Am I wrong for not wanting to attend a bachelorette party when the MOH is refusing to share the itinerary until the first of two payments is received? This was a last minute plan and none of the planning was discussed with invitees before the lodging was booked and activities secured. I'm told we are staying the weekend at an airbnb local to the majority of guests invited. The MOH has sent out only individual texts, so I don’t know who else is going or how many people this is split between. I don’t know exactly what I am paying for, what time anything starts, or how this total was calculated. We are also being told we are to cover the cost of the private space for a bridal shower brunch. I’ve never, in my 5 times of being a bridesmaid, been asked to cover the cost of the bridal shower (I’m not even a bridesmaid in this wedding, just a bachelorette guest)! Am I expected to also buy a gift for the shower? Would it be wrong if I only attended the brunch or skipped the entire weekend? I asked the MOH for the itinerary, lodging info, and cost breakdown and she gave the following numbers but said she will not share full details until 1st payment is received. Cost breakdown is to cover the bride and split between an unknown # of guests. Info I was given is:
Activity $40
Lodging $350
Bridal shower $100
Shirt $20
Extra $50-100 for food/drinks
What would you do???

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) joins MSNBC’s Katie Phang to explain the importance of President Biden’s meeting with Kenya’s President Ruto and why House Speaker Mike Johnson blamed “scheduling” for not inviting President Ruto to speak before a joint session of Congress.

Please bare with me as this will be a long one, it's my first ever post on reddit.
TW of child loss.
I (32f) my FH (35m) are getting married august this year. We live in Australia in a different state to both sides of our family. As we thought instead of picking between the two states we are from, we will have it where we are now.
History as I know all you lot love the background stories. We met in 2019, through tinder(in the state we currently both are atm). It was love at first sight for me. I already had a son who in 2019 was 8yo. My son adorned my partner, he would talk about future siblings and us getting married. Which led my partner n I picking wedding songs and talking about marriage. In 2021 my partner n I were a bit rocky. But my world came crashing apart when I got a phone call my son passed in a car crash. I flew back to my home state and well as you can imagine I was a mess. My family which I hadn't spoken to in 4 years due to being accused for something I did not do. They found out I didn't. But long story short I was in the head space to nit pick. My sons funeral happened and well I just got left by all my siblings to do the clean up my self while they went to the after do. I missed it. I'm only one person and I got blamed and made to feel like crap for it. And a lot other shit. In other words three of my siblings are arseholes. If they dont get their way. My sister we'll call her Petal(24), brothers Steve (31) n Bob (27).
My partner n I always stayed in contact but we spilt as he was still in the state we met. His boss wouldn't let him take time off etc. In the beginning 2023 I came back to the state to organise my sons stuff. Realising this man kept everything of his and mine in the same spot. He still looked after my cat n dog after all that time also. We rekindled and both realised the flame was always still there for each other. So by September last year we were ready to move forward with life as short as it is announce to our family's save the dates. Via Txt as we both have huge families, we would save the money this way.
A few weeks go by. I get a phone call from Steve. (Whom I havent spoken to since before coming up here as I had enough of always being cancelled on or never picking up my calls or barely responding to my texts) So I was like why am I getting a call. Turns out I just got questions after questions... well statements 'you never asked me to move' 'mum will be staying with me not you on your wedding' 'im not babysitting joey' youngest brother 12yo we I stated he would be other brother Dale (second youngest 21- they are all my siblings from my mother's side) as they are always together when Dale visits. I just focused on the positive. I knew he was wanting me to bite. Then when I was explaining joey would be walking behind my nieces with my sons photo Steve interrupted when are you getting married and laughed. He then said no, His daughter wasn't going to be wearing a dress she'll be wearing the same as her dad... and laughed. at the beginning of his save the date I put 'Aunty would love niece to be a flower girl if she would like' Remember no contact since this phone call at all. So I thought he was joking as he laughed. He then started repeating she was wearing the same as him. He also asked why would joey be following them and as I was explaining what I was thinking as my son would've wanted his cousins up there with him. I got cut off. I just planned all this and I said no I asked and you never responded. You never said no even when I spoke about the dresses. Apparently I just don't know what no sounds like and I've not changed and she is HIS flower girl for when him and his partner get married. I understand wanting your child to be apart of your wedding.... hence why I was trying to do what I know damn sure my boy would have done - to the point if they weren't in the party he would walk up to them n get them to help throw petal down the isle. I was upset. He rambled on and yelled shit at me and hung up when I said well if you didn't want her being a flower girl you could've just said it straight out.
I am still upset but I'm only upset due to he only brought it up when I was talking about what my son would want. If he had a problem with it why didn't he say it before hand. Later mum(51) found out him n his partner were upset I was getting married before them ( they have been engaged since 2021 and no mention of a wedding date) and they didn't want their daughter being someone else's flower girl before hand. Which again I understand so why not say that instead of starting the shit?
The next day Bob decided to tell me he couldn't come to the wedding as he doesn't know what his life would bring him to be doing then 🤦🏼‍♀️
Anyway I start to move forward with wedding planning . I let a friend know, as i was going to ask her to be a Bm. After saying getting married she bloody laughed so hard like i told the most funniest joke ever.... her daughter came in she is still laughing n said ' can you believe they are getting married' while wiping away tears from her eyes she laughed so hard. So I decided not to mention the bm part. She later started telling me what I should do for colours, who the bms should be, that the best man wears something different to the groomsmen. Etc. It was getting out of hand and everytime I mentioned we had decided what we are doing already is was wrong .... until she decided to make a competition with my unaware mother 'she better wear a dress or ill look better then her. Maybe even you' so I cut her out of my social group, my partner still thinks she was just helping. He needs the fog to clear.
I ask my best friend who I have known since 2017 and who was still there for me through the hard time of my son passing and still is to this day. Kel(43f) to be my MOH. My two sisters Petal n Kay(28f on father's side) as bridesmaids. As iTs tHe rIgHt tHiNg to do 🤦🏼‍♀️ at first I thought petal would flake first. If it's not her way she'll make some sort of version (even if it's LIES) that you did her wrong. I picked the dresses they were more then happy to pay for them. $160 ish each(aus). Well Kay went Mia for a few weeks. Then in January this year asked me if the place accepted afterpay. I said I know they accept Kalana or what ever its called. N then she was busting her arse for me to check.... she had the website I asked if she had her flights and accommodation prebooked. Nothing. As I was going to offer to pay for the dress if she was struggling. So I offered for her to come as a guest. 2 weeks NOT A SINGLE WORD. Not answering my calls or texts that wasn't even about the wedding. Its now Feb. I ask my cousin to be a back BM she was more then happy n as I was on the phone to her Kay said ' im getting a job so it'll be all sorted' now Kay is a sister who will take advantage for other people's hand outs. Where we are the closer to august you leave it your looking at 1600 n back minimum. N the week we are getting married not only with it be tourist session but race day also ( we forgot about race day 😅) After explaining this to her she decided with many more weeks in between she'll not come to the wedding at all.
So then it was my BF, petal and cousin.
Two weeks ago I got asked by my fathers (he is a dead beat) sister if he was invited. Long story short, I'm the child he never wanted. He never met my son at all while he was alive and loves to cause drama when it's not about him. He was a junkie when I first met him. So I politely said sorry no he is not and sorry for putting you in this position.
Just up until last week petal flaked. Family drama was happening and I pulled her up on her lies she had put in a group chat. She hadn't spoken to me since May. She would read the wedding chat but not respond. And I found out she had me on mute. Laste week I messaged her on the group chat, our private chat and text her can you aleast let me know whats going on. She came back with ' im not coming nor will I be in your wedding' I thanked her for letting me know. Went in the group chat for the wedding n she had already removed herself. N I blocked her shortly after my mum called. Mum had asked if I had heard from Petal. I told her what happened. Well, mum Being a mum was like 'ill get to the bottom of this' She asked why are you not part of the wedding anymore. My sister turned n said its not of your business. N then said I blocked her from the chat a while ago and I have not once messaged her n I'm mean. Mum caught her out n said she seen her lil picture keep up with the messaged just today etc. N she just banged on how no one understands her. So I blocked her.
I have now asked for my partners Sister to be a bm and she's more then happy to and I paid for her dress straight away so it should arrive to her before she is due to come up.
I found out in April my son will finally be a older brother like he always wanted. This is a miracle baby as I've had a few health problems with my uterus. To the point doctors said I might not even be able to do IVF. My partner n I are over the moon. I am in a a place where I'm happy and upset because my son is not here to witness what he always wanted. We have only told those that have been supportive, mu mum Dale and joey and my Sil.
All the stress of just my family has taken its toll. We have already paid majority of the wedding off and can't elope. I've lost all happiness for our day. I'm scared my father will rock up (he is spiteful like that) n im just deflated. With the add stress of being now 12weeks pregnant and still worried I could lose it at any point.
I have gotten all their jewellery, personalised pjs since Kay was involved. Personalised gifts and im paying for their hair and make up.
Kel my Moh is ready to go on a witch hunt. She's pissed that I have let it all go on for so long. So I'm trying to see if I am in the right or if I am in the wrong.
Am I being the Arsehole ? Bridezilla? Just feels no matter what happens in my life it's not good enough. If anything needs clearing up please let me know. Sorry for the long post. Thankyou in advance And if anyone has any advice ? Thankyou

"Good afternoon Ms. Lopez." I say, warmly greeting an elderly Cuban woman in her sixties. She smiles sweetly at me as she asks me if I am the chef behind today's food, in Spanish. I smile and nod at her, and she excitedly begins to chatter in Spanish, telling me the latest chisme regarding the latest romantic escapades occurring in her son's life.
I lightly place some ham on the sandwich I'm preparing for her as she excitedly gossips with me. I cleverly practice my active listening skills, while occasionally chiming in to let her know that I am actively aware of what she's saying. The woman is one of the last people to arrive during today's meal hour. She seems to operate on a sense of punctuality that is uniquely hers, almost like a force of nature. I almost admire it, if I'm being honest. My fellow volunteers look at me and smile as they sense the passive patience I radiate in this minor interaction.
The day has been one of the more chill ones in the soup kitchen, especially since I started actively championing the place. At our most busy we've served hundreds of families in a single day, and today we've served a few dozen. There's something quite nice about this moment of normalcy. I wonder if I sometimes took this level of mundanity for granted during this jump...
To be fair to myself a part of me is almost acting like I'm guaranteed to send myself to some apocalyptic hellscape and that's just not happening. I'm almost guaranteed to go to a place more dangerous than "9-5; a white-collar simulator", but I'm picking my next destination and after the decade of serenity I've had here I've got no reason to act like a dumbass and jeopardize my odds of long-term success in this career by sending myself to a death trap. Ms. Lopez smiles as she walks away, clearly believing she's shared vital chisme with me. To be fair, she did share gossip plenty of people would find juicy, but since I'm not some gossip I was the wrong audience for her words.
My fellow volunteers look at me and glance at my phone with curious looks. I pick up the thing and see that I've been missing an exhilarating conversation in our group chat. I skim the thing, my perfected memory allowing me to instantly catch up with the conversation the small gaggle of brave volunteers who kindly donate our weekend hours have been having before I begin to text the group back.
The rest of the day passes by in a blur. We wait for the people who've come for a meal to finish their food up and then we get to cleaning. After that we do a few sweeps of the parts of the church we've used before going our separate ways. I make my way home, and I do some light meal-prepping as well as practice a few more of my skills. At this point in my stay I've perfected my routine and could do it in my sleep... If I ever slept that is. In the entire time I've been in this setting I don't believe I've slept once. That is a nice feeling, since it means I never wasted an hour of my time, much less six.
The work week is a bit of a slog, since I am eagerly anticipating the news regarding my final promotion. I was never the sort to believe that time felt longer when you were excited about something, or dreading it, but in the time since I came to this setting I've gradually become a believer in such ideas even if they still feel a bit silly. Nonetheless. I diligently work through the week, keep my team on track, and when Friday rolls around I get the news I've waited for.
Thanks to "Gamer's Mind" I am able to keep my face even as the office's general supervisor explains this news to me and not outwardly express my excitement, but internally I am more excited than I've been about anything since I first entered this world. This news means that I'll be getting right around $3,000 dollars every two weeks just for existing! This means that in future jumps working will be optional unless I get really greedy, which frees me up to decide what I want to do in most modern settings. In medieval settings this amount of money could be even more vital, though at the same time such a thing could just... not matter, since in such a setting I could easily just avoid civilization, but this money will certainly liberate me from a lot of the struggles of wasting vast swathes of a jump at a job I don't want.
At the time that I was being told the good news I almost began to cry. Thank goodness for Gamer's Mind, I guess.
Nine years ago I was down on my luck and down to my last dollars when I got the job offer that led me here and this news means that I am free from such things. The freedom and power that comes with making enough to get by, especially passively, is awe-inspiring, and it's quite difficult for me to find the words to express how excited it makes me feel even days after it. I spend... close to a week passively smiling and being just ambiently happy, as I begin to integrate a new set of responsibilities into my work life.
During this time my decision to fix the coffee machine in the office break-room by hand after it almost burns a colleague results in me getting a new class; "Handyman" and the initial ability I receive is a simple one that bolsters my agility a touch, agility being my attribute tied to fine motor skills. I skillfully use this class to actually fix various things by hand, and I begin to steadily accrue various maintenance skills. In days I gain class levels, and with each class level I am able to repair things faster, more cheaply, and eventually my ability to fix matures into an ability to improve things, which I instinctively know will lead to some shenanigans down the line. Before I know it days have turned into weeks, which age and turn into months. My skills with leadership and motivation have continued to improve and I lead my team with my full focus and skillful decision-making. Before I know it I am in the final leg of the final stretch of my first jump.
I've been here for 119 months. Nine years and eleven months. It's actually been... even longer than that. I'm at the beginning of the final week of my stay here, and my hands idly clean a dish as I passively listen to Pastor Charlie, one of the few guest pastors the church has invited in years deliver a sermon. He has the congregants enraptured and eating out of the palm of his hand as he speaks about a miracle that "Our Lord" once performed. His voice is a pleasant distraction and one of my twin trains of thought listens and takes notes on how the man delivers his sermon. Physically I seem to be engrossed in the man's sermon when someone, one of the church's assistants, taps on my shoulder and gestures for me to walk over to the pastor's office. I stealthy get up, activating "Rogue" and make my way out of the serving area adjacent to the kitchen. I relax a touch when I'm in the long hallway leading me to Tyler's, Pastor Rhodes's, office.
As I walk down the humble hallway I feel a strange sense of finality wash over me. There's something uncommonly... real about this trek. I feel more solid, more whole than I have in a while, and I suspect that it's because this is my last time in this soup kitchen, this church. I won't be returning here, at least not for a while, and that's sad. It's not the saddest thing that's ever happened to me, but it is kind of a bummer and I allow myself to feel a touch of real, genuine sadness at the sobering realization that when I leave this place I'll be leaving for a long time.
I eventually put that thought away, shelving it and compartmentalizing my thoughts so I can focus on better, happier things. My enhanced senses allow me to spot things like faint cracks too thin for normal humans to spot, and as I walk past them I cast my handy spell on them. I watch as the walls of the hallway repair themselves and I smile, sensing the powerful potential of the spell at my fingertips. I reach the office of the man I've spent plenty of weekends working alongside, and under, and I smile, even internally, when he looks up and spots me. He greets me with a smile and motions for me to sit down. When I do what he asks, he immediately begins to speak.
"Lucas, I apologize for calling out to you but I wanted to check in. Today you seemed... Out of it." The man exclaims, and judging from the way my heart jumps in my chest I realize that some people are just.... more intuitive than others. My acting skill gets a nice little load of experience when I mask my reaction to his words and let out a small, natural sounding laugh in response to his question.
"Tyler," I begin, causing the man to wince. I'm an atheist, or at least I was pre-chain, now... well, now I'm a lot more curious about religion than I was before. I'm not sure if gods exist, but I sure as shit know the supernatural does and I'm not in the business of denying what I can see. I've made my vague religious position clear to the man long ago so he insists I call him "Tyler" which I've personally always found a bit awkward, but there's something a little funny about how it disarms him so cleanly during this interaction. "I'm doing... Okay. I AM bummed I won't be here next week." I state, calmly. This causes my friend's eyes to widen in surprise.
"You're missing a week? I'm sure some of our regulars will be disappointed. Is everything alright?" The man asks. His question is so sincere, so genuine that it's mildly disarming.
I'm... not a nice person. I'm far from mean, sure, but I've come to accept that there's a core of kindness in some people, even in many people, and I am not someone who has that core, that central, unconscious, guiding light that moves them towards kindness with the ease and naturalness of a heartbeat. At my core rests something else, something I don't know if I can articulate in just a few words.
I wouldn't say I'm mean or anything like that but I'm far more cynical than a lot of the people I've met are. In this world, especially, it seems like a lot of people are just decent at heart and I suspect that that was and is the case in the world I was born on as well. Tyler is one of the people I've met whose central guiding light seems to be centered around decency and kindness and I think in any world the man could find himself in he'd strive to be kind. It's almost like interacting with a real version of Ned Flanders from The Simpsons...
"I'm okay. I'm gonna be doing other stuff, and I normally prioritize the soup kitchen over my work or social life," I state, and this isn't a flex it's simply a very true statement. Tyler hears the remark and smiles faintly. "But I've been asked to help out with other stuff from friends who wouldn't ask if it wasn't something they really felt they could handle alone. I'm just gonna miss one weekend, and then I'll be back." I remark, and Tyler smiles at me.
"Okay Lucas. If you need any help you'd ask, right?" Tyler asks, and I consider the question. This is only somewhat an act, as I don't know if I'd ask for help if I needed it. I ultimately nod at the man and I can sense a touch of sadness as he studies my response, which I don't love but I also don't really feel right lying anymore than is necessary. The man makes some small talk and I quickly breeze through it. In minutes I am back in the kitchen with the others. And minutes after that I am cleaning with my fellow volunteers. Almost before I know it I'm stepping out of the church after we've cleaned out the kitchen. I glance at it one last time before I make my way home.
The next few days pass by in a blur, with only two minor oddities; the first being that I ask Hannah to come out with me on Friday night. I have got to see if I can stomach the idea of any sort of romance in a jump, and this is a consequence free way for me to do something along those lines. The second oddity is that I spend nearly all of my money purchasing... well, everything. Every night after work I go to various stores and spend the money that I really haven't needed all that much until now, purchasing things like weapons, food, and especially books. I buy boatloads of books, both ready and willing to use up something I won't be able to take with me into future jumps anyway in exchange for stuff I CAN take with me, thanks to the fiat-backed power of an infinite inventory.
The work week is, aside from what I do after work every night, pretty normal but Friday itself is weirdly solemn. The day passes by as quickly as any other day has, filled with minor encounters with glitches, and a few more annoyances with my small number of drawbacks but when five rolls around I clock out one last time and give the office a final look. I am weirdly slow when it comes to getting up and leaving my cubicle, in fact I'm actually one of the last office workers to leave the office but as I step out of the building I experience another burst of gratitude to Gamer's Mind, which keeps me from acting odd or even tearing up as I glance back at the place I've spent thousands of hours in.
I allow myself a beat to... honestly, grieve. I tell myself that it's okay to have feelings about leaving, even if those feelings are big and weird and are not the most fun. Nonetheless I don't linger here, at my place of employment, I have other things I both need and want to do. I use my inventory and change into a pretty casual outfit before I begin a brief walk. _________________________________________________________________________
​The park beside the office building is a rare example of a pristine location in the city. It is filled with natural greenery, and at the moment a stunningly pretty redhead glances at her phone waiting for someone to pop into view.
The redhead is wearing a pleasant looking dress and a jacket, as the weather is just beginning to take the seasonal turn towards the unpleasant. It's still warm enough that the clothes are mostly unnecessary but as she waits for her friend, a young man who has finally gotten the courage to ask her out on something vaguely approximating a date, she appreciates the wisdom of her decision to wear the slightly warmer than necessary clothes.
Her "date", mostly in her eyes though he is aware of her feelings and a part of him feels some happiness in the idea that this is a date, enters the park and spots her before she spots him. He reaches into his inventory and he retrieves something, a nice little bouquet he purchased earlier today and safely stored away. The flowers, prettily packed and all, appear as he walks towards the young woman.
Lucas is testing the waters here. He isn't testing the waters with Hannah specifically, but rather what it feels like to go on a date as a jumper. He has long had strange feelings about this, but he knows that he is going to leave tomorrow and so he wants to see if he can enjoy a date as a jumper, so he is doing a scientific experiment even if he feels... less than great about some aspects of all of this.
"Hannah!" Lucas says, calling out to one of his first, in fact one of his only, real friends in this world. The redhead excitedly turns and spots her longtime friend, waving at him and waving him over. She spots the bouquet and lets out a delighted sounding laugh, and when Lucas hears it the smile that alights his features is heartwarming.
In his day to day life some facets of Lucas's charisma-heavy build only rarely surface in ways that matter and his looks tends to be one such thing He is attractive enough that his looks can captivate and reside in one's imagination for a while after they first meet him, but right now, this early on along his chain his looks are only enough to make people have schoolgirl crushes on him and people can and do get used to his looks after a while. Still, in some moments this is enough to color the impression he makes on people. Right now, in a romantic context, his supernatural attractiveness is enough to change the sort of impression he makes on someone.
The handsome actor reaches his friend and sits down next to her. He hands her the flowers and for a moment a strange serenity washes over the two as they enjoy each other's company. Lucas looks inward and he realizes that he genuinely, well and truly, likes this moment. Hannah looks at him and eventually asks an important question.
"Lucas... how am I gonna hold these flowers?" She asks, and this makes him smile. He is quick to offer her a response.
"I'll take them when we get going but I saw them and I thought of you. I felt like I'd regret it if I didn't give you these." He says, and there is an odd, for him, level of sincerity and genuineness in his voice that makes Hannah giggle girlishly. Lucas right now is relying on his perk-enhanced instincts and the charisma he has honed through social encounters for the last decade, and he's enjoying how it feels.
Both of the figures on the "Date", though neither of them officially dubbed it that, enjoy the moment. Their passive delight and infatuation create an envy-inducing atmosphere of closeness and quiet joy that radiates outward. The park is nearly abandoned so there is no one to witness this moment other than Lucas's benefactor, and Lucas is simply at peace.
Eventually he lightly touches Hannah's hand, and asks her if she'd like to go and get dinner before they go to the movie they agreed on going to watch earlier this week. Hannah agrees, handing Lucas the bouquet and he, to her surprise, puts it in the bag he has on his person. When she asks if that will squish or hurt the flowers Lucas tells her, with a bizarre amount of confidence, that it won't. She eventually accepts this, having learned to trust that Lucas knows what he is doing, and the two of them begin a short walk to a mall they both know well.

I was drunk. My good friend was with me. We had both just gone through breakups and she decided to visit me to hang out and go to the state fair. We had been at the baclub for a while at this point. She was being bitter. My other friend came with us but he was being a debbie downer. I ended up being asked to dance so I did so. I was dancing with this younger black man with long dreads. He was teaching me to two step. Honestly, I was already drinking for a while, but I was having a great time. I kept checking in with my friend. She was on her phone a lot and I decided I wasn't going to just sit there while she texted some guy 2 hours or so away. That's when I decided to go dance.
To be clear, at no point was I black out drunk or out of control. I was buzzed and happy.
She mentions this guy she's talking to. She invites him to the bar with us. He was drinking with some friend of his. My friend and I sent them a bathroom mirror selfie not saying anything provocative or anything, at least not that I know of. Either way, he calls her at some point. He's there but his buddy wasn't allowed in...because he showed up to a country baclub in sweatpants. He was already drunk too. They are discussing this when the guy she invited (a man a few years older than us going through a divorce and custody battle...mind you we are somewhere around 22 and 25). I feel bad for him and we go out to the parking lot to talk with the friend and see what he wants to do. He says he is fine waiting in the lot. I don't know who, but someone was like well let's go get food so he can be included. So I was like sure and my friend and I get in our car, the guy she invited and his friend get into their own car with the plan that we all meet somewhere to get food. I don't remember the specifics of how it happened, but we didn't get food. I think the place they wanted was closed or something. Either way, she invites these two men that are strangers to me to MY apartment. I had a just over 500 sq ft studio apartment in a bad part of town. I had 3 bar stools, no couch, no where to sit, just my bed and the chairs. I wasn't comfortable with this but my opinion wasn't heeded.
We get to the apartment. I know I made a shot for everyone. The friend of the guy my friend invited wanted to drink all my alcohol basically. I told him no because I was a student and that shit's expensive. He wasn't about to wipe out all my liquor on his own. But my friend and the guy she invited say they're going to take a step outside to talk about something. I found out later they went to his truck to talk about them or whatever. Well, this means I am left with this asshole friend of the guy.
I had been sitting on my bed when my friend left the apartment to step outside. I had been trying to be polite and let my guests have the chairs. Some things get fuzzy here. I know the friend of the guy came and sat by me. He started trying to touch me and kiss me. I told him I wasn't interested and I didn't do hookups. He starts telling me about his baby momma and his kid. He said some stuff that made me think he was a bit of an awful person but I don't remember exactly what it was now. Anywho, he tries to sit right by me, a 110-120lb very petite girl. I try to move away while still being polite. He starts putting his hands on me. Sliding them up my shirt and trying to grab my chest. I tell him no and to stop. I say I'm not interested. He says don't worry he'll come visit me and we can go out later so it's not just a hook up. He knows where I live now so he'll come by after tonight. I don't like this. I keep telling him no and trying to get away. Things are getting fuzzy.
I know he grabbed my thighs. He tried to take my shirt off and undo my jean shorts. He kept rubbing on my vagina over my jeans. I kept saying no and trying to get away. He pushed me down and back so I was laying on my bed. I squirmed out and went to the bathroom. I tried to text my friend. She left her phone inside. I didn't know what to do.
I come out of the bathroom. He says how much he wishes I had come out in lingerie. I don't remember how but I remember I was on the bed again. He was on top of me, touching me, grabbing my chest, rubbing between my legs, pinning me with his weight. I tried to play friendly and get him off. Anything I could do to get it to stop. He wouldn't listen. Eventually he laid beside me and tried to get me to touch him. I was able to get up and get to my door.
My friend was in the front seat of the guy she invited's truck. I asked her when she was coming in and if she could come back in with me. I was so concerned with ruining her night. She had made it sound like it would just be a second. I couldn't stay outside, the area wasn't safe, let alone for a petite female. But my apartment wasn't safe now either. I know I ended up back inside. I tried to stay far away from the man inside. He would try to come onto me and touch me still. I got him to start just talking so he'd be distracted and stop. Eventually my friend comes in with the guy she invited. I remember the guys left.
I felt numb to what happened. I know if I reacted differently it would have been way worse. I kept him from getting my clothes off but I couldn't stop the ways he touched me. I couldn't stop the ways he grabbed me or made me feel uncomfortable in my own space. I told him to stop and articulated why so many times. I played dumb and sweet to get it to stop. It was like Josh again but worse and with a man I didn't know. Whose name I don't even remember. For some reason I feel guilt about it. Did I do something to make him think I wanted that? I said if they came it would be fun but I said that in an innocent way as in I knew my friend wanted to see this guy and I wanted her to be able to do so. Did he go home upset because some prude bitch wouldn't sleep w him when he went all that way? Did he think I owed him? Did I do something wrong? I don't know him. I don't owe him. I didn't control him coming down here or tell them to. I didn't want them in my apartment. I didn't want to be alone with them.
I feel that twinge of guilt still that I owed him when I think about this. I felt numb to it for a long time like it wasn't a thing that mattered. That's still how I see it mostly. Some of these details might be blurred. I don't know that I remember everything, which is weird because I wasn't crazy intoxicated, I was happy buzzed. My friend asked me a few times if I told her everything that happened. She said she felt bad once I finally told her what happened. But a part of me wonders if something more did happen and I just refuse to remember it. I don't know. A part of me says I should be flattered someone thought I was attractive. I should be flattered he wanted me. I know this wasn't right. I'm not okay with it, but why do I think of it like this? Why do I think something more might have happened? I was incredibly hungover the next day. Worse than ever before or ever since. It was awful. I wasn't drugged. I made the only drink I had while those guys were around. I don't know what all happened now. The details are fuzzy. Hell some of what I wrote may be me filling in gaps. I can't say for sure. I just know my friend and I haven't seen each other since. We barely speak. I had some discontent with her for this. It wasn't her fault but I couldn't see things the same. She was one of my closest friends. Why would she tell them to come over? Why would she leave me alone, clearly buzzed, with this strange guy in an apartment that had no where to go? His actions aren't her fault at all. I know I could never leave a friend in that situation though. I can't completely reconcile that someone that was supposed to be there for me and we were supposed to look out for each other would act as such.

I was drunk. My good friend was with me. We had both just gone through breakups and she decided to visit me to hang out and go to the state fair. We had been at the baclub for a while at this point. She was being bitter. My other friend came with us but he was being a debbie downer. I ended up being asked to dance so I did so. I was dancing with this younger black man with long dreads. He was teaching me to two step. Honestly, I was already drinking for a while, but I was having a great time. I kept checking in with my friend. She was on her phone a lot and I decided I wasn't going to just sit there while she texted some guy 2 hours or so away. That's when I decided to go dance.
To be clear, at no point was I black out drunk or out of control. I was buzzed and happy.
She mentions this guy she's talking to. She invites him to the bar with us. He was drinking with some friend of his. My friend and I sent them a bathroom mirror selfie not saying anything provocative or anything, at least not that I know of. Either way, he calls her at some point. He's there but his buddy wasn't allowed in...because he showed up to a country baclub in sweatpants. He was already drunk too. They are discussing this when the guy she invited (a man a few years older than us going through a divorce and custody battle...mind you we are somewhere around 22 and 25). I feel bad for him and we go out to the parking lot to talk with the friend and see what he wants to do. He says he is fine waiting in the lot. I don't know who, but someone was like well let's go get food so he can be included. So I was like sure and my friend and I get in our car, the guy she invited and his friend get into their own car with the plan that we all meet somewhere to get food. I don't remember the specifics of how it happened, but we didn't get food. I think the place they wanted was closed or something. Either way, she invites these two men that are strangers to me to MY apartment. I had a just over 500 sq ft studio apartment in a bad part of town. I had 3 bar stools, no couch, no where to sit, just my bed and the chairs. I wasn't comfortable with this but my opinion wasn't heeded.
We get to the apartment. I know I made a shot for everyone. The friend of the guy my friend invited wanted to drink all my alcohol basically. I told him no because I was a student and that shit's expensive. He wasn't about to wipe out all my liquor on his own. But my friend and the guy she invited say they're going to take a step outside to talk about something. I found out later they went to his truck to talk about them or whatever. Well, this means I am left with this asshole friend of the guy.
I had been sitting on my bed when my friend left the apartment to step outside. I had been trying to be polite and let my guests have the chairs. Some things get fuzzy here. I know the friend of the guy came and sat by me. He started trying to touch me and kiss me. I told him I wasn't interested and I didn't do hookups. He starts telling me about his baby momma and his kid. He said some stuff that made me think he was a bit of an awful person but I don't remember exactly what it was now. Anywho, he tries to sit right by me, a 110-120lb very petite girl. I try to move away while still being polite. He starts putting his hands on me. Sliding them up my shirt and trying to grab my chest. I tell him no and to stop. I say I'm not interested. He says don't worry he'll come visit me and we can go out later so it's not just a hook up. He knows where I live now so he'll come by after tonight. I don't like this. I keep telling him no and trying to get away. Things are getting fuzzy.
I know he grabbed my thighs. He tried to take my shirt off and undo my jean shorts. He kept rubbing on my vagina over my jeans. I kept saying no and trying to get away. He pushed me down and back so I was laying on my bed. I squirmed out and went to the bathroom. I tried to text my friend. She left her phone inside. I didn't know what to do.
I come out of the bathroom. He says how much he wishes I had come out in lingerie. I don't remember how but I remember I was on the bed again. He was on top of me, touching me, grabbing my chest, rubbing between my legs, pinning me with his weight. I tried to play friendly and get him off. Anything I could do to get it to stop. He wouldn't listen. Eventually he laid beside me and tried to get me to touch him. I was able to get up and get to my door.
My friend was in the front seat of the guy she invited's truck. I asked her when she was coming in and if she could come back in with me. I was so concerned with ruining her night. She had made it sound like it would just be a second. I couldn't stay outside, the area wasn't safe, let alone for a petite female. But my apartment wasn't safe now either. I know I ended up back inside. I tried to stay far away from the man inside. He would try to come onto me and touch me still. I got him to start just talking so he'd be distracted and stop. Eventually my friend comes in with the guy she invited. I remember the guys left.
I felt numb to what happened. I know if I reacted differently it would have been way worse. I kept him from getting my clothes off but I couldn't stop the ways he touched me. I couldn't stop the ways he grabbed me or made me feel uncomfortable in my own space. I told him to stop and articulated why so many times. I played dumb and sweet to get it to stop. It was like Josh again but worse and with a man I didn't know. Whose name I don't even remember. For some reason I feel guilt about it. Did I do something to make him think I wanted that? I said if they came it would be fun but I said that in an innocent way as in I knew my friend wanted to see this guy and I wanted her to be able to do so. Did he go home upset because some prude bitch wouldn't sleep w him when he went all that way? Did he think I owed him? Did I do something wrong? I don't know him. I don't owe him. I didn't control him coming down here or tell them to. I didn't want them in my apartment. I didn't want to be alone with them.
I feel that twinge of guilt still that I owed him when I think about this. I felt numb to it for a long time like it wasn't a thing that mattered. That's still how I see it mostly. Some of these details might be blurred. I don't know that I remember everything, which is weird because I wasn't crazy intoxicated, I was happy buzzed. My friend asked me a few times if I told her everything that happened. She said she felt bad once I finally told her what happened. But a part of me wonders if something more did happen and I just refuse to remember it. I don't know. A part of me says I should be flattered someone thought I was attractive. I should be flattered he wanted me. I know this wasn't right. I'm not okay with it, but why do I think of it like this? Why do I think something more might have happened? I was incredibly hungover the next day. Worse than ever before or ever since. It was awful. I wasn't drugged. I made the only drink I had while those guys were around. I don't know what all happened now. The details are fuzzy. Hell some of what I wrote may be me filling in gaps. I can't say for sure. I just know my friend and I haven't seen each other since. We barely speak. I had some discontent with her for this. It wasn't her fault but I couldn't see things the same. She was one of my closest friends. Why would she tell them to come over? Why would she leave me alone, clearly buzzed, with this strange guy in an apartment that had no where to go? His actions aren't her fault at all. I know I could never leave a friend in that situation though. I can't completely reconcile that someone that was supposed to be there for me and we were supposed to look out for each other would act as such.

So I just transitioned from grassroots fundraising into a major gift officer. In my previous role, I was soliciting up to $5k gifts through canvassing. I’ve taken on this new role at a new org and I feel totally your of my league… I’m the only one on the team specifically doing major gifts, although everyone from the CEO to the philanthropy volunteer fundraises. They have 0 comprehensive strategies for fundraising so I’ve been developing my own methods over my first few weeks, making sample “scripts”, catchy names for different levels of membership, sample cultivation timelines, etc.
They have an annual two month match campaign that starts in a week, and I’ve finally been given my first portfolio. Now I’m stuck. As a canvasser, you get your stack of members and decide how to approach them but you really only have one shot at making the conversation happen and it’s immediate - you pitch, you ask, you get the money and leave. I don’t think that’s the case with this new job (all I know is that they do a lot of cold calling - I still don’t know what they even do on those calls and when I’ve asked it wasn’t really explained).
Here are my instincts for moving forward into the match campaign with my new portfolio:
1) assess the portfolio and put people into tiers 2) send out emails to portfolio members individually based on their giving capacity to introduce myself as a new employee/their new contact with our org 3) with major donors (at this org, $1k+) invite out to meet for a cup of coffee or lunch 4) once campaign starts, start calling mid level people to invite to donate on the phone 5) start meeting with major donors to solicit gifts for match campaign?? The match campaign only goes until the end of July, does that give me enough time? This is where I get confused. I’m more than happy to do that, but is that too presumptuous? What I’ve been reading about is that at most nonprofits, major gift cultivation and solicitation takes time, not just me showing up and asking for a big check over my first cup of coffee with them, right? The match campaign only lasts until the end of July, which doesn’t feel like it gives me enough time to build a relationship. I can’t really get a litmus test done on how people are fundraising currently, because no one really is doing it actively (hence hiring me). My goal is to raise my salary as soon as possible to prove they made the right decision, but I’m struggling to find my footing.
Please help!

Intro: Man, what a day. Well, it’s all over now. Time to just relax on the couch and unwind… Wait, why is the doorbell ringing? Who could that be? And are you getting… deja vu?
Summary: Listener allows Speaker inside and they spend a little time together before Speaker reveals that she is a vampire, as well as a few other things. She then drinks some of Listener’s blood and leaves.
Go ahead and monetize, it's fine. Word count is about 1600.
If you fill this or plan to fill this, please notify me. Please don't make edits without asking first.
Line breaks represent the listener talking or space where no one talks and should be short pauses, words within {brackets} represent the speaker’s tone or sfx. At ellipses, the speaker trails off, and at dashes, she is either cut off abruptly by the listener or by herself.
Author’s Note: All right, the last Feather script, I’m finally caught up. Sorry this took so long to get out, I promise I didn’t want it to be this late, but hey! It’s here now, and I hope y’all enjoy.
If you want to read this somewhere other than Reddit, it's also here.
​
​
{doorbell sfx}
{door opens sfx} {stressed} Hi. Hello there. Good day. Well, good evening, I guess. Or good night, the sun’s already down. How are you doing today?
No wait please don’t close the door- I promise I’m not trying to sell you something! Look, it’s me. It’s {insert name here}. Your neighbor. You recognize me, right? We met at that Fourth of July party last year?
Yeah, yeah, I know, been a while. My job basically forces me to be nocturnal, otherwise I promise I’d be less non-existent. I’m not completely anti-social, I just… sleep while everyone else is doing things.
{apologetic} I- yeah, okay, so. Ohh, this is gonna sound terrible. This is gonna sound bad.
…Can I stay the night here? Look, normally I’d never ask this, because we don’t even know each other, obviously, but I accidentally locked myself out of my house, and I don’t know anyone else on the street either, and, well, I remembered you being friendly that time that we did meet, and it’s really cold out and I don’t want to try to sleep in my car, and-
{hopeful} You… you will?
{relieved} Oh, thank you. I’ll come up with a way to pay you back, I promise.
{hesitant} You’re sure I can come in? I mean, you still don’t really know me, and you’re inviting me into your house. You’re okay with that?
{relieved} Thank you. I promise, I don’t need much. I already ate, and I can just sleep on the couch. I don’t want to cause you any bother.
{happy} Oh, wow, it’s warm in here. I never expect it to be this warm. Uh, when I go over to other people’s places. My house and the building I work at are always freezing, so this is nice. Feels like a place I can just relax, y’know?
Wha- huh? {dismissive} No, no, it’s fine. I’ll call a locksmith in the morning, and hell, worst comes to worst, I’ll break a window. I just needed someplace where I wouldn’t freeze to death while I waited. Which, thank you again for providing.
{serious} I mean, yeah. You saw the weather report, right? Not the nicest out tonight. I don’t think I would’ve gotten frostbite, but it wouldn’t have been fun to find out.
{confused} My hands? Why…?
Oh, they can’t be that cold, right?
{hesitant} Uh… not very long? Maybe only an hour? Because first I was trying to get inside, and then I was working up the courage to knock because I didn’t want to bother you, and-
{placating} What- oh, no, come on, you don’t have to do that. I promise, I’m fine just being in here, I already feel much better-
{taken aback} That’s a very large blanket.
Okay, two of them feels excessive, I-
All right, fine. Many blankets are fine.
No, no, I said I already ate, I’m not hungry, I- {interested} did you say hot chocolate? Well. Maybe I could have a little.
Wow, that was fast. Did you already have the water boiling?
Mmm! This is delicious, what brand is it?
I should’ve guessed. Homemade is always better, especially when it’s made in a home as nice as this.
Well, if you really want me to eat something, do you maybe still have any of that peach cobbler? That was- what?
{scrambling} Oh, I mean- well, uh, I- {sigh} {sad} Damn. Guess I got a little too comfy there, didn’t I? And I was really looking forward to the movie you were going to suggest…
{reasonable} All right, no, calm down, I promise I can explain, just- {disappointed} ugh. This isn’t going to work.
{magically resonant} Still.
{fond} That’s better. No freaking out tonight, okay?
Here, come on, let’s sit you down. Put those blankets on you. Does that feel nice? I know you can’t answer, but I’m going to assume that feels nice.
{sigh} What am I going to do with you?
I really am sorry about this, I promise it’s not how I wanted the night to go. It’s just hard to stay on my guard about things like that when I’m here. This place relaxes me, you feel more like home than anywhere I’ve ever lived has. My tongue tends to slip. I’m sure you understand.
Ah, I should explain. I suppose I don’t have to, you won’t remember anyway, but you do deserve to know what’s happening. I come over here… rather a lot. I always use some variant of the “poor, lost innocent” act, and it works every time. You let me in, and you start trying to take care of me, and you’re always so protective and sweet… it’s nice. The first few times, I was annoyed. I thought your kindness was just weakness, or worse, that you were only being kind because you wanted something. I didn’t even realize how hypocritical I was being, can you believe that? But it’s true. It took more weeks than I’d like to admit to realize how good it felt, having you want to take care of me. Once I did, I started coming by more often, staying longer, trying to get to know you better in the time that we had. I started looking forward to getting to take a load off with you more and more, too. It’s gotten to the point where staying with you is the brightest spot in my week. This house has become my little home-away-from-home, my sanctuary from all my problems. And you’re what makes it that, so thank you.
Oy, all of that, and you’re probably more confused than when I started. I suppose I’ve danced around the relevant point. {hesitant} I- uh. Well, I’m- Well, there’s no easy way to say it. I’m a vampire, and at the end of every night, I feed on you and remove your memories of me.
{reassuring} No, no, keep calm. I can feel your heart rate increasing, there’s no need for it to. I’m not here to hurt you, I promise. I haven’t hurt you any time before, and I don’t plan to start now. I would never.
I’m only here for a tiny bit of blood, just a taste, really. You won’t even notice the loss. Well, okay, you might notice it a little. You’ll probably feel kind of weak in the morning, but the marks will have faded away completely, and the bite won’t even hurt. We’ve done this dozens of times by now, and I promise, the worst you’ve felt is a little woozy.
I think it’ll even feel good. You’ve definitely seemed happy with the feeling before.
{sad, tired} Oh, don’t look at me like that! You think I want it to be like this? I hate having to pretend not to know you, not to love…
I hate it, almost as much as I hate the lack of recognition in your eyes when you see me. I want you to know me. To light up when you see me. But this is the way it has to be.
{yearning} I’ve thought about coming to you under other pretenses… introducing myself, maybe starting a real relationship. I could take care of you after every feeding instead of abandoning you, like I want to so badly. I could spend more time in your refuge from the chaos of the world, and give you someone to share it with. I think we’d both be happy… but it’s not that simple, is it? Every day takes us farther from our first meeting, makes it harder to introduce myself, and every memory we make makes me more likely to out myself, as we saw earlier. Besides, I’ve gotten used to this. I like being able to treat you as a safe place, without having to put any burdens on you. And God knows, dating a vampire - hell, just being friends with one - comes with burdens… You deserve better than that. I still want to be a part of your life, one day, and to have you be a part of mine, but it can’t happen today. I can’t do that to you today.
{resolve} All I can do is enjoy the time I can steal with you, and watch over you from afar. Stop anyone else from destroying this little sanctuary of ours. Keep you safe from… interlopers. But there’s no need to discuss them. Not now.
{disappointed sigh} I really was looking forward to spending time with you tonight. Maybe you would’ve even finally asked me to cuddle… A shame it has to be cut short.
{amused} Well, not such a shame. Titans, you smell good. Reminds me of why I wanted your blood in the first place, it might be the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. Another reason I like coming here so much, probably.
{placating} All right, now just hold still… I mean, I know you can’t do much else, but please try to relax. This will only hurt for a moment.
{vampire feeding} {You can make this sound realistic, with slurping and the occasional moan, or you can just make it sound like someone drinking from a Caprisun. One of the above will be funnier.}
{satisfied} Ahh, that was wonderful. Do you think you’re feeling all right, after that? I- {sad} oh. You can’t answer, can you? I could - I really should - unfreeze you. Listen to what you have to say about… all of this. Maybe you’d be okay with it? Maybe you’d even… accept me? But no. What if you told me to leave and never come back? I don’t think I’m brave enough for that. I can’t lose this… I can’t lose you, even if watching you forget me is almost the same.
I am sorry about this. I say that every time, and it never stops being true. I don’t want to do this to you. But it’s the way it has to be. {sigh} {quiet} Maybe if I keep telling myself that, it’ll start feeling true…
{magically resonant} Forget.
Sleep.
{tender} Good night, love. I’ll see you again soon.

Intro: Man, what a day. Well, it’s all over now. Time to just relax on the couch and unwind… Wait, why is the doorbell ringing? Who could that be? And are you getting… deja vu?
Summary: Listener allows Speaker inside and they spend a little time together before Speaker reveals that she is a vampire, as well as a few other things. She then drinks some of Listener’s blood and leaves.
Go ahead and monetize, it's fine. Word count is about 1600.
If you fill this or plan to fill this, please notify me. Please don't make edits without asking first.
Line breaks represent the listener talking or space where no one talks and should be short pauses, words within {brackets} represent the speaker’s tone or sfx. At ellipses, the speaker trails off, and at dashes, she is either cut off abruptly by the listener or by herself.
Author’s Note: All right, the last Feather script, I’m finally caught up. Sorry this took so long to get out, I promise I didn’t want it to be this late, but hey! It’s here now, and I hope y’all enjoy.
If you want to read this somewhere other than Reddit, it's also here.
​
​
{doorbell sfx}
{door opens sfx} {stressed} Hi. Hello there. Good day. Well, good evening, I guess. Or good night, the sun’s already down. How are you doing today?
No wait please don’t close the door- I promise I’m not trying to sell you something! Look, it’s me. It’s {insert name here}. Your neighbor. You recognize me, right? We met at that Fourth of July party last year?
Yeah, yeah, I know, been a while. My job basically forces me to be nocturnal, otherwise I promise I’d be less non-existent. I’m not completely anti-social, I just… sleep while everyone else is doing things.
{apologetic} I- yeah, okay, so. Ohh, this is gonna sound terrible. This is gonna sound bad.
…Can I stay the night here? Look, normally I’d never ask this, because we don’t even know each other, obviously, but I accidentally locked myself out of my house, and I don’t know anyone else on the street either, and, well, I remembered you being friendly that time that we did meet, and it’s really cold out and I don’t want to try to sleep in my car, and-
{hopeful} You… you will?
{relieved} Oh, thank you. I’ll come up with a way to pay you back, I promise.
{hesitant} You’re sure I can come in? I mean, you still don’t really know me, and you’re inviting me into your house. You’re okay with that?
{relieved} Thank you. I promise, I don’t need much. I already ate, and I can just sleep on the couch. I don’t want to cause you any bother.
{happy} Oh, wow, it’s warm in here. I never expect it to be this warm. Uh, when I go over to other people’s places. My house and the building I work at are always freezing, so this is nice. Feels like a place I can just relax, y’know?
Wha- huh? {dismissive} No, no, it’s fine. I’ll call a locksmith in the morning, and hell, worst comes to worst, I’ll break a window. I just needed someplace where I wouldn’t freeze to death while I waited. Which, thank you again for providing.
{serious} I mean, yeah. You saw the weather report, right? Not the nicest out tonight. I don’t think I would’ve gotten frostbite, but it wouldn’t have been fun to find out.
{confused} My hands? Why…?
Oh, they can’t be that cold, right?
{hesitant} Uh… not very long? Maybe only an hour? Because first I was trying to get inside, and then I was working up the courage to knock because I didn’t want to bother you, and-
{placating} What- oh, no, come on, you don’t have to do that. I promise, I’m fine just being in here, I already feel much better-
{taken aback} That’s a very large blanket.
Okay, two of them feels excessive, I-
All right, fine. Many blankets are fine.
No, no, I said I already ate, I’m not hungry, I- {interested} did you say hot chocolate? Well. Maybe I could have a little.
Wow, that was fast. Did you already have the water boiling?
Mmm! This is delicious, what brand is it?
I should’ve guessed. Homemade is always better, especially when it’s made in a home as nice as this.
Well, if you really want me to eat something, do you maybe still have any of that peach cobbler? That was- what?
{scrambling} Oh, I mean- well, uh, I- {sigh} {sad} Damn. Guess I got a little too comfy there, didn’t I? And I was really looking forward to the movie you were going to suggest…
{reasonable} All right, no, calm down, I promise I can explain, just- {disappointed} ugh. This isn’t going to work.
{magically resonant} Still.
{fond} That’s better. No freaking out tonight, okay?
Here, come on, let’s sit you down. Put those blankets on you. Does that feel nice? I know you can’t answer, but I’m going to assume that feels nice.
{sigh} What am I going to do with you?
I really am sorry about this, I promise it’s not how I wanted the night to go. It’s just hard to stay on my guard about things like that when I’m here. This place relaxes me, you feel more like home than anywhere I’ve ever lived has. My tongue tends to slip. I’m sure you understand.
Ah, I should explain. I suppose I don’t have to, you won’t remember anyway, but you do deserve to know what’s happening. I come over here… rather a lot. I always use some variant of the “poor, lost innocent” act, and it works every time. You let me in, and you start trying to take care of me, and you’re always so protective and sweet… it’s nice. The first few times, I was annoyed. I thought your kindness was just weakness, or worse, that you were only being kind because you wanted something. I didn’t even realize how hypocritical I was being, can you believe that? But it’s true. It took more weeks than I’d like to admit to realize how good it felt, having you want to take care of me. Once I did, I started coming by more often, staying longer, trying to get to know you better in the time that we had. I started looking forward to getting to take a load off with you more and more, too. It’s gotten to the point where staying with you is the brightest spot in my week. This house has become my little home-away-from-home, my sanctuary from all my problems. And you’re what makes it that, so thank you.
Oy, all of that, and you’re probably more confused than when I started. I suppose I’ve danced around the relevant point. {hesitant} I- uh. Well, I’m- Well, there’s no easy way to say it. I’m a vampire, and at the end of every night, I feed on you and remove your memories of me.
{reassuring} No, no, keep calm. I can feel your heart rate increasing, there’s no need for it to. I’m not here to hurt you, I promise. I haven’t hurt you any time before, and I don’t plan to start now. I would never.
I’m only here for a tiny bit of blood, just a taste, really. You won’t even notice the loss. Well, okay, you might notice it a little. You’ll probably feel kind of weak in the morning, but the marks will have faded away completely, and the bite won’t even hurt. We’ve done this dozens of times by now, and I promise, the worst you’ve felt is a little woozy.
I think it’ll even feel good. You’ve definitely seemed happy with the feeling before.
{sad, tired} Oh, don’t look at me like that! You think I want it to be like this? I hate having to pretend not to know you, not to love…
I hate it, almost as much as I hate the lack of recognition in your eyes when you see me. I want you to know me. To light up when you see me. But this is the way it has to be.
{yearning} I’ve thought about coming to you under other pretenses… introducing myself, maybe starting a real relationship. I could take care of you after every feeding instead of abandoning you, like I want to so badly. I could spend more time in your refuge from the chaos of the world, and give you someone to share it with. I think we’d both be happy… but it’s not that simple, is it? Every day takes us farther from our first meeting, makes it harder to introduce myself, and every memory we make makes me more likely to out myself, as we saw earlier. Besides, I’ve gotten used to this. I like being able to treat you as a safe place, without having to put any burdens on you. And God knows, dating a vampire - hell, just being friends with one - comes with burdens… You deserve better than that. I still want to be a part of your life, one day, and to have you be a part of mine, but it can’t happen today. I can’t do that to you today.
{resolve} All I can do is enjoy the time I can steal with you, and watch over you from afar. Stop anyone else from destroying this little sanctuary of ours. Keep you safe from… interlopers. But there’s no need to discuss them. Not now.
{disappointed sigh} I really was looking forward to spending time with you tonight. Maybe you would’ve even finally asked me to cuddle… A shame it has to be cut short.
{amused} Well, not such a shame. Titans, you smell good. Reminds me of why I wanted your blood in the first place, it might be the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. Another reason I like coming here so much, probably.
{placating} All right, now just hold still… I mean, I know you can’t do much else, but please try to relax. This will only hurt for a moment.
{vampire feeding} {You can make this sound realistic, with slurping and the occasional moan, or you can just make it sound like someone drinking from a Caprisun. One of the above will be funnier.}
{satisfied} Ahh, that was wonderful. Do you think you’re feeling all right, after that? I- {sad} oh. You can’t answer, can you? I could - I really should - unfreeze you. Listen to what you have to say about… all of this. Maybe you’d be okay with it? Maybe you’d even… accept me? But no. What if you told me to leave and never come back? I don’t think I’m brave enough for that. I can’t lose this… I can’t lose you, even if watching you forget me is almost the same.
I am sorry about this. I say that every time, and it never stops being true. I don’t want to do this to you. But it’s the way it has to be. {sigh} {quiet} Maybe if I keep telling myself that, it’ll start feeling true…
{magically resonant} Forget.
Sleep.
{tender} Good night, love. I’ll see you again soon.

MATCH RESULTS

Winner	Loser	Match Finish	Stipulation
Michin	Tatum Paxley	Soeul Food	Women's North American Championship Qualifier
Ridge Holland	Riley Osborne w/ Chase U	Redeemer
The Good Brothers	Edris Enofe and Malik Blade w/ Brinley Reece	Magic Killer
Lola Vice	Arianna Grace	305 Backfist
Dante Chen	Lexis King	Crucifix Pin
Kelani Jordan	Wren Sinclair	Split-Legged Moonsault	Women's North American Championship Qualifier
Trick Williams and Je'von Evans w/ Sexy Red	Gallus	Trick-Shot Knee

IMPORTANT NOTES

• Kickoff with Ava in the ring welcoming us to the show. She says NXT has the greatest women's division in the world and they're about to prove why in two weeks when 6 women will compete in a ladder match for the new Women's North American Championship. She also says they have a special guest and welcomes out Sexy Red. Sexy thanks Ava for her introduction and says she has a special announcement, she will be hosting Battleground in Vegas. Ava says she also has one more special task and starts a drum roll as Sexy reveals the new Women's North American Championship. Tatum Paxley creeps into the ring and tries to steal the belt away from Red before Michin runs in and starts brawling with Tatum and their match starts.
  
• Joe Coffey is talking to Mark saying only two of them are allowed at ringside when they are approached by Meta-Four where Oro demands to know why they took out Noam last week. Joe says if they attacked Noam they'd have known it and walk off. Oro and Jackson accuse Trick of being behind the attack while Lash defends him.
  
• Lola Vice is shadow boxing when Arianna Grace walks in and says as the locker room leader, and leader of women in general, she asks if Lola is seriously going through another barbaric NXT Underground match? Lola says of course she's serious and Arianna says oh sugar. She says Shayna is dangerous and was hoping it was just Lola's temper getting the better of her. Lola calls her princessa and tells Grace she can learn how dangerous she is tonight. Grace says oh shit.
  
• After their match Ridge Holland extends a hand to Riley but Riley denies it and leaves the ring.
  
• The Good Brothers are interviewed backstage, Luke says they are done with being dodged by a team that's existed for 6 months while they had title reigns longer than that. He says the beat downs will continue until they get what they want and Karl shouts at Axiom and Frazer if they have their attention now. We cut to another camera where we see Oro Mensa has been assaulted as Lash and Jackson go to check on him along with officials.
  
• Axiom and Nathan Frazer ambush the Good Brothers after their match, drop kicking them to the outside. Nathan tells the fraudulent clowns that they are never getting near their titles and goes to call them pieces of shit but Axiom cuts him off and says they'll see the Good Brothers at Battleground.
  
• Dante Chen says he's been waiting two days to get his opportunity and the reaction he got was all worth it. While he'd love to bask in this victory forever, he is ready for another and is ready for whoever is next.
  
• Backstage Lexis King tells Dante Chen his win meant nothing and it will never happen again. Dante says he'll prove it's not a fluke and challenge to face Lexis again tonight.
  

*Trick Williams thanks Je'von for his help last week but says they need to be on their a-game tonight against Gallus. Sexy Red comes in and twerks as Trick and Je'von hype her up. She wishes them luck in their match tonight and Je'von asks her to come out with them tonight.

• Roxanne Perez makes her way to the ring. She says she is the only woman in WWE who's appreciated this championship from the very beginning, from when she first one it on 2.0, until when she won it back she saw it used by waste after waste who used to to move on to something bigger rather than relishing it. She says at 13 she started training specifically to win this championship. She never cared about Raw or Smackdown, she only cared about the NXT Women's Championship. To everyone else this title represents future greatness but to her it represents current greatness. She says it is incredibly disrespectful that she has to find out her opponent like this and the only thing her and Ava agree on is that she deserves to be treated better. She demands to know who the hell her opponent is going to be when Ava makes her way out. Ava says she never said Rox was a bad champion, but the question will be if she's still champion after Battleground. She announces her opponent for Battleground will be TNA Knockout's Champion Jordynne Grace! Grace says some of them may remember her from the Rumble earlier this year, but if they don't allow her to formally introduce herself. She says she is the TNA Knock-Outs Champion. She tells Roxanne that she built her name NXT the same way she did in TNA, but who has built the stronger foundation? Jordynne wants to find out and she is ready to leave Las Vegas a double champion.
  
• Eddy Thorpe has a return vignette, he says to his people fire has a deep spiritual connection and it is used as a form of healing. He has looked to the fire a lot these past few months and says his path is illuminated and through the fire he is reborn.
  
• Backstage Riley says Ridge can't be trusted as Chase U try to figure out what's the matter. Duke admits he sees what Riley is talking about and goes off to talk with him. Thea says she can't deal with all this with her match next week and storms off. Ridge checks with Andre who tells him it was a good match and not to worry,
  
• After her victory, Lola Vice says Shayna Bazler has one of two options, she taps out or she gets knocked out, her choice bitch. Shayna comes storming out being held back by security. She says she was born in the Underground as she fights trying to get to Lola.
  
• We get a vignette for Carlee Bright, going over her history as a Division 1 Cheerleader and says once she stepped foot in NXT wrestling became her new love and says the ray of sunshine is coming to NXT.
  
• Backstage Natalya tells Carlee she crushed it last week as Izzy comes in and tells Nattie her compliments are shallow. Karmen Petrovich tells her to get her negative energy out of here and the two start to brawl.
  
• Charlie Dempsey says ever since he lost the Heritage Cup he felt he lost a piece of himself. Damon Kemp he knows how he feels but Charlie asks if he really does. He says they need to learn from Tony's family and that they need to learn discipline and chain of command and tells Damon he's facing Tony next week.
  
• Oro is being checked out in the trainer's room and Jackara tells Lash that she's worried one of them one may next and she has to ask Trick to make sure he has nothing to do with this.
  
• Lexis King attacks Dante Chen after his victory, dragging him to the outside where he hits him with a running knee to the back of the head. Lexis pulls back the ringside mats and hits Dante with the Coronation on the concrete.
  
• Josh Briggs says he was signed in 2020 and had big dreams of breaking out on his own but his dreams were a bit big at the time so he found himself a little brother and little sister, they had success but it was time to go off on his own. He says he's bet on himself a few times but questions if it paid off and he is going to find out who Josh Briggs is. Shawn Spears is shown to be watching and says he has been down the same path as Briggs and knows it can be taunting, but he will guide the youth and be their answer.
  
• Backstage Tony tells the family their current target is the No Quarter Catch Crew and nothing matters until they deal with it since to them the Cup is part of them. Luca says he's looking into the legality of the Catch Clause. Tony says he's preparing for Damon and they're going to beat the Crew at their own game.
  
• Backstage Stevie Turner asks Ava what Jordynne has done to earn a NXT Women's Championship match and why she wasn't invited to the combine. Ava says her complaints are legitmite as Jordynne comes in and says she couldn't help but overhear so how about next week she proves why she deserves her shot and Stevie can put herself on the map.
  
• Wes Lee says he's upset he had to share his victory last week, Gallus are three pissed of Scotsmen but tells them they won't be getting all the titles because he will make sure they won't get the North American Championship. Oba Femi comes by and says it doesn't matter how many men he faces, the title remains with him. Wes says he's made a career out of proving people like him wrong.
  
• After the main event Lash Legend makes her way out to confront Trick as Sexy Red and Je'von leave. She tells Trick he has to be honest with her if he's the one who attacked Oro and Noam. Trick grabs the mic and goes to speak but the lights go out. The lights come back on and Ethan Page is here! He says he attacked Oro and Noam and attacks Trick and then nails him with a knee strike in the corner.
  

SHAMELESS PLUGS

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This happened a few years back. A little context: My uncle has been in and out of jail and he’s a gigalo. He often has different partners and does not have a house of his own, instead he stays with the woman he’s seeing. Now into the story My mom had me young and did not marry. When I was younger she got with my step dad, let’s call him, Brad. Brads a good man, he always wanted the best for my mom. When they got married I was my mom’s bridesmaid. The wedding was being held next to a lake, it was beautiful. The wedding of my mom’s dreams with everyone she loves there, including her older brother let’s call him, Mark. My mom hadn’t talked to Mark in a while, when she invited him. He waited till last minute to RSVP. This didn’t sit right with me but it was my mom’s big day so I brushed it off. We get to the venue and everything was running smoothly. About an hour before the wedding started my mom clearly started to get nervous because she was ordering people around (more than normal) and yelling a lot. I was running back and forth between the Groom, and the bride while also making sure everything was in order. I noticed almost everyone had arrived, everyone except the my mom’s father and brother Mark. Last minute my mom’s father and brother showed up about 10-15 minutes before everything started. The worst part was that my mom’s father and brother were clearly high. My mom’s father, who uses a wheelchair to get around, fell out of the car onto the sidewalk. It took 3 guys the get him up, the entire time Mark just sat around. He showed up with some random woman who none of us had met before, and he wasn’t even dressed. His shirt was unbuttoned, no tie, and hair a mess. The grooms men took him back and fixed him up. The woman he brought had to be in her mid to late 60’s while mark is in his early 40’s, not a big difference but still enough to warrant looks. She was a sweet woman, she told us how long it took her to get Mark to RSVP and to get him out of the hotel room to get here. I felt bad she had to put up with him but I didn’t say anything at the time. Eventually, we got one with the wedding and the service went well. But after it, Mark started getting agitated. He was raising his voice at this old frail woman in the middle of the venue in front of all the guests. This was starting to frighten everyone was Mark is a pretty well built 6’6 jacked man who has a tendency to snap at people. Guest ignored it for the most part till out of no where, people stopped to gasp. Mark had hit this woman, sending her almost flying back. He looked like he might have been on something other than weed. Marks brother and other guests dragged his out of the venue as he screamed to the woman she needed to shut up. He threw insults at her, but she just apologized to everyone, picked up mark and hers things and ran out after him. My mom was horrified and the guests were stunned, but the wedding had to go on. Pretty soon the guests must have forgotten about it as they laughed and danced. There were some other things that happened that night but I will never forget waking up in the morning and watching my mom call her brother to ask what the fuck happened the night before only to be stoned walled because Mark had changed his number without telling anyone. We wouldn’t hear from Mark for a couple months and when he did pop back up my mom forgave him like always, but man I will never forget that day.

Below is a list of some recent releases that are highly rated and some that will be released in June for your perusal. If you know of any other upcoming releases please post them in the comments!

RECENT RELEASES

The Burning Witch 3: A Humorous Romantic Fantasy by Delemhach

Lady Katarina Ashowan is used to getting into trouble, but her latest muddle takes the cake. A moment’s weakness in her attraction to Eric Reyes, crown prince of Daxaria, has landed her in an unexpected marriage with the man . . . just as her father, Lord Finlay Ashowan, arrives in Troivack to check on his headstrong daughter. As if figuring out how to acclimate her father to her scandalous elopement isn’t bad enough, there are rumors of dangerous magical plots afoot at court—with Kat seemingly at the center of them all.
For one thing, the devil is still prowling around, with dubious intentions as to Kat’s powers. For another, an underground network of wrongdoers has been spreading a mysterious and addictive drug throughout both Troivack and Daxaria. And perhaps most concerning, a villainess is hiding in plain sight somewhere close to Kat and her best friend, Queen Alina, hoping to use them to strike at the devil. Now it’s up to Kat—with the help of her kitten familiar, Pina, as well as her friends and family—to untangle the twisted web of courtly and magical intrigue before her hurried honeymoon is cut short by deadly disaster . . .

The Runaway Mate: A Rejected Mate Shifter Romance (Shifters of the Three Rivers) By Kira Nightingale

After what he did, I never wanted to see my fated mate again…
Mai: Four years ago, Ryan Shaw broke my heart, tore it into little pieces and then stomped on it. Ryan is my fated mate, but when I saw him with another woman at the regional meet of all the Packs, I’d had enough. I finally told him what he meant to me, and being the jerk that he is, he rejected me in front of everyone.
Heartbroken, I ran, trying to get as far away from him and the memory of that night as possible. Except I’m on a roll with picking jerks. So now I’m on the run again and heading back to the one place I know I’ll be safe. My brilliant plan is to lie low, heal, and then take off someplace new to start again. But Ryan knows I’m here now, and he has very different ideas.
Ryan: Mai is back, and my wolf is going crazy. I’ll do anything to protect her. It won’t be easy with secret plots to take over our Pack, her abusive ex sniffing around, and Mai’s urge to run every time she sees me. But there’s no way I’m letting her go, not again.

Fastlander Fallen by T.S. Joyce

Ace has one last promise to fulfill.
His father has asked him to try to join one of the Crews of Damon’s Mountains. When the new Fastlander Crew starts accepting applicants, Ace puts his name in the hat on a whim. Will the new Alpha ever allow him to be a part of his Crew? Not if he finds out who he really is. Ace has been hiding a secret about his lineage since he was a child, and now the Fastlanders are getting way too close for comfort. And to add to the pressure, there’s a human coordinating the Crew’s interview process that has his animal’s attention. At first he thinks his animal is hunting her, but the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes she is important. Corey Gable just might be the glue of the Fastlanders, and she doesn’t even realize her part in the destiny of this Crew. The problem? It’s twofold. One, he cannot under any circumstances bond to a human, and two? His life is in a free fall, and he cannot drag her into what is about to happen. If she wants to live, she’s got to stay human, and stay away from the Fastlanders. And most importantly? She has to stay away from Ace.
Corey Gable has lost someone she loves.
Corey’s cousin, Hallie, has been consumed by her new life with the shifters of Damon’s Mountains, and she’s left Corey behind. The only way to maintain her relationship with her cousin is to get involved in her new life—the ups, the downs, all of it. When Corey is roped into helping with the interview process of creating the new Fastlanders Crew, there are definitely some interesting characters who want the invite. One of them is tall, dark, and mysterious, and there’s something about him that keeps drawing her in—but he has big warnings for her. She’s messing with a destiny that could be the end of her life as she knows it. She wants to heed his advice, truly she does, but there’s just something about the mysterious stranger. And the more she finds out about who he is, the more she thinks she couldn’t leave him alone if she tried.

Hellhounds and Angel Cakes by Zoe Chant

He’s supposed to be a rough, tough, terrifying hellhound. That's hard when you're covered in chihuahuas.
Henry’s used to everyone being afraid of him – being a hellhound has that effect on people. What he’s not used to is having every animal within a four-mile radius suddenly wanting to be his best friend. Pigeons roosting on your shoulder: annoying, but mostly harmless. The local moose population stampeding toward you in the hopes of a hug: somewhat more worrying.
There’s nothing for it but to escape to the mountains, where he can use his hellhound form to intimidate the local wildlife into leaving him alone. But a stop for one last piece of cake before heading into the wilderness leads him straight to his fated mate. He's over the moon... but how can he court her when every animal in town is trying to leap into his arms?
Travel journalist Luna was looking forward to this assignment: covering the first annual Girdwood Springs Food Festival, along with her trademark: Fillmore, the world's ugliest dog. Specifically, she was looking forward to sampling all the amazing, mouth-watering local delicacies.
But there's other delights to sample in Girdwood Springs – such as the mind-bogglingly gorgeous, hunky man who is now covered in cake, thanks to Fillmore. And who seems to be strangely popular with the local animal population.
Suddenly, writing her article is the last thing on her mind…

Wild Scottish Beauty by Tricia O'Malley

“She was sunshine to my storm clouds, and I wondered how the two could ever coexist.”
A chance job offer in Scotland gives Willow Barlowe an excuse to escape the predictable life her overly controlling brother, Miles, wants for her. Excited to start fresh as a fashion intern for the local kiltmaker, Willow lands in small town Loren Brae brimming with sunshine and hope.
Until she discovers that her new boss is none other than Ramsay McMillan, her brother’s best friend, and the grumpiest man this side of the Atlantic. Never mind the ghost Highland coo that haunts the castle, nor the supposedly bewitched waters of Loch Mirren, Willow refuses to work under Ramsay’s watchful eyes, certain he’s reporting back to her brother.
Ramsay Kilts is home to one of the last remaining traditional kiltmakers in Scotland, Ramsay McMillan. Loyalty, continuity, and tradition are important to Ramsay–as is his privacy. After a family betrayal, Ramsay keeps his walls up, running a veritable kilt empire with as minimum fuss as he can. Enter Willow Barlowe–his new intern, good friend’s little sister, and a veritable thorn in his side.
If the thorn is made of sunshine and sparkles that is.
As the two clash, Ramsay must decide if loyalty is really more important than love?

Devious Gods by Caroline Peckham

Callie: Ruin chases close on our heels and the price we have paid for a chance at our salvation is higher than any of us could have presumed.
I have claimed a love so brutal that I fear losing it might destroy not just me but the world I have fought so desperately to save.
The gods watch us more closely than ever, urging us to fulfil the task our destiny demands. We only have to make it to the end of this road, but I fear what we might find when we reach that final destination.
Montana: I am no longer the girl born to ruin and ash, but a woman set on a path of salvation with my heart in the clutches of a monster.
Our eyes are finally open to the true enemies of our kind and now that we have managed to unite against all odds, we are determined to see the games of the gods end.
Time is running out and fate calls our name on a tumultuous wind. Let’s pray that we can answer it before damnation claims us all.

The Throne of Honour and Blood by J Bree

In our arrogance, the high fae forgot everything that mattered.
I carved out a reputation as the Savage Prince for my brutality against witches, but unable to wield our magic, I couldn’t stop my kingdom from being torn apart by war and famine while the Fates demanded my patience.
The worst was still to come.
After almost a thousand years of waiting for my Fates-blessed mate, and thousands of witches dead by my hand, the Fates revealed their cruelest truth yet.
With silver eyes that sliced to the bone and a humility that defied all reason, the witch I’m bound to has tested every inch of my restraint, but that was only the beginning.
Everything I once knew as true has come into question.
Loyalties will be tested, treaties broken, treason committed, and only the strongest will survive.
I am Prince Soren Celestial.
The rightful heir to the throne of the Southern Lands.
Nothing will keep me from my Fates-blessed mate.
Not even her hatred for me.

Devourer of Men: A Captain Hook, Crocodile, and Wendy Darling Reimagining by Nikki St. Crowe

I have few friends and fewer allies. What I do have on the island of Everland is a lot of people who want me gone. So when the Crocodile and Captain Hook reappear in my life, I am in no mood. And worse, they’re unknowingly endangering themselves by asking for me by a name I long considered dead.
Now, not only do I have to save myself, I have to save the two men who I swore I would murder with my bare hands if I ever set eyes on them again considering they abandoned me.
Unfortunately for me, Roc and Hook have other plans, and when I find myself caught between them, I have to make a decision: risk my heart or risk my life?
Devourer of Men is a dark MMF romantasy fairytale retelling. Characters have been aged up for this darker, grittier version. For a full list of content warnings, please visit the author's website.

Bespelled (Bewitched Book 2) By Laura Thalassa

“Neither magic, nor time, can keep us apart. We are like the stars. Eternal.”
No one told witch Selene Bowers having a soul mate would be so difficult. Nor did they warn her that he might be a vengeful, ancient sorcerer who would frame her for murder, force her to remember a past life he swears she lived, and then coerce her into an unbreakable marriage pact. But that’s exactly what happens the night of the Samhain Ball, when Selene finds herself in a jail cell.
After waking from enchanted sleep, Memnon swore to discover why Selene betrayed him long ago. But when his soul mate’s memories return, the truth reveals something else entirely. Horrified by his own actions and desperate to make amends, Memnon offers Selene the unthinkable: a magic bond that will give her full control over his will. And Selene is desperate enough to accept it.
But other enemies still haunt Henbane Coven, Selene’s magical academy, and they’ve taken a keen interest in her. If she wants to stop them, she’ll need Memnon’s help. But partnering with the sorcerer is a tricky business, especially when he’s dead set on winning her heart. And that can’t happen…because the bond controlling him will break the moment she falls in love with him.

Beautiful Beast (Dragons of Viria) by Devyn Sinclair

Standing in front of a dragon means dying by fire, but the heart knows there’s more than one way to burn.
Humans and dragons are at war, and I am a pawn in the battle.
Princess of a dying land, my life is not my own, and a marriage to a vicious, dragon-hunting prince will save my people from deadly famine or death by fire.
But before I can vow my life to a monster, dragons drop screaming from the sky with a single aim. End the alliance. Kill me. I welcome the flames, relieved to burn instead of rot.
But the flames never come.
One look in the dragons' eyes, and they carry me away. Three dragons whose gaze burns with hunger and fills me with fire.
They're not what we were taught, and every passing day I learn more of the truth. Dragons are not the enemy we thought they were.
Still, one question remains: for centuries no one has stood before a dragon and survived. If these dragons were sent to kill me, why am I still alive?

Midlife Vampire Hunter (The Forty Proof Series Book 9) by Shannon Mayer

Crash:
I had her in my arms, only to lose her moments later. Frantic doesn't even begin to describe my state of mind as I search for Bree.
That search takes me deep into my past and to a family home that I swore I would never return to.
To find Bree, I must face a queen I defied and a monster that wants my soul. All while being heckled by a demon-infested blade.
Goddess help me succeed.
Breena:
Being abducted by a woman who is supposed to be dead, and weirdly looks a heck of a lot like me, is disturbing. Being told my death is needed to complete a wicked spell and that I'll be turned into a vampire? Even more disturbing.
I can't reach Crash or my friends. I have no idea where I am. My only ally? Alan. My ex-husband. Yup, you read that right,
The path to the end of my story is shadowed in fog, danger, and mystery, but I begin to see through it as the players and truth emerge. And that sight shows me that the sliver of hope is worth hanging onto, that my friends are with me even when I cannot see them, and that a future free of those who mean us harm is possible.
Even if it costs me more than I ever planned on paying

UPCOMING JUNE RELEASES

The Little Shop of Grand Curiosities by Iris Lake

Nepheli’s Little Shop of Grand Curiosities is the last scrap of magic left in the humdrum city of Elora as the Dreadful Mundane slowly takes over its residents’ hearts, and she is determined to preserve it any way she can. But when Apollo, a charming and mysterious traveler from the other side of the world, walks into her Shop, bringing her all kinds of trouble, Nepheli, for the first time in her life, is stolen away from the familiar wonders of her Curiosity Shop and is thrust into a dangerous world of lethal creatures and heartbreaking magic. As the two of them embark on a long journey of self-discovery, Nepheli will soon realize that the most curious things in life lie right beyond the reach of one’s comfort zone.
The Little Shop Of Grand Curiosities is a lighthearted fantasy romance about the true meaning of love, the power of empathy, and the unremitting yearning to be extraordinary as an act of rebellion against the mundaneness of the world.

Filthy Rich Fae by Geneva Lee

Cate Holloway knows the unspoken rule of New Orleans: avoid the powerful Gage crime family at all costs. Of course, that was before her brother got caught in their chaos. Now Cate has no choice but to confront the dark and forbidding prince of New Orleans himself and beg for her brother’s life. But Lachlan Gage is as lethal as he is beautiful…and the only currency he’s interested in is her soul.
Because Lachlan isn’t just some ruthless criminal. He’s fae. And he has his own secret reasons for binding her to him. Tricked and desperate, Cate is torn between humanity and the breathtaking Otherworld. A place filled with shadows and secrets, with members of each fae court plotting against her just as her captor’s motives for trapping her become more mysterious. And if she can’t break this sinister bargain in the next thirty days, she’ll be bound to the inscrutable yet infuriatingly tempting fae prince and his deadly world…forever.

The Princess and the Pack by Fallon English

Princess Ivy and Prince Cillian have been fated since birth. Ivy has always known that one day, she must leave her country to become not only Cillian’s bride, but Namara’s future Queen.
As an Omega and a princess, her life revolves around duty; not the dream that she harbors of life-altering love. Her station dictates she deny Nature’s call for a pack of her own. Instead, she must wed and settle for one - and only one - Alpha to preserve their pristine, royal bloodlines.
But fate has other plans in mind for Princess Ivy. Plans that involve not just her Betrothed, but his best friend and Ivy’s childhood nemesis - a nobleman, and the handsome son of the Royal Gardener.
Will societal expectations and tradition pull them apart? Or will Ivy and her Alphas take charge of their fate and give in to a love with the power to change the world?

A Rival of Hearts by Tessonja Odette

Two rival writers. One prestigious publishing contract. A bargain of hearts and seduction.
They say never bargain with the fae. They also say don’t get drunk on fae wine. Yet romance author Edwina Danforth has managed a blunder with both on her first visit to the infamous faelands. Now she's trapped in a magic-fueled bet she barely remembers with a man she’d be happier to forget. The terms? Whoever can bed the most lovers during their month-long dueling book tour wins a coveted publishing contract.
The win should be easy for Edwina. She’s known for penning scintillating tales of whirlwind romance. There’s just one her imagination vastly exceeds her bedroom experience. But when failure means plummeting her career back into obscurity, losing isn’t an option.
Her handsome fae rival, William Haywood, poses an even greater challenge. Not only are his looks as aggravatingly perfect as his track record behind closed doors, but he has his own reasons for playing to win, and he won’t go down without a fight. Unless, of course, it’s a different kind of going down. In that case, he’s fair game.
Edwina and William clash in a rivalry of romance. But what happens when their objects of desire…turn out to be each other?

My (35f) best friend (32f) is getting married in July but wanted to have her bachelorette be a weekend with friends so she chose the second weekend in June. This party has turned into a nightmare.
First, months ago when I had time and energy, I kept asking her to provide details about who we were inviting and the list kept growing and changing, which doesn’t work when you’re trying to book an AirBNB. This is due to some earlier error that had some people being left out of her bridal shower invites so suddenly the list was growing to include friends and a lot of future family. I’m all for family, but it felt like she was trying to overcompensate especially because her future SILs threw her a second shower anyway. I might have gotten a little direct and told her she needed to make some choices. She finally snapped at me via text and told me that I was stressing her out and to leave it alone.
A couple weeks later she sent me a huge list of wants for her party, including locations that would have us driving out of state and her sister (and co-MOH with me) driving across two states. We finally settled on something much closer (2ish hours away) and booked the AirBNB.
A couple weeks ago I asked for phone numbers to get in touch with the guests she wanted to invite and she sent me addresses and expected me to send out actual invitations. In my mind I was expecting this to be a casual text chain conversation like the only other bachelorette weekends I’ve been a part of were. Then she bugged me about whether I had sent the invitations and offered to send them herself (I probably should have just let her.) I sent them as soon as I had time (I’ve been out of town three weekends of this month with family commitments.)
I have everything set and planned now, including a pretty expensive scavenger hunt and plans for Friday evening, all day Saturday and breakfast Sunday morning. But I have it planned based on who is invited to which parts of the weekend, per the bride’s message. However, she has mentioned to other friends things about inviting people to different parts of the weekend (like her future SILs to Spa night, etc.) I’m usually pretty go with the flow, but it’s been an exhausting couple months and I’m so frustrated about this whole thing. I think it’s mostly that she’s making me plan it her way and then not respecting the plan.
IDK- Am I just overreacting out of exhaustion, or is this really going as badly as I feel like it is?

https://nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invites-public-comment-on-plans-for-mars-sample-return-campaign via #NASA_APP

Last week, one cat stayed overnight at the vet for a urine sample, diagnosed with crystals and an infection. They gave him an antibiotics shot at the office, sent him home with a directive from me to switch him and his healthy brother to prescription wet food only, but i was also given pills of phenoxybenzamine to give to the sick one twice a day with food to help him pass the crystals and stop peeing on my floors.
So far, big success. They took to the food change pretty fast. I was already feeding them seafood based purina and this prescription is salmon so, not a lengthy mixed food transition. Elimination of the dry food was pretty immediate. Still gotta ignore SOME begging from the healthy one as he i think is triggered by MY habits that he associates with food time. The sick one doesnt care about food till i physically feed em.
ANYWAYS, since the day i brought him home, the sick on ON SIGHT gets hissed at by his brother. They used to be thick as thieves. What used to be lots of play wrestling is now an actual fight. Sick one will approach his brother looking to either play like they used to, or simply sit/lay beside him in the window. It is met with a loud hiss and a swat, which triggers sick cat to respond in kind and chase after him.
Ive tried all the tips. Multiple scent transfer attempts, give treats with them next to each other (which only works WHILE they eat, once done its immediately a proximity triggered fight), i have TWO feliway plugins going,slow door way reintroductions. To a degree, they can both coexist in the same room to sleep on opposite ends of the room. I have had a few tenative truces where sick cat CAREFULLY lays down next to his brother after a hiss and its somewhat civil for a bit. Even had a few promising interactions where sick cat was able to groom the top of his brothers head.But soon enough its a fight and i put sick cat back in my bedroom.
I have no idea what to do anymore. Surely the vet scents have rubbed off. I have no idea if the anti spasm med hes on is changing his scent or something. They have been together, unseperated since i got them as weeks old kittens. Vet trips were always together but since it was just the one cat peeing, i just took him and didnt even consider this outcome even knowing it was a thing. I just wanted him better so it was a furioua search for a vet that could see him immediately. I changed vets to make that happen. My original one had like ZERO urgency over something that could apparently kill him.
So now I dont know what to do. They want him back, overnight again, next week for follow up testing to see if hes better. Which i think he is and im scared its just gonna make things worse. All day today ive kept them seperate as they had a fight this morning and my camera showed repeat fighting while i was asleep. I have plans to have friend stay over in July, but if this continues i may cancel because when i have guests these two at LEAST had a safe space in my bedroom. There is NO way i can confine these two to that space with this going on. I at thus point barely trust leaving the house on errands without locking one up first. Help.

After accepting the invite from the Wizard, the day has come and you go out together! Chilling together inside a comfy and warm cafe, you watch the snow falling gently, whitening the streets outside. The snowy weather also gives the perfect opportunity to create a cute and unexpected present with magic.
Script by u/Yume_Dreamfields 💜
(This was a special one that I really tried my best to make magical. I hope you all enjoy as much as I did💜✨)
Video Here 💜
Audio Here 💜
Script Here 💜
Part 1 Here!
Part 2 Here!
Part 3 Here!
Part 4 Here!

Excuse my bad english, i used AI to translate some parts, im not a native speaker. So, here goes the story of how Jehovah's Witnesses almost drove me to suicide, how my grandmother disowned me, and why I am now 1,327 kilometers away from my family, haha.
I was born into a three-generation JW family in Cancún, Mexico. I never had birthdays, Halloween, or any of the world's holidays. From ages 0 to 3, my nuclear family was distant from the JWs. I learned to read and began reading Watchtower literature. I never liked the idea that Jehovah was going to commit genocide on 99% of the world's population and that we would be happy in paradise with exile, resurrection, and more. At age 4, they resumed their service to the organization and tried to raise me solely with Watchtower literature. Everything else was practically forbidden, although I loved watching documentaries and reading about nature. I became a fan of some school books. I was never allowed to have a single friend, and at school, I was forced to have perfect grades, or else my parents would beat me, and this continued until I was 8 years old.
When I was 8, my father quit his job because a coworker started sexually harassing him. From that moment on, life in my family went downhill. I discovered I was gay, and every "teaching" started to irritate me more and more. My father tried to dedicate himself more to the organization's service, so it took him almost a year to find a job that allowed him to do so. At the beginning of this period, I was sent to my grandmother's house for her to take care of me for 3 months. The hell of the Catholics sounded more appealing than being there. I stopped going to school, and every day began with waking up at 5:45 am, considering the day's text for an hour, then breakfast, preaching from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm under 30-degree heat, a break for a meager meal, and then continuing with studies from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Upon returning home, we would study the ministry school or the Watchtower until 10:00 pm, every day. Sundays, we had our meeting at 9:00 am, and we still went out to preach in the morning from 6:30 to 8:30.
I remember during that time I lost weight, going from being overweight to the lower limit of a healthy weight, even developing anemia. I suffered from heat strokes, dehydration, and other issues. The worst part was the Saturday Watchtower study. My grandmother wouldn't schedule studies that day so we could study the Watchtower. We started at 3 in the afternoon and continued until nearly 10 at night or even later, reading every biblical passage, every reference in the central column. We didn't have dinner until we finished studying. If I yawned, she would pinch me, and one day she tried to slap me. Adding to this was her favoritism towards other more "spiritual" cousins and her constant reminders that I would die for not having blind faith in God. Those were 3 months of my life. After that, I returned home and resumed my studies.
That year, we ended up living off poor government aid, and I made my first friend in primary school. Her mother was the sweetest woman I had ever known. She gave me desserts, fed me when we had no money, something the brothers NEVER did for my family. Here begins the next chapter of my family.
My father got a job in Cancun's public transportation but quit because he had to break many laws in a highly competitive and illegal environment. Desperate, my father accepted the lowest job offer from one of his JW brothers, working from 8 am to 6:30 pm, with no overtime pay, for $25 a week to support a family of five. Meanwhile, the indoctrination continued, torturing me with the idea that I would be destroyed at Armageddon for being secretly homosexual and completely isolated from my schoolmates due to my beliefs and poverty, thanks to this religion and abusive brothers.
My father started taking me to work on weekends, some weekdays, and holidays. They didn't pay anything extra for me; I worked entirely for free. At school, I resented the lack of money. Sometimes I would pick up government notebooks that kids threw away. My uniform was falling apart.
I started secondary school, and this situation continued. I was switched from the afternoon shift to the morning shift because of bullying at school. During that time, I met my first real friend, a guy who always supported me. He was a fan of creepy pastas and the paranormal, someone who was absent once or twice a week but with whom I enjoyed spending time. We would lie on the classroom floor listening to scary stories. I developed romantic feelings for him but never had the chance to confess. One day, after school, he walked me to a street before my house, where my father was waiting for me. A brother had leaked what was happening. I had managed to get a cell phone, which my parents checked daily to see what I was doing. At 15, they forbade me from having any contact with him, so I ended the friendship and suppressed my feelings until we finished the last year of secondary school. He didn't attend the graduation day. That day, I was completely alone. My parents went with me, but no one approached me. In Mexico, there's a tradition of signing your friends' shirts. Mine had the signature of one teacher, and nothing more. None of my classmates recognized me as a friend that day.
Two months passed. I entered high school, and one day, while walking back from preaching with my mother, I met one of my former schoolmates. We had ended up fighting, but we respected each other. When he saw me, tears welled up in his eyes. I had never seen him like that. He approached me and told me that my first friend had died of cancer. I was in shock. I told him not to joke, and he asked if I ever wondered why he was absent so often and the school never said anything, why he grew his hair long until he started missing more and more. I remember that day I felt pain like never before. I felt like I was collapsing inside. I wanted to vomit and cry. I regretted for years having left him to die alone. I felt like a traitor. My parents didn't care, but I fell into a depression that took years to overcome. To distract my mind, I started preaching more and filling my mind with dogmas. But I knew, I knew I could never achieve eternal life as a homosexual, I knew I could never make my parents happy, I knew I shouldn't get baptized, or when I got disfellowshipped, my family would consider me dead.
I started a spiral of self-hatred that one day led to harmful thoughts. I began to think about using chemical castration to eliminate my impulses, about amputating my genitals to avoid sinning. I started to think that if I died, I would be resurrected.
During high school, everyone in the congregation who talked to me only pressured me to get baptized. But I knew that if I did, it would lead to an even worse situation. And the spiral began. With each assembly, these feelings grew stronger. They kept reminding me that I had to do it, that I had to go out into the world as a JW. And everyday, some homophobic things that make me more and more fragile.
At 18, my both parents ended up working to pay off debts. I started staying home, waking up at 2 pm, and sleeping up to 20 hours a day. They labeled me spiritually lazy. I was dying more each day, and no one cared. No one in the congregation was truly my friend.
Then one day, my sister sent me to a government program to get a job. A psychologist noticed my problems and interviewed me. I started a small treatment, where I slowly made friends and became more expressive. I didn't know how to speak properly with others even though I could give talks and preach. I was socially stagnant. All the young people in the congregation ostracized me for not being a blind believer, and on top of that, I was sarcastic, so I was the one left out. I was invited to a gathering only once, with the condition that I couldn't talk to anyone about anything. Time passed, and from that government program, I started working at an institution. I met my first angels, my female coworkers, five wonderful women who practically taught me how to speak again, who explained how to celebrate a birthday, how to socialize, how to talk properly with others.
During this time, with some expertise in hiding information from my family, I bought a phone I only used at work. Curiosity got the better of me, and I started visiting Telegram groups, where I met my former partner, someone who helped me finally leave the Jehovah's Witnesses. When the pandemic started, I was sent home. My family tried to use that phone, but it had a password. When they asked for it, I refused. For the first time in my life, I refused such an order. I started to distance myself little by little. I grew my hair long, started going out more, talking more with my ex, and so on. Gradually, I distanced myself. I didn't attend Zoom meetings, and I stopped preaching by letter. Then the presidential elections came, and I was forced to vote to keep my job, which was the only source of income for my family during the pandemic. I did it, went out to vote, which cost me my position as a publisher. I was more than happy. Some brothers called me, hat was the firstime in 4 years that they made a phone call. The quarantine ended, and I finally returned to my office with my coworkers.
Then my grandmother reappeared, trying to condition me to become a preacher again, and she tried to manipulate me. I flatly refused and left. Then something worse happened: she came to live with us, and every day it was the same argument, until one day, during a trip to the beach (Cancun, baby), she tried to corner me with an elder and a pioneer. I simply told them to move away. They refused and said I had to come back and cut my hair. I told my grandmother no, and that I didn't want to talk about it with anyone anymore, that it was my life and she should use the little time she had left. Later, I found out that she had removed me from her will over some land in the outskirts of Cancun. I don't regret.
Then my father noticed something and told me that if he discovered anything, he would kick me out of the house. He asked me if I was gay, to which I replied "maybe." He said that if I declared it, I would have to leave the house. At that time, I had already broken up with my ex, who had moved to the center of the country. I talked to him and his current partner, and they said it would be no problem, that they could take me in if something happened. I told my sister about my suicidal thoughts after she asked what had happened with my father. Then, my parents got me a psychologist, who started helping me progress and overcome some of the issues I had with my self-esteem. However, what I didn't know was that he was leaking EVERYTHING to my parents, and thus they confirmed my sexuality and found out about my relationship.
I endured that year and told my parents that I would leave home on my 23rd birthday. I took the UNAM exam, which I didn't pass 😅😅. I told them, and they dropped a bombshell: "we were hoping you would fail your exam so you wouldn't leave." That gave me the impetus to do it, to finalize my escape. With anger and nostalgia, a few days later, I took a flight to another city where my friends took me in. I think I can consider them more than friends, they are my family, i have one on cancun, that needs to leave that religion. Right now, I'm looking into starting treatment again, specifically for victims of coercive sects. I live much more freely, maybe not in a super city, but happily, without my family's eyes always watching me. I have never felt so free in my life.
To the Jehovah's Witnesses reading this, remember, we born and raised in cages, but it is not a disease to fly; it is the freedom of this world that awaits us. It will be more dangerous, but it will also be much more interesting. You will be able to suffer and enjoy, love and pain, the full life, not a life of only pain to die in loneliness, to die with a false hope. You can move forward, you can make it; there are many like us out here. It will hurt, but once you learn to fly, you won't even want to look back. My life only began at 24, I am just about to start studying at university. I didn't study because of that religion, but I know I will soon. These chains are not that strong; they are just too big to carry. Throw them off and come fly with us.
This is my history, my life, the start of my new life.
Thanks everybody, you rocks!

Hi everyone,
I’m in a bit of a dilemma and could really use some outside perspectives.
I (25F) share an apartment with two flatmates, but our landlord is the one who manages all the expenses and sets the rules. When we moved in, we all signed a contract agreeing not to bring guests over, as the apartments are quite small and many tenants work from home.
One of my flatmates (32F), who is single, has been inviting Tinder dates over and sharing our address with several men she meets online. She’s an immigrant and most of these men are also immigrants, often not well-educated and, frankly, they don’t seem like the most trustworthy people. I casually mentioned to her that inviting strangers over and sharing our address might not be safe, but she laughed it off, saying things like “I’m always joking that they might want to kill me” and then minimising the situation by saying that she met them twice. I should also mention that she likes to play with men as in inviting them to our address and the ghosting them once they are outside.
Last night, she invited someone over in the middle of the night without telling me. They stayed up all night watching movies and laughing, without any consideration for me trying to sleep. I’m pretty sure she didn’t tell me because she knew I’d advise against it.
I never bring anyone over, not even female friends, out of respect for the rules and my flatmates. I’m now thinking of informing our landlord about her behavior so she can remind my flatmate of the rules. I hate confronting her as she is nice overall but she tends to act dumb to avoid any serious discussions.
Would I be the asshole for going to the landlord about this?

Hello,
I have been recording with a microphone, with all of the hardware listed at the bottom, for years without a problem. Only recently, when arming a track to record, did I notice this problem: My microphone quality when coming through Ableton suddenly sounds horrible; with a very quality-compressed, glitchy sound and frequent audio dropouts. At first, I assumed it was a buffer size problem because I've experienced the buffer size being at the wrong level before. However, after researching through multiple articles and changing and trying the sample rate and buffer size at every option and combination imaginable, I have realized that CHANGING BUFFER SIZE AND SAMPLE RATE DO NOT CHANGE OR FIX THE ISSUE.
For some reason, the microphone and interface just sound absolutely terrible when inputting into Ableton. I have tested them both out on other programs on the mac; for instance I recorded audio on OBS (screen-record application), and the audio sounds perfectly fine on everything besides Ableton. I have attached a video comparison of how the audio sounds anywhere else (in this case, OBS), compared to how bad it's sounding thru Ableton.
I've Tried so Far:

• I have tried other interfaces (my friend's presonus) and the audio input quality problem still occurs, only on Ableton. THEREFORE IT IS NOT AN ISSUE WITH MY SCARLETT 2i2
  
• I have tested the same inputs with the Scarlett on my Ableton copy on a gaming Windows PC, and it works perfectly fine. This is only an issue with my Ableton copy on the Mac.
  
• I have changed out the XLR cable, which fixed nothing.
  
• I have moved my headphones from the interface to the mac itself, changed output to external headphones, and that fixed nothing as well.
  
• Downloaded Focusrite Control app and Updated Firmware; no difference.
  
• Like I said I've adjusted buffer size and sample rate every which way. And yes they match focusrite control app.
  
• Mac software update; no help.
  

I am at my wits end because all the sources I've read online just almost always say that the solution is "change your buffer size or sample rate" and that does not fix my problem.
Obviously I'm on a mac so it's just running through CoreAudio, and theres no ASIO drivers or anything that need to be updated. Recording and engineering is my livelihood and I do not know what else to do to fix this issue, please help.
My Hardware:
USB-C connected third-gen Scarlett 2i2. There is a OC-16 Microphone connected in input 1 with an XLR Cable. There are Kali speaker monitors connected, and a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-m50x Headphones in the headphone port.
The mac is a 2023 M2 Macbook Pro
Heres the example video https://imgur.com/a/d2U6yzj