Sms text messages to say my boyfriend i miss talking to him

Please I need help It’s been almost a year since the breakup..a lot happened I was told I was a narcissist and while telling people all that went on in the relationship I found he was also a narcissist or had narcissistic traits. I read up on it and apparently I was discarded because I was caught of instantly,he stopped picking my calls,wouldn’t agree to meet up to talk and just put me down.He put me down so much my self esteem is non existent,I want a family but I can’t even see myself with another man I genuinely feel like I have nothing to offer. I have a nagging feeling in my spirit that am worthless,I don’t know what to do.I can’t keep up conversations with any man,I don’t trust anyone I feel so hopeless.Please what can I do? I can’t afford online therapy and what’s available in my country is very very substandard and unethical.Please what can I do? He continues to occasionally message me to remind me of things I did to him,send me videos of people talking about narcissistic and saying it’s me,send me posts of Twitter and telling me that’s what happening,telling me to hide in shame.We we’re both toxic For clarification,I didn’t cheat.Initially earlier on at the start of the relationship I was verbally abusive nd emotionally but I stopped.But so much as happened from him and I didn’t realize how much until I spoke to a friend about it,I feel so inadequate.I don’t know what to do to calm my spirit down ..I occasionally listen to gospel songs but I feel so down..I am 27 and keep feeling I’ll now never find someone to settle with especially with the constant pressure from my parents My spirit is so down,I don’t know what to do

I don’t know if my feelings are valid pero kasi naguguluhan ako sa mixed emotions na gumugulo sa utak ko ngayon. I want to get this off mu chest kasi feeling ko sasabog ako.
Me and my boyfriend have been for almost a year na. Just recently umamin siya sa akin na yung pakilala niyang name when we first started talking was not who he really was. Actually may mga hinala na ako kaya his revelations wasn’t that shocking for me naman. He explained his reasons and naiintindihan ko siya, so I forgave him. He become more open of who he really was talaga like kung sino at ano ang family niya. After his revelations, he said na gustong gusto niya akong ipa meet sa family niya pero hindi niya magawa kasi nga may tinatago siya sa akin and that since he came clean to me, he was relieved na finally he can do that na. Sinabi niya na nga daw sa mom niya na may plus one na siya for their family event because he’s bringing me.
Ever since we started talking nakekwento niya na yung renewal of vows ng parents niya. He’s a very family oriented man and I admire him for that. Preparations for the event took months and halos lahat na kwento niya sa akin. Since he’s the eldest , hands on talaga siya sa pag assist ng mga needs for the wedding. He asks my opinion on things lalo na sa susuorin niya. He was very excited for his parents big day, also his entire family and friends will be there.
So eto na nga. Here comes the big day. I wasn’t given a formal invite. Weeks before the wedding I was kinda waiting na bigyan niya ako invitation kasi halos araw araw niya ngang nababanggit yung event. I was planning to buy a dress pa naman for the event. Kaso nung days nalang ang pagitan I decided not to nalang kasi walang invitation na binigay. Hindi niya na din nabanggit kung isasama niya ba ako or hindi. Nakikinig nalang ako sa kga kwento niya about the preparations.
I am hurt. Nakwento niya how his closest friends will be there and kung pano niya ginawan ng way na ma excuse sila sa work nila without them being absent. His volleyball playmates will be there too. His brother’s girlfriend is invited. His girl best friend too (nasa VIP kasi mag bff moms nila). Yung kapatid ng ex niya na best friend ng sister niya is there din. Tapos ako??? He’s been updating me about the happenings sa event kaso fuck ayokong malaman kasi I don’t want to care. Siniseen ko lang messages niya. Gusto ko siyang sabihan kaso hindi ko magawa
Actually I don’t want to be too sensitive about it kaso I can’t help. Tangina bigla pa akong naiyak while typing this. Yun lang. I am very open for your reactions baka nagpapaka OA lang ako.
Thank you. Actually today is the D-day 05/15/2024…

Context I Avery 19 year old female and Lucy (Not her real name) 18 year old female have been friends for a year. I am a grade above her and we are in the same fine art activity. We are both on the colorguard team at my school.
Our team isn’t necessarily good, but we aren’t bad. (To the people who know Scholastic AA). For some reason Lucy is obsessed with the idea she looks like me. All because of a comment someone made to her. They walked up to her thinking it was me from a far. She has made it her life mission to make herself me.
She was a primary flag on my team and I am a primary rifle. Since I am a senior in school I’m not getting ready for next season. However, my director is making all members who have done at least one season try rifle. Lucy was excited to try rifle saying she can be like me. I thought this was sweet cause she looked up to me, but I was very wrong.
Lucy happened to be really good at rifle. Nothing against her she’s a great person to have on the team, but her ego has gone way up. She’s been making fun of people who drop their rifle or use the wrong technique and she always comes in for reassurance saying things like “Right Avery she needs to slow down her toss or right Avery she needs to put her left hand completely to the side.” It puts me in a position that makes me uncomfortable and i’ve told her to stop.
Lately she’s been dressing like me. She always used to wear a Tee shirt, shorts, and her hair down to rehearsal, but lately she’s been wearing Sports bras, leggings, and pulls her hair into a braid. Just like me. She used to march around saying she hates the color pink (She’s a major tom boy), but now she wears it saying it suits her. She even bought my perfume. I thought it was weird, but I didn’t say anything cause I’ll be gone within a week anyways because of Graduation.
She was starting to really piss me off when she would make comments like “Avery look we both have a pimple on our cheek.” I’m extremely insecure about acne. She knows this. She would say things like “our cycles are synced it’s like our bodies are the same person.” “We’re both on our 15th set of invisalign. Our teeth are getting straighter together.”
Yesterday I was getting ready for a banquet with Lucy and some other girls from the team. It’s all fun and games till Lucy pulls out almost the exact same dress as me. There is no way she wasn’t trying to copy. I was going for a Audrey Hepburn look with a black dress, gloves, pearls, and Prada sunglasses. Lucy pulls out a shorter black dress, gloves, pearls, black sunglasses. She then exclaimed “Omg twin we’re gonna look so good. It’s almost like great minds think alike or something. People won’t even be able to tell us apart.”
I was livid to say the least. She knew I had been planing on that outfit since last banquet. I let it go it was my senior banquet it was fine. I take photos with everyone and she’s doing her thing when she puts her arm around my boyfriend’s shoulder. I immediately stand up from our banquet table and grab her arm swinging it off him. She said “Sorry I thought it would be a cute picture cause he’s dressed to match us.” I cut her off and said “No Lucy he’s dressed to match me. I’m not sure what you think your doing wanting to become me and comparing yourself to me, but it needs to stop.” She then rolls her eyes and slumps in her chair. She mumbled under her breath “I don’t look like you. You look like me. Get it right. You’re so obsessed.”
I started to yell at her “You don’t look like me. Not even a little bit. Your eyes are blue and mine are green. Your hair is brown while mine is blonde. Your nose slopes down and mine slopes up at the end. Your chin is slightly pointed and my sticks out. My eyes are almond while yours are hooded. I’m 5’11 and you’re 5’3. Your boobs are bigger than mine. My feet are bigger than yours. We do not look alike.”
At this point everyone is looking at us. Most people know what i’m getting at cause they asked me days ago why she was copying me. Lucy starts to cry called me some names and ran off. I cut the night short and went home. I told my mom in the morning and she told me I should’ve let Lucy live out her fantasy for a week till I graduate. A couple of friends of Lucy have texted me and called me an Asshole. But I don’t think I am.
Am I the Asshole?

Hi. So my (F17) family is very Christian and conservative. Church twice a week, Bible studies, typical family roles, purity rings, all that.
I’ve been dating my boyfriend Jay (M16) for almost two years. My parents hated him at first, but they tolerate him now. He dresses punk, has piercings, and is an atheist. The ONLY reason my parents are okay with him now is because we made up a lie that Jay wants to be a Christian and that I’ve been teaching him a lot and we read the Bible together, etc. He comes to church with us often. He doesn’t believe in it and honestly I don’t know if I even do at this point. But that’s another story.
Other reasons why my parents hate him is because his parents are “trashy” (poor) and he “smells like a sinner” (he smells like cigarettes because of his parents constantly smoking in their house, he’s actually super insecure about it.) I don’t think it’s fair at all. It’s not his fault.
Hes also never does drugs/smokes/drinks but they’re so convinced he does. Like whenever I come home from hanging out with him they’ll “check and make sure” I’m not high/drunk.
Anyways. Yesterday he was spending the night at my house. My door doesn’t have a lock on it, so we always just wait til everyone is asleep to quietly have sex. It’s never failed us before so I thought we were okay. Nope. About 10 mins in my mom swings open the door. All 3 of us were fucking horrified. She goes to get my dad, we quickly put on our clothes. They start yelling at us. Saying i was disgusting and how they should’ve never let Jay come and “corrupt me” and how “they were ignoring signs from god to get him away” I was wearing my purity ring, they made sure to bring that up about 50 times. They said I disappointed them and God and that I’m not going to be “full of his crack babies” which just made me feel disgusting. The way they were describing everything made me feel so. Disgusting.
They made Jay walk home alone. They went through my phone and prayed with me saying I’d work on this and I’d go back to being a pure girl.
I’m so humiliated. Today they said they were gonna put me in “weekly Christian counseling” (whatever that is) I saw Jay in class and he looked so sad. I just wanted to hold him. I talked to him and he also said he feels humiliated. I feel so guilty and disgusting. All their insults got to me so much. I hate that they did but they did.

Long story short - I (25F) was on a 3rd date with a guy (28M) and I was drunk and we kissed for the first time that night and I invited him up to my place because I wanted to kiss him more. I wasn't thinking about sex cuz I was dumb and drunk (I even had to throw up a little bit after we got to my place), so I had to stop us in the middle of doing stuff to say no to sex and I explained to him my boundaries (I wait till I'm in a relationship to have sex and I'd need him to get an STD test for oral sex).
After this, we talked about other normal stuff in between. We also tried making out here and there in between and at some point, he made what sounded like a passive aggressive comment about blue balls. This bothered me so I made a couple comments later that came off quite rude. I tried saving the situation by explaining myself and my boundaries (I told him I haven't had the best dating experiences in the past but didn't go in more detail). I was having a hard time trying to fix things because I was drunk. Things were super awkward and when he was leaving, I could tell how annoyed he was by his face.
The next day, I sent him a lighthearted message that I was feeling better about things and still had fun before the night ended weirdly and he ended up shutting things down with me right after. I feel TERRIBLE about this still cuz things seemed to be going really well before and I have a hard time finding dates in my city. Man, I screwed things up and I keep thinking that we still could have been talking if I just hadn't invited him up or told him my boundaries much more in advance.

For context, I (F22) was on Boo to make friends (on friends mode, not dating mode) as I am an international student in Perth. About 2 weeks ago, I matched with a (China)Chinese guy (M32) who claimed to have been living in Sydney for almost a decade after graduating from university there. The starting conversation was very normal, nothing out of the usual. After chatting for a day, he suggesting moving over to Whatsapp and asked for my number. I was alert at that point and asked: "How would I know if you weren't going to scam me? Why don't you give me your number instead?" To which, he did. So we moved over to Whatsapp to chat.
FYI, Mandarin is not my first language – it's my mother tongue, so I'm not as fluent. He mentioned that he can understand English, but his understanding is limited for some words and the context the words are being used in. Completely understandable, that's how Mandarin is to me. As he's more comfortable in Mandarin, he asked to practice my Mandarin with him – no red flags yet.
The conversation flowed normally, not much flirting, just getting to know one another. Hobbies, plans for the future, differences between Perth and Sydney. He claims that he works in real estate development, and only goes into the office once a week (sounds too good to be true but okay). Said he studied foreign economics and trade, then an MBA in university. Again, nothing crazy or alarming.
It's now the 3rd day, I decide to sus this guy out, and ask why's he still single at age 32 since typically for Chinese, parents would chase their children to get married. He says his parents did chase him to get married, but can't do anything since he's in Sydney, and that he prefers to meet a partner in a natural way than an arranged marriage. That's when he starts flirting a bit – "the biggest takeaway from Boo is you." Then, we chatted about hobbies, etc.
I asked, "if you could turn back time, what would you change?" Him: "I wouldn't change much but if I could turn back time I would purchase all the bitcoin on the market back then and sell it now" Me: "I've been interested in crypto but never had the courage to get into it" Him: "Hahaha, the cryptocurrency and blockchain fields are the most important part of the future market and will replace the traditional financial market"
We started chatting about bitcoin, but nothing alarming.
I jokingly said, "Wait till I earn some money, then I'll purchase some" Him: "When the time comes, I can teach you. Also, getting started with cryptocurrency does not require you to have a lot of funds. There's no restriction" 1/2🚩 Me: "Sure! If we're still talking by then" Him: "I'm not going to disappear, if nothing happens to me I'll still be here for the next 10 years 🤣" Me: "How would I know, haha? We met online" Him: "My feelings are filled with anticipation for you"
He started flirting with me more and more, talking about life, food, the conversation was going great. By now, it's the 4th day, and we had a conversation about food (as usual). I asked him what he had for dinner and he said he got takeout. Him: "If I had the motivation I'd cook, but I've been feeling lazy lately. But maybe if you were in Sydney I'd have more motivation to cook" Me: "What if I'm in Melbourne?" Him: "That's fine too, it's not that far" After more chatting... Me: "I'm only going to Melbourne though, not Sydney" (I'm heading to Melbourne in June) Him: "Then let's meet in Melbourne. I have an apartment there"
Just to be careful, I did not tell him when I would be flying over there, and at this point, he still does not know my full name. I joked with him about me possibly bring an elderly grandpa, or him being one, and pulling the "My mum says I shouldn't be talking to strangers". He replies, "Then don't make any friends 🤣 They're all strangers." He changes the topic because obviously that came off a little passive-aggressive. 1/2🚩
It's now the 5th day, after chatting about our interests, he asks me what I was doing during the weekend as he wanted to teach me about crypto. 🚩 I said, "I have no money" Him: "Well, if you have no money then you should earn some 🤣" Me: "I know, but crypto is dangerous" Him: "There's always a danger in everything, but when you expose yourself to it and learn, you'll understand it better" Me: "Yes and no" Him: "One more thing I have to tell you, you have to buy crypto when you're first starting out if not you can't learn it at all" Me: "I don't want to do that now, I'm okay with chatting about it, but I don't want to start now" Him: "It's your own decision, I just have to make sure you're aware before starting" Me: "Thanks for being honest about it, if not I'd feel like this is a crypto scam, not saying that you are" Him: "It's better to be honest about things." He changed the topic to food (not in a abrupt manner, but quite naturally)
Another day passed, and he went out drinking with friends. After returning home, he seemed to be a little hyper and tipsy, but I don't think he was drunk. I asked for a picture of him drunk because I thought it'd look funny, and he sent it over in 4min. Then, I mustered up my courage to voice call him to which there was no answer, but after 2min, he called back. The call lasted 38sec because I chickened out. To me, this confirmed that he was a legitimate person, not an AI that I was chatting with, and he most likely would be who he said he was. (But with that being said, it is also possible for him to be using a voice changer or whatever.)
After that night, it had been one week of chatting daily, and his texting was the same as usual, flirty but not overbearing. I had been out partying with the girls for a friend's birthday and I got home at 7am in the morning. I had spent the night watching out for my girls as you know, clubbing can be scary at times – the girlies drunk making out with others and all, the usual. As I was telling him about the crazy that went down that night, he said, "as long as nothing happened to you, that's all that matters, if not I'd be heartbroken" Me: "Why?🤣" Him: "Do you still need to ask why?" Me: "Well, if anything happened, then we just cut off this connection, hahaha, anyway we've only met for a few days" Him: "....." Me: "It's realistic" Him: "Is it?" Me: "Huh?" Him: "Rest well at home" Me: "Are you upset?" Him: "Not so far as to be upset about it" Me: "Well, think about it, we've only met a few days, and it's not as if you know if I have a good personality or a bad personality" Him: "If you put in effort to understand, you can actually discover many details" Me: "Then what kind of person do you think I am?" Him: "A realistic and rational person"
And then... I changed the topic because this conversation was getting a bit too deep for me.
It's the 9th day. My friends were really curious interested in this guy that I was chatting with and they wanted to hear his voice (so did I) to confirm his identity. So, childishly, we plotted for me to 'accidentally' leave my phone charging on my friend's table while I went to the bathroom, they unlocked my phone and called him to ask him who he was, then when I returned I'd snatch my phone back. He picked up, it was a 22sec call before I snatched my phone back and ended the call because I was way too embarrassed. He asked, "What happened?" Me: *explains the plot* Him: "Why's your phone unlocked?" Me: "It's locked but my friends know my PIN" Him: "Hahaha, change it" 🚩 Me: "Sorry for the trouble" Him: "It's fine, text me when you're back" A while later.... Me: "I'm back in my room" (I live in a dormitory) *Him asking how my friends know who to call, me explaining that we're together all the time, they know that we've been chatting* Him: "No privacy at all 🤣 They probably saw our entire conversation" Me: "It's okay, they read Mandarin really slow, don't worry 😂" Him: "Babe, you should learn how to protect yourself" Me: "Then when I'm speaking to you don't I need to protect myself?" Him: "Of course" Me: "Anyway, why do I need to hide anything?" 🚩(Can't tell if it's because he's older? That's why he thinks like that?) Him: "You don't care about your own privacy?" Me: "I do" Him: "I think boundaries between friends are important. I'm not mad, I just feel that if your friends can just take your phone, unlock your pin, and call me, wouldn't you be angry?" Me: "But this friend group is like my family" Him: "Your phone is like the last layer of yourself, you need to learn how to take care of yourself" Me: "Well they're just scared I'll get hurt and cheated" Him: "Cheated what?" Me: "They've seen me at my worst" Him: "Cheat you for sex or money? Rest assured, in this lifetime I'll never borrow money from you 🤣" Me: "We don't know if you're a real person either" Him: "Then am I or am I not?" Me: "Probably?" Him: "Really? The word probably?" *more conversation, blah blah*
Then it ended with him confessing that he likes me.
It's the 10th day. The flirting has been amped up and of course I can feel it, he starts calling me babe more, and talking about how it's normal for couples to hug. Of course, I was like "Oh? We're already a couple?" Him: "Aren't we heading in that direction?" Me: "Well that depends on your performance" Him: "If I turned you into a little rich lady, wouldn't you be happier?" Now, he's pushing about crypto again, and if I tried it once, I'd understand. Then, I confronted him, "Why'd you keep asking me about crypto?" Him: "Didn't you say you were interested?" Me: "Yeah I did, but I don't want to randomly start" Him: "How's that considered randomly starting?" Me: "Well, I don't know you well, and it's not as if we've been longtime friends. Also, there's a lot of scams on Boo, especially crypto scams. We've only been talking for a week, how much can I even trust you?" Him: "The decision is still yours to make, but I won't bring it up again" Me: "If I misunderstood you, I apologise. I can chat with you about crypto if it's your interest but I don't want to start now" Him: "We don't have to chat about crypto, there's no point talking about it" Me: "If you feel that I have no interest in crypto and would like to stop talking to me, that's completely understandable" Him: "There's no link between the two" Me: "I mean, some people feel that when there's no common topic, the conversation won't work. People have different dealbreakers." Me: "Have you eaten?"
GHOSTED. So, naturally, I thought he was now 100% a scammer (although it's only been a day). From what I know, he hasn't been active on Boo, his Follower count dropped but his Love count increased a bit. Honestly, everything he's said checks out, the timing under his name is Sydney timezone, his location checks out. Searched his images on Google and the Chinese search engines, nothing comes up.
I thought he blocked me because I sent him, "So you really blocked me just like that? 🤣" on Boo and Whatsapp and it was only a single tick on Whatsapp, which means he didn't receive the message. But turns out, he didn't block me... I was overthinking it. I was so sure he was a scammer, I reported his Boo account... 🙊 He replied after 5hr, "I've got a fever" and when I asked if he was fine, no reply. I am confused. Is he a scammer? Or am I just overthinking it? Did I piss him off perhaps? 🤣
Thanks for taking the time to read this if you have. Please help a confused girl out 🤣

Hi, everybody! First time posting here. Any advice will be appreciated!
I (28F) have been with my boyfriend (32M) for 5 months. We met on a dating app. We are both dating with the intention of getting married and we both are very slow people, so we decided from the very beginning that we will hold off physical intimacy and let it come naturally. Despite the lack of physical intimacy, we instantly hit it off. Since we both work very long hours everyday, we usually just text 1-2x to check up on each other throughout the week and catch up on the weekend. We also work overtime on the weekend, but we always try to spend one day every weekend together to get to know each other. All our values and hobbies align.
The last time we met, we initiated physical intimacy by cuddling and kissing. Before we separated that day, we both discussed how we felt about the experience. We both agreed that it feels good and correct. We both thought that it's the most comfortable we have felt with any other people we've met. We even discussed starting a family and being with each other forever. He even invited me to a party the following weekend to meet his colleagues.
Then, he sent me a text at the end of next week saying our relationship will not work out because he feels no spark between us. What is this spark? I am pretty sure the spark was there at the beginning because that is why we spent so much time together. And as we passed the honeymoon phase, I just assumed the spark transformed into a slow growing love.
I am just very confused by his decision and cannot figure out what went wrong that made the spark so important now. Why hasn't he mentioned this before at all? On the same day I received the text, I messaged back telling him I need him to tell me in a serious conversation what is wrong, even if it's ending it. I asked to schedule a FaceTime call with him. He left me on delivered and never replied. The same night, I sent him a letter expressing my feelings and asked how he wants me to return his stuffs. It has been 6 days and he still left me on delivered and never read my messages. I just don't know how to read into his silence because I know where he lives, so I can totally go and return his belongings. What does his silence mean?
I feel like he is an anxious avoidant partner because throughout our relationship, he will pull back each time when we make milestone in our relationship. He will go through periods of no response with messages. But, he will always reply by the weekend. He did share thoughts of breaking up with me when we hit a rough patch at around 3-4 month of our relationship. I always assured him that everything will be alright as long as we communicate our needs and concerns. He always expressed understanding and slowly started to open up to me about everything in his life. Nothing was abnormal the month prior to him sending the message.
I just feel so blindsided because we did not even have a conflict beforehand. There were absolutely no signs in our most recent conversation and we even made promises to each other about the future. Since I am in grad school and finals are coming up, I have not reached out at all again. I was thinking I will go NC for a month and once I am done with finals I will reach out again to ask if he wants to keep trying and reignite the spark we used to have.
However, I decided to check his dating profile on the app we met, I saw that he updated his profile and he never even bothered to unmatch me. My emotional and mental health are not taking this move from him very well. I don't know what I to do now and I am completely shattered. I really want to see if we can work this out because we have a genuine connection.
Is it stupid to reach out again at this point? I always just thought he needs some space to think about us. Is he moving on already? Can we ever get the spark back?

As a warning this is pretty graphic, blood, bugs, ect.
This weekend me and my partner were on a little vacation for my graduation (about 20 mins away from home) , and we have about 30 different chickens and birds. We do everything to try and keep out predators, and recently we had taken in an elderly turkey a co worker found abandoned. So earlier this month Darrel had been attacked in the middle of the night presumably, nothing major but a slight cut and some tail feathers missing. We assumed it was another turkey (wild) because at that time he was in a temporary shelter without a roof. After that, we quickly set up his permanent shelter, fully caged in. Fwd to this weekend, my partner was coming back to our house daily to check on our birds and other animals, and when he wasn’t his mom was coming later in the days. On Saturday, he couldn’t come check, and his mother had checked in earlier that morning. Sunday we came home with my friend to go to a Mother’s Day dinner and that’s when we found him. My partner came running in the house crying and frantically finding gloves and medicine saying that Darrel had been attacked and was barley moving. I’m freaking out and go out to help, blood is everywhere. He was still standing and alive but in pain. My partner then tells me his wound has maggots and is too far gone to help. To spare the harder details, we did what we had to do. I said goodbye before he did it, and all I can see is his face, and him letting me pet his head as I said goodbye and apologized for not being there. I keep re living the gagging me and my partner were going through as we tried to fix him. Hearing his death twitch when I opened the door after the shot. My partner wouldn’t let me go out for a few. I’m usually okay with death as it comes with this life style but what I can’t get out of my head is the fact he had to be alive with such wounds, and seeing my partner fall apart. I couldn’t get the smell out of my mind, and still can’t. We took him to the pond on our property, and put him to rest with a hydrangea I had got for my graduation.
We set up the live trap to hopefully catch what got him before it tried to get to our other birds, and it ended up being a fox that was riddled with mange, and cleared up the thought of why it didn’t just kill him instead of leaving him like that. it’s because it was suffering trying to get a meal. It couldn’t see it was so covered and it was so skinny, and starved. it made since as to why it would even try to get at a 60lb bird. I don’t know how to stop seeing it all playing in my head. I miss him. I wanted to give him a good rest of his days. I miss his talking in the mornings. I hate this.

The final straw happened today.
I asked him about the song, told him I know he posted it for a reason. He ofc denied it. I know it is emotional manipulation. He can deny all he wants, I know him too well.
Messages back and forth, devolving pretty quickly from him being sad and lost and being upset at the situation to how it is my fault, my behavior Yada Yada Yada. Kept my words non confrontational and honest. Reminded him again he is splitting and he was the aggressor. Made sure to clearly explain our experiences are different. Ofc no accountability on his end.
Threw out some details that need to be dealt with. Was then called a narcissist for wanting my things and money. Probably didn't help that I step by factual step reminded him exactly what my experience was.
He then proceeded to claim he told his therapist everything and that she essentially said it was okay because he was reacting and felt threatened.
I had to repeat that back: You're telling me you told your counselor you physically threatened me and that she said that was okay. That is highly unlikely
His reply: Yep because i didnt actually do anything but react to your outburst of which youve done repeatedly. and i felt theatened as i was driving. and i did not actually follow through
This certainly does not sound correct to me dear reader....it sounds like a distorted version or an outright lie.....
He did say once over the past few weeks that nothing can be changed because I told my therapist...he didnt finish the thought..I do wonder what was actually said, although it is none of my business. I do not care I was there and I know what happened. And he doesn't even have the time line right in his version. I am tempted to finally email her with this. I have it in writing now that he is manipulating the narrative. I might. Im gonna talk to my therapist first.
Anyhoooo, after expressing my experience and asking for my property and money, I ofc got called a narcissist full of shit gross ugly whatever. The whole time as I was stating all I want is respect and decency while he is still in the house and we will just avoid each other.
Then, after all the vitriol and venom, a half passed apology and thanking me for everything I've done. 🙄
He was gone when I came home, no clue where and I do not care. I will move his shit to the garage when I have the energy.
And the only thing he did was remove his own pictures from the walls.......if that doesn't scream narcissist I do not know what does.....
I am completely and utterly done. Via con Dios you poor thing. If you can't make it with me, I'm pretty sure you don't have much of a chance. Everything you do is gonna fail, and it will be by your own hand as always. You've forgotten what the world is like without me, you're only mirroring me after all. But you never really absorbed the lessons, just distorted them for your own needs. The universe will sort it out. This I know for a fact. It always does.
And that dear reader, is the end. YE who enter here abandon all hope. save yourself some time and energy, if you're questioning whether it will work out or if you should ever expect things to change, that's a no from me dog. It will always be something and it will always be your fault.

Hi. So my (F17) family is very Christian and conservative. Church twice a week, Bible studies, typical family roles, purity rings, all that.
I’ve been dating my boyfriend Jay (M16) for almost two years. My parents hated him at first, but they tolerate him now. He dresses punk, has piercings, and is an atheist. The ONLY reason my parents are okay with him now is because we made up a lie that Jay wants to be a Christian and that I’ve been teaching him a lot and we read the Bible together, etc. He comes to church with us often. He doesn’t believe in it and honestly I don’t know if I even do at this point. But that’s another story.
Other reasons why my parents hate him is because his parents are “trashy” (poor) and he “smells like a sinner” (he smells like cigarettes because of his parents constantly smoking in their house, he’s actually super insecure about it.) I don’t think it’s fair at all. It’s not his fault.
Hes also never does drugs/smokes/drinks but they’re so convinced he does. Like whenever I come home from hanging out with him they’ll “check and make sure” I’m not high/drunk.
Anyways. Yesterday he was spending the night at my house. My door doesn’t have a lock on it, so we always just wait til everyone is asleep to quietly have sex. It’s never failed us before so I thought we were okay. Nope. About 10 mins in my mom swings open the door. All 3 of us were fucking horrified. She goes to get my dad, we quickly put on our clothes. They start yelling at us. Saying i was disgusting and how they should’ve never let Jay come and “corrupt me” and how “they were ignoring signs from god to get him away” I was wearing my purity ring, they made sure to bring that up about 50 times. They said I disappointed them and God and that I’m not going to be “full of his crack babies” which just made me feel disgusting. The way they were describing everything made me feel so. Disgusting.
They made Jay walk home alone. They went through my phone and prayed with me saying I’d work on this and I’d go back to being a pure girl.
I’m so humiliated. Today they said they were gonna put me in “weekly Christian counseling” (whatever that is) I saw Jay in class and he looked so sad. I just wanted to hold him. I talked to him and he also said he feels humiliated. I feel so guilty and disgusting. All their insults got to me so much. I hate that they did but they did.

**He’s from Canada (M29), I’m from Asia (F24)
My queries are:

1. Is it possible for the person to he persecuted even when I live so far away?
2. Do you personally know someone who got fined or jailed for doing such actions?

A little summary, I broke it off because I got fed up, but he couldn't accept it. He has been trying to win me back but kept rejecting so guess that's why he's mad (Also, because I have been ignoring him). Before he threatened me about leaking my nudes, we were bickering about something and he asked me to block him and that if I don't, he'd do something. And so I did block him, then unblocked out of fear. He has been trying to add me on snap multiple times after I removed him. I ignored him for days. I forgot to block his number and he texted me and threatened to send it to someone else and that person is going to do the leaking (Mind you, this person that he's going to send it to is known to keep people's nudes and spread them). He threatened to spread it like wildfire.
I gave in and added him back to try to talk him out of it. It seems that he's firm on wanting to do it and he kept saying he wouldn't change his mind. My mistake maybe is that I said I was scared he’d really do it — showing weakness.
l am not sure if it's already out or not.
I have contacted my cousin who is a lawyer and she helped me report the case (https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/incident-management/report-cyber-incident-individuals). She has already sent in the report with the receipts of the threats, including info about him.
Also, is there anything else I can add or do? I have been very anxious about this whole situation and any insight or answers would be of help. This all happened yesterday and today.
Thank you so much!

(Asterisk)
I don’t think this post will last long.
One thing I’ve learned over these past few years is that life isn’t like the movies. In the movies, the widower learns to love again and they walk hand-in-hand into a sunset as the credits role. The trouble is, they never show the scenes in between.
I need to dump an old fashioned rant – it won’t make sense, I just need to say it… because I’m in one of those scenes tonight.
I don’t know what’s happening to me right now. Dotty saw it all over my face earlier and she asked me where I was. She’s so good to me and so kind. She wanted to know if I was okay. I was looking at her as she spoke but I had to look down and stop myself. Because I damn nearly told her that I didn’t know who she was.
It’s a simple relapse, nothing more. It’s just that it’s been a lot this week. And I loved her so much.
I have a rule with Dotty, and I would impose it tonight. It’s a good rule, really, and it works either way. All we have to do is say, “I need to be irrational for a little while,” and off we go - no questions. Though I know she hates not asking questions, but I always let her after.
I think PJ brought his mother closer when we had our rowdy discussion because that’s what he needed to do. Part of the deal we brokered was that he could remember her out loud, any time the moment struck him, and he has. We all talk about his mother every day and have from the moment she left – it’s not that. It’s just different with PeeJ. It’s more personal.
He said things that only he would – because PJ sees the world as only he does. Well, maybe not only. He sees the world like I do. And that’s the hitch.
Nobody tells you that the things you’ll miss the most are the little ones. He misses the little things. And for a while, he told me what they were. He misses, for example, how she always asked, “What am I?” before adding whatever fit the moment.
“Mommy, how do geese know when it’s time to fly south?”
“What am I, and ornithologist?”
He misses the way her ankle clicked when she walked, but only in the morning. He misses how she loved to sing, but never got the lyrics right. He misses how she would lead him down wild paths of fantastic stories just to get him to do things, and then blow it all up in the end.
“And it was because of that one book report that a young Hemmingway would change the world.”
“Wow, really?”
“No. But my point is…”
Suzie’s memory is alive in this house and will be for the rest of our lives. It’s just that, recently, it’s been less of a cliché. And I wonder if how I feel tonight is the way he’s felt all along. I don’t know if that makes sense. He’s just a boy; his view is different from mine; his world is smaller. But he sees it just like I do.
I come here to be honest because it helps. The things I can’t say out loud, and all that. The trouble is that honesty is a moving target where things don’t always stay true. In the moment, for example, I wish I had let Dotty go, because I want to be alone. I don’t want to have married again, it was a mistake. Tomorrow will be different.
It’s hard to love Dot and not feel as though I’ve betrayed another promise; it’s always in the back of my mind. And it’s hard to have these thoughts and not see Danny’s face that night, when he lost his temper and yelled, “She’s dead, Mack.”
It wasn’t supposed to be this way and I wonder if I've just been playing along.
I’m also conscious that something more is missing. I watched the boys playing basketball earlier and I watched Zach. He’s perfect. I’m fairly convinced that, had Zach not been hurt, I would have simply stopped living that night, in any real sense of the word. I hate me for that thought, but I’ve had it before. And I wonder if I would have been the same father. While Zach needed me, I had a reason – I will always see to the boys. I feel selfish seeing to me.
The moment in the car with PJ yesterday was substantial – I think I called it one of the most significant moments that I’ve ever shared. There’s a void now, where once there was guilt. People dream of being relieved of such a burden, and here I am wondering what to do without it. Typing that now, I think my epiphany is that if the boys are alright, then I have nothing left but to look at myself. I’ve known this, I’ve said this before. I guess it’s just different when the time actually comes.
I never had a moment to say goodbye – I never saw her again, not even after because they wouldn’t let me. I had no time to process it all and maybe that’s why I came here. If it’s true that in some weird way the idea that I didn’t have time to process it all saved me then, it’s killing me now. I think it’s hitting me at last, for as insane as that may seem and for all that’s happened since.
I’ve always been a simple man, astonished by my own fortune and eternally grateful for it. I came from nothing, but I had it all. I want to type “I still do” but losing Suzie breaks the math. And it feels like nobody will ever understand why. She was my life.
I’ve moved on, I’ve held the hands of my son as they moved on and I still do. I’ve found love again and I’ve motored through the transition with sincerity and a dose of frank honesty. I’ll never lie to Dot. And I do love her – more each day in fact. And I am astonished that the world would offer me something as wonderful, twice in a lifetime. But I hope you see that there remain some things that I still can’t say out loud.
Maybe I just need to feel bad tonight.

**He’s from Canada (M29), I’m from Asia (F24)
My queries are:

1. Is it possible for the person to he persecuted even when I live so far away?
2. Do you personally know someone who got fined or jailed for doing such actions?

A little summary, I broke it off because I got fed up, but he couldn't accept it. He has been trying to win me back but kept rejecting so guess that's why he's mad (Also, because I have been ignoring him). Before he threatened me about leaking my nudes, we were bickering about something and he asked me to block him and that if I don't, he'd do something. And so I did block him, then unblocked out of fear. He has been trying to add me on snap multiple times after I removed him. I ignored him for days. I forgot to block his number and he texted me and threatened to send it to someone else and that person is going to do the leaking (Mind you, this person that he's going to send it to is known to keep people's nudes and spread them). He threatened to spread it like wildfire.
I gave in and added him back to try to talk him out of it. It seems that he's firm on wanting to do it and he kept saying he wouldn't change his mind. My mistake maybe is that I said I was scared he’d really do it — showing weakness.
l am not sure if it's already out or not.
I have contacted my cousin who is a lawyer and she helped me report the case (https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/incident-management/report-cyber-incident-individuals). She has already sent in the report with the receipts of the threats, including info about him.
Also, is there anything else I can add or do? I have been very anxious about this whole situation and any insight or answers would be of help. This all happened yesterday and today.
Thank you so much!

my boyfriend of three years today joked, “you’re mentally abusive but you have good pussy so it makes up for it” he earlier emphasized on the “you’re mentally abusive” part by saying “like i’m not gonna lie, but ….” i made him wait 4 months into the relationship to fuck me. he’s my only body. i never wanted this, to be viewed like this. i realized he only keeps me around cuz my pussy. obviously him finding me to be mentally abusive fucking sucks as well, lately i have been keeping all my problems to myself, not directing any anger at him, etc. i’ve really been trying to step it up & make our relationship healthier. apparently i havent changed. i hate myself so bad, why cant i ever evolve? will i always be stuck here, as a bad friend, a bad partner, bad daughter, bad person? no matter how hard i try to dig myself out of this hole i always seem to dig myself deeper. he noticed i got quiet & after some convincing i finally told him what was wrong. i really didn’t feel like talking about it. talking about my problems makes me feel super self centred & also just stupid. at a point i would’ve freaked out & burst into tears. instead i just calmly told him what he said was a really horrible thing to hear for multiple reasons. he started backpedaling saying that he didn’t really mean i was mentally abusive to him, he was just joking, that he sees & appreciates everything i do for him. while i do understand that he was just joking, it hurts because i know it came from a place of truth. i repeated what he said to him, as if i were him talking to a friend of his: “oh, my girlfriend sucks & is a mentally abusive person, but she has great pussy so it makes up for it.” he said he would never introduce me that way to someone or talk about me to someone like that. i just said “but that’s exactly what you just said to me.” he keeps texting me apologizing & saying he wishes he could take it back. i keep telling him its okay & not to worry about it, that i’m okay, etc. i haven’t cried about it. i just feel numb. its just thing after thing, again & again. nothing changes. i am trapped in this hell of repeated hurt & loss.

This happened almost 25 years ago, before the age of smartphones that could look up an answer in a few minutes, and besides, there is nothing that can be looked up, I have tried to in later years.
My new wife belonged to a Spiritualist church in Swampscott MA when we met. Part of the weekly services were readings from a psychic of members of the audience.
The church was having a fair one Saturday, to help raise money for a new roof for the building. One of the events was a opportunity to have a personal reading done, so I signed up and had my reading a few minutes later.
I barely knew the woman who was doing the reading, only briefly having met her once. I doubt that she even knew my last name (It is Sicilian, different to spell, pronounce and has many vowels) but may have seen it on the sign up sheet.
So Joanne, the psychic proceeds to tell me that she had a "older woman's spirit" there who was "like a grandmother, or aunt" I am trying to figure out who it is when Joanne says that she is definitely an aunt, but an old one, like a great aunt.
The spirit then identifies itself as one of my Sicilian grandmother's six sisters. I had met four of them but I never met, or knew anything about, including their names, of the other two sisters.
So the spirit says through Joanne (and I kid you not) "of all of the sisters, I was the least rude"
Well, I had no idea which one it was. My grandmother took no shit from anyone, ever, and could often come across as rude.
So the spirit tries again and said that "of all of the sisters, I had the worst health" This was no help, I still had no idea who it was.
Then Joanne said "I am getting a name now. It is something like Pia or Pina or Nina" Unfortunately I still didn't know who it was.
Finally, the spirit stops trying to identify itself and just gives me a message that I can't even remember. Lol.
That night I called my father and said "Dad, I am going to ask you a couple of questions and I will explain later what they are about"
I asked him "Of all of grandma's sisters, which one is was the least rude?" He hems and haws some and then says "probably aunt Phyllis" (one of the aunts that I knew)
I then asked him "of all of the sisters, which one had the worst health?"
Without missing a beat, he said "aunt Pina" I didn't even know that I had an aunt Pina. Her full name was Josepina and only members of the family called her Pina.
Needless to say, this was a bit shocking to me. I have had other readings before and I have received messages from other relatives who had passed on, but I never heard anything so specific, personal and verifiable before.
It is almost 25 years later and it still gives me goosebumps every time tell the story, including just now.
Be well everyone. There is more to life than our lives on earth.

I need help/advice. here's my story. i'm 17 years old, 5 months from being 18. when i was about 10 i met a guy on kik messenger, who was 14-15. we were friends off and on until i was 14 and he was 18-19, when he started a relationship with me. it was very sexual and he would frequently ask for pictures which i would give. i was dealing with emotional and physical abuse in my home from my father, and i often felt worthless and that nobody loved me, so i would search for that love wherever i could, even in stupid online relationships/friendships. i was admitted to long term inpatient treatment from 14-16. when i got out, the man i had the relationship with was waiting for me. from january-april 2023 the relationship continued and it was even more sexual than before, but now he would frequently give me money and even sent gifts to my house. he once ejaculated on a sweatshirt and mailed it to me. he talked about planning to meet me and having sex with me as soon as i met him at the airport. he even told me he wanted to marry me. at this point i was 16 and he was 20. he had hundreds of sexual and non sexual photos of me dating back to me being 10 years old. if he ever knew i was talking to any male friends he would message them nasty things about me. he also would allude to having cartel relations, i dont know if this is true or not. once he sent me a video of a woman being stabbed to death by her boyfriend and he said that would happen to me if i left him. he knew and still knows my address. i ended up threatening to call his police department so he would leave me alone. almost a year later, yesterday, i decided to confront him. he says it was all my fault and if i tell i will get in trouble since i sent pictures, and also because the legal age in my state is 16 theres laws that he wont get in trouble. (even though the sexual stuff started when i was 14.) i feel so disgusting and used and i hate myself for what happened. i want to tell but im scared. will i get in trouble? what if he hurts me?

Social Media and smartphones are warping how we see the real world and our reality is losing nuance rapidly.
Take the man or bear debate as a recent example. The whole premise is unhelpful and based on a glaring falsehood. It's like a 13-year-old's first essay on a topic they know next to nothing about. I'm pretty sure actual survivors of sexual abuse don't give a single damn about this "dilemma". They have real issues to deal with that those of us who are engaging in this discourse have the privilege of not having to deal with. All this fad is doing is spread the paranoid notion that there are male predators waiting around every other corner. How is that helping survivors of abuse with real trauma and fears that they carry with them in public places on a daily basis? It is absolutely not a show of solidarity to those who have actually suffered, yet people do genuinely believe they are "raising awareness", or "taking a stand".
I mean it's a far-less improbable yet ironic scenario to imagine someone walking the dim city streets at night alone with their necks bent square over their smartphones, going round corners oblivious to their surroundings while texting "I'll take the bear lol". Those same people will say they're afraid to walk alone at night and they yeard for the bear. I made that scenario up, but I've literally seen people bumping into walls and into other people in a smart phone-induced trance and just continuing like nothing happened and I've also seen people gleefully (not ruefully) opt for "the bear". What I mean is a lot of people are claiming to be terrified when they're not.
Like with the Tik-tok trend that's been dangerously telling people they have "high-functioning anxiety" without professional diagnoses, where if everyone is mentally ill then no one is mentally ill¹, it also stands to reason that if everyone is afraid, then no one is afraid. It's a dangerous way of "showing solidarity" to let pervade through society. I'm no Jordan Peterson fan, but this is a good example of the dangers of fake solidarity*. It's not just fake; it's damaging.
The whole bear vs man thing just seems to polarise people into two camps who perceive the other either as man-haters or rape-apologists. But you know what? it's not even close to being real and does absolutely nothing to bring people of differing views any closer to understanding each other. I also 100% guarantee you that those who "choose the bear" don't actually practise what they preach in their lives to even the slightest degree. One example I witnessed was at a recent social occasion where a female high school teacher whom I know quite well told her boyfriend and father to ask her if she was alone in the woods, what she would prefer... Before she even said the words "bear", or "man", I knew where where we were heading and intuitively knew what her answer was going to be.
It wasn't a debate from the very beginning. It was more like a joke - a weird joke about sexual assault told in the first person. Before she'd even got to her supposedly mind-blowing punchline (which was, in case you're a bit late to this party, "I'd choose the bear because the bear won't rape me!"), everyone seemed to know what it was going to be. Given the expectant grin on her face when she said these impactful words, It didn't turn out to be the “gotcha” she thought it was going to be. This was quite an awkward experience. I can only guess that the "gotcha" aimed at the men in the room was supposed to educate them to be ashamed to be male on the spot. It didn’t. I explained why I thought the whole thing was flawed and I was informed I needed to lighten up. I was definitely mistaken in thinking that it was a chance to talk philosophy (is it ever these days?), but perpetuating the idea that "male rapists are everywhere" while simultaneously trivialising real suffering of abuse goes completely unchecked because when we engage in this form of discourse we reduce ourselves to vacuous, infantile creatures who ironically think they're acting like fully-developed adults. Rape is light-hearted; yet - and this is where the cognitive disonance gets really odd - you're either standing up for it or you're standing up against it, but no matter what side you're on, it's funny. Instead of thinking, "why is she grinning?!", we're thinking, "what side am I on and how can I also somehow make it funny?". When in reality, it's surface-level shock-value statements with zero nuance that we allow to insincerely represent us (the wide-grinning rape denouncer doesn't practise what she preaches: she isn't a raging man-hater; she's a decent person, but for some reason, she's adopted an inane comic-strip view on something as serious as rape - and incredibly, it's all in the defence of victims!).
And this way of engaging in discourse is everywhere. On Reddit, Facebook, Twitter etc., the finger-pointing and artificial coralling of all of us into fake dualities of misogynist vs virgin-for-life simp, misandrist vs patriachy-enabler, racist vs communist and many others are rife and it's finding its way into real-life discourse at the dinner table, the classroom and the office.
If we artificially and insincerely self-separate into these 1s and 0s, are we making it easier for the A.I. on our devices to "understand" us, classify us, manipulate us and ultimately annihilate us?
OK, maybe I went too far there, but is this jarring lack of nuance really the only way we want to "talk about" serious topics now? Is it only going to get worse? I feel like it wasn't long ago you could have real discussions about issues, but this art is dying - and rapidly. You can probably sense my frustration at how society is organising itself right now and I'd love to know if anyone has any suggestions on what we can do to encourage healthy conversations and debate with each other. Maybe I'm the problem. I used to be surrounded by people who took part in stimulating, nuanced debate and now I'm not. We used to tolerate different viewpoints and we didn't confront and "block" each other on a hair-trigger. Maybe I'm old and the kids are actually all right. Let me know.
¹ ~https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5MCw8446gs&ab_channel=TheNewYorkTimes~
*I couldn't find a good quote for this, but similarly, he terms it "narcissistic compassion"

Cover Art!
Just because you’re transported to another world, doesn’t mean you’ll escape from your pain.
Abused by her parents, thirteen-year-old Frances only wants to be safe and for her life not to hurt so much. And when she and her class are transported to the magical world of Durannon to fight the monsters invading the human kingdoms and defeat the self-titled Demon King, Frances is presented with a golden opportunity. If she succeeds, Frances will have the home she never had. If she fails, Frances will be summoned back to the home she escaped.
Yet, despite her newfound magic and friends, Frances finds that trauma is not so easily lost. She is dogged by her abuse and its physical and invisible scars. Not only does she have to learn magic, she has to survive the nightmares of her past, and wrestle with her feelings of doubt and self-loathing.
If she can heal from her trauma, though, she might be able to defeat the Demon King and maybe, just maybe, she can find a home for herself.
[The Beginning] [<=Chapter 216] [Chapter Index and Blurb] [Chapter 218 May 28 or see the next chapter now on Patreon]
The Fractured Song Index
Discord Channel Just let me know when you arrive in the server that you’re a Patreon so you can access your special channel.
Frances and company catch up before the final battle.
***
“Hold on. How would he win this battle if we outnumber him and surround him?” Ginger asked.
“He could target our leadership. Focus on killing Titania, Antigones, you and Martin,” said Ayax.
“Only, he’d have to kill Sebastian and Megara, as well as Edana and you too, Frances, along with a whole list of targets. I’m not sure how he could pull that off,” said Elizabeth.
Ayax grimaced, brow furrowed, but Frances knew the answer to that question.
“Thorgoth doesn’t need to find half the targets he’s after. Myself, mom, Titania, our strongest mages and the rest of the people that will be on his list have leadership positions. Like it or not we’ll be involved in the battle and he just needs to find us on the battlefield. A well-placed spell and he’d snuff any non-magic person out,” Frances said.
“So what do we do then?” Martin asked.
Frances’ heart was pounding, for she knew the answer, but was afraid to give it life. Yet what could she do but tell what she knew was the truth?
“Take the battle to him. Thorgoth will have to operate by himself with maybe just his Royal Guards. We need to hold him and his escort and defeat him before he hurts everybody else.”
“So, all the Otherworlders, our best mages?” Ayax asked.
“Not all of them. But my mother and I, Jessica and Leila, Dwynalina and Jim and Nicole, with a few Otherworlders holding off his guards,” said Frances.
Elizabeth pursed her lips. “Ayax and I can go after Queen Berengaria. I can’t imagine her going far from her husband.”
“This is assuming we can at least split the attention of the dragons and keep them occupied of course,” said Martin. He touched Ginger’s elbow. “Not that I don’t trust you dear.”
“Oh I know, but it is a consideration.” She swirled the wine in her cup. “That means Martin and I will be directing the battle with Sebastian and Alexander.”
“It’s likely you’ll be the overall commander with Martin. Alexander and Sebastian would then take charge of their own contingents,” said Elizabeth. She bit her lip. “Do you feel up for it?”
Ginger shrugged. “I mean, we have to—”
Elizabeth reached out to pat her friend’s shoulder. “Martin, Ginger, you know we have every faith in both of you, but if you need help, there is no shame in asking for it.”
“Besides I think we’re all scared. I know I am,” Ayax said with a smile. Even so, they could all see how her tail looked like it was trying to twist itself into knots. Frances figured her cousin wasn’t trying to hide her fear, just trying not to alarm or panic them.
Martin sighed. “I think that’s the problem, Liz. Duty compels us. Love binds us. So I know no matter what happens, I know we’ll stand together to face him. Still, we are afraid and while I know I won’t run, I worry that fear may cloud my judgment at a crucial moment.”
Ginger wiped her eyes, but her tears now flowed freely down her cheeks. “How do I know I won’t panic, and make a bad call? How do we know we are all coming back? We can’t. I…I guess we have to accept that, but I don’t want to lose you. Any of you.”
Drawing her friend into a tight hug, Elizabeth gently patted Ginger’s back. “I don’t either. I suppose that for me, I’ve always looked to my faith in God, and in you all. Have we not triumphed in all we’ve faced?””
Frances found herself nodding, her throat unclenching and the tight nervousness in her shoulders and neck fading. What remained was a faint feeling of lightness that lifted her chin.
“You’re right. We should believe in ourselves, and hope. Hope for a future when we win this war. Hope that our good will triumph over Thorgoth’s evil. Hope that in a few days, we’ll be home with our family, and our friends.”
Martin gave Frances a wondering look. “How are you able to hope that?”
Frances smiled. “I think that I have always been good at having hope. I didn’t realize it until now, but even in my darkest moments, I always hoped that I would find a place where I could be me.”
Ayax stood up, raising her glass. “To faith, friendship and hope. May it see us all through our final trial.”
Rising to their feet, the five touched glasses and drank deep. They all were smiling. The pain and fear in their hearts soothed by the hope they held and the determination to see each other once again.
***
“Frances, can I walk with you?”
Frances would never have said no to her best friend, and she could tell that past Elizabeth’s bright smile, her friend was worried. There were just too many small signs learnt from years of friendship. She was scratching behind her ear, and her eyes were narrowed just slightly from the tension in her face.
“Of course,” said Frances, falling in beside the tall Otherworlder. “How are you and Ayax?”
Elizabeth giggled. “We’re great! Fantastic even. She and I are even talking about what we might do after the war. We have so many plans and well, I kind of wanted to talk to you about that.”
Frances waited as Elizabeth continued to walk beside her, lips pursed.
“I know that after the war, I’m choosing to stay here with Ayax, with all of you. I just…” her voice trailed off, and her walk slowed to a crawl.
Taking a slight breath, Frances touched her friend’s hand. “Liz, you know it’s okay for you to doubt that.”
Elizabeth stopped and shook her head. “Oh no, I don’t have any doubts about my decision. At the very least, I’m past the point where my doubts aren’t going to change my decision. I know I’ve changed too much in the past seven years. I’ve come to terms with my sexuality. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with a woman who loves me just as much. I’ve commanded armies, led soldiers into battle and helped to make decisions affecting hundreds of thousands of people. I can’t go back pretending I’m Grade 8 and neither do I want to.” She squeezed Frances’s hand. “My decision is the right one. I know it in my heart and I’ve prayed about it. I can do a lot of good here and me going back? That won’t just hurt the people I love here, but it’ll hurt me and my family at home. I can’t hide who I’ve become and I’m proud of what I’ve grown into.”
Frances closely studied her friend knowing Elizabeth wouldn’t mind her staring.
“So what are you feeling, Liz?”
Closing her eyes, Elizabeth sniffled. “Guilt. It’s stupid. I know I’m making the right choice. I’m sure in my heart that God is encouraging me to make this choice, but I still feel guilty.”
“How could you not? You know your family loves you.”
“And I’m abandoning them. I know I’m doing the right thing but I still feel like I’m doing something wrong,” said the Otherworlder.
Frances hugged her best friend, squeezing her tight, hoping that her warmth and touch could comfort the woman who she’d trusted as much as her own mother.
“Liz, if they are everything you told me, they’re going to be alright. Have faith in them, like your faith in me and your friends.”
Elizabeth let out a sigh, but returned the hug. “Thank you, Frances. If…if the worst comes and you are sent back without me, go to them. Tell them I love them.”
Tears in her eyes, Frances nodded. “I promise. If you are sent back, I will take care of Ayax.”
Elizabeth let out a gurgly hiccup. “Thank you. I know you will.”
***
The historic coronation of King Martin and Queen Ginger would found what would be known as the Congrey dynasty. Con for Conthwaite and Grey for King Jerome’s dynasty.
It was an unusual coronation as King Martin and Queen Ginger were long-betrothed but not married. Yet King Jerome and Queen Forowena’s wills had been clear. Apart from that, the coronation involved as many of Eridale's traditions as possible in light of the circumstances.
Down the parade route attended by all those that could be mustered, King and Queen marched in at the head of an honor guard composed of their closest companions. These included Frances, Elizabeth, and Ayax, who held three poles of a crimson banner that hung over the pair. The fourth corner was held by Martin’s sister Mara, who wore a slightly undignified grin. Yet, nobody could really blame her.
Martin wore a black-white checkered tunic with red-gold trimmings and shoulder epaulets. His trousers were dark gray with again red-gold tassels. Ginger did wear a dress. It was of a dark maroon with silver lacing. A bejeweled gorget studded with emeralds hung from her neck and her ears sparkled with dark blue sapphires.
There was one minor alteration. As the procession marched up to the entrance of the old Goblin Empire palace, on a raised wooden dais dressed with elaborately embroidered carpets stood the attending dignitaries. They included all the other Erisdalian lords and ladies such as Viscountess Katia and Lord Tarquin, dressed in all the finery they could muster. Other notables such as Prince Timur, representing the Kingdom of Alavaria, Grandmaster Edana of the White Order and Alexander and Eloise of Erlenberg stood proudly side by side.
Towards the center of the dais were three figures. King Sebastian and Queen-Consort Megara, and the former Queen Janize. Sebastian and Megara were standing, holding Queen Forowena’s crown, whilst the heavily pregnant Janize sat, holding King Jerome’s crown. Thorgoth may have taken their decorated helmets, but he did not have their ceremonial attire.
Martin and Ginger stepped out from under the awning, giving their bearers a brief nod, before taking the last steps up the dais.
Whistling a spell, Megara touched her throat with her wand. “Who stands before the crowns?”
Martin knelt to one knee. The bearers of the awning followed. “Sir Martin of Conthwaite. A Knight of Erisdale.”
Ginger curtsied low. Frances nearly split her lips as she grinned at her friend’s perfect form. “Ginger. Just Ginger of Erisdale.”
Janize’s expression was unreadable as she rose to her feet. There was a slight archness to her features, and yet that could just be how she lifted her haughty cheeks.
“As witnessed by all, and by the King and Queen of Lapanteria, do you swear to defend Erisdale with all means at your disposal including force of arms?”
“We do.”
“Do you swear to uphold the laws of the land and the rights of Erisdale’s citizens?”
“We do!”
“Do you swear that until your dying breaths, to govern and reign over Erisdale not for your benefit, but for the benefit of the people and for their future generations?”
From her kneeling position, Frances frowned. That wasn’t quite the right oath. The wording was “Do you swear to govern over Erisdale wisely and justly?” She supposed that she might have missed it, or maybe there was a variation.
Yet as she noted her fiance’s face, she noticed his eyes were wide and her mother’s eyebrow was arched.
Not skipping a beat, Martin and Ginger bellowed. “We do!”
“Do you swear that you will do your utmost not to make the same mistakes as your predecessors and do whatever it takes to preserve Erisdale’s peace, even if it may cost you your lives?”
Frances blinked. Janize had gone completely off script. There was no fourth oath.
However, Martin and Ginger only hesitated for a moment as they exchanged a glance and looked up to meet Janize’s gaze.
The blonde woman’s eyes were bright and the hands holding Jerome’s crown were trembling ever so slightly. Frances had wondered why she’d insisted on doing this. Martin and Ginger had wanted to approach her to ask if she was willing, but the enigmatic former queen had surprised them by demanding they allow her to crown them. She now had an idea as to why.
“We do,” said Martin, smiling.
Ginger returned that smile. Blinking back her own tears, she took a breath. “In the name of Queen-consort Forowena and your brother, King Jerome. We solemnly swear.”
Janize closed her eyes, a single tear running down her cheek.
“Then as the last heiress of House Grey, I pass the crown of Erisdale on forever. Long live the Congrey dynasty. Long live Martin the Hero of Erisdale and his queen to be Ginger, whom I dub Erisdale’s Burning Heart.”
Lifting Jerome’s crown high, she set it onto Martin’s head. Swiftly taking Queen Forowena’s crown from Sebastian, she set it on Ginger’s head.
“Hail King Martin and Queen Ginger!” Janize bellowed as Martin and Ginger rose to their feet.
The crowd chanted back, their voices filling the great cavern. “Hail King Martin and Queen Ginger! Hail King Martin and Queen Ginger!” Frances could barely hear her own voice over the crescendo. The call that they all raised. Like the sound carried up into the void, she could feel herself be carried up. It was like she was floating on the power of their united song.
Turning around, Martin and Ginger smiled at Frances. Their eyes were wide, and she could see them clasp each other’s hands tightly.
Frances found herself standing on her feet, the pole to her awning in her hand. Without a second thought, she stabbed the pole’s spike into the ground. As her hand dropped to Alanna, she paused for a moment before her mind caught up with her body, and she nodded as if to herself.
Drawing the estoc, Frances raised her blade high, saluting her two friends.
“Long may they reign! Long may they reign!”
Elizabeth was right behind her, hammer raised high. Ayax followed suit with her staff and Mara and the rest were soon drawing their weapons. From the corner of her eye, Frances even spotted Morgan and Hattie raising their wand and staff.
“Long may they reign! Long may they reign!”
***
Helias glanced over his shoulder toward the accursed city. Despite the distance, there was a tremble in the air of Kairoun-Aoun itself.
“Helias?” Sara asked.
“Sounds like they crowned Martin and Ginger. They’re going to attack soon,” he said.
Sara nodded, her tense jaw the only sign of the worry that had seized the harpy-orc. As gently as he could manage with his rough, scarred hands, he wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Sara. We’re going to be fine.”
“You’re lying,” she said with eyes fixed forward.
The general couldn’t help but wince. “Sorry.”
Slowing in her stride, Sara placed a hand over Helias’s. “I still appreciate you trying to comfort me but I would prefer you to tell me the truth. How bad is it?”
Helias looked around. “Thorgoth may pull off a miracle and get himself and Berengaria out. However, a lot of Alavari are going to die.”
“What are you going to do?” Sara asked.
“I’ll have to attend this meeting and see what Thorgoth is planning. We’ll make a plan after that.”
“You and I know it’s not going to change anything,” Sara said, looking up at her husband, who could not meet her gaze. Yet, she didn’t push him away. Instead put her hand around his waist, drawing him closer.
“I know, but I want to be sure,” said Helias in a low tone.
“I understand. See you soon,” said Sara.
***
Helias found himself exchanging side-long glances with Glowron. The pair sat, both leaning forward toward King Thorgoth and a pacing Queen Berengaria, who’d finished explaining tomorrow’s strategy.
“Do you have anything else to add, my good generals?” Thorgoth asked. The king still smiled easily as he swirled a cup of wine in his hands.
Glowron shook his head. His tone was short but he kept this expression neutral. “No sire.”
The goblin general was Helias’s superior in rank and social class. The fact of the matter was that if Glowron had no objections, then there was no way the tauroll could object.
And still, Helias felt bile rise in the back of his throat. He froze, ever so briefly. Closing his eyes, he shook his head. Nothing mattered, except for Sara and Gwendilia.
“No sir. I’ll have my troops ready for tomorrow.”
That should have been that. They would have been dismissed to prepare for tomorrow’s suicide mission, but the king’s whims had other plans.
King Thorgoth put his cup down and leaned forward. “Oh come on my good generals. Surely you have something to improve on this plan.”
Glowron’s expression remained blank, whilst Helias smiled. “Your Majesty, you were the one who taught me everything I know. I can think of nothing I can add to your strategy.”
Queen Berengaria strode toward him. “You’re usually so talkative, Helias. Are you sure you have no other thoughts?”
“I beg your apologies, but I do not have any further additions to your plan, Your Majesty. My lord Glowron?” Helias asked.
“I do not either, my liege—” Glowron fell silent and Helias’s tail stiffened.
Thorgoth and Berengaria were no longer smiling and with a few more steps, the harpy queen had put herself behind the two generals.
“Let me be plain, we are now not asking you about how to improve the plan. We are asking for your thoughts. Give them.”
The Demon King’s remaining dark eye was narrowed. The other was now covered with a black silk eyepatch, the remains of the scar that Queen Forowen had given him, a discoloration scouring a line along the side of his face and right over his ear. In spite of the king’s injury, Helias felt nothing but cold dread dry his mouth.
“Your Majesty, my only thought is that we have no option but to follow your plan. No matter how we got into this situation, the only thing we can do is go forward and try to win this day,” Glowron said.
“And do you blame me, Glowron?”
Helias watched, eyes wide as somehow the much smaller goblin general continued to meet the king’s eyes. “I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t assign some responsibility to you at all, but I believe we ought to have thought of the possibility of such a trap. So the responsibility is mine as well.”
Thorgoth nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, Helias saw the slightest of nods that Berengaria gave to her husband. Alarm shooting his gaze back toward the Demon King, Helias found the full attention of his sovereign and sometimes uncle directed right at him.
“And you, General Helias?”
Lie and he might not be able to make it convincing enough. Tell the truth about what he thought about this war and he was never seeing Sara and Gwendilia again. Thorgoth hadn’t just been hurt, his pride had been wounded and he was now backed into a corner. It would be unwise to anger him, but what to say? What could he say?
All he could think of, and see was his child and her adoring gaze. All he could feel was the touch of Sara’s hand against his. They’d become closer than he could have imagined and were more than just companions with mutual goals now.
If he was to die, then maybe he could tell this truth.
“I am mostly thinking of my wife and my child, my king. The coming battle has me greatly concerned with how dangerous it shall be.”
Thorgoth narrowed his eyes at Helias for a brief moment. The tauroll, staying very still, waited for the presumed reaction by Berengaria.
Whatever Berengaria did made Thorgoth arch an eyebrow.
“I thought you didn’t consider your wife to be worth much,” said the king in a mild tone.
His mind racing, Helias ran with the idea. “She has responded well to the constraints and discipline I’ve enforced on her. She does nothing but facilitate all my needs and has served me well.”
He could feel Berengaria’s eyes narrow, but Thorgoth was already leaning back onto his chair. “Good for you. You are dismissed.”
“Thank you, sire,” said Helias, almost unable to hide his sigh of relief.
***
Author’s Note: While I wish I could have spent more quality time with Martin, Elizabeth, Ginger and Ayax, I do love the best-friend/team that I created for Frances. This chapter and the last was my little way of giving each of them a bit of time with Frances before the final battle.

first off, why are they just starting to ask for this money 4 years after I sold the car
looks like DMV lost my release of liability that I dropped off back in 2020
they intercepted my state return and now say I still owe 377 and I have 30 days to pay or they would garnish my paychecks
I called and told them that the vehicle was sold to a junk yard aka recycling and that I had dropped off the release of liability right after it got thrown in the compactor
they instructed me to re-do the release online and I should get my money back
its been 1 week (since you looked at me, lol) and I only had 1 missed call from them and I cant get a hold of them
even if I call as soon as they open up, I get a message saying they are all busy and ill get a call on the next business day
any idea on what I can do or another number where I can actually talk to a human?

Hi I'm 20F and this happened around 3 years ago. For proper context I will be explaining about my "friends" first. I'm sorry that this is a very longgghg one but I needed to get it out of my chest. Also forgive me for any grammatical mistakes as English is not my first language. I'll start with my 6 year long ex bestie Bee, in short she was a huge pick me. Since the beginning she used to insult me infront of boys to make herself look good. I didn't really realise it back then because I thought that's what friends do. She literally used to drag me around a bunch of boys and would call me fat, crooked legged and eagle nosed. Even my mom and my brother kept asking me to break the friendship but I was too afraid thinking I'll be alone. I always had her back though, she used to come to me crying if she's facing any issues in her life and I was there for her. I started my college around COVID time so the friends I made were through online meetings. Once we all met, we hit it off. It was really great!. My best friend in college was a guy named Shawn. We were really close and one day he came up to me and said "I like someone", me being me started investing who it could be. Then a girl named Penny from our friend group told me that Shawn had told her "someone likes you". I was like YESS I found it! And I did my part and now they are a couple. I was soo happy. After a month or so he came to me and said he wants to break up cuz she's too controlling and jealous and I took her side because I kinda understood her since he was still talking to his ex. It became too frequent though and I just told him do as you please. And one more important thing is her family is extremely strict like she can't even talk to a guy. So in college I used to sit in between them like they asked me to do that teachers don't doubt anything and complain to her parents. But the issue was I had to be around them the entire day and be ignored by them. I didn't mind at first but it got frustrating as time passed. I would try talking to them and they would just ignore me but they didn't want me to sit away from them either. The moment we walked out of college they would walk away from me leaving me alone. Next Anne and Chris. Mann are they messy. Anne had lots of boyfriends but we did not know it back then when we used to talk to her. Chris is a senior who proposed to Anne and she accepted it. One day a random guy texted me and asked me Anne's contact details and I refused to give it. He then sent me the photos of her kissing another guy. I blocked him and texted Anne about this and she accepted she was cheating on Chris. But Chris, Penny, Shawn and me were really close at this point. I told Chris about this and he confronted her, he said when she went to visit her hometown, she asked for a break and that's when the cheating happened and when she came back to City she dumped that guy from village and got back with Chris. Guess what, Anne went to Village again and she ghosted Chris. Chris started texting my then bestie Bee. I told both of them not to grow feelings towards eachother or to talk that much because I knew Chris only wanted to get back at Anne and whereas Bee would use Chris as timepass. I mean yeah it's their life but only I knew this about both of them. They were acting serious and both of them were my friends, i couldn't let them do this to eachother. Well they ignored me. They did complain about eachother a lottttt though and I gave the same advice to stop talking so much. Anne returned from her village and she got to know Chris is talking to Bee. She simply asked him to stop talking to Bee and he DID. He told Bee he doesn't want to talk to her and he texted me "I got my everything (Anne) so I don't need Bee anymore" Bee felt bad and I told her well atleast don't repeat it again because I know he will text you again and Anne will cheat on him again. In between all of this drama I met my boyfriend through a online game. I used to talk to him whenever Shawn and Penny were ignoring me and I stopped caring about them. And yes I had told them I felt very bad many times that they ignore me and for like 2 days when I was around them Penny would say "oh we should talk to her or she will feel bad" and then talk to me. It was embarrassing really. In short my boyfriend is a great guy who moved to my city. Mind you he was just 17 when he moved. He convinced his parents he needed to study in my City for ME. He made me realise how much more i deserved so I just stopped being bothered by my friends. I introduced all of them to eachother so they used to hang out without me as well. Penny asked Shawn to not to talk to me. Chris and Bee started talking again and Anne left Chris again. But both of them would constantly complain about eachother about how much they hate eachother. Another thing about Bee is the guys she was dating were usually my friends. Like I would introduce my friends to her and she would go snatch the boys up and would ask them not to talk to me. I didn't care because I wasn't attracted to those guys anyway. Once I told about my crush and she literally asked me "ask him to follow me hehe". I was like wtf no I can't ask him to do that. She followed him. He asked me "why is your friend following me and sent a message request" I told him the truth cuz I was just fed up with her. He blocked her lol. He told me not to have friends like her. Anyway she started texting my boyfriend as well. She used to say "when you come to City let's go out to eat, buy me that, buy me this blah blah blah". Little did she know I had his account and I knew she wasn't "busy" so she couldn't reply to me. She needed 2k because she borrowed it from her mom to give a random guy lol. He never returned it but she was crying so I asked my bf to lend her 1k for now. He told her "return to my gf in cash since my mom can see my transactions". She ghosted me after he gave her the money. I confronted Shawn and Penny. I told them I don't want to be their friend anymore because I was there for them always and whenever I texted them they would straight up ignore me. There were some rough words. I told Bee about this and I cried because I did share good moments with them. I also told her they are planning an outing for which they will invite Bee just to spite me and told her I'll feel very bad if u go. She went :). I just asked her to return the money asap and wanted to end it all. The thing is they hated eachother so why go and meet them when I am the one who is helping you when you are in need? Not just the money, I was standing up for her in so many occasions.
She said she can send the money online because she knew I can't say ok to that. I asked her cash she ignored me. I kept asking her decently. I got fed up and texted her mom asking the money and then Bee replied saying "don't act so cheap and text my mom" I'm like huh? If I'm cheap then what are you for taking the money and ghosting me? I told her I'm just asking what u owe me so give it. She said ik y you are asking, it's because I went out with them right, i didn't even know u would feel bad. I told her consider the money as charity and get lost. Blocked. Whereas Chris talked shit about my friend group so I fought with him and he said "you are a b'tch and you don't deserve anything". This happened before I broke friendship with Shawn and Penny and they never stood up for me. Shawn and Penny were beside me standing and seeing me arguing with Chris and said nothing. While the only reason I fought was for them. Funny because what happened later proved who deserves what. My boyfriend moved to City (nobody believed he would come). I topped my last 3 semesters(I was tutoring them during exams and wasted my time before. Now both of them were scoring Avg marks and Penny even cried in class after seeing her marks and mine). I got placed in a huge MNC Company (Chris being my senior was working as a janitor in a clinic, not to shame but just saying). Shawn and Penny apologised to me later on for talking to Bee after we broke out friendship because they realised the kind of person she is. Shawn also mentioned that she had asked him for money but he said no even though he had it lol. Chris and Bee were in a short toxic relationship until he dumped her again for Anne. Bee is also now with no real friends or no real boyfriend and was seeing hanging out with her sister on her bday(I used to take her to Cafes). I would have been with them if I hadn't met my Boyfriend. I don't regret the friendship because I did my part as much as I could. So AITA?

As a warning this is pretty graphic, blood, bugs, ect.
This weekend me and my partner were on a little vacation for my graduation (about 20 mins away from home) , and we have about 30 different chickens and birds. We do everything to try and keep out predators, and recently we had taken in an elderly turkey a co worker found abandoned. So earlier this month Darrel had been attacked in the middle of the night presumably, nothing major but a slight cut and some tail feathers missing. We assumed it was another turkey (wild) because at that time he was in a temporary shelter without a roof. After that, we quickly set up his permanent shelter, fully caged in. Fwd to this weekend, my partner was coming back to our house daily to check on our birds and other animals, and when he wasn’t his mom was coming later in the days. On Saturday, he couldn’t come check, and his mother had checked in earlier that morning. Sunday we came home with my friend to go to a Mother’s Day dinner and that’s when we found him. My partner came running in the house crying and frantically finding gloves and medicine saying that Darrel had been attacked and was barley moving. I’m freaking out and go out to help, blood is everywhere. He was still standing and alive but in pain. My partner then tells me his wound has maggots and is too far gone to help. To spare the harder details, we did what we had to do. I said goodbye before he did it, and all I can see is his face, and him letting me pet his head as I said goodbye and apologized for not being there. I keep re living the gagging me and my partner were going through as we tried to fix him. I’m usually okay with death as it comes with this life style but what I can’t get out of my head is the fact he had to be alive with such wounds, and seeing my partner fall apart. I couldn’t get the smell out of my mind, and still can’t. We took him to the pond on our property, and put him to rest with a hydrangea I had got for my graduation. We set up the live trap to hopefully catch what got him before it tried to get to our other birds, and it ended up being a fox that was riddled with mange, and cleared up the thought of why it didn’t just kill him instead of leaving him like that. it’s because it was suffering trying to get a meal. It couldn’t see it was so covered and it was so skinny, and starved. it made since as to why it would even try to get at a 60lb bird. I don’t know how to stop seeing it all playing in my head. I miss him. I wanted to give him a good rest of his days. I miss his talking in the mornings. I hate this.

first off, why are they just starting to ask for this money 4 years after I sold the car
looks like DMV lost my release of liability that I dropped off back in 2020
they intercepted my state return and now say I still owe 377 and I have 30 days to pay or they would garnish my paychecks
I called and told them that the vehicle was sold to a junk yard aka recycling and that I had dropped off the release of liability right after it got thrown in the compactor
they instructed me to re-do the release online and I should get my money back
its been 1 week (since you looked at me, lol) and I only had 1 missed call from them and I cant get a hold of them
even if I call as soon as they open up, I get a message saying they are all busy and ill get a call on the next business day
any idea on what I can do or another number where I can actually talk to a human?