So, I live in SC. My ex-wife (28F)(we will call her Kate) and I (34M) and a daughter (5F) together. My ex-wife has been dating this guy (42M)(we will call him Jim) since January. They met at a playground and started dating. She started living with him just a few weeks into their relationship. She took my daughter to live with him too. I learned that Jim is still married. His wife (35F)(we will call her Tiff) only left him back in September due to Jim's inability to remain sober from drugs and alcohol. Jim and Tiff have 3 boys all under the age of 7. Jim is really good at putting on a good show for everyone and making them believe he's sober. Ever since I met him, I've had a bad feeling about him and my daughter being around him. Kate is very easily manipulated especially by whoever is giving her validation in her life.
For a little background on the involved parties, I am a paramedic, Tiff is a nurse, Tiff and I have been in the medical field for several years, Kate isn't able to hold a steady job, she always finds a reason to quit every job she has that doesn't allow her to work from home, she is now (since she started seeing Jim) a personal trainer and life coach, Jim is a personal trainer, life coach, and more motivational speaker.
So, Tiff and I ended up crossing paths on accident. After talking with her, I learned that Jim has been relapsing every year or so for the last 13 years. He relapsed about a year ago. Tiff found mini alcohol bottles in their laundry room. When she called Jim out he blew up on her and tired to deny it. Tiff requested a drug and alcohol test to which he blew up again and refused to do either. Tiff finally reached her breaking point and left Jim last September. She realized that after 13 years of Jim relapsing over and over again she doesn't want to continue to put herself or her children through that kind of life style. Tiff said that Jim refuses to be in any kind of recovery program like AA or N.A. due to he believes that he is above programs like that and he is better than the people who attend those programs. Tiff stated that at one point Jim overdosed in their own home and that if she hadn't got home when she did he would be dead and that he almost didn't survive in the end. Jim has done whatever he's needed to in order to fill his addiction.
I also learned that Jim has felony convictions and spend time in jail and on probation. Jim was convicted and arrested for B&E after her broke into the home of a client of his in order to steel the client's narcotic pain medications.
I also know, because Kate informed me, that at one point all 4 children were left unsupervised in the upstairs of Jim's house and the children, including my daughter, started showing each other their private parts. Tiff informed me that it was brought to her attention by her oldest that her middle child told my daughter to show him her private parts and then proceeded to touch my daughter. At the time, I wasn't aware of the living arrangements expect for my daughter was at Jim's house. Tiff told me that all 4 of the children were sleeping in the same room and my daughter was sharing a bed with her youngest son. When Tiff learned this, she immediately confronted Jim and told him that this is inappropriate and unacceptable. At that point Kate and Jim had to come up with other arrangements for my daughter. My daughter is now sleeping on the floor in Jim's office on a mattress.
I am trying to decide what to do at the moment. Neither Tiff or myself have any desire to stay living in SC long term (just so we are all clear, Tiff and myself are not seeing each other). Neither of us feel comfortable with our children being cared for by or being around our ex's. My daughter and Tiff's oldest have on multiple occasions told us that they do not want to go home to the other parent's house. My daughter cries almost every day when I talk to her because she misses me and wants to come home to me. We are both very concerned for all of our children's wellbeing both physically, mentally, and emotionally. Both Kate and Jim are not mentally stable. They both cling onto anything that gives them validation and they are both extremely controlling and manipulative.
Does the legal community of Reddit think I have a case to petition the court for full custody of my daughter while only giving my ex visitation right? I don't want child support from her. I don't want to keep our daughter away from her. I just want my daughter to be safe. And I do not believe that living with Kate and Jim is providing a safe environment. Tiff agrees with me and has also offered to testify for me if needed against her husband and my ex.
Also, our divorce/custody paperwork doesn't have the standard restraining orders in it. So, I'm wanting to make changes to that. Some of the changes that I want to make are as follows:
-Neither party is allowed to have 5F around anyone that isn't family by birth or marriage that has a felony conviction/record, and regardless of relationship, isn't allowed to have 5F around anyone that has any violent felony conviction/record.
-Neither party is allowed to have 5F around or introduce 5F to a romantic partner that they have been seeing for less than 6 months.
-Each party has to introduce a meeting between the New Romantic partner and their other parent prior to allowing 5F to be introduced to the romantic partner.
-Neither party is allowed to have 5F spend any overnights at the residence of a romantic partner unless they are married to the person in question.
-If living with or spending overnights with a romantic partner at either party's residence, 5F will have a bed and living arrangement that will not be in the same room as someone of the opposite sex of the child are/or isn't related to the child.
I'm also planning to have something put in there that will allow me to be able to move back home to be closer to my family without Kate being able to stop me. I don't have any family that lives near me and Kate's parents are the only family she has in the area. They are also getting up in years too and not in the best of health.
And just so you know, I'm already shopping for attorneys in my area. And no one knows that Tiff and I know each other. And we are planning on keeping it that way until we have no other choice.
So, do I have a case? Do the changes, overall, seem reasonable? What other considerations do I need to consider? Plus, any advice will be amazing. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Chapter 3
*fictional * ( 😉)
Generational trauma
Unfortunately, a lot of people know exactly what it’s like to fall victim to the curse of generational trauma - whether it be physical- mental -emotional- or sexual. There are many ways People respond to trauma, more specifically, childhood trauma. Childhood trauma hits differently because it’s embedded and who you are.
For example GG (my maternal grandmother) had 3 bio children living with her and my grandfather- the oldest not being biologically his and the younger two being biologically his children. My mums older brother … M…. Started to sexually abuse her from the time she was 7 until he moved out of the house. There was a significant age gap of about 8 years. I’m unsure if he was the start of the cycle or if he started out as a victim. It’s also important to note that this side of the family can only bond over one particular thing… and that is having a common enemy. It’s a never-ending cycle of who is the whole family mad at? Who is who side. And how many can be recruited to their side.
A lot of toxic families also tend to share a similar dynamic- and unfortunately, a lot of people will likely relate to this as well. You usually have a golden child - the child that absolutely does no wrong. The forgotten child(ren) the kids that weren’t necessarily good or bad, but generally were overall ignored. And the scapegoat- everything is this kids fault. The scapegoat is the root of all of the families issues- and they know it, because they’ve been conditioned to know that everything is always their fault
M was the golden child. K (the second born) was the forgotten- and mum was the scapegoat. When mum Came forward with the sexual abuse allegations. It was pretty easy for M to convince everyone that she was just a liar who is making it up for attention. M
And how did she respond. She’s definitely someone you begin this story wanting to root for, and I always kind of will, root for her. But, the combination of the psychological trauma of the sexual abuse, and the way that GG turned on her completely, called her a liar, tried to convince anyone who would listen she was making it up. she responded becoming overly promiscuous. She was always very content with how things were and never really strive to have better than what she already had. She did not take care of herself- or her home. She went into an abusive marriage with S. They had two sons. At one point, Mum lost custody of the boys- and they were taken in by GG and her husband- during this time, mum went out and got pregnant with me- deciding to work it out with S even though he wasn’t the father.
Our life wasn’t easy. We lived in filth. We were poor. We had no real stability. S and mum stayed together until I was 7- Life up until seven was also not easy- we moved from one state to the desert- I was around 4. S had serious anger issues. CPS was regularly involved. Not only for the bruises on us- but because we went to school clearly dirty. The worst beating I ever got was over a spoon. I remember playin in the bath tub- when S found a spoon in my room. He came into the bathroom and demanded that I get out. He then called over R and brother (both of my older brothers) and made them watch as he repeatedly hit me with a belt - which was made 10 times worse due to the fact that I was still soaking wet. I was naked. Soaking wet - being humiliated to stand in front of my two older brothers that way, and being beaten over a spoon. And if that isn’t scary enough- I was actually the one he went the easiest on. R and brother suffered black eyes and teeth being knocked out. Mum vowed to the CPS worker that this would be the last time and she threatened us if he ever did this again that she would leave. He didn’t do it again.
And to this day anytime I have peanut better off a spoon- I think of that day.
That wasn’t enough for her to leave, which to this day I find incredibly strange. When I was 7S went out of town and when he came back, he had a new penpal, a woman that he met on a greyhound bus that God whispered in his ear and told him that she was the one he was supposed to be with (his words). So that was what broke them up. Not the beatings.- not the toxic behavior- the cheating ON HER.
S went his way mum went hers. Mum was sleeping around and ended up pregnant again - with summer- she met step dad and got married very quickly after meeting - s married his affair partner. The summer before a fair partner moved to the desert to be with S - we would stay in a small town that got really cold at night- we would all sleep out in the living room because there was a furnace to keep us warm- during this S would always make sure to sleep next to me- and he would do and say things to me that I won’t put here.
I started bringing a friend with me so he would leave me alone - it worked. ( he didn’t do anything to friend it just blocked his opportunity to get to me)
The end of the story for s comes a few years later. He picked us up after not seeing us for about 6 months - took us on a ride and told his “I am choosing to be happy with my wife over you guys, I have to chose and I’m choosing my own sanity/ life” and then he dropped us back off at home. The next time I saw him was after I turned 18.
In the meantime - our family dynamic has drastically changed
Mum is married. Summer is the baby. Brother is the golden child. I was forgotten and r was the problem… until… R gets hit by a car. He had injury so bad he was once compared to Christopher Reeves- he wasn’t meant to live, but an experimental surgery actually helped him survive and gain most of his function back (although he did never get the function to his left arm- and eventually had it amputated). When he got into this accident, he became the sick one… and I became the problem.
A lot of the household responsibilities fell on brother and me. Mum and step dad were working - and more than what was fair or right we were left pretty much to our own devices most of the time. Nick stayed golden- and I learned to say exactly how I felt and became very outspoken- so an even bigger problem of a problem child. We moved constantly. We never had nice things. I can remember at around age 11 or 12 I started to become increasingly embarrassed about the way that I would smell when I would go to school- when I lived in filth, I truly mean that- dogs/ dog mess. Cockroaches. The bottoms of our feet were always black from the floor- multiple different family members tried to get us taken away just for the cleanliness of our house- which never worked. at this time I developed OCPD (obsessive compulsive personality disorder) - but unfortunately, it was never diagnosed until I was much older because taking me to a primary doctor and getting the properly medicated was too much work- I was just acting that way because again I’m always the problem. My adult eyes and heart scream for that version of me. I needed consistency and stability and an organized clean environment.- and I was living in the exact opposite and constantly made it to be villainized over my reaction to it. when I would vocalize what was wrong I’d be told “you just think your better than everyone “ I’ll touch more on the mother-daughter dynamic later, but I got out of that house as soon as I could, and lived with whoever would take me in from around the age of 13- and if I had to go back, it was never for long.
Brother - Brother grew up to care a little more. He wanted a nice house that was somewhat clean.- and wanted something more stable for himself as well. He was always a worker- so he got his GED and entered the workforce- he has a decent career- but is chronically Switzerland, he always tries to stay in everyone’s good graces- maybe he’s an undercover people pleaser? Being liked is more important than standing for something ?
Summer - I wish you well always. And like I’ve told you for so long until you get yourself out of this this is going to be a never-ending cycle - and I always wish nothing but the best- but summer was also sexually abused within the family- and unlike me who found it pretty easy to blame the perpetrator and not let it keep me down- summer pretty much with the opposite way. She struggles with drug addiction. As I’m writing, she does not have custody of her son due to a relapse she had over Christmas.- her life very much mirrors mums life. She is making all of the same mistakes and my mum cannot hold her accountable because that would also mean having to hold herself accountable which she is unwilling to do. So now Summer has fallen into a cycle of never being able to accept accountability for anything. And you don’t know much about drug addiction or alcohol addiction one of the biggest parts of recovery is accountability.
R- out of respect for him, who has always been very low contact with us. I’m not going to speak on his life.
I’m going to pause here today.
Chapter 4 will be about this past year and the dynamic shift between myself and everyone listed. I know a lot of this information probably feels very random but I promise you once this is all out. Everything will make sense. It’ll also be heavily focused on my relationship with mum, even though I had plenty of reasons to do so, I really never felt felt like I had “daddy issues”. After what happened to me the thought of a bigger actually kind of grossed me out… it was never really something that I longed for- but anyone who has mommy issues probably having an issue with your mom as far worse.

TL;DR: My bf keeps fighting with his parents because his dad wants him to get with girls at his college and his mom is being homophobic because shes realizing im ftm.
I honestly dont know how to start this so im sorry if this seems a little all over the place. So my boyfriend and I have known each other and liked each other for around 13 years. We met through a ministry group our parents worked at when we were very young and as soon as we met I was determined to marry this guy (apparently that same day he noticed me and, according to his mom, wouldnt stop talking about me for weeks after. ever since she has apparently called me her future daughter in law). Growing up we barely saw each other as the ministry only had about 2 events a year that my family was involved in. Eventually when we were old enough to have social media we started texting throughout the year as friends and met up a few times to hang out.
To make a long story short, we got our heads out of our asses and realized we both had feelings for each other. We finally started dating but since we were still kids we couldn't make alot of plans for dates and such. I ended up breaking up with him a year later because i felt guilty for holding him back and for lying to him.
I had known for a long time that i was trans (ftm) but due to our families religious background i felt like i couldnt share this fact. He was very confused and hurt but i told him i just wasnt ready for a relationship and then ghosted him. We were about 13 at the time so while looking back i realize that it was a shitty way to end things at the time i thought i was doing us both a favor. i knew my relationship with my family would be ruined once they found out but i didnt want him to have to go through the same thing. I convinced myself that he would be grateful if he knew.
Fast forward a few years and we end up getting back in touch. We slowly start becoming friends again and eventually he asked for us to meet up somewhere and hang out. Its normal at first, but near the end he finally asks me why i broke up with him and if he did something wrong. I decided to tell him everything because i realized how much it hurt him and that he deserved to know. I was shocked to find out he didnt care. After all these years and finally knowing why i ended it he still said he loved me. We ended up getting back together and this time made it work.
Its been almost 3 years since and we are doing really well. We are both finished with highschool and he's in college. Im looking for my own apartment and saving up so i can also go to school next year. Long distance was hard at first but we made it work and hes back for the summer. I've thought everything with his parents were also good. His dad doesnt talk to me much but he's never been mean and his mom is more of a mother to me than my own biological mother. Shes gotten onto me for a few things (cutting my hair and my piercings mainly) but never for a long time and i never thought it was too serious. Obviously they dont know about me being trans but overall I thought things were great with them. Apparently not.
Since hes been in college apparently his dad has been asking him to see other people. Not to break up with me but to cheat on me. He keeps asking about girls and when my bf says that no, hes in a relationship apparently his dad gets upset. His mom was fine until someone asked her about the boy she was with and then she started freaking out about how i look. At the time i was wearing makeup but apparently they only saw me from behind and didnt recognize me. I didnt know about any of this until yesterday when my bf told me that we need to be more careful. Apparently they got in a huge fight about it and while he was defending me his mom started accusing him of being gay and that if people see him holding hands with me thats all they will think. Hes never had to deal with homophobia directly before and when i saw him he was a mess. He told me everything that happened and kept apologizing to me.
Hes now planning how to cut them off. I keep telling him its ok and that he doesnt have to but he is insisting on it. He doesnt seem to want to do it for himself but for me which really stings. This is the exact things i was scared of and the reason i broke up with him when we were younger. I warned him that this would happen eventually when we started dating and he said he didnt care but seeing it actually happen and how destroyed he is hurts. I want him to have a good life and be happy but I dont know if i have the strength to end things. I dont even know if that would solve anything.
We've planned out our lives around eachother, when we want to get married and how many kids, getting a degree that makes enough to where we both will only have to work for a few days a week and still support eachother. I understand it sounds crazy because of how young we are but we dont plan on doing any of that for at least 6 years. I dont want to lose him but i also dont want to ruin his life. He says its fine and my sister said its his choice but theyre both biased and I dont know how much i trust that.
sorry for the long post

So I have a tutor who comes to my house to teach me, every day. He’s been teaching me for a little under a year I guess. He always struck me as very boring but since my exams started recently we have had to study very long hours and sometimes late into the night, the other day he stayed till 3am. He’s married. And he has 2 daughters. One is 13. I’m 18. He got very personal with me. We have deep conversations. We talked about our personal lives, etc. we got extremely close these last few weeks. I’ll be honest I developed a crush on him, but I knew to never let him find out because he would never feel that way and he’s my teacher. When he left one day after class he texted me. Something along the lines of I’m sorry if I was out of line or too personal. Like he was very clearly aware that a student teacher relationship this close is ‘unethical’. But we started calling a lot. We called every time he drove from my house to his. And his wife went out of town the other day so we called for a few hours late into the night, and till 7am. Our classes honestly haven’t been that productive anymore. We just chat and talk. When we are in person it’s very innocent, we don’t discuss anything inappropriate. just personal things. And it’s become a pattern that whenever he leaves we start texting and it gets a little inappropriate. He recently asked me if I would like him if he was unmarried, or younger. Mind you, he is 19 years older than me. (37) I tried to bring up his wife and stuff but that didn’t seem to affect him. He asked me if I want him to stop acting like this. I said I like him too in a way that goes beyond a student and teacher relationship but I don’t want anything to happen thst will jeopardize the relationship and he said he doesn’t intend on getting physical either. At first he says he knows it could come off as manipulation because he’s the authoritative figure and I am young and naive. But I told him I know what I am doing and any decision made would be my own and I wouldn’t call it manipulation because I am fully aware of the situation and power dynamics. To be frank, I like the thrill of it. I know this makes me a terrible person, he is married for god’s sake. But I feel so good around him I can’t help but to entertain all his advances, even if they are just on text. He said he knows this isn’t respectable but he likes me and he wants to talk to me. He knows it’s not right, and we’ve talked about it and maintaining ‘boundaries’. He says he doesn’t want me to get hurt. because we both know it will never materialize or be anything in the end. Today after class when he went home he told me I looked beautiful. Said he wants to kiss me and make me sit on his lap. I joked and said he’s too shy so he’d never initiate that.
I’m so confused man. I never looked at him like that but recently I think I might be catching feelings for him and he says he’s scared he might be too. I still have to study with him for a whole year before my subject is finished. I don’t want to ruin this relationship. I liked the flirty thing we had going on but now it feels too real and there are others involved, ie his wife and kids. And although they will never find out because he is so secretive about this whole thing, I know it’s morally very fucked up and says a lot about his character to be cheating like this. Yet I still can’t resist him. I don’t need replies telling me I am a home wrecker or a slut. I know I’m in the wrong as well here. That’s why I’m coming here for advice. How do I navigate this? I know I’m too deep into this, I can’t ignore it like I ignored it before. Because we both know about ‘our little secret’.
I don’t want to do anything I regret. I don’t want a physical relationship, he knows that. I just want to take our classes. And I want his company. I wanted to keep my crush lowkey but ever since he confessed his own liking towards me, he knows I felt the same.
I know lots of you are gonna come here and tell me this IS a form of manipulation, even though I’m legal. Like he’s grooming me or something. But the truth is I liked him long before he was giving me this attention. I feel like I am the one who seduced him, in a way?? Idk. I was always too open with him. I got too vulnerable and I allowed him to be vulnerable as well. I allowed these feelings to occur between us. Even though I tried to hide my own, I didn’t do a good job. I acted in certain ways around him, and actively did things to look attractive, always trying to impress him. I tried to ‘manifest’ it and shit. I’m such a loser. And ultimately I got what I was asking for. I wished for this for so long, but never did I imagine it would actually happen. Now I am confused. Because I’m facing a moral dilemma. If he wasn’t married I would not even have a second thought about this. I don’t care about the age gap. But this doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t know why I didn’t think about this earlier

So I have a tutor who comes to my house to teach me, every day. He’s been teaching me for a little under a year I guess. He always struck me as very boring but since my exams started recently we have had to study very long hours and sometimes late into the night, the other day he stayed till 3am. He’s married. And he has 2 daughters. One is 13. I’m 18.
He got very personal with me. We have deep conversations. We talked about our personal lives, etc. we got extremely close these last few weeks. I’ll be honest I developed a crush on him, but I knew to never let him find out because he would never feel that way and he’s my teacher. When he left one day after class he texted me. Something along the lines of I’m sorry if I was out of line or too personal. Like he was very clearly aware that a student teacher relationship this close is ‘unethical’. But we started calling a lot. We called every time he drove from my house to his. And his wife went out of town the other day so we called for a few hours late into the night, and till 7am.
Our classes honestly haven’t been that productive anymore. We just chat and talk. When we are in person it’s very innocent, we don’t discuss anything inappropriate. just personal things. And it’s become a pattern that whenever he leaves we start texting and it gets a little inappropriate. He recently asked me if I would like him if he was unmarried, or younger. Mind you, he is 19 years older than me. (37) I tried to bring up his wife and stuff but that didn’t seem to affect him. He asked me if I want him to stop acting like this. I said I like him too in a way that goes beyond a student and teacher relationship but I don’t want anything to happen thst will jeopardize the relationship and he said he doesn’t intend on getting physical either. At first he said he knows it could come off as manipulation because he’s the authoritative figure and I am young and naive. But I assured him I know what I am doing and any decision made would be my own and I wouldn’t call it manipulation because I am fully aware of the situation and power dynamics. To be frank, I like the thrill of it. I know this makes me a terrible person, he is married for god’s sake. But I feel so good around him I can’t help but to entertain all his advances, even if they are just on text. He said he knows this isn’t respectable but he likes me and he wants to talk to me. He knows it’s not right, and we’ve talked about it and maintaining ‘boundaries’. He says he doesn’t want me to get hurt. because we both know it will never materialize or be anything in the end. Today after class when he went home he told me I looked beautiful. Said he wants to kiss me and make me sit on his lap. I joked and said he’s too shy so he’d never initiate that.
I’m so confused man. I never looked at him like that but recently I think I might be catching feelings for him and he says he’s scared he might be too. I still have to study with him for a whole year before my subject is finished. I don’t want to ruin this relationship. I liked the flirty thing we had going on but now it feels too real and there are others involved, ie his wife and kids. And although they will never find out because he is so secretive about this whole thing, I know it’s morally very fucked up and says a lot about his character to be cheating like this. Yet I still can’t resist him. I don’t need replies telling me I am a home wrecker or a sl*t. I know I’m in the wrong as well here. That’s why I’m coming here for advice. How do I navigate this? I know I’m too deep into this, I can’t ignore it like I ignored it before. Because we both know about ‘our little secret’.
Today I tried to talk to him about it in person too. We felt very sneaky, whenever my mom came we pretended to study. I told him he’s very different in person than on text. And that he’s more hesitant irl. I played with my cat in front of him and kind of cuddled and kissed it. He dropped some comments like he wished he was as lucky as the cat. He said we’ll call when he gets home. Oh and on call he is also very different. He’s much more relaxed, much more affectionate with me. He talks about how pretty my hands are and how he wishes he could hold them. I said we’re friends but he says friends don’t feel this way about each other. If you’re confused about a friend, it’s bordering on romantic feelings. I couldn’t deny that.
I don’t want to do anything I regret. I don’t want a physical relationship, he knows that. I just want to take our classes. And I want his company. I wanted to keep my crush lowkey but ever since he confessed his own liking towards me, he knows I felt the same.
I know a lot of you are gonna come here and tell me this IS a form of manipulation, even though I’m legal. Like he’s grooming me or something. But the truth is I liked him long before he was giving me this attention. I feel like I am the one who seduced him, in a way?? Idk. I was always too open with him. I got too vulnerable and I allowed him to be vulnerable as well. I allowed these feelings to occur between us. Even though I tried to hide my own, I didn’t do a good job. I acted in certain ways around him, and actively did things to look attractive, always trying to impress him. I tried to ‘manifest’ it and shit. I’m such a loser. And ultimately I got what I was asking for. I wished for this for so long, but never did I imagine it would actually happen. Now I am confused. Because I’m facing a moral dilemma. If he wasn’t married I would not even have a second thought about this. I don’t care about the age gap. But this doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t know why I didn’t think about this earlier

Hey guys excuse my grammar it’s not the very best . So my story is the same as everyone’s really I’ve been I divestor since I was 20 never dated a bm in my life . Because I started dancing at 18 and got into divesting at 20 but my whole life I’ve never dated them subconsciously I just knew something wasn’t right w blackistan so I’m glad I got the message at 20 . But this post isnt about them at all this post is about my mother so ever since I was a child my demonic spirit aka my mother but we’ll just call her a demonic spirit. Never liked me I cannot remember anytime in my childhood where their was some sort of motherly love it’s was always physically mentally and verbally abusive and very neglectful. But let me not get into it by the time I was 11/12 I fantasized about her no longer being alive or me moving to stay w someone sane for the most part I ignored her around the house . I mean when she wasn’t berating and abusing me to clean her house there’s nothing we really had in common I would occupy my time w other hobbies as a child school music outside time friends would take up most of my time and I would loathe to be around her . But she would love to humiliate me in front of my friends and just make me feel very low, Cps was called three times and other people knew about the abuse but nothing was really done , but the time I was in my teenage to young adult hood I was very active always wanted to try new thing new experiences always outside like the thing I used to do in my teens really makes me proud because I was so outgoing and had little to no fear about anything . I literally took a bus across country for a audition when I was like 18/19 (that may seem small to u but now at 24 I get anxiety going across town idky ) ,Like I really walked in a strip club all alone at 18 to get hired by myself and I did . And by the time I was a pre-teen I wanted nothing to do w my mother I had no feeling or no love for her at all . But I left her house at 20 I stay by myself in a 1 bedroom apt .Something automatically changed I was in the house all the time I only left for work I I guess I was still doing things and not anxious about things at 20 but gradually over time I started staying home I felt like I was in a state of arrested development idk what to call it but my I didn’t care to have a relationship w my mother but I still yearned for that motherly love as we all do as I got older so I was 22/23 I wasn’t talking to her for months then she reached out to me via my sister and told me she’s sorry ,changed , and begged me to move in w her I declined several times but after persistently asking and rent getting high I had no choice but to agree (she stays in a very nice house in a nice neighborhood Ik that doesn’t matter but very convincing ) but this time my older brother who’s very mysoginstic Kevin Samuel’s loving hated her cut her off like he was so hurt by the trauma and he wanted to go on Facebook and air all her business out to everyone we knew Facebook is her entire life . At the time I thought it was childish and petty and I was actually one of the flying monkeys ( a term in the therapy world for a narssasist enabler ) . I really thought my mother changed she had me fooled for 6 months even thought I was helping her and trying to fix the relationship we never had our relationship was the best it ever was my whole life she was still talking to me behind my back and having her outbursts. But that was my mother and I craved the mother love I never had so bad I was letting her get away w slight disgusting behaviorI think I was seeing narc mom content but never really paid attention .But one day she had this outburst so bad I was like I’m officially done my older brother cut me offf for dealing me her but idc both of them are toxic . I was doing so much research about how narc mother hate their daughter in competition w them jealous of them . She caused me to have so much low self esteem it’s crazy … and I think this new anxiety and anxiousness about life is her doing I can’t quite telll but when I had no relationship w her I was very outgoing and living my life .(although I was drinking alcohol at the clubs I’ve since stopped though and things are very clear now) ever since I got close to her wanting to build a relationship I’ve been very stagnant . But I cut her off a year ago when she had her outburst . And since then I’ve been slowly getting back to being progressive and outgoing and trying new things and getting a hobby . I still live w her but she’s gone 5 days out the week (she’s a travel nurse ) . What’s crazy to me though is that u really thought she changed and she very much so had me convinced and now she’s back to her old ways . But now since I’m so educated on the topic I used to let her say what she wants and I walk out the house without saying anything back . But now I’m hurting so bad like I’m really hurting in pain thinkin of how can she do this to her child like damn this women really never like or cared about me she just felt obligated because she had me by a bum who ultimately left her and I only meet once . So now I’m returning her energy when she saying awful things to me and I’m saying even more disgusting vile things to her especially about her having 5 kids by 3 men and all of them used and abused her and her taking it on us I’m saying even worse foul things to her (That I never said to her in my life I find it so tacky and degenerate to talk to someone like that I’m really the nicest sweetest person in the world and she knows that I h8 talking to her like that but I’m just standing up for myself after years of her abuse and then I feel guilty for standing up for myself but I will no longer allow her to talk to me in a disgusting manner and get away w it ) . Like last month she brought a man over (which is very new for her she never brought men home she divorced her ex husband when I was 13 and has been single ever since she’s a workaholic which there is nothing wrong w) she brought a guy over and I cussed her out really bad in front of him like oh how could you abuse us like this telling her she took her anger out on us cause she made bad decisions and then I bused out crying telling her how it hard to be and adult beacuse all I think about 24/7 is how she treated us it was bad but esp worst for the girls she was a mammy but she loved her black KANGS she abused us all but treated them a bit better . While I’m crying w tears in my face instead of feeling some sort or remorse in her face she smirked w glee … we fought twice that day her trying to get me out and me telling her to call the police ultimately my sister came to calm us down but mostly took her side I mean that her mother so yea . I used to be one of her flying monkeys so I understand why she feels the way she does my sister. But I cut all of my siblings relatives friends off . I don’t want anything w one one who had a relationship w my mom plus most of them are very degenrate and deep in blackistan my mother is Haitian but I consider myself black American I don’t want anything to do w that culture . I’m cutting them all off I want to move out of this city and relocate .And before anyone tells me that I need to leave I know that trust me but the economy is awful . So I really need some advice ? 1. I want to start a Facebook page when I leave her house add her her personal people that she knows and air out all her dirty laundry and how she treated us . she’s a covert narc and people don’t really know the real her like I want to talk about all the terrible things she’s ever done to us and it’s bad the thought of exposing her like that gives me the boost to want to work everyday and get my shiii together so I can leave this house and never return to the people that knew me I just want to run away and never look back .But sometimes I just think like I should just leave and cut her and everyone who knew me offf and start over in another part of the country and don’t do that Facebook thing it’s childish but I really want to exose her I’m just in the fence about that? 2. I really want to be financially free I’m very frugal I want to bring in an extra 2500 a month where I’ll be comfortable enough to leave and not come back I’m still stripping but it’s getting tiring plus half of the clubs in the city we are like blackistan clubs and I’m sorry I cannot work at blackistan clubs ever again too degenerate for me plus in make more money at white /latin clubs . I work at an all Latin club but I’m literally the only black girl . I want to know are theyre anyway to make an extra income I don’t want a regular 9-5 . I want to work from home for like 3/4 hours a day is there some sort of website I can do that on w me dancing and wanting to be a full time context creator it’s hard to get a 9-5 ? 3.how do I heal from narc abuse like when I dint have a relationship w her life was great but now I’m just trying to heal I should’ve never tried to build a relationship w her I’m reading about narcissism I got a couple hobbies any other way to deal Ik it doesnt help staying w her but I’ll be out soon ?

I 47m been married to my wife 45 F for three years. I have two children of my own F 15 and M 19. I have three stepchildren M 13 F 17 and F 20. My F 17 Step Daughter just before Christmas brought a guy into my house and had sex with him on the couch next to my biological 15F daughters open bedroom door and she was awake. This made her very uncomfortable and now her mother will not let her come over to my house. I go and see her outside of the home as much as I can, but I miss her being able to come over to my house and hang out with me, I got pretty upset about this whole situation , I got pretty upset about this whole situation and tried to assure my daughter that it would never happen again. She is just very uncomfortable being around her stepsister because she is a little much. My F17 Step Daughter had a baby in September and my wife and I are supporting her and her baby and it’s been very hard on us financially. It’s also starting to hit us in the bedroom. My wife doesn’t really initiate sex anymore and says that I ask too much of her. she makes me feel like an annoyance. Mind you for the first three years of our relationship we had sex every day without fail. Now I feel like a beggar every night that I try to initiate something. I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried to talk to her about it and she gives me half answers. This probably doesn’t make much sense. The bigger issue to me is my daughter and being able to spend time with her and having her comfortable in my life and I don’t know what to do. I feel like maybe when I voiced my opinion about her daughter having sex in our house and telling her that I wouldn’t stand for it anymore Was when this started! I just don’t feel any love anymore even just today. I took her lunch to her office and she wouldn’t even look at me or kiss me on the lips. She turned to the side.

For context I live in Missouri, United States. After 13 years my partner and mother of my child has asked for a separation. She wants to keep the house and a side bussiness we worked on together which I decided to concede since the mortage is still going and my daughter would have a good place to live since I don't have any relatives close by and she does where they can take care of our daughter when we are at work. After several discussions I said that I would only take a few things move out and start again and that I would not fight anything as long as she didn't ask for mandated child support since I'm starting from 0 and she will be keeping everything and that I will give as much as I can to help with our daughter expenses while I get reqdy to leave (august is when I will leave the house and get my own place). She laughed about my suggestion and she said she didn't need ANY money from me and whatever I wanna give her she will save it for our kid and she's willing to sign a legal document where she will concede her right of asking for child support. So my question is: A. Is such a document possible to be signed and enforced if she changes her mind in the future. B. How much does it usually cost?
Also I can answer any additional questions if needed here. Thanks redditors.

Winners will be IN CAPS
1) i’m that girl vs. AMERICAN REQUIEM 2) COZY vs. 16 carriage 3) ALIEN SUPERSTAR vs. jolene 4) cuff it vs. BODYGUARD 5)ENERGY vs. flamenco 6) BREAK MY SOUL vs. texas hold em’ 7) church girl vs. TYRANT 8) plastic off the sofa vs. II MOST WANTED 9) VIRGO’S GROOVE vs. ii hands ii heaven 10) MOVE vs. riiverdance 11) HEATED vs. desert eagle 12)THIQUE vs. levii’s jeans 13) all up in your mind vs. SPAGHETTII 14) america has a problem vs. YA YA 15) PURE/HONEY vs. sweet/honey/buckin’ 16) SUMMER RENAISSANCE vs. blackbird
a) JUST FOR FUN b) DAUGHTER
My Choice- 1. IM THAT GIRL 2. COZY 3. JOLENE 4. CUFF IT 5. BREAK MY SOUL 6. FLAMENCO 7. TYRANT 8. II MOST WANTED 9. VIRGO’S GROOVE 10. MOVE 11. DESERT EAGLE 12. THIQUE 13. SPAGHETTI 14. AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM 15. SWEET/HONEY/BUCKIN’ 16. SUMMER RENAISSANCE
a)JUST FOR FUN b)DELRESTO(ECHOES

I am new to the game and have been playing with my daughters (10 and 13). My question is can some items be equipped that are not assigned to a body part? EXAMPLE: Does the Limburger and Anchovy Sandwich count as an equipable item or is it only a single use? There is no body part identified for it to be attached to.

Reddit Account: u/spyraxes
Discord Tag: spyraxes
Name and House: Visenya Targaryen
Age: 54
Cultural Group: Valyrian
Appearance: Visenya is a woman covered head to toe in striking features. With silver-gold hair worn braided or bound, allowing herself easy motion and vision in combat, purple eyes that stare from a harsh face with deep cheekbones and stern expressions, the Bloody Queen is a dominant figure in courtly and martial situations. Some say she bathes in blood to keep her youth, others that her rigorous training and love for battle keeps her body fit. Whatever the case, Visenya is a unique and unsettling woman.
Trait: Strong
Skill(s): Dragonrider, Swords (e), Essosi Blademaster (e)
Talent(s): Training, Glaring, Thinking Deeply About Things
Negative Trait(s): too cool
Starting Title(s): Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Lady of Mooncrest, Mother of the True King, the Bloody Queen, Wielder of Dark Sister, Rider of Vhagar
Starting Location: Opening Event
Alternate Characters: jesus christ its day 1 dont make me alt please!
Name and House: Marsella Egen
Age: 24
Cultural Group: Valeman
Appearance: Marsella is as cold-faced as her Queenly mistress, though more prone to smiles creeping through. She is tall, broad-shouldered, with a powerful build shaped by years of training and journeying the realm. Her hair is red and cut short, her face scarred and her green eyes deep-set and surrounded by scars.
Trait: Hale
Skill(s): Two-Handed Weapons (e), Brute
Talent(s): Dancing, Drinking, Gambling
Negative Trait(s): n/a
Starting Title(s): Sworn Sword to Lae Targaryen, Heir to Mooncrest, Cavalier
Starting Location: Opening Event
—

Bio-Timeline

• 29 BC - Visenya Targaryen is born, the first child of Aerion Targaryen, Lord of Dragonstone, and his wife Valaena Velaryon.
• 27 BC - Only a few years later, the boy who would later become the Conqueror, Aegon Targaryen, is born. His betrothal to Visenya is arranged almost the moment he is swaddled.
• 25 BC - Rhaenys Targaryen, youngest of the trio, joins the family. She is the last Targaryen born before the Conquest.
• 21 BC - Visenya begins to train with Lord Quenton Qoherys, Master-at-Arms of Dragonstone, and shows exceptional skill at arms. Later on, Aegon and Rhaenys both join her in practising their swordplay. Visenya always seems to get an edge, despite their shared significant skill.
• 14 BC - Between training sessions, Visenya finds herself exploring quiet places on Dragonstone. It is during one of these outings that she comes across one of the island’s non-human occupants. Vhagar, one of the smaller dragons on the island, bonds quickly with her. It takes a few months of bonding, but Visenya quickly becomes close to the beast - and soon enough she becomes its one and only rider.
• 9 BC - As arranged many years before, Aegon and Visenya wed. It is a marriage of duty, but all know Aegon holds love for his younger sister over the elder. Visenya holds no resentment. She knows duty and love cannot always intermingle, but she will do hers.
• 7 BC - Rhaenys and Aegon marry two years later in a pivot from tradition. Visenya spends more time with Vhagar and less with her siblings in the wake of it, though her love for Aegon does not dull. She remains close with the pair even with her physical distance.
• 2 BC - After a while of planning and plotting, the three Targaryens fly forth to conquer Westeros. House Stokeworth fell to Vhagar’s flames, and Duskendale knelt to the Queen after the fall of their army in Aegon’s first test. With the lands that would later become the core of Targaryen dominion secured, Aegon was crowned King of All Westeros, a crown placed atop his head by his elder sister and his title proclaimed by his younger. As the Stormlands fall to Rhaenys, and Harrenhal to Aegon, Visenya finds herself tasked with the conquest of the Vale. After destroying the region’s fleet, though not without losing a large portion of the Targaryen navy itself, Visenya circles back to Blackwater Bay, landing in Crackclaw Point and accepting the oaths of fealty of the local lords in the wake of Harrenhal’s destruction. With the Claw pacified, Visenya flies to join her siblings once more. They take a smaller force to the Reach, to meet an army of the Gardeners and Lannisters in battle. Nearly through dragonfire alone, the armies of Reach and West crumble, House Gardener nearly becomes extinct, and House Lannister kneels to the new royal house. Visenya receives an injury in the battle, taking an arrow to the shoulder, but it does nothing to hamper her skill.
• 1 BC - In the wake of the Field of Fire, Visenya retreats to the Aegonfort to recover from her injury. It does not take long for her to return to action, though, joining her siblings at the Trident to await the arrival of a Northern host led by the King of Winter. Visenya has no qualms with burning every Northman who wishes to cross the river, but Torrhen’s surrender is a move she views as wise. With the northern border secure, Visenya deals with her only loose end once and for all. On dragonback, she travels to the Eyrie as the Queen Regent of the Vale amasses an army, her attempt to arrange a marriage between herself and Aegon a failure. Visenya’s arrival is met by the young King, who sits himself up on her lap to await Sharra Arryn’s arrival. When she turns up, Ronnel asks to fly on dragonback - and that is enough to make Sharra capitulate, handing over the crown of Mountain and Vale to the dragonrider. Visenya’s act of mercy endears her to the young king and his mother, who becomes a close companion of Visenya in later years.
• 1 AC - With the Conquest brought to an end, besides the Dornish and the Ironborn homeland, the royal family fly to Oldtown to witness the crowning of Aegon I Targaryen, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. To gain the sympathies of the people, the Targaryens convert to the Faith of the Seven - though Visenya holds fast to her Valyrian beliefs behind closed doors, unwilling to abandon her heritage to please those who she conquered. With Aegon’s victory, King’s Landing’s construction becomes the focus of the realm. For a while, anyway. During this initial period of peace, one attempt is made on the life of the King, with Visenya putting down the assassins. Aegon believes his guards are more than sufficient usually, and she proves him wrong by opening up his cheek with the tip of Dark Sister before any of his men can respond. Not long after, Ser Corlys Velaryon is named Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and six knights are selected to join him in an act honouring the false gods of Westeros.
  • Far from the capital, in Mooncrest, a daughter is born to Lord Lyn Egen and his wife. She is named Marsella.
• 2 AC - Once again, the peace is fractured. House Sunderland resumes their rebellion against House Arryn and the Crown, and the Ironborn continue to war with Westeros as a whole. Whilst Aegon deals with the raiders to the west, the Queen flies north and puts down Queen Marla Sunderland and her rebels, turning the hold of House Sunderland and the entire line to ash, naming House Borrell as overlords of the Sisters, and bidding them swear fealty to House Stark of Winterfell in place of the young Lord Arryn. Before returning to King’s Landing, she takes a quick stop at the Eyrie to berate the Lady Regent for her negligent handling of the situation - though she leaves with a far more forgiving stance, and perhaps a touch of regret for her harsh decision.
• 3 - 7 AC - Visenya assumes a position in the royal court enforcing Aegon’s will, assisting the Kingsguard in protecting him from attacks, and providing an intimidating presence for those who would overstep their bounds. She maintains contact with the Arryns of the Vale, letters flying back and forth to keep her friendship with the Lady Regent alive. She gives and receives advice, whiles away time writing, and promises to visit.
• 7 AC - At a feast to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the Conquest, during one of Rhaenys’ visits to Dorne, the King is attacked. Goldcloaks perform the assassination attempt in great numbers, and the force of Visenya and the Kingsguard isn’t enough to stop them from getting to Aegon and wounding him. Despite their failure to protect him, the fight ends in royal favour as Ser Malwyn Blackwood takes some of the assailants captive and Visenya tends to the fallen king. He is unresponsive but alive, and Orys promises to take care of him whilst the prisoners are interrogated. Reluctantly, the Queen agrees. It does not take long for the truth to be revealed - that House Tully of Riverrun plotted the attack, in an attempt to kill the King. It seemed unlikely that they would fail, in the end, but Visenya refused to let them see their day of victory. Only she is told, and she acts immediately, leaving the city on the back of Vhagar and heading towards Riverrun with only one objective in mind. When she reaches the castle, there is little hesitation - fire envelops the people and the structures, turning all to ash. No Tully survives, in her reckoning, and she takes the signet ring of Lord Edmyn as proof of her victory and their failure. Naming the land Aegon’s Rest, she pens a writ bestowing it upon Baelor Belaerys, a man in her husband’s service and descendant of dragonlords of old, and names Lord Lannister the overlord of the territory. She returns to King’s Landing, but her visit does not last long - when Aegon’s death is confirmed, and the Master of Laws reveals the plans to split governance three ways, she leaves for the Vale almost immediately. She only stays around long enough to have her pregnancy confirmed - an heir to the throne.
• 7 - 10 AC - It doesn’t take long for Visenya to arrive at the Eyrie, welcomed in her grief by Sharra and her children. She is visibly pregnant, and her small retinue settles in well. Most of her time is spent with the Lady Regent and the children, and the birth of her first child - who she names Laenor - is no deterrent from that. In fact, it often seems that Visenya has more affection for her host’s children than her own. She becomes almost a second mother to the Lord of the Eyrie and his three siblings. Despite her closed-off nature, she finds a constant companion in Sharra Arryn, and becomes as close to friends as she can with many others present in the castle including Lord Lyn Egen, an advisor to the Lady Regent. She splits her time between training, flying, the children, and her own heir.
• 10 AC - Ronnel Arryn comes of age, and is wedded to Serena Stark. It is an arrangement made by Rhaenys, one that infuriates Visenya to no end initially. She becomes irate at Sharra, but quickly turns around and accepts it. Their relationship remains warm and close. However, nearing the end of the year, Sharra dies. Once more, Visenya retreats into herself, spending most of the days in the sky on Vhagar’s back alone. She is convinced to return to life by the Arryn children, and continues to raise them into adulthood. Without Sharra, it is a harder task, but one she confronts all the same.
• 13 AC - Despite their devotion to the Seven, gods Visenya only considered to be hers in name, the formation of the Cavaliers brings joy to the Queen in the Mountains. She places her support behind the order, continuing her return to public life within the Vale. She takes on the duty of training the daughter of her good friend Lord Egen, teaching young Marsella how to fight. Despite their difference in weaponry - Visenya’s preference for smaller longswords versus Marsella’s for large hefty greatswords - the two get along fiercely well.
• 15 AC - When news of the tragedy in the Kingswood reaches the Eyrie, Visenya sends her condolences to the regent for the deaths under his watch. There is something cold about the way it is written.
• 16 AC - News of Dorne’s integration into the Seven Kingdoms pleases her no more than the Kingswood Catastrophe, especially when the stipulation upon which it happened is made known to her. Unwilling to dishonour the deal, Visenya ensures that she has it in writing that Laenor will one day marry the Princess of Dorne’s daughter, but she is irate over Rhaenys’ move - but also a little proud of her younger sister for outmanoeuvring her.
• 19 AC - After a long period of courting and an even longer period of talking, a wedding is held at Mooncrest between Visenya Targaryen and Lord Lyn Egen. There is jubilation, a tournament, a grand feast, and perhaps the first real smile on the lips of Visenya since the death of Sharra Arryn. It is proof that there is still a drop of the old Visenya beneath the cold, disconnected surface, that very few see. It is not the end of ceremony for the Egens in that year, as Marsella is inducted into the Cavaliers. She is sworn to protect Laenor Targaryen, too, her sibling and friend.
• 20 AC - Early in the year, after a prolonged illness, Lyn’s eldest daughter Carolei passes. There is sorrow in Mooncrest, but it is solved in part by good news. Just a year and a bit after their wedding, Visenya and Lyn’s first and only child is born, a young girl named Maegelle. She is Lyn’s third daughter, second living, and only one present in Mooncrest - Marsella left a note in the wake of her sister’s death that she was taking some time for herself in Essos and would be back when she viewed it right. Some wonder if she is participating in Orys’ plans to create closer relations with Essos, but the Egens know that is unlikely - Marsella cares little for politics and less for the enemies of her father’s wife.
• 20 - 25 AC - Visenya and Lyn remain quiet at Mooncrest and the Eyrie, engaging in politics and plotting and regular court life (moreso for the latter than the former), as Laenor becomes more and more shaped into the ruler they’re meant to become. Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, Marsella becomes more grizzled a warrior, serving with the Lost Legion before their arrival in Westeros, meeting the Blue Sails and their leader Helya Harlaw and joining them briefly, and taking on mercenary work across the Free Cities and the Disputed Lands for anyone who would pay for a Westerosi warrior. Her contact with Mooncrest is limited, bearing only a few words attached to packages for Laenor alone.
• 25 AC - As Laenor comes of age, and the realm at large is summoned to King’s Landing to celebrate the namedays of her and Rhaenys’ children, Visenya prepares for the worst - her sister will not move aside easily, and she knows well enough that Rhaenys might have to be forced. But there is no doubt in her mind that she is ready for it - she just prays the realm is to join her. From the East, Marsella returns, ready to see her kin and friends for the first time in half a decade. She is not the same woman she once was.

—

Family Tree

House Egen
House Targaryen
—

Supporting Characters

Lord Lyn Egen - b. 24 BC - Archetype: General - Wise and a touch ferocious, Lyn is a skilled commander and a protective father, ready to do whatever he can to protect his daughters and Visenya’s own child. Skilled enough with a sword but more comfortable ahorse or behind a commander’s desk, the man who served as Keeper of the Gates of the Moon during the Conquest and was ready to cut his teeth against dragonfire now acts as the most loyal and proud follower of the very Queen who conquered his lands, his own wife.
Lorra Egen - b. 6 AC - Archetype: Builder - Despite the martial inclination of much of House Egen, Laenor is not the only occupant of Mooncrest who has grasped numbers well. Lorra Egen is a skilled mathematician in her own right, left in charge of the finances of the castle when her distant step-kin isn’t there to run them, and often assisting them in doing so. She is prim and proper and prone to judgement, but she is kind at heart. No niece of Lyn Egen would survive not being so, in truth.

Continuing my creative journey experimenting with Rosary and chaplet what-ifs, after posting a couple months ago about using clauses and readings with the Rosary and on Monday a Rosary with a different mystery set for every day of the week, I figured that many Reformed in the Episcopal Church who are uncomfortable with Marian devotions might want a Rosary-like chaplet that doesn't have Marian prayers, so I adapted Monday's post to Jesus-centric prayers: The Jesus Prayer, the Fatima Prayer, or any Jesus prayer you want. This could also be adapted to the traditional Rosary schedule.
Please give notes and advice if you have any! 😁
Introduction

CRUCIFIX — In nomine Patris. - Then: Apostolic Creed.
MEDAL — Pater Noster, with the doxology.
BEADS — Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus, Son of God, [clause,] have mercy on me a sinner. Amen. - Or Fatima Prayer: O my Jesus, [clause,] forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.
MEDAL — Gloria Patri.

Mysteries

MEDAL — Reading. - Then: Pater Noster, without the doxology.
DECADE — Jesus Prayer or Fatima Prayer, with the clause.
LAST BEAD — Gloria Patri, after the Jesus Prayer or Fatima Prayer.

Conclusion
FINAL MEDAL — The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12): And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Amen.
The Joyful Mysteries (Monday)

Introductory Beads … who increases our faith…
… who strengthens our hope…
… who perfects our charity…
The Annunciation Reading: Luke 1:26-38
Clause: … whom thy Holy Mother didst conceive of the Holy Ghost…
The Visitation Reading: Luke 1:39-55
Clause: … whom thy Holy Mother didst carry with Elizabeth…
The Nativity Reading: Luke 2:4-20
Clause: … whom thy Holy Mother didst bear at Bethlehem…
The Presentation Reading: Luke 2:21-32
Clause: … whom thy Holy Mother didst present in the Temple…
The Finding Reading: Luke 2:41-52
Clause: … whom thy Holy Mother didst find in the Temple…

The Healthful Mysteries (Tuesday)

Introductory Beads … who increases our faith…
… who strengthens our hope…
… who perfects our charity…
The Ministry of Healing
Reading: Luke 4:38-44
Clause: … who ministered unto the sick...
The Healed Servant
Reading: Luke 7:1-10
Clause: … who healed the centurion’s servant...
The Healed Daughter
Reading: Luke 8:40-56
Clause: … who healed the rabbi’s daughter...
The Healed Woman
Reading: Luke 13:10-17
Clause: … who healed the woman on the sabbath...
The Healed Lepers
Reading: Luke 17:11-19
Clause: … who healed the outcast lepers...

The Luminous Mysteries (Wednesday)

Introductory Beads … who guides our thoughts…
… who commands our words…
… who governs our actions…
The Baptism Reading: John 1:29-34
Clause: … who was baptized in the River Jordan for our sins...
The Wedding Reading: John 2:1-11
Clause: … who manifested His divine glory in Cana...
The Proclamation Reading: Luke 9:1-6
Clause: … who proclaimed the Kingdom of God with His disciples...
The Transfiguration Reading: Luke 9:28-36
Clause: … who was transfigured in radiant glory on Mount Tabor...
The Eucharist Reading: Luke 22:13-20
Clause: … who gave us His body and blood...

The Cleansing Mysteries (Thursday)

Introductory Beads … who increases our faith…
… who strengthens our hope…
… who perfects our charity…
The Cleansed Galilean Reading: Luke 4:33-37
Clause: … who cleansed a demoniac Galilean...
The Cleansed Gerasene Reading: Luke 7:1-10
Clause: … who cleansed a demoniac Gerasene...
The Cleansed Boy Reading: Luke 9:37-42
Clause: … who cleansed a demoniac boy...
The Cleansed Mute Reading: Luke 11:14-28
Clause: … who cleansed a demoniac mute...
The Cleansed Canaanite Reading: Matthew 15:21-28
Clause: … who cleansed a demoniac Canaanite...

The Sorrowful Mysteries (Friday)

Introductory Beads … who enlightens our minds…
… to corrects our memories…
… to perfects our wills…
The Agony Reading: Luke 22:39-46
Clause: … who sweat blood in the garden...
The Scourging Reading: Luke 22:63-71
Clause: … who was scourged for our sins...
The Crowning Reading: John 19:1-5
Clause: … who was crowned with thorns for our sins...
The Cross Reading: John 19:16-17
Clause: … who bore the heavy Cross for our sins...
The Crucifixion Reading: John 19:18-30
Clause: … who died on the Cross for our sins...

The Natural Mysteries (Saturday)

Introductory Beads … who increases our faith…
… who strengthens our hope…
… who perfects our charity…
The Tribute Reading: Matthew 17:24-27
Clause: … who paid tribute by the sea...
The Withered Fig Tree Reading: Matthew 21:18-27
Clause: … who withered the fig tree...
The Abundant Lake Reading: Luke 5:1-11
Clause: … who gave abundance at Lake Gennesaret...
The Pacification Reading: Luke 8:22-25
Clause: … who calmed the waters...
The Arrival Reading: John 6:16-24
Clause: … who walked on the sea...

The Glorious Mysteries (Sunday)

Introductory Beads … who guides our thoughts…
… who commands our words…
… who governs our actions…
The Resurrection Reading: Luke 24:1-7
Clause: … who rose again from the dead...
The Ascension Reading: Luke 24:50-53
Clause: … who ascended into Heaven...
The Transmission Reading: Acts 2:1-4
Clause: … who sent us the Holy Ghost...
The Assumption Reading: Song of Solomon 2:10-14
Clause: … who assumed thy Holy Mother into Heaven…
The Coronation Reading: Revelation 12:1-2
Clause: … who crowned thy Holy Mother in Heaven…

Ok so, my daughter is way over due for some kind of sleep training but I just don’t even know where to start:
Short Version: - She’s 13 Months - She is still in a playpen in our room overnight - She sleeps 7PM-5AM. She wakes up 2-3 times at night still. I give her a bottle of water and rub her back and she goes back down within a few minutes. - She takes two good naps during the day but ONLY in the car. Literally will not sleep in her crib or playpen. Total of 2-3 hours of naps. - My main goals are to get her in her own room, decrease the amount of nighttime wake ups and get her to sleep in her crib during naps. Without just letting her full cry it out.
Long Version: She has always been a really bad sleeper. I spent many many months trying to get her to sleep in her crib during naps (the curtains, the sound machine, you name it) but she would either just not nap at all and be miserable. Or, it would take two hours to get her down, just for her to sleep for 20 minutes. I work for myself and watch her at the same time, so it became completely unsustainable. That’s why I started the bad habit of the car naps. Every day I just throw her in the car, drive around the block for 5 minutes, she falls asleep and then I can sit in our driveway for a good chunk of time getting work done. But, obviously that can’t go on forever.
As far as being in our room, I just kept saying “when she starts waking up less throughout the night, we will move her. I can’t imagine having to get up and go into her room every time instead of just rolling over and rubbing her back for a minute”. But, obviously she is still waking up a ton so I don’t know what to do there.
Any advice on which of these issues to start with and how to approach it in a gentle, sustainable way would be super appreciated.

Ok so, my daughter is way over due for some kind of sleep training but I just don’t even know where to start:
Short Version: - She’s 13 Months - She is still in a playpen in our room overnight - She sleeps 7PM-5AM. She wakes up 2-3 times at night still. I give her a bottle of water and rub her back and she goes back down within a few minutes. - She takes two good naps during the day but ONLY in the car. Literally will not sleep in her crib or playpen. Total of 2-3 hours of naps. - My main goals are to get her in her own room, decrease the amount of nighttime wake ups and get her to sleep in her crib during naps. Without just letting her full cry it out.
Long Version: She has always been a really bad sleeper. I spent many many months trying to get her to sleep in her crib during naps (the curtains, the sound machine, you name it) but she would either just not nap at all and be miserable. Or, it would take two hours to get her down, just for her to sleep for 20 minutes. I work for myself and watch her at the same time, so it became completely unsustainable. That’s why I started the bad habit of the car naps. Every day I just throw her in the car, drive around the block for 5 minutes, she falls asleep and then I can sit in our driveway for a good chunk of time getting work done. But, obviously that can’t go on forever.
As far as being in our room, I just kept saying “when she starts waking up less throughout the night, we will move her. I can’t imagine having to get up and go into her room every time instead of just rolling over and rubbing her back for a minute”. But, obviously she is still waking up a ton so I don’t know what to do there.
Any advice on which of these issues to start with and how to approach it in a gentle, sustainable way would be super appreciated.

Ok so, my daughter is way over due for some kind of sleep training but I just don’t even know where to start:
Short Version: - She’s 13 Months - She is still in a playpen in our room overnight - She sleeps 7PM-5AM. She wakes up 2-3 times at night still. I give her a bottle of water and rub her back and she goes back down within a few minutes. - She takes two good naps during the day but ONLY in the car. Literally will not sleep in her crib or playpen. Total of 2-3 hours of naps. - My main goals are to get her in her own room, decrease the amount of nighttime wake ups and get her to sleep in her crib during naps. Without just letting her full cry it out.
Long Version: She has always been a really bad sleeper. I spent many many months trying to get her to sleep in her crib during naps (the curtains, the sound machine, you name it) but she would either just not nap at all and be miserable. Or, it would take two hours to get her down, just for her to sleep for 20 minutes. I work for myself and watch her at the same time, so it became completely unsustainable. That’s why I started the bad habit of the car naps. Every day I just throw her in the car, drive around the block for 5 minutes, she falls asleep and then I can sit in our driveway for a good chunk of time getting work done. But, obviously that can’t go on forever.
As far as being in our room, I just kept saying “when she starts waking up less throughout the night, we will move her. I can’t imagine having to get up and go into her room every time instead of just rolling over and rubbing her back for a minute”. But, obviously she is still waking up a ton so I don’t know what to do there.
Any advice on which of these issues to start with and how to approach it in a gentle, sustainable way would be super appreciated.

Can Anybody lead me to the world of online jobs I’ve always done bluecollar jobs. For about 13 years I want a online job to also take care of my daughter. Help!!!!

MH3 Leaks have spoiled Lhurgoyf-typal, with Tarmogoyf being promoted from the face of modern at its inception to token at the flagship release 13 years in.
So now it's time for them to complete the missing piece of the family tree in their story that began in 1995 and had its latest installment in 2020.
[[Lhurgoyf]] introduced us the ever quotable [[Saffi Eriksdotter]]. They even gave the silliness of the flavor text a nod in silver-border with [[Ach! Hans! Run!]]
And so we got two snippets of the story, Saffi's desperate warning, and the faint echoes of Hans trying to catch up as she slipped into a time-rift and escaped her fate.
In a "photos taken moments before disaster" snapshot, we got [[Hans Eriksson]], enjoying the beautiful mountain air and stopping to smell the flowers. But what's that in the shadows? That's a 25-year old flavor text in the making.
So MH3 design team, call up the printers if you didn't put him in and make a few thousand copies to mail out with the set release, because it's time for:
Erik, Bereaved Father Legendary Creature-Human Noble
2RGW
2/3
Vigilance, Haste
T:For each player, exile any number of cards from that player's graveyard with different types. Put a +1/+1 counter of Erik for each card exiled this way.
When there wasn't enough left of his daughter for a proper funeral, he dedicated the rest of his days to ridding the kingdom of the monstrous Lhurgoyfs.

My daughter is 13 months and had hit toddlerhood like a ton of bricks. She is typically needy and we still rock her to sleep which is a separate issue (probably) but recently she has been just an absolute terror and its starting to affect my mental health. I'm trying to think of ANY reason she might be crying like this where the only thing that can calm her down is breastfeeding ( I don't think she is really hungry) and as soon as we stop she screams again. Some times she wakes up from a deep sleep just SCREAMING, she HATES being laid down on her back for a diaper change, we can't brush her teeth without a fight. She basically cannot be consoled by my husband (her dad) so I can't even ask him to help me in the middle of the night when she wakes up. I really just hold her while she thrashes and cries but his solution is to just put her down on the floor and I feel like that isn't supporting her in the way I would like. I hate to listen to her cry to the point of hacking and trying to throw up but I have no idea what the problem could be or how to fix it. I thought maybe teething but why would laying her down for a diaper change make her so angry?
Anyway I don't know if anyone can even help us but maybe at least putting it out here can get the weight off my shoulders that I'm not doing nothing....

The rift between them has caused a lot of tension in my family and now my mom wants to be in the life of her newborn grandson but refuses to address or try to mend things with my wife.
Little history: I probably introduced them too quickly. My grandmother was in town in south Florida about to move here from Illinois for a retirement community. My wife, girlfriend at the time, came with cookies or some form of baked goods like she usually does when visiting someone as a sign of affection and respect. Where it went wrong from here I have no idea. I suppose the initial crack was when wife scheduled a skitrip for her and I to have as a 1 year of dating anniversary present. We are not rich, this is a huge gift that made sense to her since I refused to let her pay rent. Our combines salaries are barely over 120k. So wife calls mom 6 months in advance because she is a planner for the sole purpose of asking my mom to watch one of our four dogs. Wife has already paid in full for the trip. Yet Mom decides it is a great idea to instead use the opportunity to hop on and take a family trip because it is the last time the family will have for a family vacation - I am the oldest of two boys and two stepsisters, my mom married the guy she left my father for who has twin girls of his own that were in the womb during the infidelity. Anyway mom completely takes over and decides to make our one year gift a family vacation, so she books tickets for a hotel nearby. Wife is bold but at the time not bold enough to stop my mom in her tracks for overstepping a boundary. At this time she still respected my mother and kind of let herself get steamrolled.
Probably skippable Family history: Now I have always had issues with my mother, resentment for leaving my father for my stepdad behind my own fathers back and constantly trying to keep brother and I from seeing “Disneyland dad who doesn’t do any of the work but gets all the fun.” my mother was very strict growing up, always bringing us to church and making my father feel guilty for not bringing brother and I on his weekend. So mom marries stepdad age 11, divorces him around 13 after asking me advice for her relationship and i encourage her to move out. Then remarries him and moves us back into his house age 15. Here I begin rebellion and normal teeenager stuff but stepdad won’t butt in because he isn’t my “biological father” so would have my mom intervene brother and i from behind the scenes. For example, I am young and messing around on the piano because music is important and I never had any formal training and mom comes in to tell me stepdad “wants to know when the concert is going to end because it is a little annoying.” Anyway, they have me prescribed adderall at 16 and in the parking lot holding my first prescription I am told that they would like me to move out and in with my father, who had chased us every time mom and stepdad moved several miles away (5 moves from age 5-15 all in one county). Anyway, brother and I are recovering alcoholics with (my) slipups triggered from interactions or visiting my mom, which mom claims is genetics from my father alone and has nothing to do with her. Maternal grandfather, mother, and I have some nasty temper problems which certainly are exacerbated by drinking (at least mine and moms).
Skitrip revelations: Wife and I are on the way to brothers graduation in Chicago, and wife has yet to reveal to me that my mother has taken over her massive investment of a couples ski vacation and it will now be a family vacation for mom, stepdad, brother, two stepsisters who are all getting out of gradschool. On the way to the airport I am told the news by future wife of my one year surprise. So I get upset and call my mom to call it off. She obliges my request and now holds resentment against me and now wife for “ruining her last family vacation.” Fine, whatever. Mother never says a word about it for months until we are out for a distant family members birthday dinner and at a table of about 8-10 people that are having a group conversation and gets real close to my wife’s ear and tells her privately along the lines of “you deprived our family of our last family vacation.” During this time my wife is frantically tapping my leg under the table because my mom can get a little aggressive. My mom saw this and later (privately to me) mocked her for doing it to my leg under the table.
Christmas blessings: Closer to Christmas maybe 2/3 weeks later we went to go see my mom and my mom had a couple drinks in her (not an alcoholic like brother and I just very sensitive to a couple glasses of wine and occasionally some hidden sips of wine or something) and invites my wife to Christmas church and out to dinner after because the family needs photos for a Christmas card and future wife “will be the photographer for it.” Now this can easily be a nothing comment but given the way my mom had been making future wife feel, it was taken as an insult. So wife declined church and showed up to family dinner just in time for photography session to be over.
The distance: Then mom moves to a fancy house up the coast and invites us up to visit. At first it is ok to bring the 4 dogs then the day before she says they will not have dogs at the house and we can easily find a sitter. 2 Dogs don’t get along, they need to be separated always as there has been two attacks on one from the other, so we can’t trust someone to come to the house and keep them separate and we won’t board 4 dogs it’s too expensive for us. Anyway we go back and forth being invited with the dogs then they retract the offer and say pick one dog to bring and leave the others and it’s just annoying, so we say forget it and don’t go. But my brother becomes engaged and decides to throw his engagement party at my mom’s new place near the beach. Great. First all the dogs are welcome, then day before they say it is too chaotic and she will pay for a small hotel room for one night for future wife and her dogs and my one (the attack dog) can stay in a crate at the house with me but I may not leave the dog to stay with her. And no reasonable cheap hotel in the area is going to accommodate 4 dogs. Anyway wife is stressed but feels obligated to come because I am the best man and I stay at the house while she checks her dogs into the hotel. Wife had made a cheesecake and brought it up in a separate car from me, 4 hour drive by the way, and night of.. my mom says no desserts for engagement party dinner, the dessert is themed or some crazy stuff. Wife shows up to dinner a little later and very flustered because of the situation plus I had relapsed on a bottle of whiskey a couple days prior to seeing my mom. Related, I don’t know. Anyway. Mom has had a couple drinks and future wife and I are talking about having children and religion comes up. Mom asks what we were thinking of doing about baptism or not and I jokingly said (guiltily to get on my moms nerves a bit) that he would have a bris and would love it if she would come to the bar mitzvah. now my wife’s mom was forced to convert from Catholicism to Judaism for her own mother in laws acceptance for a failed marriage so wife is not religious, but it hurt my wife and reasonably so when my mom replied “oh, son, I raised you better than that.” Still no acknowlegement of fault from that comment and mom thinks wife is “overly sensitive, dramatic, and childish” for wanting an apology for it.
Weddings: Future wife becomes current wife. We had gotten engaged on our next anniversary trip she planned for us. I proposed on our bike and barge through tulip season in holland with our feet in the water of the North Sea after a picnic in the dunes. her family business manufactures photo albums for professional photographers, so aside from our families all being divorced, estranged, difficult, and us trying to save money, we did not have a wedding, we just did the paperwork within a month of the proposal. I had already decided to have a baby with her before the trip so we were trying. 2 weeks before brothers wedding in Tennessee we become pregnant, so we break news immediately as to not steal limelight from brothers expensive wedding. Mom says she will cover cost of rental car so we can save money. Ok great. She books the tiny car and we pack it and head up the Smokey mountains to the cabins we are staying at. Two cabins for grooms family, one for his mother and one for his father, ten paces from each other: they havnt spoken but twice im since divorce in 1995 but through lawyers. Grandmother, mother, stepdad, 2 stepsisters and one boyfriend stayed in mom’s side. Wife and I stay at father’s side cabin with just his wife. His Wife’s 3 daughters and family’s stayed a town away down the mountain among extended family. Anyway, beautiful wedding takes place. My wife is sent into town to collect flowers and run errands for my mom which she happily obliged to since she is a solitary person and did not want wedding day drama. Day after, we are loading our rental sedan with our bags. Mom and grandma need a ride to the airport and our flight is before theirs so they will drop off the car for us 4 hours or so after we go to the airport 5 hours from current time. We’re loading the car. Stepcousin passed out in mother’s cabin night before and needed a ride. Disorganized brunch for 20 people is trying to be made. Father’s wife’s daughter books a reservation for 10 people which include her family, her sisters, me, my wife, dad, and their mom. My stepdad had left for home at this point as he had taken his own suv instead of flying with my mom and 90 year old grandma. So mom is trying to pack grandma in the car with bags and my wife and stepcousin. At this point mother asks stepmother if she and grandma are on reservation for the brunch. Stepmom says no they are not, she wasn’t sure of their plans. Mom says under her breath “fucking assholes, so typical,” and she goes into a bit of a rage to which my stepmom says here “it’s ok I will call and add you two it’s no big deal.” So we continue packing the car and realize we won’t all fit. So my wife tells my stepcousin to go ride with my father to the restaurant 10 minutes away we will meet you there. Mom says to wife, “no you go with the father.” Wife says “no I am going to ride with my husband” mom gets close to her face with her finger and says “this is my car, you can fucking Uber!” Wife is 6 weeks pregnant at this point and it all escalated from here. wife and mother start yelling at each other swearing at each other and we get into the car, mom behind wife who was in shotgun. 2 occasions on the trip I had to stop the car because mom had taken off her seatbelt to stand over the seat and scream in my wife’s face with so much vigor that spit came on to her face multiple times. I’m trying to tell them both to behave and mom sit down shut the f up. Mom is telling wife to get the f out of the car and find a ride, she has no right to speak because she’s “new here” (dating and living together for 3 years at this point). The following brunch she apologized in a crowd with a hushed voice at a table of 20 people trying to have a group conversation again privately to my wife “I’m sorry you get so upset” and my wife told her “that is not an apology.” The following several hours in the car with grandma and stepcousin and wife were some of the most uncomfortable moments of my life. At a gas station I pulled my mom aside and said I need ther to give a huge apology, that it was so nasty and inappropriate, my brother and I are used to abusive language and aggressive behavior but to my pregnant wife and any other human being it is disgusting and unacceptable. Sitting in the car was quiet for many hours until we got to the airport. No speaking about what happened just mom happy go lucky about Tennessee and Dollywood and wife and I in shock, cousin still half in the bag from a fun wedding, grandma 90 years old probably confused about what happened.
The family groupchat: Im waiting on an apology from my mother to my wife who is extremely hurt and expressed to my mom loads of time she needs to reach out and apologize. We’re not talking until she will do so. It is bugging me and keeping me up at night. My appendix flares up and I am admitted to the hospital with emergency appendectomy. Still pregnant Wife suggests I reach out to mom to let her know what’s going on. So I text mom I’m at the hospital and will have surgery. I send a pic or something that on my end says hasn’t gone through. Mom group texts our family group with stepdad, his daughters, brother and his wife, and grandma that I am in the hospital and attaches the pic I sent of me in there. Then she continues to rave about the success of her startup company and how they got FDA approved clinical trials finally completed or some pivotal moment that made the text about her. Wife and I are in a hospital so the picture comes up on moms end as unable to have been sent. Mom assumes that my wife has blocked her phone, so mom removes my wife from the chat. Wife is rushing home to take care of the dogs at this point and is not alerted on her phone, but on everyone else’s phone it clearly reads “(mom) has removed (wife) from the chat.” Immediately I text my mom and basically say how dare you do that to her she is the one who insisted I let you know out of respect and mom responds with blah blah she did this she did that I will not have it. So I go back to the family chat and remove mother. At this point I let everyone in the chat know what my mother has done and how she refuses to take responsibility for how she made my wife feel, address her feelings, apologize or do anything at all to reach out about the wedding incident or even inquire about the wellbeing of the pregnancy for her first grandchild. Stepdad finally steps in and tells me “enough.” Grandma says “shame on you.” I am dumbfounded. This is a hush hush family that hates to have anything out in the open and likes to maintain a picture perfect image. For examples; 1) I and wife were on the family Christmas card of a photo taken at the wedding that the whole world received except for wife and I. 2)brothers alcoholism was to remain hidden from the family as was his rehab treatment and how it affected his career. Now understand that they like to keep things quiet but that is not how I want to handle my problems, these things trigger alcohol use and violent outbursts on my part that I no longer wish to live through. Now appendectomy’s are pretty simple so I recovered quickly (it don’t rupture we just took it out). But during the time I was scheduled to be under anesthesia, stepdad reaches out to wife to have a chat and clear the air. Wife waits until I come to so i can be there and I hear the conversation. He claims to be here as a middleman like a business meeting to fix things once and for all. Wife and I are like wow great. He then proceeds to double down on my moms behalf that they will not be apologizing or meet any of her demands as she had already apologized as confirmed by 90yo grandma who was in the car and my mother herself. The term he used was stalemate to describe the situation. Wife and I are shocked but she has me keep quiet to show me what he will say. He proceeds to yell at her and they were screaming at each other, again steamrolling the conversation assuring us that he was down the middle yet maintains that mom has made a sufficient apology that needs to be accepted and wife needs to grow up and move on, then wishing her luck with the baby and a nice life. Next day I call stepdad to see how it went. He reassures me that he has done all he can and everything is back to normal. At this point I call him out and tell him I was conscious and explain to him what an apology is. But there is no dialogue with this guy like there is no dialogue with my mother. He proceeds to talk loudly over me like she does and basically call me a piece of shit for the amount he and mother have done for me. I speak to him first time like I never have before by calling him a hands off father and a pussy of a man who finally reaches out while he thinks I am under anesthesia to yell at my wife then pretend it’s cool, and I basically tell him he has never done a single thing for me to try and develop me into a man or nurture me as a child into an adult, but he thinks taking me on fishing trips and ski vacations are equivalent to love and nurturing growth and development just like my mom does. I reassure him that he has no right to talk about family being that he ruined his own as well as mine and couldn’t even tell my dad to his face that it was him who was sleeping with my mom behind his back when my dad came to him very upset as a friend when he got an anonymous phone tip at work one day. Then him and my mom laughed about it in court when my dad brought it up during the divorce. We ended with swearing and I felt very happy for finally giving my true feelings to him.
The birth: Months go by and nobody has said a thing. I can’t sleep at night seeing how much love I am getting from my father and his side for the baby, and my wife’s family, then thinking about how my own mother hasn’t reached out a single time. I’m dreaming about beating up my stepdad and it’s driving me mad. So weeks before the due date I reach out to my mom begging her to clear things up and apologize to my wife. Nothing. A week later i tell her how disappointed and abandoned I feel and want her in the family. Nothing. Baby comes a couple days early. Everyone is excited. Mom texts me begging for photos and to let everyone know. I tell her my brother and two stepsisters have received photos. I ask her to please reach out to wife she still needs to make amends for what’s happened between them and all she needs to do is reach out. Mom’s responses have been defensive, derisive, projecting, playing victim and referring to herself as a kicked puppy. Telling me my wife needs to apologize to her and making the conversation about mother son instead. She is beating around the bush. And she is sending me photos of my own baby that I did not send her. Her friends are congratulating me that I did not tell. Again she is pretending that everything is ok and it is not. She asked me to apologize to her husband for what I said on the phone that day. I said ok, watch this. So I sent the guy a message that was very apologetic and not passive aggressive or backhanded comments in any way. Still my mom won’t say anything.
Now: Baby is 6 days old. He is the best thing in my life and I wish my family were involved but it seems like I am living in a fantasy world where everyone can be happy together. I can be a jerk and have a terrible relationship with my mom, but I want more than anything to just feel loved enough where she can swallow her pride and make amends with my wife. Thats it. And she asked the other day to put a family group chat so everyone can be involved… for real? I know she is stressed with a high pressure job, but it seems heartless to me. She asks what big items she can get for the baby. Mom, baby is here we have everything for a couple months already. I said the biggest thing you can do is reach out and have a heart to heart with my wife so this rift can end and we can at least be cordial if you two can’t get along. I don’t think it will happen.

note Everything in "BOLD" is not my points
"No Ben" Ben does exist, Peter has his bag with his name on it BFP/Ben Franklin Parker.
"No responsibility" He has a large amount of responsibility. This kid went into space to help Iron Man not cuz he's his "sidekick," but because he loves him and Peter Parker will never stand there and do nothing again after what happened to his Uncle Ben. If he had no responsibility he would not be The Spectacular Spider-Man. I'd say in a way that makes his sacrifice more substantial compared to the other Peter's he's been doing this since he was like what 13 or 14.
"Gets everything handed to him without struggle" His Uncle Ben Freaking Died, his Aunt May Freaking Died, his best friend Tony Stark/The Invincible Iron Man Freaking Died, His other Best friend doesn't remember him, Love you Ned, the love of his life doesn't even know he exist, and worst of all the ENTIRE world does remember all the sacrifice that Peter Parker made.
"More of an Iron Man sidekick than his own hero" Peter Parker is not Iron Man's sidekick. A LOT of people get this mixed up by not looking deeper than surface level. Peter never wanted to be Iron Man jr and Tony never meant for him to be. Tony was teaching Peter to be less of a "Spider-Man and more of a Spectacular Spider-Man." Notice how every time Peter asked Tony that he wants to be go on missions with the Avengers and to not look after the little guy, Tony said no stay close to the ground. Tony has always looked after the little guy after Ultron, and when he met Peter Parker, he saw a kid that was years ahead of the Avengers as a hero. He got what responsibility meant, and the Avengers were still learning what that meant, hell they even started a big ass fight over it. Tony taught Peter to be Peter, let him know that Peter Parker is enough you don't need to be Iron Man jr. He wanted him to carry on his legacy, being the shield around the planet. Tony Stark did what he did in Endgame, because of Peter Parker and his daughter Morgan. He left behind a legacy.
"No Mary Jane" Who cares that there isn't a Mary Jane, Michelle "MJ" Jones is closer to MJ than any other on screen MJ at least compared to the typical MJ, which is VERY inconsistent. Hell I'd say she's just as interesting as TASM Gwen who is just goat, but MJ is very close in my eyes. Plus if she makes Peter happy without weighing him down then I don't give a FUCK if she's not a red headed woman. Michelle "MJ" Jones is great.
"Canonically weakest Spider-Man" Weakest Spider-Man...so what he's a kid and his power is only going to grow. He's very much in the ballpark as his comic book counterpart. Plus his Spider-Sense is cool as fork.
"Cannot win a fight without help" Okay this one is just really cool to be. Peter is a kid that saw his Uncle taken away from him through violence and now he hates violence. Peter rarely threw a punch in any movie he was in compare his fight with Vulture to Mysterio and Green Goblin. Each fight has a bit more anger in it. Peter is always holding back, because he hates violence. In the comics he created his Web Shooters in order to take bad guys down without using violence. He's a kind hearted person and that's what makes him Spectacular.
"Probably a virgin" What the hell???
"Lame theme song" His theme is pretty freaking cool and I love how they use it as a light motif throughout his journey as Spider-Man.
"No good swinging scenes" I don't know about y'all, but I freaking loved his final swing in Far From Home; but after seeing The Amazing Spider-Man Web Swing nothing is the same after.
"Needed to rely on Tobey and Andrew for success" So??? And Tobey and Andrew needed to rely on the Comics for success.
"No real world struggles" He's a kid getting through High school is enough for him. And his family was clearly still broke, you can find hints if you look hard enough.
"Short" So, Tom Holland is my favorite Spider-Man still. Peter has never been tall, just average.

A friend of mine started playing Fates for the first time, so once again I got bitten by the “complaining about Fates” bug. In particular, watching chapter 18 of Conquest again after so many years really got me going, and while the general consensus I’ve seen online about this chapters writing was negative, I wasn’t that satisfied by any of the overviews of it I read. I decided to give it a shot myself.
Dissecting why something doesn’t work is fun and all, but I think it’s also important to be constructive which is why I wanted to rewrite this chapter alongside my criticisms. I really do think there’s a lot of potential here that could have been the highlight of the entire story, and so I’d love to try my hand rewriting this chapter to be what it could have been rather than what we got. I have most of it done already, but Reddit only has so many characters before it cuts you off and this post is plenty long enough as is, so I’ll save that for another part coming up soon. This will be part 1, explaining what the chapter is and elaborating on my issues with it, while part 2 will be rewriting it along with my thought process and explanations.
Recap: https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Black_%26_White/Script
Corrin and Co are traveling when they decide to rest for the night at the nation of Izumo. They are greeted by Izana, the archduke of the kingdom, who seems to be a real goofball. After introducing himself, the levity is ended when it’s revealed the entire Hoshidan family has been invited here as well! Before any swords can be undrawn, Izana tells both parties that the kingdom has a strict neutrality pact neither of them can violate.
The scene cuts to later, where Ryoma enters Corrin and Xanders room to talk with them. Xander and Ryoma’s argument is cut short when Ryoma is dragged off by Nohrians. Turns out “Izana” is actually a Nohrian mage named Zola, who disguised himself to trick the Hoshidan royal family into a trap. Corrin and Xander don’t approve of such dishonorable methods to win, however, and fight to rescue their captives with Xander saying “we’ll win this war with honor or die trying”. After Leo kills Zola, the game cuts to later where we see Nohrians and Hoshidans alike having a meal, much to the delight of the real Izuma, who turns out is exactly as bizarre as the fake impression. Xander and Ryoma confirm with eachother that their fight will continue as usual, but Corrin states that no matter what happens they’re grateful they got to see both families eating together even if it’s not under the best circumstances, and the chapter ends with them saying they’ll revel in this feeling.
So on paper, I think this chapter is a great idea. Despite being at war, when one family is at the total mercy of the other, they lend a hand instead of kicking them while they’re down. This highlights how the two nations could accomplish so much together if only they weren’t at war with eachother. If utilized well, this could have been a great “eye of the tornado scene” emphasizing how tragic it is that these two families who share so much in common are forced by fate to fight eachother, making it all the more sorrowful when that’s brought to it’s conclusion through bloodshed. This would also encourage Conquest players to buy Birthright in a natural and subtle way as well now that they’ve had a nice sample of the other side. Of course, I don’t think this chapter was utilized well, and after reading the script again I believe it boils down to three major problems.
-Problem 1: The Lack of Worldbuilding Causes the Conflict to be Driven by Contrivances.
This is one of the many instances where the lack of fleshing out the world and it’s rules out really hampers the weight of the scenes. Unlike Awakening where there was a general cause-and-effect outlining the level structure, all of the Fates routes are much more individual and self-contained when it comes to chapters. This means the game has to really stretch itself to justify this elaborate setup being brought up and solved in one single chapter of regular length, and it’s very apparent when you write out the summary of events here.
Corrin and his army are just walking by when they happen upon the capital of the country. Corrin decides this would be a great place to rest for the night at and are instantly welcomed by its leader, who is also the only person in the game of that country. The entire Hoshidan family also just happen to bump into us because they coincidently came here at roughly the same time, with somehow neither party noticing the other until they were staring at eachother in the same room.
The only thing we know about this new nation we’ve never seen or heard about before is that it’s a peace-loving land with some sort of neutrality pact which means the two nations can’t fight here. What is the importance of this place that would entice all the Hoshidan royals to come over for a banquet in the middle of their country being invaded? Never explained. What exactly is this pact and what power does Izuno have to enforce it, if any? Never explained. Xander, prince of a nation at war and frontline general, has never heard of it. How does Garon or Iago never figure out or look into what happened here, considering the royals walked through their trap unharmed and everybody in charge of the trap vanished? Never brought up.
How many times here was this supposedly major event dependent on coincidences, seemingly important details left completely unexplained, and characters not knowing things that should be basic information of the world they live in? Things like all this quickly build up and make the world feel small scale and artificial, as if nothing truly exists until it’s in the peripheral vision of main characters. In a vacuum, this could all be excusable if the main meat of the chapter was just so dense and important that they just want a convenient excuse to delve into it. But about that…
-Problem 2: Nothing happens, either character-wise or plot-wise.
This is the only scene in both Birthright and Conquest where all eight of the royal families are together in one spot, and they’re unable to fight eachother. What a brilliant idea! How many great scenes could you come up with from this setup alone? How many directions could this move towards?

-The families bonding over their memories with Corrin (X)
-Calling eachother out for uncool actions, like Ryoma refusing to help Elise or Nohr siccing monsters on farming villages (X)
-Working together to defeat some threat they’d have trouble taking down on their own (X)
-Some cultural exchange (X)
-Some melancholy scene where, even if there’s a lot of resentment, they acknowledge how this may be the last time they ever get to have a meal with Corrin. (Somewhat?)
-Corrin sits down and has a mature conversation with his birth family elaborating on their choice to stay with Nohr (X)
-Some negotiation or debate between the two families about the future of their countries relationship, successful or not (X)
-Corrin being formally declared by the Hoshidan royals as a Nohrian, officially cutting them out of the family (X)

So what does Conquest do with this prompt? It does the unexpected route where all of them but Ryoma are shuffled out as soon as they’re introduced, captured offscreen, rescued offscreen, most of their dinner is offscreen, finishing their meal and leaving is offscreen, all of them sans Ryoma have barely any dialog, and none of them are even present in any of the CG’s.
We actually start off strong, Ryoma and Xander naturally puff out their chest and don’t get along when they’re in the same room, but seem to calm down when Corrin elaborates on how similar they are to eachother. But the game is so eager to get to fighting that it drags Ryoma away kicking and screaming before he even gets to share what he had to say to Corrin, let alone explore what having common ground means to the two of them.
1) I understand this is the Nohrian route so it makes sense the focus is mostly on them, but Takumi only gets three lines here, one of which is “…” Hinoka also only gets three lines, which I think is still more than she got in Birthright, and two of those lines are “You!” and “What are you doing here?”. Sakura lucks out as she’s the only sibling on either side who has anything to say whatsoever when Corrin says they’re grateful they could share another meal with the Hoshidans. That’s a start, but the fact remains Ryoma is the only sibling in the chapter whose remotely relevant, the rest could be omitted and nothing would change. They are only here to be damsels in distress heightening the stakes of defeating the local bad guy rather than providing any character development, checking up on how they are doing without Corrin and Azura, comparing and contrasting their differences between their counterparts, sharing any new information about them, foreshadowing Takumi’s possession, any notable interactions with their counterparts, etc. But no, nothing happens.
2) I also understand this is a video game and they don’t have all the time in the world before the next fight has to happen, yet Conquest is oddly completely uninterested in it’s own set-up. Zola, a minor chapter boss introduced and killed in this chapter, has more screentime and relevance here than any of the siblings, something you’d think would be the actual meat of the chapter they’d want to delve into.
The implications and weight of two dueling nations and families obligated to pause their fighting and dine with eachother could easily take up two or even three chapters as a pivotal arc, yet it’s completely blazed through as if the game considered it a cute novelty rather than a potential life-changing or history-changing moment. Simply put, it’s wasted potential, as if to say “Oh both of the two families meeting in a game about choosing between mutually exclusive families? Eh whatever.”
I wanna stick with just this chapter and not rewrite a good chunk of the entire story, but I can’t stress enough that in any other game this chapter would be the plot-defining moment paving the new way forward rather than chapter 15’s “we’ll expose Garon as a monster by helping him invade an innocent people.”
Neither of the two families are fighting because they outright want to, this isn’t a war about irreconcilable differences or mutually exclusive goals, the only reason for any conflict whatsoever as far as the game has shown us is that the guy in charge of Nohr is a sociopath who threatens to kill his own children at the drop of a hat. Sure, they probably won’t hold hands singing kumbaya after one extended conversation with eachother, but when all of them are in a truce far away from Garon’s authority having a meal together, nothing significant comes out of it plot-wise?
In fact, at the end of the day what significance happened here at all?

• -We learned about a new country, but we know very little about it and (other than Izama potentially joining the party later) absolutely none of it will be relevant after this chapter anyways.
• -Well, maybe this place is just set dressing so we have an excuse to meet up with our siblings again, but then nobody has any meaningful interactions, new info to share, planning ahead, or character development resulting from sharing scenes with them.
• -Then is the primary focus supposed to be on how this situation affects the Nohrian family? The antagonist and the conflict he brings is introduced and quickly solved without any consequences, with all the siblings instantly in agreement about stopping him. They don’t really talk amongst eachother about their feelings or how to go forward.

If there’s no juicy character interactions or exploration, and no setting up future events, then presumably the point of this big moment of Corrin and Xander leaping to save their enemies was made to show off that despite working in the same army, our heroes are indeed better than the swarms of war criminals under Nohr’s name we’ve seen and would never tolerate such things under normal circumstances. They’ve talked the talk about disagreeing with their father’s cruel methods, now here’s proof they’ll walk the walk, aren’t they such noble people? The way this is done however, opens up another can of worms…
-Problem 3: Protags come off as dicks
While our heroes are indeed more likeable and moral than blatant monsters like Garon and Hans, liking peace and disliking war crimes is not enough of a reason for a pat on the back. Our protags might not be burning villages for fun, but it’s difficult to take their proclaimed goal of peace seriously considering both the context of working for people who DO burn villages for fun and they way they handle themselves when presented with an opportunity to work on this supposed goal.
Corrin and Azura

• This is not seeing things under the worst possible interpretation to be a stick in the mud, Nohr is indeed invading Hoshido for no apparent reason and leaving war crimes wherever it’s armies go. Everybody in the building is aware of this to some extent.
  
• Azura and Corrin’s grand plan to expose Garon as a slime monster to his family indeed involves directly helping Garon conquer Hoshido, which they acknowledge will bring destruction and suffering that the nation and royal family have done nothing to deserve.
  
• Corrin and Azura are indeed presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here to sit down behind closed doors and communicate anything, just anything significant at all, to the royal family that still seems to value them, but our heroes don’t even try or seem to acknowledge that. Corrin doesn’t have any interactions with them that last more than a sentence or two, and Azura is never acknowledged nor speaks to them.
  
• And yet despite, all this, both Corrin and Azura are quite pleased with the turn of events here, with Corrin acknowledging they’ll “probably try to kill eachother next time they see eachother” but that they’ll “revel in this feeling.”
  

Azura in particular is problematic here. During Odovakar 's excellent overview of the problems with Fates writing, he goes into detail about how Azura’s line about “this is all quite heartwarming. We're like one big family...albeit, a dysfunctional one.” in particular comes off as incredibly tone deaf and tasteless given the circumstances of Azura and Corrin marching on one family’s homeland for the sake of the other family. What I think was also worth noting is the context leading up to that line…

Sakura: I was just, um...th-thinking...it's really nice to finally see you again. I'm glad you... I'm glad you f-found a way to be happy... Corrin: Sakura... I'm happy to see you too. Sakura: R-really? You mean it?! Oh, Corrin! Elise: HMPH! Back off, you! He/She's my brothesister! MINE! Sakura: Ah! I'm s-sorry! Corrin: Elise! Mind your manners, little one. Elise: But she's trying to take you away from me... She's my archnemesis

Whether intentional or not, this is actually a very clever microcosm of the family’s conflict acted out by the youngest and most innocent among them who probably weren’t even born when the conflict started. The Hoshidan loves their sibling, but their time with Corrin is interrupted by the Nohrian shoving them away and declaring Corrin for themselves. This is a great way to challenge our protags to some introspection about themselves.

Azura: Heehee! Corrin: Azura? Did you just...giggle?

Instead, Azura just finds this a real knee-slapper. I understand maybe this is just meant to be a cute image of imoutos fighting over oni-chan Corrin and nothing more, but the context makes it very hard to swallow the narrative’s insistence that all this is “heartwarming” as Azura puts it. Keep in mind that all the Hoshidan nobles are sitting at the same table watching all this. Do you think Ryoma also finds it funny that his little sister is scared off and declared an archnemesis by the daughter of the man who killed his father in cold blood? Do you think Hinoka also thinks it's like one big dysfunctional family when Corrin is preparing to march on her homeland with an army?
I get it, I totally know what they were going for, and in a vacuum it could be a great line making for a properly bittersweet moment. “Even if the two are at eachothers throats and the future is bleak, me and Azura are grateful we get to have at least one big normal dinner together like a real family.”
But the future is bleak because of Corrin and Azura participating in an invasion, the families are at eachothers throats partially because Corrin and Azura haven’t accomplished anything to reform Nohr. If anything, Corrin should feel great shame here. Elise just unintentionally reenacted the history between the nations where Nohr was clearly in the wrong, and Corrin is sitting directly across and staring at the family who’ve done nothing wrong to him yet are going to be hurt because of Corrin’s decision. Grateful they could spend time with them again? Maybe. But cheerful and laughing?

ProZD: D-did an alien write this game? blows gently

But at least Corrin doesn’t show outright contempt for the family they’re screwing over…
Xander and Leo

Xander: Corrin! There's no need to insult me like that. I could not possibly be anything like this sorry excuse for a prince. … Xander: We will win with honor or die trying. Come, Corrin. Let us go set free our sworn enemy. … Corrin: Heh, sorry... It's just that you and Ryoma really are so much alike. If you weren't on opposite sides of a war, I think you could have been great friends. Xander: Yeesh... Do me a favor and keep that nonsense in your head where it belongs. … Xander (to Ryoma): We only acted as Nohrian royals should. When we leave this place, you'll be nothing but an enemy to be defeated once more.

Okay, but why? Ryoma is not the one Xander overheard laughing to himself about how much he’s going to make Corrin suffer. How are the Hoshidan royals “nothing but enemies to be defeated” here when they’re just trying to defend their homeland from somebody who assassinated their king at a peace meeting? Where is all this contempt from Xander coming from?
It’s perfectly understandable he doesn’t get along super well with Ryoma because of the tensions between their nations, that makes sense, but I see no reason for why Xander is making several petty insults to his face unprompted, let alone so nonchalant and even somewhat eager to get back to waging a war Xander himself calls “a senseless war of greed and madness” in the epilogue.
He doesn’t treat his own people much better this chapter, declaring Zola and his henchmen as “traitors” to be “dealt with” for their dishonorable methods when ironically Zola taking over the country by disguising himself as the archduke is actually one of the least evil and self-destructive things we’ve seen the kingdom do so far. It must be emphasized that every sibling was in the same room watching Garon demand Xander kill Corrin if he interferes with killing POWs for his amusement, and half of them were in the same room when Garon ordered his henchmen to murder every singer they can find in a neutral country. So a few hundred or thousand innocent people, most of whom would presumably be young woman, murdered to snuff out potential assassins. Or Garon directly ordering the deaths of unarmed civilians in chapter 13 with Hans relaying “Villagers are just soldiers who haven’t picked up a sword yet.”
Xander talks a big game in this chapter about how “we’ll win this war with honor or die trying”, but how do you honorably win a war when your nation is constantly and openly rushing to pointless overkill brutality like this at every turn? What moral high ground does this country have that Xander is so determined to preserve he kills loyal soldiers over what he sees as sullying it, when at no point in the game does the influence of Nohr ever do anything but make life significantly worse? His sudden fervor towards doing the right thing is completely contrasted later on when Xander is the one telling Corrin there’s no justice to be found in war and you just gotta do what you gotta do rather than what’s morally right, in response to Corrin being upset the Nohrian army is killing woman and children who looked at them funny.

“Justice is an illusion, a fairy tale…Letting innocents die is a tragedy, but so is letting the chance for peace slip away. This is war. There is no such thing as a clean win when lives are on the line.”

“Justice is just a fairy tale, innocent people getting screwed over is something we have to accept in war because there’s no such thing as a clean win! But also we better win this senseless war of greed and madness with honor or die trying!”

• If “justice is an illusion”, how is killing Nohrian soldiers to free people who are apparently “nothing but enemies to be defeated” so you can fight them later on terms you prefer, directly prolonging a war which will lead to much more deaths on both sides, for the benefit of Nohr? By Xanders own logic, is this not letting the chance for peace slip away since there’s no such thing as a clean win? Forget Garon and Iago, I’m confident the citizens back home whose loved ones got conscripted would be the ones demanding his head if they found out about this. A very charitable interpretation is that ending the war this specific way will cause more chaos and fighting in the long-term compared to if they conquered and oppressed an innocent nation fair and square, but that’s nowhere to be found in the script whatsoever.
  
• If Xander believes in “We’ll win this war with honor or die trying”, why is he still following Garon? Garon is winning the war in part thanks to honorless and extreme acts of cruelty like blackmailing the Ice Tribe or making an example out of Scarlet’s body, yet instead of taking action against him like he does with Zola, Xander is instead the most loyal sibling to him to the point Corrin decides the best way to get him on his side is to expose Garon as a literal slime monster? Where’s Xander’s zeal of “Come Corrin, let’s go save our sworn enemies” when his father orders Hans is go through killing injured and surrendering foes who were promised they be spared? Where’s his conviction shown here about “not letting treachery go unpunished” when his father outright says he couldn’t care less about the welfare of his people and he’ll just kill anybody who complains to make an example?
  

I understand one might get the impression I’m going off topic or selectively picking and choosing quotes here from all over the game, but no matter how you look at it Xanders beliefs, morality, and priorities are just all over the place depending on what the plot needs him to do. This means not only is his motivation for helping his enemies here faulty no matter how you look at it, but it also makes the extreme lengths he goes to do so, killing his own subjects who won him victory on a silver platter because it wasn’t a “proper” victory, come off as baselessly self-righteous at best and outright cruel at worst.
I’m sure the game would assure us Zola and all his mooks are terrible people who had it coming, but the issue is no matter how virtuous you portray Xander and creepy you portray Zola, Xander is still directly managing the war for a megalomaniac and helping him achieve his goals in spite of his long history of open sadism and public crimes that make Zola look like a saint. By ignoring the clear root cause of Nohr's dishonor while going this hard against random goon's participating in dishonor, instead of being a gallant preserver of morals, he comes off like a bully who selectively picks and choices punishment.
On the topic of punishment, it particularly rubs me the wrong way how Leo just casually mercs Zola at the end, keep in mind Birthright confirms for all his faults he actually isn’t a complete monster like Garon and dies trying to help the protag.

Leo (smiling portrait): You’d probably rather die than live with the shame, correct? In that case…
Zola: Eek! No, please! M-m-milord... I was wrong! S-so wrong! I have seen the error of my ways! P-please...spare my unworthy life!!
Leo (still smiling): Make peace with it, Zola. Perhaps on the other side you will find forgiveness.

Leo makes a fair argument that the stakes are too high and Zola can’t be trusted not to snitch, but this is bit sadistic, no? One of the most powerful people in the country is smug and sarcastic as he’s getting ready to execute somebody whose bleeding on the ground begging for his life and genuinely confused as to why we’re upset with him. I know the intent of “I was wrong! I have the seen the error of my ways!” is supposed to be him saying whatever Leo wants to hear to weasel out of punishment, but that’s exactly the thing, he’s fully cooperating and doing everything he can to appease this guy. And then he’s just killed like a dog without trial or final words, presumably using the spell that skewers you with tree branches.
Didn’t the game use killing defeated foes like this to establish Garon as a bloodthirsty monster? Why is Corrin just standing there watching this happen? This exact same scenario in Birthright has them jump to spare Zola, but here their disapproval is very meek and only voiced after the deed is already done. It’s still apparently too much for Leo though, who chastises Corrin for being “too soft…I envy your innocence.” And then he declares the matter settled on their behalf.
I’m sure this scene was meant to show off Leo’s pragmatism and strategy skills, but it just makes him look like a sociopath and Corrin look spineless. And that’s the biggest issue with this chapter to me, more than the plot being driven by contrivances that aren’t explained or the lack of any character development or interesting scenes taking advantage of the setup, the actions and dialog of our protags don’t match the noble heroes the narrative insists they are:

• Corrin is openly enjoying spending time with innocent people they’re throwing under the bus so Corrin won’t have to risk their relationship with the Nohrian siblings by directly fighting Garon. They then clearly disapprove of Leo executing a surrendering foe begging for mercy but stand idle watching it happen.
• Azura sits directly across her former family who’ve been very negatively impacted by her decisions and actions, and will continue to be so in the future, yet she’s giggling about the conflict and doesn’t seem to be taking the fact that her two families might kill each other seriously.
• Xander insults Ryoma as a sorry excuse for a prince, and afterwards kills his own subjects to prolong a war of aggression so it can be won the way he personally wants it to be won.
• Leo seems to be having a good time killing somebody who’s surrendered and begging for his life. He then chides Corrin for being “too soft” when they wish that didn’t have to happen.
• And again, for no apparent reason, neither Corrin or Azura do the bare minimum to clue to the Hoshidans about what’s going on or even have a meaningful conversation with them despite claiming to care for them. This is the golden opportunity they were hoping for, yet they apparently spend the entire dinner instead talking to eachother about how happy they themselves are.

These are not the actions of heroic characters.
Summary: Overall, this is a very bizarre chapter. It feels like something meaningful happens here at first glance, your brain sees what’s going on and knows that this is supposed to be a huge moment. Peaceful music playing, a very well-drawn CG of dozens of individual units, liberating a country from Nohrian control, Corrin and Azura are happy and say some lines that sound like they should be deep and impactful.
But when you step back and analyze the bigger picture and context, you find that more or less embodies all of Fates writing, both good and bad. It has a brilliant premise that gets your mind going, excellent presentation to accompany it, and some individual scenes or dialogue in a vacuum are very welcome. If you’re a casual player who just wants context for your favorite characters fighting, it’s easy to feel satisfied at first glance and move on thanks to those factors, especially since the gameplay and MyCastle are very fun. At the same time, there’s no denying the severe flaws that hamper the experience.
Despite being the hyped-up main draw of the chapter, our exciting premise that opens so many doors is almost completely neglected in favor of (once again) exposition on meaningless settings and characters that aren’t relevant anywhere else and also reminding us how evil Nohr is, to the point the chapter title is Black and White. The context makes it very difficult to take the plight of our heroes seriously due to their lack of action (both before and in the present) to achieve their proclaimed goal despite ample opportunity, the proaction they do have being unnecessarily extreme and self-serving, and a narrative that insists they are in the right at every turn despite the results clearly showing us otherwise. There’s definitely bits and pieces of something great buried in all this teasing us, otherwise I wouldn’t be interested enough to write this much all these years later, but as is it’s just a mess. An enjoyable mess, but a mess all the same.

But what do you guys think of Conquest Chapter 18: Black and White? Do you also consider it a wreck, or was there something positive here you believed I missed? What would you like to see in a potential rewrite of it?