Hi everyone, To explain, I have been with my girlfriend for 2 years now. I love my girlfriend, this is our first adult relationship together, so a lot of these things were new to us during it. I don’t want to sound cocky but i’d like to think i’m a pretty handsome guy, and my girlfriend hates the fact that i’m attractive to other girls. She constantly compares herself to my exes and girls i’ve talked to in the past. Shes always been extremely jealous, she does not like me talking to other girls and or working with girls, constantly says i’m a flirt or that i have other gfs etc. Has told me that i’m probably hiding stuff from her or that I would cheat, Then she says it’s a joke which I know it’s not. She does not like me having any female friends either (which I don’t have any) and gets very upset if I do happen to talk to a female. She will full on ignore me and give me attitude and just be plain out disrespectful towards me as if I cheated on her. She also gets distant and bothered If I hang out with my guys for the night, even tho I never hit the bar or drink with them. One instance is I pulled up a famous singers page to play music, “you find her attractive don’t you?” I don’t answer this question because I know what it’s going to turn into and sure enough she starts probing and asking and asking and finally I just admitted. I had never seen her so upset, again she made it seem like I cheated on her she was furious. I kept trying to reassure her but she would push my arm away and say “ don’t touch me”. She ignored me for the whole night. I try to be as respectful as I can to her and respect our boundaries, but I feel like even that’s not enough After that I snapped and we got into an argument, where I told her she was insecure and had major trust issues. She said that was the meanest thing I could say to her. I really started to wonder what i’m doing wrong, and then I started to ask if it is even my fault ? Is this really what I want for myself? Now I’m here wondering if this behavior is normal in a relationship. I’ve never had a long term relationship up until this one so I wouldn’t know and I would really appreciate everyone’s input, I always try to make sure she is happy and i feel like i’m putting myself last because of it.
Am I overreacting or do I have a right to feel this way?
TLDR: Girlfriend constantly doubts me, thinks i’m cheating, gets extremely upset if i talk to another female and is disgusted that I think other women are attractive. AIO for telling her she’s insecure ?

Hey everyone,
I've been seeing a lot of ads for Tupi Tea lately, an herbal libido supplement. As someone who's been looking to boost my sex drive naturally, I decided to give it a try and share my experience.
Click here to check out Tupi Tea!
What is Tupi Tea?
Tupi Tea is a powder supplement with a blend of herbs like Horny Goat Weed, Maca Root, Tribulus Terrestris, and Muira Puama. These ingredients are supposed to increase energy levels, improve blood flow, and enhance sexual function.
My Experience
I followed the instructions and mixed the powder into a drink daily for about a month. The taste is...well, it's definitely earthy. But it wasn't unbearable, especially since you can mix it into juice or a smoothie.
In terms of effects, well, it was like a night and day difference. My libido went through the roof. There was an increase in desire, especially around the two-week mark. I also noticed a bit more stamina during s*x, which was a nice plus.
Click here to check out Tupi Tea!
Overall
Tupi Tea wasn't a miracle cure, but it did seem to give my s*x drive a nudge in the right direction. If you're looking for a natural way to potentially boost your libido, it might be worth a try. Just be sure to manage your expectations and give it some time to work.

I have always recommended in making minor changes to our daily lives to improve our overall health. As a diabetic nutritionist, I believe that managing type-2 diabetes without medication focuses on lifestyle modifications that can help control blood sugar levels effectively. Here are the key strategies:

1. Healthy Diet

A balanced and nutritious diet is crucial for managing type-2 diabetes. Key dietary recommendations include:

• Carbohydrate Management: Choose complex carbohydrates that have a low glycemic index, such as whole grains, legumes, and vegetables. Avoid simple sugars and refined carbs.
• Fiber-Rich Foods: Increase intake of fiber through vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. Fiber helps slow the absorption of sugar.
• Healthy Fats: Incorporate sources of healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. Avoid trans fats and limit saturated fats.
• Portion Control: Eating smaller, more frequent meals can help maintain steady blood sugar levels.

2. Regular Physical Activity

Exercise helps increase insulin sensitivity and manage blood sugar levels. Aim for:

• Aerobic Exercise: At least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming.
• Strength Training: Include resistance exercises two to three times per week to build muscle mass, which can help improve insulin sensitivity.
• Flexibility and Balance Exercises: Activities like yoga or tai chi can also be beneficial.

3. Weight Management

Losing excess weight, especially abdominal fat, can significantly improve blood sugar control. Strategies include:

• Caloric Deficit: Consume fewer calories than you burn. This can be achieved through diet and exercise.
• Behavioral Changes: Engage in mindful eating practices, reduce stress-related eating, and keep track of food intake and physical activity.

4. Monitoring Blood Sugar Levels

Regular monitoring helps you understand how different foods, activities, and stress levels affect your blood sugar. Use a glucometer to check levels at various times of the day and adjust your lifestyle accordingly.

5. Stress Management

Chronic stress can affect blood sugar levels. Effective stress management techniques include:

• Mindfulness and Meditation: Practices like mindfulness, meditation, and deep-breathing exercises can help reduce stress.
• Adequate Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night, as poor sleep can negatively affect insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels.

6. Hydration

Staying well-hydrated can help manage blood sugar levels. Drink water and limit sugary drinks, which can spike blood sugar.

7. Avoiding Smoking and Limiting Alcohol

• Quit Smoking: Smoking can increase insulin resistance and complicate diabetes management.
• Limit Alcohol: Alcohol can cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels. If you drink, do so in moderation and with food.

8. Regular Medical Check-ups

While managing diabetes without medication, it’s important to have regular check-ups with your healthcare provider to monitor your condition and make any necessary adjustments.
By implementing these lifestyle changes, many individuals with type-2 diabetes can achieve better blood sugar control and potentially reduce their reliance on medications. However, it's important to work closely with healthcare professionals to develop a personalized plan and ensure safe and effective management of the condition.

Thraxas seems to be criminally obscure and underrated, so I thought I'd give it a shout. It's a mix of urban fantasy set in a high fantasy world, and a pulpy detective. Easy to read, short books, light, but not too light. It can be quite humorous at times, but I wouldn't classify it as comedic. If you enjoyed Garrett PI a great deal and wanted something similar - look no further. 12 books in total so far. It's semi-episodic, and the last book finishes an arc, so there's no real cliffhanger there.
Thraxas is a 40-something ex-senior investigator at the imperial palace who got booted due to having one drink too many at the wrong time. Now he's reduced to being a cheap private investigator who lives and operates out of a tavern in a poor part of the town near the harbour. Thraxas has an unlikely sidekick of sorts - Makri, who's a young quarter orc, quarter elf, half human woman, who had recently escaped orcish gladiator pits and has her eyes set on higher education, so she works as a barmaid to make money for the college (it makes more sense than it sounds like, trust me). The series is chiefly set in the city-state of Turai - it's extremely corrupt and it's currently plagued by a drug epidemic.
The book has lots of colourful characters - a disgraced sorcerer who got caught cheating while being in charge of keeping the chariot racing games honest, a creepy female assassin (according to Thraxas, anyway) who constantly keeps visiting Makri in the tavern, the city's most powerful sorceress is hopelessly addicted to a relatively mild drug which she takes to the next level by growing it herself via a special growing spell, and smoking copious amounts of it through a water pipe.
There's gambling, there's drinking, drugs, dead bodies, power hungry city officials, disgusting politics, riots, widespread corruption... But worry not, Thraxas, who is number one chariot at investigating (a self proclaimed one, admittedly), will not let you down. At least as long as he has copious amounts of food and beer in his belly.
Some shortcomings to keep in mind - like always, the first book is a little on the weaker side, however in this case I think the series gets into its stride straight from the second book. The last 4 books were self-published, and, unfortunately, have some proofreading issues. However, aside from this minor annoyance (and it depends on how you're sensitive to this sort of thing, it could be a non-issue to some), their overall quality on par with the rest. Likewise, the DIY look of the covers is a bit odd, but ultimately quite irrelevant, so don't be alarmed by that.

Hi everyone, To explain, I have been with my girlfriend for 2 years now. I love my girlfriend, this is our first adult relationship together, so a lot of these things were new to us during it. I don’t want to sound cocky but i’d like to think i’m a pretty handsome guy, and my girlfriend hates the fact that i’m attractive to other girls. She constantly compares herself to my exes and girls i’ve talked to in the past. Shes always been extremely jealous, she does not like me talking to other girls and or working with girls, constantly says i’m a flirt or that i have other gfs etc. Has told me that i’m probably hiding stuff from her or that I would cheat, Then she says it’s a joke which I know it’s not. She does not like me having any female friends either (which I don’t have any) and gets very upset if I do happen to talk to a female. She will full on ignore me and give me attitude and just be plain out disrespectful towards me as if I cheated on her. She also gets distant and bothered If I hang out with my guys for the night, even tho I never hit the bar or drink with them. One instance is I pulled up a famous singers page to play music, “you find her attractive don’t you?” I don’t answer this question because I know what it’s going to turn into and sure enough she starts probing and asking and asking and finally I just admitted. I had never seen her so upset, again she made it seem like I cheated on her she was furious. I kept trying to reassure her but she would push my arm away and say “ don’t touch me”. She ignored me for the whole night. I try to be as respectful as I can to her and respect our boundaries, but I feel like even that’s not enough
After that I snapped and really started to wonder what i’m doing wrong, and then I started to ask if it is even my fault ? Is this really what I want for myself? Now I’m here wondering if this behavior is normal in a relationship. I’ve never had a long term relationship up until this one so I wouldn’t know and I would really appreciate everyone’s input, I always try to make sure she is happy and i feel like i’m putting myself last because of it.
What do you all think of this behavior?
TLDR: Girlfriend constantly doubts me, thinks i’m cheating, gets extremely upset if i talk to another female and is disgusted that I think other women are attractive.

My boyfriend (m21) and me (f21) have been together almost a year now and have known each other well over a year. I love him, I’ve been with him through multiple surgeries and he’s been there with me through multiple life events now as well. We are there for each other and have fun together, we’ve learned to communicate well etc etc. however this past weekend we spent a few days off together at my families little getaway home about 2 hour from where we live for two days.
It was wonderful but something felt… off maybe? There were moments where it felt like normal but a lot of the time I felt super off for some reason. I don’t know what it was.
I don’t know if I was setting up expectations for the weekend or if it’s because we had just spent the past few days drinking together (school just got out)
or if it was just because we had spent so much time together in the week already together.
I also was feeling some guilt cause some of my friends are going away for a week and I didn’t get to spend a ton of time with them, and I got some weirdness about that from them (but him and I were supposed to go on a backcountry ski trip initially but avalanche danger was bad so I had been planning on being gone this time for months anyways).
Maybe I was feeling weird about just hanging out and letting the two days pass by since we were initially planning a ski trip. So lots of things going into feelings.
However, I’m nervous because I feel like your partner should be the person you feel most at ease with and be able to decompress with and I felt so tired and odd after this weekend, I’m like what if he’s not the person for me ?? I normally don’t feel this way but it’s freaking me out.
Again, we still had a lovely weekend I just can’t shake this odd feeling. It’s weird because normally I live just hanging out with him and our ability to just be together is what really drew me to him in the first place. Why do I feel this odd?
TLDR:
Can’t shake this odd feeling with my boyfriend after a weekend together

I don’t really have anyone to share this with so I thought I’d share here. Took my wife to the big island for a week and I was unsure I’d be able to relax with alcohol being such a huge part of the tourism culture here. Honestly I’m doing just fine, and I’m not going to drink. I’m with you all. You can do this.

What's good, everyone? I'm Matthew, you can call me Matt if you like. I'm from Utah County and non-Mormon, so you can see the obvious fun I have dating /S. I'm not making this a sob story; the real reason I'm posting here is that it feels a bit more personal than a dating app. I'm a pretty cheerful, confident guy. I can be a massive smartass and yap a lot, but I can have serious conversations and value communication. So, if you need an ear, I'm game, but do expect the same in return. I tend to be out and about a lot, usually doing stupid stuff and trying not to get hurt or in trouble while doing it. Most of the time, I'm a pro, but there are quite a few stories where I fumbled, lol.
I like to work out. I mostly do calisthenics. I'm admittedly fairly skinny but decently toned. I've also taken up running, but I'm not Usain Bolt, lol. I also play video games, mostly military simulation games like Arma and OHD. I also play platformers like Mario and Sonic, with Sonic being my go-to for my neurodivergent self. I'm big into history, mostly WW2 and the Cold War, and some WW1. I'm actually working on making a Cold War-themed board game.
On top of being a nerd, I do have a sensitive side. I know some of you have probably rolled your eyes, but hey, I like to write poems, and I'm a huge flirt when I warm up to someone. I'm looking for a sweet, caring person around my age and preferably living in the USA. I'm not picky, but I have a huge soft spot for feminine guys and alternative girls. In reality, it's more important that we click, you know? So, if you don't fit those 100%, I'm still down if we hit it off.
As for my values, I'm very liberal and an atheist. You don't have to share my views exactly, but I'm being upfront now to avoid causing issues later. I drink sometimes and don't use drugs. I don't care if you use pot, but anything harder is a no-go zone for me, as my family has some history with addiction. If you want to talk, I'm down to give you my Snap or Discord in DM

My boyfriend (m21) and me (f21) have been together almost a year now and have known each other well over a year. I love him, I’ve been with him through multiple surgeries and he’s been there with me through multiple life events now as well. We are there for each other and have fun together, we’ve learned to communicate well etc etc. however this past weekend we spent a few days off together at my families little getaway home about 2 hour from where we live for two days.
It was wonderful but something felt… off maybe? There were moments where it felt like normal but a lot of the time I felt super off for some reason. I don’t know what it was.
I don’t know if I was setting up expectations for the weekend or if it’s because we had just spent the past few days drinking together (school just got out)
or if it was just because we had spent so much time together in the week already together.
I also was feeling some guilt cause some of my friends are going away for a week and I didn’t get to spend a ton of time with them, and I got some weirdness about that from them (but him and I were supposed to go on a backcountry ski trip initially but avalanche danger was bad so I had been planning on being gone this time for months anyways).
Maybe I was feeling weird about just hanging out and letting the two days pass by since we were initially planning a ski trip. So lots of things going into feelings.
However, I’m nervous because I feel like your partner should be the person you feel most at ease with and be able to decompress with and I felt so tired and odd after this weekend, I’m like what if he’s not the person for me ?? I normally don’t feel this way but it’s freaking me out.
Again, we still had a lovely weekend I just can’t shake this odd feeling. It’s weird because normally I live just hanging out with him and our ability to just be together is what really drew me to him in the first place. I’m wondering if this is normal or if anyone else has insight on this odd feeling
TLDR; can’t shake this odd feeling with my boyfriend after a weekend together

Psa: I don’t really feel like I’m the asshole, but I kind of do because of the fact I’m ignoring her and ghosting her.
So I just cannot stand confrontation, and I chose to ghost my friend instead. We’ve been friends since 2021 (I believe), and I moved over a year ago to over an hour away, and just moved now 3 hours away. I told her I was going to go to her graduation about 4-ish months ago, and she sent me a text a few days ago telling me when her graduation was, and I have been ignoring it. I could’ve probably just said I’m not coming because it’s far, but I still just am mad with her.
Backstory: We’ve always been kinda mean to each other, and we would call each other names. On my part, I was a mess, and I would basically blackmail her to do things, like going into a store with me, or when she didn’t want to drink with me, I would just get mad and be like “you said you would” because she said she would, but obviously its okay to change your mind ( I was an asshole at the time). Basically now I just go to text her and I’ll send a few messages maybe a short paragraph talking about something and almost every time I do not get a response and I get a video of her singing to a song in her car. It’s just rude asf to ignore everything I say at this point I’m just fed up and can’t take feeling like nobody gives a fuck about what I have to say. I could probably add more, but I feel that covers the topic enough.

I use to work for McDonald's, got fired a month or two ago. I had a habit of coming in 5-10 minutes late because I lived downtown, I had lived near but moved. I didn't want to quit because I cared about who I worked with which was my 2 nightshift mangers, and a co-employee, and he bullied the f*ck out the co-worker and kinda one of the managers. But before I was fired half, if not most, employees hated the GM.
When he transferred to the location I worked he fired LOT of workers. A few understandable but others were just dumb. He fired and banned two workers that were taking food, understandable. But he fired one for eating a fry out the fry station. Everyone at the location even the managers and cooks, but for some reason he was the only one who got fired without any other reason or, to my knowledge, warnings.
The GM is so rude he told the MANGER, "You should work on your appearance." The manager was fully dressed to code and requirement. meaning he was most likely talking about her face or weight, it clearly wasn't here hair since she never changed it back to stopped coloring her hair.
With the people who worked there that he bullied daily. My co-worker, he noticed when he first came, that she constantly came to work 30 minutes late or not come in but would also stay 1 hour+ late to help and make up for her lost time. He said he was being "fair" and told her he wouldn't fire her if she doesn't miss a day again. FOR 7 WHOLE MONTHS on the schedule HE PUT for her. Keep in mind he NEVER works graveyard, but those who did work Graveyard didn't care or mind. Every week he constantly barraged her with threats to fire her. Motherf*cker even called her one dad and YELLED at her over the phone. It was at the point where she was afraid of him because like most people these days, she has anxiety. One night she worked perfectly, everyone got there food and drinks, and restocked half the whole store, but when he suddenly came in super early, her hands were shaking with fear and she handed out two wrong orders. He would just flat out change her schedule without her permission or knowledge without warning or heads-up.
With the manger he bullied, because we were short-staffed and graveyard just so happen to constantly get the slow and lazy workers. Our time was on average high, 200-700. He told her that she was just bad at her job. He never let her change her schedule even if he changed it on her, even though she had to take her kid(s) to the doctors. He never messed with any other employee or manager schedule without permission.
Me, well we had a lazy employee. So me caring about who I worked with, was asked every time to come in on my day off. Only having 1 day off despite working for a disability company as my main job. And I was the only night shift worker that volunteered to come in 2 hours early to help on X-mas eve and day. I was so incredible, the mangers that day can vouch for me, that I cleared all 3 screens within the 1st hour of working there. My manager during night shift saw our time at 600, left to do something for 10 or 15 minutes. Came back and saw my and the bullied co-worker, me bagging and running food while other was at window handing orders and drinks out, got time down to around 100 or less. One day the lazy employee who actually speaks Spanish got put to a speaker since one cook didn't call in. I ask the employee, if she wanted to switch spots. She said she was told by the night manager to be there and I told her that I know and asked if she wanted to switch to kitchen since the kitchen spoke Spanish only. after telling her she called the GM and told him I was HARASSING her, career ruining accusation. GM calls the manager and asked if I did. She told him I didn't and all he did was tell the manager to send her home. Never came to ask me what happened or anything.
A LOT MORE things happen, but I'll skip to the end. I clocked out, came on time that day, and while on a game on my phone which I'm being timed on. The night manager called me into the OFFICE as I'm waiting for my ride and playing game. As she speaks I'm playing the game and she ask if I'm listening, I say yes but she doesn't believe me so asked what she said. I repeat word for word what she said, and we continued as I'm responding. GM doesn't like it so he tells me to get off my phone, I tell him I can't since I use money on the battle pass so I'm not letting it go to waste. He tells me to put it away and I say no because I'm off the clock and he can't tell me to do so. So he gets angry and makes me sign the termination paper work or whatever he had me sign. But because I put the wrong I put the wrong date and asked the manager for the company number, he tells me it. And I guess he felt like being an a*s he said as I WALKED AWAY, "Make sure you spell my name right." I have dyslexia and anxiety. He felt the need to make the comment so that he can have the last word.
The mangers quit because one reason, the GM. He fired anyone who he didn't like or spoke back to him. And yes I have screen shots, and screen records on my phone of all this evidence and even the lazy worker would say I harassed her so, I can show all evidence. The GM mad ethe place SOO toxic and full of hate and fear. Last thing, he constantly took pictures of the cameras to tell the manager to tell us get off our phones (we went on our phone when we had no customers and nothing else to restocked or clean. However not one of the back window which is where the lazy worker was always on her phone and letting cars pass her window because she had attitude and such. But the kitchen, eventually got to the point where they didn't even care enough to even wear gloves. I was hired to be a Overnight Crew Member, but I had to and could counting inventory, had a thumb print to do refunds, promos and do other stuff, but I promised to only do it for codes and promos when it was busy. I kept that promise till I left. But I ALSO working lobby cashier, and KITCHEN. When I went to kitchen. I listen to my music, but when using my pinky, WITH GLOVES ON, my manger told me to not do that. I even turned off my music when morning staff arrived.
Short story: I worked 6 out of 7 days, as a part-time worker with the ability to do managers and kitchen jobs. But because I live 15 minute drive away, and came in 5-10 minutes late. But on my time off while tired from the work day since we had the lazy worker, as well as from the 6th day, I wanted to relax. But the GM had his feelings hurt, I got fired. Should I report? and How?

TLDR: Toxic friendship group with a lot of pressuring behaviour (particularly related to alcohol) that culminated in a huge standoff where I was accused of being the victim and being a bad friend when I couldn't drink due to illness and had to leave early. My only source of close friends, I decided to leave but feel alone, which has made a lot of other things difficult (e.g. dating). At this moment, am I right to leave them completely and focus on building a social life first?
25M, had a clique of friends from high school and junior college that we were really close with. We used to hang out every week, but over the last two years I felt that I was slowly drifting apart.
First of all there were two friends from high school that I'd slowly grown out of, and we reached a stage where we didn't go beyond exchanging mutual pleasantries and surface level banter and small talk. These two people had also betrayed me in the past in school, so I was well aware of their behaviour. There was also another mutual acquaintance from junior college that I never really talked to. But, there was one friend that I was extremely close to - we'd known each other for 11 years. We were able to talk about anything and everything, and we used to meet every week.
We also used to drink very often, but it got to a point where the behaviour was extremely problematic. The one friend I was close to had no conception of limits, and every session was a binge drinking affair. While I liked it initially, I realised that alcohol was simply a coping mechanism and was more firm with my limits. I became firmer on this limit when crazy incidents started happening, namely fights over petty insults. There was a huge turning point, when a hotel room was trashed, that made me think of finding a new social circle. But I had no idea how to, and I was extremely scared.
Fast forward to last year, and people slowly started drifting away, and the friend that I was close to was deliberately cutting off people for extremely petty reasons (e.g. this person is of no value to me, this person is too sensitive when I make fun of them, this person has weird habits). At this point, I'll admit that I was complicit in this gossiping behavior too. When my father had a stroke shortly before my overseas internship, I also gifted my friends a bottle and beer the day before, but when I told them I was coming, was met with the response of 'no one asked you to rush down' despite telling them that I wanted to meet them one last time.
However, things really reached a turning point in June last year, when I was doing an internship overseas and the friend I was close with came to visit with someone else. At that time, I was sick and on medication, and I really couldn't drink because my bronchitis was really bad at night, but my friend wasn't really concerned [I also forced myself to drink just to blend in]. On one night, I left early because the smoke around that area was really bad, and I couldn't talk. I'll admit that I didn't communicate that clearly, but I was coughing really badly.
The next day, while we were having a normal conversation, I was calculating my expenses and decided to split our share evenly because I had paid my friend everything. Out of nowhere, I got a long message about how I was not a good friend for entertaining him and always paid the victim and that we should no longer be friends anymore. I was profusely apologetic and accepted the blame, but my friend refused to concede, repeatedly crossing the line with remarks such as 'lying piece of shit' because I went hiking the next morning, after my cough had cleared, or 'always blaming everyone for my misfortune' [at a time when my dad had a stroke], 'not entertaining him because people are there to drink if not there's no fun' and being ' the worst person that he's happened to meet', and 'regretting ever meeting me'. Not knowing what to do, I called my brother, who told me that cutting off this person was the best thing I can do.
After two months, when I came back home, my friend apologized for his behavior. But during that period, he was extremely adamant about his saying things like 'I was taking things too seriously and behaving petulantly'. At that point, I had already made my mind to cut that friend off, and unsurprisingly, no one from that social circle reached out.
The subsequent year has been tough. To rebuild my social circle at 25 hasn't been easy. Its forced me to confront my flaws - yes, I admit that I never made the effort throughout school because I always thought that these people would be around. Occasionally, the thought of following up with these friends has popped up. But deep down, I know that this split was long overdue.
All in all, this split has left a gaping hole in my life that I haven't made the effort to fill, with caregiving responsibilities + school making it harder. However, after going on a couple of dates, I've realised that this gaping hole is preventing me from being the best that I can be. It really hit me when two 'dates' that ended after a couple of months hit me very hard.
As a result, I've decided to focus on myself before getting into anything. I've registered for counselling, and I've started trying out hobbies such as book clubs, dancing, volunteering, and reaching out to people I've known before. I feel that finding a balance between, work, family, self care, and social life is priority for now. This experience, coupled with caregiving, has forced me to take extreme ownership and honesty over all aspects of my life. Its made me much better at school, work and physical health.
Long post I know, but the questions I have are: (1) Am I right to not keep in contact with these people, knowing that it was a decision long time coming? (2) Am I right to focus on myself for now, carving a social life? Its a lonely journey, but I feel that its the most important step.

Greetings, Huntsmen, Huntresses, and gender neutral Hunters! Welcome to another week of writing prompts! If you are new here, this is a community-driven weekly event, and the purpose is primarily to generate creativity and have fun while doing so (whether you are a 100% real-meat person or not, we don't judge).

What will be involved Special Note for Spoilers!:

Each week, three RWBY-related topics will be posted (subject to ties and special events!). Participants can write a short piece of fiction or dialogue based on that prompt. When writing, the suggestion is to aim for 1k-3k words, however, this is not a requirement. There is no goal - this is not a popularity contest - just write and have fun! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! :)
SPOILERS:
Reminder that the spoiler embargo for Volume 9 and the Justice League movie has been lifted! You are all now free to make posts about the two without needing to spoiler tag it.

Rules (gore, NSFW, spoilers etc.)

The rules are the same as the sub's posting guidelines. Nobody here wants to see your story taken down, so please refer to them before contributing! If someone chooses to ignore these rules, the post will be removed.

Additional information

Pre-writing is welcome! /rwbyprompts is a sub with writing as a focus - there you will find an archive of all the threads as well as a somewhat fleshed-out wiki with odds and ends. :) A detailed spreadsheet of WPW things is here! Keep in mind that this houses a lot of the old prompts, but it also has links and things like early participation to previous WPW threads. We're trying this whole week-to-week thing in the face of the bajillion prompts we had built up. We might do something with them, or people might cycle them back in, who knows what could happen??
Find us on Discord at The Qrow's Nest! The permanent invite has been deleted due to Discord bot shenanigans, so dm shand if you want an invite!

The Prompts!:

Surprise! We're doing them all this week - have fun! :D
Team RWBY, plus Zwei, and Team JNPR play pirates. RWBY, except all songs are written by Sabaton. Atlas makes a space elevator near Vale and Vale is not happy with it. All out war resumes and the use of aerial drones are being used. As a joke, Yang sends pretend Valentines between the most random pairings of people she can think of. She’s shocked when all of them end up together. Team RWBY somehow travels back in time and encounters Team STRQ of the past. When Blake left her family to stay with the White Fang, she became the extremist, not Adam. Ozma agrees with Salem's plans to rule both humanity and the Faunus as the new Gods of Remnant, and has no regrets. After forsaking her mortal inheritance, Weiss is now eligible to be a Queen of the Winter Court of Fae, which is returning to Remnant for the first time since the Brother Gods abandoned it. "'s good as new. Maybe even a little better." "While bullets may wear your name, a hand grenade simply says 'to whom it may concern.'" An Atlas experiment accidentally fuses earth and remnant, hyjinks ensue. Free from Cinder, yet lost without a female figure to commit to, Emerald begins her quest for a new sistemothebestie/lover in Vacuo. The one time Port told a completely realistic and believable story. Yang and Blake discover another bonding point after realizing they both like a certain musician. Instead of Crocea Mors, Jaune has the Moonlight/Darkmoon Greatsword from any From Software Games you choose (boss fight included). Weiss and Ruby host a series of events to determine who has the best big sister. Instead of instilling fear into the hears of the people to make Beacon fall, Watts' hack sparked the Great Meme War!
Optional prompts that must be combined with one or more of the above:

Next Week's Poll:

[The Poll! is on vacation this week, see below!]()

Previously, on Writing Prompt Wednesday:

The thread
The Prompts:

• Blake tries to catch a mouse. Cue Tom and Jerry-esque hi-jinx.
• Nora and Ren get into a heated argument and start dividing team RNJR's camp in half with duct tape. Jaune and Ruby have to fix things.
• Glynda takes a day off, and comes back the next day to see Beacon in a state of...
• Jaune and Ruby have a Pokemon battle with NPR and WBY as their Pokemons.

Alternate-Secondary Prompts:

• Blake discovers all of "White Fang" had apparently redeemed themselves via "The Power of Friendship"
• [Insert character] establishes the Revolutionary Insurrectionary Black Army of Argus.
• The heroes react to finally learning what Headmaster Theodore looks like.
• The unfortunate way Yang learned that flammable and inflammable mean the same thing.
• An event from your fanfic/AU described in the style of the Armchair Historian.
• A Hero and Villain go out on a date. What happens during the date?
• A meeting between Signal Academy Instructors Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long with Beacon Academy professors Peter Port and Bartholomew Oobleck to discuss Yang and Ruby as potential students at Beacon.
• Blake enters a dating show where Ilia, Sun, and Yang are vying for her affections.
• A comedy skit with the different Grimm as characters with different personalities as they discuss about their life and interactions with the Human/Faunus characters of RWBY.
• Domestic Team WTCH.
• A character mentally rehearses a conversation they imagine having with another character. They quickly blow things way out of proportion.
• Jaune, Salem, and Hazel reenact the scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the title character is forced to drink the Blood of Kali.

Upcoming Events:

New Year, new events! And now we have the quarter of spring leading into summer and the 4th of July FFA, I hope you all had a great holiday!

Important Stuff and Things!

I have managed to rescue /RWBYFanfiction from an untimely demise! If you would like to share your fanfic or make recommendations, head on over there! I know that I've said something special was coming for this, but Ruby on Rails is hard and not cheap to operate. The fanfiction indexer that I was trying to set up just isn't working and probably needs someone with more experience in RoR programming/design. I haven't completely put it to bed, but it might be a while before I can circle back to it. In the meantime, the fanfic sub has actually had a decent amount of postings - head on over and say hi! :)
No matter how bad things may get, words will always have meaning. Now get out there and write something, but most importantly, have fun! :)

My newborn has been bottle feeding since day one. I can keep track of how many milliliters she drinks based on that bottle feeding. Right now we are in a transition period where I am trying to latch her to breast. Today I have been able to latch her on the breast with a nipple shield. She definitely drank some breast milk, but obviously I cannot pinpoint how many milliliters she drank. She has a blood sugar issue, so she needs to drink a certain amount of milk at each feeding. How do I know if she's drinking enough, and what can I do to make sure she's getting enough? Should i bottle feed her after nipple sheild latching? Or it will create more confusion for her? Any suggestion is appreciated.
Thank you!

Hey y’all. I’m never on here but I need help remembering the name of one of my favorite creepypastas of all time. It’s pretty short, and to my knowledge didn’t have any sequels or expansions. It takes place in a nice banquet hall filled with snooty rich people, with a stage on one end. A doctor comes out with a prisoner and claims he’s found the secret to immortality, and guts the prisoner. He is healed almost immediately once he drinks the elixir, and when the doctor announces to the crowd that he’s placed the cure in everyone there’s drinks, they tear each other apart. Then the twist shows up and the prisoner’s wounds open back up. I remember the title being “Dr. ___’s cure” or “Dr. ___’s remedy” or something like that. I know it’s a long shot but I can’t find it and it was years ago. Please let me know if you remember!

Hi there ✌🏻
About me: I’m a tall boy at 6’3, I have blue eyes and dark blonde hair and wear glasses, I have lots of different hobbies like playing video games, watching one piece and rizzing you up. I’m big into documentaries and kind of a big film buff, I don’t really listen to music expect when I’m having a lil Friday evening drink so podcasts are my main thing. I’m full time employed as a Finance Manger. Im looking to buy a house at the moment but also in two minds about moving abroad as the Irish housing market is pretty horrific. I have a work in progress dad bod so if that’s a huge issue then no worries I just might not be your type physically.
Some small bullet point things… INTJ personality and Scorpio (if you’re into that thing) Introverted, not really a friends guy and don’t enjoy party’s and crowds except for work for some weird reason Ambitious and career orientated though would love to work for myself. Into someone mature and caring but also kind of a baddie lol
About you: looks wise I don’t really have a preference, someone cute and trendy, I for some reason like girls with pedicures and manicures, someone who’s driven, ambitious and got their own life going on. Also if you had a couple similar hobbies that would be neat so we can talk about stuff and get excited about the same stuff 🥰
Not to be too serious but I am looking for something real and long term, if that’s not what you’re into that’s totally cool we just won’t match I don’t think! Anyway yeah dm me with an intro and we can have a nice lil convo and find out all sorts about each other, idk what else to write here this is actually too long now sorry about that, thanks for reading and can’t wait to talk!

The context is that my partner is a really sweet, amazing, kind, generous, caring person. They are every kind thing you could say about somebody. They are incredibly book smart and have multiple degrees and are going for their law degree on top of all the degrees and certificates they already have. It’s exceptional. The problem is, and I am trying to say this in the nicest way possible. My partner is seriously bad with social skills and comes off as ‘dumb’, ‘cringeworthy’, ‘childish’ and oblivious at times. They will seriously just blurt out anything that comes to their mind and do anything in public. No matter how embarrassing it is. A small example of this is that one time we walked into a bar and my partner got super excited about the cool decor. There was chains hanging from the ceiling and and coffin shaped tv screen installed in the wall with some cool graphic in it. Upon seeing this as we walked in they got so excited they threw their arms into the air and yelled “AHHHHHHH!” And ran over to the chains and started swinging around on them, knocking into a nearby table that a couple was sitting at. After this, they threw their hands up in the air again and yelled “YIPPIEEEEE” as they ran over to the coffin and banged on it with their fist so hard that it actually flashed black and for a second I thought they had broken it. EVERYONE in the bar was looked at me crazy and the security guard had to pick up the mess with table and the drinks my partner just made. It was like a bad ass toddler has just gone loose in the bar and I imagine people just assumed they were way drunk but they were 100% sober. When they returned to me the first words out of my mouth “sit your ass down what the fuck is your problem?” And they immediately bursted out in tears. Because another problem they have is that they are INCREDIBLY sensitive to criticism. They cannot handle one ounce of even constructive criticism, even if it’s said in the most way gentle possible way they will start to cry.
Honestly, I’m not use to dating people my age. I moved out my house and have been on my own living as an adult since I was 16. Typically you will see me with someone ranging from 24-27. My partner is the first person my age I have been with. But, I understand that becoming a lawful adult at 16 is not a universal experience so that’s why they are a bit immature but they are a good person with a good heart which is not easy to come across nowadays so I am willing to wait and be patient with then until they mature a bit more.
My biggest problem with them though is talking to strangers. My mom taught me at a young age about stranger danger and have admittedly had a pretty traumatic life so I am very cautious about who I trust. It is as if my partner is a toddler who has never once been told not to speak to a stranger. They will tell ANYBODY ANYTHING. No shame or reservations or even the idea that the person might be uncomfortable. They will tell the waiter about the wild sex we just had in DETAIL. They will trap the cashier into a 30 minute conversation when the line is piling up and the poor cashier doesn’t want to know every single detail about whatever. And, it’s not even typically a conversation because it’s just my girlfriend yapping without giving the other person time to say anything. They will treat someone they just met less than 5 minutes like someone they’ve known for years and get into people’s personal space. An example of this would be that one time they stopped a girl in the street to compliment them but then it turned into the usual 30 minute yap sesh. My partner got very excited about whatever they were yapping about and for some reason they decided to suddenly press their forehead to this strangers forehead to express their point. I could see the poor girl get visibly frightened so I yanked my partner back out of instinct to protect not only the girl but my partner to whatever reaction the girl might have. Being completely oblivious to the fact that my partner might’ve just got their shit rocked for triggering this stranger they spun around and said something like “OMG BABE you are SO JEALOUS AND CONTROLLING HAHA SHE IS NOT GOING TO STEAL ME” I wanted to shout “dude, nobody WANTS TO STEAL you. You are EMBARRASSING.” But I didn’t want to embarrass my partner so I threw my hands up and walked away silently.
I’ve tried to talk to them about this. I told them a story my mother use to tell me about a very friendly pretty baby that would wave at everyone until she waved at the wrong stranger and got kidnapped. I explained to them that you can’t just assume everyone has good intentions and you definitely can’t predict what will upset someone so it’s best to keep out of strangers personal space and to never share unnecessary information. They see this as if I am trying to steal their ‘light’ or that I am jealous.
This behavior has not only put us in danger in the past but it is now affecting our living situation. Because the one year mark we decided we wanted to move in together. We found the most gorgeous beautiful lake house that was actually an airbnb but the lady liked us so much she was willing to let us stay long and remove the place from airbnb. It was a godsend. The problem is that on the same land there is 4 other properties just a few feet away from us that the landlord rents as airbnbs so we see all kinds of shady or weird people everyday.
I guess, one day when I wasn’t around my gf told a guest about our living arrangement in detail and the guest tried to ask the landlord for the same thing and when the landlord denied it the guest became aggressive and started bringing my gf’s name the details that they were told into the conversation. The landlord reached out to us and showed us the conversation and the guest was threatening us and her with violence. She asked that we keep the fact that we even live on the property to ourselves. It was a very scary situation and I really thought that my partner learned their lesson about strangers.
But, they didn’t. I’m traveling out of town for work and I guess there was a break in on one of the of the properties. The landlord was reviewing the security cameras when they caught my partner telling another guest about the details of our lease again. They wanted to call my partner and speak to them on the phone to express how serious it is that they do not share details about our lease but I guess when confronted about it, my partner lied and said they didn’t say anything. I guess partner didn’t realize they had been caught in 4K.
The landlord was really upset not only that partner lied but went against her wishes of keeping the agreement to themselves once I calmed the landlord down I phoned my partner but by the time I got ok the phone with my partner I was honestly incredibly irritated. I didn’t raise my voice but I was firm and harsh and told them that the oversharing behavior and it has got to stop. I said “really, how hard is it just to keep your mouth shut when our safety is at risk?” I told them they need to look at going to therapy for this behavior.
They became so agitated they started screaming and crying at me “I AM NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU!!” (What? No one even said that!) & “I DONT EVEN CARE ABOUT THIS STUPID HOUSE ILL JUST LEAVE!” (Ez for you to say you haven’t subleased your apartment and moved all your belongings into here yet)
I let them know that we both should take a breather from the convo and now I’m sitting here with my head in my hands, wondering what to do. I know that this is a long read and many people might not make it this far, but if you’ve made it this far, I could really use some advice. I don’t want to talk to my friends and family, because I don’t want them to form a bad opinion about my partner. I feel like I’m dating a child and then I have to correct them like a parent but I don’t want to break up because they are just so good to me outside of this. Please anyone help.

Hello,
I, F (23) have been texting/calling with a M (30), we had a first date i believe 3 or 4 weeks ago, we went for drinks at a restaurant. It was going well and he then asked to go for a drive, but before we could even get into his car, he kissed me and it was lovely. We then went inside his car for a heavy petting/make out session but I kept second guessing myself and stopped it from going further. He asked if i wanted to go to his place to meet his dog, and of course i said yes.
we were at his place and we just cuddled and watched a movie, about this time its 2 AM and well, after the movie ended, we started fooling around and you can guess what happened next. After the first time, we cuddled and had pillow talk for about 2 hours, then we did it again and around 4 AM we decided to fall asleep. in my mind, i was thinking this isn't just some hook up, people don't have pillow talk for 2 hours or spend the night. they typically just go straight into it and then sleep together then leave. However, when i woke up in the morning, he was awake for like maybe 2 minutes and i heard him on his phone. He was on this app for maybe a literal 15 seconds. All i heard was "swipe, swipe, swipe, buzz buzz"
Yeah...he was on a dating app and matched with someone. So a minute later he asks if i was awake and i tell him "yeah..were you just on a dating app? I heard you match with someone so congrats"
He responded with the "whattt, how did you know? wait- now you're going to think im not serious about you". of course i responded with a "well yeah" and he said "but i am serious about you"
I brushed it off, thinking i was wrong that maybe this was a 1 time thing. However, he still texts me every day and sometimes calls me a few times a week but he only sees me on fridays? He also told me that he wants to be exclusive. we've been going about this for going on 4 weeks now. I somehow feel he doesn't take me seriously, we have gone out in public and all, but last Friday he upset and I was getting dressed to leave. He was stopping me, but when he was talking to me as i was putting on my shoes, he wasn't even facing me. Mind you, he was asking me to stay and to not be upset with him and just come back to bed. But why wouldn't he face me? he was half turned facing the opposite way but with his head turned to his side so i was in his peripheral vision. Was it because he doesn't like showing vulnerability? was it because he doesn't take me seriously?
My friend told me that he probably just settled on me, and when i told my situationship about this he actually got upset with me and said i ruined the vibe of our relationship or whatever this is? which the only reason i have doubts about us is solely because he was on a dating app while i was in his bed next to him.
**TL;DR;** i can't tell if my situationship is serious about me or not

First time posting here and just here to get it off of my chest.
Last month my dog Cole of 16 years gotten really sick. Despite his age he still moved around like he was still young even running at times and jumping up things. He's been sick before but has been able to bounce back time and time again. He's always been the type to mess with something or run into something by accident but he'd always get right back up and keep going.
When I let him out for his morning bathroom break something was different. Cole could barely stand let alone walk or run. I dreaded this day because my family said it was coming. I basically grew up with this dog I had him since I was 10 years old. He's been with me through middle school, high school college and 4 years after. Instead of doing my original plans for the day I stayed with Cole and held him until I had to go to work. He didn't eat his food or drink his water I set aside and thats when the gravity of the situation really began to dawn on me.
I went to work then came back afterwards and saw her ate some food but not a lot of it. Again I thought maybe he was trying to pull through. Despite this I was still worried about him and planned time visit a vet soon to see if anything could be done to ease the pain for him. After finishing my dishes for the night I told him good night and that I loved him. I didnt realize that was the final time I would say it to him..
The next morning is when. I found him. I came to let him out for his bathroom break at 7 in the morning and he was there. His eyes were wide open laying down in a different position than he usually slept in. Seeing him lifeless like that broke something in me. Like I said despite his age he never let being sick slow him down. He was never the type to dwell on the bad he just kept going. Not many people can say their senior dog would be up for a game of tag. I basically treated him like a brother instead of a pet because we grew up together. Hes been there through my highs and lows. We basically like to mess around with each other like siblings did. But now he's gone.
After telling my family what happened we took his body to the animal shelter where they said they'll cremate him however we could not get his ashes as it was a community cremation. That by itself also added to the pain. Next to nothing is left in the home of him beside the very few pictures we've took and his dog tags.
It took me a while to stop crying over him. But it hasn't even been a month yet and I think about him every day. Just missing him barking, us watching horror movies and toonami together, him chasing my toy car collection. I find myself sometimes going into the basement wanting to pet him or poke him while he's asleep because he would growl in a specific tone as if he was trying to form words to tell me to bug off. But then I remember he's not here anymore and it hurts.
I've vented to my friends and family about it. I try to focus on the good memories we've had but I also can't get the image of his body out of my head. His cage was at the foot of the stairs and every time I pass where it used to be I just get reminded of him. I remember the good days of him coming out of his cage to play, use the bathroom or just sitting in it watching in it watching dbz reruns. But then i also get reminded of that day. Seeing him laid out like that really messed me up. I know I probably should have gotten him help sooner or had him put down. But like I said he's gotten through a lot and always bounce back. I didnt know this would have been his last time.
My manager asked me if I was going to get a new dog and I almost cussed her out for asking something as insensitive as that. How do you replace someone who you basically grew up with in less than a month of their passing? The wound is still fresh.
I'm sorry if this is long. I really needed somewhere to get this off of my chest. I've been on autopilot since his passing and needed an outlet.

Hey there! Looking for some new people to talk to, down to chat about pretty much anything as long as you can somewhat hold a conversation haha. Not really great at writing these things so I'll just list off some of my interests and things I'm looking for.
About me:
-i like watching sports; baseball, hockey, F1, sometimes basketball.
-i love video games, I play mostly on my PC, but I also have a PS5 and a switch. Right now I'm mostly playing dota 2 and r6 siege, but I have and play a lot of other stuff too.
-I have two cats that I love to death, totally down to show you how cute they are!
I love movies, I have a pretty large physical movie collection of blu rays and 4ks, I especially love horror but I'll watch most genres.
-I also enjoy music a lot, mostly metal, but also pop punk, pop, rap, country, and some other random stuff too. I've been to A LOT of concerts over the past 10 years but haven't been to many recently.
-im pretty introverted, I work a lot and when I'm not working I like to pretty much stay in and relax for the most part.
-i work night shift, i I have a pretty unorthodox schedule and sleep during the day and I'm up all night haha
I have 6 tattoos!
I don't smoke or drink, I don't really mind or care if you do though!
Physically im 6 foot tall hazel eyes with glasses and short brown hair. Medium build, a bit of a dad bod.
That's pretty much it, I'm sure there's a lot more I could include but I'll save that for later. Now here's some things I'm looking for!
What I'm looking for:
-someone who can somewhat hold a conversation and is actually interested in getting to know each other
-down to share selfies and possibly down to voice chat in the near future
down to switch to another platform, I don't really want to use the chat feature on here, sorry.
-open to the possibility of something flirty, and or just friendship. I'm not strictly looking for friendship only.
That's mostly it I think. Shoot me a message with a little about yourself if you're interested

I am at a hopeless rock bottom right now and it isn't making any sense to anyone, so I am going to try here. It is going to be a long one, so please bare with me.
I grew up in a family where love was limited and conditional, for myself and between my parents. I had watched my parents beg each other for the minimal respect, change, and genuine love. I had too begged for those things from them, in which I eventually developed this disorder.
I have struggled with the obsession of love/true love/soulmates my entire life. I have had countless favorite people, in which I would have given ANYTHING to be reciprocated the kind of love I was willing to give.
And in all of these endeavors, I acknowledged I do not love correctly. I realized this when I got out of my first relationship when I was 18. I have dedicated the last few years to unlearning these things. I still struggle with the want to control, the games I want to play, the general pull and push. I have been trying.
I have acknowledged that what I envisioned love in my head is wrong. Love isn't the constant fight for reassurance or the constant proving myself as worthy. It isn't the begging, fighting, or the challenge.
I have told myself for years, love is in the little things. Love is learning a song on the guitar cause they would love it, memorizing their order so you can surprise them, or bringing a jacket cause you know they would forget one. Love is the small laughs over inside jokes, the loud laughs over little fails, and the shared memories that were created on accident.
Love was supposed to be in the little things.
But over the last few months, I have been shown a dark side of it.
I was on a work trip.
One of my supervisors gave long speeches at dinner about his fiancé and how their wedding in June is going to be the best day of his life. That same night, we went out for a few drinks. He proceeded to send a few other girls and I messages about "spending the night with him." He went on the next day like it was a usual occurrence for him.
I was utterly disgusted. My gut sat in my stomach for days.
Another one of my supervisors on this trip did something some what similar. He is "happily" married to his wife of 17 years with young daughters. But as happy as this man is at home, he hit on every waitress, took up countless numbers, and would disappear for days at a time.
Again I was disgusted. I could've easily said this was the work of nasty people, but it got worse...
Once again, on this trip... one of my dear friends/coworker spoke about his plans to propose to his 5 year girlfriend. We were all beyond happy for him. But within the night, he made a closer relationship with another one of our close friends. He started confiding in her of his doubts, how he is not happy, and he doesn't know what else to do, but marry her anyway. He then dedicated the rest of this two week long work trip to his new found interest in his friend. He gave her a sweet little nick name, held her hand, and walked her to and from everywhere they went.
I was very dumbfounded by this information. I was under the impression that they were happy at home and that they had found something people prayed for, but I was wrong.
When I returned home, I received some also unsettling news.
One of my best friends found out she was pregnant by her boyfriend (who is a very very close friend of mine as well). I have known her boyfriend and his family for 10 years, they have been incredible and wonderful people to me and everyone I know. So for the last 7 months, I have watched them prepare for this baby. They are building a house together along with a life and family. She was so excited. But as of last week, she informed me of him entertaining random women online. She said he described it as a thing that didn't happen before and he did not know who she was.
But Saturday, her and I sat down and talked a lot about it. Turns out, he lied again. He had been seeing these women their ENTIRE relationship. They are having a baby and he is out there with "random women" who he has been seeing for years.
I thought I knew him better, but I am incredibly disappointed. This particular event has triggered me beyond belief. I had watched them do my healthier version of love for a long time, only to find out it was one sided.
I began to look at all the long term relationships that have been shown to me in my life. My parents, never have been happy. My aunt and uncle who have been together since they were 14, have one conversation a day about the coffee machine. My friends from high school, who went literal years of break ups and cheating to now hitting 6 years. My friends parents, who have cheated divorced and remarried several times. My other friends parents, who have been on the verge of divorce over small things several times. And now all of these...
I struggle with what is real and what is not. I struggle with trust, intimacy, and connection. But I have been trying to get better with the hope that one day I can be good to someone and they be good to me. I have never cared about money, a nice car, nor a large house. I want to love and be loved and raise a happy family in the healthiest way I can. All in the hopes that i can experience love in the little things, like how I imagined real love to look.
Now I don't know what love looks like. All of my ideas have been disproven. My dreams have been crushed. I am fighting the urge to recluse and regress in all of my efforts in vulnerability, but I am distraught.
I feel like love romantic love is not real anymore.
I am honestly taking this more towards men than women, because of my sexual orientation and just from personal trauma, but I know that I am not supposed to do that.
I am turning away from a connection I have been trying hard to sustain and be healthy in, all because I am triggered by the actions of other men, my fears, and my new found hopelessness in love.
And everyone I talk to says this quote I have heard a million times, "I know love exists because of the love I give." I understand that love is real, logically, but i want to experience it. I want to know what it feels like to love and be loved, equally and truly.
But is the pain and dishonesty truly worth it? Is it something I would have to put up with to experience long term?
How do I even begin to when given this example of modern day "commitment."
What do I do? Before I ruin the connection I am building. How do I let go of the fear of being hurt so I can learn to love?