”
“Have you accepted her as your cub?” Waldo asked, turning to look at Kna.
“I ha... “ Kna stopped herself, looking surprised at Waldo.
“I see it in your eyes, witness it in your fur, and hear it in your voice. She is a daughter in your house. Does she know or do you keep it a secret from all but those who know how to see?” Waldo asked, calmly moving past Kna’s surprise.
“You said.” Kna started to accuse trying to remember his words.
“I have not seen another race in so long. I cannot tell the scaled races apart. However, I ran with a pack for six years. I was a brother to a gnoll, and son to his parents. I sat at their table and went on their hunts. I sang the rights and washed in their bath. I was once an adopted son, which fills me with pride. If you are not a slaver then I would call you friend.” Waldo said quickly as Lydia approached. Just as he finished speaking he gave a quiet howl in the gnoll tongue he had learned many years ago living on the plains of Halcyon long before the war that had landed him here. Aer stopped mid-step and stared at Waldo as the gnolls in the room turned looking at the grimy human who had named himself to the room in gnollish. Kna openly stared surprised Waldo had been named and knew the proper introduction for himself in a public place. Lydia was confused as to her it appeared Waldo was growling threateningly at Kna. Suddenly, the room responded with a quite gnollish welcome that made Lydia jump. Aer gently placed her hand on Lydia’s shoulder.
“They are greeting Waldo in our tongue.” Aer explained to Lydia, seeing she did not know what was happening in the room.
“He speaks gnollish?” Lydia said surprised.
“I guess.” Aer said, pulling her hand back and moving forward again.
“Why did you not say something before?” Kna asked, Waldo as Lydia and Aer walked up. Aer set his canteen on the table.
“It was not the time. All things have a place and now was this things place.” Waldo responded.
“You are a strange human, but I am comforted and feel as if there is nothing to fear.” Kna said to Waldo then turned to Lydia. “Lydia, you may do as you will the rest of the night and I will not interfere.”
“Thank you. May we call this the end of my shift then.” Lydia asked, feeling a little excited. Aer turned moving around the room with the other staff in the inn.
“Away with you before I find a need for your aid in tending to my customers. Who I have ignored, too long.” Kna said quickly moving away to help her staff tend to tables. Waldo picked up his pack and canteen.
“Lead on, Ma laska.” Waldo said, nodding to Lydia.
“Ma laska?” Lydia questioned not saying it quite right.
“Sorry, my lady. Old habits.” Waldo said, lying again feeling unsure as to why he felt like he was fighting to stay in control. Lydia raised an eyebrow questioningly but led on. Waldo followed her up the stairs to the second floor and down a hallway lined with six doors. She stopped in front of the door and placed a brass coin over the lock which clicked and the door swung open. Led him into a good sided room with an all wood floor and completely open. A large bed was on one side of the room, a table with two chairs by the door. Space at the foot of the bed. There was space between the bed and a bathtub with a toilet near the back wall with a screen by the toilet and a sink between the tub and toilet. The room was lit by glowing stones fixed to the walls Waldo saw what appeared to be a control for the glowing stones by the door before the table and chairs. There were towels by the sink. Lydia set the plate on the table and the brass coin next to it. Waldo set his bag at the foot of the bed and started to strip away his body armor until he heard the door shut causing him to turn. Waldo smiled seeing Lyida had not left.
“Would you like help?” Lydia asked, slowly walking to him with a gaze that excited Waldo. The kiss he had stolen had aroused something in Lydia and the urges she had been pushing back had rushed forward.
“I can manage. I am just removing some outer layers. They are deceptively heavy.” Waldo responded.
“Please allow me. I want to.” Lydia said, stepping next to him quickly. Waldo allowed her to help him, carefully guiding her hands to the straps holding the armor in place and allowing their fingers to get tangled. “You seem to be intentionally making this difficult.” Lydia accused, after it took almost a full minute to unhook one strap.
“Does it bother you?” Waldo asked, playfully nudging her and Lydia realized he was enjoying the delay.
“Your food will get cold…” Lydia said, blushing as she started to enjoy the fumbling of their hands and his contact.
“Hot or cold it is still food. However, this moment... is all its own.” Waldo said, dragging out her helping him remove his outer layers, which took another five or more minutes. After which, they sat across from each other as he ate his dinner. Lydia studied him as he ate.
“Have we met before?” Lydia asked, feeling at ease in his presence.
“After a manner…I believe so but not for more than a lifetime.” Waldo responded. “Do you believe in reincarnation?”
“Reincarnation?” Lydia asked not being familiar with the word.
“My people believe when you die a piece of you, what we would call a soul, starts a new life.” Waldo explained.
“I am not much for religion. In my homeland, they said the gods are dead. The Drakes of Xalas seem to think there are gods and people have souls. Most of the gnolls of Grofeas say there are no gods but there is a temple to the gnoll god in Protham and I believe the high priestess is the wife of the city's guard captain.” Lydia replied.
“Xalas? Grofeas?” Waldo asked, suspecting these are countries.
“Neakar, a large city in the Xalas empire. It even has a palace for the emperor. I don’t think it is the capital of the Xalas empire but I might be wrong. The Grofeas plains are ruled by the gnoll tribes. There are not very many cities on the Grofeas plains and Xalas has tentative peace with the plains gnolls that largely control Grofeas. Protham is the first city in the Grofeas plains after leaving the Xalas empire. Mostly, the Drakes have mined the Grofeas plains of all they are interested in so they leave them alone.” Lydia explained.
“What is your home land called?” Waldo asked.
“Northumbria, but last I heard it fell to the drakes in the war. I was captured before the Northumbrian king fell. The Teaniel Empire is the last human hold out against the drakes and if it falls the drakes will effectively rule the continent of Atios. Not that they bother much with the Grofeas plains.” Lydia explained.
“Ah, so you stay because there is no easy human stronghold to flee to?” Waldo questioned.
“I am trying to save up to go to Ibrix but that is a long boat ride off after traveling to the only gnoll port city because I refuse to go back into the Xalas empire. Only problem is Grofeas port city is three hundred leagues to the south east of here. The roads are less than safe and each year there are only about three caravans that make the trek. If I were to cross alone it is unlikely I would make it. The cost of going from here to Ibrix are a little more than a year's wage working here.” Lydia explained sadly.
“How many humans reside in Protham?” Waldo asked.
“Twelve. All women. Eight are too old for the trek and two are too young to go alone.” Lydia said.
“All former slaves of the drakes I assume.” Waldo said.
“What?” Lydia said surprised.
“I worked interrogations. I learned to read what was left unspoken. You have nothing to fear from me. Slavery is the evilest form of commerce.” Waldo said, kneeling by his chair with his back to Lydia and bearing it. Lydia saw thin white scars from wounds that had healed and been reopened only to heal again over and over again. Lydia was speechless. After a moment Waldo covered himself and sat down facing her.
“How did you know?” Lydia questioned. Waldo slid his chair close to her so they were a breath apart. Lydia stared at him waiting for an answer when he kissed her. This time she felt his hand running down her back touching her hidden marks. Waldo pulled back from the kiss after a moment.
“Slavers tend to have the same tricks. They leave the same marks on one's body and some people's souls.” Waldo said quietly as he sat a breaths distance from Lydia’s face. The moment stretched as shared history passed between them and without a word spoken they had shared secrets too dark to udder in the quiet of the room then there was a roar of cheers from the commons breaking the spell that dark secrets of shared history had woven for a moment.
“I hope we can talk more.” Lydia said, after a moment now that the spell was broken. Lydia stood now that her head had cleared. Lydia was not sure what she would do if she stayed and questioned what she wanted.
“Will you stay?” Waldo asked, gently touching Lydia’s hand. Lydia did not pull away. Standing Lydia moved to the door. She intended to open the door and leave but she grabbed the night lock turning the knob. Waldo was not sure what he expected but he would not stop her from leaving. Waldo heard the door lock click into place, Lydia took a few steps toward the bath and moved her hair to one side exposing the ties along her back. Waldo stood and moved to her beginning to untie her dress. Once he was done. Lydia let the dress fall to the floor. Time stretched and shortened all at once and before he knew it exhaustion took them as they lay on the bed together. Lydia snuggled up to him and in a moment her breathing was even and gentle. Waldo knew she had fallen asleep in that moment of respite. Waldo watched her for a moment only to realize how tired he was and started to doze off but just as he heard a voice speak in his mind.
“Class gained Soldier, Level one. Skill gained, find allegiance.”
“Cancel! Reject!” Waldo whispered, angrily not wanting to wake Lydia.
“Class and level canceled.”
Waldo was fully awake now. Realizing he is on a game world, Waldo frowned. He considered this for a moment. Waldo had heard of these but never been on one. Now the injury made more sense. He had died on Halcyon. Waldo wondered if Jonah even cared that he had died. Waldo took a moment to consider the implications of being on a gaming world. There would be no intergalactic armada base here. Waldo knew the gaming worlds had been cut off, largely due to proximity. All the gaming worlds were the opposite side of the galaxy. The armada was still a thousand years of growth away. Waldo now knew with certainty there was no simple way back. As he considered this he realized there might be a way. Waldo thought about it for a few minutes as the idea grew in his mind and realized he truly did not want to go back. “I am a God.” Waldo thought to himself, Waldo felt something rush to the front of his mind, something that believed it or he was a god.
“Class gained God, level one. Skill gained, anoint worshiper. Quest assigned, claim domain.”
Waldo smiled, surprised it was that simple. Waldo considered trying to cancel it but part of him said if he was going to stay here he might as well be a god. Thinking he could do anything as a god. Another part said it was a bad idea and it would not be easy. Waldo wondered why he was feeling so conflicted about everything and why he did not feel like he was in perfect control. Then he wondered if the gods were dead on this world, would he be the only god around, and if so what domain he should claim. Waldo slowly drifted to sleep with these conflicting thoughts.

Hi! So I (30f) live in an apartment with my husband, 10 year old son, and 8 month old son and lately I’ve reached my breaking point!
I have a pretty flexible job and for the summer I will be brining my kids to work with me while also transporting my 10yo to sports camps and practices and signing him up for coding programs while also taking care of my growing and curious 8 month old while handling my clients and other duties at work while tutoring on the side. Needless to say I have been overstimulated lately.
The only time I have to relax is at night when my 8mo old goes down for the night and I look forward to getting some zzz’s. He doesn’t sleep through the night yet but I can typically get a decent amount of sleep, if my upstairs neighbors aren’t heavily stomping.
Lately they have been stomping all through the night and last night it was from 1am-10am nonstop! At around 3am my husband text him and asked if they could quiet down and he stated that they just got back from a trip and will try to keep it down but they are still going. I decided to go to the car around 4am and didn’t get back inside until 7am.
During the day I don’t mind noises because that’s totally normal but in the middle of the night? I think that’s a bit excessive. It sounds like all 3 of them are running back and forth and using a rolling chair across every surface.
I want to be nice and polite to maintain a good neighbor relationship but we’ve already gone to them once. What should I do now?

I’m 24F he is 25M We’ve been together for almost 4 years. I had a son going into the relationship. He actively seeked other women online and payed for encounters online for the first 2 almost 3 years.. I found out and he’s claimed he had stoped and only watches porn now. I found things in his emails/reddit/ and money accounts.
Something that has never changed his the way he is attracted to me… we don’t make out, cuddle, when he does want something he will only do it waking me up from a dead sleep, or a blow job, never pleasing me.. I’m the one who tried so hard to be intimate or do things with him during the day or even when we are BOTH awake, but he always blames the kids being awake or he’s “tired”… only wants anal or blow jobs.. he will do it vaginally if I make it very clear I don’t want to do anal. He doesn’t touch me.. or “flirt” or hit on me at all… I’m just here honestly.. I don’t think he’s secretly gay.. I’ve seen the things he does and looks at and never men. He even had a guy trick him on Craigslist and he shut him down fast… please explain to me why he claims he loves me, refuses to break up but does not seem to show any attraction to me.. I just want to be kissed and embraced again..
TL;DR - we have 2 kids and this has been the biggest issue with me our whole relationship. Do I just walk away? Men please explain

Bear with me as English is my second language.
My (27M) MIL (60F), SIL (25F), niece (2F), and BIL (12M) stayed over at my wife’s (28F) and my apartment for the weekend because they live in another city, and there's a family event at my aunt-in-law’s (AIL) house. Since our apartment is not that big, my BIL slept on the couch while my MIL, SIL, and niece shared a room and slept in the same bed.
Today we went to the mall so that my wife could hang out with my MIL since she rarely sees her. Since it was already late, my MIL decided to stay another night because she didn't want to drive in the middle of the night. When we arrived at the apartment, my MIL suddenly threw up and felt dizzy. So we rushed her to bed so she could rest. After a few hours, my niece’s diaper overflowed while she was sitting on the bed, and some of it got on the bed, which smelled bad (you know how "it" smells). Since my MIL was laying on the bed, I asked her to move a little so I could change the sheets and bed cover. When I got back, my MIL was on the floor crying, saying that I am a terrible son-in-law for not letting her rest. She cried, saying that she wanted to go home because she didn't feel welcome. To be honest, at that moment I got angry when I heard she wanted to drive home while being sick (it's a 3-hour drive). After a while of persuading her to go back to sleep, I lost my temper and said, "Mom, I am so sorry for screaming at you, but YOU ARE SICK AND YOU NEED TO REST. SO GO LAY DOWN AND REST!" (screaming tone).
So, AITAH?

My gender dysphoria started when puberty did, and it was intense.
I only ever had one real bra which I refused to wear. Getting fitted for it by an employee in a clothing store was fucking traumatizing. I just wore tight sports bras instead to makeshift bind for a few years until I came out as ftm at 14 and got real binders instead. Breast development was so psychologically distressing I couldn't handle it. When I wasn't binding I couldn't be around anyone, I couldn't leave my room. Since I starting binding, up until I got top surgery, no one had ever seen me while I wasn't binding. I only took it off to sleep and shower, but sometimes dysphoria was so intense I wouldn't even take it off for either of those. Eventually I moved on to layering 2 binders on top of each other because I didn't feel flat enough, and I would wear them all day everyday with no breaks. I'm extremely lucky I don't have any significant lasting rib or lung damage from this.
I used to try to make my voice deeper and some days just wouldn't talk because of voice dysphoria. Beforehand I was happy with and proud of my voice because I was a good singer and had great control over it. I used to be a soprano in my school's choir. I completely lost control over my voice and lost my high range on testosterone. I rarely sing anymore.
I used to roll up a sock and put it in my underwear to look like a bulge until I bought a packer and I used that instead. I feel like with time I just did this out of habit and my own saftey to reduce the likelyhood of being clocked. I was doing plenty of research on phalloplasty but I think it was really just something I was trying to convince myself I wanted because that's what trans men are supposed to want. I genuinely wanted top surgery, but I don't think I ever really wanted phallo. Some part of my convinced myself I did, but I think I knew I was never really going to get it, it never seemed worth it. I never really had much of an issue with my genitals unless it came to periods or the idea of penetrative sex. It makes sense I was kind of repulsed by that though because I was only young, but even now I'm just not all that interested in sex. (I don't have any sexual trauma by the way. Just mentioning that because people have tried to attribute my lack of sexual interest to trauma but that's clearly not the case.) Periods were really distressing because I wasn't really prepared for them at all and after I had come out as trans they felt very humiliating and invalidating. It also just felt extremely unfair to me that I have to go through this pain and discomfort because of the parts I was born with. Whenever I had a period (which was rare, I only had about 5 or 6 of them in my life, they were extremely irregular), I would just wrap myself in blankets and cry on my bedroom floor. I tried progesterone only birth control to stop them, (because I completely refused to touch the birth control pills that included estrogen, the idea disgusted me), and it made me bleed for 17 days straight which was horrifying so I never took them again.
I wore baggy hoodies and never tight clothes, hunched my back, or anything else I could do to hide my curves.
Once I had started questioning my gender at 13 but I wasn't out as ftm yet, I was very uncomfortable with being called she or a girl and liked it when anyone would mistake me for a boy. In childhood though I didn't care.
I was such a happy bubbly kid who was introverted but still not afraid to put myself out there and be myself. But when puberty began I became such a depressed, lonely, reserved person. I became so self conscious and anxious, I would do everything I could to fly under the radar and prevent drawing attention to myself. I became less expressive, less open, less honest with people. I didn't take care of myself either, isolated myself, neglected hygiene, excercise, health in general. I just had antidepressants thrown at the problem. I don't blame my psychiatrists or psychologist though, they tried, they offered supports and possible ways to better my mental health but I didn't take them because they were difficult lifestyle changes and stuff I didn't have faith in like meditation. I just wanted an easy quick fix to my problems without putting the work in to actually fix them. Antidepressants didn't make me feel normal again, they just stopped the constant sadness by supressing all of my emotions and leaving me feeling very little to nothing most of the time.
I feel like hormones were another easy quick fix to a deeper routed problem. But the easy solution never works to fix the problem long term. I saw testosterone as a miracle cure. It helped in some ways, didn't in others. Now I'm just unhappy with the changes. Atrophy, hair loss, it's taken the life from my eyes. I just look in the mirror now and I look so aged and tired at just 20 years old. I used to be excited for the changes testosterone would bring. Maybe I thought the grass would be greener on the other side, that I would be happier and have no issues anymore. Now I've got opposite problems, the facial hair, masculinised features, flat chest, rough skin, I began to grow more and more uncomfortable with them at about the 3 year mark on testosterone and that discomfort has only grow with time. (I'm nearly 4 years on T now). Sometimes it makes me think I've come this far so there's no point in trying to go back at this point. Knowing that if I keep going as it is it is easy, though it may be miserable, but going back is hard, and it's painful to acknowlege that if I am in fact a woman I've made life so much harder for myself by doing all this in the first place. Knowing I will likely be perceived as a trans woman and experience more transphobia than I ever have as a trans man is so terrifying and disheartning.
It feels like ignoring and bottling up my feelings and continuing to live as a man is the easy way, but admitting to myself I am a woman and destransitioning is the hard and painful way.
And I have always been inclined to choose the easy way so this has really challenged my usual approach to making any decision in life.
I stopped testosterone for about 2 months back in March, but then started again in late May and I've been on it since. I honestly felt better off it. Less anxious, more light. The only thing that's been holding me back from stopping is the risk of losing access to it compleltely and then changing my mind. If I tell my doctor I want to stop T I won't be able to start it again for over 7 years because of the long waiting lists with the way the healthcare system works in my country. That's why I didn't tell her when I stopped the first time, and it's the reason I started again. I started T again in late May because my doctor booked a blood test for me in June to check my hormone levels and I knew I would need to start again now so my testosterone levels would look normal again by then. It's a complicated situation and I don't really know what to do. If there were informed consent clinics in my country I would stop testosterone right now with the security of knowing I can start again whenever I want if I change my mind. But unfortunately it doesn't work like that here.

Hi, this is a throw away account bc honestly, I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.
After months of fighting and just being in overall stressful situations, my husband (41m) and I (40f) finally went on a date. Everything was going smoothly until we were on our way out.
As we were leaving, the band started playing and the music was really good. We each had two drinks. I asked if we could just stay at the bar a few more minutes to hear a few songs. He was annoyed, but he did stop. I found us a table, but he refused to sit. So I stop back up and started dancing by him.
A few moments later, he just angrily left. Confused, I followed him asking him what is wrong? As soon as I could hear him past the music, he said that he didn’t want to just stand there. I reminded him I found a table and he refused to sit. He said that we can’t just sit without buying something. (We are both high earners, so buying another beer wouldn’t have been a big deal, although we are in debt). He then said you go dance and I’ll wait in the car. But that felt weird to me so I just said “never mind.”
He could tell I was disappointed, so he said “I don’t see what the big deal is if you stay and dance while I wait for you.” I told him that I came with him and to just forget it. So he starts driving me home.
He started to say how ungrateful I am and any woman would be happy. And I said for what? For being taken out for 2 hours every two months?
Anyway, to make a long story short we both started yelling at each other and I started crying.
So, he pulls into the driveway and I get out of the car. I stand in front of the car and tell him I want him to go to his sister’s house. He starts mocking me saying it’s his house too, all from the car window.
I start walking away through the garage and he lunges the car at me. I turn around and I said “did you try to run me over?” He said yes and started screaming he could kill me. He said a few times.
He has serious anger issues so I was truly scared so went to my mom’s room (who lives with us) with my son (21M) and locked us in her room. They and my friend suggested I contact the police and/or contact his sister to get him to leave the house.
I really didn’t want to get him in trouble and make my situation so much worse. I knew it would make him so angry no matter what I did. But I was genuinely scared to sleep in the house or to leave to a hotel because I have pets and my family that I didn’t want to leave with him alone.
After a few of hours, I figured the safest thing for me to do was to call the police. (Even though they said it’s aggregated assault, I didn’t want him to get arrested so much as I wanted him I leave the house so I could sleep and feel safe). So, I call the police and he pretty much acted so surprised, swearing he never threatened me and that he was just trying to park the car in the garage and I as standing in front of the car. And that I was just mad because I wanted to dance.
Needless to say, he refused to leave and the police couldn’t make him.
So, now I’m questioning my whole perspective. Maybe I’m over reacting? My question to the police, though, if he was just tying to park the car, why not just park it? We were already in the driveway. Why did it have to be in the garage while I’m walking away? Even if I am just standing and yelling, it still could have been parked in the driveway? Right? Am I wrong?
Well, I guess I’m just wondering if maybe it’s true that I’m over reacting and just seeing it wrong?
Tl;dr: My husband and I got into an argument bc he was upset I was disappointed that he left me on the dance floor. He then lunged the car at me and threatened to kill me, but completely denied it to the police. Now I’m am questioning my whole reality.

My gender dysphoria started when puberty did, and it was intense.
I only ever had one real bra which I refused to wear. Getting fitted for it by an employee in a clothing store was fucking traumatizing. I just wore tight sports bras instead to makeshift bind for a few years until I came out as ftm at 14 and got real binders instead. Breast development was so psychologically distressing I couldn't handle it. When I wasn't binding I couldn't be around anyone, I couldn't leave my room. Since I starting binding, up until I got top surgery, no one had ever seen me while I wasn't binding. I only took it off to sleep and shower, but sometimes dysphoria was so intense I wouldn't even take it off for either of those. Eventually I moved on to layering 2 binders on top of each other because I didn't feel flat enough, and I would wear them all day everyday with no breaks. I'm extremely lucky I don't have any significant lasting rib or lung damage from this.
I used to try to make my voice deeper and some days just wouldn't talk because of voice dysphoria. Beforehand I was happy with and proud of my voice because I was a good singer and had great control over it. I used to be a soprano in my school's choir. I completely lost control over my voice and lost my high range on testosterone. I rarely sing anymore.
I used to roll up a sock and put it in my underwear to look like a bulge until I bought a packer and I used that instead. I feel like with time I just did this out of habit and my own saftey to reduce the likelyhood of being clocked. I was doing plenty of research on phalloplasty but I think it was really just something I was trying to convince myself I wanted because that's what trans men are supposed to want. I genuinely wanted top surgery, but I don't think I ever really wanted phallo. Some part of my convinced myself I did, but I think I knew I was never really going to get it, it never seemed worth it. I never really had much of an issue with my genitals unless it came to periods or the idea of penetrative sex. It makes sense I was kind of repulsed by that though because I was only young, but even now I'm just not all that interested in sex. (I don't have any sexual trauma by the way. Just mentioning that because people have tried to attribute my lack of sexual interest to trauma but that's clearly not the case.) Periods were really distressing because I wasn't really prepared for them at all and after I had come out as trans they felt very humiliating and invalidating. It also just felt extremely unfair to me that I have to go through this pain and discomfort because of the parts I was born with. Whenever I had a period (which was rare, I only had about 5 or 6 of them in my life, they were extremely irregular), I would just wrap myself in blankets and cry on my bedroom floor. I tried progesterone only birth control to stop them, (because I completely refused to touch the birth control pills that included estrogen, the idea disgusted me), and it made me bleed for 17 days straight which was horrifying so I never took them again.
I wore baggy hoodies and never tight clothes, hunched my back, or anything else I could do to hide my curves.
Once I had started questioning my gender at 13 but I wasn't out as ftm yet, I was very uncomfortable with being called she or a girl and liked it when anyone would mistake me for a boy. In childhood though I didn't care.
I was such a happy bubbly kid who was introverted but still not afraid to put myself out there and be myself. But when puberty began I became such a depressed, lonely, reserved person. I became so self conscious and anxious, I would do everything I could to fly under the radar and prevent drawing attention to myself. I became less expressive, less open, less honest with people. I didn't take care of myself either, isolated myself, neglected hygiene, excercise, health in general. I just had antidepressants thrown at the problem. I don't blame my psychiatrists or psychologist though, they tried, they offered supports and possible ways to better my mental health but I didn't take them because they were difficult lifestyle changes and stuff I didn't have faith in like meditation. I just wanted an easy quick fix to my problems without putting the work in to actually fix them. Antidepressants didn't make me feel normal again, they just stopped the constant sadness by supressing all of my emotions and leaving me feeling very little to nothing most of the time.
I feel like hormones were another easy quick fix to a deeper routed problem. But the easy solution never works to fix the problem long term. I saw testosterone as a miracle cure. It helped in some ways, didn't in others. Now I'm just unhappy with the changes. Atrophy, hair loss, it's taken the life from my eyes. I just look in the mirror now and I look so aged and tired at just 20 years old. I used to be excited for the changes testosterone would bring. Maybe I thought the grass would be greener on the other side, that I would be happier and have no issues anymore. Now I've got opposite problems, the facial hair, masculinised features, flat chest, rough skin, I began to grow more and more uncomfortable with them at about the 3 year mark on testosterone and that discomfort has only grow with time. (I'm nearly 4 years on T now). Sometimes it makes me think I've come this far so there's no point in trying to go back at this point. Knowing that if I keep going as it is it is easy, though it may be miserable, but going back is hard, and it's painful to acknowlege that if I am in fact a woman I've made life so much harder for myself by doing all this in the first place. Knowing I will likely be perceived as a trans woman and experience more transphobia than I ever have as a trans man is so terrifying and disheartning.
It feels like ignoring and bottling up my feelings and continuing to live as a man is the easy way, but admitting to myself I am a woman and destransitioning is the hard and painful way.
And I have always been inclined to choose the easy way so this has really challenged my usual approach to making any decision in life.
I stopped testosterone for about 2 months back in March, but then started again in late May and I've been on it since. I honestly felt better off it. Less anxious, more light. The only thing that's been holding me back from stopping is the risk of losing access to it compleltely and then changing my mind. If I tell my doctor I want to stop T I won't be able to start it again for over 7 years because of the long waiting lists with the way the healthcare system works in my country. That's why I didn't tell her when I stopped the first time, and it's the reason I started again. I started T again in late May because my doctor booked a blood test for me in June to check my hormone levels and I knew I would need to start again now so my testosterone levels would look normal again by then. It's a complicated situation and I don't really know what to do. If there were informed consent clinics in my country I would stop testosterone right now with the security of knowing I can start again whenever I want if I change my mind. But unfortunately it doesn't work like that here.

My next chapter. I made this one a little "spicy", but the following chapters will probably get back to your regularly scheduled simping. Aw, poor Davey, lol
I made my way up their steps and into Ashley’s bedroom. It was far from my 1st time here at this point. I’d often be called over to “hang out”. At the best of times, this involved me down on my knees, rubbing Ashley’s tired feet or painting her toenails as she controlled the conversation. Mostly just her venting about her day, sometimes about some recent party she went to that I was never invited to. Or just tidying up as she relaxed on her large bed and played with her phone or watched tv. I loved any opportunity to be around Ashley. Plus her room had an electric energy to me. I could take a deep breath and smell her very essence through the air. Not to mention the perks of being her little “simp”. Last time I was over I found a loose stay hair on her pillow as I was fluffing it up after making her bed. I was able to sneak that little strand of hair in my pocket and take it home. OMG, I lasted for weeks with that being my main source of masterbation material!!
Tonight I was actually hoping for a quick cleanup. Between this, helping Mrs. Smith and Ashley’s homework, time always seems to get away from me and I spend the next day dragging myself like a zombie. As soon as I walked in her room, I knew I would be a while. Ashley has many great qualities; tidiness isn’t one of them! She had old plates of food sitting on her desk. Chocolate wrappers just tossed on hr floor. Her clothes! She had a mix of worn and dirty clothes thrown about and hanging off of every chair, banister, and littering the ground. I’d have to inspect each item to confirm if they were clean or dirty before finding the appropriate place for them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her hamper with bra dangling out. It must have been worn. And I could touch it. Maybe even get a chance to smell it! I felt myself get hot and got those same butterflies in my tummy.
"There you are. What took so long?" Ashley had removed her makeup and decided to make herself more comfortable. She changed out of her trendy day clothes which still followed all school guidelines, which included form-fitting jeans and a slight midriff-baring top, that had a swooping neckline to show off her chest proudly, though they needed no help showing off. Her body often even had some teachers drooling. Those sexy clothes were gone now that it was just us. Now she wore her grey sweatpants, her socks and an old cami top. I know the look wasn't "sexy" but knowing she had removed her bra and only a thin piece of fabric separated us was almost too much to think about. Butterflies in my tummy again.
"Oh, i'm so sorry, Ashley! Your Mom just a-asked me to help with some, um, washing up, in the laundry room after."
"See! Her and my Dad complain about me not doing my own chores, but then she goes and has you scrubbing dirty underwear like some 1950's bimbo housewife! It's because she doesn't wanna do that gross boring shit either! And can you believe my Dad!? Building character!? Like, really? And another thing- Oh, Davey, didn't you hear? My mom gave the okay. You can start on my room.” She gave me an expectant look and I took the hint and grabbed my cleaning spray and rubber gloves.
"Here, start here-“ She remained standing but pointed at a stain with her socked foot. "I spilled some soda I guess and it's like, sticky or something."
"Y-Yes Ashley, right away!"
And I got started cleaning the disaster of a room as Ashley finished venting and then relaxed at her desk. "I'll help in a sec. Just want to check insta 1st..."
Off I went scrubbing and dusting and tidying and primping and promping the teenage girl's room while I was for the most part ignored. I’ll save the boring details of scrubbing and tidying up a teenage girl’s bedroom. About and hour or so later, my fingers ached and my back was starting to hurt from being bent over so much.
"Okay, I think I pretty much got everything in a place your parents would approve, um, Ashley?"
She was now relaxing on her bed, reclined against the pillows. She was still over the sheets with her laptop on her stomach. I remember thinking how it must be hard to see the screen over her rising chest.
"What's that?" She looked up from her laptop for the 1st time in maybe an hour. "Oh sorry, I was messaging with Ryan. I must have got distracted".
Ugh, Ryan. Classic jock jerk! And of course her on again off again boyfriend. Honestly these days he mostly just treated her as friends with benefits. I have no idea why she puts up with him! He's crude, rude and just flat out doesn't treat her like the princess she is!! I have had her cry on my shoulder more times than I can count from this brute, but then the next weekend she is behind the bleachers sucking his cock!! Yuck, hard to imagine my sweet, confident princess getting on her knees for some brute! It's only a matter of time before she realizes she actually prefers sweet and caring types, and then maybe she even finds them sexy, and would even get down on her knees for someone like, like m-"
"Davey! This room looks great. What would you say to a little reward?"
Remember when I said the lines were blurred in the relationship. This is one of those blurred lines.
"A, r-r-rreward? You mean like-"
"OMG, look at your face. I really am too good to you, aren't I. God it's been what, a couple weeks since I let you eat me out, huh?"
"Uh, yeah, um, uh, yes, it-it's been um, yea, uh 3 m-m-months now, um, uh, A-Ash-l-ley..."
"Wowwwww, aw, that's a long time for you. Yea, I was gonna hop in a quick shower before bed, it was a long day. But then I started talking to Ryan and well, now I'm in the mood. Plus, you really, really deserve it. Just look at this place." she gestured to her now sparkling room. "You have been SO sweet lately. Anyway, nothing crazy. Just kinda want to grind one out to help me sleep, you know?"
"Oh, uh, um, y-y-yes, th-thank you-u, I- I, uh, um yes, I unders-s-stand Ashley".
"Good boyyyy. K, in you go". She got under the covers and held the blanket up for me to crawl in. She pulled her sweatpants down, and then threw her underwear off the side of the bed. Under the dark heat of the covers, all I could see are the most beautiful golden tan and toned legs rising out of her ankle socks, and climbing until they met the most perfect, tight and perfectly trimmed pussy. When I got close I could smell her excitement and I could see a slight slickness by her folds. She must have been getting wet while talking to Ryan, ugh, yuck!
"Here!" she said as she ripped the covers off me temporarily blinded by the light. "Open!"
Instinctively my body naturally obeys any command from her lips, and I opened my mouth wide. A second later I saw her reach for a tube and she squirted it in my open mouth.
"It's lube. Swish it around to warm it up for me. Plus it’ll get your tongue all extra slippery.” I obediently opened my mouth wider and stuck out my tongue as she took one hand and grabbed my face, squeezing my cheeks slightly to push open and out my lips into a dramatic ‘O’ shape with my tongue hanging out. I tried not to imagne what I must look like. With her other hand she squeezed the bottle with an undignified glorrp right into my mouth. I gently swished the off-tasting, gloopy mess around my mouth as Ashley instructed. "Mmmmmmmm, that's hot. That's gonna feel so good. K, ready?"
I tried to mumble something back, but warmed lube only crept out the side of my mouth. Luckily I think it was rhetorical as she threw the blanket down on top of me as I began gently licking. Just like that I was in heaven. She tasted of natural feminine juices with a slight hint of the day’s perspiration. My poor Ashley must have really had a long day! Her moans and grinding of her hips urging me on, as well as her little comments of direction here and there.
"Mmmmmmmm, slower. Flick it. Higher. Oh yes, Ryan. Mmmmmmm, fuck. Oh Ryan, Oh Ryannn, mmmmmm”
Ugh, really, him?
It was only a few minutes before her 1st orgasm. I could feel her thighs gently tighten with a delicate moan. I guess she changed her mind about a quick cum, as when I went to get up for air after her 1st release, her hand roughly grabbed my hair by the scalp and re-positioned my face so it was firmly mashed against her pelvis.
My aching erection was painfully pushing against my bikini bottoms and pants. I could feel my poor little penis throb and starting to leak. It was so hot seeing her as she took out her vibrator and pleasured herself as I licked wherever there was space around her movements. Desperate to please her and be useful. This was my chance to impress her, I thought as I licked so hard it ached. It was so cute seeing her comments getting more intense as she got more lost in her own pleasure.
"Fuck yes. Lick me, slut! Uuungh, deeper, I SAID LICK DEEPER! Oh fuck, yes, bitch, just like that. Fucking lick right there. Now lower, LOWER, SLUT”
Sure, I've heard the names the other kids call me at school. Simp, loser, cuck, her bitch. But who else but me gets to see her in these most intimate of moments when she really loses herself.
After another 10 min her thighs clamped down on my head. I could no longer hear anything, I could barely breathe and was trapped in a conjuncture of her sweaty flesh, lube and natural juices. Just as I was preparing to tap out, or succumb to her body, she relaxed. I heard the sound of her vibrator switch off.
Next thing I knew, the sheets were ripped off and I felt the flat bottom of her somewhat sweaty foot on my forehead, pushing me away as I desperately tried to get 1 more glimpse of her most intimate area.
“Mmmm, that was nice.” Ashley rolled off the bed. Still in a daze, I had the most amazing view of her golden, toned ass cheeks. “Well I’m off to shower and then I need some sleep. I’m beat. Did you enjoy your little treat, Davey? You owe me one now!” she said with a wink. "No problem having my history homework done by tomorrow, ya?"
I went to confirm I’d stay up late but my sore and achey tongue just flopped out of my mouth with a “Yeth Asthley. Thatth no pwobrum".
Ashley giggled as she walked out of the room. I watched her butt cheeks bounce as she called over her shoulder “rinse your mouth after you finish whatever my mom needed. That lube stuff might be toxic or something. Can’t have anything happen to my little puppy. But it feels great! I’d get used to that lube taste."
My heart swooned as I drifted downstairs before I continued my night of drudgery. But nothing else mattered. Ashley was happy with me. And she must be satisfied with my oral servitude! She wants to keep it a regular thing!!! She must have really loved it. You know what they say, 1st comes love, then comes marriage!!

Yesterday my husband and I (Im 22 hes turning 22 next week) eloped we had a small ceremony in the town by his college with our two best friends and a hired officiant. No one but those present and a few other close friends know about us getting married.
Basically we're high-school sweethearts we've been together for 6 years but his mother has never approved of me because I'm not Asian like him and I didn't get into an Ivy league college like him. At the beginning of our relationship only she has had an issue with me but over the years she's turned his whole family against me because I listen to metal and go to metal concerts so she assumes I do drugs, sleep around, and worship the devil. She also tell hers family that its my fault that hes gotten rebellious and talks back to her and because of me he keeps secrets from her so I'm apparently tearing apart the family. She also blames his mental health on me saying his ADHD got worse because of me even though he was diagnosed as a kid and she hid it from everyone and kept it untreated because she refused to believe something was wrong with her son. And when he constantly told his family he had trouble focusing they told him that he wasn't trying hard enough and finally one of his aunts took him to a phycologist behind his mom's back and he was diagnosed with ADHD, sever depression, and anxiety and it was revealed that he was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and treatment should have been started then. She also is convinced that I'm only with him because I'm after her money. Ironically she's psychotherapist and college professor that teaches child development so they're relatively well off. She's met my family and the fact that we live in a poorer part of the city and my dad made a comment about taxes she assumed that we're poor white trash Trump supporters so I must be after their money. She also tracks his location like a hawk if he goes somewhere he doesn't normally go she assumes he's with me. His freshman year I would come up and get a hotel because I couldn't stay in his dorm because of covid and we'd get food together after his classes he wouldn't even come to my hotel and she'd freak out about him going to cafes and restaurants. His Sophomore and Junior years id come up once every like 3 months and stay in his dorm with him but during his junior year he wasn't doing well in classes because he was finally on medication for his ADHD, depression, and anxiety but because it was pretty severe they changed his dosage a bunch of times and it messed him up. She came up unannounced and caught me in his dorm and then blamed his falling grades on me and berated me saying I'm not good enough for him and I'm tearing their family apart and I'm just some devil worshiping whore and she asked me if I've slept with him and was like "he's going to have to get std tested now" and "he only likes you because you opened your legs for him like a whore". Unfortunately he would have moved out already but she's paying for his tuition and everything which is over 50k a year so he's stuck with her for now but he's graduating in 6 months. (He's a half a year behind because of when we wasn't doing well because of the meds). We decided to get married because we weren't going to let his mother separate us again because she caused us to split once and we realized the only problem with our relationship is her.
Yesterday my husband's childhood friend drove up to be a witness in our wedding but also to be the distraction to get my husband out of the house so he came up and told my husband's mom that he was here to see him because his birthday is next week and his mom was immediately suspicious. She tracked my husband and thankfully after our ceremony after everyone had changed and the officiant had already left she pulled up in her car next to my husband's friends car, saw me and my best friend in the back seat and my husband and his friend in the front and she staring banging on the windows and screaming that I'm a psyco and I'm not good for him and that my husband was manipulated by me and that she was disappointed in my husband's friend for lying to them. We immediately drove off, we dropped my best friend off at the airport and she begged me to go with her (we both work for an airline so if there's open seats we can just list and get on for free and there were plenty of open seats) because she was scared my mother in law would do something to me but I told her I'd be fine. After we dropped her off we drove to my hotel which my husband's best friend also got a room at and we both checked in and during that my husband's mother called demanding to know why we were at a hotel and he said I left to the airport and his friend was just checking in. His mother threatened him saying if he didn't come home she would kick him out. So my husband and his friend left and his mother drove out to the hotel and told my husband she was going to raid the hotel and find me and that I'm dead after this. She literally sat in her car in front of the hotel for like 20 min and then went home his family berated his friend and then said he could stay there for the night so which he said absolutely not you people are crazy so I got a hotel.
It seems like she didnt piece together that we got married at least but she flipped out from me just being there. To make matters worse she apparently watched some documentary called Jennifer did it and now she's convinced that me and my husband are plotting to kill her. I know he has to deal with her for now but after seeing how crazy she was yesterday I think even when he graduates and he moves out (which he'll be moving in with me and I'm already prepared to financially support him until he gets a job too, I make almost six figures I'm not some poor kid like his mom thinks) I think she'll stalk us or harass us. I told him when he packs all his stuff and I pick him up to be like "bye I'm moving in with my wife" but like even then I'm sure she's still going to be insane. I talked to lawyers about restraining orders but they've said it probably won't work because she is his mom so it's unlikely we'd actually get the restraining order.
Any advice?

To sum it up, as the title states I am wondering if I am being too picky or potentially superstitious when it comes to gifts for my baby on the way.
Currently, I am a FTM 5 months pregnant with a baby boy, due in early October. As you could probably imagine I’m pretty overwhelmed with worry about all of the items that the baby will need and wanting to make sure I don’t forget any of the furniture or necessities on any list or registry, to make sure I don’t miss anything when he needs it.
I have a very very close friend from early childhood, who, gave birth to her second son last year. Unfortunately and devastatingly, her son passed away at 6 weeks old due to (potentially known) and unknown causes. She had to spend an unfortunate night away from the baby and in that time, while the newborn was left with the father, he was found unconscious in the morning and was not breathing. Following his hospital transfer, it was determined there was nothing the emergency hospital staff could do to save him. It has not been determined if he passed from SIDS or some type of negligence on the father is to blame ie failure to properly secure the baby for sleep time, suffocation, etc. Fast forward, she offers to provide me with a lot of furniture/clothing items that her son did not get to use due to his passing. I’m very grateful for all of the second hand or regifts that I can accept for the baby, as I am not picky, bougie, and appreciate passing things on when you can. In a way, I thought receiving her late baby’s items would be a way that my son could be connected to her baby that he never got to meet, but on the other hand- I am superstitious and hesitant to receive items that belonged to a baby that passed away suddenly and due to technically unknown causes. Am I wrong for thinking so deeply about this and/or potentially not accepting the gifts from my friend?

I (15 Female), My sister (13 Female) we will call her celine. So 3 years ago when my mom was at work, my father was at home and it was the last week of school so i didn’t go to school so did my sisters. I was on my period that morning and i didn’t want to eat anything and i was staying at my sisters room. That morning my father came to her room and asked if we’re hungry we said no but he told me “Don't eat, you're already like a jerry can.” To this day i never forget that and i never will. After my father said that to me at our every fight my sister called me “Fat, Pig, Obese” and etc. I cried every time, i starved myself but i gave up and ended up eating and i swear when she insulted me my mother didn’t do anything, i swear over my life, i swear over everything i have and will have she just sat there and didn’t say anything to my sister but every time she insulted me i opened my mouth to call her bitch but before i could finish my word my mother would scold me for calling that word to my sister “Do you even know what that means?”, “I’m calling your father and you’ll see after he gets home.” It was always like that. I cried to my mother about what she says and she just buries her faca in her phone or just tell me that she always warns my sister but i haven’t heard that. Obviously i never believed that sick lie, I wasn’t obese i was kinda overweight. It all started when they drop me at my grandmas house for a week or two. she would make food with butter but really much butter and when i said i was full and couldn’t eat more she would be like “Oh but i made them only for you”, “I thought you liked those.” so i ate and i did the same thing for my mother too i started eating the second plate to make my mom happy because i thought she would get sad when there was leftovers. Yes i ended up being the fay kid, being the one my mom says “Oh i thought you were just like me, when i was young i ate and i never gained weight i guess you’re like your aunt.” It hurts but i never confronted my mom about it because i knew i would start crying when i bring up my weight. So last year at summer i started throwing up after i ate. It was hard but not impossible, i saw blood coming out with food, sometimes just blood and a little bit of food. I stopped for a while and starved myself and i lost a noticible amount of weight, the jeans that won’t fit me last year started fitting, i could wear normal shirts, not the oversized ones, my face gets smaller than before and i feel more confident. Yet it didn’t stop my sister from insulting me. So around a month ago we went to my grandma’s house and her house was full i mean my aunt, her son, my mom, my dad, me, celine, my little sister, my little brother and my grandma was there and i had to share the room with celine and my aunt told me before i sleep “You lose a lot of weight, your face was puffy last year but now you look beautiful” and my uncle said “What did you do? Tell me so i’ll lose weight too.” I felt so happy but when we went to the room to sleep my sister immediately said “You didn’t even lost that amount of weight, they exaggerate.” and i feel lost again.
So my parents learned that i was throwing up after i ate, i first told my mom for four times but she ignored me, i swear that woman just kept her mouth shut and j was very shocked when she told my father about it and they scolded but guess what? They didn’t told a word to my sister. Now i’m preparing myself to starving again because i can’t keep up like that i’m doing exercises but throwing up works much faster.
I forgot to add before i lose weight Celine would buy crop tops and tells me “Oh why don’t you buy yourself one?, Try one of mines.” she knew i was insecure and i wouldn’t even wore a top that over my fucking lower belly, she would just mess with me and she enjoys that i swear.
I kinda need advice but the main reason why i’m sharing that is i need to get this out of my chest.
English is not my first language, sorry for the grammar mistakes and I’ll be very happy if i saw my story on tiktok because i want to send this to my parents but i don’t want them to find my reddit acc, when i send them video i want to be able to say “You guys don’t care but strangers care about your daughter. how weird.”

I (15 Female), My sister (13 Female) we will call her celine. So 3 years ago when my mom was at work, my father was at home and it was the last week of school so i didn’t go to school so did my sisters. I was on my period that morning and i didn’t want to eat anything and i was staying at my sisters room. That morning my father came to her room and asked if we’re hungry we said no but he told me “Don't eat, you're already like a jerry can.” To this day i never forget that and i never will. After my father said that to me at our every fight my sister called me “Fat, Pig, Obese” and etc. I cried every time, i starved myself but i gave up and ended up eating and i swear when she insulted me my mother didn’t do anything, i swear over my life, i swear over everything i have and will have she just sat there and didn’t say anything to my sister but every time she insulted me i opened my mouth to call her bitch but before i could finish my word my mother would scold me for calling that word to my sister “Do you even know what that means?”, “I’m calling your father and you’ll see after he gets home.” It was always like that. I cried to my mother about what she says and she just buries her faca in her phone or just tell me that she always warns my sister but i haven’t heard that. Obviously i never believed that sick lie, I wasn’t obese i was kinda overweight. It all started when they drop me at my grandmas house for a week or two. she would make food with butter but really much butter and when i said i was full and couldn’t eat more she would be like “Oh but i made them only for you”, “I thought you liked those.” so i ate and i did the same thing for my mother too i started eating the second plate to make my mom happy because i thought she would get sad when there was leftovers. Yes i ended up being the fay kid, being the one my mom says “Oh i thought you were just like me, when i was young i ate and i never gained weight i guess you’re like your aunt.” It hurts but i never confronted my mom about it because i knew i would start crying when i bring up my weight. So last year at summer i started throwing up after i ate. It was hard but not impossible, i saw blood coming out with food, sometimes just blood and a little bit of food. I stopped for a while and starved myself and i lost a noticible amount of weight, the jeans that won’t fit me last year started fitting, i could wear normal shirts, not the oversized ones, my face gets smaller than before and i feel more confident. Yet it didn’t stop my sister from insulting me. So around a month ago we went to my grandma’s house and her house was full i mean my aunt, her son, my mom, my dad, me, celine, my little sister, my little brother and my grandma was there and i had to share the room with celine and my aunt told me before i sleep “You lose a lot of weight, your face was puffy last year but now you look beautiful” and my uncle said “What did you do? Tell me so i’ll lose weight too.” I felt so happy but when we went to the room to sleep my sister immediately said “You didn’t even lost that amount of weight, they exaggerate.” and i feel lost again.
So my parents learned that i was throwing up after i ate, i first told my mom for four times but she ignored me, i swear that woman just kept her mouth shut and j was very shocked when she told my father about it and they scolded but guess what? They didn’t told a word to my sister. Now i’m preparing myself to starving again because i can’t keep up like that i’m doing exercises but throwing up works much faster.
I forgot to add before i lose weight Celine would buy crop tops and tells me “Oh why don’t you buy yourself one?, Try one of mines.” she knew i was insecure and i wouldn’t even wore a top that over my fucking lower belly, she would just mess with me and she enjoys that i swear.
I kinda need advice but the main reason why i’m sharing that is i need to get this out of my chest.
English is not my first language, sorry for the grammar mistakes and I’ll be very happy if i saw my story on tiktok because i want to send this to my parents but i don’t want them to find my reddit acc, when i send them video i want to be able to say “You guys don’t care but strangers care about your daughter. how weird.” Soo let me know if this post ends up being on a tiktok video.

Hi everyone, I am just looking for others who have experienced this as I feel really alone in my own community of friends. I am 27 and I have one 4 year old son. When we conceived I got pregnant right away with zero problems. When I was pregnant I had a lot of trouble with antenatal depression, severe weight gain of 110 lbs, mood swings (those were probably normal), etc. We had a traumatic birth which was handled quickly and I'm very grateful to my midwives for their care of my son who's a healthy and happy kid. I noticed around 6 months I was dealing with severe post partum anxiety and depression. I was afraid to talk to my doctors about it and let it go so far that I started having paranoid delusions until I snapped and called her on the emergency line cause I thought I needed to go to jail/would hurt my son/his life would be ruined if I didn't commit suic*de. We got all that taken care of, she supported me immensely and talked me through what I was going through and made me feel normal again. I am a good mom and my sons my best friend and I was very lucky to have her as my doctor. 1 year post partum I was losing all libido. Like none. This is not normal for me and never has been the case. I have been on 200 mg of lamictal and 50 of pristiq for years and still was able to have sexual desire, maybe not as much as pre medicine but still enough to feel content. Over the next 3 years she and I tried so many things to try and counteract this but even when altering my meds there was no significant change other than mental struggles. I have a therapist who is also amazing and these 2 women together have seriously improved my quality of life more than words can credit them for. We have come to the conclusion that this isn't a mental health related sexual problem. Although over time it has become one in the sense that my view of myself has plummeted and I feel like less of a woman. This isn't something my medication can be messed around with to fix. So it was suggested that I go see a gyno to talk about my options for sexual health. I was excited to do this because I thought that it would be the thing to cure all my issues. Unfortunately I have never had a lot of luck with gynos. I've felt dismissed so many times I stopped going to them until I was pregnant. I looked for help from friends to find a good one and went with someone suggested to me. He gave me the run around about how it's normal for women to not want to have sex after having a child, even if it's literally not ever. Men and women are different. Have you tried therapy? Is this trauma related or some deep rooted problem I haven't uncovered. Questions that frustrated the hell out of me. They did a blood panel which was the only thing I think was helpful in the entire visit and discovered that my AMH levels were "really low for a 27 year old" and after a physical exam he told me I have atrophy. Now this makes a lot of sense to me because I have struggled a lot in the last few years feeling like sex became different and I couldn't put my finger on why. I came in with one problem and left with two. He told me he didn't know enough about this to help me and referred me to a woman who he considered sooo knowledgeable. I went to her and talked about everything. When it came to libido she told me that I should try watching porn or reading smut and if I ever used lube before. If I had known that over the last 8 months waiting to see two different doctors that I was given suggestions I could have googled I would have never bothered. I was furious and I told her that I don't personally do these things and that doesn't help my underlying problem which is some kind of physical limitation. When I asked her why I'm having the atrophy and low AMH I got a bunch of I don't knows. I talked to her about hormonal imbalance and she told me that she wanted to have me come back in 6 months to redo the same testing before considering any of that. I told her that for the last 3 years I have had virtually no energy, I could sleep all day if my life style allowed it. I have constant problems with memory, focus, being in the moment of a conversation. I have wondered if I was dealing with some sort of brain damage the last 3 years because it's gotten SO bad. I have had night sweats frequently to the point that you can actually see my body imprint of old sweat stains in my matress. I went to a PCP 2 years ago to talk about concerns I had about my hormones and excessive hairless and she assured me I'm just still going through PP even though my son is two and I trusted that and moved on. So this is really an ongoing issue. Everywhere I turn I feel like I'm circling the drain, I feel so misunderstood and alone. I cry so much about this it feels like I'm not myself and I don't know how to get back there. None of my friends have experienced this. My mom had all this happen at 57 years old when she went into peri menopause. I feel like my body is out of wack and I have had to do all my own digging. I feel like its pointless to yest my hormones because it's so fluctuating, but I wonder if testosterone could help me with the energy, libido, focus. Maybe estrogen would. I'm so at a loss I feel like I'm walking alone in the dark and reaching out in every direction for a solution. I don't know if there's a certain doctor I should be looking for. I have another appointment with a different gyno a month from now that was suggested to me by a nurse and I'm driving an hour to see her because I am so desperate. Can someone please give me some sort of confirmation that I am not crazy or jumping to conclusions because I feel like I have munchausens when doctors talk to me the way they do. I just feel so alone.

Just wondering for any advice. We have to go on a 5-6 hour road trip next weekend to meet my dad at a convention. Ideally we would arrive around the time my dad does (12 PM) so my husband can help my dad set up. Problem is, it would require waking our 5 month old son a couple of hours before his DWT (DWT 7:45-8:15, but we would have to leave at like 6). My concern is obviously waking him early, exposure to light/stimulation before DWT leading to earlier wake ups moving forward, and just less sleep for him in general. Anyone have to leave with baby before DWT? Any tips or suggestions? Would a one time thing not ruin our routine/progress like I fear? THANK YOU!

So this might be a long one, but I am in desperate need of advice so my ex-husband and I 10 years have finally divorced well over enough time and I have full custody and primary placement of our children. We have four children. The ages are seven, four, four, and three years old.
Now the way that our divorce ended was because he basically had an affair with his 18-year-old girl at the mall he worked with and her and her friends decided to send me a lot of threats specifically about what happened to my kids if I didn’t leave him alone and get out his life and they’re going to torment my children. Now one of my kids is disabled. I have twins, and one of my sons is autistic , but all of my kids are very young.
After months and months of harassment, I was unable to get injustice because whoever was sending the messages sent for multiple numbers that were self dissolving, and they couldn’t figure out who emailed me. Now this is the Oshkosh Police Department who see help from.
Now I tried to get a restraining order on the girl, but I couldn’t because there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that she actually wrote the messages, but the messages did continue after that and didn’t they revealed who it was I find it hilarious that they decided to be bold after court .
My ex-husband decided to get in a relationship with publicly after that me and my children have moved out of the county due to the harassment and abuse that I was getting from him. He threatened to break my job because I called him a predator. He is 31 and she’s a teenager.
We have a custody agreement. I have a restraining order against him and my custody arrangement is that he can only see our children in Milwaukee county with supervised visitation that is. They took what was his restraining order from the kids and made it his custody agreement he didn’t show up to court so they just did that.
Now I’m gonna show you the messages that I get from him because I won’t let her be around our children. Well, I say I don’t want her around our children and aggravate him and then he turns and does things like to get supervised visits changed to a different third-party or he’ll say it regardless and there’s nothing I can do about it. He taught me she didn’t do it. It was just her friends and I need to get over it.
I’ve been more than amicable with this trying to do with my children, but at this point, I am so sick to my stomach with his name I am tired and I don’t understand how he doesn’t see how wrong this is and why is the mother I would never allow my kids to be around somebody or their friends who think it’s OK to talk about offing children.
He lives with the teenager, her older sister and the teenagers parents. So my four children wouldn’t even have a place to sleep, even if they could go visit him.
What do I do in the situation? I can’t change the third-party which I don’t have a problem with it because he never goes through the third-party anyways he refuses to cooperate with the custody agreement. If something is inconvenient for him he’ll just not do it and my kids will suffer. My seven-year-old daughter has already been going through a lot of emotional upheaval just not being able to have that time with her father and he makes it even worse because he can’t get his way . If he doesn’t have any money if he feel like he doesn’t have money, he just won’t come he told me I’m going to have to buy them food. I’m gonna have to fund it as a mother. What do you do when you see your children suffering but at the same time I don’t want this person in my life. It sucks because he’s so manipulative.

So this might be a long one, but I am in desperate need of advice so my ex-husband and I 10 years have finally divorced well over enough time and I have full custody and primary placement of our children. We have four children. The ages are seven, four, four, and three years old.
Now the way that our divorce ended was because he basically had an affair with his 18-year-old girl at the mall he worked with and her and her friends decided to send me a lot of threats specifically about what happened to my kids if I didn’t leave him alone and get out his life and they’re going to torment my children. Now one of my kids is disabled. I have twins, and one of my sons is autistic , but all of my kids are very young.
After months and months of harassment, I was unable to get injustice because whoever was sending the messages sent for multiple numbers that were self dissolving, and they couldn’t figure out who emailed me. Now this is the Oshkosh Police Department who see help from.
Now I tried to get a restraining order on the girl, but I couldn’t because there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that she actually wrote the messages, but the messages did continue after that and didn’t they revealed who it was I find it hilarious that they decided to be bold after court .
My ex-husband decided to get in a relationship with publicly after that me and my children have moved out of the county due to the harassment and abuse that I was getting from him. He threatened to break my job because I called him a predator. He is 31 and she’s a teenager.
We have a custody agreement. I have a restraining order against him and my custody arrangement is that he can only see our children in Milwaukee county with supervised visitation that is. They took what was his restraining order from the kids and made it his custody agreement he didn’t show up to court so they just did that.
Now I’m gonna show you the messages that I get from him because I won’t let her be around our children. Well, I say I don’t want her around our children and aggravate him and then he turns and does things like to get supervised visits changed to a different third-party or he’ll say it regardless and there’s nothing I can do about it. He taught me she didn’t do it. It was just her friends and I need to get over it.
I’ve been more than amicable with this trying to do with my children, but at this point, I am so sick to my stomach with his name I am tired and I don’t understand how he doesn’t see how wrong this is and why is the mother I would never allow my kids to be around somebody or their friends who think it’s OK to talk about offing children.
He lives with the teenager, her older sister and the teenagers parents. So my four children wouldn’t even have a place to sleep, even if they could go visit him.
What do I do in the situation? I can’t change the third-party which I don’t have a problem with it because he never goes through the third-party anyways he refuses to cooperate with the custody agreement. If something is inconvenient for him he’ll just not do it and my kids will suffer. My seven-year-old daughter has already been going through a lot of emotional upheaval just not being able to have that time with her father and he makes it even worse because he can’t get his way . If he doesn’t have any money if he feel like he doesn’t have money, he just won’t come he told me I’m going to have to buy them food. I’m gonna have to fund it as a mother. What do you do when you see your children suffering but at the same time I don’t want this person in my life. It sucks because he’s so manipulative.

Me again. Sorry, I feel like I’ve been spamming recently. It’s a rough time and you guys are the only ones who understand.
Have a Lv3 Non Verbal ASD little boy and we’re in no-sleep at 3am territory again. Throw in a newborn and our eldest is struggling to adjust.
But this isn’t about him this time. My husband is rapidly starting to lose hope that our son will ever have receptive language (I think he has a little) -let alone expressive.
I know we all feel the hopelessness sometimes. When I do, I want hugs and reassurance that my fears are unfounded. I eventually just go and google what might help. But it’s different for him, reassurance just annoys him because he sees no “evidence” that anything is changing -and because he feels hopeless and drained, he often feels no need to Google anything.
How can I support him through this? He’s a great father and husband, but I know his head isn’t in a positive space these days. I want to help.

I have a nearly one year old and my husband and I work demanding tech jobs (remotely). My son, while amazing, still hasn’t mastered sleeping through the night which has put strain on our relationship. We don’t live near family and have very little support besides our nanny who helps us 30 hours a week. We’re tired and feel like we can’t keep up in most areas of our lives (work, social, family, our physical/mental health etc).
My friend told me she’s expecting her third child - 3 kids under 4. She’s a working mom too. Her and her husband are ecstatic.
Wtf am I missing? How are people doing this and having any sort of mental, financial, etc stability? The only thing I can think of is they have both of their parents nearby to help. Is that really the key to success?
My husband and I are just beginning to think about having a second but even the thought makes me quiver in fear. Haha.
Idk what I’m looking for here besides just venting. Maybe I’m jealous because she is somehow stronger in this parenthood thing? 😩